Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 672nd Edition

Welcome to the 672nd Edition of my series.  Today is the start of our annual movie and tv contest called the Madness.  Much of us came together during the days of Myspace and started this contest and I'm proud to say I'm one of the founding fathers after 11 years.  I have never won this contest and likely never will.  Each year we have a different theme and what comes along with our theme are the wild card names which are usually actors and directors where anything counts for minimum points.  Through the years I have earned the nickname "King of the Loophole" where I have managed to make movies like THE GODFATHER PART 1 and 2, TITANIC, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, ROCK OF AGES, BLUE CHIPS, MUSIC OF THE HEART, and many others along these lines count.  This year there will be more so stay tuned for next week where I put out my usual segment in addition to what I have done for the Madness.  I will get on with my selections now.

Get Out (2017):  I start the week out with this horror hit from last year.  Jordan Peele wrote and makes his directorial debut.   Daniel Kaluuya stars as young black man Chris Washington who is set to go with his girlfriend Rose, played by Allison Williams, to meet her white family.  As he gets to know the friends and family, they seem to be okay with the interracial relationship but he starts to see they are becoming too friendly and finds he is in more of a nightmare.  Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Marcus Henderson, Betty Gabriel, Lakeith Stanfield, LilRel Howery, Ashley LeConte Campbell, and many others co-star in this independent film.  This is more psychological horror than anything.  This has a very creepy feel to it and brings it in gradually.  Peele makes a great debut as a director.  Kaluuya also does good as the protagonist in the film.  Also, a good social commentary with race.  This is a really good horror film that lived up to the hype in my opinion.

Dreams (1990):  Akira Kurasawa directed this film that is a fantasy of eight short stories of things that Kurasawa has dreamed in his life.  These are all very complex and diverse stories that are very compelling and at times disturbing.  I have seen a few of Kurasawa's films through the year and I think I enjoy this later one of his the most.  I like the multiple stories and the visuals in this film.  Martin Scorsese makes a rare acting appearance as Vincent Van Gogh in a dream where we are taken into the art world of Van Gogh's paintings.  This is a very visually stunning film and pretty easy to follow.

City Limits (1984):  This is an MST3K selection that takes place in the not so distant future that has wiped out much of the populations and in a time that biker gangs are on the rise.  John Stockwell stars as Lee who has been accepted into one of the gangs but things become complicated when the evil Sunya Corporation wants to utilize the gangs for their own purposes.  Rae Dawn Chong, James Earl Jones, Kim Catrall, Don Keith Opper, Norbert Weisser, Kane Hodder, John Diehl, Robby Benson, and many others co-star in this sci-fi movie.  This was a good selection from the MST3K guys as it had a pretty bad script along with the acting and dialogue.  The episode had a pretty funny parody on Morrissey, as much as I am a fan of his, I had to absolutely laugh at that one.  Not one of the best choices of these actors but it made for a good MST3K episode which is available on Hoopla Digital.

Stop That Noise (1935):  This is my animated short for the week which features Betty Boop.  In this one, Betty is in her apartment and hearing all kinds of noise around her like road construction.  In hopes of getting away from it, she retreats to her country home, only to have it just as bad in the way of the insects.  This was a pretty funny short of Betty just trying to find peace but not being successful.  This is available on Amazon Prime as part of "Betty Boop- Vol. 1:  22 Cartoon Classics."

Rosemary's Baby (1968):  Roman Polanski directed this film based on the novel by Ira Levin.  Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes star as married couple Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse.  They move into an apartment building in New York where Rosemary is determined to have a child while Guy struggles with his acting career but soon she finally gets pregnant.  As the pregnancy goes along, Rosemary finds herself shut off from her neighbors and sees hints of a sinister conspiracy leading into quite the climax.  Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, Victoria Vetri, Patsy Kelly, Elisha Cook Jr., Emmaline Henry, Charles Grodin, and many others co-star in this film.  This still remains quite the horror masterpiece and does a great job leading into the climax.  The author Levin has cited to really like this adapation of his novel saying it was very faithful to his book.  This is the perfect movie to watch this time of year and at all times for that matter.

