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The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, January 11,2023
A Man Called Otto
by Dwight Brown film critic for DwightBrownInk.com and NNPA News Wire
Can’t they all just
get along? Apparently not, and
the instigator is Otto Anderson
(Tom Hanks), a grumpy old
man with a chip on his shoul
der and a grudge in his back
packet.
All might be well in
their comfy suburban Pitts
burgh, PA community, if Otto
didn’t spread the hurt he feels
to others. He’s also a bit OCD.
Things must be in order, peo
ple must follow the rules and
if not, anger, threats, yelling,
pouting and putdowns ensue.
It’s a bit much. Someone with
a short fuse would punch him.
But the characters in this ad
aptation of a 2012 New York
Times Bestselling novel by
Fredrik Backman circle around
him. Like an extended family.
Director Marc Forster
(Monster’s Ball, World War Z)
and screenwriter David McGee
(Finding Neverland, Life of
Pi) weren’t the first to attempt
to transform this good read to
a viable movie. That feat was
accomplished by writer/film
maker Hannes Holm with his
2015 Swedish him of the same
name. But here we are, in an
American housing develop
ment with rules and regulations
where Otto thinks he’s the
town sheriff.
His misery is spread
equally among the residents
and any interlopers who dare
drive down the complex’s
private street. He admonish
es those who disobey: “You
cannot use this road without a
permit!!!’’ Otto becomes par
ticularly unglued when a young
couple gets lost and is looking
for their new rental apartment.
The husband, Tommy
(Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Net-
hix’s The Lincoln Lawyer), can
barely drive and finds parking
his car with its U-Haul trailer
impossible. His very pregnant
wife Marisol (Mariana Trev
ino) tries to guide him. Leave
it to Otto to insert himself into
their mini drama and park the
vehicle himself. That’s how
they meet on a fated day. Bossy
neighbor and newbie residents.
It seems like you’re
watching a series of setup shots
clumsily pulled together. There
is no flow. Going from scene to
scene has all the finesse of an
awkward TV drama and not the
polish of a well-made feature
him. As the characters pile up,
including Otto’s wife (Rachel
Keller) and her former student
(the very charming Mack Bay-
Tom Hanks in “ A Man Called Otto”
da), the direction pulls them
forward but not gracefully. It’s
like methodically putting piec
es of a puzzle together that’s
never more than a fuzzy pic
ture.
There are very few
sets and locations. Just enough
for production designer Bar
bara Ling and set decorator
Michael J. Amato to depict ev
eryday ‘burb life. Just enough
characters for costume design
er Frank L. Fleming to cloth
them in blue-collar shirts,
pants, dresses and coats that
further extend their personal
ities. The score swells at the
right times because compos
er Thomas Newman makes
that happen. Cinematographer
Matthias Koenigswieser cap
tures the string of vignettes
well. There’s a rhythm to it
all, orchestrated by editor Matt
Chesse who clips scenes at the
right time and makes the array
of flashbacks discernible.
It’s hard to extremely
love or hate anything on view.
The plot device that breaks out
of that tedium involves the cen
tral character hiding a secret
that is deeper than the impa
tience, vitriol and condescend
ing mood swings he displays.
Otto is in so much pain that
death might be a release. That’s
where this maudlin small-town
story gets its emotional power.
Otto is on a ledge, crying for
help in the most inappropri
ate ways. Marisol: “Are you
always this unfriendly?” He
needs a savior. His crisis and
inability to articulate his peril
is what will keep audiences in
trigued.
Back in the day,
Hanks was the odd one on
TVs Bosom Buddies, then the
mermaid’s lover in Splash. It’s
been a long journey, a long ca
reer. Now, he’s the Oscar-win
ning elder statesman playing a
senior citizen in distress. His
deliberate, determined way of
walking, his repulsion at the
sight of a stray cat and the re
sentment that swirls around
him is Hanks getting under
Otto’s skin, and brilliantly so,
for 2h 6m. Watching him do his
work is a treasure.
