MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5 at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," connecting your neighborhood with the world. Later in the broadcast, understanding the gadgets that can improve your life in the kitchen this holiday season, but first, Disney turns its back on one of its favorite cinematic devices, the fairytale. "Tangled," Disney/Pixar's contemporary take on the classic story "Rapunzel," hits theaters today. But it's the last fairytale you are going to get in the foreseeable future from the studios that brought us "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty."

MR. KOJO NNAMDIIs it because the demographics are shrinking for stories about princesses and frogs? Or is it that we're becoming so cynical in the era of bank bailouts and double-digit unemployment that 'happily ever after' just doesn't cut it anymore? Joining us to explore this conundrum and look at the best movies coming out this holiday season, Jennice Fuentes is a film critic and pop culture commentator for the website Global Grind. Janice, happy Thanksgiving. Good to see you.

MS. JENNICE FUENTESHappy Thanksgiving to you.

NNAMDIAlso with us is Joe Barber, entertainment editor at WTOP. He's an arts critic for WETA's Around Town and an arts columnist for InsideNOVA.com newspapers. Joe, happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

MR. JOE BARBERThank you, Kojo. Good to be here again.

NNAMDIYou, too, can join this conversation. We're interested in hearing what your recommendations are for movies this holiday season, 800-433-8850, or go to our website kojoshow.org. Send us a tweet, @kojoshow, or e-mail to kojo@wamu.org. There are few things as synonymous as Walt Disney and fairytales. The centerpieces of the Disney theme parks are giant fairytale castles. But the company has decided that "Tangled" will be the last animated fairytale that it's going to produce for a long while. Why do you think Disney is moving away from a genre that's such a big part of its identity?

BARBERI think, Kojo -- take a look at that list you just knocked off, "Sleeping Beauty," "Snow White." "Tangled" is the story -- or a take off on the story of Rapunzel.

NNAMDIYeah...

BARBERAnd I think you have an answer there, which is that films about -- for some reason, films with female leads or heroines don't seem to do that well. For example, last year's "Princess and the Frog" -- despite very good reviews -- did not pull well at the box office. Now, some people suggest that it was because the characters were Creole and set down South. And I'm not so sure the race issue is so much the issue as it is that in the past as well films with female leads don't tend to gravitate to boys.

BARBERPerfect example, the Golden Compass, which has -- which came from a series of books -- they're very successful -- but has a female character -- lead character in it, didn't do all that well. A few years ago, they remade "A Little Princess," Alfonso Cuaron -- remade it, did a wonderful job. The film did not, in its initial release, do very well. It was reedited and put out again. Unfortunately, they picked the same week as "Babe." The first "Babe" movie came out, and "Babe" swallowed up all the family audience. So I think Disney may be thinking that they just can't seem to attract boys to see anything that even mentions a girl in the lead in them.

NNAMDIBoys, the sexist little bums they are.

BARBERSomething like that.

NNAMDIThey won't go to see movies named "Princess and the Frog," so that's why you think they called this one "Tangled?"

BARBERI suspect that, yeah. Notice it doesn't mention Rapunzel or Princess Rapunzel until you see the film itself.

NNAMDIWhat do you think, Jennice?

FUENTESWell, I think that part of the reason is -- who has, really, the edge in the box office? And I think the numbers speak for themselves. I think all these princesses and all these fairy tales are very 20th century. I think we're now in the 21st century. And I think that part of what we see is the whole fight between Pixar and DreamWorks. And ever -- you know, they have not been the best of friends...

NNAMDIYeah...

FUENTES...since "Antz" and -- versus "A Bug's Life." And I think the numbers speak for themselves. If you look at the last years, Pixar has had 11 films, DreamWorks has had 20, and Pixar has almost caught up with the box office with half the product. So if you look in here executively, and you look into the numbers, it's really about who's buying tickets. And, quite frankly, people are not buying tickets for that fare. They're buying tickets for things like "Toy Story," "Up", "Wall-E," "Cars," "Shrek," "Finding Nemo," "Monsters," "Incredibles," and, mostly, "Megamind," which is the latest Pixar production. And, quite frankly, I...

BARBERNo. It's the latest of DreamWorks, yeah.

FUENTESDreamWorks. I'm sorry. It's DreamWorks. And, quite frankly, I loved.

NNAMDIBut, you know, movies like "Shrek" still have happy endings. So it's not happy endings that are 20th century, is it?

BARBERAnd they still have fairytale characters, too. I don't think it's...

FUENTESIt's the leads.

