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: Reviews Page 2 of 60

“Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken” on 9/22 at Nashville Film Festival

Melissa Etheridge appears in a series streaming on Paramount Plus as of July 7th, entitled “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken.” The two episodes are being shown on Sunday, September 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. as part of the Nashville Film Festival.

Young Melissa Etheridge.

Young Melissa Etheridge.

A native of Leavenworth, Kansas, Etheridge is shown visiting the Topeka Correctional Facility for Women, after having corresponded with many of the inmates for 9 months prior. It was a homecoming of sorts for the singer, as, like Johnny Cash, she had performed at a Kansas prison when she was only 12 years old, in 1973. Brian Morrow and Amy Scott directed the series and five of the inmates of the prison are shown reading the letters they wrote to Etheridge.  Etheridge talks with the five women and performs for them.

Saying that their letters inspired her, Melissa wrote some original music for the concert and said, “I realize I can’t save anyone, but I’m looking to inspire.”

HIGH POINTS

The Mayor of Leavenworth, Jermaine Wilson, who did 3 years in prison himself, is shown talking with Etheridge about the upcoming concert. Wilson and Etheridge, together, stressed that they wanted to inspire and encourage the imprisoned felons, saying, “Mistakes don’t define you. You are not a failure. You are not a mistake. You were created on purpose for a purpose.”

Mayor Jermaine Wilson of Leavenworth, KS.

Mayor Jermaine Wilson of Leavenworth, Kansas.

In addition to much charitable work, Melissa also founded the Etheridge Foundation which attempts to legalize cannabis and other drugs that might be useful for therapeutic purposes. She shared with the crowd of women—many of them incarcerated specifically for selling, using, or possession of drugs—that she once had an arrest as she entered the U.S. from Canada through North Dakota, where cannabis was illegal. “The best I can do is to be an example—a light that holds you up and says you matter.”

PRISON STATISTICS

Meghan Davis, an employee of the facility, said that the likelihood of a woman being the victim of a crime never drops for women as it does for men. Women do not grow up and become less likely to become victims of crime. In fact, over the last 40 years, there has been an 84% increase in women convicted of crimes and imprisoned, many of them crimes that originated with a drug habit.

Of the 760 women incarcerated in Topeka, 500 are mothers or grandmothers. Prison employee Dani Essman talked about how many of the imprisoned women lose their identity. One of the women  expressed gratitude for Etheridge’s actions, saying, “We were just grateful that she gave a shit.”

POIGNANT SHARE

Melissa and her then-partner Julie Cypher had 2 children.  Cypher gave birth to Bailey Jean and Beckett.[65] Cypher became pregnant via artificial insemination using sperm donated by musician David Crosby.[66] Cypher and Etheridge separated in 2000. On May 13, 2020, Etheridge announced on Twitter that her son with Cypher, Beckett, had died at the age of 21 of a drug overdose related to opioid addiction. (Her daughter, Bailey Jean, graduated from Columbia in 2019).

Beckett and Bailey Etheridge.

Beckett and sister Bailey.

When Etheridge shared this personal heartbreak with the crowd, she sang the song “Shadow of a Black Crow,” which she said she seldom performs. One of the lines in the song is, “I would rather die fast than ever drive slow. Father, forgive me, for what my mother don’t know.”

Etheridge—speaking to so many women who know only too well the curse of addiction—said, “He (Beckett) was either gonna’ find his way out or not, and in his case not.”  Referencing the lyric “The scratch marks on my soul from the shadow of a black crow” Etheridge said, “I miss him here, but I know he is here (gesturing upwards).”

SECOND HALF

In the second episode of the Melissa Etheridge Paramount Plus offering “I’m Not Broken” Ms. Etheridge composed a song especially for the inmates of the Topeka State Prison. We witnessed the actual creative process as Etheridge discusses the evolution of the song. Band member Joe Ayoub tells us that they worked up the band’s part from Friday to Sunday.

Melissa Etheridge onstage.

Onstage.

particularly heartbreaking story, told by one of the five women spotlighted in the special (Andrea, Cierra, Jessica, Kristi and Leigh) shared with the viewers was that she became hooked on drugs and was pregnant by 19. Her baby died ten minutes before she gave birth.

Etheridge opened up about her son Beckett’s death on May 13, 2020. Beckett was born on November 18, 1998. Etheridge explained his addiction as stemming from Vicodin administered after a snowboarding accident. His addiction quickly spiraled out of control.

Beckett was 21 when the police found him dead after a wellness check that Melissa and her former partner Julie Cypher requested.

THE ODD

Beckett and Bailey Etheridge.

Beckett and Bailey.

I found Melissa Etheridge’s sharing of her personal trauma brave, but odd.

Melissa Etheridge and son Beckett.

Melissa and son Beckett.

She said, “I do not let it take me out of my own sense of well-being.  You can accept a person’s choices and it doesn’t have to destroy you.” She seemed remarkably calm and distanced from grief at the death of her son. I couldn’t help but wonder if, like the devotees of the new meditation start-up Jhourney, Etheridge has internalized the life rule “true peace comes from accepting things just as they are.” I admit that I was taken aback at the calm way Etheridge discussed the death of her 21-year-old son, Beckett. It was shocking and surprising; she seemed somewhat clinically detached. The death had taken place three years prior so that may help explain the low-key dispassionate discussion the film showcases.

CONCLUSION

The 2 part serial look into Melissa Etheridge’s life and creative process was interesting, but repetitive. There were too many shots of Etheridge performing on the temporary stage set up outside the prison walls. The interviews with the five inmates (Andrea, Cierra, Jessica, Kristi and Leigh) were conducted in less-than-optimal settings and there were a lot of those table shots. Perhaps film of the five inmates establishing the women’s relationships with their families of origin before they were incarcerated would have helped?

Melissa Etheridge onstage.

Onstage.

What comes through loud and clear is that Melissa Etheridge is a time-tested talent. She asks the assembled women if they are familiar with her music. Some are not. For them she described her audience as those aged 50 and up, as her Grammy-winning years were approximately 1993 through 2007. That’s a pity, as she is just as talented now as she was in earlier years—  more seasoned and just as creative. She continues to write. This series is a tribute to a true talent trying to bring redemption and empowerment to incarcerated female prisoners. It is a wonderful humanitarian concept.

Melissa Etheridge onstage.

Melissa Etheridge onstage.

What else could have been done to liven up the many scenes of Ms. Etheridge talking with the inmates? The library setting was used repeatedly. Melissa performing onstage was entertaining, but also repetitive. Those were the weak points of the two-episode series, which will screen at the Nashville Film Festival on Sunday, September 22nd, from 7 to 9 p.m., and on Paramount Plus.

THE GOAL

The goal of bringing hope to the incarcerated women of the Topeka Correctional Facility for Women was worthwhile and deserving of support. The plea for accepting drugs for therapeutic purposes is also a progressive step forward, just as Etheridge’s original song “I Need to Wake Up” for Al Gore’s 2007 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” which won the Academy Award, was part of a good cause, trying to alert the world to the dangers of global warming. (I can’t help but regret how our weather patterns might be different if Florida and the candidate’s brother had not been allowed to prevail in the hanging chads election of 2000. A candidate whose party had no plan at all to address global warming—and still does not—was declared the winner. Al Gore, who was extremely concerned about our stewardship of the planet, stepped aside with decorum. How times change!)

