Welcome to WeeklyWilson.com, where author/film critic Connie (Corcoran) Wilson avoids totally losing her marbles in semi-retirement by writing about film (see the Chicago Film Festival reviews and SXSW), politics and books----her own books and those of other people. You'll also find her diverging frequently to share humorous (or not-so-humorous) anecdotes and concerns. Try it! You'll like it!
Connie (Corcoran) Wilson graduated from the University of Iowa and earned a Master’s degree from Western Illinois University, with additional study at Northern Illinois, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago. She taught writing at six Iowa/Illinois colleges and wrote for five newspapers and 7 blogs. Her stories and interviews have appeared online and in print and her work has won prizes from “Whim’s Place Flash Fiction," “Writer’s Digest” (Screenplay), E-Lit award for 3 works, Illinois Women's Press Association Silver Feather awards, Pinnacle award (NABE) and recommendations for the Bram Stoker award. She is the author of 4 nonfiction published books, 4 short story collections, 1 novel and there are 2 novels ready for publication (the trilogy beginning with "The Color of Evil.") She reviewed film and books for the Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa) for 12 years and wrote humor columns and conducted interviews for the (Moline, Illinois) Daily Dispatch.
“Motherland” – This 24 minute 21 second short dealt with a couple–an Iranian man and a girl from Iowa— who are meeting the girl’s in-laws for the first time. The Jasmin Mozaffari film is set against the backdrop of the Iranian hostage crisis, which took place in 1979 and lasted for 444 days during the Carter administration. It was inspired by Jasmin’s father who married a woman from Alberta, Canada.
WRITER/DIRECTOR
“Motherland” was named as the Best Canadian Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Mozzafari was named Best Director at the Aspen Shortsfest and her debut film “Firecracker” debuted in 2018 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her short YASAMIN, based on her mother’s story of immigration, was a Grand Jury Prize Nominee at the 2018 AFI Film Festival. In 2022, she associate produced the short documentary “Longline of Ladies” which world premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and won the grand jury prize at SXSW.
Jasmine’s father, in real life, married a woman from Alberta, Canada. The New York Times compared Mozaffari’s directing style to “a young Andrea Arnold.” For those not familiar with Andrea Arnold, she directed “American Honey” in 2017, which won a BAFTA as Outstanding British Film of the Year. In 2022, Arnold was a nominee for the Best Documentary of the Year for “Cow,” a chilling look at the life (and death) of a cow on a dairy farm in England, with no dialogue and an absolutely chilling end for the cow of the title. Andrea Arnold was named “Most Promising Newcomer” in 2007 for her film “Red Road” and shared a 2010 Bafta for “Fish Tank” for Best British Film. Arnold directed “American Honey” in 2017 with Shia LaBoeuf and Riley Keough. It was a big winner at Cannes and in London at BAFTA, but the film was overlong and meandered.
If Jasmine Mozaffari is being compared to Andrea Arnold, she is in very good company.
PLOT
Babak, an Iranian medical student in school in Iowa, portrayed by Behtash Fazlali, is in love with Katie and they are on their way (in a car, like 3 out of 5 of these shorts) to meet Katie’s parents for Thanksgiving, 1979. As the film opens Babak—who resembles Al Pacino in “Serpico” with the full beard as the film opens—is being harassed by the locals in a confrontation with Americans who are incensed at the invasion of the embassy in Tehran. One of the Americans holds a poster that says: “Nuke ‘em until they glow. It worked in Japan. It’ll work in Iran.”
The couple meets up with, initially, just Katie’s mother at a dance hall type building that would be more at home in Texas or Oklahoma than in Iowa. I grew up in Iowa. Neither the landscape around the dance hall nor the dance hall itself seemed authentically “Iowan.” The surrounding landscape looked much more like Texas, from where I am while writing this.
CAST
“Motherland,” a short from Jasmin Mozaffari.
Katie’s mother, Ruth, played by Birgitte Solem, is polite but cool to the young man escorting her daughter. Katie’s (Oriana Leman) father doesn’t show up at all, at first. Later, her father, Werner Summer—extremely well-played by John Ralston—makes it clear to Bobak that “My daughter will not be your effing green card.” Bobak—who has even begun calling himself “Bob”—has, by this point, shaved his beard and is trying very hard to make a good impression. However, much like immigrants from other countries who are demonized, tensions were running high and much of the animosity was not based on reality, but on hearsay or propaganda. Originally, the Iranian students protesting the Shah who took over the Embassy had no intention of occupying it for long periods of time. It is interesting that many of those in positions of power that day went on to become highly-placed governmental figures.
I don’t doubt that there was hostility towards Iranians in the United States during this tense time in history. I lived through it as a teacher; it probably happened more in the cities, whereas I was in a relatively rural area in Illinois. I was teaching 7th and 8th grade students and had known one of the Iranian hostages from Jesup, Iowa. My students and I were very aware of the crisis and very concerned for the safety of the hostages.
CONCLUSION
Fourteen months later, on January 20, 1981, the Iranian hostages were released. This was announced by Reagan, although it was negotiated by Jimmy Carter. The protesters were angered that the United States allowed the Shah to enter the U.S. for medical treatment for cancer and that they would not return him for trial. $7.9billion in Iranian assets that had been seized was released to facilitate the release of the 52 hostages, not counting those who escaped posing as a film crew, as depicted in the film “Argo.” Nov. 4, 1979 was the beginning of the Iranian hostage situation; the end was January 20, 1981.
In “Motherland” I could not tell if the romance between Babak and Katie was going to go forward or if her parents’ hostility had killed it. They are (once again) in a car and the Thanksgiving, 1979 meeting with Katie’s parents did not go well. I can only assume that, since Jasmine’s father, IRL, did marry a Canadian woman, they work further on their relationship and rise above her parents’ opposition to it.
“His Mother,” a 13 minute and 39 second short film that is Oscar eligible, stars Jennifer Lawrence look-alike Bethany Anne Lind as the mother of a young man who is threatening violence at his college, Southern Tech. Young Harrison Miller, age 19, 5’ 10”, has left a variety of clues that he is about to explode, saying things like “The end has come” and “None of you ever gave me a chance.”
Maia Scalia wrote and directed this high tension race to save lives, She is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of Art and has worked on 2022’s “Call Jane” with Director Phyllis Nagy and star Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver in 2022, a film about the fight for abortion rights in pre-Roe days, which would be just as timely right about now. Ms. Scalia’s choice of Bethany Anne Lind to play “His Mother” is fortunate, because she does a believable job as a half-hysterical mother on her way to try to save her son from committing murder
Bethany Anne Lind played Grace Young in “Ozark” and Sandra in “Stranger Things.” It is a tribute to Bethany Anne’s emoting while behind the wheel of her car and racing to the scene of the potential crime that this short works at all. It was the third (of five) that had significant—or all, as in this case—portions shot inside a vehicle. Having written a few screenplays, I understand how tempting it is to use a car or a truck for the setting, as it certainly helps keep expenses down and frees up the set decorator and art decorator and lots of other sorts (not muchneed for unique costumes, either) and, consequently, helps keep the cost(s) of a production down.
We never actually see her son, Harrison, or his preoccupied father, Jason Miller, whom Bethany Anne talks to on the phone. The voice of father Jason is D.W. Moffett, a Chicago native who has played roles in “Traffic,” “Falling Down,” and “Friday Night Lights.” The voice of Harrison, her son, is Ben Irving, who played Bobby Freeze in Ben Affleck’s 2020 film “The Way Back.” Officer Davis (Evan Hall of “Orange isthe New Black”) and the emergency dispatcher (Aleah Guinones; Keisha in 2023’s “Shrinking”) are the only other voices in the piece, and we never see them.
