Welcome to the 851st Edition of my series. I know I'm later than usual, I have just been busy today. Part of this is due to the filming of a movie I am in called SHE. It's sure to be very good and I will look to keep everyone posted as time goes on. I would also like to announce that I will be a guest on the next TOM CHERRY'S OLD TIME RADIO SHOW on April 23rd. This is a group in Farmland, Indiana that pays homage to the old time radio. This will be at the Farmland Cultural Center at 3 pm so anyone in or near the area, come on out. It only costs a dollar to get in, a dollar for some old fashioned entertainment. I will now get on with my selections for the week.
Les Miserables (2018): I start the week out with this mini-series which was directed by Tom Shankland and based on the novel by Victor Hugo. Dominic West stars as Jean ValJean who is paroled after 19 years of hard labor and must break his parole to start a new life. Always on his trail is the obsessive police officer Javert, played by David Oyelowo, whose view of the law is very black and white. Valjean through the years must evade the law to keep the promise of a dying Fantine, played by Lilly Collins, to raise her daughter Cosette, played by Ellie Bamber. Adeel Akhtar, David Bradley, Emma Fielding, Olivia Colman, Enzo Cilenti, Josh O'Connor, Joseph Quinn, Erin Kellyman, Archie Madekwe, Turlough Convery, Natalie Simpson, Donald Sumpter, and many others co-star in this mini-series. There is no singing in this version. This is based on a very long novel so most of the movies and the musical follow a similar formula of the events. This is a six episode mini-series which goes more in-depth with some of the other characters. This has a great look at the post-Napoleonic France period this takes place in. This is available on Amazon Prime with a subscription of PBS Masterpiece.
Blue Valentine (2010): Derek Cianfrance co-wrote and directed this film of a marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star as married couple Dean and Cindy Pereira which goes back and forth between two periods of when they first met and in the modern-day where they have a daughter named Frankie, played by Faith Wladyka. This shows the effects of personal and professional struggle and how it effects their marriage. John Doman, Mike Vogel, Maryann Plunkett, Ben Shenkman, Enid Graham, Tamara Torres, Michelle Nagy, and many others co-star in this film. This was a good look at a struggling marriage with Gosling and Williams working well together and some clever things Cianfrance did to create tensions between each other.
Three Identical Strangers (2018): Tim Wardle directed this documentary. This takes place in New York of 1980 where three 19 year old strangers named Edward Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafron learn they are triplets. They experience a 15 minutes of fame with the media where they are on cloud nine but as time goes on, they learn more about what happened that they all got adopted separately. This is a very surreal story to say the least and has really stuck with me. I was not aware of this story until now and words just can't describe this story of real-life twists and turns in a story that would seem like fiction. It is really best to watch this unfold with as little knowledge as possible, at least if you don't know the situation. A really good double feature would be to have this and the documentary THE IMPOSTER.
Just Plane Beep (1965): This is my animated short for the week which feature Wile E. Coyote and Road runner. Wile E. Coyote tries to put together a plane in his pursuit of Road Runner. I continue my theory that Road Runner is a figment of Wile's imagination.
Marihuana (1936): Most of us know about REEFER MADNESS which was one of the many drug propaganda movies from this era. Just a little before that cult classic, though in the same year, came this movie about that horrible drug at this time apparently was spelled with an H instead of a J. A young girl at a beach party succumbs to marijuana which apparently lead to her pregnancy. In trying to get married, she becomes a dope pusher to get the money needed. This is B-movie to the core and a perfect movie for the RIFFTRAX guys to cover, maybe have a special night of this and REEFER MADNESS as a double feature. The cover looks funny but was very serious at the time. This is available to watch on imdb tv.
Shadows (1958): John Cassavetes wrote and directed this film on social situations in Beat-Era New York. A lot of it centers around racial situations as well. Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni, and Hugh Hurd star as biracial siblings whose skin tones vary a bit making it easier for some and more difficult for others. Anthony Ray, Tom Reese, and many others co-star in this film. This is more of a character driven film and is very early in the career of Cassavetes and his first feature. This film is also driven by a really good Jazz score, most of which by Charles Mingus. This is available to watch on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.
