Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 637th Edition

Welcome to the 637th Edition of my series.  Some changes happened at my workplace where I now work from home so I'm hoping to make that work and not have the commute I've had for over a decade.  Tonight is the Royal Rumble on which I have money on for both the men's battle royal and the women's battle royal but I won't know until my number comes out so that would be cool to win if I can.  Next week is the Super Bowl so not much else is going on right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010):  Edgar Wright directed this film based on the character from the graphic novels.  Michael Cera stars as the title character who is still trying to recovery from being dumped and takes an interest in a girl named Ramona Flowers, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, even when dating a younger girl in Knives Chau, played by Ellen Wong.  That part is difficult enough but Ramona has seven ex-lovers that Scott must battle and defeat to win Ramona while also being in the Battle of the Bands with his own local band.  Allison Pill, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Kieran Culkan, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Don McKellar, Brie Larson, Mae Whitman, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Hader, and many others co-star in this film.  This had a lot of really good action and comedy with Cera perfectly cast as the nerdy title character and some fun video game looking fight scenes.

Elaine Stritch:  Shoot Me (2013):  This is my documentary for the week which features actress Elaine Stritch who is a Tony and Emmy award winning actress.  This mostly goes into her preparation for her one woman Broadway show and talk about aging, her alcoholism, among other things.  It also shows some footage of her stint on the sitcom 30 ROCK.  Tina Fey, James Gandolfini, Cherry Jones, Nathan Lane, Tracy Morgan, Harold Prince, John Turturro, and many others are featured in this documentary.  If you are looking for an absolute life story, this is not the one to see.  She goes into some of her past but most of the focus is on this present time.  This is a pretty insightful and entertaining documentary on someone who holds nothing back in the way of opinions.  Since this documentary was made, Elaine has passed away in the year after the release of this documentary.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Infernal Affairs (2002):  This is my Hong film for the week which was co-directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. Tony Leung stars as Chen Wing Yan who is an undercover cop infiltrating the Triads which is essentially the Chinese Mafia.  Andy Lau, not the same as the director, stars as Inspector Lau Kin Ming who is also a mole but one assigned by the Triad to infiltrate the police force where both are pretty much trying to uncover each other.  Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Kelly Chen, Sammi Cheng, Edison Chen, and many others co-star in this film.  This plot might sound a bit familiar and this is the film that would inspire the American remake in Martin Scoresese's 2006 film THE DEPARTED which is really good in its own right but credit must be given where credit is due in this modern-day classic Asian film.

The Great Library Misery (1938):  This is my comedy short for the week.  Arthur Q. Bryan stars as Mr. Smith who is looking to join the Grouch Club and tells his story of the trouble he went through in order to get a library card.  This has some really funny moments and when watching this, some will think that guy sounds like Elmer Fudd which is true, Bryan is known for the Looney Tunes icon.  I guess this was a real-life club that was featured on a radio station.

Pather Pancholi (1955):  This is my Indian film for the week which was directed by Satyajit Ray and is the first of his Apu trilogy so maybe the inspiration for the name of character on THE SIMPSONS.  Subir Banerjee plays the young Apu who is a child in a small and poor Indian family.  His father Harihar, played by Kanu Bannerjee, dreams of a better life to the point of leaving to pursue his aspirations.  Karuna Bannerjee and Uma Das Gupta co-star in this film.  This is more of a movie driven by characters and a family sticking together through the struggles.  This was a pretty moving film and if okay with subtitles really deserves a watch.  I could be using the rest of the series in the coming weeks.

Fantastic Planet (1973):  This is my French animated movie for the week which is more adult animation and based on a novel by Stefan Wul.  This takes place on a planet called Ygam which is dominated by giant blue aliens called Draags and the slaves are what we call Oms which are much smaller and human like creatures.  This centers around an Om named Terr which is a pet but he escapes as he gets older and encounters a group of other Oms that are being sought after.  They look to plan a revolt against the Draags.  This is some very unknown and interesting sci-fi animation.  I had never heard of this until I came across it at my local library.  Fans of dark animation should really enjoy this one.

