2008 movies to open with a PSA under $1,000

[bob_barron 0]

With Midnight Meat Train becoming one of the most publicised movies to join the under $1,000 per-screen average club, I figured I’d look at the 2008 movies to join this illustrious group.

 

Note: I’m going by boxofficemojo’s weekend tallies for when a film opened and how much it grossed. Unless credited to imdb, all the plots are from the official websites or me being a smart-ass.

 

Per-screen average is basically the average amount a movie grosses per each theatre it’s showing at. A per-screen average under $1,000 is considered to be a disaster, and it is essentially a movie that plays to empty crowds.

 

2008's sub $1,000 PSA movies:

 

A Bloody Aria:

Released 1/4/08

Opened on 1 theatre and grossed $249 for a PSA of $249

Total gross: $518

Distributor: Imaginasian Pictures

 

Plot: During a day trip through the countryside, aspiring opera singer In-jeong flees to the woods to escape her lecherous mentor, Yeong-sun. When a local man offers her a ride to the bus station, In-jeong thinks she's been saved until he insists they stop to meet his friends--a disturbed group of country thugs. In-jeong finds herself reunited with Yeong-sun and it slowly becomes clear the pair is being held captive to participate in the gang's sadistic games. Writer-Director Won Shin-yun crafts a pitch-black comedy of violence; one that takes a brutal look at the power struggles that exist even at the lowest rungs of society. From the official website.

 

Trailer: http://www.abloodyaria.com/

 

Review: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/01/07/movies/07bloo.html

 

My thoughts: Oh, South Korea. This looks awesome.

 

Christmas in Wonderland (note: I believe the film was released in a few markets in November, but boxofficemojo lists it debuting at the end of January. Either way this movie looks awesome)

Released, or at least tracked, on 1/25/08

Opened on 2 screens to $689 for a $344 PSA

Total gross: $689

Distributor: Yari Film Group

 

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Tim Curry, Chris Kattan and the fat guy from Jackass. I did not make that up. This is also a Canadian movie too!

 

Plot: Home Alone in a mall.

 

Trailer: http://www.christmasinwonderland.com/

 

Thoughts: Read that cast list again. Come on!

 

Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - From Hollywood to the Heartland

Released on 2/8/08

Opened on 962 screens to $464,170 for a PSA of $482

Total gross: $603,894

Distributor: Picturehouse

 

Starring: Vince Vaughn and comics

 

Plot: A documentary follows Vince Vaughn and a bunch of comics touring the country.

 

Trailer: http://www.wildwestcomedy.com/

 

Reviews: http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/...o_the_heartland

 

Articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/movies/0...amp;oref=slogin

 

Thoughts: I thought of seeing this movie, but as you can imagine, it was yanked very fast.

 

The next movie I saw in theatres:

 

The Hottie and the Nottie

Released on 2/8/08

Opened on 111 screens to $27,696 for a PSA of $249

Total gross: $27,696 (the movie stopped being tracked after its opening weekend)

Distributor: Regent Releasing

 

Starring: Paris Hilton, Christine Lakin

 

Plot: This guy wants to fuck Paris Hilton, but she won’t date him until he finds a date for her ugly friend played by Al from Step by Step. Yes, this was an actual movie. And yes, I saw it.

 

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/...ieandthenottie/

 

Reviews: The movie has a metacritic rating of 7. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936097...yid=31&cs=1 (Variety gave it a 0!)

 

Articles: I figured Fantasy Moguls’ Steve Mason can sum up how bad this movie did best:

 

The weekend's worst punchline, however, is reserved for Paris Hilton's The Hottie & the Nottie (Regent Releasing). The final count will show that the critically reviled comedy featuring the seemingly talentless Hilton has sold a meager $25,500 in tickets at 111 locations over the weekend. That's only $230 per screen for theaters that were convinced to book this disaster. That means that, based on an $8 average ticket price, 29 paying customers showed up at each location over the 3-day. In a country that seems fascinated with Paris Hilton, only 3,219 unlucky Americans will have been suckered into seeing Hottie by Monday morning.

