Shot at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, Richard Pryor…Here and Now (1983) has the comic relaxed onstage despite a rowdy crowd. Seven months sober, his prepared material is only part of the show, as he deals with late arrivals…
The 1975 Broadway debut of The Wiz—an African American retelling of the classic children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum—was a huge hit. Starring seventeen-year-old Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, who was a tiny teenager with a…
Despite his status as one of the finest comedians of all time, Richard Pryor’s personal life was far from funny. For his second and final turn as a director, Pryor mines his own life for 1986’s Jo Jo Dancer, Your…
After finding success as a screenwriter on films such as Taxi Driver (directed by Martin Scorsese) and Obsession (directed by Brian DePalma), Paul Schrader earned enough clout to direct his own material. Schrader’s directorial debut Blue Collar follows three auto…
Back in 2014, Time-Life/StarVista released the legendary TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever on DVD, over thirty years after it first aired. While I reviewed the three disc set back then, with the deluxe six disc set soon to…
Few will deny Richard Pryor’s place as one of stand up comedy’s true geniuses. As with many comedians who emerged both before and after him, Pryor was plagued by demons; demons that provided the source of some of his best…
Over thirty years after it originally aired on network television in May of 1983, Time-Life/StarVista is releasing the classic TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever on DVD. They are offering the release in a simple 1-DVD edition, a special…
March 31, 2011 –Superman, the cultural icon and quintessential superhero, is back in a big way. In a powerhouse year marked by the theatrical releases of several major superhero films including Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern, his arrival couldn’t be more…