Mark Olsen writes about all kinds of movies for the Los Angeles Times as both a feature writer and reviewer. He creates a regular series on independent, documentary and foreign language films under the banner of Indie Focus, also curating and hosting the Indie Focus Screening Series. His work has also appeared in Film Comment, the New York Times, LA Weekly, Sight & Sound and other publications. He is from Kansas.
Latest From This Author
Director Sean Baker’s Oscar front-runner won three more prizes, with “A Real Pain” winning two. “Shōgun” and “Baby Reindeer” dominated the TV categories.
Also this week: the 40th anniversary of Paul Schrader’s ‘Mishima,’ a 4K restoration of Lina Wertmüller’s ‘Swept Away’ and ‘Looking for Mr. Goodbar’ in 35mm.
Originally created by filmmakers rejected by Sundance, Slamdance has become a community of its own and is about to kick off its first local edition at several L.A. venues.
Also this week: “Wild at Heart” in 35mm, another edition of the Nitrate Film Festival kicks off at American Cinematheque and the Michael Roemer renaissance continues.
In the Oscar-season finale of The Envelope video podcast, we sit down with Colman Domingo, lead actor nominee for ‘Sing Sing.’
In the latest episode of “The Envelope” video podcast, director Coralie Fargeat explains how she prepared star Demi Moore to film “The Substance” and “The Brutalist” filmmaker Brady Corbet discusses his desire to make films that viewers can never quite pin down.
Made by a team of Palestinian and Israeli activist filmmakers, the Academy Award-nominated documentary is a look at life under occupation in a small West Bank village.
Also this week: The “Dinner in America” revival hits L.A., “Altered States” in 35mm and Super Bowl counterprogramming with “Kansas City” and “Philadelphia.”