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!

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Connie has been reviewing film uninterruptedly since 1970 (47 years) and routinely covers the Chicago International Film Festival (14 years), SXSW, the Austin Film Festival, and others, sharing detailed looks in advance at upcoming entertainment. She has taught a class on film and is the author of the book “Training the Teacher As A Champion; From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now, published by the Merry Blacksmith Press of Rhode Island.

“Reedland” Screens at 61st Chicago International Film Festival

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On October 16, 2025

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

Reedland the movie

“Reedland” from Norway and Director Sven Bresser. (Photo by Sam du Pons).

“Reedland,” written and directed by Sven Bresser, is a Norwegian/Dutch film screening at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival. It is in competition for the Gold Hugo award in Chicago and was nominated for 7 other awards at other film festivals. It will be submitted for potential inclusion in the 2026 Oscar foreign film category. That category will be further whittled down to the 15 that get the most votes from countries submitting. I noted others on the list, including “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” and  “2000 Meters to Andriivka”. ( The two riveting films just mentioned are in the documentary category, however, which would take them out of head-to-head competition with “Reedland.”)

PLOT

I’m Norwegian (Grandfather) and Dutch (Grandmother, Mom’s side), so I was rooting for “Reedland,” which had a very promising log-line: “When reed cutter Johan discovers the lifeless body of a girl on his land, he is overcome by an ambiguous sense of guilt. While taking care of his granddaughter, he sets out on a quest to track down evil.” With the promise of an intriguing “who-done-it” in  mind, I was eager to view this 111 minute film. The cinematography of the beautiful countryside by Sam du Pon is gorgeous. One (of 7) awards that the film has been nominated for, so far, had to do with editing the  shots of the Dutch ceountryside. Lead character Johan Braad (Gerrit Knobbe) did a good job in his part, although he is taciturn throughout.

There is a fierce rivalry between the “filthy Trooters” who farm across the water from Johan’s farm. A “filthy Trooter” is initially suspected of Elise’s murder, but that accusation is unfounded. It seemed consistent with the tendency of one group to blame a member of an adversarial group for any wrongdoing. [Jimmy Kimmel’s recent absence from the television air waves for 3 days could be blamed on a similar offense.]

We know that Johan suspects Morris. The police don’t seem to agree. Johan, our intrepid and slow-moving Dutch farmer, is so suspicious that, in one interview, the local police actually tell him, “Leave the Petter family alone and let us do our job.” After the washing machine incident (described below), I began to lose faith in Johan as a crack investigator.

FARM ISSUES

In one scene Johan did show emotion, pitching his farm’s reeds as being superior for use on roofs, because they would last for up to 40 years versus the reeds from a neighboring village across the water that only lasted 14 years. (Do Norwegians still use reeds for roofing? )  He also complains to a buyer about the fall of Chinese container prices.

IJsselmeer Area

The area of Holland where the murder took place is referenced as The Ijsselmeer area on television.The IJsselmeer (Dutch: [ˌɛisəlˈmeːr] ⓘ; West Frisian: Iselmar, Dutch Low Saxon: Iesselmeer), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed-off freshwater lake in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of 1,100 km2 (420 sq mi) with an average depth of 4.5 m (15 ft). The river IJssel, after which the lake was named, flows into the IJsselmeer.

WASHING MACHINE

Gerrit Knobbe in “Reedland.” (Photo credit Sam du Pons).

The plot develops slowly. Very, very slowly. So slowly that I actually checked the second hand of my watch to see how long it took for a sequence involving Johan’s washing machine to set up.

A large rock, apparently from the reed field where the girl’s body was found, was placed inside Johan’s washing machine. The machine spins wildly out of control.  Johan’s reaction to the malfunctioning machine is characteristically slow, despite the machine’s manic and noisy demise.

Then Johan methodically places the rock in a white plastic bag. He carries the bag with the rock in it to the river, at least two football fields away.  Johan chucks the rock into the water. [That sequence took at least 5 minutes.] Johan returns to the house. Then, belatedly, he returns to the water, dives in, and recovers the submerged rock (Add more minutes. The task of retrieving the rock looked impossible, since the water is very murky. Johan didn’t seem to immediately realize that the rock might be  payback from someone out to punish him. It made one wonder about his acumen as an investigator.)

MORE THREATENING ACTS

The exact importance to the plot of finding, jettisoning and recovering the rock is never really explained. We suspect that Johan is experiencing revenge from the son of a neighbor, Morris Petter, because Johan gave the local police a tip about a dirt bike path leading into the reeds to the dead body of local girl Elise Veenstra.  Johan later tells the police that Morris Petters, the son of his next-door neighbor, drives a dirt bike. Morris might not have  appreciated the added police scrutiny.

We see  Morris tailgating Johan’s car with a large John Deere tractor in a threatening manner while Johan is driving with his small granddaughter Dana (Lois Reinders). Someone  injures Johan’s horse, Grise. (“Reedland” includes footage of the white mare being bred to a black stallion. A cow  is put down, off-screen. Neither event seems to have much to do with the plot, nor do the threatening actions mentioned, by film’s end.)

Finally, there is a physical confrontation between Johan and Morris. After the wrestling match with Morris, you still won’t definitely know who killed Elise Veenst.

THE GOOD

“Reedland.” (Photo by Sam du Pons.)

The scenes of the reeds and the surrounding waterways are beautiful. Life on a farm in Holland was scenic, but, to me, it  seemed  primitive. I felt as though I was looking at a painting by VerMeer or VanGogh: a man raking sheaves into piles by hand and setting them on fire. I grew up in farm country, but the idea of not automating to tractors in modern times was foreign to a woman whose husband worked for John Deere for 40 years.

In terms of being a riveting story, the plot reminded me of Willa Cather’s novels. Cather would go on for page after page, musing about fields of wheat (in Nebraska). In this Holland-set film, there’s a scene of two elderly men farting at the kitchen table. This prompts the female lead (Susan Beijer), Johan’s daughter, to say, “Good grief, you bunch of sheep.”

I can only guess that this humorous scene was meant to be a tonal shift from the overall sense of slow-moving life in rural Holland. Lightening the mood in a hard-driving murder investigation is justified, if that murder investigation is the main thrust of our story. Not sure that investigating the murder was really the director’s main goal. The film seemed to be more an examination of the elderly Johan’s life in rural Holland.

Johan is primarily shown caring for his charming granddaughter, occasionally interacting with his daughter, and going about the duties of everyday life in the fields near his farm. The murder of a local girl is a very big departure in Johan’s normal life, so it is understandable that the elderly grandfather begins thinking long and hard about the unfortunate demise of Elise Veenst and developing  theories about her assailant. (The local police do not seem particularly consumed with finding the murderer ASAP—probably very typical in a small town or rural area—, but, then, the focus here is on Johan and his fixation on the crime. Although Johan is pondering the clues, he takes his own sweet time in trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.)

The cinematography (Sam du Pon) and  editing were excellent, but the film moves at the speed of a glacier. It has scenes inserted that did not immediately propel the plot forward, including discussions of farm issues in Holland,  animal sequences, a sequence involving porn on the computer (presumably to spice up Johan’s boring life), the farting scene mentioned above, and Johan’s involvement with his granddaughter Dana’s play and life.

FARM ECONOMY

We hear the local farmers complain about how Chinese container prices have fallen. One man suggests to Johan that he automate.  Johan is resistant to change. He rejects the notion of using big farm equipment, insisting that the machines will “ruin the land.” So, we have, instead, lovely photos of reeds being bundled and burned by hand by Johan, working alone on his land. Old-fashioned is probably an understatement. Quaint might fit.

There is  symbolism in “Reedland.”

  • “Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain”. Psalm 126:5-6: This foundational verse describes a process of spiritual growth.

I’m still working out the importance of the children’s play that Dana, Johan’s granddaughter, is involved with. I look forward to more clarification of hidden meanings. Maybe the meanings weren’t so hidden and I just lost the plot path because “Reedland” moved so slowly.

CONCLUSION

The director, Sven Bresser, is coming  in person to the showing of “Reedland” at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival for two showings: Thursday, October 16th at 7:30 p.m. at the AMC Newcity 14 (Theater #5) and to the Gene Siskel Film Center at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 17th. His Q&A may clear up some plot threads and explain or justify the significance of scenes inserted that weren’t material to the question of who killed Elise Veenst. The focus is not on the murdered girl, but on the elderly and seemingly lonely farmer.

