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!

Category: Music Page 1 of 19

Connie plays 4 musical instruments and her daughter is a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville with a degree in Music Business and once worked for Taylor Swift. She may comment on concerts or reminisce on concerts of old.

Paul McCartney at the United Center (Chicago) on Nov. 24, 2025

By

On November 26, 2025

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

Paul McCartney at the United Center on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.

I just returned to Austin from Chicago. I traveled to the Windy City to see Paul McCartney in concert at the United Center on Monday, November 24, 2025. Chicago was the last stop on McCartney’s “Got Back” tour.

The place was packed and nobody left early. Paul came onstage about 8:20 p.m. and sang until 11:10 p.m. At no time during his performance did he leave the stage and turn it over to a sidekick, so that he could go offstage and take a break. He was on his feet and climbing the stairs to his piano (which malfunctioned at one point) and seemed very “with it.” He did not sit down while playing (like B.B. King did in his final years) and his endurance was just as impressive as Mick Jagger’s.

During the evening, he pointed out a gentleman who has seen him 142 times and came with a sign that said so. There was another guy with a sign that said “124.” Many signs proclaimed the crowd’s love for Paul and he seemed to return that warm sentiment.

I’ve now seen Paul McCartney five times. I’d love to post video of a few songs from the show, but I’m not sure how that can be accomplished without repercussions for me, so I am posting only a few still photos.

PAUL McCARTNEY & THE BEATLES, Aug. 31, 1965

 

First time was in 1965 at the San Francisco Cow Palace (afternoon concert). Security was one guy and waist-high chicken wire. (Ineffectual). It was my very first concert. Girl from Iowa climbs on back of a Czechoslovokian motorcycle driven by Philadelphia boyfriend Colgate (William Hopkins), cuts class at Berkeley in the summer of 1965 (Aug. 31), and says, “Let’s go up and see if we can get tickets.” And we could. They cost $7. It is my belief that they had been saved for the Beatles, themselves, to use for friends and family, but now it was showtime. We were in the 7th row on the aisle with folding chairs. There was one guy guarding the stage, which had waist-high chicken-wire. Someone ran onstage and took Ringo’s drumsticks and John’s hat, when they finally showed up, late. I thought we were all gonna’ die during the exiting part, when I was moving but my feet were not touching the floor. People stood on the folding chairs, causing them to go down like dominoes. It was pandemonium, with teenagers passing out left and right.

At the time, the film “Hard Day’s Night” had just been released. Shirley Bassey sang the theme from “Goldfinger” and Cannibal and the Headhunters did their thing (making a train dance on the floor.) The National Anthem was played by King Curtiss. The Astronauts from California were supposed to be part of the lead-in, but they did not show up. The tickets cost $7 apiece, I repeat, because to go from $7 to $800 is quite a big increase, as you will agree.

PAUL McCARTNEY, 2025

The tickets for us in section 302 way up high in the United Center on Nov, 24, 2025 (12 rows from the top) cost $800 apiece ($1600 total) on Monday night. People on the floor had paid $3,000. (Talk about inflation!)

The show began with Paul singing “Help” this night and the lyrics were so perfect for anyone aged 83. At no time did his demeanor, voice, or ability to move about show his age, which was wonderful for me, someone only slightly younger than he is. I did notice that many members of the audience were brandishing canes, but, thankfully, Paul was not, nor was I. I was also grateful that almost everybody stayed seated until the finale, so we could all see. A teenager on the end of the aisle in front of me kept standing up to dance, which pretty much totally obscured the video screens that allowed the far-away fans to see the faces of the band clearly.

Paul McCartney, Nov. 24, 2025.

I took so many videos of his many hits that my phone died, which turned out to be a real problem when both my daughter (who had flown in from Nashville for the show) and I used up all of our phone charge and had to try to call an Uber or Lyft to get home. We had taken a Lyft to get there, which cost $14. There is now a building–run by Uber apparently—that you go to and make these calls for Uber or Lyft drivers. Cabs are like land lines and impossible to find. That building was not there in 2015.

We finally had to go outside and we found a “pirate” Uber driver who quoted us a price of $50 to drive us back to Indiana Avenue’s South Loop. The daughter had already called and been given a $47 price and a 20 minute wait from the normal Uber network. We had no idea what the building name was and there was talk of going to your driver’s “lane.” I last went to a show at the United Center in 2015 (Queen with Adam Lambert). I have been to the United Center to try to see Caitlin Clark play, for my July 23rd birthday, but I have not ventured out for a musical performance there, although I did see the Eagles with Steely Dan in Austin and John Mulaney here on Nov. 14, 2025. There was also a night back in the Quad Cities with the Tennessee comic Nick Bugazzi (sp?) at the Mark of the Quad Cities. But, with Elton John, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, et. al. fading into retirement, there are few musical groups I would spend the time or money to see (although I’d make an exception for Benson Boone or Adele or Bruno Mars.) And I did go see the Dave Matthews Band on June 27th of this year at Northerly Isle Pavilion, so now I see concerts in both states. (Not as many United Center runs.)

PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS

The second time I saw Paul, my name was driven first in the state of Iowa for tickets at the Ames Hilton Colisseum football stadium in Ames, Iowa. Channel 6 anchor Paula Sands asked me if I could get her tickets for the July 31st show at the Ames Hilton Colisseum football field. I did, as I was allowed to purchase up to 8 tickets. That concert was Paul with wife Linda and Wings. Our tickets were in the 7th row from the front. I took my son and my college roommate and her daughter. July 18, 1990, is when Wikipedia says he played Ames, setting an Iowa record for concert attendance at the time. I’m not sure that is right, because that means that daughter Stacey was born, but only 3 years old. She attended with me on Monday night and she is now 38.

When I saw him at Wrigley Field on July 31, 2011, he was far away. It was his “On the Run” tour. The fourth time was at the Civic Center in Moline (the Mark of the Quad Cities,) on June 11, 2019. I know it was then called the Taxslayer Center, but  it will always be known as the Mark of the Quad Cities to me. That entire concert was ruined by a drunk girl who insisted on trying to claim a seat in our row when her ticket was far, far away. I missed the entire fire-filled finale of “Live and Let Die,” so I was glad that it was incorporated into this show again (but not as the finale.) At the Monday show there were 6 encores, which were much appreciated by the assembled fans.

ME, @ THE MARSHALL FIELDS WALNUT ROOM PRIOR TO THE SHOW

It was truly a great show. Maybe not as historical as that day I suggested we cut class and drive up from Berkeley via motorcycle in 1965 to see the Beatles, but close. I don’t know if I can post any of the videos. If anyone has any advice there, the only way I know how to do it is to upload it to YouTube, which has become very finicky about a 30 second clip being the intellectual property of the group and, therefore, not to be posted. They actually threatened me over a 30 second snippet of Bryan Adam’s Candle in the Wind tour or whatever it was called. (“Summer of ’69”). Definitely dimmed my Bryan Adams fan-ship.

I haven’t posted since, but that particular song (“Summer of ’69”) was available elsewhere on the web and I used one of him in much younger days.

Paul was soooooooooooooooooo much better!

