Slow Jam Saturday : Melvin Riley Jr., “Whose Is It?”
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to venture to the Wolverine State and show some love to “Whose Is It,” the lead single from Melvin Riley Jr.’s solo album “Ghetto Stories.”
“The Phoenician Scheme” is strictly for die hard “Wes Fandersons”
Wes Anderson has long been the cinematic equivalent of an eccentric watchmaker. Every frame was precisely engineered, every movement perfectly timed…
Blood Ties and Broken Truths: “The Better Sister” delivers an engaging family drama
Best-selling author Alafair Burke sees her 2019 novel The Better Sister come to the small screen from Prime Video. The series’ directors include Leslie Hope, Stephanie Laing, Dawn Wilkinson, Craig Gillespie, and Azarel Jacobs.
“Bono: Stories of Surrender” – a rock legend gets intimate (and actually kinda wins you over)
A rock music icon has teamed up with Apple Original Films to produce the compelling documentary “Bono: Songs of Surrender.
Second Listen Sunday: Johnny Gill, “Chemistry”
From his early days in the family group Wings of Faith, Mr. Gill was born to make music. However, as R&B fans know, Johnny Gill’s initial release with Atlantic Records failed to make a significant impact when it first came out. The 1983 self-titled debut showed a strong voice struggling to adapt to a studio that couldn’t properly utilize its power.
Slow Jam Saturday: Myron, “Destiny”
My introduction to Myron was with the song “Sistas” on the “Eddie” soundtrack in the summer of 1996. Before setting up his solo album, Myron would write classics for Mya and Dru Hill. “Destiny” was written by Myron and Tyrice Jones, and the latter was also producing. Set to a sample of Herbie Hancock’s “Come Running to Me”, the song explores how fate governs the formation of connections between people meant to exist from the beginning.
“Fear Street: Prom Queen” – a slasher that doesn’t reign
Following a well-received adaptation of “Fear Street”, Netflix dips back into the catalogue of RL Stine for their latest horror feature in “Fear Street: Prom Queen”. Matt Palmer directs the film from a script co-written with Donald McLeary. Prom season at Shadyside High is underway, and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider puts herself in the running, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.
Luxury, Lies, and Power Plays: “Sirens” is a Limited Series Worth the Steam
In Netflix’s latest limited series, the allure of perfect luxury is portrayed as both tempting and dangerous. Molly Smith Metzler’s series “Sirens” turns this illusion into a battleground where class dynamics and the complexities of sisterhood clash.
“The New Boy: a Sacred Clash of Spirits and Survival
Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy is a haunting, evocative tale of spiritual collision and colonial imposition set in the unforgiving Australian outback during the early 1940s. Told entirely from the perspective of a young Aboriginal boy (brilliantly portrayed by newcomer Aswan Reid), the film is a quiet yet powerful exploration of Indigenous spirituality clashing with rigid Christian dogma—one that lingers with audiences long after the final frame.
Second Listen Sunday: Sean Garrett, “Turbo 919”
Music producers transitioning to a solo album is common in the music industry. For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit Sean Garrett’s solo debut, “Turbo 919,” released in 2008.
Slow Jam Saturday: Lathun, “Fortunate”
If you were to ask most music fans about the R&B song “Fortunate”, they would say the name Maxwell. However, in 2001, another singer named Lathun released a Neo-Soul version of the same title, which serves as this week’s pick for Slow Jam Saturday.
“Bring Her Back: A Chiller That Almost Brings It Home”
Directors Danny and Michael Philippou reunite with A24 for their follow-up to the 2022 hit “Talk to Me” with “Bring Her Back.” As he did with the previous film, Danny also co-wrote the script with Bill Hinzman. Andy (Billy Barratt) and his vision-impaired stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are thick as thieves who have to come together after their father’s suicide.