NO DATELINE DENOUEMENT

After all, the pace of this feature film does not need to duplicate television crime shows like “Dateline” or “20/20,” but as a patron of exposure to many such U.S. television shows, I found “Reedland” needed to potentially step up the pace, plot-wise. It starts off with a riveting bit of information, but slowly devolves into tedium.

THE MESSAGE?

This may be the very message intended for us to take with us about Johan’s rural life; he seems a creature of habit who is existing rather than living life to the fullest. He doesn’t seem miserable, but he doesn’t seem that content, either (despite his loving daughter and granddaughter). I was disappointed that such a gorgeously photographed area didn’t produce an equally engrossing story. I wanted this lovely film to be riveting and difficult to stop watching with great interest. (After all, these are my people, from Delft and Bergen).

For me,  gorgeous cinematography notwithstanding, the plot needed more active investigating and more closure. It’s not a bad thing in a plot to leave questions unanswered, but it is simply confusing when everything is left up to the audience. Perhaps, although Dutch and Norwegian on my mother’s side, I’m too American.

I wanted an answer to the question, “Who done it?” that was more reliable than Johan’s conjecture. I still don’t know who killed Elise Veenst, unless I completely accept Johan’s sleuthing acumen, and I’m still shaking my head over the washing machine and the rock.

 

Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” Dazzles at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival

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On October 15, 2025

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

I saw Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” today, in a screening room packed with  critics. I’m very glad I did see it on the big screen because it is only going to play in theaters beginning October 17th through November 5th and then will head to Netflix on November 7th.

I am going to share some personal history with the Writer/Director of this amazing project, Guillermo del Toro, and with the lead actor, Oscar Isaacs, who plays Victor Frankenstein. After these two personal bits of my own film history over the 55 years I’ve been reviewing, you get a synopsis of the press notes that testify to the amazing effort this film represents, from having actually built the ship that is featured in one section to the color schemes and what they represent. Fascinating stuff.

But first, a couple of true stories.

Oscar Isaac and me in 2013 at the 49th Chicago International Film Festival, as the 61st Chicago International Film Festival is about to kick off tomorrow (Oct. 15-26, 2025.)

Back in 2013, Oscar Isaac was an unknown, coming to Chicago to promote the Coen Brothers film “Inside Lleweyn Davis,” which co-starred Carrie Mulligan. He was the nicest, most cordial, pleasant star I’ve met since 2008. Somehow, hours after the film screened (and became his break-through film) I was at the post-party at the City Winery, if memory serves, in Chicago. He was so kind and thoughtful and nice to me that I became an instant fan.

You just knew that someone this nice and this talented, the Julliard graduate who did all of his own playing of the songs in that film, a true talent, was going to go far.  He was 34 years old. Oscar is 46 today and is still five feet, eight and one-half inches tall, versus Jacob Elordi’s freakishly tall (by comparison) six feet five inches.

The year  that Guillermo del Toro came to town for the Premiere of “The Shape of Water,” which I absolutely loved was 2016. He came with his good friend  and frequent collaborator Ron Perlman. Again, there was a party somewhere, which, in those days, Press occasionally lucked into (not any more).

He, too, was such a nice, kind gentleman. My favorite moment was when he  was being ushered down the Red Carpet. I had published a collection of reviews from a “real” newspaper ( Quad City Times) entitled “It Came from the 70s: From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now.” Knowing of his fondness for monsters and with an emphasis on horror films of the decade I gifted him with a copy. [I had been writing a novel trilogy entitled “The Color of Evil” and was, at that time, an active voting member of HWA]. He was genuinely enthused to receive the book, so much so that he stopped dead in his tracks and did not budge in his progress down the Red Carpet. His handlers returned to guide him.

At that point, one of those assisting him noticed his shoe was untied. Guillermo said, “Oh, no! Fat man with untied shoe!” and laughed while his handlers assisted him in retying and moving  down the Red Carpet. Later, at the after-party, he was very genial and kind and nice. I can’t say that of all talent who have walked the Red Carpets.

Oscar Isaac in 2022.

Both are huge talents who know what they are doing and do it well. In the case of Guillermo’s films, you can tell that no effort or expense has been spared. That remains true of this version of “Frankenstein.”

Below are some of the Press Notes (synopsized) from the 2025 new version of “Frankenstein.” Guillermo has envisioned a super-strong “Frankenstein” with  Terminator tendencies. “Frankenstein” will show at the Music Box Theater at 6 p.m. on Friday, 10/17, and again on Monday at the New City AMC (10/20) at 1:30 p.m. See it on the big screen, if you can. “Bravo!” once again to these two formidable talents. There will be many costume and set design Oscar nominations and it will qualify for most of the other Oscar categories, as well, so don’t miss it in its big-screen glory.

Tomorrow night, at the iconic Music Box Theater, the opening film of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival at 6:30 p.m. will be “One Golden Summer” about the 2014 Chicago Jackie Robinson West Little League team that became the first all-Black team to win the U.S. Little League Baseball Championship.

PRESS NOTES FOR “FRANKENSTEIN”

This sprawling epic takes audiences from the remote reaches of the Arctic to the bloody battlefields of 19th-century Europe, as Frankenstein and his Creature go on their own search for meaning in a world that can seem quite mad. Also starring Mia Goth as the luminous Elizabeth and two-time Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz, Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” is a reminder of how, at heart, we are all creatures, lost and found.

I was given this Oscar Isaac doll for Christmas, the year he appeared in the “Star Wars”  episodes, because my family likes to give me a hard time about my chance encounter with Oscar Isaac.

Oscar Isaac stars in the new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic sci-fi/horror novel as Victor Frankenstein, with Jacob Elordi as The Creature, Mia Goth as Elizabeth Harlander, Christoph Waltz as Heinrich Harlander, and Felix Kammerer as William Frankenstein.

“I’ve lived with Mary Shelley’s creation all my life,” del Toro says. “For me, it’s the Bible, but I wanted to make it my own, to sing it back in a different key with a different emotion.”

Since making his feature film debut with 1993’s Spanish-language vampire tale “Cronos,” the visionary writer-director has repeatedly conjured visually stunning, magical stories, all of which celebrate the beauty that can exist within darkness. With such films as “The Devil’s Backbone” (2001), “Hellboy” (2004), “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006), and “The Shape of Water” (2016), del Toro has forged a reputation for a nuanced portrayal of all types of beings — be they monsters and demons, ghosts, or even an amphibious river god saved from extinction by a mute cleaning lady.

“Ever since I was a kid, since my first Super 8 movie to now, I’ve dreamt of making two movies, “Pinocchio” and “Frankenstein”… I thought we were telling the same story: what it is to be human, what it is to be framed in a life by eternity and death, both forces. I wanted to make Frankenstein as personal as it could get.”

Having spent decades contemplating his vision, del Toro had a fully conceived approach to the film, which he set against the backdrop of the Crimean War. After undertaking an extensive scout across Europe to find the most ideal settings for the project, he began filming “Frankenstein” in Toronto in early 2024, later visiting numerous sites in the UK for location and miniatures filming.

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein in “Frankenstein” directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Photo Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

The House of Frankenstein is actually four different residences: Gosford House in East Lothian, Scotland; Burghley House in Lincolnshire, England; Dunecht House in Aberdeenshire, Scotland; and Wilton House in Wiltshire, England. The elaborate staircase at Wilton House is also used and Stanley Kubrick filmed in one of the castles used, which gives it a special prominence/significance.

During the 100-day shoot, del Toro pored over every detail with thoughtfulness and passion, rooted in love and respect for Shelley’s novel.  “The subject matter is humanistic,” says producer J. Miles Dale, who also collaborated with del Toro on “The Shape of Water” and “Nightmare Alley,” among other projects. “This is existential, about life and death. When you talk about legacy movies, this is that for Guillermo. Having been on his mind for most of his life, he’s seen this movie in his head — we’re not leaving anything on the table in terms of what we’re doing, who we’re doing it with, how we’re doing it, and what the result will be. We wanted to make an old-fashioned, beautiful production of operatic scale made by humans.”

This culminates a cycle — operatic, ornamental, camera moving very precisely — all those things [are] out the window from now on a little bit, at least is how it feels.

THE MONSTER

Jacob Elordi plays the monster. His head and shoulders alone required 12 separate, overlapping silicone rubber appliances — additionally, Elordi’s eyebrows were glued down and a bald cap was placed over his hair. The actor is 6′ 5″ and del Toro wanted a tall creature (which he got).

