Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 476th Edition

Welcome to the 476th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good holiday and they also have a good New Year.  I think I am ready for 2015 so give it what you got.  I will now get into my selections for the week.

Mr. Warmth:  The Don Rickles Project (2007):  I start the week out with this comedy on the family actor/comedian.  This includes clips from his shows, interviews with his peers and other young comedians.  People reflect on his home life and his no holds barred comedy style.  There are a lot of very funny clips from his tv appearances and his own live performances.  If one is easily offended, this is not for them but his insulting comedic style has become popular and many celebrities see it as an honor if they are insulted by them.

Burlesque (2010):  This is part one of my two-part Kristen Bell series where she is at first the lead dancer but slowly loses her place in the bar.  Steve Antin wrote and directed this movie that takes place in the Burlesque Lounge.  Singer Christina Aguilera stars as Ali who is a small-town girl and singer who decides to move from Iowa to L.A.  While looking for a job she stumbles upon this bar and takes interest in the dancing she sees.  She is able to get a job as a dancer in this bar and slowly becomes a favorite when people hear her singing.  Cher stars as the owner of the struggling bar who does what she can to keep the bar alive and refusing to give into wealthy businessman Marcus, played by Eric Dane.  Cam Gigandet, Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, Peter Gallagher, Stanley Tucci, GLEE alum Dianna Agron, James Brolin, and many others co-star in this film.  For me, this was fun and entertaining.  If watching this for a great storyline, this may not be it but it does entertain with the song and dance numbers and good performances.

North and South (2004):  This is my BBC mini-series for the week based on a story by Elizabeth Gaskell.  Daniela Denby-Ashe stars as Margaret Hale who moves to the north into a more industrial town.  Richard Armitage stars as mill owner John Thornton who at first is seen as treating his workers very harshly and Margaret forms a very quick opinion of him.  Slowly, through the movie, she forms more of an understanding of Mr. Thornton's ways and slowly forms an attraction to him.  This is a very complex story on the struggles of an industrial town.  This is a four-part mini-series which has four episodes each of about an hour.

Frosty the Snowman (1969):  This is my post-holiday short for the week.  This is one I grew up with and watched it a lot at my dad's house.  This is a Bass-Rankin animated special that features the character in that popular Christmas carol.  In this one, a few children create a snowman which comes to life on account of a hat that belongs to an greedy magician.  The kids try to help Frosty get to the North Pole where it is always cold while eluding the magician.  This is a timeless classic for the family for any generation.

Tiger Shark (1932):  Howard Hawks directed this love story of the sea.  Edward G. Robinson stars as tuna fisherman Mike who is a great fisherman but loses his hand to a shark while trying to save his friend Pipes, played by Richard Arlen.  In the process, Mike meets Quita, played by Zita Johann, and marries her but is unaware that she is in love with Pipes.  Both Hawks and Robinson have done better but it was good to see Robinson play against type and carried it pretty well.

A Christmas Carol (1938):  This is another post-holiday selection and possibly the iconic film version of the classic novel from Charles Dickens.  Just about everyone knows the story where a miser named Scrooge who has shut himself off from the world and is all about money.  The ghost of his business partner Jacob Marley visits him to let know that his ways will end him up in chains just like him if he does not make a chain and also warns of the visits of three ghosts.  The ghosts come from the past, present, and future to show him the lives of himself and others who are in his life in order to show him the Christmas spirit.  Reginald Owen plays Ebenezer Scrooge in this one.  Gene Lockhart co-stars as Scrooge's assistant Cratchit who has problems with his son Tiny Tim, played by Terry Kilburn, with health problems but an employer who overworks and underpays him.  Leo G. Caroll has a really good look as Marley and Ann Rutherford co-stars as the Ghost of Christmas Present.  I thought Tiny Tim was more social in this one and I feel Reginald Owen has the best transition of going from the ruthless businessman into a better man.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

Time Limit (1957):  Karl Malden takes a directing turn in this war drama that takes place during the Korean War.  Richard Basehart plays former POW Major Harry Cargill who admits to collaborating with the enemy.  Richard Widmark stars as Colonel William Edwards who is investigating and does not believe that Cargill's confession is black and white and wants more details.  Dolores Michaels, June Lockhart, Martin Balsam, Rip Torn and many others co-star in this drama.  This was a very well done film and Malden does really good in the only movie that he has directed.  There is a really good tension in the film and is really worth a watch.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

I Used to be Darker (2013):  Matthew Porterfield directed and co-wrote this film.  Deragh Campbell stars as Taryn who runs away from her home in Northern Island and takes refuge with her aunt and uncle who live in Maryland.  When there she witnesses her aunt and uncle's marriage falling apart and tries to bond with her cousin.  I really don't know where the title comes from.  This is kind of a coming of age film and one about family revelations and a pretty honest film.  This is worth a look and is available on Instant Netflix.

F.I.S.T. (1978):  I was at the library and found this movie I had not heard of with Sylvester Stallone and it sounded pretty interesting so I decided to give it a look.  Norman Jewison directed this film that was written by Joe Eszterhas.  Stallone stars as Johnny Kovak who works during the Depression and has a work where he is overworked and underpaid.  He joins a Teamsters union leader and helps found the Federation of Inter-State Truckers and starts to move up the ranks.  As he moves up the ranks, his methods become more ruthless and becomes investigated by Senator Madison, played by Rod Steiger, who believes he has connections to the mob.  Peter Boyle, Melinda Dillon, Kevin Conway, and Tony Lo Bianco all co-star in this film.  This is loosely based on Jimmy Hoffa who was the president of the Teamsters Union.  It is unfortunate how unknown this movie has become as even I knew nothing about this movie until I saw a dvd on the shelf of a library.  Stallone does a really good job in this film showing how idealism can be corrupted by ambition.
Hotel Transylvania (2012):  I end this week with this animated comedy which feature all our classic monster characters.  I did my routine where I came up with a list of 20 movies and asked by friend Ashley for a number and this is what got selected.  Dracula, voiced by Adam Sandler, decides to builds a resort in Transylvania of the title name and looks to raise his daughter Mavis, voiced by Selena Gomez, in a safe environment where there is no danger of those dangerous humans.  During Mavis' 118th birthday celebration, all our favorite monsters come to celebrate but there is also a human named Jonathan, voiced by Andy Samburg, which stumbles upon the hotel.  Dracula finds him and makes him pose as a monster while Mavis takes a liking to him.  Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Ceelo Green, Jon Lovitz, Chris Parnell, Robert Smigel, and many others provide voices.  This was a pretty fun movie that fits more into an October edition but made its way into a post-Christmas one.  I'm sure many who see the name Adam Sandler attached to the name Dracula that they want to run for the hills but I thought he did a pretty good comedic Dracula and had a good voice.  I was willing to overlook usual rules like vampires not being able to have kids and probably my biggest pet peeve of the creature being addressed as Frankenstein I was able to overlook.  This is a pretty funny movie that the whole family can watch.

Well, that is it for this week.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Kristen Bell, Matt Damon, Gary Cooper, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 475th Edition

Welcome to the 475th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone has a good holiday this year however one might celebrate.  I also want to let know that my friend Ashley is visiting from Philadelphia and is playing a show at the Silo in Muncie from 8-9:30 so if you are in the area come out for some good music.  I will get to my selections for the week.

December Boys (2007):  I start the week out with this Australian film and kind of a holiday film.  Rod Hardy directed this film based on the novel by Michael Noonan.  Daniel Radcliffe stars as Maps who is part of an orphanage and along with his three best friends, played by Lee Cormie, Christian Byers, and James Fraser, is sent to a vacation for a holiday by the sea.  When there, they learn that a couple might be considering adoption where they each compete to get adopted and bringing a tension to themselves.  Jack Thompson, Teresa Palmer, Sullivan Stapleton, Victoria Hill, Max Cullen, and many others co-star.  I really thought this was a very well-written film with very good characters.  With the scenery and the script, I will go so far as to call this a very beautiful film.  I would love to live in a community like that where everyone is pretty friendly and nice weather.  This is one that really deserves a look in my opinion and is a good coming-of-age film.

