Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 340th Edition

Welcome to the 340th Edition of my long running series. This Tuesday is my birthday where I turn 31 years of age and my good friend Ashley turns the same age on Wednesday. I plan to hang out in downtown Muncie that night and have a night of fun so join me if you want. Now let's get to my selections.

Remember Me (2010): This is my romantic drama for the week which stars Robert Pattinson who is fresh off his success from the TWILIGHT fame and LOST alum Emilie de Ravin. Pattinson stars as Tyler who is having a hard time dealing with his brother's suicide and his parents separation that happened shortly after the suicide. De Ravin stars as Ally who witnessed her mother's murder at a young age and looking to live life to the fullest. They soon meet and form a relationship but the circumstances that brought them together, threaten to tear them apart. Pierce Brosnan plays Tyler's work-driven father and Chris Cooper plays Ally's overprotective cop father. This was a movie that I really enjoyed the characters and as long as you can look past Pattinson playing Edward, he is pretty good in this movie. It was also a very interesting ending that I did not guess and I really enjoyed this film.

Frida (2002): This is my biopic for the week which features Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Salma Hayek portrays the painter from the age of 18 to her death. Alfred Molina plays painter Diego Rivera who is her mentor and later husband in a very difficult marriage. It focuses on their difficult marriage, their art career, and their socialist beliefs. Edward Norton plays Nelson Rockefeller in this film who takes a liking to Rivera's work. Geoffrey Rush plays writer and activist Leon Trotsky who Frida and Diego give refuge. Antonio Bandaris, Valeria Golino, BOSTON LEGAL alum Saffron Burrows, ALIAS alum Mia maestro and Ashley Judd co-star. This is a very good biopic with the performances and cinematography.

Date Night (2010): I watched this one at The Cup on my computer while drinking coffee. This is more of a romantic comedy for the week which stars THE OFFICE alum Steve Carell and 30 ROCK star Tina Fey as Phil and Claire. They are a married couple who just want to have a nice dinner. When at a nice, fancy restaurant, it is very crowded and Phil gets impatient and takes the reservation of a couple who did not show up. They soon realize they just made a big mistake and find themselves in the middle of a crime ring that consists of thieves, corrupt cops, and even a corrupt district attorney. This is not a comedy for everyone but I did enjoy this comedy and laughed quite a bit. Mark Ruffalo, SNL alum Kristen Wiig, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, THAT 70S SHOW alum Mila Kunis, Ray Liotta, and William Fichtner have parts in this heist comedy. This is a movie that you will want to watch through the credits.

A Wee Bit of Scotland (1949): This is my short film for the week that I recorded from TCM. This is an entry from the Traveltalks series that is narrated by James A. FitzPatrick. This is a nice look into Scotland and the historic landmarks of the country. It goes into Saint Andrews where golf was born, and even Lochness where the great Lochness Monster lives. It is only about ten minutes long.

Black Fury (1935): Michael Curtiz directed this working class drama where coal mine workers and the owners. Paul Muni stars as Joe who is a bit slow in the head but works very hard. He soon becomes the leader of the dispute and goes through some very extreme measures in order to get the owners to meet up to their demands. This is a Warner Brothers film where this was likely a lot more relevant then during the depression. I always jump at the chance to see a Paul Muni film which I found this one on TCM On-Demand. I feel Muni, while successful in his time, goes onto become one of the most underrated actors and every bit as good as people like Bogart and Gable. This is not Muni's best but still a good watch.

O Lucky Man (1973): Malcolm McDowell stars in this surrealist drama that has some interesting music numbers. McDowell plays Michael Travis who is an ambitious coffee salesman whose ideals fade as he tries to move up. The movie cuts off sometimes into musical numbers enforcing the film by Alan Price. A young Helen Mirren co-stars in this film and most of the actors play multiple parts, even McDowell. The beginning is a good homage to silent films which then cuts into the era of this film. Arthur Lowe won a British Academy award for his three parts. This is something that is very hard to explain and one you must pay close attention. It is almost three hours long so one you'll want to prepare yourself for but a really good, subtle film with McDowell fresh off his star-making 1971 film A CLOCKWORK ORANGE which this movie references a lot. McDowell has said this is his favorite of his films.

Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950): Last December I got introduced to the Kettle family after my Dad bought the DVD series that contains all ten movies that feature these characters. Ma and Pa Kettle are a hillbilly couple and have 15 kids. In the first film, they are on the verge of getting their farm condemned but soon are given a model-home-of-the-future where it is a lot different than their country lifestyle and are then put in strange situations. Marjorie Main played Ma Kettle who is a raucous country woman who is a little smarter than Pa but not by much. Percy Kilbride plays Pa Kettle who is gentle, slow-thinking, and rather lazy but tends to win a lot of contests. In this movie, Pa wins a jingle writing contest where Ma and Pa soon take a trip to New York City but are unsuspecting that they are in the middle of a conspiracy. Pa meets a man named Mr. Jones, who is really a wanted bank robber, who he believes will be good with all the children while they go to New York but the robber soon finds you do not mess with those rowdy kids. There were also some really funny moments in New York in the very naive Ma and Pa. This is the second of the series and reminded me of an episode in the early days of THE SIMPSONS with the babysitter bandit. I also wonder in some ways if these movies were the inspiration for THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES. I watched this when I was visiting Columbus, Indiana and went to the cafe of the YES Cinema with my laptop computer taking my Dad's DVD. These are a great series of movies that can be

watched by any generation.

