AirTalk dives into the effects Whole Foods will have on the grocery industry after new owner Amazon announced it would reduce Whole Foods' prices while maintaining the quality of its products. We also preview the rallies being held in the Bay Area this weekend in the aftermath of Charlottesville; review this week's movie releases on FilmWeek; and more.
As expected, the Amazon-Whole Foods deal is causing havoc in the grocery industry
When Amazon announced its acquisition of Whole Foods back in June, the expectation was that the deal would cause major disruptions to the grocery industry.
The $14-billion purchase is expected to close Monday. In anticipation of the deal’s finalization, Amazon announced yesterday that it plans to lower prices on a number of items at Whole Foods, as well as offers Amazon Prime members a discount.
The news quickly translated to a stock-price hit for a number of grocers, including Costco and Kroger, erasing some $12 billion in market value from these companies.
Guests:
Phil Lempert, a supermarket and consumer behavior expert with the Santa Monica-based market retail firm SupermarketGuru.com; he tweets
Burt P. Flickinger, III, managing director of Strategic Resource Group, a consumer industry consulting firm in New York; he tweets
What to expect at this weekend’s San Francisco rally, plus Berkeley rally cancelled
In the wake of Charlottesville, two controversial rallies were to be held in the Bay Area this weekend.
As reported by CNN, a “Freedom Rally” will be held at San Francisco’s Chrissy Field, organized by Patriot Prayer, the Oregon-based conservative group. In Berkeley, a “No to Marxism in America” event, planned for Sunday, at the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park was just reported to be cancelled. According to the Deputy City Manager, the permit for the rally was incomplete and late.
Both groups organizing these events claim they are not white nationalists, but many left-leaning critics disagree. With the violence that broke out in Charlottesville, law enforcement and city officials are taking precautions to keep protesters and counter-protesters safe. Strategies for this include limited public transportation, blocked off areas and a list of prohibited items at the event sites. Residents have also been encouraged to stay away from the protest sites.
So what else is San Francisco doing to prepare for this weekend? What kind of counter-protest groups are likely to attend? How have the famously liberal cities of San Francisco and Berkeley dealt with protests before? And what’s the latest on the cancelled rally in Berkeley?
Guests:
Kurtis Alexander, staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle; he’s been following the story; he tweets
Paige St. John, reporter for the Los Angeles Times; she’s been following the story and will be in Berkeley this weekend; she tweets
What the CA Supreme Court’s ruling means for the death penalty going forward
On Thursday, the California Supreme Court upheld many of the provisions of voter-backed Prop 66, the measure meant to speed up executions in California.
This decision will have the biggest impact on the death row inmates that have run out of appeals.
However, the mandate for death penalty appeals to be decided within 5 years of sentencing was rejected as unconstitutional, raising questions about the law’s efficacy in hastening death sentences.
There are currently about 400 pending death penalty appeals in California, a state where there hasn’t been an execution in over ten years, due to court challenges.
Which provisions of Prop 66 were upheld and which were struck down? What does this mean for the death penalty in California going forward? And how does nixing of the five-year mandate affect the efficacy of the new law?
Guest:
Maura Dolan, San Francisco-based legal affairs writer for the Los Angeles Times; she’s been following this story; she tweets
Can MoviePass’ risky subscription model sustain itself with such cheap prices?
Movie theater subscription service MoviePass recently dropped its monthly fee to $9.95 – meaning customers can see one film a day at any theater in the U.S. that accepts debit cards for less than the price of one ticket at most theaters in Los Angeles.
It's basically applying the Netflix subscription model to movies still in theaters, and customers are jumping at the chance to see films on the big screen for an affordable price. Two days after MoviePass announced its new price model, it surpassed 150,000 subscribers, causing its website to crash.
After signing up for MoviePass, customers are sent a MasterCard debit card that automatically loads with the full price of a ticket when they use it to see a film. Of course, the subscription comes with some limitations. Customers can’t use MoviePass for 3D or IMAX films, and premium theaters like ArcLight and Landmark aren't included.
Some theaters that do take MoviePass are not happy with the increase in subscribers. AMC has threatened legal action against the service, and even stopped allowing MoviePass users to buy e-tickets in Boston and Denver – but because MoviePass is still paying theaters the full price per ticket, it’s not clear what they can do to prevent it, short of declining all MasterCard debit cards.
A week after the price drop, there are still many questions about how the service works. Why did MoviePass lower its subscription fee? Why are theaters upset if they’re still getting paid the full price per ticket? And is this model sustainable, or will MoviePass lose too much money to stay afloat?
Guest:
Brent Lang, senior film and media editor at Variety who has been following the story; he tweets
FilmWeek: ‘Leap!,’ ‘Birth of the Dragon,’ ‘Bushwick’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Wade Major and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases including:
- "Leap!" in wide release
- "Birth of the Dragon" in wide release
- "Bushwick" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "Crown Heights" at ArcLight Hollywood and on Amazon Prime
- "England is Mine" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "Rumble: Indians Who Rocked the World" at Nuart Theatre
- "Beach Rats" at ArcLight Hollywood
- "The Villainess" at AMC Dine-In Sunset
- "Death Note" at iPic Westwood and on Netflix
- "Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D" (1991 re-release) in select theaters including many of the AMC theaters
Critics' Hits
- Wade: "Crown Heights"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgrFRyMsWiY
- Amy: "Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D" (1991 re-release)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcDe5xWejas
- Charles: "Rumble: Indians Who Rocked the World"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni7fAqjA0BE
Mixed Feelings
- Amy: "Bushwick"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_z5nyggJs
- Wade: "England is Mine"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DHJa10Sa8A
Misses!
- Charles: "Leap!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXiDCWxF30U
- Wade: "Bushwick"
Guests:
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC and host of The Canon; she tweets
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and host for IGN’s DigiGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
The challenges of mastering the art of the biopic
One of the more highly-anticipated film releases this week is the Bruce Lee biopic “Birth of the Dragon.”
Set in 1960s San Francisco, it’s inspired by true events from Lee’s life: opening a martial arts school in the Bay Area, his struggle between his Chinese heritage and his passion as he faces pressure from the Chinese community to stop teaching kung fu to non-Chinese, and the fulcrum of the entire film - the legendary fight between Lee and Wong Jack Man, master of the Shaolin Temple - the details of which are shrouded in mystery to this day.
On the surface, it might seem like a biopic would be one of the easier genres to pull off on the big screen. Being based on a real person means the characters and story are already written. But for as many films like “Ray,” “Gandhi,” “Lincoln” and “The Social Network” that have been lauded and even awarded, there are others like “The Fifth Estate,” in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, or the Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez on Me,” which produced less-than-impressive results at the box office. Filmmakers have said it’s a challenge of both casting and storytelling. Directors must find the exact right person for the leading role, someone who doesn’t just embody the spirit of the protagonist, but can capture the person’s idiosyncrasies and quirks and transform him or herself into that person. Others say the struggle is finding the right angle which captures the essence of the person being depicted without trying to cover every single detail of his or her life.
What differentiates the worthy biopics from the bad bunch? Which biopics stand out to you as the best of all time? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC and host of The Canon; she tweets
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and host for IGN’s DigiGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine