Comedian Jo Koy at Spreckels Theatre for One Night Only
Prior to this interview, I wouldn’t have recognized Jo Koy had I fished him out of a koi pond. A colleague contacted me with word that Jo would be appearing at Spreckels Theatre this Saturday night, and an interview could …
Part 4: Famous Movie Poster Rejects You've Never Seen (Exclusive)
Famous Movie Poster Rejects You've Never Seen Part 4 Hey again, poster fans. Today, we're looking at the original art and unused proofs for the movie poster campaigns behind collegiate comedy Campus Man, horror hits Wes Craven's Deadly Friend and …
Let the Awards Season Begin!
We're off to a good start! The New York Film Critics Circle must have heard my pleas: they named Albert Brooks their Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Drive. After pushing back their deadline in order to be the …
Calling All Tots: Crybaby Matinees Want You!
You ever give a dirty look to the parents of a crying baby at a movie theater? Yes? Then you understand why I never brought along my tiny tykes when I wanted to see a film and didn’t have someone …
Review: The Muppets
L to R: Jerry Mahoney, Paul Winchell, and the incomparable Mr. Knucklehead Smiff. DISCLAIMER: This was my first exposure to Muppets. Before coming off like a raging puppetophobe, it’s been my pleasure to engage in many a warm and meaningful …
If You Outlaw Student Filmmaking, Only Outlaw Students Will Make Films!
A group of students making a movie were in for the surprise of their lives when the LAPD mistakenly took their shoot to be a potential shoot-out. The incident took place at a convenience store in West Hollywood where a …
Top Ten "Turkey" Films to Help Combat the Effects of Drowsiness Brought on by the Tryptophan
Before you paws for a nap, try one of these stimulating "turkey" treats! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ36CnCL3OE 10.) Pieces of April / Peter Hedges (2003) Katie Holmes plays a rebellious daughter who throws together a Thanksgiving dinner for her dying mother and the …
A Closer Look at the Trailer for Don't Go in the Woods
So anytime a director - especially a veteran actor turned director - tackles a story that's been done to death, it's usually fun to try to figure out why. I mean, how many times must Vincent D'Onofrio have thought to …
Coming Soon: Titanic Sinking in 3D at a Theater Near You!
Well, now... No, it's not The Phantom Menace. It's James Cameron's Titanic. Why is James Cameron bringing Titanic back to theaters? I mean, sure, there's the whole 3-D thing. And the 100th anniversary of the sinking, I suppose. But the …
Edwards Mira Mesa Finally Gets Wise to Free Refill Scam
pass-whore [pahs hawr, hohr or, often, hoor] noun Social misfit whose only joy in life lies in their ability to continually get his/her paws on complimentary tickets to evening promotional screenings. So here they are: the dog-faced cineplex soldiers, the …
Clint Eastwood Returns to Acting?
Three years ago, Clint Eastwood announced that Gran Torino would be his swan song from acting. You don't listen well, do you, punk, because now comes word that Clint is considering the role of Reese Witherspoon's father in Trouble With …
Famous Movie Poster Rejects You've Never Seen (Exclusive) Pt. 3
Famous Movie Poster Rejects You've Never Seen Part 3 Today, we're looking at the unseen/unpublished artwork from movie poster campaigns designed to promote the horror film Near Dark, horsey drama Phar Lap, the Robert DeNiro/Albert Brooks sleeper Midnight Run (still …
Now Is the Time for All Good People to Come to the Aid of Their Marty!
No, I haven't seen it, but that's never stopped me from writing a review of a Scorsese benefaction. Ten stars! Best picture of 2011! The finest use of 3D as a narrative tool since Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder! Hugo …
Three Films Selected by UCSD's ArtPower! Screen on PBS Shorts Showcase
Stop the music! KPBS is showing movies?! It can't be. Not the station that "cancelled" the Film Club and was too thrifty to pony up the dough for Ebert's latest incarnation of At the Movies. True to form, the cinephobic …
Review: Twilight: Breaking Dawn: Part 1
PRELUDE: My son, upon my return from the screening: "So, are they married yet?" Me: "Yes, they get married." Son: "So it's over." Me: "No, there's lots that comes after." Son: "That doesn't make any sense! Romance stories are supposed …
Short Takes: The Other F Word
Or: Pennywise stops being pound foolish. Or at least lead singer Jim Lindberg does, as he takes a long, hard look at the tensions that arise between being a punk rock icon and also the father of three little girls. …
Oh hush: Ricky Gervais worries he might not be able to improve on last year's Golden Globes performance?
Did you hear? Ricky Gervais is coming back to host the Golden Globes! Does that mean you'll watch this time? Apparently, the decision to return was not an easy one. Gervais was worried that he might not be able to …
L.A. Sheriff's Office Reopens Investigation Into Natalie Wood Drowning
Natalie Wood's body was found floating in the Pacific, a mile away from where her yacht was anchored off Santa Catalina Island, on November 29, 1981. The star of such hit films as Rebel Without a Cause, West Side Story, …
Watch Mirror, Mirror for Free on The Big Screen!