Reservations aside, it’s a pleasure to watch a Top-Notch  Singer/Songwriter writing and performing her work. Etheridge’s social conscience cannot be denied. This two-part Paramount Plus series is a testament to that .

M. Night Shymalan “Traps” Us Again with Twist After Twist

Night Shymalan is a Writer/Director whose films seem to provoke strong reactions. He always seem to be trying for that “surprise twist” ending that appeared in his break-through iconic film “The Sixth Sense” (1999). In “Trap,” which opened August 2nd, the film has so many twists concluding at 103 minutes that I’d be giving away too much of the plot if I were to list them all. Just when you think “this is the end” there’s yet another twist. Personally, I enjoyed most of that. Other critics did not and savaged the film, but it definitely holds your interest throughout.

PLOT

Josh Hartnett plays a father with a dark side who takes his daughter to a music concert that has been set up to catch him there. How do they know he’s among the 3000 men present in a crowd of 20,642? You’ll find out as the plot progresses. His goal is to escape. But can he?

The premise of a doting father taking his teen-aged daughter to a Taylor Swift-like concert is timely. I could definitely relate to the hysteria of young teen-aged girls at these things. Not only did my daughter work for Ms. Swift and have the task of bringing audience members backstage to meet their idol  (the role that M, Night Shymalan has here), but I was present at a Beatles concert in 1965 at the San Francisco Cow Palace, where teen-aged girls with tears streaming down their faces knew every line of every song and screamed themselves senseless.

I remember looking around, each time, and saying to myself, “WTF is going on?”  I was beyond the age of hysterical fandom. But I’ve seen it go down, and it is something to behold and to be in the middle of it is an experience. More could have been done with that by the skilled cinematographer.

I have three main things that I would say about this film:

  • It appears that M. Night Shymalan’s daughter, Saleka Night Shymalan, wants to become a music diva like Taylor Swift. What better way to launch her career than depicting her as one in this film? (she wrote most of the music and performs a lot of it.) After all, it worked for DJT on “The Apprentice” and launched him to the presidency. Saleka even gets to be the heroine of the film when it finally winds down (which doesn’t seem to be happening for Trump right now).
  • Josh Hartnett is an actor whose talent should have been recognized long ago. However,  a less-attractive male lead (Jesse Plemens or Mark Wahlberg, for instance) would have been a better choice to play Cooper. Hartnett is a good actor; he does his best with the script. But we expect our serial killers to be less handsome. We can argue about this, citing Ted Bundy (et. al.)as a serial killer whose appearance was not sinister, and I realize that Hartnett’s good looks did contribute to the success of many of his manipulative moments in “Trap”, but I still think that he comes off as way too “good.” The hidden evil is extremely well -hidden under that good-looking exterior. In “Twisters” (which I recently reviewed) both female leads did credible jobs, but the new (plural) “Twisters” needed the grit of the original “Twister” female lead,Helen Hunt. “Trap” needs less of the matinee idol handsomeness of Hartnett to really convince us he could be “the Butcher.”
  • The music wasn’t as “catchy” as Ms. Swift’s tunes lyrically, but Saleka Shymalan acquitted herself nobly onstage, aided by Kid Cudi as The Thinker. Great costumes. Okay songs and she can sing and play—definite pluses.

THE CAST

Who knew that Hayley Mills of “The Parent Trap” (1960) was still alive? And why would she be running the show as the FBI profiler who sets the trap to catch the Butcher at a concert by the teenaged songtress of the moment, Lady Raven? Someone suggested that Shymalan simply liked the fact that Hayley Mills was in “The Parent Trap” and that was enough. [Not really.]

Alison Pill portrays Cooper’s wife Rachel, and she is one of those faces that you just know you’ve seen in a million movies. She does a respectable but unremarkable job. She’s known for “The Newsroom” (2012-2014) and “Vice,” and has an extensive resume of work.

More remarkable in his role as Jamie, the Black guy who unwittingly helps Cooper out at the arena, is Jonathan Langdon, who provides a bit of comic relief (along with assistance to the bad guy) He’s so memorable that Shymalan has attached a small post script in the film that shows Jamie’s reaction when he learns that he has been duped by The Butcher.

I’ve seen nearly all of Shymalan’s films: “The Sixth Sense” (1999); “Unbreakable” (2000); “Signs” (2002); “The Village” (2004); “Lady in the Water” (2006); “Split” (2016); “Old”(2021); “A Knock at the Cabin” (2023). That only leaves a couple and some of his television work, so I feel comfortable saying that of the films in this list, the best is the classic “The Sixth Sense.” “Trap” would be included as one of the three best, otherwise, book-ended by “Split”—which benefited greatly from a world class acting performance by James McAvoy—and by “Signs”—which had Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix and Rory Culkin (and don’t forget the tin-foil hats!).

The others I’ve listed left you feeling very disappointed, but I was not disappointed in the acting and tension and twistiness of “Trap.” I was just unconvinced that Josh Hartnett was the right choice for the role.

One player onscreen who WAS the right choice for the role was the young girl playing Riley, Cooper’s Lady Raven-obsessed daughter, Ariel Donoghue. The 14-year-old has appeared in a television series, “Wolf Like Me” (2022-2023) and already has eleven IMDB credits. She’s good, and, in this part, she is excellent. I’ll be watching for her in future roles.

So was Josh Hartnett fine at emoting, but he was just too darned good-looking and charming to convince me that he was bad-to-the-bone. (His cross to bear!) Harnett has said, in interviews, that attending a Taylor Swift concert really helped him to understand the scenario.

THE BAD:

Cinematographer Sayonbha Mukdeeprom (“Challengers”) could have done more with the crowd scenes within what is presented as the Tanaka Arena in Philadelphia. Only it isn’t.

Shymalan always pays tribute to his Philadelphia roots and even had a CGI insertion of a building into Philadelphia’s skyline for “Glass,” but I had a sneaking suspicion that this film, which was shot in Canada, was playing fast and loose with the Tanaka Arena’s real location. In fact, the exterior of the building is actually Canada’s Rogers Centre in Toronto and the exterior is Canada’s First Ontario Centre.

In his desire to have numerous twists, a few are waaay out there, (like the final one in the film.) I also object to the “escape from the limo” plot premise. I’m sure others will contribute their own objections to the many attempts at  “twists” that seemed to go on for a good 30 to 45 minutes past what I thought was the finale.

It’s tough to always hit a home run and get a “twist” that satisfies. I salute M. Night Shymalan for continuing to try and for delivering an enjoyable film that holds your interest, despite its shortcomings. I’d predict more singing for M. Night Shymalan’s talented daughter Saleka. Her “Trap”role was a better premiere effort than Ishana Shymalan’s directorial debut with “Watchers,” which had far bigger plot problems than “Trap.”

“Twisters” Is Worthy Sequel to 1996 Original Tornado Film

“Twisters,” the sequel to the 1996 film “Twister” opened today, yet another featuring Austin, Texas native Glen Powell in a film that opened at around $32 million after spending $200 million (budgeted at $150 million) on the follow-up to that iconic film. It was an enjoyable example of escapist entertainment for summer, 2024, opening not long after the second sequel to “A Quiet Place: Day One”, which also falls into that category. This will become a big summer crowd favorite.

