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Movie review: Even Helen Mirren can't elevate clumsy horror film 'Winchester'
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Helen Mirren in Winchester." - photo by Josh Terry
WINCHESTER 2 stars Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Jason Clarke; PG-13 (violence, disturbing images, drug content, some sexual material and thematic elements); in general release

Winchester will make you jump, but it wont really scare you, and even the presence of Dame Helen Mirren isnt enough to save its clumsy story from running out of ammunition before the final reel.

Directed by brothers Michael and Peter Spierig, Winchester is the inspired by true events story of Sarah Winchester (Mirren), the majority shareholder of the famous rifle company who believes shes being haunted by the ghosts of Winchester shooting victims.

Set during a single week in 1906, Winchester follows the visit of a psychologist named Eric Price (Jason Clarke), hired by the company to evaluate Winchesters mental condition. For years, Winchester has used the companys vast financial resources to turn a comparatively modest San Jose home into a sprawling, seven-story mansion.

But Winchester isnt interested in an eccentric demonstration of wealth. Her eternal construction project is an effort to accommodate the tormented spirits of the many souls who have lost their lives at the wrong end of the company rifles. For some, the home is a gateway to a peaceful rest; for others, not so much.

Price arrives right around the time a spirit from the latter category is settling in. For some reason, this new demon has attached himself to Henry (Finn Scicluna-OPrey), Winchesters great-nephew, who has been living at the house with his mother (Sarah Snook) since he witnessed the tragic death of his father. Winchester believes this death is yet another example of the family curse.

Price is bringing along his own share of demons, still mourning the loss of his wife Ruby (Laura Brent) in a mysterious incident that involved his own relatively brief death. In Prices case, mourning has taken the form of a drug addiction.

Price's connection to the afterlife has made him more sensitive to Winchesters brand of demons though he remains a skeptic and the film unfolds as the secretive Winchester gradually uncovers the deeper layers of the infamous family history in order to allow Price to combat its demons.

Casting a presence like Mirren will take you a long way, and Clarke does a decent job of keeping pace. Unfortunately, Winchester never manages to create a tone or atmosphere to match the frights it wants the audience to feel. To engage the audience, the Spierig brothers rely almost exclusively on jump scares usually in the form of sudden appearances of ghoulish faces and as a result, the film never really takes root.

For its first two acts, Winchesters story remains just interesting enough to justify your attention, but it unravels quickly in the finale, making its ham-fisted delivery and excess spats of expositional dialogue all the more obvious. Even the presumably anti-gun moral to the story falls flat.

You get the feeling, though, that the biggest missed opportunity here was the house. According to IMDb, parts of Winchester were filmed at the historic mansion, though most of the interiors were constructed on sound stages thanks to the original homes cramped quarters. Even so, you get the sense that a more seasoned director would have done more to make the home a true character in the film. Unfortunately, real or not, the house in Winchester is just a set, and its characters are little more than chess pieces moved around in an ill-conceived game.

"Winchester" is rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, drug content, some sexual material and thematic elements; running time: 99 minutes.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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