By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Four guys stand under a street lamp, singing their hearts out. That’s the iconic vision of Doo-wop/pop groups like The Four Seasons. The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Jersey Boys puts a name and face to that image. Clint Eastwood’s screen adaptation, triumphantly for the most part, makes their tale […]
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic The film 21 Jump Street was a hip, focused, comic homage to the 1980s TV series. 22 Jump Street is an unfocussed potpourri of physical humor, sight gags and shtick that is shamelessly uproarious. In this sequel, undercover cops, Officer Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Officer Jenko (Channing Tatum), who […]
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Day after day. Over and over again. He can see his demise. But no on else can see theirs. Until…. In Hiroshi Sakurazak’s 2004 military science-fiction novel “All You Need Is Kill,” Mimics (vicious, crustacean-looking aliens) invade Japan. Keiji Kiriya, the book’s protagonist, is a young recruit who is […]
The Toronto International Film Festival beckons film lovers…[Read More on Huffington Post]
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Back in the day, The Twilight Zone did it right. Each episode started with an everyday routine, then it added a couple of wicked twists, and before you could say, “Rod Serling” things went completely askew. Argentinean writer/director Damian Szifron has that same knack, which he exhibits masterfully in […]
Summer vacations in Miami are fun and a smart travel strategy. Restaurants are more accommodating (Miami Spice program runs from August 1 to September 30 offering $23 lunch and $39 dinner tasting menus at prime restaurants). Hotels and spas that are over-booked during the winter months are offering special packages and deals. Tennis courts are […]
The annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival is a major stop on the jazz festival circuit. The four-day weekend soiree draws a burgeoning audience of 20,000 music lovers from Florida, Georgia, Alabama—41 states in all and ten countries. They come to Panama City Beach to hear international musicians sing and play their instruments in a style […]
It’s Carnival time in Trinidad & Tobago. It’s that time of year when folks anticipating the self-restraints of the Lenten period, have one last celebration before they tuck excess away for six weeks. This dual-island nation is noted for its festive Carnival, which includes parades, concerts, parties and elaborate costumes. But as anyone who has […]
The 22nd annual Pan African Film Festival ran from February 6 to 17 at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles. The festival, a cornerstone of Black History Month in Los Angeles, opens the door to LA’s thriving black community. Museums, restaurants, neighborhoods and sites brimming with black culture beckon travelers. Read More […]
By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic This is a charming and disarming geezer sports movie. Somewhat formulaic, but a lot of fun regardless. In fact, you may get so caught up in the moment you’ll celebrate your gray and throw your Grecian Formula away. The genesis of this AARPish story came from screenwriter Tim Kelleher […]