Q&A with film scholar Mark Shiel, author of “˜Hollywood Cinema and the Real Los Angeles’

Film scholar Mark Shiel studies the relationship between films and their influence on the cities in which they are shot. In his new book, “Hollywood Cinema and the Real Los Angeles,” Shiel tackles the heart of the motion picture industry in Los Angeles and describes the impact Hollywood cinema has had on the city. Shiel will discuss his new book tonight at 7 p.m. at the Hammer Museum. The Daily Bruin’s Stanton Sharpe spoke with Shiel about how he began his research in Hollywood cinema and Los Angeles, his advice for film students and the London film scene.

Movie Review: 'Battleship'

Loud. Louder. Loudest.

Those are the three different volumes present in one of the first summer blockbusters of the year, “Battleship.” The movie’s plot is relatively simple. Humans have sent a radio signal out to deep space and it has finally been answered by things that are unequivocally hostile. A group of ships crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oahu, right in the middle of naval war games.