Hollywood Arts, a non-profit targeted at providing arts education for high-risk youth, has announced Michael Yo from E! will host this year’s Dream Awards, which will be held at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles on November 13. The third annual award ceremony is Hollywood Arts' big fundraiser geared toward raising funds for the school’s new facility. With a little over 100 students ages 18 to 25 and around 40 students 13 to 17, the organization says... more ›

In a huge surprise, the brilliantly subversive Despicable Me dominated the weekend box office ($60.1M), almost doubling the total of last week's winner The So-Called Twilight Saga: Eclipse ($33.4M | $237M). The surprisingly well-reviewed Predators placed a strong third ($25.3M), just ahead of the sturdy summer champ Toy Story 3 ($22M | $340.2M). The dismal Avatar: The Last Airbender collapsed in its second weekend but still raked in an undeserved $17.1M ($100.2M). more ›

For the third week in a row, the tired Shrek franchise managed to place its latest entrant atop the weekend box office race. The lame Shrek Forever After raked in $25.3M ($183M) to easily top the hilarious newcomer Get Him to the Greek ($17.4M) and the lame Killers ($16.1M). The unnecessary Prince of Persia ($13.9M | $59.4M) and the... more ›

After two weeks of middling studio releases (e.g. Sex and the City 2: Bitches Abroad, Shrek 4: Again?, Prince of Persia 1: Why?), we finally get some decent product today. Fresh off its recent Sundance success, Splice launches into theaters as a thinking-man's Species. Brody and Polley give this horror flick extra class and oomph. I didn't love Russell Brand in Sarah Marshall, but I'll give Get Him to the Greek a shot -- mostly due to the always interesting Jonah Hill. The presence of the lethally dull Sean Combs is cause for alarm, however, more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email. more ›

Jeff Bridges will probably end up winning an Oscar for his role in Crazy Heart, but if he doesn't you can bank on Jeremy Renner taking home the statue for his performance in The Hurt Locker. In a just world, Peter Capaldi would be doing the same thing for his brilliant turn as Malcolm "Prince of Fucking Darkness" Tucker in In the Loop. The fact that he probably won't even be nominated is insane. Similarly, Sam Rockwell will likely be ignored for his (inter) stellar work in Moon. Hard to believe that The Simpsons has been on the air for twenty years. Even harder to believe when you consider that it hasn't been consistently funny in over a decade. The Brothers Bloom is exactly the kind of small, quirky film you should find on DVD. It came and went in the theaters, but features great work by Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody (LAist interview here). more ›

Rian Johnson burst into prominence with his sterling debut, Brick. A teenage murder mystery, it was told more in the style of a Dashiell Hammett novel than a thematically similar (and more conventional) film like Bully. His latest film, The Brothers Bloom, is almost a complete 180 in terms of tone -- daffy and convulated where Brick was brooding and fatalistic. What's still present, though, is Johnson's daring as a filmmaker. You may not like his movies, but there is no doubt that he is offering a very specific vision to audiences. LAist had a chance to speak with Rian this week. The Brothers Bloom goes into wider release today across L.A. more ›

While it didn't approach the monstrous financial heights of the poorly-conceived The Da Vinci Code, Thomas de Hanks' Angels & Demons ($48M) tricked enough Americans into theaters to hold off the sturdy Star Trek ($43M/$143.6M) to capture the weekend box-office crown. X-Men Origins: Wolverine had a reasonably good third weekend to place, uh, third ($14.8M/$151M) while Ghosts of Matthew McConaughey's Bangbus Girlfriends ($6.8M/$40M) and Obsessed with White Chicks ($4.5M/$40M) rounded out the top five. more ›

The Brothers Bloom will most likely split audiences down the middle just as it has almost evenly divided critics. Simply put, you either delight in the often whimsical imagination of writer/director Rian Johnson or you dismiss it as precious eye candy. I fall firmly in the former camp. While it would be easy to peg Bloom as a Wes Anderson-ish fable about two con men who endure a Dickensian upbringing which leads them to a career in crime, I find it unlikely that Wes (whom I adore) could ever make a film so willing to be this optimistic. more ›

Dan Brown's quickly-paced novels seem tailor-made for the big screen, but The Da Vinci Code was a lumbering dud. Here's hoping that Angels & Demons is edited at a much brisker pace (with less exposition). At least they fixed Tom Hanks' weird hairdo from Da Vinci. If you want to see something that will just fill you with joy, try The Brothers Bloom. Rian Johnson's superb debut Brick was clearly not a fluke. In fact, he may have the best cinematic style since Wes Anderson. Management continues Jennifer Aniston's slow descent into irrelevance. How did such a once-cheery actress become so damn sour? At least the great Steve Zahn is in it. more ›

Between special screenings, TV tapings & incestual industry conduct, filmmakers are a common appearance in this town. When the New Beverly hosts a filmmaker, it's truly special. Eclectic personalities take complete control of the theater's programming, spotlighting elements of their own work, their influences, or simply their favorite, lesser-known films. Previous hosts include Edgar Wright, Patton Oswalt, Joe Dante & Peter Bogdanovich, and now writer-director Rian Johnson has the slate. A new kid on the block compared to those names, Johnson's hard-boiled sleeper Brick is one of the most unique & enjoyable films of the last few years. His "Festival Of Fakery" (running through the end of February) features advance screenings of his new film, The Brothers Bloom, and a cadre of con men, criminals, thieves & scoundrels. more ›

Since the weekend following Thanksgiving is an historically slow one for business, the major studios were hesitant to release anything on Friday. As a result, the witless ($5.1M/$165.6M) which are both certified hits. more ›

The first iteration of (and you should!), expect to be blown away by this relatively unknown actor. Frost/Nixon is probably going to be a very well-made, decently compelling but not terribly complex film about the thrilling Richard Nixon. Basically, your ordinary, every day Ron Howard film. more ›

I'll lead this review by saying,"If only the DVD of ." The film is one of Wes Anderson's best tales of whimsy and familial dysfunction. Three brothers who've long since grown apart decide to travel across India on a sort of spiritual odyssey that ends, fittingly, at the base of the Himalaya where they encounter their long-lost mother. As with any road movie, the point is really the journey and not the destination and this journey is a joy to watch. more ›

Wes Anderson doesn't have many casual fans. You either love the strange worlds of whimsy he creates or you find it all a bit precious and twee. Count me in the former camp and count . more ›

Yes, even obnoxious fashionistas will have to rub elbows with the masses for Roberto Cavalli’s new line created especially for trendy retailer H&M. Known for combining rock and glamour, Cavalli has designed for such fashionable celebs as Beyonce, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Lenny Kravitz, and Adrien Brody, as well as designing tour costumes for Christina Aguilera. R Cavi’s line at H&M will be debuting November 8th, 2007 where he will be joining such esteemed... more ›

What should we tell you about Kong? That the hour and fifteen minutes after Jack, Ann, Denham and the rest arrive at Skull Island are not for the weak hearted? That the film is shot beautifully? That there are moments when the lighting is so stark, the simple movie effects so classic, that you wish it was in black and white? That the strongest performances are by Kyle Chandler as the incredibly cartoonish Bruce Baxter and Andy Serkis as the completely animated Kong? All true. more ›

LAist, Warner Independent Pictures and Mandalay Pictures would like to send you and a guest to the February 28th special screening of The Jacket, starring Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, with music composed by Brian Eno. One lucky winner and a guest will attend a special screening, as well as the premiere party immediately following the film. more ›

Is it us or is Variety.com becoming more accessible? more ›