DVDs, TV

Chances are you will love the bittersweet “My Mother and Other Strangers”

June 5, 2017 alanwp

Chances are . . .

Hattie Morahan and Aaron Staton star as a village teacher and U.S. air force officer whose chance meeting in Northern Ireland during World War II leads to a friendship that blossoms into something deeper.

Welcome to Masterpiece: My Mother and Other Strangers (PBS Distribution), coming to DVD on July 11. Also starring is Owen McDonnell as the teacher’s dour but loving husband, along with Eileen O’Higgins, Michael Nevin, Des McAleer, Kate Phillips, Fiona Button and Ciarán Hinds.

During its recent UK broadcast, viewers and critics were deeply moved by this bittersweet tale. “No other recent drama has captured quite so keenly a sense of the complex, hidden, unspoken desires that can roil away beneath even the quietest surface,” wrote the reviewer for The Telegraph, who added, “Hattie Morahan is superb.”

Shot on the stunningly beautiful Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland, the film portrays the culture clash when a U.S. bomber base is established near the fictional village of Moybeg in 1943, bringing hundreds of gum-chewing, swing-band-listening American airmen to a remote Ulster farming community, with its winsome women and stolid workingmen.

The action is framed from the point of view of a young boy, Francis Coyne (played by Nevin, with voiceover of Francis as an older man by Hinds). Francis’s childhood is populated by strangers. On the one hand, there are the friendly Americans in their Jeeps and airplanes, who treat him like a little brother. Then there is his mother, Rose (Morahan), an upright Englishwoman who married Michael Coyne (McDonnell) and moved to his hometown, Moybeg, where she is raising their three children, teaching in the village school, and tending a grocery shop next to Michael’s pub. Despite being a pillar of the community, Rose has never fit in. She speaks more properly than the locals, loves English literature, and has a lively interest in the wider world.

Into this isolated domain comes Captain Ronald Dreyfus (Staton), U.S. Army Air Forces, who encounters Rose during a walk on the heath. When they meet again, he quotes her a line from Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott”—one of her favorite poems.

Captain Dreyfus is as reserved as Rose is. But in his capacity as base liaison officer, he has occasion to see her frequently: dealing with a fracas between airmen and regulars at the pub, arranging for an army nurse (Phillips) to care for a sick child, and planning a Christmas party for the school.

Both would-be lovers fight against the stronger feelings that are overwhelming them—emotions that are increasingly evident to those around them.

Wary of betraying her husband, Rose feels seized by some otherworldly force, a sentiment she can only recognize from a piece of literature—Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights—which she quotes from memory: “Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!”

Music

Lionel Richie and his Commodores gets two vinyl releases with extended tune time

June 5, 2017 alanwp

Heaven knows this would happen sooner than later. Commodores, the 1977 self-titled fifth studio album by the pop-funk-soul band known as the “Black Beatles,” will get a vinyl LP release from UMe, along with a special edition in blue vinyl for fans and collectors, on June 16. Both releases were cut from the original, unfaded masters, delivering on vinyl for the first time longer versions of seven of the nine tracks.

The original album spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Soul albums chart and was the group’s first crossover record, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, thanks to a pair of very different hit singles: the up-tempo “Brick House” and the sensuous Lionel Richie ballad, “Easy”.

“Easy,” the first single released from the album, reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B (known then as the Hot Soul Singles) chart and No. 4 on the Hot 100, and paved the way for Richie’s pop emergence. The song was an international hit, reaching the Top 10 in the U.K. and New Zealand and the Top 20 in Ireland and Canada.

“Brick House”, featuring the distinctive funky vocals of drummer Walter “Clyde” Orange and Ronald LaPread’s heavy-bottom bass line, which formed the foundation of the song, went to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. A group composition, its lyrics–celebrating a woman’s looks and her confidence in them–were written by Shirley Hanna-King, wife of the band’s trumpet player William “WAK” King, who initially claimed authorship before he admitted the truth.

Also featured on the LP is “Zoom”, a collaboration between Richie and Ronald LaPread. Although never officially released as a single, “Zoom” became one of the Commodores’, and Richie’s, best-known tunes. In the U.K., in fact, the LP was titled Zoom.

