Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 489th Edition

Welcome to the 489th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone is doing well and I will stay positive that the weather will be warm soon.  I really don't want to get into this new Indiana law so I will get to my selections for the week.

ShowBusiness:  The Road to Broadway (2007):  I start the week out with this documentary which was directed by Dori Berinstein.  This documentary takes a look at four new musicals of the 2004 season.  One of them was WICKED which has gone onto becoming a very popular musical and one I had the pleasure of seeing in Chicago years ago.  The next one was AVENUE Q which for a lack of a better explanation is SESAME STREET for adults and I got to see that one done at the Phoenix Theater years ago.  Another one was written by Boy George called TABOO which was based on his life.  The last one was a more unconventional one in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE which was more for artistic merit than mainstream.  This goes behind the scenes including a group of theater critics discussing their thoughts on some of these.  It can make one wonder how beneficial theater critics really are to Broadway.  There are interviews from people like Stephen Schwartz, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Boy George and many others.  This was a very insightful documentary into the world of theater.

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013):  I follow up with the Coen Brothers in their look at the folk music scene in Greenwich Village in the 1960s.  Oscar Isaac stars as the title character who is a struggling musician trying to make it in the music industry as well as struggling with the cold winter.  This is one that is really driven by characters and is a brutally honest film.  This is not some upbeat inspirational movie but is still enjoyable and I'm sure a lot of musicians relate to this one.  Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Max Casella, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, and many others co-star in this film.  Davis does a great job in this film conveying his desires and struggles.  There is not a lot that can be put into words in this one so I say just watch the movie.

Lords of Dogtown (2005):  Catherine Hardwicke directed this dramatization on a group of guys called the Z-Boys.  They were a group of skateboarders in Santa Monica, California who started a lot of trends in the world of skateboarding helping what we have today in the sport of skateboarding.  This movie also deals with some of the heartbreak when things turn into bug business.  Emile Hirsch, John Robinson, Rebecca De Mornay, Nikki Reed, Heath Ledger, Shea Wigham and many others co-star.  Charles Napier, Joel McHale, Bai Ling, Alexis Arquette, and Jeremy Renner all have bit parts as well as skateboarding superstar Tony Hawk.  This is a pretty moving and inspiration film.  I enjoy the parts where they look for an empty swimming pool to perfect their craft.

Ain't It Aggravatin' (1954):  This is my short film for the week and is one of the Pete Smith Specialty shorts.  Dave O'Brien stars as the hapless protagonist where we see his struggles in parallel parking and making a patio.  Smith provides his usual good narration and is an enjoyable few minutes.

Vampyr (1932):  This is my German film for the week.  Carl Theodore Dreyer directed film which stars Julian West as a traveler named Allen Gray who arrives in a remote castle and sees some strange happenings.  One of the daughters of the lord of the castle becomes very sick but Allen believes there is more to it and something very sinister going on.  This is a mostly silent film but has some dialogue.  The work gets itself through the camera work and the atmospheric direction.  This is a very well-done and surreal film in which horror and foreign film buffs would really enjoy.

Play It Again, Sam (1972):  Herbert Ross directed this film based on the play written by Woody Allen which is an homage to the classic CASABLANCA and to Bogart.  Woody stars as film critic Allan whose wife has just left which really crushes his ego.  He begins to channel his hero persona of Humphrey Bogart, played by Jerry Lacy, who actually gives Allan advice.  He takes the advice of this married couple friends Linda and Dick, played by Diane Keaton and Tony Roberts, to start dating again.  When Dick has to leave town, Allan spends a lot of time with Linda and finds that she is who he loves.  Jennifer Salt and Viva also co-star in this comedy.  This is one of my favorite works from Woody in what is many ways an homage to film.  His apartment is great which consists of many posters of Bogart.  This is a play I would love to someday be a part of so anyone involved in community theater selection, please get on it.

The Time Machine (1960):  George Pal directed this adaptation to the novel by H.G. Wells.  Rod Taylor stars as Victorian scientist H. George Wells who has developed a time machine and goes into the future to see how society has changed through the years.  In many years into the future he encounters a society who just seem apathetic about everything.  He soon learns they are run by creatures called Morlocks and tries to teach these people how to fight for what they love.  Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot, Tom Helmore, Whit Bissell, and many others co-star in this film.  This is the first film adaptation and is a tough one to top.  It had good performances and special effects that were good even seeing them today.  This is a very enjoyable sci-fi film that went way past the term "B-Movie".

