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Connie will review the thriller/mystery/horror books of others and will keep you posted on her own writing.

“Falling Stars” Presents a Creepy Witch World on October 11 (Just In Time for Halloween)

On October 7, 2024

“Falling Stars” movie about witches.

“Falling Stars” is a film about witches written, directed and edited by Richard Karpala (co-directed by Gabriel Bienczycki). It releases on October 11^th. The film begins with these words onscreen: “Every year by the full moon of late October witches from high use the night as cover to descend onto earth’s harvest. Skygazers say they resemble falling stars. In hungry years, the stars fall early.” The film is a story about three brothers who make an ill-advised journey to see the body of a dead witch.

Witch World

This Fantastic Fest 2023 entry establishes an entire witch world, with rules for preventing witches from putting a curse on the humans they prey upon during harvest season. An entire mythology exists around the falling witches. There are even warnings on radio and television telling the locals to stay indoors, although the danger is said to be wind. And there are ingredients for performing protective spells.

I now know that the spell requires apples, rue, sage and something called valerian. (I was unsure what “rue” was. Had no idea what “valerian was.” We might need another movie. Had to look both of them up.) I now have a rudimentary idea of what the boys were thinking of using to protect themselves from mysterious witches who fall from the sky like falling stars. Apparently, the spell doesn’t really work, especially if you desecrate the witches’ sacred circle in any way…for instance, by spilling beer on a witch’s corpse. There is a protective option involving sacrificing a child, but nobody seems keen on that choice —(which could make for good conflict in a sequel for “Falling Stars II.”)

After we become aware that the title of the 80 minute film could more accurately have been “Falling Witches,” the script moves quickly to inform the audience of the various idiosyncrasies of witch world. For instance, although you’re not supposed to be able to kill a witch, one of the group, Rob (Greg Poppa) has already proven that wisdom wrong. He shot and killed a witch and buried her. (The corpse is appropriately gnarly. Kudos to Noodle Mikael Gustaffson who did the creepy creature effects.)

THE PLOT

Mike in "Falling Stars" (Shaun Duke Jr.)

Mike, lead brother in “Falling Stars.”

The three brothers of the story, Mike (Shaun Duke Jr.), Sal (Andrew Gabriel) and the youngest, Adam (Rene Leech) want to see the dead witch. Mike— the leader of the brothers—decides without much consideration or discussion, that the three brothers should go pick up Rob (who lives in a nearby trailer with his wife and 2-year-old daughter Katelyn) and visit the grave of the deceased witch. Bad idea. The male trio’s curiosity certainly was not good news for the family of Rob and Meg (Orianne Milne and baby Katelyn Felicia Milne.)(*Spoiler alert) Because the brothers decided to make a joy ride to the witch’s grave, an entire family is wiped out. (Talk about not thinking through the consequences of your actions.)

Because the brothers are driving a pick-up truck without enough seating, some have to ride in the back. One passenger disappears from the back of the truck without so much as a struggle or a scream. We assume that a fallen witch carried him off. The fraternal trio do an excellent job of acting, but they don’t seem particularly close as brothers, nor do they look alike. The youngest of the trio (Adam) comes off a lot more intense and emotional than the other two, but we can attribute that to his unique personality or because he’s the baby of the family.

Adam, the youngest (and most emotionally intense) of the trio of brothers in “Falling Stars.“

We get radio station KNWK giving the locals, via Barry Foyle, Radio Host, directives to stay indoors. The warnings mainly mention wind. There is no acknowledgement that the populace is really being told to watch out for falling witches. The system seems fairly well-established, so these Witch World Warnings must have been going on for years. Everybody understands the situation. Think of it a bit like the “red/yellow/orange” terrorist threat warnings some of us remember from the “W’ years. Certainly a good way to get the locals concerned, then and now. (Apologies for the fact that “W” was in office from 2001 to 2009, so you have to go back 14 to 23 years to remember when we, as citizens, were constantly being given color-coded “terrorist threat” warnings by the Republicans in office after 9/11, a date which most of us do remember.) So the televised warnings are a bit like those in “The Purge” in warning people of a long-established tradition.

THE GOOD

“Falling Stars”

Cinematically, there are a lot of overhead shots. Even the very first shot of a girl walking her dogs is shot from above. (That girl is also the head make-up person). I found the overhead shots really worked, as did the acting, the witch corpse, and the creepy, tense mood set in this indie film set in Joshua Tree, California and shot on location. The music (Patrik Herman) was good. Coupled with the excellent acting, this horror outing was a welcome departure from most recent indie horror films.

The cast is rounded out by a hitchhiker Ouami (Piotr Adamczyk), who just came off as weird. There is also the excellent radio host Barry (J. Aaron Boykin), and his assistant Elana (Samantha Turret) who are under-utilized.

CONCLUSION

Baby Katelyn and Meg in "Falling Stars" (Felicia & Orianne Milne)

Meg and baby Katelyn in “Falling Stars,” innocents in peril.

I hope this team gets the opportunity to fill in some of the blanks in witch world in another outing because “Falling Stars” showed real promise.

“Voice of Shadows:” Long on Creepy; Short on Screenplay Sense

By Connie Wilson

On September 13, 2024

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews, Scary stories, Television

“Voice of Shadows” has the benefit of a truly intriguing trailer that should interest viewers. It appears to be a classic horror film dealing with a possibly haunted house and an elderly woman named “Milda” (Jane Hammill) who lives in it. And dies in it, willing the house to her niece Emma (Corinne Mica). There’s also a claim that Milda has “died twice” and a poorly explained tie to occult goings-on in the past.

The tag line for the film was, “A young working class woman stands to inherit an estate if she and her boyfriend abide by a set of bizarre stipulations.” The film was written and directed by Nicholas Bain (as Nick Bain) and shot in Minnesota—a surprise, as the house and setting seemed more European than American, but, then, Nick Bain is originally from Minnesota, which he left in 2014 to travel to Los Angeles to make movies.

THE GOOD

Right now, horror is an extremely hot genre. (It makes me think I should do something more with my screenplay for the three-novel set “The Color of Evil.”) If Nick Bain can write this script, mine might have a chance. The good news for me is that this script gives me hope for my own to succeed. “If this one can, my script can.” [That isn’t necessarily good news as my commentary on the script for “Voice of Shadows.”]

The cinematography by Neil Murphy and the music by Utkucan Eken and Elif Karlidag was quite good at setting the spooky overall mood. Trailer totally sucked me in. (Read on, to see if that first peek pays off).

The acting was adequate. We won’t be seeing any of the actors or actresses at the Oscars, but horror is a hard sell to the Academy.

The length of the movie, at 90 minutes, was like “the old days,” a welcome relief from the 3-hour marathon recent films. Bravo!

The house set was impressive, but the time the movie is supposed to take place in is a mystery. The old rotary dial phone would indicate long ago, but we never really find out.

The visual effects by Jeff Sardar were fine. The visual effects won the film an award at the Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival. Having black stuff come out of the heroine’s mouth isn’t that new a visual effect, but it still works. For that matter, the film has had three wins and four nominations, with the Latitude Film Awards and the Romford Horror Festival naming it Best Feature Film.

THE BAD

Voice of Shadows horror film, featuring Aunt Milda

Voice of Shadows poster, featuring Aunt Milda

Guillermo Blanco (The Queen of Flow”) plays the lead of Gabriel. It seems that Milda, the old woman who owns the house, doesn’t like Gabriel. One of the “bizarre stipulations” that Milda has put on the inheritance of her impressive house by her niece Emma is that Gabriel never stay there—not even for one night. Given the “plot spill” that the script begins with, where Gabriel is in the confessional and confesses to being a murderer (for good reasons as he lays out the case for the first murder) that scene makes Gabriel’s first murder initially seem reasonable, (just as the old television series “Dexter” used to justify Dexter’s homicidal acts with a variety of plausible excuses.)