The Thing From Another World (1951):  Christian Nyby directed this film based on a story by John W. Campbell Jr.  This takes place in the arctic where a group of scientists are doing research and discover a spacecraft buried in the ice and discover a frozen pilot which would turn out to the be title character, played by James Arness.  When accidentally thawed, the humanoid wreaks havoc among the Arctic and the people on the island must find a way to stop him.  Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Dougas Spencer, James Young, Dewey Martin, and many others co-star in this classic sci-fi horror film.  This is a film that has inspired a bit of a franchise through the years.  Many horror directors of today cite this one as an influence so check out this very significant movie the sci-fi and horror genre.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck until October 5th of this year.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006):  Guillermo Del Toro wrote and directed this dark fantasy film that takes place in 1944 Spain.  Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia who must move with her pregnant mother to live with her sadistic stepfather Vidal, played by Sergi Lopez, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army.  Ofelia meets a fairy which leads her to an old faun, played by Doug Jones, who informs her she is a princess but must to some very gruesome tasks to prove her worth and royalty.  Maribel Verdu, Ariadna Gil, Alex Angulo, Manolo Solo, Cesar Vea, Roger Casamajor, Ivan Massague, and many others co-star in this film.  In addition to Fauno, Jones also plays the part of the Pale Man proving he is quite possibly the master of prosthetic.  This is fantasy and focuses a lot of fairy tales but is very adult oriented and if you have a weak stomach, this is not the one to watch.  If getting past the grotesque imagery, this is a very well-written and compelling film to watch.

Multiple Maniacs (1970):  John Waters wrote and directed this really weird crime comedy and anyone who has seen John Waters, especially the older work like this one knows his movies are not for all taste.  Divine stars as Lady Divine who is part of "Lady Devine's Cavalcade of Perversions" which are really part of a crime group.  I don't really know how else to describe this movie.  Much of the Waters alums are in this movie.  I would suggest to look into the background of John Waters before checking out this movie.

The Seventh Seal (1957):  Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed this Swedish film.  Max Von Sydow stars as Antonius Block who is a knight of the crusades during the time of the Black Death and seeks questions on life, death, and the existence of God.  Bengt Ekerot co-stars as Death who lets Block know it is his time and is challenged by Block to a game of chess for his life and to delay his death.  This is one of the most iconic Bergman films and one of the most iconic images in film with Block and Death playing chess with each other.  This is another that is really hard to put into words.  Essentially this is an analysis on life and death and through Bergman's own Agnosticism.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

Troll (1986):  I end the week with this horror comedy.  The Potter family, played by Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack, Noah Hathaway, and Jenny Beck, moves into an apartment complex in San Francisco. It seems okay at first but the daughter Wendy, played by Beck, meets the wicked troll Tarok and inhibits her body using it in hopes to transform other tenants.  Harry Jr., played by Hathaway and yes his name and dad's name are Harry Potter, feels something is not right with his sister and seeks help from the witch Eunice St. Clair, played by June Lockhart.  Sonny Bono, Phil Fondacaro, Brad Hall, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anne Lockhart, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is more of a guilty pleasure than anything.  Bono has a very amusing role and Louis-Dreyfuss makes her film debut.  This can be a very enjoyable Halloween movie if not taken too seriously.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes James Franco, Ryan Phillippe, Lon Chaney Jr., Paul Sorvino, Steve Buscemi, Debbie Reynolds, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 671st Edition

Welcome to the 671st Edition of my series.  It's been some busy times with work and rehearsing in preparation for my role as Renfield in DRACULA.  It has been a lot of fun though and continue to memorize all that dialogue.  I will have more information in the future on that show.  I don't really have much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections.

Boogie Nights (1997):  This is part two of my two-part series dedicated to the late Burt Reynolds.  Last week I used one of his much later independent films in THE LAST MOVIE STAR.  Now I use the movie that some might say made him relevant again.  Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed this film that takes centers around the adult film industry or to put in simpler terms porn.  A young Mark Wahlberg stars as Eddie Adams who works as a busboy in a nightclub until he gets discovered by adult film directed Jack Horner, played by Reynolds.  Eddie make the decision to become an adult film actor coining the name Dirk Diggler.  While humble in the beginning, he succumbs to a world of drugs and to his own ego.  Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Luis Guzman, John C. Reilly, Nicole Ari Parker, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, Nina Hartley, Joanna Gleason, Ricky Jay, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Walters, Michael Jace, Philip Baker Hall, Thomas Jane, Michael Penn, Robert Downey Sr., Alfred Molina, Tom Lenk, and many others co-star in this film.  I always enjoy Graham the most as Rollergirl but the whole cast excels very well.  In looking further into this, I have found that Burt regretted doing this film even though he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy award.  This is based on adult film star John Holmes.  I found this to be a very enjoyable film and had a great array of characters that are really part of a family through all their ups and downs.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Toni Erdmann (2016):  This is my German film for the week which was written and directed by Maren Ade.  This centers around the father/daughter relationship between Winfried, played by Peter Simonischek, and his daughter Ines, played by Sandra Huller.  Ines is a very hard working person and has a hard time with her practical joker father.  Winfried enters into the picture again as an alter-ego of the movie title claiming to be a life coach.  Michael Wittenborn, Thomas Loibl, Trystan Putter, Ingrid Bisu, Hadewych Minis, Lucy Russell, Victoria Cocias, Alexandru Papadopol, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a pretty moving film about a father and daughter.  At the same time, it had some really funny moments, especially with Simonischek in his alter-ego as well as the climax of the film.  This should draw an equal amount of laughs and tears.

