Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 493rd Edition

Welcome to the 493rd Edition of my series.  Starting next week I start my training for a new position where I work where I will no longer be taking calls and is more of a data entry job.  For the six week training period and the one month "nesting" period I must work 4 pm to 12:30 am Monday through Friday.  While I'm not crazy about the hours, I'm excited to try something different after about seven and a half years and believe in tie I will have day hours in order to resume my evening activities.  I don't have much else to talk about so I'll just get on with my selections.

The Captains (2011):  I start the week out with this documentary that was directed by William Shatner.  Shatner decides to interview all the actors who have portrayed STAR TREK captains.  Most know that Shatner is the first as Captain James T. Kirk and sets out to interview the captains of the later generations including Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, Chris Pine, and even Christopher Plummer.  Plummer was never a captain but plays General Chang who was a Klingon general in STAR TREK VI:  THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY.  He wanted to see what kinds of backgrounds these actors came from and all have a very extensive theater career.  Each interview was one on one so there are no scenes of them all being together.  This was put together very well by Shatner and while I have never been a die hard STAR TREK fan but always enjoy these documentaries and this is no different.  Each actor has a very interesting story to tell and is a very enjoyable documentary.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014):  This is part three of my three-part Owen Wilson series and appears near the end as an employee.  This tells the story of the legendary hotel concierge Gustave, played by Ralph Fiennes, who worked at the hotel through both world wars in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka.  He has many comical misadventures with his dedicated lobby boy Zero, played by Tony Revolori, who becomes his most trusted friend.  F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Lea Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Wes Anderson directs this comedy which takes place in three different eras and switches seamlessly with his usual style of comedy and compelling characters.  I thought Revolori was very underrated in his performance as Zero and works very well off Fiennes.  I find that Anderson is really hard to describe and just has to be watched.  This was very funny but was also really moving and really deserves a look.

Pushing Tin (1999):  Mike Newell directed this comedy/drama set against the backdrop of air traffic controllers which I felt in some ways this was a good homage to a very overlooked and important profession.  John Cusack stars as Nick Falzone who is one of the best at what he does and enjoying his life.  Things change when the new transfer Russell Bell, played by Billy Bob Thornton, comes in known for his recklessness but very good at his job.  Nick begins to get jealous of Russell and forms a rivalry where he tries to one up him in every way possible which affects their personal life, job performance, and even their marriages.  Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie co-star as the wives of each main character whose lives also become affected by the rivalry.  Jake Weber, Kurt Fuller, Vicki Lewis, Mike O'Malley, and many others co-star in this film.  This has some pretty funny moments with Cusack and Thornton working their rivalry very well.  It is also a good homage towards the people of air traffic control who work to help us land safe in the plane.

Little Pioneer (1937):  This is my short film for the week and is a more dramatic one than usual.  Jane Wyman stars as Katie in 1880s South America where her and her boyfriend Arthur, played by Carlyle Moore Jr., keep their relationship a secret during the Transversal War where the Dutch and British are fighting for colonization.  Also in the movie is child actor Sybil Jason who gets caught up in the war and shows her bravery.  This is a pretty good 19 minutes and was worth a watch on TCM.

The Wild Child (1970):  This is my French film of the week which was directed by Francois Truffaut who also co-stars as Dr. Itard.  Jean-Pierre Cargol stars as the title character who would later be known as Victor.  He is a child who has always been alone in the world who does not speak nor has he been educated towards most conventional traits.  Dr. Itard takes interest in the child and tries to get him civilized.  Much of his colleagues have doubts but with patience is able to get results.  This is based on a true story from the late 1700s.  Cargol makes his debut while Truffaut makes a rare acting appearance.  This was a very well done film and ranks up for me pretty high in French cinema.  Truffaut bases his film on documents from the real Itard.

Annie Get Your Gun (1950):  This is my musical for the week which was directed by George Sidney and based on the Irving Berlin musical.  This is based on legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley, played by Betty Hutton, and her relationship with rival Frank Butler, played by Howard Keel, in the times of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.  Louis Calhern, Edward Arnold, Keenan Wynn, and many others co-star in this really fun musical.  Betty Hutton is perfectly cast as Oakley and believe it was good for her to star instead of Judy Garland who was originally cast.  I believe that Hutton may not have Garland's voice but captures the personality better than Garland would have done.

