Josh Tate

Hot chicks laugh at micropenis (link NSFW) | Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment You know it's a slow week at the DVD counter when a low-brow flick like Sex Drive is the highest profile release. Didn't see it, but read on Ain't It Cool that it was pretty funny. And apparently there are tons of naked chicks in it (link NSFW). Might be worth a rental. Breaking Bad, on the other hand, is definitely...

What exactly is the appeal of this drag queen again? | Photo courtesy of Lions Gate On Saturday night -- following yet another brilliant concert by Lisa Hannigan at the Troubadour -- my friends and I headed over to Pink's for a late-night "Mulholland Drive" dog. We ended up speaking to a couple from Covina who had just attended a screening of Madea Goes to Jail. That couple is now dead, as should all...

If you walk my way... | Photo courtesy of PhotoFM via Flickr I will never forget the strange way in which I discovered the music of Lisa Hannigan. Last summer, I was sitting at work trading listening ideas with a friend over IM. I don't remember which one of us suggested Damien Rice, but his name came up and I typed it into my favorite website of the moment (the now lamentably defunct www.mixwit.com)....

Cheerleaders dressed in pastels are always the good guys. | Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures It's a sad weekend for movie-goers across the country when it's a slam-dunk certainty that Madea Goes to Jail is going to easily top the box-office. I admire Tyler Perry's business acumen, but he is truly an awful filmmaker. Then again, is Madea really any worse than Fired Up!? The only way you could get me to see this...

Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment Between special screenings, TV tapings & incestual industry conduct, filmmakers are a common appearance in this town. When the New Beverly hosts a filmmaker, it's truly special. Eclectic personalities take complete control of the theater's programming, spotlighting elements of their own work, their influences, or simply their favorite, lesser-known films. Previous hosts include Edgar Wright, Patton Oswalt, Joe Dante & Peter Bogdanovich, and now writer-director Rian Johnson has the...

I just want to...sing! | Photo courtesy of Disney How is it that I 100% get the appeal of the Twilight books, but am completely mystified by the massive success of High School Musical 3? As far as I can see, HSM3 has only one thing going for it. Strange that an essentially clunky film like Gran Torino worked so well, while a seemingly fascinating film like Changeling fell flat. Speaking of movies not...

Some motherfucker 'bout to get killed! | Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers In yet more disquieting economic news, the re-boot of the Friday the 13th franchise enjoyed a record-breaking weekend at the box-office. The stale re-make tallied a staggering $42.2M in its debut which should insure a steady stream of more awful retreads in the future. He Just Wants To Sleep With You placed a distant second with $19.6M ($55M) just ahead of the...

The butt-obscuring nature of this dress is contemptible. | Photo courtesy of Disney Considering the downward-trending turbulence of our current economic environment, now might not be the best time to release a movie that so glories in conspicuous consumption like Confessions of a Shopaholic. Then again, it has the winsome Isla Fisher so it might be worth a look. Clive Owen rules. Naomi Watts sort of rules. Considering that, why can't I get excited...

I would totally bone her. | Photo courtesy of Miramax There's something incredible at the corner of Olympic and La Cienega. Something shocking. And inspiring. Everything in this town traces back to the cinematic, and yet truly independent film promotion is rare (mini-majors like Fox Searchlight don't count). Which is why I'm entranced with Polanski, opening this Valentine's weekend at Laemmle's Sunset 5. Taking its cue from The Room, the brazen billboard sports writer/producer/director/actor...

What I miss most about college (besides treatises on gender in the Friday the 13th films) is low/no-cost special events. Live theatre, indie bands, speakers, and movies, movies, movies. UCLA keeps this latter tradition alive through its free Melnitz Movies Series. A mixture of advance screenings, foreign affairs, classics and forgotten gems, the series featured indie darling Synecdoche, New York, global genre cuts Let The Right One In and Timecrimes, and prestigious previews of...