THE II{TERNATIONATENTERTAINMENT WEEI(LY s tAiluARi31-FEBRUARY 6, 2005 FItM REVIEWS

BTUESDIUAS Staples to the defiant raunch of (D0cu) Denise LaSa.lle, perfs are uniformly strong, as each act gets at least one A Blue M production. (International tune and some as many as three. Vet sales:Prime Entertainment Group,Paris.) Irma Thomas shouts her way Produced by Mugge. Executive "I've Roberb through Otis Reddingis Been producer, T! Warren. Directed, edited by Roberb Mugge. Cam- Loving You Too Long," after which era (color, HDCam), Stanley Graham, the self-deprecating humor of singer- Earnest Seals, Adam Daniel, Eris Wilson, storyteller Odetta lends added bite "Beourgeois Randy Kwan, Kenneth Sullivan, Darryl to Leadbelly's Blues." "nice Moses, Randy Tinney, Jeremy Burson; Staples' self-described music,Big Mo Recording;art director, Karen grunt" gives oomph to late-dad Wing; sound, John Busbice. Reviewed at of "Will AFI Silver Theater, Silver Spring Md., Ja.n. Roebuck's arrangement 21,2005. Running time: 116 MIN. the Circle Be Unbroken," followed With: Morgan Freeman, Irma Thomas, by guitar slinger Deborah Cole- Odetta, Mavis Staples,Deborah Coleman, man's blazing sprint through Koko "I'm Bettye LaVette, Ann Peebles, Renee Taylor's signature a Woman" Austin, Denise LaSalle. as Stevie Ray Vaughan's image gazes down from the wall. By EDDIECOCHRETL During Bettye LaVette's fiery "Seles Him Right," the soul sur- vivor cracks up amember of Mugge's iglrt fabulous femmes strut "He their substantial stufr in crew with midsong growl can go ttBlues Divas.' newest in a to h,ell fot all I care." The energy longdine of joyous music-themed level dips slightly during Ann Pee- do0ub{ from director Robert bles' perf, though garish outfits Muggh The tangr fruits of sported by the thrush and her mot- helmer's recent alliance wittr leyJooking nine-piece band can't de- tract from the haunting vibe ofher Mississippi's Foundation for "I Public Broadcasting and his new 1973hit Can't Sta,ndthe Rain." Relative newcomet Renee Blue M shing;le,worlCs varied as- "Fool semblagesas eiglrt hotrrlong ttrbe Austin's slinky Moon" pro- programs (one per diva), singfe- vides a blessed calm before the artist DVDs and the theatrical fea- storm that is LaSalle's rampage through a sweaty set list capped hre cauglrt here ensures fest cov- "Still erage, small-screenplay and brisk by the inevitable the Queen." business in a variety of formab, As has become Mugge's trade- kicking ofrwith Feb. 3 Mississippi mark, a more visceral visual ap- Public Broadcasting preem. proach to the tech package replaces surface slickness prevalent in simi Straightfor"warddocu openswith "Lightning brief intro from thesp and enthusi- lar recent docus such as ast MorganFreeman, whose Clarks- in a Bottle." Not that there's any- dalejuke joint GroundZero Blues thing wrong with that; throughout quarter-century ca- CIub hosted festivities and Mugge's an illustrious reer dating back to 16mm docus on high-def crew over a three-day Crumb, Sun Ra, Al Green, weekend in spring 2004. The actols George Ruben Blades, Sonny Rollins and laid-back and often adulatory chats many others, Mugge's movies have with the taient punctuate uncut been more about the combustible numbers performed in front of 50 or mix of forceful personalities and so racially diverse patrons on a stage powerful music than surface gloss. brightly lit to emphasize the graffiti Sound mix on the vivid DV tape and gig posters on the walls. projected was punchy and full. From the religious fervor of Mavis