Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 382nd Edition

Welcome to the 382nd Edition of my series. On April 13th, we have a wrestling show for Action Packed Wrestling in Chesterfield, IN at the Mill Creek Civic Center.  I recently obtained some flyers and for the first time due to my new persona in the promotion, my name got put on the flyer which was really cool to me.  For years, I have been the ring announcer for a few promotions which I have always enjoyed but in this promotion we developed a character for me which really got me over with the crowd.  I see this as a new acting opportunity and I would love it if people could come check this show out.  Last week, when I was at my Dad's house and he was reading this he suggested that I include pictures so I did just that this week.  I'm still learning the process.  Now onto my recommendations for the week.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008):  This is part one of a two-part Julia Ormond series.  I start the week out with this film which was directed by David Fincher and based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Eric Roth wrote the screenplay.  We start this movie in the modern era where an aging Daisy Williams, played by Cate Blanchett, is on her deathbed and asks her daughter Caroline, played by Julia Ormond in the modern era, to read the diary of her friend of the title character.  In these scenes, Blanchett is nearly unrecognizable as the much older version of her character and did a great job of playing the character through the years.  The story of Benjamin Button, played very well by Brad Pitt, begins where he was born into an old man but then grows younger and younger.  Daisy is a friend of him throughout his life and eventually form a relationship but it becomes complicated because of his getting younger.  Tilda Swinton, Elias Koteas, Taraji P. Henson, Jason Flemying, among others co-star in this film.  This went onto a lot of acclaim but still gets very mixed opinions.  I thought it was a very beautifully told story with very good performances.  It is also a more toned down film for Fincher and his first movie to be rated PG-13 after having many R-rated films.  This movie is slow paced so if it's a lot of action you want, this is not it. This is a very moving and emotional story for those who want that type of film.

Live from Baghdad (2002):  This is my HBO movie for the week which is based on a group of CNN reporters in Iraq during the Gulf War.  Michael Keaton stars as reporter Robert Wiener who takes a group of reporters with him to Iraq after their invasion of Kuwait and before the war officially started.  Wiener is very daring and looks to get an interview with Saddam Hussein while considering journalistic ethics.  Helena Bonham Carter, Lili Taylor, Bruce McGill, David Suchet, among others co-star in this film.  I really liked Carter's more toned down performance in this movie and Keaton played the part of Wiener very well.  This movie takes a good look at getting the story they are looking to get and the competition among other networks in their attempt to get the story.  This is based on a book by the real-life Robert Wiener who also helped write the script.

Horrible Bosses (2011):  This is part one of a Jennifer Aniston two-part series.  This is my workplace comedy for the week that I'm sure many have at least thought the things that were being thought but never put forth a plan.  ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT alum Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis are three good friends and are have a very unhappy situation at work where their bosses are not very good.   Jason Bateman plays Nick and works for a corporation and expected a promotion from his boss, played by Kevin Spacey, but the boss puts himself in the position.  Charlie Day plays Dale who is a dental hygienist and his female boss, played by FRIENDS alum Jennifer Aniston, who is very conniving and makes unwanted advances at Dale then finds ways to blackmail him.  Jason Sudeikis plays Kurt who works a factory job and was liking it until his boss, played by Donald Sutherland, died and his incompetent son, played by Colin Farrell, takes over.  They each have reasons that they cannot just quit and come up with hypothetical reasons to kill their bosses.  They soon hire a murder consultant, played by Jamie Foxx, to help them. Ioan Gruffudd has a rather amusing cameo.  Julie Bowen, Ron White, and Bob Newhart also have parts in this comedy.  This is by no means for everyone and is very politically incorrect but was a very fun comedy.  I really enjoyed Aniston in her stepping out of her comfort zone in her villainous role as a mean dentist who shows that Sexual Harassment can be done on both sides.  This is a pretty well-done comedy and made me laugh all the way through.

Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land (1931):  This is my animated short for the week which was one of the "Censored 11" and this cartoon was wrong on many levels.  First, we have a Mickey Mouse knockoff named Piggy who has a lot of resemblance and the cartoon on many levels resembled Disney's STEAMBOAT WILLIE.  There was also a character named Uncle Tom so there were some moments of racism but that was nothing new from that era.  This is one for entertainment purposes and classic cartoon short buffs.  In looking up this character Piggy, I find this is a very short-lived character and likely Looney Tunes trying to take a stab at Mickey Mouse.  I found this on my Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku player which plays public domain material.

