In his recent article for The Atlantic, Ross Douthat examines how the Iraq War and President Bush have sent the movie industry back to the paranoid, cynical era of the 1970s. Larry talks with Douthat about his theory that the industry is again trying to connect with Americans who are trying to cope with a military quagmire, rising oil prices, ecological destruction, and political corruption.
Plus: Larry and critics Lael Loewenstein of Variety and Andy Klein of CityBeat review some of the week's new feature films including "88 Minutes," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "The Forbidden Kingdom," and "The Life Before Her Eyes," as well as the documentaries "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," "The First Saturday in May," and "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?" Then animation critic and historian Charles Solomon joins Larry to talk about the life and career of Ollie Johnston. The animator, who was the last of Disney's "Nine Old Men," passed away this week at the age of 84.