Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 797th Edition

Welcome to the 797th Edition of my series.  Yesterday, I joined the ranks of many and got my first shot for the Covid vaccination.  I feel okay for the most part, just a little arm pain from the shot.  I have been against flu shots for myself for well over a decade but I understand this is far more important so I did it and look forward to round two next month.  We're also getting closer to ARSENIC AND OLD LACE which goes from April 23-25.  You can get tickets by calling 765-639-3282 or go to the website https://www.thecommonstheatre.org/ to reserve your tickets.  I'll get on with my selections for the week.

Spider-Man:  Into the Spider-Verse (2018):  I start the week out with this animated superhero film which was directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman.  We have always known Spider-Man as Peter Parker, but now we look at a whole new universe which centers around teen Miles Morales, voiced by Shameik Moore, who gets bit by the radioactive spider.  He finds some similar abilities to Peter Parker but has different ones as well.  Threats come where other he must team with various people bitten by the spider including Gwen Stacy, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, Peter B. Parker, voiced by Jake Johnson, Spider-Man Nori, voiced by Nicolas Cage, Spider-Ham, voiced by John Mulaney, and Peni Parker, voiced by Kimiko Glenn.  Each of them have their own unique spider abilities and Miles must learn his powers to help them and become the Spider-Man their town needs.  Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Zoe Kravitz, Liev Schreiber, Chris Pine, Natalie Morales, Oscar Isaac, Stan Lee, Joaquin Costo, Marvin 'Krondon' Jones III, Lake Bell, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a really good look at the more diverse universe that most of us do not know in the Spider Verse as they call it.  This was Stan Lee's last cameo in a Marvel film and possibly his best one.  This might be the best animated superhero out there and a very fun watch.

Hod Rod (2007):  I follow up with this comedy which was directed by Akiva Schaffer and I'm sorry to disappoint some but it has nothing to do with the wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper or Ronda Rousey for that matter.  Andy Samberg stars as Rod Kimble who believes he is a stuntman like his late father that he has been told is Evel Knievel's back-up.  Rod puts in a lot of effort but is amateur at best and that does not mean he stops.  Ian McShane co-stars as Rod's stepfather whose respect he has been trying to get and needs an operation so Rod plans a stunt to jump over 15 buses in hopes of raising the money needed for the operation.  Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher, Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett, Chester Tam, Mark Acheson, Chris Parnell, Brittany Tiplady, Ken Kirzinger, Britt Irvin, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is one of the few comedies where I laugh from start to finish.  I feel Samberg is someone that doesn't even have to put any effort into being funny.  

Atonement (2007):  Now my first two selections were a lot of fun but now I get a little more serious.  Joe Wright directed this film which is based on the novel by Ian McEwan.  Saoirse Ronan stars as 13 year old aspiring writer Briony who wrongly accuses her older sister Cecelia's, played by Keira Knightley, lover Robbie, played by James McAvoy, of something and sets the course for the lives of many to change through the years.  Brenda Blethyn, Harriet Walker, Juno Temple, Alfie Allen, Patrick Kennedy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Wight, Michelle Duncan, Romola Garai, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Minghella, and many others co-star in this film.  I had to just give a basic plot on this one as it is a very complex film.  It shows the need to put thought into the things you do before unreasonably ruining a life.  This is a very compelling film that deserves a look.

Betty Tells Her Story (1972):  This is my short film for the week.  This is a documentary short which features a woman named Betty.  She tells her story about trying to find "the perfect dress" and looking forward to wearing it only to lose it.  This may sound rather petty and trivial but it was one of the first independent films of the women's movement to explore body image, self-worth, and beauty.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Stagecoach (1939):  This is my western for the week which was directed by John Ford.  This movie centers around a stagecoach trip as the title implies.  It was supposed to be an easy one but things get complicated when they learn Geronimo and his Apaches are on the warpath.  They are helped by the fugitive the Ringo Kid, played by John Wayne, who is being taken to jail but is needed when attacked.  Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Louise Platt, George Bancroft, Donald Meek, Berton Churchill, Tim Holt, Tom Tyler, and many others co-star in this classic western.  This does have a really good group of characters and some good action to go along with it.  This is kind of a transitional film for Wayne who had been doing more B-westerns and this transformed him into the Duke we know today.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Haunted Strangler (1958):  I decided to bring in some horror this week which is directed by Robert Day.  Boris Karloff stars as writer James Rankin who believes the wrong man was hanged for serial murders and starts to investigate.  When picking up the scalpel used for the murders, he becomes possessed in Jekyll and Hyde like transformations and begins committing similar killings.  Jean Kent, Elizabeth Allan, Anthony Dawson, Vera Day, Tim Turner, and many others co-star in this horror film.  This is a pretty decent horror film that has gone overlooked through the years and an underrated performance for Karloff.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Life Ahead (2020):  Edoardo Ponti directed this Italian film based on the book by Romain Gary.  Sophia Loren stars as Holocaust survivor Madame Rosa who runs a daycare business and reluctantly takes in a young boy named Momo, played by Ibrahima Gueye, that robbed her.  Slowly, they form a bond as Rosa tries to get Momo out of his crime ways and Momo is trying to understand some of what appears to be PTSD with things that went on during the Holocaust.  Renato Carpentieri, Massimiliano Rossi, Abril Zamora, Babak Karimi, and many others co-star  in this film.  The director Ponti is the son of Loren and is their third collaboration together.  This is Loren's first role since 2010 and was evidently just waiting for something she could really sink her teeth into and did so very well.  This is a really good look at someone dealing with PTSD and trying to maintain her current life.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

