A juicy theatrical controversy is swirling around Eric Walton's "Esoterica", a solo tour-de-force of sleight-of-hand, card tricks and mentalism. As we duly noted in our review of the show, Walton's performance climaxes with a rendition of the "Knight's Tour", a trick that Ricky Jay brought back from obscurity to conclude his 2002 evening of illusions. (Some might recognize Jay as 'that guy' from the Mamet movies, but he is also widely respected as a walking encyclopedia of sleight-of-hand.) more ›

All you ever needed to know about heist movies, in five easy steps. Warning, this L.A. Times feature does have some spoilers for movies. But if you're a fan of the genre and have seen Heat, Rififi, Ocean's Eleven, Heist, and The Score, read on. more ›