Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations -131st Edition

Welcome to the 131^st Edition of my long-running blog series.  With gas prices going up and the war going on in Iraq that has not stopped me from writing my blog series.  It's good to know how much I am appreciated by my readers.  Thank you to everyone and read on.

Lights in the Dusk (2006):  Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki directed this film Noir.  This movie centers around a lonely night watchman meets a femme fatale and a crooked businessman which gets him caught up in some dangerous activities.  There is not much more I can say that won't give it away.  I admit, it is not the most memorable I have seen and some might suggest something better from the director but it was still entertaining.

The Emperor's New Groove (2000):  This is the last of my long running Disney series.  We start out with Emperor Kuzco, voiced by David Spade, who is very selfish and his attitude catches up with him when he fires his assistant Yzma, voiced by Eartha Kitt, who then turns him into a llama.  We also have the very caring Pacha, voiced by John Goodman, who feels obligated to help Kuzco stop Yzma and turn him back human even through the emperor threatened his land.  The only thing that really bothered me here was David Spade because all I really saw in the emperor was David Spade and I'm not the biggest fan of him.  Otherwise, this was very entertaining and pretty innovative for Disney.

Forbidden Planet (1956):  Don Wilcox directed this Sci-Fi classic which introduced us to the great Robby the Robot.  Leslie Nielsen stars as the head of a starship crew who lands on another planet where they must investigate the disappearance of some scientists and find more than they bargained for including Anne Francis as Dr. Morbius' daughter.  Morbius and his daughter are the only survivors.  This was a good, early performance by Leslie Nielsen.

Johnny Belinda (1948):  Jean Negulesco directed this psychological drama.  Jane Wyman stars as Belinda, a farm girl who is deaf and mute.  She then meets a doctor who teaches her sign language and a lot about living.  Her world crumbles when she is raped by a man and becomes pregnant, starting a big scandal.  Wyman was great in this role where she won an academy award and the movie is very moving. 

Ghost (1990):  This is part two in my two-part Demi Moore series.  Jerry Zucker directed this great love story which combines romance, mystery and the supernatural together.  Patrick Swayze stars as Sam who is killed and must stay on the same plane to protect his girlfriend, played by Demi Moore, in a big conspiracy.  Whoopi Goldberg plays a crooked psychic who helps Sam because she can hear him.  I feel this, along with the one I featured last week, were Demi Moore's two best performances.

Zorgon:  The H-Bomb Beast from Hell (1972):  This was a short film from something the dvd of EQUINOX, which I featured last week.  This was an entertaining, silent monster film.  I'm sure the only way to really see it is to get the dvd of EQUINOX.

The Marijuana Menace (1937):  This is part three in my marijuana series in my hopes to get through the horrible things that marijuana can do to you.  This movie centers around a reporter who must uncover the big marijuana ring.  This is great to check out to see the propaganda films on the 30s.

Bugs Bunny's 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982):  I decided to use Disney's rival this week and feature some Looney Tunes.  This focuses on Bugs and Daffy who are rival book salesmen who get caught up in many misadventures in their competition to better themselves.  If you like the looney tunes, you'll love this one.

Till the Clouds Go By (1946):  Richard Whorf directed this bio-pic on Jerome Kern, played by Robert Walker, which focused mostly on the music he wrote, mostly SHOWBOAT where he recalls his life.  It was something carried by the musical numbers but still entertaining to watch.  Includes many guest stars like Judy Garland and Cyd Charisse.

Blood Car (2007):  I was looking for a new film at Hollywood Video and remembered that I have this movie as a myspace friend so I thought I would check it out.  This takes place in a world where the gas prices are higher than ever and a regular guy wants to find a way to cheapen driving and finds an alternative source to gas which you might guess in the title.  This reminded me a lot of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS where in a good cause, a good person goes bad.  Anna Chlumsky co-stars and many may remember her from the MY GIRL movies.  This was pretty funny and violent.  It is not for everyone.

That is it for this week.  Stay tuned next week for the 132^nd Edition.  I apologize for the lack of the connections segment but I lost everything I wrote so I did not try again.