The Five-Year Engagement (2012):  I follow-up with this romantic comedy which was directed by Nicholas Stoller and co-wrote it along with the star of the film Jason Segal.  Jason Segal and Emily Blunt star as Tom Solomon and Violet Barnes who are a couple engaged to be married.  They live in San Francisco where Tom is a respected chef and Violet is an experimental psychologist.  Violet is offered grad school in Ann Arbor, Michigan where Tom supports her move sacrificing a job as head chef to support her.  They also delay their wedding much to the dismay of the family.  In Michigan, Violet is doing well in school but Tom has a hard time adjusting and cannot find the kind of work he does which makes him very frustrated.  Chris Pratt, Allison Brie, David Paymer, Rhys Ifans, Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, Molly Shannon, Chris Parnell, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This does take a good look at the trials of an engagement and relationship and how it can really change someone.  There are some pretty funny moments in this film.  I believe it could have been 90 minutes instead of the two hours but still a fun movie and decent romantic comedy.

Neil Young:  Heart of Gold (2006):  Jonathan Demme directed this concert movie that was shot in Nashville over a period of a couple days for Neil Young and his band which includes Emmylou Harris.  It mostly focuses on his songs from his album PRAIRIE WIND.  It also focuses on some of his other songs like the one in the title.  Demme does a great job bringing this concert to film and is a must for fans of Neil Young.

Popeye the Sailor (1933):  This is my animated short for the week which features Popeye's first animated appearance.  It is actually billed as a Betty Boop cartoon but really stars Popeye.  This is mostly Popeye singing his signature song and does the hula with Betty and also fights Bluto in order to save his Olive Oyl from being tied to the railroad tracks in a strange way.  This is a good intro to the famous sailor man and if nothing else is his and Betty Boop doing the hula.  This can easily be found on Youtube.

An American Christmas Carol (1979):  This is my tv movie for the week.  Eric Till directed this variation of the Dickens classic where HAPPY DAYS alum Henry Winkler stars as Benedict Slade who is the equivalent of Ebenezer Scrooge and a very ruthless businessman during the depression era.  On one Christmas Eve, he goes around confiscating things and is soon visited by the three ghosts who look to set him in the right direction.  This is a pretty good adaption and tv movie.  They do a good make-up job on Winkler so that he is older in the modern era and can play his younger self in flashbacks.  Dorian Harewood, Susan Hogan, and R.H. Thomson co-star in this tv movie.  This is a more overlooked version but one that deserves a look.

Handle With Care (1958):  I found this b-list movie on TCM.  This movie takes place in a small town law school where Dean Jones stars as law school student Zachary Davis.  In the class, they plan a mock trial but Zach decides to take it in a different direction and do an actual investigation that might expose some local corruption.  It does not sit well with most of the locals as he is an outsider.  Thomas Mitchell co-stars as the town mayor who is Zach's main target in his investigation.  This was not a bad lower budget movie from that era which kind of played out like a tv movie.  I remember once being part of a mock trial years ago at a boy scout camp where I was recruited to be an unreliable witness and realized then when I was questioned by real-life attorneys that I never want to be in trouble with the law.  This was a pretty good drama on a mock trial that becomes all to real to some.

I am Santa Claus (2014):  This is my holiday documentary for the week which was directed by Tommy Avallone.  This takes a look at the lives of professional Santas who absolutely live for what they do.  It also takes a look at their lives and their anticipation for the season.  One part of the movie is filmed in Santa Claus, Indiana which is south of where I live and are known for Holiday World.  One of the Santas is openly gay and another is nearly homeless living with his daughter.  It also focuses on wrestling legend Mick Foley who is known to have a year round obsession with Santa decides to try donning the outfit himself.  This is a very fascinating film that show that these guys are human like everyone else but their passion for what they do really shows.  This is a really good holiday documentary and made me think of myself with my capabilities of growing fairly long hair and a pretty big beard...