Wonder Woman (2017):  This is my superhero movie for the week which was directed by Patty Jenkins.  Gal Gadot reprises her part as the Amazon in this origin story.  This starts on a sheltered island of warrior women where Diana meets a pilot named Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, during WWII who explains the war happening around them and making Diana decide she wants to leave with him convinced she can help stop the war.  She takes on a much deeper threat and learns about her abilities in her help in the war efforts.  Connie Nielson, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, Eugene Brave Rock, Lucy Davis, Elena Anaya, Lilly Aspell, Emily Carey, and many others co-star in this film.  I thought this was a pretty good entry into the DC Universe and really like Gadot as Wonder Woman.  I'm sure many have seen this one and this is the most subjective genre in film and television so the phrase "cannot impress everyone" is quite the understatement.  For me, it was some really good action and origin story as well as being a lot of fun.

Jack Frost (1965):  This is my MST3K selection for the week where they are to watch a Russian fairy tale.  I don't even know where to start with this one.  This is about a young woman with a tyrannical mother and has to go along with many really strange trials to be with her man who is at one point transformed into a bear and goes against some really ruthless trees.  To be fair, this is more oriented towards children and Russia has some pretty strange fairy tale movies which I learned after watching their version of THE LITTLE MERMAID which was made in the '70s.  The actual title more this movie is FROSTY and JACK FROST is the name for the English dubbed version so maybe if I saw the Russian version it would be a bit better.  Either way, this is available to watch on Netflix like many other episodes of MST3K.

Angels in the Outfield (1951):  This is my baseball movie for the week and no you are not seeing the incorrect year.  Many will remember that fun 1994 movie which is a remake though both have fairly different stories like the remake focuses on the California Angels while this featured one takes a look at a struggling Pittsburgh Pirates team.  It also has a different variation of a rather silmilar storyline.  Paul Douglas stars as Coach Guffy McGovern who coachesthe struggling team.  Janet Leigh co-stars as reporter Jennifer Paige who is assigned an article on why the Pirates are struggling so much and ties it into their rather verbally abusive manager.  Soon Guffy hears voices of angels which promise him wins if he mends his ways.  Keenan Wynn, Donna Corcoran, Lewis Stone, Spring Byington, and many others co-star in this baseball comedy.  Both versions are both funny while being rather touching at the same time.

Point Break (1991):  I end the week with this action packed guilty pleasure and what I now call the pre-FAST AND THE FURIOUS, more on that later.  Kathryn Bigelow directed this film which stars Keanu Reeves as F.B.I. agent Johnny Utah who has just joined an L.A. unit.  His partner is none other than Gary Busey who plays Pappas and has been investigating a series of bank robberies of a group what wears the masks of former presidents.  For certain reasons, he believes they are surfers and suggests Johnny infiltrate a group of surfers.  Patrick Swayze co-stars as the care-free Bodhi who leads this group and Johnny gets more drawn into his lifestyle.  Lori Petty, John C. McGinley, James Le Gros, Anthony Kiedis, Lee Tergeson, and many others co-star in this surfing crime movie.  About my comparison to THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, I mostly say this because the relationship between Johnny Utah and Bodhi kind of reminded me of the iconic duo of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel which was a cop infiltrating a crime ring.  This was a pretty enjoyable way to close out this edition.  I mean we get Gary Busey, surfing action, bank robbing, I don't think we could ask for much more and maybe have a double feature following up with the first of the Fast franchise to maybe understand my comparison.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ving Rhames, Philip Baker Hall, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 636th Edition

Welcome to the 636th Edition of my series.  Nothing really new going on at the moment but I have a few plays I have my eyes on for April so hopefully I'll be making an announcement with one of those soon.  I will get to my selections for the week.

