News

Mark this film down in your black or red book as a must-see for 2007.

By John DeSando, WCBE's It's Movie Time

Like The Lives of Others, the absorbing European war thriller Black Book again certifies that massive FX need not be the major ingredient of a popular film?Hollywood take notice.

"So good is his re-creation that he forgot to infuse his leads with enough character to make me care. In fact, so intent is the director on re-creation that he forgot creation is the essence of successful art."

Columbus, OH – Bars, restaurants and most private clubs in Ohio will start to get hit with penalties Thursday if they are not obeying the state's new smoking ban. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.

Columbus, OH – An Ohio campus security task force, that was formed in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, held its first meeting Monday. Dozens of task force members from across the state participated by plugging into a video conference. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen also plugged in and filed this report.

Columbus, OH – The top agenda item for Ohio legislators this week is -- a new 53 billion dollar budget for state government. In fact, it is taking so much time and energy, it has prompted legislators to put on hold - for a few days - a proposal to crack down on x-rated businesses. Here's a preview from statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen.

Columbus, OH – For the third consecutive year, the City of Columbus will deploy a police strike force in high-crime areas. It's traditionally started in the summer months, but this year's effort has a longer enforcement period and more money behind it. Hear all the details.

Columbus, OH – Stories you'll hear include:

Fire in Columbus kills one person - Hundreds of jobs coming to Dublin - Tape of 1970 Kent State shootings to be released today

Columbus, OH – Stories you'll hear include:

Ohio teen pleads guilty to more than 130 crimes - OU budget gap prompts hiring freeze - Ohio's campus security task force holds first meeting -

An amusement suffering by comparison with its predecessor.

By John DeSando, WCBE's It's Movie Time

Like a middle-aged man on a mission, Spider-Man 3 sags in the middle, takes a while to get somewhere, but still likes the girls, swells a progress or two, and shows some of the old idealism that fights with maturity's pragmatism. Most disappointing of all is this pre-mid-life hero, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire), obsessed with his love, Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), and his desire to marry her.

Poor plot twist, poor FX, poor Nick.

By John DeSando, WCBE's It's Movie Time

"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backward."

Lewis Carroll

Columbus, OH – Last November, Ohio voters turned down a plan to expand legalized gambling at 7 race tracks and 2 sites in Cleveland. NOW, race track owners are back with ANOTHER plan for expanded gambling, and they say they need only the approval of state lawmakers - not the voters - to let it happen. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen files this report:

Columbus, OH – Ohio's top judge says more must be done to insure that the best quality legal people head the state's courts. And as Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports, he's asking for more money to help make that happen.

Columbus, OH – Stories you'll hear include:

School bus crash injures three - Hundreds of racist letters sent to OSU - Poll of Ohio voters on 08 presidential race - Advocates for the homeless don't want a housing assistance fund cap - New research on breastfeeding

Columbus, OH – As investigators continue to evaluate the police response to the Virginia Tech shootings, law enforcement jurisdictions nationwide are taking a look at how they would manage a similar incident. The Virginia Tech slaying happened roughly six months after the fatal shootings at an Amish school in Pennsylvania. The man in charge of coordinating that response visited Columbus to brief Ohio law enforcement officials on what he learned.

Columbus, OH – Stories you'll hear include:

Wendy's profits plummet - Recent Ohio law behind car insurance rate decrease - Ohio farm quarantined - East and Northeast sides of Columbus to see the most road resurfacing - Cedar Point changes ride requirements

Columbus, OH – Stories you'll hear include:

Road rage victim wants tougher law in Ohio - FBI investigates threats to cheerleaders - Reds lose, Indians win

Columbus, OH – Stories you'll hear include:

More problems with pet food - Traffic flow changes and improvements begin on a stretch of downtown Columbus - Southeast Ohio power plant gets approval

Columbus, OH – Stories you'll hear include:

Columbus school bus driver faces assault charge - Recent execution rekindles debate - Cuts approved in Cincinnati public schools -

Films reviewed: Year of the Dog, Hot Fuzz, Fracture, Disturbia

By Hosts John DeSando & Clay Lowe

It's Movie Time has won numerous national awards including Silver Microphone and Communicator honors.

Drs. Lowe and DeSando were moderator and panelist respectively on TV 25's World Film Classics. Both have been professors, Lowe at Ohio State University and DeSando at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio.

Bright Satire

By John DeSando, WCBE's It's Movie Time

Columbus, OH – Stories you'll hear include:

Car insurance rates in Ohio drop - No more labels on the books - Study finds 12 percent of foster households in Hamilton County include someone with an arrest record - The City of Columbus begins process of improving Hilliard-Rome road and another plan for Alum Creek drive