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Michael Roemer, maker of acclaimed but little-seen films, dies at 97
Michael Roemer, maker of acclaimed but little-seen films, dies at 97

Boston Globe

time25-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Boston Globe

Michael Roemer, maker of acclaimed but little-seen films, dies at 97

His career as a director began when NBC gave him the opportunity to make 'Cortile Cascino,' a 46-minute documentary about slum life in Palermo, Sicily, that he made with Robert M. Young. It was also the start of a pattern in which his films would all but disappear for decades at a time. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Cortile Cascino' depicted a Sicilian life so grim that NBC executives balked at putting it on the air. It did not reappear until it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 1993. Advertisement Long delay also befell 'Nothing but a Man,' directed by Mr. Roemer and written by him and Young, a frequent collaborator. With Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln in central roles, it tells the story of a Black railroad worker who is married to a preacher's daughter and who struggles to maintain his dignity in the segregated Alabama of the early 1960s. Advertisement Mr. Roemer and Young traveled through the South interviewing dozens of Black people about segregation's impact. For the actual shooting, however, they used locations in New Jersey, fearing hostility from Alabama authorities. The movie had a brief theatrical run when it was released in 1964. Many distributors, Mr. Roemer said in a 2024 interview for this obituary, refused to book it in theaters with principally Black audiences. Soon enough, 'Nothing but a Man' was gone. It wasn't until 1993 that it was rereleased, this time to wide acclaim. A year later, it was added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. Julius Harris (left) and Ivan Dixon in "Nothing But a Man" (1964), directed by Mr. Roemer. Boston Globe Photo Archive In 1969, Mr. Roemer wrote and directed 'The Plot Against Harry,' a comedy about a small-time numbers racketeer (played by Martin Priest) who goes to prison and eventually decides to change his ways and become an upstanding fellow. The only problem with the film was that audiences at private screenings did not laugh. Two decades later, Mr. Roemer decided to make videotape copies of the film for his children. This time, a technician working on the transfer to tape kept laughing as he watched, and the director decided that maybe he had something after all. 'The Plot Against Harry' enjoyed a new life, a theater run and praise. It was nominated for six Independent Spirit Awards. In 1990, New York Times film critic Janet Maslin called it 'a funny, sharply drawn and appealingly modest film.' Film critic J. Hoberman described Mr. Roemer in a 2024 interview as 'an empathetic director of actors and an unsentimental humanist, one of the few American filmmakers who shares those qualities with Jean Renoir.' Advertisement Other works by Mr. Roemer included 'Faces of Israel,' a short 1967 documentary; 'Dying,' a 1976 documentary about people near the end of life; and 'Vengeance Is Mine' (1984), a scripted film about mothers and daughters, originally titled 'Haunted,' starring Brooke Adams and Trish Van Devere. In 2022, Wesley Morris of the Times called 'Vengeance Is Mine' 'a masterpiece of direction, nothing too flashy but everything true.' Despite being routinely praised by film critics and scholars, Mr. Roemer was well aware that appreciation by a much broader audience eluded him. 'I spent the last 40 years of my life writing scripts not made into movies,' he said in 2024, with a laugh. 'After a while, you kind of take a certain pride in not having been a success. I'm simply not a commercial filmmaker.' Indeed, he said, his most successful work in terms of dollars was 'A Touch of the Times,' an hourlong silent film he made at Harvard. A fantasy about kite-flying, it ran at a movie house in Cambridge and earned well more in ticket sales than the $2,300 he had spent making it. 'If I could have made popular films, I would have,' Mr. Roemer told British newspaper The Guardian in 2023. 'But I believe in something. If I betray it, then I destroy myself.' Michael Roemer was born in Berlin on Jan. 1, 1928, into a family whose shoe business provided a comfortable life. His parents, Gerhardt and Paula (Ettinger) Roemer, divorced when he was an infant, leaving him to be reared mostly by a governess (whom he said he found terrifying). Early on, he said, he came to appreciate life's 'unpredictability.' Advertisement After moving to England with his younger sister, Marion, in the rescue effort known in German as the Kindertransport, he attended a school whose students were mainly Jewish refugees like him. Once in the United States, he went to Harvard on a scholarship, graduating in 1949 with a bachelor's degree in English. Six years after coming to America, he was reunited with his mother, and a few years after that, he met his father, who had begun a new life in England. In 1953, the young filmmaker married Barbara Balze, a teacher. She died in 2007. In addition to his daughter, he leaves two sons -- Dr. David Roemer and Jonathan Roemer -- and two grandsons. Soon after college, Mr. Roemer began an eight-year turn as a film editor and production manager for various companies. He then wrote and directed dozens of educational films for the Ford Foundation. Starting in 1966, he taught film theory and practice at Yale University, a professorship that lasted until he retired in 2017. 'I was 89 then,' he said. 'I don't think they realized how old I was.' In a sense, he said in 2024, 'nothing happened in my life the way it was supposed to.' His films, though praised, were not slam-bang successes. But failure, he said, reveals character. 'The truth is, failure can be a very honorable thing,' he told The Washington Post in 1990. 'It's not that you have a failure. It's what you do with it.' This article originally appeared in

