All posts tagged: film

A Star Wars movie poster graphic.

Awakening the Force Within: What Star Wars taught me about strength, courage, and growing up

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In 1983, my life changed forever. I wasn’t in a galaxy far, far away — but I might as well have been. That was the year I saw my first “Star Wars” film: “Return of the Jedi.” It was my personal origin story. And like many girls growing up in the ‘80s, I didn’t just want to watch Princess Leia — I wanted to be her.

I dreamed of flying speeder bikes through the mossy forests of Endor, living among the cuddly-yet-fierce Ewoks, rescuing Han Solo from a block of carbonite, and learning to wield The Force like a true Jedi Knight. Leia wasn’t just royalty — she was resilience, intelligence, and quiet power, wrapped in cinnamon bun hair and white robes. She gave girls like me permission to imagine ourselves as heroes.

The movie poster for "Black Swan."

The Red Shoes vs. Black Swan: A Haunting look at ballet, obsession, and the price of perfection

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It’s Oscar night, and we’ll soon see if Black Swan wins the award for Best Picture. After reading several Black Swan reviews that referenced The Red Shoes (1948), I decided to watch the vintage film and compare the two that bear striking similarities, including creative visuals.

The Red Shoes stars Moira Shearer as Vicky Page, a beautiful redhead that is selected as the featured dancer in a new ballet called The Red Shoes that is based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale about a pair of mystical ballet slippers. Vicky falls in love with and later marries the young composer, Julian Craster (Marius Goring), who has been charged with writing the score for the ballet.

A feature story about a Muppet exhibit that was coming to Mississippi featuring Kermit on the cover.

Jim Henson’s Fantastic World comes to Mississippi

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It’s hard to imagine childhood without the Muppets, and since “Sesame Street” debuted in 1969, generations have grown up with Jim Henson’s unforgettable creations. Now, Jim Henson’s Fantastic World — a traveling Smithsonian exhibit — brings his incredible legacy to the Mississippi Museum of Art.

Hailing from the Mississippi Delta, Henson transformed his early love for puppetry into iconic shows like “The Muppet Show” and “Sesame Street,” captivating audiences worldwide. This exhibit offers a rare glimpse into his creative process with 100 original pieces, including puppets, sketches, storyboards, and videos.