Category: Pop Culture Page 2 of 80

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

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

By Connie Wilson

On October 9, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

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

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

PLOT

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

CHARACTERS

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

CONCLUSION

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

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

56th Nashville Film Festival Closing Night Tonight

By Connie Wilson

On September 24, 2025

In Editorial, Movies, News, Pop Culture, travel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Connie Wilson

On September 22, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

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

PLOT

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

CAST

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

ETIENNE KELLICI

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

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

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

THE BAD: SPOILER ALERT

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

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

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

CONCLUSION

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

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

By Connie Wilson

On September 21, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

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

CAST

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

CANDY IN 1955

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

HEART DISEASE

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

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

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

ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE JOHN CANDY

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

MEMORABLE STORY & SCENE

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

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

REVELATIONS

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

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

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

CONCLUSION

With Colin Hanks at the Chicago Film Festival.

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

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

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

Amazon Prime audiences will love it!

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

By Connie Wilson

On September 20, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

Never Get Busted (2025), Barry Cooper

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

THE BEGINNING

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

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

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

EUREKA MOMENT!

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

NEVER GET BUSTED

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

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

MARRIAGE NUMBER ONE

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

MARRIAGE TO CANDI

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

THE CHURCH OF WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

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

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

THE STING

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

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

YOLANDA MADDEN-SMITH

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

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

AUSTRALIA

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

THE PHILIPPINES

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

TARGETED

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

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

SOUND

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

CONCLUSION

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

THE CAST

Director:

David Anthony Ngo, Stephen Mccallum

Screenwriter:

David Anthony Ngo

Producer:

Erin Williams-Weir, Daniel Joyce, David Anthony Ngo

Executive Producer:

John Battsek, Chris Smith

Cast:

Barry Cooper

Cinematographer:

Samuel Broeren, David Gregan, Matthew Jenkins

Editor:

Julian Hart

Animator:

Luke Jurevicius

Production Design:

Bec Francis

Composer:

Simon Walbrook

Sound

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

By Connie Wilson

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 56^th Nashville Film Festival on Thursday, September 18^th 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 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.

56th Nashville Film Festival Screens September 18-24, 2025

By Connie Wilson

On September 15, 2025

In Education, Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

If you are planning on attending the 56th Nashville Film Festival to view any of the 150 or so feature films, shorts, animated shorts or documentaries (Sept.18-24, 2025) check out some reviews of a few of the offerings that have appeared on this blog and on The Movie Blog previously, usually after having seen them at Sundance or SXSW.

Also, please pay attention to the warnings about “spoilers.”

The 3 films I saw at other festivals I’ve listed in the order I enjoyed them, at the time. It’s tough comparing a 7-minute hilarious short (“Retirement Plan” from Ireland) with a full-length drama like “Omaha,” but both are worth your time.

I’ll be covering more in the week to come on the ground in Nashville and there are others up on WeeklyWilson and The Movie Blog.

Enjoy!

https://www.weeklywilson.com/retirement-the-7-minute-short-that-tells-the-truth/https://

www.themovieblog.com/2025/02/retirement-plan-a-7-minute-short-that-amuses/https://

www.weeklywilson.com/omaha-is-a-film-for-our-times-from-debut-feature-film-director-cole-webley/

https://www.weeklywilson.com/the-beguiling-screens-at-sxsw-on-march-9-2025/https://

www.themovieblog.com/2025/03/the-beguiling-short-screens-sxsw-2025/

“Ben’s Sister” Screens at 56th Nashville Film Festival on September 20, 2025

By Connie Wilson

On September 14, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

“Ben’s Sister” poster.

Emma Weinswig, is a talented Writer/Director/Actress who took home the SXSW Audience Award for “Ben’s Sister,” an 18-minute film that won the Narrative Shorts Competition at SXSW in 2025. The film depicts the high school antics of a group of teen-aged boys who are attempting to win the award for the Senior Scavenger Hunt. The Senior Scavenger Hunt has them doing a series of things that seem cool to senior boys and posting pictures of these antics online. What sorts of things must the young men do to win the Senior Scavenger Hunt?

SENIOR SCAVENGER HUNT POINTS

Poster for “Ben’s Sister.”

Make a halfcourt basketball shot: 30 points. Swallow a goldfish: 100 points. Kidnap a freshman: 500 points. Get Rachel M. to flash you and get Sebastian’s mom to kiss you: 500 points. Defecate on the Redwood home plate: 500 points. Ding dong ditch and get Lea to meet you at the swimming pool to swim and, last but not least, hook up with a freshman girl for 2,000 points.

