Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 663rd Edition

Welcome to the 663rd Edition of my series.  Last week, I announced the play I'm doing at the Heorot in Muncie and this week I start rehearsals.  More information to come along as time goes on so for not on with my selections for the week.

Rosewater (2014):  Former DAILY SHOW host Jon Stewart makes his directorial debut in this film based on the autobiography of journalist Maziar Bahari, played by Gael Garcia Bernal.  Bahari has a good life with his wife Paola, played by Claire Foy, who is pregnant but things change when he is detained by the Iranian forces where he is suspected of being a spy.  He is held and brutally interrogated for months in an Iranian prison.  Kim Bodnia, Dimitri Leonidas, Haluk Bilginer, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Golshifteh Farahani, Amir El-Masry, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good directorial debut for Stewart whose segment on his own show of THE DAILY SHOW was used as evidence by Iran that Bahari was a spy.  This is a very compelling true story to watch and I'm sure makes a good read if you want to read the book first.

The Bottle and the Throttle (1961):  This is my short film for the week and is a Driver's Ed movie from this era.  This takes a look at the dangers of drinking and driving which talks more about drinking in general where one thinks they have not had much but that it can still impair their judgment.  This is part of the Sid Davis productions which is both informative but entertaining by today's standards.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime as part of "Driver's Education Scare Films".

The Lost Weekend (1945):  I continue with another film dealing with alcohol.  Billy Wilder directed this film based on the novel by Charles R. Jackson.  Ray Milland stars as Don Birnam who is an alcoholic trying to go on the mend but finds it is not that simple.  His brother Wick, played by Phillip Terry, and his girlfriend Helen, played by Jane Wyman, try to get him to come to a country weekend but decides not to go and goes on a drinking binge which also has flashbacks that show situations gone wrong because of the bottle.  Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen, Mary Young, Anita Sharp-Bolster, and many others co-star in this film.  This was probably the first look at alcolholism in film, at least the first known one.  Milland is great as Birnam and does a lot of preparation even to the point of having himself admitted to Bellevue Hospital to the drunk ward.  This was probably a pretty daring movie to do in this era with the liquor industry not wanting it released.  This is one of my favorites from this era and is still relevant today.

Danny Collins (2015):  Dan Fogelman wrote and directed this music film which stars Al Pacino as the title character who is an aging rock star and starts to rethink his life after discovering a letter that John Lennon wrote to him but never saw until later in his life.  One of the things he does is meet the grown son he never met in Tom, played by Bobby Cannavale, and looks to connect with his him and his wife, played by Jennifer Garner, and daughter, played by Giselle Eisenberg.  Christopher Plummer, Annette Bening, Katarina Cas, Melissa Benoist, Josh Peck, Brian Thomas Smith, Scott Lawrence, Michael Patrick McGill, Kirk VandenHeuval, Nick Offerman, Eric Michael Roy, and many others co-star in this music film.  Like Stewart, Fogelman also makes his directorial debut and makes a good debut.  This is inspired by real-life musician Steve Tilston who discovered a letter written to him by John Lennon much later in his life.  Pacino does well as a rock star in this film that has a lot of emotional depth as well as a lot of comedy.

Olympia Part One:  Festival of the Nations (1938):  This is my documentary for the week which takes a look at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 in which directed Leni Riefenstahl was commissioned to create a feature film on the Berlin Olympics and ended up with a two-part documentary.  This takes a look at athletes in the marathon and Men's diving and a closer look at American track star Jesse Owens.  This also takes quite a look at the young male body and has a lot of interesting close-up shots which some say express the Nazi attitude of athletic prowess.  This does have some footage of Hitler and others from Nazi Germany.  This is part one, I intend to check out the second part soon which is available to watch on Filmstruck.

Zootopia (2016):  This is my animated movie for the week.  Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush directed this film which takes place in an animal metropolis.  This movie centers around the bunny Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, who dreams of being a police officer even if she is told it is impossible for a bunny to be a police officer.  She finally gets her wish but finds it is not easy to enforce the law.  To win respect, she decides to investigate a missing persons case in which she must team of with a cynical fox named Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, and uncovers a deep conspiracy.  Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, Shakira, John Dimaggio, Tiny Lister, Kristen Bell, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good movie on overcoming the odds and teaching acceptance.  It is also very clever and enjoyable, might be best for older kids.