Blossoms in the Dust (1941):  This has some holiday elements and opened my eyes some.  Mervyn Leroy directed this film based on a true story.  Greer Garson stars as Edna Gladney who hates to see children who are orphans and decides to open up an orphanage and help these children find good homes.  Not stopping there, she also does not like the label children are given of "illegitimate" and the way they are judged just because they are born out of wedlock.  Walter Pidgeon also co-stars in this film.  This is a person who really set the stage for adoption.  This is a very inspirational film which features a real-life woman who made it her mission to help orphaned children.

Fitzwilly (1967):  This is another holiday comedy that I came across.  Dick Van Dyke stars as Claude Fitzwilliam who works for Miss Vicki, played by Edith Evans, who is now broke after her father's death.  Claude becomes a form of a Robin Hood when he leads a scheme to steal from the rich.  Barbara Feldon co-stars as Juliet who has just been hired and starts to fall in love with Claude.  She wants him to stop his ways but agrees to one last caper before their marriage.  This is a very fun comedy with a good performance out of Van Dyke.

Alexander Hamilton (2007):  I end this week with this historical documentary which is an episode from the PBS series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.  The first time I ever really heard of Alexander Hamilton was in the '90s when I was in middle school and they played a milk commercial where a guy who is clearly an expert towards Hamilton and has the opportunity to win a lot of money by answering the question "who shot Alexander Hamilton?"  Unfortunately, he has a lot of food in his mouth at the time and when going for the milk, he realizes he has none and was not able to give a clear answer after time ran out.  I would then go onto learn that he is on the $10 bill and that he was involved a lot with the treasury but watching this documentary, I learned that he was far more.  This starts from his childhood where he was born out of wedlock which was a very difficult thing in those days.  He would make the most of it and during the Revolutionary War, earned the respect of General George Washington.  He would also become one of the founding fathers and help set the structure for our country financially.  It also shows how he is very set in his ways and principles and had a lot of people not liking him including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the more fateful one with Aaron Burr.  This was very fascinating documentary of an idealistic man who helped his country make a lot of money but never really had any for himself.  It also shows an honest man and one that was possibly a little too honest at times.  After being in 1776, it got me more fascinated more for politics of this era and I might just start featuring these kinds of documentaries more often.  The people on this documentary were some historians but some actors playing the people in Hamilton's life which was also rather interesting.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 474th Edition

Welcome to the 474th Edition of my series.  Tonight is a very good night in Muncie.  The best karaoke dj Craig is returning to Valhalla after a few months tonight and I could not be more excited.  I hope everyone is having a good holiday season.  I will now get to my selections for the week.

Mad Max (1979):  I start the week out with this low-budget classic which made Med Gibson a big name in the acting world.  George Miller directed and co-wrote this film which takes place in an apocalyptic future in the Australian wastelands.  Gibson stars as Max Rockatansky who has a good life as a cop with a wife and child but becomes judge, jury, and executioner when he is targeted and loses his wife and child.  This movie's low-budget works very well with the script, performances, and the cinematography.  This is the start to a big career for Mel Gibson who does a great job as the title character.  I know Mel Gibson has said some strange things and can be quite unlikable in the media but try to put feelings aside for this one and just watch a great film.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

The Karate Kid, Part II (1986):  This is the sequel from the 1984 hit where Daniel, reprised by Ralph Macchio, accompanies his mentor Mr. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita, who returns to Japan to visit his dying father.  In Japan, Miyagi begins to reconnect with an old flame and also must face a rival from years ago.  Daniel ends up in the middle and makes an enemy of his own in the meantime.  This is a good sequel and in some ways liked it better than the first one as I thought this one had better messages.  I don't want to go further on things that I could give away.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Pocketful of Miracles (1961):  This is one of my holiday selections for the week and directed by Frank Capra.  This is kind of a variation of MY FAIR LADY where Bette Davis stars as a street beggar named Apple Annie.  Glenn Ford stars as gangster Dave the Dude who along with his girlfriend Queenie, played by Hope Lange, and turn her into a society woman before Annie's daughter comes to town.  Arthur O'Connell, Peter Falk, Thomas Mitchell, Sheldon Leonard, Ann-Margret, and many others co-star in this film.  Bette Davis does well in her rare comedic role.  It could be could to do a Capra double feature for the holidays with this one and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.  Both of them do well in their own ways.