 

Thoughts: When I did the math and realised the movie was only averaging 1.2 people per showing, I had to be that 1.2. It was awful, and a total vanity project for Paris. At least Al looked hot at the end.

 

One Piece Movie: The Desert Princess and the Pirates Adventures in Alabasta

Released on 2/8/08

Opened on 97 screens to $5,791 for a PSA of $59

Total gross: $6,587

Distributor: Bigger Picture

 

Starring: Cartoon voices

 

Plot: In a retelling of the Arabasta Episodes. The Straw Hat Pirates are helping Vivi save her kingdom from being destroyed by a set up war. Which all began when the first drought occurred 3 years ago. All thanks to the secret organization call Baroque Works. Lead by Mr. 0 who's identity was unknown until Vivi revealed it to the StrawHat Pirates. And they all agreed to eliminate this criminal group in order to restore peace to the desert kingdom. But it's going to be a rough battle against Mr. 0, the Officer Agents, Millions Agents, and Billions Agents. (from imdb)

 

Reviews: http://www.dreamlogic.net/archives/dvd-rev...res-in-alabasta

 

Thoughts: Don’t know anything about this one, but it looks weird.

 

Shrooms

Released on 2/8/08

Opened on 4 screens to $1,849 for a PSA of $462

Total gross: $2,863

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

 

Starring: Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston

 

Plot: Having been promised the 'trip' of a lifetime by their Irish friend and mushroom expert Jake, a group of American teenagers arrives in Ireland, keen for adventure. Despite Jake's warnings about the 'shrooms they shouldn't eat, things start to go horribly wrong and the teenagers suffer horrific visions. The panicked friends are attacked by ghostly creatures, never sure whether they are experiencing gruesome reality or startling hallucinations. As the group is bloodily whittled down to one, it is soon clear that, whether or not these apparitions are real, the carnage they leave behind certainly is. (from imdb)

 

Trailer: http://www.shroomsthemovie.com/

 

Reviews: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934481...mp;cs=1&p=0

 

Thoughts: A British slasher movie about mushrooms. Can’t go wrong with that.

 

How to Rob a Bank

Released on 2/8/08

Opened on 1 screen to $109 for a PSA of $109

Total gross: $1,006

Distributor: IFC

 

Starring: Nick Stahl, Erika Christiansen, Gavin Rossdale, David Carradine

 

Plot: Jinx has coasted through life oblivious to the world around him and without a care in the world, Jessica is a bank employee bored by her mundane life. Their lives are thrown into a spin when they both get caught in the middle of a bank heist and are forced to arbitrate this intense situation between the thieves and the police.(from imdb)

 

Trailer: http://www.howtorobabank-themovie.com/trailer

 

Reviews: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936121...yid=31&cs=1

 

Thoughts: I’m a sucker for heist movies, and this has a great cast and looks fun. Reviews were negative though.

 

Me And You, Us, Forever

Released on 2/15/08

Opened on 78 screens to $58,662 for a PSA of $752

Total gross: $84,093

Distributor: Five and Two Pictures

 

Starring: Michael Blain-Rozgay, Stacey J. Aswad

 

Plot: A 47 year old Christian man (Michael Blain-Rozgay) is on the other side of an unwanted divorce. Searching for answers to ease the pain and make sense of his life, he meets a woman (Stacey J. Aswad) at a divorce recovery group. The two forge a friendship and find they have a common bond: both have been thinking about their lost first loves. As he reminisces about his old high school girlfriend (Kathryn Worsham), he regrets he ever broke up with her...and now, 30 years later....wants to see her again.

 

Trailer: http://www.meyouusforever.com/trailer.htm

 

Reviews: http://www.mountainx.com/movies/review/me_you_us_forever

 

Thoughts: A Christian flick. Yawn.

 

Vexille

Released on 2/15/08

Opened on 97 screens to $3,227 for a PSA of $33

Total gross: $3,259

Distributor: The Bigger Picture

 

Starring: A cartoon, so voices

 

Plot: Japan, 2077: A female agent named Vexille is dispatched to Tokyo to investigate whether Japanese are developing robotic technology, which has been banned by the U.N. due to its potential threat to humankind. (imdb)

 

Trailer: http://www4.funimation.com/vexille/

 

Reviews: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934310...mp;cs=1&p=0

 

Thoughts: This actually looks kind of cool.