Pig (2021): This is part two of a possible five-part Nicolas Cage series. Michael Sarnoski directed and co-wrote this film. Cage stars as Rob, who was at one point a successful chef but lives as a recluse now as a truffle hunter in the middle of nowhere. He does have a companion in life which is a pig as the title infers and the pig gets kidnapped. He sets out with the help of his uneasy business partner Amir, played by Alex Wolff, to find his pig and must confront his past to do so. Adam Arkin, Cassandra Violet Julia Bray, Elijah Ungvary, Gretchen Corbett, Sean Tarjyoto, Darius Pierce, and many others co-star in this film. This seems like a rather absurd plot but as strange as it sounds, only Nicolas Cage could make this work as much as we might make a joke out of him at times. This film is oddly compelling and Cage rises to the occasion in my opinion. This is available to watch on Hulu.
Trapped (1949): Richard Fleischer directed this film that pays homage to the United States Treasury Department. Lloyd Bridges stars as Tris Stewart who is in prison for counterfeiting. The Secret Service make a deal for early parole in return for his help to recover some bogus moneymaking plates. Stewart may have other ideas in mind. Barbara Payton, John Hoyt, Russ Conway, Robert Karnes, and many others co-star in this film. This is a good look at the world of counterfeiting. It is also a pretty entertaining movie that was considered a B-movie of that era. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel. It is also available on Epix as well as streaming apps like Plex, Tubi, and Pluto TV.
Sugar Hill (1974): This is my Blaxploitation selection for the week which was directed by Paul Maslansky. Marki Bey stars as the title character whose boyfriend is murdered by gangsters. She takes revenge, and I suppose justice, to a whole new level when she enlists the voodoo queen Mama Maitresse, played by Zara Cully. The Lord of the Dead Baron Samedi, played by Don Pedro Colley, does Sugar's bidding with the help of a zombie army. Robert Quarry, Betty Anne Rees, Richard Lawson, Charles Robinson, and many others co-star in this Blaxploitation film. For those that do not know the Blaxploitation era, I would suggest doing some research first as most of these would probably not fly today but is still a significant part of the film industry. There is a lot of reverse racism and stereotyping in these movies including this one. Colley clearly has a lot of fun as Baron Samedi and is a more unknown entry into the zombie genre. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and on AMC + with a Prime subscription. It is also available to watch on Pluto TV.
Grace of My Heart (1996): Allison Anders wrote and directed this film on the music industry in the late '50s to the '60s. Illeana Douglas stars as Philadelphia girl Edna Buxton who wins a contract in a local competition for a recording contract. She goes to New York in hopes of becoming a singer but ends up writing the songs for others while still longing to make an album. John Turturro, Jennifer Leigh Warren, Eric Stoltz, Bruce Davison, Matt Dillon, Patsy Kensit, Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda, Lucinda Jenney, Christina Pickles, Tracy Vilar, Shawn Colvin, Jill Sobule, and many others co-star in this film. This takes a look at all the ups and downs of someone in the movie industry both professionally and personally. This has a lot of good performances and a good homage to the music industry of this era which I hope to get it on the radar.
Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my segment "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville". Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Nicolas Cage, Charles Chaplin, Bette Davis, Jamie Lee Curtis, and many others.
MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE
Resident Evil (2002): I went over to Stephanie's house and she insisted on watching the start of this franchise, especially learning that I had not seen any of these movies. This is the start of the movie franchise that is based on the popular video game series. Paul W.S. Anderson directed this entry of the series. A virus gets out in a secret facility called "The Hive" and turns people into zombies. Milla Jovovich stars as Alice who is suffering from amnesia due to exposure to the gas. She helps an elite military group as her memories slowly come back. Michelle Rodriguez, Ryan McCluskey, Indra Ove, Anna Bolt, Joseph May, Heike Makatsch, Jaymes Butler, Stephen Billington, Fiona Glascott, Eric Mabius, Colin Salmon, Martin Crewes, Pasquale Aleardi, Jason Isaacs, and many others co-star in this film. This is the start to a very popular franchise. This has a lot of action and gore and is really worth a look. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
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