The Croods (2013):  I start the week out with this animated film from Dreamworks and part four of my four-part Catherine Keener series.  The Croods are a family of Cavemen lead by the patriarch Grug, voiced by Nicolas Cage, who keeps the family in caves and goes by some very strict rules hoping to keep his family alive.  His daughter Eep, voiced by Emma Stone, is more free-spirited and does not like being sheltered.  Soon, their cave is destroyed and must trek through an unfamiliar world along with a resourceful human Eep meets named Guy, voiced by Ryan Reynolds.  Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke, Chris Sanders and Randy Thom provide their voices.  This was a pretty fun movie to watch and is a good one for the family to watch together as it really promotes teamwork and sticking together while also showing being overprotective may not be the answer.

Changing Lanes (2002):  This is part two of my two-part Toni Collette series.  Roger Michell directed this thriller of two men who are the last people anyone want to have problems with and they have a misunderstanding that pit them against each others.  Ben Affleck stars as hotshot attorney Gavin Banek and Samuel L. Jackson stars as insurance salesman and recovering alcoholic Doyle Gipson.  Together, they have a small wreck where Doyle wants to do everything by the book but Gavin is in a big hurry so he just bribes him and leaves while also accidentally giving Doyle a very important legal document in a legal case which he uses as leverage for Gavin.  This starts a series of very manipulative activities.  Collette, Sydney Pollack, Kim Staunton, Tina Sloan, Richard Jenkins, Ileen Getz, Jennifer Dundas, Matt Malloy, Amanda Peet, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Bruce Altman, Joe Grifasi, William Hurt, John Benjamin Hickey, Dylan Baker, Cole Hawkins and many others co-star in this film.  While being a very dark movie, when getting through it, the film really has a good message where these two men slowly realize that each of them have addictive personalities that bring out the worst in themselves.

Sicario (2015):  This is part three of my three-part Benicio Del Toro series.  Denis Villeneuve direted this film that takes a look at the world of the drug cartel.  Emily Blunt stars as idealistic FBI agent Kate Macer who is recruited to the Department of Justice special joint task force overseen by Matt Graver, played by Josh Brolin, to apprehend a big time drug lord.  She gets more than she bargained for when meeting Matt's partner Alejandro Gillick, played by Del Toro, whose methods and motivations are very questionable.  Victor Garber, John Bernthal, Daniel Kaluuya, Jeffrey Donovan, Raoul Max Trujillo, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Hank Rogerson, Bernardo Saracino, Maximiliano Hernandez, Kevin Wiggins, Edgar Arreola, Kim Larrichio, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty hard movie to describe beyond what I already have described.  It shows the gray areas in the world of the drug cartel and is a pretty compelling film with a good performance from Del Toro.

Felix All Puzzled (1925):  This is my animated short for the week and a pretty old one at that which features Felix the Cat.  Obviously this is silent short and in this one, Felix is hungry but his owner is busy trying to finish a crossword puzzle and has one left which is a question that involves Russia making Felix go to Russia in order to get that answer.  Obviously if we are really technical, how does Felix get to Russia in such a quick amount of time and if he is that resourceful how did he not find anything along the way but if you are not too serious about that part, this is a pretty funny three minute short film which covers quite a bit of ground in such a short time.  This is available on anything public domain and can likely be found on Youtube.

Capricorn One (1977):  I found this when I was in the library and it seemed rather interesting so I decided to give it a shot.  Peter Hyams wrote and directed this film that centers around N.A.S.A. and in a really dark way.  James Brolin, Sam Waterston, and O.J. Simpson as astronaut trio Charles Brubaker, Peter Willis, and John Walker who are just about to go up to the first manned mission at Mars only to be pulled out of the ship right before takeoff being informed they did not have the necessary funding to fix a faulty support system.  They reluctantly take part in a plan to fake the mission and claim it really happened for purposes of the general public.  Elliot Gould co-stars as investigative journalist Robert Caulfield starts an investigation when things do not look right to him.  Brenda Vaccaro, Hal Holbrook, Karen Black, Telly Savalas, David Huddleston, David Doyle, Lee Bryant, Denise Nicholas, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a fictional film and put in during an era where conspiracy films were on the rise so they evidently needed around the space industry.  I had no idea what to expect but ended up being a pretty compelling film.

