Now Playing: Giant Blue Phalluses and Brave Little Films

Hollywood stepped out of Watchmen's way assuming a gargantuan opening weekend for the violent dark superhero saga. There's no David for this expected Goliath. Hollywood provided zero counter programming for people who aren't into superheroes they've never heard of... which probably means that Tyler Perry's Madea will have another great weekend. I'm excited to see Watchmen and its base audience are absolutely committed to it but I'm curious about how well it will fare with the general ticket buying public. Everyone (generally speaking) goes to superhero movies but we aren't usually given heroes that are completely unfamiliar. We all knew who Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Hulk were when we were in diapers. Familiarity breeds box office love. A few new indies and foreign films are opening in a handful of theaters on the coasts but as counter programming that's more like David's toenail versus Goliath. Where is Hollywood's fighting spirit these past few years? They used to not forfeit entire weekends several times a year.

Watchmen to obliterate its non-existent competition at box office

(links go to trailers)

L I M I T E D
12 The Russian adaptation of 12 Angry Men, which was up for an Oscar in February 2008, arrives in theaters in March 2009. Uh... great timing distributing peoples.

Everlasting Moments This Swedish period epic about a wife and mother and the new passion (photography) that changes her life won six Swedish Oscars including all four of the acting categories --quite a coup. It was one of the nine Oscar finalists but not a shortlist nominee for Best Foreign Film.

Explicit Ills Actor Mark Webber, who we'll see onscreen again later this year in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (see previous post), goes behind the camera for his directorial debut. It's a hyperlink drama about poverty, drugs and love. Rosario Dawson stars. That girl keeps herself busy, non? Her publicist works overtime. I love this Screen Test Interview in the New York Times with her. She's so engaging and she loves movies so much (as evidenced by this and other interviews). I keep waiting for her to get a really great / interesting role...

waiting... waiting... waiting...

The Horsemen Dennis Quaid (good) and Zhang Ziyi (evil) star in this procedural/serial killer film that looks like a rip off of it's "inspired by" Se7en. Is that the most influential movie of the 90s? It's one of them. That said doesn't the serial killer genre seem like it needs a several year hiatus. I wish filmmakers would find a new subgenre to work into the ground.

Phoebe in Wonderland An unconventional young girl struggles to get by, seeking refuge in Alice in Wonderland imagery. Wonderland is always so, errr, comforting?! Actually, no. Wouldn't trippy and disorienting be more accurate? Elle Fanning stars and tries to emerge from Dakota's shadow. If anyone can help her come into her own it'll be the cinema's Greatest Supporting Actress in Perpetuity, Patricia Clarkson.

Tokyo Three directors contributed to this omnibus film starring the Japanese city so expect their pieces to be much longer than the vignettes in Paris, Je T'Aime though the idea here is similar. Korean genre director Bong Joon Ho (The Host) is closest to home geographically, international wonder Michel Gondry (Be Kind Rewind, Eternal Sunshine) will probably get the headlines but I'm most eager to see what Leos Carax comes up with. The one time bad boy of French cinema hasn't made a feature in 10 years. After Pola X (1999) and Lovers on the Bridge (1991) I feel personally robbed that he quit. What do auteurs do when they take decades between pictures? How do they eat? Somebody call Malick and find out.

W I D E
Watchmen 89.2% of the internet will be talking about it today so just click around. I don't feel the need to have an insta'pinion. I'll bring up the rear this time.
*