the BEAT of the week: Live read of 'The Princess Bride,' with Jason Reitman.

This is going to be a fun one. The last time Jason Reitman put on one of these 'Live Reads' for LACMA, he corralled up none less than Natalie Portman, Steve Carell, Pierce Brosnan, Mindy Kaling and Ken Jeong for a reading of The Apartment, and before that he got Jennifer Garner, Patton Oswalt, Aaron Paul and James Van Der Beek to do The Breakfast Club. All the castmates are announced on Reitman's Twitter the week of the reading, and the readings were all full of fun surprises.

So this time around, Reitman's doing the '80s classic, The Princess Bride. Of course it'll be difficult to top Billy Crystal, but admit that you can't wait to hear the line "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Live read of The Princess Bride, directed Jason Reitman takes place this Thursday at 7:30pm at LACMA, located at 5900 Wilshire Blvd. in Mid-City. It's currently standby only, but worth the wait if you can get there early.

-- Chau Tu

Do It. Jason Reitman guest-programs the New Beverly.

He made one of the most moving films of last year, and now Up in the Air's writer/director Jason Reitman's ready to show you some of his favorites.

Reitman's picks as guest-programmer at the New Beverly this next week won't be as serious as his Best Picture Oscar nominee, but that doesn't mean they aren't awesome. Case in point: a Matthew Broderick double feature tonight and Saturday of Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Election. YES. Follow that with Shampoo and Boogie Nights on Sunday and Monday, and Breaking Away and Bottle Rocket on Wednesday and Thursday. So many good movies!

Plus, Reitman himself will come to introduce and discuss the films on Friday, Sunday and Wednesday. Make sure not to ask him any of these questions, though:


The New Beverly is located at 7165 Beverly Blvd.

-- Chau Tu

Video credit: Film School Rejects

Check It. Up in the Air.

Long story short: this movie will hit you. Hard. Even if you expect it; which I believe many of the companions I watched this film with, as well as myself, did. You'll expect it to hit you and affect you, and it will, and it will also refuse to let go.

But "Up in the Air" deserves the long story. Jason Reitman's (Juno) latest film stars the perfectly cast George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a guy who travels around the country firing lists upon lists of people in corporate arenas. It's a horrible job to say in the least, soullessly repetitive and ritualistic, but Ryan enjoys the lone wolf lifestyle with business-class perks. It's a life completely void of emotion, and he likes it that way.

Which is why he's a bit more than bothered when the fresh-out-of-college biz whiz Natalie threatens his relevance (and airline miles!) with a simple click on the webcam. Lessons are about to be taught, and that's where the emotion comes in.