Gabriel’s character throughout is difficult for the audience to figure out. He is swilling liquor from a bottle while in the confessional. We can conclude from that that he drinks too much (and in the wrong places). That certainly might influence his decision-making. But Gabriel still seems very willing to murder people at a moment’s notice. The worst assault was a fellow named Ernest (Martin Harris). Gabriel’s motives for plunging a knife into Ernest are unclear; the screenplay goes downhill from there. I wanted to sympathize with and like Gabriel, because he initially seemed like a good fellow and Milda’s instant dislike for him appeared to be petty jealousy, but murdering multiple people with little or no motivation was a bit much, even for me.

The acting by female lead Corinne Mica (“Always, Lola”) as Emma and Maria Jose Vargas Aguidelo as Celeste and Guillermo Blanco as Gabriel was adequate. I thought that Father John, played by Michael Paul Levin was stronger in his supporting part. Bee Vang (“Stranger Things,” “Gran Torino”) plays Father James.

PLOT REVEALS

There was a lot of information dumped on the audience, beginning with the very first confessional scene. Too much telling and not enough showing. I’ve written scripts. A couple of them have even won awards. It’s better to assume the audience is savvy enough to put two-and-two together than to have your main characters ranting on about why they did this or why they did that in a long monologue.

It’s easy to see that Emma’s character and behavior is changing once her Aunt Milda leaves her the house. Emma begins disappearing with Ernesto to “the art gallery.” As a general criticism, most of the climactic scenes in the film—murders and the like—either have no explanation or are overly explained. So, for me, the script needed work.

There was nothing super original or new in the film, but the trailer is very well-done. As horror movies go, “Voice of Shadows” (the title made me think of “Stir of Echoes”) was a good effort with some inexplicable plot directions that might need rethinking or refining.

VOICE OF SHADOWS will arrive September 17 on digital and streaming platforms, including iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango at Home, Vimeo, and local cable & satellite providers.

VOICE OF SHADOWS

Directed by: Nicholas Bain

Written by: Nicholas Bain

Starring: Guillermo Blanco, Corrinne Mica, Bee Vang, Michael Paul Levin, Martin Harris

Produced by: Guillermo Blanco, Martin Harris, Jamie Roberts

Executive Producers: Nick Breid, Todd R. Johnson, Dan Lehto,

Stephen McGraw, Nicholas Bain

Associate Producers: Matthew Fahey, Matt Roy

Cinematography by: Neil Murphy

Edited by: Mark Ferris

Music Composed by: Utkucan Eken, Elif Karlidag

USA I 2024 I Horror, Thriller I 90 minutes | NR

Kamala Harris Accepts Democratic Presidential Nomination; DJT Phones In on Fox

By Connie Wilson

On August 23, 2024

In Books, Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics, Television

I had planned to write a piece commenting on Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech on the final night of the DNC in Chicago, Then, (following the dry cycle of my laundry), I moved to the bedroom to change the now clean sheets and put them back on the king-sized bed. In the bedroom, Fox News was carrying the DNC.

While I changed the sheets, I listened to Donald J. Trump phone in and rebut Kamala Harris’ speech. I will insert the complete 37-minute content of Kamala’s acceptance speech (in case you missed it), but I have to assume that most of you were watching it, so suit yourself. Unlike Trump, who rambled his way through a basically unlistenable litany of untruths at the RNC, Harris hit most of the issues and delivered her speech with sincerity and enthusiasm. She looked and sounded presidential (because she IS presidential.)

Then I watched 8 voters in Allentown, Pennsylvania say that her speech had sold her to them (auto workers all) and they would be voting for her (they had been unsure in a previous meeting). One woman retained the right to decide later. One Black male (in real estate) said he’d vote for Trump. Listen to Trump’s remarks about how the auto workers are all supporting him in the phone call above. [*Apparently not the 8 that just spoke to a reporter in Allentown, PA.]

Trump’s illusion that he is “strong” (Macho Macho Man) was consistent with why Black males were supporting DJT over Biden before July 21st. It also explains why Black males find it difficult to get behind the idea of a female president, even if she is half Black (and half Asian).

CHANGE

People want change for the better. This was emphasized by John King, Chief National Correspondent for CNN, who has been traveling the country gauging the temperature of the nation. Coming into the convention, Trump had 55% of voters selecting him on the economy versus 43% for Harris and 53% on the immigration issue versus 44% for Harris. Harris led only on the abortion issue (55% to 40%.) [This was from the New York Times Siena Poll. ] In the next 75 days Harris and Walz must change these perceptions.

CONVENTION BUMP

There are 75 days during which Kamala has to convince voters that she, the current vice president, represents change for the better. That will not be simple, since Harris has been in office as Vice President for 4 years and the GOP will attack her on that basis. (as DJT already did in the phone call above).

The Siena poll showed that 56% of voters disapproved of Biden. Only 41% approved of Biden in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and the other swing states. Now, the Republicans are going to try to give Kamala “Biden Baggage.” It started tonight with DJT phoning in to Fox & Friends. (*Did Fox & Friends, who claim to be so “fair and balanced” offer Kamala Harris the opportunity to phone in and rebut DJT’s RNC acceptance speech? No.)

John King, who has been doing political reporting for 40 years, says that Kamala did well. I agree. He pointed out, however, that in 1988: Bush won over Dukakis, but Dukakis had left the convention enjoying a convention bump that put him 17 points ahead in the polls. Despite the post-convention bump, Dukakis lost “bigly” to George Herbert Bush. This was partially because people wanted change and partially because of the Willie Horton dirty tricks that depicted Horton as practically Dukakis’ running mate. (*For those of you who don’t remember Willie Horton, he was a convicted murderer and rapist, who was released on a weekend furlough from a Massachusetts prison in a trial program and committed a rape and murder while temporarily free. Dukakis was the Governor of Massachusetts. The Bush campaign used Horton’s case to tar and feather Dukakis in a textbook example of what is known as “dog whistle politics,” which is what Harris and Walz are about to encounter, if I were to take an un-wild guess.)

John King was born in 1963, which means he is 61. I haven’t followed politics for as long as John King, but I am close to 20 years older. I go back to every President since Truman. I’ve also written 3 books on politics (the campaign of 2008) and was named the Content Producer of the Year for Politics by Yahoo in the wake of my coverage of the 2008 election of Barack Obama. (See my books on that topic, “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House.”)

Taken during a McCain rally at the Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport during the 2008 presidential campaign. Cover of Volume II of “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House.” (Available on Amazon in paperback and e-book).

LIKEABILITY

I agree with the white-haired CNN commentator with the 40 years following campaigns, and I agreed with Geraldo (whom I watched on News Nation) who stressed that “likeability” was key to electing anyone. It was likeability that doomed Hillary Clinton and, to a certain extent, John Kerry, who always seemed a little bit too patrician. We’ve all heard the remarks about how “W” seemed like a guy you would enjoy sitting down and having a beer with (*I don’t drink beer, so that’s a no for me.)

TAX INCREASES

Bogus. Tax increases on the rich, yes. On the middle class, not so much. Trump’s point on companies taking their business to another country (increasingly Mexico, not China) is fair, but THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR DECADES. Companies moving to cheaper countries is not a Kamala Harris thing; to say it is is unfair. It is far likelier that DJT will raise taxes on the middle class to give tax breaks to people like himself.

BORDER

Trump said, of the bi-partisan border bill, “It was a horrible bill. It was a joke.” It was a bi-partisan bill that was said by those who worked on it long and hard to be quite good. Trump told his allies not to vote for the bill, because it was to be his border issue. If you really don’t know what was in the bill, click on the link above and it will tell you. Don’t just trumpet things that either candidate says; research it. (Anthony Fatone: that is for you, Dear Heart. And thanks for saying I’m “smart as a whip” because that should tell you that, if I’m saying you need to do more “reading up” on these things, maybe I’m right.)

MARXIST ACCUSATIONS

First of all, as our old friend Wikipedia tells us, “There is no single, definitive Marxist theory.^[1]

It is likely that the “Marxist” accusations are a legacy from Kamala’s economics professor father, who taught at both Stanford and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He has advised his country (Jamaica) on economic issues and some aspects were derived from Marxist writings of various sorts, but her father has remained completely out of Kamala’s career, refusing to be involved in her 2020 campaign and making a rather brusque rebuttal to a lighthearted comment that Kamala herself made (about smoking pot) on a radio show. She said something about smoking pot to the effect of, “Are you kidding? Half of my relatives are Jamaican.” Dad did not like it much, issued a rather public reprimand (Kamala did not respond) and has not had much involvement in his daughter’s career (or her life before that) since the couple split when she was in elementary school.

