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: Of Local (Quad Cities’) InterestPage 1 of 61
The category is self-explanatory, but it would include new or old businesses, political elections, trends, restaurants in town, entertainment in town, etc.
I just spent 3 days getting to and from Dallas (from Austin, Texas) in order to take in an exhibit of the Surrealist painters.
What I know (knew) about the Surrealists would literally rattle within a pea, but I do vaguely remember that Freud’s dream psycho-analysis methods. when they became popular and emerged upon the scene helped instigate it.
My friend Jackie (pictured on a cool scooter device) knew MUCH more than I do about the Surrealists and did fill me in on some famous names that I actually recognized, including Picasso, Lichtenstein, Magritte, Miro, Salvador Dali and many others. Jackie actually has a lovely Miro painting in her home that she pointed out I had complimented her on; I do remember this painting, but, no, I did not remember it was by Miro.
So color me ignorant, but willing to learn.
One of us read every word beneath every painting.
One of us read the words connected to the better-known artists and took some pictures of their work(s), which I am now going to share without much commentary, because, after all, what do I know about the Surrealists? (A: Very little.) Plus, I had no scooter and took every opportunity to seat myself on one of many benches and rest.
This failure to know enough about art is why I had to drop out of Davenport (Iowa’s) Art Museum docent program early. Did not know enough and got stuck taking a bus-ful of students from Dewitt High School on a tour through “the big room,” (when I had been told I was leading a tour through the Isabelle Bloom display, about which I had a great deal of knowledge, none of which the students on the bus nor their artteacher cared to hear.) It was one of the most embarrassing half hours of my life and seemed to go on forever, so, without further ado, here are some paintings from the display in Dallas. I feel confident that you will be able to pick out the Picasso, the Lichtenstein’s (sp?), the Magritte, etc., better than moi.
William H. Foege, eradicator of smallpox, dead at 89.
William Herbert Foege[1] (/ˈfeɪɡi/FAY-ghee;[2] March 12, 1936 – January 24, 2026) was an American physician and epidemiologist who is credited with “devising the global strategy that led to the eradication of smallpox in the late 1970s”.[3] From May 1977 to 1983, Foege served as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Foege also “played a central role” in efforts that greatly increased immunization rates in developing countries in the 1980s.
This 6’7″ son of a Lutheran minister in Decorah, Iowa, is credited with banishing one of the most feared diseases in modern history: smallpox. He became interested in working in New Guinea when he spent months in a body cast at the age of fifteen, and his technique of finding the infected patient and isolating him and inoculating those with whom the patient had interacted is credited with the successful campaign to eradicate the disease, as of the 1980s.
One of the methods Foege used to convince natives to come learn about the smallpox vaccination was to tell them that they could “come see the tallest man in the world.” Foege died at age 89 of congestive heart failure in Atlanta and expressed his opinion of Robert F.Kennedy Jr.’s stewardship of the Department of Health and Human Services saying, “Kennedy would be less hazardous if he decided to do cardiac surgery. Then he would kill people only one at a time rather than his current ability to kill by the thousands.”
“Joybubbles” at the Sundance Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Festival.)
Joe Engressia is a name that you might not recognize. Joybubbles, which legally became Joe’s name in 1991,is a name that might also leave you in the dark. You can learn about Joybubbles in this Rachael J. Morrison documentary at Sundance and simultaneously take a look back at the telephone of yesteryear.
BACKGROUND
“In the dark” describes Joe Engressia for his entire life, as he was born blind. His life path, however, was so unusual that Director Rachael J. Morrison gathered archival footage of Joe as a young boy and as an adult to tell his story in a charming 79 minute documentary. It tells the story of a young innocent blind boy who decided that he didn’t ever want to grow up. Joe even established a church, the Church of Eternal Childhood, getting an online minister’s degree. Its motto “We won’t grow up.”
Joybubbles’ Peter Pan mind-set stemmed from childhood sexual abuse during a brief stay with his also blind sister at a school for the blind in New Jersey when he was 6 and ½,. Joe demonstrated high intelligence (some reports reported an I.Q. of 172), graduating 33rd out of over 800 students, and he discovered a unique ability to whistle tones with perfect pitch. He was, therefore, able to make long distance calls for free.
