Saving Private Ryan (movie)

When playwright Terence Rattigan's beautiful and long-neglected "Flare Path" was first performed in London in 1942, Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" was all the rage. To many Americans, Coward and his snippy pals still represent the English stiff upper lip...

In recent weeks the nervous future of the movies, as a business and as an occasional, accidental art form, has been subjected to unusually heavy scrutiny and speculation online and in print. This comes after an Oscar-sanctified movie year in which...

About halfway through writing the script for "The Fitzgerald Family Christmas" (which opens at the Wilmette Theatre next week), Edward Burns says he found himself at a crossroad. "Do I want to make the big, crazy, funny, holly-jolly Christmas Irish family...

The last week, highlighted by Benghazi testimony, has apparently resulted in various media members coming out of their comas. Some doubt has actually been expressed about Jay Carney's truthfulness, particularly on Benghazi. Hopefully some in this audience...

In Rafa Lara's film "Cinco de Mayo: The Battle," calendar dates are superimposed over the action counting down to May 5 — the day in 1862 when a ragtag Mexican army defeated France in the fight for independence. It may not be the only countdown...

Based on a popular video game, this military adventure sends a group of soldiers into the thick of the Battle of the Bulge. They try to derail a Nazi plot to develop an atomic-fueled weapon, having to overcome their own differences during the attempt....

With the Oscars finally upon us Sunday, it's do-or-die for the movies ranked in the L.A. Times Data Desk's HeatMeter, which tallies points at events throughout the season to gauge the overall traction of people and films. With Ben Affleck's "Argo"...

I abhor violence. As a rookie police reporter years ago I saw the damage guns, knives, broken bottles, metal pipes, hands — humans — can inflict. From the terrifyingly premeditated to the unfortunately accidental, those images still have the...

It's time to play one of our favorite yearly games at Times Community News: Can You Outguess the Features Editor? And no, that's not a rhetorical question. You probably can. Last year, incurable Oscar junkie that I am, I challenged readers to beat my...

"Lincoln" leads the field. Will its momentum carry through to Oscar wins? Here are the newly revised Gold Standard odds for the post-Ben Affleck/Kathryn Bigelow landscape. PICTURE "Lincoln," 10-9. Nominee kingpin, with nods in all the right...

Four former winners and one newcomer were nominated for the 65th annual Directors Guild of America Award for directorial achievement in feature film for 2012. Steven Spielberg, 66, earned his 11th DGA nomination for "Lincoln," the acclaimed epic about...

With nine Oscar nominations and more than 60 movies under his belt, Roger Deakins thought he had seen it all. But even the 63-year-old cinematographer, who directed this year's James Bond blockbuster, "Skyfall," was surprised when he learned of a new...