Leila (1997):  This is my Iranian film for the week which was directed and co-written by Dariush Mehrjui.  Leila Hatami stars as the title character who has just met the love of her life in Reza, played by Ali Mosaffa, and they get married.  Things become complicated when Leila discovers she cannot have children which Reza seems okay with but not his mother.  His mother encourages him to get a second marriage in order to get her a grandchild.  Reza is very resistant to this but even his wife encourages him due to tradition and all.  This is a very interesting look at tradition in this country and how love can be torn apart because of it.  I also like the portrayal of Reza who is really a pretty good person and not controlling or abusive like we might stereotype for that race a lot.  This is a very well done film from Iran and really deserves a look if you are okay with English subtitles.

Brief Encounter (1945):  This is my British film for the week which was directed by David Lean and based on a play by Noel Coward.  Celia Johnson stars as housewife Laura Jesson who meets Dr. Alec Harvey, played by Trevor Howard, and slowly fall in love even though they are both married.  They continue to meet every thursday at a cafe but know their love is impossible.  This is a pretty good tale of a brief affair and was probably a pretty daring film to do in this era.  I don't want to give away too much else except to just give it a watch and find out.

Mongol:  The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007):  I end with this Mongolian film based on the early days of Temudjin, played by Tadanobu Asano, who through the years struggles with starvation, humiliation, and being forced into slavery and his strength to overcome and become the legendary Genghis Khan.  This is a pretty good and well researched look at the early life of Genghis Khan.  It is also a more believable portrayal than what John Wayne gave in the 1956 movie THE CONQUEROR, yes you read that correctly that John Wayne played the Mongolian emperor.  This was very well acted along with really good cinematography and action scenes which held nothing back in terms of the brutality.  Originally, this was going to be the first part of a trilogy but the two sequels never got off the ground but director Sergey Bodrov in 2013 said that the shooting of the sequel has resumed but we'll see.  Either way, this was a very good watch.

Well, that is it for this week.  Let know what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, Richard Harris, Katherine Hepburn, Hugh Jackman, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 488th Edition

Welcome to the 488th Edition of my series.  This week, I don't have too much to say so I'll just get on with my selections.

This Must Be the Place (2011):  Paolo Sorrentino directed and co-wrote this really unusual comedy/drama.  Sean Penn stars as former rock star Cheyenne who is living off his royalties in Dublin and has mostly shut off his family in the United States.  He learns that his father is not doing well so decides to return to New York City in hopes to reconcile his differences with his father but arrives too late as his father dies before he arrives.  He soon starts I guess what you would call a road trip when he learns that his father was humiliated by a former SS officer in Auschwitz and decides to confront this person in his journey of reconciliation and discovery.  Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch, Eve Hewson, Kerry Condon, Joce Van Patten, Shea Whigham, and even David Byrne makes a cameo as himself where they play many interesting cover version of the Talking Heads song of the title which is my favorite song by them so liked the homage.  Byrne also helped with the music score.  This is not for everyone but thought Sean Penn played the unusual part very well.

Magic Trip (2011):  I follow up with this documentary directed by Alex Gibney and Allison Ellwood which focuses on an LSD laced road trip in 1964 with Ken Kesey and his band of merry pranksters.  Kesey is most known for writing the novel of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and hating the movie version.  In the process, they have encounters with the Grateful Dead, Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, and Jack Kerouac.  This is a really good look at the 60s and is some found footage of the road trip that was put together pretty well.  People in that generation will relate well to this documentary.  Stanley Tucci narrates the movie.

Lionheart (1990):  I decided to work in some Jean-Claude Van Damme on this edition.  Van Damme stars as Lyon Gautier who is with the Foreign Legion but becomes a deserter when he learns that his brother was killed so tries to help his sister in law and niece who are struggling to make it.  The only way he can find to make money is by entering into illegal fight leagues to make money.  Harrison Page co-stars as the one who gets him the fights and they both have to deal with a very crooked female, played by Deborah Rennard.  This is a pretty decent action film in my opinion and not a bad Van Damme entry.  I thought he had a more complex character in this movie.

The Music Box (1932):  This is my short film for the week and is an entry from comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.  They play a couple of deliverymen  trying to get a piano to a home that has a lot of steps and struggle to get it up to where they need to go.  They did a good job of building around the premise of getting this piano up the stairs and continuing to lose their grip and the piano rolls down the steps.  This might be my favorite of the duo I have seen so far.

