In this week's episode Dr. Oken talks with Dr. Jyothi Rao about the associated problems with obesity and the brain signaling phenomenon that keeps people from finding a tempo and pace that allows them to make healthy changes.

Ava DuVernay is a Black director who has made both documentaries and feature films. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano survey her career, with much of the discussion centered around DuVernay's best-known film, "Selma" (2014), which concerns one of the most important chapters in the civil rights movement. Through her films and also through her membership in the governing board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Ava DuVernay has been a champion for making the American film industry more inclusive in terms of subject matter and employment. Incidentally, "Selma" will be discussed again by Marie and Mike on Oct. 14 as part of this fall's "Women Behind the Camera" film series at HCC.

In this episode, Kofi, Laura, and Sylvia delve into the seedy, violent, wild, and sometimes ridiculous world of fictional private eye CW Sugrue in James Crumley’s The Last Good Kiss. Crumley, referred to as the literary offspring of Raymond Chandler and Hunter Thompson, is famous for his sharp writing. Join the Bookish crew to see how this novel, written in the 70s, holds up today.

When James Caan recently died, his role as Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather" (1972) was cited as the actor's most famous performance. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that it was the kind of mobster role at which this tough guy actor excelled. So they devote much of this podcast episode to talking about "The Godfather," but they also discuss Caan's memorable roles in "Brian's Song" (1970), "Thief" (1981), "Misery" (1990), "Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992) and "Elf" (2003). 

Director David Cronenberg is no stranger to disturbing material, with a resume that includes "Videodrome" and "The Fly." Even for Cronenberg, his new movie, "Crimes of the Future," is extreme. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano share their harshly negative response to a story in which two performance artists (Viggo Mortensen and Lea Seydoux) have a nightclub routine in which bodily surgeries are performed for the voyeuristic enjoyment of the crowd. This dimly lit and monotonously paced story is so numbing that Marie and Mike strongly recommend you skip it. They also discuss "Cha Cha Real Smooth," whose director, Cooper Raiff, also stars as a young man employed as what could be described as a bar mitzvah motivational dancer. He becomes friends with a single mother and her teen daughter. Although Marie loved this movie and Mike was more lukewarm about it, they agree that it has endearing characters and relationships.

Columbia Association (CA) Medical Director Dr. Harry Oken, M.D. discusses some of the most important and relevant health-related topics, connecting you with local resources that can help improve the overall wellness of you as an individual and us as a community. In this first episode Dr. Harry Oken is joined by Stephen Schimpff MD, retired internist/infectious disease specialist/oncologist. They discuss the current Level of Infection in Howard County and surrounding areas as well as the viral players: Delta, Omicron BA 1 and 2, BA 4, 5 and any new variants of concern.

So many people love the "Toy Story" franchise that they had reason to look forward to the prequel "Lightyear," but HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano are sorry to report in this podcast episode that it's no more than mildly entertaining. Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans, who replaced Tim Allen) is kept busy in a story that is less amusing than earlier installments. Marie and Mike also discuss "Elvis," about which they mostly disagree. Marie likes the energetic filmmaking style of director Baz Luhrmann, while Mike thinks the director is often just showing off his technical virtuosity. They also are not in complete agreement about the characterizations of Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker. Fortunately, they are in enthusiastic agreement that Elvis' music remains exciting throughout this biopic.

"Top Gun" was the box office champ in 1986 and has an enduring place in the pop culture firmament, so HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano naturally wondered what to expect from its much-belated sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick." In this podcast episode, they concur that Tom Cruise, who turns 60 this summer, still looks great as he demonstrates what it means to be the star of a summer movie. Elements of the first movie are skillfully woven into this update. Less entertaining is "Jurassic World Dominion," the sixth movie in a franchise dating back to 1993. Although Marie and Mike agree that it is always fun watching dinosaurs roam the modern earth and occasionally munch on its human inhabitants, "Jurassic World Dominion" suffers from franchise fatigue. It's so busy that the 146-minute running time may leave you exhausted and even bored. Mike notes that it is kind of nice to have original stars Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and Laura Dern interact with the stars of more recent installments in the series, but it's not enough to invigorate this overly familiar material.

Razzle Dazzle Radio introduces featured performers from “The Music Man,” the Howard County Summer Theatre’s 46th offering at Glenelg High School the last weekend in June and first in July. Heather Moe plays Marion, the Liberian and Todd Hochkeppel Delights with as the menacing mayor of River City, USA. Tom Brzenski shares tips on summer movies, great Disney pics outdoors at the Lakefront. Mr. B has been showng family-friendly films for over 50 years with terrific tales before and after. Carolyn Kelemen and Judy Templeton host this fun-loving episode.