Culture | Jackson Free Press | Jacskon, Mississippi

jfpculture

Smart? Not Really

Growing 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. read more »

Oxford Film Festival 2012

The Oxford Film Festival follows closely on the heels of the Sundance Film Festival, which, in my book, officially launched the 2012 independent film season. read more »

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." read more »

The Iconic Coach

When I think of NFL head coaches, several names come to mind. Depending on your age, you might think of Bill Belichick, Sean Payton or if you are younger, Mike Tomlin. read more »

A Pleasing Affair

The poster for "The Artist" reveals a raffishly handsome gentleman gazing into the soft, wide eyes of a beautiful ingénue. They are glamorous in the high-contrast, black-and-white photo. read more »

An Ill-Fitting Life

Jackson native Barrett Hathcock has given readers a small gem with his short-story collection, "The Portable Son". The stories read like a novel. Instead of unrelated snippets, protagonist Peter Gallatin's struggle toward adulthood links the tales together read more »

‘The Matchmaker’

Avi Nesher's "The Matchmaker" is a gold-dusted fable of love, friendship and everlasting hope. The movie opens at the end of the story, in war-torn Haifa, Israel, where Lebanese missiles have left casualties, and rescue personnel race to save any survivors. read more »

Jewish Film Fest: Best of the Best

Michael Steiner screened about three dozen films for the upcoming Jewish Cinema Mississippi 2012 film festival. As co-chairman of the January event, he and the other screening committee members narrowed that batch of 30-something movies down to four that they consider to be the best in recent Jewish and Israeli-themed cinema. read more »

Walking the Thin Purple Line

"Carnage," based on the Tony award-winning play "God of Carnage" ("Le Dieu du Carnage") by French dramatist Yasmina Rez, explores civility, savagery and vomiting on art books. The movie opens without drama on a long, static shot of a local park where a group of 11-year-old boys are playing. 1 read more »

Tinker, Tailor, Texture

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," based on John Le Carré's classic espionage thriller of the same name, is a lyrical poem of intrigue told in bits and pieces of flashback from different perspectives. It has many moving parts, and it is difficult to keep it all straight. read more »

Sequel Prequels?

As soon as I began reading Bill Loehfelm's third book, "The Devil She Knows" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011, $26), I developed motherly concern for the book's protagonist, Maureen Coughlin, a Staten Island waitress who feels as if her life is slipping by. Maureen has been a bar waitress for more than 10 years and wants a change. read more »

T-Bones: Hattiesburg Music Mecca

A gigantic, abstract Miles Davis watches over patrons grazing through racks of new and vintage vinyl. Customers look through tightly packed CDs in wire racks that include albums from the Pixies, Bob Dylan, Radiohead and Al Green. read more »

Silent Crusader

David Fincher's film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's international bestseller, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," scorches the screen with a new-millennium Joan of Arc on a social crusade against violence. "I want you to help me catch a killer of women," Mikael Blomkvist says to Lisbeth Salander. read more »

‘Grunge was an Adjective’

"Grunge" is a term that reminds some folks of youth and the first tastes of music considered "alternative." Maybe flannel comes to mind, that infamous Mudhoney EP cover or the first time you ever saw Chris Cornell. It takes me back to being a kid watching Kurt Cobain sing "Heart-Shaped Box" on MTV. read more »

Green Gold

The search for jade's source in the Americas took on the air of mystery when evidence of forgotten, ancient and highly sophisticated civilizations emerged from the equatorial jungles. Where did it come from? read more »

more culture »

