Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 393rd Edition

Welcome to the 393rd edition of my series.  I had a great birthday on Wednesday so I want to thank everyone involved in that great evening. I'm still awaiting casting for ROMEO AND JULIET which should happen this week.  Also, please visit http://www.gofundme.com/Family-Documentary and if you can, please help my friend Sarah in getting a camera to get her documentary off the ground.  I believe it will be quite good if she is able to do it.  I will now get to my recommendations.

The Fighter (2010):  This is part two of my Christian Bale series which I know will have three parts but possibly four.  David O. Russell directed this biopic of the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward, played very well by Mark Wahlberg.  Bale plays Ward's half-brother Dicky Eklund and won a Best Supporting Actor academy award for his portrayal.  This takes place in a small Massachusetts town in which Micky is considered more of a brawler and considered a "stepping stone" for better boxers but is not the kind of career he wants.  Dicky is a local hero and lives through his claim to fame in a match against Sugar Ray Leonard where he managed to knock him down but eventually lose.  He is also dealing with a drug addiction and is under the belief he is being filmed by HBO for a career comeback but is really being filmed for a documentary about drug addiction.  Both of their careers are being managed by their domineering mother Alice, played very well by Melissa Leo.  In a move done by Alice and Dicky that ends with very bad results for Micky, he comes to believe they are more looking out for themselves.  Amy Adams co-stars as a local bartender named Charlene who becomes Micky's love interest and helps him stand up against his family who she believes is holding him back.  RESCUE ME alum Jack McGee co-stars as Micky's more understanding father.  Micky's manager Mickey O'Keefe actually plays himself in the film.  There are also many cameos from the boxing community as well as the real-life Dicky Eklund making a cameo.  This gave a very authentic look into the world of boxing and gave great performances.

Looper (2012):  This is part two of my two-part Joseph Gordon-Levitt series but part one of a two-part Emily Blunt series.  Rian Johnson wrote and directed this very interesting futuristic film on the mafia.  Gordon-Levitt plays a "looper" named Joe who works for the mafia in killing people who are sent back in time.  He seems to have everything going for him until he sees his future self, played by Bruce Willis, who then hesitates resulting in an escape from his older self which is looked down upon and makes his life more complicated.  In seeing his future self, he also learns some things about his life and meets Suzie, played by Piper Perabo, whose son Cid, played by Pierce Gagnon in what I believe is possibly the creepiest performance by a child I have seen, who has quite a future ahead of him.  This is a rather complicated film and if I say anything else, I really believe I'm giving it away.  Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Jeff Daniels, Tracie Thoms, and Garret Dillahunt all co-star in this rather clever sci-fi film that might need a couple viewings to grasp and does require full attention but with reward.  Gordon-Levitt really did a good job in playing to Willis who I thought were very believable as young and old selves and watched a lot of Willis films to impersonate mannerisms.

Thursday (1998):  Skip Woods wrote and directed this crime drama.  Thomas Jane stars as Casey who has been a drug dealer in L.A. and moves to Houston to try and start a new life.  It is there, he makes a new life for himself as an architect and is married to someone named Christine, played by Paula Marshall, who is unaware of his past.  Things get very complicated when his old cohort Nick, played by Aaron Eckhart, comes to visit and brings a lot of heroin.  Not wanting to return to the lifestyle, Casey sinks the dope down the drain where he then must deal with some very touch customers.  Paulina Porizkova co-stars as Dallas who is Nick's current partner in crime and love interest.  I admit that I had not heard of this movie but found that Mickey Rourke was in it so gave it a show and I really enjoyed it.  Rourke does not come in until the end but in quite good in his part.  Michael Jeter, James Le Gros, and Glenn Plummer.  I really liked the way the movie began which was a scene involving Nick and Dallas where they get right to the point.  This had a pretty good blend of action, comedy, and drama and is available on Instant Netflix.

Plane Crazy (1928):  This is my animated short for the week which features Mickey Mouse in his first cartoon, just not the first to be released which was STEAMBOAT WILLIE.  In this short, Mickey tries to imitate Charles Lindbergh and builds his own plane where Minnie Mouse joins him in his flight.  At the same time of Mickey flying, he also makes advances on Minnie which are unsuccessful leading to some pretty funny moments.  Also making an appearance is Clarabelle the Cow which is the first one from all of these.  My understanding for the reason this was not released right away was because Walt Disney was under contract to Universal with his character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit which was pretty much a predecessor to Mickey Mouse.

Larceny, Inc. (1942):  This is possibly part one of an Edward G. Robinson series.  Lloyd Bacon directs this heist comedy that stars Robinson, Broderick Crawford, and Jack Carson as three ex-cons who just get released and plan on resorting to their old ways of robbery.  They do want to be careful about it though and they buy a business right by a bank as their front so that they can dig a hole to get to it without having to hold it up.  They soon experience some unexpected success with the business which makes their leader Robinson abandon that plan.  Anthony Quinn plays Leo who gets word of their plan and will not let them go legit as he looks to move in on the plan.  This is more of a comedy from Robinson and is pretty entertaining, especially the things that go wrong when digging the hole in attempt to get to the bank.  Harry Davenport, Jane Wyman, and Jackie Gleason also co-star in this film.

Executive Action (1973):  David Miller directs this film and the screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo.  This is a movie where we see the planning for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  We all know that there will never be a full answer to what happened and this is pure speculation as per the disclaimer before the movie.  Burt Lancaster stars as the leader of this group of James Farrington, a black-ops specialist who leads the group in their plan to assassinate the president.  This group consists of rogue intelligence agents, ultra-conservative politicians, greedy businessmen, and free-lance assassins.  This was a pretty compelling look of what could have happened though just about everyone has their opinion on the matter.  Robert Ryan, Will Geer, and Ed Lauter also co-star in this movie.  We will never know the accuracy but this is a good place to start in the events that lead up to November 22, 1963.

The Desert Fox:  The Story of Rommel (1951):  I now bring the Nazi era where James Mason stars as Nazi Erwin Rommel whose nickname is of the title.  He was a very well-respected general who lead a group called the Afrika Corps.  As much as he was respected, he did not agree with much of Hitler's beliefs and ignored many of his orders.  Later, Hitler suspected Rommel of being a part of the plot to assassinate Hitler.  Jessica Tandy co-stars as Rommel's wife.  To my knowledge, there is no proof that he did take part but Hitler thought so and that is all that mattered.  Mason is great in his role as Rommel.  Luther Adler played the part of Hitler and while he had the look, he sounded too American for me but Mason's performance makes it worth the watch.  Cedric Hardwicke, Leo G. Carroll, and Richard Boone co-star in this film that is available on Instant Netflix.

