Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 454th Edition

Welcome to the 454th Edition of my series.  It was quite a week where I tried taking part in my friends' Angie and Kristin's 7 day karaoke event where it was at a different place each week.  I did six of the seven days and each night made sure to sing something different each night.  Not much else happened so I'll just get to my selections for the week.

It Might Get Loud (2008):  I start the week out with this rock documentary from Davis Guggenheim.  This takes a look at the electric guitar which features Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, U2's The Edge, and White Stripes' Jack White who each reflect on their point of view on the guitar and on the career.  They are also in the same room and get to converse with each other and it is very interesting seeing these three very diverse guitarists jam together.  I am not sure how they were all selected but it was good to see people get exposed more to Jack White and Edge does a little bit of singing on the jam session and showed he is really pretty good.  This is a really good documentary and guitarists will likely love it.

Girl Rising (2013):  I continue with this documentary and is part four of my four-part Anne Hathaway series where she does part of narration.  This movie takes a look at nine young girls around the world who face many injustices like arrange marriage, slavery and many other things.  They all are trying to break from the traditions of their countries and look to get educated and lead better lives.  Cate Blanchett, Priyanka Chopra, Selena Gomez, Salma Hayek, Alicia Keys, Chloe Grace Moretz, Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, and Liam Neeson all contribute to the narration.  This documentary was put on by the organization of the same name who look to help women around the world get a good education.  I really did like this as someone who believes a lot in equality.  I'm one of those who cringe toward gender jokes, both male and female and really do not believe in any kind of gender superiority which goes for both sides.  Liam Neeson usually narrates toward the end when he talks about where the girls are in life and maybe they put him there to deter anyone from mistreating women fearing he might come after them if they do.  They have a website at http://www.girlrising.com which is an organization a rather admire.

The Wolverine (2013):  This is my superhero movie for the week which was directed by James Mangold.  I suppose this is a reboot and a sequel in a sense.  After the 2009 flop X-MEN ORIGINS:  WOLVERINE, they tried again with this one and succeeded pretty well.  Hugh Jackman reprise his role as the title character and this continues from X-MEN:  THE LAST STAND where he is still haunted by the death of Jean Grey and tries to shut himself off from the world.  He is summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance where he faces a new nemesis, one of which Viper, played by Svetlana Khodchenkova, who takes his healing powers leaving him more venerable than ever and must confront his demons as well as members of the Yakuza.  He also has a couple cute Japanese girls on his side in Rila Fukushima and Tao Okamoto.  A lot of this movie is Wolverine's battle with himself and deals with a web of intrigue and betrayal.  In some ways it shows a price of immortality where Wolverine must deal with those he loves dying.  Jackman is great as Wolverine and in some ways this is more of a character study superhero film but still has some good action.  This is available to watch on HBO On-Demand and like any Marvel film stay through the credits.

Big Man from the North (1931):  This is my animated short for the week which was from the early days of Looney Tunes featuring their star character at the time Bosco who was big in the 20s and 30s.  In this short, he is a Mountie in the extremely cold weather and must confront a wanted man in a saloon where Bosko seems timid but will get the last laugh.  The character of Bosco is a caricature of a black man and kind of modeled from a black face Al Jolson.  By today's standards, some may consider this racist but a lot of cartoons from that era really are rather racist by today's standards which was not necessarily the intention at the time.  This is a good one for classic cartoon buffs to check out.

Lifeboat (1944):  This is part one of a two-part Hitchock series.  Alfred Hitchcock directed this film which takes place in a boat throughout the film.  This takes place in WWII where a ship is sunk by a German U-Boat and the survivors gather in a boat which includes a journalist, businessman, radio operator, nurse, steward, sailor and an engineer.  They all look to work together in order to survive and are soon joined by a Nazi, played by Walter Slezak, who was involved in the bombing and are unsure of if they should listen to him for survival.  Tabullah Bankhead, William Bendix, Henry Hull, and Hume Cronyn are among the actors.  Hitchcock and the actors did a great job of keeping the movie very interesting when they were in the same place all the time.  It was also very daring for its time with some of the scenes.  A lot of the actors caught some sort of sickness during the filming due to things like the cold water.  This is based on the novel by John Steinbeck who is most known for THE GRAPES OF WRATH and THE GREAT GATSBY.  Steinbeck wrote this novel at Hitchcock's request.  I would consider this an overlooked masterpiece from "The Master of Suspense".