24:  Redemption (2008):  This is my tv movie for the week and is really a long episode of the tv series 24 which takes place 18 months after where season 6 leaves off.  Kiefer Sutherland stars as Jack Bauer who is now a former government agent and now is wanted by the government.  He resides in Africa where he works with an orphanage and must step in when a ruthless warlord named Juma, played by Tony Todd, is abducting children in order to train them for his army.  Robert Carlyle co-stars as Carl Benton who is a very noble priest which runs the orphanage and does whatever he must in order to save the children.  Cherry Jones, Bob Gunton, Colm Feore, Powers Boothe, Jon Voight, Peter MacNicol, Gil Bellows, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  It might be good to have some background knowledge on the tv series.  The seasons on the show all take place in a 24 hour period while this one is a two hour period.

To Sir, With Love (1967):  James Clavell directed this film based on the novel by E.R. Braithwaite.  Sidney Poitier stars as idealistic engineer turned teacher named Mark Thackery who teaches a group of students from the slums of London which is a very undisciplined class.  He decides to implement a strategy forcing the kids to be more respectful to each other and treating them more like adults since they will be soon.  Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Michael Des Barnes, Lulu, and many others co-star in this film.  Poitier does a great job in this film and is a really good look at an inner-city school.  An interesting thing I found about this movie is that when it came out the South Africa Publications Control Board banned this film saying it was offensive to see a black man teaching a class of white children.  I assume that ban has since been lifted.  I got the idea to feature this one with my dad's Favorite Movie of the Day segment he has been doing on Facebook.

Brewster's Millions (1945):  Dennis O'Keefe stars as Monty Brewster who is a former WWII soldier with not much money to his name.  He soon learns of a distant relative leaving him 8 million dollars as an inheritance.  The catch for him to get this money is that he must spend a million of it within two months and not tell anyone what he is doing.  In this, the people around him like his fiance Peggy, played by Helen Walker, don't understand why he seems to be getting so carried away with the money.  June Havoc and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson also co-star in this comedy.  This was a pretty good comedy on a man doing what he can to get the money and hiding his reasons for spending so much at the beginning.  There is also a remake in 1985 with Richard Pryor and John Candy which is probably more well known but I have not seen that version.  The featured version is available on Instant Netflix.

The Last Castle (2001):  I end the week with this action film directed by Rod Lurie and written by Rod Lurie.  Robert Redford stars as the well-decorated General Eugene Irwin who makes a mistake which ends him up in a maximum security military prison.  He does not claim any innocence and plans on doing his time but slowly takes note of the warden Colonel Winter's, played by James Gandolfini, disciplinary methods and sees them to be corrupt and unjust.  Irwin wins the respect of the prisoners and they band together to take on the corrupt system and pretty much declare war.  Mark Ruffalo, Delroy Lindo, Steve Burton, Paul Calderon, Sam Ball, Jeremy Childs, Michael Irwin, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good action film as long as one can suspend their disbelief and just enjoy it for what it is.  Redford and Gandolfini work off each other very well and Ruffalo is also good as the prison bookie.  This can be a fun action movie to take your mind off things for a bit.

Well, that is it for this week though I am featuring the House of Callies this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which includes Mila Kunis, Scarlett Johannson, Jennifer Connelly, Julie Andrews, Mae West, Ethan Hawke, Clint Eastwood, Peter Sellers, Clive Owen, and many others.



HOUSE OF CALLIES

Nymphomaniac:  Vol. ll (2013):  Chris continues his quest to corrupt my mind.  We watched this continuation of the film series from Lars Von Trier which continues right where the 1st one left off.  Charlotte Gainsbourg reprises her role as Joe where she continues to confide in Seligman, played by Stellan Skarsgard, about her life and her sexual life.  In this one, Joe, played by Stacy Martin in the flashbacks, takes part in more kinky sex and even sadomasochism in order to get her sex drive back that she lost.   Christian Slater, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth, Udo Kier, and many others co-star in this film.  This and the first volume are not for everyone and can be considered porn in some ways.  It is not something I will always watch but it was still rather compelling to me in the way Von Trier put this together.  These movies do not hold back by any means but are pretty good if you can get past the graphic nature.  These are available on Instant Netflix and probably not a movie for the family to watch.  This is the last of Von Trier's "Depression" trilogy which includes ANTICHRIST and MELANCHOLIA.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 492nd Edition

Welcome to the 492nd Edition of my series.  It is good to finally see the weather getting even better.  Nothing else really going on in life so I'll just get to my selections.

