Emancipation of Limited Releases

November 9, 2012

There's quite a few limited releases coming out this week, but the list is dominated by Lincoln, which should not only be the biggest hit of the week, but it is virtually guaranteed to expand wide and has a real shot at being the big winner at the Oscars next year. Unfortunately, it is the only limited release with a real shot at mainstream success. Starlet is a long shot, but it deserves to find an audience in theaters.

28 Hotel Rooms - Reviews
A man and a woman meet while on a business trip and have a one-night stand, despite both being in long-term relationships. But this one-night stand might develop into more. So far the reviews are barely at the overall positive level, which is probably too low to thrive in limited release. 28 Hotel Rooms debuted on Video on Demand a month ago and opens in one theater in Los Angeles tonight.

Christmas in Compton - Reviews
A Christmas movie set in Compton that takes place on a Christmas tree lot with a son trying to prove to his father he has what it takes, but screwing up in the process. There are not a lot of reviews online and they are mostly mixed. On the plus side, the cast is good. On the down side, the humor is cheap. Christmas in Compton opens tonight in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, but will probably have to wait till the home market to find an audience.

The Comedy - Reviews
Tim Heidecker stars as a 35-year old hipster who does little but wait for his sick father to die so he can inherit his estate. I am not a fan of this actor's work, especially when he's with Eric Wareheim, who is also in this movie. On the other hand, the reviews are excellent thus far. Back to the original hand, even critics that like this movie say the main character is unsympathetic, and I have a hard time seeing the value of spending time with a character I don't like. The Comedy opens tonight in New York and Los Angeles, while it has already been playing on Video on Demand.

Coming Up Roses - Reviews
Bernadette Peters stars as Diane, an aging former actress, who lives with her daughter, Alice, in a small town, while dealing with bills, depression, and drugs. The reviews are weak with some critics praising the performances, but most complaining that there are too many clichés. Coming Up Roses opens tonight at the AMC Loews Village 7 in New York City.

Dangerous Liaisons - Reviews
A Chinese adaptation of the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos of the same name. The plot has been moved to China in the 1930s, but other than that, it has the same basic plot. The film was very expensive to make for a Chinese film with reports ranging from mid $20 million range to just over $30 million, but with only mixed reviews, it likely won't find a sizable audience here. Dangerous Liaisons opens tonight in six theaters in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver, while it expands to Honolulu next week and Miami the week after that.

Lincoln - Reviews
Daniel Day Lewis stars as Abraham Lincoln in this biopic. It is rather unique, because instead of looking at the subject's life, it is only looking at a one-month period where the Emancipation Proclamation was debated and passed. The film has an incredible cast and the reviews are stellar. Add in a strong pedigree behind the camera, and its Oscar chances are very good. Lincoln opens tonight in nearly a dozen theaters before expanding nationwide next week.

Nature Calls - Reviews
I was really looking forward to seeing this movie, especially since I'm a huge fan of Patton Oswalt. Then I read the reviews. It is still early, but the Tomatometer Score is in single-digits at the moment and it would take a minor miracle to turn that around to a positive score. Also, it has been on video on demand since sometime in October, so its chances at the box office are nearly zero.

Starlet - Reviews
A film about a 21-year old wannabe actress, Jane (Dree Hemingway), and the elderly Sadie (Besedka Johnson), who become friends after the former buys an item from the latter at a yard sale, only discover it was full of cash. The film is written and directed by Sean Baker, who previously created Greg The Bunny. He also wrote and directed Prince of Broadway, which earned great reviews, but failed to find an audience. This film is earning even better reviews, so hopefully it will perform better. Starlet opens tonight in six theaters, four in Los Angeles and two in New York City.


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Filed under: Limited Releases, Lincoln, 28 Hotel Rooms, Nature Calls, Christmas in Compton, The Comedy, Starlet, Dangerous Liaisons, Coming Up Roses, Daniel Day-Lewis, Patton Oswalt, Bernadette Peters, Sean Baker, Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Rachel Brosnahan