L.A. Times - Movie News

Lou Taylor Pucci is busy building a buzz

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The young actor's relentless schedule now has him poised for bigger and better roles in his career.

The quiet, soulful confusion projected by actor Lou Taylor Pucci has turned him into an indie film It-Boy and something of a fixture at the Sundance Film Festival, an actor who has often seemed just on the verge of bigger things.

Sunday conversation with Denis Leary

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The 'Rescue Me' star is always considering new dimensions.

Denis Leary was recently back from a holiday on the Italian Riviera, la-di-da. He stars in FX's "Rescue Me," now nearing the end of its fifth season -- and also appears as a sensitive saber-toothed tiger in the "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" in theaters now.

Albert and Allen Hughes return with 'Book of Eli'

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The twins, who burst on the scene with 'Menace II Society,' direct Denzel Washington in a post-apocalyptic epic.

Their last big feature was "From Hell," a gory and gothic period piece that starred a pre-"Pirates" Johnny Depp as an eccentric and slightly unbalanced investigator chasing Jack the Ripper through the rain-slick cobblestone streets of 19th century London. The 2001 film met mixed reviews and middling box office, and not long after that, Albert and Allen Hughes, once considered two of the more urgent and authentic voices in Hollywood, seemed to disappear.

SpongeBob Squarepants and the Terminator are modern heroes

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

They mock convention, make their own rules, and nothing gets them down.

One serves up the glorious Krabby Patty; the other metes out pitiless death. You might think that a gregarious sponge who is fond of red ties and speaks crystal clear English underwater has little in common with a time-traveling, red-eyed killing machine whose default language setting comes with a heavy Germanic accent.

Travis McGee heading for long-awaited screen test

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The late novelist John D. MacDonald's most famous character never made the leap to movies with anywhere near the success of Ian Fleming's James Bond, but that finally may change.

Back in the 1960s, two hugely popular literary characters ruled the pages of more than 10 novels each. Though it was a famously transformative decade, both were old-school men's men who loved risk, adventure, liquor and attractive women. Both protagonists became touchstones of their eras.

Review: 'I Love You, Beth Cooper'

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The teen movie is a rehash of many others as a nerd pursues an out-of-his-league cheerleader.

"I Love You, Beth Cooper" is not a remake -- it just feels like one. A flat, tired rehash of teen movie story tropes, the film attempts to have it both ways by winkingly acknowledging its secondhand origins. The distance from shameless rip-off to loving homage may not be far, but it is a chasm this film fails to jump.

Review: 'An Unlikely Weapon'

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

In Vietnam and elsewhere, Eddie Adams' weapon of choice was a camera. His life and his work, including the famous image 'Saigon Execution,' are recounted in the new documentary.

Eddie Adams made me weep long before I knew his name.

Review: 'Blood: The Last Vampire'

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Also reviewed: 'Weather Girl'

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Review: 'Herb & Dorothy'

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

An ordinary couple with an extraordinary art collection.

If Ripley's Believe It or Not! were still around, Herb and Dorothy Vogel would surely be in it for amassing a world-class art collection on the most ordinary of working-class salaries. "They are one of the biggest collectors of new art in New York City," says artist Lucio Pozzi, "and you would never believe it."

'Brüno' has designs on strong $30-million-plus debut

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 18:38:19 -0700