BAD EDUCATION - Potential SPOILERS

[jo]

Is this what principally motivated Dr. Frank Tassone ?

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”

William Butler Yates

[jo]

If you're curious about what was documented by media (New York Magazine) as what truly happened in the Tassone-Roslyn financial scandal, Vulture reproduces the full article --

www.vulture.com/2020/04/frank-tassone-new-york-magazine-bad-education.html

Very interesting conclusion sentence towards the end!

“It’s The Music Man,” I suggest.

“Yes, it is,” Bodner says. “That’s exactly what it is.”

referring to the fictional con man from River City!


Jo

[jo]

Frank Tassone's reaction to the movie has been well-documented, what he thought was portrayed well and what could be more of sensationalism.

But this one is somehow touching --

Tassone had nothing but praise for the Academy Award-nominated Jackman, noting that he felt the actor “defended him.”
“He did a very good job portraying me… he actually defended me…” the former school administrator said. “I think he did a good job playing me, especially at the end when I’m in prison and I walk out and I see what I lost because I did something so terrible. And that really hit home for me”

That last scene, a very surreal scene - was not even part of the first screenplay draft! A masterful touch from Finley and so well-acted by Hugh, summing up what could have been!

Btw, Cory Finley is actually a playwright ( he also wrote the script for Thoroughbreds) and that skill probably heightens the portrayal of defining moments in his creative work.


Jo

[jo]

One of the most powerful opening/ending...prologue/epilogue framing of a movie!

That ending was surreal and so heart-tugging! " What could have been" -- some of the saddest words in the English language!



PS : Doesn't this manner of framing a movie remind you of one other movie which starts and ends in almost the same way - but more triumphant and celebratory

Like The Greatest Showman?


Jo

[jo]

He rarely stars in films of the present, dressed in relatively modern-day clothes!

[jo]

The clip is also publicity for the forthcoming inauguration of HBO-MAX!


Jo

[jo]

Inscrutable tweet -- from a Spanish film distributor :

DeAPlaneta

@deaplaneta

¡Nos morimos de ganas por volver al cine y ver #LaEstafa!


Mientras esperamos, ¿puedes encontrar los dólares que no han logrado esconder
@realhughjackman
y los demás?

¡Hay DIEZ!


******************************************

Translated from Spanish by GOOGLE



We can't wait to go back to the cinema and see #LaEstafa !

While we wait, can you find the dollars they haven't managed to hide
@realhughjackman
and the others?

There are TEN!

Go back to the CINEMA and see #LaEstafa?

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

URGENT****URGENT****URGENT


BAD EDUCATION was supposed to be one of the main attractions for the Tribeca Film Festival, had it gone on as scheduled.

Due to the pandemic crisis, it had to rely on mostly digital means to continue some semblance of the original festival. Presumably, they had lined up key discussants for some of the featured movies.

In this case, there is a session with Cory Finley and Mike Makowsky TODAY (May 11) at 1:00 pm. It can be watched on Facebook.

www.tribecafilm.com/films/tribeca-talks-at-home-bad-education-2020

Tribeca is proud to bring our signature conversations online with Tribeca Talks: At Home. Join us on Tribeca social channels throughout May for a series of intimate, festival-style Q&As with Tribeca-selected creators, many of whose work will already be available to enjoy at home.

This is very interesting, given that the movie has already been widely distributed on HBO (on TV). The plans are for digital transmission of the movie, to replace what would have been theatrical screenings PRIOR to the release on HBO on April 25.

Hmmm... I am nosy and can't help thinking that this could be a way to rationalize why the movie should qualify for Oscar consideration. There was a planned theatrical release via a big film festival in the USA ( Toronto and London are foreign-based) for 3 screenings for which they sold tickets!

Hope so!

In the meantime, let's see whether we can catch the session. FACEBOOK LINK can be found from the above link. Will Hugh be there?


Jo

[jo]

Some notes I took down --



That was relatively short - more like a promo type of interview ( a little less than 25 minutes).

*I find Cory Finley deeper and more eloquent than Mike Makowsky. Not surprised because he is also a playwright.

*The most interesting question from the interviewer was how Hugh Jackman was brought into the project.

The interviewer said that it is interesting how they were able to get someone such as Hugh Jackman into a story of corruption. Hugh does not even look remotely like Frank Tassone in any way imaginable.

Cory said that it is true that Hugh is perceived as a more friendly and a lovely human being...and that he is a truly loved movie star. But as an actor, Hugh is not afraid to go to dark places. Also, he is Wolverine. ( Jo's note : there is again the dichotomy in people's impression of Hugh's acting gift - that he can play any type of role!)

Cory further said that Hugh immersed himself into the role. He may not look like Tassone, but you can believe he was the character he was playing.


*On the issue of bringing the fact of Tassone's homosexuality into the picture, the interviewer felt that it was treated with grace and all honesty.


