Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 576th Edition

Welcome to the 576th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and that everyone stayed safe on Black Friday.  This week, we approach December so maybe it is now more acceptable to celebrate Christmas and let's all try to be accepting of one another about how the holidays are celebrated.  Next weekend, we officially open for IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE at the Marion Civic Theater which is the first two weekends of December Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30  pm and Sunday shows start at 2 pm.  Check out http://www.marion-civic-theatre.org/ for information on reserving tickets as well as location information.  Now on to my selections for the week.

David Blaine:  Fearless (2002):  This is part four of my five-part Leonard DiCaprio series where in this movie, he is talking to the famed magician.  Technically, these are three tv specials in MAGIC MAN, STREET MAGIC, and FROZEN IN TIME being made into one movie.  For those who do not know, David Blaine is a famed magician and mostly performs tricks to people on the street like a lot of very mind bending card tricks, levitation, and his famed stunt where he encased himself in a block of ice for several hours.  He talks to a big variety of people and performs a variety of stunts making this a pretty enjoyable couple hours.

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005):  This is part three of my Robert Downey Jr. trilogy and possibly part one of a four-part Jeff Daniels series.  George Clooney directed, co-wrote with Grant Keslov, and co-stars in this film based on a true story.  David Strathairn stars as broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow who risked his career by trying to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy who lead what was referred to as the Red Scare.  Clooney co-stars as Murrow's producer Fred W. Friendly who supported him in what he was trying to do while others tried to stop him.  Alex Borstein, Tate Donovan, Patricia Clarkson, Tom McCarthy, Grant Keslov, Robert John Burke, Ray Wise, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good look at this very dark period of American history.  Strathairn is very well cast as the broadcast journalist and was a role that helped get him more known.  This is possibly Clooney's best project.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

Inside Out (2015):  This is one of two animated selections for the week.  This is a Disney Pixar selection which centers around young Riley, voiced by Kaitlyn Dias, who must leave her midwest life and move to a much newer world of San Francisco.  When this happens, her emotions which as it turns out have feelings of their own and they advise her but had trouble adjusting to the move.  The emotions in this film are Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness, voiced by Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, and Phyllis Smith.  Other voices include Richard Kind, Diane Lane, Kyle McLachlan, Paula Poundstone, Bobby Moynihan, Dave Goelz, Frank Oz, John Ratzenberger, Rashida Jones, and many others.  I was not sure at first how I would feel about this but as it went along, I liked the way it went and really liked the ending.  This is available on Starz On-Demand

Her Honor, the Nurse (1956):  This is my short film for the week that pays tribute to the nurses.  This takes a look at a nurse who is shown in her education into her graduation and career.  This is a pretty good homage at this time to a very valuable profession and a little bit of what it take to become a nurse.  Obviously, justice cannot be done in just nine minutes to describe the full value of the American nurse but it accomplished the basics in this short subject.

The Crowd Roars (1932):  Howard Hawks directed this film which takes a look at the early days of auto racing.  James Cagney stars as famous auto racing champion Joe Greer who returns to him hometown to learn that his younger brother Eddie, played by Eric Linden, has aspirations of becoming a driver.  When mentoring his younger brother, he becomes obsessed with keeping Eddie away from women making Joe interfere with his relationship with Anne, played by Joan Blondell.  Joe also has a long-time girlfriend in Lee, played by Ann Dvorak, who feels she is not good enough to be around him when he is out racing.  Guy Kibbee and Frank McHugh co-star in this film.  It is not Cagney's best but still a pretty enjoyable early film for him.  It is also of interest to see how auto racing was in this era and how far we have come in the modern day making it at least more safer that what this movie shows.

The Muthers (1976):  Cirio H. Santiago wrote and directed what we will call the guilty pleasure of the week, maybe exploitation of the week.  People will first question the title and a rather incorrect spelling but it is actually a band of mostly female pirates, a couple of which go undercover in a women's prison in hopes to break out the leader's sister.  Jeannie Bell, Rosanne Katon, Trina Parks, Jayne Kennedy, and many others co-star in this movie.  This has blaxploitation and is part women in prison movie so if you like this sort of thing, I think it will be enjoyed.

The Road to El Dorado (2000):  This is my second animated selection for the week.  The first one was from Disney Pixar and now I bring their competition of Dreamworks.  Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh star as con men Tulio and Miguel who have a map of the famed city El Dorado thinking there is gold.  Things don't go as planned and the natives begin to worship them as gods.  They also look to save the city from the high priest Tzekel-Kan, voiced by Armand Assante, who has a religious fixation for human sacrifice.  Rosie Perez also providers her voice to a Native con-artist named Chel who joins in with Tulio and Miguel when she is onto their con.  Edward James Olmos, Frank Welker, Jim Cummings, Tobin Bell, and many others provide their voice to this film.  There is a soundtrack which was mostly written by Elton John and Tim Rice where Elton John sang and is a pretty decent soundtrack.  This did not get as much attention as some animated movies but was pretty fun to watch along with a good soundtrack.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

The Narrow Margin (1952):  Richard Fleischer directed this film noir.  Charles McGraw stars as Detective Sergeant Walter Brown who has the very uneasy task of protecting mobster wife Frankie Neall, played by Marie Windsor, who is to testify against the mob.  Walter must accompany her on a train trip while mob hitmen are looking to kill her.  Jacqueline White, Queenie Leonard, David Clarke, Don Beddoe, and many others star in this rather suspenseful film.  I watched this when it was available on On-Demand and saw a really good interview between Ben Mankiewicz and the director's son Mark Fleischer who reflected on his father and grandfather Max Fleischer.  The movie is a rather daring film for its time.  It has a lot of mystery and suspense into a really good climax.  Brown and Windsor worked very well in their uneasy relationship with each other.  This gets right to the point from the beginning and for 75 minutes will keep you sucked into what is happening.

