Welcome to the 860th Edition of my series. I hope everyone is doing what they can to hang in there with everything going on in this world and country. I have not had to raise any prices for people to read this movie blog and will do what I can to keep it that way. I am pretty excited, this Friday I get to see Tears for Fears in concert with Garbage opening. It has been a long time since I saw a concert of this size but decided it is time. That is about all so I will get on with my selections for the week.
Playing for the Mob (2014): This is technically an episode of the ESPN documentary series 30 FOR 30 but you know my rules. This is also part three of my Ray Liotta series. Cayman Grant and Joe Lavine directed this documentary in which Liotta narrates. This takes a look at the late '70s when Boston College was involved in a point-shaving scandal orchestrated by mobster Jimmy Burke and was helped by Henry Hill who gets interviewed in this documentary. Liotta is the perfect choice to be the narrator as he plays Hill in the 1990 classic film GOODFELLAS in which De Niro played the much talked about Burke. I believe the movie more references this event but this is a very informative look and interviews many involved. Hill died shortly after being interviewed for this documentary. I would watch GOODFELLAS first and then follow with this one. This is available to watch on ESPN+.
Dark Horse (2015): I follow up with another documentary which was directed by Louise Osmond. This centers around Wales barmaid Jan Vokes and her husband Brian who decide to breed a racehorse and get funding help from the community. This horse is named Dream Alliance and fought the odds to become a good racehorse. This is a feel-good and inspirational documentary of a town coming together.
The Kindergarten Teacher (2018): Sara Colangelo directed this film which is a remake of a 2014 Israeli movie of the same name. Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Staten Island Kindergarten teacher Lisa Spinelli. She becomes obsessed with her student Jimmy, played by Parker Sevak, who she believes is a prodigy and puts her job and marriage on the line. Gael Garcia-Bernal, Ato Blankson-Wood, Libya Pugh, Michael Chernus, Anna Baryshnikov, Rosa Salazar, Daisy Tahan, Haley Murphy, Sam Jules, Carson Grant, Samrat Chakrabarti, Ajay Naidu, Stefaniya Makarova, and many others co-star in this film. As described, this is not some fun movie about a bunch of cute kids. This is a pretty intense film with Gyllenhaal giving a very understated but very good performance. I might just have to check out the 2014 film soon. This is a really good look at unhealthy obsession and is available to watch on Netflix.
Cockaboody (1974): This is my animated short for the week which was directed by John and Faith Hubley. This features their children Emily and Georgia whose conversations they recorded and made animation out of the conversation. This was some very clever animation and John and Faith Hubley have gone onto become very underrated independent animators. This is available to watch on Criterion Collection.
Poil de Carrotte (1932): This is my French film for the week which was directed by Julien Duvivier and based on the novel by Jules Renard. Robert Lynen stars as the young boy named Francois whose nickname is Carrot Top due to his red hair. His mother is abusive to him and while his father is a lot better, he is also very distant. This drives Carrot Top to having suicidal thoughts. Harry Baur, Louis Gauthier, Claude Borelli, and many others co-star in this film. This is a sad but very moving story with a really good climax. I feel this is a bit underrated among the French cinema and is one of the better French films I have seen. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and was really worth a look.
Dishonored Lady (1947): Robert Stevenson directed thi sfilm based on the play by Edward Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes. Hedy Lamarr stars as Madeleine Damien who is a successful fashion editor of a magazine and seems to have it all but her work and personal life aren't what they are cracked up to be. She sees a psychiatrist, played by Dennis O'Keefe, who insists that she relocates and use another identity. She is doing better but her past comes to haunt her. John Loder, William Lundigan, Morris Carnovsky, Natalie Schafer, Paul Cavanagh, Douglass Dumbrille, Margaret Hamilton, and many others co-star in this film. This is another one that has gone a bit overlooked over the years and a very underrated performance out of Lamarr. This is available to watch on Prime, Paramount +, Epix and free streaming apps like Tubi and Plex.
Shiva Baby (2020): Emma Seligman wrote and directed this independent film. Rachel Sennott stars as Danielle who is Jewish and bisexual and really has no direction in life. Her parents talk her into going to a Jewish funeral where she runs into her ex-girlfriend Maya, played by Molly Gordon, and the married man, played by Danny Deferrari, she is having an affair with. Fred Melamed, Polly Draper, Glynis Bell, Cinda Shaur, Jackie Hoffman, GLEE alum Dianna Agron, and many others co-star in this film. This started out as a short film of the same name and turned into this feature. This is both a comedy and drama and is mostly centered around its script and characters. It is surprisingly really compelling and was a very good watch. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
The Boys from Brazil (1978): Franklin J. Schaffner directed this film based on the novel by Ira Levin. Laurence Olivier stars as aging Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman who stumbles upon a very bizarre and disturbing Nazi plot lead Dr. Josef Mengele, played by Gregory Peck. James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen, Steve Guttenberg, Denholm Elliott, Rosemary Harris, John Dehner, John Rubinstein, Ann Meara, Jeremy Black, Bruno Ganz, Walter Gotell, David Hurst, Wolfgang Preiss, Michael Gough, Joachim Hansen, and many others co-star in this Nazi thriller. This is a fictional story even though some of the people depicted were real. It is still a very interesting and bizarre film that could have been real. We also can't dismiss the cool trio of Olivier, Mason, and Peck. This is available to watch on Peacock and free streaming apps like Freevee, Plex, TUBI, and Pluto Tv.
Loan Shark (1952): Seymour Friedman directed this Film Noir. George Raft stars as ex-con Joe Gargen who infiltrates a loan shark ring that preys on factory workers after his brother-in-law dies. This comes at a price as he cannot tell anyone what he is doing. Dorothy Hart, Paul Stewart, John Hoyt, Helen Westcott, Russell Johnson, Margia Dean, and many others co-star in this Film Noir. This is some later work from Raft and a more rare starring film. This is a pretty decent B-movie which makes Raft shine really well. This a pretty gritty film that still holds up today. This is available to watch on Prime and on Tubi.
Catherine the Great (2005): I end the week with this PBS documentary which was directed by Paul Burgess and John-Paul Davidson. This takes a look at this historical figure of royalty who started out as a German Princess and become empress of Russia in the 1700s and be known as Catherine the Great, played by Emily Bruni. This would happen after she would overthrow her husband and second cousin Peter III, played by Dan Chiriac. Diana Dumbrava, Claudiu Bleont, Emanuel Parvu, Bogdan Dumitrescu all co-star as some of the historical figures within the documentary. This is a two part documentary both being episodes of about an hour. This is a very well-done and informative documentary making good use of the actors portraying the historical figures to the point of interviewing.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ray Liotta, Elliot Page, Sidney Poitier, and many others.
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