Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 376th Edition

Welcome to the 376th edition of my series.  Next Sunday, my favorite team the San Francisco 49ers are in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994 and the first time in my adult life.  It is billed as the "Harbaugh Bowl" as both brothers are the head coaches.  Usually I'm for a "good game" but in this situation I just want a Niners win so I'll just hope for the best.  Last night was a turning point in Action Packed Wrestling.  From the beginning, I have been their loyal ring announcer but some promoter decides to get another guy to take my place.  I was not about to accept that so I made my return to APW as a talent agent and now have Shaun Berkey Talent Agency where I now have clients consisting of the Sinister Syndrome, the tag team the Soul Shooters, and Mr. Smiley, all of which have been passed up for no reason so I am there to write the wrongs and it does not matter if the fans like me or not.  On another note, I created a new website for this blog which is http://shaunberkey.blogspot.com which has all my work from the last seven years.  I will now get to my recommendations for the week.

Made For Each Other (1939):  This is an earlier film that takes a rather realistic look towards a marriage.  James Stewart stars as young attorney John Mason who is trying very hard to move up in his firm but finds it is very hard.  He soon meets a woman named Jane, played by Carole Lombard, and they marry after just one day.  From there, they find that marriage is not as simple as it seemed and must deal with things like disapproving parents, John's trouble of getting the promotion to get them more money, and then having a baby.  It starts out as a comedy and becomes more melodrama.  Charles Coburn co-stars as John's hard of hearing boss.  The leads work very well together giving a decent, just not memorable entry into that golden year.  I heard this is the movie that really made Stewart into the actor he would become.

There's Good Boos To-night (1948):  This is my animated short for the week which features Casper the Friendly Ghost.  Casper is part of a ghost family and most of them just want to go around scaring everyone but Casper just wants friends.  Like most of the shorts, he goes around trying to make friends but they get very scared.  Soon, he meets a little fox cub who likes Casper and becomes friends with Casper.  I suppose in some ways, the Casper cartoons are a statement towards prejudice and fearing the unknown.  These are always pretty harmless cartoons though and deserve a view.  This is available on my Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku.

Jesus of Nazareth (1977):  This is part two of my Christopher Plummer series who plays King Herod in this one.  This is my TV mini-series for the week which was directed by Franco Zeffirelli.  This is a very in-depth look into the life of our savior Jesus Christ.  This series covers everything from Mary's pregnancy all the way up to his resurrection.  Robert Powell stars as our savior and does a good job portraying him.  I had not heard of Powell until this time but really liked him in this part.  The rest of the cast is quite known like Anne Bancroft, Olivia Hussey, Ernest Borgnine, Ian McShane, James Mason, Laurence Olivier, Anthony Quinn, Ian Holm, and many others co-star in this two-part series.  I really felt this was a very good telling of Christ with good acting and cinematography.  Of course it's predictable but to be expected since I think just about everyone knows how he died, just about know who betrays him, and most probably know who will deny knowing him three times.  If you are an absolute atheist, this probably is not worth six hours of your time but for many, I think it is worth it.  It has two three-hour parts.  Zeffirelli brought a lot of justice to the religious story.

Hoodlum (1997):  This is the last part of my three-part Cicely Tyson series where she plays the Madame Queen who runs the illegal numbers game.  This movie takes place in prohibition-era Harlem in a violent rivalry for control for illegal gaming between black gangster "Bumpy" Johnson, played by Laurence Fishburne, and ruthless gangster Dutch Schultz.  In the middle is crime boss Lucky Luciano, played by Andy Garcia, who just cannot come to an agreement.  This movie seemed to have come to mixed opinions and one of which is maybe the way these people were portrayed.  Now a lot of times, they do portray these mobsters as rather friendly people which I believe is pretty accurate and then they show what they are really like when they commit some kind of murder.  As far as the basic story, it seemed pretty accurate from what I read.  Johnson is one of the few known African-American gangsters and was a pretty smart person and was able to compete with the rest of the mafia world.  Vanessa L. Williams, Chi McBride, Clarence Williams III, William Atherton, Queen Latifah, Loretta Devine, and many others co-star.  This is not the greatest gangster film but it is still pretty entertaining and has good performances.  Tim Roth probably gives the best performance of Dutch Schultz in my opinion and Fishburne was good as Johnson.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011):  This movie is based on the novel by John Le Carre and takes place during the Cold War era.  Gary Oldman stars as MI6 agent George Smiley who is brought into investigate an insider who is a Russian agent.  In his investigation, he finds things he does not want to and must make some very touch decisions.  While Oldman plays an MI6 agent which is what famous spy James Bond is, this is a more realistic take to the job where there are not a bunch of shootouts and car chases.  It is a movie which you'll need to give a lot of attention but is worth the journey.  Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, and many others co-star.  This is the fifth time the character of George Smiley has been portrayed but this is the first I have seen so far.  This is a very good spy film if you can accept the slow pacing.

The Delta Force (1986):  This is my hijacked airplane movie for the week.  A plane is terrorized by Lebanese terrorists and it's up to a commando unit led by Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin.  I do not feature Norris very often but I find this is probably his best and is a pretty entertaining action movie with decent characters.  Martin Balson, Rat Packer Joey Bishop, George Kennedy, NYPD BLUE alum Kim Delaney, Susan Strasberg, Robert Vaughn, Robert Forster, and many others co-star.  This is Lee Marvin's last movie.  Liam Neeson and Kevin Dillon appear uncredited as a couple Delta Force guys.  This is based on a real-life hijacking of TWA Flight 847 which happened in 1985 and from what I read match some of the events.  There is not more to say on this one.  I think you all have a basic idea of what happens and is really hit or miss.  It is a pretty fun action film if you like this kind of thing.  It is a good one for the guys.

Mighty Joe Young (1949):  With the success of the King Kong franchise, Merian C. Cooper and John Ford produced this gorilla film.  Terry Moore stars as Jill Young who lives in Africa and as a child she buys a baby gorilla who she named Joe.  As a grown up, Joe has become very big but always obeys Jill.  Robert Armstrong co-stars as a crooked Hollywood producer who convinces the very naive Jill for them both to come to America and make lots of money.  She soon wises up and realizes this is nothing more than exploitation and Joe also hates it.  Soon, some drunks give Joe some alcohol and he then gets away taking out his anger.  This one might be more family friendly than the 1933 KING KONG.  I know it was remade many years later by Disney but I have not seen that version.  Ray Harryhausen contributed a lot of stop-motion animation graphics which was one of the first to use that animation and is pretty good for the time.  There are some very good scenes like Joe playing tug of war with some professional wrestlers and a climax at a burning building.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974):  Martin Scorsese directs this slice of life film which stars Ellen Burstyn as the title character.  She soon becomes widowed and sets out with her son to go from New Mexico to Arizona so she can pursue a singing career and then aspires to move to Monterrey, California.  She finds that her quest for work is not easy and ends up taking a waitress job while having to leave her precocious son Tommy, played by Afred Lutter, to fend for himself.  Burstyn is great in her role of someone pursuing the American dream but finding it is not that easy.  Kris Kristofferson co-stars as her love interest but see he has a bit of a temper and can be difficult.  Lutter is also very good as the smartalec son Tommy.    Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, and others co-star.  This was turned into a long running sitcom called ALICE shortly after this film where much of the actors reprise their roles..

Lincoln (2012):  So I have a movie on Jesus Christ, now I have one on another historic icon.  I make my rare movie theater appearance to see this biopic on the 16th president.  Steven Spielberg directed this movie which focuses on Lincoln's life from near the end of the Civil war where he is trying to stop the war and end slavery.  Daniel Day-Lewis plays Lincoln to absolute perfection where he was not Daniel Day-Lewis and escaped into the character.  Sally Field co-stars as Lincoln's wife Mary who is good but we don't really get to know much about Mary Lincoln or their marriage but that is not what this movie is about.  In this movie, Lincoln is trying to talk everyone into voting for a slavery amendment.  It's really hard telling what is accurate and what is not.  For me, either way this is a very believable portrayal.  I do believe they portray him as human in this movie and show some human flaws in Lincoln.  Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Strathairn, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and many others co-star.  I decided to follow up with a documentary from the History channel called LINCOLN:  THE UNTOLD STORIES.  This documentary goes more into his early days and does not really focus as much on the presidency like the movie did.  Lincoln's friend and law partner William Herndon decided to write a biography on Lincoln telling a more realistic story on him instead of this perfect person many people think of him to be.  It took Herndon 25 years to write the book and was very controversial when it first came out and is more significant today than it was then.  Herndon drew upon certain documents and interviews from Lincoln's friends and family.  This documentary shows things like a bad relationship with his father, depression, failed relationships with women,suicidal thought, and a much less than perfect marriage with Mary Todd.  These two really complement each other very well.  The documentary is available through Instant Netflix and the movie is available in theaters still.  Spielberg did a great job of this film.

Marina Abramovic:  The Artist is Present (2012):  I end this week with this documentary that was presented by Travis in his Co-Op film series.  Abramovic is a performance artist and has been for about 30 years.  She uses art to really push the envelope on the definition of art.  In this documentary, she is preparing for a show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  It is very hard to explain in this blog what she does but she conveys herself through art to an audience.  Before he showed this film, I had not heard of Abramovic and the documentary seems to have a bigger target on those who already know her as Travis pointed out in our discussion after the movie was over.  Even if we have not heard of her, it is clear that she has quite an audience wherever she goes.  Her form of art is not for everyone as it does convey strange imagery and nudity but if you can get past that, this could be enjoyable.  This was an HBO documentary and appears to now be available on DVD.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and what you dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Christopher Walken, more Christopher Plummer, Errol Flynn, Anne Hathaway, Robert Duvall and many others.  If you want to learn some useless information that could come up on Jeopardy, read on.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I went all out on this one and I'm sure there are more so if you find any just leave a comment.  Also note that I didn't really connect actors and directors who are in the same movie.

Gary Oldman plays George Smiley in this week's feature TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY.  James Mason (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Charles Dobbs who is the equivalent of Smiley in the 1966 movie THE DEADLY AFFAIR.

Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) declined the part of Lincoln in this week's feature LINCOLN which would ultimately go to Daniel Day-Lewis.

Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy) and Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) both cite James Stewart (Made For Each Other) as an influence.

Anne Bancroft (Jesus of Nazareth) and John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) were in the 1980 film THE ELEPHANT MAN.

Anne Bancroft (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Mrs. Robinson in the 1967 film THE GRADUATE.  My Facebook friend Lisa played the part in 2005 version at the Muncie Civic Theater. 

Anne Bancroft (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Annie Sullivan in the 1962 film THE MIRACLE WORKER.  My Facebook friend Tonya played the part in a production at the Muncie Civic Theater.

