Limited Releases: Stand Up for Limited Releases
February 1, 2013
It's a weak week for limited releases with only two films that are earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. Those two films, The Gatekeepers and Koch, have something else in common, they are both documentaries. So, there are probably no breakout hits on this weeks list.
The Gatekeepers - Reviews
Girls Against Boys - Reviews
The Haunting in Connecticut 2: The Ghosts of Georgia - Reviews
Koch - Reviews
Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary - Reviews
Stand Up Guys - Reviews
A documentary look at the Middle East conflict from the point of view of those in charge of stopping terrorism. The reviews are nearly perfect and the film has earned an Oscar nomination. It should be the big hit of the weekend and should do well overall, for a documentary. The Gatekeepers opens tonight in four theaters, split between New York City and the Los Angeles area.
Danielle Panabaker stars as Shae, a college student / bartender who is just dumped by her older, and married boyfriend. She goes out with her co-worker, Lu, for some dancing, but the guy she meets rapes her. She and Lu then go on a crusade to make the guy pay, and any other man they find who deserves it. So far there is only one positive review on Rotten Tomatoes out of ten published. I have seen some positive reviews on genre site, so perhaps it will find an audience on the home market.
A horror film opening in limited release. That's a bad sign. It only has one review. That's a really bad sign. That one review is negative. That should prove fatal. They are already working on a third film, so clearly the studio are hoping it will be a hit on the home market. The Haunting in Connecticut 2: The Ghosts of Georgia opens tonight, but there's no official site, so I don't know where. It is already on Amazon Instant Video, so you can check it out there.
Ed Koch died this morning. This adds poignancy to an already powerful documentary on the long time New York mayor. The film should do really well when it opens in New York City tonight. It expands to other cities next month. Koch opens tonight at the Angelika Film Center and the Lincoln Plaza Cinema, both in New York City.
A biography of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a journalist who was convicted of the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer. He spend nearly 30 years in solitary confinement, but continued to write. The film's reviews are not good with many critics complaining the film ignores the details of the crime and instead merely praises Mumia. Hagiography not biography. Mumia opens tonight at the Cinema Village in New York City.
Three amazing actors star in a movie opening in more than 600 theaters with 35% positive reviews. That's too many theaters and not enough positive reviews. There's a slim chance it will reach the top ten, but there's a better chance it will fail to reach the Mendoza Line.
Filed under: Limited Releases, A Haunting in Connecticut 2: The Ghosts of Georgia, The Gatekeepers, Girls Against Boys, Stand Up Guys, Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary, Koch, Danielle Panabaker, Nicole LaLiberte