Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 301st Edition

Welcome to the 301st Edition of my long-running series. Last night, I went to Indiananapolis with my friends Damon and Lonny to see my first Insanity Pro Wrestling show and it was their 10 year anniversary. It was a pretty good show though the main event was a little last minute and made into an 8-man tag match when it was originally a good tag match followed by a main event of Sami Callahan vs. Davey Richards. Both would have been great but I believe due to time, it was thrown together. It was a fun night though hanging out at Applebees afterwards. Now, it's time to get to my weekly recommendations.

Iron Man 2 (2010): I open this week with part two of my three part Scarlet Johannson series who plays the Black Widow in this film. Jon Favreau directs this film and Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the eccentric Tony Stark. In this film, Stark must contend with the government who wants his iron man suit, his own declining health, his new enemies, and the mysterious Nick Fury. Mickey Rourke plays the Russian villain Ivan Vanko who becomes Whiplash. I really liked Rourke in his role but felt he was used too sparingly. Sam Rockwell co-stars as the corrupt politician Justin Hammer who employs Whiplash. Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her role as Stark's loyal assistant Pepper Potts. Don Cheadle takes over the part of Rhodey which was played by Terrance Howard in the first film. Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Fury who is looking to recruit Tony Stark to be part of the Avengers. I actually liked part one better but still enjoyed this one and my idol Mickey Rourke co-stars in this film. Rourke went to visit a Russian prison in order to prepare for his part to make it as authentic as possible. This movie is available on Instant Netflix and like any of these movies, stay tuned for the credits.

The Gravy Train Goes East (1991): This is my mini-series of the week and a sequel to a British mini-series called THE GRAVY TRAIN. Christoph Waltz reprises his part as Dorfman who is an idealistic member of the European Economic Council. He then negotiates with a lot of trouble to negotiate with the country of Slaka to join the council. This is a four-part mini-series which is mostly of worth to see a younger Christoph Waltz. This is available on DVD on Netflix.

Assault and Flattery (1956): This is my animated short for the week which has Popeye. In this short, Bluto is suing Popeye for assaulting him unprovoked. To prove their points, they take clips from past cartoons. Wimpy presides as the judge in the case. This is a pretty entertaining seven minutes with Popeye taking on Bluto in a legal battle.

The Wild World of Batwoman (1966): I watched this on an episode of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 where Mike and his robot friends Tom Servo and Crow to watch the title and provide their commentary. The first part of this episode shows one of those old educational films which talks about the price of cheating in school. It is one of those short films which is meant to be educational but instead just becomes entertaining. Soon, they watched the movie of the title which in no way lends itself to Batman. To say I know what this movie is about would be the biggest lie of all time. This is best to watch with MST3K or with lots of friends.

The Awful Truth (1937): I now bring my screwball comedy for the week. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star as married couple Jerry and Lucy Warriner who are beginning divorce proceedings with some very funny results. They soon try to undermine each others romances in every way possible. One of the most funny scenes was a court scene where they are battling for their dog. Grant and Dunne work so well together and the movie is quite funny even today.

Battle For Terra (2007): This is my second animated film for this edition which I really did not know what to expect. This is a sci-fi film that takes place on a peaceful planet called Terra. Their peaceful planet becomes compromised when us humans invade it so I guess we are the aliens in this movie. Evan Rachel Wood provides the voice of Mala who is a rebellious teen alien who wants to enjoy life but does everything possible to stop this alien attack. Luke Wilson provides the voice of Jim Stanton who is one of the invaders but questions what they are doing and takes a liking to the alien Mala. I really ended up enjoying this film and thought it had a really good story as well as good animation. I suppose it has that DANCES WITH WOLVES type element but it was done very well. Other voices include Chris Evans, Rosanna Arquette, James Garner, Brian Cox, Danny Trejo, and many others. This is available on Instant Netflix.

The Last Wave (1977): This is my courtroom film of the week but has a lot more to it. Richard Chamberlain stars as an attorney in Sydney, Australia who is assigned to defend five Aborigines in a murder trial but has a hard time getting them to give information. In the process, his life begins to have strange things happen as he begins to learn things about himself and the people he is defending. Chamberlain was very good in his role and this must be watched very closely to understand it.

The Big Town (1987): Matt Dillon stars as a small-town gambler named J.C. Cullen who is very good at the craps and is brought to Chicago hoping to hit the big time. Bruce Dern and Lee Grant play a couple who employ and exploit Cullen. He soon joins a crap game run by George Cole, played by Tommy Lee Jones, and breaks the bank and builds even more tension for falling for his wife, played by Diane Lane. Cullen is also seeing another woman played by Suzy Amis. This was a pretty decent gambling film showing the price of this type of lifestyle and good for some of the younger actors.

