Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 550th Edition

Welcome to the 550th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend.  It's been a productive week.  We finished the shooting for PIGFOOT 2.  It will be premiering at the event Gnawbrew in Gnaw Bone, Indiana on July 22nd.  We'll look to have more showings after that and the possibility to view it publicly.  It has been quite an experience working in film.  I will now be starting my second film project THE VENGEANCE SQUAD in Muncie where I will be playing a pscyho.  Time to get on with my selections for the week.

Inside the Actors Studio:  Robin Williams (2001):  Technically, this is an episode of a tv series but it did run over an hour and a half so I can declare it a movie if I want seeing as this is my blog and have no one making rules for me but myself.  Robin was the guest being interviewed with James Lipton but turned into only partly an interview and lots of improv.  The show consisted of him reflecting on his personal and professional life.  He also does a lot of comedy bits and Lipton just had no idea what to expect but he rolled with it.  It is hard to believe that many years later that he would go onto kill himself.  Anytime I would ever see him, he always seemed like he was having all kinds of fun while other comedians make comedy of their misery but I never saw Williams do that with his comedy.  This is likely the most popular episode of INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO and is good for some comedy and insight.

Little Red Wagon (2012):  David Anspaugh directed this movie taking place in the wake of Hurricane Charley.  Chandler Canterbury stars as the 8 year old Zach Bonner who felt the need to help those without food and shelter, especially the children.  With the help of his mother Laurie, played by Anna Gunn, and his sister Kelley, played by Daveigh Chase, he goes around collecting things from neighbors like jugs and such.  He eventually looks to start his own charity from the publicity that he has been getting.  Frances O'Connor and Dylan Matzke co-star as mother and son Margaret and Jim Craig who are not as unfortunate as the Cantebury family and struggle to survive.  This is based on a true story and showing how one person sometimes can make a difference.  This would be my inspirational film for the week.

Birdsong (2012):  This is part two of a two-part Matthew Goode series.  I intended to use this last week not knowing who Matthew Goode was but then found that I was about to feature him twice and found that he is quite unrecognizable from last week's THE LOOKOUT to this week's mini-series which is an episode of the PBS series MASTERPIECE CLASSIC.  This is based on the novel by Sebastian Faulks and stars Eddie Redmayne WWI soldier Stephen Wraysford where he is shown in two eras of 1910 and 1916.  In the earlier era, he is working at a family business and staying in the home of Captain Gray, played by Goode, and having an affair with his wife Isabelle, played by Clemence Poesy.  In the modern era, he is a soldier in WWI where struggling to survive, we learn more what happens in the previous era.  I guess this omits a section of the book from the 1970s but was still pretty well filmed with really good performances.

The Dot and the Line (1965):  This is my Warner Brothers animated short which might also be the ultimate love story as well as an education on Geometry.  This shows a simple line who goes after his true love which is a dot but must learn how to do other things like bending if he is going to woo the dot.  Robert Morley provides the narration.  This is a very innovative short and an enjoyable few minutes.

Our Man in Havana (1959):  Carol Reed directed this spy comedy which is based on the novel by Graham Greene.  Alec Guinness stars as Jim Wormold who runs a vacuum shop but not a very successful one and has a daughter Milly, played by Jo Morrow, who loves to shop and he needs more money to support her habit.  He receives an offer from British Secret Service agent Hawthorne, played by Noel Coward, to be an agent in Cuba.  Jim must decide if the money is worth it when having to lie to friends.  Burl Ives, Maureen O'Hara, Ernie Kovacs, Ralph Richardson, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Alec Guinness does a good job as the naive agent and fans of British comedy will love this one.

Steamboat 'Round the Bend (1935):  I continue the comedy route with one directed by the legendary John Ford.  Will Rogers stars as Doctor John Pearly who is a con man selling a patent medicine which has whiskey.  His nephew Duke, played by John McGuire, is accused of murder after killing a man in self-defense but is sentenced to hang.  John does what he can to raise the necessary money and find a person who can serve as a witness.  This is a pretty good entry from Rogers and the wax museum bits are great.  This was one of his last movies and was released shortly after his death.

Tangerine (2015):  Sean Baker wrote and directed this more character film.  Kitana Kiki Rodriguez stars as transgender hooker Sin-Dee who has just gotten out of jail and her friend Alexandra reveals, played by Mya Taylor, that her pimp Chester, played by James Ransone, has been cheating with her.  This provokes Sin-Dee to go and find Chester and his girlfriend leading the friends in a strange odyssey through Hollywood.  One thing notable for this film is that everything was shot on iphone 5S phones and the end result turned out pretty good.  It is hard to really describe the film any further than what I have already.  It is not always easy to watch but has well-written characters and performances.  If you are okay with people being of transgender, this should be pretty well enjoyed.

