If you feel like you've seen half of this week's new movies before, you're not too far off. Yes, Arthur and the Invisibles [my review] kinda looks like The Dark Crystal with a bit of videogame mojo thrown in. Yes, Stomp the Yard is last year's Take the Lead and every movie that Take the Lead was xeroxing. Yes, Primeval *cough* not screened for critics *cough* is Anaconda, but with a big killer crocodile (or is it an alligator? not that it matters ...) instead of a big killer snake.

Alpha Dog is at least a fairly original story, but I'm not entirely sure if it's a story that should be told. That aside, it's also a story that's not exactly told in the most dynamic way: it gets weighed down by a lot of melodrama when it shouldn't have denied that, at its heart, it's nothing but tawdry exploitation. [my review]

  Watch Alpha Dog Trailer

As has been the case over the last few weeks, it's the holdover films that continue to be your best bets for the weekend ... you might even find them in your neighborhood all of a sudden. (How do we know it's almost Oscar time? Likely contenders continue to spread the word of Really Good Filmcraft by expanding in more markets.) Going into wide release are Dreamgirls -- expect a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Jennifer Hudson, and probably supporting actor notice for Eddie Murphy; and Curse of the Golden Flower, which I think is totally absurd in all ways [my review] but that will probably get a Best Foreign Language nom. And newly finding themselves on around 200 screens this weekend are Notes on a Scandal -- look for a nomination for Judi Dench, and possibly one for Cate Blanchett; The Painted Veil -- acting noms are a long shot, but cinematography and adapted screenplay are strong possibilities; and Pan's Labyrinth, which is a shoo-in not only for a Best Foreign Language nom but for a win.

The big mystery of the weekend? Is Miss Potter going wide today, or isn't it? I've heard conflicting reports: the general story seems to be that an expansion was planned but then the idea may have been dismissed. Take a look round your multiplex -- if the bunny movie is there this weekend, and it wasn't there last weekend, then I guess the film expanded. If it's not there, well, it might be because the film has not been getting the awards love this season that was expected for it -- it's a nice, sweet film, but it is rather less substantial than you might have thought it would be. [my review]

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