FilmWeek

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Feature: The ‘Frat Pack’ comedies of the early 2000s Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

The topic:

In his new book, Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever,film critic and author Matt Singer discusses the comedy boom of the early aughts, the “Frat Pack” that dominated the era, and the lessons contemporary studios can take from their success.

Event info: Matt Singer will be at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2pm talking about his book with Tim Grierson. You can find more info about the event here.

Guest:

Matt Singer, editor and film critic of ScreenCrush.com. He is the author of Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever

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FilmWeek: ‘The Social Reckoning,’ ‘Musk,’ Tenzing’ and more! Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

The topic:

FilmWeek critics Katie Walsh and Claudia Puig join host Larry Mantle to discuss the biggest releases of the week, including screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning of which Sorkin also directs. And they’ll review this year’s Palm d’Or winner at Cannes, Fjord, about a Romanian family in Norway fighting allegations of child abuse.

The films:

The Social Reckoning, Wide Release

Musk, AMC Burbank & AMC Century City | Expanding on October 16

Fjord, AMC Century City & AMC Burbank

Tenzing, Laemmle NoHo & The Cinemas LA [Westwood]|Streaming on Apple TV+ October 16

Misty Green, AMC Century City, AMC The Grove, & AMC Burbank

Kikuyu Land, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]

NAZA, In Select Theaters

Animals, Landmark Westwood |Streaming on Netflix

The North, Laemmle Glendale, Laemmle Monica Center [Santa Monica], & AMC Burbank

The Beast, In Select Theaters

The critics:

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

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

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Feature: Richard Linklater on Nouvelle Vague and its Criterion release Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

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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FilmWeek: ‘Digger,’ ‘Verity,’ ‘Atonement’ and more! Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

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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Feature: Documentarian John Wilson talks about ‘The History of Concrete’ Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

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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FilmWeek: ‘Primetime,’ ‘Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother,’ ‘Forgotten Island’ and more! Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

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 <like ‘link’>, 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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Feature: What big releases from the 51st TIFF should you look out for? Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

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:

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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FilmWeek: ‘Resident Evil,’ ‘Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom,’ ‘The Weight’ and more! Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

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

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.

FilmWeek: ‘Practical Magic 2,’ ‘Hope,’ ‘The Uprising’ and more! Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

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

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.

Feature: What are some of your favorite movie stars' favorite movies? Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

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’

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.

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