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The Detroit News Published 1:38 PM EST Dec 26, 2018 Here are the local pop culture stories that had the biggest impact this year: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, dies at 76 The city of Detroit came to a standstill on Aug. 16 with the news that legendary singer Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, died at her Detroit home of pancreatic cancer. Over a two-week period, the city and the world celebrated her life, her celebrated 60-year musical career, and her legacy of quiet generosity for causes far away and close to home for more than 30 years. For complete coverage, go to detroitnews.com/series/arethafranklin Death of Michigan Opera Theatre founder David DiChiera A little more than a month after Aretha Franklin died, Detroit suffered the death of another entertainment giant: David DiChiera, 83. The impresario, described by many as a cultural powerhouse who brought opera back to the Motor City, helped jump-start downtown Detroit’s revival and pioneered the practice of … [Read more...] about Top 10 Detroit News entertainment storylines of 2018

opinion Adam Graham Detroit News Film Critic Published 5:14 PM EST Dec 25, 2018 An uproarious comedy about a decidedly unfunny subject, "Vice" has bite, smarts and a definite point of view, and it uses its sense of humor like a flamethrower.  Director Adam McKay, the "Anchorman" and "Step Brothers" auteur who made sense out of the mortgage crisis and reinvented himself as a conscious filmmaker with 2015's "The Big Short," takes on an even taller order with this story about former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney, we're reminded in a prologue, is one of the most secretive leaders in history. It's not like McKay had access to him in prepping for the film, but in piecing together what he could from books and public records to make sense of the former Veep, "we did our (bleeping) best," we're told up front.  And yee-haw, "Vice" is off to the races. This wild rodeo is steered by Christian Bale, who packed on some 40 pounds to play Cheney, and he … [Read more...] about Movie review: ‘Vice’ wields a mighty sword

opinion Adam Graham Detroit News Film Critic Published 6:26 PM EST Dec 24, 2018 An intoxicating, intimate work from a born filmmaker, "If Beale Street Could Talk" is an elegant poem of a film.    "Moonlight's" Barry Jenkins directs this story of a couple dealing with racial strife in 1970s Harlem. Based on the novel by James Baldwin, "Beale Street" crackles with wit and insight into the way one's worldview — "the world you move in," in Baldwin's words — is shaped, and later reinforced, by their circumstances.  Jenkins uses a slow pace and a soft touch, framing his characters in close ups that read like portraits, their faces telling the story more than the words. He uses his camera to stage floating overhead shots where he drops in on his characters from above, and he gives a dreamlike feel to a situation that is anything but dreamy. Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James) grew up together and … [Read more...] about Movie review: ‘Beale Street’ sings a song of raw beauty