The year's just begun, and LACMA already wants to drop out. Their Golden Age of Road Movies series kicks off this week with counterculture combos Five Easy Pieces & Play It As It Lays (Friday night) and Easy Rider & Zabriskie Point (Saturday night). Actress Karen Black appears in-person after Five Easy Pieces, whereas Saturday's program goes a little easier on the pieces, halving LACMA's standard admission to $5. It's all in conjunction with LACMA's William Eggleston exhibition, which doesn't hit the road until January 16th. more ›

The Downtown Independent screens the 1984 zombie-comedy-horror flick Night of the Comet tonight at 9:30 pm. Two Valley girls survive a comet’s obliteration of most of the planet--except for the zombies that are left behind. It’s up to them to fight ‘em off while finding other survivors. There’s a special appearance tonight by one of the Valley Girls: Kelli Maroney. more ›

Many weeks, there can be slim pickings on the DVD aisle. And then there are weeks like this where three, er, fantastic movies top the list. Fantastic Mr. Fox may not rise to the absurd and lunatic levels of Rushmore or The Royal Tennenbaums, but it's a wonderful re-telling of Roald Dahl's seminal children's book. It's that rare thing -- something both children and adults can enjoy (albeit for different reasons). Plenty of critics piled on The Men Who Stare at Goats, but I thought it's daffiness totally worked. The interpretative dance sequence on the Army base was one of the funniest scenes in any movie this year, and I'll say it -- Jeff Bridges did his best work in this movie, not Crazy Heart. While it was mostly overlooked during awards season, Brothers was a solid and depressing piece of drama. Tobey Maguire has never been better, and Natalie Portman solidified her reputation as the best young actress working in studio pictures. Especially in this. Supervan! more ›

Joe Dante returns to the New Bev, and this time he's brought company! Living legend Roger Corman joins Dante for a double-feature of his films St. Valentine's Day Massacre (Corman's first directed for a major studio) & Not Of This Earth (far from his first directed for a schlocky drive-in). The inferno rages all-day Saturday, with a screening of The Movie Orgy, a cut-and-paste epic of found footage & cinematic anarchy. Best of all, to quote Dante, "admission is free because even I don't know who owns the rights to all this found footage". It all climaxes with a 25th anniversary screening of Dante's classic Gremlins. You will have to pay for that, but Gizmo's so cute! Just keep your popcorn away...it's a midnight show. more ›

Orson Welles has seen more devastation & studio interference than any other filmmaker. Major works like The Magnificent Ambersons, Touch of Evil & Lady from Shanghai were all slashed to ribbons and will never be seen as the writer/director/actor intended. Still, they retain their innovative style, fierce bite & raw power over 60 years on. Running through Saturday, the Aero's Orson Welles retrospective features valiant restorations of these works, as well as rare screenings of UCLA's exhaustive, full restoration of Macbeth and Welles' classic (and surprisingly, untouched) Citizen Kane. more ›

There's something incredible at the corner of Olympic and La Cienega. Something shocking. And inspiring. Everything in this town traces back to the cinematic, and yet truly independent film promotion is rare (mini-majors like Fox Searchlight don't count). Which is why I'm entranced with Polanski, opening this Valentine's weekend at Laemmle's Sunset 5. Taking its cue from The Room, the brazen billboard sports writer/producer/director/actor Damian Chapa (of Street Fighter & Under Siege fame) gazing deep into the viewer's soul as he forces himself onto a little girl. It's doubtful the production will help the tragic auteur's legal situation (there's a reason this gift is wrapped with "Unauthorized"), it should make for quite the Valentine. Go with someone you love. more ›

By now, everyone's sick of hearing about how the economy's in the toilet. But hey, sometimes it nets you cheap dinner and a free movie. If you're unemployed, that is. Then you'll want to be heading over to the old Aero, for the uncanny Boris Karloff's spookiest performances, the highly flappable combination of Laurel & Hardy & Fields, and more Ginger than a Shirley Temple - all on their dime (simply present your ID & EDD). For more current freebies, you could always set aside some time to learn something - how about the plight of women in Iran at The Hammer? Or the plight of our descendants stalked by cannibalistic humanoids at The Skirball? Suddenly the recession's a tad easier to bear. more ›

Viddy well, Long Beach! This weekend, your humble narrator strongly advises you attend Stanley Kubrick's real horrorshow picture A Clockwork Orange, unspooling at the Art Theatre. Dress as one of those dashing droogs and get in for only $5. Bring your own moloko. more ›

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LEARNING*: Code Show presents a free seminar “Tech PR 101 with Nicole Jordan” at the Santa Monica Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 pm, lecture at 7, followed by a Q&A and networking until 9 pm. The after party is TBD. more ›

Yesterday, there were not many details about a "freshly-shot" body found at the Glendale-based Forest Lawn cemetery (as opposed to the Griffith Park location). As more details came out, we learn the shooting was likely gang related and that the murder happened within the city limits of Los Angeles, not Glendale. more ›

A Word or 50: It's premiere TV newsman Edward R. Murrow's birthday today. Doubtless he would be ashamed and aghast at how pathetic the mainstream press has performed with respect to questioning the powers that be over these last six years. To look more fully into this, check out PBS tonight at 9 p.m. Tonight - Wednesday - April 25th, 2007 Humphrey Bogart Marathon (TCM, 5-?? p.m.) Learn it all from Bogey: The Big... more ›

Unless you spent the $225 for the series that includes Al Franken and Ann Coulter tonight at The Gibson, you’re out of luck. Rather, we recommend you check out local celebrity politico Eric Garcetti at the Improv Olympic on The Blank Blank Show in Hollywood. more ›