Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 511th Edition

Welcome to the 511th Edition of my series.  It's good to know that we are pretty close to the regular NFL season which is one of only two things that make me look forward to October.  The other is the Madness which is the best movie watching contest there is.  I am quite the minority.  I like that hot weather but enough of me, let's get to my recommendations.

Ricki and the Flash (2015):  This is part one of a possible Meryl Streep trilogy.  I made my rare trip to the movie theaters to see this one with my friends Doug and Jeff.  This was not our original choice.  Our first choice was to see MR. HOLMES at the Keystone theater but we met in Anderson and out timing was a bit off so we had to figure something else out that was not too late so Doug found that at the Hamilton theater in Noblesville was a showing of STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON but when we got there, he found that was at another theater so we had to make our choice there.  I saw this title that I had not really heard of and when Doug told me Meryl Streep as a rock and roll singer I was sold so this was our final decision.  Jonathan Demme directed this film which was written by Diablo Cody.  Streep co-stars as Ricki who gave up everything including family life to pursue her dreams of being a rock star.  Kevin Kline co-stars as Ricki's ex-husband who has since remarried but calls his ex-wife believing that she can help their troubled daughter Julie, played by Streep's actual daughter Mamie Gummer.  We can see right away that this is a very dysfunctional family and that it will not be easy for her to make amends with her family that she has been estranged.  Rick Springfield co-stars as Greg who is one of the band members and wants a relationship with his lead singer.  Sebastian Stan, Nick Westrate, Hailey Gates, Audra McDonald, Charlotte Rae, and many others co-star in this film.  Streep took a lot of time to learn things like the guitar to make her role as authentic as possible and did a really good job.  It was also good to see Rick Springfield in a movie.  I notice that on imdb.com there is a rather low rating and I just do not understand.  The way I see it is where can you go wrong with Meryl Streep as a rock singer, Rick Springfield, and a dysfunctional family.  I was very glad to have found this movie in the theaters.

Melinda and Melinda (2004):  This is part two of my two-part Woody Allen series.  Woody directed and wrote this film where a story is told in both a comedic and tragic way per writers at a restaurant discussions the lines between comedy and tragedy.  Radha Mitchell stars as Melinda who in both stories is trying to get her life together where we see her life unfold in sometimes comedic and sometimes tragic situations.  Will Ferrell, Wallace Shawn, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Sevigny, Amanda Peet, Larry Pine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and many others co-star in this film.  It is really hard to give a straight plot description of this film.  It was something pretty different and I thought pulled off quite well.  I liked the discussion among friends as a restaurant and then the way their story unfolds.  It did not top last week's selection of THE IRRATIONAL MAN but this still kept my interest.

Selma (2014):  This is part two of a possible four-part Martin Sheen series who is uncredited as a judge.  This is my biopic for the week which focuses on civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.  Ava DuVernay directed this film.  This focuses on the time in 1965 when MLK, played by David Oyelowo, was looking to secure equal rights for black people which inspired the famous march from Selma to Montgomery.  Carmen Ejojo co-stars as his loyal wife Coretta.  Tom Wilkinson co-stars as President Lyndon Johnson who King must convince to sign a bill.  Giovanni Ribisi, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Lorraine Toussaint, Dylan Baker, Tim Roth, Stephen Root, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Martin Sheen, and many others co-star in this film.  Oyelowo does a great job as the leader and I also really liked Roth as Governor George Wallace.  This is a pretty good look at an oppressive time in our society.

The Night Watchman (1938):  This is my animated short film for the week.  A cat must take his sick father's place as the watchman where a tough mouse and his friends try to bully him.  This one is a bit different where the usual is the cat is the antagonist but in this one, the mice were the more unlikable ones and more villainous.

Torrid Zone (1940):  William Keighley directed this film that takes place on the Caribbean plantation.  James Cagney stars as Nick Butler who is convinced by his old nemesis Steve Case, played by Pat O'Brien, to take over plantation number 7 which is being plagued by revolutionaries lead by Rosario, played well by George Tobias.  Nick takes the job but still wants to go to Chicago and get nightclub singer named Lee, played by Ann Sheridan, to go with him so he must decide what is best.  George Reeves also has a part in this film.  I have seen better with Cagney but he is always watchable and has some good action as well as comedic scenes.  I believe Cagney as well as the underrated Paul Muni were the most versatile actors of that era and this deserves a look.

The Sting (1973):  George Roy Hill directed this con artist film.  It appears that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid have survived into the days of the depression where Paul Newman and Robert Redford reteam as con men, one experienced but burned out and the other younger and while good, he can be a bit reckless.  Redford stars as Johnny Hooker who is the younger one and Newman plays Henry Gondorff who have a mutual friend get killed and team up to pull a big con on a mobster named Doyle, played by Robert Shaw.  Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould, and many others star in this film.  I prefer the first Newman/Redford teaming but this one still is one of the best for its genre.  It also has a really good blend of action and comedy.

