Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 445th Edition

Welcome to the 445th Edition of my series.  It's been a week of ups and downs.  I had a great birthday and my very dear friends Ashley and Stephen came back to town and celebrated with me.  We had a great time at the Selma American Legion during my celebration which had a good turnout.  We then went to Downtown Muncie and had a great time there as well and then the karaoke bar.  This year is possibly the best birthday I have had.  A down point of the week was learning that my cousin Alex died.  My thoughts go out to the rest of the friends and family.  He was a really good person and really loved music.  Don't ever take your loved ones for granted for we do not know what can happen the next day in life.  I hope he is doing well in heaven and maybe jamming with musicians he really liked including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury, the Who drummer Keith Moon, Frank Zappa, Johnny Cash, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Rolling Stones member Brian Jones, The Clash member Joe Strummer, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Joey Ramone, and Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett, among others.  With all that, let's get to my recommendations for the week.

Saturday Night Live:  The Best of Amy Poehler (2009):  This technically may not be considered a movie but as I have said before, I get to decide on what is considered a "movie".  This is a few of the SNL sketches which featured Amy Poehler which include her Hilary Clinton impersonation, Dakota Fanning impersonation, the Bush twins, and many others from her days as a member.  A really good one is her rapping.  This compilation is of her later work so it would have been nice to see some of her earlier material but still provides entertainment and is still quite funny.

Cirque du Soleil:  Quidam (1999):  This is the first time I have actually seen one of these.  For those who don't know, they are a group founded in Canada in the mid-80s.  They do live shows that featured a lot of circus acrobatics, dance, and a lot of other theatrical techniques.  There are different groups and this one was founded in 1996 and is based on young, jaded girl named Zoey, played by Audrey Brisson, and the performance is the source of her daydream.  This had both music and lots of amazing acrobatics.  This was in French and unfortunately some of the subtitles did not work.  Brisson did do a great job in her role and all kinds of eye-popping action.  I'll probably start looking into more of these in the future.  This was a lot of fun and very compelling.

Man on Wire (2008):  This is a documentary on tightrope walker Philippe Petit who walked across the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.  This goes into some background of his early life and the way he became a tightrope walker.  Most of it is interviews with him and the people closest to him which helped make his daring and illegal walk possible.  Petit may have been the one to walk but the event was a team effort in making it possible.  This is a very compelling documentary on what some call the "Artistic Crime of the Century".   This is available on both Instant Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Betty Boop for President (1932):  This is my animated short for the week and Betty Boop tackles political satire on this one.  She is running for president and going against a stick figure candidate named Mr. Nobody.  She parodies other candidates and even addresses a group of elephants and a group of donkeys called "asses".  Very interesting satire and decent Betty Boop.  This is available on the Pub-D-Hub app.

Jack and the Witch (1967):  This is my animated selection for the week.  Taiji Tabushita directed this one.  Jack and his friends which are a bear, fox, mouse, and puppy.  He meets a girl named Allegra who works for the evil queen named Auriana who turns children into her slaves.  The mouse friend is abducted so Jack races to save his friend but also Allegra.  This is a pretty good early anime film that the family can watch together.  This is available on Amazon Prime and is really worth a look, especially for anime fans.

All About Eve (1950):  Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote and directed this great drama taking place in the world of theater.  Anne Baxter stars as the title character who makes her way into the world by claiming to be a fan of star Margo Channing, played well by Bette Davis, and her circle while maneuvering her way into stardom at their expense.  George Sanders co-stars as cynical theater critic Addison DeWitt who is the only person that sees through Eve's naive and humble personality.  Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, and Hugh Marlowe co-star as part of Margo's circle who take in Eve.  Also look for a young Marilyn Monroe who plays actress Miss Casswell.  This is a great tale of ambition and betrayal that holds up today.  