The Bodyguard (1976):  This is my martial arts film for the week which stars Japanese martial artist Sonny Chiba whose name is actually Chiba and is an anti-drug vigilante.  He offers his bodyguard services to anyone who can provide information of the drug activities and is approached by a mysterious woman who seems legit but may not be as she seems.  This is one of those that have to be watched by people who like older martial arts movies with a bad English dubbing and some rather exaggerated violence.  This can really be enjoyed if not taken too seriously.  This is also referred to as KARATE KIBA.

No Name on the Bullet (1959):  This is my western of the week.  Western legend Audie Murphy stars as hired killer John Gant who arrives in a small town and already has a reputation among the town.  Everyone in town is pretty sure he is there to kill someone but no one knows who it will be.  I do not have a lot to explain on this western but it was really enjoyable for me and I'm not the biggest on this genre but this had a really good story and a lot of suspense.

Clean Before Loading (2013):  I end the week with this short film which was written and directed by my own Facebook friend Jeffrey Scott Richards.  Chris Parsons stars as Eric who meets his ex-wife Jessica, played by another Facebook friend Jenny Rebekah Richards, as she drops off a mysterious package for him while discussing what went wrong in their marriage.  Travis Bock, Kendra Metz, Michael Swisher co-star in this film.  This was a really good look at a failed relationship and good performances from the leads.  I also liked the end song by Jonathan Allen Ray.  This is now available on Amazon Prime and is worth 9 minutes of your time.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 549th Edition

Welcome to the 549th Edition of my series.  I will say that today is my birthday and was the last day of MURDER IN THE GAZEBO.  I am grateful to the Goldspace theater for allowing me the opportunity to be in their show.  Right now I still have my two movie projects so I am staying busy.  Enough about me for now, let's get on with my selections.

Going Upriver:  The Long War of John Kerry (2004):  I start the week out with this political documentary on John Kerry who at the time this was filmed was a Democratic presidential candidate going against George W. Bush.  This documentary is based on the book by Douglas Brinkley and documents his time in Vietnam and when he was discharged taking part in peace movements trying to end the war.  This is shown through interviews and archival footage of the events.  I will be the first to admit that I really am not a political guy but this was a very well done and informative documentary on a war that went on way too long.  I am sure that if you hate John Kerry, this documentary is not the one to watch, otherwise this should be checked out.

The Lookout (2007):  This is part one of a possible Matthew Goode trilogy.  This is my heist film for the week which was directed and written by Scott Frank in his directorial debut.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Chris who was at one point a promising high school athlete but things changed right after graduation when he got into a tragic car accident.  Years later, he has a job as a janitor in the bank.  He gets befriended by a gang leader named Gary, played by Matthew Goode, who looks to reel him into a bank heist at his own bank and does so with a girl named Luvlee, played by Isla Fisher.  Jeff Daniels co-stars as Chris's blind roommate Lewis who dreams of owning a restaurant and becomes a significant part of the film later.  Bruce McGill, Alex Borstein, Carla Gugino, Alberta Watson, Sergio Di Zio, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty clever heist film with a good performance out of Gordon-Levitt and has some really good narration.

The Warrior (2001):  This is my Indian film for the week but is not one of those cheesy Bollywood movies.  Asif Kapadia directed and co-wrote this film that takes place in feudal India in the state of Rajasthan.  Irrfan Khan stars Lafcadia who has been the town enforcer there for many years and has carried out all his orders from a cruel and sadistic lord.  He finally has a crisis of conscience and decides to renounce his ways but becomes the hunted through the Himalayan mountains.  This movie does have moments of violence but it is not really an action movie.  It is really more conveyed through the emotions of Rajasthan and really beautiful scenery.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is a really good watch.

How to Behave (1936):  This is my short film for the week which is part of the Robert Benchley comedic shorts.  Benchley stars as a newspaper columnist who gets a call from a couple guys who disagree on a topic and look to get his advice on the right thing to do.  He goes onto give them some other advice on etiquette which goes into comedic scenes with the advice he is giving.  This is a pretty entertaining ten minutes in one of the earlier ones in the Robert Benchley series.

Killer's Kiss (1955):  This is part two of my two-part Stanley Kubrick series and an even earlier Kubrick selection than last week's.  Mr. Kubrick did a little bit of everything in his career and this was his stab at the film noir genre.  Jamie Smith stars as washed up boxer Davey Gordon who is near the end of his career.  He saves a taxi dancer named Gloria, played by Irene Kane, from her lover and violent employer Vincent, played by Ralph Silvera.  This obviously does not sit with with her employer who looks to get revenge while Davey becomes interested in Gloria.  This is shot really well dealing some with flashback.  This would be considered a minor film from Kubrick but a really good start.  This is actually on the Criterion Collection dvd of THE KILLING which I featured last week.

