Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 533rd Edition

Welcome to the 533rd Edition of my series.  There is not a lot really going on at the moment for me.  I will be starting rehearsals at the end of the month for MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING so need to continue to work on my lines with this three week process I will be doing.  Other than that, not much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Spy (2015):  I start out with this comedy on spy movies.  Paul Feig wrote and directed this parody.  Melissa McCarthy stars as CIA analyst Susan Cooper who has been helping her partner Bradley Fine, played by Jude Law, on many missions but then he disappears off the grid and other agents are compromised.  When this happens, Susan agrees to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer and prevent a global crisis.  Jason Statham co-stars as a very cynical agent and shows his comedic side very well.  Miranda Hart is also amusing as Susan's best friend Nancy.  Raad Rawi, Jessica Chaffin, Rose Byrne, Sam Richardson, Rose Byrne, Allison Janney, Bobby Cannavale, and even rapper 50 Cent co-star in this spy comedy.  I did get a lot of laughs out of this and was a pretty good story taking a serious situation and making comedy out of if with good comedic timing from McCarthy.  Some of the critique I have seen is that there are an excessive use of F-bombs which I guess just goes right through me anymore even though I don't say it that much.

The Boy Who Could Fly (1986):  I went from parody comedy to a more inspirational 80s film.  Nick Castle wrote and directed this film.  Lucy Deakins stars as high schooler Milly who along with her mother Charlene, played by Bonnie Bedelia, and her younger brother Louis, played by Fred Savage, move to a new town after her father dies.  She takes an interest in her autistic neighbor Eric, played by Jay Underwood, who clearly shows an interest to fly and is mute living with his alcolholic Uncle Hugo, played by Fred Gwynne.  She looks to get through to Eric while adjusting to life in a new town and school.  Colleen Dewhurst, Mindy Cohn, Janet MacLachlan, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Priestley, John Carpenter, Louise Fletcher, and many others co-star in this film.  Savage makes his film debut in this one and is a pretty fun little brother.  This is a really good 80s entry that might be more overlooked than some.  I found it to be a very good movie about things like acceptance.


Prisoners (2013):  This is part two of my two-part Paul Dano series.  I now get much darker from the last two selections.  Denis Villeneuve directed this film which was written by Aaron Guzikowski.  Hugh Jackman stars as Keller Dover who has a really good life married and as a father until the unthinkable happens and his younger daughter disappears along with the younger daughter of their neighbors.  Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Detective Loki who is assigned the case and is trying to deal with the case but also tries to keep Keller from very overly involved while Dover resorts to some extreme means to locate the girls after the prime suspect Alex Jones, played by Dano, gets released for a lack of evidence.  Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Melissa Leo, Dylan Minnette, Zoe Saul, Erin Gerasimovich, Wayne Duvall, Len Cariou, and many others co-star in this film.  Leo was quite unrecognizable and took me a while to realize it was her.  This is a pretty compelling film begging the question on how far a father is willing to go for the one he loves.  Jackman is great as the desperate father and Howard complements him as the other father who last his child but is more reluctant to resort to Keller's methods.  This has a lot of suspense and is very thought provoking just not very upbeat.


A Day in the Death of Donny B. (1969):  This is my short film for the week which I found on TCM.  Carl Fick wrote and directed this tale of a heroin junkie looking for money to get his fix in Harlem.  It has a pretty depressing music score and a rather interesting title song along with voiceovers talking about the dangers of this lifestyle.  This actually did have quite a message to it.  One of the better message shorts I have seen.












Gone With the Wind (1939):  Now I bring this classic epic taking place during the Civil War.  Victor Fleming directed this film based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell.  Vivien Leigh stars as the iconic Scarlett O'Hara who is a manipulative southern belle going after Ashley Wilkes, played by Leslie Howard, only to find out he is marrying his cousin Melanie, played by Olivia De Havilland.  She soon meets Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable, where they form a very complicated relationship.  Not much has to really be said about this classic.  Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Rutherford, George Reeves, Fred Crane, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Ward Bond, Jackie Moran, and many others co-star in this epic.  This time I watched it and realized how it was kind of daring to make during this era.  Yes, there are things we could consider racist by today's standards but that was more acceptable in that era.  There was probably some controversy over the personality of Scarlett and the number of relationships she had and tried to have during the film as well as the many who wanted a relationship with her no matter what it took.  Through Scarlett's shortcomings, we see how Scarlett must grow up with all that is going on.  This still stands very well and has many memorable quotes but some may just not give a damn.

Equinox Flower (1958):  This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Yasujiro Ozu.  Shin Saburi stars as wealthy Tokyo businessman Waturu Hirayama who believes in the tradition of choosing a husband for his eldest daughter but his daughter Setsuko, played by Ineko Arima, who has found the man she wants.  This forces Waturu to rethink his traditional beliefs and gets manipulated in humorous ways.  This is a pretty good comedy that comes from Japan and is Ozu's first movie in color.  This was a good movie on the changing times in terms of tradition.









Of Gods and Men (2010):  I go from Japan to France on this selection.  Xavier Beauvois directed this film which is based upon a true story.  A group of monks are stationed with an impoverished Algerian community and are under threat by a group of fundamentalist Islamic terrorists.  When this happens they must all consider if they should stay or leave for France.  Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin, and many others co-star in this film.  I guess this is my religious film for the week.  It is a really good story of faith and even loyalty to community.  Fans of the foreign cinema and those who do not mind subtitles should really take a look at this movie and maybe look into this true story.






Robin Hood (1973):  This is my tribute to actor Brian Bedford who recently left us.  This is Disney's take on the legendary tale which involves animals like a fox as Robin Hood, voiced by Bedford, and his loyal sidekick Little John, voiced by Phil Harris, which is a bear.  They go after the corrupt lion Prince John, voiced by Peter Ustinov, and the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham, voiced by Pat Buttram, which is a wolf.  When John's brother King Richard, also voiced by Harris, leaves town, Prince John and the Sheriff begin to tax the poor and jail those who do not pay leaving Robin to stand up against the rich while also going after his love interest Maid Marian, voiced by Monica Evans.  Roger Miller is amusing as the rooster Allan-a-Dale who is essentially the narrator of the film and has some fun music numbers.  Terry-Thomas, Andy Devine, Carole Shelley, George Lindsey, Ken Curtis, and many others provide their voices.  Disney did very well in their telling of the Robin Hood tale and perfectly cast each animal into the parts.  As a kid, until I got a little into elementary school, I thought Robin Hood was a fox, I knew no better.  This is the first animated movie which had all animals and none of us humans.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is a good selection for the family that is staying in for the night.

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956):  I go from some family animation into some more drama.  Nunnally Johnson directed this film based on the novel by by Sloan Wilson.  Gregory Peck stars as Tom Rath who is a father living in Connecticut and commuting to Manhattan.  When hearing about a public relations job with a major tv network.  At first he reluctant to except it until his wife Betsy, played by Jennifer Jones, makes it clear she does not like where they live.  Tom is also haunted by his times in the war that has stayed with him.  His boss Ralph, played by Fredric March, takes a liking to Tom right away but begins to question this new life making him have to decide if he is a corporate man or would rather be a family man.  Marisa Paven, Lee J. Cobb, Ann Harding, Keenan Wynn, Gene Lockhart, Gigi Perreau, Arthur O'Connell, Henry Daniell, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty well done drama with a really good performance out of Peck.  It might have been a bit too long but still one that really plays well on emotions into a good climax.

