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 ›

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 ›

Considering the former magnitude of her fame, it was expected that Jennifer Lopez's The Back-up Plan would at least eke out a box office victory this weekend. Nope! The little animated movie that could -- How To Train Your Dragon -- topped the charts for a second consecutive weekend ($15M | $178M), easily beating J-Lo's rancid "romantic comedy" ($12.2M). Date Night continues to chug along nicely despite not being nearly as funny as either The Office or 30 Rock ($10.6M | $63.4M). The Losers lived up to its title ($9.6M) but still managed to best the fantastic Kick-Ass ($9.5M | $34.8M). Note to parents: stop being such prudish losers (click it! click it! click it!) and bring your underage kids to see this superb and violent R-rated film! more ›

I'm not particularly looking forward to seeing The A-Team -- err, I mean, The Losers this weekend, but it may be the best of a bad bunch. Oceans obviously looks amazingly cool, but I'm not completely on board with it's pro- to neutral position on sharks (aka, the serial killers of the sea). Subtitles will scare away many, but the brave will be rewarded by No One Knows About Persian Cats if they dare to see it (LAist review here). 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 ›

I'm psyched to see any new Paul Greengrass movie and even though Green Zone feels a little Bourne-ish, I'm definitely there. I can't say the same for Our Family Wedding which looks like a quasi-racist farce (and not in a good way). Will Team Edward flock to see Remember Me? Let's hope not! Jay Baruchel is solid gold in my book, and She's Out Of My League appears to be the sort of broad, horndog comedy that I tend to like. more ›

Shutter Island destroyed all comers this weekend, bringing in a huge $40.2M to easily win the box office crown. The debut was a personal best for both Martin Scorcese and Leo Di Caprio...which is kind of tragic actually. Last week's champ, Valentine's Day collapsed in its second frame (yay!), but still brought in a shameful $17.1M ($87.4M) while Avatar doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon ($16.1M | $687.8 Fucking Million Dollars!). Percy Jackson & The Olympians: World's Longest Title ($15.3M | $58.7M) did much better in its second weekend than the unterrible The Wolfman ($9.8M | $50.3M). more ›

I love Martin Scorcese, but frankly I'm just ready for him to collaborate with an actor other than Leo. Their latest joint effort is Shutter Island which, by all impressions, is a meticulously crafted mind-fuck. Will I see it? Yes. Will I love it? That would surprise me. What I could love, though, is Ghost Writer. Edited from his chalet prison in Switzerland, it's Polanski's latest film. Considering how much I've been watching Chinatown in the last year (at least ten times in its entirety), I'm very much in the mood for new Roman. Reviews have been pretty solid, so I'm excited. Trust me on this one -- most of you will resist seeing The 2010 Oscar Nominated Short Films. Trust me on this one, too -- everyone who does will love them. Can we put a stop to Brian Greenberg? I'm just not getting the appeal, folks. The Good Guy is his latest. Alexis Bledel and Trini Alvarado are great, though so maybe it's worth a look. Nah! more ›

Is there anyone in America who didn't see ($10M/$56.4M). more ›

It's already a foregone conclusion that The Dark Knight will set some sort of record this weekend at the box-office. The only question is how much it will eventually make. 130 million bucks? 140 million? More? The buzz surrounding the film has been almost universally positive so expect a great time as you settle into your seat and enter the dark world of Batman and the Joker. Ledger's final performance is one for the ages. more ›

was the last David Lynch movie that I really dug. Bill Pullman--in all of his confused Everyman glory--was a perfect fit for Lynch's surreal and scuzzy universe. more ›

Those who believe we shouldn't be covering Orange County, cover your eyes for a few seconds: okay! O.C. Sheriff Mike Carona, his wife, and many others used the Sheriff's office as a cover to accept gifts, loans, and other compensation totalling $350,000. Carona has been indicted on ten separate federal counts of corruption. That big rig crash on the 405 at La Tijera was a real doozy -- the accident wasn't cleaned up until... more ›

And then it's over. Conga lines of cars head up Kanan and Malibu Canyon. The locals head for bed. The night belongs to the sea lions, barking and bellowing on the beach, looking for summer love. more ›

This weekend sees the opening of at least four new movies hitting theaters all across the Southland, and in surveying them LAist can't help but think how Angelenos could experience the same events in said movies around Los Angeles without ever having to pay a cent. more ›