::food & drink How to Cook Up Date Nights Give your sweetheart an experience to remember and not just another food processor to store in the cabinet. Viking Cooking School (1107 Highland Colony Parkway, 601-898-8345) offers opportunities for the two of you to get out and try something different—learning to prepare new dishes—so that later, you can stay in and enjoy a special evening. Ice Cream Sandwiches for Grover Have Your Cake and Drink it, Too BARKEEP: Laura Collins more food » more drink »	::artbuzz Flat on the Floor The sculpture of tiles is made of black-and-white photographic images of floors stripped of possessions and lifelines. Left on the homes' slabs are scatterings of personal items discarded after a deluge of waves and wind. The tiles form checkerboards of destruction: the historical marker of Hurricane Katrina. Coming to Art Late in Life Women of Substance Institute Honors Mississippi Artists, Writers more artbuzz »
click to advertise
::film Coming-of-Age Flicks Graduation is not closing a chapter. It is not turning one's back on lessons learned. Instead, graduation is a stepping stone to responsibility. Numerous movies capture this transition. These options each offer a slightly different coming-of-age epiphany. Crossroads Film 2011 Reviews The Reel Oxford Films of Love more film »	::books&games Smart? Not Really Growing 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. Sequel Prequels? ‘Grunge was an Adjective’ Green Gold more books/games »
click to advertise
:: entertainmentforum Aug 14, 2011 \| 09:00 PM 30 years later old cassette gives songwriter second chance at dream by oxfordarts.com 1 Jun 10, 2011 \| 08:02 AM Actors, Actors, Directors, Stage hands, Needed! by Quin 1 Apr 20, 2011 \| 04:34 PM Hall of Fame Songwriters Pick Mississippito Look for Songwriters for the National Songwriting Festival. by oxfordarts.com 1 Feb 11, 2009 \| 03:43 PM Mississippi Community Symphonic Band Concert March 7, 2009 by matterofstyle 1 Nov 16, 2008 \| 05:23 PM Open Casting Call by Quin 1 Entertainment forum »	:: cultureforum Sep 29, 2011 \| 04:48 AM Re-Jena'd by Prophet 2 Jan 14, 2009 \| 12:53 PM Race Relations by wade G. 1 Dec 27, 2008 \| 12:53 AM The Implications of Considering Slavery a "Birth Defect" of our Nation by daniel johnson 7 Oct 10, 2008 \| 12:35 PM Who are the people we honor? by exjacksonian 3 Sep 10, 2008 \| 10:24 PM Man claims to have eaten 23,000 Big Macs by golden eagle 2 Culture forum »
:: recentcomments Feb 09, 2012 \| 04:55 PM [Outlaw] A More Perfect Union thabian: Loved this column not only for the very important subject matter, but because it contained a truly entertaining voice. I wanted to read more!!!! Feb 09, 2012 \| 04:35 PM Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation DonnaLadd: Let's not forget when Rep. Holland tried to ban abortion back in 2006. Many of us weren't laughing about that stunt. Here's a 2010 report on him and a different ... Feb 09, 2012 \| 04:15 PM Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation Jason Meeks: brief mention of it in video :) by Colbert (via Twitter trending) http://tpmmuckraker. talkingpointsmemo.com/201 2/02/mississippi_rep_want ... Feb 09, 2012 \| 04:01 PM Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation DonnaLadd: Oh, and I love it when Mississippi punks the nation. Feb 09, 2012 \| 03:57 PM Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation DonnaLadd: I'm surprised anyone took it seriously. We heard about it earlier the week, and it seemed obvious before it was Holland. But we all deal with him. I'll never ... Feb 09, 2012 \| 03:40 PM Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation Lori G: I thought it was genius when I saw it. Of course, I knew the Colbert joke. I think that is the problem. In this state, there just aren't enough people that know ... Feb 09, 2012 \| 03:20 PM Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation DonnaLadd: I can totally see Holland on Colbert, both pretending to be conservatives! Ha! Feb 09, 2012 \| 03:16 PM Fight the Power rlnave: Attorney General Jim Hood was worried for nothing. Even though he was at the Supreme Court making arguments in the ongoing pardon case this morning, I'm hearing that Jackson Democratic Rep. Cecil ... Feb 09, 2012 \| 03:16 PM Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation Lori G: This is an old Colbert joke! I wish someone would send this to Colbert. I swear, I think he'd cover it. Feb 09, 2012 \| 03:02 PM [Editor's Note] Aloha, Jackson DonnaLadd: By the way, I looked up an image of the patch our captain friend gave us. Apparently, he is with the 25th Infantry Division; read more here.