Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 680th Edition

Welcome to the 680th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving however celebrated and those that went out on Black Friday stayed safe.  I had a pretty good week on Thanksgiving.  Nothing else really going on so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Music Instinct:  Science and Song (2009):  I start the week out with this PBS documentary which was directed by Elena Mannes.  Audra McDonald narrates this documentary which takes a look at the studies of how music moves the human organism.  Musicians Bobby McFerrin, Yo-Yo-Ma, and Jarvis Cocker contribute and help in the findings as well as many research experts in the field.  There is not much more I can do to describe this film.  It is a pretty fascinating look on the correlation of music and science.

Won't Back Down (2012):  This is part one of a possible Holly Hunter trilogy.  Daniel Barnz directed and co-wrote this film on the flaws on an inner-city school.  Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as single mother Jamie whose daughter Malia, played by Emily Alyn Lind, is struggling in school and feels they are not making any efforts to make things better.  She sees the one caring teacher is Nona, played by Viola Davis, and enlists her help to start a school of her own while Nona has a son with his own problems.  Hunter, Oscar Isaac, Rosie Perez, Dante Brown, Lance Reddick, Ving Rhames, Bill Nunn, Ned Eisenberg, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and many others co-star.  There is not really any suspense in this movie and is quite predictable which is to be expected.  It is a very inspirational movie of people coming together to overcome a flawed system.  It also takes a good look at the common issue of dyslexia that children have and the dealing or lack thereof on it.

Working (1982):  Technically, this is an episode of the tv series AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE but I make the rules on the blog and get to decide if it qualifies as a movie.  Kirk Browning and Steven Schwartz directed this musical which Schwartz wrote the music for and based on the novel by Studs Terkel who is also in the movie as the host.  This takes a look at the working class people of America and their feelings toward their profession as well as one that is a housewife.  This has quite the all-star cast in Barry Bostwick, Scatman Crothers, Vernee Watson, Billy Jayne, Barbara Barrie, Charles Haid, Beth Howland, Barbara Hershey, Eileen Brennan, Rita Moreno, James Taylor, Lynne Thigpen, Edie McClurg, Didi Conn, Charles Durning, Matt Landers, Patti Labelle, Mark Neely, David Patrick Kelly, and many others co-star in this musical.  This does not have a linear plot but it was still enjoyable to see the various characters and how they felt about their professions some surprising on liking and disliking what they do.  There are also some good musical numbers, most notably the song FATHERS AND SONS.  This is one of my Dad's favorites and this is a musical I would like to be in someday.

Pete's Haunted House (1926):  This is an early animation short that combines animation and live action.  Walter Lentz created this cartoon which features Pete the Pup and Lentz is also in the short.  Lentz decides to play some Halloween pranks on Pete but proves to hold his own against his animator.  I have watched a few of these lately and this is the first I have seen the characters interact.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck until they shut down the services this week on the 29th.

The Night of the Hunter (1955):  This is part two of a possible Robert Mitchum trilogy.  Charles Laughton directed his first and only film which is based on the novel by Davis Grubb.  Mitchum stars in his rather iconic role of Harry Powell who claims to be a man of god but is really very evil.  He marries gullible widow Willa, played by Shelley Winters, whose children John and Pearl, played by Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce, possess $10,000 that Harry is aware of and does what he can to get the money.  Silent film legend Lillian Gish co-stars in this film as Rachel Cooper who the children turn to for refuge and does what she can to protect them.  James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Peter Graves, Don Beddoe, and Gloria Castillo co-star in this film.  This was a very daring film for this era and Laughton originally offered the role to Gary Cooper who would decline fearing it would be detrimental to his career.  For those that know Winters for her sleazy mother roles should check this out as she is far more reserved but does a great job.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck until it shuts down on Thursday.