Small, Beautifully Moving Parts (2011):  Annie J. Howell and Lisa Robinson wrote and directed this independent comedy.  Anna Margaret Hollyman stars as technological geek Sarah Sparks who is experiencing her first pregnancy and having a lot of anxiety despite the excitement of her boyfriend Leon, played by Andre Howell.  She decides to take a road trip alone in search of her estranged mother which she feels is the source of her anxiety.  Sarah Rafferty, Annie J. Howell, Allison Black, Nisha Ganatra, Jane Pickett, Mary Beth Peil, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I found this to be pretty funny, especially in the way they worked in the technology.  I'm sure that many mothers can relate when they were pregnant for their own first time.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Cartoons on Tour (1915):  I'm continuing my much older which have all been the combination of animation and live action.  Film pioneer Raoul Barre wrote and directed this early short film which shows a father and daughter in a vehicle together reading the printed GROUCH CHASER cartoons in the paper which come to life as they read.  I never really thought a lot of this until I started watching these short films, but I guess I assumed the Disney was the first to combine live action and animation.  This won came from Edison Studios which Thomas Edison created after inventing his moving camera.  There are a lot of these available to watch on Filmstruck under Cartoon Roots.  These will spark a lot of interest.

Cluny Brown (1946):  Ernst Lubisch directed this film based on the novel by Margery Sharp.  Jennifer Jones stars as the title character who has expectations of who she is supposed to be as a lady but  remains free spirited.  Her uncle sends her off to work as a servant at an English country estate where she meets charming Czech writer Adam Belinski who seems as unconventional as her while Cluny also takes interest in shopkeeper Mr. Wilson, played by Richard Haydn.  Peter Lawford, Helen Walker, Reginald Gardiner, Reginald Owen, C. Aubrey Smith, Una O'Connor, and many others co-star in this film.  Jennifer Jones does not seem to get her due from the modern era like some actresses but she had her own talent and does great in this film as the title character.  This was a very amusing and touching movie to watch and is really worth a look.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

Sabata (1969):  This is my western for the week and is the Spaghetti western.  Gianfranco Parolini directed and co-wrote this film.  Lee Van Cleef stars as master gunfighter Sabata who arrives in a small Texas town foiling a bank robbery only to find it was staged by the town leaders.  When blackmailing Stengal, played by Franco Ressel, he sends various thugs to kill Sabata including the conflicted Banjo, played by William Berger.  I felt the character Banjo was the most enjoyable part of the movie.  Ignazio Spalla, Linda Veras, Claudio Undari, and many others co-star in this western.  This is the first of a trilogy in which the sequel would have Yul Brynner as Sabata and the third one would have Van Cleef return.  Van Cleef usually played antagonist characters in westerns but was enjoyed as the protagonist in this very action packed western. 

The Fits (2015):  Anna Rose Holmer directed and co-wrote this independent film which centers around 11 year old tomboy Toni, played by Royalty Hightower.  Toni becomes enamored with a dance troupe in trying to fit in but an outbreak of fainting spells that is unknown starts to happen.  Alexis Neblett, Lauren Gibson, Da'sean Minor, Inayah Rodgers, Makyla Burnam, Antonio A.B. Grant Jr., and many others co-star in this independent film.  It is really hard to put this one into words.  The dance group was a real-life dance group in Cincinnati.  This is a psychological movie that feel they left for the audience to interpret what was happening.  It is an interesting watch and available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

A Dolls House (1959):  This is my tv movie for the week which at the time was a live telecast.  George Schaefer directed this movie that is based on the play by Henrik Ibsen.  Julie Harris and Christopher Plummer star as wealthy couple Nora and Torvald Helmer.  Torvald is a bank manager that is struggling financially and Nora is trying to save them from financial troubles by doing things behind her husband's back.  Hume Cronyn, Eileen Heckart, Jason Robards, Richard Thomas, Walter Slezak, and many others co-star in what is essentially live theater.  This is a pretty compelling story on a live couple and was well performed in this live environment.  I know now, the live musical tv showings has gotten onto the rise.  I don't know how common this was in the era but venture to say it was not done often.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Neutron:  The Atomic Superman (1962):  This is my Rifftrax movie for the week.  This was a time that Mexican wrestler superhero movies were on the rise, usually with people like El Santo, the Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras.  Evil scientist Dr. Caronte, also has a Mexican wrestling mask which seemed rare for villains of these sorts of movies, is trying to revive the brains of three scientists and it is up for our hero Neutron to stop this from happening.  Do I really need to go any further?  I was not able to find any information of this Neutron guy and his wrestling background or on Dr. Caronte who is essentially a Rudo which is the term for a bad guy in Mexican wrestling.  It appears these were just created characters going off the rise of these types of movies at the time.  If anyone has any other information, feel free to share.  The highlight of the movie is Dr. Caronte's midget henchman.  This is available on Amazon Prime with or without Rifftrax commentary.

