Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 528th Edition

Welcome to the 528th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good Christmas this year and I extend the holidays a little bit into this week.  A couple weeks ago, I won a 48 inch Smart tv at work and am really enjoying that right now.  I added a new segment called "Holiday Time" which might get used in the future for other holidays  This is the last one of this year so next year we will be into the new year so I hope everyone has a good new year.

Twenty Feet From Stardom (2013):  I start the week out with this documentary directed by Morgan Neville.  This documentary takes a look at the backup singers of popular musicians and their importance to the industry.  It shows some of them who desire more of a career and others who are content being in the background instead of the spotlight.  There are interviews with both the background and feature singers.  This gave a really good look at the unsung heroes of the industry that may not be very well known by the public but respected within the industry.

The Terrible Truth (1951):  This is my short for the week and one of those humorous older ones which take a look at the horrors of mainly marijuana.  There are many teens in juvenile court which have an addiction.  This would be a good start to a night of viewing this before movies like REEFER MADNESS and COCAINE FIENDS.  A good entry into the "message" movies long before we found benefits to the drug that we know today.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947):  Since I just got done being in the musical version, I thought it would be good to revisit this holiday classic.  Edmund Gwenn stars as Kris Kringle who is a very friendly older man claiming to be the real Santa Claus.  He is recruited to be the Santa in the Macy's Parade by the director Doris Walker, played by Maureen O'Hara, after he discovers the person playing Santa is drunk.  Doris is a very business driven person who is raising her daughter Susan, played by a young Natalie Wood, in a more reality based world.  Kringle becomes the Macy's Santa who takes the world by storm and starts a very unorthodox way of doing business by referring people to other places if they do not have what they want resulting in success for business.  John Payne stars as attorney Fred Gailey who is Doris and Susan's neighbor and really takes a liking to the way Kris tries to reduce the commercialism of the holidays.  The climax of it all is where Kris Kringle must go on trial looking to prove he is the real Santa and Fred gladly defends him in court.  Gene Lockhart, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Phililp Tonge, and many others co-star in this film.  I have never seen the 1994 remake, maybe one day I'll look into it but this one is a really good film about believing.  This also includes Fred trying to make Doris and Susan believe in more of the Christmas Spirit and having faith which states means believing in something that common sense says not to believe.  I really enjoyed being a part of this cast and then to revisit this great holiday film.

The Debt (2010):  John Madden directed this espionage thriller which takes place in two eras.  This starts out in the year of 1997 where secret agents Rachel, played by Helen Mirren, Stephan, played by Tom Wilkinson, and David, played by Ciaran Hinds, are about to receive a reward for the accomplishments.  They flash back to their mission in 1965 where the characters are played by Jessica Chastain, Martin Csokas, and Sam Worthington are on a mission to capture Nazi war criminal Vogel, played by Jesper Christensen.  They show what happens in this the first era to lead into what happens in the modern era.  Romi Aboulafia, Brigitte Kren, and many others co-star in this film.  This is one that requires a lot of attention but in the end it was quite worth it to me to see the way the two eras kind of came together.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Three on a Match (1932):  Mervyn Leroy directed this film.  This focuses on three childhood friends in Mary, played by Joan Blondell, Vivian, played by Ann Dvorak, and Ruth, played by Bette Davis.  Vivian seems to have everything in life including marriage and a son but goes off the deep end into a life of drugs and alcohol.  Mary ends up becoming a stepmother to the boy.  Anne Shirley, Lyle Talbot, Humphrey Bogart, Allen Jenkins, and Edward Arnold co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good showcase for a lot of actors early in the career.  This is also a crime drama with quite an intense climax.  This is just a little over an hour and is really worth a look

Ironweed (1987):  Hector Babenco directed this depression era film based on the novel by William Kennedy and depression describes the movie quite well.  Jack Nicholson stars as drifter Francis Phelan who returns to his hometown after many years.  He gets reacquainted with his old friend Helen, played by Meryl Streep.  Both of them are reduced to bums after having some success early in their life.  Francis is trying to make amends with his family while dealing with the ghosts of his past in a literal way.  Carroll Baker, Michael O'Keefe, Diane Venora, Fred Gwynne, Margaret Whitton, Tom Waits, Nathan Lane, James Gammon, Will Zahrn, Joe Grifasi, Ted Levine, Frank Whaley, and many others co-star in this film.  This movie has its depressing moments but at the same time it does a great job of showing friendship and loyalty.  Nicholson and Streep work real well together playing much different characters than usual.

