The topic:  In 2023, Larry Mantle interviewed actor Patrick Stewart, best known for his roles as Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men and as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, for his memoir Making It So. We revisit Larry’s conversation with Stewart in memory of the late actor who died at the age of 86 this week. 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 topic: Larry Mantle and critics Manuel Betancourt and Maureen Lee Lenker talk about the new documentary Everest: The Other Side from the directing duo behind Oscar-winner Free Solo (2018). They also review SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of , a documentary about the Canadian sketch-comedy show featuring interviews with the cast members, including the late Catherine O’Hara. The films: The Mosquito Bowl, In Select Theaters Everest: The Other Side, In Select Theaters Christmas at the Kringles, In Select Theaters Gentle Monster, In Select Theaters The Eyes of Ghana, In Select Theaters SCTV: The Greatest Show You've Never Heard Of, Streaming on Netflix Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, Available on Digital Platforms Collision Course, Streaming on Netflix  The critics:  Manuel Betancourt, film critic for LAist and interim editor of Documentary Magazine Maureen Lee Lenker, LAist film critic and freelance journalist (formerly at Entertainment Weekly) who's written for Gold Derby, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Turner Classic Movies. She is also the author of three novels set in the Golden Age of Hollywood 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 topic: Larry Mantle and FilmWeek critics review the latest DC Comics adaptation Clayface starring Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie along with a lot of gore. They also talk about LAIKA’s stop-motion spectacle Wildwood, the longest stop-motion animation film in history. The films: Clayface, Wide Release Wicker, Wide Release Wildwood, Wide Release Klara and the Sun, Wide Release    The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, In Select Theaters Possible Love, In Select Theaters | Streaming on Netflix Nov. 6 Fatherland, In Select Theaters  Once Upon a Time in Harlem, AMC Century City A Talent for Murder, In Select Theaters The critics:  Charles Solomon, film critic for LAist, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine  Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ YouTube and podcast series  Tim Cogshell, film critic for LAist, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com 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 topic:  FilmWeek critics Lael Loewenstein and Tim Cogshell discuss the new reboot of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, and You Can See Everything, the new documentary on Elizabeth Holmes from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. They’ll also review La Bola Negra, winner of this year’s Best Director award at Cannes and Spain’s Best International Feature submission for the 2027 Oscars.  The films:  Sense and Sensibility (2026) You Can See Everything        Street Fighter (2026) La Bola Negra Whalefall The Devils (1971) [4K restoration] Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald My Undesirable Friends: Part II - Exile Capturing Bigfoot Following Harry Desert Angel The critics:  Lael Loewenstein, film critic for LAist Tim Cogshell, film critic for LAist, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com 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 topic: In his new book, Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever, film critic and author Matt Singer discusses the comedy boom of the early aughts, the “Frat Pack” that dominated the era, and the lessons contemporary studios can take from their success.  Event info: Matt Singer will be at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2pm talking about his book with Tim Grierson. You can find more info about the event here.  Guest: Matt Singer, editor and film critic of ScreenCrush.com. He is the author of Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever 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 topic: FilmWeek critics Katie Walsh and Claudia Puig join host Larry Mantle to discuss the biggest releases of the week, including screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning of which Sorkin also directs. And they’ll review this year’s Palm d’Or winner at Cannes, Fjord, about a Romanian family in Norway fighting allegations of child abuse.    The films:   The Social Reckoning, Wide Release  Musk, AMC Burbank & AMC Century City | Expanding on October 16 Fjord, AMC Century City & AMC Burbank Tenzing, Laemmle NoHo & The Cinemas LA [Westwood]|Streaming on Apple TV+ October 16 Misty Green, AMC Century City, AMC The Grove, & AMC Burbank Kikuyu Land, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] NAZA, In Select Theaters  Animals, Landmark Westwood |Streaming on Netflix The North, Laemmle Glendale, Laemmle Monica Center [Santa Monica], & AMC Burbank The Beast, In Select Theaters The critics: Claudia Puig, film critic for LAist and program director for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Katie Walsh, film critic for LAist, the Tribune News Service and LA Times 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 topic:  Richard Linklater’s 2025 film Nouvelle Vague tries to accurately capture the filming process of one of French New Wave’s most influential films — Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960). Shot in black and white and almost entirely in French, Linklater transports viewers back to 1959 Paris on  the chaotic and sometimes claustrophobic set. Criterion release: Originally released on Netflix with a limited theatrical run, Nouvelle Vague now sits alongside Breathless in the Criterion Collection with a 4k Blu-ray and DVD release that features audio commentary by Linklater and interviews with the lead actors Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, and Aubry Dullin. Guest: Richard Linklater, director of Nouvelle Vague. He is also known for the films Slacker, Dazed and Confused, the Before trilogy, and Boyhood. 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 topic: FilmWeek critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire disagree on the effectiveness of Alejandro Iñárritu’s new film Digger starring Tom Cruise, but they do agree that everyone should see it, if only to partake in the discussion. Also out this week is the drama Atonement that shows the ramifications of the Iraqi war. The films:   Digger, Wide Release Heart of the Beast, Wide Release Verity, Wide Release The Scout, Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA] | Expands Oct. 9 Atonement, Landmark Nuart Theatre [West LA] | Expands Oct. 9  Appofeniacs, AMC Burbank & AMC Orange The Last First: Winter K2, Laemmle Noho [North Hollywood] | Streaming on Apple TV Beware Boiúna, In Select Theaters Rolling Loud: The Movie, In Select Theaters        The critics: Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ YouTube and podcast series   Tim Cogshell, film critic for LAist, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com  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 topic: Finding humor and fascination in the mundane is John Wilson’s signature. After closing out his acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson, the documentarian picks up right where he left off, but this time with a feature film examining one of New York’s most foundational materials: concrete. Wilson joins FilmWeek’s Larry Mantle to talk about his first feature documentary The History of Concrete, his directorial influences, and how he sees the world. Guest: John Wilson, documentarian best known for his acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson and director of the new documentary The History of Concrete. 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 topic: Larry Mantle and FilmWeek critics review Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as NBC Dateline host Chris Hansen, best known for his 2006 series To Catch a Predator. And they talk about the documentary You Had to Be There that attempts to capture the magical 1972 Toronto production of Godspell that launched many famous comedians careers. The events are told through animation and interviews with the original cast.     The films:          Primetime, Wide Release Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother, In Select Theaters  Forgotten Island, Wide Release The History of Concrete, In Select Theaters Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, In Select Theaters  The Stunt Driver, In Select Theaters Never After Dark, In Select Theaters You Had to Be There, In Select Theaters Unabomber, Streaming on Netflix  The critics: Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ YouTube and podcast series   Maureen Lee Lenker <like ‘link’>,  LAist film critic and freelance journalist (formerly at Entertainment Weekly) who's written for Gold Derby, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Turner Classic Movies. She is also the author of three novels set in the Golden Age of Hollywood. 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.