Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 419th Edition

 

Welcome to the 419th Edition of my long-running series.  I don't really have much to say today so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

DMT:  The Spirit Molecule (2010):  I start this week out with a documentary.  This takes a look at the molecule Dimethyltryptamine which is a molecule found in just about all living organisms.  This documentary takes a look at the possible spiritual effects of the molecule.  This focuses on research from Dr. Rick Strassman's research and the effects of it.  It has interviews with many in the medical field and the contributors for its theories like possible links to near death experiences.  This is a very interesting look into this and one I had not really taken time to look into myself.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Rambling 'Round Radio Row # 6 (1933):  This is my short film for the week which shows a radio salesman trying to sell a radio to a group of Gypsies but finds it very difficult as the gypsies have a crystal ball where they can get most of what they need.  They demonstrate the ball by bringing up music acts from that era.  The music is not my kind of music but a good showcase of music from that era.

Dr. Strangelove or:  How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964):  Stanley Kubrick directed this dark comedy which is satire to the Cold War with Russia.  A tragic event causes a discussion of possible nuclear holocaust.  Peter Sellers stars as three roles.  One is of Captain Mandrake who is trying to get a code to recall the B-52 bombers that only General Jack D. Ripper, played well by Sterling Hayden, knows but will not tell.  Sellers also plays President Merkin Muffley who does not really seem to be in the loop about everything.  The last part that he plays is of the title character who is a former Nazi and his funniest of the three roles.  George C. Scott is great as the war crazed General Turgidson.  Slim Pickens, Keenan Wynn, and James Earl Jones are very amusing as the pilots about to drop the bomb and Pickens is very funny as a redneck pilot.  This is a great satire that still holds up today and has a lot of laughs even among danger of nuclear war.

Oldboy (2003):  This is my Korean film the for the week which was directed by Chan-Wook Park.  This is soon to become an American remake from Spike Lee which has gone to a very mixed reaction.  In some ways I really understand the reasoning for remakes.  Many people refuse to watch foreign language films because they just do not want to deal with the subtitles and the English dubbing is really bad which is really to be expected as far as I'm concerned.  I do not believe you can really do a quality dubbing in putting your own language to theirs but that might just be me.  I do try to look into the realm of the foreign film from time to time especially Asian films.  I have been hearing about this one for many years and finally get around to watching it.  Min-Sik Choi stars as Oh Dae-Su who has been abducted and imprisoned for 15 years with no explanation.  When getting out, he is equipped with money, cell phone, and expensive clothes.  He then sets out fo find his captors for revenge and answers but finds that it goes very deep. This movie is very stylish and really has a good story to it with a very good performance from Choi.  The movie has some rather graphic violence and if you can get past that and the subtitles, it will be a great experience.  This is available on Instant Netflix and I am going to start looking ever more into the Asian cinema.

Sudden Fear (1952):  This is my film noir for the week.  Joan Crawford stars as successful playwright Myra Hudson who marries actor Lester Blaine, played by Jack Palance, who she had just fired from a play but become friends afterwards.  Myra soon stumbles onto a plot where Lester and his mistress Irene, played by Gloria Grahame, are plotting to murder her.  This is really my favorite genre in this era and really liked the theater element in this one.  Crawford is great as the playwright who is doing what she can to say alive.  This is a very underrated and suspenseful film which really deserves a watch.

A Time to Kill (1996):  Joel Schumacher directed this film adaptation of the John Grisham novel.  Samuel L. Jackson stars as Carl Lee Hailey whose daughter is brutally attacked by a couple racist rednecks in a small Mississippi town.  Enraged by what happened, Carl Lee takes matters into his own hands by gunning them down as they go to court but also wounds a cop in the process.  Matthew McConaughey co-stars as up and coming attorney Jake Brigance who agrees to defend Carl Lee but then finds that his life and those around him are in danger due to the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan who obviously want to see Carl Lee executed.  Sandra Bullock, Oliver Platt, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Beth Grant, Kevin Spacey, Ashley Judd, Charles S. Dutton, and many others co-star in this film that really in the end focus on racial tensions and it really got me thinking.  Many people who are fathers will watch this and think "this is exactly what I would do if someone does that to my child".  In the beginning, these two guys are running roughshot in the black community and doing very stupid, unnessary, and cruel things to people of this community but their msot heinous act was attacking an innocent 10 year old girl who was just getting groceries for her family.  This was a pretty well-mannered child even to the point of apoligizing to her parents for dropping the groceries which happened when she was attacked.  After this, their family members get the clan together and commit even more horrible acts towards those of Jake who is just doing his job right or wrong.  I will try to speak realistically and say that vengeance does not erase anything that happened but I am also someone who does not have children and makes me wonder who I am to say I would not commit that sort of act myself.  It does beg a lot of gray areas of the way we treat each other and how and act of cruelty can really start a chain of unncessary acts.  I will shut up now, I've gone on long enough.  I did like a more toned down Jackson in this one and McConaughey was also quite good as Jake.

My Name is Julia Ross (1945):  Nina Foch stars as the title character who gains employment through an agency.  She soon learns they are not who they say they are when she awakens in a different home with different clothes and having a different identity.  She is being called by a totally different name and soon learns she is part of a very sinister plan that involves murder and must prove she is not this person the family claims her to be.  I really liked this movie and it is very suspenseful.  A rather unknown cast by today's standard but is still very well done with the story and acting.  This is available on TCM On-Demand.

Pitch Perfect (2012):  Jason Moore directed this film that centers into the popular world of a cappella.  Anna Kendrick stars as Beca who is a freshman at Barden University.  Soon, she soon reluctantly joins the all-girl group the Bellas to take on the all male group at the University that is their rivals.  She soon tries to get a new look and sound to the group which brings a bit of tension among them and even forms a relationship with their rival Jesse, played by Skylar Astin.  There are a couple other groups with a variety of sterotypical characters from those sorts of groups.  This I am sure has a lot of mixed opinions.  Fans of GLEE I'm sure will love this movie.  I would say that if you do not like this sort of performance, this might not be your type of movie.  For me, it was a lot of fun and I do admit to usually enjoying this sort of thing.  Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, and many others co-star in this film.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977):  This is my more family oriented selection.  This is based on three short stories from A.A. Milne.  Each one we get to be with our friends Winnie, Tigger, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore, Piglet, and Christopher Robin.  They are pretty closely related to the books.  Sebastian Cabot, Sterling Holloway, Clint Howard, and many others provide voices.  This is very harmless fun that everybody in the family can enjoy for the parents and the children no matter what age.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Cannibal! The Musical (1993):  Trey Parker wrote and directed this really unusual musical about the real-life Alfred Packer who is the only American to have been convicted of cannibalism.  Packer lead a group of gold prospectors and a lot of tension came which lead to murder and possibly cannibalism to survive.  There were a lot of accounts that Packer was innocent.  Juan Schwartz whose name is really the same as the director stars in this film as Packer.  Matt Stone who would later become Parker's writing partner in their hit show SOUTH PARK co-stars as James.  It is really not as tasteless as it sounds and is really pretty funny with humorous musical numbers.  As I look into the story, it is somewhat accurate.  This is a purposely silly and stupid movie but is quite fun.  This is the start of the team of Parker and Stone who would go onto have a lot of success together in television, film, and Broadway.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and what you dislike.  Stay tuned for next week.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 418th Edition

Welcome to the 418th Edition of my series.  I really have nothing to say this week so I will just get to the recommendations.

Ichi the Killer (2001):  I start the week out with this violent Japanese film per suggestion of my Facebook friend Chris.  Takashi Miike directed this film which stars Tadanobu Asano as the very sadistic Yakuza enforcer Kakihara who is looking for his missign mob boss and has some very extreme ways of going about it.  Soon, him and his men encounter a young man named Ichi, played by Nao Omori, who is a repressed young man with very extreme strength and is trouble for Kakihara.  This movie is my no menas for everyone and when I say violent I really mean violent as well as very brutal.  There are some pretty good moments if you can get past the extreme violence.  The scenes of violence are also rather clever and the characters keep the interest.  I will say that I am not sure about the ending and will discuss it with anyone who wants to message me.

Polar Outpost (1957):  This is my documentary short which was put out by the Air Force.  This was at the time of cold war with Russia and talks about a Distant Early Warning System to monitor Russian aircraft coming.  This really have some good images of like rocks blown out of the water where ships would come in. This is a pretty entertaining short film and rather informative of our Cold War with Russia.

