Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 702nd Edition

Welcome to the 702nd edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good Easter however celebrated.  I may have some things in the works and will announce as I get more details.  That being said, I don't have much to say so I'll just get on with the selections.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018):  I star the week out with this biopic which was directed by Nicole Holofcener.  Melissa McCarthy stars as writer Lee Israel who made a living in the '70s and '80s as a celebrity biographer but has fallen out of favor through the years struggling to make a living.  She finds a way to forge letters claiming they were written by a celebrity to make the money she needs.  With the help of her friend Jack, played by Richard E. Grant, they use the art of deception to make money but how far can they go before people get suspicious over the letters.  Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone, Gregory Korostishevsky, Jane Curtin, Stephen Spinella, Christian Navarro, Anna Deavere Smith, and many others co-star in this film.  This is an interesting look at what a person will stoop to in order to make a living once they are past their prime.  I had not seen Curtin do anything for awhile so it was good to see her in a feature film.  McCarthy was nearly unrecognizable in her role and don't know if I would have recognized her had I not known she was in it already.

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002):  I follow up with this music documentary.  Paul Justman directed this documentary that obviously centers around the world of Motown and takes a look at the band the Funk Brothers, and no I'm not referring to the famous wrestling family, who backed many of the famous Motown artists that we know today but have gone onto become unknown today but respected by their colleagues.  This takes a look at each band member and them reuniting where people like Chaka Khan, Joan Osborne, Bootsy Collins, Ben Harper, Meshell Ndegeocello cover some of the songs they would help make famous.  I always enjoy the music documentaries that take a look at the unknown but very talented people of the music industry.  This could be a good double feature to go along with 20 FEET FROM STARDOM which also takes a look at the unsung heroes of the music industry.

The Paranoids (2008):  This is my Argentinean film for the week which was directed co-written by Gabriel Medina.  Daniel Hendler stars as struggling screenwriter Luciano whose friend Manuel, played by Walter Jakob, returns from Madrid returns with his girlfriend Sofia, played by Jazmin Stuart.  Things change for Luciana when Manuel leaves Sofia with him for a couple days, she starts to take a liking to causing a potential love triangle.  This is a pretty good independent film that is driven by the characters that has a good soundtrack to go along.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

Acera, or the Witches' Dance (1972):  This is my short film for the week and I might disappoint some when I say this is not about witches dancing.  Acera are a group of ball-shaped mollusks that are only about two inches in diameter.  This has musical accompaniment and shows the lives of these water species and is pretty intriguing few minutes.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Fear in the Night (1947):  This is my Film Noir for the week which I believe is listed as a "B-list Film Noir.  A young Deforest Kelley stars as bank teller Vince Grayson who has a dream that he committed murder and as he wakes up the dream seemed all too real.  His cop brother-in-law Cliff tries to help him figure out what is happening.  Ann Doran also co-stars in this film.  This was a rather interesting premise to the Film Noir genre that can make us look past the flaws.  STAR TREK fans might enjoy seeing their beloved Bones McCoy in a much earlier role.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

...And Your Name is Jonah (1979):  Richard Michaels directed this tv movie which stars Sally Struthers and James Woods as Jenny and Danny Corelli whose son Jonah, played by Jeffrey Bravin, was misdiagnosed as intellectually disabled as they called it in those days only to learn that he is deaf.  Along with the previous diagnosis, Jonah had been institutionalized but released to go home when determining he is deaf.  Even at home, Jonah had not learned any communication skills and struggles along with his parents to be able to communicate.  They sent him to a school where sign language was not allowed and thought they only constructive way to communicate was for the kids to read lips.  Robert Davi, Titos Vandis, Randee Heller, Antony Ponzini, Paula Shaw, Jeremy Licht, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  Bravin is a real-life deaf person as well as others cast in roles that are deaf.  I have lately come across a lot of tv movies from this era that try to convey a really good message at that time.  This one I think is my favorite so far.  Apparently sign language was looked down upon by some at this time and the movie shows how it is not such a bad thing.  This has a really good message in my opinion and remains pretty relevant but under the radar because of its tv movie status.  The good news is that is on Amazon Prime.

Arrival (2016):  This is my sci-fi film for the week.  Denis Villeneuve directed this film which is based on the short story STORY OF YOUR LIFE by Ted Chiang.  Amy Adams stars as Louise Banks who is a linguistics professor recruited by the military in hopes she will be able to communicate with alien lifeforms that have landed on earth while also preventing other countries from declaring war on the aliens.  Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlberg, Mark O'Brien, Tzi Ma, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very deep and rather moving sci-fi film.  It is too complex to really describe further into words but is one that requires full attention.  This comes in the vain of movies like CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and even CONTACT.  It does rank up there pretty high among modern-day sci-fi and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Wages of Fear (1953):  I saw this last week as part of the monthly Cinemuncie series put on by my friend Dennis at the Muncie Public Library.  Henri-Georges Clouzet directed this French film which takes place in South America and based on a novel by Georges Arnaud.  In the South American jungles, supplies of nitroglycerin are needed at a remote field where an oil company pays four men to transport it in two trucks.  The problem they have is that the trucks are not the best trucks in the world and the roads are really rough making their journey to deliver the nitroglycerin very dangerous.  In addition to the dangers of the road, the teams of two form a very intense rivalry that does not help things.  Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter Van Eyck, Vera Clouzot, Dario Moreno, Antonio Centa, and many others co-star in this film.  This movie is as suspenseful as it comes where we are with these truckers all the way through as they take the job.  This did get some controversy from us Americans where they were accused of anti-Americanism making the censors cut some scenes.  I venture to say that the version on the Criterion Collection is the full version and is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Our Hospitality (1923):  This was another film series Dennis put on for movies that was put out in the year of this film and have become public domain because of the year.  Jack Blystone and Buster Keaton co-directed this comedy that stars silent comedy legend Buster Keaton.  Keaton stars as Willie McKay who is living in New York and learns that he has inherited his father's estate and must travel to the south to be able to get the property.  On a train, he meets a woman named Virginia, played by Natalie Talmadge, and they hit it off together but has no idea her last name is Canfield which has been a rival to the McKays for many years.  Her father and brothers are aware of who he is and Willie must resort to very comical means to avoid getting killed.  This is a very obvious parody of the real-life rival families the Hatfields and the McCoys.  There is also some pretty dangerously filmed scenes taking place in the water.  This is my favorite movie of Buster and is at least available to watch on Youtube.

Monsieur Lazhar (2011):  I end the week with this French Canadian film which was directed by Philippe Falardeau and based on a play by Evelyne de la Cheneliere.  Mohamed Fellag stars as a title character who is an Algerian immigrant and hired at a school to replace a teacher who has hung herself.  He does what he can to help the kids get through their tragedy while also dealing with a situation in his own country as well as the red tape within the school.  Sophie Nelisse, Emilien Neron, Seddik Benslimane, Gabriel Verdier, Danielle Proulx, and many others co-star in this film.  While this has some comedic moments, it also gets very deep in the ways the students handle the tragedy of their teacher.  The comedy is more from Fellag's personality and is a pretty moving film.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 701st Edition

