Welcome to the 318th Edition of my series. I just got back from having
Christmas at my dad's house so I am a little later than usual. For my
birthday I got a lot of DVDs that he bought at pretty cheap prices so I
now have a lot to work with. My niece Shelby arrived into town today
from the Army so I had not seen her since July so it was great to see
her. I will now get on with my picks for this week.
Morning
Light (2008): This is my documentary for the week and takes a look at
15 your sailors who are preparing for a sailing competition against a
group of veterans. This film first shows the many people who are trying
out for this big opportunity and the selection process to get the final
selections for the team. It then shows them going through some intense
training sessions to get prepared for this big event. It also shows
this team forming a bond and learning to work together. This is a movie
produced by Disney and even features an appearance from Roy Disney and
the opening narration is by Patrick Warburton. This is a pretty
inspirational documentary and may be aimed at younger crowds.
You've
Got Mail (1998): This is part two of a three-part series on Tom Hanks.
Last week I used the Pixar short SMALL FRY where he reprised his part
as Woody. This is actually an updated version of the 1940 film THE SHOP
AROUND THE CORNER. This is the third teaming of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan
with the first two being JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO and SLEEPLESS IN
SEATTLE. Meg Ryan stars as Kathleen Kelly who is part of a family
business and owns a small children's bookstore that has been there for
years. She is in a relationship with a newspaper columnist named Frank,
played by Greg Kinnear, but is having an e-mail relationship with
another man. Keep in mind that this is around the time where things
like e-mail and the internet were on the rise. Tom Hanks plays Joe Fox
who is the owner of a new Barnes and Noble-type bookstore which is
opening pretty close to Kathleen's store. He is in a relationship with a
girl named Patricia, played by Parker Posey, but also in an e-mail
relationship with another woman so now I'm sure you can guess they are
the ones communicating with each other through e-mail not knowing they
are business rivals. This is a pretty decent romantic comedy if you are
into that genre and a good one for the holiday. This movie also shows
how the big businesses are putting the little ones out of business and
is a real-life situation in many towns. Also though is that those types
of stores have been closing. I admit I'm guilty of supporting the
chains but I like to support the local people when I can. There are a
lot of great references to THE GODFATHER.
Holiday Heart (2000):
This is my tv movie for the week and a great one for the holidays. Ving
Rhames stars as the title character who is a drag queen but is highly
involved with his local church. He soon has a chance encounter where a
young girl asks for his help when her mother is being beaten and he goes
in and saves her. Alfre Woodard plays this mother named Wanda and
Jesika Reynolds plays the pre-teen girl Niki. Holiday soon takes them
in and tries to help Wanda with her addiction and forming a fatherly
relationship with Niki. This movie really teaches about acceptance
where Holiday is gay and a cross-dresser and is judged because of those
things when we see that he treats the girl better than all the other
guys her mother has been with. Mykelti Williamson also co-stars as
Silas who has a lot of money but is very shady. This movie also shows
that family can be in many forms and does not have to be blood related.
Ving Rhames is great in his part as a good-hearted drag queen.
Curious
Alice (1968): This is my short film for the week and is a very weird
variation on the Lewis Carroll classic. This is an animated movie and is
supposed to be an anti-drug video which was produced by the Department
of Education. However, it looks pretty trippy and does not seem like it
would really promote not using drugs. It is still very entertaining
like many of these promotional videos from the era that are meant to be
educational instead but is really just entertaining. This is available
on youtube so check it out. It's about 15 minutes.
The Valiant
(1929): I was looking on TCM for something from this era to record and
as soon as I saw that name Paul Muni, I was on it right away. Muni
plays a person who says he killed someone but does not give them any
information so that he can protect his family name. He gives them the
name James Dyke and as he is facing execution, a mother believes he is
her long-lost son and sends her daughter to the prison to see if it is
indeed him. She has a long confrontation with this man. This is
actually Muni's feature film debut and was even nominated for an Oscar
for this performance. It is unfortunate that the name Paul Muni is not
as remembered today as such people as Bogart and Gable as I feel he was
just as talented. This movie really moved well and was worth a view.
