For a third consecutive weekend, Inception ruled the box office. The twisty thriller brought in $27.5M ($193.3M) to easily top the unbelievably horrible Dinner with Schmucks ($23.3M). Salt enjoyed a solid second week ($19.2M | $70.8M) while Despicable Me ($15.5M | $190.3M) continued to print money. Newcomer Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Pussy Galore ($12.5M) rounded out the top 5. more ›

The movie that you should see this weekend is Get Low. The movie you probably will see is Dinner for Schmucks. The movie that no one should (or will) see is Charlie St. Cloud. The movie that only kids should see is Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The movie that makes you feel like you are taking medicine is The Dry Land. The movie that is entirely unnecessary is Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel. Sorry for the short post today. Blame jury duty! But see Get Low! more ›

Very likely I'm in the minority opinion on this subject, but I think it's high time that Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio stopped working together. From my perspective, it's been diminishing returns since The Aviator. Shutter Island left me cold. Seven seasons in and Curb Your Enthusiasm has last none of its cruel charm for me. This most recent season was the best since the year the entire show was a meta-gloss for The Producers. I'll say it: I enjoy John Travolta when he plays a bad-ass. I know it goes against his occasionally, er, fey personality but the guy is just dynamite when he's beating people up. Thank God, Caddyshack is finally on blu-ray. Here's why. They should have bitten the bullet and hired Dirk Benedict for the new A-Team movie. more ›

Many weeks, there can be slim pickings on the DVD aisle. And then there are weeks like this where three, er, fantastic movies top the list. Fantastic Mr. Fox may not rise to the absurd and lunatic levels of Rushmore or The Royal Tennenbaums, but it's a wonderful re-telling of Roald Dahl's seminal children's book. It's that rare thing -- something both children and adults can enjoy (albeit for different reasons). Plenty of critics piled on The Men Who Stare at Goats, but I thought it's daffiness totally worked. The interpretative dance sequence on the Army base was one of the funniest scenes in any movie this year, and I'll say it -- Jeff Bridges did his best work in this movie, not Crazy Heart. While it was mostly overlooked during awards season, Brothers was a solid and depressing piece of drama. Tobey Maguire has never been better, and Natalie Portman solidified her reputation as the best young actress working in studio pictures. Especially in this. Supervan! more ›

While I still prefer the original theatrical version to Milos Forman's 2002 director's cut, it is still a slam-dunk buy on Blu-Ray today. For those who haven't seen any cut of Amadeus I highly encourage you to Netflix | Redbox | Piratebay it today! And, yes, this means you, Aerish! Zombieland wasn't anything great, but damn if it wasn't a fun time. And does it feature the best cameo ever? Everything about House of the Devil screams 80s horror flick so it only makes sense that it is available on VHS. Hilary Swank typically shows peerless judgment when selecting a film role. Uh, not this time! Jennifer Aniston, on the other hand, usually picks bad parts in bad movies. And she's done it yet again! Adam is worth a look if only because you get to spend a couple hours in the presence of the magnificent Rose Byrne. Hugh Dancy was a tad affected, though, don't you think? more ›

In a surprisingly robust debut, 2012 took in a huge $65M to easily capture the weekend box-office crown. Despite completely sucking, the latest Roland Emmerich disaster pic easily out-distanced last week's champ, Disney's A Christmas Carol which managed to bring in a decent $22.3M in its second frame ($63.2M). Grant Heslov's hilarious The Men Who Stare at Goats grabbed third place ($6.2M | $23.3M), just ahead of indie powerhouse Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire ($6M | $8.9M). The creepy and morbid Michael Jackson's That Was It rounded out the top 5 ($5.1M | $68.2M). more ›

Some critics have derided Wes Anderson as a victim of his own precious taste. His movies take place in "Andersonville" it's said -- a singular, specific world from which he needs to free himself. To that I say, "Pah!". Anderson's latest film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, takes place in the stop-motion animated version of Andersonville and it's, well, fantastic. I can't recommend it highly enough. I can't say the same for 2012. I mean, honestly, how is it really different from The Day After Tomorrow? Sure Richard Curtis is a bit schmaltzy, but I always give extra-credit to the open-hearted. Plus, Pirate Radio has Philip Seymour Hoffman in it so it's worth seeing. more ›

Spike Jonze's long-awaited Where the Wild Things Are soared to the top of the box office this weekend as it brought in an impressive $32.4M to top the charts. Law Abiding Citizen came in a surprising second despite overwhelmingly mediocre reviews ($21.2M). After that it was gimmicky horror pic Blair Witch 2: Paranormal Activity ($20.1M | $33.7M), the unfunny comedy Couples Retreat ($17.9M | $63.3M) and the unnecessary remake The Stepfather which debuted to $12.3M. more ›

In a bit of a surprise, Zombieland roared to the top of the weekend box office. Despite a relative lack of stars, the black comedy pulled in $25M to easily top powerhouse Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ($16.7M | $82.3M). The re-release of Toy Story | Toy Story 2 in 3D proved potent as the Pixar dinosaurs raked in $12.5M in their re-debut. Ricky Gervais continues to struggle as a big-screen star as his Invention of Lying brought in only $7.3M in its opening frame. High-concept bomb Surrogates rounded out the top 5 ($7.3M | $26.3M). more ›