Railroaded! (1947):  Anthony Mann directed this crime drama which stars Jane Randolph as femme fatale Clara Calhoun who works for a beauty salon is able to get her mob boyfriend Duke Martin, played by John Ireland, to stage a robbery but things go wrong and they arrange to frame their driver Steve, played by Ed Kelly, which is not believed by his sister Rosie, played by Sheila Ryan.  Hugh Beaumont co-stars as homicide detective Mickey Ferguson who investigates the murder but believes Steve is guilty despite his attraction to Rosie.  Clancy Cooper, Hermine Sterler, Keefe Brasselle, and many others co-star in this film noir.  This is a pretty good B list film noir that is worth a look.

The Virgin Suicides (1999):  Sofia Coppola directed this film which is based on the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides.  A group of male friends become obsessed and curious about five sisters, played by Kirsten Dunst, A.J. Cook, Hanna Hall, Leslie Hayman, and Chelse Swain, that are mostly sheltered by their strict and overprotective parents, played by James Woods and Kathleen Turner.  Josh Hartnett, Robert Schwartzman, Jonathan Tucker, Hayden Christensen, Michael Pare, Scott Glenn, Danny DeVito, and many others co-star in this film while Giovanni Ribisi was the voice of the narrator.  This is one of those that is really hard to put into words.  It takes place in '70s in the suburbs of Detroit and shows a certain darkness of the suburban life and what can happen with overprotective parenting.  I'll just end it with the title really says it all so this is not for the faint of heart.

M (1951):  Joseph Losey directed this American remake to the 1931 classic of the same name.  There is a child killer on the loose which sends the town into an obvious panic.  The increased police investigation into the murders is interfering with criminal activities of the mob making them decide to find the killer and put him into their own trial.  David Wayne, Howard Da Silva, Martin Gabel, Luther Adler, Steve Brodie, Raymond Burr, Glenn Anders, Norman Lloyd, Walter Burke, John Miljan, Roy Engel, Janine Perreau, Leonard Bremen, and many others co-star in this remake.  Sure, this does not beat the original classic but this still stands well as a remake.  If I am not mistaken, they showed more of a police investigation in this one than the original.  i don't really want to give any more away on this fil.  It has a very atmospheric feel and is also very well shot.  This would be worth a double feature to watch the 1931 version and this version.

The Honeymoon Killers (1970):  Leonard Kastle wrote and directed this crime film which is based on the true story of Raymond Fernandez, played by Tony Lo Bianco and Martha Beck, played by Shirley Stoler, who were also known as the "Lonely Hearts Killers" in the '40s.  They meet through a lonely hearts club and end up going around posing as siblings and swindling other women out of money as well as murder eventually.  Mary Jane Higby, Doris Roberts, Kip McArdle, Marilyn Chris, and many others co-star in this film.  Kastle felt that a lot of these kind of movies were too glamorous for example BONNIE AND CLYDE and was determined to make a more authentic looking movie of a criminal couple.  The actors cast looked more like everyday people than actors and the movie's black and white tone really helped as well.  This is another one I had not heard of but came across it when it was on TCM On-Demand and was immediately drawn to it.

The Greatest Showman (2017):  I end the week with this newer musical based on the life of Phineas Taylor Barnum who we know as showman P.T. Barnum, played very well by Hugh Jackman.  Michael Gracey directed this film which shows Barnum being orphaned and penniless to his crazy ideas that would become a spectacle changing the face of show business but also slowly alienates his family with his show.  Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austyn Johnson, Cameron Seely, Keala Settle, Sam Humphrey, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eric Anderson, Ellis Rubin, Skylar Dunn, Daniel Everidge, Daniel Son, Paul Sparks, Will Swenson, and many others co-star in this film.  I went to the theaters to see this one and got sucked in right from the beginning.  Justin Paul and Benj Pasek wrote the music numbers and did a great job as well as the performances from the actors.  The costumes were very good making the freaks look very real.  I can't say enough good things about this musical of the visionary and showman P.T. Barnum.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 635th Edition

Welcome to the 635th Edition of my series.  I know I'm a little later than usual but I just got home from auditioning for THE VOICE.  I went with my mom to the auditions.  It was a pretty long day, we had to wait in many lines and then got to the auditions to hear no which was for both of us.  It was still a fun day and glad I went to it.  I always said I was "retired" from those shows after AMERICA'S GOT TALENT but my friends talked me into it.  Maybe I'll try again next year, we'll just have to see.  Nothing else is really going on so I will get into my selections for the week.