Elephant Boy (1937):  This is based on Rudyard Kipling's story TOOMAI, OF THE ELEPHANTS.  Sabu makes his film debut as Toomai who is a young native longing to be a hunter.  A lot of this movie focuses on the relationship between Toomai and the elephant Kala Nag.  This movie has some very good cinematography, music score, and good performances.  This is what made Sabu into a big star in the United States who was from India and went onto be in THE JUNGLE BOOK.  This is a very fun movie and deserves a look from people who like older movies.

American Hardcore (2006):  This is my documentary for the week.  This takes a look at the punk rock scene from 1980-1986.  This was a very counter-culture period from those venting their frustrations to the world in a very loud way including most of them being straight edge people.  There are interviews with members of bands like Black Flack, Bad Brains, Dead Kennedys, among many others.  I admit that I am really not into this type of music but respect it and really enjoyed this documentary talking about that important part of the music world.  This documentary is available on Crackle so free to watch.

Bang the Drum Slowly (1973):  This is my baseball movie for the week which was directed by John D. Hancock.  Michael Moriarty and Robert De Niro star as professional baseball players Author Wiggen and Bruce Pearson.  Author is the star pitcher of the team and Bruce is the catcher who become best friends within the team and Bruce learns he has a terminal illness which only Author knows about.  Author goes through some measures to insure that Bruce can play on the team.  Vincent Gardenia and Danny Aiello co-star in this film.  De Niro is great in this pre-GODFATHER 2 role as the dying catcher and works very well with Moriarty.  This is a movie that goes much deeper than baseball and is really about friendship.  It is one of the more unknown baseball films which is not right.  This really ranks up with the other baseball movies that were put out.  It is a much different role for De Niro.

The Fox and the Hound (1981):  This is my Disney film for the week.  When starting this movie, I found it sad that we can no longer think about a fox anymore without thinking about what it says but I was able to more on.  First we meet these two animals when they are very little.  The fox is taken in by an older lady when his mother is killed by a hunter and is named Tod.  The hound starts out as a hound dog puppy to a hunter named Copper.  When they are little they become best friends but as they get older Copper becomes a hunting dog which really endangers that friendship.  I was not sure what to expect out of this film but was really more disturbing than what I thought.  It does have a good story in it though where these two animals must decide who they are to become.  Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Jack Albertson, and Corey Feldman provide voices.  This also has a lot of good music numbers in it and is available on Instant Netflix.  This is a good movie for the family to watch.

Jane Eyre (1943):  Robert Stevenson directed this adaptation to the classic Charlotte Bronte novel and probably the most notable of the many film adaptations.  Joan Fontaine stars as the title character who is a governess to Edward Rochester, played by Orson Welles, who is twice her age.  With her rough childhood and lack of love in her life, she takes to Mr. Rochester forming a relationship despite their different classes.  I really liked the narration of Jane Eyre and actually reading some of the book passages.  Peggy Ann Garner plays Jane Eyre as a child who has a really hard time growing up in a religious school which is really my favorite part of the story.  This movie is available on Youtube in its full length.

The Secret of the Sword (1985):  I now bring my second animated film for the week which features our 80s heroes He-Man and She-Ra which was the introduction of She-Ra.  He-Man and the gang travel to Etheria in search of one who is meant for a special destiny which is Princess Adora.  When finding her, she is with an evil group called Horde not knowing she is working for a group of evil.  She slowly finds that they are not a good group of people and becomes who she is destined to become in She-Ra.  This is really the first time in a long time I have really watched anything with these characters but it brought back a lot of memories.  This was orginnally made as five episodes but is now a really fun animated 80s movie.  It might do some good to watch a few episodes of HE-MAN before watching this one but I think you'll have a lot of fun in the end.  Both cartoon series and this animated movie are available on Instant Netflix.

The Godfather (1972):  I think I featured this not that long ago but decided to go ahead and do it again.  This is the first ever Movie Night At The Shera feature where my friend Shera and myself viewed this film.  I mentioned this movie at some point which made her want to see it so how can I pass up an opportunity for one to view this great film.  Francis Ford Coppola directed this movie based on the novel by Mario Puzo which centers around the mafia family of the Corleones.  Marlon Brando stars as Don Vito Corleone who sees over this family.  There are many different plots but the main one is that Don Corleone refuses to go into the drug trade which brings feuds with rival mafia families.  A young Al Pacino co-stars as the youngest son Michael Corleone who has just gotten back from a war and does not intend to be a part of the family but slowly gets in with the family rising to the top when the don semi-retires.  James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Richard Castellano, John Marley, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Abe Vigoda, and many others co-star in this film.  The movie really focuses on family and does not have a lot of action and violence but when there is it means something.  There are also a lot of great quotes that come from this film.  Some have called this movie "long and boring" but is a great drama on a mafia family.  Shera at first thought it was slow but was willing to stick with it and as she got to understanding it more she really liked this three hour film.  This is the start of a great trilogy and should not be missed.

