Bonhoeffer Gets the Big Screen Treatment
Good afternoon, everyone.
I'm re-radicalized by the TSA everytime I fly. You basically have to get undressed before you board the airplane. Should probably get TSA Pre-check, but that won't save others from the misery. At minimum, no one should be taking their shoes off cause of that one shoe bomber that one time.
Onward.
While Buddy the Elf, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, and German priest Dietrich Bonhoeffer appear to have little in common, they are just a handful of the characters that Todd Komarnicki has brought to multiplex screens during his two decades in the movie business.
Komarnicki kickstarted his movie career in 2003 producing Elf and making his directorial debut with the WWII drama Resistance starring Bill Paxton and Julia Ormond within the span of a few months. Though he’s largely spent the intervening years writing for movie legends like Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson, Komarnicki harbored a desire to return to the terrain of WWII for his passion project: a biopic of German priest Dietrich Bonhoeffer, author of over thirty books, thorn in the Nazis’ side, and eventual martyr in the wake of a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler.
On the eve of Bonhoeffer:Pastor. Spy. Assassin’s nationwide theatrical release next week, Komarnicki sat down with The Pamphleteer to talk about adapting true stories, overcoming Nazi cliches, and standing up for faith in the face of groupthink.
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🏛️ McNally For Lt. Gov. Yesterday, Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) announced that the majority caucus nominated him for a fifth term as Speaker of the Senate. “Our conservative majority has transformed state government and delivered freedom and prosperity to the people of Tennessee,” he posted in an X thread. “And the people have responded giving Republicans in Tennessee and across the country a true mandate. Our Senate team is comprised of dedicated servant leaders committed to putting the people of our state and nation first. I am proud to have their support and look forward to working with them to keep Tennessee the best state in the nation.”
McNally faced no competition for the position, despite a social media scandal that jeopardized his legacy in 2023. The speaker had commented on a number of provocative photos posted on the Instagram account of a young gay man—some interactions dating back to when he was underage. McNally sat down with NewsChannel 5’s Phil Williams to apologize for the embarrassment he caused, categorizing his comments as encouragement.
At the time, his colleagues ultimately decided against stripping the senator of his leadership position as speaker and lieutenant governor. In the wake of the incident, which was used as comedic fodder for an SNL skit, many came to McNally’s defense. Accompanying his reputation as a respected statesman, he’s been praised for aiding the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service as an undercover informant for Operation Rocky Top. In 1987, the investigation exposed bribes, illegal gambling, and fraud in Tennessee’s bingo industry. As lieutenant governor byway of senate speaker, McNally is first in the line of succession should anything prevent the governor from completing his term.
🚨 Repeat Offenders Strike Again Two men out on bond were rearrested in Nashville on Wednesday while driving a stolen vehicle. According to WSMV, they were also in possession of a “modified fully automatic pistol” and drugs. Both suspects were already facing a number of previous charges—such as felony gun and drug possession—before being apprehended once again.
Despite Nashville’s ongoing struggle with recidivism, public officials continue to push peripheral policy solutions such as red flag laws and community policing. During a December media roundtable, Mayor O’Connell commented on the city’s revolving door of criminal behavior. “One thing that has come up repeatedly is that very often MNPD is not failing to apprehend suspects,” he said. The mayor also implied that the current process deserves a closer look: “This is going to involve… some initial review of that criminal legal process that will involve the District Attorney's Office [and the] judiciary.”
In April, Metro Nashville Police Department Chief Drake made it clear that changes need to be made across the entire criminal justice system—including the DA, parole, and public defenders offices. Meanwhile, officers on the ground have had a hard time facing the victims of repeat violent offenders. “On this side of the fence, we’re tired of having those conversations,” he said. “We want it to stop.”
🦃 No Thanks…giving Heightened post-election emotions may upset the apple (pie) cart this holiday season. According to a nation-wide survey conducted by Spruce, 23 percent of Americans are considering skipping family Thanksgiving. In order to keep the peace, 49 percent of the respondents want to ban political conversations at the dinner table, while 63 percent plan to set some healthy ground rules. The source of election and Thanksgiving anxiety seems to be coming from both sides of the aisle: 52 percent said “Trump-supporting family members” are the issue, while 48 percent have the same feelings about their “Harris-supporting family members.”
VANDY WITHOUT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
DEVELOPMENT
- Upscale retail clothing store Faherty coming to The Arcade (Post)
- Vanderbilt pays $66.9M for West End properties (Post)
- Jefferson Street site eyed for development (Post)
✹ WEEKLY FILM RUNDOWN: November 15-21
The latest releases and special screenings hitting Music City this week. For a complete list of upcoming releases, check out our 2024 Film Guide.
A Real Pain (Dir. Jesse Eisenberg; Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) A tightly wound Jewish millennial and his slacker cousin journey to Poland to uncover their family roots in this awards season frontrunner. Now playing in theaters.
Red One (Dir. Jake Kasden; Starring Chris Evans, The Rock, J. K. Simmons) The director of Jumanji enters the Christmas movie fray with this tale of a bounty hunter (Evans) and the North Pole’s head of security (The Rock) teaming up to thwart a plot to kidnap Santa (Simmons). Now playing in theaters.
Cure and The Cell @ Belcourt Midnights J-horror and J-Lo meet for a weekend serial killer double feature featuring two late 20th-century genre classics. In the former, a detective must solve a streak of murders with the help of an evasive amnesiac. In the latter, a psychologist has developed a technique to enter a murderer’s mind that may lead to her downfall.
Army of Shadows (Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville ) A French Resistance leader escapes from a concentration camp and goes right back to fighting Nazis in a 4K restoration of the real-life resistance leader turned internationally renowned director’s most personal film. Now playing at the Belcourt.
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Extra Life @ DRKMTTR, 8p, $12, Info
+ experimental rock band
🎻 A Symphonic Celebration of Genesis & Phil Collins @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $36+, Info
🎸 Briston Maroney Presents: Paradise @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, 7p, $36.50+, Info
+ feat. Yoke Lore, Bnny, Hana Eid
🎸 Delta Sleep @ Exit/In, 7p, $33.29, Info
🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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