Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 650th Edition

Welcome to the 650th Edition of my series.  I continue to be busy with LEND ME A TENOR which I am finding to be my most challenging role so far.  I have my most lines I have ever had in a show, I have to have an Italian accent, and there is a lot of comedic timing involved.  The show is at the Marion Civic Theater on May 18th and 19th so please consider coming out to see this show.  Tickets are $10 and the shows are at 8 pm.  I know it's ways away but it will creep up on us sooner than we know.

The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014):  Lasse Hallstrom directed this film based on the novel by Richard C. Morais.  This centers around the Kadam family who leave India for France where they open a restaurant across from the reputable restaurant which is run by Madame Mallory Michelin, played by Helen Mirren.  Hassan, played by Manish Dayal, of the Kadam family is a really good cook and helps to give the fancy restaurant a run for their money.  Om Puri, Charlotte Le Bon, Amit Shah, Farzana Dua Elahe, Dillon Mitra, Aria Pandya, Michel Blanc, Clement Sibony, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a really good movie centering around the restaurant industry and I suppose coming of age.  Mirren and Puri are great as the head rivals and has a great amount of comedy and drama to keep just about anybody engaged.

The Impatient Patient (1942):  This is my animated short for the week which features Daffy Duck.  Daffy is having issues with hiccups and is near a doctor named Dr. Jerkyl, which is an obvious parody towards Dr. Jekyll, who uses a scare cure on Daffy by chemically changing himself into someone named Chloe.  Mel Blanc performs all the voices in this short.  There were some pretty funny moments in this short with a great parody towards DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.

The Who's Tommy (1975):  Ken Russell directed this rock musical which was written by the Who.  The Who frontman Roger Daltrey stars as the title character who becomes deaf, dumb, and blind leading to becoming a really good pinball player and ultimately becomes the part of a cult being seen as a messiah type.  The rest of the Who including Pete Townshend, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle co-star in this film and I didn't know until this viewing that Moon plays Uncle Ernie.  Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Paul Nicholas, Jack Nicholson, Robert Powell, and Tina Turner have parts in this musical.  This is not really for everyone but I have always gotten into it and the music.  I watched this with my friend Stephanie who bought it on dvd so decided to include in this one.  I still have figure out he does and I still don't know what made him so good.  Years ago, the Muncie Civic Theater put this on as a musical and could be a good one to be in sometime.

The Neverending Story (1984):  Steph and I continued our movie watching with some '80s fantasy and I don't think I've really watched this since I was an absolute youngster.  Wolfgang Peterson directed this film based on the novel by Michael Ende.  Barret Oliver stars as Bastian who is a troubled youth stumbling into a book store where the owner shows an ancient storybook warning of its danger so Bastian takes the book and hides out in the school attic reading the book as well as escaping some bullies.  While reading he is drawn into the world of Fantasia which needs a hero to save it from destruction and entrusts in the mature youth Atreyu, played by Noah Hathaway.  Bastian also finds that the book is involving him in in the story.  Gerald McRaney, Deep Roy, Moses Gunn, Alan Oppenheimer, Tami Stronach, and many others co-star in this film.  This is some classic '80s fantasy with the extremely catchy theme song.  This also has some great creatures that work well with the '80s special effects like Falcor but many others creatures with cameos.  This is some timeless family entertainment and glad to have gotten reacquainted with the film.

The Walking Dead (1936):  No, this is not that popular graphic novel and AMC zombie series.  Michael Curtiz directed this crime horror film.  Boris Karloff stars as pianist and ex-con John Elman who gets caught up with a gang of racketeers which in turn frame him for a murder.  John is sentenced to execution and when his innocence is proven, it is too late as he is executed.  Through science he is brought back to life but with supernatural powers and a very vengeful mind towards those that wronged him.  Ricardo Cortez, Edmund Gwenn, Margarite Churchill, Warren Hull Barton MacLane, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a pretty good combination of a gangster film and a horror film.  This is a rather overlooked film which is only about an hour long and worth a look to classic horror buffs and Karloff fans.