I don't know why Lickona is going all slug-nutty over Mirror, Mirror. It's nowhere near Marty's pinnacle, and it does have Spielbug's unclean imprimatur, but I guess as far as network TV goes, it's an amazing story. Don't forget to …
Cinematographer's Notebook: Tableau in Mirror Mirror
Methinks this Tarsem fellow is fond of the "grand lady flanked by two figures" shot... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpLVO396eHs
A Closer Look at the Trailer for Mirror Mirror
One of these things is not like the other... (Hint: Three are of Joan Crawford. One is of...someone else.) Me-OW! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpLVO396eHs
A Closer Look at the Trailer for Brave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twHWhwN601A Maybe the people at Pixar really are sexist - or at least, deaf to women. Because their first feature with a female protagonist actually includes this tagline combo: In a land of tradition...a hero will rise? Ooh, wait, let …
Worth Watching: Interview with Steve Jobs in Exile (Two Nights Only!)
File under "Why you should never throw anything away." In 1995, Robert Cringely made Triumph of the Nerds, a miniseries for PBS about the birth and growth of the computer industry. As part of the project, he filmed a 70-minute …
Dig A Divot: Munchkin Karl Slover is Really Most Sincerely Dead
As blogger, I must aver, that Karl Slover will no longer stir. And he's not only merely dead, he's really most sincerely dead. Slover, small in stature, big on ears, and one of the last original Munchkins left on the …
Famous Movie Poster Rejects You've Never Seen (Exclusive) Pt. 2
Famous Movie Poster Rejects You've Never Seen Part 2 Today, we're looking at the unseen/unpublished artwork from movie poster campaigns designed to promote Howard the Duck, Fright Night, Vamp (with Grace Jones), Ladyhawk, the Fly, and Sly Stallone's Over the …
Send Your Kids to Media Arts Center's Fall Film Camp
With Thanksgiving and Christmas rapidly approaching, here's a chance to ensure your holiday memories are properly preserved. If your kids spend their fall break at the Media Arts Center's Youth and Media Tech Camp, not only will they be exposed …
Pop Quiz - Star Wars
Is Qui-Gon Jinn's face absent from this display because a) Actor Liam Neeson (pictured in the role) will no longer be a party to this never-ending cash-grab, and has demanded that his likeness be removed from all promotional materials? b) …
Helix High Alum Steve Moramarco Returns to Screen The Great Intervention
What do you do when you are a severely depressed 40-year-old struggling actor who can't find work, is "underwater on his mortgage", and suddenly single after their best girl took a powder? Why not try the cinema-as-therapy plan? With only …
KPBS Film Critic Beth Accomando's Alexander "Feeling No" Payne Retrospective Concludes Tonight!
Hey, I remember Sideways! I wrote about it! You know, back in the day! I mean, I mentioned it a lot! Maybe even too much! (And the sad thing is, that's not a complete catalog.) But still, it was a …
The Movie Studio Logo Quiz III: The Heretic
I've already written one review and a "news" item today, so let's kick back and have some fun. As in Round 1 and Round 2 of the game, I post a one-shot logo, you tell me the film it opens. …
Brad Pitt Will Retire From Acting When He Turns 50
Brad Pitt told Australia's 60 Minutes that he will forsake acting three years from now when he hits the "Big Five-O." By retiring from acting, Pitt does not mean another Ocean's installment or a sequel to Mr. and Mrs. Smith. …
Review: The Greening of Whitney Brown
Fandango classifies The Greening of Whitney Brown as an art house/foreign/action/adventure film. They are only half right. It is playing a local art house (Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15), but I must have glanced down at my watch and missed the …
Famous Movie Poster Rejects You've Never Seen (Exclusive) Pt. 1
I'm prepping a Reader feature called Famous Movie Poster Rejects You've Never Seen, with scans of an incredible collection of original artwork and proof prints that I once archived for a client. The collection includes over a hundred HUGE paintings …
Short Takes: The Immortals
Director Tarsem (The Fall, The Cell) has been called a visionary, which presumably means he has an eye for interesting visuals. And that's almost enough to carry you through this bit of buff, burnished bloodshed, a mashup of 300 (invading …
An Ever Closer Look at the Trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman
Poor Charlize Theron. She knows that you can't argue with Magical Negro, especially when he's playing the character of Magical Mirror. That's, like, double magical or something.
A Closer Look at the Trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman, Part 1
Um, it looks...edgy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Dq2psogSw All I'm saying is that we've come a long way from Claudette Colbert's milk bath in The Sign of the Cross. Or maybe not. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pNNE_U8GOw
A Still Closer Look at the Trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman
Nice to see that they avoided the cliche of the Beast Who Roars... Oh, wait. That's not what happened at all. Never mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Dq2psogSw
J. Edgar Math
Philip Seymour Hoffman Plus Percy Helton Plus J. Edgar, Hoofa! Read David Elliott's * review.
KPBS Film Critic Beth Accomando's Alexander "Major" Payne's Film Retrospective Continues Tonight!
I loved About Schmidt, and not just because I'm a miserable old fart. More details here!