“Deliver Me from Nowhere:” Jeremy Allen White As Bruce Springsteen

By

On November 4, 2025

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

The Jeremys have triumphed in “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” even if the movie isn’t burning up the charts. (So much for “I’m on Fire” and the frequent script references to burning the house down.)  This October was the worst October for theaters in 30 years. When “Deliver Me from Nowhere” begins streaming it should do well. Not really fair to compare the 2024 Bob Dylan bio-pic “A Complete Unknown” (or  2019’s”Rocketman” or 2018’s”Bohemian Rhapsody”) to this one. Consumers worrying about their next paycheck during a historic government shutdown are hunkered down waiting for the movie to hit their home TV sets. MAGA faithful may be avoiding it out of deluded DJT allegiance. Who really knows?

Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”) wrote and directed, based on the book by Warren Zanes. Unlike other biographical films about rock stars, this one focuses on a specific time period, Springsteen’s work on the 1982 album “Nebraska,” which he recorded in his bedroom on a Pioneer recording machine 43 years ago. It was a particularly dicey time in The Boss’ ascent to stardom. He was 33 years old and just establishing himself as a worldwide star, having earned stardom at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, his home base. He would break out with “Born in the USA” shortly after the “Nebraska” album.

White, who plays the younger Boss with convincing head-tossing sweaty fervor, is 34. The casting throughout the film is great. Kudos to casting director Francine Maisler.

CAST

Jeremy Allen White.

In addition to Jeremy Allen White as The Boss and Jeremy Strong as manager Jon Landau, there are strong supporting performances from Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell”) as Mike Batlan, and Stephen Graham (“Adolescence”) as Douglas Springsteen, Bruce’s emotionally distant father. Odessa Young portrays romantic interest Faye Romano.

It’s interesting to see Gaby Hoffmann playing Bruce’s mother Adele, since she was the 7-year-old Karin Kinsella in “Field of Dreams.” Marc Maron is Chuck Plotkin, recording engineer. Jimmy Iovine plays Jimmy Iovine (no stretch there). Meryl Streep’s daughter Grace Gummer has a small role as Barbara Landau. There is also a good performance from Matthew Anthony Pellicano, as young Bruce, photographed in black-and-white inserts that take us back to the days when 8-year-old Bruce was coping with a father who was probably paranoid schizophrenic, bi-polar and alcoholic.

Because of the focus on one specific album, we don’t get to see Bruce coping with the rise and fall of his first marriage to model/actress Julianne Phillips (married 1985; divorced in 1989). When they divorced, Bruce placed the blame on himself, suggesting they were basically incompatible because they did not really know one another that well to begin with and were not close in age. He had issues with commitment, as we see in the film, and neuroses from his relationship with his father, which is highlighted in “Deliver Me from Nowhere.”

Springsteen was also falling for bandmate Patty Scialfa, to whom he has been married since 1991. Patty Scialfa’s former art teacher at Asbury Park High, Curtis K. Smith said, “Patti’s been in love with Bruce for as long as I can remember.” So, a lesson in how it’s a good idea to really know the person you select as a life partner and probably a good idea if you have common interests. As for the close in age thing, make your own call, but there was an 11-year difference in age for the couple.

THE JEREMYs

The Jeremys in question are  Jeremy Allen White, portraying Bruce Springsteen, and Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) as Jon Landau, his long-suffering manager and sometimes quasi-therapist. There is also Jeremiah Fraites, the composer for the film. I could easily see a Best Supporting nod for Strong’s calm, always-under-control portrait of a manager who realizes “I’m out of my depth on this one” and suggests therapy for the troubled rock icon.

GENESIS

The film is based on the book by Warren Zanes and has, so far, recouped about half of its $55 million budget in worldwide sales. “Deliver Me from Nowhere” started playing (in theaters only) on October 24th. The buzz regarding an Oscar nomination for Jeremy Allen White, star of “The Bear” and former cast member on “Shameless” began, based on his numerous awards including 3 consecutive Golden Globe Awards, 3 SAG awards, 2 Critics’ Choice awards and 2 Primetime Emmys. His 134 episodes as Lip Gallagher on television’s “Shameless” catapulted him to the brink of stardom. This lead performance has enough oomph to potentially earn him an Oscar nomination. The 2-hour film can drag a bit unless you’re a die-hard Springsteen fan. (*Of course, I panned “The Bear” back in the day, so judge his performance for yourself.)

3 KEY SCENES

There are 3 memorable scenes that White nails in “Deliver Me from Nowhere.” They are the kind of showcase moments that you can imagine being thrown up on the big screen at the Oscars. The three make-it-or-break-it scenes are White’s re-enactment of the recording of “Born to Run” in the studio, his breakdown scene in his therapist’s office, and the finale with his father (when his dad suggests that the 32-year-old now-famous singer sit on his lap).

Other than those scenes, we have the star posing, captured for the camera by cinematographer Masanobu Takanagi.  Bruce on a deck, Bruce by the water, Bruce in close-up, Bruce on a carousel, Bruce setting up his primitive Pioneer 4-track recorder with Paul Walter Hauser’s help, Bruce with his on-again/off-again girlfriend of the moment. Jeremy White is a major star in the making. No wonder Calvin Klein is using him in underwear ads.  [The Calvin Klein Men’s Underwear Spring 2024 advertisement generated $12.7 million in media impact value in less than 48 hours.]

Those three scenes ought to do it. Not sure if the rest of the film (sound?) will garner more Oscar accolades.

CAREER

It appears that the young Jeremy Allen White, like Springsteen himself, has everything it takes to mesmerize audiences. He’s been proving it since 2006, when he had his first role at the age of 15. Now 34, it’s hard to believe that this is his first feature film lead. (He had a smaller role in “The Iron Claw” as Kerry Von Erich in 2023). White even admitted to a period after “Shameless” ended after 11 years when he had a similar crisis of confidence.

NOTABLE SCRIPTED LINES

Cooper, who is closely associated with veteran actor/producer Robert Duvall and got married on Duvall’s ranch, has scripted some good lines for the then-troubled star-to-be. Here are a few:

(From a car salesman): “I do know who you are,”

JAW:  “Well, that makes one of us.”

JAS:  “It’s a hard thing, realizing people aren’t what you want them to be.”

JAW:  “I’m trying to find some real in all the noise.”

JAW:  “When I’m deep in my work, I’m just not much use for anything else.”

JAS:  “He’s channeling something deeply personal and dark.”

Odessa Young as Faye Romano:  “Sometimes you miss the things that are right in front of you.”

JAS:  “Success is complicated for Bruce.  He feels guilty leaving behind the world he knows.”

Odessa Young:  “You’re running away from everything you’re afraid of. What about actually dealing with your shit…Face yourself.”

JAS:  “Where you came from is gone  In yourself, right now, is the only place you got.”

JAW:  “I just want my life to make sense again…I’m slipping away.’ (therapist scene)

Finale scene:  “I’m finding my way.” To his father, “You had your own battles to fight.”

CONCLUSION

The performances are uniformly strong. The fact that Jeremy Allen White taught himself to play guitar and harmonica and sings his own songs is remarkable.  He certainly has the toss-of-the-head  down. The film deals sensitively with his romance with the young mother of a small daughter.