To Catch a Thief (1955):  Alfred Hitchcock directed this film based on the novel by David Dodge.  Cary Grant stars as retired cat burglar John Robie who is reformed but is being framed by a copycat and must find a way to prove his innocence by outing the thief.  Grace Kelly co-stars as Frances Stevens who helps Grant prove his innocence while he is putting on a cover and she sees through it.  Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Charles Vanel, Brigitte Auber, Jean Martinelli, and many other co-star in this film.  I have always enjoyed this movie which has a good combination of action, romance, and comedy.  There is not much else I can put into words except to see this classic from "The Master of Suspense".

After the Wedding (2006):  This is my Danish film for the week which was directed and co-written by Susanne Bier.  Mads Mikkelsen stars as Jacob Pederson who manages an orphanage in a poor India town.  He is sent to Denmark to look into more funding for the orphanage and learns some life-altering information when going there.  Rolf Lassgard, Sidse Babett Knudson, Christian Tafdrup, Stine Fischer Christensen, Mona Malm, Meenal Patel, Neeral Mulchandani, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a pleasant surprise for me as I did not much of what to expect.  That is why I am being rather vague on my description so that others can just watch and many discover this unexpected gem for themselves.

Mean Streets (1973):  Martin Scorsese wrote and directed this film that marked the first of many teamings with Robert De Niro and De Niro's first teaming with Harvey Keitel.  Keitel stars as young Little Italy hood Charlie who is trying to work his way up the local mob ranks.  De Niro co-stars as Charlie's wild and irresponsible friend Johnny Boy who is in debt to many people.  Charlie is loyal to his friend which makes things harder on him with the others that are tired of Johnny Boy's irresponsible ways.  Amy Robinson, Richard Romanus, Cesare Danova, Victor Argo, George Memmoli, Jeannie Bell, David Carradine, Robert Carradine, and many others co-star in this film.  This is mostly centered around the characters and the low budget that Scorsese makes the most out of including the hand-held camera which is something he is known.  This is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

The Foreigner (2017):  I end the week with this film which was directed by Martin Campbell and based on the novel by Stephen Leather.  Jackie Chan stars as restaurant owner Quan whose daughter, played by Katie Leung, is killed in a terrorist act.  We find that Quan has quite a past when he relentlessly pursues the terrorists leading him to target Irish government official Liam Hennessy, played by Pierce Brosnan, who Quan believes knows more than what he is saying.  Rufus Jones, Mark Tandy, Caolan Byrne, Charlie Murphy, Orla Brady, Lia Williams, Michael McElhatton, David Pearse, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Dermot Crowley, Sean Campion, and many others co-star in this film.  It was good to see both Chan and Brosnan play against their type roles, especially Chan who is usually known for his martial arts but also his comedy and there was none in this one.  This is also one that is best not to give too much of a description but to just get the movie going.

Well, that is all for this week but I did bring back my "Fun and Useless Facts" segment so continue reading, maybe one of these will show up in bar trivia sometime or if you are creating questions, this could be a good thing to look upon.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Luke Wilson, Bob Hope, Matthew McConaughey, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

This is a segment I do from time to time and I do mostly connections from different selections so I don't really focus on people in the same movie that have worked together in other movies.  I am sure there are plenty of things I have missed so feel free to comment on others you might find.

Jon Stewart (Rosewater director) and Tommy Chong (Zootopia) were in the 1998 comedy HALF BAKED.

Shohreh Aghdashloo (Rosewater) and Idris Elba (Zootopia) are in the 2016 Sci-Fi movie STAR TREK:  BEYOND.

Haluk Bilginer (Rosewater) and Idris Elba (Zootopia) were in the 2001 film BUFFALO SOLDIERS.

Claire Foy (Rosewater) and Mark Tandy (The Foreigner) were in the 2016 Netflix series THE CROWN.

Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) was directed by Alfred Hitchock (To Catch a Thief director) in the 1954 film DIAL M FOR MURDER which also stars Grace Kelly (To Catch a Thief) and John Williams (To Catch a Thief)

Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) and Robert De Niro (Mean Streets) were in the 1976 movie THE LAST TYCOON.

Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) plays Tony Wendice in the 1954 film TO CATCH A THIEF.  Christopher Plummer (Danny Collins) plays the same character in the 1981 tv movie TO CATCH A THIEF.

Howard Da Silva plays Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1977 film THE PRIVATE FILES OF J. EDGAR HOOVER.  Christopher Plummer (Danny Collins) plays FDR in the 1998 tv movie WINCHELL.

Cary Grant (To Catch a Thief) declined the role of Don Birnam in this week's feature THE LOST WEEKEND which would ultimately go to Ray Milland.

Jane Wyman (The Lost Weekend) was directed by Alfred Hitchcock (To Catch a Thief director) in the 1950 film STAGE FRIGHT.

