As the preeminent Keats scholar in my small cadre of illiterate friends, let me say that I was mostly outraged at the shabby treatment accorded the poet by director Jane Campion (LAist review here). I had such high hopes for this film when I entered the screening, but everything was dashed in short order. Gone was any indication of Keats' magnificent intellectual gift. Rather, he was rendered as little more than a simpering poet chasing after Fanny Brawne. Campion would have been better served focusing on Keats' last days in Rome with Joseph Severn. That would have made for some marvelous cinema. I probably liked I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell more than most, but then again I do fucking rule! Tucker Max is obviously a cretin, but the film is mostly a genial, albeit raw rendering of a bachelor party gone terribly south (LAist review here; LAist interview with director Bob Gosse here). It's definitely worth a peek on DVD (assuming there is tons more nudity). more ›

On first blush, Bob Gosse seems like an unlikely choice to direct Tucker Max's ribald memoir, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. After all, it was Gosse who co-founded the seminal independent film company The Shooting Gallery while also producing the early indie hits, Laws of Gravity and New Jersey Drive as well as directing the superb Niagara, Niagara. What is this guy doing directing a movie about a narcissistic alcoholic who fucks midgets? LAist recently had a chance to talk to Bob about exactly that. more ›

I can understand people disagreeing with Michael Moore's political beliefs, but his talent as a documentary filmmaker is unquestioned. This is a man who knows exactly how to move an audience. His latest, Capitalism: A Love Story, deals with the thieves that populate our financial industry. If all you are looking for are some good laughs, buck up and a buy a ticket to I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (LAist review here). I think you'll like it more than you expect. Sheesh, could Surrogates look any more obvious and silly? Pass. more ›

It's been a long time since a movie has riled up so many people before even opening in theaters. And yet that's exactly what's been going on with I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Based on the salacious memoir by Tucker Max, the film has been met by protests in North Carolina, had advertisements yanked from buses in Chicago and generally been nebulously associated with "promoting rape culture" by numerous blogs and publications. Tomorrow, Angelenos will be able to see what all the fuss is about as Beer in Hell lands in theaters. My take: it's a fucking comedy, people. Comedies are supposed to make you laugh. It does! more ›