State funding for Browns dome moves forward: I-Team
State funding for Browns dome moves forward: I-Team

Yahoo

time09-04-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

State funding for Browns dome moves forward: I-Team

CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team has found an Ohio House committee just approved a financial package that includes state money to help the Cleveland Browns build a dome. The measure is expected to be taken up by the full House of Representatives on Wednesday. It's not a final decision, but a step forward. The Browns have asked for state help building a dome in Brook Park. Million-dollar renovations begin at 'Shooters' location in The Flats They hope for $600 million from the state through bonds. The Browns promise to pay it back with profits from the dome and surrounding development. Tuesday, that came up along with other budget matters before the Ohio House of Representatives Finance Committee. The committee voted to approve the overall spending plan. District 31 State Rep. Bill Roemer sits on that committee, and he expects the dome to have a big impact. 'I was originally opposed until I looked at the numbers. Over the period of the project, it appears that the state will recognize an additional $1.2 billion in tax revenue,' he said. Roemer adds that the Browns have promised to set aside money upfront to cover any shortcomings that might come up in paying back the state. 'Even if the projections are wildly wrong, the state is still protected. This is going to generate additional tax revenue,' the representative said. Reflecting on the Total Solar Eclipse one year later If the measure gets approved by the House, it then must be approved by the Senate. Meanwhile, one senator said he will introduce a bill to block funding for any teams with a losing record such as the Browns. Behind it all, the city of Cleveland is fighting the Browns in court to stop the team from moving out of the current stadium on the lakefront. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

(Trade Tariffs Aside) - The Bullish & Bearish Weather Factors for the Wheat Market
(Trade Tariffs Aside) - The Bullish & Bearish Weather Factors for the Wheat Market

Globe and Mail

time04-04-2025

  • Business
  • Globe and Mail

(Trade Tariffs Aside) - The Bullish & Bearish Weather Factors for the Wheat Market

(ZWK25) (ZWN25) (KEN25) (WEAT) (ZSK25) (SOYB) (ZCN25) (CORN) (DBA) (TAGS) "(Trade Tariffs Aside) - The Bullish & Bearish Weather Factors for the Wheat Market" by Jim Roemer - Meteorologist - Commodity Trading Advisor - Principal, Best Weather Inc. & Climate Predict - Publisher, Weather Wealth Newsletter Weekend Report - April 4-6, 2025 (video published in WeatherWealth newsletter) Image and map sources in this video: NOAA, USDA, and In the long run, trade tariffs have never helped the U.S. economy: The Tariff Act of 1930, also known as the Smoot-Hawley Act, was enacted in an attempt to protect U.S. industry. However, the tariffs negatively affected the sale of U.S. goods abroad, as foreign nations raised their tariffs against the U.S., the stateside economy worsened from this situation. In getting back to the subject of commodity markets, however, the weather will become more important for grain trading as we head deeper into spring and summer. In the above video, I discuss the following about the wheat market and what we at BestWeather, Inc. are watching for global wheat farmers and traders on six continents. What trading and hedging strategies will we suggest to guide and help you navigate these turbulent geopolitical elements and the pitfalls of tariff-based economic concerns? Do yourself a favor by requesting a 2-week free trial subscription to WeatherWealth ahead of what promises to be another wild trading season in corn, soybeans, and wheat in the weeks and months ahead. Sign up by clicking the link below (you may cancel at any time) " Damn the Tariffs !!! - Full Speed Ahead !!! " Mr. Roemer owns Best Weather Inc., offering weather-related blogs for commodity traders and farmers. He also is a co-founder of Climate Predict, a detailed long-range global weather forecast tool. As one of the first meteorologists to become an NFA registered Commodity Trading Advisor, he has worked with major hedge funds, Midwest farmers, and individual traders for over 35 years. With a special emphasis on interpreting market psychology, coupled with his short and long-term trend forecasting in grains, softs, and the energy markets, he commands a unique standing among advisors in the commodity risk management industry.

