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What To Watch

 At the Milwaukee Film Festival. (MFF)

First warning! You can not see all of the films. There are far too many films. Scheduling them between the five venues is an art form rather than a technique. Some films will sell out before you can book them.

An observation. Someone once said there is no such thing as a bad golf course. Indeed, some are better than others. This is true of the films curated for the festival. I've often thought that rather than sweating over which directors gave us films we liked in the past or who is starring in the film being considered in making a choice, possibly throwing a dart at an enlarged schedule might do just as well.

I can't remember not attending the MFF after moving to Milwaukee in 2003. I know there were two versions, and there may have been a blip between them. The current organization started in 2009. It has the distinction of being the 5th largest in the US based on the number of films shown (300+), the length of the festival (4/20-5/4, 2023), and the number of people attending (71,000+).

As is typical with Milwaukee folks, this shining star of the film festival circuit is not bragged about. Forget that a considerable part of the festival features locally produced films of high quality and worth. Don't notice that Black filmmakers are represented and deserve to be. Foreign films, short films, documentaries, and feature films are available in dizzying numbers. For Milwaukee to boast about this and so many other city features is to be frowned on. Fortunately, our MFF is watched by others who are okay with realizing its importance and excellence. 

For those of us mining the online catalog for our selections, you should feel only a small amount of concern. For it is, in the end, a labor of love. A love for film and for this city that provides the people and the venues to pull this trick off every year.

Doctor's report:

Pancreas Issue:

I've been told that the mass on my pancreas was hardly visible on the CT scan and not visible on the MRI. That is perplexing since the quality of the MRI is superior to the CT. The doctor is not going to do anything for three months. At this time, he'll order another MRI. 

If it shows itself, we'll biopsy it. If it's cancerous, they will remove it. If it's a benign cyst, we will monitor it but won't remove it. This is because the trauma and the danger of surgery outweigh the slight chance of trouble the cyst would present.

Next week we will learn more about the mass on the Bladder.

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