Al Pacino (Danny Collins) and Robert De Niro (Mean Streets) were in the 1974 film THE GODFATHER PART II, the 1994 film HEAT, and the 2008 film RIGHTEOUS KILL.  They are father and son in one, respectful cop/robber rivals in another, then they are cop partners in the end.

Annette Bening (Danny Collins) and Pierce Brosnan (The Foreigner) were in the 1996 comedy MARS ATTACKS.

Annette Bening (Danny Collins) and Robert De Niro (Mean Streets) were a married couple in the 1991 movie GUILTY BY SUSPICION.

Jennifer Garner (Danny Collins), Jason Bateman (Zootopia) and J.K. Simmons (Zootopia) are in the 2007 comedy JUNO where Garner and Bateman play a married couple.  Garner and Bateman are also in the 2007 film THE KINGDOM and the 2009 comedy THE INVENTION OF LYING.

Christopher Plummer (Danny Collins) and Harvey Keitel (Mean Streets) were in the 2004 movie NATIONAL TREASURE.

Katarina Cas (Danny Collins) and Giselle Eisenberg (Danny Collins) were directed by Martin Scorsese (Mean Streets) in the 2013 film THE WOLF OF WALL STREET.

Melissa Benoist (Danny Collins) and J.K. Simmons (Zootopia) were in the 2014 film WHIPLASH and the 2016 film PATRIOTS DAY.

Michael Patrick McGill (Danny Collins) and Jason Bateman (Zootopia) were in the 2013 comedy BAD WORDS.

Kiff VandenHeuvel (Danny Collins) and J.K. Simmons (Zootopia) were in the 2016 musical LA LA LAND.

Nick Offerman (Danny Collins) and Octavia Spencer (Zootopia) were in the 2005 comedy MISS CONGENIALITY 2:  ARMED AND FABULOUS.

Josh Peck (Danny Collins) and Alan Tudyk (Zootopia) were in the 2002 animated movie ICE AGE:  CONTINENTAL DRIFT.

Don Lake (Zootopia) and Robert De Niro (Mean Streets) were in the 2013 movie GRUDGE MATCH.

J.K. Simmons (Zootopia) and Jackie Chan (The Foreigner) were in the animated movie KUNG FU PANDA 3.

J.K. Simmons (Zootopia) and Michael McElhatton (The Foreigner) were in the 2017 superhero film JUSTICE LEAGUE.

Tiny Lister (Zootopia) and Robert De Niro (Mean Streets) were in the 1997 film JACKIE BROWN.

Alan Tudyk (Zootopia) and Mads Mikkelson (After the Wedding) were in the 2016 film ROGUE ONE:  A STAR WARS STORY.

John Williams (To Catch a Thief) was directed by Billy Wilder (The Lost Weekend director) in the 1954 film SABRINA.

Mads Mikkelson (After the Wedding) was directed by Martin Campbell (The Foreigner director) in the 2006 Bond film CASINO ROYALE.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 662nd Edition

Welcome to the 662nd Edition of my series.  I would like to announce that I will be making my debut for the Muncie theater group Think, Dog Productions in a show called BIRTH, DEATH, AND THE SHIT IN BETWEEN.  Yes, that is the title and is a locally written play that consists of four different short plays.  This will be performed at the upstairs of the Heorot/Valhalla and more details will come at a later time.  Nothing really different is happening besides that so I will get on with my selections.

Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017):  This is part three of my Margot Robbie trilogy.  I start the week out on this biopic and the inspiration for the timeless Winnie the Pooh children's series.  Simon Curtis directed this film Domhnall Gleeson stars as A.A. Milne who is struggling to write a new story and when spending time with his son Christopher Robin, played by Will Tilston and Alex Lawther, he becomes inspired through visits through the woods and his toys to create the iconic characters known today.  Milne soon becomes quite the celebrity along with his son where Milne begins to experience a certain price of fame that changes his relationship with his son.  Robbie, Kelly MacDonald, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Shaun Dingwell, Stephen Campbell Moore, Geraldine Somerville, and many others co-star in this biopic.  There are some pretty sad moments at times and I would not go into expecting to be family entertainment on the level of the children's franchise that this movie's creation is based upon and it is not the same as the upcoming CHRISTOPHER ROBIN.  While it is sad at times, it can also be very touching.  Some might notice I get obsessed over double features and maybe a good one for this would be FINDING NEVERLAND.

