(The voice-over on the trailer is Arthur C. Clarke from a BBC Horizon program, September 21, 1964.)
“28 Days Later: The Bone Temple” is directed by Nia DeCosta, who was the first Black woman (and also the youngest) to direct a Marvel Studios film. Also known for this year’s “Hedda,” 2021’s “Candyman,” and 2018’s “Little Woods,” DaCosta is in hot demand. She was the recipient of a Black Perspective Achievement Award at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival (October19, 2025).
DaCosta said, “My big pitch when I was talking to the producers, including Danny and screenwriter Alex Garland, before I came on was, ‘I’m going to make this my own. I’m not going to try to make a Danny Boyle movie. That’s impossible to make. He’s so special. And it didn’t really interest me.'” Apparently DaCosta’s vision means blood and lots of it. Be warned.
The film was originally announced as part of a planned trilogy, with Alex Garland (“Civil War”) serving as screenwriter for all three. In January 2025, Danny Boyle confirmed that he would direct the final film in the trilogy. Cillian Murphy, from the original film, makes an uncredited appearance in a tacked-on ending that is obviously a Trump era warning, utilizing references to the Weimar Republic.
A quote is used in a scene between Jim (Cillian Murphy) and his daughter Sam, whom he is instructing in history. The quote “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it” is attributed to Winston Churchill in 1948. Investigation makes it unclear whether it is really original to Churchill or, instead, to George Santayana and/or Edmund Burke. Maybe that’s what happens when you are forced to teach history to your daughter (Sam) in a country over-run by infected humans. (Home schooling does better with more resources—like the Internet.)
CAST & PLOT
The story of humans infected by a virus that turns them into bloodthirsty zombies with superior physical powers first came out in 2002, directed by Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting,” “Shallow Grave”). It was entitled “28 Days Later.” Its plot was described this way: “Four weeks after a mysterious incurable virus spreads throughout the United Kingdom, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.”
In 2005 in “28 Years Later” the story introduced us to Spike and his family, well-played by young Alfie Williams. Alfie is a sweet boy and a brave one. At the end of that film, which was shot back-to-back with this new film, Spike is orphaned and falls into the clutches of Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), who lost his vicar father to the infection at age 8 and now rules as the totally evil son of Satan. Or so he tells his apostles, the Fingers, claiming to be the son of Old Nick, his term for Satan.
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is a return to the screen of the character Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a doctor who has survived for 28 years alone in the wilderness of Northumbria and Newcastle, creating what he dubs a memento mori, a memorial to the dead, made of the bones of victims of this viral plague. Ralph Fiennes holds the film together. He is always reliably good. The scenes with Jimmy Crystal in conversation with Dr. Kelson are excellent.
Chi Lewis-Parry does an impressive job as Samson and makes Jason Momoa look like he needs to hit the gym.
Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) isn’t just evil; he seems to be totally without human compassion. In appearance, he is modeled on Jimmy Savile (1926-2011), a British pedophile who was Emcee of the “Top of the Pops” music show on the BBC, a program I remember from my days as a UK People-to-People exchange student. Savile, late in his career, was found to have molested more young people than perhaps any other pedophile in British history.
Shortly after being rescued by the Fingers gang, Spike is initiated into the group by being forced to fight to the death against one of the Jimmies, Jimmy Shite (Connor Newall). The opening scene is brutal, bloody and absolutely horrifying. Spike wins, but you know from this opening scene that this is going to be a stomach-churning horror film.
Sir Jimmy renames Spike “Jimmy,” in keeping with his practice of giving all Fingers variations of that name. There is Jimmy Ink, well-played by Erin Kellyman, who shows a tiny bit of compassion to the young Spike. In addition, there are Jimmy Jones (Maura Bird), Jimmy Snake (Ghazi Al Ruffai), Jimmy Jimmy (Robert Rhodes), Jimmy Fox (Sam Locke) and the sadistic Jimmima (Emma Laird.)
As the plot progresses, Dr. Kelson has success in befriending Samson and develops a theory about a cure that seems promising. Dr. Kelson’s ability to befriend Samson is a result of morphine, among other drugs of choice. The plot developments that follow Ralph Fiennes’ dance as the devil provide a unique “surprise” ending and plot twist.
SETS
The sets for the bone temple are incredibly intricate. Production designers Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh used 5,500 skulls and 100,000 bones to construct 1,000 upright columns. Bravo! There is an aerial shot that shows the bone temple amidst the forested lands. It is but one of many breathtakingly beautiful bits of cinematography from Sean Bobbitt. There is also the intricate underground lair where Dr. Kelson retreats to be safe. Wonderful attention to detail is shown in designing both spaces and the forests and sunsets of the area are breathtakingly beautiful, but to be afoot in the area is to risk one’s life. One character (Jonno, played by Gordon Alexander) finds this out the hard way.
MUSIC
When Jimmy and the Fingers stumble upon Dr. Kelson, who is red from the iodine he uses to protect against the infection, Jimmy talks Dr. Kelson into impersonating the devil. That gives us a truly great scene with Fiennes performing to Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast.” The music, throughout, is unique, with Hildur Gudnadottir (“Joker,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado”) composing and features a song over the credits entitled “In the House in a Heartbeat.” The song was originally written for “28 Days Later.”
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
The critic for Roger Ebert, Robert Daniels, did not like Alex Garland’s script very much and said, “The hardest part to stomach about “28 Years: The Bone Temple” is its meaninglessness.” That review also said the film was “The second part of a planned trilogy, or I guess the fourth film of a quintet.” [Not helpful.]
I disagree with the ‘hardest part to stomach” remark.
The hardest part to stomach is the unremittingly bloody gore.
It’s well-done, well-acted, with good cinematography and music (although using adjusted camera angles to give the infected humans erratic motion I could have lived without.) For me, the script was fine. The plot made its point, although the gore moved into overkill. But the music, cinematography, acting, production design and overall impact have yielded $15 million at the box office since the film’s release on January 16th. It will be interesting to see if the extreme gore attracts viewers or repels them. (“Different strokes for different folks.”)
Rob Reiner, as he appeared on “All In the Family.”
The senseless murder of actor/director Rob Reiner, apparently by his son Nick, is some of the worst news of the year.
I met Rob Reiner on two occasions.
The first time I met him was when I was a “Deaniac” during the run for President of Dr. Howard Dean, back in the “sleepless summer” of 2004. Dean was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election. Later, Howard Dean’s implementation of the fifty-state strategy as head of the DNC is credited with the Democratic victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Afterward, he became a political commentator and consultant to McKenna Long & Aldridge, a law and lobbying firm.