Welcome to the 701st Edition of my series.  Nothing really going on right now in my life.  I am glad to see the weather getting better and have been able to wear shorts.  The Criterion Channel finally became official recently after Filmstruck shutting down their services so I have a couple selections from it and am glad to have this as a source now.  I hope everyone has had a good Easter weekend however celebrated.  Not much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Green Book (2018):  I start the week out with the latest best picture winner at the Academy awards this year.  Peter Farrelly directed this film that is based on a true story.  Viggo Mortensen stars as working-class Italian-American bouncer Tony Vallelonga with the nickname Tony Lip.  He gets hired to be the driver for classical pianist Donald Shirley, played by Mahershala Ali, who is doing a tour in the deep south in the '60s where racism and segregation were on the rise.  The movie focuses on these two very different people and the slow friendship they would develop through the ups and downs of the tour.  Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco, Dimiter D. Marinov, Mike Hatton, P.J. Byrne, Joe Cortese, Von Lewis, Don Stark, and many others co-star in this film.  Vallelonga's real-life son Nick of the same last name helped co-write the screenplay with Farrelly, his other son Frank Vallelonga plays his own uncle Rudy Vallelonga, and the real-life Rudy plays his father.  After years of directing rauchy comedies with his brother, Peter Farrelly directs his first drama and does a very good job.  Did this deserve best picture?  I don't really know, it is really just the opinion of many people in my opinion.  Personally, I wanted to see A STAR IS BORN win it but it was successful in its own right.  I noticed that some people seem to have judged this feeling it did not deserve best picture.  I watched it just looking at the movie as a whole and not really caring about the awards and found this to be a very enjoyable film based on a true story.

Theeb (2014):  Now I bring this Middle East film set in the times of WWI and takes place in Jordan.  Naji Abu Nowar directed and co-wrote this film which centers around a young Bedouin boy named Theeb, played by Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, who is grown to grow up very fast when he loses almost everything trying to survive.  There is not much else to say toward this movie.  This is a very authentic looking film and a good story driven by the characters.  This is the first Oscar-nominated film in the country of Jordan.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital and deserves a look, especially foreign film buffs.

Alan Partridge (2013):  Now I go to a comedy which was directed by Declan Lowney and based on the 1997 British sitcom I'M ALAN PARTRIDGE.  Steve Coogan reprises his role of the title character who is a radio dj and and times are uncertain.  He says some things that get his colleague Pat Farrell, played by Colm Meaney, fired and in turn Pat takes the station hostage.  Alan does what he can to diffuse the situation and working to the police.  Tim Key, Karl Theobald, Nigel Lindsay, Felicity Montagu, Dustin Demri-Burns, and many others co-star int his comedy.  I will start by saying I have not seen the series but what I saw in this movie was pretty funny.  Maybe it would be best to start with the series but still can get laughs with the movie.  The movie is available to watch on Hoopla Digital, I was not able to find anything for the series besides getting it on dvd.

A Brighter Day in the Kitchen (1949):  This is my short film for the week.  This was created to help the homemakers of 1949 be more efficient in the kitchen mostly in making meals for the family.  A young Dick York co-stars in this short film long before he would become famous for playing Darrin in BEWITCHED.  This is entertaining for what it is and at the time was probably pretty informative.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime as part of the "Classic Kitchen Films".

The Swimmer (1968):  Frank Perry directed this film based on the novel by John Cheever.  Burt Lancaster stars as Ned Merrill who is the title character.  He is just returning to his suburban town and is looking to get home.  To do this, he decides to swim pool to pool from the neighbors.  Janet Langard, Janice Rule, Marge Champion, Kim Hunter, Charles Drake, House Jameson, Joan Rivers, and many others co-star in this film essentially having cameos.  I really did not know what to expect from this movie besides it being about a man who seems to love swimming.  There is far more to it than what I just said and gets to be rather deep and intense the more we learn about Ned through his interactions with his neighbors.  Lancaster does a great job of carrying the movie and worked hard to get into the physique that he has in this movie.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime and has gone onto be very underrated so let's get more exposure on this film.

The Children are Watching Us (1944):  This is my Italian film for the week which was directed by Vittorio De Sica and based on the novel by Cesare Giulio Viola who also helped write the screenplay.  This centers around the four year old Prico whose parents are not together and gets put in the middle of their feud.  This is a really good look at the point of view from a boy seeing his parents act up in their own different way.  It is really hard to go further into words about this movie but is available to watch the newer streaming app of the Criterion Channel and they do have some pretty good selections.