In Bruges (2008):  Martin McDonagh wrote and directed this crime comedy.  Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as London based hit men Ray and Ken who are on an assignment gone bad.  When awaiting orders from their boss Harry, played by Ralph Fiennes, they must consider their lives and where they want to be in life while Ray is still guilt stricken over the job.  Eric Godon, Zeljko Ivanek, Anna Madeley, Clemence Posey, Jordan Prentice, Ciaran Hinds, and many others co-star in this film.  Farrell and Gleeson work together as hit men and dealing with the aftermath of what happened.  Farrell is pretty funny as the rather naive hitman.  There is also a really good action climax at the end making a great blend of action, drama, and comedy

Flamingo Road (1949):  Joan Crawford stars in this film noir as Lane Bellamy who is a dancer who forms a relationship with Sheriff Fielding Carlisle, played by Zachary Scott, and is caught in the middle of a feud between Fielding and corrupt political boss Titus Semple, played by Sydney Greenstreet.  She is driven out of town where she cannot find work even getting arrested on wrongful charges.  She finds a new life but cannot let go of her past.  David Brian, Gladys George, Virginia Huston, Fred Clark, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a film-noir that takes more of a look at wronging someone else's life.  Greenstreet is great as the very unlikable villain and matches up with Crawford very well.  This is another rather overlooked film and more unknown Crawford that deserves a look from the fans of older cinema.

Inning By Inning:  A Portrait of a Coach (2008):  This is my documentary for the week which takes a look at University of Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido who is the winningest coach in the NCAA.  This takes a brief look at his childhood where he formed aspirations of being a coach to getting into the world of coaching college baseball.  It also takes a look at his approach to the game of baseball and interactions with his players.  This includes interviews with many of his former players, much of which are in the major leagues including Roger Clemens.  I haven't really followed baseball since I was a kid, let alone college baseball which is mostly televised during the world series so I knew nothing about this man going into my viewing.  That being said, it was good to learn about this coach and his unique approach to the game of baseball which goes way beyond the game of baseball teaching life skills.  Richard Linklater directed this documentary.  Garrido died in February of this year but lead a great life.

Hannie Caulder (1971):  This is my western for the week which was directed by Burt Kennedy.  Raquel Welch stars as the title character who lived the simple life until the Clemens Brothers gang, played by Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam, and Strother Martin, raids their home resulting in the murder of Hannie's huband and her own rape.  She enlists the help of bounty hunter Tom Price, played by Robert Culp, to teach her how to use a gun to avenge the outlaws.  Christopher Lee and Diana Dors co-star in this western.  This is the first and only western for horror legend Lee.  This will not go down as one of the top westerns of all time but is still quite watchable.  I mean, where can we go wrong with Raquel Welch with a gun and hellbent on revenge?  Tarantino also cited this as an influence for his KILL BILL series.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Nosey (2017):  I end the week with this short film which was written and directed by Dave Fairman.  Jeff Giroux stars as Frank who has nothing better to do but snoop on his neighbors.  One day, he sees someone in a ski mask breaking into his next door neighbor's home and when trying to report to the police he is pretty much seen as the boy who cried wolf so takes it upon himself to solve the situation getting far more than he bargained for.  A.J. Orille and Ali Perich co-star in this short.  This was a pretty funny short film showing the price of snooping.  This is also available to watch on Amazon Prime and is worth the 12 minutes so let's help get this more exposure.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Edward Norton, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 649th Edition

Welcome to the 249th Edition of my series.  Last weekend we ended with ON GOLDEN POND at the Commons in Alexandria and now I have started rehearsals for a production of LEND ME A TENOR at the Marion Civic Theater where I have landed the role of Tito Merelli.  This show is May 18th and 19th, I will have further details down the road but it fixing to be a really funny show.

When the Levees Broke:  A Requiem in Four Acts (2006):  I start the week out with this documentary mini-series from HBO and directed by Spike Lee.  This takes a look at New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and interviews residents of New Orleans and their feelings toward how things were handled by the local and national government.  This is a very sad and compelling story on a community trying to band together that uses a lot of news footage, local interviews, and some celebrity interviews.  There is not much else I can really say to this mini-series so I guess technically this is not a movie but as I always say, it's my blog and I make the rules.  This is four episodes of about an hour long and is available to watch on HBO and also available on Amazon Prime which is where I watched it.

Don't Lie (1942):  I go from a mini-series to this classic comedy short which features some members of Our Gang.  This one centers around Buckwheat who sees that a monkey has escaped from the circus and when telling his friends Mickey, Froggy, and Spanky, they don't believe him due to some recent fibbing part.  That is a young Robert Blake as Mickey.  I have not really seen that many of these but seems rare that Alfalfa is not in them and the four characters named are the focus.  This has some pretty funny moments and a lesson in telling the truth.

