These days, it seems like everyone is going on and on about “IMAX this” and “3-D Special Release that.” Even the lede to this article is so utterly bored by it that it resorts to one of the laziest tricks in writing. Just like the current state of gimmick cinema that is desperate to recoup box office by any means necessary.

Okay, that’s a stretch, but the whole 3D craze is at a fever-pitch ever since we’ve apparently cured cancer and ended world suffering by electing Obama. So why not be happy I can see Watchmen in 3-D IMAX for $20? Why not be overjoyed at seeing Monsters Vs. Aliens as if the adorable cash-in characters are right in front of me? Because 3-D Film is ultimately depressing. It talks a good game, remember the disappointment of when the reds and blues wouldn’t mix that well and just gave you a headache? We’ll be damned if we can’t ruin 3-D for you.

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• Is it too “gory,” or did the filmmakers want too much money? This Variety story offers both as potential reasons for why the Amy Adams/Emily Blunt Sundance comedy Sunshine Cleaning, which was pegged before and during the festival as an almost sure-thing candidate for a sale, is only now closing a distribution deal with Overture Films.
• In other sales news, Film Movement has picked up Argentinean teen hermaphrodite drama XXY. It won two awards at Cannes last year, and it’ll screen next month at New Directors/New Films here in New York.
• No Country For Old Men will “almost double” its screen count this weekend, in order to best take advantage of the profile boost offered by its multiple Oscar wins. It’s probably also smart counter-programming against Semi-Pro, which will be the only film to open this weekend on over 2,000 screens.
• Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company is looking to cash in on a potential SAG strike by offering policies to film productions scheduled to coincide with the union’s summer contract negotiation deadline.