Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 589th Edition

Welcome to the 589th Edition of my series.  Tonight are the annual Academy Awards where we award achievement in film.  I usually look forward to this but I just don't think I'm going to watch them this year and just keep up with winners on the internet.  I'm afraid this will follow suit of other award shows this year and winners will use it as their political platform which I would rather not see.  I am in no way boycotting them, just not for me this year and hey, maybe I'm wrong about what will be spoken of this evening.  I would also like to make an announcement that on the week of my birthday from May 21st to the 27th, I am having seven nights of karaoke so more details to come at a later time.  With all that, I will just get on with my selections for the week.

The Sheik (2014):  I start the week out with this documentary.  This is a documentary based on Khosrow Vaziri who must of us know as the legendary wrestler the Iron Sheik.  This starts from the early days of the Sheik when he was an accomplished wrestler in Iran and then escaped there to come to the United States.  It also goes into his days as an Olympic coach for the states into his start into professional wrestling into Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association in Minnesota where he would first just be a basic wrestler until making a life changing turn as an Iranian heel aka bad guy.  The documentary itself was filmed between 2006 to 2014 which goes into the ups and downs of his life both professionally and personally and mainly takes a look into his drug problems and how that affected everyone around him until he finally got clean after many years.  He also did similarly like what George Takei did and became an social media sensation.  This is a pretty moving and insightful documentary.  I always know how it was important for him to lose his championship to Hulk Hogan but I was not aware of the level of significance until I saw this one.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Carnival Day (1936):  I follow up this week with my musical short for the week.  As you might guess, this all takes place at a carnival.  Henry Armetta stars as Tony who is the balloon man and stumbles upon a scheme happening at the carnival.  Nothing great but an okay 16 minutes with some pretty good music performances in the short time.

Never a Dull Moment (1968):  This is my live-action Disney for the week.  Dick Van Dyke stars as actor Jack Albany who has a fateful encounter with a mobster that believes Jack is killer Ace.  Fearing for his life, Jack plays along and agrees to meet up with Leo Smooth, played by Edward G. Robinson, and is in the performance for his life in a very literal way.  Dorothy Provine, Henry Silva, Tony Bill, Slim Pickens, Jack Elam, and many others co-star in this comedy.  DVD made this pretty enjoyable and Robinson was good in his later role.  This is some good and silly Disney and might be worth a look.

Friends and Crocodiles (2005):  This is my BBC film for the week.  Stephen Poliakoff wrote and directed this film which stars Damian Lewis as maverick entrepreneur Paul Reynolds and Jodhi May as Lizzie Thomas who would be Paul's off and on employee for 20 years.  This shows the relationship between these two through the years when they first met and Paul asked her to be his secretary.  It also shows the change through the years starting in the Thatcher era up to the rise of the electronic age.  It shows how they drift apart but always seem to find each other in all these years and reconcile whatever differences they have had.  Robert Lindsay, Patrick Malahide, Eddie Marsan, Allen Corduner, Chris Larkin, and many others co-star in this film.  It is a rather hard movie to describe as some might already have picked up upon with my description.  The character Paul can be compared some to Jay Gatsby from THE GREAT GATSBY.  There are also some very interesting characters that work for Paul.  I thought the performances were very good and a pretty good film on adapting to change that happens along with the rises and falls these characters have.

The Heiress (1949):  William Wyler directed this film which stars Olivia de Havilland as the title character.  She plays Catherine Sloper who is the daughter of the very successful and widowed Dr. Sloper, played by Ralph Richardson, and is very shy and socially awkward.  At a family party, Catherine meets Morris Townsend, played by Montgomery Clift, who takes an interest in her, something she has never experienced but falls in love quickly with him.  They plan to get married but Dr. Sloper believes Morris to be a fortune hunter and does what he can to stop them from getting married.  Miriam Hopkins, Vanessa Brown, Betty Linley, Ray Collins, and many others co-star in this romantic drama.  This was a rather daring film for its era and is a pretty dark story of love.