A Colt is my Passport (1967):  This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Takashi Nomura and based on a novel by Shinji Fujiwara.  Jo Shishido stars as hitman Kamimura who is hired to kill a mob boss and when doing so puts him and his driver Shun wanted by rival gang members.  Kamimura does what he can to keep himself and his driver alive.  This is many ways reminded me of a western, most notably a spaghetti western.  This starts with the music score sounding like something that Ennio Morricone would have written and the vendetta from the protagonist kind of resembles someone from a western.  The climax is what really made me see this as a western but is instead a Japanese crime film.  I was at my dad's house when watching this and he joined me about half-way and seemed to enjoy it even though he's not much for foreign language films.  This is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

Faces Places (2017):  This is my second documentary for the week which was done by the team of director Agnes Varda and photographer JR.  They journey around France on a special art project where they take photographs of everyday people then posting them as murals in their local towns.  What sticks out the most though is the friendship of the duo who are close friends despite being very different people.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Curse of Frankenstein (1957):  This is my favorite entry of the Hammer Films and my favorite adaptation on the classic Mary Shelley novel.  Terence Fisher directed this film and Peter Cushing stars as Dr. Victor Frankenstein who decides to create a man using body parts he acquires.  When he is able to create this life, things do not go nearly as planned and a lot of tragedy happens.  Christopher Lee co-stars as the creature and is his only portrayal of the Creature of Frankenstein as far as I know.  Robert Urquhart stars as Paul who is a partner to Victor and begins to become concerned for the safety of his fiancee Elizabeth, played by Hazel Court.  I feel Cushing played the best Victor Frankenstein in film.  I have always enjoyed the story of Frankenstein and I liked that his had a more creepy feel to it than others.  I had the pleasure to be in a theatrical version of Frankenstein and is one of my favorite things that I have done.  This is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

The Cow (1969):  This is my Iranian film for the week which was inspired by last week's feature THE SALESMAN which features a clip of this movie.  Dariush Mehrjui directed this film that takes place in a small and desolate village where a man named Masht owns a cow and is very attached to it.  When he has to go away, his cow dies unexpectedly making the other villagers fear telling him so they tell him his cow ran away.  Masht does not believe this and grieves by slowly starting to act like the cow.  While this may seem absurd, this is a pretty moving film and many in those countries consider the cow to be sacred.  Unfortunately this does not appear to be easy to find except for a copy on Youtube that is hit or miss.  I found this is available with a service called Fandor which requires a subscription but might consider it.

Mac and Me (1988):  This is the first episode of the new MST3K season that started on Thanksgiving so I decided to end the week with this E.T. ripoff.  A little E.T. like alien escapes from NASA but gets separated from his family and friends a wheelchair bound boy named Eric, played by Jade Calegory.  The look of the aliens was very laughable and has interesting early product placement most notably by McDonalds and Coca-Cola.  The aliens seem to really thrive on Coke and wondered sometimes what would happen if they drank Pepsi.  While a bad movie, this has attained a cult status and got picked up by MST3K as the first episode in their new season which is available to watch on Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Mickey Rourke, Andy Serkis, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 679th Edition

Welcome to the 679th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving this week.  I am thankful for my supporters.  I don't have any shows coming up at this time so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Twelfth Night (1980):  I start the week out with some Shakespeare in this BBC tv movie which was directed by John Gorrie.  This is one of Shakespeare's comedies which centers around twins Viola and Sebastian, played by Felicity Kendal and Michael Thomas.  Viola manages to disguise herself as her brother and she works for Duke Orsino, played by Clive Arrindell, sends Viola to do jobs thinking she is Sebastian leading to some comic misunderstandings.  Alec McCowen, Robert Hardy, Annette Crosbie, Sinead Cusack, Trevor Peacock, Ronnie Stevens, Robert Lindsay, Maurice Roeves, and many others co-star in this film.  The easiest way to put this is if you like Shakespeare, this is one to watch and if you don't like Shakespeare I don't think this will change anything.  This is a pretty well done production of the Shakespeare comedy and is available to watch on the Kanopy website.

The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2009):  I now follow this with a rock movie which was directed and co-written by Scott D. RosenbaAum.  Kevin Zegers stars as Spyder who lead a band that had a very successful debut album but a second album which flopped.  He looks to get his bandmate Eric, played by Jason Ritter, back as they embark on a road trip as Spyder tries to get a third album and we learn throughout the movie of why Eric is so reluctant to join.  Lukas Haas, Lauren Holly, Aimee Teegarden, Taryn Manning, James Ransone, Peter Fonda, Billy Dee Williams, Ruby Dee, Kelly Lynch, Michael Kenneth Williams, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty decent independent film of a road trip and the unexpected places it can go.  It also has a good soundtrack.  This is available to watch on Hoopla.

Sand and Sorrow (2007):  I follow up with this HBO documentary which was directed by Paul Freedman and narrated by George Clooney who also produced.  This takes part in the Darfur region of Sudan and the rise of the Arab-dominated government as well as the genocide that takes place there.  This also takes a look at all the horrid things happening and no response from us.  This is a very eye-opening documentary and one that everyone should see.  I hope things are getting better in that country since the year it came out.

