"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!" Want to hear those words spoken in person, at long last? Head over to LACMA tomorrow night where director Jason Reitman will lead a cast in a table reading of the script of "The Princess Bride."
Paul Rudd Will Read 'The Princess Bride' With Director Jason Reitman at LACMA Tomorrow
DVD Tuesday: Up in Precious!
Following its debut at the Telluride Film Festival, Up in the Air was being heralded as a strong contender for a Best Picture Oscar. The fact that it didn't win anything at last Sunday's ceremony should tell you it wasn't nearly as weighty and significant as early press indicated. Still, it was another solid film by Jason Reitman and another effortless turn by Clooney.
LAist Film Calendar: Jason Reitman, GI Joe & Killer Boars
No matter how hard I stare at my keyboard, I cannot escape the pull of the Oscars. The New Bev welcomes twice-nominated director Jason Reitman for its latest guestival. Since there's no official title for the program...
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
The 35th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards was held this weekend at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. The LAFCA is comprised of Los Angeles-based, professional film critics who work in the Los Angeles print and electronic media. LAist was out covering the red carpet of the event and talked with some of the award winners about how they first got involved with their projects and how it feels to be honored by some of the toughest critics in Hollywood.
Box Office Review: Look Out, Titanic!
The mighty Avatar trounced all comers for the third weekend in a row, taking in a huge $68.3M ($352.1M) to easily win the weekend. Sherlock Holmes had a good second week and brought in $38.3M ($140.6M) to squeak by Dumb Fucking Chipmunk Movie ($36.6M | $157.3M). It's Complicated had a strong hold and made another $18.7M ($59.1M) while The Blind Side keeps pancaking the competition ($12.6M | $209M).
Box Office Review: Blind Side, er, Blind Sides 'Em!
In a rare feat, The Blind Side managed to top the box office chart for the first time in its third week of release. The feel-good football story took in $20.4M ($129.2M) to easily top feel-bad vampire story New Moon ($15.7M | $255.6M). The horribly depressing Brothers was a distant third ($9.7M). The resilient Christmas Carol ($7.5M | $115M) and the god-awful Old Dogs ($6.9M | $33.9M) rounded out the top 5.
Weekend Movie Guide: And the Oscar Goes To?
The best film opening this weekend -- possibly even the best film of the year -- is Jason Reitman's Up in the Air (LAist review here). Clooney is likely a shoe-in for a Best Actor nod. I had similar hopes for Brothers, but early reviews have been mediocre. Can't imagine Jim Sheridan missing badly, but I guess we'll see. All signs point to Everybody's Fine being a, well, fine film. I'm bothered by that dull title, though. Armored? Pass. Across the Hall? Pass. Breaking Point? Pass. Serious Moonlight? Anyone still care about Meg Ryan? Next!
Movie Review: Up in the Air*
Up in the Air is a comedy-drama directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking and Juno.) It is an adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. According to Reitman, “The movie is about the examination of a philosophy -- what if you decided to live hub to hub, with nothing, with nobody?” Well, what if the “you” was George Clooney? In that case, you would be dressed as dapper as could be, wantonly leaving women in your wake as you fly on to your next destination.
Movie Review: Juno
So I think I can safely say, having viewed it twice now, that Jason Reitman's Juno is the newest addition to my list of favorite movies. Okay, yes, it may be a pretty "rosy view of teen pregnancy", as my friend declared, but the humor, the characters, and the crazy dialogue ("You should've gone to China, you know, 'cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods. You know, they pretty much just put them in those t-shirt guns and shoot them out at sporting events"), as well as what I consider a pretty awesome performance by Ellen Page especially, all add up to a really enjoyable movie. Page plays Juno, a quirky, smart-ass 16-year-old who seemingly spontaneously decides to sleep with her adorable and mild-mannered best friend Bleeker (Superbad's Michael Cera), and ends up pregnant. After being freaked out at an abortion clinic by the idea that the baby has fingernails already, Juno picks a couple from an ad who are looking to adopt a child and offers to hand it over once it's born.
Drew Carey: 'I'd love to own a freeway in Los Angeles'
He plays the part on TV but Drew Carey is not all games all the time. The host of both The Price is Right and Power of 10, Carey moonlights as one of Hollywood's most visible Libertarians (see also: Clint Eastwood, Trey Parker, Jason Reitman). Starting today, he's taking it broadband via the Reason Foundation's new online video channel "for free minds and free markets," Reason.tv. "We need Reason to help fight the stupid drug...
Thank you for Thank you for Smoking
By gum they did it — they actually made a funny movie about politics. Thank You For Smoking stars Aaron Eckhart as a tobacco lobbyist, who's so ballsy and charming you have to love him, even while you know he's entirely evil. He's what Ari Gold and Rush Limbaugh think they are — but neither holds a lighter to Eckhart's Nick Naylor.
Films This Week(end): Festivals, Smoking, Vendettas
While The Other Venice Film Festival finishes up this weekend, three local film fests hit Los Angeles. Tonight through Sunday, Perspectives International Film Festival, at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, features films that challenge stereotypes of the lives of people with developmental disabilities. The Silver Lake Film Festival, in its 6th year, begins next Thursday. Joining them at the ArcLight, will be the Fringe Fest '06 & mp-4 Fest.
HOT SUNDANCE RUMOR!
So, yesterday we caught director Jason Reitman's (son of Ivan) hilarious film, Thank You For Smoking, which is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Buckley (son of William F.). Before the film rolled, Jason got up to let us know that a scene was missing from the film. Not just any scene, but a Katie Holmes sex scene. According to Jason, there was a "projection error in Los Angeles" that resulted in that scene being trimmed from the second reel.

