Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 615th Edition

Welcome to the 615th Edition of my series.  I am glad to say that I finally have a fantasy football team together in a paid league that I have struggled to find.  I am also still trying to get my murder mystery all the way cast but I still have some time.  Not much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections.

BASEketball (1998):  I start the week off with this comedy and parody of professional sports which was directed and co-written by David Zucker.  SOUTH PARK and THE BOOK OF MORMON writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone star as Milwaukee losers Coop and Remer who invent a new sport that combines basketball and baseball to be called Baseketball.  It starts to become a successful league but a greedy owner, played by Robert Vaughn, wants to do more which causes tension between the childhood friends that got it started.  Dian Bachar, Yasmine Bleeth, Ernest Borgnine, Jenny McCarthy, Trevor Einhorn, Greg Grunberg, Kevin Michael Richardson, Iqbal Theba, and many others co-star in this film.  Many people play themselves like people in the sports world and Robert Stack has a cameo in an UNSOLVED MYSTERIES segment.  Parker and Stone did some rewrites when getting this project which was right around the time SOUTH PARK started and became an unexpected success.  For me, this movie always delivers a lot of laughs and it is also cool to see my childhood crushes of Yasmine Bleeth and Jenny McCarthy.  This is available to watch on Starz On-Demand.

Mr. Nice (2010):  I go from a professional sports parody to a biopic on a drug dealer.  Bernard Rose directed this film based on the book by British drug smuggler Howard Marks, played by Rhys Ifans.  Marks starts out as someone born into a coal mining family and went to Oxford for nuclear physics.  While at Oxford, along with a group of students would build what would become a worldwide marijuana smuggling network.  Chloe Sevigny, David Thewlis, Luis Tosar, Crispin Glover, Omid Djalili, Christian McKay, Elsa Pataky, Jack Huston, Jamie Harris, Sara Sugarman, William Thomas, Andrew Tiernan, and many others co-star in this film.  I had never heard of this person before I watched this film and found him to be a very fascinating person.  I also liked the way they presented this is a rather comedic way at times.  Ifans was great as Marks and was actual friends with Howard Marks even before the movie was made.  This is available to watch on hoopladigital.com.

Carnival Magic (1981):  This is my MST3K episode for the week and episode 12 of the new series on Netflix.  As you might guess, this takes place at a carnival where a magician named Markov, played by Don Stewart, who can actually read minds and not only that, he has a chimp that talks, although does not say a lot.  He tries to keep the chimp a secret but when the daughter of the carny owner discovers this, they become the main attraction, much to the dismay of a jealous tiger tamer who works to get the chimp kidnapped.  The acting, dialogue and everything else makes this truly qualified to be on MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000.  The episode has a cameo from Mark Hamill.  This like the rest of the series is available on Netflix.

Baby Be Good (1935):  This is my animated short for the week.  Long before wrestler Rtruth had a friend but sometimes enemy Little Jimmy, he was actually a cartoon character and in this short is being watched by Betty Boop and not being a very good boy when she tries to get him to bed.  She tells him a lesson story of a little boy who was being bad and the consequences.  I must say, Jimmy was pretty mean before finally seeing the error of his ways.  This is a pretty good few minutes and is available on Amazon Prime in CARTOON CLASSICS which have a lot of other classic cartoons to be featured in the coming weeks.

Big Jake (1971):  This is my western for the week which was directed by George Sherman.  John Wayne stars as Jacob McCandles who learns his grandson, played by his real-life son Ethan Wayne has been kidnapped by the by the evil John Fain, played by Richard Boone.  Along with his Rough Collie named Dog and his estranged sons James, played by his John's other son Patrick Wayne, and Michael, played by Christopher Mitchum, they set out to rescue the boy.  Maureen O'Hara, Bobby Vinton, Bruce Cabot, Glenn Corbett, Harry Carey Jr., and many others co-star in this film.  This is one of John Wayne's later and more violent westerns which I think is what I liked about the movie.  The action and tension in this film never lets up and is a pretty enjoyable western in my opinion while maybe being one of John Wayne's underrated.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

Cry, the Beloved Country (1951):  Zoltan Korda directed this film based on the novel by Alan Paton.  Canada Lee stars as Reverend Stephen Kumalo who is a black minister that journeys to South Africa to find his missing son, only to find that he is a criminal and does what he can to help his son and get him back home.  A young Sidney Poitier co-stars as Reverend Msimangu who helps Stephen find his son in the slums of Johannesburg.  Charles Carson, Joyce Carey, Geoffrey Keen, and many others co-star in this film.  This is unfortunately Lee's last film as he died of a heart attack shortly after this film.  There is not much I can say to explain this film.  It is a very compelling look at South Africa and a good early look at a black family.