I Will Fight No More Forever (1975):  This is my tv movie for the week which is based on a true story.  Ned Romero stars as Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians who lived in Wallowa Valley of Idaho and Oregon.  President Grant opens it up for white settlers much to the dismay of the tribe.  General Howard, played by James Whitmore, is sent to clear them out but also wanted to work something out with them.  He is torn between his beliefs and his orders and Chief Joseph does not like what is happening but also does not want war.  Joseph does what he can to keep the military away but finds it more and more difficult and must decide what is best for his tribe.  A young Sam Elliot co-stars as Howard's assistant Captain Wood.  This is a pretty good tv more.  Romero is great as Chief Joseph and is a pretty good historical movie.

Illegal (1955):  This is part two of my three-part Edward G. Robinson series.  Robinson stars as Victor Scott who is a very respected and determined district attorney.  He learns after the fact that he sent an innocent man, played by STAR TREK alum Deforest Kelley, to the electric chair.  Being regretful of what happened, Victor resigns from District Attorney's office and forms his own private practice while also resorting to alcohol.  As a defense attorney, Victor applies his unorthodox methods in getting his clients off which gets the attention of mobster Frank Garland, played by Albert Dekker, who hires him as an attorney where Victor slowly goes off the deep end.  Nina Foch, Jayne Mansfield, Hugh Marlowe, and many others co-star in this film-noir.  Robinson does a great job in his role and the movie keeps interest throughout the movie.

Harvie Krumpet (2003):  Adam Elliot directed and co-write this Academy Award winning animated short film.  Geoffrey Rush narrates this short about the title character who has a lot of bad luck through his life like Tourette's Syndrome, being struck by lightning, among other things.  A lot of it shows him still having an optimistic outlook even if he has had a lot of bad luck and not a lot of money.  This has some very good use of claymation with a fascinating story.

Telefon (1977):  Don Siegel directs this espionage film.  Charles Bronson stars as Major Grigori Borzov who is sent to the United States to find a Russian named Dalchimsky, played by Donald Pleasance, who has stolen something very important to the KGB.  He also must stop a possible war where people are being brainwashed into doing things just by hearing a phrase.  Lee Remick co-stars as Barbara who is a U.S. agent teaming with Borzov.  I did not exactly buy Bronson as a Russian but just went ahead and looked past it.  This is an interesting spy thriller and is worth a look sometime.

In a Better World (2010):  I end this week with this Danish drama directed by Susanne Bier.  This focuses on two Danish families.  William Nielson stars as Christian whose mother has died and has a very hard time dealing with her death and his father Claus, played by Ulrich Thomsen, does not really know how to deal with Christian's resentment.  Christian is new to his school and soon meets Elias, played by Markus Rygaard, and forms an immediate friendship.  Elias is bullied a lot at school and Christian begins to experience it but they realize they messed with the wrong person in Christian.  He also involves Elias in a very dangerous revenge scheme which changes everyone's lives in the process.  Mikael Persbrandt co-stars as Elias' father who spends a lot of time in Africa as a doctor at a refugee camp.  He is assaulted which becomes the source of the revenge scheme despite him trying to teach the kids that violence is not worth it.  This is a really good look into testing a friendship and the aftermath and consequence of what happens and the kids and parents figuring out how to deal with the has happened.  These are all very well written characters and a good story that is really worth a look.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Tom Hanks, Mark Hamill, Al Pacino, more Alfred Hitchcock, Chuck Norris, more Edward G. Robinson, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 453rd Edition

Welcome to the 453rd Edition of my series.  I am glad to announce that October 18th marks the return of Action Packed Wrestling and I will be stirring things up with the Shaun Berkey Talent Agency.  Also this week, my friend and fellow karaoke junkie Angela is looking to do karaoke every day this week starting with tonight going until Sunday and I will look to do the same so this should be interesting.

