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.
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