Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 598th Edition

Welcome to the 598th Edition of my series.  I am now done with THE LITTLE MERMAID.  It has been quite a journey bringing out the role of Grimsby but feel the show went really well.  I don't really know what is next so we'll just have to see.  For right now I will just get on with my selections.

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016):  Stephen Frears directed this biopic which stars Meryl Streep as the title character who in the early 20th Century became dubbed as "the world's worst opera singer".  She still persists in her dream of being at Carnegie Hall with the help of her very supportive husband St. Clair, played by Hugh Grant, and her accompanist Cosme McMoon, played by Simon Helberg.  Rebecca Ferguson, Nina Arianda, Stanley Townsend, Allan Corduner, Christian McKay, John Kavanagh, and many others co-star in this film.  I had never heard of Jenkins until this movie.  Streep brought Jenkins to life very well and a good look at this performer despite her limited talent was quite respected in the music world, maybe due to her efforts and personality.  

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2004):  This is part four of my four part Rooney Mara series.  David Lowery wrote and directed this crime drama with a touch of a love story.  Casey Affleck stars as outlaw Bob Muldoon who is arrested when taking the rap for a crime his pregnant girlfriend Ruth, played by Mara, committed.  Bob escapes from prison setting out to find Ruth and the child he has never met but things don't go as planned when he finds she is with a lawman from their past named Patrick, played by Ben Foster.  Keith Carradine, Nate Parker, Robert Longstreet, Charles Baker, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good film with a good deep south film with good performances from the leads.  This is a crime story that centers around love.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Rogue One (2016):  Now I bring the latest of the Star Wars saga.  Gareth Edwards directed this one which takes place after episode three and before episode four.  This movie centers around the making of the Empire's Death Star where the Rebel Alliance uncovers a possible weakness that can get it destroyed.  Our group of diverse and rather misfit characters include criminal turned Rebel Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones, Rebel intelligence officer Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, imperial droid K-2SO, played by Alan Tudyk, blind spiritual worker Chirrut Imwe, played by Donnie Yen, and mercenary Baze Malbus, played by Win Jiang.  Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Henry, Forrest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsohn, Jimmy Smits, Genevieve O'Reilly, Ian McElhinney, and many others co-star in this film.  James Earl Jones reprises his role as the voice of Darth Vader but don't expect a huge role with the character though.   Guy Henry plays the part of Governor Tarkin which becames Grand Moff Tarkin that Peter Cushing plays in STAR WARS EPISODE IV:  A NEW HOPE with Henry having a CGI replica of Cushing's face superimposed over his face.  There are also other cameos of characters to look for in this film.  I have started a rule for myself to avoid trailers as much as possible which I did for STAR WARS:  THE FORCE AWAKENS and plan to do for this years STAR WARS:  THE LAST JEDI.  I just like to see it unfold for the first time in full without really knowing too much about it.  I thought this was a very good transitional film that makes you see the fourth episode in a whole new way.  I'll just stop where I am now for those who have not seen it yet.

In the Border States (1910):  This is my silent short for the week and made in the early days of film.  D.W. Griffith directed this Civil War short film which was one of many that he directed from this era and would then go onto directed what is possibly the most revered and reviled epic of all time in A BIRTH OF A NATION which the DVD contains this film, among other Griffith shorts.  In this one, a father leaves a border state to join the Union army only to have Confederate side attack his family's home.  This is worth a watch for historical purposes in the way of the early days of cinema that helped pave the way.  Griffith is a very significant pioneer into the world of film.

The Naked City (1948):  Jules Dassin directed this film which takes place in New York and is filmed there where the murder of a model is investigated by two officers. In the investigation, they find there are a lot of shifty characters that could have been involved. It is shot some in documentary form and gives us a look at people who work on the night shift with what they have to go through.  Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor, Ted de Corsia, and narrated by Mark Hellinger. The filming was shot with the actors and with the people in New York and gave a pretty realistic look at New York and a murder investigation.  This is available on TCM On-Demand until May 3rd so take a look at this rather realistic and gritty film from that era.

Jabberwocky (1977):  Monty Python members Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin decided to do their own project which also includes Terry Jones in a cameo after their hit film MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL and a couple years before they would all get together for their other film LIFE OF BRIAN.  Gilliam directed this film which is based on a poem by Lewis Carroll who is most known for ALICE IN WONDERLAND.  This is a comedy which takes place in the medieval times where Palin stars as peasant Dennis Cooper whose father has died and when going through town and through a series of misfortunes, he is mistaken as the one meant to kill a horrible monster.  Warren Mitchell, Rodney Bewes, Gilliam, Jones, Deborah Fallender, David Prowse, and many others co-star in this film.  This does not top the other two films that I named off but still a fun and low-budget medieval comedy.  I had not heard of this until I found it at the library so they do have some unexpected gems at times.

