January 2008: Top 10 Film, TV, and DVD Preview
by Brian Tallerico

If you're like us pop culture drones who populate the staff of The Deadbolt, the number of choices you have when choosing how to spend your free time has almost reached critical mass. Should I surf the Web for the latest viral videos? Should I indulge in Halo 3 again? How about starting a Second Life romance? Better yet, should I watch TV, pick up a DVD, or see a movie? You get the idea. As the world of entertainment expands every day to encompass new forms of media like the Wii, iPhone, and bionic neural-net SimStim implants (trust us - they're on their way), how do you know what to really spend your entertainment dollar or waste your hard-earned time on? That's where we come in.

Every month, The Deadbolt will serve up our picks for the top ten most-interesting and potentially awesome entertainment options to watch for in the next 28 to 31 days. The world of video games, music, and comic books could take up ten spots on their own, so we'll stick to TV, film, and DVD for now. Get your daily planner or PDA and prepare to take notes. Here's what will warm you up during the first month of double-O eight.

The Deadbolt's Picks for January 2008:

As you might imagine, January isn't the most exciting month of the year when it comes to entertainment. Aside from MLK Day and frostbite, January has never had a lot of meaningful pop culture relevance. Take the DVD market, for example. If you're releasing a bad-ass DVD like Superbad or Live Free or Die Hard, why wouldn't you push it out before Christmas to make a little Santa dollar? As a result, January has become kind of a DVD dumping ground, sticking us with unforgettable releases like Good Luck Chuck and Mr. Woodcock. There are a few titles worth noting this January - 3:10 to Yuma, Damages: Season One - and a couple on the list below, but don't expect to be blown away at the video store this month unless you're catching up with some of the awesome December releases that you missed.

The same goes for the movie theater. It's that time of year when most of the country is still being exposed to the great December movies that only got limited NY/LA releases to make sure they were eligible for Oscar season. If Juno, There Will Be Blood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, or The Orphanage haven't opened in your neighborhood yet, put them on you're January hot list. Technically, though, they came out in the big cities last month, so we're not going to include them. And, with one huge exception, the movies that are hitting the nation in January for the first time look like they could be a nightmare bunch of practically-shelved horror movies and awkward physical comedy. Let's face the facts: if your movie month is slow enough to merit a Uwe Boll theatrical release (In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale), maybe you should just stick with Netflix until Valentine's Day.

Believe it or not, even with the writer's strike, TV is where you'll find probably the highest percentage of great entertainment this month. The networks held back as many hours of original programming as they could for this month and next, knowing that December ratings aren't nearly as crucial as the first two months of the year. This is the network's last hurrah, the final stretch of original programming until the strike ends, and some of it is going to be a lot of fun.

10. Eli Stone (ABC, 1/31)
Trainspotting's Jonny Lee Miller stars as the title character, an ambitious attorney who has made a career out of screwing over the little guy. One night, Eli has a hallucination that includes a vision of George Michael singing "Faith", and he (as most people probably would) passes out. The visions continue, and Eli becomes uncertain if he's going crazy, dying of some brain disease, or could actually be a modern-day prophet. Co-starring Alias' Victor Garber and Species' Natasha Henstridge, Eli Stone is about balancing science, faith, and business in the modern world. It's an undeniably odd premise, but the last time ABC went a little left-of-center, it produced Pushing Daisies, a show we still love. After subjecting the world to Big Shots, Cavemen, and Carpoolers this season, ABC is on a very short leash, but with its unique premise and great cast, we're cautiously optimistic about Eli Stone.

January 2008: Top 10 Film, TV, and DVD Preview Page 2