Category: Pop Culture Page 51 of 74

Any trends or popular fads may be described, whether it would be something like the hula hoop or the pet rock or simply new slang.

Oscar Predictions for Sunday, February 22, 2015

By Connie Wilson

On February 20, 2015

In Movies, Pop Culture, Television

I’ve put off predicting the winners of this past year’s (2014) Academy Awards till the last moment, so that I could take in as many of the nominated films as possible, and I’m happy to report that I’ve seen ALL the Best Picture nominees: “American Sniper,” “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash.”

The race is between “Boyhood” and “Birdman.” I’m taking “Boyhood.”

Does that mean that I think “Boyhood” was the Best Picture of the Year 2014. No. Of the list above, I prefer wither “The Imitation Game” or “American Sniper,” and I’m disappointed that fine films like “Gone Girl” didn’t make the list. I’m just predicting now, not recommending. For that, see an earlier post about the most ENJOYABLE films of the year.

Best Director: Richard Linklater (He directed “Boyhood”).

Other nominees for Best Director are Wes Anderson (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”); Alejandro G. Inarritu (“Birdman”); Bennett Miller (“Foxcatcher”); and Morten Tyldum(“The Imitation Game”).

Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”). The race is between Redmayne and sentimental favorite Michael Keaton, but momentum seems to be in Redmayne’s corner for his spot-on turn as Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.” This one could go either way. I picked Redmayne because I legitimately feel his task was much more difficult than Keaton’s, sentiment aside. Other nominees were Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher”); Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper”); Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”).

Best Actress: Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”). She has been around a long time, and it seems it is her turn this year. I haven’t seen “Still Alice,” so I’m taking the word of other critics that she is as good in it as everyone says. She has been good in many films for many years. Let’s face it, Marion Cotillard in the French language film “Two Days, One Night” doesn’t have a prayer and Reese Witherspoon, who has already won once, walks across the desert in “Wild,” which is about as interesting as that sounds like it would be—which is not interesting. Rosamund Pike and Felicity Jones were both great, but haven’t paid their dues, while Moore has.

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”).

There seems to be little doubt that Arquette will take home Oscar for her supporting performance as the mother in “Boyhood.” She, too, has earned her stripes. Other nominees are Laura Dern (“Wild”), Keira Knightley (“The Imitation Game”), Emma Stone (“Birdman”) and Meryl Streep (“Into the Woods.”) Meryl has won enough, already. Keira and Emma were good, but haven’t been at it as long (or as well) as Arquette. [Remember her turn opposite James Gandolfini in “True Romance”?]

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”).

Other nominees are Mark Ruffalo (“Foxcatcher”), Ethan Hawke (“Boyhood”), Edward Norton (“Birdman”), and 84-year-old Robert Duvall (“The Judge”). Nobody picks Duvall, but I loved his performance in that critically panned film. Ruffalo has had a great year, too, since he also starred in television’s AIDS drama “The Normal Heart.” I would not be upset to have Edward Norton (“Birdman”) upset the overwhelming odds-on favorite, J.K. Simmons, but I’ve seen all of these performances and, aside from the meandering role Hawke drew in the meandering movie “Boyhood,” all turned in great performances in difficult roles. I look for the actor categories to provide the surprises—if there are any.

OTHER AWARDS: I sat through beaucoup foreign films that were supposed to be nominated. None were. I’m glad, since I didn’t like the 2 I saw that were touted as “sure things” at the Chicago Film Festival.” They were okay, but not my idea(s) of “Best Films.” The nominees for Best Foreign Language Film are “Ida” (Poland); “Leviathon” (Russia); “Tangerines” (Estonia); “Timbuktu” (Mauritania) and “Wild Tales” from Argentina. Did not see a single one, although I HAVE seen “Force Majeure” and “The Gett” and a bunch of other foreign films (“Black Ice” was particularly bad, from China) that took up a lot of my viewing day. I’m going with “Ida” from Poland, because there were a lot of good films from that part of the world, and I’m not sure that Estonia and Mauritania can compete on equal footing.

I’m listing the rest of the categories with the nominees and boldfacing my picks::
Original Screenplay:
“Birdman;” “Boyhood;” “Foxcatcher;” “The Grand Budapest Hotel;” “Nightcrawler.” (I’d love to see “Nightcrawler” win and, yes, I’ve seen them all.)

Adapted Screenplay: “American Sniper;” “The Imitation Game;” “Inherent Vice;” “The Theory of Everything;” “Whiplash.”