Who Am I This Time? (1982):  This is technically an episode from a series called AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE but as always, I make the rules so I can decided what qualifies as a movie.  I chose this after hearing about the death of its director Jonathan Demme and it is based on a short story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.  This takes a look into the world of community theater so it really hit home with me, especially just getting done with a show myself.  A young Susan Sarandon stars as a telephone company employee named Helene who has just come to town and the director of a local upcoming show really likes her look and sees her as Stella in their production of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE.  She has no acting experience but she is encouraged to try which is what community theater is all about having people make their debut and learn through weeks of rehearsing.  Christopher Walken co-stars as local hardware employee Harry who is a very shy man unless he is in a play and he gets cast as Stanley in the show.  While they both work together, they slowly form a relationship where they help get each other out of their shells in different ways.  It is only about an hour long and the video transfer was not great.  It was still worth watching to see younger versions of Sarandon and Walken working together.  It was also a good homage to community theater and the hard work it takes.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

Roman Holiday (1953):  William Wyler directed this romantic comedy which starred Audrey Hepburn in her first starring role. Audrey Hepburn plays Princess Ann, a princess in Rome who does not like her structured life as the princess and sets out to see the world. Gregory Peck plays Joe, a reporter who finds her drunk and forms a relationship with her pretending ignorance over her identity with intentions to write a big story about the princess.  Eddie Albert adds some comic relief as Joe's photographer to get good photos for their big story.  Peck does good in more of a romantic comedy lead that usually Cary Grant would do in this era.  Hepburn also does great in her first starring role.  This is a really good romantic comedy that classic film buffs will love.

The Time Travellers (1964):  This comes from the third episode of the new MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000.  This consists of a group of scientists that manage to open a portal though it looks like a picture frame.  They go through that picture frame and learn they are 127 years into the future.  There they are attacked by a group of mutated humans but rescued by a group of scientists that inform them that much of earth was destroyed by nuclear war.  These humans also have some really unusual robots if that is what you want to call them.  Hard to describe this any further but Jonah, Tom Servo, and Crow have a great time with this one.

Wild (2014):  Jean-Marc Vallee directed this film which was based on a memoir by Cheryl Strayed, played by Reese Witherspoon.  After a dissolution of marriage and the death of her mother, played by Laura Dern, Cheryl gets into some very reckless behavior with sex and drugs.  She realizes this is not good and sets out on a soul searching journey with a hike of over a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.  Thomas Sadoski, Keene McRae, Michiel Huisman, W. Earl Brown, Brian Van Holt, and many others co-star in this film.  The young Cheryl is played by Strayed's actual daughter Bobbi Strayed Lindstrom.  This shows the struggles and triumphs very well in this story of redemption.  Reese gives this movie everything she has to play Strayed in a role I know was not easy and she wanted Witherspoon to play her.  It is an inspirational film to a point but it is not one for the family.  The movie held nothing back in her reckless behavior that lead to her rash decision.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 597th Edition

Welcome to the 597th Edition of my series.  This week is a pretty big week for me.  This Thursday our production of THE LITTLE MERMAID opens.  It goes from Thursday to Sunday with Thursday and Friday being a 7 pm, Saturday being a 2 pm and 7 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm.  Details for ordering on on the flying I have linked at the bottom.  That is about all I'll be doing so let's get on with my selections for the week.

Freedom Writers (2007):  I start the week out with this film based on a true story.  Richard LaGravenese directed this film based on THE FREEDOM WRITER'S DIARY by Erin Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank, and her students.  Swank stars as the idealistic Gruwell who has just gotten out of school and ready to get on with her career being given freshman and sophomore English with kids as part of something called the voluntary integration program.  This makes the schools more diverse than ever and the teachers feel that this program makes schools worse and most at the school just assume these kids will not going anywhere which really challenges the idealistic Gruwell.  She slowly finds a way to connect this very diverse group of kids which makes everyone a minority and there was a lot of racial tension between each of the races.  Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, April L. Hernandez, Mario, Kristin Herrera, Deance Wyatt, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very moving film of a teacher who not only educates a group of "unteachable students" but is able to turn this group into more like a family and does not give up when met with resistance by her higher-ups.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011):  This is part three of my four part Rooney Mara series.  David Fincher directed the American version of the popular novel by Stieg Larsson.  The man who will play me in THE RISE AND FALL OF SHAUN BERKEY Daniel Craig stars as journalist Mikael Blomkvist who has hit a low point in his journalist career and is hired by the wealthy patriarch Henrik Vanger, played by Christopher Plummer, to investigate the disappearance of a family member 40 years ago.  He is aided by a pierced and tattooed computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander, played by Mara, and they learn a lot more they bargained for in a web of family corruption.  Stellan Skarsgard, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen, Joely Richardson, Goran Visnjic, Julian Sands, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a film first made in Sweden in 2009 that is based on the book and this is as what people call the American remake.  Both versions are very good though in Sweden they covered the entire book trilogy where Fincher did not and I am surprised, they did not make a project of this and seen nothing coming of the other two books.  Craig and Rooney are great together with some great scenery and a really good music score from Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor.  I think both versions of these movies can make a good double feature.

