FilmWeek

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.

The topic: 

In a follow up to her book But Have You Read the Book?, author Kristen Lopez focuses on romance movies that were adapted from or inspired by famous works of literature. From beloved classics like Anna Karenina to modern cult favorites like Bridget Jones’ Diary, But Have You Read the Book? Romance Edition will give you the perfect reading (and corresponding watch) list for the summer.

Guest: 

Kristen Lopez, freelance entertainment journalist and author of the new book But Have You Read the Book? Romance Edition

The topic: 

Larry Mantle and the critics discuss the confusing intricacies at play in the society of One Night Only and the impressive storytelling and meta-commentary behind writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s latest film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Larry also reminisces on his interview with Anthony Bourdain following Kitchen Confidential. That time in Bourdain’s life is portrayed in the new biopic Tony.

The films: 

One Night Only, Wide Release

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, In Select Theaters

Tony, In Select Theaters

Ice Cream Man, Wide Release

Mr. Hero, In Select Theaters

Cookie Queens, In Select Theaters

Olmo, In Select Theaters

The Last House, Streaming on Netflix

Above and Below, Available on VOD Aug 25

The critics: 

Amy Nicholson, film critic for the Los Angeles Times and host of the podcast ‘Unspooled’

Tim Cogshell, film critic at the Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com

The topic:

Don’t understand the 70mm IMAX craze for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey? LAist host Julia Paskin talked to Taylor Umphenour, one of L.A.’s top IMAX projectionists, on FilmWeek to understand why the format is becoming a filmmaker favorite and why audiences are clamoring to theaters to see The Odyssey in the largest format possible. 

Guest:

Taylor Umphenour, IMAX projectionist

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The topic:

Julia Paskin and the LAist film critics talk about the fourth installment to the Tom Holland Spider-Man series that takes an introspective look at the superhero, and they applaud Olivia Wilde’s performance as a sexually dominant boss in Gregg Araki’s new film I Want Your Sex.                   

The films: 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Wide Release

I Want Your Sex, Wide Release

Wild Inside, In Select Laemmle Theaters

Everybody Calls Me Mike, Available on Indiepix

The Samurai and the Prisoner, Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA]

The Best Pizza is in LA, Available on VOD

Middle Life, Laemmle Glendale

The critics:

Lael Loewenstein, film critic for LAist

Maureen Lee Lenker , freelance journalist who's written for Gold Derby, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Turner Classic Movies. She was previously at Entertainment Weekly for nearly nine years. 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