The Commodores were originally formed from two groups, the Mystics and the Jays, in 1968 at Tuskegee Institute, where the band members were students, signing with Motown in November, 1972 after opening for The Jackson 5 on tour. The group made a brief appearance in the 1978 film, Thank God It’s Friday, performing “Too Hot Ta Trot”.

Songs from Commodores have enjoyed a long life in the guise of covers and samples. Fergie sampled “Zoom” on her song “All That I Got (The Make-Up Song)”, from her album The Dutchess. It has also been sampled by Snoop Dogg on “Pimpin’ Aint EZ”, a 2009 collaboration with R. Kelly from his album Malice N’ Wonderland); E-40 (from its 1998 album The Element of Surprise), Tricky (“Tricky Kid” from his 1996 album, Pre-Millennium Tension) and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (“Everytime” from their 2010 album, Uni5: The World’s Enemy).

Faith No More recorded a cover of “Easy” during the studio sessions for its 1992 album Angel Dust, following its repeated performances during their live shows, and it became an international hit in several countries, including Australia, where it went to #1, Norway, the U.K., Finland, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland and Netherlands. The song was sampled by rap group Geto Boys for “Six Feet Deep” from their 1993 album, Til Death Do Us Part and by Cam’ron for his song, “Hey Ma.”

“Brick House” was the sampled foundation for the title cut of Foxy Brown’s hit LP, Ill Na Na, while the original was featured in the 1995 film Houseguest, the 1999 film Muppets From Space and the 2002 feature Undercover Brother. Prince’s ex-wife Mayte released a rap version of the song, “House of Brick,” on NPG Records in 1995, with Prince himself singing the chorus and verses. That same year, Dread Zeppelin covered the song as “Brick House (of the Holy)” on its Led Zeppelin-esque album No Quarter Pounder, while Rob Zombie, collaborating with Lionel Richie and Trina, did a version on his House of 1000 Corpses soundtrack in 2003.

Track listings

Title /Vinyl Reissue Track Time / Original LP track time

Side One
1. Squeeze the Fruit 3:03/same

2. Funny Feelings 5:57/4:53

3. Heaven Knows 6:16/4:46

4. Zoom 7:06/6:46

Side Two
1. Won’t You Come Dance With Me 4:08/3:50

2. Brick House 3:46/3:30

3. Funky Situation 4:12/3:46

4. Patch It Up 4:02/same

5. Easy 4:50/4:15

DVDs, TV

MHz gems are imported to the U.S. Think priests and liars, murder and betrayal and a French Ironsides

June 2, 2017 alanwp

It’s worth the wait. On Tuesday, June 27, MHz Networks premieres the latest installments in the long-running Italian TV series, Detective Montalbano, A Nest of Vipers and According to Protocal. Both will be released Day-and-Date in the United States on its SVOD platform, MHz Choice and on its DVD imprint, MHz on DVD.

Based on the blockbuster crime novels by Andrea Camilleri, the episodes depict life in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigata–where the pace of life is slower, there are few cars and home cooking abounds. (Seconds are mandatory.)

Detective Montalbano (portrayed by Luca Zingaretti) heads the police department, solving crimes with his always loyal and sometimes effective police squad who find themselves crossing paths with housewives and fisherman, priests and liars, saints and Mafia dons. MHz Networks will also release the first two seasons of the French detective series, Caïn on DVD. Bruno Debrandt stars as the wheelchair-bound Captain Fred Caïn who’s smarter, quicker and more mobile than most able-bodied people.

Detective Montalbano: Episodes 28 & 29
Murder, betrayal, office politics, temptation . . . it’s all in a day’s work for Detective Salvo Montalbano. With intuition and a cadre of police officers, Montalbano solves crimes in the fictional small city of Vigata. This work brings him across the paths of unforgettable characters who could only come from Sicily. He also wages a personal war with his own demons, which fight against his professional ideals and personal commitment to beautiful long-distance girlfriend, Livia. Yet there’s always time to indulge a long-standing flirtation with his ultimate temptress, Italian cuisine. The series is filmed in the ancient, sun-washed Sicilian city of Ragusa, and is based on the international best-selling mystery novels by Andrea Camiller.