Edtv (1999):  Now I follow up to this satire on reality tv which was directed by Ron Howard.  Matthew McConaughey stars as video store clerk Ed who agrees to have his life filmed for a reality series for a struggling network.  At first he seems to enjoy it but slowly sees his life spiral out of control.  His brother Ray, played by Woody Harrelson, becomes jealous of Ed's attention he is getting as well as Ed getting his girl Shari, played by Jenna Elfman.  Shari is not liking the cameras around which puts a strain in their relationship.   The rest of his family is also getting turned upside down in this comedy.  Sally Kirkland, Martin Landau, Adam Goldberg, Ellen Degenerous, Rob Reiner, Dennis Hopper, Gedde Watanabe, Geoffrey Blake, Merrin Dungey, Ian Gomez, Arianna Huffington, Larry Jenkins, Elizabeth Hurley, Rob Reiner, Clint Howard, Jennifer Elise Cox, Harry Shearer, Michael Moore, Kathleen Marshall, Azura Skye, Christian Kane, and many others co-star and have cameos.  This came out right before reality tv got on the rise that it is on today and does a great job showing the effects on people when they no longer have a private life.  It drew unfair comparisons to the 1998 film THE TRUMAN SHOW which was more of a fantasy film that dealt with reality tv in a very unusual way.  It is also a good movie but both of these stand on their own ground and could make for a good double feature.

Gumbasia (1955):  This is my animated short for the week which is the first in the way of claymation.  Art Clokey created this three minute film while studying at the University of Southern California and is meant to be a clay parody to the Disney film FANTASIA.  Keep in mind, Clokey would go onto create the very iconic character of Gumby and set forth the style of clay animation which is something my dad has always been a big fan.  This was the start of quite a career that would set forth the classic series GUMBY as well as DAVEY AND GOLIATH.  When this was made, Samuel Engel, who was president of the Motion Pictures Producers Association, was very intrigued by this that he helped finance Clokey for the pilot films for Gumby.  This is available on Youtube.

Smart Blonde (1937):  This is my B comedy for the week and is part of a series of film from 1937-1939 from Warner Brothers.  These are murder mystery comedies where Glenda Farrell stars as Torchy Blane who is a female reporter always out to solve a murder alongside of police lover Steve McBride, played by Barton MacLane.  Wini Shaw, Addison Richards, Robert Paige, Craig Reynolds, Jane Wyman, Tom Kennedy, and many others co-star in this film.  Kennedy is the only actor to appear in all nine films of the series.  In this one, they investigate the murder of an investor who just bought a popular nightclub.  This is a pretty decent murder mystery and the first I have seen of this series.  They all seem to be around an hour long and much are available on tcm On-Demand until April 28th.  These are some pretty fun characters and funny moments in serious situations.

Shaft's Big Score (1972):  This is the first sequel of the 1971 Blaxploitation hit SHAFT.  Richard Roundtree reprises his role as private detective John Shaft.  In this one, Shaft must investigate the murder of his friend which leads him into a gang war.  I saw a description that described this as the Blaxploitation answer to James Bond which is really true.  This has the women, action, chase scenes for a pretty fun action film with Roundtree up to the game as Shaft.  DAYS OF OUR LIVES fans might be interesting to see Joseph Mascolo who was most known for playing Stefano on the show and is a villain in this movie.  There are actually four of this films, three with Roundtree and years later when Samuel L. Jackson took over the role and surprised they didn't make a franchise out of it.

Cry Wilderness (1987):  This is the second episode of the new MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000.  Jonah, Crow, and Tom Servo were forced to watch this B-movie that deals some with Bigfoot and not sure the point on the rest.  Jay Schlossberg-Cohen directed and co-wrote this movie with Philip Yordan and the biggest accomplishment for this movie is that it got exposure through the new MST3K.  We have a young boy who knows Bigfoot really well and Bigfoot of all people or creatures, whatever you want to call him, gives the boy a message that his father is in danger but no one seems to believe that he knows Bigfoot.  In some ways, this reminds me of the movie I was in at Columbus, IN where I played a character who was convinced that Sasquatches are peaceful creatures and this movie does try to convey that.  This is available on Netflix.

Autumn Leaves (1956):  I found this on TCM On-Demand and was quite intrigued by the description.  Robert Aldrich directed this film which stars Joan Crawford as Millicent Wetherby who is a middle aged woman intending to stay single until she meets the younger and charismatic Burt Hanson, played by Cliff Robertson, who wins her over and marries her.  Millicent slowly sees that he might be deranged and soon meets Virginia, played by Vera Miles, who claims to be his wife.  Lorne Greene, Ruth Donnelly, Shepperd Strudwick, and many others co-star in this film.  Many will know Robertson for his much later work as Uncle Ben in the 2002 film SPIDER-MAN.  There is far more to the description so I won't go any further into it except that it is an earlier look at mental illness.  This is available to watch on TCM On-Demand until April 28th.