The Glass Menagerie (1973):  Anthony Harvey directed this movie based on the play by Tennessee Williams.  Katherine Hepburn stars as Amanda Wingfield who is the mother of Tom, played by Sam Waterston, and Laura, played by Joanna Miles.  All of them have issues of some sort like with Amanda being very smothering of her grown kids, Tom trying to get away but cannot make his dreams come true, and Laura very slow minded and really lives in her own world.  Michael Moriarty co-stars as the Gentleman caller.  It will be very easy to point out that we have two future LAW AND ORDER alums in Waterston and Moriarty.  I thought this was a pretty good production of the play with Waterston standing out the most in my opinion.  Hepburn was also good in her much later role.  This was a very well acted production carried by the cast of four.

The Lady in the Van (2015):  Nicholas Hytner directed this film based on the memoir by Alan Bennett, played by Alex Jennings, who also wrote the screenplay.  Maggie Smith co-stars as the homeless Miss Shepherd who lived in her van which was not down by the river but in the driveway of Bennett where she stayed for 15 years.  While reluctant, Bennett forms an bond with the eccentric woman much to the dismay of much of the community.  As he digs into her past he learns there is far more to her that what she is saying.  Jim Broadbent, Clare Hammond, Deborah Findlay, Roger Allam, Nicholas Burns, Dominic Cooper, Frances De La Tour, Claire Foy, James Corden, David Calder, Eleanor Matsuura, Selina Cadell, and many others co-star in this film.  This has a really good blend of comedy and drama.  I liked the way they did the narration with Bennett and the way his character takes talking to himself to a new level.  This is also of worth to see the always charming Smith and her interaction with Jennings.

Night Nurse (1931):  William Wellman directed this film based on the novel by Grace Perkins.  Barbara Stanwyck stars as Lora Hart who wants to be a nurse and we go with her through her training which she completes.  She then lands a job as a night nurse to a couple of sick children who don't seem to be getting much better and discovers something more sinister is happening making her put her career on the line to uncover what is happening.  Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell, Clark Gable, Blanche Friderici, Charlotte Merriam, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a much earlier role for a more unknown at the time Gable who got the sinister role after James Cagney declined.  This was a pretty decent pre-code film with Stanwyck very strong in the lead.

Keanu (2016):  Peter Atencio directed this film that stars the comedy team of Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key.  Peele stars as Rell who is very miserable until a cat shows up at his door and names him Keanu.  Keanu gets abducted and along with his cousin Clarence, played by Key, they set out to find this cat finding themselves in the gangster world where they pose as gangsters in hope of getting their cat back.  Tiffany Haddish, Method Man, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Jason Mitchell, Jamar Malachi Neighbors, Luis Guzman, Will Forte, Nia Long, and many others co-star in this comedy.  There are also a couple pretty hilarious surprise celebrity cameos that I won't give away.  I honestly don't know a lot about the Key and Peele comedy team but they delivered me a lot of laughs as two people who have no street smarts but look to but on the act.  This has a lot of language and violence but if you can get past this, it might be very enjoyable.

Curse of the Demon (1957):  Jacques Tourneur directed this horror film which is also film noir in a sense.  Dana Andrews stars as Dr. John Holden who goes to London to attend a parapsychology conference looking to expose cult leader Julian Karswell, played by Niall MacGinnis.  He investigates a strange murder along with the victim's niece Joanna, played by Peggy Cummins, and remains a skeptic in the way of the paranormal.  Athene Seyler, Liam Redmond, Ewan Roberts, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a horror film that plays more like a mystery and has some really good suspense along with some really interesting imagery and special effects from this era.  This is one that is hard to explain without giving away further but a pretty underrated horror film that classic horror buffs will enjoy.

Wishful Drinking (2010):  This is my live show for the week which is an HBO special and one woman show with our STAR WARS icon Carrie Fisher.  She talks about multiple topics like what she is known for as well as other issues in her life like her alcoholism, mental illness, and her dysfunctional family.  I admit to not knowing much in the way of Carrie Fisher's personal life and really just knew her as Princess Leia but this shows there is far more to her.  She manages to make comedy out of her personal issues and keeps the crowd engaged the whole way through.  I managed to laugh quite a bit myself even if I felt a little bad doing it.  This is available to watch on HBO On-Demand.

