Limited and VOD Releases: Turn On and Tune In some Limited Releases

January 20, 2017

There are a dozen limited releases we have release dates for, not all of which are big enough to be featured here. This is is a good number of releases for one week. Sadly, too many films just results in good films falling between the cracks due to the competition. Unfortunately, while there are a number of great films on this week’s list, like The Red Turtle, I don’t think any will thrive in theaters.

The Red Turtle - Reviews
This is a French animated film co-produced by Studio Ghibli. It is about a man who becomes shipwrecked on an island and his attempts to escape are thwarted by a red turtle. Later the red turtle transforms into a woman and the pair begin a relationship. The film’s reviews are excellent, but animated films very rarely find audiences in limited release. If you can see it in theaters, then do so. If you can’t, wait for the Blu-ray.

Starless Dreams - Reviews
A look inside an all-female juvenile detention center in Iran. Many of the women there have committed serious crimes, but they find a sense of family within prison that they didn’t have outside with their real families. The reviews are amazing, but documentaries never have an easy time in limited release.

Staying Vertical - Reviews
A filmmaker looking for inspiration for his next film meets and falls in love with a woman. They have a child together, but he never stays long, so she leaves them both. Now he has to learn to be a father. The film’s reviews are good, but not great, and as I’ve said many times in the past, limited releases usually need great reviews to thrive.

The Sunshine Makers - Reviews
A biographical documentary about the two men who tried to expand the consciousness of a nation... by created a metric boat load of LSD. Usually we only include films on this list if there are ten or more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

They Call Us Monsters - Reviews
A documentary about several juveniles convicted as adults in the California criminal system. Like the above film, there are not enough reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and normally it would not be included on this list, but all eight of them are positive. If you like documentaries it is absolutely worth checking out.

Trespass Against Us - Reviews
Video on Demand
A father, Brendan Gleeson, and son, Michael Fassbender, run a criminal empire. When the next generation of this family wants something more than the criminal life, father and son turn against each other. The reviews are mixed, so it will likely struggle in theaters. Then again, the reviews are not so bad that it isn’t worth a rental on VOD, if you like the cast and / or the genre.

We Are the Flesh - Reviews
Two siblings are scrounging for food and shelter in a post-apocalyptic city. They stumble upon a man who offers them both, but at a really high price. The film’s reviews are likely not quite strong enough to thrive in limited release. Furthermore, it is a horror film and a foreign-language film.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Bakery in Brooklyn - Reviews - Video on Demand
Detour - Reviews - Video on Demand
My Father, Die - Reviews - Video on Demand
My Father, Die is, by far, the best secondary VOD release of the week.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Trespass Against Us, Bakery in Brooklyn, La Tortue Rouge, Rester Vertical, Detour, The Sunshine Makers, Tenemos La Carne, My Father Die, They Call Us Monsters, Royahaye dame sobh, Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson