Year: 2021
Director: Dan Mirvish
Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, John Magaro, Vondie Curtis Hall, Catherine Curtin, Richard Kind, Sullivan Jones, Alanna Saunders, Claire Saunders, Ted Raimi, Jon Cryer, Bruce Campbell
Genre: Comedy/Thriller
Run time: 1 hour 28 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
When You Don’t Know What Happened, Let Your Imagination Run Wild
Director Dan Mirvish’s comical thriller “18 1/2” is about, what was, the biggest political crime in American history, until January 6th, t the erased 18 ½ minutes of Richard Nixon’s Watergate tapes.
Using his vivid imaginations to create a narrative and characters that never existed, it is a White House transcriber, who works for OMB (U.S. Office of Management and Budget), Connie Lashley (Willa Fitzgerald) who, while transcribing her final tape of the day, hears the voices of Nixon (Bruce Campbell) and Haig (Ted Raimi). This leads to a great discovery.
Realizing the importance of what she has heard, she teams up with New York Times reporter Paul Marrow (John Magaro) and they both decide to listen to the tape together, in private, In order to listen to the tape together, Connie and Paul rent a room from Jack (Richard Kind) at a local hotel. A creepy and dreary place that provide a great backdrop for the what is to follow.
Having the tape with the missing 18 ½ minutes creates a paranoia of being watched and conversations listened to, leading to Connie and Paul looking over their shoulder at every turn. Which can not be missed as they encounter a group of hippies and their leader Barry (Sullivan Jones), and staying in the cottage next door, Samuel (Vondie Curtis-Hall) and Lena (Catherine Curtin) that leads to many funny encounters that eventually turn dark.
“18 1/2” transports you right into the 1970s with its authentic costumes, set designs and photography. Every detail of Costume designer Sarah Cogan is realistic of clothes worn during this period, giving the impression of a film made in the 1970s.
“18 1/2” is a must see and very entertaining comedic thriller that feeds into the many conspiracy theories about Nixon, his secretary Rose Mary Woods and the missing 18 ½ minutes of the Watergate tape.
Release Date: May 27, 2022
Distributor: Adventure Entertainment
Co-executive Producer: Dana Altman, Frédéric Forestier
Production Co: 101 Films International, Bugeater Films and Kyyba Films, Syncopated Daydreams and Terry Keefe Media.
Run time: 1 hour 28 minutes
Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, John Magaro, Vondie Curtis Hall, Catherine Curtin, Richard Kind, Sullivan Jones, Alanna Saunders, Claire Saunders, Ted Raimi, Jon Cryer, Bruce Campbell
Director: Dan Mirvish
Story by: Daniel Moya, Dan Mirvish
Cinematography: Elle Schneider
Editor: Dan Mirvish
Music: Luis Guerra
Run time: 1 hour 28 minutes