Dances With Wolves (1990):  I end the week with this western epic where Kevin Costner makes his directorial debut on this film based on the novel by Michael Blake who also wrote the screenplay.  Costner stars as Civil War Lieutenant John Dunbar who is rewarded for heroism and requests assignment on the western frontier.  When getting there, he finds it deserted meeting a wolf he names Two-Socks and sees there is a Sioux Indian tribe.  He saves a white woman raised by them named Stands With a Fist, played by Mary McDonnell, and after this they become curious seeing as he was not there to fight them.  They gradually become friends to the point that Dunbar decides he prefers their ways over those he had known all his life.  Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Robert Pastorelli, Charles Rocket, Maury Chaykin, Michael Spears, Kirk Baltz, Wes Studi, and many others co-star in this film.  Many might remember Baltz from RESERVOIR DOGS as the cop that Mr. Blonde captures and tortures for pleasure and leverage and after seeing what he does in this movie, I really don't have much sympathy for the fate that Tarantino gave him a couple years later.  This is a very well done film with a formula that would be used in THE LAST SAMURAI and AVATAR.  Costner did everything he could to make it look authentic and also a better look towards the Indians which westerns have mostly portrayed negatively through film history.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 532nd Edition

Welcome to the 532nd edition of my series.  I want to make the announcement that on Wednesday at 8:30 I am going to be a guest on the podcast TOTAL DUDES WITH SIGN GUY AND REX.  It's been a rather long month trying to battle this cold but I am glad to say things are finally starting to look up for me.  Tonight is a football/wrestling day from home where I will be watching the football games and on my big screen am watching some ROYAL RUMBLE for the first time on the television.  That is all for now so I'll get on with my selections for the week.

Coach Carter (2005):  I start the week with this basketball movie directed by Thomas Carter and is based on a true story.  Samuel L. Jackson stars as Ken Carter who runs a pretty successful sporting goods store in the poor town of Richmond, California and is hired to coach basketball for the high school that he played at and was a star at the time.  It is a team that has not been playing well and finds that their attitudes are not much better.  He decides to have all his players sign contracts that included respect, dressing up game days, and a 2.3 grade point average.  This is a town that has clearly lost faith in their youth and much of the parents say that basketball is "all they got" in their lives.  Rob Brown, Robert Ri'chard, Rick Gonzalez, Nana Gbewonyo, Antwon Tanner, Channing Tatum, Ashanti, Texas Battle, Denise Dowse, Debbi Morgan, Vincent Laresca, Sidney Faison, Octavia Spencer, and many others co-star in this film.  Tatum makes his film debut.  Jackson puts on a very good performance here as a coach who wants to win but even more wants to help his kids reach their potential that everyone else seems to have lost faith.  I believe this is a good one to show in high schools, especially the inner-city ones.

Uncle (1959):  This is my short film for the week and my third selection in a row from Czech director Jaromil Jires.  A burglar breaks into the house and happens to break into the of a young boy.  The thief tells the boy he is an uncle.  There is a lot of very interesting interaction between the two and is a good, early Czech film to look into.  It is on the blu-ray of VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS.

Battle of the Bulge (1965):  This is part four of my four part Henry Fonda series.  Ken Annakin directed this dramatization of Nazi Germany's final counterattack of WWII.  Robert Shaw stars as German Colonel Hessler who is behind the planning of the attack but might be thwarted by American intelligence officer Lt. Col. Dan Kiley, played by Henry Fonda.  Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews, George Montgomery, Ty Hardin, Pier Angeli, Charles Bronson, James MacArthur, Telly Savalas, and many others co-star in this war drama.  This is a fictionalized account of what happened including the characters but does have some pretty well done war scenes.  It is good for entertainment purposes and worth a watch.

War Dance (2007):  This is my documentary for the week.  Sean Fine and Andrea Nix directed this documentary out in Uganda.  This shows a group of kids who are part of a northern refugee camp and are practicing for the annual music and dance competition in Uganda.  It was a very well done movie of a group of people in a war torn country trying to show they are more than refugees.  The music footage is actually very good as well as seeing them play and make the most of the instruments that they make.  Honestly reminds me of some of the background singers that Peter Gabriel sometimes uses in his music.  It is both sad and inspiring at the same time.