Other People (2016):  Chris Kelly wrote and directed this film.  Jesse Plemons takes a starring role as struggling writer David who returns to his home to care for his dying mother Joanne, played by Molly Shannon, and he is fresh of a breakup.  While there, he also deals with his father Norman, played by Bradley Whitford, who has never been able to accept his son's homosexuality.  Maude Apatow, Madison Beaty, Deb Hiett, June Squibb, Paul Dooley, and many others co-star in this comedy about making the most of a bad situation.  Plemons and Shannon work very well together as son and mother.  I guess I'll give this the coming-of-age age label and is a pretty moving film driven by the actors.  It is also a good look at a struggle with cancer and the way everyone around her deals with it in different ways.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

The Loyal 47 Ronin (1958):  This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Kunio Watanabe.  This is based on a true story of a group of samurai, I guess 47 of them, that become Ronin, which are referred to as masterless samurai, when their Lord was forced to commit Seppeku which is a ritual suicide among the samarai.  They band together to avenge their master after planning the event for a year and go after Lord Kira who forced their lord to kill himself.  This is a rather legendary story in Japan that has been adapted quite a few times including 2013 in a film starring Keanu Reeves.  This is a really good version that is a little less than three hours.  This is available on hoopladigital.com.

Morgan! (1966):  I know last week I said I did part three of a Vanessa Redgrave trilogy but coming across this one made me compelled to do part four.  Now this time I'm pretty sure I'm done with the Vanessa Redgrave series, at least for now.  Karel Reisz directed this rather strange British comedy which stars David Warner as a struggling London artist Morgan Delt who is going through a breakup with his wife Leonie, played by Redgrave, and has a descent into madness in trying to win her back.  He deals with the breakup within his own fantasy world.  Robert Stephens, Irene Handl, Peter Collingwood, and many others co-star in this film.  Warner was absolutely hilarious in his role as a man dealing with a bad situation of a divorce.  This is a dark comedy to the core and maybe the best of the British comedies in my mind.

Crazy Heart (2009):  I end the week with this music oriented film. Scott Cooper directed this film based on the novel by Thomas Cobb.  Jeff Bridges stars as faded country star Bad Blake who is trying to find salvation and forms a relationship with journalist Jean, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, as well as trying to make a comeback but his drinking problem continues to get into the way of any comeback hope.  Colin Farrell co-stars as Tommy who was mentored by Bad Blake and went onto more success later in life.  Ryan Bingham, Beth Grant, Rick Dial, Robert Duvall, and many others co-star in this film.  I remember seeing this in theaters and as much as I don't usually like country music, I really liked the soundtrack in this one.  Bridges was amazing in this film where he shows his music side very well and is a really good portrait of a singer past their 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 William Holden, Sally Field, Liam Neeson, Angela Lansbury, Annette Bening, Idris Elba, and many other.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 614th Edition

Welcome to the 614th Edition of my series.  Last week, my show in Fortville ended and some might think, "oh, Shaun will take a break from theater" but that is not true as my mom and I will be doing another murder mystery comedy in October at the Amvets which is our third one.  More details will come soon.  I am also glad to announce that I found a paid fantasy football league to be in and have a draft this Thursday.  That's about all for right now so onto my selections for the week.

Love, Marilyn (2012):  I start the week out with this documentary and homage of Marilyn Monroe.  This was done by mostly actors reading excerpts of things people wrote about her and things she wrote herself.  This mostly takes about her early career in Hollywood into her rise as a sex symbol and into her last days.  F. Murray Abraham, Elizabeth Banks, Adrien Brody, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Hope Davis, Viola Davis, Jennifer Ehle, Ben Foster, Jack Huston, Stephan Lang, Lindsey Lohan, Janet McTeer, Jeremy Piven, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor, Uma Thurman, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood all read segments of Marilyn's life.  This was really interesting to me to get more of her own insight into her work.  There were some things I knew but a lot I did not know like that her stage last name was her mother's last name.  It was too bad she did not have a longer life and career.  This is available on hoopladigital.com .

The Kings of Summer (2013):  Jordan Vogt-Roberts directed this comedy.  Nick Robinson stars as Joe who is a teen and tired of his single father trying to manage his life.  He gets the idea to build a home in a part of the woods that no one knows and takes his friend Patrick, played by Gabriel Basso, and a strange kid named Biaggio, played by Moises Arias, to help build it and live there with them.  Once done, they finally get that freedom to live on their own without parents.  Nick Offerman, Erin Moriarty, Craig Cackowski, Nathan Keyes, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie, Eugene Cordero, Tony Hale, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Arias has some great comedic timing in this movie and Offerman is also really good as the well-meaning father.  I'm sure just about every teen has thought about this situation and can relate well to this comedy.  This is available on Amazon Prime and was really worth a look.

Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II (1989):  This was the 11th episode of the new season of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 being followed by its predecessor in this episode.  The first one was in 1985 and for some reason they saw fit to make a sequel where evidently those in the first movie did not survive as this one has whole new characters.  Just a basic plot synopsis, a young wizard named Tyor , must restore peace at the three kingdoms and is helped by an elderly man, played by Mel Welles.  I guess I can say this one adds David Carradine and Sid Haig to the cast.  I don't know much else to say except this is available on Netflix and best watched with MST3K and can see why Kinga Forrester and Max would want to make Jonah and his robot friends watch it.

Aqua Babes (1956):  This is my Sportscope short for the week which centers around swimming with swimming instructor Lissa Bengston.  I thought going into this we were going to see hot women swimming but I should have read more into it, she is teaching toddlers to swim with some really strange methods.  This should keep you entertained for about 8 minutes and is still available on TCM On-Demand until September 1st.

Black Sheep (1935):  You will see the year and realize this is not the Chris Farley movie or the horror movie that involves sheep.  Allan Dwan directed this film.  Edmund Lowe stars in this film as gambler John Francis Dugan who makes the acquaintance of socialite Janette, played by Claire Trevor.  They see a young gambler named Fred Curtis, played by Tom Brown, losing $12,000 where John discovers a deeper connection to the young man and looks to help him with his debts towards the crooked gamblers.  Eugene Pallette, Adrienne Ames, Herbert Mundin, Ford Sterling, and many others co-star in this drama.  This is a pretty good film into the world of gambling in this era and has a lot of good performances.  It packs enough into the 76 minutes to make it worth a watch.

Joe Kidd (1972):  This is my western for the week which was directed by John Sturges and written by Elmore Leonard which is the author I credit for getting me through high school when I had to read and usually read his books that intrigued this mostly non-reader.  Clint Eastwood stars as the title character who is a former bounty hunter and is hired by a wealthy landowner named Frank Harlan, played by Robert Duvall, to help track a Mexican revolutionary leader named Luis Chalma, played by John Saxon.  In his pursuit, Joe must consider what is right and finds that Harlan is not on the level.  Don Stroud, Stella Garcia, James Wainwright, Paul Koslo, Gregory Walcott, Dick Van Patten, Lynne Marta, and many others co-star in this western.  This is not one of Eastwood's best works but is still pretty entertaining in my mind.  It has less action than a lot of Eastwood's westerns but conveys well a morel dilemma with the title character.  This is available on HBO On-Demand.

Wolf Hall (2015):  This is my mini-series for the week and is through PBS and BBC as an episode of MASTERPIECE CLASSIC.  Mark Rylance stars as Thomas Cromwell who was the secretary for Cardinal Wolsey, played by Jonathan Pryce, but after the downfall of Wolsey he becomes an advisor for Henry VIII, played by Damian Lewis.  This was the time where he was in an unwanted marriage with Katharine of Aragon, played by Joanne Whalley, and marry Anne Boleyn, played by Claire Foy.  This shows Cromwell being an idealist and opportunist and must consider how far he is willing to go for the king.  Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Bernard Hill, Hannah Steele, Jessica Raine, Tom Holland, Richard Dillane, Saskia Reeves, Luke Roberts, David Robb, Kate Phillips, Edward Holcroft, Charity Wakefield, Matthieu Amalric, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  This is a well-done series toward the rule of Henry VIII, played very well by Lewis and Foy also does well as the rather conniving Anne Boleyn whose fate most of us know but will not spoil.  This is available on both hoopladigital.com and through Amazon Prime.

Pitfall (1948):  This is my film noir for the week which was directed by Andre De Toth and based on the novel by Jay Dratler.  Dick Powell stars as insurance executive John Forbes who is a family man with a wife, played by Jane Wyatt, and child, played by Jimmy Hunt.  When doing business with femme fatale Mona Stevens, played by Lizabeth Scott, whose boyfriend is in jail and John ends up falling for her.  He gets his private investigator J.B. MacDonald, played by Raymond Burr, involved and he ends up also falling for Mona but becoming more obsessive getting John unexpected consequences.  In a few years from this film, Burr would go onto play his iconic attorney character Perry Mason but before that I saw him play a few rather shady characters like in this film.  He really stole the show in this film as the villain that really gets things going.  This is very well written and the ending was quite different from other film noirs that was really good.  This is available on the website hoopladigital.com and available to most people that have a card to a public library.

