Wrestling with the Limited Releases
December 19, 2008
Just three limited releases this week, but all three have some Awards Season buzz associated with them. So far two of those three films have already earned nominations.
The Class - Reviews
Nothing But the Truth - Reviews
The Wrestler - Reviews
This film is playing in New York City and Los Angeles for a one-week Oscar qualifying run. This optimism is not misplaced, as the film earned several nominations / awards, including a Independent Spirit Award nomination and it won the Palm D'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Sadly, there are no review over on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment, but that should change when the film makes its theatrical debut later on.
One of the more irritating political stories of the past few years comes to theaters this week. I found it irritating because the statute protecting reporters from revealing their sources is there to protect the people from the government, it is not there to protect the government from the people. The drama of the situation is deflated by that reversal of positions, and perhaps this is why a film that has some Oscar Buzz going in is earning reviews that are only respectable. Normally I don' think films earning 72% positive reviews will thrive in limited release, and with the intense competition, the odds are stacked against the film even more. Nothing But the Truth opened in New York on Wednesday and expands to Los Angeles tonight.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Mickey Rourke, this movie is about a former wrestler looking to regain the fame of past career. That doesn't sound like an Oscar caliber film, however, given the reviews and the nominations it has earned so far, picking up some Oscar nods is to be expected. The Wrestler opened on Wednesday in four theaters and during its opening day pulled in $46,000. At this pace it could have one of the best per theater averages of the year.
Filed under: Limited Releases, The Wrestler, Entre les murs, Nothing But the Truth