Cherry Waves (2012):  I end the week on this short film.  Carey Williams wrote and directed this short film.  A female underground fighter must consider her future in life with relationships, family, and her career.  This was a really compelling 15 minutes and really quite moving and sad at times.  I recorded this off of HBO and am glad to expose these shorts from time to time.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 417th Edition and 8 year anniversary

 

Welcome to the 417th Edition of my long-running series.  This is the 8 year anniversary of this series which means eight years of writing this blog on a weekly basis.  I want to thank all my supporters through the years from old to new who have been with me and hope to keep getting new readers.  In this week, I looked into movies that I have really liked and much of my selections are rather underrated in my opinion.  I will now get to my selections for the week.

Red Rock West (1993):  I start the week out with this neo-noir which was directed by John Dahl and stars Nicolas Cage.  I always say that most of my favorite Nicolas Cage movies are his more unknown ones and this one is really my favorite of his.  Cage stars as drifter Michael Williams who is down on his luck and looking for work.  He soon ends up in the small Texas town of Red Rock where he was just stopping by to get a drink and is mistaken for a hitman that the owner Wayne, played by J.T. Walsh, hires to kill his unfaithful wife Suzanne, played by THE PRACTICE alum Lara Flynn Boyle.  He takes the money and then warns Suzanne of what happened and in turn she gives him double the money to kill Wayne.  Soon, the real hitman Lyle, played by Dennis Hopper, arrives into town and it really gets going.  If I keep going on about this, I will run into dangers of giving it away.  Just about everything in this movie works in my opinion from the acting, directing, the mood of the film, and just the plot twists in general.  Look for Dwight Yoakam in a cameo appearance.  This goes down as one of my favorites and is a very unknown film which is available through the app Crackle.

 

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The Wrestler (2008):  Darren Aronofsky directed this film which was written by Robert D. Siegel.  As a wrestling fan and as someone who is involved in the wrestling industry, this is the wrestling movie I have been waiting for.  Through the years, there have been lots of comedies and unintentional comedies on wrestling but not one as realistic as this one.  Mickey Rourke stars as Randy "The Ram" Robinson who is past his prime and not in really good shape but still manages to get bookings.  This person appears to have had some success in the 80s but likely burnt a lot of bridges.  Now he is working at a grocery store and wrestling on the weekends.  It is an industry that is really hard to get out of altogether as that is all they know.  Evan Rachel Wood co-stars as his estranged daughter who he tries to reconnect with but finds that is not an easy task.  Marisa Tomei co-stars as Cassidy who is a stripper who is portrayed as a good person just trying to provide for a son.  They are friends but Randy wants more and she has a rule about not dating customers.  I thought that when I first saw the previews that this would be a ROCKY type story but I was really quite wrong.  It is a brutally honest character study of a man who cannot move on from his previous success and has delusions about possibly being on top again.  Rourke was absolutely amazing in this movie and really brought him full circle in his comeback.  I remember when I first heard about this, I had not been that excited for an upcoming movie in a long time but when I heard there was a movie about wrestling which starred Mickey Rourke I flipped out in excitement.  He went through actual training to get into his role and was pretty well built.  In his matches he really did a pretty good job.  Most of the people in the backstage and opponents are actual people in the wrestling industry that adds an authentic feel to it.  I also noticed that Rourke and Wood were pretty well cast as father and daughter as they both have a pointed chin and their interactions in the film were great.  Wrestling legend Roddy Piper is said to have broken down and cried after the premier of the film.  There are a lot of people I know who did not like the way it ended and I had to think about it but then realized that it really works so if you want to know how I see it, then message me.  I really thank Aronofsky for doing this film and if I ever get into the acting industry I will do anything for him.  This is also a movie in which even a non-wrestling fan can enjoy as it is really about the person.