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988):  Last week I featured this in the "Movie Night at the Shera" segment so now I will put it into this section.  Frank Oz directed this comedy which stars Michael Caine and Steve Martin as rival con men.  Caine plays Lawrence who is more classy and Martin plays Freddy who is more small time though more underhanded.  They first tried working together but found the place was not big enough for the two of them and end up making a wager to each other that they can cheat an heiress, played by Glenne Headly, out of $50,000.  This was a very funny crime comedy and a really good ending. This was available in the free movie section of the ATT Uverse on-demand.

Crime Wave (1954):  This is my film-noir for the week.  Gene Nelson stars as ex-con Steve Lacey who is married and trying to get his life together.  Ted de Corsia, Charles Bronson, and Nedrick Young all co-star as escapees who end up killing a cop and taking refuge in Lacey's home against his wishes.  Steve must decide the safest way to handle his old cronies.  Sterling Hayden co-stars as detective Sims who is trying to bring down the criminals and figure out how Steve is involved.  This is a pretty good unknown film with good performances and really deserves to get a look.

Spencer's Mountain (1963):  Delmer Daves directed this movie based on a novel by Earl Hamner Jr. and serves as the inspiration for the popular tv series THE WALTONS.  Henry Fonda stars as Clay Spencer who is a rather poor but very hard-working and respected person who has a wife and quite a few children.  He does not agree with the ways of the church though helps a minister saves his congregation.  The main storyline here is that his eldest son Clayboy, played by James MacArthur, is graduating at the top of his class and really wants to go to college but finds that is very difficult in his poor family.  Maureen O'Hara co-stars as Clay's wife who is far more god-fearing.  It is not the greatest movie but a decent portrait of a family in that era and even Henry Fonda trying to push the envelope a bit with his viewpoints.

This is Martin Bonner (2013):  I end the week with this independent film from director Chad Hartigan.  Paul Eenhoorn stars as the title character who has just moved from east coast to Nevada.  He takes a job as the volunteer coordinator for a non-profit organization which helps people released from prison to get their life together.  Richmond Arquette co-stars as Travis who has just gotten out of prison and having a hard time adjusting to life.  They soon form an unlikely friendship.  This is more of a character driven movie and the characters were very well written and the actors did a good job to make this quite watchable.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes George C. Scott, Kevin Smith, Sandra Bullock, John Barrymore, Hilary Swank, Nick Nolte, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 444th Edition

Welcome to the 444th Edition of my series.  This is the week of my birthday which is on Thursday where I get the ultimate gift of my friends Ashley and Stephen visiting from Philadelphia.  On Friday, they are playing at the Silo in Downtown Muncie from 10-1 so come on out and hear some great music.  I will now get onto my selections for the week.

Chinese Coffee (2000):  This is part 11 of what I will now make my 11-part Al Pacino series.  Pacino takes the helm of director once again to put on a film version of a play by Ira Lewis.  Pacino stars as struggling Greenwich Village writer Harry Levine who has just been fired from his job as a doorman.  He then goes to visit his friend and fellow struggling writer Jake Manheim, played by LAW AND ORDER alum Jerry Orbach, to collect on a debt.  While there, Harry looks to get Jake's opinion on a manuscript he left with him in which he denies reading at first but then goes into his critique starting a rather heated discussion on it and among other things in their life.  These two actors are mainly who were in this movie and were great together.  Pacino has struggled some through the years but made a great decision in picking up this one.  I always enjoy seeing these dramas based on plays and think about theater groups in my area picking them up. Pacino was actually in a 1992 Broadway stage production of this show.

The Bourne Identity (2002):  Doug Liman directed this action film based on the novel by Robert Ludlum though have heard it is a rather loose basing.  Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne who after being rescued and wounded has no recollection on his identity.  He first realizes things like having a lot of strength.  With the help of his new friend Marie, played by Franka Potente,  he sets out to learn more on his identity but learns there are a lot of people out to track him down and kill him.  Chris Cooper leads the government agency in their hunt for Bourne.  Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Clive Owen, OZ and LOST alum Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, THE SHIELD alum Walton Goggins, and many others co-star in this action film.  This is a pretty good start to this Bourne series.  Damon did very well as the title character.  If you are a huge fan of this book, then I suppose you may not like this and that a mini-series in 1988 of the same title is more based on the book.  If you are like me and don't really read much and just watch movies, this is a good action film to start your day. 