A Christmas Carol (1938): What's a December of recommendations if I
don't bring out a version of the Dickens classic. We all know the story
here. You have the old miser Ebenezer Scrooge who has shut everyone
out and only knows money. We then have his late partner Jacob Marley
who has been condemned to always wear chains for his evil misdeeds and
lets him know he is on that path if nothing changes. He then lets
Scrooge know that he will be visited by three ghosts who we know as the
Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost
of Christmas Yet to Be who show Scrooge shadows of what have been and
what will be in the future if nothing changes. This is one of the most
regarded film versions of this classic with Reginald Owen great in this
part and replaced Lionel Barrymore who was known for the radio versions
but injuries kept him from being able to do this film. He then
recommended Owen and did the right thing. In this version I noticed
Tiny Tim was a little older than usual and even more sociable than
usual. I did feel this one was a little too short and there should have
been a little more in his past but this one is still enjoyable and the
first talkie version of the Dickens classic.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945): This is my screwball comedy for the
holiday. Barbara Stanwyck is a highly regarded writer on food named
Elizabeth Lane but has been deceptive about her cooking abilities and
gets recipes from her friend. Soon for Christmas, her boss, played by
Sydney Greenstreet, and a returning war hero named Jefferson, played by
Dennis Morgan, have invited themselves over for Christmas and Elizabeth
must do what she can to cover up her deception. Most of these actors
have been used to playing very dramatic roles but were glad for the
change of pace and do a good job. This is a pretty good comedy that is
great for the holidays.
London (2005): Jessica Biel plays the title character who is having a
going away party at a New York loft. Chris Evans plays her drug
addicted ex-boyfriend Syd who gets word of this and hopes to make amends
but is scared to talk to her. He then spends a lot of time in the
bathroom and snorting coke with his dealer Bateman, played by Jason
Statham in a different role. While doing these drugs he reflects on his
time with London and mistakes that were made. We then learn a lot
about these characters leading into the encounter with London. This was
a pretty entertaining independent film while a bit flawed. This was
still a pretty good portrayal on a relationship. Comedians Dane Cook
and Louis CK have cameo appearances. I watched this around the same
time that my friend Ashley had her going away party and went much better
than the party in this film. Ashley is a long-time friend who moved to
Philadelphia to be with her boyfriend Stephen. Since last April I have
had the pleasure of being her photographer and assistant during her
music gigs which brought us closer as friends becoming family. She is a
very talented musician and even greater person. I wish her and Stephen
well in their future and look forward to her visiting Muncie again.
The Sentinal (1977): So for all you Christmas haters, I bring you this
cult classic. Cristina Raines plays fashion model Alison Parker who has
a boyfriend but not really ready for marriage so gets herself an
apartment. When in this apartment, strange occurrences begin to happen
making everyone question her sanity. Chris Sarandon plays her boyfriend
Michael who does everything he can to help his girlfriend. Ava
Gardner, John Carradine, Jerry Orbach, Burgess Meredith also co-star in
this horror film. Meredith was very amusing as her mysterious
neighbor. This is available on Instant Netflix.
Mary and Max (2009): Adam Elliot wrote and directed this adult
animation tale. Mary is an eight-year old girl living in the suburbs of
Australia and having a difficult home life. Max is a severely obese
man in his 40s who has had a very difficult life with his anxiety
issues. They soon form a pen-pal relationship and exchange letters and
do it for a 20 year period hoping to someday meet. This was some very
clever animation and really a very moving story. This is not something
to watch if looking for a movie to watch with your kids but a great
movie for the adults. Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Eric
Bana all have voices.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you
dislike. Next week's installment will be released on Christmas which
there will be some holiday selections and non-holiday selections that
include Julianne Moore, Spencer Tracy, more Tom Hanks, and many others.
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