TELEPHONES
Phones became Joe’s way of reaching out to the world. We’re not talking cell phones, since Joe was born May 15, 1949. As someone who predates Joybubbles, I can personally testify that long distance phone calls were very expensive and a Big Deal. My own mother basically forbade ever making long distance phone calls unless someone in the family had died, as the hourly wage back then was $1.25 and a long distance phone call could easily run $15 a pop (or more.) In defense of AT&T, which comes off as the $90 billion dollar unpopular monopoly it was for decades, the quality of land lines far surpasses that of cell phones. They’re a vanishing breed, but I still have one.
Joe found the phone to be a real equalizer for a blind person, since you can talk to people without them seeing you. When he learned to make the whistling sound at 2600 mhz that triggered long distance calling, (thanks to his perfect pitch), he earned local and national notoriety. He could make long distance phone calls for the others in his University of South Florida dorm for free. That led to Joe being reported to the phone company and facing charges that were eventually bargained down from federal charges to misdemeanor nuisance variety charges.
LIFE PATH
A near-death experience after Joe contracted what sounded like pneumonia in 1959 at the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship camp for the blind, when the temperatures for the native Florida boy, were in the fifties, Joe may have hallucinated thoughts about bubbles (Joybubbles). He also dreamed of becoming financially independent and living in a high rise with a swimming pool. He continued to want to be embraced by total love. To that end, Joe/Joybubbles placed an ad in the local newspaper and, later in the phone book for Zzzzyerrific FunLine. Strangers could phone to hear his half-hour musings on many subjects.
In 1982 Joybubbles moved to 22 E. 22nd St. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and began regressing to heal himself, traveling to the Mr. Rogers Collection of videotaped programs at the University of Pittsburgh. He watched all of the Mr. Rogers programs on videotape, which took him days. There was a primal innocence about everything Joybubbles did, which may well have “saved” him, as he listened to his inner philosopher.
WISDOM
Rachael J. Morrison, director of Joybubbles, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Michael Worful.)
Joe—or Joybubbles, as he came to be known—shared many words of wisdom. Here are a few: “If you love something enough, it’ll love you back.”
“In the process of being an adult, you have to find out what works for you and what doesn’t. You have to realize that you’re an adult and sometimes you have to gamble,”
The head of a smaller phone company that ultimately hired Joe to work for them (Millington Telephone Company in Eureka, Tennessee) felt that Joe should be shielded from the many requests for interviews about his unique whistling ability. Joe felt that, “I could be my own person, be a real citizen.” Joe told his boss in Tennessee, “I feel that I’m human, and that’s where our philosophies differ.”
And then he quit.
Joe/Joybubbles moved to the Service Center in Denver in September of 197. to Minneapolis in 1982. He felt he “just needed a way to get loads of people to phone me” and attempted a classified ad, with a number that did not work. He finally settled on the last entry in the phone book and provided weekly updates for those who called in, one of whom was Steve Wozniak of Apple.
Said Joybubbles: “It was quite a realization that somebody could love me and I could have friends.” Others, such as CBS News Correspondent Steve Hartman, who was sent out to do a story on Joybubbles was also asked to take Joybubbles to the movie “Big.” To Steve, the movie seemed a reflection of the life Joybubbles was trying to live.
PERSONAL OBSERVATION
I lived with a blind roommate in my second year of college. Susan (Willoughby). Susan and her siblings were all born blind to a sighted couple. What made Susan’s story even more unique was that two sisters married two brothers. Susan and her brothers and sisters were born blind, while the other couple had children born with normal sight. This interested the University of Iowa, which immediately conscripted the families for further study. Susan was majoring in Cane Travel when she and I roomed together. She was studying Cane Travel and Orientation and was very smart. She was able to beat me at any card game you can name, and she knew when it was me coming down the hall just from the sound of my footsteps.
I was drafted to help Susan match outfits (color coding on the clothing existed, butsometimes a tag would go missing) and, also, to take her to movies. I was told, later, that the University had hand-picked me to be Susan’s roommate. I remained her roommate all year, despite the fact that the books for the blind were so huge in those days that there was only a narrow path left to wind your way to our bunk beds. Our room became a “hangout” for other blind students and it was not unusual to enter and find a blind student “seated” (if that is the right word) in the waste paper basket, a rather large industrial strength version. I learned braille, but to learn it without sight is a much bigger achievement.
CONCLUSION
Joe Engressio was a remarkable human being who was the Peter Pan of Phone Phreaks. They became known as PhonePhreaks between 1969-1971 when the Captain Crunch cereal whistle opened long distance fraud opportunities to others without perfect pitch whistling skill.
