WCBE 90.5 FM: "Death of a President," "Catch a Fire," "The U.S. vs. John Lennon"

WCBE 90.5 FM
It's Movie Time: "Death of a President," "Catch a Fire," "The U.S. vs. John Lennon"
Co-hosts, writers & producers: John DeSando & Clay Lowe
Air Time: 3:01 pm and 8:01 pm, October 27, 2006
Streaming live on the web at http://www.wcbe.org .

Clay

“Death of a President" is kinder to the Prez than it is to the Veep . . .

John

“Catch a Fire" catches the furor of apartheid . . .

Clay

"The U.S. vs. John Lennon" is about trying to give peace a chance . . .

HIT MUSIC, THEN UP THEN UNDER FOR:

Richelle Antczak McCuen

"It's Movie Time" in Columbus with John DeSando and Clay Lowe. .

MUSIC BRIEFLY UP THEN SLOWLY DOWN AND OUT

John

I'm John DeSando

Clay

And I'm Clay Lowe

John ("Death of a President" 129 words)

President Cheney!

The faux-documentary Death of a President is not about his military state in 2007 after Bush’s assassination, nor is it really about Bush’s blunders. It is about what the investigation into a presidential assassination would be like from the moment the bullets hit to the enduring mystery of responsibility.

The use of footage from contemporary TV clips to fictionalize, for instance, Cheney’s eulogy of Bush is one of the film’s strengths and warnings. By doctoring images or manipulating evidence, the government itself is in a position to rush to judgment about alleged assassins as it did about weapons of mass destruction.

Death of a President ends up a successful screed against versions of the
Patriot Act that in the future may seriously compromise the rights of
innocents.

Clay (“Death of a President" 128 words)

Well, folks, "Death of a President" uses all the usual TV techniques
(talking heads, archival footage, brooding music, etc.) to help its viewers
imagine what might happen if President Bush were shot and Vice President Cheney took the occasion to expand his powers.

Heavy stuff, eh? But except for its explosive concept and its controversial assassination scene, “Death of a President,” unfortunately, turns out to be a bore. Everything’s of one piece. The narrators and the talking heads drone on and on. The media frenzy is kept at a minimum. And the only moral outrage we really see is that exhibited by the protestors in the movie’s anti-war crowds.

Hey, at least on the evening news, there’s still a chance for us to become a part of those crowds.

John ("Catch a Fire" 129 words)

I’m watching from my balcony.

The powerful Catch a Fire catches the mean spirit of apartheid.
Like Hotel Rwanda, a man risks all he has to help others in need. Fire
explores deeply the conflicts and weaknesses of real-life Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke) as he gradually becomes an avenger against the white regime, symbolized by Police Colonel Nick Vos (Tim Robbins), the chief of anti-terror operations.

As in Flags of Our Fathers, Catch a Fire shows the flawed nature of heroism and as in Death of a President, it reminds us about the dangers of police detaining and torturing without challenge and the intertwining of personal passion and the larger issue of freedom.

It’s the stuff of epic made real and accessible that doesn’t forget it’s the
small stories that tell the big history.

Clay ("The U.S. vs. John Lennon" 125 words)

Well, folks, the story of John and Yoko Lennon's peaceful protest against the shooting war in Viet Nam was, perhaps, naïve. What could be more innocent than John and Yoko romping in their protest bed, smiling out at the world through their round-owl little glasses? But don’t count them down and out too soon.

Though they were under surveillance by the F.B.I. and on President Nixon’s List of Enemies, they were not cowered, and, as this movie shows, their innocence prevailed even if it did in personal tragedy.

And, for our old generation, John, what could be more nostalgically glorious then hearing them sing “Give Peace a Chance” and “Revolution” while masses of hippies reigned gloriously supreme on the TV and movies screens of America.

But enough of angry protestors, bull-headed politicians, and sweet singing innocents, John, because it's grading time.

HIT DRUMS

John

Holy Harried Heroes, Hooray!

"Death of a President" earns a “B” for its BREACH of faith in democracy . . .

Clay

"Death of a President" gets a "C" because being relevant doesn't forego the need to dramatically COVER your subjects . . .

John

"Catch a Fire" earns an A because APARTHEID is ANATHEMA . . .

Clay

"The U.S. vs. John Lennon" gets a "B" BECAUSE all they're still saying is give peace a chance . . .

DRUMS OUT

John

Clay, all this TALK of the government compromising our first amendment rights makes me reluctant to TALK about the MASTURBATORIUM in next week’s Running with Scissors.

Should I be worried? I'm outta here.

Clay

Well, John, I was always taught not to run with scissors for fear of falling and cutting off my pleasures before I got a chance to use them. Ouch! I’m outta here.
See you at the movies, folks.

HIT CLOSING THEME THEN UNDER FOR

Richelle:

The Award-Winning "It's Movie Time" with John DeSando and Clay Lowe is written and produced by John DeSando and Clay Lowe in conjunction with 90.5
FM, WCBE in Columbus, Ohio.

