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!
I’ve been assigned to conduct an interview with an Irish writer, Adrian McKinty, and what a pleasure THAT is going to be. If you haven’t read any of his 12 books, immediately download or go buy a paperback copy of any of his titles, which include(s) “The Cold, Cold Ground” and “I Hear Sirens in the Street,” which is what I began with.
Second random excerpt from April 10th’s review of RED IS FOR RAGE from Makayla: “This was one of those edge of your seat, can’t wait to turn the page, but afraid to see what happens, heart pounding horror/thriller. I was hooked in from the first chapter. It was brilliantly written and I loved the character development.
This is a must read for anyone that enjoyed her first book in the series or really wants an edge of your seat thrill ride. Do note, there is an amount of violent present in this book.”
Third random thought: I’m in Cancun and letting fish nibble on my feet at 12:15 tomorrow. (Picture of fish in tank included). No idea what this is all about. Sounds appropriately creepy. More to follow.
Healthcare in the United States has always been a complex web of policy, profit, and patient needs. While the system is designed to heal and protect lives, corporate lobbying has quietly tilted the scales in favor of powerful interests. Instead of focusing on affordable care and patient safety, healthcare lobbying often centers around profit margins, market dominance, and favorable legislation.
The US, in 2023, spent over $4,866 billion on healthcare, an amount significantly higher than the year before. Right now, the influence of money in healthcare policymaking has become so pervasive that it risks undermining public trust. At the same time, it is also
risking the integrity of medical care itself.
Of course, lobbying is not inherently illegal or immoral. In fact, it can serve a useful purpose when advocacy groups push for better access to medicines or stronger patient protections.
The real problem arises when major pharmaceutical corporations, insurance companies, and medical device manufacturers use lobbying to influence regulations. This, in turn, benefits their bottom line at the expense of patient well-being.
This imbalance can lead to serious consequences for healthcare costs, medical innovation, and patient safety, as you shall see upon reading further.
Pharmaceutical companies have significantly increased their lobbying efforts. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent a record $7.58 million on lobbying efforts. Major drugmakers are also logging some of their largest quarterly lobbying expenditures.
When billions of dollars circulate through Washington each year, lobbying can shape everything from drug pricing laws to hospital reimbursement rates. Big pharmaceutical companies often hire lobbyists to soften regulations or delay generic drug approvals.
This prevents cheaper alternatives from reaching patients who desperately need them. Similarly, health insurance giants lobby to limit coverage obligations, leaving consumers with fewer options and higher costs.
Patients are the ultimate losers in this game. They face inflated prices, limited treatment access, and, in many cases, unsafe products that should have been more strictly regulated. The steady stream of money from corporate lobbyists has made it difficult for independent lawmakers to act solely in the interest of public health.
Does Lobbying Affect Legal Battles?
When powerful corporations are accused of wrongdoing, their lobbying connections can subtly shape outcomes. Companies with extensive lobbying networks often push for favorable legislation or settlements that minimize their accountability. They can also sway regulatory agencies that oversee medical devices and drug safety, making it harder for victims to seek justice.
Take the Bard PowerPort lawsuit as an example. According to TorHoerman Law, the Bard PowerPort device is an implantable medical device designed for easy access to a patient’s bloodstream. It has been reported that the device can cause blood clots and other serious health risks among users.
Thousands of patients have claimed injuries caused by the device’s defects, leading to the Bard PowerPort lawsuit. Victims argue that the device fractured or migrated within their bodies, causing internal damage and severe complications.
Corporate lobbying could influence how these lawsuits progress, potentially shielding manufacturers from the full extent of their liability. If lobbying succeeds in shaping regulatory interpretations or settlement rules, many victims might never receive the compensation they deserve.
This creates an uneven playing field where corporations can leverage their wealth and connections to escape accountability, while ordinary Americans continue to suffer.
At the heart of the healthcare system should be patient safety. Every hospital, manufacturer, and policymaker should treat this as sacred. But when lobbying becomes a driving force, safety standards can be weakened or delayed.
Lobbyists often work to resist stricter testing or post-market surveillance rules for new medical products, arguing that they increase costs and slow innovation.
Having spent over $6.36 billion on lobbying from 1998 to mid-2025, the pharmaceutical and health products industry has outspent every other sector. In 2024 alone, it reached a record-high lobbying expenditure of $387.47 million. What such lobbying does is place patients in harm’s way, as unsafe products enter the market with limited oversight.
The Role of Lawmakers in Resisting Lobbying Pressure
Lawmakers have an ethical responsibility to ensure that healthcare decisions are based on science and compassion, not money. They must resist the pressure of lobbyists and prioritize patient welfare.
Campaign donations and corporate influence can distort even the most well-intentioned policies. The only way to restore trust in the healthcare system is through stronger transparency rules and clear separation between industry and regulation.
Public officials should demand disclosure of all lobbying activities related to healthcare and impose stricter conflict-of-interest policies for policymakers. These steps would not eliminate lobbying entirely, but could prevent it from undermining justice and public health.
In What Ways Can Inaction Cost the Nation?
If lobbying continues unchecked, the American healthcare system will drift further from its purpose. As the American Journal of Medicine notes, unchecked lobbying in health policy decisions will affect almost all aspects of healthcare. Prices will remain high, product safety will continue to suffer, and public confidence will keep declining.
The human cost of inaction is far greater than any short-term economic gain for corporations. Patients will continue to be treated as profit sources rather than human beings deserving care and respect.
The healthcare industry needs reform that places patients first and corporations second. The only way to achieve this is by drawing a clear line between legitimate advocacy and undue influence. Every dollar spent on lobbying to block reform is a dollar taken away from research, patient education, or affordable treatment.
Keeping lobbying out of American healthcare is not an idealistic goal; it is a necessary one. A system that prioritizes wealth over wellness cannot truly call itself humane.
The growing influence of lobbying has already caused harm by shaping policies that benefit the powerful while leaving patients behind. If America wants to rebuild faith in its healthcare system, it must start by cutting off the unhealthy relationship between politics and profit.
“Bugonia,” the new film from Yorgos Lanthimos, follows two conspiracy obsessed young men, portrayed by Jesse Clemens as Teddy and Aidan Delbis as Don. They kidnap the powerful CEO of Axiolith, Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) because they believe she is an alien planning to destroy Earth. Cue the weird, the quirky and the bizarre: Lanthimos is back!
THE KIDNAPPING
Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) in her office at Auxolith, where she is CEO.
The kidnapping sequence itself is worth the price of admission. Kidnapping Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) is no easy task! She puts up one hell of a fight. That doesn’t prevent her from being restrained in the basement of Teddy’s ramshackle ranch house or from having her head shaved. (Teddy believes that it is through her hair that Michelle can communicate with the Mother Ship of her Andromeda alien Emperorand people.) The lunar eclipse is fast approaching and Teddy wants Michelle to take him aboard her Mother Ship to meet the Emperor of the Andromedans.
Teddy’s firm belief in how right he is and how wrong everyone else is rivals the MAGA movement’s acolytes. Trying to have a civilized debate with him can end in violence very quickly and often does. We are acutely aware of the danger that Michelle Fuller is in at all times. We worry for her every second that she is captive in Teddy’s basement.
Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) held captive by Teddy and Don in “Bugonia” at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.
One interesting promotional sidelight: the Culver Theatre in California offered free admission to anyone bald or willing to become bald (hairdresser on the premises beginning at 6 p.m.) on October 20th to see “Bugonia.” Culver Theatre also had a treadmill screening of “The Long Walk” when it opened, another creative concept.
Michelle outside her home, just before being kidnapped by Teddy and Don.
DIRECTOR
Yorgos Lanthimos honed his skills as a director working for television and has since released “Kinetta” (2004), “Dogtooth” (2009, which won “Un Certain Regard” recognition as Cannes), “The Lobster”(2015), “Killing of a Sacred Deer” (2016), “The Favourite” (2018) and “Poor Things” (2013). “Dogtooth”was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2011 Oscars.
His films earn well-deserved adjectives such as tense, darkly funny, absurd, odd and weird. All apply to “Bugonia.” Lanthimos has said, “Me, personally, what I want is to allow people to be engaged actively in watching the film. I like to construct films in a way that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, be able to enjoy them, be intrigued, start to think about the meaning of things – and hopefully by the end of it, you’ll have some strong desire to keep thinking about them.” There is a theme of the media’s power, as well as of the ability of large corporations to walk away from catastrophes they have created. He has amassed 5 Oscar nominations with 72 wins in other competitions and 193 nominations.
The film marks the fourth collaboration between Writer/Director Yorgos Lanthimos and Stone, with Emma Stone winning the Best Actress Award in 2023 as Bella Baxter in Lanthimos’s “Poor Things.”
SCREENPLAY/SOUND/CINEMATOGRAPHY
The writing, based on a 2003 South Korean cult film entitled “Save the green planet” is credited to Will Tracy and Jang Joon-hwan. Robbie Ryan is credited as the cinematographer and Jerskin Fendrix composed the score. I enjoyed the use of the Pete Seeger/Joe Hickerson song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” near film’s end, which ties into Teddy’s work as a bee-keeper and his obsession with saving the planet.
THE CAST
Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidin Delbis) in the basement of Jesse’s home, questioning Michelle (Emma Stone).
Jesse Plemons finally gets to sink his teeth into a lead role. He is a consummate supporting character actor, having started young, playing roles such as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son in “The Master” in 2012. Plemons also played a younger version of Matt Damon’s character in “All the Pretty Horses” in 2000. A Mart, Texas native who is the great, great, great, great, great grandson of the sister of Stephen F. Austin (for whom Austin, Texas, is named), Plemons is in the Texas Acting Hall of Fame as of 2016. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Oscar for his role in “The Power of the Dog” in 2021, a year when he also appeared in “Judas, the Black Messiah,” another Oscar-nominated film.
More remarkably, he has appeared in 7 films that were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, starting with “Bridge of Spies” (2015) and continuing through “The Post” (2017), “Vice” (2018), “The Irishman” (2019), “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2021), “The Power of the Dog” (2021) and “Killers of the Flower Moon” (2023.) Perhaps most memorably, for me, was his appearance as stone cold killer Todd Alquist in Season 5 of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” television series. His earlier television work was as Landry Clark on “Friday Night Lights” from 2006 until 2011. (He was the only cast member who had actually played football.) He had a small role as a bad guy in “Civil War,” which starred his wife Kirstin Dunst in the lead role.
Jesse Plemons with wife Kirsten Dunst.
Plemons is great in “Bugonia” as a completely over-the-top psycho who has been brainwashed into his weird beliefs by his mother, Sandy, played by a mature Alicia Silverstone (“Clueless”). Teddy (Plemons) is so convincing saying “We are not steering the ship. They (aliens) are,” that cousin Don agrees to be chemically castrated so that he can focus solely on the task at hand. (“It’s all neurons, Dude. Kill the urges and be your own master.”) His co-star, Aidan Delbis, described as “a young actor on the autism spectrum, Lanthimos and Plemens met when he was only 17. Plemons said of him, “He brought so much to the movie and elevated it in a way that nobody else could have.” Considering the proficiency of Jesse Plemens and Emma Stone, this newcomer in his first feature film role was a key component of the film and definitely held his own.
Teddy and Don make the “Dumb and Dumber” 1994 team of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels look like Fulbright Scholars. In between Teddy’s focus on his bee hives and CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) we get a glimpse of a tragic home life that has essentially wiped out Teddy’s own family of origin, although his mother Sandy still clings to life in a care facility while attached to tubes and ventilators. Whether verbally sparring with Michelle about who she truly is (Is Michelle human or an alien from Andromeda?) or convincing both his cousin Don and the Sheriff’s deputy Rick (J. Carmen Galendez Barrera) who babysat Teddy in his youth and admits to molesting him back then, Plemens’s Teddy is totally convincing.
Aidan Delbis as Don in “Bugonia.”
THE BAD
The script leaves us wondering about the totality of the back story of Teddy and Don. It is not completely clear who did what to whom. What, exactly, did the Auxolith Corporation do to Teddy and Don’s nuclear family? Who were these family members, besides Sandy? There is the implication that a large payment for malpractice because of a drug administered to Sandy that had horrible side effects was paid. Who were the others affected? There could have been a more transparent explanation of this important plot motivation for Teddy’s actions.
