In a stark counterpoint to last week's glut, this week gives us only two films in wide release, and The Darjeeling Limited expanding to nearly 700 theaters.
Dan In Real Life - Steve Carell as an advice columnist whose life is malfunctioning enough that he really shouldn't be giving people advice. Also, he may steal Juliette Binoche away from Dane Cook, always a plus. The plot, on the surface, looks pretty trite - here's hoping Carell can lift it above that.
Saw IV - The fourth installment in the gruesome 'torture for morality' series, even though Jigsaw, the villain/vigilante doing all the torturing, died in Saw III. It's like the reverse of Friday the 13th, where the trademark character of the franchise didn't appear until the second movie. Yes, Jason's mom was the killer in the first one.
Then there are the movies that open in "selected cities," and as Letterman's mantra about this goes, "I hope to God your city has been selected."
Rails and Ties - Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden take in a child whose mother died from a train wreck in which Bacon was the engineer. Having seen an unfinished screening of The Mist last night, it'll be really strange to watch Harden in a calm, loving role, considering how rabid and crazy she was in that film.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - The great Philip Seymour Hoffman is back and looks to be in fine form as a guy organizing a smash-and-grab robbery with his younger brother Ethan Hawke, who looks as greasy and unpleasant as he usually does. Director Sidney Lumet is no stranger to crime drama.
Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains - A documentary about the former president's book tour for his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," directed by Jonathan Demme. Hopefully this puts to bed some of the distorted images people have of the man.
Bella - A love story between a burned out ex-soccer star and a lamentably pregnant waitress. Won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival and everything. Plus, Eduardo Verástegui has a giant beard for most of the film. I'm all for romantic leads with giant beards.
Mr. Untouchable - in anticipation of American Gangster comes a documentary about another black crimelord of the 70s, Nicky Barnes, who actually made the cover of The New York Times Magazine. Doesn't seem like the wisest move for a drug lord.
The Music Within - Ron Livingston stars as Richard Pimentel, a man who came back from Vietnam with massive hearing damage, but became a champion to bring about the Americans with Disabilities Act. It's good to see Livingston in a role like this.
Slipstream - Anthony Hopkins directing and starring in a story about a writer losing his mind in a fantasy world and slipping around through time. It promises to be a bit of a mind-screw.
How to Cook Your Life - a documentary about a zen chef in San Francisco. "Treat your food as if it's your eyesight, as if it's that precious." Soon to be in heavy rotation on The Food Network.