The Deadly Mantis (1957):  This is my sci-fi horror movie for the week which was directed by Nathan Juran.  Craig Stevens stars as Colonel Joe Parkman who investigates his post at the North Pole when he sees his men aren't responding only to find they disappeared.  As the title indicates, a dormant giant mantis is loose and wreaking havoc.  William Hopper co-stars as a paleontologist that tries to help.  Alix Talton, Pat Conway, Florenz Ames, Paul Smith, Phil Harvey, Floyd Simmons, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is a pretty good creature feature in my opinion with pretty good special effects for the time.  This is available to watch on the Fawesome app for free with commercials.

Mark Twain Tonight (1967):  Paul Bogart directed this tv special of Hal Holbrook's live one man show where he portrays the legendary author Mark Twain.  He portrays Holbrook at 70 years of age mostly reflecting on his life, reading passages from his books, and expressing a lot of his viewpoints.  This was something Holbrook would do throughout his career where he would perform what was essentially a stand up comedy act.  Years ago, I got to see him perform this at Emens Auditorium in my town which is in Ball State University.  My friend Lisa and me went to see this and as students, I believe we got out tickets for free.  It was a very good experience with Holbrook doing what was likely his favorite project as he researched everything and wrote his own material. 

The Beaches of Agnes (2008):  I end the week with this documentary which was directed by Agnes Varda and Laura Obiols.  Varda reflects on her memories from childhood to her career in film and photography.  This is done through photographs, film clips, home movies, interviews, and even reenacting times from her life.  I really did not know anything about Agnes Varda but she is clearly a very fascinating person and will likely start looking into some of her movies.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Toni Collette, Malcolm McDowell, Henry Fonda, Jim Carrey, Ingrid Bergman, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 796th Edition

Welcome to the 796th edition of my series.  I just want to start by thanking all the medical workers out there and everyone else trying to help out nation.  I now await for them to announce 35 and above to get the vaccination and I will be looking to get it as soon as I can.  On another note, tickets for ARSENIC AND OLD LACE are on sale at the Commons Theater.  Tickets can be ordered at 765-639-3282 or be reserved at https://www.thecommonstheatre.org/tickets.html .  Prices and times are at the bottom.  That's enough talk, now to this week's selections.

October Sky (1999):  I start the week out with this inspiration true story which was directed by Joe Johnston and based on the book ROCKET BOYS by Homer Hickam Jr., played by Jake Gyllenhaal.  Hickam is a high school kid living in a small mining town where most people when they get out of school end up working at the coal mine, including his father, played by Chris Cooper.  He did not want this and when the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik goes into orbit, he becomes inspired to build his own rocket.  Along with his friends, he puts every effort in through trial and error, much to the dismay of his father who believes they are just wasting their time.  Laura Dern co-stars as the one teacher who understands their vision.  Chris Owen, Natalie Canerday, Chad Lindberg, William Lee Scott, Scott Thomas, Chris Ellis, Elya Baskin, Courtney Cole-Fendley, David Dwyer, Terry Loughlin, Kaili Hollister, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good film about not giving up and sometimes just needing to defy parents for your vision.  The real-life Hickam has lead a rather successful and adventurous life as a Vietnam Veteran, working for NASA and being an author.  Check him out at http://homerhickam.com/

Lawless (2012):  This is my western for the week which was directed by John Hillcoat, based on the book THE WETTEST COUNTY IN THE WORLD by Matt Bondurant, and the screenplay is written by musician Nick Cave who also wrote the music score.  This is another movie based on a true story about a trio of brothers named Jack, Forrest, and Howard Bondurant, played by Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke.  This takes place in the Prohibition era where the brothers must bootleg to make ends meet in their small town.  Things get difficult when the corrupt Special Deputy Charley Rakes, played by Guy Pearce, comes into town demanding a cut from their work.  Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Chris McGarry, Lew Temple, Marcus Hester, Bill Camp, Alex Van, Noah Taylor, and many others co-star in this western.  This is a much darker selection compared to my first one.  The author Matt Bondurant is the grandson of Jack Bondurant, played by LaBeouf.  