Film Editing: “American Sniper;” “Boyhood;” “The Grand Budapest Hotel;” “The Imitation Game;” and “Whiplash.”

Cinematography: “Birdman;” “The Grand Budapest Hotel;” “Ida;” “Mr. Turner;” and “Unbroken.”

Production Design: “The Grand Budapest Hotel;” “The Imitation Game;” “Interstellar;” “Into the Woods;” “Mr. Turner.”

Animated Feature: “Big Hero 6;” “The Boxtrolls;” “How to Train Your Dragon 2;” “Song of the Sea;” “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.”

Animated Short Film: “The Bigger Picture;” “The Dam Keeper;” “Feast;” “Me and My Moulton;” “A Single Life.”

Documentary Feature: “Citizenfour;” “Finding Vivian Maier;” “Last Days in Vietnam;” “The Salt of the Earth;” “Virunga.” (I’ve actually seen the first 2 of these and know that RFK’s youngest daughter is responsible for “Last Days in Vietnam.”)

Documentary Short: “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1;” “Joanna;” “Our Curse;” “The Reaper (La Parka)”; “White Earth”

Live Action Short Film: “Aya;” “Boogaloo and Graham;” “Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak)”; “Parvaneh;” “The Phone Call.”

Costume Design: “The Grand Budapest Hotel;” “Inherent Vice;” “Into the Woods;” “Maleficent;” “Mr. Turner.”

Makeup and Hairstyling: “Foxcatcher;” “The Grand Budapest Hotel;” “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Visual Effects: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier;” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes;” “Guardians of the Galaxy;” “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”

Sound Mixing: “American Sniper;” “Birdman;” “Interstellar;” “Unbroken;” “Whiplash.”

Sound Editing: “American Sniper;” “Birdman;” “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies;” “Interstellar;” “Unbroken.” (If “Birdman” starts a sweep, it could take this and both of the final 2 nominees listed are also strong contenders.)

Original Score: “The Grand Budapest Hotel;” “The Imitation Game;” “Interstellar;” “Mr. Turner;” “The Theory of Everything.” (I loved the Alexandre Desplat score for “The Imitation Game,” so I’d not complain if it were to win.)

Original Song: “Everything is Awesome;” “Glory;” “Grateful;” “I’m Not Gonna Miss You;” “Lost Stars.” (Everybody knows the Best Song of the Year 2014 from a movie should be “Let It Go” from “Frozen,” so any of these are not the best songs of the year. “Glory” was from “Selma” and I’d like to see it win something.)

“Hellfire & Damnation III” to be Released Officially on March 15th

By Connie Wilson

On January 28, 2015

In Books, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture

The new trailer for Book #3 in “Hellfire & Damnation,” the short story series organized around Dante’s “Inferno,” is nearing official release. The e-book is up for sale now, but the paperback will not become “official” until slightly later.

Meanwhile, you can see the trailer for this third edition (“Hellfire & Damnation III”) in the series below:

Musings on Academy Award Nominees One Day Before They Are Announced

By Connie Wilson

On January 14, 2015

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

AMC Theater, Chicago, 50th Annual Chicago Film Festival.

It’s one day before the Academy Awards nominations are officially announced, and I’d like to put my 2 cents’ worth in, before the experts weigh in.

It seems a foregone conclusion that we are going to see “Boyhood” nominated for many things, including “Best Picture.” I was driving along when a radio disc jockey who had just viewed the Golden Globes asked his listeners to let him know if he should rent “Boyhood” or stream “The Affair” that night, not having seen either. I wanted to call in and tell him to view the latter, because “Boyhood,” while a great achievement in following the real people for so many years, was meandering, overlong (2 hours and 45 minutes) and not that riveting. That said, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke did well with the material and it would not surprise me to see them be nominated, either.

Four other films that we can expect to see mentioned and nominated in various categories are “The Theory of Everything,” the bio-pic about Stephen Hawkings that makes him come off as a bit of a cad, I thought; “The Imitation Game,” with Benedict Cumberbatch; “The Grand Budapest Hotel” with Ralph Fiennes; and Michael Keaton and/in the film “Birdman.” I expect that “The Theory of Everything” with Eddie Redmayne, who portrayed Hawkings, or Cumberbatch, who portrayed the computer genius at the heart of cracking the “Enigma” code, will win the Oscar, and deservedly so, but I was wrong about a lot of categories at the Golden Globes just past, and now we have Clint Eastwood eking out a Director’s Guild nomination (DGA) for “The Sniper,” which does not start playing till tomorrow.