MUSIC UP, THEN DOWN AND OUT

Copyright by John DeSando & Clay Lowe, 2006

WCBE 90.5 FM: "Flags of Our Fathers," "Marie Antoinette," "Shortbus"

WCBE 90.5 FM
It's Movie Time: “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Marie Antoinette," "Shortbus"
Co-hosts, writers & producers: John DeSando & Clay Lowe
Air Time: 3:01 pm and 8:01 pm, October 19, 2006
Streaming live on the web at http://www.wcbe.org .

Clay

“Flags of Our Fathers” is an Eastwood red flag . . .

John

“Marie Antoinette" should have its head chopped off . . .

Clay

"Shortbus” is a joyous romp through mounds of flesh . . .

HIT MUSIC, THEN UP THEN UNDER FOR:

Richelle Antczak McCuen

"It's Movie Time" in Columbus with John DeSando and Clay Lowe. .

MUSIC BRIEFLY UP THEN SLOWLY DOWN AND OUT

John

I'm John DeSando

Clay

And I'm Clay Lowe


John ("Flags of our Fathers" 130 words)

Flags of Our Fathers is about images: the WWII photo of the Iwo Jima flag rising and the surviving soldiers’ heroic images. For this theme of flawed hero worship, the director is laudably consistent, indeed relevant to the current celebrity craze fostered by film imagery.

What’s wrong is confusing the soldiers’ identities, both in war and as old men, leaving no hero to attach to emotionally, and a surfeit of
anticlimaxes.

Clint Eastwood chose a Longest-Day motif and lost himself in period details to the exclusion of dramatic details that would have made Flags of Our Fathers a satisfying experience for those not in the Greatest Generation.

A retired captain says, "If you can get a picture, the right picture, you
can win a war.” But not an Oscar.

Clay (“Flags of Our Fathers” 125 words)

Folks, Eastwood’s “Flags of our Fathers” is not intended to be a satisfying experience. The drama of the movie is rooted in the power of images to forever impact on the memories of the men who experienced them first hand.

Images like Joseph Rosenthal’s raising the flag on Iwo Jima was the kind of image that the American public wanted to remember and believe in because it inspired patriotism and further fueled the public’s fantasies about the glories of war.

The images of gore and the horrors of war in Eastwood’s film are not merely flashbacks Eastwood uses to advance his story; they are constant reminders that strong memories, like strong images, are incredibly hard ever to get out of your mind.

John ("Marie Antoinette" 134 words)

Balderdash—despite your elegant prose, it’s still boring.

Speaking of . . . How is it possible one of the most sumptuous-looking films in years is also a story devoid of character and drama?

Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette is about a 14 year old Austrian girl
imported To France for breeding purposes. The subject demands an informed, vital discovery of her real place in the Revolution.

We get only emotional distance as almost an entire film is dedicated to inaction in the bed of a future king and queen and their sumptuous quarters.

The lack of drama is surprising for a director whose strength is revealing understatement and sub-textual significance.

Visit Versailles if you want o understand why the poor and hungry of 18th century France eventually had her head. This film remains clueless.

Clay ("Shortbus" 131 words)

Well, folks, you’ll not long be clueless about John Cameron Mitchell’s
intentions in his new film “Shortbus.” Just as in his earlier film,“Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” Mitchell continues to pursue the theme that we all have two selves that are born separate from each other (call it anima and animus) and that we work out our lives yearning to somehow get them back together.

As in “Hedwig” the primary crusaders in the movie happen to be gay men who are trying to come to an understanding about what relationships are all about.

But the needs of straight ladies and straight couples are not left out in
this search for oneness and truth.

Sexually explicit, openly honest and true, “Shortbus” is a sometimes
playful, sometimes naughty journey into the unknown.

But enough of journeys, queens, and memories profane, John, because it’s grading time.

John

Holy Hoary Heroes, Hooray!

"Flags of Our Fathers" earns a “C” because it CAN’T be Saving Private Ryan and From Here to Eternity at the same time . . .

Clay

“Flags of Our Fathers” gets an “A” because it’s ALWAYS ABOUT the AWARENESS of things past . . .

John

"Marie Antoinette" earns a D for being expensive ENNUI . . .

Clay

"Shortbus" gets a “B” because everyBODY loves someBODY sometime . . .

DRUMS OUT

John

Clay, Eastwood at 76 is at the top of his game. Close to his age, you
remind me, however, of Louis XVI in bed—NOT on top of HIS game.

I'm outta here.

Clay

Well, John, seeing you’re up on both the shortcomings of King Louie and me, you've surely been on top of your game much longer than I.

I’m outta here too.

See you at the movies, folks.

HIT CLOSING THEME THEN UNDER FOR

Richelle:

The Award-Winning "It's Movie Time" with John DeSando and Clay Lowe is written and produced by John DeSando and Clay Lowe in conjunction with 90.5 FM, WCBE in Columbus, Ohio.

MUSIC UP, THEN DOWN AND OUT

Copyright by John DeSando & Clay Lowe, 2006

wCBE 90.5 FM: "The Last King of Scotland," "Infamous"

WCBE#288
It's Movie Time: “The Last King of Scotland," "Infamous"
Co-hosts, writers & producers: John DeSando & Clay Lowe
Air Time: 3:01 pm and 8:01 pm, October 13, 2006
Streaming live on the web at http://www.wcbe.org .

