Come December, though, you can be sure that 95 percent of the films getting to make their debut in American theaters are 100 percent strongly supported by their respective distributors. This is the time when box office is the most golden, this is the time when recognition is showered on Hollywood and Indiewood alike, with awards and prizes of all sorts being bestowed. This is the time when everyone releases what they believe to be their strongest films. Films that make them proud now, and will make them proud 10 years from now (or so they hope). Of course, half of the December films are in fact studio films looking for box-office glory in addition to critical acclaim. Small or big, however, December films should always make everyone proud to be associated to them.

Crossing Over, the Wayne Kramer emigration drama starring Harrison Ford, will not get the opportunity to make anyone proud this month, as The Weinstein Company has decided to push the film back, yet again.

Four other films will get their shot, although one is clearly going to need a miracle to make anyone proud. That film is Extreme Movie, an enterprise that is repulsive by its title alone.The past few years have made it clear that any film featuring the word "movie" in its title is nothing more than 90 minutes of wasted time. Disaster Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie and more. (Things are even worse in France, where local distributors turn to that kind of labeling for other Hollywood movies with more elaborate titles, instead of translating them or keeping them as they are). (Of course these statements do not include the times when "movie" is included to distinguish a film from the TV series or the cartoon it is being adapted from.)

This week's offering then, Extreme Movie, is the first movie directed by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, who were both responsible for the screenplays of Not Another Teen Movie and The Comebacks (which weirdly was not entitled American Football Movie in France; I'd thought for sure that it would be). The plot ... well ... plot is a big word. Let's just say that Extreme Movie deals with teenagers and their sexuality (big surprise!). The cast are a bunch of up-an-coming teen actors: Frankie Muniz, Jamie Kennedy (those Scream days are long gone!) and, easily the most surprising thing about Extreme Movie (unless the film is good, that would be more than just surprising) ... Michael Cera. Yep, Arrested Development, Juno, Superbad, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and now Extreme Movie. The young actor's career started so well. Who'd have thought we'd already see him doing a "movie" movie in 2008? And yet.

The bottom line of Extreme Movie is that the R-rated teen comedy, scheduled for a 50 locations release on Dec. 5 by Dimension Films, costs just $2 in Fantasy Moguls, be it in Ultimate Movie Moguls or Box Office Moguls leagues. And even $2 is too much to pay.

A couple of months ago, I discussed a little movie called Nobel Son, which was due to be released in early October, three years after being shot by director Randall Miller in the fall of 2005. I am not sure that a move to position this little film noir among the award-caliber films of December was the best choice. But then, who could have bet that Randall Miller's previous film, Bottle Shock, self distributed by the filmmaker at the beginning of August, would turn out to be a surprising success at the box office with $4 million? (I know it does not sound huge, but for a film self-distributed, believe me, that is HUGE.) Indie distributor Freestyle Releasing helped Miller release Bottle Shock, assisting with prints and theater bookings, and they'll be doing it again with Nobel Son.

Like any good film noir, Nobel Son has a storyline that seems impossible to sum up in a couple of sentences. Let's just say a Nobel Prize winner's son is abducted, with the kidnappers demanding the Nobel Prize money as a ransom. Except that the father of the abducted son is a selfish man unwilling to give up his money. The cast is fully as impressive as that of Bottle Shock (which was filmed after Nobel Son), with Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Danny DeVito, Ted Danson, Eliza Dushku, Bryan Greenberg, Mary Steenburgen, Shawn Hatosy and Ernie Hudson all involved.

Now, as much as the film buff in me wants to see the film, I am not sure I want to see Nobel Son on one of my Fantasy Moguls slates. The reason? It was not assigned a $2 price tag. This would be a perfect $2 film, with the already astounding 8.7 IMDb User rating with 300 votes, which is about the only thing you can expect from the film, which might be released in as much as 500 theaters. It could collect $3 million or 4 million at the box office, but, given its release pattern, it seems an unlikely candidate for multiple PTA points. Meaning that the $6 price tag in November-January Ultimate leagues is too much for our wallets.

For just $1 more, you can acquire Cadillac Records, the chronicle of music legends Etta James, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and their producer, Leonard Chess, in 1950s America. The subject clearly rides on the wave of previous musical biopics Ray, Walk the Line and Dreamgirls, although this one is not getting the whole "we will sweep all the Oscars" push. And that's no real surprise, as Cadillac Records is being distributed by Tristar Pictures (who said, "I thought the winged horse was dead"?), which has not been the most exciting studio these past few years. (Its most recent prior films are Passengers and 88 Minutes). Yet there are reasons to think that Darnell Martin's movie, her first feature film since 2001 — although she directed a lot of TV series and the TV movie "Their Eyes Were Watching God" — could be worth spending $7 in Ultimate leagues, or more probably $2 in Box Office.

