Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 823rd Edition

Welcome to the 823rd edition of my series. I am 1-1 in fantasy football right now and hope to get me another win.  We are getting closer to CLUE at the Marion Civic Theater where I play Colonel Mustard so see the photo at the bottom if you are in or around the area and interested.  I don't have much else to say right now so I will just get on with my selections.

13th (2016):  I start the week out with this documentary which was directed by Ava Duverney.  This takes a look at the state of racial inequality in the United States tying it into the prison system. In addition, it takes a look at slavery, D.W. Griffith's controversial film A BIRTH OF A NATION, as well as political acts through the years that have contributed to where we are today.  This is a very eye-opening and detailed documentary that resonates very well for the times of Black Lives Matter.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Bears (2014):  This is my Disneynature documentary for the week which was directed by Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey, and Adam Chapman.  This takes a look at a bear family which is from Alaska and not Chicago.  This is narrated by John C. Reilly of a mother bear trying to bring up her two young cubs where a story is created out of the bear footage.  There is some bear conflict but a movie that the family can enjoy together.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus and could maybe have a double feature with the underrated Disney animated film BROTHER BEAR.

Locke (2013): Steven Knight wrote and directed this film that stars Tom Hardy as the only person in the movie along with people who provide their voice.  Hardy stars as Ivan Locke who bears quite a secret as he must make a long drive while having to inform his wife, children, boss, and co-workers to what is going on.  Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Ben Daniels, Tom Holland, Bill Milner, Danny Webb, Alice Lowe, Silas Carson, Lee Ross, and Kirsty Dillon all provide the voice to people Locke talk to on his phone.  This entire movie is Tom Hardy driving to where he needs to be and trying to come to terms with what is going on in his life.  He manages to carry it very well to keep us engaged.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

Day of Freedom (1935):  This is my documentary short for the week which was directed by propaganda director Leni Riefenstahl.  She is most know for her Nazi propaganda documentary TRIUMPH OF THE WILL which is very disturbing to watch but is also very well done no matter how we see it.  Complaints from generals came feeling the documentary lacked the army which resulted in this being made.  This is a very good look at the German Army from this era and would be a good watch for historical purposes along with the mentioned feature documentary.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Putney Swope (1969):  Robert Downey Sr. wrote and directed this satire on race.  An ad agency must elect a new chairman and accidentally elect the token black man Putney Swope, played by Arnold Johnson.  Putney renames the business "Truth and Soul, Inc"and makes it a militant group.  Soon after coming into power, it takes its toll on Putney.  Allen Garfield, Robert Staats, Mel Brooks, Antonio Fargas, George Morgan, Allan Abrus, Shelley Plimpton, and many others co-star or have cameos in this film.  This is a very dark satire that is not for everyone.  This is still a relatively unknown film and was worth a look.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Rocket from Calabuch (1956):  This is my Spanish comedy for the week which was directed by Luis Garcia Berlanga.  Edmund Gwenn stars as atomic bomb specialist Jorge Serra Hamilton who is on the run from the authorities and flees to the small Spanish village of Calabuch.  While there, he bonds with the villagers and finding a happiness he has been craving.  Valentina Cortese, Juan Calvo, Franco Fabrizi, Felix Hernandez, Nicolas Perchicot, Mario Berriatua, and many others co-star in this film.  Gwenn is likely most known as Kris Kringle from the holiday classic MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET and has his very last movie with this one.  This was an interesting swan song of a movie to go out on and has a very underrated performance in this one.  This is available to watch on Criterion Channel.

Hanna (2011):  Joe Wright directed this action film which was written by Seth Lochhead and David Farr.  Saoirse Ronan stars as the teenage assassin Hanna who has been raised and trained by her ex-CIA father Erik, played by Eric Bana, in the wilds of Finland.  She is sent on a mission and is dispatched by the ruthless intelligence operative Marissa Wiegler, played by Cate Blanchett.  Vicky Krieps, John MacMillan, Tim Beckmann, Jamie Beamish, Michelle Dockery, Jessica Barden, Aldo Maland, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng, Tom Hollander, and many others co-star in this action film.  This has some really good action scenes and is quite the breakthrough performances for Ronan who trained very hard physically and does some of her own stunts.  This also spawned a tv series on Amazon Prime.  This is available to watch on Peacock.

