Limited Release: Still Wild
December 5, 2014
There are two films opening in limited release this week that have a chance of picking up Awards Season nominations. Wild is earning the better reviews, but it is also one of the widest limited releases of the week. Still Alice is only having an Oscar-qualifying run, which means it might not put a lot of advertising into selling movie tickets until its regular release in January.
The Barefoot Artist - Reviews
The Beast - Reviews
Black and White - Reviews
By the Gun - Reviews
Comet - Reviews
Concerning Violence - Reviews
Dying of the Light - Reviews
Lap Dance - No Reviews
Life Partners - Reviews
Murder of a Cat - Reviews
The One I Wrote for You - Reviews
Pioneer - Reviews
Poker Night - Reviews
She's Beautiful When She's Angry - Reviews
Still Alice - Reviews
Take Care - Reviews
Tell - No Reviews
Uzumasa Limelight - Reviews
Wild - Reviews
Zero Motivation - Reviews
A documentary that looks at the life of Lily Yeh, an Asian-American artist. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes right now, but 75% of them are positive. This likely won't be enough to become a big hit, even for a documentary. The Barefoot Artist opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City.
This film is a French film from 1975 that is softcore porn. Okay, maybe it isn't exactly softcore porn, but it is an "erotic thriller" about a French family that is high class, but is falling on rough financial times. The eldest son gets engaged to the daughter of a rich businessman, but when she travels to the family estate, she has an encounter with a beast. A sexual encounter with a beast. The reviews are good, but not great, but it is certainly better than a lot of Midnight movies. The Beast is playing tonight at the IFC Center in New York City as a midnight movie, while it is also playing on Video on Demand.
This film is having its Oscar-qualifying run this week. Its reviews are 38% positive. Seems pointless to try and pick up awards.
A crime drama about a Boston man who finally becomes a trusted member of the Mafia, only to fall in love and want to get out. There are only three reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and all of them are negative. It is also playing on Video on Demand, so its box office chances are negligible.
A romantic movie set in a parallel universe and with a non chronological time line. It's high concept and it is not impressing critics too much. The reviews are not bad, but not good either. Comet opens tonight in two theaters, as well as on Video on Demand.
A documentary about the liberation movements in Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. The film's reviews are incredible, perhaps strong enough to pick up some Awards Season nominations. If so, it could find an audience in theaters. Concerning Violence opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City.
What happened to Nicolas Cage? He is starring in an average of nearly four movies a year, but in the past decade, he has starred in only three movies that earned more than 75% positive reviews. This film cost $15 million to make, but is only earning 7% positive reviews and it is playing on Video on Demand. Its box office chances are nearly zero.
An aspiring actress and her screenwriter fiancée are traveling to Los Angeles when they learn her father has cancer. Medical bills quickly deplete their savings and soon she is working as an exotic dancer to cover expenses. There are no reviews, so its box office chances are close to zero. Lap Dance opens tonight in select theaters.
Leighton Meester and Gillian Jacobs star as two best friends, one gay the other not, who are as close as you can be. When one of them gets a boyfriend, the other realizes her life is empty without her best friend. This is the first film for writer / director Susanna Fogel and the reviews are good. However, they are not great and the film is playing on Video on Demand. Life Partners is opening tonight in three theaters with more added in the coming weeks. Check out the official site for more details.
After his cat is killed, a man tries to discover who did it, only to find a bigger conspiracy. The screenplay was on the 2010 Black List. For those who don't know, the Black List is a list of the most liked unmade movie scripts. However, given its reviews, there was clearly a problem getting from the page to the screen. Murder of a Cat opens tonight in select theaters, as well as on Video on Demand.
A family man who gave up his dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter gets a second chance when his daughter signs him up for a reality TV show. However, he becomes really competitive and might lose his soul for his chance at his dreams. There is only one review on Rotten Tomatoes, but is it positive. The One I Wrote for You opens tonight in nearly 50 theaters, which will probably turn out to be too many.
Set in the 1980s during the Norwegian oil boom. There is an accident during the drilling and one of the divers is underwater not knowing who is left above. The reviews are mixed and this is the wrong genre for limited release. Additionally, it is opening in Video on Demand, so the theatrical release is an afterthought. Pioneer opens tonight in two theaters with a planned expansion next week. Check out the official site for more details.
A rookie cop is kidnapped by a serial killer and has to figure out a way to keep himself, and his fellow captive, alive. It is a horror film opening in limited release, which is a bad sign. Worse still, it has almost no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and the ones there are mixed. Finally, it is playing on Video on Demand. Poker Night opens tonight in select theaters and on Video on Demand.
A documentary about the second-wave Feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. There are only six reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but they are all positive. She's Beautiful When She's Angry opens tonight at the Sunshine Cinema in New York City for one week, while there are planned screenings over the coming weeks. Check out the official site for more details.
Julianne Moore stars as a university linguistic professor who is diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease. The film is earning excellent reviews and it is likely going to become an Awards Season player. If it does so, it could become a big hit for a limited release. Still Alice has its Oscar-qualifying run starting on Friday.
Leslie Bibb plays a woman who gets into a car accident and is left with a broken arm and a broken leg. She quickly learns her friends and family are not ideal caretakers, so she calls her ex for help. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and the ones there are not good. Then again, it is a romantic comedy and these films rarely earn praise from critics. Take Care opens tonight in select cities and on Video on Demand.
A petty thief has the best score of his life, but now he has to worry about his past partners, his wife, and even corrupt cops stealing the money from him. There are no reviews and the website is still "under construction". Tell opens tonight in theaters and on Video on Demand.
A movie about an aging movie extra, who specializes in dying in samurai movies. There are only four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests it will slip between the cracks. However, all four reviews are positive, which is a good sign. Uzumasa Limelight opens tonight in select theaters.
Reese Witherspoon stars as a woman who is addicted to drugs and sex and tries to get a handle on her life by hiking 1,000 miles. The film is earning some of the best reviews of the week and many think it will pick up some Awards Season nominations. Wild opens tonight in 21 theaters, which might be too many to have it earn first place on the Per Theater Chart, but it could be the biggest hit of the week.
A dramedy that looks at an Israeli military outpost where a group of women are just trying to make it through their mandatory deployment. The reviews are fantastic, but one has to ask, is there a market for this film here? Hopefully. Zero Motivation opens tonight at the Film Forum in New York City. Check out the official site for more details.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Pioneer, Wild, Zero Motivation, Dying of the Light, Tell, Life Partners, By the Gun, Lap Dance, The One I Wrote for You, Uzumasa raimuraito, Comet, Murder of a Cat, Take Care, Concerning Violence, She's Beautiful When She's Angry, The Barefoot Artist, La Bete, Nicolas Cage, Leslie Bibb, Gillian Jacobs, Leighton Meester, Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Susanna Fogel