Jennifer Westfeldt recently chatted with us about her inspiration for writing Friends with Kids, the challenges of directing, and how she hopes people aren't disappointed when this movie, co-starring the likes of Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd, isn't actually a sequel to Bridesmaids. more ›

"Party Down" fans, the new year brings good news for one of your favorite cancelled TV shows. Chatter surrounding whether or not the L.A.-based show will grace the silver screen was confirmed on Sunday by series star Megan Mullally. more ›

Is anyone else as excited to see Piranha 3D as I am? I am both shocked and delighted at the great critical response this paean to 80s jiggle flicks is receiving. In a completely different vein, The Tillman Story provides a searing look into the phony stories that our government tried to tell us about the "heroic" death of Tillman at the hands of the enemy. No, he was negligently -- not accidentally -- killed by his own troops. Kids movies are usually terrible, which is why Nanny McPhee Returns is such a welcome film. Take your kids this weekend. Jennifer Aniston movies are also usually terrible, and the same seems to hold for The Switch. Why is Jason Bateman slumming? Real quick: see A Film Unfinished; don't see Vampires Suck; don't see Lottery Ticket; see Mao's Last Dancer; and don't see The Scenesters. more ›

Boy, Zach Galifianakis is suddenly everywhere, huh? Let's hope that over-exposure doesn't ruin my favorite current comedic actor. One question, though: how bad is Operation: Endgame? Considering its superb cast, this is a movie that should have gotten a nice theatrical debut instead of being dumped to DVD by Anchor Bay? And it's got Odette Yustman, folks! Odette Yustman!! The re-make of Clash of the Titans violates my number one rule of doing a re-make: only redo movies that were bad! The original Clash was no great shakes, but at least it had vintage Harryhausen effects and a supremely hammy Olivier. Everyone should know who Stephen Fry is. If you don't, find out today. Hard to believe that it was Grieco and not Depp who was the early breakout star of Jump Street. Lesbian Vampires rule! But no more than nuns!! more ›

If you have somehow avoided watching Battlestar Galactica up till now (and God damn you if that's the case), you can finally watch it as God (e.g. Ron Moore) intended: the complete series on Blu-Ray. Sure, it's expensive but how could you more wisely spend your money? On health insurance? On fucking food? Please! I love everything that Werner Herzog even walks past, so naturally I loved Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Nicolas Cage is in full freak mode (see trailer here for proof) and Werner's direction is as daffy and counter-intuitive as ever. Is Peter Jackson trying to assume the dick mantle from George Lucas (click the link!)? Today we get The Lords of the Rings trilogy in Blu-ray, but it's only the theatrical editions. I'm sure in a few months we'll get another high-priced version of the extended editions in Blu-Ray. Sigh. Greed. Party Down! more ›

I thoroughly enjoyed The Informant! and am actually really looking forward to catching it again on DVD. If only Soderbergh would spend all his time making flicks like it and no time making flicks like this. It is by no means a good movie, but Dead Snow was a rollicking horror of a film (though a lack of solid nudity does penalize it substantially). How can you beat Nazi zombies? The less said about Jersey Shore, the better. It's just dumb assholes. It's not ironic; it's not a guilty pleasure; it's a show about dumb assholes. I'm probably as big an Adam Scott fan as there is (LAist interview here). Check out The Vicious Kind today! Was Richard Kelly a one film wonder? The Box would seem to indicate so (as if Southland Tales didn't scream it). Bloodbath!!!!!!! more ›

Avatar continued its long slog towards ultimately topping Titanic by easily winning this weekend's box-office race ($48.5M | $429M). Sherlock Holmes was a very distant second but has proven to be a solid hit for Guy Ritchie ($16.6M | $165.1M). Unfortunately, the same can be said for Dumb Fucking Chipmunk Movie which is still bringing in unfit parents and their bratty kids ($16.3M | $178.1M). Daybreakers was the best performer of the films released this weekend ($15M) while It's Complicated managed to top ($11M | $76.3M) another newbie, the crappy Leap Year ($9.1M). more ›

Some may be getting tired of Michael Cera's act, but not me. I admit it can be a bit one-note, but that note is a perfect one. His latest film, Youth in Revolt, reaches theaters today (LAist review here). See it! Are you as tired of vampire movies as I am? If not, then Daybreakers is for you. Amy Adams was once a scrappy actress who chose great parts and nailed them. Now she's in Leap Year. Sad. more ›

Adam Scott is one of those actors that you always recognize but can't always quite place. He's worked all over film and television for the last fifteen years, but it's only in the last few that people have started to put name to face. For me, he's as good a working actor as we have right now. His breakout role in Step Brothers -- where he repeatedly stole the movie out from under Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly -- was the funniest supporting turn in recent memory (see here and here for proof). His latest film, The Vicious Kind, just opened in limited release. LAist recently had a chance to speak with him. more ›

If ever a movie screamed Oscar-bait it is Invictus. Big-name cast? Check! Big-name director? Check! Poignant, life-affirming, yet complex story about human triumph? Check. The Princess and the Frog is significant because it is the first Disney film to feature an African-American lead. Thank God those racists at Disney were finally drummed out! The Lovely Bones was a, uh, lovely book that is apparently being blown up into this bloated thing by Peter Jackson. Peter -- less effects, more story. more ›

One of the reasons I expect that I will never tire of going to the movies is that even when you think you know what you are going to get, you can still be surprised. I remember being dragged to see Galaxy Quest at the Cinerama Dome. Honestly, the only reason I went was because it was at the Cinerama Dome -- one of the great movie theaters on the planet. As for the film, I expected nothing. I mean, after all, it starred Tim Allen! Tim Allen? Pass. Naturally, I ended up loving the film and have seen it at least twenty times since. more ›

instead? more ›