Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 606th Edition

Welcome to the 606th Edition of my series.  Not much going on right now except being in rehearsals for BURNT PART BOYS in Fortville.  The show is in August so I'll give more details closer to time.  With that, I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2013):  This is part six-part Viola Davis series.  Ned Benson directed this film and this movie was made in three parts that are called "Him", "Her", and "Them".  This movie centers around an estranged married couple named Conor, played by James McAvoy, and Eleanor, played by Jessica Chastain.  They are a couple being torn apart by a tragedy and are trying to pick up the pieces of the past.  Bill Hader, Ciaran Hinds, Isabelle Huppert, Nina Arianda, William Hurt, Jess Weixler, and many others co-star in this film.  I ended up watching the parts called Him and Her which were the same story but from different perspectives.  I did not bother with the one called Them because from what I can see, that was the two of them being edited together and then shortened a bit.  I think it's best to start with Him, then go Her but will work either way.  This was a really good look at an estranged couple and then seeing it at their own perspective.  This is available on Netflix.

Adele:  Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2011):  This is my concert movie for the time which as you might guess is Adele performing at the Royal Albert Hall.  I don't really need to say much to describe this one, it is a live performance of Adele performing mostly her music and a couple of remakes.  First thing is you must like Adele to enjoy this, if you do, she does a good job performing along with the band and is pretty entertaining between songs.  Talks about where a lot of her songs came from and reflects on her life and career.

The Chaperone (2011):  This is my WWE films entry for the week which was directed by Stephen Herek.  Former WWE champion Triple H stars as the paroled Ray Bradstone who is looking to go straight and connect with his daughter Sally, played by MODERN FAMILY co-star Ariel Winter, and his ex-wife Lynne, played by Annabeth Gish.  He finds that finding honest employment is not very easy and some of the people from his past are looking to get him back into the crime game.  He agrees to do one more job but changes his mind and leaves them without a driver.  To get away from them, he manages to be a chaperone on his daughter's field trip while they are on his trail.  Kevin Corrigan, Jose Zuniga, Kevin Rankin, Enrico Colantoni, Ashley Taylor, Israel Broussard, Darren O'Hare, Jake Austin Walker, Cullen Chaffin, J.D. Evermore, James DuMont, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This will not go onto become some big classic but still pretty fun to watch.  Triple H fills the role very well and is quite likable as the lead.  Winter plays off him very well as his daughter.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

The Art of Skiing (1941):  This is my animated short which is from Disney featuring Goofy.  He is at a resort and the narrator looks to show the basics of "sheeing" by showing it to Goofy.  As expected, Goofy has all kinds of trouble getting with the skiing.  The clumsy dog trying to ski brings a lot of laughs to this eight minute animated short.

Cruel Story of Youth (1960):  This is my Japanese film for the week.  Nagisa Oshima wrote and directed this film.  Yusuke Kawazu stars as Kiyoshi who treats women mostly as objects.  Miyuki Kuwano stars as Makato who is just coming of age and along with friends accept rides from middle-age men as they say for fun.  Kiyoshi saves Miyuki from one of those men trying to take advantage of her and begin a very destructive relationship.  He also gets her to essentially prostitute herself to get their money.  This is not a very upbeat story and gets a lot of comparison to REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE which I can see but this one is even more bleak.  This could be a really good double feature.

The Song of Songs (1933):  I follow up with another rather dark film.  Rouben Mamoulian directed this film based on the play by Edward Sheldon.  Marlene Dietrich stars as country girl Lily who goes to live with his aunt, played by Alison Skipworth.  She tends her aunt's bookstore and soon meets Richard, played by Brian Aherne, who is the sculptor across the street.  He decides she is perfect to posing for a sculpture and she reluctantly agrees to do this.  They soon form a relationship but it is not easy for Richard and eventually Lily marries the more wealthy Baron Von Merzbach in a loveless marriage.  This was what they call a pre-code film where they could get away with a lot more than in the later years.  Dietrich would always push the envelope for that era.  The evolution of her character was quite amazing going from a timid country girl to essentially becoming a socialite.

Logan (2017):  This is my superhero film for the week which was directed by James Mangold.  Hugh Jackman is in what he has said his final outing as Wolverine unless he can become a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  This takes place in the year 2029 where there is a much smaller population.  An aging Logan's healing powers are dwindling and has turned to alcohol while making a living as a chauffeur and caring for an ailing Professor X, reprised by Patrick Stewart.  He is soon asked to protect a young girl named Laura, played by Dafne Keen, who is being hunted by sinister figures.  She soon demonstrates some powers that resemble that of Logan.  Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Richard E. Grant, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, Quincy Fouse, and many others co-star in this film.  Jackman had two pretty unpopular solo movies but as they say the third one is the charm and that phrase is very true here.  I also want to let know that this is rated R so may not be good for kids so don't make the same mistakes you did with DEADPOOL.  An element that I really liked is that they live in a world that exist these mutants which was the basis for the X-Men comic books that Logan makes very clear are not accurate to real life.  It is also a very moving superhero film and I admit I did tear up some during this movie.  Jackman may have been the most perfect cast for a superhero and it shows in this film.