Going Clear:  Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015):  I start the week out with this documentary which was directed by Alex Gibney and based on the book by Lawrence Wright.  This takes a look at the so-called religion of Scientology which was started by sci-fi author L. Ron Hubbard and is really more of a cult than anything else.  This documentary features interviews by Scientology defectors that include film director Paul Haggis, former high up scientologists Mark Rathbun, Mike Rinder, actor Jason Beghe, among many others.  This takes a look at the history and a lot of the inner workings of the Church of Scientology.  Most of us know by now that Tom Cruise and John Travolta are a part of this world and Cruise is practically their spokesperson and shows some really weird interview footage of him that might make one wonder if they have him drugged up.  They showed footage of Travolta talking about him liking to be a part of it was because their goals are to have a world without crime, war and insantity and I don't see them achieving this so called goal since that is pretty much what they are about.  In the end, this group of people is more about money than anything and is a very insightful look about this so called religion and the galactic overlord Xenu, yes this is part of their beliefs.  Since this movie, Scientology defector Leah Remini has lead a crusade against this with her documentary series SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH.

The Truck Farmer (1954):  This is my short film for the week and was the short film watched on the MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 of last week's feature I ACCUSE MY PARENTS.  This short documentary is more of an informational short that is pretty slow moving and I understand most of the people in this were immigrants working for slave labor.  This is mostly of interest to watch on MST3K.

The Phantom Tollbooth (1970):  Chuck Jones, Abe Levitow, Dave Monahan directed this live action/animated movie based on the book by Norman Juster and I suppose this is a variation of ALICE IN WONDERLAND.  Butch Patrick stars as a boy named Milo who is a live action person and bored with life.  All of a sudden, he sees a tollbooth in his home and is too bored not to try it and leads him to an animated world full of adventure.  Along the way, he encounters a series of characters and magical places to learn certain life lessons.  Mel Blanc, Daws Butler, Hans Conreid, June Foray, Les Tremayne, and many others lend their voices to this film.  This was a very fun watch and one I had not heard of until I came across it.  This is a good one for the family to watch and has some very fun characters as well as a good message.

Enough Said (2013):  This is part three of my four-part Catherine Keener series and part one of a possible Toni Collette trilogy.   Nicole Holofcener wrote and directed this independent romantic comedy but please do not stop reading just because I said "romantic comedy" because it is much more than that.  SEINFELD alum Julia Louis-Dreyfuss stars as Eva who is a masseuse and is divorced as well as a single mother whose daughter will be leaving for college.  SOPRANOS alum James Gandolfini stars as Albert who is also divorced and will also be facing an empty nest.  When meeting they form an interest with each other.  Eva soon befriends a woman named Marianne, played by Catherine Keener, who rags a lot on her ex-husband which happens to be Albert and does not inform them that she is aware they they used to be married.  Collette, Ben Falcone, Tracey Fairaway, Michaela Watkins, and many othesr also co-stars= in this film.  This is a very well-written film which has really good supporting characters in addition to the leads.  I really liked the low-key way Gandolfini portrays his character as really just a nice and simple man and am so glad he got to do this movie before his tragic death.  Louis-Dreyfuss and Gandolfini work very well in this film driven by a good script and characters.

