Mica Jarmel-Schneider is an activist who has smuggled contraband to Cuba and by doing so has forced us to reevaluate our policy toward the island nation. What makes Jarmel-Schneider’s feat even more astonishing is that he conducted his subversive activities as part of his bar mitzvah and… Read full post »

Despite the fact that he’s been dead for nearly a century and that the language in which he wrote his stories, Yiddish, is fading, it’s hard find a more relevant or entertaining writer than the fellow who dubbed himself, “Sholem Aleichem.”

 

 

The pen name… Read full post »

Even though horse trainer Dan M. “Buck” Brannaman is as skilled with his tongue as he is in the saddle, Cindy Meehl’s new documentary on him Buck implies there is still more under his cowboy hat than he initially lets on.

 

 

Brannaman is a master of natural… Read full post »

An Interview with Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker

by Dan Lybarger

Documentary filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker may not be household names, but their films have captured Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and future senator Al Franken as their stars were… Read full post »

by Dan Lybarger

Because the music and legacy of John Lennon is so formidable, any actor wanting to portray him in a movie is almost inviting ridicule. This is especially true because tomorrow would have been the murdered singer’s 70th birthday.

In addition to having to meet the expectations of mi… Read full post »

by Dan Lybarger

It hardly seems like 10 years since the Kansas International Film Festival (KIFF) brought a series of worthy movies to the area that might not have played here otherwise. In some cases, KIFF, which takes place at the Glenwood Arts Theater and formerly known as Halfway to Hollywood,… Read full post »

Click the haiku to read the entire review at www.kcactive.com. 

 

The Social Network

Mark Zuckerberg may
have invented Facebook, but
you should not friend him.

Babies

They are really cute,
but they need something else to
be interesting.

Make Me Young: Youth Knows No Pain

Father Time… Read full post »

I’ll be taking part in a discussion of Stephen Marshall’s new documentary Holy Wars at 10:00 a.m. CST on The Walt Bodine Show at KCUR 89.3 FM. Marshall himself will be on the show as will Aaron D. Taylor, the author of Alone with a Jihadist. If you miss the broadcast/… Read full post »

Salon Book Club Reports from Cowtown

by Dan Lybarger

 

As my fellow readers here at Salon have been devouring Jonathan Franzen’s most recent novel Freedom, I’ve been overwhelmed with guilt. I missed my deadlines and didn’t feel like posting comments that would have made me sound/… Read full post »

An Interview with Publisher-Editor John B. Bryans

 

by Dan Lybarger

 

Historian Nelson Johnson’s 2002 overview of Atlantic City Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City is a straightforward look at the international playground’s past. It’s an u/… Read full post »

by Dan Lybarger

Even though people eventually retire from the United States Marine Corps, we are constantly reminded “Once a Marine; always a Marine.” The job is so demanding that it’s impossible to walk away from psychologically even if you’re never going to wear the uniform… Read full post »

by Dan Lybarger

Separating a performer from his or her role can be a tricky task. John Wayne was reportedly more comfortable wearing a tux than cowboy duds, although he looked imposing either way. It would be safe to say, however, that he bore little resemblance to one of his more infamous… Read full post »

Click on the poem to read the full review on www.kcactive.com. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

It’s OK to love
video games, comics, Cera,

punk and Toronto.

 

Eat Pray Love

 

I wish I had the
money to journey to Rome,
India, Bali. Read full post »

Kansas city-based filmmaker Gary Jenkins is going to be interviewed live on Monday, July 26 at 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 CST at www.firedoglake.com to take questions about Negroes to Hire, his documentary about slavery in Antebellum Missouri.

 

 

He and moderator Lisa Derrick will be join… Read full post »

Click on the poem to read the full review on www.kcactive.com. 

 

Inception

If DiCaprio
can steal your secrets, Nolan
can give you his dreams.

The Sorceror's Apprentice

Cage can never be
as lovable as Mickey Mouse
in a magic hat.

Despicable Me

A super villian
saves audiences from boredom
a… Read full post »

Click the haikus to read longer reviews of the movies. 

The A-Team

Thanks to bad edits
I can’t quite love it when the
plan comes together.

 

 

Ajami 

Ethnic and faith feuds
play out more like a gangster
film here in the States. Read full post »

One of the challenges for print journalism is that it’s difficult for users to interact with the content. A story can be out of date by the time it has been printed, and users might have crucial, up-to-the-minute information that the author of a print article may not have had when… Read full post »

An Interview with Michael Paul Stephenson
on Best Worst Movie

by Dan Lybarger

First-time documentarian Michael Paul Stephenson has managed to make some sweet lemonade from one of cinema’s most appalling lemons: 1990’s Troll 2.

 

As a ten-year-old Stephenson starred as Joshua Waits, a… Read full post »

 

  
^{No, Gary Coleman wasn't taller than me.}

 

Six years ago, I was invited to the open house of a radio station a friend of mine owned. It was a short-lived affiliate of the All Comedy Radio network and died rather quickly in the Kansas City market.

 

A special guest… Read full post »

 by Dan Lybarger

In Vincenzo Natali’s movies, his characters might have to escape from an elaborate prison with lethal booby traps or face down a destructive mutant. But their most potent danger is their own folly.


T
…

Read full post »

Click the haikus to read longer reviews of the movies. 

Furry Vengeance
Animals mount a
smart and fierce war. They could make
a much better film. 

The Most Dangerous Man in America
Daniel Ellsberg
and a copier were more
powerful than Nixon. 

A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wes Craven condemns
this r… Read full post »

Click on the poem to read the full review on www.kcactive.com. 

Vincere
Before he ruled, Il
Duce was a traitor to
the woman he loved. Read full post »

L.Q. Jones returns to KC with his cautionary tale, A Boy and His Dog

by Dan Lybarger

Actor L.Q. Jones and director of A Boy and His DogAt 82, character actor L.Q. Jones has a lot to be proud of. Even if his name doesn’t sound familiar, it’s a…

Read full post »

Click on the poems to read the full review at KCActive.com.

Kick-Ass
Hit-Girl devours bad
guys like a piranha and
gives Cage a good film.

City Island
Andy Garcia,
sad from Secrets and Lies. Wait!
That’s the better film! Read full post »

Patrick Pacheco on Waking Sleeping Beauty and the Disney Rebirth
by Dan Lybarger

            Walk though any Disney Store or, come to think of it , any Target or toy shop, and you’ll find dozens of toys inspired by the cartoons the Disney st/… Read full post »