Another category that seems to be wide open is Best Foreign Film. At the October Chicago Film Festival, all the buzz was about France’s entry “Force Majeure” and Israel’s “The Gett” and neither won the Golden Globe. Go figure.(Of the two, “Force Majeure” was far more entertaining.)

There are so many great performances from actors this year, especially the men. Good luck in picking those to round out the nominees other than Redmayne and Cumberbatch. You might see Bill Murray (who wandered onstage during the acceptance for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” even though he wasn’t in it) for “St. Vincent” and I was and am a fan of Robert Duvall from “The Judge” (who was nominated in the Best Supporting category and did not win the Golden Globe.) Steve Carrell from “Foxcatcher” was mentioned prominently earlier in the season and was nominated for a Golden Globe, also. And what about Ralph Fiennes from “The Grand Budapest Hotel” or Michael Keaton in “Birdman,” who DID win the Golden Globe?

As for women, my personal favorite is Felicity Jones as the long-suffering wife in “The Theory of Everything,” but Kiera Knightley’s scientist helping crack the German code has a shot, and some say Meryl Streep as a witch in “Into the Woods” is deserving, although I think she has had earlier stronger performances and probably will not prevail, if nominated. (*Personal disclosure: the only one mentioned above that I have not yet seen.) Two others mentioned frequently are Jennifer Anniston for “Cake” (a woman suffering from intractable pain) and Julianne Moore for her portrayal of a professor suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s. Reese Witherspoon is a good bet to be nominated for “Wild,” a film that I found incredibly boring, but one in which Ms. Witherspoon did a credible job of hiking through the desert and teasing us that something might actually happen (which, sadly, it did not.)

I finally did rent “Boyhood” and got exactly what I expected. I can sum up the message as, “Is that all there is?” It will probably win, and my predicting (or preference?) career will take yet another hit.

Tonight, we are going to wade through a Liam Neeson night, with 2 of his older films. He is a seasoned veteran experiencing fame as an action hero late in life, and I couldn’t be happier for him.

If you want to know what the most ENJOYABLE films of the year were, for me, go back a few entries. These were NOT the ones that we’ll see competing for Oscars, necessarily, but I enjoyed them the most. And I’m sure I forgot a few.

We’ll find out tomorrow who gets the nod from the Academy, but the historical brouhaha over LBJ’s actual relationship with MLK seems to have torpedoed whatever momentum that film had, going in, and it seems that “Foxcatcher’s” miffed Mark Schulz (Steve Carell is frequently mentioned as a Best Actor nominee for that fine film—which needed some editing but was very good) may have done that film a disservice by taking to Twitter to condemn its director (Bennett Miller) and the entire project, supposedly because he didn’t like the homo-erotic vibes that the film did contain. I was very impressed with Channing Tatum’s and Mark Ruffalo’s acting in the film—more so than Carrell’s, which was more a case of heavy-duty make-up and underplaying than actually excelling in the part. It’s still a good rental and including it in one or more categories wouldn’t surprise me, but the only 2 sure things seem to be “Boyhood” and “The Theory of Everything,” with “The Imitation Game” right up there, as well.

After that, it’s anybody’s guess whether Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” or “Foxcatcher” or “Into the Woods” or “The Sniper” or any of a number of fine films (“Night Crawler” with Jake Gyllenhaal; Joaquin Phoenix”s most recent foray into weird portraits, or yet another underdog in the competition) will triumph.

Looking forward to hearing the nominees tomorrow.

Two New Route 66 E-Book Offerings Available Now

By Connie Wilson

On January 10, 2015

In Books, Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, travel

Some time ago, I traveled most of Route 66 with my husband and wrote 3 volumes of Ghostly Tales of Route 66 for Quixote Press.

Years after the initial publication of the paperback ($9.95) and the E-book that contained all of Volumes II and III, I have begun breaking out the individual states along Route 66, because I removed the pictures when I had the book converted to an e-book, and priced it too expensively (although getting TWO $10 books for $9.95 seemed like a good idea, at the time.)

