— by WILLIAM STERR — Arkansas: The Ozark Mountains, densely forested plateaus, moonshine, Southern pride, ghosts. James McCune (Thomas Hobson – “Stone Fruit”) is making his way alone on horseback through the forested Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas. He is headed for the town of Norfolk, by invitation of his uncle, who describes the town […][...]
Review: MLK/FBI
— by BEV QUESTAD — “MLK/FBI” deals with the sacred so it must be honest, accurate and complete. “MLK/FBI,” in Sam Pollard’s master hands, documents the story of a massive movement that challenged American values and societal structure. He also tells the dark side: White resistance and King’s own self-destructive proclivities. Sam Pollard is the […][...]
Review: Lamb
— by WILLIAM STERR — One upon a time, there was a little family that lived on a farm, far, far from any village. Theirs was a simple, happy life until one day, their beloved daughter was taken from them in death. The father and mother continued to work their farm and care for their […][...]
Review: Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry
— by BEV QUESTAD — “I’ve been walkin’ through a world gone blind/… I’m scared/I’ve never fallen from quite this high/Fallin’ into your ocean eyes” (Finneas, “Ocean Eyes,” 2015). At 13, Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, posted this song, written by Finneas, on SoundCloud. Overnight, it went viral and seven years later “Ocean Eyes” […][...]
Review: WarHunt
— by WILLIAM STERR — It was a dark and stormy night. With crows. Let’s set the scene: It’s early 1945 and the war in Europe is nearing conclusion. Hitler’s Germany is desperate. Soviet troops are advancing from the east, while the Americans and their allies are closing in from the west. However, the Fuhrer […][...]
Exclusive Interview: Kristin Chenoweth
— by LYNETTE CARRINGTON — Kristin Chenoweth is an Emmy and TONY Award-winning Broadway powerhouse who can really do it all. In addition to her endless talent on the stage, she also has a considerable resume in television and film. Her current movie, “National Champions,” is now available on nearly every platform. The film’s synopsis […][...]
Review: Attica
— by BEV QUESTAD — Inmates riot, capture guards (one dies), close down the prison and demand better treatment. Is this going to end well? For five days in September 1971 in upper state New York, 1,281 out of the approximately 2,200 prisoners at Attica Correctional Facility took an amazing risk – a take-over of […][...]
Review: Belfast
— by BEV QUESTAD — Perfect timing. That “Belfast” was coincidentally released in 2021, the year of the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, sends an ominous shudder down my back. The film, an autobiographically-inspired look at an early time in film-maker Kenneth Branagh’s life, opens with a Belfast neighborhood sharing its street for […][...]
Review: Nightmare Alley
— by WILLIAM STERR — “The Shape of Water,” “Crimson Peak,” “Pacific Rim,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy,” “ Hellboy II,” “Blade II,” “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Mimic,” “Chronos.” Guillermo del Toro – director, writer, imaginist – has had an impressive career over the 24-year span of these films. He is the reigning king of “creature features,” even […][...]
Review: The French Dispatch
— by WILLIAM STERR — When is “Wes Anderson” too much Wes Anderson? His latest effort, The French Dispatch answers that question: “C’est moi!” One gets the feeling early on that Anderson, the director of “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and many others, looked at his cutting room floor and thought: “Here lie the […][...]