Brooklyn's Finest (2009):  Antoine Fuqua directs this movie where we see the lives of three unconnected cops.  Don Cheadle plays Tango who is an undercover cop who is promised a promotion but must set-up the bust of an ex-con, played by Wesley Snipes, who saved his life.  Ethan Hawke plays Sal, who is a family man but has fell short of cash and is resorting to corruption to get a big enough house for his family.  Richard Gere plays Eddie who is a week away from retirement but witnesses a very bad situation and but make a decision on what is right.  All three really do a good job, and I thought that Gere stood out from the three.  Will Patton, Lili Taylor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Ellen Barkin, and Vincent D'Onofrio co-star in this movie.  This is not great but is a good look at the lives of these officers and how much it can take a toll.  

The Man Called Flintstone (1966):  I found this one in the library and just could not resist.  This is the first feature length movie for the famous cartoon family THE FLINTSTONES.  In this, an agent named Rock Slag is injured during a chase in Bedrock and Fred bears a big resemblance so he is recruited to replace Slag.  Fred is soon sent to Paris and then to Rome taking Wilma, Barney, and Betty and their kids Bam-Bam and Pebbles but cannot tell them of the real reason they are going.  This is a pretty good spy spoof and based on the original cartoon which was made right after it ended but many new incarnations came after this one.  One thing I learned is that Mel Blanc, most known for Bugs Bunny, voiced Barney Rubble which I did not know.  For those of you that do not know the Flintstones were a stone age family in a parody to the modern times like having a foot-powered car.  Both fans of the cartoon and those who have not seen it can really enjoy this though it might be good to watch a few episodes to know the characters.

She's So Lovely (1997):  I now end with this part four of my Harry Dean Stanton series that was directed by Nick Cassavetes while his father John wrote the screenplay.  We start out in this movie with Maureen, played by Robin Wright, who is pregnant and her husband Eddie, played by Sean Penn, is missing.  During her worries, she then shares a couple drinks with her neighbor Kiefer, played by SOPRANOS alum James Gandolfini, who then proceeds to rape and beat her.  When Eddie returns, he soon goes ballistic and a tragedy makes him go into a psychiatric institution.  He finally gets out after ten years and finds that Maureen divorced, remarried to a man named Joey, played by John Travolta, and even got her life together through Joey.  Eddie then sets out to take back Maureen who has a big decision to make.  Debi Mazar, Chloe Webb, Burt Young and Gena Rowlands co-star in this film.  I really do enjoy this movie and the performances.  I thought they did a good job of jumping into the many years later and showing how far everyone had come.  The three leads work together very well and Travolta puts on one of his best performances in my opinion.  This was not a very upbeat film but still a decent character driven one.  I also felt the beginning does a good job of showing what can happen when a couple does not know how to communicate.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and hate.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Christian Bale, more Emily Blunt, Steve McQueen, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Emily Blunt (Looper) turned down a role in this week's feature THE FIGHTER.

Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter), Thomas Jane (Thursday) and Don Cheadle (Brooklyn's Finest) were in the 1997 film BOOGIE NIGHTS.

Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter) declined playing Jake Roenick in the 2005 movie ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 which would ultimately go to Ethan Hawke (Brooklyn's Finest).

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN BATMAN FRANCHISE
-Christian Bale (The Fighter) plays Batman in all three films.
-Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) plays Blake in the 2012 film THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.
-Aaron Eckhart (Thursday) plays Harvey Dent in the 2008 film THE DARK KNIGHT.

Christian Bale (The Fighter) and Richard Gere (Brooklyn's Finest) were in the 2007 film I'M NOT THERE where they both played different versions of Bob Dylan.

Christian Bale (The Fighter) and Piper Perabo (Looper) were in the 2006 film THE PRESTIGE.

Christian Bale (The Fighter) plays Jesus Christ in the 1999 movie MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS.  Garret Dillahunt (Looper) plays Jesus in the 2006 tv series THE BOOK OF DANIEL.

Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and James Gandolfini (She's So Lovely) were in the 2010 film WELCOME TO THE RILEYS.

Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Sean Penn (She's So Lovely) were in the 2003 film 21 GRAMS.

Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and James Le Gros were in the 2011 mini-series MILDRED PIERCE.

Jack McGee (The Fighter) and Mickey Rourke (Thursday) were in the 2005 film DOMINO.

Jack McGee (The Fighter) and James Gandolfini (She's So Lovely) were in the 2001 film THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE.

Jack McGee (The Fighter) and Piper Perabo (Looper) were in the 2000 movie COYOTE UGLY.

Jack McGee (The Fighter) and Glenn Plummer (Thursday) were in the 1995 movie SHOWGIRLS.

Amy Adams (The Fighter) and Emily Blunt (Looper) were in the 2011 film THE MUPPETS, the 2008 film SUNSHINE CLEANING and the 2007 film CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR.  They are good friends in real life.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) joins the cast in the 2013 sequel SIN CITY:  A DAME TO KILL FOR which has Bruce Willis (Looper) and Mickey Rourke (Tuesday) reprising their roles from the 2005 film SIN CITY.  Willis and Rourke also had appearances in the 2010 film THE EXPENDABLES.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) and Mickey Rourke (Thursday) are partners in crime going after Thomas Jane (Thursday) in the 2008 movie KILLSHOT.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) cites Gena Rowlands (She's So Lovely) as one of his favorite actresses.

Bruce Willis (Looper) and John Travolta (She's So Lovely) were in the 1994 film PULP FICTION.  They were also kind of father and son in the LOOK WHO'S TALKING series where Willis provided the voice for Mikey and Travolta played the person Mikey wanted as a father.

Bruce Willis (Looper) and Richard Gere (Brooklyn's Finest) were in the 1997 movie THE JACKAL.

Paul Dano (Looper) and James Gandolfini (She's So Lovely) provided voices to two of the creatures in the 2009 film WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE.  Before that, Dano guest-starred in a couple episodes of the HBO series THE SOPRANOS which stars Gandolfini.

Jeff Daniels (Looper) and Glenn Plummer (Thursday) were in the 1994 film SPEED.

Piper Perabo (Looper) and Paula Marshall (Thursday) were in the 2003 movie CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN.

Thomas Jane (Thursday) and John Travolta (She's So Lovely) were in the 1997 film FACE/OFF.  They would then go onto play hero and villain in the 2004 movie THE PUNISHER.

Thomas Jane (Thursday), Mickey Rourke (Thursday), John Travolta (She's So Lovely), and Sean Penn (She's So Lovely) were in the 1998 film THE THIN RED LINE though Rourke's scene was unfortunately deleted though it can be found on Youtube and is a great scene and performance from Rourke.

Aaron Eckhart (Thursday), Mickey Rourke (Thursday), and Robin Wright (She's So Lovely) were in the 2001 film THE PLEDGE.

Michael Jeter (Thursday) and Wesley Snipes (Brooklyn's Finest) were in the 1994 movie DROP ZONE.

Mickey Rourke (Thursday) and Don Cheadle (Brooklyn's Finest) were in the 2010 film IRON MAN 2.

Mickey Rourke (Thursday) and Ellen Barkin (Brooklyn's Finest) were in the 1982 film DINER.

Broderick Crawford (Larceny, Inc) stars as Willie Stark in the 1949 film ALL THE KING'S MEN.  Sean Penn (She's So Lovely) stars in the 2006 remake of the same title.