Night Moves (1975):  Arthur Penn directed this neo-noir film.  Gene Hackman stars as Los Angeles private investigator Harry Moseby who is hired by former Hollywood actress Arlene, played by Janet Ward, to find her daughter Delly, played by a young Melanie Griffith. When he finds her, he finds there something more sinister going on in his investigation.  Jennifer Warren, Edward Binns, Harris Yulin, Kenneth Mars, James Woods, Anthony Costello, John Crawford, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a rather dark homage to the world of Hollywood.  Griffith makes her film debut in this movie, at least her first credited appearance in a rather risque role for a 16 year old.  I had not heard of this movie before I came across it but was a pretty compelling film.  This could be a good double feature to go along with CHINATOWN.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Garment Jungle (1957):  Vincent Sherman directed this film noir which was a statement towards working conditions.  Lee J. Cobb stars as Walter Mitchell who owns a garment industry with the help of the mob to keep from going to the union.  Kerwin Matthews co-stars as Walter's son Alan who finally joins the family business but does not like what he sees and must convince his father that the mob rule is not the way to go.  Gia Scala, Richard Boone, Valerie French, Robert Loggia, Joseph Wiseman, Harold Stone, Adam Williams, Wesley Addy, Joanna Barnes, and many others co-star in this film noir.  I remember years ago when my dad got this for me in a group of dvds for Christmas one year and this one really stood out.  I have always enjoyed watching this every so often.  It is very dark and gritty, especially in this era.  This is a very good look at a sweat shop and is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.  

Fit Model (2019):  I end the week with this short film that was directed by Myna Joseph while she co-wrote with Lucy Owen who also stars in this film.  Owen plays Lu who is overwhelmed having to deal with multiple jobs and trying to make it as a model.  Gideon Glick, Anh Duong, Sherin Shetty, Haley Rawson, and Elijah Guo co-star in this short film.  This is a pretty decent character study where just about all of us can relate with the struggle of the main character.  This also available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which includes Adrienne Barbeau, Orson Welles, Fay Wray, Karen Gillan, Angela Lansbury, Piper Laurie, Jack Nicholson, Catherine O'Hara, and many others co-star in this film.  Also, stay tuned for next week where I bring a my new October segment "My Own Madness".

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 822nd Edition

Welcome to the 822nd edition of my series.  Last week, my team the 49ers fared very well and this week they went 2-0 so I'm happy about that.  My fantasy team did not fare well at all this week and so far not this week but it is looking better.  We're getting closer to CLUE at the Marion Civic Theater so get your tickets if you in or around the area October 7-10 and there is info at the bottom of the page.  I will get on with my selections for the week.

The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984):  Stuart Rosenberg directed this film based on the novel by Vincent Patrick.  Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts star as cousins Charlie and Paulie.  Paulie is able to talk Charlie into a robbery to fund "a sure thing" bet involving a horse race.  They are successful but end up robbing mob boss Bed Bug Eddie, played by Burt Young, and find themselves on the run from the mafia.  Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan, Tony Musante, M. Emmet Walsh, Burt Young, Jack Kehoe, Val Avery, Joe Grifasi, and many others co-star in this film.  The dynamic of Charlie and Paulie kind of reminded me of the characters Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro played in the 1973 film MEAN STREETS so make a double feature to see what I am talking about.  Rourke and Roberts work very well together in performances for both that might rank as their best.  Hannah rounded it out very well as Charlie's girlfriend.  This is available to watch on HBO Max

Hollywood Follies (1994):  This is my tv movie for the week which is technically an episode THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES.  Michael Schultz directed this episode of the series.  Sean Patrick Flannery plays the younger version of Indiana Jones where he finds himself in the world of Hollywood.  Indy gets a job where he is to stop the production of the now silent classic FOOLISH WIVES and must confront director Erich Von Stroheim, played by Dana Gladstone, which he finds is a much more difficult task than expected.  Allison Smith, Bill Cusack, Julia Campbell, David Margulies, Peter Dennis, Tom Beckett, Luigi Amodeo, J.D. Hinton, Leo Gordon, Stephen Caffrey, Lew Horn, Mitchell Group, and many others co-star in this episode.  Also look for a young Doug Jones who has a bit role earlier in his career.  This particular episode does not involve the action the known movies have but is a pretty fun look at the world of Hollywood where the fictional character of Indy gets put into.  For me, it was also cool to see Allison Smith who was kind of a childhood crush for me in a couple short-lived tv shows I liked.  This was a pretty popular series in the '90s that involved episodes that were usually about 90 minutes long.

