Rottentomatoes should really add a new category in its Opening Soon section . . .

Cafe Society
1

Every week I check Rottentomatoes.com to get the scoop on new movies. Sometimes I see a foreign/independent film opening in “Limited Release” that looks really interesting and gets above 90%. The Washington DC area has several art houses so I figure there’s a good chance I’ll be able to see it.

Fairly often, when I check the showtimes, I see diddly-squat, no matter how I fiddle with the zip-code thing - so I have to assume it’s playing only in the two capitals of the film industry. The listing never says which cities any given film is opening in, you see, and a movie which opens in one theater in New York and one theater in Los Angeles is given the same “Limited Release” designation as one that hits art-houses all across the country.

I was inspired to create this thread by hoping to see Last Train Home this weekend, which of course isn’t going to happen.

I think Rottentomatoes should have a separate “New York & LA Only” category; after all, most folks browsing the site aren’t going to live in either of those cities and will try to find a showing near them, only to fail.

Also, does anyone know of a decent website that tracks which films are opening in which cities when?

2

Most official web sites are total useless Flash crap, but sometimes they have sections showing when the movie will open in what cities. Winter’s Bone, for instance, has already come and gone in several cities, but it’s set to open in other cities, so you might check the list for that if you haven’t seen it.

The Last Train Home website has such a list, and it looks to be opening at the E Street Cinema on September 17, which means you’re special, because it doesn’t even come to Chicago until mid-October.

3

Sweet!

4

What you need to do is corner that market yourself. Grab limitedrelease.com and list all the indie films and their release dates and locations as they appear.

Of course, you’d need reliable and consistent official, and unofficial, sources for that information, which is the problem you’re having in the first place, but once you track that down, contact them, and arrange for them to email you with that info every day, then you’re sweet.

Watch the cash and free tickets roll in.

5

That is brilliant. Anyone want to make a website with me?

6

I would, but it would be a nightmare keeping up with everything.