Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 740th Edition

Welcome to the 740th Edition of my series.  Today, I start my rehearsals for YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU.  I look forward to getting to know this cast and working with them.  Also remember that this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday where we celebrate the loved ones in our lives with the Ash variation in their name.  I don't have much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Hot Fuzz (2007):  This is part three of my possible five-part Steve Coogan series where on here he makes more of a cameo.  Edgar Wright directed this film which was co-written by Simon Pegg who also stars.  Pegg stars as London cop Nicholas Angel who is just too good at his job, he gets transferred to the more quiet town of Sandford.  He is paired with a rather naive cop named Danny Butterman, played by Nick Frost, and must convince Danny that not everything is what it seems when people continue to die by "accident".  Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Robert Popper, Joe Cornish, Chris Wait, Billie Whitelaw, Peter Wight, Bill Bailey, Paul Freeman, Stuart Wilson, Timothy Dalton, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Rafe Spall, Kevin Eldon, Edward Woodward, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a very dark comedy to say the least but still delivers a lot of laughs even after the graphic deaths.  This is the second of the "trilogy" which was directed by Wright and stars Pegg and Frost where the first was SHAUN OF THE DEAD and the second being THE WORLD'S END.  Fans of dark and British comedy will love this one.

Porky's (1981):  I follow up with a more raunchy comedy which was written and directed by Bob Clark.  This takes place in a '50s high school where a group of teens embark on a game of sexual innuendo and other hijinks.  Dan Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt Knight, Roger Wilson, Cyril O'Reilly, Tony Ganios, Kaki Hunter, Kim Cattrall, Nancy Parsons, Scott Colomby, Boyd Gaines, Doug McGrath, Susan Clark, Art Hindle, Wayne Maunder, Alex Karras, Chuck Mitchell, Eric Christmas, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Like the first selection, this is not comedy for everyone.  I suppose you could say this is a pre-AMERICAN PIE.  There is also a lot of political incorrectness in this movie that was a little more acceptable at the time.  Also, keep in mind the director is the same person that directed A CHRISTMAS STORY so a big contrast there.  This would really be a good selection for Guy's Night and is the first of a trilogy.

The Expendables 3 (2014):  I come with another series that is so far a trilogy so I have part two, part one, and now part three on these first three selections.  Patrick Hughes directed this sequel where our boys return lead by Barney Ross, reprised by Sylvester Stallone, who sees someone from his past that he thought was dead in a man named Stonestreet, played by Mel Gibson.  Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews are along for the ride and being joined by a knife-wielding Wesley Snipes.  Ross feels he needs newer people to take on his old enemy and recruits Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Ronda Rousey, and Kellan Lutz who are younger, faster, and more tech-savvy but Ross soon learns that the others are still needed.  He also reunites with his ASSASSINS rival Antonio Banderas who persistently joins the team.  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Harrison Ford, Kelsey Grammer, Robert Davi, and many others co-star in this action sequel.  Ford is essentially a replacement for Bruce Willis who dropped out of the series due to a pay dispute apparently.  Fans of Jet Li might be a little disappointed as he really only has more of a cameo at the action climax.  I know Snipes has had a lot of financial issues so it was good to see Stallone give him some work and was a suitable addition in my opinion.  I know this got a lot of mixed reactions and that I was not supposed to like it but I just could not help but enjoy.  I admit it did not really measure up to the first two but it was still a fun adrenaline rush just like the first two.  I hear there is a fourth one in development and it would be really cool to see Mr. T and Carl Weathers if that is possible.

Should Married Men Go Home? (1928):  This is my silent comedy short for the week which features legendary comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, known more as Laurel and Hardy.  Leo McCarey and James Parrott directed this short where Laurel visits Hardy and are thrown out by Hardy's wife.  They end up at a golf course and get into a very comedic battle with experienced golfers in order to please a couple ladies.  The talkies started the year before but these guys had not transitioned yet.  This does have a lot of laughs and will be enjoyed by those who love silent and classic comedy.