Trevino as the annoy
ing new neighbor is the pesky
mosquito Otto needs. Juanita
Jennings (Runaway Jury) and
Peter Lawson Jones (White
Boy Rick) play a couple who
have history with Otto, and
their subplot adds dimension.
Cameron Britton as Jimmy the
annoying jogger provides com
ic relief. Truman Hanks, Tom’s
son, portrays the younger Otto
at a time when nepotism is the
talk of Hollywood. He doesn’t
embarrass himself. He doesn’t
distinguish himself.
For every old misera
ble codger in the world today,
there’s a backstory. In this case
that grump is part of a group of
lost souls coalescing. Some at
the end of life’s journey. Some
at the beginning. But all are re
defining what the word “fami
ly” means and making the term
“extended” totally irrelevant.
Despite the film’s
flaws, what audiences will take
away is a humanizing experi
ence by a group of misfits who
learn that sometimes just get
ting along can be lifesaving.
In theaters January
13 th.
Trailer: https ://www.
youtube .com/watch?v=e-
FYUX91-m5In
Visit NNPA News Wire Film
Critic Dwight Brown at
DwightBrownInk.com.
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Healthy Savannah Announces $5000 in Funding
for Winter and Spring Health Ministry Events
Individual organizational grants of $500 to $1000 are available to applicable projects,
events or programs that include COVID and flu awareness activities
Healthy Savannah is
looking to disperse approxi
mately $5000 in grant money
that is specifically earmarked
to be spent in the faith com
munity. The funds are part of
an effort funded by a supple
mental grant from the Centers
for Disease Control and Pre
vention to broaden initiatives
of the current Racial and Eth
nic Approaches to Community
Health (REACH) grant, ad
ministered by Healthy Savan
nah and the YMCA of Coastal
Georgia. The goal of this initia
tive is to focus on COVID-19
and flu vaccine access, aware
ness, and acceptance, particu
larly in Savannah’s Black and
Hispanic communities.
“We strive to contin
ue, strengthen, and create sus
tainable programs and services
in our communities through
faith-based partnerships,” said
Elsie Smalls, Ph.D., operations
manager. “Many of the social
movements and valuable pro
grams that have served our
communities most effectively
have been through collabora
tion with faith-based organi
zations, churches and places of
worship.”
Individual organiza
tional grant amounts may range
from $500 to $1500, depending
on the content of the proposed
plans. Proposals are due on
or before Friday, January 20,
2023, and early applications
are encouraged. Smalls says
funding decisions will be an
nounced by January 31, 2023,
and funds will be available
immediately. New applicants
are encouraged to apply. All
approved plans must be imple
mented and activities complet
ed by May 31,2023.
“Eligible applicants
include African American and
Hispanic faith-based organi
zations, churches, places of
worship located in the prior
ity population communities
served by Healthy Savannah,”
said Nichele Hoskins, REACH
COVID/Flu Communications
Manager. “Funds may be used
to provide new or expanded ac
tivities and events that include
a health and wellness compo
nent and education to increase
health awareness during the
endemic stage of COVID-19.”
Hoskins says Healthy
Savannah serves low-wealth
and underserved communities
in Chatham County within,
but not limited to, the follow
ing ZIP codes: 30401, 31404,
31408, 31415, and 31419.
Examples of the types
of projects, events or programs
that could be funded are:
1. Expand the organization’s
current health ministry pro
gram to present a community
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l*pc "Dark Chiekeia Fried or floUsserit (.Take-Out $10.55
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Small tinner (a) Bones $18.75 Large tinner (5) Bones $22.50
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Healthy Savannah has announced it is offering grant
funding to support 2023 health ministry or faith-based
community events that promote overall health and
wellness. Funds are available for applicable projects,
events and programs through May 2023 that include
COVID-19 and flu awareness activities.
health fair. Provide handouts,
educational materials, and
community resources to ad
dress, access, awareness, and
acceptance of endemic COVID
and Flu information.
