Welcome back to the Indie Spotlight, in which we list the new limited-release films being released today. Keep an eye out for when they come to your local art house or Netflix queue.

We only have three new ones this week, which should leave you plenty of time for the Janna Fontana movie.

• Anvil! The Story of Anvil (pictured) was one of the success stories at Sundance in 2008, where it played in one of the lower-profile sections and sort of came from nowhere to be a much-buzzed-about hit. It's about a Canadian heavy metal band that has been together for 30 years without ever quite hitting the bigtime. You will think it is a mockumentary, but no, it's real, and the story is inspiring, hilarious, and bizarre. Cinematical's James Rocchi loved it (he even got quoted on the poster!), calling it "a hymn to the human spirit, played loud in power chords." And hey, check out that 98% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes! It's just playing in New York and Los Angeles for now, but just wait, it'll make the rounds.

• The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is based on beloved author Michael Chabon's first novel, a coming-of-age story adapted and directed by the guy who directed Dodgeball. (Uh-oh.) If Anvil was one of the success stories at Sundance 2008, this was one of the major disappointments. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg reviewed it then, saying it's "such an inert, episodic, and familiar piece of very typical festival fare. It's as if Mr. Thurber watched six Sundance films at random, and then just copied his favorite scenes from each one." The consensus at Rotten Tomatoes is dismal, too: only 11% of the reviews are positive. Playing in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Minneapolis.

Welcome back to the Indie Spotlight, in which we list the new limited-release films being released today. Keep an eye out for when they come to your local art house or Netflix queue.

• Alien Trespass (pictured), opening on about 40 screens nationwide, is a loving, non-parody homage to the cheesy invaders-from-space B-movies of the 1950s. For me, the style wears thin too quickly; the fact that the '50s films were corny out of necessity while this one is doing it on purpose makes it feel insincere. Indeed, it has a low 31% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

• Bart Got a Room is a comedy about a nerdy Jewish teenager trying to find a date for the prom. Cinematical's Erik Davis loved it at Tribeca last year, and the 71% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes backs him up.

• C Me Dance combines the world of evangelical Christianity with the world of dancing. Sold! It's opening on about 150 screens nationwide. No reviews are up yet, but I would suspect it's a preaching-to-the-choir sort of thing, aimed at people who are already evangelical Christians.

• Sugar comes from the Half Nelson team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and is finally hitting theaters after premiering at Sundance last year. It's about a young Dominican Republic baseball player who is recruited by scouts and brought to the U.S. to train for the majors. Cinematical's Kim Voynar liked it quite a bit, calling it a coming-of-age story more than a baseball movie, and as beautiful as "a painting brought to life" -- and hey, check out that 88% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes!

And now: the Indie Spotlight. In which you are alerted to the smaller, under-the-radar films opening in limited release this weekend. They usually start in New York and Los Angeles, but be patient. They'll turn up at your local art house or on Netflix sooner or later.

Here's what opens outside the multiplexes today:

• Goodbye Solo (pictured), from Iranian-American wunderkind Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart), is about a young Senegalese taxi driver in North Carolina who befriends a cranky old coot. It has drawn universal acclaim -- literally, as 100% of the reviews at Rotten Tomatoes so far are positive. Cinematical's Kim Voynar reviewed it at Toronto last year and called it "a level of filmmaking that inspires without overwhelming, impresses without overreaching." Playing in NYC and Chicago.

• Spinning into Butter is a drama about race relations and political correctness on a college campus. Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Beau Bridges, and Miranda Richardson, it's based on an acclaimed play but isn't getting much praise as a movie: only 27% of critics at Rotten Tomatoes have liked it. Playing in New York, D.C., and Cambridge, Mass.

• American Swing is a documentary about Plato's Retreat, a famous New York sex club of the 1970s and '80s, back before AIDS came along and spoiled all the fun of casual unprotected sex with multiple anonymous partners. The reviews so far are about evenly mixed, with four in favor and six against at Rotten Tomatoes. Even those who liked it seem to acknowledge it's not terribly deep, though the subject matter might be inherently interesting to some. Playing at Quad Cinema in New York City.

The arrival of Watchmen this weekend has caused the other studios to flee in terror, but not the indies! There are several smaller films opening in limited release today, and the Indie Spotlight is here to round 'em up for you. Make a note of the ones that sound good and watch for when they come to your city (or to cable, or to DVD, etc.).

• Everlasting Moments (pictured) is a Swedish drama, based on a true story, about a young female photographer in the early 1900s. It was on the shortlist for the foreign-language category at the Oscars this year, but was not nominated. Cinematical's Kim Voynar lurved it at Telluride last September, calling it "that rare cinematic experience that you settle back, bite into, and then savor as the subtle richness of the film cleanses the palate and fills the soul." Mmm... Swedish palate cleanser.... At Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of the reviews agree with Kim.