 

The Signal

Released on 2/22/08

Opened on 160 screens to $144,836 for a PSA of $905

Total gross: $251,150

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

 

Starring: Josh Welborn, AJ Bowen

 

Plot: Imagine every cell phone, radio, and television in your city suddenly broadcasting the same mysterious signal over and over. Now imagine these "terminus" transmissions evoking violent, uncontrollable, psychotic chaos from everyone who comes in contact with them.

 

The Signal invades the minds of everyday citizens living their workaday lives and having their sordid affairs. Suddenly struck by the power of the insidious transmissions, they are compelled to kill or be killed. Complicating matters is a zombielike resistance some characters have to the idea of remaining dead. The story violently explodes, blending bloody gore with psychological satire, for a truly original horror experience. The Atlanta filmmaking team of David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry tell the eerie tale in three parts (cleverly called "transmissions"), shifting perspectives to draw out a larger story that explores dark secrets and fears as well as jealousy and betrayal.

 

Not for the faint of heart, The Signal will nonetheless satisfy those looking for a smart exploration of the power of media to mutate our minds. It is truly inspired independent filmmaking that will stalk viewers from every dark corner while examining the surprising human madness lying deep within (from imdb)

 

Trailer:

 

Reviews: http://www.reelviews.net/movies/s/signal.html

 

Thoughts: The film sounds unique at least.

 

Gengis Kahn: To The Ends of Earth And Sea

Released on 2/22/08

Opened on 40 screens to $3,332 for a PSA of $83

Total gross: $3,982

Distributor: A Bigger Picture

 

Starring: Takashi Sorimachi

 

Plot: A look at Genghis Khan's life, from his birth to conquests in Asia. (imdb)

 

Trailer: http://www.thebiggerpicture.us/anime/

 

Reviews: http://lunapark6.com/the-blue-wolf-to-the-...th-and-sea.html

 

Thoughts: This is the Genghis Khan movie that no one saw I guess.

 

Romulus, My Father

Released on 2/29/08

Opened on 3 screens to $2,791 for a PSA of $930

Total gross: 4,283

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

 

Starring: Eric Bana, Franka Potente

 

Plot: ROMULUS, MY FATHER is based on Raimond Gaita's critically acclaimed memoir. It tells the story of Romulus, his beautiful wife, Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond.

 

It is the tale of a boy trying to balance a universe described by his deeply moral father, against the experience of heartbreaking absence and neglect from a depressive mother. It is, ultimately, a story of impossible love that celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son.

 

Trailer:

 

Reviews: http://www.reelviews.net/movies/r/romulus.html

 

Thoughts: Poor Eric Bana. Wasn’t he just in Munich?

 

A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar

Released on 2/29/08

Opened on 1 screen to $980 for a PSA of $980

Total gross: $1,632

Distributor: Indican

 

Starring: A documentary

 

Plot: A lurid tale of lawsuits and lawyers and America's obsession with both. (imdb)

 

Trailer: http://www.alawyerwalksintoabar.com/trailer.html

 

Thoughts: A good idea for a doc, but it looks poorly made. Eddie Griffin is in it.

 

Flash Point

Released on 3/14/08

Opened on 10 theatres to $3,271 for a PSA of $327

Total gross: $5,151

Distributor: Third Rail Releasing

 

Starring: Donnie Ken

 

Plot: Ma Jun, a cop known for dispensing justice during arrests, teams with Hua Sheng, who's undercover, to try to bring down three merciless Vietnamese brothers running a smuggling ring in the months before the mainland's takeover of Hong Kong. The eldest, Xian Wei Cha (called Zah), is arrested in an operation that exposes Sheng and almost gets him killed. His girlfriend, Qiu Di, who's been unaware of Sheng's profession, wants to see him quit. Jun pursues the gang tirelessly, sometimes ignoring police protocols. Zah's trial approaches, witnesses are in danger, and a showdown is inevitable. (from imdb)

 

 

Trailer: http://latemag.com/film/flash-point-trailer

 

Reviews: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/movie...html?ref=movies

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934841...mp;cs=1&p=0

 

Thoughts: The trailer showed a guy using a German suplex and a figure 4 leglock. So it’s got that going for it.