Alexander Hamilton (1931):  This is my historical biopic of the week and might guess it is on our founding father Alexander Hamilton, played by George Arliss.  At the end of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington, played by Alan Mowbray, brings Hamilton into the newly formed government in which Hamilton focuses on the financial side and is looking to get a bill passed but has Senator Roberts, played by Dudley Digges, trying to sabotage him at every turn.  Doris Kenyon, June Collyer, Montagu Love, Ralf Harolde, Lionel Belmore, Morgan Wallace, John Larkin, and many others co-star in this biopic.  This does leave out the relationship between Hamilton and Aaron Burr and I'm pretty sure they did know each other in this era but i guess they just wanted to focus on his other political accomplishments.  As far as I know, this is the only movie on Hamilton excluding documentaries like a really good PBS documentary from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.  Arliss plays the part well and was worth a look even without looking at what I feel is the most compelling part of his life in his relationship with Burr and the fate just about all of us know by now.  I first learned about Hamilton in middle school after seeing that Got Milk commercial where the man who was clearly a historian on Hamilton had too much in his mouth when he had to answer the question of "who shot Alexander Hamilton".  After seeing that PBS documentary, I found him to be the most interesting of the founding fathers and in 2015, a very unusual and unorthodox musical called HAMILTON hit the world of Broadway.  Unfortunately I have only heard the soundtrack and hope to see it on stage one day.

Wild Tales (2014):  Damian Szifron directed and co-wrote this film from Argentina.  This is a movie that is divided into six stories that are all different but have the same sort of theme of revenge and explores the extremity of human behavior when one might feel wronged about something.  Dario Grandinetti, Maria Marull, Monica Villa, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Walter Donado, Ricardo Darin, Oscar Martinez, Maria Onetto, German de Silva, Erica Rivas, and many others co-star in this film.  All these stories are full of rather dark humor and thrills.  The title says it all and was really quite fun to watch but also very disturbing at times.  I think it best to not give description to the stories but to just start the movie and as long as you tolerate subtitles, I do not think you will be disappointed.

Mildred Pierce (1945):  Michael Curtiz directed this film which is based on the novel by James M. Cain.  Joan Crawford stars as the title character whose husband Bert, played by Bruce Bennett, leaves her and she raises her daughters Veda, played by Ann Blyth, and Kay, played by Jo Ann Marlowe.  She has a very complicated relationship with Veda who is very spoiled and Mildred takes a job as a waitress eventually opening her own restuarant to makes ends meet but even then Veda is never satisfied despite making pretty good money.  Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Lee Patrick, Moroni Olsen, Veda Ann Berg, Butterfly McQueen, and many others co-star in this film.  Crawford and Blyth worked very well together as mother and daughter.  Now what I did not mention in the beginning was that this is a film noir and centers around a murder which was added to the screenplay and made a very compelling story.  Many years later, HBO would do a mini-series that did not include the murder.

Snatch (2000):  This is part two of my possible Benicio Del Toro trilogy.  This was shown as a special showing at the newer Books and Brews in Muncie where I attended for the first time with my friends Jon and Trinity and was my first time going into the place.  Guy Richie wrote and directed this crime comedy that is very complicated to really explain so I'll just give the imdb description which is "unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian Gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond".  Del Toro, Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Vinnie Jones, Dennis Farina, Rade Serbedzija, Alan Ford, Ewen Bremmer, Robbie Gee, Lennie James, Ade, William Beck, Andy Beckwith, Nicola Collins, and many others co-star in this film.  Brad Pitt was hilarious as bare knuckle fighter Mickey whose mostly mumbling was great.  This movie is full of comedy and full of violence.  There are many scenes that might make one laugh and cringe at the same time.  This movie has achieved quite the following and find it is very quoted.  This was a great watch at a bar and with friends.

Eleven Samurai (1967):  Yes, there is a different number than most are used to which most would know SEVEN SAMURAI and while they are obviously samurai films, they are very different in story.  Elichi Kudo directed this film and I guess is the third in his trilogy that includes THIRTEEN ASSASSINS and THE GREAT DUEL.  The Oshi fief is killed by his trespassing neighbor and the Oshi clan get blamed for the incident.  This prompts eleven of the samurai members to avenge the killing and fight for justice.  This was a pretty good story with a really good action climax at the end.  For those that love foreign cinema and samurai films, this is a really good watch.  This is available on the Hoopla Digital website.