Charly (1968):  I learned of this movie during my dad's "Favorite Movie of the Day" segment he has been doing on Facebook.  Ralph Nelson directed this film based on the novel by Daniel Keyes.  Cliff Robertson, known by most in my generation as Uncle Ben in SPIDER-MAN, stars as the title character who suffers from a mental illness which I suppose could be autism.  I am not sure if they used that term in this era.  He struggles to make it in the world.  He is subject to some very cruel pranks at his workplace among his co-workers who he believes are his best friends.  Claire Bloom co-stars as his teacher Alice who takes Charly to the clinic where he is offered a surgical procedure to enhance his intelligence.  He agrees to undergo it and develops more than ever but learns the procedure is not permanent and tries to fix that.  In the process he forms a relationship with Alice.  This is a pretty moving film and is a bit of a tear jerker.  Lilia Skala, Ruth White, Dick Van Patten, and many others co-star in this film.  Robertson was very good as the title character so those who only known him as Uncle Ben and beach movies should really see this one.

Jail Bait (1954):  I decided to bring in everybody's favorite "Worst Director of All Time".  After some sci-fi b-movies he decides to try his luck in the world of film noir.  The title refers to things with murder and not underage sex like some might believe.  A crook named Vic Brady, played by Timothy Farrell, lures a young man named Don, played by Clancy Malone, into a life of crime which results in a murder of a cop.  His regulars Lyle Talbot and Delores Fuller star in this film and Steve Reeves makes his debut in this movie.  This is typical Ed Wood in an attempt to be more serious.  There is a scene at the movie theater which made me laugh and have no idea the point of it and has annoying music like usual but worth a watch from enthusiasts of Wood.

Draft Day (2014):  Ivan Reitman directed this film that takes place hours before an NFL draft.  Kevin Costner stars as Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny who has a lot of decisions he must make in order to help rebuild his team and many decisions that his coach, played by Denis Leary, are disagreeing with.  Most of the movie is him struggling to make the decision to draft a high profile quarterback, played by Josh Pence, and an arrogant linebacker, played by Chadwick Boseman.  In the process, he takes some pretty big risks for his team's future.  Jennifer Garner, Chi McBride, Terry Crews, NFL star Arian Foster, Frank Langella, Sean Combs, Ellen Burstyn, Tom Welling, Wallace, Langham, W. Earl Brown, Sam Elliot, Kevin Dunn, Rosanna Arquette, and many others co-star.  A lot of NFL analysts co-star as themselves.  This is a pretty good look at a team during the draft day and the decisions that affect many people.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969):  This is the first feature film for the timeless title character created by Charles Schulz.  In this one, Charlie Brown is reminded through video the things he cannot do like flying a kite or kicking a football without Lucy movie it.  He decides to volunteer for the spelling bee where he fares quite well with a strategy he learns.  The pressure is on when he goes to the national spelling bee in in New York City.  Snoopy and Linus are there for moral support.  The other Peanuts characters are Lucy, Schroeder, Patty, Violet, Sally, Frieda, and Pig Pen.  I grew up on this stuff but this is the first time I have seen this one.  Maybe I relate some to Charlie when I was a kid like trying but not being very good at sports.  It was a really good feature and one for all generations.

The Long, Long Trailer (1953):  This is another selection from my Dad's "Favorite Film of the Day" he does on Facebook.  This is a rare feature film from Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz who are most known from I LOVE LUCY.  Vincente Minnelli directed this comedy where the Arnaz and Ball star as newlywed couple Nicky and Tacy.  They have a pretty significant disagreement where Nicky wants to save up for a nice home but Tacy favorites the life of a trailer that they can move around.  He gives into Tacy's wishes leading into a lot of funny misadventures with the trailer.  Marjorie Main, Keenan Wynn, and Burt Freed also co-star in this comedy.  This was a pretty fun comedy with the leads pretty much playing variations of their famous tv series.  I learned that there was a planned remake with Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold but never got off the ground with they were divorced so I am grateful that happened.

Prince of the City (1981):  I end with this film which was directed by Sidney Lumet and based on the novel by Robert Daley.  Treat Williams stars as Daniel Ciello who is a New York City narcotics detective.  He has done some questionable things in his career and is approached by Internal Affairs to expose the inner workings of police corruption.  He agrees to go along as long he does not have to expose his own partners that he feels a loyalty toward.  The Internal Affairs group go along with it but Ciello finds that he is in over his head and that no one is really immune.  Jerry Orbach, Bob Balaban, James Tolkan, Lindsay Crouse, Lance Henriksen, Cynthia Nixon, and many others co-star in this film.  This is considered to be one of the best police dramas of all time which I won't give much argument.  It is also possibly the most underrated as well so I hope to give this more exposure.  Treat Williams does great as Ciello and is worth the two and a half hours.  This is based on a real life narcotics detective named Robert Leuci whose testimony helped indict 52 detectives for corruption.  Sidney Lumet also directed the 1973 film SERPICO which is about police corruption but is not the same thing.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Carey Mulligan, Heath Ledger, Diane Keaton, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 487th Edition

Welcome to the 487th Edition of my series.  Nothing new really has happened this week so I'm not going to say a lot.  Some things could be happening soon but will announce it if and when they happen.  I'll just get to the selections for the week.