Jamal Simmons, political commentator on CNN, compared DJT to Midnight Elvis, calling in to talk shows, rambling around in Mar-A-Lago. Jamal mentioned Trump’s recent appearance in Howell, Michigan. White supremacists held a march there recently and voiced support for Trump, Hitler, Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. So, Trump’s strategy is to cater to THAT demographic. Roger Stone, a big Trump supporter, has a yearslong relationship with Proud Boys leaders, Enrique Tarrio in particular, and would regularly use members of the group as his personal security detail at political events.

Roger Stone.

I seriously doubt that DJT has much of an idea what Marxism is (and, quite frankly, it is difficult to pin it down as there are many offshoots.) There is actually a book on Amazon entitled “Marxism in Plain and Simple English.” It’s 62 pages. If Donald J. Trump really thinks that Kamala Harris is a Marxist simply because of her estranged father (a professor of economics), that is really reaching. I think The Donald needs a copy of that book. (*After all, Steve Bannon, his brain trust, is currently in jail until 2 days before the election, so the Wizard of Odd is having to rely on people like The Mad Hatter, Roger Stone, for intellectual guidance.) Another thing that his insult brings to mind are recent put-downs that DJT has made about Kamala Harris’ intelligence; she is quite obviously the child of two very bright people (while Trump’s own intelligence is often questioned, despite the supposed expertise and education that led to multiple bankruptcies.)

Here’s a snippet from “How to Compare Marxism to Capitalism.” It is quite clear that Kamala Harris is no Marxist. To wit: “Marxism, oftentimes interchangeable with communism, emerged from the writings of Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels in the 19th century, and is based on the theory that class conflict will eventually result in the establishment of a society where the public owns the means of production. The two theories are historic enemies, and their differences are most acute when examining their attitudes toward individualism, private property and profits.”

At no time has Kamala Harris sounded like she is not supportive of capitalism simply because she has argued for everyone in our society having a fair shake and an equal chance at making a life where they each of us has the freedom to make choices for themselves (as, for instance, in reproductive rights.) Trying to paint Harris as a Marxist or Communist is a page right out of the “dirty tricks” playbook of the GOP going back to 1988.

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D. New Mexico), commenting after Harris’ speech, said she “showed us tonight what leadership looks like.” It is up to every woman of voting age in America to ask themselves whether they want the freedom to decide about their own health care and to decide if they do (or do not) want to have a child. Women need to mobilize like our grandmothers to gain us the right to vote. Only, this time, it is the right to live free (and not die) under an autocratic ruler who simply wants power for himself and his cronies.

IN CONCLUSION

As D.L. Hughley said at the convention, “The only way that Trump can keep Kamala out of the White House is if he buys it and refuses to rent to Black people.”

M. Night Shymalan “Traps” Us Again with Twist After Twist

By Connie Wilson

On August 4, 2024

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews, Scary stories

Night Shymalan is a Writer/Director whose films seem to provoke strong reactions. He always seem to be trying for that “surprise twist” ending that appeared in his break-through iconic film “The Sixth Sense” (1999). In “Trap,” which opened August 2nd, the film has so many twists concluding at 103 minutes that I’d be giving away too much of the plot if I were to list them all. Just when you think “this is the end” there’s yet another twist. Personally, I enjoyed most of that. Other critics did not and savaged the film, but it definitely holds your interest throughout.

PLOT

Josh Hartnett plays a father with a dark side who takes his daughter to a music concert that has been set up to catch him there. How do they know he’s among the 3000 men present in a crowd of 20,642? You’ll find out as the plot progresses. His goal is to escape. But can he?

The premise of a doting father taking his teen-aged daughter to a Taylor Swift-like concert is timely. I could definitely relate to the hysteria of young teen-aged girls at these things. Not only did my daughter work for Ms. Swift and have the task of bringing audience members backstage to meet their idol (the role that M, Night Shymalan has here), but I was present at a Beatles concert in 1965 at the San Francisco Cow Palace, where teen-aged girls with tears streaming down their faces knew every line of every song and screamed themselves senseless.

I remember looking around, each time, and saying to myself, “WTF is going on?” I was beyond the age of hysterical fandom. But I’ve seen it go down, and it is something to behold and to be in the middle of it is an experience. More could have been done with that by the skilled cinematographer.

I have three main things that I would say about this film:

It appears that M. Night Shymalan’s daughter, Saleka Night Shymalan, wants to become a music diva like Taylor Swift. What better way to launch her career than depicting her as one in this film? (she wrote most of the music and performs a lot of it.) After all, it worked for DJT on “The Apprentice” and launched him to the presidency. Saleka even gets to be the heroine of the film when it finally winds down (which doesn’t seem to be happening for Trump right now).
Josh Hartnett is an actor whose talent should have been recognized long ago. However, a less-attractive male lead (Jesse Plemens or Mark Wahlberg, for instance) would have been a better choice to play Cooper. Hartnett is a good actor; he does his best with the script. But we expect our serial killers to be less handsome. We can argue about this, citing Ted Bundy (et. al.)as a serial killer whose appearance was not sinister, and I realize that Hartnett’s good looks did contribute to the success of many of his manipulative moments in “Trap”, but I still think that he comes off as way too “good.” The hidden evil is extremely well -hidden under that good-looking exterior. In “Twisters” (which I recently reviewed) both female leads did credible jobs, but the new (plural) “Twisters” needed the grit of the original “Twister” female lead,Helen Hunt. “Trap” needs less of the matinee idol handsomeness of Hartnett to really convince us he could be “the Butcher.”
The music wasn’t as “catchy” as Ms. Swift’s tunes lyrically, but Saleka Shymalan acquitted herself nobly onstage, aided by Kid Cudi as The Thinker. Great costumes. Okay songs and she can sing and play—definite pluses.

THE CAST

Who knew that Hayley Mills of “The Parent Trap” (1960) was still alive? And why would she be running the show as the FBI profiler who sets the trap to catch the Butcher at a concert by the teenaged songtress of the moment, Lady Raven? Someone suggested that Shymalan simply liked the fact that Hayley Mills was in “The Parent Trap” and that was enough. [Not really.]

Alison Pill portrays Cooper’s wife Rachel, and she is one of those faces that you just know you’ve seen in a million movies. She does a respectable but unremarkable job. She’s known for “The Newsroom” (2012-2014) and “Vice,” and has an extensive resume of work.

More remarkable in his role as Jamie, the Black guy who unwittingly helps Cooper out at the arena, is Jonathan Langdon, who provides a bit of comic relief (along with assistance to the bad guy) He’s so memorable that Shymalan has attached a small post script in the film that shows Jamie’s reaction when he learns that he has been duped by The Butcher.

I’ve seen nearly all of Shymalan’s films: “The Sixth Sense” (1999); “Unbreakable” (2000); “Signs” (2002); “The Village” (2004); “Lady in the Water” (2006); “Split” (2016); “Old”(2021); “A Knock at the Cabin” (2023). That only leaves a couple and some of his television work, so I feel comfortable saying that of the films in this list, the best is the classic “The Sixth Sense.” “Trap” would be included as one of the three best, otherwise, book-ended by “Split”—which benefited greatly from a world class acting performance by James McAvoy—and by “Signs”—which had Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix and Rory Culkin (and don’t forget the tin-foil hats!).

The others I’ve listed left you feeling very disappointed, but I was not disappointed in the acting and tension and twistiness of “Trap.” I was just unconvinced that Josh Hartnett was the right choice for the role.

One player onscreen who WAS the right choice for the role was the young girl playing Riley, Cooper’s Lady Raven-obsessed daughter, Ariel Donoghue. The 14-year-old has appeared in a television series, “Wolf Like Me” (2022-2023) and already has eleven IMDB credits. She’s good, and, in this part, she is excellent. I’ll be watching for her in future roles.

