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
Screening this week in L.A.: The unsettling doc “Mister Organ,” plus “The Royal Hotel,” “Ganja & Hess,” “Days of Heaven,” “Leftover Ladies” and a John Carney tribute.
Oct. 6, 2023
The Australian filmmaker adapted a documentary into an intense outback thriller starring Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick as two women working at a remote pub.
Oct. 5, 2023
A panel of former collaborators including Ron Howard, Joe Dante, Amy Holden Jones, Allan Arkush and Jon Davidson shared memories of working for Roger Corman.
Oct. 2, 2023
Easton, Pa., police posted a press release online Monday confirming that Pespas, who won over viewers of the docuseries this summer, is missing.
Oct. 2, 2023
Screening this week in L.A.: Beyond Fest storms in with another year of must-sees, a documentary on producer Jeremy Thomas, “Ishtar,” “Fair Play” and more.
Sept. 29, 2023
Directed by Mark Cousins, the documentary is a feature-length hang with the provocative British film producer behind “The Last Emperor,” “Sexy Beast” and more.
Sept. 29, 2023
Screening this week in L.A.: Richard Shepard unveils his memories as a teenage “Film Geek,” Jean-Luc Godard’s “King Lear,” John Waters at the Academy and “Streets of Fire.”
Sept. 22, 2023
The Irish filmmaker behind “Once” and “Sing Street” returns with a drama, this time about a Dublin mom connecting to her son via a shared love of making music.
Sept. 22, 2023
Cinematographer Ed Lachman and director Pablo Larraín explain how they achieved the ravishing monochromatic look of their Pinochet-as-vampire comedy “El Conde.”
Sept. 19, 2023
Screening this week in L.A.: The world premiere restoration of Gregg Araki’s ‘Nowhere,” a tribute to Mexico’s Arturo Ripstein and Billy Woobury rarities.
Sept. 15, 2023