ALEXANDRE DESPLAT SCORE

“To have a good score,” Desplat says, “you have to find the soul of the film and create another dimension of sensation, of poetry, of spirituality, that follows the film and amplifies the emotions.”

LIMITED RELEASE IN THEATERS UNTIL NOV. 5 (On Netflix Nov. 7th)

The film is only playing in theaters from October 17 – November 5, which would make sense given it’s coming to Netflix just two days later. It is in limited release in major cities, only. If you’re not near a big city, good luck in finding this visual feast to see it on a big screen, which is definitely the best way for a movie like this, if only for the fantastic costuming.

Said one reviewer,“Frankenstein is absolutely breathtaking, with imagery and set pieces that instantly embed themselves in your memory. It showcases del Toro’s strength as a filmmaker, creating immersive worlds that enhance what he does best: championing monsters and their tragic humanity instead of using them to scare us.” (“Bloody Disgusting” review).

“Frankenstein” was the second favorite audience favorite (runner-up) at TIFF in Toronto. What beat it? This year’s winner, and the first filmmaker to take home two People’s Choice Awards, was Chloé Zhao for her “Hamnet,” which is also playing in Chicago. (The filmmaker previously won in 2020 with her “Nomadland.”)

Count me as liking this beautiful film a lot. Specific observations after October 17th.

“Luisa” Screens at 61st Chicago International Film Festival, Oct. 16-26

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On October 9, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

"Luisa" at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival,

“Luisa” at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.

Luisa, which is showing at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, follows the path of a resident of a home for people with disabilities. Written, directed and produced by German director Julia Roesel on a budget of $10,000, the lead character, Luisa Shulze (Celina Scharff) is, herself, a person with developmental issues and mild disabilities. The very unusual step of casting 10 residents who were actually developmentally disabled and 10 who were not makes this  group home very authentic.

PLOT

Luisa normally has a 100-watt smile and even has a boyfriend, Anton (Dennis Seidel), with whom she shares her unit. The plot establishes that Anton, a Downs Syndrome adult, is infertile, so the question of the film is, “Who impregnated Luisa?” Sexual abuse does occur in group homes. Was this sexual abuse, and, if so, who is responsible and what will be the consequences for the individual and for the group home?

CHARACTERS

Many suspects could be guilty and, yes, we finally do learn who the culprit is, but we also learn that the Headmaster had been warned much, much sooner about this individual’s inappropriate touching, by Alex (Lina Strothmam) but dismissed the complaint as confusion on the resident’s part. The most prominent residents, besides Luisa and Anton, are Otto (Michael Schumacher), Gisela (Melanie Lux) and Monika (Noa Michalski).

CONCLUSION

This one hit all the right notes. Prior to shooting, much research into actual group home problems and situations was done. It shows. “Luisa” is showing at the New City AMC on Sunday, October 19th at 3 p.m. and on Monday, October 20th at 12:15 p.m. at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, which starts officially on October 16th and runs through October 26th.

One of the big films is “Train Dreams,” which I saw at Sundance and reviewed here: https://www.weeklywilson.com/train-dreams-is-break-out-film-at-sundance-2025/

“Money Talk$:” Anthony Scarmucci, Jr.’s Shorts Directorial Debut

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On October 3, 2025

In Movies, Music, Reviews

“Money Talk$” short.

The short “Money Talk$” boasts an impressive cast and Director/Writer Tony Mucci has 33 directing credits for music videos. The director’s full name is Anthony Scaramucci, Jr.  If you wondered if he was the son of “the Mooch” (who was infamously fired in 2017 after a very brief stint working for DJT), yes, he is. For someone who is only 25, having 33 directing credits  is impressive. Tony Mucci directed music videos for artists like Lil Wayne, Travis Barker, Lil Uzi Vert, Juice WRLD, Machine Gun Kelly, Justin Bieber and Drake, and worked in the visual effects and motion capture department at Activision on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. He co-wrote the script for “Money Talk$” with David Mazouz.

PLOT

At the center of this 33-minute film is a $100 bill, passed hand-to-hand through a web of strangers.  My reaction: condense the number of strangers. There are too many of them for a 33-minute film. When you have access to young actors who are so experienced, it is probably tough to eliminate or pare down the parts. (Sounds a bit like government; easier to expand than to cut back.)

The log line is: “On the day of Reagan’s inauguration, a $100 bill travels through the underbelly of 1981 New York City.” We actually hear a snippet of Reagan, speaking on a television screen, saying, “Those that say we are in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look.” A close-up of Reagan’s face shows him delivering that line with a very grim countenance. I did think, immediately, of how President Reagan was a very different man than the current occupant of the White House—the one who hired Anthony Scaramucci, Sr., to be his Communications Director from July 21 to July 31 of 2017. Finding heroes in government today is nearly impossible, but finding politicians who are profiting from their position in office is pretty easy and downright depressing. Since money is a big theme of “Money Talk$,” that observation is relevant (and needs repeating).

THEME

“Money Talk$” examines the impact of money and how it reveals character. Young Tony Mucci’s father (Anthony Scaramucci Sr.) had this to say about money ( New York magazine , January 23). “The thing I have learned about these people in Washington is they have no money. So what happens when they have no fucking money is they write about what seat they are in and what the title is. Fucking congressmen act like that. They are fucking jackasses.”

Tony Mucci’s (Anthony Scaramucci, Jr.’s) take on money, as scripted in this 33 minute short is this: “Nothing reveals one’s true character quite like money.” The script adds, “When you are good to others, you are best to yourself.” Young Tony plays the cashier in one small scene involving 8-year-old Benjy (Jaxon Grundleger) buying toys of the era. The stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold (Natalie Shinnick) reveals her good-heartedness. Another encounter shows a cold-hearted opportunist taking advantage of a wounded war veteran.

THE GOOD

Ethan Cutkosky. (Photo by John Salangsang/Habitat For Humanity/Shutterstock (12842302v)
Ethan Cutkosky
Los Angeles Builders Ball, Arrivals, California, USA – 09 Mar 2022)

Music

The music is great, beginning with the title track and also in the scene set in a stripper bar. The original score was composed by Andrew Luce with sound design by Thomas Jovon Nielsen; the music is top-notch, which speaks to the director’s previous work. There are multiple musical artists involved. One character, Ethan Cutkosky,  Carl Gallagher on “Shameless” for 10 years and 134 episodes, is now into music, as well as acting. So, music: A+.

Cinematography

The moody lighting in alley sequences, with smoke filling the frame, as well as the instances when a camera shot was looking up (kudos to cinematographer Cory Burmeister) were excellent and interesting choices. One such shot is of 8-year-old Benjy (Jaxon Grundleger) purchasing toys of the era in Tony’s Toy Store. Another such camera vantage point  was to have Iris lying on her back onstage, looking up at an admirer. Then there was the $100 bill that ties the entire short together, tucked into Iris’ s bosom as she leaves the stage—also a good choice.

So, music and sound: good. Cinematography: good. How about the story?

THEME

The idea of a $100 bill that moves through the city and joins disparate elements in 1981 New York City was a good one. Back when phone booths were a thing (remember phone booths?), I once had the idea for a screenplay that would use a phone booth as the unifier in a plot joining diverse characters. The $100 bill that initially flies out the window of a moving cab is the creative unifying device. There were too many people to substantially develop any of them satisfactorily in such a short time. Some—like Francesca Scorsese’s opening sequence where she is the first to lose the bill–seem gratuitous and shoe-horned in. (Francesca, billed as “damsel in distress” is dressed in a luxurious white mink coat and ornate jewelry, so why the cabbie would think she wouldn’t be able to pay him once they reached the destination puzzled me. Francesca’s initial appearance as the individual who loses the bill out the window was one of the weakest of the many included in the 33-minute video.)

This film won the Producer award at 2025’s HollyShorts Film Festival for David Mazouz, Tony Mucci, Scott Aharoni and Bryan Schmier. It’s easy to see why the producers were lauded when you see the quality of the cast assembled.

CAST

Zolee Griggs.