The second “Twister” inspired me to revisit the original Bill Paxton/Helen Hunt vehicle  to compare them. Both films give credit to Michael Crichton, who created the characters, although the “story” this time is said to be from Joseph Kosinski who scripted “Top Gun: Maverick” working with Mark L. Smith.  Steven Spielberg executive-produced the new “Twisters” and “Minari” director Lee Isaac Chang directed.

For those who have been living under a rock since 1996 when the original “Twister” premiered in May, it starred Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, ably assisted by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Cary Elwes (“Princess Bride”), Alan Ruck (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Succession”), Jami Gertz and Lois Smith.

So, how are the two movies about chasing tornadoes and trying to “tame” them alike—or different?

THE OPENING SCENES

The original film opens with the devastating death of Helen Hunt’s father, who is sucked from their cellar by an EF5 tornado while trying to hold the door to the cellar shut against the storm. She is just a small child. We had a storm cellar door just like the one in the original “Twister.” I could relate—especially since I, too, lived through a tornado in my small Iowa hometown (Independence, Iowa) when only 2 years old. If you’re a regular blog follower, you will notice that my last post was about an EF1 tornado that we just lived through on Monday, July 16th, which left us without power for 4 days. In the tornado that I lived through at age 2, the roof of nearby St. John’s Church was ripped off and deposited in our back yard, where my dad built a playhouse for me from the lumber (which we called “the Hooky,” for reasons I cannot explain.) The EF5 tornado in the original “Twister”was filmed near Ames, Iowa. Because her father dies in the first film’s tornado, Helen Hunt’s character of Dr. Jo Harding spends her life trying to find a way to neutralize tornadoes. The film shares that the designations EF1 through EF5 are categorized not on wind speeds, but on the extent of the devastation that occurs as a result.

The new sequel “Twisters” also opens with the harrowing death of those close to Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Where the Crawdads Sing,” “Normal People”), including her boyfriend and other members of the storm chaser team. Kate is testing her latest theory for taming tornadoes in an attempt to win grant money. It’s a project which she seems to have been working on since a science fair in Middle School.

DAISY EDGAR-JONES

Glen Powell in Twisters (2024)
Glen Powell, Harry Hadden-Paton, Brandon Perea, and Sasha Lane in Twisters (2024)
Daisy Edgar-Jones in Twisters (2024)
Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, and Daisy Edgar-Jones in Twisters (2024)

I  did not know much about Ms. Edgar-Jones.  I have learned that she is actually British, which is at least a testament to her ability to adopt a believable American accent. However, she didn’t have the grit of Helen Hunt; this part calls for grit. It is also difficult to believe that the very slight girl wouldn’t have been one of the first storm chasers to have been sucked up by the tornado while running for cover, but nevermind about that. She’s okay, but it’s Glen Powell I came to see.

GLEN POWELL

Starring opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones (Kate Cooper) as rowdy storm chaser Tyler Owens is the ubiquitous Glen Powell, who was also recently the lead in Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man,” which the New York Times named the Best Movie of the Year (so far) back when I attended its premiere in Austin, Texas in May. Powell is this generation’s answer to Tom Cruise, but taller. His scruffy group of storm chasers are described as “Hillbillies with a YouTube channel” and he dubs himself a “tornado wrangler.” He sells shirts with his picture on them that say, “This is not my first tornado.” (Mine, either.)

Powell is a handsome young man who played one of the volleyball crew on the beach in Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick.” He has a mega-watt smile and a muscled torso that Tom Cruise would have killed for back when he was a mere 36 years old, (Powell’s age now). Cruise might also have liked some of Powell’s six foot height, since he’s only five feet seven inches. I am a Glen Powell fan. (I know: join the club).

I was present for his induction into the Texas Hall of Fame, where he thanked his first grade teacher, his fifth grade teacher and his high school counselor and gathered many family members (who tend to turn up in his movies). They all assembled for a group photo onstage at the end of the ceremony at Austin’s Paramount Theater. This young man is going to be a big star—if he isn’t one already. He’s been working towards films like this since the age of 13 or 14 and was first cast by Robert Rodriguez, who introduced him on the night of the induction. Even before that, young Glen was learning to write scripts in high school from Austin experts and, in fact, co-wrote the script for “Hit Man.” Although he acknowledged that one of his tornado stories made it into the script, this script by others is generally “meh.” I will say that the prophetic words “I’ve got you” during a race to safety were uttered just as everyone dies, which seemed apropos.

DISAPPOINTING

Glen Powell onstage at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas, at the screening of his new film “Hit Man” on May 15th, 2024.

One of the obvious storylines in each “Twister” iteration is the romance between the leads. In fact, in the original “Twister,” Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt are actually a married couple on the verge of divorce. Paxton’s stint in therapy has led him to a romance with Jamie Gertz, who is portrayed as a scaredy-cat. Gertz is  not a good fit for the adventurous Bill Harding of “Twister” and Bill must, somehow, find his way back to Helen Hunt. (Spoiler alert: Paxton and Hunt reconcile and  share a kiss at film’s end. Unfortunately for the audience, in the new “Twisters” there is not even a hug or a kiss at any point in the new film. Was this bad decision made because the studio envisioned audiences filled with small children? It makes no sense. You take two handsome people like Glen Powell and Daisy Ridley-Jones and build a romantic scenario, yet they never get to lock lips. Big disappointment. I would recommend “Hit Man” if you’d like to see a Glen Powell movie with a much better romance.)

Also disappointing, the MIA flying cow. Doesn’t everyone love the flying cow of the original film? Not present or accounted for in this one.

Also disappointing was the failure to make a statement about global warming and climate change, which is causing us to have more storms of every kind. If a film with the title “Twisters” is not an opportunity to decry our lack of progress on curbing the horrible weather that global weather is causing, what film would be better?

There were 10 tornadoes sighted here in the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities this past Monday. One of them left us without power for four days, and that was just an EF1. Everyone preparing to vote for a president should make themselves aware that one side wants to “Drill, baby, drill,” which means more pollution from gas-burning vehicles and more damage to the atmosphere, and the other side has vowed to try to do something about global warming—although it appears every day that we’ve gone too far to turn back and restore normal temperatures and  return to the days of relatively storm-free devastation. The best we might be able to do is stop where we are now, which was 105 heat index last Monday in East Moline, Illinois, which is normally about 80 degrees this time of year.

We’re seeing more storms and they are more severe, and that extends to tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones, floods and all other devastating acts of nature. Wouldn’t it have been a good idea to at least give a nod to this problem that is destroying our planet? Apparently Hollywood didn’t think so, probably because we have a party that has no intention of trying to change the trajectory of climate damage. Right now, that party is not in the lead. Wouldn’t do to tick off the Republicans, the PTB may have reasoned. After all, the MAGA hordes go to the movies, too, and—while you’re at it—take out any of that smoochy stuff so it’s good clean fun for the whole family.

