As someone who had used Facebook since its inception, only to participate in Quit Facebook Day earlier this year, I'm very interested in The Social Network. It's a rare peek into the real world behind our augmented reality, with plenty to "like": David Fincher as director, Aaron Sorkin as writer and Jesse Eisenberg as "the CEO, bitch!" himself, Mark Zuckerberg. The film has a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics comparing it to Citizen Kane, There Will Be Blood & The Godfather. Freakonomics aims for a similar pedigree with its documentary all-star squad: Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Seth Gordon (King of Kong), Rachel Grady & Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side) and Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight) tackle abortion, education, offbeat baby names and cheating sumo wrestlers through statistical vignettes, but there may be too many cooks in the kitchen. 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 ›

Large swaths of red-blooded American males have been waiting for this moment since March of 2000 (NSFW) and today that moment finally arrives -- Jessica Biel is nekkid in a movie (unbelievably NSFW)! Of course, by all accounts Powder Blue is a terrible film, but why let something like that stop you from buying it, right? It surely can't be any worse than the week's "big" release, New in Town. What has happened to Renee Zellweger? Not every notable 70s movie was actually good. Zabriskie Point will make you laugh but not in a good way. Forever Strong has two things going for it: it's about rugby and it stars the amazing Gary Cole. more ›

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 ›

Though the stumble by opened to a less-than-expected $7.8M. more ›

I'll be in the minority when I attend Leatherheads this weekend because I'm not going to see George Clooney. As an increasingly obsessive fan of he is way overdue to be in a film that properly utilizes his narrow but sharp comic instincts. more ›

I have decided to take a new approach to writing film reviews in 2007. No more feeling obligated to see and write about Important Hollywood Crap. C'mon, are there actually any LAist readers who care about that shit? I figure if people want to read that stuff they can open the LA Times or the Weekly and read film reviews by someone who probably cares about things like oeuvres and mise en scène and didn't... more ›

Are there classes--like "Opening mouth, inserting foot 101" or "How to revive a flailing career or image"-- that celebs must take? Last year it was Tom Cruise on Oprah, then Tom Cruise chastizing Brooke Shields and psychology; this year we have former Basic Instinct stars trying to rage against the dying of the light (also known as obscurity in Hollywood). more ›