Review: Jack and Jill
Pay attention, people, because there is a lot going on in this movie. Let's start with the easy part: Al Pacino, playing himself as a huge star and Shakespearean stage actor who feels lost and unconnected to his humble roots. …
KPBS Film Critic Beth Accomando's Alexander "Labor" Payne Retrospective Continues Tonight!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXynyyDNz-4 Well, shoot. I was all set to embed the video of the alternate ending to Election that was found on a workprint VHS tape purchased at a garage sale - it was truer to the original novel, and even …
Reviews!
"Keep dreaming, kid." Maybe you didn't need David Elliott to tell you that J. Edgar was "a story already bound, shelved, and turning dusty at the Library of Congress," featuring a "dossier portrait" lead performance from Leo "Marty Who?" DiCaprio. …
Dig a Hole: Sid Melton
The question that will be a topic of conversation for decades to come: Where were you when you first learned of the death of Sid Melton? I posted the news on Facebook — after taking 20 minutes to compose myself …
The Real Brett Ratner Oscar Resignation Story
Brett Ratner has resigned as director of the 2012 Oscars. And while you'll read various accounts of why and how Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences President Tom Sherak and his nonagenarian Board of Directors went from supporting an …
KPBS Film Critic Beth Accomando Hosting Alexander "Bring The" Payne* Retrospective, Starting Tonight
Starting tonight, KPBS Film Critic Beth Accomando and Reading Cinemas are joining forces to build buzz for director Alexander Payne's upcoming feature, The Descendants (starring George Clooney!) by hosting a four-night retrospective of Payne's previous films. The series kicks off …
Brett Ratner Fun Time IV: Lindsay Lohan Edition
The man is on fire. [Relevant section begins at around 9:50 mark of first video.] Related.
Brett Ratner Fun Time III: Director of 2012 Oscars promises totally unscripted telecast!
"I'm picturing a huge banner across the back of the stage, very stark, just black letters on a white background: 'Rehearsal is for fags.'"
Brett Ratner Fun Time II: Plus Ca Change...
Frankly, Ratner wins on economy of expression. The coffee bit just seems superfluous in comparison. Source [language alert!] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AXTx4PcKI
Brett Ratner Fun Time: Deja Vu Edition
Before the Tower Heist director made his unfortunate statement and subsequent apology, he went through a similar experience on the set of X-Men: Last Stand. Related.
NBC Eyes Munsters Reboot
It can't be any worse than The Munsters Today, the mercifully ill-fated 1987 syndicated attempt to reassemble the family. Even John Schuck's furrowed brow and malleable jaw, so well put to use as the Painless Pole in Altman's MASH*, were …
De Niro to Play Bernie Madoff in TV Movie
Robert De Niro had a lot in common with Bernie "I Screwed Spielberg" Madoff. For the past 15 years, Bobby D. has made off with bushels of moviegoers money in exchange for dirt like Stardust, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Hide and …
The Title or Trailer Game 2: The New Batch
Today's festive crop of title art and/or trailer legends yields coke in the budget, coke in the floorboards, a decapitated tourist, vikings, gremlins, a big bad mama (and the even more suffocating Midge), hoofers, surfers, a colossus (and I don't …
Anatomy of a Press Photo: First Look at Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham
Okay, so this is totally gratuitous - Tim Burton is not even directing this production of Great Expectations - but I couldn't help myself.
Dig A Hole: Cynthia Myers, One of Russ Meyer's Dolls
As time passes, and my one-handed "dates" of yesteryear slowly move on to their rewards, I promise not to fill this blog with news of dead bunnies. Cynthia Myers was different. She was a "Doll." Her airbrushed pulchritude and pronounced …
West Side Story Returns to the Big Screen for One Night Only
While heading to Fashion Valley's Box #4 for this morning's screening of J. Edgar, I happened upon a lighted poster case that featured this graven image: Photo credit: Saul Bass. Little Scotty was but a pup when Aunt Fay dragged …
Review: Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story
I'm a raving sportsophope, that's a given. But if we were to swap passions, and Jay DeMerit put as much energy into absorbing all there is to know about movies as he does kicking a soccer ball, I could kind …
Reviews!
John Rubio takes up the task this week, and doesn't hate The Rum Diary. "Much like Thompson’s writing, the film meanders aimlessly, achieving fleeting moments of majesty." He has much, much better things to say about the harrowing war doc …
Dueling Hoovers: Larry Cohen vs. Clint Eastwood
It started with this image I shared on my Facebook wall: Go, Clint! J. Edgar, Clint Eastwood's biopic on the controversial FBI director that stars Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, opens next week. With that in mind, I posted …
File Under: I Don't Know How, Er, Why She Does It.
Oh, Sarah Jessica Parker, your career continues to mystify Tea Leoni fans everywhere...
Harold Heralds HK3D: An Interview With John Cho
John Cho walked past me as I sat in the lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel awaiting our interview. My immediate reaction was to smile. Initially, I came for the White Castle -- what I wouldn't give for a freshly …
Publicity Roundup
Well, let's take a look at what's going on in the world of publicity photos, shall we? Oooh, looky here - an image of Matthew Modine on the set of The Dark Knight Rises... Hm. Maybe we should look into …