Garden State (2004):  Zach Braff wrote, directed and stars in this comedy/drama.  Braff stars as Andrew who is a semi-successful actor in a tv series and is returning home when learning his mother died while trying to reconnect with his estranged family.  His psychiatrist father Gideon, played by Ian Holm, has lead Andrew to believe he caused his mother's accident that caused her to be in a wheelchair and has been on a lot of meds since that time.  In his return home, he makes the decision to go off the pills to see how he does and also meets a girl named Sam, played by Natalie Portman, who has problems of her own while forming a relationship.  Peter Sarsgaard, Jim Parsons, Jean Smart, Method Man, and many others co-star in this film.  I thought the characters of Andrew and Sam were written very well where Braff and Portman work very well together.  Braff also does a good job with the direction.  This is available on Encore On-Demand.

The Carpetbaggers (1964):  Edward Dmytryk directed this film that takes place in the 30s.  George Peppard stars as Jonas Cord who is a Howard Hughes-like industrialist.  He starts out as an industrialist, then decides to move into the film industry.  Along the way, he hurts many people that are his friends and family.  Peppard carries the movie very well as the greedy tycoon channeling his late father who he has always resented.  The movie is a bit exaggerated and campy but still fun if not taken too seriously at least to see a good performance from a pre-THE A-TEAM George Peppard.

Whirlpool (1949):  Otto Preminger directed this film noir.  Gene Tierney stars as Ann Sutton who is a kleptomaniac and wants to be cured where she turns to hypnotist David Korvo, played by Jose Ferrer, to look into getting cured.  When hypnotized, a murder happens and she does not remember what she was doing while becoming the prime suspect.  Richard Conte stars as Ann's husband Dr. Bill Sutton who does not know his wife's issue about being a kleptomaniac.  This was a very well-done film noir and has some very disturbing moments.  Fans of this genre should check this out.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995):  I end the week with an intense Nicolas Cage film.  Usually when I bring this movie up to people everyone mentions the flying Elvis's and then I have to remind them "no, that's HONEYMOON IN VEGAS" so I figured I'd get that out of the way.  Mike Figgis directed this film which is based on a novel by John O'Brien.  Cage stars as Ben Sanderson who is a Hollywood screenwriter but gets fired from his job over his drinking problem.  When this happens, he goes to Vegas with the plan to drink himself to death.  He ends up meeting a prostitute named Sera, played by Elizabeth Shue, who he takes a liking to and they form a relationship with the agreement they will not interfere with each other's life meaning she cannot question his suicidal drinking binge and he won't question her profession.  Julian Sands, Richard Lewis, Steven Weber, Emily Procter, Valeria Golino, Carey Lowell, French Stewart, Ed Lauter, R. Lee Ermey, Mariska Hargitay, Danny Huston, Julian Lennon, Xander Berkeley and many others have cameo appearances in this film.  This is quite dark, depressing, and intense movie and it is really the kind of love story I enjoy the most.  I like a love story that is unusual and this gets it done on many levels.  It is also a very good look at someone dependent on alcohol.  Cage gives a great performance as well as Elizabeth Shue.  This is also available on Encore On-Demand, just don't expect flying Elvis's in this one.

Well, that is it for this portion of the blog but continue to read for a couple other segments.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Meryl Streep, more Martin Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Claudette Colbert, Katherine Hepburn, Julianne Moore, and many others.



MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Dumb and Dumber To (2014):  We were at Shera's and we had to find something reasonable for us and the kids that was available on ATT On-Demand.  I first suggested BIRDMAN but her daughter immediately turned down that idea so we settled upon this sequel.  After twenty years, Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reunite from the 1994 comedy DUMB AND DUMBER as Lloyd and Harry.  Harry learns that he has a daughter and Lloyd forms an immediate crush so they set out on a road trip where like the last one they inadvertently get caught up in a crime caper.  Rob Riggle, Kathleen Turner, Rachel Melvin, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This had some funny parts but by no means matched the 1994 film.  The leads were still fun to watch and was worth a look.

Police Academy (1984):  We started this pretty early in the day so we went further through On-Demand and found this one.  I hadn't seen this for quite a while so after jokingly suggesting we watch all 7 movies in the series we decided to at least watch this one.  The police force no longer has any requirements toward sex, weight, height, and orientation where just about anyone has come to apply.  The main point of the story is of petty criminal Mahoney, played by Steve Guttenberg, who is pretty much sentenced to go to the police academy and train.  Kim Catrall, G.W. Bailey, Bubba Smith, Donovan Scott, Michael Winslow, and many others star in this comedy.  Winslow steals it in my opinion with his great sound effects.  This is a pretty good start to the 80s comedy series.  There were some pretty funny prank moments among an unlikely group training to be part of the police.



Music Video

A local band who I am friends with made this music videos of one of their latest songs so I decided to put up this endorsement.  The link is below, if you cannot click on it, just copy and paste.  They are a local Muncie band who has toured a lot in this United States.  Their website is http://www.losingseptember.com so check out this site and maybe you'll become a loser.  Also above is a photo which show dates of their American Hero tour so if it is close, you should go check them out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHJhCE-02nE&feature=youtu.be

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 510th Edition

Welcome to the 510th edition of my series.  Nothing really that important to report so I'll just get onto these recommendations.

Irrational Man (2015):  This is part one of a possible Woody Allen trilogy.  I had never heard of this Woody Allen film until I was in Columbus, Indiana and looked to see what was playing at their non-profit movie theater the Yes Cinema.  I glossed over it a little bit and liking to support this theater, I gave it shot.  Allen wrote and directed film which stars Joaquin Phoenix as philosophy professor Abe who is rather burned out in life.  Emma Stone co-stars as his student Jill who becomes interested in the tormented professor and forms a friendship with him.  Abe comes up with a really strange and twisted plan for him to be able to live life again and be happy.  This is really one that I feel the less you know, the better it becomes.  I went into this really not knowing what to expect and was really quite wowed.  Jamie Blackley and Parker Posey co-star in this independent film which is a pretty different Woody Allen movie.

12 and Holding (2005):  Michael Cuesta directed this much darker coming of age film.  Conor Donovan stars as the 12 year old Jacob whose twin brother is killed in a fire set by local bullies.  This has a very profound effect on him and two of his friends.  Jacob is obsessed with getting revenge with the bullies responsible for his brother's death.  Jesse Camacho co-stars as Leonard who is overweight and obsessed with losing it for himself and the rest of the family making him resort to some rather extreme measures to get his mom to lose weight.  Zoe Weizenbaum co-stars as Malee who tries to befriend and forms a crush with her mom's grief-stricken patient Gus, played by Jeremy Renner, which she takes to the extreme.  All these are very compelling stories and all done very well.  Annabella Sciorra, Jayne Atkinson, Linus Roache, Marcia DeBonis, Tom McGowan, Bruce Altman, and many others co-star in this film.  The young actors do a great job in carrying this film that again is a coming of age story but a rather dark one.

Dick Tracy (1990):  This is my comic book movie on the character created in the 30s by Chester Gould on a square jaw police detective and I suppose you can say this was a reboot before reboots were cool though nothing else came after this one.  Warren Beatty directed and stars as the title character in this film.  He is going after crime boss Big Boy Caprice who has united all the rival gangsters.  Madonna co-stars as nightclub singer Breathless Mahoney and is involved in the crime scene while making advances toward Tracy.  Charlie Korsmo, William Forsythe, Glenne Headly, Seymour Cassel, Charles Durning, Allen Garfield, John Schuck, Madonna, Mandy Patinkin, Paul Sorvino, Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Dick Van Dyke, Colm Meaney, Catherine O'Hara, James Caan, Michael J. Pollard, Estelle Parsons, and many others co-star or have cameos in this film.  This was a very fun updated version of the Sunday comics legend.  The make-up and costumes on the characters were also very good like Pacino.

Cat Concerto (1947):  This is my animated short for the week which features the best and most famous cat and mouse duo of all time in Tom and Jerry.  In this one, Tom is playing a piano concert and Jerry does everything possible to disrupt the concert.  They had a really humorous exchange revolving around the piano and was pretty innovative.  This is a pretty good 8 minutes.

A Slight Case of Murder (1938):  Lloyd Bacon directed this film crime comedy.  Edward G. Robinson stars as Remy Marco who was a successful bootlegger during prohibition but struggles to adjust to the repeal.  He is close to bankruptcy and must also deal with an orphan living in his home, his daughter's fiance who is a state trooper, the bodies of four gangsters, and a half a million in loot that was hidden in the home.  Jane Bryan, Allen Jenkins, Willard Parker, John Litel, Margaret Hamilton, George E. Stone, and many others co-star in this film.  Robinson goes the comedic route in this one and does a really good job in this parody film.  This is a really good, early blend of gangsters and comedy as well as a good look at someone who must adjust to their careers involving alcohol post-prohibition.

The Naked Prey (1965):  Cornel Wilde directed and stars in this centering on an African safari gone wrong.  Wilde plays a person in the safari expedition who encounter a tribe who are offended by this group and kill the members one by one leaving Wilde's character as the last survival and does what he can to stay alive.  The scenery is great and is very authentic like the tribe was not a bunch of extras.  This had a really good tension to it showing the fear of both the tribe and the man trying to survive.  Wilde does a great job in carrying the film.

There Will Be Blood (2007):  Paul Thomas Anderson directed this film based on the novel by Upton Sinclair.  Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Daniel Sinclair who is a miner turned oilman when he strikes oil.  Paul Dano co-stars as Eli Sunday whose property Sinclair struck oil and is a local preacher who wants some of that money to build a new church.  Their lives clash through the years leading up to quite a climax.  Paul F. Tompkins, Dillon Freasier, Ciaran Hinds, Sydney McCallister, David Willis, Kevin J. O'Connor, and many others co-star in this film.  Day-Lewis does great as the many that will do whatever necessary to achieve his goals and Dano plays off of him very well.  This is a great story of greed and betrayal and one that will really make one think.

<a href="http://s931.photobucket.com/user/shaun2000us/media/harddays.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad151/shaun2000us/harddays.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo harddays.jpg"/></a>A Hard Day's Night (1964):  Richard Lester directed this film where the Beatles play themselves in some misadventures in getting from Liverpool to London to get to a television broadcast to perform.  A couple of the storylines are Paul's grandfather getting into some mischief and Ringo going missing.  Norman Rossington, Victor Spinetti, and Anna Quayle co-star in this film and also look for a young Phil Collins in the audience near the end.  This is a fun movie that works in the music of the title album and is a must for people who are at least casual Beatles fans.

Pickpocket (1959):  This is my French film for the week.  Robert Bresson wrote and directed this film which stars Martin LaSalle as Michel who does what the title says.  He has just been released from prison for thievery.  His mother dies and he goes back to pickpocketing for a means of survival.  He does begin to question if his luck will run out but cannot stop his compulsion.  This was a very controversial film for its time.  Finland banned it until 1965 for the authentic instruction on how to pickpocket.  LaSalle does a really good job in his film debut.  It is a good look at compulsion and might take a couple viewings.

The Way (2010):  This is part one of a Martin Sheen series that might go three or four parts.  I end the week with this more independent film.  Emilio Estevez directed this film based on the novel by Jack Hitt and has a cameo in flashbacks as the late son of the main character.  Emilio's father Martin Sheen co-stars as Tom who is a doctor whose son dies while walking the Pyrenees in a storm.  He goes to France to collect his remains and decides to take the long walk of Camino de Santiago and is joined by unlikely group of people which include a Dutchman named Joost, played by Yorick Van Wageningen, a Canadian named Sarah, played by Deborah Kara Unger, and an Irish writer named Jack, played by James Nesbitt which are different people who try to co-exist among each other.  Tcheky Karyo also co-stars in this film.  I did not know a lot about this movie going in but was a very pleasant surprise.  Sheen and the others work very well together.  This is one of those that is more driven by the characters which I seem to have a lot of this week.  This underrated gem can be found on Instant Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Meryl Streep, more Woody Allen, more Martin Sheen, James Cagney, Robert Redford, and many others.  Continue to read for "Fun and Useless Facts".



FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I'm sure they are many I missed and keep in mind, I don't use people in the same movies and use actors in different movies.

Woody Allen (Irrational Man director) directed Glenne Headly (Dick Tracy) in a bit part in the 1985 film THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO.

Woody Allen (Irrational Man director) and John Schuck (Dick Tracy) in the 2001 film THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION.

Woody Allen (Irrational Man director), Madonna (Dick Tracy), Kathy Bates (Dick Tracy) in the 1991 film SHADOWS AND FOG.

Woody Allen (Irrational Man director) directed Kathy Bates (Dick Tracy) in the 2011 film MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Woody Allen (Irrational Man director) and Anna Quayle (A Hard Day's Night) were in the 1967 James Bond spoof CASINO ROYALE.

Woody Allen (Irrational Man director) directed James Nesbitt (The Way) in the 2005 film MATCH POINT.

Emma Stone (Irrational Man) and Martin Sheen (The Way) were in the 2012 film THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.

Joaquin Phoenix (Irrational Man) and Kevin J. O'Connor (There Will Be Blood) were in the 2012 film THE MASTER.

Parker Posey (Irrational Man) and Catherine O'Hara (Dick Tracy) were in the 1996 film WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, the 2000 film BEST IN SHOW, 2003 film A MIGHTY WIND and the 2006 film FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.  All these are the Christopher Guest mockumentary comedies.

Michael Cuesta (12 and Holding director) directed Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) in the 2001 film L.I.E.

Conor Donovan (12 and Holding) and Martin Sheen (The Way) were in the 2006 film THE DEPARTED.

Tom McGowan (12 and Holding), Colm Meaney (Dick Tracy) and Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) were in the 1992 film THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

Bruce Altman (12 and Holding) and Al Pacino (Dick Tracy) were in the 1992 film GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS.

John Schuck (Dick Tracy) plays Walt "Painless Pole" Waldowski in the 1970 film MASH.  I played the part in a 2007 production at Lee's Theatrical Productions.

Al Pacino (Dick Tracy) declined the part of Captain Willard in the 1979 film APOCALYPSE NOW which would ultimately go to Martin Sheen (The Way).

Al Pacino (Dick Tracy), William Forsythe (Dick Tracy), and Deborah Kara Unger (The Way) were in the 2007 movie 88 MINUTES.

Dustin Hoffman (Dick Tracy) was the narrator/father in the first telecast of the 1971 animated tv movie THE POINT.  Ringo Starr (A Hard Days Night) voiced the part in the home video release which is the version you will find today.

Dustin Hoffman (Dick Tracy) and Kevin J. O'Connor (There Will Be Blood) were in the 1992 movie HERO.

Madonna (Dick Tracy) and George Harrison (There Will Be Blood) were in the 1986 movie SHANGHAI SURPRISE.

Dick Van Dyke (Dick Tracy) and Anna Quayle (A Hard Day's Night) were in the 1968 film CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG.

Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Martin Sheen (The Way) were in the 1982 film GANDHI.

Martin Sheen (The Way) auditioned for the part of Michael Corleone in the 1972 film THE GODFATHER which would ultimately go to Al Pacino (The Godfather).

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 509th Edition

Welcome to the 509th Edition of my series.  The fake season of the NFL has begun so that is a start but I'm more looking forward to the regular season.  Other than that, not much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections.

Too Big to Fail (2011):  I start the week out with this HBO movie.  Curtis Hanson directed this political movie based on the book by Andrew Ross Sorkin.  This takes place during the 2008 financial meltdown and centers around U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, played by William Hurt, and his efforts to avoid a horrific period.  James Woods also stars as Richard Fuld who is CEO of Lehman Brothers and trying to make an external investment involving attempts to save the economy.  John Heard, Topher Grace, Cynthia Nixon, Kathy Baker, Edward Asner, Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Joey Slotnick, Bill Pullman, Evan Handler, Tony Shalhoub, Matthew Modine, Amy Carlson, Dan Hedaya, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  This is a pretty decent look at a rough time in our country and shows how corporate America is a pretty big part of our economy.  This is available on HBO On-Demand and Amazon Prime.