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

Spa Night (2016):  I end the week with this independent film which was written and directed by Andrew Ahn.  Joe Seo stars in this film as the teenage David who is the son of a Korean immigrant family which is really struggling prompting him to take a job at a spa.  He also must figure out his sexuality when seeing men at the spa.  Haerry Kim, Tae Song, Angie Kim, and many others co-star in this rather bleak coming of age film which I will say is not for everyone.  A lot of it deals with David struggling with his closeted feeling but also takes a good look at a struggling family who were fairly well off with their restaurant but all dealt with the closing in different ways.  This is available to watch on Instant Netflix and has the rating of Unrated.

Well, that is it for the week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Meryl Streep, Rooney Mara, and many others.  If you are near the Portland, Indiana area, consider checking out this musical I am in which I play the part of Grimsby.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 596th Edition

Welcome to the 596th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone has a good Easter in however they decide to spend it or not spend it.  It has been a pretty busy week with my own work and for rehearsals for THE LITTLE MERMAID.  Other things that happened is that April the giraffe finally gave birth and was very intrigued on how obsessive many got over this and some even getting upset they did not see the live birth.  It was also a weekend were many of my friends went to Comic Con so I hope they had a good time.  I will get on with the selections for the week.

The Elephant Man (1980):  I start the week out with this classic David Lynch film which is based on a book by Sir Frederick Treves, played by Anthony Hopkins, who was a Victorian era surgeon and came upon a freak show that had a heavily publicized "Elephant Man".  John Hurt stars as John Merrick who was a freak show attraction due to his facial deformation and who Frederick discovers becoming very sympathetic for how he is being exploited taking him away from the show and giving him a place to live in the hospital where he is treated more like a human being.  Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Kenny Baker, and many others are in this film.  This is a very moving and sad film with very good performances and direction out of Lynch.  It also does not cease to be a little disturbing at times.  An interesting fact about this film is that Mel Brooks was an executive producer responsible for hiring David Lynch and obtaining permission to film in black and white.  He purposely went uncredited due to his reputation for spoof comedy and not wanting people to get the wrong idea for this film.

The Fall (2006):  Tarsem directed this film which is a remake of a 1981 Bulgariain film called YO HO HO.  This is is based in 1920s Los Angeles where Lee Pace stars as Roy Walker who is an injured movie stuntman and bedridden in the hospital.  He soon forms an unlikely friendship with a a young girl named Alexandria, played by Catinca Untaru, who has a broken arm and per her request Roy tells her an elaborate story five very diverse men, even Charles Darwin, who come together to kill a corrupt provincial governor.  This creates a fantasy world to tell the story while between chapters we see how serious the situation really is.  Justine Waddell, Lee Pace, Kim Ulyenbroek, Sean Gilder, Emil Hostina, Jeetu Verma, Leo Bill, Marcus Wesley, and many others co-star in this film.  I really had no idea what to expect when watching this film but really thought this was a very well done film towing the line between fantasy and reality.  It also has a relatively unknown cast that does well and Lee Pace is the only one I knew a little bit about from his show PUSHING DAISIES.  I have never seen its predecessor YO HO HO which does not appear to have gotten much distribution as even imdb does not have any user reviews of it.  I would be curious to check this one out which is what I sometimes see as the benefit of a remake.

The Music Never Stopped (2011):  Jim Kohlberg directed this film which is based on an essay called THE LAST HIPPIE which was written by Oliver Sacks.  This movie really centers around a troubled family through a couple of decades.  J.K. Simmons stars Henry Sawyer who tries to bond with his estranged son Gabriel, played by Lou Taylor Pucci, who has a brain tumor which not malignant, does make him forget things.  It goes back and forth through the modern era and flashes back to the earlier time period that lead to the falling out of Henry and Gabriel.  Henry realizes he must accommodate to the rock music he hates but his son loves to reconnect with him especially the Grateful Dead which was a source of their falling out.  Cara Seymour co-stars as Henry's wife Helen who is in the middle and just wants her husband and son to reconnect.  Julia Ormond, Scott Adsit, James Urbaniak, Max Antisell, Peggy Gormley, Tammy Blanchard, Mia Maestro, Josh Segarra, Xander Johnson, and many others co-star in this film.  I really felt this was J.K. Simmons' best performance as the father who realizes his own ways are just not working and Pucci was also great as his son.  I found it to be a very inspirational story and I also felt it was a bit of an homage at the rather unknown music therapy which is used in this film when Henry sees no other therapy is working and comes across a music therapist to help out.  It also has a great rock soundtrack to go along with the beautiful and inspirational film.

The Brave Engineer (1950):  This is my Disney animated short film of the week which gets away from their usual characters of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy and gives a bit of a history lesson.  This talks about train engineer Casey Jones who is determined to get his cargo to its destination no matter the obstacles placed in front of him.  If you're anything like me, the first time you heard of Casey Jones was through that Grateful Dead song where Casey was driving that train and was also high of cocaine which I suppose maybe he was a bit high in this animated short in overcoming his obstacles.  This was on the dvd of last week's feature SO DEAR TO MY HEART and can also be seen on Youtube.