The Planters (2019):  Alexandra Kotcheff and Hannah Leder co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred this independent film.  Kotcheff stars as the socially awkward Martha Plant who works as a telemarketer and has a "planting business".  She meets and takes in a woman named Sadie who has multiple personality disorder which really tests the patience of Martha.  Pepe Serna, Phil Parolisi, Jovan Adepo, Lisa London, Ted Kotcheff, Christina K. Moore, Ellen Gerstein, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a pretty creative and funny effort out of the team of Kotcheff and Leder.  This is mostly driven by the characters including the three personalities of Sadie.  This unknown gem is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Goldimouse and the Three Cats (1960):  This is my animated short for the week which comes from Looney Tunes which features Sylvester the Cat, voiced by the iconic Mel Blanc who also voices Junior.  Sylvester also has a wife and son in this one.  This is an obvious parody to the story of GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS except this one has a mouse eating the porridge of the three cats and Junior determined to eat the mouse and his dad doing what he can to catch the mouse unsuccessfully.  This was very funny, Junior has a few he was featured in and I don't know how much the character of Ma Cat was featured.  This is available to watch on HBO Max as part of the Looney Tunes series.

Come and Get It (1936):  Howard Hawks and William Wyler directed this film based on the novel by Edna Ferber.  Edward Arnold stars as Barney Glasgow who starts out as a lumberman but gets a great job he cannot refuse even if it means leaving his love Lotta Morgan, played by Frances Farmer, to marry Emma Louise, played by Mary Nash, to secure a partnership.  A couple decades later, Barney has a wife and kids along with a successful business.  Barney returns to find that Lotta has died but has a daughter, also played by Farmer, who he becomes smitten with.  Joel McCrea, Walter Brennan, Mady Christians, Andrea Leeds, Frank Shields, Edwin Maxwell, Cecil Cunningham, Charles Halton, and many others co-star in this film.  There are a lot of stories on the two credited directors which are rather interesting.  Brennan won the very first Best Supporting Actor award in the first annual Academy Awards. Farmer was also good in her dual role and her story is a very interesting one in of itself to the point a movie was made which stars Jessica Lange as Frances Farmer in the 1982 biopic FRANCES.  This is probably her most known film and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Look Back in Anger (1959):  Long before Oasis told us not to look back in anger, Tony Richardson directed this film that actually wants us to look back in anger and is based on a play by John Osborne.  Richard Burton stars as the loud and obnoxious Jimmy Porter who is just angry at the world around him.  Mary Ure co-stars as his wife Alison is on the other end of his temper.  Claire Bloom, Edith Evans, Gary Raymond, Glen Byam Shaw, Donald Pleasence, and many others co-star in this film.  This has a very interesting review of "the audience was jolted as if they'd been sitting for two hours in an electric chair" which apparently described the play.  While I did not feel I was being electrocuted, this was a pretty compelling film.  This was also part of a short lived period of a British Cultural movement which was referred to as "Kitchen Sink Realism" which mostly happened in the late '50s into the '60s which this kind of being the start of it.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

On the Bowery (1956):  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Lionel Rogosin.  This was a New York neighborhood populated largely by the down and out and largely by transients.  Many have a hard time finding work or just won't work while many resorting to alcohol.  This is a very well shot documentary for this era and is kind of a pioneering documentary which is partly scripted of some real events that happened.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and is worth a look.