Virunga (2014):  This is my second documentary for the week which was directed by Orlando von Einsiedel.  This centers around the Congo at Virunga National Park.  In this park lies some of the last of the mountain gorillas and a group of park rangers doing what they can to protect them from militia, poachers, among others.  In 2012, a rebel group called M23 formed and posed a big threat to what they have worked for at the park as well as the British oil company SOCO international which seems only interested in the oil there.  The protection of the gorillas was just a part of this documentary and the main thing it talks about is the civil war happening in Africa.  This is also available on Instant Netflix and is a very compelling watch.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977):  Wes Craven wrote and directed this this horror film in his early career.  A family is on vacation and have the misfortune of their car breaking down in an area closed to the public inhabited by violent savages on the attack.  Janus Blythe, Virginia Vincent, Michael Berryman, Dee Wallace, Robert Houston, Suze Lanier-Bramlett, and many others star in this cult classic.  Berryman's unusual look and character Pluto have made him quite an icon through the years.  This has a very low-budget and chilling fear and sometimes low-budget is all that is needed to be scary since it is more realistic looking in the middle of nowhere.  This one is available on the website hoopladigital.com and is a must for the horror fans out there.

King Jack (2015):  Felix Thompson wrote and directed this independent film which centers around the teenage Jack, played by Charlie Plummer.  Jack has a lot going on in his life and mainly has to deal with a rather violent bully in Shane, played by Danny Flaherty, and even his older brother Tom, played by Christian Madsen, who does not always treat his younger brother very well.  On top of it all, his younger cousin Ben, played by Cory Nichols, has to stay a few times and Jack must look after him much to his dismay.  Erin Davie, Yainis Ynoa, Chloe Levine, Melvin Mogoli, and many others co-star in this film.  I guess you could call this a coming of age tale though it is a pretty dark one.  It shows growing up in a lower-class neighborhood and the difficulties presented  as well as the effects of bullying.  This is a pretty good film that is more driven by characters more than anything else and works well with the relatively unknown cast.  This is available on both instant Netflix and the Hoopla cite I mentioned on the previous selection.

The Magnificent Yankee (1950):  This is my biopic for the week which was directed by John Sturges and based on American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, played by Louis Calhern, and based on the book by Francis Biddle.  This mostly takes place from Holmes's start in law and his marriage to Fanny, played by Ann Harding.  This goes up to when he became a supreme court justice and through quite a few presidential administrations.  Eduard Franz, Philip Ober, Ian Wolfe, and many others co-star in this biopic.  This is a really good look at a justice who always stood up for his beliefs and is just as relevant now as it was when it was made.  This is also based on a play by Emmet Lavery and has a really good look at a marriage through its ups and downs but of them staying loyal to each other.  This is really worth a look especially for history buffs.

Mr. Hublot (2013):  I end the week with this animated short that takes place in a futuristic world and is written and directed by Alexandre Espigares and Laurent Witz.  Mr. Hublot is a withdrawn and OCD man who seems reclusive to his home.  He soon encounters a stray robotic pet in which he takes in which is very life changing for Mr. Hublot who must adjust to this new pet that is very invasive.  This is some pretty good animation and the robotic pet was done very well making him pretty believable essentially being a dog.  This is a very enjoyable 11 minutes to watch.  This one is available on Amazon Prime.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 588th Edition

Welcome to the 588th Edition of my series.  I am glad to see that we have some pretty nice February weather and hope it continues that way but I know it will get cold again.  There is not much else going on, hope to make an announcement next week but that remains to be seen.  I will now get on with my selections for the week.

Kingsman:  The Secret Service (2015):  Matthew Vaughn directed this film that is based on the comic book series THE SECRET SERVICE by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.  Taron Egerton stars as Eggsy whose father died when he was young and is a rather troubled teen kid dealing with a really bad stepfather.  When arrested, he calls a number that he got as a child and soon meets Harry, played by Colin Firth, who reveals he knew Eggsy's father and offers him an opportunity in the secret organization called the Kingsman.  The mission they have is looking into an industrialist named Valentine, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who is planning to kill most of the population in his belief it will save the world.  Mark Strong, Jonno Davies, Jack Davenport, Mark Hamill, Sofia Boutella, Michael Caine, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a very different sort of comic book story.  It is rather fun and action packed in my opinion with some over the top violence that some will like and some will not like.  I know I enjoyed myself through this fun and unrealistic action romp.

