Calvin Skaggs Movies

When cartoonist Charles M. Schulz's first "Peanuts" comic strip was published back in 1950, few could have foreseen the cultural phenomenon that would eventually form around a series of simple line drawings featuring children flying kites, kicking around a football, and being cruel as kids can be. Fifty years and 18,977 comic strips later, no one could deny that Schulz had somehow managed to tap into that innocent, sometimes worrisome child that dwells within us all. Though it all, Schulz remained a mind-mannered comic who was prone to self-doubt, much like his iconic, forever young protagonist Charlie Brown. In this film, director David Van Taylor speaks while Schulz's family, friends, and colleagues in order to offer a well-rounded look at the enigmatic man whose childlike wonder and wisdom touched countless lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

For many years, religious faith had little to do with American politics, but in the late '60s, as the youth-oriented counterculture became increasingly visible, a small number of right-wing Christians on the other end of the political spectrum began sketching out plans to claim a larger share of the electoral playing field. In 1976, Jimmy Carter was the first self-described born-again Christian to win the presidency, and while many fundamentalist Christians quickly became dissatisfied with his leftist views, his victory set a valuable precedent. Additionally, as noted Christian commentators such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson took a far more active role in politics, a growing number of political candidates (most of them Republicans) became aware of the importance of courting what became known as "the Religious Right," with George W. Bush enjoying particular success as he stressed moral and cultural issues in his two campaigns for president (and, to a certain degree, successfully camouflaging his reckless past) and openly courted the Christian vote. With God on Our Side: George W. Bush and the Rise of the Christian Right is a documentary which looks at the politics and spiritual issues behind the new Christian right, and how the movement came to become a major force in post-millennial America. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Struggling musicians vie for success in the hard world of the New York hip-hop scene in this gritty urban drama. Rich (Jeffrey D. Sams) is convinced he has a future as a rapper -- so much so that he leaves his wife and family to go to New York and reach for the brass ring. While scuffling for work, Rich meets another MC, I Tick (Ron Brice), whose roughneck style is a contrast to Rich's smooth delivery. The two rhymers begin working together and soon find that they may have a shot at the big time. The supporting cast includes Maura Tierney, Larry Gillard Jr., and Leo Burmester; rapper MC Lyte contributes to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Veteran Hawaii-born actor Mako is never less than brilliant in director Michael Toshiyuki Uno's The Wash. The film is a study of love lost and love renewed in California's Asian community. Since his retirement, a husband (Mako) becomes increasingly sullen and withdrawn. Only when his wife (Nobu McCarthy) announces that she wants a separation does the husband begin to reexamine his life. While the story in The Wash is a familiar one, its ethnic overtones set the film apart from others of its ilk. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A prequel to Horton Foote's 1918, On Valentine's Day was filmed in 1984, then held back from release till 1986. On the titular day, Elizabeth Vaughn (Hallie Foote, Horton's daughter) and Horace Robedeaux (William Converse-Roberts) elope. Horace stubbornly refuses to ask for financial assistant from his parents or in-laws, so the penniless couple is compelled to live in an inexpensive boarding house. Their fellow tenants are the usual assortment of eccentrics, including alcoholic Bobby Pate (Richard Jenkins), spinster Miss Ruth (Carol Goodheart), heartbroken George Tyler (Steven Hill) and garrulous young Bessie (Jeanne McCarthy). After several months of enduring the woes of the other boarders, Horace swallows his pride and agrees to allow father-in-law Michael Higgins to support him and Elizabeth. There's a reconciliation, but one tinged with the premonition that Horace and Elizabeth aren't out of the woods yet. Together with Portrait of a Marriage (never released theatrically), On Valentine's Day and 1918 were later reedited and incorporated into a Horton Foote TV trilogy on the PBS network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this poignant adaptation of James Baldwin's novel about a few generations in the life of an Afro-American family, a young boy's efforts to gain some approval from his Bible-thumping, disciplinarian father takes center stage, and the family's background is told in a series of flashbacks. The story begins in 1935 with young Southerner Gabriel Grimes (Paul Winfield) as he runs away from home and takes on the identity of a Baptist lay preacher. Childless by his timid first wife, Gabriel has an illegitimate son by Esther (Alfre Woodard), an irresistible temptress. Unfortunately, the son comes to no good, forcing an embittered Gabriel to move to Harlem and start over with another wife, and eventually, two more sons. But the man has by this time gone over the edge and is filled with a rage against the vicissitudes of his life (he cannot get ahead in the church and is forced to work as a day laborer just to keep food on the table). He takes out his anger on his family and is so single-mindedly fanatical about religion that he forces his sons to join regular home Bible study to the exclusion of all other activities -- especially those promoted by the white-dominated society outside of Harlem. When his timid but intelligent son John (James Bond III) wins a writing honor, Gabriel makes him give it back -- and in general, his fanaticism and anger turn life into intermittent misery for the talented and sensitive son who loves writing. John's desire to please his father is all the more touching when the impossibility of pleasing him is so obvious. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi