This may be the twentieth time I've declared this in this space, but one more time can't hurt: watch Battlestar Galactica! It may not be the best show of the last ten years, but it's as good as any. How a floundering NBC never thought to scoop it up from its little Syfy sister and air it on the big network still astonishes me. Whatever Works isn't nearly as good as recent Woody Allen gems Vicky Cristina Barcelona or Cassandra's Dream, but it's good for a few laughs. Is Chris Hitchens the best damn debater on TV? Yep! Is three Monty Python DVDs in one week too much? Nope! Who would thought that The Big Lebowski would produce such an underground sensation? My money would have been on Raising Arizona or Miller's Crossing. more ›

A wise man was once misquoted: "Beer is proof that God loves us". May I further bastardize: "And so are horror movies!" It's no coincidence both are celebrated in October, the most wonderful month of the year. Par ejemplo: long-awaited horror anthology Trick 'r Treat. Scheduled for release years ago, the film was instead shelved in a nasty trick, despite a bankable cast (headlined by the fang-banging, award-winning Anna Paquin & all-around-awesome character actors Dylan Baker & Brian Cox) and unanimous acclaim from the few who have seen it. Which is why it's such a treat that there are two screenings this week before its descent into direct-to-DVD hell. The Cinefamily has Trick 'r Treat's writer-director Michael Dougherty as special guest on Friday, while the New Bev unearths Stephen King's Creepshow on Sunday. Be scared or be square! more ›

After mostly being given up for dead as a legitimate box-office attraction, Sandra Bullock roared back to prominence this weekend as she carried The Proposal to a surprising box-office triumph ($34.1M). Last week's champ The Hangover had yet another powerhouse weekend ($26.8M/$152.9M) as did Pixar's wonderful Up ($21.3M/$224.1M). Sony probably had high hopes for Year One several months ago, but the pic disappointed in its debut ($20.2M). Lack of "funny-ness" and an abundance of "shitty-ness" seemed to be the culprits there. more ›

Larry David plays Boris Yellnikoff, the “Woody Allen character” in the director’s latest film, Whatever Works. We’re not so much introduced to Boris as we are identified by him as he looks past the fourth wall to tell moviegoers in the opening scene that, “This is not the ‘Feel Good Movie of the Year.’ So, if you’re one of those idiots who needs to feel good… ehh… go get yourself a foot massage.” But don’t take his word for it. more ›

Orson Welles has seen more devastation & studio interference than any other filmmaker. Major works like The Magnificent Ambersons, Touch of Evil & Lady from Shanghai were all slashed to ribbons and will never be seen as the writer/director/actor intended. Still, they retain their innovative style, fierce bite & raw power over 60 years on. Running through Saturday, the Aero's Orson Welles retrospective features valiant restorations of these works, as well as rare screenings of UCLA's exhaustive, full restoration of Macbeth and Welles' classic (and surprisingly, untouched) Citizen Kane. more ›

After several lean years (anyone care to remember Deconstructing Harry or the laughless Hollywood Ending), Woody Allen is on a pretty good roll lately. Vicky Cristina Barcelona may be his best film since the fantastic Bullets Over Broadway. Kirk Cameron. Christian Action Star. Pride and Glory wasn't great, but it hit all the right notes of your standard cop corruption film. Colin Farrell is really back with a vengeance, though, huh? Speaking of being back, Guy Ritchie certainly seems to be right on track again with RockNRolla. more ›

While 2008 was no 1999 in terms of truly amazing films, it was better than most may think. Last year, I went with a top 10 that was headed by the wondrous and magical . Accordingly, I've put them at the very top of my list. The rest are in alphabetical order. See each one of them and I promise you will have lived a better life once you're done. more ›