Santa Claus (1959):  This is my holiday b-movie selection for the week which I got to see at the movie theaters and presented by Rifftrax.  I believe this was shot in Mexico and go over a few key points that I learned about Santa Claus is that he actually lives in some other planet which I believe was over the North Pole.  He also had children from around the world that worked for him instead of elves.  The beginning was having each country sing some annoying song and the children so not seem very excited or happy.  We also learn that Santa and Satan are enemies and Satan sends down his minion Pitch, who loves to dance, to stop Santa from delivering gifts.  If Pitch in unsuccessful, he must eat ice cream as punishment.  To add to that, evidently king Arthur outgrew Merlin since now Merlin works for Santa in making potions.  This is quite possibly the most bizarre movie I have seen.  I first saw it years ago when I found it on TCM so I recorded it out of curiosity.  I'm watching it and at every turn I am thinking "WTF" but yet I could not take my eyes off it.  This was a good experience and a great selection for Rifftrax.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013):  Martin Scorsese directed this film based on the autobiography by Jordan Belfort.  Leonardo DiCaprio plays the part of Belfort which starts from the beginnings to his rise as a stockbroker where he is learning through Mark Hanna, played by Matthew McConaughey, who pretty much teaches him corrupt methods but then it goes out of business.  Belfort soon finds himself in a penny stockbroker job where the biggest rise and scam happens.  He meets Donnie Azoff, played by Jonah Hill, and forms the Stratford-Oakmont brokerage firm turning just about all walks of life into greedy stockbrokers.  In the attention he is getting, he is also being investigated by the FBI and looks for ways to cover his tracks.  It also shows his downfall into the world of drugs.  Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley, Christine Ebersole, P.J. Byrne, Ethan Suplee, Jake Hoffman, and many others co-star in this film.  The real Jordan Belfort has a bit part and was on hand to coach DiCaprio on his behavior.  This is a really good film showing American excess for a lack of a better phrase.

Enemy of the State (1998):  Tony Scott directed this action film and holiday film unbeknownst to me at the time.  Will Smith stars as Washington D.C. attorney Robert Dean who ends up with information on a murder that was politically motivated and lead by Congressman Thomas Reynolds, played by Jon Voight, and becomes targeted by Reynolds.  Coming to his aid is former spy Edward Lyle, played by Gene Hackman, who teams with Dean to bring down Reynolds.  Lisa Bonet, Regina King, Stuart Wilson, Barry Pepper, Ian Hart, Scott Caan, Jake Busey, Jason Lee, Gabriel Byrne, James Le Gros, Jack Black, Jamie Kennedy, Lillo Brancato, Seth Green, Philip Baker Hall, Jason Robarts, Tom Sizemore, and many others co-star in this action film.  This movie might be relevant for today in its talk about government surveillance which is what we have been more concerned than ever about.  It also has some really good action scenes.  In some ways, this was Will Smith's transition into a more serious role after years of doing comedy.  This is a pretty fun action film but has a pretty good message at the same time.

Yellowstone Park:  'Nature's Playground' (1936):  This is my short film for the week which is part of the Traveltalks series.  This if you have not guessed focuses on the famed national park in Wyoming.  This takes a look at the beautiful waterfalls, grizzly bears, and the Old Faithful geyser.  This has some really good scenery and was worth a few minutes to check out.

The Housemaid (2010):  This is my Korean film for the week.  A couple weeks ago during my all foreign language 9 year anniversary, I included the 1960 version of this film which is also Korean and was ranks up there as one of the most disturbing films I have seen.  I decided to check out this remake.  A young woman named Eun-Yi is the title character who becomes nanny for a wealthy family and the wife is expecting twins.  She is soon seduced by the husband and the family tries to sabotage her.  In the beginning, the housemaid was more conniving and in this one, she is provoked by the manipulative family.  This version loses its creepy feel in my opinion but is still rather compelling with an interesting ending.  In this version, I thought the housemaid was more of the protagonist.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Wild Strawberries (1957):  Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed this Swedish film and I have always regarded this as my favorite Bergman.  Victor Sjostrom stars as Dr. Isak Borg who has won an honorary degree.  Through the years Dr. Borg has become very cold and shut off from the world.  He decides to drive and along for the ride is his daughter in law Marianne, played by Ingrid Thulin, where they get very candid with each other along the drive.  Also along the drive, he picks up others and begins to rethink his decisions he has made through flashbacks.  Max Von Sydow has a small part in the film.  Bergman does great with the road movie genre and is a pretty moving story on looking back on the moments missed.

