Welcome to the 356th Edition of my series. Today is the first week
of the NFL and I will be focusing on that and hoping that this year that
I am successful in Fantasy Football. I got a pretty good start on the
Wednesday game and hoping to remain successful.
Bad
Education (2004): This is my Spanish film for the week directed by
their high profile director Pedro Almodovar. Fele Martinez stars as
Enrique who is now a famous filmmaker who had a rough childhood. Gael
Garcia Bernal co-stars as his childhood friend Angel who writes a
semi-autobiographical manuscript on their childhood hoping that Enrique
will agree to write a screenplay. As Enrique writes this screenplay, a
web of deceit and revenge unfolds uncovering a lot of secrets. This is
one of those that is very hard to explain as I have a hard time
explaining things that are compelling. It does a good job of flashing
back to their childhood and into the modern day. The movie is rated
NC-17 so take some precautions but is a good foreign film, just not for
everyone.
Big Fish (2003): This is my Tim Burton movie
for the week and a little more family oriented than the first movie
featured. The movie revolves around a dying man named Ed Bloom, played
by Albert Finney, who is known to tell some very tall tales. Billy
Crudup co-stars as his estranged son Will who has not spoken to his
father in years overwhelmed by what he believes are lies and that he
never cared about his family. Will tries to learn about his father and
try to reconnect with him in his dying days. Much of the movie takes
place in flashback with a young Ed, played very well by Ewan McGregor,
and the story that unfolds of his life and the meeting with his wife. I
found this to be a very beautiful fantasy film and one that is very
enjoyable. This is the last movie that Burton directed that did not
star Johnny Depp, though it appears Depp will not be in his upcoming
FRANKENWEENIE. Burton shows that he does not have to do a dark remake,
star Depp, and use that dark cinematography to make a good film This is
adapted from the novel by Daniel Wallace. Helena Bonham Carter,
Jessica Lange, Allison Lohman, Marion Cotillard, Steve Buscemi, and many
others co-star is this great fantasy film.
Shakespeare
in Love (1998): John Madden directs this fictional account an a young
William Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes. In this film,
Shakespeare is experiencing writers block and seeks out a muse for his
inspiration. He is still under pressure though to get a play going and
he soon meets the beautiful Viola, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Viola is a
big theater person and wants to act but in this era only men could be
actors so she poses as a man to get a part in his next play. William
soon sees through the disguise but still keeps her along in the show and
having an affair with her. When shooting the play, the events unfold
that inspire his play ROMEO AND JULIET. I have always been a pretty big
fan of that particular play and Shakespeare plays are a bit hit or miss
for me. Judi Dench co-stars as Queen Elizabeth and does a good job in
her limited screen time. Ben Affleck, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, and
many others co-star. This is a love story that fans of that genre can
enjoy. It can also be for Shakespeare fans and those who like ROMEO AND
JULIET. If you cannot take those two elements, this might not be for
you but it does have a good story and performances. Before watching
this you might want to see a movie version of ROMEO AND JULIET which I
favor the 1968 version that is considered by many to be the best one.
This could be a good double feature.
Gun to Gun
(1944): This is my western short for the week. Don Diego, no not
Zorro, is a large ranch owner who is the guardian of young American
Steve Randall. Steve takes a herd to the ranch but learns the local tax
commissioner must be paid. Steve takes the cattle and looks to pay the
commissioner but runs into a lot of trouble. This is a short from
Warner Brothers and not a bad two-reel western that was 17 minutes and
has a pretty good story. It is something western fans should take a
look at.
The Lady Vanishes (1938): I now bring you the
"Master of Suspense" Alfred Hitchcock. This film takes place on a train
where Margaret Lockwood stars as socialite Iris Henderson who meets a
governess named Miss Froy. Soon, Iris learns that Miss Froy has
disappeared. When trying to investigate her disappearance, no one else
seems to remember her and a psychiatrist believes she might imagining
things due to a bump on the head. She teams with a musician named
Gilbert to investigate what she believes is a more sinister plot on the
train. When it comes to Hitchcock, I usually favor his American work in
the 40s and 50s. This was possibly his best of his British films. It
has a great mix of dark comedy and suspense which Hitchcock did better
than anyone. This movie is available on Instant Netflix.