Rosewood (1997):  John Singleton directed the portrait based on a true story in town in the 20s that was very segregated.  This is based on an incident in 1923 where a white woman falsely accuses a black man of rape and the close-minded white community destroying a predominantly black community.  Jon Voight stars as John Wright who is a store owner and less judgmental.  He ends up looking to get the surviving black community on a train and escape the town with the help of a black drifter named Mann, played by Ving Rhames.  Michael Rooker also co-stars as the sheriff who is conflicted but loves his job as sheriff.  Bruce McGill, Don Cheadle, Esther Rolle, Elise Neal, Robert Patrick, Mark Boone Junior, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very powerful film and does a great job showing the price of racism. 

So You Think You're Allergic (1945):  This is my comedic short film for the week which is a comedic one in the Joe McDoakes series.  This is a look at the common problem of hay fever and Joe, played by George O'Hanlon, trying to find a cure to it in many comical ways.  One of the funny parts was the back stories and the ancestry of the McDoakes family.

The Kid (1921):  This is my silent film for the week and Charlie Chaplin's first feature length film as the Tramp.  The Tramp finds an abandoned baby by a garbage can and decides to take are of the boy as his own.  Years later, the Tramp and the Kid, played by Jackie Coogan, are very happy together despite being poor but their relationship is threatened when the real mother comes back into the picture.  I suppose this could be considered the original BIG DADDY and was probably pretty groundbreaking at its time with someone taking in a child that is not biologically theirs.  There are a lot of funny moments from Chaplin but also rather sad moments as well.  Chaplin did always have a way of turning a bad situation into comedy with the biggest example THE GOLD RUSH.  This is a great entry into the genre of silent comedy and is available on Amazon Prime.

Fat City (1972):  John Huston directed this film on two struggling boxers.  Stacy Keach stars as Tully who is now a has-been and working as a field worker in hopes for a comeback.  When in a gym, he meets an 18 year old named Ernie, played by a young Jeff Bridges, who he sees potential and tries to help him towards a boxing career.  This shows the struggles of both of them in career and love life.  CHEERS alum Nicholas Colasanto plays their crooked manager Ruben.  This is a really honest look into the small time world of boxing.  Susan Tyrrell and Candy Clark co-star as their love interests.  I am not really sure as the reason for the title since it did not really focus on that type of society.  This had great direction, performances, and cinematography and unfortunately has gone overlooked today.  I notice even Netflix does not have it for DVD but it is available on Crackle for free.

Unidentified Flying Objects:  The True Story of Flying Saucers (1956):  I guess you could say this is my sci-fi film for the week though is part documentary combined with a fictional story on sightings on UFOs.  The government is determined to figure out these sightings and there is interview footage and documents on things.  There is also footage on what they saw which does not necessarily convince me though still an intriguing film on the paranoia of these sightings.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

From One Second to the Next (2013):  This is my documentary short for the week.  In trying to find a newer movie for this list, I came across this short film about the dangers of texting and driving and then see the director in Werner Herzog.  Herzog clearly wanted to express the importance of concentrating on the road when driving and that texts can always wait.  He focuses on four accidents in which texting and driving alters the lives of many forever.  There was one of them in Bluffton, Indiana which is about an hour from where I live.  It focuses on the victims, the loved ones and even a couple of people who were the cause of the accident.  Herzog hits the nail on the head in many ways in this half hour documentary and is something that can happen to anyone.  I know I will never be texting while driving again and those who are doing it, please stop.  If no one else can get through to you, hopefully Mr. Herzog can.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Ghidora, the Three-Headed Monster (1964):  This is my Japanese monster movie for the week and this movie introduced us to King Ghidorah which was the result of a meteor that fell.  At the same time, Rodan and Godzilla have come out of hibernation and are fighting each other.  The twin fairies call upon Mothra who tries to convince Rodan and Godzilla to put aside their differences to take on the more dangerous monster.  That was a very intriguing scene in my opinion where Mothra is trying to convince the others to team up and the small twin fairies translate their conversation.  This was a pretty decent entry.  Like always the human storylines have much to be desired but then once the monsters come into play it's on and they did not disappoint.  Ghidorah would go onto become the main villain monster for Toho having many battles with Godzilla and Mothra.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

