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NEW MOVIES!  DECEMBER 30, 2008 - JANUARY 5, 2009

^BAGHEAD (dir: Jay Duplass / Mark Duplass, R) – Youngsters love mumblecore, so it makes sense that the Duplass Brothers, whose THE PUFFY CHAIR made this type of neo-realist indie comedy popular, created the first horror film for this peculiar subgenre.

DAPHNE (dir: Clare Beavan, Not Rated) – Afred Hitchcock fave Daphne Du Maurier had quite an interesting secret life. And this classy production from British television barely dips its toes into the sleazepool.

DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG (dir: Joss Whedon, Not Rated) – Neil Patrick Harris teams up with BUFFY creator Joss Whedon for this interweb sensation that was so beloved that it got a big-time DVD release.
THE DUCHESS (dir: Saul Dibb, PG-13) – Keira Knightley. That little British skeletor doesn’t really need that corset, does she?

EAGLE EYE (dir: D.J. Caruso, PG-13) – Shia Lebouf apparently is America ’s favorite action star. I still think Steven Seagal would win in a fight, but whatever.

THE ELDER SON (dir: Marius Balchunas, R) – A bunch of uninteresting people like Leelee Sobieski and Eric Balfour star in this indie drama about a young hoodlum trying to pass himself off as the kid of a Russian clarinetist.
*GHOST TOWN (dir: David Koepp, PG-13) – Ricky Gervais, England’s genius creator and star of THE OFFICE and EXTRAS, makes his debut as a leading man with this witty romantic comedy co-starring Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear. Although its supernatural premise seems a tad goofy in these serious times, they pull off more of a TOPPER than a GHOST DAD.

RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION (dir: Makoto Kamiya, R) – The video game series that spawned three hit movies has now become a CGI straight-to-DVD cartoon. I don’t really know what that means but I find it vaguely troubling. 

SIX FIGURES (dir: David Christensen, Not Rated) – Life moves a little slower over in Calgary . Which might explain the glacial pacing of this “thriller” about a guy who may have just reached his breaking point.
SURFER, DUDE (dir: S.R. Bindler, R) – Matthew McConaughey expands his repertoire by playing a shirtless beach bum. Keep on striving, Mateo!

TOWELHEAD (dir: Alan Ball, R) – A young Arab-American girl has a series of creepy encounters in the suburbs in this edgy drama from SIX FEET UNDER creator Alan Ball.

A WALK INTO THE SEA (dir: Esther Robinson, Not Rated) – Find out whatever happened to Danny Williams, onetime Andy Warhol lover/artistic collaborator after he disappeared without a trace in 1965.
* = GREG's pick of the week!         ^ = Bart's  pick of the week!

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