Coco (2017):  I end the week with this Pixar film which just last Sunday won a Golden Globe for best animated feature.  This movie takes place in Mexico and centers around their holiday Day of the Dead which we know as Halloween but it is a more sacred holiday for them as a day to remember their late family and for them to be able to see their loved ones.  The story centers around a boy named Miguel whose family has a generations-old ban on music but he is secretly learning music to be a mariachi like his idol Ernesto De La Cruz, voiced by Benjamin Bratt.  He soon ends up in the Land of the Dead and looks to me De La Cruz while getting back to the real world.  In the process, he learns more about himself and his family.  Gael Garcia Bernal, Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor, Jaime Camil, Alfonso Arau, Herbert Siguenza, Gabriel Iglesias, Lombardo Boyar, Natalia Cordova- Buckley, Selene Luna, Edward James Olmos, Sofia Espinosa, Cheech Marin, John Ratzenberger, and many others provide their voice.  I had limited knowledge going into this and when starting I had a certain formula of what would happen and while I was partly right, I was also through off.  I thought this was a very cleverly done story and a good homage to Mexico's Day of the Dead holiday as well as a good homage to the mariachi world.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far include Catherine Keener, Toni Collette, Benicio Del Toro, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 634th Edition

Welcome to the 634th Edition of my series and my first post of the new year.  Next Sunday is when I will be going out for auditions for THE VOICE.  I never thought I would be doing this again but here I am giving it a go through persuasion of some of my friends.  I will give it what I have, I doubt I'll make it far but that's what I said the last time.  Other than that, there is nothing going on with fantasy football and my team is not in the plays.  I will say though that this Jimmy Garopollo, who brought some life into the 49ers at the end of the year, is giving me some hope for next year.  I will get to my selections for the week.

Star Wars:  The Last Jedi (2017):  I start the year out with this big blockbuster and part 1 of a possible Benicio Del Toro trilogy.  I went to see this at the Muncie theater in Imax 3D sitting in a recliner chair and was glad I made that decision.  I am no more than a casual fan of the franchise so I'm not going to find a bunch of things to get knit picky about and like the others, I go in with very little knowledge.  I avoid reading reviews and I avoid all trailers which I mostly succeeded with the exception of reading social media posts on if they liked it or did not like it.  All I'm even going to say about this is that it is a battle between the resistance and First Order.  Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, Carrie Fisher, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro, Billie Lourd, Joonas Suotamo, Justin Theroux, and many others co-star in this film.  Unfortunately, this was Fisher's last movie before her death.  For those that are like me that have not seen it yet and are trying to avoid any sort of spoilers I'm not going to give out any other details for the movie.  I sat back and just enjoyed a new STAR WARS film.  For me, everything worked with the characters, action, and even some good humor, and look forward to all the other ones set to come out in the future.

A Late Quartet (2012):  This is part two of my possible four-part Catherine Keener series.  Yaron Zilberman directed this film centered around a world-renowned string quartet of 25 years.  Christopher Walken stars as Peter their cellist and oldest member of the group and learns he is in stages for Parkinson's Disease announcing his retirement from the band.  With the rest of the quartet trying to figure out their future, other hidden resentments and secrets come out making them question their place in the band.  Keener, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Mark Ivanir are the other three members of the quartet.  Imogen Poots, Madhur Jaffrey, Liraz Jaffrey, Liraz Charhi, Wallace Shawn, and many others co-star in this film.  I was pleasantly surprised with this movie.  It is not really an inspirational film but is able to convey its point without getting really intense.  I found this to be a very good look at an aging band.

Finisterre (2003):  Kieran Evans and Paul Kelly directed this documentary which is mostly a visual look at London.  This is mostly a journey through the suburbs through the heart of the city along with some interviews of various people mostly in the art and music world.  There is also a good music score from Saint Etienne to go along with the journey through the various parts of London.  This is only about an hour long and is worth a look in my opinion.

House Cleaning Blues (1937):  This is my animated short for the week which stars Betty Boop who is struggling to clean the house.  Grampy makes a visit wanting to take Betty somewhere and she declines in order to clean the house so he takes it upon himself to clean it for her in a very unconventional way.  This is a pretty entertaining six minutes of entertaining ways to clean a house mostly a kitchen.

