Within Mid-America Publishing, several of our editors meet bi-monthly via a virtual teleconference, and a recent icebreaker question prompted an idea: could two movie lovers launch a companywide movie column, “Siskel and Ebert” style? The answer, we hope, is yes.
So without further adieu, allow us to introduce ourselves, and look out for our latest thoughts and reflections on films both new and old on these pages on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. We’re still ironing that out, so we’ll see what works best moving forward.
Who are you, and how did you become interested in movies?
Bridget Shileny: Hi all! I’m Bridget Shileny, the editor of The Wright County Monitor in Clarion. I have a precocious almost 2-year-old son and husband, Tom.
I have loved movies since I was a pretty young child. My siblings and I used to watch the same movies over and over again for days at a time, including greats like “Back to the Future” and “Ghostbusters.” My mother also fancied herself of movie whiz and would watch the famous movie critics Siskel and Ebert’s TV show every week, often taking notes. That helped foster my own movie love and my penchant to read movie criticism.
Robert Maharry: I’m the editor/publisher of The Grundy Register based in Grundy Center and Grundy County, and I married my beautiful wife Kellie in September of 2020. Friends and casual acquaintances call me Rob, and family members call me Robert.
Like most children born in the ‘90s, I was obsessed with the Disney movies of that period, none moreso than “The Lion King”—ask my mom about that one. As a teenager, I had a pretty casual relationship with cinema and gravitated toward Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell comedies, and I didn’t get really interested in watching everything I could find until my mid 20s. I guess I was just looking for a new hobby, and the rise of streaming services made it easier than ever to check out stuff you hadn’t seen before.
Is there a certain movie that you credit with making you a cinephile?
Bridget: This is a tough one. I watched so many movies when younger that it’s hard to credit one with ‘opening my eyes.’ Perhaps some of the earlier Coen Brothers films… “Raising Arizona” and “The Big Lebowski” helped usher me into some of those more acclaimed movies as I became aware of respected directors.
Rob: Strangely enough, I actually have a story that’s fairly similar to Bridget’s. In college, my roommates and I would watch two Coen Brothers films over and over again—“Fargo” and “The Big Lebowski.” It was the first time I realized that I enjoyed a director (in this case, a directorial duo) and noticed the themes, visual styles and quirks that garner “auteur” status.
I should also shout out two more movies I saw not long after I graduated from college and was living on my own: Stuart Rosenberg’s “Cool Hand Luke,” starring the inimitable Paul Newman (more on him in a moment) and Terrence Malick’s “Badlands,” which introduced the world to Martin Sheen and possibly the most fascinating American filmmaker of the past 50 years with a story (loosely based on Charles Starkweather) that, despite its obvious debt to “Bonnie and Clyde,” still stands out as the best of its imitators all these years later.
What's your go-to genre, and is there an actor or actress you'll watch in anything no matter how bad it is?
Bridget: I love, love, love westerns. My whole family used to watch “Lonesome Dove” whenever it was on TV. Over the years, I usually try to see most of the big westerns that are released. I also enjoy dramas and mob movies….like “The Departed,” and “Gone Baby Gone.”
I do have “a thing” for Matthew McConaughey. From his Doritos commercials to “Interstellar,” I enjoy most of what he does, though since I’m not a huge rom-com fan, I tend to skip his forays into that genre.
Rob: It won’t surprise anyone that a guy who’s starting this column loves crime dramas, war movies and westerns, but hey, I’ve got to be honest with myself here.
I have a few “watch them no matter what” actors, and I’m not sure if I could pick one. Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Denzel Washington, Kevin Costner, Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges and Dennis Hopper all make the list, and Faye Dunaway, Frances McDormand, Sissy Spacek and Julianne Moore are probably the actresses I’d grant the same designation to.
How do you think your relationship to movies will change writing a column about them, and are you excited to do it?
Bridget: I’m very excited to write this column. I had a brief stint in college where I reviewed movies for the South Dakota State University newspaper and enjoyed it. I think writing this column will make me more analytical regarding movies, and hopefully prod me into carving out more time to watch movies.
Rob: I hope that I’ll learn to talk about them in a way that makes sense and is accessible without sounding pretentious, because while I have tried to broaden my horizons in the last few years, I still love a good crowd-pleasing blockbuster or cheesy action flick as much as anyone else.
Are you a theater person or a wait until it comes out for rent or on DVD person?
Bridget: Theater all the way! I love the vibe of sitting in a dark theater with cinema lovers and shutting everything else out as I watch a movie. Plus, I have a major addiction to movie theater popcorn.
Rob: I’d love to say that I’m a theater nut who’s there every weekend, but in reality, I’m mostly a “stream it” guy for reasons of convenience: the town I live in doesn’t have a movie theater, and the pandemic has greatly changed the way we watch films. Kellie and I catch a lot of stuff at home, but I am excited to see something on the big screen when I finally have my vaccine.
What's the last great movie you saw?
Bridget: I recently saw the movie “Nobody.” It’s a violent, hard-hitting action film from the folks who brought us “John Wick.” Thanks to lead actor Bob Odenkirk (of “Better Call Saul” fame), the movie was funny even as it was bone-crushing and is definitely worth a watch.
Rob: I recently caught Sam Peckinpah’s melancholy revisionist western “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” from 1973 for the first time, starring Kris Kristofferson as the infamous outlaw and James Coburn as the lawman chasing him. It also heavily features the music of Bob Dylan—“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” became one of the biggest hits of his career—and Dylan himself in a supporting role as Alias, along with my favorite supporting actor of all time, Harry Dean Stanton, as Luke.
Peckinpah was widely known for his unruly personality and legendary substance abuse leading up to his premature death, but I’m becoming more and more convinced that he may have been the best to ever do it.
Keep an eye out for an Oscars preview next week and other features about the latest releases both streaming and theatrical. If you’re enjoying what we’re writing or have an idea or a thought you’d like to share, drop either of us a line at publisher@grundyregister.com or news@wrightcountymonitor.com.
