‘Arts’ Archives
Hamnet
from the series Movie Corner... 5/5 Stars Period Piece/Romance/DramaFocus Features By HOWARD MCQUITTER II Howard McQuitter II When I was a kid, I had a love for period pieces and other genres such as Anthony Mann’s El Cid (1961) and Peter Glenville’s Becket (1964). Fast forward to December 2025 as I watched the highly touted film Hamnet. Hamnet is hauntingly filled with grief as the pestilence lies in the background like a leopard waiting in a bush before it pounces on its prey. At the center of this 16th century (c1590) English village is William Shakespeare, his wife Agnes, and three children, one of whom is the young boy named Hamnet. In Shakespeare’s time, the names of “Hamnet” and “Hamlet” were interchangeable. Agnes is an extraordinary woman as a healer and Will a promising playwright and actor. Focus Features Hamnet is told through the eyes of Agnes as a family affair. Even when death grips the most vulnerable, it is life that is fervently [...]
South and Roosevelt High Schools Bring Swing Night to the Neighborhood
A night of music and dancing filled the Hook & Ladder Lounge with festive energy the evening of November 19th. Performances by jazz bands from South and Roosevelt High Schools along with dance demos by South High Dance kept the crowd moving! Photo: Laura Hulscher Photo: Laura Hulscher Photo: Laura Hulscher
Bugonia
from the series Movie Corner... 4/5 Stars Thriller/Dark Comedy/Crime/SatireFocus Features By HOWARD MCQUITTER II Howard McQuitter II Conspiracy theories are “written” everywhere (or so it seems) in another one of director Yorgos Lanthimos’ films: Kinds of Kindness (2024), Poor Things (2023). Bugonia is where the uneasiness and bizarre meet somehow and somewhere. Focus Features Two men, Teddy and Don, are cousins and fanatical conspiracy theorists who believe Michelle, a CEO of a pharmaceutical company, is really an alien that has come to Earth to destroy an unassuming house. To be specific, Teddy believes Michelle is an Andromedan, an alien who starts killing the bees before going on to kill humanity. Both men interrogate her, trying to force her to admit that she’s an alien. All the while Michelle pleads to them to let her go. As the film progresses, Teddy becomes even more violent and insane. These men seem to be hopeless and vulnerable, striking out at [...]
