Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 810th Edition

Welcome to the 810th Edition of my series.  Tomorrow I start a whole new chapter in my life.  I am starting my new job at Innovista Health Solutions as a claims examiner which is similar what I did before when I was with Concentrix and lost my job against my will.  I'm nervous but exited to get back into this line of work and hope to make this work.  I also want to remind everyone of Christmas in July at the Marion Civic Theater where I am in MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET:  THE MUSICAL.  To those all year round Christmas lovers, this is the perfect event.  To those that only want to hear about Christmas in December, please understand we tried last December but I don't think any explanation is needed.  I am exited for this time around that I get to be the store psychiatrist Sawyer and get to return to my villainous roots.  I've gone on long enough, let's get to the selections for the week.

In the Heights (2021):  I start the week out with this contemporary musical which was directed by Jon M. Chu, based on a book by Quiara Alegria Hudes, and based on the stage play by Lin-Manuel Meranda who also co-stars.  Anthony Ramos stars as Usnavi who is a bodega owner living in the neighborhood in Washington Heights and never loses hopes of going to his native land of the Dominican Republic.  Leslie Grace co-stars as Nina who is returning from the neighborhood after a year of college not really knowing what she wants despite what her parents want.  Meranda, Corey Hawkins, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Jimmy Smitz, Gregory Diaz IV, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, Noah Catala, Mateo Gomez, Marc Anthony, Olivia Perez, Analia Gomez, Dean Scott Vazquez, Mason Vazquez, and many others co-star in this musical.  Many will know that Meranda wrote the huge Broadway hit HAMILTON.  This was what he wrote before and in my understanding to get the funding needed for HAMILTON.  This was just an amazing and feel-good musical about making the most of what you have and the importance of the neighborhood.  Like HAMILTON, this is set to a lot of hip hop and has a lot of fun numbers.  I went to see this at a local drive-in a half hour from where I live.  This is available to watch on HBO Max

A Man Called Ove (2015):  Hannes Holm directed this Swedish film based on the book by Fredrik Backman.  Rolf Lassgard stars as Ove, who is very grumpy and tries to enforce the block association rules.  He spends the rest of his time visiting his late wife's grave.  Bahar Pars co-stars as Parvaneh who moves into the neighborhood with her family and sees through Ove's rough and grumpy exterior forming an unlikely friendship.  Filip Berg, Ida Engvoll, Borje Lundberg, Johan Widerberg, and many others co-star in this Swedish film.  Berg plays the younger Ove in flashback scenes and is a great young to old casting.  As we get to know Ove, it is easy to understand the source of his rough personality and then get behind him more.  I was surprised about moving this movie was to me.  This is available to watch on Tubi.

Persepolis (2007):  Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi directed this animated film based on a comic by Satrapi and based on her.  Chiara Mastroianni stars as the outspoken Marji in '70s Iran who sees what a tyrannical place it has become through Islamic fundamentalists.  Her parents send Marji to Vienna in hopes of building a better life for herself but still finds it difficult to adjust.  Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian, and many others co-star in this film.  This uses silhouette animation to tell the autobiographical story and does a very good job.  This looks at some very serious situations but still has some humor to go along with it.  This is really worth a look.

A Doonesbury Special (1977):  Technically, this is a tv special but since I make the rules, it is my animated short for the week.  Faith Hubley, John Hubley, and Garry Trudeau directed this tv special based on Trudeau's classic comic strip.  Much of the classic characters like Mike Doonesbury, voiced by David Grant, Zonker Harris, voiced by Richard Cox, Joanie Caucus, voiced by Barbara Harris, Mark Slackmeyer, voiced by Charles Levin, among others.  This has the characters reflecting on their lives now compared to what life was like in their idealistic college days in the '60s.  I read this some as a kid but it's been a little while.  I guess it is best to get to know the characters through the comic strip first before reading to understand them more.  This was created during '60s-'70s counter culture and accommodates to the times when written like characters getting older, the kids growing up and just things going on at the time.  Some of this is political satire and many other things.  This can be found on Youtube.

I Know Where I'm Going (1945):  Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger wrote and directed this British romance film.  Wendy Hiller stars as Joan Webster who is a stubborn English woman moving to Scotland to find love just knowing where she is going.  She is trapped on the Island of Mull due to the weather where she meets soldier Torquil MacNeil, played by Roger Livesey.  While there, Joan is still determined to go through with her plans no matter the weather while she slowly falls in love with Torquil.  George Carney, Walter Hudd, Finlay Currie, Margot Fitzsimmons, C.W.R. Knight, Pamela Brown, and many others co-star in this film. This is a well-done love story and Hiller brings the bound and determined Joan to life very well.  There are also a lot of beautiful locales to look upon in this already good movie.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Circus (1928): This is my silent film for the week which was written, directed, and just about every other thing you can think of in movie jobs by Charles Chaplin.  Chaplin reprises his role of the Tramp who is still trying to make it in life and is on the run after the police think he is pickpocket.  While on the run, he stumbles onto a circus where he becomes an accidental sensation among the audience.  When the circus hires him, they realize his comedic talents come by accident so they put him in situations where he will get laughs.  While there, he meets lovely trapeze artist Merna, played by Merna Kennedy, who is the stepdaughter of the abusive head of the circus.  Al Ernest Garcia, George Davis, Tiny Sandford, and many others co-star in this silent film.  While talkies had gotten on the rise, Chaplin decided to stick to his silent roots while also being a very difficult time in his life going through a divorce and his mother dying during filming.  This is one of Chaplin's more underrated films and deserves a watch. This is available to watch on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.