Anne Bancroft (Jesus of Nazareth) declined the part of Chris MacNeil in the 1973 film THE EXORCIST because she was pregnant and it would ultimately go to Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore)

Ernest Borgnine (Jesus of Nazareth), George Kennedy (The Delta Force) and Lee Marvin (The Delta Force) worked together in the 1967 film THE DIRTY DOZEN.

Ernest Borgnine (Jesus of Nazareth) and Shelley Winters (The Delta Force) were in the 1972 disaster movie THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE.

Christopher Plummer (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Captain Von Trapp in the 1965 film THE SOUND OF MUSIC.  My Facebook friend Sean played the part in a 2011 production at the Muncie Civic Theater.

Christopher Plummer (Jesus of Nazareth) and Jodie Foster (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) were in the 2006 film INSIDE MAN.

Christopher Plummer (Jesus of Nazareth) and Harvey Keitel (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) were in the 2004 movie NATIONAL TREASURE.

Christopher Plummer (Jesus of Nazareth) plays the part of Mike Conner in the 1959 tv movie THE PHILADELPHIA STORY.  James Stewart (Made For Each Other) plays Mike in the 1940 film THE PHILADELPHIA STORY.

BATMAN FRANCHISE
-Olivia Hussey (Jesus of Nazareth) does the voice for Talia al Ghul in the cartoon series BATMAN BEYOND in the 2000 episode OUT OF THE PAST.
-Michael York (Jesus of Nazareth) does the voice for villain Count Vertigo in BATMAN:  THE ANIMATED SERIES in the 1992 episode OFF BALANCE.
-Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) plays Commissioner James Gordon in the Christopher Nolan trilogy.
-Tom Hardy (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) plays Bane in the 2012 film THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.
-Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) plays Ra's Al Ghul mainly in the 2005 film BATMAN BEGINS and a cameo in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.
-Joesph Gordon-Levitt (Lincoln) plays Blake in the 2012 film THE DARK KNIGHT RISES which is a very significant character in this movie.
-Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) plays Two-Face in the 1995 movie BATMAN FOREVER.

Laurence Olivier (Jesus of Nazareth), Liam Neeson (The Delta Force Uncredited) and Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) were in the 1984 film THE BOUNTY.

DRACULA FRANCHISE
-Laurence Olivier (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Abraham Van Helsing in the 1979 film DRACULA.
-Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) plays Dracula in the 1992 film DRACULA.

Rod Steiger (Jesus of Nazareth) plays General Ulysses S. Grant in the 1992 tv movie LINCOLN.  Jared Harris plays Grant in this week's feature LINCOLN.

Rod Steiger (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Jud Fry in the 1955 film OKLAHOMA.  My Facebook friend Kyle played the part in a 2008 production at the Muncie Civic Theater.

Ian Holm (Jesus of Nazareth) and Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) are in the 1997 Sci-Fi movie THE FIFTH ELEMENT.

Martin Scorsese (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) directed Ian Holm (Jesus of Nazareth) in the 2004 film THE AVIATOR, Mike Starr (Hoodlum) in the 1990 film GOODFELLAS, Stephen Graham (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) and Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) in the 2002 film GANGS OF NEW YORK, Martin Balsam (The Delta Force) in his cameo in the 1991 film CAPE FEAR, Jackie Earle Haley (Lincoln) in the 2010 film SHUTTER ISLAND, and Queen Latifah (Hoodlum) who did the voice for Dispatcher Love in the 1999 film BRINGING OUT THE DEAD.

Ian Holm (Jesus of Nazareth) and Andy Garcia (Hoodlum) were in the 1996 movie NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTON.

Ian Holm (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Puck in the 1968 movie A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.  My Facebook friend Corey played the part in a production at Muncie Civic Theater.

Laurence Fishburne (Hoodlum) played Othello in the 1995 movie OTHELLO.  Laurence Olivier (Jesus of Nazareth) played Othello in the 1965 movie OTHELLO.

Tim Roth (Hoodlum) and Harvey Keitel (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) were in the 1992 film RESERVOIR DOGS which is one of my favorites and interact quite a bit.  They were also in Tarantino's follow-up PULP FICTION but did not have any scenes together.

Tim Roth (Hoodlum) and Kris Kristofferson (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) were in the 2001 movie PLANET OF THE APES.

Tim Roth (Hoodlum), John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) were in the 1995 film ROB ROY.

Tim Roth (Hoodlum) and Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) are in the 1990 film ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD.

Tim Roth (Hoodlum) plays famed artist Vincent Van Gogh in the 1990 film VINCENT AND THEO.  Martin Scorsese (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore director) plays the part in the 1990 film DREAMS.  Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) played Van Gogh in the 2010 tv movie VAN GOGH:  PAINTED WITH WORDS

Steven Spielberg (Lincoln director) directed Chi McBride (Hoodlum) in the 2004 film THE TERMINAL, Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) in the 2011 film WAR HORSE, Ben Johnson (Mighty Joe Young) and William Atherton (Hoodlum) in the 1974 film THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS, Laura Dern (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore uncredited), Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) in the 1993 film SCHINDLER'S LIST, Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) in the 2011 film THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) in the 2008 movie INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, and Ciaran Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) in the 2005 film MUNICH.

William Atherton (Hoodlum) guest starred in the 2005 episode IT GIRLS AND BEYOND, Lainie Kazan (The Delta Force) guest starred in the 2008 episode DANCES WITH WOLVES, and Loretta Devine (Hoodlum) guest starred in 2006 episode THE NUTCRACKERS and 2007 episode ORAL CONTRACTS as different characters of the show BOSTON LEGAL which stars James Spader (Lincoln).

Queen Latifah (Hoodlum) plays Mama Morton in the 2002 film CHICAGO.  My Facebook friend Amanda was in a 2012 production at the Muncie Civic Theater.

Queen Latifah (Hoodlum) plays M'Lynn in the 2012 tv movie STEEL MAGNOLIAS.  Sally Field (Lincoln) plays M'Lynn in the 1989 film STEEL MAGNOLIAS.

Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Christopher Plummer (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 2005 film SYRIANA.

John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Solider Spy) and Ian Holm (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 1979 film ALIEN.

John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Jodie Foster (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) were in the 1997 film CONTACT.

Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) plays Pontius Pilate in the 1999 tv movie JESUS.  Rod Steiger plays Pilate in this week's feature JESUS OF NAZARETH.

Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) are in the 2011 film CAPTAIN AMERICA.

Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Ian McShane (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 2012 movie SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN.

Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) and Bruce McGill (Lincoln) were in the 2008 film W.

Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) were in the 1998 film LES MISERABLES.

David Dencik (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Christopher Plummer (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 2011 film THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

Ciaran Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) were in the 2007 film THERE WILL BE BLOOD.

Ciaran Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) plays Herod in the 2006 movie THE NATIVITY STORY.  Christopher Plummer plays Herod in this week's feature JESUS OF NAZARETH.

Ciaran Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Tim Roth (Hoodlum) were in the 1989 film THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER.

Ciaran Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) were in the 1981 film EXCALIBUR.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Ian Holm (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 2012 film THE HOBBIE:  AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.

Stephen Graham (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Ian McShane (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 2011 film PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:  ON STRANGER TIDES.

Stephen Graham (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) plays Chicago mobster Al Capone in the HBO series BOARDWALK EMPIRE.  Rod Steiger (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Capone in the 1959 film AL CAPONE.

Tom Hardy (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) plays Heathcliff in the 2009 tv movie WUTHERING HEIGHTS.  Ian McShane (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Heathcliff in the 1967 tv mini-series WUTHERING HEIGHTS.  Laurence Olivier (Jesus of Nazareth) plays the part in the 1939 and likely the best version of WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

Lee Marvin (The Delta Force) and James Stewart (Made For Each Other) were in the 1962 film THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE.

Martin Balsam (The Delta Force) and Rod Steiger (Jesus of Nazareth) the 1954 film ON THE WATERFRONT which was Balsam's debut.  They would go onto work together again in the 1959 movie AL CAPONE.

George Kennedy (The Delta Force) and James Stewart (Made For Each Other) were in the 1977 movie AIRPORT '77.

George Kennedy (The Delta Force) and Ernest Borgnine (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 60s tv series MCHALE'S NAVY.

George Kennedy (The Delta Force) and Laurence Olivier (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 1960 film SPARTACUS.  Kennedy was one of the many who yelled "I'm Spartacus".

Hanna Schygulla (The Delta Force) and Andy Garcia (Hoodlum) were in the 1991 film DEAD AGAIN.

Robert Vaughn (The Delta Force) plays our former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1986 tv movie MURROW.  Christopher Plummer (Jesus of Nazareth) plays FDR in the 1998 tv movie WINCHELL.

Shelley Winters (The Delta Force) and James Mason (Jesus of Nazareth) were married in the 1962 film LOLITA.

Shelley Winters (The Delta Force) and James Stewart (Made For Each Other) starred in the 1950 western WINCHESTER '73

Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) plays Zeus in the 2010 movie CLASH OF THE TITANS and the 2012 sequel WRATH OF THE TITANS.  Anthony Quinn (Jesus of Nazareth) plays Zeus in the 90s tv series HERCULES:  THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS.

Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) and Colin Firth (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) were in the 2003 film LOVE ACTUALLY.

Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) and Jodie Foster (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) were in the 1994 film NELL.

Liam Neeson (The Delta Force uncredited) and Ciaran Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) are friends in real-life.

Ben Johnson (Mighty Joe Young) and Ernest Borgnine (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 1969 film THE WILD BUNCH.

Ben Johnson (Mighty Joe Young) and James Stewart (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the 1964 western CHEYENNE AUTUMN with Johnson uncredited.

Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) and Andy Garcia (Hoodlum) were in the 1994 movie WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN.

Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) plays Mary Todd Lincoln in the 1987 tv movie LOOK AWAY.  Sally Field plays Mary in this week's feature LINCOLN.

Harvey Keitel (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) and Anne Bancroft (Jesus of Nazareth) co-starred in the 1993 movie POINT OF NO RETURN.

Harvey Keitel (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) plays Judas Iscariot in the 1988 film THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.  Ian McShane played Judas in this week's feature JESUS OF NAZARETH.

Vic Tayback (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) and Robert Vaughn (The Delta Force) were in the 1968 film BULLITT.

Vic Tayback (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) provides the voice for Carface in the 1989 animated movie ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN.  Ernest Borgnine (Jesus of Nazareth) voices the character in two sequels and a tv series.

Vic Tayback (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) plays Simon the Zealot in the 1958 movie THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION.  Murray Salem plays Simon in this week's feature JESUS OF NAZARETH.

Valerie Curtin (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), Hal Holbrook (Lincoln) and Martin Balsam (The Delta Force) were in the 1976 film ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN.

Kris Kristofferson (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) and Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) are real-life friends.

Laura Dern (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore uncredited) and Loretta Devine (Hoodlum) are in the 2001 movie I AM SAM.

Laura Dern (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore uncredited) is the real-lfe goddaughter of Shelley Winters (The Delta Force).

Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) was considered for the part of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in the 1986 film SID AND NANCY which would ultimately go to Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) who would go onto play the part to perfection.

Jodie Foster (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) directed Anne Bancroft (Jesus of Nazareth) and David Strathairn (Lincoln) in the 1995 movie HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Lincoln) and Tom Hardy (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) were in the 2010 film INCEPTION.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Lincoln) cites Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as his favorite actors.

John Hawkes (Lincoln) and Clarence Williams III (Hoodlum) were in the 2007 film AMERICAN GANGSTER.

John Hawkes (Lincoln) and Ciaran Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) were in the 2006 movie MIAMI VICE.

John Hawkes (Lincoln) and Ian McShane (Jesus of Nazareth) were in the HBO tv series DEADWOOD.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 375th Edition

Welcome to the 375th Edition of my series. The 49ers are now in the conference championship against the Atlanta Falcons so I will be paying close attention to this game in hopes that for the first time since 1994 the 49ers are in the Super Bowl. On Saturday night, come see Action Packed Wrestling at the Mill Creek Civic Center in Chesterfield, Indiana. The show features former ECW star Sabu and former WWE superstar Eugene. Tickets are $15 for front row and $10 for general admission. I will now get to my selections for the week.

Rango (2011): This is last part of my five-part Johnny Depp series. Gore Verbinski decided to take his stab at animation after years of directing the PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN films. Johnny Depp takes the voice of the title character who is a chameleon and a pet who ends up in a western town called Dirt after an auto accident. The town of Dirt is lacking of water and appears to be something very sinister. Rango then takes the role of sheriff, which for him is more of an acting job, in order to look into figuring out why they lack water so much. This is Verbinski's first animation movie and won an Oscar. This was a very clever animation film combining the western genre and talking animals, mostly reptiles. Depp does a great job in his role. Other voices include Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Harry Dean Stanton, and many others. This is probably not something for pre-school children but late elementary on will enjoy this as well as the adults. This is available on Instant Netflix.

King Kong (2005): Peter Jackson directed this version of the big gorilla which does not include the sequels. The first one was in 1933 which was an absolute classic that still holds up today. The second one was 1976 which was a different story and is more of a guilty pleasure at most. This version more a remake and even homage to the 1933 version and this one is my favorite as well as one of my favorite movies. Jack Black stars as producer Carl Denham who is out to get what he wants whatever the danger might be. He soon leads a cast and crew to go to the mysterious Skull island. Naomi Watts plays struggling actress Ann Darrow who Carl casts in his next movie. Soon, when they arrive, then encounter a dangerous group of indigenous people who soon abduct Ann for their next sacrifice. Soon, she is saved by Kong and when Denham encounters him, he sets out to get Kong to New York. That is the basic plot so I'm not going to go any further there. What I like better about this version than the 1933 version is that the relationship between Kong and Ann Darrow becomes very two-sided where she develops a caring attitude towards the gorilla. In the 1933 version, it is very one-sided where Ann wanted nothing to do with Kong. Also in the 2005 version when Kong is taken to New York to be exploited, then escapes, Ann tracks Kong down and gives herself to him. I really thought that the interaction in this film between the two was so beautiful. Watts is great in this movie and Andy Serkis plays Kong as well as the character Lumpy. Other co-stars include Adrian Brody, Colin Hanks, and many others. Peter Jackson showed he had a lot of respect for the franchise while making it his own.

Fast Five (2011): Justin Lin directs the 5th entry to the Fast/Furious series. This cast consisted of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and alums from the first four like Jordana Brewster, Ludicris, Tyrese, among others. The group comes together to pull off the biggest heist of their lives as well as the most dangerous. They plan to rob a drug lord, played by Joaquim de Almeida, of a lot of money. Another issue they have is a very determined federal agent named Luke Hobbs, played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is determined to take the group down but finds that they are not his only troubles. If you like this series, you will love this entry. If you hate the whole series and concept, then this will not be what you want to watch. If you have had mixed reactions to the others, I believe you will like this one which is a pretty decent entry. This would be a great selection for a "Guys' Night" but probably not one for the first date. Also, to enjoy this action movie, disbelief must be suspended for a couple hours and just enjoy the action no matter how unrealistic.

Romantic Nevada (1943): This is my short film for the week from the Traveltalks series. This one takes a tour through the state of Nevada about the natural wonders, a mining town, and a dude ranch. There is also an interesting segment that talks about Reno and made famous for being the city where people get divorced. This is a pretty informative and entertaining short film worth the nine minutes.

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964): This is part one of what may be a six-part Christopher Plummer series which will be at least two. Anthony Mann directs this Roman epic which is very similar to the 2000 film GLADIATOR. Alec Guinness plays Marcus Aurelius who is the emperor of Rome who does not want his reckless son Commodus, played by Christopher Plummer, to succeed him and hopes that his very loyal soldier Livius, played by Stephen Boyd, will become emperor instead which then sets forth much greed and betrayal which leads to the title of the movie. Sophia Loren plays Lucilla who is the daughter of Marcus and the love interest of Livius. Plummer plays the part of Commodus pretty well. James Mason, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Omar Sharif, and Mel Ferrer all co-star in this film. This is a pretty good take to the Rome legend with great scenery, action, and performances to make the three hours enjoyable.

Forbidden Planet (1956): This is my Sci-Fi film for the week which is a 50s Sci-fi film and one that goes beyond B-movie. Leslie Nielsen plays Commander J.J. Adams who leads a starship crew to a planet to investigate the colony. They find that it is inhabited by a scientist named Dr. Morbius played by Walter Pidgeon, his daughter Alta played by Anne Francis, and Robby the Robot, the best robot actor of all time in his debut film. On the planet they find their appears to be a hideous monster and Adams tries to get information from Morbius that he does not seem open to share. This is an early film for Nielsen where he was a mostly dramatic actor before he became king of the spoof movies in the 80s. This is a must for fans of the genre and even people who are not into Sci-Fi as much can enjoy this one. This is based loosely on Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST.

The Island on Bird Street (1997): This takes place in a Nazi occupied Jewish ghetto during WWII. Jordon Kiziuk stars as 11 year old Alex whose relatives have all been taken to Concentration camps and must rely on his own survival instincts to avoid Nazis. This is from the eyes of this 11 year old who proves very resourceful in his efforts to avoid the Nazis while hoping his father, played by Patrick Bergin, will return. Jack Warden also co-stars in this film. Kiziuk was very good in his performance and the film is a very moving film taking place in a very bad time period. Uri Orlev wrote the novel the movie is based on and is a true story that is based on his own life.

The Man from Nowhere (2010): This is my South Korean film for the week. Bin Won stars as a mysterious pawn shop owner named Tae-Sik whose pre-teen neighbor becomes fascinated with him as she has her own problems with her mother involved in drugs. Soon, this little girl is abducted and Tae-Sik sets out to rescue her showing he is far more than just a pawn shop owner and has a mysterious past. This movie is very violent so if you do not have a stomach for it, then this is not for you. While it is very violent, it is also quite moving. There are some very good action scenes and Bin Won was very good in his role. This Asian action film is available on Instant Netflix and if you can tolerate subtitles and violence, this will be a great selection.

The Hurricane (1937): First, see the year. This has nothing to do with that 1999 movie of the same name which stars Denzel Washington. John Ford directed this film that takes place on an island on a French colony. Jon Hall stars as Terangi who falls in love with Marama, played by Dorothy Lamour. Terangi soon gets into with a drunk who he punches in the face after some very offensive racist remarks. He is soon sentenced to six months even after testimony that is actions were just. He soon tries many times unsuccessfully to escape and each one adding time to his sentence. Finally after 8 years, he is successful and sees Marama and his daughter he had not met but everything changes when a hurricane hits. Raymond Massey, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, among others co-star in this film. This is a pretty good drama on being wronged by the system and the price of it. They also did a good job making the hurricane look very realistic even in this time period. Jon Hall was very good as the lead despite not being as known today and Lamour was also good in her role as well as the rest of the cast. This is one that has gone under the radar and hope now others will want to see this one.

A Woman Called Moses (1978): This is part two of my three-part Cicely Tyson series and is my tv movie for the week. Tyson stars as the real-life Harriet Tubman where we see her in her younger days as a slave, and then her escape to the north. She did not accept only freedom for herself an put her life on the line by leading many slave escapes. This is a two-part movie which consists of two episodes of about 90 minutes each and covers a lot of ground with Tyson perfect as Tubman. Will Geer, Robert Hooks, and James Wainwright all co-star in this well-done tv movie with Orson Welles doing some of the narration. I have done a movie this week focusing on the Nazi party and this one focus on the slavery period and the most important slave in our history. This is more than a tv movie and deserves more exposure.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes James Stewart, more Christopher Plummer, more Cicely Tyson, Gary Oldman, Chuck Norris, Martin Scorsese, James Spader, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 374th Edition

Welcome to the 374th Edition of my long-running series. Last night, my team the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Green Bay Packers to advance to the NFC conference championship and play the winner of today's Seahawks/Falcons game. It looks like Jim Harbaugh's controversial decision to take out quarterback Alex Smith and play Colin Kaepernick was the right one. Next week will be a tough game whoever they can take but the Niners are for real and are capable. I will now get to my selections for the week.

Carlos (2010): This is a biopic on Venezuelan revolutionary Ilich Ramirez Sanchez who went by the code name "Carlos the Jackal" though they never used the Jackal in this film like past films. This is honestly the first time I have seen any depiction upon this person who joined a terrorist group called the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine which is a political terrorist group and lead a famous raid on an OPEC meeting. Edgar Ramirez played the title character which focuses on his early life into his rise and then into his fall. Some of it is in English and other parts with various languages since he went to many places in the world for his cause. Ramirez does a great job as the title character and does not really portray this person as heroic but in some ways a puppet for modern terrorism. Ramirez is probably more authentic than some of the other actors in the past. This is not going to be for everyone as there is a lot of violence and nudity. This is available on Instant Netflix and it is available as both a three-part mini-series or a near three hour movie. I was going to watch it in mini-series format but found that the subtitles were just too small and while I have good eyes, and could read them, it took more effort making the mini-series hard to watch. I then turned to the movie and the subtitles were much better. I'm not really sure what parts I missed the the movie did cover a lot. In the beginning, it does admit that some of it is fictional as they could not find the facts on everything.

Public Enemies (2009): This is part four of at least five of my Johnny Depp series where he takes on the part of real-life bank robber John Dillinger. Michael Mann directed this film on the legendary bank robber. This movie takes place in his later years up to the infamous shooting at the Biograph movie theater. During the time of Dillinger, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was just getting on the rise and J. Edgar Hoover went after Dillinger at all costs. Christian Bale co-stars as G-Man Melvin Purvis who is appointed to bring down the Dillinger gang. We see some scenes of Dillinger and the gang eluding the authorities while still trying to enjoy life and the FBI making their plans to bring Dillinger down. Billy Crudup plays the part of Hoover and really did a good job. Crudup always seems to look different in everything he does and I don't think I would recognize him if I did not see the credits or if I was to have a photo put in front of me and was asked "guess the actor". Marion Cotillard played Dillinger's girlfriend Billie Frechette and did a good job in that role. Later in the movie, there is an interrogation where the FBI practically resorted to torture on Frechette. In looking into this, I found that this was a bit dramatized but that Baby Face Nelson's wife Helen was subjected to the tactics shown on Frechette in this film. I will admit that I prefer the 1973 film called DILLINGER but this one stands pretty good. One scene I liked in this was near the end at the movie theater where it shows people actually inside the theater watching MANHATTON MELODRAMA and even using scenes which compare some to Dillinger's life. I have always been interested in the history of Dillinger as he is from Indiana and did a lot of bank robberies in this state and is said to have robbed a bank in Daleville which is right by my town of Muncie and where I work. The other movies I have seen just show him coming out of the movie theater. Stephen Dorff, Channing Tatum, Rory Cochrane, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Graham, Stephen Lang, and others co-star.

Wackiki Wabbit (1943): This is my animated short for the week and stars everyone's favorite rabbit Bugs Bunny. Bugs is on a tropical island where a couple castaways see Bugs as food but Bugs in comical ways is able to thwart their attempts to eat Bugs. In watching this, it made me wonder if some statement was trying to be made and reminds me that cartoons then were violent just like they are now. This is a pretty enjoyable Bugs cartoon with some funny moments like Bugs being a puppeteer. Tedd Pierce and Michael Maltese provided the voices of the castaways and wrote the script in which the characters were caricatures of them. I found this on my Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku which is a public domain app but this is probably findable in other places.

Room Service (1938): My Dad bought me a few DVDs for Christmas and this comes from a Marx Brothers set. This one stars Marx Brothers Groucho, Harpo, and Chico. Groucho plays a penniless playwright who does everything possible to keep his hotel room and outsmart the head of the hotel trying to evict him while looking for a backer for his next play. Harpo and Chico are as usual kind of like Groucho's henchmen who help him in his crazy scheme and add to the comedic gags. A young Lucille Ball also adds to the comedy in a pre- I LOVE LUCY role. The Marx Brothers were a group of real-life brothers who started in Vaudeville and made many classic comedies in film usually starring three in this one. Groucho was usually the leader type in some scheme and always had some one-liners. Harpo was known for not talking and finding other ways to get laughs. Chico was usually kind of a con-artist type character. They have another brother named Zeppo who was in their first five films but left and is not in this one. Zeppo would usually play the part of the straight man but is said to have been one of the funniest outside of the brothers and even successfully stood in for Groucho at a show when he was sick. I have seen quite a few of their movies but this is one I don't remember ever hearing of but did deliver a lot of funny moments having a majority of the film being done in the room. This is actually a play that was adapted into a screenplay from the Marx Brothers which is the first and last film where the script was not originally written for them. Ann Miller and Frank Albertson also co-starred in this underrated entry with the Marx Brothers.

Kelly's Heroes (1970): This is another DVD my Dad got me for Christmas. Brian Hutton directed this WWII comedy which stars Clint Eastwood as the title character. Private Kelly learns through a captured German colonel that there is 16 million dollars worth of gold in enemy territory. He then becomes determined to get that gold and is able to get a group of soldiers that include Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Connor, and the scene-stealer Donald Sutherland. Remember, this is not a serious war movie so if that is what you are looking for, this is not for you. This is more of a movie taking a stab at the establishment and there are some pretty funny moments, especially with Sutherland as a more hippie like soldier. Gavin Macleod, Stuart Margolin, and Harry Dean Stanton all co-star and look for John Landis and Yves Montand in uncredited scenes.

No Small Affair (1984): This is my 80s comedy for the week which star Brat Packers Jon Cryer and Demi Moore. TWO AND A HALF MEN star Jon Cryer, in his film debut, plays a 16 year old amateur photographer named Charles and someone who always says what is on his mind. Demi Moore plays local 22 year old rocker Laura who is looking to further her career but struggles. Charles accidentally shoots photos of Laura and takes an immediate liking to her and performs a stunt that gets her more fame than ever. Cryer plays his part very well and one I kind of relate to in my amateur photography that I do in music and wrestling. Moore's singing is actually dubbed in this movie but is believable to her own voice. CHEERS alum George Wendt, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT alum Jeffrey Tambor, Jennifer Tilly, Tim Robbins, and others co-star. This is a comedy that for me works being in the 80s but if you don't appreciate comedy from the 80s, you may not like it. As I have said, I do a lot of photography work and started in music when I regularly attended my friend's shows and really began to enjoy it which lead to what I now call "Shaun Berkey Photography" which is mostly for Facebook.

The Old Man and the Sea (1958): John Sturges directed this adaptation of the classic Hemingway novel. Spencer Tracy stars as the title character and also narrates the film. Tracy plays a struggling and aging fisherman who soon goes to sea and hooks a very big marlin but struggles to bring him in battling both going too far into the sea and even sharks out to get the fish. Tracy carries most of this movie by himself besides people in the beginning, most notably a young boy who keeps faith in the old man and tries to make sure he is well fed before going out to sea. Tracy pulls this off quite well in a part where he is alone a lot and makes the most of it. His narration also helps carry the story. I will admit that I have never read the book and I am not much of a reader so I cannot really judge by an adaptation. Hemingway did not like this adaptation and the book does call for a Cuban fisherman in which Tracy obviously was not so if you cannot get past that element, this will not be something to watch. Also, without the narration, this movie may not have been as watchable for me but the movie was enjoyable in my mind.

The Help (2011): This is part one of a Cicely Tyson series which will have at least two parts but possibly three. Tate Taylor directed and wrote the screenplay based on the novel from Kathryn Stockett. This movie takes place in the 1960s Mississippi when racial segregation was at its worst. Emma Stone stars as Skeeter who is an aspiring author who has grown up there but does not agree with the racial views on most and decides she wants to write a book interviewing black maids from their point of view. Viola Davis stars as Abileen who is the first to step up to get interviewing much to the dismay of the other maids. Octavia Spencer, who won many Best Supporting Actress awards, co-stars as Minny who reluctantly agrees to contribute information but is soon more on board than anyone. This movie takes a very good look at the maids from this time period and their treatment. Skeeter could be considered a minority in her own right for not sharing the ideas of much of her family and treats them more with respect. Bryce Dallas Howard co-stars as Hilly who does everything possible to keep segregation going. She is in some ways the villain of the film but more in ignorance maybe because of the way she was raised. Jessica Chastain, Cicely Tyson, Sissy Spacek, and many others co-star in this film. I have become more and more of an Emma Stone fan and this one furthers my cause. This is a very moving and beautiful film with good performances and it is available on Showtime On-Demand to watch.

Jack the Giant Killer (1962): This is my fairy tale movie for the week. Kerwin Mathews stars as the title character who is a farmboy who has the skill of killing giants. He soon encounters one who has abducted a woman and he ends up saving her who turns out to be Princess Elaine, played by Judi Meredith. Torin Thatcher co-stars as the villain Pendragon who intends on taking over the kingdom but must now take on Jack who is a knight. Matthews was quite good as Jack and Thatcher plays his part evil to the core. This is a movie that the family can watch. The special effects are probably cheesy by today's standards but they did not have the great luxury of CGI. They use a lot of stop-motion animation for some of the giants and it does look pretty cool. I read that this was re-released as a musical so I have no idea how good or bad that is but this is not the musical. This is available on Instant Netflix and is good for people who like this genre.

The Last Witness (2003): Technically, this is a two-part episode to the BBC series PRIME SUSPECT. Both of these episodes were about 90 minutes so I will rule this as a movie since it is my blog and I'll do what I want to. This is actually the 6th episode of the series which stars Helen Mirren as Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison. Tennison is a detective who has been around a long time and is investigating a murder of a Bosnian refugee leading her to a suspect which is hard to arrest due to his status. She is also being pressured to retire due to her age when she feels she is not ready for retirement and wants to continue working. This is the first one of this series I have seen and it was a pretty good detective story with Mirren portraying her character in a very relating way. While this is considered a tv series, this was the first episode in seven years and would go onto have one more episode. These are all available on Instant Netflix and have heard good things on the other ones.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you dislike. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Johnny Depp, Naomi Watts, Vin Diesel, Sophia Loren, Leslie Nielson, John Ford, more Cicely Tyson, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Stephen Dorff (Public Enemies) and Helen Mirren (The Last Witness) were in the 2005 movie SHADOWBOXER.

Christian Bale (Public Enemies) and Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help) were in the 2009 film TERMINATOR SALVATION.

Christian Bale (Public Enemies) plays Jesus Christ in the 1999 tv movie MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS. Donald Sutherland (Kelly's Heroes) plays Christ in the 1971 film JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN. Two very interesting choices for the film.

Stephen Lang (Public Enemies) played Colonel Jessup in a Broadway production of A FEW GOOD MEN. Demi Moore (No Small Affair) plays Lieutenant Commander Galloway in the 1992 film A FEW GOOD MEN.

Lucille Ball (Room Service) plays Mame Dennis in the 1974 movie MAME. My Facebook friend Laura played the part in a 2012 production at the Muncie Civic Theater.

Frank Albertson (Room Service) and Spencer Tracy (The Old Man and the Sea) were in the 1936 film FURY.

Clint Eastwood (Kelly's Heroes) directed Tim Robbins (No Small Affair) in the 2003 film MYSTIC RIVER.

Donald Sutherland (Kelly's Heroes) played Hawkeye in the 1970 film MASH. My Facebook friend Sam played the part in a 2007 production at Lee's Theatrical Productions in which I was Captain Walk Waldowski.

Donald Sutherland (Kelly's Heroes) and Carey Mulligan (Public Enemies) were father and daughter in the 2005 film PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

Donald Sutherland (Kelly's Heroes) and Demi Moore (No Small Affair) were in the 1994 film DISCLOSURE.

Harry Dean Stanton (Kelly's Heroes) and Johnny Depp (Public Enemies) were in the 2011 film RANGO.

Harry Dean Stanton (Kelly's Heroes) and Jon Cryer (No Small Affair) were in the 1986 film PRETTY IN PINK.

Harry Dean Stanton (Kelly's Heroes) and Mary Steenburgen (The Help) were in the 1985 film ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS.

Harry Dean Stanton (Kelly's Heroes) played Dillinger gang member Homer Van Meter in the 1973 film DILLINGER. Stephen Dorff played Van Meter in this week's feature PUBLIC ENEMIES.

Demi Moore (No Small Affair) auditioned for the part of Luisi Contina in the 2009 musical NINE which would ultimately go to Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies)

Viola Davis (The Help) and Christian Stolte (Public Enemies) were in the 2009 film LAW ABIDING CITIZEN.

Viola Davis (The Help) and Stephen Dorff (Public Enemies) were in the 2006 film WORLD TRADE CENTER.

Jessica Chastain (The Help) and Jason Clarke (Public Enemies) were in the 2012 film LAWLESS.

Sissy Spacek (The Help) and Harry Dean Stanton (Kelly's Heroes) were in the tv series BIG LOVE. Stanton was in it from start to finish while Spacek had a few appearances.

Sissy Spacek (The Help) and Donald Sutherland (Kelly's Heroes) were in the 1991 film JFK.

Mary Steenburgen (The Help) and Johnny Depp (Public Enemies) were in the 1993 film WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE.

Jessica Chastain (The Help) plays the younger version of Helen Mirren's (The Last Witness) character in the 2010 film THE DEBT.

Mark Strong (The Last Witness), Jason Clarke (Public Enemies), Jessica Chastain (The Help), and Edgar Ramirez (Carlos) are all the 2012 film ZERO DARK THIRTY

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 373rd Edition

Welcome to the 373rd Edition of my series and the first one of the new year. I hope everyone has a good 2013. Last week when putting this out, I was quite sick but glad to report I am a lot better now. This is something that seems to really be going around so to those sick right now, get well soon. This week, the 49ers have a playoff bye but next week take on the tough Packers. They won in week one but it was a close game and could go either way. I will not get to my selections for the week.

The Tourist (2010): This is part three of my Johnny Depp series which will go at least five parts put possibly six. I'm aware that this movie went to very mixed opinions but I found it to be enjoyable. Depp stars as Frank who is an American tourist who soon meets Elise, played by Angelina Jolie, and finds there is a lot more to her. Soon, Frank becomes part of a web of deceit when he is believed to be a mobster. I'll give away too much if I begin to explain further. Timothy Dalton, Paul Bettany, Steven Berkoff, and Rufus Sewell co-star in this espionage comedy. I believe that Depp and Jolie worked well together and while not great, it did entertain me.

Fallen (2007): This is my mini-series for the week. THE VAMPIRE DIARIES star Paul Wesley stars as Aaron Corbett who seems to be a normal 18 year old soon to graduate but finds out that he is actually half-angel. He has the powers to heal fallen angels but has many people out to get him. This is from ABC family and is pretty compelling. I just started watching VD not too long ago so fans of that show will enjoy this. Tom Skerritt, BREAKING BAD star Bryan Cranston, and many others co-star. This is a good mini-series dealing with angels and if you like this topic, I think you'll enjoy this one. Don't let the label "ABC Family" fool you into how you feel about the mini-series as it has a good story and some good characters.

Build Your Vocabulary (1948): This is my short film for the week which comes from the ever-educational Coronet film series. In this one, a father wants to propose something at a town meeting but finds himself at a loss for words. His son then helps him in developing a vocabulary so he can go back and try again. Like most from the series, they now serve more as entertainment than education but is worth a watch. I found this on the Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku player but can likely be found on Youtube.

Ned Kelly (1970): This is my western for the week which stars none other than Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger as the title character. Ned is not able to support his family on the Australian Outback and resorts to stealing horses to make money. He soon gets drawn into the outlaw life. Ned Kelly is an Australian folk hero and like Jesse James is considered a Robin Hood type. With some research it appears like there are more facts to back up Kelly's status more than Jesse James. This is mostly of interest to see Jagger in this kind of role. He made the most of it but the biggest critique is his build which was much smaller than the real Kelly. It leads into quite a shootout in the end. There was a 2003 version that was better directed but this one is still of interest to see Jagger in his film debut.

Night Nurse (1931): William Wellman directed this film which stars Barbara Stanwyck as Lora Hart who is a nurse trainee and then works the night shift at a hospital upon training. She soon meets two children who seem very sick but learns something far more sinister is happening among their parents with abuse which was probably unheard of in those days. This movie takes a good look at becoming a nurse in that era and then going into a more dark story. Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell, and Clark Gable co-star in what was likely a pre-code film. Stanwyck was great in her role and of interest to see a more unknown at the time Gable much meaner than usual as Nick.

13 (2010): Gela Babluani remade his own 2005 French film 13 TZAMETI and I admit I have never seen the original one. Sam Riley stars as Vince whose family is struggling and finds an opportunity to make some money when assuming the identity of a dead man. He soon finds himself in a dangerous game of Russian Roulette. I admit that what caught my interest was Mickey Rourke co-starring as anyone who knows me knows I idolize Rourke. In this one, he was another one of the Russian Roulette contestants. Jason Statham, Gaby Hoffman, Ray Winstone, Curtis Jackson, Ben Gazzara, and many others co-star. I did enjoy the Russian Roulette scenes but I thought it went downhill towards the end. I will eventually look to see the original which I'm sure is much better. The roulette scenes were of most interest in the film with Riley doing a good job as Vince.

American Graffiti (1973): George Lucas directed this slice-of-life 60s film. Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, and Charles Martin Smith are all best friends about to graduate high school and none really knowing what they want in life and spend an evening cruising their small town looking for fun. It is good to see these actors early in their career and a grown Howard in his pre-HAPPY DAYS role before he would go onto be one of the top rated directors. Candy Clark, Wolfman Jack, Mackenzie Phillips, Kathleen Quinlan, and a young THREE'S COMPANY alum Suzanne Somers. It also has a young Harrison Ford before he got famous in the STAR WARS films and I found very enjoyable in his role as the cocky driver out to drag race Le Mat. People who lived in this era will probably love this film. Much of this generation and younger generations might find this a bit dated but was still a good movie on adjusting to post high school life no matter what the era. This is a pretty fun comedy and something different from Lucas who has usually directed sci-fi films.

Decision Before Dawn (1951): This is a WWII film based on a novel by George Howe. This takes place later in the war when Germany was down but not out. The U.S. Army recruited a couple German POWs, played by Oskar Werner and Hans Christian Blech, to infiltrate the whereabouts of a powerful German unit. This was something that was unheard of at the time so they were not sure if they could trust their loyalty but decided to go through with it. Blech played a German who did not really seem to care about either side but would do anything for the right price. Werner joined because he said he did not like the way the Germans operated and felt he would be doing a service to Germany to help the United States. This was based on a true story. Richard Basehart and Gary Merrill co-star in this very good WWII film that portrayed Germans in a more sympathetic light than most movies from that era. It is also a movie that was very good but had no actors that really remain famous today but they still do a great job. This is one I had not heard of but had the pleasure of passing it in my local library and it caught my interest.

Page One: Inside the New York Times (2011): This is my documentary for the week. Filmmaker Andrew Rossi gets a first hand look at the dealings of the Times and how they survive on the market when many other newspapers have gone under. The main person of focus is the journalist David Carr who has been there for a long time and has had to adjust to all the technological changes. It also talks some about the history of the paper and some of their own controversy through the years. In some ways this documentary was all over the place in terms of what was presented and the focus but it was worth it for the interviews of their employees to get their insights on the changing times. This documentary is available to watch on Instant Netflix.

Daddy Day Care (2003): I now end on this comedy. Eddie Murphy and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM co-star Jeff Garlin play Charlie and Phil who has a great job at a food development center but soon get fired from their positions for downsizing reasons. They both have trouble getting jobs and must take their kids out of high-class pre-school to become stay-at-home dads. Soon, Charlie comes up with the idea for them to run a day care center. Their first struggle is that they really have no experience running that kind of facility and struggle with the children. They soon though learn to understand the standards and begin to like it more and more. Their biggest threat is the head of the exclusive Chapman Academy Mrs. Harridan, played by Anjelica Huston, who runs a very serious pre-school whereas the fathers promote a more normal learning through play which is far more common for three year olds. Murphy had made some bad decisions through the years but I felt he did very good in this movie where he is more subdued than usual. I can relate some to this movie as someone who has worked in this industry so I got quite a few laughs. Even the children are rather likable in my opinion and do not overdo it in cuteness. Each child has some good, unique characteristics. Garlin is also very fun and remains rather underrated as a comedic actor. Steve Zahn, Regina King, Kevin Nealon, Jonathan Katz, Lacey Chabert, Elle Fanning, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is also available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Johnny Depp, Groucho Marx, Clint Eastwood, Demi Moore, Spencer Tracy, Emma Stone, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Like usual, these are interrelated mostly and not much information on actors within their own films.

VAMPIRE FRANCHISE

-Johnny Depp (The Tourist) plays Barnabas Collins in the 2012 movie DARK SHADOWS.

-Paul Wesley (Fallen) plays Stefan Salvatore in the tv series THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

-Rick Worthy (Fallen) plays Alpha Vampire in the tv series SUPERNATURAL

-Alexander Skarsgard (13) plays Eric Northman in the tv series TRUE BLOOD

-Eddie Murphy (Daddy Day Care) plays Maximillian in the 1995 movie VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN

Johnny Depp (The Tourist) and Mickey Rourke (13) were in the 2003 film ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO

Johnny Depp (The Tourist) is a fan of Mick Jagger's (Ned Kelly) music group The Rolling Stones

Paul Bettany (The Tourist) and Mick Jagger (Ned Kelly) were in the 1997 film BENT

Paul Bettany (The Tourist) and Mickey Rourke (13) were in 2010 film IRON MAN 2

Timothy Dalton (The Tourist) plays Rhett Butler in the 1994 tv mini-series SCARLETT. Clark Gable (Night Nurse) plays Rhett in the 1939 classic GONE WITH THE WIND.

Steven Berkoff (The Tourist) and Mickey Rourke (13) worked together in the 1997 movie ANOTHER NINE AND A HALF WEEKS.

Steven Berkoff (The Tourist) and Eddie Murphy (Daddy Day Care) were in the 1984 film BEVERLY HILLS COP

Tom Skerritt (Fallen) plays Duke Forrest in the 1970 film MASH. My Facebook friend Thom played the part in a 2007 version at Lee's Theatrical Productions.

BOND FRANCHISE

-Timothy Dalton (The Tourist) plays James Bond in the late 80s and was the first to bring a darker portrayal to the character met with mixed opinions but liked by me.

-Steven Berkoff (The Tourist) plays villain General Orlov in the 1983 Bond film OCTOPUSSY

-Ivana Milicevic (Fallen) plays Bond girl Valenka in the 2006 Bond film CASINO ROYALE

-Will Yun Lee (Fallen) plays Bond villain Colonel Moon in the 2002 Bond film DIE ANOTHER DAY

Barbara Stanwyck (Night Nurse) and Richard Basehart (Decision Before Dawn) were good friends

Stephen Beach (13) and Richard Dreyfuss (American Graffiti) were in the 1996 movie NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTON.

Mickey Rourke (13) was originally offered the part of Axel Foley in the 1984 film BEVERLY HILLS COP which he declined and would ultimately go to Eddie Murphy (Daddy Day Care) after script revisions.

Michael Berry Jr. (13) and Johnny Depp (The Tourist) were in the 2003 film PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PERSON where Berry made his film debut.

Ray Winstone (13) and Harrison Ford (American Graffiti) were in the 2008 film INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.

Ray Winstone (13) and Angelina Jolie (The Tourist) were in the 2007 film BEOWULF.

Ray Winstone (13) played Sweeney Todd in the 2006 tv movie SWEENEY TODD. Johnny Depp (The Tourist) played Sweeney Todd in 2007 film SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. They both were in the 2011 animated film RANGO.

DILLINGER GANG FRANCHISE

-Johnny Depp (The Tourist) plays Dillinger in the 2009 film PUBLIC ENEMIES

-Richard Dreyfuss (American Graffiti) plays Babyface Nelson in the 1973 film DILLINGER

Richard Dreyfuss (American Graffiti) and Angelina Jolie (The Tourist) attended the same high school

Harrison Ford (American Graffiti) and Paul Bettany (The Tourist) were in the 2006 film FIREWALL

Kathleen Quinlan (American Graffiti) and Emmanuelle Chriqui (13) were in the 2010 film ELEKTRA LUXX.

Richard Basehart (Decision Before Dawn) plays Hitler in the 1962 movie HITLER. Steven Berkoff (The Tourist) plays Hitler in the 1989 mini-series WAR AND REMEMBERANCE.

Jeff Garlin (Daddy Day Care) and Timothy Dalton (The Tourist) are in the 2010 film TOY STORY 3

Steve Zahn (Daddy Day Care) and Bryan Cranston (Fallen) were in the 1996 film THAT THING YOU DO!

Kevin Nealon (Daddy Day Care) and Emmanuelle Chriqui (13) were in the 2008 comedy YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN.

Siobhan Fallon (Daddy Day Care) and Richard Dreyfuss (American Graffiti) were in the 1998 comedy Krippendorf's Tribe

Anjelica Huston (Daddy Day Care) and Mick Jagger (Ned Kelly) were in the 2001 film THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS

Anjelica Huston (Daddy Day Care), Ben Gazzara (13), and Mickey Rourke (13) were in the 1998 film BUFFALO '66.

Anjelica Huston (Daddy Day Care) and Charles Martin Smith (American Graffiti) were in the 1993 tv movie AND THE BAND PLAYED ON where many actors took heat for taking small parts in a tv movie.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 372nd Edition

Welcome to the 372nd Edition of my series. This is my last post of the year and I hope you all have a good New Years and a good 2013. I decided to go ahead and do some holiday selections since it is still December. I'm not feeling so well right now but I will not let that stop me from giving you my recommendations for the week.

I am David (2003): Paul Feig directed this film which stars Ben Tibber as the title character who is a 12 year old boy that escapes a Communist concentration camp in Eastern Europe. He then sets out on a journey with very little possessions and a letter to get to Copenhagen, Denmark. Along the way, he meets various people slowly losing his inability to trust. James Caviezel co-stars as a fellow prisoner in flashback scenes. Joan Plowright co-stars as a very noble woman who takes in David. This movie was very touching to me and I did tear up in this film. It is a very beautiful independent film with Tibber doing a very good job as David. Stewart Copeland, who was the drummer for the Police, writes a good music score.

Finding Neverland (2004): This is part two of my Johnny Depp series which will possibly have six parts and last week included SLEEPY HOLLOW so this is quite a jump. This is another inspirational film where Depp plays J.M. Barrie who is known as the writer of PETER PAN. Barrie has a play which flops and he has a hard time coming up with his next one. He soon meets a widowed mother named Sylvia, played by Kate Winslet, and her four sons who he becomes very close to which sets him off in writing his most famous work. There are a lot of good fantasy sequences in which come into play when he is with the kids. Dustin Hoffman, Julie Christie, Freddie Highmore, Mackenzie Crook, and many others co-star in this very touching film. Depp is a lot lighter than usual in his role which is a good change for him. This is a true story on the events that brought about his most famous work.

Saint Ralph (2004): I continue my inspirational selections. Michael McGowan wrote and directed this film that takes place in the 50s. Once again, I focus on a story that revolves a lot around kids. Adam Butcher stars as the title character who is a ninth grade Catholic school student whose mother is very sick and gets into a coma being told it would take a "miracle" for her to wake up. Ralph is soon forced to be on the school's cross-country team and when asking about the Boston Marathon, the coach Father Hibbert, played by Campbell Scott, tells him it would be a miracle if any of them win. He then gets the idea to join the Boston marathon and that maybe winning that would be the miracle his mother needs. Father Hibbert soon agrees to coach him after seeing how hard he was training even if he did not think he had a chance to win. They do have problems with the school's headmaster Father Fitzpatrick, played by Gordon Pinsent, who is against the idea. Jennifer Tilly co-stars as his mother's nurse and later helps him with building physical strength. This also has a very good soundtrack including singer Gord Downie doing a cover to Leonard Cohen's HALLELUJAH which is the clearest version of that song I have heard to date. This is another very inspirational film that I hope to get on the radar.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964): I decided to use this tv special as one of my selections and unfolds the story of that famous reindeer. Rudolph is born with an unusual feature of a red nose and is not accepted by his community and his father tries to cover the nose but to no avail. On the other story, we have an elf named Hermie who does not feel he fits in making toys and wants to be a dentist instead which causes dismay among the elf community. Soon, they come together in search of a community that will accept them leading them to an island of misfit toys who have not found someone who wants them. They soon must deal with a big snowstorm when making their way back to the community and if you know the song, you know what happens. I used to see this all the time at my dad's when I was a kid and am glad to revisit these this time of year. Burl Ives is the narrator.

If I were Free (1933): This is a story of an extramarital affair. Irene Dunne stars as Sarah who is not happy in her marriage and Clive Brook co-stars as Gordon who also has a difficult marriage. They soon get together forming their affair. They go through this affair but are frowned upon by society and this was probably rather taboo in that era. This is not a bad b-list romance movie and is worth a look if you like movies from this era.

Carol for Another Christmas (1964): I came across this movie when looking for TCM selections and it caught my interest starting with Sterling Hayden being the star but then making it a variation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. This is a TV movie that has been rarely shown and rarely released. Joseph Mankiewicz directed this movie while Rod Serling wrote the screenplay. Sterling Hayden stars as Daniel Grudge who is the equivalent of Ebenezer Scrooge who is a rich businessman who lost his son Marley who was killed in WWII. He then becomes opposed to any American involvement for international affairs so refuses to help. He is soon visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future where in the past sees his involvement in WWI, in the present sees a lot of homeless and poor people from around the world and in the futures sees kind of a post-apocalyptic society that resulted from his refusal to help the cause. This actually takes place in the cold-war era. Ben Gazzara co-stars as his nephew Fred. Steve Lawrence, Pat Hingle, and Robert Shaw all play the ghosts and give very interesting portrayals. Peter Sellers has a very amusing part in the future scene. Brit Eklund and Eva Marie Saint co-star. I described this as Rod Serling's TWILIGHT ZONE CHRISTMAS CAROL and was really quite dark but one I really enjoyed. I'd like to see a wider release of this movie and hope that TCM will continue to show this. If you can find it, I think you'll enjoy it.

Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time (2007): This is actually a live concert video of Nine Inch Nails performing their a lot of their music which is about 90 minutes. This is strictly a concert performance, there is no documentary nor does the band talk between songs. I have always liked Nine Inch Nails so i enjoyed this DVD but if you do not like that band, this is not for you. I do not believe NIN fans will be disappointed. This may not be technically a movie but it's my blog and I can decide what qualifies as a movie.

Born to Kill (1947): Robert Wise directed this film-noir which stars Lawrence Tierney who stars as murderer Sam Wild. He soon makes his way into the life of a divorcee who has a lot of money but obsesses over her half-sister Helen, played by Claire Trevor, who is a lot more compatible with Sam than her sister. This is a hard movie to really describe but I will say this is a very dark film from that era. Tierney is good in his villainous role and Trevor is also good in her role where neither character is really likable. Tierney is probably most known in Tarantino's 1992 film RESERVOIR DOGS as Joe. This is a good, early film from him and a good entry into the genre that has gone overlooked and a good entry from director Robert Wise in a diverse career that includes WEST SIDE STORY and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946): This is my annual view every year on Christmas Eve on NBC. Frank Capra directed this inspiring film which stars James Stewart as small-towner George Bailey. He has plans to leave the small-town of Bedford Falls but things change when his father dies and he must take over his father's business in order to prevent corrupt businessman Mr. Potter, played very well by Lionel Barrymore, from taking over the business and the town. He is a very giving man but slowly becomes frustrated where an angel named Clarence, played by Henry Travers, is sent down to show George a life where he had not been born. Donna Reed, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, and many others co-star in this inspirational holiday classic. Look closely in the beginning for Carl Switzer who is most known for playing Alfalfa on THE LITTLE RASCALS. I never cease to shed a few tears every time I watch it. This movie went unknown for many years but the public domain status got it more exposure and has been an NBC tradition for years.

The Town (2010): I end with this crime film which Ben Affleck directs and stars and we all know Affleck is at his best when directing. He stars as long-time thief Doug Macray whose latest job results in taking a hostage to get away and is the bank manager Claire, played by Rebecca Hall, who they blindfold and let go. He soon learns that she lives in the same town and forms a relationship with Claire and Claire not knowing he was the one who took the bank hostage. Doug must also deal with his friend and colleague James, played very well by Jeremy Renner, who does not like the idea of Doug getting involved with Claire. MAD MEN star Jon Hamm plays Agent Frawley who is close on the trail of Doug. This movie had some great heist scenes as well as Affleck and Hall working well together. I also liked the FBI scenes of them planning their bust. Affleck does a great job in this film and deserves a watch. Titus Welliver, Pete Postlewaite, Chris Cooper, and many others co-star.

Well, that is it for this week. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Johnny Depp, Clark Gable, Mickey Rourke, and many others. Continue to read for the "Fun and Useless Facts" segment.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I focus mostly on interrelated facts in this segment and if you see anything I miss, please comment.

Joan Plowright (I am David) played Daisy in the 1992 tv movie DRIVING MISS DAISY. My Facebook friend Judy played the part in a production years ago at Muncie Civic Theater that went other places afterwards.

Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland) played Sweeney Todd in the 2007 film SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. Victor Garber (The Town) was the first person to play the part of Anthony on the Broadway musical of Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. I had the pleasure of playing the unscrupulous Beadle Bamford in a 2011 production at the Jay County Civic Theater.

Joseph Mankiewicz (Carol for Another Christmas director) directed Sheldon Leonard in the 1955 film GUYS AND DOLLS where he played Harry the Horse. I played the part in 2010 version at the Belfry Theater which is so far the only show I have done there. My portrayal was quite different that the portrayal from Leonard.

Lawrence Tierney (Born to Kill) plays famed bank robber John Dillinger in the 1945 film DILLINGER. Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland) plays Dillinger in the 2009 film PUBLIC ENEMIES.

Walter Slezak (Born to Kill) plays Geppetto in the 1957 tv movie PINNOCHIO. Burl Ives (Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer) plays Geppetto in the 1968 tv movie PINNOCHIO. My Facebook friend Ben played the part in a musical called GEPPETTO in a production at Anderson Mainstage Theatre.

Isabel Jewell (Born to Kill), Thomas Mitchell (It's a Wonderful Life), Frank Faylen (It's a Wonderful Life) and Ward Bond (It's a Wonderful Life) were in the 1939 classic GONE WITH THE WIND.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL FRANCHISE

-Ben Tibber (I am David) played TINY TIM in the 1999 tv movie A CHRISTMAS CAROL

-Kate Winslet (Finding Neverland) played Belle in the 2001 animated movie CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MUSICAL who was Ebenezer's fiance but left him when he became very greedy.

-Lionel Barrymore (It's a Wonderful Life) played Ebenezer Scrooge for many years in a radio broadcast of A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Claire Trevor (Born to Kill) and Thomas Mitchell (It's a Wonderful Life) were in the 1939 western STAGECOACH.

Ward Bond (It's a Wonderful Life) and Elisha Cook Jr. (Born to Kill) were in the 1941 classic THE MALTESE FALCON.

H.B. Warner (It's a Wonderful Life) plays our savior Jesus Christ in the 1927 film THE KING OF KINGS. James Caviezel (I am David) plays Christ in 2004 film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST.

Sheldon Leonard (It's a Wonderful Life) plays FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover in the 1978 film THE BRINK'S JOB. Pat Hingle (Carol for Another Christmas) plays Hoover in the 1992 tv movie CITIZEN COHN.

Pete Postlewaite (The Town) and Julie Christie (Finding Neverland) were in the1996 movie DRAGONHEART

Pete Postlewaite (The Town), Blake Lively (The Town), and Julie Christie (Finding Neverland) were in the 2009 movie NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU

Titus Welliver (The Town) plays famed mobster Al Capone in the 1991 movie MOBSTERS in his younger days. Ben Gazzara (Carol For Another Christmas) in the 1975 movie CAPONE.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 371st Edition

Welcome to the 371st Edition of my series. I hope everyone has a great Christmas this year. I look forward to having that day off work right now. I have a couple holiday selections and selections for those who do not really like the holidays. This evening the 49ers play and hope they continue their winning ways and glad to see them in the playoffs. I will now get to my selections for the week.

Eric Bogosian: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001): I start the week out with this stand-up act from Bogosian. Bogosian has done acting, writing plays, screenplays, and even novels. He is most known for his play TALK RADIO in which was made into a movie in 1988 in which he stars and a play that I had the honor of co-starring in. He talks about his views on the world, human nature, and even portrays characters like Satan, a Hollywood producer, and a spiritual guru. Bogosian holds nothing back in this act so not for the weak of heart or even people who are very religious. Before watching this, it might be a good idea to research Bogosian a bit and watch a movie or two

Winner Take All (1932): I now go to this older boxing movie. James Cagney stars as boxer Jimmy Kane who wants to help someone raise $600 and takes a tough fight in Tijuana. Marian Nixon co-stars as Peggy who needs that money to save her sick son. Jimmy soon meets Joan who is a far more manipulative woman who temps him in more ways than one. In Cagney's big career, this is by no means one of the best and it follows the better boxing film THE CHAMP that was put out the year before. This was not bad though and was worth a watch and to see Cagney earlier in his career before his big rise.

The Efficiency Expert (1992): This is my Australian movie for the week. Anthony Hopkins stars as the title character named Errol who is assigned to downsize a small-town moccasin factory. Like my last selection, this is not one of the more known movies on his career. He slowly begins to reconsider his plans of downsizing when he gets to know the eccentric people of the factory and take a liking to them. Toni Collette co-stars as factory worker Wendy and a young Russell Crowe co-stars as another one of the workers. This movie does a good job of explaining the human element of a workplace and that money is not always everything. This is available on Instant Netflix.

The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree (1979): This is one of my holiday selections and this would be more to watch with the children. This was a series of children's books from Jan and Stan Berenstain which started in the early 60s and have remained very popular through the years going way beyond just children's books. In this tv special, Mama Bear sends Papa Bear and and the two cubs out to get a Christmas Tree. Papa Bear was not satisfied with the one Mama Bear wanted him to get and sets out on a journey for what he would feel would be a better tree. In this journey, they encounter many other critters who are just trying to have their own Christmas and getting a bit disrupted by the bears. This was a pretty good special that is good for the children and has a pretty good message. It may not be a Christmas special just for the adults unless still a big fan of these Bears.

Miracle on 34th St. (1947): This is a timeless classic that is for everyone and this year is the 65th Anniversary of the holiday classic. This movie starts out at the Macy's Day parade in which the Santa Claus hired for the parade was quite drunk. Maureen O'Hara stars as Doris Walker who runs the parade and is given word by a person who looks perfect to play the part and hires that person to replace the drunk Santa. Edmund Gwenn plays this person named Kris Kringle who while being Santa in the parade and continuing his job in the mall also claims to be the real thing. Doris has a lot of misgivings on his claims as she lives in a more reality based world and teaches her daughter Susan, played by Natalie Wood, to not believe in anything fantasy or make-believe. Soon, many people including Susan begin to really take to Kris who is a very nice person. John Payne co-stars as good-hearted attorney Fred who bonds with Doris and Susan and tried to get them to not be so serious all the time. Fred takes to Kris the most and soon Kris is committed to a mental ward and put on trial which Fred gladly takes and is determined to prove that he is Santa Claus. This movie does a good job of addressing the commercialism of Christmas without showing it down people's throats. This is a beautiful holiday film that anyone can enjoy.

50/50 (2011): Jonathan Levine directs this movie based on the screenplay by Will Reiser who based this on his life and his own battle with cancer. Joseph Gordan-Levitt stars as Adam who is a writer of radio-show programs and soon learns of a rare form of cancer in which the title shows the survival rate chances. In this difficult moment, he must also deal with a girlfriend who does not seem to be very supportive, his friend Kyle, a young therapist, and his overprotective mother in which hear learns a lot about the relationships in life and people's different ways of coping. Seth Rogan plays his best friend Kyle who never liked his girlfriend, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, and is determined to get him laid which was his way of helping his friend cope. Anjelica Huston plays his mother who loves him but has a difficult relationship. Anna Kendrick plays his therapist Katherine who also does what she can to help him deal. This is a comedy which deals with the subject in a good way and the humor is just more from the people in his life. Gordon-Levitt is great in his role. Philip Baker Hall co-stars as another cancer patient that Adam bonds with in the film. Rogan is a real-life friend of Reiser who helped him deal with his cancer and suggested writing about it.

Whistling in the Dark (1941): Like my last selection, I bring another comedy dealing with a serious situation. Red Skelton stars as Wally who has a very popular radio show where he plays a sleuth called "The Fox" who helps solve murders. Soon, he is abducted by a crime syndicate who want him to come up with a "perfect" murder for them. They also kidnap his fiancee and ex-girlfriend played by Ann Rutherford and Eve Arden in order for Wally to be more inclined to make the plot. Conrad Veidt co-stars as the head of the syndicate who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and things spin out of control in a great Red Skelton way. I have seen a few of Skelton's movies and so far I find this one is my favorite and a very well-written comedy that might have been a bit daring at the time. This is actually the first of a trilogy and may look to view the others in the future.

Little Ashes (2008): This is part two of my two-part Robert Pattinson series and last week I used WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. This takes place in 1922 Madrid and based on the lives of artist Salvador Dali, filmmaker Luis Bunuel, and writer/poet Federico Garcia Lorca. The three of them form quite a trio in the country. Pattinson plays Dali who is pulled in by Garcia Lorca, played by Javier Beltran, and they form a relationship. Bunuel, played by Matthew McNulty, decides to leave the oppressive country to go to France to start his successful career as a director. I already had some knowledge towards Garcia Lorca and Bunuel in terms of their work but did not know a lot about Dali. The leads in the film did pretty good despite not being of the race but is not a movie for everyone. It might be good to look into the background of these three people before watching this movie. There is not a lot of plot except just focus on the three historical figures though is still compelling.

Watership Down (1978): This is a selection from the Random Facebook Selection process and this week I chose Bart and had never heard of this so decided to give it a shot. This is my second animated selection for the week and while the first one was one for the family, this one may not be so much. This is based on a novel by Richard Adams and is about a group of bunnies. So far, this may sound very childlike but it is very far from that. A group of rabbits flee a warren in search for a better place to live. In their journey they face many issues of other animals, humans, and even a very disturbing group of their own kind. This was an obvious statement towards our society and is a very entertaining and well-done animated film. John Hurt, Richard Briers, Denholm Elliot, Zero Mostel, and many others lend their voices. Don't let those drawings of cute bunnies fool you as this movie is quite violent and disturbing but at the same time, quite moving.

