Welcome to the 332nd Edition of my series. Next week, I will be
doing another music edition which will include live theater, live
concert, animated and live action musicals. The week after, that will
consist of all short films. I am now ready to get to my selections for
the week.
A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969): After much
in the comic strips and many tv specials, our favorite Charles Schultz
characters make their debut in a feature film. Charlie struggles in
things like flying kites and in baseball. Against the advice of his
friends, he decides to enter himself in a spelling bee. He soon
surprises everyone by making it to the National Spelling Bee and is
under a lot of pressure by his friends to win. All our other friends
like Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Sally, Schroeder, and the others join this
one. There was some great moments with Snoopy ice skating and Linus
losing his blanket. This is animation at its finest and these
characters should become known to all generations. I never tire of
Charlie Brown and people who have not seen this one should check it out.
Seeing
Other People (2004): This is my romantic comedy for the week. Jay
Mohr and Julianne Nicholson star as engaged couple Ed and Alice. They
are two weeks away from marriage and Alice wants to get other sexual
experiences so gets the idea to do as the title says. Ed is reluctant
to accept this but finally agrees. Soon, they realize that it may not
be the best idea and brings problems to their relationship. There are
quite a few tv stars like Lauren Graham, Andy Richter, and Bryan
Cranston. Look for a brief cameo from singer Liz Phair who plays the
yoga instructor. This is a pretty interesting look at adult
relationships and is a pretty good date movie to watch. Mohr and
Nicholson work well together and the movie has some pretty funny
moments.
A Roman Orgy (1911): This is my silent short
for the week. I had a dvd of the best of director Louis Feuillade and
this title really stuck out to me though don't really expect it to live
up to its name. This features a Roman emperor named Heliogabale who
cross-dresses and throws people to the lions. This was one of the first
use of lions in film and is quite interesting for its era. The first
sequence is a weird fashion show. This is mostly for silent buffs.
The
Good Shepherd (2006): Robert De Niro directed and co-starred in this
CIA film showing their early days. Matt Damon co-stars as CIA agent
Edward Wilson and charts his early days into the days recruited by the
CIA as he is investigating a leak during the Bay of Pigs. It shows him
as a very idealistic agent but shows how those ideals slowly erode.
Angelina Jolie co-stars as his wife who he marries because he
impregnates her but his job is very rough on the family life with him
not there much. Alec Baldwin, William Hurt, Billy Crudup, and many
others co-star. This is a very good look at the CIA and I suppose some
people in this industry may look down upon it. I really liked Matt
Damon in his part which much of it, especially in the later parts where
he shows very little emotion which really worked for this part. Look
for Joe Pesci in a cameo appearance and this being his first movie.
This is something that De Niro had been working on for many years and
finally brought it about. This is partly based on a true story.
Sergeant
York (1941): Howard Hawks directed this biopic on Sergeant Alvin
York. Gary Cooper plays the title character who is a southern hillbilly
and a pacifist. He gets drafted and at first does what he can to not
go into World War I but finally gives in. He soon becomes a war hero
when he leads a group of seven other people and captures over 100
Germans using his own hunting techniques. The real life York actually
hand picked Cooper to play him in this film and Cooper comes through
very well in this great biopic winning an Academy Award. It took a long
time for Alvin York to allow a film and said it could be done only if
Gary Cooper plays him. Cooper at one time declined the part but York
actually asked him to do it. Joan Leslie plays his wife and was only 16
at the time and York also did not want a famous actress playing the
part and really liked Leslie.
Little Children
(2006): Todd Field directed this tale that takes place in the suburbs.
Kate Winslet stars as Sarah who has a loveless marriage and a difficult
relationship with her daughter. Patrick Wilson co-stars as Brad who is
a stay-at-home father whose wife, played by Jennifer Connelly, is a
filmmaker and always gone. Together, they have an affair. Also in the
story is Ronnie, played very well by Jackie Earle Haley, who is just
getting out of prison for indecent exposure and has to go on the sex
offender list. It shows his difficult time readjusting to the world and
his difficult time fitting into the adult world. The last major
character is Larry, played by Noah Emmerich, who is a former cop and
still harbors bully tendencies which is especially visible the way he
treats Ronnie. This is a movie that is driven by characters and maybe
something to remind us that even people in the suburbs have their
problems. This was Jackie Earle Haley's return to film after 13 years
and has done very well since then. This is by no means for everyone and
not really a family movie but one with good characters, story, and
performances.
Lost in La Mancha (2002): This is my
documentary for the week which features Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam
in his attempt at a movie on Don Quixote. This is something that
Gilliam has wanted to do for many years but has always been successful
and even in this attempt is dealing with too much like the weather,
budget, and actor availability and even the health of actors. Jeff
Bridges actually narrates this documentary. Johnny Depp was also
featured as one of the actors in the film. The documentary talks a lot
about Terry Gilliam's style and the hard time he has getting funding for
his bold visions. It also shows the difficult time Gilliam has with
the filming as well as his crew. This is a very insightful and
entertaining film of a failed attempt at a movie that has always been
his dream. This is available on Instant Netflix and is a great watch.
20
Million Miles to Earth (1957): This is my sci-fi film for the week. A
spaceship crash lands on Rome and with it is a creature called the
Ymir. At first it is very harmless but then grows in size and wreaks
havoc all over Rome. I felt the effects were actually pretty good for
something of that era. Whenever there is a creature like this, I always
ask myself is this a monster or the tragic hero. We are very fearful
of the unknown and the Ymir was probably quite paranoid of us humans.
This is a sci-fi film for the era that goes a little beyond what we call
B-movies and is a very fun watch. It is also something that the family
can enjoy. Ray Harryhausen was involved in the animation and did a
great job with what he had needing nothing from CGI. He was one of the
best in the stop-motion animation techniques and is still looked up to
from other special effects wizards.
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974): I was looking to Instant Netflix
for some movies from this era and when I saw Peter Fonda I jumped right
on it. I have always had a place in my heart for Peter Fonda and
consider him my favorite of the family. Fonda and Adam Roarke play
small-time race car drivers Larry and Deke who rob a store hoping to get
a better car and to be able to get into Nascar. They are soon on the
run from an obsessed sheriff and joined by a girl named Mary, played by
Susan George, and must elude the police. This was a pretty fun chase
movie from that era and I can always enjoy Peter Fonda. There are some
good chase scenes and has some good characters to focus upon in all the
action. It also has quite an ending. This is worth a view and as I
said, this is available on Instant Netflix.
Please Give (2010): I end the movie recommendations with
this film written and directed by Nicole Holofcener. Catherine Keener
stars as
Kate who along with her husband Alex, played by Oliver Platt, runs a
retro furniture shop where they usually get it from people whose parents
and grandparents have died. She soon befriends a cranky 91 year old
lady named Andra and when she dies, will expand their business there.
Rebecca Hall co-stars as Rebecca, one of Andra's granddaughters and does
everything she can to take care of her. Amanda Peet plays the other
granddaughter and is more bitter and less willing to help. Kate begins
to question her line of business and becomes friends with the family.
This is another movie that I have this week that is driven by characters
and performances. Keener was a lot of fun in her character who was out
to help everyone, mostly the homeless. Sarah Steele was also good as
Kate's insecure 15 year old daughter.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what
you dislike. Stay tuned for the music edition next week and continue to
read for I have an honorable mention.
HONORABLE TV MENTION
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