Deimos3

"Copperhead" is a very thoughtful film, lovingly photographed in the lush upper New York countryside with an authenticity that is worthy of a documentary. It is a story too often ignored--that of those in the North who opposed the Civil War and the effect it had on their communities. Slow paced and deliberate, to some it may seem too lacking in action or drama for a film about the American Civil War. If you want sentimentality, see "Gone With the Wind" and if you want action see "Glory," both fine films. But if you want a sincere look at the Union home front and a look at those who opposed the war and why, see "Copperhead." Now we need a good film about the Southerners who opposed the war, for there were many of them, my ancestors included.

It's hard to believe that the Cowtown Ballroom was in business for only 38 months. Here in KC, people still remember it fondly and everyone who ever went there to a concert has a story to tell. And what a story this tidy little doc tells, weaving interviews with nationally known musicians and local talent in with rare footage of Kansas City in the what could be called the Golden Days of the Counterculture in Kansas City. It is a metaphor for the times and changes of the early to mid 1970's, it is a trip back to a trippy time, it is the history of music in the Midwest in those years and it is much more. Seeing people that I knew personally being interviewed was really nostalgic for me, of course, but what was mind blowing (to use a term of the times) was all the huge names that played there in such a few short years and the totally eclectic nature of the music and entertainers. I had some magic moments at the Cowtown and anyone who did will embrace this fine little film. And if you weren't around, or were on the coasts and never heard of the Cowtown, here's your chance to see what life and music was like back in the heartland. New York and California might have had all the press, but we had some of the best right here in our own backyard.