Those Calloways (1965):  This is my Disney selection for the week and possibly part one of a two-part Vera Miles series.  Norman Tokar directed this live action Disney movie based on the novel by Paul Annixter.  Brian Keith stars as New England resident Cam Calloway who looks to build a sanctuary for the geese that fly over every year.  In his way are the local hunters and a salesperson who tricking him with a loan.  Vera Miles co-stars as his Cam's wife who stands by him even if she does not agree with what he is doing.  Brandon De Wilde c-stars as their son Bucky who clearly takes a lot after his father.  Walter Brennan, Ed Wynn, Parley Baer, and a young Tom Skerritt co-star in this Disney film.  This is a pretty good family oriented film and a good one about a small town community.  There are some decent performances and some really good scenery.

The Sessions (2012):  This is part one of a potential William H. Macy series.  Ben Lewin directed and co-wrote this film based on an article by Mark O'Brien who is portrayed very well by John Hawkes in this film.  O'Brien was a journalist and a poet who was confined to being paralyzed in an iron lung.  He decides that he wants to lose his virginity and gets help from a professional sex surrogate named Cheryl, played by Helen Hunt.  This focuses on their relationship and on O'Brien's journey in life.  William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgard, Annika Marks, Adam Arkin, Rhea Perlman, W. Earl Brown, Robin Wiegert, Rusty Schwimmer, and many others co-star in this film.  It was good to see Helen Hunt in a good role like this one and she is still very beautiful after all these years.  I suppose it could have gone into more background into the main people but is based more on an article and a certain part of O'Brien's life.  This was a really good look at someone with paralysis trying to experience life through his limitations.

Fools' Parade (1971):  I bring another depression-era film but this one is more upbeat than my other one.  Andrew V. McLaglen directed this adaptation based on the novel by James Lee Barrett.  James Stewart stars as ex-con Mattie Appleyard who is just being released from prison after 40 years and has a very sizable check that he saved up some money.  Joining him are bank robber Lee Cottrill, played by Strother Martin, and Johnny Jesus, played by a young Kurt Russell.  They are hoping to open a store with Mattie's check but a corrupt prison official and banker make it really difficult where they resort to criminal means after hoping to avoid crime in order to get their money.  George Kennedy, Anne Baxter, William Windom, Mike Kellin, Katherine Cannon, David Huddleston, and many others co-star in this film.  It is good to see an older Stewart working with a very young Russell which I did not know they worked together.  This had some pretty comedic moments around this depression era drama with a good trio of actors working together.  This is a rather unknown one that deserves a look.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004):  This was an unexpected selection that came on Christmas Day when my mom and Uncle Bill were over and in the morning they found this on Starz so we went ahead Bill and I watched it while mom got Christmas ready.  Jared Hess directed and co-wrote this independent film in Idaho.  Jon Heder stars as the title character who is an outcast in his school and lives with his grandmother and 32 year old brother Kip, played by Aaron Ruell, who goes on chat rooms for ladies.  Napoleon becomes friends with the new student Pedro, played by Efren Ramirez, who he helps in the school presidency to defeat the mean and popular Summer, played by Haylie Duff.  Jon Gries, Diedrich Bader, Tina Majorino, Sandy Martin, Trevor Snarr, Shondrella Avery, Emily Dunn, and many others co-star in this film.  This was never really meant to be a big project and even Heder only got paid $1000 to do the film which ended up grossing $40,000, 000 in the United States.  I don't usually go over those kinds of statistics but found that to be a very interesting element of the unexpected success of this comedy.  This movie did go onto very mixed opinions from people.  I thought it was a good look into the "popularity" of high school.  It has gone onto become one of my Dad's favorite movies.  The movie does very well with its very limited budget and is quite different.  I know I was an outcast in school so rather relating at times.

Well, that is it for this week but did add a segment called "Holiday Time" which I might start using.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes George Clooney, Gene Wilder, Juliette Lewis, and many others.



HOLIDAY TIME

I'm not adding anything new or different by any means but always embrace these this time of year.  These are some good traditions that a family can always enjoy.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946):  This is my annual holiday film that I have been watching since my late high school days.  I usually either watch it with my dad or mom when it airs on NBC just depending where I am.  I even had the pleasure a couple years ago to host it myself at my friend Shera's house with her and her daughters.  Frank Capra directed this film where I believe that the message conveyed is anything one person does to help another can make a big difference no matter how small the favor might seem at the time.  James Stewart stars as small-town boy George Bailey who wants to get out of Bedford Falls but things always happen and ends up staying there.  He marries his childhood friend Mary, played by Donna Reed, and has four kids.  He does what he can to prevent Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, from taking over the town and screwing everyone over.  Something happens where George feels he has hit rock bottom and contemplates suicide.  An unusual angel named Clarence, played by Henry Travers, comes down to stop him and show him a world that would have happened had he not been born.  Thomas Mitchell, Ward Bond, Beulah Bondi, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner, and many others co-star in this film.  I always look forward to seeing this one and am always moved to tears each time.  It always reminds me of how little things can be a lot bigger than they appear.  I have heard about a sequel on this called IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE:  THE REST OF THE STORY.  Supposedly, this centers around George's grandson who is not a very nice person and is shown by his aunt Zuzu, apparently reprised by Karolyn Grimes from this movie as child, who is now an angel how much better people would be if he had not been born instead of how much better things would be.  I just do not see this working and I also have not really found any other info exception on imdb which has the status of "announced" as of right now.  Feel free to share any info you might have on this apparent sequel.  Please ring some bells and help angels get their wings.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965):  This is an absolute timeless classic which is the 50th Anniversary this year.  The usual Peanuts gang is trying to get everything together for the holidays.  Charlie Brown is turned off by all the commercialism of the holidays which still exists today.  He looks to find the true meaning of Christmas.  He is named director of the Christmas Pageant which was a struggle as well as picking a bad looking Christmas tree.  There are a lot of really great moments like Linus giving the monologue on the true meaning of Christmas.  This is the first animated special and also the first to use actual children for the voices instead of adults imitating children.  It also has a great Christmas song of CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE.  This is a very enjoyable half hour and happy 50th.

A Christmas Story (1983):  This is the one that most probably have not seen straight through but have seen the whole thing at some point or another through the 24 hour Christmas marathon they do every year.  Bob Clark directed this movie based on the novel IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH by Jean Shepherd who provided the narration in this movie.  Peter Billingsley stars as 9 year old Ralphie who wants a Red Ryder bb gun for Christmas but must deal with everyone telling him he will shoot his eye out.  Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin co-star as Ralphie's parents.  Not a lot has to be said about this one.  It has become a pretty big part of pop culture like in being able to buy the leg lamps and the Red Ryder bb gun which is out for purchase this time of year.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 527 Edition

Welcome to the 527th Edition of my series.  The musical version of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET is now done at the Muncie Civic Theater.  I have really enjoyed being part of this cast where I reunited with a few and met many others.  This was a great way to make my return to the place where it all started after a five year absence.  I have a couple more projects coming up where I will be shooting something with Ruckus-Ray productions in next month and will be in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at the Alley Theater in Anderson where I make my debut.  Until then I guess it's back to normal for now.  I hope everyone has a good holiday however one might celebrate and now I will get on with the selections.

The Cruise (1998):  I start the week out with this documentary directed by Bennett Miller.  This is a documentary on Timothy "Speed" Levitch who is a tour guide for Manhattan's Gray Line double-decker buses.  Levitch has quite a following for his fast talking and giving historical facts in a very fun way.  This is a pretty good portrait on Levitch who is the perfect documentary subject.  For those who have Hulu, he also has a 2012 series called UP TO SPEED where he takes us on tour in various big towns.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Medicine for Melancholy (2008):  I follow with this independent film written and directed by Barry Jenkins.  Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins star as Micah and Jo who have a one night stand they don't remember.  They decide to hang out in San Francisco searching through a deeper connection through coffee and talk.  This takes a good look at the town of San Francisco and it also takes a look at two everyday characters that gave good performances and worked very well together in this low-budget film.  This is also available on Instant Netflix.

The Sentinel (1977):  For all you hates of Christmas, I bring a more Halloween oriented film.  Michael Winner directed this film based on the novel by Jeffrey Konvitz.  Christina Raines stars as fashion model Alison Parker who moves to an apartment after not really being ready for marriage with her boyfriend Michael, played by Chris Sarandon.  When getting there, she meets some rather unique neighbors but learns that the only person there is an old priest named Father Halliran, played by John Carradine.  She soon encounters very creepy things and learns a terrifying truth.  Burgess Meredith, Ava Gardner, Martin Balsam, Jose Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy, Sylvia Miles, Deborah Raffin, Eli Wallach, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Jerry Orbach, Beverley D'Angelo, Tom Berenger, and many others co-star or have parts in this film.  This is a pretty well done classic psychological chiller with some really good characters and performances.