Nomadland (2020):  Chloe Zhao directed this film based on the novel by Jessica Bruder.  Frances McDormand stars as Fern who loses everything during the recession when a business closes in a small Nevada town.  She sets out in her van mostly living in it and explores the more unconventional society as a modern-day nomad.  David Strathairn co-stars as a fellow nomad.  Besides them, most of the cast are actual people living the lifestyle in this movie.  The author Bruder is a journalist who lived the Nomad lifestyle to research her book that this is the basis for.  This is mostly driven by the cast and works very well with an unknown cast since most are not actors.  This is available to watch on Hulu.

Falling Hare (1943):  This is my animated short for the week which features Bugs Bunny.  This is one of those WWII propaganda shorts where Bugs is reading a book on war and reads about gremlins that wreak havoc on planes.  He dismisses this until he meets an actual gremlin, also voiced by Mel Blanc who voices Bugs, and gave Bugs more of a run for his money than his other rivals do.  This is one of my favorites from Looney Tunes and this is available to watch on Amazon Prime as part of "Cartoon Classics Volume One".

Safety Last (1923):  This is my silent comedy for the week which was directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor.  Harold Lloyd stars as Harold who leaves his small country town to move to the big city to get a job.  He must make it big in that town and his sweetheart Mildred, played by Mildred Davis, will join him.  Even though he is struggling, he makes it look like he is doing great so she joins him while he continues his front.  Harold finally gets the opportunity to make a lot of money for a building climbing stunt his friend can do but his friend was unable to do it leaving Harold to have to do a huge building climb.  This has one of the most intense scenes in film history with Lloyd climbing the building.  I am starting to notice in silent comedy, at least with Lloyd and Keaton, they are so intent on being with someone they try to go way above and beyond in order to do so.  This is possibly the best silent comedy of all time that is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971):  This is my musical for the week which was directed by Mel Stuart and based on the book by Roald Dahl.  Peter Ostrum stars as poor but very respectful boy Charlie who seeks out one of the golden tickets to a tour for the shut down chocolate factory run by the reclusive Willy Wonka, played by Gene Wilder.  Charlie finally gets his golden ticket and takes the tour along with his Grandpa Joe, played by Jack Albertson.  Roy Kinnear, Julie Dawn Cole, Leonard Cole, Denise Nickerson, Nora Denney, Paris Themmen, Ursula Reit, Michael Bollner, Diana Sowle, and many others co-star in this classic musical.  I watched this with Stephanie whose son is in the school play and is playing Grandpa Joe in his very first play but did not know yet at the time.  He wanted to watch this and we had to remind him a couple times that this is the same version but that the name changed from Charlie to Willy Wonka.  This has some classic numbers and I never tire of this musical.

Cafe de Flore (2011):  This is my French film for the week which was written directed by Jean-Marc Vallee.  This centers around two different stories that even take place in different times but we learn of a connection.  One story has a dj named Antoine, played by Kevin Parent, who has a girlfriend in Rose, played by Evelyne Brochu, but still has a complicated relationship with his ex-wife Carole, played by Helene Florent.  The other story centers around single mother Jacqueline, played by Vanessa Paradis, and her relationship with her son Laurent, played by Marin Gerrier, who has Down Syndrome.  These are two really good stories, especially seeing the difficulty of being a single parent to a child with Down Syndrome.  This does require a lot of attention but was worth a look.

Edge of Doom (1950):  This is part three of my Dana Andrews trilogy.  Mark Robson directed this film based on the novel by Leo Brady.  Farley Granger stars as Martin Lynn whose mother dies and wants a really nice funeral for her leading him to go off the deep end and kill a priest when he is denied this funeral he felt his mother deserved.  Andrews co-stars as Father Thomas Roth who helps investigate the killing leading him to try finding repentance for the killer.  Joan Evans, Robert Keith, Paul Stewart, Mala Powers, Adele Jergens, Harold Vermilyea, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty compelling story with really good performances from the two leads.  It is also hard to really describe this movie much further from what I did.  It is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Straw Dogs (1971):  Sam Peckinpah directed this film that is based on the novel by Gordon Williams.  Dustin Hoffman and Susan George star as married couple David and Amy Sumner who move from the States to rural England town.  They are immediately subject to bullying from the locals.  David tries to take it at first but as it gets worse, he takes quite a stand.  Peter Vaughn, T.P. McKenna, Jim Norton, Ken Hutchison, Peter Arne, Colin Welland, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not an easy movie to watch, especially with the climax.  This is a very suspenseful watch that does well to lead into the climax and showing how much one person can take.

