Show Notes
The topic: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is turning out to be the event of the summer, with screenings selling out at theaters a year in advance. Nolan shares how he adapted the Greek epic for a modern audience.
On what makes a successful adaptation: “If somebody watching the film who read the poem in high school or something, who doesn’t know it that well but knows it pretty well — if that person feels that my additions or my allusions actually were from the poem, then I think I've succeeded.”
The dialogue: “I’m not having the actors speak with mid-Atlantic or some British accents the way Hollywood in the 50s or 60s often did… We want it to be more accessible than that.”
The sound and score: “[Ludwig Göransson] is trying to create a soundscape that is as much a part of the sense of place as the sound effects. So in a way we’re trying to blur the boundaries completely between music and sound effects.”
New technology: “This blimping system, it’s essentially a high-tech box you put the [70MM IMAX] camera in and it silences it. And so for the first time ever, we could do the entire film that way.”
Does the format matter? “They’re all drawn from this massive negative, so they can be as sharp and clear as possible. We’re able to fill the screen with the brightest and clearest image no matter what format you see it in. 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.
More from FilmWeek
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.