“His Mother” Oscar eligible short.
Sound effects (bullets and sirens, for example) become important in this short piece. The music by Eli Keszler is crucial and the cinematography by Matt Clegg is mostly close-ups of Bethany Anne Lind’s face. I found myself wondering how his mother telling the authorities to look for her son in a blue Accura was viewed by Ms. Miller when the authorities caught up to her son, who had posted videos that led to him being sought as an “active shooter at large.” Phrases like “This is his only choice” are countered by his frazzled mother’s plea “Please help me understand.”
This one was tense and dramatic and takes place completely inside a car. I saw five in one sitting; this was my favorite.
“Buscando Alma,” a short about immigrants’ separation from their children at the border, has qualified for the 2025 Academy Awards.
“Buscando Alma,” a 15 minute 21 second short, has qualified for the 2025 Academy Awards in competition in Atlanta. It is also a timely subject, given the Trump administration’s vow to deport millions of immigrants. It is directed by a woman and stars a trans-gender female, also topics that are current.
“Buscando Alma” was written by Maiv Flores and Melissa Fisher; Fisher directed. It is a heartwarming tearjerker. The synopsis sums up the plot this way: “A Honduran immigrant is given the chance to meet her mother after nearly two decades of separation. As she grapples with the uncertainty of their reunion, she is confronted by tumultuous memories of her past.”
The short film won the 2024 Jury Award for “Best Drama Short” at Out On Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival, qualifying it for the 2025 Oscars®. Having just finished reviewing films at the Chicago International Film Festival where I saw the Errol Morris documentary “Separated,” the story of children separated from their parents at the border during the first Trump administration. I related to this one. Children who lose their connection to their parents are enveloped by a sense of longing and often suffer major psychological trauma. Separation has “left a hole in their hearts.” “Buscando Alma’s” heartfelt message hit home after seeing “Separated,” a sobering revisiting of one of our nation’s most shameful episodes. (The “Separated” crew actually rebuilt the cages the immigrants were placed in at the border to revisit the Tom Holman-supervised incidents of man’s inhumanity to man, infants ripped from their mothers’ arms). After nearly two decades apart, Cristina (Carolina Gutierrez) is finally able to locate her mother with the help of an attorney, but their long-awaited reunion comes with trepidation as she confronts memories of her past.
DIALOGUE
With lines like, “I want to know if she looked for me the way I looked for her” and “I have been searching for you my whole life” from lead actress Gutierrez, you’re in for a sad commentary on today’s headlines, with the Trump administration’s vow to deport millions. More chaos and heartbreak to come. As “Separated” made clear (based on reporting by the New York Times) the Trump administration intentionally kept very poor (if any) records of family members separated at the border. A child of immigrants flew in from Miami to tell us her own personal story. A teenager, she did not see her father again for five years after they were separated at the border. The actress playing the mother in this short (Neher Jacqueline Briceno) says to her daughter upon their reunion, “You are my life. I love you with my whole soul.”
DIRECTOR
Melissa Fisher is a Los Angeles based writer and director. She is also a member of the International Cinematographer’s Guild and has worked on Academy and Emmy Award winning films and television series. Melissa went from camera PA on Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain,” to camera assist on films like “La La Land.” She headed up the camera department on hit television shows like “GLOW” and “The Dropout.” She is currently working on a new Amazon Prime series, “Ballard,” that is scheduled for release in 2025.
LEAD ACTRESS
Lead actress Carolina Gutierrez.
Lead actress Carolina Gutierrez is a Bravo award-nominated Los Angeles based trans-gender actress born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She played the role of Marissa on the TV Show “L Word Generation Q.” She also played the lead role of Sofia on Amazon Prime’s web series “Starlet Diner,” a supporting role in the Web Series “The Good Samaritans,” and appeared on the Amazon Prime hit show “Goliath.” A proud Latina transgender woman, Carolina has utilized her platform to advocate for trans rights. Carolina has also appeared in several television shows, movies and national commercials, including her role as assassin Emma Ruiz on NCIS LA, Sara on La Costilla de Eva in Colombia, and the lead in a national car commercial with Nissan.
OTHER CAST
The sets for “Buscando Alma” particularly impressed me, whether a church, a deck, or a kitchen, Mars Feehery was responsible for the sets. Matt Schwartz also has done a great job on sound design. Music was composed by Simon Franglen and the Cinematographer was by Boa Simon.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Austin Butler at the Los Angeles Premiere of Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 17, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Focus Features)
Key Considerations When Shipping Motorcycles Across the U.S.
Shipping a motorcycle across the United States can be a convenient and efficient way to transport your bike, whether you’re relocating, selling a motorcycle to a buyer in another state, or heading to a rally. However, it’s not as simple as loading your bike onto a truck. Proper planning, preparation, and choosing the right shipping method are essential to ensuring your motorcycle arrives safely and without any issues. Here are key considerations to keep in mind when shipping a motorcycle across the U.S.
Choose a Reputable Shipping Company
Selecting the right shipping company is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when shipping a motorcycle. Not all transport companies specialize in motorcycles, and you’ll want one with experience handling bikes. Consider moving your motorcycles with Shiply, a platform that connects you with transport providers. Research companies by reading customer reviews, checking their safety records, and verifying that they have the necessary licenses and insurance. Ensure that the company provides specific motorcycle shipping services and understands how to handle and secure bikes during transit.
Open vs. Enclosed Shipping
When shipping a motorcycle, you typically have two options: open or enclosed transport. Open transport involves shipping your motorcycle on an open trailer, which is more affordable but exposes the bike to weather conditions, road debris, and potential damage. This option might be suitable for shorter distances or if you’re shipping a bike that’s not particularly valuable or vulnerable.
Enclosed transport, on the other hand, involves placing your motorcycle inside a fully enclosed trailer, protecting it from the elements and external hazards. While enclosed shipping tends to be more expensive, it’s the better option for high-value motorcycles, classic bikes, or long-distance trips across the U.S. For those who want peace of mind, especially during cross-country transport, enclosed shipping is often worth the extra cost.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Jodie Comer (L) and Austin Butler at the Los Angeles Premiere of Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 17, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Focus Features)
Understand the Costs
Shipping costs are influenced by distance sending, the size and weight of your motorcycle, and the choice between open or enclosed transport. Other elements, like the time of year, can also affect the price. For instance, shipping during winter or holidays may be more expensive due to higher demand or more difficult weather conditions.
Make sure to get a detailed quote that outlines all fees. Some companies may offer lower initial quotes but add hidden charges later. Understanding the total cost upfront will help you avoid unexpected expenses. Consider additional insurance costs as well, especially if your motorcycle is particularly valuable.
Insurance Coverage
While most motorcycle shipping companies offer basic insurance as part of their service, it may not be enough to cover the full value of your bike, particularly if it’s a custom or high-end model. Before shipping, review the shipping company’s insurance policy to understand what’s covered in case of damage, loss, or theft during transport.
If the coverage is insufficient, you may want to purchase additional insurance for peace of mind. Also, document the condition of your motorcycle before shipping by taking detailed photos from multiple angles. This evidence can help you file a claim in the event of damage.
