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 ›

For a movie about robots, Astro Boy is surprisingly wooden. But that’s not to say it doesn’t have heart. Based on the work of Japanese comic book artist and animator Osamu Tezuka, this CGI version of what’s widely regarded as the first anime is largely faithful to the beloved character. First published in 1952 and animated in 1963, the future-set Astro Boy is the story of Dr. Tenma (voiced by Nicolas Cage), top scientist at the Ministry of Science whose son Toby (Freddie Highmore) dies in a tragic accident... more ›

The one question most people will ask about is that it's probably better than you expect it to be. more ›

5:30 - I can hear the press people and the MTV handlers trying to corral Jack Nicholson in the next tent over, which apparently isn't easy to do. We here in the Blogghetto have been promised by MTV that they will try to get as many celebs as possible in here. You know you're low on the totem pole when even Shia LaBeouf is too big to talk to you. 5:26 - Dane Cook... more ›

A Word or 51: So last night it was either Klaus Kinski or American Idol - they're both abject and base pornography but Kinski won. Get home early today to check out the Winter X Games; other than some The Office reruns the CW seems to have the most new programming but that's not saying much. Tonight - Thursday - January 25th, 2007 The Caddy (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) Classic Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin... more ›

Channel surfing the other night, LAist stumbled upon the recent HBO Film/BBC Production, The Girl in the Café, starring Bill Nighy (humorously unforgettable as the aging rock star in Love Actually) and Kelly Macdonald, most recently seen as Peter Pan in Finding Neverland. Written by British rom-com god Richard Curtis, famous for penning screenplays like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and the aforementioned Love Actually, the film is a romance with a cause. more ›