Why cocoa prices have bottomed for now
Why cocoa prices have bottomed for now

Globe and Mail

time02-04-2025

  • Business
  • Globe and Mail

Why cocoa prices have bottomed for now

(HSY) (MDLZ) (CCK25) (CCZ25) (CAK25) (CAZ25) ' Why cocoa prices have bottomed for now' by Jim Roemer - Meteorologist - Commodity Trading Advisor - Principal, Best Weather Inc. & Climate Predict - Publisher, Weather Wealth Newsletter Wednesday Report - April 2, 2025 Demand destruction has helped cocoa prices break 30% from the highs established on December 18th. Following devastating weather events and disease issues in West Africa (which helped cocoa prices soar more than 200% in the past two years) what could ultimately happen is that an 'El Niño neutral' climatological environment will likely have sizeable impacts on production in the next 6 to 12 months. On Monday, WeatherWealth newsletter subscribers received my alert that bullish fundamentals will soon return to the market. Most importantly, a very small mid-crop harvest will be hitting the market in April and May which will very likely result in a squeeze. The Best Weather Spider, our market sentiment indicator, became bullish for the first time in over two months. Notice that the global crop score is still extremely bullish (+4) vs economic scores bearish (-3) due to demand concerns. At Weather Wealth, we give subscribers free access to the 'lite version' of our long-range weather program Climate Predict, as well as weekly updates to our exclusive Weather Spider for multiple commodities. This forecasting tool helps farmers, producers, agribusinesses, energy hedgers, traders and investors make important decisions, sometimes months in advance. How? By looking at teleconnections such as sea ice, El Niño, La Niña and many others. This method is more sophisticated than merely looking at standard GFS and European model forecasts. There is a possibility that summer weather problems could resurface for the west African cocoa crops again. Mr. Roemer owns Best Weather Inc., offering weather-related blogs for commodity traders and farmers. He also is a co-founder of Climate Predict, a detailed long-range global weather forecast tool. As one of the first meteorologists to become an NFA registered Commodity Trading Advisor, he has worked with major hedge funds, Midwest farmers, and individual traders for over 35 years. With a special emphasis on interpreting market psychology, coupled with his short and long-term trend forecasting in grains, softs, and the energy markets, he commands a unique standing among advisors in the commodity risk management industry.

Looming trade wars plus increasing wheat crop problems mean the market has bottomed
Looming trade wars plus increasing wheat crop problems mean the market has bottomed

Globe and Mail

time17-03-2025

  • Business
  • Globe and Mail

Looming trade wars plus increasing wheat crop problems mean the market has bottomed

(ZWN25) (KEN25) (WEAT) (TAGS) (DBA) (ZCN25) (CORN) (ZSN25) (SOYB) 'Looming trade wars plus increasing wheat crop problems mean the market has bottomed' by Jim Roemer - Meteorologist - Commodity Trading Advisor - Principal, Best Weather Inc. & Climate Predict - Publisher, Weather Wealth Newsletter Monday Evening Report - March 17, 2025 Source Pivotal Weather (photo and map) Some growing concern for Plains wheat Source: WeatherBell (maps) Source NOAA (map) BestWeather (superimposed indicator arrow) How many became an El Niño or neutral or a stronger La Niña again? What was the timing? Source: Climate Predict I will be using these potential analog years to advise global grain farmers and traders in the weeks and months to come. So, request a download for a 2-week FREE TRIAL to WeatherWealth and do yourself a favor in knowing, ahead of time, when and how to hedge your crops and/or have an advantage in trading futures and options. Click HERE: (You can cancel at any time) Mr. Roemer owns Best Weather Inc., offering weather-related blogs for commodity traders and farmers. He also is a co-founder of Climate Predict, a detailed long-range global weather forecast tool. As one of the first meteorologists to become an NFA registered Commodity Trading Advisor, he has worked with major hedge funds, Midwest farmers, and individual traders for over 35 years. With a special emphasis on interpreting market psychology, coupled with his short and long-term trend forecasting in grains, softs, and the energy markets, he commands a unique standing among advisors in the commodity risk management industry.

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