The Glass Bottom Boat (1966):  This is my spy parody for the week.  Frank Tashlin directed this comedy which stars Doris Day who stars as Jennifer Nelson.  She is the daughter of Axel Norstrom, played by Arthur Godfrey, who runs a tourist operation and will sometimes be a mermaid for her father.  One day when she is a mermaid she gets hooked by a fishing pole from Bruce, played by Rod Taylor, who is fishing her and accidentally reels her in as well as pulling off her costume.  She soon learns that Bruce is the big boss at a research lab.  They begin to become friends even forming a relationship but Bruce's friend General Wallace Bleeker, played by Edward Andrews, suspects that Jennifer is a Russian spy leading to a lot of really funny misunderstandings.  John McGiver, Paul Lynde, Eric Fleming, Dom Deluise, Dick Martin, Alice Pearce, George Tobias, and many others co-star in this comedy.  One interesting fact is that in the opening credits, there is a song called SOFT AS THE STARTLIGHT which was written by Joe Lubin and Jerome Howard.  Jerome Howard was actually Curly Howard of the Three Stooges.  This is a pretty good comedy which showcase quite a few comedians from that era.

The Hateful Eight (2015):  Now I bring Quentin Tarantino's latest and his 8th film.  This is a western which takes place during a blizzard in Wyoming where a few very different people end up taking refuge in a Haberdashery.  Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern play the title characters who just could not co-exist leading to some violent confrontations.  James Parks, Zoe Bell, Gene Jones, Craig Stark, Belina Owino, and even Channing Tatum also co-star in some flashback scenes.  This is a really well done who-done-it which does not have a lot of real violent scenes but the violence is very emphasized when there is some.  It was good to see many QT alums working well together in a well done story.  I don't think I'll call this my favorite Tarantino film but was very enjoyable in my estimation.

The Mummy (1959):  I decided to use the one from Hammer Films.  Hammer director Terence Fisher directed this adaptation of the Mummy which stars Christopher Lee as the title character whose name is Kharis.  A group of archaeologists lead by John Banning, played by Peter Cushing, who come upon the tomb of Ananka, played by Yvonne Furneaux in flashbacks while playing another character in the modern era, and when this happens they awaken Kharis who was a high priest.  This is good for fans of classic horror with Lee playing a very good mummy in the modern day and his character in flashbacks.  This is based on Universal mummy films in the 40s and not the 1932 film with the same title.

Bugsy Malone (1976):  Earlier I had a parody on spy movies and now I have a parody on gangster movies.  Alan Parker wrote and directed this musical parody on gangsters which is an all-child cast starring a young Scott Baio in the title role.  This is a world inhibited by children and instead of bullets, they use "splurge guns" which shoot out cream.  A 13 year old Jodie Foster also co-stars as nightclub singer Tallulah.  Paul Williams wrote the music score and the music numbers which he actually sings the numbers among other adults who dub the children.  It was a very clever concept to have a world that only children lived in and then making parody of gangster films.  The kids actually did a good job and is harmless fun for the family.

Visas and Virtue (1997):  Like last week, I decided to end with a short film.  Chris Tashima directed, co-wrote and stars in this short which is based on a true story.  Tashima stars as Japanese diplomat Sempo Sugihara who is residing in Lithuania during WWII and illegally gives visas to many Jews to save them from being arrested.  He has to decide to follow orders or risk everything to save others.  It is a very informative and well-done short on an unknown hero from that era.

Well, that is all for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Robin Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Alec Guinness and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 548th Edition

Welcome to the 548th Edition of my series.  Next weekend is my play MURDER AT THE GAZEBO at the Goldspace Theater where I play the detective.  Information is on the photo at the end of the blog.  If you want tickets, message me on Facebook.  Yesterday, we continued our filming for PIGFOOT in Columbus.  We finished a lot and we look to finish in a couple of weeks when I return to the town.  It was quite an experience and quite different to the theater that I'm used to doing.  Earlier in the week, I met of up a local filmmaker in Muncie to talk about a new project which is another horror movie called THE VENGEANCE SQUAD where it looks like I will have my second film project of the year so my "no musicals until 1776" rule has paid off a lot.  I will get to my selections now.

Moulin Rouge (2001):  Baz Luhrman directed and co-wrote this very unusual musical.  This takes place in the year 1899 and the musical numbers are mostly music from the 20th century in which they work in very well to make me believe it was that year.  Ewan McGregor stars as Christian who is a poet making his way to Paris to and joins up with a group of Bohemians.  He goes to the nightclub of the Moulin Rouge and is mistaken for the Duke by Satine, played very well by Nicole Kidman, who is supposed to meet up with the Duke but finds Christian instead.  They slowly form a very dangerous affair as the Duke, played by Richard Roxburgh, covets Satine.  Jim Broadbent stars as Harold Zidler who runs the Moulin Rouge and is very amusing in his role, especially his cover of Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN.  John Leguizamo, David Wenham, Jacek Koman, Kylie Minogue, and many others co-star in this film.  It is interesting how when I show this movie to friends, their first though is that he is the villain due to things like his outgoing personality and the kind of place he runs.  He really is not the villain and does what he must and is pretty caring towards his employees like Satine even if he does not want to be.  My favorite scene is the scene when he covers the Queen song THE SHOW MUST GO ON and it shows his more human side.  This also has some amazing cinematography with very good performances.  I have been known to karaoke a few of these songs and have no problem telling anyone.  It is a beautiful and complex love story and one I never get tired of seeing.

