FilmWeek

During World War II, Hitler recognized the power that Hollywood held as a tool for propaganda. So much so that he sent Nazi agents to L.A. to infiltrate the studios. In his new book, Hollywood vs. Nazis: How the Movie Studios Took on Nazis Infiltrating Los Angeles , author Michael Benson , tells the story of how one entertainment lawyer spearheaded the defense against Hitler’s pro-Nazi propa...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell , Beandrea July , and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: You, Me & Tuscany Wide Release                               &...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire , Beandrea July and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: The Drama Wide Release The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Wide Release Fantasy Life In Select Theaters The Addiction of Hope Available on VOD & Digital Our Hero, Balthazar In Select Theaters Kontinental ‘25 Laemm...

The American Cinematheque, L.A.’s nonprofit film and culture organization, is best known for their curated screenings of cult classic films, filmmaker retrospectives, and festivals like Bleak Week and Beyond Fest. Now, through a new podcast, they are putting actors and filmmakers’ film taste to the test. Every week, artistic director Grant Moninger sits down with a director, actor, or...

Guest host Austin Cross and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films:  They Will Kill You Wide Release Forbidden Fruits Wide Release Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice Streaming on Hulu Marc by Sofia In Select Theaters The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist In Select Theaters A...

Project Hail Mary , Ryan Gosling’s new space blockbuster, reached number one at the Box Office last weekend. It’s the second successful book-to-screen adaptation for author Andy Weir, best known for his novel The Martian which also got a movie adaptation in 2015 starring Matt Damon. Weir helped write the screenplays for both films, which could be part of their positive reception. But,...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Beandrea July review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Visit  www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency    

It’s the annual FilmWeek Oscar Preview! AirTalk host Larry Mantle and the FilmWeek critics will take us through the major races and rundown the likely winners and where we might see some surprises. Grab your popcorn and join us for this annual favorite. Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earth...

For a renowned Hollywood icon, there remains a mysteriousness to actress Joan Crawford, which is and always was part of her appeal. But in a new biography, author and film historian Scott Eyman attempts to know the woman behind the screen persona and Hollywood gossip. Through newly discovered archives and interviews with family and friends, Eyman pulls back the layers on one of films’ greate...

Austin Cross and LAist film critics  Lael Loewenstein , Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: The Bride! , Wide Release Hoppers , Wide Release Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man , In Select Theaters  Nawi: Dear Future Me , Laemmle Santa Monica Film Center Dolly , In Select Theaters The Pink Pill: Se...

A child prodigy, Billy Preston began performing at his local church in Los Angeles, but his talents on the keyboard and singing quickly led him to guest appearances on The Nat King Cole Show , and later touring with Ray Charles. Preston was a popular musician in his own right, known for hits like ‘Will It Go Round in Circles,’ and ‘Nothing From Nothing,’ but he also had a r...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Claudia Puig and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Scream 7 , Wide Release Paul McCartney: Man on the Run , In Select Theaters & Streaming on Amazon Prime Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It , In Select Theaters March 3 Ghost Elephants , In Select Theaters | Streaming...

Brazil has been a rising star in international cinema. The Secret Agent , a political thriller set in 1977 about a researcher trying to escape the country for unknown reasons, is just the latest film from Brazil to gain critical acclaim. Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura, the film shows the tangible and intangible effects an authoritarian regime imposes on its peop...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: How To Make A Killing , Wide Release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert , In Select IMAX Theaters|Expands February 27 Redux Redux , In Select Theaters        I Can Only Imagine 2 , In Select Theaters&nbsp...

A quiet, meditative film about the Pacific Northwest’s logging and railroad industry at the turn of the 20th century is this year’s sleeper hit, accumulating four Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Train Dreams tells the story of Robert Grainier, played by Joel Edgerton, as he helps expand the nation’s railway system, clearing forests alongside nomadic characters. As the f...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Lael Loewenstein review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Wuthering Heights , Wide Release        Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die , In Select Theaters      Crime 101 , Wide Release       &n...

Writer-director Joachim Trier makes award-winning films that strike an emotional chord with audiences. Probably best known for his previous film The Worst Person in the World (2021), starring Renate Reinsve and co-written by Eskil Voght, Trier recreates that magic with his latest work Sentimental Value , about two sisters and their relationship with their estranged director father. Trier teamed up...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Beandrea July review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.  Films: Dracula , In Select Theaters                                 &nbs...

The Hollywood system was never a secret, even in the Golden Age. A young girl would be discovered, plucked from a small town in the Midwest, made over to look “the part” of a movie star, and then wholly become one as one of the major studios “it girl.” Although the idea of what a “star” is has changed over the decades to reflect societal ideals of each decade, t...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Lael Loewenstein review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Also joining us on FilmWeek to talk about the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and some of the films being shown is program director for the festival and LAist film critic, Claudia Puig . Films: Send Help , Wide Release The Momen...

The LA Times released a list of the best 101 films set in Los Angeles. The number one spot went to the 1974 film Chinatown , directed by Roman Polanski, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, with the backdrop of a 1930’s Los Angeles. Second place went to David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001), and some other notable picks include Blade Runner (1982), Her (2013), Tangerine (2015) and...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Peter Rainer , Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. And we remember the beloved animation director Roger Allers, known best for co-directing Disney’s The Lion King , and award-winning actress Joan Plowright. Films: Mercy , Wide Release Mr. Nobody Against Putin , Streaming...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: 28 Years Later: the Bone Temple , Wide Release                        The RIP , Streaming on Netflix   &n...

The new film Sheepdog was over a decade in the making. Writer, director, and star, Steven Grayhm, spent 14 years talking to veterans about their mental health struggles after returning home, and families of veterans who have taken their own lives. The film follows combat veteran, Calvin Cole (played by Grayhm), as he goes through court mandated therapy. His therapist, played by Oscar-nominated act...

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Lael Loewenstein and Beandrea July review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. And we remember Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr. Films: Dead Man's Wire , AMC Burbank & AMC Grove|Expands Jan. 16                    &n...