Polly of the Circus (1932):  This is part one of a two-part Clark Gable series.  Alfred Santell directed this film based on a play by Margaret Mayo.  Marion Davies stars as trapeze artist Polly Fisher who rolls into a small town for a circus in a religious town where they go to extremes to "cover" her up on billboards.  She soon meets the local minister Reverend John Hartley, played by Gable, and confronts him about her dismay.  As they get to know each other, he attends her circus show and she has a tough fall and taken to his home to recover where they soon form an unlikely relationship leading to marriage.  In the marriage, they find they are in total different worlds making their marriage very complicated.  This is a pretty decent romantic comedy and an enjoyable 70 minutes.  Gable and Davies work very well together and has some some trapeze footage.  This might be the ultimate movie of circus and religion.

The King (2005):  This is part one of a two-part Paul Dano series and possibly the start of a William Hurt series.  James Marsh directed and co-wrote this film.  This is one of those where I thought "wtf" throughout the viewing but found I could not take my eyes off of it.  Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Elvis who has just been discharged from the Navy and ends up in Corpus Christi, Texas in search of his father who is a local preacher named David, played by William Hurt, who had  a very brief affair with his mother, likely a one night stand.  David does not want anything to do with him and Elvis does what he can to get his way into the family.  Paul Dano, Laura Harring, Pell James, and many others co-star in this film.  If I say more, I might start giving things away so I won't explain any further.  It does have some very unpleasant undertones but at the same time it is still very compelling making me still think about it.  It also has some very good performances.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976):  This is my tribute to David Bowie who as just about everyone knows recently left us.  Nicolas Roeg directed this movie that is mostly a drama but has elements of sci-fi.  Bowie stars as humanoid Thomas Jerome Newton who lands on earth to get some water for his dying planet and ends up crashing.  He starts a high tech company with the goals of a billion dollars to build a return spacecraft to get back.  In the process, he falls to the excess of things on earth like greed and ruthlessness.  Rip Torn, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, Bernie Casey, and many others co-star in this film.  This is Bowie's film debut in a decent film career in addition to his great music career.  He gives a very good and understated performances as an alien being corrupted by the excesses of Earth.  Another one that is a bit hard to describe but must see.  This is available on the Criterion Collection.

Mad Max:  Fury Road (2015):  This is my apocalyptic selection for the week where George Miller continues with his iconic character Max Rockatansky, this time being played by Tom Hardy.  Charlize Theron stars as Furiosa who rebels against a tyrannical ruler in post-apocalypse Australia with a group of female prisoners, a defecting worshiper and by Max.  Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Josh Helman, Nathan Jones, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, Richard Carter, Angus Sampson, Megan Gale, Melissa Jaffer, and many others co-star in this film.  Some will disagree but I think I have found my favorite of the year.  Everything from the action, the cinematography, and just the costumes.  I also liked that guitar in the film.  It is really hard to put this film into words except that i was taken in from minute one.  Hardy took the torch that Mel Gibson had and was able to remain faithful to it while making the role his own.  Theron was also great as the action heroine.  This was a great watch on my newer big screen television.

Man of a Thousand Faces (1957):  This is part two of my two-part James Cagney series where last week he was a naval captain and this week he plays a legendary actor showing his versatility from his gangster films.  Cagney plays Lon Chaney which first shows his childhood and how he was raised by deaf parents, then onto his Vaudeville career, then his transition into silent film where he would get the title nickname.  Dorothy Malone stars as his first wife and the mother of their child Creighton.  Jane Greer plays his second wife Hazel.  Jim Backus, Robert Evans, Celia Lovsky, Jack Albertson, Roger Smith, and many others co-star in this film.  From what I looked into, some creative licensing was used but is still a great tribute to the silent film legend with Cagney giving a good portrayal.  I suppose Chaney could be considered the original horror film actor so watch this, then look into the real Chaney.

