The Grey pits Liam Neeson vs. wolves vs. PETA! Meanwhile, Man on a Ledge hangs Sam Worthington out to dry. In limited release, we review Brazilian Oscar submission Lula, Son of Brazil. more ›

Kick-Ass didn't do nearly as well as I hoped and expected. Still, it's a hell of a lot of fun and Chloe Moretz found the role she was born to play (albeit at an incredibly young age which probably spells disaster for her career). To all the Nic Cage haters out there, I point you to the wonderful character that is Big Daddy! ... more ›

Boy, Zach Galifianakis is suddenly everywhere, huh? Let's hope that over-exposure doesn't ruin my favorite current comedic actor. One question, though: how bad is Operation: Endgame? Considering its superb cast, this is a movie that should have gotten a nice theatrical debut instead of being dumped to DVD by Anchor Bay? And it's got Odette Yustman, folks! Odette Yustman!! The re-make of Clash of the Titans violates my number one rule of doing a re-make: only redo movies that were bad! The original Clash was no great shakes, but at least it had vintage Harryhausen effects and a supremely hammy Olivier. Everyone should know who Stephen Fry is. If you don't, find out today. Hard to believe that it was Grieco and not Depp who was the early breakout star of Jump Street. Lesbian Vampires rule! But no more than nuns!! more ›

Either you enjoy the films of Noah Baumbach, or you find the whole enterprise pretentious and annoying and wonder why anyone would want to spend another moment in the presence of his characters. Greenberg may mark the apogee of this distinction. Chloe isn't nearly as good as his masterpiece, Where the Truth Lies, but it is an Atom Egoyan film and deserves watching. I hope that all the Mormons who fought to ban gay marriage -- as seen in 8: The Mormon Proposition -- will expend an equal amount of energy fighting other supposed biblical prohibitions. Like, you know, following false prophets like Joseph Smith! What a bunch of fucking weirdos. more ›

While it was expected that The Karate Kid and The A-Team would tussle for the weekend box office crown, the reality is that it was no contest. The pointless remake of the seminal 80s hit waxed on to the tune of $56M to easily dispatch the middling TV show reboot ($26M). Shrek Forever After continued to do better than anyone expected ($15.8M | $210M) while Get Him to the Greek ($10.1M $36.5M) and Killers ($8.1M | $30.6M) enjoyed reasonably good holds in their second weekends. more ›

While transitioning a moderately bad TV show like The A-Team to the big screen is little more than a lazy idea, re-making The Karate Kid is just downright awful and evil and pathetic. I can't remember the last time I was rooting so hard for a movie to utterly fail. Okay, maybe Sex and the City 2 a few weeks ago, but still! Winter's Bone was one of the breakout hits from this past year's Sundance Film Festival. Mark it down -- Jennifer Lawrence is going to be a star. Another movie about Coco Chanel? Wasn't one enough? Reviews have been middling for Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky so I think I'll pass. On the other hand, notices for Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work have been superb. She's still the funniest female comedian I've ever seen. See it! more ›

When the subject is Andy Kaufman, people seem to divide into two fairly distinct camps: those brilliant few who recognize him as a comic genius years ahead of his time and the fucking idiots who should probably be put to sleep by the government. While Andy Kaufman: World Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion doesn't offer anything new to the devoted Kaufman-phile, it does package it all together nicely. Buy it for a friend or your mom today! Better yet, start an inter-gender wrestling club in your local community! I know I am, girls! more ›

To no one's surprise, the unnecessary re-make of Clash of the Titans easily claimed the box office crown this weekend thanks to America's pathetic embrace of bad 3-D. The crappy reboot hauled in $61.4M ($64M) to easily top the equally mediocre Tyler Perry's Why Do I Keep Making Bad Movies ($30.1M). The fantastic How To Train Your Dragon claimed $29.2M worth of treasure to top Miley Cyrus' pointless shit-fest The Last Song ($16.2M | $25.5M). The solidly entertaining Alice in Wonderland ($8.2M | $309.7M) rounded out the top 5. more ›

If ever a movie didn't cry out for a re-make it was Clash of the Titans. The original wasn't necessarily good, but it was beloved by a distinct sliver of the populace. They will now hate this re-make, while those new to it will think the movie is just stupid. Which it is. A last-minute 3-D conversion only adds to its mediocrity. At least, it's not the worst movie of the weekend. That is surely The Last Song. Miley Cyrus is, of course, grotesque in everything. My question is this -- what's a solid actor like Greg Kinnear doing in this shit? more ›

