It Might Get Loud is Davis Guggenheim’s summer after science class. The director has followed up his Oscar-winning 2006 documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, with a film that nourishes his inner music fan, another doc that brings together three titans of rock — Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, U2’s the Edge, and the White Stripes’ Jack White — to jam, talk about how they got started, and ruminate on that most revolutionary of rock ‘n’ roll instruments, the electric guitar.

The film is as narratively loose and occasionally meandering as a casual noodling session. It’s occasionally trippy, such as when a child shows up dressed exactly like White and plays along with him in several scenes. (One passing mention tells us it’s White as a kid. Which doesn’t really explain much.) It’s often thrilling, such as when the three musicians learn each other’s hits or, near the end, perform a soulfully imperfect version of the Band’s “The Weight.”

But most of all, It Might Get Loud is intimate. Guggenheim captured some astonishing moments here, including White composing a song on the spot or the Edge admitting that he sometimes feels “like a complete idiot” if inspiration doesn’t strike. The highlight, though? A shot of Page standing over a record player while Link Wray’s “Rumble” spins, a huge smile across the legend’s bobbing head.

And then he air-guitars.

Guggenheim spent some time talking about the film with Washington City Paper, sometimes sounding like he’d be just as happy bouncing in a 9:30 club mosh pit as standing behind a camera. Read More “Q&A: It Might Get Loud Director Davis Guggenheim” »

Don’t know what Avatar Day is? Don’t care? You should!

For anyone who hasn’t caught a glimpse of entertainment news the past few weeks, today is your “unprecedented!” chance to see a 16-minute sneak peek of James Cameron’s new movie, Avatar, in IMAX 3D.

Or, more accurately, was your chance. Tickets to this ridiculous publicity stunt went so fast they crashed the film’s Web site, though you may still be able to pick up a pair to the Virginia showings on craigslist. The whole thing makes Cameron’s “I’m king of the world!” Oscar speech sound like “Aww, shucks.”

In the meantime, here’s the plain ol’ regular-length trailer of the sci-fi flick, out Dec. 18. And below that is today’s other “event” trailer release, for Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story. (A preview for the 2010 remake of The Wolf Man, with Benicio Del Toro, also surfaced briefly this week, but right now there’s no trace of it on the ‘net.)

Anyway, don’t wet your pants.

The year marks the Inglourious Basterds auteur’s directorial debut; the 20 range from excellent (The Insider) to the head-scratching (Anything Else).

No, seriously. He loved Anything Else. See for yourself and catch the remaining 18:

Full trailer will debut ahead of Bandslam, opening Friday. Until then, squeal accordingly:

Julie & Julia
Directed by Nora Ephron

Husbands, boyfriends, and anyone else not particularly interested in French cooking and feminine angst who is dragged to Julie & Julia should at least enjoy one moment: a clip of Dan Aykroyd channeling a bloodied Julia Child on Saturday Night Live.

Meryl Streep does an impressive impersonation, too, but big-girl body language and a parade of nearly high-British “Ooowwhhs!” is not enough to keep this two-plus hour film from turning into a snooze. Neither is its second story arc involving Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a real New Yorker and aspiring writer who, dissatisfied with her life, gave herself the assignment of making all of Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipes in one year and blogging about it.

Read More “Reviewed: Julie & Julia” »

This clip of Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox’s “Anyone Else but You” parody is about a month old, but I caught it on Current TV’s birthday special and was reminded how spot-on it is.

Especially satisfying after so much failed quirkiness this year:

…is an actual and brilliantly stupid name of a movie, starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke. Out Feb. ‘10:

Talking guinea pigs, a murderous adoptee, and “art porn.” Business as usual at your local theater:

Humpday: Judd Apatow has made a joke of straight-dude friendships so gushy they stop just short of PDAs; Lynn Shelton toys with the idea of a pair actually going for it. Her mumblecore film about a project for Seattle’s real-life porn festival deems the action “beyond gay.” Though the script is somewhat novel, you may call it “beyond logic.” Read More “Film Openings This Week” »

Brüno reinforces what Borat already showed us: that Sacha Baron Cohen, literally and figuratively, has balls. You may wince when things get graphic — and they do, suddenly, brazenly, hilariously — but you’ll truly cringe if you consider the situations Cohen is putting himself in for a laugh.

Read More “Review: Brüno” »

Still, this video showing the Fuhrer reacting to news of Michael Jackson’s death is brilliant.

With your talent, that is, not with fireworks. Unless your talent is singing and dancing with explosives.

To promote the remake/redo/reimagining of 1980’s Fame (out Sept. ‘09), MGM is hosting a virtual competition for U.S. residents 14 and older to show off their stuff. (Tastefully.)

It apparently doesn’t matter what you do — a flier claims that possibilities include “singing, dancing, acting, or surprise us!” — nor how many folks you do it with. (Again, tasteful, people.) Read More “Light Up the Sky Like a Flame!” »

$201 million in five days. That’s the astonishing amount of box office Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has earned since opening Wednesday, beyond all comprehension and hope for humanity.

I started perusing reviews immediately after seeing the movie but quickly had to stop, fearing that all the good digs had already been taken and that if it were inevitable that some of my adjectives would match another’s, it wasn’t going to be because I read that person’s critique first.

But man, are some of them funny. I finally went back to Rotten Tomatoes to read all of the vitriol — and 20 percent of the fresh ratings — and have listed the best below, in no particular order.

A horrible experience of unbearable length. – Roger Ebert Read More “Best of the Transformers Bashing” »

Robots, dying teens, Michelle Pfeiffer, and a doc. Truly a weekend with options!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which has already made an obscene amount of money since opening Wednesday, so you should not give it one more cent. And if you already have, shame on you.

$9.99, Etgar Keret’s short stories adapted with stop-motion animation. More novel than compelling. Read More “Film Openings This Week” »

Alas, aside from a few re-screenings tonight, 2009’s AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs festival is over. We laughed, we cried, we ate green goblin food. And now we wait for the best selections to get commercial releases and, if history repeats, some Oscar love.

Until then, here’s a list of fest winners:

Read More “Silverdocs Winners!” »

Silverdocs is winding to a close, but there’s still a lot of good stuff to catch. As always, look to our complete coverage of the fest for more details.

Here are some of today’s highlights:

Carmen Meets Borat, which profiles a 17-year-old who tells what it was like when her village was accosted by Sacha Baron Cohen. 4:15 p.m.

Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, a look at Oklahoma’s rodeo-as-rehabilitation program. 4:30 p.m. Read More “Today at Silverdocs: Carmen Meets Borat, The September Issue, Soul Power, More!” »