Roads to Memphis (2010):  I start the week out with this episode of the PBS documentary series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.  This is a documentary on the assassination on civil rights leader Martin Luther King and James Earl Ray who was convicted of killing King.  This is really more based on Ray and the events that lead up to the killing of King.  While this was very interesting, I did feel that a lot was left out.  They left out very little on how he recanted his guilty plea and how in the late '90s, Martin Luther King's son Dexter met with James Earl Ray where Ray denied killing King and how the family believed his claim.  It was good to learn more about James Earl Ray and is a documentary worth a look.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004):  This is part two of my three part Owen Wilson series.  Wes Anderson directed and co-wrote this comedy along with Noah Baumbach.  Bill Murray stars as the title character who is an aquatic documentary filmmaker whose partner is killed by a mysterious jaguar shark that may not exist.  He is also joined by a co-pilot named Ned, played by Wilson, who may or may not be his son.  He also has a crew and goes on an expedition to pursue this jaguar shark.  Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, Bud Cort, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a difficult one to really describe.  This has a lot of comedic moments with some good action scenes and even some moments to shed tears.  There are also a lot of amusing music numbers of David Bowie songs performed in Portuguese   It is a very complex film with a lot of well written characters and performances.

For Catherine (2005):  I continue with this independent movie written and directed by Ethan Hunter.  Grant Henry stars as Duo Black who has just broken up with his girlfriend Catherine, played by Catherine Campbell, and handles it in a very strange way and very annoying to his friends.  His friends all try to get through to him with very little success.  This was clearly filmed on a very low budget but had some pretty good moments like some very good nerd discussions and the rather intriguing character of Duo.  This is not a bad independent film and might be worth a look.

This is a Living? (1953):  This is my short film for the week and is one of the Pete Smith Specialty shorts.  This takes a look at some people in rather unusual lines of work.  This includes trapeze artists, a man and wife horseshoe thrower, and high jumpers.  I caught this one on Turner Classic movies and is a pretty amusing short to take a look at.

The Shootist (1976):  I continue with this western directed by Don Siegel and based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout which would be John Wayne's last movie.  Wayne stars as aging gunslinger J.B. Books who learns that he is terminal with cancer which is how John Wayne really died.  He tries to live out his last days in peace and takes a room at a boarding house run by Bond, played by Lauren Bacall, and her son Gillam, played by Ron Howard.  Gillam learns of Books' true identity which his mother does not like at first but slowly warms up to him.  J.D. also must deal with his past haunting him before dying in peace.  James Stewart co-stars in a later role as the doctor who diagnoses J.D.  Richard Boone, Hugh O'Brian, John Carradine, Scatman Crothers, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a really good one for John Wayne to go out upon and was quite well done.

The Man in the Iron Mask (1939):  James Whale directed this adaptation of the novel from Alexandre Dumas.  This starts out where royal twins are born  and to keep them both safe, D'Artagnan, played by Warren William, of the musketeers secretly raises Philippe, while Louis XIV goes onto become a very tyrannical king while Phillippe grows up to be very kind-hearted and naive to his origin of birth.  When Louis learns of having a twin brother, he uses him as a look-a-like but finds that he is much nicer and does not do what he wants.  He soon confines him to a prison and puts an iron mask over his head for the rest of his life.  The musketeers work together to switch out the the iron mask and getting Phillipe to the throne.  Joan Bennett, Joseph Schildkraut, Alan Hale, Miles Mander, Bert Roach, and many others co-star in this swashbuckler.  This is actually quite different from the version in 1998.  This has a really good story and some good action scenes.  This movie came out in a very tough year but still stands on its own and is fun to watch.

Everything Must Go (2010):  Dan Rush directed this film based on a short story by Raymond Carver called WHY DON'T YOU DANCE.  Will Ferrell stars in this film as Nick who is an alcoholic that has relapsed and cost him his wife and job.  His wife has kicked him out and had all his belongings in the front yard.  At first he decides to just sit on the recliner chair and drink beer.  His cop friend Frank, played by Michael Pena, advises he have a yard sale to make his actions legal.  He slowly becomes friends with the neighborhood kid Kenny, played by Christopher Jordan Wallace, and a pregnant wife across the street named Samantha, played by Rebecca Hall, whose husband is out on business.  Stephen Root and Laura Dern co-star in this film.  Ferrell really tones it down with his usual comedy and manages to help make a good comedy/drama.  I believe Ferrell is at his best in this film and really carries this movie with his performance.  This is a very well done independent movie with good performances.

