Lindsey Miller, 26, is among the millions of us living in Los Angeles who never seems to run into celebrities--especially the one she has a crush on. Miller, a cancer patient, says on her blog that she recently saw the film 50/50, and has a message for its star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt: She wants to go on a date with him. more ›

For a third consecutive weekend, Inception ruled the box office. The twisty thriller brought in $27.5M ($193.3M) to easily top the unbelievably horrible Dinner with Schmucks ($23.3M). Salt enjoyed a solid second week ($19.2M | $70.8M) while Despicable Me ($15.5M | $190.3M) continued to print money. Newcomer Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Pussy Galore ($12.5M) rounded out the top 5. more ›

The summer's most anticipated film, Inception, over-performed at the box office to the tune of $60.4M to easily win the weekend box-office crown. While Nolan's dreamy action flick gets very wobbly in its last act, it is still the best big-budget movie of the summer season (mainly because of the great Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Last week's winner, Despicable Me, had a strong second weekend, piling on an additional $32.7M ($118.3M). The same can't be said for The Sorcerer's Apprentice which debuted to an expectedly weak $17.3M. more ›

When was the last time a studio film opened that carried with it such anticipation and hope for brilliance? Inception almost has to be great in order to avoid being considered a disappointment. If early reviews are any sign, brilliance may have been achieved. Expectations are considerably more slight for The Sorcerer's Apprentice. As a devoted Nic Cage fan I will obviously see it, but I'm expecting pure popcorn and cheese. Kisses is several years old, but notices have been ecstatic. What took it so long to make it to theaters? more ›

This is my third year-end best list for LAist (2007, 2008), and it ain't getting any easier. I could easily list forty films that are worth your time and money, but that would get all sorts of unwieldy and expensive so I'll limit it to the traditional ten. I won't even try to rank them. All I'll say is that each one captured my imagination in a unique way, and each still lingers clearly in my memory. There's a mixture of studio and independent films, documentary and narrative -- in short, something for everyone. If there are any films listed below that you haven't seen, I urge you to spin up your Netflix queue and go add them now. Also, if there's anything you believe I've criminally ommitted, please let me know and I'll be happy to joust with you in the comments. more ›

Having just gotten out of a relationship which had eerie parallels to (500) Days of Summer, I have no intention of seeing it anytime soon. You should, though. It's wonderfully melancholy and real (excepting the amazing musical sequence with the animated musical bird). I was thrilled to see that District 9 made such a large impact at the box-office. It gives hope to those of us who are tired of seeing nothing but pre-packaged concepts that have been given virtual body-cavity searches by the studios' risk-management trolls. more ›

While it didn't manage to top the records of the deplorable Transformers 2: Racist CGI Moron Porn, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince did enjoy a fantastic weekend as it set a record for the franchise and easily won the weekend ($79.5M | $159.6M). Ice Age 3: More Ice Age placed second ($17.7M | $152M) while the aforementioned Transformers 2: Revenge of the Stupid gathered in a richly undeserved $13.7M ($363.8M). As expected, last week's champ -- the evil, hysterical Bruno -- crashed in its second weekend ($8.3M | $49.5M). more ›

LAist has already seen the excellent Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and this weekend the rest of Los Angeles will likely follow suit. One small quibble, though: how do you leave out the [ ] of [ ]? It would have been one of the most powerful scenes in the entire series. That said, the realization of the pathetic Horace Slughorn is fantastic; the scene in the cave is top-notch; and the Quidditch play (especially Ron's Keeper sequence) has never been better. Thank God, the Deathly Hallows is being split into two films. Lots to cover! more ›

The 15th annual Los Angeles Film Festival kicks off tonight at 7:30 pm with the premiere screening of Paper Man at the Mann Village Theater. The full festival begins in earnest the following morning as over 80 documentary and narrative features unspool in venues across the Westside. In addition to that, the festival features panels and seminars, coffee talks and poolside chats, short-film programs, music video showcases, live concerts and free screenings of such beloved films as Ghostbusters, Election and The Muppet Movie. more ›

Even though the book on which it was based was infinitely better than the resulting movie, the quasi-racist 21 still managed to dominate the weekend box office in its debut. It pulled in a healthy $23.7M, easily outdistancing the resilient ($5.8M/$20.2M). more ›

I can understand your John Travolta or your Tim Allen going for the good paycheck and doing a Wild Hogs, but Bill Macy? The universe is a little less bright today and many fairies are dead. Inland Empire is three hours long, shot on video and makes Lost Highway seem overly coherent. If you're a Lynch fan, that's probably music to your ears. Ryan Gosling's hype took a big hit with his ordinary turn... more ›