Those of us who like our movies recycled will be happy to hear that "The Hangover Part II," the movie which unabashedly rips off the plot, pretty much point by point, of its predecessor "The Hangover" swept the box office this weekend. Bloomberg reports that "The Hangover Part II" raked in $86.5 million, breaking the record for best comedy debut which had been held by "The Simpsons Movie," which brought in $74 million when it opened in 2007. more ›

Summer blockbuster season is officially in full force! Memorial Day weekend is traditionally Hollywood's highest-grossing (long) weekend. This year brings two highly anticipated sequels, one for the family & one for the frat-house. Even snobs will delight at the big names appearing at the arthouse. more ›

We conclude our video interviews from the USA Network upfronts with Vincent D'Onofrio and cast from "Royal Pains." --- Ashton Kutcher's arrival on "Two and a Half Men" will improve neither the premise of the story, nor the writing, both of which are awful. --- Ed Helms to host "SNL" this weekend. --- All this and the TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan Weekend Edition. more ›

Ed Helms, a breakout star from The Hangover and regular on The Office, plays Tim Lippe, a naïve insurance salesman from small-town Wisconsin who finds himself far out of his comfort zone when he heads to an industry convention in Cedar Rapids. He’s there representing his company BrownStar Insurance, its logo complete with a Vonnegutesque asterisk in the B, should you not get the joke in the phrase alone and need a visual. It’s not the kind of thing Lippe would pick up on; he’s oblivious to the fact that back in Brown Valley, he’s surrounded by a-holes. Lippe has some growing up to do, and though it isn’t an easy process, it is pretty hilarious. Even if you’ve never taken a business trip like this, and especially if you have, you’re going to find entering into the world of the “ASMI” convention scene an amusing escapade. more ›

In the coming days, musicians and comedians from around Los Angeles will gather at Largo at the Coronet for three very special shows to raise funds for the ongoing humanitarian efforts in Haiti. After the charity events, Largo will update attendees on how much was raised and how the funds are being used to save lives. more ›

Sure, it may not have received the near-universal acclaim of Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs, but I thought Inglourious Basterds was a welcome return to form for Tarantino after the over-long Kill Bill diptych and the dull Death Proof. I really dug The Hangover the first time I saw it, but a second viewing wasn't nearly as satisfying (contrast that with, say, Anchorman which I found far funnier on the tenth screening.) More than any other movie, The Goods suffered from all the Hangover success since it seemed mild in comparison. It's worth a look on DVD, though. The same guys for Taking Woodstock. I was apparently the only one in the world who loved it, but how can you not love Ang Lee? The Mel Brooks Collection on Blu-Ray = perfect gift for Dad. more ›

District 9 is generating the sort of low-level buzz that is often the sign of an unexpected, breakout hit. Thank God, the plug got pulled on Halo or District 9 never would have been made. Also, thank God that the increasingly on-the-nose Peter Jackson didn't direct it. Davis Guggenheim isn't nearly the documentary filmmaker that a Kirby Dick or an Errol Morris is, but the subject matter of It Might Get Loud kept me enthralled (LAist review here). What Zeppelin fan wouldn't love to see Jimmy Page not only play with The Edge and Jack White but show off his record collection, too. Not sure what to make of The Goods. Critics are torching it, but someone compared it to Wet Hot American Summer which was only incredibly hilarious and inventive. more ›

While I think that the cruelly funny Bruno will suffer a precipitous decline in its box-office fortunes once people realize it isn't another Borat, enough unsuspecting Americans bought tickets to the cock-heavy mockumentary this weekend to give it a narrow triumph ($30.4M) over Ice Age 3: More Ice Age ($28.5M | $120.5M). The vile Transformers 2: Racist CGI Moron Porn finished a close third ($24.2M | $339.2M), well ahead of a not-quite-there Public Enemies ($14.1M | $66.5M) and a resilient The Proposal ($10.5M | $113.7M). more ›

Raunchy bachelor-party comedy The Hangover topped the box office for a surprising second straight weekend as it dropped only 26% from its strong debut ($33.4M/$105.3M). Pixar's delightful Up presented a strong challenge in its third week to finish a close second ($30.5M/$187.1M) while superb newcomer The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 finished third with a slightly underwhelming $25M. After that, it was the dreadful Night of the Museum 2: Jesus, We Suck ($9.6M/$143.4M), the reasonably funny Land of the Lost ($9.1M/$34.9M) and Eddie Murphy's epic shitfest Imagine That ($5.7M). Someone, please stop Eddie Murphy. more ›

Buzz on the The Hangover is so hot that Warner Brothers is already moving ahead on a sequel before the film is even released. Every summer a comedy breaks out of nowhere to be a huge hit. Will this be the one? It probably won't be Land of the Lost. By most accounts, it's a Bewitched Will Ferrell flick instead of an Anchorman one. Away We Go will not work for everyone since it's so amazingly precious. Then again, what else would you expect from the hipster triumvirate of Dave Eggers | Sam Mendes | John Krasinski? more ›

The studios say that the SAG rejected their latest offer but the SAG says that isn't true. Still no word of a strike vote from SAG - if this SAG stuff is of particular interest to you, be sure to check out The Hollywood Reporter's SAG/AFTRA "Strike Zone". more ›

I love that France is smelly and filled with laughing Nazis, because, you know, we don't want that here. more ›

A couple more days of this visual and mental assault. I've discovered that drinking really helps though. 7:30pm Where Eagles Dare TCM - Here's your chance to bypass most of the new and quite possibly very mediocre offerings this evening by watching this classic. Richard Burton is wooden and robotic in this good guys vs. the Nazis flick, Clint Eastwood is fantastic and there's lots of cool explosions and Nazis getting shot and stuff. 8:00pm... more ›