Hunger (1974):  This is my animated short for the week which was directed by Peter Foldes.  This is early film done by computer animation and a man's slow descent into gluttony and greed.  This is a visual film and there is no dialogue or narration.  It does not need those things to see what is happening to the featured character in this satire on self-indulgence.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck until its shutdown date of November 29th.

A Page of Madness (1926):  This is my silent film for the week and it is also Japanese horror.  Teinosuke Kinugasa directed this film which takes place in an insane asylum.  A man takes a job as a janitor at an insane asylum in a scheme to break his imprisoned wife out of there.  It is hard to explain this beyond what I gave.  This was lost for decades but rediscovered in the '70s.  Like my first selection, this probably is not for everyone but has its audience.  For those who love silent films and especially those who love Japanese horror.  The Japanese release some pretty bizarre films and this is not much different.  This is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

Peter Pan (1955):  This is a television production of the famed Broadway musical based on the famed story from J.M. Barrie.  Mary Martin stars as the first Peter Pan of this musical who meets siblings Wendy, John and Michael and takes them to his world of Neverland where children never grow up.  While there, we meet the Lost Boys, the evil Captain Hook, played by Cyril Ritchard, and Tiger Lily, played by Sondra Lee, among others.  I think just about everyone knows the basic story here.  In doing research to write this, I discover that in 1991, J.K. Simmons plays Captain Hook so that is something I'd be curious to see.  Martin shines in her very iconic performance as the boy who could fly.  This was a television broadcast of a Broadway musical before it became quite the thing.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Salesman (2016):  This is my Iranian film for the week which was directed by Asghar Farhadi. Shahab Hosseini stars as Emad who works as a teacher and is in a local production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN with his wife Rana, played by Taraneh Alidoosti.  Rana gets assaulted in her new home making Emad obsessed with finding who did it.  Babak Karimi and Mina Sadati co-star in this film.  This is a pretty decent thriller from Iran of a decent taken over the edge.  I also really liked the theater element of the film.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

And Then There Were None (1945):  Rene Clair directed this adaptation of the famed Agatha Christie Story.  Seven guests, a newly hired personal secretary, and two staff are gathered for a weekend on an isolated island and learn they are on the island to get murdered in the vein of the poem "Ten Little Indians" as they get killed one by one leaving them to question each other on the killer.  Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Roland Young, June Duprez, Mischa Auer, C. Aubrey Smith, Judith Anderson, Richard Haydn, Queenie Leonard, and Harry Thurston.  This is always been my favorite story of Christie.  I also realize it appears to be the possible inspiration for SAW II.  Good and clever whodunit with good performances that keeps one guessing and this is also available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Big Sleep (1978):  This is part one of a possible Robert Mitchum trilogy.  Michael Winner directed this version of the Raymond Chandler novel which stars Mitchum as private investigator Philip Marlowe.  Marlowe is hired by General Sternwood, played by James Stewart, to investigate the blackmail of one of his daughters which leads to a more complicated case.  Sarah Miles, Richard Boone, Candy Clark, Joan Collins, Edward Fox, John Mills, Oliver Reed, Harry Andrews, Richard Todd, and many others co-star in this film.  Last week, I featured the original movie version from 1946 which had the iconic performance from Humphrey Bogart so Mitchum had big shoes to fill and I thought he gave a good interpretation to the role just like Bogey.  This still has the very complicated story that the original has but felt the narrative made it a little easier to follow.  This is a more gritty version in my opinion and did some things they could not do in 1946.  I feel both versions have their own image and could make for a good double feature.  Also something interesting of not is that Mitchum and Stewart died about one day apart.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

