January is a dumping ground for most studios so it isn't a surprise that there aren't many good new movies arriving at the local theaters. Because of this, most of my time will likely be spent catching up on Oscar-bait that I didn't see in 2008. As of now, "Gran Torino" and "Valkyrie" have been relegated to Netflix status while I'm on the fence when it comes to "The Wrestler". The film looks interesting enough but I've already seen the documentary "Beyond the Mat" and the main character in Darren Aronofsky's film seems like it is based heavily on Jake "The Snake" Roberts. While I don't doubt that Mickey Rourke is compelling in The Wrestler, I doubt it can match the feeling of watching a guy you watched when you were growing up struggle with his demons, try to reconnect with his daughter, and ultimately fall back into the world of addiction. "Beyond the Mat" is a must-see for anyone who grew up watching the old WWF and I think it would probably be an interesting watch for even those people who barely know wrestling exists. The mixed reviews for "Revolutionary Road" and "Doubt" haven't helped them but I think I'll probably see them both in the theaters. 

As for the new releases, there really isn't much there. "Bride Wars" reeks of rental. Anne Hathaway is getting Oscar buzz for "Rachel Getting Married" but let's hope for her sake that this pairing with Kate Hudson isn't indicative of her future. Maybe it's the tabloid stuff but there's something about Hathaway that is rather irksome; I really can't see her fulfilling what was once through to be her destiny of becoming the next Julia Roberts. 

"Notorious" is a non-starter for me. I'm just not sure what exactly Biggie did that was so revolutionary that he needs his own movie. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" seems like something I'd have no problem ignoring, I rarely see horror films in the theater and none of the January films interest me (or even seem all that different), and I think I can further delay seeing the much-delayed films like "Possession", "Outlander", and "Killshot". Being a rom-com nerd, I could actually see myself going to "New in Town" but Renee Zelwegger is just too hard to watch. She's used to be adorable but now she comes off as a mousy version of Jennifer Tilly (but with worse luck with botox). That being said, it would be nice to see Jennifer Tilly make a little comeback.

The one movie that, if it gets good reviews, could get me to the the movies is "Taken". It doesn't look like much but it could be the kind of low-watt actioner that is a decent diversion one afternoon.