Jean-Luc Godard's Week End ditches little things like "plot" along the way to gleeful cinematic anarchy. Battle Royale's a bloody good Japanese satire. Then play 2011 catch-up with guests & double bills! more ›

John Landis knows a thing or two about movie monsters. He's written & directed creature classics An American Werewolf in London & Michael Jackson's Thriller, and distilled decades of knowledge into a new book, Monsters in the Movies. more ›

Film festival season approacheth! Since this isn't Phoenixist, we can start with the Hola Mexico Film Festival. The festival opens Thursday at the Arclight with gritty crime drama Bitten Bullet (if you habla Espanol, Edward James Olmos introduces the film in this clip) and, for aficionados, the Opening Night Fiesta featuring Bostich & Fussible of Nortec Collective... more ›

If you have somehow avoided watching Battlestar Galactica up till now (and God damn you if that's the case), you can finally watch it as God (e.g. Ron Moore) intended: the complete series on Blu-Ray. Sure, it's expensive but how could you more wisely spend your money? On health insurance? On fucking food? Please! I love everything that Werner Herzog even walks past, so naturally I loved Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Nicolas Cage is in full freak mode (see trailer here for proof) and Werner's direction is as daffy and counter-intuitive as ever. Is Peter Jackson trying to assume the dick mantle from George Lucas (click the link!)? Today we get The Lords of the Rings trilogy in Blu-ray, but it's only the theatrical editions. I'm sure in a few months we'll get another high-priced version of the extended editions in Blu-Ray. Sigh. Greed. Party Down! more ›

Somebody must have sat on a scarab beetle, because the Egyptian hits the ground running this weekend! Friday, party with Native Wayne (formerly of KROQ, currently of Indie 103.1) and pour out a little Red Stripe in memory of Perry Henzell, whose 1972 classic The Harder They Come introduced the world to the heights of reggae more ›

It’s a little slow on the event front tonight, but maybe it’s better if we ease our way into the rest of 2010: 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 ›

Herr Claus may be the most sought-after German this week, but his countryman Herzog is also comin' to town. He'll see you, sleeping or awake, at the Downtown Independent, for a screening of his latest, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. If two Herzog films in one season isn't enough of a treat, gorge yourself on the other names in this celluloid sack: Willem Dafoe, ChloÎ Sevigny, Michael Shannon, Udo Kier, Brad Dourif & Grace Zabriskie. The only thing keeping the partridge from the pear tree is that executive producer David Lynch is just an ornament on the marquee, not a key player. Maybe next time, if we're good little boys and girls. more ›

If ever a movie screamed Oscar-bait it is Invictus. Big-name cast? Check! Big-name director? Check! Poignant, life-affirming, yet complex story about human triumph? Check. The Princess and the Frog is significant because it is the first Disney film to feature an African-American lead. Thank God those racists at Disney were finally drummed out! The Lovely Bones was a, uh, lovely book that is apparently being blown up into this bloated thing by Peter Jackson. Peter -- less effects, more story. more ›

Weekend plans still up in the air? If 20,000 feet isn't enough elevation for you, boldly go to the Aero for screenings of JJ Abrams' Star Trek, fanboy tribute Free Enterprise, and a Trek triple: Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock & The Voyage Home. TrekMovie.com has organized panels reuniting the cast & crew of Free Enterprise, and welcomes writer/director Nicholas Meyer in-between Khan & Search for Spock. For a different warped drive, the Warner Grand has cracked-out Christmas flick Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, paired with surrealist seasonal import Santa Claus. If you'd rather stick to this planet, the Nuart has celluloid space-cases Werner Herzog & Nicolas Cage unspooling all week in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. more ›

Is it just me or do the weird, little Mormon books by Stephanie Meyer not exactly qualify as a "saga"? And why does no one discuss the awful examples of social behavior (e.g. how awesome it is to date violent, distant men) that the books promote? Nevertheless, here comes Twilight Saga: New Moon. It will make close to a hundred million dollars this weekend, and in a few years people will barely remember it. I'm much more excited about Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Werner Herzog + a fully-caffeinated Nic Cage + a sleepwalking Eva Mendes = awesome. Yes, I am dead serious. Michael Oher has a great story which I'm sure will be watered-down and simplified in The Blind Side. Hey Hollywood -- less accents, more story! more ›

If you've been to the New Bev as often as I have, you've found that the theater isn't run by a staff so much as a family. Friday, they pull out all the stops for one of their own, Julia Marchese, as she makes her big screen debut in the thriller Golden Earrings. Of course, for every sweet Julia, there are a plethora of bastard stepchildren. more ›

Heeb Magazine brings seven-minute Jewish stories by Joanna Angel, Lizzy Cooperman, Evan Kleiman, Jon Korn, Ben Kronberg, Eric D. Weingrad and the accordion playing of Adam Shenkman to the M Bar stage tonight from 8-9:30 pm. The event’s hosted by Marc Evan Jackson. Call 323-856-0036 to make reservations - the event usually sells out. more ›