Similarly, Don’s exact relationship to Teddy (yes, he’s his cousin, but…) is only lightly explored. Even the nature of the hospital-like structure in which Teddy visits his invalid mother is not completely clear. Is it a rehabilitation hospital….a regular hospital…an asylum…what? These may seem like minor points, but much of what happens in Teddy’s attempt to “save the world from the aliens” seems born of a revenge motive, not unlike Luigi Mangioni’s recent actions against the United Health Care CEO. Shouldn’t we have a better understanding of who did what to whom, when, and why? The themes of truth in the media, lying versus truth, people locked inside echo chambers of belief who cannot break out of their closed belief systems because of the hype of Infowars- like sites: all topics are relevant and timely.
I also share the concern that Emma Stone of “La La Land” (1988) not be lost forever in a symbiotic partnership with just films in collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos. We don’t want to see a talent like Emma Stone confined to playing psychotic odd-balls in every film. She has gone to the wall in this one, shaved head and all. Her stellar performance speaks for itself. However, I’d still like to see her as a normal girl in somebody else’s future film.
THE FINALE
For me, the end, the finale, was the weakest part of this psychological thriller. Select whichever ending you desire, but the depiction of the one ultimately chosen was hokey. It was staged in a less-than-convincing manner. More significantly, it undercut the true real-world terror of Michelle’s lengthy captive ordeal.
Someone else expressed the sentiment, “I liked it, but I wanted to love it.” Thinking back over Lanthimos’s body of work, I’d express a similar opinion about most of the creatively odd plots from Lanthimos over the years, with the exception of 2013’s “Poor Things,” which I did love.
From the perspective of a demonstration of acting by two professionals at their creative peaks, “Bugonia” was perfect.
In reading an article in the “Washington Post” on May 18th about how character matters in our leaders, (a paper whose motto is “Democracy Dies in Darkness”), it came to my attention that President Trump has arbitrarily decided to welcome one particular group to the U.S.: White Afrikaaner immigrants from South Africa.
While DJT turned his back on Afghan locals who helped the U.S military in Afghanistan and those fleeing wars in Sudan and the Congo, he also turned his back on those who have been waiting in refugee camps for lengthy periods of time. The Afrikaaner White natives, by contrast, were an affluent group of potential citizens. It is quite clear that Money Is King for the current U.S. President. If you think I’m wrong, consider Trump’s recent acceptance of a $400 million-dollar plane from Qatar. (*Note: current Attorney General Pam Bondi used to be a lobbyist for Qatar, and has pronounced Trump’s accepting this gift A-OK).
It wasn’t even A-OK with all of the Republican faithful who have drunk the Kool Ade. Even Ben Shapiro, a Republican MAGA faithful commentator,called it “kind of skeezy stuff.” And don’t get me started on the steps necessary to make sure Air Force One isn’t bugged by Qatar as it carries our President both during his time in office and afterwards, when, he says, it will be donated to his presidential library. It will, no doubt, come in handy for jaunts to the Middle East where Trump insiders have many expensive investments.
EPISCOPALIAN BISHOP SPEAKS OUT
This week, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Sean W. Rowe, announced that, “in light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice,” the denomination would quit its participation in the refugee resettlement program rather than obey the administration’s command that it assist the White South Africans.
Said Bishop Rowe, “It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years,” he wrote. “I am saddened and ashamed that many of the refugees who are being denied entrance to the United States are brave people who worked alongside our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and now face danger at home because of their service to our country. I also grieve that victims of religious persecution, including Christians, have not been granted refuge in recent months.”Rowe asked church members to “pray for vetted refugees who have not been granted permission to come to this country.”
I would like to say kudos to the Episcopalian Church. I also hope to see more statements from the new Pope like the most recent one, a statement that condemned actions like the above in generic terms.
STATE DEPARTMENT #2
Making this Afrikaaner situation even worse was the photo op at Dulles International Airport featuring the #2 man in the State Department (right behind Little Marco Rubio), Christopher Landau. As the fifty-nine relatively wealthy immigrants arrived, Landau told these descendants of Europeans who ruled South Africa during apartheid, “It’s such an honor for us to receive you here today. We respect the long tradition of your people and what you have accomplished over the years. When you have quality seeds, you can put them in foreign soil and they will blossom, they will bloom.” The White Afrikaaners, who own over 93% of the country of South Africa, were welcomed by a man whose father, George, and his grandparents were Jewish refugees who fled Austria to escape the Nazis.
In 2014, George Landau, who became an American diplomat, recorded a video for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in which he recounted that members of the family who stayed behind were deported to Poland and gassed. Now, Christopher Landau is the mouthpiece for a policy that has closed America to refugees — except for the “quality seeds” of certain White people.
Paul Feig, Director of SXSW Opening Night film “Another Simple Favor” on March 7, 2025 (Photo by Connie Wilson)
Opening night of SXSW 2025 was a star-studded affair. Paul Feig, Director of “Another Simple Favor” was present with Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick and numerous co-stars in attendance. He was fashionably attired in a very western fringed soft leather look.
Director Paul Feig of “Another Simple Favor.” (Photo by Frank Miceletto)
Suffice it to say that the true fans in the audience seemed happy. Among the celebrities present on the Red Carpet, were Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Henry Golding, Michele Morrone, Andrew Rannell, Bashir Salahuddin, and Alex Newell. The film picks up directly where the first left off and takes viewers to Capri, Italy.
Since the first film was not on my Must See list, the plot was incomprehensible to a newbie. Writing credit goes to Lada Kalogridis and Jessica Sharzer, who crafted some good zingers. There was the remark to Joshua Satine playing Miles Smothers (Blake Lively’s character’s son), who is launching a drone, “You don’t need a drone to find your Mom. Just follow the trail of destruction.” I snickered at the character who asked for “enough booze to kill a small show pony.”
But, other than the sets and costumes, which were fantastic, I was not the audience for this one. Andrew Rannells said that, of eleven scenes he had that were supposed to be set in Connecticut, all were actually filmed in Rome. The listed Capri settings were J.K. Place Capri for the elegant wedding scenes, as well as Lido Del Faro (a west coast beach club) and Villa Jovis (ancient ruins), but the sign on the back of one hotel door said Grand Hotel Quisisana, which is only 2,750 feet from the beach; the entire area was gorgeous. Costuming of Lively at one point in something that looked like it came right out of “Bride of Frankenstein” was odd, but, again, not an expert on the effect desired.