Floating Weeds (1959):  This is my Japanese film for the week.  Yasujiro Ozu directed this film which is a remake of his own 1934 film.  Ganjiro Nakamura stars as Komajuro Arashi who is the head of a theater troupe and returns to his coastal coastal town to see the son that has grown up thinking he is his uncle.  His current mistress grows jealous and plans to expose his relationship with his son.  The one thing that really stuck out to me when I saw this was an acting troupe.  The movie also has a well-written story with really interesting characters.  I guess now I might seek out the 1934 version in the future.  Japanese film and foreign film buffs will really like this one.

The Lords of Flatbush (1974):  Before Sylvester Stallone became Rocky Balboa and before Henry Winkler became Fonzie, they were in a Brooklyn gang.  They must face the realities of growing up.  Perry King stars as Chico who is trying to win over the girl of his dreams but has a hard time doing so.  Stallone plays Stanley who learns that his girlfriend is pregnant and does not know what he wants to do.  This takes place in the '50s and has a pretty good soundtrack with original songs which sound like they are from the 50s.  It is nothing great but still a good before they were stars movie that is a pretty good coming of age drama.

42 (2013):  I end the week with biopic which was directed and co-written by Brian Helgeland.  This takes place in 1946 in the times of segregation where whites and blacks had to use separate bathrooms and even baseball had its own segregation.  Harrison Ford stars as Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey who decided to be bold and when the time came to recruit one more player, he decided to be bold bring the first black player into Major League Baseball.  He searched for players in the Negro Leagues and found Jackie Robinson, played by Chadwick Boseman, who is now known as the man who broke the color barrier.  He accepted the position with the majors and had to prepare for all the backlash from fans and players.  It was also hard for his own team to adjust though they would slowly come around.  Christopher Meloni, Ryan Merriman, Lucas Black, Alan Tudyk, Andre Holland, John C. McGinley, and many others co-star in this film.  This does a really good job showing the tension and for Robinson to overcome the racism around him.  It also conveys how difficult it was for Rickey as well who stood by his decision.  It is sad that these were times that race was all that mattered at the time.  Boseman and Ford work really well together and Ford after all these years plays his first real-life person.  This is about far more than baseball but about civil rights.  I guess I started with a civil rights leader and ended with a historical black man.  This is available on HBO On-Demand.

Well, that is it for this week though I have a new segment called The Aneris Movie Theater..  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Kiefer Sutherland, Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford, and many others.



THE ANERIS MOVIE THEATER

This happened at the home of my friends Sirena and Dylan.  Sirena agreed to view the film below and she did not know anything about it but Dylan already knew about it.  This is the first of its kind as I have had Movie Night at the Shera, Double Feature at the House of Callies, and Movie Time with the Betch, now this one.

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002):  Don Coscarelli directed this film based on the novel by Joe Lansdale and is ranked up as one of my favorite movies.  This takes place in a nursing home at a small Texas town where one of the residents is the legendary Elvis Presley, played by Bruce Campbell in his best performance in my opinion, who remains alive and took the name of an impersonator named Sebastian Haff but has a hard time getting anyone to believe him.  Another resident is former president John F. Kennedy, played by Ossie Davis.  Now anyone who knows Ossie Davis knows he is a black man and is wondering why he would be JFK.  He actually survived the assassination attempt but the government turned him black.  In this nursing home is a mummy who is feeding off the souls at the nursing home and Elvis and JFK have a historical teaming in order to stop this mummy.  Now reading a plot like this, people might just run for the hills but I was surprised by how an absurd plot turned out to be a very compelling even moving film.  I will say that this is mostly a true story except the part of the mummy.  Sirena was enjoying this and in the middle of watching it, she mentioned how she thought it was going to be based on a STAR WARS character.  After it was over, I realized she might be referring to Boba Fett which turned out to be true.  I really like a lot of the dialogue in this movie like with Elvis wanting his fame back and even a scene where they were reflecting how they were not there as much for their kids that they should have been.  This DVD has the best commentary track ever were Bruce Campbell is doing commentary as "The King" saying he had been asked by producers to watch this movie based on his life.  I am always willing to watch this one and hope others will soon give it a chance.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 491st Edition

Welcome to the 491st Edition of my series.  I hope all is well with everyone.  Nothing real new going on for me so I'll just get into my selections for the week.