Elvis:  That's the Way it is (1970):  This is my concert film for the week which as you might guess centers around Elvis Presley.  It takes a look at concert footage, backstage footage, and even rehearsal footage.  This was footage from his third year in Las Vegas.  The songs he performs are some of his own classic songs and did some remakes like of Neil Diamond's SWEET CAROLINE, Paul Simon's BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER, The Righteous Brothers' YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING, among others.  This is a much earlier concert documentary and does pretty well.  I am not going to say I'm some huge fan of Elvis but I respect him and what he did in the industry.  This takes a good look at the concert world with its combined use of concert and backstage footage.

Sin Nombre (2009):  Last week, I ended with the foreign film MEDITTEREA with people trying to get out of the country they are in in hopes for a better life and I guess I continue that trend on this one.  I end the week with this Mexican film which was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.  Edgar Flores and Paulina Gaitan play characters in different situations but come together in an unlikely way.  Flores stars as Casper who is a gang member on the run from his gang and Gaitan stars as Sayra who is trying to get to the United States.  Sayra forms a liking and trust to Casper even if he tells her what a dark past he has had in his life.  Kristyan Ferrer, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Diana Garcia, Luis Fernando Pena, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty dark and bleak film but is also quite realistic from a lot of people in this country.  Researching this film, i found that the gang Mara Salvatrucha is a real-life international gang and there was nothing glorifying about it in this movie.  I believe this movie really deserves a look for cultural awareness if nothing else.  This is available on the website hoopladigital.com.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 575th Edition

Welcome to the 575th Edition of my series and a pretty cool number as I have 25 before the 600th Edition which will be in May.  I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving this week.  To those that plan on going out early Friday morning for the great deals, please be careful and be considerate to others.  To those who like celebrating Christmas early, maybe can get a little less hate for celebrating.  I feel some become a little to hostile towards others who start celebrating the December holiday early and I just try to keep that attitule of to each their own, especially on how people want to celebrate holidays.  Enough of that rant, my own show of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is going on in the first two weekends of December so check out the website http://www.marion-civic-theatre.org/ on ordering tickets.  Now onto my selections for the week.

Sherlock Holmes:  A Game of Shadows (2011):  This is part two of a potential Robert Downey Jr. trilogy.  Downey reprises his role as the famed detective being joined by his partner Dr. Watson, reprised by Jude Law.  They take on their arch nemesis Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris, who takes on Holmes in a battle of wits.  Helping them is Sherlock's brother Mycroft, played by Stephen Fry, and a gypsy named Simza, played by Noomi Rapace.  Rachel McAdams, Paul Anderson, Kelly Reilly, Geraldine James, Eddie Marsan, William Houston, and many others co-star in this sequel.  This is a pretty good sequel to the first one.  I really enjoy Downey and Law in these roles.  Usually, Watson is described as a "sidekick" but notice how in the beginning I referred to him as a partner.  I like the way in this movie it is portrayed that Holmes needs Watson more than Watson needs him and I love Downey's more humorous take to the role.  If you enjoy Downey as Sherlock, this will be enjoyed.

The Man in the Iron Mask (1998):  This is part three of my possible five part Leonardo DiCaprio series.  In this one he plays the tyrannical Louis XIV and his unknown and imprisoned twin brother Phillippe who is the title character.  This is based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas where the aging and mostly retired three musketeers Aramis, Athos, and Porthos, played by Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, and Gerard Depardieu, band together again with a plan to switch out Louis for his twin brother.  Gabriel Byrne also stars as D'Artagnan who has fought with the musketeers but now is the right hand man to the king and must decide where his loyalty lies.  Anne Parillaud, Judith Godreche, Edward Atterton, Peter Sarsgaard, Hugh Laurie, David Lowe, Brigitte Boucher, and many others co-star in this film.  This is by no means anything new but still thought it was cast well and enjoyable to watch.  For me, Byrne stood out the most as D'Artagnan.

Rampart (2011):  This is part three of my Audra McDonald trilogy.  Oren Moverman directed and co-wrote this film which stars Woody Harrelson as Los Angeles cop Dave Brown who is a very corrupt cop who justifies his actions in any way he can.  He also lives with his two ex-wives Barbara and Catherine, played by Cynthia Nixon and Anne Heche, who are both sisters where each he has daughters in Helen and Margaret, played by Brie Larson and Sammy Boyarsky.  Jon Bernthal, Ben Foster, Steve Buscemi, Sigourney Weaver, Leonard Kelly-Young, Robin Wright, Francis Capra, Ice Cube, Ned Beatty, and many others co-star in this film.  I liked seeing Buscemi in a prosecutor role for a change.  This is mostly a character study on the mostly unlikable cop with a very good performance out of Harrelson.  This is not a very upbeat film but still quite compelling.  This is available on hoopladigital.com.