The new “lead” who portrays Blake Lively’s husband-to-be in the film (Michele Morrone) was a handsome hunk of eye candy. So far, there have been no stories of the two not getting along. There were a few implied jabs at the relationship between Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, but everyone played nice. (No lawsuits, to date.)
Feig directed “Snatched” with Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer, which I liked very much. (Where was Amy Schumer when we needed her?) This film was beautiful, with wonderful sets and costumes. Director Paul Feig told IndieWire that he had never done a sequel and was trying to make his “Godfather 2.” (I’m thinking, “No.”)
Henry Golding (Ex-husband of Blake Lively’s Emily Nelson) in “Another Simple Favor on the Red Carpet at SXSW on March 7, 2025. (Photo by Connie Wilson).
Anna Kendrick on the Red Carpet at the Premiere of “Another Simple Favor” on March 7, 2025 at SXSW. (Photo by Connie Wilson).
Blake Lively, up close and personal at the Premiere of “.Another Simple Favor” on March 7, 2025 at SXSW. (Photo by Connie Wilson)
Star Blake Lively of “Another Simple Favor” with co-star Michele Morone who portrays Dante Versano, embracing as they meet outside the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin on March 7, 2025. (Photo by Connie Wilson).
Elise in the center in the Valero shirt, flanked by team members whose names I will have to learn before Tuesday,
So it’s one day post the presidential election, and I am turning my attention to the granddaughter’s volleyball tournament action.
Oddly enough, the Valor team played another Valor team tonight, after winning all of their regular season games to get to this night,
They still have to win a game this coming Tuesday night at 7 p.m., so we’re not breaking out the champagne yet. Actually, I’m not allowed any alcohol because of elevated liver enzymes, so maybe no champagne ever.
If they win that game, the team goes to state in Texas, although I am woefully unaware of the levels of competition, other than that Elise Wilson is the Valero (spelling?), which means that she has to do all the scooping up of balls from the court. She (and the rest of the team) played well tonight, winning the first 3 games in the best 3 out of 5 bracket.
I attempted to catch Elise in action, scooping up and setting volleyball plays, so that the ball can be returned and, hopefully, spiked.
We saw the team play a few months ago and they have improved immeasurably.
Wishing them good luck and posting some videos/photos, I hope.
Well, the video posting is not going well. Let me see if I can still remember how this might work. (Probably not).
On September 5th, 1972, 900 million viewers nationwide watched the first-ever live-and-in-color feed of the Olympics from Munich, Germany. A Palestine terrorist organization known as Black September chose this date, two weeks into the Olympic games, to send 8 operatives into the Olympic Village and take most of the Israeli Olympic athletes hostage. Director Tim Fehlbaum (who also co-wrote with Moritz Binder and AlexDavid) focuses on the ABC sports team, with Jim McKay on the air in archival footage. The ABC crew stepped up to broadcast the event live to the world. Sportscasters like Howard Cosell and Jim McKay and the late Peter Jennings (who said “I’ve been a war correspondent for 5 years, and yet I’ve never been this close to the Israeli-Arab conflict.”) are also featured.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) did not accept “September 5,” because they feared demonstrations and protests if it screened. “September 5” made its North American premiere at Telluride. It made its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 28, 2024. Based on the great reviews Paramount is distributing the film to theaters beginning November 29th, expanding to more theaters on December 13th. It was even difficult to find here in Chicago, with no mention of it in the program and little fan-fare in advance.
THE CAST
Peter Saarsgard is a journeyman character actor who can always be counted on to do a good job. He’s fresh off the 8- episode revisiting of “Presumed Incident,” where he played Tommy Molto, but I’ve been following his career closely since at least the Carrie Mulligan co-starring 2010’s “An Education.” In this one he portrays Roone Arledge, the ABC network big wig who is on the job in Munich. Arledge is running a tight ship, including ordering armed German Polizei out of his studio.
That studio, it should be noted, was meticulously recreated to duplicate the actual studio where Roone and his team had to cover groundbreaking live news as it happened. John Magaro (“The Big Short,” “The Many Saints of Newark”) portrays Geoffrey Mason. Mason has to step up and orchestrate the coverage of the terrorist event on the fly, doing whatever he can to put a picture on the air that will tell the story of Israeli athletes’ lives hanging in the balance and telling the world in real time. At the end of the ordeal, Arledge calls the beleaguered Mason into his office and says, “I know it may not feel like it, but you did a hell of a job.” Arledge also points out that more people watched the Munich Massacre unfold on television than watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.
Also instrumental in the cast and in the historical event was ABC German/English interpreter Marianne Gebhardt (Leona Benesch), whose bilingual ability allowed her to monitor German police radio and interpret German news reports for the crew. Benesch—the only female in a sea of men—at one point is sent on a coffee run, prompting a member of the ABC staff assembled to say, “You just sent away the one person who could understand this.”
Historians have generally agreed that the Munich massacre was mishandled from the very beginning. In fact some accuse the German government of a 40-year cover-up. All of the hostages were killed. Two managed to escape because of the early heroism of one of their teammates. Although the ring-leader of the Black September group and his second-in-command were killed at the Ferstenbeldbruck air base, there were actually 3 survivors of the original group of 8 Palestinian assassins. It is incredible to learn from reading up on the raid, that the three Black September survivors were released one month later in a prisoner hostage exchange after Lufthansa Flight 615 was hijacked. (*That isn’t in the movie, but you can look it up.)
THE ATTACK
“September 5” (1972) in the ABC control room during the 20th Olympics in Munich.
As the film’s title makes clear, it was September 5 of 1972—two weeks into the 20th Olympics—when the terrorists struck. Additional reading shows that Schmuel Lakin, the Israeli delegation head, had previously expressed concern about the security of his Israeli athletes. The location of their apartments within the Olympic Village was not ideal. There had been rumors of something like the Munich Massacre occurring, coming from a reputable intelligence source, but the Germans ignored the rumors, wanting no lingering taint of the German Hitler Olympics to mar the 20th. There were even reports that various security scenarios had been explored. What actually did occur matched rather precisely Scenario 21. The terrorists, carrying duffle bags with weapons, had only to scale a 2 metre (6 and ½ feet) chain link fence to gain access to the Israeli team’s lodging. In fact, later, it came out that the assassins were even helped in that task by a group of athletes also climbing the fence, who were either from the U.S. or Canada. They assumed (incorrectly) that the 8 terrorists sneaking over the fence were fellow athletes like themselves.
