Welcome to the 803rd edition of my series. I hope everyone is having a happy mother's day however celebrated and Happy Mother's Day to all the mother figures out there. I don't really have much else to say right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.
The Night of (2016): I start the week out with this mini-series which was directed by Steven Zaillian and James Marsh. Riz Ahmed stars as college student Nasir Khan who is mostly straight-laced but decides to attend a party. He steals his father's taxi to go there but ends up going home with a mysterious woman, played by Sofia Black-D'Elia, who ends up dead and murdered making him the number one suspect. John Turturro co-stars as troubled attorney John Stone who decides to take his case. Bill Camp co-stars as Detective Dennis Box who tries to keep an open mind however stacked the evidence is against Nasir. Payman Maadi, Poorna Jagannathan, Jeanne Berlin, Michael Kenneth Williams, Paul Sparks, Paulo Costanzo, Mustafa Shakir, Glenne Headly, Michael Buscemi, Nicholas Turturro, Ray Abruzzo, Max Casella, Aida Turturro, Kevin Dunn, Anthony Mangano, and many others co-star in this mini-series. This mostly focuses on Nasir trying to survive prison and John Stone trying to get through his struggles both personally and professionally. I was really immersed into this mini-series and was left wanting more each time. This consists of eight episodes mostly around an hour long. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
The Rider (2017): Chloe Zhao wrote and directed this rather unconventional western. Brady Jandreau stars as a rodeo rider Brady Blackburn who suffers a bad head injury and is told not to ride anymore leaving him to wonder what he will do which is possibly ride again. Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Cat Clifford, Lane Scott, Terry Dawn Pourier, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very character driven film where Jandreau mostly plays himself who suffered a similar fate to his character. Zhao is on the rise right now with her recent hit NOMADLAND where she has won some best director awards. I found that she is able to do a movie without really having any big name actors but just by writing a relatable story and usually seems to keep it authentic by casting local people. I guess she earned enough money to get Frances McDormand and David Strathairn in on her latest project but even that had mostly locals. This is available to watch on Pluto tv.
Weekend (2011): Andrew Haigh wrote and directed this romantic film. Tom Cullen and Chris New star as Russell and Glen who meet at a gay club which was supposed to be a one night stand but becomes more. That weekend, they get to know each other more while learning their struggles. Jermaine Liburd, Jonathan Race, Laura Freeman, Loreto Murray, and many others co-star in this film. This is another selection that really deals with the characters and dialogue which keeps the movie going. The two leads work very well and is worth a look.
Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century (1953): This is my animated short for the week. This features Daffy Duck as Duck Dodgers with his Eager Young Space Cadet Porky who wage war with Marvin the Martian over Planet X. This has gone onto become one of the most popular Looney Tunes shorts of all time. George Lucas liked it enough that he requested it get shown preceding his very popular STAR WARS movie. This is available on HBO Max as part of "Looney Tunes".
Fail-Safe (1964): Sidney Lumet directed this film based on the novel by Eugene Burdick about the potential of nuclear war. Henry Fonda stars as the President who must work fast after a series of human and computer errors send a squadron of American bombers to nuke Moscow. Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Frank Overton, Edward Binns, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, William Hensen, Russell Hardie, Russell Collins, Sorrell Booke, Nancy Berg, John Connell, Dom Deluise, Edward Binns, Dana Elcar, Fritz Weaver, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very disturbing film that gets the job done through mostly the dialogue that really conveys the potential intense disaster. This came out the same year as DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB which was a comedic take of a similar situation.