Because I paid for a large ad in our local newspaper (the Quad City Times), advertising Howard Dean’s upcoming appearance at Davenport’s West High School (ad approved by the Des Moines Dean headquarters), I was introduced to Rob Reiner, who was also pulling for Howard Dean and was present at a rally in the capital city of Des Moines. Reiner gave me a warm hug. We shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries. He was warm and gregarious, like a large teddy bear. A “huggy” kind of person, as you might expect from his television appearances as Michael ‘Meathead” Stivic in “All In the Family.”
Later, in Chicago in 2014, Rob Reiner showed up to promote “And So It Goes.” I was part of the Press at the showing of “And So It Goes.” He was just as warm and friendly and gregarious when I met him on the Red Carpet for that film. I mentioned our previous meeting in connection with the Howard Dean campaign, then 10 years prior, so obviously not someone he would remember (Ha!)
And So It Goes is a 2014 American comedy drama film directed by Rob Reiner and written by Mark Andrus. The film, which stars Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton and Sterling Jerins, was released on July 25, 2014. It received mostly negative reviews from critics, and performed modestly at the box office. The film was the second collaboration between Reiner and Douglas, after The American President (1995). This film was also Frances Sternhagen‘s final feature film role before her death on November 27, 2023.[4]
MY IMPRESSIONS
Reiner was like a sweet, cuddly, out-going teddy bear. The idea of Rob Reiner and his wife being stabbed to death by their own son is heinous and tragic. What is even more tragic is the response from Donald J. Trump, who had to make it all about him and said (among other totally inexcusable things), “I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person.” Rep. Don Bacon (R, Nebraska) commented that this remark about the tragic death of Rob Reiner was “something you’d expect from a drunk guy at a bar. Can the president be presidential?”
The answer is, “No. DJT cannot be presidential. He needs to BEE GONE, as soon as possible.
Paul McCartney at the United Center on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
I just returned to Austin from Chicago. I traveled to the Windy City to see Paul McCartney in concert at the United Center on Monday, November 24, 2025. Chicago was the last stop on McCartney’s “Got Back” tour.
The place was packed and nobody left early. Paul came onstage about 8:20 p.m. and sang until 11:10 p.m. At no time during his performance did he leave the stage and turn it over to a sidekick, so that he could go offstage and take a break. He was on his feet and climbing the stairs to his piano (which malfunctioned at one point) and seemed very “with it.” He did not sit down while playing (like B.B. King did in his final years) and his endurance was just as impressive as Mick Jagger’s.
During the evening, he pointed out a gentleman who has seen him 142 times and came with a sign that said so. There was another guy with a sign that said “124.” Many signs proclaimed the crowd’s love for Paul and he seemed to return that warm sentiment.
I’ve now seen Paul McCartney five times. I’d love to post video of a few songs from the show, but I’m not sure how that can be accomplished without repercussions for me, so I am posting only a few still photos.
PAUL McCARTNEY & THE BEATLES, Aug. 31, 1965
First time was in 1965 at the San Francisco Cow Palace (afternoon concert). Security was one guy and waist-high chicken wire. (Ineffectual). It was my very first concert. Girl from Iowa climbs on back of a Czechoslovokian motorcycle driven by Philadelphia boyfriend Colgate (William Hopkins), cuts class at Berkeley in the summer of 1965 (Aug. 31), and says, “Let’s go up and see if we can get tickets.” And we could. They cost $7. It is my belief that they had been saved for the Beatles, themselves, to use for friends and family, but now it was showtime. We were in the 7th row on the aisle with folding chairs. There was one guy guarding the stage, which had waist-high chicken-wire. Someone ran onstage and took Ringo’s drumsticks and John’s hat, when they finally showed up, late. I thought we were all gonna’ die during the exiting part, when I was moving but my feet were not touching the floor. People stood on the folding chairs, causing them to go down like dominoes. It was pandemonium, with teenagers passing out left and right.
At the time, the film “Hard Day’s Night” had just been released. Shirley Bassey sang the theme from “Goldfinger” and Cannibal and the Headhunters did their thing (making a train dance on the floor.) The National Anthem was played by King Curtiss. The Astronauts from California were supposed to be part of the lead-in, but they did not show up. The tickets cost $7 apiece, I repeat, because to go from $7 to $800 is quite a big increase, as you will agree.
PAUL McCARTNEY, 2025
The tickets for us in section 302 way up high in the United Center on Nov, 24, 2025 (12 rows from the top) cost $800 apiece ($1600 total) on Monday night. People on the floor had paid $3,000. (Talk about inflation!)
The show began with Paul singing “Help” this night and the lyrics were so perfect for anyone aged 83. At no time did his demeanor, voice, or ability to move about show his age, which was wonderful for me, someone only slightly younger than he is. I did notice that many members of the audience were brandishing canes, but, thankfully, Paul was not, nor was I. I was also grateful that almost everybody stayed seated until the finale, so we could all see. A teenager on the end of the aisle in front of me kept standing up to dance, which pretty much totally obscured the video screens that allowed the far-away fans to see the faces of the band clearly.
Paul McCartney, Nov. 24, 2025.
I took so many videos of his many hits that my phone died, which turned out to be a real problem when both my daughter (who had flown in from Nashville for the show) and I used up all of our phone charge and had to try to call an Uber or Lyft to get home. We had taken a Lyft to get there, which cost $14. There is now a building–run by Uber apparently—that you go to and make these calls for Uber or Lyft drivers. Cabs are like land lines and impossible to find. That building was not there in 2015.
We finally had to go outside and we found a “pirate” Uber driver who quoted us a price of $50 to drive us back to Indiana Avenue’s South Loop. The daughter had already called and been given a $47 price and a 20 minute wait from the normal Uber network. We had no idea what the building name was and there was talk of going to your driver’s “lane.” I last went to a show at the United Center in 2015 (Queen with Adam Lambert). I have been to the United Center to try to see Caitlin Clark play, for my July 23rd birthday, but I have not ventured out for a musical performance there, although I did see the Eagles with Steely Dan in Austin and John Mulaney here on Nov. 14, 2025. There was also a night back in the Quad Cities with the Tennessee comic Nick Bugazzi (sp?) at the Mark of the Quad Cities. But, with Elton John, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, et. al. fading into retirement, there are few musical groups I would spend the time or money to see (although I’d make an exception for Benson Boone or Adele or Bruno Mars.) And I did go see the Dave Matthews Band on June 27th of this year at Northerly Isle Pavilion, so now I see concerts in both states. (Not as many United Center runs.)
PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS
The second time I saw Paul, my name was driven first in the state of Iowa for tickets at the Ames Hilton Colisseum football stadium in Ames, Iowa. Channel 6 anchor Paula Sands asked me if I could get her tickets for the July 31st show at the Ames Hilton Colisseum football field. I did, as I was allowed to purchase up to 8 tickets. That concert was Paul with wife Linda and Wings. Our tickets were in the 7th row from the front. I took my son and my college roommate and her daughter. July 18, 1990, is when Wikipedia says he played Ames, setting an Iowa record for concert attendance at the time. I’m not sure that is right, because that means that daughter Stacey was born, but only 3 years old. She attended with me on Monday night and she is now 38.
When I saw him at Wrigley Field on July 31, 2011, he was far away. It was his “On the Run” tour. The fourth time was at the Civic Center in Moline (the Mark of the Quad Cities,) on June 11, 2019. I know it was then called the Taxslayer Center, but it will always be known as the Mark of the Quad Cities to me. That entire concert was ruined by a drunk girl who insisted on trying to claim a seat in our row when her ticket was far, far away. I missed the entire fire-filled finale of “Live and Let Die,” so I was glad that it was incorporated into this show again (but not as the finale.) At the Monday show there were 6 encores, which were much appreciated by the assembled fans.
ME, @ THE MARSHALL FIELDS WALNUT ROOM PRIOR TO THE SHOW
It was truly a great show. Maybe not as historical as that day I suggested we cut class and drive up from Berkeley via motorcycle in 1965 to see the Beatles, but close. I don’t know if I can post any of the videos. If anyone has any advice there, the only way I know how to do it is to upload it to YouTube, which has become very finicky about a 30 second clip being the intellectual property of the group and, therefore, not to be posted. They actually threatened me over a 30 second snippet of Bryan Adam’s Candle in the Wind tour or whatever it was called. (“Summer of ’69”). Definitely dimmed my Bryan Adams fan-ship.
I haven’t posted since, but that particular song (“Summer of ’69”) was available elsewhere on the web and I used one of him in much younger days.
Paul was soooooooooooooooooo much better!
HollyShorts brought a dose of Hollywood to London this week as its second U.K. edition wrapped with a sold-out awards ceremony at Vue Cinemas West End, where Franz Böhm’s Rock, Paper, Scissors and Sam Davis’ The Singers emerged as the night’s top winners.
The Oscar-qualifying short film festival, now growing a sizable satellite presence in Europe, the Middle East, and North America, drew filmmakers from across three continents as it continues positioning itself as one of the world’s leading incubators for short-form talent.
The awards were hosted by Karen Bryson MBE who recently starred in The Rainmaker and is also loved for The Teacher.
Böhm & Davis Lead the 2025 Winners List
Böhm’s Rock, Paper, Scissors scored the Best Short Film Grand Prize, earning a £20,000 Panavision lens package and a prize package from Essex Bouqcakes. The film also claimed Best Student Film, cementing Böhm as one of the event’s breakout names.
Davis’ The Singers delivered a parallel sweep, taking Best Director, presented by Cotrini Skin Care with a £5,000 post-production package from The Farm, and Best International Film.
2025 HollyShorts UK Award Winners
Best Short Film Grand Prize
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Franz Böhm
Prize: £20,000 Panavision lens package, Essex Bouqcakes prize package
Best Director, Presented by Cotrini Skincare with £5,000 Post Production Package from The Farm
The Singers, Sam Davis
Best Student Film
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Franz Böhm
Best Animation
Two Black Boys in Paradise, Baz Sells
Best Comedy
Chasers, Erin Brown Thomas
Best Drama, Presented by Le Kool Champagne
A Friend of Dorothy, Lee Knight
Best Thriller
ADO, Sam Henderson
Best International, Presented by Sushi Samba
The Singers, Sam Davis
Best Music Video
Bile Bile, Rango Musau
Best Music Documentary
Hugel – The Entourage, Ludovic Genco, Hugo Lucas Pompier
Best Sports Documentary
Fighting Demons, Simon Stock
Best Shot on Film, Presented by Kodak Motion Pictures
A Death in the Family, Yasmin Hafesji
Best Cinematography, Prize Package Presented by ShotDeck
Stomach Bug, Andri Haraldsson
HollyShorts Expands Into 2026
The festival also announced its largest global expansion to date. HollyShorts UK will return for its third edition November 12–15, 2026, with submissions for the 2026 cycle opening tomorrow. HollyShorts Dubai is set to run December 12–14, 2025, extending the brand’s reach in the Middle East.
The year will conclude with the 22nd edition of the flagship HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood, scheduled for August 13–23, 2026.
Founded in 2005, HollyShorts remains a key discovery platform for emerging filmmakers, with Academy Awards-qualifying and BAFTA qualifying categories and deep partnerships across production, post, and distribution sectors. Sponsors for the 2026 London event include Cotrini Skincare, IMGN, Miller Insurance, LeKool Champagne, Panavision, Alta Global, Dumont Luxury Real Estate, Essex Boucakes, Sushi Samba, The Farm, Kodak, and others.
Dave Freeman in ‘Dave Nation” Episode #894 as portrayed by Jesse Einstein.
HollyShorts 2025 has many shorts in competition this past three days (most of which I spent on the road to Texas). Last year, the count was 427. The short that caught my eye was “On the Internet Nobody Knows Who You Are,” a 23 minute, 26 second offering from J.M. Logan that starred Jesse Einstein as Dave Freeman.
Jesse films himself for a feed called “Dave Nation” (GoPro?), and the Episode of Dave Nation we open on is #894. He explains that his father took him camping in his youth to a lovely forested area at the top of a mountain Dad referred to as Magic Mountain. Now that his father has been dead three years, Dave wants to take his father’s ashes to the top of Magic Mountain and scatter them there. (It’s a scene reminiscent of a similar undertaking in “The Big Lebowski.”)
Things do not go exactly as planned.
For one thing, even when he was young, Dave wasn’t keen on hiking and camping. “I was 12 years old. The last thing I wanted to do was to be alone with m dad in the woods.”
Dave Freeman (Jesse Einstein) of “On the Internet Nobody Knows Who You Are.”
But Dave sets off, despite the information that the next day is going to require a 6 mile hike. He has many small setbacks, but the bear attack in the night leaves him saying, “I have no gear, no tent, no food, no socks, and I don’t really remember how to use a compass.”