Edward, My Son (1949):   George Cukor directed this film which stars Spencer Tracy as Arnold Boult who is the narrator of the film reflecting on the time with his son and his short lived life.  This goes into various moments of his life where he first meets Evelyn and gets married to her.  She slowly sees that Arnold is not the most honest of men and becomes very concerned about how he indulges their son.  Ian Hunter, James Donald, Leueen MacGrath, Felix Aylmer, and many others co-star in this film.  This movie actually has no one cast as Edward and everything is through discussion of those around her.  Tracy was a lot meaner than usual, even more than Mr Hyde in DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE and I really liked seeing him more villainous.  Kerr was also very good as his wife.  This is a rather underrated film that is worth a look.

The Land that Time Forgot (1974):  Kevin Connor directed this sci-fi movie based on the novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  I doubt that Connor ever foresaw this becoming episode 7 of the new season of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 but it did.  This takes place during WWI where a German U-Boat and makes a very wrong turn ending up in the unknown land of Caprona where Dinosaurs and Neanderthals still exist.  Doug McClure, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon, Keith Barron, Anthony Ainley, Steve James, and many others co-star in this sci-fi movie.  What more can I say about this movie?  WWI Germans meet the cavemen and have to deal with dinosaurs.  This whole series is available on Netflix where I have been including these on a somewhat weekly basis.

Next of Kin (1989):  I end the week with this action film and is part one of a possible Liam Neeson trilogy.  John Irvin directed this film which stars Patrick Swayze as Chicago cop Truman Gates.  Soon, his brother Gerald, played by Bill Paxton, is murdered and he sets out for the killer.  His brother Briar, played by Liam Neeson, arrives from Kentucky and is also looking for the killer.  While Truman hates what happened, he is more out for justice, Briar is more out for vengeance so we get some early violent Liam Neeson in this movie and he is also a hillbilly so another interesting element plus even in this movie I would never want to anger that man.  Adam Baldwin, Helen Hunt, Andreas Katsulas, Ben Stiller, Michael J. Pollard, Ted Levine, Del Close, Valentino Cimo, and many others co-star in this film.  Many might also know Swayze's other action movie from 1989 in ROAD HOUSE and this is a pretty decent supplement of that guilty pleasure 80s classic.  I think most of you read that Patrick Swayze, Bill Paxton, and Liam Neeson are a trio of brothers, quite possibly the the ultimate brother trio.  Also, a young Ben Stiller plays a mobster character.  I think it's time for a guys night double feature with the two Patrick Swayze action movies of 1989.

Well, that is it for this week but I am bringing back the Fun and Useless Facts segment so continue on reading for some useless information that could come into play at bar trivia sometime.  Tell me what you like and what you dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ethan Hawke, Christopher Lee, Sylvester Stallone, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I do this every once in a while and had some time so I thought I'd give it a go again.  I don't really say anything about actors in the same featured movie unless one from another movie was involed.  About everything I do are connections from actors in different movies  I do usually stop at a certain point so anyone is welcome to comment something I did not post if you know others I did not get.

James McAvoy (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) plays the younger Professor X in the X-Men franchise and Patrick Stewart (Logan) plays the professor in this week's feature LOGAN as well as many others in the X-Men franchise.

Jose Zuniga (The Chaperone) and Liam Neeson (Next of Kin) were in the 2000 film GUN SHY.

Nina Arianda (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) and Ben Stiller (Next of Kin) were in the 2011 movie TOWER HEIST.

Yeardley Smith (The Chaperone) and Helen Hunt (Next of Kin) were in the 1997 comedy AS GOOD AS IT GETS.

Viola Davis (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) and Hugh Jackman (Logan) were in the 2013 film PRISONERS.

Marlene Dietrich (The Song of Songs) and Spencer Tracy (Edward, My Son) were in the 1961 film JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG.

Viola Davis (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) and J.D. Evermore (The Chaperone) were in the 2014 James Brown biopic GET ON UP.

Ariel Winter (The Chaperone) and Patrick Stewart (Logan) were in the 2006 animated Disney sequel BAMBI II.

Ciaran Hinds (Disapperance of Eleanor Rigby), Patrick Stewart (Logan) and Liam Neeson (Next of Kin) were in the 1981 Arthurian film EXCALIBUR.  Below is a photo of Hinds and Stewart from the film.

Boyd Holbrook (Logan) and Liam Neeson (Next of Kin) were in the 2014 movie A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES and the 2015 movie RUN ALL NIGHT.

Bill Hader (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) and Kevin Corrigan (The Chaperone) were in the 2007 comedy SUPERBAD, and the 2008 comedy PINEAPPLE EXPRESS.

Boyd Holbrook was a Hatfield while Bill Paxton (Next of Kin) was a McKoy in the 2012 mini-series HATFIELDS AND MCKOYS.

William Hurt (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) and Kevin Corrigan (The Chaperone) were in the 2014 movie WINTER'S TALE.

Stephen Merchant (Logan) played Paris in the 2011 animated movie GNOMEO AND JULIET and I plays Paris in a 2013 production of ROMEO AND JULIET in Farmland.  There are two other familiar Professor X's but this particular fact is about myself and Stephen.

William Hurt (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) and Jose Zuniga (The Chaperone) were in the 1995 film SMOKE.

Patrick Stewart (Logan) plays King Richard in the 1993 parody ROBIN HOOD:  MEN IN TIGHTS.  Ian Hunter (Edward, My Son) plays King Richard in the 1938 film THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD.

William Hurt (Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) and Enrico Colantoni (The Chaperone) were in the 2001 film A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Patrick Stewart (Logan) and Liam Neeson (Next of Kin) were in the 2015 sequel TED 2.

William Hurt (Disappearance of Elearnor Rigby), J.D. Evermore (The Chaperone) and James DuMont (The Chaperone) were in the 2013 mini-series BONNIE AND CLYDE.

Kevin Corrigan (The Chaperone) and Liam Neeson (Next of Kin) were in the 2010 film THE NEXT THREE DAYS.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 605th Edition

Welcome to the 605th Edition of my series.  Not a lot going on this week, I had my first rehearsal last Monday for BURNT PART BOYS and get going again tomorrow.  I look forward to staying in Fortville on these nights and enjoying the walking distance of many places.  I even went to rehearsal with a slight buzz knowing I was not driving.  Nothing else happening right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Jackie (2016):  This is part two of my two-part Peter Sarsgaard series where he plays Robert Kennedy.  Pablo Larrain directed this biopic of the former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, played very well by Natalie Portman.  This centers around an interview with someone credited as "the journalist", played by Billy Crudup, though based on an interview on an article written by Theodore H. White that he did in Life magazine.  The interview takes place sometime after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, played by Caspar Phillipson, and does flashbacks to moments shortly before the assassination and her dealing with the assassination afterwards.  Greta Gerwig, John Hurt, Richard E. Grant,  John Carroll Lynch, Beth Grant, Max Casella, and many others co-star in this biopic.  If looking for something that covers a lot of ground, this is not it.  It does not go into Jackie's later life when she marries Aristotle Onassis.  It is mostly the events before and after the assassination and coping with the tragedy and to console her children.  I felt it did a pretty good job of showing her during what was likely the worst period of her life.

Jesse Stone:  Death in Paradise (2006):  This is part five of my possible seven-part Viola Davis series and I continue with this decent series of tv movies which are based on the books by Robert B. Parker.  Last week, I brought the second Jesse Stone movie in NIGHT PASSAGE, now I continue with the third movie.  This takes place in the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts with the functional alcoholic police chief Jesse Stone, played by Tom Selleck, leading the way.  The body of a 14 year old girl is found and it is up the the precinct to piece together who this person is and who killed her.  Kohl Sudduth, Orla Brady, Gary Basaraba, John Diehl, Debra Christofferson, Mae Whitman, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  Each one of these is a different murder mystery and are pretty well-made.  These are some pretty underrated movies that I think many reading would really like.  I know I referred to the character of Jesse Stone as a functional alcoholic but he still does what he can to get the job done and get justice done.  Selleck is perfectly cast as Jesse Stone and hope to get these off the radar some.  I will say that I won't be continuing with these into next week but I'm sure some other time.

Marley (2012):  This is one of two documentaries for the week.  This is based on the life of legendary reggae singer Bob Marley and his very short life.  A lot of his friends and family get interviewed to reflect on their times with Marley.  There is also a lot of very good concert footage as well as talk on his social and political activism and his religion Rastafarian.    It also goes into much of his flaws so it tries to capture everything they can in his short but very complex life.  I don't want to get too detailed with this film as I don't really want to give anything away.  I suppose if you just cannot stand Bob Marley, this movie is probably not one to watch.  If you are at least tolerable of his music, this is a really good watch.  It is available to watch on Netflix.

Puss Gets the Boot (1940):  This is my animated short for the week and is the very first film for the iconic cat and mouse Tom and Jerry.  In this short, Tom is referred to as Jasper so I don't really know when he started getting referred to as Tom and Jerry is not really given a name.  Jasper is told by someone named Mammy Two-Shoes, voiced by Lillian Randolph, that if he breaks one more thing he must go outside so the mouse Jerry does what he can to make sure he gets the boot.  I suppose there is some racist elements in this one but remember the year and Randolph went onto have quite a career.  This still has some pretty funny moments that had no dialogue but did not need it and the only dialogue was from the human character.  This is a really good start to what would become the most successful cat and mouse team of all time.

The Ghoul (1933):  Now I bring some classic horror.  T. Hayes Hunter directed this film.  An Egyptian Arab named Aga Ben Dragore, played by Harold Huth, is seeking a sacred jewel that has been stolen from an ancient tomb and a thief reveals he has sold it to Professor Henry Morlant, played by Boris Karloff, who is a fanatical Egyptologist that believes in the pagan power of the ancient Egyptian gods.  Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger, Ralph Richardson, and many others co-star in this film.  This is some underrated Karloff and in a way a variation of THE MUMMY that Karloff also stars.  This is something that classic horror buffs should really enjoy.  This is a British film and the first sound horror film they ever did.

