Welcome to the 336th Edition of my series. I just tried out for THE
CRUCIBLE at Anderson Mainstage Theater and will let you know if I get a
part. I don't really have much to say now so let me get to my recommendations.
The Social Network (2010): David Fincher directed
this film on Mark Zuckerberg and the rise of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg
plays Zuckerberg who was a socially-awkward undergrad at Harvard. He
soon gets a lot of ideas like hacking the Harvard system and coming up
with something called "Facemash" which gets him into some trouble with
the school. He soon, along with others starts "The Facebook" which at
the time was more of a Harvard oriented social network which would soon
expand into colleges and then become the big phenomenon it is today
making Zuckerberg the youngest billionaire in the world. In this rise,
he had problems with many who feel he screwed them over like a couple
brothers and his friend Eduardo, played well by the next Spider-Man
Andrew Garfield. Justin Timberlake co-stars as Napster founder Sean
Parker who becomes a part of the Facebook craze and kind of Zuckerberg's
mentor which was not always a good thing. Aaron Sorkin co-wrote this
screenplay along with novel writer Ben Mezrich whose book THE ACCIDENTAL
BILLIONAIRES the film is based upon. Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent
Reznor and Atticus Ross wrote the music score and won many awards. On
Instant Netflix, I found a special from CNBC called THE FACEBOOK
obsession which I thought would be the perfect companion piece and in
watching this I found that while dramatized, the movie was rather
accurate. This special talks about the rise of Facebook, someone who
reunited with her mother, and a teacher who lost her job because she
posted some comments about others thinking that only her friends can see
her because of her privacy settings. If something bad happens, just
blame Facebook I guess. I wonder if we'll ever get out Myspace movie on
Tom Anderson or our Twitter movie on Biz Stone but maybe their lives
are more simpler and of Mark. This was a very compelling film and
deserves a watch for the movie and then the CNBC Special. Eisenberg was
perfectly cast as Mark Zuckerberg who has brought together many friends
together but has angered many as well.
Orca (1977):
This is a very interesting story which I found to be a bit of a cross
between JAWS and MOBY DICK. Richard Harris plays Captain Nolan who is a
hunter who leads a group and ends up killing a killer whale which was
pregnant. Soon, the husband killer whale take vengeance upon the
hunters, mostly Nolan for killing his mate bringing quite a battle. Bo
Derek, Charlotte Rampling, Bo Derek, and Robert Carradine co-star.
Ennio Morricone writes a beautiful music score on this film. The
beginning shows how peaceful killer whales can be but in this movie, you
had better not mess with them and I never will. This is not for
everyone and has some pretty disturbing scenes but I thought it was a
pretty good watch. This is available on Instant Netflix.
All
This and Rabbit Stew (1941): This is my animated short for the week
which features the iconic Bugs Bunny. In this one, Bugs has a black
hunter after him who is rather lazy. Some say that this is a "black
Elmer Fudd" but I have heard that is not what was intended. This is a
Blackface caricature which could be considered racist, especially
today. I just throught it was an fun cartoon not meant for anything
racist. This cartoon has been banned because of the alleged racism and
is part of the "Censored 11" banned cartoons. This lives on through the
great Youtube.
Return to the Batcave: The
Misadventures of Adam West and Burt Ward (2003): This is my tv movie
for the week and is a reunion for the campy 60s sitcom BATMAN. For
those of you younger ones reading this who know the Christian Bale
portrayal, this was a comedy series which starred West and Ward as
Batman in Robin. I guess as I say this, it was quite a bit before my
time but oh well. In this movie, the Batmobile is stolen from a museum
which Adam West and Burt Ward reunite to find it. Some of the other
alums from the show like Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar, and Lee Meriwether
have cameos. In their search, they reflect on the times of the show
which start a separate story of how the show came to be and the scandal
within the show. Yes, they received a lot of complaints from groups for
things like adult innuendos, no seat belts on the Batmobile, the fit of
Robin's tights, among other things. There was also some tension
between the two at times and difficult personal lives. Jack Brewer and
Jason Marsden play Adam and Burt in the flashback scenes. Other cameos
include Lyle Waggoner, Betty White, ANGEL alum Amy Acker, and Curtis
Armstrong. I guess this is mostly for fans of the show and is quite fun
as long as you don't take it too seriously.
