In 1944, the French government recruited more than a hundred thousand Algerian men—almost all Muslims—to defend France against the Nazi onslaught. Of course, most of these unfortunates had never set foot in France. Unlike Clint Eastwood’s uninsightful Letters From Iwo Jima, Days of Glory, written and directed by a Frenchman of Algerian origin, is already … Read more
An amazement. James Longley’s brave and beautiful documentary is filmed without judgment and bookended with the voices of children aged beyond their years. The first in a triptych of stories is a Sunni boy straight out of Dickens, an apprentice to a cruel mechanic who lost his father and struggles to survive while his city … Read more
What’s the easy way to identify the smartest country music stars? They cover Patty Griffin songs. The redheaded singer/songwriter has a knack for stories about troubled hearts laid bare, set to wistful melodies drawing on traditional folk and country music. She’s also capable of tossing in bursts of three-minute rock ’n’ roll. Her songs have … Read more
Like that computerized gadget you just bought, so much electronic-based music is obsessively entertaining—at least for a time. If your fickle ears are anxiously awaiting the next innovation in computer-based song engineering, Trans Am’s new album might be just the ticket. On Sex Change, the band’s sonic innovations stick in your head, leaving you craving … Read more
A decade ago, Mark Linkous almost joined the long list of self-medicating rockers found dead in hotel rooms; he overdosed in a hotel bathroom and passed out with his legs pinned underneath him for fourteen hours. When doctors finally straightened out his limbs, he had a heart attack and was declared medically dead—if only for … Read more
Mahler’s romantic, moody, and sometimes maudlin compositions were among the final artistic statements of the nineteenth century, a goodbye to all that and a wary greeting to a new century. In the symphonic song cycle The Song of the Earth, he sets themes from Chinese poetry about the end of things to music that moves … Read more
The definitive sound of the North Country remains elusive, even as the Twin Ports become glutted with great live music venues and bands worth checking out. Is Duluth a folk music town, or a hotbed of alternative rock? We have no idea, but straddling those genres is Trampled By Turtles—a band loosely related to a … Read more
I never expected to find love at a roadside market. In Florida, no less. But there, down an aisle from stacks of bright oranges and piles of juicy grapefruit, was a small, plastic tub of guacamole so smooth and delicious, so perfectly spiced, that I fell head over heels. It’s uncommon to find guacamole that … Read more
I have often thought that the Forty Martyrs of Sebasteia should be the patron saints of Minnesota. Never mind that they are most likely mythical; they can stand for all the other martyrs the Romans executed in the first three centuries A.D. And the myth is certainly appropriate to our chilly state. The Forty, it … Read more
Do you know who wrote your favorite film? If the names Sidney Howard, Frances Goodrich, and Joseph Stefano fill you with a sense of admiration, then congratulations on recognizing what most of us consider trivial: These are the people who wrote the classics Gone With The Wind, It’s A Wonderful Life, and Psycho. Even among … Read more