Welcome to the 847th edition of my series. I go an hour into the future as we fall victim to Daylight Savings Time once again. This needs to be abolished but enough on that for now. We had our first weekend of MURDER AT CAFE NOIR this weekend and have one more this weekend at 4 pm and one more weekend next weekend. It has been very well received and more can make it out. Tickets are $15 and can be obtained through https://pulseoperahouse.org/ or by calling 260-375-7017. I will get on with my selections for the week.
Stealing Beauty (1996): This is part four of my five-part Rachel Weisz series. Bernardo Bertolucci directed and co-wrote this film that is mostly a coming of age story and a love story in some ways. Liv Tyler stars as young adult Lucy who travels to Italy where she stays in a place where her late mother had a connection and is looking for love, truth and a deeper connection with herself. Jeremy Irons, Sinead Cusack, Joseph Fiennes, Jason Flemying, Jean Marais, Donal McCann, D.W. Moffett, Ignazio Oliva, Stefania Sandrelli, Francesco Sicilliano, and many others co-star in this film. This film is a work of art which will make some really like it and some not such much. Tyler is stunning in many ways and is perfect for her role where she gets to know herself more. This is also her first leading role in her career. There is some great interaction between her and Irons.
Tom of Finland (2017): Dome Karukoski directed this biographical film on Finnish artist Touko Valio Laaksonen who is better known as his pseudonym Tom of Finland. Pekka Strang stars as the title character who was in WWII and would become known for his controversial art that emphasized gay pornography, a lot of which was exaggerated. It was hard enough for him to be a gay man but did become a very respected member of the LGBT community. Seumas F. Sargent, Lauri Tilkanen, Taisto Oksanen, Jessica Grabowski, Sliim Maaten, Leif Edlund, Niklas Hogner, and many others co-star in this biographical film. I had never heard of this person before I saw this movie. I can see how he is very significant to the LGBT community. This is a good look at the controversial artist and who he was as a man. This is available on Amazon Prime with a subscription to Dekkoo.
Thor: Ragnorak (2017): This is part four of my four-part Anthony Hopkins series where he reprises his role of Thor's father Odin. This is also part one of a possible Mark Ruffalo trilogy. Taika Waititi directed this superhero film which is the fourth in the series. Thor is imprisoned on the island of Sakaar and must escape from that planet to get back to Asgard where the evil Hela, played by Cate Blanchett, is trying to destroy it. With the help of the Hulk, played by Ruffalo, Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson, and Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, he is able to escape in hopes of saving Asgard. Jeff Goldblum, Idris Elba, Karl Urban, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel House, Clancy Brown, Tadanobu Asano, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Georgia Blizzard, Amali Golden, Luke Hemsworth, Sam Neill, Charlotte Nicdao, Matt Damon, and many others co-star in this film. This is my favorite of the Thor series. This has a lot of action and is even pretty funny. I also really like the music score of Mark Mothersbaugh that went along well with the movie. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Baby Butch (1954): This is my Hanna-Barbara animated short that features our favorite cat and mouse Tom and Jerry. This features an alley cat that poses as a baby which Tom falls for and is able to raid the fridge every chance he gets. The mouse, and clearly the smarter of the cat and mouse duo, Jerry sees right through it and puts a stop to it. There are some fun gags in this short and is worth a few minutes. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Pygmalion (1938): Anthony Asquith and Leslie Howard co-direct this film based on the play by George Bernard Shaw. Howard also stars as Professor Henry Higgins who bets that he can take flower girl Eliza Doolittle, played by Wendy Hiller, from the gutters and pass her off as a proper British lady. Wilfrid Lawson, Marie Lohr, Jean Cadell, David Tree, Everley Gregg, Leueen MacGrath, Esme Percy, Violet Vanbrugh, Irene Browne, and many others co-star in this film. Years later, this would be written to be a musical in which we now know as MY FAIR LADY. This is a fun look at British class and British snobbery. This could be a good double feature to follow up with the musical version. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
The Balcony (1963): Joseph Strick directed this film based on the play by Jean Genet. Shelley Winters stars as Madame Irma who runs a brothel which satisfies the erotic fantasies of her customers. Peter Falk co-stars as the Madame's old friend who happens to be a police officer and asks her to impersonate a missing queen during a revolution and have some of her own employees to play people who have died. Lee Grant, Peter Brocco, Joyce Jameson, Jeff Corey, Ruby Dee, Leonard Nimoy, Kent Smith, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very bizarre film to say the least but is quite compelling. I am pretty sure this is the first time I have seen Falk with a mustache. It is also of worth to see a young Leonard Nimoy. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
The Fallout (2021): Megan Park wrote and directed this film of teens dealing with grief after a tragedy. Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, and Niles Fitch star in this film where they survive a high school shooting together and each have their own ways of dealing with the tragedy while forming a unique bond. Will Ropp, Lumi Pollack, Julie Bowen, Shailene Woodley, Christine Horn, Austin Zajur, Yindra Zayas, and many others co-star in this film. This is a sad but very touching film on how tragedy effects everyone directly and indirectly involved. This has unfortunately become a sad reality for many in this age. This was really worth a look and available to watch on HBO Max.
The Angry Red Planet (1959): Ib Melchior directed and co-wrote this sci-fi film. This centers around the first spaceship two Mars and only two of the four are alive. One is unconscious due to an alien growth while the other is traumatized blocking out the memories of what happened. They must soon deal with some alien retaliation. Gerald Mohr, Nora Hayden, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen, Paul Hahn, J. Edward McKinley, and many others co-star in this sci-fi movie. Melchior makes the most of his limited budget and time given to make this movie. This is good for sci-fi B-movie lovers and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
The Unforgiven (1960): This is part two of my potential Burt Lancaster trilogy. John Huston directed this western based on the novel by Alan Le May and has nothing to do with Clint Eastwood's western of the same name. This centers around the Zachary family where Lancaster stars as Ben. Tensions arise when learning of his sister Rachel, played by Audrey Hepburn, was stolen from a local Kiowa tribe. Audie Murphy, John Saxon, Charles Bickford, Lillian Gish, Albert Salmi, Joseph Wiseman, June Walker, Kipp Hamilton, and many others in this western. This is a decent and underrated western. This is Hepburn's only western of her career. This is available to watch on Prime.
The Myth of the American Sleepover (2010): I end the week with the independent film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. This is a coming of age sort of movie of a group of teens navigating through the suburban wonderland of Detroit in search of love and adventure. There is no linear plot but a few characters in fairly realistic situations. Slaire Sloma, Marlon Morton, Amanda Bauer, Brett Jacobsen, Nikita Ramsey, Jade Ramsey, and many others co-star in this film. This is something that just about anyone can relate to at some point in their lives. It also works with the relatively unknown cast. 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 which so far includes Rachel Weisz, Harvey Keitel, Anne Hathaway, Charles Laughton, Tilda Swinton, Vera Miles, and many others.
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