The film features an outstanding ensemble cast, including David Mazouz (Gotham), Zolee Griggs (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Ethan Cutkosky (Shameless), Fredro Starr D.C. (The Wire), Francesca Scorsese (We Are Who We Are), Bo Dietl (Goodfellas), George Denoto (The Last Airbender), Golden Landis Von Jones (rapper/singer 24kGoldn), Swoosh God (rapper), Sean Pertwee (Gotham), Tyler Senerchia AKA “Hook” (professional wrestler), Natalie Shinnick (The Brutalist), Claudia Robinson (Severance), Alexander Khait (Sneaky Pete), and Jaxon Cain (Broadway). It’s sort of a “Who’s Who” of shorts participation. Most shorts are lucky to get one big name star involved; this one may have too many for the short time span.

Tony Mucci serves as the film’s director, writer, producer, and lead actor (cashier scene).  David Mazouz is also a co-writer and producer. A Stanford University graduate, Mazouz has worked in development at Disney and is best known for his role as young Bruce Wayne in Gotham.

The film also boasts the involvement of Scott Aharoni, an award-winning producer and director whose films have screened at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and beyond. One of his short films was shortlisted for Best Live Action Short at the 94th Academy Awards. His most recent feature, starring Steve Buscemi, John Magaro, and Britt Lower, won the Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and is now available on Apple TV and Amazon

THE BAD

From the first shots of the “damsel in distress” (Francesca Scorsese) losing the $100 bill out the window of a cab  the phrase “Nepo baby” surfaced. There are so many well-known names and experienced actors in this one, that I can’t think of any other 33-minute short that had this kind of star power for a first-time shorts director.  I immediately recognized Ethan Cutkosky from “Shameless,” who played Karl Gallagher  (the young troublemaker). Cutkosky was just the beginning of a bevy of accomplished and experienced young actors.  It’s an embarrassment of riches. Famous family names and all of the participants are pros, either as actors or as musicians. I found photos of many of the cast, but the only photo of Anthony (Tony) Mucci, (wearing a jacket labeled Louis Vuitton) was not able to be copied. (Yes, he resembles his father,)

CONCLUSION

Actors are only as good as their scripted material. If there isn’t compelling conflict and intensity and an absorbing story on the page, it won’t show up onscreen. You can have a gorgeously photographed film with great music that simply fails to engage. The number of encounters in “Money Talk$” needed to be pared down. Some of the encounters worked; some did not.

For me, while all of the actors acted with confidence, the story wasn’t as compelling as the cinematography, music, set direction, or the expert grounding in the  toys and cultural touchstones of 1981. A good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The weakest thing about this project, for me, was the flimsy somewhat bloated and meandering story-line. After a great opening that grabs you via the music, “Money Talk$” is a stylish, polished 33 minute short that showcases style over substance.

As a directing debut for Tony Mucci after his earlier work in music videos, it was a great start. He’s not the only director to get his start doing music videos. Last year’s “Dream Scenario” (Nicolas Cage), one of the most creative films of 2023, was directed by a Norwegian director, Kristoffer Borgli, who began by directing skateboard and music videos and commercials. Shorts are where most great directors  begin. This short shows great promise. Pair Tony Mucci with a writer as accomplished as his cast  and  he will not disappoint. I get the feeling that he will be working on features soon.

“Dead of Winter” Stars Emma Thompson in A Winning Thriller

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On September 28, 2025

In Movies, Reviews

 

Emma Thompson has a new movie out, “Dead of Winter” that is a thriller  and showcases her considerable talent. Irish director Brian Kirk directed Chadwick Boseman in “21 Bridges” previously and has done an equally good job with this story of a grieving widow (Emma Thompson) who travels to a remote lake in northern Minnesota (Lake Hilda) to scatter her dead husband’s ashes and stumbles into a kidnapping.

LOCATION

Thompson is shown driving through snowy forested lands that are really Finland, but supposed to be northern Minnesota. I grew up not far from Minnesota (northern Iowa) and, to me, it did not resemble the Minnesota areas I have visited. I was just in the Twin Cities for a friend’s birthday, in fact. But nevermind that small complaint. It’s cold and appropriately snowy. Finland, Germany and Belgium collaborated on this one, with an Irish director and another Irish co-star, Brian F. O’Byrne, who recently portrayed a priest in “Conclave.”

JUDY GREER

The villain of the piece (lady in purple) is played by Judy Greer, who was the wife in actor Michael Shannon’s directorial debut in 2023, “Eric LaRue,” which I saw in Chicago at the Chicago International Film Festival. Greer gets to play a true psycho in this one. She and her doormat husband (Marc Menchaca) have kidnapped a young girl (Laurel Marsden)  and have her chained up in the basement.

Thompson stumbles upon the chained  girl after asking for directions to the hard-to-find lake. When she discovers the girl in the basement, she writes a message on the basement window vowing not to leave Leah (the captive) unrescued. One might ask why Barb doesn’t erase the message written in the condensation on the basement window, so as to avoid detection, but she did also leave footprints, so perhaps it would not have mattered. It does seem like a very amateur mistake from the determined Barb, who is so innovative that Judy Greer’s character even says to her, “You’re a clever bitch, aren’t you?” No giving away the truly creative ways she struggles to free the young girl, nor will I reveal why the couple has kidnapped her in the first place.

FLASHBACKS

Throughout the story there are flashbacks to young Barb Sorenson on her first date with young Karl at the very same Lake Hilda that she is now revisiting to ice fish, (she says, when asked). Gaia Wise and Cuan Hasty-Blaney play young Barb and young Karl in  polaroid photos that go back to 1982, when Barb and Karl had their very first date ice-fishing at Lake Hilda.  The single tear that rolls down Barb’s cheek as she looks at the old photo is perfection.

MORAL

Barb’s lesson for life was similar to that of famed basketball coach Jimmy Valvano. As Wikipedia reminded me, “Valvano is remembered for an inspirational and memorable speech delivered at the 1993 ESPY Awards while terminally ill with cancer. Valvano implored the audience to laugh, think, and cry each day and announced the formation of The V Foundation for Cancer Research whose motto would be “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up“.[6] He gave the speech less than two months before his death from adenocarcinoma at age 47. The ESPY Awards now include the Jimmy V Award named in his honor.”

In this film, the screenplay by writers Nicholas Jacobson-Larson and Dalto Leeb has Barb telling the young Leah, whom Barb is determined to rescue, “We don’t know what’s coming. We never really do, but we don’t quit.” And that sums up the moral of this one.

CONCLUSION

The film is well-paced and a great thriller with a wonderful performance from the always reliable Emma Thompson. At 98 minutes, it was a real delight. The plot takes a little while to kick in, but when it does, expect an exciting story that won’t disappoint. “Dead of Winter” opened in theaters on Saturday, September 27th.

“Kiss of the Spider Woman” Closes 56th Nashville Film Festival on 9/24/2025

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On September 25, 2025

In Movies, Music, Reviews

Writer/Director Bill Condon (“Dreamgirls”), who wrote and directed the closing film of the 56th Nashville Film Festival, “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” told interviewer Jeremy Smith (Slashfilm.com) that without Jennifer Lopez, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” would not have gotten made. His exact words, “Jennifer Lopez is the reason this movie got made. There’s only one person who could play this diva. We don’t have that many divas. I can count them on one hand. And then how many of them are great dancers, singers and Latin? I think there’s only one. She handed our producer the Golden Globe for ‘Dreamgirls,’ and I met her that night in 2006. She was talking about how much she wanted to make musicals. So, I just had this faith that this would speak to her.”

TONATIUH, RISING STAR

Tonatiuh with his Rising Star award

Tonatiuh, at the 56th Nashville Film Festival with the first-ever Rising Star Award on September 24, 2025.

However, the true star of this remake is a newcomer named Tonatiuh, who portrayed the main queer character Luis Molina. He was very good in this overlong (128 minutes) throwback movie. While I kept asking myself, “Who thought it was a good idea to remake this movie at this time in history?” I can heartily endorse Tonatiuh’s performance. I was impressed with his poise, both in acting sensitively in a difficult role, but also dancing and singing with an old pro like Jennifer Lopez. No age is given for Tonatiuh in his IMDB biography, but it only lists film roles back to 2018 while saying that he is also known as Tonatiuh Elizarraraz.

PLOT

This oft-remade film is based on the stage musical  (Terrence McNally) and book by Manuel Puig. The log line for the plot reads as follows: “Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, convicted for public indecency. An unlikely bond forms as Molina recounts a Hollywood musical plot starring Ingrid Luna.” Back in 1985 the log line was quite close:  “Luis Molina and Valentin Arregui are cell mates in a South American prison. Luis, a trans individual, is found guilty of immoral behavior and Valentin is a political prisoner. To escape reality Luis invents romantic movies, while Valentin tries to keep his mind on the situation he’s in. During the time they spend together, the two men come to understand and respect one another.