 

Meet Bill

Released on 4/6/08

Opened on 36 theatres to $35,201 for a PSA of $977

Total gross: $62,597

Distributor: First Look

 

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Alba, Timothy Olyphant

 

Plot: Bill is unhappy: he's married a banker's daughter and has a non-job at the bank; his wife Jess is tied to daddy's purse-strings; and, Bill is developing a gut from lack of exercise and constantly eating candy bars. He dreams of buying a donut franchise to be independent of Jess's dad. Bill is roped into a mentoring program at his old prep school, assigned a smart-mouthed kid who pops up when least expected. When Jess starts an affair with Chip, a local TV personality and vain Rob Lowe look-alike, it sends Bill, the kid, and a young sales clerk from a lingerie shop on a quest to win back Jess and get the donuts. What about self-respect? (from imdb)

 

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/meetbill/

 

Reviews: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/movies/09bill.html

 

Thoughts: One of the few movies I’ve heard of before doing this list, this one just looks terrible and was dumped into theatres for a reason. It has a great cast though, so I’m sure it’s watchable. Aaron Eckhart was in this and Batman. Quite the year.

 

A Plumm Summer

Released on 4/25/08

Opened on 58 theatres to $53,752 for a PSA of $926

Total gross: $63,521

Distributor: Freestyle Releasing

 

Starring: William Baldwin, Henry Winkler, Clint Howard

 

Plot: I watched the trailer, Henry Winkler’s puppet gets kidnapped, and somehow Sue Ellen Mischkie is involved.

 

Trailer: http://www.aplummsummer.com/trailer.html

 

Reviews: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936255...yid=31&cs=1

 

Thoughts: It has Clint Howard and Jeff Daniels narrates, and it’s best on a true story. So it can’t be all bad. Oh, apparently, the reviews are positive.

 

Deal

Released on 4/25/08

Opened on 50 theatres to $35,281

Total gross: $61,626

Distributor: MGM

 

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison, Shannon Elizabeth

 

Plot: As an ex-gambler teaches a hot-shot college kid some things about playing cards, he finds himself pulled into the world series of poker, where his protégé is his toughest competition. (imdb)

 

Trailer: http://www.dealthemovie.com/

 

Reviews: http://www.reelviews.net/movies/d/deal.html

 

Thoughts: This looks like the most generic movie ever. But Burt Reynolds is awesome.

 

Rogue

Released on 4/25/08

Opened on 10 theatres to $7,711 for a $771 PSA

Total gross: $10,452

Distributor: Third Rail Releasing

 

Starring: Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell

 

Plot: An idyllic wildlife cruise disintegrates into terror when a party of tourists are stalked by a massive man-eating crocodile. Pete McKell, a cynical American travel writer, joins a disparate group of holiday-makers on a river cruise through the waters of Kakadu National Park. Initially Pete clashes with their tour captain, Kate, a feisty young woman who assumes he is just another 'city-slicker' in search of a quick thrill. After an uneventful day cruising the river, Kate is reluctantly persuaded to steer their boat into unexplored territory. They discover a secluded lake but terror strikes when their craft receives a powerful blow from beneath the murky depths and begins to sink. With little choice, she beaches the vessel on the closest dry land -a tiny mud island. With a rising tide and only half an hour of daylight left, fear grips the group as they realize they are trapped in the lair of a 'rogue' crocodile, governed only by its need to hunt and kill. Begrudgingly, Pete and Kate join forces to keep hysteria at bay and in the process start to see beyond their initial impressions. Their first attempt to escape fails, but then Pete has an idea - they must trap the crocodile to enable the group to flee to the other side of the island whilst Kate swims for help. Pete volunteers to stand guard, but without warning, the beast breaks free and targets Kate who fails to resurface. As darkness descends and the muddy waters rise, a terrifying struggle ensues with only one probable outcome death

 

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6QSy4ZBwKg

 

Reviews: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935384...mp;cs=1&p=0

 

Thoughts: Looks like a generic B-horror movie.