I may have gotten the points to be earned slightly incorrect, but the last one is the one that causes the trouble within the group of testosterone-fueled boys. Ben discovers that one of his friends, Chase, hit on his freshman sister, Emma, to earn points for the Scavenger Hunt. The discovery seems to open Ben’s mind regarding the double standard that he has been living, vis a vis male/female relationships. It’s okay to behave like a predatory male animal when it’s somebody else’s sister, but when Ben thinks that his friend Chase has hit on his own freshman sister, Emma, his opinion changes. The behavior we see Ben emulating doesn’t seem as cool in the light of reality. One wishes that the leaders of our country had similar “Eureka!” moments. The indisputable fact is that every under-age girl is someone’s daughter or sister.

MICHAEL GANDOLFINI

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 10: Michael Gandolfini attends HBO’s “The Sopranos” 25th anniversary celebration on January 10, 2024 at Da Nico Ristorante in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/WireImage)

The role of Ben’s friend Chase is played by 26-year-old Michael Gandolfini, son of James Gandolfini. I’ve been following Michael Gandolfini since he appeared in 2021’s “The Many Saints of Newark” and in the 2024 hilarius short “Tea.” In “Tea” the young Gandolfini portrayed a Circuit City employee who is stung in the throat by a hornet. That 12-minute Blake Rice-directed short co-starred Olivia Nikkanen and was as absurd as it sounds.

When the young Gandolfini began acting in 2011 he was only 12 years old. Now, as a 26-year-old, Michael Gandolfini has amassed 21 credits, many of them shorts. It is only a matter of time until we see young Gandolfini dominating filmscreens, hopefully with the same charisma as his father.

MICHAEL GANDOLFINI TODAY

Michael Gandolfini today.

In the early years, young Michael did not look that much like his legendary father. As he has matured and filled out, he is resembling James, his father, more and more. It was remarkable, especially when I went back in the archives and looked at earlier photos. He is shaping up to look remarkably like his Dad and is definitely on target to build an equally impressive career.

BEN & EMMA WEINSWIG

Ben & Emma Weinswig

The lead in “Ben’s Sister,” Ben Weinswig, is actually the brother of Emma Weinswig, who wrote and directed this short. “Ben’s Sister” won both the Audience Award for a narrative short at SXSW and was also nominated for the 2025 Grand Jury Award in Austin. The music (April Harper Gray), cinematography (Shane Bagwell) and editing (Will Noyce and William Lancaster) were excellent and all performers were totally believable in their roles….(even if one of then was 26 while portraying an 18-year-old.)

MAIN MALE CAST:

Primary male cast of “Ben’s Sister,” including Ben Weinswig, Sam Rechner, Brian Niles, Michael Gandolfini

The main cast members were Ben Weinswig as Ben, Michael Gandolfini as Chase, Brian Niles as Sebastian “Sebi”; Sam Rechner as Ryder; and Charlie Brady as Jasper. In the photo, Ben is bottom left, Sebi (Sebastian) is upper right, and bottom right is Michael Gandolfini.

FEMALE MAIN CAST:

Emma Weinswig (also Writer/Director/Star) as Emma (Ben’s Sister); Alex Costello as Lia; Siena Werber as Stella; Alexis G. Lall as Lizzy; Natalie Rousseau as Ava; and Emma Kuhlman as Tallulah.

Other members of the Mill Valley, California T-High class were Sophia Grace Macy as Alyssa, Miles Elliot as Jack, Steve Weinswig as Mr. Pavolick, Madeliene Smith as Rachel M, Rachel Turner as Celeste, Lindsay Nelson as Emily and Luke Yellen as Turtle. “Ben’s Sister” will screen on Saturday, September 20th at 2 p.m. in Regal Green Hils Theater #14 at the 56th Nashville Film Festival and will stream to ticket holders from September 22nd (8 a.m.) until midnight on September 29th, 2025.

