Bravado Brothers

# Bravado Brothers

## Abstract

The Bravado Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Harlem Bravado (born Chance Barrow on April 22, 1989) and Lancelot Bravado (born Houston Barrow on September 16, 1985). The duo have worked for several independent promotions, including Ring of Honor, Chikara, and Full Impact Pro, and have also appeared in Japan for Pro Wrestling Noah.

In 2017, Houston retired from wrestling while Chance continued to compete on the independent circuit, mainly for Evolve Wrestling. In February 2021, Chance signed with WWE, and currently performs on NXT under the ring name Andre Chase.

## Professional wrestling career

### Ring of Honor (2008–2012)

The Bravado Brothers of Harlem Bravado (Chance Barrow, born 1989) and Lancelot Bravado (Houston Barrow, born 1985) trained at Ring of Honor (ROH)'s Wrestling Academy under the tutelage of Delirious in 2008.

The duo debuted for ROH in September 2009, and over the next several months they competed in dark matches, facing wrestlers including Tony Kozina and Anthony Nese. Their first match as part of the main roster was at the 8th Anniversary Show, where they were defeated by The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli). They entered the Tag Wars 2010 tournament, reaching the semi-finals before losing to the Dark City Fight Club of Kory Chavis and Jon Davis. Following losses to teams including Future Shock (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly) and Grizzly Redwood and Andy Ridge, they developed a winning streak beginning in January 2011, which lasted until they were beaten by Future Shock at Supercard of Honor VI on May 21. At Tag Team Turmoil 2011, the Bravados entered the tournament to determine the next challengers to the ROH World Tag Team Championship. They defeated the Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark Briscoe), but lost to Future Shock in the final. On September 17, the Bravado Brothers appeared on their first ROH pay-per-view Death Before Dishonor IX, when they were part of a three-way elimination match against The Young Bucks and Future Shock; the Bravados were the first team eliminated. In November, the duo lost to the Briscoe Brothers in a qualifying match for the Survival of the Fittest tournament. At the Final Battle 2011 pay-per-view, the Bravado Brothers were part of a tag team gauntlet match to determine the number one contenders to the ROH World Tag Team Championship, but were the first team eliminated by Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander.

Following a tour of Japan, the Bravado Brothers returned to ROH at Unity in April 2012, defeating The Young Bucks. The following month, the pair challenged Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. They won the match by disqualification, and so did not win the championship. They competed only sporadically for ROH throughout mid-2012, including a loss to Coleman and Alexander at Glory By Honor XI, which was their last ROH appearance.

### Independent promotions (2011–2017)

On November 12, 2011, they debuted for Chikara, losing to 3.0 (Scott Parker and Shane Matthews). Throughout 2012, they made sporadic appearances for the promotion, including participating in the 2012 torneo cibernetico on November 18, as part of Team Kevin Steen. On May 18, 2013, the Bravados returned to take part in the 2013 Tag World Grand Prix, but were eliminated in the first round by The Batiri (Kodama and Obariyon).

In 2013, the duo began working for the Evolve promotion. On May 30, they defeated Maxwell Chicago and Sugar Dunkerton at Evolve 20 and the following day at Evovle 21, they defeated Derek Ryze and Andrew Everett. On June 2, at Evolve 22, they teamed with Everett in a loss to Dos Ben Dejos and Shane Strickland.

In 2013, the Bravados also began working for Full Impact Pro (FIP). They debuted at Ascension in April, where they defeated Tommy Taylor and Kenneth Cameron, before attacking the FIP Tag Team Champions Dos Ben Dejos. On July 5, at the Declaration of Independence internet pay-per-view, the Bravado Brothers won a three-way match against Dos Ben Dejos and KOA (Sugar Dunkerton and Aaron Epic) to win the FIP Tag Team Championship. On November 16, the Bravado Brothers defeated The Young Bucks to win Dragon Gate USA 's Open the United Gate Championship. On December 6, they lost the FIP Tag Team Championship to Rich Swann and Roderick Strong. On September 14, 2014, at Evolve 35, The Bravado Brothers lost the Open the United Gate Championship to Anthony Nese and Caleb Konley in a three-way match, also involving A. R. Fox and Rich Swann. In 2017, Lance Bravado retired from wrestling thus disbanding the team. Harlem Bravado continued to wrestle on the independent circuit mainly for Evolve Wrestling before he signed with WWE in 2021.

### Pro Wrestling Noah (2012–2013)

In January 2012 the Bravado Brothers moved to Japan for three months to train with and compete for Pro Wrestling Noah. Lance's first match in Japan was against Yoshinobu Kanemaru in Korakuen Hall. While at Noah, the pair mostly competed in singles matches, but also teamed up sporadically. They returned to Noah in January 2013.

### Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2016)

In December 2016, the Bravado Brothers appeared in the special Impact Wrestling episode " Total Nonstop Deletion " as entrants in the Tag Team Apocalypto for the TNA Tag Team Championship.

## Outside of professional wrestling

In 2018, Houston Barrow (Lancelot Bravado) was the Libertarian candidate for the District 65 seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives. He placed third in the general election with 2,220 votes (7.74%), as the seat was held by the Republican Party, with Jerry Carter the overall winner.

## Championships and accomplishments

- Battle Zone Battle Zone United States Championship (1 time) – Harlem

- Battle Zone United States Championship (1 time) – Harlem

- Dragon Gate USA Open the United Gate Championship (1 time)

- Open the United Gate Championship (1 time)

- Full Impact Pro FIP Tag Team Championship (1 time)

- FIP Tag Team Championship (1 time)

- Pro Wrestling Illustrated Ranked Harlem No. 281 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2012 Ranked Lance No. 284 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2012

- Ranked Harlem No. 281 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2012

- Ranked Lance No. 284 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2012

- Premiere Wrestling Xperience PWX Tag Team Championship (2 times)

- PWX Tag Team Championship (2 times)

- Wrestle Force Wrestle Force Tag Team Championship (1 time)

- Wrestle Force Tag Team Championship (1 time)


The Last Black Man in San Francisco

# The Last Black Man in San Francisco

## Abstract

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a 2019 American drama film directed and produced by Joe Talbot in his directorial debut. He wrote the screenplay with Rob Richert and the story with Jimmie Fails, on whose life it is partly based. It stars Fails, Jonathan Majors, Tichina Arnold, Rob Morgan, Mike Epps, Finn Wittrock and Danny Glover.

It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019, where it won awards for Best Directing and a Special Jury Prize for Creative Collaboration. It was released in the United States on June 7, 2019, by A24.

## Plot

Jimmie Fails is a young man living in Bayview–Hunters Point, San Francisco. He spends his time wandering around town with his best friend Montgomery (Mont) Allen, with whom he lives, along with Mont's grandfather. Jimmie waits for the bus with Mont every day, during which they see various states of change in the city and protesters trying to stop it. They skateboard to a Victorian house in the city's Fillmore District where Jimmie grew up. Jimmie says it was built by his grandfather in 1946, who opted to build on an empty lot rather than buy one of the houses made available due to the wartime internment of Japanese Americans. The home is currently occupied by an older white couple. Jimmie often laments to Mont about how they don't take care of the house, and does his best to maintain it himself. One day, Jimmie and Mont visit the house to find the woman crying on her husband's shoulder and movers taking the couple's things away. They learn from a mover that the woman's mother died and that she and her sister are now fighting over the house.

Jimmie and Mont visit Clayton Newsom, a realtor, to inquire about the home. Newsom is not aware of the current situation, but is very familiar with the house. He tells them it "sounds like an estate thing" in which case the home might stay empty for years until the inheritance is settled. Jimmie and Mont use this opportunity to visit the now-vacant house, exploring it in its entirety. Deciding to take up residence there, they visit Jimmie's aunt Wanda, who gives them the furniture she and the family had when they lived there. With the help of Wanda's husband Ricky, they take everything back to the house and move it in.

One night, Mont invites Kofi, a childhood friend of Jimmie's and his, to the house, and they enjoy a night of relaxation. However, the next day, Kofi says hurtful things to Jimmie about his father in order to appear dominant after being called "effeminate" by his friends. Jimmie and Mont later learn from Kofi's friends that Kofi has been killed by a man with whom he had a scuffle. On returning to the house, they find that their possessions have been thrown out onto the sidewalk, and find a For Sale sign posted by Newsom. Feeling betrayed, Jimmie retaliates by taking all the furniture back inside. He also visits a bank in an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the home. Mont, however, goes back to Newsom, who reveals that the house wasn't built by Jimmie's grandfather; he has the deed proving that it was actually built in the 1850s.