El Camino (2008):  Erik S. Weigel directed and co-wrote this independent film.  Leo Fitzpatrick stars as Elliot who went through the foster system all of childhood and gets a call from an old friend who is dying and does shortly after they see each other.  At the funeral he meets his friend's other friends Lily and Gray, played by Elizabeth Moss and Christopher Denham, and they go on a road trip to take his ashes to Mexico, each of them having their own reason of going.  Wes Studi and Richard Gallagher also co-star in this film. I felt they did a good job making the most of their rather low budget with this road trip between people who do not know each other and must find themselves along the way.  I also thought the characters were well written to make the movie watchable.  This is available on hoopladigital.com.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014):  This is my animated and time travel movie for the week.  These were originally characters from THE ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE SHOW with the genius dog Mr. Peabody and his human adopted son Sherman and builds the WABAC Time Machine as a gift to Sherman where they go back in time for many historical moments.  Rob Minkoff directed this film bringing back the popular characters from the 60s in a more modern setting.  Ty Burrell voices the genius dog and Max Charles voices Sherman in this updated version where Sherman breaks a time travel rule forcing him and Mr. Peabody to have to fix this riff in time that was created.  Stephen Tobolowsky, Allison Janney, Dennis Haysbert, Stephe Colbert, Leslie Mann, Stanley Tucci, Lake Bell, Patrick Warburton, Tom McGrath, Mel Brooks, and many others provide their voices in this film.  I remember watching this as a kid and enjoying it.  I really believe Minkoff brought these characters back respectfully in this very fun and rather educational animated film.

Moon Trip (1957):  This is my animated short for the week.  This was the very first episode of the iconic green character which premiered on HOWDY DOODY and was popular enough for NBC to order a series for Gumby.  Art Clokey created this green humanoid character and he is known as the Father of Claymation.  In this very first episode, Gumby decides to go to the moon but finds it is not the best idea of all time prompting his parents to go to the rescue.  In an episode or two later, we are introduced to his best friend in Pokey who is an orange pony but he is not in this episode.  Also in later episodes, Gumby and friends go inside books but this one was a bit different.  My dad is more of the fan of Gumby and I learned that he took most interest in it when I was really little in things he found interesting for me to get into and he ended up enjoying it more, among other things.  This is a character that has really lived on through the generations and something that animation fans might really enjoy.

MASH (1970):  Robert Altman directed this war comedy based on the novel by Richard Hooker which would go onto become a very successful sitcom a couple years later as well as a play in which I played Captain Walt Waldowski.  The series also made a few spinoffs.  This takes place during the Korean War and is centered around the 4077 MASH unit which means Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.  Donald Sutherland stars as Hawkeye Pierce who is a new arrival to the unit proving to be a good surgeon but rebellious to authority.  The other two new arrivals are Duke Forrest, played by Tom Skerritt, and Trapper John, played by Elliott Gould.  Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Rene Auberjoinois, Gary Burghoff, Fred Williamson, John Schuck, Bud Cort, and many others co-star in this film.  If all you know is the series and that instrumental theme song, you will be in for a shock learning there are some words to the song called SUICIDE IS PAINLESS sung by Johnny Mandel and written by Altman's 14 year old son Mike which is a very interesting fact to me and thought I would share.  John Schuck makes his film debut as Waldowski which is as I mentioned the character I played in the play at the now defunct Lee's Theatrical Productions.  Burghoff also makes his debut as the character Radar and would go onto reprise the role in the series making him the only actor in this film to be in the series as far as I know.  The movie in itself is really more of a situational comedy.  There is no real pro or anti war messages but people trying to make the most of such a horrible time which is roughly what the series would go onto do.

