My only frames of reference for Christmas movies are Gremlins, A Nightmare Before Christmas and Bing Crosby. But it's after midnight (in Helsinki) and I'm not 14 any more, so it's back to Bing. Here we go a-caroling! more ›

Either you enjoy the films of Noah Baumbach, or you find the whole enterprise pretentious and annoying and wonder why anyone would want to spend another moment in the presence of his characters. Greenberg may mark the apogee of this distinction. Chloe isn't nearly as good as his masterpiece, Where the Truth Lies, but it is an Atom Egoyan film and deserves watching. I hope that all the Mormons who fought to ban gay marriage -- as seen in 8: The Mormon Proposition -- will expend an equal amount of energy fighting other supposed biblical prohibitions. Like, you know, following false prophets like Joseph Smith! What a bunch of fucking weirdos. more ›

For a certain sub-section of filmgoers (e.g. people who fucking rule), the arrival of a new Noah Baumbach movie is cause for celebration. By most accounts, Greenberg is as strong as The Squid and the Whale. This, folks, is a very, very good thing. I couldn't get through the book, but The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has me intrigued. Don't be scared off by the subtitles, people! I'm sort of tired of Kristen Stewart so The Runaways is low on my list. Plus, Dakota Fanning is just terrible, right? Pass. I typically hate movies with and about kids, but Diary of a Wimpy Kid has Chloe Moretz (who should kick-ass in Kick-Ass). Consider it a maybe. more ›

In the coming days, musicians and comedians from around Los Angeles will gather at Largo at the Coronet for three very special shows to raise funds for the ongoing humanitarian efforts in Haiti. After the charity events, Largo will update attendees on how much was raised and how the funds are being used to save lives. more ›

Okay, maybe "terminate" is a little harsh -- the last movie wasn't that bad -- but wouldn't an infusion of fresh concepts and mythologies juice up that half-tired feeling one gets from most of Hollywood's blockbusters these days? And couldn't they have stuck with the original ending for Salvation? Not only was it a great mind-fuck, but it would have struck the final nail in this franchise's coffin. Hence...REPLACED! The first Night at the Museum sucked balls of course, so I expected the sequel to suck a relatively equal nut apportionment. more ›

While it was expected to be a close race, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian ($53.5M) easily topped Terminator Salvation ($43M) to capture the weekend box office crown. Both of these borderline movies will surely be blown out of the water next week by the absolutely fantastic Up (saw it; loved it). Star Trek slipped to third but still had a strong weekend ($21.9M/$183.5M), managing to edge last week's champ Angels & Demons ($21.4M/$81.5M). Newcomer Dance Flick finished fifth with a decent take of $11.1M. more ›

I was never a huge fan of the Terminator movies, so I wasn't too upset about the mythology-raping that goes on in Terminator Salvation. For me it was just good, loud fun with cool robots and Moon Bloodgood's amazing cleavage. During a family visit over Christmas I was snookered into seeing the first Night at the Museum. That will not be the case with the dreary-looking Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Yes, the flicks are stupid, but I am a fan of whatever the Wayans' brothers touch so I'll queue up for Dance Flick. In shame. more ›

Pixar continues its phenomenal string of delivering fantastic films with would have benefited from more Blake Lively and changing the setting to a Swiss nudist colony. Werner Herzog may not be the best director around, but he's on the short list of most interesting. How can anyone not already own all of these Monty Python masterpieces? more ›

After four weeks at the top of the box-office world, had a less than stellar debut ($15.5M) as fans continue to reject George Lucas' new vision of the historic saga. more ›

Racism has never been so hilarious! | Photo courtesy of DreamWorks more ›

Ben Stiller's latest comedy is not being taken lightly by several groups that advocate for the disabled. Many of the nearly two dozen advocacy groups protesting Tropic Thunder are planning to protest tonight's premiere at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, according to reports. more ›

A few weeks ago we ran a story called "Irksome and Insufferable: The Ten Most Annoying Singers". Given that actors are just as capable of being annoying as musicians, I thought it would be worthwhile to throw out 10 names for public review. I avoided the easy ones (Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, etc.) and tried to cobble together a list of actors who--for whatever reason--are actually considered to be pretty good by the masses. But not by me! In their own ways, each one of these actors makes me anxious whenever I watch them. more ›

a writer's perspective Today flew by. I stumbled up to the sign in table just before 6am, and before I knew it, I had been walking the line an hour longer than I was scheduled to. Perhaps I can attribute this to my newfound inner-peace. Considering all the hysteria that accompanies the daily ups and downs of negotiating, I have decided, at least for the time-being, to just let go. As someone said to... more ›

Though it's opening weekend box office total was surprisingly low, it was no surprise that critics savaged did okay). Comedies, of course, never get the critical respect that dramas do and vulgar comedies typically fare worst of all (with the notable exception of Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen's recent work. Then again, who cares about reviews if a movie is funny, right? more ›