Solo:  A Star Wars Story (2018):  Ron Howard directed this prequel story to Han Solo of the STAR WARS universe.  Alden Ehrenreich stars as the younger Han Solo has an adventure into the criminal underworld where he meets his best friend in wookie Chewbacca, played by Joonas Suotamo, and meets his other friend Lando Calrissian, played by Donald Glover.  In the process, he joins a group of rebels lead by Beckett, played by Woody Harrelson, who becomes a mentor to Han.  Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Erin Kellyman, Linda Hunt, Ian Kenny, John Tui, Warwick Davis, Clint Howard, Anthony Daniels, and many others co-star in this film.  Some die hard fans of STAR WARS did not like this but as a more of a casual fan myself, I thought this was a good backstory on the anti-hero before he joined the rebellion.  Ehrenreich captured the essence of Solo very well and Glover made a good younger Calrissian.  This 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 Lily Tomlin, Sissy Spacek, Keira Knightley, John Wayne, Boris Karloff, Sophia Loren, Hal Holbrook, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 795th Edition

Welcome to the 795th Edition of my series.  I have information now for ARSENIC AND OLD LACE at the bottom of the page that gives dates, times, and prices so I hope to see some of you from the the area come out and see this show.  I don't really have much else to say right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Whiplash (2013):  Last week I featured the short version of this movie from 2013 in my "The Shorter End of the Stick" segment, now I bring the feature.  Damien Chazelle wrote and directed this film.  Miles Teller stars as Andrew whose passion is in drumming and joins a music conservatory.  When enrolling, he learns the instructor Fletcher, played by J.K. Simmons, is operates a lot of fear and intimidation to the point of abuse.  Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell, Chris Mulkey, Damon Gupton, Suanne Spoke, and many others co-star in this film.  Simmons plays his role to perfection and Teller is also very good as Andrew who can also be a bit unlikable at times as his main focus is drumming.  This is a very compelling movie all the way through and I love the climax scene at the end.  

Waking the Dead (2000):  Keith Gordon directed this film which is based on the novel by Scott Spencer.  Billy Crudup stars as aspiring politician Fielding Pierce in the early '70s and meets Sarah, played by Jennifer Connelly who he falls in love with despite their opposite beliefs.  Sarah is very idealistic dedicating her life to helping others and is killed in a car crash.  Nine years later, Fielding in the middle of an election and is convinced he is seeing Sarah which starts to cloud his judgment politically.  Molly Parker, Janet McTeer, Hal Holbrook, Ed Harris, Ivonne Coll, Maxine Guess, Paul Hipp, Lawrence Dane, Larry Marshall, John Carroll Lynch, Sandra Oh, and many others co-star in this film.  This goes back and forth on both time periods and works very well.  Crudup and Connelly work very well together to make this a very dark but at the same time very beautiful story.  If it couldn't get any better, the soundtrack contains MERCY STREET by Peter Gabriel.  This is a very underrated film that I hope gets more exposure.

Fightville (2011):  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker.  This takes a look at a mixed martial arts league and training center in southern Louisiana.  These people are being trained to fight and many hope to become bigger.  I have always been more of a casual MMA guy and will admit I really don't know a lot about it.  I will say though that this is a very compelling documentary to take a look at where it is more about the fighters than the sport.  CLOCKWORK ORANGE fans will love watching one of the fighters whose gimmick kind of surrounds around that movie.  It also shows the owner of the league and the hard work he has to do in order to get tickets out there.

The Dancing Pig (1907):  This is my silent short for the week.  This was about a humongous pig which was really just a man in the outfit.  This is a rather strange short film that was done in France that is apparently based on a Vaudeville act.  This is only about four minutes long and is available to watch on Youtube and is worth a little wft moment in the day.

My Foolish Heart (1949):  This is part two of my possible Dana Andrews trilogy.  Mark Robson directed this this film based on the short story UNCLE WIGGILY IN CONNECTICUT by J.D. Salinger.  Susan Hayward stars as Eloise Winters who as she is hitting rock bottom reflects on her relationship with Walt Dreiser, played by Andrews.  Kent Smith, Lois Wheeler, Jessie Royce Landis, Robert Keith, Gigi Perreau, Karin Booth, and many others co-star in this film.  This does a good use at flashback showing the events leading up to the split.  This is the only work that Salinger allowed to have adapted and apparently was very disappointed in this movie that he never allowed his other books to be adapted, most notably CATCHER IN THE RYE.  I don't know the story at all to be able to judge it that way so it was a pretty good story to me.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Zachariah (1971):  George Englund directed this western film that in unconventional in every sense of the word.  John Rubinstein and a young Don Johnson star as friends Zachariah and Matthew and set out to be gunslingers.  They join up with a gang called the Crackers, played by Country Joe and the Fish, who play a lot of music and like to rob banks but aren't very good at robbing banks.  Zachariah and Matthew start to fall out and form more of a rivalry.  Patricia Quinn, Dick Van Patten, Robert Ball, Elvin Jones, Doug Kershaw, William Challee, the band James Gang, and many others co-star in this rock western.  This has a lot of surrealistic imagery, electric guitars, and much more where I thought wtf a lot but couldn't help but watch.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

