Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 344th Edition

Welcome to the 343rd Edition of my series. Tonight I have rehearsal for THE PRODUCERS and when I get home I will be watching the Tony Awards and then later the tv show I have in the Honorable Mention section. For now, I will just get you my recommendations for the week.

The King of Comedy (1983): I start this week with this Scorsese/De Niro collaboration. Robert De Niro stars as aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin who really wants to make it in the comedy industry. He soon targets late night talk show host Jerry Langford, played by Jerry Lewis, in a plea listen to his tape. Pupkin does what he can to get the host to let him perform his routine and resorts to some rather extreme measures to meet his demands. Along with his psychotic friend Masha, played by Sandra Bernhard, they abduct Langford in hopes of being able to take over his talk show. This was a great dark comedy showing a dark side to the show business. I feel Jerry Lewis is at his best in this film and much different than those roles in the 50s/60s that he is most known for today. This was a far more serious role for him. De Niro also did a good job in his comedy timing and maybe the best comedy performance that De Niro has done. Bernhard was also very funny his her even part and has her own aspirations of getting helped by Langford. Some of the funniest moments were of Rupert in his home and having many cardboard cutouts of people and him putting on his own show. Look for Clash members Joe Strummer and Mick Jones as street people as well as a few celebrity cameos.

Catfish (2010): This is one of my documentaries for the week which was directed by young filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost. They decide to document Ariel's brother Nev and his budding relationship with a woman on Facebook and her family. They soon document their lives and find out many unsettling things about this family. It is hard to really explain this movie which they call a documentary thriller but it is quite interesting and strange. I liked in the beginning how Nev was talking about how they were doing a bad job documenting his life. Many believe that the events that happened in the film were not true but there is no proof one way or another. It looks like the story was at least created to make a documentary and the filmmakers urge Nev to go meet them. This movie did win some awards and had a lot of attention in film festivals and the two directors were then made co-directors for PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3. I admit, I was watching this thinking "WTF" throughout the film but I could not take my eyes off it. This is an interesting film showing deception in the world of cyberspace.

Johnny Handsome (1989): Mickey Rourke stars as the title character in this film. He starts out as a gangster whose face is deformed and has a speech impediment. Soon they plan a heist with his best friend Mikey, played by Scott Wilson, and two others played named Rafe and Sunny, played by Lance Henrikson and Ellen Barkin. Soon Rafe and Sunny double cross them and kill Mikey to set up Johnny. Johnny is soon put up to a surgical procedure to improve his looks and even his speech. He soon starts a new life but sets out for revenge on Rafe and Sunny. Elizabeth McGovern, Morgan Freeman, and Forrest Whittaker all co-star in this film. Rourke is very good as the gangster which is possibly the last movie he made before his boxing career that really changed his looks and career. In the beginning, the way he looked was almost like an exaggerated preview of what he will look like later in his life. Rourke's performance and some pretty good action scenes make this worth a watch.

Goofballs and Tea (1958): This is my short film for the week that I found on Underground Shorts on TCM. This was actually a police training video which talked about what to look for when investigating narcotics, mostly marijuana. It also talks about what signs to look for that people are using. It is one of those that becomes entertaining and maybe even more educational to the drug user and dealer so people learn what the cops need to look upon.

Janis (1974): This is another one of my documentaries and this one was on singer Janis Joplin. This movie shows mostly concert footage like from her early days, into Woodstock, and when she became a big star. It mostly goes back and forth from her concert footage and then shows some interview footage. I will say it is the first time I have heard Janis speak and has some interesting things to say. If you're looking for a detailed, autobiographical documentary, this is not it. This is mostly for fans of Janis. She was an inspiration to many including my friend Ashley who does some great covers of her music and recall the time last summer that she was playing outside for Freaky Tiki Friday and actually made it rain when she sang the Janis song CRYBABY. This is available on Instant Netflix.

Red-Headed Woman (1932): This comes from the TCM boxed set Forbidden Hollywood. Jean Harlow plays the title character named Lil who drives her boss Bill, played by Chester Morris, to divorce his wife and then marry her. She soon has an affair with someone else in the process. This is hard to explain but Harlow is very good as the woman who is out to get the men she wants. This was probably pretty controversial in that era but was a pre-code film. Una Merkel is fun as Sally who is Lil's best friend who sticks by her no matter what happens. This was banned from being shown in Great Britain but King George V managed to get his own copy. This was a very compelling movie from the era with a good performance from Harlow.

Guadalcanal Diary (1943): This is my war film for the week. This movie depicts a unit in the Battle for Guadalcanal against the Japanese. A war correspondent takes us through the lives of these soldiers like the preparations for a military campaign and the events that lead to execute these. Preston Foster, William Bendix, Anthony Quinn, Lloyd Nolan, Richard Jaeckel, and many others co-star in this film. This was really good in the way it focused on their lives during the war. It does not have a big storyline, just a realistic depiction of the unit. This is available on Instant Netflix.

Bend it Like Beckham (2002): This is my British comedy for the week that focuses on football as we know as soccer here in the United States. Parminder Nagra stars as Jess who is the daughter of very orthodox Sikh. She wants to pursue a career in football but her parents have their own plans of following the family traditions like marrying and becoming a great cook. Keira Knightley co-stars as Juliette who is on the local girls football team and while her father supports her, the mother just wants her to find a good boyfriend to marry. Together, with all the family challenges, they look to get noticed by American scouts to join a professional league. Jonathan Rhys Meyers co-stars as Joe who is the coach of the womans' football team. This movie was pretty entertaining and Nagra and Knightley worked very well together. With the Indian family, there were some amusing Bollywood moments.

