Today on FilmWeek, Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Wade Major, Amy Nicholson and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases. We also discuss how directors’ cuts compare to theatrically released edits.
FilmWeek: ‘Where'd You Go, Bernadette,’ ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2,’ ‘Good Boys’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Wade Major, Amy Nicholson and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
" Where'd You Go, Bernadette " in wide release
Earlier this week,“The Frame’s” John Horn spoke with the director of the film Richard Linklater. You can hear the interview here
" The Angry Birds Movie 2 " in wide release
" Good Boys " in wide release
" Blinded By The Light " in wide release
" Ready Or Not " in wide release on Wednesday 8/21
" American Factory " on Netflix on Wednesday 8/21
" Cold Case Hammarskjöld " at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown & Laemmle's Monica Film Center
Earlier this week, “The Frame’s” John Horn spoke with the director of the film, Mads Brügger. You can hear the interview here
" Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles " at the Nuart Theater
" Jay Myself " at Laemmle’s Royal
" Driven " at the AMC Universal CityWalk
" The Amazing Johnathan Documentary " at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema & Laemmle Playhouse and streaming on Hulu
" Low Low " at the Downtown Independent
" Kingdom " in select theaters
In our on-air review of "Jay Myself," we incorrectly stated the name of the director, which was corrected later on. The director of "Jay Myself" is Stephen Wilkes. We regret the error.
CRITICS' HITS:
Wade: "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?", "Blinded By The Light", "Jay Myself" & "Low Low"
Charles: "Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles"
Amy: "American Factory", "Cold Case Hammarskjöld" & "Good Boys"
MIXED FEELINGS:
Amy: "The Amazing Johnathan Documentary" & "Ready Or Not"
Wade: "Driven"
Charles: "Kingdom"
MISSES:
Charles: "The Angry Birds Movie 2"
Guests:
Amy Nicholson , film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘ Unspooled ’ and the podcast miniseries “ Zoom ”; she tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Wade Major , film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Cut From The Same Cloth: How Directors’ Cuts Compare To Theatrically Released Edits
Just like in the story of Goldilocks, it took director Francis Ford Coppola three tries to find the edit of “Apocalypse Now” that was just right.
Coppola felt that the 1979 theatrically released version of the film cut out too much, prompting him to add in nearly 50 minutes of extra footage for the 2001’s “Apocalypse Now: Redux”. Earlier this week at the premiere of yet another version - “Apocalypse Now: Final Cut” - Coppola said the three-hour runtime of this latest edition (right in between the length of the first two) was finally “a version that I like”. (Coppola’s nearly 40 year journey to find the perfect version of Apocalypse Now has made him so synonymous with the term “directors’ cut” that he has a line of wine named after it).
For some movie lovers, there’s often a sense that directors’ cuts are essential viewing, as the extended edits of films like Ridley Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven” and Zach Snyder’s “Watchmen” are widely regarded as better than the theatrical versions; other times, the label of “directors’ cut” and “special edition” and “extended version” can be marketing gimmicks to help sell the film on-demand and on home video - and sometimes it’s both, as with the popular, well-regarded “Lord Of The Rings” extended editions.
Today on FilmWeek, our critics discuss their favorite directors’ cuts and the notable stories behind them.
Guests:
Amy Nicholson , film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘ Unspooled ’ and the podcast miniseries “ Zoom ”; she tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Wade Major , film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com