I Care a Lot (2020):  J Blakeson wrote and directed this dark comedy.  Rosamund Pike stars as Marla Grayson who is a very crooked legal guardian that drains the savings of elderly wards.  When taking on Jennifer Peterson, played by Dianne Wiest, she finds that she meets her match when learning of some unexpected connections.  Peter Dinklage, Elza Gonzalez, Chris Messina, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Macon Blair, Alicia Witt, Damian Young, Nicholas Logan, Liz Eng, and many others co-star in this film.  Unfortunately, this has met a lot of hate according to imdb on a lot of the user reviews.  I don't really understand why, I just enjoyed this for what it was which was satire and a dark comedy.  Maybe it was more of a guilty pleasure, I don't really know but I was quite enthralled by this movie.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Over the Edge (1979):  Jonathan Kaplan directed this film about a group of rebellious teenagers in the small town of New Granada.  Michael Eric Kramer stars as Carl who has a very difficult relationship with his parents and is part of a gang that turns to petty crime to kill their boredom.  The adults in town don't make things much easier careers and business interests and provoke quite the rebellion.  A young Matt Dillon makes his film debut at 14 years of age as Richie who is essentially the leader of the group.  Pamela Ludwig, Vincent Spano, Harry Northup, Andy Romano, Ellen Geer, Tiger Thompson, and many others co-star in this very dark coming of age film.  Apparently Matt Dillon had no real interest in acting but went to the audition anyway in order to skip school.  I'd say this was the start of quite a career.  This was also the main inspiration for Nirvana's biggest hit song SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT and Kurt Cobain has cited how much he related to this movie.  This left a very uneasy feeling in me but I suppose that was the goal.

La Strada (1954):  This is my Italian film for the week which was directed and co-written by Federico Fellini.  Giuletta Masina stars in this film as Gelsomina who is sold to traveling showman Zampano, played by Anthony Quinn, by her family for 10,000 lire.  Gelsomina endures Zampano's mistreatment as they go on the road to perform for small crowds in hopes they will give money to watch.  They eventually join a circus where Gelsomina meets a tightrope walker referred to as the Fool, played by Richard Basehart, who makes her question her choices.  This is a good look at traveling performers which are in a sense starving artists as we would refer to these days.  Masina and Quinn work very well together as very uneasy traveling partners.  This is available to watch on 

Taken (2008):  I end the week with this adrenaline rush and the perfect showing of Liam Neeson's violent tendencies.  Pierre Moral directed this action film which was co-written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen.  Neeson stars as retired CIA agent Bryan Mills whose daughter Kim, played by Maggie Grace, is kidnapped in her visit to Paris by an Albanian gang of human traffickers.  There is not much to say except they took the wrong girl when Bryan goes to Paris and sets out to find his daughter showing no mercy to those involved.  Leland Orser, Jon Gries, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, David Warshofsky, Holly Valance, Katie Cassidy, Olivier Rabourdin, and many others co-star in this action film.  Neeson is the one actor that I will just make absolute sure I don't make angry and this was the movie that really cemented this image even though he had done action movies before this one.  This is the perfect movie for a guys' night.  One interesting fact I found is that the theatrical version is PG-13 and the dvd has another version that skips rated R and goes right to unrated.

Well, that is it for this week but I am bringing back my "fun and useless facts" segment for the week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which includes Laura Dern, Jessica Chastain, Frances McDormand, Harold Lloyd, Gene Wilder, Dana Andrews, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) and Jennifer Connelly (Waking the Dead) are in the 2019 superhero film SPIDER-MAN:  HOMECOMING.

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) and Jon Gries (Taken) were in the 2006 film THE ASTRONAUT FARMER.

Melissa Benoist (Whiplash) and Katie Cassidy (Taken) are superheroines in the CWDC universe playing Supergirl and the Black Canary with Benoist being mainly on SUPERGIRL and Cassidy being mainly on ARROW.

Chris Mulkey (Whiplash) and Ed Harris (Waking the Dead) are in the 2003 movie RADIO.

Chris Mulkey (Whiplash) and David Warshofsky (Taken) were in the 2013 film CAPTAIN PHILLIPS.

Miles Teller (Whiplash) and Jennifer Connelly (Waking the Dead) are in the upcoming 2021 sequel TOP GUN:  MAVERICK.

Miles Teller (Whiplash) and Janet McTeer (Waking the Dead) are in the 2015 sci-fi movie THE DIVERGENT SERIES:  INSURGENT.

