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.
"Dad are we pyromaniacs?" "Yes, we arson."
If you grew up in New England in the 70s and 80s, you were exposed to an incredibly diverse music scene. Chart rockers abound, Aerosmith, J. Geils and the Cars filled the airwaves. Radio playlists were laced with alternatives like the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, Pixies, Til Tuesday and Watermelon Slim.
Italian director Giuseppe Capotondi’s directing career kicked off at age 23. He cut his teeth on music videos and over 250 TV commercials, subsequently winning international awards. The Burnt Orange Heresy, his second feature, is a fascinating Hitchcockian mystery which has more twists and turns than a salted pretzel.
Its 2020, so it should be perfectly clear to you there is simply no better way to start the decade than with a new project from Sue Palmer. She continues to mine her four decade, freakishly large catalog of music in order to provide us with Gems: Volume 2.
Tanel Toom directed the brilliant “Truth And Justice,” Estonia’s entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. Shot for under three million dollars, Rein Kotov’s cinematography gave a mega-million dollar look to the film.
Tanel Toom is a talented young Estonian filmmaker who cut his directing teeth on short films. His first full-length feature is “Truth And Justice,” an epic that spans decades. The story is about blind ambition and the cost to those caught in that orbit. It is the most watched film in Estonia.
Sax man extraordinaire Jonny Viau is always in demand. It took four years to get this interview, and before I could ask a single question, his phone goes off. The ringtone is a wailing harmonica solo; just file that away for later in our conversation.
Julianne Moore launched her career on episodic television programs such as “The Edge of Night,” “Another World,” “B.L. Stryker,” and “30 Rock.” She eventually moved onto the big screen where she gave memorable performances in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Body of Evidence, Benny & Joon, The Fugitive, Roommates, Nine Months, Surviving Picasso...
Julianne Moore (Julie) is one of Hollywood’s most gifted actors. She has won an Academy Award and an Emmy and was the first American woman to be feted with acting awards at film festivals including, Cannes, Berlin and Venice. Due to her father’s military career, Julianne lived in dozens of countries around the world.