Open Wide

With the Oscar nominations fresh in people's minds, many studios are making a big push this weekend for their nominated films. This includes big expansions of many top contenders. Considering the slow market that's typical in January (Paul Blart: Mall Cop anyone?) your best bet at the movies this weekend is to check out one of these very worthy holdovers.

Opening wide is Slumdog Millionaire which reaped 10 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also placed at #2 on my list of the Top 10 Films of 08. Frost/Nixon which received recognition in Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay and earned a positive if not glowing review from myself. And Revolutionary Road which earned several tech nods but only one major slot in contest: Michael Shannon for Best Supporting Actor. Obviously, the studio was hoping for a better showing and may regret going wide so soon. Poor Rev Road has taken a beating but I honestly can't say I enjoyed it, or even found it at all compelling. To give it proper due, though, I'll say that it does have an ardent constituency of supporters hailing it as a classic American drama. As someone who's often a part of an ardent constituency of supporters pertaining to a film no one else seems to like, I respect their passion and remain open to the possibility that I may have missed something. But really, I don't think I did.

Expanding to significantly more theaters are The Wrestler and Rachel Getting Married each of which took home nominations in the acting races this year. The Wrestler landed at #4 on my Top 10 this year while Rachel squeezed in at #10. It's worth knowing that nominees Mickey Rourke and Anne Hathaway are not just cannon fodder fifth slot nominees *ahem*Michael Shannon*ahem*, but really have a shot at a win. Perhaps that will get some people out to see these two fine films.

Interestingly enough, Warner Bros. has also decided to re-release its much celebrated and much Oscar snubbed The Dark Knight in conventional theaters and IMAX venues nationwide. It's not a wide release but still a substantial one. Obviously, there was the hope it might be a celebration of the film's overcoming the labels of "comic book movie" and "sequel" to nab a Best Picture nod. This is not the case. Blame The Reader. But if you did somehow miss The Dark Knight in theaters or want to see it again, this is probably your last chance. It scored Oscar nominations in tech categories and, of course, one in Best Supporting Actor where star Heath Ledger is the obvious front-runner....over Michael Shannon among others.

I'd also like to mention that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button remains in wide release this weekend and with 13 nominations (one shy of the record for the most ever held by Ben-Hur and Titantic) it obviously has Oscar's approval. It also has mine. I ranked it first on my top 10 this year.

The lazy and sofa-inclined can participate in the Oscar hysteria as well. Several quality nominees are already available on DVD: The Visitor (Best Actor), In Bruges (Best Original Screenplay), Tropic Thunder (Best Supporting Actor - Robert Downey Jr.), Wall-E (Best Original Screenplay), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Best Makeup), Iron Man (Best Visual Effects), and The Dark Knight (for those who want to pass up the theater experience).