Sleepy Hollow (1999): This is part one of a Johnny Depp series which has at least two but could have as many as six I end this week with this Tim Burton film and a selection for those who prefer Halloween over Christmas. This is an adaptation of the Washington Irving novel. I will say first that I really don't know anything about this novel and just focused on the movie. Johnny Depp stars as Ichabod Crane who is a detective in the late 1700s who is assigned to investigate murders in a town of the title. Ichabod has some new age beliefs in detective work that are quite ahead of its time. He soon learns that the murders consist of the victims being decapitated and is told by the locals that it is the work of the Headless Horseman. He is at first skeptical but then witnesses it happening and becomes a believer and is determined to stop the murders. Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee and many others co-star in this atmospheric film. I have found that the 90s are my favorite period for the many Burton/Depp collaborations and this was no different. The cinematography worked very well and the action scenes were very good. It also has great use of flashback sequences. I won't give too much away accept that it moves very well and keeps people guessing but is not for everyone's taste if you have a hard time with violence.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Jim Caviezel, more Johnny Depp, Jennifer Tilly, Peter Sellers, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 370th Edition

Welcome to the 370th Edition of my series. I am now officially out of the running for my fantasy football league. I had a good team and even had the most points in the league but just never got the right matchup. I will now move onto next year and hope to do even better. I will now fully focus on my real team the 49ers which are doing very good right now. This friday, my friends Ashley and Stephen are visiting from Philadelphia and are putting on a show at the Folly Moon in Muncie from 8-10. If you are in the area, you should come check it out. I will now get to my selections for the week.

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989): I start the week with this sequel to the successful series of film. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover reprise the roles as partners Riggs and Murtaugh. They are assigned to protect a witness named Leo Getz, played by Joe Pesci who would play the part in later films, but find that is not a very easy task. Joss Acklund and Patsy Kensit also star in this action sequel that has a great blend of action and comedy with Gibson, Glover, and Pesci, making a very fun trio of very mismatched people who find a way to work together. If you want a movie for the guys, a good double feature would be the first one and followed by this one.

My Week with Marilyn (2011): This is a true story that was based on the filming of THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL. DAWSON'S CREEK Michelle Williams alum stars as the legendary Marilyn Monroe who is brought to London to co-star with Laurence Olivier, played by Kenneth Branaugh. Eddie Redmayne stars as Colin Clark whose book this movie is based upon. Clark was someone who aspired to be involved in film and after much persistence gets the third assistant director position. Monroe is clearly out of place being in London and working with someone like Olivier who struggles to meet her demands. Clark soon befriends Monroe to try to help her get through the movie. Williams played the part of Monroe to perfection and Redmayne was very good as Clark. Branaugh was also pretty good as Olivier whose film career have been quite similar in terms of their Shakespeare experience. Julia Ormond, Toby Jones, Dominic Cooper, Emma Watson, Judi Dench, and many others co-star. This was a great movie that shows a different side to the sex symbol of Monroe.

Twin Warriors (1993): This is my Asian film for the week. Jet Li stars as Junbao and Siu-Hou Chin co-stars as Chin Bo who have been friends since childhood at a Shaolin temple. Due to an incident, they both get kicked out and must learn to fend for themselves in the outside world. Soon they join a group of rebels but Chin Bo joins a ruthless military regime and betrays his friend and his group which pits them against each other into a final battle. In Junbao's preparation he looks to learn the art of Tai-Chi. Michelle Yeoh co-stars as an ally of Junbao. This is a very good entry into the martial arts genre that has some great fight scenes as well as a good story. In the DVD that I got, it is dubbed in English so for those who cannot watch with subtitles can watch this one and is a must for those who like the genre.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): This is more of a tv special but it's my blog so if I want to call this a movie, I have every right to. This is the first tv special of the characters brought by Charles Schulz and has remained very popular after all these years during the season. This is something my dad always showed me and was always a fan of Charlie Brown and remain so to this day. The hapless Charlie struggles to find the meaning of Christmas during all the commercialism of Christmas. He is soon appointed to direct the school play but struggles to get everyone to cooperate. He also gets a Christmas tree that to most does not fit the holiday and was one of the many things his friends get mad about. Linus is who soon teaches us the meaning of Christmas. This is a great time with friends like Charlie, Lucy, Snoopy, Linus, Sally, and many others. I also have the Charlie Brown Christmas tree that I am proud to put up and call my tree. This is a timeless classic that every parent should be showing their children.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944): Vincente Minnelli directed this musical which stars Judy Garland as Esther Smith. This is a musical which centers around an average family learning lessons of life and love and just trying to make it in life. Margaret O'Brien who was the child star at the time co-stars as Tootie and has many funny moments. There are a lot of good musical numbers including Judy Garland introducing the world to HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS. The song was originally meant to be more melancholy than what it is today and had lines like "it may be your last" which both Garland and Minnelli opposed and demanded rewrite of the lyrics. It was also very amusing having O'Brien sing about being drunk which might have carried a bit of controversy at the time. Garland and O'Brien also had a fun song and dance number. Mary Astor, Leon Ames, Marjorie Main, Hugh Marlowe, and others co-star in this fun musical about family and love.

The Fighting Sullivans (1944): It is not often that I have back to back selections that have the same year but here is another from 1944. This is actually a true story about the Sullivan brothers who went into WWII together and were all killed. The movie is based more on the closeness of the family from the Sullivan parents to their six children which five were boys and one was a girl. They were an Iowa family during the depression and while there was a lot of bickering, there was obvious love within the family no matter the financial situation. Lloyd Bacon directed this slice of Americana and a great tribute to this family. This movie was also the inspiration to SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Some of the actors in this film include Ward Bond and Anne Baxter but most are not known today but everyone still did a good job and worked together very well.

Death Wish (1974): Now I bring a much darker film to the mix that many will enjoy and some will see it as the wrong message. Charles Bronson stars as New York architect Paul Kersey. Paul was leading a great life with a good job and a loving wife and daughter. Things change when his wife and daughter are attacked by muggers murdering his wife and raping his daughter which did not kill her but left her in a catatonic state. Things did not get better when someone tried to mug him which became the start of becoming a local vigilante in his crime-ridden town. This has some good social commentary in which people in the movie have mixed opinions on Paul's actions including Detective Ochoa, played by Vincent Gardenia. Look for Jeff Goldblum, Denzel Washington, and Christopher Guest early bit roles and would all go onto have great careers. Shortly after this movie, vigilante acts increased in the United States. Brian Garfield wrote the novel that this movie is based on and did not like the advocacy of vigilantism. Bronson was good as Kersey and was someone to side with no matter what your beliefs of being a vigilante might be and he did not start doing it until the police were not finding the culprits of his family's attack and him being mugged himself. This was probably the first notable vigilante film. This is available on Instant Netflix.

Water For Elephants (2011): Francis Lawrence directed this film based on the novel by Sara Gruen. I know this was a very popular novel and I'm sure there will be some that is faithful to the book and some that might say that it butchered. Admittingly, I am not much of a reader so I usually cannot judge a movie on that basis. Robert Pattinson stars as veterinary student Jacob during the great depression. He has a great life ahead of him but then his parents die and he is left broke and homeless which leads him to a circus group where he becomes the veterinarian of the group. Christoph Waltz co-stars as August who is the head of the circus group and has violent tendencies which go towards humans and animals. Reese Witherspoon co-stars as Marlena who is the star attraction and August's wife in an unhappy marriage. Jacob soon falls in love with Marlena which makes things very complicated. I really liked the feel and look of this film. Hal Holbrook co-stars as the older Jacob and the two parts were cast very well as I noticed some resemblance between Pattinson and Holbrook in his later years. This movie has a good love story to it as well as the circus scenes and all the eccentric characters. There are some scenes of elephant abuse which are rather disturbing but if you can get past that I believe you'll have some satisfaction.

Amateur Crook (1937): This is more of a b-list movie from this era and not a bad one. Joan Barclay stars as Mary Layton who poses as a thief in order to get an important jewel back. She soon meets artist Jimmy Baxter, played by Bruce Bennett, who believes she is the thief but agrees to help her keep the diamond from a couple loan sharks. There are some funny moments and was worth a watch for fans of older movies. I found this on my Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku player.

Peter and Vandy (2009): Jay DiPietro wrote and directed this independent romantic drama. Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler star as the title characters who are a New York couple and shifts out of order. This movie focuses on their beginnings and things that lead up to their problems as a couple. This was pretty cleverly done and the leads to a good job. Tracie Thomas, Jesse L. Martin, and Bruce Altman co-star. This would be a pretty good date movie and one that maybe couples can learn from since many couples having problems might wonder how they got that way. On the imdb website it only gives a 6 but I don't really understand that and feel that should be ignored. I also really liked the soundtrack in this movie that is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes James Cagney, Anthony Hopkins, Seth Rogen, Red Skelton, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Jet Li (Twin Warriors) made his American debut in the 1998 film LETHAL WEAPON 4 working with some of the actors in this week's feature LETHAL WEAPON 2.

HAMLET FRANCHISE

-Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon 2) plays Hamlet in the 1990 film HAMLET.

-Kenneth Branaugh (My Week With Marilyn) plays Hamlet in the 1996 film HAMLET which he also directed.

-Judi Dench (My Week With Marilyn) plays Hecuba in the Branaugh version of HAMLET.

-Derek Jacobi (My Week With Marilyn) plays Claudius in the Branaugh version of HAMLET and played Hamlet in the 1980 tv movie HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK.

-William Redfield (Death Wish) plays Guildenstern in the 1964 film HAMLET

WIZARD OF OZ FRANCHISE

-Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn) plays Glinda in the upcoming 2013 film OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

-Judy Garland (Meet Me in St. Louis) plays Dorothy in the 1939 film THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn) and Joe Pesci (Lethal Weapon 2) were in the 2006 film THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

Judi Dench (My Week With Marilyn) and Michelle Yeoh (Twin Warriors) co-star in the 1997 Bond film TOMORROW NEVER DIES.

Christopher Shea and Kathy Steinberg voice the parts of Linus and Sally in this week's feature A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS. My facebook friends Corey and Melissa played the parts in an Anderson Mainstage Theatre production of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN.

Thomas Mitchell (The Fighting Sullivans) played Huck Finn's father in the 1955 tv movie THE ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN. My Facebook friend Tom played the part in a musical version in 2009 called BIG RIVER at the Muncie Civic Theater in which I was in the chorus.

Ward Bond (The Fighting Sullivans) and Mary Astor (Meet Me in St. Louis) worked together in the 1941 film THE MALTESE FALCON.

Vincent Gardenia (Death Wish) plays Mr. Mushnik in the 1986 film LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. My Facebook friend Derek played the part in 2010 version at Jay County Civic Theater.

Jeff Goldblum (Death Wish) and Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon 2) worked together in the 1998 animated movie THE PRINCE OF EGYPT.

Jeff Goldblum (Death Wish) and Judi Dench (My Week With Marilyn) were in the 2005 film MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS.

Denzel Washington (Death Wish) and Kenneth Branaugh (My Week With Marilyn) worked together in the 1993 Shakespeare film MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

PETER AND VANDY actors Jesse L. Sullivan and Tracie Thomas plays the characters Collins and Joanne in the 2005 film RENT. My Facebook friends Jabrael and Amanda played the part in 2011 version at the Muncie Civic Theater.