Company (2011):  I end the week with this live Stephen Sondheim musical where he takes a more comedic approach to this musical.  Neil Patrick Harris stars as Robert who is a perpetual bachelor who has a hard time committing to a relationship.  A series of vignettes happen with his five couple friends and his three girlfriends that explore the meaning of a relationship in a truthful and sometimes cynical way.  Patti Lupone, Martha Plimpton, Jon Cryer, Craig Bierko, Katie Finneran, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Lazar, Jill Paice, Chryssie Whitehead, Stephen Colbert, and many others co-star in this live musical.  For me, I have always favored Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD:  THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET and hope to someday be in his musical ASSASSINS but this is still a very well-done musical which was pretty innovative and considered a concept musical.  The actors here did a really good job including NPH as the lead.  The New York Philharmonic was their orchestra and was a very beneficial element to the show.  If you are into musicals and enjoy Sondheim this is a must.

Well, that is it for this week though I did return with my segment of "Movie Night at the Shera".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Jason Statham, Paul Dano, Clark Gable, and many others but continue reading for a bonus segment.




MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

St. Vincent (2014):  We have not been able to get together as much lately so I jumped at this chance to hang out at her house, watch a movie, and include her in my segment.  I will say that our original choice was MAD MAD:  FURY ROAD but wasn't sure that would be good for her youngest daughter to see and this was kind of my back up plan knowing I can never talk her into watching any of my favorite Asian films.  She agreed that this comedy might be better for the night and a little shorter.  Theodore Melfi wrote and directed this comedy.  Bill Murray stars as Vincent who is a bitter Vietnam veteran.  He gets new neighbors in newly single mother Maggie, played by Melissa McCarthy, and her son Oliver, played by Jaeden Lieberher.  Maggie is caught up in her work and needs a sitter where Vincent decides he will do it for a fee.  They soon form an unexpected friendship where Oliver begins to see the good in Vincent that no one else sees.  Naomi Watts is amusing as Vincent's Russian hooker friend Daka.  McCarthy also brings it down some and does a good job in what is kind of the straight person of the film.  Terrence Howard, Chris O'Dowd, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not exactly an original kind of film but Melfi was able to write some good characters to do a really good job with what might be a familiar formula.  I believe Shera and I made a good decision on what we decided to watch.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 531st Edition

Welcome to the 531st Edition of my series.  This was a pretty tough week in the celebrity world where we have lost Lemmy, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, GRIZZLY ADAMS star Dan Haggerty, and voice actor Brian Bedford.  Also Celine Dion lost both her husband and brother so my thoughts really go out to her.  I guess at least their legend lives on and my thoughts go to their friends, family, and fans.  I will just get on with my selections for the week.

D.W. Griffith:  Father of Film (1993):  I start the week out with this documentary on the director in which as the title says, many say he is the father of film.  This covers a lot of ground which includes his earlier life when he was in theater, then his interest with as they were called in those days moving pictures.  It talks about his earlier days when he was given a job through Biograph pictures where he did over 400 short movies that proved to be very good and then his departure from this company into much bigger films.  Most know him from his very controversial 1915 film A BIRTH OF A NATION which is considered to be the first big American epic.  It also goes into detail on his working relationship with Lillian Gish as well as the founding of United Artists along with Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford.  This is a really good two and a half hours on a pioneer in the world of film.

U2:  Rattle and Hum (1988):  I go from a documentary on film into a documentary into the music industry.  Phil Joanou directed this documentary mainly taking a look at their 1987 North American tour.  In addition to concert footage, it goes behind the scenes some in their rehearsals and in the studio.  This was a very well filmed documentary making a very effective use of black and white.  It also had really good footage from the band of U2 getting insights from every member.  They also pay respect to other people in the music industry like Elvis, the Beatles, and many others.  If you are at least a casual U2 fan, this is a must see especially since this was in their glory days.