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The Fisher King (1991):  Former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam directed this film that was written by Richard LaGravenese.  Jeff Bridges stars as shock jock radio dj Jack Lucas whose conversation with a caller inadvertingly causes a tragedy which really depresses him and even caused suicidal tendencies.  He soon comes across an unusual homeless man named Perry, played by Robin Williams, who is in a quest to retrieve "the Holy Grail".  Jack sees an opportunity for redemption in helping Perry win over the girl of his dreams whose name is Lydia, played by Amanda Plummer.  Mercedes Ruehl co-stars as Jack's girlfriend who is trying to help him move forward from the tragedy.  Bridges was great and very complex as Jack and Williams was also good as Perry as well as the rest of the cast.  Michael Palin, Kathy Najimy, Harry Shearer, and Tom Waits have parts in this film.  This movie was a great blend of comedy and drama about a man's journey to redemption.  This is a movie that was driven by the characters and has really stayed under the radar so hopefully this will get it more exposure.  This is also available through the app Crackle.



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Scarface (1932):  Be sure to look at the year before continuing.  This is not that movie about cuban drug lord Tony Montana.  This is the original where the main character's name is Tony Camonte who plays a prohibition era gangster who is really based on Al Capone whose nickname was actually Scarface.  Howard Hawks directed this film where the screenplay was written by Ben Hecht and based on a novel by Armitage Trail.   Paul Muni plays Camonte who is very ambitious, violent, and very ruthless and moving his way up.  He is very mean to his family and to everyone else around him.  Usually, gangster pictures were through Warner Brothers but this one was through United Artists.  Out of what I have seen from this era and genre, I believe this is the best one.  This was a very daring movie to make as it was based on Al Capone during the rise of Capone.  There are a lot of references especially a scene that resembles the St. Valentines Day Massacre.  Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, George Raft, and Boris Karloff co-star in this very intense film.  This movie really does nothing to glorify being a gangster.  Howard Hughes produced this and played a very important role as he battled the censor boards so they did not have to censor it.  It is also been said that some of Capone's henchman tried to muscle Ben Hecht but taked his way out of it so much those people became advisers on the set.  I have also heard that Al Capone really liked this movie and even owned a copy.  Muni was great as Camonte and has some really good innuendo for a movie of this era.  I actually do like the 1983 remake with Al Pacino as Tony Montana but this was still a great movie which really holds up today.



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Sunset Boulevard (1950):  Billy Wilder directed this look at a darker side of Hollywood and possibly the first to really do so.  William Holden stars as struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis who soon ends up at the home of silent star Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson.  Desmond is now a has-been who cannot let go of her stardom and is still deluded that she will rise to the top again.  Norma gets Joe to write a script that will star her but becomes a very destructive working relationship.  Erich Von Stroheim co-stars as Max the butler who lives in Norma's home and plays a big part in the film.  Nancy Olson and Jack Webb co-star in this film.  Many celebrities play themselves like Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, Buster Keaton, among others.  This movie has been one of my favorites from this era which still really lives on to this day.  This movie has some of the best movie lines of all time.  This is a really great story but feel if I go on any further I will ruin things and we would not want that to happen.  This is possibly the best movie about Hollywood.



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Brute Force (1947):  Jules Dassin directed this prison film which was written by Richard Brooks.  Burt Lancaster stars as Joe Collins who is a prisoner in a very crowded prison which is seen over the sadistic Captain Munsey, played by Hume Cronyn. With everything going wrong that could go wrong, Joe plans an escape to get out of the really bad conditions leading into a very violent climax.  This is really quite a statement towards prison and even the movie itself clearly did everything possible to challenge the Hays code of the time.  Charles Bickford, Yvonne de Carlo, Ann Blyth, Jeff Corey and many others are in this film.  I also consider the most violent movie I have seen from that era.  This is a great prison movie and in my opinion is the best of the prison films.  This movie really holds nothing back.  Cronyn is great as the power-hungry captain and Lancaster also does great as the tough inmate.  The rest of the cast was great in this very gritty film which holds nothing back at all.



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Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008):  Joss Whedon directed what is technically a series which was on the internet but this is my blog, I make the rules and it can be in here.  Neil Patrick Harris stars as the title character who is an aspiring supervillain looking to join the prestigious Evil League of Evil.  His plans become complicated when he takes interest in do-gooder Penny, played by Felicia Day, who is dating his rival Captain Hammer, played by Nathan Fillion, who is a very egotistical superhero.  This is a three episode show each taking about 15 minutes each.  There is a lot of very funny moments and some really good songs sang very well by the leads.  Joss Whedon put this out during the writer's strike and found a loophole by releasing it on the internet and became quite the success.  I can always watch something that Joss Whedon puts out and I never tire of this one.  This is very fun to watch and sing-along to in which you can find on Instant Netflix.