Don't Get Angry (1953):  This is my short film for the week which comes from the "Underground Shorts" that I recorded off TCM.  This is another from Encyclopedia Britannica which shows us that it does not good to get angry.  It shows situations with mostly kids who don't know how to deal with their emotions and let the anger get worse.  Another really laughable one but I do enjoy these few minutes.

State Fair (1945):  This is my musical for the week and was in the chorus for this one back in 2007 at Muncie Civic Theater.  Walter Lang directed this adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic which centers around the Frake family who really look forward to that great Iowa state fair.  Jeanne Crain stars as the daughter Margie who is very discontented by meets the reporter Pat, played by Dana Andrews, at the state fair and takes a liking to him.  Dick Haymes stars as Margie's brother Wayne who is having his own troubles and meets a nightclub singer named Emily, played by Vivian Blaine.  Charles Winninger stars as the Frake patriarch Wayne who struggles to get his pig Blue Boy up and going for the pig judging contest.  Rounding out the family is the matriarch Melissa, played by Fay Bainter, who is trying to get her pie together.  Donald Meek, Frank McHugh, and Harry Morgan all co-star in this film.  This was a pretty decent adaptation of the classic musical and has a lot of fun numbers.  Musical lovers should enjoy.

Better This World (2011):  This is my second documentary for the week directed by Kelly Duane and Katie Galloway.  This covers Texas childhood friends Bradley Crowder and David McKay.  This shows how they become activists after the meeting of activist Brandon Darby who planned to protest the 2008 Republican Convention.  When things went down, they were accused of terrorism when finding homemade shields from them.  This takes a look at who is to blame and our paranoid society today.  It also shows how Darby was being the informant to get himself off.  This is a pretty eye-opening documentary that deserves a look.

A Carol For Another Christmas (1964):  This is my holiday selection for the week that I recorded from TCM.  Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed this tv movie which was written by Rod Serling.  This is a really interesting variation on the Dickens classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL.  Sterling Hayden stars as industrial tycoon Daniel Grudge who is very bitter after his son Marley, played by Gordon Spencer, was killed in action during the 1944 Christmas Eve and refuses to help with international affairs even though he could help financially.  He gets visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and sees a very bleak future.  This does have quite the all star cast with Eva Marie Saint, Steve Lawrence, Pat Hingle, Robert Shaw, Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland, and Percy Rodrigues.  Sellers has a pretty bizarre part as I guess a cult leader in the future.  I had seen this at one time and took the opportunity to revisit it.  I suppose this could be renamed A TWILIGHT ZONE CHRISTMAS CAROL that Serling wrote.  I believe this is rather hard to find but worth it if you can.

Vera Drake (2004):  Mike Leigh wrote and directed this film.  Imelda Staunton stars as the title character who is in 1950s Britain.  She is a very devoted mother and wife as well as a friend but they do not know that she also helps women with unwanted children to have abortions which is illegal in this era.  She believes she is helping people in need but the authorities believe different and arrest her.  This makes her world and family rapidly unravel.  Richard Graham, Eddie Marsan, Daniel Mays, Lesley Manville, Sally Hawkins, Simon Chandler, Marion Bailey, Adrian Scarborough, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Sharp, Jim Broadbent, and many others co-star in this film.  This obviously is not for everyone but is a really good look at a British family in the 50s.  It was also filmed clever so that the rest of the cast besides Staunton was not aware that the movie is about abortion so they could focus on their characters.  Staunton is great in the title role as well as the rest of the cast.  If you can get past the controversial part of abortion, it is really worth a look.

Crime and Punishment (1935):  Josef Von Sternberg directed this adaptation of the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky.  Peter Lorre stars as Roderick Raskolnikov who is a brilliant student and writer but falls on hard times after graduating college.  He sees a pawnbroker who he does not like and decides to kill that person then use what he has learned to get away with the murder.  While the murder was well done, it was not perfect because of his guilty conscious.  Edward Arnold co-stars as Inspector Porfiry who is investigating the murder having some really good moments with Raskonikov.  Marion Marsh, Tala Birell, Robert Allen, Douglass Dumbrille, Gene Lockhart, and many others co-star in this film.  Lorre is good as always and is a good story on how guilt usually ruins that perfect crime.  Also takes an interesting look at class and how much different things were then like in marriage.

