"The Ice Harvest": A Bone to Pick

Today, a new movie called "The Ice Harvest" is supposed to open in theatres. The long and short of the movie, from the synopsis given on this site to the review given on the radio, is that a mob boss has settled in Wichita after a heist in Kansas City, where he is from.

Here is what you need to know before watching this movie, if you choose to go at all: NO part of this movie was filmed anywhere near Kansas, let alone Wichita. It was filmed in Illinois, near or in Chicago. Also, there are no mobs in Kansas. None in Kansas City, none in Wichita, the state's largest city. (KC is only bigger than Wichita on the Missouri side.) I should know: I've lived my entire life in Kansas, most exclusively in Wichita, and the only gang-like activity is just that, not mob-like, and there certainly aren't any mobs anywhere near here.

Apparently, this movie is very unflattering in its view and portrayal of Wichita. This is the last kind of coverage our fair state needs. We just sent accused BTK serial killer Dennis Rader sent to the "big house" and had a made-for-TV movie show recently on television, Kansas schools are trying to play down the proponents of evolution in favor of making sure children know that it's only a theory and that a higher being must have created us and the universe (which, for some reason is making Kansans look like a bunch of hick nuts – supposedly the position of a "Kansas science teacher" is rated as one of the nation's worst possible jobs), and "In Cold Blood," a movie based on the slaying of the Clutter family that happened a couple of decades ago has been rebroadcast... From the media coverage, those who believe all this crap that has been shown on TV might wonder what kind of people really do live here!

I'm not saying that this movie won't have redeeming qualities. Some of the movie ratings are looking very positive for this film. The reviewer from this morning's radio show, though, gave this movie a rating of -1 on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the highest possible rating.

Maybe it will prove to be a good movie afterall, but please don't think that this story has anything at all to do with the real-life Wichita, Kansas. If you do see it, let me know what you think of it. Maybe eventually, my husband and I will watch it just to see what it's all about.