Dear White People (2014):  Justin Simien wrote and directed this satire on race from within an Ivy League school.  Tessa Thompson stars as Sam White who is a bi-racial film major and wins the election for the head of house for an all black house on campus which makes tensions rise a lot.  She also does a very unusual film project making a parody of A BIRTH OF A NATION.  Tyler James Higgins co-stars as Lionel who is a gay black man trying to make it at the prestigious university.  Kyle Gallner, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P. Bell, Brittany Curran, Justin Dobies, Marque Richardson, Malcolm Barrett, Dennis Haysbert, Peter Syvertsen, Brandon Alter, Kate Gaulke, and many others co-star in this film.  I think this is partly an homage to Spike Lee like when Sam makes a counter film to A BIRTH OF A NATION, Lee did something similar in 1980 by making a student short called THE ANSWER.  This is not going to be enjoyed by everyone but is a really good look at racial tensions that is quite funny at times and uncomfortable at other times.  This would be a really good watch and discuss movie to watch with a group.

Main Street (2010):  John Doyle directed this small town slice of life movie which was written by Horton Foote.  Colin Firth stars as Gus Leroy who comes to a small town with a rather controversial idea to help the decaying town.  The rest of the story is centered around the citizens connected to this new idea.  Ellen Burstyn stars as Georgianna who owns the warehouse that Gus is renting out that she mostly inherited from her husband while Patricia Clarkson co-stars as her niece Willa who has a lot of concerns about Gus starting this industry.   Orlando Bloom co-stars as Harris who is a police officer in the small town dealing with his own personal conflicts.  Amber Tamblyn and Brat Pack alum Andrew McCarthy also co-star in this movie.  This has went to some very mixed opinions.  I found it to be a good look at small town life and looking into the future.  It probably could have stood to add a little more time to it for things like more character development, among other things.  This is available to watch on http://www.hoopladigital.com which is a site that has streaming and can sign up with a public library card.

The Movies (1925):  This is my silent comedy short for the week which was directed and written by William Goodrich which was actually an alias of Roscoe "Fatty Arbuckle who had been mostly blacklisted for some legal issues even though he was acquitted.  This features silent comedian Lloyd Hamilton who is in a dual role as himself and as a country boy who moves away from his country home with the demand of his father to stay out of the movies but ends up meeting Lloyd Hamilton in a restaurant who needs a double.  This is my first time ever seeing Hamilton but he did do some funny stuff in this one. There is also a priceless shot at the movie studio with actors sitting together looking like George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

The Lady from Shanghai (1947):  This is part two of my two-part Orson Welles series.  Last week I featured his most known work of CITIZEN KANE, now I bring a film noir.  Welles is the uncredited director and wrote the screenplay based on the novel by Sherwood King.  He also stars as Michael O'Hara who is a seaman who ends up in a bizarre murder plot.  Rita Hayworth co-stars as Elsa who is the wife of corrupt attorney Arthur Bannister, played by Everett Sloane, but seems to like Michael more.  This is a rather complex film that is really hard to describe without giving it away.  It was one that was full of many twists and came down to a very clever climax at the end.

Gay Purr-ee (1962):  I was looking for something to record from TCM and saw this animated movie of cats so sounded interesting.  What I did not know is the Judy Garland did the voice of the main character Mewsette and the Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg wrote the music.  Mewsette and Jaune-Tom, voiced by Robert Goulet, are cats living in the French countryside and the naive Mewsette decides she wants to check out Paris.  When getting to Paris, she meets Meowrice, voiced by Paul Frees, who is a cat that is not on the level and takes advantage of Mewsette's naivety.  Jaune-Tom, along with Robespierre, voiced by Red Buttons, set out to find Mewsette.  Mel Blanc also lends his voice to this animated movie.  This is a rare Warner Brothers feature from this era but was still pretty fun to watch and worth it to see Judy Garland starring in a cartoon.

The Killing (1956):  This is part one of a two-part Stanley Kubrick series.  A very versatile director early in his career looking into the heist film.  Sterling Hayden stars as Johnny Clay who has just gotten out of prison and has a vision of a very elaborate heist at the horse track.  Much of the film goes into the planning of the daring heist and looking to the job of each person, even those that he needs for a distraction.  Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay Flippen, Ted de Corsia, Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr., Timothy Carey, and many others co-star in this film.  I was very drawn into this film where the pre-planning went just as well as the heist scene.  I have always been a fan of Sterling Hayden and this one might be his best performance.  This is Kubrick's third film and would go onto do many classics though the years.  An interesting fact is that Kirk Douglas really liked this film to the point that he sought out Kubrick to direct PATHS OF GLORY.

