‘Arts’ Archives
He Has His Own Mind
By MIKE HAZARD and MARTI MALTBY “As you can see, I”™m part Irish American, part African American, and part Native American,” said Vernon. I asked what nation. “My brother says Cherokee.” He thumbed through his cellphone texts looking for a picture of his Irish American great grandfather, Henry O”™Killian. He never found it. We talked. MIKE HAZARD “My father taught me to hunt,” says Vern. “We hunted to eat. Venison, bear, beaver, raccoon, and quail. We lived in southern Illinois, near the Kentucky border. I was a country boy. I”™m ready to go back.” “I was a cook in the military, a biscuit burner. Sister Rose (the founder of Peace House) hired me to cook. I cooked at Peace House for two or three months, and then I got a job as a machinist. Machinist paid more, but I liked cooking more. I cook everything. I learned a lot about cooking from ex-girlfriends. (Laugh.) Italian, Spanish, [...]
92nd Oscars Making Glorious History… A Look at Previous Snubs
By HOWARD McQUITTER II Never achieved before, in the 92 years of the Oscars, that a foreign director won for Best Director and Best Picture”““Parasite”, which is an extraordinary mark not only for the Academy but the world of film; especially for South Korea. For me, I jumped up-and-down for the winner of those chosen Oscars, South Korean Bong Joon Ho, who won in two other categories; Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature. (Don”™t get me wrong I jumped up-and-down for other winners, too, such as Brat Pitt for supporting actor and Renee Zellweger for best actress). Some of Bong”™s other wonderful films (perhaps lesser known to the average moviegoer but seen by cinephiles) are “Mother” (2010), The Host” (2007), Memories of Murder” (2007), “Snowpiercer” (2013) and “Barking Dogs never Bite” (2000). All are must sees to get a feel from this great director. The Oscars has a bad [...]
March 2020 Movie Corner
By HOWARD McQUITTER II oldschoolmovies.wordpress.comhowardmcquitter68@gmail.com “Midnight Family”(2019)Documentary/Action/Crime5 of 5 Stars “Midnight Family” is one of those didactic documentaries that feels much more like a narrative than the usual documentary. If you know nothing about the film and hear the title you might think it”™s a mob film or one of those dreamy horror pictures. But instead, the film is about a family in Mexico City who own an ambulance in Mexico City, a sprawling city of nine million people, where only 45 government ambulances are in operation. A city of nine million with only 45 government ambulances is pathetic to say the least. To add to the horrific shortage of government run ambulances, local families trying to eke out a living by having private ambulances. One of those families is the Ochoas, hard working and determined to go to the rescue of those in need of a hospital, clinic or [...]