Father's Little Dividend (1951):  Vincente Minnelli directed this sequel to the 1950 comedy hit FATHER OF THE BRIDE.  Spencer Tracy reprises his role as Stanley Banks who has come to terms with his daughter Kay, played by Elizabeth Taylor, getting married but now he must deal with becoming a grandfather.  He worries about things like expenses and how much they are ready to become parents.  Joan Bennett, Don Taylor, Billie Burke, Moroni Olsen, Richard Rober, Marietta Canty, Russ Tamblyn, and many others co-star in this comedy sequel.  The predecessor to this movie really needs to be watched first and this makes a great follow-up.  In the '90s when FATHER OF THE BRIDE was remade, they had their own sequel but was not the same as this sequel.  This is a pretty harmless comedy in preparation to parenthood and even being grandparents.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962):  Now I stray from the comedic selections into a far more serious one.  Robert Mulligan directed this adaptation from the classic novel by Harper Lee.  This takes place in the depression era south and the main part of the story is of a black man on trial for rape and because of the racism of this era and location he is automatically guilty no matter the actual innocence.  Gregory Peck stars as the noble attorney Atticus Finch who defends Tom Robinson, played by Brock Peters, whose innocence is very obvious but because he is black it does not matter.  It is from the point of view of his daughter Scout, played by Mary Badham, who is a six year old girl living her childhood along with her older brother Jem, played by Philip Alford.  A lot of this movie is Scout trying to understand the messages of her father.  Robert Duvall makes his debut as Boo Radley.  This is a very good depiction of a segregated south that is one of the best movie adaptations of a book.  I have heard that some schools have stopped the reading of this book because of the comfort level which I do not agree.  This is a timeless message that every generation needs to know.  No matter how many times I see it, I never cease to tear up in the scene when Atticus is leaving the courtroom and the Negros stand as he leaves knowing Atticus did everything possible for Tom.  The other scene that gets me is near the end when Scout is able to understand a situation by one of her father's messages.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Seduction of Mimi (1972):  This is my Italian film for the week which was written and directed by Lina Wertmuller.  Giancarlo Giannini stars as Mimi where he struggles to find work that is not run by the mafia and goes to Turin hoping to find a job where he does not find much other success.  He embarks on an extramarital affair with street vendor Fiorella, played by Mariangela Melato, and has a child with her leaving him to hide the news from his wife.  This is a hard one to really explain further.  Part of this is a satire towards working conditions in Italy and part of it is the slow corruption of Mimi.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel but only until the 29th of this month as well as other works from Wertmuller.

Queen:  Rock Montreal and Live Aid (2007):  This is my concert video for the week where Queen performs life for Montreal in 1981 and for Live Aid in 1985.  This is pretty self-explanatory and not much description needs to be given here.  This showcases Queen and emphasizes all the members of the band.  For those who just dislike Queen will not want to see this but if you do enjoy Queen, this will be a great watch.  This could be a good double feature to go along with the 2018 biopic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.

The Tall Stranger (1957):  This is my western for the week which was directed by Thomas Carr and based on a story by Louis L'Amour.  Joel McCrea stars as Ned Bannon who is returning to his town after the civil war after being left for dead.  When getting there, he looks to stop feuds from going on but runs into people who have a lot of animosity and must overcome that.  Virginia Mayo, Barry Kelley, Michael Pate, Michael Ansara, Leo Gordon, Whit Bissell, Ray Teal, and many others co-star in this western.  This is a pretty gritty western from this era.  McCrea does a great job as Bannon showing how underrated he is by today's standards.  This is available to watch on Hulu.

Loop (2020):  I decided to end the week on this animated short.  Erica Milsom wrote and directed this animated short film which takes place in a canoe camp.  Two kids named Marcus, voiced by Christiano Delgado, and Renee, voiced by Madison Bandy, are adrift in a canoe and must find a way to communicate to understand each other better.  Renee is an autistic youth with limited speaking and Marcus looks to find a way to connect with her.  Louis Gonzalez and Asher Brodkey also provide their voices.  This is part of the Pixar SparkShorts series which are independent animated shorts that Pixar produces.  This is a pretty groundbreaking animated short from Pixar to feature an autistic character.  It is a touching ten minutes and is available to watch on Disney Plus.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 739th Edition

Welcome to the 739th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day however celebrated and that the singles of the world were able to make the most of it.  A week from today I start my rehearsals for YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU in Elwood, Indiana so I hope those in or around the area can come out for that one which is the first weekend in April.  We inch closer to the end of this month and hopefully the warmer weather will start coming.  There is not much else going on right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Night at the Museum (2006):  This is part two of a possible five-part Steve Coogan series where he plays museum statue Octavius which comes to life along with the other statues in the museum.  Shawn Levy directed this comedy which is based on a children's book by Milan Trenc.  Ben Stiller stars as Larry Daley who is desperate for work and accepts the job of night watchman in the Museum of Natural History.  While this seems like it will be a pretty simple job, he learns that all the statues in the museum come to life.  Robin Williams is very good as our former president Teddy Roosevelt.  Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Bill Cobbs are quite the trio who have worked in the museum for a long time but are retiring but there is a lot more to those guys.  Carla Gugino, Jake Cherry, Ricky Gervais, Kim Raver, Patrick Gallagher, Rami Malek, Pierfrancesco Favino, Mizuo Peck, Paul Rudd, Anne Meara, Brad Garrett, Owen Wilson, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Malek makes his film debut as pharaoh Ahkmenrah.   I liked seeing the way historical figures interact with one another at the museum and even working together during the climax to save it.  This could be a good double feature to go along with TOY STORY.

