Welcome to the 426th Edition of my series. I hope everyone was able to stay safe last week in this crazy weather. My days consisted of getting movies watched for the most part. Today, the 49ers play the Carolina Panthers so I hope for the best there. They played very well in that cold weather in Green Bay so maybe now they can run through Carolina to get to the next round. I will now get you your recommendations for the week.
Beats, Rhymes, and
Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011): Last week, I
featured a documentary on former Cream drummer Ginger Baker. This week,
I feature the rap group a Tribe Called Quest. Michael Rapaport directs
this documentary of the inner workings and behind the scenes drama
where members reflect on their times and to their breakup in 1998. They
were rather innovative in the hip-hop scene with their style which is
regarded as alternative hip hop. Unfortunately, there was a lot of
tension with the members of the band which is very well documented in
this documentary. This plays some of their music and has interviews
with the group members and their peers. I believe this is an enjoyable
documentary even if you do not like rap music. This movie is available
on the app Crackle.
Under Siege (1992): Now
I follow up with some Steven Seagal from more in his early career.
Seagal stars as Casey Ryback who is a former Navy Seal who got into some
trouble and is now the cook upon a ship. Soon, terrorists come aboard
the ship and reverts to his old ways to save the day. The group is
lead by the XO commander Krill, played by Gary Busey who was quite
amusing in his role, and former CIA operative William Stranix, played by
Tommy Lee Jones. BAYWATCH alum Erica Eleniak, STAR TREK alum Colm
Meaney, Patrick O'Neal, Bernie Casey and many others co-star. This is a
pretty decent action film if you can suspend your disbelief for a bit.
I do believe this is Seagal's best movie and is very fun in this action
film. This is available on Amazon Prime which I am currently trying
their free trial.
The Iron Giant (1999):
Brad Bird directs this animated feature which features a very big robot
who is befriended by a young boy named Hogart, voiced by Eli
Marienthal. He finds that he is a very gentle giant but in our society
we fear the unknown. Most notably government agent Kent Mansley, voiced
by Christopher McDonald, who looks to destroy the giant. Vin Diesel
voices the iron giant and I really liked what he did with his voice.
Harry Connick Jr., James Gammon, John Mahoney, Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet
Walsh, and SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS co-star Rodger Bumpass lend their
voices to this film. This is a really good homage to sci-fi films and
is something that is both for kids and adults. The animation, the
voices, and the story are very good and is just a good movie in
general. This is available on HBO On-Demand.
The Present with a
Future (1943): This is my short film for the week which is a war
propaganda short. Bette Davis plays I guess herself who lets her
children know that for Christmas, instead of presents she is giving her
children war bonds to help with the WWII efforts. Very interesting
watch which at the time was very inspiring. 
The Struggle (1931):
D.W. Griffith directed this film which was his last. This takes a very
early look into alcoholism which was not dealt with very much at the
time. Hal Skelly stars as Jimmie Wilson who struggles to keep his
marriage and relationship with his daughter. This really takes a good
look in how one might deal with their alcohol problems. There is a
disclaimer in the beginning making a statement on prohibition which was
in effect at the time and how these things still happen even with that
law. Griffith is known as quite a pioneer in the film industry with
very innovative things like camera techniques. His most known work is
the controversial BIRTH OF A NATION, then his follow-up INTOLERANCE.
Many filmmakers cite him as an influence in their careers. This movie
is available on Instant Netflix and while it is not Griffith's best, it
is still pretty good.
Little Norse Prince
Valiant (1968): I decided to take a look at some early anime. This
takes place during the Iron Age where a boy named Horus finds the Sword
of the Sun from the rock giant Moog and learns from his dying father
that he must return to his ancestral territory. In the process, he must
defend a village from the attacks of a demon named Grundewald. He also
befriends a girl named Hilda who rather mysterious and sings a lot of
songs but harbors a secret. The animation was very well done in this
film as well as the characters most notably Hilda. This is the
directorial debut of Isao Takahata who would go onto do anime films like
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES and POM POKO. This is a really good one for
anime fans to watch as well as fans of animation. This is available on
both Instant Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The Crawling Eye (1958):
This is actually an episode of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 that I
watched. A series of decapitations occurs which appear to be connected
to a mysterious radioactive cloud. I don't think I really need to go
much further. This was an earlier episode of the show which still had
Joel Hodgson. The episode beginnings were pretty good and made very
clear of Forrest Tucker being in this movie and being in the tv series F
TROOP. Probably best to watch either with this show or with a large
group of friends. This is available on Amazon Prime.
Stephanie Daley (2006):
This might get some mixed opinions but I found this independent film to
be rather compelling. Hilary Brougher wrote and directed this film
which stars Tilda Swinton as pregnant forensic psychologist Lydie Crane
who must investigate a case where a 16 year old of the title, played by
Amber Tamblyn, is accused of concealing her preganancy and killing her
newborn. Stephanie claims to have not killed her newborn nor knew of
the pregancy. Lydie also dealt with a pregnancy loss and must face her
own grief in dealing with her job. The movie flashes back on the lives
of both characters and then where they are in a room talking. Vincent
Piazza, Melissa Leo, Jim Gaffigan, and Timothy Hutton co-star in this
film. Swinton and Tamblyn worked pretty well together and are good in
their flashback scenes. 
A Woman is a Woman
(1961): This is my French film for the week which was directed by
Jean-Luc Godard. Anna Karina stars as striptease artist Angela who is
desperate to become a mother but her boyfriend Emile, played by
Jean-Claude Brialy, is reluctant. When Emile suggests she have a child
with his friend Alfred, played by Jean-Paul Belmondo, she must decide
what to do. This movie really has a lot of comedic moments and is even a
parody in many ways. This is probably not Belmondo's best movie as he
has done others like BREATHLESS which he is most known for. I did laugh
quite a bit and love the parody techniques that were used in this film
exaggerated dialogue and actions but still reminds us it is a parody.
This is a good entry into the French New Wave and is available on
Instant Netflix.
The Top 25
Rivalries in Wrestling History (2013): I end with this World Wrestling
Entertainment produced documentary. This takes a look at their top 25
wrestling feuds which goes beyond WWE and branches out to WCW, ECW,
WCCW, and NWA so really diversifies the list. I did not watch this
thinking "why is that in there?", "this should be higher", or "where is
this feud?". I just watched it and enjoyed them going pretty in-depth
into each feud. The one I knew the least about was one between Magnum
T.A. and Tully Blanchard where there was a lot of real-life tension in
their feud. I do like that it features some WWE feuds but also goes
beyond it like also featuring the feud between the Von Erichs and
Fabulous Freebirds. Last week, I featured the documentary for the 80s
promotion GLOW which is really for just about anyone to enjoy of
wrestling and non-wrestling. This one is probably going to be most
enjoyed by wrestling fans and is very educational in the world of
wrestling. I was surprised to see Vince Russo as one of the
interviewees. 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.
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