FilmWeek

A quiet, meditative film about the Pacific Northwest’s logging and railroad industry at the turn of the 20th century is this year’s sleeper hit, accumulating four Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Train Dreams tells the story of Robert Grainier, played by Joel Edgerton, as he helps expand the nation’s railway system, clearing forests alongside nomadic characters. As the film progresses, the audience is transported to the changing landscape of the West, the visuals dreamy like sifting through memories. The film is an adaptation of the novella of the same name written by Denis Johnson. On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with Train Dreams’ director and co-writer Clint Bentley, who is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside co-writer Greg Kwedar, and the film’s director of photography, Adolpho Veloso, who is nominated for Best Achievement in Cinematography. Train Dreams is nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Cinematography, and Best Achievement in Music (Original Song). Train Dreams is available to stream on Netflix.

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: Wuthering Heights, Wide Release        Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, In Select Theaters      Crime 101, Wide Release                               Nirvanna: The Band–The Show–The Movie, In Select Theaters                                 Calle Malaga, Laemmle Town Center [Encino] & Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]             Starman, Laemmle Glendale                                Cold Storage, In Select Theaters                Trango, Available on VOD on Documentary+                      By Design, In Select Theaters                       

Writer-director Joachim Trier makes award-winning films that strike an emotional chord with audiences. Probably best known for his previous film The Worst Person in the World (2021), starring Renate Reinsve and co-written by Eskil Voght, Trier recreates that magic with his latest work Sentimental Value, about two sisters and their relationship with their estranged director father. Trier teamed up with Voght once again to co-write the screenplay and Reinsve plays the lead, marking the third film the director and actress have worked on together. Stellan Skarsgard stars alongside Reinsve as her character's father. Sentimental Value has nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best International Feature, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. We speak with writer-director Joachim Trier about the film and why it has resonated so much with audiences. Sentimental Value is playing in select theaters.

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: Dracula, In Select Theaters                                                Sirāt, AMC Burbank & Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA]                                            Pillion, In Select Theaters                           Jimpa, In Select Theaters                                 Natchez, Laemmle Glendale                                   Kokuho, AMC Citywalk [Hollywood]| Expands to select theaters February 20th                                A Useful Ghost, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]                                     Queen of Chess, Streaming on Netflix                  Solo Mio, In Select Theaters                            The President’s Cake, Laemmle Royal [West LA]                 The Strangers – Chapter 3, In Select Theaters          The Love That Remains, Laemmle Royal [West LA] & Laemmle Glendale        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 Hollywood system was never a secret, even in the Golden Age. A young girl would be discovered, plucked from a small town in the Midwest, made over to look “the part” of a movie star, and then wholly become one as one of the major studios “it girl.” Although the idea of what a “star” is has changed over the decades to reflect societal ideals of each decade, the process and effects remain the same. The same is true for the film A Star is Born, which has been adapted four times. The original was released in 1937 starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, and follows the Hollywood machine of making a movie star. Over the subsequent versions, music was introduced, first with the 1954 adaptation where Judy Garland tries to become a leading lady in a Hollywood musical. The 1976 and 2018 versions modernize the commentary by setting it in the music industry with Barbara Streisand and Lady Gaga starring respectively. These differences and what they say about each era of the entertainment industry are explored in the book “A Star is Reborn: The Most Filmed Hollywood Story of Love Found and Lost.” On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with the author Robert Hofler. “A Star is Reborn” is on sale now.

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     

The LA Times released a list of the best 101 films set in Los Angeles. The number one spot went to the 1974 film Chinatown, 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.

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     

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     

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