The reviews are in for the $180 million production of The Golden Compass, and they’re lackluster at best, which is a pity not just for fans of the novel from which it’s adapted but for New Line Cinema, which was banking on another Lord of the Rings cash cow. Times critic Manohla Dargis calls it flawed and cluttered, although her description of Nicole Kidman ought to sway any dudes reluctant to see a movie starring... more ›

Have you seen Sex and the City filming around town? Seems like some people are watching the cast of the 'ol show film the new movie every step of the way. The Times chronicled the madness and, OMG, talked to Carrie Bradshaw herself (who was hiding away in the basement of the Bryant Park Hotel). She had this to say of her on-the-job craziness: “I basically just look down between every take because it’s... more ›

The holiday-time movie releases are starting to pile up with their usual feverish frequency. Some have Christmas themes, like the widely reviled Vince Vaughn vehicle Fred Claus that’s already roadkill on the lost highway of cinema history; others, like Ridley Scott’s American Gangster, are timed to make an impression as close to Academy Award-voting season as possible. Here are some of the biggest gorillas set to dominate New York’s screens in the next six... more ›

In advance of an official press conference at The Palace Theater today, The Times and The Post have reported that Spike Lee will be make his Broadway debut next spring with the 1951 play Stalag 17; a dramedy about camaraderie and betrayal between American airmen stuck in a German P.O.W camp (later made into a film by Billy Wilder.) Sources say that Clive Owen will once again be Spike’s inside man on the project. (Though Mark Wahlberg is also in the running.) more ›

New Line Cinema (owned by HBO parent company Time Warner) decorated an S train to celebrate the DVD release of The Lord of the Rings two years ago. And in the current double issue of The New Yorker, there's an interview with Deadwood creator David Milch; since it's the NYer, it's not online. And do you watch Deadwood?
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Today, the eagerly-anticipated film Will-Ferrell-as-elf film, Elf, opens. Gothamist enjoyed this sweet and funny film (maybe sweeter than we'd anticipated, but still, some choice hilarious moments - go to the movie website, go to "Inner Elf" for "Elf videos" and watch any or all of the clips). We look forward to watching it on afternoons when we're blue and being cheered up by a Will Ferrell triple bill of Dick, Old School, and Elf. more ›