So was Josh Hartnett fine at emoting, but he was just too darned good-looking and charming to convince me that he was bad-to-the-bone. (His cross to bear!) Harnett has said, in interviews, that attending a Taylor Swift concert really helped him to understand the scenario.

THE BAD:

Cinematographer Sayonbha Mukdeeprom (“Challengers”) could have done more with the crowd scenes within what is presented as the Tanaka Arena in Philadelphia. Only it isn’t.

Shymalan always pays tribute to his Philadelphia roots and even had a CGI insertion of a building into Philadelphia’s skyline for “Glass,” but I had a sneaking suspicion that this film, which was shot in Canada, was playing fast and loose with the Tanaka Arena’s real location. In fact, the exterior of the building is actually Canada’s Rogers Centre in Toronto and the exterior is Canada’s First Ontario Centre.

In his desire to have numerous twists, a few are waaay out there, (like the final one in the film.) I also object to the “escape from the limo” plot premise. I’m sure others will contribute their own objections to the many attempts at “twists” that seemed to go on for a good 30 to 45 minutes past what I thought was the finale.

It’s tough to always hit a home run and get a “twist” that satisfies. I salute M. Night Shymalan for continuing to try and for delivering an enjoyable film that holds your interest, despite its shortcomings. I’d predict more singing for M. Night Shymalan’s talented daughter Saleka. Her “Trap”role was a better premiere effort than Ishana Shymalan’s directorial debut with “Watchers,” which had far bigger plot problems than “Trap.”

“Tired of Winning” by Jonathan Karl Tells It Like It Is

By Connie Wilson

On February 19, 2024

In Books, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, News, Politics

Excerpts from “Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party,” by Jonathan Karl of ABC News:

Jonathan Karl of ABC News

“He lacks any shred of human decency, humility, or caring,” a former White House official wrote of Trump, the man he had served for more than a year. “He is morally bankrupt, breathtakingly dishonest, lethally incompetent, and stunningly ignorant of virtually anything related to governing, history, geography, human events or world affairs. He is a traitor and a malignancy in our nation and represents a clear and present danger to our democracy and the rule of law.” (p. 263, Jonathan Karl, CBS Political Affairs Reporter)

“Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party” by Jonathan Karl of ABC News.

“Two and a half years after January 6th, the man whom many of the rioters said was ultimately responsible for the carnage seemed on the way to finally being held accountable…He faces a maximum of 55 years in prison—the maximum in the documents case is higher—but because Trump stands accused of betraying the very oath of office he hopes to take once again. The charges include defrauding the United States and depriving Americans of their right to have their votes count—a right central to the meaning of democracy.” (p. 269)

“President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. No question about it.” (Mitch McConnell on Feb. 13, 2021.)

“Remnants of the Trump era will be a strange reminder of how Trump operated—his disregard for history and for the law—in this case, the Presidential Records Act of 1978—says that official presidential records are the property of the American people, not of any individual, not even a president. Trump destroyed some of them, others he took home to Mar-a-Lago as if they were personal souvenirs of his time as commander in chief. Fortunately for future historians—and current criminal investigators—many of the documents he attempted to pilfer were returned, and many of those he tried to destroy were gathered, taped back together, and preserved by government employees attempting to comply with a law their boss had no intention of following.” (p. 272).

The MITT ROMNEY IS A TOTAL LOSER napkin: “One of the more unusual documents now under seal at the National Archives is a paper napkin from Air Force One. The napkin—the existence of which has never been made public—is hardly a state secret, but it reveals much more than the words written on it by Donald Trump with a Black sharpie: MITT ROMNEY IS A TOTAL LOSER.” We don’t know the exact content of this presidential musing—or even the date it was retrieved—or why Trump chose to scrawl those words on a napkin. Did he write it after Romney became the only Republican to vote to convict him in his first impeachment trial? Or when Romney became one of seven Republicans to vote to impeach him in his second impeachment trial? Or maybe it was after Romney and his wife, Ann, congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on winning the 2020 election. “We know both of them as people of good will and admirable character,” Senator Romney said in a statement issued minutes after Biden and Harris were projected as winners of the election. “We pray that God may bless them in the days and years ahead.”

Trump had called Romney a loser many times, but the context of the words scrawled on the napkin—TOTAL LOSER—were different than those he blurted out on Twitter or during speeches. The napkin was a private note, probably one he had written to himself, and an indication Trump had Romney on his mind, and perhaps a reflection of the obsession with the man who won the Republican nomination four years before Trump did. Of course, the note wasn’t completely wrong—Romney, like Trump, was a loser. Both men had lost a presidential election. But, unlike Trump, Romney took his loss with grace and dignity. He did what Trump would never do. He congratulated his opponent—Barack Obama—and put the country above himself, offering words of support to the man who had defeated him.

Sam Houston, 1859–1861

SAM HOUSTON STORY: Sam Houston, the former Governor of Tennessee, battlefield hero, and founding father of Texas independence. Houston was the first president of the Independent Republic of Texas, the first senator from the state of Texas and one of the most independent, unique, popular, forceful and dramatic individuals ever to enter the Senate chamber. Houston put all of that on the line beginning with a vote he took in the Senate in 1854 against what would become the Kansas-Nebraska Act. To Houston’s fellow Democrats, it was a must-pass bill, a test of Southern unity and survival. Houston saw the bill for what it was—a way to reopen the the issue of expanding slavery that would set America on a path to civil war. Not a single Senate Democrat joined him in voting against it...His stand against Southern secession was so forceful, Houston received a few votes to be Abraham Lincoln’s vice president. He traveled around his state to make what had become a very unpopular case for Texas to remain in the Union. While he was campaigning in the city of Waco, a bomb exploded behind the hotel he was staying in—an unsuccessful attempt to either kill or intimidate him. He survived the bombing, but he lost the battle. And when Texas officially seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy, Houston was once again defeated, removed from office after he refused to take the oath of the new Confederate state of Texas. Sam Houston was far from perfect, but at the end of his life, he stood up to the madness of his own party—and the madness of his own constituents. Despite the steep personal price he paid, his place in history was secure—and it started with a vote, an act of political courage—made inside the Senate Chamber.” (p. 279).

“Trump’s betrayal shows just how vulnerable our democracy is and how much it depends on people who are in positions of responsibility to act responsibly.” (p. 281).

“The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed (January 6th) was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.” (Liz Cheney, R, Wyoming, while heading the January 6th Commission.) (p. 285).

Of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump the second time, the vote of Representative Tom Rice of South Carolina to impeach was among the most surprising. Rice’s reason for voting to impeach, articulated in Jonathan Karl’s book: “When Trump watched the Capitol, the People’s House, being sacked, when he watched the Capitol Police officers being beaten for those three or four hours and he lifted not one finger or did one thing to stop it—I was livid then and I’m livid today about it.” (p. 285)

Reflections on Barbra Streisand’s Autobiography “My Name Is Barbra”

By Connie Wilson

On January 19, 2024

In Books, Editorial, Local, Movies, Music, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics, Pop Culture, Reviews

Barbra Streisand & Husband James Brolin.