The Impostor (1978):  I end the week with this documentary and a special segment of "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville".  I was hanging out at my friend Stephanie's house and when getting there, she was watching old episodes of UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.  As we got to talking, I brought up this movie and explained it to her.  This became the unexpected 10th selection selection when Steph decides to search for the movie on Amazon Prime and found it is available  This is a documentary directed by Bart Layton where a Frenchman claims to be the son of a missing Texas family who has disappeared for three years.  This is a very non-biased documentary but I do not believe I will explain further.  When I looked this up on imdb, the review on hand said "the less you know, the more interesting it will be" and I must say that I agree.  This whole thing was very bizarre and even plays on our emotions more with a heavy handed music score that was rather disturbing.  This is a very fascinating documentary that will leave many just scratching their head but cannot take their eyes off of it.  This has always been one of my favorites and Steph seemed to like it.  Her five year old son did not seem to like it much.  When walking in, he asked when the fighting was going to start and had to tell him there really was no fighting in this movie plus he was anxious to play Candyland when the movie was over which did happen.  As mentioned, this is available on Amazon Prime and is a very intriguing documentary to watch.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Holly Hunter, Barbara Hershey, Robert Mitchum, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 678th Edition and the 13 Year Anniversary

Welcome to the 678th Edition of my series.  This is the 13 year anniversary and always a disbelief for me.  I did not do anything special for this one, it is just another post but I am  back to normal after weeks of the Madness.  I just want to thank everything who has supported me through the years.  It is something I enjoy putting together every week and I realize I am not normal as a normal person would probably go insane doing what I do and a normal person likely would never try to do what I do.  I love the spontaneity I use in putting these together and usually surprise myself with what I come up with in my methodical selection process.  Another thing I would like to announce is that I shot a local movie near my town of Muncie in Dalevilled called ASTRO GIRL FROM PLANET ZOLTRON.  It was a lot of fun getting this shot as I play the corrupt president.  I still have a scene to film but will keep everyone posted, hopefully something will some of this movie.  I have rambled on long enough so now to my selections.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1982):  I start the week out with this rock film which was directed by Lou Adler.  Diane Lane stars as Corinne Burns who after her mothers death decides to form a punk rock bank with her sister Tracy, played by Marin Kanter, and her cousin Jessica, played by Laura Dern, despite their lack of musical experience.  As they tour with a couple other bands, they start to get a cult following and media attention but through this, tensions arise.  Peter Donat, Christine Lahti, Janet Wright, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, and many others co-star in this film.  I had never heard of this until the Muncie Public Library presented this at their event called Attack of the Movie.  I was very intrigued seeing a young Laura Dern and Diane Lane in a punk band.   I don't really know much on Marin Kanter who did not seem to have a really long career, at least not in film.  This has not gotten a lot of exposure but a pretty good look at the music industry and the difficulty in touring and again we get to see Diane Lane and Laura Dern in a punk band.

Wackiki Wabbit (1943):  This is my animated short for the week which features Bugs Bunny.  The title would lead to some thinking this would feature Elmer Fudd but that is not the case.  In this one, Bugs is on a tropical island where a couple castaways are very determined to eat the rabbit but Bugs is able to outsmart them in this enjoyable animated short.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime as part of "Cartoon Classics Vol. 3".

The Misfits (1961):  Long before the punk band the Misfits, there were the misfits in this movie.  John Huston directed this film which was written by Arthur Miller.  Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe star in this film and I don't think anyone at the time knew this would be the last movie for both of them.   Marilyn Monroe stars as Roslyn who goes to Reno to get a quickie divorce and meets aging cowboy Gay Langland, played by Gable, and form an unexpected bond.  Montgomery Clift and Eli Wallach co-star as Gay's friends and Clift, while not his last movie, was pretty close as he would die a few year later.  Thelma Ritter, James Barton, Kevin McCarthy, Estelle Winwood, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a movie that centers most around the characters, most notably of Gable and Monroe in their complicated relationship.  This is possibly Monroe's best performance and Gable has even cited this one as his best role.  Unfortunately, Gable would die days after the filming and Monroe died about a year and a half later.  This has gone onto be rather underrated in my opinion and hope to get this a little more exposure.

Bleak House (1985):  This is my mini-series for the week which was on the BBC network and based on the novel by Charles Dickens.  This centers around an inheritance during the Jarndyce and Jarndyce trial and the lives of those involved that gradually fall apart.  Diana Rigg, Denholm Elliott, Suzanne Burdon, Peter Vaughan, Philip Franks, T.P. McKenna, Chris Pitt, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  Rigg puts on a very good performance as Lady Dedlock  This is a really hard one for me to really put into words.  For those who like period pieces are sure to love this one and for fans of Dickens, I believe will also really like this one.  This consists of eight episodes that are bout an hour long.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Ninotchka (1939):  Ernst Lubitsch directed this romantic comedy which introduces Greta Garbo to comedy.  Garbo stars as the title character who is a no-nonsense Russian on business in Paris and falls in love with Count Leon, played by Melvyn Douglas.  The count becomes fascinated with Ninotchka and does what he can to break her overly serious ways.  As they form their relationship, their lifestyles could keep them apart.  Ina Claire, Bela Lugosi, Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart, Alexander Granach, Gregory Gaye, Edwin Maxwell, and many others co-star in this film.  As mentioned before, Garbo had been known for her drama and goes into the comedy which at the time had a tag line of "Garbo Laughs."  Also a rare sort of movie for Lugosi who is known for his sci-fi and horror films but has what is essentially a cameo in this movie so of worth to see.  I was really fascinated with this love story of Garbo starting out as very stern and strictly business, slowly becoming more fun.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

