Limited and VOD Releases: Staying Grounded

July 26, 2019

The Ground Beneath My Feet

It is an interesting week on the limited release front as there are four films that are earning 100% positive reviews, including three documentaries. I think this level of competition might be too much for any of them to thrive. Additionally, the only non-documentary to earn perfect reviews so far is The Ground Beneath My Feet, a foreign-language film.

Angels are Made of Light - Reviews
 A documentary about a school in Kabul and the teachers and students who try and make it work, despite the changing situation around them. This is the first of several documentaries on this week’s list and the first of four films that are earning 100% positive reviews. I hope it finds an audience in theaters, but I’m worried the competition will be too much.

Astronaut - Reviews
 Video on Demand
Richard Dreyfuss plays a man trying to win a contest for a trip into space to fulfill a life-long dream. The film’s reviews are good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. That said, it is perfectly charming enough for a $7 VOD rental.

The Ground Beneath My Feet - Reviews
 A German-language film about a businesswoman, Lola, whose been ruthless in keeping her personal life as ordered as her professional life, but that is threatened when she learns her sister tried to commit suicide. There are only nine reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which would normally not be enough to be included here, but all nine are positive. Unfortunately for this film’s box office chances, it isn’t alone earning 100% positive reviews, so this might not be enough to save its box office chances.

For Sama - Reviews
 A documentary about the war in Syria, specifically focusing on one woman’s life during the conflict. The reviews are currently 100% positive, but this is not the kind of documentary that usually finds mainstream success in theaters. Maybe it will be the rare exception.

The Great Hack - Reviews
 A documentary about how data is the most valuable commodity in the world and how it can be weaponized for political gain. This is a very important subject and the reviews suggest it could find an audience in limited release. However, there’s a lot of competition for documentaries this week.

Honeyland - Reviews
 A beekeeper in an isolated part of Macedonia has her life upended by the arrival of a larger, much louder family. This is one of four films on this week’s list that currently has 100% positive reviews. Its reviews are obviously a strong selling point, but the competition could kill the film.

Jirga - Reviews
 An Australian soldier in Afghanistan is part of an incident that results in the death of a local family. Years later, he returns to the village where this happened to allow the locals to use their own system of justice to judge his guilt. The reviews are good, perhaps good enough to thrive in limited release.

Mike Wallace is Here - Reviews
 A documentary about Mike Wallace, whose journalistic skill dwarfs that of any journalist working today. The film’s reviews are nearly 100% positive and we are due for a breakout documentary hit.

The Mountain - Reviews
 Jeff Goldblum is the best part of this movie. He co-stars as Dr. Wallace Fiennes, who is a doctor specializing in lobotomies in the 1950s, shortly after the procedure had been discredited. His performance is enough to make the movie worth watching, but not enough to make it worth heading to the theaters to see. Wait till it hits the home market.

Skin - Reviews
 Video On Demand
Jamie Bell plays a man trying to leave the White Supremacist movement, which could prove fatal. The film’s reviews are right on the border between merely good and good enough for limited release, but it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances would be nearly zero regardless of its reviews.

This Changes Everything - Reviews
 A documentary about sexism in Hollywood. This is an important topic to discuss and the film’s Tomatometer Score is quite strong. However, the average critic’s review is in the 6 out of 10 range, so while most critics like the movie, few love it. It is still worth checking out, on the other hand.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Be Happy - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Dead Water - Reviews - Video on Demand
See You Soon - Reviews - Video on Demand
None of the secondary VOD releases are earning good reviews, but See You Soon is being described as entertainingly bad, so maybe that’s up your alley.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Astronaut, The Mountain, Dead Water, Angels are Made of Light, Skin, Jirga, See You Soon, Der Boden unter den Füßen, Mike Wallace is Here, This Changes Everything, For Sama, Honeyland, The Great Hack, Be Happy, Richard Dreyfuss, Jamie Bell, Jeff Goldblum, Valerie Pachner, Pia Hierzegger, Mike Wallace