As “Joybubbles” underscores, “Joe Engressia was a joyful person; he wanted everyone else to be happy. To that end, Joe’s simplistic world view was: “The essence of genius is being able to hang onto the mysteries of childhood for as long as possible.”
When Joybubbles was not heard from for a week, friends initiated a wellness check. Joe Engressio, (aka Joybubbles), was found dead in his tenth floor apartment on August 20, 2007, of congestive heart failure. His final thoughts: “Love me enough to let me go. Remember: every day is a gift.”
Good advice for us all in a thoroughly enjoyable Sundance documentary.
Rob Reiner, as he appeared on “All In the Family.”
The senseless murder of actor/director Rob Reiner, apparently by his son Nick, is some of the worst news of the year.
I met Rob Reiner on two occasions.
The first time I met him was when I was a “Deaniac” during the run for President of Dr. Howard Dean, back in the “sleepless summer” of 2004. Dean was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election. Later, Howard Dean’s implementation of the fifty-state strategy as head of the DNC is credited with the Democratic victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Afterward, he became a political commentator and consultant to McKenna Long & Aldridge, a law and lobbying firm.
Because I paid for a large ad in our local newspaper (the Quad City Times), advertising Howard Dean’s upcoming appearance at Davenport’s West High School (ad approved by the Des Moines Dean headquarters), I was introduced to Rob Reiner, who was also pulling for Howard Dean and was present at a rally in the capital city of Des Moines. Reiner gave me a warm hug. We shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries. He was warm and gregarious, like a large teddy bear. A “huggy” kind of person, as you might expect from his television appearances as Michael ‘Meathead” Stivic in “All In the Family.”
Later, in Chicago in 2014, Rob Reiner showed up to promote “And So It Goes.” I was part of the Press at the showing of “And So It Goes.” He was just as warm and friendly and gregarious when I met him on the Red Carpet for that film. I mentioned our previous meeting in connection with the Howard Dean campaign, then 10 years prior, so obviously not someone he would remember (Ha!)
And So It Goes is a 2014 American comedy drama film directed by Rob Reiner and written by Mark Andrus. The film, which stars Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton and Sterling Jerins, was released on July 25, 2014. It received mostly negative reviews from critics, and performed modestly at the box office. The film was the second collaboration between Reiner and Douglas, after The American President (1995). This film was also Frances Sternhagen‘s final feature film role before her death on November 27, 2023.[4]
MY IMPRESSIONS
Reiner was like a sweet, cuddly, out-going teddy bear. The idea of Rob Reiner and his wife being stabbed to death by their own son is heinous and tragic. What is even more tragic is the response from Donald J. Trump, who had to make it all about him and said (among other totally inexcusable things), “I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person.” Rep. Don Bacon (R, Nebraska) commented that this remark about the tragic death of Rob Reiner was “something you’d expect from a drunk guy at a bar. Can the president be presidential?”
The answer is, “No. DJT cannot be presidential. He needs to BEE GONE, as soon as possible.
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.
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.
The closing night film of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival was an homage to films of the 80s and 90s, romantic comedies like “Notting Hill,” written by Patrick Cunnane (his first feature screenplay) and Director David Freyne (“Dating Amber,” 2020). During the Q&A onstage following the showing on October 26th, Trevor White, a producer who works with his brother, Tim, talked about the film that the audience had just enjoyed.
PLOT
“In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen)is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life (65 years) with (Miles Teller, “Whiplash,” 2024, “The Gorge,” 2025) and her first love Luke (Callum Turner, “The Boys in the Boat,” 2023; “Masters of the Air,” 2024) who died young and has waited 67 years for her to arrive. [It reminded me of the Albert Brooks/Meryl Streep vehicle “Defending Your Life” (1991).]
Guided by an After Life Coordinator (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar winner for “The Holdovers”), they have just one week to confront the ultimate dilemma: where and with whom to spend eternity.” Da’Vine and fellow ALC afterlife coordinator Ryan (John Early) are hilarious in their roles and add much to the film. So does a neighbor of Joan and Larry’s, Karen (Olga Merediz). These supporting cast members get high marks for humor.
GENESIS
Director David Freyne of “Eternity.”
