Limited and VOD Releases: These Limited Releases are Legendary
November 20, 2015
There are three or four films on this week's list vying for Awards Season Glory, but of these three, Carol has by far the best shot at picking up major nominations. In fact, it is considered a favorite for five major nominations, including Best Picture. Will it win any of these? Getting off to a fast start in limited release will help its chances.
Censored Voices - Reviews
Carol - Reviews
Criminal Activities - Reviews
Legend - Reviews
Mustang - Reviews
The Summer of Sangailes - Reviews
Very Semi-Serious - Reviews
After the Six-Day War in 1967, returning Israel soldiers were interviewed about what they did, what they saw and their opinions on the new situation in the expanded Israeli territory. The government at the time didn't like the answers, so they censored all of the recordings, although a book was written later using the transcripts. We finally get to hear the words of the soldiers themselves. The reviews are excellent and since the situation in the Middle East still hasn't been solved, it is just as relevant now as it was back then.
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara star as two women who fall in love ... in the 1950s. LGBT rights are non-existent at the time and the former is going through a divorce, so if their affair were to be revealed, she would lose custody of her daughter. The reviews are amazing and there's a lot of Oscar buzz for pretty much everyone involved. (It could pick up five major nominations, not to mention a few technical ones as well.) This buzz should help it get off to a fast start in limited release and it even has a real shot at expanding truly wide.
It has been seven years since John Travolta had a $100 million hit and even then that film ended up losing money. (It cost $150 million to make.) It has been a long time since he's been a reliable box office draw, but having a film opening in limited release is not something he's done very often. Odds are it won't last in limited release for very long.
Tom Hardy plays both Reggie and Ronald Kray, identical twins who ruled the London organized crime scene. There was talk that this performance could earn him an Oscar nomination. However, while critics praise his performance, the rest of the movie is too much of a standard British Gangster Flick to earn overall positive reviews. It could still start okay, but I doubt it will be able to expand significantly.
A group of five sisters living in northern Turkey are caught playing at the beach with some boys. Their family essentially puts them under house arrest and trains them to become housewives and begin to arrange marriages for them. The reviews are fantastic and the film is an official entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar. It is not the only such film on this week's list, but it probably has a better shot at box office success.
This Lithuanian film is about two 17-year old girls who meet and fall in love. It is also about how the more adventurous of the two, Auste, helps the more shy and anxious of the two, Sangailes, overcome her fear of heights. The reviews are good and the film is the official entry for Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar from Lithuania. That said, foreign-language films rarely have breakout success.
A documentary about the artists at the New Yorker who draw those one-panel cartoons. The reviews are mostly positive, but not enthusiastically positive, as most critics admit this is not a deep or probing look at the subject matter. That said, sometimes a light documentary is exactly what you are looking for. Very Semi-Serious opens tonight in four theaters, including the Lincoln Plaza Cinema in New York City, but mostly in the Los Angeles area. Check out the official site for more details.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Criminal Activities, Carol, Legend, Very Semi-Serious, Mustang, Siakh lokhamim: ha'slilim ha'gnouzim, Sangailes vasara, Cate Blanchett, John Travolta, Tom Hardy, Rooney Mara, Julija Steponaityte, Aiste Dirziute