These new state-by-state e-books have many more pictures than the original e-book, and will periodically go on sale for 99 cents as they are released. Right now, only one state is up: Oklahoma. Also, I used only the Oklahoma stories that appeared in paperback in Volume II, although there are also Oklahoma stories in Volume I. That is because the Fort El Reno Ghost Tour was the centerpiece of Volume II, and that is where I got an actual “ghostly orb” picture (among many others).

I combined the states of New Mexico and Arizona, because I did not have enough stories from New Mexico. But that volume is still plenty long for that plane trip and there are many pictures. It is entitled “Ghostly Tales of Oklahoma: Route 66” and the new book is “Ghostly Tales of New Mexico & Arizona: Route 66.”

The original e-book with the ’57 Chevy fin in red will probably go back up in due time, but, for now, I’m working on the individual states, and next up will be Texas, after the New Mexico/Arizona compilation.

No press release or publicity, yet. I’m waiting until I have more states out there in e-book format.

I remember being at an authors’ gathering at the East Moline Library and I was selling a different book when a gentleman approached me and said, “And the Route 66 ones are good, too!” The original Volume I was Chicago to Oklahoma. Volume I was Chicago to Oklahoma. Volume II was Oklahoma to Arizona. Volume III was Arizona to the coast.

Check them out in e-book format if that is your desired format. The website is www.GhostlyTalesofRoute66TheBook.com.

Most Enjoyable Movies of 2014

By Connie Wilson

On December 24, 2014

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

Let me begin this rant by admitting that I did not go see “Boyhood,” on purpose. I spoke with a close friend who said it was boring, pretty much unscripted and rambling, although an interesting concept. I decided that the perfect way to see it would be when I had the ability to fast forward through the boring parts—which, to hear this extremely well-versed movie fan tell it—was most of the film.

The other film I missed that many like was the “Lego” movie.

Unfortunately, I did not miss “Guardians of the Galaxy.” I insisted we rent it, despite my instinct that it was going to be really uninteresting in that overly CG way. I became very bored very fast. So did my spouse.

I’ve been reading the “Best Movies” lists printed in magazines like “People,” “Entertainment Weekly” and “Time.”

Wow. These lists are absolute crap, for the most part, especially “Time’s. Here are the films “Time” listed as “Best” of 2014:

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – mildly amusing. Definitely not THAT great!

“Boyhood” – See comments above.

“The Lego Movie” – ” ”

“Lucy” – Been there. Done that. An interesting premise, but not a “best” of this or any other year.

“Goodbye to Language” – WHAT?

“Jodorowsky’s Dune” – Say What, again?

“Nightcrawler” – the first film on this list I can get behind.

“CitizenFour” – This doesn’t really seem like it belongs on a movie list, being about Edward Snowden and more accurately a documentary.

“Wild Tales” – Uh—–no.

“Birdman” – This one has everyone buzzing about its Oscar potential, and there is no question that the acting is uniformly great and should be rewarded. Otherwise, the long tracking shot? Meh. The drummer instead of a real soundtrack? Annoying. It did raise some important topics, such as critics and their biases, and discussed them well, so it does have that going for it, but it was definitely not one of my most enjoyable films of this year.

Here are 10 or so that were:

“The Imitation Game” – This British film is far and away the most superlative production I saw this year, with a performance by Benedict Cumberbatch that deserves the Oscar for Best Actor.

“Gone Girl” – Well done all the way around. Absorbing. Haven’t read the book, but loved this movie.

“Night Crawler” – the only movie on “Time’s” list that deserves to be there. Jake Gyllenhaal does himself (and us) proud as the skeevy sort who profits from taking pictures of accidents and murders and other seamy things in a dingily-lit Los Angeles. .

“The Fault in Our Stars” – Yes, it’s weepy , but it is wonderfully weepy and I saw it 3 times.

“The Judge” – I am still trying to figure out why other critics felt it necessary to rain on Robert Duvall’s (and Robert Downey, Jr.’s) parade by belittling the female roles and not thoroughly enjoying this tour de force acting class for its wonderful plot.

“The Theory of Everything” – The movie, itself, moved slowly at times, true, but Eddie Redmayne’s acting was terrific, as was Felicity Jones’ as his wife. Nominations, for sure.

“Foxcatcher” – This one needed some editing, but Steve Carrell’s performance is a revelation, as is Tatum Channing’s.

“The Drop” – Our last chance to see Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) in a wonderful film.

“Get On Up” – Chadwick Boseman playing James Brown not only acted, but danced his heart out, but I think it was released too early. I also would mention “Selma,” which I have not yet seen.

For the last couple of films of 10 , I’d run in “The Well,” due out in May, a film by new-comer Tom Hammock about a post-apocalyptic world where water is the most precious commodity. Also, since documentaries seem to have made “Time’s” really bad list, we might add “The Look of Silence,” about the massacre of over a million Filipino men and women suspected of being Communists in the 60s, killed by their own neighbors. [For more about this riveting documentary, check the archives of Weekly Wilson.]

Others I enjoyed: “Whiplash,” “November Man,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Force Majeure” (foreign film). I’ve heard great things about Julianne Moore’s performance as Alice, who is suffering from early-onset dementia and about “Cake” (Jennifer Anniston) and “Into the Woods” (Meryl Streep) but these I have not yet viewed.

Highly over-rated was the actual film of Reese Witherspoon walking across the desert (“Wild”). Yes, Reese, herself is good and deserves a nomination but the film was not interesting; I found myself checking my watch at intervals, which is never a good sign. Plus, nothing ever really happens, despite many teasing situations. I did not enjoy “Life Itself” which follows us through the final, agonizing days of Roger Ebert’s tortured battle with cancer. I cringe thinking of it even now. “Interstellar” was going along well until the confusing and unsatisfying end, and Israel’s “The Gett” (foreign film) about a woman seeking a divorce was boring, boring, boring. “Snowpiercer” had a few moments, as did “A Walk Among the Tombstones” (Liam Neeson) but just avoid all the movies “Time” singled out, unless you are a real masochist and want to be terminally bored by 80% of them, with the exceptions noted above.

Both “Christmas Cats” Books #2 and #3 on Sale (E-book) Till Christmas Eve

By Connie Wilson

On December 18, 2014

In Books, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture

The E-book versions of “The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats” and “The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats” are both on sale on a Kindle Countdown deal from today (12/17) through Christmas Eve for $1 off the normal ($2.99) price. That means that you can purchase Books #2 and #3 for $1.99 apiece, or a grand investment of under $5 in Kindle versions.

Last year’s book, “The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats,” was one of the winners (in its category) as one of the Best Books of the Year by a Chicago author, from the CWA (Chicago Writers’ Association).

Next year’s book, “The Christmas Cats Fear for the Deer,” will reach you in 2015, but purchase a Kindle copy of #2 and #3 today through Christmas Eve and enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cats Series Book Named One of Best Books of 2014 by Chicago Writers’ Association

By Connie Wilson

On November 6, 2014

In Books, Editorial, Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture

“The Christmas Cats” series (www.TheXmasCats.com) has a new entry for Christmas this year entitled “The Christmas Cats Encounter Bats.“ It is Book #3 in the series and available on Amazon (in both paperback and Kindle versions) as well as at the Book Rack stores and Book World at Southpark Mall.

Recently, the Chicago Writers’ Association named “The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats” , last year’s Christmas entry, one of the 7 Best Books of 2014 in its category (non-traditionally published) from among 75 entries.
Each book features a good moral lesson for children aged 3 to 10. As with the first 2 books, this year’s book was written for and with the author’s twin granddaughters, Ava and Elise Wilson.

Author Connie Wilson will be present at appearances throughout the holiday season, often with the Cat in the Hat accompanying her and available for photos. There is also a website at www.TheXmasCats.com with FREE coloring book pages from all 3 books, mazes, and other interactive activities for children aged 3 to 10.

Appearances:

November 15, Saturday, 1 to 3 p.m. at the Book Rack in Moline (NO CAT)

November 22, Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. at South Park Mall in Moline (NO CAT)

December 5, 2014, Friday: LeClaire, Razzleberries, 5 to 7 p.m. (CAT) **

December 6, 2014, Saturday: @ Book signing at Bookworld at South Park Mall from 1 to 3 p.m. (NO CAT)

Dec. 6, 2014: Village of East Davenport Christmas Walk, @ Freddy Fritters Doggie Bakery, 6 to 9 p.m. (CAT) **

December 10, 2014, 7 p.m., Read Local at the Bettendorf Public Library (NO CAT)

December 12, Friday in Rock Island, IL: Gallery Hop, 6 to 9 p.m. (location TBA) ( CAT)

December 13, Saturday, at the Book Rack in Davenport, 1-3 p.m. (NO CAT)

December 13, Saturday in Geneseo, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Four Seasons (CAT)