Water Wrackets (1975):  This is my short film for the week which was directed by Peter Greenaway.  This is some hypnotic photography of swirling rivers and ponds with a music score to go along with it.  It also has some narration about people in the future building dams.  Greenaway did a lot of these unusual short films that gave way into a very successful career of feature films.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Gas! - Or - it Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It (1970):  Roger Corman directed this movie that is usually billed as GAS-S-S-S-.  This is a comedy that is post apocolyptic where an accidental gas leak resulted in the deaths of those above 25.  The few surivvors where they flee from some Gestapo-like police officers.  Bob Corff, Elaine Giftos, Bud Cort, Talia Shire though billed as Tally Coppola at this time, Ben Vereen, Cindy Williams, Alex Wilson, Bruce Karcher, and many others co-star in this movie.  What more can I say besides being directed by Roger Corman.  It is pretty funny and I believe meant to be more in the intentionally funny.  This is Corman's last movie made with American International Pictures.  Karcher is amusing as the a biker Edgar Allen Poe who was the wise man to the hippie community.  Deserves a look for those that are into Roger Corman.

Killer Diller (2004):  Tricia Brock directed this movie which is based on the novel by Clyde Edgerton.  William Lee Scott stars as Wesley who is both a car thief and guitar player.  He ends up in a halfway house run by a very religious man named Ned, played by Fred Willard, who takes in the convicts to be part of his church choir group.  Wesley soon meets Vernon, played by Lucas Black, who is an autistic man and Wesley discovers he is very gifted on the piano which motivates him to start a blues band with the other people at the halfway house.  John Michael Higgins, W. Earl Brown, Taj Mahal, Mary Kay Place, Robert Wisdom, Ashley Johnson, Niki J. Crawford, RonReaco Lee, and many others co-star in this movie.  Decent movie driven by Scott and Black in their performances with Black very good in his role as an autistic man slowly seeing that there is more to life than just being at his home.  This is a buddy movie of sorts with Wesley and Vernon and was really worth a watch.

Tomorrow at Seven (1933):  Ray Enright directed this B-movie murder mystery.  Chester Morris stars as crime novelist Neil Broderick who decides to use his writing skills to help find the serial killer they call "The Black Ace".  This serial killer would announce their crime through use of playing cards.  Vivienne Osborne, Frank McHugh, Allen Jenkins, Henry Stephenson, Grant Mitchell, Charles Middleton, Oscar Apfel, Virginia Howell, Cornelius Keefe, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is a pretty entertaining murder mystery that has a touch of comedy in it.  It's only a bit over an hour long.  This can be seen on Amazon Prime for those looking for an old murder mystery.

Waking Ned Devine (1998):  Kirk Jones wrote and directed this comedy which takes place in a small Irish village.  The title character wins the lottery but unfortunately dies of shock literally.  Ned's close friends Jackie and Michael, played by Ian Bannen and David Kelly, scheme to be able to get the money and split it among the town because they believe that is what Ned would have wanted.  They look to get the town to go along with the scheme and find that it is not the easiest thing to do.  Fionnula Flanagan, Susan Lynch, James Nesbitt, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a very underrated comedy that depicts small town, or in this case small village, life and the town coming together to help each other out.  This is very funny and is also pretty moving and just about anyone can enjoy this film.

I Walk Alone (1947):  Now I pay homage to Kirk Douglas who recently left us but he did lead a long life and had a long and great career.  Byron Haskin directed this film noir which is based on a play by Theodore Reeves.  Burt Lancaster stars as Frankie Madison who has just been released from prison after spending 14 years in the facility.  He confronts his old partner Dink, played by Douglas, to hold up his end a "50/50" bargain they made with Frankie gets himself caught and takes the rap.  Dink has since bought a successful nightclub and is showing no gratitude for his former partner in crime .  Lizabeth Scott, Wendell Corey, Kristine Miller, George Rigaud, Marc Lawrence, Mike Mazurski, Mickey Knox, and many others co-star in this film.  This is the first of seven films that Lancaster and Douglas would do together.  This is a really good start for what is more of a drama duo as most two man teams are in comedy.  This was a very good start and is a pretty compelling film that is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

A Kid From Brooklyn (1946):  Norman Z. McLeod directed this comedy which is based on a play by Lynn Root and Harry Clork.  Danny Kaye stars as timid milkman Burleigh Sullivan who accidentally knocks out the boxing champion Speed McFarlane and some see potential into making Burleigh into a boxer the way he is able to move.  They make Burleigh think he is a great fighter much to the dismay of his girlfriend Polly, played by Virginia Mayo.  Vera-Ellen, Eve Arden, Walter Abel, Fay Bainter, Clarence Kolb, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a pretty fun movie where Kaye is great as the deluded "fighter" but is motivated in a very interesting way.  Below is a side by side photo of Virginia Mayo and my friend Ashley who I have had the pleasure of working with on stage on a couple of occasions.  As soon as I saw Mayo, I thought of Ashley right away thinking she'd be perfect to play Mayo in a biopic.  This movie is available on Hoopla Digital.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005):  Shane Black directed this dark comedy which is based on a novel by Brett Halliday.  Robert Downey Jr. stars as petty thief Harry Lockhart who accidentally ends up in an audition room for a movie.  He gets the part of a private investigator and wants him to get training from an actual investigator named Gay Perry, played by Val Kilmer.  They stumble onto an actual murder that also involves Harry's childhood friend and struggling actress Harmony, played by Michelle Monaghan.  Corbin Bernson, Dash Mihok, Larry Miller, Rockmund Dunbar, Shannyn Sossamon, Angela Lindvall, Indio Falconer Downey, Ariel Winter, and many others star in this comedy.  This comedy takes on all kinds of twists and turns.  Downey provides some great narration which kind of calls us out as the audience at times.  Downey and Kilmer are a great team and this movie really set in motion his iconic casting of Tony Stark when Jon Favreau took note of his performance.  This one is not for the family but is so funny and violent.

Sorry to Bother You (2018):  I end the week with this satire on corporate greed and corruption in which Boots Riley wrote and directed.  LaKeith Thompson stars as Cassius Green who takes the job as a telemarketer where he struggles in the beginning until he is encouraged to use his "white voice".  He is soon promoted to "Power Caller" and as he starts to enjoy the success, he finds there is something far more sinister at hand.  Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Kate Berlant, Michael X. Sommers, Danny Glover, Steven Yeun, Robert Longstreet, Armie Hammer, David Cross, Lily James, Forest Whitaker, Rosario Dawson, and many others co-star in this movie and some provide their voice like in the "white voices".  I didn't really know much of what to expect in this one which is essentially a sci-fi comedy but rather subtle on the sci-fi elements.  I'm sure most who have worked at a call center can relate a bit though I did not work at this type of call center.  This is available to watch on Hulu.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Steve Coogan, Sylvester Stallone, Spencer Tracy, Gregory Peck, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 738th Edition

Welcome to the 738th Edition of my series.  Last week, my San Francisco 49ers did not get it done like I hoped.  This was a really good season though and hope they keep mostly what they have and build into next year.  I have not started rehearsing yet for YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU but have worked on a few lines and trying to come up with a Russian accent.  This Friday is Valentine's Day and I hope everyone enjoys the holiday however celebrated.  I will get on with my selections now so I hope you all enjoy.

Eva:  A-7043 (2018):  I start the week out with this documentary which was presented at my local library.  Ted Green directed this documentary which takes a look at Holocaust survivor Eva Kor who happened to live in a town in my state.  Eva was part of the human experimentation part that they did with twins during the holocaust which were some horrid experiments done by Dr. Mengele.  Eva survived but her twin sister Miriam did not survive.  She became a global spokesperson and would also preach forgiveness to those that wronged her which was controversial to some including fellow survivors.  I believe she did it knowing it what happened cannot be taken back and to just move forward in her life.  Ed Asner narrates this very inspiring documentary.  I was talking to my dad about this and he said that he got to meet her when she spoke in his town of Columbus, Indiana.  Unfortunately, she died last July but left quite a legacy behind.  There is another documentary called FORGIVING DR. MENGELE from 2006 which features Eva Kor which I have not seen but appears to be more about what happened at that time while this one is more about Eva Kor herself.  This could make a good double feature and likely something I'll be looking into at some point.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Past (2013):  Asghar Farhadi wrote and directed this French film.  Ali Mosaffa stars as Ahmad who is going to see his estranged wife Marie, played by Berenice Bejo, in Paris in order to finalized divorce proceedings so that she can marry her boyfriend Samir, Tahar Rahim.  When Ahmad gets there, he sees how complicated things are with the new man in Marie's life and her troubled relationship with her daughter Lucie, played by Pauline Burlet.  This is one that is really driven by characters and gets pretty deep and intense at times.  Farhadi is Iranian and spent time in France to learn more on the country and had to direct through a translator as he did not know the French language.  It is hard to really explain this movie any further but is a very well written script with good performances and sometimes that all we need to enjoy a movie.

