Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Claudia Puig and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:
The Life of Chuck In Select Theaters|Expands June 13
Ballerina Wide Release 
Karate Kid: Legends Wide Release
Dangerous Animals Wide Release
The Ritual Wide Release
I Don’t Understand You In Select Theaters
Bad Shabbos Laemmle Town Center 5 [Encino] |Laemmle Royal [West LA]
Barron’s Cove Laemmle Monica Film Center
We Are Guardians Laemmle Monica Film Center|Art Theatre [Long Beach] June 21
Pavements Alamo Drafthouse DTLA|The Frida Cinema [Santa Ana]

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics&nbsp;<a href="https://laist.com/people/claudia-puig" data-cms-ai="0">Claudia Puig</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cinemainmind.com/" data-cms-ai="0">Tim Cogshell</a>&nbsp;review this weekend&rsquo;s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Films:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12908150/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_4_in_0_q_The%2520Life%2520of%2520Chuck" data-cms-ai="0">The Life of Chuck</a>&nbsp;In Select Theaters|Expands June 13</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26350277/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_4_tt_7_nm_0_in_0_q_Ballerina" data-cms-ai="0">Ballerina</a>&nbsp;Wide Release&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1674782/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_3_nm_0_in_0_q_Karate%2520Kid%253A%2520Legends" data-cms-ai="0">Karate Kid: Legends</a>&nbsp;Wide Release</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32299316/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_Dangerous%2520Animals" data-cms-ai="0">Dangerous Animals</a>&nbsp;Wide Release</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32194932/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_The%2520Ritual" data-cms-ai="0">The Ritual</a>&nbsp;Wide Release</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27623406/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_I%2520Don%25E2%2580%2599t%2520Understand%2520You" data-cms-ai="0">I Don&rsquo;t Understand You</a>&nbsp;In Select Theaters</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14402042/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_2_nm_0_in_0_q_Bad%2520Shabbos" data-cms-ai="0">Bad Shabbos</a>&nbsp;Laemmle Town Center 5 [Encino] |Laemmle Royal [West LA]</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16426570/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_Barron%25E2%2580%2599s%2520Cove" data-cms-ai="0">Barron&rsquo;s Cove</a>&nbsp;Laemmle Monica Film Center</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27248255/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_We%2520Are%2520Guardians" data-cms-ai="0">We Are Guardians</a>&nbsp;Laemmle Monica Film Center|Art Theatre [Long Beach] June 21</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30253514/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1" data-cms-ai="0">Pavements</a>&nbsp;Alamo Drafthouse DTLA|The Frida Cinema [Santa Ana]</li>
</ul>

FilmWeek on AirTalk, hosted by Larry Mantle, is a one-hour weekly segment devoted to films. It offers reviews of the week's new movies, interviews with filmmakers, and discussions on various aspects of the industry.

Reviews of the week's new movies, interviews with filmmakers, and discussion.

FilmWeek

FilmWeek: ‘The Life of Chuck,’ ‘Ballerina,’ ‘Karate Kid: Legends,’ ‘The Ritual,’ and More

Feature

Feature (cont'd)

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:
In his new book, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/">Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever,</a> film critic and author Matt Singer discusses the comedy boom of the early aughts, the &ldquo;Frat Pack&rdquo; that dominated the era, and the lessons contemporary studios can take from their success.&nbsp;
Event info: Matt Singer will be at Vroman&rsquo;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 <a href="https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-10-11/matt-singer">here</a>.&nbsp;
Guest:
Matt Singer, editor and film critic of <a href="http://screencrush.com">ScreenCrush.com</a>. He is the author of Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever
Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.preppi.com/LAist" data-stringify-link="http://www.preppi.com/LAist" data-sk="tooltip_parent">www.preppi.com/LAist</a> to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency.

Feature: The ‘Frat Pack’ comedies of the early 2000s

FilmWeek (cont'd)

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:
FilmWeek critics Katie Walsh and Claudia Puig join host Larry Mantle to discuss the biggest releases of the week, including screenwriter Aaron Sorkin&rsquo;s follow-up to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning of which Sorkin also directs. And they&rsquo;ll review this year&rsquo;s Palm d&rsquo;Or winner at Cannes, Fjord, about a Romanian family in Norway fighting allegations of child abuse.&nbsp; &nbsp;
The films:&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37510326/?ref_=fn_t_1">The Social Reckoning,</a> Wide Release&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27041231/?ref_=fn_t_1">Musk</a>, AMC Burbank &amp; AMC Century City | Expanding on October 16
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35410859/?ref_=fn_t_1">Fjord</a>, AMC Century City &amp; AMC Burbank
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6262770/?ref_=fn_t_1">Tenzing</a>, Laemmle NoHo &amp; The Cinemas LA [Westwood]|Streaming on Apple TV+ October 16
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34385184/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_4_nm_3_in_0_q_misty%20green">Misty Green</a>, AMC Century City, AMC The Grove, &amp; AMC Burbank
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38390390/?ref_=fn_t_1">Kikuyu Land</a>, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt44766123/?ref_=fn_t_1">NAZA</a>, In Select Theaters&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31049299/?ref_=fn_t_1">Animals</a>, Landmark Westwood |Streaming on Netflix
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35331003/?ref_=fn_t_1">The North</a>, Laemmle Glendale, Laemmle Monica Center [Santa Monica], &amp; AMC Burbank
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29256561/?ref_=fn_t_2">The Beast</a>, In Select Theaters
The critics:
<a href="https://laist.com/people/claudia-puig">Claudia Puig</a>, film critic for LAist and program director for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
<a href="https://linktr.ee/katiewalshstx">Katie Walsh</a>, film critic for LAist, the Tribune News Service and LA Times
Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.preppi.com/LAist" data-stringify-link="http://www.preppi.com/LAist" data-sk="tooltip_parent">www.preppi.com/LAist</a> to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency.

FilmWeek: ‘The Social Reckoning,’ ‘Musk,’ ‘Tenzing’ and more!

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:&nbsp;
Richard Linklater&rsquo;s 2025 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31688586/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_nouvelle">Nouvelle Vague</a> tries to accurately capture the filming process of one of French New Wave&rsquo;s most influential films &mdash; Jean-Luc Godard&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053472/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_breathless">Breathless</a> (1960). Shot in black and white and almost entirely in French, Linklater transports viewers back to 1959 Paris on&nbsp; the chaotic and sometimes claustrophobic set.
Criterion release: Originally released on Netflix with a limited theatrical run, Nouvelle Vague now sits alongside Breathless in <a href="https://www.criterion.com/films/35769-nouvelle-vague">the Criterion Collection</a> 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&nbsp;<a href="http://www.preppi.com/LAist" data-stringify-link="http://www.preppi.com/LAist" data-sk="tooltip_parent">www.preppi.com/LAist</a> to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency.

FilmWeek: ‘The Life of Chuck,’ ‘Ballerina,’ ‘Karate Kid: Legends,’ ‘The Ritual,’ and More

In 1 playlist(s)

FilmWeek

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips