Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 506th Edition

Welcome to the 506th Edition of my series.  I find that this week is just about all foreign and independent films except for one very mainstream one.  It's never something I do on purpose, that is just how the chips fell and glad they fell the way they did.  No much going on this week so Ill just get to my selections for the week.

Ginger and Fred (1986):  I start the week out with this Italian film from director Federico Fellini.  Giulietta Masina and Marcello Mastrianni star as Amelia and Pippo who are reunited for their act which was an imitation of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.  Part of this movie is a fun nostalgia and another part is satire to the direction of tv which was essentially reality tv that is really big today.  It is also per usual Fellini where there is not particularly a plot, but a voyage of strange situations.  The leads do a very good job.  This is not really for all tastes but fans of the Italian cinema should take a look at this and foreign fans in general.

Frontline:  Hand of God (2007):  This is my documentary for the week.  This is actually an episode from the PBS series FRONTLINE.  Joe Cultrera directed this documentary that was quite personal.  This talks about the lives of himself and his family and their days in the 60s at a church.  This mainly focuses on Joe's brother Paul who was molested by the priest Father Joseph Birmingham.  It also focuses on the life of Paul afterwards and his ability to cope with it.  The next part is Joe doing an investigation towards the church and learning a lot of dark secrets.  This is a very eye-opening documentary and is unfortunate that people like Birmingham and the church he was at make the religious community look so bad.  This is worth a look from a good PBS series.

Stalker (1979):  This is my Russian film for the week.  Andrei Tarkovsky directed this Sci-Fi film based on the novel by Boris Strugatskiy.  There is a gray and unknown city referred to as the Zone which is heavily guarded by barbed wire and soldiers.  Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy plays someone referred to as a Stalker and has the mental gifts to lead a group of people into a room at the Zone for their their secret hopes come true and risks imprisonment in the process.  This is a really good sci-fi film that uses a lot of good imagery and well-developed characters in a difficult but moving journey.  This is a very good entry into Russian film.

Handlebars (1933):  This is my comedy short for the week which comes from my frequently featured Pete Smith shorts.  This is a humorous look toward the history of the bicycle since 1819.  It goes into the changes through the years.  Smith's narration makes it a great watch as well as the funny scenes.

The Blue Dahlia (1946):  This is my film-noir for the week which was directed by George Marshall and written by Raymond Chandler.  Alan Ladd stars as Johnny who is back from the navy only to find his wife Helen kissing nightclub owner Eddie, played by Howard Da Silva.  Johnny has a gun and considers using it but changes his mind.  However, Helen is later found dead and Johnny being the main suspect.  He decides to dodge the cops and investigate himself who framed him with the help of a blonde girl named Joyce, played by Veronica Lake, who just happens to be Eddie's estranged wife.  This was a pretty compelling film.  I had never really seen Da Silva in anything besides his iconic performance as Ben Franklin in 1776 and does real good here.  William Bendix and Hugh Beaumont also co-star in this film.  This one really deserves a look, especially fans of the genre.

The New World (2005):  This is part one of a two-part Jonathan Pryce series where he has a cameo as King James. Terrence Malick wrote and directed this film based on Pocahontas, played by Q'orianka Kilcher, her affair with John Smith, played by Colin Farrell, and her later marriage to John Rolfe, played by Christian Bale.  In this one, Captain Smith is captured by an Indian tribe but is spared after the young Pocahontas begs for it where they begin an affair but to unfortunate results for both of them in the future.  The later part is where Pocahontas is with John Rolfe and becomes more westernized after being banished by her tribe.  Christopher Plummer, Wes Studi, David Thewlis, and many others co-star in this film.  Most people know Pocahontas for the Disney movie which I also really like.  This one does not have that cute racoon, good music numbers, or even talking trees.  This is a more realistic version of the legend.  I have found with Malick that he requires a couple viewings in his films for me to be really into it.  The first time I watched it, it was alright to me but when I revisited it, I was very compelled.  He tends to make the cinematography along with his music score his star of the film like in this one I felt.  Performances are still really good and Bale plays a much lighter character than usual in the rather good-hearted Rolfe.