Big oil wants to keep drilling and keep turning out plastic products that are polluting our rivers and our bodies; that seems just hunky dory with the GOP. Wise up and think about whether you’d like to live through the devastation pictured onscreen, which recently killed 5 people and injured 35 others in Greenfield, Iowa. So, disappointingly, there was not a single nod to one of the largest crises of our time—climate change—which the Republican party seems oblivious to and has no plans to counteract.

It’s nice that the fictional heroines of each film find ways to prevent tornadoes from succeeding in killing us all, but that is fiction, at the moment. The rest of climate damage—like warming seas that are killing our coral—is ignored to focus on things that blow up and trucks driven by crazed stormchasers. And don’t get me started on forest fires and Paradise, California.

MUSIC

The music in both the original film and the remake was outstanding. In the original, we were given artists like Shania Twain and Stevie Nicks, plus the original Broadway ballad “Oklahoma.” In this remake it’s much heavier in to country music, with Miranda Lambert singing “Ain’t in Kansas Any More” and Luke Combs singing “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” among many others.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

I have to give the edge to cinematographer Dan Mindel. There are some perfectly beautiful scenes involving Daisy and fields. The opening shot was beautiful. The city model where Kate has been researching her technique for disarming storms is a step up from the barn in the original film, which the duo exit just in time to observe it being totally destroyed. The storms and explosions are very cinematic.

However, the unpleasant to watch jerkiness of the camerawork causes me to say that it’s a draw between new and old films. I especially enjoyed the destruction of a lot of International Harvester red equipment in the 1996 original “Twister” because my husband worked for Deere for many years. A Deere tractor is highlighted in an early scene and, since IH is gone, no red farm equipment is destroyed in this one.

THEATER SCENES

In the original film a drive-in is blown away by a tornado. The film that is showing is “The Shining.”

In the sequel the small town of (Fort) El Reno, Oklahoma is being destroyed by a tornado when the do-gooders Kate and Tyler, joined by the newly converted Javi (who has a massive crush on Kate) rushes into town to save the townsfolk by herding them into a theater that is showing “Frankenstein.” I have to say that the use of “Frankenstein” was a  better choice than “The Shining,” given the pyrotechnics going on onscreen when the entire wall is blown away.

There is also a noteworthy scene where Kate herds the potential victims into an empty swimming pool to save them from the storm’s fury.

FORT EL RENO

A bit of drama was provided, for me, by the use of Fort El Reno, Oklahoma as one of the cities that is struck by the storm. When I drove from Chicago to Santa Monica on Route 66 gathering “Ghostly Tales of Route 66,” Fort El Reno was a major stop, with its fort and its stories of hauntings. Rommel’s men from WWII were taken back to Fort El Reno and imprisoned there. It’s a very small town with a lot of history and seeing its water tower fall and pin our hero was cinematically riveting. It took me back to my evening joining the Ghost Tour that was put on especially for me. Every year the Fort El Reno bookstore ordered multiple copies of that particular volume of “Ghostly Tales of Route 66,” published by Quixote Press and still available on Amazon in both paperback and e-book versions. (Get the e-book version; it’s is a better bang for your buck).

BIG SUMMER PICTURE

This is going to be a big summer picture. The tornado visual effects are fantastic, but the special effects in the 1996 “Twister” weren’t too shabby, either. Watching things either combust or blow up and be reduced to rubble can get repetitive, but it’s well done.

I’ll be watching Glenn Powell’s career as it skyrockets, as it surely will. After experiencing what he and Richard Linklater wrote in collaboration for “Hit Man,” I hope he writes a lot more of his scripts, as this one was somewhat pedantic with lines like “You don’t face your fears. You ride ‘em.” I’m a fan of Powell’s script (with Linklater) as superior to this one, but Powell will be offered a lot of good material going forward, and I hope to see him knock it out of the park.

Do yourself a favor, however. Re-visit the original “Twister” so you can see the parallels, where they exist, and how well the original film with its top-notch cast still holds up. Too bad that Bill Paxton, who tried for years to  create a sequel, didn’t get the job done before he was taken from us at the age of  61 on February 26, 2017.

“Fly Me To The Moon” Is An Enjoyable Rom-Com Romp

In the spirit of this blog’s name (Weekly Wilson) I have a stream-of-consciousness review of tonight’s film, “Fly Me to the Moon,” which opened tonight at the newly-revamped VIP14 theater (previously Regal 8) in Moline, Illinois. It’s 6 days since my last post.

Readers will remember that I was mourning the loss of the only theater on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities and memorializing the closing of the Icon Theater in the South Loop of Chicago.

Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

Fly me to the Moon

Scarlett Johansson’s executive-produced outing as the P.R. woman tasked with filming a “fake” moon launch is an Apple project, which was filmed on locations in Georgia and Savannah, as well as in Florida at Cape Canaveral. The production was actually able to capture a real launch when filming at the Kennedy Space Center.

THE GOOD

VIP14 in Moline, Illinois

VIP14 in Moline, Illinois.

Director Greg Berlanti, working from a script by Rose Gilroy (and Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirstein), has concocted a rom-com with comedic elements. Jim Rash, portraying the fictional director Lance Vespertine, is terrific. Woody Harrelson is the White House operative who enlists Johansson to make the Apollo 11 mission to the moon popular, Moe Berkus. Ray Romano portrays Henry Smalls, who is working with Channing Tatum portraying Launch Director Cole Davis.

Moe Berkus lays out the task to Scarlett Johansson’s character of Kelly Jones (who later says her real name is Winnie): she must film a fake landing on the moon, which will be broadcast as the real deal. When she shows up at NASA, she tells Channing Tatum’s character of Cole Davis: “Americans are long over their expensive love affair with space and I’m here to remind them why they fell in love in the first place.” We are reminded that during its first 29 missions, NASA had only a 48% success rate. The efforts to convince key Senators to support the space program financially is well portrayed, since the battle for funding is never-ending.

Channing Tatum, who portrays Cole Davis, is not happy about lying to the American public. Woody shuts him down quickly, saying, “She’s made you (NASA) the Belle of the Ball. Just slip on your tutu and do some dancing.” The film recaps some of the clever ways that public relations tie-ins are utilized, such as the use of Omega watches or Tang tie-ins. As is the case right now with our upcoming presidential race, “This isn’t just a race for the moon. It’s a race to see which ideology governs.”

THE BAD

VIP14 theater in Moline, Illinois.

VIP14 in Moline, Illinois.

As another critic has expressed, he became less interested in the actual moon launch and more interested in the budding romance between the main characters.

The other flaw, which may not matter if you’re streaming it at home, is that, at 2 hours and 12 minutes (plus previews) this seemed like an overly long movie. At the point where we are landing on the moon, I was ready to be done. It was opening night for this theater’s new management and I did not pace my pop-drinking as I would have done for “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer.” (My bad).

This one should be a hit when it streams. It was fun to see Johansson’s real-life husband, Colin Jost (of SNL), portraying Senator Cook of South Carolina, articulating the line about a Killer Lunar Laser Eliminator.

