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the world, fly: first class, sail on cruise ships,
and Tiede has complete access to Nugent's
finances. But Tiede starts to fee 1 smothered
by Nugent and their relationship becomes a
strained one, with Tiede becoming her servant
and Nugent just as trapped in her dependence^
on him. One day, Tiede ends the relationship.
This is a remarkable movie. Bemie is a
thorough crowd-pleaser: funny, whip-smart
and filled with some great observations about
small-town American
■ life. Linklater packages
it as a mock-docudrama
of sorts, playfully mix
ing actors with many
real Carthage residents
to give it a feeling of
authenticity, and those
interviews with the
townspeople are easily
some of the best stuff
in the movie. Bemie
id Jack Black is breezy entertain
ment, but Linklater is
also working out a complex examination of
artifice and how people—in particular Tiede
and over-the-top D.A. Danny Buck (Matthew '
McConaughey)—hide behind their public per
sonas and, in Tiede's case, conceal a dark side.
What's perceived as truth is indeed false. We're
only halfway through the year, but something
tells me we'll still be talking about Bemie in
December when listing the best of 2012.
BERNIE (PG-13) No one wants to be murdered
by an idiot. It goes without saying that no
one wants to be murdered at all, but if you
had, a choice, an idiot wouldn't be yours. To
simplify matters, let's just say most murders
are committed by bad people. It takes a bad
person to kill someone for selfish gain. And
since most murders are committed by crimi
nals, and most criminals aren't exactly the
smartest people around, the odds are pretty
high that if you're going
to be killed by someone,
it'll probably be at the
hands of an idiot
Whatrif your killer,
however, happened to
be the nicest guy in
town? Based on a true
story, Austin-based film
maker Richard Linklater's
latest movie, Bemie,
focuses on the 1996
murder of 81-year-old
Shirley MacLaine
Marjorie Nugent (Shirley
MacLaine), a wealthy widow, by 38-year-old
Bemie Tiede (Jack Black), an assistant funeral
director in the small town of Carthage, TX.
Tiede is beloved by most everyone in the
town. He is generous with his time and makes
friends easily. Nugent on the other hand, is
hated. She's petty, exasperating and down
right mean. After her husband dies, though,
Tiede starts spending more time with her and
eventually becomes her closest friend and
companion. The two take lavish trips around
Derek Hill
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Tune 22-24 the Mupdet Movie*
TUn 29-TUl I Annie
July 4-8 Yeuow Submarine
July 13-15 willy Wonka*
July 20-22 The Ooonks
July 27-29 The Wizard or Oz*
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