Prepare Your Motorcycle for Shipping
Properly preparing your motorcycle before it’s picked up for transport is crucial to ensure it arrives in the best possible condition. Start by cleaning your bike thoroughly so that it’s easier to spot any pre-existing damage. Take detailed photos, as mentioned earlier, to document its condition.
Next, remove any loose items or accessories, such as saddlebags or custom mirrors, that could get damaged during transport. You should also check for fluid leaks and ensure that the gas tank is no more than a quarter full. Lowering the fuel level helps reduce the weight of the motorcycle and mitigates the risk of leaks. Finally, check tire pressure and ensure the battery is fully charged.
Conclusion
Shipping a motorcycle across the U.S. can be a seamless process if you take the time to plan carefully and choose the right service. By considering factors such as the type of transport, cost, insurance, and preparation, you can ensure your motorcycle arrives safely at its destination. Ultimately, working with a reputable shipping company such as Shiply and preparing your bike correctly will give you peace of mind throughout the journey.
One of the most interesting and well-scripted films out now is “Heretic,” a horror/suspense thriller written and directed by the boys from Bettendorf (Iowa), Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who gave us “A Quiet Place” back in 2018. During my interview with them at SXSW on March 10, 2018, I wrote, “I’m predicting ‘A Quiet Place’ will take off like a rocket, helping Beck and Woods receive even more deserved recognition.” That prediction is holding up well with this third film from the dynamic duo. The film earned back its production costs in its first weekend. It was sitting at $22 million in revenue, worldwide, as of November 14, 2024 for a film that cost less than $10 million.
“Heretic” depicts two Mormon missionaries, Sister Paxton (Chloe East of “The Fabelmans”) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher of“Yellowjackets”) accepting an invitation to share their faith with a seemingly kindly older gentleman named Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). He tells them his wife is busy in the kitchen baking a blueberry pie, when inviting them into his house. Since missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would not enter his small home if there were not a woman present to chaperone their discussion, the rest of the film becomes a game of cat-and-mouse, belief and disbelief, control of the two girls by a man who may or may not be diabolical.
(Left to Right) Scott Beck, Connie Wilson and Bryan Woods at SXSW (Austin, TX) on March 10, 2018.
When “A Quiet Place” opened SXSW in 2018, I interviewed Scott Beck & Bryan Woods in Austin. We talked about our mutual hometown area and how it contributed to the phenomenal success of creating “A Quiet Place” and then handing off their creation to John Krasinski (who contributed tothe script). Beck & Woods have moved on to give us another wildly original and well-plotted current film, “Heretic,” starring Hugh Grant. Two young female Mormon missionaries pay a call on Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) and place their lives in danger while discussing their faith.
Anyone who has seen “A Quiet Place” knows that, dialogue-wise, it is spare. The creatures might hear you and come for you, so mum’s the word. The 2023 sci-fi outing “25” that Beck & Woods did last, starring Adam Driver, was also more action, less talk. This one is dialogue heavy and Hugh Grant pulls it off beautifully.
Hugh Grant in “Heretic.”
SCRIPT
With “Heretic,” Beck & Woods have created an original script for a film that is a very in-depth talk about religion and life-after-death. It’s all couched within a horror movie concept. Talk—and deep concepts—dominate the movie. As Scott Beck told Matt Grobar of “Deadline”: “Heretic was something that Bryan and I had just been scratching at—the idea of religious ideologist Trojan horsing into a genre movie—for years and years.”
Bryan Woods: “We started writing the film 10 years ago, and got to the young missionaries meeting Mr. Reed. They sit down with him. Mr. Reed opens his mouth, and immediately we kind of stopped dead in our tracks, because he has a genius-level IQ. He has studied all the world’s religions, and we felt like we had not done that work yet. We’ve been interested in religion and cults our whole lives, but we hadn’t sat down and read the Quran or the Book of Mormon. We hadn’t filled our heads with enough information. So we spent the last decade just enriching our point of view—speaking with a lot of people, sitting down with missionaries, reading a lot of atheist thinkers and ingesting their points of view. The reason we picked up the script again and kept writing wasn’t so much that we reached a point of, ‘We did it! We’ve solved religion! or, ‘We’ve read enough to understand Mr. Reed.’ It was actually a confluence of personal and professional events.”
Woods said, “Every time we’d write a line, we’d have to stop and then go to Wikipedia to research something. It just felt inorganic, and so we did some fun research over the course of 10 years so that it could be a first language once we got further into writing Reed.” Woods told the “Hollywood Reporter” (David Brians, Nov. 9, 2024), “We also set out to make a movie that was deeply personal in terms of our relationship with the subject matter of belief and disbelief and what happens when you die. So, after pouring out all our neuroses and spilling our guts into this movie, it’s very exciting to see it connect with audiences, to say the least. We read interesting thinkers like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. It wasn’t rigorous research every night at the library, but we read a lot of atheist thinkers and contemporary philosophers, as well as holy books we’d never read like the Book of Mormon or the Quran, just so that it could be a first language once we got further into writing Reed.”
GENESIS
Sophie Thatcher & Chloe East in “Heretic.”
Sophie Thatcher (L) and Chloe East in “Heretic.”
Woods: “It was just in our lives we had hit this emotional low point where it seemed like everything was going wrong. At that low point, my father passed away unexpectedly from esophageal cancer…It was that kind of pain and depression. Confrontation with these large questions of, ‘What happens when you die? Is there something? Is there nothing?’ It was that moment where we were like, ‘It’s time to finally pick up the script and write it.’ Because we were feeling so raw emotionally. We always felt that “Heretic” needed to be one of those projects that’s just embarrassingly personal, and we’ve always dreamed of doing a movie like that. It was time to express all of our fears and anxiety about what happens when you die and the mystery of death. So that’s where it came from, and once we sat down to write the script in earnest, it just poured out of us.”
Scott Beck: “We wanted to swing in the opposite direction of “A Quiet Place” and “65”, two films that are void of dialogue and are straightforward thrillers. For “Heretic” it was all about how we could weaponize dialogue and ideas about theology to create something that hopefully feels as scary a ‘A Quiet Place.’ There’s a line in the movie that goes ‘The more you know, the less you know’ and the older we get (they are 40), we find ourselves gravitating to the philosophy that life is a mystery. And what happens when we die is the greatest mystery, but there’s something beautiful in not knowing. There’s something beautiful in the pursuit of the truth of knowing, while also embracing the fact that you won’t know until it’s too late.” As the young men pointed out in various interviews, almost every horror movie has fear of death as a catalyst and plot point.
The pair told the University of Iowa alumni magazine, “Every scary movie is about the same thing. It’s about our human fear of death and this question of what happens when you die. We wanted to turn that conversation that we’ve been having since we were eleven years old (when the pair began making small films in the Iowa Quad Cities) into a movie.”
Bryan Woods (left) and Scott Beck at SXSW in Austin (TX) on March 10, 2018.
FILM FINANCING
Scott Beck: “I think it’s our responsibility as filmmakers not only to think creatively about the story, but to think creatively about how do we get movies made in this landscape right now, especially coming from the viewpoint that we love movies that aren’t based on anything else and ostensibly are original stories. I think about ‘Heretic’ the same way I think about ‘A Quiet Place.’ When working on the script for these movies we didn’t think either were necessarily a home run, meaning we needed to protect ourselves to just have the means to make each movie. So each movie was written in the spirit of, can we make this for $50,000 in our home state of Iowa? And best case scenario, can we get it made at the studio level with proper resources? ‘Heretic’ was certainly something, because of the content of having a theological debate in the vessel of a thriller, that we felt it may not be a home run, But, if so, a home like A24 could incubate that in a responsible way, both creatively and financially. I think it’s in our interest, also, when creating these movies, to make sure that it feels like there’s a demand to see the movie in a theater. So, while certain people have compared ‘Heretic’ to a stage play, we’re very adamant about the fact that it’s a piece of cinema. (It should be noted that the pair now owns “The Last Picture House” theater in Davenport, Iowa, where “Heretic” premiered on November 8th with one of the film’s stars, Chloe East, in attendance.)
