Weekend movie roundup for Oct. 3-5, 2008

October 6, 2:32 PMAtlanta Movies ExaminerRyan McNally

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Recently I was reading an interview with Linda Dubler, curator of media arts at the High Museum, and she remarked about the disproportionate emphasis the media places on box office. I couldn’t agree more. Sure, I like to hear what the top grossers are, but where are the weekend roundups about the “top reviewed films” or the “films audiences loved the most”?

That would be pretty funny, come to think of it—headlines in USA Today screaming about the obscure foreign film that killed with the critics. Kind of like my ongoing joke about an obscure indie film being the next sponsor of the NBA Playoffs.

So, as much as I like reading about the latest crappy Nic Cage film that took home the box office crown, I’ve decided to devise a new ranking system that will combine critics’ reviews, audience response and, yes, box office to put together a comprehensive list of what’s hot in theaters. Here’s the chart for the weekend of Oct. 3-5.

1) Appaloosa. With strong numbers across all categories (including a 76 tomatometer rating), this new Ed Harris western takes home the crown.

2) Burn After Reading. Thanks to strong reviews and great word of mouth, the latest Coen Brothers’ effort holds strong at #2 four weeks after its debut.

3) Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Stout box office and enthusiastic reviews keep it in the Top 5 despite middling audience response (6.5 on IMDB).

4) Religulous. Bill Maher’s doc profiling organized religion debuted at #10 at the box office, but good reviews and viewer response bump it to #4 on our list.

5) Ghost Town. Ricky Gervais’ romantic comedy has bombed at the box office, but a #1 ranking on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic among the Top 20 grossing films —along with stellar word-of-mouth—keep it strong here.

6) Eagle Eye. The Shia LaBeouf-starring thriller took a beating from critics, but stellar box office and a respectable 7.0 on IMDB prevented it from plunging out of our Top 10.

7) Lakeview Terrace. Middle-of-the-pack numbers across the board make for a respectable ranking for Samuel Jackson’s latest.

8) Blindness. It may not be quite the cult classic City Of God was, but this film (directed by God director Fernando Meirelles) registered muscular-enough audience response to bump it into the Top 10.

9) Beverly Hills Chihuahua. The #1 B.O. ranking wasn’t a surprise, but the halfway decent critical response (44 tomatometer, 43 Metacritic) was a shocker. Unfortunately, a brutal 2.9 IMDB rating nearly dropped it from the Top 10.

10) Flash of Genius. Respectable reviews offset weak audience response to break this debut film starring Greg Kinnear into the Top 10.