Faust (1926):  This is my silent horror film for the week which was directed by legendary silent film director F.W. Murnau.  This is a battle between God and the Devil where Mephisto, played by Emil Jannings, makes a wager with God that he can corrupt the soul of Faust, played by Gosta Ekmann, an elderly Alchemist.  Camilla Horn, Hanna Ralph, William Dieterle, Werner Fuetterer, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very well-shot film even by today's standards.  It has a very well-done creepy feel that they were able to do long before CGI came around.  Some may find F.W. Murnau familiar and some may have heard of him from the movie SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE where he is portrayed by John Malkovich in the likely fictional making of Murnau's most known film NOSFERATU where he still has not been topped for having the ugliest vampire of all time.  Also, Emil Jannings is briefly portrayed in Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS by Hilmar Eichhorn.  This is something for horror buffs and silent buffs alike.  As good as this movie is, it never got copyrighted so it is on the public domain and can be seen on the website http://www.freemoviesdeluxe.com/ .

The Villain (1979):  I can honestly say I knew nothing of this western comedy until I came across it in the library and discovering that Kirk Douglas and Arnold Schwarzenegger were in a movie together so how could I resist?   Hal Needham directed this film where Douglas stars as Cactus Jack Slade who believes he is the meanest man in the West and is hired to steal a strongbox full of money.  Ann-Margret co-stars as Charming Jones who sets out to collect this money to get it back to her father and is being protected by Handsome Stranger, played by the former governor of California.  Paul Lynde, Foster Brooks, Ruth Buzzi, Jack Elam, Strother Martin, Mel Tillis, and many others co-star in this western comedy.  This is essentially a live action Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner film where Slade has about as much success as the coyote in his pursuit of Charming and Handsome.  This is a pretty fun movie to watch if not taken too seriously and is Arnold's only comedy.  Much of us know of the known duo of Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster but don't know the underrated duo of Douglas and Schwarzenegger.

The Winning Season (2009):  This is my sports comedy for the week and part two of my Rooney Mara series and have not determined if I will continue that one into next week.  Jim Strouse wrote and directed this sports film that takes place in my own state of Indiana which is very heavy on basketball.  Sam Rockwell stars as Bill who was at one time a really good player in high school and college but appears to have succumbed to alcohol in his later days keeping him from having any real career in basketball.  He ends up working at a local restaurant where he washes dishes and buses tables and encounters his former classmate Terry, played by Rob Corddry, who is now the principal at the local high school and is offered a shot at redemption by coaching the girls basketball team which is very underdeveloped.  The team cannot stand Bill at first but slowly take a liking to him and are inspired to become a better and winning team.  Mara, Emily Rios, Emma Roberts, Jessica Hecht, Connor Paolo, Meagan Witri, Melanie Hinkle, Shana Dowdeswell, Shareeka Epps, Margo Martindale, and many others co-star in this film.  While there is some inspiration to this film, it really focuses more on the comedy where Rockwell has some really good comedic timing as the has-been coach.  It was also cool to see references to the state of Indiana in this movie.

Reptilicus (1961):  This is my B-movie for the week which was featured on the new MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000.  A prehistoric monster gets awakened and scientists must look to destroy it.  Some guy named Sidney W. Pink wrote and directed this really bad but fun film that has a poorly photographed creature.  This is a monster movie from Denmark.  The new MST3K is now available on Netflix and this is the first episode of the new season.  Jonah Ray stars as Jonah Heston is the new man imprisoned on a ship to watch really bad movies with his robot friends Tom Servo, voiced by Baron Vaughn, Crow, voiced by Hampton Young, and Gypsy, voiced by Rebecca Hanson.  The villains at least in this episode are played by Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt.  I think Jonah is going to be a good one to follow the originals of Joel and Mike.  There were some funny moments during the movie and when they were taking a break like the song "Everybody has a monster they're afraid of in their nation".  There are a few other differences I notice like the robots having their own movements like Tom Servo kind of flying around whereas Joel and Mike would carry them out of the theater.  This and the entire series is available on Netflix and will likely start using these regularly.

We're No Angels (1955):  Michael Curtiz directs this film based on the play by Albert Husson.  Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, and Peter Ustinov play escaped convicts Joseph, Albert, and Jules, who are looking to get out some money and clothes by robbing a store and then travel by ship to another place.  The store they rob is run by Felix, played by Leo G. Carroll, and his wife, played by Gloria Talbott, and daughter, played by Joan Bennett.  Basil Rathbone co-stars as Andre which is the cousin of Felix and the actual owner of the store who is not a very nice person.  The convicts soon take a liking to the family and decide to help them for the holidays, especially from the annoying Andre.  The family even starts to like them even knowing they are escaped convicts.  This is a very rare comedic performance from Bogart and I felt did very well along with the others.  This is also a good holiday film that many people do not realize.  I also believe it is quite possibly my favorite comedy from this era.

