I know what you're thinking: 'Disney' and 'menstruation' in the same headline means Marks is making funny again with a Jib-Jab video of Jiminy Cricket singing When You Wish Upon a Bladder. Maybe there will be a mild attempt at …

So the kids-gone-wild party movie Project X opens Friday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBv54LhBWyQ "Tonight's about the girls we never had a shot at" - that's high school senior Castro, talking to his friend Thomas. The night in question is Thomas's 17th birthday party. …

NOTA BENE: Mr. Marks drew official duties on this one, and you can check out his black-spot review in tomorrow's online edition of this fine media establishment. But we're nothing if not contentious here at The Big Screen, so here …

I don't want to come off sounding like a complainer, but haven't things gone a tad out of focus at The Big Screen? Here are the people I have interviewed so far this year: Wim Wenders. Tim & Eric. Look …

Tonight ushers in the San Diego Asian Film Festival's first quarterly screening of 2012. Wang Quan'an's Apart Together, a bittersweet love story about sacrifice and second chances, was the opening night film of the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival, where …

I used to get it a lot more. Nowadays, most people seem to forget I have a first name and simply call me Mark. After the publicist said, “Wim, I’d like you to meet Scott Marks,” he shook my hand …

Here we go... Reader Oscar Liveblog 2012

On a busy Oscar Sunday comes sad news: we lost one of cinema's pioneering Pimpologists. I am forced to be uncharacteristically brief. For a period in the '70s, you couldn't buy a better celluloid whoremonger than Dick Williams. With his …

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Bob "For Hugo" Hope speaking to you from the grave, right here, putting in my annual Oscar-day appearance for The Big Screen. Hey, how 'bout that Martin Scorsese's Hugo, huh? Wadn't that something? …

Few filmmakers display the care, handling, and respect for cinema quite like Wim Wenders does, and after 40 years behind the camera, there are no signs of slowing down. The director of such acclaimed films as Paris, Texas, Wings of …

Remember this scene from Silence of the Lambs? (If you haven't seen Silence of the Lambs, maybe watch just the first minute or so.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc7gm3Hthe8&noredirect=1 I don't feel bad referencing a different film than the one I'm reviewing right here …

DISCLAIMER: No Navy SEALs were harmed during the making of this picture. The Navy granted “filmmakers” Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh permission to play with their toys and the result is a gung-ho recruitment film that’s as incompetently acted and …

Obviously, this is a more complicated question than what happened to Clive Owen. Washington is one of our generation's Major Leading Men, and he's got two Oscars to boot. But I don't think there's any doubt that, as David Elliott …

So I went to a screening of the party-gone-wild movie Project X last night. Most of the other attendees were, from the looks of them, college students. (Even though the party is set in a high school, I'm thinking college …

David Elliott shines a big light on In Darkness and its director, Agnieszka Holland: "Holland, 63, is one of those strong, honest, humane directors (The Secret Garden, Europa Europa, Washington Square) whose films get terrific reviews but seldom leave the …

This Sunday night, Matt Lickona and I will be seated before our television sets and laptops providing Big Screen readers with a blow-by-blow description of the 84th Annual Academy Awards. I was with Matt on Sunday night and he gave …

How often does a director of Wim Wenders' magnitude come through San Diego on a press tour let alone make himself available to the public? The director of such masterworks as The American Friend, Paris, Texas, and Wings of Desire …

Deadline Hollywood posted this fascinating study on the effects video piracy has on the American motion picture industry. The lag-time release to other countries may impact overseas profits, but back home people still prefer the theatrical experience over streaming BitTorrents. …

What happened to Clive Owen? No, really - I wanna know. I thought he was it. The next thing. The return of the tough guy with a heart. Handsome but not delicate. Rugged but not thuggish. And for a while …

January through April traditionally denotes a slow time at the movies. Studios dribble out their precious awards contenders and winners, all of which I've already logged. You don't want to be around me if I can't see at least 3 …

"Legend tells of a caped crusader, Batman, guardian of New Gotham, and his one true love, Catwoman, the queen of the criminal underworld. Their passion left behind something extraordinary, a daughter, Huntress. Half metahuman, she has taken up her father's …

Q: What’s harder to find than a pack of wild unicorn? A: The script Nicolas Cage turned down. In the presence of evil, Johnny Blaze (Cage) turns into a monster who sucks the life out of his enemies. Directors Mark …

Unconditional Surrender, the 25-foot, 6000-pound statue that’s been a tourist destination at Mole Park since its unveiling in February of 2007, may get a stay of execution. The waterfront enormity, owned by the Santa Monica-based Sculpture Foundation, has been on …

Here's how it works around here: Mr. Marks does all the heavy lifting, and I sit off in the wings and nitpick. So while I certainly sympathize with his frustration at getting yet another Ban from the Man on Facebook, …