A Few Good Men (1992):  Rob Reiner directed this military drama which is based on the play by Aaron Sorkin who also wrote the screenplay.  Our favorite Scientologist Tom Cruise stars as Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee who usually is able to get a plea bargain for his clients and go his merry way.  This changes when he is appointed to defend a couple marines accused of murder through the persuasion of Commander Joanne Galloway, played by Demi Moore, who convinces Kaffee there is far more to this case and find there is possible corruption and cover-up starting with Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson.  Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, J.T. Walsh, Christopher Guest, J.A. Preston, Wolfgang Bodison, Xander Berkeley, Noah Wyle, Cuba Gooding Jr., Joshua Malina, and many others co-star in this film.  Many know that I just got done being in the play where I got to play the part of Lt. Kenrick which was the role Sutherland plays and a decade ago I was in another version where I played Corporal Howard which was Wyle's renamed role of Corporal Barnes.  I first saw this before I saw the play and really enjoyed it.  The movie and play do have some differences in terms of execution.  Both versions have been enjoyable for me.  This is loosely based on a true story about Lance Corporal David Cox.  I don't want to go into details in avoidance of possibly giving things away but it is a pretty interesting story to look up.  I hope you can all handle the truth.

The Wizard of Oz (1939):  What can really be said about this film that is based on the book by L. Frank Baum?  Victor Fleming is the credited director of this film which stars Judy Garland in her most iconic role of Dorothy Gale.  A tornado hits her country home and she ends up in a land called Oz where she is informed by the the good witch Glinda, played by Billie Burke, that she must go to the wizard by following the yellow brick road.  Along her journey she must deal with the wicked witch of the west who we now know as Elphaba, played by Margaret Hamilton, thanks to the book and musical WICKED and is out for them ruby slippers that Dorothy is wearing.  Along the way she meets the Scarecrow, played by Ray Bolger, the Tin Man, played by Jack Haley, and the Cowardly Lion, played by Bert Lahr who all accompany her to her journey to Oz and in hopes of getting things they lack.  Frank Morgan, Charley Grapewin, Clara Blandick, and many others co-star in this film.  I think just about everyone has seen this movie.  I went to the library last week where my librarian friend Dennis presented this showing as part of their "Attack of the Movie" series and showed it with the Pink Floyd album DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.  As the legend goes, you start it on the third lion roar in the beginning and it is to play along with the movie.  While it is rather interesting, and I can see where some of it goes along with the movie, I don't think Pink Floyd purposely designed the album for this.  If they were doing it, I would think they would work on a double album instead of having one repeat a little over two times.  This is a timeless classic that will never go away with all the character, story and musical numbers.  This is not the first version of the chidren's book series but it is the one referenced when doing other works like the musical WICKED.  I have been in one version of this show as the Winkie General and maybe one day I'll be the lion.

The Demon (1978):  This is my Japanese film for the week and it is not some horror film that has some supernatural monster like the title might imply.  Yoshitaro Nomura directed this film where a mother of three named Kikuyo who stopped getting payments from the father of the children Sokichi and who the children knew nothing about.  When this happens, Kikuyo drops the children off with their dad and disappears.  Sokichi has a wife who is not happy about ending up with kids and the children become the pawn in a game that results in tragedy.  I must say, this is not for everyone and these parents are possibly the most deadbeat parents of all time.  It is a rather intense film and found myself thinking "wtf" the whole way through.  Despite that thought, it was a pretty compelling film that is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Quigley Down Under (1990):  I end the week with this western which was directed by Simon Wincer.  Tom Selleck stars as sharpshooter Matt Quiqley who is hired by Australian rancher Elliot Marston, played by Alan Rickman, only to find the job is not what it seems when learning he is being hired to kill Aborigines.  Laura San Giacomo co-stars as Crazy Cora who seems crazy like her nickname but as we get to know the character, we find there is a reason for what she is going through.  Chris Haywood, Tony Bonner, Roger Ward, Ben Mendelsohn, and many others co-star in this western.  I realize the Rickman plays quite the string of villains in this era with DIE HARD and ROBIN HOOD:  PRINCE OF THIEVES coming to mind.  I kind of forgot about Giacomo before watching this movie.  As I got ready to watch this, with Tom Selleck, I expected a rather comedic western.  While this does have its funny lines and moments, it is really pretty serious and violent.  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 Melissa McCarthy, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 700th Edition