Enough Said (2013):  Nicole Holofcener wrote and directed this independent romantic comedy but please do not stop reading just because I said "romantic comedy" because it is much more than that.  SEINFELD alum Julia Louis-Dreyfuss stars as Eva who is a masseuse and is divorced as well as a single mother whose daughter will be leaving for college.  SOPRANOS alum James Gandolfini stars as Albert who is also divorced and will also be facing an empty nest.  When meeting they form an interest with each other.  Eva soon befriends a woman named Marianne, played by Catherine Keener, who rags a lot on her ex-husband which happens to be Albert and does not inform them that she is aware they they used to be married.  Toni Collette also co-stars in this film.  This is a very well-written film which has likable characters.  I really liked the low-key way Gandolfini portrays his character as really just a nice and simple man and am so glad he got to do this movie before his tragic death.  Louis-Dreyfuss and Gandolfini work very well in this film driven by a good script and characters.

A Case of Spring Fever (1940):  This is my short film for the week which was shown in theaters last night during Rifftrax before their showing of SHARKNADO so that probably says a lot right there.  This shows a man who is frustrated when having to fix the springs in their couch and makes a comment wishing there were no springs.  When saying that, a talking spring named Cully shows up and very upset at that comment so he gives the man a world with no springs.  He learns his lesson and when Cully puts things back to normal he educates his friends to no end about springs.  I learned from this short that I will never talk negatively about springs as I do not want to experience the wrath of Cully.

Son of Dracula (1974):  I learned about this movie during last week's feature on the documentary on music legend Harry Nilsson and learned that he played the title character as well as former Beatle Ringo Starr playing Merlin which really sparked my curiosity.  Nilsson stars as Count Downe and no I don't know how Dracula had a child.  Count Downe is to be crowned King of the Netherworld by his mentor which happens to be Merlin for some reason.  Count Downe falls in love with a girl named Amber and considers looking into mortality.  Baron Frankenstein insists he can do it but has other ideas.  We also have a werewolf that in in a jail cell all the time and if I'm not mistaken I believe I even saw Medusa.  There is also Van Helsing who is the second in command to Meriln and even friends with Count Downe.  This really is something that the Rifftrax guys should look into in the future.  It never really got an official release but this is available on Youtube.  It's one of those where I continue to have the letters WTF in my mind but yet I couldn't take my eyes off it.  If you are looking to get a version that matches the classics from Universal and Hammer Films, this really is not it.  This was an Apple production which was founded by the Beatles and after this movie they likely realized they should stick to music.

Rio (2011):  This is part three of my four part Anne Hathaway series and all of these so far have been animated selections just like this one.  Carlos Saldanha co-wrote and directed this animated movie on tropical birds.  Blu, voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, is a domesticated Macaw and has a very good relationship with his owner Linda, voiced by Leslie Mann.  Linda is soon visited by an ornithologist named Tulio, voiced by Rodrigo Santoro, who informs Linda that Blu is the last male macaw of his species and in Rio De Janeiro there is another female macaw named Jewel, voiced by Anne Hathaway.  She reluctantly agrees to take Blu there to save the species but finds Jewel is more wild and does not like being domesticated.  They are soon abducted and must work together to escape despite that Blu never learned to fly while Jewel can fly though Blu still shows he is very resourceful.  They also become closer in the process of being together.  Wanda Sykes, Jamie Foxx, Black Eyed Peas member Will I Am, Jane Lynch, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, and many others provide their voices.  This is a fun animated movie which I really believe is appropriate for the family.  It is also very colorful and has some fun music numbers.

Smart Money (1931):  This is part one of a two part Edward G. Robinson series.  Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney team up for the first and only time in their careers.  Both were just coming off success in their gangster films.  Robinson had LITTLE CAESAR and Cagney had PUBLIC ENEMY.  In this movie, they are both barbers who find their way into the world of illegal gambling.  Robinson stars as Nick who slowly learns the art of gambling and along with his partner Jack, played by Cagney, they rise but Nick begins to get more and more greedy along with a weakness for beautiful blondes.  Cagney is more of the supporting player in this movie but still does a great job.  Look for Boris Karloff in a bit role as a gambler.  Both of these actors would go onto do some really good movies for Warner Brothers, just not together.  This is more of a comedy than the others and may not be great but is still enjoyable.

