Welcome to the 348th Edition of my long running series. This week, I
pay tribute to Ernest Borgnine who recently left us. Last Friday, I
had an internet interview on Sign Guy's Wrestling Show talking about my
background in wrestling and theater. It can be found on my Facebook
wall and there is a link to listen to it. My show THE PRODUCERS opens
this week and we have shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with Friday,
Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:30. We also have shows on July 27th
and 28th at 7:30. This is at the Guyer Opera House in Lewisville, IN
and reserve tickets at 765-987-7124. Also,
Muncie Civic Theater has SOMETHING FUNNY HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE
FORUM which is a very good show and check out http://www.munciecivic.org
to get show dates and to reserve tickets for about the same time my
show goes on.
Damn Yankees (1958): I start
the week out with this baseball musical written by Richard Adler and
Jerry Ross. We first meet Joe Boyd, played by Robert Shafer, who is a
big fan of the Washington Senators who were a major baseball team who
would eventually become the Texas Rangers. Joe loves his Senators but
is very frustrated that never seem to win, especially against those damn
Yankees. Soon he makes a wish for the Senators to win a pennant and
appears a man named Applegate, played by PICKET FENCES alum Ray Walston,
who is really the devil. He soon makes a pact with Joe to make him
young and into a good baseball player to help the Senators win. He soon
gets his wish and becomes Joe Hardy, played by Tab Hunter. As Joe
helps the Senators win, the devil has his own plans. Gwen Verdon
co-stars as the Devil's seductive assistant Lola and is great in this
film claiming that what Lola wants, she gets. This movie has a lot of
funny moments and some pretty good numbers and is one of my favorites
from this era. It has songs like HEART and WHATEVER LOLA WANTS. Years
later, Jerry Lewis played the part of Applegate on Broadway. Much of
the cast like Walton and Verdon reprise their roles from a Broadway
production. This a a baseball movie for the family.
The
Last Station (2009): This is my historical film for the week which is
based on Russian author Leo Tolstoy known for novels like ANNA KARENINA
and WAR AND PEACE. Christopher Plummer plays Tolstoy who is in his
later years and struggles to lead the life he wants that is devoid of
material possessions in his Tolstoyan Movement. Helen Mirren plays his
wife Sofya who does not agree with Tolstoy's beliefs. Leo soon signs a
will which will leave his wealth and books to the public much to the
dismay of his wife. Paul Giamatti plays Vladamir Chertkov who is his
chief follower and does what he can to carry out his will which Sofya
fights against. James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff co-stars in this
film. This is a good look at Tolstoy with a great performance by
Christopher Plummer as well as the rest of the cast. A good one to look
at if you like historical dramas.
Honeyland (1935):
This is my animated short for the week from MGM which focuses on a group
of working bees who must contend with a spider who is after a couple of
these bees. It is mostly music that is played along with the story and
limited dialogue. This is rather entertaining but mostly for buffs of
classic cartoons. It is likely findable on Youtube.
Rise
of the Planet of the Apes (2011): Rupert Wyatt directed this latest
reboot of the franchise and appears to the start of a great reboot after
much mixed opinions of Tim Burton's remake in 2001. As the title
indicates, this focuses on their rise. James Franco stars in this film
as Will Rodman who creates a drug which gives apes more human-like
intelligence. He soon raises an ape named Caesar like a child along
with his girlfriend Caroline, played by Freida Pinto. After eight
years, Caesar is taken from his human family and put in a sanctuary
among other apes who are being abused by the unscrupulous employees. He
soon leads a revolt where he is able to get the fellow apes the drug he
has been exposed to leading into a violent fight of man against apes.
Andy Serkis provides the voice of Caesar and is very good where many
felt he deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination. John Lithgow and
Brian Cox co-star in this film. In the 1968 film PLANET OF THE APES as
well as the rest of that particular series, the humans are portrayed
more as the protagonists and the simians are more the villains with the
exception of Cornelius and Zera and in this film it is more the other
way around where you are really for these apes. This movie had some
great special effects and some really good action scenes. It also makes
some references from the original film. A good double feature could be
the original 1968 film followed by this one which is a great entry into
the franchise.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
(1955): The legendary comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello who are
Americans stranded in Cairo, Egypt. They are soon dealing with an
Egyptian cult who is after them for a medallion they found and dealing
with a live mummy. There is really not a lot to explain here except
classic Abbott and Costello which provides some pretty funny gags. This
does not beat their classic ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN but
this is still a pretty decent entry. This is available on Instant
Netflix and mostly for those who like classic comedy as well as Abbott
and Costello.