Welcome to the 700th edition of my series.  What a number to have in the number 700.  Sometimes I make a bit of a theme but this year I just did it like I do every week  I have finished with A FEW GOOD MEN.  This was a great experience and thank everyone involved with the show.  Now I move onto normal life again for now but I will keep everyone posted as I look to make my way into a show.  For now I'll just give the selections for the week.

Slavery and the Making of America (2005):  I start the weekend out with this documentary mini-series brought to us by viewers like us on PBS.  This covers the subject of slavery which started in the British Colonies up to Civil War reconstruction.  This covers many things like our former president and declaration writer Thomas Jefferson and him seemingly against slavery but continued to be an owner which was analyzed by various historians.  It also covers former slaves like Frederick Douglas, Harriet Jacobs, Louis Hughes, Solomon Northup who the movie 12 YEARS A SLAVE was based upon, among many others.  Morgan Freeman narrates this documentary and features Joan Collins, Carl Lumbly, and many others as the reenactors.  This has four episodes that are each around an hour long and covering various things on the issue of slavery.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Betty Boop and Grampy (1935):  This is my animated short for the week which obviously features Betty Boop as well as her Grampy.  Betty gets a message to come to his home so she walks over there singing and is joined by various other people as she walks who seem to know that is the place to be at that time.  This is some pretty fun classic animation and is available on Amazon Prime as part of "Betty Boop Vol. 1".

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959):  This was presented last week at my local library as part of their Coffee and Classics series.  Joseph L. Mankiewics directed this film which the screenplay was written by Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams and based on the play by Williams.  Montgomery Clift stars as Dr. Cukrowicz who is a psycho-surgeon and is offered a lot of funding from the wealthy Violet Venable, played by Katherine Hepburn.  Mrs. Venable's only son has died while on vacation with her niece Catherine, played by Elizabeth Taylor, and wants her niece's memories to be lobotomized in order to cover up the truth making Cukrowicz investigate the circumstances.  Albert Dekker, Mercedes McCambridge, Gary Raymond, Mavis Villiers, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very deep and intense film which has quite a cast and was likely a subject that was touched much in the way of film.  Clift was addicted to drugs and alcohol at this time and was nearly fired but Taylor said she would not do the movie without him.  I have also heard a lot of the addiction started after a car wreck.

First Man (2018):  Damien Chazelle directed this biopic which was based on the book by James R. Hanson.  Ryan Gosling stars as astronaut Neil Armstrong from the years of 1961 to 1969 where he would become the first man to walk on the moon.  This takes a look at both the professional and personal life of Armstrong at that time and the difficult of balancing his career and family.  It also shows the difficulty for his wife Janet, played by Claire Foy, not knowing if her husband would be back for survival and raising kids on her own at times.  Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Patrick Fugit, Christopher Abbott, Ciaran Hinds, Olivia Hamilton, Pablo Schneider, Shea Whigham, Lukas Haas, Ethan Embry, Brian d'Arcy James, and many others co-star in this biopic.  This is a pretty decent biopic depicting the life of a man that would go onto make history.  Armstrong's sons have spoken very highly of this film saying it is a very accurate portrait of their parents.

Last Hurrah of Chivalry (1979):  This is my Hong Kong martial arts film for the week which was an early directorial effort for John Woo who would go onto direct a lot of action movies that would use guns and in this one he uses martial arts and swords.  This features a son who is looking to avenge the murder of his father and hires two assassins that are master swordsman.  With this movie there is a lot of violence, betrayal and deception that happens.  This is kind of a precursor for Woo and the violence he would use in his later movies that was a work of art in many ways.  This is a very good story with good action and characters.

Peter Gabriel:  Still Growing Up Live and Unwrapped (2005):  This is my music live perforance and documentary for the week.  While at rehearsal for my show, I joined my castmate Burke to go get something to eat and saw he had a pretty big bag of dvds and saw he had quite a bit of Peter Gabriel and one I had not seen yet.  This has both a concert of the 2004 "Still Growing Up" tour and has a documentary with interviews from band members.  I have the dvd of the "Growing Up" tour which happened the year before this one and had the honor of seeing him in concert.  This has some awesome concert footage and a very insightful documentary.  Just about everyone knows me well enough knows I am a big fan of Peter Gabriel.  I have been since around middle school which was very weird.  I started out being intrigued by his music videos and then really got enhanced one day when I was at my dad's house, he had a music player called the DMX and the song GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS came on.  This was the first time I had heard the song and one I did not need a video to see a video to really enjoy the song.  I think this event was what propelled me to become the fan I am today.  If all you know Peter through is his song SLEDGEHAMMER, I suggest watching this to see his very broad array of songs.

Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring (1971):  This is my tv movie for the week which was directed by Joseph Sargent.  A young Sally Field stars as Dennie who is coming home after running away from home to join the hippie lifestyle.  In the return to her suburban home, she finds that things are very difficult with her parents, played by Jackie Cooper and Eleanor Parker, disapproving of what she did and not try to understand.  She also has a sister Susie, played by Lane Bradbury, who is heading into Dennie's footsteps.  David Carradine co-stars as Dennie's ex-lover Flack who she was with in her hippie days and trying to reconnect.  Field is good in one of her early and more unknown roles.  It is a pretty good look at the difficulty in fitting in which happens in more than one way for Dennie.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Dirty Grandpa (2016):  Now I turn to some raunchy comedy which was directed by Dan Mazer.  Zac Efron stars as the uptight Jason whose grandfather Dick, played by Robert De Niro, wants Jason to drive him to Florida for Spring Break after his wife dies.  Jason has a hard time dealing with his grandfather who is chasing the younger girls.  Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Mantzoukas, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Hough, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Brandon Mychal Smith, Jake Picking, Michael Hudson, Adam Pally, Mo Collins, Henry Zebrowski, Danny Glover, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Fans of the raunchy comedy genre should love this one.  De Niro is a lot of fun as the title character and if nothing else, him singing Ice Cube's IT WAS A GOOD DAY made this truly worth watching.

There was Once a King... (1955):  This is my Czechoslavakian film for the week which was directed by Borivoj Zeman.  Jan Werich stars as the selfish and self-centered King Ja I who is barely tolerated by his subjects.  When asking his three daughters how much they love him, one gets banished for saying "more than salt" not knowing she was trying to compliment him.  His arrogance then leads him to gather all the salt in the kingdom and destroy it but slowly learns through an "herb woman" how to be a good king.  This was really a pretty funny movie about royalty and does not appear to have gotten much released as there are not fan reviews on imdb but it is available now on Amazon Prime.

Henry Fool (1997):  I end with this movie which was written and directed by Hal Hartley.  James Ubaniak stars as Simon Grim who is a socially inept garbage man.  He is soon befriended by the title character, played by Thomas Jay Ryan, who is a very charismatic but talentless writer and brings out a writing talent in Simon which Simon would take farther than Henry ever would.  As Simon becomes a controversial Nobel Price novelist, Henry would descent into alcohol.  Parker Posey, Maria Porter, James Saito, Kevin Corrigan, Liam Aiken, Miho Nikaido, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a very well done and interesting film that was driven by the script and actors.  Urbaniak and Ryan worked very well together and the underrated Posey was great as always.  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 Viggo Mortensen, and many others

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 699th Edition

Welcome to the 699th Edition of my series.  A FEW GOOD MEN has gone very well.  We still have another weekend of it next week from April 12-14 at the Marion Civic Theater.  Friday and Saturday is at 7:30 pm and Sunday is at 2 pm.  It has been nice not having to do my actual work this week and good to see the weather getting better.  Also, tonight is WRESTLEMANIA, I don't know if I'll be able to watch it in its live format but I'll get to it eventually.  There is not much else happening this week so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

