Weekly Wilson - Blog of Author Connie C. Wilson - Welcome to WeeklyWilson.com, where author/film critic Connie (Corcoran) Wilson avoids totally losing her marbles in semi-retirement by writing about film (see the Chicago Film Festival reviews and SXSW), politics and books----her own books and those of other people. You'll also find her diverging frequently to share humorous (or not-so-humorous) anecdotes and concerns. Try it! You'll like it!

Tom Hanks is Otto in “A Man Called Otto”

On January 15, 2023

In Movies, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Reviews

The comic possibilities of a suicidal suspect who keeps failing at offing himself were plumbed by Burt Reynolds 45 years ago in “The End.” The reasons why Burt’s many attempts at suicide failed were not identical to Tom Hanks’ in “A Man Called Otto” based on the Swedish film “A Man Called Ove” and the 2015 Oscar-nominated Swedish hit by Hannes Holm (which was based on the book of the same name by Fredrik Backman.) But the engine driving the film was the same in both films.

The cranky old man schtick has also been well plumbed by actors like Clint Eastwood portraying Walt Kowalski in the 2008 film “Gran Torino.” The grouchy man who is mad at the world role is played, this time, by America’s favorite Everyman, Tom Hanks. It’s a good thing, because the plot is obvious from a mile away (we’ve seen this film before). However, with Tom Hanks as the lead, it’s possible to shrug off the sugary overload and enjoy the (relatively) happy ending. Plus, Tom adopts a stray cat, always a crowd pleaser. [Based on remarks Hanks made on a late-night talk show, the cat was a pretty independent critter that would barely look Tom’s way and never on cue.]

The younger version of Tom Hanks is played by Truman Hanks, Tom’s real-life son. This is also something that has been done before, as with the recent pairing of Dustin and Jake Hoffman starring opposite Sissy Spacek and her daughter Schuyler Fisk in “Sam and Kate.”To hear the elder Hanks tell it, his son Truman has been learning the entertainment business from the ground up, starting with camera and electrical work. Truman does not resemble Tom as much as his older son, Colin, but Truman was the right age for the part (if a little chubby by Dad’s standards). The flashbacks, establishing young Otto’s somewhat awkward social presence, are fine, with Rachel Keller portraying young Sonya, the love of Otto’s life.

Little by little we learn that Otto and Sonya were in a bus accident; their unborn child died. Sonya went on to teach school and to urge her husband to continue to invest in life, although the loss of their child was a bitter blow. Even more deeply felt was Otto’s loss of Sonya to cancer at 63 years of age. He now visits her daily in the cemetery and chats graveside.

With Colin Hanks at the Chicago Film Festival.

From Sonya’s death on, Otto is the Town Grouch. He makes daily “rounds” to make sure no one is driving the wrong way on the “not a through street” entrance to their Midwestern housing development. He supervises the trash recycling area. After new neighbors move in across the street, he is asked to loan Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and Marisol (Mariana Trevino) everything from a ladder to an Allen wrench. “Idiot” is the most common perjorative that Otto uses when someone near him cannot parallel park or is driving the wrong way in the neighborhood. But the cracks in the crabby façade are growing bigger and broader with the entrance into the neighborhood of the vivacious pregnant Marisol, her husband Tommy and their two little girls. The two little girls in the new family (Christiana Montoya as Luna and Alessandra Perez as Abbie) are a sure sign that Otto will thaw from his previous role as Mr. Grumpy Pants.

Along the way, there are at least three failed suicide attempts by Hanks, which, again, reminded me of that long-ago Burt Reynolds blackly comic vehicle “The End” (co-starring Sally Field and Dom DeLuise). It also reminded me of a very unpopular comedy routine that George Carlin launched on an unsuspecting audience in Chicago near the end of his life. [The audience began exiting in droves; they did not find suicide the least bit funny.]

There’s nothing off-key about Tom Hanks’ performance in this very predictable bitter sweet story. The music (Thomas Newman) is unremarkable and the fact that Tom Hanks could read the phone book and still entertain us is not news. I wondered why Hanks chose this particular story, and then I saw that Rita Wilson (Mrs. Tom Hanks) was Executive Producer and read that she was quite taken with the project after seeing the Swedish film.