 

 

Sundance Institute X Chicago 2024 Opens at Logan Center in Chicago on June 28, 2024

Logan Center for the Arts on the campus of the University of Chicago co-hosted the first event with Sundance to be hosted at a city other than Park City, Utah on Friday, June 28, 2024. It began with the showing of the Sundance documentary “Luther: Never Too Much” at the Logan Center for the Arts. No less a celebrity than the Mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, was present. Also in attendance was Eugene Hernandez, the Director of the Sundance Film Festival since 2022 and the Director of “Luther: Never Too Much,” Dawn Porter.

The City of Chicago and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and Choose Chicago, in partnership with the nonprofit Sundance Institute kicked off the highly anticipated Sundance Institute X Chicago 2024 – the first of its kind event in the United States –  with a welcome reception with City officials, Sundance creatives, and the greater Chicago film community.

Mayor Brandon Johnson at the Logan Center for the Arts on Friday, June 28, 2024.

The landmark three day event, June 28 – 30, showcases Midwest premiere screenings of four films drawn from the Sundance Film Festival’s lineup in January, along with a robust series of panel discussions, master classes, and community programming.

Sundance, originally the brainchild of Robert Redford, began in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1978. In 1981, the festival moved to Park City, Utah, and changed the dates from September to January. The move from late summer to midwinter was done by the executive director Susan Barrell with the cooperation of Hollywood director Sydney Pollack, who suggested that running a film festival in a ski resort during winter would draw more attention from Hollywood. It was called the US Film and Video Festival. [Pollack is now deceased and perhaps visiting snowy Utah in the middle of winter is, too.]

The 44th Sundance Film Festival went virtual for the first time in 2021. In 2020, the year the pandemic struck, the estimated value of Sundance to Utah was said to be $167 million. The festival returned to in-person showings in 2023. I covered 8 films streamed to me from Sundance in 2024.

Currently, Sundance is considering moving to another city in 2027. (Perhaps someone should have mentioned to Sydney Pollack that more people might want to go to a warm weather locale in the middle of winter, perhaps, than those who might want to ski. The growth of SXSW in Austin, Texas, held in March, which I have reviewed since 2017,  is further evidence of the popularity of a less wintery climate in winter-time.

Cities that have expressed interest in hosting Sundance if it moves include Boulder,[35] Atlanta, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Chicago, Buffalo, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Logan Center pre-screening celebration from 6:30 to 7:30 PM on June 28, featured music, art, cocktails, and photo opportunities. Chicago artist Obi “Obisoulstar” Uwakwe  showcased his art installation, Electriqsoul Hideout Satellite Studio, celebrating Black and Indigenous artists from Chicago and beyond. Enjoy a special performance by D-Composed, a Chicago-based Black chamber music collective highlighting the creativity of Black composers. The celebration was free for all ticket holders

Then came the enjoyable documentary about the life and career achievements of Luther Vandross. (Review to follow).

Photo is of me during the Opening Night reception, with photo opportunities on the Red Carpet.

 

Luther: Never Too Much chronicles the story of a vocal virtuoso. Using a wealth of rarely seen archives, Vandross tells his own story with assistance from his closest friends and musical collaborators including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack. The film relives the many stunning moments of Vandross’ Grammy® award-winning musical career, while exploring his personal life, health struggles, and a lifelong battle to earn the respect his music deserved. (Review to follow).

 

 

The Rolling Stones Play Soldier Field on June 27, 2024

Soldier Field

The Rolling Stones play Soldier Field on June 27, 2024.

The Rolling Stones played at Soldier Field (across the street from me) tonight, Thursday, June 27th.

We were 3 rows from the top of the stadium until the $16 beer my spouse had consumed drove us to lower levels to seek a rest room.

I was quite happy to move from the top section, because a man (who had to go at least 300 pounds) was sitting ON me. I can’t remember a time that was worse, except for the play “Tommy” when a very large lady sat on me,,,and it wasn’t even her seat!. There was also the air trip back from Europe when a very large crippled man sat ON me. I am not small, myself—(although I’m 50 lbs. lighter than in the past)—but I seem to be a magnet for extremely heavy people to come sit ON me, literally.

But I digress.

The last time we saw the Rolling Stones at Soldier Field nobody stood up and blocked the view of other people. That was not the case this time, which I think was because the audience seemed to be composed, that last time, of oldsters like us, but a lot of younger fans were there this night, who danced throughout. Unfortunately, two of the non-stop dancers were standing right in front of us. One of them had no sense of rhythm and reminded of the Elaine episode on “Seinfeld.”

Keith Richard, Ronnie Wood and Mick Jagger at the Chicago show in 2024.

Mick. Ronnie & Mick.

The Stones opened with “Start Me Up” and the first four songs were among their top hits.

Things slowed down a bit after that, with songs that either were newer or were not as well-known.

Near the end, while singing “Just a Shot Away”, a very impressive female singer was highlighted and sang with Mick on the stage that leads into the audience. Chanel Haynes was terrific! She immediately reminded me of the documentary about Mick’s previous Black female back-up singer. Both of these women have voices that are so powerful that they literally can blow the roof off the place! Amazing!

Near the end of the concert we made an early trip to the rest rooms and, following that, chose to watch the finale songs from seats that were not sold, for reasons that we did not understand. The entire section was vacant, and all of the seats were quite close to the stage, (although off to the left.) We sat in the front row near the stage for “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” and “Jumping Jack Flash” and  other big hits.

The entire show was very enjoyable, except for the two girls that blocked our view of the stage most of the time..

Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, and Keith Richards onstage in Chicago on June 27, 2024.

This was the view from the seats NOT sold near the left side of the stage.

The weather was cooperative, cooling to the sixties and seventies.  It was so much cooler that I had to dig out a very old coat that I leave here for emergencies.

After we made it to our section (435) we had to climb 35 rows to seats 9 and 10. Since I generally was not able to walk at all at this time in 2022 and parts of 2023, I felt very happy that I was able to not only walk to the stadium, but also to climb multiple stairs to our seats and then down to the rest room areas on the ground floor. We didn’t spend long at the concession stand, where shirts were going for $50.

I’ve seen the Rolling Stones every tour since 1982, which is 32 straight years, but they have actually been touring for 62 years and this was their 40th show in Chicago. They bemoaned the possible destruction of Soldier Field (to be replaced with a newer stadium, ostensibly). I don’t think I’ve seen Keith Richards smile as much at any concert in those 32 years.

The other thing that made an impression on me was the new Black drummer, Steve Jordan, who replaced Charlie Watts. Very impressive that this band is still going strong after all these years, going back to my college years. I still remember hearing “Hey, You, Get Offa My Cloud!” as I walked through the student union on campus at the University of Iowa as a freshman, a song that they played tonight with a Reggae influence. I’ve been listening to the Rolling Stones ever since and—after the Beatles broke up (saw them in 1965 at the San Francisco Cow Palace)—I switched to following the Stones “live” when they tour.

Mick Jagger and his new Black back-up singer.

Mick Jagger and his Black back-up singer onstage in Chicago.

I still think their best tour was “Steel Wheels,” which I saw in Ames, but I remember the Voodoo Lounge, Bridges to Babylon, No Security and the very first one at the University of Northern Iowa Uni-Dome, when Mick and the boys dressed in American football outfits and he used a cherry-picker to float above the crowd. The worst show of theirs was the one that was held in Austin at a place (Circuit C? in 2022 that is normally used for road races. It was a disaster because of the venue. People could not make it to the place and turned around and went home. That was the last time before this one. One of the most memorable was when my daughter took me to the Indianapolis 500 race track for my 75th birthday celebration. It was held near the Fourth of July in 2020 and fireworks burst overhead as it ended.