The attack took place at 4:10 a.m. on September 5th and 300-lb. wrestling referee Yossef Gutfreund would be the only one in the room to look through the peephole, see men with guns, and attempt to hold the door closed while rousing his teammates. Thanks to Gutfreund’s action, Tuvia Sokolovsky and Gat Tsobari would escape via the second floor balcony. None of the rest of those taken prisoner would be so fortunate. They were either shot and killed in Apartment 3 or died at the airport during a totally botched attempt to escape to Cairo after being ferried to the airport in helicopters.
Almost nothing went right during the rescue attempts, primarily because hostage negotiators and special ops forces were not a top-of-mind priority in 1972. Immediately after the Munich massacre special teams were formed in Germany to deal with any such future threats. At the time, the local Bavarian police were unequipped and ill-trained. They tried various methods to rescue the athletes, none of which worked. It didn’t help that the local forces did not cut the power to the athletes’ Olympic Village apartments, so the terrorists were able to see on television exactly what the polizei were attempting to do to apprehend them. The German Constitution forbids the German Army from operating on German soil, a nod to German WWII history. We see and hear the sports team, realizing that the terrorists may have seen their feed from “the bird” satellite overhead, say, “Was it our fault?” So many mistakes are made by the locals that one crew member mutters, “No wonder they lost the war.”
TENSION
Lorenz Dangel’s music adds a great deal of tension to the white knuckle ride. There is great camerawork from Cinematographer Hansjorg Weissbrich. There is also a well-acted conflict between John Magaro as Geoffrey Mason and Ben Chaplin (“The Thin Red Line,” “Murder byNumbers”) as Marvin Bader. The disagreement is over repeating the rumor that all eleven hostages have been released, when Mason does not have two confirmed reliable sources. Bader turns out to have been right.
CONCLUSION
I was in Munich just before the 1972 Olympics as Germany was preparing for the event, having spent the summer in England as a foreign exchange student. I wanted to return for the Olympics, which the city was then constructing. By the time 1972 rolled around, I was married with an infant, was teaching school, and we had landed on the moon. I’ve always remembered the optimistic, cheerful, spirit heading into the games. Munich was my favorite city in Germany.
The disagreement over whether to suspend the games after the Munich Massacre and the failure, since then, to properly memorialize the eleven athletes who lost their lives, just adds another layer of tragedy to the grim fact that these athletes were murdered in cold blood, for no reason other than being Jewish (and, in one case, a U.S. citizen and Ohio native, as well as an Israeli citizen). This 52-year-old event seems timely with the Gaza Strip tragedy dominating our news cycle and the conflict threatening to grow larger every day.
Other excellent revisitings of the Munich Massacre can be found in Steven Spielberg’s “Munich”(2005), about the attempts by Mossad to track down and kill the perpetrators and, also, in “One Day in September,” Director Kevin MacDonald’s Academy Award-winning Best Documentary at the 72nd Academy Awards.
“September 5” is a well-done look at the 22 hours that the ABC sports crew made history covering the Munich Massacre. It’s appropriate to remember the innocent victims: Moseh Weinberg (1st victim, shot); Yossef Romano, shot, left to bleed out, castrated; Yossef Gutfreund; Kehat Schorr, shooting coach; Amitzur Shapira, track and field coach; Andre Spitzer, fencing master; Yakov Springer, weight-lifting judge; Eliezer Halfin, wrestler; Mark Slavin; David Berger, dual American/Israeli citizenship; Ze’ev Friedman, age 18. U.S. Gold Medalist Mark Spitzer, himself Jewish, asked for a security escort and left Germany immediately after the Munich Massacre.
Try not to miss this one when it hits theaters on November 29th.
Marielle Heller walked the Red Carpet outside the Music Box Theater on Monday, October 21st at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival in support of “Nightbitch,” which she co-wrote and directed. The screenplay is based on the book by Rachel Yoder. Heller’s previous directing forays include “Diary of a Teen-aged Girl” (2015), “Can You Ever Forgive Me” (2018) and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (2019). Amy Adams and Scoot McNairy play a husband and wife parenting a toddler, played by twin tow-heads Arleigh and Emmett Snowden.
“I’m never going to be smart, happy or thin ever again. And I’m pretty sure I’m turning into a dog,” says the Mother character. That line sums up the plot. All mothers in the audience will be able to relate—up to the dog part, anyway. The theme of a hassled Mom trying to cope with daily life at home with kids reminded me of Jason Reitman’s 2018 film “Tully,” but Charlize Theron had three kids and there was no werewolf-ian metamorphosis involved.
Marielle Heller on October 21, 2024, at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival.
As she took the stage to accept her Visionary award, Marielle Heller said, “This is one of my most personal films. I’m just thrilled to be bringing it here tonight.” The 98-minute film’s tag line? “ Motherhood is a bitch.” The IMDB classification lists Body Horror, Comedy, Horror, and Dark Comedy. If you liked “Can You Ever Forgive Me” which earned Melissa McCarthy an Oscar nomination, you’ll like this one. If you’re a Mom, you’ll like it twice as much. (Amy Adams won a TIFF acting award for her role.)
Q&A
After the film screened, Heller shared some insights into the production. The feeling that this could be “any city” and “any Mom” was intentional. Specifics are missing on purpose, including names. Heller is delineating the marital playbook where the wife gives up her career and her dreams to stand by her man. She is thinking, “How many women have delayed their greatness while the men around them didn’t know what to do with theirs?” Adams’ character was a successful artist and worked in an art gallery before she and her husband decided to have a child. Now, as the script says, “The whole concept of motherhood that we’re sold is basically bull-shit.”
SCRIPT One scripted exchange between the couple has her husband saying, “What happened to the girl I married?” to which Amy Adams responds, “She died in childbirth.” The absence of specific names for our married couple is intentional. One scene (that others wanted to cut) was “the kale salad scene.” Heller described it as a difficult one for Amy Adams to play and “the heart of the film.” As she explained, “It’s that feeling of becoming more and more invisible as you age.” (Tell me about it. No, don’t. I live it daily.)
