THE ARTS:January is 'dump month', when you can see a serial killer movie aimed at Christians or the story of a giant crocodile, writes Jonathan Bernstein
It's an exciting time to be an American movie-goer. Oscar handicapping is in full swing and, with Spider-Man 3 opening at the start of May, the summer blockbuster season is close enough to taste. But between the prestigious Academy contenders and the upcoming avalanche of mega-movies, there is a breed of film that inspires neither breathless anticipation nor heated debate.
In the US, January is "dump month" at the movies. The films no studios believe in or care about - the stuff that doesn't get screened for critics, the stuff that barely gets promoted beyond blurbs from obscure websites and suspicious raves from local TV chefs and weathermen - suddenly become the sole choice available to regular film-goers hungry for fresh fare.
A mere matter of days after American screens have been filled with the finest achievements of contemporary cinema (not to mention Dreamgirls), everything changes.
January 2007 is a vintage dump month in the US, offering something for every taste. You want witless comic vehicles? Cedric the Entertainer, first choice for comedies that have been turned down by Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Ice Cube, Bernie Mac and Dave Chappelle, dips a toe in the rarely tested secret agent spoof waters with Codename: The Cleaner. You want an inspiring black dance movie that promotes syncopation as an antidote to gang violence? Enjoy Stomp the Yard. How about a long-delayed Sundance hit? Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog starring Emile Hirsch as LA's most wanted teen drug dealer has belatedly been released, accompanied by TV ads that only feature supporting player Justin Timberlake.
The horror fan's favourite brand of movie litters January cinemas but in a form he detests. This year, he gets to choose between a gore-free PG-13 werewolf romance (Blood & Chocolate), an unnecessary remake (The Hitcher with Sean Bean attempting to fill Rutger Hauer's cruel shoes), a serial-killer movie made for Christian audiences (Thr3e) and a movie with a trailer that claims to be the true story of a psychopath responsible for the slaughter of more than 300 victims without once mentioning that the killer is a giant crocodile (Primeval).
Why even release these unwanted pups? Why not consign them to their DVD destiny and allow the thought-provoking Babel and Notes on a Scandal to expand to more screens? Two years ago the inspiring black dance movie You Got Served bounced out of obscurity and made a ton of money and, last year, Eli Roth's Hostel laid grisly claim on the blood-stained buck. But, as long as there's the potential of money to be made from foisting shoddy goods on undiscerning audiences, January will remain the month of the dumped.
