Great to see Stephen Frears and Michelle Pfeiffer together again. Dangerous Liaisons was just about a perfect film, and Cheri is damn fine, too. Why did they make a Wrong Turn 3 when Wrong Turn 2 answered all of the questions posed by the original Wrong Turn? Oh, yeah. Smoking hot naked chicks. It's a very special week at the DVD store. The worst movie of the year -- maybe ever -- is now available. Yay! more ›

The first Transformers was by every estimation a bad movie. Sure the effects were cool, even groundbreaking, but every other element of the movie was basically silly, if not frequently and insultingly stupid. Its sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is significantly, significantly worse. Absent the mildly diverting discovery arc of the first film, the second one is literally nothing but uninspired set piece after uninspired set piece after uninspired set piece after uninspired set piece. And if you think this review is repetitive, try watching the movie. more ›

I know you stay true when my world is false / everything around’s breaking down to chaos Even after a year and a half of following Mute Math, it still feels like I know a huge secret. People still ask, "what math?" You haven't heard of the electronic, ambient, prog rock, jazz and classically influenced rock quartet making headway through the music industry with a sound that resembles a mix of Sting, Radiohead, Mars... more ›

Lately, being a UCLA football fan has required an extraordinary amount of patience and persistence. Every year, the Bruin faithful summon up the courage to believe that this year will be the breakthrough that we’ve been waiting for. And for most of the past ten years, we’ve been teased. Like a Michael Bay movie, we keep buying a ticket foolishly holding out hope that this time it will be good, even though deep down we... more ›

A few weeks ago, a YouTube video popped up called "Car Bomb In West Los Angeles" in which it appears that some sort of crane-like robot (an extra Transformer that didn't quite make Michael Bay's cut?) pulls an unidentified object out of the trunk of a car. At about the four minute mark in the video, the robot sets the thing off to the side of a building, and a loud noise is heard, as if something was detonated. more ›

Michael Bay, the #11 box-office earning film director, testified for the prosecution in the Phil Spector trial Monday. His appearance sent a shock of excitement through the ice-cold courtroom; I swear even Dominick Dunne perked up. Michael Bay said he remembers Lana Clarkson. He knew her from his days directing videos and commercials for Propaganda, back when he was the kind of guy who had to direct TV ads instead of blowing shit up,... more ›

Yesterday the defense team called Nicole Spector, Phil Spector's daughter, to the stand. Her testimony (all 2 minutes of it) was designed to show that the music producer is right-handed, which would seem to counter some of the prosecution's forensic evidence. Nicole was composed and smiled warmly at the jury. But... 1. In recounting Phil Spector's dad-ishness -- he'd pick her up from high school, join her at her mom's house for dinner, then watch... more ›

Steve Buscemi really is a minor miracle. As I'm looking through his prolific resume on IMDB, I can't find an instance where I didn't enjoy his work. Sure, he's had his clunkers (Mr. Deeds, Domestic Disturbance) and has even fallen under the dark spell of Voldythingy, er, Michael Bay (Armageddon, The Island), but somehow Buscemi always seems to emerge untainted by the mediocrity surrounding him. And when he gets a great role (here, here, here, here, here), he utterly delivers. In short, you don't find many Steve Buscemi-haters. more ›

To those glorious fools who had hoped against hope that The Island might mark the beginning of the end for Michael Bay's filmmaking career, I am loathe to tell you that such wishes now appear to be in vain. Transformers left the North American box office in a twisted wreckage of smoking metal this week, taking in a (groan) record-setting 152.5 million dollars in its opening 7 days. With regard to Mr. Bay, it seems that The Island was but the end of the beginning. He is now free and able to issue forth Transformers sequels well into the next decade. It is a dark time for the Rebellion. more ›

Transformers: The Game Travellers Tales X-Box 360, PS2, PS3, PC, Wii Possibly the biggest of all the summer movies is the Michael Bay giant robot extravaganza, Transformers. And, as with all Hollywood popcorn movies, there is a new video game to go with the flick. The creatively titled “Transformers: The Game” is, unfortunately, a typical movie game. Short, with crappy controls, and just a little bit of fun, that saves it from totally sucking.... more ›

Dear Mr. Bay, I have been waiting for a kick-ass Transformers movie to come out since I was a little kid. I love the Autobots. At one point, I even had plans to marry Optimus Prime, except that he died during one of the Transformers episodes before I had the chance to tell him of my love. When I turned five, I had a Transformers birthday cake. Sometimes I would pretend that my Malibu... more ›

My inner 10-year-old just had an amazing time at "Transformers", while my 26-year-old self took a break from worrying about plot-holes and decent acting. All said, it was everything I wanted it to be. Give reality a break for 2 hours and go enjoy yourself. But if alien robots aren't your thing, there are a few other options opening Friday. Transformers - It isn't even the weekend and this movie has already brought in... more ›

You've already gotten the honest mixed reviews of Transformers from Peggy and Robert, but here comes the biased review of a kid who spent his childhood getting smacked around by his mother after begging for these plastic little toy robots on a daily basis. You see, older generations were raised with good old-fashioned family values -- while my generation was taught about the forces of good and evil from a talking robot army sent... more ›

The Michael Bay-directed, gigantic budget, summer blockbuster comes out today, but some may remember the 1986 animated feature Transformers: The Movie. Released the same year the current film's star Shia LaBeouf was born, the animated classic cast the vocal talents of Orson Welles, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Idle, Judd Nelson and Casey Kasem. The movie also featured the song "The Touch" by Stan Bush. Director Paul Thomas Anderson gave a tongue-in-cheek nod to the anthem... more ›

Thousands of innocent Angelenos are expected to perish today when a highly advanced robot civilization descends on Westwood. However, the carnage is not expected to ensue until 8:15 p.m. so you'll have most of the day to get your affairs in order. That's right, the LA Film Festival is celebrating the glory of independent film with a mult-theater premiere of the multi-million dollar budgeted Transformers. Indie favorite Michael Bay directs. more ›

6:36 - Total Number of Celebs Who Have Visited the Blogghetto: 1. 6:34 - Dane Cook visits us in the Blogghetto. Despite my lack of interest in his comedy, he seems like a laid back, personable dude. Even though I like capping on him, I really don't dislike him. He gamely answers questions, revealing why he won't be in the upcoming Transformers movie. "I know this is going to sound like complete balderdash," he... more ›

Now we don't know what's real or fake in blogland. To wit, we've happened upon David Duchovny's blog, promoting his directorial debut, "The House of D." more ›

LAist wasn't quite sure what to make of Trey Parker, Matt Stone and their patriotic puppets when we first got wind of earlier this year, but after catching an early screening last night at the Paramount lot, we may just have to take one for the team. more ›