San Diego Brazil Carnival, longtime Latino Film Festival sponsor and supporter of the annual Brazilian Cinema Showcase, holds its 20th Annual event starting at 9 p.m. this Saturday night. Brazilian Productions presents their San Diego Brazil Mardi Gras Carnival at …

Here we go again. Three days ago I reported on what turned out to be the first of two consecutive temporary bans that prohibit me from posting on Facebook. If you thought the Mickey Rooney incident was ludicrous, feast your …

The San Diego Asian Film Foundation has joined forces with The AJA Youth + Photography Transformation Project, and Sun & Moon Vision Productions to launch Reel Voices Journey, a documentary program for refugee high students in Southeast San Diego. Thanks …

Technically, Marty's mother, Catherine Scorsese and Mimi Stark, star of the NYU short What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? were His first leading ladies. Zina Bethune, actress, dancer, choreographer, animal lover, and star of …

So here's my review for Loosies: Or: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Abortion. Well, okay, not funny, exactly. But it does involve the world’s handsomest pickpocket (Peter Facinelli) fleeing from the world’s most bumbling future chief …

Reader critic David Elliott slips on his dancing shoes for the dance-doc Pina, and finds her an able partner: "Although the great critic Arlene Croce called some [Pina] Bausch trademarks 'flashy schtick,' I was entirely engaged by the dancers putting …

While waiting for his elderly mother to finish a banking transition, Gábor (Andor Lukáts), a mentally challenged 55-year-old man, witnesses a robbery that results in her shooting death. Blonde-hair, blue-eyed Holland (Antonie Kamerling) is the shooter that gets away with …

I know that I harp on the depressing similarity of today's movie beasties too often. So I thought I'd propose something that highlights their differences: Beast Wars, the movie. Basically, we take the critters from their various brief film appearances …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7bAWtlKLSk First things first: HUGE props to Gary Oldman for saying that Miss Piggy is the most sincere person he's met on the receiving line so far at the BAFTAS. Second: look, I'm not the first to say that The …

Cairo roses are purple, And so is my spleen. Happy Valentine's Day, From your pals at The Big Screen!

It started with this image: There is nothing less funny than having to spell out a joke, but here goes. Once upon a time, Mickey Rooney starred in the made-for-TV movie, Bill, as an intellectually challenged man who ventures outside …

Did Tony Bennett leave his head in San Francisco or is there a follicle of truth to be found lurking beneath his toupee? While performing at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party Saturday night, Bennett told the crowd at the Beverly Hilton, …

No opus in the Phil Spector songbook links the megalomaniac to the madman better than He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss), The Crystal’s eerie paean to S&M. When selecting a lyric to open a documentary portrait of the …

Attention, Twihards! The Blu-Ray/DVD for Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 will go on sale at midnight tonight at Target in Mission Valley! That's right: starting at midnight and continuing for one, sweet, irreplaceable hour, Target will be selling copies of …

Channing Tatum has a nice butt. Don't believe me? Check out The Vow and see for yourself. "I am still trying to figure out why he was cast in that role," said my friend as we left the theater. On …

Leonardo is coming to San Diego. No, silly, not Leonardo DiCaprio. I’m talking about the other Leonardo. You know: Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance genius who was one of the greatest artists. Nearly 500 years after his death, Leonardo Live …

Seriously, folks. Now that we've got three (that I can think of off the top of my head), can we kill this "parallel stories of past and present" thing? Did anybody come away from Julie & Julia without thinking that …

You don't want to see the emails I receive from publicists begging me to blog about a personal appearance by the latest Twilight background player coming through town, or post roundtable interviews with the cast of Disney's Prom. I feel …

Continuing the good work we began in Part 1...

There's a movie star mural in the lobby at Edwards Mira Mesa, which is not all that surprising. What is maybe a little bit surprising was the muralist's choice to include contemporary movie stars, instead of the more stable stars …

On Sunday, February 26, 49 charities in as many locations will host authorized viewing parties during the 84th Academy Awards ceremony. San Diego's officially sanctioned soiree will be held at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Ave. All …

Someone left the back door to the Reader's print department unlocked, and guess who slipped in and snuck some reviews onto the page! I found The Woman in Black to be a minor sort of success, albeit an exceedingly good-looking …

Taking a break from Remembrance of Things Past, I turn to the Qur'an of Stoogedom, Larry Fine's autobiography, Stroke of Luck (as told to James Carone), for my nightly dollop of literary enlightenment. The following photograph and accompanying text appears …

Let the record reflect: Landmark's Ken Cinema pops the best corn in town. They use real butter, but I wouldn't know. The habit of greasing my popcorn ceased decades ago after movie theatres switched from butterfat topping to Havoline 10W-40. …

Several weeks before Hollywood's annual version of the Bataan Death March, the hopefuls gather at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Academy Awards nominations luncheon. After the rubber-chicken entree, the group assembles for a commemorative photo. According to Cinema Blend, …

