Limited Releases are Going Psycho

November 23, 2012

It's a pretty light week for limited releases. Hitchcock is by far the biggest release, but its reviews are only mixed, so its box office chances are not strong. On the other hand, The Central Park Five is earning reviews that are strong enough that it should thrive, at least in limited release. It is very rare for a documentary to expand wide, even under the best of circumstances.

The Central Park Five - Reviews
A documentary about a horrible rape that happened in 1989 and the rush to convict five men for the crime, all of whom were Black or Latino. Many years later, it was learned that a serial rapist was the real rapist. The film is co-written and co-directed by Ken Burns, who is one of the few documentarians who has real name recognition, so hopefully that will help it at the box office. The Central Park Five opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City.

Gottfried Helnwein and the Dreaming Child - Reviews
A documentary about an artist, Gottfried Helnwein, who is hired to be the production designer for an opera being performed for the first time, The Child Dreams. I don't know if the opera is any good, but the film has earned no positive reviews so far. Gottfried Helnwein and the Dreaming Child opens tonight at the Quad Cinema in New York City.

Hitchcock - Reviews
There was some pre-release buzz that suggested this film would be a major player during Awards Season. That's not going to happen now. That's not entirely fair. While the film's overall reviews are barely above the overall positive level, Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren are earning a lot of praise for their performances. Perhaps the big names will help the film thrive in limited release and the two leads will pick up some major nominations, but I don't think it will be as successful in either area as most were anticipating. Hitchcock opens tonight in 17 theaters in major cities nationwide.

Rust and Bone - Reviews
Matthias Schoenaerts as a single dad trying to raise his son and whom becomes romantically involved with Marion Cotillard, a killer whale trainer who loses both of her legs in a freak accident. The film is directed by Jacques Audiard, whose previous film, A Prophet, was a major hit with critics and did quite well at the box office for a foreign language film. This film's reviews are not quite as strong, but strong enough that it could do well in limited release. Rust and Bone opens tonight in Lincoln Plaza Cinema in New York City.


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Filed under: Limited Releases, Hitchcock, De rouille et d’os, The Central Park Five, Gottfried Helnwein and the Dreaming Child, Marion Cotillard, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Jacques Audiard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ken Burns