The topic:

Larry Mantle is joined by our FilmWeek critics Christy Lemire and Katie Walsh to review this week's biggest film releases, including Practical Magic 2, the sequel to the 1998 cozy-cult classic, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sister witches. They’ll also talk about the Watts set drama If I Go Will They Miss Me and the documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, about the Gallagher brothers’ reunion tour.            

The films: 

Practical Magic 2, Wide Release

Hope, Wide Release 

The Uprising, Wide Release

If I Go Will They Miss Me, AMC Century City | Expands to more theaters Sep. 18

Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger, In Select Theaters

Runner, In Select Theaters

Black Zombie, Landmark Nuart Theatre [West L.A.]

Call My Agent! The Movie, Streaming on Netflix

This is Buzz, Brain Dead Studios [Fairfax District], The Frida Cinema [Santa Ana], & The Arts Theatre Long Beach

The critics:

Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ YouTube and podcast series

Katie Walsh, film critic at the Tribune News Service and LA Times

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The topic:

In his new book 50 Movie Nights: Contemporary Stars on Their Favorite Classic Films, Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger asked 50 actors, filmmakers and stars what their favorite classic films are and the ideal way to watch them. 

What films are included? The book features a wide array of classic cinema, from political dramas like Don Cheadle’s choice, The Battle Of Algiers (1966), to action comedies like Adam Scott’s pick, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Other movies featured include Wes Anderson’s pick, The Tall Target (1951), Paul Rudd’s selection of Withnail & I (1987), Sterling K. Brown’s pick, Out Of Sight (1998), and Ava DuVernay’s choice, Devil In A Blue Dress (1995).

Event info: TCM host Dave Karger will sign copies of his new book on Friday, Sep. 18 at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, followed by a conversation with Jason Bateman and a screening of his selected film, Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy (1982). You can get more information about the event here.

Guest:

Dave Karger, TCM host, film expert, and author of the new book ‘50 Movie Nights: Contemporary Stars on Their Favorite Classic Films’

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The topic:

For our most recent FilmWeek screening, Larry Mantle and critics Tim Cogshell and Claudia Puig traveled down to Santa Ana to the Frida Cinema for Michael Mann’s 2004 neo-noir thriller Collateral. The critics, along with special guest Barry Shabaka Henley, who plays the jazz club owner Daniel in the film, discuss the movie’s impact, its portrayal of Los Angeles, and the great acting by co-leads Jamie Foxx and a rare villainous Tom Cruise.

The panel:

Tim Cogshell, film critic for LAist, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com

Claudia Puig, film critic for LAist and program director for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 

Barry Shabaka Henley, film and television actor who plays the character Daniel in Collateral

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The topic:

Larry Mantle and film critics Peter Rainer and Manuel Betancourt discuss this week's biggest releases, including the quiet but sweet romantic drama The Sun Never Sets starring Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson set in Anchorage, Alaska, and Mariannne Elliott’s feature directorial debut The Salt Path starring Gillian Anderson.    

The films:         

By Any Means, Wide Release

The Sun Never Sets, Wide Release

Mayday, Apple TV+

Onslaught, Wide Release

Filipiñana, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] & Laemmle Glendale

Boorman and the Devil, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]

Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, In Select Theaters

The Salt Path, In Select Theaters 

The critics:

Peter Rainer, film critic for LAist and the Christian Science Monitor

Manuel Betancourt, film critic for LAist and interim editor of Documentary Magazine

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The topic: 

Tim Curry, a character actor who created a gallery of delicious, very loony villains for stage and screen, including Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the smug concierge in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has died. He was 80. Larry Mantle and our FilmWeek critics remember some of Curry’s most iconic roles on the screen and on the stage.

The critics: 

Lael Loewenstein, film critic for LAist

Charles Solomon, film critic for LAist, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

Katie Walsh, film critic for LAist, the Tribune News Service and L.A. Times

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The topic:

Larry Mantle and this week’s critics review the long-awaited Coyote vs. Acme, starring Wile E. Coyote and the other Looney Tunes. They’ll also talk about Ridley Scott’s newest sci-fi movie The Dog Stars starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin.

The films:

Coyote vs. Acme, Wide Release

The Dog Stars ,Wide Release

Finding Emily, Wide Release

The Last Blossom, In Select Theaters 

The Marching Band, Laemmle Royal [West LA], Laemmle Town Center [Encino], Regency Theaters [Laguna Nigel]

Dreams in Nightmares, Laemmle Glendale & AMC Burbank Town Center

Idiots, In Select Theaters

How to Divorce During the War, In Select Laemmle Theaters

The critics:

Lael Loewenstein, film critic for LAist

Charles Solomon, film critic for LAist, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

Katie Walsh, film critic for LAist, the Tribune News Service and L.A. Times

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The topic: 

Summer is over and school is back in session. So we thought we would ask our FilmWeek critics what some of their favorite school-set films are and what makes them so effective in bringing back those school-day memories.

Our critics' picks:

Cooley High (1975)

To Sir, With Love (1967)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Fame (1980)

The Last Picture Show (1971)

Carrie (1976)

The 400 Blows (1959)

Election (1999)

Booksmart (2019)

Mr Holland’s Opus (1995)

The critics: 

Peter Rainer, film critic for LAist and the Christian Science Monitor

Tim Cogshell, film critic for LAist, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com

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The topic:

Larry Mantle and film critics Peter Rainer and Tim Cogshell talk about the latest installment in the Insidious franchise, and yes, they do recommend you see the preceding five films. They also discuss the documentary The Last Picture Shows, about the handful of independent movie theaters across the U.S. that are slowly dying out.

The films: 

Insidious: Out of the Further, Wide Release

It Ends, AMC Burbank & AMC The Grove

Mutiny, Wide Release

Memory of Princess Mumbi, Laemmle Glendale

The Last Picture Shows, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

Franz, Landmark Theater [Pasadena]

The Magic Faraway Tree, Wide Release

Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter, Streaming on Prime Video

Learning to Fly, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]

The critics:

Peter Rainer, film critic for LAist and the Christian Science Monitor

Tim Cogshell, film critic for LAist, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com

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The topic: 

The two-part documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year-Old Man! has garnered 6 primetime Emmy nominations including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program. Co-directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio join Larry Mantle on FilmWeek to talk about the legendary filmmaker himself (now 100 years-old) and what it was like to talk to Brooks about his generation-defining comedy.

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year-Old Man! is available to stream on HBOMax.

Guests: 

Judd Apatow, co-director and executive producer of the two-part HBO documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year-Old Man!

Michael Bonfiglio, co-director and executive producer of the two-part HBO documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year-Old Man!

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The topic: 

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Maureen Lee Lenker review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

The films:

The End of Oak Street, Wide Release

Don’t Say Good Luck, Streaming on Netflix 

Late Fame, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

The Wrong Girls, Wide Release

If These Walls Could Rock, Available on Digital

Six the Musical Live!, In Select Theaters

Union County, Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA]

The Brink of War, Wide Release

The critics: 

Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ YouTube and podcast series 

Maureen Lee Lenker, LAist film critic and freelance journalist formerly of Entertainment Weekly who's written for Gold Derby, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Turner Classic Movies. She's also the author of three novels set in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

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.