I enjoyed everything about Invictus -- the cast, the story, the filmmaker -- except the actual movie. Frankly, it was just dull. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I am very angry at Americans right now for throwing good money at the vile Valentine's Day. You know what happens now, right? They're going to make another "themed" movie like this -- New Year's Eve. And then another one. And another. When will you people ever learn? You suck. Extraordinary Measures felt more like a movie of the week than something that needed to be seen in theaters, but it did give us, "I already work around the clock!!!" Will that awful line reading supplant this beauty? The Messenger is quality filmmaking, but get ready to be depressed upon watching it. more ›

Hundreds of thousands of moronic, cud-chewing Americans paid good money to see the new A Nightmare on Elm Street this weekend, allowing the unnecessary remake to easily claim the box office crown ($32.2M). Recent powerhouse How to Train Your Dragon slipped to a distant second ($10.8M | $192.3M), but still easily managed to hold off both the funny-ish Date Night ($7.6M | $73.6M) and the horrifying The Back-up Plan ($7.2M | $22.9M). As expected, newcomer Furry Vengeance suffered through an awful debut ($6.5M). more ›

Is there a more captivating actress right now than Rebecca Hall? She alone would get me into the theater to see Please Give. The fact that Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt join her and Nicole Holofcener directs makes it the easiest decision of the weekend. Did we really need another A Nightmare on Elm Street? Seems to me that Jackie Earle Hailey is just being asked to re-do his awesome Rorschach voice from Watchmen. Will there at least be tons of naked boobs? Roger Kumble continues his descent down the directorial ladder with Furry Vengeance. It's a shame because Cruel Intentions was some seriously nasty fun. more ›

Avatar continued its inevitable crawl towards history, taking in a robust $36M ($552M) to pass The Dark Knight in domestic receipts and Titanic on the international front. By next Monday, it should be the all-time box-office champ (not accounting for inflation, of course, in which case Gone With The Wind would be the easy winner and Avatar would be a mere 26th). The awful Legion had a respectable opening to place 2nd ($18.2M), just ahead of last week's runner-up The Book of Eli ($17M | $62M). Thankfully, The Tooth Fairy underwhelmed in its debut ($14.5M) while The Lovely Bones rounded out the top 5 ($8.8M | $31.6M). more ›

Having seen -- oh, I don't know -- 20,000 commercials for Extraordinary Measures over the last few weeks, I still think I'm looking at a promo for a TV movie. The real question is will "I already work around the clock!" replace "Where's my family" in the Harrison Ford repertoire? Geez, Legion looks awful. Does everyone else just cackle when that old bird crawls up the wall? Can anything be done to stop Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson? His latest atrocity is The Tooth Fairy. By all rights, Creation should have been a good movie. Great story, solid cast, super production design. Reviews, though, have been dreadful. Shame. To Save a Life looks way too fucking wholesome. People who loved Dumb Fucking Chipmunk Movie will probably love it. Pass. more ›

If you didn't see Waltz with Bashir in the theater, you have the opportunity to correct that mistake today on DVD. It is rare that a film so perfectly combines a complex, powerful story with such dazzling visual technique. Concerned with lost memories surrounding the 1982 Lebanon War, this is a must-see film for any fan of cinema (or history for that matter). Confessions of a Shopaholic is not such a picture. Pink Panther 2 is not such a picture. Inkheart is not such a picture. Thankfully, both My Dinner with Andre and Last Year at Marienbad are. more ›

To the great dismay of the human, vampire and lycan kingdoms, Paul Blart: Mall Cop once again triumphed at the box office this weekend ($21.5M/$64.8M). Underworld: Rise of the Lycans made a game effort, but only managed a close second-place finish ($20.7M). After that it was the resilient Gran Torino ($16M/$97.5M), the silly Hotel for Dogs ($12.3M/$36.9M), the surging Slumdog Millionaire ($10.5M/$55.9M) and the, uh, bloody My Bloody Valentine 3-D ($10M/$37.7M). more ›

In anticipation of the Oscar Best Picture nod that never came, The Dark Knight is back in theaters today. If you are one of the 113 people who somehow didn't see this movie over the summer, now might be the time. You know how you can tell when a franchise is completely and utterly out of steam? When the star of the franchise stops appearing in the movies. Such is the case with Underworld: Rise of the Lycans which lacks the lovely Kate Beckinsale (but does at least add the equally lovely Rhona Mitra). more ›

You know how some movies are better because of the audience in the theater with you? I think that's why I enjoyed ?) more ›

is not. At all. more ›

In a huge jump from the original ($11.5M/$112M). more ›

was one of the real surprises of 2004--a rollicking interpretation of the Dark Horse comic featuring a knockout performance by Ron Perlman in the title role and great turns by Selma Blair and Doug Jones/David Hyde Pierce as his fellow do-gooders. The whole crew returns in Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Freed from the strictures of an origin story, expect wall-to-wall action expertly staged by ace director Guillermo del Toro. 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 ›