What may seem to be an outlandish storyline was actually inspired by the childhood experiences of writer/director Amy French and her brother Spencer (in his acting debut as the lead role). Growing up in Los Angeles, both were raised in part by a Mexican family. LAist had talked to the director about crafting the playful world of Juan Francés for her first feature film. more ›

As the only major studio film released on Friday, it's no wonder that the middling Resident Evil: Afterlife topped the box office this weekend. The tired zombie flick brought in $27.7M to easily smash the rest of the competition. The resilient Takers was a distant second, but is proving to be a solid hit for Screen Gems ($6.1M | $48.1M). Last week's champ, The American, slipped to third ($5.8M | $26.7M) but was still able to top Machete ($4.2M | $20.8M). The sad Going the Distance rounded out the top 5 ($3.8M | $14M). more ›

Though Friday estimates indicated that Machete might win the weekend, it was George Clooney's subdued The American that ultimately topped the box office. Despite the purported presence of Lindsay Lohan's titties, Machete only managed to bring in $14M, far shy of The American's $16.3M ($19.5). The resilient Takers placed a strong third ($13.5M | $39.9M), well ahead of The Last Exorcism ($8.7M | $33.5M) and Drew Barrymore's latest catastrophe Going the Distance ($8.6M). more ›

I was lucky enough to score a couple of last minute tickets to last night's world premiere of the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double feature, Grindhouse, at the Orpheum in downtown LA. I am happy to report that after months of festering anticipation, Grindhouse lives up to the hype. Grindhouse, which is actually two feature-length movies in one (total running time: 185 minutes), begins with vintage title cards promoting "prevues of coming attractions." Then comes... more ›

Not that Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez need any free publicity, but you gotta love the 1970s-style color palette and cheeseball film effects of the Grind House trailer -- complete with Josh Brolin looking like a young Jeff Bridges, Danny Trejo as the badass knife-sharpening Machete, Tom Savini as a shotgun-wielding sheriff's deputy and Rose McGowan as an amputee stripper with a machine gun for a shin.... more ›

Now in its third year, The Other Venice Film Festival celebrates independent film, diversity and music. And, eh, slightly bad attitudes. more ›