The Black Belt was a region in the American South known for its rich, black soil. It was home to many cotton plantations and, consequently, enslaved black people. During the Great Migration, large numbers of black people moved out of the South into northern cities, taking the blues and other cultural creations with them. Not all moved, though. Alabama Blackbelt Blues is a documentary by Alabama Public Television on the continuing blues tradition in Alabama’s portion of the Black Belt. (Watch the trailer here.)

If you like the blues, you’ll like this documentary - simple as that. It’s given me a whole list of singers and musicians to listen to. And, unsurprisingly, the names of John and Alan Lomax come up regularly as collectors and preservers of this music. I plan to explore their collections more thoroughly soon.

Listen: “Trouble So Hard” by Vera Hall

Once (2007) causes me such exquisite emotional pain that I have to put a few years between each viewing.

I’ve finished all of the films in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology and I can’t recommend them highly enough.

I’ve now watched the first two films in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology and both have been exceptional. But Lovers Rock … that was something special. If I tried to explain the plot to you (there isn’t much to it!) you would never believe it would work. Yet I was entranced. The “Silly Games” scene in particular was pure magic. I agree with this LA Times article (which gives the background to “Silly Games”) which calls it is “one of the most patient and loving celebrations of music ever captured on film.”

Fantastic documentary: Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski

Worth watching. I didn’t know anything about her previously. Colette

The Dig (streaming on Netflix) is a beautiful movie contemplating death and the past. Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan are excellent. The romantic subplot between some secondary characters didn’t feel strictly necessary but that’s my only criticism. It’s loosely (according to Wikipedia based on the excavation at Sutton Hoo - which is fascinating in its own right.

The HBO Max documentary “Beanie Mania” is worth watching. Beanie Babies seem to be one of those things that hit at exactly the right time. Also a good example of mass psychology and the “greater fool” theory of investing.

Several days ago I watched Bright Star, Jane Campion’s film about the final period of John Keats' life. While I enjoyed it, I didn’t expect it to hang around in my mind for very long. But it did. I even bought a copy of the complete Keats in order to get more familiar with his work. I also found a list of the best biopics about poets, none of which I’ve seen (apart from Bright Star). I’m most interested in the film about Oscar Wilde, since I like both Wilde and Stephen Fry. Anyone want to recommend a biopic about a poet, whether on this list or not? 📚

I love documentaries about extreme sports - probably because I am so unlike the people who do such things! This one, though, was extraordinary, my favorite of its kind. Streaming on Netflix.