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MOVIE REVIEW: Sydney Sweeney shines as NSA leaker Reality Winner

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MOVIE REVIEW: Sydney Sweeney shines as NSA leaker Reality Winner


AUGUSTA, Ga. – “Reality,” a new movie starring Sydney Sweeney, is largely set in one empty room.

There is nothing on the walls. There are no chairs or rugs, just a stark and ugly room in a nondescript rental property in a downtrodden neighborhood.

Its script is as minimalistic — lifted directly from the transcript of one long conversation between two FBI agents and a young woman they suspect has leaked classified documents.

‘REALITY’

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  • “Reality,” a Max release currently streaming, is rated TV-MA. Running time: 83 minutes. Three stars out of four.

The dialogue has all the ums and ahs, botched sentences and awkward small talk one might expect from actual human beings, not slickly intelligent Aaron Sorkin creations. And it’s one of the most tense and exciting films of the year.

It’s based on the actual FBI interrogation of the unbelievably named Reality Winner, a former Air Force translator who worked as a contractor at a National Security Agency office in Augusta.

One day in May 2017, she printed a classified report, tucked it into her pantyhose, walked out of the office and mailed it to an online news outlet. The next month, the FBI was at her door to interrogate her. The film starts as she pulls up into her driveway, an agent knocks on her car window and starts the recording on his handheld device.

The film comes from Tina Satter, a noted playwright who first conceived of this idea for the stage. The show, called “Is This a Room,” was acclaimed in its off-Broadway run and the film version, which debuted at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year and is currently streaming on Max, is her directorial debut.

It’s easy and lazy to ding a movie for being too much like a play, as though there is some bright line of demarcation between the formats aside from how audiences see them. But the point is that Satter has, in adapting “Reality” for the screen, turned limitations into opportunities. The smallness of the room starts to feel suffocating, especially as the questions get more specific and accusatory.

EARLIER COVERAGE FROM NEWS 12:

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There is a dread to the whole endeavor from the first shot, even if you don’t remember how this story played out in the news. Though it takes some time for Agent Taylor (Marchánt Davis) and Agent Garrick (Josh Hamilton) to get to the real questions, the real reason why they’re there, the small stresses and indignities start to build.

Reality (Sweeney) has come home with a car full of groceries. She has a cat in the house and a dog, a rescue who doesn’t like men. Her life has been put on pause and there’s nothing she can do about it.

The agents tell her they have a search warrant for her home and her car and promptly tape off her modest yard with “crime scene” ribbon, take her phone and force her to stay outside as they search. She’s worried about the perishables, her cat escaping through the open door and her dog scaring people. Meanwhile, one of the agents is asking about her CrossFit routine and her life as a single person in Augusta.

Reality, wearing jean shorts and sneakers, does not seem aware that she has the right to not answer their questions and has the right to an attorney — and the agents certainly aren’t offering this information either. Instead, she is deferential and even helpful to these uninvited strangers, as though being nice might help things. Any woman or member of a marginalized group can surely relate.

Much credit goes to the actors. Hamilton walks a very delicate line in his performance. He looks like an innocuous IT guy and seems friendly enough, but his questions, even the smallest ones, feel double edged. Small talk has never been so stressful. Davis meanwhile keeps Reality on edge with small displays of power and authority, like now allowing her to touch her phone. But the show belongs to Sweeney, whose range continues to astonish — from “Euphoria” to “The White Lotus” and now this. She draws you in and you feel her stress and panic escalate.

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It’s a true triumph of storytelling and performance and a reminder that films don’t need to be flashy or big to be great.



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Augusta, GA

13th Street construction continues as projects fail brick by brick

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13th Street construction continues as projects fail brick by brick


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – If you drive in downtown Augusta near the 13th Street bridge, you’ve likely dealt with the construction traffic as part of Augusta’s beautification.  

Brick-in-laid crosswalks were recently finished, and while they look great, they didn’t last long. 

John Ussery, assistant director of traffic, says they have already fixed some of the crosswalks on Telfair Street and 13th and Greene Street. 

Now, they are making their way down to Jones Street, and he says they’re almost done with the project — again.  

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“I’m driving. I’m like, “Yay, good job, guys.” And I hit this bump in the road, and I was like, “Where did this bump come from? It’s a perfectly good road,’” said Jesse Cheadle, who drives in Augusta.

Just when residents thought they saw the light at the end of the tunnel, crews are back out again. 

“I’m looking at it and the brick had literally been broken. And coming into the road,” said Cheadle. 

In October, the city installed brick sidewalks at the intersection of 13th Street and Jones Street. 

They said the construction would take about two weeks. 

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“It’s frustrating because it’s such a high-volume area,” said Cheadle. 

But now, three months later, they’re starting over. 

Hillcrest Farms after Hurricane Helene

“They laid the brick in there loosely. What did they think was gonna happen?” said Cheadle. 

Ussery says they are having to redo all of the brick sidewalks because the contractor decided to try a different technique than what the manufacturer had suggested. 

But this time around, they’re following the recommendation. 

“Well, you had one job and you failed,” said Cheadle. 

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Cheadle says he’s hoping it’s all done soon because it’s not just about convenience, but also safety. 

“That ambulance needs to get to a hospital in a timely manner. They don’t have time to go around I-20. They don’t have time to go around Gordon Highway,” said  

Luckily, the city says they do not have to pay for them to fix the crosswalks this time around. 



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Augusta, GA

‘We need help’: Ga. airport underfunding could hinder expansions

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‘We need help’: Ga. airport underfunding could hinder expansions


ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Municipal airports across South Georgia could see improvements paused or canceled because of a lack of funding from federal and state officials.

Regional Airports need $83.5 million per year for improvement projects, but Albany, Valdosta, Savannah, Augusta, Macon, Brunswick, and Columbus only receive $16 million from the FAA and $2.8 million from the state.

Airports outside of Atlanta are receiving the shorter end of the stick when it comes to federal and state funding. Airport officials say that they hope that with more grant funding and the expansion of a few projects, it will increase more revenue right here in the Good Life City.

“If we don’t improve our infrastructure and our facilities, we will continue to lose our business aviation to other states. Some of the other states are receiving anywhere from 30 to 80 million dollars worth of funds, where we’re getting around 19 to support 7 airports outside of Atlanta and that’s a challenge,” officials say.

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Colonial Pipeline leak Paulding County

In Albany, the airport has upcoming projects to bring bigger planes, more commercial flights, and Cargo airplanes to the city. But with the lack of funding, the completion of that project is at risk.

“We’re looking at a runway extension which will be a huge project over 100 million dollars and funding has not been identified for that project. So where would we get that money? Well, we need the Federal Administration and the State of Georgia to give us more support,” officials say.

While officials say the airport needs some improvements, passengers say they love the convenience of being able to travel right outside their backyard.



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Augusta, GA

North Augusta Baseball gets one last swing at Riverview Park

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North Augusta Baseball gets one last swing at Riverview Park


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We’re just under two months away from baseball season and this year will be a bittersweet one for North Augusta’s baseball and softball teams.

While many players would much rather play at a brand-new facility, Riverview Park has been home to the Yellowjackets for a long time now.

After this season, however, North Augusta will finally have a new place to call home.

But, they will have one more chance to close out a phenomenal season before transitioning to the new stadium next year.

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You’ve seen the construction and you can see the vision.

In just a few more months, across the street from North Augusta High School will be two brand-new facilities.

The newest home of the Yellowjackets baseball and softball teams.

“It’s a chance to have something that is ours,” said Lynn. “Our own atmosphere at school. It’s going to be exciting.”

The over $8 million project was slated to be completed ahead of this year’s season, but after multiple delays like the impact of Hurricane Helene and just how big of a project it truly is, the facilities are still several months from being ready for play.

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In the event construction concludes as originally planned, Head Coach Kevin Lynn says the team has no plans to move fields in the middle of their 2025 season.

“I don’t want to have summer ball starting there, I want our kids to start a regular season there,” said Lynn. I want them to open the season up and have a true home opener.”

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an...

The good news is, nothing about this year will feel different for the team.

The Yellowjackets have called Riverview Park home for over 40 years and they’ll get one more chance to send it out with a grand slam.”I grew up watching my brother play here and many people before him, so being able to play here one last time feels really good.”

“I’d like to go out on a high note and finish up strong here. Our goal is to win all of our games at home since we play here all the time and know the layout more than anybody else. It’d be nice to accomplish those goals in our last season.”

Lynn’s team will open up on the road against Strom Thurmond on Feb. 11.

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The Yellowjackets are 40 and 40 under Lynn as head coach.

It’s hard to believe we’re almost to baseball season, before we know it we’ll be talking about the Masters.



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