Limited and VOD Releases: Peanut Butter is More than a Tasty Snack
August 9, 2019
It’s another slow week for limited releases, so I stretched my usual rule regarding the minimum number of reviews needed to make the list. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing worth watching coming out this weekend. There are two documentaries earning perfect or near-perfect reviews, Vision Portraits and One Child Nation. There are a couple of Chinese films coming out, The Bravest and Dying to Survive. There’s even an Anime title on this week’s list, Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over The Rainbow. However, The Peanut Butter Falcon is the film with the best shot and earning some measure of mainstream success.
After the Wedding - Reviews
The Bravest - No Reviews
Dying to Survive - Reviews
Light of My Life - Reviews
Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over The Rainbow - Reviews
Nekrotronic - Reviews - Video on Demand
Ode to Joy - Reviews
One Child Nation - Reviews
The Peanut Butter Falcon - Reviews
Socrates - Reviews
Vision Portraits - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
This remake has an amazing cast, but it is earning weak reviews. The cast and pre-release buzz might keep it afloat for one weekend, but that’s as bullish as I can be.
A Chinese movie about a group of firefighters trying to put out a massive oil fire. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was a $100 million hit in its native China, so it has a shot at doing well in limited release, at least for a foreign-language film.
This film only has three reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which would normally not be enough to be included on this list. However, all three reviews are positive. ... Also, the film made $450 million in its native China, so we should really mention it here. Chinese films still haven’t had breakout success here, but there is a growing audience for these movies, so maybe this one will find some measure of mainstream success.
Video On Demand
A post-apocalyptic morality tale. Its reviews are merely good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. Worse still, it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are negligible.
A high school idol Anime movie based on the series of the same name. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but the reviews on My Anime List are very positive. If you are interested in Anime in general and especially if you like Idol shows, then this is worth checking out.
This is the wrong genre for limited release. There are a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but most of them are negative. Finally, it is playing on VOD. That’s three strikes for its box office chances.
Video on Demand
This movie is inspired by a real life person, a man who has cataplexy—a rare disorder that causes him to lose muscle control whenever he experiences strong emotions, including joy. The reviews are mixed with a number of major complaints. For instance, some critics complain that this isn’t a funny condition, while others complain that the lead character isn’t sympathetic enough, despite being in a sympathetic position. That said, if you like the cast, then maybe it is worth a rental.
A documentary look at the aftermath of China’s One Child Policy. The film’s reviews are nearly 100% positive and its average review is close to the Award Worthy level. If it does well at the box office, it might still be remembered when Awards Season voters are filling out their ballots.
Zachary Gottsagen plays a kid with Down syndrome who runs away from his group home to become a wrestler. He meets Shia LaBeouf, a small time outlaw, who joins him on his adventure and becomes his coach. The film is earning some of the best reviews of the weekend and some of the loudest buzz as well. That doesn’t mean it is guaranteed to earn mainstream success, but it has the best shot.
A coming-of-age story about a LBGT youth dealing with the sudden death of his mother. The reviews are mostly very positive, but some critics complain that the main character has to deal with too much misery and that’s not something they want to watch. I understand the feeling.
A documentary by and in part about Rodney Evans, a filmmaker who lost his vision and now has to think about how he can continue to be an artist in a very visual medium. There are not a huge amount of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but so far all of them are positive. Additionally, this is a documentary about the movies, so art house aficionados should be more interested in this movie than most others on this week’s list.
Rapid Eye Movement - No Reviews - Video on Demand
There's only one secondary VOD title this week. It is about a radio DJ is trying to raise money for charity by staying awake for 11 days straight. His attempt gets a lot more difficult when someone threatens to kill him if he doesn’t succeed.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Nekrotronic, After the Wedding, Wo Bi Shi Yao Shen, Light of My Life, Socrates, Ode to Joy, Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over The Rainbow, Vision Portraits, One Child Nation, Lie huo ying xiong, Rapid Eye Movement, Shia LaBeouf, Zachary Gottsagen, Rodney Evans