“The Last Picture House” in Davenport, Iowa.
Bryan Woods: “There is a conversation, though, right now, that we’re picking up on in movie culture right now, this feeling of, ‘Oh, if only movies were cheaper then they would be more financially responsible and, therefore, more successful.’ It’s an interesting question to be asking, but, also, we would caution against that a little bit because you do want to preserve this feeling of spectacle, this feeling of going to a theater and seeing something special. Big movies and studios that spend a lot of money on movies, that’s a great thing. I think what’s not a great thing is just how boring it’s all gotten. It’s gotten too easy to make white noise, and so taking risks on a big level, for us, it is a great thing.” Woods added, “With movies, they haven’t quite replicated that experiential feeling of going to a cinema, watching a piece of work with 200 strangers.” (to Matt Grobar, “Deadline”).
HUGH GRANT AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE GETS
“Heretic” movie poster
Scott Beck: “We feel like one of the movie’s secret weapons is Hugh Grant. Hugh Grant is an actor who has charmed worldwide audiences with his romantic comedies, and yet this movie, we kind of weaponize that good will that he’s formed with an audience. Partly because of that, the movie keeps you guessing. ‘Am I in a dangerous situation or am I just perceiving danger that’s not really there?’” Beck & Woods shared this marketing tactic with the University of Iowa alumni magazine in an interview. Grant, himself, during an appearance on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyer,’ said of this uncharacteristic role, “I spent months building up a huge biography for the character. I don’t know if it helps at all, but it seems to calm me down. It’s better than Lorazepam. He (Mr. Reed) is not exactly charming. What’s so fabulous about this is that it’s so different. What I was aiming for was a kind of groovy professor—a bit of a twat is the word. He’s a prankster who just, for some reason, is not very popular so he over-compensates by being a bit too fun.”
Chloe East (L) & Sophie Thatcher (R) in front of Mr. Reed’s (Hugh Grant’s) house.
Commenting on his co-stars, Chloe East as Sister Paxton and Sophie Thatcher as Sister Barnes on “Late Night,” Grant praised their performances, saying, “They are properly good and very three-dimensional and likeable. It could have happened that they came off as zealous Mormon boors.” As Beck & Woods have acknowledged, “Much of this movie is about dialogue and philosophical thoughts and ideas, a man who’s talking, almost mansplaining, but also two women who are trying to basically have a conversation between each other just on their faces. Learning about how much people say when they don’t say anything has always been a good tool to have in our writing toolbox.” The two told me back in 2018 that it was a class in American sign language on campus at the University of Iowa that sparked “A Quiet Place” and, once again, the 2007 graduates of the University of Iowa in communication studies credit a class they took at Iowa on nonverbal communication with helping to inspire their storytelling style. Both of the female leads grew up Mormon.
Both Steven Spielberg and Steven King have weighed in as admiring “Heretic.” Spielberg called up producer Stacey Sher, because Spielberg had cast Chloe in “The Fabelmans” and wanted to see where she had gone in her career. Beck & Woods asked Sher, producer of “Pulp Fiction,” to help them get permission to use all of the cultural touchstones they wanted in the movie, such as the rights disputes between Radiohead, Lana Del Rey and the Hollies. There were also references to games like Monopoly. Said Bryan Woods, “There was no back-up plan! We were terrified. When we wrote that scene, we were elated and so proud of it, but then that feeling was instantly followed by: ‘This will never get off the page. We will never get Monopoly cleared. We will never be able to air Radiohead’s dirty laundry.’ So it became a depressing moment, and that’s when you pick up the phone and you ask Stacey Sher to please help produce this movie with us. We asked her to help us do what felt like the impossible, which was get all of these pop cultural touchstones into the movie, so there was absolutely no back-up, and we were sweating it even up until three weeks ago. There was some last-minute wrangling about rights,” Bryan Woods told Brian Davids of “The Hollywood Reporter.”
OTHER CAST
Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed.
Chang-hoon Chung, the man who shot “The Handmaiden” and “Oldboy” did great work cinematically with the interior of the house. Topher Grant (“That 70s Show,” “BlacKkKlansman“) portrays Elder Kennedy. Also a huge help to the film’s success was Phil Messina, production designer and art director. Messina had worked on “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013) and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” (2015) and “Mother” (2017). As Woods told Matt Grobar of “Deadline,” “We’re very visual writers, and I mean that literally. Like, our script for “A Quiet Place” had certain pages that were completely blank, and then just had one word on it to emphasize a certain sound effect, or would have images and diagrams to help sell the concept of a modern-day silent film. With “Heretic” we’re using the Monopoly board images in the script. We’re putting them in, how we see them all lay out. And to that end, the house layout as Scott and I are writing, we’re diagramming and drawing up the bad version of what the house looks like and how it connects. It’s funny. We write in a kind of dream logic, and there’s two of us. There’s two brains, and sometimes we wonder if we’re like right and left brain, and then the two of us equal one brain. It’s funny how, when we write, Scott will diagram something out. He’ll have a door be on the left side and I’ll be like, ‘Oh, interesting. I always saw it on the right side.’ So a big part of our process is drawing and diagramming so that we’re imagining the same movie. Then you bring in someone like Phil Messina and he elevates it and helps us clarify some of the dream logic.” The house is like a Mobius strip and plays an important role in the plot.
THE ENDING
Chloe East in “Heretic”
Chloe East as Sister Paxton in “Heretic.”
Beck: “How do we finalize this ending and communicate an ambiguity, but an intentional ambiguity, so that it can anchor in people’s interpretations of the movie, in terms of their relationship with either being religious or non-religious, and the way they see the world. The butterfly felt like it was a proper symbol for that.” The open-ended interpretation of what happens (or doesn’t happen) reminded me of “Twelve Monkeys,” which was able to be interpreted in more than one way and set off many discussions among fans and critics. The pair told CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg: “Well, the ending, the mark was always to present a larger question that’s a take home for the audience. Our ambition with this film is that it’s a conversational starter. Everybody has their own relationship to belief or disbelief, atheism, to being staunchly religious. And it felt like this movie, if anything, can hold a mirror up to the questions of like, ‘Why do we believe what we believe? How do we come to our own convictions?’ The end of the film presents, I think, that question in a very ambiguous way, but may be very overt. There can be three, four, five different interpretations of how you walk away from that movie. And the hope is that your interpretation of that reflects upon your own contradictions or your own reasonings to why you believe what you believe.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
“We have movies at different scales and passion will win out. And we love writing things that we don’t direct. So I hope it’s not going to be, we’ve got five great projects and only one of them comes to life. The next one we’re directing will probably be whatever scares us the most,” said Bryan Woods to “Deadline.” “We were terrified of making ‘Heretic’ because the whole conceptual framework of ‘Heretic’ is, can you replace the jump scare that we had been bored with and became our usual bag of tricks. Can you replace that with a philosophical idea? Can a line of dialogue about religion be just as scary as the monster that’s hiding under your bed? A movie that’s wall-to-wall talking, that’s still somehow engaging, felt really hard to do. So, I think whatever we do next is going to be something that we look and go, ‘This is insane. Nobody’s going to want to make this movie, especially us. That’ll probably be the one.”