 

Kiss Me Deadly

Released on 5/2/08

Opened on 1 theatre to $214 for a $214 PSA

Total gross: $1,085

Distributor: Regent Releasing

 

Starring: Shannon Doherty, Robert Gant

 

Plot: Ex-spy Jacob Keane is drawn back into the shadowy world of international espionage when his former partner Marta reappears after 17 years, her memory erased, on the run from a pair of deadly, psychopathic assassins. Also, Jacob is gay.

 

Trailer: http://www.kissmedeadly-themovie.com/video.html

 

Thoughts: It’s the Bourne Ultimatum. Except he’s a fag.

 

House of Usher

Released on 5/9/08

Opened on 1 theatre to $891 for an $891 PSA

Total gross: $1,677

Distributor: Regent Releasing

 

Starring: Michael Cardelle, Jack Carlisle

 

Plot: Victor Reynolds arrives at the notorious House of Usher, whereupon he is greeted by old acquaintances Roderick and Madeline Usher and their servant, Markus. As Victor uncovers more about the history of the house and the disappearances of those that entered it previously, he begins to realize that he is in mortal danger. Also, everyone is gay and this is based on the Edgar Allen Poe story.

 

Trailer: http://www.houseofusher-themovie.com/video.html

 

Thoughts: Poor Edgar Allen Poe.

 

Miss Conception

Released on 6/6/08

Opened on 3 theatres to $1,342 for a $447 PSA

Total gross: $2,134

Distributor: First Look

 

Starring: Heather Graham, Mia Kirshner

 

Plot: Georgina Scott (Heather Graham) is a broody 33 year-old who sends her partner packing when it becomes obvious that he doesn’t share her desire for a bundle of joy. Zak (Tom Ellis) was going away on a documentary shoot anyway and he hopes that she’ll cool off in his absence. But Georgina discovers that early menopause runs in her family and heads for a specialist with her reluctant best friend Clem (Mia Kirshner) in tow. Learning that her baby making days are numbered and her next cycle will be her last, Georgina enlists the help of Clem and their camp pal, Justin, to make the most of it. A battle plan is drawn up but their escapades become increasingly frantic and elaborate as Georgina explores internet sperm donors, night clubbers, builders and funeral-goers in her desperate and hilarious attempts to beat the biological clock.

 

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/missconception/

 

Review: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117937333...yid=31&cs=1

 

Thoughts: The one movie about pregnancy that no one saw. Heather Graham’s British accent sums this one up.

 

To The Limit

Released on 6/13/08

Opened on 2 theatres to $1,483 for a PSA of $741

Total gross: $9,962

Distributor: First Run

 

Starring: A documentary

 

Plot: Thomas and Alexander Huber, risk takers in the extreme, rank as two of the best mountain climbers of our time. Now the two Huber brothers have set out to break the record in speed climbing at the wall of all walls, the 2,900 foot vertical “Nose” of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, California.

Featuring breathtaking footage of the mountains of Patagonia and Yosemite National Park, Academy Award® winner Pepe Danquart follows the Huber brothers to locations never before reached by a film crew. To the Limit is a portrait of two competitive brothers who go to the very edge of the possible, physically and psychologically. These brothers, who ordinarily live very different and separate lives, become like twins when they climb together, as they have since childhood, each driven to search for his own limits.

To the Limit completes a trilogy of sports films by Pepe Danquart, the other films being Home Match (2000, German film prize for Best Director) and Hell On Wheels (2004).

 

Trailer: http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/tothelimit_synopsis.html#

 

Review: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935370...mp;cs=1&p=0

 

Thoughts: This documentary is in German and about German climbers. No wonder no one saw it.

