It's been a while since I've previewed a weekend this crowded, but I'm fairly certain I'm up to the challenge. The weekend of Sept. 19 has no fewer than four wide-release and at least three limited-release films. I look forward to Indie Jones's take on The Duchess, Appaloosa and Hounddog, but, for now, I've got my own backside to look after. So let's get moving!

As promised, this week I will be talking about the animated feature Igor, which looks on its face to have sprung from the warped mind of Tim Burton, given its macabre and spooky premise. But this was, in fact, NOT produced by the man who gave us Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (which was actually directed by Henry Selick, who doesn't get nearly enough credit for his involvement) and Corpse Bride. Rather, it is being delivered by Anthony Leondis, a man who, according to IMDb, has "spent his career thus far laboring over direct-to-video sequels at Disney." Now, having left the House of Mouse for the greener pastures of Exodus Film Group (a division of MGM), he brings us this interesting-looking film with a not unimpressive array of voice talents.

Igor takes place in the land of Malaria (yeah, that's right), where the most revered celebrities are Mad Scientists. Once a year, they compete at the Annual Mad Science Fair to vie for supremacy with their latest innovative and kooky inventions. And, naturally, each Scientist has an "Igor" working as their assistant/dogsbody, doing all the dirty work: fetching, carrying and, of course, "pulling the switch." ("Yes, Mahh-ster!") But one Igor (voiced by John Cusack) has dreams and aspirations to rise above his menial and subservient existence and become an inventor himself. Which is, of course, an absurd notion in this society.

In a way, this premise kind of reminds me of Ratatouille, one central idea behind both films being that greatness can come from even the most unexpected sources. Now, I don't expect Igor to generate even one-quarter of Pixar's gem's total box office output, but it does indeed look like a very amusing story. And along with Cusack (ever one of my favorite, and still one of Hollywood's most underrated, actors), you have the vocal talents of John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard, Molly Shannon, Christian Slater, Jennifer Coolidge and Sean Hayes. Not too shabby, as casts go.

Fantasy Moguls has given Igor a price tag of only $8 in both the August Ultimate Movie Moguls and August Box Office Moguls leagues. This may definitely be one to keep your eye on ... it is the only animated movie scheduled for release in all of September. In fact, I think it's the only cartoon on the docket until Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa hits theaters in early November, so there's that. It's rated PG, which still means that just about anyone can attend, so that's another plus. But can it attain the four Top 5 points, two PTA, 6.0 User Rating and $24 million in box office that Fantasy Moguls predicts? I have a "hunch" that it can. (Ducking ...)

I've often wondered what makes Samuel L. Jackson such a bankable star. Apart from being the self-proclaimed "biggest badass in Hollywood," he does occasionally grab a role where he can showcase his actual acting talents, such as A Time to Kill, Coach Carter or Resurrecting the Champ. Mostly, however, he tends to go for either the big paycheck or a chance to showcase his badassery. Which, when you think about it, is pretty impressive, given the fact that he'll be hitting the big 6-0 later this year.

He's played cops many times before. He's played the bad guy many times before. He's even played both at the same time before (Twisted comes to mind). But in Lakeview Terrace, Jackson plays Abel Turner, a roguish (and rogue?) LAPD officer who is thoroughly perturbed when a young interracial couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) move in next door. Right from the get-go, he sets about making them feel unwanted, and this escalates into an ever-more-vocal feud between them.

With apologies to the darkly humorous In the Company of Men, this is probably the first foray into straight drama for director Neil LaBute, who has helmed primarily black comedies in the past (Your Friends and Neighbors, Nurse Betty, The Shape of Things), although in 2006 he made an ill-advised side trip into horror with an absolutely ghastly remake of The Wicker Man. I don't know whether he will find tremendous success with this title, but the trailer at least looks entertaining. And, if it means anything, Will Smith is listed as a producer, so one can always hope that his Midas touch rubs off a little.

Given fairly soft competition, a solid marketing push could certainly drive Lakeview Terrace to No. 1 on opening weekend, with a take somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 million. It'll probably be beaten the following week by Shia LaBoeuf and Spike Lee, but it should finish with around seven Top 5 points, two PTA, a User Rating around 6.0 and $40 million. For $8 in the Ultimate Leagues (or $12 in Box Office), this is probably a pretty safe pick. It won't set the world on fire, but it won't disappoint either.

Up next we have My Best Friend's Girl, a film directed by comedy veteran Howard Deutch, who has the dubious distinction of having made many SEQUELS to somewhat successful comedies (Grumpier Old Men, The Odd Couple II, The Whole Ten Yards). He did have a fair-to-middling run in the late '80s with Pretty in Pink (still an '80s classic), Some Kind of Wonderful and The Great Outdoors, but the last original screenplay he worked from was 2000's less-than-stellar football comedy The Replacements.