Dec.19-20: New Orleans, Writers for New Orleans Benefit (NO CAT)

“The Well” Is A Post-Apocalyptic World Movie with a Message for Our Time

By Connie Wilson

On October 21, 2014

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

Writer/Director Tom Hammock has been the production designer on 25 films, including “You’re Next” and “The Guest.” His directorial debut with “The Well” put all that experience to good use, as he selected the perfect location, costumes, music and cast for this post-apocalyptic drama about survivors trying to stay alive in a dust-bowl-like world where water is the most precious commodity.
The movie is horror. It is thriller. It is social commentary. It is a reversal of all the normal stereotypes. And it is good—very, very good!
The film was shot in an area 2 hours outside of Los Angeles between December 1st and December 18th as quickly as possible, using 45 grueling set-ups in an 8-hour day. At the heart of the movie is a 17-year-old leading lady, Haley Lu Richardson as Kendall. When hired, Richardson had only one previous screen credit: an Arizona matches ad. (Richardson also appeared recently in an indie comedy, “The Young Kieslowski.”)
Had there not already been a movie entitled “Kick Ass,” this part would qualify. Richardson’s background in dance helped her to perform strenuous fight sequences. She is a real find. She appears in every scene of the film and the entire story is told from her point-of-view.
Hammock has created a dry desert world of Mad Max-like appearance, but without the larger-than-life characters of that franchise. These characters are real people who are desperately struggling to survive while a greedy water baron named Carson sets out to systematically exterminate all of them. He calls them hangers-on, saying, “If they’re alive, they’re consuming my water, and they can’t consume my water without my consent.” Carson is central to the story and is well-played by veteran character actor John Gries (“Taken,” Napoleon Dynamite”), whom Hammock met at a genre film meet-up in the L.A. area that Hammock hosted.
As we are told, “If the company drains all the water away from the aquifer, they control the whole valley.” Kendall, the 17-year-old survivor and her boyfriend Dean (played by Booboo Stewart, depicted as dying from kidney failure), is told by her boyfriend, “There was a time when a man owned the land, he controlled the water, but things are different. He who controls the land controls the water.”
This is a modern-day parable regarding wealth (in this case, water) and its unequal distribution. It is timely, making the film rise above generic film genre categories and become commentary on the world around us today. Ironically, oil is essentially worth little in Hammock’s world, while water is the most precious substance after a 10-year drought devastates the area. With a real drought ongoing in California, the theme is even more current.
And that Australia-like desert which is one of the biggest “characters” in the entire production? It’s near where Tom Hammock grew up, 2 hours north out of Los Angeles. All the farms are actual houses that were abandoned by their owners when the land, planted in alfalfa, turned to dust. (The script’s reference to years prior when rice paddies flourished had me initially wondering if the film location was somewhere in Asia.)
Carson and his red-haired daughter Brooke (well played by “America’s Top Model” contestant Nicole Fox) and crew view their task of killing all the settlers in the valley in these stark terms: “Think of it as the extinction of a species…You have to kill them. The vagrants only suffer. If it weren’t me, it’d be someone else.” They even take a minister along with them (Michael McCartney) who pronounces, “Pray for each of these desperate thirsty souls. Ten years of no rain.”
Since Kendall (Richardson) spends much of the film either hiding from Carson and his men or actively overcoming them in hand-to-hand combat, rifle or samurai sword in hand, the cinematographer, Seamus Tierny, did a great job properly lighting her as she crouches in a dark attic shrouded in a foil wrap to fool the heat-seeking machines the searchers use, or fighting men twice her size in stark sunlight in the next. (When asked about the lighting, Hammock said, “The majority was lit by a white sheet and a pizza box.”)
All of the normal power structures in the film are turned upside-down: it is Kendall, the female character, who is doing all the fighting (not completely new, since “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent”). It is her boyfriend, Dean, who is weak. Plus, ironically, it is water, not oil, which is the source of all conflict.
Kendall and Dean, her boyfriend, have an old Cessna airplane hidden away that they hope to use to escape to a more favorable climate, but they first must find a distributor cap that fits. Much of the story concerns Kendall’s efforts to find this distributor cap, an homage to the original Road Warrior film.
The rest of the story is Kendall foraging or checking on or rescuing a small boy at a nearby farm, Albie (Max Charles). Kendall struggles not only with the exterminators who wear truly horrifying outfits (and, at times, gas masks) but also with her own compassionate impulses. As the cliché says, “No good deed goes unpunished,” which proves true more often than not in the plot, co-written by Hammock and Jacob Foreman.
The costume design by Emma Potter is terrific, as is the spare musical score by Craig Deleon, who often scores for Michael Bay or Apple commercials. There is also an ongoing, menacing wind sound. Director Hammock, when asked what was most daunting about the filming, cited the windy dust storms in the area, as well as achieving the defining image of the leading lady coated in oil. They put Haley in a flesh-colored wet suit and made the oil out of black children’s paint, but the temperature was still in the thirties—cold and uncomfortable for their determined actress, shown submerged in the slimy stuff in the movie’s most famous still.
This is an excellent, entertaining psychological study on a par with “The Babadook” in that neither is straight horror. Each is a well-drawn psychological thriller—but the Uma Thurman-like “Kill Bill” action vote goes to “The Well.”

