Saturday, January 26, 2013

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 325th Edition

Welcome to the 325th Edition of my long running series. Tonight we witness the Super Bowl which takes place in my own state in Indianapolis, Indiana where the most hated team the Patriots get to play. This is a rematch from where the Giants defeated the Patriots in a Super Bowl. I am actually a 49ers fan as most know and they got knocked out and I have always had a rather neutral view towards the Patriots and part of me just hopes they win so that I can see all the posts from the angry Colts fans on Facebook. On the other hand, we have a Manning winning the Super Bowl. What do I really want? I think I'd really rather just see a good game.

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Alec Baldwin (2005): I guess this technically is not a movie but it's my blog and in my mind this qualifies so I'm pushing the envelope. Alec Baldwin is known as one of the best hosts of all time and they put together a few sketches they believe are his best. They did a Joe Pesci Show where he impersonates Robert De Niro and feel he has done the best of those impersonations. He also has the Tony Bennett show where he impersonates Bennett and does a great job. There is also an impersonation on Charles Nelson Reilly. We also see his famous character Pete Schweddy who came up with "Schweddy Balls". There was one Family Feud sketch I recall where his brothers were all on it I would have liked to see but there are still some good laughs on here.

Twisted: A Balloonamentary (2007): This a documentary on balloon making and features a handful of balloon artists who are very passionate about what they do. I really learned a lot on this film and did not know how much people really make a living out of this. It also features many balloon conventions in some very clever work from balloons which were actually quite amazing. One person who did it for religious reasons made Jesus on the cross. Another made a wedding dress out of white balloons. The list here is endless for balloons but what fascinated me even more was the personalities of these people. I noticed that on imdb.com there is not much response to this so I'm hoping to get this on the radar. I got this on DVD from Netflix. Jon Stewart narrates an amusing animation scene.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010): This is my animated film for the week through Fox Studios and directed by Zack Snyder. As you might have guessed this movie is centered around owls. Jim Sturgess voices Soren who comes from a good owl family but along with his brother is abducted by owls of St. Aggies who abduct young owls to brainwash them to be part of their army. He soon makes a daring escape and joins the owls of Ga'Hoole who look to stop the St. Aggies. Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving, and many others lend their voices to this rather compelling film. Keep in mind this is rated PG so it may not be for really young children as it has some pretty disturbing action scenes. If you can get past that though, this is very enjoyable. This is based on a comic book series.

Dick Tracy: The Gold Ship (1937): This is an episode of a serial in which the famed comic book detective is brought to life for the first time in a 15 episode serial which I suppose was a tv series for that era. Ralph Byrd plays the title character who throughout the serial goes against his rival the Spider. In this one he is on a burning boat and must save everyone and survive. I found this on TCM On-Demand. I really did not watch any after this but looks like this was a pretty good serial with this episode. This is based on the comic book series from Chester Gould that ran from 1031 to 1977 which was pretty groundbreaking for that era. This was pretty violent for a comic strip and the villains were always very creative. Gould also tried using the most current crime techniques to make it rather realistic.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947): This is one of my favorites from this era. Gene Tierney stars as the widowed Lucy Muir who moves her daughter and maid to a seaside cottage shortly after her husband dies. She soon learns that the house is haunted where she soon meets the former owner Captain Gregg, played very well by Rex Harrison. They soon form an unusual relationship but must decide their feelings for her when a living man named Miles, played by George Sanders, enters her life. Natalie Wood plays Lucy's daughter as a child. I really enjoyed this love story and the way Lucy and the Captain interact. There is a blend of drama and comedy in this film that make it very enjoyable.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967): Arthur Penn directed this account of the famed robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Warren Beatty played the part of Clyde and Faye Dunaway plays Bonnie. Gene Hackman plays Clyde's brother Buck and Estelle Parsons plays his wife Blanche. Michael J. Pollard plays C.W. Moss who was their getaway driver. Together they went on quite the crime spree during the depression and focuses on the love affair between the two characters. Gene Wilder makes his film debut in a small part as someone who gets picked up by the gang. This is considered by many to be one of the best films of all time and started kind of an anti-hero approach with other films like with DILLINGER and BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. The film is quite romanticized but has quite a bit of historical accuracy with it. The leads were great and the film entertains throughout.

