Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 401st Edition

Welcome to the 401st Edition of my long-running series.  There are a couple things going on this week I'd like to promote.  On Friday night from 10-1, Ashley Gray and Alex Wnek are playing at the Folly Moon in Downtown Muncie so we're in for some good music there.  On Saturday and Sunday, I have performances for ROMEO AND JULIET which is in Farmland, Indiana at the Wildcat Park.  Shows are at 7 and they are free.  If you cannot make it this weekend, you can catch it on the first Saturday and Sunday of August.  I will now get on with my selections for the week.

Lust, Caution (2007):  I start the week out with this Asian film that was directed by Ang Lee.  This is an espionage thriller that takes place in WWII Shanghai.  Wei Tang stars as Mei Tai Tai who is part of a college theater troupe that have strong beliefs against Japanese official Yee, played by Tony Leung.  She is soon chosen to get close to Yee by befriending his family and him but finds herself getting too close to Yee.  This is a very good film about love and betrayal as well as capturing the emotions of the characters.  Joan Chen also co-stars in this movie.  This is rated NC-17 and is a very complex and even long film but worth the longevity.  Leung and Tang do a great job on this film.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

True Romance (1993):   This is part three of my tribute series to James Gandolfini which is so far four parts but could be five.  Tony Scott directed this film which was written by Quentin Tarantino.  Christian Slater stars as Clarence who is a comic store clerk and a big movie buff.  When going to see the three part Sonny Chiba series at a movie theater, he meets Alabama, played by Patricia Arquette, who he immediately takes a liking to even after finding out she is a call girl.  They soon get married but get into some trouble where they are being trailed by cops and drug dealers.  This is an earlier film for Gandolfini who plays one of the mob enforcers and has a very disturbing scene with Alabama.  Val Kilmer plays Clarence's mentor who is Elvis.  Gary Oldman is great as Alabama's pimp Drexl who actually has dreadlocks.  Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Bronson Pinchot, Michael Rapaport, Saul Rubinek, Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn, and Tom Sizemore all have parts in this film.  Tarantino sold this script for funding so that he could do RESERVOIR DOGS.  This is a very violent film, especially in the showdown at the end.  I believe this is Slater's best performance.  This has a very good story but even better characters.  People like Pitt and Jackson have pretty small parts and is earlier in their careers.  If you can get past the violence, this is a very enjoyable one to watch.

Meat Loaf:  In Search of Paradise (2007):  This is my rock documentary for the week which documents the ambitious 2007 tour to promote the BAT OUT OF HELL III album.  It mostly goes into what went on during the tour and Meat Loaf's preparation for concerts.  He is clearly never satisfied with anything which is probably good even when critics like his show.  The one that seemed to get to him though is the controversy towards the staging of PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT which I thought was quite ridiculous.  It also showed Dennis Quaid joining for a couple music numbers which were not bad.  If you are looking for something more biographical, this is not it.  It goes into parts of his childhood and a little into his early career but mostly just focuses on the present at that time.  I found this to be a pretty good documentary and can even be inspirational as it talks about his difficult childhood.  It also did a pretty good job on focusing on other band members.  This is very enjoyable as long as you do not expect something biographical and at least tolerant towards Meat Loaf. 

Hare-Way to the Stars (1958):  This is my animated short for the week and decided to take a look at Marvin the Martian.  In this one, Bugs Bunny is asleep and wakes up and climbs into a rocket ship, not knowing it at the time.  He then finds himself in space encountering Marvin the Martian who is out to destroy the Earth and Bugs must rely on his wits to stop the destruction of our planet.  This does have some pretty funny moments like Marvin's henchmen creatures.  This is available on Youtube.

Dimples (1936):  I now bring Shirley Temple to this week.  She plays the title character whose grandfather Professor Eustace Appleby, played by Frank Morgan, is a very loving person but pick pockets.  She entertains people while he goes to work.  She wants Eustace to go straight but is very difficult for him to stop.  She soon meets Caroline Drew, played by Helen Westley, who takes an immediate liking to Dimples.  She also meets her nephew Allen, played by Robert Kent, who is a theater producer and finds an opportunity for legitimate theater though Mrs. Drew is against the theater.  That is really the story in a nutshell.  It's a harmless family movie and had some pretty comedic moments, especially with Frank Morgan and some good music numbers.  I enjoy watching something innocent like this from time to time.

