Photo courtesy of Miramax When was the last time an actor executed a more profound career turnaround than Casey Affleck? Gone Baby Gone is his second superb performance of the year. If you don't see it for him, see it for Amy Ryan's breakout, Oscar-nominated turn. The mere presence of the divine Anne Hathaway makes Becoming Jane worth renting. James McAvoy was better in this than in the over-hyped (but still good) Atonement. No......

Devoted LAist reader Ashley requested a Westside version of Deacon Booze -- and as a former long-time resident of the Westsiiiiiiiiide, I'm more than happy to oblige. Here are some of my top spots for drinks in West LA -- (and trust me when I say I have TESTED these places more than a few times). Why not email me your picks for when you find yourself west of the 405? carrie@laist.com. Did I......

John Mulaney - talent reelComedian John Mulaney is taking SoCal by storm, check out his schedule for the first part of this month (he'll be back in LA at the end of the month also): Feb 5 2008 8:00P - Comedy Death Ray @ UCB LA Hollywood Feb 6 2008 8:00P - The Improv Hollywood Feb 9 2008 8:00P - The Improv Hollywood Feb 11 2008 9:00P - Garage Comedy Feb 12 2008 9:00P -......

I'm a total cooking-show whore, I'll admit it right up front (although Sandra Lee's "open a can of crap and put a marshmallow on it!" school of cooking has never sat right with me). I have a long long queue of Jamie Oliver and Mario Batali cooking shows on my DVR, since they play them at odd hours, either when I'm asleep or at work. I know that Anthony Bourdain would gladly put a......

The Hollow Trees are the best folk band "for families" that you have never heard. By "for families" we mean little kids would love it as much as their parents. Mixing Americana, folk, and pop, The Hollow Trees keep it simple enough for children with the G-rated lyrics. The music, however, is authentic, pure, and as good as anything you'd hear from your grandpa's best bluegrass records. This year the Hollow Trees have gone......

There was a welcome flight to quality this weekend as movie-goers finally gave some love to a good flick. American Gangster blasted its way to the top with an impressive haul of 46.3 million dollars. Bolstered by positive reviews and the stellar box-office power of Denzel Washington, Gangster should continue to thrive in the coming weeks. Jerry Seinfeld's initial foray into the motion picture business can certainly be called a success. Despite mediocre notices,......

To no one's surprise, Saw IV handily topped the box office this weekend with a haul of 32.1 million dollars. It's the third consecutive year that a film from the Saw franchise has won the Halloween weekend. I'm sure we all know what to expect next year. Dan in Real Life had a reasonably good debut, taking in $12M and re-establishing Steve Carell as a box-office force after the disaster that was Evan Almighty.......

To no one's surprise 30 Days of Night topped the box office this weekend, though its 16 million dollar take hardly qualifies it as a hit. Year-over-year, it is the fifth down weekend in a row and relief doesn't appear to be in sight for a few more weeks when American Gangster and Bee Movie should pull some asses into seats. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? held up fairly well in its......

In a shocking upset, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married easily topped the box-office with a much higher than expected $21.5 million haul. Ordinarily, I'm on the side of the underdog, but Perry's movies are so aggresively mediocre that I'm not looking forward to the glut of his product that is now certain to follow. Then again, Why Did I Get Married is hardly worse than The Game Plan which finished second in......

LOUD. Epic. Bombastic. Brooding. Inspiring. Powerful. Political. Rocking. Pounding. Confrontational. Theatrical. Captivating. Dynamic. High Tech. Simply Amazing. Did I mention Loud already? Full review (with 25% less hyperbole) and pics after the jump..........

Kobe Bryant has made a bold demand to the Lakers front office. According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, the disgruntled diva shooting guard is asking owner, Dr. Jerry Buss to dig into the franchise's past and bring back Jerry West to replace Mitch Kupchak as general manager. Did I say ask? Actually number 8, err 24 is demanding the doctor brings back the architect of the Lakers dynasty or else...he wants to be traded. "The Logo"......

Nearly two decades have passed since the last Rambo movie, but for Sly Stallone it's like time never stood still. His mullet is a little longer and his face is craggier, but otherwise the trailer for John Rambo, (AKA Rambo IV), which debuted yesterday on Aint It Cool News, looks like it was unearthed from a Reagan-era time capsule. This iteration of the Rambo franchise finds our eponymous hero living as a humble craftsman somewhere......

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, I'm 22, pretty, smart, witty and completely fabulous. I've been dating my current boyfriend for almost a......

The big question last night was if Kobe would be the first Laker to score three 50+ games in a row since Elgin Baylor did it in 1962. And he did. And more. But the game wasn't all it was cracked up to be. There’s no reason why the Lakers shouldn't be able to shake the worst team in the league, especially when they made mincemeat out of Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves last......

Bugsy Malone -- Wanna see a movie set during Prohibition where all the gangsters are played by kids and instead of hooch they're warring over custard? Did I mention the film is a musical AND that it stars Scott Baio and Jodie Foster? Directed by Alan Parker, Bugsy Malone is playing as part of a double feature alongside Robert Altman's Popeye. Tonight's the last night, so get your sweet little ass over to the New......

To get from one side of the airport to the other side is always a goddamned headache. You're screwed at every angle. The 405, Sepulveda, Pershing, even Vista Del Mar's a bitch because you're likely to get popped by the cops. Man, what gives? To make things even more lame, if you DO wind up on Sepulveda, and are forced to go under that tunnel, you lose all decent radio reception. As though it......

Meet Jed Shoemaker, a 24 year old from Florida. He's a film grip trying to make his way up the Hollywood food chain. He documents his experiences on his blog, Jedediah's Film Rant, featuring tales that are all too familiar to seasoned production types. Jed's intense energy, stamina, and dedication to his profession impressed LAist and reminded us of what so many newcomers go through in the Industry when they are just starting out.......

Beirut Gulag Orkestar (Bada Bing) – Beirut is a 19 year-old kid from Albuquerque who has the full attention of the blogosphere and other tastemakers. He worked with Jeremy Barnes from Neutral Milk Hotel so the comparisons to that band are prevalent but ultimately unfair. There aren’t any guitars on the record but there are glockenspiels, ukuleles and clarinets. Download “from Italy” Danielson Ships (Secretly Canadian) – Daniel Smith shortened the name from Danielson......

That there Jason Toney's got some pretty big shoes. Behind the scenes at LAist, he has been universally kind and gentle with us contributors. And up front on LAist you probably have noticed that he's smart, witty and engaged with the city in a way that is always interesting. Thank goodness he's not really leaving. So I can only aspire to fitting my small, sometimes obnoxious feet in his footsteps. Thankfully Marleigh is here......

While perusing LAPD logs, we came across a story that shows that crime doesn't pay cause most criminals are stupid. On August 17, 2004 officers were summoned to a Comfort Inn on W. Sunset Blvd. A hotel manager tracked down the suspect at the second hotel after discovering that he'd stolen a painting when he was asked to leave the first hotel. The irate hotel manager recognized the thief's vehicle in the Comfort Inn......