 

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976):  John Carpenter directed this great action film.  Austin Stoker stars as police officer Ethan Bishop who is put in charge of a police station that is being closed so very few people are at this station.  Soon, they must deal with a very ruthless and large gang.  The few people there must band together to stop this gang which includes a man who is about to be executed named Napoleon Wilson, played by Darwin Joston.  Carpenter wrote a great music score that is simple but very effective and sets the perfect mood for this movie.  There is quite a bit of graphic violence and does not hold much back but has some great action scenes and very good low-budget feel to it.  The gang members also look very good.  There is nothing redeeming, they are just very quiet and calculating.  The actors in the movie are not very known today but still did a good job.  I consider this very high up in my list of action movies



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Animal Farm (1954):  This is my animated movie of the week which was based on the novel by George Orwell.  With someone like Orwell, it is safe to assume that this is far more than a movie about an animal farm and it is no CHARLOTTE'S WEB.  We first meet a lot of farm animals who are mistreated by the farmers.  The animals soon lead a successful and violent revolt against the farmers and start their own farm community without people running the farms.  Soon, even among the animals, the pigs become very corrupt in power.  This is Orwell's statement towards the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then onto Stalinism which he did not like.  This is by no means a family film so do not let the title and farm animals fool you.  This is a pretty dark and violent film and the second animated feature of Britain.  This is a very well done adaptation and still holds up today.



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Don't Stop Believin':  Everyman's Journey (2012):  I end this week on this documentary which is on Arnel Pineda who is now that Filipino lead singer with Journey.  The remaining members of Journey were looking for a new singer which had their member Neil Schon looking on Youtube and discovered Pineda who was with a Filipino band.  Schon found this man's vocals really matched their singer Steve Perry and eventually brought him in as their lead singer.  This reflects on Pineda's days in the Philipines leading up to his current success of beign discovered on Youtube.  Pineda has helped them with more international success they had.  It also goes briefly into Journey's early history and if looking for a documentary all about Journey this is not the one.  Pineda has been a very suitable replacement and this documentary is pretty inspiring.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

 

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 416th Edition and the Madness: Video Nasty- week 4

 

Welcome to the 416th Edition of my long running series and the last week of this year's Madness.  I was not as productive this year as I was in others but always enjoy that great annual contest.  Next week, I celebrate eight years of this blog in which all this time I have actually done this on a weekly basis.  I know, I'm more amazed than anyone but it has been a very fun ride.

The Crow (1994):  I start this week out with this very dark film based on a comic book series by James O'Barr and directed by Alex Proyas.  Brandon Lee stars as rock star Eric Draven and along with his fiancee is brutally murdered.  A year after the murder, a crow brings him back to life in an invincible form driving Draven to seek vengeance upon those who murdered him.  Ernie Hudson co-stars as Sergeant Albrecht who is an aging and bitter police officer and helps Draven after seeing he is going after the biggest scum of the earth.  Rochelle Davis co-stars as the street smart kid Sarah whom Eric cared for at one time and does a very good job in her role.  Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, Tony Todd,  and Jon Polito all co-star in this film.  I really like this movie on many levels beginning with the perfect movie soundtrack like the Cure, Stone Temple Pilots, Violent Femmes, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Agaisnt the Machine, among others.  I also really liked the beginning part when establishing Eric as a good person who does not deserve what he gets which produce some occasional moving scenes among all the darkness and the violence.  There are also some really good action scenes of the vengeance.  What's most known about this movie is that this is Brandon Lee's last movie and for those that do not know, he is the son of the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee.  He died during filming when taking a bullet which was supposed to a blank.  As unfortunate of a situation as that is, I really find this to be up there in my favorites.  Lee did a great job in his last role.  I have not actually seen any of the sequels or tv series as i just don't know if it will be the same.  This did inspire things like the evolution of the wrestler Sting and his look after years of having the blonde surfer look.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is a very good action film.