LOCATION

The actual filming within the prison set took place in Uganda, but the book’s setting is Argentina during a period of revolution and unrest ( Brazil in one previous version). Molina is supposed to gain Valentin’s confidence, since Valentin is a member of the resistance, and report to the warden about what he learns. Molina attempts to  get close to Valentin by sharing his love of musicals, in particular a “B” level actress known as Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez), whose role as the Spider Woman (whose kiss can kill) has totally engrossed Molina and will soon also engage Valentin. It’s escapism in prison, pure and simple.

Supposedly Bill Condon wanted to make this film for 10 years, but Chita Rivera, who played the lead on Broadway at the age of 60, was dead and Condon needed an actress who could sing, dance, act and was Hispanic, which led, quite naturally to Jennifer Lopez.  

HISTORY

The 1985 film of the same name was up for Best Picture (losing to Sydney Pollack’s “Out of Africa) and won William Hurt the Best Actor Oscar that year.  Co-stars were Raul Julia and Sonia Braga.  This seems to be one of those films, like “A Star Is Born,” that  is made and remade, over and over. I could provide more details about which of the iterations was more musical, and which emphasized  drama, but let’s just admit that this project might have come out at precisely the worst time in history. It’s the advice that authors are given: know your audience. Or, if a public speaker, “Read the room.”

We’ve had our Obama eight years with acceptance of gay marriage and progress on many fronts that matter to me. Conservatives now dismiss diversity, equality and inclusion as “woke” and are turning the clock back to decades that Trump prefers. Even tariffs were the big bright idea of DJT’s era.

Now, in 2025, if female, we’ve lost the right to make decisions about our own bodies in some states and many say gay marriage is next on the Conservative hit list. Our Secretary of Defense (errr, War) belongs to/supports a church that wants to take the vote away from women. “So, okay, kids! Let’s put on a show in the barn (intentionally dating myself with Mickey Rooney references here) and embrace homosexuality at a time when J.D. Vance is Vice President in Charge of Keeping Women Barefoot and Pregnant  to drive up the U.S. birth rate.” Let’s not forget DOGE /ICE while we’re pondering the current situation in the U.S. Don’t get me started on the kakistocracy in charge of things right now and how our health, wealth and welfare are about to be negatively affected, to the point of potentially losing our democracy entirely. Diversity, inclusion, equality? Going, going, gone?

TODAY’S CLIMATE

Tonatiuh at the closing night film of the Nashville Film Festival 2025 ("Kiss of the Spider Woman").

Tonatiuh at the closing night of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” on September 24, 2025, at the Nashville Film Festival.

I’m not sure any musical, in this day and age, would be a hit with audiences. The acting (and singing and dancing) by Tonatiuh and Lopez was top notch. But the entire project seems like movies I remember sitting through back when they were hot stuff, wondering how much longer the lengthy dance number was going to go on. I’m not the audience for Big Budget Musicals with Huge Casts. I loved “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “West Side Story” (both versions). The list gets much shorter after that, no matter how proficient the dancing and singing. My sincere admiration to the two leads for giving it their all. And there is recognition that “Wicked” may well prove me wrong on how positively today’s audiences will accept some big budget musicals—as long as the plot doesn’t stray too far from the current climate of the country. Since this thing looks like it cost a bundle, I hope it does find its audience, and I’m glad that casting found Tonatiuh.

JENNIFER LOPEZ

I looked up at Jennifer Lopez’s gigantic unlined face on the big movie screen: blonde hair, ridiculously fake eyelashes, working herself into a small grease stain. I marveled that she was still up there  hoofing her heart out with multiple male dancers’  while  singing Fred Ebbs lyrics like “I do miracles; there are miracles in me” or “All men kiss me and you will, too.”  What an unhappy confluence of tabloid fodder (Bennifer 2.0) with  musical material! Somebody behind me (male) laughed at a moment that was not meant to be comic. I haven’t been as uncomfortable with a big budget blow-out since watching Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Adam Driver in “The Last Duel,” a Ridley Scott rout.  Lopez is remarkable for a 56-year-old dancer/singer/star still hanging in there. She has my honest admiration for continuing to keep on keeping on!

CULTURAL MOMENT

We, as a nation, are involved in a Russia-like assault on anyone the least bit different. Homosexuality is not acceptable in Russia (and many other countries  DJT visits to pick up the gifted jet). It was illegal in England and Wales until 1967 and until 1981 and 1982 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The interviewer this night phrased it more delicately as “the broader cultural moment of masculinity.”  Is this a movie that  MAGA hordes will embrace? (I felt the same misgivings about “On Swift Horses” at SXSW). Should the rest of we “live and let live” people embrace the film, simply as a protest move, similar to canceling Disney to protest the assault on  First Amendment rights vis-a-vis Jimmy Kimmel? (A return to late night, by the way, which was NOT carried here in Nashville on the local television station on 9/24. Seventy stations owned by Nexstar and Sinclair are still not carrying Kimmel because of pressure from the top and misrepresentation of the real reasons for the latest assaults against Freedom of Speech.)

DIEGO LUNA

As for Diego Luna (the buzz is that the filmmakers would like to see Luna considered for Best Supporting Actor), Luna, musically-speaking, was in over his head. He’s a good actor with a loyal fan base, but singing and dancing (while wearing a pencil-thin mustache)? No. Just no. Ten years Lopez’s junior there was one scene where he is reclined, supine, on a rock and Lopez sings a song that seemed to go on forever. (It also took a very long time for Tonatiuh to die at film’s end, but that’s another edit that someone could/should have made.)

Q&A

In the Q&A following the film on Wednesday, September 24, at the closing of the Nashville Film Festival, Tonatiuh shared with the audience that he had just completed a film with Jason Bateman (“Carry-On”) where he weighed 190 pounds. Then he received word that he had gotten the role (December of 2023). He got down to 143 pounds in 40 or 50 days to play the role, losing 47 pounds. Since Tonatiuh was going to be working with Lopez, a true diva,  the pressure was on. Filming continued in 2024  shooting at a pace that he described as being “more than a tellanovella.” All of Jennifer Lopez’s numbers were shot in New York first. The film’s plot was shot in sequence, so the first time Valentin and Molina met each other was also the first time Tonatiuh met Diego Luna. The cinematographer, Tobias Schliessler, employed proscenium style shooting used in the days of big budget musicals, with boom microphones. Tonatiuh described the vocalizing this way: “Half the gig is lip-synching and the other half is in-the-moment singing.” He added, “I never thought that I could do it. I really just wanted to dive in.”

Tonatiuh also had the necessary beauty of features to pull off the part, especially near the end of the 128 minute film, when he is moving more fully from male to female in both demeanor and costuming. The film is a tribute to acceptance. As Tonatiuh said, “You know a gay guy directed it.” He also commented on how audiences in Europe responded differently than in the U.S. Asked about a message he hoped people would take away, Tonatiuh said, “Be who you want to be and anybody who tells you anything else is an idiot.” The moderator asked  a question that went this way, “As a queer person, who are your Ingrids?” After mentioning Mama Rose in “Gypsy” Tonatiuh added, “People are always asking me to change my face or name to make it easy for them.”

CONCLUSIONS

The word is out that a big-budget campaign for awards will be following the film’s October 10th release. Some feel that Lopez was slighted in 2019, when she was ignored for “Hustlers,” so that could  work in her favor. She definitely turned herself inside-out for this role. Watching her lengthy dance numbers at the age of 56, her effort is definitely over-the-top and Tonatiuh is a real find. Unlike 1985, when Raul Julia and William Hurt went against one another in the Best Actor category, this time Tomatiuh will be aimed at Best Actor and Diego Luna at Best Supporting Actor.

While admitting that the two leads are all in on this one and “nominatable,” I’ll steal a scripted line from the film to convey my own reservations about aiming for Oscars (and Golden Globes) for Best Picture: “Oh, Lord, take me now.”

 

 

 

56th Nashville Film Festival Closing Night Tonight

By

On September 24, 2025

In Editorial, Movies, News, Pop Culture, travel

“Man on the Run” is a terrific documentary about Paul McCartney’s caarer and life, post Beatles.

Here in Nashville, we could not get the Jimmy Kimmel Show last night (Tuesday, September 23). It was one of the states where station owners refused to carry the program. Very sorry that we were bombarded, instead, with a boring montage of Tennessee historic footage. Couldn’t find Kimmel on my computer, either. Spent most of the night looking for it on various services, to no avail.

