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