I don’t object to a “happy” ending or a nicely-packaged movie about a Scrooge-like character who will, in the course of the movie’s 2 hour 40 minute length, grow much warmer and fuzzier. The supporting performances are adequate;with the exception of Mariana Trevino as the irrepressible Marisol, the other characters are not overly memorable.

It was a nice family movie with some good messages about living life and nurturing community. German director Marc Foster’s offering is not likely to surprise, but the fleeting references to Hanks’ suicidal tendencies will not drive patrons from the theater. Comedian Mike Birbiglia is wasted as a Dye & Merica real estate agent. The movie opened wide on Friday the 13^th (Jan.).

Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” Defines Excess in Hollywood

By Connie Wilson

On January 6, 2023

In Movies, Music, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Reviews

“Babylon” is Damien Chazelle’s salute to the movies, following on the heels of Sam Mendes’ similar homage to film in “Empire of Light.”

I’ve never met Sam Mendes, although I admire his work. But I have met Damian Chazelle, when he came to Chicago for the premiere of “La La Land” at the 52^nd Chicago International Film Festival on October 13, 2016. Damien Chazelle is a genuine, personable, interesting young man. He has again partnered with longtime collaborator Justin Hurwitz, (who also did the music for “La La Land” and “Whiplash”). The score was very reminiscent of the music from “La La Land.”

The film attempts to depict what Hollywood might have been like back when the silent movie era was giving way to talkies. It is both an homage to those chaotic times, beginning in 1926, and a criticism of the excesses of Hollywood. The opening 20 minutes, depicting an elephant being transported to an orgy-like party hosted by someone seemingly based on Fatty Arbuckle, goes a long way towards showing those excesses. It’s way over-the-top. You could say that about the entire film.

One of the things that amazes about this $80 million-dollar stroll down memory lane, is the cast. In addition to Brad Pitt as the male lead and Margot Robbie as the female lead, there are bit parts for a myriad of actors, both known and unknown. Who were these masked men (and women)?

Flea has a part. Eric Roberts—who I interviewed on my WeeklyWilson podcast during the pandemic—plays Margot Robbie’s father. Lukas Haas who played the small boy in “Witness” when he was nine years old in the seventies, plays George, Brad Pitt’s best friend. Tobey Maguire, listed as an executive producer, has a truly hero-destroying role as a gangster. Spike Jonze plays Otto. Michael Dukakis has an uncredited part as a soldier. Anna Chazelle has an uncredited part as Bobbie Hart. Kaia Gerber, look-alike daughter of Cindy Crawford, has a bit part as a starlet. Jovan Adepo plays jazz trumpeter Sidney Palmer. Jean Smart (“Hacks”) plays a composite character based on columnists like Hedda Hopper/Louella Parsons, Elinor O’Toole. Max Minghella (“The Handmaid’s Tale’s Nick Blaine) plays Irving Thalberg. Comedian/actor Jeff Garlin (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) plays Don Wallach, Ethan Suplee (“Remember the Titans” 2000) plays Wilson and spends most of his time onscreen spitting grossly, Manny Liotta plays a P.A. (Production Assistant). This is a very partial list of the surprisingly elaborate cast list. (Hard to stage an orgy without a crowd, I guess.)

https://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sipq9hirIeg

But the lead as Manny Torres is relative unknown Mexican actor Diego Calva, who comes to the screen in a major part as a relative unknown to U.S. audiences. Calva played a drug lord on Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico” but, if you missed that, you missed him. He came to his star-making part in much the same way as the fictional Manny Torres: by doing whatever anyone in the movie business wanted/needed done. He reminded me of the “fixer” characters played by Harvey Keitel in “Pulp Fiction” or by Leiv Schreiber in “Ray Donovan.”

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night television show, Calva shared some behind-the-scenes insights into the film and into his own background. Golden Globe nominated for “Babylon,” Diego learned to speak English specifically for “Babylon.” He said he learned English from playing “Pokemon” video games in Mexico. He confirmed that the chicken in the orgy scene was a great actor. He also confirmed that they used a chicken puppet for some takes. Diego admitted he was most excited to meet Tobey Maguire, since he had been a “Spiderman” fan from a young age.

Among other comments the young actor made was this one about the opening orgy scene: “It was so crazy. I’ve never been surrounded by so many naked people before.” Of his co-star and love interest in the film, Margot Robbie, Diego said: “She’s always going to do the unexpected. She’s a fearless actress, just full on energy. When you’re so tired, she can play it 100 times more.”Diego studied at the Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica in Mexico. He is a talent to watch.

The thing that resonated with me—especially since it was quite similar to Sam Mendes’ musings on the movies—were the lines that pin down Chazelle’s feelings about film. It’s not unique amongst creative types, whether filmmakers, writers, song writers, or painters that the work we leave behind gives us a feelingof a little bit of immortality. Ideally, whatever we have created has been good. It will be around long after we are gone.Immortality.

Chazelle scripted one scene, in particular, between Jean Smart and Brad Pitt where she tells the fading screen star “Your time has run out. There is no why. Film is bigger than you. No one asks to be left behind.” Telling him how he will live forever on celluloid, the columnist says, “You’ve been given a gift. Be grateful.” And Pitt’s character, in an earlier scene, states, “What I do means something to millions of people. For real people, on the ground, it means something.” He tells Olivia Wilde’s character (Ina) to spare him the pretentious notes on his reading of a script, expressing some disgust at those who try to characterize film as “a low art” and, instead, enshrine Ibsen and Strindberg and the theater.

The general critical consensus has been bad for the film among both critics and audiences. I understand that, as so many of the scenes are well over-the-top and, I’m sure, offensive to many. The opening scene with the elephant and elephant dung is but one example. There is a later one involving Margot Robbie at a party rejecting the urgings to be “elegant” and become more like the group at the party with whom she is associating. She tries, but fails, to “act” respectable, since her original nickname was “the wild child.” Now, she is to eschew her Jersey roots and act well-behaved, but she rejects that advice in a way that goes beyond the norm. She literally smears food all over her face, insults everyone at the party, and, ultimately, projectile vomits both outside the house and inside on a newly-purchased expensiv rug. It’s a bit much. The orgy scenes and naked bodies may have been necessary (although the golden shower scene with a Fatty Arbuckle type was a bit much) and the descent into the depths of depravity in L.A. that Tobey Maguire insists Manny and companion take with him was overkill.

The film cost a lot ($80 million) and when you see the voluminous cast list, it isn’t surprising. Not only does it have two of the biggest current stars in Hollywood (Pitt and Robbie) but it seems to have everyone else who might have been hanging around. My favorite small part was the inclusion of Eric Roberts. Roberts undoubtedly holds the record for most American movie appearances ever.

A lot of the scenes screamed gross—like the vomiting one and dung-spewing elephant. You get the feeling that the creative license to try new things led to throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the wall.

Another thing that swelled the film’s length from a normal hour and a half to over three hours was the emphasis on the music. Chazelle has highlighted the music of his collaborator, Justin Hurwitz. Although trumpet player character Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo) admitted that he did not really play the trumpet, the film focuses on the band and its performances. I don’t have an exact count of how many minutes this occupies, but it was substantial.

Another source pointed out that the film’s release in competition against “Avatar” was not great marketing.

Outside the door of the Alama Drafthouse Theater the day I saw it was a warning that the final scenes, paying tribute to many other movies that have gone before, might cause viewers to have seizures, if they were vulnerable.

I salute the effort to capture Hollywood magic of the 1920-1930 in a bottle, but it just didn’t work.

“One Way,” “American Assassin,” and “The Nanny:” Films at Christmas (Streaming)

By Connie Wilson

On December 29, 2022

In Movies, Music, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Reviews

We are currently watching “One Way.” Drea De Matteo, from “The Sopranos,” has a roleas Vic, as do Kevin Bacon and Colson Baker, otherwise known as Machine Gun Kelly. Travis Fimmel is another in the cast, and it is rated “R” on Amazon Prime for $4.99.

It will be interesting to see if Machine Gun Kelly is much of an actor, so the $4.99 price tag seems worth it. The film, by Andrew Baird, is an indie thriller and, so far, Colson (i.e., Machine Gun) is on a bus and attempting to escape. He portrays Freddy, who has stolen some coke and is on the lam. Freddy may not have thought out this heist too completely, as he seems to have sustained a gunshot to his abdomen.

The background music is pretty hard core and the person being tortured, Mac, is a Machine Gun Kelly knock-off, pink hair and all. Some commenters on ratings pages have mentioned that they had difficulty hearing all the dialogue because of the volume of the background music, but it is compelling and carries and sustains the suspense and momentum.

Two nights ago I watched “The Nanny,” another indie film, which had some good acting within it. The young nanny from Senegal, Aisha, (Anna Diopp) was good in her part, but the ending was rather abrupt. She was hired as the nanny for a couple, portrayed by Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Spector. They don’t pay her what she is owed, and the boss even makes a pass at her. However, the film, which seems to be heading toward a tragic ending, has a rather sudden happy ending, so there’s that. Anna Diopp was impressive in her role.

I followed that up with a film called “American Assassin” which caught my eye as something being streamed live by YouTube. Every few minutes a message would appear on the screen saying, “We’ll be back in 1 minute and 58 seconds.” The film would buffer. Michael Keaton would be training assassins of the Navy Seal variety and acting all tough. I like Michael Keaton very much, but I prefer films in which he has witty dialogue, which he never fails to deliver well. [I’m still stuck on “Night Shift,” one of his very first films, with Henry Winkler as his boss.]

I had been eagerly awaiting Damian Chazelle’s “Babylon” film, but the advance word from those who have seen it is not positive. I met Chazelle at the premiere of “La La Land” at the Chicago International Film Festival” and he was very, very nice. I look forward to all of his films, and I’ll see this one, regardless of the bad reviews I’ve encountered.

Drea is playing a bad girl known as Vic. She and her minions have just murdered the Machine Gun Kelly look-alike (Mac), after torturing him to try to find out where the real Machine Gun Kelly had gone with their illegal product.

Time to start concentrating on the plot. So far, it is holding my attention better than either of the two mentioned above.

“The Menu” Is Interesting, Well-Paced, Well-Executed Film

By Connie Wilson

On December 25, 2022

In Movies, Pop Culture, Recipes, Reviews

Now playing at our local cinema is Director Mark Mylod’s paen to over-priced food and uber pretentious foodies, “The Menu.”

The film stars Ralph Fiennes as Chef Slowik, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, who once slung burgers as the Employee of the Month at Howie’s Hamburgers, but has now become an elitest snob even more superficial than his wealthy customers.

The film opens with the truly elitest group boarding a boat to sail to a private island for a dinner priced at $1,250 per person. Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) is a foodie of the first class who has been following Chef Slowik’s career for years and has been( corresponding with him for 8 months, (as we later learn,)

First question: if someone who was going to cook for you told you that by accepting the invitation to come to the island to eat, you were signing your ow death warrant, would you still accept the invitation? No. I didn’t think so. It is those lapses between reality and the deux machina that makes this movie work that are the negatives, but there are many positives, including Anya Taylor-Joy as the female lead accompanying young Tyler to dinner.

As it turns out, Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Qheen’s Gambit,” 2020; “Split,” 2016) is a substitute for Tyler’s original date. As you get to know Tyler, thanks to the witty script from Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, it is easy to see why none of the cool girls ever wanted to go to Prom with him, and why he hired Anya Taylor-Joy’s hooker, Margo, to accompany him to the island, after his original date broke it off. [Tyler is the kind of date whose obsession with the topic and annoying devotion to the entire concept of Chef Slowik dserves breaking off.]

The clip from the film shows the apparently Mad As A Hatter Chef Slowik telling the guests at his fabled restaurant, that the men will be given 45 seconds to run for their lives. Ergo, we know fro the start that this is no ordinary dinner party with high-priced food that may be close to inedible to the average palate. After all, these palates are not “average” or ordinary. These are exceptionally rich people who feel that they are just slightly better than others who cannot afford this kind of food.

My feeling about Anya Taylor-Joy’s character, like the chef himself, is that she is a working class stiff—a service industry caterer like Ralph Fiennes. He recognizes her as “different” from the others because of that, but also accuses her of ruining his entire presentation by being present on this finale night. Margo is a no bullshit kind of gal. She does the most to attempt to save herself. She basically calls out the phoney baloney food (or lack of food) and demands a cheeseburger, at one point in time. And she gets it.

The set decoration (Gretchen Gathuso), art direction (Lindsey Moran) and production design (Ethan Tobman), as well as the cinematography by Peter Deming were all exquisite. The restaurant’s interior reminded me of a hotel I stayed in once, in a town I shall not name, which was so sterile and uncozy that I was tempted to check out in the middle of the night. The costuming is also fantastic and the entire film is so well-done that I can recommend it when it streams as well-paced (John Leguizamo is a joy, always) and fun to watch, even as we recognize that it is really all style and no substance. It works for “The Glass Onion,” why not this film?

The Voice Finale: Very Disappointing

By Connie Wilson

On December 16, 2022

In Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

I watched the taped last program of “The Voice” that selected the winner.

What a colossal disappointment!

As I relayed in a previous article, they had already kicked off the two best singers. The two best were African American singers who were spectacular and, instead of them, we had one truly impressive voice remaining (Omar) and 4 others who were okay, but not that impressive.

Of the 4 others, at least 2 were selected because they were “cute,” even though one of them (the young fellow who had never really sung before this) finished last, the entire program was so jam-packed with filler and performances from people you’ve barely heard of that it was not a good finale for Blake Shelton’s last show, his 9th win. I wonder how the show will do with Blake Shelton departing? They also inserted so much “filler” (Howie Mandel teaching Camilla to tell jokes?) that they ran out of time to tell us who finished in 3rd and 2nd place, after they blurted out that the cowboy had won. We were left with the blonde, the Bodie guy and Bryce Leatherwood and less than 2 minutes to announce the culmination of literally weeks of run-offs and duets and votes. W-H-A-T?

It was nice, for Blake Shelton, that the country and western singer with the good name (Leatherwood) won, as he was on Blake’s team, but all THREE of Blake’s team made the cut, when the Brodie person was average and the cowboy hat wearing country singer who won (Bryce Leatherwood) seems very likeable, but was simply not as good as the two Black singers kicked off in the previous program when there were 8 left.

There was also a blonde from Cemilla Cabello’s team, who was among the top three.

The program had so much “filler” and so many guest performances by nobodies (well, two were somebodies) that I was glad to have it on tape so I could fast forward through the short guy in orange whom I had never seen or heard of before and the Spanish-speaking performer whose name started with the letter “M.” (If my daughter had been here, she could have filled me in on how out-of-it I am and provided names for me to give you here.)

I was shocked at Adam Lambert’s appearance, as he wore a baggy white suit and really looked heavy and old (and he sang a totally depressing song, mostly in falsetto, on a totally weird set.) Carson Daly also appears to need to join the same gym as A

dam Lambert, as both of them have packed on the pounds. I say this as someone always dieting, but I’m not on TV, so—–

Best performance of the evening by a contestant was Omar’s Stevie Wonder medley, but the entire program was really depressing and even poorly planned, time-wise.

“Poker Face:” The Russell Crowe Movie (Not the Lady Gaga Song)

By Connie Wilson

On December 13, 2022

In Movies, Reviews

We rented “Poker Face,” Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, on the advice of someone who identified herself as a Russell Crowe fan.

The synopsis for the film read as follows: “A tech billionaire hosts a high-stakes poker game between friends, but the evening takes a turn when long-held secrets are revealed, an elaborate revenge plot unfolds, and thieves break in.”

I was glad I had read that Russell Crowe, portraying Jake Foley (the billionaire), had a terminal disease (pancreatic cancer). It took quite a while for this plot point to make its way to the screen. In that interim, the plot moved very slowly and there were far too many characters to try to follow the misdeeds or betrayals of each and every one of them.

Who were these boyhood friends that Russell summons to his expensive lair high above Sydney to play poker (and, as it turn out, to poison them)?

Mikey (Michael Nankervis), played by Liam Hemsworth, a fellow Australian actor.

Drew – (Andrew Johnson), played by RZA.

Paul – Steve Bastoni as Paul Muccino.

Alex – Aden Young as Alex Harris.

Sam (McIntyre) played by Daniel MacPherson.

That is way too many “leads” to follow in such the necessary amount of depth to find out who has done what to Russell to justify his inviting them all to his luxury penthouse to play high stakes poker.

The female lead is the wife of Liam Hemsworth’s older brother Chris: Elsa Patacky as Penelope.

Other main female characters were Brooke Satchwell as Nicole Foley and Molly Grace as Rebecca Foley.

The leader of a group that breaks into the billionaire’s house to rob him was Paul Tassone as Victor.

For me, there were too many characters to keep track of and some of the important plot points (like Jake Foley’s terminal illness) were not clear immediately. It also seemed as though there were two plots competing for attention. Wouldn’t the poker game and Russell Crowe’s vengeance against his old friends have been enough? Did we really need the additional gang of thugs planning to rob the tech billionaire at the very moment they are assembled in the luxurious penthouse to play poker?

