The ReWrite [2025] Movie Review

 

I was asked to take a look at this movie by someone, and this is my review. "The ReWrite " is a movie about a "starving artist" named Elliot, who is asked to rewrite his script to a movie, to make this Black characters more "authentically Black". Elliot goes on a spiritual journey trying to rewrite the script, but struggles to do so. The movie makes some commentary about how the White culture in Hollywood expects Black characters and writers to act a certain way. 

There were parts in the movie where I really didn't understand what was going on. Why was there a guy talking about getting random spam text messages? It was funny though, when Elliot asked the friend why he had a picture of another man's penis on their phone. The idea was so that the friend would send such pictures to the spam texts, but once again, I found myself asking "Why?". Part of the idea was a sort of commentary about how Black men would be "Wilin' out" on the internet, and would post any types of pictures of themselves online, but I found this to be dismissive. Anyone from any race can posts their nudes online, wilin' out. 

The cinematography to the movie is great, and many of the shots looked very beautiful. 

 Much of the acting in the movie is too cheesy for me. I felt like some of the actors were trying too hard to feel natural when saying their lines, which would ironically, come off as more stock than intended. The White executives depicted at the beginning and end of the movie were definitely played up a bit, which was slightly comical. 

There's a lot of emphasis in the movie about this script that Elliot has to rewrite, but we, as the viewer, aren't told much about its idea to begin with. I often felt like I was in the dark. What was the script's original idea before being rewritten? This isn't ever divulged. I felt like this was a major oversight, considering that the script was the main point of the movie. If we knew what the original idea was about, we could see Elliot as more of a sympathetic character, and understand how rewriting the script, would change the movie as a whole. But this doesn't happen. Instead, Elliot comes off as whiny, and quick to call anyone that doesn't agree with him as racist. 

I found it ironic that one of the main points of the movie, was that the main character didn't want to give in to Black stereotypes, yet within the first 20 minutes of the movie, Elliot's cousin is seen bringing in a bottle of either Hennesy or Courvoisier to drink. 

I also found it hilarious how the love interest, if you could even call her that, told Elliot, "You are not Obama". The love plot point was completely pointless to the overall theme of the movie. In fact, it seems implied that Elliot was sleeping with one of the other female characters, other than Brandy...yet later got frustrated when Brandy moved on to another man. 

In general, I found the female characters had very boring and generic dialogue. They seemed to fall into the stereotype of either the nagging female, or pick me type. It made my eyes roll, because the actresses that played the women shown did seem to try to make the dialogue work, but it ultimately fell flat. Brandy was never satisfied. The other female was clearly some sort of other love interest, that "didn't take no shit". Then of course, there was Elliot's mother, who also came off as generic. 

 During the scene where he talked to his mother, there was a picture shown of her and her current husband, a white guy. Elliot gave this look like he didn't approve of the relationship, at least, that was the way I took it. I don't know how to take this, the interracial relationship as not being approved of? I'm not sure what the point was in showing that, if that wasn't the point. I'm kind of surprised to have seen that. Maybe the idea was that all white people are the same? If so, that's still a stupid idea.

 What especially made me cringe, was how Elliot's mother said, "He's the Doug to my Kamala!". I wanted to roll my eyes so hard. I really dislike how interracial relationships are depicted at times. Like each one is the same. I think it's disingenuous.  One ironic part about this, is that not once, is Robert DeNiro ever mentioned...a white actor, who has been consistently married to black women. 

 I found myself wondering at times, if this had  to be a movie, and not some sort of mini TV series. There are a lot of plot points, between the main character's drinking, trying to get paid, and his relationship problems. To me, some of the ideas could have been better elaborated and expanded upon if there was more time, like a mini series would allow. 

 I know that some of the scenes were shown to help the audience see how the people who the characters in the script were based off of were, but I wish that there was some sort of comparison to how they were written, before we saw the person they were based off of. 

I don't understand the concept of trying to write a unique script for Hollywood that isn't generic, when Hollywood is known to be nothing but that. 

 I feel like more emphasis was put on the cinematography and camera shots, than the idea of working on the script as the plot point. The movie is 1 hour and 33 minutes long, and majority of the scenes that dealt with the actual writing consisted of the main character not knowing what to do. I feel like the movie is too long, and does not deliver on it's own main plot point. 

 I think there are good points about how Black people are stereotyped in the common American movie. I think there were valid points about Elliot being upset with how the out of touch executives treated his writing, but the way the movie executed the idea felt unsatisfactory. I think I'm not the right person for a movie like this. I didn't hate this movie, but after watching, I thought to myself, "Okay.".

 It's not something that I would watch again, but not out of anger or hatred. I just don't feel like I "got" anything out of this. I prefer movies that I can learn from, or make me laugh, or can scare me. I don't really know who this type of movie is for, but it's not for me. 

1.5/5 

The Banana Murder of 1937

 On March 20th, 1937, it was reported that Louis Kable, a “middle aged banana merchant” was found nearly dead in his place of business, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by one of his employees. He was reportedly beaten with what was thought to be a club or blackjack. Initially, police believed that he was attacked by robbers. 