Boy (2010):  Taika Waititi wrote, directed and co-stars in this New Zealand coming of age film.  James Rolleston stars as the 11 year old title character who actually goes by Boy and is a big fan of Michael Jackson.  Boy is soon left to take charge of the home for a week and is soon visited by his estranged father Alamein, played by Waititi, who Boy always had a heroic image only to find that he is a gangster looking for a bag of money that was buried in the home.  Boy tries to connect with Alamein and slowly starts becoming more like his dad.  Rachel House, Cohen Holloway, Pana Hema Taylor, and many others co-star in this film.  This has a really good blend of comedy and drama as well as complex characters.  There are also some really funny Michael Jackson tribute scenes.  This is available on both Hoopla and kanopy, both are run by local libraries.

The Big Sleep (1946):  Howard Hawks directed this film which is based on the novel by Raymond Chandler.  Humphrey Bogart stars as private investigator Philip Marlowe who is hired by a wealthy family in what seems to be a rather simple case but finds himself in a world of betrayal, blackmail, murder, and organized crime.  The daughter of the family Vivian, played by Lauren Bacall, helps Marlowe do what is needed while slowly falling in love.  John Ridgely, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone, Peggy Knudsen, Regis Toomey, and many others co-star in this film.  This movie is convoluted to no end but it's easy to forget about that part with the great performances of Bogart and Bacall.  It is one of the best of the film noir genre and holds up very well today.  This is available to watch on Filmstruck.

Beauty and the Beast (2017):  This is my live-action Disney remake of the 1991 animated film.  Dan Stevens stars as as a prince whose very selfish act one night makes him cursed to be a Beast along with the rest of the people in the castle becoming other things.  The only way to break the curse is to love and be loved in return.  Emma Watson stars as the free-spirited Belle who ends up in his castle after her father, played by Kevin Kline, becomes imprisoned and agrees to stay there as long as her dad goes free.  The Beast's object servants do what they can to inspire true love.  Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Hattie Morahan, Haydn Gwynne, Ewan McGregor, Sir Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Ray Fearon, Nathan Mack, Audra McDonald, Stanley Tucci, and many others co-star in this film.  I think just about everyone has seen 1991 version and this is mostly the same thing while adding some elements that I liked including the enchantress having a little more of an expanded role.  I had the honor of being a stage version in 2005 at Muncie Civic Theater where I got to play the part of Lefou and is one of my favorite roles I have played.  This has our favorite musical numbers from the 1991 movie and wrote some additional ones for this movie though I hoped the ones from the stage version would end up in the movie, most notably IF I CAN'T LOVE HER.  I did really love Watson as Belle and the movie was enjoyable to me.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Age of Consent (1969):  Michael Powell directed this film based on the novel by Norman Lindsay.  James Mason stars as disillusioned artist Bradley Morahan who while fairly successful is very unsatisfied with his work.  He ends up going to an Australian island and while there finds himself a muse in a girl named Cora, played by a young Helen Mirren.  He agrees to buy the fish she helps catch while also talking her into posing nude for him.  Jack MacGowran, Harold Hopkins, Neva Carr-Glynn, Peggy Cass, Frank Thring, and many others co-star in this film.  This is another one that was driven by the characters and is good to see such a young Mirren in practically the start of her career.  Mason and her work very well together and this could call for a James Mason double feature with this one and LOLITA.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Phone Call (2013):  I end the week with this Oscar nominated short film.  Mat Kirby directed and co-wrote this short film which is about 22 minutes long.  Sally Hawkins stars as Heather who is a volunteer as a crisis center hot-line operator and gets a call from a man named Stan, voiced by Jim Broadbent.  Stan is expressing remorse of an event that happened two years ago and how it is very hard for him to continue.  The film is the conversation between them and Heather trying to understand Stan's situation.  This was a very well done short film and is a very overlooked genre.  I'd love to see the movie theaters go back to the old days where they would show a couple short films before the feature.  Disney uses this practice quite a bit and hoping to see this more often.  This is available on the streaming site kanopy.com which is run through the local library.  My library in Muncie is doing this service as well as Hoopla and as far as movie selection, I like Kanopy a lot better and eases me a little bit with this Filmstruck shutdown.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Peter Fonda, and many others.  Thanks again everyone for your support through the years.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 677th Edition and the Madness: Holidaze- Week 5