Menu (1933):  This is my comedy short for the week which is a Pete Smith Specialty.  A man named John, played by Luis Alberni, suffers from chronic indigestion and his wife, played by Una Merkel, tries to cook a duck dinner that will not cause indigestion.  Soon a mysterious chef appears to help her accomplish what she wants with hilarious results.  Pete Smith actually plays the chef which is the first time that I am aware that he has been in one of these besides as the narrator.  This is available on TCM On-Demand at tcm.com.

The Man Without a Country (1975):  This is my tv movie for the week which was directed by Delbert Mann and based on a short story by Edward Everett Hale.  Cliff Robertson starts as Philip Nolan who is court martialed along with Aaron Burr, played by John Cullum, for attacking Mexico and trying to annex them.  Nolan makes comments that he never wishes to hear of the United States again which gets him exiled out of the country and spends his days on the sea in a ship.  As the decades go on, Nolan earns the respect of his fellow seaman while proving to be a good warrior making his shipmates appeal to get his exile overturned.  Beau Bridges, Peter Strauss, Robert Ryan, Walter Abel, Geoffrey Holder, Patricia Elliott, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  The protagonist is a fictional character around historical events and the character is loosely based figure Clement Vallandigham who had a similar fat to Nolan.  It is also good to see the later part of Burr's life since most of what is known is that he shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel.  This is a pretty well done tv movie and unfortunately hard to find on dvd but is availalbe on youtube.

No Sad Songs For Me (1950):  Rudolph Mate directed this film based on a novel by Ruth Southard.  Margaret Sullavan stars as Mary Scott who is the mother to Polly, played by Natalie Wood, and the wife of Brad, played by Wendell Corey.  Mary learns that she only has an incurable cancer and has a few months to live.  She decides not to tell them and to make the most of her last days while also trying to get her husband's assistant Chris, played by Viveca Lindfors, to stay in town seeing she has feelings for her husband and vice versa.  This is one of the earlier films that address the hardship of having a numbered amount of days to live which was rather taboo in this era.  This is a pretty moving story and worth a look.

Young Adam (2003):  This is my NC-17 and British movie for the week which was written by David Mackenzie and based on the novel by Alexander Trocci.  Ewan McGregor stars as a drifter named Joe who finds work on a barge owned by married couple Les and Ella, played by Peter Mullan and Tilda Swinton.  They discover a dead body floating in the water and through flashbacks we learn that Joe knows more than he is letting on while also forming an attraction with Ella.  Emily Mortimer and Jack McElhone also co-star in this film.  Upon my first sentence, this is clearly not family oriented so take that into consideration before watching.  It is really hard to put a description to this film.  It is a very dark and bleak film but I was quite intriged by it.  In some ways this could be referred to as film noir.  If you want something rather dark and can get past that it goes a little beyod the R rating, this is a really good watch.

The Southerner (1945):  Jean Renoir directed this film based on a novel by George Sessions Perry.  Zackary Scott stars as Sam Tucker who is a cotton picker looking for a better life for his family.  He decides to start growing his own cotton crop.  In trying to have a successful farm, he must battle disease, floods, and a jealous neighbor.  Betty Field, J. Carrol Naish, Beulah Bondi, Percy Kilbride, Charles Kemper, and many others co-star in this film.  This is another one that is rather hard to describe since it is driven a lot by characters and the determination of the protagonist to have a successful farm only to find that it is very difficult.  This is a relatively unknown cast but they still do a pretty good job.  This is a pretty good look into the life of a poor farming family and the decisions that must be considered for survival.  It is rather unknown and remains on the public domaine.  I was able to record it from TCM.

Lady Snowblood 2:  Love Song of Vengeance (1974):  Last week I featured the first one so I decided to continue with the sequel, both of which I recorded on TCM.  Toshiya Fujita directs the sequel to the 1973 film which both of these movies served as one of the main if not the main influence to Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL films.  Meiko Kaji continues to play the title character who we learned in the first one that she is an assassin.  In this continuation, she is arrested and sentenced to hang only to be rescued by the secret police needing her to assassinate some revolutionaries.  The first one is a lot more compelling in my opinion but this was still a pretty good sequel.  You definetely should not watch this one without the first one which you will clearly see much of the things that inspired Tarantino like the exaggerated violence that KILL BILL does and in the first one, it used chapters which is something that Tarantino has done a lot in general.  Maybe a marathon of these two films and both KILL BILL films are in order.  I am also a bit curious to see the manga to this story.

Mediterranea (2015):  I end the week with this African film which was written and directed by Jonas Carpignano.  A couple of friends named Ayiva, played by Koudous Seihon, and Abas, played by Alassane Sy, set out to immigrate to Italy finding that it is a journey that will take a lot of survival skills to be successful and just to survive.  I was reading that the actor Seihon was a real immigrant and recreates much of what he went through in this film.  I see this week, I have focused on rather difficult topics like dying of cancer, owning a farm in what was likely the depression era, and now this look at people trying to get out of a country to make a better life but finding that without the right resources that the journey is very difficult.  This is an expansion of the short film CHIJANA.  This film is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Robert Downey Jr., Amy Poehler, James Cagney, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 574th Edition

Welcome to the 574th Edition of my series.  After the Madness and my anniversary, I am finally back to normal.  I have been busy with rehearsals for IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE in Marion which happens in the first two weekends in December.  Seeing how things are going in this election makes me realize how much I hate politics and how it brings out the worse in some people.  Hate will not solve anything, that is all I will say.  Now for my selections.