An American in England:  An Animated Short Film (2018):  I end the week with this animated short film which was written and directed by Ibnul Jaif Farabi.  This is a three minute short which documents the misadventures of an American going to England and trying to push it with his freedom.  This obviously doesn't take long to watch and is a pretty clever and entertaining three minutes.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Catherine Keener, Martin Scorsese, James Earl Jones, Mia Farrow, Guillermo Del Toro, John Waters, Ingmar Bergman, Michael Moriarty, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 670th Edition

Welcome to the 670th edition of my series.  With this show going on, I have not really gotten around to football so it's not the matter of boycotting it, I am just busy.  I have found time to work on this so I will just get to my selections for the week.

St. Vincent (2014):  I start with this dramedy as some would call it though I might have spelled it wrong but I don't really care.  Theodore Melfi wrote and directed this film which stars Bill Murray as alcoholic and gambling addict Vincent who just does not have a care in world in his grouchy and stubborn ways that drives others away.  He gets new neighbors in the newly single mother Maggie, played by Melissa McCarthy, and her son Oliver, played by Jaeden Lieberher.  Maggie must work a lot as a nurse and by default Vincent becomes Oliver's babysitter but at a price.  Oliver starts to see around Vincent's cynical and stubborn ways finding that he is really a pretty good person and they form an unexpected friendship through time.  Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard, Kimberly Quinn, Lenny Venito, Nate Corddry, Dario Barosso, Donna Mitchell, Ann Dowd, Scott Adsit, Reg E. Cathey, Deirdre O'Connell, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a comedy but is also a character study more than anything which Bill Murray does very well in my opinion.  Watts is amusing as the pregnant Russian stripper Daka.  Lieberher makes a very good theatrical film debut as Oliver working very well with Murray.  While this is a very raunchy film, it is also very touching at the same time.

The Last Movie Star (2017):  This is my tribute to Burt Reynolds that recently left us and is part one of a two-part series.  I know he has a lot of classic films, especially in the '70s but as I was searching, this much later film in this career that I had not heard of grabbed my interest the most.  Adam Rifkin wrote and directed this independent film which stars Reynolds as the aging and has-been actor Vic Edwards.  Edwards is invited to a film festival where he is being awarded a lifetime achievement award for his work and turns out to be a young fan club at a run-down bar.  Ariel Winter co-stars as Lil whose brother Doug, played by Clark Duke, puts her in charge of driving him around which was a job she hated at first but like the last movie, these totally different people slowly form an unlikely friendship through a road trip that Vic her take him on to relive his past in a sense.  Chevy Chase, Ellar Coltrane, Al-Jaleel Knox, Nikki Blonsky, Juston Street, and many others co-star in this film.  Reynolds is great as the faded film star who must face that his glory days are behind him and is really a story about growing old.  It also does a great job of using older footage and photos of Reynolds.  I had not heard of this movie before I looked for something to use with Burt and was blown away in the end where I immediately went to Facebook to give it a like on the page when it was over.  This was a very well-written film that was driven by the script and the good performances.  This is some very underrated work from the late Burt Reynolds and sorry that it took his death for me to be exposed to the film which is available on Amazon Prime.

EuroTrip (2004):  Now I go to the raunchy comedy.  Jeff Schaffer directed and co-wrote this film along with Alec Berg and David Mandel.  Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Travis Webster are a group of friends and recent high school graduates that decide to go on a European trip  after Scott, who is dumped by his girlfriend Fiona, played by SMALLVILLE alum Kristen Kreuk, and has a German pen pal named Mike and learns that Mike is really a girl named Mieke, played by Jessica Boehrs, but she has blocked his messages through a misunderstanding prompting him to go on the trip where the rest go along.  Matt Damon, Vinnie Jones, J.P. Manoux, Fred Armisen, Lucy Lawless, Diedrich Bader, Mindy Sterling, Jeffrey Tambor, and many others co-star or have cameos.  This delivers quite a bit of laughs but is very raunchy so not for everyone.  A group of college students would probably enjoy the most.  In these kinds of movies, I usually am most amused by the cameos like from Damon and from Xena herself Lucy Lawless.  This can be very funny and enjoyable if not taken too seriously and can get past the absurdity of some scenes.

