The 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards were held at the Nokia Live center in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, March 5th, 2010. We spoke with James Gray, director of "Two Lovers"; Judy Cairo, producer of "Crazy Heart" - who won! Kyle Patrick Alvarez (LAist interview), director of "Better With Practice" - who won! more ›

FILM To anyone who has ever had a dream and seen that dream gone unfulfilled, I implore you to see Anvil!: The Story of Anvil and perhaps re-discover the inspiration to continue pursuing that elusive prize. Some have described Sacha Gervasi's hilarious doc as a real-life version of Spinal Tap, but the reality goes much deeper. So many would-be artists pursue success only to give up after a few years of failure. The boys of Anvil demonstrate how a true love of your craft compels you to never quit. Oh, and did I mention it was also fucking funny? more ›

Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater presents The Revolution Will Not Be Televised tonight at 8 pm. The documentary looks at the charismatic and controversial reign of Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela, focusing on the run-up to the dramatic attempt to overthrow him in April of 2002, and the coup d'etat and the extraordinary return to power of Chávez some 48 hours later. The screening will be introduced by the film's co-executive producer, Rod Stoneman who’ll discuss the production and reception of this controversial work, in the context of the contemporary global economy of the media. more ›

Metallica. Slayer. Megadeth. These local boys gone legends are always worth a good mosh, but it's their lesser-known Canadian counterparts, Anvil, who have grabbed the city's heart by the horns. Continuing their residency at the Landmark, where documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil has rocked audiences for a month and counting, Anvil appears alongside film director Sacha Gervasi for two special Q&A sessions tonight, May 6th, at the 7:50 & 9:55 shows. And the rock doesn't stop there! Renegade punk-a-billy outlet Devil's Night fires up the Angel City Drive-In with Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly & derby girls. Yowza! more ›

THIS IS NOT SPINAL TAP: LAist loves Anvil! The Story of Anvil! about an '80s rock band that didn't quite make it as far as its peers Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. Now while the film's been playing since April 10 at West LA's Landmark Theater, tonight two screenings (7:50pm; 9:55pm) will be followed by a special Q & A with director Sacha Gervasi, joined by band members Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner. While it seems like a scene ripped from Spinal Tap, this is real life. A true rockumentary. more ›

Millions of Americans ignored Christ this weekend in order to fill the already overstuffed pockets of the vaguely satanic and horribly buck-toothed Miley Cyrus. Hannah Montana: The Movie picked up a cool $34M to rule the box-office roost, eclipsing last week's winner Fast and Furious ($28.7M/$118M). Monsters vs. Aliens enjoyed a strong third weekend ($22.6M/$141M) to crush disappointing newcomer Observe and Report ($11.1M). The horrible Knowing rounded out the top 5 with a richly undeserved take of $6.6M ($68M). more ›

In 2003, writer Bill Tuomala offerred a career overview of Van Halen from an alternate universe in which The Stooges, The Ramones and the Clash had become stadium rockers and knocked heavy metal bands deep into the underground. “If you were lucky and knew someone in the know or if you hung out in the right record store, you might have gotten turned on to some metal during the seventies. Like there was underground favorites Led Zeppelin…” Tuomala describes Halen as dogged explorers who pursued their own path in the face of total commercial failure, but who finally got some belated respect when Nirvana became famous in 1991 (“The Year Metal Broke”) and had Eddie and Dave join them on their MTV Unplugged special. more ›

You will laugh. You will cry. YOU WILL ROCK! | Photo courtesy of VH1 more ›

Orson Welles has seen more devastation & studio interference than any other filmmaker. Major works like The Magnificent Ambersons, Touch of Evil & Lady from Shanghai were all slashed to ribbons and will never be seen as the writer/director/actor intended. Still, they retain their innovative style, fierce bite & raw power over 60 years on. Running through Saturday, the Aero's Orson Welles retrospective features valiant restorations of these works, as well as rare screenings of UCLA's exhaustive, full restoration of Macbeth and Welles' classic (and surprisingly, untouched) Citizen Kane. more ›

The Los Angeles Film Festival officially kicks off tonight with the premiere of the awful-looking Angelina Jolie action flick, . It's something about assassins, tattoos, curving bullets and explosions--you know, standard indie fare. Starting tomorrow, the festival begins in earnest with films and events rolling at 18 locations all around Los Angeles. Most, however, are relegated to Westwood and the surrounding neighborhoods. While parking will certainly be tight and pricey, any cinema lover will find an over-abundance of things to do. more ›