Mont writes a play about the aftermath of Kofi's death, and Jimmie advertises that it will be performed in the house's uppermost tower. On the day of the performance, Jimmie's estranged father appears. During the performance, Mont shows social media posts about Kofi's death, all of which prove, he proclaims, that these people never really knew Kofi. He asks people in the crowd to recount their opinions of Kofi, including Jimmie. Jimmie says that even though the last things Kofi said to him were mean, his experience with him in a group home was friendly, and says, "People aren't one thing". Mont then confronts Jimmie with the truth that Jimmie's grandfather did not build the house. This angers Jimmie, who storms out, followed by the rest of the audience. Jimmie reflects with Wanda, and she reassures him that he can leave San Francisco, as "But if you leave it's not your loss. It's San Francisco's".

Jimmie reunites with Mont at the dock, admitting that he'd known all along that his grandfather hadn't built the house. He watches TV with Mont and Grandpa Allen before going to bed. Mont wakes up and finds Jimmie gone, with a note saying he "didn't know how to say goodbye" and thanking Mont for being his best friend. Mont is left alone, and while he continues various activities that the two always shared, they no longer bring him the same joy when done alone. He stands alone on the dock, staring into the distance. Jimmie is far away, rowing in the water outside the Golden Gate Bridge.

## Cast

- Jimmie Fails as himself

- Jonathan Majors as Mont Allen

- Danny Glover as Grandpa Allen

- Tichina Arnold as Wanda Fails

- Rob Morgan as James Sr.

- Mike Epps as Bobby

- Finn Wittrock as Clayton Newsom

- Isiain Lalime as Gunna (of Chorus)

- Jamal Trulove as Kofi (of Chorus)

- Jordan Gomes as Jordan (of Chorus)

- Maximilienne Ewalt as Mary

- Jello Biafra as Tour Guide

- San Quinn as Grown Ass Man

- Daewon Song as Uncle Ricky

- Andy Roy as Andy

- Willie Hen as The Preacher

- Thora Birch as Becca

- Tonya Glanz as Nina

- Sergio Gonzalez as Banker

- Wynner Gonzalez as Andrew Joseph

## Production

Talbot and Fails grew up together in San Francisco and first discussed the possibility of making the movie as teenagers. However, they found it difficult to make the film in the city due to the lack of a film scene within the region and neither of them had any proper film training nor knew anybody within the industry. Talbot got some initial advice on how to start from a cold email to Barry Jenkins, who shot Medicine for Melancholy (2008) in San Francisco, before he left to shoot Moonlight (2016).

In May 2015, the two shot a preview trailer to raise funds for the making of the film and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that ultimately surpassed their goal of $50,000 by more than $25,000. Within a month, 1,500 contributors backed the campaign totaling a little over $75,000. The campaign garnered film industry interest as well as national press, and through viral success cemented Fails, who was the face of the #lastblackman fundraising campaign, as a local San Francisco figure.

When Fails and Talbot's short film, American Paradise, made it to 2017 Sundance Film Festival, they met Christina Oh of Plan B Entertainment, who later made introductions for Talbot and producer, Khaliah Neal, to the rest of the company at a shooting for Ad Astra (2019). Jeremy Kleiner, of Plan B, helped pick up the film for production. Principal photography began in April 2018.

In May 2018, it was officially announced that Jonathan Majors, Danny Glover, Tichina Arnold, Rob Morgan, Mike Epps, Finn Wittrock, and Thora Birch had joined the cast of the film, with Khaliah Neal producing the film alongside Plan B Entertainment and A24 distributing.

The creative team had wanted to cast someone from San Francisco in the role of Kofi, the childhood friend who struggles to be vulnerable with his peers. They met Jamal Trulove at an after-school program in San Francisco while casting for child extras. Trulove was previously falsely charged with murdering his friend in 2007. He was granted a retrial in 2015 and was subsequently acquitted. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors later approved a $13.1 million settlement to him for being framed for murder by the police. Given his background and personal resonance for the role, Trulove was cast on the spot that day.

One of the filming locations was Shipwright's Cottage. Constant demolitions and alterations of San Francisco sites complicated the film production. Talbot is cognizant of the geographical inaccuracies of the film, likening it to Bullitt (1968) which was also filmed in San Francisco.

The film was heavily influenced by the 2001 film Ghost World, also about two outsider friends who don't fit in to their cities and wander throughout, which Talbot was introduced to at age 15. As an homage to that film, Talbot asked actress Thora Birch to appear in a cameo, and notes the connection between her character of Enid and that of Jimmie: "I always felt her character and Jimmy are similar in a lot of ways, and she got that immediately," Talbot said. "She and I would joke like, at the end of Ghost World when she gets on the bus, it’s like she never got off the bus and wound up in San Francisco working a tech job she hates." Talbot also discussed the connection further: "Thora is one of the great actresses of her generation and her work, in part, inspired me to want to make films. Her performance in Ghost World made me feel seen as a teenager when I was a bit lost," Talbot explained. "At the end of that film, Thora rides a bus off into the sunset. In our film, we meet her character on a bus in the heart of San Francisco—almost as if she kept riding it all these years, and somehow wound up in the Bay Area working a tech job she loathed. Her exchange that follows with Jimmie, however brief, has been written about and quoted more than any other part of the film."

## Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019. It was released in the United States by A24 on June 7, 2019 having previously been scheduled to be released on June 14. It was released on VOD by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on August 13, 2019.

## Reception

### Box office

The Last Black Man in San Francisco grossed $4.5 million in United States and Canada and $122,123 in other territories for a total worldwide of $4.6 million, against a production budget of $3 million.

### Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 212 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "An affecting story powerfully told, The Last Black Man in San Francisco immediately establishes director Joe Talbot as a filmmaker to watch." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

In her New York Times review, Manohla Dargis made the film a NYT Critics Pick and called it "ravishing, haunting and exultant." The Los Angeles Times ' s Justin Chang called the film "a gorgeous, moving ode to a city in flux." The Hollywood Reporter ' s Todd McCarthy said it was "by far the best narrative film I saw.... Every scene is fresh and unpredictable, visual poetry and realism are exquisitely woven together." Rolling Stone called it "the best movie of the year" as of June 2019, and Deadline Hollywood ' s awards columnist Pete Hammond said that it was "the one movie I have seen that should have Oscar written all over it" as of July.

The New Yorker 's Richard Brody said that the film was disappointing and lacked "grit or texture of real experience."

### Year-end lists

The Last Black Man in San Francisco appeared on many critics' lists of the best films of 2019, including:


Summation check

# Summation check

## Abstract

In telecommunications, the term summation check (sum check) has the following meanings:

- A checksum based on the formation of the sum of the digits of a numeral. Note: The sum of the individual digits is usually compared with a previously computed value.

- Note: The sum of the individual digits is usually compared with a previously computed value.

- A comparison of checksums on the same data on different occasions or on different representations of the data in order to verify data integrity.


The Last House on the Left

# The Last House on the Left

## Abstract

The Last House on the Left is a 1972 rape and revenge film written and directed by Wes Craven in his directorial debut, and produced by Sean S. Cunningham. The film stars Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, and Marc Sheffler. Additionally, Martin Kove appears in a supporting role. The plot follows Mari Collingwood (Peabody), a teenager who is abducted, raped, and tortured by a family of violent fugitives led by Krug Stillo (Hess) on her seventeenth birthday. When her parents discover what happened to her, they seek vengeance against the family, who have taken shelter at their home.

Craven based it on the 1960 Swedish film The Virgin Spring, directed by Ingmar Bergman, which in turn is an adaptation of the Swedish ballad " Töres döttrar i Wänge ". Cunningham produced the film for $90,000 and used a cast of relatively unknown actors. Distributor Hallmark Releasing, in partnership with American International Pictures, gave him and Craven funding after the box office success of Cunningham's Together (1971).

Craven cut the film numerous times for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to rate it R. Internationally, the United Kingdom refused to certify the film for release, and while briefly released on home video in the 1980s, the " video nasty " scare led to the banning of the film until 2002. The Last House on the Left was released in the United States on August 30, 1972. While the film initially received a polarizing reception from critics, it was highly profitable, grossing over $3 million at the domestic box office.

Like the exploitation films Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), the film has received critical reevaluation years after release, with particular praise towards the narrative and performances of Peabody and Hess. It has since achieved a cult following and received a nomination for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills in 2001. The film was remade in 2009.

## Plot

Mari Collingwood plans to attend a concert with her friend Phyllis Stone for her seventeenth birthday. Her parents, Estelle and John, express their concern about her friendship with Phyllis but let her go and give her a peace symbol necklace. Phyllis and Mari head into the city and on the way, they hear a news report of a recent prison escape involving criminals Krug Stillo, a sadistic rapist and serial killer; his heroin -addicted son, Junior; Sadie, a promiscuous psychopath and sadist; and Fred "Weasel" Podowski, a child molester, peeping Tom, and murderer. Before the concert, Mari and Phyllis encounter Junior while trying to buy marijuana. He leads them to an apartment where they are trapped by the criminals. Phyllis tries to escape and reason with them, but she fails and is gang-raped. Meanwhile, Mari's unsuspecting parents prepare a surprise party for her.

The next morning, Mari and Phyllis are bound, gagged, and put in the trunk of Krug's car and transported to the woods. Mari recognizes that the road is near her home. Phyllis is forced to urinate in her jeans, and Mari and Phyllis are forced to perform sexual acts on each other. Phyllis distracts the kidnappers to give Mari an opportunity to escape but is chased by Sadie and Weasel, while Junior stays behind to guard Mari. Mari tries gaining Junior's trust by giving him her necklace and calling him "Willow". Phyllis stumbles across a cemetery where she is cornered and stabbed by Weasel. She crawls to a nearby tree and is stabbed to death. Mari convinces Junior to let her go, but her escape is halted by Krug. Krug carves his name into her chest, then rapes her. Mari vomits, quietly says a prayer, and walks into a nearby lake, where Krug fatally shoots her.

After they change out of their bloody clothes, the gang goes to the Collingwoods' home, masquerading as traveling salesmen. Mari's parents let them stay overnight. The gang finds photos of Mari and realizes it is her home. Later, when Junior is in the midst of heroin withdrawal, Estelle enters the bathroom to check on him and sees Mari's peace symbol necklace around his neck. She finds blood-soaked clothing in their luggage and overhears them talking about Mari's death and her disposal in a nearby lake.

Estelle and her husband rush into the woods, where they find Mari's body and decide to take revenge. Estelle pretends to seduce Weasel, bites off his penis, and leaves him to bleed to death. John takes his shotgun and shoots at Krug and Sadie. Krug escapes into the living room and overpowers John before manipulating Junior into killing himself. Krug attempts to flee, but after being cornered by a traumatized Sadie and a chainsaw-wielding John, he is incapacitated by an electrocution booby trap. Sadie, now terrified of both Krug and John, runs outside. After a scuffle between her and Estelle, she falls into the backyard swimming pool where her throat is slit by Estelle. The sheriff arrives just as John kills Krug with the chainsaw.

## Cast

- Sandra Peabody as Mari Collingwood (credited as Sandra Cassel)

- Lucy Grantham as Phyllis Stone

- David A. Hess as Krug Stillo

- Fred Lincoln as Fred 'Weasel' Podowski

- Jeramie Rain as Sadie

- Marc Sheffler as Junior Stillo

- Eleanor Shaw (credited as Cynthia Carr) as Estelle Collingwood

- Richard Towers (credited as Gaylord St. James) as Dr. John Collingwood

- Marshall Anker as Sheriff

- Martin Kove as Deputy Harry

- Ada Washington as Ada

- Steve Miner (uncredited) as Hippie Taunting Deputy

## Production

### Screenplay

Sean S. Cunningham made his directorial debut with the 1970 white coater film The Art of Marriage, which grossed $100,000. The film attracted the attention of Steve Minasian's company Hallmark Releasing, which had a distribution partnership with American International Pictures. Cunningham made the 1971 film Together as a " better version " of The Art of Marriage. Wes Craven, who had no money at the time, was put on the job of synchronizing dailies for Together and soon began editing the film with Cunningham, with whom he became good friends. Hallmark bought the film for $10,000, and it was considered a "hit", prompting the company to persuade Cunningham and Craven to make another film with a bigger budget; the company then gave them $90,000 to shoot a horror film.

Cunningham served as producer and Craven served as writer and director on the project. Written by Craven in 1971, the original script was intended to be a graphic " hardcore " film, with all actors and crew being committed to filming it as such. However, after shooting began, the decision was made to edit the script to be less harsh. This script, written under the title Night of Vengeance, has never been released; only a brief glimpse is visible in the featurette Celluloid Crime of the Century, a 2003 documentary on the making of the film. The crux of the plot is based on the Swedish ballad " Töres döttrar i Wänge ", which itself was the basis of Ingmar Bergman 's 1960 film The Virgin Spring, of which Craven was an admirer. Craven envisioned a film in which the violence would be shown in detail onscreen, as he felt that many popular films of the era, such as Westerns, glamorized violence and the "vigilante hero", and gave the public a misleading representation of death in the wake of the Vietnam War.

### Casting

The majority of the cast of The Last House on the Left were inexperienced or first-time actors, with the exception of Richard Towers, Eleanor Shaw and Sandra Peabody, who were all soap opera regulars and had prior film roles. Cunningham and Craven held casting calls for the film at Cunningham's office in Midtown Manhattan in late 1971. Peabody, who was returning to New York after a cross-country road trip, signed on to the film after responding to a casting notice in the trade publication Backstage. Cunningham and Craven originally wanted her to read for the role of Phyllis; however, after meeting her, they decided to cast her in the lead role of Mari. Shaw was a prominent soap opera actress, and Towers worked as a talent agent in addition to acting. Although she did not recall the specific circumstances of how she became involved with the project, Lucy Grantham was ultimately cast in the role of Mari's best friend Phyllis. The role of the lead villain, Krug Stillo, was given to David Hess, also a musician and songwriter. Jeramie Rain, then twenty-one years old, was playing Susan Atkins in an Off-Broadway production based on the Manson family murders. Despite the fact that the original script called for an actress in her forties, Rain was awarded the part of Sadie. Fred Lincoln, who had appeared in pornographic films, was cast as Krug's criminal partner, while Mark Sheffler was given the role of Krug's heroin-addicted son. Sheffler was a struggling twenty-one year old actor and a client of Towers prior to filming, and was informed of auditions by him. According to Lincoln, he and Peabody were acquaintances and had the same agent at the time.

### Filming

The film was shot on location for seven days in New York City, as well as Long Island, followed by shoots in rural locations outside of Westport, Connecticut. While filming in Connecticut, the cast and crew spent much time at producer Cunningham's family's home. According to Craven, the lake sequence was shot in the town reservoir of Weston, Connecticut. Craven sought a " documentary "-style appearance for the film, marked by close-up shots and single-cut takes.

Cunningham later described the film shoot as being " guerrilla-style ", with the crew spontaneously filming at locations and being forced to leave due to lack of permits; in retrospect, Lincoln said that "nobody knew what were doing". Much of the special effects in the film were achieved practically, some at Lincoln's suggestion. For example, for the sequence in which Phyllis is disemboweled, Lincoln helped craft fake intestines with condoms filled with fake blood and sand. For the murder sequence of Sadie in the swimming pool, Rain had a pouch full of fake blood attached underneath her shirt, as well as blood capsules in her mouth, which she manually punctured. Grantham recalled that during the scene in which Hess's character tells her to "piss her pants", she in fact urinated in her jeans. Steve Miner, who would later become a director himself, served as a production assistant on the film.

Hess recalled that much of the cast bonded heavily during the filming process since they were mostly inexperienced actors. In the 2003 documentary Celluloid Crime of the Century, Lincoln, Rain and Sheffler recalled similar memories which recounted the making of the film. However, both Hess and director Craven recalled the on-set relationship between Hess and Peabody to be turbulent. Peabody was often treated differently than the rest of the cast to the point that Craven recalled there "not being much acting" during the shooting of the film's more violent scenes. Sheffler admitted during a one-on-one sequence with Peabody that he threatened to push her over a cliff if she failed to hit her marks.

Peabody stated that she was genuinely upset during the filming of the more violent scenes as she felt unprepared: "I was upset because I'm an emotional person, and I reacted to what was going on as if it were real. I had a really hard time with some of scenes, because I had come out of American Playhouse, where it was all about preparation, and everything had to be real. I ended up doing a horrible job in the film. I was very upset, and I felt like I should have channeled that, but I couldn't... I was a young actress and I was still learning to balance any emotions I had from outside of the film into my scene work." Hess revealed that he actually got very physical with her during the filming of the rape scene, and that she could not do anything about it once the camera was running. During this particular shot, assistant director Yvonne Hannemann described it as an upsetting shoot, with her having to be consoled by Craven throughout filming. Peabody recalled, "One of the characters was a method actor, so he was trying to live his part... he'd come after us with a knife at night, trying to freak us out. This was the guy with the dark curly hair - he tried to play his role on and off the set. It was like, 'Lock your doors and windows at night, you don't want him to come get you!' I was scared; I thought this guy had been a killer at some point in his past!" Sandra states that although she was uncertain how a lot of the scenes would turn out, she trusted Craven and Cunningham and their vision for the film.

### Music

The film's soundtrack was written by Stephen Chapin and David Hess (who also played the main antagonist, Krug); Chapin wrote all the incidental music, arrangements and orchestration, as well as all the contracting and producing musicians. The music was deliberately written to break with established, conventional horror film scores at that point, employing a mix of 1960s folk rock and bluegrass. It also ran counter to the horror film convention of punctuating moments of fright with shock effects; during some of the film's most violent scenes, music that is completely at odds with the visual content plays.

In 2013, the soundtrack had a re-release on vinyl, compact disc, cassette, and digital download through One Way Static Records. It was also reissued on a limited hand numbered picture disc for Record Store Day 2014.

## Release

The film underwent multiple title changes, with its investors initially titling it Sex Crime of the Century. However, after test screenings were completed, it was decided to change the title to Krug and Company, but even this title was found to have little draw during test screenings. A marketing specialist who was an acquaintance of Cunningham's proposed the title The Last House on the Left, which Craven initially thought was "terrible". The film was released under this title on August 30, 1972. Like many films during the era, it had a regional expansion to cinemas and drive-in theaters over the course of the next several months, opening in various U.S. cities between September and November 1972. It was frequently shown as part of a double or triple feature with other Hallmark/AIP releases, most notably Mario Bava 's Twitch of the Death Nerve, a film that would also have a considerable impact on the horror genre due to serving as a primary influence on Cunningham's later Friday the 13th franchise.

Due to its graphic content, the film sparked protests calling for its removal from local theaters throughout the fall of 1972. The Paris Cinema, a movie theater in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, issued an open letter to these criticisms in September 1972, in which it was noted:

After carefully considering all the circumstances, management has decided to continue to show the movie. This difficult decision was predicated on the following considerations: The film relates to a problem that practically every teen-age girl and parent can identify with, yet does not pander to the subject matter. The story does not glorify violence, nor does it glorify the degenerates who perpetrate the violence... we feel the movie is morally redeeming and does deliver an important social message.

Promotional material capitalized on the film's graphic content and divisive reception, featuring taglines such as "To avoid fainting, keep repeating 'It's only a movie'..." Under the Last House title, the film proved to be a hit, although anecdotes as to where the advertising campaign originated vary somewhat. Cunningham claims that the marketing specialist who devised the Last House title was watching a cut of the film with his wife, who continually covered her eyes, prompting him to tell her that it was "only a movie". Other origins have been suggested, however, as it had been used twice before: first for H. G. Lewis 's 1964 splatter film Color Me Blood Red, and then for William Castle 's Strait-Jacket the following year. The tagline was so successful that it was re-purposed by many of Hallmark's other releases, such as Don't Look in the Basement and Don't Open the Window, and other exploitation films, sometimes with a unique spin. A variation was used in the UK for the 1974 double-bill of Night Of The Bloody Apes and Night Of Bloody Horror. The film's title was also imitated, as in the cases of Last House on Dead End Street, and The House on the Edge of the Park, another film starring David Hess; other films, such as the aforementioned Twitch of the Death Nerve, were later marketed as unofficial sequels with such titles as Last House Part II.

Newspaper advertisements featured lengthy statements from the film's producers defending it against claims that it sensationalized violence, one of which noted: "You will hate the people who perpetrate these outrages — and you should! But if a movie — and it is only a movie — can arouse you to such extreme emotion then the film director has succeeded... The movie makes a plea for an end to all the senseless violence and inhuman cruelty that has become so much a part of the times in which we live." Promotional artwork accompanying such statements included a warning that the film was "not recommended for persons under 30". The film continued to be screened throughout the United States into 1973.

### Critical response

#### Contemporaneous

Critical response to The Last House on the Left upon its original release was largely centered on its depictions of violence. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune derided the film, writing: "My objection to The Last House on the Left is not an objection to the graphic representations of violence per se, but to the fact that the movie celebrates violent acts, particularly adult male abuse of young women... I felt a professional obligation to stick around to see if there was any socially redeeming value in the remainder of the movie and found none." Howard Thompson of The New York Times wrote that he walked out of the theater during a screening: "When I walked out, after 50 minutes (with 35 to go), one girl had just been dismembered with a machete. They had started in on the other with a slow switch blade. The party who wrote this sickening tripe and also directed the inept actors is Wes Craven. It's at the Penthouse Theater, for anyone interested in paying to see repulsive people and human agony."

Edward Blank of the Pittsburgh Press called the film a "cheap-jack movie of no discernible merit riddled with awkward, self-conscious performances." Roger Ebert, however, gave the film three and a half out of four stars, and described it as "about four times as good as you'd expect". The Christian Science Monitor News Service referred to the film as a "desperately sordid melodrama" and a "vulgarized" version of The Virgin Spring, and drew comparisons to Sam Peckinpah 's 1971 film Straw Dogs. Brian Nelson of The Daily Dispatch deemed it the worst film of the year, writing: "Producer Sean S. Cunningham has somehow managed to make what is possibly 1972's most worthless general release film and, with a sensational and overblown advertising campaign, parlay it into a major moneymaker. In doing so, he may be in line for the Cy Dung Award for the movie most offensive to the intelligence of an audience." The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal ' s Bill Towery suggested the film should have received an X rating, adding in his review: "Films such as these give the movie ratings system a bad name. But if your cup of tea is assault, murder, maiming, revenge, and violence, the movie is going to be perfect."

#### Modern assessment

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Last House on the Left holds an approval rating of 65%, based on 40 reviews, and an average rating of 6.3/10. Its consensus reads, "Its visceral brutality is more repulsive than engrossing, but The Last House on the Left nevertheless introduces director Wes Craven as a distinctive voice in horror." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film one-and-a-half out of a possible four stars. Maltin called the film "cheap", and " repellent but admittedly powerful and (for better or worse) influential horror shocker." The film was nominated for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills.

## Censorship

### United States

Though the film passed with an R-rating by the Motion Picture Association of America after numerous cuts were made, director Craven claimed that on several occasions, horrified audience members would demand that theater projectionists destroy the footage, sometimes stealing the film themselves. John Saco, a British film archivist, recalled discussing the film with American theater owners: "Projectionists were so offended, they would just cut up the film as they were watching it. I'd ask people, 'How cut is your version?' They'd say, 'It's not as cut as some of the others I've seen' – that's hardly what you want to hear!"

### United Kingdom

Last House on the Left was refused a certificate for cinema release by the British Board of Film Censors in 1974, due to scenes of explicit and sadistic sexual violence and humiliation. During the early 1980s home video boom, the film was released uncut (save for an incidental, gore-free scene with the comic relief cops, and the end credit roll), as video did not fall under the BBFC's remit at the time. This changed in 1982 when the " video nasty " scare started, leading to the Video Recordings Act 1984. The movie landed on the Department of Public Prosecutions list of "video nasties", and was banned.

The film remained banned throughout the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s. However, it had developed an underground cult reputation in the UK, and critics such as Mark Kermode began to laud the film as an important piece of work. In 2000, the film was again presented to the BBFC for theatrical certification and it was again refused. The independent film label Blue Underground toured an uncut print around Britain without a BBFC certificate; Southampton City Council granted it its own "18" certificate. The film was granted a license for a one-off showing in Leicester in June 2000, after which the BBFC again declared that it would not receive any form of certification.