I always wonder if I’m seeing the Stones on their final tour. How can Mick Jagger continue to perform at this level when he was born in 1943 (July 26) and is 81 years old next month? If only Joe Biden looked as fit and capable as Mick did this night. Instead, our president looked very frail. Jagger referred to the debate as “Viagarapalooze,” We were missing the debate between Biden and Trump this night and, after we saw it on tape afterwards, I am glad. It was so sad for such a good man, who seemed to have no voice at all this night to be attacked by DJT. I’m glad I was not there “live.”

Mick Jagger in the wings.

Mick leaves the stage.

The field at Soldier Field on June 27, 2024.

The stage. It resembled the stage used at the Indianapolis Speedway.

The band onstage near the end of their June 27, 2024 concert at Soldier Field in Chicgao.

Stage up close.

Mick Jagger and his Black female back-up singer.

Mick and the female Back-Up Singer with the dynamite voice (Chanel Haynes)  leave the stage.

Mick Jagger and his female Black back-up singer.

Mick Jagger and Chanel Haynes,

Mick Jagger and his female Black back-up singer take a bow.

Taking a bow with Chanel Haynes singer.

“The Bikeriders” At Theaters On June 21, 2024

“The Bikeriders” screened as the closing film of the 59th Chicago International Film Festival on October 22, 2024, at the Music Box Theater with a presentation of the Artistic Career Achievement Award to Writer/Director Jeff Nichols. The film was inspired by the 1967 iconic photographs and tape recordings of photographer Danny Lyon. Writer/Director Nichols gave great praise and credit to Lyon, saying, “He really was supportive, but without being prescriptive.”

PLOT

Cast of "The Bikeriders"

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: (L-R) Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, writer/director Jeff Nichols and Norman Reedus at the Los Angeles Premiere of Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 17, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Focus Features)

“The Bikeriders” recounts the evolution of a Midwestern motorcycle club, called the Vandals in the film. (The Outlaws, originally). The photos drove the film. The interior of one bar was actually reconstructed from Danny Lyon’s photo.

The cast is top-notch, featuring Austin Butler, Oscar-nominated for “Elvis” as Benny and Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve,” “The Last Duel”) as Kathy. Tom Hardy (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Revenant”) is Johnny, the leader of the motorcycle club, which originally existed for the members to race their choppers.

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols at the screening of “The Bikeriders” on October 22, 2023 in Chicago. (Photo by Connie Wilson).

As Nichols (“Take Shelter,” 2011; “Mud,” 2012; “Loving,” 2016) told Jack Giroux 5 years ago, “And what I’m talking about making a movie about is its transition from this golden age of where it was less criminal and it was more just a place for outsiders to gather, but then how that kind of morphed and turned into somewhat more of a criminal organization.” He described the film as “A complete portrait of a subculture; maybe none of these guys needed to feel like outsiders, but they did.”

The cast is stellar, also featuring Michael Shannon—a close friend of Director Nichols who has made five films  with him—Bas Zipco. The breakout star of the “West Side Story” remake Mike Faist appeared as the photographer Danny Lyon.  Of Faist, Nichols said, “We were lucky to have him. I think he’s gonna’ have a great career.” Norman Reedus, from “The Walking Dead,” portrays Funny Sonny, and Boyd Holbrook (“Logan”) is Cal.

BACKGROUND

Nichols shared that the projectionist at the Music Box Theater in Chicago where the film screened was Danny Lyon’s daughter Rebecca. He also told the audience that he had only  learned last week that the characters Benny and Kathy, in real life, had a son who was present for this screening.

Jodie Comer and Austin Butler

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Jodie Comer (L) and Austin Butler at the Los Angeles Premiere of Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 17, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Focus Features)

Jodie Comer’s character of Kathy is the central character telling the story of the rise and fall of the motorcycle group from 1965 to 1973. Saying “I used to be respectable” she details how the club went from a place where motorcycle enthusiasts could get together and talk about their choppers to something more sinister.

Comer has been mentioned for a potential Oscar nod; the struggle between Kathy and Johnny for Benny’s allegiance is a central conflict in the film. Describing some of the crazy things that Austin Butler’s character of Benny does, she says, “It can’t be love. It must just be stupidity.” Describing her time riding with Benny, she says of the Vandals, “The whole point of these guys is they can’t follow the rules, but as soon as they formed, they started making up rules.”

Jeff Nichols

Jeff Nichols in Chicago at the closing night of the 59th Chicago International Film Festival on October 22, 2023. (Photo by Connie Wilson).

Jeff Nichols has a way of exploring the inner rage of a character, as with Michael Shannon’s star turn in “Take Shelter.”  (Shannon told me in 2017, when I asked him on the Red Carpet for “The Shape of Water,” that “Take Shelter” was his favorite role.) In the case of Austin Butler’s character, Benny, we are told “That kid’s f**ing crazy.”

He is also extremely handsome (Nichols says even more so, in person) and comes across as iconic in the book. Nichols said, “I didn’t know Austin Butler even existed when I wrote this. ‘Elvis’ hadn’t come out yet. There is calculus beyond me just thinking he’s pretty.” (laughter from the crowd). Nichols secured Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”) after meeting him while serving on a jury at Cannes and is friends with Tom Hardy’s manager, Jack Whigham, who is the younger brother of actor Shea Whigham (“Take Shelter,” “Waco,” “Boardwalk Empire”).

At the beginning of the evening, commenting on his nervousness, he remarked, “I know this is Mike’s town,” referencing his close friendship with Chicago native Michael Shannon (to audience approval.)

MICHAEL SHANNON

Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon on October 13, 2023 at the 59th Chicago International Film Festival.

 

Shannon, who heard Nichols talk about making a movie from “The Bikeriders” for years, once said, “You’ve been talking about that damn idea for so long. You’re never gonna make that s***.”

Nichols acknowledged that he had, indeed, been trying to make this film for a long time and described it as his “most ambitious” project. Five years ago he told interviewer Jack Giroux (Oct. 19, 2018), “There are just a lot of things that intimidate me about it, but I truly hope one day I’ll get my s*** together and do it.”

VERDICT

Well, he has, and “The Bikeriders” is very good. References to 1953’s Marlon Brando picture “The Wild One” to 1969’s “Easy Rider” to television’s “Sons of Anarchy” aside, this is an-depth look at the characters in a Midwestern motorcycle club. It is a 116-minute study of the outsiders who started the club.

Although Chicago is prominently featured, the actual shoot took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, in October of 2022, completing filming in December of 2022. It premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 23rd.

It’s a totally compelling character study from Jeff Nichols, who has given us such great films as “Take Shelter,” “Mud,” “Loving,” and “Midnight Special.” A great addition to the motorcycle films that have gone before,  fictionalized somewhat, but founded on real-life research, which makes it even more relevant and enjoyable.