Has unresolved issues about her mother.
Has issues regarding a “father figure.”
Somewhat downplays the gift her voice has been to her life path.
Seems to have OCD tendencies, even as to placement of flowers.
Naturally curious.
Seems to have built a “family” from those she found more supportive of her.
Takes a few swipes at good old “Marty” (her manager),and at Mandy Patimken and others. Seems to want to portray herself as someone who others were constantly seeking for intimacy, yet she doesn’t share much about her “lovers.” In fact, she seems to be rather coy about whether or not a certain famous individual was or was not someone with whom she shared physical intimacy.
James Newton Howard seems to re-surface as someone who had a crush on her.
The Jon Peters guy sounds like a real shyster and opportunist, and that seems to have been how he was viewed by the Hollywood community, as well.
Loyalty to Prince—now King—Charles and to Pierre Trudeau. Probably explains her views on Meghan Markle, recently articulated.
Doesn’t say much about Elliott Gould, with whom she shares her son, Jason. Kind of implies that they just drifted apart, he wasn’t good-looking enough, and he had a gambling problem and possibly a drug problem later in life. Discusses Jason’s homosexuality in passing and claims he has a phenomenal voice. Jason is now 58 years old and, while he did release an album some years ago and sang with his mother on one of her tours, he doesn’t seem to have done much creating, musically speaking.
Seems to have found a man in James Brolin who can take her independent attitude in stride.
Starred or appeared in 19 films, but sounds like she is done.
Music seems to be the thing that she might continue doing to the bitter end, a la Tony Bennett, especially if it doesn’t involve touring or appearing in person.
Very detail oriented, to the point that would drive many people insane. (Lighting, rewriting lyrics, etc.). She actually requested that famous songwriters like Stephen Sondheim rewrite song lyrics for various reasons and other “pushy” things.
Tells some interesting stories about her famous friends (Donna Karan is one, Prince Charles, Secretary of State Madeline Albright, the Clintons) but doesn’t really dish much new dirt. Before I read the book, the Big Story seemed to be her rejecting Mandy Patimkin as a potential fling, saying she did not find him attractive. The truth hurts, but good for you, Barbara. [Nobody finds Mandy Patimkin attractive.]
Mandy Patimken.

*Barbra’s father, Emmanuel Streisand, died at 35 and she was told by her cold mother that she kept waiting for him to return for days, sitting by the window. In her own words, “In some ways, I’m still waiting.”

*Her book is dedicated this way: “This book is dedicated to the father I never knew, and the mother I did…” She, basically, says she loved her mother but she didn’t “like” her. Her mother seems to have had serious jealousy issues about Barbra’s phenomenal success and hurt her many times, both intentionally and unintentionally. Fortunately, Babs bonded with many women who were older than she is and they served as “surrogate” mothers. One of the more famous was Bill Clinton’s mother.

*She talks about how she doesn’t really take care of her voice and doesn’t like to warm up, etc. She also has crippling stage fright, brought on by having forgotten the words to a song while performing at a free concert in Central Park.

*Outspoken – Recently, Babs came out swinging against Megan Markle. She criticized everything about the woman, from her acting prowess to her relationship with the Royal Family. It has made all the tabloids and seems to be a throwback to her great friendship with King Charles and loyalty to him. Barbara doesn’t say that she and Charles had “a fling,” but she tells a semi-racy story about his dog coming in to get in bed with her one morning when she is visiting England.

Barbra Streisand with her only child, Jason Gould (age 58).

Jason Gould and Mom Barbra Streisand.

*The Jon Peters romance (he was her hairdresser) was one of the chapters in her life that she attributes to her “hippy” phase. He sounds like a real piece of work! He is portrayed in the movie “Licorice Pizza” and it isn’t pretty. He did rise to become the head of a studio, but he sounds like a real insecure opportunist. One thing that attracted her to him was that they both had sons about the same age.

*Barbra seems to have a fairly ruthless way of dealing with disloyalty. In her own words, “When I’m done with something, I’m done!” She describes cutting Agent Sue Mengers out of her life when she suspected that the woman had leaked some things to the media.

*She reveals that she has heard weird noises in her head since childhood.

*Several times in the book Barbra repeats this line from George Bernard Shaw’s play “St. Joan:” “It is an old saying that he who tells too much truth is sure to be hanged.” She also says, “I’ve always believed in telling the truth, but it has gotten me in trouble over the years.” We saw Barbra in concert in Chicago right before a presidential election and her remarks to the audience supportive of the Democratic candidate caused the couple next to us to yell (loudly), “Just shut up and sing.” I happen to agree with most of her political opinions, so I’m not one of the MAGA crowd who would be this rude. It was an “okay” concert, but it was not the Experience of a Lifetime I had hoped it might be, as I had been a fan for years.

*The book goes down easy and is a good read, but she goes into detail after detail after detail about every outfit she ever wore in her life, which reminded me of my own dear mother, who resembled Barbra’s mom in that she was not one to praise or express warm, fuzzy things, but I have tried to understand her chilly treatment of me in light of her own career and its demands. Barbra has had years of therapy and she tries to be even-handed about her mother’s indifference or jealousy towards her.

There is no question that Barbra Streisand is a formidable talent. She is a lot. I love her singing; I like most of her movies, so I enjoyed reading the behind-the-scenes stuff but I felt she put entirely too much time describing every outfit she ever wore in her life and casting herself in the most positive light possible, with all kinds of effusive notes of praise and uber-flattering photos.

“Saltburn” Cements Emerald Fennell’s Reputation As A Visionary Filmmaker

By Connie Wilson

On October 21, 2023

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews, Scary stories

“Saltburn” is Emerald Fennell’s follow-up to 2020’s “Promising Young Woman,” a film that garnered five Oscar nominations and won her the Best Original Screenplay Oscar in 2021. The movie is most like 1999’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” It is a baroque, dark, stylish sexy R-rated Gothic study which Fennell, present in person to receive the Visionary Award at the 59^th Chicago International Film Festival on October 19, 2023, said was best summed up tonally by the word “vampire.” Writer/Director Fennell recommended that the film’s heartthrob Felix (Jacob Elordi) read “Brideshead Revisited” before filming began on July 16, 2022 to get an idea of the film’s tone, although “Saltburn” is set in 2006. Filming ended on September 16, 2022.

“Saltburn” is the family estate of Sir James Catton (Richard E. Grant, “Gosford Park”). The palatial estate was represented by Drayton House, Northamptonshire, which had never been used as a film site previously. (It may never be used again, because part of the contract with the filmmakers was that the exact location and real owners were not to be revealed.) The estate, itself, is central to the film’s success, outshining television’s Downton Abbey sets.

The 127 minute film premiered at Telluride on August 23 and opened the 67^th London Film Festival on October 4^th. Its positive critical reception caused the release date to be moved up in the United States to November 17th. The somewhat cryptic synopsis for the film says: “A student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family’s sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten.”

The plot takes us inside the world of wealth and privilege that Felix and his cousin, Farleigh Start (Archie Madekwa, “Midsommar”) occupy. Oliver can only marvel at the luxury of Saltburn, as he meets Felix’s mother Elspeth (Rosalind Pike, “Gone Girl”), Felix’s father (Richard E. Grant, “Gosford Park”) and Felix’s sister Venetia (Alison Oliver, “Conversations with Friends”).

THEMES

Emerald Fennell at the Music Box Theater in Chicago at the 59th Chicago International Film Festival on october 20, 2023. (Photo by Connie Wilson).

Fennell said, “I want to talk about our relationships to the things we want, and what we’ll do to get them.” She pointed out that Oliver wants to be exceptional and is particularly good at figuring out what others want and helping provide it.

This is also, prominently, the story of the haves and the have-nots. In “Promising Young Woman” Carrie Mulligan took on the good old boys’ network and the patriarchy that caused her best friend’s suicide; Carrie’s character in that film sought revenge. Here, the target is the British aristocracy and the class system in the U.K.

Oliver Quick is a loner, but he instantly keys in on the Golden Boy of Oxford, Felix Catton , a child of wealth and privilege. Not only is Felix a Catton, the wealthy family that owns Saltburn, he is 6’ 5” and gorgeous. Both girls and boys lust after Felix (Jacob Elordi, “Euphoria”). Director Fennell explained, “This film is all about detail. There are intimate close-ups. I wanted to be able to see stubble, rash, all of it.” Oliver tells us immediately that he was not in love with Felix, although he does seem obsessed with him; Oliver will do anything to become Felix’s friend.

Is Oliver’s obsession with Felix rooted in emotion or something else?

CAST

Four of the cast members have been Oscar-nominated (Grant, Keoghan, Mulligan, and Pike)

Carey Mulligan.

Barry Keoghan, who had his breakthrough role as Dominic Kearney in “The Banshees of Inisherin,” plays Oliver Quick, one of the have-nots. Oliver is first seen as a scholarship student at Oxford who is being befriended by the class weirdo, Michael Gavey (Ewan Mitchell, “High Life.”)

