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Connie Corcoran Wilson

Connie (Corcoran) Wilson (www.ConnieCWilson.com) was the Quad City Times film and book critic for 15 years and has continued reviewing film uninterruptedly since 1970. She also publishes books (31 at last count) in a variety of genres (www.quadcitieslearning.com), has taught writing or literature classes at every Quad City college or university as adjunct faculty, was Yahoo's Content Producer of the Year for Politics  and writes on a variety of topics at her own blog, www.WeeklyWilson.com.

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Illinois Author's Book Asks, What If Jesus' 12 Disciples Were Ninjas?
Illinois Author’s Book Asks, What If Jesus’ 12 Disciples Were Ninjas?

What if the disciples were ninjas fighting to prevent Satan from possessing Jesus’ body and creating a zombie antichrist to rule the world? That’s the fantastic premise driving The Blood of Des…

What if the disciple…

What if the disciples were ninjas fighting to prevent Satan from possessing Jesus’ body and creating a zombie antichrist to rule the world? That’s the fantastic premise driving The Blood of Destiny, the new novel by Sean Leary. It’s been described by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks as “imaginative” and “exciting” and NY Times best-selling author Matthew Clemens said “this book rocks!” It’s Good Friday, 33 AD. Jesus Christ has been ritually crucified, his soul sent to hell, to free the lost souls of purgatory. In three days’ time, it is prophesized he …

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A Different Take On The Christmas Story: What If The Three Wise Men Were NINJAS?
A Different Take On The Christmas Story: What If The Three Wise Men Were NINJAS?

You’ve all heard the classic tale of the Nativity – Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus as the three wise men follow a star to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and my…

You’ve all heard t…

You’ve all heard the classic tale of the Nativity – Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus as the three wise men follow a star to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But what if… the three wise men were NINJA WIZARDS, part of a secret society of warriors, sent to protect Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus from the evil of King Herod and Satan, who sought to kill the holy family before they made it to Bethlehem? That’s the pulse-pounding premise of THE ARIMATHEAN, a new action- adventure novel from author Sean Leary. The book is an action-packed pop…

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'Judas And The Black Messiah' A Dynamic Drama That Should Be In Oscar Consideration
‘Judas And The Black Messiah’ A Dynamic Drama That Should Be In Oscar Consideration

“Judas and the Black Messiah,” the bio-pic about Fred Hampton, head of the Black Panthers in Illinois in the sixties, comes to us from a dynamic team. Director Shaka King (“Newlyweeds”) had me…

“Judas and the Bla…

“Judas and the Black Messiah,” the bio-pic about Fred Hampton, head of the Black Panthers in Illinois in the sixties, comes to us from a dynamic team. Director Shaka King (“Newlyweeds”) had met Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) in 2013 at Sundance.  Coogler (“Black Panther”) approached Warner Brothers with 50% of the film’s financing in hand to back the picture, directed by Shaka King (“Newlyweeds”) from a story by the Lucas Brothers. They already had the cast in mind and Shaka King had connected with screenwriter Will Berson, who had been researching Hampton for so…

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New Book Asks, What If The Three Magi Were Ninja Wizards?
New Book Asks, What If The Three Magi Were Ninja Wizards?

You’ve all heard the classic tale of the Nativity – Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus as the three wise men follow a star to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and my…

You’ve all heard t…

You’ve all heard the classic tale of the Nativity – Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus as the three wise men follow a star to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But what if… the three wise men were NINJA WIZARDS sent to protect Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus from the evil of King Herod and Satan, who sought to kill the holy family before they made it to Bethlehem? That’s the pulse-pounding premise of THE ARIMATHEAN, a new action- adventure novel from author Sean Leary. The book is an action-packed popcorn tale that’s part “Lord of the …

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'Tenet' A Beautiful, Big Scale Mind Bender
‘Tenet’ A Beautiful, Big Scale Mind Bender

Director Christopher Nolan started tinkering around with the concept of time many years ago on a much smaller budget with 2000’s “Memento.” I liked it so much that, on a visit to the Twin Cities…

Director Christopher…

Director Christopher Nolan started tinkering around with the concept of time many years ago on a much smaller budget with 2000’s “Memento.” I liked it so much that, on a visit to the Twin Cities, I took a girlfriend and her husband to see it, my second time through it. It was unique, original, interesting, exciting and it didn’t run 150 minutes. It was even nominated for Best Original Screenplay at that year’s Oscars. We’ve now been treated to “Memento’s” successors from Christopher Nolan: “Insomnia (2002); “The Dark Knight Trilogy” (2005-2012); “The Prestige” (2…