Life of Brian (1979):  In this week, I have managed racial satire and now religious satire brought to us from the legendary Monty Python group whose movie MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL was featured last week.  This was not an intentional back to back thing but came across this dvd at the library so decided to revisit this one.  The usual guys are back including Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin.  Chapman stars as Brian who is born on the same day as Jesus but takes a different path.  He joins a political resistance group hoping to get the Romans out of Judea and through other events is seen as a prophet much more than he wants.  It has a great opening sequence that parodies James Bond.  This time watching it, I picked up on some SPARTACUS references that I had not noticed before.  There is also the famous music number ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE.  This, like last week's feature is good for a lot of laughs.

Made in Dagenham (2010):  Nigel Cole directed this dramatization of the 1968 women's strike where women demanded equal pay to men in the United Kingdom.  Sally Hawkins stars as Rita O'Grady who leads the strike.  Some might right way think NORMA RAE but keep in mind, these events started before that of NORMA RAE.  Bob Hoskins co-stars as Albert who is another worker and supports the rights of the women.  Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, Lorraine Stanley, Nicola Duffett, Geraldine James, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a fictional version of the event though there were actual people from the strike to advise.  It is still enjoyable and even humorous at times against the backdrop of a rather serious issue.  This was not just a strike against the plant but of England in general for their labor laws.  Hawkins does great as O'Grady.  One I had not heard of until I came across but glad to get it on the radar.  This was also turned into a musical in 2014.

Those Among Us (2016):  I end the week with this short film which features my Facebook friend Kelsey Zukowski.  Justin Paul wrote and directed this horror short which stars Billy Grandy and Gareth Thomas as a couple men living in isolation which kidnap and torture, even kill their victims.  Zukowski and Anna Ross co-star as the two victims of the men.  it seems like some conventional horror film but then the twist in my opinion did add some interest.  This, among other work in film and modeling from Kelsey can be viewed at the website http://kelseyzukowski.com where she can also be contacted for work.

Well, that is all for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, more Stanley Kubrick, and many others.

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Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 547th Edition

Welcome to the 547th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone that celebrates has a good Mother's Day.  My show of MURDER IN THE GAZEBO starts in just a couple of weeks at the Goldspace Theater in Downtown Muncie where tickets are $8 and shows are May 20th and 21st at 7:30 pm and the 22nd at 2:00 pm.  I might have some announcements for next week but I will first see how things unfold before making them.  For now I'll just get to my selections.

I am Because We Are (2008):  I start the week out with this documentary which was produced by Madonna who is also the narrator.  This takes a look at the African nation of Malawi and most notably at the children of Africa who a lot are orphaned because of the AIDS problem in the nation.  This is a very eye-opening film where Madonna said that she was called by a group that asked for her donations and she expressed her ignorance then after that wanted to see what the talk was about.  It is also a pretty unbiased documentary and the people being interviewed have multiple outlooks on what is happening and who is to blame.  This is available on the website hoopla.com which you can likely sign up for if you have a public library card.

The Dropout (1962):  This is my short film for the week which was made by Sid Davis who made a lot of these kinds of educational, sometimes entertaining shorts.  This one was on a high schooler who feels he has had enough and believes he can make it by dropping out of high school.  This documents the consequences very well like most jobs wanting at least a high school education, among other things.  This can be found on Youtube.

After the Thin Man (1936):  This is my crime comedy for the week which was directed by W.S. Van Dyke.  This is the first sequel to the 1934 hit THE THIN MAN where William Powell and Myrna Loy reprise their roles as Nick and Nora Charles being joined by canine legend Asta.  They are called upon to solve the case of a missing man and possibly a murder.  A young James Stewart joins the cast.  This was a pretty fun comedy and probably more edgy at the time with things like Nick's drinking.  Powell and Loy always had some great chemistry and might be one of the underrated duos from this era.  There are also some very funny moments with Asta who I referred to as the canine legend.  

Stage Beauty (2004):  Richard Eyre directed this film based on the play by Jeffrey Hatcher.  This is based on theater in the 17th Century London where the end of an era happened where women got to play roles in theater.  Billy Crudup stars as Ned who has made a career of playing women, most notably Desdemona in OTHELLO.  King Charles II, played by Rupert Everett, makes a ruling that only women can play women characters which opens the door for dresser Maria, played by Claire Danes, who has aspirations of acting.  When she wins the part, she becomes a star while Ned starts to go off the deep end.  Tom Wilkinson, Ben Chaplin, Hugh Bonneville, Richard Griffiths, Tom Hollander, Edward Fox, and many others co-star in this film.  This is based on real events with much of these characters were real people.  It is also an interesting look into this era of theater.  I know we talk about how women could not vote for a long time but they also could not act in plays for a long time which was another travesty.  Danes and Crudup work very well together and Crudup does a great job as a cross-dressing actor.  Theater buffs should really check this one out.

