Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 410th Edition

Welcome to the 410th Edition of my series.  I am now 0-2 in Fantasy Football but I'm hoping that Trent Richardson's move to the Colts will benefit me.  I will soon find out.  I will now get to my selections for the week so read on and enjoy.

Saturday Night Live:  The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse (2006):  This is technically not really a movie but since it's my blog I can choose to include it.  This is a best of on the TV Funhouse segment from Robert Smigel who had a series of amusing animated sketches.  Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell voice Ace and Gary of the Ambiguously Gay Duo who are also the hosts of the show.  In between segments they are in search of Jimmy Fallon who they really seem to like which lead into some pretty funny moments.  There are also a lot of good ones like the Ambiguously Gay Duo, one on Michael Jackson, one on Mr. T, the X Presidents, and many others.  This DVD has some pretty good segments and some I did not like as much but the good outweighs the bad in this good part of SNL.

Corvette Summer (1978):  Mark Hamill stars in this movie is in the same year as the first STAR WARS and while this by no means topped the sci-fi classic, this is still fun to watch.  Hamill plays Kenneth who is about to graduate high school and his shop class designs a beautiful red corvette which gets stolen.  Most of the people in the class and the teacher let it go but not Kenneth.  He goes off on an obsessive search that leads him to Las Vegas where he meets Vanessa, played by Annie Potts, who tries to help him track the car down.  There is not much more to describe this movie which is quite flawed and a bit overacted by Hamill but is a great guilty pleasure if looking for some entertainment.  Besides, where can you go wrong when you have Hamill and even an appearance from Danny Bonaduce?  This is available on Comcast On-Demand.

Bacall to Arms (1946):  This is my animated short for the week which is from Warner Brothers.  These are some pretty fun times where a bunch of people and animals are in the movie theater to see the feature TO HAVE... TO HAVE... TO HAVE which stars Bogey Gocart and Laurie Bee Cool.  This has some pretty funny disruptive moments in the theater and even Bogey telling someone to be quiet.  The obvious Bogart and Bacall characterizations are great.  This can be found on Youtube.

The Boxing Girls of Kabul (2012):  This is my documentary for the week which takes a look at a few women in Afghanistan who are training to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in women's boxing.  This takes a look at the trials and tribulations they must go through as well as the difficulty of being a woman in Afghanistan trying to do what they are doing.  It also takes a look at families and their mixed reaction to their loved ones competing in boxing.  Some are positive about it but others do not like the danger that boxing brings.  This is one that has not gotten a lot of exposure but it pretty inspiring to watch and one must respect the courage of these women who participate when they have very limited if any rights where they live.  I came across this on Instant Netflix and not even sure how I found it but I am glad I did.

Borderline (1930):  Kenneth Robeson wrote and directed this rather daring film for this era.  This is my silent film for the week which stars Paul Robeson as Pete whose wife or girlfriend Adah, I was not very clear on that one, has an affair with a white man named Thorne who is actually married and causes his wife to go crazy.  This is actually a part of the Paul Robeson Criterion Collection which has quite a few of his movies.  It was very interesting to see an interracial relationship in a movie of this era and deals with quite a bit of taboos.  It is also one of the few from this era where the blacks like Pete and Adan are not so much servants.  Many say that Sidney Poitier broke the color barrier but it really started with Paul Robeson.  The jazzy music score which is included in the Criterion Collection version really works in this film.  This is a must for classic movie buffs.

Hulk Vs. (2009):  This is my animated superhero movie of the week which obviously consists of the Incredible Hulk.  This movie has two different stories where he finds himself in battle with Thor and Wolverine.  The first story is where he ends up in Asgard where Loki manipulates the Hulk in order to destroy his brother.  In the second story, circumstances bring the Hulk into battle with Wolverine.  These were pretty decent stories and I liked the one with Thor better.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Father of the Bride (1950):  This is part two of my two-part Elizabeth Taylor series.  Vincente Minnelli directed this comedy which stars Spencer Tracy as Stanley who is the title character of the movie and is dealing with the many concerns of his daughter's wedding including the emotional, financial and organizational pain of it.  Taylor plays that daughter Kay who is getting married and has always been close to her father but finds things to be a bit difficult.  John Fontaine co-stars as the matriarch of the family Ellie.  Spencer Tracy does very well and this is a very well done portrait on a father who must deal with all the change coming in his life.  There is a very good comedy-drama that is worth a look.

Battle Royale (2000):  This is my Japanese film for the week and in many ways is the original HUNGER GAMES but a lot more violent.  I will say right now that this is not for everyone but is a very well-done film.  Kinji Fukasaku directed this film where the futuristic Japanese Government has forced 42 ninth grade students into killing each other under the Battle Royale Act.  They are forced to compete in a Battle Royale to the death and it there must be a winner otherwise the whole group dies.  There are many different groups that are focused upon.  This movie has a great blend of action, comedy, and drama and kept my attention throughout the film.  You must have a good stomach to get through it though as it has some pretty brutal violence.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is a great watch.

Cat Ballou (1965):  This is my western comedy for the week.  Jane Fonda stars as the title character in the film who was a law abiding citizen until her father, played by John Marley, was gunned down and becomes an outlaw due to the corruption she witnesses.  She hires a gunman named Kid Shelleen, played by Lee Marvin who also plays another gunman she is going after named Strawn.  Marvin is possibly has his best performance in this duel role as gunmen on different sides of the law.  Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye play minstrels who are singing a lot about Cat Ballou and are very funny in what they do.  That is possibly where the Farrelly Brothers got the idea for the singers in THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY.  This is a western parody I have always enjoyed and was glad to bring it for this week.

Next Floor (2008):  I end this week on this really weird short film.  This takes place in a rather high class banquet in a rather sick and grotesque world.  An unexpected sequence of abundance ruins the endless symphony of abundance.  This has about everything from dark comedy, drama, and weirdness.  This is a very interesting and compelling short film that can be watched on Youtube if you can tolerate what was at the table during the banquet.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and what you dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Mila Kunis, Bela Lugosi, and many others.