The Envelope

The master himself, Stephen King, has said PET SEMATARY “is a scary movie. Be warned.” It explores grief, emotion, guilt and love. You could say it’s a family film -- in a terrifying, don’t bring your little ones kind of way. LA Times film writer Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) is joined by one of PET SEMATARY’s stars -- actress and filmmaker Amy Seimetz -- who talks about elevating a horror picture to a...

Six years after SPRING BREAKERS, Harmony Korine is back with a new film, THE BEACH BUM, out now in theaters. The wildly creative filmmaker and fine artist is a teller of modern-day tall tales, something of a cross between a burnout Mark Twain and an Andy Warhol of the Florida Keys. Korine talks with LA Times film writer Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) about how he’s skirting autobiography in his work, th...

The much anticipated follow-up to Jordan Peele’s GET OUT is out now in theaters. And Peele delivers the film he set out to make- one that scares people's pants off. In the process, he has reclaimed the art of the horror genre. LA Times film writer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) talks with Justin Chang ( @JustinCChang ) and Jen Yamato ( @jenyamato ) about how US is in some ways a political film about c...

The Los Angeles Times is in Austin for South by Southwest, the the annual festival of film, music, technology, art, culture, tacos, barbecue, partying - and something of a laboratory think tank for the future. Times film writer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) talks with @marcmaron , who's expanding his wings as a movie actor, along with director @lynnsheltonfilm , who saw him as a star. Olsen also inte...

With its first female-led installment in the Marvel Studio franchise, most people are asking what took so long? But in one corner of the Internet, CAPTAIN MARVEL is a bridge too far, especially for those angered by star Brie Larson's progressive calls for diversity and inclusivity. LA Times film writer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) is joined by Kenneth Turan ( @KennethTuran ), Jen Yamato ( @jenyamato...

Despite what's been called a "despicable" Best Picture win, L.A. Times feature writer and reviewer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) talks with Justin Chang ( @ JustinCChang ), Mary McNamara ( @ marymacTV ) and Glenn Whipp ( @GlennWhipp ) about how real change may have arrived at the Academy. Plus, Jen Yamato ( @jenyamato ) and Amy Kaufman ( @AmyKinLA ) get their Gaga fix on, and share the scoop on what...

On this week’s episode of The Reel, L.A. Times feature writer and reviewer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) previews the 2019 Academy Awards with Justin Chang ( @ JustinCChang ), Mary McNamara ( @ marymacTV ) and Glenn Whipp ( @GlennWhipp ). They discuss their favorite films of the year and explore some of the possible outcomes in this year's top award categories.

On this week’s episode of The Reel, L.A. Times feature writer and reviewer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) is joined by Director Spike Lee and two of his longtime collaborators, composer Terence Blanchard and editor Barry Alexander Brown. They discuss the success of their latest, “BlacKkKlansman” and the lasting impact of the film.

On this week’s episode of The Reel, L.A. Times feature writer and reviewer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) was joined by Director Steven Soderbergh, to talk about his new film “High Flying Bird,” which premiered at Slamdance Film Festival last month. The Oscar-winning filmmaker takes us inside his movie-making process, including what it's like shooting a movie entirely on a smartphone.

On this week’s episode of The Reel, L.A. Times feature writer and reviewer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) was live in Park City, Utah for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. After watching many of this year's movies and documentaries, he sat down with Justin Chang ( @JustinCChang ), Amy Kaufman ( @ AmyKinLA ), Kenneth Turan ( @KennethTuran ) and Jen Yamato ( @jenyamato ) to discuss the best films they sa...

On this week’s episode of The Reel, L.A. Times feature writer and reviewer Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) sits down with Glenn Whipp ( @GlennWhipp ) and Justin Chang ( @JustinCChan g) to take an early look at the 2019 Oscar nominations. They discuss key takeaways from the nominated films, including an increase in internationally focused nominations and the significance behind the “best director” categ...

On this week’s episode of The Reel, LA Times feature writer and reviewer Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) sits down with Meredith Blake (@MeredithBlake), Robert Lloyd (@LATimesTVLloyd), and Yvonne Villarreal (@villarrealy) to discuss HBO’s latest season of 'True Detective' starring Mahershala Ali. They also reflect back on David Chase's HBO series ‘The Sopranos’ 20 years after its premiere.