BARBERI don't think it's happy endings. I think the thing is Pixar outdoes DreamWorks for whatever reason. Pixar does everybody in Hollywood for one reason. Their stories are better, and their stories appeal to a broader range. They don't just appeal to small kids. Perfect example this year is "Despicable Me." "Despicable Me" is a cute film, but it's a full-length cartoon as opposed to "Toy Story," which is a feature animated film.

FUENTESWell, it's also about the lead. They're better stories -- I agree with that -- and it's also not a story -- there's not a good story about a princess. We have gone away from that. Now, they're more interesting. We have the antithesis of the hero. We have a hero conflicted. We have -- you know, "Tangled" is not a prince. It's a bandit.

BARBERExactly. He's a bandit, right.

FUENTESSo we are changing the whole plotline. And it's very interesting, and it sells. That's the bottom line.

BARBERWell, it could be one other thing, which is just the fact that kids today are more sophisticated.

NNAMDIWell, I thought a very grown-up movie, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" had, basically, a fairytale ending. Did it not?

NNAMDIIt seemed to me.

BARBERYeah...

NNAMDIWe got this Facebook comment from Monica who says, "The demographics for fairytale films are shrinking because our society and culture make children grow up too fast. Kids simply can't be kids with imaginations anymore." I don't know. I'm not an expert on that.

BARBERI think she may be right.

NNAMDIFairytales aside, it still seems like a good season for people who like fantasy escape. The newest "Harry Potter" movie crushed the box office last weekend. It's the penultimate film in the series. What are your thoughts about "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?"

FUENTESWhat a moneymaker. That's...

NNAMDIYeah, I noticed.

NNAMDI$125 million on its opening weekend.

FUENTESWhat a moneymaker. That's -- they're going to be very, very sad when the next installment dies. I found this one very dark.

BARBERMm hmm.

FUENTESI think that it has the problem that maybe the book had at this part, which is you have a lot of beautiful scenery. And you find them walking and finding X and Y, and it's mostly the three of them. And they try to be very loyal and bring it to the screen, and I think that's part of the -- if there was a problem with this movie, which I actually liked and found entertaining, although a little dark...

BARBEROh, yeah.

FUENTES...as we're getting ready to the big confrontation that's going to come at the end in the next one -- I think it releases next summer.

BARBERYes.

FUENTESI thought it was well acted. I thought it was -- it gathered -- it balanced darkness with humor as best it could, but I think it was a lot wasted space. And it reflected in a very long movie that didn't need to be that long.

BARBERTremendous amount of exposition, you know. A little bit of action and a lot of going places and doing things and setting up that next one. It had the traditional problem that a bridge film in a trilogy has that you can't give away too much, otherwise nobody comes to the next film, but you still got to keep the story going.

FUENTESAlthough everybody knows what the next film -- exactly what's going happen.

BARBERWell, to me, the warnings should have gone out to -- and in my reviews, they did go out to the people who are casual fans, those who have not read these books or who have very surfacely read them and sent their kids to them, thinking that Harry Potter is a brand name for family entertainment. Now, this film is PG-13 rated and is darker than the other films, that there is a pretty good body count at the end of this film.

NNAMDIWhat are your recommendations for the holiday season? 800-433-8850 is the number to call. Joe, it's my understanding that the people behind the "Harry Potter" franchise resisted the push to release the film in 3-D.

BARBERWell, this is an interesting story, Kojo. Apparently, Warner Brothers released a statement about two weeks ago, saying that if they had decided to make this film available in 3-D, it would have delayed the release past November 19th. And they promised the film for November 19th, so they didn't want to do it. But there's currently a war going on within the industry about 3-D. There are a bunch of people out there, led primarily by James Cameron, who, of course, made "Avatar" last year, who say that 3-D is the next major direction for films.

BARBERThere are storytellers like Martin Scorsese who says that 3-D is nothing more than a gimmick. It will never be able to make a good film better. It will never be able to make a bad film palatable. I tend to think that Scorsese is right, but this year alone, we've got 22 3-D films. In fact, we've got more coming in December with a 3-D "Yogi Bear," of all things, and another -- a "Narnia" film that's in 3-D. And next year, despite the fact the industry admits that it hasn't made as much money as it thought it would on 3-D films, there's going to be 26 titles next year in 3-D.

FUENTESYou know, it's not broken. Why fix it?

NNAMDIThank you.

FUENTESThere's no need to bring this in 3-D. They're making a bundle. You may lose...

BARBERRight.

FUENTES...part of the whole going population when the kid and the parents say, what do you mean, $19? I don't think they're going to see that.

