Dishing About ‘Meatballs’

Liz Lane and I enjoyed discussing the meatier aspects of the fun, animated flick Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on radio station Positive Hit Radio The Current.

Listen to this edited audio clip about the movie.

Audio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

Doin’ Church with Tyler Perry

On Friday, September 18, I chatted with friend and radio personality Liz Lane from Positive Hit Radio The Current about Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

I was talking specifically about how in this particular Lionsgate comedy/drama the audience gets a wonderful taste of church, complete with excellent music from real-life Pastor Marvin Winans and stellar recording artist Gladys Knight. Plus, their is a hope-filled message from the pulpit. It’s enough to make you want to raise your hands in praise, wave a hanky, and say, “Preach it!” That’s exactly how I felt. And believe me, I wasn’t alone in my sentiments in the packed theatre on opening night.

Listen to this short, edited audio clip of our conversation, taken when taping for the radio broadcast. This is not the final on-air version, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway.

And be sure to check out Liz Lane’s “Heart of Praise” show Sunday’s from 8 a.m – 11 a.m.

Audio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

All About… Mary

Don’t let the title All About Steve fool you.

Yeah, sure, Steve (played by Bradley Cooper – of the unfortunate The Hangover buzz) is the hot blind date who happens to have a cool job as adventuresome news videographer and also happens to be the obsession of one crazy, red-boot-wearing word meister called Mary Horowitz (Sandra Bullock, who also happens to be the film’s producer).

But, after viewing this new PG-13 20^th Century Fox comedy, all I can say is , “There’s something about Mary.”

Delicious Comments on ‘Julie and Julia’

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the wonderful film Julie & Julia starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep with my good friend and radio personality Liz Lane from The Current several weeks ago.

She asked me my first thoughts post-film and I said beaming, “I am simply inspired to blog and cook!” It’s true, the film does tickle the creative juices in more ways than one.

Together we relished every nuance in this fabulous film in our weekly radio discussion on The Current.

I have here an edited version of that radio commentary. Please excuse the static issue. It’s on the original recording and there isn’t much I can do about it. (I tried!) The phone line was particularly crackly that day – probably due to construction in our area. Ugh!

Audio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

 

‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’: Audio Commentary

Once a week, I tape a radio segment with my friend Liz Lane from The Current FM about the latest movie. I get on the phone line from the comfort of my home and she calls me up from the local radio station studio.  So what you will hear in this MP3 clip isn’t the final on-air version; it’s my version from my phone line.

We both had lots to say about The Time Traveler’s Wife starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. Here is the audio clip for your enjoyment.

— Laura J. Bagby

‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’: Overall Spiritual Concerns

I was really concerned about seeing this latest Harry Potter film at the box office for two reasons: one, I hadn’t read any of the books by J.K. Rowling or seen any of the previous films so I wasn’t sure I would get the gist of it, and two, I wasn’t sure if I would feel like my Christian beliefs just got assaulted. Would I feel like I had dishonored God by seeing this film? That was my main question.

Radio personality Liz Lane and I talked about the spiritual undertones of the PG fantasy film on The Current FM yesterday. Here is an edited version of our radio commentary abut the film:

Radio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

‘Ice Age 3’: Not So Family Friendly

Me at Positive Hit Radio The Current

Sorry, parents. If you are hoping for a really great PG animated film to take the whole family to, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs isn’t it. It’s scary in some parts for the younger children, particularly the 3-D version where the dinosaurs jump right out from the screen. And it has much more adult innuendo than this kind of film typically includes. I think it is disappointing. The only saving grace is that silly squirrel Scrat and the chase for his deepest desires.

I shared my thoughts last Friday on the air with radio personality Liz Lane from Positive Hit Radio The Current. This audio review is not the on-air version. It has been cut-down for the purposes of this blog. Take a listen…

Radio Review:

— Laura J. Bagby

Male Gender Issues Abound in ‘Ice Age 3’

Recently, I chatted with Positive Hit Radio The Current’s Liz Lane about Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs on the local radio.

I was really hoping to give a good recommendation on this PG animated film, but I found myself more annoyed than entertained.

What really got me was the portrayal of many of the male characters in the film, who often seemed bumbling, cowardly, indecisive, and passive. And one character in particular, a sloth named Sid, the epitome of the nurturing male, made me want to stand up and say, “Dude, be a man!” What a sad look at how our society these days views men: incapable, troubled, and insecure. It surely doesn’t inspire the male gender to be strong and fearless, now does it?

Listen to my conversation with Liz on the radio about these frustrating issues in Ice Age 3…

Audio Commentary:

The above audio clip is not the original on-air version from The Current FM. It has been edited for this blog.

— Laura J. Bagby

Depp Shines in ‘Public Enemies’

Recently escaped from prison, infamous criminal mastermind John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) goes on the rampage, robbing banks across the Midwest during the Depression-riddled 1930s with his gaggle of gun-toting ex-cons like “Baby Face” Nelson (Stephen Graham).

Eventually, however, Dillinger meets his overdue fate when faced with the law-enforcing Bureau of Investigation (later to be named the FBI), headed by Director J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup). Special Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and the other G-men who have been trailing Dillinger for the past 14 months finally bring justice.

Full ‘Public Enemies’ Review Tomorrow

Hey, Everyone,

Look for the review of Public Enemies right here on the Celluloid Critic tomorrow. My review will also be featured on Preview Online.

I am talking to radio personality Liz Lane of Positive Hit Radio The Current tomorrow morning all about this new gangster crime drama starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. You will hear that full radio review on Friday.

I can tell you now that I really enjoyed the film. It’s not the kind of movie I would typically go see. But Johnny Depp rules the silver screen as the sympathetic John Dillinger.

More about it tomorrow!

For now, enjoy the trailer on the Public Enemies official movie site.

Laura