No Time for Sergeants (1958): This is my military comedy for the week which stars Andy Griffith as naive country boy Will Stockdale who is being drafted to the air force. In boot camp, he drives everyone nuts with his personality including Sergeant King who just wants to get him out of the unit. This is the movie that Griffith is more known for and while I liked his debut film A FACE IN THE CROWD better, this was still a very funny movie that kept me laughing. Don Knotts has an amusing cameo in this film which was his debut movie leading into their most known work for both of them in the tv series THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW. Griffith played this part on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony award. This movie is available on Instant Netflix.

Tokyo Godfathers (2003): I end this week with some anime and my third animated selection for this edition. This movie takes place during Christmas where we meet three homeless people. There is Gin who is a middle aged man who is an alcoholic. There is also Hana who is gay and is a drag queen. The third person is a teen runaway named Miyuki. These three people have nothing in common except that they are homeless and each has a pretty dark past. They never get along but evidently care for each other since they stick together. They soon stumble upon an abandoned baby where Hana first has delusions of being a mother. They soon begin to look for the baby's parents. This is a much different anime film in which it is an anime drama while most others are futurstic and/or sci-fi with a lot of action. This is available on the Crackle app which I have on my Roku and it is getting more popular. Strangely enough, this movie is in the action section and I noticed my local library has that there as well seeming that it is being stereotyped because of the genre. If you are looking for action in your anime this is not it. However, this is a really moving film that can possibly be liked by non-anime people.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and do not like. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Scarlet Johannson, more Evan Rachel Wood, Omar Sharif, William Shatner and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man 2) and Tommy Lee Jones (The Big Town) were in the 1998 film U.S. MARSHALLS.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man 2) and Evan Rachel Wood (Battle For Terra) play sisters in the 2006 film RUNNING WITH SCISSORS with Brian Cox (Battle For Terra) as their father.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man 2) played Catherine in the 2005 film PROOF. My Facebook friend Erica played the part in a version at the Muncie Civic Studio theater.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man 2) and Luke Wilson (Battle For Terra) play siblings in the 2001 film THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS. Danny Glover (Battle For Terra) is also part of the cast. Can't remember if he is their stepfather or just a boyfriend to their mother.

Don Cheadle (Iron Man 2) played District Attorney John Littleton and Tom Skerritt (The Big Town) played Sheriff Jimmy Brock in the 90s tv series PICKET FENCES.

Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2) played Francis Flute in the 1999 film A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM. My Facebook Friend Sean played the part in a version at Muncie Civic Theater and Martin played the part in a version at the Anderson Mainstage Theatre.

Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2) and Evan Rachel Wood (Battle For Terra) play father and daughter in the 2008 film THE WRESTLER. They will also be in my biopic THE RISE AND FALL OF SHAUN BERKEY where Mickey plays my dad and Evan plays my friend Ashley.

Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2) and Matt Dillon (The Big Town) play brothers in the 1983 film RUMBLE FISH.

Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man 2) and Ian Richardson (The Gravy Train Goes East) have played famed detected Sherlock Holmes.

Cary Grant (The Awful Truth) plays Mortimer Brewster in the 1944 film ARSENIC AND OLD LACE. My Facebook friend Rick played the part in a 2010 version at the Anderson Mainstage Theater in which I was Lieutenant Rooney.

Ralph Bellamy (The Awful Truth) plays former president Franklin Roosevelt in the 1960 film SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO. My Facebook friend Jim played the part in a 2008 version of ANNIE at Muncie Civic Theater where I was the lead homeless guy in the HOOVERVILLE scene and I was FDR's cabinet member Cordell Hull.

Brian Cox (Battle For Terra) plays Drosselmeyer in the 2007 tv movie THE SECRET OF THE NUTCRACKER. I played the part in a 2006 version at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts.

Brian Cox (Battle For Terra) and Scarlet Johansson (Iron Man 2) worked together in the 2005 film MATCH POINT.

Brian Cox (Battle For Terra) and Samuel L. Jackson (Iron Man 2) worked together in the 1996 action film THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT

Chris Evans (Battle For Terra) will be joining IRON MAN 2 alums Robert Downey Jr., Scarlet Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson in the 2012 film THE AVENGERS.

James Garner (Battle For Terra) and Tommy Lee Jones (The Big Town) were two of the title characters in the 2000 film SPACE COWBOYS.