El Mariachi (1992):  Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed this independent action film in his directorial debut in a feature film.  For those who do now know, the movies DESPERADO and ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO were parts two and three to this one.  Carlos Gallardo stars as the title character who is essentially a drifter and looking to be successful as a mariachi singer.  When getting to another town, he is mistaken as an assassin who carries a guitar case full of guns.  He then becomes the target though proves to be quite resourceful when his life is in danger.  This is a big case of low-budget but one that worked very well with a good script, action, and good characters.  Rodriguez made a great debut and achieved quite a cult following with this one so I help this extends it.  This is available on both Instant Netflix and Crackle.

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

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988):  When we got to Shera's house we were looking for some movie to watch on ATT U-Verse and started with BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA which is a great movie but no one was really getting into and were distracted so maybe another time.  Shera decided upon a comedy so as we were going through titles, this was one she had not seen but decided upon it because of Steve Martin and agreed to go along.  Frank Oz directed this comedy which stars Steve Martin and Michael Caine as rival con artists who continue to try one-upping each other.  They soon make a wager that they can con an American heiress out of $50,000 and the game is on as well as the laughs.  We were both quite into this comedy and is a great entry in the 80s.  It is also a Broadway musical.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 443rd Edition

Welcome to the 443rd Edition of my series.  Last night was our last performance of THE GOOD DOCTOR.  Thanks to a great cast and crew for making this a good and fun production.  I do not know what is next as of right now but as always I will keep everyone updated.  Now for what you are wanting to learn, the recommendations.

Justice League:  The Flashpoint Paradox (2013):  I start the week out with this animated superhero movie from the DC Universe.  This movie centers around Barry Allen aka the Flash, voiced by Justin Chambers, if you had not noticed.  Even with a museum dedicated to him and the many times he has stopped crime, he still feels guilty about his mother being murdered during his childhood.  He finds a time to go back and save his mother but then inadvertently creates a ripple which makes a much darker world.  In this world Batman, voiced by Kevin McKidd but Kevin Conroy in the modern world, is a lot darker and is more about killing his enemies.  Also, Wonder Woman, voiced by Vanessa Marshall, and Aquaman, voiced by Cary Elwes, are at war with each other in a very brutal war.  There is also a resistance group that have people like Lois Lane, voiced by Dana Delany, and Lex Luthor, voiced by Steve Blum.  In this world, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are no better than Luther.  Batman and the Flash along with Cyborg, voiced by Michael B. Jordan, look to fix Flash's mistake and get the other world back.  Other Justice League members included are Superman, voiced by Sam Daly, Green Lantern, voiced by Nathan Fillion, and Captain Atom, voiced by Lex Lang.  The main villain in this one is Professor Zoom, voiced by C. Thomas Howell, who has the Flash's abilities.  Other voices include Grey DeLisle, Danny Huston, and Jennifer Hale.  The one I missed was Martian Manhunter but I was glad to see people like Aquaman and Captain Atom who usually aren't in the animated movies.  This is not really a family movie like the animated series was.  This is quite dark but very compelling.  I have found that some of my favorite superhero movies are these DC animated movies that go straight to video and this one is no exception.  It was also really good to see something centered around the Flash and his working relationship with Batman who are pretty much partners in this movie.  This has a great array of heroes and villains and is really worth a watch.

