Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 628th Edition

Welcome to the 628th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and thanks to those that had to work that day no matter what the job.  I am ranked in first place in one of my fantasy football leagues so I hope to continue my success with my 8th win in a row.  I hope everyone has a good holiday season however one might decide to celebrate.  Let's get to the selections for the week.

Impaler (2007):  I start the week out with this documentary which was directed by W. Tray White.  This is a documentary on self-proclaimed vampire Jonathan "The Impaler" Sharkey.  This mainly take a look at his announcement to run for governor in the state of Minnesota.  His platform was to help the farmers and veterans but was very clear that law breakers were to be impaled.  In this, it was also found that he is a former professional wrestler and has some connection to the Indiana area.  I had no idea I was going to see Central Indiana wrestler and wrestling promoter Don Basher who runs the Wild Championship Wrestling Outlaws promotion and while I have never worked on his shows, I have been backstage with him in my times as a ring announcer.  Basher was reflecting on the times he had with Sharkey and talked about how he helped train him in wrestling.  In my times of regularly going to wrestling shows I had never seen this guy so this was rather unexpected.  This was a rather fascinating watch of this man trying to run for political office and to listen to his strange views.

Tarts and Flowers (1950):  This is my animated short for the week which features the character Little Audrey.  In this short she meets the Gingerbread Man who is to be married to an Angel Food cake but the bride kidnapped by the Devil's Food Cake.  This was a pretty cute short film with making characters out of junk food and making Devil's Food Cake into the image of the actual Devil.  You will also see some interesting racial moments which were very common in those days.  This can be found on Amazon Prime as part of "Cartoon Classics Volume 2" which has a lot of other classic animated shorts.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977):  This is part one of a two-part Richard Dreyfuss series.  Steven Spielberg wrote and directed this Sci-Fi classic.  There are a couple different stories going on here that come together.  One is a group of research scientists lead by Claude Lacombe, played by Francois Truffaut, are investigating the strange appearance of items in remote locations and use the Kodaly method of music education as a form of communication.  The other story takes place in my own hometown of Muncie, Indiana.  Richard Dreyfuss stars as Roy Neary who has had a great life with a wife and kids and starts to become obsessed with what he thinks is paranormal activity.  This puts a complication in his marriage but feels he must figure out what is happening.  Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Warren J. Kemmerling, Roberts Blossom, Philip Dodds, Cary Guffey, Adrienne Campbell, Lance Henrikson, Josef Sommer, Carl Weathers, and many others co-star in this film.  With Weathers, he has a small role as an mp and have heard he can only be seen in the theatrical version.  It was really cool seeing this on a bigger screen at screening at my local library.  It was also really cool seeing a movie taking place in my own town even if it did not actually get filmed there.  A production team did visit the town for local details and for props which were mostly at Roy's home.  John Williams also added to this with his music score.  This is a great Sci-Fi film where everything just works and the climax is worth it all.

Future War (1997):  This is my MST3K episode for the week.  I go to an absolute sci-fi classic to this sci-fi bomb that was well done enough to be picked up for a 1999 episode of MST3K with Mike Nelson being at the helm at this point as the imprisoned man forced to watch bad movies.  Daniel Bernhardt stars as a runaway slave from the future that was imprisoned by evil cyborg that escapes and is tracked by the cyborgs as well as dinosaurs.  He is befriended by a prostitute turned nun in Sister Ann, played by Travis Brooks Stewart.  Bernhardt in many ways resembles Van Damme and even seems to emulate his skills.  The effects on the dinosaurs were worse that some '70s movie and there is not much else to say except is is one of the few movies from the '90s to be on MST3K.

Ann Vickers (1933):  This is part one of a two-part Walter Huston series.  John Cromwell directed this film based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis.  Irene Dunne stars as the title character who has the tragedy a baby dying during birth.  She tries to devote herself to making a difference and takes a job at a women's prison in hopes to improve the conditions there but finds that is not easy.  She soon forms an affair with Judge Barney Dolphin, played by Huston, who is also married.  Conrad Nagel, Bruce Cabot, Edna May Oliver, Sam Hardy, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pre-code film and was controversial for having an affair out of wedlock which was a big deal in those days.  Dunne has a great performance as the title character.  This is a must for fans of the early cinema and pre-code.

We Bought a Zoo (2011):  Cameron Crowe directed and co-wrote this film based on a book by Benjamin Mee, played very well by Matt Damon.  Benjamin is a widowed single father whose wife Katherine, played by Stephanie Szostak in flashbacks, has died.  Looking to start over he decides to buy a large house after learning it is also a zoo.  He moves his kids Dylan and Rosie, played by Colin Ford and Maggie Elizabeth Jones, to this place with his daughter loving the move but his son not so happy with it.  There is already a staff there and Benjamin looks to lead the staff to restructure the zoo for reopening but finds this will be a very difficult task as the staff bands together in hopes of saving their zoo.  Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Angus Macfadyen, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit, John Michael Higgins, Carla Gallo, J.B. Smoove, and many others co-star in this film.  For me, this was a very moving film of the real-life Dartmoor Zoo that is still going today.  This is a selection the family can watch and possibly be moved to tears.