I couldn’t help but remember his first short-lived marriage and think about how a true tell-all could have utilized that long-ago romance (Phillips is now 65 and Springsteen is 76.) Not fair to say that Springsteen just wasn’t that interesting. Not his fault we are in free-fall as a country and perhaps focused more on losing our jobs, or not having enough TSA agents to fly safely (Nashville had only 4 of 16 yesterday. 80% are out in NYC.), or not having enough food.

I’ve read that The Rock’s film was also pulverized and nothing out right now in the theaters this past weekend really did well. I was in the theater from 3:30 until 7:00 p.m.. The place was deserted. That, my friends, is because some of you didn’t pay enough attention last presidential election. Now, we are all paying the price, even at our local Cineplex.

While I can play “Born in the USA” and remember the good old days, getting back to a reasonable facsimile of the good old days is proving to be much more difficult.

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

By

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.

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

By

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.”

 

 

 

“Man On the Run:” Paul McCartney’s Post Beatles Life & Work Kicks Off 56th Nashville Film Festival

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On September 19, 2025

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

 

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

”Man on the Run” opened the 56th Nashville Film Festival on Thursday, September 18th at the Green Hills Regal Theaters. Based on access to never-before-seen archives of Paul and Linda’s home videos and photos, as well as new interviews with Paul’s children Mary and Stella and insights from John Lennon’s son Sean, director Morgan Neville documents Paul McCartney’s extraordinary life following the breakup of  the Beatles and how the love he shared with Linda Eastman McCartney became his bedrock and influenced a journey that would lead to the formation of Wings and a second decade’s musical catalog of timeless classics.

PERSONAL ARCHIVAL MATERIAL

Listed as Executive Producer Paul McCartney, himself, has provided multiple home movies and personal photographs from his own and Linda’s archives.  There is ample concert footage of “Wings” in concert, with the period from the end of the Beatles (1969)  to the end of “Wings” (1979) providing the primary focus of what is often essentially a love letter to Paul’s deceased first wife, Linda Eastman. An analysis of what went through the mind of this central Beatle in the months and years following the celebrated split of the Beatles is included, but will be amplified with the release of Paul McCartney’s book next year.

ADULTHOOD

Paul McCartney in 2018.

Paul is asked, early in the film, about his goal in life and answers “Personal peace.” When asked if he can explain that enigmatic answer, he responds, somewhat abruptly, “Not really.” His input about the real time-line for the band’s break-up  puts other theories to rest. In April of 1970 McCartney said, “My only plan is to grow up” and described the period immediately after the celebrated band’s break-up as “fear of being a grown-up.”

ALLEN KLEIN

Says Paul, “John broke up the Beatles, but I got the rap.” Paul then wrestled with the question, “Am I any good on my own?” A long-time dislike and distrust of former Beatles manager Allen Klein is explored. Klein replaced Brian Epstein when he died, but McCartney did not trust him, which turned out to be prophetic. Klein once said of McCartney, “All he ever did was ‘Yesterday,’”which gives you a rough idea of how much affection the two had for one another.  The opinions of other musicians of the era, like Elton John and John Lennon, concerning  albums that Paul created post-Beatles are also recorded for posterity.

JOHN LENNON

Of John Lennon himself, Paul tells the audience that he is grateful that he and Lennon reconciled in the years before John’s assassination.  McCartney lovingly characterized Lennon as “a lovely, lovely crazy guy. He’s a crazy son-of-a-bitch.” Lennon’s son Sean lets Paul off the hook for a video clip where, when he is asked about John’s death, he comes off as callous and flip, chewing gum and walking off rather abruptly providing a diplomatic explanation for what some viewed as a lack of sufficient grief and emotion.

PAUL AS AUTEUR

Paul seems to realize that he was the driving force of the Beatles (and, after that, of “Wings”) saying, “I’m very enthusiastic, so it’s the original enthusiasm that gets it done.” Music lovers like me are very happy that McCartney got it done and did it so well. He’s been doing it well ever since his teen-age years, well over six decades. I still remember visiting the Liverpool Cavern where the  Beatles started out and stopping on a drive from my hometown back to my college town to make sure that none of us returning to the University of Iowa missed out on the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. We had to take a detour from our 2 and 1/2 hour trip to stop at Patt McCardle’s aunt’s house where we co-opted her television set,  so that we did not miss this performance (well before the days of videotape).

ED SULLIVAN

  1. The Beatles’ first appearance was on February 9, 1964.
  2. The show was broadcast live from New York City.
  3. Approximately 73 million viewers tuned in, a record at the time.

SUPER-FAN FROM THE ERA

I’ve seen Paul McCartney “live” four times and, soon (November 24, 2025) it will be five. I first saw him at the San Francisco Cow Palace in 1965 with the Beatles. “Help!” was their new release. and they were late in getting started that afternoon. The only security was a chicken-wire fence waist-high (and one arena employee). The flimsy barricade was quickly breached by a young man who ran onstage and stole John’s hat and Ringo’s drumsticks. There was a slight delay while Ringo’s drumsticks were replaced. Then the chaos really began. Around me, adults seemed bemused; teen-agers were freaking out.

THE BEATLES AT THE SAN FRANCISCO COW PALACE

First, there was the National Anthem, played by King Curtiss. Then came the lead-in acts, which, that particular day  included Shirly Bassey (singing the theme from “Goldfinger,” which was then popular) and Cannibal & the Headhunters (who got down on the floor and did a sort of train-like scooting dance). We were also supposed to have heard  the Astronauts from Denver, but they  did not show up. My college boyfriend and I (William Hopkins, I called him “Colgate,” his college, all summer) had cut class at Berkeley without tickets, riding up on his purple Czechoslovakian motorcycle (no BART in those days). We went to the box office  and were able to purchase two seventh row tickets for $7 apiece. (It is costing me $1600 for 2 tickets on Nov. 24, 2025, NOT in the seventh row.) I remember people standing on their folding chairs and those folding chairs collapsing en masse. Getting out of the building was a scary process. I was moving, but my feet were not touching the floor. (This has caused me to not want to be close to the front at subsequent shows for fear of a repeat of that frightening experience at my very first concert.)

WINGS IN THE 70s

Paul McCartney performing at The O2 Arena in London, England, on 19 December 2024 as part of his Got Back Tour, backed by former fellow Beatle Ringo Starr.

I then saw Paul with Linda and one  version of “Wings” (there was more than one “Wings” line-up, as this film documents) in Ames, Iowa at Iowa State University’s  football stadium. My name was drawn in a state-wide lottery to receive up to 8 tickets. That time, I was on the aisle, also about 7 rows from the front. The local female television anchor of NBC’s Channel 6 called me, asking me to purchase tickets for her and her husband, which I did.  I was allowed to buy up to 8 tickets. I also took my college roommate, that roommate’s daughter and my son.

THIRD & FOURTH SHOWS

The third time I saw Paul McCartney was at Wrigley Field with my daughter; the fourth time was at the Moline Civic Center, formerly known as the Mark of the Quad Cities. Chicago will be my fifth time seeing my favorite Beatle (‘the cute one”) perform. Since he was born in 1942 and is now 83 years young, who knows if I will ever have the opportunity to see him perform “live” again? An expert celebrity voice in this film, Mick Jagger, put the situation this way, “All things must pass.”