In June 2002 the BBFC prevailed against an appeal made to the Video Appeals Committee by video distributor Blue Underground Limited. The BBFC had required 16 seconds of cuts to scenes of sexual violence before it would grant the video an "18" certificate. Blue Underground Limited refused to make the cuts, and the BBFC therefore rejected the video. The distributor then appealed to the Video Appeals Committee, who upheld the BBFC's decision. During the appeal, film critic Kermode was called in as a horror expert to make a case for the film's historical importance. However, after his report, the committee not only upheld the cuts, but demanded additional ones. The film was eventually given an "18" certificate, on July 17, 2002, with 31 seconds of cuts, and was released in the UK on DVD in May 2003. The cut scenes were viewable as a slideshow extra on the disc, and there was a link to a website where the cut scenes could be viewed. The BBFC finally classified the uncut film at 18 for video release on March 17, 2008.

### Australia

Contrary to popular belief, the film was never banned in Australia on its initial release – rather, it was never picked up for distribution in the country due to the censorship issues that it would have created at the time. The film was submitted to the censorship board in 1987 for VHS release by Video Excellence under the alternative title Krug and Company, but it was rejected because of its violent and sexual content. In October 1991, The Last House on the Left was part of a package of fifteen tapes that was seized by the Australian Customs Service. The package of tapes was forwarded to the Australian Classification Board (then known as the Office of Film and Literature Classification) who declared them "prohibited pursuant to Regulation 4A(1A)(a)(iii) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations". The film was eventually classified "R" by the OFLC for its DVD premiere on November 15, 2004. It had a theatrical screening that same month at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne.

### New Zealand

The film was banned by New Zealand's Video Recordings Authority in 1988. The ban was lifted in 2004 when the DVD was passed with an R18 rating.

### Rare or lost scenes

Many different versions of the film exist on various DVD and VHS releases struck from different cuts of the film, many of them from different countries. To get a completely uncut version is difficult as even some cinema machinists cut footage from prints of the movie before screening it during the 1970s; many copies were cut or "hacked to pieces" and because of this, some scenes have become rarities.

Some incomplete scenes are:

- "Lesbian rape scene" – One scene long thought lost, except as a photographic still, is the two female victims forced to commit sexual acts on each other in the woods. This forced lesbian rape scene was included as an outtake with no sound on the Metrodome Three-Disc DVD Ultimate Edition and on the 2011 Blu-ray release.

- "Mari in her room" – In the beginning of the movie, photographic stills show Mari in her room reading birthday cards while she is nude; this scene no longer exists.

- "Mari raped by Sadie" – Footage of Sadie committing sexual acts against Mari in the woods is often removed, even from some DVDs that have been labeled as "uncut".

In the Krug and Company cut, Mari is still alive when her parents find her. She tells her parents what happened to her and Phyllis before dying in front of them.

## Home media

The Last House on the Left has been released multiple times on home media in the United States; MGM Home Entertainment released a DVD version on August 27, 2002, which featured outtakes, a making-of documentary, and "Forbidden Footage," a featurette exploring the film's most violent shocking sequences. On February 1, 2011, a Blu-ray was released by MGM through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, which featured multiple featurettes and making-of documentaries, two audio commentary tracks, never-before-seen footage, and cast and crew interviews.

A limited edition Blu-ray box set was released in the United States and United Kingdom on July 3, 2018, from Arrow Video, which features three different cuts of the film each restored in 2K from the original film elements, a double-sided poster, lobby card reproductions, a book featuring writings on the film, a CD soundtrack, various archival bonus materials, and new interviews with cast, crew, and associates of Craven.

## Related works

### Sequel

In the 1980s, Vestron Pictures hired Danny Steinmann to write and direct a sequel, though the film fell apart in pre-production due to rights issues. Mario Bava 's film Twitch of the Death Nerve was also released under the titles Last House on the Left – Part II, Last House – Part II and New House on the Left.

### Remake

In August 2006, Rogue Pictures finalized a deal to remake The Last House on the Left with original writer and director Wes Craven as a producer. The company intended to preserve the storyline of the original film. Craven described his involvement with the remake: "I'm far enough removed from these films that the remakes are a little like having grandchildren. The story, about the painful side effects of revenge, is an evergreen. The headlines are full of people and nations taking revenge and getting caught up in endless cycles of violence." Craven formed Midnight Pictures, a shingle of Rogue, to remake The Last House on the Left as its first project. Production was slated for early 2007. Screenwriter Adam Alleca was hired to write the script for the remake.

In May 2007, Rogue entered negotiations with director Dennis Iliadis to direct the film. The film was released to theaters in the U.S. and Canada on March 13, 2009.


Ayalew Asres Wendim

# Ayalew Asres Wendim

## Abstract

Ayalew Asres Wendem (Amharic: አያሌው አስረስ ወንድም; 6 March 1923 – 28 June 2006) was an Ethiopian patriot, government official, and community leader who played a significant role in the resistance against the Italian occupation of Ethiopia and later in the development of various towns in the Gojjam region.

## Early life and patriotic resistance

Ayalew Asres Wendem was born on 6 March 1923 (27 Yekatit 1915 in the Ethiopian calendar) in Gojjam Region, Kola Dega Damot province, Bure Shikudad district, Askuna Giorgis kebele. His father, Ato Asres Wendem, was killed in the war against the Italian invaders in April 1936, which deeply influenced young Ayalew's commitment to Ethiopian independence.

At the age of 13, Ayalew became involved in the patriotic resistance movement known as the Arbegnoch (Patriots). He participated in numerous battles against the Italian forces, including engagements around Dangila town, Tilili Fetam River crossing, and Fereda Fikre Yohannes. Ayalew's bravery was noted in several instances, particularly during a battle at Mistikan Mountain where he was wounded while attempting to capture an enemy rifle.

For his patriotic struggle, Ayalew was awarded the Patriot Medal with Three Palm Leaves and the Victory Star by Emperor Haile Selassie.

## Government service

After the liberation of Ethiopia, Ayalew joined the Kebur Zabagna (Imperial Bodyguard) and served in Emperor Haile Selassie's palace for five years. He then returned to his birthplace and began a career in local government administration: Registry office writer for Bure town municipality (1946-1953), Founder and main secretary of Finote Selam town municipality (1953-1969), Mayor and judge of Bure town (1969-1977).

During his tenure, Ayalew made significant contributions to the development of Finote Selam and Bure towns, including organizing town layouts, establishing health centers and schools, improving irrigation systems, and creating marketplaces.

## Political aspirations and challenges

Ayalew ran for election to the Legal Advisory Council in 1976 and 1980 but was unsuccessful due to the biased electoral system of the time. Despite his long service and patriotic credentials, Ayalew faced several challenges, including limited recognition of his full patriotic service and a lack of service medals for his 36 years in government.

## Work with the Ethiopian Patriotic Association

After retiring from government service in 1977, Ayalew became actively involved with the Ancient Ethiopia Patriots Association:

- Manager of the Bahir Dar Development Work (1981-1982) 2. Member of the regional patriots' work leadership committee (1983-1991) 3. Member of the executive board (1996-2006)

In this capacity, he contributed to various initiatives, including restoring the Patriots Memorial Day, reclaiming the patriots' building in Addis Ababa, and participating in the return of the Obelisk of Axum from Italy.

## Spiritual life and community service

Ayalew was also active in religious and community affairs. He renovated and built several churches, including St. George Church in Askuna and St. George Church in Finote Selam. He facilitated cooperation between the Ancient Ethiopia Patriot Heroes and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

## Personal life

Ayalew Asres Wendem married Mamite Fantahun in 1950 and had six children with her. He fathered a total of 22 children: 14 sons and 8 daughters, with different women.

## Death and legacy

Ayalew Asres Wendem passed away on 28 June 2006 at the age of 83. His funeral was held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa, attended by friends, relatives, and high government officials. He was buried in the section reserved for Ethiopian patriot heroes.

Ayalew's life story reflects the complex history of Ethiopia during the 20th century, from resistance against foreign occupation to the challenges of nation-building and modernization. His contributions to local governance and development in the Gojjam region, as well as his lifelong commitment to honoring Ethiopia's patriotic legacy, make him a notable figure in modern Ethiopian history.

## Legacy and historical significance

Ayalew Asres Wendem's life and work embody the complex transitions Ethiopia underwent during the 20th century. His experiences provide valuable insights into several key aspects of Ethiopian history:

- Patriotic Resistance: As a young participant in the Arbegnoch movement, Ayalew's account offers a ground-level perspective on the Ethiopian resistance against Italian occupation.