Vertigo (1958):  No, this has nothing to do with that U2 song which we learn Bono cannot count to the number four.  This is part three of my James Stewart trilogy which was intended to be a two-parter but then came across this Hitchcock classic that I decided to watch.  Hitchcock directed this film based on the novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac.  Stewart stars as retired detective John Ferguson who was forced to retire due to his acrophobia and vertigo.  Ferguson's old friend Gavin hires him to follow his wife Madeleine, played by Kim Novak, who he fears is going insane and possibly contemplating suicide.  This turns into an obsession with Ferguson over Madeleine and becomes very dangerous for them both.  Barbara Bell Geddes, Henry Jones, and many others co-star in this film.  This is the last of four collaborations between Hitchcock and Stewart.  To describe this further would be giving it away.  This was one of those that was bashed by the critics at first but is now hailed as a classic and many say Stewart's best performance.

Deadpool (2016):  Tim Miller directed this Superhero film which stars Ryan Reynolds who plays Deadpool and spent years trying to get this produced to his vision.  Reynolds stars as Wade Wilson who is a mercenary and dying of cancer until being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and also alters his looks prompting him to come up with a costume.  He becomes a superhero, well more of an anti-hero, going after the man Ajax, played by Ed Skrein, with the reluctant help of X-Men members Colossus, played by Stefan Kapicic, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, played by Brianna Hildebrand.  Karan Soni, Michael Benyaer, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Taylor Hickson, Gina Carano, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a much different superhero movie than all the others that Marvel and DC have been releasing.  One thing Reynolds wanted that he got was for the movie to be rated R so that he could use more violence, profanity, and nudity.  This is also known for breaking the fourth wall where he pretty much knows he is a comic book character and takes jabs at other comic book movies as well as inside jabs at the movie studio.  A lot of parents did not notice the part was rated R and thought it would be like the others where kids can see it and were quite disappointed when that was not the case.  I did go to the theaters to sees this and recall being kind of disappointed there were not any kids at this one and to see the parents overreact.  This also has really good opening credits that mostly make fun of opening credits.  This is more than anything a comedy that make all kinds of pop culture references and many good one-liners.  I look forward to the sequel coming.

A Star is Born (1976):  Frank Pierson directed this remake of of the 1937 and 1954 films.  In 1937, Janet Gaynor stars as aspiring actress Esther trying to make it in Hollywood.  In 1954, Judy Garland stars as more of a Broadway singer.  Now we add Barbra Streisand to the mix where she stars as up and coming songstress Esther Hoffman who falls in love with has been rock star John Norman Howard, played by Kris Kristofferson.  John tries to take a backseat for Esther to shine but finds it is hard to do.  Gary Busey, Oliver Clark, Venetta Fields, Marta Heflin, Sally Kirkland, Paul Mazursky, and many others co-star in this film.  While this is a remake, I feel took a good angle to make it set apart from the others.  Streisand and Kristofferson do a great job together in what is more of a rock musical.  Each version is worth a look so maybe have a triple feature with these movies.

Children of Invention (2009):  I end the week with this independent film which was written and directed by Tze Chun.  Cindy Cheung stars as single mother Elaine Cheng who struggles to make it in life and takes part in pyramid schemes in hope she'll make some quick money.  The children Raymond and Crystal, played by Michael Chen and Crystal Chiu, are left to fend for themselves who also have interesting schemes in hopes of making money.  Stephen Gevedon, Frank Pando, Kieran Campion, Xan Li, Suzan Mikiel, Katie Kreisler, Kathleen Kwan, and many others co-star in this film.  This is more of a character driven independent film which documents the struggles of people trying to make it in life, especially the immigrants and the types of things we are willing to do.  This was a relatively unknown cast but still a very well-done and overlooked film.  This is available on the Hoopla Digital website.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Thomas Jane, Richard Dreyfuss, David Strathairn, Harry Belafante, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 627th Edition

Welcome to the 627th Edition of my series.  There is not much else going on right now.  I am in two fantasy football leagues right now.  There is one that there is no hope and another that I am ranked in second place so I hope to continue my success into that one.  The only other complaint I have is this cold weather we are having but you all know that about me so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Il Divo (2008):  I start the week out with this Italian biopic which was written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino.  Toni Servillo stars as the 41st Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti who was elected after the declaration of independence in 1946 and served until 1992.  This takes a look at the ups and downs of his political career and has a lot of things that remain speculation like his mafia connections.  Anna Bonaiuto, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Giorgio Colangeli, Alberto Cracco, Piera Degli Esposti, and many others co-star in this film.  I had never heard of this man until I watched this movie.  This was a very compelling film to watch of a man who was clearly very corrupt but always managed to stay in power and almost like someone out of a Shakespeare tragedy.  This is available to watch on Hoopla On-Demand.

The Motel (2005):  I follow up with this independent film which was written and directed by Michael Kang.  Jeffrey Chyau stars as the 13 year old Chinese-American Ernest  whose mother owns a small and run-down motel and lives and works there with his mother, sister, and grandfather.  He has trouble connecting with his family and is misunderstood while also going through puberty.  His life changes when he meets self-destructive but charismatic Korean guest Sam Kin, played by Sung Kang.  Jade Wu, Samantha Futerman, Clint Jordan, and many others co-star in this independent film.  This is a good look a family trying to make it in a struggling business and Ernest just trying to become his own person and not wanting to work at the motel all his life.  This was a movie that had no big names but still had very good performances along with a good script.

