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I don't know about you, but I fully intend on spending my weekend curled up with a box of Junior Mints in a darkened theatre. It's been a long week thus far and with the myriad premieres and screenings going on over the new few days, you really have no excuse to not get yourself into a cinema. From Antonio Campos and Shane Carruth's stunning sophomore efforts to Terrence Malick's latest poem of emotions, to the wonder of Dennis Hopper and the debut of Darren Aronofsky, there's a certainly a diverse mix of films to see. So to get you ready, I've compiled the best of what's playing around the city this weekend—take a look and go buy yourself some candy and/or popcorn. Enjoy.

Well, for those of you that didn't get to see Walter Salles meandering adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, don't worry—it's coming back. After a planned wide release last December, the expansio was thwarted for one reason or another and will now be released again this spring. So in case you missed the film the first time around, new promotional clips have made their way online and this latsest one, courtesy of MTV, shows Kristen Stewart's Marylou and Garrett Hedlund's Dean in an intimate moment in the backseat of a car, naturally. The film is now apparently whittled down from its original Cannes running time, which will hopefully add some vigor to the picture.

In a little over a week from now, a huge slate of new and impressive films will hit Sundance—and we couldn't be more excited. Although a select few we've been lucky enough to screen already, there are plenty in the lineup we're anticipating—not only for ourselves but for audiences to get thrilled about. Hopefully, the festival's exposure will have distributors snatching up projects, but so far, the one's we're looking forward to are: The East, Upstream Color, The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, Fill the Void, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, C.O.G, Before Midnight, Interior.Leather Bar., and now, the latest from Michael Polish, Big Sur. Adapted from the Jack Kerouac novel of the same title, the film stars Kate Bosworth, Jean-Marc Barr, Bathazar Getty and will focus on:

“I’m prayIng that you buy On the Road and make a movie of it,” implored Jack Kerouac in a letter to Marlon Brando in 1957. The actor never responded, and it’s been more than half a century since, but the beat author’s seminal meditation on the youthful hunger for sex, kicks, and enlightenment has finally made it to the big screen.

Well, it's finally Friday. Either time to retire to your bed for the weekend with a stack of movies, a bottle of whiskey, and avoid the world you've been immersed in for the past five days—or if you're not a misanthropic human, it's time to indulge in a hard-earned celebration of another completed work week. But for those of you looking for a pleasant medium, a trip to the cinema to see one of your favorite old films or catching a midnight screening is always a wonderful way to spend a night. For those of you that have been anticipating, The Hobbit's release—good for you, the day has finally come. You can now sardine yourself into theaters, throw on some 3D glasses, and hop on that journey. But if you're in the mood for something a little different, this weekend theaters all over the city will be populating their screens with some wonderful films from Bunuelian dramas, to midnight horror shows, and even a little holiday—dare I say it—cheer. Earlier today we told you about our least favorite films of the year, but now with a slightly lighter heart, I've rounded up my pick of the best films showing over the weekend—so you really have no excuse to grab a pack of Twizzlers and lose your troubles in the world on the screen.

● An Italian researcher is claiming that the Mona Lisa might have been modeled on a dude, which would finally explain that giant penis just below the frame. [CBC] ● The Daily has kicked off its miracle run with a really creepy video that features a pre-injured Gabrielle Giffords talking about her crush on the iPad, with interstitials about her recovery progress. [The Daily] ● Check out the first images of Kristen Stewart and Garret Hedlund in the upcoming On the Road adaptation. She looks...happy? [MovieLine]

Whether you think Jack Kerouac was an American visionary or a self-aggrandizing ass in need of an editor, you've got to admit that he was a total bro. The Beats were basically a frat on permanent spring break, driving from coast to coast talking shit, slayin', chayin', and getting mighty messed up. For evidence, give Kerouac's livejournal-esque novel On the Road a quick look. Or better yet, check out the new blog On The Bro'd, a sentence-for-sentence re-imagining of On The Road translated into the language of the contemporary bro. Excerpt after the jump.

Shooting has started on the film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), and starring Kristen Stewart, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, and Amy Adams, among others. MTV.com has pics of Stewart on set, looking like her usual self, but in fifties hepcat garb. It’s an interesting decision to use the film’s wallet to fill the female roles in what is essentially a male-dominated story. The relatively unknown Sam Riley will play Kerouac stand-in Sal Paradise. Paradise’s best friend and object of homo-erotic obsession Dean Moriarty (based on Neal Cassady) will be played by the only slightly more known Garrett Hedlund, who starred opposite Brad Pitt on the movie Troy, but hasn’t done much since.