Articles reported that he had displayed a fat roll of dollar bills to his employees, and said that “business was good”, only fifteen minutes later to be found in a pool of blood, with his head cracked open. The pocket where he stuffed his day’s receipts was pulled inside out, eight pennies and a key were scattered on the floor, and the money he’d shown earlier, was gone. Various sources state that it was $75, the equivalent of $1700 in 2026.

Louis was rushed to the hospital, where he returned to consciousness briefly, mumbled something incoherent, and then died. 

Louis’ wife, Hannah, collapsed when she heard of her husband’s death. She fell to the floor of the police station screaming, and two of their daughters wept loudly, as they rushed into their mother’s arms. One article quotes their daughters saying, “Oh, how did it happen, tell me how it happened. Why, Father hadn’t an enemy.” Louis’ brother Benjamin acted the same, when he heard the news.

Hannah told police that her husband had started his day normally, and went to work at 4am. His busy hours were usually 6-8am, and where he sold his bananas. After the morning rush of March 20th, Louis went to the store upstairs and showed his money to a helper named Jimmie Robinson. He told Jimmie, “If you don’t make money in bananas one day, you are sure to the next.”.  From there, Louis was seen by going downstairs to the cellar, where his office was. 

Around 9:40 am, a man named Julian McPherson who would occasionally sell baskets to Louis went to the cellar, with one of his wares. A minute later, he came running up calling for Jimmie Robinson. That was when they found Louis’ body with a deep gash over his left eye. Robinson called police. 

There were overturned baskets in the basement, which indicated a struggle. Louis had been killed in the ripening room, which was a closed off section of the back cellar, where large bunches of green bananas were hung from the ceiling. No-one had heard the scuffle. Police believed that Louis had been attacked shortly before being discovered. Doctors said that he had been beaten so badly, that he could not have survived.

The murder weapon was not found in the basement. And an article from the Courier Post stated that it was potentially believed to have been a piece of pipe. Even though a hatchet that was used to cut the banana stalks was on the floor, police didn’t believe that it was the murder weapon. 

Police initially believe that he had been attacked by two men, as Louis was described as exceptionally strong for his age, and “more than a match for any normal man, unless struck from the rear”. One source recalled Louis as stocky and 180 pounds. 

A similar robbery had happened the year before, in June of 1936, a man named Morris Schwartz had been hit on the back of the head, and knocked unconscious, robbed of $100. Though he recovered, his attacker was never found. 

The first suspects that the police took into custody Louis’ murder, were two African American males. The day after the murder, they were looking for a third man, who had worked for Louis. One of the African American employees was considered suspicious by police, as he was six foot two, and left the cellar “unusually early” the day that Louis was murdered. One source states that the employee would usually stay until noon, but for some reason that day, he didn’t. These suspicions went no-where.

 

On March 30th, 1937, a man named Fred Turse was detained for questioning, in relation to Louis’ murder. Police had been searching for Turse, and found his truck parked in front of his home. Police stated that he wasn’t booked at headquarters, and willingly consented to talk to police. Turse was shown another man, and identified him as being in the building, the morning of Louis’ murder. Turse was held after the other man had identified the former as having been at the market twice on the morning of the murder. 

The man, who wasn’t named, stated that Fred Turse had arrived at the market with his truck and had gone to the basement with Louis, and returned with two doors which belonged on the rear of the truck. Louis then gave Turse a quantity of bananas, who then drove away, but returned a short time later, with the truck, and entered the building. 

Turse drove his truck to the police headquarters when he was questioned, and the same rear doors were on the floor inside his vehicle. 

Fred Turse and Louis Kable were apparently quite friendly, with Turse readily admitting that he had-had several business dealings with Louis before  obtaining steady employment the month before. 

Police records showed that Fred Turse had been arrested twice, each for assault and battery. The first was where Turse was one of several men who beat a man from Philadelphia. They attacked the man, as he got off a bus from an industrial plant. Fred Turse had also been arrested in the same industrial plant when he got into a brawl with a fellow worker, who was seriously injured. 

On April 8th, 1937, an article from The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Fred Turse saying that Louis Kable’s death was an accident. Turse tried to say that Louis “fell and hit his head on the cellar steps during a tussle over a stalk of bananas”. Police still charged Fred with murder. 

First, Fred tried to say that he wasn’t in the cellar where Louis was found. Then, he suggested that it was one of the African American workers who killed Louis Kable. It wasn’t until he was confronted with “the word of half-a-dozen witnesses who saw him enter the cellar”, that Turse admitted to being there with Kable. 

The article stated that Fred’s story was that he was “hard up for money-his wife an expectant mother-and that he mentioned this to Kable”. Louis had then offered Turse a stalk of over ripe bananas to sell. Turse told police that they went down the stairs, and he grabbed the stalk from Louis’ hands, and as he did so, Louis fell, striking his head on the cellar steps, and was knocked unconscious. Turse said that he took the bananas, and a roll of bills out of Louis’ pocket. Police were not able to find the money. 

On June 18th, 1937, it was reported that Fred Turse changed his plea to guilty in regards to Louis’ murder. Here, it was stated that Turse admitted to the killing. One article stated that Turse admitted going to the building in an attempt to borrow money from Louis Kable, and when he was rebuked, he struck Louis in the head several times, and robbed him of about $75.