Col. Heeza Liar, Detective (1923):  Last week, I included the much earlier LIGHTNING SKETCHES from 1907 and this week I continue some of these classic shorts that combine live action and animation.  Vernon Stallings was another animation pioneer and created a series of shorts with the character Col. Heeza Liar with this one being one of the later ones.  In this one, in the live action world, a rooster is stolen so his animator, played by Stallings, feels that his animated character is the one for the job.  This is a very clever short doing a great job of combining the live world and animation together in a rather clever story.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

Ivan the Terrible Part II (1958):  This is my Russian film for the week.  Last week, I featured the first of these two movies which was meant to be a trilogy but did not happen.  Sergei M. Eisenstein directed this sequel which stars Nikolay Cherksov who reprises his role as the title czar.  This takes part in his later part of his reign and essentially his descent into madness.  The first movie was made in 1944 which was mostly given the green light by Stalin and this one started filming in 1946 but Stalin did not like this darker portrayal in Ivan's later years withholding this one until the year noted in the parenthesis.  Like the first one, this is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

The Prize (1963):  Mark Robson directed this film based on the novel by Irving Wallace.  This centers around the world of Nobel prize ceremonies.  Paul Newman stars as Andrew Craig who is being awarded a Nobel prize in literature but seems to be far more interested in women and drinking.  Edward G. Robinson co-stars as Dr. Max Stratman who is winning a Nobel prize as a physicist.  They seem to enjoy each other once meeting but Andrew becomes suspicious in Stratman's changed behavior.  He decides to investigate and discovers a very sinister plot against Dr. Stratman and does what he can to stop it.  Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, Micheline Presle, Gerard Oury, Sergio Fantoni, Kevin McCarthy, Leo G. Carroll, and many others co-star in this film.  Newman does well as the action lead and kind of a James Bond like action film.  This is not very realistic but still enjoyable.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

What Maisie Knew (2012):  This is part one of a two-part Julianne Moore series.  Scott McGehee and David Siegel directed this film based on the novel by Henry James in a more contemporary take of the 1897 novel.  Onata Aprile plays the 7 year old title character whose parents Susanna, played by Julianne Moore, and Beale, played by Steve Coogan, are in a bitter custody battle and both are very dedicated to their careers that their significant others, played by Alexander Skarsgard and Joanna Vanderham, and usually left to take care of her.  Diana Garcia, Amelia Campbell, Maddie Corman, and many others co-star in this film.  Like a lot of my selections this week, this had a lot of emotional depth for me.  Aprile has a really good performance as Maisie whose point of view the movie is mostly from.  It is hard to put this any further into words but this is a very moving film on the love of a child.

Fox and His Friends (1975):  This is my German film for the week.  Rainer Werner Fassbinder directed this film in which he also co-wrote, produced and stars.  Fassbinder stars as Franz Bieberkopf whose work consists of the carnival show where he plays Fox, the Talking Head.  He loses that job when his boyfriend is arrested for tax fraud.  Soon Fox wins the lottery and forms a relationship with upper-class gay businessman Eugen, played by Peter Chatel, and helps in a business proposition with his lottery money.  Karlheinz Bohm, Adrian Hoven, Christiane Maybach, Harry Baer, and many others co-star in this film.  This is an interesting look into the gay world of Germany and Fox getting in way over his head trying to fit in with the upper-middle class and the unscrupulous people within it.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

A Woman's Face (1941):  This is my film-noir for the week which was directed by George Cukor and based on a play by Francis de Croisset.  Joan Crawford stars as blackmailer and criminal Anna Holm, whose face is also disfigured.  She meets Dr. Gustaf Segert, played by Melvyn Douglas, who is a plastic surgeon offering to fix the disfigurement.  When this happens, Anna starts to feel more appreciation towards a family she intends to mostly con but has second thoughts.  Conrad Veidt, Osa Massen, Reginald Owen, Osa Massen, Albert Basserman, Marjorie Main, Donald Meek, Connie Gilchrist, Richard Nichols, Charles Quigley, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a series of flashbacks from a court trial and the weave together very well.  This is a very compelling film from that era and is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

Smoke Break (2018):  I end the week with this short film.  Dave Fairman wrote and directed this short film.  A.J. Orille and Ashley Killips star as Joe and Eliza who work next door to each other.  Joe tries to match up his smoke break with Eliza's where they both share daydreams they have at being anywhere but work.  While telling the story, they go into their daydream where not everything is being spoken.  This is only about eight minutes long but is a well done few minutes.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week that so far includes Burt Reynolds, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 669th Edition

Welcome to the 669th Edition of my series.  I continue to my commute out to Richmond to play a bucket list sort of role in DRACULA as Renfield.  The dreaded days have come where the weather gets cooler which I seem to be a minority sometimes.  I know our official week one of the NFL has started but I have not thought much of it so far and no it is not because of the players kneeling during the National Anthem.  I have just been really busy with my show and unable to find a paid fantasy football league.  I will get on with my selections for the week.

