Limited Releases: Cinemas Saturated for Summertime

May 6, 2005

The busy Summer season not only means plenty of potential blockbusters to see each week, but a massive influx of limited release films as well. The only better time to see a limited release is during award season in the late Autumn. And even then its rare to see nine limited releases coming out in the same week.

Brothers - Reviews
Jannik and his brother Michael couldn't be less alike. Michael is a dedicated family man and a steadfast soldier while Jannik is an alcoholic and a petty criminal. When Jannik is released from prison he quickly returns to his old ways until Michael is presumed dead in Afghanistan. He then decides to get his life turned around including looking out for his brother's wife, Sarah. The film opens tonight at the Lincoln Plaza and the Angelika Film Center, both in New York City.

Citizen Verdict - Reviews
Any film that rips into Reality TV and the media circus surrounding trials is worth checking out in my books. However, despite the fact that the targets of this satire deserve to be cut to the bone with caustic wit, the film is simply not up to the task. The film is being released tonight in more than a dozen theatres in Florida, where it is set (although it was filmed in Canada and South Africa).

Fighting Tommy Riley - Reviews
A boxing film about an over the hill trainer hooking up with a young boxer full of raw talent and self-destructive habits. (A similar theme to Million Dollar Baby, which could be why the film is being released now.) The film played in numerous film festivals last year but is finally getting a theatrical release this week in half-a-dozen theatres in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Le Grand Role - Reviews
Actor, Maurice Kurtz, finally gets the role of his lifetime, much to the delight of his ailing wife. However, when he then loses that role to a more famous actor he decides to lie to his wife and recruit his friends to help him keep up the charade, going so far as kidnapping the director. The film opens in the Quad Cinema in New York City tonight before expanding expanding in the coming weeks / months.

Jiminy Glick in La La Land - Reviews
The widest release on today's list, opening in two dozen theaters in select cities. The film is not getting great reviews, or even good reviews, but the celebrity interviews done by Jiminy Glick are worth watching. But quite frankly, the rest of the movie isn't worth going to the cinema to see; wait until this one is out on DVD so you can skip over the plot.

Mysterious Skin - Reviews
Brian thinks he may have been abducted by aliens when he was eight years old. After all, how else could he explain the five hours of his life that disappeared? A breakout performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the highlight of this film, whose dark subject matter make the viewing experience intense but rarely enjoyable. The film earned its NC-17 rating. It opens at the Film Forum in New York City before expanding into California in a couple weeks and select cities by the end of the month.

Twin Sisters - Reviews
It is rare for a limited release to open in neither New York City nor Los Angeles, unless the film has a specific geographical market. However, that is the case for Twin Sisters, which opens tonight in Seattle. A World War II film about two sisters divided when their parents die and raised separately, one in a strict Catholic home in Germany and another in an affluent home in Holland. Amazing acting highlight this poignant story.

Up for Grabs - Reviews
A baseball documentary about the furor over the ownership of Barry Bonds 73rd home run. The film is being compared to a Christopher Guest mockumentary , only it's for real. The film opens in the AMC Empire (Times Square) and Cinema Village in New York City tonight having debuted in California mid-April.

Writer of O - Reviews
In 1954 the novel, Story of O, was published under the pseudonym Pauline Réage and its S&M theme and autobiographical feel made it an instant bestseller. For forty years nobody knew who wrote Pauline Réage really was, until 1994 when Dominique Aury reveled she was the author. This film uses documentary interviews, dramatic recreations and pure fiction to tell her tale. Unfortunately, for all the spice of the material, the film is dull. The film opened on Wednesday at the Film Forum in New York City and will travel around the country in the coming months.

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Filed under: Limited Releases, Mysterious Skin, Twin Sisters