The film had many musings on one’s mortality, including these scripted lines:

“All living things die.”

“Answers don’t always have the structure we expect. Sometimes the insistence of the question can drown out the response. Let’s go and untie some knots.”

“You will know when it’s time.”

“Opening up to others is one thing. Opening up to yourself may be hard.”

“Some people take comfort in knowing that they have some means of control.”

“They might not be the best decisions I’ve ever made, but at least I won’t live to regret them.”

Russell’s advice to his daughter: “Friendship and love start when you forgive imperfections. Listen to Drew the most.” (from the reading of the will).

If you want a more thrilling recent Russell Crowe film to stream try “Unhinged,” instead. It was the first film we saw after movie theaters opened up again post pandemic. It is best compared to “Duel.”

“The White Lotus,” Season 2 Speculations During the Finale Episode

By Connie Wilson

On December 11, 2022

In Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Imperioli, Aubrey Plaza, Will Sharpe, Meghann Fahy, Theo James, Adam DiMarco, and Haley Lu Richardson in The White Lotus (2021)

Currently watching the Finale episode of “White Lotus.”

Please read no further if you don’t want to know too much about the series.

I don’t know he answer to that “Who is dead?” question, either, but, currently, my top speculation had been running towards Lucia, the older of the two hookers. When she got in the car with her (irritated) pimp I feared that she would only be seen washing up on the beach after that. However, there she was in a later scene, alive and well, so….

Now, as the finale unfurls, I am wondering if the two married couples are going to be the answer to the question, “Who killed whom?”

The more sedate of the two married couples, Ethan and Harper, may figure in the outcome. The husband of Aubrey Plaza, played by Will Sharpe (Ethan and Harper Spiller) is obsessing over his former roommate, Theo James’ as Cameron Sullivan has an ongoing flirtation with Harper, just as Cameron always used to steal Ethan’s girlfriends when they were roommates in college. Ethan seems to be building up an imaginary scenario where his former roommate has slept with his wife. This could lead to a fight in the water and the drowning of Theo James. Does it?

Then there is the entire gay group revolving around Stiffler’s Mom, i.e., Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya Mc-Quaid Hunt. Tom Hollander (who plays Quentin) may be setting Tanya up for a sting. She has noticed that a photo in Quentin’s room greatly resembles her husband Greg, except that it was taken years before when Greg had hair. Interesting.

Then there is the sleazy Leo Woodall as Jack. He is definitely a bad influence and we hope that Portia (Haley LuRichardson) doesn’t get herself in deep with the possibly criminal element. Portia has a feeling that “something bad is going to happen.” Quentin is not rich at all, but is posing as a rich person. Does the picture of Greg in his youth mean that he and Quentin are in cahoots. Are Quentin and Greg plotting to murder Tanya to get past the pre-nup that would give him no money if they divorced but give Greg her wealth if she dies? We know that Greg is not true blue because he was on the phone having a clandestine conversation with someone who sounded as though he/she was an alternative love interest of some sort, before he left.

It appears that Jack’s “job” may be to keep Portia away from Tanya, so Tanya can be murdered? Or not.

“Enjoy the Ionian Sea while you still can.”

I must pay attention now, as things are winding down.

The Top Five on “The Voice” on Dec. 5, 2022

By Connie Wilson

On December 7, 2022

In Uncategorized

SAVED | Omar Jose Cardona (Team Legend)

ELIMINATED | Justin Aaron (Team Gwen), Parijita Bastola (Team Legend), Kim Cruse (Team Legend)

Another blog asked readers to vote on who SHOULD have been eliminated, with these results:

Brayden Lape 28.9%

Bryce Leatherwood 17.53%

Parijita Bastola 11.53%

Kim Cruse 10.03%

Justin Aaron 9.64%

bodie 8.69%

Omar Jose Cardona 8.3%

Morgan Myles

In years of yore, I used to be a faithful devotee of “American Idol” during the Simon Cowell years.

I’ve not been a faithful watcher of any talent show since, but I did catch the last few shows of “The Voice” and was truly impressed with the singing of the two African American contestants, in particular. The best of the lot was Kim Cruse, who was a large woman with an even larger voice. She was spectacular on the program where she covered “Summertime” and “All By Myself” was just as good. Yet she was eliminated, which has to be chalked up to teeny-boppers voting for “cute” boys.

