As countless hours of news coverage have illustrated, Kabul is a city without hope, suffocated by endless war, religious extremism and deep-seated corruption. While these menaces are certainly present in The Black Tulip, Afghanistan's submission for the 2011 Academy Awards, the film chooses instead to focus on everyday Afghanis, their perseverance and the daily struggle for free expression. The Black Tulip follows a decade of triumphs and tragedy for the Mansouri family, whom Taliban insurgents mark for death after they open The Poet's Corner, a cafe featuring live music and poetry readings. more ›

Sure, you could always stay in and watch reruns of [insert name of your favorite show here], but why bother when you have these things happening tonight to get you through hump day. more ›

John Sayles has enjoyed one of the more respected careers in film over the last twenty-five years. By some estimates, he is the king of the uncredited re-write and has used the large fees he's garnered as a script doctor to further his own career as a writer-director. His resume is studded with several superb pictures (Sunshine State, Passion Fish, Eight Men Out, The Brother from Another Planet) and one masterpiece (Lone Star). Tonight at the Aero Theater, Sayles unspools his latest, . more ›

For anyone who isn't storing all your party reserves for some big New Year's bash, here's what's going on around town tonight. more ›

If you're not mall-ward bound, frantically baking fruitcake, cleaning house for arriving relatives, or headed to LAX, there are still plenty of things to do tonight in LA. more ›

It's a sparklie!! The Aero Theatre in Santa Monica is host today to the 25th Anniversary (yes, really) of this 1982 masterpiece about a sick mouse, a sinking house, Dom Deluise as a crow in a blouse, and magic rats. I'd write more about it but I'm busy gathering my amulet. The Secret Of NIMH -- 25th Anniversary! @ The Aero Theatre Sunday July 29 1328 Montana Avenue Santa Monica 3pm... more ›

It's another crazy 1970s double feature. Directed by Frank Perry Diary Of A Mad Housewife stars Carrie Snodgress (rocker Neil Young's girlfriend for a time in the 70s) and Richard Benjamin as a young, well-to-do Manhattan couple whose marriage hits the skids thanks to obnoxious, self-absorbed hubby. The film feels dated, but Snodgress' Oscar-nominated performance still rings true. more ›

Big Bad Mama, a 1974, Roger Corman-produced breasts-and-bullets flick, features the brilliant tagline, "The family that slays together, stays together." This B-movie version of Bonnie & Clyde is set in 1932 Texas and stars Angie Dickinson as a bootlegging, bank-robbing mom who joins up with Tom Skerritt and William Shatner to bilk society for all they can get. In between the robbing and killing are numerous sexy romps. more ›

Why woo your sweetheart with such tediously traditional notions as flowers, teddy bears and edible panties when you could watch Matthew Barney and his inamorata Bjork going at each other with flensing knives on the deck of a Japanese whaling vessel in Drawing Restraint 9? And if that's not enough Barney for you, there's the making-of documentary Matthew Barney: No Restraint. His work has sometimes been described as a "hauntingly dreamlike fantasy and surrealist odyssey," but I think Vern of Aint It Cool has the best take on Matthew Barney. more ›

RSVP: Go to the Creative Screenwriting website and sign up to receive information about future events. You should then receive an email with further instructions about how to sign up for this event. more ›

Perhaps you're like us, recovering from that six week full-court press of shopping, traveling, eating, smiling, wrapping, unwrapping and now you just want to sit back and not get fed any more BS. If that's the case, tonight is the night for you as LA is screening not one, not two, but six olde school black & white classic films this evening all around town. more ›

THURSDAY more ›

We are all about movies that people either love or hate. Todd Solondz's Palindromes appears to be one of those flicks. Film Threat falls on the side of love for this disturbing tale of a 13 year old desperate to have a child. The 13 year old is played by 6 different people of varying ages, ethnicities, and genders in an attempt to force the audience to consider their own assumptions and prejudices about teen pregnancy. more ›

Fresh off of impressing folks with their energetic set at SXSW, Art-pop band Maximo Park is at Cinespace tonight at 10pm. Cinespace's Tuesday rock nights are hosted by DJs Steve Aoki and Frankie Chan and they bring the true hard rock dance party if there is such a thing. Rumor also has it that this is the after party for Bloc Party's Troubadour show tonight as well as to celebrate the release of their new album today. more ›