Each week, Past the Popcorn offers a thorough look at the latest round of films opening on big screens.

It’s Spring Training time, so we can now officially use baseball metaphors for our moviegoing experiences. And while there’s no home-run derby, this week’s batting average is well above par. (Wait… that was a golf metaphor!)

The first inning led off with a solid single up the middle. 10,000 B.C. isn’t going to have everyone in the stands cheering—particularly not the critics—but, as Greg Wright remarks, “as long as you’re not expecting Oscars-like, obtusely irrelevant drama or summertime first-rate spectacle, you’re not going to be too sorry you spent your ten bucks on this instead of, say, Fool’s Gold.”

Next up, College Road Trip managed a little dribbler along the first base line that moved the runner over to second. It doesn’t really succeed at being a family film, says Kathy Bledsoe, but it does prove that Martin Lawrence can do G. “Donny Osmond rocks in his supporting role; and Albert, the pig, is adorable. There. Now I can be negative.”

With one on and one out, Miss Pettigrew stepped up to the plate and doubled off the wall, bringing the runner in standing up. “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is what it appears to be, a simple story about people trying to cope with their lives as the shadow of war looms over them,” observes Mike Brunk. “The period vibe is critical to telling the story here and all aspects of the film—setting, costumes, cinematography, dialogue, and acting—successfully contribute to that goal.”

The second and third runs of the inning scored off a triple by The Counterfeiters, a hit that brought a throwing error from outfielder Oscar and let the runner score. Mike Gunn reports that “The movie forces you experience the result of” Darwinist slogans, “and to live the horrific events with the characters” makes for “a powerfully eerie movie.”

The Bank Job then delivered an R-rated blast over the centerfield wall to bring the score to 4 with still only one out. Says Jeff Walls, “I enjoyed every minute of it.”

So when Married Life and The Duchess of Langeais both struck out swinging wildly, we still had to say: “That was a pretty good inning!”

By: Andy. This entry was posted on Friday, March 7th, 2008 at 4:09 pm and is filed under Film, Film roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.