FilmWeek

 Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Claudia Puig and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Wide Release The Secret Agent, AMC Century City 100 Nights of Hero, Wide Release                                     Fackham Hall, Wide Release                                         The Chronology of Water, Laemmle Royal [West LA] Cutting Through Rocks, Laemmle Royal [West LA]; Laemmle Town Center [Encino]                        Zodiac Killer Project, Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA]; Laemmle Glendale The Tale of Silyan, Laemmle Monica Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, Wide Release                        Man Finds Tape, Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA]; Available on VOD                                         The New Yorker at 100, 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                   

Horror films have been a consistent draw for movie theaters, even in a post-pandemic, streaming world. And one of the most well-known production studios in horror is Blumhouse. The production house came on the scene in 2009 with Paranormal Activity, a low-budget found-footage film that became a smash hit spawning a franchise. Blumhouse would repeat this formula with The Purge and Insidious franchise. Now, Blumhouse is known for its more crowd pleasing scary movies like M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s (with the highly anticipated sequel releasing this week), but the studio has also taken risks on up and coming directors like Jordan Peele and Damien Chazelle. So, how does a horror production house continue to survive and turn a profit in today’s film industry? And why does horror seem to be a safe bet for box office returns. Joining us to discuss the current horror movie landscape is Abhijay Prakash, president of Blumhouse.  You can read all about Blumhouse’s rise in their new book Horror’s New Wave: 15 Years of Blumhouse.

For our most recent FilmWeek screening event, where we show quintessential L.A. films across the city, we went to the family-owned Garden Cinema to present the Coen Brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. The 1998 noir-comedy opened to mixed reviews during its initial release, but has since gained cult status and even mainstream praise. In 2014, it was designated a "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” film and added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. After the screening, Larry Mantle spoke with LAist FilmWeek critics Christy Lemire and Wade Major about the impact of the film and their personal love for ‘The Dude.’ 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

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell, Manuel Betancourt and Charles Solomon review the latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery In Select Theaters Nov 26|Streaming on Netflix Dec 12 Hamnet In Select Theaters Nov 26|Expands Dec 5 Zootopia 2 Wide Release Nov 26 Eternity In Select Theaters Nov 26  A Magnificent Life Laemmle Royal [West LA] Closes Nov 27      Cactus Pears Laemmle Royal [West LA] Nov 28 Outerlands Available on VOD Nov 26 Angel's Egg Alamo Drafthouse DTLA Nov 26|Egyptian Theater Nov 28 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

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Claudia Puig and Peter Rainer review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Wicked: For Good, Wide Release Rental Family, Wide Release Left-Handed Girl, In Select Theaters|Streaming on Netflix Nov. 28 Rebuilding, AMC Century City|AMC Burbank Out of Plain Sight, Laemmel NoHo Auction, Laemmle Town Center [Encino]|Laemmle Royal [West LA] Manas, Laemmle Glendale The Making of a Japanese, Available on 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

Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve earned international recognition for her performance in the Joachim Trier film The Worst Person in the World. After roles in Hollywood in Presumed Innocent and A Different Man, Reinsve and Trier have reunited in their new film Sentimental Value about a theater actress and her estranged film director father in Oslo. Larry Mantle speaks with Renate Reinsve about her approach to acting and her latest film.   You can see Sentimental Value in select theaters now. It will expand to more theaters Friday. Nov. 28. 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

Actor Cesar Romero is probably best known for his role as The Joker in the 1960s Batman series, a portrayal that would later define the character and cast a large shadow over future screen adaptations. But well before Romero put on the green wig and red lipstick, he had a successful and varied career. He acted alongside the Rat Pack in Ocean’s Eleven and Carmen Miranda in Week-End in Havana. Most of his roles fell into the ‘Latin Lover’ stereotype, a mold he did not fit in his everyday life. Yet, despite on-screen limitations, Romero was still able to imbue each character with a sense of humanity. In the new biography Cesar Romero: The Joker is Wild, author Samuel Garza Bernstein goes in depth about Romero’s life pre-Hollywood, his career pre-Joker, and his 1980s renaissance as an A-list TV actor. On FilmWeek, Larry speaks with Garza Bernstein about Romero’s legacy. 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!

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Beandrea July review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Jay Kelly In Select Theaters|Streaming on Netflix Dec 5  The Running Man Wide Release Come See Me In The Good Light Laemmle NoHo|Streaming on Apple TV+ The Carpenter’s Son In Select Theaters Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk Laemmle Glendale|Laemmle Monica Film Center Bunny Lumiere Cinema [West LA]|Available on VOD Selena y Los Dinos Laemmle NoHo|Streaming on Netflix Nov 17 Bull Run Galaxy Mission Grove Theatre [Riverside]|Available on VOD & Digital Platforms Serious People Laemmle Glendale|Available on VOD & Digital Platforms Dec 16 Stationed at Home Available on VOD & Digital Platforms Being Eddie Streaming on Netflix Trap House 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!

Sir Roger Deakins is the award-winning cinematographer behind the films Bladerunner: 2049, 1917, and No Country for Old Men (just to name a few). Although those behind the camera often do not reach the heights of mainstream recognition, Deakins is the rare case of a cinematographer becoming a household name, considered one of the greatest of all time. In his new book Reflections: On Cinematography, Deakins steps into the light, sharing memories from his time in art school and working on music videos, to his longstanding career in film, working alongside directors such as the Coen Brothers and Denis Villeneuve. Larry Mantle speaks with cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins about his memoir and his decades spent behind the camera on some of the most influential 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!

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Lael Loewenstein review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: Predator: Badlands, Wide Release                                     Sentimental Value, In Select Theaters                                       Train Dreams, In Select Theaters|Streaming on Netflix Nov. 21                                        Die My Love, In Select Theaters                                          Nuremberg, Wide Release                                            Christy, In Select Theaters                                                            Lost & Found in Cleveland, In Select Theaters                        Peter Hujar’s Day, Laemmle Royal [West LA]  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!