The mysterious death of Natalie Wood revisited. Should gun permits cross state lines? KPCC film critics Andy Klein, Claudia Puig and Charles Solomon join Larry to review the week’s new film releases, including The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Happy Feet Two, The Descendants and more. TGI-FilmWeek! Woody Allen revealed as never before for PBS doc.
The mysterious death of Natalie Wood revisited
The Los Angeles County sheriff's office is reopening the investigation into the death of Natalie Wood thirty years ago off Catalina Island, which was ruled an accident.
Sheriff's detectives want to talk to Dennis Davern, the captain of the boat, after receiving a letter from an anonymous source claiming that Davern had “new recollections” about the case.
Today Davern said on national TV that he lied to investigators about Natalie Wood's death and blames her husband at the time, Robert Wagner, for her drowning in the ocean off Southern California.
The circumstances surrounding Wood's death have been shrouded in mystery because it followed a heated argument between her husband and actor Christopher Walken, who was on the boat with the couple at the time.
Wood disappeared on the night of Nov. 28. 1981, but her body wasn't found until 8 a.m. the following morning. The three had been drinking heavily that night and the coroner ruled that the death was an accident.
WEIGH IN:
What will be gained by reopening the case? Will we ever really know what happened to Natalie Wood?
Guest:
Suzanne Finstad, Author, "Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood"
Alex Ben Block, Senior Editor, Hollywood Reporter
Should gun permits cross state lines?
Say you're a Utah gun owner with a concealed-carry permit issued in your home state. Should you be able to pack your weapon when you visit California?
Backers of the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act think so.
The bill passed the house this week with a bi-partisan vote of 272 to 154. Should the measure make it into law, it would allow anyone who's been issued a permit to carry that concealed weapon in another state – as long as they abide by the laws of that state.
Illinois and the District of Columbia prohibit carrying a concealed weapon altogether; other states have varying laws. Some require more stringent training and background checks. Others deny permits to non-residents, minors or those who have committed sexual offenses or been involved in domestic disputes.
Several states, including Vermont, Alaska and Arizona – don't require a concealed-carry permit at all. Largely rural states, where hunting can be a way of life, have looser gun permit laws, which citizens in more densely populated states are less comfortable with. To gun rights organizations like the National Rifle Association, this patchwork of laws presents a nightmare for law-abiding interstate travelers, and they favor establishing national standards on firearms licensing.
But while the bill has garnered mostly Republican support, it turns another treasured GOP value on its head: the issue of states' rights. As some critics have noted, bypassing individual state permit regulations pits the Second Amendment directly against the Tenth.
WEIGH IN:
Does a gun-owner's right to self-defense extend outside his permit zone? Should you be able to carry your permit state-to-state, like a drivers' license? Or should each state be able to mandate who can carry a concealed weapon?
Guests:
Chuck Michel, attorney for the National Rifle Association
Ben Van Houten, staff attorney at the Legal Community Against Violence based in San Francisco
FilmWeek: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Happy Feet Two, The Descendants and more
KPCC film critics Andy Klein, Claudia Puig and Charles Solomon join Larry to review the week’s new film releases, including The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Happy Feet Two, The Descendants and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA Today
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC and animation critic, author and historian for amazon.com
Woody Allen revealed as never before in PBS doc
He is a living icon: writer, director, actor, comedian and musician. Now Woody Allen steps out from behind the camera and out of character for a new three-and-a-half hour documentary – part of the PBS "American Masters" series.
Filmmaker Robert Weide – most recently known for his work on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" – says he was just a little boy when his fascination with Allen began. Weide was granted unlimited access for a year and half to create this two-part feature.
"Woody Allen was always the big 'get' for me," says Weide who himself has been recognized with wins at the Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, and an Oscar nomination.
"American Masters – Woody Allen: A Documentary" begins in the beginning. Woody's childhood in Brooklyn, then chronicling his work in television and his prolific filmography, from "Take the Money and Run," "Bananas," "Sleepers;" to "Annie Hall," "Manhattan," "Zelig," "Purple Rose of Cairo;" this year's commercial and critical hit, "Midnight in Paris;" and many in between.
Allen is seen in the editing room, at home and retracing steps from his boyhood. Interviews with actors and collaborators include Diane Keaton, John Cusack, Martin Landau, Chris Rock, Marshall Brickman, Mickey Rose, Doug McGrath, his sister and producer partner, Letty Aronson, and so many more.
The two-part documentary premieres this Sunday, November 20 from 9-11 p.m. (PT/ET) and Monday, November 21 from 9-10:30 p.m. (PT/ET) on PBS as part of the 25th anniversary of the "American Masters" series.
Guest:
Robert Weide, Director, Writer, Producer and Co-editor, "American Masters – Woody Allen: A Documentary"