US – Sunday, March 21

Photo: KNUT KOIVISTO
Movies
Taking on a blockbuster
If the name Stieg Larsson isn’t familiar, the cover of his globally best-selling book may provide instant recognition, considering the novel is reaching Harry Potter-level ubiquity. The film adaptation follows suit, blowing box office records all over Europe for its roundly praised, faithful rendition of the story of two detectives (of sorts) who uncover family scandals in search of a woman who has been missing for 40 years. We sat down with director Niels Arden Oplev to chat about his version of the tale.
 
Movies
A chase worth pursuing
REVIEW. On the one hand, there’s no one as sexy and ambitious as Jennifer Aniston slinking around your average small-town, New Jersey newsroom. On the other, it’s a lot more fun when there is — and that’s kind of the point of “The Bounty Hunter.”
Entertainment
Bobcat is ‘World’s Greatest’ director
If you put together pot brownies, autoerotic asphyxiation, suicide sensationalism and Robin Williams as a high school poetry teacher, it may sound like the makings of an ill-advised sequel to “Dead Poets Society.”
 

Movies
Not quite a ‘Runaway’ success
REVIEW. The story of Cherie Currie’s rise to fame as the teenage sex kitten singer with the Runaways is fascinating and ultimately sad, but there’s a reason you know Joan Jett’s name better.
 
Movies
Stiller: You live and you learn
Ben Stiller had little trouble relating to his character in “Greenberg” — Noah Baumbach’s new film about a misanthropic failed musician adrift in Los Angeles after a nervous breakdown — but he insists that’s just because of a monumental birthday.
Movies
They love rock ’n’ roll
The first time she met with Joan Jett about portraying her in “The Runaways,” Kristen Stewart was petrified that the rock legend wouldn’t take her seriously because she still looked like her character in “Twilight.”
 
Movies
There’s just no salvaging Jude Law’s latest bomb
REVIEW. It seems like all director Miguel Sapochnik was interested in filming in his debut feature, “Repo Men,” was graphic close-ups of torsos being torn open to remove vital organs. Unfortunately, Sapochnik was too distracted by filling the screen with bloody entrails to pay attention to simple pleasures like clear storytelling and compelling characters.

Movies
We’re not in middle school anymore ...
Jeff Kinney is just one of those lucky guys. Sure, he failed to land syndication rights to a popular cartoon he drew while at the University of Maryland, but that didn’t stop him. Undaunted, he started writing what would become the book series, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,”  and published it online. He attracted a huge following, a book deal followed, and a whopping 33 million books later, he’s a superstar. Now the executive producer on the movie version of the book, he was happy to talk with us about his adventure.
 
 
 

Photo: COLUMBIA PICTURES
Movies
Bounty hunter meets fugitive
In “The Bounty Hunter,” it might seem that Jennifer Aniston is in familiar, cute-damsel-in-distress territory as she runs from her ex-husband (Gerard Butler), a former cop so down on his luck that he takes a gig tracking her for a $5,000 payday.
 
Movies
And the Oscar goes to ...
Revisiting Wonderland
Can’t get your movie made? Just wing it
A tumble down the rabbit hole
10 is the magic number
And the Oscar goes to ... we’re still not sure
Burton’s ‘Alice’ is not so wonderful
Really the ‘Finest’ Brooklyn can offer?
This week, celebrate girl power
French film able to turn ‘A Prophet’
Movies
Kevin Smith makes a big-studio comedy
Because sanity is so overrated
Surprised? ‘Cop Out’ takes the easy route
She’s got range, and she uses it
Extra, read all about it!
Meet the new sidekick from ‘Shutter Island’
Standing tall on the shoulders of giants
‘Shutter Island’ a score for Scorsese
On the wild side
Shah Rukh Khan strives to downplay controversy
 
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Music
MMMpod
The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.
 
 
 
Metro Life Panel
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