Solo Con Tu Pareja (1991):  I end with this early Alfonso Cuaron comedy from Mexico.  I decided to use my process again where I come up with 20 selections that I believe fit the mold and get an FB friend to choose a number.  The first selection chose did not end up fitting into this one but will go into next one so I turned to my friend the Sly Fox to choose another number which resulted into this foreign language film.  Daniel Gimenez Cacho stars as Tomas Tomas who is a yuppie and womanizer and angered a nurse named Silvia with his womanizing ways so as payback she says that he has HIV giving him quite a scare.  This makes Tomas look for a quick death in his belief that he is dying and in the process falls in love with Clarisa who is a stewardess and is also suicidal for other reasons.  Cuaron makes his directorial debut and was the start of things to come.  He did not go onto do as much in comedy but this delivers some pretty good laughs like a scene involving a microwave.  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.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 473rd Edition

Welcome to the 473rd Edition of my series.  The first month of the holidays have started but I won't overdue it holiday selections.  I am unemployed in the world of theater and entertainment for now but I always have karaoke at my front if need be so for now I will continue this great work.  I don't really have much to say at the moment so I'll just get to my selections for the week.

Saturday Night Live:  The Best of Jimmy Fallon (2005):  This probably does not qualify as a movie but since it is my blog and I make the rules I can call it that.  This is a few skits from Jimmy Fallon on his SNL days before he became a late night host.  One notable one is where he is impersonating Mick Jagger while Mick Jagger is on the other side and looking through a mirror.  There is also some Celebrity Jeopardy where he does a dead-on Adam Sandler impersonation.  Some of them near the end I did not find as funny but this does deliver laughs like a cameo by Robert De Niro.

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999):  This is my biopic for the week and HBO movie.  Halle Berry stars as Dorothy Dandridge who I suppose one could say she broke the color barrier among Hollywood.  This follows her early career when she was performing in nightclubs with a sister act among her family, into her rise in Hollywood where she became the first black actress to be nominated for Best Actress.  It also shows her dark side in life.  Brent Spiner co-stars as her her very faithful agent who stands by her no matter what.  Klaus Maria Brandauer co-stars as director Otto Preminger who has an affair with Dandridge and also helped her career get going but might have made some wrong decisions afterwards.  Obba Babatunde, Loretta Devine, Cynda Williams, William Atherton, D.B. Sweeney, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty decent story of an actress who broke ground being a black woman playing non-slave/servant roles but had a very tragic life.  Quite the irony that the star of the film was the first black woman to win Best Actress and portrays the first black woman to be nominated for Best Actress.

Dead in Tombstone (2013):  This is my guilty pleasure of the week.  Danny Trejo stars as Guerrero who is a gang leader in a western town and is murdered in a power play.  In his death, he ends up in hell where he meets the devil, played by none other than Mickey Rourke fresh off his victory in boxing, and proposes to the devil a deal where he will kill six other gang members and bring their souls for him to escape damnation.  Anthony Michael Hall co-stars as Guerrero's brother which I assume is a half one who is now the leader of the gang.  Hall was far meaner than I have ever seen him.  Dina Meyer co-stars as a town cop who helps Guerrero in his mission.  This is what it is and rather fun if not taken too seriously and an interesting twist towards the western genre.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Posture Pals (1952):  This is my short for the week which was featured on the MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 episode which showed last week's feature THE UNEARTHLY.  This takes place in a third grade classroom where a teacher gives a "posture test" where four kids fail it and are encouraged to work together so that they can earn a paper crown for winning.  This was funny on many levels and was a perfect way for MST3K to start out.  This episode can be found on Instant Netflix.