Conspiracy (2001):  This is my HBO movie for the week.  This is a recreation of a Nazi conference in 1942 called the Wannsee Conference where Nazi and SS leaders meet and discuss the fate of the Jews in which would come to be known as the Holocaust.  Kenneth Branagh stars as Reinhard Heydrich who leads the meeting.  Stanley Tucci co-stars as Adolf Eichmann who was also a part of this meeting.  Colin Firth and Ian McNeice are members of the meeting and look for Tom Hiddleston as a phone operator.  This is a rather disturbing and compelling look at how a meeting like this may have gone down.  This is based on a document of the minutes done by undersecretary Martin Luther, played by Kevin McNally, and is the only surviving document of this conference.  This was a very well-shot movie and almost shot theatrically.  Branagh won an Emmy for his performance in this tv movie.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969):  I decided to include 007 this week and show George Lazenby's only time playing James Bond.  KOJAK alum Telly Savalas co-stars as Bond's rival SPECTRE leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld who along with his henchwoman Irma Bunt, played by Ilse Steppat, is up a scheme which Bond must go undercover to find out.  He also must team with a mob boss named Draco, played by Gabriele Ferzetti, and also falls in love with his daughter Tracy, played by Diana Rigg.  There has always been mixed opinions on Lazenby as Bond.  This is a more realistic Bond and I thought Lazenby did a better job than others when having to go undercover.  There was also a really good action climax near the end and an ending that was quite a bit different than most 007 endings.  I have also read that this is more to the novels than most of the movies.  I do not find this one to the best of the series but is still a pretty decent entry.

Rush (2013):  Ron Howard directed this racing film which takes place in the 70s during Formula 1.  This is based on the rivalry between racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda.  Chris Hemsworth plays James Hunt who is a playboy and walks a rather thin line in life.  Daniel Bruhl plays Niki Lauda who was more focused on the racing.  This is a narrative from both reflecting on their personalities on and off the track.  Olivia Wilde co-stars as Hunt's first wife.  I will be the first to say that I am really not a racing fan but still enjoyed this one.  Hemsworth and Bruhl are great in their roles.  I have heard that the rivalry was exaggerated some but both clearly respected one another.  Howard did a great job of giving an authentic look to the world of racing.  I have heard Lauda endorsed the movie and Bruhl got both the look and voice down.

A King in New York (1957):  This is a much later Charles Chaplin film which he directed and wrote as well as stars.  He stars as European King Shahdov who comes to the United States due to a revolution happening in his country.  He goes there and becomes broke so turns to television to make some money after being reluctant until learning of the money involved.  He also meets a child named Rupert, played by his own son Michael, who is a child of parents who are being suspected of communism which makes the government suspect him during the McCarthy era.  This movie was filmed in Britain because of Chaplin's deportation from the states for those very reasons.  He also pokes fun at our obsession with technology and media which is a very early look at something even more relevant in today's society.  This movie was never released in the United States until 1973.  This is a very underrated work from Chaplin who could very well be the master of making comedy out of very bad times.  He made very obvious statements on things like technology and the anti-communist scare.

Taken (2008):  I end the week with this action film directed by Pierre Morel and co-written by Luc Besson.  Liam Neeson stars as retired CIA operative Bryan Mills who looks to reconnect with his daughter Kim, played by Maggie Grace, who lives with her mom Lenore, played by Famke Jannsen, and her stepdad Stuart, played by Xander Berkeley.  Bryan reluctantly signs a form allowing Kim to go to Paris with her friend Amanda, played by Katie Cassidy.  When they arrive, they are abducted by an Albanian gang but not before Kim was talking to her father before it happened, giving him information to go upon to find Kim.  Bryan wastes no time going to Paris and pretty much using all means necessary to find his daughter.  I always say that if I can have any celebrity bodyguard, I would choose Liam Neeson without any hesitation.  This was a great action film with a good performance from Liam as the determined father racking up quite a body count.  This was very fun movie showing that one should not mess with Liam Neeson's family or there will be hell to pay.  I still cannot understand why anyone would mess with Mr. Neeson.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Alfred Hitchcock, Sam Elliot, more Edward G. Robinson, Geoffrey Rush, Charles Bronson, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 452nd Edition

Welcome to the 452nd edition of my series.  On Saturday, I look to get back into the world of theater.  I have a couple auditions and will let know as things go along.  Not a lot of big things going on right now so I'll just get to my recommendations for the week.

Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him?) (2010):  I start this week out with this music documentary which was directed by John Scheinfeld.  This explores the career and times of this musician who is relatively unknown but very respected and still has quite a following.  He is most known for his song EVERYBODY'S TALKIN' from the movie MIDNIGHT COWBOY.  This takes a look at his early days to his rise in the industry and with the friendships with the Beatles, most notably Ringo and John.  It also shows how he never performed live and became successful in other ways which is hard to do in the music industry.  It also shows his involvement in film and tv like his animated movie THE POINT which I had a lot of exposure to on account of my dad when I was little.  I first knew about Nilsson on account of my mom when I was in middle school and bought his cd.  This movie was made shortly after his death where friends and family reflect on their experiences with Nilsson who made a great mark into the music industry.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is great for fans and for those who do not know him and ask the title question.

The Cat Returns (2002):  This is my anime selection brought by Studio Ghibli and is part two of my Anne Hathaway series that will go at least three parts but maybe four.  Hiroyuki Morita directed this Anime tale about a young girl named Haru, voiced by Hathaway in the American version, who saves the life of a mysterious cat becoming part of the cat world.  The king of the cats wants her to marry his son Lune and while not wanting it, her mixed reply is taken as a yes.  This also makes her slowly turn into a cat and with the help of a couple other cats and a crow, they set out to make things right for Haru.  This is a hard one to really describe beyond what I did.  Anime is really not my genre but tend to enjoy the Studio Ghibli films and while this was not their best, it was still very enjoyable.  Cary Elwes, Kristen Bell, Rene Auberjonois, Andy Richter, Peter Boyle, Elliot Gould, and Tim Curry all lend their voices to this cat tale.

The Bounty (1984):  This is part two of a two-part series from Sir Laurence Olivier.  Roger Donaldson directed this take towards Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian and is based on the book CAPTAIN BLIGH AND MR. CHRISTIAN.  Other movies involve films of 1935 and 1962 called MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.  This takes place in the 1700s on a ship called the Bounty lead by Captain Bligh, played by Anthony Hopkins, and Fletcher Christian, played by a young Mel Gibson, who does not like his treatment causing a mutiny to happen on the ship.  In other movies, Captain Bligh is portrayed as quite villainous but in this one, it is not as black and white which really made me like this and portrays both Bligh and Christian as being wrong.  It starts out with Bligh in a court marshal explaining the events that went on which flash back to these scenes.  Daniel Day-Lewis and Liam Neeson co-star in this film.  This was a very interesting take to the familiar story with good performances and cinematography.  I also liked the music from Vangelis whose best known work is probably the CHARIOTS OF FIRE theme song.  I enjoyed this just as much if not more than the other versions and was worth a look for me.