Kwaidan (1964):  This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Masaki Kobayashi.  This takes place with a series of four different stories where each deal with ghosts in some way.  The first story is called BLACK HAIR where a poor samurai leaves the wife he loves feeling he needs to marry for money.  The second one is called THE WOMAN IN THE SNOW which involves a snowstorm and a life being saved at a price.  The third one is called HOICHI THE EARLESS which involves a blind musician.  The fourth one is called IN A CUP OF TEA where a man sees the reflection of another face in his tea.  I've given very basic descriptions but they are all really compelling story with great visuals and a must for Japanese film buffs and classic horror buffs.

Odd is an Egg (2016):  I end the week with this animated short film from Norway.  Kristin Ulseth directed this animated short and co-wrote with Lisa Aisato and Maria Avramova.  This centers around a boy named Odd whose head is literally the shape of an egg which gets him made fun of a lot and looks down on himself.  He meets a girl named Gunn who is both fearless and happy in life giving him a new outlook in life.  I came across this on Amazon Prime and has not had much exposure from what I can tell but was worth the 12 minutes to watch.

Well, that is it for the week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far include Helen Mirren and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 648th Edition

Welcome to the 648th Edition of my series.  Today is the last day for ON GOLDEN POND in Alexandria, Indiana at 3:30.  It has been a fun show and hope to be able to do something else soon as I must go back to normal life for the moment.  There is not much else happening at the moment so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Micmacs (2009):  Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed this French film which has quite the blend of action, drama, and comedy.  Dany Boon stars as video store clerk Bazil whose life changes when his father was killed by a landmine and he survives a shot to the head.  After this, he loses his home and job putting him on the streets until meeting Slammer, played by Jean-Pierre Marielle, who is part of a group of scavenging dwellers that make me think of the group in MOULIN ROUGE.  Bazil decides to go after the arms dealers responsible for his situation and concocts a plan that the rest are willing to help.  Andre Dussollier, Yolande Moreau, Dominique Pinon, Michel Cremades, Julie Ferrier, Omar Sy, Urban Cancelier, and many others co-star in this film.  This is from the director of AMELIE and A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT which both have a female protagonist in Audrey Tautou so now there is a man.  That being said, it has kind of the same feel as the others with the way it flows.  This is a satire on the world arms trade and is very well done if into this type of film.

Killing Bono (2011):  Nick Hamm directed this film loosely based on the 2003 memoir KILLING BONO:  I WAS BONO'S DOPPELGANGER by Neil McCormick, played by Ben Barnes.  Neil and his brother Ivan, played by Robert Sheehan, dream of becoming rock stars and are stuck playing in smaller venues while their high school classmates have rose in the world of rock music.  Ralph Brown, Sean Duggan, Joni Kamen, Aiden McArdle, Martin McCann, Hugh O'Conor, Pete Postlewaite, Krysten Ritter, Peter Serafinowicz, Stanley Townsend, Luke Treadaway, and many other co-star in this film.  This was Postlewaite's last film and died shortly after this movie.  I have always been a pretty big U2 fan, obviously more on their '80s work and this was a pretty enjoyable look in the music scene of this era.  McCormick has created quite a life for himself and I suppose him and his brother Ivan could be compared to Pete Best.

Dad (1989):  This is part three of my Jack Lemmon trilogy and kind of along the lines of last week's feature and my recent play ON GOLDEN POND.  Gary David Goldberg directed this film based on the novel by William Wharton.  Ted Danson stars as executive John Tremont whose life has mostly centered around his work.  He learns that his mother Bette, played by Olympia Dukakis, is in the hospital and rushes to be by her side while becoming caretaker for his father Jake, played by Lemmon.  Helping his father brings them closer than ever and forces John to rethink his life a bit.  Kathy Baker, Kevin Spacey, Ethan Hawke, J.T. Walsh, Zakes Mokae, Peter Michael Goetz, John Apicella, Richard McGonagle, and many others co-star in this film.  I have to say, I am pretty sure this is the only time I have seen Jack Lemmon with a mustache.  This is a pretty good family drama and has some very touching moments.  I also really liked the father/son dynamic of Danson and Hawke who both had to work through their differences.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

The Old mill (1937):  This is my animated short for the week which is from the world of Disney and their Silly Symphony series.  This consists of various birds, mice, and fireflies moving into an old windmill and then dealing with a storm.  This is all set to some music mostly by Strauss with some well-done animation.  This is from the Blu Ray of last week's feature BAMBI.