Here are 5 more Oscar-eligible shorts in an attempt to acquaint audiences with some of the contenders for this year’s Academy Awards: “Moeder,” “Then Comes the Body,” “Fireline,” “Will I See You Again?” and “Sunflower.”
“Moeder”
– This 20 minute film, directed by Salomon Ligthelm focused on the deaths of 298 civilian passengers when the Russians shot down Malaysian Airlines MH17 on 7/17/2014. The flight, filled with civilians who were primarily Dutch citizens, was 50 kilometers from the Russian/Ukrainian border in Donetsk when a surface-to-air missile took it down, killing all aboard. Apparently, the Russians thought the plane might have arms or ammunition aboard, as it was close to the fighting. A phone from the plane fell to Earth and landed in the back yard of one of the locals. Vitalik Ivanov picks it up and hears a woman’s voice say (in Dutch), “Daniel, can you hear me?” The fellow who found the still operative phone (and the corpse?) of a Dutch victim in his back yard is a Rozspyne miner. He and his fellow miners are sent out into the fields to locate the bodies of the victims and to mark them with long white-flagged poles. The hero of this film finds a dying horse fatally wounded by falling debris. Vitalik has to finish the job the Russians started and dispatch the injured animal, which is traumatic for him. None of Vitalik’s co-workers (miners) are happy about being assigned this non-work-related task, either. One of them mutters, “We’re miners, not soldiers.”
“Moeder”
The landscape for all of this action is like a background for a Ukrainian Gothic portrait in the manner of American Gothic. It is a beautifully photographed bucolic, pastoral setting. In just the opening moments there is a shot of the miner, smoking, silhouetted in the frame of the back door of his home, a beautifully composed shot. Vitalik has just heard the sounds of bombs or falling debris hitting the ground. His wife (Yeva) says, “It sounded like the end of the world. And perhaps it was, for some.” The sound effects were exceptionally well-done. The couple is offered $100 for an interview. Yeva is pregnant. She says, “We can use the money.” Vitalik struggles unsuccessfully to remain composed throughout the interview. He ultimately translates a few Ukrainian words into Russian and sends the mother of the Dutch victim (“Moeder” translates to “Mother”) the bad news of her son’s death in his back yard, via the phone that fell from Flight MH17.This was a riveting, well-done, timely short. It made me feel even more concern for Ukraine after our November 5th Presidential election. The sound, cinematography, and acting were all top notch.
Nigerian ballet dancer dancing atop the roofs of busses.
Nigerian ballet dancers in “Then Comes the Body.”
“Then Comes the Body” – Jacob Krupnick has filmed the story of ballet in Nigeria. The enterprising individual who taught himself ballet from YouTube videos has founded a Nigerian Classical Ballet Company in Lagos, Nigeria, called Leap of Dance, to teach ballet to other Nigerian children. Daniel Owosoni Ajala has taught several talented Nigerian youth to dance, and they have become so good that other nations are offering them scholarships to study ballet in places like Belgium and South Africa. The film had its World Premiere at Tribeca in 2023, It had its International Premiere in Melbourne and its European Premiere at Cameraimage. It was named Best Short non-fiction and short shorts in Tokyo and Krupnick’s work became a viral sensation during the pandemic. The 14 minute, 44 second short had excellent sound, edited and mixed by Zach Egan, with a score by Martin Veloz. The primary dancers are Olamide Olarwe and Precious Duru. The film’s message: “First comes the heart; then comes the body.” That message has been my guide in selecting which of these 5 Oscar-eligible shorts is most impressive. “Then Comes the Body” has heart and plenty of it. The last few in this set of 5 films didn’t have as much “heart.” They were done well, but the top two had way more heart.
“Fireline” short.
3 inmate firefighters in “Fireline”
“Fireline” – “Fireline” was a 13 minute 23 second short about incarcerated firefighters. It was directed by Robin Takao D’Oench, a Japanese American writer/ director/ producer from NYC. Robin is a Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. These Wildland firefighters were photographed by Ming Jue Hu and the script was written and directed by Robin Takao D’oenoh. Lena Waithe(and 3 others) executive produced this story of Otto Reyes (Bobby Soto), an incarcerated inmate who has just learned that his request for parole has been denied. Not long after learning that he is not getting out of prison early, he and the others are called to go battle a fire. Joshua Caleb Johnson portrayed Shawn Davies and Fabian Alomar was Primo. Otto has secured an illegal cell phone, which he wants to use to call his daughter to wish her a happy birthday. The visual effects of a fire bearing down on the firefighters are excellent. It seemed very short in comparison to the others, which, in fact, it was. This film was presented at the Tribeca Film Festival and was part of the official selection at HollyShorts, and was made as part of Indeed’s Rising Voices program – an initiative set up to discover, invest in and share stories created by BIPOC filmmakers and storytellers. Rising Voices was created in collaboration with Lena Waithe, Hillman Grad Productions, Ventureland and 271 Films. “Fireline” has qualified to be considered for the 2025 Oscars®. Robin is a Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. The acting was fine. The special visual effects were better than in the Angelina Jolie 2021 film “Those Who Wished Me Dead” and on a par with 2018’s “Wildlife.” (Cary Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal).
Nick Wechsler as Paul Jensen.
“Will I See You Again?” – Michael Perez-Lindsey, a queer Mexican-American director, has helmed a well-acted vignette that depicts the funeral of a former friend that brings two former lovers back together after many years. The deceased friend, Jim Turner (Robert Okumu) has left an inheritance for the two former lovers, but they can only inherit it if they each answer 5 questions honestly while hooked up to lie detectors. [What could be unrealistic about that scenario—right?] The Black former lover is portrayed by Hosea Chanchez as Max Palmer. His former white love, Paul Jensen, is portrayed by Nick Wechsler. These two gave it their best shot, but the entire set-up seemed hokey, to me. The song that played at the end, performed by Jalen Ngonda, who co-wrote it with Mike Buckley, was similarly cheesy. It was a very Barry White-esque rendition of “Come Around and Love Me,” which seemed desperate. Having the two leads grasp each other’s fore-arms at film’s end (24 minutes 13 seconds) might have represented a happy ending, but the best way to sum up what was not working with this one would be to use the words of “Then Comes the Body”: “First comes the heart.” This one lacked a realistic premise. I don’t read (or write) heterosexual romances because they are too cheesy for my tastes, so I was not the right audience for this sentimental-but-unrealistic project. That said, it had a very professional sheen and the gay community certainly might enjoy the theme of reconciliation and love recovered despite 20 years of alienation.
“Sunflower” short
Sunflower – This 16 minute, 26 second short from Mateusz Balcerek was based on a true story about Danuta Gorecka, the director’s grandmother, and what happened to her during WWII in 1944 as a child. (Poland, Italy, the United Kingdom and the U.S.collaborated). The little girl who played Danuta (Martyna Zazula) was very cute and did a very credible acting job. She was told to hide under the bed while soldiers entered her home and shot her grandfather dead. There is another close call in the yard, when Danuta and her mother Alicia (Sylwia Boron) are almost apprehended while building something that I suspect was a coffin for the dead grandfather. The music by Roberto Mengoli was good. The Guildhall London Symphony Orchestra and the London Music Central Kids’ Choir performed beautifully. The motif of a sunflower (Slonecznik) used animation and repeated as a linking motif throughout the film.