We came home from an audience award winning documentary about hunting for pythons in Florida, “The Python Hunt,” excited to see Glen Powell (‘Twisters 2″) as a guest on Jimmy’s return to the air waves. No dice. We were able to see some of the opening monologue and a bit of Glen Powell’s appearance on YouTube today, a day late, but Kimmel’s free speech was curbed and for no good reason. Nothing he said was that inflammatory.  This is clearly a case of a wannabe dictator moving the levers of power to become that dictator . It is exactly what Putin did in Russia, limned for us in 2 classes at the University of Texas in Austin during OLLIE classes last year.

Furthermore, DJT is talking about trying a second shake-down of Disney, after a $16 million cave when he threw his presidential weight around last time. How can we stop this? Why isn’t more being done to return our country to a constitutional democracy that guarantees life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and grants us 1st Amendment freedoms that are the envy of the rest of the world? I feel sad today about the new administration’s emphasis on revenge, retribution and hanging onto power by any means necessary. It’s unseemly and illegal and absolutely not the vision the Founding Fathers had for our country. I’m embarrassed by Trump and his remarks at the U.N. yesterday show that there is something very wrong happening, and we need to stop it and restore whatever we can of our dignity and status in the world.

Also, apparently there is some sort of anti-gay or anti-drag movement here in Tennessee (and nationwide) being proposed, much like Russia. One of the movies we saw, “Magic Hour,” had four drag queens making an appearance, including one who recently won an Emmy for make-up and goes by the name of Lusious Massacr.

The celebrity speaker about making indie movies, Jay Duplass of the Duplass Brothers (Mark appears on “The Morning Show” and won the supporting actor Emmy for his role), was in town, so I had high hopes that he would stop by the Q&A for his sister-in-law’s movie, “Magic Hour,” but that didn’t happen.

I did sit through the movie and am working up Director Katie Aselton’s remarks on the changing nature of indie film-making in a streaming world. The same might be said of the publishing world, which has changed substantially since my first book came out about 13 years ago. (Not counting the publication of “Training the Teacher As A Champion” by Performance Learning Systems, Inc,, some years earlier, their company Bible.) Very recently, I had an SEO expert tell me that A.I, would put all bloggers out of business, so there’s that to consider, also, and one reason I try to work in a personal detail or two that only a human would know or have.

I continue to inject an opinion that obviously came from a human, just to make sure that the bots don’t take over the world, so be prepared.

Closing night film, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” at the Belcourt Theater tonight. Jennifer Lopez is in it, but is not here tonight. Nicole Kidman spoke on Sunday, but that got past me, as it sold out in less than a day and I did not get the notice (of Aug. 29) until Aug. 31st. I’ve not seen a thing about her remarks.

One cast member is supposed to appear tonight. Maybe I’ll make an After Party tonight, my first.

 

“Boundary Waters” Is Outstanding Debut Feature at 56th Nashville Film Festival

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On September 22, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

Boundary Waters,” directed by Tessa Blake and written and directed by Blake (in collaboration with Jennifer Manocherian), is a coming-of-age drama set in the Iron Range of Minnesota. The film contained outstanding cinematography of the geographic area. Carlo Rinaldi was the cinematographer, but nature shots from a museum in Ely, Minnesota, were donated to the production by the Museum and  added immeasurably to the film. The music was composed by Valentin Hadjdaj.

PLOT

Young Michael is coming of age in northern Minnesota. He is learning that there is a right way and a wrong way to become a good man in society. What we at first think is a story about domestic abuse turns out to be a story about a rapist on the loose—although it is told from the point-of-view of the young son of a victim. Says the log line: “Suspenseful, tender and rapturous, Boundary Waters is a lyrical coming of age drama that immerses in its young characters as they navigate a very adult world. Set in the Iron Range of northern Minnesota, Michael Murray relishes in the carefree joys of early adolescence – girls and friends – until his mom has a black eye and a busted lip, but won’t talk about it. Michael is desperate to know what happened, but his father Brian avoids him, Granny shushes him, and his usually resilient mother can’t get out of bed. While his family weighs the cost of keeping secrets against the price of telling the truth, Michael is determined to unravel the mystery of his hurt mother and his evasive father.”

CAST

At the age of twelve, young Michael (Etienne Kellici)is just navigating how to relate to the opposite sex. He has a close teen-aged Black female friend Alice (Kennedi Butler)and a couple of male buddies, including Ralph (who reminded of Pottsie on “Happy Days”). Allison Miller is Rosemary, Michael’s mom. Miller played Maggie Bloom on the TV series “A Million Little Things” from 2018 to 2023 (87 episodes). The mother/son duo—both extremely attractive people—looked alike, especially their mesmerizing eyes. Michael’s father Brian was portrayed by Bill Heck. Heck is known for his role as a younger version of Jeff Bridges in “The Old Man” and for his role as Billy Knapp in the Coen Brothers 2018 film “The Ballad of Lester Scruggs.” Playing Granny was Carol Kane of “Taxi.”

ETIENNE KELLICI

Etienne Kellici in “Boundary Waters” at the 56th Nashville Film Festival.

Etienne Kellici started acting at the young age of 6. A rising star, he has already had the opportunity to work with Adam Brody in “Ready or Not,” Viggo Mortenson in his directorial debut “Falling” (Sundance, 2020); “Book of Blood” for Hulu;  another Tessa Blake-directed upcoming film, “Athens”; and in Kevin Costner’s “Horizon.” Kellici will appear in “You Gotta’ Believe” with Greg Kinnear and Luke Wilson for director Ty Roberts.

In the television world, Etienne had a recurring role on Canada’s longest running show “Murdoch Mysteries” for CBC; can be seen in a recurring role on the second season of “Departure” for Shaftesbury Films; and was in “October Faction” (Netflix) and the CBS series “The Republic of Sarah.” He recently completed  two-episodes on the period political thriller “Fellow Travelers.” Etienne can also be heard as the animated voice of Charlie Brown in “The Snoopy Show” and two “Snoopy Presents” television specials. Young Etienne seems like he has a very bright future in film. I couldn’t help but wonder how tall he is now, at age 15, since the IMDB listing (which may well have been outdated) said 5′ 4.”

THE BAD: SPOILER ALERT

Producer of “Boundary Waters” Erin Mae Miller in Nashville during the Q&A on September 21, 2025.

With that dynamite experienced  cast and gorgeous cinematography, this is a great debut feature film.  I  have a few thoughts about the plot that might give too much away if you are planning on taking it in when it is retitled (probably “If I Tell”, in a partnership with RAINN, Rape Abuse Incest National Network).  [Producer Erin Mae Miller, who appeared at a Q&A after the film, shared the news of the probable re-titling and partnership with RAINN for  the movie.]

  1.  When, exactly, is the film set? What year? Is Spin-the-Bottle even a thing in 2025? What about cell phones and social media, whether TikTok or Instagram? This may be my error, but I taught twelve and thirteen-year-old students for 18 years. I’m not sure that I was tracking perfectly on exactly when this story occurred. If it is present-day, the depiction of students the way they were when I taught junior high school (ending in 1985) is accurate; if this is present-day, not so much; I have teen-aged granddaughters.
  2. Why does Michael get up at the talent competition and specifically read something he has written about heroes who are brave enough to speak out, knowing that his mother is not going to take it well and it may force the hidden assault out into the open, with potential blame to be placed on his mother. Michael declares his mother his hero because of her work at a hospital, but I have to ask: was Michael  trying to flush out this belated confession or was it coincidental?
  3. What’s with the unfollowed red herrings? Alice’s father’s romantic pursuit beyond the woman about to give birth to his second child is mentioned (we see him nuzzling someone under-age) and then never pursued again. Likewise, the girl that Michael seems to find attractive, (seen swinging), is barely seen again, even during the Spin-the-Bottle sequence. It is Michael’s friend Alice to whom he appears to be growing closer.
  4. Does the new mother rape victim mean it when she tells Rosemary she, too, would have preferred not reporting her assault? After watching a documentary about rape victims in Austin still trying to get justice, this is understandable. Even those who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, national/international news for deplorable actions against women, are still seeking justice.
  5. Spelling out the cigarette butt’s significance in catching the perpetrator would have been a good idea. Just finding a different brand of cigarette butt  does not seem like enough of an evidentiary breakthrough to lead to the somewhat sudden apprehension of a/the criminal. I understand the desire not to give the criminal any publicity or prominence. But not giving the audience any explanation at all about who did what to whom made the narrative feel incomplete.