On June 29th, Fred Turse was sentenced from 10-20 years for the murder. I am unsure how much of that time was served, and where exactly. Any information about Turse after this is scant. 

There is a find a grave page for Louis Kable. He was buried at Mount Sharon Cemetery, in Springfield, Pennsylvania. He was 48 years old. 

 

 

 Youtube video: https://youtu.be/AKHHrWxhJ28

The Mysterious Death of Lara Prychodko

 Lara Nadia Anike Prychodko was born on June 23rd, 1970, in Toronto, Canada. Not much is known about her early life, but she is remembered as having been a “vivacious and caring woman, who was deeply loved”, by her friends and family across Canada, the USA, and Europe. Her father recalled that she was very protective of her younger siblings. 

 

At some point in time, Lara went to the Etobicoke School for the Arts and then went on to the University of Toronto, and was vice president of her sorority. She would go on to model in New York City, and then became a conference event organizer for major corporations, such as WebMD. 

Her father recalled her as being “extremely sociable”, with great interpersonal and networking skills, which “made her so successful”. Her sister Talya remembered her as, kind, generous, and found the good in everyone. “She was a beautiful soul”. 

In 2003, she married a man named David Schlachet, who owned a construction company in Manhattan, New York. Somewhere around 2006 they had a son together. 

 

Around 2014 or 2016, her and David decided to divorce, which was described in news articles as, “acrimonious”. The process was taking at least two years. Sources state that the two fought over millions of dollars worth of assets. Real estate in expensive living areas were listed. One source states that it was Lara who decided to file for divorce.

One source says that while going through her divorce, she was dating CEO Wayne Gattinella.

In 2015, though another source states 2012, Lara lost custody of her son, because of a DUI charge. She had been granted overnight visitation rights after a meeting with a counselor, and was scheduled to see her son on July 11th, 2018.

 

Various sources state that in the last few days of her life, Lara was in good spirits, as her favorite team had beat out Belgium in the World Cup Semi finals, had anticipated regaining custody of her son. She was last seen around 4:10 to 4:20 pm, July 10th, 2018, entering her building at 1 Irving Place. 

Not even an hour later, a 911 call would be made at Zeckendorf Towers as a mangled body in the garbage compactor was found. It was unknown how, but Lara Prychodko had managed to fall 27 flights to her death down the trash chute, which was just “steps away from her front door”. One source states that her body was “crushed from multiple angles”. 
 
Lara’s death was considered an accident, and the New York City Medical Examiner deemed her cause of death as “multiple blunt impact injuries”. Her blood alcohol level was 0.29. High enough to nearly be considered alcohol poisoning. Lara’s manner of death was listed as “undetermined”. 

The circumstances of Lara’s death were immediately brought into question by her family, who found it to be extremely strange. Her father even pointed out, that if she wanted to commit suicide, “who would do it that way?”. 

The trash chute at Zeckendorf Towers was about 15 by 18 inches. Lara Prychoko was 5’10 and 130 pounds. Her father stated, “It’s simply impossible. It’s ridiculous, and what baffles me, is the only people that seems to give this preposterous idea some credence, are the investigating authorities.”. 

Lara’s case actually caught the attention of Dr. Michael Baden, who was New York City’s former medical examiner. He was quoted saying:

“I’ve never seen a drunk person be able to go into a narrow chute and go feet first down 27 stories, that’s extremely unusual”. He looked at the autopsy report and stated, “My opinion is that there’s enough information that should be investigated as a homicide.”. 

 

Crime scene photos showed a pale line around Lara’s neck with blue coloration, or cyanosis. Dr. Baden suggested that Lara could have been strangled to death before being put into the trash chute. Autopsy photos also showed very little internal bleeding anywhere but Lara’s neck, suggesting that she was dead before reaching the trash compactor. 

After Lara’s death, her estranged husband immediately took control of all the properties, and drained her bank accounts. 

Only a few articles about her death were posted in 2018. On July 12th of that year, the Daily News posted: “Woman chute death eyed as homicide”.  It stated that initially, Lara’s death was being investigated as a homicide case. In this article, it states that Lara’s body was found around 4:55 pm by a custodian for the building. 

Surveillance footage showed that Lara was walking alone in the hallway “like there’s nothing wrong” for a short time before her death. Her handbag was found discard by an elevator on the 27th floor.

On December 20th, 2018, the Daily News posted an article stating that Lara’s death was not foul play. Here, the medical examiner stated that there was no suspicion of foul play, and she had died of “multiple blunt impact injuries”. 

In articles from the New York Post, it was divulged that Lara had been convicted in 2012 for driving intoxicated, and had been battling a drinking problem that was brought on by a “growing brain tumor”. Attorney Eric Seiff stated,

 “I know she was absolutely convinced the pain and dependency she was experiencing that had her drinking, was directly related to the growing brain tumor.”.

In this article it stated it stated that multiple sources believed that Lara had been suffering from health issues. Her lawyer stated that she had turned her life around, and regularly passed professionally monitored drug and alcohol tests. 