From the opulent halls of traditional land-based casinos to the digital world of online casino for real money platforms, gambling has adapted to a massive change in the broader social change in technology and accessibility. This evolution translates to gambling taking center stage in global cinematic storytelling, an irresistible backdrop. The casino scene from Monte Carlo to the Las Vegas bright lights has kept filmmakers and audiences intrigued by these lights and their allure. Not only have these scenes helped fuel endless dramas and intrigues for some of the movies people most enjoy, but they’ve also made for some of the most memorable moments in the annals of movie history. We journey into some of these legendary movie moments located within casinos — diving into the magic and tension they add to the silver screen.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
The casino in ‘Crazy Rich Asians from 2018 shows one of the most luxurious scenes of a glamorous place to be: the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and also where the film set it. This is an important scene, unfolding with a tense poker game that brings to life its understanding of the wealthy elite and their dynamic, simmering economy. The drama has the casino as its lavish setting, and the extravagance is emphasized as it defines the characters’ world. In reality, Singapore imposes tight restrictions on how Singaporeans can play, making gambling infinitely more complicated than it seems. Online casinos are becoming more popular. However, there is only one legal operator in the country, leaving those wishing to expand beyond that to offshore platforms. ‘Crazy Rich Asians remains a delightful romp through storytelling that surprisingly manages to weave in copious amounts of charm and humor.
Bond as the film franchise gets a 2006 rebrand with the rebooted installment, “Casino Royale,” a grittier and more visceral version of the international spy that impresses. The Casino Royale in Montenegro high stakes poker game serves as the centerpiece film for Bond’s development of character but is so much more than just a card game. In the tense, bluffing, strategic gambling landscape of such a battle between the terrorist financier Le Chiffre and Bond, much psychological struggle is being waged. A twist and turn in the game changes the series trajectory just as much as it does regarding the emotional stakes, which run as high as the financial ones. Sitting on top of the final poker scene of this one, this climactic scene doesn’t just provide the suspense; it also sets the tone for where the Bond series goes next — in that it’s more cerebral, as well as physical, which shapes the character for the new audience.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Steven Soderbergh’s version of “Ocean’s Eleven” is famous for its glamorous, sophisticated casino scenes, capped by a fantastic Bellagio casino sequence. At the Bellagio with its famed fountains, the Bellagio’s heist is reached with its entire splendor as a team of suave con artists pulls off the job perfectly. The team comes together to watch the hypnotizing fountain show of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.” The moment is something greater than pure visual spectacle, and it represents the team being cool as a cucumber and playing it artfully and precisely. The way this blends visual storytelling with a payoff on an emotional level is perfect; the film has charm and wit in perfect measures. This is a quintessential moment in cinema, playing out in one of the world’s most famous casinos within one of the most iconic settings.
Casino (1995)
The Monte Carlo Casino used in several James Bond films.
Best known for its depiction of casino life, Martin Scorse’s “Casino” (1995) features a scene that will be remembered — the floor show. In this scene, we see the delicate workings of a Las Vegas casino under the eye of Robert De Niro’s Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein. It describes how Ace runs the show, keeps the casino running, and skims off the money for the mob in the background. It is a powerful look at the glitz and gaudy underbelly Las Vegas wore during the 1970s and 1980s. The film’s attention to detail and powerful performances from Sharon Stone, including a Golden Globe for Best Actress, made the film famous to many. Other awards went to Stone, including an Oscar and a BAFTA, so the film is recognized as one of the best gambling-themed movies.
Maverick (1994)
Mel Gibson’s role in the 1994 Maverick movie is being celebrated, particularly for the climactic poker game on the riverboat Lauren Belle. The dramatic set piece at the heart of this scene pitches Maverick, a smooth card player and grifter, against various criminals as he endeavors to raise enough to buy a ticket to the high-dollar poker tournament. A classic Western comedy, as much as it’s a gambling boon, the scene proves Maverick deftly manipulates the deck to secure his victory. It looked better than most casino films, combining tension and humor in the manner only “Maverick” can weave.
Rain Man (1988)
Casino de Monte Carlo, featured in “Golden Eye.” (Photo by Connie Wilson).
One of cinema’s most iconic casino moments is when the 1988 film ‘Rain Man’ features a gut-wrenching blackjack session. Tom Cruise plays Charlie, the fraternal sibling of Raymond Babbitt (aka Dustin Hoffman), who has an extraordinary talent for counting cards: an autistic savant buffeted by peculiar behavior but blessed with an artful way to make bank. It’s more than just gameplay; it takes a peek at their relationship’s developing ebb and flow and how they work as a team to bring the odds against the casino. The heart-thumping tension only builds as Raymond’s uncanny sense of numbers turns a regular fish and chips into an unrepeatable cinematic masterpiece. A sequence of drama, strategic execution, and emotional flashback, the sequence is the depths of the bond that knits the siblings together in their common quest for success. Even today, it remains a visual illustration of the power of that film to convey the immediacy of pure sibling bonding even in a high-stakes world of casino gambling.
The Hangover (2009)
“The Hangover” won laughs in 2009 with its take on the casino movie genre, and Zach Galifianakis gives what is likely his most memorable performance as Alan. A quirky card-counting attempt at big-stakes action, Vegas-themed casino films can also be significant in a funny way. The film traces chaos after one of its friends has pilled poker chips, with a series of mischievous and hilarious adventures through Sin City. This comedic approach, combined with the casino movie pulling from an arsenal of traditionally tension-filled stories, makes this newest entry feel like a comedic departure from the status quo. This is a successful offer of a lighthearted but memorable version of casino antics, and it is a standout of sorts in this genre.
Elise in the center in the Valero shirt, flanked by team members whose names I will have to learn before Tuesday,
So it’s one day post the presidential election, and I am turning my attention to the granddaughter’s volleyball tournament action.
Oddly enough, the Valor team played another Valor team tonight, after winning all of their regular season games to get to this night,
They still have to win a game this coming Tuesday night at 7 p.m., so we’re not breaking out the champagne yet. Actually, I’m not allowed any alcohol because of elevated liver enzymes, so maybe no champagne ever.
If they win that game, the team goes to state in Texas, although I am woefully unaware of the levels of competition, other than that Elise Wilson is the Valero (spelling?), which means that she has to do all the scooping up of balls from the court. She (and the rest of the team) played well tonight, winning the first 3 games in the best 3 out of 5 bracket.
I attempted to catch Elise in action, scooping up and setting volleyball plays, so that the ball can be returned and, hopefully, spiked.
We saw the team play a few months ago and they have improved immeasurably.
Wishing them good luck and posting some videos/photos, I hope.
Well, the video posting is not going well. Let me see if I can still remember how this might work. (Probably not).
I’m sitting here on election night, watching the blue wall fall and feeling dejected, but not as “taken off guard” as I felt in 2016 after Hillary Clinton lost her much-vaunted race against Agent Orange.
I am convinced that Donald J. Trump (and cohorts) have bought the presidency (Thanks, Elon!, she said ruefully) and misogyny, racism and incompetents in office are going to be the order of the day. Think about RFK, Jr. running Health Care. No, don’t think about it, if you can put that aside, which any sane, thinking individual cannot. It will just depress you further.
At least Vance is ostensibly a smart guy and has certainly learned how to suck up to power. He will be the future of the GOP/Trump Maga cult. Eat your heart out, Ron DeSantis!