Vexille (2007): This is my Anime selection for the week which was directed by Fumihiko Sori. The title character is the leader of a group call SWORD who investigates Japan to see if robotic technology is being used which is banned by the United Nations. I watched this at my Dad's and was very beneficial to watch this on his plasma screen. This animation was great in this movie. It also had a good story and characters. Paul Oakenfold wrote a very good techno score that fit this very well and the rest of the soundtrack was very good. This movie is available on Instant Netflix.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966): This is a production that is going on at Muncie Civic Theater in July so I wanted to get an idea of I was in for as i am auditioning. This is based on the stage musical which the music was written by Sondheim but much got cut from the movie on the thought that musicals were not that big so they decided to make it into a comedy. This is a Roman comedy. Zero Mostel stars as Pseudolus who is as very lazy slave but hopes to win his freedom. He soon learns that he can win his freedom if he can help Hero, played by a young Michael Crawford, win the girl of his dreams which he learns will not be easy. Phil Silvers stars as Marcus Lycus who is a slave dealer. Buster Keaton co-stars as Erronius in what would be his last role and goes out well in this amusing role. This is a very funny Roman comedy taking place during a dark period. Mostel is perfect in his role. I look forward to seeing what MCT does with this show whether I am in it or not in it at the helm of Todd Terrell who is the director. This is available on TCM On-Demand right now.

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011): I close this week out with this homage to the B-Movie and Grindhouse. Rutger Hauer stars as the title character who tires of seeing all the crime around him in the town he comes to and takes up a shotgun to make the town better. He also gets help from a prostitute named Abby, played by Molly Dunsworth, who gives him shelter and helps him in his mission. When I was watching this, it made be believe that it was DEATH WISH, THE TOXIC AVENGER, and BOONDOCK SAINTS rolled into one. This is not a movie meant for everyone and it is not something that is meant to be taken real seriously. It is a bad movie but the movie is a lot of fun. There is a feel from the B-Movie from the 70s/80s. It has a lot of cheesy dialogue, over the top gore, and a homeless man wielding a shotgun, what more can you ask for? This is based on a trailer that was featured in Robert Rodriguez's South by Southwest Grindhouse trailers contest. This may not really be one to watch by yourself but with a group of friends who can enjoy what they are seeing. If you are not good with violence or if you are looking for something with a great plot this might not be it. I will say that I enjoyed Rutger Hauer and Molly Dunsworth in their scenes together where they both relate very well to each other in where they have ended up in life. It would also make a perfect double feature to go along with something like MACHETE. Jason Eisener directed and John Davies wrote what was first a fake trailer to be turned into a feature film. This movie is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you liek and dislike. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Sean Penn, Donnie Yen, and many others. Continue to read for my fun and useless fact segment that I brought back for this week.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Lena Olin (Remember Me) and Mia Maestro (Frida) were mother and daughter in the tv series ALIAS but not sure if they ever interacted.

Pierce Brosnan (Remember Me) and Geoffrey Rush (Frida) were the stars of the 2001 film THE TAILOR OF PANAMA.

SPIDER-MAN FRANCHISE

-Alfred Molina (Frida) plays Doctor Octopus in the 2004 film SPIDER-MAN 2

-James Franco (Date Night) plays Harry Osbourne (Date Night) who later becomes the new Goblin in the trilogy directed by Sam Raimi

Alfred Molina (Frida) and Mark Wahlberg (Date Night) were in the 1997 film BOOGIE NIGHTS.

Alfred Molina (Frida) has played Tevye in a Broadway production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. My Facebook friend Jan has played the part in productions at Muncie Civic Theater.

Diego Luna (Frida) and James Franco (Date Night) were in the 2008 film MILK.

TWILIGHT FRANCHISE

-Mia Maestro (Frida) plays Carmen Denali in BREAKING DAWN part 1 and 2.

-Robert Pattinson (Remember Me) plays Edward in all the films

Edward Norton (Frida) plays Bruce Banner aka the Incredible Hulk in the 2008 film THE INCREDIBLE HULK. Mark Ruffalo (Date Night) plays the part in this year's blockbuster THE AVENGERS.

Edward Norton (Frida) and Mark Wahlberg (Date Night) were enemies in the 2003 film THE ITALIAN JOB.

Saffron Burrows (Frida) and Malcolm McDowell (O Lucky Man) were in the 2000 film GANGSTER NO. 1.

Ashley Judd (Frida) and William Fichtner (Date Night) were in the 1995 film HEAT which was referenced in this week's feature DATE NIGHT.

Malcolm McDowell (O Lucky Man) voices Professor Moriarty in the 2010 film TOM AND JERRY MEET SHERLOCK HOLMES. My Facebook friend Sean played the part in a Muncie Civic Theater Production.

Pierce Brosnan (Remember Me) played King Arthur in the 1998 film QUEST FOR CAMELOT. Malcolm McDowell (O Lucky Man) played the part in the 1985 tv movie ARTHUR THE KING.