- Local Governance and Development: Ayalew's career in local administration, particularly in Finote Selam and Bure, illustrates the challenges and opportunities in modernizing Ethiopian towns in the post-war period.

- Transition Periods: Having served during the imperial era, witnessed the Derg regime, and participated in public life into the early years of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ayalew's experiences span critical transition periods in modern Ethiopian history.

## Notable achievements

- Urban Development: Ayalew's work in Finote Selam is particularly noteworthy. He oversaw the transformation of the town from a "forest-like state to an urban appearance," establishing a master plan that guided its development.

- Crisis Management: His handling of various crises, such as the salt shortage in Bure district in 1983 and the refugee situation involving displaced Muslims, demonstrated his problem-solving skills and commitment to public welfare.

- Cultural Preservation: Ayalew's efforts to renovate churches and his involvement in the return of the Axum obelisk reflect his commitment to preserving Ethiopian cultural heritage.

- Advocacy for Patriots: His work with the Ancient Ethiopia Patriots Association, particularly in reclaiming the patriots' building in Addis Ababa and establishing aid programs for struggling patriots, shows his lifelong commitment to honoring and supporting his fellow resistance fighters.

## Historical context

Ayalew's life spans several crucial periods in Ethiopian history:

- Italian Occupation (1936-1941): His early involvement in the resistance movement provides a personal account of this pivotal period.

- Post-War Imperial Era: His career in local administration coincides with Emperor Haile Selassie's efforts to modernize Ethiopia.

- The Derg Regime (1974-1991): Ayalew's experiences during this period offer insights into the challenges faced by local administrators during the revolutionary era.

- Early Federal Period: His continued involvement in public life into the late 1990s touches on the early years of Ethiopia's current political system.

## Contributions to historical record

Ayalew's self-written autobiography, completed in 1998 E.C. (2006 Gregorian), serves as a valuable primary source for historians studying 20th-century Ethiopia. His detailed accounts of battles, local governance, and social changes provide a unique perspective on Ethiopian history.


Prince Daddy & the Hyena

# Prince Daddy & the Hyena

## Abstract

Prince Daddy & the Hyena is an American punk rock band from Albany, New York, formed in 2014. They have released three full-length albums and four extended plays.

## History

### Formation and early years

Prince Daddy and the Hyena was formed in 2014 when Kory Gregory, Alex Ziembiec and Zakariya Houacine were inspired to start a band after seeing Rozwell Kid live. According to Gregory, Rozwell Kid was a substantial influence on much of his early songwriting. The origin of the band's name is obscure; Gregory has stated that he "would make up a different dumbass story each time". He has variously explained that it was derived from a game that Gregory played with the band's TM & merch person – Luis Wiest – at recess in elementary school, that it was the name of Gregory's childhood guinea pig, or that it is his parents' anniversary. He has also tweeted that there is a comma missing between Prince and Daddy, due to a grammatical error.

The band met lead guitarist Cameron Handford through house shows and mutual friends eventually leading up to his joining of the band. Prince Daddy & the Hyena began in 2014 with the release of an extended play titled Skip Cutscenes! Blow Loud!.

The band released the EP Adult Summers in 2015 through Broken World Media and again in 2017 through Counter Intuitive Records.

Their first full-length album I Thought You Didn't Even Like Leaving was finally released in 2016 on Broken World Media.

In 2017, Ziembiec left the band and was replaced by Daniel Gorham from Pictures of Vernon.

### Cosmic Thrill Seekers

In 2019, the band released its second full-length album titled Cosmic Thrill Seekers on Counter Intuitive Records, and embarked on several extensive tours in support of the album. This tour would prove difficult for the band, as they were involved in a traffic accident which left the band and members of their team temporarily disabled. After recovering from this incident, the band's tour van was broken into, leading to the loss of $7,500 worth of equipment. The band went on tour Europe with Oso Oso in further support of the record in the fall of 2019. In 2020, the band embarked on their co-headlining tour with Oso Oso with support from Just Friends.

### Self-titled album

In 2021, the band signed to Pure Noise Records and released the single "Curly Q.", which Gregory wrote for his nephew.

In 2022, they announced their forthcoming third album, Prince Daddy & the Hyena, to release on April 15. The album is conceptually about the fear of death, and was inspired by a van crash the band experienced. The album was also supported by the singles "A Random Exercise In Impermanence (The Collector)," "El Dorado," and "Shoelaces," as well as a headlining tour throughout the United States with Macseal, Insignificant Other, and California Cousins.

Original drummer Alex Ziembiec died in November 2022.

In February 2023, they embarked on a co-headlining tour with Drug Church, with support from Anxious and Webbed Wing.

## Musical style

The band has self-identified themselves as a punk rock band in an interview with The Fader. Critically, the band has been described as "smartly crafted slacker punk" with elements of power pop, post-hardcore, and emo by AllMusic. Pitchfork has identified the band as both punk rock and emo.

Frontman Kory Gregory has cited Weezer, the Strokes, Jeff Rosenstock, and Green Day as major influences on the sound. In an interview with The Fader, Gregory described the sound on the band's second album Cosmic Thrill Seekers as "the soundtrack to a Disney film played by a punk rock band."

## Band members

Current

- Korneilious "Kory" Jophus Gregory – lead vocals, guitar (2014–present)

- Cameron "Cambo" Hanford – guitar (2014–present)

- Daniel "Podwick" Gorham – drums, backing vocals (2018–present)

- Jordan "J Nasty" Chmielowski – bass (2024–present; touring 2022–2023)

Past

- Zakariya "Hardly Knew Yee" Houacine – bass (2014–2019)

- Alex "Al Al Bean" Ziembiec – drums (2014–2017; died 2022)

- Adam Dasilva – bass (2020–2022)

Touring

- Jake Sulzer – drums (2017), bass (2023)

- James Ringness – drums (2017)

- Cole Syzilagyi – bass (2022)

### Timeline

## Discography

Studio albums

- I Thought You Didn't Even Like Leaving (2016, Broken World Media/2017, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Cosmic Thrill Seekers (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Prince Daddy & the Hyena (2022, Pure Noise Records)

EPs

- Skip Cutscenes! Blow Loud! (2014, Wallflower Records)

- Adult Summers (2015, Broken World Media, 2017 Counter Intuitive Records)

Splits

- Prince Daddy & The Hyena/Just Friends (2016, Broken World Media)

- Now That's What I Call Music Vol. 420 (2017, Counter Intuitive Records)

Singles

- Adult Summers Pt. 2 (2015, Broken World Media) HIDDEN TRACK* (2015, Broken World Media)

- HIDDEN TRACK* (2015, Broken World Media)

- I Thought You Didn't Even Like Leaving (2016, Broken World Media)

- Hundo Pos (2016, Broken World Media)

- I Forgot To Take My Meds Today (2017, Broken World Media)

- I Lost My Life (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Lauren (Track 2) (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Fuckin' A (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Prototype of The Ultimate Life-form (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Curly Q (2021, Pure Noise Records)

- A Random Exercise in Impermanence (The Collector) (2022, Pure Noise Records)

- El Dorado (2022, Pure Noise Records)

- Shoelaces (2022, Pure Noise Records)


The Letters (2014 film)

# The Letters (2014 film)

## Abstract

The Letters is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed and written by William Riead. The film stars Juliet Stevenson, Max von Sydow, Rutger Hauer and Priya Darshini. It was produced by Colin Azzopardi and Tony Cordeaux. It was released theatrically by Freestyle Releasing on December 4, 2015.

## Plot

Mother Teresa (Juliet Stevenson), recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, is considered one of the greatest humanitarians of modern times. Her selfless commitment changed hearts, lives and inspired millions throughout the world. The film is told through personal letters she wrote over the last forty years of her life and reveal a troubled and vulnerable woman who grew to feel an isolation and an abandonment by God. The story is told from the point of view of a Vatican priest (Max von Sydow) charged with the task of investigating acts and events following her death. He recounts her life’s work, her political oppression, her religious zeal, and her unbreakable spirit.