Heaven (1987):  I start the week out with this documentary that was directed by Diane Keaton.  This is an documentary where a series of people are interviewed about their thoughts of the afterlife and what what is in store for us.  This is a pretty dated movie but entertaining nonetheless with the scenery and older movie footage.  it also raises some very interesting questions.  Don King is interviewed briefly in this movie.  The old movie footage is what makes this worth watch the most in my opinion and I laughed which I don't think was intended.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Why Him? (2016):  Now I go to a raunchy comedy which was directed and co-written by John Hamburg.  MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE and BREAKING BAD alum Bryan Cranston stars as Ned Fleming who owns a business and is a family man.  His daughter Stephanie, played by Zoey Deutch, invite him and the rest of the family to Silicon Valley for Christmas to meet her wealthy boyfriend Laird, played by James Franco.  Laird is a very well-meaning but socially awkward person that Ned has trouble accepting leading to the comical situations.  Megan Mullally, Griffin Gluck, Cedric the Entertainer, Zack Pearlman, Tangie Ambrose, Jee Young Han, Kaley Cuoco, Keegan-Michael Key, and many others co-star in this comedy.  There is a really amusing celebrity cameo but I will leave that to surprise.  BIG BANG THEORY fans will love Cuoco in her very amusing role.  This can be very enjoyable if not taken too seriously.  I laughed a lot when watching and I laughed when seeing it in theaters.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012):  I continue with the comedy route in a comedy which was written and directed by Lorene Scafaria where they manage to make a comedy around teh world likely ending.  It is known that an asteroid named "Matilda" is heading to earth and life as we know it will be destroyed.  Steve Carell stars as Dodge who sets out to find his high school sweetheart.  Keira Knightley stars as Penny who is looking to go back to her estranged family.  They end up taking the trip together with the intentions of helping each other but get drawn to each other.  Adam Brody, Connie Britton, Roger Aaron Brown, Rob Huebel, Nancy Carell, Mark Moses, Tonita Castro, Leslie Murphy, Rob Corddry, Kasey Campbell, Melanie Lynskey, Vince Grant, Amy Schumer, Patton Oswalt, William Peterson, T.J. Miller, Gillian Jacobs, Bob Stephenson, Derek Luke, Martin Sheen, and many others co-star in this film.  This takes place in a world that is known to be ending but people just making the most of while they are still alive instead of going through some huge panic.  It begs the question of what we would do if the world is ending.  This is a funny movie and rather moving at the same time.

Lightning Sketches (1907):  This is my animated short for the week and it is not often that I have a selection on here that is over a century old.  Film and animation pioneer J. Stuart Blackton wore and directed this very early short film.  This actually is more of a live action short showing an animator drawing something and bringing it to life through animation.  This is years before Walt Disney and Max Fleischer would revolutionize the world of animation.  Blackton also helped found one of, most likely the first movie studios in Vitagraph Studios.  This is only a couple minutes long and is available to watch on Filmstruck as well as a lot of other really early shorts.

Ivan the Terrible Part 1 (1944):  This is my Russian film for the week which was written and directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein.  This is a biopic on the known Russian Tsar who is portrayed by Nikolay Cherkasov.  This takes a look at the early rule of Ivan and all the people around him not wanting him to succeed.  This in many ways resembles a play by Shakespeare with all the conspiracy around him.  This was commissioned by Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin.  There is a sequel that was filmed shortly after this one but would not come out until 1958 and there was to be a third film but that never got off the ground and did not become the trilogy it tried to be.  The second one will come in the future but both films are available on Filmstruck.

Being There (1979):  Hal Ashby directed this film which is based on the novel by Jerzy Kosinski and is part three of my Peter Sellers trilogy.  Sellers stars as Chance who is a simple-minded gardener and has spent his life in the Washington D.C. home of an old man until the day of the old man's death.  I don't think there was ever really any explanation on why he remained sheltered in the home and appears to only have an education that involves what he watches on tv.  When the person he works for has died, Chance is sent out in the world of no knowledge of the outside world except what he has seen on television.  An accident results in him becoming an unlikely political insider whose name becomes Chauncey Gardener.  Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very interesting political satire of a naive man making it into the world of politics just through his simple thought.  This is available on Filmstruck just like the first two selections of the trilogy.

Every Little Step (2008):  This is my theater documentary for the week and was directed by Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern.  This centers around auditions for the Broadway revival of A CHORUS LINE.  This takes a look at the preparation from the dancers and the decision making process of those in charge.  I think just about all theater people can relate to this movie in some way whether on the paid circuit or just simple community theater.  This is especially relating to the dancers of theater and one all dream of if in theater.  I know with me, I can only play the director.  This is a pretty good theatrical documentary showing the audition process and deserves a look.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

North By Northwest (1959):  This is part two of my two-part James Mason series.  Alfred Hitchcock directed this film which was written by Ernest Lehman.  Cary Grant stars as advertising executive Roger Thornhill who is going about his day in his own normal way until he gets mistaken for a spy and must go on the run to prove his innocence.  On the run, he meets Eve, played by Eva Marie Saint, who helps him to evade the authorities.  Mason and Martin Landau play the villains trying to kill Roger.  Jessie Royce Landis, Josephine Hutchinson, Philip Ober, Adam Williams, Edward Platt, Robert Ellenstein, Les Tremayne, and many others co-star in this film.  This is one of Hitchcock's favorite plot lines of mistaken identity.  All I will say is many are not who they appear to be in the movie and there are quite a few twists and turns.  Watching this again, I realize this might be Hitchcock's most action packed movie of his career.  It also has a really good action climax on top of Mount Rushmore and the infamous scene involving a plane.