In the scene, the waiter seems to disregard Amy’s order of a kale salad on more than one occasion. The actor playing the waiter asked the director why the waiter doesn’t seem to respond to Amy Adams repeated request for a kale salad, as she dines out with former work colleagues. Heller told him, “Your ears are not tuned to the sound of any woman over 40.” Adams declares herself a “sand cow” and says, “The woman that I used to be, she’s down here in my intestines, buried in kale.”
SETS/CASTING
Marielle Heller on the Red Carpet outside the Music Box Theater in Chicago during the 60th Chicago International Film Festival on October 21, 2024.
One interesting fact was that the team looking for a house to use for filming looked at over 60 of them. Heller said, “There was more effort to make the movie seem effortless than you could imagine.” (She stumbled upon the house at 2 a.m. on Zillow). She explained that the house they were seeking should demonstrate a certain level of good taste, but “with a layer of baby crap over the good taste.” The most difficult casting was that of the BookBaby Moms. Best BookBaby Moms scene is where each confides an anecdote about their failures as keepers of the household’s pets, whether a bird, a fish or a cat. The sharing occurred after Adams said, in response to inquiries from her BookBaby friends about the couple’s recent separation, “I just had to break out of it. And I killed the cat this week, which made me aware that I’m not doing well emotionally.”
HUMOR
It is dead-pan delivery of lines like the one about the cat that will amuse anyone with a sense of humor— especially any woman who is a new mother struggling to keep her head above water. The script (a collaboration between the author of the book and Heller) is particularly good. It conveys laughs that are truisms that hit home, as when Adams says, “I needed to dig around in the dark and just find myself again.” She salutes all women who have given birth, citing “That shared bond of all you’ve given up for the continuation of the species.”
One of the best and most humorous techniques that Heller uses throughout the film is to show the socially correct response, contrasted with the actual REAL response. One such exchange occurs in the produce aisle of the grocery store in response to a work colleague who asks Amy about being home all day with her new child. (REAL response, unsaid:“I would like to feel content, but instead I feel like I’m trapped within a prisonof my own making.”) Instead, she trots out the socially and politically correct response. Scott McNairy as the husband finally admits, “I didn’t see all that you were giving up by being at home.” (An apology is tendered, which Heller said made some people feel uncomfortable. As for herself: “We need to see more men apologize in movies.”) Responding to the platitude “choose happiness” with a strong slap would be the real response. “I’ll try” is what women are conditioned to respond.
DIFFICULT SCENES
There are multiple dogs in the film. When asked about the difficulties of working with animals, Heller said, “With every dog there is a trainer who is talking off-camera. I didn’t know how chaotic that would feel.” She also embraced more unscripted spontaneity than in past films, because of the small child (actually two twin boys) whose immediate responses needed to be captured. The twins were wonderful in their part and any mother of a small boy will be able to relate to the antics of the toddler.
Asked about one of her favorite scenes, Heller singled out the scene that was her favorite scene to watch with an audience. It involved Amy’s increasing feeling that she is somehow changing and becoming more animalistic. Heller’s brother, Nate, (who played the singing male leader ofthe Book Babies club) accused his sister of liking gross things. In the scene Amy Adams examines some changes her body is undergoing and takes action. As someone who has a friend who absolutely loves the “Dr. Pimple-popper” television segments, I’ll leave the specifics up to you to discover when you see the film in December (it premieres December 6th), but suffice it to say that it hasn’t been done on film in any movie I’ve seen.
Marielle Heller, Director of “Nightbitch,” onstage at the Music Box Theater during the Q&A at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival on October 21, 2024.
CONCLUSION You’ll want to put this one on your “Things that make you laugh and cry at the same time,” —especially if you’re a Mom (as I am). If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I don’t want anything or anyone else needing me or touching me,” then this is the film for you. Remember this scripted line if you’re still just giving the politically correct response to those questions about life with a new baby, “Insist on your joy. Time is short.” Words to live by and a good reason to see “Nightbitch.”
Jason Reitman brought his newest film, “Saturday Night,” a re-enactment of the opening night (October 11, 1975) when “Saturday Night Live” went on the air “live” for the first time to the Nashville Film Festival on September 21, 2024. When “Saturday Night” played to a packed house at the Nashville Film Festival, Writer/Director Reitman brought casting director John Papsidera with him. That was a master stroke, because this re-enactment of the opening night of “Saturday Night Live,” boasts a star-studded cast. There are so many up-and-coming young talents (and established talents, like Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons) involved, that it is almost impossible to list them all. But it’s worth trying, so you can keep an eye out for the identities of the over 80 speaking parts, figure out who that individual was (in historical terms), and marvel at the job that casting them all must have represented.
THE CAST
The plot is told through the eyes of the creator of “Saturday Night Live,” Lorne Michaels. Michaels is played by Gabriel LaBelle, who was cast as young Steven Spielberg in “The Fabelmans” (2022). Jon Batiste plays Billy Preston; Kaia Gerber (daughter of Cindy Crawford) is Jacqueline Carlin; Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things”) portrays an unnamed NBC page; Lamorne Morris (recent Emmy winner for “Fargo”) is Garrett Morris; Tommy Dewey (“Casual”) is head writer Michael O’Donoghue; Nicolas Braun (“Succession”) handles two roles, as Jim Henson and Andy Kaufman; Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”) is George Carlin; Cooper Hoffman (“Licorice Pizza”) plays Dick Ebersol; Andrew Barth Feldman (“No Hard Feelings”) is Neil Levy; Taylor Gray (“Star Wars: Rebels”) is Al Franken; Rachel Sennott (“Bottoms”) is Lorne Michaels’ first wife, Rosie Shuster, and Dylan O’Brien (“The Maze Runner,” 2014) is Dan Aykroyd. I’m certain I’ve failed to properly mention all of the up-and-coming stars of tomorrow in the film about 1975’s up-and-coming stars of tomorrow, but you’ll want to see how close the actors come, appearance-wise, to the real stars of “SNL.”
(L to R) Casting Director John Papsidera, Connie Wilson, and Writer/Director Jason Reitman in Nashville at the Nashville Film Festival showing of “Saturday Night” on September 21, 2024.