A Nest of Vipers
A man arrives at his father’s home to find him dead, murdered with a shotgun while drinking coffee in the kitchen. With no sign of forced entry, it’s clear the victim knew his murderer. Finding locals with possible motives is easy, because he spent a lifetime exploiting young women and making enemies of fellow townspeople. Montalbano also discovers that the victim wasn’t just shot, but had been poisoned hours earlier. It’s as if two murderers had decided that night, independently of one another, to kill him.

According to Protocol A beautiful, beaten woman manages to drive herself to an apartment building, where she collapses and dies in the foyer. Her intent seems to have been to direct investigators to one of the building’s tenants. During the investigation – in which Ingrid and Livia meet for the first time–the team uncovers a world of vice and hypocrisy that leaves them all in shock. Montalbano also strikes up a friendship with his new neighbor, a retired judge haunted by the idea that true justice and objectivity may not be possible.

Caïn: Season 1 and Cain Season Season 2
In this darkly comic French crime series wheelchair-bound police captain Fred Caïn (played by able-bodied Bruno Debrandt) is quicker and more mobile than most able-bodied people. In his investigations, he spins circles around suspects and digs deep inside the darkest hidden corners of the human mind. A motorcycle accident caused by speeding and his own use of narcotics has left him unable to walk, but clear-eyed about criminality and motive. He’s left the drugs behind but a dark sense of humor remains, and his disdain for ‘bipeds’ can make him difficult to work with. He uses his disability to his advantage by breaking with convention and the law without an ounce of shame or trepidation. Only army veteran Lucie Delambre can handle him as a partner, and his friend and boss Jacques Moretti runs interference for him with the higher-ups. Set in Marseille, Caïn is a crime drama with a twist, a police procedural that focuses on psychology and the human being behind the criminal. Season 1 includes: Jealousy Justice Judge and be Judged The Attacker Confusion Under The Skin Hostages Innocence

Season 2 includes: Suicide Ornella Cain and Abel, Part 1 Cain and Abel, Part 2 The Island Bad Boy Duels God, Caïn, etc…

New customers receive a free 30-Day Trial. For more information or to subscribe, go to www.mhzchoice.com.

The full list of MHz Choice premieres can be found here: MHz Choice Premiere Schedule.

Books

K.J. Howe is not a mystery: She simply has written a damn good thriller, “The Freedom Broker”

June 1, 2017 alanwp

We were fascinated by The Freedom Broker (Quercus, $26.99), the debut novel by K.J. Howe. Actually, it’s better described as a mystery . . . a book that almost drowns readers as they swim throughout the world of freedom brokers, those whose sole job is to brings hostages home. “You’re alive,” says Howe, “but not really living, dependent on your captors for absolutely everything.” The tome introduced us to The tome introduced us of Thea Paris, a female freedom broker.

Those who know us know we relish the underbelly of life (think Frank Sinatra Jr. kidnapped; better yet, think about Patty Hearst) so we wanted to chat with Howe about her words and wisdom, hoping there’s another trip to Paris.

There are many authors writing mysteries. How did you make sure your book idea was fresh and different?  From where do ideas come?
Growing up, I lived all over the world, as my father worked in telecommunications. I experienced many adventures in places like Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Puerto Rico, Austria and Switzerland. Several locales had a shadow of danger associated with them, so when I started writing, I chose the international thriller genre. It was an ideal fit. I discovered there were a group of 30 elite kidnap negotiators who travel to the globe’s hotspots to bring hostages home. This led to the creation of Thea Paris. For Thea, rescuing hostages is more than a job; it’s a calling, as she had a very personal experience with kidnapping when her brother was abducted at 12.

Kidnapping intrigued me; it’s a purgatory of sorts. Hostages have to deal with intense hardship, loneliness, boredom and the terror of waking up every day wondering if it might be their last. I’ve spent the last three years immersed in this world to bring verisimilitude to the series. I have the deepest respect for these freedom brokers who risk their own lives to help people in captivity.

