Claim OwnershipFilmWeek
Subscribed: 1,572Played: 68,984
Subscribe
© 2026 KPCC 89.3 | Southern California Public Radio
Description
FilmWeek on AirTalk, hosted by Larry Mantle, is a one-hour weekly segment devoted to films. It offers reviews of the week's new movies, interviews with filmmakers, and discussions on various aspects of the industry.
599 Episodes
Reverse
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 reputation for working behind the scenes with icons like Little Richard and The Beatles. Today on FilmWeek we talk with Paris Barclay, the director behind a new documentary on Billy Preston. Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It is in select theaters.
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 on Hulu & Disney+ March 8 Crazy Old Lady, Streaming on Shudder and AMC+ Space Cowboy, Laemmle Royal [West LA] The Bluff, Streaming on Amazon Prime For Worse, Laemmle Royal [West LA] Undercard, In Select Theaters Dreams, In Select Theaters K-Pops!, In Select Theaters
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 people. Moura's character Marcelo, spends the film in hiding under an alias as he waits for assistance to get him and his son out of the country. Moura's central performance holds audiences in the precarious situation with him. The film has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best International Feature, Best Lead Actor (Wagner Moura), and Best Achievement in Casting. Today on FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with actor Wagner Moura about the film and its reception abroad. The Secret Agent is still playing in select theaters.
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 This Is Not a Test, In Select Theaters Threshold, Streaming on Peacock One Mile: Chapter One & Chapter Two, Two films available simultaneously on digital Blades of the Guardians, In Select Theaters The Dreadful, In Select Theaters Diabolic, Available on Digital and On Demand
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 film progresses, the audience is transported to the changing landscape of the West, the visuals dreamy like sifting through memories. The film is an adaptation of the novella of the same name written by Denis Johnson. On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with Train Dreams’ director and co-writer Clint Bentley, who is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside co-writer Greg Kwedar, and the film’s director of photography, Adolpho Veloso, who is nominated for Best Achievement in Cinematography. Train Dreams is nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Cinematography, and Best Achievement in Music (Original Song). Train Dreams is available to stream on Netflix.
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 Nirvanna: The Band–The Show–The Movie, In Select Theaters Calle Malaga, Laemmle Town Center [Encino] & Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] Starman, Laemmle Glendale Cold Storage, In Select Theaters Trango, Available on VOD on Documentary+ By Design, In Select Theaters
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 with Voght once again to co-write the screenplay and Reinsve plays the lead, marking the third film the director and actress have worked on together. Stellan Skarsgard stars alongside Reinsve as her character's father. Sentimental Value has nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best International Feature, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. We speak with writer-director Joachim Trier about the film and why it has resonated so much with audiences. Sentimental Value is playing in select theaters.
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 Sirāt, AMC Burbank & Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA] Pillion, In Select Theaters Jimpa, In Select Theaters Natchez, Laemmle Glendale Kokuho, AMC Citywalk [Hollywood]| Expands to select theaters February 20th A Useful Ghost, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] Queen of Chess, Streaming on Netflix Solo Mio, In Select Theaters The President’s Cake, Laemmle Royal [West LA] The Strangers – Chapter 3, In Select Theaters The Love That Remains, Laemmle Royal [West LA] & Laemmle Glendale 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
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, the process and effects remain the same. The same is true for the film A Star is Born, which has been adapted four times. The original was released in 1937 starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, and follows the Hollywood machine of making a movie star. Over the subsequent versions, music was introduced, first with the 1954 adaptation where Judy Garland tries to become a leading lady in a Hollywood musical. The 1976 and 2018 versions modernize the commentary by setting it in the music industry with Barbara Streisand and Lady Gaga starring respectively. These differences and what they say about each era of the entertainment industry are explored in the book “A Star is Reborn: The Most Filmed Hollywood Story of Love Found and Lost.” On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with the author Robert Hofler. “A Star is Reborn” is on sale now.