The first reason is the casting of the film. The always excellent Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright respectively portray Leonard Chess and Muddy Waters, while music sensations Mos Def and Beyoncé Knowles portray Chuck Berry and Etta James. That's a solid cast with a shot to attract both cinephiles and music lovers to theaters. The second reason Cadillac Records could pull an interesting coup in December is the fact it is going to be released semi-wide on Dec. 5, in about 700 locations according to Filmjerk, which could help the film grab between $10 million and $15 million in total receipts, if reviews are good enough. Top 5 and PTA points seem unlikely with that combination, placing it in a difficult position for Ultimate players ... but for $2 in Box-office, it could turn out really interesting.

After Milk and its whopping $27 price tag last week, Dec. 5 gives us another full-of-potential end-of-the-year prestige picture, Frost/Nixon and its $25 price tag in November-January Ultimate leagues. I have never been a fan of Ron Howard. If you ask me, I will tell you he is one of the most overrated American filmmakers of our time. The thought that the director of The Da Vinci Code got what Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks or Terrence Malick (just to name a few) never got in their much more talented and fascinating careers, a Best Director Oscar, goes beyond my understanding. All the more  so because it was for a film as annoying as A Beautiful Mind.

Back to the subject though, despite my lack of passion for Ron Howard (although Cinderella Man, The Missing and Apollo 13 are all good films), Frost/Nixon looks like a very interesting film, and clearly is one of the most anticipated of the season. (Of course, I could say that Howard is just a hired director on the project, but ... yes, in fact, I did say that.) It is the onscreen adaptation of Peter Morgan's acclaimed stage play of the same name, created in London in 2006 and reprised in 2007 on Broadway. While most transpositions from stage to screen usually come with a casting change, Frost/Nixon is one of those rare exceptions where the original cast is kept, and so Frank Langella (a Tony winner for his stage performance) and Michael Sheen are back in the shoes of (respectively) Richard Nixon and David Frost, the protagonists of the historic interview, by a British talk show host, of the former American President, a few years after the Watergate scandal. The film describes all the backstage machinations that swirled around this famous TV interview.

A few directors were approached to direct Frost/Nixon (some have said Martin Scorsese, George Clooney and Mike Nichols all got a call) before Ron Howard won the coveted job. No matter what some think about the man's abilities as a director (don't look at me!), his films are always undeniable events. This one, with a fascinating subject, advance reviews that are quite enthusiastic, and one of the best ensemble cast of the year (Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Matthew MacFadyen, Rebecca Hall and Toby Jones all support Sheen and Langella) will clearly play strongly in limited release before expansion.

Scheduled to open in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto on Dec. 5, before gradually expanding during the rest of the month, Frost/Nixon will contribute on many fronts. Five PTA points are almost assured for opening weekend, though it may not grab much more than that. The following week sees the release of two strong challengers, The Reader and Doubt, and Dec. 19 will then offer The Wrestler and Gran Torino. I do not see Frost/Nixon collecting more than 8 or 9 PTA points. Can it attract a few Top 5 points? Possibly, although the second half of December is just way too crowded to predict it for sure. If the film collects nominations and awards, then it might grab 2 or 3 points, but it is more likely that Frost/Nixon will make its money outside the Top 5. How much money? $31 million, like Fantasy Moguls predicts?

It might. The truth is, anything between $20 million and $50 million seems reachable if the release orchestrated by Universal Pictures is well handled. Worst case scenario? $20 million, 7 PTA points, no Top 5 points, and a high 7 User Rating. Not enough for $25 in Ultimate Moguls Leagues. Best case scenario? $50 million, 9 PTA points, 3 Top 5 points, and a low 8 User Rating. Not bad for Ultimate, and also very interesting for $8 in Box Office. Just remember that that's the optimistic, best-case scenario.

That will do it for the first week of December. I will probably receive a few angry emails from Ron Howard fans in the coming days. ("How could you say A Beautiful Mind is annoying? It deals with schizophrenia! It has Russell Crowe! Jennifer Connelly is even more beautiful when she cries!") Or maybe not ... after all, I may praise her in half of my columns, but Gong Li still has not sent me a message. Next week, a few other talented actresses, Kate Winslet, Michelle Williams, Meryl Streep and Rani Mukherji, will be the protagonists of my column. Don't be late.

Go ahead and let Indie Jones know how much you like Willow or EDtv. Go on, don't be afraid. He can take it. Send your criticisms, whether of Indie or of Opie, to danceswiththearthouse@gmail.com.