On Broadway (2007):  I came across this gem for the first time.  Dave McLaughlin wrote and directed this independent film.  New Kids on the Block member Joey McIntyre stars as Boston carpenter Jack O'Toole who becomes devastated when his Uncle Pete, played by Andrew Connolly, dies in an accident.  With no theatrical experience, Jack decides to write a play inspired by his uncle and basing it on his family and friends from the community.  The only stage that he could afford was a back room at a community bar where usually bands play but was still a good place to put on the show.  Jill Flint co-stars as Jack's wife who does not always agree with him but stands by him and helps in every way she can to get the play produced.  Mike O'Malley, Eliza Dushku, Sean Lawlor, Lance Greene, Lucas Caleb Rooney, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, and many others co-star in this independent film.  I have to say, I actually kind of related to this movie and to Jack a little bit.  It was just last month that we finished out murder mystery TO WAKE THE DEAD which was done in a rather unusual setting in the banquet room of the local Amvets.  While I did not write the show, I did do most of the casting and took on many hates like being an actor, an assistant director, and essentially a stage manager.  I also understood all of Jack's struggles like getting all the cast together and them maybe using that room that night so we'd have to go somewhere else.  This shows that a play does not have to be put on in a conventional theater.  Even in Muncie, we have a theater group that puts on shows in the upstairs of a bar and still do a good job.  Anyone involved with local theater really needs to see this one.

As Boys Grow... (1957):  This is my short film for the week and an early educational/entertaining sex education video.  A track coach with a team of boys around 14 years of age decides to give his kids an education about puberty and the male and reproductive systems.  This did not really hold much back but the production quality was pretty laughable.  This among others can be found on Amazon Prime with "Sex Education Films" and probably more to come in the coming weeks.

Of Human Hearts (1938):  This is part two of my two-part James Stewart series and like last week I take an earlier look at Jimmy.  This takes place before and after the American Civil War and centers around a minister's family.  Walter Huston stars as local minister Ethan Wilkins who like everyone in the town is rather poor but it is a community that tries to help each other out.  Stewart co-stars as his son Jason in the adult years while Gene Reynolds plays him in the childhood years.  Much of the film is the rather dysfunctional father/son relationship of people with different values.  Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Charles Coburn, John Carradine, Ann Rutherford, Charley Grapewin, Leona Roberts, Gene Lockhart, Sterling Holloway, and many others co-star in this film.  This is one that takes a look at human behavior and the consequences that can happen and can still resonate today.

Eegah (1962):  This is my MST3K episode for the week where Joel, Tom Servo and Crow are forced to watch this sci-fi B-movie where a caveman named Eegah, played by none other than Richard Kiel, that wreaks havoc in the modern day.  Most probably remember Kiel as the Bond character Jaws in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER but might remember him in the original THE LONGEST YARD as well as the Adam Sandler comedy HAPPY GILMORE.  Also, I do not know how the caveman got into the modern era or how he survived.  It is mostly for laughs and was a good one to force Joel and our favorite robots to watch.  This like all of MST3K is available on Netflix.

Spider-Man:  Homecoming (2017):  I decided to include the Marvel Cinematic Universe for this week.  Fresh off his debut as Spider-Man in CAPTAIN AMERICA:  CIVIL WAR, Tom Holland reprises his role as the teenage Peter Parker who leads a double life in Queens as Spider-Man.  After his experience with the Avengers, he returns home where he lives with his Aunt May, played by Marisa Tomei, and is under the watchful eye of Tony Stark, reprised by Robert Downey Jr., who has Peter as his "intern" at Stark industries.  Stark also provides Peter a more state of the art Spider-Man suit.  He comes across some criminals with some very unusual weapons and learns the leader is Adrian Toomes aka the Vulture, played by Michael Keaton.  Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Tyne Daly, Abraham Attah, Jennifer Connelly, Chris Evans, Martin Starr, and many others co-star or have cameo appearances.  This is our third live-action Peter Parker since 2002 with Tobey Maguire and then by Andrew Garfield but now Spider-Man for the first time is part of the MCU and they took a different approach with him.  I suppose I forgot to name off Reeve Carney who played Spider-Man in the Broadway musical flop SPIDER-MAN:  TURN OFF THE DARK.  Peter Parker in this one is about 14 years of age and I like how he acts more like a teen and very overzealous at times being a superhero at such a young age.  I suppose you could call this the coming-of-age superhero film and is a theme I seem to be focusing a lot upon in this week.  I enjoyed this more non-origin story of Peter Parker just trying to balance his high school life and his superhero life which he found very difficult.

The Burmese Harp (1956):  This is my Japanese film for the week.  Kon Ichikawa directed this film based on the novel by Michio Takeyama.  Shoji Yasui stars as Mizushima who is a Japanese soldier in WWII Burma and disappears from the group after a surrender to the British soldiers.  The rest of the soldiers are trying to figure out what happened to him and try to uncover if he is a monk.  They are correct as he becomes a monk and looks to bury dead Japanese soldiers that he finds.  This is a pretty powerful film which in a sense is on the consequences of war.  The performances, story, imagery and music score work very well in this Japanese classic.