For me, ideas tend to sprout when I’m researching a topic, and the story grows from there. When I read novels, I like to be entertained and also learn something. I tried to integrate interesting facts about kidnapping in The Freedom Fighter so that people can understand more about this international growing crisis.

I know you worked with and interviewed Dr. Frank Grimm and Peter Moore before stepping in the shoes of a K&R negotiator. What did you learn that surprised you? What pre-conceived notions were blown away?
Spending time with these experts has been an illuminating experience. There are over 40,000 reported kidnappings every year—and that means around five people are abducted with every hour that passes. Kidnapping has become an international crisis, and the problem continues to grow; terrorist organizations are using it as a fundraising mechanism, and displaced military and police in struggling countries are turning to kidnapping as a way of putting food on the table for their families.

One shocker was on the insurance side of the business. It is the one type of insurance where if benefactors know they are covered, the insurance may be null and void. The reason for this is to protect against people “kidnapping” themselves and collecting the ransom. Kidnap and ransom insurance coverage can go up to 50 million dollars.

It used to be that targets were mostly executives in foreign countries and high net-worth individuals. This is no longer the case. Journalists, aid workers, missionaries and everyday people are targeted. It’s important to be cautious if you are traveling to an area where there is a high risk of kidnapping. My website www.kjhowe.com has a map of the world that highlights hot zones.

Are you a mystery reader? Who are some favorite authors?
Crime fiction is my favorite genre. I’m an avid fan of authors like Greg Iles and his incredible Natchez Burning trilogy; David Morrell, the creator of Rambo and author of more than 40 bestsellers; Andrew Gross, whose latest book The One Man really resonated with me; and Lisa Gardner, as every book she writes is a guaranteed great read.

Are you scared to read mysteries at night?
I don’t mind dark fiction, day or night. I find it fascinating. That said, sometimes I am scared to start a good crime novel in the evening, as I might stay up all night reading it!

Do you know Mary Roberts Rinehart, highly regarded as the first female mystery author who is now an icon?
Yes, if I’m not mistaken, the talented author of The Circular Staircase is attributed with creating the well-known phrase, “the butler did it” in her novel The Door, where the butler actually did the crime. Mary also spoke publicly about her breast cancer in 1947 when health issues were not openly discussed. She was a trailblazer in the book world, and I have a great deal of respect for her work.

You both gave us thrills. Talk about Thrillerfest.
It is a conference held every July in Manhattan for thriller enthusiasts. I have the honor of being the executive director of this week-long event. We welcome more than 1,000 people, including some of the top names in the genre. We host a day at the FBI, where special agents talk about their area of expertise. We also offer an event called PitchFest where aspiring authors pitch their novels to agents, editors and producers. Add in workshops, spotlight interviews, panels and cocktail parties, and we have summer camp for anyone who loves page-turning fiction. This year, we have a blockbuster line-up that includes Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, C.J. Box, Nelson DeMille, Charlaine Harris, Steve Berry, J.A. Jance, and many others. Visit thrillerfest.com for more information.

I have Type II diabetes. My mother had Type I, and I know the struggle of living with the disease. Having known Mary Tyler Moore, who did much to fight diabetes, I know the struggles she confronted. What are your struggles? What keeps you from reaching for a piece of gooey cake you know you should not (must not?) have?
There are more than 29 million Americans who have this illness, and, sadly, the numbers are on the rise. My character Thea Paris has Type 1 Diabetes. I’m a former medical writer, and my grandfather had diabetes, so this issue strikes home with me. I remember watching him inject himself with needles, and that left an indelible impression. I wanted to feature a strong, talented woman with diabetes to inspire people with any chronic illness to keep striving for their dreams. Anything is possible with the right determination. As for that gooey cake, I try to always think long-term gain vs. immediate gratification!

DVDs, TV

PBS Distribution about to serve a most tasty “American Masters: The Art of Craft,” the life and flavors of Jaqcues Pepin

June 1, 2017 alanwp

Hungry for a special treat? Leave it to PBS Distribution who is about to serve American Masters: The Art of Craft on DVD. This culinary journey traces the life of Jaqcues Pépin, a young immigrant with movie-star looks and a charming Gallic accent, who elevated essential kitchen techniques to an art form to become one of America’s most beloved food icons. The delight goes on the table when it’s released June 6; the program will also be available for digital download.