Logan's Run (1976):  This is my futuristic sci-fi film for the week.  Michael Anderson directed this film based on the novel by William F. Nolan.  This takes place in a seemingly idyllic society with a lot of freedom except for how long you live.  At the age of 30, one must take part in a "religious" celebration called the Carousel where lives are taken.  Michael York stars as Logan whose job is to take out the "runners", those who try to run from their fates.  He soon meets a very beautiful girl named Jessica-6, played by Jenny Agutter, and is ordered to become a runner himself to infiltrate a group called Sanctuary that she is a part of.  He finds more and more that his life is a big lie and is being double crossed while him and Jessica discover there is a far bigger world.  Richard Jordan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Farrah Fawcett, Peter Ustinov, and many others co-star in this sci-fi film.  I have always really enjoyed this sci-fi entry.  Even now, I believe the special effects are still really good.  Also, where can you go wrong with Michael York?  Later in the movie, you'll hear reference to known characters from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical CATS and think this is before that musical even came out.  The inspiration for both appears to have come from the T.S. Eliot novel OLD POSSUM'S BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS.  In my double feature obsession, I believe this would go along well with MINORITY REPORT, both about a man trying to uphold the created society but mostly get screwed in the end.

Let Him Have It (1991):  This is my British crime drama for the week which is based on a true story in the 1950s.  Christopher Eccleston stars as the slow-witted Derek Bentley who falls in with a group of petty criminals led by Chris Craig, played by Paul Reynolds, who has a fondness for gangster films.  Their friendship leads them to commit a crime that will change their lives forever.  Tom Courtenay, Eileen Atkins, Edward Hardwicke, Clare Holman, Ben Brazier, Serena Scott Thomas, Michael Gough, and many others co-star in this film.  I had not heard of this movie until I saw it.  It is an interesting look at the British legal system at least at the time.  If you are not aware of this, this is really good movie to check out and even look up the case which is very interesting and sad.  I hope to put this on the radar some by posting it on here.

Batman:  The Movie (1966):  This is my tribute to the late Adam West who was most known for playing the caped crusader in the 60s sitcom BATMAN and this movie that came from the series.  Adam West and Burt Ward star as Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson aka Batman and Robin.  In most episodes they deal with one of the criminals and maybe the henchman but this time the four main criminals team up which include the Joker, played by Cesar Romero, the Riddler, played by Frank Gorshin, the Penguin, played by Burgess Meredith, and Catwoman, played by Lee Meriwether.  They team up to ultimately take over the world and never give up in their scheme to get rid of the caped crusaders.  Alan Napier, Neil Hamilton, Madge Blake, and many others co-star in this film.  After the death of West, I know many who said that he was their favorite Batman.  I'm not going to say that myself, I usually like the darker portrayals like with Christian Bale and even Ben Affleck.  While I prefer the darker stories, I know there are others who prefer the comedy that this movie and the sitcom it came from had to offer.  I have also seen some friends of mine post saying West was the original Batman which is not true, maybe the first iconic and known live-action Batman but the first two were Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery who were both in serials in the '40s which is the equivalent of what we know today as the mini-series.  This is some pretty good fun and available to watch on Netflix, it was just too bad they didn't work Yvonne Craig in as Batgirl.  I decided to use the cover from imdb and would like to know if any die-hard fans of the series can explain Batman in a red costume.

Bend of the River (1952):  This is my western for the week and the second of eight collaborations between director Anthony Mann and his star James Stewart who stars as Glyn McLyntock.  Glyn has a rather questionable past as well as his friend Emerson Cole, played by Arthur Kennedy, who agree to lead a wagon-train load of homesteaders from Missouri to the Oregon territory.  They must deal with the attacks from the Shoshone Indians and with Cole who organizes a mutiny to get some of the supplies for profit.  Rock Hudson, Jay C. Flippen, Julie Adams, Lori Nelson, Chubby Johnson, Harry Morgan, Frances Bavier, Jack Lambert, Royal Dano, and many others co-star in this western.  This was an earlier film for Hudson who was just getting going.  He co-stars as Trey Wilson which was my favorite one in this movie and is really a Doc Holiday type being a gambler and gunslinger.  Supposedly, James Stewart was bitter that Hudson received a bigger applause at the premier and would never work with him or speak to him again.  They did not ever do another movie together, I haven't found much info one way or the other if that is the reason.  This is considered to be Stewart's transition from playing those George Bailey type characters to playing more violent and ruthless characters.  This has some great scenery, characters, and action and is well worth a watch.

Winged Migration (2001):  I have told this story on a few occasions how I came about seeing this for the first time.  It was years ago when I was with my dad and stepmom and dad insisted on going to a theater in his town of Columbus at the time called Key's Cinema I believe which was an independent theater..  I was along for the ride and he kept us in the dark about what we were seeing.  When arriving, I find we are about to watch some movie about birds and I'm thinking "what am I doing here" which is probably what Dad was expecting and why he would not tell me anything.  I went along and as I'm watching I was surprised by how much I was enjoying it.  It is a documentary filming birds on all seven continents when migrating.  This took about three years to film and was amazed by the footage that everyone got.  In addition to the amazing footage, there was also a very good music score and soundtrack by Bruno Coulais that went along perfectly with the birds.  There is occasional narration but the bird footage and the music score alone make this work just fine.  If it could not get any better, it ends with a Nick Cave song.  Jacques Perrin directed this film and accomplished an amazing while underrated documentary.

Well, that is it for this week but I do have my "Movie Night at the Shera" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Jessica Chastain, and many others.

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Devil's Knot (2013):  I was back at my friend Shera's house and we were looking for something to watch on Netflix and she got the idea to put in Morgan Freeman and this came up.  We had not heard of it but could tell it was about the West Memphis Three.  As we got further into it, I was not sure why this movie came up as Freeman was not in it but oh well.  Atom Egoyan directed this movie about the horrific murder of three young children and the accused being convicted under questionable evidence.  The three "devil-worshiping teens arrested were Damian Echols, played by James Hamrick, Jason Baldwin, played by Seth Meriwether, and Jessie Misskelley, played by Kris Higgins.  Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Alessandro Nivola, Amy Ryan, Robert Baker, Collette Wolfe, Rex Linn, Bruce Greenwood, and many others co-star.  Neither of us had heard of the movie but we were familiar with the documentaries PARADISE LOST in 1996, PARADISE LOST 2:  REVELATIONS in 2000, and PARADISE LOST 3:  PURGATORY in 2011 so this came maybe a couple years after the third documentary.  I thought this did a pretty good job of presenting this story and mostly followed what I saw of the documentaries.  It centers more around Witherspoon who plays the mother of one of the victims and Firth who plays private investigator Ron Lax who did not buy the story of the three kids doing the murders and did what he could to help.  I know only so much ground can really be covered and there were a couple times that I thought they might have taken liberties.  While watching this movie, I decided to look up the producers and see what kind of involvement the real WM3 had and found that the ones credited were Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley but not Damian Echols.  I looked further into this later in the evening and found that Echols did not want any part of it.  He apparently looked at the script and felt there were inaccuracies and apparently had a falling out with Baldwin who apparently tried to address the inaccuracies as much as possible having the attitude that the movie was getting made with or without them.  The movie was decent but do feel that if watching the movie, the documentaries need to be watched at some point.  In the end, we were glad to have watched this and had a discussion on the whole WM3 case.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 604th Edition

Welcome to the 604th Edition of my series.  Tomorrow, I start rehearsals for my next show BURNT PART BOYS which is to be performed in August at the Ten West Center for the Arts in Fortville, Indiana.  This will be my first show in Fortville and the 10th town I have worked in with community theater where I continue to be the drifter of community theater.  Glad to see the weather is getting nicer but not much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections.

Black Mass (2015):  This is part one of a two-part Peter Sarsgaard series.  Scott Cooper directed this film which is based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill.  This is based on a true story where Johnny Depp stars as James "Whitey" Bulger who is an Irish Mobster and in the '70s makes a deal with FBI agent John Connolly, played by Joel Edgerton, to help take down the Italian mafia.  Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane, David Harbour, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll, Julianne Nicholson, W. Earl Brown, Bill Camp, Juno Temple, and many others co-star in this film.  I found this to be a very intriguing story and one I had not heard until seeing this film.  Depp shows his range as Bulger and also liked Edgerton as the FBI agent who slowly realizes the mistake he makes in recruiting Bulger as an informant.  I saw one review on imdb that criticized the movie for the characters being unlikable and I'm sure these people were rather unlikable.  Depp also cites this as his favorite movie he has done and has broken his rule of not watching his own movies.  Some of Bulger's associates have also said that he played the part to perfection.

The Crunch Bird (1971):  This is my animated short for the week.  Ted Petok directed this Oscar winning animated short film.  A wife is out to get her husband a gift for his upcoming birthday and decides upon a bird with a rather unusual ability.  This is less than three minutes long and remains the shortest film to win an academy award even by short film standards.  This does get right to the point and is really very funny and has some good dark comedy.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

Thunder Road (1958):  Arthur Ripley directed this film which is based on a story by Robert Mitchum who also stars in the film as Lucas Doolin who is a Korean War veteran returning home to his small town to take over the family moonshining business which is during Prohibition.  He must battle gangsters and the police who are out for him while also doing what he can to make sure his younger brother Robin, played by his son James Mitchum, does not end up like him.  Gene Barry, Jacques Aubuchon, Trevor Bardette, and a young Mitchell Ryan who would go onto become quite the actor mostly in television.  There is no mistaking James Mitchum to be Robert's son.  This is a pretty good and simple story with some pretty good action and performances.  Mitchum first asked Elvis Presley to star as his brother Robin but Colonel Tom Parker would not allow it since it was not going to make the kind of money the cheesy musicals made for them.  I mentioned last week how much I like when an actor takes on their own project like this that may not make the most money but does it more for the art and Mitchum took on a good project in this film.

Jesse Stone:  Night Passage (2006):  This is part four of my Viola Davis series.  This is my tv movie for the week which is a series of tv movies based on books by Robert B. Parker.  This is the second one of the nine-part tv movie series and is a prequel to STONE COLD.  Tom Selleck stars in Jesse Stone who we see in this one was a cop in L.A. with some alcohol issues and relocates to the smaller town of Paradise, Massachusetts.  When arriving there, he must solve some local crimes, mostly a murder to look like a suicide.  Saul Rubinek, Kuhl Sudduth, Polly Shannon, Mike Starr, Britt Robertson, Stephen McHattie, Stephen Baldwin, and many others co-star in this movie.  I have seen some of these and they are pretty well-done small town cop movies.  Selleck is very well cast and is really very likable in the cop willing to do what it takes to get the job done even if he must bend the rules a bit.  I found that the actor Kuhl Sudduth, who plays the role of Suitcase looks a bit like my friend and WWE referee Jason Ayers.  I have enclosed a photo of the two down below.  If you can, I would take a look into some of these tv movies.