Fury (1936):  I decided to try do a two-part series for Spencer Tracy where last week I included a Tracy/Hepburn comedy, now I continue with a more serious and earlier film.  Fritz Lang directed this film based on a play by Norman Krasna.  Tracy stars as Joe Wilson who has everything go for him with being engaged to his girlfriend Katherine, played by Sylvia Sidney, until Joe is mistaken for a wanted murderer and becomes the victim of a lynch mob attack.  Through this attack, he fakes his death and looks to exact his revenge through a frame-up since he is "dead" anyways.  Walter Abel, Bruce Cabot, Edward Ellis, Walter Brennan, Frank Albertson, and many others co-star in this film.  Also, the dog in this film is named Terry and are correct if you ask if that is the same dog that played Toto in THE WIZARD OF OZ.  This was a pretty good and rather unknown film showing how usually reasonable people can become very ruthless through assumption.

Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies (2014):  How do I even describe this one?  A wrestling promotion encounters a group of zombies.  This movie features known wrestlers Roddy Piper, Shane Douglas, Matt Hardy, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Kurt Angle who all play themselves.  There is a bit of a plot where Shane Douglas accidentally kills another wrestler in the ring with a piledriver and that wrestler's brother sells his soul to raise the undead.  This is a Kickstarter funded film and most of the actors were actual independent wrestlers like Reba Sky, Taya Parker, Sylvester Terkay, Thomas Rodman, among others.  I was reading that they were really wanting Dennis Rodman but that he couldn't do it so they settled on his lookalike Thomas.  Another thing I found interesting that the most compelling person in the film was Adrienne Fischer as Sarah who is not even a wrestler and assistant writer to this movie.  It is enjoyable if not taken too seriously and came out before Matt Hardy became his amazing gimmick "Broken" Matt Hardy.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951):  This is my prison film for the week which was directed and written by Crane Wilbur.  This was written long before Johnny Cash immortalized the Folsom Prison in his song FOLSOM PRISON BLUES.  This takes a look at the California prison before its 1944 reformation makeover.  Ted de Corsia stars as the sadistic warden Ben Rickey who makes his prison very unpleasant and inhumane all around.  He resents his new assistant Mark Benson, played by David Brian, who does not share his beliefs and is more about helping the inmate.  Steve Cochran, Philip Carey, Scott Forbes, Michael Tolan, and many others co-star in this film.  This was in a long series of Warner Brothers films that take a look at prison conditions.  This is a pretty compelling film that works with a relatively unknown cast.

Road to Hong Kong (1962):  Now I bring a comedy written and directed by Norman Panama and the last of the "Road to" movies that star the comedy team of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.  They reprise their roles as con men Harry Turner and Chester Babcock who find themselves on the wrong side of a secret organization out for world domination and must keep a formula out of enemy hands.  Joan Collins, Robert Morley, Walter Gotell, Dorothy Lamour, Dean Martin, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Frank Sinatra, and many others co-star or have cameos in this sci-fi comedy.  This is the 7th and last of the road movies between hope and Crosby which started with ROAD TO SINGAPORE which was in 1940 so they lasted for quite a few years and went out pretty well with this one.

The Dollface Slasher (2015):  I end the week with this horror short which stars my Facebook friend and fellow Madness contestant Kelsey Zukowski.  Hilary and Soloman Rothman wrote and directed this short film which stars Zukowski as Kelly who has a date night with her boyfriend Jason, played by Soloman, and they watch a horror film much to her dismay as she hates horror films which is the absolute opposite of Kelsey herself.  Little do they know they are living their own horror film when an actual slasher is in town.  They do a good job with this 15 minute film and you should also check out Kelsey's website https://kelseyzukowski.com/ which has a lot more of her work as a rising star in the horror world and has some of her modeling work.  This is also available on Amazon Prime.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 587th Edition

Welcome to the 587th Edition of my series.  There is not much going this week in my world since football is now over.  I also don't have any plays going on so I'll just get on with my selections for the week so enjoy and keep reading on for Fun and Useless Facts.