Who knew,” he asks, “that bears ate socks?”
Things get real very fast when Dave thinks he is hopelessly lost.
I love short films like this one that are more about being “real” and less about teen-age eternal love or Grandma (that would be me) becoming friends with a youthful soccer player from Nigeria or Timbuktu. (I won’t name names, because the acting in that one was great, but the originality of the piece was not.)
This one reminded me of the award-winning 7 minute short “Retirement Plan” that Irish Director John Kelly has just posted on YouTube, which is hilarious. (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mqa4zfJdx4)
Atop Magic Mountain in “On the Internet Nobody Knows Who You Are.”
“Retirement Plan” was the best thing I saw last spring at SXSW, with the possible exception of “The Studio.” This one reminds me of it, except that it was 3 times as long. The cinematography and sound are great and Jesse Einstein—who looks exactly like a real-life friend of mine named Jimmy Mack—did a fine job. The original score by Antoni M. March, used atop Magic Mountain, was suitable in that spot.
Apologies to the HollyShorts people for my belated and unimpressive output this year. I was driving from Illinois to Texas during most of the (short) festival run. Things did not go exactly as planned. Unexpected things happen when two fossils set out to drive 1,000 miles. They generally happen in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Then, you have to twist tie your car together and drive 6 hours in that condition, which is even worse than Dave Freeman having to hike the last 6 miles to the top of Magic Mountain. Pulling over every so often to remove pieces of your ruined vehicle and keep them from flying off and causing catastrophes for other vehicles on the road: one tactic. Telling your spouse “act invisible” when GPS tells you there is a speed trap ahead: another less useful tactic.
Is “On the Internet Nobody Knows Who You Are” any good?
Does a bear in the woods eat socks?
The pictures above were taken in Kansas. It was incredibly cold (said it felt like 28 because of the wind, but was technically in the thirties). The “buffalo” are not real.
Until Kansas the first snow of the winter season was pummeling Indiana and Chicago and parts north. The Northern Lights were even visible in Geneseo (Illinois), but, then, on November 12th some saw them in Florida!
The weather in Texas is incredibly warm and nice. It feels like spring or summer. It is going to be in the eighties all week.
Today, I played bridge, which I have not played since we were in town last. The “Chicago” scoring method I had (almost) figured out on a bus trip to Houston, but I do not remember what I had (sort of) learned back in April. After 12 hours spent driving or searching for a motel (ended up in West, Texas) I felt like I needed a nap, but without me the bridge club had only seven players. At one point I tried to trump with a club. Unfortunately, I had made hearts trump and—somehow—simply forgot that mid-game, which I will continue to blame on fatigue. Also in my defense, I was not low for the day, but my score was definitely somewhere in the middle of the pack, even though, on my one good hand, my partner and I took all but one trick, as I was dealt 7 spades with all of the main honors.
The big news today was all about the Epstein files. The e-mails released today show that Trump was well aware of the trafficking in underage girls and, in fact, spent time with Virginia Giuffre, whose book “Nobody’s Girl” was recently released posthumously. Her death by suicide is as mysterious and inexplicable as that of Epstein himself in his prison cell.
The Jeremys have triumphed in “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” even if the movie isn’t burning up the charts. (So much for “I’m on Fire” and the frequent script references to burning the house down.) This October was the worst October for theaters in 30 years. When “Deliver Me from Nowhere” begins streaming it should do well. Not really fair to compare the 2024 Bob Dylan bio-pic “A Complete Unknown” (or 2019’s”Rocketman” or 2018’s”Bohemian Rhapsody”) to this one. Consumers worrying about their next paycheck during a historic government shutdown are hunkered down waiting for the movie to hit their home TV sets. MAGA faithful may be avoiding it out of deluded DJT allegiance. Who really knows?
Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”) wrote and directed, based on the book by Warren Zanes. Unlike other biographical films about rock stars, this one focuses on a specific time period, Springsteen’s work on the 1982 album “Nebraska,” which he recorded in his bedroom on a Pioneer recording machine 43 years ago. It was a particularly dicey time in The Boss’ ascent to stardom. He was 33 years old and just establishing himself as a worldwide star, having earned stardom at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, his home base. He would break out with “Born in the USA” shortly after the “Nebraska” album.
White, who plays the younger Boss with convincing head-tossing sweaty fervor, is 34. The casting throughout the film is great. Kudos to casting director Francine Maisler.
CAST
Jeremy Allen White.
In addition to Jeremy Allen White as The Boss and Jeremy Strong as manager Jon Landau, there are strong supporting performances from Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell”) as Mike Batlan, and Stephen Graham (“Adolescence”) as Douglas Springsteen, Bruce’s emotionally distant father. Odessa Young portrays romantic interest Faye Romano.
It’s interesting to see Gaby Hoffmann playing Bruce’s mother Adele, since she was the 7-year-old Karin Kinsella in “Field of Dreams.” Marc Maron is Chuck Plotkin, recording engineer. Jimmy Iovine plays Jimmy Iovine (no stretch there). Meryl Streep’s daughter Grace Gummer has a small role as Barbara Landau. There is also a good performance from Matthew Anthony Pellicano, as young Bruce, photographed in black-and-white inserts that take us back to the days when 8-year-old Bruce was coping with a father who was probably paranoid schizophrenic, bi-polar and alcoholic.
Because of the focus on one specific album, we don’t get to see Bruce coping with the rise and fall of his first marriage to model/actress Julianne Phillips (married 1985; divorced in 1989). When they divorced, Bruce placed the blame on himself, suggesting they were basically incompatible because they did not really know one another that well to begin with and were not close in age. He had issues with commitment, as we see in the film, and neuroses from his relationship with his father, which is highlighted in “Deliver Me from Nowhere.”
Springsteen was also falling for bandmate Patty Scialfa, to whom he has been married since 1991. Patty Scialfa’s former art teacher at Asbury Park High, Curtis K. Smith said, “Patti’s been in love with Bruce for as long as I can remember.” So, a lesson in how it’s a good idea to really know the person you select as a life partner and probably a good idea if you have common interests. As for the close in age thing, make your own call, but there was an 11-year difference in age for the couple.
THE JEREMYs
The Jeremys in question are Jeremy Allen White, portraying Bruce Springsteen, and Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) as Jon Landau, his long-suffering manager and sometimes quasi-therapist. There is also Jeremiah Fraites, the composer for the film. I could easily see a Best Supporting nod for Strong’s calm, always-under-control portrait of a manager who realizes “I’m out of my depth on this one” and suggests therapy for the troubled rock icon.
