vchimpanzee It is 1950 and this is Alabama. Black people are not treated particularly well, though this film comes nowhere near depicting just how bad things are. Two boys aspire to be musicians and pretend at their modest shack, then they cross the nearby military base to get a glimpse of what is going on at Honeydripper, a place where black people go to listen to music.Pianist Tyrone "Pinetop" Purvis runs the place. For some reason he doesn't want Bertha Mae, as good as she is, to continue singing. No, the place is in financial trouble and the only way to save it is to bring in a celebrity named Guitar Sam. So is this guy who gets off the train and carries a guitar in fact the famous man himself? Hardly. And Sonny is advised by the fantastic and friendly blind dobro player that he is on the wrong side of town. And while the guitar player finds Honeydripper, Pinetops isn't interested in him. He's got a guitar player (or thinks he does; Sam is never seen but the word is that he is in the hospital in Little Rock). Sonny heads down the road looking for work. We've already seen the prisoners sentenced to pick cotton. And he becomes one of them because racist Sheriff Pugh (he treats the movie's stars relatively well, though) catches him wandering down the road. He claims to be looking for work, but that just makes him a vagrant.Pinetops, meanwhile, faces one obstacle after another. He lost his star. He and Maceo have to come up with a plan. While they do, they have to come up with one humorous con game after another. Sonny knows Guitar Sam's music. So if they can get the sheriff to let him go, no one has to know he isn't Guitar Sam. Delilah, a great cook, promises the sheriff her fried chicken. China Doll wants to go to beauty school and makes the man look good. Will it all work?Let me put it this way: There's good rockin' tonight! Yes, I said rock. Five years before white people discovered rock and roll, these people were doing it and doing it quite well. There are outstanding performances from just about everyone. Danny Glover has some scenes that I wouldn't be surprised to see as Oscar clips. Charles Dutton does his usual fine work and makes us laugh. Stacy Keach also does great work. Mary Steenburgen has a good scene as the employer of one of the black women. Keb Mo' gives what may the best performance of all, and not just as an actor. He can play that dobro! The musicians are very talented, particularly Gary Clark.Even those young boys give good performances, however brief. You have to watch them again at the end, after their pretend musical instruments have improved. It's an outstanding effort you just have to see.

ShootingShark In rural Alabama in 1950, Tyrone "Pinetop" Purvis is struggling to make ends meet at his club, The Honeydripper. With too many bills due, he pins all his hopes on promoting a show by the popular Guitar Sam. But when Sam doesn't turn up, Pinetop hatches a crazy scheme to run the concert anyway …Another richly observed, well written and beautifully acted period drama by Sayles, sort of a companion piece to Matewan. Its strengths are many; an interesting story with great characters - we want Pinetop to come through despite his faults - excellent photography and terrific music from that great shifting period between blues and rock and roll. Best of all is the incredibly talented cast, all of whom bring a rich individuality to their roles; I especially like Dutton and Hamilton, but contemporary bluesman Keb' Mo' pretty much steals the show as Possum, the mysterious blind geetar-picker. It's one of a few movies which successfully mixes actors and musicians in the cast, each bringing out the best in the other, and Sayles' regular composer Mason Daring's music is a enchanting mix of old standards cleverly interwoven with new material. There are many terrific scenes - Delilah swaying in the revival tent as she struggles with her faith, Pinetop's story of the servant left alone with the master's piano, Sonny singing Midnight Special in his jail cell, all the cotton-fields scenes. Artfully shot by British cameraman Dick Pope in authentic Alabama locations, this is one of those well-crafted, truly American movies, which provides a rich historical escape into a colourful and fascinating landscape. The director appears in one of his usual minor roles as the clipboard-carrying no-nonsense liquor salesman.

Cliff Sloane This is a story right out of the "Hey, kids, let's put on a show!" cliché. One implausibility piled on top of another in a "feel good"/"right will triumph" pattern that is SO OVERWHELMINGLY dominant in American movies. John Sayles has long been one of my favorite directors/screenwriters, so the foolishness of this movie came as a shock.What happened? Where has the creator of "Casa de los Babys" and "Lone Star" gone? What happened to the creator of such exhilarating plots as "Limbo" and "Passion Fish"? I can only guess that he farmed it out to one of his kids, or an intern, or something like that. This movie fits in more with the rush job of the Scorcese-produced blues films than with a Sayles project.Here is my "disclosure" statement. I have been a working musician and have spent most of my adult life in the company of musicians. This movie reveals some of the biggest complaints musicians have about their portrayal by non-musicians. The biggest is that non-musicians don't understand the role of rehearsals, individual practice and the huge amount of work and effort it takes to seem "talented." This movie is another example, and a rather extreme case at that.I also have a question for Keb Mo. Why do you sign on to so many projects that undervalue your efforts? I am thinking of the NPR Blues History radio series and now this. Don't you have more leverage than that?

Michael O'Keefe Picture 1950's Alabama at harvest time. Tyrone Purvis'(Danny Glover)former swinging little juke joint, The Honeydripper lounge, whistles a lonesome long-gone blues. Business is no business and he may be forced to shut 'er down. But wait, he may be able to save the Honeydripper with just one big ass rockin' Saturday night. He will hire the legendary Guitar Sam to be his champion. But any news is just more bad news...Guitar Sam can't make the gig for being in the hospital. So the story goes, Tyrone must quickly find another guitar-slinger to save face and his Honeydripper. A versatile cast featuring: Lisa Gay Hamilton, Charles S. Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Mable John, Gary Clark Jr., Keb' Mo' and Stacy Keach. Volatile soundtrack featuring electrifying rockin' blues from the likes of: The Aces of Spades, Gary Clark Jr., Mable John, Keb' Mo', and even Hank Williams.