Talladega Nights:  The Legend of Ricky Bobby (2006):  This is part two of my two-part Will Ferrell series.  Adam McKay directed directed and co-wrote this comedy along with Will Ferrell who stars as the title character.  This is a comedy that centers around the world of NASCAR racing where Ricky is the top ranked driver with the help of his teammate and childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr., played by John C. Reilly.  His spot is jeopardized with French Formula One driver Jean Girard, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, joins NASCAR where Ricky must face his demons.  Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, Amy Adams, Molly Shannon Andy Richter, David Koechner, Jack McBrayer, Ian Roberts, Pat Hingle, Houston Tumlin, Grayson Russell, Ted Manson, Rob Riggle, and many others co-star in this film with some celebrity cameos as themselves.  Ferrell and Reilly are a great comedy duo which lead to STEPBROTHERS just a couple years later.  This is a really fun comedy for both racing fans and non-racing fans.  I am not a racing fan but still laughed a lot during this movie.

Still Bill (2009):  This is my music documentary for the week which takes a look at soul legend Bill Withers.  This shows his roots in West Virginia to his time in the United States Navy and then into what he is most known for in his music career.  This is a very intimate look into the musician that never really went out into the limelight much but has many known songs like AIN'T NO SUNSHINE and LEAN ON ME.  This also takes a look at his family life including his daughter Kori who is a musician and performs some songs in his home.  She actually shows a lot of talent in following her father's footsteps and shows she is a really good singer and songwriter in her own right.  I also learned of the name of the lead singer in Living Colour which is Corey Glover who briefly performs in the documentary.  This is a very simple but informative documentary on the singer.

The Fourth Dimension (1937):  This is my short film for the week which is more of a documentary and instructional short film.  This gives descriptions and demonstrations of one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional and then goes into graphs and photography to provide explanations and illustrations.  This was made in France and is about 10 minutes long.  It remains very interesting even today and is available to watch on Filmstruck.

The More the Merrier (1943):  George Stevens directed this film which takes place during a house shortage that happened during WWII.  Jean Arthur stars as Connie Milligan who lives alone in her apartment and offers to sublet the the apartment with the thought of it being her patriotic duty.  When getting a tenant, she expects it to be another female but instead gets the mischievous and middle-aged Benjamin Dingle, played by Charles Coburn, and in turn does his own sublet with a younger man named Joe Carter, played by Joel McCrea, which starts the romantic comedy.  Richard Gains, Bruce Bennett, Frank Sully, Donald Douglas, and many others co-star in this film.  I was not really aware of this period of the war where a housing shortage happened and this is a good story around the unfortunate event.  Coburn is very amusing as a Cupid sort of person.  McCrea is more known for his westerns but does a good job in this as the romantic comedy working well with Arthur.  This is a rather underrated comedy from this era but is every bit as good the romantic comedies I have seen from the era.

Hanzo the Razor:  The Snare (1973):  This is the second of the trilogy featuring the Japanese detective Hanzo Itami, the first of which I featured a couple weeks ago.  Shintaro Katsu plays the detective who in some ways could be compared to Detective Harry Callahan with using his own methods to try solving the crime.  A woman is found dead and his investigation leads to a temple priestess who he believes is involved prompting his to use his sexual and torture methods to get the necessary information.  As I mentioned when featuring this first one, this is not for everyone and there is one more after this one.  I found this one to be more provocative that the first one.  These are all available to watch on Filmstruck.

Blood In, Blood Out (1993):  This is part two of my two-part Billy Bob Thornton series which is an earlier part to Thornton's career where he has a small but significant role.  Taylor Hackford directed this film centers around three gang member relatives in Miklo, played by Damian Chapa, and his brothers Cruz and Paco, played by Jesse Borrego and Benjamin Bratt.  All three of these people go different routes in life causing a lot of tension within themselves and their family.  Thornton, Enrique Castillo, Victor Rivers, Delroy Lindo, Tow Towles, Carlos Carrasco, Teddy Wilson, Raymond Cruz, Valente Rodriguez, Lanny Flaherty, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, Richard Masur, and many others co-star in this film.  This is loosely based on the life of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca who co-wrote the screenplay.  I had not heard of this going in but then became pleasantly surprised.  This is very well acted and well shot with a really good story to go along and was really worth the three hours.  Here's an unknown gem to get on the radar.

Cleopatra Jones (1973):  This is my Blaxplotation film for the week which was directed by Jack Starrett.  Tamara Dobson stars as the title character who is a U.S. special agent assigned to crack down on drug trafficking.  Shelley Winters is her usual self in her later years and co-stars as drug lord Mommy who is furious at Cleopatra for burning a Turkish poppy field.  Bernie Casey, Brenda Sykes, Antonio Fargas, Dan Frazer, Bill McKinney, Stafford Morgan, Michael Warren, and many others co-star in this movie.  Like my other '70s selection, this also has its limited audience.  If you are not familiar with the Blaxploitation genre, this is likely not the one to watch.  However, fans of the genre and not taking it too seriously should enjoy this movie with some good action and a good music score along with a really cool title character.  The most amusing thing for me was seeing Winters playing a drug lord.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck. 