THE GOOD

This film, which had extensive cooperation from McCartney and his children and many of his contemporaries, is remarkable in being able to access so much concert footage and so many home movies, but it also contains remarkably beautiful cinematography from the archives. In addition to scenes of McCartney’s bucolic pastoral farm life in Scotland (including three pot plants being carted off by the authorities), there are lovely ocean shots and a scary story about how Paul once almost drowned.

I counted more than 56 songs in the credits and many, many, many sources for the extraordinary footage. It runs 115 minutes. Director Morgan Neville (Oscar-winner for 2013’s “Twenty Feet from Stardom”) spent four years directing on “Man on the Run,” sitting down 7 times with McCartney himself.  The editor, a Herculean task, was Alan Lowe.

CONCLUSION

The film premiered at Telluride in January, 2025, and Amazon MGM Studios plans to air the film in 2026, which is also when McCartney, himself, is set to publish his own 576 page book. That will be 2 years before Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (2000, “American Beauty” and a nominee for 2020’s “1917”)  releases a four-part study of the Beatles, with Paul Mescale. Mendes’ project will be released in 2028.

This was the perfect Nashville Film Festival Opening Night film for me. I’ve been a fan through all of Paul McCartney’s musical iterations.  While he’s been making music since the sixties, I’ve been non-stop reviewing film, almost as long (55 years). I may be one of the few reviewers working today who can honestly say that they have seen him in each and every one of his iconic periods.Kudos to Morgan Neville for this gift to McCartney’s longtime fans, especially as a wonderful gift for this reviewer, his contemporary.

“We Do Our Best” Screens at HollyShorts Film Festival

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On August 1, 2025

In Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Reviews

Jennifer Esposito

Jennifer Esposito

Hannah Rose Ammon wrote and directed the 13:41 film “We Do Our Best,” her first directorial/writing effort after five roles as an actress. She  enlisted veteran actress Jennifer Esposito to star in this moody mother/daughter study. Esposito portrays Liv and Madalynn Mathews, who graduated from Rutgers with a BFA in Acting two years ago, plays Henley. Mathews also graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City in 2021 with a degree in Musical Theater. The musical chops shine through in this moody piece, which opens with Henley strumming a guitar while awaiting her Mom’s return from the grocery store.

Esposito, who is the Mom in what is apparently an autobiographical story, is a 52-year-old  actress with 72 credits, including portraying Nina Soloway (2015-2017) in television’s “The Affair.” She starred alongside Michael J. Fox as Stacey Palerno on “Spin City.” I base the autobiographical statement on the photo of writer/director Ammon, who appears  after the end credits in a photo with and a dedication to her mother, Holli.

MUSIC

The original music was written by Ammon, Jo Wagner, and Galen Beck Gatzka. It instantly transports you to a smoky bar in New York City. That’s where most of the action takes place from  the 7th minute on. Young Henley (Madalynn Mathews), who is due to graduate from NYU in the spring, is out at a New York City bar with her attractive mom Liv (Jennifer Esposito) flirting with the bartenders, Anthony (Dan Stern) and Cal (Taylor Rosen). Anthony is played by Dan Stern, but this is not the Daniel Stern of “Home Alone” and “Breaking Away,” two classic well-known Daniel Stern films of yesteryear.

Mom Liv and daughter Henley in “We Do Our Best” at HollyShorts Film Festival (Aug. 7-17th).

Mom is trying to impart motherly wisdom to her young daughter with age-old remarks that mothers make to their daughters, like “you’ll understand when you’re a Mom” and other such well-worn truisms. We sense that the daughter is not going to be “relinquishing agency” for her own life in order to follow Mom’s advice, no matter how wise Liv’s advice may be. (How wise IS that advice? One could mention that Mom has allowed her under-age daughter to gain access to an alcoholic beverage in a bar in New York City, while cautioning her, through her own personal Prom story, about trying to grow up too fast. I was just carded in Chicago at the Green Mill on my 80th birthday on July 23rd, but Henley has no problem getting served in the Big Apple.)

It is apparent from the first half (7 minutes) of this short that Henley (Madalyn Mathews) is the step-daughter caught in the middle of a marriage between Liv and the unseen hubby, a marriage (if it IS a marriage) that isn’t going particularly well. Mom Liv comes home with groceries. She asks her daughter (Henley) if “he” is still here, mouthing the words.

“He” seems to be a husband who is probably not Liv’s first. “He” may be unnecessary in their lives, if you ask Henley. Says Liv, regarding the unseen hubby, “I wanted some support and I thought maybe we could be a family.” Henley lets her mother know that they didn’t need a step-father to make the two of them anything less than “a family.”Henley maintains that they are “the core” nucleus of their family.

Jennifer Esposito of “We Do Our Best” at HollyShorts.

 

At this point, Mom and daughter split for a neighborhood bar (“I’ve heard about this place!”). Henley comments that “She needs this” in regards to her hassled mother. The filming took place in a real New York City bar. The bar itself becomes a character, lending its smoky, intimate vibe.

There they meet young bartender Cal (Taylor Rosen) and Anthony (Dan Stern). We hear a story from Liv about growing up too soon. She recounts how she missed her own senior prom because she took off with an older suitor and flew to Hong Kong, urged to do so by her father. Says Liv, “I cried about missing my Prom all the way home from Hong Kong.” Liv’s father is “blinded by the light,” apparently overly impressed with the much older successful businessman who spirited his teen-aged daughter off to Hong Kong. [Doesn’t sound like Father of the Year behavior, unless you’re Donald J. Trump or a Barrymore.]

The message comes through loud and clear that Liv doesn’t want her daughter Henley to repeat the mistakes Liv made when she was young. Mom nixes the romantic overtures aimed at Henley by Cal saying, “He’s older and you’re not.” However, Mom’s resolve to share sage advice is somewhat offset by the example she is setting. It’s more “do as I say, not as I do.”

CONCLUSION

Daughter Henley & Mom Liv in “We Do Our Best” at HollyShorts Film Festival. (Aug. 7-17).

You’ll have to see the short through to the end to see how this all works out. The mother/daughter badinage is real life (take it from me—the mother of an adult daughter). It is an enjoyable 13’41” short film depicting the passing on of maternal wisdom, much of it learned by Liv in what sounds like it may have been the school of hard knocks. The music, setting, cinematography, hair and make-up and costuming and performances are all terrific.

Everyone will want to find this bar and order one of Cal’s drinks that will “change your life forever.” I do worry that the bar might get shut down if it doesn’t enforce the drinking age laws of New York City more stringently.  But, hey! Henley’s with her Mom, so that makes it okay—right? (Tell that to the liquor license people.)

Catch it at the HollyShorts festival between August 7 and August 17th. As we can say (of the drink and the short), “Try it. You’ll like it.”

 

2025 Oscars Are In the Books

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On March 3, 2025

In Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Oscars

The Oscars

The 97th Academy Awards are in the books.