Forgive my ignorance, but until an email announcing an open call for submissions arrived, I had no inkling there was an Oceanside International Film Festival. Their website, with the message "We hope to bring the Oceanside International Film Festival back …

Short of beating, burning, or a bullet to the head, zombies aren't supposed to die, particularly of cancer. Alas, that was the fate that befell Bill Hinzman, the first flesh-eater ever to grace a George A. Romero Living Dead epic. …

He built a career playing con-artists, criminals, pimps, cheats, and drunks, yet somehow you couldn’t help but believe every word that came out of Ben Gazzara’s mouth. Biagio Anthony Gazzarra was born August 28, 1930 on New York's Lower East …

Gene Siskel didn't drive. After the preview of The Way We Were (it sneaked along with the Robby Benson teen romance Jeremy), he stood in front of the Golf Mill Theatre in Niles, Illinois looking for a cab. This was …

With a star-powered trio of Roberts (Ryan, Mitchum and Young) sharing the one-sheet for a film noir produced by the studio that helped define the post-war style, Crossfire should be a lot better than it is. Only one of the …

Far be it from me to pass on watching a movie, but in this case I had no choice but to resist. It's bad enough that advance screenings off DVD-mailers, not 35mm or digital prints, are arriving with greater frequency, …

Will Drew Barrymore’s “save the whales” tale connect with audiences? Or will it cause parents — searching for two hours that will silence their calves — to wail. The “incredible true story that touched the world,” upon which Big Miracle …

David Elliott paints it grey this week. Sorry. Terrible joke, even if you do remember "Paint it Black" by U2. Sorry. Another terrible joke. Moving right along: "The Grey has some visceral feel for men finding their nature amid cruel …

Four-word review of Chronicle: Screw you, Spider-Man. You remember Spider-Man, right? (It's okay if not: a new version is due this summer.) Teenage outcast gains incredible powers, lets said powers go to his head, loses beloved parental figure, ultimately learns …

If you are one to flinch at the creaks and groans that emerge from your apartment's walls and floorboards, Andi Baiz’s La Cara Oculta (The Hidden Face) may not be the right movie for you. If the thought of a …

Why I'll be seeing this movie. Look, hooray for The Hunger Games, okay? By all accounts, it's a better YA buzz than Twilight, and now that Harry Potter is over and Daniel Radcliffe gets to play a grownup (Woman in …

We'll have a review of the angsty teen drama Chronicle up in a little bit, but in the meantime, remember James Dean? It's okay if you don't. Dude only made like three movies, and two of 'em were angsty teen …

Bronson in the ‘80’s has a delightfully-debased artistic ring to it. Some may call it Bronson past his prime, but did Charles Bronson ever have a prime to get past? Bronson carved a career as a stone-faced mute, a mound …

Once again I dig deep into my treasure-trove of DVDs and come up with an arcane collection of title-cards and key-artwork. This time around we have a bumper-crop of pictures with themes ranging from incest, madness, and combat to vanity, …

Bear with me a moment: I am fond of the author Walker Percy. But when I read this bit from lit-blogger Maud Newton, I couldn't help but nod in knowing agreement: "I used to fall in love with a book …

ArtPower! Film will screen Liu Bingjian’s third feature, the comedy/drama Crying Woman (2002), tonight as part of its 21st Century Chinese Film Series. Crying Woman, which was banned in China, is Beijing filmmaker Liu Bingjian’s third feature. According to the …

While Mr. Marks was busy hating on the brilliant high-concept vehicle that is (or should be) Tim Burton's Candy Land, I was busy casting the thing, striving for just the right mix of excellent character actors, former stars in need …

The first of this year's San Diego Asian Film Festival's quarterly screenings will be held on February 28 at UltraStar Mission Valley. Wang Quan'an's Apart Together was the opening night selection at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival, where it …

John Wayne was always right, Larry Fine was always wrong, and Robert Ryan was always, always troubled. The first on-screen appearance by the most distressed man in the annals of cinema was as an intern in the Bob Hope vehicle …

The IMDB description for Nicolas Roeg's 1971 tripfest Walkabout is deceptively simple: "Two young children are stranded in the Australian outback and are forced to cope on their own. They meet an Aborigine on 'walkabout,' a ritualistic separation from his …

In the wake of the dumbing-down effects brought about by the rumination-free amusement park thrill rides of Spielberg and Lucas, Hollywood power-brokers struck a creative reef in the late-70s that they have yet to extricate themselves from. Realizing that childhood …

And you thought Inglorious Basterds was the only war film to do away with Hitler before the final fade. If you worked as a Hollywood contract player during the war years, chances are you encountered a Nazi or two. Bogart, …

Thanks to our year-round mild weather, San Diego is one of the few cities in the U.S. with not just one but TWO drive-in theaters still in operation; the South Bay DI and the Santee DI. THE SOUTH BAY Drive-In …