It's almost impossible to compare a small, independent film with today's no-holds-barred superhero blockbusters. However, if there's one thing that Noah Baumbach's "Frances Ha" manages to have in common with, say, "The Avengers," is secrecy.

For the film -- which was shot in secret during 2011 and 2012 --...

When you hear the plot for "Frances Ha" -- about an awkward 27-year-old aspiring dancer in Brooklyn who's trying to get her life together -- your first inclination might be to compare it to another Brooklyn-based project with a twentysomething female protagonist. However, "Frances Ha" is not HBO's...

Movie trilogies today are normally reserved for Hollywood's big blockbusters, like superhero films ("Iron Man") or bombastic comedies ("The Hangover") that appeal to a wide audience. Director Richard Linklater's "Before" series is the exception to that rule. The films -- "Before Sunrise," "Before Sunset," and now, "Before Midnight" -- star...

F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" doesn't exactly have a stellar record for being adapted to the big screen. Even the book's most devout followers would argue that it is unadaptable. Nevertheless, director Baz Luhrmann took a risk, and his version of what's still considered one of the greatest pieces...

Richard Linklater is sitting in a Greek restaurant in New York City talking about the original influence on his 1995 film, "Before Sunrise," along with its two sequels, "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight." Unfortunately, the story that helped spawn indie film fans' favorite romance has a sad ending...

Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, and Jerry Lewis all walk into a room together. There’s no real punch line to follow that, just Lewis’s brand of slapstick yucks, which had the sold-out crowd at the closing night of the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival in hysterics.

The three...

For indie film fans, Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise," along with its follow-up, "Before Sunset," represent the anti-rom-com -- two movies that drop the overused romantic cliches and happy endings we see in mainstream films and instead opt for the mutual curiosity and messiness we actually experience...

After Agent Phil Coulson's demise in last summer's "The Avengers," a movement began among the Marvel faithful -- one to help resurrect and carry on the memory of their favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Then, in October 2012, "Avengers" director Joss Whedon decided to resurrect the character on the upcoming...

Unless you're a cinephile or live in New York City, odds are you haven't heard much about the Tribeca Film Festival. Launched back in 2002 by Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal, and real estate investor Craig Hatkoff, Tribeca began, at least in part, to help revitalize the...

Typically, August is known as a dumping ground for run-of-the-mill flicks -- ones that end up doing poorly critically and commercially. However, that could change this year with Neil Blomkamp's futuristic sci-fi flick "Elysium."

The long-awaited follow-up to Blomkamp's surprise 2009 hit "District 9," "Elysium" focuses on issues...

You may not know the name Ariana Richards, but odds are you've seen her before, as a young girl screaming in an overturned SUV while a tyrannosaurus rex came barreling down from above.

At the age of 12, Richards was cast in Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster

You may not know the name Dane DeHaan yet, but you will soon. In June 2014, the 27-year-old actor will star as Harry Osborn, alongside Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the sequel to last year's "The Amazing Spider-Man."

But before the hoopla of a blockbuster superhero...

Eva Mendes is mostly known for her work in big-budget studio flicks, and she isn't sure why. "I have actually done a lot more independents than big pictures, and nobody ever brings that part up," she tells us while doing press for her upcoming film the (relatively) small-budget,...

At some point in the last few years, Ryan Gosling became the Internet's best friend. There's the YouTube video of him breaking up a street fight in New York City, and the ridiculously popular "Hey Girl" meme. The man even has dish...

There was a time when Steve Buscemi was known exclusively for his off-beat supporting roles, in films like "The Big Lebowski," "Fargo," "Con Air," and "Armageddon." Now, after several years as the lead on HBO's impressive "Boardwalk Empire," he is returning to the entertainingly peculiar characters that helped...

Here are a few awesome/ridiculous highlights of Steve Carell's career thus far: donning a Biblical beard in "Evan Almighty," professing his love to a lamp during "Anchorman," and hosting a recurring segment on "The Daily Show" about fruits and vegetables (fittingly...

This weekend, the fifth film in the “Die Hard” franchise, “A Good Day to Die Hard,” opens in theaters. This time around, Bruce Willis's character looks to save his son, Jack, after he botches a CIA mission in Moscow. Yes, John McClane’s son is in the...

If you don't know who Seth MacFarlane is, then the commercials for this year's Academy Awards have likely left you a bit flummoxed. Who the heck is this guy, and why is he hosting one of the biggest television events of the year?

MacFarlane is best...

Are you sick of "Star Wars" news yet? I hope not, because Entertainment Weekly just confirmed some big stuff. In addition to the J.J. Abrams-directed "Episode VII," EW reports that Disney is planning spin-off films for two of the franchise's most beloved characters, Han...

So, J.J. Abrams is directing "Star Wars Episode VII"?

According to the Wrap, the filmmaker will be taking on the next chapter in the series. This contradicts earlier reports where Abrams stated he had turned it down.

"I quickly said that because of my loyalty to 'Star Trek,'...