Welcome to the 854th edition of my series. I just got done with another film shoot of our movie SHE, I'll keep everyone up as time goes on. I don't have much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009): This is part five of my Nicolas Cage series which will likely go six or seven parts. Werner Herzog directed this crime drama which was written by William M. Finkelstein. Cage stars as Terence McDonagh who is a lieutenant with a drug and gambling problem. On top of that, he must investigate a murder while dealing with his own issues. Val Kilmer, Eva Mendez, Xzibit, Fairuza Balk, Shawn Hatosy, Jennifer Coolidge, Tom Bower, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Brad Dourif, Denzel Whitaker, Irma P. Hall, Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon, Joe Nemmers, J.D. Evermore, Gary Grubbs, and many others co-star in this film. There is a 1992 film called BAD LIEUTENANT but does is not connected to this one. This is a more underrated film for Cage and plays his part very well. This is a very intriguing film on the long-term effects of being on the job. This is available to watch on imdb tv.
The Karate Kid (1984): John G. Avildsen directed this film that was written by Robert Mark Kamen. Ralph Macchio stars as Daniel who is a teen that is moving to California with his mom. When getting there, he gets bullied by a group of martial arts kids lead by Johnny, played by William Zabka, who train at the Cobra Kai facility lead by the sadistic Kreese, played by Martin Kove in one of the most perfect castings of all time. Daniel learns that the maintenance man at the apartment complex named Mr. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita, knows martial arts and asks him to teach him. Elizabeth Shue co-stars as Daniel's love interest Ali. Randee Heller, Ron Thomas, Rob Garrison, Chad McQueen, Tony O'Dell, William Bassett, Larry B. Scott, and many others co-star in this film. This was the start of something that has been immortalized by pop culture. It had some sequels and just recently a very popular tv series COBRA KAI which retains much of the cast from the first three movies. It is also the one tv series that I will do a true binge. This is available to watch on AMC+.
Mannequin (1987): I follow with some more '80s fun. Michael Gottlieb directed and co-wrote this comedy fantasy. Andrew McCarthy stars as struggling artist Jonathan Switcher who creates a mannequin that comes to life as Emmy, played by SEX AND THE CITY alum Kim Cattrall. She can only czome to life in his presence but manages to help him make good at his job while he also falls in love with her. Estelle Getty, James Spader, G.W. Bailey, Carole Davis, Steve Vinovich, Meshach Taylor, and many others co-star in this comedy. Yes, this is a pretty absurd plot but it is one of those that could really only work in the '80s. This can be enjoyable if not taken too seriously.
A Scary Time (1960): This is my short film for the week which was directed by Shirley Clarke. This was funded by Unicef and features a group of children preparing for Halloween. It gets a lot deeper than that though when going into children in poverty and the kids just trying to make the most of their situation. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
A Night at the Opera (1935): I follow up with this classic comedy which was directed by Sam Wood. Those crazy Marx Brothers consisting of Groucho, Harpo, and Chico wreak havoc to help some friends achieve what they want at the opera. This is the first of the Marx Brothers films to not have Zeppo who wanted to work more behind the scenes. Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Walter Woolf King, Sig Ruman, Margaret Dumont, and many others co-star in this comedy. This has the usual zaniness of the Marx Brothers and some say this is their best work. This is a classic comedy team that is very significant to the world of comedy.
The Jungle Book (1942): Zoltan Korda directed this film based on the book by Rudyard Kipling. Sabu, sorry, not the homicidal, suicidal, genocidal maniac, stars as Mowgli who has been raised in the wild but tries to adapt to human society. Buldeo, played by Joseph Calleia, makes this hard for him as he goes after "beasts". John Qualen, Frank Puglia, Rosemary DeCamp, Ralph Byrd, and many others co-star in this film. Mel Blanc is uncredited as the voice of the snake Kaa Most of us know the Disney classic which is good in its own right. This has some great cinematography that holds well today. This is available on many platforms that include imdb tv, tubi, and HBO Max.
Minari (2020): Lee Isaac Chung wrote and directed this film on a Korean-American family. WALKING DEAD alum Steven Yuen stars as Jacob Yi who wants to make it on his own and moves his Korean-American family to Arkansas hoping to start a farm. Yeri Han co-stars as his skeptical wife and Noel Cho and Alan S. Kim play their children. Will Patton, Darryl Cox, Esther Moon, Ben Hall, Eric Starkey, Youn Yuh-Jung, Jacob M Wade, James Carroll, Jenny Phagan, Tina Parker, Chloe Lee, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very honest look at the struggles of a minority family in the '80s. It is also a pretty moving film and is available to watch on Showtime.
Bell Book and Candle (1958): Richard Quine directed this fantasy romantic comedy which is based on teh play by John Van Druten. Kim Novak stars as witch Gillian Holroyd living in Greenwich village. She takes a liking to her new neighbor Shep, played by James Stewart, but despises his fiance Merle, played by Janice Rule, who she has a bit of a past with. Gillian casts a spell on Shep to fall in love with her instead while also breaking a lot of witch rules. Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Hermione Gingold, Elsa Lanchester, and many others co-star in this romantic comedy. This is Stewart's last movie where he would play the romantic lead. This is partly the inspiration for the later sitcom BEWITCHED. This is pretty funny and deserves a look.
I'll Take Sweden (1965): I follow up with another comedy which was directed by Frederick De Cordova. Bob Hope stars as Bob Holcomb who is dissatisfied with his daughter Jojo's, played by Tuesday Weld, in the choice of her partner Kenny, played by Frankie Avalon. He takes his daughter to live in Sweden but finds it is not much better. Dina Merrill, Jeremy Slate, Rosemarie Frankland, Walter Sande, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is mostly of worth for Hope. This is good for some silly fun. This is available to watch on Prime.
Picture This: The times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas (1991): I end the week with this documentary which was directed by George Hickenlooper. This revisits the town where Bogdanovich's classic film THE LAST PICTURE SHOW was filmed and the sequel TEXASVILLE was being planned. This has interviews from Bogdanovich, Cybill Shepherd, Sam Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, and some of the townspeople. This is a really good companion piece to THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and this documentary is available on the Criterion Collection's features.
Well, that is it for this week, stay tuned for next week which so far includes Nicolas Cage, Michael Rooker, Chloe Sevigny, Gene Tierney, Dennis Quaid, and many others.
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