Blow-Up (1966):  This is part three of my Vanessa Redgrave trilogy.  Michelangelo Antonioni directed and co-wrote this mystery.  David Hemmings is a successful London photographer named Thomas who meets a mysterious woman to photograph named Jane, played by Redgrave, and in the photos he sees something very suspicious to the point that he believes he might have photographed a murder.  Sarah Miles, John Castle, Jane Birkin, Peter Bowles, Veruschka von Lehn, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good look at the lines between reality and illusion.  Hemmings is great as the photographer trying to piece together what he thinks he might see through things like blowing up on negatives.  Look for the band the Yardbirds who at the time had Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck.  This is also available on the hoopla website.

Lucia (2004):  I end the week with this German short film which was written and directed by Felix Gonnert.  Lucia is a young girl who takes a night trip around the hospital and discovers some X-ray pictures which stimulates her into an unusual place of imagination.  This is a really good and simple story of a girl in the hospital trying to make the most of her stay.  This is available on Amazon Prime and is worth approximate 10 minutes.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ernest Borgnine, Chloe Sevigny, John Wayne, Sidney Poitier, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 613th Edition

Welcome to the 613th Edition of my series.  We have one more show for BURNT PART BOYS.  The show is going well and I look forward to the future.  I'm still unable to find a paid fantasy football league.  I cannot do the paid websites due restrictions in Indiana, among other states so if anyone has a paid league going and need someone else, please let me know.  I will get to my selections for the week.

The Late Shift (1996):  I start the week off with this tv movie that was directed by Betty Thomas and based on the book by Bill Carter.  This is a dramatization of the late night wars of the early '90s when Johnny Carson was retiring and where David Letterman, played by John Michael Higgins, and Jay Leno, played by Daniel Roebuck, would fight over who gets THE TONIGHT SHOW.  Most of the fighting happened between the people behind the scenes and some got rather underhanded to get their way.  Kathy Bates co-stars as Leno's manager Helen Kushnick who was willing to do whatever she had to do for Jay to win.  Treat Williams co-stars as agent Michael Ovitz who Letterman brought in to fight for him.  Bob Balaban, Peter Jurasik, Reni Santoni, John Kapelos, Steven Gilborn, John Getz Lawrence Pressman, David Brisbin, Chichael Chieffo, Nicholas Guest, Rich Little, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  It was good to hear a reference to my town of Muncie, Indiana which is where Letterman attended college at Ball State.  This is a really good look at the late night wars and a good behind the scenes look of the late night world.  This is available on HBO On-Demand.

The Gathering Storm (2002):  This is part two of my potential Vanessa Redgrave trilogy.  This is my political film for the week which was directed by Richard Loncraine and based on an unknown time with Winston and Clemmie Churchill, played by Albert Finney and Redgrave.  This takes place in the '30s where Churchill was out of the government at the time but tried to warn of German rearmament and warned about Hitler.  Jim Broadbent, Linus Roache, Lena Headey, Derek Jacobi, Ronnie Barker, Tom Winkinson, Celia Imrie, Hugh Bonneville, Gottfried John, Anthony Brophy, Edward Hardwicke, Tom Hiddleston, Tim Bentinck, Diana Hoddinott, Dolly Wells, and many others co-star in this film.  I never really knew much about Churchill but Finney brought the character to life very well.  This is also a good look at pre-WWII.  This is available on HBO On-Demand and Amazon Prime.

Hello, My Name is Doris (2015):  Michael Showalter direced this film that is based on Laura Terruso's short film DORIS AND THE INTERN.  Sally Field stars as Doris who appears to be a rather lonely woman and takes a liking to her younger co-worker John, played by Max Greenfield.  After a self-help session, she is inspired to romantically pursue him.  Stephen Root, Tyne Daly, Rich Sommer, Leilani Smith, Peter Gallagher, Natasha Lyonne, Don Stark, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a very cleverly written comedy which goes beyond romantic comedy and is kind of coming of age for the older generation.  I will also say that the self-help seminar was inspired by WWE superstar Bo Dallas who taught us that the word impossible really means "I'm Possible" which is the message in this film and unfortunately Mr. Dallas go no credit in the thanks portion but I guess I will let that go.  This is hard to discuss much further without giving anything away so just watch it on Amazon Prime which is where it is available.

Insect to Injury (1956):  This is my animated short for the week which features Popeye the Sailor Man.  In this one, Popeye is building a home but has a problem and no it is not Bluto this time.  This time it is a a band of termites that keep ruining what he is doing.  He tries frantically to stop them and while needing spinach for strenth, Popeye must rely more on his wits this time instead of just his strength.  This is a rare one where Bluto and Olive Oyl are not involved so it was good to see them stray from the formula with a rather clever story.  This is available on Amazon Prime on Cartoon Classics Volume 2 which as 25 classic cartoons.