American Beauty (1999):  Sam Mendes directs this film on the dark suburban life.  Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, and Thora Birch star as the Burnham family Lester, Carolyn, and their daughter Jane.  They are not the happiest family in the world and mostly just hate one another.  Lester starts to develop feelings for Jane's friend Angela, played by Mena Suvari, and everything just spins out of control from there.  Wes Bentley, Peter Gallagher, Allison Janney, Chris Cooper, Scott Bakula, Sam Robards, Barry Del Sherman, Ara Celi, John Cho, and many others co-star in this film.  I will let you all know that this is not a family movie so probably not one to watch with the kids.  It is still a very compelling film to watch seeing such a dysfunctional suburban family.  This has also been parodied many times with the scenes where Lester is imagining Angela among a bunch of roses.  This would also be part of the inspiration for the hit TV series DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

Charade (1963):  Stanley Donen directed this mystery thriller. Audrey Hepburn stars as Regina Lampert who learns of her husband's murder but also learns she really knew nothing about him.  She soon must deal with various men that include the likes of Cary Grant, James Coburn, George Kennedy, and Walter Matthau who none are who they appear.  Ned Glass, Jacques Marin, Paul Bonifas, and many others co-star in this film.  This has been referred to by many as the best Alfred Hitchcock movie that he didn't direct.  This has some comedy, romance and some good suspense.  Grant and Hepburn made a great screen couple but would be their only one.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

It Should Happen to You (1954):  George Cukor directed this romantic comedy.  Judy Holliday stars as Gladys Glover who moves to Central Park looking to make a name for herself.  She uses the money she has to buy a billboard to put her name on it and after it extends to others, her life changes overnight.  Jack Lemmon in his film debut co-stars as Pete Sheppard who is a documentary filmmaker and takes an immediate liking to Gladys but does not like this newfound fame feeling she is being exploited.  Peter Lawford co-stars as advertising executive Evan Adams III who is trying to cash in on her fame.  Michael O'Shea, Vaughn Taylor, Connie Gilchrist, Whit Bissell, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This does deliver a lot of laughs.  This is the start of a great career for Lemmon showing his great comedic timing that went along well with Judy Holliday who is a very underrated comedic actress by today's standards.  This could be a good double feature to go along with A FACE IN THE CROWD.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Good the Bad the Weird (2008):  I end the week with this Korean film which was directed by Jee-Woon Kim.  Jung Woo-Sung, Kang-Ho Song, and Lee Byung-Hun star as three Korean gunslingers who rival one another for a treasure map but must also team up against some Chinese bandits and the Japanese army.  This is a western parody most notably to the obvious THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY but this has its own direction.  This has some great action scenes with a high body while also having a lot of comedy.  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.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 809th Edition

Welcome to the 809th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone is having a good Father's Day however celebrated.  Just a reminder, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET happens on July 22-24 at the Marion Civic Theater.  I'm exciting to be playing the villainous role of Sawyer.  This is also my last week at Navient before starting my new job next week.  Okay, I've said enough so I will get on with my selections for the week.

Allied (2016):  I start the week out with this WWII film which was directed by Robert Zemeckis.  Brad Pitt stars as Canadian intelligence officer Max Vatan who meets French resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour, played by Marion Cotillard.  They meet and fall in love in Casablanca but complications happen when Max learns that Marianne might be a German spy and does what he can to prove her innocence.  Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan, Sally Messham, Camille Cotton, August Diehl, Daniel Betts, Anton Blake Horowitz, Charlotte Hope, Celeste Dodwell, Simon McBurney, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty decent love story to go around the WWII backdrop.  Pitt and Cotillard work very well together.  This could be a good double feature to go along with this classic film CASABLANCA.

Talk Radio (1988):  Oliver Stone directed this film based on the play by Eric Bogosian and based on the novel TALKED TO DEATH:  THE LIFE AND MURDER OF ALAN BERG by Stephen Singular.  Bogosian also stars as controversial radio host Barry Champlain whose world is turned upside-down when learning his local Dallas show is getting picked up by the nationwide circuit.  He already has troubles in his love life but is also concerned about his show getting censored being on a more national basis.  Ellen Greene, Alec Baldwin, Leslie Hope, John C. McGinley, John Pankow, Michael Wincott, Robert Trebor, Zach Grenier, Tony Frank, Allen Corduner, Peter Zapp, Carl Kissin, Park Overall, Earl Hindman, and many others co-star or provide their voices.  I had the pleasure of being in this play years ago at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater and has always been one of my favorite shows that I was in.  This movie expands from the play script which only takes place in the radio station and goes outside of it.  Bogosian is great as Barry and is a good look at controversial radio star.  

Superstar (1999):  Last week I featured the SNL movie WAYNE'S WORLD, now I bring another one this week which was directed by Bruce McCulloch.  Molly Shannon brings her most famous SNL Mary Katherine Gallagher to the big screen.  She is very socially awkward in high school but still dreams of superstardom and dreams of being with high school jock Sky, played by Will Ferrell.  She decides to enter the talent show with her main competition being the popular Evian, played by Elaine Hendrix.  Harland Williams, Mark McKinney, Glynis Jones, Jason Blicker, Gerry Bamman, Emmy Laybourne, Jennifer Irwin, Natalie Radford, Karyn Dwyer, Tom Green, Chuck Campbell, Donna Hanover, Dan Redican, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is not as good as last week's SNL feature but this still delivers some laughs.  This was a character that Shannon created and played to perfection.  I just wish Chris Farley was still alive to have made a movie on Matt Foley.

The Tender Game (1958):  This is my animated short for the week which was Directed by John Hubley and co-wrote with Faith Hubley.  This is animation of a love story set to music by Ella Fitzgerald and the Oscar Peterson Trio.  This has some very fascinating drawings with an effective animation technique that works very well with the drawings.  This guy had quite a career in independent animation and this is available on the Criterion Channel.

Modern Times (1936):  Charles Chaplin wrote and directed this this silent comedy, well mostly.  As talkies were the thing, Chaplin still liked being silent though this is his last silent film.  I will say though, there is a lot of sound effects, they have the factory boss talking through an intercom, and there is an interesting music number from Chaplin.  Charlie reprises his role of the Tramp as he struggles to adjust to the industrial age of society.  Paulette Goddard co-stars as a homeless woman who has had some tough cards dealt as well as they fall in love with one another.  Tiny Sandford, Chester Conklin, Hank Mann, Al Ernest Garcia, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I guess this is the closest that Chaplin ever came to sci-fi.  I am referring mostly to the beginning in the factory and some of those machines within it.  This is both funny and even sad at times but is also about moving forward in a sense.  It is also a good story of love and the obstacles overcome.  This is the first time the Tramp ever speaks as he does his music number.  This is available to watch on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.

Rocky (1976):  John G. Avildsen directed this film that was written by Sylvester Stallone.  As we all know, Stallone stars as local Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa.  Carl Weathers co-stars as Apollo Creed, a boxing champion whose opponent had to pull out and thought he could get really good publicity by giving a local and unknown boxer a title shot.  He chooses Rocky on account of his nickname "Italian Stallion" and expecting to knock him out quick, he gets far more than he bargained.  Talia Shire co-stars as Adrian who would be his wife through the franchise as she's very socially awkward having Rocky bring her out of her shell.  Burgess Meredith, Burt Young, Thayer David, Joe Spinell, Jimmy Gambina, Jodi Letizia, Stan Shaw, Lloyd Kaufman, Frank Stallone, Tony Burton, and many others co-star in this film.  Most who know me know that this really is one of my favorites and has been a great franchise in my opinion even when spinning off to CREED.  This was an absolute make or break project for Stallone to get this off the ground.  The producers wanted his script but not him starring in it as he had not quite made a name for himself yet.  He finally talked the producers out of the big name actors and for him to star for lesser money being able to introduce us to Rocky Balboa.  When I went to visit my friend Ashley years ago in Philadelphia, this was really the only tourist site I was determined to see.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Frozen II (2019):  Now I bring some Disney animation for the week which was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee.  The story continues with Elsa, reprised by Idina Menzel, now being a queen is hearing a voice that no one else hears and sets out to the mystical enchanted forest being joined by her sister Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, and the rest of the gang Kristoff, reprised by Jonathan Groff, Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad, and Sven, to learn of her origins and save the kingdom.  Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Jason Ritter, Rachel Matthews, Jeremy Sisto, Ciaran Hinds, Alan Tudyk, Hadley Gannaway, Mattea Conforti, Aurora Aksnes, and many others provide their voices in this sequel.  This may not have the memorable songs of the first one but still pretty good numbers and I thought had a pretty good continuation story that is not a rehash sequel.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.  

The 39 Steps (1935):  Alfred Hitchcock directed this spy film based on the novel by John Buchan.  Robert Donat stars as Richard Hannay who is caught in the middle of a spy ring and being accused of murder.  Madeleine Carroll co-stars as Pamela who meets Richard while he is fleeing the police and turns him in at first but starts to believe his innocence.  Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Helen Haye, Frank Cellier, Wylie Watson, and many others co-star in this film.  I tend to favor '50s Hitchcock myself but I consider this my favorite from the Master of Suspense in this era.  This uses Hitchcock's favored wrongly accused plot line.  It is hard to describe this movie beyond what I have except there is a lot of suspense and humor.  It has also become a pretty popular stage play.  This is available to watch on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.