A Clockwork Orange (1971):  Stanley Kubrick directed this adaptation on the novel by Anthony Burgess.  This takes place in future Britain where Malcolm McDowell stars as gang leader Alex De Large.  They go around terrorizing homes but is betrayed and ends up in prison.  To get out early, he agrees to have unusual therapy developed by the government which makes him fear everything he loves which includes violence and even Beethoven.  When he is out, the people that he wronged are out for revenge where he is left defenseless due to his fear of violence.  This was a very bizarre movie to say the least and was quite ahead of its time.  It was so weird that it was originally rated X but in time got down to R.  The imagery was probably the strangest part of this.  There is a scene where Alex is torturing a couple while singing SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and always feel guilty about how much this amuses me.  Apparently Gene Kelly was not amused by how they used the song he is most known for and remained bitter towards McDowell.  I have heard someone say that this is a statement towards the use of psychological drugs.  This is by no means for everyone but is a very well done film on many levels.

Coal Miner's Daughter (1980):  I started the week out with a political biopic and now I end with a music biopic.  Michael Apted directed this film based on the autobiography of Loretta Lynn, played very well by Sissy Spacek.  The title is one of Loretta's biggest hits which is to describe who is and how she grew up.  She grew up the daughter of a coal mining father with quite a few siblings in a poor but loving family.  At the very young age of 13, she marries Doolittle Lynn, played by Tommy Lee Jones, where they start their own family.  Loretta appears to have intended to just be the stay at home mom but some random singing from in the home makes Doolittle believe she has talent and potential.  Levon Helm, William Sanderson, Beverly D'Angelo, Ernest Tubb, and many others co-star in this film.  Tubb plays himself in the biopic and D'Angelo is really good in her small role as Patsy Cline.  I'm not really a big country music fan but respect it enough and still enjoyed this biopic to end the week.

Well, that is it for the week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Richard Dreyfuss, Walter Huston, Scarlett Johansson, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 626th Edition

Welcome to the 626th Edition of my series.  Last week was my 12 year anniversary and I am still going strong.  I'm actually doing really well in one of my fantasy leagues so I hope to continue with that success.  I don't really have a lot going on so I'll just get on with my selections this week.

Normal (2003):  I start the week out with this HBO movie which was directed by Jane Anderson and based upon her own plays.  Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange star as Midwestern married couple Roy  and Irma Applewood.  After the 25th anniversary, Roy announces that he feels he was born the wrong gender and is looking to become a woman.  The family and the community deal with this announcement in different ways and shows the effects of others.  Hayden Panettiere, Richard Bull, Jospeh Sikora, Clancy Brown, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good look at a community dealing with rather surprising news and showing the transition of a man looking to become a woman.  Good performances out of the cast and a really good story.  This one deserves a look.

Elle (2016):  This is my French film for the week.  Paul Verhoeven directed this movie based on the novel by Philippe Djian.  Isabelle Huppert stars as Michele who is the head of a successful video game company and her life changes when is attacked and raped by an unknown assailant.  She does not like going to the police so she tries to investigate it herself where they are both drawn to a very curious game that could spiral out of control.  Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling, Virginia Efira, Judith Magre, Christian Berkel, Jonas Bloquet, Alice Isaaz, Vimila Pons, and many others co-star in this foreign film.  This was intended to be done in the United States but American actresses were declining it so he took the project to France where Huppert was able to successfully lobby for the lead part and many say this is the best performance of her career.  This movie had the suspense and a very compelling story.

Final Fantasy:  The Spirits Within (2001):  Hironobu Sakaguchi directed this animated movie based on the video game series that Sakaguchi also created.  This takes place in the future where Dr. Aki Ross, voiced by Ming-Na Win who looks to find the secrets of a group of alien invaders.  She reluctantly agrees to team up with the Deep Eyes military squadron lead by her old friend Grey, voiced by Alec Baldwin.  Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, Peri Gilpin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Keath David, Jean Simmons, and many others provided their voices to this film.  I won't pretend to know anything on the video game series.  This was still an enjoyable animated sci-fi film and some very good animation.

The Ducktators (1942):  This is my classic animation and WWII propaganda short in hopes people would buy those ever important War Bonds of that era.  This takes jabs at Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito who are all portrayed as ducks in a duckyard and giving brief information of the three.  This was a very funny short and great WWII propaganda.  This can be found on Amazon Prime with Patriotic Cartoon Classics.

The Murder Man (1935):  Tim Whelan directed this crime drama which stars Spencer Tracy as Steve Grey who is a hard-drinking reporter investigating the murder of a shady businessman and believes it was his own business associate Henry Mander, played by Harvey Stephens.  Mander is tried, convicted, and sentenced to death and Grey is assigned to write one last story on him which proves to be a struggle.  Virginia Bruce, Lionel Atwill, Robert Barrat, James Stewart, and many others co-star in this film.  This is Spencer Tracy's first movie under the MGM contract which would be the start of a 20 year career.  This is only about 69 minutes long and is a pretty good short time.  Some really good twists happen and worth seeing James Stewart in an early role.

Catalina Caper (1967):  This is my MST3K episode for the week if that says anything.  This is a beach movie where a bunch of teens try to foil a group of crooks stealing a scroll.  I don't have much else to say on it.  People like Tommy Kirk and Lyle Waggoner star in this movie and Little Richards has a rather forgettable cameo in a song called SCUBA PARTY.  This is one of the earlier episodes of MST3K with Joel Hodgson.  According to Netflix it is season one and episode two but found it is really season three.  Still some fun riffs to watch this movie to and they picked a good one to pick apart.