Cher at "The Bikeriders" premiere

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Cher at the Los Angeles Premiere of Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 17, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Focus Features)

The Bikeriders Poster

The Bikeriders

Jodie Comer

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Jodie Comer at the Los Angeles Premiere of Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 17, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Focus Features)

Austin Butler

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17: Austin Butler at the Los Angeles Premiere of Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 17, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Focus Features)

Glen Powell Inducted into Texas Hall of Fame (5/15/2024)

Glen Powell

Glen Powell onstage at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas, at the screening of his new film “Hit Man” on Mau 15th, 2024.

Hollywood heartthrob and Austin (Texas) native Glen Powell was inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame at the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin (Texas) on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Powell’s newest film, directed by Austin director Richard Linklater, “Hit Man” screened after his remarks to the assembled audience.

The Netflix extravaganza was by random drawing from those who were members of the Austin Film Society and there were assigned seats throughout the venue. While I would normally have attempted to apply for Press Credentials, our original plans were to leave town on Monday, but things changed for us and, when I learned I would be in town after all, I applied and was selected for the screening.

Lots of directions were sent to us, including where to park for free parking. I, of course, could not find the right parking area, and ended up paying $51 for parking. But the movie (and the free popcorn and pop that was provided) were well worth that price of admission. Much like tickets to movies in Chicago for members of the corresponding Chicago film society, you have to show up early to claim them, and that meant 5:45 p.m. I thought I’d dine at the nearby Roaring Fork restaurant in downtown Austin, my favorite restaurant in the city, but that was not to be, as we were herded in and basically spent the time waiting around for the induction of Powell, which was to precede the showing of his new film at 7:30 p.m.

Hit Man Ticket.

Hit Man Ticket.

I was given a seat quite near the front of the stage, which was great. My only problem was that all the photographers working kept standing in front of me, but I still managed to get the shots you’ll see here.

Powell was introduced by local Austin director Robert Rodriguez, who shared that he had been the first to cast Powell in a film when he was 14 years old. (Powell is now 35). The film was “Spy Kids 3D: Game Over” and young Powell worked alongside Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Holland Taylor, Ricardo Montalban, Sylvester Stallone, Salma Hayek, Mike Judge, Cheech Marin, Salma Hayek and Alan Cumming. Rodriguez wrote and directed the film and it started Powell on a film career that has included such films as “Top Gun: Maverick (2022), “Anyone But You,” “The Dark Night Rises” (2012), “Hidden Figures,” “Devotion” and—coming soon—“Twisters.”

When we entered the theater, there were white cowboy hats on some seats, which were assigned to Powell family members. At the end of the entire evening, many of the friends and family that Powell called out during his brief speech joined him onstage for photos.

Powell family members gather at the end of the evening for photos.

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell on May 15, 2024, at the screening of his new Netflix film “Hit Man.”

Powell seems to be a genuinely good guy, who thanked four of his teachers, present for the film and the ceremony. Peggy Langford, Powell’s kindergarten teacher earned a shout-out. Fifth grade teacher Julia Allen earned kudos, with the additional comment that she taught him about working for what you want and delayed gratification. “Thank you for that lesson,” he said. “It’s really paid off. Coach Wood instilled in Powell the importance of “showing up” and a counselor (whose surname I will probably butcher), Michelle Caterez helped young Powell “work the system” when he continued to try to continue acting. “Thank you for continuing to game the system” he said, with a smile. Tenth grade Creative Writing teacher Dr. Shack let Powell attempt to learn screenwriting while still in high school, and introduced him to Director Richard Linklater, as well as Linklater’s long-time editor, Sandra Adair, who was the editor for this night’s film. It’s pretty impressive when someone famous hands out kudos to the teachers who helped them along the way, (says the teacher who taught from 1969 until 2005).

The most touching moment came when Powell thanked his always-supportive parents, who were always there for him. “It’s incredible to have wonderful parents,” he said, “truly incredible.” (Brief pause) He described how his parents were present for every one of his 26 performances in “The Sound of Music” as a young boy. He also said that his kindergarten teacher had told his parents to encourage his interest in performing.

Richard Linklater.

Writer Director Richard Linklater in Austin on March 15th.

He threw in mentions of Aunts Honey and Taffy, sisters Lauren and Leslie, and his father, the original Glen Powell.

I’ve attended other inductions into the Texas Hall of Fame (and photographed same). This one was more personal and more meaningful, as it highlighted a rising star who has already achieved his goal but will undoubtedly continue on an upward trajectory.

Director Robert Rodriguez and Glen Powell.

Powell with Robert Rodriguez, his first director.

Retta in Hit Man.

Retta at the Paramount.

Connie Wilson

Enjoying the evening. which was truly memorable. My new found friend (in line) was in the Mezzanine.

Glen Powell

Glen Powell

 

Adria Arjona

Adria Arjona, co-star of “Hit Man” onstage at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas on May 15, 2024.

 

Glen Powell & Richard Linklater Hit It Big with “Hit Man” on May 15, 2024

Austin’s own Richard Linklater and Netflix showed his latest film, “Hit Man,” to a packed audience on Wednesday, May 15th at the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin. Prior to the showing of the comedy/film noir, its lead and co-writer, Glen Powell, was inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame, established in 2001 by Linklater to honor those Texans who excel in the film world.

The film was a delight and will start streaming on Netflix in the very near future. It will also be showing at the Alamo Drafthouse Chain in Austin (release date June 7, 2024).  The 1 hour 55 minute film is well worth your time. It is based on a true story, as is often the case with Linklater’s films, but poetic license has been taken with the plot. There really was a Gary Johnson, however, who was profiled by Skip Hollandsworth in “Texas Monthly” magazine. Gary Johnson was a college professor and tech guy turned mole for the New Orleans police department (70 arrests). Linklater, who knew the man and had access to records of Johnson’s police work, described him as “the chillest dude ever.”

Richard Linklater and Glen Powell on May 15, 2024, at the screening of his new Netflix film “Hit Man.”

The synopsis on IMDB describes the plot this way:  “A professor moonlighting as a hit man of sorts for his city police department, descends into dangerous, dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to a woman who enlists his services.”  I was reminded of “BlacKkKlansman,” where the real-life exploits of Ron Stallworth as a Black man joining the Ku Klux Klan were explored. The difference in tone between the two films, however, is vast. That’s good news for the audience.

This “Hit Man” (not to be confused with the Michael Fassbender recent release)  is a screwball comedy/film noir with an original plot and excellent acting by Powell, co-star Adria Arjona (“Father of the Bride”) and Retta (“Good Girls”). The screenplay, co-written by Linklater and Powell, was hammered out during phone calls during Covid (“we were never in the same room”), and the film premiered at the Italian film festival in September, during the writers’ strike, causing Linklater to appear pretty much solo to his expressed chagrin.

Since the title character, Gary Johnson, is a college professor, moonlighting as a pretend hit-man, we get some uncharacteristic depth of thought about life and “the eternal mystery of human consciousness and behavior.” Powell’s character says, “I had a knack for being the person they needed me to be” of his hit man persona and adds, “I had somehow found my stage.”

Glen Powell onstage at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas, at the screening of his new film “Hit Man” on Mau 15th, 2024.