Porky and Daffy (1938):  I continue with this animated short that is a little more family oriented and this one centers around Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.  In this short, Daffy Duck is a boxer and Porky is his manager and Daffy gets a title shot against a rooster and uses rather underhanded techniques in attempt to win.  This is an early one for both of them but was a very fun boxing parody.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973):  This is my tv movie for the week.  Kim Darby and Jim Hutton star as married couple Sally and Alex.  They have just moved into a Victorian mansion.  Sally begins to witness strange happenings but her husband dismisses her for being paranoid and neurotic.  She also has a hard time getting anyone else to believe that she has seen a group of small creatures that inhabit the house.  This is a really good made for tv horror movie and is quite a chiller.  Pedro Armendariz Jr. also co-stars in this movie.  This was remade by Guillermo Del Toro in 2010 and I have not seen that one.  This has a very good look to it, a good feeling of creepiness and is really worth a look especially for horror buffs.

The Ghost Writer (2010):  Roman Polanski directed this political thriller.  Ewan McGregor stars as the title character who is being hired to complete the memoir on former UK Prime Minister Adam Lang, played by Pierce Brosnan.  Lang soon becomes embroiled in a major scandal which then puts the ghost writer's life on the line.  James Belushi, Timothy Hutton, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Eli Wallach, Tom Wilkinson, and many others co-star in this film.  I'm not going to go into much more detail as that may give it away.  Polanski does a great job directing this and the performances were very good along with the Alexandre Desplat music score which really contributed to this thriller.

3:10 to Yuma (1957):  This is my western for the week which was directed by Delmer Daves.  Glenn Ford stars as Ben Wade who leads a group of outlaws and he gets captured though the rest of the gang is determined to free Ben.  Small-time rancher Dan Evans, played by Van Heflin, is hired to get him to court at Yuma while evading the other gang that wants to free him.  Wade is a poor farmer and takes the job for the money but also for money reasons feeling an obligation to help justice happen.  Felicia Farr, Henry Jones, and Richard Jaeckel co-star in this western.  There are some great interactions between Ford and Heflin.  This is one of my favorite westerns from this era and prefer this one over most John Wayne or James Stewart westerns I have seen.  This is another movie which has a remake which I have not seen yet but may look into this one soon hearing good things about it.  Credit still must be given where it is due so give this one a viewing if you have seen the new one.

Scent of a Woman (1992):  This is part 10 of my eleven part Al Pacino series which is probably the longest I have ever had on this blog.  Martin Brest directs this movie based on the novel by Giovanni Arpino.  Chris O'Donnell stars as prep school student Charlie Simms who finds an add to look after someone for the Thanksgiving weekend and when finding who he is being hired to watch he finds this is not the simple job he thinks it will be.  Pacino stars as Lt. Col. Frank Slade who is now blind and whose family is leaving for Thanksgiving and want to hire someone to make sure he is okay.  At first Frank seems very unlikable but slowly forms a friendship with Charlie.  Frank unexpectedly decides to go to New York and Charlie reluctantly agrees to go along having quite the life-changing weekend.  A young Philip Seymour Hoffman co-stars in this film as one of the prep school students.  James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Bradley Whitford, and Ron Eldard co-star in this film.  Pacino finally won an Oscar after many unsuccessful nominations and does great as a blind man who may not be able to see but knows what is going on around him.  O'Donnell holds his own with Pacino.  This has some very dramatic and comedic moments like Pacino's character driving a car when he was blind.  This is really worth a look.

Conversations with Other Women (2005):  Hans Canosa directs this independent film which makes interesting use of the split screen.  Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter star as people who are in a wedding and then begin to flirt afterwards and rekindle on times when they met when they were younger.  These people are not given names, they are only credited as "man" and "woman".  The split screen method gives different angles of their interactions as well as sometimes using flashbacks.  Both actors worked very well together and did a great job of carrying the film and the split screen was very clever as well.  This is more of a character driven film that worked very well.

