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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.
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As we enter a major weekend for Hollywood, how successful are Wicked and Gladiator II projected to be? Although Thanksgiving cooking is a major event on its own, the next two weekends serve as a time when major studios try to cash in on the audience’s free time. The two major releases this weekend, John M. Chu’s Wicked and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, have bot h heavily campaigned for eyeballs, leaving questions about whether both can find box office success during the first week of their respective domestic releases. Internationally, Gladiator II has been released in some territories and made more than $80 million dollars in the process; Wicked has yet to open up its wide release but is projected to make more than $100 million in its opening weekend. With many referencing Barbenheimer, due to both films’ heavy promotion and different audience demographics, it does beg folks to wonder how each film will ultimately do financially and during awards season. Rebecca Rubin, senior film and media reporter for Variety, joins us to discuss this.
Feature: Critics discuss what’s behind the idea of movies being longer, and how to best prep for them At a time when rolls of film dominated the land, making a blockbuster was going to be expensive when you had to consider a physical film that had to be distributed across the globe. It’s an issue that made films longer than 120 minutes feel like an occasion. However, in the world of digital cameras, the unique quirks that came with the film were no longer an issue, making it easier to extend the length of a given feature. Auteurs like Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese have tried their best to keep viewers’ attention, with recent projects like Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon, respectively. In the vein of West Side Story (1961) and Lawrence of Arabia, Brady Corbet’s upcoming film The Brutalist uses an intermission to give viewers a break. But ultimately… are Hollywood’s movies longer now? And for viewers interested in watching these long movies– what are ways to fully devote yourself to a film?
FilmWeek: 'Gladiator II,' 'Wicked,' 'Joy,' 'Spellbound,' and More Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Charles Solomon, Amy Nicholson, and Claudia Puig reviewthe latest releases on FilmWeek. Gladiator II Wicked Flow Joy Spellbound Agent of Happiness The Merry Gentlemen The Glassworker
FilmWeek: 'Red One,' 'Elton John: Never Too Late,' 'Daruma,' and More Larry Mantle and FilmWeek critics Lael Loewenstein, Manuel Betancourt, and Charles Solomon review the latest releases on FilmWeek. Red One All We Imagine as Light Elton John: Never Too Late Bird The World According to Alle Willis Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes Ghost Cat Anzu Daruma Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy Night Is Not Eternal Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom The Lost Children
Feature: As Hollywood begins its “Christmas creep,” we talk our favorite holiday movies The holidays are here… or at least film distributors are under that impression. It’s been two weeks since Halloween has wrapped, and in that time we’ve seen some new Christmas-centric films make their ways to theaters and streamers. This week’s most-promoted theatrical release being the Christmas, action-comedy Red One; the film includes stars like Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, and J.K. Simmons. Last week on the show, we had the chance to discuss Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, two films that fit into the rich tradition of comfort movies that you can watch with your family during the holidays. So for this week’s FilmWeek feature, we’ll speak to our critics about the trend itself and hear about their favorite movies centered on the holiday season.
FilmWeek: "Heretic," "The Piano Lesson," "Small Things Like These," and more Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Andy Klein review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on-demand platforms. Heretic The Piano Lesson Small Things Like These Elevation The Last Rifelman Christmas Even in Miller’s Point The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Meanwhile on Earth Sallywood Weekend in Taipei
Feature: New book ‘Opening Weekend’ provides insider perspective on film marketing Although the film industry can be quite lucrative, there are a lot of moving parts to how a film gets to be a “success” or “flop.” As it relates to building up hype for a movie, marketing teams play a huge role in growing excitement and finding ways to resonate with general audiences. A new book, Opening Weekend: An Insider's Look at Marketing Hollywood's Hits and Flops, by longtime film marketing executive Jim Fredrick. Frederick’s career in the business has included working on the marketing team for films like Eyes Wide Shut, The Shawshank Redemption, and even the Harry Potter film franchise. So for this week’s feature, we’ll talk to Frederick about Opening Weekend and get an insider’s understanding of how marketing works within the film industry. Jim Fredrick, studio marketing executive, and Chapman University film professor; he’s also the author of the new book Opening Weekend: An Insider's Look at Marketing Hollywood's Hits and Flops
The upcoming general election has of course been on many peoples’ minds, and what better way to work through the angst than by viewing how generations of artists have tried depicting politics on the big screen? Since early September, Turner Classic Movies has been airing some of the most political films to be released, with some examples being The Great Dictator and JFK. So for today’s feature, Larry and LAist film critics Andy Klein and Christy Lemire talk about their favorite election-related movies, getting into what makes them so topical and worth looking back at following their initial release.