Citizen Kane (1941):  This is part three of my Joseph Cotten trilogy and how fitting that I end it on possibly one of the most talked about movies of all time which many love and many hate but do not forget.  This is also part one of a two-part Orson Welles series.  Welles is known to be the director, writer, producer, and star in what is not really his directorial debut but what made him big.  Welles stars as newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane, which is based on media mogul William Randolph Hearst, who we first see on his deathbed and uttering the word "Rosebud" before succumbing.  A group of reporters try to piece together his life and what he meant by his last word taking us in flashbacks of his early life and how he came to rise.  Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Everett Sloane, and many others co-starred in this film.  This movie had a lot of very innovative camera techniques which is one of the praises.  Welles also had a hard time getting it made with Hearst objecting to it and from what I understand was not due to the portrayal of himself but of his girlfriend Marion Davies who the character of Susan Alexander, played by Comingore, was based upon.  This movie also gets a lot of criticism, some possibly for the hype of the film.  It was also named as the best movie of all time by the American Film Institute, not sure I agree on that one but in my mind was still a pretty compelling film.  Welles plays Kane through many years and does a great job of aging when playing the part.  I also liked the way the story was told in through a reporter's investigation of his life and last word.  It helped make the careers of many like Moorehead and Cotten.  Much of the cast came from Welles' own Mercury Theater.  I feel it is worth a look, it might be hard for younger generations to enjoy it the same way as others when it first came out but consider the trouble had during the making of the film.

Detachment (2011):  Tony Kaye directed this film which turned out to be quite a surprise for me.  Adrian Brody stars as Henry Barthes who is a substitute teacher which drifts from classroom to classroom not wanting to form an attachment.  His latest assignment finds more meaning in an inner-city school where he takes an interest in the unusual student Meredith, played by Betty Kaye, also forming a friendship with fellow teacher Ms. Madison, played by Christina Hendricks, and takes in a teenage hooker named Erica, played by Sami Gayle.  This is very hard to describe.  When I was about to watch it, I thought it was going to be one of those movies where a group of kids were losing hope and this unlikely teacher takes the helm and finds a way to get through to the kids like in COACH CARTER, FREEDOM WRITERS or the more underrated KNIGHTS OF THE SOUTH BRONX.  It turned out to be more of a character piece than anything but was still a very beautiful film.  Marcia Gay Harden, James Caan, Lucy Liu, Blythe Danner, Tim Blake Nelson, William Peterson, Bryan Cranston, and many others co-star in this film.  I found myself kind of relating to this Henry character some as I believe I exhibit some of these personality traits.  Caan was very amusing as a veteran teacher.  It takes more of a look at the faculty side of an inner-city school and their everyday struggle with students as well as the parents.  I had not really knew anything of this before seeing it and really believe it needs to be more exposed so hopefully I can help it with this one.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail  (1975):  After seeing a few versions of the musical SPAMALOT, I figured it was time to revisit this film which made it possible to have the musical.  The Monty Python group which included Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, and Graham Chapman play various character in this King Arthur comedy.  Chapman plays the part of Arthur who gets together a group of knights and running into silly obstacles along the way.  I don't believe much needs to be said here, they deal with a very relentless knight that just won't stop trying to fight even after losing his limbs and they deal with the famous killer rabbit.  All kinds of other things happen along they way in this great comedy.  It also has a great opening sequence before getting to the film and they were able to add in some good animated sequences as well.  This is the first feature film of the comedy troupe who became famous in Britain for the variety series MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS and an interesting thing I learned was that Pink Floyd helped fund the film from the success of their DARK SIDE OF THE MOON album.  Eric Idle would go onto write the musical SPAMALOT which also became a very successful musical so if you saw the musical but not this, then this is a must.  It is one of the best comedies of all time.

The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers (2006):  This is my second documentary for the week.  This is a WWE produced dvd which takes a look at a lot of the managers of wrestlers through the years like the male managers "Classy" Freddie Blassie, Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Paul Heyman aka Paul E. Dangerously, Slick, the Grand Wizard, Harvey Whippleman, Captain Lou Albano, Jim Cornette, many others.  It also takes a look at some of the women like Sunny, Miss Elizabeth, Sapphire, Sensational Sherri, Debra, among others.  I am sure there are many others that could have had more like featuring Virgil when he was Ted DiBiase's manager and help his fund.  I also would have liked to have seen a more feature story of ECW's Bill Alfonso but he did get a mention.  All in all, it was interesting to watch but likely only going to be enjoyed by wrestling fans.  This is available on WWE Network in the section of Originals under the show "FIRST LOOK" and is separated by year so go to 2006.  While I haven't done it for awhile, I have had some time in local wrestling promotions as a ring announcer and after being the announcer for Action Packed Wrestling from the beginning, my friend Walter who runs the promotion decided to put my acting skills to use and make me into a more managerial character like the guys named off.  It was really a lot of fun to make a crowd absolutely hate me so this is rather relating for me.

