Welcome to the 447th Edition of my series. It's been a rough week with my computer going out on me. I look to get a new one this week. No matter what happens, I always manage to put out this blog on a Sunday. Tonight are to Tony's so I have that recording while I do karaoke at the Valhalla. I will now get to my recommendations for the week.
Kick-Ass
(2010): Matthew Vaughn directed this homage to the comic book world.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Dave Lizewski who is a nerdy high-schooler
who is unnoticed and loves comic books. He then decides to become a
superhero though he has no training or powers and becomes the title
character. In his attempts toward the superhero world, he encounters a
10 year old girl who calls herself Hit-Girl, played by Chloe Grace
Moretz, and someone called Big Daddy, played by Nicolas Cage, which is
Hit-Girl's father. They team up to take down a mob boss, played by
Frank D'amico. Elizabeth McGovern, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jason
Flyming, Yancy Butler, Xander Berkeley, and many others co-star in this
film. I remember seeing this in theaters with my friend Lisa and not
really knowing anything about it but becoming pleasantly surprised by
what I saw. I believe Moretz has the highest kill right of a girl of
her age and is really good in her role. Another movie of hers that year
was LET HER IN where she also racked up quite a body count. I thought
Nicolas Cage had his best performance in years as her father who is
pretty much raising his daughter to become a vigilante and has some
rather extreme measures in his training. This movie has a lot of
violence but it has a lot of comedy as well. This is a very clever and
original superhero movie.
Interview
(2007): Steve Buscemi directed and stars this remake of Theo Van
Gogh's 2003 film of the same name. Buscemi stars as reporter Pierre
Peders who is usually a political journalist but has a falling out with
his editor and is forced to interview a soap star named Katya, played by
Sienna Miller. The interview is supposed to happen at a restaurant but
gets off on the wrong foot when she is late but then Pierre is quite
unprepared and rather belligerent. When leaving, Pierre gets injured
and Katya goes ahead and takes him home with her so she can tend to the
wounds and there they start their interview which really goes both ways
and is enhanced by alcohol and their competitive natures. This is a
pretty decent film with the leads very good and carrying the movie quite
well. Steve Buscemi's brother Michael Buscemi co-stars in the movie.
This is available on the app Crackle.
The
Horse Whisperer (1998): Robert Redford directed and co-stars in this
more serious one compared to my first two selections so far which is
based on the novel by Nick Evans. A young Scarlett Johansson stars as
Grace who is injured in an accident involving a horse which causes both
physical and psychological trauma. Her concerned mother Annie, played
by Kristin Scott Thomas, learns of a man in Montana named Tom Booker,
played by Redford, who is said to be of the title. She decides to take
Grace and the wounded horse to this ranch in Montana to see about
getting both the horse and Grace healed. In the process, Annie begins
to fall in love with Tom even though she is married to Robert, played by
Sam Neill. Diane Wiest, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones, Jeanette Nolan,
Jessayn Gilsig, and Kate Bosworth all co-star. This might be more a a
date movie or a girls night movie but is a pretty moving film.
Paul
Bunyon (1958): This is my animated short for the week which is brought
by Disney. This tells the story of the legendary tall tale where a
giant lumberjack must adjust to the newer technology and his friendship
with Babe the Blue Ox. The animation is not the greatest but still has a
pretty good story and catchy song. 
Network
(1976): Sidney Lumet directed this film which was written by Paddy
Chayefsky. Peter Finch stars as news anchor Howard Beale who is just
not getting the ratings that he did so he is fired by the network. He
then does an unexpected rant where the ratings soar even higher making
the executives exploit the rather deranged man for their ratings but
find they are in over their head. Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway, William
Holden, Ned Beatty, Beatrice Straight, and many others co-star in this
film. This movie meant to be satire is very ahead of its time and is
something I can always watch. Finch plays Beale to perfection. I read
that actors like Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford, Gene Hackman, and George C.