Arbitrage (2012):  Nicholas Jarecki wrote and directed this thriller.  Richard Gere stars as Robert Miller who is a successful business executive whose world crumbles around him when fraudulent activities begin to be exposed and must cover up something personal.  Susan Sarandon co-stars as Robert's wife Ellen and Brit Marling plays their daughter Brooke who works under her father.  Tim Roth co-stars as detective Michael Bryer who is very determined to expose the truth.  Laetitia Casta, Nate Parker, Bruce Altman, Stuart Margolin, and many others co-star in this film.  I believe that if I continue to talk about the film, I will give too much away.  Gere does a great job as the business owner who tries to cover up everything hurting many others on the way.  I also like how they portray his daughter where people who deal with her seem to think she is just a dumb blonde but shows they better not underestimate her.  It also has a rather interesting message where when trying to cover up something that there are many things that they might not think through before doing it.  This had a lot of suspense and was very well done in my opinion.

Jackie Brown (1997):  Quentin Tarantino directed this film based on the novel RUM PUNCH by Elmore Leonard.  Pam Grier stars as the title character I suppose in homage to Foxy Brown as the character in the novel was named Jackie Burke who is an airline attendant smuggling money from Mexico to Los Angeles and gets caught by agents Ray Nicolette and Mark Dargus, played by Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen, who find cocaine.  They propose a deal with her to help bring down Ordell Robbie, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who is the main person they want.  Ordell arranges Jackie's bail through bondsman Max Cherry, played by Robert Forster, with the intention to eliminate her.  When this happens, Jackie teams with Max to steal from Ordell.  Robert De Niro co-stars as Ordell's stoner friend Louis and Bridget Fonda plays Ordell's girlfriend Melanie whose feet are put to use many times in the film per Tarantino.  Chris Tucker, Sid Haig, Tiny Lister, T'Keyah Crystal Kehmah, Hattie Wilson, and many others co-star in this crime comedy.  I remember reading the book in high school and feel Tarantino did a good job adapting it with a little blaxploitation homage to it.  This was Grier's first notable role in years and even for Forster who was in a slump at the time.  I was always a fan of Leonard who I credit to getting me through reading assignments in high school as I was actually able to read his books and be entertained.  Lots of great action, comedy, and twists.  This is available on Instant Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Dry Wood (1973):  This is my documentary short for the week directed by Les Blank.  He takes a look at a black Creole group in Louisiana and exposes us to Zydeco music which is like a combination of blues, folk and Tex-Mex music.  Blank is known for his documentaries and is thought to be one of the best documentary directors of all time and focuses a lot on American music.  This had some very interesting moments like with the people and the music.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934):  I now bring some early Alfred Hitchcock.  Leslie Banks and Edna best star as married couple Lawrence and Jill who get word of an assassination and while dealing with that, they learn that their daughter Betty, played by Nova Pilbeam, has been kidnapped.  They race to stop the kidnapping while also trying to find their daughter.  I have always favored Hitchcock later work including the 1956 remake of this film but this is what got Hitchcock going and got things like bigger budgets to work with.  Peter Lorre makes his English language debut and usually gets top billing like on DVDs since he is the most know now but does a good job in his supporting role.  He does do well with the limited budget and is worth a look.

Singin' in the Rain (1952):  This is my musical for the week based on the one from Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed which is directed by Stanley Donen.  Gene Kelly and Jean Hagen play silent film team Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont where they must also act like a couple even though they do not like each other very much.  Their movie studio has just gotten word of the success of THE JAZZ SINGER and realize the talking pictures are of the future and look to make the transition.  Debbie Reynolds co-stars as actress Kathy Selden who favors the stage but is open to the talking pictures and Don tries to help her into that while forming a relationship.  One of the first things they find is that Lina's voice is just not one for film which is the difficulty of many actors of this era.  Donald O'Connor is very amusing as Don's friend Cosmo Brown who writes the music and is hired by the studio to do that for the talkies.  Cyd Charisse and Rita Moreno also have parts in the film.  This is a really good look at the transition period of going from silent films to talkies.  It also has some really good dance and song numbers including the title number.  Years later, the title song would be used in the 1971 film A CLOCKWORK ORANGE in a very graphic way much to the dismay of Gene Kelly who apparently was very bitter towards Malcolm McDowell for singing that.  I suppose those two movies would make a great double feature.

Broken Flowers (2005):  Jim Jarmusch directed and wrote this road film I guess you could call it.  Bill Murray stars as the withdrawn Don Johnston who has just been dumped and then later receives a mysterious letter saying he has a 19 year old son.  His amateur sleuth friend Winston, played by Jeffrey Wright, advises him to search for whoever might have sent this letter and to be discreet on the reason for his visit.  He reluctantly decides to go on a road trip in search of four women who are suspects which include Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, and Tilda Swinton.  He visits them unannounced and has a different and unique encounter with each of them in his investigation to see if he is really a father.  Julie Delpy, Christopher McDonald, Alexis Dziena, Chloe Sevigny, Chris Bauer, and many other co-star in this film.  Bill Murray is great in this movie and the women who play his former lovers are also really good.  I will say that I liked his scene with Sharon Stone the most but they were all really good.  I also thought it had a real good ending to it.  This is a really good film driven by the characters and script that really deserves a look.