The Major and the Minor (1942):  This is part three of my Ray Milland trilogy.  Billy Wilder makes his directorial debut in this romantic comedy which is quite possibly the weirdest storyline of all time but still somehow works and is the start of possibly one of the best directorial careers of all time.  Ginger Rogers stars as Susan Applegate who needs to get home but only has a little bit of money which at her age she cannot afford but she manages to pass herself off as 12 in order to get half price and is able to pay for it.  On the train, she meets Major Philip Kirby who is with the army and believes she is a scared kid so takes her in for awhile as a father figure type even letting her stay with him and going to the military base.  She soon takes a liking to the major but does not know how to tell him she has been lying all this time.  Robert Benchley also co-stars in the film.  This might be the most gentleman character that Milland has ever played in his career after playing many villainous characters or if not villainous, still rather dark.  I suppose you must suspend disbelief that Ginger could ever pass for being 12 years of age but does make the most of playing the child and then later revealing herself as an adult.  Definitely one for the classic cinema buff.

Monkey Kingdom (2015):  This is my third documentary of the week and interestingly enough I start this week with a documentary narrated by Madonna and end the week with a documentary narrated by Tina Fey which is part two of a two-part Tina Fey series.  This is one of the Disneynature documentaries and is the first one to ever be featured on this blog.  This takes a look at the Toque Macaque group of Monkeys in the jungles of Sri Lanka.  It is combined with the ways of the breed of monkey and made into a story through Fey's narration.  It does a good job of combining fact with some comedy to make it a good family viewing to learn about animals.  This is available on Starz On-Demand.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Nicole Kidman, Ellen Burstyn, more Orson Welles, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 546th Edition

Welcome to the 546th Edition of my series.  Nothing really new happening right now except for last week's announcement of my play MURDER IN THE GAZEBO and managed to rope my mom into the show when a part became open.  That is all I can think of for right now so I will just get on with my selections.

Woody Allen:  A Documentary (2012):  This is part three of my Woody Allen trilogy where I finish a documentary centered around him.  This is two parts long and goes briefly into his childhood, to his days in comedy nightclubs, into his film career and everything else around it.  He gives reflections on much of his films from early to late into his career.  There are a lot of his alums that also reflect on their experience of working with Woody.  This gives some very interesting insight and no matter what one might think of him, he has always done what he has wanted to do and not worry about haters or popularity in general.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Donald's Tire Troubles (1943):  This is my Disney short for the week which as you might have guessed involves Donald Duck.  We have all that time driving down the road and all of a sudden we have a flat tire.  Donald manages to take the difficulty of changing of a tire to a whole new level.  Simple but very effective routine that Donald makes very entertaining and rather relating.

Last of the Mohicans (1936):  First of all, notice the year, this is not the well known Daniel Day-Lewis film from 1992 which is based on a novel by James Fenimore Cooper.  Randolph Scott stars as Hawkeye who is a colonial scout during the French and Indian War.  It is hard to explain so I will just use one from imdb which is "As Alice and Cora Munro attempt to find their father, a British officer in the French and Indian War, they are set upon by French soldiers and their cohorts, Huron tribesman led by the evil Magua.  Fighting to rescue the women the women are Chingachgook and his son Uncas, the last of the Mohican tribe, and their white ally, the frontiersman Hawkeye."  Binnie Barnes, Henry Wilcoxan, Bruce Cabot, and many others co-star in this film.  I will say I have not seen the 1992 version but will eventually, it is on my list for some point.  I do notice that Randolph Scott and Daniel Day-Lewis play the part quite differently where Randolph is more happy go lucky as opposed to the more intense Daniel.  This could be a good double feature to check out.

Amores Perros (2000):  Alejandro G. Innarritu directed this Mexican film that involves three interconnected stories that are connected to a car wreck.  Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Octavio who is looking to get his sister in law away from his abusive brother and after seeing a friend get involved with dog fighting, he decides to enter his own dog in order to raise the money.  Goya Toledo co-stars as Valeria who is a model that has been crippled and deals with her dog that is endangered.  Emilio Echevarria co-stars as El Chiva who is a homeless man who cares for dogs and has been a hitman.  This is the first of Innarritu's "Trilogy of Death" which is followed by 21 GRAMS and BABEL.  This is not real easy to watch, especially those who are dog lovers.  It is a very compelling look into what humans might stoop to in order to get what they want.  I thought the best story was with El Chivo but the rest was very compelling and disturbing like with Octavio hating the ways of his abusing brother but stooping to his own lows in order to get his sister in law out of the situation.