A Taxi Driver (2017):  This is not that Scorsese movie which is one of my favorites nor is this any sort of remake.  This is my South Korean film for the week which was directed by Hun Jang.  Kang-Ho Song stars as widowed father Kim Man-Seob who works as a taxi driver and is able to get a ride that he learns will have more money.  He takes a German reporter named Jurgen, played by Thomas Kretschmann, from Seoul to Gwangju to cover the Gwangju Uprising of 1980 not really knowing what he was getting into.  Kim comes to regret his decision when he sees all the violence around him.  This is based on a true story, even the events that happened as well as the people portrayed in this film.  I was not aware of these times and this was very eye-opening.  While it is hard to watch at times, it is also a rather touching film of doing the right thing and the sacrifices people were willing to make.  This one really had me in tears in the end.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

A Shot in the Dark (1964):  This is part three of my Peter Sellers trilogy.  Blake Edwards directed this PINK PANTHER sequel which is based on a play by Harry Kurnitz.  Sellers reprised his role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau where the inept detective must investigate murders happening at a country estate.  Elke Sommer, George Sanders, Herbert Lom, Tracy Reed, Graham Stark, Moira Redmond, Vonda Godsell, Maurice Kaufmann, Ann Lynn, David Lodge, Andre Maranne, Martin Benson, Burt Kwouk, and many others co-star in this film.  This delivers a lot of funny moments and I like this more than I do PINK PANTHER.  This is also the only one of the franchise to be a murder mystery whereas others had lighter tones.  I also liked the music score from Henry Mancini that its predecessor that he also wrote and is far more known.  This comedy and the rest of the franchise is available to watch on HBO Max.

Wind (2019):  I end the week with this Pixar animation short that is part of Sparkshorts and directed by Edwin Chang.  This centers around a grandmother, voiced by Sonoko Konishi, and her grandson, voiced by Emilio Fuentes, and are living in a sinkhole surrounded by massive winds.  As they scavenge falling debris, they look for a better life in this magical realism story.  The Sparkshorts are a group of independent animation shorts produced by Pixar Animation Studios.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus as well as the short shorts from Sparkshorts.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes John C. Reilly, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 821st Edition

Welcome to the 821st Edition of my series.  I am preparing myself for week one of this year and hoping for a big season out of my 49ers and my fantasy team.  Last Thursday was a bad start in fantasy so I hope to bounce back soon.  I will get on with my selections and see the bottom for Clue.

Manny (2014):  I start the week off with this documentary which was directed by Leon Gast and Ryan Moore.  Liam Neeson narrates this documentary on boxer Manny Pacquiao where we see his beginnings in the Philippines where he grows up with a poor but very loving family.  As a teen, he learns boxing and would do that to support his family and rise into the professional ranks.  This also takes a look at his political career.  This is a really good rags to riches documentary on this boxer and is available on Amazon Prime with ads as well as other free streaming services that have ads. 

The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008):  This is part five of my five-part David Strathairn series.  Mark Waters directed this film based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.  Helen Grace, played by Mary-Louise Parker, brings her kids Jared, Simon, both played by Freddie Highmore, and Mallory, played by Sarah Bolger, to a much smaller town.  As the kids try to adjust, they come upon an alternate world that consists of fairies and other creatures.  Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright, Seth Rogen, Martin Short, Ron Perlman, and many others co-star in human form or provide voices to the creatures.  I know there are books on this so I have no way of judging the movie on account of them.  For me, it was a pretty fun fantasy film that is watchable for the family.  

Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time (2020):  I decided to return to Hungary after last week.  Lili Horvat wrote and directed romantic drama.  Natasa Stork stars as Vizy Marta who is a neurosurgeon abandoning the American life and returning to her country of Budapest to start a new life with a man named Drexler Janos, played Victor Bodo.  Janos claims to not know her making Marta's plans change.  Benett Vilmanyi, Andor Lukats, Linda Moshier, and many others co-star in this Hungarian film.  This is a pretty compelling film with a great performance from Stork.  It is far more than just a romance and is kind of a character study on Vizy Marta.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Gallopin' Gals (1940):  This is my animated short for the week.  A young Joseph Barbera and William Hanna directed this MGM short years before they would form a very successful animation studio for themselves.  This takes place in the world of horse racing where much of the female horses preparing for the upcoming horse race.  This is a pretty clever animation short from this era and good to see early work from Hanna-Barbera before they would go onto create some of their iconic characters.