## Cast

- Juliet Stevenson as Mother Teresa

- Rutger Hauer as Father Benjamin Praggh

- Max von Sydow as Father Celeste van Exem

- Priya Darshini as Shubashini Das

- Kranti Redkar as Deepa Ambereesh

- Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal as Mother General

- Tillotama Shome as Kavitha Singh

- Vijay Maurya as Maharaj Singh

- Vivek Gomber as Ashwani Sharma

- Pravishi Das as Dinsha Sahu

- Rustom Mistry as Doctor

## Production

### Development

Riead began exploring ideas for an inspirational and uplifting film just before the devastating terror attacks of September 11, 2001, forced a realization on him that would come to define his project. “I didn’t know there was that kind of evil in this world until then,” says Riead. “The attacks really brought that home."

The Letters became a labor of love for Riead during the fourteen years it would take to produce the film. The turning point for Riead was the discovery of a startling cache of heartfelt, formerly confidential letters written by Mother Teresa to her spiritual advisor, the Belgian Jesuit priest Celeste van Exem, over a nearly 50-year correspondence. In her letters, some of which have been published in the 2007 book Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, Teresa revealed a profound spiritual suffering and emptiness experienced by some other saints, often referred to as a dark night of the soul. Riead read all of the letters that were available to the public and decided that they would make up the spine of his screenplay.

### Casting

When the time came to cast the film, Riead had a wealth of actresses clamoring to don Mother Teresa’s habit. To play her confessor, Father van Exem, Riead cast Max von Sydow, the Swedish star who has been a favorite of directors ranging from Ingmar Bergman to Martin Scorsese. When von Sydow asked the director for some insight into the character, Riead gave him a simple but telling answer. “I said, the whole world looked up to Mother Teresa,” he recalls. “And Mother Teresa looked up to Father van Exem. He just looked at me for a long moment, and he said, ‘got it.’ And that was it. He showed up and knew exactly what to do.”

To portray the sisters and students of the Loreto Convent, the Bishop of Calcutta, Mother Teresa’s wealthy benefactors, and the residents of the poverty stricken slums, Riead cast professional actors from India’s Bollywood film industry, considered the largest in the world.

### Filming

The film was shot primarily in India, with interiors shot in Goa and second unit filming taking place in Calcutta, Delhi, and Mumbai. The scenes featuring Max von Sydow and Rutger Hauer (as van Exem’s confidant, Father Benjamin Praagh), were shot in a 15th-century London monastery.

### Music

At its peak, The Sony Classical release of Ciaran Hope's original soundtrack album for "The Letters" was receiving over 100,000 streams per month, with the track "Mother Teresa" reaching a total of over 2 million streams on Spotify. The album also features the hit single "Run" from the international award-winning artist, Leona Lewis. Recorded with the Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra in Mother Teresa's hometown of Skopje Macedonia and the New Dublin Voices Choir in her spiritual birthplace of Dublin Ireland, the score is a powerful addition to the contemplative music canon.

Hope collaborated with writer-director William Riead for over a decade as they brought the film to fruition. The final score was written over the course of a year with the director and composer finessing the score to capture the reverence they felt when watching actress Juliet Stevenson's portrayal of the Saint of the Gutters.

In 2016 the score's Agnus Dei was performed live in Rome's imposing Pantheon Basilica by the voices of the PfizerPfonics, a Cork-based choir, as part of the 5th Rome Music Festival. Journalist Catherine Foley captured the mood in her article, Preaching to the choir – An Irishwoman’s Diary on PfizerPfonics and Rome’s Pantheon, when she wrote "The music rose, floating like a whisper over our heads where we sat in the pews of the Pantheon in Rome, one of the eternal city’s most ancient temples."

## Release

The Letters premiered at the Sedona Film Festival in February 2014. It was released theatrically on December 4, 2015.

### Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 29% of 38 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's consensus reads: " The Letters tries to honor Mother Teresa with an unstintingly positive portrayal of her life and works, but ends up smothering a fascinating real-life story under a bland hagiography." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 25 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.

According to Variety, "Though much mention is made of Teresa’s feeling that she had been abandoned by God, there’s no actual sign of that distress in The Letters, thereby leaving its portrait feeling flimsy and half-formed. Opting for dutiful, reverent beatification over flesh-and-blood characterizations (or insights), the film is merely a clunky primer on how poor storytelling can make even the grandest of figures seem small — a fact that’s true with regard to Teresa as well as von Sydow, in a monotonous, creaky performance best left off his resume."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "A movie exploring the conflict between Teresa’s outward confidence and private “darkness” could be psychologically fascinating. But simply having Von Sydow tell us over and over that she felt “a terrible emptiness” is no substitute for showing that torment in action. Not a trace of doubt or existential despair comes across in scenes of the nun’s life, and the script doesn’t even dip into those letters (a collection of which was published years ago) to let us hear of it in her own words."


The Little Convict

# The Little Convict

## Abstract

The Little Convict (also known as Toby and the Koala) is a 1979 Australian live-action/animated drama film produced and directed by Yoram Gross, and written by John Palmer based on a story by Gross. It was a rare leading role for Rolf Harris, who acts as a narrator, frequently interrupting the story with narratives and songs.

## Plot

An old artist (Rolf Harris) sets up some paintings at Luna Park, Sydney, planning to sell them, but has trouble attracting any people, so he starts telling his granddaughter about their origins.

British convict ship the "Northern Star" sails towards a tiny colony on Sydney Cove with sixty-four convicts on board. Six of these convicts are a young boy named Toby Nelson; his older sister Polly; "Big George" Tomkins, a blacksmith; Jake "Dipper" Davey, a professional pickpocket who has become old and slow; William Watts, a "village idiot" nicknamed "Silly Billy"; and Jack Doolan, a highwayman. The Northern Star sails into the harbour, and the convicts are greeted by the Lieutenant Governor, Colonel Lindsay Lightfoot, left in charge of the colony while the Governor is inspecting Norfolk Island. Sergeant "Bully" Langden tells Colonel Lightfoot's aide, Captain Pertwee, that the military need five men to work on the Government farm, and he selects Big George, Jack, Dipper, Silly Billy and Toby for the task. Polly is taken away from the docks by Colonel Lightfoot's wife Augusta to assist her cook and laundrymaid.

Early next morning, the five convicts are aroused by Bully's deputy, Corporal "Weazel" Wesley, who issues them with a small ration of bread and some work tools before marching them out to begin their first day's work. Toby starts to struggle when the day gets hotter, but Dipper is the first to fall. The other convicts carry him to the shade, give him some water and fan him with his hat. He starts to recover when Weazel finds them. He aims his rifle at Jack's heart, but is interrupted by Bully, who orders him to join Bully in hunting.

That night, Dipper brings out a gentleman's watch with a music box in it, the only possession Dipper can truly call his own. The music sends Dipper's friends to sleep, allowing him to creep out of the hut and distract the guards by throwing some pebbles. As they chase after what they suppose is an intruder, Dipper sneaks back to the work site, finds a baby koala who was orphaned when Bully shot his mother, and takes him back to the hut, where he gives him to Toby as a pet.

One day, a tree falls on top of Dipper, mortally wounding him. With his last bit of strength, Dipper gives Toby the music box watch and tells him that he wants him to have it. In the days that follow Dipper's burial, Toby often sees Jack looking towards the distant Blue Mountains, and one night overhears that Jack is planning to escape, not wanting to suffer the same fate as Dipper. The next morning, George starts breaking the tools, drawing the attention of the soldiers and allowing Jack to untether a horse and quietly turn it towards the mountains.

George is given fifty lashes and thrown into a punishment cell on Bully's orders. Toby comes up with a plan to search for Jack in the bush so that they can help George escape. A noise causes Bully and Weazel to wake in the guardhouse and see Toby's shadow between the wire fence and scrub. Toby runs for his life and doesn't stop until he cannot hear the shouts of the pursuing guards.

As Toby continues to search for Jack, he gets a feeling that someone is following him, but he hears little and doesn't see anything when he stops to look. The next evening, he is close to exhaustion when he finds a clearing with the remains of a dug-out fire. Meeting a young Aborigine with a pet cockatoo and dingo, he soon realises that the other boy is actually a friend. Toby finds out that his new friend is named Wahroonga and he had been following Toby through the bush to make sure that no harm came to him or his koala.

Next morning, Wahroonga leads Toby along a dry river bed looking for hoof prints and other small clues to Jack's possible escape route. At one point, Wahroonga and Toby are forced to hide behind a bush as two bushrangers pass them. Just as Toby and Wahroonga are ready to leave their hiding place, they hear a third horse approach them. It turns out to be Jack. After introducing Jack to Wahroonga, Toby tells him about what has happened to Big George and why he ran away. Jack, Toby, Wahroonga and the koala make their way back towards Sydney Town.

