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The Coen Brothers put a subversive spin on Golden Era romantic comedies like HIS GIRL FRIDAY in THE HUDSUCKER PROXY. Tim Robbins channels a dopey version of Gary Cooper’s MEET JOHN DOE John Doe and Jennifer Jason Leigh does her best to out pluck Katharine Hepburn. It’s about the little guy fighting against the system, you see.

Robbins’ Norville Barnes is fresh out of Muncie Business School and heads to the big city to make his dreams come true. He gets a job in the mailroom at the mega-conglom Hudsucker Industries. When he must deliver a top-priority letter to company head Sidney Mussburger (Paul Newman, THE HUSTLER), he can’t help but share his big idea for kids with the boss. It’s the kind of idea that makes you think Barnes is a grade-A moron. But that’s what Mussburger and the board are looking for — a patsy to put in the president’s chair so that they can depress the stock then gobble up public shares at bargain basement prices. Barnes’ appointment makes such a sensation that the papers clamor to find out everything about him. But Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Amy Archer (Leigh) smells something fishy and goes undercover as Barnes’ secretary to get the real scoop.

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On March 6th fans will finally get to watch these Watchmen.

For movie fans, outside catching up with the glut of Oscar films, winter is a wasteland. The place where movie studios dump their trash. Because December is really part of the previous year’s fall Oscar push and May is now firmly the beginning of the summer movie season, January through April is its own season. A few big weekends pop up around holidays, but the pickings are usually slim. It’s too early to know the indie surprises that always shine bright in the less star-studded field, so there will be much to talk about later. Several scheduled spring releases have jumped to the fall including: THE WOLFMAN, starring Benico del Toro; Steven Soderbergh’s THE INFORMANT; Richard Kelly’s THE BOX; and Peter Jackson’s THE LOVELY BONES. Several anticipated, but delayed, films of fall 2008, such as THE ROAD and CROSSING OVER, could pop up in the spring as well. This will be the last Getting Buzzed column of 2008, check back on Jan. 1st for my top 10. So with no further ado, here are the 10* films that are set for the first four months of 2009, at this time, which look the most promising.

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Like Errol Morris, Werner Herzog addresses the fringe elements of humanity and the world in his documentaries. Within he finds universal human experiences, only displayed in the extreme. Inspired by the gorgeous underwater photography taken in Antarctica, he wondered, “what kind of people live at the end of the world?” His encounters with these sometimes-strange worldly people are what make his latest documentary fascinating. The visuals make the experience ethereal.

Herzog, in his distinct German accent, narrates his examination of this remote harsh environment. He states right from the start that his interest with the icy continent isn’t in fluffy penguins. That said, fluffy penguins do make an appearance, but Herzog is more interested in the solemn man who has spent 20 years observing them, asking the scientist if there are any gay penguins and whether penguins go crazy. We then watch as a rogue penguin inexplicably heading off toward the mountains on a crash course with certain death. Herzog informs us that the scientists could catch the penguin and bring it back to the group, but it would just head right back toward the mountain.

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This effective melodrama gives audiences the pre-requisite tear-jerking moments brought home with real heart from its leads Will Smith and Rosario Dawson. Moving from a captivating mystery in its first act to a sweet romance in its second, SEVEN POUNDS works at times like a broad parable and at other times like a sincere drama. In career best performances, Smith and Dawson bring to life this heavy material.

Ben Thomas (Smith, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS) is on a mission. We’re not sure exactly what that mission is at first, but it seems that he is trying to help people. Emily Posa (Dawson, CLERKS II) needs a heart transplant, and her medical bills have pilled up and she owes the IRS thousands of dollars. Ben arrives at the hospital to audit her; he eventually tells her that he will put a freeze on her account. She wonders why this stranger is being so nice to her. He shows up when she ends up back in the hospital, he comes over and does lawn work, but when she asks him about himself, he shies away. Ben will pay visits to others. His friend Dan (Barry Pepper, SCHINDLER’S LIST) is helping him with his mission, where he seeks out people to help.

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Based on Kate DiCamillo’s award-winning children’s book, unread by me, THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX is a fairy tale lost in several different fairy tale worlds. The screenplay by Gary Ross, who has penned wonderful films such as BIG and SEABISCUIT, seems in search of a main character. The charming title character is often lost to the stories of the less compelling supporting cast. When the name of the film is THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX that’s what you expect it to be.