Wise Girl (1937):  Leigh Jason directed this romantic comedy.  Miriam Hopkins stars as heiress Susan Fletcher who wants to raise the two daughters of her late sister and finds that in a will, they were placed in custody to their Uncle John, played by Ray Milland, who is leading the bohemian lifestyle.  She finds that she likes that life but is afraid that having the children is keeping him from his potential as an artist leading her to go to court.  Walter Abel, Henry Stephenson, Margaret Dumont, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I did find myself laughing quite a bit at this movie with people trying to adjust to different worlds.  Milland played a much lighter character than usual and did very well in his role.

Frenzy (1972):  Alfred Hitchcock directed this film in which he returned to England after many years and got his first R rating.  In London, there is a serial killer called the "Neck Tie Murderer" and all signs point to Richard Blaney, played by Jon Finch, who did not commit the killings but does not do much to make anyone believe otherwise with his tempered personality.  Blaney goes on the run determined to prove his innocence with the help of girlfriend Babs, played by Anna Massey.  Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Alec McCowen, Billie Whitelaw, Clive Swift, Bernard Cribbins, Michael Bates, Jean Marsh, Madge Ryan, and many others co-star in this film.  I will start by saying, this will not be a murder mystery to watch and try to guess.  We see the murderer at the beginning though I will not reveal who but the story of Richard trying to prove his innocence is very compelling and the journey there is what makes this worth watching.

Colombiana (2011):  This is my guilty pleasure action film for the week.  Zoe Saldana stars as Cataleya whose parents are murdered in front of her as a child.  As a grown-up she learns to be an assassin as she works for her uncle while spending other time pursuing the mobster that killed her parents.  Jordi Molla, Lennie James, Amanda Stenberg, Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Beto Benites, Jesse Borrego, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Callum Blue, Graham McTavish, and many others co-star in this action film.  Luc Besson co-wrote the film without being sued for plagiarism this time and was originally going to be a sequel to the 1994 film LEON:  THE PROFESSIONAL but was scrapped when Natalie Portman moved onto other things so it was rewritten.  This is a pretty decent popcorn movie with some pretty cool action scenes and I liked the scene which takes place in a prison.

Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947):  This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Yasujira Ozu.  This takes place in post-war Japan where a man brings home a lost boy to the tenement.  No one wants to take him in but a bitter and widowed woman named Tane finally takes him in for the night.  She takes him back to his neighborhood but finds his father is no longer there.  She tries to get rid of him but he won't leave her and slowly the boy grows on her.  This is a very touching film showing the lives of these people in this time of Japan.  It is only about 72 minutes long so not very long at all.

Adventures of Mowgli (1973):  I came across this last week after putting together my "Fun and Useless Facts" segment and found that SAUSAGE PARTY actor Ian James Corlett was the American voice for Mowgli in this Russian adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's THE JUNGLE BOOK.  This is another animation film that came after the 1967 Disney film THE JUNGLE BOOK.  This shows Mowgli from childhood and into his adult years.  Dana Delaney, Charlton Heston, Campbell Lane, Scott McNeil, Sam Elliot, and many others co-star in this film.  I found this was every bit as good as anything Disney put out and really liked how this was animated.  All of our animal friends like Baloo, Baheera, Shere Khan, Kaa, among others are there.  It also has a good soundtrack with the film.  I don't know when the American version got made but it is the only version I could find.  It is available to watch on Youtube and deserves more exposure.

Where God Left His Shoes (2007):  I end the week with this holiday film which was written and directed by Salvatore Stabile.  John Leguizamo stars as failed boxer Frank Diaz who is supposed to have a big fight but is taken off making him lose money.  Out of the blue, him and his family are evicted from their home.  They end up in a homeless shelter with Frank taking odd jobs.  They get called to get an apartment but things become complicated when Frank does not have steady employment and must pursue a job.  Leonor Varela co-stars as his wife Angela while David Castro and Samantha M. Rose play their kids Justin and Christina.  I know there are some out there who are in the Christmas 24/7 mode and would possibly watch this.  I know there are others who like Christmas and would want to wait until that time.  I had this on dvd from Netflix so I needed to get it watched not knowing it was a holiday film.  Now I do want to say that this is not a typical holiday movie.  I thought I knew what was going to happen but it might not be as predictable as you think.  This was actually made from IFC films and is not one of those Hallmark movies.  It was actually worth a look in my opinion and really got my brain moving a lot watching this movie.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Evan Rachel Wood, David Carradine, Clint Eastwood, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 612th Edition

Welcome to the 612th edition of my series.  I am taking a paid week off work this work while rehearsing BURNT PART BOYS which plays at the 10 West Center for the Arts on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:30.  For tickets, visit the website http://tenwestcenter.org/burnt-part-boys .  I've enjoyed making Fortville like a second home these last few weeks and look forward to putting on a show.  Not much else happening so I will give my selections for week.

