"The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart welcomed legendary filmmaker George Lucas to Monday night's show to discuss Lucas' upcoming flick "Red Tails." But Lucas didn't just talk about the beauty of movie magic, importance of historic stories or the talented cast, he revealed why the film took 23 years to develop. more ›

Hopefully you had a great weekend outdoors because there was a dearth of decent TV but that's changing a bit this week: we have some decent shows still wrapping up their seasons but a whole host of premieres of terrible dreck. --- George Lucas has 50+ hours of a "Star Wars" TV show and he's not putting it out there? --- All this and the TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan. more ›

Irvin Kershner, USC graduate, USC professor, director of the Star Wars film, “The Empire Strikes Back” and the James Bond film “Never Say Never Again,” has died at age 87. The Philly-born Kershner passed away Saturday in Los Angeles after a long illness and is survived by two sons. more ›

You know it's a slow week when crap like MacGruber heads the list. Like most Saturday Night Live movies, it's a funny 30-second idea that's ninety minutes too long. If Spread didn't pave the way for Ashton Kutcher's exit from Hollywood, surely Killers will, right? Yeah, nope. Solitary Man isn't a great film, but it's further proof that Michael Douglas somehow morphed from an overrated actor to an underrated one. Not being a huge box-office draw has served his talent well. Sure, The Office has steadily gone downhill since this high point. Still, it's better than every comedy on CBS. Whatever happened to the George Lucas that made THX 1138? more ›

It's a 17-minute musical movie adventure that brought together some of the country's most talented creative minds in the mid-80s, and 13 years after it ended its run "Captain E.O." is returning to the Tomorrowland Theatre at Disneyland in honor of its late star, Michael Jackson. more ›

Last Night: Sure, there was some football but the best thing that happened on TV last night was "Men of a Certain Age" (#MOACA). I don't know how this series happened but it's a gift. Next week's episode features the incredible Sarah Clarke whom we have kept our eye on since her stint as the nefarious Nina Myers on "24". more ›

Back in June I wrote, "Movies open every week in Los Angeles, and LAist always tries to let you know about as many of them as possible. Some films, though -- at least I think so -- deserve a special mention because a) they don't have a huge marketing budget supporting them; b) they are the kinds of provocative films that more people should see and c) they are the kinds of films that the worst toadies in corporate America don't want you to see." The film I was referring to was Food, Inc., and it is available today on DVD. It changed the way I eat. It may just do the same for you. On to lighter fare: G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra was a horrible, horrible film, but at least it wasn't as bad as Transformers 2. That's got to count for something, right? Proof that studios can still make big-budget films that are actually good: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. more ›

Fans of Adult Swim's "Robot Chicken" have been eagerly anticipating this Sunday's premiere of "Star Wars: Episode II" at 11:30pm. Known as "TV for those with ADD", this brainchild of Seth Green and Matthew Senreich broadcast the first "Star Wars" special in June of 2007. This time they've recruited Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks), Conan O'Brien, and many more to provide voices for the myriad of characters. more ›

After the disaster that was ? Screw Charlie Chaplin--give me Buster Keaton! America has nothing like the divine nimbus that is Frenchie Ludivine Sagnier--to our great detriment. more ›

Plenty of people were disappointed by the latest Indiana Jones adventure, but I thought there were enough vestiges of the original character to make it worthwhile. Note to George, though: you should have stuck with the Darabont draft. Small, foreign films need critical attention to draw in audiences and the AMPAS really blew it by not recognizing . more ›

After four weeks at the top of the box-office world, had a less than stellar debut ($15.5M) as fans continue to reject George Lucas' new vision of the historic saga. more ›

Racism has never been so hilarious! | Photo courtesy of DreamWorks more ›

While with a haul of $25.6M ($257.8M). more ›

By now you've probably read everything you want to read about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. All I'll add is a few interesting stats: the total domestic box office of all the films that Harrison Ford has appeared in is a staggering $3,094,851,491. That's just ahead of the films that George Lucas has produced ($2,977,630,768) and behind the movies that Steven Spielberg has directed ($3,447,944,266). did $25M on Thursday alone so those totals will rise to even more insane levels over the next few months. more ›

Let's get this out of the way right at the top--yes, it's very good and, yes, it is every bit an Indiana Jones movie. Is it another . If it's the last Indiana Jones movie, then Ford, Spielberg and Lucas have all gone out on a very high note. Of course, there are broad hints--both within the movie and from outside interviews with the creative elements--that new adventures might yet be forthcoming. For now, though, let's forget about all that and go back to the New Mexico desert of 1957. more ›