Cirque Du Soleil:  Varekai (2003):  I start the week out with this live spectacle which I suppose is technically not a movie but since it's my blog, I can decide what fits as a "movie".  For those who don't know, this is a Canadian group that put on an acrobatic circus-like show along with a story.  This appears to be one of their later ones.  As the storyline goes, this is about a guy named Icarus whose wings melt and ends up in the mysterious world of Varekai.  I really cannot tell much more of what it is about except for the amazing acrobatics, beautiful costumes, great set, and even decent music while being in the French language without subtitles.  I always enjoy these and this did not cease to amaze with the theatrics and athletics.

Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl (2006):  This is another one that is more like a tv special but I'll just call it a movie.  Robert Wuhl speaks to a college class about the history of that we grew up with and looks at some of the myths we have been exposed to through the years.  This is a very comedic while informative look on history like Columbus, Paul Revere, the hypocrisy of the founding fathers, among other things.  This was an HBO special which had a couple half hour episodes.

Meet the Parents (2000):  This is part two of my Owen Wilson series where he plays a wealthy ex-fiancee.  Jay Roach directed this comedy that is the first of a trilogy and the best one in my opinion.  Ben Stiller stars as Greg Focker who is a male nurse and is about to propose to his girlfriend Pam, played by Teri Polo, until he learns that he needs to meet her father first for approval.  Robert De Niro stars as Jack who is Teri's ex-CIA father who is clearly not the easiest person in the world to win over.  In a weekend with a family, many funny mishaps happen making him question if this is the family he wants to marry into.  Blythe Danner, Jon Abrahams, James Rebhorn, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This was a pretty funny comedy with Stiller and De Niro playing off each other very well.

Return from Nowhere (1944):  This is my short film for the week.  This is one of the Passing Parade series which is narrated by John Nesbitt.  In this one a soldier loses his memory and a therapist uses dream therapy for him to recovery his memories.  Nothing bad or great but look for a young Peter Cushing

Bone (1972):  Larry Cohen wrote and directed this dark comedy.  Yaphet Kotto stars as the title character who is a petty thief who breaks into a home of a Beverley Hills couple, played by Andrew Duggan and Joyce Van Patten.  He expects them to be happily married and wealthy but soon finds out neither is true.  This is one I came across on HBO On-Demand which I do not believe is available and when watching it, I was pleasantly surprised by it.  The movie came as pretty unpredictable and is very character driven.  This was a lot of fun and really deserves a view if you can obtain it.

A Man to Remember (1938):  Garson Kanin directed this film where Dalton Trumbo wrote the screenplay in a time Trumbo could still use his own name.  Edward Ellis stars as Dr. John Abbott who along with his son Dick, played by Lee Bowman, moves to a smaller town.  In the process, he encounters a baby girl at his doorstep which he takes in as his own and names her Jean, played by Anne Shirley.  His main patients are the lower-class in his community who he helps for little money or other forms of payment.  His ways are looked down upon the medical community and must battle them at every turn when he has some progressive ideas.  This is a pretty moving film and another one that deserves more exposure but has very litle surviving copies.

Topsy-Turvy (1999):  Mike Leigh wrote and directed this film based on the song-writing team Arthur Sullivan, played by Allan Corduner, and W.S. Gilbert, played by Jim Broadbent.  This starts around the time when they put on their play PRINCESS IDA which flops leaving their future partnership in question.  They agree to stay together in order to write THE MIKADO which would go onto become their biggest success.  Timothy Spall co-stars as their top actor and does a really good job.  Martin Savage, Lesley Manville, Dexter Fletcher, Andy Serkis, and many others co-star in this film.  This focuses on the hardships of getting their future masterpiece made.  I really don't know a lot about the team of Gilbert and Sullivan but this was very good for its performances and musical numbers of their music.

A Summer Place (1959):  Delmer Daves directed this drama based on the novel by Sloan Wilson.  This centers around a Mansion owned by Bart and Sylvia Hunter, played by Arthur Kennedy and Dorothy McGuire, as well as their son Johnny, played by Troy Donahue.  They are desperate for money and must rent and rent them out to the Jorgenson family consisting of Ken, played by Richard Egan, and his wife Helen, played by Constance Ford, and daughter Molly, played by Sandra Dee.  Sylvia and Ken were old flames from 20 years ago and it is clear that they are both in very unhappy marriages and inevitably begin to reconnect with each other.  The teen kids of Troy and Molly also take a liking to each other.  Usually with Sandra Dee, most would usually think of all the beach comedies she was in but this one was much different.  This was a pretty enjoyable melodrama and is really pretty intense for its time.  It had a music score from Max Steiner that is played a lot today in commercials and did not know this was the origin.  I really did not know what to expect but really liked this dysfunctional drama.