Into the Wild (2007):  Sean Penn directed this film that is based on the true story of Chris McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch.  McCandless was a graduate of Emory University and has always had it made with fairly wealthy parents, among other things.  He had the world waiting for him and a savings account of $24,000 but decided to donate to charity and hitchhike to Alaska to live in the wilderness.  Along the way, he meets a very diverse group of people to help shape his life.  Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Brian Dierker, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, Hal Holbrook, Zach Galifinakias, and many others co-star in this film.  This has a lot of really nice interactions and I think I like the one with Hirsch and Holbrook the most.  It also has a good original soundtrack from Eddie Vedder.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Bob Matthias Story (1954):  Francis D. Lyon directed this movie that is also based on a true story of the person in the title played by Bob Mathias himself as well as his wife Melba.  Mathias was a California school boy who showed potential in the world of track and field.  Ward Bond co-stars as his high school coach who trains him for the Decathlon and goes onto win two gold medals in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.  This was a time period where a lot of people played themselves in a biopic and this was a pretty good tribute to Mathias in this very low-budget film.

The Wilby Conspiracy (1975):  Ralph Nelson directed this film that takes place in Africa.  Sidney Poitier stars as Shack Twala who after 10 years in prison finally gets released but has a run-in with the police that once again puts him on the run.  His attorney Rina, played by Prunella Gee, and her boyfriend Jim, played by Michael Caine, help him to get away with Jim and Shack on the run together.  They head to Cape Town in hopes to recover a stash of diamonds while on the run.  Saeed Jaffrey, Persis Khambatta, Rutger Hauer, Nicol Williamson, and many others co-star in this film.  I guess you could call this a buddy movie in a sense and it takes that phrase to a new level.  Caine and Poitier prove to be a really good duo in this action thriller.

The Cool School (2008):  I end the week with this documentary which was directed by Morgan Neville.  Jeff Bridges narrates this documentary that takes a look at the art scene in Los Angeles in the 50s and 60s.  This mostly takes a look at the Ferus Gallery that was founded by Walter Hopps in 1957 and formed a lot of offbeat art from scratch and gave rise to Andy Warhol.  The documentary interviews a lot of the artists like Hopps, Irving Blum, Larry Bell, and even actors like Dean Stockwell and Dennis Hopper.  This is a pretty good documentary surrounding the art world.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

Well, that is it for this week but have returned with the segment of "Movie Night at the Shera".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Little Shop of Horrors (1986):  This classic musical was included on my 12 year edition on last week's feature.  When I went to see Shera's daughters in their high school production THE SOUND OF MUSIC, I brought this up in conversation likely suggesting that should be their future show.  I also mentioned that this was the Director's Cut version which is quite a bit different than she is used to and ends more like the stage version.  It has been awhile since we have been able to get together with her job and I showed her the Director's Cut of this musical along with her youngest daughter who showed some interest in the movie.  Frank Oz directed this popular musical from Howard Ashman and Alan Menken that is always a sure winner in the community theater world.  This takes place in the very poor town of Skid Row where Rick Moranis stars as the nerdy and bumbling Seymour Krelborn who works at the struggling flower shop owned by Mr. Mushnik, played by Vincent Gardenia, which also employs Seymour's friend and crush Audrey, played by Ellen Greene, who is in a very abusive relationship with the unscrupulous dentist Orin, played by Steve Martin.  Things change for them when Seymour buys a very mysterious plant that he calls the Audrey II, voiced the Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops, whose presence wins them more business but at a price when the plant shows a lust for blood making Seymour question how far he should go to continue the success.  Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray, and many others co-star or have cameos.  This is a remake of Roger Corman's 1960 b-movie of the same name which I still watch from time to time feeling I need to give credit where credit is due for this musical.  Those who have seen the stage version and this movie version are aware that the endings are quite different and that is because they were forced to make the ending by the producers but Oz had shot the alternate ending that resembles the more dark ending that happens in the stage version and is now available on dvd as the Director's Cut.  A lot of the time that phrase "Director's Cut" does not mean much but in this case it means everything to me.  Now for Shera who is used to the original movie ending was thrown for quite a loop at the darker ending.  This is one of the few musicals that I really want to do.  I tried out for it years ago and went for Seymour while realizing I went for the wrong part and should have gone for the voice of Audrey II.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 625th Edition aka the 12 Year Anniversary and the Madness: 10 Years- Week 4

Welcome to the 625th Edition of my series and yes you read that correctly, 12 years.  How have you managed some might ask and I really have no answer except this is just something I enjoy doing each week and exploring what is out there.  I was going to do a theme with this but I got too busy with my show and the Madness that I just did something a little more conventional and even had some selections I used for the Madness.  This started during the days of Myspace and has gone on since then.  I just want to thank everyone who has supported me through the years from old to new.  I also have my last week of the Madness in this edition.