The program traces his journey from his childhood in the countryside of wartime France, where his family’s tradition of running homegrown restaurants propelled him into an early culinary career.

At the age of 13, Pépin leaves home to begin a formal apprenticeship at the distinguished Grand Hôtel de l’Europe. His first break comes at 16, when, as the sole chef, he cooks the fireman’s banquet in the alpine resort town of Bellegarde, a success that results in his first newspaper photo op. “I start to realize that I could put some of myself in the food. It didn’t have to be exactly the way my mother wanted it to be,” says Pépin, recalling this pivotal moment in his life.

Nearly 17, Pépin moves to Paris, initially without a job, and eventually works at dozens of restaurants learning about classical cooking. He trains under Lucien Diat at the Hotel Plaza Athénée where the emphasis is on technique. Four years later, he is drafted into the Navy, but because his older brother is already on the front, Pépin is assigned to stay in Paris as a cook at Navy headquarters.

Now an accomplished chef, he is assigned to create special dinners for the top brass and becomes the personal chef for three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle. But Pépin understands that in the late ’50s, the cook, even if “first chef,” is really at the bottom of the social scale and viewed as the help. Not content cooking in French palaces; Pépin decides to move to the United States in ’59.

In New York, Pépin lands a job at Le Pavillon, the most influential French restaurant in the country, and soon meets the three people he calls the “Trinity of Cooking”: Craig Claiborne, food editor of The New York Times; James Beard; and Julia Child. In later years, he partners with Child on a television series, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, for which he and Child win a Daytime Emmy in 2001.

While at Le Pavillon, Pépin is courted for the position of “first chef” in the new Kennedy White House, a position he turns down. Instead, he goes to work in the kitchens of Howard Johnson’s hotel and restaurant chain (1960–70) where he learns about mass production, marketing, food chemistry, and American popular food.

In 1974, a near-fatal car accident is the catalyst that pushes Pépin’s life in a different direction as writer, teacher, and ultimately a media star. With his early landmark books on the fundamentals of culinary craft, La Technique (1976) and La Methôde (1978), and television shows, Pépin ushers in a new era in American food culture.

An American citizen for more than half a century, at age 81, Pépin continues to crisscross the country teaching, cooking, speaking, consulting, and enjoying the celebrity generated by 14 television shows, nearly 30 cookbooks, and accolades including the French Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor.

Interviews with Pépin’s wife Gloria and daughter Claudine, culinary stars and media personalities including José Andrés, Daniel Boulud, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Colicchio, Rachael Ray, Marcus Samuelsson and Fareed Zakaria, offer insights about the man, who with his catchphrase “happy cooking” has always emphasized honesty of ingredients, simplicity of approach, and a joy for sharing food with loved ones.

The film is produced and directed by Peter L. Stein, a Peabody Award–winning documentary filmmaker who first started working with Pépin in 1989 as producer of what became Pépin’s landmark public television series Today’s Gourmet, and who went on to oversee seven seasons of cooking programs with Pépin in the ’90s.

DVDs, Movies, Music

Danny Garcia’s next gritty, punk-infused film: “Stiv: The Life and Times of Dead Boy”

June 1, 2017 alanwp

He’s a dead boy, this Stiv Bators. He was one of the early American punk pioneers, and is primarily known for his work with The Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church. Classic songs like “Sonic Reducer” and “Ain’t It Fun” continue to inspire fans and musicians from all walks of life.

While Bators made a few films (the camp classic John Waters film, Polyester; a cameo appearance as “Dick Slammer”, the lead singer of “The Blender Children” in the offbeat comedy, Tapeheads), he is now the subject of the upcoming Stiv: The Life and Times of Dead Boy. It will be the first film ever made about the rowdy and controversial performer, and his life will be documented through archive footage, photography, music and all-new interviews with the people who knew him.

