Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting

April 8, 2005

Despite the fact that there's more than half-a-dozen limited releases coming out this week, only two of them were able to earn overall positive reviews. Fortunately, one of those films is the much anticipated Kung Fu Hustle, which should lead the per theatre charts over the weekend.

Eros - Reviews
Three stories about love directed by three different directors. The first segment, The Hand directed by Wong Kar-wai is the best of the three, and the quality quickly drops-off from there. The film opens in a dozen theatres in selected theatres tonight.

Ethan Mao - Reviews
After Ethan Mao is kicked out of his home because he is gay, he becomes a street hustler joining up with Remigio, another street hustler. When they two of them break into Ethan's house to retrieve his possessions, they are surprised when his parents unexpectedly return home. The film opens in the Castro Theatre in San Francisco tonight.

A Hole in My Heart - Reviews
There are two schools of thought on this film, one group thinks its provocative and visceral while the other thinks it's just disgusting. The latter group does seem to be the prevailing opinion on the film. The film opens tonight in the Cinema Village theatre in New York City, but won't have enough appeal to escape the art-house circuit.

Kung Fu Hustle - Reviews
Out of all the limited releases for the month of April, this one has the best shot at some real mainstream success. Like Stephen Chow's previous film, this one is full of over the top martial arts action. So much so that it might turn off people expecting a more serious martial arts movie in the vein of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film opens in Los Angeles and New York tonight before expanding nationwide on the 22nd.

Primo Amore - Reviews
A tale of an obsessive search for perfection taken to its extreme. From the same director as The Embalmer, this film is equally as dark but as engaging.

Smile - Reviews
Any real dramatic pull this film may have had gets lost as it turns into a trite tearjerker. It's the widest release of the week, but that doesn't mean it will be the highest grossing. The fact that the 60 theatres are in the Los Angeles and San Francisco area will help the film's chances as the studio can focus its ad campaign, but Kung Fu Hustle should still beat it on the charts.

Winter Solstice - Reviews
An impressive cast highlight this story of a widower, who has retreated from life, and is now questioning the decisions his two sons are making. One of only two films on this week's list earning overall positive reviews, the film opens tonight in New York and Los Angeles before expanding to Chicago and Toronto next week.


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Filed under: Kung Fu Hustle, Eros