Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Justin Chang, Christy Lemire, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases. Plus, we converse with Dreamscape Immersive's CEO Bruce Vaughn and Variety's Brent Lang on soon-to-come virtual reality experiences in movie theaters.
FilmWeek: ‘American Made,’ ‘Til Death Do Us Part,’ ‘Our Souls at Night’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Christy Lemire, Justin Chang, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
" American Made " in wide release
" Til Death Do Us Part " in wide release
" Flatliners " in wide release (but not screened for critics)
" Lucky " at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark Theatre
" Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House " at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark Theatre
" Our Souls at Night " at iPic Westwood & iPic Pasadena
" Super Dark Times " at Laemmle's NoHo
" Literally, Right Before Aaron " at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
" Loving Vincent " at ArcLight Hollywood & Laemmle's Royal Theatre
" Gerald's Game " on Netflix
" Window Horses " at Laemmle's Music Hall
Critics' Hits:
Christy: "American Made" & "Our Souls at Night"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBIJRAkujM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lci71HjGvaM
Justin: "Lucky" & "Gerald's Game"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KLLkj84GAo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twbGU2CqqQU
Mixed Feelings:
Justin: "Super Dark Times"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG0af8nliCE
Misses!
Christy: "Til Death Do Us Part"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_D2cbZcDzQ&t=94s
Justin: "Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFpuXxM4tzE
Charles: "Loving Vincent"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8xcLdOjX6w
Guests:
Christy Lemire , film critic for KPCC and RogerEbert.com ; co-host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?;”she tweets
Justin Chang , film critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Spielberg-backed startup wants to bring VR to the movies
The summer movie season ended on Labor Day weekend, and ticket sales in the US fell to its lowest level in 25 years.
Reasons for the drop have been attributed to pricey movie tickets, a dearth of new creative content and heavy competition from streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Blame aside, theater owners are being forced to innovate in order to attract customers, and one LA tech startup is hoping to resuscitate the flagging movie theater industry by turning to virtual reality.
Dreamscape Immersive wants to install up to six “ VR centers ” in cinemas and as standalone locations in the US by mid-2019. The company announced this week that its flagship location will be located at the Westfield Century City Mall, and is slated to open next year.
The VR outfit, in addition to locking in $20 million from AMC, also has backing from some of Hollywood’s biggest players, including Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros. and MGM.
What are the challenges of bringing VR to the cineplex? Considering the history of customers’ hesitancy towards virtual reality, how are audiences predicted to respond? If successful, could VR end up benefiting the theater industry at the cost of the movie industry?
Guests:
Bruce Vaughn, CEO of Dreamscape Immersive , a location-based virtual reality startup in LA
Brent Lang, senior film and media reporter at Variety; he tweets