Captain America:  Civil War (2016):  I start the week out with the latest of the superhero films.  This year we have seen Batman taking on Superman and Daredevil taking on the Punisher and to round out this I guess trilogy, we get to see Steve Rogers, reprised by Chris Evans, and Tony Stark, reprised by Robert Downey Jr., aka Captain America vs. Iron Man.  The difference to the first two I named off as opposed to this one is that in those they did not know each other and in this one Steve and Tony have been fighting side by side for awhile.  When on an assignment, things go wrong resulting in tragedy making the government push the Hero Registration Act which will limit what superheroes can do.  Tony begins to feel guilt about what happened and felt that they needed to be kept in check while Steve felt that saving the world is difficult enough and that they did not need government interference pitting them against each other making the other Avengers have to choose a side.  I am not going to name off the teams though by now most people know whose side each was on.  I am just going to name off the other players that get involved which include returnees of Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson, Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie, Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner, Winter Solder, played by Sebastian Stan, Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, War Machine, played by Don Cheadle, Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen and Vision, played by Paul Bettany.  Characters introduced to the universe are Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, and Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman.  You will see that Thor and the Hulk are excluded as I believe they are off doing other things which we'll soon learn in THOR:  RAGNAROK.  Other co-stars include Emily VanCamp, Daniel Bruhl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Martin Freeman, Marisa Tomei, John Kani, John Slattery, Hope Davis, Alfre Woodard, and many others.  I thought this was very well put together and managed to showcase each character very well.  I also really think I'll like Tom Holland as Peter Parker and Spider-Man and like that he has a more teenage personality than usual.  I felt that there was a lot to like about this film and is also a lot of fun.  Like any superhero film, it has its haters and maintain that the superhero genre is the most subjective genre in tv and film.

Boat Builders (1938):  This is my animated short for the week that is from Disney.  Mickey buys a boat kit in which the instructions lead on about how easy it is and when getting help from Donald Duck and Goofy, they realize that it is very difficult for them leading to some pretty funny moments.  This is a pretty funny short of the trio, each of them showcased very well.  I recorded this on TCM but I'm sure it's available on those Disney vault dvds of short films and is available for youtube.

Young at Heart (1954):  This is part two of my Frank Sinatra series.  Gordon Douglas directs this film which in a sense in a musical but not a conventional one as in they all have reason to sing like for performances.  Doris Day stars as Laurie who comes from a musical family and all the sisters take a liking to Alex, played by Gig Young, who ends up getting engaged to Laurie.  Sinatra co-stars as Barney who is a more cynical musician helping Alex with some work and takes a liking to Laurie himself complicating matters a lot.  Ethel Barrymore, Gig Young, Dorothy Malone, Robert Keith, Alan Hale Jr., Frank Ferguson, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a bit of a love story but not really upbeat with Sinatra's character.  This includes the title song by Johnny Richards and Carolyn Leigh which had just gotten popular with it being a hit song for Sinatra which then became this movie title and would also be popular in the future, most notably the '90s movie IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU.  This is a more underrated Sinatra film and as far as I know the only teaming for him and Day which has a really good supporting cast including a later film for Ethel Barrymore who is the great aunt of Drew Barrymore.  This is a remake to a 1938 movie called FOUR DAUGHTERS which I know nothing about but may look to check it out soon.

A Raisin in the Sun (2008):  This is part two of a possible Audra McDonald trilogy.  This is a tv movie which a remake to the classic 1961 film and based on the play by Lorraine Hansberry so maybe in a sense it is not necessarily a remake but another movie based on the play.  This is something I have come up with on multiple movies that are based on a novel as well, I'll talk about that another time.  Kenny Leon directed this tv movie which was at first a Broadway revival and then they made it into a network tv movie.  This centers around a black family in the '50s where they deal with poverty and racism.  Sean Combs stars as Walter Younger who is in a low-level job looking to get the money needed to make a risky investment.  McDonald stars as his wife Ruth who is dealing with issues of her own.  Phylicia Rashad co-stars as Walter's mother Lena who is awaiting a $10,000 insurance check due to the death of her husband and everyone having different ideas on how it should get used.  Sanaa Lathan is very good as Walter's more free-spirited sister Beneatha and rounding out the family is Justin Martin as the son Travis.  Bill Nunn David Oyelowo, Ron Cephas Jones, John Stamos, Sandi Ross, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  This may very well be the first time I have featured John Stamos on this blog.  I'll start by saying that the first one is better but I thought this version was still done with care coming from a Tony Award winning Broadway revival.  If you can look past the fact that Sean Combs has been more known as names like Puff Daddy, P Diddy, and even Diddy, he didn't do a bad job, the rest of the cast were very strong in their roles.