• Phoebe in Wonderland delighted many of us at Sundance last year (including Cinematical's Kim Voynar) with its imaginative, funny depiction of a smart little girl who has trouble conforming to society's rules. I'm a little surprised by the mixed reviews (about half and half) at Rotten Tomatoes; I thought the general consensus was a lot more positive. Oh well. Don't listen to them, listen to Kim and me. It's a sweet movie. Look for it on about a dozen screens around the country.

• 12, from Russia, was nominated for an Oscar last year. That makes sense, considering it's a remake of 12 Angry Men, which was nominated for three Oscars itself back in 1957. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 89%, with critics using words like "riveting," "aggressively entertaining," and "intense." It's playing in L.A. and New York now, and it will tour the country in the coming weeks.

It's a terrible weekend for movie fans, as the only two new wide releases are a Jonas Brothers concert movie and a film based on the Street Fighter video games. So basically, if you're not a 13-year-old girl or an 18-year-old guy (or whoever the target audience is for a Street Fighter movie), you're hosed -- unless you venture to the art houses and independent theaters, where you'll find some diversity. The Indie Spotlight has the lowdown on what's opening in limited release today. Let us begin!

• Crossing Over (pictured), a multi-story drama about immigration from The Cooler writer/director Wayne Kramer, stars Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd, among many others. The critics are comparing it to Crash and Babel, and not in a good way. It's opening on about a dozen screens in New York and L.A., and will expand in the coming weeks.

• An American Affair sounds like an odd mix: It's about a 13-year-old boy's relationship with a 30-year-old woman (Gretchen Mol), set against the backdrop of the JFK years, complete with conspiracy theories. The score at Rotten Tomatoes so far is 7 negative and only 3 positive, with most mentioning the political-thriller elements as being the weakest part.

• The Velveteen Rabbit is based on the classic children's tale and mixes live action with animation. The cast includes Ellen Burstyn, Jane Seymour, and Tom Skerritt. And it was directed by Michael Landon Jr.! It's from Utah-based Feature Films for Families, and the company promises on the film's website that if you don't enjoy it, they'll give you a DVD of one of their other movies for free. Of course, if you don't like this one, there's a good chance you wouldn't like the other stuff they make, either, but still. Just one review at Rotten Tomatoes so far, but it's a rave.

I guess there's some kind of big movie event happening on TV this weekend, but enough about that. The Indie Spotlight is here to tell you about the limited-release films opening today that haven't been beaten into your head already by a thousand TV commercials. Here are the gems -- all of them very well reviewed -- that the indie gods have blessed us with this week:

• Must Read After My Death (pictured) is a personal documentary by Morgan Daws in which he uses old Dictaphone recordings, home movies, and photographs to tell his family's story, including details he never knew until after his grandmother died. Cinematical's James Rocchi, reviewing the film at last year's L.A. Film Festival, said, "In a time when memoirs and tell-all books clot the shelves, the effort and skill evident in crafting the visual flow and soundscapes of Must Read After My Death make it a welcome reminder of the difference between true confessions and true art." (That means he liked it.) It currently has a 100% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. In a bold move, the film is being made available theatrically in New York City and everywhere else over the Internet -- yes, for $2.99 you can watch the film online, in high-definition, through Gigantic Digital. Give it a look.

• Delhi 6, opening nationwide on about 100 screens, is a Bollywood import about an American-born Indian man who accompanies his grandmother to Delhi and undergoes a cultural awakening. Only two reviews are up so far, but they're both positive.

• Eleven Minutes is a documentary presenting a year in the life of Jay McCarroll, the fashion designer who won the first season of Project Runway. Almost every review at Rotten Tomatoes is a thumbs-up, so those of you who are into this sort of thing should be pleased. The rest of us will content ourselves with observing the hideous fashions on display at the Oscars, and leave the real couture analysis to the experts.

The Indie Spotlight is a weekly feature intended to remind you of new films that aren't playing on 2,000 screens and that haven't been advertised to you on TV a hundred times in the last week. For the most part, these titles are opening only in New York and will expand from there. But those of us who live elsewhere can keep an eye out for them, if not at the local art house then on DVD.

Here's what opens today:

• Two Lovers, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a man who comes home to Brooklyn and falls for Vinessa Shaw, while his parents want him to marry Gwyneth Paltrow. It's mostly raves at Rotten Tomatoes, including a glowing review from Cinematical's Kim Voynar (who saw it at Cannes last year), calling it "thoughtful, evocative, and more true to real human existence than most of the dreck that comes out of Hollywood studios."