Parents and kids (and critics) were totally charmed by How To Train Your Dragon as it easily won the weekend box office race. It's huge haul of $43.3M demolished previous champ Alice in Wonderland ($17.3M | $293.1M) and disappointing newcomer Hot Tub Time Machine ($13.6M). The terrible, shitty, depressing The Bounty Hunter actually had a decent hold in its second frame ($12.4M | $38.8M) while Diary of a Wimpy Kid was clearly the victim of a nasty dragon bite ($10M | $35.7M). more ›

Week by week, trailer by trailer, Hot Tub Time Machine is growing on me. Now, I'm really itching to see it (and not just to see aging hottie Jessica Pare slumming it in a thankless role). Is it this year's The Hangover? We'll see on Monday morning! Atom Egoyan definitely belongs on the list of directors who never get the notoriety they deserve. Chloe looks fantastic (and not just because crush object Amanda Seyfried is all kinds of naked in it). What's the best reviewed movie of the week? How about How to Train Your Dragon. I love that the filmmakers employed ace DP Roger Deakins as a consultant. Does Pixar finally have a challenger? more ›

Quentin Tarantino roared back into prominence as his World War Two revenge flick, Inglourious Basterds, uh, roared to the top of the weekend box office, earning a way-above expectations $37.2M. Last week's champ, District 9 had a reasonable hold and earned an additional $18.9M ($73.4M). After that it was the sort of okay G.I.Joe ($12.5M | $120.5M), the weepy Time Traveler's Wife ($10M | 37.4M) and the winning Julie & Julia ($9M | $59.2M). Kids commanded the next three slots: the lame Shorts debuted to $6.6M followed by the odd G-Force ($4.2M | $107.3M) and the super Harry Potter 6: Harry Battles Voldemort! ($3.5M | $290.2M) more ›

There's already been a ton of Inglourious Basterds material on LAist this weekend, so I'll only say, "Check it out. It's a helluva ride." My One and Only looks like an intriguing film. Based in part on the life of George Hamilton, it tells the story of a determined woman looking for a wealthy man to provide a nice life for her and her sons. It's been awhile since there's been a film about The Troubles, but Five Minutes of Heaven is a welcome addition to the canon. Liam Neeson stars as a man who, as a child, murdered the brother of another man (a fantastic James Nesbitt). The film tells a story of forgiveness as both try to reconcile the past. more ›

Do you have any girls for massage that look like my daughter? | Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox more ›

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The Liam Neeson thriller Taken ended the box office stranglehold of Paul Blart: Loser at Life this weekend by scoring a big win on Super Bowl weekend. Taken pulled in $24.6M to easily outpace the Kevin James non-laugher ($14M/$83.3M) and restore some semblance of sanity to the universe. Crappy re-make The Uninvited tallied up $10.5M in its opening weekend while Hotel for Dogs ($8.7M/$48.2M) managed to hold off the infinitely superior Gran Torino ($8.6M/$110.5M). more ›

January is historically one of the worst months for movie-going. Studios typically drop their crappy product on the unsuspecting. This month is no exception. The Uninvited at least features Elizabeth Banks, but she's not naked or being funny so I'll pass. Good to see Maggie Grace back onscreen but would prefer to see her in something less crappy than Taken. Renee Zellweger fans may enjoy New in Town, but I know I won't. The Class had a brief stay in theaters late in 2008 and is back for a second turn. See it. It's funny and touching. Indie fans should enjoy both Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh and Serbis. more ›

Transvestites, an inspirational illustrator and a group of snowboarding
pioneers round out this unusual list of limited release movies showing in
Los Angeles this weekend.


• 39
  Pounds of Love - Documentary starring Ami Ankilewitz. Directed
  by Dani Menkin. This documentary follows Ami, a 39-pound Israeli
  illustrator diagnosed with a rare ailment, and his journey to find
  the doctor who predicted his early death. [trailer | local
  showtimes]


• Breakfast
  on Pluto - Drama starring Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson,
  Ruth Negga, Laurence Kinlan and Stephen Rea. Directed by Neil Jordan. An
  Irish orphan (Cillian Murphy) named Patrick Braden is on a quest to
  find out who his birth mother really is. Along the way, he works as
  a transvestite named Kitten, finds love with a hypnotist and becomes
  involved with illegal IRA bombings. [trailer | local
  showtimes]


• First
  Descent - Documentary starring Shawn Farmer, Nick
  Perata and Terje Haakonsen. Directed by Kevin Harrison and Kemp Curley. This
  film offers a look at snowboarding's origins and domination as the
  leading winter sport in the US. [trailer | local
  showtimes]

Tonight at Largo, see the first of two nights with singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb. Doors open at 8:00 PM. more ›