The film begins with a lengthy prologue covering the sad fate of Roscuro the rat (Dustin Hoffman, KUNG FU PANDA) and how he accidentally triggers the banning of the world famous soup in the land of Dor, as well as the banishing of all rats from the kingdom. After this long tale, the narrator tells us a hero doesn’t appear until the world really needs one. So Despereaux (Matthew Broderick, ELECTION) finally arrives. He’s a tiny, big-eared mouse, who doesn’t believe in cowering like the rest of his kind. This makes him an outcast. His bravery leads him to an encounter with Pea, the princess of Dor (Emma Watson, HARRY POTTER). But Despereaux’s bravery only ends in his banishment from Mouseland, sentenced to the pit where the rats will eat him.

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Dr. Seuss. Roald Dahl. C.S. Lewis. Chris Van Allsburg. L. Frank Baum. These writers are all responsible for some of the greatest children stories of all time. Their work has been turned into dozens of films — some good and some no so good. This Weekend’s Film Festival takes a look at five of the good ones. Inspired by the release of Blue Sky’s HORTON HEARS A WHO! on DVD, the lineup is a mix of modern renditions and bona fide classics. Get your golden ticket to hear all about witches and wizards and Santa Claus.

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Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best American films, THE WIZARD OF OZ is deceptive. The first description would be to call it a family film then a fantasy. But few would call it a musical first. How many other musicals can step beyond being a musical, first and foremost? This grand production transcends the constraints of genre. In 1939, family films were often weighed down by an overly earnest message, or dumbed down by a simple light adventure plot. While OZ has adventure and some preachy moments, such as the Wizard’s pep talk and Dorothy’s closing “no place like home” speech, the development of the characters and the themes are worked into the corners of the fantastic journey. Who would have expected such subtle complexity from a film about a girl and her little dog Toto?

But indeed Dorothy Gale’s story is more than a simple adventure. It’s a coming of age story of sorts, but mostly a parable about learning that home is where the heart is. Dorothy is brought to life in an effervescent performance from Judy Garland. Beside her soulful singing voice, she gives Dorothy the naïve pluck that the role needs. She’s a young girl who dreams of something more than her little farm in Kansas. But when she is whipped away in a twister and ends up in Oz, she wants nothing more than to return to her beloved Aunt Em (Clara Blandick, 1939’s THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN).

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Legends are locked for Oscar acting noms.

In last week’s Getting Buzzed, I ran down the top 10 contenders for Oscar Best Picture. With the LA Film Critics giving Best Picture to WALL•E, NY Film Critics giving it to MILK, and the Golden Globes ignoring both films for their Best Picture categories, the Oscar Best Picture picture is just cloudier. So this week, I’ll be taking a look at the top ten contenders for Best Actor and Best Actress.

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Mike Leigh isn’t a flashy director. His improvised films have a meandering quality that some do not like, because they do not strictly adhere to conventional plots. Compared to SECRETS & LIES and ALL OR NOTHING, his latest film is cotton candy. But like his somber VERA DRAKE, this film relies on one central performance. Sally Hawkins is a revelation. She fills the screen with happiness. I came out of the theater with a skip in my step and a smile on my face.

Poppy (Hawkins, THE PAINTED VEIL) is full of life. Her main goal is to make those around her happy. She’s 30, teaches elementary school, and lives with her longtime friend Zoe (Alexis Zegerman), a woman who doesn’t have the same cheery outlook on life as her flatmate, but knows that her life is better for having Poppy in it. Poppy floats on the wind and goes wherever it takes her. A coworker is taking Flamenco lessons so she joins in. She loves having a weekly turn on the trampoline. When her bike is stolen, she brushes it off and only wishes she could have said goodbye. This leads to driving lessons with Scott (Eddie Marsan, THE ILLUSIONIST), the most miserable man on the planet. The two couldn’t be more opposites, but this film is too good to take them where every other film would.

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With THE DARK KNIGHT arriving on DVD this week, This Weekend’s Film Festival celebrates classics villains. Heath Ledger’s Joker has quickly become an iconic villain to stand with the best of all time. Movie villains capture the dark side of our imaginations. We have three serial killers. One loves his mother. One loves the Lord. One has his victims for dinner. The final villain was once a hero. They pique our curiosity. Act like a cat and take peek for yourself.

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