Hellbenders (1967):  This is part two of my Joseph Cotten trilogy in which last week I featured him in Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT.  This is my western for the week which was directed Sergio Corbucci and written by Albert Band.  This takes place in post Civil War era where Cotten stars as the ruthless Confederate Colonel Jonas who along with his sons and a beautiful prostitute is still determined to fight a civil war by stealing money and organizing a new Confederate army to take on the Union Army.  This movie has a lot of action and a lot of tension within the ranks where the characters are not real black and white as to who is good and bad.  This is a selection for the first Quentin Tarantino Festival in 1996.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

An Unfinished Life (2005):  Lasse Hallstrom directed this character driven film.  Jennifer Lopez stars as Jean who gets out of a relationship with her abusive boyfriend Gary, played by Damian Lewis, along with her daughter Griff, played by Becca Gardner.  Her and her daughter have nowhere to go so Jean decides to take her daughter to the Wyoming ranch of her father in law Einer, played by Robert Redford, who has bitter feelings toward her blaming her for his son's death.  He reluctantly takes her in for the sake of his granddaughter that he had not met.  Morgan Freeman co-stars as Einer's friend Mitch who lives on the ranch and struggles after being attacked by a bear.  Josh Lucas and Camryn Manheim co-star in this film.  This is a really good movie on small town life.  This also has a really good message of forgiveness without really having to shove it down your throat as well as good performances and a good script.  This is also available on Amazon Prime.

A Taste of Honey (1961):  Tony Richardson directed and co-wrote this film.  Rita Tushingham stars as Jo who is a teen living with her drunk mother, played by Dora Bryan, in Northern England.  When her mother decides to marry, Jo is out on the streets and meets a young gay man named Geoffrey, played by Murray Melvin, who is also adrift and they decide to live together.  Also what happened to Jo was that she had a one night stand with a black sailor named Jimmy and is now pregnant and Geoffrey is trying to help her through these times.  This deals with a lot of taboos in those days like an interracial relationship and with homosexuality.  Like my last selection, this is a bit of a coming of age film.  It does very well with a rather unknown cast who made the most of the well-written script.

Baby Mama (2008):  Michael McCullers wrote and directed this comedy teaming up Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.  Fey stars as successful businesswoman Kate who is single and decides she wants a child but learns she only has a million to shot of getting pregnant.  She decides to hire a surrogate to carry her child and decides to go with working class girl Angie, played by Poehler.  Things get complicated when Angie has nowhere to go and ends up staying at Angie's where their personality differences clash, among other complications.  Greg Kinnear, Steve Martin, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor, James Rebhorn, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Steve Martin is enjoyable as Kate's boss.  This is a rather harmless comedy in my opinion and the stars worked well together.  Nothing great but enjoyable if you like the two leads.

The Uninvited (1944):  This is part two of a possible Ray Milland trilogy.  This is my horror selection for the week which was directed by Lewis Allen.  Milland and Ruth Hussey star as brother and sister Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald who move into an abandoned home that is said to be haunted but the Fitzgeralds don't buy the stories and take it.  Shortly after moving in they begin to hear strange sounds and find everyone else was right about it being haunted.  They decide to try to solve the mystery of what happened in the haunted house.  Donald Crisp, Alan Napier, Gail Russell, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very atmospheric film and has a good story.  One of the early ghost stories and some refer to this as one of the first serious ghost stories in Hollywood.  This really deserves a look.

Furious 7 (2015):  I end the week with the latest of the Furious series and the one where Paul Walker died in the middle of filming.  Vin Diesel returns as Dominic Toretto who thought his criminal life was over but Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham, is out to avenge his crippled brother Owen by targeting Dom and the rest of the team.  Paul Walker returns as Brian who is now living a more normal life with his wife Mia, played by Jordana Brewster, and child.  The team get back together to stop Shaw as well as a terrorist team lead by Jakande, played by Djimon Hounsou.  Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Nathalie Emmanual join the fight while being recruited by an unorthodox agent named Mr. Nobody, played by Kurt Russell.  Lucas Black, John Brotherton, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey, and many others have parts in this film.  It was interesting to see Statham on the villain side for a change.  Walker died in the middle of the filming causing some rewrites and his brother being a stand in at times.  There is also a really good send off at the end of the movie for Walker.  One thing I noticed for the first time is that this is possibly the most loyal group of friends in film.  I understand they are doing an 8, I kind of feel this is a good way to end but we will see what they do.  If you liked the previous ones, this will be very enjoyable to watch.  You also must be able to suspend disbelief with some of the action scenes.

Well, that is all for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Madonna, Myrna Loy, Claire Danes, more Joseph Cotten, and many others.