The Outer Space Connection (1975):  This is one of my documentaries for the week.  Fred Warshofsky directed this documentary based on the book by Alan Landsburg which explores the speculation of alien visits in ancient times.  It looks at some of the unexplained mysteries from ancient civilizations giving thought to the possibility that aliens started this world.  Rod Serling provides the narration in what is essentially a science documentary, maybe even a sci-fi documentary.  It also has a pretty cool music score to go along with it.  Take this for what it is, nothing has been proven but interesting thoughts.  This is available on Youtube at least.

J. Edgar (2011):  This is part two of a possible five part Leonardo DiCaprio series.  Clint Eastwood directed this biopic which is based on a screenplay by Dustin Lance Black.  DiCaprio stars as the famed FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover.  It goes into Hoover's rise and many of the events he was involved in.  The main part of the story is with his hire Clyde Tolson, played by Armie Hammer, who is quickly promoted to assistant director and is of an alleged relationship they had through the years.  David Cooper, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Jessica Hecht, Ken Howard, Jeffrey Donovan, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Lucas, Zach Grenier, Stephen Root, Adam Driver, and many others co-star in this film.  This did go to mixed opinions.  The big part of this in my opinion was DiCaprio's performance of Hoover and his ability and the way he can accommodate to playing almost anyone.  It takes place in two eras and the jumps between the two were a bit confusing at times.  You must also except that it is at least partly fictional seeing as there has never really been any proof one way or another on the alleged relationship with Tolson.  It kind of made me think of the alleged relationship between Truman Capote and Perry Smith when Capote was writing IN COLD BLOOD that they played out in the movie INFAMOUS.  Maybe this will be a good double feature.

The Secret Land (1948):  This is my second documentary for the week.  This takes a look at the Navy in 1946 on an expedition they took to Antarctica known as Operation High Jump.  This expedition involved 13 ships and over 4000 men.  There were various objectives to this trip that included things like testing equipment in frigid conditions, investigating base sites, among other things.  Narration was provided by celebrity veterans Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor, and Van Heflin.  This was filmed by military photographers and they got a lot of really good footage.  I had never heard of this expedition and was a very insightful documentary from this era.

Xanadu (1980):  This is my musical for the week which was directed by Robert Greenwald.  Michael Beck stars as Sonny Malone who is a struggling artist who is looking to do something big and meets up with musician Danny McGuire, played by Gene Kelly in his last feature role, and are inspired by a Greek muse named Kira, played by Olivia Newton-John, to build a roller disco rink and later forbidden love occurs with Danny and Kira.  That is about the best way I can describe this movie.  This is not great, at best can be described as fun and has become a cult classic through the years.  It even got on the rise a bit with community theaters there for awhile.  A lot of the soundtrack was from Electric Light Orchestra and some was from John Farrar.  Kelly is in his last feature role so could have gone out with a bigger bang but it had to be this cheesy musical.  This is available on the website hoopla.com which mostly requires a membership to the public library.

Lady Snowblood (1973):  This is my Japanese film for the week.  I watched this not knowing I was watching one of the inspirations for KILL BILL but more on that later.  Toshiya Fugita directed this Japanese revenge film. Meiko Kaji stars as Yuki who is born only to be an instrument of revenge for her bitter and late mother.  She is raised to be an assassin and wreaks havoc on those who wronged her mother many years ago.  This was a very stylish and violent film and can see why it would inspire Quentin Tarantino.  As soon as the movie started, I already recognized the theme song called SHURA NO HANA which is used in the first KILL BILL.  Also, some of the elements like blood pretty much spraying out of the body was something I noticed in Tarantino's film.  This and its sequel that came out the year after were released this year on the Criterion Collection and will venture to say that was helped by Tarantino in using this movie as the main inspiration for KILL BILL, at least the first one.  It could be debated on if Quentin used it as homage or theft.  For me, both movies are very enjoyable and I think Tarantino did helped give more exposure to a very good Japanese film that has not gone onto become very known.  This film is based on a manga series of the same name.

Soldiers Pay (2004):  I end the week with this documentary short directed by Tricia Regan, David O. Russell, and Juan Carlos Zaldivar.  This documentary is mostly interviews from soldiers, journalists, politicians, and psychiatrists on the Iraq War, mostly on the more modern one but some on the first Persian Gulf war.  The people interviewed are on all sides and get many different perspectives on the war.  This is a good half hour watch on just people reflecting on their times during the war.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Rachel McAdams, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, Beau Bridges, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 573rd Edition aka the 11 Year Anniversary

Welcome to the 573rd Edition of my series which is also the 11 year anniversary.  Yes, you heard that right 11 years.  I know, I can't believe it myself.  It was a vision I had 11 years ago during the rise of blogging and the rise of myspace where I wanted to do a movie oriented blog but knew I could not do detailed reviews of movies.  I got the idea to just do this where I look at 10 different movies and I am still going through all the ups and downs.  I want to thank everyone who has supported me through the years in the Myspace days to my supporters on Facebook and Twitter.  Each year on the anniversary, I try to do a theme of some sort and as much theater I have done, I thought I could do an edition of shows I have been in through the years.  This is by no means all I have done and not necessarily my favorites though some might be.  I also may not necessarily use the same version that I was in which you will understand and you go along.  I might do this again in a couple of years.  Now on with my selections.