Jasper and the Haunted House (1942):  This is my animated short for the week.  This is what is called a puppetoon which uses stop-motion animation.  A boy named Jasper is trying to deliver a pie to Deacon Jones but is tricked by Professor Scarecrow into going into a house which is haunted leading Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird but get the tables turned on them.  This was a character who had a few shorts and was a very controversial character as he is quite the stereotypical black person which could lead into accusations of racism which gave a disclaimer when I came across it.  Now this was an era where things like this was more acceptable but will offend some.  The animation of this was actually quite good.  I found this on my Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku player but is findable on youtube.

The Walking Dead (1936):  Michael Curtiz directed this early horror film and this has nothing to do with that popular AMC series which I confess I have never seen but sure I will someday.  Boris Karloff plays hapless pianist John Elman who is framed for murder and then executed.  He is soon brought back to life by a scientist but only has revenge on his mind for those who framed him.  This is one I had not heard of and in the beginning I almost did not recognize Karloff who really did a good job in this underrated performance of his.  This is a very interesting mix of horror and gangster and a must for classic horror buffs.

From Hell (2001):  The Hughes Brothers directed this film based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell which stars Johnny Depp as the drug addicted Victorian era detective Frederick Abberline who must investigate the murders of Jack the Ripper who is brutally murdering prostitutes.  Heather Graham co-stars as Mary Kelly who appears to be the Ripper's next target and is falling for Frederick.  The cinematography creates a very good tone to the film of hopelessness in the bad part of England.  Robbie Coltrane, Ian Holm, and Ian Richardson all co-star in this film.  It is also a really interesting interpretation of the murders which were never actually solved as Jack the Ripper was never found but did a good job of theorizing these murders.  The performances were pretty good in this film and the murders are very grotesque which is what they were in real life.  A lot of good research was done for the graphic novel and this movie.

The Godfather:  Part II (1974):  Francis Ford Coppola takes the help of director once again in what is considered by many to be one of the best sequels of all time.  Al Pacino reprises his role of Michael Corleone who is now the head of the family and is looking to expand his family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Cuba in the 1950s.  The other story is of the young Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando in the first movie and played very well by Robert De Niro in this one, in the 1910s.  Michael Corleone is now one of the most powerful men in the world and is really a lot more ruthless and conniving than is father.  With Vito Corleone, it shows his own rise in the mafia world as he first meets Clemenza and Tessio and deals with the very ruthless crime lord Don Fanucci whose methods are not liked by Vito.  They are very parallel stories of Michael and his father Vito and a great contrast of the two characters in very good performances.  Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, G.D. Spradlin, Bruno Kirby, SOPRANOS alum Dominic Chianese, Danny Aiello, and many others co-star in this film.  Also look for Harry Dean Stanton and Roger Corman as extras.  This is partly based on Mario Puzo's novel which includes the flashback scenes of Vito Corleone which were left out of the first one but the story of Michael Corleone was more of Coppola's story that was co-written by Puzo.  This is a movie in which really focuses on the family and will not see constant violence so if that is what you are looking for, this is not it.  In this, when killings happen, they really mean something and is considered by many to be both the best sequel and movie of all time which include many really good performances.  It is a very good story of the ruthless world of the mafia yet manage to make many sympathetic characters despite the lack of morals.  A movie which is great on many levels.

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009):  This is my animated Dreamworks selection for the week.  A California woman named Susan Murphy, voiced by Reese Witherspoon, is about to have the best day of her life and is about to get married until a meteorite hits her and turns her into a giant where she gets abducted by the government.  She then meets other monsters like B.O.B., voiced by Seth Rogan, Dr. Cockroach, voiced by Hugh Laurie, voiced by Will Arnett, and Insectosaurus.  These characters were a nice little homage from classic horror like B.O.B. referencing the blob, Dr. Cockroach referencing the fly, the Missing link, referencing the creature from the black lagoon, and Insectosaurus which is a reference to Mothra.  They have been rounded up through the years through the government and become the only hope against an alien attack that is coming.  Many others like Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Poehler, Ed Helms, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski provide voices.  This is an enjoyable one for the family and as I mentioned, I really liked the homage that these characters created. 

Freaks (1932):  I found this at midnight on TCM and since it is only  Tod Browning directed this Universal classic horror film though I believe the word horror is used very loosely here.  This movie centers around many of the "freaks" from this era who were exploited to no end at places like circuses and on vaudeville.  These included everything from midgets, siamese twins, the bearded lady, and many others.  The story of the film is that of midget performer Hans, played by Harry Earles, who falls for a beautiful trapese artist who went by Cleopatra, played by Olga Baclanova, who is a seemingly good person but is only out for the money.  When the other sideshow freaks learn about this plot, they take their revenge.  A lot of people have called this movie exploitation which is really the wrong word.  These people were already being exploited but I believe Browning wanted to show that these people are human and have feelings.  Another interesting element is that the villains in the movie are "normal" looking people.  These are people that Browning already knew and did a great job in the making of this very significant film.

