James Cotton was born into a Mississippi farming family in the middle of the summer, 1935. As the youngest of eight children, his prospects in the Tunica cotton fields held few opportunities beyond hauling water buckets for laborers or endless hours on a plantation tractor seat in the sweltering Delta sun.
Luther Tucker loved the blues. Born in Memphis in 1936 his path in life seemed pre-destined when he moved to Chicago in the early 1940s. His mother played piano and she would eventually introduce young Luther to some of Chicago’s most legendary bluesmen.
It’s been almost 30 years now since I ran into Carey Bell. He was touring through Europe and was gracious enough to sit down and talk for awhile about his friends, his life in music and the road he travelled. He was a remarkable talent and genuinely funny human being.
Ekwa Msangi’s directorial debut, Farewell Amor is a tender story about an immigrant family facing new beginnings. Essentially a three-hander, the finely fleshed out characters are brought to life by Msangi and the stirring performances of the principal actors. It’s time for the character’s rediscovery and director Msangi divides the film into three segments to reflect the adjustments each character …
"You’re going to a WHAT?” asked my friend apprehensively. Yup. An hotel. Three of them actually for a total of six days as part of an Empire State Road Trip in upstate New York in early September, sponsored by the Harbor Hotels Collection.
Living with the harsh reality that the United States Supreme Court is the most conservative since the 1930’s, we are faced with the possibility of reversal of protections – from healthcare to environmental. In that regard, Alan Ball’s compelling Uncle Frank couldn’t be timelier.
Apparently the “go to guy” for art-related films seems to be the talented Danish actor Claes Bang. He starred in the The Square, The Burnt Orange Heresy and currently co-stars in The Last Vermeer, written by James McGee, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, based on the book “The Man Who Made Vermeers” by Jonathan Lopez.
Searching for words or names is a familiar phenomenon affecting many people who struggle to find the descriptive noun for familiar everyday objects and experiences. What was the name of that actor? What is that restaurant that serves vegetable curry? What is that thing I use on my teeth every night? Oh yes, it’s dental floss.
Any career woman, who has been faced with juggling her work with parental responsibilities will relate to French director Alice Winocour’s “Proxima.” Co-written with Jean-Stéphane Bron, the film is basically a family drama centering on a female astronaut in training for a space trip to Mars.
Wonderfully produced and directed by Laura Naylor, this enchanting film presents an intimate look at the daily lives of a group of working class men, some of whom have been showing up for the harvest drive at the Jacques Selosse vineyards for the last twenty-five years. The film captures the heart and soul of this particular harvest experience.
