FilmWeek

Larry and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Wade Major review the week's releases, including Edge of Darkness, When in Rome, Fish Tank and Saint John of Las Vegas. Then Peter Rainer joins us live from Utah with the latest from the Sundance Film Festival. Later, Larry talks with biographer Mark Viera about the life of Hollywood producer Irving Thalberg.

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Jean Oppenheimer and Henry Sheehan discuss the week’s new film releases, including Tooth Fairy, Extraordinary Measures, To Save a Life, Drool, and Creation. Larry and the critics also discuss the Golden Globe winners, and check in with Peter Rainer from the Sundance Film Festival. With memorable roles in Bonnie and Clyde, Shampoo, Bugsy, and Bulworth, Warren Beatty is one of the most iconic figures in film. Along with Orson Welles, he is the only person to be nominated for four Academy Awards for a single film- though Beatty did it twice, earning actor, director, screenwriter, and producer nominations for Heaven Can Wait and Reds. But Beatty was just as well-known for his life off the screen, with a reputation as the biggest playboy in Hollywood. In his comprehensive biography, Peter Biskind details Beatty’s accomplishments in moviemaking as well as his captivating private life.

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Andy Klein of Brand X and Lael Loewenstein of Variety review the week’s new film releases, including Book of Eli, The Spy Next Door, 44 Inch Chest, and The Last Station. They will also discuss their top films of 2009 and the Writers Guild of America nominations. Then, the great search for the worst movie, ever.

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com and Wade Major of boxoffice.com discuss the week’s new film releases including Leap Year, Youth In Revolt, Daybreakers, Wonderful World, Bitch Slap, Waiting For Armageddon, Bicycle Thief, and The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond. They will also discuss their top ten lists of films from 2009. Then, Samson & Delilah, Australia’s foreign-language entry for the 82nd Academy Awards, tells the story of two children growing up in a remote Aboriginal community in Australia and falling in love for the first time. The film, directed by Warwick Thornton, was a hit at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Caméra d'Or for first time filmmaking. Larry talks with Warwick, who is Aboriginal himself, about Samson & Delilah and the challenges of bringing his culture to the screen.

Larry Mantle talks with KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com, Claudia Puig of USA Today and Wade Major of boxoffice.com about the week’s new film releases including Sherlock Holmes, It’s Complicated, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Creation, The White Ribbon, Police Adjective and Gigante. Then, Larry and the critics discuss their favorite holiday films.

Larry Mantle talks with KPCC film critics Jean Oppenheimer of Village Voice Media, Lael Loewenstein of Variety, and Charles Solomon, animation critic and historian for amazon.com about the week’s new film releases including Avatar, Nine, Did You Hear About The Morgans?, Crazy Heart, The Young Victoria, A Town Called Panic, and My Son My Son What Have Ye Done.

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Andy Klein of Brand X, and Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com discuss the week’s new film releases including Invictus, The Lovely Bones, A Single Man, Broken Embraces, Uncertainty, The Misfortunates, Until The Light Takes Us, Yesterday Was A Lie, and The Vicious Kind. Then Larry talks with the director and writer of the film, “Up In The Air,” Jason Reitman, about his critically acclaimed film and his career in Hollywood. Reitman also directed the films “Thank You For Smoking” and “Juno.”

Larry Mantle talks with KPCC film critics Wade Major of boxoffice.com, Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor and Charles Solomon of amazon.com about the week’s new film releases including Up In The Air, Brothers, Everybody’s Fine, The Last Station, Serious Moonlight, The Strip, Fifty Dead Men Walking, and The Secret of Kells. Then, Leslie Caron went from dancing as a ballerina in Paris to instant stardom with her debut in the musical "An American in Paris." In her memoir "Thank Heaven," Caron recounts living through Hollywood's Golden Era, from her iconic role in "Gigi", to her romance with Warren Beatty, to her struggles to overcome depression and alcoholism later in life. Today, Caron runs a bed-and-breakfast outside of Paris but continues to act. In 2007, she received an Emmy for a role on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit." On December 8, she will receive a star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame."

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com, Andy Klein of Brand X, and Charles Solomon of Amazon.com discuss the week’s new film releases including Old Dogs, The Princess And The Frog, Ninja Assassin, The Road, Red Cliff, The Missing Person, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, and The Sun.

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Jean Oppenheimer, Claudia Puig, Wade Major, and Charles Solomon discuss the week’s new releases, including New Moon, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, The Blind Side, Planet 51, Defamation, That Evening Sun, and La Danse, among others. Then, Grace Kelly had a fairy-tale life, leaving a childhood in Philadelphia to become an iconic Hollywood actress and later the Princess of Monaco. In film, Kelly is remembered for her appearances in Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, and her Academy Award-winning role in The Country Girl. In the biography "High Society", Grace Kelly's close friend Donald Spoto draws from his personal interviews with the star to share details about Kelly's life, her impact on Hollywood, and her years as a princess.