Welcome to the 843rd edition of my series. As most of us know, tonight is the Super Bowl. I am one of the few that watch it for the football. I am looking forward to the halftime show and I'm sure I'll enjoy some commercials but football is the most important part. I am a little sad that my team the 49ers fell short last week against the Rams. They beat the Rams twice in the regular season but unfortunately third time was a charm for the Rams. Tonight, I root for the Bengals but a close game will be good enough as well. I also learned this week that I am going to need to look for another vehicle as the repairs that my van need are beyond being sensible to get repaired. It's been good to me but I must let my friend go. I am still in rehearsals for MURDER AT CAFE NOIR. This is fixing to be a really fun show and hope people will come check it out. I will shut up now and get on with my selections.
Batman (1989): This is part three of my Michael Keaton trilogy where in the first two selections, he played the villains and now he is the hero. Tim Burton directed this superhero film which stars Michael Keaton as the caped crusader Batman aka Bruce Wayne. Jack Nicholson stars as the maniacal Joker and has a lot of fun with that role. Kim Basinger co-stars as reporter Vicki Vale who is out to do a story on Batman and has a relationship with Bruce Wayne in the process. Billy Dee Williams co-stars as district attorney Harvey Dent who we know as Two-Face. Apparently, had Burton continued the franchise, we would have seen Williams as Two-Face but everything was scrapped when Burton left, or got fired I really don't know. Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Michael Gough, Jack Palance, Jerry Hall, Tracey Walter, Lee Wallace, William Hootkins, and many others co-star in this superhero film. This was a pretty groundbreaking superhero film where for the first time we see a darker take toward Batman. This would give way to the very popular animated series. Prince's soundtrack in the movie would also play a significant part and it was a co-star in and of itself. This is available to watch on Hulu.
Born to be Blue (2015): This is my music biopic for the week which was directed by Robert Budreau. Ethan Hawke stars as jazz legend Chet Baker who agrees to play himself in a movie about himself. He forms a relationship with his co-star Jane, played by Carmen Ejojo, who tries to help him with a comeback despite his drug problems. Callum Keith Rennie, Tony Nappo, Stephen McHattie, Janet-Laine Green, Dan Lett, Kedar Brown, Kevin Hanchard, Tony Nardi, Barbara Mamabolo, Charles Officer, Katie Boland, Janine Theriault, Joe Cobden, Natassia Halabi, Barbara Eve Harris, Eugene Clark, and many others co-star in this film. This has been described as "semi-factual, semi-fictional" and as a re-imagining of a comeback for Chet Baker. Hawke plays Baker very well and is a good film centered around the jazz world. This is available to watch on IFC Films Unlimited and AMC + subscriptions with Amazon Prime.
White Boy Rick (2018): I follow the week with another film based on a true story in Detroit which was directed by Yann Demange. Matthew McConaughey and Richie Merritt star Richard Wershe Sr. and Richard Wershe Jr. who do what they can to survive. Richard Jr. becomes an undercover informant of the FBI and would later deal drugs for them and would ultimately be betrayed by his handlers. Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Taylour Paige, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very dark and gritty story of an extremely dysfunctional family. Behind all of that is also a rather moving film. This is available to watch on Tubi.
Boat Builders (1938): This is my animated short for the week. This consists of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy trying to work together to make a boat where the instructions say "so simple a child can do it", but the trio runs into all kinds of problems trying to put it together. I think everyone can just imaging Mickey, Donald, and Goofy trying to work together and how funny that would be. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Finger of Guilt (1956): Joseph Losey and Alec C. Snowden directed this Film Noir that centers in Hollywood. Richard Basehart stars as film editor Reggie Wilson who seems happily married to Lesley, played by Faith Brook. He starts to get intimate letters from another woman claiming they had a past and he claims to not know her. Constance Cummings, Roger Livesey, Mervyn Johns, and many others co-star in this Film Noir. This is hard to describe any further as I might give a lot away. It is a very compelling story with a nice twist. This is available to watch on Prime.