La Chienne (1931): This is my French film for the week which was directed by Jean Renoir and based on the novel by Georges de La Fouchardiere. Michel Simon stars as Maurice Legrand who is in an unhappy marriage with his wife Adele, played by Adele Legrand. He soon meets Lulu, Janie Marese who he makes his mistress and believes he has met the love of his life. He learns he is very wrong when finding out she is a streetwalker, a much better term than the one we know, and in love with her pimp Dede, played by Georges Flamant. This was remade in America as SCARLET STREET which is a very good movie in itself. This has one of the best opening sequences of all time which have a couple of puppets trying to discuss what kind of movie this is. A good double feature could be this movie and its mentioned American remake. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Another Round (2020): This is my Danish film for the week which was directed and co-written by Thomas Vinterberg. Mads Mikkelsen stars as burned out high school teacher Martin. Some colleagues learn of some studies that a higher alcohol intake can make one more creative and relaxed. Along with his colleagues Tommy, played by Thomas Bo Larsen, Nicolaj, played by Magnus Millang, and Peter, played by Lars Ranthe, they set out in an unusual experiment to see how things go at their school. Things go well at first but starts to get out of hand. Maria Bonnevie, Susse Wold, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Martin Greis-Rosenthal, and many others co-star in this film. This is an interesting look at the drinking of alcohol and have heard that really captures the drinking culture in Denmark. This is available to watch on Hulu.
Arsenic and Old Lace (1962): Having been in this play, I wanted to take a look at whatever versions I can so I decided to take a look at this version of the Joseph Kesselring play. Tony Randall stars as Mortimer Brewster who is visiting his aunts Abby and Martha, played by Dorothy Stickney and Mildred Natwick, and learns they are killing men by putting poison in elderberry wine under the belief they are doing a service due to these men being very lonely. Mortimer must decide what to do as he does not want to turn in his own aunts and things get more complicated when being visited by his murderous brother Jonathan, played by Boris Karloff, and his henchmen Dr. Einstein, played by George Voskovec. Tom Bosley takes the role of the other brother Teddy Brewster who is convinced he is Teddy Roosevelt in which the aunts take full advantage of to get the bodies hidden. Dort Clark, Nathaniel Frey, and Ralph Dunn co-star as some of the cops. This was a rather condensed version and the transfer was not always good but it was worth a watch, especially to see Karloff play the role he originated on stage as Jonathan who is upset that he was given a face to make him look like Karloff. This is available on Youtube.
Keeper of the Flame (1942): George Cukor directed this film based on the novel by I.A.R. Wylie. Spencer Tracy stars as reporter Steven O'Malley who is looking to do a piece on the recent death of a heroic figure in Robert Forrest. For him, the documents and records were not enough, he wanted to meet Forrest's wife Christine, played by Katherine Helpburn. Through his meeting of Christine and other investigation he has been doing, he learns that Forrest's heroism has possibly been very exaggerated and must decide on what to write, if anything. Richard Whorf, Margaret Wycherly, Forrest Tucker, Frank Craven, Stephen McNally, Percy Kilbride, Audrey Christie, Darryl Hickman, Donald Meek, Howard Da Silva, William Newell, and many others co-star in this film. Tracy and Hepburn were known to do a lot of movies together which have been mostly comedy at least for the most part. This is the second of their nine pairings and would venture to say this is their most serious one. I enjoyed seeing a more dark film from them that has quite the climax. This is available to watch on HBO Max which had been reluctant to get at first but have no regrets now.
The Railway Man (2013): I end the week with this very emotional true story which was directed by Jonathan Teplitzky and based on the book by Eric Lomax. Colin Firth stars as the real-life Eric Lomax, played by Jeremy Irvine in his younger days, who was imprisoned in a Japanese labor camp in WWII and was subject to brutal torture. Years later, he is married and in love with Patti, played by Nicole Kidman, who is trying to rid Eric of his demons which mostly come in his sleep. When learning that his main tormentor Nagase, played by Hiroyuki Sanada in the modern scenes and Tanroh Ishida in the flashbacks, is still alive, Eric sets out to confront the man. Stellan Skarsgard, Bryan Probets, Tom Stokes, Tom Hobbs, Sam Reid, Akos Armont, and many others co-star in this film. This is not very easy to watch at times but it is a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption. I really had no idea what kind of effect this would have on me but was very rewarding to me.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Tom Cruise, Charlize Theron, Mila Kunis, Buster Keaton, Vera Miles, and many others.
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