Nocturnal Animals (2016):  I end the week with this psychological thriller which was directed by Tom Ford and based on a novel by Austin Wright.  I will try to explain this the best I can.  Amy Adams stars as Susan Morrow who is a very successful gallery owner and receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband Edward, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, that he asks her to read.  She starts to become consumed by the story which is dedicated to her and it appears to hit rather close to home where we see her in the real world as well as the story where the lines between fantasy and reality become blurred.  Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Ellie Bamber, Armie Hammer, Karl Glusman, Robert Aramayo, Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough, Michael Sheen, Jena Malone, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very intriguing film which really requires a lot of attention.  At first I thought I had a basic idea where it was going but I was dead wrong.  It would be hard to really go into this without giving it away.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 595th Edition

Welcome to the 595th Edition of my series.  It has been a pretty busy week with work and my show THE LITTLE MERMAID which is at the end of April.  There is a flyer on the end of this blog for ordering tickets and dates for the show.  With all that, I will get to my selections for the week.

Obvious Child (2014):  Gillian Robespierre directed and co-wrote this comedy that I start the week out with.  Jenny Slate stars as Donna Stern who is a 20 something local comedian trying to make it big.  In the beginning she gets dumped by her boyfriend and shortly after has a one night stand with someone in the bar named Max, played by Jake Lacy.  This results in her getting pregnant and must decide what she wants in life.  Paul Briganti, Gaby Hoffman, Richard Kind, Stephen Singer, David Cross, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not just any romantic comedy or comedy for that matter.  It is not always real easy to watch in its rather brutally honest story.  There were some very funny parts and some emotional scenes.  It is really hard to describe without giving things away but different that other movies I have seen.

Karol:  The Man Who Became Pope (2005):  I follow up with this biopic on Karol Wojtyla, played by Piotr Adamczyk, who would go onto be the very known Pope John Paul II.  This traces his younger days in Poland when involved in the war effort against Nazi Germany.  It soon goes into his religious conversion where he becomes a priest up until being elected pope at 58 years old.  Malgorzata Bela, Ken Duken, Violante Placido, Matt Craven, Kenneth Welsh, Raoul Bova, and many others co-star in this biopic directed by Giacomo Battiato.  This is a fascinating look at the iconic pope.  There is also a really good music score from Ennio Morricone.  This was originally a mini-series but was delayed when John Paul II died shortly after filming.

No Subtitles Necessary:  Laszlo and Vilmos (2008):  This is my documentary for the week which is based on the friendship and partnership of cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond as well as the impact they have had on the cinema world.  This talks about them filming the Soviet crackdown of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution which was pretty groundbreaking and daring at the time into them going into Hollywood.  This mostly shows some of their work and interviews with others in the film industry.  This is a good look at people who are very important but might be overlooked a lot in the film industry besides those who work with them.  This is available to watch on http://www.hoopladigital.com and is a must for film buffs.

The Luckiest Guy in the World (1947):  This is one of my two short films for the week and no this has nothing to do with Lou Gehrig.  In fact this is part of the Crime Doesn't Pay series of short films and I understand this is the last one.  Barry Nelson stars as Charles Vurn who is a compulsive gambler in debt to just about anyone and gets himself deeper and deeper after an accident happens.  This is more of a short Film Noir more than anything and possibly one of the best short films for this era.  I found this on TCM On-Demand but it is no longer there.  I tried to find it on Youtube but could not find it there either.

6 Day Bike Rider (1934):  Lloyd Bacon directed this comedy which stars comedy star from the era Joe E. Brown as small town everyman Wilfred Simpson.  He becomes annoyed when his girl Phyllis, played by Maxine Doyle, turns her attention to cyclist Harry St. Clair, played by Gordon Westcott.  After she turns him down, he decides to working on his own cycling skills and enters a bike race to some really hilarious complications before and during the race.  This was a pretty good B-comedy.  I believe Joe E. Brown possibly has the most unique look in film and is mostly known for his much later comedy in a supporting role in SOME LIKE IT HOT.

Psycho (1960):  This is part two of my two-part Anthony Perkins series.  Alfred Hitchcock directed this classic horror film based on the novel by Robert Bloch.  Anthony Perkins gives an iconic performance as the Norman Bates who manages the Bates Motel which is in a very remote area.  Norman is a very quiet and timid man whose life seems to be domineered by his mother.  Things start when Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, goes on the run and takes refuge at the motel leading into some life changing events for her and a few people close to her.  Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Martin Balsam co-star in this infamous film.  Most people already know the story so I'm not going to go too in-depth for those who have not seen it but will after reading this summary.  This movie has lead into a few sequels, a remake and a pretty successful current tv series.  It has the very famous shower scene. and the very memorable performance from Perkins which is unfortunately the only role he is known for and while this is possibly his best, he did a lot more admirable work.  Another really great part of this movie is the music score by Bernard Herrmann which comprises of all stringed instruments and contributed to the creepy feel of the film.  This is based loosely on real-life serial killer Ed Gein which was has been the inspiration for many.  This has also inspired some sequels and a rather popular tv series in BATES MOTEL.  A great double feature would be this film and the 2012 film HITCHCOCK which is based on his efforts to get this movie made and went through some extreme measures to get this movie made when no one really wanted to help him.

