An Evening Out in Columbus, Mississippi

The Screening of Michael Williams' The Atoning...

I started my evening out with a stop at Books & Boards bookstore - Three Sisters Pie Company, for a couple cups of coffee and what the pie company calls a pie-ette. This one was pecan. I needed to bolster my appetite so I wouldn't be tempted to snack on popcorn and sodas at the theater.

The Malco Cinema in Columbus, Mississippi, held a 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. screening of the new film, The Atoning, by Michael Williams , on Thursday, February 2nd, to a sold-out crowd. This 90-minute feature length film is Mr. Williams' second such endeavor. In the coming days, the film will be shown at film festivals in Starkville, Mississippi and Oxford, Mississippi.

Synopsis from the Shendopen web site:
Vera, Ray, and Sam, a seemingly normal family, are haunted by more than mere ghosts. The lingering horror of their past threatens their ability to function as a loving family until they become enlightened by a mystical encounter. From that moment on, they’re thrust into a horror worse than anything they’ve ever experienced. Personal demons manifest and tear the family apart from the inside out as they come to terms with their past. 

I don't want to give anything away about the film, but I can say that it was thoroughly enjoyable with surprising plot twists and back-of-the-neck, hair-raising moments throughout the film. As with a new screening, there was audience participation, and Michael and his team of actors conducted a Q&A after each of the two screenings. As you will discover from the Shendopen web site, work is currently being done on a film The Hidden Few by Michael Williams and executive producer Michael LaCour. Nothing yet on what this latest film is about, but I plan to check it out when there is a screening.

My bad, but I didn't stick around for the Q&A, because I left home at 5 p.m. and it was approaching 9 p.m. by the time I left the theater. I wanted to stop in at The Elbow Room Lounge. I hadn't planned on eating, but when I arrived, I decided I would get one of the bar's signature pannini sandwiches and a Henry's hard orange soda. Barbara was there, the owner of the pub, and a two-man band was rehearsing for the next night's show, so between eating, talking with Barbara, and listening to the musicians, I spent a final hour of what was a great night out.

While it has taken me almost nine months to make acquaintances and to know people on sight and by name,  when I'm out and about, I feel that I am slowly fitting in to the community. Both my partner and I are frankly on pins and needles about his eventual move to Columbus, but boy do I have a lot to show him when he gets here.

And then, of course, there are the jazz/blues festivals held on the riverwalk in Columbus I'm looking forward to attending—with Cliff, who loves jazz.