The week in film(s) Timing your movie’s release is a strange combination of art, science, and simple luck. You obviously don’t want to go head to head with a blockbuster that appeals to the same audience, but counter-programming to a different demographic might work. You don’t want to find yourself opening in the week following some epic that generates stunning audience word of mouth and dominates as much in its second week as its first. And you’re also going to suffer if you open in the week before an equally dominant film sucks the air out of the room/box office as soon as it hits the screen. This week’s crop of new films are caught between a rock and a soft place. On the one hand, nex

Funny People Directed by Judd Apatow & The Hurt Locker Directed by Kathryn Bigelow By Tony Sheppard Capitol Weekly At first sight, these two movies seem to have little in common, but watching them back-to-back while trying to catch up with the summer’s offerings reveals interesting similarities. “Funny People” is the latest from the Judd Apatow machine (‘The 40 Year SuperKnocked Dewey Zohan Step Talladega Express’ or something like that) while “The Hurt Locker” is from Kathryn Bigelow, a dudette who makes movies for dudes (“K-19: The Widowmaker” & “Point Break”). While I’m on the topic of “Point Break” does anybody know what the dudest of dudes Keanu Reeves was doing in town last week?

Distance running is a metaphor for life. Imagine running a full marathon. Your physical strength, built by training, gives you the energy to push through the course. You feel energized until about mile 13. You start feeling pain, but it is within your expectations. Then you hit the wall at mile 20. You feel like there is no more fuel left in your body and your legs feel like steel. You start hearing a voice, saying, “You can’t go any further. You did enough. Quit and rest!” For the last six miles, you fight with this evil voice. But you also hear another voice, “No, no, don’t quit. You can do it. You have come this far and the goal is near.” This part of you miraculously pushes you to the