Joshua Rothkopf

One of his best — I should return to it.

Review: Our reviewer wanted to like the new 'Smurfs' movie, but it totally blue The woodland creatures get a new voice cast — including Rihanna and James Corden — and an updated backstory, but can't escape the mania and tedium of chockablock execution.

Sometimes it's just about the headline. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Is the making-of 'Apocalypse Now' doc the greatest ever? Plus the week's best movies Also this week: Quentin Tarantino's rare 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair,' Wong Kar-wai's '2046' in 35mm and an Albert Brooks double bill.

Are you not following the newsletter by @indiefocus.bsky.social which covers the best repertory in L.A.? Change that. We're in a golden age. Take a taste of his latest installment below. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Hollywood’s being reshaped by generative AI. What does that mean for screenwriters? As AI creeps further into Hollywood, screenwriters like Billy Ray, Paul Schrader, Bong Joon Ho and Todd Haynes, along with a new class of tech disruptors, are navigating the uncertain future of storyt...

Take the time to catch up with deep reporting by our Josh Rottenberg on how AI is affecting screenwriting. Billy Ray wrote "Somehow heartbreak feels good in a place like this" but he'll never use AI, which he calls a "cancer masquerading as a profit center." www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: Doomscrolling is a disease in 'Eddington,' a fever dream about COVID conspiracies A sheriff, a mayor and a virus walk into a bar in Ari Aster’s bleak and brain-sick satire that stars a dueling Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone.

Our critic @theamynicholson.bsky.social calls EDDINGTON "such a superb social satire about contemporary America that I want to bury it in the desert for 20 years. More distance will make it easier to laugh."

Amy grapples with it in a nuanced way here. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

He's the visual genius that auteurs like Ari Aster trust. But cinematographer Darius Khondji is chasing a feeling He's collaborated with everyone from David Fincher to the Safdies, but the Iranian-born cinematographer, most recently of "Eddington," wants them all to feel like family.

How about some movies coverage? We attached a god-like status to cinematographer Darius Khondji back in film school; movies like SEVEN and DELICATESSEN were studied repeatedly. I can't believe we got him for the paper. @carlosfilm.bsky.social has Khondji on EDDINGTON. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: Doomscrolling is a disease in 'Eddington,' a fever dream about COVID conspiracies A sheriff, a mayor and a virus walk into a bar in Ari Aster’s bleak and brain-sick satire that stars a dueling Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone.

Ari Aster’s EDDINGTON is such a superb social satire about contemporary America that I want to bury it in the desert for 20 years. More distance will make it easier to laugh.

www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: Up, up and … eh? A rebooted ‘Superman’ gives the Man of Steel a mind of marshmallow Director James Gunn launches his DC Extended Universe with a high-energy Superman played by David Corenswet, joined by co-stars Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan.

Here's @theamynicholson.bsky.social with a complex, personal reaction to SUPERMAN, a wonderfully winding (and spoiler-free) read. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Embeth Davidtz has always been soft-spoken. Stepping up as a director, she decided to roar We spoke to the actor, director and screenwriter about her bold behind-the-camera debut "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" and her South African upbringing.

Visiting Embeth Davidtz (and her two rescue dogs) at home in Brentwood Park, @timgrierson.bsky.social wrote this beautiful profile about her reckoning with a South African childhood — and making her directorial debut count. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Stepping in the footprints of a T. rex, Alexandre Desplat picks up the baton for 'Jurassic World Rebirth' We sit down with the French composer to discuss the colossal influence of John Williams and his desire to pay homage while conveying his own signature style.

"He drew a line and we just have to be brave and strong enough to try and challenge this line. With humility, but with desire."

@tgreiving.bsky.social spoke with composer Alexandre Desplat about his idol, John Williams, and scoring JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' chronicles the actor's personal battle for dignity The 'Children of a Lesser God' Oscar winner has a tough story to tell, not merely of functioning in Hollywood as a Deaf actor, but of sexual abuse and addiction.