The Boston Strangler (1968):  This is part three of my Henry Fonda trilogy.  Richard Fleischer directed this film based on the book by Gerold Frank.  This is based from the point of view on the investigators that were investigating the murders of the many they dubbed "The Boston Strangler" which stars Tony Curtis as Albert DeSalvo who turns out to be the strangler.  George Kennedy and Fonda co-star as two of the detectives investigating the murders and looking for the more "obvious" suspects.  Mike Kellin, Hurd Hatfield, Murray Hamilton, Jeff Corey, Sally Kellerman, William Marshall, George Voskovec, Leora Dana, and many others co-star in this film.  This had a really good documentary feel to it and I really liked the split screen.  There were things added for dramatic effect including portraying DeSalvo as having multiple personality disorder.  If you can get past that, this this is a pretty compelling film to watch.

The Mark of Zorro (1940):  Rouben Mamoulian directed this adaptation on the Johnston McCulley novel THE CURSE OF CAPISTRANO.  Tyrone Power stars as Diego De La Vega who is returning to California after being gone in Spain and finds his native land under a dictatorship.  With this going on, he dons the the costume of the masked avenger Zorro.  Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone, Eugene Pallette, J. Edward Bromberg, Montagu Love, Janet Beecher, and many others co-star in this film.  I have always thought Tyrone Power was the best person to don the Zorro outfit.  Basil Rathbone also does a great job as the villain of the film having a really good swordfight scene with Power in the climax scene.  Unfortunately, this is the movie that Bruce Wayne and his parents saw only for Bruce's parents to be murdered right in front of him.  In all seriousness, this is the character that inspired the duel identity that most superheroes have today.  Today is the last day to watch this movie on TCM On-Demand.

Personal Shopper (2016):  Olivier Assayas wrote and directed this supernatural psychological thriller film.  Kristen Stewart stars as Maureen who is a personal shopper in Paris for a celebrity named Kyra, played by Nora von Waldstatten.  Maureen is also a medium and lost her twin brother Lewis who also had connections to the spiritual world.  Random things happen making Maureen believes she has a connection to her late twin brother.  Lars Eidinger, Sigrid Bouaziz, Anders Danielsen Lie, Ty Olwin, Benjamin Biolay, Audrey Bonnet, Pascal Rambert, and many others co-star in this film.  I admit to not hearing of this movie until I found it at my local library but I tend to take interest in non-Bella work from Kristen Stewart and does a good job in this film.  If looking for some movie centered around shopping this is not the one and this is also billed as horror which I don't really agree with either.  It is more of a drama that involves ghost but also deals with grief and trying to move forward in life.

Ice Castles (1978):  Donald Wrye directed and co-wrote this film along with Gary L. Baim.  Lynn-Holly Johnson stars as the teenage Alexis who is a figure skater with natural talent and getting in late to the game.  She is on the verge of being on top of the world but a freak accident prevents this from happening.  The people of her small community look to help her overcome what has happened in hopes of still realizing her dreams.  Robby Benson co-stars as Nick who is Lexie's high school sweetheart that cannot stick to anything he tries except his love for Alexis.  Colleen Dewhurst, Tom Skerritt, Jennifer Warren, and David Huffman co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good sentimental film with a good debut out of Johnson.  I also always enjoy Benson in this era before her become the voice of the Beast in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Gypsy Colt (1954):  I decided to continue with the sentimental selections but this is one of those that involves an animal.  Andrew Marton directed this movie based on a story by Eric Knight.  Donna Corcoran stars as the young Meg who is very devoted to her horse Gypsy.  Her parents, played by Ward Bond and Frances Dee, make the choice to sell Gypsy as a potential race horse after fallen on the financial hard times.  Gypsy soon escapes and makes a long trek home.  Larry Keating, Lee Van Cleef, Robert Hyatt, and many others co-star in this film that is essentially a B-movie from MGM.  Many may read the plot and right away thing LASSIE, COME HOME which is true and extremely similar to that classic.  This was not any easier to watch the the other mentioned one.  I felt this was still of worth to see Ward Bond in a bigger role than usual and a young Lee Van Cleef.  Also one for the family to watch, just might not be easy if like me when it comes to animals making a long trek home that you know they will make it but know they will have a rough journey.

