Limited Releases: The Real Deal

November 28, 2014

The Imitation Game poster

It isn't a terribly busy week for limited releases, but there are a few earning great reviews. The Babadook is earning the best reviews on this week's list, but it is a horror film, so its box office chances are minimal. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness is also earning excellent reviews, but documentaries rarely find an audience outside of art house theaters. That leaves The Imitation Game as the likely winner on the Per Theater Chart.

Aftermath - No Reviews
Anthony Michael Hall plays a successful land developer who has to deal with a competition between two contractors, Tony and Matt, on who will earn a big raise. Then the two get into a fist fight and one of them disappears and things quickly spiral out of control. There are no reviews, which is a really bad sign. Aftermath opens tonight at the Quad Cinema in New York City.

The Babadook - Reviews
A widowed woman and single parent is having trouble dealing with her son. Since the death of his father, he has been acting out; however, he says it's because a monster is after them. At first she thinks he is crazy, but soon begins to suspect there's more to this that just mental illness. The reviews are nearly perfect, but it is a horror film and those generally don't do well in theaters. The Babadook opens tonight in three theaters with planned expansions in December. Check out the official site for more details.

Before I Disappear - Reviews
A man is depressed and about to kill himself when his sister calls and asks him to look after his niece for the day. The film is based on an Oscar-winning short film; however, most critics would argue it works better as a short film. Before I Disappear opens tonight in select theaters and on Video on Demand. It will very likely perform better on the latter than in the fomer.

Dr. Cabbie - Reviews
A Canadian film opening in the United States. It tells the story of an immigrant doctor who has to drive a cab, but converts his cab to a mobile health clinic. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and they are mixed, which doesn't bode well for its box office chances. Dr. Cabbie opened on Wednesday in select theaters.

The Imitation Game - Reviews
A biopic of Alan Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. The film is widely expected to pick up some Awards Season nominations and it should earn at least some measure of mainstream success. The Imitation Game opens tonight in four theaters, split evenly between New York City and Los Angeles.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness - Reviews
A documentary about Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. It is put out by GKIDS, which has put out a number of Anime films over the past few years. The reviews are excellent and Hayao Miyazaki certainly has a following here, so hopefully it will find an audience in theaters. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City.

Remote Area Medical - Reviews
A documentary about the teams of doctors and nurses that would try and help people who couldn't afford health insurance. The film doesn't have a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment, but all four of them are positive, so that's a good sign. Hopefully it will do well for a documentary, at the very least. Remote Area Medical opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City with a planned expansion next weekend. Check out the official site for more details.

Touch the Wall - Reviews
A documentary about two swimmers, one a veteran and the other an up-and-comer, who become friends while training, only to become rivals later on. There is only one review on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment, which suggests it won't have the buzz needed to survive. Additionally, the review is negative with the critic complaining that the film isn't deep enough.

Women Who Flirt - Reviews
A Chinese film that is opening here before it opens in China. Odd. It is about a woman who tries to win back her man by becoming a woman who flirts. Is that a bad thing? The reviews are weak with most critics complaining that is is a lightweight romantic comedy that falls for the genre clichés just too many times. Women Who Flirt opens tonight in 26 theaters in cities nationwide.

Ungli - No Reviews
A Bollywood movie about a group of friends who take on a corrupt government and run afoul of the police. Like most Bollywood films, there are no reviews. I couldn't even find release dates on NowRunning.com, so I'm not 100% sure it is coming out this week.


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Filed under: Limited Releases, The Imitation Game, Yume to kyoki no ohkoku, Before I Disappear, The Babadook, Touch the Wall, Aftermath, Women Who Flirt, Dr. Cabbie, Ungli, Remote Area Medical, Christopher Penn, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Michael Hall, Jamie Harrold, Hayao Miyazaki