Red-Headed Woman (1932):  Jack Conway directed this pre-code film based on the novel by Katharine Brush.  Jean Harlow stars as Lillian who works for a company and seduces her boss Bill, played by Chester Morris, while managing to break up his marriage with Irene, played by Leila Hyams.  It still ends up being a dysfunctional relations has Lillian is shunned by society.  Lewis Stone, Una Merkel, Henry Stephenson, May Robson, Charles Boyer, Harvey Clark, and many others star in this film.  This is a rather controversial film and taboo topic for its time.  This is an interesting tale of morality and is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.  

Murder By Death (1976):  This is part two of my Peter Sellers trilogy where he plays Japanese detective Sydney Wang which is a parody of Charlie Chan.  Robert Moore directed this comedy which was written by Neil Simon.  Truman Capote in a rare film appearance stars as the wealthy Lionel Twain who invites the the greatest literary detectives with a "dinner and murder" invitation.  The detectives are Sidney Wang, played by Peter Sellers, Sam Diamond, played by Peter Falk, Jessica Marbles, played by Elsa Lanchester, Milo Perrier, played by James Coco, and Dick and Dora Charleston, played by David Niven and Maggie Smith.  Alec Guinness, Eileen Brennan, Nancy Walker, Estelle Winwood, James Cromwell, Richard Narita, and many others co-star in this murder mystery comedy.  This is a send up of some of the classic murder mystery novels and has kind of a CLUE sort of feel to it as there is a very similar premise thought I guess that is the other way around since the movie of it came out after.  This is a pretty fun murder mystery with lots of twists and turns.

Carny (1980):  Robert Kaylor directed this carnival tale and co-wrote with Phoebe Kaylor and the Band member Robbie Robertson.  A young Jodie Foster stars as Donna who is bored in her small town and when the carnival comes into town, she becomes fascinated by hustlers Frankie and Patch, played by Gary Busey and Robbie Robertson.  She decides to go out on the road with them and learns a lot along the way.  Meg Foster, Kenneth McMillan, Elisha Cook Jr., Tim Thomerson, Teddy Wilson, Bill McKinney, and many others co-star in this carnival film.  This was Gary Busey before he became our modern-day Socrates.  It was also cool seeing Robertson in a movie as I am a pretty big fan of his solo music.  I learned about this movie when listening to the wrestling podcast SOMETHING TO WRESTLE WITH BRUCE PRICHARD in which Bruce's brother Tom advised him to watch this when they were younger.  This is a very underrated film that really deserves a look.

Three Came Home (1950):  Jean Negulesco directed this film which is based on the novel by Agnes Newton Keith, played by Claudette Colbert.  Keith is an author imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp while having to care for her young son George, played by Mark Keunig, and being separated by her husband Harry, played by Knowles. Florence Desmond, Sessue Hayakawa, Mark Keuning, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not always easy to watch and really conveys the price of war for everyone.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital and was really worth checking out.

The Wrestler (1974):  This is my wrestling comedy for the week and much different than that Mickey Rourke movie many years later that shares the same title.  I did not originally intend this bu this is my homage to Edward Asner who recently left us.  James Westman directed this wrestling comedy where Asner stars as promoter Frank Bass who looks to take a stand against gamblers and mobsters.  Wrestling legend Verne Gagne stars in this movie as Mike Bullard which was essentially just him playing Verne Gagne under another name.  Elaine Giftos, Billy Robinson, Don Muraco, Danny Hodge, Dick the Bruiser, the Crusher, Dan Gable, Vincent J. McMahon, Dusty Rhodes Dick Murdoch, Wahoo McDaniel, Nick Bockwinkel, Superstar Billy Graham, Sarah Miller, Ric Flair, Ray Stevens, Greg Gagne, Eddie Graham, Larry Hennig, Wilbur Snyder, Ken Patera, Jim Brunzell, and many others co-star or make cameos as themselves.  This is mostly something that will be enjoyed most by wrestling fans and most notably fans of the AWA.  Murdoch and Rhodes have some pretty amusing bar scenes.  Notice the Vince McMahon is the current WWE chairman's father who ran WWWF at the time in a cameo scene involving promoters.  I found this on Youtube and is fun if you're a wrestling fan or at least was at one time.

