Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 602nd Edition

Welcome to the 602nd Edition of my series.  Last night ended Shaun's 7 Night Karaoke Madness and I survived.  It was quite a journey but now I move on with my life and go to work.  Next month I'm starting my rehearsals for BURNT PART BOYS in Fortville so I look forward to that next journey.  For now, I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Get On Up (2014):  This is part two of a possible four part Viola Davis series.  I start the week out with this music biopic on James Brown, played by Chadwick Boseman.  This takes a look at the ups and downs of Brown's life and the rise as a very iconic musician.  Davis, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Lennie James, Fred Melamed, Craig Robinson, Jill Scott, Octavia Spencer, Josh Hopkins, Brandon Mychal Smith, Ahna O'Reilly, Allison Janney, and many others co-star in this film.  This was shot in a rather different way than other biopics.  It was shot in a non-linear fashion which goes between his childhood to his adult life in a parallel sense.  Boseman was very well cast as Brown and clearly researched him to achieve authenticity.  Everyone else does well in this complex biopic.

Wallenberg:  A Hero's Story (1985):  This is more of a mini-series which is based on the real-life Raoul Wallenberg, played by Richard Chaimberlain.  Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat during Nazi occupied Sweden.  He began to see the horrors of what was going on mainly with the Jewish population being put in concentration and took steps to offer many refuge and life-saving passports that saved thousands of lives.  Alice Krige, Kenneth Colley, Melanie Mayron, Stuart Wilson, Bibi Andersson, David Robb, Mark Rylance, Lena Olin, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good look at someone who really stepped up during such a horrible period of time.  This could be a really good double feature to go along with SCHINDLER'S LIST and maybe even another more unknown story of Irena Sendler in THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRINA SENDLER which is also someone that did a lot to help the Jewish during the Holocaust.  This has two parts that go about 90 minutes each.

American Experience:  Walt Disney (2015):  I go from biopics on a singer and a Holocaust hero to a documentary on an American icon.  Technically, this is an episode from the tv series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE but since I own all the rights to my blog series, I am able to decide what is a movie and what is not one.  Oliver Platt narrates this two-part documentary starting from his childhood, his early days of animation, into his rise as the man we know today.  This was a very intriguing documentary on someone you might call a crazed genius in some ways.  The success his company had with the slapstick  comedy animation shorts with Mickey Mouse and friends were not enough for him.  He had the crazy idea to do feature animation that is not really comedy in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS which no one around him thought it would work.  His much later vision of Disney Land was not met with much support but we all know the result of that one.  This also takes a look at Walt's brother Roy who does not really get the credit he deserves in the roles he played for the company.  This is a really good look into the good and the bad of the very complex visionary Walt Disney.  After watching this, I put him in a category with people like Steve Jobs and Vincent K. McMahon.

Three Little Pigskins (1934):  This is my short film for the week.  This one features the Three Stooges with the original three of Moe, Larry, and Curly Howard.  In this one, the Stooges are mistaken for the iconic football trio of "The Three Horseman of Boulder Dam".  They are hired to play for a football team and it becomes clear they are far from being good football players.  Lucille Ball has an early role in this short film and has some pretty funny moments herself.

Against All Flags (1952):  This is my swashbuckler film for the week.  Errol Flynn stars as British officer Brian Hawkes who is sent to infiltrate a pirate ship.  When getting there, he falls in love with pirate captain Spitfire Stevens, played by Maureen O'Hara, but things get complicated with the suspicions of Roc Brasiliano, played by Anthony Quinn.  Alice Kelley, Mildred Natwick, Robert Warwick, Harry Cording, and many others co-star in this film.  Fans of these types of movies should enjoy, nothing great but still a lot of fun with a pretty good action climax at the end.  O'Hara shows her sword wielding skills in her very strong female role.

The Conversation (1974):  Francis Ford Coppola wrote and directed this film which stars Gene Hackman as surveillance expert Harry Caul.  On an assignment, Harry hears far more than what he wants to hear making him question everything around him and his own sanity.  John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederick Forrest, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, and many others co-star in this film and Billy Dee Williams has an uncredited role as an extra.  This was a project that Coppola had started in the mid '60s but did not have the funding necessary until the success of THE GODFATHER, which this movie is in between that and its sequel, that finally made this movie a reality.  Both Coppola and Hackman have expressed this movie to being their favorite they have done.  Hackman brings the part of a timid and private man to perfection with the downward spiral his life takes.  This is not a really easy film to describe and requires a lot of attention but it becomes rewarding in the end.  This is a rather overlooked film that I hope can give some exposure.