Acclaimed director Danny Garcia will helm the project, and already has numerous punk documentaries under his belt, such as The Rise and Fall Of The Clash, Looking For Johnny and Sad Vacation: The Last Days Of Sid and Nancy.

Following in the same gritty underground style that has become Garcia’s hallmark, STIV: The Life and Times of a Dead Boy has a tentative release date of May 2018.

Bators died on June 4, 1990 in Paris, France. He was 40. Drugs? Nope. He 0was struck by a taxi in Paris. Though he was taken to a hospital, he left before seeing a doctor, after waiting several hours and assuming he was not injured. Reports indicate that he died in his sleep as the result of a traumatic brain injury. Bators, a fan of rock legend Jim Morrison, had earlier requested that his ashes be spread over Morrison’s Paris grave. He girlfriend Caroline complied.

In the director’s commentary of the film Polyester, John Waters stated that Bators’ girlfriend confessed to him that she snorted a portion of Stiv’s ashes to be closer to him.

Much less addictive than coke.

DVDs, TV

“Mummies Alive” brings home everyone’s mummy . . . throughout 5,000 years

June 1, 2017 alanwp

We want our mummy! And we will get her, along with her well-preserved relatives, in Mummies Alive (Public Media Distribution, LLC). The series finds it home on DVD July 4.

Mummies Alive spans 5,000 years of history, with each of the six episodes focusing on one mummy, time travelers from the past and the most precious human link we have to our ancestors. By investigating their incredibly preserved remains and bringing them back to life through cutting-edge CGI, their stories and the secrets of past civilizations come to light.

The series kicks off with The Gunslinger Mummy, nicknamed “Sylvester”, whose preserved remains and eerily life-like face are on display in the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in downtown Seattle. According to one legend, he was an American Wild West cowboy, killed 120 years ago in a saloon shootout. He’s got what appears to be a bullet hole in his stomach, but using CT imaging technology and state-of-the-art virtual autopsy techniques, investigators piece together a new and surprising story; one involving a notorious con man, the sideshow circuit, and a lesson on how to turn a buck using the myth of the Old West. But as the color is restored to his sunken cheeks and his ancient eyes open, scientific investigation and computer animation reveal the most likely and surprising truth about Sylvester’s last moments.

Buried in a Bog: In 2003, the police were twice called to the peat fields of the Irish midlands to examine mangled corpses unearthed from their peaty graves by the claws of peat-harvesting machines. Found within three months of each other and a mere 16 miles apart, these two bodies had evidently met with extremely violent ends before being buried in the bog. Despite their incredible states of preservation it quickly became clear that they were long dead – possibly thousands of years old–and that an archaeological, rather than criminal investigation, was in order.

Ötzi the Iceman (below) was discovered frozen on a mountain glacier in the Italian Alps. This episode re-opens one of the oldest cold cases in human history by examining a Neolithic murder victim buried under ice for more than 5,000 years. Chilling events are reconstructed, and the latest forensic and scientific techniques are employed to expose Europe’s ancient, violent past. Samples taken from his stomach reveal his last meal. A copper axe found with his body may rewrite the history books, and wounds discovered on his hand and back suggest a violent death.

Another mummy, The Inca Maiden, believed to have been 14-years-old at the time of her death, was found buried near the top of a 22,000-foot volcano in South America. A CT-scan will try to solve the mystery of how she died and what she was doing at 22,000 feet. The Inca Maiden is a stunningly preserved mummy, the best-preserved mummy in the world, and today she is kept in a specially-designed cryogenic chamber at a museum in Argentina. The extreme environment guaranteed her preservation, but did it also kill her? As the secrets of a lost civilization are revealed, shocking clues point in a more sinister direction and provide an unprecedented emotional and intimate look at the tragic life and death of this young girl, below.

The Pharaoh’s Secret peels back the wrappings on a mysterious, mutilated pharaoh. Using the latest forensic techniques, investigators unearth a violent story of conquest and rebellion that laid the foundations for Ancient Egypt’s golden age.

Hero of Herculaneum: This investigation looks into a forgotten chapter from the volcanic destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Three hundred mummified skeletons were found buried in ash, including the body of a man armed to the teeth and carrying a huge cache of gold and silver. Who was he? What was his role in the disaster? How did he die? For the very first time, his story is told.