CONCLUSION

This was an impressive debut feature film from Tessa Blake, although she already has an impressive resume. She was one of eight women for AFI’s prestigious Directing Workshop for Women. Her films have premiered at Cannes, Woodstock and SXSW, and won awards at Nantucket Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. With a cast this accomplished and an important film message, I’ll be watching for her future releases with anticipation.

“John Candy: I Like Me” Is Immensely Enjoyable at 56th Nashville Film Festival

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On September 21, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

John Candy: I Like Me, a documentary film about Candy’s life and career, was directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds. It premiered on September 4, 2025, as the opening film of the Toronto International Film Festival. The documentary screened at the 56th Nashville Film Festival on Saturday, September 20, 2025. It will premiere on Amazon Prime on October 10th.

CAST

The cast of talking heads includes Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Dan Akroyd, Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Conan O’Brien, Rick Moranis, Macauley Culkin and others.  The footage of Candy at home and in movies is impressive. Much of the home movie footage is previously unseen. The editors (Shane Reid and Darrin Roberts) did an excellent job of selecting some of the best clips from Candy’s over 30 films.

CANDY IN 1955

John Candy was born October 31, 1950. On his fifth birthday in 1955 (October 31st), his father died from heart disease at only 35 years of age. The oft-repeated theme of the documentary is that, from that point on, his son John felt tremendous pressure to be “the man” of the family. He never really got over his father’s death at such a young age and the family’s refusal to really discuss  it did not help. In his own life, many felt that he created for himself the father he had always missed, providing a paternal, caring figure for others as diverse as Macauley Culkin, who worked with him in “Uncle Buck,” and other co-stars, who constantly comment on how he was always caring for others.

HEART DISEASE

John Candy in 1993. (Photo by Mike F. Campbell at Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada).

Heart disease seemed to be a prevailing family nemesis. John struggled with his weight throughout his life, always with the shadow of his dad’s early death in the back of his mind. Obesity, smoking, drinking, stress and anxiety: all are known dangers for those with heart disease. There is one interview with David Letterman excerpted in the film where the comedian tells Letterman that he has just returned from losing 70 pounds (from his 341-pound frame) at a Pritiken Diet camp. Despite the knowledge of his father’s early death and his own tendency to cope with his insecurities by eating his feelings and drinking his doubts, he periodically hired a nutritionist and had a trainer. (*I couldn’t help but wonder if the miracle weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic might have given John Candy more than 43 years on the planet.)

When he died, on March 4, 1994, Candy was directing a movie in remote Durango, Mexico. He had also been experiencing some symptoms of heart disease, but chose to remain silent for fear of becoming uninsurable on movie sets. He had also just suffered a major betrayal by one of the three men, Bruce McNall, who bought into the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League with Candy and Wayne Gretzky.

ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE JOHN CANDY

Every speaker on this documentary had nothing but praise for Candy as a performer and as a human being. Time and time again speakers mentioned Candy’s vulnerability, his sweetness, his smile, his caring, his concern, his expansive, joyous voraciousness. Bill Murray remembered how he and Candy were paired in improv early on in their careers because, “Nobody else wanted to work with us, because we didn’t know what we were doing.” Several of the celebrity friends said, “He was a kid. He was a child.” His wife, Rose, agreed and also attested to his sporadic attempts to get his weight under control, mentioning that she spoke with him about his increasing girth when she had to buy 5X shirts. But John did not want to hear what he knew he would hear, which would keep him from eating, drinking, smoking and other  unhealthy habits  which were his  coping mechanisms.

MEMORABLE STORY & SCENE

In showing the famous scene from “Splash” with Tom Hanks, Candy’s 1987 breakthrough movie, where he is playing racquetball and says his heart is “beating like a rabbit”—one of the truly funniest bits of all—Hanks recounted how, by sheer coincidence, the night before the two were to shoot that scene, which involved actually playing  racquetball, Jack Nicholson took Candy out on the town. The two did more drinking than advisable the night before a major scene was to be shot. Hanks recalled how Candy—a consummate actor—used his utter exhaustion (he had only had an hour and a half of sleep) to his benefit.

Another such scene that speaks to Candy’s command of his craft is the “Planes, Trains, & Automobiles” exchange where Steve Martin spends a good five minutes insulting Candy’s character. The close-up on Candy’s reaction depicts a human being who has been completely  hurt. His response to Martin’s verbal berating is used again at the film’s end, to depict this well-loved Everyman as he  was in life: the real deal (“What you see is what you get.”)

REVELATIONS

McCauley Culkin’s remarks in the film about what a monster his own father was made big news at the Toronto Film Festival. Culkin made three movies with Candy and credited him with giving child performers “respect.” Considering that Culkin was only 8 years old at the time, his scenes with John Candy attest to their good working relationship.

I couldn’t help but think that Culkins’ very anxiety-producing testimony may say more about the dangers of being a child star in Hollywood with a questionable parental figure than about his relationship with Uncle Buck, the character that John Hughes wrote for Candy to play. Culkin’s verdict on stardom in Hollywood was that, growing up a child star in Hollywood, you would either end up “crazy, an asshole, or dead.” He did not come off  as a  relaxed human being in the brief interview appearance. Watching him praise Candy as a co-star who cared made me extremely nervous for Macauley Culkin’s current well-being. Culkin made the perceptive point  that John Hughes made nine films with John Candy and the two were great and good friends in life, including vacationing together.

Hughes, who died in 2009 (and the now deceased Harold Ramis) are shown talking about Candy’s talent. It is quite clear that the two Johns—Candy and Hughes—had a mutual admiration society Macauley Caulkin’s opinion that Hughes should be associated with John Candy more than with Molly Ringwald is insightful. Hughes, himself, credited Candy with giving his scripts their last look; Candy’s final blessing was the most important one to Hughes.

CONCLUSION

With Colin Hanks at the Chicago Film Festival.

 

I met Colin Hanks in Chicago in 2008 when he was in a film based on the life of Kreskin, the Magician, entitled “The Great Buck Howard.” https://www.weeklywilson.com/colin-hanks-qa-the-great-buck-howard-on-oct-27-at-the-chicago-film-festival/

The question was asked of the Q&A audience whether or not anyone in the room had ever seen Kreskin, the Magician’s act, since Buck Howard was loosely based on Kreskin. I not only had seen Kreskin’s act, I once had dinner with Kreskin in New York, because he was a friend of a friend.  My volunteering this bit of trivia led to a fairly lengthy conversation with Colin Hanks (see above) about the film and his role in it.

It is great to see Colin Hanks now directing (this is his sixth film) and doing it so well. In the photo taken that night, 17 years ago, I look like I might be his Mom. He was so nice to me and so kind, much like John Candy.  I am delighted that this film was so good.

Amazon Prime audiences will love it!

“Breaking Bad” Meets “Ozark” in “Never Get Busted” at the 56th Nashville Film Festival

By

On September 20, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

 

Never Get Busted! (2025), Barry Cooper

Never Get Busted (2025), Barry Cooper

Director and Screenwriter David Anthony Ngo and Producer/Writer Erin Williams-Weir appeared at the 56th Nashville Film Festival in support of their film, “Never Get Busted,” an Australian film about an American ex-narcotics officer, Barry Cooper. Also listed as director was Stephen McCallum for the 105 minute docu-drama that is described as “a rootin’ tootin’ bag  of weird s***” by Travis Boles (one of the many who pointed a camera in Barry Cooper’s direction during his rise and fall). It was the film’s Southeast Premiere.

THE BEGINNING

Cooper’s early career as Barry “Silvertooth” Cooper, a top-ranking drug-busting cop, gave way to turning against his former comrades-in-arms when he realized he was “the bully.” Cooper began embracing weed with the approval and participation of second wife Candi. Barry launched a second career releasing a series of YouTube videos and other instructional materials about how to better hide your drugs entitled “Never Get Busted.”