Analyze This (1999):  Now I bring a great mafia comedy and possibly the best one.  Harold Ramis directed this comedy which stars Billy Crystal as Dr. Ben Sobel.  Ben is a successful psychiatrists and is about to get married to Laura, played by FRIENDS alum Lisa Kudrow.  Robert De Niro co-stars as mob boss Paul Vitti who is experiencing anxiety issues and hires Sobel to help with his problems though it is more like he forces Sobel to help his anxiety.  In helping Vitti, he also inadvertently gets caught up in a mob war making his life and upcoming marriage very complicated.  Chazz Palminteri, Joe Viterelli, Molly Shannon, Max Casella, Bill Macy, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a storyline that that would get used in THE SOPRANOS which came out in the same year.  This might have been inspired by mobster Frank Costello who did talk to a psychiatrist in real life.  This is a pretty realistic comedy that had some pretty funny moments along with a sense of danger.  De Niro and Crystal work great together and it has a really good parody scene from THE GODFATHER.  This was followed by ANALYZE THAT which I did not feel came close to matching this one.

Footprints (1960):  This is my short film for the week from Czech director Jaromil Jires whose 1970 film VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS I featured last week.  This shows an escaped prisoner who is taken in by a friendly family.  This does not have the surrealistic imagery that last week's feature had and appears to only really be available on the Blu Ray that the film is available upon.  It might be good to check out this early Czech short film.

Mister Roberts (1955):  This is part three of a four-part Henry Fonda series and possibly even a two-part James Cagney series.  John Ford and Melvyn Leroy directed this comedy drama taking place on a naval ship.  It does have quite the cast in Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon.  This is a US Cargo ship that is considered not important during WWII and has never seen any sort of combat.  Fonda stars as the title character who is burned out on the ship and wants a transfer in order to see combat but the captain, played by Cagney, will not let it happen.  Lemmon is very amusing as the more lazy sailor and Powell rounds it out very well as the doctor.  Betsy Palmer, Ward Bond, Philip Carey, Harry Carey Jr., Patrick Wayne and many others co-star in this film.  This is the second movie where they manage to make comedy out of a serious situation.  There is a lot of realism to this but still make the most of it with some comedic scenes.

Song of the Gringo (1936):  This is my western for the week which is a B-western no less and possibly Tex Ritter's first time on this blog.  Like Gene Autry, Tex was also one of those cowboys that sang a lot.  This is his debut movie after being recruited from the Grand Ole Opry.  Co-star Al J. Jennings who was the judge was an actual train and bank robbing cowboy turned actor/producer and taught Tex some cowboy maneuvers.  Mostly of worth for historical purposes and to the western buffs.

Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015):  This is my animated selection for the week which is based on the british animation series being made into a feature film.  I will honestly say this is my first time really seeing Shaun the Sheep but how I can resist a movie where the title of a movie has my name spelled correctly.  Mark Burton and Richard Starzak directed this animated film where the rebellious sheep Shaun tires of doing the same thing everyday at the farm and decides to take a day off.  He does what he can to make sure the farmer does not know but when ending up in the big city, they get far more than they bargained for when encountering a ruthless animal control man.  This is very good use of claymation and the way they do not use dialogue but animal sounds and even the humans have their sounds which was very amusing.  It was also pretty moving at parts and it can make one feel they are with the sheep and dog in their journey home.  This will be nominated for most of the animation awards but likely will not win so I wanted to get some exposure on here and remember, they spelled my name right so maybe a good double feature to have this to go along with SHAUN OF THE DEAD.

The Endless Summer (1966):  This is my third documentary for the week and an older one.  Bruce Brown directed this surfing documentary which documents passionate surfers Robert August and Mike Hynson.  Even the climate of California have inhospitable beaches in the winter months so they set out to go around the world to Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Tahiti, and Hawaii introducing the locals to the sport.  Brown spent many years getting footage to get this documentary.  It was very compelling to see them in different countries and in different situations during a time when surfing was not as mainstream.  It followed with a 1994 sequel with some newer ones and showing how far surfing has come.  This is available on Instant Netflix and on the library website Hoopla.