Sweeney Todd:  The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2014):  I was in this version at the Jay County Civic Theater in Portland, Indiana in October of 2011 where I got to play the part of corrupt constable Beadle Bamford, played by Jeff Blumenkrantz in this version.  This is a live performance and an episode of the PBS series LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER.  This is a musical from Stephen Sondheim where a barber named Benjamin Barker, played by Bryn Terfel, is wrongly exiled to a prison by the corrupt Judge Turpin, played by Philip Quast, who murders his wife and raises his infant child Johanna, played by Erin Mackey, as his own.  Many years later Barker escapes and becomes Sweeney Todd to take his revenge on the town of London, mainly of Turpin but many others fall to his revenge.  He meets Mrs. Lovett, played by Emma Thompson, who has a meat pie shop forming an unusual partnership through Sweeney's revenge.  Jay Armstrong Johnson, Christian Borle, Kyle Brenn, and Audra MacDonald co-star in this musical.  Most likely know the movie version by Tim Burton which is okay but this is more in depth most notably on the music.  Emma Thompson plays the part of Lovett to more of a comic relief like was originally intended whereas Helena Bonham Carter was about dark as Sweeney in the movie version.  There are a couple other live versions available on DVD and I admit I had to dig rather deep to obtain this version which is not an easy find unfortunately.  The orchestra in this version is the New York Philharmonic.  If you can find a way to see this it is a good one to watch with Thompson great as Lovett and everyone else doing a really good job.  I had one issue with the flashback scene but would be a spoiler if I talked about it so message me if you would like to know otherwise I just let that go when watching.  This is one of my favorite musicals and possibly my favorite musical I have done so far.

Frankenstein (1931):  I did this show in October of 2007 at the Muncie Civic Theater where the role I played was Peter Schmidt and this character is not featured in this film version.  I played one of two evil gravediggers working for Victor Frankenstein, though in this movie he is renamed Henry, so the closest I come for this is Fritz, played by the underrated horror actor Dwight Frye, who works for Frankenstein.  Colin Clive stars as Dr. Henry Frankenstein who is obsessed with bringing things to life and creates a man out out parts from corpses.  Boris Karloff in a star making performance stars as the monster though is credited as "?" to add a more creepy feel to the film.  The monster is trying to do good but messes up a lot in part to the village which fear him.  Mae Clarke and John Boles also co-star in this film from Universal Horror.  This is the most iconic film adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel.  While it is not my favorite, it is still a really good film on the fear of the unknown.  Its sequel THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN is just as good if not better.  This is by no means the version I was in which has some differences.  Clive gave this more of a mad scientist feel than most stories that portray him more as a scientist with good intentions which go awry.  This is my favorite show I have done on the Muncie Civic Theater stage and got to creep out a lot of people in the audience and my own castmates.

1776 (1972):  I was in this show in November of 2014 for the Belfry Theater group of Noblesville, Indiana as Maryland representative Samuel Chase which was portrayed by Patrick Hines who was bigger and older than myself.  This is a musical dramatization by Sherman Edwards of the events that lead up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  William Daniels stars John Adams who is determined to become free of British rule but has a hard time convincing much of the others in congress who do not feel it is the right time.  Howard Da Silva co-stars and is very amusing as Benjamin Franklin who agrees with Adams but they don't agree on many other things.  Ken Howard co-stars as the soft spoken Thomas Jefferson who is appointed to write the declaration.  The ones who have the hardest time agreeing are Edward Ruttledge, played by John Collum, of South Caroline and Franklin's Pennsylvania delegate John Dickinson, played by Donald Madden.  Blythe Danner co-stars as Martha Jefferson and Virginia Vestoff plays Abigail Adams.  This has a lot of really fun musical numbers and is very enjoyable as long as you can get past many moments that were not very historically correct.  This is a really good show to do on stage but can be difficult with the 26 men in which it requires.  I really loved being Samuel Chase where I only sang one song, a few good lines, and ate on stage a lot.  I also like the musical as everybody plays a character of some sort.

Romeo + Juliet (1996):  This is part two of a two-part Paul Sorvino series and part one of a Leonardo DiCaprio series which could be a five part series.  I was in this show late July and early August of 2013 for the Farmland Cultural Center in Farmland, IN in my first show there which was outside at a park for Shakespeare Under the Stars and I played the part of Abraham in the beginning and would later play Paris.  Vincent Laresca played the part of Abraham in this version who goes by the name Abra in this version  Paul Rudd played the part of Paris in this modernized version and is referred to as Dave Paris in this movie.  It is also the only part I will ever share with Paul Rudd.  Baz Luhrmann directed this modern day movie where they were like a couple gangs in the town of Verona Beach while keeping the Shakespeare dialogue.  Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes star as the star-crossed lovers from rival families but fall in love with each other leading to much tragedy.  John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau, Pete Postlewaite, Paul Sorvino, Brian Dennehy, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Miriam Margolyes, Jesse Bradford, M. Emmet Walsh, Jamie Kennedy, Dash Mihok, Diane Venora, and many others co-star in this film.  This has always been my favorite Shakespeare play and I don't think anything will beat the 1968 version for me but I really enjoyed this take to the classic.  The only thing that could have been slightly rewritten the dialogue so they are referring to their weapons as guns instead of swords.  I let that part of it go.  DiCaprio and Danes work well together and it also has a good soundtrack for people who like 90s alternative.  This was my first Shakespeare show and was a good experience.

