FilmWeek

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.

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Films:
How To Make A Killing, Wide Release
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, In Select IMAX Theaters|Expands February 27
Redux Redux, In Select Theaters
I Can Only Imagine 2, In Select Theaters
This Is Not a Test, In Select Theaters
Threshold, Streaming on Peacock
One Mile: Chapter One & Chapter Two, Two films available simultaneously on digital
Blades of the Guardians, In Select Theaters
The Dreadful, In Select Theaters
Diabolic, Available on Digital and On Demand

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.