Limited Releases - Holding Pattern

May 18, 2006

It's a depressing week for limited releases and not only because none of the films really won over the critics. The four films all deal with subject matters that are bound to depress, or revolt moviegoers. Things are bound to pick up next week when An Inconvenient Truth opens.

The King - Reviews
Starting this week's selection is The King, a movie about murder, incest, and other heartwarming topics. There are some excellent performances in this movie, especially Gael Garcia Bernal as the deplorable Elvis. However, without any attempt to explore the reasons why he acts the way he does, there is little reason for the audience to sit through the film and be assaulted. The King opens tomorrow at the Sunshine Cinema in New York City.

Moonlight - Reviews
Directed by Paula van der Oest, whose previous film was the Oscar nominated but critically panned Zus & Zo. This film is earning better reviews but critics are still not that impressed and with difficult subject matter this film will likely struggle to find and audience, just like her previous film.

Mouth to Mouth - No Reviews
Directed by newcomer Alison Murray, this semi-autobiographical / cautionary tale deals with runaways who join a cult with predictably tragic consequences. Again, there are some good performance here, especially Ellen Page as Sherry, but the script just doesn't hold up for the whole picture. Mouth to Mouth plays for a week at the Village East Cinema in New York City.

Twelve and Holding - Reviews
Four children, twins Rudy & Jacob, Malee and Leonard are your typical childhood friends. But when Rudy dies in a fire, the other three deal with the emotional damage in very different ways. The best reviewed limited release of the week, the film still isn't earning strong enough praise from the critics to suggest it will be able to escape the art house circuit. Twelve and Holding opens tomorrow at the IFC Center in New York City.

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Filed under: Limited Releases, An Inconvenient Truth, The King, Twelve and Holding, Moonlight, Mouth to Mouth