Barry Cooper began his journey as a gung ho cop who excelled at drug arrests in Texas. His parents, Ralph and Brenda Cooper, describe him during an interview as someone who, once he got hold of an idea or a goal, became obsessed with finishing what he started. What Barry vowed to do was to  become the best drug-busting officer in the state of Texas. To achieve that goal, he  sought out the very best officers in that field and apprenticed under them, making over 100 drug busts on a stretch of just 3 miles of highway. Barry even trained his own dog, Toby, to help him sniff out drugs, since professionally trained dogs command $5,000 that Barry didn’t have. Toby did so well under Barry’s training that he placed 13th out of 300 dogs in a trial drug-sniffing competition. [As someone who once sat through an FBI presentation at the NYC FBI offices about how these dogs are trained,—aimed at the writers of thriller novels— trust me, it is a rigorous and thorough process and would definitely require dedication, determination and diligence. FBI dogs are only allowed to be fed by their handlers; food is a motivational tool, not a treat.]

Barry’s skill with training dogs would lead him, eventually, to training rescue dogs in the jungles of the Philippines, a country he ultimately fled to after the Texas Rangers raided his home. This finale might be entitled “He fought the law and the law won.”

EUREKA MOMENT!

As for Barry’s original love of busting those with drugs, particularly dealers transporting marijuana, he had a Eureka moment after a particularly bad drug bust and gained compassion for the lives blasted by the trauma of a typical violent drug bust. Said Barry, “If they didn’t have the veneer of the law behind them, this would just be a bunch of guys with guns taking your shit.” He admits that some of the drug money often lying about during a drug bust might have found its way into his own pocket.

NEVER GET BUSTED

David Anthony Ngo and Erin Williams-Weir of Never Get Busted

Director/Producer David Anthony Ngo and Producer/Screenwriter Erin Williams-Weir at the 56th Nashville Film Festival.

Thus began a long saga of Barry attempting to gain redemption by making videos that would tell drug dealers how to avoid ever getting busted. Among his tips were some involving where to best hide the cannabis and others suggesting that having a cat or another live animal within your vehicle would deter drug-sniffing dogs. He even advised dealers to spray their tires with the various spray products meant to deter bears or raccoons.

MARRIAGE NUMBER ONE

Barry’s first marriage to a pretty blonde, which made him father to two little girls, crashed and burned when he changed sides. He had a nervous breakdown and took up with a woman named Candi, who would become his second wife. Candi convinced Barry to come live in “Candyland,” where marijuana was the plant of choice.

MARRIAGE TO CANDI

Soon Candi’s face was adorning red shirts for a TV show called Kop Busters, when Barry’s emphasis moved to trying to help seek the release from prison of a woman unjustly framed by the cops, whose heartbroken father financed Barry’s wild scheme to free his daughter, Yolanda Madden Smith, who had been framed by the cops and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

THE CHURCH OF WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

Before Yolanda’s case aroused Barry’s sense of outrage, he had a brief stint as a preacher. Three good old boys sitting  on church pews characterized Barry’s church as an R-rated  “nude church.” Disillusionment regarding spreading the Lord’s word was short-lived.  Barry definitely had his ministerial presentation down cold, including a crowd-pleasing Benson Boone carthwheel move when taking the stage.

Upon learning that his ministerial mentor in Barry’s R-rated church of choice had feet of clay and was pulling a con known as the “okie dokie,” the discovery drove Barry out of church work and into helping Yolanda’s father Raymond Madden, a Marine veteran who spent 7 years  in Vietnam. Raymond—whose motto is “The truth is always the truth”– was trying everything he could to prove that Yolanda’s conviction for transporting methamphetamines in his company truck was bogus.

THE STING

Erin Williams-Weir

Erin Williams-Weir of “Never Get Busted” at the 56th Nashville Film Festival.

Barry laid out a very ambitious plan for busting crooked cops, setting up a drug “trap” house and waiting for the offending crooked police to kick in the door. Initially, this turned out a bit like Geraldo Ravera’s opening of Al Capone’s vault. Nothing much happened. At one point Barry even attempted to run for Attorney General of Texas, which, given the current occupant of that position, Ken Paxton, would make him a superior choice for the office. But “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away” and the Powers-That-Be were moving against Barry, not at all pleased that he had betrayed them. You might recognize the pattern from the current occupant of the White House. Retribution and revenge become the name of the game for whoever is currently in power and the defense of the targets is bringing public condemnation down upon the bully. That is currently not working well at the national level, or, at least, not working any better than it did for Barry Cooper in Odessa, Texas, (or for comedians targeted by Putin in Russia, or comedians targeted by Trump in the United States.)

YOLANDA MADDEN-SMITH

The Kop-buster action with the staged drug house did bring public attention back to Yolanda Madden Smith’s unjust imprisonment, which eventually got her an evidentiary hearing in Midland, Texas, and a dismissal of the rest of her 8-year sentence (4 years). However, no official action was ever taken against the police who framed Yolanda. One particularly malevolent figure is former Barry buddy Joe Commander of the questionable Permian Drug Task Force, who consented to be interviewed, but caused the Australian filmmakers, (who had looked over all of the evidence that proved Yolanda was innocent) to declare Yolanda’s conviction as “an incredibly egregious injustice.”  Her case was “swept under the rug.”

Director David Anthony Ngo said that getting Joe Commander to participate might have been “flying a little too close to the flame.” Ngo confirmed that the police in Texas (Odessa) really did NOT like Barry revealing their trade secrets. Barry is still living in exile. He lost his livelihood, his wife, his kids, his belongings, and his country. The film is dedicated to second wife Candi and, although the audience asked, “What happened to Candi?” the film crew clammed up, saying that “Candi is in the series process.”

AUSTRALIA

The fact that it was a film crew from Australia that made this film (along with a bit of help from the Hole in the Wall gang of Austin,Tx), is but one of the mysteries of the entire project. The documentary had a gonzo filming style with loud musical accompaniment that held your interest and entertained. Barry Cooper is a real piece of work. He’s the kind of guy you suspect has some serious mental issues that would require years on a couch, but you can’t help but like him and be mesmerized by his out-there actions.

THE PHILIPPINES

 

According to the film this night, Barry is currently in hiding in the Philippines where he trains rescue dogs, although, in a separate post Barry described living 20 places in 4 years, including Venezuela and Brazil and detailed the fight to regain custody of Candi’s son, Zach, who was taken by the courts in Williamson County, Texas who accused the couple of teaching Zach distrust of authority.

TARGETED

Director/Producer David Anthony Ngo of "Never Get Busted" at the 56th Nashville Film Festival.

Director/Producer David Anthony Ngo of “Never Get Busted” at the 56th Nashville Film Festival.

After Barry betrayed his brothers in blue by revealing their trade secrets, he became the target of harassment. That precipitated his move to the Philippines, where he continues to check in with the filmmakers every six months or so over a 6 and ½ year period. Producer Erin Williams-Weir and Director David Anthony Ngo, with the help of editor Julian Hart, combed through over 350 hours of archival footage that Barry and others provided. It was cut as a 4-part series and a feature film. The process took three to four years. The continuation dealing with Candi’s story is an ongoing process. (Candi, then Barry’s ex-wife and one of his three wives, was murdered in Florida on August 4, 2017, by 51-year-old Billy Baker of Lindale, Florida).

SOUND

This film had an extremely loud and lively soundtrack, supervised by Duncan Cam. At film’s end in the theater the night of its Southeast premiere, there was some additional loud noise that assaulted the audience’s ears for a few seconds at film’s end. The entire documentary, based on extensive online postings by Barry Cooper, was described early in the film as “Breaking Bad/Ozark shit.” When one of Barry’s lawyers, Adam  Reposa, is listed as “attorney/weed dealer,” a description that sounds like it would be perfect for a second hire for the TV series lawyer Bob Odenkirk of “Better Call Saul,” Adam’s declaration (after being let out of handcuffs after being held in the back of a police car without cause) was, “F*** this effing batshit bull****. I am out of here.” Language was salty throughout. Be warned.

CONCLUSION

That Adam Reposa statement sums up the overall tone of this enjoyable and nearly unbelievable portrait of a true American original, Barry Cooper, defender of weed, righter of wrongs, random dude. More to come. Stay tuned.

THE CAST

  • Director:

David Anthony Ngo, Stephen Mccallum

  • Screenwriter:

David Anthony Ngo

  • Producer:

Erin Williams-Weir, Daniel Joyce, David Anthony Ngo

  • Executive Producer:

John Battsek, Chris Smith

  • Cast:

Barry Cooper

  • Cinematographer:

Samuel Broeren, David Gregan, Matthew Jenkins

  • Editor:

Julian Hart

  • Animator:

Luke Jurevicius

  • Production Design:

Bec Francis

  • Composer:

Simon Walbrook

Sound

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