All of the cast are excellent, including Alison Oliver in her film debut as Felix’s beautiful but disturbed sister Venetia. Rosamind Pike, Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Richard E. Grant, Archie Malekwe, Paul Rhys (as Duncan, the butler)—everyone is spot on. One part, however, seemed to have been crafted primarily as a favor to a friend. Carrie Mulligan’s role as Poor Dear Pamela, wearing a red wig and heavy make-up, renders her almost unrecognizable. Her character could easily have been omitted.

“Saltburn” is a story about deception and self-deception. It has a slow reveal that picks up speed during and after the road trip that Felix plans as a surprise for Oliver’s birthday. This is the true turning point of the plot. Fennell noted that it spoke to “how willing we are to be deceived.”

This salacious, darkly witty follow-up to “Promising Young Woman” demonstrates that Emerald Fennell is a talent with more than one tale to tell. Her second film is provocative and sure to set off discussions. Some might protest the uber- R-rated nature of a few controversial scenes. There is a fair amount of nudity, which Director Fennell told the Q&A audience was “about grief.” She also shared that she and Barry were completely in agreement on decisions in some of the more controversial scenes, saying, “He and I are completely together. If it feels right and true, Barry is in.”

There was a reference to Heathcliff’s grief at Cathy’s death in “Wuthering Heights” to offer a defense of one scene. Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” also contained an overall tone of darkness, foreboding and fatalism. It highlighted the intense emotions and passions that drive the characters in the story and was considered controversial when published in 1847. “Wuthering Heights” challenged Victorian morality of the day and the class system. It suggested that everyone has a bad side. Both Emerald Fennell and Rosamund Pike majored in English Literature at Oxford.

SET DESIGN & COSTUMING

The castle sets are magnificent. The party that the Cattons throw for Oliver’s birthday makes the similar celebration in 2013’s “The Great Gatsby” look like a backyard barbecue. Not only are the grounds of the castle gorgeous, all of the attendees are in costume. The costume designer was Sophie Canale (“Kingsman, Secret Service”). This aspect of the film was outstanding, as was the cinematography by Linus Sandgren (“La La Land,” “American Hustle,” “Joy”) and the choice of music (Anthony Willis). Sandgren worked on “Babylon” (another great party scene film) and Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap, which also promoted “Promising Young Woman,” backed this movie.

Q&A

Emerald Fennell accepting her Visionary Filmmaker award in Chicago. (Photo by Connie Wilson).

After the film’s screening at the Music Box Theater in Chicago, Emerald Fenner shared some insights into the making of “Saltburn,” including this: “If you’re making something so exotic, it is really about detail. It’s a billion-dollar house, but inside they’re watching ‘Superbad.’ Felix has the tattoo Carpe Diem. The room is lit by a karaoke machine.” When characters are shown reading a book, the book is “Harry Potter.” The references to Richard III, Henry VII and Henry VIII, as well as Oliver’s correction of the accurate author of a quotation, late in the movie, are far from incidental. The choice of the name Saltburn, itself, for the estate, can provoke more debate. It’s that kind of layered script with scrupulous attention to detail. Hence Ms. Fennell’s winning the Visionary Award from Chicago and also recently being named Filmmaker of the Year at the Mill Valley Film Festival.

When asked about three shocking scenes in the film (which may offend some) the writer/director said, “It was suggested that I cut away, but I wouldn’t and I won’t. It’s a funny, terrible scene. I won’t pull away.” While making this defiant statement, Fennell wore a red-and-white tee shirt from Giordino’s pizza, which proclaimed “I Got Stuffed in Chicago.” (Perfect!)

Look for this one to rack up nominations come Oscar season and to provoke discussions among movie audiences. For me, it was a terrific follow-up to “Promising Young Woman.”

“Departing Seniors” Screens at the Music Box Theater on Opening Night of the Chicago Film Festival

By Connie Wilson

On October 12, 2023

In Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews, Scary stories

Chicago native Clare Cooney directed her first feature film, from a script from first-time screenwriter Jose Nateras. It screened at the Music Box Theater in Chicago at 10 p.m., immediately after the Opening Night film of the 59^th Chicago International Film Festival, “We Grown Now.” The theater was packed, and most of the cast and producers were present.

Ignacio Diaz-Silverio as Javier:

Ignacio Diaz-Silverio as Javier in “Departing Seniors.”

The comedy/horror mélange involves Javier having the ability to “see” events, past and present, by touching an object, a power known as psychometry. Throughout the film, Javier is trying to prevent more of the “suicides” that actually are murders. Diaz-Silverio reminded me of the then-young Eric Roberts in “King of the Gypsies.” [That is a big compliment.] Diaz-Silverio has appeared in “Suspicion” (TV series, 2022), “The Good Fight” as Andres (2021) and as Quinn in 2023’s “A Good Person.” His delivery of serious lines was believable, but his comic timing was even better. He described his goal as to “work from a personal place. I was definitely trying to make things specific and very personal.”

Ireon Roach as Bianca:

Cast members of Departing Seniors during a Q&A on 10/11/2023.

(L to R) “Departing Seniors” producer; Bianca (Ireon Roach), Mr. Arda (Yani Gellman) and Javier (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio during the post-screening Q&A at the Music Box Theater on Opening Night of the Chicago Film Festival.

However, the cast member who stole most of the laughs was Ireon Roach as Bianca. Ireon played the best friend of the gay Javier, a strong Black lesbian woman who can knock you out if necessary, but is always there for you. Ireon has appeared in “Candyman” (2021), “Knives & Skin” (2019) and “Chicago P.D.” (2014.) Her comic timing on lines that were arguably straight lines was impeccable, as when she delivered the line, “Angry, you say?” to a character thought to be the murderer of three students, [who is ranting on about his rage.] Calling this character “Murder-Boy” brought laughs from the audience. Between her insouciant vaping and her best friend in-the-trenches attitude, Bianca was a real crowd pleaser.

Jose Nateras, Screenwriter:

(L to R) The Music Box programmer; Director Clare Cooney; Writer Jose Nateras; Producer; Ireon Roach (Bianca); Yani Gellman (Mr. Arda); Ignacio Diaz-Silverio (Javier) during the post screening Q&A on Oct. 11, 2023.

Screenwriter Jose Nateras—also a newbie to screenplays—described his influences as “horror movies” and, specifically, Stephen King. He said, “My heart is in this movie, and my heart is in horror.” He intentionally left Easter egg homages to classic horror films like “Scream.” There are at least two references to Billy Loomis, Skeet Ulrich’s character in “Scream.” There is even a drama mask (comedy/tragedy) that figures prominently in the plot. The film is not meant to be taken too seriously, but it did touch on such serious topics as “homo-erotic overtones of male relationships.” Nateras drew on his own personal life and experiences as a gay Mexican in the public schools of Elmhurst. (Elmdale was changed to Springhurst on set, to take advantage of the school used in the location shoot, which had the letter “S” everywhere, when it had originally been an “E” in the script. Jose worked on rewrites on set, and shared that this was his second film as a producer.)

Cast member Maisie Merlock (with friend) as Ginny, the Valedictorian we all love to hate. (Young Reese Witherspoon in “Election”).

LOCATIONS:

A crew of 35 filmed the movie in August, sharing the interior of the real public school with teachers preparing for fall semester. The interior locations included Sullivan in Rogers Park, the Athenium Theater nearby; the Lamont pool; and, for exterior shots, Morgan Park. The cast shot the film for only 16 days and also had to deal with Covid.

Writer/Director/Actor Clare Cooney:

Director Clare Cooney being interviewed prior to the screening of her first feature film, “Departing Seniors.”

I first became aware of Clare. Cooney’s talent when I saw her short film “Runner” at the Windy City Film Festival, where I had a script in contention. “Runner” was excellent. I vowed to try to keep up with this promising new-comer. In some ways, her current path reminds of two Quad City natives, (Scott) Beck & (Bryan) Woods, who went on to hit it big with “A Quiet Place.”

