Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s new movie releases. We'll also talk to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of “High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic.”
FilmWeek: ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ ‘Raw,’ ‘Personal Shopper’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s new movie releases including:
- " Kong: Skull Island " in wide release
- " Personal Shopper " at ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark
- " Raw " at Nuart Theatre
- " The Sense of an Ending " at ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark
- " Burning Sands " at iPic Theaters Westwood (also on Netflix)
- " Brimstone " at Laemmle’s Music Hall
- " The Other Half " at Laemmle’s Monica Film Center
- " The Ottoman Lieutenant " at AMC Burbank Town Center, ArcLight Sherman Oaks, Laemmle’s Playhouse and other select theatres
- " My Scientology Movie " at ArcLight Hollywood
Critics' Hits
Tim: "The Sense of an Ending"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLNTQGpNQ0
Claudia: "The Other Half"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv5BJOpoBYM
Mixed Feelings
Tim: "Kong: Skull Island"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44LdLqgOpjo
Claudia: "Personal Shopper"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSqMpkGOW9g&t=46s
Misses!
Tim: "Raw"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udkwT3p28Sw
Claudia: "The Ottoman Lieutenant"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BJyAgU5Yr8&t=25s
Guests:
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association; she tweets
Tim Cogshell , film critic for KPCC and Alt-Film Guide; he tweets
Unmasking the peak of the Hollywood blacklist surrounding beloved classic ‘High Noon’
The 1952 western classic had all the elements of a Golden Age film: an unsung town hero played by the legendary Gary Cooper, his beautiful lover and heroine, later marked as Grace Kelly’s first role on the big screen, and an epic and courageous battle to stay true to oneself against all odds.
But despite being a favorite film among American presidents , its conception surfaced during the height of the Hollywood blacklist: anyone believed to have ties to Communists would be weeded out from the industry - actors, directors, screenwriters and more. The first group of professionals to be rounded up were “ The Hollywood Ten ,” blacklisted on Nov. 25, 1947, in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
“High Noon’s” screenwriter, Carl Foreman, did testify before the committee about his previous membership in the Communist Party, but after refusing to surrender any names, the screenwriter was also blacklisted from the industry and he later fled the United States.
Author and veteran-journalist Glenn Frankel highlights new details in his book “ High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic ” and speaks to host Larry Mantle about the film’s evolution through politically turbulent times.
Guest:
Glenn Frankel , Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of “ High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic ” (Bloomsbury 2017)