Samson and Delilah (1949):  This is my biblical film for the week that was directed by Cecil B. Demille and I suppose you could say this is the first of the Demille biblical trilogy that includes THE TEN COMMANDMENTS in 1956 and BEN-HUR in 1959.  Victor Mature stars as the strongman Samson who falls in love with Philistine Semader, played by a young Angela Lansbury, who in turn betrays Samson and is killed in the infighting.  Hedy Lamarr stars as Delilah who is the sister of Semander and is determined to get revenge against Samson.  She soon has an affair and learns Samson's source of his strength and betrays him to the Saran, played by George Sanders.  Henry Wilcoxan and a young Russ Tamblyn star in this biblical film.  This was a pretty decent biblical film which had great use of colors as well as good action scenes.  The special effects weren't bad for the time.  It is also of worth to see a young Lansbury.  Out of all three of these biblical films, I liked BEN-HUR the most but favor this one over TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

The Hustler (1961):  Robert Rossen directed this pool drama.  Paul Newman stars as "Fast" Eddie Felson who is a very good pool player but is also very self-destructive.  He then meets pool legend Minnesota Fats, played by Jackie Gleason is a more dramatic role than usual, and challenges him to a high-stakes marathon but is unsuccessful.  He then goes onto becoming even more self-destructing with alcohol and his lack of confidence.  George C. Scott co-stars as Bert Gordon, who kind of takes him in and looks to help him get his confidence back but at the same time is very shady making Eddie realize working with him could cost him his soul.  Piper Laurie also co-stars as Eddie's girlfriend Sarah who has problems of her own and is Laurie's last movie until the horror classic CARRIE came around.  Look for boxer Jake LaMotta and actor Vincent Gardenia who play bartender roles.  This movie at the time started a big resurgence of pool.  Newman did not play much pool before the movie but got a pool table and played every chance he could to become good.  He ended up doing most of his own shots and Gleason was already a good pool player before the film.  This is a very good drama that centers around the world of pool and hustling and one where winning is not always black and white.  It also takes a look at the dangers of being a hustler where one does not seem to know when to quit and lacks knowledge of what they are getting into.  This is a pretty authentic looking film and one of Newman's best in my opinion.

Assassins (1995):  I end this week with some action.  Richard Donner directed the action movie which stars Sylvester Stallone as burned out hitman Robert Rath who is looking to get out of the business.  He finds that will not be easy when encountering another hitman named Miguel Bain, played by Antonio Banderas, who is a young up and comer and wants to make a name for himself.  Julianne Moore co-stars as Electra who is a computer hacker and finds herself in the middle of their feud having to stick close to Robert for survival.  I don't think I really need to go any further on this one.  This is not the greatest movie of all time but a good one to suspend your disbelief for awhile and take your mind off things.

Well, that is it for this week.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Al Pacino, Matt Damon, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 442nd Edition

Welcome to the 442nd Edition of my series.  This week we have our performances for THE GOOD DOCTOR which is a comedy from Neil Simon.  The performances are May 8, 9, 10 at 7:30 pm and tickets are $10.  To reserve tickets call 765-987-7124.  It is at the Guyer Opera House in Lewisville, Indiana.  Now I will get to my recommendations for the weeks.

The Insider (1999):  This is part 9 of my Al Pacino series.  Michael Mann directed this film based on a true story.  Pacino stars as 60 MINUTES producer Lowell Bergman who looks to get a story from former tobacco executive Jeff Wigand who has been fired from a big tobacco company.  Wigand is sworn to confidentiality but does not feel he was fired fairly and reluctantly agrees to do the story but his life gets sent into a downward spiral when getting threats to his family.  Bergman also has complications dealing with the CBS attorneys who are advising him not to air the story.  Both of these men risk their reputations in an attempt to show the truth.  Christopher Plummer also co-stars as Mike Wallace and does a really good job playing that person.  Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall, Debi Mazar, Stephen Tobolowsky, Bruce McGill, Gina Gershon, Michael Gambon, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Rip Torn, and many others co-star.  Pacino and Crowe are great in their roles.  Their is a very good tension to the film that can really keep the interest of viewers.  This is a very well-done film that has great acting, cinematography and a good music score.  This does not have a lot of action but a very good story.

Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986):  This is my erotic film for the week which was directed by Adrian Lyne.  Kim Basinger stars as Elizabeth who is the assistant at an art gallery.  She soon meets a stockbroker named John, played by Mickey Rourke, and form an impersonal affair.  Elizabeth soon embarks on some strange sex games and a relationship that gets more complicated.  A movie like this really kind of depends on the chemistry between actors and these two really had it.  This could be considered another LAST TANGO IN PARIS and it does have that sexual tension with really well-written characters.  Christine Baranski also co-stars in this film.  Looking closely for Rolling Stones member Ron Wood in a cameo scene.  It's really hard to further describe this film with words.  Lyne used some interesting manipulation towards Kim Basinger to get her into the role like not allowing her and Rourke contact and claiming Rourke saying things about her.  His tactics made the movie really work.  This is not for everyone but it very compelling.  Also, those who only know Rourke through movies like SIN CITY and THE WRESTLER may also find this interesting.

The Raid:  Redemption (2011):  Gareth Evans wrote and directed this Indonesian action film.  A S.W.A.T. team looks to capture a ruthless mobster but become trapped in the tenement building and must fight for their lives when many murderous gangsters look to take out the team.  I saw that the sequel is right now at theaters so it made me inclined to watch this one.  This may very well be the most violent movie I have seen and I have seen some violent ones here in America, Japan, Hong Kong, etc.  It also has a pretty good story behind all those brutal action scenes.  This holds no gore back, each killing is quite brutal and even quite different.  If action is your genre, this really is a must but if you don't have a stomach, this would not be the recommendation for the week.  It has some very good action scenes and interesting characters. 

Beyond the Line of Duty (1942):  This is my short film for the week.  This talks about the exploits of Army Air Corps Captain Hewett T. Wheless.  It talks about how he was a ranch hand before joining the military during WWII.  Our future president Ronald Reagan narrates this short film.  This is a pretty good military tribute and propaganda to sell war bonds.

Angels With Dirty Faces (1938):  This is my Warner Brothers gangster film for the week.  Michael Curtiz directed this film which centers around to friends since childhood in Rocky Sullivan, played by James Cagney, and Jerry Connolly, played by Pat O'Brien.  In their lives Rocky goes to reform school and becomes a criminal while Jerry is able to escape the criminal way of life and become a priest.  They reunite in the old neighborhood when Rocky returns and Jerry becomes very concerned when the neighborhood kids, the Dead End Kids to be exact, begin to idolize Rocky.  Humphrey Bogart co-stars as crooked attorney James Frazier and Ann Sheridan also co-stars.  I believe this movie has the best young/old casting I have seen in Frankie Burke and James Cagney.  Burke looked quite a bit like a young Cagney and did a dead on impersonation of him as well.  These are some of my favorites from this time period and this one was no different and really ranks high for me especially the ending which I thought was quite clever.  This movie was banned in a few countries.

