What’s driving moviegoers to theaters this Memorial Day weekend?
Summer blockbuster season is unofficially here! With the extended weekend many people get for Memorial Day, the film industry has often used this date as an opportunity to kick off some of its many crowd-pleasing features. The two box office draws this year are the live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch and the newest addition to the Mission: Impossible film franchise— Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. On one hand, you have the light-hearted, general audiences film, and on the other, you have an action-packed set of stunts that’s meant for more mature moviegoers. Joining Austin today to talk about whether these movies will get butts into theater seats is US entertainment business correspondent for Reuters Dawn Chmielewski and senior editor with the Los Angeles Times’ Hollywood Inc. team, Ryan Faughnder. We also want to hear from you! What gets you off the couch and into the theatre? Is it the bigger screen, the buttery popcorn, or just the desire to get out of the house? Tell us about it by calling 866-893-5722 or emailing us at atcomments@laist.com.
For better or worse, prom happened. Let’s talk about it.
High school prom is the most eventful and magical night in a young person’s life — for some at least. They see prom as the culmination of their high school tenure, the ultimate opportunity to show everyone who they are and how they want to be seen. When it lives up to expectations, prom can fulfill lifelong dreams. And when it doesn't… Well it’s best to learn early in life that things don’t always go your way. Sure you can plan out the perfect outfit, rent a limo, and get a reservation at the most sought-often eatery in town, but all the planning in the world can’t stop a flat tire from turning your perfect night at a ballroom into a night of waiting for a tow truck on the shoulder of the 405. It’s one the first times when a young person truly gets to decide how important an event is to them, and how much effort they want to put into it, if any. Today on AirTalk, we’re reliving our awkward teenage years and speaking with Amy Best, Professor of Sociology at George Mason University who wrote a book on prom titled Prom Night: Youth, Schools and Popular Culture. We also want to hear from you, the listener, about your prom experience! Did it live up to your expectations? Did everything fly off the rails fantastically? Or maybe you and a couple of buddies shirked prom altogether, stole a six-pack from your dad’s garage fridge the night of the dance, met up at the abandoned parking lot you all referred to by a “cool” insider name, and after a few bitter sips of your first brew you began to wonder if you may one day regret skipping out on what your parents swore would be a pivotal moment? For better or worse, give us a call at 866-893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.org and share your story.
Food Friday BBQ series: Harry’s Oklahoma Style Smokehouse BBQ
Texas kind of dominates the Los Angeles BBQ scene. Sure, Texas BBQ may be the most well known style in the US, but is it the most delicious? There’s Memphis style with its wet and dry rubs that cover pork ribs, or Kansas City style that uses a sweeter, thicker sauce on its meats, or the Carolinas who cook whole pigs at a time topped with a thin mop sauce. And then there’s Oklahoma style that takes a little bit of each. Today on AirTalk, for our fourth installment of our Food Friday BBQ series, we’re joined by Jon Bayouth, founder and owner of Harry’s Oklahoma Style Smokehouse BBQ located in Lomita. Jon is from Tulsa and has brought his accent and unique style of BBQ to LA.
FilmWeek: 'Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning,' 'Lilo & Stitch,' 'Drop Dead City,' 'Sister Midnight,' and more
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Claudia Puig, Charles Solomon, and Peter Rainer review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Films:
- Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Wide Release
- Lilo & Stitch Wide Release
- Drop Dead City Laemmle Monica Film Center| Laemmle Town Center 5 [Encino]
- Jane Austen Wrecked My Life In Select Theaters | Expands May 30
- Into the Wonderwoods Available on VOD
- The New Boy In Select Theaters|Lumiere Cinema Beverly Hills
- The Surrender Streaming on Shudder
- Sister Midnight Alamo Drafthouse DTLA|Landmark’s Nuart Theatre
Feature: Bleak Week returns for Year 4, we talk to the programmers behind the festival
This year marks the 4th year of the American Cinematheque’s Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair, a weeklong festival dedicated to screening films with dark and bleak themes. In this year’s lineup, you’ll find screenings of Michael Haneke’s English adaptation of Funny Games, the Soviet anti-war film Come and See, and Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies. You’ll also find that the Year 4 lineup includes introductions/Q&As with the likes of Bill Hader, Elliot Gould, and Brady Corbet.
Outside of the usual festival screenings here in Los Angeles, the American Cinematheque has partnered with other arthouse theaters across the country, and even The Prince Charles Cinema in London.
Joining us to discuss this year’s iteration of the festival is Chris LeMaire, lead programmer on the American Cinematheque’s Bleak Week, and Grant Moninger, American Cinematheque’s Artistic Director. We also have our critics, Charles Solomon, Claudia Puig and Peter Rainer, commenting on what about the festival has allowed it to garner interest.
Bleak Week runs from June 1-7. You can find this year’s Bleak Week lineup by clicking here or on bleakweek.com