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance
(1994): This is my Austrian film for the week and is an experimental
film from Michael Hanake who wrote and directed. This movie uses clips
from television of current events and then stories of disconnected city
dwellers which mainly connects to a 19 year old who commits a murder
suicide. There are stories of parents adopting an older daughter, a
runaway boy struggling to survive, an older man with health problems,
and many others. This is not really an upbeat story as their lives
appear to be quite meaningless but really puts it together in the end.
This is a rather thought-provoking film but not something for everyone.
People who like foreign films and experimental films should give this
one a shot as each scene is pretty short but quite compelling.
Dillinger
(1973): This has always been my favorite adaptation on the famed bank
robber. John Milius directed and wrote the screenplay to this great
biopic. Warren Oates stars as Dillinger who makes his living as one of
the best bank robbers of all time. Ben Johnson co-stars as Melvin
Purvis who was the FBI agent determined to get Dillinger at all costs.
Richard Dreyfus co-stars as Baby Face Nelson who was part of the
Dillinger gang. Oates really personifies Dillinger in this film as he
looks a lot like him, has the charm but is very deadly. Some say that
this make Dillinger out to be an anti-hero which I do not believe is
true. I believe Dillinger was accurately portrayed as a rather charming
but can turn on you very quick. Cloris Leachman plays the Lady in Red
who if you know your history enough, you'll know the role she played.
This is a very well-done adaptation on Dillinger where everything works
and is one of my favorites. This is available on Instant Netflix.
Cars
(2006): This is my Disney film for the week as I have done a lot
lately. This takes place in a world full of motor vehicles which talk
and there was not one human featured. Owen Wilson stars as rookie race
car driver Lightning McQueen who is very fast but too cocky and selfish
for his own good. He soon ends up in a small and forgotten town called
Radiator Springs and accidentally destroys the road. He is soon
sentenced to fix this road which makes it hard for him to get to the big
race. In this town, he soon learns there is more to life than winning
races and learns about things like friendship, family, and even
teamwork. Paul Newman, Bonnie Hung, Cheech Marin, Larry the Cable Guy,
George Carlin, Michael Keaton, and John Ratzenberger and many others
lend their voices to the great characters of this film. It also
features a few real-life race car drivers lending their voices as well
as other cameos. Stay tuned for the end which delivers some great
laughs. This is a very fun film for the family and can teach a lot
about values.
Vera Cruz (1954): This is my tribute
to Ernest Borgnine who recently left us and plays Donnegan in this
film. Gary Cooper stars as Benjamin Trane who is a Civil War veteran
who is a good person and Burt Lancaster plays outlaw and gunman Joe
Erin. They form an unlikely partnership and are hired Maximilian and
Marquis Henri de Labordere to escort the beautiful Countess Marie
Duvarre. Cesar Romero, who is most known for playing the Joker on the
60s sitcom BATMAN, plays Marquis de Labordere. In their escort, they
are with many and must fight for their lives and deal with betrayal.
This is very good for western lovers.
Felicity: An
American Girl Adventure (2005): I end this week with this tv movie that
was featured on the WB network. My feature CARS might be more for the
younger boys while this one might be for the girls. Shailene Woodley,
who would go onto a breakthrough performance later in her career as
George Clooney's daughter in THE DESCENDENTS, plays the title character
in this film which takes place in Revolutionary England. She soon
discovers a horse who she tries to rescue from her abusive owner. In
the process, she learns about friendship, loyalty, and independence.
There is also a lot going on around her about the oppressive British
government of that time making it even more interesting. This is based
on a series of books which was quite popular and have heard positive
things on the movies for you book lovers out there. This is another
good one for the family to watch and even gives a bit of a history
lesson as well as values.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate. Stay tuned for next week.
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