BARBERExactly. That, to me, has been my biggest complaint about the 3-D craze this year, is that two of the biggest chains in the country, AMC and Regal, decided back in April to jack their prices, not just for regular admission but for admission to 3-D films. So in the middle of an economic recession...

FUENTESRight.

BARBER...you're telling families to get four people into a movie theater in 3-D. You've got to pay somewhere between 75 and 80 bucks just to get into the theater. That makes no sense to me.

NNAMDIThank you, Martin. Here is Stacy...

NNAMDICan anybody say gimmicks? Stacy, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

STACYHi, Kojo, can you hear me?

NNAMDIYes, we can.

STACYI saw -- my husband and I went to see "127 Hours" yesterday, and I thought it was great. And I just wanted to make that comment and make that a recommended viewing choice.

NNAMDIWell, let's go to Mr. Synopsis. Joe...

NNAMDIJoe Barber, tell us about....

BARBERThis is a...

NNAMDI..."127 Hours."

BARBER...gripping film from Danny Boyle, the guy who did "Slumdog Millionaire." The story -- true story of a guy named Adam Ralston, played by in this film by James Franco, who went out climbing in the desert without telling anybody where he was going and got into a little bit of a problem, that he slid down a crevice and ended up with his arm pinned behind a giant rock. And those 127 hours in the title refer to the time he had to spend there trying to figure out how to get out there. And he ends up having to do something, that most of us would find unpalatable, at the very least, in order to do so.

BARBERThis is a smart film, well-crafted. Franco is on screen for about 85 percent of this film by himself, and the fact they're able to make it as interesting and as fascinating as they do is a real testament to Danny Boyle's talents as a filmmaker. There's already been some Oscar buzz about Franco's work here, and I would agree with that. I think it's a powerful film. But if you are very sensitive to sound, in particular, be very careful seeing this movie. There's a couple of sequences near the end where you hear the sound of something happening, and it's not easy to take.

NNAMDIThat's my understanding also. Stacy, thank you for your call. We got this e-mail from Jason in Cleveland Park, Jennice. "The only problem with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the book and the film -- the story takes place almost exclusively outside of Hogwarts. I always considered Hogwarts the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that Harry and his friends attend to be one of the most important characters in the "Harry Potter" story. It was not as much fun when you didn't get to hang out there anymore."

FUENTESYes. And the characters are -- will continue to disappear as well. So things continue to change, but there's...

NNAMDIYes, Jason, we've got to move on.

FUENTESWe -- you -- yeah, you got to move on. We're all growing up and dying or killing each other in this movie.

BARBERPretty much.

NNAMDIMoviegoers can take a trip to a different kind of fantasy land this weekend. Cher is making...

FUENTESYes.

NNAMDI...a theatrical comeback in the musical "Burlesque," co-starring with Christina Aguilera. What should viewers expect from this film and from Cher's return to the big screen? Jennice, let's keep Joe out of this, this time...

BARBERI beg your pardon. Wait a minute.

FUENTESYes.

NNAMDI...completely.

FUENTESLet's do. Let's do. You know, Joe, my friend, my colleague...

BARBERGo ahead. Start. I'll finish.

FUENTES...my esteemed colleague.

BARBERGo ahead. Start.

FUENTESJoe was expecting Chekhov.

BARBERNo, I wasn’t.

FUENTESThis is...

BARBERI wish it was Chekhov.

FUENTESThere's two requirements to enjoy this film, which I think half the population would meet. You have to have an opinion about Cher, and whatever you think of her, everybody knows who she is and has a strong opinion.

NNAMDIYes.

FUENTESAnd you have to, obviously, like Christina Aguilera, which probably 90 percent of the population thinks that she can sing. This is her...

BARBERYeah.

FUENTES...first acting -- other than the Mickey Mouse Club that Joe needs to hold on to...

BARBERYeah, the new Mickey Mouse Club...

FUENTES...for acting experience.

FUENTESThis is her first acting gig, and it's "Burlesque." A title like that with Cher and Christina Aguilera, which is not fair because most of the time, it's Christina Aguilera on the screen, which she does fine. It's focused around her singing, which is the way it should be. I find Cher extremely -- an extremely incredible screen presence, even today, and she doesn't get enough screen time. I think she only gets to sing two songs. Let's not worry about the plot, the storyline.

FUENTESThose are minor details...

BARBERWait a minute. Wait a minute.

FUENTES...minor details.

BARBERAre you kidding?

FUENTESWe're there for the music. We're there not for the dancing. We're there for Cher. We're there for the makeup, and we're there for the outfits. And as long as you keep that in mind, you're going to have a great time. I loved it.