Star Wars:  The Force Awakens (2015):  I don't usually feature movies right as they come out but this is episode VII of the iconic sci-fi series, I needed my 10th selection, and figured I'd better see it before I get spoilers on social media or just through a discussion people might be having.  This will not have any spoilers and in fact I am not even going to give much away in the way of plot.  All I will say is the public imdb description of "Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises.  The first order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a rag-tag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the resistance."  I have pretty much avoided seeing any previews or trailers because I just wanted to be surprised.  All I really knew was that black guy is unmasked in a storm trooper outfit whose name is Finn, played by John Boyega and liked they cast relatively unknown people in these newer roles.  I was aware we would see much of the original cast like Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew, and Anthony Daniels.  Newcomers to the cast include Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow, Gwendoline Curtis, Simon Pegg, Pip Torrens, Andrew Jack, Greg Grunberg, Warwick Davis, Ken Leung, and many others co-star in this film.  I will just end with if you are a STAR WARS fanatic and/or if you do not like the newer ones, this gives a really good feel for the original series.  I know many people were concerned when they heard Disney bought the franchise but would always point out at how they also have Marvel and the Muppets franchise so I was not real worried in that regard.  J.J. Abrams is able to pay homage to the originals while making this his own and doing a really good job.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week when I do the last one of the year.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 526th Edition

Welcome to the 526th Edition of my long running series.  I had a lot going on this week and had a performance today at 2 pm for A MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET which is going quite well.  We have one more weekend left on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of this week.  Shows are at 7:30 and seats can be reserved at http://www.munciecivic.org or by calling 288-PLAY.  I don't care what anyone says, this December weather is amazing but now I say it's time to get to my selections for the week.

Beastie Boys:  Video Anthology (2000):  I start the week out with this Criterion Collection selection which is more of a compilation of the famed band.  They were always known for some really good music videos and is put together very well in this DVD collection.  This has one video directed by Spike Jonze and has people like Chloe Sevigny, Max Perlich, Ione Skye, Q-Tip, Zoe Cassavetes, and Sofia Coppola in some of the videos.  This is mostly for fans of the Beastie Boys and it was good to relive some of their music and even see things I have not seen or heard.

The Trouble Maker (1959):  This is another one of my underground short films that I have been doing for the week.  This takes place in a high school where a kid named Mel tells very exaggerated stories for attention and to start trouble.  This time he starts trouble within the football team an compromises everything.  This is part of the "Discussion Problems in Group Living" series.  Like many of them, bad acting, silly sets, boring narration, perfect for Rifftrax and MST3K.

The Hasty Heart (1949):  Vincent Sherman directed this postwar WWII film of some soldiers in a hospital trying to recover.  Our future president Ronald Reagan stars as Yank who is mostly the leader of the group and must deal with the stubborn Scottish soldier Corporal Lachlan MacLachlan, played by Richard Todd, who wants nothing to do with the group.  They nickname him Lachie and he does not know that he is actually dying so the guys and Sister Margaret Parker, played by Patricia Neal, try to make him feel welcome and get through his stubbornness.  Todd does a really good job as the Scotsman and Reagan has possibly his best performance.

Bound (1996):  This is my gangster film for the week which was directed by the Wachowski brothers.  Gina Gershon stars as lesbian ex-con Corky who meets her neighbors Caesar, played by Joe Pantoliano, and his girlfriend Violet, played by Jennifer Tilly.  Caesar is a money launderer for the mob and Violet is not happy in the relationship soon forming a relationship with Corky and a scheme to steal money from the mob to look like Caesar did it.  John P. Ryan, Christopher Meloni, Mary Mara, Kevin Michael Richardson, and many others have parts in this film.  Gershon is absolutely perfect for her role.  I also enjoyed Meloni as a very ruthless gangster.  It is a very clever story and for all you MATRIX fans out there, this movie convinced the studio of the Wachowskis' talent.

Treasure Island (1934):  Victor Fleming directed this earlier adaptation of the classic novel from Robert Louis Stevenson.  Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper reunite after being the ultimate father/son combinations in the 1931 classic THE CHAMP.  Cooper stars as Jim Hawkins who comes across a treasure map and is torn between the loyalty to his benefactors and his intrigue with the charming but ruthless Long John Silver, played by Beery, who leads a group of pirates in search of the treasure.  Lionel Barrymore, Otto Kruger, Lewis Stone, Nigel Bruce, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very fun and early pirate adventure with really good performances especially in Beery as Long John Silver and Lionel Barrymore as Billy Bones.