The Iron Rose (1973):  This is one of two French films for this edition which focuses a lot on foreign and independent cinema.  This is a psychological horror film directed by Jean Rollin.  Francoise Pascal and Hugues Quester star as a married couple who decide to take a walk through the cemetary.  As it gets darker, it gets more and more creepy and they also find themselves lost in a surrealistic and gothic environment.  Rollin is known for his vampire films and this is the first to not featured vampires and does a very good job in this one.  He is known for his horror and might just have to look more into this guy in the future.

Ant-Man (2015):  I made a rare movie theater appearance to see this one and I guess is my only real mainstream movie for the week which just about everyone by now knows is an entry from the Marvel Universe.  My knowledge of this character came from the animated series AVENGERS:  EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES where Hank Pym is one of the founding members of the Avengers.  Peyton Reed ended up directed this film from screenplay written by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish where Wright was originally slated to direct.  This movie was quite a bit rewritten.  Michael Douglas stars as Hank Pym who developed the Ant-Man suit which allows to shrink in size when he wants but has a lot of strength.  In this movie, Pym appears to have a bit of an anti-Avengers attitude from flashbacks in the late 80s show that him and Howard Stark, played by John Slattery, are not on very good terms and decided to retire from being the Ant-Man.  In the modern era, he sees potential in a cat burglar named Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, who has just been released from prison and is trying to go straight but finds that is very difficult to do and also is mostly denied from seeing his daughter for child support reasons.  LOST alum Evangeline Lilly co-stars as Hank's daughter Hope who reluctantly decides to help Scott learn the Ant-Man outfit and showing she's a pretty good fighter herself.  Corey Stoll co-stars as Darren Cross who Hank mentored but did not feel he was the right person.  Darren was able to get a part of his formula and develop his own outfit for Yellowjacket and comic book fans will know that reference and how it is also different from the comics.  Anthony Mackie makes a cameo as Falcon and has a brief encounter with Ant-Man where they had quite a fight.  Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Michael Pena, Hayley Atwell, Martin Donovan, and many others co-star in this film.  Also, Tom Kenny who is most known for voicing Spongebob provides the voice to the ugly stuffed rabbit.  In the animated series, Scott Lang gets featured briefly in the later part of the series in a storyline similar to this one involving his daughtr and as we see they decided to mainly use him for the Marvel Universe which I believe will work out well.  I thought this was written very well had some very good character development and action.  I also really liked the way the action climax was done in a children's room.  This was also a really good one to watch in 3D with the way the ants were used.  Comic book fans will know a lot of the references from flashbacks, and in the scene after the credits which most people know by now that you don't leave until all the credits are done.  I felt this was very worth the movie theater experience and to pay a little more for 3D.  I suppose that if you really want it right to the comic books and even Hank Pym, this is not for you.  If you are a little more liberal about this sort of thing, it is very enjoyable.

El Bolero de Raquel (1957):  This is my Mexican film for the week.  Miguel Delgado directed this film which stars Catinflas as El Bolero who is a kind hearted and funny bootblack.  When his friend dies, he unexpectedly finds himself in charge of his son.  They soon form a loving bond where he tries to get him through life despite being poor.  When taking the boy to school, the teacher recommends that he goes back to school leading to a lot of funny moments.  I found this when I was at the library and was pleasantly surprised.  El Bolero is a very likable person and the movie is really quite touching.  It's always nice to find hidden gems like this one.

Cache (Hidden) (2005):  I end the week on this French film which is my 2nd French movie and 6th foreign language film.  Michael Haneke wrote and directed this thriller.  Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche star as married couple Georges and Anne Laurent.  Georges is a talk show host and they are receiving packages in the mail containing footage of himself and the family shot secretly from the street.  The videos continue to get more personal suggesting he might know who is doing it.  Daniel looks to figure this out himself as the police will not help him with no direct threat on his life.  This is a very well-done thriller from Haneke and better to watch when you do not know much rather than me continuing the plot.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ben Gazzara, Jennifer Connelly, Antonio Banderas, Dustin Hoffman, Audrey Hepburn, Cate Blanchett, Clark Gable, Nicolas Cage, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 505th Edition

Welcome to the 505th Edition of my series.  Yesterday was a rather adventurous day and went on my first canoeing trip.  I admit that it's not exactly my think but glad that I got talked into doing it.  Not much else happening right now so I'll just get on with my selections.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994):  I start the week out with this prison film.  Frank Darabont directed this film based on the novel by Stephen King who shows that he can write a good drama just as well as the horror he is known for.  Tim Robbins stars as Andy Dufresne who is a successful banker and is framed the the murder of his wife and lover.  He ends up in Shawshank prison, where one would think be the last place he would fit in but slowly earns the respect of his fellow prisoners.  Morgan Freeman co-stars as Red who is known as the prison entrepreneur and forms a friendship with Andy.  Bob Gunton, Clancy Brown, William Sadler, Gil Bellows, James Whitmore, David Proval, Jude Cicconlella, Brian Libby, Jeffrey DeMunn, and many others co-star in this film.  For being a prison movie, this is surprisingly rather inspirational.  Robbins and Freeman work very well together in their friendship and Gunton is good as the corrupt warden.  Freeman has named this as one of his favorites.  It is one that was a modest hit at the box office but gained a big following afterwards.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998):  This is part two of my two-part Harry Dean Stanton series where he has a cameo as a judge.  I follow up with this film directed by Terry Gilliam which is based on the autobiographical novel by Hunter S. Thompson.  Johnny Depp stars as Thompson though uses the alias Raoul Duke and Benicio Del Toro stars as his attorney Dr. Gonzo.  They go on a psychedelic road trip through Western America in search of the American dream and helped by the drugs and alcohol.  There are many cameos including Tobey Maguire, Ellen Barkin, Gary Busey, Katherine Helmond, Michael Jeter, Mark Harmon, Penn Jillette, Craig Bierko, Lyle Lovett, Flea, Lorraine Newman, Harry Dean Stanton, Tim Thomerson, Cameron Diaz, Steve Schirrippa, Verne Troyer, Christopher Meloni, and Christina Ricci.  It would be hard to really explain this movie but always have a lot of fun in this one.  Depp and Del Toro made a very good team and delivered a lot of laughs.

Your Sister's Sister (2011):  Lynn Shelton wrote and directed this comedy/drama.  Mark Duplass stars as Jack who has just lost his brother and his friend Iris, played by Emily Blunt, allows him to stay at her family cabin.  Neither one of them know that Iris' sister Hannah, played by Rosemary DeWitt, is already staying there going through a break-up.  At this time, it is just Jack and Hannah who get to talking and drinking and end up having sex.  The next day, iris ends up at the door where they try to keep secret what happened and deal with the aftermath.  This movie is mostly driven by the three characters who all give good performances.  It is a mostly unpredictable film as well.  I think I have given enough information.  It is a good independent film to support and is available on Instant Netflix.

Beach Picnic (1939):  This is my animated Disney short for the week which features Donald Duck and Pluto.  They are at a beach where Donald notices Pluto and decides to torment him while dealing with his own issue of having ants steal his food.  This has some pretty funny moments like scenes with the ants.  Both characters have had better but this is still worth a look.

Repulsion (1965):  Roman Polanski directed and co-wrote this psychological thriller.  Catherine Deneuve stars as Carol who shares and apartment with her older sister Helen, played by Yvonne Furneaux.  She is a rather passive person and has a jealousy toward Helen's boyfriend Michael, played by Ian Hendry.  Helen and Michael go on a vacation together and Carol has a hard time on her own.  She mostly locks herself in the apartment and her mental state deteriorates into hallucinations, then into madness.  This is one that requires full attention.  Deneuve carries this very well with her performance and Polanski's great direction.  This is a pretty disturbing and not for everyone but fans of this genre will love it.

The Virgin Queen (1955):  Now I turn to the world of royalty.  Many when they think Elizabeth I portrays, know the modern ones like Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren, and Dame Judi Dench but many do not know of Bette Davis who portrayed the queen with the title nickname which is her second portrayal.  This one focuses on her relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh, played by Richard Todd, who wins over Elizabeth who is looking for a ship to sail and make a name for England.  They both have feelings for each other but Raleigh falls in love with the young ward of the court Beth, played by Joan Collins, much to the dismay of Elizabeth.  This compromises Raleigh's vision.  I really thought Bette Davis had a very good look for the role and did a good job of making her look believable as the queen.

Super (2010):  James Gunn wrote and directed this superhero comedy.  Rainn Wilson stars as Frank Darbo who works as a fry cook.  His wife Sarah, played by Liv Tyler, leaves him and falls in with drug dealer Jacques, played by Kevin Bacon.  He is trying to get the cops to believe him that she was kidnapped and they come to the conclusion that she left him.  When he is at home watching the Christian TV network, he sees a superhero named the Holy Avenger, played by Nathan Fillion, who inspires him to become a superhero developing the name of the Crimson Bolt.  When doing superhero research, he goes into a comic store and meets Libby, played by Ellen Page, who is an employee.  When she realizes he is the Crimson Bolt she decides to put together her own outfit and become Boltie.  Michael Rooker, Linda Cardellini co-star in this film.  Rob Zombie is the voice of God at one point and even Lloyd Kaufman has a bit part.  This came out the same year as KICK-ASS and I'm not sure which one came first.  They both have a similar theme but do not believe they ripped each other off.  They each have their own image.  Wilson and Page make a very fun team who go about their work very violently and love Page's portrayal of the sidekick.  I say just watch a double feature of the two films mentioned and both will give laughter.

The Hitch-Hiker (1953):  This is my film noir for the week which was directed and co-wrote by Ida Lupino.  Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy star as fisherman friends Roy and Gilbert who pick up a hitch-hiker and will likely never do it again if they survive the one they have.  William Talman plays the psychotic Emmett Myers who is on the run and puts Roy and Gilbert at his mercy to evade authorities and assures them he will kill them when it is over.  This is a pretty well done low-budget film that has a good and creepy feel to it.  I usually favor this genre in this era.

Oliver! (1968):  This is my musical for the week and one of my favorites.  This is based on the classic story by Charles Dickens, then made into a musical by Lionel Bart.  Mark Lester stars as Oliver Twist who stays in an orphanage but things change when on a dare, he asks for more of the gruel.  He gets sold to an undertaker family but escapes from there before being taken in by Fagin, played by Ron Moody, who takes children in and teaches them how to be pickpockets.  Oliver Reed, Shani Wallis, Harry Secombe, Jack Wild, and many others co-star in this film.  I always like how dark this musical is, especially when it comes to Reed's character Bill Sykes who is a villain to the core and the character I would be going for but have unfortunately had two unsuccessful auditions for the show.  This has a really good story and some good musical numbers.  This is a very good adaptation of the story.

Kung Fury (2015):  I end the week with this new cult hit.  Chris turned me onto this one and showed me the music video of TRUE SURVIVOR by none other than David Hasselhoff.  This was funded by a Kickstarter project and was written and directed by David Sandberg who also stars as Kung Fury.  He is a martial artist cop from the 80s who goes back in time to kill Adolf Hitler who is also a martial artist.  It is really hard to put this into words.  It is an homage to the 80s.  It has some great cheesy effects and an interesting way of doing time travel that first got him sent to a much older era but got him some allies.  David Hasselhoff has a cameo and a very entertaining song for the soundtrack.  This is a 30 minute movie which is available on Youtube.  I found this on the El Rey network which also interviewed David Sandberg some.  I had a rather unpleasant encounter with the Hoff in 2009 but for this am willing to put that aside to really enjoy this work of art that entertained me to no end with the cheesy effects, dinosaurs that shoot lazers, hot prehistoric women, and so much more.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Federico Fellini, Alan Ladd, Christian Bale, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 504th Edition

Welcome to the 504th edition of my series.  Not a lot going on in my life right now worth sharing so I'll just get onto my selections.