Mad Monster Party (1967):  This is an animated monster parody which was made coming off the success of stop-animation shows like RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER and FROSTY THE SNOWMAN.  This was a stop-animation show which brought all the classic monsters together like Dracula, the Mummy, the Creature of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and many others.  Boris Karloff provides the voice for Dr. Frankenstein who is about to announce his retirement from the monster making business and from the board.  He soon names his nephew Felix as his successor causing friction among the monsters and Frankenstein's assistant Francesca.  Phyllis Diller voices the part for the monster's mate and Allen Swift provides many of the voices for the male characters including Felix which is an obvious James Stewart impersonation and Frankenstein's henchman which was an obvious Peter Lorre impersonation but both were very funny.  This is a very fun monster parody that would be great for October but still fun nonetheless.

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955):  I now focus on a story on forbidden love.  Jennifer Jones stars as Dr. Han Suyin who is a Eurasian doctor who meets a newsman named Mark Elliot, played by William Holden, who is a war correspondent in Hong Kong.  Mark begins to pursue her and slowly they fall in love, they find that their friends do not like the idea of a cross-cultural relationship.  Jennifer Jones plays someone who is half European and half Asian so I saw some believability and accepted that she was not Asian but she was good in the movie.  The cinematography in this film is quite good and it is a pretty moving and complex story that is more than just the love story mentioned.  William Holden is always watchable for and is good in this movie.  This is actually based on a true story from an autobiography by Dr. Han Suyin.  It was interesting to read that the two leads did not get along very well but worked well enough together to hide it.  This is one that I would not mind seeing remade if done by the right people and have an actual Asian in the lead female role but this movie is still good and is available on Instant Netflix.

Fallen Angel (1945):  This is my film noir for the week.  Otto Preminger directed this film which stars Dana Andrews as a con man named Eric who makes his way to a small town who becomes interested in a waitress named Stella, played by Linda Darnell, who does not seem to have much interest and believes that if he has more money, she would take more interest in him.  He soon meets a woman named June Mills, played by Alice Faye, who takes an interest in him much to the dismay of her sister, played by Anne Revere.  Things heat up when a local murder happens.  If I talk to much about this movie, I would probably be giving a lot away.  I have found that my favorite genre from this era seems to be the Film Noir, especially those from 20th Century Fox.  These movies were always quite realistic and much darker than most from that era.  They also for the time did quite a bit of pushing the envelope.  This is a very well done film with people who may be unknown today but still have a lot of talent.  This is a must for those into this genre.

American Experience:  Annie Oakley (2006):  This is an episode of the PBS documentary series and one on famed sharpshooter and wild west icon Annie Oakley.  This is about an hour long but was very informative.  I never really knew a lot about Oakley except for a biopic of her from the 30s and working backstage for the musical ANNIE GET YOUR GUN years ago.  I knew some basic things like her relationship with Frank Butler, her nearly flawless shooting abilities, and she was a big part of the Buffalo Bill Wild West show.  This goes into her difficult childhood and even her retirement years which I did not know anything about.  A couple weeks ago I featured an episode on Eugene O'Neill and after seeing this one,  I'm liking this show more and more.  This is a very informative documentary on the wild west legend.

The Story of Jacob and Joseph (1974):  This is another tv movie for the week and is my biblical movie for the week.  This kind of shows two stories.  Keith Mitchell stars as Jacob who cheats his brother Esau, played by Julian Glover, out of his birthright through a scheme with his mother who favors Jacob.  Jacob soon must flee and then gets cheated himself in his years in exile and must make amends.  He soon has a few sons, one of which was Joseph, played by Tony Lo Bianco, who is then betrayed by his jealous brothers and sold into slavery.  This second story you'll see resembles that very popular musical JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and this is a more dramatized version of it.  While Joseph is in slavery, he wins over the Egyptian pharaoh, played by Joseph Shiloach, and becomes prime minister of Egypt only to the pharaoh.  I got this as a dvd from the library and decided to give it a shot and it is not bad for a tv movie.  It is also a pretty well-told biblical story and worth a watch especially those who are religious.

Benny and Joon (1993):   This is part one of a two-part Johnny Depp series..  Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson star as the title characters who are brother and sister.  Benny is a car mechanic who devotes himself to taking care of his sister Joon who is mentally ill but also struggles.  Joon has a mental illness but is very artistic.  Under unusual circumstances, they take in an eccentric man named Sam, played by Johnny Depp.  Sam is a very unusual person who is inspired by the actions of Buster Keaton and has rather unorthodox ways of cooking and housekeeping.  He soon connects with Joon which becomes hard for Benny to handle.  Julianne Moore, Oliver Platt, THE SHIELD alum CCH Pounder, Dan Hedaya, and William H. Macy all co-star.  This is a really good love story that is far more than a love story.  Depp is great in this role and it made me realize more and more how much better I like Johnny Depp in the 90s.  Masterson also puts on a good performance with her and Depp working very well together.  This is a beautiful film with great characters that deserves a watch.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and what you dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Cate Blanchett, more Jennifer Aniston,, more Julia Ormond, Mario Bava, Buster Keaton, more Johnny Depp, Ronald Reagan, Robert Redford, Anna Paquin, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button director) directed Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Helena Bonham Carter (Live From Baghdad) in the 1999 film FIGHT CLUB.