NNAMDII said this before -- sexist little bums -- but go ahead.

BARBERI can sum this up very quickly. Cliché, cliché, cliché.

FUENTESSo what?

BARBERSmall town girl goes to big city, tries to become a star. Cher is wonderful. I love Cher. I've loved Cher since I was a kid. Cher is great.

FUENTESThat's the only reason you're going.

BARBERStanley Tucci is terrific, but the movie is not very good. It is poorly written. It is badly directed. And as for Christina Aguilera, I will quote to you the line that Dorothy Parker used about Katherine Hepburn in a play. "She runs emotional gamut from A to B." She is not a good actress at this point in her career, and she has no business being the lead in a film that costs all this money and is costing people 10 bucks to see.

FUENTESOkay. She is not that terrible as an actress.

BARBERShe's a singer, and that's all she is.

FUENTESShe is a singer who may or may not be able to act. However, you know, I don't think the movie was that bad. And as...

NNAMDIDid you enjoy it?

FUENTESI loved it, and I loved the music. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I knew this wasn't going to be anything too exciting...

BARBERYou're an easy grader.

FUENTES...dramatically. I went to be entertained. Is it entertaining? Yes. It is entertaining.

BARBERWhy are you grading on a curve? Wow.

NNAMDIChekhov, it's not.

FUENTESIt is entertaining.

NNAMDIHere's Michael in Annapolis, Md.

FUENTESChekhov, it's not.

NNAMDIMichael, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

MICHAELYeah, I wanted to go back to the question about fairytales and Disney and Pixar.

NNAMDIYes.

MICHAELAnd I was wondering what your guests, as well as yourself, thought about the idea that Disney has always -- well, at least traditionally rewritten fairytales to have a happy ending. Anybody who knows about fairytales, in the traditional sense, knows that Grimm tended to be a bit more grim.

NNAMDIYes.

MICHAELWhile I'm not suggesting that we go to the medieval versions which are -- can be very brutal, might it not be useful for each of those companies to reconsider their rewrites if they want a broader audience, such that they included a little bit more of the traditional fairytale and a little less of the fluff?

BARBERWell, to be fair about the issue here, Pixar does original stories. As a rule, their stuff is always original. They don't really base their stuff on any of -- on anything else. It's Disney's animation division which is releasing "Tangled," and they have tended to use that kind of backdrop as what they've done to base their movies on. I think you have a point there. I mean, there have been attempts to try and do slightly darker versions of "children's fairytales." But let's also know that fairytales are meant for larger audiences besides children. And the problem you run into is that because parents have an assumption about a fairytale, if you do do something that's rather dark, you get complaints from parents saying, it's too dark for my kids, you know? And that's just the problem you run into.

NNAMDIAnd, Joe, for the record, is not a studio suit...

NNAMDI...neither is Jennice because nobody knows how studio suits think.

FUENTESWe're not yet.

BARBERAmen.

NNAMDIGot to take a short break. When we come back, we'll continue our conversation on holiday movies. Michael, thank you for your call. You, too, can call with your recommendations or critiques, 800-433-8850. Or send them to our website, kojoshow.org, or send us a tweet, @kojoshow. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWe're talking holiday movies. What are you looking for in films coming out this holiday season? Call us at 800-433-8850. Tell us what you think makes for a good film to see with the entire family, 800-433-8850. We're in studio with Joe Barber, entertainment editor at WTOP. He's an arts critic for WETA's Around Town and an art columnist for InsideNOVA.com Newspapers. Jennice Fuentes is a film critic and pop culture commentator for the website Global Grind. Tell us about some of the other films you're looking forward to seeing in the coming weeks, Jennice.

FUENTESYou know, I've been very interested in "Black Swan," maybe because my husband is totally fascinated with the whole concept, and the reels have been very captivating about a possibility of a lesbian connection between the leads. It's Darren Aronofsky, and it's about the brutal yet beautiful and not so delicate world of ballet -- primetime ballet. And I am very impressed. I was very much looking forward to it. I've been lucky enough to have seen it, and I was mesmerized by Natalie Portman's performance. And I think that viewers are going to be very satisfied.

NNAMDIWell, having been invited to participate in the "Nutcracker" by the Washington Ballet on Dec. 3rd, I now consider myself an expert on the subject of ballet.

BARBERWhat are you playing, the mouse king?

NNAMDII have no idea.

NNAMDII'm not an expert on anything. They're probably going to kick me out. "Black Swan," what do you think?

