It seems strangely appropriate that “Avatar” should break the two-billion-dollar ceiling in the same week that Disney shutters Miramax, doesn’t it? Thirty years of indie-film history ends in a whimper as the giant studio picture keeps rolling over everything in its path.

I hope this doesn’t affect the releaseability of the remaining Miramax acquisitions. I’d really like to see “Dean Spanley” emerge from the vault one of these days. So would Sam Neill, actually; we commiserated about its status at TIFF last year.

Maybe we should take up a collection.