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952):  Cecil B. DeMille directed this film centered around life in a circus.  Charlton Heston stars as circus manager Brad Braden whose circus is struggling and must bring in renowned trapeze artist The Great Sebastian, played by Cornel Wilde, which makes his girlfriend Holly, played by Betty Hutton, lose her top spot she had just won.  James Stewart also co-stars as Buttons the Clown, a good-hearted person who seems to have a bit of a dark past and could be one of Stewart's best performances in my opinion.  Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, Henry Wilcoxon, Lyle Bettger, Emmett Kelly, Frank Wilcox, and many others co-star.  Much of the performers were from the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus which is what this film is meant to promote.  This is a good and fun look at life in the circus and could have a good double feature with the more recent THE GREATEST SHOWMAN.

The Girl on the Mat (2016):  I end the week with this short film  which was directed by my own Facebook friend Robert Joseph Butler.  Julie Kline stars as Hayden who is a wrestler for her high school team and has accomplished a lot as a female wrestler in a male world.  She struggles with the difficult relationship he has with her mother, played by Aphrodite Nikolovski, as well as her mother's health.  Robert had messaged me wanting me to check this out and while I meant to check it out, I forgot but he reminded me last week so I knew I could not let him down this time as he has been a good supporter of mine.  Robert also did not let me down with this very well acted and directed short film that is about a half hour which centers around high school wrestling but is more about a mother/daughter relationship.  This was filmed in Michigan and they clearly have some talent up there.  This can be seen on http://www.newradiomedia.com/the-girl-on-the-mat/ . 

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Gael Garcia Bernal, Al Pacino, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 661st Edition

Welcome to the 661st Edition of my series.  I seem to be the minority when I say I don't want this weather to end but I will always feel that way.  I don't want that cold to happen but I like where I am at so I'll just try to get through it like I do every year.  There is my random thought for the day so not much else going on at the moment but there are sure to be announcements coming soon.

Hearts of Darkness:  A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991):  I start the week off with this making of documentary which was directed by Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper with footage done by Eleanor Coppola.  This was the making of the 1979 Vietnam classic APOCALYPSE NOW where at the time, director Francis Ford Coppola wanted his wife to do documentary footage which would be part of this documentary.  This documents the absolute struggle this movie was to get made with the issue of the casting issues, the elements, and the government of the Philippines.  This also shows the struggle of Coppola to make this movie to his vision and pretty much puts up everything he has financially to get this made with movie studios not wanting to touch this.  It could be said that Coppola was a crazed visionary in the way he went about getting this made and could also be said on THE GODFATHER, just not to the extreme of Apocalypse.  Whatever one might say, this was a very important film which helped the American Zoetrope studios in the end and does what he can to stick to his own vision and not what the producers tell him.  This was a very insightful documentary that goes a little beyond the filming and into the origins of the novel HEARTS OF DARKNESS.

Reveron (1952):  This is my documentary short for the week from Margot Banacerraf whose feature film ARAYA was featured last week so with this being on that Criterion Collection dvd, I thought I'd give this one a shot.  This takes a look at Venezuelan painter and sculptor Armando Reveron who gives insight into his work and shows him at work.  This man had some very good art and gets overlooked now.  This is also available to watch on Youtube and is a short but very good look at the artist.