He was quoted again:

“I have not been aware of a single test that she failed the last year. For the last six months [the tests] have been professionally supervised.” 

At the time of her death, Lara and her estranged husband had been in mediation, which had been postponed for a month. 

Another article from the NY post stated that someone had seen Lara’s estranged husband, David, before the police confirmed that the body in the trash chute was Lara’s. Supposedly, he was “acting normally. He wasn’t like sad or anything.”. 

Which wouldn’t seem odd at first, until you remember that Lara was supposed to have visitation with her son, and of course, never showed up. 

On the other hand, residents in the area that David lived, in Chelsea, stated that it seemed like Lara had a drinking problem, and regularly saw her stumbling drunk when she used to live there. 

One person was quoted:

“She would come home drunk. Like, she couldn’t walk. I don’t remember a specific time, but I remember many times [more than once a week].”

At the time of her death, Lara hadn’t lived in her apartment building for very long, and wasn’t well known to those around her.

— 

In an article from 2020 the New York Post revealed some more details about Lara before her death. 

On Memorial Day 2018, May 28th, she had apparently sent an email to her lover Wayne Gattinella. Apparently he was still married at this point too. Her email said:

“I just woke up missing my beautiful amazing son whom I’ve lost because of my love of you.

You said you would take care of private school, but you are not. My child deserves the same privilege yours do.  ”.

This was sent at 6:05 am that day. The article from New York post stated that Lara also wanted him to leave his wife of 40 years.

Gattinella owned a lot of expensive reality in New York, worth millions and millions of dollars. He ended up renting a two bedroom apartment with Lara according to a January 2018 rental agreement. Seven months after he signed the least, Lara was found dead. The rent was $6,500 a month. 

This article was the first to point out that Lara shared the apartment with Gattinella. 

One of Lara’s friends stated that there was no way Lara could have thrown herself down the trash chute. The friend also stated that the atmosphere at the apartment was “toxic”, and Lara was “constantly drinking and fighting with Gattinella about his marriage”. Despite this, the friend said that Lara was full of plans for the future. 

At the time, Lara was getting ready to launch a line of skin care products. The friend was quoted again saying, “She told me she was going to have one last big party and then get sober. All she wanted was to get her life back.”. 

This last party was at Ibiza, Spain, and then Paris, France, where Lara traveled with Gattinella to celebrate her 48th birthday. Before the trip, Gattinella’s wife had learned of the relationship though, when she found a charge for a gym membership on her husband’s credit card statement. The membership was of course, for Lara. 

It was recalled that Wayne Gattinella was “always buying her expensive things.”. They had luxury vehicles, expensive clothes, and “ate at the best restaurants in Manhattan”. 

Before Lara’s death, there was tension in their relationship, with him becoming rude to her after his wife discovered the gym membership. When this happened, he refused to call her. One friend stated that the relationship between the two went on for nearly a decade, and Lara had become tired of being the mistress. 

In a separate email from May 28th, 2018, Lara sent Wayne an email saying:

“I can never get to you, so I’m so over this system. You either stop having me blocked (everyone knows it’s just you who can’t admit) or go back to a hidden phone. Your choice, but if you were honest now I don’t think it would be as dramatic, they all know.”

Apparently, Gattinella was never named a suspect in Lara’s death. Months after Lara died, Gattinella’s wife filed for divorce, it was finalized in 2020.

In 2023, Lara’s father filed for a wrongful death suit against her estranged husband, but nothing seems to have ever come from this. 

—

A celebration of Lara’s life was held at the Jerrett Funeral Home in Toronto, on July 27th, 2018. In an obituary for her, her family asked that donations in Lara’s name be made to The Acoustic Neroma Society of Canada, and/or Planned Parenthood. 

Paul Jung: The Clown Murdered By Addicts

 In April of 1965, the Ringling Bros. And Barnum and Bailey were to play two shows every day at Madison Square Garden in New York, through May 9th. In ads, you can see a clown’s face, whose likeness was Paul Jung’s, one of the major clowns that worked for circus, and had done so many years. 

 

Paul Jung had worked with the circus for a long time, joining the Ringling Bros in 1917 at the age of 16, as an acrobat. According to his 1918 draft card, he listed his occupation as “Clown” for the Barnum and Bailey Circus. He left in 1924 to work in vaudeville, then returned to the circus in 1934. Paul was 5’8” and 140 pounds, and some sources described him as a bit frail, after having an accident as an acrobat.

While working in the circus, he met his wife, Elsie. 

 

Paul was described as a “star producing clown”, which meant that he both devised and performed tricks for the circus. He was also known as the “Boss of Clown Alley”. Paul was one of the circus’ highest paid performers, and had a “Fun Factory” that he ran with his wife in Florida. Paul was “one of the best known clowns in the business”.

During the month that circus was to play at Madison Square Garden, Paul was staying at the Forrest Hotel, which was nearby, about a block away. He registered with the hotel on March 30th of that year, and the staff never had any problems with him. They found him to be quiet, polite, and kept to himself, never even going to the hotel bar. Occasionally, he would go see a movie in Times Square.