FEARS
Donald Trump
I never felt that Harris had it “in the bag.” I sent a copy of a very insightful article about why not to a friend, which was pulled from a book that was written by Democratic strategists in 1970, pointing out where the Democratic party had lost its way, as far as determining the mood of the country. Just showing up at my local gym, run by young Black athletic types, told me how they viewed the geriatric Trump as way superior to Biden (then the candidate), and they definitely would not have been keen to vote for a woman to be Boss—even though it is past time.
I would not put anything past Donald Trump. He would order “hits” on people if it meant keeping himself out of jail and that is what this election meant to him. If Kamala Harris had been able to prevail, DJT would face consequences for his crimes and misdeeds, but now he’s going to be like a bull in a china shop. I wonder if I can take up a hobby that allows me to transport myself to another dimension in order to forget that we might face 4 years of DJT (unless he is successfully impeached, which looks unlikely now that Republicans are seizing the Senate) or worse.
DISGUST
I don’t feel sad so much as I feel disgusted. How dumb is the average rural voter that they can’t tell that the man is a congenital liar and you can’t believe a word he says? It seems to be rural voters who have prevailed to place him back in office. (Shame on you, Iowa!) Now we U.S. citizens will have to hang our heads in shame, worldwide. Richard Gere sold his house in the U.S. just in time. He is moving to Spain with his Spanish wife. [Good move, Richard!]
Many more savvy analysts than me will be analyzing this election for years, but I will just give you some thoughts off the top of the head of the woman who was named Yahoo Content Producer of the Year for Politics in 2008. I knew that Obama was going to win in 2008 because I traveled all over following him. He represented change. We were sick of Bush and company and endless wars. The pendulum has a way of swinging and it has swung. I was not traveling the country with this year’s candidates and, therefore, had no “gut” feeling for who would win this thing. In fact, after 2016, I was concerned. As it turns out, I was concerned for good cause.
CHANGE
Barack Obama
People saying that “change” (even if it is change from an honorable person to a convicted criminal) is a powerful vote getter at all times. You had a man who lied constantly during his appearances and ranted on about how “bad” the country was doing—even though it wasn’t. He failed to mention what a terrible manager he was for Covid, but talked about higher grocery and gas prices (When did things NOT go up overtime?) He failed to mention that we need to address climate change and, instead, called it a hoax. Good luck to us during this period of climate catastrophes brought on by people like DJT and good luck to the Ukraine!
Obama’s win represented change. The backlash to a Black man being elected to the White House is part of the racism that has now propelled a man (convicted way back in the 70s of refusing to rent to Blacks) into office again.
So, Change, Misogyny, Racism, and a guy who was literally running for his life, because if he lost, he probably could have gone to jail for his incitement of the January 6th coup.
MONEY TALKS
Let’s not forget the Big Money Donors (Elon Musk, anyone?) who got behind DJT. Or those like Jeff Bezos who did not have the courage to try to help the better candidate prevail (even though she is a woman. That, in and of itself, is difficult to overcome). Get ready for rich people to get richer, and poor people to get poorer.
“She handled herself well. She tried to appeal to the better angels of people’s nature.” (from David Axelrod) He went on to say that her debate performance was one of the best ever and that was why Trump did not want to debate her a second time. My sister and I agreed, noting how the Democrats way back in 2000 showed the gracious way to behave during an election, even one that was probably handed to the opponent by the opponent’s Governor brother. The Trumps of life fight dirty and have no compassion or empathy or respect for science. “Drill, baby, drill!” is not the rallying cry that will save the planet, but rural America did not like the thought of giving up their gas-guzzling vehicles in favor of electric ones.
Van Jones thinks that Kamala’s own words beat her and mentions the phrase “Nothing comes to mind” used by the GOP in their attack ads. That WAS a bad ad. Van also brought up the Israel issue, which I felt was going to lose Harris the Michigan vote. “I can’t think of anything offhand” was disastrous, says Axelrod. She should have just said she was grateful to him and talked about the future and not criticized her mentor. I agree.
The Republican on the debate says that the “green new deal” was not what the American public wanted to buy. (“They were selling what the American public did not want to buy.”)
TRUMP’S REMARKS
West Palm Beach, Florida at 2:31 a.m.
“I’m proud to be an American” is playing in background. (Lee Greenwood)
Melania looks like the cat that swallowed the canary.
J.D. Vance is smiling smugly.
“Incredible movement….a movement like nobody’s ever seen before. The greatest political movement of all time. Never been anything like this before in this country. Help our country heal. We have a country that needs help and needs it very badly. We’re going to fix everything about our country, We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible Look what happened. Is this crazy? It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before,” from Trump.
“I will fight for you and your family. Every single day I will be fighting for you. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe America. Will truly be the Golden Age of America. It will allow us to ‘make America great again. ’“We’re going to make you very happy and proud of your vote.”
North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Predicting 315 electoral votes for himself. Also glad to have won the popular vote.
Unprecedented and powerful mandate: control of the Senate.
Right now, 266 to 195 (Trump to Harris).
“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?” When Al Gore failed to fight for the position in 2000, we lost 25 years of preparation against the catastrophes of climate change. We are now reaping that poor election choice, 25 years later. I can only assume that climate change will get worse, under Trump, before it gets better, because he has called climate change a hoax.
Driving to Austin (Texas) from Illinois is always a multi-day trek.
We generally spend one night in St. Louis with family. (Thanks, Mark!)
After that, normally, we take our own sweet time, but my spouse decreed that we would not leave until Saturday (Nov. 2) and that has made all the difference. I don’t know why I meekly accepted that departure date. I’ll just say it was because I was dumb.
Why dumb?
Because I wanted to make sure to vote for President on November 5th and now we’re registered in Texas. The U.S. cannot afford another 4 years of Donald J. Trump. It barely withstood the first four horrible years of Covid, climate denial, cronyism, insults and incompetent people in sensitive government posts followed by a January 6th coup in an attempt to seize power when DJT lost the 2020 election. Enough! We are the world’s laughing stock to even think of putting a convicted felon in a post where he travels the world representing us, as a nation, when his Access Hollywood tape displays plenty of reasons why a man accused of (and convicted of) sexual assault is not a fit person to lead the greatest nation on Earth. How can a man who calls our military “chumps” and “losers” be made Commander-in-Chief ? It’s preposterous and unthinkable. Not only that: how can any parent be proud of holding up DJT for their children to emulate— a guy who is a congenital liar and hawks everything from watches to shoes to any other con known to man. (And also rode the Lolita Express to his friend Jeffrey Epstein’s private island on more than one occasion.)
The Christmas Cats Fear for the Deer
I wrote 6 books in a series called “The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats” and all of them were about helping others and being good citizens. And then Donald J. Trump—a convicted felon and world class liar and con man—somehow (with Russia’s assistance) became our representative abroad as President of the United States. I’m still in shock over that and just read a very interesting “New Yorker” story about the extent of Russia’s aid to DJT back in 2016, which Attorney General Bill Barr downplayed when it was very real. (I own a copy of the Mueller Report and have read the entire thing, not the Bill Barr Cliff Notes version.)
We had received all kinds of absentee Illinois ballots, in Rock Island County where we previously voted. My question is whether or not we could have voted using the absentee ballots we received (in Illinois) as long as we didn’t “double up?” (i.e., no voting twice.) Since I did not know if we could pick and choose, we went with the “drive to Texas and vote when we get there” plan, which has revealed itself to have many drawbacks, just as I had feared.
