Taj Mahal Movies

Based on a 1988 theatrical cartoon short produced in Canada by Kai Pindel, and co-developed by America's TLC cable service and Canada's TVO, the computer-animated Peep and the Big Wide World was an "edu-tainment" series aimed at pre-schoolers. The title character was an insatiably curious newborn chick, who explored the world around him with his best friend, Chirp the Robin and Quack the Duck. In the course of their wanderings, the trio met a variety of friendly porcupines, beavers, fish and what-have-you; and by the end of each 10-minute segment (two of which were seen in every episode) the characters had learned at least one basic scientific principle. Of course, it was hoped that the kids in the audience had learned the same lesson, and to that end series narrator Joan Cusack) encouraged fans to try out easy (and harmless!) scientific experiments at home. The daily American run of Peep and the Big Wide World was launched on April 12, 2004; the series was seen on both TLC and the Discovery Kids cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Part of The Blues documentary film series on PBS, Feel Like Going Home is directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Peter Guralnick. This installment looks at the roots of the music in the Mississippi Delta and in the traditions of Africa. Modern blues guitarist Corey Harris travels to Senatobia, MS, and talks with legendary fife player Othar Turner on his front porch. Harris then travels to Mali, West Africa, and talks with artists like Ali Farka Toure, Habib Koité, and Salif Keita. Other featured performers include Taj Mahal, Willie King, and Keb' Mo'. Archival footage features Son House, John Lee Hooker, and Leadbelly. This feature-length documentary was originally broadcast by PBS on September 28, 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Janet McTeer follows up her Oscar-nominated performance in Tumbleweeds (1999) with this period drama set during the 1910s. Dr. Lily Penleric (McTeer), an uptight musicologist, is furious after getting denied tenure again at an elite all-male East Coast university. She promptly quits out of protest, and having nowhere else to go, she joins her sister in a remote mountain school. Her high-minded, refined ways quickly clash with the locals, yet her academic interests are peaked when she realizes that this bucolic mountain culture is thoroughly infused with music that harkens back to traditional English and Scottish folk ballads. After retrieving some tools, including a primitive recording device, from the East Coast, she sets out collecting songs. The locals react with a mixture of amusement, bafflement, and suspicion. Meanwhile, a mining company is strong-arming the impoverished residences into selling their coal-rich land for a pittance. Lily soon realizes that the culture she's seeking to preserve is quickly being torn asunder. Aidan Quinn and David Patrick Kelly also appear in this film, which was screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Blue Note Records was founded in the 1930s and has played a vital role in the development of jazz for more than 60 years. Important works by some of the greatest jazz musicians in history -- John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, and many others -- were recorded on the Blue Note label. The company's founders, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, both loved jazz (especially jazz with a bluesy element) and had true respect for the musicians with whom they worked. Featuring appearances by many artists -- and memorable music recorded in the Blue Note studios throughout the years -- this documentary explores the evolution of the genre, while telling the story of a company that marked an important period in music history. ~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide

An interracial romance sparks social upheaval in this indie drama from first-time writer/director Anthony Drazan. Jewish high school student Zack Glass (Michael Rapaport) lives with his widowed, womanizing father (Ray Sharkey) in one of the nicer areas of Detroit. His pop and grandfather own a pair of vintage record stores full of everything from swing and jazz to soul and disco; Zack carries on the vinyl-centric family tradition by selling hip-hop mix tapes out of his locker and mixing fiddles and Puccini into his DJ sets at local parties. One day at school, beautiful New Jersey transfer student Nikki (N'Bushe Wright) witnesses Zack's girlfriend unceremoniously dumping him; when it turns out that Zack's best friend, Dee Wimms (DeShonn Castle), is Nikki's cousin, the stage is set for romance -- the first interracial pairing for each teen. Dee is happy to play matchmaker, but members of the Wimms clan aren't as pleased with the romance. Nikki's mother, Marlene (Candy Ann Brown), asks Zack point-blank if he's curious about black women -- or just slumming it. Such mild disapproval is nothing compared to the rage felt by Nut (Ron Johnson), a young troublemaker who wants to romance Nikki himself. When Nikki overhears Zack making a racially insensitive comment about her to his pals at a party, she questions the viability of their relationship; the next day, she finds herself making time with Nut, who displays an unexpected tender streak. When Zack shows up at the local skating rink to talk to Nikki and sees Nut pestering her, things spiral out of control. Soon, the lines are drawn in a community-wide debate about interracial dating and urban violence. Zebrahead earned a Filmmaker's Trophy for Drazan at Sundance in 1992 and launched the successful careers of Rapaport and Wright. Indie fans will notice Kevin Corrigan in an elliptical subplot involving the industrial disintegration of the Motor City. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Billy Dee Williams stars as legendary ragtime pianist/composer Scott Joplin in this 1977 biopic. Despite his brilliance, Joplin (1868-1917) was confined by the color of his skin to the dregs of show business in the late 19th century. While competing in a musical contest, Joplin introduces his most famous composition, "The Maple Leaf Rag", thereby commanding the attention of a white music publisher. Offered a ridiculously low price for the song, Joplin nevertheless agrees to sell his composition, figuring that he has a better chance at fame and fortune once he's published. Before long, Ragtime music has become a national craze, and Joplin is rich beyond his wildest dreams. But the composer realizes that his brand of music is not considered respectable, and yearns to write something of more lasting value--a concerto, perhaps, or even an opera. Alas, Joplin's talents begin failing him, and by age 49 he is on the brink of death, a victim of syphilis. Originally made for television by Motown Films, Scott Joplin was released theatrically by Universal Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based loosely on the real-life relationship between political activist Angela Davis and convict-turned-author George Jackson, Brothers stars Bernie Casey as David Thomas, who begins corresponding with college professor and outspoken black activist Paula Jones (Vonetta McGee) after he's convicted of a crime he didn't commit. David's relationship with Paula gives him strength and insight as he tries to survive in the brutally violent and racist environment of prison. A great deal more serious and politically minded than most of the other "blaxploitation" films of its era, Brothers was directed by Arthur Barron, in a severe departure from his previous film, the sweet teenage love story Jeremy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Martin Ritt's big-screen adaptation of William H. Armstrong's Newberry Award winning novel, Sounder stars Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, and Kevin Hooks as a black family struggling through life in depression-era Louisiana. The Morgan family is poor, but close. Young son David (Hooks) enjoys hunting with his father Nathan (Paul Winfield) and his trusted dog Sounder. Eventually, they fall on such rough times that Nathan steals a loaf of bread to feed his family, but he is arrested and sentenced to a work camp. Mother Rebecca (Tyson) realizes that David is now responsible for taking care of the family. He sets out to locate where his father is being held, and becomes involved in a school for black children where he learns facts that give him a new level of self-esteem. Sounder was nominated for a variety of Academy Awards, including Best Picture. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide