FilmWeek

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We talk to an IMAX projectionist about The Odyssey IMAX 70mm craze Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

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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FilmWeek: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘I Want Your Sex,’ ‘Middle Life,’ and more! Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

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 <like ‘link’>, 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.

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FilmWeek: ‘Motor City,’ ‘Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender,’ ‘Her Private Hell,’ and more! Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

The topic:

Julia Paskin and the LAist film critics review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

The films:

Motor City, In Select Theaters

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, Streaming on Paramount+

Her Private Hell, Wide Release

Hadestown: The Musical, In Select Theaters

Sheep in the Box, AMC Century City|Expands to more theaters July 31

Nothing to See Here: Watts, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]

American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, In Select Theaters

Cruel Hands, Laemmle Glendale & Available on VOD

The Kidnapping of Arabella, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] & Laemmle NoHo

The Dink, Streaming on Apple TV+

Lars Shrike Walks the Night, Streaming on Digital

Correction: In the original broadcast for the review for American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, Lou Diamond Phillips was incorrectly credited for the role of 'El Pachuco' in the 1978 Mark Taper production of 'Zoot Suit'. The character 'El Pachuco' was played by Edward James Olmos.

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

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

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New doc ‘Nothing to See Here: Watts’ brings rival gangs together in pact to stop violence Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

The topic:

The documentary Nothing to See Here: Watts takes viewers through the lives of community members as they experience violence, decades long gang rivalries, and neglect from city services.

How it was made: Twenty participants were given iPhones to film themselves and their community over three years. The filmmakers included gang members, community activists, students, victims of violence, and police officers. They all later came together to decide what ultimately made the final cut.

The first screening: The first screening of the film was presented to active members of the rival gangs in Watts in an effort to bring about talks of peace. We see the discussions unfold as decades long rivalries come to a halt to protect their collective community.

Guests:

Cornelius Wills, gang interventionist and mentor with Soledad Enrichment Action and Bounty Hunter Blood gang member

Quiana Williams, mother of Sean Reynolds, a student who was shot in Watts

Tim Pearce, retired LAPD gang officer who served in Watts and South Central LA

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FilmWeek: ‘The Odyssey,’ ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran,' 'Heartstopper Forever’ and more Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

The topic:

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

The films:

The Odyssey, Wide Release

Reading Lolita in Tehran, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

The Floaters, Laemmle Royal [West LA] & Laemmle Town Center [Encino]

Horsegirls, Laemmle NoHo

Remake, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

Sherman’s March, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

Heartstopper Forever, Streaming on Netflix

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The Odyssey: Christopher Nolan talked to us about making a 2,800-year-old story feel new Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

The topic:

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is turning out to be the event of the summer, with screenings selling out at theaters a year in advance. Nolan shares how he adapted the Greek epic for a modern audience.

On what makes a successful adaptation: “If somebody watching the film who read the poem in high school or something, who doesn’t know it that well but knows it pretty well — if that person feels that my additions or my allusions actually were from the poem, then I think I've succeeded.”

The dialogue: “I’m not having the actors speak with mid-Atlantic or some British accents the way Hollywood in the 50s or 60s often did… We want it to be more accessible than that.”

The sound and score: “[Ludwig Göransson] is trying to create a soundscape that is as much a part of the sense of place as the sound effects. So in a way we’re trying to blur the boundaries completely between music and sound effects.”

New technology: “This blimping system, it’s essentially a high-tech box you put the [70MM IMAX] camera in and it silences it. And so for the first time ever, we could do the entire film that way.”

Does the format matter? “They’re all drawn from this massive negative, so they can be as sharp and clear as possible. We’re able to fill the screen with the brightest and clearest image no matter what format you see it in.

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Horror movies are bringing audiences back to theaters. But how long can it last? Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

The topic:
Horror movies are having a moment. Two of this year's greatest box office successes are two horror films, each from unknown directors with non-IP scripts and relatively small budgets.

A horror darling: Obsession is the unexpected runaway hit of the summer, having grossed over $400 million worldwide on less than $1 million budget. Now almost two months out from its initial release, it is still playing in theaters nationwide.

Another hit: Backed by the studio A24, Backrooms had a budget of $10 million and has grossed almost $350 million worldwide. Some of its success can be attributed to it being based on a popular 4Chan post that sparked a webseries and several internet games.

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

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

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: ‘Moana,’ ‘Evil Dead Burn,’ 'The American Southwest’ and more Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

The topic:
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

The films:
Evil Dead Burn, Wide Release
Moana, Wide Release
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, Wide Release
Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World, At Select Laemmle Theaters
Night Nurse, In Select Theaters
The Isolate Thief, In Select Theaters
Mockbuster, Laemmle Glendale & Available on Digital & VOD
The American Southwest, Available on Digital and VOD
Barrio Triste, Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA] & American Cinematheque’s Los Feliz 3

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FilmWeek: ‘Minions & Monsters,’ ‘Young Washington,’ ‘Romería’ and more Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

The topic:

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

The films:

Minions & MonstersWide Release

Young WashingtonWide Release

Romería Laemmle Glendale|Laemmle Royal [West LA]

Enola Holmes 3Streaming on Netflix

ReelingAvailable on Digital & VOD Tues. July 7

Drunken Noodles Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]|Laemmle NoHo

Lockbox In Select Theaters

The Get Out Available on Digital & VOD

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 critics:

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

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

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

Feature: Two of John Waters’ iconic films get a 4k restoration with Criterion Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

The topic:

Criterion released two director-approved 4k restorations for John Waters’ 1988 film Hairspray and his 1977 film Desperate Living. The disc releases include exclusive commentary tracks from Waters and some of the actors as well as bonus interviews.

Waters’ trash cinema: Known for his provocative, camp films, Waters is considered one of the formative directors of gay cinema. His ‘trash trilogy’ of Pink Flamingos (1972), Female Trouble (1974) and Desperate Living (1977) showcased taboos and profanity that garnered Waters a cult following.

Mainstream attempt: But he also brought in a more mainstream audience with his much more tame and accessible film Hairspray (1988) about an overweight teen in Baltimore who dreams of being on a local TV show that features adolescents dancing. And you can’t talk about Waters without talking about his frequent collaborator and drag performer Divine, featured in a majority of Waters’ films. Divine played Tracy’s mother Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. It was his last film role before he died.

Guest:

John Waters, American filmmaker known for his gay, cult classic films that delve into ‘trash’ and taboo

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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