Your Limited Limited Releases

June 15, 2012

Usually the opening week theater counts for limited releases start to trickle in on Wednesday and by Thursday we have quite a few to report. A few more arrive late on Friday, while annoyingly, some are not reported till Monday. This week, we only have one limited release reporting its theater count. That film is Your Sister's Sister, which is earning great reviews and equally good buzz, so there should be at least one hit in limited release this week. The Woman in the Fifth also has a shot at success. Its reviews are not as good, but it has a strong cast and that might make the difference.

Extraterrestrial - Reviews
After getting black-out drunk at a party, Julio wakes up to discover he's in the apartment of a beautiful woman he hooked up with. That's the good news. The bad news is she has a jealous boyfriend. Also, aliens have apparently invaded Earth. The film's reviews are good, but not great, and limited releases usually need great reviews to thrive. Perhaps it will get lucky, or perhaps it will find a more receptive audience on the home market. Extraterrestrial opens tonight in a few theaters, but also on Video on Demand. It will likely perform better on the latter.

The Girl From the Naked Eye - Reviews
After a high-class escort is murdered, her bodyguard goes after the person responsible, and is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. It's a rather simple set-up and the early reviews suggest the execution is flawed. (It tries too hard to mimic other stylish action films, for instance.) The negative reviews generally say there are some parts of the film that are worth checking out, but stick with a rental. The Girl From the Naked Eye opens tonight at the AMC Theatres Empire 25 in New York City.

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present - Reviews
A documentary about Marina Abramovic, who has been creating performance art for 40 years. The documentary is earning amazing reviews, with many critics saying this is due to her personality, which can draw the viewer in. On the other hand, the avant garde nature of her art will probably prevent a wider audience from going to the movie. Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present opened on Wednesday at the Film Forum in New York City, while it opens tonight at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles.

Patang - Reviews
An Indian film about a group of people whose lives intersect during the largest kite festival in India. It is actually being reviewed, which is better than a lot of Indian films have to deal with, but so far the reviews are only mixed. Indian films are notoriously hard to predict, so I'm not even going to attempt to do so with this one. Patang opens tonight in four theaters in New York, Chicago, and a couple in New Jersey.

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap - Reviews
A documentary about Rap co-directed by Ice-T, who is one of the earliest rappers to earn some measure of mainstream success. He might have a career in this field, as the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are currently perfect. Granted, there are only six reviews, so that could change radically by the end of the weekend. Also, only six reviews indicates a general lack of buzz surrounding the film. Finally, the film is opening in way too many theaters for a limited release, which will further hurt its chances.

The Tortured - Reviews
A married couple's life is destroyed when their five-year old son is kidnapped and tortured to death. When the killer is caught, they are horrified when his prison sentence is reduced by a plea agreement. So they kidnap him and do everything he did to their son. It's torture porn, which is a genre that has overstayed its welcome. Additionally, it's poorly made torture porn, earning only 7% positive reviews. Even fans of the genre should skip this one.

The Woman in the Fifth - Reviews
An American writer, Ethan Hawk, goes to Paris to win back his wife and daughter, but when he fails, he winds up living in a squalid motel and working as a night guard just trying to get by. He then begins a passionate relationship with an enigmatic stranger, Kristin Scott Thomas. The film's reviews are good, but not at the level I normally like to see in a limited release. On the other hand, its cast has better name recognition that most limited releases and the two factors could balance out. The Woman in the Fifth opens tonight at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema and the City Cinemas Village East, both in New York City.

Your Sister's Sister - Reviews
Written and directed by Lynn Shelton, who is quickly establishing herself as a powerhouse Indie director. It also stars Mark Duplass, whose Indie creds are almost as strong as Lynn's. (The pair have actually worked together in the past.) Here he plays a man trying to get over the death of his brother, but failing. His dead brother's girlfriend, Iris, tells him to go to her family's lakeside cabin to find some solace, but when he gets there, it's not empty like he was told it would be. Iris's sister, Hannah, is there. The two get to talking, then drinking, then something else. Then Iris shows up and it's a whole new level of complicated. The film's reviews are excellent, but it is opening in 13 theaters, which is a bit much for a limited release. Hopefully it will be a hit.


-

Filed under: Limited Releases, The Woman in the Fifth, Your Sister's Sister, Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present, The Tortured, The Girl From the Naked Eye, Extraterrestre, Patang