The Greatest (2009):  This is part three of my Susan Sarandon trilogy.  Shana Feste wrote and directed this film that deals with grief.  Pierce Brosnan and Sarandon star as married couple Allen and Grace Brewer whose son Bennett, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, dies in a car accident.  Carey Mulligan co-stars as Rose who was the girl in love with Bennett and was in the car during the accident.  She shows up at their home revealing she is pregnant and has nowhere to go.  Johnny Simmons co-stars as Ryan who is Bennett's younger brother.  Amy Morton, Deirdre O'Connell, Miles Robbins, Cara Seymour, Ramsey Faragallah, Jennifer Ehle, Colby Minifie, Zoe Kravitz, Portia, Michael Shannon, Dante E. Clark, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good look at showing the different ways that people handle their grief over a loved one and how it can either bring people together or tear them apart making Rose someone the family needs more than they know.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

Drafty, Isn't It (1957):  This is my animated short for the week.  Chuck Jones wrote and directed this animated propaganda short for the United States Army.  This centers around a young man having nightmares about the possibility of being in the military.  A pixie-like figure named Willie N. List, what a clever name, enters his dream to paint a more favorable image of the industry.  This is available on Amazon Prime on the "Patriotic Cartoon Classics" which involve a lot of military propaganda shorts.

Lady Sings the Blues (1972):  This is my music biopic for the week which was directed by Sidney J. Furie.  Diana Ross stars as the legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday.  This starts in her troubled teen life and early adulthood into her rise into the world of Jazz but would also have a fall with her drug issues.  Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan, Paul Hampton, Sid Melton, Virginia Capers co-star in this film.  This is singer Diana Ross's film debut and does a great job as the Holiday.  This covers a lot of ground and is a very compelling biopic.

Won't You Be My Neighbor (2018):  Morgan Neville directed this documentary based on the iconic Fred Rogers of MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD.  This is a man studying to be a minister but found a calling in giving children something safe to watch having not liking what he is seeing on television.  This has interviews from Fred's wife and kids as well as friends and people he worked with on the show.  His show would sometimes deliver a bold message in a very subtle way.  This is a very good tribute to Mr. Rogers and a man who just wanted to bring kindness to a dark world.  There is not much else to describe in the way of words so just watch it already.

Death Takes a Holiday (1934):  Mitchell Leisen directed this film which is based on the play by Alberto Casella.  Fredric March stars as the Grim Reaper who takes a little time off his usual job to see what it is like to be human.  He poses as a man named Prince Sirki and spends three days with Duke Lambert, played by Guy Standing, and his guests.  He also ends up falling in love with Grazia, played by Evelyn Venable.  Katherine Alexander, Gail Patrick, Helen Westley, Kathleen Howard, Kent Taylor, Henry Travers, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a rather clever and interesting love story.  It kind of reminded me of what years later would become MEET JOE BLACK so maybe a double feature there.  This is available to watch on Hoopla.

Splash (1984):  I go from Death to mermaids.  Ron Howard directed this romantic comedy which stars Tom Hanks as business owner Allen Bauer who is convinced he will never be loved again.  In his childhood, he is saved by a mermaid and in many years he is saved once again by a mermaid, played by Daryl Hannah.  Allen falls for the mermaid but does not know she is one as she can change herself to human.  John Candy co-stars as Allen's older brother and Eugene Levy co-stars as a scientist named Walter who is determined to prove he saw a mermaid.  Dody Goodman, Shecky Greene, Richard B. Shull, Howard Morris, Patrick Cronin, Royce D. Applegate, Joe Grifasi, Clint Howard, and many others co-star in this romantic comedy.  I suppose in a way, this is a variation of THE LITTLE MERMAID.  It is a good '80s classic with Hanks and Hannah working very well together and Candy and Levy providing us with some great comedy.  Hannah is also a site to look at in both human and mermaid form.  This would be a good selection for date night.