Miles Teller (Whiplash), Sandra Oh (Waking the Dead), and Dianne Wiest (I Care a Lot) were in the 2010 film RABBIT HOLE.

Ed Harris (Waking the Dead) and Xander Berkeley (Taken) were in the 1995 film APOLLO 13.

Billy Crudup (Waking the Dead) and David Warshofsky (Taken) were in the 2009 film PUBLIC ENEMIES.

Jennifer Connelly (Waking the Dead) and Don Johnson (Zachariah) were in the 1990 film THE HOT SPOT.

Jennifer Connelly (Waking the Dead) and Elza Gonzalez (I Care a Lot) were in the 2019 film ALITA:  BATTLE ANGEL.

Hal Holbrook (Waking the Dead) and David Warshofsky (Taken) were in the 2012 film LINCOLN.

John Carroll Lynch (Waking the Dead) and Liam Neeson (Taken) were in the 2015 comedy sequel TED 2.

John Carroll Lynch (Waking the Dead) and Matt Dillon (Edge of Glory) were in the 1996 film BEAUTIFUL GIRLS.

John Carroll Lynch (Waking the Dead) and Damian Young (I Care a Lot) were in the 2020 film THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7.

Sandra Oh (Waking the Dead) and Damian Young (I Care a Lot) were in the 2016 movie CATFIGHT.

Don Johnson (Zachariah) was in an episode of MIAMI VICE with Liam Neeson (Taken)

Rosamund Pike (I Care a Lot) was in the 2002 Bond movie DIE ANOTHER DAY.  Famke Janssen was in the 1995 Bond movie GOLDENEYE.  Both were Bond girls in the Brosnan era.

Rosamund Pike (I Care a Lot) and Liam Neeson (Taken) were in the 2012 movie WRATH OF THE TITANS.

Peter Dinklage (I Care a Lot) and Famke Janssen (Taken) were in the 2014 superhero film X-MEN:  DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.

Chris Messina (I Care a Lot) and Famke Janssen (Taken) were in the 1998 film ROUNDERS where Messina makes his film debut.

Isiah Whitlock Jr. (I Care a Lot) and Leland Orser (Taken) were in the 2019 movie CORPORATE ANIMALS.

Andy Romano (Over the Edge) and Anthony Quinn (La Strada) were in the 1991 movie MOBSTERS.

Anthony Quinn (La Strada) plays Zeus in the tv series HERCULES:  THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS.  Liam Neeson plays Zeus in the 2010 movie CLASH OF THE TITANS and the 2012 sequel WRATH OF THE TITANS.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 794th Edition

Welcome to the 794th Edition of my series.  Through all the uproar of potato heads and Dr. Seuss, I'm still here to bring you my weekly selections.  I don't have much else to say right now so I'll just get right down to it.

The Loudest Voice (2019):  I start the week out with this Showtime mini-series.  Russell Crowe stars as Fox News founder Roger Ailes who rose to fame with his conservative network.  He was also known to mistreat many people in his life and when his reporter Gretchen Carlson, played by Naomi Watts, tires of his sexual harassment, she begins to record his conversations having many others come forward.  Sienna Miller co-stars as Roger's loyal wife Beth.  Seth MacFarlane, Annabelle Wallis, Simon McBurney, Aleksa Palladino, Josh Stamberg, Rod McLachlan, Mackenzie Astin, Susan Pourfar, Lucy Owen, Jenna Leigh Green, John Harrington Bland, Barry Watson, Patch Darragh, David Whalen, Josh Charles, Dennis Staroselsky, Emory Cohen, Jessica Hecht, Timothy Busfield, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  This has seven episodes that are about an hour long.  Crowe was great as Ailes.  In 2019, there was also a movie BOMBSHELL which was also about Ailes.  That movie was okay but focused most on the sexual harassment element but this mini-series goes a lot deeper showing his mistreatment of his employees in general.  This was a very compelling show and quite disturbing at times.

Jersey Boys (2014):  I follow up with another biopic.  Clint Eastwood directed this film which was written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice that is based on the Broadway musical of the same name.  This is the story of the legendary band the Four Seasons consisting of Frankie Valli, played by John Lloyd Young, Tommy DeVito, played by Vincent Piazza, Bob Gaudio, played by Erich Bergen, and Nick Massi, played by Michael Lomenda.  Steve Schirripa, Christopher Walken, Lou Volpe, Johnny Cannizzaro, Michael Patrick McGill, Lacey Hannan, Mike Doyle, Sean Whalen, and many others co-star in this music biopic.  I saw this years ago in Chicago when it was on stage.  Young reprises his role from Broadway and does great as Valli.  I was never a huge fan of the band but it is a very compelling story.  

