A Mostly Nice List of Mostly Offbeat Holiday Films"Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas" (1977)—Jim Henson had the Christmas season covered with "The Muppet Christmas Carol," but this little tale is perhaps the most overlooked gem in Henson's treasure trove. The tale of an otter mother and son and …
Homeland SoulEach instrument's note, with its distinct tone, stacks one on top of another and builds a sound so bountiful and lush, they swaddle the listener's ear. The horns blast, starting and stopping at the exact same moment, as if a …
A Mostly Nice List of Offbeat Holiday FilmsThe holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving is past, and Christmas is coming up faster than a speeding sleigh. When you need a moment away from the maddening traffic and endless lines, try popping one of these movies in your DVD …
Beyond HairI need more black friends. That was the first thing I thought as I walked into the Regency Hotel Saturday evening, Nov. 13, for the third annual Mississippi Hair Battle. Among the approximately 1,000 people who attended the event, about …
Coming TogetherMan-about-town Edward Saint Pé is a vibrant personality who eschews labels. His accomplishments range from TV weatherman to business entrepreneur to moviemaker to film actor. Most recently, he's added to the list founder of the Mississippi Film Institute, which hosts …
Fairytales and Folk ArtA few miles north of Vicksburg on Highway 61 stands a maze of white, red and yellow cinder block towers and hand-painted signs with biblical messages. On top of an old store, a sign reads: "All is Welcome, Jews and …
No Rough Edges"One Came Home," the first feature film from Rolling Fork native Willy Bearden, is about an idyllic rural community in Mississippi called Magnolia, where all the mamas are nice, all the men are handy, and all the grown children live …
‘Am I Blue?'"Sita Sings the Blues" is a diaphanous dream of an animated musical. The movie opens on the voluptuous and glittery goddess Sita rising from salty blue waves on a pink lotus blossom. On another lotus blossom, a peacock Victrola balanced …
Funds Available for FilmmakersMississippi Film and Video Alliance is giving new filmmakers a boost with the Emerging Filmmaker's Grant. The grants are available to filmmakers who are just starting out in the industry, and applications are due May 21.
[Modak-Truran] And We're RollingThe independent film scene is less robust than 20 years ago when it was the ultimate cool. The major studios have a tough enough time reaping profits today, and with a few exceptions such as Participant Media, the big players …
Crossroads Film Festival 2010Several months ago, a group of local film enthusiasts started the arduous process of screening films for the Crossroads Film Festival. After spending entire weekends camped in front of a television watching hundreds of films—some inspiring, and some not so …
Building a Better WorldFor more than 20 years, a quiet revolution in American architecture took place in Canton. Samuel Mockbee, a Meridian native, practiced a defiantly local but widely influential form of modernist architecture in the Deep South from the 1970s until his …
The Cost of WitnessingWhen it comes witnessing tragedies and historic events, journalists are often the ones in the crosshairs. But the perception that journalists are tough as nails isn't always true.
Building on Faith"God's Architects" is a documentary that explores the works of five self-appointed architects who cite a higher power as the reason for constructing their environments.