The Twelve Chairs (1970):  Now I go into some comedy which was directed by Mel Brooks and based on the novel by Ilf and and Petrov which takes place in 1920s Soviet Russia.  Ron Moody stars as Vorobyaninov whose mother-in-law is on her deathbed and reveals that some valuable jewels were sewn into one of the twelve chairs that were lost during the revolution so sets out to find them along with a priest, played by Dom Deluise, and a con-artist, played by Frank Langella.  They are all out for their own gain in this comedy.  This is a more unknown Brooks film but still has some great comedic moments like the song HOPE FOR THE BEST, EXPECT THE WORST, and the characters playing their parts to perfection.  This is the first of many collaborations for Brooks and Deluise.  While not the best work of Mr. Brooks, this was still really worth a look.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016):  This is part two of my Margot Robbie trilogy as well as part one of a possible two-part series for Billy Bob Thornton.  Glenn Ficarra and John Requa directed this film based on the novel by Kim Baker, played by Tina Fey.  Baker decides to leave the comfort of her desk job and become an on-camera reporter in war-torn Afghanistan.  With no experience in this sort of field, she must slowly adjust to this environment to survive physically and emotionally.  Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, Christopher Abbott, Nicholas Braun, Stephen Peacocke, Sheila Vand, Evan Jonigkeit, Fahim Anwar, Josh Charles, Cherry Jones, Eli Goodman, Soledad O'Brien, Sterling K. Brown, and many others co-star in this film.  This is mostly a drama where the comedy comes from within like making the most of their dangerous lives.  Fey does a good job in her more toned down role where she is still comedic but in the way as mentioned of making the most of her situation.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965):  This was shown at my local library in the first showing of their "Attack of the Movie" series they have going.  Russ Meyer directed this exploitation movie which is now known as a cult classic.  Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams all star as go-go dancers Varia, Rosie, and Billie who are out looking for fun and encounter and encounter a young couple, played by Ray Barlow and Sue Bernard, which results in the death of the man and kidnapping the girl Linda.  They also encounter a crippled old man, played by Stuart Lancaster, who has a sinister agenda of his own.  Dennis Busch and Paul Trinka also co-star in this exploitation film.  This movie is trash in just about every sense of the word but manages to be very enjoyable if not taken too seriously.

Zoolander (2001):  This is part one of a two-part Will Ferrell series.  Ben Stiller directed and co-wrote this comedy which has gone onto be a cult classic in its own right.  Stiller also co-stars as the confident but clueless male model Derek Zoolander whose world crumbles around him when he loses his male model of the year award to his rival Hansel, played by Owen Wilson.  In his times of despair, he thinks that his new offer from fashion guru Mugatu, played by Ferrell, will have him on the rise again only to learn that he is being brainwashed to assassinate the president of Malaysia and must look to prevent the incident with his new friends.  Christine Taylor, Milla Jovovich, Jerry Stiller, David Duchovny, Jon Voight, Judah Friedlander, Nathan Lee Graham, Asio Highsmith, Alexander Skarsgard, Vince Vaughn, Andy Dick, and many others co-star in this film along with many celebrity cameos of people playing themselves.  This is a great take towards the world of modeling along with a really good soundtrack and clever plotline.

Feet First (1930):  This is part two of my two-part Harold Lloyd series where I take a look at one of his later films as in one of his talkies.  Lloyd stars as Harold who is am ambitious shoe salesman and claims to be a leather tycoon to a girl he meets named Barbara, played by Barbara Kent, only to learn she is the daughter of his boss.  He uses very comedic means to hide his real circumstances which leads into quite the climax which might top the one he did in his 1923 film SAFETY LAST.  Robert McWade, Lillian Leighton, Henry Hall, Noah Young, and many others co-star in this comedy.  To enjoy this, I think one must be into classic comedy and have a understanding of Harold Lloyd so maybe start with some of his underrated silent comedy and transition to this one.  This, among other many other works of Lloyd, is available on FilmStruck which is becoming a very frequently used source since my dad bought me the year subscription for my birthday.

The Fearless Freaks (2005):  This is my music documentary for the week which is based on the alternative rock band the Flaming Lips and directed by Bradley Beesley.  This was a band formed in Oklahoma City in 1983 which slowly worked the way into the mainstream through their experimental and progressive music.  This take a look at various members of the band which was mainly Wayne Coyne and his family.  I liked how he worked at the local Long John Silver's for a few years while still being in the band.   This band truly paid their dues to get where they are in the music scene.  Some of the songs people might know are SHE DON'T USE JELLY and DO YOU REALIZE.  I did not know much on the band but enjoyed seeing this documentary on the evolution of the band through the years.  I started listening to them more on Spotify after seeing this documentary.  Fans of the Flaming Lips will enjoy this movie and if you are not aware of who they are, maybe it's time to give this one a look.

Knute Rockne:  All-American (1940):  This is my sports movie for the week which was directed by Lloyd Bacon and takes place in my own state of Indiana.  Pat O'Brien stars as the real-life Knute Rockne who got to play for Notre Dame football and would go onto become their legendary coach.  This takes a look at the close relationship with his player George Gipp aka the Gipper, played by our future president Ronald Reagan, the incarnation of the Four Horsemen, yes, I'm sad to say the wrestling faction that started out with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, and J.J. Dillon was not the first to use that name, and using the innovative use of dance to form plays which is still used today.  Gale Page, Donald Crisp, Albert Basserman, John Litel, Henry O'Neill, Owen Davis Jr., John Qualen, Dorothy Tree, Johnny Sheffield, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good and early sports biopic which was filmed on location which would not happen again until 1983 when filming RUDY which might make a good double feature for the Notre Dame fans out there.