The Odd Couple (1968):  Now for those who are getting tired of the sex and violence, I stray away some with this comedy based on the play by Neil Simon which he wrote the screenplay for this movie.  Gene Saks directed this comedy based on two friends who move in together but their differences on housekeeping and their own lifestyles cause them to clash.  Jack Lemmon stars as Felix Ungar whose wife leaves him and becomes suicidal.  Walter Matthau stars as Oscar Madison who always hosts games of poker which include Felix and gives him a place to stay.  Felix has a lot of OCD tendencies towards having the place clean while Oscar does not care and things like that lead into some comical arguments.  Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau are a great comedy duo and this one is my favorite of them.  This is the second of their teamings and their characters really reflected their personalities on their real-life friendship.  It is also my favorite movie adaptation of a Neil Simon play.   This movie made me laugh many times.  This inspired a pretty successful tv series and has become a pretty popular play to do on stage.  This is available on Instant Netflix and Amazon prime.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962):  Robert Mulligan directed this film based on the popular and timeless novel by Harper Lee.  This takes place in a very racially divided small town in Alabama.  Gregory Peck stars as a very noble attorney named Atticus Finch.  The main storyline is that he agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, played by Brock Peters, who is accused of raping a white girl.  This is a very unpopular decision by the community but Atticus refuses to step down because he feels he is doing the right thing and would not be able to face his kids if he refused service just because of the color of his skin.  That is the main plot point but it is so much more than this trial.  The story is really from the eyes of Atticus's five or six year old daughter Scout, played by Mary Badham.  She is trying to understand this world around her in a rather racist town.  This story is really about acceptance and even the price of hatred.  It is still relevant today as schools all over the country use this book for their class and this was my favorite in required readings when I went to school.  Harper Lee was someone who lived in the south so understood the people around her to create a timeless classic and never has written another novel since this one due to the continued success of this book and movie that she never needed to write again.  I really put this movie on the same level as those like GONE WITH THE WIND, CASABLANCA, and THE WIZARD OF OZ and remains far more relevant today and believe this movie stands the test of time more than just about anything.  This is a great story and the movie has not been remade to my knowledge and would really hard to do that in my belief that Gregory Peck just made the character Atticus Finch.  Robert Duvall makes his film debut as Boo Radley.  The scene where the trial is over and the group of black men stand up when Atticus is about to leave just makes me tear up every time and believe that is quite possibly the most beautiful in cinematic history.  Harper Lee was also very satisfied with this movie.  This is a timeless story about life in a small segregated town and done so well.

What the Deaf Man Heard (1997):  This is my tv movie for the week.  This one takes place in a small Georgia town.  The movie stars out with a young MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE alum Frankie Muniz who plays the young Sammy and is with his mother, played by Bernadette Peters, on a train only to wake up along as he arrives in a smaller town and his mother is nowhere to be found.  When arriving there, he decides to pose as deaf and mute in order to protect himself.  He is soon taken in by the town including locals Norm and Lucille, played by Tom Skerrit and Judith Ivey.  Matthew Modine plays Sammy when he grows up who has continued to be deaf and mute but then learns of a local scheme that he looks to stop and must decide to reveal who he really is in order to stop this scam.  James Earl Jones co-stars and is a lot of fun as the local trash man.  Modine also does a good job in his role as the title character and the change he goes through in the movie.  Claire Bloom, Jerry O'Connell, and Jake Weber all co-star in this tv movie.  This has a great blend of comedy and drama and is the highest rated made for television movie since 1991.  A good tv movie which can be found on DVD and is one of my more upbeat selections for the week. 

The Man From Planet X (1951):  This is my sci-fi film for the week.  In this movie, a spacecraft ends up on Earth and falls into the clutches of an evil scientist who forces the alien to do bad things like pretty much turning others into zombies.  A reporter then looks to get the real story.  This was a very low-budget movie and director Edgar Ulmer makes the most of that small budget.  I also believe that the alien was a real alien cast in the movie but I suppose I could be wrong.  This is a watchable entry in the genre from that era that cheesy sci-fi buffs will enjoy.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

CM Punk- Best in the World (2012):  I end this week with this WWE documentary on wrestler CM Punk which charts his rise from the independent wrestling circuit up to the WWE which he has since left.  It talks about how he was not close to his parents and his alcoholic father being a big reason for his straight edge lifestyle.  It then talks about his early days in wrestling pretty much starting out in backyard but then honing his skills to be a legit wrestler.  It shows footage of his early days on the mic where he was good then and his rise on the independent circuit.  When in WWE, it documents his days there where he struggled because he was so different and even misunderstood.  I really believe this is one of the more in-depth WWE documentaries whereas as a lot of them just gloss over their pre-WWE days, this one really focuses on both his days in independent promotions and WWE.  This will only be enjoyed by those who like wrestling and fans of CM Punk.  There are also a lot of great extras like pre-wwe matches.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and what you dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ron Perlman, Ewan McGregor, Glenn Ford, more Al Pacino, and many others.