“Weapons” Horror Movie Hits The Mark

By Connie Wilson

On August 12, 2025

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

One of the best films of the summer is “Weapons,” written, directed and partially scored by Zach Cregger. While there are credits for music (“Beware of Darkness,” “Gotta’ Get Up” et. al) Cregger collaborated with Hays Holladay and Ryan Holladay on sounds used. Cregger’s previous film, “Barbarian” (2022) marked him as a talent to watch. This feature is one of the most anticipated for horror film lovers and is quickly outpacing “Freakier Friday” and doing well at the box office. The script for this film went through a bidding war between Universal and Netflix. For a while, Jordan Peele (“Get Out,” “Us,” “Nope”) was also in the running to make this horror film.

CAST

The actors in this one are Top Notch. Julia Garner (“Ozark”) portrays Justine Gandy, a teacher at Maybrook Elementary School (grades 1 through 5). Justine’s entire class of 18 students—with the one exception of Alex Lilly—disappears in the night at 2:17 a.m. and, say the ads, “they never came back.” I was concerned that, like the television series “The Leftovers” (2014, Justin Theroux) we would never get a coherent explanation of how or why these kids seemingly disappeared. Rest assured, we do get that explanation. The number 217 could conceivably reference Matthew 2:17 (“The Slaughter of the Innocents”). It was also the room number in the Overlook Hotel. (“The Shining).

AMY MADIGAN

The cast member getting most of the accolades for her performance is Julia Garner as teacher Justine Gandy, and she deserves the praise. However, I’d like to put in a vote for the always-excellent Amy Madigan as Gladys. (Amy has been married to fellow actor Ed Harris 42 years.) Madigan’s appearance in “Field of Dreams” is one of her best-known. She was nominated for an Oscar in 1986 as Best Supporting Actress for “Twice in a Lifetime.”[One of Madigan’s castmates in this film, Alden Ehrenreich (as Paul Morgan) was named for the writer/director of “Field of Dreams,” a close friend of Ehrenreich’s parents.]

Alden Ehrenreich (with mustache).

ALDEN EHRENREICH

Ehrenreich rose to fame as Hobie Doyle, the lasso afficionado in the Coen Brothers film “Hail, Caesar” (2016). The 36-year-old has been working since he was discovered by Steven Spielberg at the Bar Mitzvah of a friend of Spielberg’s daughter. He made his feature film debut in Francis Ford Coppola‘s film Tetro (2009), and appeared in Coppola’s subsequent film Twixt (2011). Apparently there was a big discussion of whether or not Ehrenreich should have a mustache in the film. The ‘stash prevented me from instantly recognizing him. Ehrenreich shared that his ride-alongs with real cops while preparing for the film clinched the yes vote with Director Cregger.

JOSH BROLIN

Do we need to do more than mention Josh Brolin’s name? Brolin and Pedro Pascal seem to be in everything these days. Brolin even joked about Pedro not being in this one. Pascal left for “The Fantastic Four,” and bailed on “Weapons,” necessitating much recasting for Cregger. There was also the strike and other out-of-control features that caused his exit. Brolin and Garner team up effectively to search for Matthew, Archer Graff’s son, although it does seem that a house with newspapers all over the windows might have attracted more attention from the authorities earlier, but Brolin and Garner are on the case and will not give up in their quest to solve the mystery of the missing children.

CARY CHRISTOPHER

Cary Christopher plays the young sole survivor of the disappearance, Alex Lilly. The young actor is terrific in the part. He is soon appearing in “High Potential” (a TVseries set to premiere on September 17^th) and “Spider-Noir” in 2026. Young Christopher was as good in his part as Haley Joel Osment in “The Sixth Sense.”

JULIA GARNER

It is Julia Garner’s class, portraying elementary school teacher Justine Gandy, that disappears. She carries the entire film on her slim shoulders. “Ozark” fans will be happy to see this talented actress, who portrayed Ruth Langmore on “Ozark” (2017), back in “Weapons.” Co-star Josh Brolin has been singing Garner’s well-deserved praises on late-night television. Definitely seems more her style than her appearance in “The Fantastic Four,” but she is versatile.

BENEDICT WONG

As the gay Marcus, Benedict Wong (“Dr. Strange”) does an expert job taking his story arc from reasonable school administrator to deranged over-the-top temporary nut job. His final appearance in “Weapons” is horrifying. Marcus’s attacks on Justine (and Josh Brolin as Archer Graff) will keep you on the edge of your seat(s).

