The parties at this year's LA Film Fest 2013 are just cooking up, so we thought we start off you all with a little mini-photo tour appetizer.  We're heading to the roof of the West Garage at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles, California and going into the exclusive Filmmaker Lounge to show you a few notable sights.  Drinks, computers, bowls of free nutrition bars and conversations galore - let's mingle film fans!

Seems to be the right place!  (Where can I get one of those gobo's with my name!)

Isn't this how the first "Tron" started?  (Free computers rule!)

Hitting the blue bar...

We’re keeping the capsulated review train going with more insight into the films at this years LA Film Fest 2013 via Jason and Michael.  Today’s crop sees good and bad in doc land along with some Beyond fare to boot.  Honest in film critique – here’s the skinny!

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Michael's Reviews

"The New Black" – A startling multi-layered documentary.  Born out of the repossession of gay rights thru Prop-8 in California, Yoruba Richen, the film’s director, has created a complex portrait of the fight for gay rights in America as exemplified by the Prop-6 in Maryland.  It also to...

Day 1 at LA Film Fest 2013 and we’re already cooking with movie review gas!  Here are a handful of our first wave of capsulated reviews – both good and bad – from both Jason and Michael Coleman to help fest goers make their choices a pinch more educated.  Check them out below!

THE GOOD

Jason’s Pick

"In A World" – Effective most when in full bittersweet romantic mode, Lake Bell’s writing and directing debut is a cute flick amidst a tad fluffy.  Bell herself comes off much like Kristen Wiig, funny and charming in an odd and unique way.  The comedy is unfortunately light, but does come ...

French animation, a flick that was booed at Cannes and Harry Dean Stanton – welcome to LA Film Fest 2013!  Held once again in Downtown Los Angeles at LA Live from June 13 thru the June 23 (go to www.lafilmfest.com for details!), Starpulse.com is once again covering all things film to bring you the gems and duds of the coolest and most prolific fest in LA.  We’re adding a few more mouths to the cinematic litter this year as not only will I be checking out the various flicks, Q&A’s and parties, but my movie father Michael Coleman will be my wingman this time out to give you readers and fans m...

A far as comedy goes, I’ve never been against the broader strokes of hilarity in film.  Over-the-top gags, a vaudeville vibe and grandiose farce can provide great laughs that simple comedy may not have the gumption to attempt.  Unfortunately, in his new film "I’m So Excited," normally masterful director Pedro Almodovar forgets to add one thing to his bawdy comedy – the funny.

When an early accident leaves the undercarriage of Peninsula flight 2549 in turmoil, strange things begin to occur on the doomed trip.  Everyone in economy class is drugged into a deep sleep, those left in business cl...

Lesbian romance "Blue Is The Warmest Colour" was named the winner of the Palme d'Or award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival Sunday night.

The award was presented by this year's jury president Steven Spielberg, who announced that the prize was not only being awarded to the film's Tunisian director, Abdellatif Kechiche, but also to its two stars, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. It's also the first time an openly gay film has won the award.

"The film is a great love story that made us all feel privileged to be invited to see this story of deep love and deep heartbreak," Spielberg told th...

It’s fairly safe to say, that few filmmakers would attempt to shoot a found footage movie like Bobcat Goldthwait’s “Willow Creek.” There aren’t many writer/directors who could make an absurd combination mockumentary/horror flick even remotely watchable. That’s why Goldthwait is one of the bravest, most uncompromising voices in independent film right now. When he decides to experiment with a specific type of story, he’s dedicated to seeing the project through, no matter how strange the idea is. He gracefully accepts that not everyone loves what he’s doing, and focuses on creating fresh pictu...

When the creators of last year’s wicked horror anthology “V/H/S” sat down to make a sequel, it seems like they were reading from an audience suggestion box. That’s because “V/H/S/2” addresses many of the major complaints people had with its predecessor. And although the movie still isn’t perfect, it vastly improves upon the formula established by the first film, to tell more engaging stories.

For those who missed “V/H/S,” here’s the setup: People break into a house and stumble upon piles of mysterious VHS tapes. In this particular case they’re a couple of private investigators checking on ...

Shakespeare has never been as accessible on the big screen as he is in Joss Whedon’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Sure, there have been plenty of modern Shakespearean film adaptations, but they often rely on well-known actors or massive stylistic updates to connect with audiences. Whedon’s version bridges that gap because it features his stable of performers and includes modern technology, while maintaining the essence of The Bard’s work.  

Just because Whedon changes some aspects of the tale to suit our time however, doesn’t mean that he throws tradition completely out the window. If you’re ...

The British can make almost anything funny with their dry, cheeky sense of humor, including murder. Sounds messed up, right? You might be wondering, “How could murder ever be humorous?” Well, it can be hilarious, if it’s for all the wrong, outrageous reasons in Ben Wheatley’s dark road-comedy “Sightseers.”

All of the violence and chaos in the film seems logical and amusing, because you find out quickly, that the main characters each have a screw loose. First there’s Carol (Eileen Davis), an overbearing, melodramatic, mother who can’t stand the thought of her 34-year-old daughter Tina (Alic...