August:  Osage County (2013):  This is part three of my possible five-part Sam Shepherd series.  I first watched this as part of the segment that I have for "Movie Night at the Shera" when we thought this looked interesting so we decided up watching this one.  John Wells directed this film that is based on a play by Tracy Letts in which he wrote the screenplay to his own play.  Meryl Streep stars as Violet Weston who has cancer and an addiction to pills and alcohol.  Her three daughters Barbara, played by Julia Roberts, Ivy, played by Julianne Nicholson, and Karen, played by Juliette Lewis join her as well as the rest of the family after a tragedy.  When the family gets together, many secrets get out and tensions go through the roof for this family.  Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Misty Upham all co-star.  I enjoyed Cumberbatch in this film as someone who tries so hard to do right but has a hard time.  This is not a very upbeat film at all but a very good portrait towards a dysfunctional family and the price of secrets.  We both watched this movie, not really knowing what to expect.  There were many times both of us cringed on scenes but enjoyed it for the most part.  When it was over, we both discussed our feelings toward the end of the movie but won't go into detail on what was discussed seeing as this is not a spoiler blog.  This was a very good cast, each character was developed pretty well.  This is something I would love to see a local community theater around me do and it has been done in Indianapolis, I just want it closer.  Most of the time, these kinds of dysfunctional family movies tend to be holiday comedies where things finally come together, this is not one of them.

Elevator to the Gallows (1958):  This is my French film for the week which was directed by Louis Malle and based on the novel by Noel Calef.  Maurice Ronet stars as Julien who is having an affair with his boss's wife Florence, played by Jeanne Moreau, and they plot to kill him and make look like a suicide.  The murder was not fully thought through sparking an unexpected chain of events.  Georges Poujouly, Yori Bertin, Jean Wall, Elga Anderson, and many others co-star in this film.  Miles Davis wrote the music to this film and apparently improvised with other musicians.  This is a very well-shot film with a lot of suspense.  It is available on the Criterion Collection.  This is a must for the foreign film buffs out there.

J.W. Coop (1971):  The man most of us know today as Uncle Ben in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy Cliff Robertson takes up his own project that he produced, directed, and co-wrote.  He also stars as the title character who is just getting released from prison after about 10 years and looks to get back to being a professional rodeo cowboy.  While out, he must adjust to a different society that he knew when he was incarcerated and the new world of rodeo where he looks to get everything back.  Geraldine Page, Cristina Ferrare, and many others co-star in this film.  I always like it when actors take on their own project that is more of an independent production maybe after they did a big Hollywood productions for the necessary funding.  This is one that will never be really known except when people like me take interest and feature it.  I had not heard of this movie until I found it at the library.  This in some ways is rather inspirational but can also be sad at times where we are with a man trying to adjust to the changing times.  Robertson does a great job with this film and hope to get it a little more known after featuring on here.  Another really good but rather unknown Robertson film is CHARLY so maybe get these movies and make a double feature.

Spellbound (2002):  I end the week with my second documentary for the week so sorry to those that though I was featuring the Hitchcock film of the same name.  Jeffrey Blitz directed this documentary which takes a look at 8 teenagers who are in the 1999 National Spelling Bee.  It takes a look at the lives of these kids while they prepare for their big moment and also takes a look at the part their parents play in all of this.  The kids interviewed were all pretty likable and all had rather interesting stories and we even got quite a bit of suspense during this spelling bee.  I can kind of relate to these kids a bit.  No, I've never been in the National Spelling Bee but it did kind of remind me of getting myself ready for AMERICA'S GOT TALENT and things that go into it.  This is a pretty compelling documentary and even interviews past winners about their experiences.

Well, that is it for this week but I have returned with a selection for the Movie Night at the Shera segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Tom Hiddleston and many others.

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Psycho (1960):  We haven't gotten to have this event for awhile but we both had some free time so we got together for this classic from Hitchcock.  Shera had finished watching the series BATES MOTEL and had not seen this movie so she decided she wanted to check out what started it all.  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 star 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 successful 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.  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.  Shera seemed to enjoy it and found it to be a lot creepier than the series she was into.  I'm hoping now to maybe talk her into the mentioned biopic and maybe even the rather decent 1983 sequel PSYCHO II.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 601st Edition

Welcome to the 601st edition of my series.  This evening kicks off my birthday week where I am having Shaun's 7 Night Karaoke Madness where I start out at Monty's in Chesterfield which starts around 8.  There is an event page on Facebook with that title where you can find the rest of my locations.  I would also like to announce that in August I am to be in the musical THE BURNT PART BOYS in Fortville, In which will be my first show in that town.  Not much else to touch upon so I will just get on with my selections.

Hustle and Flow (2005):  Craig Brewer wrote and directed this film that takes a look into the rap and hip hop scene.  Terrence Howard stars as Memphis pimp Djay who wants to get out of that lifestyle and looks to get into the rap scene.  When seeing an old friend Key, played by Anthony Anderson, he finds that Key has the necessary sources to help him with his dream.  Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, D.J. Qualls, Ludacris, Paula Jai Parker, Elise Neal, Isaac Hayes, and many others co-star in this film.  I'm not a huge rap person, though not necessarily against it, but I thought this was pretty inspirational.  I also really liked seeing they way they made the most with the little that they had in the way of a studio.  Howard has a star-making performance in this film about a pimp trying to better himself.  The song IT'S HARD OUT THERE FOR A PIMP which was performed by the Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar for best song.  If you can at least tolerate rap, this is a pretty good watch.  This might make a good double feature to go along with BEGIN AGAIN which also features unorthodox methods about getting music out.

Drunk Driving (1939):  This is my short film for the week and is part of the Crime Doesn't Pay series that MGM did in this era.  Usually these consist of rather obvious crimes but this one is a little different.  Dick Purcell stars as up and coming businessman John Jones who drinks too much and has no idea how it can impair operating heavy machinery.  This is available on TCM On-Demand through their website and is worth a look at something that still resonates today.

The Way we Were (1973):  Sydney Pollack directed this film which was written by Arthur Laurents.  This takes place during they McCarthy era during WWII where Hubbell, played by Robert Redford, and Katie, played by Barbra Streisand, meet and form a relationship despite their extreme political differences which makes it very complicated through the years.  Bradford Dillman, Lois Chiles, Patrick O'Neal, Viveca Lindfors, Allyn Ann McLerie, Herb Edelman, Diana Ewing, Sally Kirkland, Marcia Mae Jones, James Woods, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good story of polar opposites trying to co-exist in a relationship.  Redford and Streisand are great together and this also takes a look at the film industry during the McCarthy era later in the film which was another really good element.  This could be a really good date night selection.

Brooklyn (2015):  This is part one of my two-part Donmhall Gleeson series.  John Crowley directed this film which is based on the novel by Colm Toibin.  This takes place in '50s Brooklyn which stars Saoirse Ronan as Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey who goes to Brooklyn under the sponsorship of Father Flood, played by Jim Broadbent, who is a fellow immigrant.  At first, she has a hard time adjusting but starts finding herself there and soon meets and falls in love with a local person named Tony, played by Emory Cohen.  Things happen that make her go back to her Irish town and having to choose between two countries.  Gleeson, Julie Walters, Emily Bett Rickards, Eve Macklin, Nora-Jane Noone, Mary O'Driscoll, Samantha Munro, Jessica Pare, Alain Goulem, and many others co-star in this film.  I thought this was a very likable and rather underrated film.  I have never rooted for a relationship more than I have with Eilis and Tony as I really liked both of them.

The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956):  This is the 5th episode of the new MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 where Jonah Tom Servo and Crow are forced to watch this sci-fi western b-movie.  Guy Madison stars as Jimmy Ryan who is an American cowboy living in Mexico.  Soon, people start dying and learn there is a dinosaur killing others.  Not much more description needed I don't think.  It's really more of a western and then about 3/4ths of the way through we learn there is some really badly animated dinosaur out there wreaking havoc.  This is available on Netflix and please watch this without MST3K at your own risk.

Safe House (2012):  This is part two of my possible five part Sam Shepard series.  Daniel Espinosa directed this action film for the week.  Ryan Reynolds stars as young and idealistic CIA agent Matt Weston who is assigned to man a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa and soon a very wanted fugitive in Tobin Frost, played by Denzel Washington, is captured and placed there.  Shortly after, enemies of Frost are after him and they must form an alliance to stay alive.  As the film goes along, we learn of far deeper conspiracies at place.  Shepard, Vera Farminga, Brendan Gleeson, Ruben Blades, Nora Arnezeder, Robert Patrick, Liam Cunningham, Tracie Thoms, and many others co-star in this film.  This is nothing really new but still a fun and entertaining watch with Washington playing the anti-hero very well and Reynolds as the bored agent wanting more action but must be careful of his wishes.  This could be good for a guys night.

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask (1972):  Woody Allen directed and co-stars in this comedy.  This is a parody on just what the title is saying and uses different sketches to get across its point. It starts out in medieval times where Woody plays a court jester who is having an affair with the queen but finds out the hilarious way that the king keeps the queen from having sex. We also have a sketch with Gene Wilder who is a psychiatrist who falls in love with a sheep that his client was already in love with. The best one in my opinion was with John Carradine playing a Victor Frankenstein type character who brings to life a giant body part that wreaks havoc all over the place. The last one shows all the hard-working sperm in our body and what they must do to reproduce where Woody plays the reluctant sperm.  Lou Jacobi, Louise Lasser, Anthony Quayle, Tony Randall, Lynn Redgrave, Burt Reyolds, Jack Barry, Heather MacRae, Regis Philbon, Geoffrey Holder, and many others co-star or have cameos in this film.  This movie and TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN are probably my two favorite Woody Allen films and they are both very underrated so maybe that is a good double feature to have sometime.