Tom Sawyer (1973):  Don Taylor directed this adaptation of the classic novel by Mark Twain as a musical with music written by brothers Robert and Richard Sherman.  It might be that Twain based his book on the song by Rush but I guess we'll never know.  Johnny Whitaker stars as the title character who along with his friend Huckleberry Finn, played by Jeff East, witness a murder and become in danger as they were seen.  A young Jodie Foster co-stars as Becky Thatcher.  Warren Oates co-stars as the friendly town alcoholic Muff Potter.  Celeste Holm, Lucille Benson, Henry Jones, Noah Keen, Dub Taylor, Richard Eastham, Sandy Kenyon, Henry O'Brien, and many others co-star in this musical.  This is a pretty good adaptation of the classic story which Twain loosely based on himself.  It was also good to hear Oates sing in a movie.  This is available to watch on Tubi.

Mystic River (2003):  Clint Eastwood directed this film based on the mystery by Dennis Lahane.  Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon star as childhood friends who have mostly gone their separate ways and deal with a family tragedy in different ways.  Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Kevin Chapman, Tom Guiry, Emmy Rossum, Spencer Treat Clark, Adam Nelson, Robert Wahlberg, Jenny O'Hara, John Doman, Cameron Bowen, Connor Paolo, Ari Graynor, Eli Wallach, and many others star in this crime drama.  I don't want to explain too much more as I could give away some really good stuff.  It is a very complex murder mystery where nothing is really black and white and many twists and turns happen.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Well, that is it for this week but I did bring back my segment "Fun and Useless Facts".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Charlie Chaplin, Annette Bening, Audrey Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I decided to bring back this segment for the week where I look at connections from multiple movies.  I'm sure there is plenty on here to add but I stopped at 25 so if you see something, please comment.

Brad Pitt (Allied) and Sean Penn (Mystic River) play father and son in the 2011 film THE TREE OF LIFE.

Brad Pitt (Allied) and Will Ferrell (Superstar) play rivals in the 2010 animated superhero comedy MEGAMIND.

Brad Pitt (Allied) and Kevin Bacon (Mystic River) were in the 1996 film SLEEPERS.

Brad Pitt (Allied) and John C. McGinley (Talk Radio) were in the 1995 film SE7EN.

Brad Pitt (Allied) and Zach Grenier (Talk Radio) were in the 1999 film FIGHT CLUB thought I probably should not talk about that on here.

Marion Cotillard (Allied) and Will Ferrell (Superstar) were in the 2013 sequel ANCHORMAN 2:  THE LEGEND CONTINUES.

Jared Harris (Allied) and Eric Bososian (Talk Radio) were in the 2002 film IGBY GOES DOWN.

Jared Harris (Allied) and Michael Wincott (Talk Radio) were in the 1995 western DEAD MAN.

Simon McBurney (Allied) and Alec Baldwin were in the 2015 action film MISSION:  IMPOSSIBLE- ROGUE NATION.

Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio) and Laura Linney (Mystic River) were in the 2010 Broadway play TIME STANDS STILL.

Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio) and Idina Menzel (Frozen II) were in the 2019 film UNCUT GEMS.

John C. McGinley (Talk Radio) and Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) were in the 2000 movie GET CARTER.

John C. McGinley (Talk Radio) and Tim Robbins (Mystic River) were in the 1997 comedy NOTHING TO LOSE.

Alec Baldwin (Talk Radio) and Kevin Bacon (Mystic River) were in the 1988 comedy SHE'S HAVING A BABY.

Alec Baldwin (Talk Radio) and Sean Penn (Mystic River) were both parodied in the 2004 film TEAM AMERICA:  WORLD POLICE.

Alec Baldwin (Talk Radio) and Evan Rachel Wood (Frozen II) were in the 2006 comedy RUNNING WITH SCISSORS.

Michael Wincott (Talk Radio) and Sean Penn (Mystic River) were brothers in the 2004 film THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON.

Michael Wincott (Talk Radio) was considered for the role of Willie O'Keefe in the 1991 film JFK which would ultimately go to Kevin Bacon (Mystic River)

Zach Grenier (Talk Radio) was in the 2011 biopic J. EDGAR which was directed by Clint Eastwood (Mystic River director.  

Zach Grenier (Talk Radio) and Laurence Fishburne (Mystic River) were in the 2007 superhero movie FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER.  Fishburne was the voice of Silver Surfer.

Zach Grenier (Talk Radio) and Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) were in the 1993 action film CLIFFHANGER.

Earl Hindman (Talk Radio) and Sean Penn (Mystic River) were in the 1981 movie TAPS.

