I think I mentioned this a long while back, but it's finally about to be released.  Richard Linklater made a film about a local murderer that i knew personally, named Bernie Tiede.  The movie is titled "Bernie" and stars Jack Black as Bernie, Shirley MacLaine as the elderly widow that he befriended, stole money from, and then shot in the back with a rifle,  and Matthew McConaughey as our local district attorney, Danny Buck Davidson. I know (well, knew in the one case, of course) all three of these people personally, and the actors really do these crazies justice.   McConaughey IS Danny Buck, just ten years younger and maybe 60 pounds lighter.  And the extras, Linklater went to a lot of trouble to hire actual, authentic east Texans for the bit parts, and he has my hometown of Carthage pegged.  I can't wait for this film to be released on... well damn looks like the article's been edited, and it was released yesterday on the 27th instead of the 16th of June like it said a couple weeks ago.  this film might actually get me to bother with going to the movie theater again.  Probably not, but maybe.

Edit:  Oh yeah, here's the theatrical trailer.


Bernie Trailer (Jack Black - 2012)

As I remember (from the piece on Skip Hollandsworth on Fresh Air a few years back) the premise of the original articles  would lead anyone to believe that Carthage was mostly OK with Tiede shooting Nugent because she was a nasty old biddy and he was a nice, personable, charming guy who everyone liked. Your comments as a local?

Yeah, that's pretty much how it went.  This town is fucking psychotic with the "good ol' boy" system, and Bernie was really well-liked around town.  Hell, I liked him.  Once when I was flunking out of college and depressed about it he sat down and had this short conversation with me about life and sometimes things don't work out and you have to really work to get what you want but if you're a good person then you have to trust that it all will work out in the end, etc.  Really made me feel a lot better.  And during that very conversation Nugent was dead with four bullets in her back, stuffed in her freezer.  It's a mindfuck. 

Yeah around the time he got arrested I got into a lot of arguments with locals over it.  I mean, sure I liked the guy too, but he shot a poor old woman in the back with her own rifle and stuffed her body in the freezer for months.  I think he should fuckin' fry.

I'm undecided.

I haven't been following the news at all for years now so
I'm just going to sit and listen.

Call there was nothing poor about that old woman. Her husband died and left her in charge of the board of the local bank and she wouldn't lend you a nickel for an ice cube if you were dying. At least that's how I heard it told.

I'm undecided.

I haven't been following the news at all for years now so
I'm just going to sit and listen.

Uh, this happened in 1996.  Keep up.

Call there was nothing poor about that old woman. Her husband died and left her in charge of the board of the local bank and she wouldn't lend you a nickel for an ice cube if you were dying. At least that's how I heard it told.

Well yeah, she was a nasty old bitch, and you don't even know the half of it, but that doesn't mean she deserved to die.  If being an asshole was worthy of capital punishment you, I, and half of the internet would have been put to death long ago. 

He shot an old lady in the back and stuffed her in her freezer after stealing her money.  I mean sure, he gave that money away to people who needed help.  Hell, I got some of it.   But that doesn't exactly excuse the crime.

LOL That should be the tagline for this movie...

>>Uh, this happened in 1996.  Keep up.<<

Nope, not interested.

LOL That should be the tagline for this movie...

I finally got to download and watch it today.  My god, you have to watch this film.  It is Carthage Texas to a T.  If you ever want to know what kind of Texas crazies vote for George Bush and Rick Perry, this is the Wal-Mart special caught on film.

If for no other reason than the telephone exchange:

"Oh honey, I just heard about Bernie Tiede killing your mother."

"She's not dead, she's in a retirement home over in Austin."   

"No hon, she's in a deep freezer on the back of a truck goin' to Dallas."

Umm so where's the dl link?

I currently have about 15 shows downloading but I could always do one more.

Yeah, I wanna see this as well ...

i got to the point where he was juuuuuust about to whack her. could not sit through this movie cause it was so god damn boring.

Really?
Should I reconsider?

Dave, I have a copy and haven't watched it yet. Will be in NOFL Fri 13th. Let's get drunk and watch it.

Dave, I have a copy and haven't watched it yet. Will be in NOFL Fri 13th. Let's get drunk and watch it.

W3rd ...

The movie didn't come before I left. You're working tonight and there's a snowstorm headed for the Washington DC area. So I'm going to take a shower at your house and just roll-on up the road. Considering I haven't driven in winter weather in four years I think I should get there before the storm.

Date night was cancelled by the weather.

Jealous bitch.

I'm jealous of the storm ...
... the slippery bitch got to swallow you up before I did!