Ricky Gervais:  Out of England (2008):  I start the week out with this HBO stand up special with the famed actor/comedian known for the original version of THE OFFICE and the Netflix series DEREK.  In this he offers his takes on many topics like nursery rhymes, obesity, moronic friends, even the nazis, and a few other things.  This is a no holds barred session but still delivers a lot of laughs.  Not a lot else to say except if you like the humor of Gervais, I think you will like this one.

I Love Lucy:  The Movie (1953):  I saw this DVD in the library and became curious so I checked it out.  This is an edited version of three episodes in the first season consisting of THE BENEFIT, BREAKING THE LEASE, and THE BALLET.  These are based on the apartment tenants of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, played by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and their friends Ethel and Fred Mertz, played by Vivian Vance and William Frawley.  The beginning is them talking to their studio audience, mostly Desi Arnaz.  I liked them demonstrating things to the audience.  I have not been a heavy watcher of the sitcom but this was pretty funny and worth a look.  It would probably be just as easy to watch the episodes.  This was not released for a long time wanting to promote their other movie THE LONG, LONG TRAILER.

Wanted-- A Master (1936):  This is my short for the week which is one of those Pete Smith Specialty shorts which I seem to do every other week.  This one might be my favorite.  As someone who has five chihuahuas, this was very entertaining but yet at the same time kind of sad.  This has a stray dog that lives in the junk yard and learns that soon all stray dogs will be killed at the pound by a certain time and has little time to seek out an owner.  He goes from neighborhood to neighborhood in hopes of finding and owner and survive.  Pete Smith narrates as the voice of the dog.

Spartacus (2004):  This is my mini-series for the week which is a remake of the classic 1960 film.  Goran Visnjic stars as the title character who is bought a slave and trained as a gladiator.  He ends up leading a revolt along with other slaves fighting for their freedom.  Rhona Mitra co-stars as Varinia who is his love interest and actually does some narration which I thought worked very well.  Spartacus manages to win the sympathy of some of the Roman senate prompting Marcus Crassus, played by Angus Macfadyen, to crush the rebellion.  Alan Bates, Ian McNeice, James Frain, Henry Simmons, Ross Kemp, Ben Cross, Chris Jarman, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  I thought they did a pretty realistic depiction on this era and had some really good action scenes.  From what I have heard, this follows the novel by Howard Fast more than the 1960 film.

A Raisin in the Sun (1961):  Daniel Petrie directed this film based on the play by Lorraine Hansberry.  This was probably pretty groundbreaking at the time in depicting an all-black family.  Sidney Poitier stars as Walter Younger, who lives in a small apartment with his wife, son, and mother.  His mother Lena, played by Claudia McNeil, is set to get a big insurance payment which gives Walter a lot of ideas of what to do with it.  Ruby Dee co-stars as his wife Ruth and does what she can to manage her family.  Diana Sands plays Walter's sister Beneatha and could be considered the comic relief of the film.  Ivan Dixon, John Fiedler, Louis Gossett Jr., and Roy Glenn co-star in this drama.  This is a very good portrait of a poor black family in hopes that they will be better off but must also deal with prejudice.  Poitier is great as someone who works as a chauffeur but wants more in life and thinks the insurance is the answer to his prayers.

X-Men:  Days of Future Past (2014):  This is my superhero movie for the week which was directed by Bryan Singer and follows 2013 film THE WOLVERINE.  Hugh Jackman reprises his role as Wolverine where they are in a very bleak world where both humans and mutants are dying and where Professor X, played by Patrick Stewart in the modern world, and Magneto, played by Ian McKellan in the modern world, must team up.  Also helping is Kitty Pryde, reprised by Ellen Page, is able to send people back in time but usually maybe a couple weeks so they realize Wolverine must be sent back to the '70s due to his healing powers in order to prevent a significant event from happening that results in the bleak modern world.  He must convince the younger Professor X, played by James McAvoy, and Hank McCoy, played by Nicolas Hoult, who have shut themselves off the the world as well as the younger Magneto, played by Michael Fassbender.  Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Josh Helman, Daniel Cudmore, BingBing Fan, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Lucas Till, Evan Jonigkeit, and many others co-star in this superhero film that is possibly the best of the X-Men series to date.  This had a really good complex story with good character development on them all.