Old Acquaintance (1943):  This is part two of my Bette Davis series.  Vincent Sherman directed this flim where Bette stars as Kit Marlowe who is a critically acclaimed but not very financially successful author and playwright.  She sees her old friend Millie, played by Miriam Hopkins, after many years and Millie slowly forms a jealousy towards Kit causing a lot of jealousy and backstabbing through the years.  Gig Young, Roscoe Karns, and Anne Revere co-star in this film.  This had a lot of great elements for a melodrama.  Davis would usually play the kind of part in which Hopkins would play but still did a good job as the more toned down one.  Davis and Hopkins in real life did not like each other but were still able to work together and had a sense of humor about it for the media.  This is a pretty good classic melodrama.

Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977):  I have always been a fan of the Peanuts gang and this was a feature film I had not heard of so when I found it, I was very quick to watch it.  The gang, along with Snoopy and Woodstock, go to a summer camp full of a group of bullies.  They all take part in a raft race where they must battle the elements, wild animals, and the group of cheating bullies.  This one has a really good message about teamwork and where Charlie Brown develops leadership skills in this one.  I really liked this one on which I found on Amazon Prime.  This is one for the family and many people can relate to this one.

Ida (2013):  I end this week with this Polish film which was directed and co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski.  Agata Trzebuchowska stars as Anna who is on the verge of taking her vows to become a nun in 1960s Poland.  She is to see her aunt Wanda, played by Agata Kulesza, who is her only living relative and reveals tragic secrets about Anna's family.  They set out to learn the truth about Anna's parents and also learn her name is of the title.  While learning what they have, they question what they believe it.  This was a pretty compelling film with a good performance from Trzebuchowska whose only movie is this one so far.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week but I do have my segment "Movie Night at the Shera" so continue to read a little further.  Tell me what you like and dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Emma Stone, Jeremy Renner, Warren Beatty, Edward G. Robinson, Daniel Day-Lewis, and many others.



MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Gone Girl (2014):  Last week, the movie we watched was the Steve Martin comedy ROXANNE.  We were going to watch BEST IN SHOW but it appeared to have been taken off the On-Demand so we made a bit of a jump in this one.  David Fincher directed this film based on the novel by Gillian Flynn who also wrote the screenplay.  Ben Affleck stars as Nick Dunne whose wife Amy, played by Rosamund Pike, has disappeared.  When this happens, many dark secrets come out about their marriage making Nick a prime suspect.  Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, Sela Ward, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very disturbing and twisted movie to say the least.  Shera and I thought we knew what might happen but we were totally wrong.  She was in shock many times on parts of this movie and I was as well.  I spoke to her recently and she said she is still thinking about this one.  If looking for a dark film, this would be a good place to start.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 508th Edition

Welcome to the 508th Edition of my series.  There is not a lot going on right now so I'll just get to my selections for the week.

Pennies from Heaven (1981):  Herbert Ross directed this film that is rather difficult to describe.  This takes place in the Great Depression where Steve Martin stars as music sheet salesman Arthur who struggles at his job but really likes it.  He is in a loveless marriage with Joan, played by Jessica Harper.  He meets a teacher named Eileen, played by Bernadette Peters, who he immediately takes a liking to and has a love affair with her.  Christopher Walken also co-stars in this and has a rather amusing and well-done dance number.  In this movie, the actors go into a dance number in reflecting on their lives and lip sync to classic songs.  I would have liked to have seen the actors, especially the underrated Jessica Harper who is known for PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE and SHOCK TREATMENT, sing since they all can but still a fun movie with some good dance numbers.

The Interrupters (2011):  Steve James directed this documentary based on the group called Ceasefire which looks to stop the violence in Chicago and most of them are former gang members trying to make up for what they did.  This was shot over a one year period and shows some pretty disturbing footage like a high school student whose death was caught on videotape.  It also documents some of the dangers of Ceasefire.  This is a very moving documentary and a really good group that has helped to prevent gang violence.  They have a very good website at http://www.ceasefire.org.

Beautiful Boy (2010):  Shawn Ku directed and co-wrote this film showing a couple trying to cope with a tragedy caused by their son.  Michael Sheen and Maria Bello star as married couple Bill and Kate who in an already troubled marriage and then must deal with an event where their son Sammy, played by Kyle Gallner, commits a mass shooting and the university he attends then shoots himself.  It shows their ways of dealing with the tragedy in their personal lives and in the media trying to understand why their son would do such a thing.  Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood, and Meatloaf all co-star in this film.  This is a pretty bleak film but is carried very well by Sheen and Bello in an interesting look where they parents must deal with a tragedy and the inevitable blame from the public.

Lambchops (1929):  This is my comedy short for the week which stars George Burns and Gracie Allen in a performance of their Vaudeville act.  They have a good comedic exchange with each other, then breaking out into song and dance.  Before this, I really only knew the older George Burns, mostly in the movie OH, GOD in which he gives the ideal portrayal of God in my opinion.  It was good to see him from his Vaudeville roots.