The Birdcage (1996):  Mike Nichols directed this film which is based on the play LA CAGE AUX FOLLES.  Robin Williams stars nightclub owner Armand Goldman whose son Val, played by Dan Futterman, announces his engagement to his girlfriend Barbara, played by Calista Flockhart.  Armand is a gay man in a long-time relationship with his drag queen companion Albert, played by Nathan Lane, and is asked by his son to put up a false front as a straight man when meeting Barbara's extremely conservative and moralistic parents Senator Kevin Keeley and his wife Louise, played by Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest.  Hank Azaria, Christine Baranski, Tom McGowan, Grant Heslov, Ann Cusack, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This may not be for all tastes but there are many great laughs in a gay couple doing what they can to play it straight but everything going wrong in their efforts.

One Got Fat (1963):  This is my short film for the week and the one riffed on by the Farmland Gang last week before they riffed on last week's selection of THE GIANT CLAW during Please Don't Shoot the Projectionist and I assure you all that the projectionist nor anyone else there was shot.  This is a short that talks about bicycle safety and for whatever reason, they decided to have the kids of this short film to wear monkey masks and even had tails but the rest of the body looked rather human to me.  I don't really know what else to say on this one, I don't think the safety of riding a bike really did much as I was too distracted by the cheap monkey costumes and I'm also not sure which one got fat.  This is available on Youtube.

Indiscreet (1958):  Stanley Donen directed this romantic comedy which is based on a play by Norman Krasna.  Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman reunite after their 1946 teaming of Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS and this one being more of a comedy.  Bergman stars as London based actress Anna Kalman and through her brother in law Alfred, played by Cecil Parker, she meets a work acquaintance named Philip, played by Grant.  They form a relationship despite Anna finding out that Philip is married but separated leading to come comedic deception in this comedy.  Phyllis Calvert and David Cossoff co-star in this film.  Grant and Bergman made a very fun romantic comedy duo in this rather overlooked comedy.

I Heart Huckabees (2004):  David O. Russell directed this rather complex comedy.  I'll try to give the basics as Jason Schwartzman stars as Albert who sees the same stranger in one day and becomes confused about life.  With that, he hires a pair of existentialist detectives in Bernard and Vivian, played by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin, to help investigate the meaning behind his life.  Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Mark Wahlberg, Ger Duany, Darlene Hunt, Kevin Dunn, Tippi Hedren, Said Taghmaoui, Jean Smart, Jonah Hill, Talia Shire, Bob Gunton, Richard Jenkins, and many others co-star in this comedy.  In looking into this movie, I learned that not only did Shire play Schwartzman's mother but that she is his mother in real life.  Jonah Hill makes his debut in this film into a really good start to his own career.  I really enjoyed Wahlberg in his supporting role in this film.  I really don't know how to describe this offbeat comedy.  Make no mistake, this is not a romantic comedy or love story by any means.

Bachelor Mother (1939):  Garson Kanin directed this comedy which stars Ginger Rogers in her entry of the Golden Age of Film.  Rogers stars as Polly Parrish who is trying to make ends meet by working at Merlin's Department Store and is a let go as a seasonal worker.  In a chance of fate, Polly encounters a baby being abandoned at an orphanage and takes the baby in to make sure the child gets in safely but they are convinced she is the mother abandoning the baby.  They suspect it is because she does not have a job and cannot raise her child so the people at the orphanage appeals to David Merlin, played by David Niven, to give Polly her job back.  More understandings happen with what David believes is some unmotherly actions and does whatever he can to keep the mother and baby together.  Charles Coburn, Frank Albertson, E.E. Clive, and many others co-star in this romantic comedy.  I actually found myself enjoying this one.  Ginger shows she does not always have to dance and does a great job as the alleged mother who just could not stay away from a baby not hers.  Niven also complements her as the sympathetic boss and has some interesting elements of himself being a bit of a black sheep in the family company.  This is a really good romantic comedy to check out and follow up with another movie about an abandoned child who experienced a much different fate.

