Siblings dealing with their dying father trumped a man who can only move one eyelid in a box office battle between two award-worthy independent films. On the face of it, just because of their subject matter, neither would seem likely to draw big crowds, but excellent critical response and festival buzz appear to have paid off.

The Savages opened last Wednesday in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles and earned a very good $38,250 per screen, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman star as the siblings, with Philip Bosco as their father; Tamara Jenkins directed. Cinematical's Kim Voynar wrote: "There are no easy answers in dealing with aging and dying parents, and Jenkins doesn't try to give us one; she simply takes us into the story of her fascinating characters, and the integrity with which she handles it makes it ring true throughout."

The "one eyelid" movie, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, opened at three locations in New York and Los Angeles; weekend receipts reflect a strong per-screen average of $25,100. When he saw it at Cannes, our own James Rocchi said he found himself "on the edge of tears more than a few times ... [it's] a movie well worth seeing, with images and lessons that strike with power and don't let go."

Four other indies opened in one or two theaters in New York and/or Los Angeles, and Leonard Klady at Movie City News has their estimated per-screen earnings: Jessica Yu's doc Protagonist ($4,920; read Christopher Campbell's review); Miles Brandman's "darkly comic" Sex and Breakfast ($3,850), Robert Stone's doc Oswald's Ghost ($1,830; read my review), and Francesco Lucente's drama Badland ($1,220).

At least four other indies also opened, but financial results have not yet surfaced: ice hockey bio-pic The Rocket, prison escape thriller Chronicle of an Escape, foodie/lesbian romantic comedy Nina's Heavenly Delights and Christian Slater-starrer He Was a Quiet Man.

I still can't help but think of J.D from Heathers whenever I see Christian Slater. But, one glance at the poster for his latest, He Was A Quiet Man, and that sexy trench-coat wearing psychopath is long gone. He's replaced by a convincingly nebbish type clutching what looks to be a homemade bomb -- J.D would be proud. Now, the trailer for the slightly odd romantic drama has just popped up on the web. The story centers on the unassuming office drone (Slater) who stops a workplace shooting spree, only to move up the corporate ladder and find love with one of the victims. Also starring is William H. Macy, and Elisha Cuthbert as Slater's love interest. The role is a nice change for Cuthbert who has spent too much screen time with either Paris Hilton or a hook up her nose -- and I'm not sure which would be more painful. But, she seems to be branching out from her current horror fare with this film and the upcoming remake for the South Korean film My Sassy Girl.

Quiet Man was written and directed by Frank Cappello, who has a relatively short resume as a director. Unfortunately, I've had some experience with his work in the relatively cheesy cop thriller No Way Back, but anyone worried that this film will be a return to those roots only has to look at the trailer for reassurance. This film seems to be aiming for a vibe that is quirky with a capital Q. So far, a release date has not been announced, but now that the trailer is making the rounds, we should hear word soon.

Last night, Cinematical was on hand for the New York premiere of He Was a Quiet Man at the 2007 Gen Art Film Festival. Pic wrapped up what was a very exciting seven days, chock-full of some fantastic films that will soon be coming to a theater near you. Following the film, Jeffrey Abramson, Gen Art's VP of Film, announced that the documentary Sharkwater had won the Acura Grand Jury prize for best feature (check out our interview with Sharkwater director Rob Stewart from night 4) and a very cool short film, High Maintenance, won the Acura Grand Jury prize for best short.

On a personal level, this was a pretty cool night for me as I got to meet Christian Slater for the first time. In the video above, I speak with Slater about the film, his role (which has him playing a quiet and lonely cubicle hermit trying to decide whether or not he should listen to the voices in his head and shoot up the office he despises) and his future projects, which include a starring role in a big-screen adaptation of a graphic novel. Is Christian Slater hopping onboard the superhero bandwagon? You'll have to watch the video to find out. Also included is an interview with director Frank Cappello, who returns to the director's chair after a 12-year absence. Oh, and the very beautiful Elisha Cuthbert makes a brief appearance ... although her publicist wouldn't allow her to speak to Cinematical for some reason. She seemed nice though, albeit a tad tiny. I never knew she was that small.

As far as the film goes, it was pretty damn good. Imagine if the Milton character from Office Space was in a very very dark comedy; throw in some fantasy elements, a fantastic performance from Christian Slater and Elisha Cuthbert half naked in a wheelchair -- that's He Was a Quiet Man. With everything that's gone on recently over at the Virginia Tech campus, this was an interesting film to watch in that it really shows us how an ordinary man can be pushed so far, to a point where he contemplates killing those around him. Currently, domestic distribution is not set up, but we'll let you know when this sucker has a release date. Thanks again to Gen Art for hosting a wonderful festival, and for inviting Cinematical to be a part of it.

For more on He Was a Quiet Man, check out Jette's review from SXSW.

Note: Music from Madison Park

The greatest thing about the Gen Art Film Festival is its simplicity. 7 nights. 7 premieres. 7 parties. That's it. That's all you need to know. The films are chosen for you; there's no giant slate to flip through and -- perhaps this is the best part -- all of the movies are screened in one venue. Of course, you do need to be in New York City in order to take full advantage of the fest; however, for the first time in its history, the Gen Art Film Festival will be heading to Chicago later this summer where they'll showcase five different films, as well as host five different parties.

Tonight, Gen Art kicks things off with Gary Walkow's Crashing, starring Campbell Scott, Isabella Miko and Lizzy Caplan. Story revolves around a writer whose wife kicks him out of their house, forcing him to crash with two sexy college students. Gosh, what a predicament! Other films screening include: When A Man Falls in the Forest, The Signal (yay!), Sharkwater, Chalk, You Are Here and He Was A Quiet Man. Cinematical will be on hand for a few of these nights, providing you with extensive coverage of the films, the stars and ... um, the open bar. That's right, each film is followed by a swanky after party at some of New York's finest hot spots (not that I'm, like, cool enough to know what's hot and what's not). Tickets are still available through the festival's website, so feel free to head on over there after you're done reading. I'll see you at the after party -- first drink is on me. Oh wait, they're free. Even better.