Marlee Matlin is a special kind of survivor, someone who needed Hollywood to catch up to her. @timgrierson.bsky.social reviews NOT ALONE ANYMORE, the galvanizing documentary about her struggles. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ gets a humor upgrade with twice the killer dolls and half the scares Gerard Johnstone’s funnier sequel to the 2022 horror hit is a disposable B-movie in which actors Allison Williams and Jemaine Clement get weirder than its android star.

Reviewing "M3GAN 2.0," @theamynicholson.bsky.social calls it a "magpie movie that’s happy to give audiences the tinselly things they want — i.e., two robots clobbering the Wi-Fi out of each other. But Johnstone creates openings for his own shaggy sense of humor." www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Meet the proud parents of 'M3GAN,' Adrien Morot and Kathy Tse, who welcome us to their design shop Ahead of 'M3GAN 2.0,' we visit the doll's design shop. Designers Adrien Morot and Kathy Tse on animatronics, AI and a house style that's won over Hollywood.

M3GAN 2.0 is here. I visited the studio of doll designers Adrien Morot and Kathy Tse, who have a lot of love for their creation. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: In 'Familiar Touch,' Kathleen Chalfant delivers a performance of dementia touched by grace For her feature debut, director Sarah Friedland musters an uncommonly clear-eyed and empathic portrayal of one person's transition to a senior living home.

Reviewing FAMILIAR TOUCH for the paper, @robertabele.bsky.social singles out Kathleen Chalfant’s "brilliant, award-worthy performance" as an "older woman in need, but no less expressive of life’s fullness because of it." www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

When a Pasadena senior living home became a movie set, the residents got creative For her indie feature debut 'Familiar Touch,' filmmaker Sarah Friedland found a real-life location and saw an opportunity for artistic collaboration.

Making her debut feature FAMILIAR TOUCH, director Sarah Friedland decided to shoot it at an actual senior living home — and get the residents involved as production assistants. This story by @ezwrites.bsky.social is a delight. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: A charismatic Brad Pitt is the engine behind the loud and silly 'F1' Liked “Top Gun: Maverick”? Here's another A-list vehicle built on the same viscerally thrilling chassis, with Javier Bardem and Damson Idris as wingmen.

Reviewing F1, @theamynicholson.bsky.social writes, "Straightaway, the energy is so macho that it’s almost corny. Embrace the tone while allowing the occasional eye roll at Brad Pitt’s near-mythic modern-day Steve McQueen." www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

The movie business isn’t going to collapse. Jerry Bruckheimer explains why Thirty-five years after 'Days of Thunder,' the hard-charging 'F1' producer is not slowing down: Bruckheimer talks fast cars, big-budget spectacle and the state of Hollywood.

“I’m still working picture to picture," says mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who, in addition to TOP GUN and ARMAGEDDON, now has F1. Our Josh Rottenberg sat down with him in Santa Monica to talk about the business of Hollywood. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: In 'Sorry, Baby,' a young professor harbors private pain and a new voice emerges Directing, writing and starring in her debut film, Eva Victor springs fully formed with a triumph: a sensitive portrayal of female friendship and lingering trauma.

Reviewing SORRY, BABY, @katiewalshstx.bsky.social calls it "a movie that lingers," thanks to the "profound and nuanced honesty Victor extracts from each moment." www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

'Sorry, Baby' was a way for Eva Victor to heal. The director is finding a lot of company The writer, director and star of the deeply personal 'Sorry, Baby' is one of the year's breakthrough talents, displaying a nuanced way with trauma and friendship alike.

How about some movies this weekend? LAT staffers and contributors have you covered:

First, @indiefocus.bsky.social sat down with Eva Victor to discuss SORRY, BABY, a debut of rare poise and sensitivity. How the director made it is inspiring. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: Brainy and bizarre, ‘28 Years Later' shows a zombie series running into dark, strange territory Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have resurrected zombies — again — to kickstart an ungainly new trilogy that perks to life with the late entrance of Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell.

