August Wilson

Freeze Frame: “Wicked” (PG), “Gladiator II” (R), “Bonhoeffer” (PG-13), “The Piano Lesson” (R)

Part one of the smash Broadway musical "Wicked," the origin story of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West, finally hits the big screen. Here's the upside: It's very entertaining and beautifully produced and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera are terrific. The downside: It's padded out to 2 hours and forty minutes,...

11/21/2024

By Russ SimmonsAriana Grande, assassin, August Wilson, Bonhoeffer, Broadway, Connie Nielsen, Cynthia Erivo, Danielle Deadwyler, Denzel Washington, entertainment, Gladiator II, John David Washington, Malcolm Washington, movie reviews, movies, Nazi, Netflix, Paul Mescal, Ridley Scott, The Piano Lesson, Wicked

Freeze Frame: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (R), “Fatale” (R), “Another Round” (Not rated), “The Bee Gees: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart” (Not rated)

The valedictory performance from the late Chadwick Boseman may well earn him an Oscar. He’s dynamic as a troubled trumpet player in the Netflix adaptation of August Wilson’s acclaimed play, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” It tells the tragic story of an ill-fated blues recording session in 1927 and touches on...

12/17/2020

By Russ SimmonsAnother Round, August Wilson, Chadwick Boseman, entertainment, Fatale, Hilary Swank, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, movie reviews, movies, The Bee Gees, Viola Davis