Guys and Dolls (1955):  This is part one of of a two part Frank Sinatra series.  I was in this show in June of 2010 at the Belfry Theater in Noblesville, IN in my debut as Harry the Horse.  Sheldon Leonard played this part in the movie version.  Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed this adaptation of the Frank Loesser musical.  Frank Sinatra stars as gambler Nathan Detroit and all the other gamblers are relying on him for a crap game.  He needs $1000 to get this game going and runs into Sky Masterson, played by Marlon Brando, proposing a bet that he cannot get mission girl Sarah Brown, played by Jean Simmons, to Havana.  Detroit has a long time fiance in Adelaide, played by Vivian Blaine, who wants nothing more than for him to stop gambling and live a normal life.  There are two different love stories happening in the backdrop of people who want to have a crap game.  Robert Keith, Stubby Kaye, B.S. Pully, Johnny Silver, Danny Dayton, and many others co-star in this musical.  There are a few music numbers written for the movie and some that were taken out.  One of the biggest flaws of the film was Brando as Masterson.  He might have been okay if it was not a musical but his singing did leave a lot to be desired.  The rest of the cast did a good job and is still worth a look if you can get past the flaws of Brando.  There are a lot of stories on how Sinatra and Brando did not like each other like with Brando playing mean jokes on Sinatra.  I am grateful to have made my debut at this theater in such a good role of Harry which is really the closest you get to having a villain.

Oklahoma! (1999):  I was in this show in late July and early August of 2008 at the Muncie Civic Theater and on the outside stage at the Minnetrista Cultural Center where I played the part of Slim.  Luke Baxter plays the part in this live version.  Hugh Jackman stars as Curly McClain who is a cowboy out to win the heart of Laurey, played by Josefina Gabrielle.  At the same time, Will Parker, played by Jimmy Johnston, returns from Kansas City hoping to win over Ado Annie, played by Vicki Simon.  They both run into complications in this love story from Rodgers and Hammerstein.  Shuler Hensley does a great job as the villainous Jud Fry.  David Shelmerdine, Maureen Lipton, Peter Polycarpou, Stuart Milligan, Rebecca Thornhill, and many others co-star in this live musical dvd.  My first exposure to Jackman was as Wolverine and thought he was perfect for the role.  I did not know that before that he was a musical theater actor and this got him somewhat exposed while LES MISERABLES got him fully exposed for his musical abilities and was great in this movie.  There is also a 1955 version that is still quite enjoyable but took out some of the songs including Jud's LONELY ROOM which was very well done in this version and intense song this show needs in my opinion.  It is also likely the darkest song that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote.

Beauty and the Beast (1946):  I was in this show in December of 2005 at the Muncie Civic Theater where I played the part of Lefou which was a very well received performance.  This is not a character featured in this film which is the French version and quite a bit different from the Disney version years later.  Jean Cocteau directed this version of the tale as old as time.  Josette Day stars as Belle whose father ends up at a castle ran by a beast, played by Jean Marais, and is taken prisoner.  She decides to take his place in his castle where the start of this tale as old as time begins.  As you see, the plot is pretty much the same as the famed Disney version but this version has darker imagery within the castle.  This does not have the talking objects but has things like arms holding the candles in the wall.  This is still a very good and compelling version of this tale with very good performances all around.  Cocteau also did a great job of making the most of what he had long before we had the technology for special effects.  This tale as old as time really deserves a watch and could be a good double feature to watch along with the Disney version.

The Nutcracker (2009)  I was in two versions of this show.  One was in December of 2006 at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts for the Children's Ballet Studio in which I was one of the very few adults.  The other one was in December of 2011 at the Minnetrista Cultural Center for the annual Luminaria Walk.  Both times I played the part of Drosselmeyer in which Gary Avis plays him in this version.  This is my third live performance selection and this is a ballet based on the children's book by E.T.A. Hoffman.  This was done by the Royal Ballet group.  I really cannot give a good explanation as to what this might be about and besides if you are not into ballet, this likely is not the one to watch.  This did have some really good scenery and choreography.  These were good experiences for me.  The first version I was in, I got the part a year before after I went off on an ego trip backstage when I was in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and was suddenly offered this part unexpectedly.  I did not do any ballet but did do some character movements and was not used to this kind of show as I would usually rely on dialogue or singing instead of strictly movements and relying on other movements to know what I was doing.  I got a really good reception from those in the show and audience members.  The second time I was in it was done in a much different way where we relied on tableau movements when in itself was a challenge and will also add it was my first paid gig in acting.