This week Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) leads a discussion about the importance of last week's Golden Globes and how they might shine a light on what we can expect from the Oscars as we start to wrap up awards season.

This week Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) talks to reporter Carolina Miranda ( @cmonstah ) after she and director Alfonso Cuarón walked through the streets of the Mexico City neighborhood where he shot his film Roma .

Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) and TV writers Yvonne Villarreal ( @villarrealy ), Lorraine Ali ( @LorraineAli ) and Robert Lloyd ( @LATimesTVLLoyd ) break down whether 2018 was a good year for TV. They talk about Barry , Killing Eve , and more as they make their assessment about whether we've gone beyond the "peak TV" era.

Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) and film critics Kenneth Turan ( @KennethTuran ) and Justin Chang ( @JustinCChang ) break down their favorite movies of 2018, including Vox Lux , Can You Ever Forgive Me? , and Black Panther . Sifting through the big studio blockbusters, independent films, foreign-language films, and documentaries their recommendations will add to your list of the "must watch" movies of...

This week LA Times music reporters Gerrick Kennedy ( @GerrickKennedy ), Mikael Wood ( @mikaelwood ), and Randy Lewis ( @RandyLewis2 ) join Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) to discuss the intermingling of music and film. First, the group focuses on capturing live performance on film, as seen in the new Springsteen on Broadway special on Netflix and the archival the Aretha Franklin documentary, Amazing Gr...

This week Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) leads a conversation breaking down the Golden Globe nominations and what they mean for the awards season landscape. We discuss the controversial nominee Green Book , how Black Panther earned Marvel Studios it's first nomination, the crowd-pleasing results from the Globe's distinct drama and comedy categories, and what we might expect from the unusual host pairi...

This week, host Mark Olsen ( @indiefocus ) hands the mic to reporter Yvonne Villarreal ( @villarrealy ) as she interviews Alex Cunningham, the show-runner of Bravo's new TV series Dirty John . Based on the L.A. Times podcast by the same name, the show further explores the complicated and manipulative relationship between Debra Newell and John Meehan. Cunningham breaks down the show's casting choic...

Focusing this week on the music business, Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) sits down with music reporter Randy Lewis ( @RandyLewis2 ), pop music critic Mikael Wood ( @mikaelwood ) and Times television critic and former music editor Lorraine Ali ( @LorraineAli ) to discuss the recent releases of Bob Dylan's "More Blood, More Tracks," which features unreleased takes from the session for his 1975 album "Bl...

This week our team breaks down what to expect next year at the Academy Awards and which movies have already started to make a splash. Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) is joined by Glenn Whipp ( @GlennWhipp ) and Amy Kaufman ( @AmyKinLA ) to break down Marvel's history at the Oscars and Black Panther 's potential for success, Netflix's drama Roma , and which movies have passed Amy's "cry test" this year.

This week, Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) sits down with critics Justin Chang ( @JustinCChang ) and Kenneth Turan ( @KennethTuran ) to discuss the demise of FilmStruck, how streaming services like Netflix have impacted the types of classical films that were once available on FilmStruck, and, specifically, a brand new Orson Welles film now on Netflix that is one of Hollywood's most famous unfinished pr...

This week, host Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) interviews Luca Guadagnino, the director of the remade film Suspiria and also recently known for directing the award-winning movie, Call Me By Your Name . Guadagnino talks, among many other things, about the inspirations for his remake, his friendship with Tilda Swinton and her three roles in the film, and what the movie is actually about.

It's Halloween time, and to celebrate the occasion our team of reporters dives deep into some recent horror hits in film and television. Film critic Justin Chang ( @JustinCChang ) and reporters Libby Hill ( @midwestspitfire ) and Jen Yamato ( @JenYamato ) join host Mark Olsen ( @IndieFocus ) to discuss the newest Halloween sequel as well as the remake of cult classic Suspiria and the new Netflix h...

This week, the L.A. Times team is joined by Joy Press, a former LAT staffer and writer of Stealing the Show: How Women Are Transforming Television, to discuss two recent TV reboots: The Conners and Murphy Brown . The group discusses how ABC dealt with Roseanne leaving her namesake show, the big reveal at the start of The Conners , and how Murphy Brown is faring in comparison.