Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings is a Grammy-nominated R&B band from Brooklyn. Their groove is funky like James Brown’s. Jones’ gyrations are as wild and ferocious as Tina Tuner’s. The group’s soul shake and their lead singer’s indomitable spirit blend into something very special, heartfelt and familial. When Jones is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, […]

  It’s official. This is the year of animation. So many films from the genre are sprouting up like spring daisies that it’s making the Oscar race for Best Animation Feature Film a nail-biter. And it’s only midyear. Add to the list of strong contenders the fifth chapter in the Ice Age franchise, a doozy […]

  Some things should be left in the past and forgotten. Case in point: Tarzan. This modern version, The Legend of Tarzan, adds some politically correct touches to an old-fashioned (dated) story. But even with new gloss and a fresh scent, the central problem still remains: a near super human white man lording over apes, […]

  “You can not own a child of God,” proclaims a slave named Moses (Mahershala Ali, HBO’s Treme). “We don’t got no country on either side. We’re our own Country,” says Confederate Army deserter Newton “Newt” Knight (Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyer’s Club). Those poignant bits of dialogue sum up the rebellious spirit in this rousing […]

  She, Samantha Montgomery, is a 39-year-old who works a 9-5 at a nursing home in a rough section of New Orleans. On her own time, she takes on the persona of Princess Shaw, a singer/songwriter who posts a cappella performances of her songs on her YouTube channel. It’s a shot in the dark. Will […]