 

Ripple Effect

Released on 6/20/08

Opened on 1 theatre to $830 for an $830 PSA

Total gross: $5,731

Distributor: Monterey Media

 

Starring: Forest Whitaker, Virginia Madsen, Minnie Driver

 

Plot:

First generation immigrant, and hip, new-age clothing designer, Amer Atrash (PHILIPPE CALAND), left Lebanon in pursuit of the America Dream. Though he has come close several times, something unexpected always seems to prevent Amer from accomplishing his goal—financial success. In the weeks before the launch of his cutting edge clothing brand Atrash, and on the brink of major financial success, Amer finds himself in an all too familiar predicament when the rug is pulled from under his feet at the eleventh hour.

 

 

Instead of dwelling on the bad news, Amer is propelled into action—the hustler within awakened. Met with a barrage of excuses and ‘no's', Amer finds himself with his back up against the wall. Meanwhile, his wife Sherry (VIRGINIA MADSEN), feeling neglected, decides that she needs time to think in order to reevaluate her situation—thus, she requests that Amer move into his office.

 

 

Amer tries to bury himself in his work, but is haunted by the memories of an event that transpired years ago. Finally, he confesses his secret to Sherry, divulging the story of an unavoidable accident fifteen years earlier, that left Phillip Blackman (FOREST WHITAKER) a cripple and in a wheelchair. Amer further confesses that he believes all of the pitfalls he has encountered in life since that night are directly linked to the curse and bad karma that follows him around, preventing him from achieving his dream. Sherry, who is compassionate, understanding and tired of losing her husband to his work, encourages Amer to find Phillip and make amends.

 

 

Amer sets out to find Phillip, and does so, after first meeting his amazingly beautiful wife, Kitty (MINNIE DRIVER), singing at the local bar on a weekly basis. Amer begs for forgiveness, but does so by citing all the trouble and bad karma that has resulted in his life. Eventually, Phillip takes Amer on a journey, the goal of which to change Amer's state of mind and help bring him nearer to enlightenment.

 

Trailer:

 

Reviews: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934105...mp;cs=1&p=0

 

Thoughts: Sounds like a typical no-budget indie that somehow got Forest Whitaker.

 

Disfigured

Released on 7/18/08

Opened on 1 theatre to $585 for a PSA of $585

Total gross; $585

Distributor: Cinema Libre

 

Starring: Deidra Edwards, Staci Lawrence

 

Plot: Lydia is an overweight sales clerk in a trendy home furnishings store, nearing 30. Though she is a member of a Fat Acceptance Group (a movement dedicated to fighting prejudice against overweight people), she is still struggling with complex feelings about her body and its place in the world. Darcy, a recovering-anorexic real estate agent in her mid-20s, is struggling with the same issues from a very different perspective. Her attempt to join the Fat Acceptance Group (since she sees herself as fat) is quickly rejected - but it introduces her to Lydia. Lydia is initially wary of Darcy's efforts to become friends, but Darcy's hunger for emotional contact breaks through the wall of apparent differences and they begin an unexpected friendship. At the same time Lydia gets involved in a sexual relationship with Bob, an overweight man who joins her in walking for exercise early mornings at Venice beach. Stirred emotionally by this new romance and by her conflict with the Fat Acceptance Group, Lydia decides to ask her new friend for an unusual favor: she wants anorexia lessons. When Darcy lets Lydia inside her secret inner world, it forces both women to confront buried feelings about their bodies. Sexuality and fashion, anger and femininity, trust and fear, hunger and satisfaction: there are things that women can only talk about honestly with other women. But they never seem to find a way to do it. This is a movie about two women who do. (from imdb)

 

Trailer: http://www.disfiguredmovie.com/trailer.html

 

Reviews: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/movies/18disf.html

 

Thoughts: This looks like the worst thing I have ever seen.

 

Canary

Released on 7/25/08

Opened on 1 theatre to $504 for a PSA of $504

Total gross: $504

Distributor: ImaginAsian Pictures

 

Starring: Hoshi Ishida, Mitsuki, Tanimura

 

Plot:

Based on the true events of the deadly gas attacks perpetrated by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult on the Tokyo subway system, CANARY tells the moving story of two children, each abandoned by their families, who come together in the wake of the scarring event.