The Help (2011):  This is part two of a two-part Emma Stone series and part one of a possible five-part Viola Davis series.  Tate Taylor directed and wrote the screenplay based on the novel from Kathryn Stockett.  This movie takes place in the 1960s Mississippi when racial segregation was at its worst. Emma Stone stars as Skeeter who is an aspiring author who has grown up there but does not agree with the racial views of most and decides she wants to write a book interviewing black maids from their point of view.  Viola Davis stars as Abileen who is the first to step up to get interviewing much to the dismay of the other maids. Octavia Spencer, who won many Best Supporting Actress awards, co-stars as Minny who reluctantly agrees to contribute information but is soon more on board than anyone. This movie takes a very good look at the maids from this time period and their treatment. Skeeter could be considered a minority in her own right for not sharing the ideas of much of her family and sees them as more than just maids.  Bryce Dallas Howard co-stars as Hilly who does everything possible to keep segregation going. She is in some ways the villain of the film but more in ignorance maybe because of the way she was raised. Jessica Chastain, Cicely Tyson, Sissy Spacek, Allison Janney, Anna Camp, Chris Lowell, Brian Kerwin, Mary Steenburgen, David Oyelowo, Dana Ivey, Nelsan Ellis and many others co-star in this film.  I found this to be a very moving film and also quite well done in their look at segregation coming from the point of view of the maids.

The Harder they Fall (1956):  Mark Robson directed this film which is based on a novel by Budd Schulberg.  Humphrey Bogart stars as washed up sportswriter Eddie Willis who is desperate to make money and is hired by crooked boxing promoter Nick Benko, played by Rod Steiger, to act as public relations for his new fighter Toro Moreno, played by Mike Lane.  Eddie soon learns that while Moreno has all the looks, he is too clumsy to ever make it as a legit fighter and is exploited by Nick to have the delusion of how great he is only to eventually lead to a humiliating fall which makes Eddie have to choose between the money and ethics.  Jan Sterling, Max Baer, Jack Albertson, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very interesting look into this era of boxing into a possibly crooked world.  This is loosely based on boxer Primo Carnera who is believed to have won bouts upon promoters paying opponents which has never been proven and the real Carnera successfully sued for this portrayal.  This is also Bogart's very last movie and went onto die the next year.  It is good to see that Bogart got to end his film career with something of this nature and maybe even one of his best performances.  That being said, this does not have to be looked at as being seen just because it's Bogey's last film but was one of many good ones.

A Room With a View (1985):  I end the week on this period piece which was directed by James Ivory and based on the novel by E.M. Forster.  Helena Bonham Carter stars as Lucy Honeychurch who is a young girl in Florence, Italy along with her Chaperone and cousin Charlotte, played by Maggie Smith.  She finds love with the rather free-spirited George, played by Julian Sands, but accepts a marriage proposal from the more respectable and wealthy Cecil, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, while she cannot let go of her feelings for George.  Denholm Elliott, Simon Callow, Patrick Godfrey, Judi Dench, Fabia Drake, Rosemary Leach, Rupert Graves, and many others co-star in this period film.  This is a pretty different role for Day-Lewis as the proper and snobbish gentleman, especially in his looks.  This also captures the period feel very well with a good array of characters.  Sands is also very good in this film and is a rather underrated actor.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 600th Edition

Welcome to the 600th Edition of my series.  It's hard to believe I have made it this far.  I have a bit of a theme going on here where each movie features an actor or actress that has played a character in the Batman universe.  Each actor featured has played a different Batman character and while I have Halle Berry, she is not the one featured as I say her movie CATWOMAN does not count.  I am sticking to the lives action movies and tv shows thought the years that start with the 60s sitcom BATMAN.  I also want to take time to wish the mothers a Happy Mothers Day today as I put this out so I suppose this might get overshadowed by Mothers Day posts.  I also want to thank everyone for their support though the years from the Myspace years until now.  Next week starts my big karaoke week so look up "Shaun's 7 Night Karaoke Madness" on Facebook if you want to join me at any time.  I will get on with my selections for the week so in addition to being Mother's Day, it is also the 600th Edition of my series.

La La Land (2016):  I start with the actor J.K. Simmons who has a supporting role and will be the next Commissioner James Gordon in the upcoming DC Universe films including THE BATMAN.  Damien Chazelle wrote and directed this contemporary hit musical that a lot of people loved but that many other really hated which is to be expected in a hyped award winning film like this one.  Ryan Gosling stars as Sebastian who is a jazz musician that plays in bars but has bigger dreams and Emma Stone stars as Mia who is an aspiring actress serving lattes to the Hollywood stars while trying to catch her own break in Hollywood.  Callie Hernandez, Jessica Rothe, Sonoya Mizuno, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jason Fuchs, John Legend, Tom Everett Scott, and many others co-star in this film.  Legend is usually a singer and a piano player and learned to play guitar for this film.  Sometimes I wonder if I made a film if I really would want it to win a lot of awards.  Now if it was to happen I probably would embrace it but sometimes I find that the awards are its downfall as others might judge it as not deserving of the awards.  I think I would just want to see how the fans feel and that is what matters most.  I believed the hype and really enjoyed the story and the music of it as well as the ending.

Of Mice and Men (1939):  The actor I feature in this film is Burgess Meredith who would go onto be the iconic Batman villain the Penguin in the popular '60s sitcom BATMAN.  Lewis Milestone directed this adaptation of the Steinbeck novel. Burgess Meredith stars as George and Lon Chaney Jr. stars as Lennie. They are migrant workers in depression era American. Lennie is very strong but very slow in the mind while George is his guardian who tries to protect him from exploitation.  Betty Field, Charles Bickford, Roman Bohnen, Bob Steele, Noah Beery Jr., and many others co-star. This came out in a year that gave all kinds of big titles where this one probably was not as recognized as others. The next year, there was an adaptation to Steinbeck's novel THE GRAPES OF WRATH and I liked this one better. Both the leads were great in their performances. Both of these stories by Steinback take place in the depression where the pursuance of the American Dream becomes very difficult. This movie was very well done and ranks up with much of the films of the era but has gone onto become quite underrated.

The Small Back Room (1949):  The actor featured here is Michael Gough who would go onto play Bruce Wayne's butler and guardian Alfred in the Batman films that featured Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney.  Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger co-directed this WWII drama based on the novel by Nigel Balchin.  David Farrar stars as Sammy Rice who is a British Scientist working for a "back room" team in London during WWII and also struggles with alcholism.  He is brought in by Captain Stuart, played by Gough, to solve the problems of booby-trapped explosive devices being dropped by Nazi bombers.  Kathleen Byron, Jack Hawkins, Leslie Banks, Cyril Cusack, and many others co-star in this film.  It is also called HOUR OF GLORY.  This is a pretty good and suspenseful film with Farrar great as the scientist trying to do the job but has a hard time with alcohol and pills due to injuries sustained.

Monster's Ball (2001):  The actor featured in this film is Heath Ledger who would go onto have a very unexpectedly popular performance as Batman's main rival the Joker.  Marc Forster directed this rather unusual love story.  Billy Bob Thornton stars as Hank who is a small town prison guard and falls in love with Leticia, played by Halle Berry, whose husband was the last person that Hank executed on death row.  They both are brought together after experiencing tragedy within their families.  Peter Boyle co-stars as Hank's bigoted father whose values have gone down some to Hank and he must reexamine his beliefs in this interracial relationship.  Ledger, Sean Combs, Marcus Lyle Brown, Mos Def, John McConnell, and many others co-star in this film.  Berry is great in this film and has not matched this Oscar winning performance since that time  This is a rather melancholy but can be beautiful at the same time.  I don't even know if what these two have is necessarily love or if all they have is each other and the things they end up having in common.  I also really like the way it ends.

Mars Needs Women (1967):  The actress featured in this B-movie is Yvonne Craig who played BATGIRL as a recurring character in the 1966 sitcom BATMAN.  Larry Buchanon wrote and directed this B-movie where martians led by Dop, played by Tommy Kirk, end up on Earth in search of women just as the title implies.  This is mostly for B-movie buffs and a group of friends to get together.  As far as I know, MST3K or Rifftrax have not picked this one up but is one they would have a field day with.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003):  The actress featured in this film is Uma Thurman who plays villain Poison Ivy in the 1997 movie BATMAN AND ROBIN.  This is also an homage to actor Michael Parks who plays recurring character Earl McGraw in many works by Tarantino and recently left this world and I just happened to have a movie of his featured.  Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed this homage to many things.  Thurman stars as the Bride who was part of a group of assassins, played by Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Vivica A. Fox, and David Carradine, but is betrayed and left for dead.  She ends up being in a coma for four years and when she awakens, she sets out for revenge in what is the first of two films.  There are a lot of inspirations for this film that include LADY SNOWBLOOD with the exaggerated violence, GAME OF DEATH for a later outfit that Thurman wears, and even GREEN HORNET for the Kato masks that are worn.  Japanese martial arts legend Sonny Chiba has a cameo as sword maker Hattori Hanzo.  There is also a really good animation sequence that talks about Lucy Liu's character's past.  Julie Dreyfus, and many others co-star in this film.  There is also a good fight scene that takes place in a home that is also very entertaining.  This one pays homage more to the samurai films and the second one is more of a western homage with some martial arts.  There is supposedly a part three in the works but I do not have any details on that one.  This is Carradine's best role in years and does a great job as well as Thurman.  This one is very fun with some great action sequences and a good soundtrack.

Anna Lucasta (1958):  The actress featured in this film is Eartha Kitt who would go onto play Catwoman in the 1966 sitcom BATMAN.  Eartha stars in the title role of this film.  Anna is banished by her self-righteous father, played by Rex Ingram, for her wild ways and soon meets up with sailor Danny Johnson, played by Sammy Davis Jr.  She is finally brought back home by her father but when she finally finds a good suitor, the father looks to sabotage their relationship.  This is a remake of a 1949 film where Paulette Godard stars and this reworks it into a dysfunctional black family.  The biggest points of interest are the scenes where Kitt and Davis are working together where he is fun for her but not really interested in making a more honest woman out of Anna.  In what I have seen Davis, I find he is my favorite of the Rat Pack.

About Time (2013):  The actress featured in this film is Margot Robbie who recently played Harley Quinn in SUICIDE SQUAD and has a supporting role in this film.  This is also part one of a possible two-part series with Domhnall Gleeson.  Richard Curtis wrote and directed this love story that also involves time travel.  Gleeson stars as Tim who is informed by his father, played by Bill Nighy, that the men in the family can travel through time so I am sorry ladies, I guess the one who came up with this curse or gift was very sexist.  When learning this, he finds that while he cannot change history, he can change personal things that happen in his life.  Tim decides that he wants to make the world a better place by getting a girlfriend and meets and falls in love with Mary, played by Rachel McAdams.  The time travel ends up making the relationship more complicated.  Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Richard Cordery, Joshua McGuire, Tom Hollander, Will Merrick, Richard Griffiths, and many others also co-star in the film.  This romantic comedy has a pretty good twist with the time travel and Tim's obsession in making everything right.  Also has a pretty cool soundtrack that includes Nick Cave and T.A.T.U. but among others.

The Glass House (1972):  The actor featured in this tv movie is Billy Dee Williams who plays Harvey Dent in the 1989 film BATMAN.  Tim Burton had intended on him become Two-Face in a later movie but never happened after Burton left the franchise.  Williams finally got his opportunity this year as the voice of Two-Face in the animated hit THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE.  This is a tv movie that was directed by Tom Gries and based on a story by Truman Capote and Wyatt Cooper.  This is a prison story that centers around the characters of Jonathan Paige, played by Alan Alda, and Hugo Slocum, played by Vic Morrow.  Jonathan is a college professor who is in jail for a year for manslaughter and in his inexperience in prison finds it will be the longest year of his life if he survives it.  Hugo is a new and idealistic guard who wants to make a better system but the warden does not go along with the changes.  Clu Gulanger, Dean Jagger, Roy Jenson, Alan Vint, Luke Askew, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  This is a pretty good look at prison life and was actually shot in a prison with much of the extras being real prisoners.  This is some pretty underrated work from Alda who is most known for the hit series MASH.  The only place I could really find this was on youtube.

Out of the Furnace (2013):  I end the week with Christian Bale who plays Batman in the Christopher Nolan trilogy.  This is also part one of a potential five-part Sam Shepard series.   Scott Cooper directed and co-wrote this crime drama which stars Bale as Russell Baze who lives in the economically depressed Rust Belt.  He finds that his brother Rodney, played by Casey Affleck, has disappeared and also finds that he was involved in a local crime ring lead by local criminal Harlan DeGroat, played by Woody Harrelson.  Russell feels that law enforcement is not getting things done so he seeks justice himself.  Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard, Tom Bower, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, and many others co-star in this film.  Harrelson was mean to the core and had no redeeming features about him.  Bale and Affleck were also really good as brothers and really was not aware they had teamed up.  This is in no way an upbeat film but quite compelling for some tastes of film.  Also a good look at a run down town so go check out this cast in action.

Well, that is it for this week but I am bringing back my Fun and Useless Facts segment so continue on with these facts.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Terrence Howard, Robert Redford, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

This is the segment I do from time to time.  Mostly have people from different featured films that were in a movie together but do others.  I usually do not focus on actors in the same movies unless there is another involved from one of the others.  I'm not making a list for Batman since that has already been established but will feature people in the same movies.  There are probably many I have missed so feel free to comment.

Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Finn Wittrock (La La Land), Marcus Lyle Brown (Monster's Ball), and Christian Bale (Out of the Furnace) were in the 2015 film THE BIG SHORT.

Ryan Gosling (La La Land) and Rachel McAdams (About Time) were in the 2004 film THE NOTEBOOK and were lovers in a rather forbidden love.

Emma Stone (La La Land) and Woody Harrelson (Out of the Furnace) were in the 2009 zombie comedy ZOMBIELAND.

Emma Stone (La La Land) and Rachel McAdams (About Time) were in the 2015 movie ALOHA.

Emma Stone (La La Land) was to star as Jess in the 2015 movie FOCUS which would ultimately go to MARGOT ROBBIE (About Time).

Emma Stone (La La Land), Halle Berry (Monster's Ball), Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) were in the 2013 movie MOVIE 43.

Sonoya Mizuno (La La Land) and Domhnall Gleeson (About Time) were in the 2014 sci-fi film EX-MACHINA.

J.K. Simmons (La La Land) plays J. Jonah Jameson and Willem Dafoe (Out of the Furnace) plays Norman Osborne aka Green Goblin in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy.  Simmons would also go onto voice the role in many of Marvel's animated series.  They are also to both be in the upcoming 2017 film JUSTICE LEAGUE.

J.K. Simmons (La La Land) and Billy Bob Thornton (Monster's Ball) were in the 2006 film THE ASTRONAUT FARMER.

J.K. Simmons (La La Land) and John McConnell (Monster's Ball) were in the 2004 comedy THE LADYKILLERS.

Burgess Meredith (Of Mice and Men), Yvonne Craig (Mars Needs Women), and Eartha Kitt (Anna Lucasta) were in the the 1966 sitcom BATMAN as recurring characters.

