Month: January 2019

January 13, 2019 3:24PM PT Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to Instagram Friday to speak out about an interview published by a British tabloid that quoted the actor as “smacking down snowflakes,” stating that it never took place. “I can’t believe I have to do this again and set the record straight on something again,”

A few weeks ago, Lars von Trier’s “The House That Jack Built,” starring Matt Dillon as a Pacific Northwest serial killer with a pushy manner and a twisted smile, opened on 32 screens and grossed just $34,000 — a little over $1,000 per screen. That is, by any standard, an abysmal opening, but it’s a

Paramount’s “Transformers” spinoff “Bumblebee” led the international box office again, generating $35.6 million in 64 markets. The autobot origin story, starring Hailee Steinfeld, has now earned $256.3 million overseas for a worldwide haul of $364 million. While ticket sales are way below even the worst reviewed installments in the sci-fi franchise (“Transformers: The Last Knight”

Inclusion was the big winner at the L.A. Film Critics Association Awards, which was held Saturday night at the InterContinental in Century City. “This year’s winners are the most diverse in LAFCA’s 43-year history,” announced its president, Claudia Puig, adding that 14 out of their 18 awards were won by women and people of color.

In a surprise box office victory, STX’s “The Upside” doubled expectations with its $19.5 million debut, enough to defeat “Aquaman’s” three-week reign in North America. Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart co-star in “The Upside,” which marks the studio’s first No. 1 opening. It also ranks as STX Film’s second-best start behind “Bad Moms,” which launched

January 13, 2019 3:49AM PT UPDATED: Rajkumar Hirani, one of India’s most successful filmmakers, has been accused of sexual harassment. His accuser is a woman assistant director who worked on Hirani’s 2018 blockbuster “Sanju.” Hirani has denied all accusations. The alleged harassment took place during the post production process of “Sanju.” The film was released

January 12, 2019 3:53PM PT Death forces a reunion between estranged rural Pennsylvania father and son in this atmospheric if sketchy indie drama. If not for a cell phone that’s promptly taken away from our juvenile protagonist, you might think “Buck Run” takes place in the late ’70s or early ’80s. Evidently, it was that

Phase 1 of awards season wraps Monday, Jan. 14, when Oscar-nomination voting ends. So before Phase 2 (Jan. 22 nominations through the Feb. 24 ceremony), it’s time to reflect on the lessons of Phase 1 (though “lessons” may be misleading, since it implies everyone has learned something). 1. It’s an annual tradition to stir up

The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announced the winners of its juried prizes Saturday, with critical darling “Shoplifters” taking the award for best foreign language film of the year. The festival, held from Jan. 3-14, 2019, screened 226 films from 78 countries. Juried awards had five categories, including New Voices New Visions Award for unique viewpoints from

Jo Andres, Steve Buscemi’s wife of 31 years and a prominent filmmaker and choreographer, has died. She was 64. Buscemi was photographed participating in her funeral, which included a wicker casket, Wednesday morning in Brooklyn, New York. Buscemi’s “Big Lebowski” co-star, John Turturro, and his cousin, “Sopranos” star Aida Turturro, were seen paying visits to the

A likable enough, Amblin-esque update to the classic Arthurian legend, “The Kid Who Would Be King” is hardly the first time a group of adolescents have saved England from supernatural harm in a Joe Cornish movie. That said, much of the attitude and originality that drew fans to the irreverent writer-director’s inner-city alien-invasion debut “Attack