The Theory of Everything (2014):  I start the week with this biopic on physicist Stephen Hawking and focuses on his marriage to Jane Wilde and his descent into ALS which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  Eddie Redmayne stars as the famed physicist who we first see studying at Cambridge University where he meets and falls in love with Jane, played by Felicity Jones.  He is given the time of two years to live but we all know that did not happen as he still works for the University of Cambridge and is now in a wheelchair and is able to communicates using a speech-generating device.  David Thewlis, Emily Watson, Charlie Cox, and many others co-star in this film.  Redmayne plays Hawking to perfection and is good to have a look at Hawking at a younger time in his life.  I don't want to give any more away to just take a look at it.

Pretty in Pink (1986):  Only I would go from a Stephen Hawking film to the Brat Pack.  This is part one of a two-part Harry Dean Stanton series.  Howard Deutch directed this film which John Hughes wrote.  Molly Ringwald stars as Andie who is a a not-so-popular girls in high school due to things like not being from a wealthy family and her clothing style which she creates through the things she gets at a thrift shop.  Her best friends have been Iona, played by Annie Potts, and Duckie, played by Jon Cryer.  Duckie is also a very unique person and never has any friends himself.  While he is a friend to Andie, he also has a crush on her and things change when she meets Blane, played by Andrew McCarthy, who is one of the rich and popular guys where both people's friends advise against the relationship.  James Spader co-stars as the spoiled rich kid who tries, at least in the beginning, to make advances towards Andie while she shows that money is not everything.  Stanton co-stars as Andie's single father who is in many ways parented by his daughter who has her head on more straight.  Kate Vernon, Andrew Dice Clay, Gina Gershon, Maggie Roswell, Dweezil Zappa, Kristy Swanson and many others have parts in this 80s iconic comedy.  It reminded me of how ridiculous "popularity" is growing up.  This is a very fun 80s comedy with good characters and has a really good ending in my opinion.

The Princess and the Warrior (2000):  This is my German film for the week written and directed by Tom Tykwer.  Franka Potente stars as Sissi who is a nurse at an insane asylum.  An near-fatal accident happens where a petty criminal named Bodo, played by Benno Furmann, comes to her aid and manages to save her life.  He does not stick around to be thanked but she starts to obsess over the possibility he is the man of her dreams.  She tries to track him down and does but he rejects her advances.  This is a follow-up to Tykwer's RUN LOLA RUN also starring Potente.  This does not match that film but still interested me.  It is a rather surreal film at times and an interesting kind of love story with good performances from the leads that keep the rather slow-paced film moving.  This is not something everyone will like but does have its audience.

The Wonderful World of Tupperware (1959):  This is my short film for the week which came from TCM's "Underground Shorts".  The first part of this was how they make Tupperware which I'll venture to say was just getting on the rise.  The last part of it was one of those parties that are quite popular today where singer Anita Bryant and even has a musical number.  It is called "underground" for a reason.  The first part was meant to be educational and the last 10 minutes or so were quite entertaining.

The Milky Way (1936):  Leo McCarey directed this comedy which stars Harold Lloyd.  For those who don't know, Lloyd is referred to as "The Third Genius" referring to his silent comedies where he is the more unknown silent comedian than Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton.  From what I understand, he was just as successful in the era as those two and maybe made a more successful transition to talkies than the other two.  At least moreso than Keaon and Chaplin continued to do silents with some decent talkies.  This movie is one of his talkies.  He stars as struggling milkman Burleigh Sullivan who has an encounter with the boxing champion and in the process somehow knocks him out.  The fighter's manager decides to exploit him by building up his reputation in fixed fights, then have the champ beat him.  Lloyd does some very good physical comedy and shows that he can talk as well which is something many of the silent era could not do and never made the transition.  This is a pretty good boxing comedy and deserves a look especially fans of this era people who only know Chaplin and Keaton should really take a look at this guy.