Twelve-year-old Koichi has grown up within the confines of a religious cult whose violently instilled dogma has all but destroyed his sense of identity. After a murderous attack, the cult disbands and Koichi finds himself abandoned by his mother and forcibly separated from his sister. To reunite his broken family, Koichi breaks out of the child welfare system and sets off to Tokyo. While on the run, he meets Yuki, a girl desperate to flee from her abusive father.

Koichi and Yuki travel together in search of his sister, facing the inevitable troubles of children making their way in the world without the guidance or protection of adults. The separate scars of their pasts cause friction between the two, but their struggles develop a familial bond that allows them to confront both their pasts and the future ahead.

Beautiful and poignant, Akihiko Shiota's film illustrates the resiliency of forgotten youth in forging their own destiny from a tragic past.

 

Trailer: http://canarythemovie.com/

 

Reviews: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/movies/25cana.html

 

Thoughts: Japanese indies are just as pretentious as American ones!

 

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I see you on AIM, bob. You can't hide forever.

[King Kamala 0]

Off the top of my head, I've heard of Meet Bill, The Hottie and The Nottie, Deal, A Lawyer Walks Into A Bar, and Vince Vaughan's Wild West Comedy Show. Haven't seen any of them fortunately though Wild West Comedy Show looks like it might be worth a rental. I'm a sucker for "entertainers go on the road" documentaries.

[bob_barron 0]

KKK and I had our talk, for those wondering.

 

Before doing this list, I had heard of

 

Meet Bill, Hottie and the Nottie, Deal, The Signal, How to Rob A Bank, Vince Vaughn and Miss Conception.

 

Vince Vaughn's movie and Hottie and the Nottie are probably the two most high-profile.

 

Kiss Me Deadly is awesome, because I saw the trailer and read the plot, and it took me a minute and I was like: Oh, boyfriend? That explains why here films produced it.

[Matt Young 0]

Hadn't heard of any of those except the Paris Hilton movie. I first heard of Midnight Meat Train yesterday. It's playing at the local $2/Spanish subtitles theater.

[bob_barron 0]

Midnight Meat Train is playing 4 hours from me sadly.

 

The Vince Vaughn movie was the only other movie playing near me. I thought of seeing it as well, b/c of it's box office infamy, but was too busy that week

[Matt Young 0]

Is Midnight Meat Train supposed to be any good?

[bob_barron 0]

I don't really know.

 

But it's called Midnight Meat Train, and it looks like a thriller, so I wanted to see it

[King Kamala 0]

Is Midnight Meat Train supposed to be any good?

It's getting mostly good reviews at horror sites but mixed reviews elsewhere.

 

With Vinnie Jones as the villain and a title of Midnight Meat Train it seems like it'll at least be entertaining in a sort of cheesy way.

[bob_barron 0]

Carmen Electra is also in Christmas in Wonderland.

 

Of course she is

[Ravenbomb 0]

I've seen The Signal and own the DVD. It's one of my favorite movies of the year, and has one of the best horror characters in a long time.

[bob_barron 0]

Is it true that the movie switches from horror to comedy?

[Ravenbomb 0]

Yeah, sort of. They made it Exquisite Corpse style so three different people made different parts of the movie. The middle portion is at times a really dark Shaun of the Dead style comedy.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I saw trailers for The Signal and Midnight Meat Train before Aliens vs. Predator 2. And I guessed that Midnight Meat Train would be called Evil Meat Train before the title came up, and it was one of the better achievements of my 2007.

[bob_barron 0]

The Signal actually looks like an interesting movie, but the 3-director part seems too gimmicky.

[Ravenbomb 0]

It might sound gimmicky, but the three stories flow together really well.

[LuckyLopez 0]

Yeah, they really do. I didn't realize it was 3 directors until after I saw it and it just played as 3 acts. Some different tones but logical changes with the settings and characters that made up each one. And the different tones worked well to balance each other. Its not 90 minutes of the same stuff. There's a flow. All and all it was a pretty decent film.