American Crime Story (2016):  I start this off with this FX mini-series so technically not a movie but I make the rules so I can decide.  This is a mini-series based on the "Trial of the Century" with the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., who was accused and ultimately acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her boyfriend Ronald Goldman.  Sarah Paulson, Courtney B. Vance, John Travolta, Kenneth Choi, Christian Clemenson, Bruce Greenwood, Nathan Lane, David Schwimmer, Annette Bening, Matthew Broderick, Darren Criss, Penelope Cruz, Max Greenfield, Edgar Ramirez, Rob Morrow, Jordana Brewster, Evan Handler, Cheryl Ladd, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Selma Blair, Connie Britton, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  I remember being in middle school when this very publicized trial was going on practically making many of these people into celebrities when it was all said and done which unfortunately include the Kardashians who were just kids at the time.  I also noticed that they gave a lot of attention to detail making me feel like I was pretty much reliving this period of time.  This includes the actors were cast pretty well to their parts especially Courtney B. Vance as Johnny Cochran.  Even actor Joseph Siravo who has a very small role as Fred Goldman might have some people thinking he was very over the top but I remember those interviews and Siravo was very spot on as Goldman.  Even things like the camera angles from the televised spots were quite accurate as I recall.  This is ten episodes long and each are usually specific on what they focus upon like some are centered around the large defense team whose egos could not co-exist, the prosecution's ups and downs, even a couple episodes centered around the jury.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986):  Frank Oz directed this popular musical from Howard Ashman and Alan Menken that is always a sure winner in the community theater world.  This takes place in the very poor town of Skid Row where Rick Moranis stars as the nerdy and bumbling Seymour Krelborn who works at the struggling flower shop owned by Mr. Mushnik, played by Vincent Gardenia, which also employs Seymour's friend and crush Audrey, played by Ellen Greene, who is in a very abusive relationship with the unscrupulous dentist Orin, played by Steve Martin.  Things change for them when Seymour buys a very mysterious plant that he calls the Audrey II, voiced the Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops, whose presence wins them more business but at a price when the plant shows a lust for blood making Seymour question how far he should go to continue the success.  Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray, and many others co-star or have cameos.  This is a remake of Roger Corman's 1960 b-movie of the same name which I still watch from time to time feeling I need to give credit where credit is due for this musical.  Those who have seen the stage version and this movie version are aware that the endings are quite different and that is because they were forced to make the ending by the producers but Oz had shot the alternate ending that resembles the more dark ending that happens in the stage version and is now available on dvd as the Director's Cut.  A lot of the time that phrase "Director's Cut" does not mean much but in this case it means everything.  I think this is the only version I'll be able to watch from here on out.

Empire Records (1995):  Allan Moyle directed this record store comedy.  This centers around an independent record store and the lives of each employee as well as their biggest concern is that the store will not make it and will be bought by a corporate store.  The employees must all band together in hopes of saving what they do not want to be corporate.  Anthony LaPaglia stars as the very lenient owner Joe Reaves who struggles with decisions he must make.  Maxwell Caulfield, Debi Mazar, Rory Cochrane, Johnny Whitworth, Robin Tunney, Renee Zellweger, Ethan Embry, Coyote Shivers, Brendan Sexton III, Liv Tyler, and many others co-star in this film.  It's hard to really describe this further.  I know kids of the '90s can mostly relate to this film that is more driven by the characters as well as its '90s soundtrack

Son of Frankenstein (1939):  This is the 3rd in the classic Universal series and it was also the last time Boris Karloff would play Frankenstein's monster.  It was also the last in the series before Universal started combining characters like Dracula and the Wolf Man.  Basil Rathbone stars as Wolf Von Frankenstein who brings his wife and son back to the town where his name is hated because of his father's creation.  Wolf has the idea to recreate the creature but try to see to his father's vision of creating a good person.  Soon, murders start to happen making the village believe the Monster is back to killing and Frankenstein must figure out what is behind these murders.  Bela Legosi co-stars as Ygor who is the assistant of Dr. Frankenstein and appears to have his own agenda.  Lionel Atwill and Josephine Hutchison co-star in this rather underrated sequel in my opinion.  This also might be Legosi's best performance of his career.  Rathbone did a good job of continuing where Colin Clive left off.  This is available to watch on the Hoopla Digital website.

Star Wars:  Episode IV- A New Hope (1977):  George Lucas directed this sci-fi film that started quite the phenomenon.  I know just about everyone who has wanted to see this has by now and there are those who are not afraid to tell us they have never seen them which I doubt I will convince so I'm not even going to try.  I suppose I could target any of the younger generation whose parents might be close minded to give this a shot.  Maybe get some of your friends and have a STAR WARS party.  I'll just give a basic plot of the characters of Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Alec Guinness, Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford, the wookie Chewbacca, played by Peter Mayhew, and the droids C-3PO, played by Anthony Daniels, and R2-D2, played by Kenny Baker, all come together in order to rescue Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher, from the empire lead by Darth Vader, in costume by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones.  Again, what more can I say that will convince those that have not seen this to finally break down and watch it?  Phil Brown, Shelagh Fraser, Peter Cushing, and many others co-star in this film.  I know that Lucas nor any of the actors would ever foresee this becoming what it is today and is still going through many other movies, tv series, books, video games, just to name a few.