The second contestant who deserved to go forward was Justin Aaron, a former teacher’s aide, who delivered every single time he sang and was nearly as amazing as Kim Cruse.

After that, I would have placed Omar Jose Cardona (Team Legend) and Morgan Myles (Camilla Caballo’s team) in the final five.

Brayden Lange, the high school kid who hadn’t done much singing prior to this show, was not that good. He was that cute, but his singing was not that good. The weird guy with the white hair or wig, whom Blake Shelton seemed fond of, Bodie, was not that good, either.

The Final Five should be Kim Cruse, Justin Aaron, Omar Jose Cardona, Morgan Myles and probably Bryce Leatherwood. Leatherwood wasn’t, technically, as good a singer as Pariita Bastola (he was often flat), but the C&W group must be served and the country singer in the cowboy hat filled that bill.

I was embarrassed by the final five as chosen by teenagers nationwide. Eliminating both Kim Cruse and Justin Aaron was a grave miscarriage of justice. It reminded me of the presidential election of 2016 when the wrong candidate won under mysterious circumstances.

Two Amazon Sci-Fi Films That Are Out There

By Connie Wilson

On December 2, 2022

In Best Paranormal Stories Online to Read | Paranormal Podcast, Movies, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Reviews

I’m watching the Channel 5 news from Chicago here in Austin and beginning a week of supervision of our twin granddaughters. (age 13). We won’t starve, but I am definitely going to have to learn how to turn the thermostat up from 70. [I can take 70 if I’m in bed sleeping, but I’m going to have to have it warmer when I’m just sitting around, and I have on 3 layers of clothing right now!]

There is talk of watching a movie tonight, although the Crawdads movie is in competition with the “Everything Everywhere” film. We watched two movies last night that were among the weirdest I’ve seen in a long time.

One was called “The Wave” and starred Justin Long. Very weird.

The other one was even weirder, “Vivarium.” Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots are a couple seeking a new house. They tour a new development with a realtor. All the houses are green and identical. The only problem is that they are not able to leave. They also are saddled with an annoying automoton/robot child that grows throughout the time they are imprisoned in this not-that-ideal community.

The film was directed (and co-written) by Lorcan Finnegan, and it is easy to infer that the “trapped-in-daily-life” vibe from Vivarium is meant to emulate the dull, boring and hum-drum lives that most of us live. Nevertheless, point taken, it was a strange and weird movie. I could relate to the housing development’s completely uniform appearance and the ways in which the couple try to escape are interesting, but the character portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg begins digging in the front yard for reasons that are not very clear. It reminded me of the old saw about how you might dig your way through the Earth and wind up in China if you dug deep enough, and it certainly might have occurred to Eisenberg’s character, since he and Imogen had tried about everything else including climbing up on the roof and writing “Fuk You” in large letters in attempts to escape. A very weird commentary on how life just tends to go on in a routine that you can’t escape, no matter how hard you true.

On other news fronts, I am learning to play Mah Jong (m joined Newcomers Club and this is how desperate I a to try to make friends in a community when we (a) don’t have jobs (b) don’t have kids in school and (c) aren’t particularly “church-y.” I resumed my playing of “Hand-and-foot-canasta” that I learned pre-pandemic. I like the latter, but the vote is out on the former.

In watching the evening news from Chicago we are seeing projected temperatures of 11 degrees It was 84 here 2 days ago, although it has dropped off into the fifties since that record-setting day.

The two films I mention (above) are both Amazon films and free, so that earns them a Gold Star, but be prepared for a couple of weird sci-fi flicks if you try out either of them.

Eighteen Titles of 2022 to See Before Oscar Time

By Connie Wilson

On December 1, 2022

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

R | 114 min | Comedy, Drama

Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan

“The Glass Onion”
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (L-R) Edward Norton, Madelyn Cline, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monae, and Daniel Craig. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.

Great dark comedy movie about friendship and division through the boredom of day to day existence on an island. Deeper than you’d expect.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

PG-13 | 140 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

Famed Southern detective Benoit Blanc travels to Greece for his latest case.

Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista

Elvis (2022)

PG-13 | 159 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The life of American music icon Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Drama

After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN’s elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.

Director: Joseph Kosinski | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer

.5) Nope (2022)

R | 130 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi

The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling effect.

