I walked into Alice in Wonderland prepared to be completely underwhelmed. Something about Burton + Lewis Carroll + Depp seemed too on the nose for my taste. And yet -- mostly due to the fantastic performance of Mia Wasikowska -- I enjoyed the film far more than I ever expected. more ›

3-D televisions are still a technology of the near-future so everyone who buys Avatar will be watching it in good old-fashioned 2-D. Absent the gloriously immersive world created by James Cameron, will audiences be distracted by the obvious plotting and tinny dialogue? Jeff Bridges should have won an Oscar long before getting one for Crazy Heart (The Fisher King anyone?). While his turn as Bad Blake didn't blow me away, it was a solidly professional turn in an otherwise mild movie. A year ago, smart money pegged Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones as a surefire Oscar contender. Nope! We need more movies like 44-Inch Chest. Is Ray Winstone ever not awesome? Don't worry -- Solar Anus Cinema isn't what you think. It's, you know, arty. more ›

A trio of newcomers stormed the box-office this weekend, thoroughly knocking down the mighty Avatar from its lofty aerie. The rancid and cynical Valentine's Day led the pack with a well undeserved $52.4M. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: Very Long Title pulled in a solid $31.1M to edge out the better-than-expected The Wolfman ($30.6M). After that it was the aforementioned Avatar ($22M | $659.6M) and the moronic Dear John ($15.3M | $53.1M). more ›

Sure the reviews haven't exactly been stellar, but I'm really looking forward to The Wolfman. Benicio + Tony + Emily + (most importantly) Rick Baker = my ass in the seat opening weekend! Thank God it is rated R for "bloody horror violence and gore." I'm sick and tired of these PG-13 horror flicks. Some might say that Valentine's Day is a cynical attempt to cash in on an all-star cast even though the underlying film is, in fact, awful. Oh wait, I would be saying that. Please avoid this film, America! more ›

Golden Globe-nominee Emily Blunt will participate in a Q&A will appear after the 7:15 pm screening of The Young Victoria on tonight at Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14. In The Young Victoria, she plays Queen Victoria to Rupert Friend’s Prince Albert. It’s one of history’s greatest romances. more ›

When I think of my favorite movies of the last twenty years, the most curious inclusion is probably Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco. Now that it's been given the Criterion treatment (it's been out of print on DVD for years), I can't recommend it highly enough. If only Stillman would actually write and direct another film (Disco was his last and that was eleven years ago!). I enjoyed Adventureland so much at Sundance that I watched it again when it landed in theaters. Equally sad and sweet and funny, it was poorly marketed as a straight comedy and never really found an audience. I imagine that it will on DVD, though. Sunshine Cleaning was okay, but had that "deliberately quirky" vibe coursing through it. Duplicity was one of several failures earlier this year that probably marked the beginning of the end of the big-budget, adult-targeted film. Shame that. more ›

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I'm not sure if The Edge of Love is any good or not, but any movie that puts Keira Knightly in bed with Sienna Miller is worth my time and money. Race to Witch Mountain, on the other hand, does not. The original Escape to Witch Mountain was corny, badly-staged and maudlin -- in other words, perfect. Sunshine Cleaning is supposed to be very good (reviews have been kind). Just curious why it's been on the shelf for so long. more ›

is a tiny, unexpected gem. more ›