Welcome to the 814th Edition of my series. One more performance of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET: THE MUSICAL and then the show is in the books. It's been a lot of fun and I'm sure I'll find myself in something soon. I will just get on with my selections for the week.
Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains (2007): I start the week out with this documentary which was directed by Jonathan Demme. This is a documentary on out Nobel Prize winning former president Jimmy Carter as he deals with the aftermath of his book PALESTINE: PEACE NOT APARTHEID. This shows his book tour, radio show interviews, some of his own insight, and to his own critics. If looking for a life story, this would not be the one to watch. It is a pretty insightful documentary on the man trying to do good for the world. This is available to watch on Tubi and Pluto TV.
Shattered (2007): Now I bring a crime thriller which was directed by Mike Barker. Gerard Butler and Maria Bello star as married couple Neil and Abby Randall. They have the ideal life with Neil having a great job and having a beautiful daughter named Sophie, played by Emma Karwandy. Things change when they are held captive by the maniacal Tom Ryan, played by Pierce Brosnan, and his accomplice holds his daughter for leverage while he forces them to do things they do not want to do. Claudette Mink, Desiree Zurowski, Nicholas Lea, Peter Keleghan, Samantha Ferris, Malcolm Stewart, Callum Keith Rennie, Dustin Milligan, and many others co-star in this crime film. This is a very intense thriller that kept my attention the whole way through. Brosnan does well as the villain and there are also some good twists and turns throughout the film. This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.
Residue (2020): Merawi Gerima wrote and directed this independent film which is his debut. Obinna Nwachukwu stars as Jay who is a young filmmaker returning to his town only to see that he does not recognize the place he left. Dennis Lindsey, Taline Stewart, Derron Scott, Jamal Graham, JaCari Dye, and many others co-star in this film. This is more of a social commentary to the difficulty of black lives in America. This is available to watch on Netflix.
Country Boy (1935): This is my animated short which is from Looney Tunes. This is one of their much earlier one which features Peter Rabbit as he is always causing trouble at the local farm. It looks like they used this character for a handful of shorts before they would write their own rabbit in Bugs Bunny that would go onto become a pop culture icon. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Knock on Any Door (1949): Nicholas Ray directed this crime drama based on the novel by Willard Motley. Humphrey Bogart stars as attorney Andrew Morton who takes on a murder case on hoodlum Nick Romano, played by John Derek. Romano is accused of killing a police officer and Morton empathizes with him from his own days in the slums. George Macready, Allene Roberts, Mickey Knox, Barry Kelley, Florence Auer, Vince Barnett, and many others co-star in this crime drama. This is a very good and sad look on growing up in the slums with a very heartfelt monologue by Bogart in the climax. This was done at Bogart's own independent production company Santana Pictures Corp. This is one I had not heard of but came across it on the Criterion Channel and I'm glad I did.
They Might Be Giants (1971): Anthony Harvey directed this comedy mystery which is based on the play by James Goldman who wrote the screenplay. George C. Scott stars as Justin who is convinced he is Sherlock Holmes while psychiatrist Dr. Mildred Watson, played by Joanne Woodward, takes a fascination to his case and is conveniently named Dr. Watson. She goes along with Holmes in his quest to find his arch-enemy Moriarty. Joanne Woodward, Jack Gilford, Al Lewis, Rue McClanahan, Oliver Clark, Theresa Merritt, James Tolkan, Kitty Wynn, Sudie Bond, F. Murray Abraham, and many others co-star in this comedy. Abraham makes his debut in this film. Scott is great as the deluded Justin where it asks us, is there any reason to commit him or should we just accept him for who he is? This movie also inspired the name of the alternative band of the same name. I made this selection after listening to my friend Matthew Socey's radio show SOCEYOLOGY where in a past episode he interviewed Abraham. This show has been going on for over a decade and is available at https://www.wfyi.org/programs/film-soceyology .
The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared (2013): Felix Herngren directed this adventure comedy based on the novel by Jonas Jonassson. Robert Gustafsson stars as Allan Karlsson who as the title implies is a 100 year-old man who climbs out of a window and disappears. His whole life has been full of adventures and is just starting a whole new adventure as he meets a lot of colorful characters along the way, some are his friends but manages to make some enemies as well. A lot of this movie is Allan reflecting on his past and the historical figures he meets so a little FORREST GUMPesque. Mia Skaringer, Jens Hulten, Ralph Carlsson, Georg Nikoloff, Alan Ford, Bianca Cruzeiro, and many others co-star in this film. I know I compared this to FORREST GUMP but this still stands on its own and could be a good double feature. Gustafsson is great as the title character and the movie is very fun and unpredictable. My friend and wrestling cohort Sign Guy tagged me on a post asking for my thoughts and of course gave me the shock reaction when learning I had not seen it so figured I'd have to watch it. This is available to watch on TUBI tv and other free streaming platforms. I'll just promote Sign Guy's radio show of TURNBUCKLE TURMOIL which is available at https://www.blogtalkradio.com/turnbuckle_turmoil where he interviews and promotes people and shows in independent wrestling. I've been a guest on there myself on a few occasions.
The Men (1950): Fred Zinneman directed this film that takes a look at paralyzed veterans. Marlon Brando stars as Ken Wilcox who is paralyzed from the waist down. This shows the depression he is going through as his fellow patients, his doctor, and his fiancee Ellen, played by Teresa Wright, try to help him overcome these obstacles and to find purpose in life. Everett Sloane, Jack Webb, Richard Erdman, Arthur Jurado, Virginia Farmer, Dorothy Tree, Howard St. John, and many others co-star in this film. Brando makes his film debut in this one and was a pretty good one and prepared by being in a wheelchair most of the time even off set. This is one of the few movies from this era to show the effects and aftermath of war for some people. This could be good to go along with THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970): Ossie Davis directed this film which is based on novel by Chester Himes and is said to be the start of the Blaxploitation genre. Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques star as Harlem cops Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson who investigate a robbery as well as Reverend Deke O'Malley, played by Calvin Lockhart. They believe the reverend staged the robbery. Judy Pace, Redd Foxx, John Anderson, Lou Jacobi, Eugene Roche, J.D. Cannon, Cleavon Little, and many others co-star in this film. This has a good blend of action and comedy in it. Years later, Davis would go onto have the best portrayal of JFK of all time in BUBBA HO-TEP but here he stepped behind the camera and even co-wrote a song. As I mentioned, many said that it was the start of the Blaxploitation genre and if that is so, this is more mild that later ones. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
4 Quarters (2015): I end the week with this short film which was directed by Ashley McKenzie who co-wrote with Andrew Gillis. Gillis also stars as Willy who is a student whose life becomes complicated when getting involved with a drug addict named Jane, played by Sofia Banzhaf. This takes a look at the difficulty of both characters and I'm sure many can relate to both of them. This is about 13 minutes long and is worth a look. 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, could be the week after but likely next week, which so far includes Ray Liotta, Clint Eastwood, and many others..
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