Results tagged “georgelucas”

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

, 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).

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

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

Law & Order: Criminal Intent offers what will no doubt be a sensitive meditation on the perils of fame in a May episode that closely parallels the Anna Nicole Smith saga. Original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kristy Swanson, in her puffy, post-pregnancy state (that's the kind of glow you can only get from stealing another woman's husband and having his baby) will play the ersatz Anna Nicole and… (wait for it)… David Cross will play her scummy Howard Stern-esque manager. Set your TiVo to stun. -FOX

Alec Baldwin goes ballistic on his daughter's voicemail. Someone (ex-wife Kim Basinger?) leaks the tape. The tabs are there to pick up the pieces. -TMZ

Screenwriter-turned-director Frank Darabont, who's made a cottage industry of churning out sappy, sentimental life-affirming dramas based on Stephen King stories, is pissed. He spent a year slaving away with Steven Spielberg on a script for the fourth Indiana Jones film only to have George Lucas nix it. Remember the lovable Jar Jar Binks and his nuanced, heartfelt dialogue? Imagine what like Lucas will do with Indy. -MTV News

The LA Times offers a window into the phenomenally wasteful world of formulaic, big-budget action movies. Author Clive Cussler for some reason expected his top-selling action-adventure novel Sahara to be an equally successful movie. Instead it flopped to the tune of $105 million. That's what happens when you pay Matthew McConaughey's abs $8 million to star in a movie. Cussler sued production company Crusader Entertainment and the case is now in court, which is why the whole world knows exactly how much McConaughey's personal chef made ($48,893) and Cruz's hairstylist raked in ($135,550). -LA Times

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Trojans make ritual sacrifice to please Lucas. AP Photo by J. Pat Carter. The flag of Troy flies over Hollywood today as members of the separatist USC Mafia celebrate a landmark day in their fight to become a sovereign nation. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General George Lucas donated $175 million from his personal war chest to outfit and supply the cinematic powerhouse. “The force is strong in Troy,” remarked Lucas. “And...

It seems that the rumors are indeed true, as they often are. This week The Walt Disney Company announced its purchase of animation powerhouse Pixar in a deal worth around $7.4 Billion. The all-share deal will make Steve Jobs, the chief executive of Apple who is also the largest shareholder in Pixar, around $3.5 Billion and the single largest shareholder in Disney. Jobs will now be a commanding presence in the film, entertainment, technology, computer and music industry through Apple's iTunes Music Store. He has ruled out becoming Disney's chairman in the future but has not turned down a board of directors position.

What's the buzz at the water cooler these days? Of course the water cooler was beaten to death (no pun intended) with the happenings of PopeGate 2005, and then we seemed to quickly burn through the "hot at the moment" rumors of Dave Chappelle going mental, checking into a hospital, fleeing to Mars, take your pick.

It's fortunate that, when a National Election doesn't go your way, there are a myriad of other entertaining things to get your mind off the fact that the country is going to hell in a handbasket. And today, LAist is proud to get you obessive-compulsive Bush-haters off that bandwagon and onto another obsessive-compulsively sad one.

Tonight is a great night for film lovers with three sneak previews on the way—the first is especially compelling for anyone who lives in Los Angeles. It's a good night to get out and see a movie, so get rolling!