There was never any doubt that Ironman 2 would dominate the box office this weekend. The only question was whether it would top The Dark Knight for the largest opening ever. Nope! Despite the largest theater booking in history, Ironman 2 only (only?) managed to bring in $133.6M. That tally squashed the awful A Nightmare on Elm Street ($9.1M | $48.5M) and the resilient How To Train Your Dragon ($6.7M | $201M). The sturdy Date Night continued to print money ($5.3M | $80.8M) as did the nauseating The Back-up Plan ($4.3M | $29.4M). more ›

The natural inclination amongst civilized folk is to resist the bloated blockbusters that trample into theaters every summer. Surprisingly, that sentiment hasn't really applied to Iron Man 2. I imagine that's because of the tremendous good will accorded to Robert Downey Jr. I didn't love Iron Man 2 as much as Iron Man (click here), but it's still a solid piece of popcorn entertainment. There probably won't be a more adorable film this year than Babies. That will either bring you into the theater or keep you away (it will bring me in). more ›

Jeff Bridges will probably end up winning an Oscar for his role in Crazy Heart, but if he doesn't you can bank on Jeremy Renner taking home the statue for his performance in The Hurt Locker. In a just world, Peter Capaldi would be doing the same thing for his brilliant turn as Malcolm "Prince of Fucking Darkness" Tucker in In the Loop. The fact that he probably won't even be nominated is insane. Similarly, Sam Rockwell will likely be ignored for his (inter) stellar work in Moon. Hard to believe that The Simpsons has been on the air for twenty years. Even harder to believe when you consider that it hasn't been consistently funny in over a decade. The Brothers Bloom is exactly the kind of small, quirky film you should find on DVD. It came and went in the theaters, but features great work by Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody (LAist interview here). more ›

Raunchy bachelor-party comedy The Hangover topped the box office for a surprising second straight weekend as it dropped only 26% from its strong debut ($33.4M/$105.3M). Pixar's delightful Up presented a strong challenge in its third week to finish a close second ($30.5M/$187.1M) while superb newcomer The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 finished third with a slightly underwhelming $25M. After that, it was the dreadful Night of the Museum 2: Jesus, We Suck ($9.6M/$143.4M), the reasonably funny Land of the Lost ($9.1M/$34.9M) and Eddie Murphy's epic shitfest Imagine That ($5.7M). Someone, please stop Eddie Murphy. more ›

I'm surprised that reviews haven't been better for the re-imagined version of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. It is, by all rights, a superior film to the original from the 70s. Moon may not be as funny as Solo, but it does cover similar territory. How can you not love Sam Rockwell? There will be no hot dogs served at the screening of Food, Inc.! Repeat -- no hotdogs! Has Eddie Murphy really come to this? Imagine That looks awful, awful, awful. Francis Ford Coppola is finally a true independent filmmaker. Tetro proves yet again, though, that he probably could use some pressure from above. Seriously, some people need studio interference to thrive. more ›

How is it that I 100% get the appeal of the Twilight books, but am completely mystified by the massive success of High School Musical 3? As far as I can see, HSM3 has only one thing going for it. Strange that an essentially clunky film like Gran Torino worked so well, while a seemingly fascinating film like Changeling fell flat. Speaking of movies not working, Body of Lies was about as disappointing as they get, huh? How on earth do you so badly waste the brilliant Russell Crowe? Choke was good, dirty fun. It's worth a rental. more ›

It almost felt like summer again this weekend as a bloated, crappy movie rang up a huge number at the box-office. Despite seriously sucking balls, continued to do well in its third week ($6.1M/$45.5M). more ›

If you're only going to see one movie this weekend, make the time to check out Choke. It's dirty. It's funny. It's got the great Sam Rockwell in it. If you are the type that is entertained by mindless tripe, however, you could probably do worse than Eagle Eye. Is it awful? Well, yes. But it is glossy. And there lots of cool (albeit spectacularly unrealistic) stunts. Are you stuck in a loveless relationship and long for the feeling of a wildly romantic chance encounter? Or did you just like ? Nights in Rodanthe might be for you. more ›

David Gordon Green is in the very first rank of American filmmakers. As far as I'm concerned, every movie he makes is an automatic must-see on opening weekend. Snow Angels debuted last week in New York and opens today in Los Angeles. What sets Green's films apart from so many others is the lyrical melancholy that hovers over every scene and the carefully observed and rich humanity that inhabits every frame. tells two stories about love--one in ascension and one in decline. See it and be rewarded. more ›

From time to time, LAist will take a look at the many book-to-film projects underway in Hollywood. We'll explore the books we love and why we're over-the-moon excited or just plain worried about the film projects that bear their name. When it was announced a few weeks ago that Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson were teaming up to make a film out of Alice Sebold's outstanding The Lovely Bones, we wondered if they'd make it... more ›