Gerry Bamman (Superstar) and Clint Eastwood (Mystic River director) were in the 1989 movie PINK CADILLAC.

Burt Young (Rocky) and Sean Penn (Mystic River) were in the the 1997 film SHE'S SO LOVELY.

Joe Spinell (Rocky) and Jodie Foster (Tom Sawyer) were in the 1976 film TAXI DRIVER.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 808th Edition

Welcome to the 808th edition of my series.  Pending my background check, I will be starting a new job at Innovista Health Solutions as a claims examiner.  This will be more like what I did before so I'm excited and nervous but will make the most of this job.  There is not much else happening right now so I will just get on with my selections for this week.

The Queen's Gambit (2020):  I star the week out with this mini-series which was directed by Scott Frank and based on the novel by Walter Tevis.  This series centers around Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who is orphaned at the age of nine and secretly learns the game of chess from janitor Mr. Shaibel, played by Bill Camp, at the orphanage.  Harmon would go onto become a chess prodigy but for most, the fame and success came at a price.  Chloe Pirrie, Marcin Dorocinski, Marielle Heller, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Moses Ingram, Moses Ingram, Isla Johnston, Annabeth Kelly, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  As I'm watching this series, I could have sworn it was based on a grue story but I was wrong.  This was still a very compelling series though with lots of attention to detail.  I know very little about chess myself and could likely never win a game if my life depended on it but I was still consumed to what I was watching.  This is available on Netflix and has seven episodes that are about an hour each.

Wayne's World (1992):  Penelope Spheeris directed this comedy based on the popular SNL sketch of the same name.  Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprise their roles of Wayne and Garth who are slacker friends with a public access cable show.  Rob Lowe stars as sleazy producer Benjamin who offers to take their public access series to do professionally. They find that it is not the same when they have people they must answer to.  Tia Carrere co-stars as Wayne's love interest Cassandra who is also trying to get her music band some more success.  Brian Doyle-Murray, Lara Flynn Boyle, Michael Deluise, Lee Turgeson, Kurt Fuller, Sean Sullivan, Colleen Camp, Donna Dixon, Frederick Coffin, Mike Hagerty, Chris Farley, Meat Loaf, Charles Noland, Robert Patrick, Ione Skye, Alice Cooper, Ed O'Neill, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is possibly the best of the SNL produced movies.  In addition to having a lot of funny moments, it also boasts a great soundtrack which gave further success to some of the songs, most notably Queen's BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.  I learned that Myers had to fight for the Queen song as the studio was looking to use a Guns and Roses song.  This is a movie you probably just want to miss, NOOOOTTTTT!  This is a timeless comedy that every generation can enjoy.

In the Loop (2009):  This is my political satire for the week which was directed and co-written by Armando Iannucci.  Tom Hollander stars as Simon Foster who is the Minister for International Development and unintentionally stirs things up when he says that a war with the Middle East is "unforeseeable".  Peter Capaldi co-stars as spin doctor Malcolm Tucker who must do what he can to prevent war.  Gina McKee, Olivia Poulet, Chris Addison, James Smith, Zach Smith, Mimi Kennedy, Anna Chlumsky, Enzo Cilenti, David Rasche, James Gandolfini, Steve Coogan, and many others co-star in this political comedy.  Lots of funny lines and moments making comedy of a potentially bad situation.  I cannot explain this any further but political people will love this one.

Streamlined Greta Green (1937):  This is my animated short for the week.  Long before Pixar brought us humanistic cars, Looney Tunes brought us an animated shorts with cars.  Junior wants to be a taxi but his mom wants him to be a respectable touring car.  He gets rebellious and runs out of gas at one point having to be towed.  This is a very interesting short from this era.  I guess they decided talking cars just were not going to work.  This is available to watch on HBO Max as part of Looney Tunes.

Rio Grande (1950):  This is my western for the week which was directed by John Ford.  John Wayne stars as cavalry officer Kirby Yorke in this post-Civil War film when the Union had to focus on the Apaches.  Yorke is put in charge of training young officers, including his own estranged son Jeff, played by Claude Jarman Jr.  He also gets visited by his separated wife Kathleen, played by Maureen O'Hara, who shows up intending to take their son out of there but in the end leaves it up to Jeff and he decides to stay.  Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Chill Wills, J. Carrol Naish, Victor McLaglen, Grant Withers, Karolyn Grimes, and many others co-star in this western.  This is a western that combines action and romance so could make a good compromise for a date night.  This is also a good look at an estranged family trying to reunite.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Magic Sword (1962):  Now I bring some cheesy fantasy which was directed by Bert Gordon.  Gary Lockwood stars as George who is the son of a sorceress, played by Estelle Winwood, and is looking to rescue the beautiful Princess Helene, played by Anne Helm, from the evil wizard Lodac, played by none other than Basil Rathbone.  Liam Sullivan, Danielle De Metz, Angus Duncan, and many others co-star in this fantasy movie. This is a very fun movie if not taken to seriously.  Winwood ham it up very well as the sorceress.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