Welcome to the 677 edition of my series.  This is also the final week of the Madness which is really one of my favorite times of the year.  I don't have anything coming up at this time but that could easily change so just stay tuned.  I'm still saddened over the Filmstruck streaming service that ends on the 29th of this month.  I have had a lot going on this week and have decided to not release with pictures this year.  Next week, everything will be back to normal and will be the 13 year anniversary.  I think I have said what I needed to so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Batman:  Return of the Caped Crusader (2016):  I start the week out with this animated superhero movie of the dynamic duo in Batman and Robin.  For the first time in many years, Adam West and Burt Ward reprise the roles they played in the popular '60s sitcom BATMAN.  The main villains of the sitcom in the Joker, voiced by Jeff Bergman, the Riddler, voiced by Wally Wingert, the Penguin, voiced by William Salyers, and Catwoman, reprised by Julie Newmar which is the third person from the sitcom, all team up against them.  Sirena Irwin, Thomas Lennon, Lynne Marie Stewart, Jim Ward, and Steven Weber also provide their voices.  For those who prefer the more humorous approach to Batman should really enjoy this movie.  This is a pretty good homage to the series and and to the Batman franchise in general.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Little Mermaid (1989):  I go from animated superheroes to animated mermaids.  Ron Clements and John Musker directed Disney's take of the classic story by Hans Christian Anderson.  Jodi Benson stars as the out of place mermaid Ariel who is fascinated by life on land much to the dismay of her father King Triton, voiced by Kenneth Mars, .  She also takes a liking to Prince Eric, voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes, after saving his life to the point that she makes a dangerous pact with sea with Ursula, voiced by Pat Carroll, to become human but only has three days to win over the prince.  She also must sacrifice her voice in order to become human and Ursula along with her eel henchman Flotsam and Jetsam, voiced by Paddi Edwards, do what they can from stopping her.  Buddy Hackett, Edie McClurg, Will Ryan, Ben Wright, Samuel E. Wright, Rene Auberjonois, and many others provide their voices.  This is my first time seeing this movie since being in the show last year at the Jay County Civic Theater where I played the prince's guardian Grimsby, played by Wright in his final film.  The Broadway production like other Disney adaptations add a few music numbers like having songs from King Triton.  Another interesting thing about actor Ben Wright is many years earlier he would provide the voice of Roger in 101 DALMATIONS.  I suppose this is the start of the new era of Disney princesses.  Benson is great as Ariel and also has a really good singing voice.  It also has some very memorable music numbers like the Oscar winning UNDER THE SEA as well as PART OF YOUR WORLD.  Don't be a poor unfortunate soul and check this out, especially if there are kids.

Repo!  The Genetic Opera (2008):  My first couple selections are pretty well family oriented but I'm afraid this one is not so much.  Darren Lynn Bousman directed this rock musical which is based on a play by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich.  This takes place in a not-so-distant future where body organs are purchased and meant for repossession of they are not paid.  Alexa Vega stars as Shilo Wallace who is a sheltered girl looking for a cure to her rare disease and does not know that her father Nathan, played by Buffy alum Anthony Head, is a repo man.  Zdunich, Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton, Bill Moseley, Sarah Power, Briana Buckmaster, and many others co-star in this musical.  I really liked seeing Head in a more starring role and getting to show off his singing talent.  Brightman is most known as Christine in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and makes her first film appearance.  Please don't run for the hills when seeing the name Paris Hilton.  She does pretty good in her relatively small role.  This is not for everyone, but has some pretty good rock oriented music numbers and some great imagery.  This is a musical I would love to be in someday.

