SATURDAY NIGHT: The weekend after Thanksgiving is always one of the more sluggish three-day periods of the calendar year, and 2007 is no exception. Disney's Enchanted got a solid 51 percent Saturday bounce, but, even so, it will only manage a weekend take of about $17.1 million. Since opening on the Wednesday prior to "turkey day," the family film featuring likely Oscar nominee Amy Adams has grabbed an estimated $65 million-plus, but the new numbers are still a 50 percent drop from opening weekend. In the final analysis, Enchanted suffered virtually the same decline that struck Happy Feet on the same weekend last year, so Disney is probably quite satisfied. Their animation-live action mix should have great "legs" during the lucrative holiday moviegoing period, and awards buzz can only help to broaden the film's audience.

Helloooo everyone, Fantasy Moguls, real-life moguls, or simple neighborhood moguls. You're all welcome to this weekly arthouse cinema overview entitled Dances with the Arthouse. Yes, the name is an homage to Dances with Wolves, the film some consider to have stolen the golden statuette from Goodfellas back in the day. As I personally think the nearly four-hour long, beautiful arthouse western deserved its success, I decided to show it some love. And this week, I will also spread some love over a film that will have its detractors, although this one seems very unlikely to make more than $100 million at the box office (or win many Oscars). It does, at least, have the distinction of being directed by one of the greatest living American filmmakers, Francis Ford Coppola. Will Youth Without Youth be as interesting Moguls-wise, as it is mysterious? Is The Kite Runner really worth $25? And that Nanking film, what is it exactly? Okay, sit comfortably, put the John Barry score in the player (come on, you know which one, there's a clue in the column's title) and let's answer those questions ...

'Allo, 'allo, me 'earties, and welcome once again to the phenomenon that is Bard's Eye View, the place to come for deep and soul-permeating profundity ... ah, who am I kidding? I'm just a guy in a rickety old office chair pulling predictions and one-liners out of my ass, for the benefit of those who are just like myself: rampant and incurable movie buffs who want to know what's coming, what's doing, where's it going, and why is Uwe Boll continued to allow plaguing mankind with his interminable stream of dreck? I mean, seriously, his continued existence seems to serve as a constant reminder that we, as a race, are heading down a path of evolution not unlike that seen in the film Idiocracy. If nothing else, I am here to keep you thinking on your feet, a buffer between the intellectual minority and the vast multitude of butt-headedness (or even Beavis-ness) (Wink.)

Greetings, Moguls! With the launch of the December-February season on the immediate horizon, it's high time to take another look at what December has to offer, in a brand new Tip of the Week. Since new leagues run through February, all December movies will have 2-3 months to showcase everything they've got, so there's no need to worry about getting your production cut off at the end of the season. With that in mind, I've done a weekend-by-weekend breakdown of December releases, choosing a Stud (guaranteed hit), a Dud (choose it at your own risk!) and a Wild Card (could go either way) for each week. Use it as a primer for building your new slates, if you so choose — or maybe you'll end up going, "How'd he get his superpowers, anyway? Rolling in toxic waste? 'Cause that doesn't seem very smart, and neither do these picks ... " Anyway, the list:

The hardest thing to do is always to begin. The first line to say. The first move to make. The first sentence to write. Once you choose how to begin, the rest comes along, the flow keeps rolling. Like a Dances with the Arthouse column for instance. "How am I going to introduce it this week?" Am I going to react to the actuality? Am I gonna talk about a great film I saw last weekend? Am I going to come up with a smart quote? Maybe say something profound (hum) like, "Talking about cinema is like dancing about architecture," or quote François Truffaut with, "Films are more harmonious than life." Well, no, I'm not going to make you that pleasure. Don't count on me. I'll stay down to earth. Focused. Cold. Professional 'til the end. Oh come on, who am I kidding?

SATURDAY NIGHT: Amy Adams was nominated for a 2005 Academy Award for the funny, tiny little comedy Junebug, and then matched Will Ferrell joke for joke in her supporting turn in Talladega Nights last summer. Now, she's at the top of the box office and almost certainly headed for at least a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. Disney's Enchanted, featuring Adams as a "princess out-of-water," will wrap up the five-day weekend with an estimated $53.14 million. giving it the No. 2 Thanksgiving opening of all time.

Greetings fellow Moguls, and welcome to the latest edition of Bard's Eye View, your weekly cinematic racing form, helping you discern the champion thoroughbreds from the nags that are best put out to pasture. Whether you are avid rail-pusher, or whether you merely want to follow up on a hot tip from a buddy, I bid you welcome. Just close your eyes and picture something like this ... "And Ridley's Gangster surges toward the lead, with Bee Boy buzzing right along behind! Santa's Big Brother is lagging back after a slow start, and Lambs For Slaughter is already ten lengths off the pace ... aaaaaannnnnnd Beetlebaum ..." (Wink.)

Greetings, Moguls! Welcome to yet another Tip of the Week. I often highlight films on extreme ends of the pricing spectrum, whether it's pointing out the overpriced bombs or helping you find those really cheap sleepers. This week, however, I'm trying something a little different. Think about it like your Thanksgiving meal. You don't want to gorge yourself on just one food item, do you? You've got to have the mashed potatoes, the pumpkin pie ... not JUST the turkey.

SUNDAY MORNING: Normally, I would have written a huge analysis piece last night, but, I only managed to get numbers posted. As of this morning, Box Office Mojo is reporting some Saturday and weekend numbers that are lower than my projections, and it's possible that they're right ... but it's also possible that Dreamworks/Paramount is involved in a bit of gamesmanship.

This is the last straight line. Goodbye November, hello December, which brings with the last batch of 2007 films. It's not yet time for a look back, because those last few weeks have some very interesting arthouse options. If epic spectacles will be in full gear at the multiplexes, Oscar pretenders will be impossible to avoid on the arthouse front. Sure you'll still have a few oddities, but all eyes will be fixed on the films with awards buzz.