Welcome to the 818th Edition of my series. I am excited to announce that I return to the Marion Civic Theater for my fifth show and my second show there this years. I am to play Colonel Mustard in CLUE. This is the play not the musical version that some might be thinking. It is fixing to be a fun role and one right up my alley. Now, I will get to my selections for the week.
Rust and Bone (2012): Jacques Audiard directed this French film. Matthias Schoenaerts stars as Alain who is a fighter and a single father struggling to make it in life and as a father. Marion Cotillard co-stars as Stephanie who is a killer whale trainer and has a life-changing accident. They are both drawn to each other trying to find salvation in their struggle. Celine Sallette, Louli Landers, and many others co-star in this film. This is a brutally honest character film of the struggle and mistakes made in life. While not the most upbeat film of all time, it is moving in some ways with a great performance from Cotillard.
My Dinner With Herve (2018): This is part two of a possible five-part series with David Straithairn. This is my HBO movie for the week which was directed by Sacha Gervasi. Jamie Dornan stars as struggling journalist Danny Tate who meets actor Herve Villachaize, played by Peter Dinklage, who is known mostly for being Tattoo in the Bond movie THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN and the popular tv series FANTASY ISLAND. Tate manages to get an interview with Villachaize, albeit a very difficult interview, who reflects on his life both personally and professionally. Harriet Walker, Lawrence Ubong Williams, Jim Sturgeon, Daniel Mays, Sabina Franklyn, Oona Chaplin, Michael Elwyn, Alex Gaumond, David Strathairn, Mark Umbers, Helena Mattsson, Doug Cox, Andy Garcia, Mark Provinelli, Robert Curtis Brown, Mireille Enos, Ashleigh Brewer, Wallace Langham, Alan Ruck, and many others co-star in this biopic. This is based on an interview that director Gervasi did shortly before Villachaize took his own life. Dinklage was great as the dwarf actor and was a passion project for him as he could relate to Villachaize. I also have to admit that I did not recognize Andy Garcia who portrays FANTASY ISLAND star Ricardo Montalban. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
My Octopus Teacher (2020): This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. Craig Foster is a swimmer and filmmaker reflecting on his times with an octopus where they form an unlikely bond with one another. He talks about his observations of the octopus and how it is an intelligent sea creature. This is a pretty moving documentary and really an unlikely well told story where we get behind an octopus. This is available to watch on Netflix.
Are You Popular? (1947): This is my short film for the week and decided to turn to the Coronet Instructional Films. This takes place in the high school world where we explore long-time concept of popularity within school. I don't know that we really got an answer to the question of the title but I at least was entertained in this nine minutes. These were meant to be instructional at the time but are more for entertainment these days. Rifftrax and MST3K have used a lot of these in their shows. This is public domain and is available on Youtube and probably other platforms.
Between the Lines (1977): Joan Micklin Silver directed this film that centers around an underground newspaper in Boston. They learn they are about to be taken over by a big business and struggle as they contemplate their futures. John Heard, Lindsay Crouse, Jeff Goldblum, Jill Eikenberry, Bruno Kirby, Gwen Welles, Stephen Collins, Lewis J. Stadlen, Jon Korkes, Michael J. Pollard, Lane Smith, Joe Morton, Richard Cox, Marilu Henner, Raymond J. Barry, Gary Springer, Susan Haskins, Charles Levin, Guy Boyd, and many others co-star in this film. I had never heard of this movie before I came across this on the Criterion Channel. It was very enjoyable and just hard to explain as their were a lot of subplots for the characters as they contemplate what will happen to their paper. I found some comparisons of some of Robert Altman's films and I can see that. Much of the cast got their first early exposure in this film. As mentioned, this is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and really deserves a look.
The Old Maid (1939): This is my period piece for the week which was directed by Edmond Goulding and based on the novel by Edith Wharton. Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins star as cousins Charlotte and Delia Lovell who struggle in a lie of many years involving their family. George Brent, Donald Crisp, Jane Bryan, Louise Fazenda, James Stephenson, Jerome Cowan, William Lundigan, Cecilia Loftus, Rand Brooks, Janet Shaw, William Hopper, and many others co-star in this film. I was trying to write a description on this film but just couldn't do it which I know is very common for me. Davis and Hopkins work well together with Hopkins holding her own with Davis and playing off their real-life feud. This might have gotten lost in the shuffle coming out in the Golden year of film as they call it. Either way, this is a pretty fascinating film even if I can't really find a way to describe it beyond what I have without giving a lot away.
My All-American (2015): Angelo Pizzo directed this and wrote the screenplay on this film based on the book COURAGE BEYOND THE GAME: THE FREDDIE STEINMARK STORY by Jim Dent. Finn Wittrock stars as Freddie Steinmark whose short stature forces him to work harder in the game of football that he loves. His play on the high school field gets noticed by Texas Longhorns coach Darrell Royal, played by Aaron Eckhart, who gives him a scholarship. Just as things are looking up for Steinmark, he suffers an injury leading to a life-changing diagnosis. Robin Tunney, Sarah Bolger, Rett Terrell, Michael Reilly Burke, Juston Street, Danny Boaz, Alex MacNicoll, Richard Kohnke, Eddie Davenport, and many others co-star in this film that is based on a true story. Pizzo also wrote the sports movies HOOSIERS and RUDY. This movie really rounds out a trilogy of inspirational sports films and this one holds its own very well among the other two that were named.
The Sword in the Stone (1963): Now I bring some classic Disney animation. Wolfgang Reitherman directed this film based on the book by T.H. White. This takes a look a young, orphaned boy named Wart, voiced by Rickie Sorensen, who would go onto become known as King Arthur. A wizard named Merlin, voiced by Karl Swenson, trains Merlin and gives him an education in hopes this will help him go further in life. Sebastian Cabot, Ginny Tyler, Martha Wentworth, Norman Alden, Alan Napier, Barbara Jo Allen, Mel Blanc, and many others co-star in this animated film. There have been all kinds of takes to the Arthurian legend through the years and this is Disney's. This was a more fun take of the legend and even has some musical numbers written by Richard and Robert Shertman. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Let There Be Light (1946): Here is another documentary for the week which was directed by John Huston with the narration coming from his father Walter Huston. This takes a look at some mentally traumatized WWII veterans as they go through psychiatric treatment while trying to prepare for life after war. At this time, trying to maintain that perfect image of the United States of America, the United States Government suppressed the release of this documentary and would not get a release for over 30 years. This is a pretty compelling look at the effects of war. This is available on the Blu-Ray copy of the 2012 film THE MASTER. It is also available on the Criterion Channel and is only about an hour long.
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991): Last week I featured the first of this comedy trilogy and now I bring the second. David Zucker directed this comedy and rejoined his co-writers in Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams. Leslie Nielsen reprises his role of Lt. Frank Drebin and learns his ex-girlfriend Jane's, reprised by Prescilla Presley, new beau Quentin Hapsburg, played by Robert Goulet, is involved in a kidnapping plot. George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson, Richard Griffiths, Jacqueline Brookes, Anthony James, Lloyd Bochner, Tim O'Connor, Peter Mark Richman, and many others co-star in this comedy sequel. This is a very fun sequel with some great gags and if you like the first one, no reason to not like this one in my opinion. This is available to watch on Paramount 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 Claire Danes, Morgan Freeman, Diane Kruger, Ingrid Bergman, Marilyn Monroe, and many others.
No comments:
Post a Comment