Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Wade Major, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases. Film historian Jonathan Kuntz also joins Larry and the critics to discuss the history of Fox Studios and where its future lies after the Disney deal.
FilmWeek: ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi,’ ‘Ferdinand,’ ‘The Ballad of Lefty Brown,’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Wade Major, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
" Star Wars: The Last Jedi " in wide release
" Ferdinand " in wide release
" Wormwood " at Laemmle's Music Hall and on Netflix
KPCC's arts and culture show The Frame interviewed "Wormwood" director Errol Morris on his new approach to the documentary genre. You can listen here .
" The Ballad of Lefty Brown " at Laemmle's NoHo
" Quest " at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
" Ethel and Ernest " at Nuart Theatre
" The Leisure Seeker " at Laemmle's Royal
" Shakespeare Wallah " at Laemmle's Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Critics' Hits
Lael: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" & "Ferdinand"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CbN8sfihY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7RkOfN8KvE
Wade: "Wormwood"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b01DL8DTUGM&t=75s
Charles: "Quest"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbSitiWAul0&t=62s
Mixed Feelings
Lael: "The Ballad of Lefty Brown"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv2khM97ylU
Wade: "The Leisure Seeker"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGGKsVFslJ8
Misses
Charles: "Ethel & Ernest"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXDlEw5u8u8
Guests:
Lael Loewenstein , KPCC film critic
Wade Major , film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
After deal with Disney, what will remain of heralded movie studio 20th Century Fox?
By now, you’ve likely read about the agreement Disney and Fox have reached for the former to swallow up a big portion of the latter – specifically, Disney is paying $52.4 billion for most of 21st Century Fox.
It’s a move Disney is hoping will pay off on the streaming front, as it plans to launch two streaming services by 2019 and, thanks to the deal, will now have a much wider array of content to offer on those platforms, giving them the muscle they need to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon. The deal also includes Hulu, casting an even wider net on Disney’s streaming reach.
But what does the deal mean for the legacy of 20th Century Fox, which has been a major Hollywood film studio for decades? It has been responsible for movies like ‘The Sound of Music,’ ‘Avatar,’ and ‘Star Wars: A New Hope,’ so what does this mean for the ‘studio era’ of Hollywood? What will become of the 53 acre Fox movie lot in Century City? What did you find unique about Fox films?
Guests:
Jonathan Kuntz , film historian and lecturer at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television
Lael Loewenstein , KPCC film critic
Wade Major , film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine