Get on Up

The premature death of Chadwick Boseman due to colon cancer led to an international outpouring of grief. I had never seen a film with Boseman but I remembered how sad I was when Heath Ledger died much too young. People who knew Boseman gave eulogies that I would have given about Ledger, whose talent I [Read More]

Buena Vista Social Club

An alternative title for this music documentary could be, “Grandpa and Grandma rock!” For music lovers this documentary by the German filmmaker Wim Wenders is a charmer. Ry Gooder, an American guitar player, visited Cuba in the 1970s. He fell in love with Cuban music and wanted to do something with Cuban [Read More]

Kanye West’s “Late Registration”

I bought my first hip hop CD, Kanye West’s Late Registration, a couple of months ago after hearing his soulful “Gold Digger.” I suspect that Mr. West does not play a single musical instrument. But this does not make him less a musical genius. West proves that most creativity lies in recombining existing material. image [Read More]