Play
Misty For Me (1971): Clint Eastwood directed and stars in this movie
as a disc jockey named Dave who attracts the attention of a demented fan
named Evelyn, played by Jessica Walter, who first makes the constant
request that the movie says. They later meet in a bar and have a brief
fling but admits to being that fan. He soon finds out she is not that
easy to let go and makes his life a living hell. In some ways, this
could be considered the original FATAL ATTRACTION. It is a great story
of an obsessed fan and how a life can change very quick. This paved the
way for many other stalker film. This marks the debut of Eastwood's
directing and what would be become a great career in directing and
acting. This great thriller is available on Instant Netflix.
The
Headless Woman (2008): This is my Argentinean film for the week
directed and written by Lucrecia Martel. Maria Onetto stars as a
dentist named Veronica who drives home and hits something. This sets
off thoughts that she might have killed someone but does not know. She
carries on in her life like nothing happens but we see what happens in
that state of mind and we see everyone else carrying on as well. This
is a very well shot film, but it could be considered boring from some.
It was a slow-moving film but if focusing on the main character, i think
it moves very well. This is not for everyone but some may be
interested in this film, especially if you can get past the English
subtitles.
Big Bad Mama (1974): Roger Corman produced
this depression-era film which stars Angie Dickinson as the title
character named Wilma. In some desperate times, her boyfriend dies and
for money decides to take over his bootlegging business along with her
two daughters. They soon meet a bank robber named Fred, played by
PICKET FENCES alum Tom Skerritt, who convinces them to join in his next
heist. She also later kidnaps the daughter of a rich man for a good
ransom. The movie is a bit cheesy at times but it is an interesting
story in a study on what someone will do to make ends meet, especially
wanting to make a good life for her daughters. William Shatner also
co-stars as the gambler of the group in another way for Wilma to
continue to make money. I thought this was actually pretty good and it
is available on Instant Netflix. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
performed a lot of the guitar and banjo music in the film.
Witness
for the Prosecution (1957): This is part two of a three-part Billy
Wilder series. Last week I featured the romantic comedy SABRINA but in
this one he directs a courtroom drama which is based on a novel from
Agatha Christie. Charles Laughton stars as attorney Sir Wilfrid Robarts
who is just getting back to work after a heart attack. His health is
something to worry about and he is not supposed to take on a murder case
but does anyways. Tyrone Power co-stars as struggling inventor Leonard
Vole who is accused of murdering a wealthy and widowed woman. Marlene
Dietrich also co-stars as Vole's wife who does not appear to have a
happy marriage. This courtroom film is one that will just keep you
guessing at the end and is a very good one to watch which has a great
story and performances. This is Power's last film as he died shortly
after completion of the film. This is available on Instant Netflix.
Shut
Up and Play the Hits (2012): I now end with this film presented by
Travis at Bracken Library kicking off his 7th year of the Co-Op film
series. This is a documentary on the band LCD Soundsystem who played
their last concert on April 2nd, 2011. The movie focuses on the
preparation for the concert, interviews with lead singer James Murphy,
and footage from the actual concert. Murphy reflects on why he decided
to end his music career. Before seeing this movie, I had not heard of
LCD Soundsystem. In doing research, I see they had quite a following.
This was a New York rock band which formed in 2002 and they put out
three albums which were very critically acclaimed and their last album
even ended up on the Billboard top 10. I did enjoy the music that they
played so this was quite a treat for me to learn of this band. This
movie had one of the bigger crowds I have seen at the Co-Op film series
and everyone seemed to really enjoy it.
Well, that is
it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you dislike. Stay
tuned for next week which so far includes more Billy Wilder, Shirley
Temple, Adam Sandler, Barbara Stanwyck, and many others.
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