Limited and VOD Releases: California Dreaming
August 18, 2017
It isn’t a particularly busy week for the art-house and VOD market, but there are several films that are earning good, even great reviews. California Typewriter, Marjorie Prime, Patti Cake$, and Dave Made a Maze are all worth checking out and that’s not the entire list.
6 Days - Reviews
California Typewriter - Reviews
Dave Made a Maze - Reviews
Gook - Reviews
Lemon - Reviews
Marjorie Prime - Reviews
Patti Cake$ - Reviews
Shot Caller - Reviews
Sidemen: Long Road to Glory - Reviews
The Wound - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
Video on Demand
This film is based on the real-life hostage taking in the Iranian Embassy in London. The reviews are mixed, so it likely won’t do much business in limited release, but it could do well as a VOD rental.
A documentary about artists who like to write on a typewriter. I would make fun of them for being Luddites, but I spend nearly an hour today trying to figure out why my “B” key stopped working all of a sudden. I don’t know why it stopped, nor do I know what I did to make it work again. The main thing is I won’t be writing about ox office results. The reviews for this movie are 100% positive, so perhaps it will do well at the box office, at least for a documentary.
Video on Demand
Dave is an artist who has started a lot of projects, but never finished any of them. He builds a cardboard fort out of frustration and gets trapped in there. Annie, his girlfriend, goes in with a group to rescue Dave, only to encounter a cardboard fantasy world. The reviews are good, but not good enough for limited release.
This film is set in 1992 Los Angeles, and focuses on two Korean-Americans trying to run a convenience story and an African-American girl who likes to hang out there. Then the Rodney King riots happen. The reviews suggest the film could thrive in limited release; however, the buzz is not there.
Video on Demand
Isaac has a lemon of a life and he’s trying to get over his latest series of embarrassments. This film’s reviews would be good enough for a wide release, but are too weak to thrive in limited release. It’s worth $7 for a VOD rental, on the other hand.
In the near future, there is a service that can create holographic versions of deceased family members so their families can spend time with them. In this movie, Marjorie is using the service to talk to the younger version of her deceased husband, who helps her remember the life she has forgotten. The reviews are excellent and the film has a lot more star power than most limited releases can hope for, but I’m not hearing as much buzz as I would expect. That doesn’t mean it will bomb, but it does mean I’m a little more cautious about its box office chances.
Danielle Macdonald stars as a plus-sized woman who wants to become a famous rapper. This is one of the few films on this week’s list that is earning any amount of pre-release buzz. That said, the reviews are a not quite at the level needed to thrive in limited release.
Video on Demand
A man is sent to prison and becomes deeply involved with a criminal gang. The reviews are good, but not quite good enough for limited release. Additionally, it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are even weaker. That said, if you want to check out a new movie this weekend and don’t want to head to the theaters, then this is worth spending $6 on a rental.
A documentary about a trio of legendary blues musicians who passed away shortly after being interviewed for this documentary. There are only five reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but all five are positive and it is a must see for fans of the Blues.
A South African film about a coming-of-age ritual and a secret that gets revealed. The reviews are excellent and the film could do well in the art house circuit. However, its chances of expanding beyond there are limited.
Day of Days - No Reviews - Video on Demand
The Ice Cream Truck - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Ice Cream Truck’s reviews are almost at the overall positive level, so it could be worth a rental for fans of psychological horror.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Shot Caller, Inxeba, Lemon, Patti Cake$, Marjorie Prime, California Typewriter, Gook, Dave Made a Maze, Day of Days, 6 Days, The Ice Cream Truck, Sidemen: Long Road to Glory, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jon Hamm, Lois Smith, Brett Gelman, Nick Thune, Danielle Macdonald, Meera Rohit Kumbhani