Babes in Toyland (1934):  I finally bring a holiday selection in this version of the classic tale which stars comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.  In the world of Toyland, Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try to borrow money from their employer the Toymaker in hopes of paying the mortgage on Mother Peep's shoe and keep Little Bo Peep from having to marry the ruthless Barnaby, played by Henry Brandon.  The bumbling friends do everything possible to help the Peep family with some very funny results.  This is a really a good movie that brings together a lot of fairy tales and the best of what I have seen from Laurel and Hardy.

Double Headed Eagle:  Hitler's Rise to Power 1918-1933 (1973):  This is my documentary for the week which is more like clips put together from these time periods.  There were some footage that was pretty rare like one where it appears that he had just come into power.  There were some other pretty interesting speeches from Hitler which really show his skills as an orator and his ways of making his people actually believe him.  Some of the footage I found a bit unnecessary but was worth it of the footage showing the rise of the Nazi regime and especially for the beginning speech he made.  This is also available Instant Netflix.

Beauty and the Beast (1946):  Notice the year this was made.  This is my French film for the week which was directed by Jean Cocteau.  Josette Day stars as Belle whose father ends up at a castle ran by a beast, played by Jean Marais, and is taken prisoner.  She decides to take his place in his castle where the start of this tale as old as time begins.  As you see, the plot is pretty much the same as the famed Disney version but this version has darker imagery within the castle.  This does not have the talking objects but has things like arms holding the candles in the wall.  This is still a very good and compelling version of this tale with very good performances all around.  From what I can remember, there is no explanation on why the prince became a beast.  Cocteau also did a great job of making the most of what he had long before we had the technology for special effects.  This tale as old as time really deserves a watch and could be a good double feature to watch along with the Disney version in which I had the pleasure to play Lefou in our local version.

The Rescuers Down Under (1990):   I follow up now with some Disney animation.  The courageous mice Bernard and Miss Bianca, voiced by Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor, return to save a boy and a rare eagle from a very ruthless poacher named McLeach, voiced by George C. Scott.  This was a sequel to the 1977 film THE RESCUERS.  John Candy provides the voice to the loyal Albatross Wilbur.   Tristan Rogers, Frank Welker, Douglas Seale, Billy Barty, and many others provide their voices to this film.  This is a pretty fun adventure film which can be pretty disturbing at times with McLeach who has absolutely no redeeming qualities.  Still something the family can watch in my opinion and a pretty good sequel unless it is considered more like a continuation.  This is available on Instant Netflix along with the first one.

12 Angry Men (1957):  Sidney Lumet directed this film which is really one of my favorites from the era.  The trial portion of a murder case is over and now the jury must decide the fate of the defendant.  The jurors are ready to go and most believe he is guilty thinking it will not be a long deliberation until juror #8, played very well by Henry Fonda, feels that the evidence is not as obvious as many think.  He begins to work on the other 11 jurors that there is reasonable doubt in the case.  Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, and Robert Webber star as the other members of the jury.  The movie revolved in the jury room showing all the tension within the room.  I once auditioned for a play version at Belfry but unfortunately did not get a part.  Any theater in my area, let's give this a shot please.  I was once a member of a jury in a trial that lasted a whole week where it did not quite get this intense but really had to work through some disagreements.  The whole case carried this movie very well and a movie I never tire of seeing.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

The Falcon and the Snowman (1985):  I end with this 80s film where I came up with a list of 20 films that I thought would fit the week as the 10th film and messaged my friend Amber whose selection of 13 resulted in this one.  John Schlesinger directed this film based on the novel by Robert Lindsey which is based on a true story.  Timothy Hutton stars as Christopher Boyce who is an All-American man who works as a guard for sensitive government documents.  What Boyce begins to see makes him lose his faith in his country and becomes a spy for Russia along with his drug pusher childhood friend Daulton, played by Sean Penn.  Pat Hingle, Joyce Van Patten, and Dorian Harewood all co-star in this film.  It's a rather unbelievable but true tale of seemingly regular people selling secrets to Russia.  Any more description may give this away but I believe this is a rather overlooked 80s movie that really deserves 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 Mel Gibson, Bette Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and many others.