For those of you who are not easily frightened by the traditional horror/thriller films rushing into the theaters every Halloween, but would maybe prefer the effects of something more disturbing and less predictable, look no further than the original 1973…
Author: Idona Graham
“50/50:” a funny and touching film
What are the odds that a film will make you laugh aloud and shed some tears? One in 100? Two in 100, maybe? Who knows? We’ll leave that kind of mind work to the statisticians. Regardless, “50/50,” starring the adorable…
Patrick Dodd’s political prowess
People from many backgrounds have been inspired to “occupy” cities across the nation since Occupy Wall Street began its protest in New York roughly three weeks ago. It was no surprise to see the people of Ashland join in the…
Howlin’ Houndog howls the blues for debut performance at Alex’s
A smoke-filled room was the only element missing from the decor at Alex’s Plaza Restaurant and Bar as Howlin’ Houndog howled the blues last Thursday night. Houndog singing the blues fit perfectly into Alex’s beautiful interior which itself takes you…
“Bamboozled:” Reliving a poignant Spike Lee Joint
It seems that despite all that has changed since the times of segregation and extreme racism and evolved communications on race and racial identity, we still ignore many of the most obvious issues regarding race and how it is portrayed…
“Duck Soup” for the soul
During the depression era, while the world struggled to deal with poverty and war was inevitable, many could still afford to go to the cinema to lift their spirits with a few laughs. The Marx Brothers were among the finest…
“The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T” is Seussian magic
Certainly, most of us are familiar with the wonderfully creative Dr. Seuss. Most of us probably grew up reading his books and, not surprisingly, some of us probably still do. What fun it is to twist one’s tongue over and…
“Hannah” is high-quality entertainment
Finally, after a bit of a wait, we get to see an action film with a strong female lead who is not dressed up in a small piece of latex or as some sort of femme fatale. Nor does she…
Reviewing animated shorts of the Ashland Independent Film Festival
It has been a week full of film watching for Ashland as the Tenth Annual Ashland Film Festival kicked off this last Thursday. There have been many great pictures to be seen, yet so little time – and for us…
Exploring the limits of “Limitless”
What would you do if you could use 100 percent of your brain? Help people in need, save lives, gamble, become the president, play the stock market? You would probably need that 100 percent to even fathom what you would…