Limited Releases: Lonely at the Top

October 26, 2012

There are not a lot of new limited releases this week and so far only one of them, The Loneliest Planet, is earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. There are other films that come really close to the 80% positive level. I was looking forward to Funeral Kings, but earlier in the week, that film was bumped to a November 16th release.

Bad Blood... The Hunger - No Reviews
A group of college friends on summer vacation get mixed up with a cannibal cult. It's a horror film opening in limited releases with no reviews. It has almost no chance of success in theaters, but it could find an audience on the home market. Bad Blood... The Hunger opens tonight in ten theaters.

Chakravyuh - Reviews
An ensemble film that focuses on the lives of six people in a rural part of India where the government is siding with corporations and the locals have taken to rebellion to protect their rights. It is certainly different to most Bollywood films, which tend to focus on romance and other happier themes. There are actually reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and two of the three are positive. Both of these are positive signs compared to the average Bollywood film. Chakravyuh opened on Wednesday in 86 theaters.

In Their Skin - Reviews
A Canadian horror film about a family who recently lost their young daughter in an accident. They travel to their cabin in the woods for their annual vacation, but it isn't a happy vacation. When their neighbors show up, they no longer have the peace they were at least hoping for. It is a horror film opening in limited release, plus its reviews are only mixed. In Their Skin opens tonight in Vancouver and Toronto, while it debuts in the United States on the 9th of November.

The Loneliest Planet - Reviews
Alex and Nica are an engaged couple going hiking in the Caucasus Mountains with their guide, Dato. However, something happens on this trip that will change their relationship forever. The film's reviews are the best on this week's list, while Gael Garcia Bernal does have enough name recognition to help the film's chances in limited release. The Loneliest Planet opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City and the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles.

The Other Son - Reviews
Two babies are switched at birth, one going to a affluent Jewish couple living in Tel Aviv and the other an Arab couple living in the West Bank. When they discover this switch, nearly 18 years later, it throws the lives of both families into turmoil. The films reviews are good, but not great. Jewish cinema does have a bigger built in audience than most foreign films, so that should help somewhat. The Other Son opens tonight in 35 theaters, which is probably too many.

Pusher - Reviews
Richard Coyle stars as a drug dealer who borrowed money from his supplier to get in on a land deal, only to see that deal collapse resulting in him losing all of his money. Now he has to get enough to pay back his loan, or he's dead meat. The film's reviews are only mixed, while the film is opening in 15 theaters, which is a bit too many for this type of film. Perhaps it will find a bigger audience on the home market.


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Filed under: Limited Releases, The Loneliest Planet, Replicas, Le fils de l’autre, Pusher, Bad Blood, Chakravyuh, Gael Garcia Bernal, Richard Coyle, Hani Furstenberg, Bidzina Gujabidze