BARBERLooks intriguing. Aronofsky -- you know, it's interesting. I did the trailer park "Coming Attractions" show for the D.C. Film Society recently with Bill Henry, and we showed the trailer for that. And the audience was slightly puzzled 'cause it started -- it seems to start like a kind of a modern day version of "The Turning Point." And then it seemed to take this kind of thriller twist near the middle.

FUENTES"Black Swan?"

BARBER"Black Swan," yes. Because you've got Natalie Portman as this young woman who wants to be a star ballerina, looks like she's going to get her chance, and she's got a rival played by Mila Kunis. And there's some question that will...

FUENTESWell, it's really a psychological thriller.

BARBERAnd it does...

FUENTESIt's not a thriller like you would think.

BARBERIt does, but based on the trailers, you're never sure exactly.

FUENTESRight.

BARBERIs she crazy? Is there really a problem here or whatever? It's an intriguing look.

FUENTESAll of the above.

NNAMDIAnd this is the director behind "The Wrestler?"

BARBERBy "The Wrestler"...

FUENTESYes.

BARBER...and "Pi." Yeah, fascinating.

NNAMDIAnd "Requiem for a Dream?"

BARBERAnd "Requiem for a Dream."

FUENTESIt almost seems like the pretty version of "The Wrestler."

BARBERExactly. He makes pretty...

NNAMDIWhat films are you looking forward to?

BARBERWell, there's a movie that everybody is talking about right now called "The King's Speech," the story of George -- I believe George VI, played by Colin Firth, who took over when the Duke of Windsor became the Duke of Windsor 'cause he abdicated the throne. And it was just upon the eve of World War II, and, literally, you have a monarch here who has to speak to his people, who has a terrible speech impediment, cannot speak. And through the assistance of a rather unusual speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush, he becomes able to speak to his people and lead them through World War II.

BARBERIt's already getting a lot of Oscar buzz, particularly for Colin Firth who, last year, gave a great performance in "A Single Man" and who has been talked about as a possible best actor winner. Also, "The Tourist," the thriller with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, which looks kind of like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a guy who goes to Europe to cure a broken heart and meets a mysterious woman on the train and becomes involved in a murder plot. So those are two I'm looking forward to.

FUENTESJoe's dream sequence.

BARBERMaybe.

FUENTESI am actually very much looking forward to "Biutiful," which is a Spanish language film by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, and it marks -- we all know from "Babel" and other -- on "21 Grams." And this marks his first departure after breaking up with his screenwriter, Guillermo Arriaga. And I think one of the most telling things about the way the story is told is that for the first time in recent history, he has a very linear story that doesn't go back and forth. And it's with Javier Bardem, who got very recognized for his role at the Cannes Film Festival. And I am very excited about it.

BARBERAnd if I can just throw one film in, there's a film I have been loving for the last couple of weeks that nobody has gone to see, and I would like to urge people, before the big wave of Christmas stuff starts, to go see it. And that is "Fair Game," the story of Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson.

NNAMDIFor those who prefer to stay grounded in the real world...

BARBERYes.

NNAMDI...and in Washington, D.C., for that matter...

BARBERIt is a terrific movie.

NNAMDI...political drama based on the unmasking of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson.

BARBERYeah, it's a great movie. Two Academy Award likely performances there, one by Naomi Watts as Valerie Plame, one by Sean Penn as her husband Joe Wilson. The great thing about the movie is that it doesn't kind of take sides here. It lays out the story to you, and for those of you...

FUENTESIt doesn't take sides? It is the version of the Valerie Plame marriage.

BARBERBut hold on. What I want -- the point I want to make is this. A lot of us heard different stories about what Valerie Plame was, whether she was a real CIA agent or that she was just a glorified secretary. The movie lays out very clearly what it was that she did for the CIA and how important her work was and how...

FUENTESIt is definitely in her voice.

BARBERYeah, this is through her...

FUENTESThis is her point of view for sure.

BARBERHow she was seemingly just thrown away.

FUENTESI agree with that.

BARBERSo it's -- but it's worth seeing for those performances and for the thoughts and the ideas that it brings forward

NNAMDIIs it also worth seeing for people who live outside the Beltway?

BARBERYes.

FUENTESIt's a really entertaining film, and it's one of those thrillers that you know exactly what happened to her. And yet it remains interesting to watch, even if you know the end.

BARBERDoug Liman, who did "Swingers" and the first "Bourne" movie, directs this, and he does a very good job.

NNAMDIOn to the telephones. Here's Alex in Martinsburg, W.Va. Alex, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

ALEXHi, Kojo.

NNAMDIHey, Alex.

ALEXI just called in to go back to what you guys were talking about about the 3-D movies.

NNAMDIYes.