Le Cercle Rouge (1970):  This is my French film for the week which was written and directed directed Jean-Pierre Melville.  Alain Delon stars as master thief Corey who has just been released from prison.  On the eve of his release, he is approached by a prison guard about a jewel heist.  Corey decides to steal from his former boss instead which gets him hunted by him and another cop, played by Yves Montand.  Also joining Corey is escaped convict Vogel, played by Gian Maria Volonte, and they perform a very well planned heist but a lot of people after them.  This is a very well-done and complex crime film that foreign buffs will really enjoy.

Boyhood (2014):  I end the week with this Richard Linklater film which he wrote and directed in the course of 12 years.  It focuses on a child named Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane, from his mid-childhood into the college years.  Each year is on a year of his life with all the ups and downs of his life.  Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette co-star as his parents and Lorelai Linklater, which I'll assume is Richard's daughter, co-stars as Mason's sister Samantha.  This was a very interesting concept by Linklater where Coltrane does a very good job in each year.  Hawke and Arquette also put on really good performances.  I would have liked to have seen better transitions into each year but still thought it was a good coming of age story as well as an admirable vision from Linklater.

Well, that is it for this week but I have added a new segment called "Movie Night With the Betch".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which includes more Owen Wilson, John Wayne, Will Ferrell, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, and many others.



MOVIE NIGHT WITH THE BETCH

This is my first time with this segment which came after hanging out with my friend and No BS karaoke partner Brittany.  I ended up at her house and came up with the great idea to watch a movie so I decided to log into my Netflix account and we agreed on the presented film.

Bernie (2011):  I am bringing a double dose of Richard Linklater this week who directed this film based on a true story.  Jack Black stars as Bernie Tiede who gets a job in the small Texas town of Carthage and gets a job as a mortician at the local funeral home.  He soon becomes a very popular figure in the community especially among the older ladies.  Soon, he befriends an unlikable widow named Marjorie, played by Shirley MacLaine, but after a while she becomes very controlling and jealous driving Bernie to kill her.  This is shot like a documentary of the townspeople reflecting on their times with Bernie.  Matthew McConaughey co-stars as district attorney Danny Buck who was one of the few to not sympathize with Bernie.  Some of the people that were being interviewed were actual Carthage residents.  One of the first things Brittany commented upon was that it is a different than usual Jack Black which was true as he was more toned down in my opinion.  I thought it was very well shot in the form of the documentary.  She was pretty well into as well anxious to hear the verdict at his trial.  I don't want to spoil anything but when doing watching this, you should look up the real-life Bernie Tiede who appears near the end up the film at the closing credits.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 490th Edition

Welcome to the 490th Edition of my series.  We get started with April and the weather is getting better so I am happy about that.  I also just noticed I'm 10 away from the 500th Edition.  Not a lot of other things going on at the moment so I'll just get to my selections.

Religulous (2008):  I start the week this controversial documentary which will make some laugh and offend others.  Larry Charles directed this documentary where Bill Maher takes a look at the world of religion and questions the beliefs of many Muslims, Jews, and Christians.  He goes to some very interesting places like a Truckers' Chapel, the Creationist Museum, a theme park called Holy Land, and many others.  He also finds unlikely believers and unlikely skeptics.  There is also a scene which talks about the religion on Scientology and their rather strange beliefs.  It also takes a look places which express more hate than love like the Westboro Baptist Church.  Maher takes the approach of "I don't know" when it comes to religion and is very entertaining in his questioning of religion.  If you don't offend easy, this is a very good watch.

Lovely and Amazing (2001):  Nicole Holofcener wrote and directed this movie that centers around a mother and her three daughters.  Brenda Blethyn stars as Jane who is the matriarch of the family and is having surgery in order to lose weight but complications happen endangering her life.  Catherine Keener co-stars as the oldest daughter Michelle who is trying to make a living by selling her art but finds that is very difficult and her supportive husband Bill, played by Clark Gregg, does not make things difficult.  The middle child Elizabeth, played by Emily Mortimer, is a struggling actress who also loves taking in stray dogs.  The third daughter Annie, played by Raven Goodman, is a black child and adopted by Jane and she also struggles to fit into I guess a white world even to the point of asking her mother for white skin.  All of them have their complications which really cloud their judgement.  James Le Gros, Michael Nouri, Dermot Mulroney, and many others co-star in this comedy/drama.  This takes a very good look at relationships among family and of other people in their lives.  This is more of a character driven film and has some good performances.