Jack Carson (Larceny, Inc) and James Mason (Desert Fox) were in the 1954 film A STAR IS BORN.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 392nd Edition

Welcome to the 392nd Edition of my series.  I've been in rehearsals for INHERIT THE WIND and the show is coming together very well and am really enjoying the character I play.  The show is around June and will give more details around then.  Yesterday, I auditioned in Farmland for ROMEO AND JULIET which is to happen in late July to early August.  I won't find out for a couple weeks but if I get a part it will be my first show in Farmland, Indiana and it will also be my first Shakespeare show.  I'll keep everyone posted on that one.  Also, please check out my friend Sarah's website at http://www.gofundme.com/Family-Documentary.  She is looking for funding to get the necessary camera to film this documentary that has a lot of potential if it gets off the ground.  I will now give my selections for the week.

Doc's Last Night (2012):  This is a more personal selection and is a video that features my good friends Ashley and Stephen playing at Doc's Music Hall in Muncie on the last night they were open.  The biggest reason I made this selection is because Ashley's birthday is this Thursday, the day after mine, and I thought this would be a good birthday gift.  Her father and my friend Mark put this together as he brought in his video camera and featured them singing Van Morrison's MOONDANCE, Johnny Cash and June Carter's JACKSON, and closed out by a great rendition of Ashley singing Leonard Cohen's HALLELUJAH.  In the last song Mark put together a great photo montage that shows friends, family, and times at Docs which even include a little bit of me and much of the photos that I took at her shows as well.  I can also be seen for like a second walking across after a song was done so I guess in a sense I am an extra and you'll see my trademark Hawaiian shirt over a t-shirt.  This is about a 13 minute video of some great music and a video that is very well put together.  I tagged anyone who was in the montage and friends with me on Facebook. Here is a link to watch the video.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3900598353190&set=vb.1226118628&type=3&theater
Hollywoodland (2006):  Allen Coulter directed this film that takes a rather dark look into the world of Hollywood.  There are two different time periods happening.  One period is where Adrian Brody stars as private detective Louis Simo who is hired to investigate the death of actor George Reeves who was most known to play the part of Superman.  The autopsy determined that Reeves committed suicide but others believed it was murder.  It also shows his struggling family life like the difficult relationship with his son and showed that when people though George Reeves killed himself, kids believed that Superman killed himself.  The other side stars Ben Affleck who plays George Reeves and goes into his life as an actor and how much he hated playing Superman.  It also shows conflicts with people in the industry.  The story of Simo is a fictional detective and created a story of an investigator who finds that his life is parallel to the man he was investigating.  Simo is somewhat based on the real-life detective Milo Speriglio who really did investigate the death of Reeves and believed that the bullet was fired from at least 16 feet away but it was something that was never proven.  His most notable investigation was towards Marilyn Monroe who he believe was murdered which was also never proven but could very well be true.  In looking into the story of Reeves, it appears that much of that was true like having an affair with the wife of MGM general manager Eddie Mannix, played by Bob Hoskins.  Diane Lane co-stars as Toni Mannix and does a pretty good job while I thought Affleck was pretty good as Reeves.  I also thought that while fictional, the investigation story was pretty compelling.  Robin Tunney, Lois Smith, Dash Mihok and Molly Parker all co-star in this film

The Dark Knight Rises (2012):  This is part one of a Christian Bale series that will be at least two parts and part one of a two-part Joseph Gordon-Levitt series.  This is the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's trilogy on Batman where the series ends very well.  Christian Bale reprises his role as Bruce Wayne who has not been Batman for eight years and the public believes Batman to be a murderer.  We first see Bruce as a recluse and Gotham City's crime has went down a lot but he does not seem to know what to do with himself without being Batman.  Soon, a new evil comes to town in the form of Bane, played by Tom Hardy, who is possibly Batman's strongest rival and Bruce finds the Bat is needed once again.  Many of the actors return like Gary Oldman playing Commissioner Gordon, Michael Caine playing Alfred, Morgan Freeman playing Lucius Fox, even Cillian Murphy from the first movie making a cameo Jonathan Crane and a Liam Neeson cameo as Ra's Al Ghul.  One newcomer to this third film is Anne Hathaway who plays jewel thief Selina Kyle most known as Catwoman.  They way she is portrayed in this film is that she is more about survival and Batman tries to make her his ally.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt co-stars in this film as idealistic police officer Blake who has not stopped believing in Batman.  Marion Cotillard, Juno Temple, and Matthew Modine also co-star.  This was pretty popular but I'm aware it got mixed opinions.  I will say that this was the second time I had seen it and I liked it the first time but liked it more the second time around.  I found that this movie is more centered around Bruce Wayne who had a hard time finding his place in life due to not being Batman.  In this trilogy, I think some of the best moments between Bruce and Alfred take place.  Alfred is kind of a mentor of sorts to Bruce and shows a lot of concern leading to some really good conversations.  I also really like the dialogue between Batman and Gordon in these movies.  Many people did not like the voice Hardy used for Bane but I did not really see much issue with it and understood him fine.  To watch this film, you really need to have watched BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT in order to understand this one.  I for one have enjoyed this much darker take to Batman and this movie concludes it well.

So You're Going to be a Father (1947):  This is my classic short for the week that is from the Joe McDoakes series which are a series of situational shorts.  In this one, Joe is not a big fan of kids and they don't really like him very much.  Soon his wife tells him that he is to soon become a father where he now understands he must prepare and soon envisions a son going to West Point and becoming president.  There are some pretty funny moments, especially at the end.

The Shopworn Angel (1938):  This is actually a remake of a 1928 film directed by H.C. Potter bringing back James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan for their second of four teamings which the most known is the 1940 film THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER.  Stewart stars as naive WWI soldier Bill Pettigrew who being sent to New York for basic training and soon meets actress Daisy Heath, played by Sullavan.  He takes an immediate liking to Daisy and she agrees to pretend to his girlfriend to impress his friends.  In this pretend relationship, a real romance happens but Pettigrew gets called to service which makes things very complicated.  Walter Pidgeon co-stars as Sam who is a long-time friend of Daisy and longs for a steady relationship with her.  This was carried by very good performances from the leads. 

7 Women (1966):  John Ford directs what would be his last film that takes place in 30s China.  A group of missionaries lead by the rigid Agatha Andrews, played by Margaret Leighton, go to China but soon Mongolian bandits come invade and they must do what they can to survive.  Anne Bancroft plays Dr. Cartwright who joins the group and is very no-nonsense much to the chagrin of Agatha.  Cartwright becomes the leader in looking to help them get away.  Sue Lyon also co-stars as staff member Emma and shows a lot of potential.  She is most known for playing the title character in the original LOLITA but did not have that big career but made her big mark in the 60s.  Bancroft was also good as the more open-minded character who Agatha did not like but Emma admired.  Mike Mazurski stars as bandit leader Tunga Khan as is really pretty believable as an American playing an Asian which was far more common in that era.  This by no means is Ford's best but not a bad movie to go out on as some have ended with much worse.  I found the religious themes to also be pretty interesting.  This appears to be rather hard to find but is available on TCM On-Demand until May 31st and is worth a look.