The Toe Tactic (2008):  Emily Hubley wrote and directed this surrealistic film that combines live action with animation.  Lily Rabe stars as Mona Peek who is dealing with the grief and depression of her father's death.  She is watched over by animated beings that are trying to help her get it back together.  Mary Kay Place co-stars as Mona's mom who is very worried about her daughter.  H. Jon Benjamin, Kevin Corrigan, David Cross, Xander Berkeley, Richard Cox, Ann Dowd, Jon Glaser, Sakina Jaffrey, Daniel London, Jane Lynch, Sean Mana, Andrea Martin, Eugene Mirman, Novella Nelson, John Sayles, Marian Seldes, Eli Wallach, and many others co-star in this film.  It is hard to really describe this from what I already have except it is about a woman searching her soul I suppose.  This is an experimental film that works really well and deserves more exposure.

Lucas, the Ear of Corn (1977):  This is my animated short for the week which was directed by Bill Plympton in his debut.  Lucas is just what is described in the title, a stalk of corn that lives on the stalk of corn with his mother.  He has all kinds of life questions that unfortunately get addressed by a farmer as Lucas gets sold.  I guess this might make some feel guilty after eating corn on the cob.  Plympton had a little more planned for this short but never finished.  Either way, this is a very interesting piece of animation which was the start of the unusual cartoonist.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime which is part of the "Plymptoons" collection.

College (1927):  This is my silent comedy for the week which was directed by James W. Horne.  Silent comedy legend Buster Keaton stars as a college student whose girlfriend, played by Anne Cornwall, breaks up with him for focusing more on the books and not athletics.  He wants her enough to try his luck in sports in hopes of impressing his girlfriend but finds he does not fare very well in comical ways.  This comes fresh off the success of Keaton's 1926 comedy THE GENERAL which has a similar premise on winning over a girl.  Silent enthusiasts could do a double feature of this and Harold Lloyd's 1925 film THE FRESHMAN.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Elevator to the Gallows (1958):  This is my French film for the week which was directed by Louis Malle and based on the novel by Noel Calef.  Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet stars as Florence and Julien who are lovers and decide to murder Florence's husband and Julien's boss Simon, played by Jean Wall, and make it look like a suicide.  Things happen which force them to cover their tracks and leads to other unforeseen tragedy.  Georges Poujouly, Yori Bertin, Elga Andersen, and many others co-star in this French film.  This is very well done film with a lot of style and suspense.  This is a must for fans of French films from this era.  Also Miles Davis fans will love his soundtrack to this film.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

A Serious Man (2009):  Now I bring a dark comedy which was written and directed by the Coen Brothers.  Michael Stuhlbarg stars as physics professor Michael Stuhlbarg who has all kinds of things going on in his life including his wife Judy, played by Sari Lennick, wanting a divorce and leaving him for his friend Sy, played by Fred Melamed.  Richard Kind co-stars as Michael's lazy brother Arthur who lends to his brother's  many struggles.  Aaron Wolff, Peter Breitmayer, Ari Hoptman, Amy Landecker, George Wyner, Steve Park, Fyvush Finkel, Simon Helberg, Adam Arkin, Michael Lerner, and many others co-star in this film.  This is more of a character study than anything and has that classic Coen Brother comedy feel to it.  This is also a really good look at the '60s.  This has a relatively unknown cast which still really works.

The Driver's Seat (1974):  This is part three of my Elizabeth Taylor trilogy.  Giuseppe Patroni Griffi directed this film which is based on the novel by Muriel Spark.  Taylor stars as mentally disturbed spinster Lise who encounters a lot of interesting characters when she goes to Rome in her journey to be murdered but everyone seems to want to seduce her instead.  Ian Bannen, Mona Washbourne, Guido Mannari, Maxence Malifort, Andy Warhol, and many others co-star in this film.  Yes, this is as weird as I just described and yes Andy Warhol has a cameo in this movie.  This is an interesting psychological drama that is worth a look, especially to see some obscure Elizabeth Taylor.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946):  William Wyler directed this film that is based on the novel by MacKinlay Kantor.  This movie centers around three small-town WWII veterans that are played by Fredric March, Dana Andrews, and Harold Russell.  March stars as Al Stephenson who has returns to a family that he really has to get to know again including his grown kids that did not he has not seen grow up being overseas so long.  Andrews stars as Fred Derry who returns home to a loveless marriage with his wife Marie, played by Virginia Mayo, and starts falling in love with Al's daughter Peggy, played by Teresa Wright.  Russell stars as Homer Parrish who lost his hands and must use hooks.  He is dealing with depression and not wanting pity or help for his situation.  Myrna Loy, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, Gladys George, Roman Bohnen, Ray Collins, Minna Gombell, Walter Baldwin, and many others co-star in this film.  Russell was more like his character, having actually losing his hands and using hooks, and was not an actor though producer Samuel Goodwin sent him to acting school much to the dismay of Wyler who wanted his natural acting ability.  This has always been a favorite of mine from this era.  This is possibly the first movie, at least first mainstream one, to take a look at the after effects of war and trying to deal with real-life again when getting out.  This is a great ensemble piece and really deserves a look.

