‘Wonka’ tops final 2023 box office, ‘Color Purple’ opens strong
After a strong Christmas Day performance by Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Color Purple,” the studio’s chocolatier-centered musical “Wonka” topped the final weekend box office of…
Tom Wilkinson appreciation: One of the greats
At the risk of reducing an extraordinarily versatile actor to just one sweet spot, it must be noted that Tom Wilkinson had a particular genius…
Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman on strikes, mergers and T-Street
With bona fide hits such as “Knives Out,” “Glass Onion” and “Poker Face” under their belts, filmmakers Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman could easily rest…
Movies to watch on New Year’s Eve, plus the week’s best
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. People talk a lot about…
Broadway star LaChanze wants royalties for ‘Color Purple’
Broadway star LaChanze doesn’t need Warner Bros. to love her, but she does want financial compensation for helping write a pivotal song from “The Color…
‘The Boys in the Boat’ gives Hollywood treatment to rowing
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The journey from nowhere to an Olympic gold medal is a tale as old as time. Just as well-worn, but far less…
‘The Color Purple’: The fight over Celie and Shug’s love story
Warning: The following contains spoilers for “The Color Purple.” Over the years, retellings of “The Color Purple” onscreen and onstage have explored many facets of…
Inside Whoopi Goldberg’s cameo in the new ‘Color Purple’
Warning: The following contains spoilers for “The Color Purple.” A few minutes into the new movie adaptation of “The Color Purple,” young Celie (Phylicia Pearl…
The best screenings of 2023 according to L.A. programmers
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. This newsletter is about watching…
‘Ferrari’ review: Another Mann’s world
Amid the roaring motors and screeching tires of “Ferrari,” Michael Mann’s operatic saga of fast cars, furious women and the powerful human citadel who toyed…
Director Christopher Landon leaves ‘Scream VII’
A tumultuous time for the upcoming “Scream VII” continued Saturday as the film’s director, Christopher Landon, announced he has left the project. “I guess now…
Cameron Diaz says ‘everybody loves’ Jamie Foxx, amid set rumors
Cameron Diaz wants everyone to know that her frequent co-star Jamie Foxx is actually a pleasure to work with. The “Shrek” actor’s reassurance came after…
At the movies, women are leaning on, not in, for guidance
As a director, Blitz Bazawule knows that his voice goes pretty much unquestioned on the set. But once he signed on to make the newest,…
‘American Fiction’ review: A cutting satire about what sells
Former journalist and Emmy-winning TV writer Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut “American Fiction” is a social satire that wields a scalpel, not a cleaving broadsword, as…
Paramount CEO Brian Robbins talks ‘Paw Patrol’ and ‘Mutant Mayhem’
Earlier this summer, a set of five frozen pizza boxes began populating the freezers at Walmart. But DiGiornos these were not; these pizzas featured the…
How ‘The Zone of Interest’ won big at L.A. Film Critics awards
Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” was the big winner Sunday at the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.’s year-end voting meeting, taking prizes for best…
‘Silent Night’ review: John Woo’s comeback needs more juice
The death of a child haunts John Woo’s most lasting Hollywood achievement, 1997’s “Face/Off,” the one he should be remembered for. (Don’t fight me on…
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Craig Robinson
Actor, comedian and musician Craig Robinson (“The Office,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Hot Tub Time Machine”) is upfront about his ideal L.A. Sunday. “It’s spent at home…
I’m a former Premier League ace – now I’m star of a sci-fi superhero movie while playing in LaLiga
FORMER Premier League flop Dimitri Foulquier has swapped sliding tackles for scripts ... by becoming a movie star. The Valencia defender, 30, spent three years…
‘Poor Things’ is Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos’ richest work to date
Ramy Youssef and Emma Stone in POOR THINGS. Photo by Yorgos Lanthimos. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. 2023 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved. (Yorgos Lanthimos/Searchlight Pictures)…