GENESIS
The film is based on the book by Warren Zanes and has, so far, recouped about half of its $55 million budget in worldwide sales. “Deliver Me from Nowhere” started playing (in theaters only) on October 24th. The buzz regarding an Oscar nomination for Jeremy Allen White, star of “The Bear” and former cast member on “Shameless” began, based on his numerous awards including 3 consecutive Golden Globe Awards, 3 SAG awards, 2 Critics’ Choice awards and 2 Primetime Emmys. His 134 episodes as Lip Gallagher on television’s “Shameless” catapulted him to the brink of stardom. This lead performance has enough oomph to potentially earn him an Oscar nomination. The 2-hour film can drag a bit unless you’re a die-hard Springsteen fan. (*Of course, I panned “The Bear” back in the day, so judge his performance for yourself.)
3 KEY SCENES
There are 3 memorable scenes that White nails in “Deliver Me from Nowhere.” They are the kind of showcase moments that you can imagine being thrown up on the big screen at the Oscars. The three make-it-or-break-it scenes are White’s re-enactment of the recording of “Born to Run” in the studio, his breakdown scene in his therapist’s office, and the finale with his father (when his dad suggests that the 32-year-old now-famous singer sit on his lap).
Other than those scenes, we have the star posing, captured for the camera by cinematographer Masanobu Takanagi. Bruce on a deck, Bruce by the water, Bruce in close-up, Bruce on a carousel, Bruce setting up his primitive Pioneer 4-track recorder with Paul Walter Hauser’s help, Bruce with his on-again/off-again girlfriend of the moment. Jeremy White is a major star in the making. No wonder Calvin Klein is using him in underwear ads. [The Calvin Klein Men’s Underwear Spring 2024 advertisement generated $12.7 million in media impact value in less than 48 hours.]
Those three scenes ought to do it. Not sure if the rest of the film (sound?) will garner more Oscar accolades.
CAREER
It appears that the young Jeremy Allen White, like Springsteen himself, has everything it takes to mesmerize audiences. He’s been proving it since 2006, when he had his first role at the age of 15. Now 34, it’s hard to believe that this is his first feature film lead. (He had a smaller role in “The Iron Claw” as Kerry Von Erich in 2023). White even admitted to a period after “Shameless” ended after 11 years when he had a similar crisis of confidence.
NOTABLE SCRIPTED LINES
Cooper, who is closely associated with veteran actor/producer Robert Duvall and got married on Duvall’s ranch, has scripted some good lines for the then-troubled star-to-be. Here are a few:
(From a car salesman): “I do know who you are,”
JAW: “Well, that makes one of us.”
JAS: “It’s a hard thing, realizing people aren’t what you want them to be.”
JAW: “I’m trying to find some real in all the noise.”
JAW: “When I’m deep in my work, I’m just not much use for anything else.”
JAS: “He’s channeling something deeply personal and dark.”
Odessa Young as Faye Romano: “Sometimes you miss the things that are right in front of you.”
JAS: “Success is complicated for Bruce. He feels guilty leaving behind the world he knows.”
Odessa Young: “You’re running away from everything you’re afraid of. What about actually dealing with your shit…Face yourself.”
JAS: “Where you came from is gone In yourself, right now, is the only place you got.”
JAW: “I just want my life to make sense again…I’m slipping away.’ (therapist scene)
Finale scene: “I’m finding my way.” To his father, “You had your own battles to fight.”
CONCLUSION
The performances are uniformly strong. The fact that Jeremy Allen White taught himself to play guitar and harmonica and sings his own songs is remarkable. He certainly has the toss-of-the-head down. The film deals sensitively with his romance with the young mother of a small daughter.
I couldn’t help but remember his first short-lived marriage and think about how a true tell-all could have utilized that long-ago romance (Phillips is now 65 and Springsteen is 76.) Not fair to say that Springsteen just wasn’t that interesting. Not his fault we are in free-fall as a country and perhaps focused more on losing our jobs, or not having enough TSA agents to fly safely (Nashville had only 4 of 16 yesterday. 80% are out in NYC.), or not having enough food.
I’ve read that The Rock’s film was also pulverized and nothing out right now in the theaters this past weekend really did well. I was in the theater from 3:30 until 7:00 p.m.. The place was deserted. That, my friends, is because some of you didn’t pay enough attention last presidential election. Now, we are all paying the price, even at our local Cineplex.
While I can play “Born in the USA” and remember the good old days, getting back to a reasonable facsimile of the good old days is proving to be much more difficult.
Breaking the American Spirit: Trump’s Recreational Depravity Has An Agenda
To Christian Nationalists, Even Hitler Was Forgiven
Evil on Steroids
To be clear, when we say “Trump,” understand we’re talking about the Heritage Foundation’s agenda. Trump and his tigers, elephants, and giraffes are not the ones steering this country, although it’s evident he’s enjoying the cruelty. The infrastructure behind him—ideological, financial, and operational—is what’s actually in control.
Elon Musk and the DOGE boys served as the slash-and-burn team, generating the chaos and distraction required for the early stages of Project 2025 to move forward. Trump is simply the vehicle the Heritage Foundation used to gain power.
Do they really intend to deport all brown immigrants, including birthright citizens? They’re certainly trying; the Supreme Court has the case on its docket. And if they succeed, who will work the agricultural jobs? Well, what happens when millions are unemployed, hungry, and sick? Crime rates increase.
So why the new prisons and camps? To house the “new criminals.” And what happens to those criminals? They become “free labor” in the fields.
The Heritage Foundation and the tech bros are building their own fiefdom. Sound far-fetched? More than 40 million Americans are about to lose their SNAP benefits. 13.8 million have already been laid off under Trump’s administration. The uninsured population could climb to 31 million or more by 2026. And when enhanced ACA subsidies expire on December 31, 2025, premiums are projected to increase 114% for 22 million Americans.
Now add the ridiculous tariffs designed to skyrocket the cost of living, along with every other heinous policy meant to push the American people to the brink of despair.
How will they control all these people? With the “law enforcement” they’ve created to report to the Executive Branch, of course.
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The ICE Budget for Weaponry
Puppy-killer Kristi Noem received two luxury jets valued at $200 million, and ICE is flush with cash like a hog at the trough with a $170 billion budget. It’s as if torment and cruelty are now line items in America’s priorities.