The Big Clock (1948):  This is my film noir for the week.  Ray Milland stars as magazine editor George Stroud and finds that his corrupt boss Earl Janoth, played by Charles Laughton, is trying to frame him for a murder.  Maureen O'Sullivan co-stars as George's wife who is becoming more and more frustrated with her husband's dedication with his job.  Elsa Lanchester is amusing as an artist who plays a part in solving the murder and is kind of the comic relief.  This is a pretty well-done thriller with Milland doing very well as a more nicer character than usual.  It was also interesting seeing Laughton with a mustache.  This is an overlooked film noir that is worth a look.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006):  Ken Loach directed this 1920s film taking place in Ireland.  This movie centers around brothers Damien and Teddy, played by Cillian Murphy and Padraic Delaney.  First they are in a war with the British until IRA leaders negotiate a treaty for an autonomous Free State under the British crown.  This is not sit well with all the Irish causing a civil war pitting the brothers against each other.  Liam Cunningham and Orla Fitzgerald co-star in this film.  This is a very well done war film on a more unknown war that was very well received at film festivals.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Samuel L. Jackson, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Paul Dano, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 530th Edition

Welcome to the 530th Edition of my series.  Tonight are the Golden Globes and I have one likely winner on this list.  I'll be going to the theaters for often in the coming weeks during this road to the Oscars.  Not a lot else going on for me right now besides football so I'll just get to my selections for the week.

The Wind Rises (2013):  I start out with some Studio Ghibli animation and the latest from director Hayao Miyazaki who also wrote.  This is more of a drama than the usual fantasy that anime usually gives.  It is also based on a real person named Jiro Horikoshi who designed the Japanese fighter planes during WWII.  This starts out into his childhood, into his younger years where he has his vision up to Japan's involvement with WWII.  Voices for the American version include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Martin Short, Stanley Tucci, Mandy Patinkin, Mae Whitman, Werner Herzog, William H. Macy, Elijah Wood, and many others.  This is a really good and complex story and a really good addition to the Studio Ghibli series.  It is a very good story of sticking to dreams and a more adult oriented story but appropriate enough for kids.

Center Stage (2000):  Nicholas Hytner directed this movie which was written by Carol Heikkinen.  This focuses on a group of young adults dreaming to get into the American Ballet Academy in New York.  The main focus is on the characters of Jody, Eva, and Maureen.  Amanda Schull stars as Jody who has been dreaming of this all her life but is told she does not have the "ideal" body and bad feet and she does what she can to overcome.  Zoe Saldona co-stars as Eva who is very good at what she does but has problems with authority.  Susan May Pratt co-stars as Maureen whose mother really wants this for her but she may not have the same passion as her mother.   Maryann Plunkett, Victor Anthony, Ethan Stiefel, Peter Gallagher, Donna Murphy, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good look into the world of ballet and people possibly being forced to rethink what they want in life.  I had a little look into the world of ballet when I participated in THE NUTCRACKER as Drosselmeyer which was a really good experience but know I could never make it any further and besides I had more of a character role anyway.  This is possibly the best of its genre.

The Hunting Party (2007):  Richard Shepard directed and wrote this movie based on an article by Scott Anderson.  Richard Gere stars as burned out war correspondent Simon Hunt who along with his veteran cameraman Duck, played by Terrence Howard, and young journalist Ben, played by Jesse Eisenberg, decide to go after the number one criminal in Bosnia in an unauthorized mission.  Their lives become endangered when they are mistaken for a CIA hit squad.  James Brolin, Joy Bryant, Ljubomir Kerekes, Diane Kruger, Dylan Baker, and many others co-star in this film.  This is based on true events and the opening of the movie says "Only the most ridiculous parts are true".  This has some some pretty good action worked in with some humor with good performances from the leads.