Flicka (2006):  I guess this is my second remake for the week.  Allison Lohman stars as the headstrong Katy who returns home from boarding school to the horse ranch that her family runs.  Tim McGraw stars as her father Rob who wants her to continue boarding school while she wants to take over the ranch someday.  Katy soon encounters a wild horse that she decides to take in and names it of the movie title.  She sets out to tame this wild horse but does not come to agreement with her father who is concerned of the danger from a wild horse.  Maria Bello stars as Katy's mother and TRUE BLOOD alum Ryan Kwanten plays her brother.  This is something that needs to just be taken for what it's worth and that is a movie to watch with the family.  I have not seen the original version though I now know I need to.  This is not great but still good and harmless.  I have seen complaints that Lohman looks too old for 16 but I have seen real high school students who look older so I have come to just accept that type of thing.  Country star McGraw does pretty good as the father.

The Little Foxes (1941):  Now I go to a classic that is directed by William Wyler and based on a play by Lillian Hellman.  This is a story centered around greed lead by Regina Giddens, played well by Bette Davis, who is part of the greedy Hubbard family in the deep South at the turn of the 20th century.  Teresa Wright, in a great film debut, co-stars as Alexandra who is Regina's daughter who is wrapped around her finger but Alexandra soon sees that she is manipulated by her mother.  Herbert Marshall is good as Horace who is Regina's estranged husband and is a lot nicer but is terminally ill which is a very important storyline.  Richard Carlson plays David who has never liked the Giddens family but sees that Alexandra can be a good person.  This movie has a lot of great dialogue and performances.  This movie stands the test of time and is a great showing of the price of greed.

Straight Time (1978):  This is part three of my Harry Dean Stanton series.  Ulu Grosbard directs this film based on the novel NO BEAST SO FIERCE by Edward Bunker who also helped write the screenplay.  Bunker is probably most known for playing Mr. Blue in the 1992 film RESERVOIR DOGS.  Dustin Hoffman stars as Max Dembo who is just being released from prison on parole for burglary.  Dembo is looking to go straight but his parole officer Earl, played by M. Emmet Walsh, does not make it easier and does not appear to make that look easy.  He soon has to go back to prison from a set-up at the heads of Earl and when getting out, he then takes revenge on his parole officer and returns to his life of crime.  A young Gary Busey co-stars as Willy who is Max's old partner in crime and also trying to go straight.  His real-life son Jake plays his own son when he was four years old which made some pretty good interaction between the two.  Kathy Bates and Theresa Russell also co-star in this gritty film.  Hoffman's studio Sweetwall Productions bought the rights to the novel and Hoffman was going to direct it but decided to hire Grosbard to do it instead.  Bunker wrote this novel inspired from events in his own life.  This seems like a pretty underrated film that really deserves a watch.

Coriolanus (2011):  Ralph Fiennes makes his directorial debut in this modern-day Shakespeare play.  Fiennes stars as the title character who is soldier of Rome who does a lot for the town but despises the people.  He is soon banished from Rome from the politicians and his own mother where he soon joins his sword enemy Tullus Aufidius and offers his services.  I will say that I had never heard of this Shakespeare story until I found it available on Instant Netflix.  Coriolanus was a real-life roman leader whose full name is Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.  I did like the modern day look of the film and the performances were pretty good between the leads while mostly keeping the Shakespearean dialogue.  Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain, James Nesbitt, and Vanessa Redgrave all co-star.  This probably is not for everyone but did keep my interest and is available on Instant Netflix to take a lot at with Fiennes' debut.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and what you hate.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Christian Bale, more Joseph Gordan-Levitt, Mickey Rourke, Edward G. Robinson, Burt Lancaster, James Mason, Richard Gere, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS.

Keep in mind, I focused on actors from different movies and not interconnections like the many there are in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.

Allen Coulter (Hollywoodland director) directed a couple episodes of the tv series LUCK which starred Dustin Hoffman (Straight Time).

Adrien Brody (Hollywoodland) won a bid for "Tea with Gerard Butler (Coriolanus)" to benefit Artists for Peace and Justice.

Adrien Brody (Hollywoodland), Kathy Bates (Straight Time), and Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises) were in the 2011 film MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.

Diane Lane (Hollywoodland), Lois Smith (Hollywoodland) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises) were in the 2008 movie KILLSHOT.

Diane Lane (Hollywoodland) and Woody Strode (Seven Women) were in the 1984 film THE COTTON CLUB.

Bob Hoskins (Hollywoodland) was the henchman to Dustin Hoffman (Straight Time) in the 1991 film HOOK.

Bob Hoskins (Hollywoodland) and Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) were in the 2009 movie A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Bob Hoskins (Hollywoodland) plays J. Edgar Hoover in the 1995 film NIXON.  Brian Cox (Coriolanus) plays Hoover in the upcoming 2013 tv movie THE CURSE OF EDGAR.  Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Rises) plays G-man Melvin Purvis who Hoover assigns to take down John Dillinger in the 2009 film PUBLIC ENEMIES.

Lois Smith (Hollywoodland) and Jason Kwanten (Flicka) play grandmother and grandson in the HBO vampire series TRUE BLOOD.

Lois Smith (Hollywoodland) and Nestor Carbonell (The Dark Knight Rises) were in the 2002 tv movie THE LARAMIE PROJECT.

Lois Smith (Hollywoodland) and Anne Bancroft (Seven Women) were in the 1995 film HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT.

Lois Smith (Hollywoodland), Harry Dean Stanton (Straight Time), and Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) all had parts in the 2001 film THE PLEDGE.

Dash Mihok (Hollywoodland) and Dustin Hoffman (Straight Time) were in the 1996 film SLEEPERS.

Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland) and Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises) star in the 2002 film THE SUM OF ALL FEARS.

Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland) and Maria Bello (Flicka) were in the 2010 film THE COMPANY MEN.

HARRY POTTER FRANCHISE
-Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) plays Sirius Black
-Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus) plays Lord Valdemort

Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) and Dustin Hoffman (Straight Time) in the 2011 film KUNG FU PANDA 2.

Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) has cited James Stewart (The Shopworn Angel) as an influence.

Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) plays Dracula in the 1992 film DRACULA which is my favorite adaptation.  Gerard Butler (Coriolanus) plays Dracula in 2000 film DRACULA 2000.

Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) plays Pontius Pilate in the 1999 tv movie JESUS.  James Nesbitt (Coriolanus) plays Pilate in the 2008 mini-series THE PASSION.

Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises) cites Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus) as one of her favorite actors.

Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises) and Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) were in the 1998 movie DEEP IMPACT.

Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises) and Dustin Hoffman (Straight Time) were in the 1995 film OUTBREAK.

Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises) plays Coriolanus in the 1979 movie CORIOLANUS which did not seem to get much exposure.  Ralph Fiennes plays the part in this week's feature CORIOLANUS which was made in 2011 and is a modern day take.

Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises) and Brian Cox (Coriolanus) were in the 2010 film RED.

William Devane (The Dark Knight Rises) and Dustin Hoffman (Straight Time) were in the 1976 film MARATHON MAN.

William Devane (The Dark Knight Rises) and Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) were in the 1979 film YANKS.

Liam Neeson (The Dark Knight Rises) and Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus) were in the 1993 film SCHINDLER'S LIST.

Liam Neeson (The Dark Knight Rises) is the son-in-law of Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus).

Liam Neeson (The Dark Knight Rises) and Brian Cox (Coriolanus) were in the 1995 film ROB ROY.

Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises) and Jeffrey Nordling (Flicka) were in the 1993 tv movie AND THE BAND PLAYED ON.

Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Rises) plays Jesus Christ in 1999 movie MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS.  Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus) voices the part in the 2000 film THE MIRACLE MAKER.

Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) plays Heathcliff in the 2009 tv movie WUTHERING HEIGHTS.  Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus) plays Heathcliff in the 1992 movie WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Jessica Chastain (Coriolanus) were in the 2012 film LAWLESS.

Michael Caine (The Dark Knight Rises) and Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) were in the 2011 movie CARS 2.

Juno Temple (The Dark Knight Rises) and Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) were in the 2007 film ATONEMENT.

Walter Pidgeon (The Shopworn Angel) and Bette Davis (The Little Foxes) played "substitute attorneys" on the tv series PERRY MASON when Raymond Burr was recovering.

Walter Pidgeon (The Shopworn Angel) and Teresa Wright (The Little Foxes) were in the 1942 film MRS. Miniver.

James Stewart (The Shopworn Angel) and Dan Duryea (The Little Foxes) were in the 1950 film WINCHESTER '73.

John Ford (Seven Women director) directed James Stewart (The Shopworn Angel) in many westerns including CHEYENNE AUTUMN which co-stars Mike Mazurki (Seven Women) and THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE which co-starred Woody Strode (Seven Women) who Ford would call his best friend.

Anne Bancroft (Seven Women) and Dustin Hoffman (Straight Time) had an affair in the 1967 film THE GRADUATE.

Anne Bancroft (Seven Women) played the part of Ma Beckoff in the 1988 film THE TORCH SONG TRILOGY.  My Facebook friend Sonja played the part in a Muncie Civic Studio Theater production of the same title.

Anne Bancroft (Seven Women) played the part of Annie Sullivan in the 1962 film THE MIRACLE WORKER.  My Facebook friend Tonya played the part ina a recent production at the Muncie Civic Theater.

Anna Lee (Seven Women) and Bette Davis (The Little Foxes) were in the 1962 film WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE.

Eddie Albert (Seven Women) plays Ali Hakim in the 1955 film OKLAHOMA.  My Facebook friend Jason played the part in a 2008 production at the Muncie Civic Theater in which I played Slim.

Mike Mazurki (Seven Women), Kathy Bates (Straight Talk), and Dustin Hoffman (Straight Talk) were in the 1990 film DICK TRACY.

Tim McGraw (Flicka) and Kathy Bates (Straight Talk) were in the 2009 film THE BLIND SIDE.

Bette Davis (The Little Foxes) plays Queen Elizabeth I in the 1955 film THE VIRGIN QUEEN.  Vanessa Redgrave plays Elizabeth in the 2011 movie ANONYMOUS.

Kathy Bates (Straight Talk) plays Mrs. Hannigan in the 1999 tv movie ANNIE.  My Facebook friend Jane played the part in a 2008 version at the Anderson Mainstage Theatre in which I played the lead homeless bum and Cordell Hull.

Gerard Butler (Coriolanus) cites Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Rises) as his favorite actor.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 391st Edition

 

Welcome to the 391st Edition of my long-running series.  Hope everyone is having a good Mother's Day whether spending it as a mom or celebrating with your mom.  Before I get to my recommendations for the week, I want to give a reminder that my friends Travis and Sarah are looking to shoot a documentary about Sarah's family and are looking for donations in order to get a camera for filming.  I think this will be a great feature and you can learn more about the project and how to donate at http://www.gofundme.com/Family-Documentary .  I will now get to my movies for the week.

Bolt (2008):  I start the week out with this Disney animation film.  Byron Howard and Chris Williams direct this film about a dog of the title, voiced by John Travolta, who is the star of a fictional series where he is a heroic dog.  This dog is made to believe that everything he does is real.  Soon, Bolt gets separated by the studio on accident and meets an female alley cat named Mittens, voiced by Susie Essman, and a hamster named Rhino, voiced by Mark Walton, who help Bolt find his way back.  Along the journey, Bolt learns that his powers are not real and neither is the show so in a sense, I suppose this could be another TRUMAN SHOW.  Miley Cyrus provides the voice of Penny, who is the human star of the tv show but does not like the way Bolt is treated.  Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, Greg Germann, Diedrich Bader, Chloe Grace Moretz, Randy Savage, John Dimaggio, and many others provide their voices.  This is a very fun Disney film that the whole family can watch and has pretty good messages.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012):  Lorene Scafaria wrote and directed this comedy about the apocalypse.  An asteroid named Matilda is on a collision course with the earth and is inevitable.  THE OFFICE alum Steve Carell stars as Dodge who is an insurance agent and his wife Linda, ironically played by Steve's own wife Nancy Carell, leaves him.  He decides he wants to make the most of his three weeks on Earth and sets out to pursue his high school love.  Joining him is his neighbor Penny, played by Keira Knighley, who is having problems of her own in her life.  In their search, they begin to develop feelings for each other.  Adam Brody, Melanie Lynskey, Patton Oswalt, CSI alum William Peterson, Derek Luke, and Martin Sheen co-star.  I'm not usually big on apocalyptic films but this was a pretty well done film with some funny moments and the stars working well together.

Knights of the South Bronx (2005):  This is my tv movie for the week which was directed by Allen Hughes.  CHEERS and BECKER alum Ted Danson stars as Richard who is a businessman between jobs and takes a teaching job at an inner city school for fourth grade.  At first he was overwhelmed with the cynical children who did not seem to feel they had anything to live for.  Richard then uses his expertise towards chess to teach the children how to play which slowly gives these kids something to live for and in turn helped them with other things in school.  He then sets out to enter them into a chess tournament which not only must he teach them how to play but also how to act.  Malcolm David Kelley, Keke Palmer, Clifton Powell, Devon Bostick, and Kate Vernon all co-star in this movie.  This is actually inspired by a true story and is pretty realistic.  Children do function a lot better if they have something to live for and do on a daily basis.  It also made me think of something my mom's friend said to her young granddaughter which was "if you don't find something you like to do, you're going to get in trouble" which I find to be very true.  This is a very inspirational movie that even made me shed tears at times.  Danson is great in his role.