6) (2022) “The Whale”

The Whale

R | 117 min | Drama

A reclusive English teacher attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.

Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Hong Chau

7) Inside Man (II) (2022)

TV-MA | 240 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A prisoner on death row in the US and a woman trapped in a cellar under an English vicarage, cross paths in the most unexpected way.

Stars: David Tennant, Stanley Tucci, Dolly Wells, Lydia West

8) The Fabelmans (2022)

PG-13 | 151 min | Drama

Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Michelle Williams, Gabriel LaBelle, Paul Dano, Judd Hirsch

9) The Good Nurse (2022)

R | 121 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

An infamous caregiver is implicated in the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients.

Director: Tobias Lindholm | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Jessica Chastain, Denise Pillott, Dartel McRae

10) Tár (2022)

R | 158 min | Drama, Music

Set in the international world of Western classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár, widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and first-ever female music director of a major German orchestra. Seems like it is based on this woman whose documentary I reviewed previously:

Director: Todd Field | Cat”http://www.weeklywilson.com/the-conductor-about-1st-female-conductor-screens-at-denver-international-film-festival/Vengeance,”

Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer

11) My Policeman (2022)

R | 113 min | Drama, Romance

The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.

Director: Michael Grandage | Stars: Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, Gina McKee, Linus Roache

Others: “The Menu,”

“Avatar,”

“The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,”

“Empire of Light,”

“The Lost King,”

“She Said”

“Raymond and Ray”

The 18 films mentioned above (in no particular order) represent some of the best and/or most-promising of those released from January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Since it is only November 27^th, there are obviously some that have yet to screen, and I’ve missed a few, like “Till” or Viola Davis’ outing as a female warrior in “The Woman King.”

I’ve not seen “Avatar” (has anyone ?) and “She Said” is next on my list of films that are screening just up the street. (I polished off “The Fabelmans” yesterday).

Still, I’ve probably seen more of this year’s new offerings than most, as I’ve covered the Nashville, Denver, Chicago and Austin film festivals, so far, with Sun Dance and SXSW upcoming.

Of the ones above, all of which I have seen, I will give you some candid impressions, in order.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” – This one was a weird one, but it represents 2 excellent performances, which I think might earn Colin Farrell a nomination as Best Actor of the Year, with Brendan Gleeson earning Best Supporting Actor accolades. The title has relatively little to do with the film, as it is simply the title of a song that Brendan Gleeson is working on. This film from the “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” director is either going to amuse you in a horrific way or completely repulse you. Look for the female lead portraying Colin Farrell’s sister, Kerry Condon, to earn a Best Supporting Actress nomination.”

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” – An excellent cast, but, to me, seemed to be all style and not much substance. Janaelle Monae was the standout of the many famous cast members.

“Elvis” – Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis—although somewhat cleaned up from reality—is nothing short of astonishing. The Baz Luhrmann movie bites off a bit more than it can comfortably chew, but it is exciting whenever Austin Butler is center stage.

“Top Gun: Maverick” – Is this the movie that will earn Tom Cruise an Oscar? Think about it, when viewed in the light of his long career. The visual stunts worked and Mils Teller was a welcome addition to the cast.

“Nope” – one of the most layered films of the year, and one of my favorites. See my review here:http://www.weeklywilson.com/nope-is-jordan-peeles-summer-movie-here-are-some-helpful-explanations/

The Whale” – Brendan Fraser is outstanding in this much-lauded Cannes standout, but it’s all set in one room and is Major League depressing. Look for Fraser to snag an Oscar nomination and the film to make the Best Pictures of the Year list.

“Inside Man” – There are numerous plot holes in this one, but it’s a good evening’s entertainment.

“The Fabelmans” – See review here: Steven Spielberg’s memoir to his family of origin.http://www.weeklywilson.com/the-fabelmans-is-steven-spielbergs-memoir-moment/

“The Good Nurse” – Hard to beat Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain. I still want to know why the good nurse murdered so many people, however.

“Tar” – Cate Blanchett was good and will probably get a nomination, but the movie, itself, was not as good as the documentary on the first female director that I reviewed here:http://www.weeklywilson.com/the-conductor-about-1st-female-conductor-screens-at-denver-international-film-festival/

“My Policeman” – This is the third film with Harry Styles that I’ve seen. It’s worth seeing for that, alone. A star is born?