Bob Hope's Palm Springs digs up for sale
$45 million, no questions asked
Legendary was Toluca Lake where Bob Hope decreed his stately joke vault. Today, almost as legendary is Hope's high desert Xanadu, world's largest private pleasure ground, complete with a restricted 200-holer. Here, in the sweltering heart of Palm Springs, a …
Today is Scorsese's birthday!
Let all children sing His praise
I first see Him on the screen of the open sewer that was the Howard Theatre on Howard St. underneath the el. With all due respect, Marty, my 17-year-old butt is there based solely on the Boxcar Bertha spread in …
Free movies of the week: Hitchcock's earliest surviving film unearthed
Long thought lost, "The White Shadow" (1924) debuts on National Film Preservation Foundation website.
Pictured: Betty Compson in "The White Shadow" (1924) Normally the Free movies of the week column runs on Friday, but news like this demands our attention. A 30-minute segment of The White Shadow, the earliest surviving film that Alfred Hitchcock …
Dig a hole: Elvis outfitter Bernard Lansky
Garment king to the King dead at 85
Bernard Lansky was a Memphis-based schmate-peddler whose tips on sartorial nuance helped to establish a young Elvis Presley's signature clothing style. It was Lansky who swathed Presley in his trademark pink and black shirts, pegged pants, two-toned shoes, and other …
Amazing Grace and the Maestro
An interview with "The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn Part 2" cast members Maggie Grace and Mia Maestro
Let's be honest: my knowledge of and appreciation for the Twilight series is negligible at best. I love Taken and wanted to meet Maggie Grace and get my picture taken with her. It was hinted by a colleague that I …
DVD Rentals: Lilith
Jean Seberg & Warren Beatty star as inmates in director Robert Rossen's stylish insane asylum
I head up to Burbank for a little R&R and wind up with the flu. What better way to pass the time than by sleeping and watching old movies? http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/13/35404/ Dave Kehr called Lilith a complete contradiction of director/social critic …
Judy Garland's Oz dress fetches over the rainbow price at auction
The blue gingham dress that Dorothy Gale wore on her journey to Oz was sold to the highest bidder last weekend at Julien's Auctions Beverly Hills Gallery. An unnamed Judy Garland fetishist forked over $480,000 — minus $143 for Martinizing …
Free movies of the week: First films
First films by Scorsese, Jane Campion, David Lynch, Buster Keaton, and more
Opening night as MoPA's inaugural film curator was a black tie, members-only affair. Since the occasion was the christening of a new temple in which to watch movies, why not kick things off with a series of first films by …
Opening this week
It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt world this week at The Big Screen as my better blog half comes through with director interviews and reviews for two, count 'em, two pictures that debut today. First there's Yaron Zilberman. His A …
Porn producers eager to flee LA after passage of Measure B
How green was the Valley
The San Fernando Valley without porn?! What is this great country of ours coming to? The people have spoken. With 55% of voters in favor of Measure B, producers of adult movies are threatening to take their business elsewhere. The …
November workshops at Media Arts Center San Diego
"Intro to Final Cut Pro 101" and "Creating a Promo Video for your Non Profit and/or Small Business" debut this month
Media Arts Center San Diego pulls back the curtain to reveal two new digital workshops this month. Alberto Lopez, a freelance videographer and editor whose credits include work on commercials, documentaries, animation, and journalism, will guide students through Intro to …
Gangway to Hell: The Love Boat sails again
It floats back to you
It was Central Casting's answer to the elephant's graveyard, the last shot at the limelight for many a faded star. The Love Boat served up talent from the golden age in a tarnished bowl. Here was a weekly reminder that …
Budweiser: The beer that made Zemeckis grimace
I betcha' Denzel Washington wishes he had a Schlitz in his latest, the "don't drink and fly drama," Flight. Budweiser is miffed that their beer is being portrayed in a manner that implies one can actually get drunk by consuming …
SDAFF adds encore screenings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISqCjjoOrfw In case you missed the San Diego Asian Film Festival's opening night presentation of Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey, there will be an encore screening tomorrow night at 7:15 pm. The documentary tells the story of the rock band …
RunPee tells you when to go
App indicates best time to take the pause that refreshes
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/06/35048/ First rule of moviegoing: so as not to miss a precious moment of the gift of cinema be sure and visit the convenience prior to entering the auditorium and always before hitting the concession stand. I made that mistake …
Sunday at SDAFF: Video interview with H.P. Mendoza, Brian Hu, Dave Boyle, and Goh Nakamura
If you think the San Diego Asian Film Festival is only about showing good movies, guess again. SDAFF is also a terrific gathering place for filmmakers to meet, exchange ideas, and feed off of each others energy. SDAFF's artistic director, …
Review: Henge
A wife (Aki Morita) sticks by her husband (Kazunari Aizawa) even when a bug bite begins turning him into a hideously deformed monster. Instead of using horror as a metaphor to explore a troubled marriage, first time writer, director Hajime …
SDAFF tonight: 2 by H. P. Mendoza
"Yes, We're Open" and "I Am a Ghost" screen at UltraStar Mission Valley at Hazard Center
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/02/34817/ Friends of the San Diego Asian Film Festival will no doubt remember screenwriter H.P. Mendoza and director Richard Wong’s Colma: the Musical, winner of the festival’s 2006 Jury Award. Mendoza’s directorial nod, Fruit Fly, played SDAFF ‘09. The two …
Gene Hackman defends wife against foul-mouthed street person
Why can't this post be about 10 new Gene Hackman films opening next year instead of a tidbit found on TMZ? No offense to Harvey Levin and the gang, but if they produce a film starring a finer actor currently …
Need a last minute Halloween costume?
Last year you learned how to transform a bottle of fake blood and a pair of sunglasses into The Godfather's Moe Green. This year, why not go dressed as America's favorite sociopathic Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle? Here's all you do! …