“Anora” came on strong at the finish to snag a Best Actress award for new-comer Mikey Madison.The shift towards “Anora” prompted the best line of the evening, when Conan O’Brien (the host) said, “Apparently Americans like seeing someone stand up to a powerful Russian.” Anora won five awards, total: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay and Editing. It cost about $6 million to make (an independent film).

The way the night went reminded me of other “sweep” years, like the Oscars in 1978 for the 1977 film “The Turning Point” when that film was nominated for 11 awards and came up about as empty as this year’s nominees “Emilia Perez” (nominated for 13; won two) or “A Complete Unknown” (nominated for 8; won none).

If you go with the wrong movie to sweep, you are in for a world of hurt. I was so impressed with “The Brutalist” that I went with it most of the time. Also an independent film, it was amazing that it could be made for $10 million, but it did get some kick-back for using A.I. technology to “tweak” the Hungarian dialogue and help create some settings.

The daughter got 18 correct when she correctly supported “Anora” in our annual predicting extravaganza, which had six participants this year.  While I was struggling to break into double digits, she nailed most of the major categories (one notable exception being Best Actress). At the time of the Awards celebration, she was flying to Wichita, but her ballot spoke loudly!

This has been my most recent experience with the Oscars. They don’t seem similar to  the Oscars I was “in tune” with in years of yore, but, still, I finished with a respectable score, as I did not look up any “predicting” gurus, relying instead on having seen 9  of the nominated films. That refusal to consult will have to be rethought for future Academy Awards celebrations, which now number almost 70 for me. I was amused to hear June Squibb admit that the year she was born, 1929, was the first year the Oscars were awarded. Ms. Squibb was Oscar-nominated for “Nebraska” in 2013. She got laughs for saying that Alexander Saarsgard was portraying her whenever you saw her out and about. She looked very festive for a 95-year-old woman. (Birthdate: Nov. 6, 1929). Her dress was very sparkly.

THE HOST

How did the host do?

I thought Conan O’Brien’s hosting was fine, but I would say that his promise not to “waste time” led into the song-and-dance number he participated in, which was a waste of time. His wit was, as usual, sharp, and he seemed to be genuinely happy to be there.

He shared some random facts, such as the factoid that there were 479 “F” words in “Anora.”

His wit, as with the “stand up to a strong Russian” was evident and the bit with Adam Sandler dressed casually made me think that he could have gotten a quick bit about the outfit’s resemblance to that of a Senator (John Fetterman). Maybe next time.

MUSIC

I went to the trouble of finding every single nominated song and listening to each one. I would have been happy with Diane Warren or Elton John winning. Instead, it was the song from “Emilia Perez.” Maybe it was throwing that film a bone, since it was shut out except for Best Supporting Actress Zoe Saldana? Then, again, the music expert in our household is the daughter who triumphed tonight.

ACCEPTANCES

Adrian Brody

Adrian Brody wins his second Oscar as Best Actor for “The Brutalist.”

My favorite acceptance speech event was the sinister-looking composer of the score for “The Brutalist,” Daniel Blumberg. He resembles DJT’s henchman, Steve Miller, shaved head and all. When they began playing him off he abruptly quit, mid-sentence and retreated like a small creature scurrying for cover. It made me smile.  (You had to be there to appreciate the expression on his face as he bolted backstage.)

Adrian Brody, however, basically told those trying to play him off to stop, saying he had “done this before” and it was “not my first rodeo.” He then promised to be brief with his additional remarks. He was not that brief, but you had to admire his chutzpah. (Anybody but me notice his girlfriend in the audience trying to remind him to thank his Mother?)

UPSETS

I thought that Mikey Madison—who was cast in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” and, I think, was the Manson family member set afire by a flame thrower wielded by Leonardo DeCaprio poolside in that film—was an upset winner. She was very good in the film and, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the Academy does not like to award Oscars to horror films, which “The Substance” was. Too bad for Demi Moore, but I would guess that she still will enjoy a resurgence of role offers. Imagine how Mikey Madison’s star will rise!

Given how well “Conclave” did at the BAFTAs, I was surprised it didn’t do better this night. Aside from Adapted Screenplay, it won no other Oscars and nominee Ralph Fiennes may be being called “Ralph” rather than “Rafe” if he lost again this time, his third nomination.  (A small joke that Conan made, which caused Fiennes to laugh aloud in the audience.) Fiennes was nominated in 1994 for “Schindler’s List,” and in 1997 for “The English Patient.”

FIRSTS

Anora” director Sean Baker became the first person to win four Oscars in the same year for the same film. In that respect, he tied with Walt Disney, although, in Disney’s case, it was for four different films in 1953—not 4 Oscars for the same film in the same year. Other Disney nominations in 1953 were for “Ben and Me” and “Rugged Bear.”

Hollywood sign

Hollywood sign

When Baker accepted the award for Best Director, he thanked the Academy for recognizing an independent film like “Anora.” “We’re all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater,” Baker said. He made an impassioned plea for people to return to theaters, noting that over 1,000 independent screens were lost last year as movie theaters struggle to stay alive.

This concerns me. First, my country is led by someone who wants us to abandon our roots as fighters for democracy and freedom and follow a Soviet strongman who invaded a peaceful neighboring country without cause. Then my favorite past-time (going to the movies) is threatened.

True fact: the only movie theater in Moline, Illinois was shut for over a year after the pandemic. It used to be a Regal 8. It is now open again, but it was a long dry spell for someone like me. I literally had to drive to another state (Iowa) to see a movie. (*This by way of excuse if I am asked why I didn’t see that 10th nominated film.) Also, when I’m in Chicago, the Icon Theaters near me closed, but, thankfully, not for an entire year. (They are open again off Roosevelt Road downtown.)

Another first was the first Black man to win an award for his costuming expertise, Paul Taswell, whom Bowen Yang referred to as a legend. Other interesting costuming tid-bits that were dropped during the evening’s program were that Timothee Chalamet had 67 different costume changes for “A Complete Unknown” and there were 103 Cardinals to be costumed by Missy Crystal for “Conclave.”

The Latvian couple who accepted their Oscar for “Flow” were charming as they shared the fact that they had had difficulties getting Visas to get in the country to potentially accept their award and had then apparently come straight from the airport, landing just a few hours earlier.

All-in-all, an enjoyable—if overlong–viewing experience. At the post-Oscars “Vanity Fair” party, it was possible to see that there was a 3.9 earthquake  happening in Hollywood.

One last reminder: this time next week there will be reviews of films premiering at SXSW here in Austin, so check back as the Red Carpet here in Austin (where I’ll be) will feature stars like Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, and Seth Rogen.

 

Last-Minute Musing(s) on the 2025 Oscars

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On March 2, 2025

In Movies, Music, News, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

Oscar predicting trophy

It’s only a few hours from the Oscars. The ballots are out (you know who you are) and the Prognosticator trophy is at stake.

Since this is Oscar Sunday, I am going to (stream-of-consciousness) run through the nominees, in the hopes that some of you are doing the same thing right about now. The Red Carpet is about to start, and who is going to win? (The tension mounts.)

Our ballots are distributed to the Usual Suspects and the traveling trophy of Most Accurate Prognosticator sits proudly on the mantel—errr, glass table—near our TV set. In other years, I’d be giving out freebie movie tickets to students at my Sylvan Learning Center (only the winners, of course) but, this year, it’s just old Oscar (the trophy) and bragging rights. Pay no attention to my last post about the nominated films I, personally, liked the most because I have not “liked” the Best Picture winner in the past few years. So, you’re warned.