The Wabbit Who Came to Supper (1942):  As you might guess from the title, this is a cartoon short which features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny.  Elmer soon learns that he will inherit a lot of money but part of it is not to harm animals especially rabbits which will be very hard for him.  Bugs soon does what he can to exploit it and takes advantage in comical ways.  This was a pretty different one for the two in which Elmer Fudd must use restraint.  Fritz Freleng directed this one and is very enjoyable one and one you can probably find on youtube. 

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935):  This is part two of a Univeral Horror series which last week I featured THE INVISIBLE MAN which was directed by the same person James Whale.  This is a sequel to the 1931 film FRANKENSTEIN which is actually my favorite of this series in Universal Horror.  This continues with Boris Karloff reprising his role as the creature where he is learning more about the world.  He soon even learns to speak which is something he did not do in the first one.  In this one, he has an encounter with a blind man which is a common scene in just about any adaptation of the horror classic.  The creature meets a blind hermit who is the first person that does not fear him as he does not see him and form a friendship.  A lot of what Frankenstein is about is the fear of the unknown and the blind man does not see the unknown.  When the creature, is separated he sets out in pursuit of Dr. Henry Frankenstein, who is reprised by Colin Clive.  Henry is about to get his life together and is soon getting married.  Things then become more complicated when being visited by Doctor Pretorius, played by Ernest Theisger, who is even madder than Dr. Frankenstein.  The creature then demands he is made a mate and Frankenstein does not agree until Pretorius kidnaps his fiance, played by Valerie Hobson.  Elsa Lanchester plays the Bride but is billed as "?" like Karloff was in the first one.  Lanchester is credited though as playing FRANKENSTEIN author Mary Shelley who in the beginning is explaining how her story continues.  Una O'Connor and Dwight Frye co-star in this film.  This is probably my favorite horror franchise and even had the honor of being in a stage version where I played an evil grave digger.  In these, Frankenstein is portrayed as more of a mad scientist and even change his name from Victor to Henry which I never really understood.  This started out as a novel which like last week's feature from Universal, it consists of a scientist with good intentions but go awry.  I tend to like later versions like CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN by Hammer Films but these are important and help get the franchise going.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is a good classic horror film, especially the scene of the creature and blind man bonding.  I want to remind everyone that Frankenstein is Dr. Frankenstein and that the Creature is not Frankenstein but Frankenstein's Monster.  The bride also has a very iconic look that has been parodied many times even if only having a five minute appearance.

Wise Blood (1979):  This is part two of my Harry Dean Stanton series that could go four parts.  John Huston directs this film, while also having a cameo appearance, which is based on a novel by Flannery O'Connor.  Brad Dourif stars as Hazel Motes who is in a small town where he witnesses much fraud in the religious community and is tired of them judging others.  His response is to start a new church but one without Jesus and calls it the Church of Truth.  Harry Dean Stanton co-stars as blind preacher Asa Hawks who does not like what Hazel is doing.  Amy Wright and Ned Beatty co-star in this movie.  It is really hard to explain a movie like this one but is a very good character study on a man who is very idealistic but slowly corrodes his life.  Dourif is very good in this film and is most known for voicing Chucky in the CHILD'S PLAY films.  The Criterion Collection released this on DVD and is really worth a watch and seems like an interesting time for me to watch it being in INHERIT THE WIND.

Everything is Illuminated (2005):  Liev Schreiber directed and wrote the screenplay based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.  Elijah Wood stars as Jonathan who is a young American Jew journeying to Ukraine in search of a woman named Augustine who saved his Grandfather during a Nazi invasion.  Eugene Hutz co-stars as Alex who is part of a family touring business looks to help Alex along with his "blind" grandfather and crazy dog.  I really was not sure what to expect but found some unexpected laughs in the interactions of the eccentric Ukraine family.  Hutz is a lot of fun as Alex who is the interpreter for Jonathan.  They soon set off on a difficult but very rewarding journey to help Jonathan find what he is looking for.  In looking into this furthur, Foer appears to have written some biographical moments and turned it into more of a fiction.  In watching this, I found this to be a very funny and moving film with very good performances.  This is one that should be more on the radar so I hope this helps.

America, America (1963):  I came across this film at the library and it sounded rather interesting.  Elia Kazan wrote and directed this movie which starts out with Kazan narrating the story of his uncle whose immigration journey to the United States made his own life possible.  Stathis Giallelis stars in this film as Stavros who is a greek living in the country of Anatolia, where the Greeks and Armenian minorities were repressed by majority Turks.  He soon dreamed of a better life and begins a long and difficult journey in his quest to get to America.  Kazan did a great job of casting more unknown people for a more authentic feel.  The only actors who are somewhat known are John Marley and Joanna Frank.  Kazan has also called this his favorite of the ones he has directed as this is a very personal story to him.  Giallelis was good in his role as the kind-hearted but naive Stavros and carries the movie well which is almost three hours long.  I had never heard of this movie before encountering it in the library and was a pleasant surprise and also needs more exposure.

Margin Call (2011):  This is part two of a two-part Paul Bettany series.  J.C. Chandor wrote and directed this film taking a look at the dark side of the corporate world.  This movie takes place at a financial company which is downsizing and Eric, played by Stanley Tucci, who is the risk management division head is the first victim.  Before he was fired, he was working on a financial analysis soon finished by Will, played by Paul Bettany, and finds that there is a financial disaster that could cause everyone else to lose their job.  In this 24 hour period, everyone tries to work together to address the situation.  Kevin Spacey, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons, HEROES alum Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, and Simon Baker co-star in this rather compelling film.  The actors do a very good job of portraying their characters in this bad situation.  This movie is available on Instant Netflix and deserves a look.

The Mark of Zorro (1940):  I end this week with film featuring the iconic Zorro which I believe is the best movie on Zorro.  Tyrone Power plays the title character whose real name is Don Diego Vega who returns to California after being in Spain.  He soon finds that his town is under a corrupt dictatorship in which is father is forced out.  Looking to address the oppression, Vega becomes the masked avenger Zorro who is kind of a Robin Hood figure.  Basil Rathbone co-stars as Pasquale who is the most villainous of the film.  This movie has some great dialogue and action scenes with Power doing great as Zorro.  I have always been a fan of the character as I have been Zorro for Halloween and I went to the movie theater to see THE LEGEND OF ZORRO while I was dressed as Zorro.  Zorro is a character created by Johnston McCulley in 1919 for pulp magazines and this movie was based on the story THE CURSE OF CAPISTRANO and has since been portrayed many times in film and television.  Keep in mind, this is really in many ways the inspiration for the dual identity like with Bruce Wayne and Batman.  Also, Power did his own fencing and Rathbone, who was a fencer spoke very highly of him.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Diane Lane, Anne Hathaway, James Stewart, Anne Bancroft, Allison Lohman, Bette Davis, more Harry Dean Stanton, Jessica Chastain, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 390th Edition

 

Welcome to the 390th Edition of my series.  It's hard to believe that in ten weeks, I will have the big 400.  In June, I will be making my return to the Anderson Mainstage Theater for the first time since August of 2010 when I was in ARSENIC AND OLD LACE.  I will be playing the part of Elijah which is a bible salesman.  Excited to get to be in a drama which is really my preference but hard to do since theaters are usually limited on dramas and when there is one, I just don't fit the show.  I will keep updated closer to the time of the show.  Also, my friends Travis and Sarah are looking to do a documentary about events in the life of Sarah's family.  They are looking to raise enough money to buy a camera for filming.  Please visit http://www.gofundme.com/Family-Documentary to get more details and how to donate.  Every little bit counts and if they get that money they are looking for, we are in for a good documentary.