My Best Friend's Girl is probably as close to Pretty in Pink in spirit as anything he's done in 22 years, but I remain unconvinced that it will hold up over time. It stars Jason Biggs as Dustin, a schlub who's fallen for Alexis (Kate Hudson), who puts the brakes on their relationship when he royally jumps the gun less than two months in. Desperate to win her back, he hires Tank (Dane Cook), a guy who apparently makes a decent living being a professional "bad date." He shows the girl in question the worst night of her life, and she goes running back to the guy she just dumped. Oh, what a tangled web we weave ... 

There's no doubt that Dane Cook's star has risen significantly in the last few years, with his appearances in such different films as Mr. Brooks, Dan in Real Life and Good Luck Chuck. The always vivacious Hudson is coming off a surprise hit from earlier this year, Fool's Gold. And a minor appearance by Alec Baldwin, whose career has been rejuvenated by the hit TV show 30 Rock, can only help things along. (The less said about Jason Biggs, the better. I mean, no offense, Jason, but when your most significant contribution to the cinema is pioneering the field of, er, man-pastry carnal relations ...)

I figure No. 1 on the weekend of Sept. 19 will be a toss-up between this film and Lakeview Terrace. But even if BFG doesn't surpass Samuel L. in its first three days, I think it will have better legs. Romantic comedies usually do, and there won't be another one for, well, two weeks, when the strains of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist are heard. By that time, however, BFG could have banked as many as eight Top 5 points, a few PTA, a Rating around 5.5 (it IS Dane Cook, after all), and $45 million in receipts. It's priced $1 below Lakeview in both types of August leagues, so this just might be the wilier pick, in my opinion.

I have heard rumors that Ghost Town will be switching release dates, packing up its things and moving one month down the road, but as of this moment, all of my sources still have it slated for this particular weekend, so I'm going to go ahead and preview it now. Although, to be honest, I'm not really sure it matters where it lands on the schedule, as this one looks like a non-starter to me.

It's not because the premise is shoddy: A man named Bertram Pincus dies for seven minutes during a medical procedure, after which he learns that he can communicate with the spirits of the dead. It's a bit cliché, but not shoddy. It's not because it's being brought forth by a bad director, either: David Koepp was at the helm of small-but-gripping suspense dramas Stir of Echoes and Secret Window. This is a different genre for him, as there seems to be more than a little comedic influence involved, but that's not a deal-breaker for me.

Frankly, it's the cast. Pincus is played by Ricky Gervais, who is probably most famous for playing the Steve Carell role in the British version of The Office (that would be the original version, in case you didn't know); American audiences might recognize him from such films as Night at the Museum or Stardust. Greg Kinnear is also a decent enough actor, Academy Award-nominated even, but he tends to either be in supporting roles in big films or as the lead character in completely unknown films. The female lead is played by Tea Leoni, who is probably one of my least favorite actresses, ever.  I have to believe that these three names put together will not even come close to generating any worthwhile buzz.

For me, this film is going right on my "Wait Until DVD (Maybe)" list. I don't think it will square with any of Fantasy Moguls's expectations (three Top 5, one PTA, 5.9 Rating, $29 million) and, wouldn't you know, it too is $8 in Ultimate ($10 in Box Office). As I've outlined, just about anything else I've previewed in this column would be a better pick than this, unless you're playing in a Bankrupts league. Of course, if the rumors hold true and it does move to October, so be it. I sincerely doubt my advice will be any different a month from now.

Well, that will do it for me for another week. Please return seven days hence as I close out September with three more films, scheduled for release on Sept. 26: Shia LaBeouf reunites with Disturbia director D.J. Caruso for Eagle Eye, a cool-looking action/thriller featuring Shia as a young man forced to become a pawn of a seemingly omnipresent terrorist cell; Spike Lee brings us his latest, Miracle at St. Anna, where a murder committed by a postal employee in 1984 sparks an investigation into an incident that occurred in World War II Italy; and The Notebook author Nicholas Sparks inspires another mush-fest with Nights in Rodanthe, a romantic tearjerker starring the ageless Richard Gere and Diane Lane, along with rising star James Franco.

TTFN!

Shrykespeare can't say which is more surprising: that Jason Biggs still gets acting jobs, or that he managed to stop appearing in American Pie movies after the third one. Maybe it's that Stifler went on to have the (marginally) bigger showbiz career, or that Eugene Levy is probably more readily associated with Biggs's signature franchise than the "pie guy." Weigh in to shrykespeare42@gmail.com.