There are over 80 speaking parts in the film. John Papsidera (a sometimes Nashville resident), who also worked on “Oppenheimer,” described that as a huge number. The most difficult cast member to decide upon turned out to be Dan Aykroyd,(said the duo in the Q&A after the screening). Finding the right actor to play Aykroyd took the longest and turned out to be the most difficult. With the others, they said, they “tried to find the essence of the person. The movie is about who they are.” The key was to find one main characteristic per character, so Chevy Chase was primarily portrayed as egotistical. Garrick Morris was trying to identify how he fit in amongst the cast. O’Donaghue displayed the ability to say the nastiest things but have them come from a place of humor. Gilda Radner was always taking care of others.
THE PERFECT DIRECTOR FOR THE FILM
Back in 2007, right after “Juno” had made waves for Reitman, garnering Best Director and Best Picture Oscar nominations, Jason was asked what he wanted to do next. He mentioned his desire to write for SNL (as well as continuing to direct.) Jason was given a one-night stand opportunity to participate in the behind-the-scenes goings on writing for one SNL episode. He shared that Ashton Kutcher was the host (and starred in the skit Reitman wrote, entitled “Death by Chocolate”) and Gnarls Barkley was the musical guest “which gives you an idea what decade it was,” laughed Reitman. The cast members were discouraged from interacting with their real-life counterparts during shooting—(assuming the original was still alive.)
SETS
Writer/Director Jason Reitman.
Reitman shared this, “We rebuilt the 8th and 9th floors of Rockefeller Center from the original floor plans. We lived on that set for 2 months.” Various catastrophes present themselves in the hour leading up to the first broadcast. As the press notes say: “The writers are stoned. The sound system is f*****. The actors are physically assaulting each other. The crew is in open revolt. They have 90 minutes to get their shit together or the network is pulling the plug.” It’s just a good thing that Lorne Michaels “believes in his vision and he doesn’t really bend.” Many wonder if the fabled creator of “SNL” will bend after this season and pass the torch to a new generation. After all, it’s been a good year for creative visionaries who believe in their visions to step back from power and hand off the baton to their subordinates.
THE SCORE
Jason Reitman and John Papsidera in Nashville on September 21, 2024.
Jason Reitman: “Jon Batiste is a genius unlike anyone I’ve ever met in my life. He has a photographic memory of sound. We decided we should try to do the sound track the way they did SNL: live. There is music in the movie that would never have been there if Jon hadn’t been giving it to me like that.” Batiste’s rendition of “Nothin’ from Nothin” that kicks off the first show is electric. Batiste’s interpretation of the Afro-haired musician Billy Preston (who actually wore wigs for his gigs) was spot-on. Steven Colbert had Batiste for a short time as his band leader; he seems destined for much more greatness. Another recommendation for those who love great documentaries would be the new one by Paris Barclay about Billy Preston’s life, entitled “That’s the Way God Planned It.” There’s an entire feature film in there, for sure.
SCRIPT
The writing shows Reitman’s award-winning touch (Gil Kenan is co-writer.) Reitman’s film “Juno” won a nomination for Best Screenplay based on Diablo Cody’s collaboration on the script in 2007. “Up in the Air” won the Golden Globe in 2010 for Best Screenplay (based on the Sheldon Turner book). The script was also Oscar-nominated for an Oscar (2009) while winning the BAFTA that year. The script for “Saturday Night” has more zingers and one-liners than any film released this year.
Here’s just one quick example: “Let me know when my expectations exceed your capabilities” (to the light crew, after lights nearly fall on the performers.) Another good one, aimed at a meddling middle-aged female censor (Catherine Curtin as Joan Carbunkle; no relation to Jane Curtin): “I’ve heard that love is blind, and now I know why.” A continuing joke involves the cast trying to sneak sexual references into their scripts by misleading Carbunkle, the censor, as to what the phrases actually mean.
AWARDS
Writer/Director Jason Reitman of “Saturday Night” in Nashville on 9/21/2024.
Jason Reitman (born in 1977) was on the set of “Animal House,” which his father directed, in 1978 He has been involved in making movies ever since, beginning with 6 short films submitted to Sundance” in 1998. Reitman actually won the BAFTA in 2009 for Best Screenplay and has continued turning out truly enjoyable films like “Tully” (2018) and “The Front Runner,”(also 2018) a story about the ill-fated Senatorial campaign of Gary Hart of Colorado which starred Hugh Jackman. If I see it is a Jason Reitman film, I’m in.
When I spoke with Reitman and mentioned meeting him previously in Chicago the year of “The Front Runner” he suggested (ruefully) that I might be one of the few at tonight’s screening who had seen the film. (While I’m not sure about that, I have been reviewing since 1970,and that is 7 years before Reitman was born.) When I mentioned “The Front Runner” (Hugh Jackman starred) Reitman said, “It turns out that people were less interested in Gary Hart’s Senate campaign than in Saturday Night Live.” It’s a shame, as “The Front Runner” and “Up In the Air,” “Tully,” “Thank You for Smoking” and “Jennifer’s Body” are among my favorite films by any director working today.
More recently, Reitman directed “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” (released on November 11, 2021) and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), which co-writer and collaborator Gil Kenan went on to direct solo. Reitman also produced (but did not write or direct) the DuPlass Brothers comedy “Jeff, Who Lives At Home” with Susan Sarandon, Jason Seigel, and Ed Helms starring, an early film (2011) with a lesbian subplot (also remembered from the Chicago International Film Festival in 2011).
STYLE
John Papsidera and Jason Reitman during the Nashville Q&A following the screening of “Saturday Night” on 9/21/2024 at the Nashville Film Festival.
There were discussions of trying to shoot the film in one long scene (as Hitchcock attempted with “Rope”). It didn’t work for Hitchcock in 1948, either. Instead “Rope” is made up of several 8 minute continuous shots. This was the length of film that fit onto one reel then. That ambitious idea had to be shelved in 2024 as well.