— 

Paul was last seen on April 20th, 7:30 pm, going into the hotel, following the second show of the day. He didn’t want to go to dinner with the fellow performers, as he was expecting a long distance call. One source says that Paul was also thinking of flying home to Tampa, Florida.

On April 21st, when he didn’t show up for the 10:30 AM show, the assistant circus manager, Dean McMurray, went to the hotel. McMurray went with bell captain, Archie Thompson, with a passkey, as the room was initially locked. Once there, they found Paul’s body. 

Paul’s head was crushed in by a blunt instrument, and his hands were tied behind his back. His body was found just inside the foyer between a bed and the wall, which were both blood soaked. One source states that Paul was found lying on his back near the door. He was dressed in a white undershirt and brown striped pajama bottoms. His body was face up, arms behind the back, beneath the body. 

 The bed had been turned at a 30 degree angle from the twin bed next to it, and the sheet was partly pulled down. Initially, detectives had dismissed robbery as the probable motive, and there weren’t any indications that the room had been ransacked. There weren’t any signs of a struggle either. The murder weapon wasn’t in the room, and all that the detectives found was a six pack of beer and two more cans, all filled. All of Paul’s personal effects remained. Police went to the local stores to see who bought the beer, but that didn’t seem to go very far. 

 

People that knew Paul didn’t understand why he would have been a target. One circus executive was quoted:

“I never knew Paul to have an enemy in the circus, and he has been with us ever since I can remember! He was the guy everybody liked.”.

Paul’s wife said that she couldn’t imagine why anyone would have attacked him, as he wasn’t a violent man. She was also quoted: “It’s that terrible New York City! It’s like a jungle. There have been so many atrocities there in the past few years.”.

One of the other performers, Prince Paul, a good friend, stated: “He had no enemies. It must have been a junkie or an insane person who did this.”. 

After the rest of the performers learned of Paul’s death, they were of course heartbroke. They continued the circus shows as planned, but as one said, they were “only going through the motions”. One, Bobby Kay, said: “When I heard the police report that it was foul play, I couldn’t believe it. Natural causes we learn to accept, but foul play, we never accept.”. 

—
Articles believed that Paul had potentially been beaten with a large flashlight. Police theorized that Paul was killed by someone he knew, that he let into his room. They thought that the killer likely concealed the weapon in his clothing, and it had to have been something not normally found in the hotel, and not connected to the circus. Police believe that Paul was hit in the head, stunning him, and fell, where his hands were quickly tied behind his back. It was believed that as Paul regained consciousness and thrashed on the floor between the bed and the wall, the killer smashed Paul’s head again, which caused several skull fractures, extensive brain damage, and multiple scalp wounds. 

The killer didn’t go to the front desk to inquire for Paul, which indicated to detectives that they had already made an appointment to see him in his room. It was noted that Paul couldn’t have accidentally left his weighted door open, as there was no indication that force had been used on the double locks. 

The exact time frame from when the killer may have entered, and when Paul was killed was unknown, but the autopsy done estimated Paul’s time of death between 11:30 pm Tuesday, April 20th, and 1 am Wednesday, April 21st. 

Surprisingly, none of the other hotel guests heard any commotion or signs of struggle. 

— 

Police didn’t really believe that robbery was the motive, because certain things weren’t taken. One article stated that if robbery was the motive, “the killer was remarkably jittery”. Paul’s wristwatch and ring weren’t taken, and $222 in cash ($2354 in 2026) was found in the pockets of his pants that were hanging the closet of his room. 

Interestingly, the police discounted sex as a probable motive, as Paul had been happily married. They didn’t believe that the killer was “some new, casual acquaintance”, and they didn’t believe that drinking was a factor either. 

All 169 performers for the circus show were questioned, then another 100 attaches were questioned. 

—

On April  24th, 1965, Paul’s body was flown to Tampa, Florida. Funeral services were held at Wilson Sammon Funeral Parlor. His body was cremated. Paul’s widow, Elsie, asked that no flowers to be sent. She was quoted: 

“Paul never liked to be fussed over. This was his request. He always said he didn’t want people sending flowers.”. 

 

—

On May 7th, 1965, articles were posted stating that police had questioned over 1500 people about the case, and had 3 leads. By this time, police stated that the murder weapon was a blunt instrument “described as hotel property and something usually found in hotel rooms”, but was not further identified. They didn’t tell the press much about the suspects, but they stated that one was on the run, and the other was believed to still be in the city. 

In June, articles posted that a stolen typewriter was a clue in the case, which eventually lead to the suspects being revealed. One article stated that Paul would constantly correspond by mail to the many people he met over the years, writing on a typewriter. After his death, it was found that his typewriter was missing. 

The typewriter wound up in a “hock shop”, or pawn shop, in upper Manhattan, and it was established that it had belonged to Paul. The name and address of the pawner were fake, but the operator of the shop was able to describe the man who sold it. Pawn shop owners elsewhere remembered also pawning items from the same name. In every instance except one, the  man gave a phony name. The one time he didn’t, he gave his real name and address, which is what made it possible for detectives to catch him. 