John

“The Last King of Scotland" has a performance fit for a king . . .

Clay

"Infamous" is about a famous writer and an infamous killer . . .

HIT MUSIC, THEN UP THEN UNDER FOR:

Richelle Antczak McCuen

"It's Movie Time" in Columbus with John DeSando and Clay Lowe. .

MUSIC BRIEFLY UP THEN SLOWLY DOWN AND OUT

John

I'm John DeSando

Clay

And I'm Clay Lowe

John ("The Last King of Scotland" 127 words)

Clay, The Last King of Scotland is a fictionalized version of the rise of INFAMOUS African dictator Idi Amin through the eyes of his young personal physician.

Forest Whitaker carefully constructs his Amin out of bluff, charm, and
incipient madness, never over the top, always alluring as a larger than life man, general, and despot.

When Amin watches Deep Throat at a party and asks his physician about the reality of Linda Lovelace’s physical anomaly, the film captures the debauched naivety of an ignorant and ignoble leader.

Clay

Boy, I must have been choking on my popcorn during that scene.

John (Ignores him)

Too much time is spent with the doctor's melodramatic dalliances with lost ladies such as Amin’s wife, and not enough with the enormously dangerous and interesting Amin.

But Forest Whitaker confirms he is one of the best actors of our time.

Clay ("The Last King of Scotland" 128 words)

Best actor, indeed, John, or at least he’s worthy of an Oscar for his
performance as Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.”

Always intense, and nearly always charming, Whitaker’s Idi Amin
demonstrated he was also quite capable of carrying out extreme acts of
violence whenever he so chose.

Whereas Sean Penn’s Willie Stark in “All the King’s Men” became increasingly self-centered, and amoral, as he gradually accumulated power, Forest Whitaker’s Idi Amin increasingly became unspeakably cruel.

Far more focused in its writing and performances, and far more violent than “All the King’s Men,” “The Last King of Scotland” is an even more frightening example of what happens when people with power are able to dull the sense of outrage of those they’ve conned into supporting them.

John ("Infamous" 130 words)

Whew! I’m glad THAT could never happen TODAY in the usA!

Truman Capote described murderer Perry Smith as between the “tender and the terrible.” Such may be said about Infamous, a tale of Truman Capote’s (Toby Jones) love affair with his innovative fictionalized novel, In Cold Blood, and its protagonist, Perry Smith (Daniel Craig).

The “tender” is Capote’s love of his female friends, especially Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock) and Smith (Daniel Craig); the “terrible” is the slaughter of the Kansas farm family in 1959 by Smith and friend DICK Hickock.

Jones’s Truman Capote is more complex than Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar winner last year for Capote. The love between Truman and Smith is avoided in Capote but highlighted in Infamous.

Infamous makes real the fabulous artist who’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “In Cold Blood” are classics of 20th century popular culture.

Clay ("Infamous" 128 words)

Well, folks, Toby Jones, as well as the whole cast of “Infamous,” take the story of the 1950’s Kansas farmhouse murders through greater depths of feelings than did last year’s movie “Capote.” I hate to admit it, John, but you’re right this time around.

However, in this year’s version, based on the novel by George Plimpton, it is the intensity of the relationship between the writer and the murderer Perry Smith that fires and drives the film. So it’s also not surprising that the explicit nature of that attraction is what fuels the flames of the film.

Supplementing the movie’s main relationships are the outstanding
performances of Gwyneth Paltrow, Sandra Bullock, and Daniel Craig

No disrespect for Phillip Hoffman’s “Capote,” but compared to Jones’
performance, Hoffman’s is strictly 2-D.

But enough of sadomasochistic dictators and amorous villains, John, because it’s grading time.

HIT DRUMS

John

Holy Dick de SADES, Hooray!

"The Last King of Scotland" earns a “B” for Whitaker’s BRILLIANT BAD BOY . . .

Clay

You’ve got to be kidding, "The Last King of Scotland" gets an “A” because it’s, by far, the best film of the year . . .

John

"Infamous" earns an “A” because Truman Capote CAN withstand ANOTHER biography . . .

Clay

"Infamous" gets an “A” because great ACTORS ARE not AFRAID to let it ALL hang out . . .

DRUMS OUT

John

Clay, Idi Amin died in luxurious exile. I wonder if lame goddess Nemesis simply does NOT catch up with ALL the DICtators, even when their names are DICK.

I'm outta here.

Clay

Well, John, what with Dick Nixon and Dick Cheney, I think THIS country has had its own share of tough-talking Dicks.

I'm outta here too.

See you at the movies, folks.

HIT CLOSING THEME THEN UNDER FOR

Richelle:

The Award-Winning "It's Movie Time" with John DeSando and Clay Lowe is written and produced by John DeSando and Clay Lowe in conjunction with 90.5 FM, WCBE in Columbus, Ohio.

MUSIC UP, THEN DOWN AND OUT

Copyright by John DeSando & Clay Lowe, 2006