Umberto D (1952):  This is my Italian film for the week which was directed by Vittorio De Sica.  Carlo Battisti stars as the title character who is an aging man struggling to stay alive on his government pension.  He also struggles to find someone who is caring especially after he is evicted from his home and becomes homeless.  It seems his only true friend in life is his dog Flick but tries to find him a good home after becoming homeless and the dog seems to not want to be away from Umberto.  This is a very emotional film but a character that just about anyone can get behind.  Battisti is very good as Umberto and the movie managed to get some tears from my eyes.  This might be one of the best from the foreign cinema and believe that anyone can enjoy this and follow it even with the subtitles.

The Bridges of Madison County (1995):  This is part three of my three part Clint Eastwood series.  Eastwood stars and directs this film based on the novel by Robert James Waller.  Meryl Streep stars as housewife Francesca whose husband and kids are gone for a few days and is by herself for the first time in a long time.  Eastwood stars as photography Robert Kincaid who is on assignment from National Geographic to photograph a local historical bridge in the town.  Meeting Robert forces Francesca to think of the decisions she has made in life and they begin a brief affair.  Eastwood makes this a very watchable romance that in my opinion goes beyond the phrase "chick flick".  Eastwood and Streep work very well together and also does a good job in flashing back from the modern day to the period of the '60s where this movie mainly takes place.

Murder at the Gallop (1963):  This is my murder mystery for the week based on the novel by Agatha Christie.  Margaret Rutherford stars as one of Christie's most known detectives Miss Marple.  She learns that the wealthy Mr. Enderby has died of a heart attack but believes there is more to it.  Along with her partner Mr. Stringer, played by Stringer Davis, they investigate this death against the wishes of Inspector Craddock who does not like the elderly woman investigating the death but is tolerant and respectful of her ways.  This is a really fun whodunnit that keeps us guessing and has a lot of comedy along with it.

Panic (2000):  I end the week with this modern film noir which was chosen by my friend Jordan who I had pick a number and this went along with her number.  Henry Bromell wrote and directed this film which stars William H. Macy stars as Alex who is having his mid-life crisis and wanting to get out of the family business that his father Michael, played by Donald Sutherland, started which is murder for hire.  He begins to see a psychiatrist, played by John Ritter, and meets a 23 year old patient named Sarah, played by Neve Campbell, who he has a fixation for but has no intention of leaving his wife, played by Tracey Ullman and son, played by David Dorfman.  Things become even more complicated when he gets his next assignment and finds it is not easy to get out of the business.  I don't really want to go into too much more detail but is a very compelling film with a bit of dark comedy.  It also has interesting father/son flashback scenes where Michael is teaching alex to kill.  This is one that really deserves a look and has gone onto become a pretty underrated film in my opinion.

Well, that is it for this week but I do have "Fun and Useless Facts" as well as "Double Feature at the House of Callies".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Frances McDorman, Stanley Tucci, Van Damme, Kevin Costner, and many others.



FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Ricky Gervais (Out of England) and James McAvoy (X-Men) were in the 2014 film MUPPETS MOST WANTED.

Rhona Mitra (Spartacus) guest starred in a few episodes of PARTY OF FIVE which star Neve Campbell (Panic).

James Frain (Spartacus) guest starred in a few episodes as psychotic vampire Franklin Mott in the tv series TRUE BLOOD which stars Anna Paquin (X-Men).

James Frain (Spartacus) and Ian McKellan (X-Men) were in the 1996 tv movie RASPUTIN.

Paul Kynman (Spartacus) and Ian McKellan (X-Men) were in the 1997 film BENT.

Jack Huston (Spartacus) and Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men) were in the 2013 film AMERICAN HUSTLE.

Rhona Mitra (Spartacus), Famke Jannsen (X-Men) and Peter Dinklage (X-Men) all had stints on the tv series NIP/TUCK.

Goran Vinsnjic (Spartacus) and Halle Berry (X-Men) are in the tv series EXTANT.

Goran Vinsnjic (Spartacus) and Famke Jannsen (X-Men) were in the 1998 film ROUNDERS.

Ruby Dee (A Raisin in the Sun) and Halle Berry (X-Men) were in the 1991 film JUNGLE FEVER.

Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men) and Donald Sutherland (Panic) co-star in the HUNGER GAMES series.

Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men) cites Meryl Streep (The Bridges of Madison County) as an inspiration for acting.

Anna Paquin (X-Men) and Neve Campbell (Panic) were in the 2011 movie SCREAM 4.