The Future is Now (1955):  This is my documentary short for the week.  This takes a look at the possible future in the world of industry like solar energy, computerized things, television for science and industry, among other things.  It concludes that the brainpower of man will always be what needs to guide this machinery.  This was interesting, some things came to be and some did not but makes for an interesting watch.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939):  William Dieterle directed this version of the Victor Hugo novel.  Maureen O'Hara stars as the gypsy Esmerelda who is framed for murder by the corrupt Frollo, played by Cedric Hardwick, and is up to the deformed bellringer Quasimodo, played very well by Charles Laughton, who slowly sees that Frollo, who adopted Quasimodo, is not such a good person, and looks to save her from a hanging after she helped him earlier.  This is possibly the best movie adaptation of the classic novel though I really do like the Disney version.  This is a very early Beauty and the Beast sort of tale and one showing how much we fear the unknown and judge too much by looks.  There is some great performances and scenery in this take that mainly takes place at the Notre Dame cathedral.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966):  This is part two of my two-part Eli Wallach series.  This is the third of Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy starring Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name though addressed as Blondie.  He is a gunslinger out to get money where he can forming a partnership with an outlaw named Tuco, played by Eli Wallach, where they make money off Tuco's bounty in a very unique way.  Blondie soon dissolves the partnership which makes Tuco bitter and hunts down Blondie.  They soon learn of a buried treasure which Blondie learns off someone dying and realize they must keep each other alive to find this fortune they are looking for.  The third person on the trail is bounty hunter Angel Eyes, played by Lee Van Cleef, who looks to beat them to the punch.  This is one of the most iconic westerns and possibly the best in my opinion.  Ennio Morricone has an unforgettable score and has some really good action.  The trio of Eastwood, Wallach, and Van Cleef are possibly the best western trio of all time and perfectly cast in their roles, leading to a very good showdown.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Journey to Italy (1954):  This is my Italian film for the week which was directed by Roberto Rossellini.  George Sanders and Ingrid Bergman star as married couple Alex and Katherine Joyce who are a very wealthy and sophisticated couple.  They must go to Naples to dispose of their late uncle's villa and in the trip they begin to experience some tension in their marriage.  They both flashback to different times in their lives which make their marriage even more difficult and even discuss the possibility of divorce.  This is a really good movie dealing with the later years of a marriage and trying to salvage what they have.  It also has a lot of beautiful scenery along with very good performances.  This is not for everyone but foreign film buffs will love this one.

Rumble Fish (1983):  Francis Ford Coppola directed this film adaptation based on the novel by S.E. Hinton.  Matt Dillon stars as small-town thug Rusty James who lives in the shadow of his brother the Motorcycle Boy, played by a young Mickey Rourke, and longs for the days of brawls which are quite absent.  His mother has left, his father drinks a lot and school has no meaning for him.  The Motorcycle Boy returns to town after a long absence trying to get through to his brother but at the same time has his own issues to deal with.  It mostly deals with the relationship between the brothers but there is a lot more to it.  Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Diana Scarwid, Vincent Spano, Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne, and Tom Waits all co-star in this film.  This is a really good look at small-town life and shot very well in black and white where only the fish are in color.  There is also a very good scene taking place in the pet store.

Trouble Man (1972):  This is my Blaxploitation selection for the week which was directed by Ivan Dixon.  Robert Hooks stars as private investigator Mr. T who is hired to figure out who is knocking over crap games at the pool hall.  Also, a rival gang lord dies and is up to Mr. T to prevent a gang war and keep the cops off his back.  This is one that can be enjoyed if understanding and tolerant of the genre.  It is a rather fun movie and Hooks is very fun as the smooth talking p.i.

Sharknado (2013):  I end the week with this cult hit from the Syfy channel and featured last Thursday at the movie theaters under Rifftrax.  This takes place in L.A. where a hurricane hits and for some reason sharks are at very high and deadly numbers.  90210 alum Ian Ziering stars as surfer Fin and leads a group which includes his ex-wife April, played by Tara Reid, to get to safe land and stop the sharks.  John Heard, Cassandra Scerbo, Jaason Simmons, and many others co-star.  Heard was rather amusing as the bar regular who was determined to keep the stool he sat on and even used it as a weapon.  One thing I found interesting was the kids of Fin and April who looked about their age and must have been very young when giving birth.  It also has a lot of gun action and took out a lot of sharks with their aim but they were still coming from everyone and no one is safe.  This was just as intended, a purposely made "bad movie" which was a lot of fun and delivered a lot of laughs.  There is a sequel coming soon which we were treated to a preview.  The Rifftrax guys made some very amusing commentary and had some good pre-show stuff.  It was a very fun movie and is available on Instant Netflix.  This would be a good one to get some friends together and to do your own riffing on this modern day classic bad movie.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Catherine Keener, more Anne Hathaway, and many others.  Continue to read though for return of my "Movie Night at the Shera" segment.



MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Fargo (1996):  I went to Shera's house to get my annual haircut and then when in the living room, she went through her ATT On-Demand to look for a movie to watch and was very pleased with her selection of this one which is one of my favorites.  This was directed by the Coen Brothers.  William H. Macy stars as car salesman Jerry Lundegaard who is struggling financially and has a rather unusual scheme of making money.  He hires two inept criminals, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, to kidnap his wife whose father is very wealthy and to split the ransom with them.  The kidnapping goes forward and some unexpected bloodshed happens making things more complicated.  Frances McDormand co-stars as Sheriff Marge Gunderson who is pregnant and very determined to solve these murders.  This movie works so well with the dialogue, characters, scenery, music score and so many other things.  It is a great dark comedy and while the violence is limited, they really emphasize it when it happens.  Macy is great as the salesman who turns to crime but then realizes he does not have much of a criminal mind.  McDormand was also really good as the pregnant sheriff.  A lot of Shera's commentary is towards the really dumb criminals and as I explained to her, that was really the point to show how criminals usually are not that smart, especially the character Buscemi plays while gives a good performance.  In the end, Shera seemed to like it pretty well and after over saying "interesting".  I have the tv series to DVR so I'll probably start watching that soon.  The movie version is available on Instant Netflix.  So yah, give this a watch.

Shaun Berks 10 Movie Recommendations- 451st Edition

Welcome to the 451st Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good fourth of July.  Today, I am starting a weekend off shift.  I don't really know how long it will last but when on it, this will get released more early in the afternoon.  I will now get on with my selections for the week.

Hoodwinked (2005):  This is part one of an Anne Hathaway series that could go up to four parts and I know at least two as of now.  I start the week out with this animated selection of a variation towards fairy tales and notably LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.  Recipes are being stolen by the Goody Bandit and has a Roshomon type story of events that happen at Granny's house by little Red Riding Hood, voiced by Anne Hathaway, The Wolf, voiced by SEINFELD alum Patrick Warburton, a woodsman, voiced by James Belushi, and Granny, voiced by Glenn Close.  Anthony Anderson, Andy Dick, David Ogden Stiers, Xzibit, Chazz Palminteri, SPONGEBOB himself Tom Kenny, and many others lend their voices to this rather entertaining animated movie.  The animation was not necessarily the best but it was still pretty well-written and some fun characters.  It was also independently funded.  This is good for the family which has kids starting around elementary age.

Quebec in Summertime (1949):  This is my short film for the week and this is part of the Traveltalk series.  Like the others, this takes a look the landmarks and the things that happen in the city.  This has a lot of really good visuals and is a good entry into this series.

Thunder in the City (1937):  Edward G. Robinson stars as Dan who is a businessman who has rather unorthodox methods that get success but not looked very highly upon by his superiors.  He goes to England where they are said to have more sedate and conventional methods.  When going there, he is mistaken as a millionaire by a family and becomes involved in a scheme to exploit magnalite mines and uses his old methods while also becoming rivals for a girl.  Nigel Bruce, Constance Collier, and Ralph Richardson co-star in this more low-budget movie.  This is a much different and comedic part for Robinson who pulls it off pretty well.

Atonement (2007):  I finally turn to a more serious film for the week.  Joe Wright directs this movie based on the novel by Ian McEwan.  This movie centers around aspiring writer Briony Tallis, played by Saoirse Ronan, who is 13 years of age and sees her sister Cecilia, played by Keira Knightley, and Robbie Turner, played by James McAvoy in front of the fountain in a moment of passion.  A lie that Briony tells, changes the course of their lives forever.  Brenda Blethyn, Juno Temple, Benedict Cumberbatch, Vanessa Redgrave and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good drama and to go further into it might give it away.  This was very well directed and acted.  This is a very compelling film from beginning into what I thought was a very good ending.

The Land that Time Forgot (1975):  This is based on the novel from Edgar Rice Borroughs of Tarzan fame.  This starts in the WWI time period where a German U-Boat sinks a British ship and takes the survivors on board.  The submarine takes a wrong turn ending up in an unknown land called Caprona which is inhabited by dinosaurs and Neanderthal people.  They must all work together to survive on this island.  This is not a bad sci-fi movie and even the special effects I felt were decent for their time period.  It is a pretty entertaining movie to watch if you are not expecting JURASSIC PARK quality.

