I love movies.
Recently, I helped to sell the idea of shooting one in Rupert, assisted in the production, and acted in it. I have a shelf full of DVDs of my favorites and, one day, I plan to make a movie.
I also reviewed movies during my time with the Daily News, in a column titled VideoView, when the format was VHS tape (be kind, rewind!). It would have been just like any other column except for one decision I made that turned it into a monster, an obsession: I decided to have a different mugshot of myself every week, one that would match the feature movie.
The format called for me to review 2-3 movies; one would be featured with a long write-up, while the others simply received a “Got to” (thumbs up) or “Not to” (thumbs down) and a quick comment.
It seemed like a great idea, doing myself up as a character in the featured movie, but it set a standard, one that was hard to keep up while maintaining my sanity.
I used to be quite the costume maker, especially masks. There is virtually nothing you can’t do with poster paper! If you look at the shots in the photos, poster paper has been used in many of them.
I also used makeup even though I have never liked using it for Halloween or other costume events. Lyle McNish did his whole body in green (yes, he was the Hulk)! No one’s topping that.
In making this mugshot decision, my torment became others’ torment. My two main photographers were my then-wife, Cathy, and a co-worker, Gleremy Bainsworth, who went on to become an editor, top reporter, and member of an Emmy-winning team. You’re welcome, Gleremy.
Of course, in those days, digital cameras were still a few years away from becoming available to anyone that wasn’t a wealthy, world-class photographer, so you only got that one chance. Doubt was a bully to me: you blinked. Yes, you did. The grimace wasn’t menacing enough. She waited too long to snap the photo. Gleremy’s shaking like a teacup in the back of a truck!
Getting the shot was just the beginning. Then came Exacto-knife time, so the mug can be put on any background, and it had to be just right or it was back to the darkroom for another print. And, often, I stuck it onto a photo with scenery, so the layout guy had to place it just so …
In the end, it all paid off. It was a very popular column and I won the Sterling chain’s “Best Feature Column” award.
My favorite VV mugs were:
- James Bond, Tomorrow Never Dies: where I was actually allowed to get onto the wing of a plane, lying on my stomach with a gun in one hand, and a martini in the other. (I borrowed a white suit from the late, great, Odd Eidsvik – don’t know how I fit into it!)
- True Romance, where I was “driving” a car with a woman’s feet, in high-heels, wrapped around my neck from the backseat.
- Jack Skellington from A Nightmare Before Christmas (a lot of Exacto work on that one!)
When I moved on from the paper, the staff gave me an engraved pen set and a large, framed collection of the mugshots (see photo) I had used in the column, with the brilliant words: From all of us to all of you. It is one of the best, most clever, and appropriate gifts I’ve ever received.
I thought I would end this appropriately, with a recommendation, and that is to Mads Mikkelsen movies! Pretty much any of them, is a can’t miss. I recently watched two of his 2020 movies, Another Round and Riders of Justice, and they were great.
Of course, keep your eyes open for the release of Island Between the Tides, which was shot entirely in Rupert and surrounding area and features many locals in the cast and as extras. I’ll be sharing info and plans for local activities as soon as I get them!
NEXT: Final thoughts on The Daily News and the loss of the paper of record
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