Larry hosts a mayoral debate and questions five candidates concerning pensions and quality of life. Then, Filmweek critics review new movies including "Identity Thief," "Side Effects" and more. Also, Ang Lee tells about "Life of Pi" and former vice president Al Gore speaks about his new book.
AirTalk Debate: Who will be L.A.’s next mayor?
This year, Los Angeles will elect a new mayor for the first time since 2005. It will be hard to match outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's flair for the dramatic, or his apparently boundless energy – for the past eight years, he’s seemingly been in every corner of the city at once. But as the last weeks of the run-off campaign unwind, the candidates are doing their best to get their messages out. Here's a chance to hear them address the issues that L.A. faces over the next four years.
RELATED: View the KPCC voter guide
It's a long list. Start with the city budget, transportation, crime and safety – add in public health, education, energy and the environment. Not to mention potholes, lighted billboards, runaway production and our future NFL team. What issues are most important to you? What should L.A.’s next mayor put at the top of his or her to-do list?
Guests:
Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Councilmember, District 13
Wendy Greuel, Los Angeles City Controller
Kevin James, attorney and radio host
Jan Perry, Los Angeles City Councilmember, District 9
Emanuel Pleitez, former technology company executive
FilmWeek: Side Effects, Identity Thief, Lore, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III and more
Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Andy Klein from the L.A. Times Community Paper chain and Peter Rainer from the Christian Science Monitor to review the week’s new film releases including Side Effects, Identity Thief, Lore, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Side Effects
Identity Thief
A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III
FilmWeek Oscar Preview at the Egyptian Theatre
Guests:
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and for the Christian Science Monitor
Oscar-winner and Oscar-nominee, director Ang Lee on 'Life of Pi'
Readers fell in love with Yann Martel’s novel “Life of Pi,” but to create a movie out of the literary fantasy seemed a dream. How could a ferocious Bengal tiger and a vulnerable young man survive on the high seas together? Somehow director Ang Lee and his team pulled it off. All the while, the story tells a spiritual journey that happens around the world and seemingly in and out of reality. The film been a commercial and critical success. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called it "a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery." Special effects and live action are blended seamlessly.
How did Lee navigate the complicated visual storytelling? Why did he want to make this film? Where does “Life of Pi” stand in his growing list of big-screen achievements?
Guest:
Ang Lee, Oscar nominee for Best Director for “Life of Pi;” Oscar-winning director of “Brokeback Mountain;” Lee’s other films with a slew of awards and nominations include “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Sense and Sensibility”
Al Gore predicts 'The Future'
In his new book “The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change,” former Vice President and Nobel winner Al Gore draws upon his background and observation of the world to identify six issues causing the degradation of the modern world. These “six drivers” are economic globalization, worldwide digital communications, emerging sources of power that are causing a U.S.-centered system power shift, unsustainable economic growth, genetic and biotechnological advancement that is redefining the natural course of human life and evolution, and the disruption of earth’s ecosystems. Gore asserts that because of these drivers, the world is becoming more linked together and is collectively on a downward path of degradation. However, he writes, by analyzing these problems there is potential for change and changing the course of the world. Although these six problems are each given a chapter in his book, Gore also covers topics ranging from cows in Switzerland that text their owners when it’s time to breed, to genetic enhancement and population growth and income equality issues in the U.S.
Critics have said that Gore’s new book addresses too many topics and only offers vague solutions for the identified problems. Many have also pointed out that although Gore may consider himself a visionary of environmental and economic change, his recent $500 million sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera is hypocritical. Gore has criticized U.S. media corporations for accepting advertising dollars from big oil, yet Al Jazeera’s owner is the emir of a Middle East country enriched by oil money.
How does he explain the inherent contradiction? How accurate are Gore’s predictions? Is he truly a visionary, or does he fall short in offering concrete solutions to the world’s problems?
Guest:
Al Gore, former Vice President and author of "The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change" (Random House); chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit devoted to solving the climate crisis. His previous books include "Earth in the Balance," "An Inconvenient Truth" and "The Assault on Reason." He is a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.