Vengeful Parishioner Threatens Priest in Irish Morality Play
Calvary Film Review by Kam Williams Vengeful Parishioner Threatens Priest in Irish Morality Play While hearing confessions in church one day, Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) gets the shock of his life. First, a disturbed man recounts in lurid detail how, as a child, he’d been raped by a priest every other day for five years. Then, the anonymous confessor announces that since the pedophile who ruined his life is already deceased, he’s decided to even the … [Read More its Good for You...]
Unplanned Pregnancy Pressures Sophomoric Slacker to Mature in Scandinavian Social Satire
The Almost Man (Mir Eller Mindre Mann) Film Review by Kam Williams Unplanned Pregnancy Pressures Sophomoric Slacker to Mature in Scandinavian Social Satire Henrik Sandvik (Henrik Rafaelsen) is a slacker who’s never had to grow up. The 35 year-old underachiever is still doted on by a helicopter mom (Anne Ma Usterud) willing to wait on him hand-and-foot. His equally-immature BFFs are the same guys he’s hung around since high school. Their boorish behavior ranges … [Read More its Good for You...]
Romance Saga Set in Nigeria Released on DVD
Half of a Yellow Sun DVD Review by Kam Williams Romance Saga Set in Nigeria Released on DVD Twins Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) and Olanna (Thandie Newton) hail from a well-to-do Nigerian family well-enough connected to send them overseas to college where they majored in business and sociology, respectively. Ironically, while the sisters were acquiring a first-rate Western education in England, the independence movement back home was seeking to sever its ties with … [Read More its Good for You...]
Books
Nine Lives of a Black Panther
Nine Lives of a Black Panther: A Story of Survival by Wayne Pharr Chicago Review Press Hardcover, $26.95 320 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-1-61374-916-6 Book Review by Kam Williams “In the early morning hours of December 8, 1969, 300 officers of the newly-created, elite paramilitary unit known as SWAT initiated a violent battle with a handful of Los Angeles-based members of the Black Panther Party [BPP]… 5 hours and 5,000 rounds of … [Read More its Good for You...]
Blessed Experiences
Blessed Experiences Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black by Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC) Foreword by Alfre Woodard University of South Carolina Press Hardcover, $34.95 386 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-1-61117-337-6 Book Review by Kam Williams “From his humble beginnings in Sumter, South Carolina to his prominence on the Washington, D.C. political scene as the third highest-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn has led an … [Read More its Good for You...]
The Rise
The Rise Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery by Sarah Lewis Simon and Schuster Hardcover, $26.00 272 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-1-4516-2923-1 Book Review by Kam Williams “This book is about the advantages that come from the improbable ground of creative endeavor. Brilliant inventions and human feats that have come from labor—an endeavor that offers the world a gift from the maker’s soul—involve a path aided by the possibility of setbacks and the … [Read More its Good for You...]
Lifestyle
Zach to the Future!
Zach Braff The “Wish I Was Here” Interview with Kam Williams Zach to the Future! Zach Braff was born in South Orange, New Jersey on April 6, 1975. He attended Columbia High School in Maplewood where he was friends with hip-hop diva-to-be Lauryn Hill. Zach studied film at Northwestern University where he earned a B.A. before heading to Hollywood. As an actor, he’s best known as Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian on Scrubs, the Emmy-winning sitcom which enjoyed a nine-year run on network TV … [Read More its Good for You...]
Everything’s Coming Up Rosie!
Rosie Perez The “Handbook for an Unpredictable Life” Interview with Kam Williams Everything’s Coming Up Rosie! Rosie Maria Perez was born on September 6, 1964 in Bushwick, Brooklyn where she was raised in a Catholic orphanage after being abandoned by her mom and taken from her aunt. She made a most memorable screen debut as Spike Lee’s girlfriend, Tina, in Do the Right Thing, and later landed an Oscar-nomination for a nonpareil performance in Fearless. Her many other credits … [Read More its Good for You...]
The Astronomical Kid Comes of Age
Brian “Astro” Bradley The “Earth to Echo” Interview with Kam Williams The Astronomical Kid Comes of Age Brian “Astro” Bradley was born on August 26, 1996 in Brownsville, Brooklyn where he started rapping as at an early age. At 14, he successfully auditioned for Season 1 of the reality-TV series “The X-Factor” by performing a song he wrote called, “Stop Looking at My Moms.” Astro finished 7th overall in the competition whose judges included Simon … [Read More its Good for You...]
Events
Free Safari Express to The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Baltimore Visitor Center, Through August 30
July 05, 2014 – August 30, 2014 The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and Veolia Transportation are bringing the Safari Express shuttle to Baltimore's Inner Harbor once again this summer! Beginning on Saturday, July 5 and continuing each Saturday through August 30, hop on the Safari Express for a free ride from the Baltimore Visitor Center to the Zoo for a wild adventure. The shuttle is available to anyone who wants to visit the Zoo – out-of-town visitors, families, Zoo members – … [Read More its Good for You...]
Children’s Stories come to life- Exploring Fundamentals of Art, Arts on the Green, August 4 – 8
Date: August 04 – August 08, 2014 Time: 9:00 am – 11:30 am (daily) What do bubbles and frogs, pizza and monsters, or contests and flies have in common? Based on popular books by Tedd Arnold, campers will delight in making shave cream paint, bubble paper, clay creations, mobiles and dioramas while having FUN learning about frogs and insects, color theory and texture. Please bring a smock or wear clothes that can get messy. There will be an exhibit for family and friends … [Read More its Good for You...]
Cloud: The Challenge of the Stallions, Tim Gill Center for Public Media, August 6
Date: August 6, 2014 Time: 7:00 pm Presented by The Cloud Foundation When a new-born pale palomino colt tottered from the trees in front of her camera, Ginger Kathrens, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, Founder and Volunteer Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation never realized the life-changing impact wild horses would have on her life. Filmed in the Pryor Mountains of Montana, this film is the story of Cloud and his family. Ginger will present the film and … [Read More its Good for You...]