Celebrity Chatter, Movies

Andrea Bucko: An actress who bucks up her career by accepting roles that will “make an impact”

May 31, 2017 alanwp

It’s always important to fight for freedom. Always.

The next major big-screen fight will be found in the upcoming film Freedom Fight, starring Sam Neill, David Kross and Ella Purnell. in which Canadian actress Andrea Bucko and leads a cast of “next-generation” actors, in a harrowing portrayal of a true Cold War escape. Directed by Hungarian actor/director Endre Hules, Freedom Fight takes place in 1956, and vividly follows the first-person account of journalist Frank Iszak and his struggle to divert a domestic Hungarian flight across the Iron Curtain to safely find refuge in West Germany. The film is based on the book Free to All to Freedom.

The movie begins shooting this fall, and is director Endre Hules’ powerful follow-up to his CINE Golden Eagle Award-winning feature The Maiden Danced to Death. He is a director whose work has been seen on every continent and at more than 50 festivals, and Hules hand-picked Andrea Bucko’s for the role. “She has impressed me immediately with her talent as an actress,” he says. “Andrea’s sensibility and quirky sense of humor made her perfect for one of the film’s vital roles.”

Bucko brings to light the liberating journey that began on a rainy afternoon on Friday, July 13, 1956. She plays Monika, one of seven desperate young people boarded a twin engine DC-3 in the Eastern Bloc People’s Republic of Hungary, with plans to redirect it to freedom. They had no weapons, no map and no idea whether the plane carried enough fuel. They braved Russian MiG fighters in hot pursuit and a harrowing flight over the stormy Alps, without navigation. Failure would mean certain death.

It is a moment of ascension for the energetic actress. Bucko is a thoughtful artist making a name for herself in Hollywood by selecting ambitious projects that reveal with untold true stories. Freedom Flight adds to a series of films she has in the works, each drawing on historical incidents to create powerful narratives.

“Reading Frank Iszak’s inspiring true story, I felt it must be told,” she says. “Storytelling can make a difference and sometimes have a huge impact on the world. I want to make an impact with the stories I choose to be a part of.”

Other upcoming roles clearly demonstrate her sincere passion. She’s slated to portray Evelyn in Jubilee, a feature film by Mason Freeman that will star Peter Fonda and Tarynn Manning. This movie chronicles the path of the Underground Railroad and the lives of enslaved Americans seeking liberation on a long road towards justice. She will also play the role of Danielle Devert in another of her upcoming film projects, an international co-production that draws from the riveting facts of the 1973 kidnapping of Paul Getty III.

Want her sooner? Bucko will next be seen on camera in September as Trina in Neon Candy, a psychosexual thriller takes place in the early ’90s along Route 66 and the Las Vegas outskirts. written by Courtney Paige Theroux and directed by Kate Twa. The cast includes Sean Carrigan, Courtney Paige Theroux and Sarah Porchetta.

Do we dare say Bucko, known for the films Big Eyes, Gord’s Brother and Meridiem, is also eye candy?

Books

Pregnant pause to read? Try “The Overly Honest Baby Book: Uncensored Memories from Baby’s First Year”

May 30, 2017 alanwp

Your baby is turning one. Just think! Twelve glorious months of coo-cooing and goo-gooing. What wonderful memories!

Think again about that year and you’ll remember sleepless nights; peeing and pooing and changing the diapers at 3 in the morning; food on the floor, screaming and crying jags that seem to have lasted an hour. (Maybe it was really two hours?)