The Bookshop (2017):  Isabel Coixet directed this film based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald.  This takes place in 1959 England in a small East Anglian town.  Emily Mortimer stars as Florence Green who decides to start a bookshop despite local opposition which is mainly from local grand dame Violet Gamart, played by Patricia Clarkson.  Bill Nighy co-stars as Florence's biggest supporter Edmund Brundish.  Hunter Tremayne, Honor Kneafsey, Michael Fitzgerald, Frances Barber, Reg Wilson, James Lance, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good film that is surrounded by a local community and the perseverance to keep an unlikely thing going.  Classic book lovers will also really like this one.  

Well, that is it for this week but I do have a debut segment of "Lishin' Out at the Movies".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Mickey Rourke, and many others.

LISHIN' OUT AT THE MOVIES

This is a new segment with my friend Alisha where we sat down on her couch and went through Amazon Prime to find us some bad movies where we agreed to this double feature with lots of laughs.  We also had occasional wtf looks from her roommate Brett who would walk in from time to time.

The VelociPastor (2018):  Brandon Steere wrote and directed this horror comedy.  Greg Cohan stars as Father Doug Jones who after losing his parents, travels to China where somehow he inherits a power to turn into a dinosaur.  When a hooker named Carol, played by Alyssa Kempinski, discovers this, she convinces him to fight crime and some ninjas.  Claire Hsu, Nicholas M. Garofolo, Jesse Turits, Aurelio Voltaire, and many others co-star in this B-Movie.  I don't think there is much else to explain here.  This may not be very good but it was good as Alisha and I got a lot of laughs out of this one doing our own little MST3K. 

Llamageddon (2015):  Howie Dewin directed this movie which as far as I know is the first movie about a killer llama, played by Louie the Llama.  This centers around a big party where a llama from outer space starts wreaking havoc with things like its laser eyes. Dany Ambassa, Pinki Brainweis, L. Lean Burnside, E.B. Buxxner, James Earl Cox III, and many others co-star in the greatest killer llama movie ever made.  This was the one where Brett would walk in on the most with his wtf looks.  Ambassa displays quite the gift on changing shirts.  This was a college project that got off the ground and did win over Amazon Prime to get it featured on there.  We might need us a sequel soon.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 820th Edition

Welcome to the 820th edition of my series.  I'm excited that the real season of the NFL starts on Thursday.  Last year, I kind of took a year but I'm ready for this year.  I have by Fantasy team together and here we go.  I have a photo of my show at the end so come on out for for CLUE in Marion.  I will now get on with my selections for 

Manglehorn (2014):  David Gordon Green directed this film that was written by Paul Brad Logan.  Al Pacino stars as A.J. Manglehorn who has not moved on from the death of his wife and has mostly shut himself off from the world with his best friend mostly being his cat.  He takes to bank teller Dawn, played by Holly Hunter, who might be able to bring him out of his shell. Harmony Korine, Chris Messina, Marisa Varela, and many others co-star in this film.  Korine is known more as a director, most notably GUMMO, and does really good in this movie.  This is a character study to the core and I seem to have a lot of those in this edition.  Pacino and Hunter carry this movie very well and is one that really deserves a look.

A Night at the Movies (1937):  This is my comedy short for the week which is a Robert Benchley short.  This shows Benchley and his wife going to the movie theater and it being not so great of time.  The things happening also lead to some pretty good comedic moments like having a hard time seeing being blocked by the person in front of him.  

The Mouse that Roared (1959):  This is part one of a possible Peter Sellers trilogy.  Jack Arnold directed this comedy which is based on the book by Leonard Wibberley.  This centers around a struggling small country that schemes to start a war with the United States with the intention of a surrender that they would get a lot of money from the United States.  Things don't go quite as planned leading to some really funny moments.  Sellers plays three different roles in Grand Duchess Gloriana XII, Prime Minister Count Rupert of Mountjoy, and Tully Bascombe.  Keep in mind this was years before he would do this in DOCTOR STRANGELOVE.  Jean Seberg, William Hartnell, David Kossoff, Leo McKern, Austin Willis, Timothy Bateson, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Sellers is great in this comedy bringing something totally different to each character.  This is a great comedy that could make a really good feature of the other mentioned Peter Sellers comedy.

