Criminal Subterfuge and Dark Desires in Chabrol’s Minimalist Murder-Mysteries
While murder and crime certainly run deep in Claude Chabrol’s world of subterfuge, the dark desires of human nature that provoke them run immeasurably deeper.
Imran Khan
Theodore Witcher’s Paean to Hip-Hop ‘Love Jones’ Charms and Seduces
In 1997, you could call Love Jones a small, curious drama that won many critics over. Today, it stands as a cornerstone of Black narrative in cinema.
Astrid Williamson Moves Mountains and a Few Souls with ‘Into the Mountain’
Astrid Williamson’s songwriting prowess as both a classically trained artist and an alternative rock maven makes the earth tremble on Into the Mountain.
UK MC Figure of Speech on His Anti-Racist Hip-Hop Album
UK MC Figure of Speech talks about his debut album, a judicious bridging between current affairs and the socially-conscious erudition of hip-hop’s early days.
Filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles Cast His Stylistic Net Wide in His Groundbreaking Works of the ’70s
For Melvin Van Peebles good cheer and cool heads prevail against the tirade of ill-will and malevolence. His wide-ranging filmmaking style conveys that overarching sentiment.
Buffalo Nichols Impresses Mightily with His Folk Blues on “How to Love”
Plucking chords with steel-tipped determination, Buffalo Nichols brandishes his songs with the worn sentimentality that has had many scarred souls in lonely bars crying into their beers.
Michael J. Sheehy Says “Everything That Rises Must Converge”
Michael J. Sheehy sings of transcendence and resolve and, driven by a poignancy that can only be of the preserve of songwriters everywhere.
Underground Hip-Hoppers Blu, Mickey Factz, Nottz “Stay Down”
“Stay Down” is an unfussy, short but sweet delight, in which Blu trades his conversational rhymes with the ruminative verses of Mickey Factz.
Jacques Deray’s Drama ‘La Piscine’ Is Hypnotic and Quietly Ruthless
Sultry, hypnotic, and quietly ruthless, Jacques Deray’s La Piscine is a slow-burner rife with impossible beauty and turbulent emotion.
John Edgar Wideman’s Short Story Collection ‘You Made Me Love You’ Challenges Beautifully
John Edgar Wideman’s You Made Me Love You features an array of impressive, thought-provoking stories of considerable depth.
Mike Ladd and Remi Rough Unite on ‘The Dead Can Rap’
Mike Ladd with producer Rough pulls up a wealth of succulent groove on The Dead Can Rap, nudging the think tank of his polemic poetry onto the dancefloor.
Punk Rabble-Rousers the OBGMs Kick Out the Jams on ‘The Ends’
The OBGMs generate a sound that’s altogether brutal, sensual, raucous, and hungry on The Ends. It’s been long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize.