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