A bill set forth in 2017 by Senator Kevin de León says "yes," but critics argue the price hike resulting from the endeavor will do more harm than good. We debate the pro's and con's. We also discuss the latest political news going into the weekend; conduct our weekly roundtable with the FilmWeek critics; and more.
The trade war has begun. What does that mean for CA? Plus the latest on immigration from the White House
As President Trump readies to announce his Supreme Court nominee Monday evening, there’s a lot of other national news heading into the weekend.
The United States has levied $34 billion in tariffs against Chinese goods. How will a trade war between the world’s two largest economies impact California’s economy? Also, the Trump Administration wants a judge to extend the deadline for reuniting families who entered the U.S. illegally. We get a roundup of the latest news coming from the White House.
We reached out to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for comment but they were unable to provide us with a representative at the time of our discussion.
Guests:
Scott Horsley, NPR White House reporter; he tweets @HorselyScott
Heather Long, economics correspondent for the Washington Post who has been reporting on tariffs and the trade war with China; she tweets
William Lee, chief economist at the Milken Institute where he specializes in Asia, global economy, job creation and more
Should CA set the goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2045?
This week, California lawmakers revived Senator Kevin de León’s 2017 bill that sets the goal of a 100 percent clean energy supply in the state by 2045.
SB 100 would also ramp up California’s renewable portfolio standard from 50 to 60 percent by the year 2030.
Supporters say this bill is crucial to addressing climate change by eliminating the state’s reliance on carbon energy sources. Critics, which include business and utility voices, say that this plan will hike up prices for consumers and nix the fossil fuel industry prematurely.
We discuss the pros and cons of the legislation.
Guests:
Ralph Cavanagh, senior attorney for the Climate and Clean Energy Program at the NRDC, where he focuses on the power sector; he is based in San Francisco
Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow in business and economics at Pacific Research Institute; a San Francisco-based nonprofit think tank focused on free-market policy advocacy
After Scarlett Johansson backlash, we discuss cis actors playing trans roles
Scarlett Johansson and director Rupert Sanders faced backlash this week after it was reported that she will be playing a transgender man in the upcoming film “Rub & Tug,” which is based on the real story of a massage parlor owner who was trans.
Critics of the casting choice said that a cis actor can’t truly portray or understand the transgender experience, that it reduces the transgender experience to playing dress up and that this is an example of a cis actor taking an opportunity for representation away from a trans actor.
Defenders of the choice have said that it is the job of actors to embody experiences that they haven’t lived – so isn’t Johansson just doing her job?
Johansson responded to the criticisms to a Bustle representative by saying, "Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment."
If you are a person who is trans, working in Hollywood, what do you think of the casting choice? Can and should a cis actor play a trans character on screen?
Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
E. Oliver Whitney, senior editor and critic for screencrush.com, a movie and TV website
FilmWeek: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp,’ ‘Sorry to Bother You,’ ‘The First Purge’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Justin Chang, Christy Lemire, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
"Ant-Man and the Wasp" in wide release
"Sorry to Bother You" at ArcLight Hollywood
Listen to The Frame's interview with writer-director Boots Riley and actress Tessa Thompson here.
"The First Purge" in wide release
"Whitney" at Laemmle's NoHo & Laemmle's Playhouse
"Under the Tree" at Laemmle's Royal Theatre
"Fireworks" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
"The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter" streaming on Netflix
"Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
CRITICS' HITS
Christy: "The First Purge" & "Whitney"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL29y0ah92w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4fWVb9l2hs
Justin: "Ant-Man and the Wasp" & "Sorry to Bother You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_rTIAOohas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XthLQZWIshQ
MIXED FEELINGS
Charles: "Fireworks"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG770hOuT2k
Justin: "Under the Tree" & "Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVqs94YBnrc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHUcThma3h4
MISSES
Christy: "The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIwccgV2whM
Guests:
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?”; she tweets
Justin Chang, film critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Following the smashing success of ‘Incredibles 2,’ FilmWeek critics sketch the future of Disney/Pixar post-John Lasseter
Pixar and Disney studios have long been praised for their consistent execution of thought-provoking and socially-relevant animated features.
From classics such as “Toy Story” to recent hits like “Coco,” these films, complete with infallible plots and developed characters, often provide social commentary on current events, or maybe just make us bawl our eyes out a la the introductory sequence of “Up.” We see this with Pixar’s latest box office smash, “Incredibles 2,” in which writer/director Brad Bird traces a vision of our present world through the escapades of the red spandex-clad Parr family as they tackle themes like feminism and politics, all while saving humanity from certain destruction. As Justin Chang mentions in his piece for the LA Times, The Incredibles 2 grapples with several relevant talking points including feminism, technology, media and politics, and the pursuit of justice.
Given Disney/Pixar’s long history of crafting films for a better tomorrow, the impending departure of its chief creative officer John Lasseter at the end of this year following allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct raises questions regarding not only the culture within the studios, but what happens next creatively for Disney/Pixar. Who will be the new face leading content creation at Pixar? Will they fall in to “sequel space” and simply spit out franchise sequels or will there be a push to create even more original films to rival the success of hits like “Up,” “Ratatouille,” and “Wall-E?” And is there space in the animation field for more than one player? Who might that be?
If you're an anime fan, the anime expo is happening this weekend here in Los Angeles. For more information, read below.
WHERE: Los Angeles Convention Center
WHEN: Friday, July 5th to Sunday, July 8th
NOTE: Our very own FilmWeek critic Charles Solomon will be leading a panel on the life and legacy of the late Japanese film director/writer/producer and Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, who died earlier this year. You can find more on Charles’ panel and all of the other events as well as ticket information at www.anime-expo.org
Guests
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?”; she tweets
Justin Chang, film critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine