Limited Releases out for Revenge

March 24, 2005

Stories about secret agents, wine and revenge are the themes of some of the films to enter limited release this week. Unlike the past couple of weeks, none of them scream out as obvious candidates for mainstream success.

Ballad of Jack and Rose - Reviews
One the one hand, this film has an amazing cast and a compelling story. On the other hand, the emotions never quite come across as natural but instead feel artificial and manufactured. Which hand wins out depends a lot on the person watching. The film opens in four theaters tonight in New York, Los Angeles and Santa Monica before expanding into major cities next week.

D.E.B.S. - Reviews
Originally started out as a short film, and given the reviews, it probably should have stayed as one. A secret agent spoof that has some intelligent humor at times, but is too campy and fluffy to hold a person's attention for the whole 90 minutes. The film opens tonight in more than 40 theaters in select cities nationwide.

Mondovino - Reviews
A documentary about how globalization is affecting regional wine producers, and other cultural areas. Given its subject matter, there's little surprise this film and Sideways are frequently being mentioned in the same breath. The film, which was originally planned as a ten hour mini-series, opened on Wednesday in the Film Forum in New York city.

Nina's Tragedies - Reviews
The winner of 11 Israeli Academy Awards, this film is a coming of age story about a 14 year old boy who moves in with his recently widowed, young aunt. With equal parts comedy and drama, the film touches on some compelling aspects of growing up and opens in New York city tonight.

Oldboy - Reviews
A man is kidnapped and his family is killed, then after being held for 15 years he is suddenly released, only to discover his kidnappers still have plans for him. A violent revenge film that was made in South Korea and is based on a Japanese comic book. The film opens in four theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, but if you don't live in those cities, don't worry, the film is currently being remade by Hollywood for a 2006 release.

Sequins - Reviews
A French film that also goes by the name, A Common Thread. In it a young lady who recently found out she was pregnant becomes the assistant to an embroiderer who recently lost her son in a motorcycle accident. Reviews are very positive, but the film is very much an art house film.


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Filed under: Limited Releases, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, Oldboy, D.E.B.S., Sequins