Suspicion (1941): This is part two of what will likely be a two part Alfred Hitchcock series. Joan Fontaine stars as Lina who is a shy Englishwoman who falls for a charming man named Johnnie, played by Cary Grant. Soon after they meet, they get married but the marriage becomes quite difficult when Lina begins to suspect her husband will kill her. Fontaine was very good as the suspicious wife and Grant plays his part very well. Like much of Hitchcock, it combines suspense with dark comedy very well. The only issue with this film is the ending of which Hitchcock was forced to use due to the strict censorship standards but I won't reveal anything so that you can all find out for yourselves and you should because it's still a great film.

Persona (1966): This is the Co-Op film series selection for the week that was presented by Travis last Tuesday. Ingmar Bergman directed this Swedish film which stars Liv Ullmann who plays an actress named Elizabeth Vogler who will not talk. Bibi Anderson stars as Alma, the nurse assigned to help Elizabeth. Alma soon begins to confess her secrets to Elizabeth who she feels is a great listener with her lack of talking but soon finds her personality being submerged into Elizabeth's persona. This is a film of which is not for everyone and for those who watch it will continue to have questions but that is the beauty of the film. Both actresses work so well together. This is something that if you're brought in, you cannot let go. This may also demand multiple viewings. When Travis chooses his films, he likes to challenge his audience and really succeeded on this one. On Tuesday, he will be presenting the 2008 film ATONEMENT so if you're in the area, come out to Bracken Library for a free movie.

The Last Survivor (2010): This is my second documentary for this week. While the first one is more fun and upbeat, this one is quite sad but inspirational. This movie looks at a handful of survivors from the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda, Darfur, and Congo who become advocates for a better future. They give a great first-hand experience of the horrible things they went through but how they came to be survivors. I am hoping that I can get this on the radar as I see it has not had a lot of distribution but it is very obtainable. If you go on http://www.thelastsurvivor.com, it gives a lot of information about the film and even a place to donate to the cause. This documentary is available on the website snagfilms.com and I have Snag Films as an app on my Roku player where people who love documentaries can find some very good ones.

Fright Night (1985): I end this week with this classic vampire comedy which still gives some chills. William Ragsdale stars as high school student Charley who is a vampire film buff and learns that his new next-door neighbor is a vampire. When Charley tries to tell people, no one will believe him, even his girlfriend Amy, played by MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN alum Amanda Bearse. He soon turns to washed up actor Peter Vincent, played very well by Roddy McDowell, who hosts Charley's favorite show of the movie title where Charley believes he really is that person. He finally agrees to help Charley for the money even if he does not agree but soon sees the truth. Chris Sarandon plays the vampire Jerry Dandridge who is not one of those vampires who sparkles or looks for love with Kristen Stewart. Dandridge is a vampire who is charming, but very ruthless and actually kills people. This is a classic from the 80s and a great entry into the vampire genre.

Well that is it for this week in the film selections but I have an honorable mention below. Tell me what you like and what you dislike. Stay tuned for next week so far includes Bette Davis, Jeff Bridges, and many others.

HONORABLE THEATER MENTION

Monty Python's Spamalot: Last night, my mom and I went to Wabash, Indiana to the Honeywell Center to see this touring musical. Monty Python alum Eric Idle wrote this musical as they say lovingly ripped off of MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. This musical is one that will give lots of laughs and even spoofs musicals and talking about what goes into a musical. In this, King Arthur leads his knights in search of the Holy Grail. One of the highlights was the Lady of the Lake and being portrayed like a diva. Mike Nichols who directed films like THE GRADUATE and THE BIRDCAGE directed this musical. This was a very fun night with my mom with a great musical. Before seeing this show, it would likely help to have seen MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL and LIFE OF BRIAN. When seeing that you'll see the black knight, the killer rabbit, and many other references from the films. I just want to tell everyone to always look on the bright side of life.

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