Movie Review

MLK/FBI puts civil rights leader and agency under a microscope

The film is based on David Garrow’s 1981 book The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo courtesy of IFC Films

Few Americans are more admired than slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Yet at the same time, he was a man whose personal life was, shall we say, complicated, and whose activities drew the attention — warranted or unwarranted — of the FBI for a good portion of his life.

All of that is examined in the new documentary MLK/FBI, which uses FBI documents that were declassified in 2019 as the jumping-off point to try to understand why the agency put King under such scrutiny. Directed by Sam Pollard, the film is based on David Garrow’s 1981 book The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr., a subject he explored further in an article after the declassified documents were released.

Garrow is one of eight people who is interviewed for the film, although Pollard makes the unusual choice of not showing any of the interviewees on camera. Instead, all the audience sees is a brief chyron with a person’s name while historical footage, photos, and movies about the FBI are rolled out as visuals. While we occasionally get to see video of King and other figures of the time speaking, the majority of the film is silent while the faceless interviewees speak, a technique that is not very dynamic and gets repetitive.

Pollard and his team do their best to approach the film in an even-handed manner. They show how many people in the U.S. at the time were still in fear of Communism taking over, and how the FBI capitalized on that fear to paint King with a red brush, using an association with suspected Communist Stanley Levison as justification to start surveilling him. Naturally, good old-fashioned racism played no small part in their attention, with King’s rise and cause in general seen as detrimental by many white people.

Surveillance eventually turned to wiretaps on King’s and his associates' phones, as well as informants embedded with him, and it was then that they discovered what is now common knowledge: That King was unfaithful to his wife. The FBI tried to exploit this information to undermine King’s moral authority in a variety of ways, most distastefully when they sent a supposed recording of King with another woman to his house, along with a letter suggesting that he kill himself.

The interviewees, which also include King confidants/friends Andrew Young and Clarence Jones, historians Beverly Gage and Donna Murch, and former FBI agent Charles Knox, give some insight into this history, although the format of the film hampers them. Because the footage often doesn’t match exactly what a person is talking about, viewers may find themselves losing the thread of a specific point being made. There’s something to be said for not going the traditional “talking head” route with a documentary, but Pollard may have leaned too far in the opposite direction.

The level of hatred aimed at King late in his life, especially when he took a public stance against the war in Vietnam, is both easy and difficult to believe. But the fact that this loathing was so well-known and that the FBI had constant surveillance on King at the time of his assassination calls into question why they couldn’t have prevented it. The film insinuates that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of killing him, may not have been to blame, but stops short of outright accusing the FBI of being involved.

Some may not want to watch a documentary that’s not a complete veneration of King, especially on the weekend preceding the holiday with his name on it. But MLK/FBI is an important, if imperfect, look at a slice of history that many may not know well.

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MLK/FBI is screening in select theaters and is available via premium video on demand.

movies

Igloo News

Trendy pop-up igloo bubble bars return to Grapevine hotel for holiday

Bubble bar Hotel Vin

Hotel Vin

Bubble bar in the background.

A somewhat new but already beloved holiday tradition has returned: Hotel Vin, the hotel in Historic Downtown Grapevine, has brought back its famous "Bubbles" - cozy igloos that serve as pop-up bars during the holiday season.

A statement from Hotel Vin says the bubbles will debut on November 18 and remain through February 14. That may seem like a ways off, but in the past, these have sold out fast, and they're already taking reservations (reserve your bubble here).

Igloo bars first bubbled up in DFW in 2019, then surged in 2020 during the pandemic days, when people were trying to find ways to be social in outdoor settings.

They were novel and fun enough that they blossomed into their own sizzling-hot trend, returning for the 2021 holidays and now for 2022.

Also referred to as garden igloos, these "bubbles" are like plastic caves, like a geodesic dome, where you can hang out and imbibe under the winter sky, protected by your bubble from the elements.

They're ideal for groups and make for a good amusement during the holidays.

In prior years, the bubbles were planted on Hotel Vin's rooftop, but this year, they're located on the WineYard lawn. According to a spokesperson, the prior rooftop location led to some instability on the part of the bubbles. You don't want a bubble to float off the roof with party people inside.

bubble igloo bar You can have dinner inside the igloo. Check out the fur throws, so cozy.Hotel Vin

Their eight bubbles are decked out with après ski-lodge décor including fur blankets, heaters, and treats, creating an ambiance of coziness amidst an evergreen forest. They're open Wednesdays-Sundays from 5-10 pm.

Pricing
Happy Hour Bubble from 4-5 pm is $150
You can BYOB or enjoy a bottle of wine and fondue.

Two-Hour Lounge Bubble from 5:30-8 pm is $250
Same as the happy hour bubble, just an additional 90 minutes.