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Andy Klein review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on-demand platforms. They also remember actress Teri Garr, who passed away at the age of 79. Here Blitz Emilia Perez A Real Pain Juror #2 Endurance Freedom The Gutter Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Feature: Larry talks to Sean Baker and Mikey Madison about the work that went into making ‘Anora’ Since his 2012 feature-length film Starlet, critically acclaimed director Sean Baker has made films that bring realism to the lives of sex workers across the United States. Angelenos are likely familiar with the locations of Starlet and Tangerine, with the former taking place in the San Fernando Valley and the latter in Hollywood. Baker would eventually shoot his next films in Florida and Texas, but his latest picture, Anora, brings viewers to Brooklyn, New York. In Anora, Mikey Madison portrays Ani, an exotic dancer who eventually finds herself eloping with the son of a Russian oligarch. The film has garnered positive reviews since being screened at film festivals and was awarded the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival by fellow filmmakers judging the competition. For this week’s feature, we sit down with Anora’s writer-director Sean Baker, and the film’s star, Mikey Madison. Anora is now in select theaters and will expand on November 1
FilmWeek: 'Venom: The Last Dance,' 'Conclave,' 'Memoir of a Snail,' and More Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Peter Rainer, Wade Major, and Charles Solomon Venom: The Last Dance Conclave Memoir of a Snail Martha My Name is Alfred Hitchcock Magpie Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) The Remarkable Life of Ibelin Rule of Two Walls The Sacrifice (1986)
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Amy Nicholson and Manuel Betancourt review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on-demand platforms. Smile 2 Wide Release Anora In Select Theaters Rumors In Select Theaters Exhibiting Forgiveness In Select Theaters Woman of the Hour In Select Theaters and Streaming on Netflix Goodrich Laemmle Newhall [Santa Clarita] and Laemmle Town Center 5 [Encino] Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan And Sara Streaming on Hulu MadS In Select Theaters | Streaming on Shudder The Body Politic Laemmle NoHo 7 | Streaming on PBS Bookworm In Select Theaters | VOD
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell, Wade Major, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms. Piece by Piece Wide Release The Apprentice Wide Release My Hero Academia: You’re Next Wide Release We Live In Time In Select Theaters | Expands to Wide Release October 18th Last of the Sea Women Laemmle NoHo 7 [North Hollywood] | Streaming on Apple TV+ Food and Country Laemmle Royal [West LA] Nurse Unseen Laemmle Glendale In Her Place Streaming on Netflix | In Select Theaters Dusty & Stone Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] | Laemmle Royal [West LA] Lonely Planet Streaming on Netflix Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story In Select Theaters & VOD Terrifier 3 In Select Theaters Caddo Lake Streaming on Max
Referred to by Vulture as a box office “Mega Flop(olis),” Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long project didn’t have an ideal opening, making $4,000,000 domestically across 1,854 theaters. Coppola, now 85 years old, hasn’t gotten much love from audiences for the film, although one sequence has become the subject of many online memes. Megalopolis also arrives at a time when advertisements for the 94-year-old Clint Eastwood’s new film, Juror #2, are set to release in November. Both filmmakers have extensive filmographies, including some hits and misses, but are their new projects resonating as much as prior works? How are they faring compared to longtime auteurs like Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann? We talk to FilmWeek critics Tim Cogshell and Wade Major about whether these filmmakers are still resonating with audiences, and what challenges they face with making films in their twilight years.