Of Mice and Men (1992):  Gary Sinise directed this adaptation of the classic novel from John Steinbeck and stars as George during the great depression.  George and his strong but slow-witted friend Lennie, played by John Malkovich, are trying to make a better life for themselves but can never hold down work due to Lennie always doing something wrong.  They find a new place of work but find it is not easy due to Curley, played by Casey Siemaszko, who is the son of the boss and takes advantage of Lennie.  Sherilyn Fenn co-stars as Curley's wife and with him not giving her much attention, she tries to talk to the other guys around her including Lennie who has a weakness for women.  Ray Walston, Alexis Arquette, John Terry, Richard Riehle, Joe Morton, Noble Willingham, Mark Boone Junior, and many others co-star in this film.  I had seen the 1939 version of this movie and I find this one to be every bit as good with the acting, direction, and cinematography.  I have always favored this story to Steinbeck's other classic novel THE GRAPES OF WRATH.  This is a really good portrait of this era with Malkovich and Sinise being a great combination.  I would love to do a theatrical version of this one.

Dixieland Droopy (1954):  This is my animated short that features the most famous basset hound Droopy but is a jazz singer named John Pettybone which show his struggles to make it in the misunderstood world of jazz music.  There is also a really good group of fleas who make some good magicians.  This is a very clever animated short and is really worth a look, especially those who like classic animation.

This Sporting Life (1963):  This is my British film for the week.  Lindsay Anderson directed this film based on the novel by David Storey.  Richard Harris stars as Frank Machin who works as a coal miner in Yorkshire.  He gets into an altercation with a captain of a rugby team which impresses the owner enough to sign him to the local rugby club and ends up impressing people with his very aggressive play.  Off the field, Frank's landlady Margaret, played by Rachel Roberts, is a widow with two children and he forms a relationship with her but one that is pretty destructive.  This is not an upbeat or inspirational film and is good to see something show the sport of rugby.  This is a very honest character study where Harris has his first starring role and does very good.  Harris is most known as a singing King Arthur and the first Dumbledore and this is a very good early look.

Little Women (1933):  I have another classic literature adaptation for the week and this one is from the novel by Louisa May Alcott.  George Cukor directed this film of women surviving during the civil war when the family patriarch is away as the minister for the troops.  Spring Byington stars as Marmee who is the matriarch for the March family.  Katherine Hepburn co-stars as Jo who is one of the daughters and is the character the most centered around.  She is very outgoing and aspires to be a writer.  Joan Bennett, Jean Parker, and Frances Dee co-star as the other three daughters.  Paul Lukas, Edna May Oliver, Henry Stephenson, Douglass Montgomery all co-star.  This is a really good, early film for Hepburn and the rest do a good job as well.  This is a really good story about a poor but very loving family making the most of life.

Real Steel (2011):  This is my futuristic film of the week which was directed by Shawn Levy.  This takes place in a future world where robot boxing is the big thing.  Hugh Jackman stars as Charlie who is a struggling promoter and in debt to a lot of people.  He learns that his ex has died leaving a son named Max, played by Dakota Goyo.  The mother's sister is wanting to take him in but Charlie decides to get money from the wealthy family and buy a new robot then turn over Max to them.  He does get his son for the summer and takes his own interest in the robot boxing.  When Max finds a robot in the junkyard named Atom, he decides to build it up for the new championships much to the reluctance of his father.  Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis, James Rebhorn, Phil Lamarr, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a futuristic film that is not so bleak and is pretty fun and moving.  Jackman and Goyo worked very well together as a father and son trying to reconnect.  It also had some very good robot animation.

The Detective (1968):  Gordon Douglas directed this police drama based on the novel by Roderick Thorp.  Rat Pack alum Frank Sinatra stars as Detective Joe Leland who is investigating the murder of a homosexual man.  In his investigation, he uncovers a web of police corruption and delves into sex and drugs.  He is also dealing with marital issues during this investigation.  Lee Remick, Ralph Meeker, Jack Klugman, Al Freeman Jr., Robert Duvall, Jacqueline Bisset, and many others co-star in this gritty cop drama.  Sinatra does a really good job in a more serious, non-singing role as the troubled but incorruptible detective.  This is available on HBO On-Demand unless it has expired.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954):  I decided to bring some Universal Horror into this one.  A group of scientists are exploring in an Amazonian jungle where they encounter a mysterious gill-man creature in the black lagoon.  They set out to capture this creature but when they do, the creature kidnaps Kay, played by Julie Adams, who is the fiancee of one of the explorers and whom the creature falls in love.  I always say the creature is the tragic hero.  People come to his homeland and their first thought is to capture him so yes he is going to fight back.  This is one of the Universal classics and this one is available on Instant Netflix.

