If you didn’t see the film Sister Act that came out in 1992 starring Whoopie Goldberg, then you can always see the musical on stage. An ambitious disco-style lounge singer, who calls herself Deloris Van Cartier, gets into a relationship with a married man thinking he’ll make her a star. She witnesses him murder one of his associates and goes into hiding for fear he’ll kill her … [Read more...]
In Defense of Green Book as Best Picture – Academy Awards 2019
Every year I attend an Oscar party with a bunch of my voice-over friends. We look forward to it every year because it’s about the only time we’re together in the same room. Before we arrive, most of us do research to guess who will win. We pay $5 for a ballot and the winners go home with cash. Even though most of the pundits predicted “Roma,” “Roma,” “Roma,” I knew in my gut it … [Read more...]
Struggle: A Documentary Film About a Brilliant and Forgotten Artist
In 2013, I wrote a blog post about a genius artist and sculptor I knew in the early 1980s. His name was Stanislav Szukalski. My post apparently popped up on Google and I was asked to do an interview for an upcoming documentary film about his life called "Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski." Two of the producers are George and Leonardo DiCaprio who also knew Mr. … [Read more...]
Remembering Boyle Heights – History and Gentrification – Theater Review
I’ve written several times about Boyle Heights as I often attend performances at the CASA 0101 Theatre located there. It’s a city known for its Chicano heritage but if you delve into Los Angeles history, you’ll find that its cultural richness is made up of a diverse variety of cultures. I attended the theater’s recent production called “Remembering Boyle Heights” and it was an … [Read more...]
BlacKkKlansman: A Movie By Spike Lee and Why It’s Important Now
I’m trying to make sense of last week. Within 72 hours, there were 3 hate-filled crimes committed on U.S. soil. A white man failed to barge into a black church with a gun, so he walked into a Kroger store in Kentucky and shot 2 African Americans. (we didn’t hear much about that) Next was the pipe bomb assassination attempts of 2 former U.S. Presidents, high officials, … [Read more...]
