by Sandy | Aug 13, 2009 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Creativity, Culture, Film, Movies
“I Bring What I Love” – is a documentary film about Youssou N’Dour, the pop music superstar from Senegal, West Africa.
N’Dour is revered for his “remarkable range and poise and for his prodigious musical intelligence as a writer, bandleader and producer. He absorbs the entire Senegalese musical spectrum in his work, often filtering it through the lens of genre-defying rock or pop music from outside his culture. N’Dour has made “mbalax”—a blend of Senegal‘s traditional griot percussion and praise-singing with Afro-Cuban music—famous throughout the world during more than 20 years of recording and touring outside of Senegal with his band, The Super Étoile”.
The director of “I Bring What I Love”, Elizabeth Chai Vasahelyi, followed the singer for 2 years throughout Africa, Europe and the U.S. to bring us a picture of this super talented and complex man who spread the music and rhythms of his homeland worldwide.
Youssou N’Dour * “I Bring What I Love“
by Sandy | Aug 9, 2009 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Movies
Denzel. He is a “single name” person – like Cher, Madonna, Fidel. I must admit I’m supremely biased – I think Mr. Washington is fabulous. Just watch him walk! I saw him Off Broadway in the 80’s in a great piece called “A Soldier’s Play”, written by Charles Fuller. It was just after he left the TV series “St. Elsewhere” and before his award winning performance in ‘Glory” – you could tell he was the real deal.
He is one of the best actors of his generation. When he gets a good script (and even sometimes when he doesn’t) he is wonderful and his performance in “American Gangster” is no exception.
Written by Steve Zaillian and directed by Ridley Scott, with a group of excellent actors – Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin and the legendary Ruby Dee – this movie is based on a true story. It follows a NYC drug dealer, Frank Lucas, (Washington), and the cop that is obsessed/committed to taking him down, (Crowe).
Regardless of his personal issues, (he and that model seem to have a penchant for throwing phones?) Crowe is terrific as the gangster’s arch enemy. His determined lawman assembles a mini task force in response to the drug explosion that happened in 70’s NYC. This evil became widespread and brought both desperation and devastation to the communities where it thrived and huge amounts of money to those who sold it. A dangerous and toxic combination – those addicted wouldn’t give it up, those that became rich, refused to.
Engrossing film. Drug dealing is not glorified thank goodness, but, you get a chance to see how some think that the havoc that they wreak on their fellow man is not only ok, but, entrepreneurial – the American way.
Scary.
by Bob Martin | Jun 26, 2009 | Actors, Art, Artist Residencies, Culture, Dance, Education, Events, Live Performance, Writing and Speaking
The key to a great career is to be totally in love with what you do. Helen Mirren must have been in more then 50 movies and a equal amount of plays and TV series. She is remarkably in that she continues to work. Her first credits go back to 1967. 
London’s National Theatre Production of Phèdre starring Ms. Mirren, performed in London and screened at Mann Chinese Theatre in LA yesterday. These kinds of screenings make theatre accessible and affordable again. No travel and no enormous Broadway ticket price.
There is a review on the LA Times blog but there are also tweets by the theater goers. Pretty nice.
by Bob Martin | Jun 25, 2009 | Actors, Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music
Two artists, born into fame at a time when we fans demanded more then a performance.
Michael Jackson
We wanted to know everything about our stars, even those things that we would not divulge about ourselves. As fans we were both harsh and judgmental about all of our media hero’s.
In the end, all we ever needed to know and remember were their performances.
“nough said”
by Bob Martin | Jun 16, 2009 | Actors, Art, Film, Movies
Have you ever noticed that people become irritated when other people are happy. For some reason people take it personally, like they are being ridiculed, if other people are happy seemingly for no reason. I had a chance to see the film “Happy Go Lucky
” last week. It’s a funny little film and insightful. It certainly had me rethink my attitude. Having me be more conscious of sometimes raining on others parade.
The movie stars Sally Hawkins as Pauline “Poppy” Cross, a young lady committed to seeing the world in its best possible light. On DVD, good rental 😆
by Bob Martin | Jun 7, 2009 | Art, Film, Movies
Knowing how the story ends does not take away anything from watching the story being told, because it so incredible that maybe, just maybe it really didn’t happen. “Man on Wire” is an unforgettable documentary that speaks to commitment, dreams, love and accomplishing the impossible.
As I watched this movie I kept shaking my head, certain that I lacked both the courage and the insanity attempt something like walking on a wire between the World Trade Center Twin Towers, however each of us comes face to face with our own wire act. The film served as both entertainment and a metaphor for the challanges we face each day that look impossible when we wake and are accomplished before we go to sleep that night.
The film is on DVD and a must see.
