Go Memphis

The Who at Kilburn: 1977 (Not rated, 120 min.) This North London concert -- the second-to-last live performance for drummer Keith Moon -- was shot with six cameras on 35-millimeter film by director Jeff Stein for his documentary about The Who, "The Kids Are Alright"; the full show -- including such songs as "Can't Explain" and "Baba O'Reilly" -- has never been released to the public until now. Full story »

The traditions of Lon Chaney and modern slasher movies merge Thursday night when Memphis writer-director Duane P. Craig unveils his new horror film, "Cruel," at 7:15 and 9:15 at Malco's Studio on the Square. Many horror movies are hard to tell apart, but "Cruel" is unusual: It's a black-and-white silent film, so it marks a return to a style that ws out of fashion even before Chaney, horror's first star, died in 1930. Full story »

The Indie Memphis Film Festival has unveiled its beautifully redesigned Web site (complete with mockingbird mascot) — and revealed most of its lineup of more than 40 narrative and documentary features and a score or more shorts. A mission statement/sales pitch adorns the top of the homepage: “Now in its 11th year, Indie Memphis utilizes Memphis’ rich cultural history to serve as a connecting point for regional filmmakers from all corners of the country — and provides a showcase for films celebrating Southern stories and storytelling. Full story »

Germantown's Cody Hanford has big acting talent -- a talent that in the past few years has put him in movies, taken him to Broadway and placed him alongside Radio City Music Hall's famous Rockettes. Memphians who have missed Cody's many local stage appearances can see him Friday, when "Hounddog" opens at Malco's Ridgeway Four. Full story »

It felt a little silly to wear two hats and a tux.

But I had chosen to do double duty at Monday night's world premiere of "Nothing But the Truth," the made-in-Memphis film starring Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga, Angela Bassett, Alan Alda -- and featuring a few local faces.

One of my figurative hats was as reporter/paparazzi at the Toronto International Film Festival, covering NBTT and a handful of other films with Memphis connections. Some of that is already on John Beifuss' The Bloodshot Eye, where I've done some guest blogging.
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Jon Sparks is blogging from the Toronto International Film Festival about movies with Memphis connections that will be shown at the festival, including "Nothing But the Truth," which was filmed here last year. Here is his first post. You can read more from Jon on The Bloodshot Eye blog. Full story »