Welcome to the 358th Edition of my series. Right now I am 1-1 in
Fantasy Football due to Peyton Manning's bad game. Hopefully he bounces
back this week. I don't have a lot more to say this week so I'll just get to my selections for the week.
Timeless:
Live in Concert (2001): This is my live performance selection for the
week which features Barbra Streisand which was filmed as a tv special on
New Year's Eve in 1999 preparing for Y2K. Streisand puts on a show
where she sings much of the songs that she is famous for and reflects on
her life and career. It also showed some footage of past shows like a
song she performed with Judy Garland. It includes songs like PEOPLE,
THE WAY WE WERE, and many others. It also has a little bit of a acting
like a young girl playing the younger Barbra. This was a very fun one
to watch and one for any Streisand fan. I don't claim to be a huge fan
but have been respectful of what she has done so I'll say I'm a casual
fan.
No End in Sight (2007): This is one of my
documentaries for the week. This focuses on the Bush administration on
their handling of 9/11 up to the war in Iraq. Charles Ferguson wrote,
directed and produced this documentary which analyzes a lot of the
decisions made. It is rather anti-Bush but it does not make an attack
the way someone like Michael Moore and this came out before Obama took
office. Interviews come from people mostly that appear to no longer
work for them but did at the time. I really felt that this was very
well put together. Some to the extreme right may not enjoy this but I'm
someone who does not really go to the side of Democrat or Republican
but have never been supportive of the war. Ferguson put a lot of
thought on the way he gathered this information. There is not more I
can say on this movie but this is available on Instant Netflix.
Bronson
(2008): This is a biopic for the week. Tom Hardy plays the real-life
Michael Peterson who in the 70s robbed a post office and was sentenced
to seven years in prison. His violent personality kept him in prison
and was in solitary confinement for 30 years in a British prison
becoming known as one of the most notorious prisoners in Britain.
During this time he developed an alter-ego personality of Charles
Bronson. Most know Hardy as Bane in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES and did a
great job in this film. This movie has a lot of violence so is not for
everyone but it does a good job dissecting man behind that persona.
This movie is available on Instant Netflix.
Friend
Indeed (1937): This is my short film for the week which is narrated by
Pete Smith. This one focuses on a dog named Sparky who is a seeing eye
dog trained to lead a country doctor who was blinded in a fire. Much of
Smith's shorts are just comedy but this one is more than that and is a
great look at guide dogs.
The House of Garibaldi Street (1979): This is a true story of post-WWII where many people in Hitler's command were
living in Argentina. The local authorities believed one man to be
former Nazi Adolf Eichmann, played by Alfred Burke, who was wanted for
many murders in Germany. Topol plays Michael who is a detective that
captures him and appears to have some bitter feelings toward him. This
is based on a true story and is a pretty realistic espionage film.
Charles Gray, Martin Balsam, Leo McKern, and Nick Mancuso co-star in
this film. This is available on Instant Netflix and the film moves
pretty well.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958): Richard
Brooks directed this film based on the play by Tennessee Williams. Paul
Newman stars as Brick, who is an alcoholic ex-football player trying to
relive his glory days. He soon reunites with his father "Big Daddy",
played by Burl Ives, who is a rich plantation owner and is dying of
cancer. This reunion brings about a lot of memories with the family.
Elizabeth Taylor plays his wife Maggie, who is is a very difficult
marriage. This is a great look at a dysfunctional family which did
exist even in that era. This movie also has a lot of great
performances and a very realistic story of family and overcoming differences. This is also available on Instant Netflix.
Eames:
The Architect and the Painter (2011): This is my second documentary
for the week presented by AMERICAN MASTERS. This is a biographical
documentary that takes a look at the husband and wife team of Charles
and Ray Eames. They considered by many to be the most important and
influential designers in America. They did a variety of art like with
architection, painting, furniture design, film and a lot of other
things. There are a lot of interviews from some of their former
employees and art experts reflecting on their times with them. James
Franco narrates this informative and insightful documentary. This is
available on Instant Netflix.
Edge of the City (1957):
This movie takes place at a workplace of longshoremen where working
conditions are very difficult. John Cassavetes stars as Axel Nordmann
who is an army deserter looking for work and Sidney Poitier co-stars as
Tommy Tyler who is one of the more laid back people at the work. They
soon form a friendship that gets threatened. Jack Warden co-stars as
Charles Malik who is an unscrupulous boss that makes the conditions
unbearable and threatens the well being of Axel and Tommy. This is a
movie for Poitier where his race really did not come into play much and
was a statement more towards harsh working conditions This is one that
has been overlooked but is one that deserves to go on the radar which
hope I accomplish. This is available on Instant Netflix.
Incubus
(1966): This is my cult film for the week that takes place on a
strange island inhabited by demons and spirits. Allyson Ames stars as
Kia who is a succubus and lures men who have committed a lot of sin to
their final death. She soon tires of what she believes is an easy job
and targets an actual good person to corrupt. STAR TREK alum William
Shatner co-stars a Marc who she targets but ends up falling in love
instead much to the dismay of her superiors. I found this on TCM
On-Demand and is a rather strange film but somewhat enjoyable. The
movie is in the language of Esperanto. This is mostly for fans of the
horror genre and for those who really like William Shatner.
Runaway
(2009): I end this week with this modern-day animated short film.
This is a film that takes place on a train where just about everything
that can go wrong does especially when there is a cow on the tracks.
Cordell Baker wrote and directed this animation short and was a very
amusing 9 minutes that is a train wreck in a good way. I found this one
on the Sundance network and recorded it.
Well,
that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike. Stay
tuned for next week which so far includes Cameron Diaz, Wes Craven, Bela
Lugosi, Alan Rickman, and many others.
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