Intimate Strangers (1977): This is my tv movie for the week which takes a look at spousal abuse. Dennis Weaver stars as Donald Halston who is a middle-aged businessman who is struggling in his job. Sally Struthers plays his wife Janice. Donald takes his frustrations out very violently on Janice and make it difficult for their two children. Tyne Daly stars as Karen who is Janice's no-nonsense friend. This comes out in a time when spousal abuse was getting out into the open and depicts what a couple like this go through. It is dated by today's standards and is a common storyline on Lifetime. This movie does do a very good job and is very straight-forward in its message. A very abusive situation happens and then she stays with the man after he says he is sorry. Struthers and Weaver do a great job in their roles in rather subtle performances. Larry Hagman and Melvyn Douglas co-star in this tv movie. If anyone reading this is in an abusive relationship, you should watch this. There is no excuse for spousal abuse on either side. This is available on Instant Netflix.

Winter's Bone (2010): I end my movie recommendations this week with this independent drama. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Ree, a 17 year old whose father is absent, mother is going through withdrawal and depression, and must be the mother figure to her two younger siblings and even her own mother at times. She is soon visited by the local sheriff who lets Ree know that her father has a court date and if he does not show up they will lose their home. Ree is aware that he is a drug dealer in crystal meth and sets out to find him to keep the home. When searching for her father she gets the similar answer from everyone to just stay away. Her uncle, played by John Hawkes, tells her that he is likely dead but she still goes on for the sake of the family to find him dead or alive even endangering her own life. We got to know Jennifer Lawrence in this film and she does such a great job in her role. Debra Granik does a good job directing and writing this movie. This is a movie that I hope I get more out in the open. If you all like Jennifer in THE HUNGER GAMES, you should check this one out too and I feel Jennifer Lawrence remains underrated to this day.

Well, that is it for this week but continue to read for the honorable mention I have for television. Tell me what you like and what you don't like in what I have featured this week. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Charlie Sheen, Tom Cruise, James Franco, and many others.

HONORABLE TV MENTION

True Blood (2008-current): Tonight is the premier of the 5th season of this show on HBO. I did not get involved with this show until a couple months ago when I set up HBO-Go on the HBO website and after episode one I was hooked. This is based on the novels by Charlaine Harris based on Sookie. This show takes place in Bon Temps, Louisiana in a world where vampires are "out of the coffin" and in the public eye. Anna Paquin stars as waitress Sookie Stackhouse who is a waitress who can read people's thoughts. Her world changes when she meets vampire Bill Compton, played by Paquin's real-life husband Steven Moyer, who she falls in love with right away. She also learned that she cannot read the thoughts of vampires which she likes. Alex Skarsgard plays the vampire Eric Northman who is a lot more deceiving than Bill but has his good side. Much of the vampires live on a synthetic blood of the title. In addition to vampires, we also have shapeshifters, werewolves, fairies, were-panthers, witches, among other things. It seems about maybe half the cast is regular humans. Sam Trammell plays Sam Merlotte who owns the local and successful bar and you'll learn he is more than human. He is probably the most compassionate boss around. Each of the main characters are developed very well, whether human or otherwise but I'm not going to go through a whole character description. It is an interesting They also do a good job on ending an episode on a big twist to leave us wanting for more episodes. If you have not seen this show yet, it is available on HBO-Go on the website and many devices carry it as an app.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Robert De Niro played the part of The Creature in the 1994 film MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN. My Facebook friend Russ played the part in a 2007 version at Muncie Civic Theater.

Robert De Niro (The King of Comedy) and Ellen Barkin (Johnny Handsome) played a married couple in the 1993 film THIS BOY'S LIFE. They were also in the 1996 movie THE FAN.

Robert De Niro (The King of Comedy) hires Mickey Rourke (Johnny Handsome) as a private investigator in the 1987 film ANGEL HEART.

Tony Randall (The King of Comedy) plays Mortimer Brewster in the 1962 TV Movie ARSENIC AND OLD LACE. My Facebook friend Rick played the part in a 2010 production at Anderson Mainstage Theater.

Tony Randall (The King of Comedy) plays The King in the 1960 film THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN. My Facebook friend Jeff played the part in a 2009 production at Muncie Civic Theater.

Mickey Rourke (Johnny Handsome) and Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood) play father and daughter in the 2008 film THE WRESTLER. Also, Rourke will be playing my Dad and Wood will by playing my friend Ashley in THE RISE AND FALL OF SHAUN BERKEY.

Mickey Rourke (Johnny Handsome) is a mentor to Keira Knightley (Bend it Like Beckham) in the 2005 film DOMINO.

Elizabeth McGovern (Johnny Handsome) and Robert De Niro (King of Comedy) were in the 1984 film ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA.

Scott Wilson (Johnny Handsome) plays Vernon Presley in the 1993 TV movie ELVIS AND THE COLONEL. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays his son who we all know as the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley in the 2005 mini-series ELVIS.

Richard Conte (Guadalcanal Diary) plays Don Barzini in the 1972 film THE GODFATHER. Robert De Niro (King of Comedy) plays the younger version of his rival Don Corleone in the 1974 film THE GODFATHER PART II.

Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) plays Mystique in the 2011 film X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. Anna Paquin (True Blood) plays Rogue in the X-Men trilogy from 2000-2006.