The Jungle Book (2016):  Jon Favreau directed this live action adaptation to the Rudyard Kipling story and goes along with the 1967 animated story.  Neel Sethi stars in this film as Mowgli who was abandoned as a baby and raised by wolves in the jungle.  He has always had a good life there until the tiger Shere Khan, voiced by Idris Elba, threatens the jungle for having a "man-cub" living there.  He leaves the jungle with the guidance of panther Bagheera, voiced by Ben Kingsley, and later meets the fun loving bear Baloo, voiced by Bill Murray.  Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, Sam Raimi, Dee Bradley Baker, and many others provide their voices.  I did really enjoy this version from Disney's live-action films they have started doing.  This does have some differences and I will say that I enjoy the ending to this one over the 1967 animated Disney film which kind of bothers me.  I also want to talk about the PG rating in this film and the other live action adaptations have it as well.  I have heard people complain about this and heard some people in the family talking about it.  One thing I would ask is have you never questioned other Disney films on their G ratings, especially the 90s Disney.  They are mostly family oriented but have elements of action and such that might not be for all children so when seeing the Parental Guidance rating, check and see why that is the rating.  This does have some action sequences as to be expected.  Let's face it, if THE LION KING was a story involving humans, it would at least get PG-13 seeing as it is about a murderous brother betrayal.  I've spoke enough on that, I found this to be very enjoyable with some good visuals and great storytelling.

The Eiger Sanction (1975):  Clint Eastwood directed this action film where he also stars as art history professor and collector Jonathan Hemlock.  With the name Eastwood, I'm sure many will say there has to be more to him than just being an art professor and don't worry there is a lot more to it.  He is a retired assassin being brought out of retirement to avenge a friend.  He also has experience as a mountain climber leading to a rather dangerous climax on the mountain.  George Kennedy, Vonetta McGee, Jack Cassidy, Heidi Bruhl, Thayer David, and many others co-star in this film.  I would not movie great but was some pretty fun Eastwood that had some good art, mountain climbing, and some action.  This really was worth a look on a Saturday afternoon.

Penelope (2006):  Mark Palansky directed this modern-day fairy tale story.  Christina Ricci stars as the title character who falls victim to a old family curse that has an extreme effect on her face and can only be cured by "someone of her kind".  Her parents, played by Richard E. Grant and Catherine O'Hara, try to bring in some suitors, most of which run away at the sight of her face.  James McAvoy co-stars as Max who is hired to go undercover but takes a liking to her but things are difficult when he is not what she needs to be cured.  Michael Feast, Ronni Ancona, Simon Woods, Paul Herbert, Peter Dinklage, Burn Gorman, Nick Frost, Reese Witherspoon, Russell Brand, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is a pretty enjoyable modern-day fantasy film with Ricci great in her role and O'Hara perfect as the well-meaning and overprotective mother.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Adam's Rib (1949):  George Cukor directed this Tracy/Hepburn starring vehicle where Spencer and Katherine star as married couple Adam and Amanda Bonner.  They are both attorneys who end up on opposite sides of the law when Amanda decides to defend a woman for trying to kill her unfaithful husband and Adam is the prosecutor.  This puts obvious complications on their marriage in this what they call romantic comedy.  Judy Holliday, Tom Ewell, David Wayne, Jean Hagen, Hope Emerson, Will Wright, and many others co-star in this film.  This actually was a rather daring film for its time which takes a look at adultery, attempted murder, among other things.  Katherine Hepburn also points out a lot of interesting double standards between men and women from this era.  This is possibly the best of the Tracy and Hepburn teamings and is a very involved comedy that is far more than just a romantic comedy.

Mea Maxima Culpa:  Silence in the House of God (2012):  I have a included a lot of comedy, action, and family films this week but I'm afraid I must end on a sadder note in this documentary.  Alex Gibney directed this documentary which takes a look at the corruption within the catholic church and mainly takes a look at a Wisconsin priest from the '70s named Father Lawrence Murphy.  Murphy was a very charismatic priest who molested over 200 deaf children.  Many of these kids now grown up are interviewed and tell their stories of the horrible things that went on.  The documentary also takes a look at the cover up that go all the way up to the Vatican.  This has been a very much talked about subject and this one is a different take where a priest takes advantage of the lack of communication skills in the children to do very horrible things.  Jamey Sheridan, Chris Cooper, Ethan Hawke, and John Slattery are the voice to some of the deaf people that talk though their sign language.  This is a very eye opening documentary and always makes me sad to hear about this kind of thing in a world where people are supposed to feel safe.  This is available on HBO On-Demand.

