The Place for Limited Releases
November 2, 2012
There are not a lot of new releases on this week's list, and even fewer that have a good shot at earning some measure of mainstream success. This Must Be the Place is probably the best bet in that regard, but fans of B-movies should try and see Miami Connection.
The Bay - Buy from Amazon
The Details - Reviews
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters - Reviews
Jack and Diane - Reviews
Miami Connection - Reviews
Midnight's Children - Reviews
This Must Be the Place - Reviews
Vamps - Reviews
The widest limited release of the week, this film is a mockumentary horror film about an environmental disaster that struck in 2009, killed hundreds, and then was covered up. The film is earning very good reviews, but I'm not overly optimistic about its box office chances for a few reasons. Firstly, it is the wrong genre for limited release. Secondly, limited releases generally need great reviews to thrive. And finally, it is opening in too many theaters. The Bay opens tonight in 23 theaters in select cities.
Tobey Maguire stars as a man who has been married for ten years to Elizabeth Banks. However, his "perfect" suburban life come falling apart after he re-sods his back yard. This in turn attracts racoons, which sets off an whole range of other causes and effects. The reviews are only mixed with a lot of critics arguing that the script doesn't live up to the ensemble cast. The Details opens tonight in a dozen theaters and on video on demand as well.
A documentary about Gregory Crewdson, an artist / photographer. Although it is less of a biography and more of a behind-the-scenes look at his process. Given the reviews, it is clear most critics don't mind this focus. Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters opens tonight at the Film Forum, if it's open.
Riley Keough and Juno Temple play Jack and Diane, two teenage girls who fall in love. When Diane tells Jack she's moving away, it causes something to happen to Jack, something as in turning into a werewolf. The reviews are terrible and this is the wrong genre for limited release, so its box office chances are really weak. Jack and Diane opens tonight at the Sundance Sunset Cinemas in Los Angeles.
Made in 1987 and not widely available to the public till this year. It's about a martial arts rock'n'roll band that goes all vigilante against a ninja motorcycle gang that control the drug trade. It's like they took a bunch of Grindhouse genres and stuck them in a blender. There are only two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Both are positive, but both say the film is so bad it's good. It has serious cult potential. Miami Connection opens tonight in three theaters in Seattle, San Francisco, and St. Louis.
A Canadian film about India's independence from Britain, as told through the lives of two children who were born the exact moment of India's independence, but who were switched at birth. The film was directed by Deepa Mehta and is based on a novel by Salman Rushdie. However, despite this pedigree, the overall reviews are very weak. Midnight's Children opens tonight in Toronto, Halifax, and other Canadian cities.
Sean Penn stars as Cheyenne, an aging rock star who lives off his royalties in Ireland. He's been estranged from his father for years, but comes out to reconcile after his father became ill, but his dad dies before he can get to him. He learns his father survived the holocaust and had sworn revenge on one of the guards who had humiliated him. Now Cheyenne decides to fulfill his father's goal. The film is earning good reviews and it is also generating the best buzz on this week's list, but it is still a long shot to earn any measure of mainstream success. It seems just too art house to expand significantly. This Must Be the Place opens tonight in two theaters, including the Nuart Theatre.
Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter play vampires who have been in the single life for a century. When Stacy falls in love with Joey, who happens to be the son of Dr. Van Helsing, the famous vampire hunter. The film's reviews are only mixed, while the film comes out on DVD and Blu-ray in less than two week's so its box office chances are very weak. On the other hand, I already have my screener and I'm looking forward to reviewing it.
Filed under: Limited Releases, The Details, Vamps, This Must Be the Place, Jack and Diane, The Bay, Midnight's Children, Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters, Miami Connection, Sean Penn, Alicia Silverstone, Elizabeth Banks, Tobey Maguire, Deepa Mehta, Krysten Ritter, Wallace Shawn, Juno Temple, Riley Keough, Dan Stevens