Here at SpoutBlog, we’re pretending like The Golden Compass doesn’t exist (and, if Nikki Finke is to be believed, come Monday morning New Line will be scrambling to spin the fact that we’re not the only ones). But here’s a look at three films that are newly out this weekend that we *have* covered, and can, to one extent or another recommend.

• Atonement: “Big, classy, Oscar-bait World War II dramas don’t really get much better,” I wrote from Toronto. And in the three months since, I haven’t come across anyone who has anything seriously negative to say about this film…beyond the fact that the so-literal ending is like something out of Scooby Doo. I say, pull a Selma and leave the theater the second Vanessa Redgrave pops on screen, thereby claiming willful ignorance to the last-minute bubble bursting.
• Juno: It’s better than Little Miss Sunshine, but I maintain that Fox is doing its reputation a huge disservice by marketing it like that piece of shiteating Oscar bait, instead of admitting that it’s a shameless teen sex com. If the very thought of that stripey stomach doesn’t send you cowering under your desk, check out my review from Telluride, and endless coverage at our Juno tag page.
• Billy the Kid: Kevin and Paul have been all up on Billy’s jock since Day One. See their SXSW coverage here, read my review from earlier this week here, and listen to this week’s podcast for a new interview with Jennifer Venditti here.