Dead Ringer (1964):  Paul Henreid directed this film which stars Bette Davis in a dual role as twin sisters Margaret DeLorca and Edith Philips.  Margaret is at the funeral of her late husband and is joined by her estranged sister Edith who harbors a lot of resentment toward her more wealthy sister leading her to murder Margaret and assume her name.  Karl Malden co-stars as a detective who has known the sisters for a long time.  Peter Lawford, Philip Carey, Jean Hagen, George Macready, Estelle Winwood, George Chandler, and many others co-star in this film.  Davis does great in her dual role while Malden is pretty complex in his portrayal of the detective.  This is one I had not heard of and find it has gone rather overlooked through the years so hoping to get it on the radar.  This is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

The Rain Collector (2015):  I end the week with this short film which was written and directed by Isabella Wing-Davey.  This takes place in Victorian England where Celine Buckens stars as the young Vanessa who considers the ideas of what is appropriate or expected and finds purpose and maybe love through science mainly in the collecting of rain as the title implies.  Hermione Norris, Max Bennett, and Tom Mothersdale co-star in this film.  This is only about twelve minutes long and still manages to deliver a good film through the performances and direction.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime and is a great place to check out some of these overlooked short films

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Naomi Watts, the late Burt Reynolds, Matt Damon, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 668th Edition

Welcome to the 668th Edition of my series.  Last night we finished our play LIFE, DEATH, AND THE SHIT IN BETWEEN.  It has been very enjoyable and really liked being part of a locally written show.  I also like being part of an independent theater group and hope to be able to continue.  I have made the announcement on social media, now I make in on here that I am debuting for the Richmond Civic Theater in Richmond, Indiana.  I am going to be playing the role of Renfield in a production of DRACULA.  While I loved doing a locally written show, I'm also very excited to be what is considered a bucket list role.  That's all for now, I'll get on with my selections for the week.

American Made (2017):  This is part two of my two-part Tom Cruise series.  Doug Liman directed this film which stars our favorite Scientologist Tom Cruise as the real-life Barry Seal who was a TWA pilot recruited by the CIA in the '80s and later gets involved with drug dealers like Pablo Escobar in piloting some drug runs.  While Barry Seal was a real person, a lot of this is loosely based on his life.  Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jesse Plemons, Caleb Landry Jones, Lola Kirke, Jayma Mays, Alejandro Edda, Benito Martinez, E. Roger Mitchell, Jed Rees, Fredy Yate, Mauricio Mejia, and many others co-star in this film.  Cruise carries this movie very well as Seal and while it is loosely based on his life, it is still very entertaining.  Tom also is a qualified pilot and does his own flying in the movie.  It has a great blend of action and comedy.  Going into more detail could give it away but it is a very fun and entertaining watch.

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983):  I turn to a classic comedy that introduced us the the Griswalds and starting their great misadventures.  Harold Ramis directed this film that was actually based on a short story by John Hughes called VACATION '58.  Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo star as married couple Clark and Ellen Griswold and along with their kids Rusty and Audrey, played by Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron, set out to go cross country to Walley World Theme Park.  Most of the family just wanted to fly but Clark just won't have it and decided they would drive.  Nothing goes as planned but Clark is determined to get there by any means necessary.  Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy, Frank McRae, John Candy, Christie Brinkley, Jane Krakowski, and many others co-star in this film.  Just about all the characters are pretty memorable in this movie, especially Quaid as Cousin Eddie.   This is a comedy that still holds up today and later would have some great sequels, or are they sequels?  Either way, this is a fun watch at anytime and some of the ultimate misadventures.

Romero (1989):  Now I get a little more serious.  John Duigan directed this biopic that is based on Archbishop Oscar Romero, played by Raul Julia, who resides in El Salvador.  With all the oppression and violence taking place in the country, he finds that just believing in God is not enough and opposed the tyrannical repression that was happening much to the risk of his own life.  Richard Jordan, Eddie Velez, Ana Alicia, Tony Plana, Harold Gould, Al Ruscio, Tony Perez, Robert Viharo, Claudio Brook, Martin LaSalle, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very informative biopic that has mostly gone from the radar.  Julia is great as the Archbishop and is a very compelling watch that is available on Amazon Prime.