Life, Animated (2016):  I end the week with this documentary which was directed by Roger Ross Williams.  This centers around a man named Owen Suskind who has autism.  This goes into him trying to move independently and through his childhood where he did not speak for a long time.  His parents found that he loves watching animated Disney movies and figured out that those movies channel his communication and the way he relates to the world.  This shows interviews mostly with Owen, his parents, and his older brother reflecting on these times.  There is an appearance from actors Jonathan Freeman and Gilbert Gottfried where they attended Owen's Disney night at the library.  This is a very touching story showing all the ups and downs with Owen.  This is available to watch on Hulu.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my new segment "The Shorter End of the Stick" and the return of "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Jennifer Connelly, and many others.

THE SHORTER END OF THE STICK

This is a segment I'm debuting which takes a look at the short films out there.  I think I will start doing this more in the future so I hope you enjoy this debut segment.

The Wiseman (1991):  I decided to add another selection from Independent animation artist Bill Plympton who directed this animation short.  Chris Hoffman voices the incoherent rant of an old man and the surreal things going on in his head.  This was a pretty fascinating five minutes.  Plympton has done a lot of short films and also feature animation.  This and other shorts are shorts of his are available to watch on "Plymptoons" which features quite a few of his works.  If you enjoy this and my other short selection this week, you might consider going on the website kickstartslide.com to help get his feature film SLIDE off the ground.

Bim Bam Boom, las Luchas Morenas (2014):  This is my documentary short film which is directed by Marie Losier.  This takes a look at three female Mexican wrestlers in Rossy, Esther, and Cynthia who are all sisters and part of the Dynasty Moreno.  This takes a look at their careers and goes some into their personal lives.  This was a good look at the luchadore world.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Collection.

Words Like Knives (2013):  Travis Legge directed this psychological horror short which was written by my long-time social media friend Kelsey Zukowski.  Zukowski stars as Emma Price who has everything from a loving family, caring boyfriend, and loyal best friend.  Things change when a rumor gets started about her and Emma has a hard time distinguishing fantasy from reality.  Michael Wexler, Michael Dilacova, Melissa Revels, Myke Wilson, Valerie Meachum, and many others co-star in this short film.  This has some pretty deep subject matter and is pretty disturbing.  This is available to watch on http://kelseyzukowski.com/ and some of her other works that go into film, modeling, and movie reviews.  

Whiplash (2013):  Damien Chazelle wrote and and directed this short film which would be made into a great feature the next year.  J.K. Simmons stars as the bullying music instructor Fletcher and goes to very extreme measures in "teaching" a drummer in Andrew Neiman, played by Johnny Simmons.  Chazelle originally wanted this to be a feature but did not get the necessary funding so he did this and submitted it to the Sundance Film Festival where he would soon get what he needed to make the feature.  Simmons would go onto reprise his role in the feature while Miles Teller would go onto play Andrew.  This is available to watch on the Blu-Ray of the feature.

Spider-Ham:  Caught in a Ham (2019):  After the exposure of SPIDER-MAN:  INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, Miguel Jiron wrote and directed this animated short on Peter Porker aka Spider-Ham, voiced by John Mulaney.  Spider-Ham must go against the evil Doctor Crawdaddy, voiced by Aaron LaPlante.  This is a fun little Looney Tunes inspired animated short that is only about four minutes but they get quite a bit packed into that four minutes.  

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

Hamilton (2020):  I'm sure just about anyone can guess whose idea this was between myself and Stephanie to watch this popular musical which was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and based on the book by Ron Chernow.  After much delay, Stephanie and me finally got to watching this live musical.  Miranda also stars as our founding father Alexander Hamilton who would become the secretary of treasury and focuses on his friendship, later rivalry, with Aaron Burr, played by Leslie Odom Jr., and his marriage to Eliza Hamilton, played by Phillipa Soo.  This is about his life in general though.  Daveed Diggs, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Okieriete Onaodowan, Chris Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Sydney James Harcourt, Jon Rua, Ephraim Sykes, and many others co-star in this live musical.  This has really taken the world by storm with this historical musical that uses diversity in its casting and uses rap and hip-hop to convey the history.  I knew it was time for Steph to watch this and she expressed really liking the music to this show.  Days before, I discussed this with her and played the opening number to see if she was interested enough.  There's a million things we haven't done but we have seem HAMILTON, at least on the tv screen in her room.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.