SCRIPT

For a movie like this to work, the story must involve a premise that is original, and executed effectively with creativity but without confusion (only half of that goal was achieved by the recent “Eddington”). Those elements succeed and are interwoven in “Weapons,” just as each character’s story is picked up, developed, and then left to move on building suspense for another character. Just watching a hand reach for a doorknob is chilling. This dramatic tension is well-done and the expert handling of time, moving back and forth smoothly in the story, is remarkable.

Writer/Director Cregger even gets a credit for composing some of the sound/music, although, in each of his features, the sound effects are more natural (thunderstorms, creaking floorboards) or simply the lack of music in many scenes. Instead, we have thumping sounds, screams, pulsing heartbeats (as in “Barbarian”)—all very effective.

THEMES

Moral ambiguity existed in “Brutarian” with Justin Long’s character (Long makes a small appearance in this one, as Gary, a neighbor who shares ring camera footage with Josh Brolin). In “Weapons” Cregger delivers a message about the urge to “blame.” The teacher whose entire class disappeared is judged and found guilty by the community. Her car is vandalized with the word WITCH in unwashable spray paint. Both Miss Gandy and the cop (Alden Ehrenreich as Paul Morgan) have past and present substance abuse issues. Josh Brolin’s character of Archer Graff may also have regrets about his parenting. Infidelity is briefly addressed. Comparisons to Jack Nicholson’s door-breaking scenes in “The Shining” may flash through your mind during the climactic scenes involving Alex’s parents. Those scenes are extremely frightening. (No elementary school-age children in the room, please.)

Writer/Director Zach Cregger.

CONCLUSION

This is a good one. It will be fun to watch the direction that Zach Cregger’s work takes next. If you like this one, check out “Barbarian”(2022) on Neflix before it leaves on August 31^st.

“Clout” @ HollyShorts Film Festival Examines Internet Life

By Connie Wilson

On August 7, 2025

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

Archie (Yates) as Oskar and friends at the river, searching for the corpse of a drowned man.

An interesting 16:50 short now playing at the HollyShorts Film Festival (Aug. 7-17^th), “Clout” was directed by Jordan Murphy Dodge and written by Dodge in collaboration with Tom Duthie and Tristam Thomas. It is a meditation on the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, cell phones, Tik Tok, Snapchat, Instagram and other modern-day signs of the times.

Perhaps my favorite line regarding all of these things (podcasts, social media influencers, IMs, et. al) is this, “Don’t let this thing take over your whole life. It doesn’t mean as much as you think it does.”

ARCHIE YATES

A.I. is taking over the world ?

The film benefits from its lead actor, Archie Yates as Oskar. Archie played Yorki in “JoJo Rabbit” in 2019, when he was ten years old. He made such an impression as JoJo’s best friend and confidante that he was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Movie Award. Now 16, he has been in 9 films since his debut appearance as Yorki.

In this short Oskar (Archie Yates) is depicted as “odd man out.” His friends suspect him of being untruthful, in an effort to gain clout and be considered cool. Oskar will end up paying dearly for his obsession with being one of “the cool kids.

PLOT

Oskar (Archie Yates) and friends in “Clout.”

”The film draws heavily on such previous plots as “The Boy Who Cried Wolf and “Stand By Me.” Oskar tells his buddies at his British school that he has seen a dead body in the river while walking to school. The others (Obi Laughton as Oleforo-Aiden; Samuel Leakey as Ben; Ashwin Chandrasekaran as Rishi; Kit Price as Trey) are skeptical. Archie begs them to accompany him to the river to see the dead body (cue “Stand By Me”). Eventually, the trip is made, but the outcome is unexpected. Be sure to stay through the entire credits for this one.

Young Archie reminds me of a younger Josh Gad, the actor who was Tony nominated as Best Actor in a Leading Role for his part as Elder Cunningham in 2011’s “The Book of Mormon.” Archie is 16 with 9 credits. Josh Gad (44) has about 11 times that many, plus an education training for his career at Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts, School of Drama, where he graduated with a BFA.

THE FUTURE

Archie Yates told Mia Galuppo of “The Hollywood Reporter” (Oct. 24, 2019): “Thinking forward, I might have other things I want to do and worry about in my life, so I don’t really know where it’s going to go.” It will be interesting to watch his progress towards whatever goals young Yates sets for himself. He was captivating as the young Yorki in “JoJo Rabbit” and he and the other young actors (and actresses) in “Clout” at the HollyShorts Film Festival acquit themselves well, promising unlimited career horizons.

Enjoy this short film at the HollyShorts Film Festival August 7th through the 17th.