Limited Releases You Can Take Pride In
November 11, 2005
A busy week on the limited release front with a wide and diverse selection. There are obvious Oscar hopefuls like Bee Season and Pride & Prejudice, a couple of Stand-Up concert films, and even another horror film from Asia.
Bee Season - Reviews
Cape of Good Hope - Reviews
The Comedians of Comedy - Reviews
Duane Hopwood - Reviews
Ellie Parker - Reviews
Good Morning, Night - Reviews
Jesus is Magic - Reviews
Pride & Prejudice - Reviews
Pulse - Reviews
Looks like an Oscar hopeful, but the reviews just are not up to the level needed to be a player come award season. Some of the individual actors are getting singled out, including newcomer Flora Cross, but overall the film doesn't connect emotionally and leaves the audience cold. Bee Season opens tonight in more than 20 theatres.
A look at post-Apartheid South Africa through the stories of several friends.
Not a bad movie, but not strong enough to stand out in a very competitive week for new releases.
Cape of Good Hope opens tonight at the Angelika Film Center in New York City.
The documentary follows four comedians as they do concerts around the United States.
While the Stand-Up comedy is very funny, especially Zach Galifianakis, (from Heartbreakers and Tru Calling), the film spends an equal time delving into the comedians day-to-day life.
This is either an interesting look at their off-stage life, or proof that the average life is too dull to film.
The Comedians of Comedy opens tonight in 2 theatres including the Alamo Drafthouse Village in Austin, Texas.
David Schwimmer stars as the titular character, a pit boss in Atlantic City whose life was destroyed after his divorce from his wife, Linda. The film has its moments, but not enough of them to recommend. Duane Hopwood opens tonight at the Ritz 5 in Philadelphia, PA.
Movies about the movie industry can be very funny, but they can also be so loaded with inside jokes that no one outside the industry will get them.
This film is much closer to the former than the latter, but there are still some issues here.
Ellie Parker opens in six theatres in New York (Angelika Film Center) and L.A. (Laemmles Sunset 5.)
Based on real life events, this film tells the story of the kidnapping and murder Italian prime minister Aldo Moro by the Red Brigade.
It is told by the point of view of Chiara, a female member of the Red Brigade.
Its reviews are mixed, very strong among the cream-of-the-crop critics, but well below 50% among the run-of-the-mill reviewers. Good Morning, Night opens tonight at the Cinema Village 12th Street in New York City.
One of the better reviewed films coming out this weekend, but even so I wouldn't recommend it to the average moviegoer because Sarah Silverman's brand of comedy is a little extreme for most people.
She excels at being offensive, but unlike so many other stand-up comics, she knows that being offensive is not the destination, but a means to get there.
Jesus is Magic opens in seven theatres tonight mostly in New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, and the Los Angeles area.
This film is one of the better Jane Austen adaptations, but it is opening in a huge number of theatres for a limited release.
More than 200, in fact.
I'm not sure that release strategy will work (it has a pretty bad failure rate).
Granted, most films that do choose the select cities route are smaller films that don't have the financial backing to go nationwide while with this film it is more of a prestige release before going wide on the 23rd.
This, the latest horror film from Asia, has similarities to FearDotCom, but in theme only.
This internet-based horror is atmospheric, spooky and has some genuine scares.
Pulse opened on Wednesday at the IFC Center in New York City.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Pride & Prejudice, Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic, Bee Season