The way I see it, documentaries succeed in one of two ways. The first: deal with a terrifying, real subject matter ("One Day in September", "Jesus Camp"). Express it in a matter-of-fact way that both frightens and informs the viewer. The second: Find a genre/subject that is so outlandish ("American Movie", "Spellbound") that all you need to do is turn on the camera and capture the unintentional hilarity. The hitch is, you need to have AMAZING characters who don't realize how funny they really are. A few weeks ago we had the former with "The Ghosts of City Soleil", this weekend we get the latter with... more ›

A CG rat, a couple documentaries, John McClane and a Swiss genius...should make for an interesting weekend in the theaters. Be sure to also check LAist's LA Film Festival coverage for some other gems playing around town this weekend. more ›

Today - Tuesday Clippers @ Jazz (PRIME, 6:00 p.m.) Coyotes @ Kings (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) Ducks @ Sharks (KDOC, 7:30 p.m.) "Emeril's Kicked Up New Years Celebration" (FOOD, 8:00 p.m.) Watch this show with a bottle of vodka, any time Emeril says "kick it", "notch", or refers to the band or the schmucks in the front row, take a shot. "29th Annual Kennedy Center Honors" (CBS, 9:00 p.m.) Andrew Lloyd Webber, Zubin Mehta,... more ›

On Monday October 17th, Club Culinare is hosting a Chef a Table dinner with Swedish Chef Conny Andersson at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. Andersson will spend each of five courses at a different table, and guests are encouraged to engage in table talk about culinary issues and other pressing global concerns. Andersson graduated with honors in culinary school, has created dishes at some of the top restaurants in the country including L'Orangerie and the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills and has gathered inspiration from his travels throughout Bali, India and the Caribbean. The dinner begins with a Champagne and canapé reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner created by Andersson featuring dishes such as Crisp Skin Pork Belly with Braised Fall Beans, Molasses Cabbage and Small Arugula and Guinea Hen with Warm Salad of Salsify, Fall Apples and Foie Gras at 7:30 p.m. All that, plus some prime elbow rubbing with the chef! The event costs $105 per person, which is all-inclusive. more ›