The next time I reviewed a Chicago film directed by Michael Smith (“Relative”) , Clare was acting in it. She is tall and lovely. She can do it all, and her expert handling of this film proves it. As she said, “It’s my first feature, and it’s a really ambitious one to do.” She went on to describe the making of the film as being “like making 5 shorts in a row.”

Writer/Director/Actor Clare Cooney of Chicago at the screening of her film “Departing Seniors” on October 11, 2023, openng night of the Chicago International Film Festival.

Cooney described screening her film at the iconic Music Box Theater as “overwhelming and surreal.” She said she loved the homage paid to such films as “Heathers,” “Clueless,” and other films with the same vibe. Upon seeing the script, she knew that she and Jose and the excellent Chicago cast should make this movie. And they have. And it’s very enjoyable. As its writer said, “It needed to be a fun screamer.”

(*Favorite throw-away line, spoken by William (Ryan Foreman): “Is this an extension cord?”

You’ll have to see the film to appreciate it; I hope you do!)

“Foe” Premieres on Amazon on October 6th: Closing Night of Nashville Film Festival

By Connie Wilson

On October 5, 2023

In Best Paranormal Stories Online to Read | Paranormal Podcast, Movies, Pop Culture, Scary stories, Television

“Foe’s setting is supposed to be the Midwest in 2065. Information projected on the screen tells us that the planet’s climate is growing worse as mankind continues to pollute and ruin the air and water. The government, like Elon Musk, is intent on using space as a safety valve for humans to flee our ruined Earth. Once we completely ruin our home planet, humans will be relocated to suitable locales. The husband of this couple is being recruited to go for a year. (Why?)

A representative of the government, Terrence (Aaron Pierre), comes to the couple’s remote farm home to inform them that the husband, Junior, has been selected to live aboard a government-built space station for a year. (Why?) While he’s gone, an A.I. Replicant will serve as a companion to Junior’s wife Henrietta. Terrence tells the couple that this is a great opportunity for them. Originally, Terrence says the year-long sabbathical will take place in roughly 2 years.

Terrence leaves, but then he returns in his modernistic DeLorean-like car much sooner.

Terrence returns in just one year. He says that he must live with the couple for a period of months in order to help make the Replicant-to-be-made as authentic as possible. Terrence will be conducting confidential interviews with each of the couple and generally butting into their lives. His presence seems unwelcome and, frankly, unnecessary.

The first impulse that Junior has when their doorbell rings at a very late hour is to grab a gun and shoot. Henrietta talks him out of loading the shotgun; no shots are fired at Terrence. [Perhaps they should have been.]

Junior is not thrilled by Terrence’s news. [I couldn’t help but think of the film we watched just prior to this one where a black family in North Carolina fights for 33 years to be able to stay in their home. Two of the principals in “Silver Dollar Road” go to jail for 8 years, just to be able to remain in the only homes they have ever known. “Foe,” which screened immediately after “Silver Dollar Road,” again presents us with a home-owner who does not want to be rousted from his habitat.]

Junior makes the usual accusations about how he doesn’t want some robot living with his wife while he’s gone. He repeats the usual things about his ties to the land and how he doesn’t think that his wife would like living on an artificial construct launched into space. We, the audience, are less sure of this the more we hear of Henrietta’s angst at the sameness of their lives and how she has always felt “that there’s something else out there for me.”

Farming is already nearly impossible in the Midwest of 2065, however; the bleak picture of the future of the planet certainly seems likely after the weather we’ve all experienced this past summer. The dust storm scene reminded me of the Margot Robbie 2019 film “Dreamland.”

THE GOOD

The scenes depicting the ruined planet are all very cinematic. The lonely tone of the farm and fields is impressive, even if it looks nothing like what I would imagine a ruined Midwest would look like in 2065. We could also say that the couple seem oddly stuck in the past, themselves, with a beat-up pick-up truck and a house that could easily be from the fifties. No flat-screen TVs in evidence and a very old-fashioned look and feel to the entire setting. The acting was top-notch, and I would urge you to check it out on Amazon if you have Amazon Prime and fill me in on the gaps in my interpretation, which are many and numerous.

THE BAD

Problems with the interesting landscape do present themselves to the viewer, however. The couple this film focuses on supposedly live in a remote area that is seeing Dust Bowl-like storms and very little rain. If it’s so remote, why is this huge chicken processing plant where Junior works located in the middle nowhere? And who are the customers that Junior’s wife, Henrietta, is seen waiting on in a fancy restaurant?

I’m an Iowa girl. The landscape looked completely foreign. Dying mucky pink fields and crop circles are not part of my Midwestern experience. Even with the passage of thirty-two years, it’s hard to accept that this is supposed to be the Midwestern United States in 2065. (It is, in fact, Victoria in Australia.)

Two Irish actors (Saoirse Ronan as Henrietta and Paul Mescal as Junior) portray the Midwestern couple on the farm, which is suffering the fate of the entire planet. Based on the book Iain Reid wrote and scripted by Reid and Director Garth Davis (“Lion”), this closing night film at the Nashville Film Festival, is an Amazon/MGM project and set to have a premiere on Amazon on October 6th. ( It premiered at the New York Film Festival and will open in the U.S. on October 6th and in the U.K. on October 20th. The reviews have been somewhat negative, but it is definitely worth a look.)

SPOILER ALERT

The film owes much to “Black Mirror” episodes we have seen before, like the 2013 episode Be Right Back, starring Domhnall Gleeson as an AI facsimile for Hayley Atwell’s late boyfriend. There was a similar one on “Black Mirror” in 2011 entitled “Beyond the Sea” that starred Aaron Paul as an astronaut. And, of course, who can forget the Replicants of “Blade Runner?”

The movie opens with Henrietta (Saiorse Ronan) crying in the shower. She is bemoaning the loss of interest in her that she feels she has seen from her husband of 7 years. (“In the beginning, everything seems so new and exciting until time makes it so predictable.”)

IMHO, Henrietta has made a sort of “deal with the devil” to allow the well-made robot early access to her home and marriage. She is tired of the hum-drum existence with which her husband seems content. She wants to play the piano; Junior makes her play in the basement. She wants to travel and leave this dead place. He does not seem to want to leave his familiar homestead. This seems fairly male, in my own experience, so Henrietta’s angst at her husband’s happiness with the status quo is a motive for her behind-the-scenes collaboration with Terrence to allow the husband substitute to enter her life earlier than we originally think as we watch the film. We only learn it in a climactic scene near the end.

The give-away for “which one is the real robot” is the fact that Henrietta obviously knows Terrence when he comes to their door in the middle of the night. My companion said, “Yes, but isn’t that just because she may have signed them up for the spacecraft because of her desire to leave the farm and get away from the sameness of life?”

Possibly, but the plot seems to give the nod to the wife shacking up with the robot from the get-go and the robot being in house throughout 90% of this movie. (This despite the audience thinking that there will come a later time when the robot will be introduced.) Our thinking is that the robot is “in house” from Scene #One. The ability of a replicant to learn to “love” has been pondered before in other films, and it seems to surface again in this one. (Terrence: “Henrietta didn’t know how this would end. They’ll be studying you for years.”)

A later brief absence on Henrietta’s part caused one of us to feel that Henrietta may have gone off on the spacecraft and sent a Replicant back to live with Junior-the-robot. This could be, although I’ll leave that up to you as you watch this on Amazon.

I think I need to read the book in order to completely understand the symbolism of the bugs and other plot points. Why it is called “Foe” is another good question. I can offer some possible reasons for that title, but it doesn’t seem like the strongest fit.

The acting was good. Saiorse Ronan is good in everything and I looked forward to this film. Paul Mescal was a fine counterpart, but not someone whose work I was familiar with;he rose to fame in England in a television series. Some felt the accents were off. I honestly did not notice any break-through Irish accent problems.

We enjoyed the film. Drop a line and we’ll thrash the plot out together.