I Graduated, But... (1929):  This is my silent short for the week.  A young Yasujiro Ozu directed this short film before going onto being a legendary Japanese director for such movies as EQUINOX FLOWER and TOKYO STORY.  This one centers around a recent college graduate who struggles to find a job and learns a lot through his job search.  This is still relevant today no matter what country or ear one might be from.  Japan at this time was still doing silent films and from what I understand, they did not transition to the talkies until the year after this one came out.  As I write this, I learned this was originally a feature film that was a little over an hour long but most of the footage was lost leaving only about 12 minutes and they were able to make a short film out of it which still turned out pretty good.  This is available on Filmstruck.

Ballad of a Soldier (1959):  This is my Russian film for the week.  Grigoriy Chukhray directed this war film that takes place during WWII and centers around Russian soldier Private Alyosha Skvortsov, played by Vladamir Ivashov, who commits a very heroic act decides that he wants to take a two-week leave to visit his mother instead of the award he is about to receive.  On his journey to get home, he meets a crippled soldier and then later meets and falls in love.  This is a very powerful film and I will let know it is rather anti-war looking at the horrors in a lot of flashback scenes and with the ending.  This is another one available to watch on Filmstruck.

Watership Down (1978):  Martin Rosen directed this animated which is based on novel by Richard Adams.  This centers around a group of rabbits that seek out a new colony that is free of tyranny and meet a lot of violence along the way.  John Hurt, Richard Briers, John Bennett, Ralph Richardson, Terence Rigby, Roy Kinnear, Denholm Elliott, Lynn Farleigh, Zero Mostel, Harry Andrews, Hannah Gordon, Nigel Hawthorne, Clifton Jones, Michael Hordern, Joss Ackland, and many others provide their voice in this animated classic.  As you read in the beginning, this may be animated, it may have rabbits but is is not really geared towards children.  It does have a PG rating and older kids might be able to see it.  It is very dark but at the same so is a lot of Disney in my opinion.  This might be a good double feature to watch along with ANIMAL FARM.

Herbie Hancock:  Possibilities (2006):  This is my music documentary for the week and focuses on the creation of his album of the title.  This takes a look at the making of his songs and the collaboration of other musicians that he is working with on the album.  Some of these artists include Christina Aguilera, Trey Anastasio, Brian Eno, Lisa Hannigan, Damien Rice, Angelique Kidjo, Jonny Lang, Annie Lennox, John Mayer, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Sting, Wayne Shorter, and Joss Stone.  If one is looking for his life story, this is not the one.  I really liked seeing how they interact and how open minded that Hancock is with other artists and how diverse the artists were that he was working with.  I admit to having limited knowledge on the work of Herbie Hancock but this gave me an even bigger respect for the artist.  This is available to watch on Hoopla.

Letter from Siberia (1958):  In a sense this is a documentary which was directed by Chris Marker.  It obviously takes a look at Siberia and its culture.  Also within it is a pretty funny parody advertisement on the uses of Reindeer and an animated sequence on mammoths.  The narration from Georges Rouquier also adds to this movie that is about an hour long.  it is mostly a documentary with imagery along with some narration.  I don't feel I can explain this any further but it an interesting watch.  This is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

Lolita (1962):  This is part two of my possible Peter Sellers trilogy and a possible two-part James Mason series.  Stanley Kubrick directed this film which is based on the novel by Vladimir Nabokov.  James Mason stars as Professor Humbert Humbert, yes that is his first and last name, who rents a room from single mother Charlotte Haze, played by Shelley Winters.  She is the single mother of the 14 year old Delores aka Lolita, played by Sue Lyon, who Humbert forms a very unhealthy fixation.  Sellers co-stars as Clare Quilty who has his own motivations toward Lolita.  Gary Cockrell, Lois Maxwell, Cec Linder, Shirley Douglas, Marianne Stone, and many others co-star in this film.  Lyon makes her film debut and makes a very good one 14 year old nymphet.  Unfortunately, she did not have a big career and understand she has some issues with depression eventually just walking away from acting.  This was a very daring film to make in this era and while we knew how wrong Mason was, we stayed with him through the film in his crime.  Sellers was maybe the comic relief in his many disguises he did.  I really like this one and I also liked the 1997 version which have elements that I might favor in this one and elements I favor in the newer one.  They are both great versions and could make for a good double feature.  This version is available to watch on Filmstruck.

Moe Goes to the Beach (2018):  I end the week with this animated short.  Ibnul Jaif Farbi wrote and directed this animated short film.  This centers around an otter named Moe who lives by roadside where there is all kinds of litter and traffic.  When seeing a book about the beach, he sees photos making it look like it is a very clean and beautiful place so sets out for the beach.  This has no dialogue but is still a very good seven minutes.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned next week which so far includes Diane Keaton, James Franco, and many others.