True Stories (1986):  Talking Heads frontman David Byrne directed this this musical comedy where he also stars as the narrator.  He is going around in a small Texas town where he observes the citizens as they prepare for a local parade and talent show.  John Goodman, Spalding Gray, Swoosie Kurtz, Pops Staples, John Ingle, Tito Larriva, and Jo Harvey Allen co-star as the colorful characters he meets along the ride.  Byrne shows his directorial talent in this film which might be an overlooked '80s movie.  This also has a really good soundtrack from the Talking Heads.  Each character has their own unique and entertaining traits, especially Goodman.  It is hard to describe this movie beyond this except to just check this out.  

Winter Fever (1979):  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Warren Miller.  This takes a look at the world of skiing where Miller takes us into places like New Mexico, Lake Placid, Canada, among others where we see some of the top skiers from this era.  This has a lot of nice visuals and some great ski footage.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital as well as other works by Warren Miller.

No Man of Her Own (1950):  Mitchell Leisen directed this film based on the novel I MARRIED A DEAD MAN by Cornell Woolrich.  Barbara Stanwyck stars as Helen Ferguson who is pregnant and left on her own with nowhere to go.  While on a train, she meets married couple Patrice and Hugh Harkness, played by Phyllis Thaxter and Richard Denning, who befriend her until tragedy strikes when a trainwreck happens leaving the couple dead and Helen to survive.  Helen is mistaken as Patrice by the Harkness family so tries to pose as Patrice to give her child a better life.  Things are going well until her devious ex Steve, played by Lyle Bettger in his film debut, comes to blackmail Patrice.  John Lund, Jane Cowl, Henry O'Neill, Carole Mathews, Harry Antrim, Catherine Craig, Esther Dale, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty compelling drama of a woman taking to extreme measures to survive for herself and her child.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

A Hard Day (2014): I end the week with this Korean film which was directed by Seong-Hun Kim.  Sun-Kyun Lee stars as the crooked Detective Ko Gun-soo who has a lot going on in his life and one day when driving recklessly, he commits a fatal hit and run.  He goes through some very extreme measures to cover it up and just when he thinks he is in the clear, he gets a call from someone claiming to be a witness.  This starts quite the cat and mouse game of a detective's corruption catching up to him.  This movie just keeps on going with the action and has a bit of dark comedy to go along with it.  It is also a pretty suspenseful film and is available to watch on Hulu.

Well, that is it for this week, tell me what you like and dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Brad Pitt, Alec Baldwin, Will Ferrell, Charlie Chaplin, Sylvester Stallone, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Hitchcock, Jodie Foster, Sean Penn, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 807th Edition

Welcome to the 807th edition of my series.  I hope everyone is having a good week so far.  I started rehearsals for MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET:  THE MUSICAL which is Marion in July.  Yes, Christmas in July, just please understand we tried to do it last December but you know.  I do get to play the store psychiatrist Sawyer so I'm pretty excited about getting to return to villainy. I might have other announcements soon but for now I will just get on with my selections.

Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation (2015):  Christopher McQuarrie directed this entry of the franchise which is the fifth in the series.  Tom Cruise reprises his role of Ethan Hunt who must take on a deadly syndicate called the Syndicate after the IMF is disbanded.  Familiar faces like Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames join Hunt.  He also must rely on disavowed agent Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson, whose loyalty is in question. Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin, Simon McBurney, Jingchu Chang, Tom Hollander, Jens Hulten, America Olivo, and many others co-star in this entry.  This is a really good action franchise and this is no exception.  Cruise is on his game as Ethan doing a lot of his own stunts and is a very fun film with some great action to go along.

Dirty Driving:  Thundercars of Indiana (2008):  This is one of my two documentaries for the week.  I came across this when my Facebook friend Martin posted about watch this so I took interest since it takes place in a familiar town.  I asked my dad about it after I found out and he adamant about me watching this documentary.   Jon Alpert directed this HBO documentary which takes part in Anderson, Indiana which is where I was born and where my dad lived until I was about 18 or 19 years old.  This centers around their local speedway Anderson Speedway which has been a very popular place in that town.  This takes a look at some of their drivers that are very passionate about what they do and their determination to win the trophy there while also struggling due to the closing of General Motors.  This is one thing that my dad and I never did together when I was a kid.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.  

Guerrilla:  The Taking of Patty Hearst (2004):  I follow up with another documentary which was directed by Robert Stone.  This was based around the Symbionese Liberation Army revolutionary group and their kidnapping of Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst.  A lot of this centers around the SLA group itself before they got to kidnapping Hearst and how Hearst joined the group.  This was a pretty insightful documentary showing interviews and footage.