• Gomorra, an unglamorous look at modern-day organized crime in Italy, won the top prize at Cannes and has hauled in several wins at other festivals, too. It was Italy's submission for this year's foreign language category at the Oscars, but the silly-heads at the Academy failed to nominate it. (It was nominated for a Golden Globe, but honestly, what wasn't?) Cinematical's James Rocchi contributes to the film's 87% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes by comparing it to TV's The Wire and calling it "a sweeping, stirring film that has the shoot-and-loot tension of the best crime cinema but also has the scope and serious intent of great drama."

• The Caller, a corporate mystery thriller starring Frank Langella and Elliott Gould. Both actors are earning praise, but nine of the ten reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are scathing. It's only playing at one theater in Manhattan and will show up on DVD in a few weeks anyway. But, just for the record, here it is on the list.
  

Hey, what do you know, it's already the second weekend of 2009! Only 50 to go before 2010! Most independent-film distributors took a break the last couple weeks (as did most of mainstream Hollywood), but they're getting back into the swing of things now, and the Indie Spotlight is here, as always, to let you know what's playing beyond the multiplexes.

Your indie selections this weekend are: Cargo 200, Just Another Love Story, Silent Light, Yonkers Joe, and the After Dark Horrorfest 2009. Keep reading for the scoop on each of them.

Silent Light (pictured)
What it is: A quiet, slow, contemplative drama about a case of adultery in a small Mennonite community in northern Mexico.
What they're saying: I reviewed it for Cinematical at the Portland International Film Festival last year and described the cinematography as breathtakingly beautiful, the story simple and mesmerizing. I'm one of the 83% of critics at Rotten Tomatoes who liked it. Make no mistake, though: It's a slooow movie -- on purpose. The idea is to become absorbed in the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
Where it's playing: New York City (Film Forum).
More info: The official site is lovely to look at it, if nothing else.

The Saturday before Christmas tends to be the biggest shopping day of the year (the idea that it's the day after Thanksgiving is an urban legend) -- so that's all the more reason to skip the malls and go to the movies instead! The multiplexes have a variety of offerings in store for you, but the Indie Spotlight is here to tell you about what's happening at the art houses. 'Tis the season for limited-release Oscar-bait!

Today's new offerings are: The Class, Moscow, Belgium, Nothing But the Truth, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, and The Wrestler. Here's the lowdown on each of them:

The Wrestler
What it is: OK, it stretches the definition of "indie," but this drama about a washed-up professional wrestler seeking redemption certainly feels like a non-studio film.
What they're saying: This one's been getting raves ever since it won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in September. Cinematical's James Rocchi, reviewing it at Toronto, called it "one of the best American movies of 2008." At Rotten Tomatoes, all but two of the 58 critics weighing in have praised it -- and one of the two naysayers is Armond White, who can usually be counted on to have the opposite opinion of everyone else and who I think might be a fictional character anyway.
Where it's playing: New York City (Lincoln Plaza, Landmark Sunshine), Los Angeles (ArcLight Hollywood, The Landmark).
More info: The official site has a long list of release dates for other cities, including some next week.

Not that it's any of my business, but are your halls decked? Is your gay apparel donned? Good! Then you have time to go to the movies, and the Indie Spotlight is here to tell you what's playing beyond the multiplexes!

'Tis the season for limited-release pictures that are sort of indie films and sort of studio productions. For example, this weekend there's Doubt (in NY, LA, Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco), The Reader (NY and LA), and Che (NY and LA) -- but you've heard plenty about those films elsewhere. There's also Delgo, which is a truly independent animated film -- but it's opening on 1,800 screens, so you don't need me to tell you about it here.

Our focus is the stuff that might be under the radar, which this week includes: Adam Resurrected, Dark Streets, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Timecrimes, What Doesn't Kill You, Where God Left His Shoes, While She Was Out, and Wendy and Lucy. For the details, read on!

Wendy and Lucy (pictured)
What it is: A quiet drama about a penniless woman (Michelle Williams) whose car breaks down in rural Oregon while she's heading West to find a job. Lucy is the name of her dog and traveling companion. The film is not, as I previously believed, a biopic about the red-haired girl from the fast food place and Linus' older sister.
What they're saying: Cinematical raved about it at Cannes earlier this year, and 89% of the critics at Rotten Tomatoes agree. The consensus is that it's a tender, beautifully shot, emotionally intimate little film.
Where it's playing: New York City (Film Forum), Los Angeles (Laemmle Sunset 5).
More info: The official site has a list of release dates for a few dozen other cities.