Limited Releases - Confidentially Speaking
May 4, 2006
We have the usual mix of unusual films coming out in limited release this week. Included are the most expensive Chinese film ever, an award-winning Western from Australia, and the latest from Terry Zwigoff.
Art School Confidential - Reviews
Crazy Like a Fox - Reviews
Down in the Valley - Reviews
The Fall of Fujimori - Reviews
The Promise - Reviews
The Proposition - Reviews
One Last Thing... - Reviews
Director Terry Zwigoff has directed some great films, this is not one of them. On the other hand, it is still earning better reviews than most wide releases. Back to the original hand, it is not earning high enough reviews to escape limited release. Returning to the second hand, I'm still looking forward to the film because Terry Zwigoff and the cast, especially Ethan Suplee. I don't think I've seen a movie with him where I didn't at least enjoy his performance and he really should be more famous than he is. Art School Confidential opens tomorrow in a dozen theatres, mostly in the southern California area.
This is not the first time this film was scheduled to be released, and I'm not 100% sure it will come out tomorrow. If Crazy Like a Fox does open tomorrow, it will do it in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Leesburg, Virginia.
Ed Norton plays Harlan, a charismatic cowboy while Even Rachel Wood plays Tobe, a bored teenager. Despite their many differences, the two instantly click when they meet, but can their relationship handle pressures from her family, differences in ages, differences in expectations, and other forces? Down in the Valley opens tomorrow in three theatres in New York City including the Angelika Film Center.
One of the best reviewed movies coming out this week, it looks at Alberto Fujimori, the former president of Peru, specifically his war on terror and the tens of thousands of people killed as a result. Documentarian, Ellen Perry, was able to conduct very long interviews with Alberto Fujimori, but while this gives the film more information than others on the same subject, it does limit opposing voices. Even so, given the current political climate, it is an important film to see. The Fall of Fujimori opens tomorrow at the Laemmles Grand 4 Plex in Los Angeles.
Easily the widest limited release of the week, the film is also the weakest. The film, which cost $35 million to make, has suffered from complaints ranging from poor special effects, sloppy storytelling, weak script, 1 dimensional characters, and more. This is a real shame since it has had a long, tortured road to reach the moviegoers here, but it looks like it will all be for naught. The Promise opens tomorrow in 213 theatres in, 'select cities' but at this point, it seems unlikely to expand past that point.
The best-reviewed release of the week, this film was nominated for 12 Australian Film Institute awards winning four of them. It seems destined to find an audience, but the violence in this dark, dark Western is probably too much for mainstream success. However, I think it will become a hit on the home market and will certainly make the studio happy. The Proposition opens tomorrow in three theatres, AMC 25 and Angelika Film Center in New York City and the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles.
The second widest limited release of the week, the film is also earning some of the weakest reviews. Michael Angarano stars as Dylan, a 16-year old boy who is dying of cancer. He gets picked by the "Make a Wish Foundation" and he chooses a date with Supermodel Nikki Sinclair. But when his date turns into a short photo-op, he and his buddies travel to New York City to fulfill is final wish. The films tries to balance between serious drama, teenage sex comedy, and lighthearted, sentimental film. Had the film picked a directed and went with it, it would have been a lot more successful. One Last Thing... opens tomorrow in 21 theatres in various cities throughout the nation however, if you are truly interested in the movie, it might be better to wait will May 23rd, which is when it is released on DVD and give it a rental.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Art School Confidential, The Proposition, Wu ji, Down in the Valley, One Last Thing..., Crazy Like a Fox, The Fall of Fujimori