2. Plan and execute a com
munity event related to a na
tional health awareness or
observance that includes edu
cation on the endemic stage of
COVID-19 and overall health
and well-being.
3. Develop and host a com
munity forum (virtual or in per
son) to educate and discuss the
mental, emotional, psycholog
ical and trauma-related impact
that COVID-19 has had on un
derrepresented and disenfran
chised communities.
4. Design products like note
books, pens, pencils, coloring
books church fans, congrega
tional buttons/lapel pins, Bi
ble bookmarks or other items
to share with the congregation
and community with mes
saging about COVID and flu,
health and wellness and disease
prevention. Include an inspira
tional message of hope and
wellness for the future.
“These are not the
only types of activities that
could be funded,” said Smalls.
“We encourage you to be cre
ative and innovative in present
ing a plan that reflects unique
ideas that offer the best benefits
to your community.”
This is the third
round of funding made avail
able through the REACH grant
to faith-based community part
ners. Previously funded events
during 2022 included a “Smart
Start Back-to-School Initia
tive” held in July at New Birth
Christian Center, a “Back to
School Block Party” in August
at Greater Gaines Chapel AME
Church; and “Reaching Others
For Health and Hope” at Faith
Deliverance Church in Sep
tember.
The REACH grant
also funds a Community
Health Advocate program in
which members of the commu
nity receive training to provide
vaccine awareness and accep
tance information in their own
neighborhoods which may be
at higher risk of severe illness,
hospitalization, and death due
to COVID-19 or flu. Nearly
50 of these advocates are ac
tively working at various com
munity and faith-based events
throughout the Savannah area.
Grant applicants are
asked to present a detailed
explanation of the activity or
event that includes the name,
proposed date and budget, pro
motion plan and how commu
nity resources will be used to
maximize its impact.
The proposal must
also address how the event/
activity will promote overall
health, wellness and disease
prevention and continue to
increase awareness of the im
pact of COVID-19 and the flu
in Chatham County’s priority
communities.
For more informa
tion and to apply, contact Dr.
Elsie Smalls at elsie@health-
ysavannah.org, referencing
the following in the email
subject line: Faith and Health
Funds Grant Application- 2023
Spring Events.
The Savannah Chapter of the
Victorian Society in America, Inc.
Program Schedule 2022-2023
February 7, 2023
@5:30 pm Cranmer Hall (27
W Charlton Street): The Furor
Over Flowers: Natural v. Con
ventional Nineteenth-Century
Design - Elyse Gerstenecker,
Ph. D., Curator of Historical
Collections, Telfair Museums
March 7, 2023 @
5:30 pm Cranmer Hall (27
W Charlton Street): Newport
Summer School presentation
- Daniel Chamberlin, SVS
Scholarship Recipient, and
Decorative Art, Design Histo
ry, and Material Culture stu
dent, Bard Graduate Center
April 11, 2023 @
5:30 pm Cranmer Hall (27 W
Charlton Street): Downtown
Savannah’s Gothic Revival
Churches: Stylistic Variety
and Dexterous Responses to
the Savannah Plan - Robin B.
Williams, Ph. D., Chair, Archi
tectural History Department,
Savannah College of Art and
Design
Drumfolk Riddim Classes
Resume
Early African Amer
ican, Gullah Geechee Music
program resumes at the Beach
Institute, 502 E. Harris Street,
on Thursday, January 12 at
5:30 PM continuing through
March. Registration required.
Participatory Music classes In
Specific regional music Taught
by Dr. David Pleasant, Drum-
folk Riddim Specialist.
The DRUMFOLK
ideal, born in coastal GA &
SC, make participation, dia
logue and multidimensional
connection strong suits of com
munity, history, culture and
Freedom! Learn Polyrhythm as
a Riddimic Rescue from daily
conformity. Understand music,
culture and movement as eco
logical wholeness: nutrients
which both heal and protect us.
Share in the language of Es
cape, Rebellion and Freedom!
A Love Supreme.
Drumfolk Shout +
Music Society
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