Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 308th Edition

Welcome to the 308th Edition of my series and the first week of the great horror contest in which every year I have been the self-proclaimed winner of variety. SWEENEY TODD is coming along pretty well and hard to believe we open in less than two weeks. In Fantasy Football, I am now 1-3 so I am hoping to pull something off today but we'll see. My condolences goes out to the friends and family of Steve Jobs, Charles Napier, and Al Davis. Let's get to my recommendations for the week.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1972): This is my tribute to actor Charles Napier who died this week and just happened to have this movie he was in on my blog. Russ Meyer directed this sequel to the 1967 film VALLEY OF THE DOLLS but the sequel is really just in the name. Critic Roger Ebert actually wrote the screenplay for him and did not know that he has done writing. This is a very sleazy film of which an all-girl band try to make it in Hollywood but end up seeing a very dark world of sex, drugs, and sleaze. This movie is for entertainment and if taken too seriously, it will not be liked as it is not good for plot or acting but one of those good bad movies. It is one of those that is probably best to get a group of friends together.

Betty Boop and Grampy (1935): This is my short film this week and obviously features the famous Betty Boop. Here she receives an invite to her Grampy's house and is joined by others in a party where her Grampy brings out some pretty cool contraptions. This is a pretty amusing short which is only about 7 minutes. I found this on my Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku. It can likely be found on Youtube though as well.

The 10th Kingdom (2000): This is my mini-series for the week. We start in our modern world where we meet a waitress named Virginia, played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and her father Tony, played by John Larroquette. Together, they are brought into a fantasy world of nine different kingdoms which have been run by people like Snow White, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood but have been overrun by trolls, a hunter, and an evil sorceress queen. When arriving, they set out to find the mirror to get them back to their world and to help a prince turn back into human form after being turned into a golden retriever while also learning many things about themselves. A nearly unrecognizable MARRIED WITH CHILDREN alum and MODERN FAMILY star Ed O'Neil co-stars as the troll king. Warwick Davis and Rutger Hauer co-star This is a great spin on a fairy tale world that the whole family can enjoy.

Phantom of the Opera (2011): This is actually the live version that was done in London and was shown in many theaters while it was live in London. This was the 25th anniversary of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. I really don't know any of the actors names but they all did a good job. This is set to go on DVD at some point which I see people are doing a lot more of and I like that. I don't know that I'll ever actually see this live but this was the next best thing. The only problem is that the chandelier did not drop like usual. After the show was pretty cool with Andrew Lloyd Webber coming out with past people from the show like Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford.

Santa Claus: The Movie (1985): See below why this movie on Santa Claus was featured in an October blog. The first half of the film focuses on how a giving man in his last years became Santa Claus and was given immortality by the elves. Dudley Moore stars as an elf named Patch who does not feel wanted in the North Pole so goes to the United States to strike out on his own and falls in with a very mean toymaker, played by John Lithgow, who wants to eliminate Santa. I don't think much else really needs to be said on this movie. It is a good film for the family to watch if you don't take it too seriously. Look for Burgess Meredith in a cameo as one of the older elves. This is available on Instant Netflix.

The King of Kings (1927): Only I would go from Santa Claus to Jesus Christ. This is my silent film for the week which is a Cecil B. DeMille epic on Jesus Christ, played by H.B. Warner. This movie focuses on his days of when he is seen as the messiah up to his crucifixion. This is a very big budget production for its time and Demille does not hold back with a well-done interpretation on Jesus and his followers. Again, see below as to why I included this movie in an October blog.

The Abominable Snowman (1957): This is my Peter Cushing film for the week and felt it would fit this month very well. Cushing plays British botanist Dr. Rollason and Forrest Tucker plays an American scientist named Tom. Together they lead an expedition into the Himalayas to look for the legendary title character. One of the big problems in the tension with the people and leads into a pretty good climax. This is a good atmospheric film.

28 Days Later (2002): Danny Boyle directed this British Horror film. This takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in Britain where a virus has turned many into zombie type people. Cillian Murphy stars as Jim who wakes up as the title says finding people are zombies. Naomie Harris co-stars as one of the other survivors who is more experienced and teams up with Jim. I was not really sure what to expect out of this film when watching it but I really found that I enjoyed the movie. I thought the story was very good as well as the characters.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970): This is my Giallo film for the week which was directed by Dario Argento in his directorial debut and the start of a great career. The movie starts in which a writer named Sam witnesses a murder attempt upon a woman and gets drawn in trying to find the killer while endangering himself and his girlfriend Julia. This is another very well-done thriller with the performances, camera work, the suspense and the music score by Ennio Morricone. Giallo is a series of Italian horror films that have been very influential and this was a great murder mystery up to a good ending.