Kill the Messenger (2014):  I start the week with this film based on a true story.  Michael Cuesta directed this film based on the book by Gary Webb, played by Jeremy Renner.  Webb was a journalist who uncovered in the '90s the CIA's past role in importing cocaine into the U.S. to help raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras' Rebel Army.  Despite a lot of pressure, Webb would go onto publish a series called DARK ALLIANCE.  Robert Patrick, Lucas Hedges, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Paz Vega, Barry Pepper, Tim Blake Nelson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Oliver Platt, Andy Garcia, Michael Sheen, Gil Bellows, Dan Futterman, Ray Liotta and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very sad and true story.  Renner might be at his best playing the dedicated journalist in this very sad but true overlooked story.  I don't want to go any further in fear I could give things away so give it a watch if possible.

The Cobweb Hotel (1936):  This is my animated short for the week from Dave Fleischer.  I will say this is a rather weird and in a way quite disturbing animated short.  This centers around a spider that runs a hotel for flies and the spider keeps them captive in a spider web.  It comes down to him messing with the wrong fly which is the "flyweight champion".  This was still very entertaining but just a bit weird which is what I like but other may not like it so much.  This is available on Youtube.

2001:  A Space Odyssey (1968):  I have seen this from time to time but never have gotten that much into it.  This was true until about a couple weeks ago when my local library did a special showing on a bigger screen.  Stanley Kubrick directed this sci-fi film that was based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke.  It starts out with a bunch of apes, then makes one of the biggest cinematic jumps in history to a space ship mission with the very intelligent computer HAL-9000, voiced by Douglas Rain.  I realized when watching it this way that for me it has to be on a big screen.  Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack, Robert Beatty, Ed Bishop, Alan Gifford, Ann Gillis, and many others co-star in this film.  I will let you know, this has the entrance song for Ric Flair so yes they stole his music but I guess I'll let that go.  Watching this on a phone or computer or just an analog tv will not give the feel a big screen has.  When watching this, I started thinking of this movie as a Sci-Fi FANTASIA with the use of a lot of classical music.  It also reminded me of the later director Terrence Malick in his use of making the cinematography and music around the actors which I felt this film from Kubrick did.  The Hal-9000 is thought to be the villain of the film and I always kind of saw him as the tragic hero.  He was just programmed to focus on the mission and had to do what he had to do.  If looking for a linear film that you will understand the whole way through, this is not it.  I do feel though this is something that has things to learn after each viewing but I do not believe that anyone will fully grasp it and that was not their intention.  I also learned that at the premier, 241 people walked out of the theater while the movie was still going likely thinking wtf the whole way through which is what I still do.  The handful of people who saw the movie did not walk out of the library.  I will just in by saying that watching this the way I did was a very mesmerizing experience, especially in the last 20 minutes.  If you have only given this one view and felt dislike, maybe give it another shot, especially on a big screen if possible.

Wizards of the Lost Kingdom (1985):   This is the 10th episode of the new MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 and they picked a good one to bash and riff.  Vidal Patterson stars as boy wizard Simon whose wizard father is overthrown by the evil Shurka, played by Thom Christopher, and must find some magic ring along with some really furry white creature thing and teams up with boozy swordsman Kor, played by Bo Svenson.  I actually kind of thought riff-wise, this was the best episode of the new season.  They had a lot to go on with the bad acting, really bad special effects, costumes left a lot to be desired and really not knowing what sort of creature Simon's furry friend is supposed to be.  Not much else to say except you'll be in B-movie heaven watching this one with or without MST3K.  This is available on Netflix.

The Bad Seed (1956):  Mervyn Leroy directed this film based on the novel by William March and the play by Maxwell Anderson.  Nancy Kelly stars as Christine Penmark who is the mother to a perfectly innocent eight year old girl named Rhoda, played by Patty McCormack, but starts to realize she is a little too perfect and begins to question her on some mysterious deaths that happen around her.  Henry Jones plays the rather dim handyman that may seem slow in the head but sees right through Rhoda and she sees through him forming a bit of a rivalry.  Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart, Evelyn Varden, Paul Fix, Jesse White, and many others co-star in this creepy film.  Last October, I had the pleasure of being in the play as Emory, played by White, which was a very good show and perfect for October.  This was quite ahead of its time as this was a very taboo topic in the era of a murderous child and to add to that a murderous girl.  This one had to pass the Hayes code so wrote a rather different ending that those that have seen that play are used to.  This still holds up in the creepiness factor and can be seen on hoopladigital.com.  Below is a photo of the show I was it last October in Alexandria.

