Crazy8’s has been organizing 8-day filmmaking challenges since 1999. Those filmmakers selected after a successful pitch are given 8 days to produce a short. On 20April2024 all 6 selected finalists present their short in Vancouver followed by a gala evening. Death literally stares you in the face as the film opens. Someone has died andContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Gone Abroad”: Death: A Full Range of Emotions Deftly Portrayed: Crazy8’s Shorts Challenge”
Author Archives: Robert K Stephen (CSW)
RKS 2024 Wine: Trustworthy Oregon for Pinot Noir? A Vacant Faced Zombie
The way tastings have been progressing this year Oregon scores high with Pinot Noir quality and has been doing so for years leaps and bounds over New Zealand Pinot Noir. From Christopher Michael Wines from Tualatin, Oregon we try a Christopher Michael 2022 Pinot Noir. Aroma: Strawberry, raspberry and a streak of milk chocolate. Palate:Continue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Trustworthy Oregon for Pinot Noir? A Vacant Faced Zombie”
RKS 2024 Film: HOT DOCS 2024: “A Mother Apart”: Rejection, Trauma and Mother Hunting
The documentary “A Mother Apart” chronicles the trauma suffered by Staceyann Chin as the result of abandonment by her mother Hazel who left her behind in Jamaica to be raised by extended family members when she departed for Montreal. Poet, actor, and performing artist Staceyann Chin is the author of the new poetry collection Crossfire: AContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: HOT DOCS 2024: “A Mother Apart”: Rejection, Trauma and Mother Hunting”
RKS 2024 Wine: A Grenache from Spain’s Calatayud Region
Grenache is king in Calatayud’s high-altitude vineyards. This Evodia Grenache is from grapes picked at 2,400-3,000 feet and grown in slate soils. A modest statement on the label states, “Grenache this great usually goes for twice the price.” Aroma: Big fat almost overripe strawberries, some raspberry and black cherry. Palate: One of those red winesContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: A Grenache from Spain’s Calatayud Region”
RKS Literature: The Modern Surgeon: (William S. Burroughs)
“Dr. Benway: ‘You young squirts couldn’t lance a pimple without an electric vibrating scalpel with automatic drain and suture…Soon we’ll be operating by remote control on patients we never see…We’ll be nothing but button pushers. All the skill is going out of surgery….All the know-how and make-do…Did I ever tell you about the time IContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Modern Surgeon: (William S. Burroughs)”
RKS 2024 Film: HOT DOCS: “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story”
Jackie Shane (born Jack Shane) was born in Nashville in 1940 abandoned by his 16-year-old unmarried mother being brought up by relatives. By eight years of age he was singing in a church choir adding to his musical background of spiritual music played often by his grandmother. Shane purchased some drums to start his musicalContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: HOT DOCS: “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story””
RKS 2024 Film: “Deadly Justice”: Sailing in a Choppy Sea
Holly Powell (Kelly Sullivan) no longer acts a district attorney preferring to establish a new criminal law practice. She has put an assortment of nasty criminals behind bars and accordingly has made enemies by the guilty incarcerated and their aggrieved family members. One such guilty incarcerated is Judge Halstead. Yes a judge convicted of murderContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Deadly Justice”: Sailing in a Choppy Sea”
RKS 2024 Film: HOT DOCS 2024: “Seguridad”: Blame it on Father (both actual and revolutionary)? From the Mouth of Cuba’s Youngest Soldier
Director Tamara Segura invites the viewer of the National Film Board of Canada’s documentary “Seguridad” to travel through modern Cuban history, current Cuban life and most importantly through a scarring journey of her life as a child in Cuba. Through her memories, discussions with relatives and documents and photos the emotional journey will be taken.Continue reading “RKS 2024 Film: HOT DOCS 2024: “Seguridad”: Blame it on Father (both actual and revolutionary)? From the Mouth of Cuba’s Youngest Soldier”
RKS 2024 Film: “The Coffee Table”: Cruel, Deviant, Nasty and Bitter: Your Type of Horror?
Not being arrogant here but please give some thinking man horror now and then. Chainsaws, axes, slashing, screaming and overly poor ghoul jokes are material as you can see blood, guts and body parts flying to and fro. But true horror requires a mental element to it to chill. The chill might not be facingContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “The Coffee Table”: Cruel, Deviant, Nasty and Bitter: Your Type of Horror?”
RKS 2024 Film: HOT DOCS 2024: “Am I the skinniest person you’ve ever seen?”
Anorexia in its extreme is a form of suicide by starvation. In a world where starvation is rampant, in Canada, the land of plenty, one quizzes themselves why starvation suicide by anorexia when millions would beg for sustenance instead of death? This may be one of the reasons anorexia is so incomprehensible to many. StepContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: HOT DOCS 2024: “Am I the skinniest person you’ve ever seen?””
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