I’m going beyond the 5 main categories to discuss those that almost nobody sees, live-action shorts. I actually reviewed many of the “live action” shorts, and a Mindy Kahling produced film about India called “Anuja,” which I liked. However, I liked a different one better from China about fishing for corpses in the river, so… But how many of you have seen “A Lien,” “I’m Not A Robot,” “The Last Ranger,” or “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent?” Yeah. That’s what I thought.

Original Screenplay nominees are “Anora,”, “The Brutalist,” “A Real Pain,” “September 5,” “The Substance.” I have actually seen all of these. “A Real Pain” is the front-runner, supposedly, but I like nearly any other script better. I’m thinking that, if a sweep starts with either “Anora” or “The Brutalist,” it might garner a vote in this category, too. (Lots of talk about how “Anora,” the film about a U.S. strip tease dancer marrying the son of a Russian oligarch and the fall-out that represents is gaining on the previous front-runners.) We liked Mikey Madison’s performance in “Anora” but—after her Russian husband takes a powder—the film becomes a repetitive search film where they attempt to locate him. Mikey Madison was great in her part, and the somewhat open-ended interpretation we are left with at the end was a plus. I could see new-comers to the voting ranks giving Madison the BEST ACTRESS trophy, if they don’t decide to honor Demi Moore for her long career.

BEST DIRECTORS

Nominated directors for the Oscars, 2025

Nominated directors for the 2025 Oscars

Jacques Audliard (“Emilia Perez”); Sean Baker (“Anora”); Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”); Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”); James Mangold “A Complete Unknown”. The two in the lead are Sean Baker and Brady Corbet. I also would like to heartily endorse James Mangold, primarily because I loved “Ford vs. Ferrari.” I am sticking with “The Brutalist” because it was such an achievement on just a $10 million budget.

DEMI MOORE/ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY AWARDS

Why would Demi Moore NOT win? (1) “The Substance” was a horror movie and, historically, the Academy has not wanted to honor them with the top prize. (2) The ending may have turned some viewers off (3) The voter has to be willing to honor age and experience over the youthful new-on-the-scene Mikey Madison. It’s a close call with so many members of the Academy now voting being newcomers. Both women have been doing well at the other awards ceremonies that lead up to the Oscars. I can’t see the trans-gender lead (Karla Sofia Gascon) pulling this one out of the fire and Fernanda Torres’ “I’m Still Here” is probably the film least viewed of the 10 nominees (It’s the only one I missed).

So, take your pick between the old-timer and the new-comer or give your vote to Cynthia Erivo for “Wicked.” For me, I’ll go with the old-timer for the Best Actress award, and I’ll go with “The Brutalist” over “A Real Pain” for original screenplay. Jesse Eisenberg will continue writing scripts and I hope they continue to receive accolades. For me, the best script this year was for “Heretic” from (Scott) Beck and (Bryan) Woods, which didn’t make the cut at all.

James Mangold

James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown.”).

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Nominees are “Conclave,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Emilia Perez,” “Nickel Boys,” “Sing Sing.” Given its BAFTA showings, “Conclave” must move up on the list of potential winners. For me, it’s “A Complete Unknown,” but the experts are leaning towards “Conclave.”

ANIMATED FEATURE

Nominees are “Flow,” “Inside Out 2,” “Memoir of a Snail,” “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” “The Wild Robot”

There was a big push to have all the critics see “Memoir of a Snail.” I did. It was weird, but well-done, so I’ll go with that. I think that “Flow” is the favorite.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

“The Brutalist,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Nosferatu,” “Wicked.”

For me, “The Brutalist” really delivered on the architect immigrant in America theme. “Wicked” and “Dune” are possible winners, but I was so impressed by the architecture in “The Brutalist” that I’ll stick with my favorite picture of those nominated this year.

COSTUME DESIGN

“Wicked”

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

“Wicked” co-stars.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

“The Brutalist.” A close second, for me, would be “Dune: Part Two,” but the almost picture-perfect moon over the water and the shots taking us down the railroad tracks and the unique look at the Statue of Liberty at the beginning all point me to “The Brutalist.”

EDITING

“Conclave,” in deference to the BAFTA nods.

MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

“Wicked,” although “The Substance” has a shot.

SOUND

The 2 musically inclined films are “A Complete Unknown” and “Wicked.” Take your pick.  Mine is “Wicked.”

 

VISUAL EFFECTS

“Dune: Part Two”with “Wicked as a close second.

ORIGINAL SCORE

“The Brutalist”

Oscar predicting trophy

Oscar predicting trophy

ORIGINAL SONG

Have you heard all 5 of the nominated songs? Well, I have. It took some sleuthing, but, after listening to all of them, I would say the battle is between honoring Elton John for “Never Too Late,” which has a typical Elton John sound and is possibly the finale entry from this talented songsmith. But I’ll vote for Dianne Warren’s 16th nomination for “The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight.” When you hear the lyrics, you’ll see why. It’s become a hymn for the fire-ravaged Los Angeles community, and isn’t it about time that Diane Warren got the little gold guy?

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

I’m going with “Porcelain War,” even though it echoes last year’s Ukraine-themed winner. I realize that DJT doesn’t want us supporting Ukraine any more, since he’s all in for Russia, but I’m voting for it based on having seen it.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

“Emilia Perez” from France—which was supposed to win it all until recent tweets resurfaced.

ANIMATED SHORT

“Yuck”

Oscar Prognosticator Trophy

Oscar Prognosticator Trophy

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”

LIVE-ACTION SHORT

Since I saw “Anuja,” I’m voting for it, even though I’ve not read that it is favored. (“A Lien” got that honor from one predictor.)

There’s a tie-breaker on our competition. You have to make a pick in all categories and tell which film will win the most Oscars, and how many. For me, based on this stream-of-consciousness

 

“Retirement Plan:” The 7-Minute Short That Tells the Truth

By

On February 20, 2025

In Editorial, Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Movies, Music, Politics, Pop Culture, Reviews

"Retirement short

“Retirement Plan Plan:” A 7-minute short from Screen Ireland featuring Domhnall Gleeson.

I recently had the pleasure of viewing a 7-minute short that is to screen at SXSW in March entitled “Retirement Plan.” From Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, It was written by John Kelly and Tara Lawall and was an absolute delight. If you have the opportunity, don’t miss it. It is narrated by Domhnall Gleason (Bill Weasley in the “Harry Potter” franchise) and shows a man of retirement age musing about all the great things he is going to do in retirement. Meanwhile, in the background, John Carroll Kirby’s simple piano tunes tinkle pleasantly, with the song “Walking Through A House Where A Family Has Lived” giving you a head0up concerning the light-hearted tone of the short piece.

My favorite exchanges were the narrator saying, “I will paraglide.”

In the next frame, he is shown with a walker and says, “I will NOT paraglide.”