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Two Alone (1934):  Elliott Nugent directed this film that is based on a play by Dan Totheroh.  Jean Parker stars as orphan girl Mazie who works on a farm and is mistreated by cruel farm Slag, played by Arthur Byron.  Tom Brown co-stars as reform school runaway Adam who stumbles upon the farm and is put to work by Slag.  Soon, Adam and Mazie fall in love but Slag makes it very difficult in his tyrannical ways.  Zasu Pitts, Beulah Bondi, Nydia Westman, Willard Robertson, Charley Grapewin, and many others co-star in this film.  Grapewin is the comic relief in this very dark and sad story.  It is still quite compelling even today and was worth a little over an hour.

We're the Millers (2013):  This is part two of my two-part Emma Roberts series.  Rawson Marshall Thurber directed this comedy which stars Jason Sudeikis as David Clark who makes his living in dealing pot.  After dealing in a more small time way, he soon gets a job that involves smuggling over the Mexican border.  He decides that a way to make things easier is to recruit people to be his "family" taking a vacation.  Jennifer Aniston co-stars as Rose who works as a stripper, Will Poulter co-stars as David's naive neighbor Kenny, and Roberts co-stars as street teen Casey.  They people go along with David to be his family that is on a vacation.  Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly C. Quinn, Tomer Sisley, Matthew Willig, Luis Guzman, Thomas Lennon, Ken Marino, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I thought this was a pretty clever comedy and did deliver me a lot of laughs.  It is a bit raunchy so may not be for everyone but a very fun crime comedy.

Hitler's Madman (1943):  Douglas Sirk directed this film that obviously takes place during WWII.  This is story about the assassination of Nazi commander Reinhardt Heydrich, played by John Carradine, in Lidice, Czechoslavakia by resistance group lead by Karel Vavra, played by Alan Curtis.  It also focuses on the aftermath and the revenge taken by Heinrich Himmler, played by Howard Freedman.  Patricia Morrison, Ralph Morgan, Edgar Kennedy, Ludwig Stossel, and many others.  This is an admitted fictionalized story on the assassination.  It is still a fascinating watch from the era and Carradine really good as Heydrich.

The Unknown Known (2013):  This is one of my two documentaries for the week.  Errol Morris directed this film which is an interview between Morris and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.  This discusses his early political career but mostly talks about the post 9/11 decisions made, most notably the invasion of Iraq.  Something also of interest is that Rumsfeld had a blizzard of memos which were come to be known as "snowflakes" so they were using that word long before society started using it towards liberals.  In this we see a rather different language in the way Rumsfeld talks.  It is also a good look at the abuse of power.  Like him or not, this was a very good interview to watch and Morris was able to bring out quite a bit out of Rumsfeld.

Starcrash (1978):  This is part two of my two-part David Hasselhoff series which I never thought I would ever do but here is is.  This is episode six of the new MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 where Jonah, Tom Servo, and Crow and forced to watch what is essentially a STAR WARS rip-off.  Caroline Munro stars as smuggler Stella Star who her and her alien sidekick Acton, played by Marjoe Gortner, are recruited by the emperor, played by Christopher Plummer, to rescue his son, played by the Hoff.  Akton was just constantly showing various powers with really bad special effects and at one point he even had a light saber.  There was also a redneck robot helping them a lot.  Munro is always good too look out as she wears a bikini most of the time no matter where she goes.  The episode has a cameo from Jerry Seinfeld and has some good riffs.  I kind of like the way the robots are more mobile now.  Last week as I was promoting this on Twitter, I came across this really interesting event in November which is a the David Hasselhoff World Fan Cruise in Europe.  https://checkintoevents.com/index.php?id=378&L=1 is the link to check this out.  I would almost consider going to this if I had a lot more money.  Worth a look to get some laughs.

Crumb (1994):  I end the week with this documentary on underground comics writer Robert Crumb which was directed by Terry Zwigoff.  I suppose you could call Crumb the father of underground comics, maybe that's pushing it.  I don't claim to know a lot of that world and believe my dad could give better insight than me on that sort of thing.  He wrote some very obscene comics like Fritz the Cat, Keep on Truckin', Mr. Natural, and many others.   This takes a look at his life and what has contributed to his rather warped mind to create the rather bizarre things he has come to create.  This also takes a look at his family and a couple of his brothers who are artistic in their own right but never really got the notoriety that Robert got and they clearly have their own issues.  There was also a struggle with Zwigoff that does not get mentioned in the film that he really struggled to come up with the funds to get this movie made and turned out to be a six year project but got a very critically acclaimed documentary in return.  A good double feature would be to follow this with AMERICAN SPLENDOR WHICH is a biopic/documentary of fellow underground comics writer Harvey Pekar who Crumb helped a lot with the illustration and distribution.