The talented (and good-looking) Powell, seen in the comedy “Anyone But You” as well as “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), has been aiming at a Hollywood career since age 14, when he appeared in “Spy Kids 3D: Game Over.” His remarks prior to the film reveal an Austin native who loves Texas and loves making movies. (“The most fun job on the planet.”)

More about his touching remarks about family (he choked up at one point) and significant teachers (he called out four of them in the audience by name) after discussing this truly interesting look at the life of a bogus hit man.  Powell says “All pie is good pie” a lot, in the encounters that we see onscreen, and I’ll add, “All plot twists here are good twists” building on that.

THE SCRIPT

The screenwriting duo (Linklater and Powell) apparently had a great time writing the script during Covid and the cast contributed by improvising some of the best lines that remain in the film. Co-star Sanjay Rao (Phil) said his favorite line (of Retta’s) that made it into  the final film was her remark that she would “rip out my IUD for Ron,” the cool guy persona that Gary Johnson adopted for his encounters with would-be customers. (That line brought a big laugh from the crowd).

It is not often that we get a philosophical discussion of the difference between cat people and dog people in an otherwise comic film. “Dogs are too needy. They’re like people. We beg for more…embarrass ourselves for the scraps of others.” Another line that amused was the remark that if a man is sitting alone, reading “Catcher in the Rye,” “historically speaking, that is never a good sign.”

The depth of the discussion(s) of change and role playing, the Id versus the Ego, and morality, as such, is unusual for a comedy that we might call “lightweight.” It IS lightweight, in the sense that this expert ensemble has turned a complex plot with loads of frothy humor into an exploration of so many deeper issues., one being change.

A few lines to illustrate:

“Your reality will change over time in ways that you cannot even imagine.”

“Seize the identity you want for yourself. Life is short. You gotta’ live on your own terms.”

And, in a line reminiscent of Tom Cruise in Risky Business, “Sometimes, you just gotta’ make a move.” (Sidelight: Cruise, who headlined “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), where we see Powell playing beach volleyball, paid for Powell to take flying lessons, so Powell is now a registered pilot.)

THE SEX SCENES

Editor Sandra Adair (who visited Powell’s classroom when he was in high school), after editing one of the film’s truly hot sex scenes said, “I thought the screen was going to melt in the editing room!” (Side note: the film’s 35-year-old leading man supposedly broke up with his model girlfriend in 2023.)

Adria Arjona, co-star of “Hit Man” onstage at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas on May 15, 2024.

There are so many good sex scenes that it’s hard to point to which ones are the best. There’s the dancing sene in a nightclub called Virgo. There’s the tub scene. There’s the role play when Aria’s character, Madison “Maddy” Figueros, dresses up as a flight attendant to play seductress. The chemistry onscreen is hot, hot, hot. After the movie, during the Q&A, Adria Arjana said, “You have seen a lot of me tonight.”

The IMDB website gives the release date as June 7th. It’s a very good movie. It’s original, and you’ll enjoy it on so many levels. The cell phone scene alone is worth the price of admission.

Don’t miss this Hit Man. And remember when discussing the plot’s resolution: “There are no absolutes, oral or epistemological, in life.”

(*Induction into the Texas Hall of Fame remarks to follow; stay tuned).

“Civil War” Provides Much Food for Thought in 2024

The main characters in “Civil War” are four journalists. The film introduces the journalists as they cover a clash in New York City between what appear to be police forces from the official government and violent members of the opposition. The alliance in the civil war has paired Texas and California. This group is either known as WA or WF. (I, initially, thought WF referred to the Western Front, and it was only in reading about the film that I saw the initials as WA, so you’re on your own there.)

There are references to other military groups, including the Florida Alliance and the Portland Maoists. As writer/director Alex Garland scripts it, “There is no communication between the secessionists.”

When the film opens, Joel (Wagner Moura) predicts, “D.C. is falling and the President is dead within a month.” This sets us up for the journey to follow, the journalists determined to get the shot or film the fall in D.C. It’s an overland drive with the miles ticked off as they drive…508 miles to D.C…289 miles to D.C…176 miles to D.C…. They are joined by a new-comer, a young wannabe journalist named Jessie, played by Cailee Spaeney (Priscilla Presley in the bio-pic “Priscilla”).

Kirsten Dunst plays Lee, a legendary white female photojournalist in the tradition of her namesake Lee Miller. The film this instantly made me think of was 2018’s “A Private War” with Rosamund Pike playing Marie Colvin alongside Jamie Dornan as her photographer. Prior to that was Juliette Binoche as a war-time journalist in “1000 Times Good Night” (2013).

In this film, Dunst is partnered with a South American-born reporter named Joel (Wagner Moura). It’s unclear whether Joel ever actually writes anything or is primarily there as a chauffeur and bodyguard for Lee.

The third member of the troupe is the elderly Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), a seasoned Black journalist who doesn’t want to give up reporting but is past his prime. Having both Sammy and Jessie in the back seat of the car causes Lee to say, “The back seat is both kindergarten and an old folks’ home.” Lee has reservations about taking the inexperienced Jessie with them, but Joe prevails. Lee also isn’t keen on having a relatively immobile old Black guy along for the trip, even though he “writes for what’s left of the New York Times.”

Lee Miller (Kirsten Dunst), portrays a journalist who has won various accolades during her storied career. She reminded me of three movies about such real-life veteran journalists, including “The Year of Living Dangerously”(Sigourney Weaver),  “A Private War” (Rosamund Pike) and Juliette Binoche in “1,000 Times Good Night” (2013).

As an active voting member of the Illinois chapter of the Illinois Women’s Press Association and the official photographer at the National Women’s Press Association in Baton Rouge, I drew on my days as a journalism major in college (I attended on a journalism scholarship) and my coverage of four presidential campaigns to empathize with the much more dangerous mission this quartet has embarked upon. The movie really does paint a picture of modern-day journalism and journalistic ethics.

I’m an “Old School” journalist. In “the olden days” we were taught that we were to remain neutral and objective, not endorse one side of an issue over the other.  I appreciated the film as a piece about contemporary journalism, as much as a film about a possible Civil War in the United States. My focus was covering the presidential races of 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, with two books on 2008 (“Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House”) and an award as the Yahoo Content Producer for Politics in 2008.

I will say that the total brutality of the images, coupled with multiple fight scenes, seemed like the way it really would be after the lowering of civil standards brought on by the Trump years. Even the campus protests taking place nationwide now lack the slightest civility that used to prevail. In the days of refusing to adhere to the peaceful transfer of power after an election the total brutality of the civil war participants seemed sadly likely.

Alex Garland is known as mainly a science fiction storyteller. He wrote “28 Days Later,” “Sunshine” and “Dredd,” adapted “Never Let Me Go” from Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, and wrote and directed “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation.” I thoroughly enjoyed those films and am particularly fond of “Never Let Me Go.”

This is a great, well-paced, engrossing movie that tells it like it is in a world where half of the residents embrace any lie that their chosen leader decides to tell them. It has echoes of dozens of other films and novels, and I’m old enough to remember when “Z” was groundbreaking in its hand-held cinematography.

Face it. Things are just going to get worse as we move into the world of AI and the heat of the 2024 presidential race. Let’s just hope things don’t disintegrate to the levels depicted in “Civil War.”

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