Not long ago, the Day of the Dead festival was a mystery to most Americans, and even some Mexicans, too. People who did know about it tended to think it was the “Mexican Halloween,” which is not true. But in recent decades, this annual observance has spread from its origins mostly in southern Mexico to

By Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times (TNS) LOS ANGELES — Good news for theaters still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and other industry disruptions: A new UCLA study has found that teenagers’ favorite thing to do is going to the movies. The latest installment of the university’s “Teens and Screens” report — which surveyed 1,500

While playing a low-level thug in this week’s theatrical gangster thriller “Absolution,” Liam Neeson remains a commanding figure able to rouse our sympathy. He’s an ex-boxer who has spent the last 30 years as an enforcer, thief and errand boy for a Boston-area crime boss – until he suddenly finds himself falling apart. “The idea

By Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times (TNS) When Cal State Fullerton professor Andi Stein set sail on her first Disney Cruise trip to the Bahamas for research more than a decade ago, she was on the fence about the idea. Unsure what it would be like voyaging with so many youngsters, she booked a short