Well that is it for this week but I have brought back my Fun and Useless Facts segment so continue on reading.  Tell me what you like and dislke and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Samuel L. Jackson, Allison Janney, Donald Sutherland, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I decided to bring this back after some people expressed how much they liked it.  Doing this just depends on the time I have that week and how much I have to go on like if I have a lot of documentaries and foreign films then I won't be able to do a lot.

Mike Nichols (The Birdcage director) directed Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees) in the 1967 film THE GRADUATE.

Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees) was considered for the role of Gandhi in the 1982 film GANDHI which would ultimately go to Ben Kingsley (The Jungle Book).  I think this was the right decision.  Another thing Hoffman and Kingsley have in common is Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees) plays mobster Meyer Lansky in the 2005 movie THE LOST CITY and Ben Kingsley (The Jungle Book) plays Lanskly in the 1991 film BUGSY.

Bill Murray (The Jungle Book) and Richard E. Grant (Penelope) both provide voices in the 2006 movie GARFIELD 2.

Robin Williams (The Birdcage) was a teacher to Ethan Hawke (Mea Maxima Culpa) in the 1989 film DEAD POETS SOCIETY.

Cary Grant (Indiscreet) and Katherine Hepburn (Adam's Rib) teamed up romantically for the 1935 film SYLVIA SCARLETT, the 1938 films HOLIDAY and BRINGING UP BABY, and the 1940 comedy THE PHILADELPHIA STORY.

Christopher Walken (The Jungle Book), Christina Ricci (Penelope) and Michael Feast (Penelope) were in the 1999 film SLEEPY HOLLOW.

Robin Williams (The Birdcage) and Christopher Walken (The Jungle Book) star in the 2006 comedy MAN OF THE YEAR.

Ingrid Bergman (Indiscreet) and Spencer Tracy (Adam's Rib) were in the 1941 film DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE where Bergman was the love interest to the Jekyll side of Tracy.

Jon Favreau (The Jungle Book director) directed Peter Dinklage (Penelope) in the 2003 comedy ELF.

Robin Williams (The Birdcage), Jude Law (I Heart Huckabees), and Ben Kingsley (The Jungle Book) were in the 2001 Sci-fi film A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.  Williams had more of a cameo as the voice of Dr. Know.  Kingsley also provides a voice of a specialist.  Jude Law (I Heart Huckabees) and Ben Kingsley (The Jungle Book) were in the 2011 film HUGO.  Jude Law (I Heart Huckabees) plays Dr. Watson in the 2009 film SHERLOCK HOLMES and the 2011 film SHERLOCK HOLMES:  A GAME OF SHADOWS.  Ben Kingsley plays Watson in the 1988 film WITHOUT A CLUE.

Jason Schwartzman (I Heart Huckabees) and Bill Murray (The Jungle Book) have worked together quite a few times in the 1998 film RUSHMORE, the 2007 film THE DARJEELING LIMITED, the 2009 film FANTASTIC MR. FOX, the 2012 film MOONRISE KINGDOM, the 2012 film A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE MIND OF CHARLES SWAN III, the 2014 film THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, and the 2015 special A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS.  Jude Law (I Heart Huckabees) co-stars in THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL.

Idris Elba (The Jungle Book) and Burn Gorman (Penelope) were in the 2013 film PACIFIC RIM.

Robin Williams (The Birdcage) and Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees) were Peter Pan and Captain Hook in the 1991 film HOOK.

My Friend Angela played the part of Violet in a stage musical version of 9 TO 5 at the Muncie Civic Theater.  Lily Tomlin (I Heart Huckabees) played Violet in the 1980 film 9 TO 5.  Angela also has a role in common with Katherine Hepburn (Adam's Rib) as Amanda in THE GLASS MENAGERIE.   Hepburn played the part in a 1973 tv movie and Angela plays the part next weekend at the Alley Theater in Anderson, Indiana.  For details, visit the website of http://www.central-christian-church.com/the_alley_theatre.html

Gene Hackman (The Birdcage) and Clint Eastwood (The Eiger Sanction) have worked together in the 1992 film THE UNFORGIVEN and the 1997 film ABSOLUTE POWER.