Sisters (1973):  A young Brian De Palma wrote and directed this psychological horror movie.  Margot Kidder stars as Danielle who is a model living in Staten Island.  A murder is witnessed in her apartment by a reporter named Grace and when reporting to the police, they do not believe her.  She hires a private detective, played by Charles Durning, to help find the truth.  The investigation leads into some very dark secrets.  This has some really good imagery and performances.  This is one that requires full attention

American Movie (1999):  This is my documentary for the week.  This features aspiring filmmaker and Milwaukee man Mark Borchardt who is determined to make a horror film no matter what it takes.  He uses family members, local theater actors, slacker friends, and tries to get a loan from his fairly wealthy uncle.  This documents the struggles in having this movie made.  This has some pretty funny and even sad moments and in the end is very entertaining.  This is available on the app Crackle which is an app that shows free movies.  I am sure that many independent filmmakers can relate to this one.

The Battle Wizard (1977):  This is my martial arts film for the week which I found on the El Ray network.  Danny Lee stars as a prince who has no interest in martial arts.  He meets a couple cute but tough girls.  One is resourceful with snakes and the other is a masked woman who vows to either kill or marry the first person who sees her unmasked.  It is a fun one filled with silly visual effects, costumes, amusing monsters, and even has lasers.  At one point, Danny Lee is breathing fire.  Fans of this genre much check this one out.

Too Much, Too Soon (1958):  I decided on another biopic for the week which takes part within the film industry.  Some of this will be a bit of an education on the Barrymore family.  This is based on the autobiography by Diana Barrymore, played by Dorothy Malone.  Just about everybody knows the name of Drew Barrymore but some may not be aware that she is about the 4th generation of a family of actors.  Diana would be the aunt of Drew and her father was the famous John Barrymore, played by Errol Flynn who actually does pretty good.  This movie's main focus is on the relationship of Diana and John Barrymore.  Growing up she never saw much of her father with his career and drinking problems.  She decided she wanted to get to know him and moved to L.A. and tried to break into acting.  She does not go onto having the same success of her father but following in her father's footsteps in terms of drinking.  There was brief mention of John's brother Lionel who was just successful and most known for being Mr. Potter in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.  They have another sibling named Ethel which was never mentioned and John Barrymore has another son John Barrymore Jr. who was never mentioned and the father of Drew.  He also had a very unsuccessful acting career starring in many forgettable films.  He went by the name John Drew Barrymore and Drew is the maiden name of his grandmother.  This by no means was anything great but was still watchable especially with Flynn who was actually a friend of John Barrymore.  I found this on TCM and decided to record this on my DVR out of curiosity.  I believe it's pretty hard to find but maybe check it out if you find it on TCM.

Godzilla 2000 (1999):  I end the week with this Japanese creature feature and one where the icon returns to Japan after wreaking havoc in the United States in the 1998 movie that did not go over so well.  In this one, he must battle a UFO which can turn itself into a Kaiju named Orga where they meet up in a final showdown after Godzilla must defy the humans trying to destroy him.  There was also a rather amusing father and daughter combo who liked to study things like Godzilla and felt it was best to keep him alive.  This is also available on Crackle.

Well, that is all for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tune for next week which so far includes Morgan Freeman, Christina Ricci, Emily Blunt, Roman Polanski, Bette Davis, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 503rd Edition

Welcome to the 503rd edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good fourth of July.  I'm grateful that I have the freedom to write this blog.  I don't really have a lot to say right now since I'm not one to post my political or religious beliefs except I will say that I am glad that gay marriage has been passed and that the aftermath of the Confederate flag issue has gone too far where it appears we are now to just forget that it exists.  I will now continue with my selections for the week.