Skins (2002):  Chris Eyre directed this film based on the novel by Adrian C. Louis.  This movie takes place on an Indian reservation and focuses on two brothers Rudy and Mogie.  Eric Schweig stars as Rudy who is with the police force.  Graham Greene stars as Mogie who has been through a lot and is quite the alcoholic which Rudy tries in every way to save from that lifestyle.  Rudy also has tired of the crime that happens in his town and resorts to vigilante actions to make a point which leads to tragedy but also a time to reconnect with his brother.  This is in many ways sad but in a way is inspirational.  This is a pretty realistic look at a reservation and showing the difficulty of life in a very poor part of the United States.  Greene was very good as Mogie as well as Schweig.  This is a really good independent film that is worth a look.

The Lineup (1958):  This is my tribute to Eli Wallach who recently left us and will be a two-part series.  Don Siegel directed this film noir.  Wallach and Julian are very ruthless gangsters who are looking for a heroin shipment which is in a doll in which an unsuspecting mother and daughter have.  Things get worse when the daughter unknowingly destroys the heroin.  Wallach is ruthless to the core with very little if any redeeming qualities to his character.  This takes place in San Francisco and has a really good look to it.  I also like the way it switches between the cops investigating and the criminals with their plan.  There is also quite a bit of action for a movie in this era, especially Wallach who has no regard for anyone.  This is a rather underrated movie from this era.

Redbelt (2008):  David Mamet wrote and directed this film which really comes down to being a character study in my opinion.  Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as martial arts instructor Mike Terry whose wife Sondra, played by Alice Braga, has a family which promotes fights but mike feels that fight competitions are degrading and sticks to teaching it so that people can defend themselves.  He has a hard enough time supporting his facility and events lead him to be even more in debt making him finally break down and join a mixed martial arts tournament.  HOME IMPROVEMENT alum Tim Allen co-stars as a movie star whose life Mike saves and becomes a part of Mike's debt.  It is also interesting to see Allen in a more serious role.  Ricky Jay, Max Martini, Emily Mortimer, Randy Couture, David Paymer, Joe Mantegna, THE SHELD alum Cathy Cahlin Ryan, Jennifer Grey, boxer Ray Mancini, Ed O'Neil, Matt Malloy, and many others co-star in this independent film.  I will admit that I thought I knew what to expect but was quite wrong.  It really is not as predictable as one might think.  Ejiofor is very good as the good-nature Terry who must become a part of a world of backstabbing and greed.

The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968):  This is part one of a two-part Laurence Olivier series.  Michael Anderson directs this movie on the Vatican.  Anthony Quinn stars as Ukrainian Archbishop Kiril Lakota who is released from a Siberian prison where he has been a political prisoner for 20 years.  When the pope dies, he reluctantly accepts the position after being elected and must deal with China/Soviet relations.  Laurence Olivier, Oskar Werner, Vittorio De Sica, Leo McKern, John Gielgud, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very interesting look into the world of the Vatican with good performances.

Short Term 12 (2013):  I end this week with this independent film written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.  Brie Larson stars as Grace who works at a youth treatment facility for at-risk kids along with her long-time boyfriend Mason, played by John Gallagher Jr.  Things change when a girl named Jayden, played by Kaitlyn Dever, comes in and forms an unexpected bond with her and also brings memories back for her.  She then begins going off the deep end some and must decide what is best for her life and career.  I don't really want to go much further into this film.  It is a very well-written film carried very well by the unknown cast including Stephanie Beatriz, Rami Malek, Alex Calloway, and Kevin Hernandez.  This is a really good look into a foster care facility and the dedication it takes to work at a place like that.  This is available on Instant Netflix and it is too bad they did not have the budget to get the sort of publicity it deserves.  I am always glad to promote an independent film like this one.

Well that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Anne Hathaway, more Laurence Olivier, Maureen O'Hara, more Eli Wallach, and many others.