FilmWeek

The topic: 

Richard Linklater’s 2025 film Nouvelle Vague tries to accurately capture the filming process of one of French New Wave’s most influential films — Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960). Shot in black and white and almost entirely in French, Linklater transports viewers back to 1959 Paris on  the chaotic and sometimes claustrophobic set.

Criterion release: Originally released on Netflix with a limited theatrical run, Nouvelle Vague now sits alongside Breathless in the Criterion Collection with a 4k Blu-ray and DVD release that features audio commentary by Linklater and interviews with the lead actors Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, and Aubry Dullin.

Guest:

Richard Linklater, director of Nouvelle Vague. He is also known for the films Slacker, Dazed and Confused, the Before trilogy, and Boyhood.

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The topic:

FilmWeek critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire disagree on the effectiveness of Alejandro Iñárritu’s new film Digger starring Tom Cruise, but they do agree that everyone should see it, if only to partake in the discussion. Also out this week is the drama Atonement that shows the ramifications of the Iraqi war.

The films:  

Digger, Wide Release

Heart of the Beast, Wide Release

Verity, Wide Release

The Scout, Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA] | Expands Oct. 9

Atonement, Landmark Nuart Theatre [West LA] | Expands Oct. 9 

Appofeniacs, AMC Burbank & AMC Orange

The Last First: Winter K2, Laemmle Noho [North Hollywood] | Streaming on Apple TV

Beware Boiúna, In Select Theaters

Rolling Loud: The Movie, In Select Theaters       

The critics:

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

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

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The topic:

Finding humor and fascination in the mundane is John Wilson’s signature. After closing out his acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson, the documentarian picks up right where he left off, but this time with a feature film examining one of New York’s most foundational materials: concrete. Wilson joins FilmWeek’s Larry Mantle to talk about his first feature documentary The History of Concrete, his directorial influences, and how he sees the world.

Guest:

John Wilson, documentarian best known for his acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson and director of the new documentary The History of Concrete.

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The topic:

Larry Mantle and FilmWeek critics review Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as NBC Dateline host Chris Hansen, best known for his 2006 series To Catch a Predator. And they talk about the documentary You Had to Be There that attempts to capture the magical 1972 Toronto production of Godspell that launched many famous comedians careers. The events are told through animation and interviews with the original cast.    

The films:         

Primetime, Wide Release

Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother, In Select Theaters 

Forgotten Island, Wide Release

The History of Concrete, In Select Theaters

Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, In Select Theaters 

The Stunt Driver, In Select Theaters

Never After Dark, In Select Theaters

You Had to Be There, In Select Theaters

Unabomber, Streaming on Netflix 

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 at Entertainment Weekly) who's written for Gold Derby, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Turner Classic Movies. She is also the author of three novels set in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

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The topic: 

It’s the final weekend of the 51st annual Toronto International Film Festival and a handful of movie premieres are already stirring up buzz for this upcoming awards season. We talk to FilmWeek critics Amy Nicholson and Maureen Lee Lenker about their favorites from this year’s festival and what movies they think audiences should look out for when they hit theaters. 

Films to watch for:

I Play Rocky

Elsinore

The Debut

Being Heumann

Bucking Fastards

The Julia Set 

Ink 

Fjord 

The critics:

Amy Nicholson, film critic for LAist and the LA Times and host of the podcast ‘Unspooled’ 

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

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The topic:

The Halloween season begins this week in earnest with the new Shaun the Sheep movie—The Beast of Mossy Bottom—from British stop-motion animation studio Aardman. And director Zach Cregger returns with another horror crowd pleaser, Resident Evil. Our critics also review the dark comedy The Musical about a vengeful teacher out to sabotage the school play. 

The films:         

Resident Evil, Wide Release

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, Wide Release

The Weight, Wide Release 

The Musical, In Select Theaters 

Sunny Dancer, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] & AMC Orange

The Oldest Person in the World, In Select Laemmle Theaters

Goody Goody, Streaming on Shudder

Arsa, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]

The critics:

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

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

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

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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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