Reflection by Greg Carlson Ted Larson introduced me to Chris Jacobs one evening at Weld Hall in the late 1980s. I was in high school then, but Chris recognized fellow film fanatics, and we would chat a little bit each week. I learned quickly that he loved movies as much as anybody, and had a […]

Reflection by Greg Carlson My little sister, Gretchen Kaye Carlson Kost, died Monday, January 30, 2017. A dearly cherished daughter and sibling, wife and mother, cousin and conspirator, she was a friend first, a friend often, and a friend always. She was also a displayer of dimples, which as a kid she often labored to […]

Movie reflection by Greg Carlson In 1996, six years following the disappointment of “Graffiti Bridge,” Prince agreed to provide the soundtrack music for director Spike Lee’s “Girl 6.” The project would mark the artist’s final full-scale cinematic collaboration, even though filmmakers continued to use his material and seek him out. Functionally, the “Girl 6” record […]

Movie reflection by Greg Carlson “Graffiti Bridge,” Prince’s final theatrical film as director and onscreen performer, was the sequel to “Purple Rain” that nobody wanted. Ridiculed, dismissed, and derided upon release in November of 1990, the movie serves as an ideal object lesson in artistic hubris. Just a few short years earlier, Prince’s look and […]

Movie reflection by Greg Carlson Following “Sign o’ the Times,” his third theatrically-released feature as performer and second as director, Prince’s next cinematic surprise was the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s juggernaut “Batman” in 1989. Unfortunately, the prolific artist did not appear in the film, even though I recall discussing with friends the wildly nerdy notion […]

Movie reflection by Greg Carlson The third theatrically released feature starring Prince, as well as his second directorial effort, “Sign o’ the Times” remains a concert film par excellence. The movie’s curious production history has been marked by stories that the vast majority of the visual content was captured at Paisley Park when footage from […]

Movie reflection by Greg Carlson Following the death of Prince on April 21, 2016, televised and theatrical screenings of “Purple Rain” were among the first and most potent opportunities for public expressions of grief. While unavailable on Netflix and HBO Go, the movie was scheduled by MTV and VH1 immediately, and several multiplex chains, including […]

Reflection by Greg Carlson The first words I wrote for the High Plains Reader covered Prince’s December 8, 1997 Fargodome concert. Editor John Lamb knew I was a big fan, and asked me to say something about the show. John’s gesture meant a great deal to me, and my work for HPR has been an […]