Screenwriter Patrick Cunnane, who is the son of Congresswoman Madeline Dean, met Producer Trevor White (and Tim, his brother and production partner) at the White House where Cunnane was then working as a member of the White House speechwriting staff (the East Wing was intact then. Yay!). This fortuitous meeting propelled “Eternity” forward. The addition of Director David Freyne (co-credited as writer) was also serendipity. Cunnane said, “When David came on, everything went to the next level. David had a clear vision of the afterlife…It could have looked 110 different ways…I couldn’t be more thrilled with the way this turned out. It is better than I imagined it in my head.” (This is not what many screenwriters say, so give this production a Gold Star for being a happy set. It was also better than I imagined it would be, which is a recommendation for audiences to check it out.)
IMAGINING THE AFTER-LIFE
This was Freyne’s third movie and his third with Elizabeth Olsen. A corkboard outside his office led to creative suggestions for how the afterlife might appear. Since the idea was to blend romance with comedy, emulating the rom-coms of old (“That was the North Star for this movie”), some of the ideas added to the corkboard during production caused the duo to admit to the audience’s amusement, “Some were very funny and probably not appropriate for PG13.” The screenplay was on Hollywood’s Black List of the Best Unproduced Films since 2022, so its potential was recognized.
CREW
That potential was turned into reality by the expert work of Production Designer Zazu Myers (“My Old Ass,” 2024) and Cinematographer Ruairi O’Brien (“Dating Amber,” 2020; “Sea Fever,” 2019). The composer was David Fleming (“Superman,” 2025; “The Last of Us,” 2023) and the Costume Designer was Angus Strathie. (Edith Head he was not; the red-and-white checked outfits for Joan’s character and the gold-striped shirt worn by Miles Teller in the same scene did not enhance the constant remarks about how attractive the lovely Elizabeth Olsen looked, from each of her husbands. For that matter, how many of us would vote for Miles Teller as the more attractive husband of the two? But I’ll leave that plot point open to viewers, while admitting that, in terms of attractiveness–which is emphasized in the script—they could have flipped the parts, for me, but might have lost Teller’s flip finesse with humorous lines, his forte.)
SCREENPLAY
Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner in “Eternity,” the closing night picture for the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.
“Eternity” goes from Chicago to Austin’s Film Festival next, where it will be a Spotlight film. Austin is known as a screenwriter’s festival and the screenplay is very good. I particularly enjoyed the digs at the Korean War (not one ofthe “cool” ones) and lines like, “We can go to space for eternity, for all I care as long as Luke (husband #1) is not floating around,” from Larry (Husband #2).
HEAVEN?
The various iterations of the afterlife are presented like a giant convention, with scads of brochures about spending your after-life in 1930s Germany, but with 100% fewer Nazis; Parisland 55 (where they speak English, but with a French accent); or Infantilization World. There’s even a run on eternities where there are no men, but it filled up fast and a second similar eternity was under construction. All of the throw-away lines/ concepts were very clever.
RELATIONSHIPS
Screenwriter Patrick Cunnane and Producer Trevor White of “Eternity” at the Q&A, closing night of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.
The opening scenes of “old” Larry and “old” Joan driving to a gender reveal party were charming and realistic. Betty Buckley, now 78 years young, played Dr. Karen Fletcher in 2016’s “Split.” I’ve missed her. Barry Primus (2013’s “Grudge Match”) portrayed old Larry. Their bickering is characteristic of marriages that have endured for decades (67 years). I can personally attest to this. The relationship question of this film is intensified when the real question is how you would choose a mate for eternity if your family were a love triangle.
CONCLUSION
The screenwriter freely admitted to stealing real-life stories from his elderly parents’ lives (the flat tire story). Cunnane shared a touching story of his mother, on-set watching the film while it was shooting, breaking down in tears when one episode unfolded.
That says it all: there are real-life lessons about family and its importance in this one, much as there were real-life lessons about important people in your life in the George Clooney vehicle “Jay Kelly.” Life without someone special can be hollow. But who will Joan choose to spend eternity with—and which of the hilarious afterlife options will win out? Check out “Eternity” in November to find out.
“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 therock 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 tospice 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.
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.
“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
The Beatles’ first appearance was on February 9, 1964.
The show was broadcast live from New York City.
Approximately 73 million viewers tuned in, a record at the time.
This performance marked the beginning of Beatlemania in the United States.
They performed five songs during this iconic appearance.
The event is credited with launching the British Invasion in American music.
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 onearena 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 iscosting 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, asthis 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 fromStardom”) 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.