The Killer Shrews (1959):  I decided to bring a b-movie into the mix and brought this movie that takes place on a remote island by a hurricane where there is a hurricane and even worse some shrews that have been genetically modified to be bigger and extremely deadly.  What more do I need to say really?  The shrews are sometimes puppets but when close up they are dogs.  Mostly watch this for what it is, a b-movie and it is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving (2008):  With this being the first week of November, I just wanted to remind everyone that this month is November.  This is a tv movie that is based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott of LITTLE WOMEN fame.  Helene Joy stars as the widowed mother Mary whose family has fallen on hard times since her husband died but does what she can to pull through.  She has an estranged mother in Isabella, played by Jacqueline Bisset, who she will not ask for any help so her daughter Tillie, played by Tatiana Maslany, takes it upon herself to write her grandmother and in turn she unexpectedly shows up.  Kristopher Turner, Ted Atherton, Vivien Endicott Douglas, Gage Munroe, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  This is a Hallmark movie so don't expect anything suspensful and intense.  I know this movie has its audience so if looking for something on Thanksgiving, this is a good place to start.

Godzilla (1954):  Ishiro Honda directed this Japanese film that started it all and like my other feature of STAR WARS started quite a phenomenon with with the iconic giant lizard Godzilla.  In this film, nuclear testing results in a Godzilla who begins to wreak havoc all over the place.  Takashi Shimura, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, and many others co-star in this film.  This is the one as I said started it all and has not been topped.  Since this one, there have been some sequels and battles with many others Japanese creatures like Mothra and King Ghidorah.  There have also been quite a few remakes of this movie including a reworked American version of this one.  These are usually pretty enjoyable but don't forget this one that got things started, I don't think I need to say much more.

The Panic in Needle Park (1971):  Jerry Schatzberg directed this film based on the book by James Mills.  This movie is centered around a group of heroin addicts that frequent  the "Needle Park" section of New York.  Al Pacino stars as Bobby who is an addict and small-time hustler forming a relationship with a homeless girl named Helen, played by Kitty Winn, who forms her own addiction leaving a very complicated relationship between the two.  Alan Vint, Richard Bright, Kiel Martin, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Raul Julia, and many others co-star in this film.  This could be referred to as Al Pacino's transitional star-making role.  Francis Ford Coppola saw this movie and found his Michael Corleone in THE GODFATHER that came out the next year.  Coppola had to fight the producers which wanted a more known actor at the time.  This is a very good early performance from Pacino that really deserves a look.  This is available on Netflix.

My Name is Jerry (2009):  I end this edition with this independent film which was shot in my own town of Muncie, Indiana and one where I was actually an extra.  This was not really planned but found the dvd at my local library and thought it was time to revisit this one.  This was shot through Ball State University where they asked their own alum Doug Jones to star in the title role.  Morgan Mead directed this independent film where Jones stars as Jerry who is a door to door salesman who did not know what to do with his life until he met a girl named Jordan, played by Katlyn Carlson, and a group of college age kids that make him go through a phase of reliving youth.  Don Stark, Catherine Hicks, Jonathan Keaton, and many others co-star in this film.  For those who are not sure of who Doug Jones is, he is known for roles like Abe Sapien in the HELLBOY films, Silver Surfer in FANTASTIC 4:  RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER, Fauno and Pale Man in PAN'S LABYRINTH, and Billy Butcherson in HOCUS POCUS so he is in rare human form in this movie.  He is also part of the Star Trek world as Saru in the new series STAR TREK:  DISCOVERY.  I got to meet him a couple of times and is a very pleasant man to be around.  It was also cool watching this movie and knowing most of the places and recognizing a few people.  I have a couple photos on the bottom, one of me which is unfortunately my side profile in the funeral scene which happened at.  I am to the left of the tree and you will see a beard.  The other one is of my friend Olivia who I did not know at the time but when watching this I recognized her right away at this scene which was at the time Doc's and is the girl to the right.  This used to be available for streaming on Netflix but is no more.  It is available for rental on Amazon Prime.

Well, that is it for this week.  Continue on for the last week of this Year's Madness and stay tuned for next week.

This is the last week of the Madness in which I thought I was going to have to release this on Thursday but learned I have until today so I decided to go ahead and combine the two.

ALIEN INVASION

Attack the Block (2011, 98 minutes, 666):  I believe this sci-fi British comedy should qualify due to the nature of the aliens.

Final Fantasy:  The Spirits Within (2001, 106 minutes, 66 1/2):  This is an animated movie based on the video game.  I feel the aliens are scary enough to make this one count.

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ANNA KENDRICK

Anna is not a wild card but found a couple selections with her so decided upon a category for her.

Into the Woods (2014, 125 minutes, 666):  Anna co-stars as Cinderella in this adaptation of the Sondheim musical.  This has a witch, giant and wolf so should not be hard to get qualified.  I have seen this musical quite a few times and while this had its flaws, I did really like the casting of it.

Trolls (2016, 92 minutes, 66 1/2):  Anna stars as lead troll Poppy.  This is based on those toys that were very popular at least during our childhood.  This is a really fun one for the family to watch.  Has a lot of music numbers with popular songs, some worked and some didn't in my opinion.  I feel this should qualify as a creature feature.

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BILL SKARSGARD

Last week I featured his father Stellan in some selections so I thought I'd look for a selection of his to keep my King of the Loophole title as his family are all billed as Wild Cards.

Simon and the Oaks (2011, 122 minutes 66 1/2):  Bill stars in this coming of age WWII drama making this movie count in this year's madness.

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CHRISTOPHER SMITH

Christopher is a director and he is not a wild card but I found a couple common selections from him so he became a Madness category for the week.

Black Death (2010, 102 minutes, 66 1/2):  This movie centering around the Black Death which has some witching and some bringing back from the dead so should count for the contest.