Passion Fish (1992):  This is part four of my five-part David Strathairn series.  John Sayles wrote and directed this character study.  Mary McDonnell stars as former soap opera star May-Alice Culhane who is now a paraplegic and struggles both mentally and emotionally.  Alfre Woodard co-stars as Chantelle who is assigned as May-Alice's nurse and has struggles of her own as they are able to help each other through their respective struggles.  Angela Bassett, Lenore Banks, Michael Mantell, Maggie Renzi, Marianne Muellerleile, Amanda Carlin, David Strathairn, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Leo Burmester, Mary Portser, Nora Dunn, Tom Wright, Sheila Kelley, Nancy Mette, Michael Laskin, and many others co-star in this character driven film.  This is a very well shot film being in Louisiana community and was a well-done script with well-written character and good performances.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Johnny Corncob (1973):  This is my Hungarian film for the week and might be the first time I have ever visited that country.  Marcell Jankovics directed this animated film based on a poem by Sandor Petofi.  This shows a young man named Jancsi, voiced by Gyorgy Cserhalmi, going through life through the years in some epic adventures involving love, war, magic, and death while longing to be reunited with the woman he loves.  This is the first feature animated movie from Hungary.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel under its Hungarian title JANOS VITEZ and is a pretty compelling animated film that has go onto be quite unknown but maybe this will help it get some exposure.

The Cut (2014):  Fatih Akin directed and co-wrote this film that takes place around the early 1900s.  Tahar Rahim starsa as Nazaret who survived genocidal murders during the Ottoman Empire but has lost everything including his family and even his voice.  He learns that his twin daughters might be alive so he sets out to find them however he can going to multiple countries in his search.  Simon Abkarian, Makram Khoury, Hindi Zahra, Kevork Malikyan, Bartu Kucukcaglayan, Trine Dyrholm, Arsinee Khanjian, Akin Gazi, Arevik Martirosyan, Lara Heller, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty sad but moving film with Rahim carrying the movie throughout.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

Money From Home (1953):  Now I bring some more comedy.  George Marshall directed this film that stars the Martin and Lewis comedy duo.  Dean Martin stars as Herman who has a lot of gambling debts and they are not showing much compassion.  He tricks his animal loving cousin Virgil, played by Jerry Lewis, into helping him to fix a horse race.  Marjie Millar, Pat Crowley, Richard Haydn, Robert Strauss, Gerald Mohr, Sheldon Leonard, Romo Vincent, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is pretty fun mobster comedy with a comedy team that works well being as different as they are.  If you like this duo, this should be pretty good.

Moonlight (2016):  Barry Jenkins directed this film which is based on an unpublished play by Tarell Alvin McCraney.  This movie takes place over three chapters which centers around the character of Chiron in three different time periods, played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes.  Through the years we see him struggle with his sexuality, his identity and having a drug addicted mother.  Mahershala Ali co-stars as Juan who along with his wife Teresa, played by Janelle Monae, are parental figures to Chiron which is own mother Paula, played by Naomie Harris, could not be one.  Shariff Earp, Duan Sanderson, Alex Hibbert, Jaden Piner, Edson Jean, Jharrel Jerome, Andre Holland, and many others co-star in this film.  Ali is the standout in this movie in my opinion.  This is a good look at a young black man in the bad part of Miami trying to get by in life.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977):  This is my second animation selection for the week which is far more known than my other selection.  John Lounsbery and Wolfgang Reitherman directed this animated movie based on the characters by A.A. Milne.  As the title implies, this has some multiple selections that feature our friends at the 100 Acre Wood that includes Winnie the Pooh and all his eccentric friends.  Sebastian Cabot, Barbara Luddy, Howard Morris, John Fiedler, Ralph Wright, Hal Smith, Clint Howard, Sterling Holloway, Paul Winchell, Bruce Reitherman, Jon Walmsley, and many others provide their voices to these characters.  This also has some music numbers written by Richard and Robert Sherman.  This is a lot of fun for the family to hang out with our beloved friends.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Rabbit Hunters (2020):  I end the week with this short film which was written and directed by Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, and Guy Maddin.  Isabella Rossellini stars in this short as the legendary Federico Fellini which is essentially a dream sequence.  This is very Felliniesque for a lack of a better word so those not very familiar with Fellini might want to look into his work first to appreciate this homage.  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 Liam Neeson, Seth Rogen, and many others.