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Teen Paranormal Graphic Novel Series, 'Exorcising Ghosts' Scaring Up Fans
Teen Paranormal Graphic Novel Series, ‘Exorcising Ghosts’ Scaring Up Fans

A teenager who can see the worlds of demons and the paranormal around us that others cannot is the protagonist of Sean Leary's critically-acclaimed graphic novel series, "Exorcising Ghosts" The boo…

A teenager who can s…

A teenager who can see the worlds of demons and the paranormal around us that others cannot is the protagonist of Sean Leary's critically-acclaimed graphic novel series, "Exorcising Ghosts" The book is available worldwide and in local bookstores. Leary wrote and illustrated the series when he was a teenager and the books seem ripped from the diary of a teen, featuring various perils of growing up, including family issues, relationship breakups, friend squabbles and more, but with an added twist. The anti-hero of the story, Colin Drewry, is a recovering alcoholic and addict who survived a su…

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What You Might View While Sheltering in Place
What You Might View While Sheltering in Place

Ted Hicks worked in film in NYC, was in charge of awarding the Christopher Award, and was a college friend of mine at the University of Iowa. Ted has put together a list of good things to stream while…

Ted Hicks worked in …

Ted Hicks worked in film in NYC, was in charge of awarding the Christopher Award, and was a college friend of mine at the University of Iowa. Ted has put together a list of good things to stream while we're all stuck at home social distancing, and I have added my own favorites and added some specifics to his list. “A few days ago, Gary Davis, who I've known since 1st grade in Nemaha, Iowa, asked for some TV/cable/streaming recommendations," Ted said. "I put together a bunch of titles and sent it to him.. I know many of you will already know a lot of these shows, but there might be some yo…

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Start Your Arguments Now! Connie Gets Into The Ring With Her Top Films 2000-2019!
Start Your Arguments Now! Connie Gets Into The Ring With Her Top Films 2000-2019!

And, let's get ready to rummmmmmmmmmbbbbbbblllllleee! Everyone's looking for films to stream on Netflix, Hulu and more, and so every critic worth their Rotten Tomatoes rating is jumping in with the…

And, let's get ready…

And, let's get ready to rummmmmmmmmmbbbbbbblllllleee! Everyone's looking for films to stream on Netflix, Hulu and more, and so every critic worth their Rotten Tomatoes rating is jumping in with their rankings. Two writers (Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr) from the Associated Press recently penned an article entitled “A Look at the Decade’s Best Big-Screen Releases.” The list, according to these two, was as follows: “Tree of Life” “Phantom Thread” “Margaret” “Lady Bird” “Moonlight” “Somewhere” “Cold War” “Certified Copy” …

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Is The New 'Pet Sematary' The Cat's Meow, Or Ghostly Dog Doo?
Is The New ‘Pet Sematary’ The Cat’s Meow, Or Ghostly Dog Doo?

As big names in horror go, you can't get much bigger than Stephen King, and this year saw the release of a new film version of his classic "Pet Sematary," which is now available on video and streaming…

As big names in horr…

As big names in horror go, you can't get much bigger than Stephen King, and this year saw the release of a new film version of his classic "Pet Sematary," which is now available on video and streaming for your viewing pleasure as Halloween quickly approaches. So what's the verdict on the new flick? I reviewed it earlier this year, and here's my take. In the 1989 original  film“Pet Sematary” pets buried in a spooky backwoods cemetery come back to life. When a tragedy befalls a child of Louis and Rachel Creed (Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz), the lure of having their dead child retur…

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Dissecting One Of The Best Horror Films of 2019: Jordan Peele's 'Us'
Dissecting One Of The Best Horror Films of 2019: Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’

One of the most controversial and most talked about horror films of this year or any recent year has been Jordan Peele's critically-acclaimed "Us," which is now available on video and streaming servic…

One of the most cont…

One of the most controversial and most talked about horror films of this year or any recent year has been Jordan Peele's critically-acclaimed "Us," which is now available on video and streaming services. I saw “Us” in Austin, at South By Southwest, where it premiered in March, and I’m still letting my thoughts on “Us” and its meaning percolate. Here are 10 possible explanations for plot points in “Us.” WARNING: SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM. It has been pointed out by someone other than me that “Us” is, basically, “U.S.”, i.e. United States. There seem…

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