‘I Was There'Turning 12 is hard enough for a girl. Old friends start acting weird, especially the slightly older ones starting high school. You can try to hold on to the magic of childhood during a carefree summer, but reality might have …
Nirvana for Film AddictsThe 13th Annual Crossroads Film Fest is April 13 to 15 with events in Madison, Fondren and downtown Jackson. At the Malco Grandview Theater in Madison, movie buffs can view independent films from Mississippi, the United States and around the …
Romance and AngstA true rags-to-riches story, "Cinderella" has all the romance and angst perfect for ballet. The Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet presents its performance of a classic story March 3 at Jackson Academy's Performing Arts Center, 4908 Ridgewood Road.
Eyes of Green FireAldo Leopold believed in wildlife management and conservation long before it was fashionable. "Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land," he wrote in his well-known book, "A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There," published shortly …
A Magic Deeper StillPeter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie accidentally leave their mundane lives for the wonder and adventure that an enchanted wardrobe grants. In C.S. Lewis' celebrated "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the courageous children escape the atrocities of that …
Nine out of Ten Experts Agree"If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life." —Henry David Thoreau
Picks for OscarMost cinema scholars revere 1939 as the ultimate year in motion pictures. Nothing since the new millennium comes remotely close to the majestic heights reached in 1939 or even the peaks of the early 1940s or mid-1970s. That is, until …
For the Love of ArtToddlers dance around the dining room table as Samuel McCain absorbs the musical notes from his iPod. The tunes might inspire his next piece of artwork. Sitting against the patio window, his easel holds the blank canvas where a palette …
Tick Tock, Tick Tock"Safe House" is a CIA-agent-gone-rogue thriller. No further information is needed to understand the plot line, and if this picture didn't have Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds and a fine cast of actors—along with that inexplicable something else—there would be no …
The TruthniksWhen it comes to political memoirs, most are either too safe to be interesting or too salacious to be taken seriously. With political thrillers, the plots are often either too thin to be enthralling or too complicated to be enjoyable.
Love, Cinema StyleWhether at home or at the theater, nothing is more enjoyable with a loved one like a movie.
Smart? Not ReallyGrowing up with eager readers, Sumrall native David McRaney flocked to the art of storytelling. McRaney, 34, works by day as director of new media at WDAM, but in his spare time is an avid blogger and published author.
Oxford Film Festival 2012The Oxford Film Festival follows closely on the heels of the Sundance Film Festival, which, in my book, officially launched the 2012 independent film season.
Plunge ForwardIt'll take a year to read Scott Ginsberg's newest book, "Ideas Are Free, Execution Is Priceless". By design. It's one of those motivational books with a suggestion a day for a year. I love these books because they're so easy …
A Golden Standard"Are you ready for some football?" A voice in the dark asks before the start of New Stage Theatre's production of "Lombardi."