The night was hot when Christy, my common-law wife and kung-fu bodyguard, and I returned from our impromptu vacation at Cannes. The film festival was a flop, quoted by many journalists and cinefiles as the worst in over 30 years, and even I had to admit it felt good to return to the muggy mess of Los Angeles. Read more...

UCLA may be a new producer of foreign language filmmakers. Of the seven films honored in this year’s Spotlight Awards for directing, two are in foreign languages and were shot in foreign countries. Read more...

Radiohead “Hail to the Thief” Capitol This is the most fun record the world’s current best band has ever made. It catches Radiohead at a crossroads in its career. Read more...

“The Hulk” Starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly Directed by Ang Lee “The Hulk” is a comic book movie, not merely in its superhero subject matter, but also in its split-screen frenzy, which resembles the flipping of pages of animated drawings. Read more...

Weenie Roast 2003 Sat. June 14 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Irvine AFI, Blur, Chevelle, the Deftones, the Foo Fighters, the Hot Hot Heat, Interpol, Thrice and the White Stripes. Read more...

UCLA may be a new producer of foreign language filmmakers. Of the seven films honored in this year’s Spotlight Awards for directing, two are in foreign languages and were shot in foreign countries. Read more...

Director Chen Kaige is known for making films from the safe vantage point of history, but he’s ready for a change. “I used to believe there was no culture in China because the old traditional cultural values were being destroyed by the last 15 years under communism,” Chen said. Read more...