Here, it was revealed the the suspects were Allen Jones, 24, and Marian De Berry, 21. Allen was described as a jobless laborer, and Marian was a convicted prostitute. The two were both heroin addicts with a $40 ($424 in 2026) a day habit, desperate for money.

 

 One article stated that Paul had gave them an opportunity. De Berry had been invited into Paul’s room for a can of beer. She left the hotel room door unlocked, and Allen Jones followed in, beating Paul with a firehose nozzle. They then robbed Paul, and fled the hotel. 

The same month, the two stated that their “constitutional rights were violated after their arrest”. They tried to claim that the statements they made to police were obtained under duress. Their lawyers tried to claim that “the defendants were illegally detained and their constitutional rights violated.”, and their statements were signed “under threat of fear and force”. On the other hand, the judge stated that their rights “have been, and will be protected”. 

Strangely, despite robbery not initially being thought the motive, it was revealed that Paul was robbed of $40 along with the typewriter. So the earlier idea that the robbers were jittery, seemed to have been true. 

At this point, official reticence in giving details on the crime was due to a court ruling that the defendants had  their rights violated due to pre trial publicity. 

Jones and De Berry were held without bail, and a hearing was scheduled for June 15th, 1965, but I couldn’t find any articles on it. On July 1st, it was reported that the two plead innocent.

 

From there, things slowed, and I couldn’t find any new articles until April of 1966. On April 7th of that year, it was reported that Allen Jones asked to have his case transferred to federal court under the civil rights act. His attorney argued that his constitutional rights had been violated by the refusal of the Manhattan district attorney’s office to reveal information concerning the murder. They claimed that this was due to Allen Jones’ race. Interestingly, this motion was made a month before he was due to go on trial, in May of 1966. 

One article quoted Jones and his lawyer’s statement as: “The tactics of the District Attorney is intended to deprive me of my rights in contravention of the constitution of the United State based on my race and heritage. The District Attorney is attempting to discriminate against me by providing even less information for my defense counsel than might be provided to other persons of different race than myself.”. 

This must have worked in some way, as the trial in May never happened, and was postponed, but ultimately, his trial was still held in New York state supreme court.

 

Marian De Berry appeared in articles later that year, in August, where it was reported that she plead guilty to simple assault. The district attorney stated, “we feel that she’s not the killer and not responsible for the death.”. She was released on $1000 bail for sentencing that was to happen on October 5th, 1966. By this point, no trial date was set for Allen Jones. The October date didn’t seem to happen either.

 

—

Nothing happened until September of 1967, when Allen Jones’ trial finally began. By this time, Marian De Berry had pleaded guilty to third degree assault. When she went on the stand, she stated that Allen had demanded money from Paul, who refused to give him any. She was quoted saying, “Allen hit him on the head five or six times with the nozzle.”. 

Jones then wiped two foot long, 7-8 pound nozzle with a hotel towel, gagged Paul, and tied his hands behind his back using one of Marian’s stockings. The couple then left the hotel. 

 

During the trial, it was revealed that Marian had knocked on Paul’s door a week before his death, in search of business. He invited her in, paid her $20 ($212 in 2026) and gave her two circus tickets. After this encounter, Allen Jones had stated that he was going to rob Paul Jung.

 From the way articles read, it seems that Marian came to Paul’s room the night he was murdered, and they had “the relationship again”, after which, Allen Jones came into the room with the fire nozzle in his hand. This was when Allen Jones demanded money and the beating followed.

Jones told De Berry, “Look in his pockets”, where it seemed like she only searched Paul’s person, and not anything else. She stated that Paul was still breathing when they left. 

There wasn’t much reported about the defense’s plan, only one sentence in passing, stating that they tried to pin the murder on Marian, and that Allen Jones was innocent. 
 
On October 18th, 1967, Allen Jones was found guilty for Paul Jung’s death. The all male jury in the state supreme court deliberated for 4.5 hours, before reading the verdict. District Attorney William Loguen told the jury: “All the evidence proves that Jones committed the brutal and unnecessary murder of this defenseless man.”. When the guilty verdict was read, Allen Jones reportedly showed no emotion. 

Allen Jones was sentenced to Life in Prison in November, 1967. He also showed no emotion when this was read. He was to be sent to Sing Sing Prison. Articles reported that Jones was to spend at at least  26 years an 8 months behind bars before he could seek parole. 

Even though articles stated that Marian was still awaiting sentencing for her participation in the crime, I couldn’t find any articles about what she eventually received. 

— 

I could not find any more information on what potentially happened to Allen Jones after being sentenced. I’m unsure when he or Marian potentially passed away. 

There is a find a grave page for Paul Jung. As stated before, he was cremated. He was 65 years old.

 

Angels Hung From The Arches of Heaven mini review

 

 

 “Angels Hung From The Arches of Heaven” is the eighth Goatwhore album, released on October 7th, 2022. It is the only album to have TA on bass. 

The album starts out with a much darker element, and possibly the first really Death Metal Goatwhore album. It has a lot more sadness and darkness to it, which I know had a lot to do with how the world changed thanks to all the covid bullshit. 

More of Sammy’s punk influences come out in the album, as heard even on the first track. Benjamin’s vocals are a lot more evil, and his lyrics seem to reflect these dark elements too. 

