A Reel Opinion: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times...

The months of January through March can either be considered the worst or the best months of the year. Which is it really?

The first quarter of the year is generally considered to be a dumping ground for movies that are deemed not-so-good (unofficially) by the studios; films that are not good enough for the summer season and not nearly good enough for the Oscar race in the fall. This year for example has given us mighty turds such as THE GREEN HORNET and NO STRINGS ATTACHED. To be fair, the month of March occasionally produces some gems; Zack Snyder has staked a claim in the month over recent years, putting out his 300, WATCHMEN, and this year’s SUCKER PUNCH. But despite Snyder’s best efforts, the stench from the numerous turds tend to overpower the roses. So, from a major-release point of view, this time of year blows.

On the other hand, this time of year is Oscar season; a fun time where pools are organized and friendly (and not so friendly) debates rage over who or what is going to win gold. The Oscar season also draws attention to independent films that would otherwise go un-noticed to the masses; nominated films such as BLACK SWAN, BITIFUL, BLUE VALENTINE and THE KING’S SPEECH are now getting wider-spread releases in larger theatre chains. Some smaller chains are now running marathons of all the Oscar-nominated short films; live and animated. On top of all that, nominated films that were released early enough are now seeing DVD and pay-per-view action; INCEPTION, TOY STORY 3 and THE SOCIAL NETWORK for example. From an Oscar-perspective, this time of year is a blast.

So what’s the bottom line? If you ignore the major studio crap and focus on the films that the little-golden-naked-bald-dude has his name on, this time of the year rules.

What say you?