HDN reviewer's wit made for a 5-star career
By MIKE CORN
His wit could not be denied.
Neither could his criticism, cutting a would-be blockbuster off at the knees when his published review determined that little of entertainment could be found.
He was always spot-on with his "Reel Rating."
Jeff Weigel, long-time movie reviewer for The Hays Daily News, died Saturday, after a bout with pneumonia. He had also authored the "Make me laugh" column that gave him a chance to interview comedians performing at the Stadium Club.
His mother, Bernita, hard-hit by Jeff's death, couldn't remember when he started writing the review.
"It's been years," she said.
He took a bit of a hiatus, but resumed writing and devoted Herculean efforts into the review -- his first and most beloved writings.
"That was the only thing he wrote," Bernita Weigel said. "He kept a journal of himself."
That journal was on his computer, and contained monthly updates about his life.
"He never let me read it," she said of Jeff's journal. "I have never read it."
Physically disabled, Jeff received new-found independence when a "sip-and-puff" program was installed on his computer.
The technology allows those who don't have use of their hands to give commands to a computer by inhaling or exhaling through a tube connected to the computer.
It was one of the first installed in the area, and Jeff and his computer extension was the subject of a feature article about how it worked.
Before that, Jeff would have to call his mother up to his room for something most people take for granted: turning on the lights.
One day, Jeff called his mother up to his room and announced that he had done something that he had never been able to do before.
"I did something I never did before," Bernita Weigel recalled Jeff saying, "and I did it by myself."
His independence grew as the computer's capabilities expanded.
Soon, he was able to answer his own telephone, turn on his television and change the channels -- no doubt watching a movie.
The only thing he couldn't do was insert a CD into a CD player.
But, Bernita Weigel said, he could open and close the CD tray.
Not long ago, she said, Jeff was able to purchase a camera that sat on top of his computer, a camera that he could point to virtually any spot in his apartment.
"That was the neatest thing," she said. "He could look around his room and see his pictures on the wall."
He also used the "sip-and-puff" to play poker, a game of choice for him.
"He enjoyed life," she said.
He enjoyed interviewing comedians for his "Make me laugh" column, and many of the comedians remained in contact with Jeff through e-mail.
But the movie reviews took precedence.
Sometimes it took hours for Jeff to get it just right.
"Sometimes," she said, "I think he was up until 3 or 4 in the morning. It had to be perfect."
In fact, when Bernita would pick up Jeff after the movie, she knew better than to ask how it was.
"His mind was on the review," she said. "So maybe the next day, when I picked him up, I would ask."
His reviews were often fodder for discussion by others, or used as a guide for some to determine if they were going to the movie.
That brought him happiness.