Our @theamynicholson.bsky.social finds 28 YEARS LATER "beefed up by unusual ambition, quirky side characters and maniacal editing." It "dares us to devolve."

A fun review that gets medieval. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

A dream team reunites to bring zombie horror home again in ‘28 Years Later' Director Danny Boyle, screenwriter Alex Garland and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle return to the terrifying world they created for 2002's '28 Days Later.'

The trio of director Danny Boyle, writer Alex Garland and DP Anthony Dod Mantle reinvented zombies with 2002's supercharged 28 DAYS LATER.

@indiefocus.bsky.social got the band back together (Garland: "It’s not the Beatles") to discuss 28 YEARS LATER, just as timely. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: 'A Photographic Memory' charts a daughter's dive into the legacy of a mother she never knew Sheila Turner-Seed left behind a trove of insightful interviews with major photographers. Her daughter unearths them, in pursuit of a connection she never had.

Gorgeous review by @robertabele.bsky.social of A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY, a notable documentary that breathes life into a lost parent's legacy — arriving at multiple Laemmles this weekend! www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Review: 'Materialists' is a smart and funny all-star love triangle with its own commitment issues In Celine Song’s rom-com follow-up to her Oscar-nominated 'Past Lives,' Pedro Pascal is rich, Chris Evans is poor and Dakota Johnson is a matchmaking mercenary.

Our @theamynicholson.bsky.social wants to take MATERIALISTS to couple’s therapy for its own commitment issues — the movie cheats. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Dakota Johnson and director Celine Song rethink the rom-com with 'Materialists' Writer-director Celine Song and star Dakota Johnson explore contemporary, clear-eyed attitudes toward relationships in their new film, Song's follow-up to "Past Lives."

“I think a lot of what I read these days is void of soul and heart. And Celine is all soul and heart.”

Dakota Johnson spoke to @indiefocus.bsky.social along with writer-director Celine Song about their new MATERIALISTS and how they rethought the rom-com. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Brian Wilson was more than a genius. His sound epitomized the lore of SoCal Wilson, who died Wednesday at 82, was one of music’s true visionaries, if that’s the right word for a guy who dealt in the endless possibility of sound.

Brian Wilson articulated a California that's just as vivid and long-lasting as any by the great film directors: Lynch, Wilder, Paul Thomas Anderson. Here's our @mikaelwood.bsky.social on the creative legacy (and a taste of his 2010 interview with Wilson at home). www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

YouTube video by The Beach Boys - Topic In My Room (2021 Stereo Mix)

Tough moment for the city and I'm needing this pure piece of pop gorgeousness. He was more important to me than I realize. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFAp...

He Created the Original Zombie. His Family Wants to Define What’s Next.

Nothing delights me more than @jasonzinoman.bsky.social on a subject he knows best. Why can’t this be a reality TV series? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/m...

JIMMY AND STIGGS is pure exhilaration, fueled by the crazy faith of true believers. One apartment. Some power tools. Lots of neon goop. Four years. Joe Begos and the L.A. indie horror community made this thing out of dreams and sweat. It fucking rules.

Dakota Johnson and director Celine Song rethink the rom-com with 'Materialists' Writer-director Celine Song and star Dakota Johnson explore contemporary, clear-eyed attitudes toward relationships in their new film, Song's follow-up to "Past Lives."

“I think a lot of what I read these days is void of soul and heart. And Celine is all soul and heart.”

Dakota Johnson spoke to @indiefocus.bsky.social along with writer-director Celine Song about their new MATERIALISTS and how they rethought the rom-com. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Mark Hamill starred in the ultimate battle of good and evil. Now he just wants to make America normal again After nearly five decades as Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill opens up about finding new purpose in Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck,” speaking out against Trump and rebuilding after the Malibu wildfires...

Our Josh Rottenberg caught @markhamillofficial.bsky.social in a reflective mood, on age, loss and what keeps him motivated. He seems to entering a new moment of dramatic onscreen work. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...