The 24 Hour Party People (2002):  This is part one of a possible five-part Steve Coogan series.  Michael Winterbottom directed this biopic on Tony Wilson, played by Coogan, who founded Factory Records along with some friends.  Their biggest act would be the band Joy Division who would go onto become more known as New Order.  John Thomson, Paul Popplewell, Lennie James, Shirley Henderson, Paddy Considine, Raymond Waring, Ron Cook, John Simm, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, Rob Brydon, Simon Pegg, and many others co-star in this biopic.  This is a movie full of sex, drugs and rock and roll as they say.  It mostly focuses on the ups and downs of Wilson.  Coogan does well working some dry humor into a rather serious story.  I remember years ago when my friend Travis showed this movie to us through his Co-Op film series and I believe this is the first that we watched one summer outside at Ball State where we hung a paint tarp from the parking garage to use a projector.  This British film is really worth a look and hope to put it back on the radar some.

Teeth Smile (1957):  This is my short film for the week which was a very early work from Roman Polanski and the word short is an understatement.  This features a man going down an exterior staircase and witnesses a woman washing at her sink.  He gets a very good view and really enjoys what he sees.  This is less than two minutes long and Polanski did this as an assignment at his film school in Lodz.  Roman would go onto have a great career in film but had to start somewhere.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937):  James P. Hogan directed this movie which is based on a play by Herman C. McNeile and Gerard Fairlie.  Ray Milland stars as the title character who is driving home in the dark and tries to revive a woman named Phyllis, played by Heather Angel, that has fallen to the ground.  He finds himself in a much deeper situation when Phyllis gets awarg with Drummond's car.  Guy Standing, Reginald Denny, Porter Hall, Fay Holden, E.E. Clive, Walter Kingsford, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is an iconic character from this era that was portrayed in many novels and films and I supposed one could say he was the James Bond of that era.  These start from the early '20s and go into the late '60s.  The actors have varied and this was Milland's only portrayal.  I don't have much knowledge on the character but thought Milland was pretty fun in his role.  It was also good to see Milland play a good guy as he is known for his villainous or dark roles through the years.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Bay of Angels (1963):  I return to France for the second time this week where Jacques Demy wrote and directed this film.  Claude Mann stars in this film as bank clerk Jean Fournier whose colleague Caron, played by Paul Guers, is a gambler and gets Jean into it.  When Jean starts to have some success, he develops more of an obsession for it.  When at a casino, he meets a woman named Jackie, played by Jeanne Moreau, who has her own gambling addiction and they form a relationship where they rely on their luck at the roulette wheel.  This is part of the French New Wave and have seen a few of their selections.  So far, this is the one I like the most.   The main characters kept my attention the whole way through and is a very compelling film if you don't mind subtitles.  This is a great movie on love and addiction and is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The High Cost of Living (2010):  This is not one of those documentaries about a title might lead one to believe.  Deborah Chow wrote and directed this film.  Zach Braff stars as Henry who is a small-time drug dealer living in Canada and accidentally hits a woman named Nathalie, played by Isabelle Blais, who is also pregnant.  Nathalie's life changes when her baby dies and the guilt ridden Henry involves himself in her life not letting know he is the one guilty of the hit and run accident.  Patrick Labbe, Sean Lu, Anick Lemay, Mylene Savoie, Kyle Switzer, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a rather hard movie to watch in some ways with Nathalie dealing with her grief and Blais playing that role so well.  While it would be easy to hate Braff's character, he does play his likable Zach Braff self.  This is one that is driven by the characters with the leads working very well together.  This is a pretty underrated film that deserves a look.