ALEXAnd I am as sick as everyone else, of seeing, you know, coming soon in 3-D attached to every single movie trailer. And the few movies that I've seen in 3-D mostly haven't been enhanced by it, with one exception. Back, I think, it was kind of when the 3-D craze was first starting, I got dragged into seeing "My Bloody Valentine," which is a crappy, soggy horror movie.

NNAMDIYes.

ALEXThe 3-D turns the movie into what was essentially a ride, and it actually made it fairly enjoyable. It's a by the numbers horror movie, but the addition of the 3-D actually kind of pulled you into the movie.

NNAMDIIn other words, 3-D might be of benefit to a terrible movie.

ALEXYeah, the other one I also enjoyed seeing it in was "Avatar," just because the movie was so pretty.

BARBERYeah...

ALEXAnd 3-D made it extra pretty, I guess.

BARBERIt might work well for certain kinds of films, but for other kinds -- I mean, "Toy Story" was just fine in 2-D -- so was "Alice in Wonderland." And also the 3-D process sometimes makes the film look so dark, you're trying to figure out when you're behind those glasses, am I seeing what I'm supposed to being seeing? Or am I just kind of having it distorted by these glasses?

NNAMDIThank you for your call, Alex. You, too, can call us with your recommendations for movies. What are you looking for in films coming out this holiday season? 800-433-8850. Here is Charlie in Vienna, Va. Charlie, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

CHARLIEHey, Kojo, I thought I would call and demythologize your comment about studio executives and what they think.

NNAMDIThe suits, but we love these myths so much. Go ahead. Demythologize us.

CHARLIEI was a senior executive in the late '80s and the early '90s, and I was involved with story development for Disney animated and live-action movies.

NNAMDIA suit. We're getting a call from a suit.

BARBEROh my.

FUENTESYay.

BARBERAnd a Disney suit, no less.

NNAMDIGo right ahead, Charlie.

CHARLIEAnd, you know, people wonder, well, what are they thinking at the studio? What are those studio people like? Well, they're exactly like you and me. They like the exact same kinds of movies, but they're at a disadvantage because it's harder to choose when the movies haven't been made yet. So, you know, there are some guys in Los Angeles with a whole big pile of scripts, and you have talented people who are promoting them, who want to make them. And they have to guess which one we're going to be willing to plunk down $10 to see next Thanksgiving, and it's really no more mysterious than that.

CHARLIEEither of the critics on your show, you know, have the credentials and the experience to be excellent studio executives if they would only skip away from watching movies and reading scripts and pretending that they saw the movie in their head.

NNAMDIWell, I think that they are over qualified for the job, actually, in the cases of Joe Barber and Jennice Fuentes.

BARBERI'm puzzled by what the last comment means without really going to it. Was that a compliment?

FUENTESI'm not sure if it's a backhanded compliment or an insult. I'm feeling a little...

NNAMDII think it's an indication of how the suits feel about the critics.

BARBERSorry.

NNAMDIBut, Charlie, thank you very much for your call. It does indeed give us some insight into what you actually have to do. Here is Brian in Annandale, Va. Hi, Brian, you're on the air.

BRIANHey, I saw "Harry Potter," probably one the best movies out of all the series. But, you know, when they make books into movies, I hate when they change little things they don't necessarily have to, and it takes away -- I mean, I understand they make major changes, but those little things, it's like -- you didn't really have to change that.

BARBERMm hmm. Well, I'll tell you, J.K. Rowling has been very forceful throughout the making of the film series, that she wanted everything from each book, no matter how the small details were, included in every single film that was made. And one of the reasons why the series started off with two very long films was because she insisted that Chris Columbus place everything from the book in the movies. I think she's still -- is not wielding a sword over their heads. She, certainly, you know, is cooperating with them to try and make sure that the films are, at least, as authentic as they possibly can be.

NNAMDIThank you very much for your call. What films and what performances do you think are the frontrunners for awards right now?

BARBERI'm going to say, like I said a minute ago, Colin Firth for "The King's Speech." I've heard nothing but great stuff about that performance, and I thought he was really very good in the film. I like -- and this may surprise some people, particularly Jennice -- I think Justin Timberlake should be a contender for best supporting actor for his work as Sean Rogers, the head of Napster, in "The Social Network." He was -- that's just a terrific performance in my opinion.

FUENTESI think Natalie Portman will probably get very considered for the "Black Swan" in terms of best actress. I think James Franco, as you...

BARBERMm hmm.

FUENTES...mentioned earlier, that is getting extremely good reviews. Maybe Jesse Eisenberg from "The Social Network..."

BARBERPossibly.