In 2019 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spent just $5.7 million on the “small arms” category through October 18; during Trump’s first administration the government averaged about $8.4 million per year. In 2025, ICE has increased that weapons spending by 600 percent. In the last nine months alone, they have spent $71,515,762 on purchases listed as “small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories manufacturing.”
Think about that: the MAGA Big Budget Bill made ICE the largest federal law enforcement agency in the nation’s history, with a budget larger than most of the world’s militaries and a 600 percent increase in weapons spending.
This is a domestic enforcement agency—not going to war “over there,” but here: in our streets, against our people.
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Blonde and Blue Jesus Forgives Them
I listen to pundits ask, “Why? Why would Republicans give up all their power? Aren’t they concerned about legacy? Why have they abdicated all authority to this Epstein-adjacent convicted felon?”
In short: The GOP has spent more than forty years twisting, remolding, and regurgitating Christian nationalist rhetoric until this moment feels like their long-awaited “crusade.” In their worldview, all one has to do is believe that a white Jesus was the Son of God—and their eternal elevator will come equipped with an “up” button.
Yes, Jesus is their get-out-of-Hell-free card—because in their version of Christianity even Hitler is forgiven. And what is “legacy” when the people destroying history are the ones holding the pen—what does it even mean to be on “the right side” of it?
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” – George Orwell, 1984
The Republican Party of fiscal responsibility and rule of law is dead. In its place stands a movement that made a deal with the devil: fall in line behind Trump and his whims, or be destroyed in a primary. And as we’ve seen over the past year with Elon Musk, the DOGE boys, and the election data, it’s no longer just the voters deciding who wins—at least not in elections large enough to cross a certain vote-count threshold.
Their recreational depravity is evil on steroids, and I feel it every time I scroll the news or check on a friend who’s barely hanging on. You probably feel it too. Or you’re trying not to. We watch as Trump’s sycophants hack away at the agencies that keep us alive, leaving them bleeding and gasping for air.
This is how they break the spirit of the American people.
To act as if this is just “Trump being Trump” is to underestimate their underlying agenda.
“Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?” Trump to former SECDEF Mark Esper in 2020.
This quote is disturbing, but it’s 2025 and we’re nowhere near the civil unrest of the 2020 Floyd protests—unless they’re able to create it.
The Manufactured Flashpoint
I think about the families in North Carolina—maybe you do too. One storm. One night. And suddenly they’re living under a tarp in the hills, shivering, staring at the mud where their home used to be. They waited for FEMA. They prayed for FEMA. And then came the denial. Trump said no. Just… no. No aid. No lifeline. No reason. Try telling a child huddled beside you that the government of the richest nation on earth just shrugged. DESPAIR.
Or the mother who did everything right—every well-check, every vaccine—until the lies and poison from RFK Jr. made her second-guess what she once trusted. Now she sits beside a hospital bed, watching her child fight a disease we had already beaten. She carries the guilt. Her child carries the consequences. HOPELESSNESS.
Then there are the farmers who voted for Trump with their full chest, now watching as the slashing of USAID and the illogical punitive tariffs decimate their businesses. Meanwhile, Trump handed Argentina a $40 billion bailout, cut a deal to purchase their beef, and in return Argentina struck new agreements to sell soybeans to countries that once bought from U.S. suppliers. All as JD Vance and his AcreTrader investors scour the country for farms on life support, ready to swoop in and rob hardworking American families of what they spent generations building. ANGUISH.
And then there’s the veteran I can’t stop picturing—perhaps because I am one, and this visual occupies space in my brain and heart that I can’t turn off. It’s reality for too many. Trump’s tariffs were supposed to help the economy and the American people; that’s what they were told. Instead, prices exploded. Jobs disappeared. The VA slashed support. Some were hit twice, never realizing that “eliminating DEI” also meant eliminating programs that kept women in the workforce. Now they stare at stacks of bills no one with PTSD should ever have to face. They’re a month away from losing their home, and SNAP benefits are days away from a hold-status until the government reopens.
An unnecessary government shutdown that could have been avoided if Speaker Johnson would just release the Epstein files. They’re confused and crushed. Fox is on in the background, reporting that Trump is building a $300 million ballroom. For who? The billionaires? The oligarchs? RAGE.
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Bannon’s Firehose of Maximum Outrage
And now we have the beginnings of the uprising that Putin, Trump, Steve Bannon, the weak-ass tech bros with their pre-built bunkers, and the Project 2025 Nazis have been engineering—by slashing and burning the people’s lifelines.
This is the architecture of despair:
- Watching in horror as a corrupt Supreme Court legitimized race as a factor to remove Black and Brown people from our streets.
- Knowing that Democrats signed off on the Laken Riley Act with human rights violations baked in—now we question all politicians.
- Trump canceling 94 million pounds of food aid to our food banks in the spring.
- A looming SNAP halt that will hit over 40 million households, even as a $5 billion surplus sits unused—money we know will not be spent to feed families this Thanksgiving.
- Rural schools hurting after DOE cuts, as vouchers go to the wealthy.
- Food borne illnesses on the rise as RFK Jr. guts the agencies that protect the public—literally killing people.
- The Medicaid cuts we know are coming as the wealthy continue to fiscally rape the working class.
- Sexual assault protections rolled back—for women in the military, on college campuses, and in corporations that choose to embrace Trump and Hegseth’s pre–women’s rights mindset.
- Military bases renamed after Confederate traitors, using random soldiers with matching names to stoke racial division.
- Funding slashed for HBCUs and for health research programs serving Black women—a reminder that no matter the progress, it can always be snatched away. The boot will always be on the neck. There can never be trust. Ever.
- Jackie Kennedy’s Rose Garden ripped out for a tacky patio to host criminals and pedophiles.
- The East Wing of the people’s White House reduced to rubble for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom for a puny little man who can’t even dance.
He tore down the fucking White House—our White House.
It’s the methodical destruction of our sacred institutions and the places we turn when we are scared, sick, or desperate. It is the breaking of the American spine by men drunk on unearned power, men who enjoy watching people crawl.
And that is why $170 billion to ICE matters. Because once you break people, you need an army to control the pieces. An army they plan to have in place by the spring, before the midterms.
The closing night film of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival was an homage to films of the 80s and 90s, romantic comedies like “Notting Hill,” written by Patrick Cunnane (his first feature screenplay) and Director David Freyne (“Dating Amber,” 2020). During the Q&A onstage following the showing on October 26th, Trevor White, a producer who works with his brother, Tim, talked about the film that the audience had just enjoyed.