The Fighter (1952):  Some might first think I'm talking about that movie with Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg until they see the year and while this movie deals with boxing, they are both different movies.  Herbert Kline directed this movie which is based on the story THE MEXICAN which was written by Jack London.  This movie combines boxing and Mexican revolutionaries.  Richard Conte stars as Felipe who finds he is gifted in boxing and is able to make some money in order to get the guns necessary to avenge the murder of his family.  Vanessa Brown, Lee J. Cobb, Frank Silvera, Roberta Haynes, Hugh Sanders, Claire Carleton, Martin Garralaga, and many others co-star in this film  I don't know how closely this follows London's material.  This is a pretty decent B-movie from the era and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Freaky Friday (1976):  This is my Disney selection for the week which was directed by Gary Nelson and based on the book by Mary Rodgers who also wrote the screenplay.  Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster star as mother-daughter combo Ellen and Annabel Andrews who each think the other has the easy life and make a fateful wish one Friday morning which results in their bodies switching.  Annabel is now in her mom's body and Ellen is in her daughter's body.  John Astin, Patsy Kelly, Dick Van Patten, Sorrell Booke, Alan Oppenheimer, Ruth Buzzi, Kaye Ballard, Marc McClure, Marie Windsor, and many others co-star in this film.  This is the first of four of these movies of the same title so this one kind of started it all.  For those who are fans of Foster in her adult roles should really check some of these where she is in her teen years.  This has some very comedic situations especially in the role reversal that takes place.  I also like how when they do switch bodies, they don't actually interact with each other.  This is a good family watch and is on Disney Plus along with the 2003 and 2018 versions.  I have seen the 2003 version which stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan which I felt was good in its own right and I'm sure the 2018 version accommodates to the new generation.  Let's not forget the one that started it all.

Fruitvale Station (2013):  Now I must bring everyone down a bit after my previous comedic selection.  Ryan Coogler wrote and directed this film which is based on a true story and is his directorial debut.  Michael B. Jordan stars as Oscar Grant III who only expects to celebrate the new year not knowing it would be his last day on earth when getting shot by a cop.  This movie depicts his last day as well as some flashbacks.  Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ohna O'Reilly, Ariana Neal, and many others co-star in this film.  This is rather predictable in terms of the ending and what would happen to Grant.  Coogler worked with Grant's family when writing this movie.  Spencer volunteered to forego her salary when funding fell through and Forest Whitaker was very instrumental in getting this film made.  This is a rather simple but effective film to show someone's day in a life not knowing what is coming later.

Well, that is it for this week but I brought back my segment of "The Bookworm Corner".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Robin Williams, and many others.

THE BOOKWORM CORNER

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (2015):  Most of my reads so far have been murder mystery and wrestler autobiographies.  I took an interest in this book when seeing this was part of a mini-book series at my local library which is called Women in Science Fiction.  I have thought about doing this book club thing but did not really want to do a year round one so I decided to check this one out.  This is the first book and is part of the "Broken Earth" trilogy with the other two books written by Jemisin.  This takes place on a supercontinent called the Stillness where every few centuries, the inhabitants endure what they call the "Fifth Season" of catastrophic climate change.  This is a world of many species, castes, orogenes and "comms".  This follows three different female orogenes in different eras.  The first one is for Essun which the book uses in second person form where she sets out to find the husband that murdered their son and took her daughter.  With this character, it is essentially us that make the journey with the author saying "you" and "your" in the place of her name Essun.  The second is of Damaya who is a young girl whose parents discover she is an orogene and has her taken where she is trained to controle her powers.  The third is Syenite who is a rising orogene and forced to be partnered with a man named Alabaster in order to conceive a child with him.  I have to admit this was quite a challenge to read and if it was not for this book club I likely would not have picked this up.  This is a very complex novel that required a lot of concentration on my part.  There were times where when reading this book, I would read out loud and probably looked really stupid when doing it in public but did what I had to do.  This was a book club meeting at the Mark III bar in my town of Muncie ran by Anthony the librarian.  My friend Dennis the Library Menace was also part of it and was able to keep me motivated.  At the meeting, I mostly had to listen and some of the views made this easier for me to understand.  I also picked up on things in the book that are more addressed in the other two books so I suppose I'll have to check them out at some point but may look to do an audiobook listen on this one before I do so.  With my upcoming play, I will not be able to attend the next two so I will look to obtain the book for May and get going on that one.  This was a rather cool experience and glad to have read something much different than I am used to reading.  If reading this book, it might be a good idea to encourage other friends to read as well, then have a discussion on it.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 737th Edition

Welcome to the 737th Edition of my series.  I am very excited about tonight where I get to see my favorite team the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl where they take on the Kansas City Chiefs.  I'm hoping the Niners continue their dominant ways but I know the reality of anything can happen so I will be glued to that television tonight.  Usually, I want to see a close game but with my own team in it, I just want a 49ers win even if it is a blowout.  I don't even care about the commercials and I'm okay with the halftime show of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.  I do feel people make too big of deal of a 15-20 minute concert sometimes.  I have also been working on a Russian accent this week in preparation to my upcoming play YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU which happens in April.  I think I've talked long enough so on with my selections for the week.

