New airline security protocols. Firefighting night flights. For AirTalk's 25th anniversary, John Rabe interviews Larry. Then it's FilmWeek: reviews of the week's new movies, including Clash of the Titans, The Last Song, The Greatest, and The Secret of Kells. Mystery Science Theater 3000's Mike Nelson is back to poke fun at Hollywood blockbusters, and Peter Rainer reviews the Bermuda Film Fest.
Using personal traits to screen airline passengers
The Obama administration today is expected to announce new procedures for screening U.S.-bound airline passengers based on personal traits rather than nationality. Under the revised system, travelers from all countries would be subject to special screening if their personal characteristics matched intelligence about potential terrorism suspects, including physical description, partial name, and travel pattern. The new measures replace the mandatory screening of travelers from 14 countries considered "state sponsors of terrorism." Is this a better way to screen for possible attackers, and are there any issues with civil liberties?
Guest:
Erroll G. Southers, Adjunct Professor of Homeland Security and Public Policy Associate Director, Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), and Managing Director of the international consulting firm TAL Global's Counter-Terrorism and Infrastructure Protection Division
After the Station Fire: should the U.S. Forest Service reinstate night flights?
Should the U.S. Forest Service fight fires at night from the air? Burbank Congressman Adam Schiff thinks so. He has asked a House panel to consider revising the policy that bans night flights, put in place after a fatal helicopter collision in the 1970s, a request LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich has lauded. Schiff contends that improvements in technology may make night flights safer, and that firefighters will have more flexibility containing California blazes, like last year’s massive Station Fire. Will nighttime helicopter deployment improve firefighting? Are the flights safe? And is this a wise allocation of public funds?
Guest:
Tony Bell, spokesman Supervisor Mike Antonovich
Larry's 25th anniversary as host of AirTalk
After 25 years of hosting AirTalk, Larry was finally put on the hot seat himself. John Rabe interviewed Larry Wednesday night about his beginnings as a would-be pastor, his love of live radio, and S-E-X. Now it’s your turn, to learn more about the man behind the mic.
More from John's interview with Larry on the Off Ramp page. Off Ramp airs Saturdays at noon on KPCC.
Guests:
Larry Mantle, host of AirTalk
FilmWeek
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig of USA Today, Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com, and Charles Solomon, animation critic and historian for Amazon.com discuss the week’s new film releases including Clash of The Titans, The Last Song, The Greatest, The Secret of Kells, Don McKay, The Exploding Girl and The Warlords. Live tweeting this week's reviews:
Guests:
Claudia Puig, USA Today film critic Henry Sheehan, henrysheehan.com Charles Solomon, animation critic and historian for Amazon.com
RiffTrax skewers the movies
The TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 had an odd but entertaining premise- viewers watched as host Mike Nelson and his robot pals cracked jokes over terrible B-movies. Over 11 seasons, the program gained a cult following and won a Peabody award. Now with an internet venture called RiffTrax, Nelson and fellow hosts have turned their humor towards big budget Hollywood films. For RiffTrax, users download a comedic commentary track that is played in sync with a movie's DVD. Whether it's The Lord of the Rings, Dirty Dancing, or even Casablanca, Nelson aims to make movies good and bad a bit funnier.
Guest:
Mike Nelson, creator of RiffTrax. He is the former host and writer of the Emmy-nominated and Peabody award-winning show Mystery Science Theater 3000
Bermuda International Film Festival
Peter Rainer joins Larry Mantle to discuss standout films from the 2010 Bermuda International Film Festival, which wrapped last week.
Bermuda International Film Festival
Peter's Picks:
Dive- documentary about dumpster diving in Los Angeles
Do It Again- documentary about a newspaper reporter's quest to reunite The Kinks
Real Injun: documentary about Hollywood's portrayal of Indians
Henri-George Clouzot's Inferno- documentary about his unfinished film
Dark Light- documentary about successful blind photographers
The 3rd Africa World Documentary Film Festival
Guest:
Peter Rainer, KPCC film critic and film critic for The Christian Science Monitor