Woody Allen (Vicky Cristy Barcelona, Manhattan, Annie Hall) and William Friedkin (the Exorcist, the French Connection) collaborate with the Los Angeles to bring you their vision of Giacomo Puccini's Il Trittico. Il Trittico is made up of three one-act operas, "Il Tabarro", "Suor Angelica", and "Gianni Schicchi". James Conlon conducts the orchestra and Tony-award winning Santo Loquasto will design the set. "Il Tabarro" is about a tragic love triangle, filled with dark and violent undertones. "Sour Angelica" is a story of redemption and contains some of Puccini's best known melodies. This opera was considered his favorite, and is actually the least performed of the three. The most popular is the third act, which is based off of Dante's "the Divine Comedy". This comedic opera involves the story of a family obsessed with the death of a family member, and how they try to extort some money since he has donated all of it to the nearby monastery. This includes the famous aria "O Mio Babbino Caro," which shows up all over the place, whether it's in a Mr. Bean movie, a Charlie Brown special, or a Grand Theft Auto III trailer. Although all three operas sound distinct in their own way, the themes of death and realism tie each of them together. This is Woody Allen's first foray into operatic directing, although he has been friends with Domingo for over 20 years, with talks of a "La Boheme" film. more ›

Woody Allen's latest movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, made $3.7 million this weekend. But he was in town a couple weeks ago for the world premiere and we happened upon him and his family while riding our bikes in Beverly Hills. more ›

After four weeks at the top of the box-office world, had a less than stellar debut ($15.5M) as fans continue to reject George Lucas' new vision of the historic saga. more ›

Racism has never been so hilarious! | Photo courtesy of DreamWorks more ›

I liked , but I'm glad to see Woody Harrelson working again. Here's to hoping he finds something befitting his unique talents. more ›

It looks like a lot is on tonight but as a commentor said yesterday, "TV really blows these days" - I agree. Lifetime has launched an online series hosted by Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead called "Gift Intervention", it's kind of like an Antiques Roadshow for really bad gifts combined with an outing of the bad-giftor. more ›

OK so the Oscars are this weekend. Even though the writers' strike is over, the prediction is that this will be a ho-hum (excuse me?) Oscars. First of all, the majority of the films presented for consideration are real downers, secondly, because of the strike, many potential presenters thought that the awards ceremony would be canceled or drastically cut back so they made other plans and are now not available to present at the show. I'm sure they will have enough presenters but perhaps there won't be as many "mega-stars", thus leaving room for more indie-types. more ›

OK so the Oscars a week from Sunday are what we're building up to but as an enthusiastic follower of Dexter on Showtime, I'm intrigued to see how it will translate to its network debut on CBS at 10:00pm this Sunday. At first I was concerned that the end result would be a heavily edited, several minutes shorter, vapid and empty shell of its former glory. Not so according to my Showtime contact. Evidently when they were shooting Dexter, for scenes that were gory, had nudity, or strong language, they shot alternate footage meant for broadcast TV. On Sunday we'll see if the result is a dumbed down and boring version of our favorite serial killer. more ›

I'm shocked at the middling critical response that Cloverfield has generated. Sure, it's only a popcorn movie, but it's a is not a huge box-office hit. I also can't imagine there not being a huge backlash any day now. Flame away! more ›

In other news, a desperate NBC has ordered a pilot of the BBC's cars & celebs series, Top Gear. The show has been running on BBC America for a couple years now, I've seen a few episodes, notably one with Ewan McGregor. The show may be amusing depending upon which celebrities they line up, but it's no American Idol. Again, instead of coming up with something original, we're forced to watch rebranded concepts from overseas. more ›

Vampire Weekend, decked out in polo shirts and loafers, played their blend of indie rock meets afro-pop to a packed house at The Echo last night. The show was sold out and the band did not disappoint despite singer Ezra Koenig’s ailing vocal chords. Armed with enhanced energy and a couple of new songs since the last time they were in LA, Vampire Weekend proved that they are very deserving of the buzz currently surrounding... more ›

Britney Spears's new friend and advisor Sam Lufti may be charged in a Los Angeles court this week for ramming his car into a process server's Range Rover who was hired by Kevin Federline to subpeona Lufti back in August - US Weekly more ›

Now that the writer's strike is on, what will happen to your favorite shows? The LA Times has worked up a grid explaining the future status of shows like "Lost," "Scrubs," and "Battlestar Galactica". The real tragedy here, of course, is that "The Colbert Report" is immediately going into reruns. Heathrow and Chicago O'Hare share the dubious honor of TripAdvisor's Least Favorite Airport: and yes, LAX represents itself nicely at #4. LA Weekly takes... more ›

