FilmWeek

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Wade Major and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.

"The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," in wide release & HBO Max

"Spirit Untamed," in wide release

"Edge Of The World," on VOD (including Google Play & FandangoNow)

"All Light, Everywhere," at The Landmark Theater; Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 (Pasadena) on June 11

"City of Ali," Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema; Laemmle’s NoHo 7 on June 17

"Gully," In Select Theaters including Cinemark 18 and XD (Los Angeles), Cinemark 22 and IMAX (Lancaster); VOD (Youtube & Vudu) June 8

"On The Trail Of Bigfoot: The Journey," VOD (including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu & FandangoNOW) June 8

"Undine," Laemmle Theaters (Playhouse 7, Newhall, Town Center 5, Royal, Claremont 5); VOD (including iTunes, Vudu, Google Play)

"Grace And Grit," in select theaters & VOD (including FandangoNow, iTunes, Spectrum on Demand)

"Super Frenchie," In select theaters & VOD (including Google Play, iTunes & FandangoNow)

"Bad Tales," In select theaters; Laemmle Virtual Cinema & Monica Film Center; VOD

"Flashback," VOD (including Vudu, FandangoNow & Spectrum on Demand)

Our FilmWeek critics have been curating personal lists of their favorite TV shows and movies to binge-watch during self-quarantine. You can see recommendations from each of the critics and where you can watch them here.

Guests:

Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The New York Times and host of the podcast ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets @TheAmyNicholson

Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com

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

FilmWeek’s animation authority, Charles Solomon, remembers the great Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics, who died on May 29. He died at the age of 79. Our critics also share some of the things they’ve been busy watching on various streaming platforms and why they recommend listeners check them out.  

Guests:

Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The New York Times and host of the podcast ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets @TheAmyNicholson

Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com

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

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Christy Lemire and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Christy Lemire and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.

"A Quiet Place Part II," in wide release

"Cruella," in wide release & Disney+

"Dog Gone Trouble," on Netflix

"Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie," on Netflix June 3

"Moby Doc," In Select Theaters (check your local listings); VOD (including FandangoNow, iTunes, Vudu); Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema June 4

"Changing The Game," on Hulu June 1

"Port Authority," Cinelounge Sunset Hollywood; Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema; Digital/VOD (including Vudu, Google Play, FandangoNow) June 1

"Plan B," on Hulu

"Borat Supplemental Reportings," on Amazon Prime Video

"Dead Pigs," on Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema

Our FilmWeek critics have been curating personal lists of their favorite TV shows and movies to binge-watch during self-quarantine. You can see recommendations from each of the critics and where you can watch them here.

Guests:

Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ podcast; she tweets @christylemire

Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and film columnist for the Santa Monica Daily Press; she tweets @LAELLO

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

When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson debuted his Hollywood persona in World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003, he was two years removed from his first successful protagonist role in "The Scorpion King" and on the heels of more film success with roles in "The Rundown" and "Walking Tall." 

Little did anyone foresee that "Hollywood" Rock would buoy the overall representation for Asian and Pacific Islanders in popular film for the next 20 years.

Last week, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a report documenting the prevalence of Asian and Pacific Islanders both on-and off-screen across the top-grossing films each year from 2007 to 2019.  Of the 1,300 films examined, only 44 featured API actors playing lead roles, nearly a third of which were played by Johnson. 

The report offers more staggering statistics:

In 2019, over a quarter of API characters in the top-grossing films died. Most died by drowning, explosions, stabbing or suicides

Of the over 51,000 speaking characters in the 1,300 films examined, only 6% were Asian, Asian American or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders

Only 50 of the 1,447 directors in the 1,300 films examined were of API heritage.

In 2019, 67% of API characters played stereotyped roles

The release of this report comes at a time of rising anti-Asian hate crimes nationally, and the authors of the report believe the portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders in mass media contributes to that. Today on FilmWeek, we delve into the study's findings and discuss the history of API filmmakers and actors in Hollywood.

Guests: 

Nancy Wang Yuen, professor of sociology at Biola University in La Mirada; she is co-author of “The Prevalence and Portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders Across 1,300 Popular Films”; she tweets @nancywyeun

Justin Chang, film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR’s Fresh Air; he tweets @JustinCChang

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Angie Han, Wade Major and Peter Rainer review this weekend’s new movie releases.

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve lost several industry icons, including Paul Mooney, Charles Grodin and Norman Lloyd. 

Actor and comedian Paul Mooney was a boundary-pushing comedian who was Richard Pryor’s longtime writing partner and whose bold, incisive musings on racism and American life made him a revered figure in stand-up. He was 79. Charles Grodin was an offbeat actor and writer who scored as a caddish newlywed in “The Heartbreak Kid” and later had roles ranging from Robert De Niro’s counterpart in the comic thriller “Midnight Run” to the bedeviled father in the “Beethoven” comedies. He was 86. Norman Lloyd’s  role as kindly Dr. Daniel Auschlander on TV’s “St. Elsewhere” was a single chapter in a distinguished stage and screen career that put him in the company of Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin and other greats. He was 106. Lloyd’s son, Michael Lloyd, said his father died at his home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Today on FilmWeek, our critics reflect on their work. Plus they share a couple of their favorite films of the 2021 so far. 

With files from the Associated Press

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Angie Han, Wade Major and Peter Rainer review this weekend’s new movie releases.

Guest host John Horn and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig, Amy Nicholson and Andy Klein review this weekend’s new movie releases.

Barry Jenkins, who directed “Moonlight,” has a new project: The limited series “The Underground Railroad,” adapted from Colson Whitehead’s novel about two escaped slaves. It’s a story filled with magical realism: The Underground Railroad is an actual subterranean train network.

KPCC’s John Horn sat down with Jenkins outside at his house in Los Angeles to talk about negotiating stories of Black pain and the process of adapting novels for the screen. The new limited series is available on Amazon Prime Video.

With guest host John Horn

Guest:

Barry Jenkins, director of “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” he directs the new limited series “The Underground Railroad”