Actor Roy Scheider died today at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock where he had been undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. Scheider's career began in the late 1950s but he came to widespread public attention in the 1970s, highlights include: Klute (with Jane Fonda in 1971) quickly followed by the incredible French Connection (1971), Jaws (1975), Marathon Man (1976), and All That Jazz (1979). Any one of those films could......

In a year of great documentaries, Sharkwater resides in the very top tier. It is a passionate advocacy film about the immense slaughter of sharks currently going on in the world's oceans. Sharks are caught in 60-mile long lines, have their fins cut off and then are simply dumped back in the ocean to rot. I recently had the opportunity to speak with the film's writer, director and narrator, Rob Stewart. You originally started......

The opening moments of Sharkwater promise what appear to be little more than a beautiful film about the kingdoms of the deep. Plants sway with the current, silver schools of fish move as one and sharks glide effortlessly through the clear water, remote and menacing. Then, one of the more remarkable images I've ever seen suddenly appears: a man is standing on the ocean floor cradling a six-foot shark in his arms and stroking......

According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), unprovoked shark attacks have been growing steadily over the past century. This statistic is good enough reason for me to never go into the ocean higher than waist-deep, ever again. Ironic, for a person who moved from chilly Boston to sunny L.A. in order to live the breezy, beach-y life. But the kid in me that walked by the covers of Jaws 1-3 a few too......

This is Shipwreck, think you can take her? You have 5 hours left to try out in LA for NBC's new American Gladiators. The open casting for contestants and gladiators runs till 5pm. This woman impressed the judges, other contestants, and the media by running the 40, then flipped all the way back to the start line. Jaws dropped. Then they asked her to do it again to get more coverage, she did two more......

After covering Wicked Wednesday, I realized that I didn't have to work until later that night. The PR person had said, "Just go wherever you want." I think she meant within the stage area, but I thought I'd wander around a little. The last time I went to Universal Studios they had just gotten Jaws, and they were still doing an avalanche with big cheesy-looking styrofoam boulders. I went on "Back to the Future"......

Some people have already been eulogized here on LAist, for example, Robert Altman, so I've done my best not to repeat anyone who has been mentioned recently. As someone who studied film in college, I always try to look over and remember people who changed the industry, improved their art, or who changed/improved me. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I'm sure I've missed some people. Feel free to add and......

We heard last week that Netflix was setting up a summer travelling roadshow. Now the details: Netflix is showing classic American movies around the country at locations the films made famous. On tap are some very cool locations. They're screening Jaws at State Beach on Martha's Vineyard; Clerks at The Quick Stop in Leonardo, NJ; Field of Dreams in the field in Iowa; and Escape from Alcatraz on Alcatraz Island -- to name a......

The Writer's Guild West is following in AFI's listomania footsteps and come up with the 101 Greatest Screenplays. We won't keep you in suspense — #1 is everyone's favorite B-movie-made-good, Casablanca: I'm not good at being noble, Ilsa -- But it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Not now. Here's looking at you......

Jaws: Say you're a pair of small-time crooks who decide to hold up banks in grocery stores. It's not glamorous work, and the take is kind of mediocre — one of you can't even afford to fix his teeth. So it's pretty darn cool when officials start calling you The 007 Bandits. Jaws II: CalTech scientists are working on implanting sensors in sharks' brains to control their actions. Mechanical engineer Joel Burdick tells the......

Considering how often we're at the Arclight or up the block at Daddy's or The Well, it's surprising that we've never actually stepped foot in Sunset+Vine. We've never had cause to check out the Border's (which is the only thing we ever notice when we fly past the garish building) or to find out what's going on at Zen Zoo Tea and Kabuki Sushi. Obviously, however, somebody is utilizing the shopping center/Apartment Complex. SSR......

If you have ever wondered how and why we live in the age of the $300 million action-packed mega-blockbuster, show up at BookSoup on Sunset at 7:00 PM. Tom Shone will present and sign his new book, Blockbuster: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer, about the rise and continuing profitability of the big-budget showstopper, beginning with Jaws. Lose your Monday stress by getting wrapped up in a Hitchcock double feature......

LAist knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery -- but with what's coming out in theaters this weekend, well, someone has completely gone off the deep end. Shark Tale: A CGI film about the underwater world of fish -- with Will Smith and Jack Black playing the title roles of a fish and shark, respectively. There's comedy, action, suspense (there's a little mob mentality thrown in here) and a little bit of......