Well, that is it for this week but I did include my "Movie Night at the Shera" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Natalie Portman, Viola Davis, and many others.

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Labyrinth (1986):  Last Tuesday, my friend Shera and I decided to have a movie night at her house.  A couple weeks ago we watched PSYCHO which was her first time seeing but had seen BATES MOTEL.  This week she wanted to watch something she was more familiar with and her youngest daughter wanted to see it as well so we agreed upon this 80s fantasy classic.  Jim Henson directed this film where a young Jennifer Connelly stars as Sarah who gets frustrated with her baby brother and makes the wish for him to be taken by the Goblin King, played by David Bowie, not knowing he is real.  Sarah has 13 hours to solve a labyrinth in order to get her brother back.  Toby Froud, Shelley Thompson, Christopher Malcolm, Shari Weiser, Brian Henson, Dave Goehls, Frank Oz, Steve Whitmire, Kevin Clash, and many others co-star or have voices.  Notable midget actors Kenny Baker and Warwick Davis are part of the Goblin Corps.  Also of interest is that we have Jim Henson as the director and having a lot of other involvement, we have George Lucas as the executive producer, and we have Monty Python alum Terry Jones who wrote the screenplay.  This also has some good musical numbers, especially with Bowie.  This is quite the classic and a pleasant evening doing a dinner and a movie in the home of my very dear friend.  I got to some thinking and I'm thinking before watching this, start with the short film CAPTAIN EO which came out the same year and has Michael Jackson in this musical short.  This way you have kind of the classic movie theater experience of old that I would love to see come back thought Disney does do that a lot I have found.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 603rd Edition

Welcome to the 603rd Edition of my series.  Next week, I will finally be starting my rehearsals for my show BURNT PART BOYS which will be in Fortville in August.  I was about to start a "no musical rule" again after THE LITTLE MERMAID but this one intrigued me so I thought I'd give it a shot.  Fortville will be the 10th town I have done a show for community theater and look forward to this experience and hanging out with one of my dearest friends Brittany.  I will now get to my selections for the week.

I Saw the Light (2015):  I start the week out with another film based on the music industry which is my third in a row.  Marc Abraham directed this biopic based on the legendary country singer Hank Williams Sr., played by Tom Hiddleston.  This takes a look at his life both personally and professionally in trying to make to the Grand Ole Opry.  It also takes a look at his alcoholism and the toll it took on his marriage and career.  Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, Cherry Jones, Maddie Hassan, Wrenn Schmidt, David Krumholtz, Josh Pais, and many others co-star in this film.  Hiddleston plays Williams very well and was very enjoyable to me even if I'm not really a country fan.  From Hank Williams, we also got Hank Williams Jr. who was successful in his own right and Hank Williams III who while not in the mainstream has his own following.  I got to see the 3rd a couple of times at a Muncie bar and was a very interesting concert to attend.  This is a good biopic but does not appear to hold much back in this portrait of a troubled country western singer.  We also get to learn that Loki and the Scarlet Witch are married.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010):  This is part three of my Viola Davis series which could span into seven parts but not sure yet.  It is also part one of a two-part Emma Roberts series.  Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck wrote and directed this comedy-drama based on the novel by Ned Vizzini.  Keir Gilchrist stars as high-schooler Craig who checks himself into the psychiatric ward after having suicidal thoughts.  His assumption is they just run some tests, then let him out but that was not meant to be and had to stay for a week for evaluation.  In there, he forms an unlikely friendship with fellow resident Bobby, played by Zach Galifinakias, and forms a relationship with a girl named Noelle, played by Roberts, who is also in the ward.  Lauren Graham, Jim Gaffigan, Jared Goldstein, Alan Aisenberg, Zoe Kravitz, Thomas Mann, Jeremy Davies, and many others co-star in this coming of age film which I feel takes that phrase to a whole new level in this film.  I suppose we could call this a modern-day ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST but I feel this one is a little more inspirational than the one mentioned though could be a good double feature.

Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff (2010):  This is part one of a two-part David Hasselhoff series.  Technically this is a tv special but as the founder and writer of this blog I get to make those decisions if you do not like that I made this selection as a movie, let's discuss my pay in the future.  This is one of those roasts they have on Comedy Central on the Hoff.  Seth McFarlane hosted this roast and his fellow roasters are Whitney Cummings, Jeffrey Ross, Jerry Springer, Greg Giraldo, George Hamilton, Hulk Hogan, Lisa Lampanelli, Gilbert Gottfried, and Pamela Anderson.  As a middle school kid, I would usually get off the bus and watch a rerun of BATWATCH.  I never really foresaw that in 2009, I would had a negative encounter with David Hasselhoff to the point that he made rather derogatory remarks at me.  Through the years, I have mostly put this aside, especially since his newer song TRUE SURVIVOR from the movie KUNG FURY that I actually like to karaoke.  I have also made an annual viewing of JEKYLL AND HYDE:  THE MUSICAL which he also stars in when it was a live show and available on DVD.  I kind of admire these celebrities willing to take part in what is essentially a bashing of their career and even those doing the roasting are rather fair game to each other.  This was pretty fun to watch, especially for some amusing Hasselhoff numbers and a surprise appearance at the end which you must watch to know what I am talking about.

