FilmWeek

The topic :  In 2023, Larry Mantle interviewed actor Patrick Stewart, best known for his roles as Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men and as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek , for his memoir Making It So . We revisit Larry’s conversation with Stewart in memory of the late actor who died at the age of 86 this week. Visit  www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit...

The topic: Larry Mantle and critics Manuel Betancourt and Maureen Lee Lenker talk about the new documentary Everest: The Other Side from the directing duo behind Oscar-winner Free Solo (2018). They also review S CTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of , a documentary about the Canadian sketch-comedy show featuring interviews with the cast members, including the late Catherine O’Ha...

The topic: Larry Mantle and FilmWeek critics review the latest DC Comics adaptation Clayface starring Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie along with a lot of gore. They also talk about LAIKA’s stop-motion spectacle Wildwood , the longest stop-motion animation film in history. The films: Clayface , Wide Release Wicker , Wide Release Wildwood , Wide Release Klara and the Sun , Wide Release  ...

The topic:  FilmWeek critics Lael Loewenstein and Tim Cogshell discuss the new reboot of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility , starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, and You Can See Everything , the new documentary on Elizabeth Holmes from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. They’ll also review La Bola Negra , winner of this year’s Best Director award at Can...

The topic: In his new book, Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever, film critic and author Matt Singer discusses the comedy boom of the early aughts, the “Frat Pack” that dominated the era, and the lessons contemporary studios can take from their success.  Event info: Matt Singer will be at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasa...

The topic: FilmWeek critics Katie Walsh and Claudia Puig join host Larry Mantle to discuss the biggest releases of the week, including screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network , The Social Reckoning of which Sorkin also directs. And they’ll review this year’s Palm d’Or winner at Cannes, Fjord , about a Romanian family in Norway fighting allegations of chi...

The topic:  Richard Linklater’s 2025 film Nouvelle Vague tries to accurately capture the filming process of one of French New Wave’s most influential films — Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960). Shot in black and white and almost entirely in French, Linklater transports viewers back to 1959 Paris on  the chaotic and sometimes claustrophobic set. Criterion release:...

The topic: FilmWeek critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire disagree on the effectiveness of Alejandro Iñárritu’s new film Digger starring Tom Cruise, but they do agree that everyone should see it, if only to partake in the discussion. Also out this week is the drama Atonement that shows the ramifications of the Iraqi war. The films:   Digger , Wide Release Heart of t...

The topic: Finding humor and fascination in the mundane is John Wilson’s signature. After closing out his acclaimed HBO series  How To with John Wilson , the documentarian picks up right where he left off, but this time with a feature film examining one of New York’s most foundational materials: concrete. Wilson joins FilmWeek’s Larry Mantle to talk about his first feature d...

The topic: Larry Mantle and FilmWeek critics review Primetime , starring Robert Pattinson as NBC Dateline host Chris Hansen, best known for his 2006 series To Catch a Predator . And they talk about the documentary You Had to Be There that attempts to capture the magical 1972 Toronto production of Godspell that launched many famous comedians careers. The events are told through animation and interv...

The topic:  It’s the final weekend of the 51st annual Toronto International Film Festival and a handful of movie premieres are already stirring up buzz for this upcoming awards season. We talk to FilmWeek critics Amy Nicholson and Maureen Lee Lenker about their favorites from this year’s festival and what movies they think audiences should look out for when they hit theaters.&nbsp...

The topic: The Halloween season begins this week in earnest with the new Shaun the Sheep movie— The Beast of Mossy Bottom —from British stop-motion animation studio Aardman. And director Zach Cregger returns with another horror crowd pleaser, Resident Evil . Our critics also review the dark comedy The Musical about a vengeful teacher out to sabotage the school play.  The films:&nb...

The topic: Larry Mantle is joined by our FilmWeek critics Christy Lemire and Katie Walsh to review this week's biggest film releases, including Practical Magic 2 , the sequel to the 1998 cozy-cult classic, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sister witches. They’ll also talk about the Watts set drama If I Go Will They Miss Me and the documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger...