Glory (1989):  This is part four of my four-part Denzel Washington series and start the week out with this Civil War film which was directed by Edward Zwick and based on a book by Lincoln Kirstein.  Matthew Broderick stars as Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw who leads the first black regiment in the Civil War and must deal with with the prejudices of the enemy as well as from within his unit.  Cary Elwes co-stars as his Shaw's best friend Major Cabot Forbes who volunteers to work alongside Shaw with their friendship being tested in the way Shaw runs the army.  Morgan Freeman plays one of his usual inspirational characters in motivating his unit while keeping his friend Private Shaw, played by Washington, in line.  Andre Braugher, John Finn, Donovan Leitch Jr., JD Callum, Alan North, Bob Gunton, Cliff De Young, Richard Riehle, Mark Margolis, and many others co-star in this film.  This is more of an ensemble Civil War film which centers around the characters played by Broderick, Elwes, Freeman, Washington and even Braugher.  This is based on a real unit and is a pretty compelling story.  I didn't really know much about the actors at this time but appears Broderick kind of branched out from his usual comedic roles really showing his acting range as the inexperienced colonel.  This is really worth a look and maybe a good double feature could be Zwick's other Civil War era film THE LAST SAMURAI.

Ragtime (1981):  This is part three of my James Cagney trilogy which is his last feature film besides the 1984 tv movie TERRIBLE JOE MORAN.  This was also his first movie in 20 years.  Milos Forman directed this film which is based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow.  This features multiple stories in 1910s New York with the main one at focus is of Colehouse Walker Jr., played by Howard E. Rollins Jr., who is a black jazz pianist which does not sit will with some white people including a group of prejudice firemen that assault him and vandalize his car.  Through principle, he looks to get justice but to no avail and resorts to criminal activity.  Cagney gets top billing but is more of a supporting character as Commissioner Waldo.  It is more of an ensemble movie though where Brad Dourif, Moses Gunn, Elizabeth McGovern, Kenneth McMillan, Pat O'Brien, Donald O'Connor, James Olson, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, Debbie Allen, Jeffrey DeMunn, Robert Joy, Bruce Boa, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Frankie Faison, Richard Griffiths, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jeter, John Ratzenberger, and many others co-star in this film.  This is really a slice of life sort of movie from that era that deals with the prejudice that happened and even their own pop culture.  This is known to be a stage musical but this version is not a musical.  This is still a very compelling film with a great cast.

Katy Perry:  Part of Me (2012):  Leave it to me to go from the Civil War and the 1910s era to a documentary of a pop singer but that is what I do.  Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz directed this documentary which follows Katy Perry during her California Dreams World Tour.  This takes a look at the preparation that must happen and even the ups and downs of her own personal life.  There are also some biographical elements of her where her parents are both preachers and went from singing Gospel to what she does now.  I try not to dismiss other singers just because they are in the pop music genre and have found myself liking a lot of Perry's songs.  I do feel she sticks out from the other singers out there and does write much of her music.  This documentary does show the hard work that her and her team put on in order to put on the best show possible.  Those that absolutely do not like Perry likely will not like this movie but people at least tolerant of her should be able to enjoy this movie.

The Organ Grinder (1933):  This is my animated short for the week which features and organ grinder and his very talented monkey who can dance and do impressions like of Harpo Marx.  They go around the New York area performing for people in the streets.  This is a pretty fun few minutes and is available on the dvd of last week's feature of THE MAYOR OF HELL.

Treasure Island (1950):  Having been in a radio version of this story, I decided to take a look at this live action Disney movie.  Byron Haskin directed this film which is based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Bobby Driscoll stars as Jim Hawkins who is on board a ship to locate a buried treasure but the group must deal with a group of pirates lead by Long John Silver, played by Robert Newton.  Basil Sydney, Walter Fitzgerald, Denis O'Dea, Finley Currie, Geoffrey Keen, John Laurie, John Gregson, and many others co-star in this Disney film.  This is actually the first live-action movie from Disney which is obviously more known for their animation.  Newton was great as the famed pirate who started the fast food chain later in life and would go onto play Silver in a couple other movies.  I will look to keep everyone informed when the radio version that I was a part of is broadcast.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus along with other versions.