Ian McKellan (X-Men) was in an episode of the tv series EXTRAS which stars Ricky Gervais (Out of England).

Halle Berry (X-Men) and Jim Haynie (The Bridges of Madison County) were in the 1998 film BULWORTH.

Patrick Stewart (X-Men) and Tracey Ullman (Panic) were in the 1993 comedy ROBIN HOOD:  MEN IN TIGHTS.

Clint Eastwood (The Bridges of Madison County) and Donald Sutherland (Panic) were in the 1970 film KELLY'S HEROES and the 2000 film SPACE COWBOYS.

Meryl Streep (The Bridges of Madison County) and Tracey Ullman (Panic) were in the 2014 film INTO THE WOODS.



DOUBLE FEATURE AT THE HOUSE OF CALLIES

I went to my friend Chris's house on Thursday night and along with him and his wife Laura, we watched the usual Lars Von Trier as well the first time we have done 3D since they just got a new 3D television.

Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 (2013):  This was not in 3D and cannot imagine if it was that way.  Lars Von Trier, or as Chris in a very hilarious way referred to him as Lars Von Trapp who must be the black sheep of the Von Trapp family, directed this two part film which I'm sure we will get to very soon.  Stellan Skarsgard stars as Seligman who who finds a fainted and wounded woman named Joe, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, and takes her home.  Joe is a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac who opens up to Seligman who might be the least judgmental person of all time.  She recounts times with hundreds of men starting from childhood while Seligman tells of his hobbies like fly fishing, fibonacci numbers, and organ music which he somehow always relates to Joe's life.  Shia LeBeouf, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Connie Nielson, and newcomer Stacy Martin all co-star in this film.  Thurman was nearly unrecognizable and even those like Slater and LeBeouf did a good job in this film.  This is by no means for everyone just like any Lars Von Trier film out there.  This is very intense and holds nothing back.  Some could associate this with porn but still is pretty compelling in the conversation between the two and the flashbacks during the conversation.  As well as some interesting directing techniques from Von Trier that involved math.  This is available on Instant Netflix but they do not have the full version to stream that Chris has on Blu-Ray.  I'm sure Volume 2 will happen soon but was glad to take a break from these to go onto our first 3D experience.

Jurassic Park (1993):  They had a handful of 3D blu-rays so I guess as a reward for sitting through his first movie, I got to choose and I had not seen this in a while so I thought it would be good to revisit this dinosaur film.  Steven Spielberg directed this film based on the popular novel by Michael Crichton.  I'll just go through the basic storyline that I think just about everyone knows.  Richard Attenborough plays John Hammond who has managed to use scientific technology in order to create living dinosaurs.  He decides to give a preview to a handful of people where dinosaurs get loose.  Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, B.D. Wong, Martin Ferrero, and many others co-star.  It was pretty cool seeing this in 3D, especially the scene where they are running from the raptors.  There was some other pretty good things done in the 3D and was worth a 3D watch even though I'm not always into the 3D gimmick.  Even without the 3D, it is a very well-made film with some very good special effects before CGI became the big thing and it still holds up many years later.  This was one of the right movies for this to have been done.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 486th Edition

Welcome to the 486th Edition of my series.  I have just finished the murder mystery dinner theater.  Despite all the trials and tribulations, we ended up with a good and funny show.  I hope to be able to do it again sometime.  I took part more than ever on the casting element since my mom was the one who was asked to do it.  I will get to my selections for the week.

Melancholia (2011):  I start the week out with this film written and directed by Lars Von Trier.  Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg play sisters Justine and Claire who have a rather strained relationship.  Justine has just gotten married and even then struggles to find happiness.  While they both have struggles in life, a planet of the title is coming toward Earth.  TRUE BLOOD alum Alexander Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgard, and others co-star in this drama.  This is a very fascinating film and there are a lot things Von Trier leaves to the viewer and is one that you must give full attention.  I feel it can be rewarded if given that full attention but is a difficult one to really explain.  This is part of Von Trier's "Trilogy of Depression" which starts with ANTICHRIST which my friend Chris has already shown me and I find it is inevitable that we will watch both volumes of NYMPHOMANIAC.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

The People Speak (2009):  This is part 10 of the 10 part Matt Damon series.  This is a documentary that is from the History Channel.  This is based on Howard Zinn's book A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES where he speaks in front of a crowd and talks about the more dark side of history that schools do not usually share.  He looks at America's struggle with war, class, race, women's rights, and other things.  He discusses many known historical events like the American Revolution, Columbus's so-called discovery of America, and many others.  Many actors take part in this where they read passages from people involved in the events.  Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Kerry Washington, Viggo Mortenson, Marisa Tomei, Morgan Freeman, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Sandra Oh, Michael Ealy, Don Cheadle, Benjamin Bratt, Danny Glover, David Strathairn, Jasmine Guy, Pink, Q'orianka Kilcher, John Legend, Harris Yulin, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Bob Dylan, Christina Kirk, and Daryl McDaniels read passages or perform musical numbers.  It was a pretty insightful documentary and had some really good historical songs as well including Pink's DEAR MR. PRESIDENT.