Non-Stop (2014):  I continue with some action in part four of my four part Corey Stoll series.  Jaume Collet-Serra directed this film that takes place in the air and on a plane being hijacked.  Liam Neeson stars as federal air marshall Bill Marks.  On the flight, he begins to receive text messages demanding 150 million dollars be transferred to an offshore account or passengers will be killed every 20 minutes.  It appears that it is coming from the plane and Bill must find who it is before murders happen.  Julianne Moore, Corey Stoll, Scoot McNairy, Nate Parker, Lupita Nyong'o, Omar Metwally, Jason Butler Harner, Linus Roache, Shea Whigham, Anson Mount, Quinn McColgan, Corey Hawkins, Jon Abrahams, and many others co-star in this film.  I still always wonder who would want to mess with Liam Neeson.  I mean look at what happened to those involved in his daughters kidnapping and training the likes of Batman and Darth Vader.  If I was to choose a celebrity bodyguard, I think I would choose Mr. Neeson but someone again wants to get to him and this time even frame him.  This is a pretty decent action movie as long as you can suspend a little disbelief in the process.

The Night of the Iguana (1964):  This is part one of a two-part Ava Gardner series.  John Huston directed this adaptation of the play by Tennessee Williams.  Richard Burton stars as defrocked and burned out priest Reverend Dr. Lawrence Shannon who is now a tour guide in Mexico taking a group of mostly older ladies on a tour of the Mexican coast ending up at a remote hotel for the night.  He must look to come to terms with his life and deals with three different women.  Ava Gardner co-stars as Maxine who owns the hotel and clearly has some history with Shannon.  Deborah Kerr co-stars as artist Hannah who is part of the tour and has her own interests in the former priest.  Sue Lyon co-stars as the underage Charlotte who is underage but very tempting to Shannon.  This is Sue Lyon's follow-up to her great debut in Kubrick's LOLITA in a rather promising career but never really did a lot more notable work after this one.  Most people know Williams for things like A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, and THE GLASS MENAGERIE but this one does not appear to be nearly as known.  I like the work of Williams, which reflect on far more dramatic and realistic human elements that did not appeal to people as much in the 40s and 50s.  Of all these, I have seen film versions but really like this the most.  It is a very well done movie that was driven by the characters.

Pariah (2001):  Dee Rees wrote and directed this independent film.  Adepero Oduye stars as Alike who is a Brooklyn teenager who is in search of sexual expression while having a disapproving mother, played by Kim Wayans, of her dressing as a tomboy and having a friend who is a lesbian.  Her mother is very religious and Alike does what she can to hide it while being able to express her real identity among friends.  Pernell Walker, Aasha Davis, Charles Parnell, Sahra Mellesse, Shamika Collins, and many others co-star in this film.  Wayans did a really good job in a more dramatic turn and Oduye does very well in her role.  It is a really good look at a youth trying to express who she is but has a very difficult time with a disapproving family.  This went very under the radar and while not for everyone, it is a well-written script.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

The Sign of Zorro (1958):  This is a movie that came from eight episodes of the Disney series ZORRO.  Guy Williams stars as Don Diego de la Vega who returns to his California home only to be found it is being run by dictator Capitan Monastario, played by Britt Lomond, who is not very good to the people.  He soon becomes his dual identity of Zorro to help his state.  Henry Calvin, Gene Sheldon, and George J. Lewis co-star in this movie.  Sheldon is very amusing as Don Diego's mute servant.  I remember watching this some when I was younger and it was on tv.  I always liked Williams as Zorro and find he is a more overlooked Zorro in this modern era.  This character was written by Johnston McCulley and is a big inspiration for the duel identity.  I watched this on the website www.hoopladigital.com which I was able to sign up through my local library and has some really good selections.

Pigfoot (2015):   I end the week with this short film from the group Ruckus-Ray productions in the town of Columbus, Indiana.  Columbus resident Josh Hopkins directed this video which stars stars David Brown as a hunter who encounters a very deadly pig in the woods.  This is seven minutes long and has some funny and gruesome moments.  This can be seen at https://www.facebook.com/RuckusRayProductions/videos/900650289972847/?pnref=story and there is a page for Ruckus-Ray Productsions at https://www.facebook.com/RuckusRayProductions/videos/900650289972847/?pnref=story .  I will soon be doing a production through this company and will have more details later.