V/H/S (2012):  This is my found footage horror for the week.  Many people directed this movie that consists of many different stories.  A group of misfits are hired to burglarize a home in order to get a VHS tape.  They soon come across many tapes in which they must watch them to see which one is right which they get more than they bargained for when seeing some very bizarre footage.  Each one has the home footage look to it and looks really good if you are into this type of thing.  This has gotten a lot of mixed opinions but has become quite popular.  There is now a sequel in which I have not seen yet.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966):  This technically is not a tv special but I decided to put it as a movie anyways like I have in the past.  I watched this on the night of Halloween when I had the pleasure of hanging out at my friend Shera's house with her and her daughters where we watched this and got my face painted up as a zombie for the halloween party I went to later at the bar.  This is the timeless classic where Charlie and the gang are going trick or treating where everyone gets really good things except Charlie who gets rocks.  The main story though is of Linus who is a big believer in the Great Pumpkin who is to rise every year on Halloween above the pumpkin patch.  He refuses to give up on the existance of the Great Pumpkin and stays in the pumpkin patch throughout Halloween in hopes he will show up.  The other storyline is of Snoopy being the Red Baron which lends a fun Halloween night.  This is a timeless classic that all generations can enjoy so please show your children this one.

Children of the Corn (1984):  I end with this horror movie based on the Stephen King novel.  Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton star as a young couple who stumble into a remote town which is overrun by a group of very dangerous children.  John Franklin stars as the boy preacher Isaac who is the leader of this gang but even they have dissention in the ranks.  This movie lives on as more of a guilty pleasure in my opinion but still has a creepy feel to it and followed by many sequels.  This is available to watch on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike but continue to read for the Madness. 

THE MADNESS:  VIDEO NASTY WEEK 4



This is the last week of my favorite contest.  I just didn't really have as much time for this year but I got in some pretty good loopholes though which I am known for.  The photo I posted is the one of the great make-up job that Shera did on me.  I really had no intentions of doing anything that night but she would not allow that and made me into a zombie.  This was done with rather limited resources and was a great job.  Any movie studio or theater who needs a make-up artist, this girl can really get it done.

BORIS KARLOFF

 

The Walking Dead (1936, 66 minutes, 2 points):  666.  Karloff is not a wild card but could not think of a better category besides the name of the horror legend.

CHRISTMAS MOVIES

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, 76 minutes, 2 points):  666 1/2.  This is a very timeless film that has lived through many generations and has a great soundtrack.  The photo I posted is a painting by my friend and karaoke partner Brittany.  The photo does not do it justice.

COMIC BOOKS

 

The Crow (1994, 102 minutes, 2 points):  666 1/2.  I believe this should absolely count with the darkness of the film and the ressurection, among other things.

Justice League:  Hereafter (2003, 45 minutes, 1 point):  666.  This should count with Batman.

CREATURE FEATURES



Monsters vs. Aliens (2009, 94 minutes, 2 points):  666. This should qualify with the monster characters in this film.

DEVIL



Dante's Inferno (2010, 88 minutes, 2 points):  666.  This is a good animated version of the take to the biblical story.

ELLEN BURSTYN

 

The Last Picture Show (1971, 118 minutes 2 points):  666 1/2.  This is my Ellen Burstyn Loophole of the week so this slice-of-life small town films counts as points.

HOME FOOTAGE



V/H/S (2012, 116 minutes, 2 points):  666.  No explanation needed here

ROGER CORMAN



The Godfather Part II (1974, 200 minutes, 3.5 points):  6666.  I never knew about this one until very recently so I knew this had to be a loophole.  Roger Corman plays one of the senators during the hearing and anything with Roger Corman counts so what better loophole than this one?

SERIAL KILLERS



From Hell (2001, 122 minutes, 2 points):  666.  This is an obvious horror film.

TV SPECIALS

 

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966, 30 minutes, .5 points):  This great special needs no explanation.

UNIVERSAL CLASSIC



Freaks (1932, 62 minutes, 2 points):  6666.  This is a classic that should be viewed by everyone.