The Last Circus (2010):  I start this this rather bizarre Spanish film which was written and directed by Alex de la Iglesia.  Carolina Bang stars as trapeze artist Natalia who is in a very abusive relationship with the star  happy clown Sergio, played by Antonio de la Torre.  Carlos Areces stars as Javier who has just joined the circus as their sad clown.  He begins to have problems with Javier and begins to witness his abusive ways.  He also forms an affection for Natalia who he tries to rescue from her abusive relationship.  While she takes a liking to Javier, she never really comes full circle and still has feelings for Sergio which drives Javier to insanity leading to a lot of violence.  This is not for everyone.  This has a lot of dark humor and a lot of gore.  The movie also has some of the creepiest clowns of all time.  Take this description for what it is worth to decide if this is for you.

The Holy Mountain (1979):  I follow up with another very bizarre film and this one is directed and written by Alejandro Jodorowsky who also stars as the Alchemist.  He is a Christ-like figure who is introduced to seven wealthy and powerful figures that represent a planet in the solar system.  These people are looking to find the holy mountain to achieve enlightenment but it is not what it is cracked up to be.  I don't have much explanation beyond that statement to really convey this film.  This has a lot of very weird imagery that can be offensive to some but compelling to others.

The King Without a Crown (1937):  This is my short film for the week.  I guess you could call this a hypothetical history short which centers around Louis XVII who is the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette who had been executed and XVII is thought to be dead.  In this short, a missionary named Eleazar learns that he is actually Louis XVII.  He had no interest in the throne but refused to sign a declaration.  This is an alleged story but does not have any proof one way or another.  It was an interesting few minutes that I found on TCM.  The photo is of narrator Carey Wilson.

Begin Again (2013):  ONCE director John Carney directed this film which I believe is kind of an homage to the independent music scene.  Mark Ruffalo stars as Dan who has just been fired from his job as a music producer and decides to drink himself away at a bar while having a chance encounter toward a singer named Gretta, played by Keira Knightley, who he believes has some raw talent and is marketable.  She is having her own problems with a recent breakup with her boyfriend Dave, played by Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine, after his new found fame as a singer.  Dan is soon determined to help Gretta get herself out there as a singer and they find many clever ways using the limited resources that they have.  Catherine Keener, Hailee Steinfeld, Rob Morrow, Ceelo Green, and many others co-star in this film.  I really enjoyed this one and thought Knightley did a pretty good job on the singing.  I also thought it was a good story on a father trying to reconnect with his teen daughter, played by Steinfeld.  This has a good soundtrack, story and cast and one I really connected with.

I Remember Mama (1948):  George Stevens directed this film based on a play by John Van Druten.  Irene Dunne stars as the title character who is the matriarch of an immigrant family in 1910 San Francisco.  It shows the ups and downs of this poor family where the mom tries to keep it together with her pennywise budget.  Barbara Bel Geddes, Oskar Homolka, Cedric Hardwicke, Rudy Vallee, Barbara O'neil, Edgar Bergen, and many others co-star in this film.  Homolka was very amusing as their uncle Chris who is essentially the comic relief of it.  Bergen is known as the ventriloquist for Charlie McCarthy and is his first appearance without his puppet and plays Mr. Thorkelson.  This is a very good portrait of a family from this era with good performances.

