Chilly Scenes of February Films

February tends to be the cruelest month for film releases -- the films of Christmas season are dropping out of the theaters and the new crop are filler until the Oscars are announced. Two films being released tomorrow, Confessions of a Shopaholic (self-explanatory) and The International (a corrupt bank thriller) were reviewed by NPR commentators today as lackluster offerings.

The Rotten Tomatoes list of new films was even more discouraging -- a 6% rating for Pink Panther 2, a 25% rating for Friday the 13th (the prequel!?) and 27% for Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The highest box office take last weekend was a mere $27.8 million for He's Just Not That Into You.

My one hope is that I can find a few of the Oscar favorites that I haven't already seen and watch them in the far-flung cinemas of Phoenix. Too many contenders come out at the same time: The Reader, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Revolutionary Road. I'll start my Academy Award prep this weekend.