Battleship
Potemkin (1925): This is my silent film for the week. This is a
dramatization of a mutiny on a Russian ship of the title and is a very
influential propaganda piece. A crew was given rotten meat for dinner
so it started as a protest but ended in a riot. Sergei Eisenstein wrote
and directed this piece intended for it to be propaganda and is set in
five episodes. This is based on historical events of an actual mutiny
that took place feeling they were mistreated by their superiors. This
movie took on some innovative film making which has influenced many
others. This is something that silent film fans and people into
historical propaganda should look into. This is available on Instant
Netflix.
Awakenings (1990): This is possibly part one
of a Robert De Niro series. Penny Marshall directed this true story
which stars Robin Williams as the rather timid Dr. Malcolm Sayer who
gets a job in the late 60s at a hospital whose patients were mostly
catatonic. Dr. Sayer did not find this acceptable and set out to learn
of their state of mind. Through much difficulty he gets permission to
use a possible chemical on one of them and tries on Leonard Lowe, played
very well by Robert De Niro, who has been their since his childhood.
It soon works and is able to try on others bringing them out of their
catatonic state of mind. Robin Williams is also very good in this more
dramatic role for him and is very caring but not much comedy comes from
him like usual. John Heard, SIMPSONS star Yeardley Smith, Penelope Ann
Miller, Max Von Sydow, Peter Stormare, and a very young Vin Diesel have
parts in this film. De Niro is great in this Oscar nominated role where
he has a hard time adjusting to this new state of mind. Randy Newman
proves to be a very versatile musician writing a good score for the
film. This is a very moving film and available on TCM On-Demand.
Will
Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957): This is a great comedy on the ad
agency. Tony Randall plays the title character who must save his job.
He soon is able to contact a known sex symbol named Rita Marlowe, played
by Jayne Mansfield, to promote a lip stick sure to be a success. Rita
then wants something in return and that is for Rock to pose as her lover
when he is already with someone. This movie had a great beginning
where they did some "advertising". Look for Groucho Marx in an
uncredited role. There are many funny moments in this satire and parody
to advertising when advertising was just getting on the rise.
Bad
Company (1972): This is part two of a two-part Jeff Bridges series.
This is my western for the week which stars a young Jeff Bridges who
plays Jake, a leader of a group of young desperadoes who are looking to
dodge the draft in the Civil War era. Barry Brown co-stars as a
god-fearing Ohio boy named Drew Dixon who joins them in his quest to
dodge the draft. In this group, infighting happens leading to
betrayal. John Savage co-stars as one of the outlaws. This is an
interesting film which might be a statement towards Vietnam's draft.
This has some good action scenes and performances. This is available on
Instant Netflix.
Fearless (2006): This is my Asian
film for the week and Jet Li's last Hong Kong martial arts epic. Ronny
Yu directed this film which stars Li as Huo Yuanjia who founded the Jing
Wu Sports Federation. This tells the story of him to childhood into
his adult life. In his younger days, it shows Yuanjia as a very
determined fighter who does not really understand the Jing Wu philosophy
and becomes very greedy that he must beat everyone possible. His
attitude soon leads to tragedy to those close to him. He soon ends up
near death but saved by a blind woman in a remote village where he
learns more about compassion. He then returns to him home country with a
new understanding that Jing Wu is so much more than fighting. He soon
joins a fight contest formed by the Foreign Chamber of Commerce who
resort to some crooked methods. He soon is pitted against four fighters
including former WWE wrestler Nathan Jones. This is a much different
movie for Jet Li than I have seen. I have not seen him where he goes so
overboard and disgraces himself and his countrymen then finds his
redemption. I am really into the Asian Martial Arts films and have come
to see Jet Li as my favorite and this really ranks up in the genre for
me. It is a beautiful story of redemption and has a great music score
which I can always expect in an Asian film. This is available on
Instant Netflix and those who like Hong Kong must watch this one.
Better
Luck Tomorrow (2002): I end with this MTV film which features Asian
actors just not quite the same as teh one before this. Justin Lin
co-wrote and directed this film where Justin Lin stars as Ben who is an
overachieving Asian American who is determined to achieve social success
but he and a group of friends resort to a dark side where they commit
petty crimes. They soon slip into a world of darkness trying to
alleviate their pressure of perfection. John Cho co-stars in this
film. This is a very good movie that I hope to get put onto the radar
more and deserves a watch. The financing to have this movie made was
done through credit cards and money raised by the independent filmmakers
and the actors deferred their salaries. This is not for everyone but
many have and will enjoy.
Well, that is it for now. Tell me what you like and what you
hate. Stay tuned for the next edition which so far includes Judy
Garland, Jennifer Aniston, and many others.
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