The Fantaverse
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10

3 posters

Go down

Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10 Empty Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10

Post by Shrykespeare Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:11 am

Well, Chien is still on hiatus, so I'll do my best to fill in for him. I lack his insight, and am missing quite a few facts on these films (read: fill them in if you know them). With so many small films being included in the April season, however, it seemed a breakdown like this was necessary.

So, here we go.



APRIL 3

Paris 36
– starring Clovis Cornillac, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gerard Jugnot and Kad Merad. Directed by Christophe Barratier. Current IMDb User Rating – 6.6 with over 200 votes. Story: A man named Germain Pigoil runs a vaudeville house in Paris 1936, a troublesome time in Europe. Struggling to keep his doors open while dealing with a myriad of family problems, he tries to solicit both financial and theatrical help in order to keep the show going. Debuted at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival. Release Platform: unknown.

French films have done wonderfully well as sources of PTA, and this one might as well. I can’t help but wonder if there are more wily picks for $7 or less than this one.


The Escapist – starring Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper and Damian Lewis. Debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. Current IMDb User Rating - 6.9 with over 2500 votes. Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%. Story: Cox plays Frank Perry, a man serving a life in prison. When he receives news that his beloved daughter is near death following an overdose, he concocts an elaborate plan to escape. Directed and written by Rupert Wyatt. Cox won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Film Performance 2008, and the film was nominated for numerous other British film awards. Release Platform: 1 theater.

Seems like a good PTA pick for $6, but my research has shown me that it came out on DVD last month… is this true? It could be that much like Skills Like This, it could be in one theater for one week only. Exercise caution.


Sugar – starring Algenis Perez Soto, Karl Bury and Michael Gaston. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Current IMDb User Rating: 6.9 with over 200 votes. Story: this is the (fictional) story of Dominican pitcher Miguel “Sugar” Santos, who is trying to make it to the big leagues and rescue his family from poverty. When he gets his chance to break into the minors, his play falters, and he begins to question the single-mindedness of his ambition. Debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Release Platform: several theaters in NY and LA, with possible additions in following weeks.

Tough to say which way this will go. It could win the weekend, or miss entirely. The theater count is promising, but I’m not sure the appeal is there.


Bart Got a Room – starring Steven Kaplan, William H. Macy, Cheryl Hines, and Alia Shawkat. Directed by Brian Hecker Current IMDB User Rating: 8.4 with over 150 votes. Story: Danny Stein is a nerdy high school senior, and hopes to not only secure a prom date but a hotel room, lest he seem an even bigger nerd than his school’s geekiest character, Bart. Release platform: unknown

The trailer for this is funny as hell, and the Rating is encouraging. However, it’s being released by Plum Pictures, who struck out in 2007 with Grace is Gone. It’s only $5, but to me it looks to be in the same category as The Great Buck Howard; appealing and with a very good cast, but not necessarily the best pick in the bunch.


Gigantic – starring Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, and Edward Asner. Directed by Matt Aselton. Current IMDb User Rating: 6.7 with over 110 votes. Story: Brian, a mattress salesman, is in the process of adopting a Chinese baby when he meets a quirky woman named Harriet, with whom he begins a relationship. Release platform: NY only (I think). Debuted at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.

For only $4 and only one screen showing it (maybe), this one looks like a good deal. The User Rating my rise or fall, but for this amount, it won’t hamper your slate too much. I like it.


Alien Trespass – starring Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Robert Patrick and Dan Laurie. Directed by R.W. Goodwin. Current IMDb User Rating: 8.6 with around only 40 votes. Story: Based on 1950’s sci-fi “B” movies, this takes place in 1957 California, where a spaceship, carrying a menacing one-eyed alien, lands in the desert and begins terrorizing a small town. Release platform: Unknown.

This one is a cheap $3, which means even if it strikes out with no PTA, you’ll still have a very good User Rating (Like The Horsemen). And who knows? If the theater count is low enough, it may attract a fair crowd of “B” movie junkies.


APRIL 8

Lymelife
– starring Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton, Keiran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessey and Emma Roberts. Directed by Derick Martini. Current IMDb User Rating: 9.1 with nearly 600 votes. Story: In late 1970’s Long Island, this story follows two families whose lives are crumbling due to real estate problems and Lyme disease, which causes panic when it attacks a small suburb. Debuted at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival, winning the coveted International Critics Award. Release Platform: NY on 4/8, LA on 4/17.

How did we price this one at only $2 in the February leagues? Wow, what a miscalculation on our part… And though it’s priced at $7 in the April leagues, this one is one of the standouts of the entire roster. I mean, 9.1? It’s virtually certain that this will get at least few PTA points, possibly on back-to-back weeks, and may come in at #1 if it can pass Hannah Montana’s OW.


APRIL 10

Forbidden Lie$
- documentary about the media investigation of Norma Khouri, who was labeled a fraud when it came to light that her book, Forbidden Love, was untrue. The book, about a friend of Khouri’s from Jordan who falls for a Christian soldier and kept the relationship secret from her Muslim family, but the father found out and slew his own daughter. Directed by Anna Broinowski. Current IMDb User Rating – 7.8 with nearly 200 votes. Won Best Documentary in 2008 by the Australian Film Critics Association. Release platform: NY and LA.

Touchy subject, looks like a PTA land mine to me. $6 isn’t much, but then, most of the limited-release features are in the same price range.


Anvil! The Story of Anvil – documentary about the Canadian heavy metal band, who formed in 1978. Directed by Sacha Gervasi. Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, and won Audience Awards at the 2008 Sydney Film Festival, L.A. Film Festival and Galway International Film Festival. Current IMDb User Rating: 8.7 with over 250 votes. Release platform: Unknown.

Holy moly, that’s a lot of accolades. And for only $5? Seems like a bargain. But can it realistically pick up even two PTA points? Or will it surprise all and take five? Like Lymelife, the User Rating won’t hurt you at all.
Shrykespeare
Shrykespeare
Peter Gibbons
Peter Gibbons

Posts : 1455
Join date : 2008-11-26
Age : 54
Location : Glendale, AZ

http://www.thelatestmoviereviews.com

Back to top Go down

Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10 Empty Re: Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10

Post by Buscemi Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:45 am

Alien Trespass is opening somewhere between 20 to 50 theatres. Lionsgate usually gives pretty wide limited releases to films that can have some sort of cult appeal (recent example: Super Capers, where they made the mistake to open a superhero team movie two weeks after Watchmen). So it's probably not going to help you any in PTA.

Meanwhile, Lymelife seems too weird to really do anything in the PTA department. A film featuring an outbreak of Lyme disease seems like too much for the average audience to take seriously. Also, the distributor hasn't had any success as a theatrical distributor so that's a red flag right there.
Buscemi
Buscemi
Tony Stark/ Iron Man
Tony Stark/ Iron Man

Posts : 3771
Join date : 2008-11-26
Age : 33
Location : Springfield, Missouri

Back to top Go down

Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10 Empty Re: Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10

Post by JackO Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:00 am

Nice start Shryke! Fast and Furious might end up winning the PTA this weekend. I don't think that the releases are very strong this weekend. And I got to agree, Anvil at 5 bucks is a can't miss.
JackO
JackO
Lt. Frank Drebin
Lt. Frank Drebin

Posts : 907
Join date : 2008-11-25
Age : 38
Location : The Dark Side of Michigan

Back to top Go down

Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10 Empty Re: Driving By The Arthouse - Shrykespeare's Analysis of Arthouse Films 4/3 - 4/10

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum