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.