Limited Releases Hope to Avoid a Frosty Reception
December 5, 2008
Seven limited releases this week, but only two that are opening in more than one theater. However, while the quantity is not great, the quality is with two potential Oscar winners opening this week: Frost/Nixon and Hunger. Additionally, both Timecrimes and Tokyo! are also worth checking out.
Ciao - Reviews
Extreme Movie - No Reviews
Frost/Nixon - Reviews
Hunger - Reviews
Let the Chirp Away - Reviews
Timecrimes - Reviews
Tokyo! - Reviews
The accidental death of one fried helps bring two others together. When Mark dies in an accident, his best friend, Jeff, discovers he was having an online romance with another man, Andrea, and they were planning to meet. Too late to change plans, Jeff invited Andrea to stay with him. So far reviews are weak, and combined with the fact that this is a niche market film, it will likely struggle at the box office, especially with the number of Oscar caliber films that have come out in limited release lately. Ciao opens tonight at the Sunshine Cinema in New York City.
No, this movie is not written by four of the six writers of Scary Movie and it has nothing to do with Disaster Movie, Epic Movie, or the rest of that film series. It is actually an anthology comedy about teenage sex. At one time it was going to be a wide release, then it was going to be shuffled off as a direct-to-DVD outing, and not it is opening tonight in 3 theaters. We will find out on Monday if it was worth it. Given the complete lack or review, or even an official site, I would guess the answer will be no.
Out of all of the films opening this week, this one has the best chance at box office and Awards Season success. The buzz has been growing for quite some time and now that it is coming out, it doesn't look like it will disappoint. This is Ron Howard's best movie in a long, long time. Better than A Beautiful Mind, which was nominated for eight Oscars, winning four of them, and it reviews are nearly as good as Apollo 13, which earned nine Oscar nominations, although it won only twice. If you choose to see only one new release this week, it should be this film. However, since it opens in just three theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and I believe Toronto, most people will have to wait till December 25th when it opens nationwide to see it.
The debut film from British artist, Steve McQueen. It is about the 1981 hunger strike by several members of the IRA at the HM Prison Maze who were trying to gain status as a political prisoner. The film is earning amazing reviews while Steve McQueen won the Caméra d'Or prize at Cannes for a first-time filmmaker. However, while it could be a player during Awards Season, the previous film on this list is earning more buzz and direct competition could hurt it at the box office. Hunger opens tonight at the
Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles.
A movie about a struggling writer that has to deal with writer's block, his best friend who leaked his idea to a rival screenwriter, and the dog he is sitting, and the potential new romance with the woman whom he is dog sitting for. It is the feature-length debut for writer / director / producer Jonathan Blitstein, and so far its reviews over on Rotten Tomatoes are all positive. That said, it will still be tough for the film to thrive in limited release, especially with the competition. Let the Chirp Away opens tonight at the Cinema Village in New York City.
A Spanish thriller with a time travel twist. So far the review are excellent, but this is not the kind of film that does well in limited release. That said, I thought the same of Let the Right One In and it has done extremely well in limited release so far. Let's hope this film can do the same. Timecrimes opens tonight Walter Reade Theater in New York City.
Three stories told by three directors all set in Tokyo. The directors include Michel Gondry, who is the most famous of the three, at least here. The other two are Joon-ho Bong, who directed The Host, and Leos Carax, who is directing his first film in nearly a decade. The film is opening tonight, maybe. I can't seem to find a theater listing; there's not even anything on the official site.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Frost/Nixon, Hunger, Ciao, Los Cronocrímenes, Extreme Movie