FilmWeek

A quiet, meditative film about the Pacific Northwest’s logging and railroad industry at the turn of the 20th century is this year’s sleeper hit, accumulating four Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Train Dreams tells the story of Robert Grainier, played by Joel Edgerton, as he helps expand the nation’s railway system, clearing forests alongside nomadic characters. As the film progresses, the audience is transported to the changing landscape of the West, the visuals dreamy like sifting through memories. The film is an adaptation of the novella of the same name written by Denis Johnson. On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with Train Dreams’ director and co-writer Clint Bentley, who is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside co-writer Greg Kwedar, and the film’s director of photography, Adolpho Veloso, who is nominated for Best Achievement in Cinematography.
Train Dreams is nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Cinematography, and Best Achievement in Music (Original Song).
Train Dreams is available to stream on Netflix.

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Christy Lemire and Lael Loewenstein review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Films:
Wuthering Heights, Wide Release
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, In Select Theaters
Crime 101, Wide Release
Nirvanna: The Band–The Show–The Movie, In Select Theaters
Calle Malaga, Laemmle Town Center [Encino] & Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]
Starman, Laemmle Glendale
Cold Storage, In Select Theaters
Trango, Available on VOD on Documentary+
By Design, In Select Theaters

Writer-director Joachim Trier makes award-winning films that strike an emotional chord with audiences. Probably best known for his previous film The Worst Person in the World (2021), starring Renate Reinsve and co-written by Eskil Voght, Trier recreates that magic with his latest work Sentimental Value, about two sisters and their relationship with their estranged director father. Trier teamed up with Voght once again to co-write the screenplay and Reinsve plays the lead, marking the third film the director and actress have worked on together. Stellan Skarsgard stars alongside Reinsve as her character's father. Sentimental Value has nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best International Feature, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. We speak with writer-director Joachim Trier about the film and why it has resonated so much with audiences.
Sentimental Value is playing in select theaters.

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Beandrea July review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Films:
Dracula, In Select Theaters
Sirāt, AMC Burbank & Landmark Nuart Theater [West LA]
Pillion, In Select Theaters
Jimpa, In Select Theaters
Natchez, Laemmle Glendale
Kokuho, AMC Citywalk [Hollywood]| Expands to select theaters February 20th
A Useful Ghost, Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]
Queen of Chess, Streaming on Netflix
Solo Mio, In Select Theaters
The President’s Cake, Laemmle Royal [West LA]
The Strangers – Chapter 3, In Select Theaters
The Love That Remains, Laemmle Royal [West LA] & Laemmle Glendale
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The Hollywood system was never a secret, even in the Golden Age. A young girl would be discovered, plucked from a small town in the Midwest, made over to look “the part” of a movie star, and then wholly become one as one of the major studios “it girl.” Although the idea of what a “star” is has changed over the decades to reflect societal ideals of each decade, the process and effects remain the same. The same is true for the film A Star is Born, which has been adapted four times. The original was released in 1937 starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, and follows the Hollywood machine of making a movie star. Over the subsequent versions, music was introduced, first with the 1954 adaptation where Judy Garland tries to become a leading lady in a Hollywood musical. The 1976 and 2018 versions modernize the commentary by setting it in the music industry with Barbara Streisand and Lady Gaga starring respectively. These differences and what they say about each era of the entertainment industry are explored in the book “A Star is Reborn: The Most Filmed Hollywood Story of Love Found and Lost.” On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with the author Robert Hofler.
“A Star is Reborn” is on sale now.