So Dear to My Heart (1948):  This is my Disney film for the week which has live action and some animation from time to time.  This takes place out in the country where Bobby Driscoll stars as Jeremiah who is a 12 year old boy.  When some new lambs are born, one of them is black and without any real pun being intended is literally the black sheep that everyone likes to talk about.  Jeremiah, through much persuasion with his Granny Kincaid, played by Beaulah Bondi, is able to adopt this black lamb and names him Danny like the legendary horse Dan Patch who makes a cameo in this movie.  There are also a few animation sequences which involve the Wise Old Owl who seems to appear when Jeremiah has a hard time making a decision.  Burl Ives also co-stars as Uncle Hiram and is very enjoyable in his role.  This is a pretty good and heart warming tale.  I suppose this could also be considered racist seeing as the black lamb is the one that the rest hate but we won't get that deep.

Side Effects (2013):  This is part one of a possible Rooney Mara series.  Steven Soderbergh directed this thriller that was written by Scott Z. Burns.  Mara stars as Emily who experiences some bouts of depression and has suicidal tendencies.  Her therapist Dr. Jonathan Banks, played by Jude Law, prescribes her an experimental drug which ends up having some unexpected side effects as the title implies.  Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, Polly Draper, David Costabile, Mamie Gummer, Vinessa Shaw, Devin Ratray, and many others co-star in this film.  I watched this knowing about what I described and I am glad I saw it that way so that is as far as I will go with the plot.  Mara and Law are great as patient and psychiatrist.  This was a pretty well-crafted film with lots of twists and turns.

Blood and Black Lace (1964):  This is my Giallo film for the week which was directed by Mario Bava.  A shadowy killer is out killing fashion models.  Just about everyone is a suspect and might have reason to knock off all these beautiful women.  This is a thriller mystery and a really good entry for Giallo which is what they call Italian horror films.  This is a one of the earlier ones and is a very stylish film with a good plot.  Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Mary Arden, Lea Lander, Harriet Medin, and many others co-star in this film.  It is hard to really describe this film except that in this subgenre of horror, they have a lot of mystery and less supernatural horror. Bava is probably one of the most known directors in the genre.  This is not for everyone but horror fans will likely embrace some of these.

Blind Vaysha (2016):  I end the week with this animated short film which was directed that Theodore Ushev based on a story by Georgi Gospodinov.  This talks about a young girl named Vaysha who has a very unusual sense of sight in which in her left eye she only sees the past and in her right eye she only sees the future.  So as the word blind in the title implies, she is blind to the present.  It is a pretty clever 8 minute film that was nominated for an Oscar which is not a big deal to me but still deserving of its nomination.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 594th Edition

Welcome to the 594th Edition of my series.  It's getting closer to my show which is at the end of this month which is THE LITTLE MERMAID on April 27, 28, 29, 30 in Portland, Indiana where I get to play the role of Grimsby.  I've been watching my WWE network all weekend and continue tonight for Wrestlemania so not much else to say except i'll just get on with my selections for the weekend.

King Lear (2008):  I start the week out with some Shakespeare and an episode of GREAT PERFORMANCES on PBS.  Sir Ian McKellan stars as the title character in this Shakespearean tragedy.  King Lear is an aging king who is ready to give up the monarchy and divides the kingdom with his three daughters Goneril, played by Frances Barber, Regan, played by Monica Dolan, and Cordelia, played by Romola Garai, which leads to betrayal when he declares that the one who loves him the most gets the biggest share.  William Gaunt, Philip Winchester, Monica Dolan, Romola Garai, Sylvester McCoy, Jonathan Hyde, and many others co-star in this adaptation of Shakespeare.  This is considered by many to be Shakespeare's best work showing a man slowing falling into insanity.  Magneto, I mean McKellan gives a great performance as the show says and the rest of the relatively unknown cast also pull their weight.  Mostly for Shakespeare fans and I also wonder if this was Joss Whedon's inspiration for the name Cordelia, maybe even character, in his shows BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and ANGEL.

Fury (2014):  I follow up with this WWII film written and directed by David Ayer.  Brad Pitt stars as Dan Collier who leads a WWII unit and like INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, he is all about killing them Nazis.  Things become more difficult when he is assigned the very inexperienced Norman Ellison, played by Logan Lerman, who must learn very quickly.  Shia LeBeouf, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal, Jim Parrack, Brad William Henke, Scott Eastwood, and many others co-star in this film.  I looked to see if this was true story and maybe some autobiography that someone wrote and that is not the case in this particular film.  Ayer wrote this himself and inspired by people in his family and other books he read.  I felt he put together a pretty realistic war film that has some believable characters.  It is not easy to watch at times but war is not easy and the horrors of war are shown very clearly.  Also for the LeBeouf haters out there, I would not let the mention of his name make you run from this movie as he does a really good job in this film.

