Real Fight Between Limited Releases This Week

February 11, 2005

To be totally frank, most weeks you would be hard pressed to find any movie in the limited release sections that will make any impact on the box office. This week, on the other hand, we have two that should score mainstream success. Normally this would drive me nuts; it's hard enough for a limited release to find mainstream success, and now these two films have the added pressure of competing against each other. However, their target audiences couldn't be more different, (although odds are I'll pick them both up when they hit DVD.)

Bride & Prejudice - Reviews
Gurinder Chadha's follow-up to the hit Bend it Like Beckham. A modern adaptation of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice with a Bollywood twist. The reviews for this film are not quite up to the same level as the previous film and the more Bollywood aspects of the film may turn off some moviegoers. However, this film should get her one step closer to her goal of helping Bollywood film earn mainstream success worldwide. The film opens in nearly 3 dozen theatres in New York and Los Angeles before expanding nationwide in two weeks.

Inside Deep Throat - Reviews
A look at the most famous porn movie ever and its effects on the society of today and how those effects are still felt today. It is worth noting that the film is rated NC-17, the first Universal film to earn such a rating, but this is to be expected given the subject matter the film deals with.

Ong-Bak - Reviews
The widest release of the week is also earning the best reviews as well, but that doesn't mean it will have the most success over the course of its run. Its 387 theater count is an awkward number to open in; too many for a targeted ad campaign but not enough for a national one and if it doesn't start strong it could quickly loose theaters. That said, there is an outside chance that this film will capture a spot in the top ten, but $2 to $3 million would still be an excellent start.

Masculine Feminine , a.k.a. The Children of Marx and Coca-Cola - Reviews
A re-release of the 1966 classic from French director, Jean-Luc Godard. One of those works that is more interesting as a whole than any of its parts are, and in fact may be more interesting simply because of it's place within Godard's filmography. The film is being re-release in New York and Los Angeles tonight.

My Mother's Smile, a.k.a. L' Ora Di Religione (Il Sorriso Di Mia Madre) - Reviews
Ernesto Picciafuoco is an artist and an atheist who is shocked one day to learn his mother may be canonized as a Saint. A beautiful film, but some of the imagery may be lost on audience members who are not Italian or Catholic or both. Also worth noting that the Roman Catholic Church declared the film to be blasphemous.

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Filed under: Limited Releases, Bride & Prejudice, Ong-Bak, Inside Deep Throat, Masculin féminin, My Mother's Smile