Just Spooks (1925):  This is my animated short for the weeks and one of the early ones to combine live action and animation.  This features the early animated character of Dinky Doodle which was created by animator Walter Lantz who would go onto create the character of Woody Woodpecker.  Dinky Doodle and his dog Weakheart were serialized characters and in this one they witness some paranormal activity.  These classic shorts are still available on Filmstruck until the time it gets shut down.

Demon Seed (1977):  Donald Cammell directed this film based on the novel by Dean R. Koontz.  Fritz Weaver and Julie Christie star as married couple Alex and Susan Harris.  Alex is a computer scientist working on a computer of artificial intellence and calls it the Proteus IV, which is voiced by an uncredited Robert Vaughn, who forms a mind of his own and takes an unhealthy obsession with Susan.  Gerrit Graham, Berry Kroeger, Lisa Lu, Larry J. Blake, and many others co-star in this film.  When watching this, I kind of saw this as a cross between FRANKENSTEIN and 2001:  A SPACE ODYSSEY.  This is a pretty clever and underrated film which is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

Hansel and Gretel (1954):  John Paul directed this stop-motion puppet animated version of the Brothers Grimm story and based on the Englebert Humperdinck opera.  As the basic story goes, the title characters are brother and sister, both voiced by Constance Brigham, who go into the woods and are abducted by a witch, voiced by Anna Russell.  This was some pretty cool animation from the era while a bit of a weird film but the story of the title is a bit out there anyways.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Cronos (1993):  Guillermo Del Toro wrote and makes his directorial film debut in this Mexican film.  Federico Luppi stars as antiques dealer Jesus Gris who finds the ancient device Cronos while clearning with his daughter Aurora, played by Tamara Shanath.  This is said to be a device to provide eternal life and Jesus slowly appears to be looking young but comes at a price.  Ron Perlman co-stars as the mysterious Angel de la Guardia who seems to be after the device.  Claudio Brook, Margarita Isabel, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Mario Ivan Martinez, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty clever film and a really good debut for Del Toro who would go onto have a great career.  This is also available to watch on Filmstruck.

Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975):  I now go to Japan to this horror film which was directed by Masahiro Shinoda.  A mountain main, played by Tomisaburo Wakayama, abducts a woman, played by Shima Iwashita, in an enchanted forest who agrees to be his wife but it is at a price which includes beheading his other six wives while sparing one to become a servant.  He finds she is a wife never satisfied.  There is not much more I can do to explain this particular movie except that it is Japanese horror.  While a rather disturbing film, it also has some really good imagery.  This is another one available to watch on Filmstruck.

The Boy and the Beast (2015):  I end the week with this Anime film.  Mamuro Hosoda wrote and directed this Japanese animated film which takes place in a human world and also has a beast world.  This centers around orphaned boy Kyuta, voiced by Luci Christian when young and Eric Vale when younger, who ends up in a world full of beasts and meets the rough around the edges warrior beast Kumatetsu, voiced by John Swasey, who is looking for an apprentice taking in Ren despite the dismay of all around him for being a human.  Despite their bickering, they train together and slowly form a bond and must work together when a new threat ensues.  This was some pretty enjoyable Anime with a good action climax. 

Well, that is it for this week but continue to read on for the final week of the Madness.  I'm sorry for my lackluster writing and lack of photos but things will be back to normal next week as mentioned.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Laura Dern, Marilyn Monroe, and many others.

THE MADNESS:  HOLIDAZE- Week 5

This is the final week of the Madness.  As you see, I did not do much this week and just put everything in alphabetical order instead of the categorization I usually do.  I do enjoy having this contest every year and maybe next year we can finally have the theme of Women in Horror.

Batman:  Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016, 78 minutes, 666):  Batman is a character that has always counted so now should be no different.

The Boy and the Beast (2015, 119 minutes 666):  This anime film should count as a creature feature.

Cronos (1993, 94 minutes, 666 1/2):  This is a movie billed as horror and the price of immortality so this should count.

Demon Seed (1977, 94 minutes, 66 1/2):  This is a computer with a mind of its own forcing Julie Christie to do some pretty horrific things.

Hansel and Gretel (1954, 72 minutes, 66 1/2):  This has a witch so that is all I need to say.

The Little Mermaid (1989, 83 minutes, 666):  This involves a sea witch so this fairy tale counts.

Repo!  The Genetic Opera (2008, 98 minutes, 666 1/2):  This rock opera that involves the repo of body parts should have no problem getting counted.

Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975, 95 minutes, 666):  This is some Japanese horror that involves an enchanted forest and beheadings.