Beyond Rangoon (1995):  John Boorman directed this film that is based on a true story.  Patricia Arquette stars as Laura Bowman whose husband and son are murdered and goes on a vacation to Burma with her sister Andy, played by Frances McDormand.  Things get complicated when Laura loses her passport during a political rally and is unable to leave at the time.  She falls in with a group of students fighting for democracy and witnesses some bloody acts of oppression in trying to escape to Thailand.  Spalding Gray, U Aung Ko, Victor Slezak, and many others co-star in this film.  I found this to be a pretty moving film where I was really behind Laura.  A good double feature in this movie would be to include THE LADY which features politician Aung San Suu Kyi which is the person that inspires Laura.  A pretty underrated film that has gone overlooked and deserves a look.

Well, that is all for this week but I have returned with my segment "Movie Night in the Town of Pottersville".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

MOVIE NIGHT IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

Krampus (2015):  I took most of the week off with my show and after a rehearsal I went to hang out with my friends Stephanie and Drew.  While, this is usually a movie to watch during Christmas, they had just bought this on dvd and Steph insisted on watching it so I went ahead and stuck around having not seen it.  The young Max, played by Emjay Anthony, becomes disillusioned by Christmas not knowing he is summoning a festive demon forcing his dysfunctional family to come together and fight.  Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Stefania LaVie Owen, Krista Stadler, Conchata Ferrell, Allison Tolman, and many others co-star in this holiday movie.  This is more of a comedy than anything and really targets the Christmas haters and still enjoyed it even though I'm not really a hater of the holiday.  Koechner really reminds me of Randy Quaid from the Vacation movies and once had the pleasure of seeing him put on a local one man show in my town of Muncie.  I had not seen this but could start making this an annual holiday movie.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 647th Edition

Welcome to the 647th Edition of my series.  My show opens next weekend so see my first selection for the week and my photo at the bottom for information.  This has been a wrestling weekend for me and tonight I am sitting at home watching WRESTLEMANIA.  Not much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

On Golden Pond (1981):  This is the show that I am putting on next weekend and part two of my possible Henry Fonda trilogy where I use Fonda's last feature film.  Mark Rydell directed this film based on the play by Ernest Thompson who wrote the screenplay.  Fonda and Katherine Hepburn star as the aging couple Norman and Ethel Thayer.  Their estranged daughter Chelsea, played by Henry's real-life daughter Jane Fonda, comes to town with her boyfriend Bill, played by Dabney Coleman, and ask them to watch their son Billy, played by Doug McKeon, while they go to Europe.  Norman and Billy form an unexpected bond while Chelsea looks to reconcile with her father.  I play the part of Bill which has been a lot of fun.  This was a good movie about family differences and on an elderly couple.  Fonda and Hepburn work great together in what as far as I know is their only teaming.  I get to play the part of Bill which has been very enjoyable.  Our show is April 13th and 14th at 7:30 and April 15th at 3;30 at the Commons Theater in Alexandria so call 765-639-3282 to reserve your tickets which are $10 for adults and $7 for students.  Cheap plug but it is my blog so I have the right to make as many cheap plugs as I want.  This is available on Netflix and on Amazon Prime.  Below is a photo of the all-star cast in our play.

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Our Old Car (1946):  This is my short film for the week which is part of John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series.  Nesbitt narrates this short about his father and the cars he had owned since 1900 along with a lot of changes at this time.  This is a good early look at the history of the car at this time and a pretty good eleven minutes getting to look at some cool cars.  Classic car enthusiasts might enjoy this one.

The Odd Couple (1968):  This is part 2 of my possible Jack Lemmon trilogy.  Gene Saks directed this comedy based on the play by Neil Simon who also wrote the screenplay.  Legendary comedy duo Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau star as Felix Unger and Oscar Madison who become roommates when Felix's wife left him.  As the story goes, Felix is an absolute clean freak while Oscar is a slob.  John Fiedler, Herb Edelman, David Sheiner, Larry Haines, Monica Evans, and Carole Shelley co-star in this comedy.  This has always been one of my favorite comedies and would love to be in the play someday.  This is their second of ten teamings and this one is my favorite.  The absolute opposite personalities deliver all kinds of laughs and would be a great selections if having a comedy night.

Chasing Mavericks (2012):  This is my sports biopic for the week which was co-directed by Michael Apted and Curtis Hanson.  Jonny Weston stars as Jay Moriarty who as a kid discovers the mystic Mavericks surf break and enlists the help of local legend Frosty Hesson, played by Gerard Butler, to teach him surfing and one day do what he was doing.  In the process, Frosty becomes more of the father figure Jay has been lacking in his life making it more than just surfing.  Elizabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, Leven Rambin, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good biopic on overcoming the obstacles to achieve what you want in life.  Butler and Weston are great together but also good to see Elizabeth Shue as Jay's single mother.  This went onto be pretty underrated and deserves.

