Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 365th Edition, 7 year anniversary

Welcome to the 365th Edition of my blog and it is also the 7 year anniversary! I know, I can't believe it either. I want to thank all my supporters through the years and I hope to continue to build more supporters after this. This week is a little more thematic that usual where I decided to use movies with the number 7 in it. This week has more foreign films than usual. I probably won't do this in the future but with all the connotations on that number, I decided to do it here. I will now get onto the selections for the week.

Se7en (1995): The start to something obvious but still a good film. David Fincher directed this film where detectives search for a murderer who uses the seven deadly sins in order to justify their actions. Morgan Freeman is a veteran detective named William Somerset and Brad Pitt plays Detective David Mills who just joins the force. They must do what they can to learn more on the sins to get more into the mind of the killer leading into a great climax. Gwyneth Paltrow plays David's accepting wife and Kevin Spacey plays the part of John Doe. This is a very graphic film but if you can gest past that, this is a great detective film.

Seven Days (2010): This is my French Canadian film for the week. Claude Legault stars as Dr. Bruno Hamel who is leading such an ideal life in a happy marriage with a beautiful daughter. Soon their lives change for the worse when their daughter is found raped and murdered. When the killer is found, Bruno kidnaps him and tortures him promising to turn himself in when he kills and tortures him in seven days. Bruno's wife and everyone else do not agree with his methods and appeal him to stop and turn himself in. I know this is something any father would want to do if they go through something horrible like this but his methods were ruining the marriage and his own life so I was not in agreement though I understand but the movie still entertains. This is by no means for everyone but if you don't mind subtitles and can get past the graphic violence, this might be for you as it moves very well and used no music. This is available on Instant Netflix.

Seven Swords (2005): I originally intended to use the Japanese classic SEVEN SAMURAI but when I came across this title, I decided to check this out instead. Tsui Hark directed this martial arts epic during 1600s China. The new government outlaws martial arts of any kind and has very severe consequence if the law is broken. Soon, seven skilled swordsman lead by Donnie Yen come together to bring down the emperor. This movie has some great action scenes and a pretty good story so a must for Hong Kong fans.

Seven Chances (1925): Buster Keaton directed and stars in this silent comedy. The silent legend plays Jimmie Shannon who is a financial broker who is nearly bankrupt but then learns of his grandfather's will leaving him 7 million dollars. In order to get the money, he must marry by 7 pm on his 27th birthday which is today. He tries to pursue the woman he loves but a misunderstanding leads him to have to search for someone else unless she can find him. This is a pretty comical film from that era that silent buffs will enjoy, especially the falling rocks scene. This is available on Instant Netflix.

Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964): This is part one of a two-part Dean Martin series. This is a variation on the Robin Hood legend which takes place in prohibition-era Chicago and is a musical that stars the three main Rat Pack members of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. Sinatra stars as Robbo who does not want to lose his territory. Martin plays John who would be the Little John character and is a hustler in this film. Davis plays Will who is very good with the gun and is usually Will Scarlett in Robin Hood films. Peter Falk co-stars as Guy Gisborne who is a racketeer and has a mob boss killed. He soon looks to take over the mob but Robbo refuses to go along. Soon Robbo gives money to an orphanage and becomes the toast of the town and Gisborne does what he can to have him knocked off. Bing Crosby co-stars as Allen Dale who runs the orphanage and sees Robbo as a Robin Hood helps him to keep his image. Barbara Rush co-stars as Marian who is the daughter of the killed mob boss and wants Robbo to knock off those responsible. Edward G. Robinson plays the mob boss that is killed but is not credited. This was a pretty entertaining movie with some pretty good musical numbers and a clever variation to the legend.

Call Northside 777 (1948): This movie have three 7's and is my Film Noir for the week. This movie takes place 11 years after a murder that happened in Prohibition era Chicago. James Stewart plays Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal who is sent to investigate the murder of a police officer after the paper sees an ad which promises a $5000 reward to anyone who can find the right killer. It turns out to be the convicted murderer's mother who believes in his innocence. McNeal takes the case but remains very skeptical and out to get a story but through further questioning begins to believe he is innocence and stops at nothing to prove it. Lee J. Cobb co-stars as the editor of the paper who assigns McNeal to investigate. Richard Conte plays Frank who is in prison for the murder but may be innocent. There is also a good scene with a lie detector and the person administering it was the inventor Leonarde Keeler. This is a very overlooked Stewart film and a very well moving story keeping you in suspense without having a lot of violence. This movie is based on a true story of a man named Joseph Majczek.

7 Days in September (2002): This is my documentary for the week which takes place in New York on September 11th, 2001 where it starts from that horrible day in our history. Many documentary filmmakers were on hand and filmed some footage of what they saw and put it together in this movie. It starts where they show the World Trade Center where the plane had crashed. It then shows footage of rescue workers and New Yorkers reflecting on this rough time period. This is an event that my generation will always remember and I remember that day and the anger and emotion it caused me. I did not lose anyone I know but I hated the thought of all these people losing their loved ones. There is some rather interesting footage in this film like some people on Ground Zero arguing about what should happening but then realizing it is not doing any good as well as a child getting so emotional about what happened where he appeared like an adult in a child's body. If one does not want to watch this, it is understandable but this was a rather compelling documentary which gives a good look at the everyday people of New York. This is available on Instant Netflix.

Seven Up! (1964): This is my documentary short for the week. This is the first part of a British documentary series where a handful of seven year old children are asked their opinions on certain matters in the world. Most of them are from a high class British school and have interesting answers to things. This is a series that is done every 7 years where they reinterview each of the kids to see how their viewpoints have changed. This one is available on Instant Netflix.

The Seventh Seal (1957): Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed this Swedish classic. Max Von Sydow is plays a knight in the era of the Black Death named Antonius Block. Antonius soon encounters Death, played by Bengt Ekerot, and challenges Death to a game of chess. In this game cultural turmoil happens causing everyone around him to deal with it in different ways. Block also searches for meaning in what could be his last days. The interaction between Block and Death is great. It also does a great job of showing dark imagery balanced out by lighter times. This is considered by many to be Bergman's best and is one that may need multiple viewings. Bergman has named this as his favorite.

7 Khoon Maaf (2011): I end this week with this Bollywood film. Priyanka Chopra stars as Susanna who is in search for love and finds marriage but not seemingly what was hoping for after the marriage. Each of the husbands end in some mysterious deaths. This movie is a drama but in some ways a dark comedy. For those who do not know the term Bollywood, they are movies made in Bombay, India. For those who do know the term, most would think some lavish musical focusing on some big family and maybe someone being forced to marry one they do not. This one is much different. Like any Bollywood film, there are some musical numbers but they happen for a reason. Chopra was very good in her role and it had a very interesting way of ending the film. This is available on Instant Netflix.

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 Paul Rudd, Scarlet Johannson, Sean Connery, The Rock, more Dean Martin, and many others.