The album art was created by Jordan Barlow, and there are so many tiny pieces of esoteric lore, that it’d take at least 30 minutes to explain it all. The most noticeable part is the bird and the swords. When I interviewed Sammy Duet in 2022, I asked him if this was supposed to be like the “10 of swords” in a tarot deck, and he said yes. Though he wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be reversed or upright, when I asked. 

My favorite tracks off the album are “Victory Is The Lightning of Destruction”, “Weight of A Soulless Heart”, and “Voracious Blood Fixation”.

This is a fantastic album. I’m curious what type of music Sammy Duet will record next, Goatwhore or not. I hope that he makes something heavy and evil.

4.5/5

Vengeful Ascension mini review

 

 

 “Vengeful Ascension” is the seventh Goatwhore album, released on June 23rdm 2017. It is the last album to have James Harvey on it, and I believe the last album James ever recorded on before his death in 2023. 

It starts out with this great drum intro on the song “Forsaken”. The album as a whole is slower, and goes a bit more into the Death Metal element. Lyrically, you see more esoteric elements than in the previous 3 albums, closer to what you’d read on “A Haunting Curse”. 

Instrumentally, the album sounds more “depressed” in a way. It’s not nearly as playful. And it’s sad sounding in some parts. When I think of a color, I imagine the color grey. Like a grey sky, and grey ground. 

This may also be because the guitars sound compressed to me. I don’t know why, but it’s like Sammy’s guitars are muffled in some sense. This doesn’t even seem to be the case for James’ bass. I don’t know if this was an error, or intentional. 

My favorite tracks off the album are “Chaos Arcane”, “Under The Flesh, Into The Soul”, “Drowned In Grim Rebirth”, and “Mankind Will Have No Mercy”. There’s one part with “Mankind” where I can’t help but say “meow” along with the guitars. “Meow meow meow!”. Which seems to make sense with how much Sammy likes cats.

The album art is quite possibly the best art I’ve ever seen. Jordan Barlow outdid himself for this one, and I wish that you could just by prints to it separately. 

Overall, a good album. 3.25/5

 

Exterminance mini review

 

 

 “Exterminance” is the second album by Ritual Killer, released on September 18th, 2015. On this release, they have James Harvey on bass, who at the time, was also playing bass for Goatwhore. James also played in Psychon Vex with Jordan Barlow and Zak Nolan in the past. 

This release has a lot more polish, and is of more studio quality. The lyrics aren’t available anywhere, but from what I can hear, they definitely have an esoteric theme to them, as made obvious from the artwork itself. Once again, Jordan created the album to this release too. 

There is a lot more groove and rhythm on this album, and you can hear how James Harvey and Sammy Duet worked together so well. The band as a whole sounded very unified while playing together. In many ways, I truly feel like Ritual Killer was the natural continuation of Sammy Duet’s career, and talent. I truly hope that maybe one day, he could come back to this project, as this album tells me that there was a lot of potential here. 

My favorite song overall is “Through Feral Eyes”. Even though it’s the shortest track, it’s just so fun and fast. The album in general, has a very fun and punky type of sound, while keeping in the Black Metal realm. 

I really love this album as a whole, and recommend it to any Metal fan, honestly. 

5/5

 

Constricting Rage of The Merciless mini review

 

 

 “Constricting Rage of The Merciless” is the sixth Goatwhore album, released on July 8th, 2014. This would be their last album to be produced by Erik Rutan. 

I think the album should have started out with the song “Baring Teeth For Revolt”, which would have brought the high energy from the start. The song is very good, and groovy, which I think is important when trying to draw in a listener. 

 The lyrics delve more into the esoteric elements, and you start to see more of this incorporated into the album. The album art goes along with this, as it seems to all talk about or allude to Revelations in the bible.

Genre wise, the album is more Thrashy than it’s previous one, though the Black Metal notes are long gone by the time this album came out. There’s this cocaine fast riff thing going on that definitely differs from what you’d hear on their debut album. 

My favorite songs are “Baring Teeth For Revolt”, “FBS”, and “Reanimated Sacrifice”, personally, I like the faster tracks on the album. There’s this punk element to all of them, which probably appeals to my love for bands like Megadeth.

It’s strange, because many people would consider this the “go to” album, when it comes to listening to Goatwhore, but I disagree. While good, I don’t think it completely captures the talent that they had. 

3.5/5

 

 

Blood For The Master mini review

 

 

 “Blood For The Master” is the fifth Goatwhore album, released on February 14th, 2012. It is the first album to have James Harvey on bass. 

In comparison to their prior album, this is like night and day. You can tell that James was a “breath of fresh air”. Songs like “When Steel and Bone Meet” are very fun, and James’ playing follows Sammy’s very well. 

The album isn’t Black Metal at all, and by this time, they went just Metal, with some Thrash influences. The lyrics are more esoteric than in the previous album.

The combination of Sammy, James, and Zack created a fun and groovy sound, with lots of rhythm. There are plenty of moments to shake your ass to. 

You also hear more moments where Sammy comes back on vocals, which was lost for a bit on the previous album. 

