The crux of The Dilemma is that Vince Vaughn can't tell best bud Kevin James that the best things he has going for him may not be all that great. The same caring, cautious approach should be taken towards The Green Hornet. more ›

America proved yet again that it is more than happy to reward crappy movies with large box-office hauls. The pointless The Last Exorcism "earned" $21.3M to top the mediocre Takers ($21M) and win the weekend. Recent powerhouse The Expendables slipped to third but still earned a ridiculous $9.5M ($82M). After that it was the lame Eat Pray Love ($7M | $60.7M) and the funny The Other Guys ($6.6M | $99.3M). more ›

Well, a special edition of Avatar 3D is back in theaters this weekend to suck out more of your hard-earned money. Frankly, I find the film quickly diminishing with the passage of time. I'd rather spend my money on either Centurion or Mesrine: Killer Instinct. Both feature dynamic, charismatic actors in their primes (e.g. not Sam Worthington). Doesn't it seem like Takers is basically the same movie as Armored? And I think it's more than just the presence of Matt Dillon in both. The Last Exorcism violates the cardinal rule of all horror films: it's rated PG-13. Join with me and promise never to pay money to see a PG-13 horror film again! more ›

I enjoyed but hardly loved The Runaways. Dakota Fanning continues to be badly mis-cast (mostly because she's no longer nearly so compelling an actor) and Kristen Stewart hasn't grown much as a performer since In the Land of Women. Still, Michael Shannon was his usual electrifying self and the story of The Runaways is a great one (though I would have loved to have seen more of Lita Ford!). The Losers surely suffered from the perception of being an A-Team-lite. Let's see if The Expendables suffers a similar fate in a few weeks. Cop Out was plain awful. If only Kevin Smith could be satisfied with the prospect of being nothing more than a brilliant public speaker (as opposed to a mediocre filmmaker). more ›

Considering the former magnitude of her fame, it was expected that Jennifer Lopez's The Back-up Plan would at least eke out a box office victory this weekend. Nope! The little animated movie that could -- How To Train Your Dragon -- topped the charts for a second consecutive weekend ($15M | $178M), easily beating J-Lo's rancid "romantic comedy" ($12.2M). Date Night continues to chug along nicely despite not being nearly as funny as either The Office or 30 Rock ($10.6M | $63.4M). The Losers lived up to its title ($9.6M) but still managed to best the fantastic Kick-Ass ($9.5M | $34.8M). Note to parents: stop being such prudish losers (click it! click it! click it!) and bring your underage kids to see this superb and violent R-rated film! more ›

I'm not particularly looking forward to seeing The A-Team -- err, I mean, The Losers this weekend, but it may be the best of a bad bunch. Oceans obviously looks amazingly cool, but I'm not completely on board with it's pro- to neutral position on sharks (aka, the serial killers of the sea). Subtitles will scare away many, but the brave will be rewarded by No One Knows About Persian Cats if they dare to see it (LAist review here). more ›

3-D televisions are still a technology of the near-future so everyone who buys Avatar will be watching it in good old-fashioned 2-D. Absent the gloriously immersive world created by James Cameron, will audiences be distracted by the obvious plotting and tinny dialogue? Jeff Bridges should have won an Oscar long before getting one for Crazy Heart (The Fisher King anyone?). While his turn as Bad Blake didn't blow me away, it was a solidly professional turn in an otherwise mild movie. A year ago, smart money pegged Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones as a surefire Oscar contender. Nope! We need more movies like 44-Inch Chest. Is Ray Winstone ever not awesome? Don't worry -- Solar Anus Cinema isn't what you think. It's, you know, arty. more ›

Avatar continued its long slog towards ultimately topping Titanic by easily winning this weekend's box-office race ($48.5M | $429M). Sherlock Holmes was a very distant second but has proven to be a solid hit for Guy Ritchie ($16.6M | $165.1M). Unfortunately, the same can be said for Dumb Fucking Chipmunk Movie which is still bringing in unfit parents and their bratty kids ($16.3M | $178.1M). Daybreakers was the best performer of the films released this weekend ($15M) while It's Complicated managed to top ($11M | $76.3M) another newbie, the crappy Leap Year ($9.1M). more ›

The mighty Avatar trounced all comers for the third weekend in a row, taking in a huge $68.3M ($352.1M) to easily win the weekend. Sherlock Holmes had a good second week and brought in $38.3M ($140.6M) to squeak by Dumb Fucking Chipmunk Movie ($36.6M | $157.3M). It's Complicated had a strong hold and made another $18.7M ($59.1M) while The Blind Side keeps pancaking the competition ($12.6M | $209M). more ›

James Cameron's Avatar broke 3-D records this weekend as it surged to a strong $73M opening to top the box office. Disney's The Princess and the Frog was a distant second with $12.M ($44.7M) just ahead of the still-strong The Blind Side ($10M | $164.7M). Did You Hear About the Morgans? disappointed in its debut ($7M) as the audience just doesn't appear to be there for Sarah Jessica Parker if she's not playing a vapid, money-grubbing whore. Teenage girls and lonely middle-aged women continue to flock to New Moon ($4.3M | $274.5M) while Afrikaaner ex-patriats are not flocking to Invictus ($4.1M | $15.8M). more ›

On many Tuesdays, the pickings are slim among the new crop of DVDs. And then there are days like today where the bounty is almost too rich. Where better to start than with JJ Abrams' re-start of the Star Trek franchise. Did anyone not like this movie? You know, except for those people who automatically don't like things because they're popular. In other news, there may not have been a funnier movie this year than Humpday. There definitely wasn't a funnier scene than the dinner table revelation between Josh Leonard and Alycia Delmore. Is the number one rule about the Fight Club Blu-Ray DVD that we don't talk about it? That wouldn't make sense. Sure, Bruno wasn't as funny as Borat but the swinging dick scene was priceless. more ›

J.J. Abrams' reboot of the Star Trek franchise soared past expectations to bring in a huge $76.5M this weekend at the box office. Early tracking had pegged a $50-60M haul, but the well-reviewed film blew past those estimates. Last week's champ, Wolverine, endured an expected, precipitous drop but still managed to bring in $27M ($129.6M). The awful Ghosts of Girls Matthew McConaughey Used to Bang held up fairly well in its second week to score $10.4M ($30.2M) while Obsessed gathered an additional $6.6M ($56.2M). more ›

The early word has been so good on Star Trek that I'm actually starting to get a little nervous that my expectations are too high. Despite the great reviews for Star Trek, however, I have no doubt that Outrage is the best film opening this week (LAist review here). If Atom Egoyan makes a film, I go see it. Simple as that. Adoration is his latest work, starring the very underrated Rachel Blanchard. Loved Mos Def in Be Kind Rewind; love Donald Faison always, but not sure I'll care for Next Day Air. Seems a little...broad. more ›