Sometimes novels that start out slowly turn out to be the books you just can’t put down. Similarly, German writer/director Jan Zabeil’s story about a modern family triad gone askew isn’t easy to discard. Like a painter, he takes his time etching in figures before brushing in colors, textures and shadows that add dimension. Lea […]
She’s a literary icon whose accolades include a 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. For the African American reader who has been glued to her books since 1970, starting with her poignant debut novel The Bluest Eye, this doc is an opportunity to see how the pieces of Morrison’s life have made her whole. For those who […]
The 27th Annual Capital Jazz Festival beckoned thousands of music lovers to the Merriweather Post Pavilion at Symphony Woods in Columbia, MD. The outdoor venue features two stages: The Pavilion Stage, the main stage, is open-air but has a roof, which is indispensable when it rains, which it often does; The Symphony Woods Stage is completely […]
You can like the message even if the messenger isn’t perfect. The migration of well-to-do millennials, empty nesters and others into cities and the exit of working-class people and/or people of color is a social phenomenon: Brooklyn, Raleigh, Philly, Chicago, Nashville, Denver… Still, the poster child for cities in radical transition has got to be […]
Young pianist/songwriter Reginald Dwight (Targon Egerton) gets some good advice from a very wise soul singer (Jason Pennycooke, Mister Lonely): “Kill the person you were born to be, to become the person you want to be.” If that couldn’t goad the very staid Dwight into creating his new flamboyant Elton John persona, nothing could. The music […]
Billed as a “live-action adaption of an animated classic,” the carpet gets pulled out from under this weak and formulaic production early on. The basic story is about a poor young man who gets involved with a royal family, encounters a magic lamp and meets a genie. Purportedly, the origins of the fable come from One […]
Many know Halston as a superstar designer, a member of the in crowd and a fixture at Studio 54 back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. For those who want to know less about the image and more about the man, this doc reveals plenty. Yes, fashionistas will cling to every word, want to […]
Should the glorification of gun violence, as depicted in this action/thriller, become a thing of the past? Is that notion worth a discussion? Think on it. John Wick is back. In Chapter 3 of this ultra-violent franchise, this assassin digs deeper and deeper into an underworld of hit men and women who are greedy for conquests […]
Plan a late April or early May vacation to New Orleans around the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and your opportunities for enriching yourself with NOLA’s wonderful culture grow exponentially. When you’re not at the Fair Grounds listening to your favorite artists, you get to explore the city. Concerts begin around 12pm and end by […]
The 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival kicked off its 50thyear anniversary with a bang. The annual two-weekend fest featured world-renown musicians, tempting food concession stands, a friendly crowd of music fans and a positive vibe that was even warmer than the sun. Jazz Fest dates back to 1970, when Mahalia Jackson and Duke Ellington […]