Well, that is it for this week but continue to read for the returning "Movie Night at the Shera" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.



MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989):  Shera and I had been quite busy but found we had some time for a holiday movie and agreed to watch this Christmas comedy so got to watch this and also got to see her three daughters putting together gingerbread houses.  This is the third in the vacation series where Chevy Chase and Beverley D'Angelo reprise their roles of Clark and Ellen Griswold with their children being played by THE BIG BANG THEORY star Johnny Galecki and Juliette Lewis.  This one, the vacation stays at home while the Griswolds decide to host Christmas and Clark has his usual bad luck being worsened by family guests like Cousin Eddie, played by Randy Quaid, who contributes the most to the dysfunctional family.  Some of the best stuff in this comedy is Clark trying to get his Christmas lights going at his home and go beyond everyone else.  John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Sam McMurray, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Nicholas Guest, Brian-Doyle Murray, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is quite possibly the best Christmas comedy out there and good for those who don't like the Christmas sap which I admit this time of year I'm kind of a sucker for it.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 525th Edition

Welcome to the 525th Edition of my series.  It's been a pretty crazy week and actually did not finish my list until today.  It was all worth it with the opening of the musical version of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET at the Muncie Civic Theater.  For those in or near the Muncie area, we still have shows on December 11th, 12th, 13th, 17th, 18th, and the 19th for if you either haven't seen it or just want to see it again.  Shows are at 7:30 pm except the Sunday show which is at 2 pm and tickets are $16 for adults and $11 for students and children.  That's been my week so I'll be getting on with my recommendations.

The Normal Heart (2014):  This is part three of a possible five part Corey Stoll series.  Ryan Murphy directed this HBO movie based on the play by Larry Kramer.  This takes place during the onset of AIDs in the early 80s and trying to learn the truth.  Mark Ruffalo stars as gay activist Ned Weeks and leads a group of people to learn what is causing this disease which many believe it is a disease effecting gays.  Julia Roberts co-stars as Dr. Emma Brookner who is the first to see a lot of cases  trying to make sense of what is happening.  Jonathan Groff, Frank De Julio, William DeMeritt, Taylor Kitsch, Joe Montello, Sean Meehan, Stephen Spinella, B.D. Wong, Jim Parsons, Adam Shapiro, Matt Bomer, Alfred Molina, and many others co-star his this HBO movie.  This is a good look on this very concerning time when people were dying left and right and no one knew what had happened.  Ruffalo was good as the activist who caused controversy even among the gay community with the way he went about expressing what he believed.  This is set to be a play in April at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater.  This is available to watch on HBO On-Demand.  It would be a good double feature to start with this one, then follow up with THE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB.

This Boy's Life (1993):  This is part three of my three part Carla Gugino series.  Michael Caton-Jones directed this film based on the autobiography of Tobias Wolff, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.  This movie takes place in the 50s where Toby and his mother Caroline, played by Ellen Barkin, get away from her abusive boyfriend.  They flee to Seattle where Caroline meets a local mechanic named Dwight, played by Robert De Niro, and gets married to him.  Dwight slowly shows his abusive and alcoholic side where Toby looks to get out in any way possible.  Gugino, Jonah Blechman, Eliza Dushku, Chris Cooper, Kathy Kinney, Tobey McGuire, and many others co-star in this film.  De Niro is really good in his role of someone seemingly normal but very disturbed.  The young DiCaprio also holds his own with De Niro and they work very well together.  It is also good to see a very young Eliza Dushku before she became a vampire slayer as well as a younger Tobey McGuire.  This was a pretty intense but very compelling flim with some good performances.

The Golden Bowl (2000):  This is part two of a James Fox series.  James Ivory directed this period piece which is based on the novel by Henry James.  Kate Beckinsale stars as Maggie who is the daughter to London billionaire Adam Verver, played by Nick Nolte.  She meets Prince Amerigo, played by Jeremy Northam, not knowing that he knows her best friend Charlotte, played by Uma Thurman.  Charlotte and Adam fall in love with each other but both must deal with old flames.  Anjelica Huston and Nicholas Day co-star in this film.  This is not for everyone but I found it to be an interesting look at human nature even in this era.  It had some good performances and a pretty good and subtle love story.