Daniel Day-Lewis is coming out of retirement, seven years after his last movie, for a film directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis. The project was announced Tuesday by Focus Features and Plan B, who are partnering on “Anemone.” The film, Ronan Day-Lewis’ directorial debut, will star his father along with Sean Bean and Samantha Morton. The two Day-Lewises co-wrote the film. Earlier Tuesday, Daniel Day-Lewis and Bean were spotted driving a motorbike through Manchester, England, stoking intrigue about his impending return to acting. After making Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2017 film “Phantom Thread,” the 67-year-old said he was quitting acting. Given Day-Lewis’s decades-long filmography, and 3 Academy Awards to his name, we thought it’d be good to look back at his legacy to help contextualize how significant his contributions have been. With files from the Associated Press
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Lael Loewenstein and Claudia Puig review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms. Joker:Folie a Deux Wide Release The Outrun In Select Theaters Blink In Select Theaters Stripped For Parts: American Journalism On The Brink Laemmle Royal [West LA] Daytime Revolution In Select Theaters One Night Only on October 9th [Wednesday] The Problem with People Laemmle Royal [Sawtelle] White Bird In Select Theaters Guests:
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Charles Solomon, Christy Lemire and Andy Klein review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms. Megalopolis Wide Release The Wild Robot Wide Release Saturday Night AMC Burbank 16 + AMC Burbank Town Center 6 | Expands October 11th Lee In Select Theaters Sleep Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA] + Available on VOD Amber Alert Laemmle Royal [West LA] Rez Bell Streaming on Netflix Girls Will Be Girls Landmark’s Nuart Theatre [West LA] | Expands October 4th to Laemmle Glendale [Glendale] All Shall Be Well Laemmle Royal [West LA] Haunted Heart Laemmle Monica Center [Santa Monica] + Available on VOD House of Spoils Streaming on Amazon Prime Art Dealers Lumiere Music Hall + VOD on Oct. 1
Having done film criticism for decades, it was around the early points of the COVID-19 pandemic that film critic and historian Carrie Rickey decided to take up the task of outlining the life of beloved director, Agnes Varda. In A Complicated Passion: The Life and Work of Agnès Varda, Rickey looks at not just Varda’s filmography, but also how she became such a public-facing individual who embodied the politics she preached in interviews and on the big screen. Writing about the work that went into making great films like Cleo from 5 to 7, how she became a notable part of France’s feminist movement, and the friendships that made her known as a beloved socialite. So for this week’s FilmWeek feature, we speak to film critic and historian Carrie Rickey about her new book, A Complicated Passion: The Life and Work of Agnès Varda.
Passing the Mantle is a new podcast from LAist Studios about family, curiosity and the things that change — and stay the same — across generations. In this episode, Larry and Desmond talk about how perceptions of and conversations around interracial relationships have changed since Larry was growing up in the ’60s… for better, and for worse. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
Although infrequent movie watchers might be most familiar with filmmaker Brian De Palma’s Scarface and Mission Impossible, his most prolific era actually came between 1972-1981, which is what filmmaker and book author Laurent Bouzereau refers to as “The De Palma Decade” in his new book of the same name. Beginning with De Palma’s 1972 film Sisters, and ending with his 1981 film Blow Out, Bouzereau break down the iconic filmmaker’s themes and thought process when developing each work within this decade. For this week’s FilmWeek feature, we’ll sit down with Laurent Bouzereau, author of the new book “The De Palma Decade: Redefining Cinema with Doubles, Voyeurs, and Psychic Teens,” and get into how this pioneer of New Hollywood cinema made his mark.
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