It seemed the writing was on the wall for Indie 103.1 FM when the plug was pulled on Joe Escalante’s “Last Of The Famous International Morning Shows.” Two months later Indie 103.1's plug was pulled. more ›

Japanophiles unite! This week marks not one, but two free previews of Tokyo!, a new anthology work featuring contributions from Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind), Bong Joon-ho (monster-masterpiece The Host) & Leos Carax (The Lovers On The Bridge). Opening later this month at the Nuart, use these screenings to get the jump on your otaku buddies & save a few bucks along the way. For the purists, perplexed by the lack of a single Japanese name amidst that trio, take heart in LACMA's premiere of Tokyo Sonata, featuring the writer-director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to Akira) as special guest, or any of a number of programs featuring experimental video artist Takahiko Iimura. more ›

Forking -- or its formal title Fork Off Down Your Own Forking Adventure Which You've Forked: FORKING! -- is a full-length play by SF native Daniel Heath that mixes theatre and reality TV. The audience votes on the ending like a “choose your own adventure” on stage: “This time around, the audience again actively participates by voting. Six 20-to-30-somethings who live together in Los Angeles are thrust into or out of the sack with other characters, depending on how the audience votes.” The plot focuses on wedding photographer Chastity with a bad knee and no health coverage and Joshua, a Canadian about to be deported. After a drinking binge they think that marriage might be the best course of action? Will the audience get them to the altar on time? The curtain rises at 8 pm at the Theatre Asylum and runs until March 14. Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 online. more ›

The Los Angeles Film Festival officially kicks off tonight with the premiere of the awful-looking Angelina Jolie action flick, . It's something about assassins, tattoos, curving bullets and explosions--you know, standard indie fare. Starting tomorrow, the festival begins in earnest with films and events rolling at 18 locations all around Los Angeles. Most, however, are relegated to Westwood and the surrounding neighborhoods. While parking will certainly be tight and pricey, any cinema lover will find an over-abundance of things to do. more ›

Despite early misgivings that it might be too soon for another ($10.1M/$119.9M). more ›

I've been a devoted fan of Adam Carolla since his early days on but funny). All it's missing is a Carolla beat-down of the dreadful, show-wrecking Danny Bonaduce. Bring back Dave Dameshek! more ›

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Those of you who didn't get enough of Death Proof at the theater (and that would be 37 of you) now have the chance to experience Quentin Tarantino's complete and unedited cinematic vision--oh, whatever. Matthew McConaughey almost refused to do We Are Marshall because he thought his character should always be shirtless. Would Carly Schroeder turn 18 already so I can stop feeling so creepy (Kristen Stewart, too). Lucky You deserved better. Daniel Auteuil... more ›

Did you know today is the 226th birthday of El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles -- aka L.A.? The old bitch is looking pretty good for her age! Although the city did not incorporate until 1850, September 4th, 1781 is the date that 44 Mexican pobladores set out from San Gabriel with a military escort to settle alongside a great river -- then called the Rio de Porciuncula, later to... more ›

While most of the country was out watching Transformers over the holiday, we in Los Angeles were lucky enough to have the chance to see Rescue Dawn. Directed by the great, mad German Werner Herzog (and inspired by his own 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly), Rescue Dawn tells the story of Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), an American fighter pilot who was shot down over Laos in 1966, captured and tortured by Pathet Lao forces and eventually imprisoned in a POW camp. Given the title of the film (and its rather pointed one-sheet), I don't think I'm spoiling anything by mentioning that Dengler does, in fact, escape from the camp. Knowing that, though, doesn't limit the enjoyment of the film one bit. more ›

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. more ›

The Los Angeles Times interviewed director Werner Herzog this weekend about his upcoming film, Rescue Dawn, and asked the German-born iconoclast why he has chosen to make Los Angeles his home: "We lived for a while in San Francisco, but it was too chic and leisurely," Herzog explains. "New York is only a place to go if you're into finances. But we wanted a place of cultural substance. And if you look behind the... more ›

A Word or 67: I've already seen some State of the Union drinking games posted on the web, so get home early with a bottle of hooch because here again your early primetime programming is to be disrupted by our floundering President and his evil grimacing VP, standing behind him like some kind of Golem. Which Democratic senators is he going to attempt to kiss this time? Lieberman, pucker up mofo. Tonight - Tuesday... more ›

Tonight and tomorrow the New Beverly screens Grizzly Man, directed by Werner Herzog, and Incident at Loch Ness, which stars him riding around the foggy loch in a boat. And because we live in LA, where cool and strange things happen, Werner Herzog himself and Loch Ness' director Zak Penn* will be at the theater tonight, talking about their movies. more ›

In the Egyptian Theatre's Spielberg Theatre at 7:30 PM, see Zak Penn's Incident at Loch Ness, starring Werner Herzog. more ›