The animated character that animators Marah Curran and Eamonn O’Neill present to us in the short muses on many things he will do in retirement: He will read 35 years of books that he has been putting off reading. He will clean his desktop. He will birdwatch. He will swim every morning. He will hike (“Camping is HORRIBLE!”) The camping line made me think of Woody Allen’s famous line about how his idea of “roughing it” was watching black-and-white TV. [Agreed.]

I’ve been retired for 22 years. I joined a gym with a pool in November. It is almost March. I have yet to swim even once. While I did swim (4 times) last year, the chlorine was so bad that I thought I was going to sink to the bottom of the pool, unnoticed, and drown. (Nobody else is swimming during a weekday afternoon; there is no lifeguard).  I only learned on a Monday last year when they canceled the children’s swimming class that the chlorine ratio was totally screwed up. So much for, “No, Doc, I don’t know why I get dizzy and almost pass out while swimming.  That never happened to me before I retired.” (It could be because L.A. Fitness didn’t bother to check their chlorine levels; some of the kiddies ALSO almost —or did?—pass out. THEN they fixed it!)

HOUSTON ART GALLERY

Lolita at the Houston Art Gallery.

 

I related to the cartoon character’s comment that he would go to an art gallery and “I will want to be there.”

I recently went on a 3-day trip to see Gauguin paintings at the Houston Art Museum. A really unpleasant woman within the Museum followed me for 4 rooms because I leaned against a wall in the first room. I was severely chastised for same. (There were no paintings nearby or on the wall). She finally cornered me in the fourth room, asking me if I “wanted to talk to her manager.”

My response was, “No. I don’t want to talk to your manager. And I don’t want to talk to you, either. I just want to get out of here. I have a bad knee and I felt dizzy. Which would you rather have had me do? Lean on the wall or pass out on the floor?”

Lolita and I were not destined to become buddies.

I enjoyed the trip, overall, but found myself (once again) trying out a retirement activity with  a downside.

OTHER THINGS TO TRY IN RETIREMENT

What other relatable activities does our retired figure discuss?

“I will take better care of myself.” Right. I spend  one day a week visiting doctors. (Today: bloodwork; tomorrow, the endocrinologist). This is my Most Normal Retirement Activity: visiting doctors’ offices. Oncologist. Endocrinologist. Heptologist. Dentist. Oral Surgeon. Podiatrist. Dermatologist. Primary Care Physician. I read an article recently that said that this is common in we “mature” individuals and doctors make no effort to help you consolidate the MANY appointments. Today, I was told that an A1C would cost me, personally, $84, because “you’ve had too many tests and your insurance won’t cover it.” [No kidding. I thought I was simply in training to become a human pin cushion.]

Elise Wilson in action. (This is how I envisioned my volleyball playing would appear. It did not.)

“I will finally find my sport.” That’s not gonna’ happen, either. While playing volleyball in a co-ed league, a demented stork-like 6′ 5″ person (male) on the other side of the net spiked it down, hard, on 5′ 2″ me. My left elbow dislocated as I turned a backwards somersault. A nice nurse in the gym ran over and said, “I think you just broke your arm.” We went to the emergency room where I was injected with intravenous valium and X-rayed to see if I HAD broken my arm. (No, but I still have bone chips in my left elbow and it aches when it rains.)  I spent 6 months in a sling, invested many dollars in front-closing bras and capes, and had to go to physical therapy to address the torn ligaments and tendons. Not fun for me. The insertion of the elbow back into the socket was not fun for the 2 men attempting that task, nor for me.  (The spouse waited in the hall). The little blonde diving in the clip above is my 16-year-old granddaughter, Elise. This is how I envision my volleyball playing looked. Sadly, it did not.

“I will completely nail my final words.” Probably not happening, either. I always liked the guy that wrote, on his tombstone, “I can’t be dead. I still have checks.” That retort has not aged well. There’s always W.C. Fields’ “All in all, I’d rather be in Philadelphia” for a final greeting from the grave.

BEST LINES

From the 7-minute short “Retirement Plan” from Screen Ireland.

In addition to the line “CAMPING IS HORRIBLE” and “I will not paraglide,” I laughed the hardest at the vow to “haunt the absolute shit” out of an enemy. As the author of “Ghostly Tales of Route 66” I hope this option is open to me in the after-life.  I have a couple of “friends” (I use the term loosely) and relatives who, after 35 to 60 years of faithful friendship and loyalty on MY part, backstabbed me into wanting to come back as one of the ghosts of Route 66 and give them a little taste of the misery they’ve visited upon me since 2005. (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!)

CONCLUSION

I honestly have not laughed so hard at a 7-minute bit in a long time. I would like to thank Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland for this truly delightful (and accurate) presentation of retirement. As someone who loved her job and didn’t really want to retire in 2003, [but, unwisely, did], I salute you.

Retirement sucks, basically.

It means you have to actively seek out things to do and “travel more” and “birdwatching” and “going to plays” (“I will find out if I like plays”) isn’t cutting it. (I have learned I prefer movies to plays. Hell, I prefer shorts like this one to most plays.)

Retirement was the worst idea I have had—if it was even MY idea. I seem to remember my spouse of 57 years suggesting we would travel more, blah, blah, blah, but that went out the window when he began playing golf locally in multiple golf leagues with his old high school, elementary school, and work colleagues. The last time we traveled anywhere was before the pandemic. (I’m not counting the time shares bought in the nineties, because we go to those every year as our “home away from home.”) Me? I did not grow up in his home town and, post-work, it’s been unfun and dull. I hear that the Governor of Iowa has just declared all of Iowa a disaster area because of the bird flu, and we’re very close to Iowa. I would really like to leave any disaster area before disaster strikes (plus, they closed the only theater on the Illinois side of the Mississippi for over a year!)

VACATIONS?

The previous owners of Royal Resorts properties in Cancun (we owned at the Sands and the Islander) dumped it into the Holiday Inn Vacation Club All Inclusive world recently. That is a special kind of backstabbing. They built a kiddies’ pool right outside of our first floor digs. Now I get to listen to screaming kiddies knocking themselves out on the water slide at the crack of dawn. I can hardly wait. Does that sound like fun in retirement? [Just shoot me now.]

Retirement short.

From the short “Retirement Plan”(Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland).

If I were to be asked what I would recommend people do in retirement, I would recommend that they watch this 7-minute film, because it has summed up my own reaction(s) perfectly, including the line “I will find out what a pension is.” I have. It’s not great. Between the taking of half of my Social Security moneys because I had been a teacher and we had a state pension system (I spent more time in the private sector, but Social Security still took half) and the potential insolvency of the Illinois TRS (Teachers’ Retirement System), who knows? I may be back at work before long.

Don’t give up your day job, but do try to see this wonderfully honest and creative short 7-mnute film. After all, if you’re retired, that still means that for that retirement day, instead of having 1,440 minutes to fill with useless activities, many of which you won’t enjoy, you will only have 1,433 minutes to fill.

 

Five Oscar-Eligible Shorts

By

On November 10, 2024

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

Here are 5 more Oscar-eligible shorts in an attempt to acquaint audiences with some of the contenders for this year’s Academy Awards: “Moeder,” “Then Comes the Body,” “Fireline,” “Will I See You Again?” and “Sunflower.”

