Limited Releases Could Use a Little Help

July 22, 2011

There are several limited releases on this week's list with reviews that are good, but not many that have reviews that are great. Myth of the American Sleepover is that one film with great reviews and with strong buzz it could have the best shot at breakout success. However, it might not be the only one.

Another Earth - Reviews
This is one of a few films on this week's list earning some degree of advance buzz. It's a sci-fi film, but one in which the sci-fi elements are mostly there just as a backdrop for human drama. Two events take place. Firstly, a complete second Earth is discovered, complete with duplicates for every person on Earth. Secondly, Rhoda Williams gets into a car crash after a night of drinking and kills John Burroughs's pregnant wife and son. The film takes place four years later, after Rhoda gets out of prison, and tries to confess to John, but can't. The advance buzz is good, as the film won a couple awards at the Sundance Film Festival; however, its overall reviews are not quite up to the level one normally associates with success in limited release. Maybe the awards set up unrealistic expectations for critics, which is what is causing the weaker than expected reviews. Another Earth opens tonight in four theaters, split between New York City and the Los Angeles area.

A Little Help - Reviews
Writer / director Michael J. Weithorn makes his theatrical debut with this film, after years of experience, mostly in sitcoms. The transition hasn't exactly been an overwhelming success with critics and the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are, at the moment, precisely split down the middle. There are a number of pretty big names in the movie, including Jenna Fisher, Chris O'Donnell, Lesley Ann Warren, etc., so perhaps it will thrive in limited release, at least for its opening weekend. There also a chance it will stumble out of the gate, and since it is opening in 24 theaters the latter seems more likely.

Myth of the American Sleepover - Reviews
Writer / director David Robert Mitchell is making his feature-length debut with this movie, and that can be a dicey prospect. However, looking at the reviews, he's got a career ahead of him. This coming of age story is being favorably compared to some of the classics in the genre, while its cast of relative newcomers won a special award at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The buzz is strong and it could top the per theater chart this weekend. Myth of the American Sleepover opens tonight at the Angelika Film Center in New York City.

Sarah's Key - Reviews
A French film starring Kristin Scott Thomas as Julia Jarmond, a journalist about to move into a new apartment. She discovers that the apartment was the home to a Jewish family in World War II, who were arrested by the French police has part of a mass campaign against Jews. The film did relatively well in France earning what would be about $25 million here, taking into account the relative size of the two markets. On the other hand, while the reviews are good, they are not great, and there are a couple other options out there that are performing better with critics. Hopefully there's room for all of them to succeed. Sarah's Key opens tonight in five theaters, in New York City and the Los Angeles area.

Singham - No Reviews
The widest release of the week is a Bollywood release, but not your typical Bollywood musical comedy. It's an action film about a dedicated police officer, the titular Singham, fighting against corruption, in the form of a former criminal turned politician, which is really the same thing. Like most such movies, there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and it is really hard to judge how well it will perform at the box office here, but there's little chance for cross-over appeal. Singham opens tonight in 50 theaters.


-

Filed under: Limited Releases, Elle s'appelait Sarah, A Little Help, Another Earth, The Myth of the American Sleepover, Singham