Burgess Meredith (Of Mice and Men) and Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill) were grandfather and granddaughter in the 1993 film GRUMPY OLD MEN and its 1995 sequel GRUMPIER OLD MEN

Lon Chaney Jr. (Of Mice and Men) plays Frankenstein's monster in the 1942 film THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN.  Peter Boyle (Monster's Ball) plays the monster in the 1974 film YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

Michael Gough (Of Mice and Men) and Billy Dee Williams (The Glass House) were in the 1989 film BATMAN.

Michael Gough (Of Mice and Men), Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill) and Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) were in the 1997 movie BATMAN AND ROBIN.

Billy Bob Thornton (Monster's Ball) and Bill Nighy (About Time) were in the 2003 film LOVE ACTUALLY.

Billy Bob Thornton (Monster's Ball) and Michael Madsen (Kill Bill) were in the 1996 movie THE WINNER.

Heath Ledger (Monster's Ball) and Christian Bale were in the 2008 film THE DARK KNIGHT as the Joker and Batman.  They also played different forms of Bob Dylan in the 2007 film I'M NOT THERE.

Mos Def (Monster's Ball) and Sean Combs (Monster's Ball) made an appearance in the 2010 "documentary" I'M STILL HERE which was directed by Casey Affleck (Out of the Furnace).

John McConnell (Monster's Ball) and Zoe Saldana (Out of the Furnace) were in the 2010 movie COLOMBIANA.

John McConnell (Monster's Ball), Michael Bowen (Kill Bill) and Michael Parks (Kill Bill) were in the 2012 film DJANGO UNCHAINED which was directed by Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill director)

Halle Berry (Monster's Ball) and Michael Madsen (Kill Bill) were in the 2002 Bond film DIE ANOTHER DAY.

Halle Berry (Monster's Ball) and Eartha Kitt (Anna Lucasta) were in the 1992 movie BOOMERANG.

Michael Parks (Kill Bill), Sam Shepard (Out of the Furnace), and Casey Affleck (Out of the Furnace) were in the 2007 film THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD which many know is one of my favorite movies.

Lydia Wilson (About Time) and Zoe Saldana (Out of the Furnace) were in the 2016 film STAR TREK BEYOND.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 599th Edition

Welcome to the 599th Edition of my series.  It is hard to believe I am just one away from number 600, I can't believe it either.  In two weeks, I am having my event Shaun's 7 Night Karaoke Madness from May 21st- 27th and will have it at a different place each night.  This is my Birthday week and if anyone lives close to the Muncie/Anderson area, just look up Shaun's 7 Night Karaoke Madness on Facebook and it should come right up.  With that being said, I will get on with my selections for the week.

Beaches (1988):  I start the week out with what many will call a chick flick.  Garry Marshall directed this film which is based on the novel by Iris Rainer.  This charts a female friendship through the years with all the ups and downs and no matter how far they are apart, something continues to bring them together.  Barbara Hershey and Bette Midler star as rich girl Hillary Essex and struggling entertainer CC Bloom who meet as children, played by Marcie Leeds and Mayim Bialik, with very little in common except the need for a friend their age.  John Heard, Spalding Gray, Lainie Kazan, James Read, and many others co-star in this film.  The two leads were very well cast in their roles.  This also introduced Midler's song WIND BENEATH MY WINGS which is on this soundtrack.  This is a great watch for girl's night and men can likely get a woman on their good side with this movie.

One Day in September (1999):  Now I go to this documentary that shows a very dark time in our history and our Olympic history.  Kevin MacDonald directed this documentary which is narrated by Michael Douglas which talks about the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich where the Palestinian terrorist group Black September who took Israeli athletes hostage.  This documentary has a lot of footage as well as interviews of those involved that include a surviving terrorist and how the police force were able to botch the operation.  This gets to the point with footage and survivor interviews and even a good soundtrack from the era to go along with it.  This is a very informative documentary and maybe follow it up with MUNICH if having a double feature.

The Children of Huang Shi (2008):  Roger Spottiswoode directed this film that is based on a true story which centers around the Japanese occupation of China in 1937 which was a part of the Chinese civil war.  Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as British journalist George Hogg who lead a group of sixty orphaned Chinese boys for 500 miles across the snow-bound Liu Pan Shan mountains to safety on the edge of the Mongolian desert.  He also had the help of Chinese resistance leader Chen, played by Chow Yun-Fat, brave nurse Lee, played by Radha Mitchell, and aristocrat Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh.  This is a pretty moving story of a rather unknown time in our history.

The Little Ranger (1938):  This is my classic short for the week which feature of child friends from OUR GANG.  This takes place around a movie theater where Alfalfa is waiting for Darla not knowing she is with Butch so Alfalfa settles for Muggsy and then enters a fantasy world where he is in a western with his rival Butch.  Buckwheat and Porky are also featured in the film.  This is the first film in the series which is through MGM and played in the movie theaters before the feature film and is worth about 10 minutes to check out.  I would love to see the short film brought back into the movie theaters instead of endless previews.