Step Up (2006):  This is the more inspirational and formulaic film of the week.  Channing Tatum stars as Tyler Gage who is an inner city youth who has some legal trouble and along with some friends vandalize an art school.  For this he must do janitorial stuff as community service but keep in mind he has a dancing talent that does not get out much.  Jenna Dewan Tatum co-stars as Nora who is a student at this high school and is preparing for a big dance concert and her partner gets injured.  She discovers Tyler dancing and takes him as a rehearsal partner after talking director Gordon, played by Rachel Griffiths, into letting him fill in.  I think you can all determine what happens after that.  It is a quite predictable but that is to be expected in a movie like this one.  Every once in a while I like to check something like this out to show there is hope.  Damaine Radcliff, De'Shawn Washington, Mario, Josh Henderson, Alyson Stoner, Heavy D, Deirdre Lovejoy, and many others co-star in this film.  This movie did a good job of building up to the climax and the leads from different walks of life worked very well together.

New Shoes (1936):  This is my short film for the week.  This is rather strange where a couple has just bought shoes and are beginning to fall in love and we also learn that the shoes have feelings too and they also seem to be falling in love.  This is a 10 minute short that has musical numbers from shoes.  Really weird but still interesting to watch.

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977):  I decided to go the Bond route.  Roger Moore stars in this one and I know he can be hit or miss but this one in my opinion is the biggest hit.  Agent 007 must investigate the disappearance of a submarine.  He teams with female KGB agent Anya Amasova aka XXX, played by Barbara Bach, where the tension with different agencies and romance comes in very well.  Their investigation leads to a plan by Karl Stromberg, played by Curd Jurgens, who has a plan to make a world that is all underwater.  They must stop him and his strong but clumsy henchman Jaws, played by Richard Kiel.  Caroline Munro, Walter Gotell, Geoffrey Keen, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, and many others co-star in this film. There is a lot of really good action and the set is really good, especially some of the traps possessed by Stromberg.  Moore was given a good script on this one and really ran with it.

Night Editor (1946):  This is part of a Bad Girls Film Noir boxed set.  William Gargan stars as Lt. Tony Cochrane who has an affair with socialite Jill Merrill, played by Janis Carter.  When they are in a car together, they witness a murder but cannot tell anyone without revealing the fact they are each having an extramarital affair.  Tony becomes the investigator and has a lot of decisions he must make.  This is a pretty clever b-movie film noir that is worth the hour and has a really good femme fatale.

Gran Torino (2008):  This is part two of a three part Clint Eastwood series.  Clint Eastwood directed this film and stars as Korean war veteran Walt Kowalski who lives in a neighborhood among many Asian families, mostly Hmong.  Descriptions describe Walt as prejudice and bigoted but I believe that is the wrong word.  I think he hates what he has to see.  Things change in his life when a teenage neighbor named Thao, played by Bee Vang, tries to steal his prized possession of his car.  He begins to see that the teen is among peer pressure from a Hmong gang which consisted of his own cousin.  When Walt does a good deed that helps the family, they feel they owe him and he decides to help Thao towards the right path in life.  Christopher Carley, Ahney Her, Brian Haley, Geraldine Hughes, Dreama Walker, Brian Howe, John Carroll Lynch, William Hill, Brooke Chia Thao, and many others co-star in this film.  This is among my favorite movies.  Eastwood and Vang worked very well together.  It was also very moving with Eastwood doing what he can for someone he did not like at first leading into a great climax.  I find this to possibly be Eastwood's best work.

The Last Voyage (1960):  Andrew L. Stone wrote and directed this disaster film.  Robert Stack stars as Cliff Henderson who is with his wife and four year old daughter on a ship called the SS Claridon.  They plan to get retire this ship but instead an explosion in the engine room makes the ship start to slowly sink.  Cliff races to save his wife Laurie, played by Dorothy Malone, who is stuck in the wreckage while also keeping their daughter safe.  George Sanders, Woody Strode, Edmond O'Brien, Jack Kruschen, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not a bad disaster film and has a better story than others from the genre that was popular in this era.