The Star (1952):  This is part one of my two-part Bette Davis series.  Stuart Heisler directed this film kind of showing the darker side of Hollywood.  Bette Davis stars as Margaret Elliot who is an Oscar winning actress but is past her prime and cannot let go of her stardom.  When she hits rock bottom, her old friend Jim, played by Sterling Hayden, comes into her life and tries to help her while forming a relationship.  She helped Jim break into film when she was in his prime but he decided he just didn't like the lifestyle which is kind of parallel to Hayden from what I understand.  Natalie Wood co-stars as Margaret's daughter who is either naive or oblivious to her mother's issues as she always treats her as the perfect mother anytime she is around her.  Davis plays the actress to perfection and is a great story of not being able to let go of the fame they once had.  This is a pretty underrated film and possibly Davis's best in my opinion.

The Ugly Dachshund (1966):  This is my second live action Disney movie in the last two weeks where last week I featured THE GNOME-MOBILE and this week I focus on the Dachshunds.  Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette star as married couple Mark and Fran Garrison.  Their dog Danke is soon to have puppies.  When at the vet, he is talked into a great dane puppy named Brutus who has been abandoned and adds to the dog family with the reluctance of Fran.  Brutus starts to grow and believes he is one of them and the actual dachshunds make trouble to make it look like Brutus did it.  Mark is determined to prove that he is not so bad.  Charles Ruggles, Parley Baer, Mako, and Charles Lane all co-star in this film.  I did like my Disney feature from last week better but this is harmless family fun that involve dogs.  It made me think of my friend/karaoke partner's dog Bear which is a dachshund.

Project Nim (2011):  This is my second documentary for the week which is directed by James Marsh and based on a book by Elizabeth Hess.  This focuses on an experiment in the '70s that involved a chimpanzee named Nim and trying to raise him like a human child.  This takes a look at his journey and interviews the people he has met and stayed with through the years.  Some of the results might be a little comic but mostly unsettling where he was ripped from his mother for someone to do a "project".  This could be considered our real life PLANET OF THE APES, especially those of the reboot.  This is a really good one to give a look showing how our aspirations can be very wrong since it is hard enough to change a human, trying to pretty much turn a chimp into a human.

The Yearling (1946):  This is the third animal selection I have ended up with this week.  Clarence Brown directed this film based on the novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.  Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman star as married couple Penny and Orry Baxter who are farmers in the post-civil war era and struggle but manage to make ends meet with their son Jody, played by Claude Jarman Jr.  Jody insists on taking in an oprhan fawn whose mother his pa kills while hunting and the parents reluctantly accept.  Jody has some good times with the fawn but as the fawn grows, he becomes very wild effecting their crops and must look into the harsh adult realities.  Chill Wills, Henry Travers, and Forrest Tucker also co-star in this film.  This is another one that is good for the family and shows some good life lessons along the way.

Walk Don't Run (1966):  Now I bring more of a romantic comedy directed by Charles Walters.  Cary Grant stars as Sir William Rutland, though goes by Bill, who is an industrialist living in Japan.  He is trying to find a place to stay and finds an ad for an apartment.  When going there, he finds that a woman named Christine Easton, played by Samantha Eggar, is living there and reluctantly lets him stay even though she was not expecting a man.  Bill also meets Olympics athlete Steve Davis, played by Jim Hutton, and convinces Christine to let him stay as well.  Look for George Takei in a part as a police captain.  Grant, Eggar, and Davis made a very good trio.  Bill tries to get together Christine and Steve in an unusual turn for Grant where he takes a backseat to getting the girl and helping someone else.  This was also his last movie.  This is a rather underrated comedy that really deserves a look.

Barefoot (2014):  I end with this rather unusual love story directed by Andrew Fleming.  Scott Speedman stars as Jay Wheeler who has been in trouble with the law and owes a lot of people money.  He is on probation and has a job as a janitor at the psychiatric hospital for his probation.  Evan Rachel Wood stars as Daisy who is a patient there and takes a liking to Jay after a brief encounter.  She decides to leave with him and he reluctantly takes her.  It then occurs to him to have her as his date at his brother's wedding to maintain his image with this upper class family that he has gotten it together.  In the process they form an actual love for each other.  Treat Williams, Kate Burton, J.K. Simmons, and many others co-star in this film.  It would seem that Jay was committing all kinds of wrong by taking Daisy but then we begin to see that maybe she just needs to experience life after a childhood with a deadbeat mother.  This was a very different sort of love story and I thought was quite moving.  This is a remake of a 2005 German film of the same title which I might have to look into.  Speedman and Wood were great together.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is one just about anyone can enjoy so if there is a date night in watching a love story, I think this is a great selection.

Well, that is it for this week but I do have the segments of "Fun and Useless Facts" and the returning "Movie Night at the Shera" so continue to read.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Paul Giamatti, Susan Sarandon, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Lorre, Gene Kelly, Jessica Lange, Bette Davis, and many others.



FUN AND USELESS FACTS

This focuses on the ten movies above and does not include anything from the next segment of "Movie Night at the Shera".  I also focus on people from different movies and not much on connections from actors in the same movie.

Herbert Ross (Pennies from Heaven director) directed Samantha Eggar (Walk Don't Run) in the 1976 film THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION.

Steve Martin (Pennies from Heaven) plays Orin Scrivello D.D.S in the 1986 film LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS.  My Facebook friend Sean played the part in a version at Muncie Civic Theater.

Steve Martin (Pennies from Heaven) and Meat Loaf (Beautiful Boy) were in the 1992 film LEAP OF FAITH.

