The Academy Awards and Focus’ New Host

During this episode of Focus, we talked about film and its role in public discourse. Host Craig Cohen talks with Ben Kenigsberg, Film Section Editor for Time Out Chicago, and Richard Leskosky, an Associate Professor (retired) of Media and Cinema Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, about this year’s Academy Award nominees and the political statements they make. We discussed waterboarding and the capture of Osama bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty, mental health issues raised in Silver Linings Playbook and the different depictions of slavery in Lincoln and Django Unchained. We also asked whether it’s a conflict of interest in Argo wins best picture; after all, it is a picture about how Hollywood came to the rescue...

What are your predictions for this year’s winners? Does it really matter what and who wins? Post in the comments section below. 

Then for the second half of the show, Craig Cohen talked with Jim Meadows, who will be Focus’ new interim host starting Monday, February 25. Lindsey Moon, Focus’ producer, also joined the conversation.

What topics do you want to hear us talk about on Focus? Is there someone you think we should interview? Let us know! You can post in the comments section below or find us on Facebook and Twitter.