I was in Chicago right up until October 28th (Chicago International Film Festival), so I began packing immediately upon returning to East Moline, Illinois, and was ready to leave after 2 days of packing. I would have preferred arriving a day or so prior to the vote, just in case anything unexpected happened on the drive down (see photos). I would have liked to have left no later than November 1st. Even more, I wish we had secured absentee ballots, because now I will have to stand in line in Austin, Texas. (*Mind you: I also spent July 25 through September here in sunny Austin; the back-and-forth continues). But I accepted the “November 2” departure pronouncement without a word of protest. That’s on me. I should have known better. As one friend pointed out, I should have voted absentee. But, honestly, this plan to vote in Texas is so new that I did not know how to get an absentee ballot from Texas here. I’ll have to work on that for future elections.
In an attempt to make the Choctaw Indian Casino and Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, to spend the night there on November 3rd, we were caught up in the tornadoes, heavy rain and 70 mph winds that swept through Oklahoma on Sunday. We drove from 10 in the morning until the accident that you see pictured here, which took place around 7 p.m. in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, (which is not close to anything and only hasabout 11,000 residents.) We had decided to give up on the push to make it to Durant by nightfall, because of the weather, and were stopped at an intersection that had red blinking lights. It had been dark since 4:30 p.m. (thanks to Daylight Savings Time). We stopped at the intersection (U.S. 75 and 6th Street), just as one is supposed to, but the car heading from the driver’s left either did not stop at all or stopped way too briefly and then gunned through the intersection, in the driving rain, and side-swiped my 2020 Prius Anniversary Car.
I was and am very, very sad about this. It was one of only two that were even sold in Moline from this 2020 Special Edition. (I have owned about 6 Priuses going back to 2002, when they cost $20,050 and you got a $500 rebate from the government, along with 0% interest.) Moline got a white one and a red one; I bought the red one. We drove it less than 100 yards to the bottom of Kennedy Drive and John Deere Road, after picking it up, brand new, when an uninsured driver from Texas rear-ended me. Not a great beginning and now, not a great ending—if it is the ending, [which it well could be.]
My door frame was sprung. I could just barely get in and/or out of the car. I’m pretty sure I incurred a broken rib (from the seat belt) upon impact, as it hurts to laugh, cough or hiccup. I think my side of the car does looks like it got hit harder. My husband, fortunately, was unhurt. We both feel very lucky that injury was avoided. But now what?
‘By trip’s end, more pieces of my poor car had given up the ghost. [This Thanksgiving trip is but one of many I can make, but most would be with air miles or using the daughter’s flight attendant perks.
I had an app on my phone that showed us that there were only 2 places one could stay in the small town. Someone called in the accident and three policemen appeared and took down data. (I was in search of a women’s rest room, so I missed most of the initial conversation with the kid who hit us—Jimmy Hawkins—or with the firemen and/or policemen. Two medics also came and took my blood pressure, which thetechnician said was better than his own.) While my chest hurt, it felt like a broken or bruised rib, not tachycardia or arrhythmia.
After I ran 150 yards to a Subway store with a bathroom (of paramount importance at that particular moment in time), we found the Holiday Inn Express 1.6 miles down the road and checked in. I think I was experiencing PTSD, because it was only 7:30 p.m. but I was exhausted. It could be auto-immune hepatitis, which the liver people think I may have and which makes you tired. (I start CellCept soon).
I fell asleep (until 4:3o a.m.) and went back to sleep until 8 a.m., but we also contacted Triple AAA and someone was supposed to come help us out with our car situation in 90 minutes.
We waited for 2 hours and nobody showed up. We canceled the appointment and decided we would attempt to drive the damaged car farther. I do not recommend this and we hoped that we were invisible to highway patrol along the route, because the main reason for continuing, despite the risks, was so that we could vote tomorrow. I hope to be among those from northern states who are “purpling” up the state of Texas, in time. (After all, if we voted in Illinois, the state will go blue; if we vote in Texas, the state will go red. But more people are moving to Texas than are moving to Illinois, so...).
Ironically, the interior of the car seemed fine. The headlights were dubious, but the taillights worked fine and, although the dashboard was signaling all kinds of issues with various dashboard services (no cruise control; passenger door not able to be fully opened; etc.) the actual motor seemed to be okay, the radio worked, the tail lights and signals worked, as did the windshield wipers. It was primarily the headlights (and my door) that were not working well. My husband spent the night restlessly trying to figure out how we were going to get a rental car when we had been told the closest one was 50 miles away in Tulsa. And there was no way to get to Tulsa but to drive the injured vehicle there (which is why we should have left earlier for our voting trip down). I, on the other hand, felt exhausted and passed out early, [which never happens.] I seriously don’t know if it was the dealing with this unexpected catastrophe, riding all day from St. Louis, or AIH, but I was totally out of it and remained so for about 12 hours.
On Monday (Nov. 4, today), my spouse got up at 7:00 a.m. (to call the AAA guy at 7:15 a.m.) and we were on the road fairly quickly, once we had waited (and waited and waited) for the Triple AAA guy [who did not show up in 90 minutes, or 120 minutes.] Our kids suggested flights out of Tulsa, but we had beaucoup crap to get to Texas packed in our car, including a rather large painting I want to hang over the TV set. How would we deal with getting all of that stuff into a different car—if we could even get one in Tulsa, 50 miles away?
BEE GONE, available on Amazon
We talked about our options. My Big Concern was getting down here to vote for Kamala Harris. I am, after all, the author of “BEE GONE” (available on Amazon) and I really want to see DJT “BEE GONE.”
So, we decided to chance it. (Kids: Do NOT Try This At Home!)
First, we purchased zip ties and tied everything down on my poor red car that we could.
That didn’t keep the right front fender from beginning to become really wonky by the time we hit Waco. We pulled off and—somehow—my husband removed the front panel that had (previously) been zip tied and left it in the parking lot of a tractor supply store. (Apropos), We would have transported the fender to a dumpster if we could have put the piece of metal in our overcrowded car. We had to drive for 5 hours in my damaged 2020 Anniversary Edition Prius. Can it even be saved? Don’t know. Can’t tell you.
KAMALA: I HOPE YOU APPRECIATE THIS! We risked tickets and personal injury to get to the polls tomorrow.
I read that older women prefer Kamala 68% to 25% or some such and I believe it. I fought hard for women to have the right to decide about what happens to their own bodies, back in the 60s and 70s. I still have my ERA bracelet from the 70s. Watching it all disappear under this guy is not on my Top Ten list. We will NOT go back. It is time to give Agent Orange his walking papers.
I managed to read half of Steven King’s book “The Long Walk” during our drive down but we forgot to charge the e-reader and it gave up the ghost about the same time my front right fender did. We’ll finish it on the way home. I also was reading Bob Woodward’s “War” and a book entitled “Watchdogs.”
We prayed for invisibility when driving, as this is obviously not the kind of vehicle you want on the road in that condition. But I was NOT going to be denied the ability to vote DJT into oblivion. “BEE GONE.”
OUCH!
I just hope that my liver doctor, who saw me on July 26 when I had just had my right thumbnail ripped off at the airport (see photo), isn’t disappointed in my ability to follow her directions to me, which were, “Try not to hurt yourself before I see you again.”
I see her on November 7th for a fibrescan and now I have a rib that hurts when I cough, laugh or hiccup.
I just hope that’s all I have.
Wish me luck.
And vote for good over evil and hope over fear.
Ladies, it’s up to us to save democracy. I’m doing my part. Do yours!