Idle Hands (1999): I close the recommendations out with this horror-comedy. Devon Sawa stars as slacker Anton Tobias who finds his parents have died and realizes that his right hand is possessed wreaking havoc all over the place. It soon kills his best friends so he looks to do what he can to stop his hand. Seth Green, Vivica A. Fox, and Jessica Alba co-star. This was a pretty fun horror film mixed with comedy.

Well, that is it for the recommendations. Continue though because these are my results for the Horror Movie Madness Contest. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Jean-Luc Godard, Kate Winslet, and many others.

The Madness: HACK AND SLASH EDITION Week 1

These are what I have watched for this one. This focuses on slasher films and horror films but you will find that I really lack that but always follow the rules. I know horror buffs must cringe with some of my selections and others just take the humor but her it goes. I will give ratings of a four "6" system.

ANTHONY PERKINS (4 points)
1. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) 666: This is my western loophole where I can use anything with Anthony Perkins so horror fans might cringe on this but I am glad to show that Perkins is more than Norman Bates. It's not a big part for him but a good one. 124 minutes, 2 points.

2. Saturday Night Live: Anthony Perkins/Betty Carter (1976) 666 1/2: This is the first time in this contest that I include this variety series where Perkins was the host showing his more comedic side. There is a great sketch where he plays Norman Bates advertising for the school of hotel management. This further cements my moniker of "The King of the Loopholes". 90 minutes, 2 points.

CREATURES AND MONSTERS (5 points)
1. Little Monsters (1989) 66 1/2: Howie Mandel plays the monster in this movie and so him and the other monsters should qualify this for in some ways a loophole for this film targeted to about later elementary or so. 100 minutes, 2 points.

2. The Abominable Snowman (1957) 666: This is a classic horror film where a search is started for the title character. This movie was done in Britain so should have one more point. 91 minutes, 3 points.

DARK FANTASY (.5 points)
1. Lenore: The Cute Little Dead Girl (2002) 666: This is a series of animated shorts that range from about 1-5 minutes and I watched about 30 minutes worth of these. This is about a dead girl who means well but accidentally causes people to die. It is a rather dark animation series available through youtube. 30 minutes, .5 points

DAVID WARNER (.5 points)
1. Batman Beyond: Out of the Past (2000) 666: This is the Batman series where Bruce Wayne is much older and passes the torch to a high schooler named Terry McGinness. In this episode Warner provides the voice of Ra's Ul Ghul. In the beginning I cracked up when Bruce and Terry were going to see a musical version of Batman which would probably be better than SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK. Later, Batman then reconnects which Ra's Ul Ghul's daughter Talia who claims to have mastered the Lazarus pit offering to give Bruce back his youth which he accepts with consequence. I liked a reference from Terry saying that he would not wear the Robin suit. Half-hour episode, .5 points

GIALLO (3 points)
1. The Girl With the Crystal Plumage (1970) 666: This is in the Giallo series of film so either way qualifies as a wild card. This is Dario Argento's directorial debut and a great murder mystery with a nice ending. This should get an extra point for being done in Italy. 98 minutes, 3 points

HALLOWEEN THEME (1 point)
1. Boston Legal: Witches of Mass Destruction (2005) 666: This is an episode that focuses on a group of Christians and Wiccans trying to stop a Halloween celebration at their children's school. Hour episode, 1 point.

JAMIE LEE CURTIS (1 point)
1. Charlie's Angels: Winning is for Losers (1978) 66: This appears to have been done right before her rise in HALLOWEEN. In this episode, she is a golf pro who people are trying to kill so she hires the angels. I was hoping she would die so that I could get another point. Hour episode, 1 point.

LIVE THEATER (2 points)
1. Phantom of the Opera (2011) 666 1/2: I didn't actually see this live but it was shown live at the movie theater and they performed it in London. I have never seen it performed live like this so it was pretty cool to see. It is to be on DVD at some point. 2 points.

MAD SCIENTIST (2 points)
1. The Drums of Jeopardy (1931) 66 1/2: This is billed as horror where Warner Oland plays a scientist out for revenge for the death of his daughter. It looks like Oland did this right before he became detective Charlie Chan and yes and American playing an Asian. 65 minutes, 2 points.

MEDIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT (10.5 points)
1. A Boy and His Dog (1975) 666: This would not usually count but in the rules the category of post-apocalypse does count and this movie is just that. A young Don Johnson stars in this film. This movie is through MHE category I have and that is a wild card that I can use. 91 minutes, 2 points.

2. Ikiru (1952) 666: Now this is quite the loophole here as I found out this was distributed through MHE so I could not resist this one or I would not be "The King of the Loopholes" as Elizabeth billed me in the first year we did this contest. This earns a bonus point for being in Japan. 143 minutes 3.5 points.

3. Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) 666: I found a great loophole from this Media Home in this biopic of out 16th President. Soon, there will be a more factual story when ABE LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER comes out. 110 minutes, 2 points

4. Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) 66 1/2: This is another through Media Home and it was on my Netflix list so I made this one of my loopholes. I should get an additional point for it centering around Christmas. 107 minutes, 3 points.

ROBERT ENGLUND (2.5 points)
1. Justice League: Paradise Lost (2002) 666: Englund provides the voice of Felix Faust in this two part episode where Wonder Woman returns to Paradise Island only to find the Amazons are stone because of Faust. Faust then blackmails Wonder Woman to find three artifacts to save them but knows it is still very dangerous to find them. She is the joined by her loyal friends Superman, Batman, The Flash, and Martian Manhunter. Two half-hour episodes, 1 point.

2. The Batman: Riddled (2005) 666: Englund provides the voice of The Riddler in a series where the villains look very unusual like with Riddler having long hair. Half-hour episode, .5 points.

3. The Batman: Night and the City (2005) 666: This is another episode with Englund as the Riddler and also feature The Joker and Penguin. They all rival each other for control of Gotham City where they wager a challenge to unmask Batman. Half-hour episode, .5 points.

4. The Batman: Riddler's Revenge (2007) 666: Once again Englund provides the voice for The Riddler where he and Batman are stuck on the bottom of an ocean in a box. In this, he learns of Riddler's origins when trying to get them out of there. Half-hour episode, .5 points.

RUTGER HAUER (10 points)
1. The 10th Kingdom (2000) 666 1/2: This is a mini-series featuring Hauer as the Huntman. It also features a werewolf. 9 one hour episodes, 9 points.

2. Alias: Phase One (2003): 666: This was one of my favorite shows and Hauer guest-starred as the interim head of the Alliance in an episode that really changed the show. One episode, 1 point.

SATAN (3 points)
1. The King of Kings (1927): 666: This Demille film counts because Satan is a character. This is the version that was extended. 155 minutes, 3 points

SERIAL KILLERS (2 points)
1. Idle Hands (1999) 66 1/2: This is a horror comedy with hands being possessed to kill. 90 minutes, 2 points

SUPERNATURAL (1 point)
1. Charlie's Angels: Haunted Angels (1978) 66 1/2: I intended to use this for the Jamie Lee Curtis episode but found this interesting one dealing with a group claiming to be psychic and a lot of dealing with the paranormal. Sabrina poses as a psychic. Hour episode, 1 point.

VAMPIRES (3 points)
1. Let Me In (2010) 666: I found this on Instant Netflix. This is about a boy named Owen who befriends a girl who is a vampire. I ended up really liking this movie. Chloe Moretz plays the vampire and has quite a body count for a girl her age with her other film being in KICK-ASS. This should get another point because it is in Britain. This is actually through Hammer Films. 116 minutes, 3 points

WES CRAVEN (4 points
1. Boston Legal: Spring Fever (2006) 666: This is an episode which features Craven as himself testifying in a case as an expert witness so with him playing himself gets me an extra point. Hour episode, 2 points.

2. The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) 666 1/2: I'm trying to pass off this documentary as a loophole with Craven being one of the interviewees talking about the importance of editing and reflecting on SCREAM. 98 minutes, 2 points.

ZOMBIES (6 points)
1. Zombieland (2009) 666 1/2: This is a great Zombie comedy and this gets an extra point because in the rules you get an extra point if a celebrity plays themselves and Bill Murray played himself in this film. I see a sequel is to be made on this, hope it matches this one. 88 minutes, 3 points.

2. 28 Days Later (2002) 666 1/2: This movie contains zombies. I was actually quite surprised about how much I really liked this movie. This should get a bonus point due to it being made in England. 113 minutes, 3 points.

TOTAL: 61 points. I know I did not beat Anthony.