If you're as excited as I am about was only a half-success. more ›

, but because production was so hush-hush, he had to do it while not privy to any info on the film. So Geyer and his team brainstormed and came up with several ideas, only to have some of them turned down by Lucas afterwards because they involved creatures or concepts not relevant to the prequel (duh). more ›

Like many fans of the original trilogy, I was relieved that the disaster of the "prequels" mercifully ended after . more ›

Let's start over, shall we? Disney is investing $1.1 billion into California (Mis)adventure, the ghost town of an amusement park next to Disneyland. The Rose Queen for the Pasadena Rose Parade was announced this morning and her name is Dusty. We just love that name for a girl. Staring now, there is no excuse for anyone of any age to ever go "I don't get blogging." The world's oldest blogger celebrated her birthday this... more ›

Though my allegiance has switched over to the Landmark, many film lovers in Los Angeles regard the Arclight as the best multiplex in town. It programs studio pictures right alongside esoteric indies, it offers great concessions, its screenings are commercial-free and it schedules cool events with celebrated films and filmmakers. This Wednesday, tickets go on sale for one of those very events. In fact, this one may be the coolest in awhile. To celebrate... more ›

And you shall know Mr. Bowie by the size of his purple spandex package… The 35mm reissue of the 1986 Jim Henson/George Lucas magnum opus, LABYRINTH, is now playing at the Nuart Theatre. The new print will continue showing in all its goblin glory until Thursday August 2nd. Tonight, there is a post-show Q&A with the entire Froud brood -- Brian Froud, the conceptual fantasy designer, Wendy Froud, the puppet designer, and baby-actor extraordinaire,... more ›

George Lucas is notoriously stringent when it comes to copyright and trademark issues, but it looks like the director has finally realized that remix is the aesthetic of the new millennium, or at least this first decade of it. The Wall Street Journal reported that Lucasfilm is taking approximately 250 clips from the various Star Wars movies and making them available to fans who want to download and use them in Internet mash-ups, re-mixes and... more ›

Tonight - Tuesday - May 1, 2007 NCIS/The Unit (CBS, 8-10:00 p.m.) This week the gimmick is a blind photographer - dude, what's your Flickr site?/Parachute malfunction Brando (TCM, 8-??) Biography of Marlon Brando followed by several of his films, starting with A Streetcar Named Desire. Dateline NBC (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) Boys confess to 2004 murder of 12-year-old girl Gilmore Girls/Veronica Mars (the CW, 8-10:00 p.m.) Lorelai eating, drinking, shopping, karaoke/Veronica investigates vandalism of... more ›

Who would have ever thought that one Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone music video wouldn't satisfy our demand for twisted childhood nostalgia. Earlier we told you about "Circle Circle Dot Dot," but it simply doesn't have the star power of "Rollin W Saget." That's right -- Bob Saget, be-yotch. Toss in some cameos by John Stamos and George Lucas (we're guessing the Paris Hilton is a look-alike), and this is the 'illist clip this... more ›

It seems like most of the better bands and clubs are taking this week off. No offense to those bands who are playing and those clubs that are open, but, come on, we're just keeping it real. Because of that we will show you some video from the Rose Parade. What's interesting from this angle is the speed in which the pace of the parade was truckin' -- and the fact that most of... more ›

Yesterday's Rose Parade was easily one of the best in recent memory. From dragons that breathed fire, to a Louisiana marching band that showed the world what soul was all about, to American Idols singing, to even a dude in a jet pack literally flying down the parade route, it almost felt like everyone knew that they had to knock it up a notch this year because of the Grand Marshal and his invited... more ›

Trojans 32, Wolverines 18 - After losing two games in the Rose Bowl in 2006 (one against Texas in the national championship, the other against UCLA to keep them out of another national championship), USC had a lot of doubters. Not any more. While LA news outlets have probably told you the score and a few key stats, here are the best story lines you probably haven't heard: - This was the first game... more ›

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was the coolest movie ever: Star Wars. As it was loved by men, women, and children of all ages, a year after the movie was released it was decided to produce a Christmas Special that would appear on CBS, some think aimed at kids. The two hour "holiday" special was so bad that even children hated it. Roundly panned, it was deemed by... more ›