On the edge of the convict settlement, Jack tells Toby that they will need to distract the guards to allow them to get near George's cell, and they will need some tools to break down the cell door. Toby remembers seeing tools in the storehouse next to the cell. As the guards are being served tea and stew, Wahroonga causes the cockatoo to fly toward the line of soldiers and cause them to scatter in all directions, then commands the dingo to snap and snarl at the soldiers' horses causing them to bolt toward the bush. As the soldiers set off in pursuit, Jack and Toby head for the storehouse. They find no tools there, only barrels of rum and oil. Jack gets Toby to open the oil barrels while he takes the rum.

The soldiers return to the settlement and drink the tea, getting drunk on the rum Jack had put into it. Jack sends Toby to collect Silly Billy while he heads for the guardhouse to get the keys to Big George's cell. Toby and Billy take the key and unlock the punishment cell. Billy yells to awaken George, but is heard by Bully. Jack hurls the oil to the ground, causing the pursuing soldiers to slip and fall to the ground. Despite his drunken state, Bully aims a rifle at Jack. A boomerang thrown by Wahroonga hits Bully on the back of his neck, sending his gunshot through a window of the Governor's house (causing a frightened Polly to drop the oil lamp she is carrying) before he falls unconscious to the ground. But the flame of the dropped lamp ignites on the now-spreading oil, causing a fire which engulfs the house so fast that Polly and Augusta are trapped inside.

As the four convicts begin their escape, Wahroonga sees the flames coming out of the house and signals to them. Big George leads a mad dash toward the building. Jack, Toby, George and Billy are able to smash the door down and guide Polly and Augusta out safely. A couple of hours later, the four convicts explain their actions to Colonel Lightfoot. Toby tries to introduce Wahroonga, only to discover that he has disappeared into the shadows of the bush. Bully is found guilty of being drunk on duty and locked in the punishment cell, while the Lieutenant Governor grants the brave convicts who saved his wife full pardons and grants of land on which they could start their own farms.

The artist looks at his watch and realises that he has to end the story because it's getting late, then mentions that the watch plays a little tune when he opens it up, revealing himself to be an elderly Toby. He then points his granddaughter to the nearby merry-go-round, where the people that she sees on it bear likenesses to the characters from his paintings and the animation.

## Reception

The movie was one of Gross' first animated features, and Gross decided to mix animation and live footage, in a hybrid style similar to recent Hollywood productions.

The movie was for a time "regularly screened in schools". It was, however, a commercial disappointment. "It was screening in the mornings only, which is bloody nonsense," said Gross. "We realised that we'd always be struggling for screens because those big companies were committed to American movies. We were playing against The Muppet Movie, so why would they invest any money to promote our films? That's when we began to move more and more into television."

In United States, the movie was released under a different title, Toby and the Koala Bear, to capitalize on the popularity of koalas.

The movie's theme featuring the relation of convicts and Aboriginal people has been called realistic, and mentioned in some scholarly discussion.


Prince Daddy & the Hyena

# Prince Daddy & the Hyena

## Abstract

Prince Daddy & the Hyena is an American punk rock band from Albany, New York, formed in 2014. They have released three full-length albums and four extended plays.

## History

### Formation and early years

Prince Daddy and the Hyena was formed in 2014 when Kory Gregory, Alex Ziembiec and Zakariya Houacine were inspired to start a band after seeing Rozwell Kid live. According to Gregory, Rozwell Kid was a substantial influence on much of his early songwriting. The origin of the band's name is obscure; Gregory has stated that he "would make up a different dumbass story each time". He has variously explained that it was derived from a game that Gregory played with the band's TM & merch person – Luis Wiest – at recess in elementary school, that it was the name of Gregory's childhood guinea pig, or that it is his parents' anniversary. He has also tweeted that there is a comma missing between Prince and Daddy, due to a grammatical error.

The band met lead guitarist Cameron Handford through house shows and mutual friends eventually leading up to his joining of the band. Prince Daddy & the Hyena began in 2014 with the release of an extended play titled Skip Cutscenes! Blow Loud!.

The band released the EP Adult Summers in 2015 through Broken World Media and again in 2017 through Counter Intuitive Records.

Their first full-length album I Thought You Didn't Even Like Leaving was finally released in 2016 on Broken World Media.

In 2017, Ziembiec left the band and was replaced by Daniel Gorham from Pictures of Vernon.

### Cosmic Thrill Seekers

In 2019, the band released its second full-length album titled Cosmic Thrill Seekers on Counter Intuitive Records, and embarked on several extensive tours in support of the album. This tour would prove difficult for the band, as they were involved in a traffic accident which left the band and members of their team temporarily disabled. After recovering from this incident, the band's tour van was broken into, leading to the loss of $7,500 worth of equipment.

The band toured Europe with Oso Oso in support of the album in the fall of 2019, and in 2020, the band embarked on a co-headlining tour with Oso Oso, with support from Just Friends.

### Self-titled album

In 2021, the band signed to Pure Noise Records and released the single "Curly Q.", which Gregory wrote for his nephew.

In 2022, they announced their forthcoming third album, Prince Daddy & the Hyena, to release on April 15. The album is conceptually about the fear of death, and was inspired by a van crash the band experienced. The album was also supported by the singles "A Random Exercise In Impermanence (The Collector)," "El Dorado," and "Shoelaces," as well as a headlining tour throughout the United States with Macseal, Insignificant Other, and California Cousins.

Original drummer Alex Ziembiec died in November 2022.

In February 2023, they embarked on a co-headlining tour with Drug Church, with support from Anxious and Webbed Wing.

## Musical style

The band has self-identified themselves as a punk rock band in an interview with The Fader. Critically, the band has been described as "smartly crafted slacker punk" with elements of power pop, post-hardcore, and emo by AllMusic. Pitchfork has identified the band as both punk rock and emo.

Frontman Kory Gregory has cited Weezer, the Strokes, Jeff Rosenstock, and Green Day as major influences on the sound. In an interview with The Fader, Gregory described the sound on the band's second album Cosmic Thrill Seekers as "the soundtrack to a Disney film played by a punk rock band."

## Band members

Current

- Korneilious "Kory" Jophus Gregory – lead vocals, guitar (2014–present)

- Cameron "Cambo" Hanford – guitar (2014–present)

- Daniel "Podwick" Gorham – drums, backing vocals (2018–present)

- Jordan "J Nasty" Chmielowski – bass (2024–present; touring 2022–2023)

Past

- Zakariya "Hardly Knew Yee" Houacine – bass (2014–2019)

- Alex "Al Al Bean" Ziembiec – drums (2014–2017; died 2022)

- Adam Dasilva – bass (2020–2022)

Touring

- Jake Sulzer – drums (2017), bass (2023)

- James Ringness – drums (2017)

- Cole Syzilagyi – bass (2022)

### Timeline

## Discography

Studio albums

- I Thought You Didn't Even Like Leaving (2016, Broken World Media/2017, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Cosmic Thrill Seekers (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Prince Daddy & the Hyena (2022, Pure Noise Records)

EPs

- Skip Cutscenes! Blow Loud! (2014, Wallflower Records)

- Adult Summers (2015, Broken World Media, 2017 Counter Intuitive Records)

Splits

- Prince Daddy & The Hyena/Just Friends (2016, Broken World Media)

- Now That's What I Call Music Vol. 420 (2017, Counter Intuitive Records)

Singles

- Adult Summers Pt. 2 (2015, Broken World Media) HIDDEN TRACK* (2015, Broken World Media)

- HIDDEN TRACK* (2015, Broken World Media)

- I Thought You Didn't Even Like Leaving (2016, Broken World Media)

- Hundo Pos (2016, Broken World Media)

- I Forgot To Take My Meds Today (2017, Broken World Media)

- I Lost My Life (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Lauren (Track 2) (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Fuckin' A (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Prototype of The Ultimate Life-form (2019, Counter Intuitive Records)

- Curly Q (2021, Pure Noise Records)

- A Random Exercise in Impermanence (The Collector) (2022, Pure Noise Records)

- El Dorado (2022, Pure Noise Records)

- Shoelaces (2022, Pure Noise Records)