Let us introduce you to another member of the family: The Overly Honest Baby Book: Uncensored Memories from Baby’s First Year (Seal Press, $15). Dawn Dais’ slim hardbound volume is not only useful . . . it’s a perfect release for all the unwonderful baby memories. Displaying Overly Honest Baby Book cover.jpg A few samples:

The Year You Were Born (Also Known as the Year Your Parents Stopped Being Fun
Blanks to fill in include . . .
♥ The ways our generation is ruining everything for your generation
♥ Pack of condoms $ (wasted money)

Your Conception (So Much Magic and Maybe Also a Little Intoxication)
♥ How much booze was involved
♥ The number of turkey basters involved in this most natural of human processes
♥ The various curse words Mommy uttered when she saw the positive symbol on her pregnancy test

Our fave is The Wide World of the Web (Mommy’s New Hobby: 2 a.m. Internet Searches)
♥ Can babies die from crying too much?
♥ Can parents die from ramming their own heads against a nursery wall?
♥ How much infant feces is too much infant feces in my mouth?

There are only places to paste in those perfect photos
♥ An ultrasound of your feet kicking Mommy’s bladder (your favorite way to pass the time)
♥The photo that crushed all our hopes that you would be the next Gerber baby

The illustrations by Jill Howarth add a delicious (and funny!) touch.

Ready for another kid?

Music

ACCLAIMED JOSS STONE’s “THE SOUL SESSIONS VOLUME 1” GETs VINYL REISSUE

May 28, 2017 alanwp

Her real name is Joscelyn Eve Stoker, but she’s better-known as Joss Stone. She was born in Dover, Kent, England, and grew up listening to Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin, emulating their gritty, soulful style on her groundbreaking 2003 debut album, The Soul Sessions, Volume 1, which proved a worldwide sensation and has just been released on vinyl by UMe.

Image result Stone appeared on several U.K. TV talent shows, but was discovered by British producers Andy Dean and Ben Wolfe, who in turn convinced S-Curve Records founder U.S. label executive Steve Greenberg to audition Stone. Greenberg enlisted veteran Miami soul singer Betty Wright to work on what became The Soul Sessions album, with local musicians such as Benny Latimore, Timmy Thomas and Little Beaver as well as contemporaries Angie Stone and The Roots.

The idea behind the album was for Stone to record more obscure soul tracks by the likes of Aretha Franklin (“All the King’s Horses”), Carla Thomas (“I’ve Fallen in Love with You”), the Isley Brothers (“For the Love of You, Pts. 1 & 2”). Willy “Sugar Billy” Garner (“Super Duper Love [Are You Diggin’ On Me] Pt 1”), Laura Lee (“Dirty Man”), Bettye Swann (“Victim of a Foolish Heart”) and the Soul Brothers Six (“Some Kind of Wonderful”) as well as offbeat choices such as Waylon Jennings (Harlan Howard’s “The Chokin’ Kind”) and even Woodstock hero John Sebastian (“I Had a Dream”). The first single was Stone’s cover of the White Stripes’ “Fell in Love with a Girl,” transposed to “Fell in Love with a Boy,” and produced by the Roots’ Questlove. That single reached the Top 20 of the U.K. Singles chart, as did the follow-up her version of Sugar Billy’s “Super Duper Love.”

The Soul Sessions, Pt. 1 entered the U.K. Albums chart at No. 89, and eventually peaked at #4 in its fifth week, with the British Phonographic Society certifying it triple platinum. It has since sold more than a million copies in the U.K. In the U.S., The Soul Sessions peaked in the Top 40 on the Billboard 200, and within six months, was certified gold. The album is now nearing platinum in this country. The album was also an international hit throughout Europe, where it hit the Top 5 in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal, Top 10 in Belgium and Italy, Top 12 in Sweden and Top 15 in Switzerland as well as No. 4 on the European Top 100 albums. It was awarded a Platinum Europe Award by IFPI for sales in excess of one million across the Continent. The Soul Sessions earned platinum in both Australia and New Zealand, and as of July 2012, had sold five million worldwide.

The critics were mostly effusive, with Rolling Stone’s Jon Caramanica enthusing, “Stone shines on this impressive covers set… she chooses songs wisely. AllMusic’s Thom Jurek said Stone “has unique phrasing and a huge voice that accents, dips and slips never overworking a song or trying to bring attention to itself via hollow acrobatics.” The A.V. Club’s Keith Phipps said, “Sessions established Stone as a formidable interpreter.” The album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and was nominated for a MOBO Award for Best Album. Stone released the sequel to the album, The Soul Sessions, Volume 2 in 2012.