Amy Nicholson of LA Weekly hosts Filmweek with our film critics Andy Klein and Peter Rainer to review this week’s new releases including the late Marvel thrill “Ant-Man,” the Amy Schumer starrer “Trainwreck,” Woody Allen’s “Irrational Man” and more.
Filmweek: ‘Ant-Man,’ ‘Trainwreck,’ ‘Irrational Man’ and more
Amy Nicholson of LA Weekly hosts Filmweek with our film critics Andy Klein and Peter Rainer to review this week’s new releases including the late Marvel thrill “Ant-Man,” the Amy Schumer starrer “Trainwreck,” Woody Allen’s “Irrational Man,” and more. TGI-Filmweek!
Guests:
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and LA Times Community Paper Chain
‘Ant-Man’ director Peyton Reed on the character, film and ants
With the release this week of Marvel’s next superhero flick, “Ant-Man,” welcome to a brief look at how the movie is different from the rest of the pack in both character and development.
Although Ant-Man has never been as celebrated as his contemporaries Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk, he appeared in 1962 as the creation of legendary comic book writers Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. He even premiered in the “Avengers” comics as one of its original members. And while shrinking and controlling ants may not be as impressive as flight or super-strength, Ant-Man has always been invaluable for reconnaissance and versatility.
Similar to the character portrayed within, the movie adaptation of the comic has been versatile, especially when it comes to length and cost. “Ant-Man” is just under two hours and set Walt Disney Studios back $150 million, which lies in stark contrast to other films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which clocked in at well over two hours and blew past $300 million. While skeptics have been unsure about whether “Ant-Man” can stand up to the giant bar set by its predecessors, the film already collected over $6 million in Thursday-night receipts.
John Horn stepped in to speak with “Ant-Man” director Peyton Reed, checking to see if by the end of the filming process he had become an expert on ants.
Guest:
Peyton Reed, Director, “Ant-Man;” Reed’s previous director credits include “Bring It On” and “Yes Man”
New feature film based on notorious 1971 Stanford experiment
It started as a simple test of role-play and compliance, an attempt to understand how placing a randomized sample could affect behavior. What happened next changed experiments forever.
The new film “The Stanford Prison Experiment” is based on a real experiment in 1971 that occurred in the basement of the Stanford Psychology Department. Head researcher Dr. Philip Zimbardo wanted to analyze how the relationships between people would change if some were given the role of “prisoner” and others of “guard.” The environment was a prison, and although all the subjects and researchers were aware that the experiment did not reflect reality, they were asked to treat it as such.
Zimbardo expected that the people might adapt to their roles, but the experiment worked much better (or worse) than even he could have foreseen. The “guards” started to ridicule, segregate, and torture the “prisoners,” leading to extreme breakdowns and emotional collapse. In his own role of lead researcher and superintendent, Zimbardo allowed the abuse to continue, which affected them all even after the experiment was cancelled after only six days.
Ethical standards for experiments in psychology and other disciplines have permanently changed as a direct result of this experiment - now proposed studies must be approved by Institutional Review Boards. But the experiment was filmed, and the new film is revealing to the public what had happened underneath the Stanford Psychology Department during those six days in 1971.
How would you have treated prisoners if you were a guard? Would you have rebelled if you were a prisoner? Do you believe that roles and institutional structures have the power to change the way people behave?
Guests:
Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Director of "The Stanford Prison Experiment" - a thriller based on a true story