This is also the first Goatwhore album to feature art by Jordan Barlow, who also played in the band Ritual Killer with Sammy, and Psychon Vex with James Harvey.

My favorite tracks on the album are “Death To The Architects of Heaven”, and “An End To Nothing”. They’re fun, punky, fast, and groovy. I think that this was a great introduction for James Harvey into the band. 

3.5/5

 

 

Carving Out The Eyes of God mini review

 

 

 “Carving Out The Eyes of God” is the fourth Goatwhore album, released on June 23rd, 2009. It is the last album to have bassist Nathan Bergeron. 

The album is very different from the ones before it. To me, it is notably missing much of the esoteric and Black Metal elements, nearly stripped of it, in a sense. This was the second album to have been produced by Erik Rutan, and honestly, I’m not a fan of what he did to this album. It’s so strange to me, because “A Haunting Curse” was also produced by Rutan, but that one was good. I don’t hate this album, but I’m not the biggest fan of this one. When I compare it to their others, a whole, I just get the feeling that something is missing. In many ways, it was like the goal was just to make the music loud. I think the production was a sign of the times though, as many albums from this early 2000’s era went digital, though in hindsight, it doesn’t seem like the people producing the music seemed to know what they were doing. I feel like this is Goatwhore’s weakest album. 

Even still, there are songs that I like, such as “Shadow of a Rising Knife” and “Provoking The Ritual of Death”. 

Overall, I give this a 2.75/5.

 

A Haunting Curse mini review

 

 

 “A Haunting Curse” is the third Goatwhore album, released on September 5th, 2006. This is the first album to have Zack Simmons on drums, and their first album with Metal Blade. 

For the longest time, this was my favorite Goatwhore album, though it has been beat out by their first one, “The Eclipse of Ages Into Black”. 

I think that this album is fantastic, and starts like a bat out of hell. When played right after their second one, the difference is clear, and you can hear how the bar had risen for them. Something definitely changed, and it seems that they really started to think of things more professionally. 

The album really strays from the original Black Metal sound from their first album, but it’s still a great record. This is more in line with the “Blackened Death Metal” sound, though you hear a lot more of Sammy Duet’s punk influences. This is apparent on songs like “Wear These Scars of Testimony” and “Diabolical Submergence of Rebirth”.

My favorite songs on the album are “My Eyes Are The Spears of Chaos”, “A Haunting Curse”, and “Silence Marked By The Breaking of Bone”. I love the bends on “Silence” especially.

Though as a whole, I enjoy the whole album. 

The lyrics are still esoteric, and seem to referenced various old pieces of literature, and their concepts. “The Witches Hammer”, and “The Five Satans” are examples of this. 

I think that this is a fantastic album, and if you’re a fan of bands like Behemoth, you’d enjoy this on. 

4/5

 

 

Upon The Threshold of Hell mini review

 

 

 “Upon The Threshold of Hell” is the first Ritual Killer album, released on June 14th, 2005. It only has three members on it, Jordan Barlow on vocals, Zak Nolan on drums, and Sammy Duet who plays guitar and bass. 

The album is a lot more rough around the edges, more like a demo at times, than a full on studio type album, but I love it for what it is. Since it’s Black Metal, the lower quality recording actually adds to it, rather than subtracts. 

The artwork is done by Jordan Barlow, who is a wonderful artist and writer. His lyrics are also beautiful, and he is a talented writer. 

I can imagine that this album would be played in the background of a record store. It has that type of vibe, where you’d walk in to buy used records and cassettes, and this would be blaring overhead. 

I truly believe that Black Metal is Sammy Duet’s forte, and playing music is one of his greatest talents. He has this great chemistry with Zak Nolan, who I believe is a fantastic Black Metal drummer. Zak’s style fits in so well with the genre. 

One of my favorite songs is “Dead River Intervention”. At the end, there is even an audio clip from the movie “Alucarda” included! Other songs I like are “Witch of The Sabbatic Fire” and “Empire of Shit”, though I truly like the album as a whole. 

3.5/5 stars

 

 

Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun mini review

 

 

 “Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun” is the second Goatwhore album, released on July 21st, 2003. It is the last album to have Pat Bruders and Zak Nolan on it. 

There’s a definite change in the sound here, in comparison to Goatwhore’s first album. It’s like a small fire that is soon to erupt into something larger. You can already hear the band’s style changing, where they aren’t completely Black Metal anymore. There’s more of a punk element to the songs, though the lyrics remain in that esoteric element. A good example of this would be “Chanting Bells of Funeral Anguish”, which is one of my favorite songs on the album.

One of my other favorite songs on the album is “Sky Inferno”, which the band would sometimes play live. It was even better to hear in person. I think the line, “The path I walk, is paved with the ashes of corpses. Beneath my feet, are the souls of thousands”, is bad ass. 

There is this “Blackened Death Metal” sound to the album, that is akin to what you’d hear from Behemoth around this time period. An album that comes to mind is “The Apostasy”, for example. “Zos Kia Cultus” is another one.

I think the album is more of a “Grower”, for anyone that listens to it. You might have to already be a Goatwhore fan to love this album, but I like it for what it is.

3/5