Steve Martin (Pennies from Heaven) and George Burns (Lambchops) were in the 1978 movie SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND.

Bernadette Peters (Pennies from Heaven) plays Glinda in the 2013 movie LEGENDS OF OZ:  DOROTHY'S RETURN.  My Facebook friend Brittney played Glinda in a version of THE WIZARD OF OZ at the Muncie Civic Theater that happened over the summer.

Jessica Harper (Pennies from Heaven) plays Janet in the 1981 movie SHOCK TREATMENT.  My Facebook friend Tonya played Janet in a version of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater.

Christopher Walken (Pennies from Heaven) and Treat Williams (Barefoot) were in the 1995 movie THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD.

Christopher Walken (Pennies From Heaven) plays Captain Hook in the 2014 tv movie PETER PAN LIVE!  My Facebook friend Kayla played Hook in a version at Lee's Theatrical Productions.

Christopher Walken (Pennies from Heaven) and Natalie Wood (The Star) were in the 1983 movie BRAINSTORM.

Maria Bello (Beautiful Boy) and J.K. Simmons (Barefoot) were in the 2005 comedy THANK YOU FOR SMOKING.

Michael Sheen (Beautiful Boy) and Scott Speedman (Barefoot) were in the 2003 movie UNDERWORLD and the 2006 sequel UNDERWORLD:  EVOLUTION.

Alan Tudyk (Beautiful Boy) played Lancelot in a Broadway production of SPAMELOT around 2005.  My Facebook friend Sean played the part in a version at Muncie Civic Theater.

George Burns (Lambchops) and Suzanne Pleshette (The Ugly Dachshund) were in the 1980 comedy OH, GOD! BOOK II.

George Burns (Lambchops) and Samantha Eggar (Walk Don't Run) were in a 1985 episode of GEORGE BURNS COMEDY WEEK called CHRISTMAS CAROL ll THE SEQUEL.

Sterling Hayden (The Star) and Gregory Peck (The Yearling) were in the 1982 mini-series THE BLUE AND THE GRAY.

Natalie Wood (The Star) and Parley Baer (The Ugly Dachshund) were in the 1962 film GYPSY.

Bette Davis (The Star) and Henry Travers (The Yearling) were in the 1939 film DARK VICTORY.

Charles Ruggles (The Ugly Dachshund) and Cary Grant (Walk Don't Run) were in the 1933 film ALICE IN WONDERLAND and the 1938 film BRINGING UP BABY.

Charles Lane (The Ugly Dachshund) and Cary Grant (Walk Don't Run) were in the 1944 comedy ARSENIC AND OLD LACE.

Charles Lane (The Ugly Dachshund) was in a couple episodes of THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW which obvious stars Burns and Allen of this weeks short feature LAMBCHOPS.

Charles Lane (The Ugly Dachshund) and Henry Travers (The Yearling) were in the 1946 classic IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE which is my favorite December selection.

Gregory Peck (The Yearling) was a pallbearer at the funeral for Natalie Wood (The Star).

Gregory Peck (The Yearling) played Atticus Finch in the 1962 film TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.  My Facebook friend Andy played the part in a production at the Anderson Mainstage Theatre.

Gregory Peck (The Yearling) was considered for the part of Roger Thornhill in the 1959 film NORTH BY NORTHWEST which would ultimately go to Cary Grant (Walk Don't Run).

Chill Wills (The Yearling) and Jim Hutton (Walk Don't Run) were in the 1960 film WHERE THE BOYS ARE.

Cary Grant (Walk Don't Run) was in the 1944 comedy ARSENIC AND OLD LACE.  My Facebook friend Rick played the part in a 2010 production at Anderson Mainstage Theatre where I was Lieutenant Rooney.

Samantha Eggar (Walk Don't Run) and Treat Williams (Barefoot) were in the 1996 movie THE PHANTOM.

Evan Rachel Wood (Barefoot) will be portraying my good friend Ashley in my biopic THE RISE AND FALL OF SHAUN BERKEY.



MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Roxanne (1987):  I ended up at Shera's house last week and decided to watch a movie which was exciting when she was looking.  We were going through On-Demand and I was paying attention to titles that were fairly family friendly since her daughters were also with us.  I saw that BEST IN SHOW was available and tried to describe it to Shera but did not interest her, then I saw this one and thought this might be a good one to try and agreed to this 80s romantic comedy.  This is a modern-day take on the play CYRANO DE BERGERAC where Steve Martin stars as C.D. Bales who is a local fire chief and has a really big nose.  Daryl Hannah stars as the title character who has just moved into town and in addition to being beautiful, she is also an astronomer who believes she is close to discovering a comet.  C.D. becomes friends with her and also has feelings but has a really hard time telling her how he feels.  Rick Rossovich co-stars as Chris who has just gotten hired and is very good looking but does not really know how to talk to women so he asks C.D. to help him making things very complicated.  The music score is the typical sounding romantic comedy music score but Steve Martin really shines in this one.  Shelley Duvall, Fred Willard, and Damon Wayons co-star in this film.  This was one where looks don't really matter but personality.  I seemed to be a minority in that house of those who liked it but we cannot agree on everything so until next time.  It was still good to have some movie time so maybe next time some BEST IN SHOW or another choice we'll just see.