Movies

French director François Ozon can usually be counted on for dark irony of the juiciest sort - his 2003 "Swimming Pool" of sexual provocations comes to mind. But the filmmaker has an especially deft touch when a dash of comedy is mixed in. He uses this to delicious effect in his latest, "In the House. " Adapted by Ozon from Spanish playwright Juan Mayorga's "The Boy in the Last Row," the literary conceit upon which this "House" stands required some maneuvering to open up the world of Claude Garcia (Ernst Umhauer)

"Home Run" is the heartfelt and deeply religious story of a baseball star's struggle with alcoholism and the Christian faith-based recovery group that gets him through. The first moments seem promising as images of a peaceful stretch of farm country fill up the screen. A weathered red barn sits in the distance next to a sprawling white farmhouse with a wraparound porch. But as the camera goes in close, something is wrong - the red is too red, the worn spots too worn. The metaphor is seriously overplayed and we are only in the first inning.

"Oblivion" will make you remember, not forget. This Tom Cruise vehicle is a throwback to the days when on-screen science fiction was about speculative ideas rather than selling toys to tots - think of it as the most expensive episode of "The Twilight Zone" ever made. "Oblivion" is not perfect. Its dystopian story makes no apologies for its familiarity, echoing such films as "The Planet of the Apes," "The Matrix," "2001" and even "Wall-E. " And expecting the wheels not to eventually begin to fall off its pleasantly complicated, head-spinning plot (based on the director Joseph Kosinski's graphic novel)

MovieLabs, a studio-backed research and development venture, has appointed a cable-industry veteran with Silicon Valley ties as its new president and chief executive. John Carney, senior vice president of engineering at Comcast Corp., will run the nonprofit organization, which was created in 2005 by the six major studios to research new forms of movie distribution and protection. Although MovieLabs' initial emphasis was on thwarting movie piracy, its focus has expanded to include the digital distribution of movies and television shows.

After the coffee. Before wishing it was Friday already. The Skinny: Be sure and watch TNT's "Southland" tonight. It may be the series finale. "Nashville" is a repeat so you have my permission. Wednesday's stories include Craig Zadan and Neil Meron being tapped for the second year in a row to produce the Oscars. Also, movie theater owners want fewer R-rated films. Daily Dose: A reminder of Google's stalking prowess. A few days ago I clicked on a Brooks Brothers ad. Soon after, every page I visited and my own social network pages were filled with Brooks Brothers ads via Google.

It feels as if we've hit a major movie slump. So much this year has disappointed. I wasn't entranced with Danny Boyle's crime thriller "Trance. " "42," Brian Helgeland's new drama based on baseball great Jackie Robinson's historic defiance of racial stereotypes, didn't knock it out of the park despite its good intentions. I even considered a shout-out for Selena Gomez and her gal-pals in "Spring Breakers" for exceeding low expectations. And so I find myself suggesting that you consider taking on the latest challenge from director Terrence Malick - "To the Wonder.

For some directors, it's a bolt of inspiration that prompts them to make their movie. For others, it's a serendipitous phone call outside the Lincoln Tunnel. It went down pretty much the second way for Brian Helgeland, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “L.A Confidential” who wrote, and was behind the camera for, the surprise baseball hit of the season, Jackie Robinson biopic “42.” The Massachusetts native was riding a bus on a roots trip of sorts to Brooklyn, where his father had grown up, when he received a call from the financier Thomas Tull.

The head of the theater industry trade group urged Hollywood studios to give their audiences more choices at the box office. John Fithian, chief executive of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, told a crowd of theater owners and studio executives gathered at the annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas that box office attendance had fallen 12% this year mainly because of a dearth of family movies. "Indeed, we were down in the first quarter. But why? Simply put -- not enough choices," Fithian said in his State of the Industry speech on the second day of the convention.

Chris Dodd, chairman and chief executive of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, announced a new "Check the Box" movie ratings awareness campaign Tuesday morning at CinemaCon, the National Assn. of Theater Owners' annual convention in Las Vegas. The campaign encourages parents to use the rating descriptors that are featured for every film rated PG or higher to make decisions about what films are family friendly and appropriate for their children. PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times "Throughout its existence, the goal of the rating system has never changed: to inform parents and allow them to make their own decisions, considering the children's sensibilities and unique sensitivities," said Dodd.

Joe Mantello, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as Ned Weeks in the 2011 Broadway production of "The Normal Heart,” has signed on for a different role in Ryan Murphy's film adaptation. Mantello will play Mickey Marcus in the on-screen incarnation of Larry Kramer's autobiographical drama about the early days of the AIDS epidemic in New York City. The previously announced Mark Ruffalo will star as activist Weeks. Emmy-winner Murphy (“Glee”) will direct the “Normal Heart” film, which Kramer adapted from his 1985 landmark play.