So, that “Total Recall” remake did not do all that well this weekend, earning just $26 million to open in second place. In full spin mode, Sony (a) said that was pretty good, considering they were expecting it to make somewhere around $20 million, and (b)  “it’s always been made for the world stage, and we’re off to a good start opening in smaller markets this week.”

Meanwhile, “The Dark Knight Rises” made another $36.4 million, suggesting that there’s quite a bit of cash to be made in those smaller markets, if you have a movie people want to see.

Oh, well.

Morning, everyone! This week’s movie releases include two projects in which actresses try their hand at screenwriting with very encouraging results, and two movies where directors really should have just walked away. Let’s see if we can figure out which ones are which, shall we?

“Celeste and Jesse Forever“: Rashida Jones co-writes and stars in this scruffy but sensitive study of hipster melancholy, which also features solid work from Andy Samberg, Elijah Wood and Chris Messina. Whoever came up with the name “Yogurt Yurt” deserves a cookie.

“Diary of  a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days”: There’s a third one? I’m not even sure I knew there was a second one.

“Girlfriend Boyfriend”: Yang Ya-che plays with emotions and time in this ambitious Taiwanese drama. John says it has its moments.

“The Invisible War“: Kirby Dick tackles the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military — correction: unpunished rape — with this infuriating documentary.

“The Queen of Versailles”: Glenn spent most of Hot Docs raving about Lauren Greenfield’s portrait of David and Jackie Siegel, a Florida couple who put the “obscene” in “obscene wealth”.

“Ruby Sparks“: Screenwriter-star Zoe Kazan deconstructs the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in a charming and only slightly fantastical romance.

“360“: Hey, remember “Breaking and Entering”? Fernando Meirelles is really hoping you don’t.

“Total Recall“: Les Wiseman updates Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 sci-fi adventure for the digital age; forgets to make it entertaining. Mr. Wiseman, I know Paul Verhoeven, and you, sir, are no Paul Verhoeven.

And that’s everything. I’ve got a fairly busy weekend, but I’ll try to check in with y’all at some point. Go have fun.

In this week’s NOW, I have a fairly breezy conversation with Zoe Kazan and Paul Dano, the real-life couple behind the charming “Ruby Sparks”, and a more serious chat with Kirby Dick, the crusading documentarian behind “The Invisible War”, the grim study of the epidemic of rape within the American armed forces.

If you are wanting to find your happy place, you should probably avoid “The Invisible War”. But that’s sort of the thing, isn’t it? It’s absolutely necessary to confront a problem in order to solve it. And that’s what Kirby Dick does.

It’s looking like a quiet day today, which makes for a nice change after yesterday’s torrential rainstorms. (I spent most of it inside, poring over the latest TIFF announcements for this piece.)

If the weather holds through the evening, why not join me down at Harbourfront for this week’s Free Flicks screening? It’s David Fincher’s “The Social Network“, quite possibly the best Hollywood studio picture of the last few years, and it will be my pleasure to celebrate it even if I’m obliged to take a couple of shots at its dickish screenwriter.

We’re likely to get underway just before 9 pm, so come down for about 8:45 or so. I’ll be the one who’s overdressed for August.