*Cory and Mike admitted that the film was not really shot where it happened, in Roslyn, although they did include one popular landmark in Roslyn to make it look more authentic.

*Cory said that they decided early on that they would not include people in the town involved to become part of the filmmaking, as that might not give them the independence to present the issues in an honest and fulfilling artistic manner, as they might have to start trying to please these people. They wanted to keep the distance.

*I like how Cory Finley views that storytelling where money or financial crimes are involved proves that money can be a force in the socio and economic dynamics. He also seems to have a clear pathway on how he is developing his skill as a filmmaker. He does sound like the making of a future auteur!


Sorry if I mis-remembered some of the things that were said

Jo

[jo]

He also seems to have a clear pathway on how he is developing his skill as a filmmaker. He does sound like the making of a future auteur!

If I were Cory Finley, and if I have not done it yet, I would study Hugh Jackman's body of work. Hugh's acting portfolio presents so many artistic byways - the types of roles he has done in films. People are surprised that it is really a stunning example of versatility!

Jo

[luzie]

May 11, 2020 9:51:34 GMT -5 jo said:

In this case, there is a session with Cory Finley and Mike Makowsky TODAY (May 11) at 1:00 pm. It can be watched on Facebook.

www.tribecafilm.com/films/tribeca-talks-at-home-bad-education-2020

It's still on their FB site

www.facebook.com/Tribeca/videos/2178701585609561/

[jo]

[jo]

Confirming the actual truth re the other boyfriend ( called Kyle in the movie) --



www.thewrap.com/bad-education-did-frank-tassone-really-buy-house-with-secret-out-of-town-boyfriend-vegas/

‘Bad Education': Did Frank Tassone Really Buy a House With a Secret Out-of-Town Boyfriend?

One of the film’s more compelling subplots involves Tassone’s long-distance relationship with one Kyle Contreras
Phil Owen | May 12, 2020 @ 8:05 PM

HBO
(Spoilers ahead for the HBO film “Bad Education” starring Hugh Jackman. Yes, the film is based on a true story, but technically there can be spoilers if the thing we’re going to discuss here is fictionalized)
It’s not super fun to think about real life these days, what with all the bad things going on out there. But even so, “Bad Education” on HBO is a pretty solid piece of quarantine entertainment, as it’s so fully zoomed in on the true story it tells — eschewing anything in the way of depressing early Aughts context.

So “Bad Education” tells the story of Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman), a charming school superintendent in the Roslyn school district on Long Island, New York, who went to prison a decade and a half ago for embezzling millions of dollars of school funds. Tassone didn’t go down alone, of course — assistant superintendent Pam Gluckin (played here by Allison Janney) actually stole more money than Tassone did.

It’s a compelling narrative for a movie, and HBO’s rendition of those events skews closer to the true story than most based-on-a-true-story films do. That should certainly come as no surprise once you realize that “Bad Education” was written by Mike Makowsky, who was a student at the Roslyn middle school at the time of the scandal.



As the story goes, Tassone and Gluckin had been embezzling funds to support fairly extravagant lifestyles. Gluckin, for example, had three homes, including one in Florida, and drove a Jaguar. Tassone spent the money he stole in his own variety of frivolous ways, like cosmetic surgeries and expensive suits — not to mention tens of thousands of dollars in dry-cleaning bills.

Both Tassone and Gluckin eventually set up fake companies that would bill the school district for services they didn’t deliver, and employed their significant others in doing so. Tassone had set up one of these shell companies, a fake printing company called WordPower, in his longtime partner’s Manhattan apartment.


In one of the more poignant arcs in “Bad Education,” Tassone has a random encounter in Nevada with a former student from his district, Kyle Contreras (Rafael Casal), who has been working as a bartender and an exotic dancer. Contreras becomes Tassone’s side piece, basically, though the film indicates he was legitimately in love with Contreras. Shortly after it starts to come to light that Gluckin had stolen school funds, Tassone calls Contreras just because, he says, he wanted to hear his voice.

In “Bad Education,” once Gluckin is charged with embezzlement, Tassone quits his job and runs to Contreras, and it’s there in Nevada where we see him get arrested.



It’s a solid arc, but it definitely has the whiff of the sort of subplot that could have been an embellishment. So let’s fact check this real quick. Did Tassone really have this secret boyfriend in Nevada?

The answer is yes, though the character’s name was changed for the film. In real life, Tassone used some of his embezzled funds to buy a house with one Jason Daugherty in Henderson, Nev. The full details of the relationship aren’t clear, however, because Daugherty has generally tried to stay out of the spotlight of this scandal.

The real Tassone would regularly use FedEx, on the school district’s dime, to send Daugherty packages. In fact, a clerk in the district said he sent those packages weekly from when Gluckin was forced to retire to a year later when everything came to light.

And yes, when the real Tassone was in Henderson when he was arrested by the local police. In its news brief about the arrest, the Las Vegas Sun went so far as to refer to Tassone as a “Henderson resident” after he retired from the Roslyn school district.