“Saturday Night” is shot using 16 millimeter film. The pace of the film is the pace of the production that night, as the cast struggles to make the project gel before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night. That was a great idea to assist the pacing, which is frenetic. As we learn, Johnny Carson was NOT supportive of SNL (originally called just “Saturday Night”). It represented the network (NBC) manipulating him during contract negotiations. The great (and oft-nominated Willem Dafoe) portrays David Tebet, the Chief Suit who will decide if “Saturday Night” goes on the air live or if canned re-runs of Carson’s “Tonight” show, will bump it. Like “Apollo 13,” even though we know how that plays out, it adds pacing and tension to the plot’s story and the show’s dilemma. (*I don’t know if that is true or creative license; it was a great idea and helps build the sense of confrontation.) Referencing the frenetic and often chaotic pace of the show on that night (and any Saturday night), the comment was made, jokingly, that the Michael Ritchie style was like “Robert Altman on amphetamines.”
KUDOS
Jason Reitman and casting director John Papsidera.
This is such an ambitious project. Hats off to all involved. “Saturday Night” is documenting the passing of the torch from one comedic generation to another. With the current political situation in the United States, movies about passing the torch from one generation to another are a hot commodity. With Jean Smart (“Hacks”) set to hostess the opening program of the 50th year of “Saturday Night Live” on October 11th, this edge-of-your-seat attempt to show who the original “Saturday Night Live” not-ready-for-prime-time players were yields a great movie that makes you feel something. As Reitman said, “It requires so much control to pull off the chaos.” He also pointed out “the distinction between simply telling a story and feeling something.” Paying tribute to his profession, he marveled, “It (filmmaking) draws on the talents of people in so many different disciplines.”
The film is “the prism that captures the light of an emerging generation.” The 50th season of “SNL” is upon us; the release date of October 11th is an homage to the television show’s debut date. Let the comedy begin
Does “Saturday Night” work?
Yes, it does. “Saturday Night” is hugely entertaining and never flags. Check it out at the theater on October 11, 2024,
Luki & the Lights robot Luki from the Oscar-eligible animated film
This ten and one-half minute short, “Luki and the Lights” came to my in-box. I watched it while knowing that there would be no happy ending to this story. Here was the synopsis provided:”Toby Cochran’s LUKI & THE LIGHTS shares a charming and touching story of a robot named LUKi who is slowly starting to malfunction. But even with the struggles ahead, LUKi demonstrates unwavering resilience, painting a vivid portrait of what it means to truly live and the power to find light even in the darkest of times. This poignant animated short was made to raise awareness of ALS as well as to create a platform for children to understand what the disease is. It has qualified to be considered for the 2025 Oscars®.”
ALS ON FILM:
Sascha Groen and her husband, Anjo Snijders, were searching for a tool to help explain his recently-diagnosed terminal disease to their children. Director Toby Cochran is the founder and creative force behind Big Grin Productions. He has 20 years of animation and production expertise. Cochran’s roles span story artist, writer, and director and extends across various entertainment realms, including games, commercials, live-action, and animated series. His distinguished career includes collaborations with studios and companies such as Netflix, Marvel, Disney, ReelFX, Discovery Channel, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nestle, Lego Universe, and Kuku Studios.
THE SHORT FILM “LUKI & THE LIGHTS“
The decision was made to have an active, charming upbeat robot named Luki shown being struck by ALS. Do robots get ALS? While I applaud the idea of helping children understand this horrible and debilitating disease, a robot is made by man and can be fixed by man. People are different from robots. Currently, the ability to “fix” a person who has ALS is beyond the reach of science.
This 10 and 1/2 minute short has won over 20 awards and claims the distinction of being “the first ever animated short film featuring the first-ever animated character to have ALS.” This sounds good until you stop and think that the “character” is not human, so it (he) could perhaps have been “fixed” by a trip back to the robot factory? Not the case with human beings.
To date, the film has taken home twenty awards including the “Audience Award” at the Florida Film Festival, the “Audience Choice Award” at Indy Shorts International Film Festival and Siggraph Electronic Theater, the Children’s Audience Award at Animayo Gran Canaria, “Best Animated Short” at the Phoenix Film Festival, and the “FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Short” at Cleveland International Film Festival.
Producer Adrian Ochoa is an award-winning producer, prior to joining Big Grin, Adrian worked at Pixar Animation Studios, PlayStudios, and Penrose Studios. His credits include Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E, Cars 2, Monsters University, Inside Out, and The Good Dinosaur. He also worked on various shorts including Cars Toons, live-action shorts, and the animated short Day and Night. He’s also produced over 45 mobile games, including three with Shaquille O’Neal and the award-winning VR animated short film Arden’s Wake.
Throughout the film, there is charming music, but there is no dialogue as such. More accurately, what we have as “dialogue” is mostly incomprehensible, just like the disease itself.
ALS PRIME DOCUMENTARY: “NO ORDINARY CAMPAIGN”
Back in 2022, Katie Couric produced an ALS documentary about the struggle of Brian Wallach, a worker in the Obama campaign who was a successful Chicago attorney at the time he was diagnosed with ALS. Brian was only 37 years old and had just returned to home with a new child with his wife, Sandra Obrevaya. (They have two children.) Chris Burke, a friend who was a filmmaker, set out to make a film about Brian’s struggle as the couple are thrust into the medical system where they must advocate for themselves and, hopefully, for others.
By the time this film came out the “Ice Bucket Challenge” was 8 years in the rear view mirror (2014). When diagnosed in 2017, Brian was given only 6 months to live. The couple chose to publicize Brian’s struggle to continue to survive by promoting a bill to fund research into this killer disease. He got some help from former President Barack Obama, who appears in the film. It was during Obama’s campaign in 2008 that Brian and Sandra had met while working to help elect our first Black president.
Normally, ALS kills you within 2 to 5 years. Brian has been fighting the good fight for the past 6 years. He is in the top 20% of survivors. From their home in suburban Chicago, the couple has seen their efforts to pass “Act for ALS” turn into $100 million for research for the next 5 years. Since Brian was diagnosed in 2017,and the law passed the Senate unanimously on December 16, 2021, is time running out on the additional funding to solve this huge problem?
If you are as sympathetic to this fight and for funding to continue as I am, you should follow up the 10 and 1/2 minute animated ALS short”Luki & The Lights” with the longer documentary. It is a Prime Video documentary entitled “For Love and Life: No Ordinary Campaign.”
For me, the end, the finale, was the weakest part of this psychological thriller. Select whichever ending you desire, but the depiction of the one ultimately chosen was hokey. It was staged in a less-than-convincing manner. More significantly, it undercut the true real-world terror of Michelle’s lengthy captive ordeal.
