Road to Limited Releases
June 22, 2006
It's a crowded weekend for limited releases, not so much in terms of quantity but more in terms of quality. This is great news for those that frequent art house cinemas as they will have plenty of choices. But this does mean that some worthy films might be squeezed out by the competition.
The Great New Wonderful - Reviews
The Hidden Blade - Reviews
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man - Reviews
The Road to Guantanamo - Reviews
One of the weaker films on this week's list, it is still earning much better reviews that the two wide releases. Set in New York exactly one year after the attacks on 9/11, it tells a series of intertwined stories involving a huge number of characters and some great actors. However, it never quite comes together as a cohesive whole. The Great New Wonderful opens in a handful of theatres tomorrow, mostly in the New York area.
The latest from Japanese director, Yoji Yamada, is another period piece dealing with feudal Japan and focusing on the Samurai and their way of life. From the same director as The Twilight Samurai, this film is not earning as strong reviews as his early work earned, but should perform as well at the box office. The Hidden Blade opens tomorrow at the Cinema Village.
This documentary about Canadian singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen, is one of the best reviewed films of the week, but there are some issues. For instance, there's not enough Leonard Cohen with most of the songs performed by other artists and this has caused many critics to complain. I, on the other hand, applaud this decision because while he is one of the greatest songwriters every, he just can't sing. Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man opened on Wednesday at the Film Forum in New York City before expanding next weekend.
This dramatization mixes real life interviews with reenactments to tell the story of three British men who were captured in Afghanistan, taken to Guantanamo, and tortured by Americans forces. One of the most chilling and scary movies to come out recently, and arguably the best film about the post 9/11 War on Terrorism. The Road to Guantanamo opens tomorrow in more than a dozen theatres, mostly in the southern California region.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, The Road to Guantanamo, Kakushi-ken: oni no tsume