The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975):  I continue the family selections with this live-action Disney western comedy.  Bill Bixby stars as gambler and bachelor Donovan who has three orphaned children forced upon him.  These kids obtain a gold nugget that is causing a lot of complications and agree to give it to a couple bumbling outlaws, played by Don Knotts and Tim Conway.  One interesting thing about this is that everyone seems to know their outlaws, they are so bumbling and no one really cares too much what they do since nothing ever goes right for them.  Slim Pickens, Susan Clark, and Harry Morgan also co-star in this movie.  This is pretty likable and a fun one for the family to watch that is based on the California gold rush.  The best scenes in my opinion are the attempted crimes gone wrong between the bumbling outlaws.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012):  I now bring an independent film directed and co-written by Benh Zeitlin.  Lucy Alibar co-wrote the screenplay.  This takes place in a southern Delta community.  Quvenzhane Wallis, in her great film debut, stars as Hushpuppy who is a six year old girl living with her tough father Wink, played by Dwight Henry, whose health is fading as well as the community.  Hushpuppy must learn survival and hopes to be able to save her father.  The movie is really about the relationship between a daughter and her single father and the father preparing her for the real world as well as his inevitable death.  It also does a good job of telling the story through the eyes of the young girl and her trying to learn about the world at that young age.  Zeitlin had Wallis's mother on hand helping him get the emotions from her that she wanted.  This movie does have a pretty authentic feel and much of the cast were locals like the leads.

Teacher's Pet (1958):  This is my romantic comedy for the week which stars Clark Gable and Doris Day.  Gable plays James Gannon who the hard-boiled editor of a newspaper and strongly believes that experience is what makes a good journalist and does not believe that a classroom really does any good.  Doris Day stars as Erica Stone who teaches a journalism class.  James had written a letter to Erica refusing to speak in her class and made some insulting remarks.  He is then told to apologize but then takes an interest in Erica and poses as a student while forming a romantic relationship.  Gig Young and Mamie Van Doren co-star in this film with Van Doren having a very amusing musical number playing a nightclub singer.  Gig Young plays Erica's psychiatrist friend and is a good part of this movie as well.  I had not heard of this one until I found it at my local library but I took quite a liking to it.  I thought it had good characters and a good storyline with the leads working great together.  There was a lot of criticism of Gable's age and believability as a student but in their defense, the class seems to be full of older people.  I actually laughed quite a bit, especially at Van Doren's THE GIRL WHO INVENTED ROCK AND ROLL.

The Naked Kiss (1964):  Samuel Fuller directed this pulp film that has been described as many things.  Constance Towers stars as Kelly who is a former prostitute who arrives in the small town of Grantville first becoming a salesperson and then as a nurse in a hospital for handicapped children which she becomes very popular among the staff.  She also must deal with a traumatizing event.  Anthony Eisley co-stars as Captain Griff who becomes curious of Kelly after meeting her and is determined to uncover her secret.  It is interesting to see what this film has become and is available on Criterion.  It is considered brilliant by some, campy by others, even Ed Wood -like, and it really can be rolled into all of them with Fuller's direction. 

Superman vs. the Elite (2012):  I end with this animated superhero movie.  This is a really interesting take to Superman whose ethics and morals come into question.  There is a new group of more ruthless superheros that come to town and feel the need to kill the enemies which Superman does not do which makes many question if that is really the right thing when the enemies could come back and do the same thing.  Superman must then figure out how he fits into today's world and looks to then show why the group of the Elite are wrong in what they do.  I know many hate Superman for his values and this is a really good one for anyone who really likes or hates Superman.  There are also some pretty comical scenes in the beginning where Superman is more of a propaganda piece.  There are some really good action scenes.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is a great entry to the DC animated universe that really does not disappoint me.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more James Gandolfini and many others.