Today on AirTalk, a panelist of political experts join Larry for a special live hour to discuss what California’s primary results could mean come November.
AirTalk Live: A Postprimary Election Conversation
Super Tuesday has come and gone, and the results are in. Sen. Bernie Sanders won in California, but former Vice President Joe Biden claimed major victories in other states. Today on AirTalk, a panelist of political experts join Larry for a special live hour to discuss what California’s primary results could mean come November.
Guests:
Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University professor of political science and Chicana/o Latina/o studies and director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles; honorary life trustee of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), the public media network that operates KPCC
Jennifer Merolla , professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside; she tweets
Michael Shires, associate dean and associate professor at Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy; he tweets
Sal Rodriguez, opinion editor for the Southern California News Group
Libby Denkmann, KPCC senior politics reporter; she tweets
FilmWeek: ‘Onward,’ ‘The Way Back,’ ‘First Cow’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Christy Lemire and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
"Onward" in wide release
"The Way Back" in wide release
"First Cow" at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark
"Swallow" at Laemmle’s Monica Film Center
"Saint Frances" at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood
"The Banker" IN SELECT THEATERS (check local listings)
"Escape From Pretoria" at Vintage Los Feliz
"Run This Town" at Laemmle’s Monica Film Center
"Hope Gap" at The Landmark
"Young Ahmed" at Laemmle’s Royal
"The Burnt Orange Heresy" at The Landmark
Critics' Hits:
Christy: "The Way Back" & "Saint Frances"
Amy: "First Cow" & "Swallow"
Mixed Feelings:
Christy: "Run This Town"
Amy: "The Banker" & "The Burnt Orange Heresy"
Charles: "Onward" & "Escape From Pretoria"
Misses:
Christy: "Hope Gap"
Guests:
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ podcast; she tweets
Remaking A Remake: Films That Make Something New With A Well-Trod Story
For filmmakers, remaking a beloved classic can be a trial. But as writer Sarah Lyall notes in her recent New York Times article “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Emma,” re-telling a classic story that has already been remade into a canonical film presents an entirely different set of challenges.
In addition to Disney’s contemporary slate of fables-turned-animations-turned-live actions, the past several years have seen a number of filmmakers try their hand at reviving a beloved story. Greta Gerwig’s 2019 film “Little Women” took inspiration from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, which in turn had already been made into the well-regarded 1994 film starring Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder and Kirsten Dunst. Right now, theater-goers can head to the box office to see “Emma.”, Autumn de Wilde’s whimsical re-telling of Jane Austen’s classic novel, a story which also enjoyed the ‘90s treatment with “Emma” starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and “Clueless”, which starred Alicia Silverstone.
Modern Hollywood’s fetish for the remake is well-documented. Bringing a beloved (i.e. lucrative) story to a contemporary audience is a relatively assured financial commitment, while financing an original piece of work is, increasingly, a risk Hollywood is not willing to take. But there is still true artistic challenge in making a familiar story into something fresh and new while staying true to a story’s source material. Gerwig’s version of “Little Women” was praised by critics for its sympathetic portrayal of Amy March-- the traditionally spoiled antagonist to Alcott’s heroine, Jo--as an assured and textured character who uses the limited choices available in her patriarchal world to advance herself.
Today on FilmWeek, our critics discuss how to contend with remaking an often told story, and discuss the films they thought did so successfully.
Guests:
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The Guardian and host of the podcasts ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ podcast; she tweets