The legendary film director Ingmar Bergman died early this morning at his home in Sweden. He was 89 years old. Born into a middle-class family in Uppsala, Bergman struggled with issues of faith, mortality, and identity throughout his life; these themes would echo through his films, including classics such as Persona, Wild Strawberries, Fanny and Alexander, and The Seventh Seal. Bergman is remembered most for his visionary style and his complicated portrayals of love... more ›

-- For £10 million and a private jet you’d do it too. They’re getting the band back together. [AOL Canada] -- $80 for the new Smashing Pumpkins record? Fantastic. [Shoutmouth] -- Rape me and a bag of chips. [Pitchfork] -- Leaking the leakers. Applications for 'snitch’ now being accepted. [Idolator] -- Choose your own Bob Dylan adventure. [Billboard] -- Woody “I don't want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is... more ›

- Pinkberry is yogurt-ish enough. Rejoice! - eating LA - The boats at Echo Park Lake might be dunzo. Sigh. - blogging.la - The weather is perfect to start watching movies outside under the stars - Franklin Ave. - LA City Nerd stumped by a simple question? Impeach! - LA City Nerd - Saturday is Bootie LA's 2nd anniversary. Word! - Bootie LA - Paris Hilton has the penmanship of a 7th grader -... more ›

"I know the meeting will be there, but will God show up?" This is only second to the conversation about drugs and alcohol. Billy Graham's only vice is coffee, but he heard somewhere that coffee might be bad for you as well and that he might have to give that up to.... more ›

There are many great lines from this late 60's interview. My favorite is Billy telling Woody that "thou shall not commit immorality." Or Woody saying that not having premarital sex is like "getting your license without taking driving lessons." That and the reference to venereal disease. God Bless YouTube for digging this up.... more ›

Last night at the El Rey, The Hold Steady did just that -- Not playing the coy, indie-nerd wallflowers and never crossing into absolute rock and roll mayhem, Craig Finn and the boys held the line, well, steady. Looking like a more-hip Paul Giamatti and gesturing feverishly like a less-nebbishy Woody Allen, Finn led the charge with flails and jolts, hand claps for miles, and his frighteningly accurate, wholly incongruous, Springsteen voice. Mesmerizing. The... more ›

Dear LAist, Did you see Entourage last night? When Drama drove to Variety to beat the ass of the TV critic Paul Schneider, was that really Michael Schneider who also is a critic at Variety, appears on E!, and runs the Franklin Avenue blog? Also, where can I get that AD/HD shirt? Nancy, North Hollywood Dear Nancy, We thought the same damn thing! However, if we had tuned into the Franklin Ave. blog on... more ›

Tonight - Friday - March 16th, 2007 College Basketball: Arizona vs. Purdue (CBS, 4:00 p.m.) College Basketball: Arkansas vs. USC (CBS, 6:30 p.m.) Trail Blazers @ Lakers (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) Take the Money and Run (TCM, 6:45 p.m.) Bumbling bank thief, Woody Allen, is released from prison and continues his crime spree (1969) 20/20 (ABC, 9:55 p.m.) Bawbwa talks to Venezuelan Prez Hugo Chavez Larry King Live (CNN, 9:00 p.m.) thighmistress Suzanne Somers,... more ›

A Word or 12: Dirt - I forgot to mention Dirt yesterday, someone just kill me please. Tonight - Wednesday - January 31st, 2007 The Spiral Staircase (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) This nifty thriller from the '40s features a strangler that follows a mute maid through a dark New England mansion during a storm. Lakers @ Celtics (KCAL, 5:30 p.m.) Monster (IFC, 6:00 p.m.) Charlize Theron transorms herself in an Oscar winning performance. Worth watching just... more ›

Here's a trailer for the original Casino Royale cut as if it were a present-day Bond film. The 1967 Casino Royale AKA Charles K. Feldman's Casino Royale (not to be confused with last year's Casino Royale) was a spy spoof that starred Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, and David Niven, and featured a host of Hollywood personalities such as Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, John Huston, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Jacqueline Bisset in a mind-boggling assortment of roles. more ›