[Matt Young 0]

Is Midnight Meat Train supposed to be any good?

It's getting mostly good reviews at horror sites but mixed reviews elsewhere.

 

With Vinnie Jones as the villain and a title of Midnight Meat Train it seems like it'll at least be entertaining in a sort of cheesy way.

 

Fuckin' Vinnie Jones? I'm sold. Hell, it's only $2 before 6, $3 after.

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

Cool list, thanks for all the work. It was a fun read.

 

I've seen and heard of some of these. Although I haven't seen it, How to Rob a Bank should get points for having Terry Crews in the cast as well.

 

I probably would've seen the Vince Vaughn one in the theaters, but after seeing the trailers a few times before it came out, I never saw an actual showing at a theater around me.

[Richard 0]

Phillip Blackman (FOREST WHITAKER)

 

lol

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Another question for bob: How many of these type of films become available on DVD?

[bob_barron 0]

All of these movies usually end up being released on DVD

[Ravenbomb 0]

Yeah, they really do. I didn't realize it was 3 directors until after I saw it and it just played as 3 acts. Some different tones but logical changes with the settings and characters that made up each one. And the different tones worked well to balance each other. Its not 90 minutes of the same stuff. There's a flow. All and all it was a pretty decent film.

 

And actually, the "comedic" third of the movie is when a lot of the rules of the movie are established.

[Atticus Chaos 0]

All of these movies usually end up being released on DVD

 

 

Its only a SAG technicality that certain films have to come out in theatres, no matter how badly they're going do, isn't it? I remember hearing about Katherine Heigl being in one of the lowest grossing films ever, but contractually, they had to release it in cinemas, even if it was just for a week or so before it went straight to dvd.

[cd213 0]

Some movies are on the shelf for a long time before they are released. Sometimes they are released on the heels of the star of one movie that is big being in that movie on the shelf and the companies want to ride the wave. Doesn't always work though as most movies that are on the shelf are on there for a reason.

[LuckyLopez 0]

Yeah, they really do. I didn't realize it was 3 directors until after I saw it and it just played as 3 acts. Some different tones but logical changes with the settings and characters that made up each one. And the different tones worked well to balance each other. Its not 90 minutes of the same stuff. There's a flow. All and all it was a pretty decent film.

 

And actually, the "comedic" third of the movie is when a lot of the rules of the movie are established.

Yeah, I was surprised by it when it started up but it ended up working and helped really make clear what was going on and how everything worked for the final act. And the break from the intense horror stuff kept the movie from burning out on it but still had enough of it to not seem like you were no longer watching the same film.

 

Like I said, it was surprising that it worked as well as it did, but I think it ended up being a cool little film. But I'm a horror buff and appreciate B-horrors that stand out in some way.

[bob_barron 0]

All of these movies usually end up being released on DVD

 

 

Its only a SAG technicality that certain films have to come out in theatres, no matter how badly they're going do, isn't it? I remember hearing about Katherine Heigl being in one of the lowest grossing films ever, but contractually, they had to release it in cinemas, even if it was just for a week or so before it went straight to dvd.

 

With Zzyx Road, there was some rule regarding residuals that made it cheaper to be released in theatres, so they just rented a screen in Texas to establish that. The Katherine Heigl movie is the lowest grossing film of all time, making $30.

 

I think with other movies, it's in the contract that they have to give it a theatrical release. Direct to DVD also has a certain stigma, so often releasing a movie briefly in theatres is a glorified advertisement for DVD.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

All of the Magnolia Pictures released ones have had their trailers on HDNet. I saw the trailer for the Signal on there and I am now reminded to put it in my DVD queue. Shrooms looked stupid..

 

As far as "the lowest grossing movie", why wouldnt someone put out a movie at one theatre and sell one ticket for $.01?

 

 

[bob_barron 0]

Magnolia is owned by Mark Cuban, which is why their trailers are on HD-Net.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Magnolia is owned by Mark Cuban, which is why their trailers are on HD-Net.

 

I know. I like how they do the simultaneous Theatre/DVD/Hdnet releases sometimes.