Loss of Innocence (1961):  Lewis Gilbert directed this film which is based on a novel by Rumer Godden.  I guess for a lack of a better phrase this is a coming of age tale but a very complex one.  Susannah York stars as the British 16 year old Joss Grey whose family is visiting France and her mother falls ill ending up in the hospital and the four children stay at a hotel run by Madame Zisi, played by Danielle Darrieux, after her love Eliot, played by Kenneth More, talks her into letting the children stay.  He forms a friendship with the kids and forms an attraction to Joss which went both ways.  Through the film we learn more and more about Eliot making the film more interesting.  It is really hard to describe the film except that is is a character driven film with a good story as well as good performances and has gone onto become rather underrated through the years.  Also called THE GREENGAGE SUMMER.  This is available on TCM On-Demand until Tuesday.

He Walked by Night (1948):  This is my film noir for the week which like last week's THE NAKED CITY, this is told in a semi-documentary style and is also based on real events.  This centers around the manhunt of a cop killer who has killed many cops and is always able to blend in to not be caught in very clever ways.  Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell, Jack Webb, James Cardwell, and many others co-star in this film noir.  I do not want to go too far into the description because I don't really want to give things away.  This is a very gritty film from this era that unfolds into a rather violent climax for the time.  This film started the this genre we have today and is a very important and underrated film.

Changeling (2008):  I continue this unintentional trend of doing movies based on real events.  Clint Eastwood directed this one movie that takes place in the '20s Los Angeles.  Angelina Jolie stars as the hard working single mother Christine who comes home one day only to find that her son, played by Gattlin Griffith, has disappeared.  After five months, she gets a call that her boy has been found and after the public reunion, she finds that even the the boy claims to be her son, that he really is not her son.  She becomes at odds with the LAPD who will not believe her.  John Malkovich stars as a Reverend Gustav Briegleb who not only preaches about God but also takes part in his community and looks to uncover police corruption which he finds in Christine's story.  Michael Kelly, Colm Feore, Jeffrey Donovan, Riki Lindhorne, Dale Dickey, Amy Ryan, Denis O'Hare, and many others co-star.  Lindhorne is most known as the Garfunkel in the female comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates.  I was not sure what to expect out of this but is really went beyond my expectations.  I really love the work of Clint Eastwood and feel he deserves all the credit.  The movie centers around an abduction but it goes much deeper into that in this very disturbing true story that is not for everyone.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Face of Fire (1959):  Albert Band directed this film that is based on a short story by Stephen Crane called THE MONSTER.  James Whitmore stars as Monk Johnson who is a handyman employed by the successful Dr. Ned Trescott, played by Cameron Mitchell, and is close to their son Jimmie, played by Miko Oscard, as well as being respected by the town for his good nature personality.  A fire at the Trescott home happens with Monk able to save Jimmie from the fire and while Monk survived, his face became very disfigured.  When this happens, the town turns on him and now believe he is scary for his disfigured looks.  Ned also loses the community respect and business for standing by Monk.  Bettye Ackerman, Royal Dano, Robert F. Simon, Richard Erdman, Howard Smith, Lois Maxwell, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good story on the fear of the unknown and a story of prejudice that can go beyond race.  Whitmore is probably most known as Brooks in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION much later in his career and is absolutely great in this one.  I find that in many ways it is a more realistic version of FRANKENSTEIN but the "monster" of the story is just a human trying to be accepted and Frankenstein in this situation is Dr. Trescott who is just trying to stand by the man that saved the live of his son.  I came upon this unexpected gem on TCM On-Demand and is available until May 11th so if you have it or can get a copy, it is a great one to watch and maybe have a double feature with THE ELEPHANT MAN.

Avalanche (1978):  This is the fourth episode of the new MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000.  Usually they watch something in sci-fi or some sort of creature feature but this time they watched nothing of the supernatural and just a bad skiing movie.  Through their careers, Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow made a lot of good choices in film but this is not one of them and our MST3K friends make this known.  This takes place at a ski resort and and an avalanche hits.  The special effects were really bad just like everything else making this a good choice to punch Jonah.  In this episode, Neil Patrick Harris makes a guest appearance and has a Dr. Horrible reunion in a way with Felicia Day and they even sing a song.  This is available on Netflix.

Mr. Holmes (2015):  I end the week with this film on the famed detective in his later years.  Bill Condon directed this film based on the novel by Mitch Cullin.  Ian McKellan stars as Sherlock Holmes in his later years where he is experiencing dementia and tries to remember his final case, which is shown in flashback, and tries to explain his story to a young boy, played by Milo Parker, who is the son of his housekeeper, played by Laura Linney.  Hiroyuki Sanada, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Roger Allam, Phil Davis, Frances de la Tour, John Sessions, Nicholas Rowe, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty clever take on Holmes in my opinion and the film is rather melancholy at times.  It also has a lot of common references of Sherlock Holmes so a little knowledge will help.  It was still a compelling story on an aging Holmes whose memories are a bit more scattered.  This could go along with YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES in a double feature.  McKellan is really good as Holmes and Parker is also good as the boy Roger who is very deductive in his own right.  This 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 Emma Stone, Lon Chaney Jr., Halle Berry, Uma Thurman, and many others.