‘Arts’ Archives
Movie Corner: House Party
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II Howard McQuitter 5/5 STARS New Line Cinema1990Comedy Nothing is more energetic, more fun and more entertaining than young Black people gathering at a neighbor’s house for dancing, all in all having a good time. (Unfortunately, gun violence and other altercations have greatly marred many house parties in recent decades.) To be honest, director Reginald Hudlin and producer Warrington Hudlin’s House Party (1990) appears to be incredibly dated, but the movie is a remarkably charming, funny and intelligent comedy. Kid ‘n Play (Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin) started their careers as rap artists before moving into movies. But when they moved into Hollywood, both men, in conjunction with Reginald and Warrington Hudlin, wanted to make an African American comedy to remember. The storyline in House Party starts out when Play’s parents go out of town. He has a “master” plan to host the house party of all house parties. And, of [...]
Movie Corner: Search Outside the Box Office
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. Société Générale des Films By HOWARD MCQUITTER II The best films are not necessarily current box office hits. Just the other day, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) featured one of the best films in film history which is The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer (Master of the House, 1925), the film showcases one of the most remarkable single performances by an actor in film history - Renée Jeanne Falconetti as Joan of Arc. She was known at the time for comedy routines in theater and cinema. What silent film thespians learn to master is visual expressions and body movements. In numerous closeups Falconetti does an amazing performance as the tortured Joan of Arc who is being accused of heresy by powerful ecclesiastical men. She does this for 110 minutes. It’s nothing less than extraordinary. I saw The Passion of Joan of Arc many years ago, but after seeing it again recently I realized even more than before how great her [...]
Color Visions
By SHELIA BLANDRed roseBlue jeansBlack nightsGreen seas Orange horizons Yellow dusksGolden DawnsDreamy haze Drip and dreary daysBlanketed whites and grays Patterns and texturesSplattering colorDimensional creationA fictional maze Color burstsSound explosionsFlights of fantasyRainbow revelationsShelia Bland lives in Midtown Phillips. She has been writing most of her life to help herself understand the experiences and people in her shared world.