Despite early expectations that it would top $20 million in its opening weekend, when I was twelve! more ›

There was a time when I thought Ben Stiller was one of the more inventive comic minds in the business (consider these hilarious shorts as proof--1,2,3,4,5,6). He can still be funny (witness his brilliant turn on is a return to old form, both for Stiller and the inconsistent Farrelly Brothers (who direct). Swedish hottie Malin Akerman and Midwestern beauty Michelle Monaghan co-star in this update of Elaine May's classic comedy. more ›

Man, didn't you just love "Freaks and Geeks"? Weren't you pissed when it got cancelled, almost as pissed as you were when they cancelled "Arrested Development"? Or, if you discovered it post-axe, weren't you pissed there was only one season to savor on DVD? But then The Forty-Year-Old Virgin came out and was really funny and did really well at the box office, and you were still pissed about "Freaks and Geeks", but at... more ›

But it was for a good cause, right? LAist watched the entire two hours of American Idol's telethon tonight, which was broadcast at both the regular Idol studios and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. And while we admire Ryan Seacrest and company for trying to do something good for kids living in poverty in both America and Africa (checkout myspace.com/idolgivesback or the Idol Gives Back page for ways to donate), we felt cheated and... more ›

Year of the Dog's Laura Dern and Molly Shannon with writer/director Mike White OK, so we were invited to the Paramount lot -- but wouldn't it be more dramatic if we crashed it? Could additional drama even be necessary at the premiere of a movie about relationships, work, death, and dogs, with a tagline begging the question: "Has the world left you a stray?" Year of the Dog hits theaters next Friday, the 13th.... more ›

The New York Times seems to think so. We can confirm that among the 800 or so who paid $2,300 a head to rub elbows with Barack Obama for a minute or two at the Beverly Hilton were: Jennifer Aniston, Burt Bacharach, Mario van Peebles, Stephen Spielberg, Arianna Huffington, Ben Stiller, Morgan Freeman, Zach Braff, Eddie Murphy, Ron Howard, Taye Diggs, Norman Lear, JJ Abrams, Paul Reiser, Christine Lahti, Jackson Browne, and Natalie Maines.... more ›

Movie grosses have for some reason become mainstream news, so starting today here's your weekend box office report. I'm only writing this column so I can someday use screaming headlines like "Boffo at the B.O.!" and other flagrant abuses of Variety-speak. (BTW, thank you Variety for posting weekend grosses so promptly on your site every Sunday morning. You've made my job a whole lot easier.) more ›

Special Screenings & Limited Releases Jean-Luc Godard's Two or Three Things I Know About Her opens for a week-long run at the Nuart in West L.A. Saturday at 7:30pm The American Cinematheque screens a real, live 70mm print of Lawrence of Arabia at the Aero in Santa Monica. See this movie on the big screen the way it was meant to be seen! Major Releases The Good Shepherd & The Good German -- I... more ›

Tonight - Wednesday more ›

Tonight - Tuesday Lakers @ Bulls (KCAL, 5:30 p.m.) (What In) Sam Houston State @ UCLA (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) College Basketball Flames @ Kings (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) "Identity" (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) This is the only non-repeat thing on at 8 pm. "Big Day" (ABC, 9:00 p.m.) Back-to-back new episodes, yip..... pee.... "Independent Lens" (PBS, 10:00 p.m.) Profile of 5 Cuban photographers - flickr, go eat your jeart out. "The Little Girl Who Lives Down... more ›

Tonight - Monday TV Junkie is desperate, there ain't crap for new stuff on tonight other than late night talk - and the (free) movie channels have nothing inspiring on AND I have no new DVDs to look at, somebody help me for effssake! Monday Night Football: Bengals @ Colts (ESPN, 5:30 p.m.) Flames @ Ducks (PRIME, 7:00 p.m.) "Identity" (NBC, 9 p.m. EST) A new game show with Penn Jillette, let the magic... more ›

In television the lowest of the low is the Production Assistant, the PA. Everyone's bitch, the PA works the hardest, gets the most shit, gets paid the worst and usually isn't allowed even to talk to the talent. more ›

Are Ben Stiller, Christina Applegate and Taye Diggs American Idol groupies? While they weren’t the only celebs that Fox tcaught on camera at the Kodak, the sightings show how much this pop competition has become a red-hot ticket in Hollywood. more ›

If you've only seen one of the nominated movies, haven't voted in any pools and are really only tuning in to the Oscars to see Jon Stewart, the, highlights of the evening are not so much the awards as any funny or memorable moments in the ceremony. more ›

KABC has wasted no time in getting the awkward questions, stammered remarks, and best wishes to everyone coming down the red carpet. So far we've already heard them refer to Ben Stiller as "studly", and Naomi Watt's very current gown as "vintage". It's almost too painful to watch, but you know we'll keep doing it. more ›