Last Chance Harvey (2008):  Joel Hopkins both wrote and directed this love story.  Now this should be taken for what it's worth, a love story but what is a little different is that the two main characters are middle-aged which is something that is not seen much these days.  Dustin Hoffman stars as Harvey who is in London to be at his daughter's wedding.  When getting there, he finds things are rather difficult with his ex-wife, played by PICKET FENCES alum Kathy Baker, remarried and his daughter closer to her step-father, played by James Brolin.  Emma Thompson co-stars as Kate who works at the airline in London and has her first encounter with Harvey and as part of her job asked him his reasons to visit London but Harvey just brushed her off.  Kate is also having difficult times in her life and the first part shoots back and forth between their life until they finally have an encounter where Harvey apologizes and they slowly form a relationship.  This movie has nothing flashy but has two very likable characters that I am sure many can relate.  Hoffman and Thompson work very well together and is a good story about single people later in life.  I have heard this came from a Q & A session with Hoffman complaining about the lack of writing characters his age which gave Thompson the idea to go to Hopkins to make this movie after the two leads enjoyed working together in STRANGER THAN FICTION.

Ricky Steamboat:  The Life Story of the Dragon (2010):  This is my wrestling documentary for the week.  For those who don't know, Ricky Steamboat is a legendary wrestler who was big in the 80s and 90s and considered by many in the wrestling world to be the best.  This is a WWE produced DVD and is a little over an hour long as far as the documentary goes.  It covers the basic ground like going briefly into his childhood and into his wrestling career covering his times in NWA, WWF, and WCW.  What I did not know about Steamboat is hwo he got his name.  Early in his career he was sent to work for Eddie Graham in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) and they had a wrestler named Sammy Steamboat at one time and due to his resemblance he was billed as his nephew Ricky Steamboat.  It talks about his biggest feuds with Jake Roberts, Macho Man Randy Savage, and most notably Ric Flair who had some of the best matches of all time.  It also talks about a very successful tag team run with Jay Youngblood.  It then goes into his WWF run where he was given the nickname "The Dragon" and became most known for his epic Intercontinental championship match WRESTLEMANIA III match against Randy Savage.  It then goes onto his run into World Championship Wrestling while making a brief WWF return where he actually breathed fire and I remember really liking that when I was a child.  Unfortunately, while having good matches, he never got the push he deserved and then returned to WCW up to his retirement.  It also goes into his return to the now-WWE where he is a road agent and made a brief return into wrestling showing after all these years he still has it.  Steamboat was one of the very few who remained babyface (good guy) through his career and was still able to stay over with the crowd which is something that people like Hulk Hogan and even the Rock earlier in their career could not do.  While, this probably could have covered more ground, it is still very informative and the extras are worth it for some of his best matches.  There is one with Steve Austin when he was "Stunning" Steve Austin who he mentioned WCW really misused and saw a lot of talent.

The Avengers (2012):  This is part one of a multiple part Harry Dean Stanton series where he has a cameo in this movie and the rest will feature him a lot more.  It is also a two-part series for Paul Bettany who provides the voice of Jarvis.  I know I have done a lot of superhero movies lately and is more and more becoming my favorite genre.  Joss Whedon directed and co-wrote the script to this film that got put out at the absolute right time.  Before this movie, they had done individual movies for Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Hulk where they would have their encounters with the mysterious Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, of S.H.I.E.L.D. who was looking to recruit them.  He soon brings them together to battle Thor's brother Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, who plans to enslave Earth.  Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role of Tony Stark aka Iron Man.  Chris Evans reprises his role of Steve Rogers aka Captain America as he is trying to adjust to the modern world after being frozen for many years.  Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as Thor, the Thunder God from Asgard.  Of these four characters, Mark Ruffalo is the only one that was not in a previous film and plays Bruce Banner who most know becomes the Hulk.  Eric Bana played the Hulk in the 2003 film HULK which did not work out well.  In 2008, they did a reboot called THE INCREDIBLE HULK which I liked a lot better that had Edward Norton.  I believe that of these three Ruffalo played the part the best.  S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited Banner for his scientific expertise and not to become the dangerous Hulk but things just got too intense for him to not become the Hulk.  Joining these four in their battle are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Black Widow and Hawkeye.  Scarlett Johannson plays Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow who is introduced in IRON MAN 2.  Jeremy Renner plays Clint Barton aka Hawkeye who only has a very brief cameo in THOR.  The only character I thought was underdeveloped was Hawkeye and came to this belief after watching the animated series AVENGERS:  EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES where he is a very strong character and on the same level as the others.  I hope that in the next one, they do more with him but he still got to show himself at the end.  My Uncle Bill took me to see this for my birthday last year and I was blown away and I regard this quite possibly as my favorite superhero movie and thought it was better than THE DARK KNIGHT RISES which was put out that same year but got overshadowed unfortunately.  The beginning of the movie is them coming together and just trying to co-exist and have a very difficult time due to their diverse beliefs and philosophies especially Captain America and Iron Man whose attitudes clash at times but then learn to work together for the greater good.  Joss Whedon did such a good job of this film and I now believe that just about anything he does turns into gold.  Other actors include Stallan Skarsgard, Paul Bettany, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Powers Boothe, Alexis Denisof, and Harry Dean Stanton.  They really did a great job of leading into the movie rather than just putting it out right away.  There are more individual films of these characters as well as a sequel and look forward to them all.

Animals in Action (1955):  This is my short film for the week.  This is one of those narrated by Pete Smith where footage of many different kinds of animals with rather comical narration.  It includes animals doing many tricks like a monkey bathing a cat, a dog parachuting from a plane and many others.  Mostly just animal stock footage but still fun to watch and is rather enjoyable.

The Invisible Man (1933):  This is my Universal Horror classic for the week which is based on the novel by H.G. Wells and directed by James Whale.  Claude Rains, in his debut, plays the title character who is a scientist that makes an invisible formula to make himself invisible but in trying to go back, he begins to go insane and become murderous.  Gloria Stuart, known by most as the older Rose in TITANIC, plays his love interest.  Rains is great in his debut being able to portray his emotions without showing his face and is the beginning of a long and great career.  Character actors Henry Travers and Una O'Connor co-star and are good in their parts.  I have noticed that with a lot of classic horror, it consists of a doctor or scientist, most notably Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Henry Jekyll, who have good intentions that go awry and I believe this fits that and is a well done film that still stands today with good performances and special effects.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Branded to Kill (1967):  This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Seijun Suzuki.  Jo Shishido stars as Yakuza number 3 hitman Goro Hanada who is sent on a job and fails which first puts him in conflict with a very mysterious woman, his treacherous wife, and the number one hitman who is known to not be seen.  This is a very interesting film and has some very intense and clever action scenes as well as good characters.  The climatic action scene that takes place in a boxing ring is great.  This is well-done and acted and is a must for foreign film buffs.  This is something that the Criterion Collection released and can be obtained on DVD. 

