Limited Releases: Buying Into Limited Releases

November 1, 2013

After last week's short list, there are nearly 20 films on this week's list. Because of this, each entry will be shorter than usual. There are a few films on this week's list that seem destined for mainstream success, including Dallas Buyers Club, which could net Matthew McConaughey some Awards Season hardware.

About Time - Reviews
A romantic comedy about time travel. It opened tonight in nearly 200 theaters before expanding wide next week. I'll talk about it more then.

Aftermath - Reviews
A Polish film that deals with anti-semitism in Poland. This caused it to be banned in its native country. Here the reviews are good, but not great. Aftermath opened tonight in two theaters in New York City, Lincoln Plaza Cinema and Cinema Village.

All The Wrong Reasons - Reviews
The theatrical debut for writer / director Gia Milani, it is also one of the final projects for Cory Monteith before his untimely death. All The Wrong Reasons opens in Canada tonight and you can see the showtimes here.

Angels Sing - Reviews
A Christmas movie opening in limited release. These rarely work out. Additionally, the film is already playing in Video on Demand, so that will further limit its box office potential. Angels Sing opens tonight in 11 theaters in select cities.

Big Sur - Reviews
Jean-Marc Barr plays Jack Kerouac. The film focuses on the writer's life shortly after The Open Road became a huge hit and he had trouble dealing with his sudden success. The reviews are mixed, which will likely prove fatal for the limited release. Big Sur opens tonight in 13 theaters in select cities nationwide.

The Broken Circle Breakdown - Buy from Amazon
An atheist man and a religious woman fall in love and have a child, but when that child becomes seriously ill, their love is tested. The reviews are very good, but it is a busy week, so art house aficionados have a lot of choices. The Broken Circle Breakdown opens tonight at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema and the director will be doing a Q&A tonight and tomorrow. Check the official site for more details.

Dallas Buyers Club - Reviews
Matthew McConaughey has suddenly become one of the hottest actors around when it comes to Oscar-worthy films. That's quite a change from some of his earlier films. Here he plays the son of a rich businessman in the 1980s who contracts HIV and looks to find effective treatment. The film's reviews are amazing and there are already plans to expand wider during the coming weeks. Dallas Buyer's Club opens tonight in nine theaters.

Diana - Reviews
A biopic of Princess Diana starring Naomi Watts and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. The reviews are awful with many areas of the movie being slammed by critics. That said, the popularity of the late princess might be enough to help it thrive for one weekend. Diana opens tonight in 38 theaters, which is a lot for a limited release.

In the Name Of... - Reviews
A Polish film about a closeted gay priest who works with troubled youth. The film's reviews are good, but not great, and there is a lot of competition this week, so it will likely struggle at the box office. In the Name Of... opened on Wednesday in theaters and it is already playing on Video on Demand.

Last Love - Reviews
Michael Caine stars as a widowed retired professor living in Paris who meets Clemence Poesy and a friendship blooms. Good cast, bad reviews. A lot of critics are complaining that it is just dull. Last Love opens tonight, maybe. The Facebook page says "October", so that's not very helpful.

Man of Tai Chi - Reviews
Keanu Reeves makes his directorial debut. The film stars Tiger Hu Chen as a martial arts expert drawn into the world of underground fighting. The reviews are good, but not great, while this is not exactly the target genre for limited release. Man of Tai Chi opens tonight in theaters, although it's Facebook page hasn't been updated since August.

Mr. Nobody - Reviews
Jared Leto stars as a man who thinks if he refuses to make a choice all things are possible. Unfortunately for him, as Canadian philosopher Neil Peart said, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." It's a high-concept movie that is earning good reviews, but not great ones. It is also playing on Video On Demand, so its box office chances are even weaker. Mr. Nobody opens tonight in four theaters.

Nosotros Los Nobles - Reviews
The latest release from Pantelion Films. They recently broke records with Instructions Not Included and this movie made $22 million internationally. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so it is hard to judge how well this film will do at the box office. Nosotros Los Nobles opens tonight in many, many theaters, check the official site for more details.

A Perfect Man - Reviews
A man, Liev Schreiber, cheats on his wife, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and their marriage crumbles. She then accidentally impersonates his travel agent and he begins an emotional relationship with this woman over the phone, not realizing he is falling in love with his wife again. There is certainly more name recognition among the cast than most limited releases have, but the reviews are only mixed. A Perfect Man opens tonight in theaters, but it also debuted on Video on Demand last month, so its box office potential is weak.

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology - Reviews
A documentary that looks at Slavoj Žižek, who is a widely known philosopher and cultural critic. I had to look him up on Wikipedia, so "widely known" is relative to the average philosopher. The reviews for the film are nearly perfect with the only negative review still complimenting the film for the most part, but commenting that at more than two hours, it is just too long. The Pervert's Guide to Ideology opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City, where Slavoj Žižek will appear, and at the Siskel Film Center in Chicago.

Sal - Reviews
A biopic of Sal Mineo directed by James Franco, who has directed a number of films, but most of them earn only mixed reviews. This one is no exception, as there are four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and two of them are positive. If you are interesting in Sal Mineo's life, then it is worth checking out, but you will be left not fully satisfied. Sal opens tonight, or perhaps it opened last week, there are mixed reports and the official site seems to be down.

Skinwalker Ranch - No Reviews
"Inspired by a true story." Somehow I doubt that. The movie is about alien abductions and a group of investigators who go to Skinwalker Ranch, which is a epicenter for strange events. The film opened on Wednesday, the day before Halloween, which is a great time to release a scary movie, but there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment.


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Filed under: Limited Releases, Dallas Buyers Club, Mr. Nobody, About Time, Skinwalker Ranch, Nosotros Los Nobles, No se Aceptan Devoluciones, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Sal, Man of Tai Chi, W imie..., Poklosie, Diana, A Perfect Man, Big Sur, Last Love, Angels Sing, The Pervert's Guide to Ideology, Keanu Reeves, Jean-Marc Barr, Michael Caine, James Franco, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, Sal Mineo, Neil Peart, Clémence Poésy, Liev Schreiber, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Naomi Watts, Cory Monteith, Oliver Hirschbiegel