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 Moment, In Select Theaters A Poet, Laemmle Royal [West LA] Miracle: The Boys of '80, Streaming on Netflix Pike River, Lumiere Cinema [Beverly Hills] Islands, In Select Theaters Shelter, In Select Theaters 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
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 Boyz n the Hood (1991). Joining Larry Mantle on FilmWeek to discuss some of the more surprising films included and their personal favorites are LAist film critics Manuel Betancourt, assistant editor of Documentary Magazine, and one of the contributors to the LA Times’ Best LA Movies list, and Wade Major, film critic for CineGods.com and author of the “Hollywood Heretic” Substack. You can read the LA Times’ 101 Best LA Movies list here.
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 on the Kino Film Collection Arco, AMC Burbank & AMC Century City H is for Hawk, In Select Theaters Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, Streaming on HBO Max Disneyland Handcrafted, Streaming on Disney+ Sound of Falling, Laemmle Royal [West LA] Cosmic Princess Kaguya, Streaming on Netflix 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
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 Night Patrol, In Select Theaters The Shadow of the Sun, Laemmle Glendale Young Mothers, Laemmle Royal [West LA] A Private Life, Laemmel Royal [West LA], AMC Burbank, & AMC The Grove Sheepdog, In Select Theaters Obex, Laemmle NoHo 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
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 actor Virginia Madsen, is new to the job, still finishing her schooling. Madsen’s connection to the film is also a personal one. On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with filmmaker Steven Grayhm and actor Virginia Madsen about the making of Sheepdog and their respective emotional connections to the film. Sheepdog is playing in select theaters. 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
1Larry 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 Greenland 2: Migration, Wide Release I Was a Stranger, In Select Theaters All That's Left of You, Laemmle Royal [West LA] The Mother and the Bear, Laemmle Glendale Homegrown, Available on VOD The Forgotten Occupation, Lumiere Cinema [West LA] Jan 10 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
South Korean director Park Chan-wook is considered one of living legends working today, known for his dark comedies inspired by film noir like his breakout hit Oldboy. His work also plays with shifting tones, like the paranoia and romance in the 2022 film Decision to Leave. Chan-wook’s newest film No Other Choice continues this pattern, melding the dark tone of a crime thriller with the slap-stick of a comical farce. The film stars Lee Byun-hun as a paper company employee who has just been laid off. Desperate to maintain his identity as a working man, he takes drastic measures to eliminate his competition in the job market. This time on FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with director Park Chan-wook about his new film No Other Choice and how he decides what films to make at this stage in his career. Park Chan-wook is accompanied by his interpreter Jiwoon Lee. You can see No Other Choice in select theaters. 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
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Amy Nicholson and Manuel Betancourt review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Marty Supreme Wide Release Song Sung Blue Wide Release No Other Choice In Select Theaters|Expands January The Testament of Ann Lee In Select Theaters|Expands January Anaconda Wide Release The Plague At Select Laemmle Theater locations|Expands Wide Jan 2 Goodbye June Streaming on Netflix Father Mother Sister Brother Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA]|Expands Jan. 9 The Choral AMC Burbank & Laemmle Royal [West LA]|Expands to select theaters Jan. 15
Rental Family explores the unique phenomena of Japanese rental family agencies through an underemployed American actor living in Tokyo. Anchored by Brendan Fraser’s empathetic performance, Rental Family explores the lyricism of loneliness and the solace we can find in connection. Joining Larry to talk about Rental Family are director and co-writer of the film HIKARI and lead actor Brendan Fraser. 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 .
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell, Peter Rainer, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Avatar: Fire and Ash, Wide Release The Housemaid, Wide Release The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Wide Release Is This Thing On?, In Select Theaters The Voice of Hind Rajab, Laemmle Royal [West LA] David, Wide Release Franz, Laemmle Monica [Santa Monica] All Operators are Currently Unavailable, Laemmle NoHo Breakdown: 1975, Streaming on Netflix Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?, Streaming on HBO Max 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. .
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Beandrea July review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
This is a fine edition of Filmweek.