Michael Keaton (Live From Baghdad) was considered for the part of Jack Sparrow in the 2003 film PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:  CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL which would ultimately go to Johnny Depp (Benny and June). 

David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button director) directed Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Kevin Spacey (Live From Baghdad) in the 1995 film SE7EN where they were on opposite sides of the law and have quite a showdown.

Helena Bonham Carter (Live From Baghdad) and Johnny Depp (Benny and Joon) have worked together many times, mostly under director Tim Burton.

David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button director) directed the first two episodes of the tv series HOUSE OF CARDS which stars Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) and co-stars Mahershala Ali (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).  This tv series is only available on Instant Netflix and is a great series so if you have it, this would be good to support and if you do not have Netflix, maybe consider starting with the free sample they give and consider it at least for instant programming.

Lili Taylor (Live From Baghdad) and Johnny Depp (Benny and Joon) were in the 2009 film PUBLIC ENEMIES.

David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button director) directed Elias Koteas (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and John Carroll Lynch (Live From Baghdad) in the 2007 film ZODIAC.

Lili Taylor (Live From Baghdad) and Aidan Quinn (Benny and Joon) both studied acting at the Piven Theater Workshop.

Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) was considered for the part of Clarice Starling in the 2001 movie HANNIBAL which would ultimately go to Julianne Moore (Benny and Joon).

Paul Guifoyle (Live From Baghdad) and Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) were in the 1997 film L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.

Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) was in a 1988 episode of 21 JUMP STREET which starred Johnny Depp (Benny and Joon)

Hamish Linklater (Live From Baghdad) guest starred in some episodes of the tv series THE BIG C which stars Laura Linney (American Experience)

Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses) were married for over five years and appeared in some episodes of the tv series FRIENDS which starred Aniston.

John Carroll Lynch (Live From Baghdad) and Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses) were in the 2011 alien comedy PAUL.

Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Aidan Quinn (Benny and Joon) are brothers in the 1994 film LEGENDS OF THE FALL and fight for Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

Michael Keaton (Live from Baghdad) and Lindsey Sloane (Horrible Bosses) were in the 2010 film THE OTHER GUYS.

Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) plays Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the 2003 movie THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN.  Boris Karloff (Mad Monster Party) played the parts in the 1953 movie ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.  Allen Swift (Mad Monster Party) voices the duel personality in this week's feature MAD MONSTER PARTY.

Michael Murphy (Live From Baghdad) and Donald Sutherland (Horrible Bosses) were in the 1970 film MASH.

Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Johnny Depp were in the 2001 film FROM HELL.

Hamish Linklater (Live From Baghdad) and Ioan Gruffudd (Horrible Bosses) were in the 2005 film FANTASTIC FOUR.

Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses) were in the 2001 movie ROCK STAR.

Colin Farrell (Horrible Bosses) and Johnny Depp (Benny and Joon) were both "Imaginarium Tonys" in the 2009 film THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS.

Jared Harris (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) is shot by Lili Taylor (Live from Baghdad) in the 1996 film I SHOT ANDY WARHOL.  They also worked together in the 2005 film THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE.

Michael Keaton (Live From Baghdad) and Julie Bowen (Horrible Bosses) were in the 1996 film MULTIPLICITY.

Bruce McGill (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Ioan Gruffudd (Horrible Bosses) were in the 2008 film W.

Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) and Phyllis Diller were in the 1998 animated movie A BUG'S LIFE.

Jared Harris (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Johnny Depp (Benny and Joon) are in the 1995 film DEAD MAN.

John Carradine (Fallen Angel) played Dracula many times, most notably in 1945 film HOUSE OF DRACULA.  Allen Swift (Mad Monster Party) voiced the role in this week's feature MAD MONSTER PARTY.

Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) plays outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 film THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD.  Colin Farrell (Horrible Bosses) plays James in the 2001 movie AMERICAN OUTLAWS.  Who can guess which of the two movies I like the best?

Laura Linney (American Experience) and Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) were in the 2003 film THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE.

Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Colin Farrell (Horrible Bosses) were in the 2003 film VERONICA GUERIN.