Cake (2014):  I close the week out with this comedy-drama about dealing with loss which was directed by Daniel Barnz.  FRIENDS alum Jennifer Aniston stars as Claire Bennett who has dealt with a lot of tragedy and becomes fascinated with the suicide of fellow support group member Nina, played by Anna Kendrick, while also hallucinating her to talk with.  Sam Worthington co-stars as Nina's widowed husband Roy and forms a relationship with hi while they both deal with the tragedies.  Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Adriana Barraza, Mamie Gummer, Chris Messina, Lucy Punch, Britt Robertson, Misty Upham, and many others co-star in this film.  Aniston gives possibly her best performance in this film.  I will warn for those only watching for Macy that he has a significant role but is more of a cameo.  This is a great look at dealing with grief and the effects of those around them.  Thereis not much more I can say without giving this away except that it is really driven by the characters.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Margot Robbie, Amy Adams, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 660th Edition

Welcome to the 660th Edition of my series.  Last week, I realized I focused a lot on the foreign cinema which was not intentional but but I never really know how things things will play out, not do I plan it.  This week is much different but still satisfied with the end result.  I like giving my own self suspense and playing through my rather methodical selection process.  I don't really have much to add at the moment so I will just get on with my selections.

Secret Honor (1984):  Robert Altman directed this film and is based on a play by Donald Freed and Arnold M. Stone which portrays Richard Nixon, played by Philip Baker Hall.  I should also add that Hall is the only actor in this entire film where as Nixon, he works on a message and reflection of his career on a recording.  This is a fictional account of Nixon in an attempt to gain insight into his personality, life, attitudes, and behavior.  Hall gives a very underrated performance as our former president but has been overlooked through the years compared to other actors that have portrayed Nixon.  This manages to keep my attention and I hope to get this on the radar.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

I, Tonya (2017):  This is part one of a potential Margot Robbie trilogy.  Craig Gillespie directed this documentary style biopic on former figure skater Tonya Harding, played by Robbie, and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, played by Sebastian Stan, so I might as well say what will inevitably will be said which is portrayed by Harley Quinn and Winter Soldier.  This takes a look at Harding's childhood and getting into skating through her overbearing mother Lavona, played by Allison Janney, and then before and after the infamous incident where Harding's competitor Nancy Kerrigan, played by Caitlin Carver, is brutally attacked before the 1994 Olympics.  Cannavale, Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser, Bojana Novakovic, McKenna Grace, and many others co-star in this film.  This takes an interesting and dark comedic look at Harding's life before and some after the incident and also is based on interviews by both Harding and Gillooly where most of them are conflicting accounts leaving it up to us to decide who if either are telling the truth or just telling a half-truth.  I also really liked the documentary feel of the film and gives a humanistic look at the former married couple.

Little Boy (2015):  Now I bring a more family oriented film which was directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde.  Jakob Salvati stars as 8 year old Pepper whose life changes when his father James has to fight in WWII.  Pepper wants his father back that he does whatever good deeds he can which was advised by Father Oliver, played by Tom Wilkinson, thinking that will increase the chances of ending WWII and bringing back his father.  Emily Watson, David Henrie, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Ben Chaplin, Ted Levine, Kevin James, Ali Landry, Abraham Benrubi, Eduardo Verastegui, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very moving and inspirational film depicting a very loving father/son relationship and being separated by the war.  This also gives a good look at the treatment of Japanese-Americans in this era where Tagawa plays one and is looked down upon because of what his countrymen did.  This is rather predictable but not as much as I expected but in this type of movie it is to be expected so if looking for a suspenseful film, this might not be the one.

An Eastern Westerner (1920):  This is my short film for the week and is part one of a possible two-part Harold Lloyd series.  Hal Roach directed this silent short which stars Lloyd who is a young New Yorker whose Christian parents send him to live with an uncle in Plute Pass putting him into a more western type setting leading into many comical misadventures.  One really good scene and maybe one of the best silent film scenes of all time involves Lloyd playing poker at the bar and his unorthodox means of winning.  Lloyd is regarded as "The Third Genius" obviously along with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and while he was more popular at the time box-office wise, he is not as known but in my opinion is every bit as good as the other two.

Araya (1959):  This is my documentary for the week and a rather early documentary.  Margot Benacerraf directed this film and the title refers to the name of a salt mine located on a peninsula located in northeastern Venezuela.  This takes a look at the hard work done by the locals to extract it in order to survive in their remote community.  This is a very well-shot documentary with very good visuals being more effective with the decision to make the documentary in black and white.  I do not really have much to say about this except that this is a good documentary from the early days of documentary cinema with a subject matter we might have forgotten or not known.

Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978):  Richard C. Bennett directed this dark comedy that was based on the hit song from 1968 that was written by Tom T. Hall.  Barbara Eden stars single mother Stella Johnson which is the "Mrs. Johnson who they are referring to in the song and is in the rather conservative town of Harper Valley.  Much of the townspeople, mostly the school PTA board, considers her too liberal and make life difficult to her teen daughter Dee, played by Susan Swift, and takes revenge by exposing secrets of the PTA and pulling humiliating pranks on them.  Ronny Cox, Nanette Fabray, Louis Nye, Audrey Christie, Ron Masak, John Fiedler, Pat Paulsen, Robert Hastings, Fay DeWitt, Clint Howard, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Woody Harrelson also has a role as an extra in his film debut so I guess that makes this a six-part Woody Harrelson series.  This is very enjoyable if not taken too seriously and has some very clever pranks..  This has an interesting message about standing up for yourself in this satire.  This could be a good double feature to have with the 1969 film ALICE'S RESTAURANT which is also based on the title song.

Monsieur Verdoux (1947):  I follow up with another very dark comedy which was written and directed by Charlie Chaplin and based on a story by Orson Welles.  Chaplin also stars as the title character who tries to support his wife and son but finds it very difficult since the depression.  To make the money to support his family, he goes out and marries rich women only to murder them to collect on their money.  Robert Lewis, Martha Raye, Ada May, Isobel Elsom, Marjorie Bennett, Irving Bacon, and many others co-star in this film.  Orson Welles was originally planning to do a dramatized documentary on French serial killer Henri Landru which this movie is based upon and Chaplin purchased this and made into his own statement of a film.  This is far from Chaplin's iconic character of the Tramp though not really far from his dark sense of humor he has shown through the years.  This was very controversial in its time with some anti-war messages within the film and Chaplin being deported from the United States shortly after this film.  While, this movie was not the only thing that got him out, I understand this was kind of the icing on the cake.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck as well as a lot of other works from Chaplin.

A Bug's Life (1998):  This is my animated selection from the week and bring some earlier Pixar which is their second film.  John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton directed this animated film which centers around a colony of ants.  They are forced by a group of grasshoppers lead by Hopper, voiced by Kevin Spacey, gather food for them but things get worse when misfit ant Flik, voiced by Dave Foley, knocks over a lot of food forcing them to gather more than usual.  Flik volunteers to leave the island to find a group of warrior bugs to save the colony and when he finds them, they turn out to be a group of circus bugs.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller, Richard Kind, David Hyde Pierce, Joe Ranft, Dennis Leary, Jonathan Harris, Madeline Kahn, Bonnie Hunt, Michael McShane, John Ratzenberger, Brad Garrett, Roddy McDowell, Edie McClurg, Alex Rocco, Rodger Bumpass, and many other provide their voices.  This is the final movie for McDowell and this was released after his death.  This is a fun one that the family can watch with a lot of funny moments and banding together to overcome adversity.

Hanzo the Razor:  Sword of Justice (1972):  This is my Japanese film for the week and is part one of a trilogy which features the title character being played by Shintaro Katsu as an officer of the law who uses very unconventional and questionable methods to track a killer and mostly goes against protocol with the police force.  This is not going to be for everyone as there is a lot of violence and the use of sadomasochistic methods that he uses on women to get the answers he is looking for in his investigations.  This was very intriguing for me to watch and I'm sure this was the subject to a lot of controversy.  I had never heard of this character until I came across this film which is available to watch on Filmstruck as well as the others that are part of this trilogy.

Before I Disappear (2014):  I end the week this this rather unexpected surprise which was written and directed by Shawn Christensen and based on his short film CURFEW which was from the year before.  Christensen also stars in the movie as the troubled and suicidal Richie where he gets an unexpected call from his estranged sister Maggie, played by Emmy Rossum, who needs him to babysit her daughter Sophia, played by Fatima Ptacek.  Though all of his Richie's troubles with money he owns and hallucinations, he manages to form an unexpected bond with his niece while waiting for her mom to get home.  Paul Wesley, Ron Perlman, Richard Schiff, Fran Kranz, and many others co-star in this film.  While I was aware of most of the supporting actors through the shows I watch, I had never heard of Christensen or Ptacek whose names I struggled to spell and they carry the film very well together.  I hope to help this get more exposure through this feature.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Dennis Hopper, Frank Langella, Margot Robbie, and many others.