Triangle (2009, 99 minutes, 66 1/2):  This horror movie takes part on a ghost cruise ship where a group of people are hunted down and nothing is what it seems.

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CREATURE FEATURES

Gojira (1954, 96 minutes, 666 1/2):  The introduction to the iconic creature which at this time was a statement towards nuclear weapons.  Godzilla would go onto take on many other creatures along with remakes.  No argument needed here.

The Killer Shrews (1959, 69 minutes, 66):  This has some very violent shrews in this B Movie.

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ETHAN EMBRY

Ethan is a wild card this year so I can make any movie of his count.

Empire Records (1995, 90 minutes, 666):  Ethan plays the part of Mark though at the time billed as Ethan Randall.  This cult comedy of the local record store counts this year as a wild card

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GEMMA ARTERTON

Gemma is a wild card this year so I thought I'd find something of hers to count for only this year.

Gemma Bovery (2014, 99 minutes, 666):  Gemma plays the title character that happens to share the same first name.  This is a movie that centers around the obsession of a book and would not usually count but does this year.

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JESSICA LANGE

Jessica is a wild card this year so anything of hers counts.

American Horror Story:  Dark Cousin (2012, 42 minutes, 666)

American Horror Story:  Unholy Night (2012, 42 minutes, 666)

American Horror Story:  The Coat Hanger (2012, 42 minutes, 666)

American Horror Story:  The Name Game (2012, 42 minutes, 666)

American Horror Story:  Spilt Milk (2012, 42 minutes, 666)

American Horror Story:  Continuum (2012, 42 minutes, 666)

American Horror Story:  Madness Ends (2012, 42 minutes, 666):  Seven episodes of AHS which always count but don't have to make any sort of argument thanks to Jessica Lange.

Normal (2003, 110 minutes, 666):  This is my Jessica Lange loophole this week where she plays a wife who learns that her husband of many years wants to be a man.

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JOEL EDGERTON

Joel is a wild card for this year so I decided to look for a little something of his.

Saturn's Return (2001, 26 minutes, 666):  This is an early short film for Joel Edgerton that counts this year since Joel Edgerton is a wild card.

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LIONEL ATWILL

Lionel is not a wild card but was a very respected actor of the 30s and 40s and happened to have a couple Universal films of his.

House of Dracula (1945, 67 minutes, 66):  This should get bonus points due to having Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's Monster.

Son of Frankenstein (1939, 99 minutes, 666):  One of the more underrated in the series in my opinion.  Like the other selection in this category, Lionel stars as a police officer of some sort.  Karloff's last appearance as the creature and possible Bela Legusi's best performance of his career as Ygor.

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MALCOLM MCDOWELL

Malcolm is a wild card this year so anything of his counts.

Caligula (1979, 156 minutes, 66 1/2):  I don't know what to say about this one.  Malcolm plays Caligula and if you can get past what is pretty much porn, it is a pretty good portrayal of the psychotic Roman emperor.  A little bit a bonus point for the movie time.

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MUSICAL MADNESS

Little Shop of Horrors (1986, 102 minutes, 666 1/2):  This movie musical based on the 1960 Roger Corman counts and goes without saying with the carnivorous plant.  I also want to say, this is the director's cut version that director Frank Oz originally wanted which has an ending more like the stage version that is far more dark than than the original version which was forced to do a more happy ending on account of the producers.  I think this is now the only version of the film I will watch.

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PETER CUSHING

This horror legend counts this year for automatic triple points and is essentially a wild card.

Asylum (1972, 88 minutes 66 1/2):  This would count any year but having Peter part of this ensemble cast makes it count without any argument and I get automatic triple points for Cushing.

Star Wars:  Episode IV- A New Hope (1977, 121 minutes, 666 1/2):  This does not usually count for the Madness unless we count all Sci-fi but does count this year thanks to Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin so Triple points for this one.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS

Elle (2016, 130 minutes, 666):  I know I won't get this argued through the psychological thriller element.  What I do want to argue is this takes place at a place where they make video games and there is footage of a game in parts of the movie where a demon type creature makes a very brutal killing and it is in the full part of the screen.

The Return (2006, 85 minutes, 66):  I didn't really know how to categorize this one but still horror of having nightmares of a past murder.

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RON PERLMAN

Ron is not a wild card but had a couple with him so I decided to make him into a category

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016, 133 minutes, 666):  This also has witches and wizards and many other things that should make this count for the Madness.  Perlman has more of a cameo as Gnarlack.

Hellboy II:  The Golden Army (2008, 120 minutes, 666):  This easily counts, Ron plays the title character.  This also co-stars Doug Jones and Selma Blair who were both featured in my recommendation section in non-Madness selections but I hope to make Mr. Jones into a future wild card.

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VAMPIRES

Vampire Killers (2009, 86 minutes, 66):  This is a vampire comedy so no argument needed to qualify this one.

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WINONA RYDER

Winona counts this year and this week have more of a conventional Madness selection.

Beetlejuice (1988, 92 minutes, 666 1/2):  This is a Halloween cult classic that counts any year but includes our wild card of this year in Winona Ryder.

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Well, that is the end of the Madness for this year.  This is always my favorite part of the Halloween season and look forward to it every year.  I hope for next year, they will consider the category I've wanted to do for a long time which is WOMEN OF HORROR.  Come on Liz.......