Gang Boy (1954):  This is my short film of the week.  This is probably the last of my underground shorts for awhile that I recorded from TCM.  This shows rival gangs going at it and a police officer trying to get them to come to a truce.  This was produced by Sid Davis who did a lot of these "message" pictures.  There is some bad dialogue and some really boring narration but still enjoyable though this one is longer than the others in 27 minutes.

Advise and Consent (1962):  This is part two of my Henry Fonda series that could go four parts.  Otto Preminger directed this political film based on the novel by Allen Drury.  Fonda stars as the president's newly nominated Secretary of State Robert Leffingwell who must go through an investigation before being appointed.  The idealistic Senator Brig Anderson, played by Don Murray, finds some political dirt on Leffingwell but while trying to expose him he receives his own blackmail threats on something.  Franchot Tone, Lew Ayres, Walter Pidgeon, Charles Laughton, Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney, Burgess Meredith, Inga Swenson, Will Geer, Betty White, and many others co-star in this film.  Betty White makes her film debut while Charles Laughton is in his last film.  This is a really good political thriller showing the corruption that can happen when hiding secrets.  This is really worth a look.

A Yank at Oxford (1938):  Robert Taylor stars as college athlete Lee Sheridan who goes to Lakedale State College and whose publisher father Dan, played by Lionel Barrymore always publishes articles on his accomplishments.  These accomplishments get Lee a scholarship from Oxford.  He expects a huge welcome but is wrong when the students there don't except him right away.  He tries to make a name for himself at the school and for a girl named Molly, played by Maureen O'Sullivan, who is taken by a rival student.  Vivien Leigh and Edmund Gwenn co-star in this film.  This is a decent British comedy with some good performances and good sports footage.

Maxed Out:  Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders (2006):  This is my documentary for the week.  James D. Scurlock wrote and directed this film on the financial industry and credit card industry as well as how easy people fall into debt.  One of the most notable parts of the movie is showing how companies target college students and what can get them into debt.  This is a pretty entertaining but very eye-opening documentary that everyone should take a look upon.  As of now I do not have a credit card and if I get one, I will only use it when absolutely necessary.  I also thing high schools should show this to their students before graduation.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970):  This is my Czechoslovakian film for the week brought from Jaromil Jires.  The Czechs manage to have some pretty bizarre movies in my experience and this one is no different.  Jaroslava Schallerova stars as the 13 year old title character who goes through a rather surrealistic world in a non-linear dark fairy tale world with all sorts of strange people even including vampires.  This is available through the Criterion collection on Blu-Ray.

Sierra Baron (1958):  This is my western for the week directed by James B. Clark.  Brian Keith stars as gunslinger Jack McCracken who is hired to Spanish land baron Miguel Delmonte, played by Rick Jason.  He decides that it is not right to kill him after becoming friends falling in love with his daughter Felicia, played by Rita Gam, in the process.  They also must go after the real estate agent Rufus Bynum, played by Steve Brodie.  A bit of a western gem that is available on Comcast On-Demand in the FXM section of the free movies.

The Revenant (2015):  I end the week with this more current film directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu fresh off his BIRDMAN success and ready for some more awards.  Leonardo DiCaprio stars as 1820s frontiersman Hugh Glass who during an expedition he is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by his own hunting team.  He barely survives but he does and goes on a quest for survival and even revenge toward John Fitzgerald, played by Tom Hardy, who betrays him.  Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck, Paul Anderson, Kristoffer Joner, Jushua Burge, Lucas Haas, and many others co-star in this film.  Many say this will be the year Leo gets his Oscar and this could very well be true.  His dialogue was a bit limited but was driven through his emotions.  He also was very dedicated in things like learning two Native American languages, shooting a musket, building a fire, and even eating bison when he is a vegetarian.  Tom Hardy also does a great job.  This is not a movie for the faint of heart but we are taken on quite a journey for surival with DiCaprio.  It also has some amazing cinematography and is really worth a look in the theaters.

Well, that is it for this week, tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.