Don’t miss it. This enterprising young director should be going big places in his film future.
“The Well” premiered at the L.A. Film Festival. It played at the Chicago Film Festival on October 19th; a production deal is nearing completion.

“Creep” Is Low-Budget Horror Flick in Film Festival “After Dark” Series

By Connie Wilson

On October 18, 2014

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

“Creep” is a low-budget horror film directed by Patrick Brice, who also wrote the story with Mark Duplass, one brother of the duo Jay and Mark Duplass (“Jeff, Who Lives At Home,” 2011).

While “Jeff, Who Lives At Home” was a funny film that used well-known actors like Susan Sarandon, Jason Segel and Ed Helms and seemed to have a budget of some substance, “Creep” most resembled “The Blair Witch Project” in terms of its herky-jerky hand-held camera work and what had to have been a spectacularly low budget.

The film begins with an online offer made to a cash-strapped filmmaker on March 21,2012 to come to a remote cabin for a day’s filming. The pay will be $1,000 for the day. Filmmaker Aaron Franklin (played by co-writer/director Patrick Brice) is also told: “Discretion is appreciated” (whatever that means).

It is telling that the duo of Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass both wrote the story, directed the story and played the two leads. In that respect, it reminded me of “The Editor” from Canada, another schlocky horror film where the director was listed performing nearly every duty from wardrobe to star. A two-person cast, think “The Babadook,” can make a successfully spooky psychological thriller on a low budget, but this isn’t it.

Jay Duplass did not have a big role in Mark Duplass’ project this time out, as he is busy filming television’s new drama “Transparent,” among other projects.

Upon reaching the cabin in the woods (wink, wink, as the write-up says) Aaron meets Josef (portrayed by Director/Writer/Actor Mark Duplass) who seems sincere when he tells Aaron that he is dying of cancer and wants to make a tape for his unborn child, much like Michael Keaton did in the movie “My Life.” However, shortly after explaining that this was why he summoned the filmmaker, Josef suggests that they adjourn to the bathroom, where Duplass’ character (Josef) proceeds to take off his clothes and get in the bathtub for what he terms “a tubby.” The audience tittered— who wouldn’t?

When Aaron seems surprised and tentative, Josef (Duplass) says, “This is a journey into the heart. We’re going to go a lot deeper places than this.”

Well, yes and no.

Besides periodically donning a wolf’s head mask which Josef has dubbed Peach Fuzz and intentionally trying to startle the filmmaker at every turn (“I’ve got a weird sense of humor, man.”) the pronouncements that Josef makes (“Death. It’s coming. There’s nothing that we can do.” “I love wolves. A wolf loves other wolves and, yeah, it occasionally murders things.”) make him seem like a loon, which the audience realizes immediately. Aaron, however, is not as quick a study. The smattering of tittering continued throughout the film; if straight psychological tension like the excellent film “The Babadook” was the goal, the film missed its mark.

After (finally) managing to break free of his client and return home, a series of CDs and messages are sent to Aaron by Josef and Aaron is so alarmed by them that he calls the police, telling them he is being stalked by a man who is “really weird and super creepy.”

The police, of course, are about as effective as usual, which means not at all interested in Aaron’s tale of an unknown harasser (Aaron never bothers to learn Josef’s last name!) who, as it turns out, did not own the cabin in the woods at all, but only rented it.

One line near the end of the film (Josef to Aaron) is: “It just seemed dumb that you would just sit there and not look behind you.”

My opinion? It just seemed dumb, period.