Ashes and Diamonds (1958):  This is my Polish film of the week which was directed by Andrzej Wajda and based on a novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski.  This takes place right after WWII is over where Zbigniew Cybulski stars as Maciek who is assigned to kill a political leader but after a couple unsuccessful attempts, begins to have second throughts.  In this is also a very good love story.  It is a really good story and has very well-written characters.  It is a must for foreign film buffs.

The Spectacular Now (2013):  I end the week with this independent film directed by James Ponsoldt based on the novel by Tim Tharp.  Miles Teller stars as Sutter who is a high school senior and lives in the now with no real future plans.  He always has his whiskey and is always at a party of some kind.  One night he ends up in the middle of the lawn and wakes up to a girl named Aimee, played Shailene Woodley, who is opposite to his personality and has future plans and is into things like Sci-fi and anime.  While they are very different, they are also drawn together but Sutter has a hard time understanding why she would want to be with someone like him.  Brie Larson, Masam Holden, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good film driven by characters.  I have never read the book and usually do not read so I cannot judge this movie in comparison to the book.  This is also more than a coming of age film or a teen movie.  The characters make this very watchable and is available on Amazon Prime.

Well, that is it for the week but I decided to bring back my Fun and Useless Facts segment for the week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ricky Gervais, Lucille Ball, Sydney Poitier, Jennifer Lawrence, and many others.



FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I decided to use this one again.  It is mostly an inter-connections between movies and most do not include actors in the same movie.  If you pick up on anything I did not post, be my guest and post some facts in the comments.

Jesper Christensen (Melancholia) and Sean Penn (The People Speak) were in the 2005 film THE INTERPRETER.

Stellan Skarsgard (Melancholia) and Matt Damon (The People Speak) were in the 1997 film GOOD WILL HUNTING.

Stellan Skarsgard (Melancholia) and Morgan Freeman (The People Speak) were in the 1997 film AMISTAD.

Stellan Skarsgard (Melancholia) and Don Cheadle (The People Speak) are in the upcoming 2015 film AVENGERS:  AGE OF ULTRON.

Kiefer Sutherland (Melancholia), David Strathairn (The People Speak), and Sean Penn (The People Speak) were in the 1986 film AT CLOSE RANGE.

Kiefer Sutherland (Melancholia) and Viggo Mortensen (The People Speak) were in the 1990 movie YOUNG GUNS II.

Kiefer Sutherland (Melancholia) and Benjamin Bratt (The People Speak) were in the 2014 mini-series 24:  LIVE ANOTHER DAY.

Kiefer Sutherland (Melancholia) and Danny Glover (The People Speak) were in the 2012 tv series TOUCH.

John Hurt (Melancholia) provides the voice of Aragon in the 1978 movie THE LORD OF THE RINGS.  Viggo Mortensen (The People Speak) plays Aragon in Peter Jackson's trilogy of the same name.

Matt Damon (The People Speak), Josh Brolin (The People Speak), and Shailene Woodley (The Spectacular Now) were in the 2010 film TRUE GRIT.

Matt Damon (The People Speak) was directed by Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) in the 2009 film INVICTUS.

Matt Damon (The People Speak) and Deirdre Lovejoy (Step Up) were in the 1999 film THE INCREDIBLE MR. RIPLEY.

Matt Damon (The People Speak) and Brian Haley (Gran Torino) were in the 2006 film THE DEPARTED.

Sean Penn (The People Speak) was directed by Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) in the 2003 film MYSTIC RIVER.

Morgan Freeman (The People Speak) and Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) have worked together many times in the movies  UNFORGIVEN, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, and INVICTUS.

Morgan Freeman (The People Speak) and Channing Tatum (Step Up) were in the 2014 film THE LEGO MOVIE.

Danny Glover (The People Speak) and Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) were in the 1979 film ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ.

David Strathairn (The People Speak) plays Theseus in the 1999 film A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.  Desmond Llewelyn (The Spy Who Loved Me) plays Theseus in the 1947 tv movie of the same name which never seems to have gotten exposure besides an airing on tv.

Marisa Tomei (The People Speak) and John Carroll Lynch (Gran Torino) were in the 2011 film CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.

Roger Moore (The Spy Who Loved Me) plays the Saint Simon Templar in the 60s tv series THE SAINT.  George Sanders (The Last Voyage) plays the part in the movies from the 40s.

Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) was apparently asked to play James Bond in the 1969 Bond movie ON HER MAJESTY's SECRET SERVICE but declined knowing he was not right for the part.  I usually do stuff on interconnections between actors in different featured movies but found this one interesting.