Why Vandalism (1955):  This is my short film that I recorded from Underground Shorts on TCM.  This is one of those videos intended to be educational but is now more entertaining.  This takes a look at a couple kids who are juvenile delinquents and trying to understand what makes this happen.  It cites things like boredom and not enough love at home.  It is also automatically the fault of parents.  This is produced by Encyclopedia Britannica.  Boring narration and bad acting make this so bad that it's good.

Idiot's Delight (1939):  This is part two of a two-part Clark Gable series and possibly part one of a Burgess Meredith series.  I suppose this could be a supplement to Gable's biggest film of the same year GONE WITH THE WIND which was the golden age of film.  Gable stars as song and dance man Harry Van and yes he does dance who is just getting back from WWI and even has a version of PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ.  On a Vaudeville tour, he meets acrobat Irene, played by Norma Shearer, and has a brief affair with her.  Twenty years later, Harry is on tour in Europe with a troupe of dancers and his train stops at the Swiss border making him stranded in the Alps in anticipation of WWII hostilities.  He also meets a Russian aristocrat who looks quite a bit like Irene.  Edward Arnold, Burgess Meredith, Charles Coburn, Joseph Schildkraut, and many others co-star in this film.  This is the only time Gable performs a song and dance number which was not bad.  The movie really had a little bit of everything with comedy, drama, and a musical with some pretty serious undertones.  It was pretty entertaining with a pretty good group of characters and an interesting ending.

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976):  John Carpenter directed this action film and ranks up as one of my favorites in that genre.  Precinct 13 is mostly abandoned and is due to be closed.  They hold a few criminals there for transit and the staff must fight off a very ruthless gang.  A few people in the police force and a death row inmate all try to do the impossible.  This was a low-budget film that works to no end.  It also has some very good and brutal action scenes.  John Carpenter wrote his own music score and it is a simple yet very effective score that he wrote.  The performances from fairly unknown actors like Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Tony Burton, and Charles Cyphers were very good.  This in an unsung classic and deserves a watch for those who like a good action film.

A Shine of Rainbows (2009):  This is my more family oriented selection for the week.  John Bell stars as Tomas who is an orphan but is adopted by a couple named Maire and Alec, played by Connie Nielson and Aidan Quinn, to live off the coast of Ireland.  Tomas and Maire form an immediate bond where she tries to help him through grief by doing things like showing how to communicate with seals and to local folklore.  Alec is more reluctant to accept him with is timidity and halting speech.  GAME OF THRONES alum Jack Gleeson, Niamh Shaw, Ian McElhinney, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a nice and unexpected gem I came across.  I became very touched by this really moving story and some really good scenery.  The leads do a great job and is really worth a look.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964):  This is my holiday selection for the B-movie enthusiasts out there.  On Mars, the children there are obsessed with Earth tv and their parents come across Santa Claus deciding they need him in Mars so they abduct him and a couple of children to go to Mars.  Most of them are well-meaning but go about it in the wrong way except for Voldar who is all about war and does not want Santa putting positive thoughts into the heads of the children.  This has been featured in both MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 and RIFFTRAX.  This has some really bad looking martian outfits and dialogue but I believe a very underrated robot in Torg who just has lived on as much as robots like Robby.  This is available on Amazon Prime with and without MST3K.

The White Sheik (1952):  This is my Italian film for the week from Federico Fellini who directed and co-wrote with Michelangelo Antonioni.  Brunella Bovo and Leopoldo Trieste star as newlywed couple Wanda and Ivan.  They become separated from each other when Wanda meets her photo strip hero of the title character, played by Alberto Sordi, who is Rudolph Valentino like hero.  Ivan tries to hide his wife's disappearance from his family while both must consider what they want in life.  This is a little more unknown Fellini and has much of his usual techniques dealing a lot with imagery.  This is not really for everyone but foreign film buffs will really like this and Fellini fans will appreciate this earlier work.

Matador (1986):  This is part three of my three part Antonio Banderas series in a much earlier role for him in a Spanish film.  Pedro Almodovar directed and co-wrote this film which has an NC-17 rating.  Nacho Martinez stars as ex-bullfighter Diego who is turned on by killing.  Assumpta Serna co-stars as Maria who is an attorney with the same fetish.  Banderas stars as Angel who wants to learn bullfighting and has been brought up by a strict religious upbringing and gets caught up with the ways of the main characters.  This is a really good black comedy taking a look at human nature as well as a really good early performance from a young Banderas.  Almodovar and Banderas would reunite for the 2011 film THE SKIN I LIVE IN so if these are your kinds of film, this would be a really good double feature.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Chloe Sevigny and many others.