Go Ask Alice (1973):  This is my tv movie for the week which I seem to be on a kick these couple weeks.  John Korty directed this tv movie which is based on a book by Beatrice Sparks referring to herself as Anonymous.  Jamie Smith-Jackson stars as the shy teen Alice whose parents have to move and she must start over.  She forms a relationship with a college boy named Richie, played by Danny Micheal Mann, and succumbs to the world of drugs.  William Shatner, Andy Griffith, Ayn Ruymen, Robert Carradine, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith and many others co-star or have cameos.  Shatner was nearly unrecognizable as Alice's father and had a mustache.  This is a fictional story even though the movie says it is based on a true story but a good look at how this can happen to anyone.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002):  This is my Asian film for the week.  Sijie Dai directed and co-wrote this film based on his own novel.  This takes place in 1971 China where best friends Luo and Ma, played by Kun Chen and Ye Liu, are sent to a mining village as part of their reeducation to purge them of their western oriented education.  They find the presence of beautiful young women as the only pleasant part of their life.  They meet the granddaughter, played by Xun Zhou, of a tailor and fall in love with her while coming across American novels that are banned in their country.  This is in a sense a Chinese coming of age film.  It is a very compelling story of communist China.

Suddenly (1954):  This is my film noir for the week.  Lewis Allen directed this film that takes place in a small town which is called Suddenly.  Nancy Gates stars as widowed wife Nancy Gates who lives with her son Pidge, played by Kim Charney, and her father, played by James Gleason.  She opposes guns but must rethink her stance when learning of the president coming to town and her house getting taken hostage by a group of people planning an assassination lead by John Baron, played by Ol' Blue Eyes himself Frank Sinatra.  Yes you heard, that right Sinatra was planning an assassination of our president.  Sterling Hayden co-stars as the sheriff who has tried courting Nancy and now is trying to protect the family.  Some would think if seeing the cast and hearing the plot that Hayden would probably be the assassin but that is not the case.  This is a pretty well done film where I stayed at the edge of my seat.  Also a bit of pro-gun propaganda on how guns can be beneficial.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Answer Man (2009):  John Hindman wrote and directed this romantic comedy if you want to call it that.  Jeff Daniels stars as the reclusive Arlen Faber who has written a lot of inspirational books but now wants to be left alone and keep his identity a secret.  Lou Taylor Pucci co-stars as bookstore owner Kris Lucas who is fresh out of rehab and learns of Arlen agreeing to barter books for advice.  Lauren Graham co-stars as chiropractor and single mother Elizabeth who is just starting a business and meets Arlen after he ends up in her place of business with back issues.  Olivia Thirlby, Kat Dennings, Nora Dunn, Tony Hale, Annie Corley, Max Antisell, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Daniels is good as the author who just does not have the answers that everyone wants him to have.  This also takes a good look at two different relationships he has with Elizabeth and with Kris.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

Well, that is it for this week though I did return with my "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Taylor, Ryan Gosling, John Woo, and many others.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

The Purge:  Anarchy (2014):  A Few weeks ago we watched the very first and now finally got around to the second of this newer cranchise.  James DeMonaco wrote and directed this sequel to the hit film from 2013.  This continues on Purge Night where crime becomes legal for 12 hours.  Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zoe Soul, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez all star as an unlikely group that comes together for survival with Grillo being the only one who intends to kill in his vengeance for the murder of his son.  Grillo plays a police sergeant who reluctantly becomes a protector to those trying to survive the holiday.  Justina Machado, John Beasley, Jack Conley, Noel Gugliemi, Castulo Guerra, Michael Kenneth Williams, Edwin Hodges, Lakeith Stanfield, and many others co-star in this sequel. This had an interesting enough story with the characters to get behind them.  The first one was more centered in a home, this one takes it further into the streets.