In honor of Rob Marshall's beautiful flop, I considered only listing nine DVDs today (of course, the idea did first come to me when I realized how crappy a release week it was but still...). However, some digging and reaching helped unearth the usual fifteen titles that I think are worth a look. The aforementioned Nine landed at the box office like a lead balloon, but its musical numbers are more richly dressed and orchestrated than the over-praised Chicago. Daniel Day-Lewis resides in the very top tier of working actors, and Marion Cotillard and Penelope Cruz are as exquisitely talented as they are beautiful. So why did it tank? Probably because most people would rather spend their hard-earned treasure on crap like Leap Year and The Tooth Fairy. Shame that. more ›

I'm always stuck when it comes to New Year's resolutions. I've already got a great job, a beautiful lady & a weekly soap-box to rave about my favorite theaters. But there's always room for improvement. For instance, I'm not as curmudgeonly as I'd like. Luckily, the Aero has my late lifecoach, W.C. Fields, and two of his finest films to help me on my way. I'd also like to increase my martini consumption. New Year's Eve is a lovely opportunity to brush up, but if I'm resolving to do this, I should enroll in the Egyptian Theatre's weekend seminar, led by inspirational drinker James Bond. more ›

The arrival of “Memoirs of a Geisha” this holiday season earned its spot, in LAist’s eyes, as a film worthy of your well earned dollars. The buzz has been building around town for weeks as screenings and sneak previews have been popping up, including this lovely tale of a celeb date night. Directed by Rob Marshall of Chicago fame and starring Ziyi Zhang (who just snagged a Golden Globe nomination), Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li and Ken Watanabe, the story winds through the young melodramatic life of a girl blossoming into a geisha. Those of you who have read the book will find the movie follows pretty true to the story, though Marshall does focus a lot of time on the cat fights and jealousy amongst rival geisha houses and less on what it takes to become a geisha. more ›