Contributor: Paul Asay

Despicable actions blend with soaring poetry in one of the year’s most unusual films—a film that speaks to the entire human condition, not just “colored girls.”

On April 26, 2003, Aron Ralston wormed his way down into a tight little crevice in the wilds of Utah. Five days later, he came out again—or, at least, most of him did.

Sometimes, nice girls do finish first. Country charmer Taylor Swift’s new album, Speak Now, sold more than 1 million albums in its first week, making it the year’s biggest debut by far (second goes to Eminem’s Recovery, which sold 741,000) and nearly b …

The Russian mafia are festooned with telltale tattoos in this new David Cronenberg nightmare. ‘Every sin leaves a mark,’ reads the tagline. So does every movie.

Since its inception way back in 2004, the Saw franchise has sliced and diced its way to nearly $400 million in domestic box office receipts. But lately, the films’ performances have been, how shall we say, dull? Granted, Saw 3D’s opening take this week …

I’ve been in mourning the last couple of days. I’ve hung my 3-D glasses at half staff and considered wrapping my cubicle in black creché. Paul the Octopus is dead. Paul, as you may recall, earned a measure of fame by becoming the world’s most prominent …

Never mind that Starkiller died at the end of the first game: He must once again save the galaxy from Darth Vader and his evil empire. Too bad the whole exercise feels a little … forced.

The local cineplex was a frightening place this weekend in a lot of respects, with Paranormal Activity 2 screaming its way to a $41.5 million take and scaring off all other comers. Last week’s champ, Jacka– 3D, a sort of horror film in its own right, …

I don’t like to brag, but there’s a chance I might be a “10.” On the iPhone’s new “Ugly Meter” app, that is. The app—already downloaded 20,000 times—encourages users to take photos of themselves with their handy iPhone cameras, have the app check out t …

Score one for the icky. Jacka– 3D, a cinematic collection of bizarre, dangerous and often really, really disgusting stunts, catapulted to the top of the box office like a Porta Potty slingshot this weekend, cresting at an estimated $50 million and bec …

Johnny Knoxville and his comedically sadistic and masochistic crew perform a series of dangerous, disgusting and demeaning stunts for the paying audience’s pleasure. In 3-D.

Clint Eastwood serves up a compelling—but ultimately confusing—campfire story about three ghosts, still very much alive, searching for the key to the afterlife.

Toy Story 3 is coming out on DVD next month, and I, for one, am not looking forward to it. Oh, I’ve heard it’s a fantastic film. Some folks are saying it might not just get nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, but perhaps win the thing. I’m sure …

If Secretariat, the horse, was still alive today, and if the thoroughbred received a visitor who happened to have boxofficemojo.com bookmarked on his laptop, the visitor might well turn to the horse and say, “Why the long Facebook?” To which Secretaria …

With the success of MTV’s Jersey Shore, it was only a matter of time before reality show makers scoped out the other 49 states to determine what sort of regionally stereotypic, debauched twentysomethings might be exploited for a reality show. Alas, it …