Inherit the Wind (1960):  This is part one of a two-part Gene Kelly series.  I was show in June of 2013 at the Anderson Mainstage Theater where I played the part of Elijah.  There are people who said some of my lines but no official character of Elijah in the film.  Stanley Kramer directed this film that is based on the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial.  This movie takes place in a small Tennessee town which is a very religious town.  Dick York co-stars as Bertram Cates who believes in the Darwin theory and tries to teach it to his class only to get arrested.  Fredric March stars as fundamentalist prosecutor Matthew Brady who is very strong towards his religious beliefs.  Spencer Tracy stars as attorney Henry Drummond who is far more open-minded and defends Cates with everything he has.  Gene Kelly plays E.K. Hornbeck who is a newspaper reporter and finds the way the town is very laughable and tries to help get Cates off.  This is a very intense trial film trying to defend a man for expressing his beliefs in a very judgmental town.  This movie is very realistic in the way it portrays those times.  There is a good line in this film from the character of Cates who says "religion is supposed to inspire, not put fear into anyone" and that is so well said.  I have seen people who are church goers and are very judgmental towards others not really thinking about how even the bible says not to judge.  It also fits today in these times when we consider things such as gay marriage and the rights gays are to have.  Some of the events in the film are no better than what we see of the extremist Westboro Baptist Church.  I could not have asked for a better role than the part of the crazed bible salesman Elijah.  It ranks up as one of the best things I ever did and ranks up as a favorite of mine.  I got to do some Gregorian chants and speak in tongues for this one.

Annie (1982):  I was in this show in October of 2008 at the Anderson Mainstage Theater where I played the parts of the main homeless guy and Senator Cordell Hull.  Nobody played these parts in this movie version that had some similarities to the stage version but also had some differences.  John Huston directed this musical which stars Aileen Quinn as the title orphan who must stay in a very unscrupulous orphanage which is run by the mean Miss Hannigan, cast perfectly as Carol Burnett, and is selected to stay in the home of the very wealthy Oliver Warbucks, played by Albert Finney, in a publicity stunt.  She soon wins over the household, even Warbucks making him reconsider his childless life.  Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters co-star as Hannigan's brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily who all team up in hopes of conning Warbucks.  Ann Reinking, Geoffrey Holder, Edward Herrmann, Peter Marshall all co-star and look for Ray Bolger as the sound effects man in the radio studio.  The movie some of the same songs but wrote some different ones as well.  I would like to see the character Punjab in future stage versions.  There was also a different climax and in this movie was a rather disturbing scene with Rooster and Annie.  I really enjoyed doing this musical.  I liked playing a homeless guy one minute, then a politician where I actually found speeches of the real Cordell Hull and tried an impersonation.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for the return of my segment Fun and Useless Facts.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Scarlett Johansson, Doris Day, Naomi Watts, Gene Kelly, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Emma Thompson (Sweeney Todd) and Pete Postlewaite (Romeo and Juliet) were in the 1993 film IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER.

Emma Thompson (Sweeney Todd), Audra McDonald (Sweeney Todd), and Jimmy Johnston (Oklahoma) are in the upcoming 2017 film BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Audra McDonald (Sweeney Todd) plays Grace in the 1999 movie ANNIE.  Ann Reinking plays Grace in this week's feature ANNIE.

Audra McDonald (Sweeney Todd) and Paul Rudd (Romeo and Juliet) were in the 1998 film THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION.

Christian Borle (Sweeney Todd) and Helen Anker (Oklahoma) were in the 2014 tv movie PETER PAN LIVE.  Borle was Smee and Anker was in the chorus.

Mae Clarke (Frankenstein) and Gene Kelly (Inherit the Wind) were in the 1952 musical SINGIN' IN THE RAIN.  Clarke was uncredited as the hairdresser.

Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) plays the Creature in this week's feature FRANKENSTEIN.  Shuler Hensley (Oklahoma) plays the part in the 2004 movie VAN HELSING.  Hensley also plays the Creature in the Broadway musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

Ken Howard (1776) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo and Juliet) were in the 2011 film J. EDGAR.

Ken Howard (1776) plays Mark Twain in an 1972 episode of BONANZA.  Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) was Twain in the 1944 film THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN.

Howard Caine (1776) and Spencer Tracy (Inherit the Wind) were in the 1961 film JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG.

John Cullum (1776) plays Aaron Burr in the 1973 tv movie THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY and Brian Dennehy (Romeo and Juliet) voiced Burr in the 2000 AMERICAN EXPERIENCE episode THE DUAL.

Blythe Danner (1776) and Jean Simmons (Guys and Dolls) had American voices in the 2004 Anime film HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE.

Baz Luhrmann (Romeo and Juliet director) directed Hugh Jackman (Oklahoma) in the 2008 film AUSTRALIA.

Miriam Margolyes (Romeo and Juliet) and Hugh Jackman (Oklahoma) were in the 2006 animated movie HAPPY FEET.

Claire Danes (Romeo and Juliet) and Jean Simmons (Guys and Dolls) were in the 1995 film HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo and Juliet) plays J. Edgar Hoover in the 2011 film J. EDGAR.  Sheldon Leonard (Guys and Dolls) plays the part in the 1978 film THE BRINK'S JOB.

Leonard DiCaprio (Romeo and Juliet) and Edward Herrmann (Annie) were the 2004 film THE AVIATOR and the 2013 film THE WOLF OF WALL STREET.

Jean Simmons (Guys and Dolls) played Sarah Brady in the 1988 tv movie INHERIT THE WIND.  Florence Eldridge played the part in this week's 1960 feature INHERIT THE WIND.

Frank Sinatra (Guys and Dolls) and Gene Kelly (Inherit the Wind) star in the musicals ON THE TOWN, ANCHORS AWEIGH, and TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME.

Hugh Jackman (Oklahoma) plays Jean Valjean in the 2012 musical LES MISERABLES.  Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) plays Valjean in the 1935 film LES MISERABLES.