FUENTES...mainly because of the significance of that character and the movie itself, I think will be the movie of the year.

BARBERMm hmm.

NNAMDII saw that, and I didn't think Academy Award. But now that you mention it, yes, I can see that happening.

BARBERBecause he makes that character who's really kind of...

NNAMDIOh, yeah.

BARBER…unlikable -- yeah...

NNAMDIOh, really, yeah.

BARBER...kind of interesting and unlikable at the same time.

NNAMDIYes. That's...

FUENTESIt's also so timely. This is like -- it's like -- it's what's happening. It's our lives. This guy is around.

BARBERMm hmm.

FUENTESThis guy is one of us, and we use his product every day. There's no avoiding it.

NNAMDIAny best picture movies in your mind right now?

FUENTES"Inception," I think.

BARBERYeah, definitely, and "Toy Story 3."

FUENTESI hope. Yeah, "Toy Story 3."

NNAMDIIn that case, I'm going to have to see "Inception" again.

FUENTESYes, indeed.

BARBERYes.

FUENTESI had to see it a few times. It's like you're doing a Rubik's cube.

NNAMDIThank you.

FUENTESI felt so stupid and untalented.

NNAMDIExactly right.

BARBERAnd right now -- trust me -- the suits at Warner Brothers are saying to themselves, yes, this is what we want to hear. They want to go back again.

NNAMDII got to go back 'cause I didn't fully understand it.

FUENTESYou know, maybe "127 Hours," maybe "True Grit," maybe...

BARBER"The Social Network."

FUENTES...maybe even "Black Swan" as well.

BARBERAnd let's not ignore Ben Affleck's fine film, "The Town," really well-made heist thriller.

FUENTESYou know what's a long shot? "Get Low." And Robert De Niro should get nominated for it -- I'm sorry, not Robert De Niro -- Robert Duvall should get nominated for that part.

BARBERI think Duvall and Bill Murray...

FUENTESMm hmm. Yes, both.

BARBER...both for that film, and it's a small movie. It may have a tough time being seen...

FUENTESI hope they don't get overlooked.

BARBER...but I hope it will be at least in the acting categories.

NNAMDIBack to the telephones. Here is Ryan in Arlington, Va. Ryan, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

RYANHi, Kojo. I'd like to thank you guys for everything you do at NPR. I was calling with, I guess, to address few things you're talking about. About five years ago when the whole 3-D movie craze came around, I was attacked by a gang and became blind in one eye. I can't see 3-D, but I am a huge fan of these big, epic, fantasy movies. I wasn't a huge fan of "Avatar," but things similar to that, "Lord of the Rings," things that have these really gorgeous landscapes and a lot of CG and beautiful animation. And I, for one, would be excited to see movies like that come out that stick with the true format. I mean, it's a little greedy. But I can't see 3-D, so I would love to see some more movies like "Avatar" or things like that to come out that don't focus on 3-D but focus on something 2-D that's still beautiful.

FUENTESIs "TRON" coming in 3-D?

BARBERMm hmm. Yeah, "TRON: Legacy" is going to be out in 3-D.

FUENTES3-D?

BARBERIt's in 3-D and -- 3-D, IMAX and you can probably find it in 2-D somewhere.

FUENTESBased on his taste, maybe he would actually like that.

BARBERMm hmm.

NNAMDIAnd, Ryan, you've got Martin Scorsese and Kojo in your corner. Thank you very much for your call. Back to Washington for a second, what other films besides "Fair Game" -- let's talk about "Inside Job" for a second...

BARBERMm hmm.

NNAMDI...although "Inside Job" was as much Washington as it was -- or as much New York as it was. It was Washington since it deals with Wall Street a lot.

BARBERYeah.

NNAMDIWhat do you think?

BARBERFascinating documentary about the entire financial collapse, you know. This is going to be a period we're going to look back on with absolute horror, trying to figure out how in the heck did we get into this mess? And how did we let ourselves get into this mess? And documentaries like this are going to be the thing that are going to give us the trail. The question is can we follow the trail to make sure it doesn't happen again.

FUENTESYou know, it's interesting that you have documentaries like these who expose what is there to be learned about people who are not necessarily in the business -- financial business. And yet, it doesn't really translate in terms of votes, like then...

NNAMDIOh, no.

BARBERUnfortunately...

FUENTES...you have people trying to, you know, reassemble the system and have a little more oversight in terms of consumer protection.

BARBERMm hmm.

FUENTESAnd everybody then freaks out. So it'll be great if that kind of good film that teaches you something in a productive way ended up resulting in something in Congress.