The Phantom Carriage (1921):  This is my silent film for the week.  Victor Sjostrom directed this Swedish film based on the novel by Selma Lagerlof.  Sjostrom also stars as David Holm who is a local drunkard telling his homeless friends of the legend that the last person who dies on New Year's Eve has to drive Death's carriage for those that die the next year and ended up being the last.  The person who told him this and then died was David's friend Georges, played by Tore Svennberg, who was partly to blame for for the poor choices David made.  David ends up dying and finds that Georges is the driver of Death's carriage and must reflect on his selfish life in hopes to find redemption.  Hilda Borgstrom and Astrid Holm co-star in this silent film.  This was a very compelling film that still holds up today and still very watchable even if no dialogue.  Fellow Swedish director Ingmar Bergman has cited this as one of his favorite movies and a big influence on his career.

Glorious 39 (2009):  Stephen Poliakoff wrote and directed this film that takes place during WWII.  Romola Garai stars as Anne Keyes whose life begins to change when on the eve of WWII stumbles upon some pro-appeasement recordings and flees to London to confirm her suspicious leading to intrigue and betrayal.  Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, Christopher Lee, Toby Regbo, Corin Redgrave, Charlie Cox, Jeremy Northam, Jenny Agutter, Julie Christie, Hugh Bonneville, and many others co-star in this film.  This is one of those that is just really hard to describe and one that must be watched with full attention.  In the end, it is very worth it, just hard to really put into words on this blog.  This is available to watch on the Hoopla Digital website so free with an account.

Bambi (1942):  Now I bring this Disney classic based on the story by Felix Salten.  I think just about everyone knows that Bambi is a deer that we meet upon birth and learns about life through friends through his mom and through friends like Thumper the rabbit and Flower the skunk.  He also must learn about survival from the unseen villain Man so I guess in a sense one could say this movie is prejudice towards humans but I won't get that deep.  This is a really good movie about forest animals and a very big project from Walt Disney whose work was never enough no matter how much everyone around him thought.  From this came some very iconic characters who have lived through many generations after the movie.  This is a great family film though can get a little disturbing at times in the scenes that involve "man".

Hell or High Water (2016):  I go to a more gritty film for the week and what could be a modern-day western.  David Mackenzie directed this film which stars Chris Pine and Ben Foster as brothers Toby and Tanner Howard.  Toby is desperate for some money and along with his ex-con brother Tanner, they go around robbing banks to raise the money for Toby to make enough money to save their ranch to leave to his son.  On the trail is the nearly retired Texas Marshall Marcus Hamilton, played by Jeff Bridges, and his Indian descent partner Alberto Parker who could not be any more different in personality but have the same cause.  Dale Dickey, William Sterchi, Buck Taylor Kristin Berg, Katy Mixon, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a very compelling film on how far one will go for the ones they love and felt the ending was really pretty satisfying.  I feel this is another one that has gone overlooked and is a very good character driven film.

Cinderella (1965):  This is my musical for the week and is an adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein version of the classic story.  Lesley Anne Warren stars as the title character who is overworked by her stepmother and two stepsisters with dreams of going to the ball which the stepfamily will not have until a Fairy Godmother, played by Celeste Holm, arranges for her to go and meet the prince, played by Stuart Damon. Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon, Jo Van Fleet, Pat Carroll, and Barbara Ruick all co-star in this tv movie.  This is a pretty good adaptation of the musical with good performances and fun musical numbers.  Fans of musicals and Rodgers and Hammerstein should really enjoy this one.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

Man Bites Dog (1992):  I end the week with this rather controversial French film.  Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel, and Benoit Poelvoorde directed, wrote and star in this independent film.  Poelvoode stars as Ben who is a serial killer having his exploits filmed with the other two co-starring as his film crew.  The film crew starts to question their humanity when going along with Ben's crimes.  I will say right away that this movie is not for everyone and is a satire towards media violence so has some very dark comedy at times.  No matter what one might think of the subject matter, the filmmakers made quite an effort in getting this made on a very small budget which a lot was from friends and family and is a pretty compelling film if able to get past the subject matter.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.