“The Imitation Game” Is Strong Oscar Contender for Film And Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch)

By Connie Wilson

On October 17, 2014

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

“It’s the very people that no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” This refrain is repeated constantly throughout the film “The Imitation Game” as we watch Benedict Cumberbatch, ( a 3-time BAFTA nominee), inexorably move towards an Oscar nomination for Best Actor of 2014.

American audiences will know the 38-year-old Cumberbatch best from either his role as Little Charles Aiken, the slightly dim son of Chris Cooper, in “August: Osage County” or from “Star Trek Into Darkness 2.” He also appeared in 2013’s “Twelve Years a Slave,” (Best Picture of 2013). His breakthrough role was as Stephen Hawking in “Hawking” (2004). British audiences have enjoyed him as Sherlock Holmes in “Holmes” (2010) and in a number of television roles.

For me, watching the very British film in Chicago at its Premiere here, it was like watching Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and his buddies from television’s “The Big Bang Theory” try to crack the Nazi codes that will help the British and the Allies win World War II—only without the humor. The extreme intelligence, the arrogance, the emotional state that co-star Keira Knightley refers to as “fragile narcissism” is most analogous to Sheldon from television, even if that role is played for laughs and this one evokes the opposite of laughter.

The movie is based on a book by Andrew Hodges (who helped write the script) called “Allen Turing: The Enigma.” It is the true story of how a half-dozen genius mathematicians, logicians, cryptologists and computer scientist banded together at Bletchley Park in the south of England to figure out how to crack the German Enigma Code.

Every morning at 6 a.m. the Germans sent out a coded message. Unfortunately, the various combinations were 159 million million, which meant that it would take 10 men 20 million years to try to figure out just one missive. And the codes were changed each day; so deciphering one code would not help with the next day’s transmission.

At movie’s end we are told that cracking the code saved 14 million lives and shortened the war by at least 2 years. Alan Turin, however—an odd duck if there ever was one—was offered a choice between incarceration for being homosexual or chemical castration. This was his reward for saving the lives of millions. [It seems fitting that Queen Elizabeth saw fit to pardon him, posthumously, in 2013.]

And it seems quite fortuitous that a film that comes down on the side of gay rights is being released this year, when marriage equality is sweeping the United States. Just as last year’s Best Picture film had a topic that voters could get behind (anti-slavery), so, too, does this one. It seems inevitable that it will be nominated; it is very well done.

Add in the feminist point of view with Keira Knightley as the sole woman brainiac asked to work on the project. When asked why she wants the others on the project to like her by Turing, she says, “I’m a woman in a man’s job and I don’t have the luxury of being an asshole.” Now, you have a double threat in the movie theme department. You can make that a triple threat when you add in the anti-war/anti-violence message (“Humans find violence deeply satisfying.”)

Morton Tyldum directed (“Buddy”, “Headhunters”) a script by Graham Moore and Andrew Hodges (Hodges is also the author of the book on which the film is based).

The film explains that wartime Britain was starving. Although the United States was dropping 100,000 pounds of food daily, the needed foodstuffs were being bombed into oblivion by the German blitz. If the dispatches between the Nazi headquarters and their troops could be decoded, it would be “like having a tap on Hitler’s intercom.” And genius mathematician (but extremely poor team player) Alan Turing, who conceived the concept of an early digital computer (“Christopher”) and built it form scratch, was the man portrayed as almost singlehandedly responsible for the breakthrough the team makes [after a random comment in a bar gives them a fresh insight].

Following their success, in this film from our British friends at Black Bear Productions, the film tells us that the Normandy Invasion, Stalingrad—really, nearly any major battle you can name from WWII—was made “winnable” by knowing the German strategies from decoding their messages beforehand, thanks to the Bletchley Park team that worked to decode Enigma after the device was smuggled out of Berlin by Paris intelligence. (Maybe the filmmakers should also put up a notation that, without the French stealing the machine in the first place, there wouldn’t have been any machine to work on decoding?)

So, as the script puts it, the British needed to “maintain a conspiracy of lies at the highest levels of government.” They managed to do just that and to keep it a secret for 50 years, but the strong warning about more wars was one reason the successful government project was classified as Top Secret for so long. (What if another war broke out and another code-breaking team needed to be assembled?)

The film opens wide on November 21st. Pro feminism, pro tolerance (and anti-homophobia), anti-war. This film and Cumberbatch’s strong performance in it will be top contenders in this year’s Oscar race.