Scott declined the part of Beale but the more unknown Finch fit the part
to perfection. I want you to get mad and yell out the window, I'm as
mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. I believe this would
be a great play to do on stage.
Princess
Tam-Tam (1935): This is my French film for the week which is one of
many stories inspired by PYGMALION. Albert Prejean stars as French
novelist Max who is in Tunisia and meets a shepherdess named Alwina,
played by Josephine Baker, who he believes he can turn into a high class
woman. A few misunderstandings happen in the process. Josephine Baker
was a black actress who knew she would not have an easy time doing film
in the United States so she moves to France where she gets some really
good parts. Some of this is more for historical purposes but was pretty
fun and Baker was very fun in this film. I recorded this from TCM and
anytime I have the great Robert Osborne introduction, I am content.
A
Bucket of Blood (1959): Roger Corman directed this film which takes
place a lot in a Bohemian Cafe. Dick Miller stars as Walter who is a
nerdy busboy at the cafe who longs to be an artist like much of the
regulars there but does not have much talent. He accidentally kills his
landlady's cat and gets the idea to put plaster over the cat and when
doing so, his work is acclaimed as a sculptor masterpiece. This finally
gets him the popularity he wants but knows he must repeat the success
and resorts to homicidal methods to continue his success. I actually
consider this one Corman's best work. I thought it was a pretty
well-done satire and a coffee shop person like me can really appreciate
this one. The title is not quite what it sounds so try not to be fooled
by it and check out Corman's best film.
Idina
Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony (2012): This is my concert
movie for the week which is technically a tv special but I make final
ruling as to what is considered a movie on this. She performs some of
her music in RENT, WICKED, GLEE, as well as songs like THE WAY WE WERE.
She also goes into her own backstory making for a pretty entertaining
story with a special appearance by Taye Diggs. For those who do not
know her, she was the first Elpheba in WICKED, known for Maureen in
RENT, recurring character in the tv series GLEE, and now has probably
gotten more into the mainstream with her movie FROZEN as Elsa. This
year's Oscar ceremony might have given her some publicity with John
Travolta's butchering of her name calling her something like Adele
Dazeem which I do not know where that came from. She is a very talented
singer and actress and puts on a very good show that really deserves a
watch.
High
Anxiety (1977): I continue with this Mel Brooks film and his tribute
to the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock. Mel directed, co-wrote, and
stars in the Hitchcock spoof as Dr. Richard Thorndyke who is the new
administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, Very
Nervous. When getting there, he stumbles onto some strange happenings
and is framed for murder. To clear his name, he must overcome is
condition of "high anxiety". The main Hitchcock reference is for
VERTIGO but find some great references to PSYCHO, THE BIRDS, REAR
WINDOW, and many others. It might be a good idea to see some of the
Hitchcock films from the 50s and 60s to appreciate the references and
humor this movie brings. Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Dick Van
Patten, Barry Levinson, Harvey Korman, and many others co-star in this
film. This is not Mel's best but still pretty fun and is available to
watch on Instant Netflix.
The
Lincoln Lawyer (2011): I end with this crime thriller directed by Brad
Furman. Matthew McConaughey stars as defense attorney Mick Haller
whose office is his Lincoln car. He defends a wealthy young man named
Louis, played by Ryan Philippe who claims innocence but the more Mick
looks into this case, the more he finds there is a lot more to what is
being said. Marisa Tomei co-stars as his ex-wife and is also a
prosecutor but still remain friends despite being on opposite sides.
William H. Macy also co-stars as Mick's investigator Frank and does a
great job. McConaughey is great in this film as a smooth-talking
attorney who seems to only care about money but has a crisis on
conscience with his questionable client. Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo,
Michael Pena, Bob Gunton, Bryan Cranston, Frances Fisher, and Trace
Adkins all co-star in this film. This has a great blend of comedy and
drama with some really good twists and turns. This is a very enjoyable
film that should get a watch. Well, that is it for this week. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Julianne Moore, and many others.
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