PLOT
“In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen)is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life (65 years) with (Miles Teller, “Whiplash,” 2024, “The Gorge,” 2025) and her first love Luke (Callum Turner, “The Boys in the Boat,” 2023; “Masters of the Air,” 2024) who died young and has waited 67 years for her to arrive. [It reminded me of the Albert Brooks/Meryl Streep vehicle “Defending Your Life” (1991).]
Guided by an After Life Coordinator (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar winner for “The Holdovers”), they have just one week to confront the ultimate dilemma: where and with whom to spend eternity.” Da’Vine and fellow ALC afterlife coordinator Ryan (John Early) are hilarious in their roles and add much to the film. So does a neighbor of Joan and Larry’s, Karen (Olga Merediz). These supporting cast members get high marks for humor.
GENESIS
Director David Freyne of “Eternity.”
Screenwriter Patrick Cunnane, who is the son of Congresswoman Madeline Dean, met Producer Trevor White (and Tim, his brother and production partner) at the White House where Cunnane was then working as a member of the White House speechwriting staff (the East Wing was intact then. Yay!). This fortuitous meeting propelled “Eternity” forward. The addition of Director David Freyne (co-credited as writer) was also serendipity. Cunnane said, “When David came on, everything went to the next level. David had a clear vision of the afterlife…It could have looked 110 different ways…I couldn’t be more thrilled with the way this turned out. It is better than I imagined it in my head.” (This is not what many screenwriters say, so give this production a Gold Star for being a happy set. It was also better than I imagined it would be, which is a recommendation for audiences to check it out.)
IMAGINING THE AFTER-LIFE
This was Freyne’s third movie and his third with Elizabeth Olsen. A corkboard outside his office led to creative suggestions for how the afterlife might appear. Since the idea was to blend romance with comedy, emulating the rom-coms of old (“That was the North Star for this movie”), some of the ideas added to the corkboard during production caused the duo to admit to the audience’s amusement, “Some were very funny and probably not appropriate for PG13.” The screenplay was on Hollywood’s Black List of the Best Unproduced Films since 2022, so its potential was recognized.
CREW
That potential was turned into reality by the expert work of Production Designer Zazu Myers (“My Old Ass,” 2024) and Cinematographer Ruairi O’Brien (“Dating Amber,” 2020; “Sea Fever,” 2019). The composer was David Fleming (“Superman,” 2025; “The Last of Us,” 2023) and the Costume Designer was Angus Strathie. (Edith Head he was not; the red-and-white checked outfits for Joan’s character and the gold-striped shirt worn by Miles Teller in the same scene did not enhance the constant remarks about how attractive the lovely Elizabeth Olsen looked, from each of her husbands. For that matter, how many of us would vote for Miles Teller as the more attractive husband of the two? But I’ll leave that plot point open to viewers, while admitting that, in terms of attractiveness–which is emphasized in the script—they could have flipped the parts, for me, but might have lost Teller’s flip finesse with humorous lines, his forte.)
SCREENPLAY
Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner in “Eternity,” the closing night picture for the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.
“Eternity” goes from Chicago to Austin’s Film Festival next, where it will be a Spotlight film. Austin is known as a screenwriter’s festival and the screenplay is very good. I particularly enjoyed the digs at the Korean War (not one of the “cool” ones) and lines like, “We can go to space for eternity, for all I care as long as Luke (husband #1) is not floating around,” from Larry (Husband #2).
HEAVEN?
The various iterations of the afterlife are presented like a giant convention, with scads of brochures about spending your after-life in 1930s Germany, but with 100% fewer Nazis; Parisland 55 (where they speak English, but with a French accent); or Infantilization World. There’s even a run on eternities where there are no men, but it filled up fast and a second similar eternity was under construction. All of the throw-away lines/ concepts were very clever.
RELATIONSHIPS
Screenwriter Patrick Cunnane and Producer Trevor White of “Eternity” at the Q&A, closing night of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.
The opening scenes of “old” Larry and “old” Joan driving to a gender reveal party were charming and realistic. Betty Buckley, now 78 years young, played Dr. Karen Fletcher in 2016’s “Split.” I’ve missed her. Barry Primus (2013’s “Grudge Match”) portrayed old Larry. Their bickering is characteristic of marriages that have endured for decades (67 years). I can personally attest to this. The relationship question of this film is intensified when the real question is how you would choose a mate for eternity if your family were a love triangle.
CONCLUSION
The screenwriter freely admitted to stealing real-life stories from his elderly parents’ lives (the flat tire story). Cunnane shared a touching story of his mother, on-set watching the film while it was shooting, breaking down in tears when one episode unfolded.
That says it all: there are real-life lessons about family and its importance in this one, much as there were real-life lessons about important people in your life in the George Clooney vehicle “Jay Kelly.” Life without someone special can be hollow. But who will Joan choose to spend eternity with—and which of the hilarious afterlife options will win out? Check out “Eternity” in November to find out.
The iconic Music Box Theater, site of many of the films at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.
In other years of the Chicago International Film Festival, a specific country or group of countries has been selected for a focus of the festival, featuring films from that country or area. I remember the Nordic countries having their day in the sun. There was also one year where the Middle East was highlighted. A film had been shot on a cell phone depicting the difficulties faced in the Middle East by Palestinians who were forced to enter Israel to find work. And I think there was a French year, as well, going back to 2007 or 2008.
This year, for me, at least, the focus was Ireland. The feature films, shorts and documentaries I’ve been viewing have been Irish.
SHORTS
Dates for HollyShorts: November 13–16, 2025, held in London at Leicester Square. Since most directors start out making shorts, I genuinely enjoy seeing new, young talent as they start out with shorts. I didn’t make it through all 427 (!) offered me reviewing the HollyShorts festival last year, but perhaps I’ll do better this November. Stay tuned and keep reading, as this festival is just around the corner (and a lot shorter). I would vote for removing a couple days from the length of this one. Towards the end, the Closing Night Film people may be getting worried that they’ll not have enough folks left in town (especially reviewers) to fete their film.
From the short “Retirement”(Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland).