“Cast

Saoirse Ronan as Henrietta

Paul Mescal as Junior

Aaron Pierre as Terrence

“The Disappearance of Shere Hite” Shines @ Nashville Film Festival on 9/30/23

By Connie Wilson

On September 30, 2023

In Books

Author Shere Hite wrote a bestselling book in 1976 entitled “The Hite Report.” Her G-Spot research rocked America and provided an entry point for conversations about gender, sexuality, bodily autonomy and female empowerment. The biggest revelation of “The Hite Report” concerned the need for clitoral stimulation for most women to achieve orgasm, with or without penetration. Men seemed to take it as a warning that they might become obsolete, since women could bring themselves to orgasm through masturbation alone.

She followed her book about female sexuality with a book on male sexuality. This one was not as well-received, especially by the men of America. Additionally, in a continuing series of “I don’t get no respect” Rodney Dangerfield moments, Hite had to sue her publisher (McMillan) to be paid her $250,000 salary.

Once her history of modeling and a “Playboy” gig came to light, her credentials as a graduate student at Columbia were discounted and her investigative methods were criticized. The women’s movement was in full swing; the backlash was ferocious. (I remember wearing my ERA bracelet, but the Phyllis Schaflys and the Anita Bryants managed to deep-six the ERA.) Hite said that her original impetus for writing the book was inspired by her own study of the Enlightenment as a graduate student at Columbia. She added that she hoped to take on male institutions and try to make a cultural change

Although Hite’s news conference (exactly 47 years ago on 9/30/76) announcing her first book led to “The Hite Report” becoming the 30th best-selling book of all time, with 20 million copies sold in 36 countries and translated into 19 languages, over time she would be marginalized by the literary establishment and, ultimately, flee the country to live in Paris, London, and Germany with her German husband.

Then, she disappeared, says documentary filmmaker Nicole Newnham in this 116 minute film which screened at the 52nd Nashville Film Festival on Saturday, September 30, 2023. Among other executive producers, the name Dakota Johnson stands out, Johnson re-recorded Ms. Hite’s words. Ms, Newnham attributed Johnson’s involvement to two factors: (1) Dakota Johnson was a longtime Shere Hite fan and (2) Ms. Newnham’s manager knew Dakota Johnson’s agent. Even the NBC News involvement was a moment of serendippity, as Newnham—fresh from an Oscar nomination in 2021 for “Crip Camp”—had a conversation with NBC executives that led to her involvement, joining others already working on the project.

The film screened on the third day of the Nashville Film Festival. I remembered Hite as presenting as a bit of a kook during her ubiquitous 70s and 80s television appearances, but you can judge for yourself by watching the interview with David Hasselhoff on Mike Douglas’s talk show after the publication of her 1982 book “On Male Sexuality.” Flamboyant was the term chosen by one old friend.

Hite’s books on human sexuality were groundbreaking. The original Hite Report was unavailable for decades, until a reprint issued in 2003 (with an introduction by Hite herself.) Amazon described the original book this way: “One hundred thousand women, ages fourteen to seventy-eight, were asked what they do and don’t like about sex; how orgasm really feels, with and without intercourse; how it feels not to have an orgasm during sex; the importance of clitoral stimulation and masturbation; and to name the greatest pleasures and frustrations of their sexual lives, among many other questions.

The Hite Report declares that orgasm is easy and strong for women, given the right stimulation; that most women have orgasm most easily during masturbation or clitoral stimulation by hand; that sex as we define it is a cultural institution, not a biological one; and that attitudes must change to include the stimulation women desire.” The documentary goes on to point out that there was not even a word for clitoral stimulation for decades, as information was suppressed for generations. As the documentary states, “We (females) have been adjusting our bodies to male sexuality for centuries.”

The Disappearance of Sherri Hite at the Nashville Film Festival. (Sherri Hite)

Several films here at the festival (including “Another Body,” which I took in last night) suggest that attitudes towards gender are changing, but there is much evidence that barriers are still omnipresent. One needs only reference the recent Supreme Court decision rolling back abortion rights or Tommy Tuberville’s opposition to approving military appointments, primarily because the military paid for its members to travel to states that provide either abortion, or, in many cases, states that provide fertility treatments and gender reassignment surgery. I’m a resident of Illinois; it’s safe to say that Chicago is far more a mecca for such visits than Nashville or Austin (Tx.)

While Director Newnham in her interview (above) suggests that “the times, they are a-changing,” real-life blowback suggests that old habits die hard. The blowback eventually caused Hite to leave the country with her German husband and to renounce her United States citizenship in 1995. She died in 2020 at the age of 77, virtually unknown to today’s generation of women. Her flamboyant mannerisms and dress and openness about sexuality made her a marked woman. The criticism, said several personal friends, got to her. Criticism and male opposition to statements in her second book mounted and her later writing was not even bid on by the big publishers in the United States. If you are a writer and cannot publish in the United States and are “doxed” publicly because of your openness to liberal sexual beliefs in a time when the Reverend Jerry Falwell and Billy Graham and Anita Bryant are the public’s favorites, Europe becomes a haven, just as it was for Jackie Kennedy after the assassination of JFK, when she married Aristotle Onassis, partially to keep her family safe.

When even a 50-year law of the land can be undone by a minority that wants things to go back “the way they were,” it is difficult to endorse the thought that we are moving forward and making progress in our attitudes towards sexuality. This film is timely for bringing the entire subject out in the open, but are we moving forward or are we going backwards? It reminds me of the bad joke about not needing a Time Machine; we can just buy a ticket to Florida or Texas. (Kudos to the Nashville Film Festival for allowing films with viewpoints that some consider radical to screen, so that informed individuals can make up their own minds.)

Cinematographer for the nearly two-hour documentary was Rose Bush (another name that leaped out at me). Watching the trailer (above) I became aware that Rose Bush, the cinematographer, is a trans woman. I went to college with a woman named Rose Bush who actually had a brother (wait for it) named Thorn. No, that is not a joke. It’s the truth. Initially, I wondered if the Rose Bush from the University of Iowa had gone into filmmaking. Then I wondered why the transgender Rose Bush chose that name. (But, then, I always wondered why the parents of Rose and Thorn went that route, too.)

Director Newnham was nominated for an Oscar in 2021 for her documentary “Crip Camp.” She mentions bringing in top-notch filmmakers to help her project and connecting, fortuitously, with NBC, which was planning a project on Ms. Hite after her obituary set off interest in the nearly-forgotten researcher, who was ubiquitous on talk shows of the day. (See example below).

Director Newnham talks about “growing up in the seventies” and how it gave her a perspective on Sherri Hite that younger filmmakers—never having heard of the woman—didn’t have. Editors who worked on the project were in their thirties, fifties and seventies, so all generations of women were represented. Since I’ve been reviewing since 1970 and grew up in the decades prior to the seventies, I’ve lived through an even broader stretch of history. It is helpful for me to help gain perspective, both on film(s) I review and on life. Maturity made the Opening Night Film about Gloria Gaynor’s resurgence as a performing artist at the age of 80 particularly meaningful, having lived through the disco era.

Director Nicole Newnham, in a Q&A following the film, said that she has projects upcoming on other women who disappeared (one from the Renaissance) and that her previous films were not so obviously feminist. She considers “The Disappearance of Sheri Hite” as an artistic turning point for her future work. “I think I’ve always had it in me, but I’m glad to have it back.” She shared with the audience that Ms. Hite, who died of a degenerative nerve disease in 2020 after several years of poor health, left copious notes that the filmmakers followed.

“She had listed those she wanted to play her, if a movie were ever done about her life and she had lists of her favorite songs and her own personal color palate (aqua and rose). Although the filmmakers were never able to meet the woman herself, she shared that, “We were obsessed with it. We just loved it. We loved her.” She cited the fashion sense of the former model and her message for women, which was, “Each individual should be able to decide how to share their body with another person.”

This documentary was a tremendous accomplishment, with a truly outstanding soundtrack, composed of songs that were Sheri Hite’s personal favorites, like Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Piano Concerto or his No. 2 Op18 or Chopin. The music used to enhance the film’s various moments was particularly effective, with kudos to Music Editor Porsteinn Evford and additional music, scoring and score production by Paul Koch.

The entire 2 hour film was informative, educational, and thought-provoking, I hope to receive answers to some specific questions from Nicole Newnham, once formulated, which will appear here in a future article.