FilmWeek

For a renowned Hollywood icon, there remains a mysteriousness to actress Joan Crawford, which is and always was part of her appeal. But in a new biography, author and film historian Scott Eyman attempts to know the woman behind the screen persona and Hollywood gossip. Through newly discovered archives and interviews with family and friends, Eyman pulls back the layers on one of films’ greatest actresses. On FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with Scott Eyman about his new book Joan Crawford: A Woman’s Face.

Austin Cross and LAist film critics Lael Loewenstein, Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Films:
The Bride!, Wide Release
Hoppers, Wide Release
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, In Select Theaters
Nawi: Dear Future Me, Laemmle Santa Monica Film Center
Dolly, In Select Theaters
The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs and Who Has Control, Streaming on Paramount+
War Machine, Streaming on Netflix
Pompei: Below the Clouds, Laemmle Royal [West LA] on March 13
Youngblood, In Select Theaters
The Optimist: The Bravest Act Is Truth, In Select Theaters March 11
Charliebird, Laemmle Glendale

A child prodigy, Billy Preston began performing at his local church in Los Angeles, but his talents on the keyboard and singing quickly led him to guest appearances on The Nat King Cole Show, and later touring with Ray Charles. Preston was a popular musician in his own right, known for hits like ‘Will It Go Round in Circles,’ and ‘Nothing From Nothing,’ but he also had a reputation for working behind the scenes with icons like Little Richard and The Beatles. Today on FilmWeek we talk with Paris Barclay, the director behind a new documentary on Billy Preston.
Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It is in select theaters.

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:
Scream 7, Wide Release
Paul McCartney: Man on the Run, In Select Theaters & Streaming on Amazon Prime
Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It, In Select Theaters March 3
Ghost Elephants, In Select Theaters | Streaming on Hulu & Disney+ March 8
Crazy Old Lady, Streaming on Shudder and AMC+
Space Cowboy, Laemmle Royal [West LA]
The Bluff, Streaming on Amazon Prime
For Worse, Laemmle Royal [West LA]
Undercard, In Select Theaters
Dreams, In Select Theaters
K-Pops!, In Select Theaters

Brazil has been a rising star in international cinema. The Secret Agent, a political thriller set in 1977 about a researcher trying to escape the country for unknown reasons, is just the latest film from Brazil to gain critical acclaim. Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura, the film shows the tangible and intangible effects an authoritarian regime imposes on its people. Moura's character Marcelo, spends the film in hiding under an alias as he waits for assistance to get him and his son out of the country. Moura's central performance holds audiences in the precarious situation with him. The film has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best International Feature, Best Lead Actor (Wagner Moura), and Best Achievement in Casting. Today on FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with actor Wagner Moura about the film and its reception abroad.
The Secret Agent is still playing in select theaters.