Limited and VOD Releases: A Fantastic Limited Release or Two

February 2, 2018

A Fantastic Woman

It’s a terrible weekend to release a movie. Not only is the Super Bowl taking up most people’s attention, but fans of limited releases are too busy catching up on Oscar contenders to deal with new releases. There are not a lot of films on this week’s list, but 24 Frames and A Fantastic Woman could do well in the art house circuit.

24 Frames: Before and After Lumiere - Reviews
The last film directed by Abbas Kiarostami before his death in 2014. It is an experimental film comprised of 24 short films inspired by still images. The film has the best Tomatometer Score on this week’s list, but it won’t be able to find an audience outside the art house circuit.

Before We Vanish - Reviews
Three people in a small Japanese town begin to act strangely, as if they have a rare disease, but in fact, they have been possessed by aliens. The Aliens are here to determine what it means to be truly human, so they can plan an invasion to destroy all humans. The reviews are good, but likely not good enough to thrive in limited release.

Bilal: A New Breed of Hero - Reviews
A digitally animated film about the life of Bilal ibn Rabah, who rose from being a slave to one of the most important members of the early Muslim church. The reviews are mixed and animated films almost never do well in limited release.

Braven - Reviews
Video on Demand
Stephen Lang and Jason Momoa play father and son on a hunting trip in the mountains. When they get to their cabin, they find a stash of heroin and soon the drug smugglers come looking for their drugs. The review given by the average critic is exactly 5 out of 10, so it is the definition of mediocre. Maybe it is worth the $6 rental on VOD, if you are a fan of the star.

A Fantastic Woman - Reviews
Marina has a wonder life with Orlando, but when he falls ill and dies, her life falls apart. His family, and the police, think she had something to do with his death, because she’s a trans woman. This film has arguably the best reviews of the week, but it is a foreign-language film, so its box office chance are not great.

Legend of the Mountain - Reviews
A traveling Buddhist gets lost in the mountains only to meet an older woman and her daughter. He falls in love with the daughter and they get married, but later another woman arrives and tells him his wife is an evil ghost. There are only four reviews for this film on Rotten Tomatoes, but all four of them are positive and the film is out of print on the home market, so it is one of the better choices for the day.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Adrenochrome - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Cage Fighter - Reviews - Video on Demand
Just Charlie - Reviews - Video on Demand
Living Among Us - Reviews - Video on Demand
Scorched Earth - Reviews - Video on Demand
Living Among Us doesn’t come out on VOD until Tuesday, but it is a slow week, so I thought I would mention it.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Braven, Adrenochrome, Bilal: A New Breed of Hero, Una mujer fantástica, Scorched Earth, The Cage Fighter, Living Among Us, Just Charlie, Sanpo Suru Shinryakusha, 24 Frames: Before and After Lumiere, Shan zhong zhuan qi, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa, Abbas Kiarostami, Francisco Reyes, Daniela Vega