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Pay it Forward (2000):  So far this week I have dealt with the sad, weird, bizarre, creepy, you name it but now I bring it down some and present the more feel good.  Mimi Leder directed this film based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde.  Haley Joel Osment stars as Trevor who deals with an alcoholic mother Arlene, played by Helen Hunt, and his abusing and usually absent father Ricky, played by Jon Bon Jovi.  His new social studies teacher Eugene Simonet, played by Kevin Spacey, has an extra credit assignment on making the world a better place in which Trevor comes up with an interesting idea of the title where you do three people a favor and those people must do three people a favor instead of returning the favor which has very unexpected results towards his family, friends and even people he has never met.  Jay Mohr, Jim Caviezel, Angie Dickinson, David Ramsey, Gary Werntz, and many others co-star in this film.  I did not recognize actor Ramsey who also plays John Diggle in ARROW.  This is a pretty moving story that has in some ways inspired this sort of movement.  This movie can get just about any emotion and is a good watch if looking for something inspirational.

Hot Rod (1950):  This is my car movie for the week.  This takes place in a time when the fast hot rod cars were the big thing.  This centers around a father and his son.  Jimmy Lydon stars as David Langham who wants to get in hot rod craze but is not easy with his father, played by Art Baker, as the local judge and does not feel fast cars are the way to go and is hard to convince.  David finally breaks down and makes a car to race but it gets stolen and the stolen car gets traced back to him making everyone believe it was him.  This was kind of propaganda towards local racing and having a place to do it even if others do no like it.  This is referred to as one of the B movies from Warner Brothers but still a decent hour watch for classic movie buffs and car lovers.

Unfinished Song (2012):  This is part one of a possible Vanessa Redgrave trilogy.  Paul Andrew Williams wrote and directed this film which Redgrave co-stars as the elderly Marion who is part of an unconventional choir group that consists of senior citizens and lead by the energetic Elizabeth, played by Gemma Arterton.  Terence Stamp co-stars as Elizabeth's grumpy and stubborn husband Arthur who slowly gets involved with this group through the persuasion of Elizabeth.  Christopher Eccleston, Orla Hill, and many others co-star in this very inspirational film and a bit of an homage to our senior citizens.  For all you Doctor Who fans, Ecceston was the Doctor Who in 2005.  Stamp does well as a man who slowly finds a passion in himself to help with other things in his life.  I really cannot describe this much in words.  I hope there are more groups like the one in this movie. I also think this could be a really good double feature to go along with the movie THE MUSIC NEVER STOPS which is another one that shows that sometimes music is the best medicine.

The Cheyenne Social Club (1970):  This is my western for the week which was directed by none other than Gene Kelly and based on a novel by David Grubb.  James Stewart and Henry Fonda star as aging cowboys and friends John and Harley.  John gets word his brother has died and inherits the place of the title thinking he now owns a saloon.  He finds out he is very wrong when he gets there and learns it is a brothel that he inherited.  This goes against his own principals and is determined to close it but finds it has a lot of popularity in the town and making him very disliked if he closes it.  Shirley Jones, Sue Ann Langdon, Elaine Devry, Robert Middleton, Arch Johnson, Dabbs Greer, and many others co-star in this western.  This is more of a comedic western with a great duo of Stewart and Fonda with Jones added to the mix very well as essentially the manager of the brothel.  Fonda also sings in the title song.

Sausage Party (2016):  I end the week with this animation film directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon.  This centers around a grocery store where all the food products have feelings and are lead to believe that when they are bought they are lead to the exciting "Great Beyond".  Seth Rogen stars as sausage Frank who dreams of being able to be with his companion bun Brenda, voiced by Kristen Wiig.  Frank is to go to the Great Beyond but Brenda is left behind so Frank goes to great lengths to reunite but learns that there actually is no Great Beyond and the world beyond is full of horrble humans.  Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek, and many others co-star in this animated comedy.  I really did not know much of what to expect watching this one.  It is rated R and is rated that for a reason as this takes adult animation to a whole new level.  This is a spoof towards Disney movies.  There are some music numbers that are written by Alan Menken who is usually a writer for Disney but does his first rated R movie.  This is very funny and can be very graphic at times.  If you offend easy, this is not the one.  This is available on Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for the return of "Fun and Useless Facts".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Kathy Bates, Vanessa Redgrave, Sally Field, Ray Milland, Alfred Hitchcock, Zoe Saldana, Yasujiro Ozu, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I return with this segment and as always I look into actors from different movies to connect so I don't do much interconnections.  I'm sure there is plenty I have missed so if you have anything to lend, place it in the comments.