BARBERIn many ways, these filmmakers, who have come after Michael Moore, are trying to follow what Moore has done. The problem is they're not having the same success at the box office as he had. I mean, I'm glad they're encouraged to do it, but they're not finding the same broad audiences that Moore has found.

NNAMDIWell, of course, Moore did "Sicko" about the health care system...

BARBERMm hmm.

NNAMDI...but, of course, he wasn't voted in to put in charge of health care reform, and...

BARBERNo.

NNAMDI...the health care reform that was ultimately passed is not one that he would overly approve of.

BARBERMm hmm.

NNAMDIHe would have preferred to see -- what's it? The public...

BARBERPublic option.

NNAMDI...option in it. Anyway, it's my understanding that "How Do You Know," a James L. Brooks...

BARBERMm hmm.

NNAMDI...romantic comedy shot in Washington, is coming out in December.

BARBERYeah.

NNAMDIWhat should audiences expect from that film?

BARBERIt's good to see the Stevie Wonder filmmaking back again. 'Cause like Stevie, he only works once...

FUENTESStevie Wonder.

BARBER...every decade. I love James L. Brooks. I mean, this is a guy who gave us "Broadcast News" and "As Good as it Gets" and "Terms of Endearment." But he doesn't work that often. But it's a story of a young woman, a former female athlete, played by Reese Witherspoon, who has a boyfriend -- he's a relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals -- played by Owen Wilson. And she's not quite sure that settling down and getting married is what she really wants to do until she runs into someone she went to college with, a lawyer, played by Paul Rudd, who's under investigation and may, in fact, be indicted.

BARBERAnd his lawyer's father, played by Jack Nicholson, is trying to get him out of the jam. So it's a combination and confluence of sports and love story and government story. And Brooks is a really terrific writer when it comes to getting under the skin of characters like this. I'm looking forward to the film. It's opening, I believe, Dec. 17. And it's one of the films that I really want to see, and I hope is as good as his previous work he did.

FUENTESIt seems like a more realistic spin of the normal -- the average love comedy...

BARBERLove story, romantic comedy, yeah.

FUENTESYeah, I think so because it brings out those things that usually are not there in terms of the...

BARBERHe's a smarter writer than a lot of the average...

FUENTESYeah.

BARBER...writers these days.

FUENTESIt should be entertaining.

BARBERMm hmm.

NNAMDIOn to Nikki in Suitland, Md. Nikki, you're on the air. Go ahead please.

NIKKIHi, I wanted to go back to comment on why some of the Disney fairytale movies that particularly focus on the princesses aren't necessarily flourishing. I think it's because where -- I frankly would never let my daughter see any of these movies. I didn't even read those stories to her 'cause I'm tired of young women being seen as having to be rescued, and all those forceful female characters were evil. They were the evil stepmother, the evil queen or something like that. And frankly, I don't think those things are innocent, that children are losing their innocence by not watching them. I think they reinforce a lot of negative stereotypes about older women being evil, younger women is what's attractive, and everything they should pine for is a young man. Frankly, I think the Disney writers and all these other people, they should look to a lot of the fairytale, not even fairytales, but...

NNAMDIAllow me to turn you to our expert on younger women, older women in fairytales...

BARBERAre you looking at me when you say that?

FUENTESOh, that was scary.

NNAMDI...in between.

BARBERBecause I had a thought there. I...

NNAMDIJennice Fuentes.

BARBEROkay.

FUENTESYes, please. Keep Joe out of this discussion.

BARBEROh, no, no. I have an idea here, but go ahead.

FUENTESWell, I think that, again, it'll be good to have a studio suit, I guess, comment on this. I think it has to do with the whole thing of the fairytale and the princess -- besides being very last century, and we're being in a world where women can be president -- I think that is not as original. And I think since it's about the original story in combination with the animation, I think that we're running out of fresh ideas about this topic.

NNAMDIAnd we're running out of time. You got about 20 seconds left, Joe.

BARBERI just wanted to say, just on Nikki's comment, that to be fair to Disney, in the last couple of years, they have tried to do more forceful female characters -- Mulan and their version of Pocahontas, for example. It really did try to go into a different direction...

FUENTESBut let's not forget that Disney paid $7.4 billion for Pixar for a reason in 2006.

BARBERRight.

NNAMDIJennice Fuentes is a film critic and pop culture commentator for the website Global Grind. Joe Barber is entertainment editor at WTOP. He's an arts critic for WETA's "Around Town" and an arts columnist for InsideNova.com Newspapers. We're going to take a short break. Later, understanding the gadgets that can improve your life in the kitchen this holiday season.