Limited and VOD Releases: Playing With Fire
February 14, 2020
Well, limited releases are back with a vengeance. It is not an exaggeration to say there are dozens of limited releases coming out this week, which means I have to be more judicious when trimming to get the list to a more manageable size. This means there are several worthy films that just didn’t make the cut, like I Was at Home, But… and You Go to My Head. There are still several releases worth checking out, including Buffaloed, Ordinary Love, Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, VFW, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
After Midnight - Reviews
After Parkland - Reviews
Buffaloed - Reviews
Zoey Deutch plays Peg Dahl, who even when she was young dreamed of being rich and successful. She works hard and she deserves to make her dreams come true, even though she has a habit of not letting morals get in the way of making money. (One of her early “jobs” is selling loose cigarettes to her fellow high school students.) The work pays off and she’s accepted into an Ivy League university, only she realizes she simply can’t afford it. In order to make the money she needs to, she turns to scalping forged Buffalo Bills tickets. This gets here 40 months in prison and now that she’s a felon, her chances of making it are even less likely. However, this is when she falls into the world of Debt Collectors, a job where her quick wits, quicker mouth, and ethical lapses are all an asset.
I really enjoyed this movie, mostly due to Zoey Deutch’s lead performance. That’s not to say the other actors are bad; it is always fun to see Judy Greer, for example. The world of debt collectors is filled with horrible people and the stuff Peg does makes it hard to sympathize with her. While I was able to enjoy the film, if you don’t think of Peg as a good person pushed to make bad choice and instead of fundamentally bad person who doesn’t deserve a second chance, then you are not going to be engaged with this movie. Even if you do accept that, Buffaloed still doesn’t fully take advantage of the subject matter to be as powerful as it could be.
In the end, Buffaloed is at least worth a rental on Video on Demand and it is something I might grab on Blu-ray when it comes out.
Come As You Are - Reviews
I Wish I Knew - Reviews
Ordinary Love - Reviews
Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Reviews
Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon - Reviews
VFW - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
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Video on Demand
One of two horror films on this week’s list, both of which are earning good reviews, but both are playing on VOD. This is the weaker of the two, so that further hurts its chances.
A documentary about the tragic Parkland shooting that sparked a renewed effort to regulate guns. The film only has 14 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but all 14 are positive and they are enthusiastically positive, so it is worth checking out.
Video on Demand
I got a screener link for this film and despite Firefox deciding to crash repeatedly, I was able to watch it. (On a side note, Rotten Tomatoes is the site that crashes Firefox the most and it is starting to get irritating.) Does this film have a future in theaters? Or is it only worth a rental?
Video on Demand
Three young men with disabilities go on a road trip with their nurse to a brothel that caters to people like them. However, their overly-concerned parents are right on their trail. The film’s reviews are amazing, but it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are very limited.
A documentary about the city of Shanghai told through the stories of the people who have lived there. This film has the least number of reviews of any film on the main list; in fact, there are films in the secondary VOD list that have more reviews. However, not only is the film’s Tomatometer Score 100% positive, the individual reviews are enthusiastically positive.
A romantic drama about a a couple dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis. The reviews are amazing and the cast has a lot more star power than most limited releases could dream of. It is also Valentine’s day, which is a great day to release a romantic film. Maybe this film can thrive in limited release.
A lot of people thought this would be France’s official selection for the Best International Film Oscar. It’s reviews are certainly Oscar-worthy. Additionally, the buzz is strong enough that it could thrive in limited release. That said, it is still a foreign-language film, so its chances of expanding beyond the art house circuit are limited.
This film is earning stellar reviews, but it has no chance at the box office, because animated films almost never survive limited release. Furthermore, stop-motion animated movies just don’t have a market here, which is a shame, because I love the art form.
Video on Demand
It’s a horror movie being released in limited release and on VOD. It’s box office chances are close to zero. That said, its reviews are excellent, so if you are into grindhouse horror, give this one a try.
Brown Paper Bag - Reviews - Video on Demand
Camp Cold Brook - Reviews - Video On Demand
Cruel Hearts - Reviews - Video on Demand
Olympic Dreams - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Simple Wedding - Reviews - Video on Demand
Spy Intervention - Reviews - Video On Demand
The Times of Bill Cunningham - Reviews - Video on Demand
Underneath the Same Moon - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are many secondary VOD releases worth checking out, too many. The competition is going to result in several worthy films failing to find an audience.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Ordinary Love, Buffaloed, Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, You go to my Head, Ich war zuhause, aber, A Simple Wedding, Olympic Dreams, After Parkland, Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, Camp Cold Brook, Come As You Are, The Times of Bill Cunningham, After Midnight, Hai shang chuan qi, VFW, Spy Intervention, Brown Paper Bag, Underneath the Same Moon, Cruel Hearts, Judy Greer, Zoey Deutch, Kate Moyer