The topic: In his new book 50 Movie Nights: Contemporary Stars on Their Favorite Classic Films , Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger asked 50 actors, filmmakers and stars what their favorite classic films are and the ideal way to watch them.  What films are included? The book features a wide array of classic cinema, from political dramas like Don Cheadle’s choice, The Battle Of Algie...

The topic: For our most recent FilmWeek screening, Larry Mantle and critics Tim Cogshell and Claudia Puig traveled down to Santa Ana to the Frida Cinema for Michael Mann’s 2004 neo-noir thriller Collateral . The critics, along with special guest Barry Shabaka Henley, who plays the jazz club owner Daniel in the film, discuss the movie’s impact, its portrayal of Los Angeles, and the grea...

The topic: Larry Mantle and film critics Peter Rainer and Manuel Betancourt discuss this week's biggest releases, including the quiet but sweet romantic drama The Sun Never Sets starring Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson set in Anchorage, Alaska, and Mariannne Elliott’s feature directorial debut The Salt Path starring Gillian Anderson.     The films:    &nbsp...

The topic :  Tim Curry, a character actor who created a gallery of delicious, very loony villains for stage and screen, including Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the smug concierge in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York , has died. He was 80. Larry Mantle and our FilmWeek critics remember some of Curry’s most iconic roles on the screen and on the stage. The critics :&...

The topic : Larry Mantle and this week’s critics review the long-awaited Coyote vs. Acme, starring Wile E. Coyote and the other Looney Tunes. They’ll also talk about Ridley Scott’s newest sci-fi movie The Dog Stars starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin. The films : Coyote vs. Acme , Wide Release The Dog Stars , Wide Release Finding Emily , Wide Release The Last Blossom , In Selec...

The topic:  Summer is over and school is back in session. So we thought we would ask our FilmWeek critics what some of their favorite school-set films are and what makes them so effective in bringing back those school-day memories. Our critics' picks: Cooley High (1975) To Sir, With Love (1967) Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Fame (1980) The Last Picture Show (1971) Carrie (1976) The 400...

The topic: Larry Mantle and film critics Peter Rainer and Tim Cogshell talk about the latest installment in the Insidious franchise, and yes, they do recommend you see the preceding five films. They also discuss the documentary The Last Picture Shows , about the handful of independent movie theaters across the U.S. that are slowly dying out. The films:  Insidious: Out of the Further , Wide Re...

The topic :  The two-part documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year-Old Man! has garnered 6 primetime Emmy nominations including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program. Co-directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio join Larry Mantle on FilmWeek to talk about the legendary filmmaker himself (now 100 years-old) and what it was lik...

The topic:  Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Maureen Lee Lenker review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. The films: The End of Oak Street , Wide Release Don’t Say Good Luck , Streaming on Netflix  Late Fame , Laemmle Royal [West LA] The Wrong Girls , Wide Release If These Walls Could Rock , Available on Digital...

The topic:  In a follow up to her book But Have You Read the Book? , author Kristen Lopez focuses on romance movies that were adapted from or inspired by famous works of literature. From beloved classics like Anna Karenina to modern cult favorites like Bridget Jones’ Diary , But Have You Read the Book? Romance Edition will give you the perfect reading (and corresponding watch) list for...

The topic:  Larry Mantle and the critics discuss the confusing intricacies at play in the society of One Night Only and the impressive storytelling and meta-commentary behind writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s latest film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma . Larry also reminisces on his interview with Anthony Bourdain following Kitchen Confidential. That time in Bourdain’s life i...

The topic: Don’t understand the 70mm IMAX craze for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey ? LAist host Julia Paskin talked to Taylor Umphenour, one of L.A.’s top IMAX projectionists, on FilmWeek to understand why the format is becoming a filmmaker favorite and why audiences are clamoring to theaters to see The Odyssey in the largest format possible.  Guest: Taylor Umphenour, IMAX...