FilmWeek

Celine Song, writer-director of the new film Materialists, uses a similar framework that garnered her a lot of admiration from moviegoers. In her feature directorial debut, Past Lives, the lead character Nora struggles to manage a love triangle, only for her to discover what the differences are between these lives she’s romanticized. In Materialists, Lucy deals with a similar problem, although the film spends a lot more time on why we date, and the equations we come up with in our head to find ‘the one.’ 

Today on FilmWeek, we’re joined by Materialists writer-director Celine Song, and getting a sense of how she created this world that reflects today’s dating culture.

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

Correction: A previous version of this episode had errors related to a review of the film Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project, which partially referenced another found footage film. The inaccurate review has been removed from the episode. The episode also mentioned that the film 28 Years Later is the first sequel Danny Boyle has directed. He directed T2 Trainspotting, which is a sequel to his film, Trainspotting. 

On May 31, the FilmWeek team hosted a screening of the 1962 Robert Aldrich film What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? Larry got up on stage for a conversation with FilmWeek and LA Times critic Amy Nicholson, and UCLA film historian Jonathan Kuntz.

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

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:

• The Life of Chuck In Select Theaters|Expands June 13
• Ballerina Wide Release 
• Karate Kid: Legends Wide Release
• Dangerous Animals Wide Release
• The Ritual Wide Release
• I Don’t Understand You In Select Theaters
• Bad Shabbos Laemmle Town Center 5 [Encino] |Laemmle Royal [West LA]
• Barron’s Cove Laemmle Monica Film Center
• We Are Guardians Laemmle Monica Film Center|Art Theatre [Long Beach] June 21
• Pavements Alamo Drafthouse DTLA|The Frida Cinema [Santa Ana]

FilmWeek: ‘The Phoenician Scheme,’ ‘Bring Her Back,’ ‘Mountainhead,’ ‘Lost in Starlight,’ and More

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Lael Loewenstein, Beandrea July, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:

The Phoenician Scheme In Select Theaters| Expands June 6 (next Friday)

Bring Her Back Wide Release

Mountainhead Streaming on Max May 31

Lost in Starlight Laemmle Glendale|Streaming on Netflix

Ocean with David Attenborough Laemmle Monica Film Center|premieres on National Geographic Channel on June 7|Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu starting June 8

Bono: Stories of Surrender Streaming on Apple TV+

Ghost Trail Laemmle Royal May 30

Book of Joshua: Walls of Jericho Streaming on VOD

Tim Travers & the Time Travelers Paradox Laemmle Glendale

Charles Burnett talks ‘Killer of Sheep’ 4K restoration, and the film’s lasting influence

After a theatrical release in select theaters by Janus Films, the Criterion Collection now introduces the new 4K restoration of Charles Burnett’s 1977 feature debut film, Killer of Sheep, into its library. The film follows a family in Watts, with the father in this household being Stan, who works in a slaughterhouse. Burnett's understanding of working-class family dynamics makes for a story that’s as relatable as it is emotionally devastating at moments. These complex themes portrayed in film have served as inspiration for the likes of Barry Jenkins, whose Oscar-winning film Moonlight offers a similar blend of cinematic storytelling through the lives of adults and children. We’ll dig deeper into the film by speaking with its filmmaker, Charles Burnett.

The 4K restoration of ‘Killer of Sheep’ is out now in Blu-ray and 4K UHD; to read more about the special features included, and to purchase the film, click here.

Feature: Bleak Week returns for Year 4, we talk to programmers behind the festival

This year marks the 4th year of the American Cinematheque’s Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair, a weeklong festival dedicated to screening films with dark and bleak themes. In this year’s lineup, you’ll find screenings of Michael Haneke’s English adaptation of Funny Games, the Soviet anti-war film Come and See, and Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies. You’ll also find that the Year 4 lineup includes introductions/Q&As with the likes of Bill Hader, Elliot Gould, and Brady Corbet.

Outside of the usual festival screenings here in Los Angeles, the American Cinematheque has partnered with other arthouse theaters across the country, and even The Prince Charles Cinema in London.

Joining us to discuss this year’s iteration of the festival is Chris LeMaire, lead programmer on the American Cinematheque’s Bleak Week, and Grant Moninger, American Cinematheque’s Artistic Director. We also have our critics, Charles Solomon, Claudia Puig and Peter Rainer, commenting on what about the festival has allowed it to garner interest.

Bleak Week runs from June 1-7. You can find this year’s Bleak Week lineup by clicking here or on bleakweek.com 

FilmWeek: 'Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning,' 'Lilo & Stitch,' 'Drop Dead City,' and more

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

Films:

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Wide Release

Lilo & Stitch Wide Release

Drop Dead City Laemmle Monica Film Center| Laemmle Town Center 5 [Encino]

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life In Select Theaters | Expands May 30

Into the Wonderwoods Available on VOD

The New Boy In Select Theaters|Lumiere Cinema Beverly Hills

The Surrender Streaming on Shudder

Sister Midnight Alamo Drafthouse DTLA|Landmark’s

Correction: In this episode, Larry refers to Peter receiving first place in criticism from the Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ), but he meant to refer to the Society for Features Journalism (SFJ).

For those who grew up during the British Rock Invasion of the 1960s, you’re probably familiar with many of the names who made their way through the U.S. charts, one such being the psychedelic rock band The Zombies. For a lot of younger generations— their name might not ring a bell— but it might not take too long into their hit song Time of the Season to understand just how important of a band they are. A new feature by filmmaker and musician Robert Schwartzman titled Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary tells the life and legacy of the band, with in-depth interviews with band members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent. For this week’s FilmWeek feature, we air an interview Austin did with filmmaker Robert Schwartzman and The Zombies frontman, Colin Blunstone.