Idris Elba (The Jungle Book) and Michael Feast (Penelope) were in 1998 film PROMETHEUS.

Jonah Hill (I Heart Huckabees) accompanies his rock idol Russell Brand (Penelope) in the 2010 film GET HIM TO THE GREEK.  They were also in the 2008 film FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL where Brand plays the same character.

Gene Hackman (The Birdcage) and Kevin Dunn (I Heart Huckabees) were in the 1988 film MISSISSIPPI BURNING.

Naomi Watts (I Heart Huckabees) and Bill Murray (The Jungle Book) were in the 2014 film ST. VINCENT.

Gene Hackman (The Birdcage) and Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees) were in the 2003 film RUNAWAY JURY.

Ger Duany (I Heart Huckabees) and Reese Witherspoon (Penelope) were in the 2014 film THE GOOD LIE.

Dianne Wiest (The Birdcage) and Scarlett Johansson (The Jungle Book) were in the 1998 film THE HORSE WHISPERER.

Kevin Dunn (I Heart Huckabees) and Scarlett Johansson (The Jungle Book) were in the 2008 film VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA.

Hank Azaria (The Birdcage) and Ethan Hawke (Mea Maxima Culpa) were in the 1998 film GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

Cary Grant (Indiscreet) and Ginger Rogers (Bachelor Mother) are love interests in the 1952 film MONKEE BUSINESS.  Charles Coburn (Bachelor Mother) also co-stars.

Tippi Hedren (I Heart Huckabees) and Christina Ricci (Penelope) were in the 1998 movie I WOKE UP EARLY THE DAY I DIED which was some found script by Ed Wood that had never been done.

Hank Azaria (The Birdcage) and Kevin Dunn (I Heart Huckabees) were in the 1998 movie GODZILLA.

Cary Grant (Indiscreet) and David Niven (Bachelor Mother) were in the 1947 film THE BISHOP'S WIFE.

Kevin Dunn (I Heart Huckabees) and Christina Ricci (Penelope) were in the 1998 film SMALL SOLDIERS.

Christine Baranski (The Birdcage) and Reese Witherspoon (Penelope) were in the 1999 film CRUEL INTENTIONS.

Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees) and Thayer David (The Eiger Sanction) were in the 1970 film LITTLE BIG MAN.

Frank Albertson (Bachelor Mother) and Spencer Tracy (Adam's Rib) were in the 1936 film FURY.

Christine Baranski (The Birdcage) and Christina Ricci (Penelope) were in the 1993 movie ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES.

Talia Shire (I Heart Huckabees) and Thayer David (The Eiger Sanction) were in the 1976 film ROCKY.

Tom McGowan (The Birdcage) and Scarlett Johansson (The Jungle Book) were in the 2001 film GHOST WORLD.

Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees), Scarlett Johansson (The Jungle Book) and Russell Peters (The Jungle Book) were in the 2004 film CHEF.

Tom McGowan (The Birdcage) and Clint Eastwood (The Eiger Sanction) were in the 1999 movie TRUE CRIME which Eastwood also directed.

Kevin Dunn (I Heart Huckabees) and Ben Kingsley (The Jungle Book) were in the 1993 political comedy DAVE.

Grant Heslov (The Birdcage) and Bill Murray (The Jungle Book) were in the 2014 film THE MONUMENTS MEN.

Dustin Hoffman (I Heart Huckabees) plays Captain Hook in the 1991 film HOOK.  Christopher Walken (The Jungle Book) plays Hook in the 2014 live tv movie PETER PAN LIVE.

Cary Grant (Indiscreet) and George Kennedy (The Eiger Sanction) were in the 1963 film Charade.

Ann Cusack (The Birdcage) and Naomi Watts (I Heart Huckabees) were Sub Girl and Jet Girl in the 1995 movie TANK GIRL.