The high-concept romantic comedy “When We First Met,” directed by Ari Sandel and written by John Whittington, gets off to a precarious start with a time-traveling protagonist trying to land his dream girl. The premise seems ripped from Richard Curtis’ “About Time” — it’s a millennial “Groundhog...

When the original “Planet of the Apes” opened 50 years ago, audience watched the sci-fi adventure with shock and awe. Not only because it was exciting and thought-provoking but also for its innovative, Oscar-winning ape makeup designs and the jaw-dropping finale. “Planet of the Apes,” which was...

The colorful animated comedy “Monster Family” relies so heavily on pratfalls, slapstick and other bits of rude or raucous action that it undercuts whatever good intentions its workable story may have had. The result: an anything-goes hodgepodge in need of a smarter, tighter narrative and more deftly..

The Oscar-nominated shorts may have smaller running times, but the themes tackled are often big. Of the live-action films, three explicitly dramatize real-life terror threats. Kevin Wilson Jr.’s dread-filled “My Nephew Emmett” — already a student Academy Award winner — follows the night in 1955...

Though “Permission” is unrated, this relationship drama is for mature audiences only. It’s not just its intrinsic sexiness — it offers visual pleasure in equal measure — and it takes a grown-up approach to modern romance and its complexities. With a relationship categorized by familiarity, Brooklyn..

It’s a warm weekday afternoon and I am in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, cruising through Tijuana’s industrial zone, past bustling machines shops and warehouse factories advertising $80 hiring bonuses. My companions are a handful of curious tourists and journalists, as well as one art historian. ...

A play in which the cast acts out the real immigration stories of family and friends would seem to have “Trump” written all over it, but “The New Colossus” — the latest from the Actors’ Gang, directed by founding artistic director Tim Robbins — was actually workshopped during the Obama years in...

Los Angeles has a certain elusiveness as urban object. The city is opaque, hard to read. Where does it begin or end? Does it have a center? Does it need one? As recent news coverage proves, the city prompts lots of questions - and inconveniently complex answers.

What to do this weekend? We have some ideas, including Shakespeare in Pasadena, noted tenor Nicholas Phan's festival, a one-man "Great Expectations," a new exhibit on gospel music, the dance troupe Step Afrika! and, yes, even some Mummenschanz.