Jeremy Renner (Kill the Messenger) and Paul Rudd (Sausage Party) fought on Team Cap in the 2016 film CAPTAIN AMERICA:  CIVIL WAR as Hawkeye and Ant-man.

Nancy Kelly (Bad Seed) and Henry Fonda (The Cheyenne Social Club) were in the 1939 film JESSE JAMES.

Jeremy Renner (Kill the Messenger) and Gemma Arterton (Unfinished Song) are the title characters in the 2013 movie HANSEL AND GRETEL:  WITCH HUNTERS.

Henry Jones (Bad Seed) and James Stewart (The Cheyenne Social Club) were in the 1958 film VERTIGO.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Kill the Messenger) and Michael Cera (Sausage Party) were in the 2010 film SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD.

Bo Svenson (Wizard of the Lost Kingdom) and Eileen Heckart (Bad Seed were in the 1986 film HEARTBREAK RIDGE.

Paz Vega (Kill the Messenger) and Jonah Hill (Sausage Party) were in the 2006 film 10 ITEMS OR LESS.

Jesse White (Bad Seed) and James Stewart (The Cheyenne Social Club) were in the 1950 film HARVEY.

Barry Pepper (Kill the Messenger) and Edward Norton (Sausage Party) were in the 2002 film 25TH HOUR.

Kevin Spacey (Pay it Forward) plays Superman's main rival Lex Luthor in the 2006 film SUPERMAN RETURNS.  Terence Stamp (Unfinished Song) plays Superman's Kryptonian rival General Zod in the 1978 film SUPERMAN and the 1980 sequel SUPERMAN II.  Stamp also plays Superman's biological father Jor-El in the tv series SMALLVILLE.  Michael Daingerfield (Sausage Party) plays Superman's most dangerous enemy in Darkseid in the tv series SMALLVILLE.

Barry Pepper (Kill the Messenger) and Kevin Spacey (Pay it Forward) were in the 2010 film CASINO JACK.

Jeannetta Arnette (Pay it Forward), Seth Rogen (Sausage Party), James Franco (Sausage Party), Danny McBride (Sausage Party), Craig Robinson (Sausage Party), Bill Hader (Sausage Party)

Tim Blake Nelson (Kill the Messenger) and Edward Norton (Sausage Party) were in the 2008 film THE INCREDIBLE HULK.

Kevin Spacey (Pay it Forward) plays Clarence Darrow in the 1991 tv movie DARROW.  Henry Fonda (The Cheyenne Social Club) plays Darrow in the 1974 tv movie CLARENCE DARROW.

Tim Blake Nelson (Kill the Messenger) and Jim Caviezel (Pay it Forward) were in the 1998 war film THE THIN RED LINE.

David Ramsey (Pay it Forward) and Dabbs Greer (The Cheyenne Social Club) were in the 1997 action movie CON AIR

Oliver Platt (Kill the Messenger), Michael Cera (Sausage Party), and Bill Hader (Sausage Party) were in the 2009 comedy YEAR ONE.

Michael Cera (Sausage Party) auditioned for the role of Cole Sear in the 1999 film THE SIXTH SENSE which would ultimately go to Haley Joel Osment (Pay it Forward)

Oliver Platt (Kill the Messenger), Michael Sheen (Kill the Messenger) and Patty McCormack were in the 2008 film FROST/NIXON.

Haley Joel Osment (Pay it Forward) does the voice of Mowgli in the 2003 sequel THE JUNGLE BOOK 2.  Ian James Corlett (Sausage Party) does the voice of Mowgli in the English version of the Russian film ADVENTURES OF MOWGLI.

Ray Liotta (Kill the Messenger) and James Franco (Sausage Party) were in the 2010 comedy DATE NIGHT.

Shirley Jones (The Cheyenne Social Club) and Jonah Hill (Sausage Party) were in the 2006 comedy GRANDMA'S BOY.

Ray Liotta (Kill the Messenger) and Seth Rogen (Sausage Party) were in the 2009 comedy OBSERVE AND REPORT.

Mimi Leder (Pay it Forward director) directed Vanessa Redgrave (Unfinished Song) in the 1998 film DEEP IMPACT.

Andy Garcia (Kill the Messenger) and Angie Dickinson (Pay it Forward) were in the 2001 film OCEAN'S ELEVEN.