So yeah, “Bad Education” definitely gets the broad strokes correct on this topic. But the more specific stuff about Contreras might be original to the film, since even today there isn’t much publicly known about Daugherty. But that’s okay — this whole bit very effectively humanizes Tassone even while the film is breaking him down.

[jo]

Not about BAD EDUCATION, but one of the actors in the movie, Rafael Casal ( Kyle Contreras).

Did you know he and Daveed Diggs (of HAMILTON fame who won a TONY for his role) have been BFFs?! They are both West Coast-based until Daveed was cast in the play Hamilton.



And their major film project is called BLINDSPOTTING, a cult favorite.



Came across this trailer --

[jo]

[jo]

In the 92Y chat session, Hugh shared that this scene which was the last one filmed ( done at 3:00 am and which left him completely drenched) --

was meant to follow the ACCELERATE scene.

http://instagram.com/p/B_ZnliEDR34

[jo]

An interview with Geraldine Viswanathan just published ( although some parts have been earlier published) --

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bad-education-star-geraldine-viswanathan-working-hugh-jackman-allison-janney-1295211

[jo]

Find them another project quick


www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00154259.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Allison Janney Keen to Work With Hugh Jackman Again After Coronavirus Lockdown Is Lifted

Celebrity
Dubbing herself as 'The Greatest Showman' star's fan, the 'Bad Education' actress recalls having so much fun being able to shove a sandwich into his mouth when filming their first scene together.

May 23, 2020
AceShowbiz - Allison Janney can't wait for the Hollywood lockdown to end so she can fish for other projects with her new crush Hugh Jackman.

The two stars teamed up for HBO movie "Bad Education" and Oscar winner Janney admits Jackman shot to the top of her list of castmates she would like to work with again.


"I've been a fan of his forever and to finally get to work with Hugh in this way was a pretty exciting moment in my career," the actress explains. "I think Pam (her character) had a little crush on Frank (Hugh's character) and Allison had a little crush on Hugh Jackman!"

"He's fun to flirt with. I had so much fun working with Hugh. He was incredibly playful and let me shove the sandwich into his mouth in our first scene together, which was an improv moment. I just knew just from him being from the theater that he would be great to work with."


"I hope I get to work with him many more times. I just hope Broadway re-opens, because I want to see him in 'The Music Man' so badly!"

Meanwhile, Janney revealed in a recent SAG Foundation Conversations interview she had to buy her parents HBO, so they could watch their daughter in "Bad Education", which is based on a New York magazine article about a Long Island public school embezzlement scandal.

"We had to get my parents HBO because they didn't have it... and we watched it (film) together and it was amazing to get to watch it with them," Janney explained. "We were really thrilled that it went with HBO and had no idea how much we would, in this time, be glad that it would be streamed because of course no one can go to movie theaters during this COVID crisis that we are all going through with and living through together."

"I'm actually wearing my mother's pyjamas. I'm wearing my mom's lipstick from Maybelline 1970-something, because I didn't bring any make-up with me. I thought I was going to be here for five days and I'm here for eight weeks now."

[jo]

BAD EDUCATION is part of launch offering of HB0-MAX!


www.screendaily.com/news/hbo-max-secures-harry-potter-franchise-for-launch-day/5150148.article?referrer=RSS

Excerpts --

The entire series of Harry Potter films is among 10,000 hours of content at launch for HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s streaming platform that went live in the US on Wednesday (May 27).

The $7.7bn global box office franchise was not expected to be part of the launch package due to a four-year licensing agreement with NBCUniversal (NBCU), however executives struck an 11th hour deal for streaming rights. NBCU retains rights to broadcast the fantasy series on its linear channels.

The HBO Max package includes spin-off Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, and houses a stable of corporate brands like centrepiece HBO, Studio Ghibli, TCM, DC, and Looney Tunes.

Launch features include Joker, Spirited Away, Toronto 2019 acquisition Bad Education starring Hugh Jackman, Cast Away, Casablanca, Singin’ In The Rain, and North By Northwest. June debuts include Ford v Ferrari, Ad Astra, and The Good Liar.

US sitcom Friends takes pride of place among the TV offering, which includes Doctor Who, The Big Bang Theory, and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. A special Friends reunion episode featuring the original cast had been planned but has not materialised due to production restrictions under the coronavirus lockdown...

[jo]

[jo]

Bad Education ( which has regained its Rotten Tomatoes rating of 94 % based on 126 reviews) will be screening for the American Forces Network --

[jo]

Home video release in October.


www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/10004/bad-education

Bad Education (2019)
Bad Education DVD release date is set for October 6, 2020.

The irony - why are they using the Toronto world premiere date of 2019 as original release ( or is this the copyright date?) when this is supposed to be a TV movie released by HBO

[jo]

[jo]

New release date of DVD -- September 8, 2020!


www.releases.com/p/bad-education