  • “Moeder”

    – This 20  minute film, directed by Salomon Ligthelm focused on the deaths of  298  civilian passengers when the Russians shot down Malaysian Airlines MH17 on 7/17/2014. The flight, filled with civilians who were primarily Dutch citizens, was 50 kilometers from the Russian/Ukrainian border in Donetsk when a surface-to-air missile took it down, killing all aboard. Apparently, the Russians thought the plane might have arms or ammunition aboard, as it was close to the fighting. A phone from the plane fell to Earth and landed in the back yard of one of the locals. Vitalik Ivanov picks it up and hears a woman’s voice say (in Dutch), “Daniel, can you hear me?” The fellow who found the still operative phone (and the corpse?) of a Dutch victim in his back yard is a Rozspyne miner. He and his fellow miners are sent out into the fields to locate the bodies of the victims and to mark them with long white-flagged poles. The hero of this film finds a dying horse fatally wounded by falling debris. Vitalik has to finish the job the Russians started and dispatch the injured animal, which is traumatic for him. None of Vitalik’s co-workers (miners) are happy about being assigned this non-work-related task, either. One of them mutters, “We’re miners, not soldiers.”

    Moeder star

    “Moeder”

The landscape for all of this action is like a background for a Ukrainian Gothic portrait in the manner of American Gothic. It is a beautifully photographed bucolic, pastoral setting. In just the opening moments there is a shot of the miner, smoking, silhouetted in the frame of the back door of his home, a beautifully composed shot. Vitalik has just heard the sounds of bombs or falling debris hitting the ground. His wife (Yeva) says, “It sounded like the end of the world. And perhaps it was, for some.” The sound effects were exceptionally well-done. The couple is offered $100 for an interview. Yeva is pregnant. She says, “We can use the money.” Vitalik struggles unsuccessfully to remain composed throughout the interview. He ultimately translates a few Ukrainian words into Russian and sends the mother of the Dutch victim (“Moeder” translates to “Mother”) the bad news of her son’s death in his back yard, via the phone that fell from Flight MH17.This was a riveting, well-done, timely short. It made me feel even more concern for Ukraine after our November 5th Presidential election. The sound, cinematography, and acting were all top notch.

Nigerian ballet dancer dancing atop the roofs of busses.

    • Nigerian ballet dancers in “Then Comes the Body.”

    • “Then Comes the Body” – Jacob Krupnick has filmed the story of ballet in Nigeria. The enterprising individual who taught himself ballet from YouTube videos has founded a Nigerian Classical Ballet Company in Lagos, Nigeria, called Leap of Dance, to teach ballet to other Nigerian children. Daniel Owosoni Ajala has taught several talented Nigerian youth to dance, and they have become so good that other nations are offering them scholarships to study ballet in places like Belgium and South Africa. The film had its World Premiere at Tribeca in 2023, It had its International Premiere  in Melbourne and its European Premiere at Cameraimage. It was named Best Short non-fiction and short shorts in Tokyo and Krupnick’s work became a viral sensation during the pandemic. The 14 minute, 44 second short had excellent sound, edited and mixed by Zach Egan, with a score by Martin Veloz.  The primary dancers are Olamide Olarwe and Precious Duru. The film’s message: “First comes the heart; then comes the body.” That message has been my guide in selecting which of these 5 Oscar-eligible shorts is most impressive. “Then Comes the Body” has heart and plenty of it. The last few in this set of 5 films didn’t have as much “heart.” They were done well, but the top two had way more heart.

      • “Fireline” short.

      3 inmate firefighters in "Fireline"

      3 inmate firefighters in “Fireline”

       

    •  “Fireline” – “Fireline” was a 13 minute 23 second short about incarcerated firefighters. It was directed by Robin Takao D’Oench, a Japanese American writer/ director/ producer from NYC. Robin is a Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. These Wildland firefighters were photographed by Ming Jue Hu and the script was written and directed by Robin Takao D’oenoh.  Lena Waithe (and 3 others) executive produced this story of Otto Reyes (Bobby Soto), an incarcerated inmate who has just learned that his request for parole has been denied. Not long after learning that he is not getting out of prison early, he and the others are called to go battle a fire. Joshua Caleb Johnson portrayed Shawn Davies and Fabian Alomar was Primo. Otto has secured an illegal cell phone, which he wants to use to call his daughter to wish her a happy birthday. The visual effects of a fire bearing down on the firefighters are excellent.  It seemed very short in comparison to the others, which, in fact, it was. This film was presented at the Tribeca Film Festival and was part of the official selection at HollyShorts, and was made as part of Indeed’s Rising Voices program – an initiative set up to discover, invest in and share stories created by BIPOC filmmakers and storytellers. Rising Voices was created in collaboration with Lena Waithe, Hillman Grad Productions, Ventureland and 271 Films. “Fireline” has qualified to be considered for the 2025 Oscars®.  Robin is a Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. The acting was fine. The special visual effects were better than in the Angelina Jolie 2021 film “Those Who Wished Me Dead” and on a par with 2018’s “Wildlife.”  (Cary Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal).

Nick Wechsler as Paul Jensen.

  • “Will I See You Again?” – Michael Perez-Lindsey, a queer Mexican-American director, has helmed a well-acted vignette that depicts the funeral of a former friend that brings two former lovers back together after many years. The deceased friend, Jim Turner (Robert Okumu) has left an inheritance for the two former lovers, but they can only inherit it if they each answer 5 questions honestly while hooked up to lie detectors. [What could be unrealistic about that scenario—right?] The Black former lover is  portrayed by Hosea Chanchez as Max Palmer. His former white love, Paul Jensen, is portrayed by Nick Wechsler. These two gave it their best shot, but the entire set-up seemed hokey, to me. The song that played at the end, performed by Jalen Ngonda, who co-wrote it with Mike Buckley, was similarly cheesy. It was a very Barry White-esque rendition of “Come Around and Love Me,” which seemed desperate. Having the two leads grasp each other’s fore-arms at film’s end (24 minutes 13 seconds) might have represented a happy ending, but the best way to sum up what was not working with this one would be to use the words of “Then Comes the Body”: “First comes the heart.” This one lacked a realistic premise. I don’t read (or write) heterosexual romances because they are too cheesy for my tastes, so I was not the right audience for this sentimental-but-unrealistic project. That said, it had a very professional sheen and the gay community certainly might enjoy the theme of reconciliation and love recovered despite 20 years of alienation.

    • “Sunflower” short

  • Sunflower – This 16 minute, 26 second short from Mateusz Balcerek was based on a true story about Danuta Gorecka, the director’s grandmother, and what happened to her during WWII in 1944 as a child. (Poland, Italy, the United Kingdom and the U.S. collaborated). The little girl who played Danuta (Martyna Zazula) was very cute and did a very credible acting job. She was told to hide under the bed while soldiers entered her home and shot her grandfather dead. There is another close call in the yard, when Danuta and her mother Alicia (Sylwia Boron) are almost apprehended while building something that I suspect was a coffin for the dead grandfather. The music by Roberto Mengoli was good. The Guildhall London Symphony Orchestra and the London Music Central Kids’ Choir performed beautifully. The motif of a sunflower (Slonecznik) used animation and repeated as a linking motif throughout the film.

 

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