The Poseidon Adventure (1972): This is my disaster movie for the week which was directed by Ronald Neame and based on the novel by Paul Gallico. This centers around a cruise ship that is flipping over leaving a group of people to fight for survival and each other at times. Gene Hackman leads the crew as Reverend Scott who is a preacher that does more than just preach. Joining him are Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowell, Stella Stevens, Jack Albertson, Pamela Sue Martin, and Eric Shea. Leslie Nielsen also co-stars as the Captain of the ship. This is a guilty pleasure in some ways but it is also a good action film. It also has some fun characters that must band together no matter how much they don't get along. This is ranked as one of the best disaster movies and is available to watch on HBO Max.
Don't Look Up (2021): I finally decided to give this one a look that is based on truly possible events and was directed by Adam McCay. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence star as astronomers Dr. Randall Mindy and Kate Dibiasky who come across a very deadly comet that will destroy Earth. They try to convey this information but cannot get anyone to listen as everyone obsesses with themselves through the social media. Meryl Streep co-stars as the corrupt President Orlean whose only concern is reelection and has her own son Jason, played by Jonah Hill, as her chief of staff. Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothee Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, Michael Chiklis, Tomer Sisley, Paul Guifoyle, Robert Joy, Jack Alberts, Ting, Lance A. Williams, Shimali De Silva, Hettienne Park, Rafael Silva, Liev Schreiber, Sarah Silverman, Jon Glaser, and many others co-star in this film. Schreiber has a voiceover role in this movie. This is satire of media obsession and most notably the social media where we must get all the likes possible. This is really funny and a bit alarming. This reminds us we need to live in the real world more. This is available to watch on Netflix.
El Dorado (1966): This is my western for the week and part one of a possible Robert Mitchum trilogy. Howard Hawks directed this western based on the novel by Harry Brown. John Wayne stars as Cole Thornton who is a gunfighter for hire and joins forces with his old friend Sheriff J.P. Harrah to take on corrupt rancher Bart Jason, played by a young Ed Asner. A young James Caan co-stars as Mississippi who is a younger gunfighter helping out Wayne and Mitchum. Charlene Holt, Paul Fix, Arthur Hunnicutt, Michele Carey, R.G. Armstrong, Christopher George, Marina Ghane, Robert Donner, John Gabriel, Johnny Crawford, Robert Rothwell, Adam Roarke and many others co-star in this western. This has some really great action and is very fun. Caan is great in his early role of Mississippi and works well with Wayne and Mitchum. This is available to watch on Hulu and Paramount Plus.
All That Heaven Allows (1955): Douglas Sirk directed this love story of people in different societies of class falling in love. Jane Wyman co-stars as the widowed Cary Scott who lives an upper-class life. Rock Hudson stars as Ron Kirby who owns a nursery and trims Cary's trees in the spring. They meet and fall in love and people in Cary's, including her grown kids, life object to her falling in love with someone that does not fit in well in their world. Agnes Moorehead, Conrad Nagel, Virginia Grey, Gloria Talbott, William Reynolds, Charles Drake, Hayden Rorke, Jacqueline deWit, Leigh Snowden, Donald Curtis, Alex Gerry, Nestor Paiva, Forrest Lewis, Tol Avery, and many others co-star in this film. This takes us to some very deep emotional levels and hits us at every feel. This is a great look at the importance of going with your heart.
The Ledge (2011): Matthew Chapman wrote and directed this Neo-Noir. Charlie Hunnam stars as Gavin Nichols who meets his neighbors Joe and Shana Harris played by Patrick Wilson and Liv Tyler. Joe is a fundamentalist Christian and Gavin and Shana start to have an affair. Joe then goes to extreme measures in his vengeance. Terrence Howard co-stars as Detective Hollis Lucetti who tries to help the situation. Jacqueline Fleming, Christopher Gorham, Maxine Greco, Geraldine Singer, Dean J. West, Jillian Batherson, Mike Pniewski, Katia Gomez, and many others co-star in this thriller. This is a very intense film to say the least. Wilson was very good as a subtle villain. There is just no other way to describe this except to say it is availalbe to watch on IFC Films and AMC+ with a subscription to Prime.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Rachel Weisz, Jean Renoir, Katherine Hepburn, and many others.
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