Annie Hall (1977):  Woody Allen directed and co-wrote this comedy in which he also stars as comedian Alvy Singer who is reflecting on his relationship with the title character, played by Diane Keaton.  With it, he reflects on his childhood that lead to his neurotic personality.  Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Janet Margolin, Colleen Dewhurst, Christopher Walken, John Glover, Jeff Goldblum, Shelley Hack, Beverley D'Angelo, Tracey Walter, Sigourney Weaver, and many others co-star in this comedy.  It it really hard to describe this movie in a simple way besides what I said.  This is an early film of breaking the fourth wall and thought of the much later tv series THE OFFICE in the way they sometimes talk into the camera.  There are a lot of other clever comedic elements worked into the comedy.  If you just cannot stand Woody, this probably is not one to watch but for others it will have some laughs.

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961):  Roger Corman directed this adaptation of the classic story from what you might call the grandfather of horror in Edgar Allen Poe.  I'm open to disagreement on that statement.  This takes place in the 16th Century where Francis Bernard, played by John Kerr, travels to a castle in Spain when learning of his sister's death.  Vincent Price stars as the sister's husband Nicholas Medina who tells Francis she died of a blood disease but he has a hard time believing that was what happened.  Barbara Steele, Luana Anders, Antony Carbone, Patrick Westwood, and many others co-star in this classic.  This is the second of Corman's Poe stories and would go onto do six more.  Price is cast perfectly as Medina.  Some might point to this as Corman's best work which could be justified.  This is a nice and creepy feel to it and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Goodbye, My Lady (1956):  William A. Wellman directed this film which is based on the novel by James Street.  Walter Brennan and Brandon De Wilde star as Jesse and Skeeter Jackson who are uncle and nephew living together in the Mississippi swamps.  They work everyday for survival and Skeeter encounters an unusual looking dog that no one knows the breed and Skeeter takes an immediate liking to it and is able to talk his uncle into keeping the dog.  They train the dog to be a bird dog and form a strong bond but soon learn the dog is missing and must decide what is best.  Phil Harris, Sidney Poitier, William Hopper, Louise Beavers, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty touch movie and any dog lover is going to take a liking to this.  Most would know De Wilde as the boy in SHANE and appears to have gone onto be a rather underrated child actor.  Brennan and De Wilde work very well together as what appears to be a great-uncle and nephew.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Parasite (2019):  This is my Korean film for the week and one that has won a lot of awards so I thought I'd give this a look.  Bong Joon Ho directed and co-wrote this film of an unemployed family and when one of them learns of a scheme to pose as a English tutor of a wealthy family, they all make their way into the family some way or another getting entangled in an unexpected incident.  Kang-Ho Song, Sun-Kyun Lee, Yeo- Jeong Jo, Woo-Sik Choi, So-Dam Park, Jeong-Eun Lee, Hye-Jin Jang, and many others co-star in this film.  I went in not really knowing a lot about this movie and did not expect to be so bizarre.  I was looking for a movie to see at my local movie theater where they have $5 off Tuesday and usually don't get the opportunity to see a foreign language film in the theaters so I jumped onto this one.  This could be described as a dark comedy in some ways.  There were many times I thought "wtf" but yet could not take my eyes off it.  There were also a lot of moments where I would laugh and feel kind of bad about it.  This is probably not one to take the kids to see but if you can tolerate subtitles and dark comedy this is worth a trip to the movie theaters.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007):  I end the week with this Romanian film which was presented to us at my local library as part of the monthly Cinemuncie film series brought to us by Dennis the Librarian Menace.  Cristian Mungiu wrote and directed this film that takes place in 1987 Romania.  Laura Vasiliu stars as Gabita who is in an unwanted pregnancy and is looking to get an abortion which is very illegal in that country.  Anamaria Marinca co-stars as Gabita's friend and roommate Otilia who looks to help her friend get the illegal abortion and finds an abortionist named Bebe, played by Vlad Ivanov.  Bebe agrees to do the job but at a price both financially and figuratively.  What is being described is likely not for everyone and is not the easiest movie to watch.  The camerawork is very interesting where it the camera work is done by a person following them and as someone referenced after the movie that we are a bit voyeuristic in a world we should not be in.  Before the movie Dennis talked to us about the Romanian New Wave of film that this movie is part of that focus on a realist and minimalist approach.  I am grateful that Dennis has the guts to put on movies like these in the library and this can be seen on the Criterion Channel.

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