School of Rock (2003):  Now I get less intense from my first two selections and bring a comedy directed by Richard Linklater and co-written by Mike White who co-stars.  Jack Black stars as Dewey Finn who dreams of having a music career but is kicked out by his band that he thought he would be going to the Battle of the Bands with.  Now he must look to make some money for rent and manages to pose as his friend and roommate Ned, played by White, as a substitute teacher in a very strict and prestigious elementary school.  He does not know what he is doing until he sees the kids in music class to see that his student Zack, Joey Gaydos Jr., is a very talented guitarist at his age and also finds music talent in others to realize he has new shot at Battle of the Bands with a bunch of kids.  Some of the kids were in the band and some were given backstage roles to make sure they are not seen see by others in the school.  Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman, Adam Pascal, Lucas Babin, Nicky Katt, Timothy Levitch, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very clever and enjoyable comedy with a very fun Jack Black bringing out talents in the children their parents did not really know because of being at a very stuffy school.

The Herring Murder Case (1931):  This is my animated short in the early days of talking cartoons.  In this a herring is murdered and detective Bimbo is assigned to the case.  Bimbo is a dog and usually featured in Betty Boop cartoons as her love interest but has his own cartoon in this one.  There is a cameo from another popular character from that era and classic animation buffs in Ko Ko the Clown.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

The Little Foxes (1941):  William Wyler directed this film based on a play by Lillian Hellman.  Bette Davis stars as Regina Giddons who is a very ruthless woman in the south at the turn of the 20th Century.  She is looking to make money and looks to get her estranged husband Horace, played by Herbert Marshall, home and manipulates her daughter Alexandra, played by Teresa Wright, to get him.  Richard Carlson, Dan Duryea, Charles Dingle, Russell Hicks, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very good turn of the century film of a wealthy family.  Davis plays a villain very well and shows herself well in this one with Teresa Wright playing the younger daughter who must learn who her loyalty is to.

Blazing Saddles (1974):  Mel Brooks, who also co-stars as the governor and an Indian chief, directed this ultimate western spoof.  Harvey Korman plays the corrupt politician Hedley Lamarr who is out to ruin a western town and sets out to do so by appointing a black man named Bart, played by Cleavon Little, as the new sherriff.  Bar turns out to be more formidable than expected.  He soon teams up with the Waco Kid, played by Gene Wilder, and looks to overcome the hostile reception of having a black man as a sheriff.  Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, Alex Karras, David Huddleston, and many others co-star in this comedic western.  This is political incorrectness at its finest but makes the racists look real bad.  Richard Pryor was originally considered for Bart but due to his controversial nature, Brooks could not get the necessary funding so he stayed on as a writer.  This is one of the best comedies ever written and has all kinds of laughs.  This is available to watch on Instant Netflix.

My Date With Drew (2004):  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Jon Gunn, Brian Herzlinger, and Brett Winn with Herzlinger trying to get a date with Drew Barrymore and the two others helping him in his journey.  Herzlinger is a struggling filmmaker who has had a crush on Drew since he was a kid and seeing her on E.T.:  EXTRA TERRESTRIAL and now decides he must try to meet her which proves to be no easy task on his limited budget and time.  This is a very enjoyable irrelevant documentary and it becomes very easy to get behind Brian in his quest to get a date with Drew.

On the Beach (1959):  This is part one of a possible two-part Anthony Perkins series.  Stanley Kramer directed this film which is based on a novel by Nevil Shute.  This is not one of those fun and cheesy beach movies that were popular at this era.  This takes place in 1964 so a not so distant future at that time where a nuclear war has wiped out most of humanity and for the rest it is a matter of time before they go.  Gregory Peck stars as Commander Dwight Towers who falls for a girl named Moira, played by Ava Gardner, but must go on a reconnaissance mission to see if there is any hope.  Fred Astaire co-stars as Julian Osbourne who looks to enter the Grand Prix in are likely his last days.  Astaire gets to play some against type as a more cynical and bitter person.  Perkins in his pre-Norman Bates role rounded out the cast well in this rather diverse sort of cast.  It is a rather said but at the same time, kind of inspiring.

The Pink Panther (1963):  Now I bring another comedy for the week in part one of what might be a two-part Peter Sellers series.  Blake Edwards wrote and directed the start of this comedy series.  Peter Sellers stars as his iconic character in the bumbling and inept Inspector Jacques Clouseau.  He is on the trail of a renowned thief referred to as "The Phantom".  David Niven, Robert Wagner, Capucine, Claudia Cardinale, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Sellers is more of a co-star in this one, sharing a lot of time with David Niven as Sellers was not meant to be the star but was liked so much, the rest of the movies focused more on him.  This is a pretty good start to the series with a really funny climax.

Blue Jay (2016):  I end the week with this newer independent film which was directed by Alex Lehman and written by Mark Duplass who also stars.  Duplass plays Jim and Sarah Paulson stars as Amanda who are two high school sweethearts and have a chance encounter when they are both visiting their visiting their old home town for different reasons.  They decide to hang out for the day and reflect on their past and how they are now.  It is focused on these two characters the whole way through with Duplass and Paulson doing a great job as these very complex characters that have a lot of happy and sad times in their time together.  This is available on Instant Netflix and really worth a look to see this character driven film that I was glad to close on this edition.

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