Boys Don't Cry (1999):  This is part two of my Peter Sarsgaard series.  Kimberly Peirce directed this film based on a true story of Teena Brandon who passed herself off as Brandon Teena to very tragic results.  Hilary Swank stars as Brandon who is born a female but forms a male identity.  She manages to make her way into a small town as one of the guys and respected by girls who feel he is a very sensitive and caring man.  Brandon forms a relationship with town beauty Lana, played by Chloe Sevigny, who is unaware of Brandon's true gender.  Brendan Sexton III, Alicia Goranson, Allison Folland, Jeanetta Arnette, Rob Campbell, Matt McGrath, and many others co-star in this film.  Swank is great as Brandon and Sevigny does a very good job too.  They worked very well together.  This is one that really deserves a look.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948):  John Huston directed this film based on the novel by B. Traven.  Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt star as poor Americans Dobbs and Curtin living in Mexico and looking for work.  They meet up with an aging prospector named Howard, played by Walter Huston, and decide to go to Central Mexico in search of gold and riches.  They succeed some in finding gold but bandits, the elements and their own greed threaten to make their turn into a disaster.  Bruce Bennett and Barton Maclane co-star in the film.  Also look for cameos from John Huston and Robert Blake.  Huston is the man in the white suit in the beginning and Blake is the child selling lottery tickets.  Many say this is Bogart's best performance and John Huston cast his father Walter in his best performance which was his only Oscar.  This is where the phrase about not needing stinkin' badges started.  This is a very good tale of greed.

Winter's Bone (2010):  Debra Granik directed and co-wrote this film based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell which is in a sense a bit of a film noir within the Ozark Mountains.  Jennifer Lawrence stars as Ree who is a 17 year old that has been forced to grow up a lot with her drug addict mother and younger siblings.  She is informed by the local sheriff that her absent father put up their house as collateral for his bail and if does not show up for his court date they would lose it.  Ree sets out to learn the truth about what has happened to her drug dealing father even if everyone shuts her out saying not to get into other people's business.  John Hawkes co-stars as Teardrop who is Ree's uncle and tells her that her dad is likely dead.  Even with that, she is still determined to learn the truth.  Shelley Waggener, Garret Dillahunt, Dale Dickey, and many others co-star in this film.  Lawrence is great as Ree and Hawkes also does a great job.  It has some very good scenery taking place in the poor Ozark mountains.  Lawrence also worked very hard in her role to both get the part and scenes where she actually learned things like skinning squirrels and chopping wood.  I have read that she was first turned down being cited for being too pretty so she walked in the sleet for 13 blocks and did not wash her hair for about a week and went back into the audition with a runny nose and messed up hair.  Those are some of the reasons I love Jennifer Lawrence.

How the West was Won (1962):  This is my western for the week which has three directors in John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and George Marshall who each directed different interlocking segments.  This is a family saga which takes place several decades in the 19th century including the Gold Rush, Civil War, and the building of railroads.  It has quite the all star cast with people like James Stewart, Carroll Baker, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, Lee J. Cobb, Debbie Reynolds, George Peppard, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Walter Brennan, Lee J. Cobb, Raymond Massey, Agnes Moorehead, Harry Morgan, Thelma Ritter, Russ Tamblyn and narrated by Spencer Tracy.  I will say that my favorite scene was the one with James Stewart as fur trapper Linus Rawlings.  The whole movie works quite well with the interconnected stories and the Cinerama camerawork.

61* (2001):  I end with this HBO baseball movie where Billy Crystal goes behind the camera as the director.  This takes place during the 1961 season where the MLB has added some games to the season where many believe Yankee players Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris have a good chance to break Babe Ruth's single season home run record of 60 which everyone knows Maris ended up doing.  This takes a look at the struggle and triumph of both players who were the very opposite of each other in personality.  Barry Pepper stars as Roger Maris who was a more soft-spoken family man and wanted to play baseball which the media targets this personality trait even exploiting it.  Thomas Jane stars as Mickey Mantle who was the more charismatic and popular one while his fellow teammates would do what they can to hide his drinking problems from the media.   Gunton, Anthony Michael Hall, Richard Masur, Bruce McGill, Chris Bower, Christopher McDonald, Seymour Cassel, Michael Nouri, and many others co-star in this well-done baseball movie.  Pepper and Jane do a great job pretty much becoming the legends.  This can be enjoyed by the die hard baseball fans to the non-baseball fans.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Eddie Redmayne, Harry Dean Stanton, Franka Potente, Harold Lloyd, and many others.