Malls across America are locking down Cinnabons in heightened anticipation of tomorrow's "Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience" debut. Now in season, the hands-on Wii demonstrations and Nintendo DSi sampling stations will be abloom in mall ecosystems everywhere, set up to show would-be present-buyers and would-be-present-openers about their need for Nintendo. more ›

One of my favorite films of 2007 arrives to DVD today, , rectify that mistake today by buying the new, juicier version. more ›

A few weeks back I promised to continue the photo essay of my next-door neighbor, the Redondo Beach Pier, where there is always something weird and wonderful to see and do. The Fun Factory is the next best thing to a cheesy, down-the-shore/midway arcade. Sure, Santa Monica Pier has its Ferris wheel, calliope and similar games of chance, but The Fun Factory has such an extensive jumble of bizarre coin operated artifacts, games, kiddy rides, crane machines, fortune tellers, pinball machines, vintage video games and whatever else you can think to stick a token into, that it just wins the prize for coolest, redemption palace in LA county. "Redemption" is how they describe those novelty amusements that devour all your laundry money. By the way, this 300+ game space can be enjoyed even on the most blustery of days, as it is an indoor attraction. Neener-neener-neener, SM Pier! more ›

After weeks of trying to see it at screenings around town, I finally got the chance to see The King of Kong. My expectations were high as I walked into the theater, and I'm thrilled to say they were not only met, but exceeded. Seth Gordon has made one of the most ridiculously entertaining documentaries in years. Sure, it's about Donkey Kong and the genuinely weird subculture of Golden Age Arcade Game competition, but... more ›

The way I see it, documentaries succeed in one of two ways. The first: deal with a terrifying, real subject matter ("One Day in September", "Jesus Camp"). Express it in a matter-of-fact way that both frightens and informs the viewer. The second: Find a genre/subject that is so outlandish ("American Movie", "Spellbound") that all you need to do is turn on the camera and capture the unintentional hilarity. The hitch is, you need to have AMAZING characters who don't realize how funny they really are. A few weeks ago we had the former with "The Ghosts of City Soleil", this weekend we get the latter with... more ›

Update: tonight's screening at the Arclight is a special presentation with a Q&A with the director Seth Gordon afterwards. The film will then show tomorrow at the Nuart thru the 23rd. more ›

Streets of Fire (1984) releases today on HD-DVD, something we at LAist believe is a big fucking deal. It's one of the greatest films of the 80's, right up there with The Wizard, WarGames, and Adventures in Babysitting. I fail to mention any John Hughes films, since the holy grails of teenage-oriented motion picture go without saying. more ›

The 2007 Silverlake Film Festival heads into its second and final week. Highlights include… more ›

Little more than 24 hours remain to enter the LAist giveaway to win one of two pairs of tickets to see Video Games Live on July 6th at the Hollywood Bowl. more ›

LAist is giving away two pairs of tickets to Video Games Live, a unique live music event from composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, on July 6th at the Hollywood Bowl. more ›