Double Indemnity (1944):  Billy Wilder directs this great crime drama and co-wrote the script with Raymond Chandler who reportedly did not get along while writing..  Barbara Stanwyck stars as Phyllis Dietrichson who is a married woman and meets insurance rep Walter Hill, played by Fred MacMurray, to talk about her husband's will.  She soon proposes a plan to kill her husband to receive the proceeds of his accidental insurance policy in which the very smitten Walter ups it by giving the idea of a clause of the movie title.  Soon, Phyllis's husband is found dead and the death is at first accepted as an accident.  Edward G. Robinson co-stars as Walter's boss and friend Barton Keyes who does not buy the idea of an accident and believes Phyllis did it with the help of another man.  This is really one of the best in this genre which has great narration by MacMurray.  It also has really good dialogue with great performances to keep people of all ages interested.  This is based on a novel by James Cain which is actually based on true story on a woman named Ruth Snyder.  This is available on Instant Netflix and really deserves a watch.

The Impossible (2012):  I went and saw this at the Yes Cinema in Columbus, Indiana when I was visiting my dad.  I don't usually go to movie theaters but I like supporting that one when I can which is a non-profit theater which shows independent films, classics, and many other types of things.  Going into this movie, I had heard very little about it but ended up blown away in the end.  This is actually based on a true story of a tourist family in Southeast Asia about a tourist family visiting in 2004 and being there the absolute right time as that was the year of the tsunami.  Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star as married couple Maria and Henry who have three children which all become separated in the aftermath.  Maria and the oldest son Lucas, played by Tom Holland, struggle for survival and must help each other in every way.  Henry has the other sons and sets out to find the others.  This was not easy to watch and is not for everyone but at the same time, it was also very inspirational moving me to tears many times.  Watts was great and even Tom Holland did a good job of playing the older son who in a sense must really learn to become a man in order to survive and help his mother.  McGregor was also very good in his role.  This is a very good and realistic independent film that I thought worked on many levels and was never overdone.  I really encourage people in or near Columbus to check out this theater at http://www.yescinema.org.

Delusions of Grandeur (1971):  This is my French film for the week that was directed by Gerard Oury.  Louis de Funes stars as Don Salluste de Bazan who is banned from appearing court and is sentenced to collect taxes from the poor.  Yves Montand co-stars as Blaze who is Salluste's assistant who without his knowledge is secretly helping the peasants pay.  This movie was really a slap-stick comedy and one that works very well with quite a few funny moments.  If I go too far into this, I might give a lot away.  For those who do not like to watch the foreign cinema will probably not want to see this unless the English is dubbed good but is a French classic and possibly the best comedy from that country.  This is also a must for foreign film buffs.

Party Monster (2003):  I end this week with part two of my two-part series for Seth Green.  This is based on a true story of Club Kid party organizer Michael Alig, played by Macauley Culkin in his return to acting, who was very flamboyant and addicted to drugs.  Seth Green co-stars as James St. James who formed relationship with Alig and co-founding the Club Kids.  Alig's life hits even a bigger downward spiral when he kills his drug dealer Angel, played by Wilson Cruz, and feeling very untouchable did not hesitate to boast about it.  Alig was really on the rise in the 80s and early 90s and was out there for the publicity no matter how it was achieved.  Diana Scarwid, Chloe Sevigny, Dylan McDermott, Natasha Lyonne, Wilmer Valderrama, John Stamos, and even Marilyn Manson have parts in this really unusual film.  This is not for everyone and at times found it rather hard to watch.  Culkin does do a very good job in his part of a cross-dresser in his first film in 9 years.  Culkin and Green both met with the real people they played in preparation for their parts.  McDermott was pretty good as Peter Gatien who was kind of a father figure to Alig and helped him get started in the crazy night club scene in New York.  This is based on a novel from James St. James called DISCO BLOODBATH.  This movie went to very mixed feelings but it did keep my interest and I really did not have much knowledge of this group called the Club Kid which actually included Rupaul who probably became the most famous of all these people.  I liked how the movie started with James St. James claiming the movie was about him and reflecting on his book and virtually a falling out with Alig.  It is really hard to explain a movie like this but is available on Netflix and again is not for everyone.

Well, that is it for this week.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes John Travolta, Keira Knightley, Boris Karloff, more Harry Dean Stanton, Elijah Wood, Elia Kazan, Paul Bettany, Basil Rathbone, and many others.  Continue to read for a Fun and Useless Facts segment.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Kathy Baker (Last Chance Harvey) and Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers) are in the 2004 film 13 GOING ON 30.

Kathy Baker (Last Chance Harvey) and Stallan Skarsgard (The Avengers) are in the 2001 movie THE GLASS HOUSE.

Richard Schiff (Last Chance Harvey) was in the 1998 episode TREES IN THE FOREST on the tv series THE PRACTICE which starred Dylan McDermott (Party Monster)

Richard Schiff (Last Chance Harvey) and Gwyneth Paltrow (The Avengers) were in the 1995 film SE7EN.

Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey) and Gwyneth Paltrow (The Avengers) were in the 1991 film HOOK

Robert Downey Jr. (The Avengers) and Geraldine Chaplin (The Impossible) play son and mother in the 1992 film CHAPLIN.  Geraldine Chaplin was the real-life daughter of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin who was played by Downey.

Robert Downey Jr. (The Avengers), Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers) and Chloe Sevigny (Party Monster) were all in the 2007 film ZODIAC.  

Scarlett Johannson (The Avengers) and Ewan McGregor (The Impossible) star in the 2005 film THE ISLAND.

Scarlett Johannson (The Avengers) and Mia Kirshner (Party Monster) were in the 2006 film THE BLACK DAHLIA.

Jeremy Renner (The Avengers), Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers) have guest starred in the stop-animation series ROBOT CHICKEN which was co-created by Seth Green (Party Monster) who does a lot of the voices.

Samuel L. Jackson (The Avengers) and Ewan McGregor (The Impossible) co-star in the new STAR WARS trilogy.

Samuel L. Jackson (The Avengers) and Naomi Watts (The Impossible) were in the 2009 film MOTHER AND CHILD.

Gwyneth Paltrow (The Avengers) turned down the part of Rachel in the 2002 film THE RING which would ultimately go to Naomi Watts (The Impossible).

Harry Dean Stanton (The Avengers) and Chloe Sevigny (Party Monster) were father and daughter in the HBO tv series BIG LOVE.

Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers) and Naomi Watts (The Impossible) are friends in real life.