Cousin Wilbur (1939):  Now I bring my comedy short for the week and feature our friends in Our Gang like Alfalfa, Darla, Porky, Buckwheat, and Butch.  In this short, we meet Alfalfa's cousin Wilbur who is more high class and snobby than the gang which makes it difficult for them to accept him into the gang.  This has some pretty funny moments and is worth a look.

Days of Heaven (1978):  This is part four of my four-part series for Sam Shepard.  Terrence Malick wrote and directed this film that takes part in the turn of the century Chicago.  Richard Gere and Brooke Adams star as young couple Bill and Abby and struggle through hard labor trying to get out of poverty.  Linda Manz also co-stars as Bill's "sister" while Bill and Abby pose as brother and sister.  Their employer is a wealthy farmer, played by Shepard, and is credited as "The Farmer".  Bill soon learns that he is terminally ill and sees him taking and interest in Abby and soon encourages her to marry him for these financial reasons.  With Malick, his movies focus on just about every aspect of the film and makes the cinematography of Nestor Almendros and Ennio Morricone's music score the star just as much as the actors.  I also find that his movies sometimes require multiple viewings and are best watched on a big screen tv.  I still do really enjoy this movie of people going through extreme measures trying to get through their poverty and feel this is possibly Gere's best work.

Friendly Persuasion (1956):  William Wyler directed this film based on the novel by Jessamyn West.  This takes place during the times of the Civil War and centers around a Quaker family headed by the parents Jess and Eliza, played by Gary Cooper and Dorothy McQuire, and their three kids Josh, Mattie, and Jess, played by Anthony Perkins, Phyllis Love, and Richard Eyer.  As Quakers, they are a general peaceful family and try to stay that way but with the way things are happening around them, they find it harder to stay that way, especially for the men of the family.  Robert Middleton, Walter Catlett, Marjorie Main, and many others co-star in this film.  If you only known Perkins as Norman Bates, this this is one that you should really watch to see that he is more than the iconic character he brought to life.  This is also a good look into the Quaker life and their very strict rules that the family in general have a hard time following.  This also takes place in the south of my own state of Indiana.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015):  Ron Howard directed this film based on a non-fiction novel by Nathaniel Philbrick.  Ben Whishaw stars as Herman Melville whose name is most recognized as the author of MOBY DICK.  He sets out to interview the last survivor of the sinking of the Essex ship in Homas Nickerson, played by Brendan Gleeson and by Tom Holland in the flashback scenes., who was reluctant to give the story but finally does after his wife, played by Michelle Fairley, intervenes.  When he starts on the story, the movie then flashes back to this part of his life that would later inspire Melville's classic novel.  Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Paul Anderson, Frank Dillane, Charlotte Riley, Cillian Murphy, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good account of the inspiration of the classic story.  There were some pretty good and intense scenes on the boat.  I think my favorite scenes were those between Gleeson and Whishaw in the reluctant interview.  This could be a good double feature to follow up from watching MOBY DICK.

Perri (1957):  Last week, I featured a documentary from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE on Walt Disney, a man who would never be fully satisfied with his accomplishments and it touches upon this part of Disney and this was the first of the animal documentaries.  I suppose more like footage of forest creatures which is made to create a narrated story.  Winston Hibler narrates this story of a female squirrel named Perri who has encounters with many creatures in the forest.  This is a very clever film and rather groundbreaking.  This is available on www.hoopladigital.com and is one of the more underrated Disney entries.

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960):  I decided to visit some Roger Corman and give credit where it is due for that man-eating plant musical we all love today.  This is where it started in which Corman directed this film.  Jonathan Haze stars as the clumsy flower shop employee Seymour whose employer Mr. Mushnick is about to fire him until he learns that Seymour has a very unusual plant that he named Audrey Jr., voiced by Charles B. Griffith who wrote the screenplay, after his own co-worker Audrey, played by Jackie Joseph.  The flower shop is having more success but at a price after learning that his plant is a man-eating plant.  Jack Nicholson has an early role of Wilbur Force who is a dental patient that loves pain and Nicholson's career really started through Corman.  I do prefer the musical version but don't mind revisiting this B-movie from time to time.  This would be well-followed by Corman's BUCKET OF BLOOD, both of which feature a rather nerdy person being forced to do horrible things to deep their newfound success going.

Rambo:  First Blood Part II (1985):  I end with the sequel to the popular 1982 film FIRST BLOOD.  George Cosmatos directed the sequel which was co-written by Sylvester Stallone and James Cameron who says that he wrote the first script but that Stallone made changes. Stallone reprises his iconic role of John Rambo who is now in prison and arranged a release by Colonel Trautman, reprised by Richard Crenna, to go on a top secret secret mission to go back into the jungles of Vietnam to look for possible POWs that are still alive and being held prisoner.  He is sent into this place to get pictures and then take them back but we all know that's just not the way of Rambo and goes in full force killing every enemy possible and dealing with corrupt military officials like Marshall Murdock, played by Charles Napier.  Steven Berkoff, Julia Nickson, Martin Kove, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not for everyone but is a great action fix for those that want to see some action.  Stallone is also up to the game and is very fun to watch.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Johnny Depp, Robert Mitchum, Viola Davis, Emma Roberts, and many others.