Limited and VOD Releases: Beach Rats, Cats, and Dogs

August 25, 2017

Unleashed

There are not a lot of prime choices on this week’s list of limited releases. Beach Rats is likely going to be the biggest hit, but Unleashed only costs $10 to buy on Video on Demand, which is a good deal.

Beach Rats - Reviews
 A teenage boy without direction in his life begins to experiment with the gay cruising beach scene, while also entering a relationship with a woman. Out of all of the films on this week’s list, this is the one with the best combination of reviews and buzz. It could be the only film on this week’s list to do well in limited release.

Bushwick - Reviews
 Video On Demand
I was looking forward to this one. This movie is about a second civil war in which Texas secedes and tries to attack New York City. This could have been glorious cheese, but the filmmakers took the film too seriously. The reviews are not a disaster, so maybe it is worth a $6 rental.

England is Mine - Reviews
 A biopic of The Smiths lead singer, Steven Morrissey. The film has more buzz than most others on this week’s list, but the reviews are merely mixed, so it will likely fail to find an audience in theaters.

Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky - Reviews
 The largest limited release of the week is a Bollywood film being released by Fox International Productions. There are only two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment, and only one of them is positive, but this is better than most Bollywood films get. Most Bollywood films don’t have any reviews at all.

Polina - Reviews
 Anastasia Shevtsova plays the titular Polina, a young ballet dancer who is about to join the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet, which is what she has been training for for most of her life. However, she discovers contemporary dance and must decide between what she has worked for all those years and this new passion she’s discovered. The reviews are good, but I’m not sure they are good enough to thrive in limited release.

Red Christmas - Reviews
 A Christmas horror film in August? Why? This is the wrong genre for limited release and the reviews are too weak to thrive. It will likely be out on DVD / Blu-ray by Christmas, so wait for the home market to check it out.

Served Like a Girl - Reviews
 A documentary about women who served in the American military and their post-military life. There are only six reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but all six of them are positive, so that’s a good sign. Perhaps it will do well in limited release, at least compared to most documentaries.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D - Reviews
A 3D re-release for one of the biggest Sci-fi action films of all time. There was a time when this could have gotten a wide release, but that time is over.

The Villainess - Reviews
 A South Korean movie about a young girl who was taken and trained to be an assassin. Now that she’s an adult, she’s looking to win her freedom. The film’s reviews are good enough to have a shot at thriving in limited release. However, it is the wrong genre for the art house circuit. It will likely have to wait till the home market to find an audience here.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web - Reviews - Video on Demand
Unleashed - Reviews - Video on Demand
Unleashed looks interesting. It stars Kate Micucci as a woman whose past relationship ended suddenly and poorly. Then through some magic, her cat and dog turn into men and she has to rethink her dating life. The reviews are good and I like Kate Micucci, but there’s no way a Rom Com is going to thrive in limited release.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Bushwick, Unleashed, Beach Rats, Polina danser sa vie, Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web, Aknyeo, Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky, Served Like a Girl, Red Christmas, England is Mine, Kim Ok-vin, Kate Micucci, Anastasia Shevtsova