Full Dining Bubble from 5:30-8 pm, $150 per person
Seasonally inspired three-course dinner comes with a bottle of wine. Additional beverages are available for purchase throughout your meal.

holidays

Asleep at the Auction

Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson auctions off guitars, cars, and music memorabilia

Benson's collection

Photo courtesy of Burley Auction

Benson's collection includes everything from posters to cars, and several unique guitars.

There’s no stopping some collectors, who make historical gear and other oddities a lifelong pursuit. Ray Benson, frontman of the longtime Texas-based Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel, has a looser grasp on some of his items.

“After 50 plus years of collecting, I realized it’s time for me to clean house and let someone else enjoy them for a while,” said Benson in a press release. “I wouldn’t say that I became a collector on purpose,” he later added.

In particular, he’s talking about memorabilia, custom guitars, classic cars, and even a custom motorcycle. New Braunfels-based Burley Auction is in charge of the sale, which will occur both in person in New Braunfels and online on October 15. So each item’s true value shines through, Benson will walk onlookers through his collection, telling stories from his career since 1970.

Collectibles are a great chance at name dropping, which in this case calls to memory connections with Willie Nelson, George Strait, Dolly Parton, and Commander Cody, among others. This is as interesting for an Asleep at the Wheel fan as any buyer who loves Texas and its nonconformist entertainment history.

“I’ve accumulated a vast collection of some really cool stuff! From the bay area music scene of the early ‘70s, to the Austin ‘Cosmic Cowboy’ movement” Benson said. “Hats, boots, posters, cars and guitars!”

Ray Benson Benson will auction off custom guitars, classic cars, and more on October 15.Photo by Mike Shore

In addition to connecting people with items that make them happy or teach them something, this auction benefits the Texas Dance Hall Preservation, which maintains antique gathering places across the state including two in Texas: the Austin Son’s of Hermann Mixed Lodge and the Broken Spoke.

The auction couldn’t have come at a more nostalgic time for Asleep at the Wheel, in the wake of its album Half A Hundred Years, released on October 1. As usual, the band will be at the Austin City Limits Festival (as one of its more stable offerings year-to-year) supporting the 19-track new release. Iconic musicians from the genre join the record as guests, plus three original band members who lend their talents for the first time in 40 years.

Asleep at the Wheel will play with the Plano Symphony Orchestra at Richardson's Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts Richardson on October 22.

Auction registration details and a catalog of items up for grabs are available at BurleyAuction.com.

texas music celebrities

Healthy News

Healthy Original ChopShop pencils in 3 restaurants across Dallas-Fort Worth

salad bowl

Courtesy of The Original ChopShop

More healthy ChopShops are on the way.

It's not known how many healthy restaurants Dallas-Fort Worth can absorb, but three more are on the way: Original ChopShop — the fast-casual healthy restaurant chain serving bowls, salads, sandwiches, and juice — will open three locations in the DFW area, including one this fall and one in early 2023.

The first will open in North Dallas, at the key Preston-Forest intersection, in the same center as the Whole Foods Market, a healthy anchor if you ever wanted one. It'll go into the former Gymboree at 11700 Preston Rd. #612, and will open in December.

The second is in Southlake at 2101 E. Southlake Blvd. #100. That's happening in early 2023.

Looking down the road, there's another location coming to Fort Worth, at the NE corner of Heritage Trace Parkway and I-35. That's in late 2023, so far off that it doesn't have a street address yet.

Original ChopShop made their DFW debut in 2018 with a first location in Las Colinas. There are now 17 locations total in DFW, Houston, and Phoenix, with local outlets in Plano, Allen, McKinney, Lakewood, and the Park Cities across from SMU.

The concept was founded in Scottsdale in 2013 but relocated its headquarters to Plano in 2016. They were originally a sibling to the Bellagreen chain, but in July, Bellagreen was acquired by Ampex brands.

The core item on their menu is protein bowls, with greens, grains, and a protein. The most popular is the teriyaki chicken bowl, which can be served with choice of forbidden rice, brown rice, or sweet potato hash.

Other dishes include salads, sandwiches, acai and pitaya superfruit bowls, juice, and protein shakes. They offer a variety of dietary-friendly items for adults and children, including food free of gluten, dairy, lactose, and soy, along with vegetarian and vegan options.

Ambience is relaxed, with sunny accents, distressed wood, handwritten notes, and vintage photos. A patio seats 24 guests and features outdoor festoon lights and custom planters.

In a statement, CEO Jason Morgan says that they've only just begun growing, so apparently there is a lot more room for healthy restaurants.

“Our brand is unique because of its ability to work in varied real estate trade areas including suburban markets," Morgan says. "With the July 2022 Bellagreen divestiture, our team is now 100 percent focused on Original ChopShop."

openings health