The Lost Son (1974):  This is my animated short for the week which was directed by Lotte Reiniger.  This is an animated story that covers the Prodigal Son with the use of silhouette animation.  This was pretty well presented and really worth a look.  This was one of Reiniger's last works and directed one of the earliest feature films in THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED.  This and a lot of her other works are available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Movie Crazy (1932):  Clyde Bruckman directed this comedy about the film industry though it has been said that Harold Lloyd did most of the directing.  Silent film legend Harold Lloyd makes his way into talkies where he stars as Harold Hall who gets a mix-up from a letter calling him into Hollywood for a screen test.  He is excited and makes his way to Hollywood.  He plays his usual good-hearted but rather clumsy person.  Constance Cummings stars as actress Mary Sears who takes a liking to Harold for his personality.  Kenneth Thomson, Louise Closser Hale, Spencer Charters, Robert McWade, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is the first talkie for Lloyd and made a pretty good transition into talkies.  This is a great homage to Hollywood and to a movie fan trying to make it in Hollywood.  This is also available to watch on Criterion Channel.

One Body Too Many (1944):  Frank McDonald directed this horror comedy.  Jack Haley stars as insurance salesman Albert Tuttle who arrives at a mansion of the late family patriarch.  The family must wait until he is properly entombed and the family is forced to stay at the home.  Albert soon finds himself mixed up in the shenanigans that involve a murder, secret passages and the niece Carol, played by Jean Parker.  Bela Lugosi, Lyle Talbot, Blanche Yurka, Douglas Fowley, Fay Helm, Bernard Nedell, Lucien Littlefield, Dorothy Granger, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Haley is most known as Tin Man in the classic musical THE WIZARD OF OZ.  This is a pretty fun haunted house comedy with the usual fare.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Learning to Drive (2014):  Isabel Coixet directed this film which is really more of a character study than anything.  Patricia Clarkson stars as book critic Wendy whose husband left her and looks to make changes in her life.  She has not learned to drive as she relied on her husband for that so meets Sikh instructor Darwan, played by Ben Kingsley, who is also having problems of his own.  Grace Gummer, Samantha Bee, Jake Weber, Sarita Choudhury, Avi Nash, Matt Salinger, and many others co-star in this film.  This obviously goes much deeper than just teaching someone how to drive.  It was a good story on these people who try to help one another in the problems in their lives.  This is hard to describe beyond what I have already.  This is available to on Hoopla Digital and Crackle.

Cinderella (1965):  This is my musical for the week which was a tv special.  Charles S. Dubin directed this movie based on the musical from Rodgers and Hammerstein.  Lesley Ann Warren stars as Cinderella whose story just about everyone knows.  She lives with her wicked stepmother, played by Jo Van Vleet, and two wicked stepsisters, played by Pat Carroll and Barbara Ruick.  She is mistreated by them and they are going to a ball leaving her behind.  The Fairy Godmother, played by Celeste Holm, helps Cinderella out to give her a look to go to the ball where she meets the prince, played by Stuart Damon, and I think you all know the rest.  Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  This is more of a theatrical movie with Warren being introduced into the tv and film world in a very strong way.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

A Night to Remember (1958):  Roy Ward Baker directed this film based on the book by Walter Lord.  The title certainly says it all for people on the Titanic back in 1912 as it was apparently an unsinkable ship so i guess that made people neglect to think about emergency procedures should something happen.  As most of us know, something did happen where it hit an iceberg.  This is more of a docudrama of the events of the Titanic that lead to the iceberg and how things were handled afterward.  Kenneth More, Ronald Allen, Robert Ayres, Honor Blackman, Anthony Bushell, John Cairney, Jill Dixon, Jane Downs, James Dyrenforth, Michael Goodliffe, Kenneth Griffith, Harriette Johns, Frank Lawton, Richard Leech, Richard Leech, David McCallum, Alec McCowen, Tucker McGuire, John Marivale, and many others co-star in this film.  Other adaptations of the doomed ship usually have some fictional backstories including the known 1997 version from James Cameron.  This gets more to the point of how unprepared everyone was when something happened and how those who survived would likely never be the same.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and on Hoopla.

Rebuilding the House of Stone (2021):  I end the week with this WFYI special which features my long-time friend James Banta.  Merlin Bell directed and co-wrote this special which is based on a story by playwright Rosie Arnold.  This was filmed at Conner Prairie which is a museum in Fishers, Indiana which is fairly close to where I live.  Banta and John Mortell star as brothers Valentine and Henry Stone who fought on opposite sides of the Civil War.  They return to their home in Indiana with their family and work to reconcile their differences with one another.  Ryan Beckman, Kevin Carter, and Michelle Evans co-star in this tv special.  This is based on a true story about the Stone brothers and the actors work well together.  This is available to watch on https://www.wfyi.org/programs/rebuilding-house-stone/television/rebuilding-the-house-of-stone?fbclid=IwAR2TP3lXk5pG99NbuYSQYHro4iO3cX34vyqtyYtJyO1IkvvdXNoUruk7AYA

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Well, that is it for this week but I did bring back my segment "The Shorter End of the Stick".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Mike Myers, John Wayne, Basil Rathbone, John Goodman, and many others..

