Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman shine a true light on the 1920s blues in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

The stars were not always shining on those that made the blues back in the 1920s. The hard life for Black music makers takes the deserved spotlight in <em>Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom</em>, the fantastic 2020 Netflix drama directed by George C.Wolfe from a screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson based on the play by August Wilson. Ma…

I bow for the talents of Chadwick Boseman, one of my all-time favorites

My day turned sadder with the news of Chadwick Boseman’s passing at the it-can’t-be age of 43 from colon cancer, and so I turn this Monday post from its standard movie review to a tribute to one of my favorite actors. Boseman could act. And I related to his roles, yes, I did. Back in…

Black Panther sets a truly Marvelous stage for the first superhero of color

You bet that Black Panther goes where no superhero movie ever perviously dared. This Marvel Universe breakthrough is co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler, and it primarily takes place in the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Its cast includes younger African American stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyongo’o at the top of…

Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad have the right stuff in Marshall

Before Thurgood Marshall could become one of the icons of American culture by righting so many injustices and becoming the first African American Supreme Court Justice, the young attorney had to overcome many prejudices himself. So we find him as an NAACP nomad in Marshall, leaving his family home in New York City to argue…

Every Marvel superhero universe finds its match in Avengers: Infinity War

The bad guy comes out in the latest edition from the Marvel Universe, and it’s all-hands-on-deck. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo work the patch-quilt of franchises built in this studio kingdom, and for the 2 hours, 29 minutes of the screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley, the battles are many, deep, interwoven and fraught…

Captain America: Civil War takes them from Avenging friends to astonishing rivals to probing film

Life’s tough when you’re an Avenger. The latest in the line of blockbusters from the Marvel Universe starts with more terrible turmoil for the gang of heroes who collect to save the world from bad stuff concocted by badder people. Then it gets worse. Yes, Scarlet Witch’s last-second mind-wave saves Captain America’s bacon. But it…

Hollywood will revisit old-school Nashville to bring back glory days of Hank Williams

Good news, country music fans. The too-short glory of Hank Williams will be given some justice do by Hollywood. “I Saw the Light” is being shot in Louisiana, and stars have been signed for the three major roles. Hank, if you need a reintroduction, died at the age of 29 in 1953 after showing what…

‘Get on Up’ shows all sides of James Brown

When I saw James Brown listed for the main stage of Woodstock ’99 in Rome, N.Y., I made sure I was as close as possible in my role as music critic for the big daily. In fact, the promoters made him the opening act. The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, the Godfather of Soul…