The first Irish short that I absolutely loved, which showed at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, was “Retirement Plan” from Irish directors/writers John Kelly and Tara Lawell. Here is a link to the complete review, which the director later contacted me regarding, saying he felt it helped him win the shorts competition this past spring at SXSW. https://www.weeklywilson.com/retirement-the-7-minute-short-that-tells-the-truth/
DOCUMENTARY
“Celtic Utopia”
In the documentary category, “Celtic Utopia” from Directors Dennis Harvey and Lars Loven, was a joint production of Ireland and Sweden. Described as “A wry portrait of a new wave of Irish folk musicians, unafraid to confront their country’s colonial and conservative past” it reminded me of “Kneecap,” which won big at the last Sundance. “Kneecap” was about Irish rappers, and “Celtic Utopia” has Irish rappers, with names like Young Spencer (“Soul in Pain” “Straight Outta’ Belfast”). An interview subject says, “In Ireland, I think rap is on the rise.” Many groups and soloists are featured. The Gaelic language is used by most. With topics like “The Night the Murder Car of Death Drove into Dundalk Town,” it is clear that Irish youth has much to say in 2025 and “the troubles” may not be as far behind Ireland as we thought.
One musician said, “We need to learn Irish as a form of rebellion against the spread of this shitty monoculture that has nothing to offer us at all.” Another adds, ”That’s what the British did. They made us hate our own language.” Another youth says, “Change has to come from my generation…It’s unjust that we’re still living under British rule, and we’re going to fix it.” “We’re fighting over stuff from the past, over nothing.” Song lyric: “The sea—long may it stay between the British and me.”
CATHOLICISM IN IRELAND
One interesting segment in “Celtic Utopia” involved Catholicism. “You weren’t allowed to speak ill of the Catholic Church.” As an Irish family that had an unwed pregnant teenaged girl amongst the family, the statement is: “Ireland, the last bastion of the Catholic Church. Pregnant teenagers going over on the boat for an abortion. That’s what happened to women when they admitted (while on the boat) that that’s what they were doing: total rejection. ..At age 17 our family had a child taken away and never seen again. We don’t know where our sister is to this day.”
“Celtic Utopia” was a 90-minute Irish nominee for the Gold Hugo as Best Documentary at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival. The winner, announced today, was “Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk” about the Gaza bombing.
IRISH FEATURE FILMS
“The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan”
The three feature films from Ireland that I saw were “The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan” from Director Gabrielle Russell, “Spilt Milk” and “Whitetail.” As the synopsis for “The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan” read, “Tormented by the ghosts of her past, a dying former IRA operative confronts her demons in a final shot at redemption.”
The film was 90 minutes long. “The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan” felt 3 hours long. Like “Reedland,” the movie needed to step up the pace. The lead actress helps harbor another IRA murderer, a young boy who shows up at her doorstep. The entire cast is the two of them, with the legendary white-haired former IRA female enforcer having flashbacks to her murderous days and begging the young boy to put her out of her cancer-induced misery. [Made me want to go back and rewatch the 7-minute “Retirement Plan” for some much-needed levity.]
‘Spilt Milk”
“Spilt Milk,” which won the 2025 Glasgow (Scotland) Mubi Award is from Director Brian Durnin from the UK/Ireland. The plot sounded intriguing: “Inspired by his favorite TV detective Kojak, an 11-year-old boy in 1980s Dublin is drawn into the city’s underbelly as he investigates his older brother’s disappearance.” This synopsis was misleading. The lead character’s older brother doesn’t actually “disappear.” He has become addicted to drugs and the friction at home causes him to temporarily absent himself from home. The young boy and girl portraying amateur sleuths did a credible job, but it wasn’t the film I thought it would be (nor was “Reedland” when I watched that one about a Dutch girl’s body found in a farmer’s Holland field.)
“Whitetail”
The synopsis for this film from Director Nanouk Leopold read: “As poachers encroach on the wilderness she supervises, Irish park ranger Jen must reconcile past trauma with new threats in this white-knuckle thriller.
I’m not sure that “white-knuckle thriller” is the right term. It took me a while to figure out that the young couple out in the woods shooting at targets were Jen (Natasha O’Keefe) and Oscar (Aaron McCusker) as teenagers. The resemblance was not that keen, especially for young Oscar after he is grown. In the opening, the young couple are portrayed by Sean Treacy and Abby Fitz.
Natasha O’Keefe as Jen in “Whitetail.”
The first (of 3) feigned sex scenes occurs in the verdant woods and Jen mentions that she thinks her sister, Erica, has a crush on Oscar, because Erica keeps wanting to go along with them on their woods adventures. The couple are taking pot shots with a rifle and, midst the awkward coupling (Jen never seems to have sex in a bed or, really, in any comfortable room), she fires off a shot hastily. It hits her sister, who has secretly followed them. Jen is immediately shocked and vomits, which seemed logical, but the rest did not seem as normal.
At the point that Jen realizes that she has shot her sister, woudn’t you expect her to run over to her to see if she could render some sort of first aid? She doesn’t. Neither does Oscar, who, in fact, seems to sort of back out of the picture forever, even leaving home with his parents’ blessing.
I also expected there would be some sort of scene where the young lovers have to tell the adults what has happened (also missing) and perhaps a few brief funeral scenes. (MIA).
Nada. Zip. Zero.
“Whitetail”
Then, we close in on Jen in a kitchen with a white-haired guy. Is this an older husband? A father? What? It slowly (too slowly) becomes apparent that it is Jen’s father. He has not been the Rock of Gibraltar during her tough moments of remorse over the shooting of her sister. As the screenplay puts it (which Director Nanouk Leopold wrote), “It’s like she’s heavy, stuck in tar. She hasn’t moved on.”
There is some conflict between Jen and the local policeman, Liam, played by Aidan O’Hare. Liam has the hots for Jen, but she seems disinterested. Then Oscar returns to the old hometown, due to his mother’s death. Jen finds that upsetting and basically suggests that he get lost for good.
“Whitetail” (Ocar’s back in town).
They do have a momentary coming together, but the thrill is gone.
At the finale of the film, when Jen sees poachers moving about in her forest at night and sends a voice mail to Liam to tell him where she is going to intercept them most of us are thinking, “Is it really a great idea to go out at night, in the dark, into the forest, to possibly arrest illegal armed poachers?” Maybe it’s the Irish devil-may-care throw-caution-to-the-winds spirit that possesses her. In that case, I missed that memo. My maiden name was Corcoran (Irish), but I would have given that particular plot move a bit more thought. Use your imagination about what could happen next, as it does.
RETIREMENT PLAN REDUX
So, to sum up, really try to spend 7 minutes watching “Retirement Plan” (a short) especially If you are close to retirement age or pondering it. It was an Irish treat and a half! (And it only took 7 minutes of my life!)
From the 7-minute short “Retirement” from Screen Ireland.
“Retirement:” A 7-minute short from Screen Ireland featuring Domhnall Gleeson.