THE SHORTER END OF THE STICK

I decided to bring this segment back for the second time.  This is a series of short films and decided to use selections that include some of my Facebook friends.  I thought since I already featured Jim, why stop there? 

Dying is Easy (2021):  This includes my FB friend Doug Jones who has made quite a career for himself in the world of Sci-Fi including being a regular on STAR TREK:  DISCOVERY. I met him on the set of MY NAME IS JERRY which was a movie shot in my town of Muncie as an extra.  Aaron and Sean Schoenke co-directed this superhero short film which features Batman, played by Kevin Porter.  Batman learns the Joker, played by Aaron Schoenke, is dying and is demanding to speak to him from Arkham Asylum leading to quite the verbal confrontation. This features lots of familiar villain cameos including Riddler, played by Jones, Harley Quinn, played by Amy Johnston, Mr. Freeze, played by Mike Estes, Condiment King, played by Orion Acaba, Poison Ivy, played by Vera Bambi, and Killer Crock, played by Lionel Washington III.  Michael Madsen, Chris Daughtry, Tatiana Neva, Jamie Costa, Guy A. Grundy, Amanda Lynne Shafer, Chalet Lizette Brannan, Jennifer Wenger, and many others co-star in this superhero short.  This is about twenty minutes long and captures that Batman feel very well.  Maybe we can get Doug on a more expanded role as Riddler sometime.  This is available to watch on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0x_YjkgFjc .

Submerge:  Echo 51 (2017):  This includes my FB friend Paisley Blackburn who I met on the set of a short film I did in Richmond.  Demetrius Witherspoon wrote and directed this sci-fi short.  The Multiverse has been plagued by the Alien Empire called the Krag.  The planet Echo remains in ruin and an alien woman named Lyte, played by Shonna Bedford, believes she is a lone survivor but learns that is not true.  Blackburn co-stars as General Luma and I must say that green looks really good on her.  Chris Abel, Matthew Allen, Derek Kunzman, Bishop Stevens, and many others co-star in this sci-fi short.  This has a lot of good sci-fi elements and some really good special effects.  This is available for rental on Amazon Prime and was worth the .99 purchase.

The Year of the Ox (2012):  My FB friend here is Kelsey Zukowski who unfortunately I have not gotten to meet in person but hope to someday.  She is a longtime supporter of this blog since the days of Myspace and specializes and is passionate about her horror.  Rob Sepulveda directed and co-wrote this horror short about a criminal gang in Chicago's Chinatown that get more than they bargain for which kidnapping a young girl named Lucy, played by Zukowski.  This is available to watch on Kelsey's website http://kelseyzukowski.com/ which has a lot more of her works.

The Spirit of Isabel (2010):  The FB friend here is Robert Joseph Butler who has directed and produced many short films and after a lot of hard work finally got to do a feature film in BLOOD IMMORTAL which I see is available to watch on imdb tv.  Butler directed and co-wrote this short film about survival in an economically depressed Detroit.  Aphrodite Nikolovski stars as Isabel who must try to survive as a prostitute while never losing hope to make a better life for herself.  Valentina Arnold, Robert Maples, and many others co-star in this short film.  This is a rather dark short film with a very good performance from Nikolovski that makes us really get behind her.  This is available on RJB's website https://www.nuwavefilms.com/films/ among other works.

The Long Way Home (2019):  The FB friend for this one is Kerry Johnson who I have known for a long time through the wrestling world as the Notorious Thug Ace Mob and have worked with him many times in my time as a ring announcer.  He decided to write and produce this short movie which star his actual daughters Yolanda and Angelina who star as sisters.  Amber and Ryne Hastings took to the directing of these sisters in which one of them is dealing with a very serious situation. They must discuss how they will tell their mother about it.  This is only about seven minutes long but gets right to the point in this movie really about innocence lost.  I hope Kerry is able to do another movie and maybe get me in it this time.  This is available to watch on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lujlD78Ydo .

The Oregon Trail (2010):  I have a couple FB friends in this one in Alli Miller and Jeff Laub that are both actors in this selection.  I met Alli at the former Artist's Studio theater at one point and had seen her in some Ball State productions as well as her local movie ELLIE AND MARIANNE that was presented at the Muncie Civic Theater.  I will never forget trying out for RENT at the Artist's Studio with her as the choreographer and creating quite the dance with Lady Gaga's POKER FACE which I did not do so well.  I met Jeff when he was casting for his movie GROVE LAKE and a friend had given him my name so I met up with him at Starbucks and I just didn't have the availability to be in their production.  Nick Reczynski directed and co-wrote this short film which was shot as a trailer based on the popular computer game from out childhood though it probably could have been expanded.  This is a pretty fun two minutes and is really worth a look on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHps2SecuDk .