The 15th annual Los Angeles Film Festival kicks off tonight at 7:30 pm with the premiere screening of Paper Man at the Mann Village Theater. The full festival begins in earnest the following morning as over 80 documentary and narrative features unspool in venues across the Westside. In addition to that, the festival features panels and seminars, coffee talks and poolside chats, short-film programs, music video showcases, live concerts and free screenings of such beloved films as Ghostbusters, Election and The Muppet Movie. more ›

The summer box-office season officially began on May Day this year as X-Men Origins: Wolverine slashed its way to the top of the chart with a huge $87M weekend. Despite generally poor reviews (even from the fanboy set), audiences filled the seats to see Hugh Jackman don the sideburns once more. The dreadful Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was a distant second with $15.3M to best last week's winner Obsessed ($12.2M/$47M). After that it was the unfunny 17 Again ($6.3M/$48.4M) and the unsinkable Monsters vs. Aliens ($5.8M/$182.4M). more ›

Despite passionately loving independent films and documentaries, I still get excited when the summer blockbuster season starts -- earlier every year it seems -- and so I'm jazzed to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine. How can anyone justify missing a cinematic rendering of the X-Men? Speaking of independent films, they don't get more so than the works of Jim Jarmusch. I loved Broken Flowers and so seeing Limits of Control is de rigueur. Early reviews are very poor, though. In fact, the awful Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is charting higher amongst a consensus of critics. What ever happened to Jennifer Garner? Wasn't she interesting once? 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 ›

Now that those goody-goody holiday bills of , their midnight movie this Saturday. It's got punk rockers, creepy phone calls and it's unavailable on DVD. Sold. more ›

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I was excited about Body of Lies until I started to see some very middling reviews. Still, Russell Crowe is always worth the price of admission. As for Leo...eh. Word is that Guy Ritchie returns to form with RocknRolla. As with Crowe, Gerard Butler is always rock-solid (literally!). Ernie Davis had a great story, but I'm guessing that The Express will be a stark and hammy version of it. I'd watch Jennifer Carpenter read the phonebook to herself in the dark so obviously I'll go see Quarantine (show boobs please). 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 ›

Okay, so maybe the only time people in Los Angeles gathered around to see how something affiliated with a groundhog turned out was when the Bill Murray-Andie MacDowell movie Groundhog Day premiered in 1993, cementing the comic idea of life on an endless replay loop in our pop culture lexicon. more ›

From time to time, LAist will take a look at the many book-to-film projects underway in Hollywood. We'll explore the books we love and why we're over-the-moon excited or just plain worried about the film projects that bear their name. more ›

Nicole Kidman reveals details about her previous miscarriages and subsequent adoptions- Metro More Anna Nicole baby daddy drama - Explosive accusations in Rita Cosby's new tell all book of Larry Birkhead and Howard K Stern being lovers is setting off defamation lawsuits...I personally can't wait to read it - NY Post Jerry Lewis pulls an Isaiah Washington, using the "F" word during his live annual telethon for muscular dystrophy - TMZ Bill Murray explains his... more ›

Following in the footsteps of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Nicole Richie, Bill Murray could face a drunk driving charge after he drove a golf cart along a downtwon street in Stockholm, Sweden and refused a breath test - Yahoo News Rapper Foxy Brown has been sentenced to jail, Rikers Island to be more specific, after violating her probation. She is currently three months preggers - TMZ Lindsay Lohan can relax a little more in... more ›

When Hunter S. Thompson passed away he left behind a widow who knew him unlike any other person on earth. She wrote a book about it, and crammed it full of the juicy goodness that every HST fan has a never ending jonez for. In The Gonzo Way, Anita Thompson interviews Hunter's old friends including Johnny Depp, Ed Bradley, Doug Brinkley, Jack Nicholson, Bill Murray, Senator George McGovern to name a few. She will also... more ›

A Word or 36: Hopefully the jerkoff session over the Aqua Teen Hunger Force is winding down and we can get back to real topics like: is Paula Abdul getting replaced by Courtney Love on Idol? And other such ilk. Tonight - Thursday - February 1st, 2007 College Basketball: Oregon @ UCLA (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) Ugly Betty (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) With cameos from Tim Gunn and Katharine McPhee My Name Is Earl/The Office/Scrubs (NBC,... more ›

A Word or 44: The first 1/2 of the "24" season premiere was quite good even though I don't understand how Jack found the terrorist dude before his house got blown up. Also, was there some anal play going on between Jack and the first terrorist guy? Kinky. Tonight - Monday - January 15th, 2007 "Lawrence of Arabia" (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) Quite possibly the best movie ever made. "Hamlet" (IFC, 6:00 p.m.) Classic Shakespeare... more ›

Wednesday Night "NBA Basketball" (ESPN, 6:00 p.m.) Grizzlies @ Kings "NHL Hockey" (Fox Sports, 7:00 p.m.) Flyers @ Ducks "Office Space" (IFC, 7:00 p.m.) Unwind from humpday with the unedited neo-classic. "College Basketball" (Prime 42, 7:30 p.m.) BYU @ UCLA "Dancing With the Stars" (ABC, 8 p.m.) The moment of truth. Season finale. "Jericho" (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) The town comes up with a plan to repel "intruders" (use President Bush pronounciation on that word)... more ›

Ah, summer is here — summer, and the news that the earth's surface temperature is the highest it's been in 2,000 years. Tra la. Not relishing the idea of a monster utility bill, our thoughts turn to finding a public place where the AC is always set to Meat Locker — the movie theater. So, we trundle on down to the local MegaMechaMoviePlex to see what's playing. Click. The Lake House. Garfield 2. Feh. more ›