Locke (2013):  I end with this British film from Steven Locke.  Tom Hardy stars as Ivan Locke who has a lot going on in his life with work and family.  He learns of a life changing moment and decides to drive from Birmingham to London.  This is filmed with Hardy in his car going to this place and along the way must talk to his people at work, his wife, and children.  Locke is the only actor to appear on screen while others provide voices coming from his speaker phone.  For the way it was filmed, they made the most of making this movie where he is in his car on the phone all day into a pretty compelling film.  Hardy does a very good job carrying the movie and for those who do not recognize this person, it is the same guy who plays Bane in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Well, that is it for this week but I did bring back my Fun and Useless Facts segment so there is more to read.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Robert De Niro, Jim Broadbent, and many others.



FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I brought this segment back but I'm sure there are plenty I am missing so feel free to comment on others you might find.

Catherine Keener (Lovely and Amazing) manages to go into the portal of the brain of John Malkovich (Of Mice and Men) in the 1999 film BEING JOHN MALKOVICH which is one of my favorites.

Clark Gregg (Lovely and Amazing) and Gary Sinise (Of Mice and Men) were in the 2003 film THE HUMAN STAIN.

Clark Gregg (Lovely and Amazing) and Dakota Goyo (Real Steel) were in the 2011 film THOR.

Jake Gyllenhaal (Lovely and Amazing) and Hugh Jackman (Real Steel) were in the 2013 film PRISONERS.

Jake Gyllenhaal (Lovely and Amazing) plays the part of Hal in the 2005 film PROOF.  My Facebook fried Ryan played the part years ago in a version at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater.  My Facebook friend Jim played the part last year at the Epilogue Players in Indianapolis.

Jake Gyllenhaal (Lovely and Amazing) and John Terry (Of Mice and Men) were in the 2007 film ZODIAC.

Jake Gyllenhaal (Lovely and Amazing) and Noble Willingham (Of Mice and Men) were in the 1991 comedy CITY SLICKERS.

James Le Gros (Lovely and Amazing) and James Rebhorn (Real Steel) were in the 2002 film SCOTLAND, PA.

James Le Gros (Lovely and Amazing) and Hope Davis (Real Steel) were in the 2011 mini-series MILDRED PIERCE.

Brenda Blethyn (Lovely and Amazing) and John Malkovich (Of Mice of Men) were in the 1999 tv movie RKO 281.

Dermot Mulroney (Lovely and Amazing) and Casey Siemaszko (Of Mice and Men) were in the 1988 film YOUNG GUNS.

Dermot Mulroney (Lovely and Amazing) and Hope Davis (Real Steel) were in the 2002 film ABOUT SCHMIDT.

Dermot Mulroney (Lovely and Amazing) provided the voice for the Green Lantern Hal Jordan for a few episodes of THE BATMAN.  Phil Lamarr (Real Steel) provided the voice of Green Lantern John Stewart in the animated series JUSTICE LEAGUE.

John Malkovich (Of Mice and Men) plays Javert in the 2002 mini-series LES MISERABLES and Hugh Jackman (Real Steel) plays the the fugitive Javert pursues in Jean Valjean in 2012 musical LES MISERABLES.

John Malkovich (Of Mice and Men) plays Tom Wingfield in the 1987 film THE GLASS MENAGERIE.  Katherine Hepburn (Little Women) plays Tom's mother in the 1973 film THE GLASS MENAGERIE.

John Malkovich (Of Mice and Men), Richard Riehle (Of Mice and Men), and James Rebhorn (Real Steel) were in the 1991 film SHADOWS AND FOG.

John Malkovich plays Lennie in this week's feature OF MICE AND MEN.  My Facebook friend Sam played the part years ago in a production in Indianapolis.

John Terry (Of Mice and Men) and Evangeline Lilly (Real Steel) were in the tv series LOST where Lilly was a regular and Terry was a recurring character.

Alexis Arquette (Of Mice and Men) and Phil Lamarr (Real Steel) were in the 1994 film PULP FICTION.

Frank Sinatra (The Detective) played Nathan Detroit in the 1955 film GUYS AND DOLLS.  My Facebook friend Mark played the part in a 2010 production at the Belfry Theatre where I played Harry the Horse in my debut in that theater.