A24 has solidified itself as the "indie darling" of film studios, gaining a sizable cohort of devotees (many of them young) who rep the studio's merch like fans of a rock band. Started in 2012, A24 made a name itself by releasing smaller art-house and art-house adjacent films in a time when the mid-size movie was quickly being shuffled from theaters to streaming. Some of the studio's early successes include Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, and Robert Eggers’ The Witch. The latter being a prime example of A24's unique business model: mid-budget movie gets a mid-size release with some edgy, digital-first marketing to turn a mid-size profit. But, as A24 has grown, so has its movies' budgets. We probably won't see an A24 Superman anytime soon, but the studio’s more recent in-house productions and festival acquisitions show a trend away from the indie films that helped set it apart. Today on FilmWeek, Larry speaks with culture editor for the New Yorker, Alex Barasch, about the rise and evolution of A24.

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Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Beandrea July and Claudia Puig review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:

Caught Stealing, Wide Release

The Roses, In Select Theaters

The Thursday Murder Club, Streaming on Netflix

Sign ‘o’ the Times, In Select IMAX Theaters

A Little Prayer, Laemmle Royal [West LA] & Laemmle Town Center [Encino]

Clearing the Air: The War on Smog, Streaming on PBS

Griffin in Summer, Lumiere Cinema [Beverly Hills]

Vice is Broke, Streaming on Mubi

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Ron Howard's filmography is diverse, a product of a four decades-long career in Hollywood. He has directed Oscar-winning dramas such as A Beautiful Mind, audience pleasing comedies including Splash and more recently, documentaries. Yet, despite his vast filmmaking career, Howard's newest film Eden, still manages to offer something different from the director. Based on a true story, the film follows a group of German settlers in the 1930s who travel to the Galapagos Islands looking for escape. Escapism soon turns to survival and a struggle for power. The film stars, Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, and Ana De Armas. Director and producer, Ron Howard, joins Larry Mantle on FilmWeek to discuss the film Eden and how it fits into Howard’s larger legacy as a filmmaker. 

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Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Claudia Puig, Christy Lemire, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:

Honey Don’t!, Wide Release

Ne Zha II, Wide Release

Eden, In Select Theaters

Relay, In Select Theaters

Splitsville, AMC Century City|AMC The Grove

KPop Demon Hunters (Sing-a-Long), In Select Theaters

Lurker, In Select Theaters

Checkpoint Zoo, In Select Theaters

Devo, Streaming on Netflix

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Akira Kurosawa is one of the world’s most revered directors, his films often cited as inspiration amongst other auteurs. Sometimes that inspiration has led to full-on remakes of Kurosawa’s films, such as Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest (2025), an adaptation of Kurosawa’s High and Low (1963). Other adaptations of Kurosawa’s work include Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Kurosawa himself liked to adapt pre-existing stories. Many of his films are interpretations of Shakespeare plays. Even High and Low is based on a novel. So how does one go about adapting and remaking a film by a great director like Kurosawa? How is the story updated for new audiences? And what kind of films lend themselves to adaptations? Today on FilmWeek, we discuss Hollywood’s attempts to remake some of Kurosawa’s most beloved films and what makes a good adaptation. Joining Larry Mantle is Peter Rainer, film critic for LAist and the Christian Science Monitor, Tim Cogshell, film critic for LAist, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com, and Charles Solomon, film critic for LAist, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine. 

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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:

Highest 2 Lowest, In Select Theaters

Nobody 2, Wide Release

Americana, Wide Release

Fixed, Streaming on Netflix

The Musicians, Laemmle Royal [Santa Monica] & Laemmle Town Center [Encino]

East of Wall, In Select Theaters

Boys Go to Jupiter, Laemmle Glendale

The Knife, In Select Theaters

Anxiety Club, Streaming on Jolt.film

Songs From the Hole, Streaming on Netflix

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Musician Jeff Buckley’s tragic early death left many shocked. Buckley found success and critical acclaim among music industry pressures, but passed away tragically after releasing only one studio album, Grace. His haunting voice and personal lyrics continue to resonate with fans. In her new documentary, It's Never Over Jeff Buckley, director and producer Amy Berg uses unprecedented access to Buckley’s archives to dispel myths around his life and death and show Buckley’s eclectic approach to music and life. Director and producer Amy Berg joins guest host Austin Cross to talk about her new documentary and Buckley’s legacy.

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Austin Cross and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Beandrea July review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:

Freakier Friday, Wide Release

Weapons, Wide Release

Souleymane’s Story, Laemmle Royal

It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, In Select Theaters

Billy Joel: And So It Goes, Streaming on HBO Max

Videoheaven, Los Feliz Theater

Hola Frida, In Select Theaters

My Mother’s Wedding, In Select Theaters

TCB: The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing, Blackstar Film Festival

The Pickup, Streaming on Prime Video

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The war in Ukraine started in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion. We watched as civilians sheltered from airstrikes and buildings became ruins in the Oscar award-winning documentary ‘20 Days in Mariupol’, just as the Russians took siege of one of Ukraine’s largest metropolitan areas. Now, three years after the Russian invasion and two years after that film's release, writer, director and producer, Mstyslav Chernov’s follow up documentary, ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka’ takes us back to the frontline as we follow Ukrainian soldiers on a mission to liberate the small town of Andriivka. Austin Cross sat down with Chernov to talk about the documentary and the importance of capturing the war on camera.

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Austin Cross and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell, Manuel Betancourt and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:

The Naked Gun, Wide Release

The Bad Guys 2, Wide Release

Happy Gilmore 2, Streaming on Netflix

Together, In Select Theaters

Architecton, In Select Theaters

2000 Meters to Andriivka, Laemmle Royal

Georgia O'Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, In Select Theaters

Folktales, 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!