On May 25, 1977, Star Wars was released in 32 theaters across the country, including Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Today, on the film's thirtieth anniversary, Larry and guest David Weitzner of USC's school of cinematic arts discuss the impact Star Wars and its sequels have had on our culture and on the art and business of filmmaking.
Plus Larry talks with Academy award winning director Jonathan Demme about his latest project, Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward. The five part series will air every evening next week on PBS's Tavis Smiley show. The short films are "portrait" documentaries filmed in New Orleans over the course of 2006, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. They chart the efforts of various residents as they attempt to reclaim their homes, neighborhoods, livelihoods, and lives.
Also, Larry gets the latest news on the Cannes Film Festival from Scott Foundas, Film Editor for the L.A. Weekly.
Larry and critics Andy Klein, film editor and chief critic for CityBeat, and Claudia Puig of USA Today, discuss this week's new releases, including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Bug, Severance, and Angel-A.