Dr. No (1962):  Terence Young directed this film which was the first in the franchise of Ian Fleming's spy James Bond not counting the 1954 teleplay CASINO ROYALE which is what kept United Artists from doing that first and would do it many years later.  Sean Connery makes his first appearance as ladies' man agent 007 where he is to investigate the murder of a colleague which leads him to the fortress of Dr. No, played by Joseph Wiseman, who like many are out for world domination.  Ursula Andress co-stars as Bond girl Honey Ryder and Jack Lord plays Bond's CIA ally Felix Leiter which was one of many different portrayals of the character through the years.  Bernard Lee, Zena Marshall, John Kitzmiller, Eunice Gayson, Lois Maxwell, Peter Burton, and many others co-star in this action film.  This is a really good start to the series.  I have come to favorite Daniel Craig as Bond but still like to go back to the old ones.  This has many very iconic moments in the franchise and still holds up today.

Dial M For Murder (1954):  Alfred Hitchcock directed this film based on the play by Frederick Knott.  Ray Milland stars as ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice who devises a play to murder his unfaithful wife Margot, played by Grace Kelly.  Tony knows she is having an affair with American crime novelist Mark Halliday, played by Robert Cummings, so he looks to kill his wife and when that does not go as planned, he is very well prepared.  John Williams and Anthony Dawson co-star in this crime film.  This is a pretty clever murder mystery with a good amount of dark comedy.  This is a play I would like to be in someday.

American Teen (2008):  Nanette Burstein directed this documentary which takes place in the Indiana town of Warsaw.  This takes a look at various high school seniors and most from different cliques.  This takes a look at their struggles and their plans for the future.  I'm sure just about all of us will find someone to relate to in the movie.  All of these kids are troubled in some way and it shows the working for their struggles.  It has been a few years since this was made so I hope these kids are doing well.  I have driven through Warsaw to see my family up north and have driven by that school many times.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

Sex and the Single Girl (1964):  I got the idea to check this one out upon a post from my Facebook friend Todd.  Richard Quine directed this film based on the novel Helen Gurley Brown.  Tony Curtis stars as tabloid reporter Bob Weston who is part of a magazine that is very proud to be very sleazy.  He looks to get a story on world renowned psychologist Helen Brown, played by Natalie Wood, by posing as his neighbor Frank, played by Henry Fonda.  Lauren Bacall, Mel Ferrer, Fran Jeffries, Leslie Parrish, Edward Everett Horton, Stubby Kay, Howard St. John, Otto Kruger, and many others co-star in this film.  This is more of a parody to the romantic comedy.

I Accuse My Parents (1944):  This is my episode of MST3K for the week and one of the few times they dealt with a movie that did not have any sci-fi, fantasy, or horror elements.  Joel and the bots were forced to watch this juvenile propaganda b-movie.  Robert Lowell stars as Jimmy Wilson who is on trial and decides to blame his parents for his recent crime due to him feeling ignored.  It then goes into flashback of how end ended up where he was so I'll try to remember to blame my parents if I have a crime spree.  This was meant to be a message film but then ended up in the hands MST3K where they had a really good time riffing on it.

Timer (2009):  I end the week with this romantic comedy fantasy movie.  Jac Schaeffer wrote and directed this film which takes place in a future where some people have a timer implanted on their wrist that is supposed to tell them they when they meet their soulmate.  This is done in hopes that people might not hurt as much.  BUFFY alum Emma Caulfield stars as Oona who is a big advocate for it but at the moment has a blank timer.  She breaks her own rules and falls for a younger man named Mikey, played by John Patrick Amedori, who does not have a timer which is looked down upon by this society and must consider what she wants in life.  Scott Holroyd, Jobeth Williams, Desmond Harrington, Kali Rocha,  and many others co-star in this film.  It is really hard to explain this beyond what I have done.  I know I would not want one of these timer things.  This does have an interesting message about love and loss and how it could be lessened.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Catherine Keener, Joan Crawford, Brad Pitt, and many others.