Josh Tate

Will someone please remove Mr. Shatner from the set? He's scaring the cast! | Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures 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,...

One of my absolutely favorite documentary filmmakers. | Photo courtesy of, uh, me! I think it would be very fair to classify Kirby Dick as a documentary filmmaker's documentary filmmaker. He tackles difficult subjects; he's fearless; and, most of all, he tells great stories that can find a glint of humor even in the darkest of places. His two best films to date, Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist and This...

My name is Larry Craig, and I am a gay American. | Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures Forget Social Security, closeted homosexuality in Washington D.C. is the true third rail of American politics, and provocateur extraordinaire Kirby Dick firmly places his foot on it in his bracingly honest documentary, Outrage. The film covers in meticulous detail the sad truth that virtually all of the mainstream media knows but would rather ignore: there are many...

Shred! | Photo courtesy of Spanner Dan via Flickr Metallica. Slayer. Megadeth. These local boys gone legends are always worth a good mosh, but it's their lesser-known Canadian counterparts, Anvil, who have grabbed the city's heart by the horns. Continuing their residency at the Landmark, where documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil has rocked audiences for a month and counting, Anvil appears alongside film director Sacha Gervasi for two special Q&A sessions tonight, May...

Man, actors have a tough life, huh? | Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is so expertly crafted that one can't help but marvel at it from a technical viewpoint. As a story, however, the film is just so-so. Sure, it's a provocative premise, but Brad Pitt is almost lifeless as the titular character. Dustin Hoffman is one of the handful of actors whose movies I will always see....

Last time I get in the jacuzzi with this dick. | Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox The summer box-office season officially began on May Day this year as X-Men Origins: Wolverine slashed its way to the top of the chart with a huge $87M weekend. Despite generally poor reviews (even from the fanboy set), audiences filled the seats to see Hugh Jackman don the sideburns once more. The dreadful Ghosts of Girlfriends Past...

Sabretooth vs. Wolverine | Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox Despite passionately loving independent films and documentaries, I still get excited when the summer blockbuster season starts -- earlier every year it seems -- and so I'm jazzed to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine. How can anyone justify missing a cinematic rendering of the X-Men? Speaking of independent films, they don't get more so than the works of Jim Jarmusch. I loved Broken Flowers and...

Photo courtesy of Shawn P. Lewis Surprisingly, Black Devil Doll is not the first blaxploitation killer-doll horror film. Cult TV movie Trilogy of Terror spawned the sub-sub-genre with a zany Zuni* fetish doll all the way back in 1975, and the unrelated Black Devil Doll From Hell introduced all the best elements of the video-era: awful sex and even worse production values. Continuing blaxploitation killer-doll horror's proud advancement (degradation?) into the 21st century, Black...

An early concept photo for Bond's iconic pose. It was rejected. | Photo courtesy of twaize via flickr No, really - did some memo go around saying all film festivals had to be scheduled within the same two-week period? The Polish Film Festival continues, flanked by the South-East European Film Festival & the last stands of the Los Angeles Jews & the Pacific Asian subcontinent. But with all the talk of Iran lately, the...

Maybe this hot photo will get the bigots onto the pro-gay marriage bandwagon. | Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox It marks a sad state of affairs when the horrible Bride Wars is the "big" DVD release of the week. I get that Kate Hudson does this sort of crap to bankroll her extravagant lifestyle, but I thought better of Anne Hathaway. Annie, please get back to doing things like Rachel Getting Married! Or,...