FilmWeek

Latest Episodes:

FilmWeek: ‘Send Help,’ ‘The Moment,’ ‘A Poet,’ and more! Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Lael Loewenstein review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Also joining us on FilmWeek to talk about the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and some of the films being shown is program director for the festival and LAist film critic, Claudia Puig.

Films:

Send Help, Wide Release

The Moment, In Select Theaters

A Poet, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

Miracle: The Boys of '80, Streaming on Netflix

Pike River, Lumiere Cinema [Beverly Hills]

Islands, In Select Theaters

Shelter, In Select Theaters

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: The 101 Best LA Films…according to the LA Times Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

The LA Times released a list of the best 101 films set in Los Angeles. The number one spot went to the 1974 filmChinatown, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, with the backdrop of a 1930’s Los Angeles. Second place went to David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001), and some other notable picks include Blade Runner (1982), Her (2013), Tangerine (2015) and Boyz n the Hood (1991). Joining Larry Mantle on FilmWeek to discuss some of the more surprising films included and their personal favorites are LAist film critics Manuel Betancourt, assistant editor of Documentary Magazine, and one of the contributors to the LA Times’ Best LA Movies list, and Wade Major, film critic for CineGods.com and author of the “Hollywood Heretic” Substack.

You can read the LA Times’ 101 Best LA Movies list here.

FilmWeek: ‘Mercy,’ ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin,’ ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!,” and more! Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Peter Rainer, Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. And we remember the beloved animation director Roger Allers, known best for co-directing Disney’s The Lion King, and award-winning actress Joan Plowright.

Films:

Mercy, Wide Release

Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Streaming on the Kino Film Collection

Arco, AMC Burbank & AMC Century City

H is for Hawk, In Select Theaters

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, Streaming on HBO Max

Disneyland Handcrafted, Streaming on Disney+

Sound of Falling, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

Cosmic Princess Kaguya, Streaming on Netflix

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: ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ 'The Rip,' 'A Private Life' and more! Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

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

Films:

28 Years Later: the Bone Temple, Wide Release

The RIP, Streaming on Netflix

Night Patrol, In Select Theaters

The Shadow of the Sun, Laemmle Glendale

Young Mothers, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

A Private Life, Laemmel Royal [West LA], AMC Burbank, & AMC The Grove

Sheepdog, In Select Theaters

Obex, Laemmle NoHo

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: Actress Virginia Madsen and Director Steven Grayhm talk about new film 'Sheepdog' Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

The new film Sheepdog was over a decade in the making. Writer, director, and star, Steven Grayhm, spent 14 years talking to veterans about their mental health struggles after returning home, and families of veterans who have taken their own lives. The film follows combat veteran, Calvin Cole (played by Grayhm), as he goes through court mandated therapy. His therapist, played by Oscar-nominated actor Virginia Madsen, is new to the job, still finishing her schooling. Madsen’s connection to the film is also a personal one. On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with filmmaker Steven Grayhm and actor Virginia Madsen about the making of Sheepdog and their respective emotional connections to the film.

Sheepdog is playing in select theaters.

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: ‘Dead Man’s Wire,’ ‘Greenland 2: Migration,’ ‘All That’s Left of You,’ and more! Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Lael Loewenstein and Beandrea July review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. And we remember Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr.

Films:

Dead Man's Wire, AMC Burbank & AMC Grove|Expands Jan. 16

Greenland 2: Migration, Wide Release

I Was a Stranger, In Select Theaters

All That's Left of You, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

The Mother and the Bear, Laemmle Glendale

Homegrown, Available on VOD

The Forgotten Occupation, Lumiere Cinema [West LA] Jan 10

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: Director Park Chan-wook talks about his new film 'No Other Choice' Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

South Korean director Park Chan-wook is considered one of living legends working today, known for his dark comedies inspired by film noir like his breakout hit Oldboy. His work also plays with shifting tones, like the paranoia and romance in the 2022 film Decision to Leave. Chan-wook’s newest film No Other Choice continues this pattern, melding the dark tone of a crime thriller with the slap-stick of a comical farce. The film stars Lee Byun-hun as a paper company employee who has just been laid off. Desperate to maintain his identity as a working man, he takes drastic measures to eliminate his competition in the job market. This time on FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with director Park Chan-wook about his new film No Other Choice and how he decides what films to make at this stage in his career. Park Chan-wook is accompanied by his interpreter Jiwoon Lee.

You can see No Other Choice in select theaters.

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: ‘Marty Supreme,’ ‘Song Sung Blue,’ ‘No Other Choice,’ and more! Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

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

Films:

Marty SupremeWide Release

Song Sung Blue Wide Release

No Other Choice In Select Theaters|Expands January

The Testament of Ann Lee In Select Theaters|Expands January

AnacondaWide Release

The Plague At Select Laemmle Theater locations|Expands Wide Jan 2

Goodbye June Streaming on Netflix

Father Mother Sister Brother Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA]|Expands Jan. 9

The ChoralAMC Burbank & Laemmle Royal [West LA]|Expands to select theaters Jan. 15

Feature: Director Hikari and star Brendan Fraser on their film Rental Family Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

Rental Familyexplores the unique phenomena of Japanese rental family agencies through an underemployed American actor living in Tokyo. Anchored by Brendan Fraser’s empathetic performance, Rental Family explores the lyricism of loneliness and the solace we can find in connection. Joining Larry to talk about Rental Family are director and co-writer of the film HIKARI and lead actor Brendan Fraser.

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: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ ‘The Housemaid,’ and more! Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

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

Films:

Avatar: Fire and Ash, Wide Release

The Housemaid, Wide Release

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Wide Release

Is This Thing On?, In Select Theaters

The Voice of Hind Rajab, Laemmle Royal [West LA]

David, Wide Release

Franz, Laemmle Monica [Santa Monica]

All Operators are Currently Unavailable, Laemmle NoHo

Breakdown: 1975, Streaming on Netflix

Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?, Streaming on HBO Max

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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