Welcome to the 862nd Edition of my series. I hope everyone is managing in these crazy times. I don't really have a lot to say so I'll just get one with my selections.
The Suspect (2013): Stuart Connelly wrote and directed this film on racial stereotyping. Mekhi Phifer and Sterling K. Brown star as a couple of social scientists who rob banks in predominantly white towns to show how blacks are quickly profiled as suspects. Their latest town under Sheriff Dixon, played by William Sadler, goes awry. Derek Roche, James McCaffrey, Rebecca Creskoff, Lizzy DeClement, Bernadette Quigley, Luke Robertson, Marisa Brown, and many others co-star in this film. This has a pretty interesting premise that is probably not a very good idea for trying to prove a point. This does have a nice series of twists and turns. This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital and on Prime with a subscription to the Urban Movie Channel. It is also available on free apps TUBI and Pluto TV.
Capernaum (2018): Nadine Labaki directed and co-wrote this Lebanese film. Zain Al Rafeea stars as the 12 year old forced to grow up fast. He is in prison for a violent crime and decides to sue his parents essentially for giving birth to him. From there, we see what happens in his life as he explains to the courts. Like the first selection, this takes a look at social injustice. This is a very authentic looking film of the hardships in the area. It is hard to describe this any further but this foreign film really deserves a look.
Identity (2003): This is part five of my five-part Ray Liotta series. James Mangold directed this psychological thriller. Ten strangers end up at a desolate Nevada hotel on a stormy night and are getting killed off one by one. Liotta, John Cusack, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall, John C. McGinley, William Lee Scott, Jake Busey, Pruitt Taylor Vance, Rebecca De Mornay, Carman Argenziano, Marshall Bell, Leila Kenzle, Matt Letscher, Bret Loehr, Holmes Osborne, Frederick Coffin, and many others co-star in this film. This is Kenzle's last role before concentrating as a therapist. This is a very well crafted psychological thriller that continues on the twists and turns. This is a very intense film with well-written characters. This is available to watch on Netflix.
Keeping Clean and Neat (1956): This is my short film for the week. This features a couple of middle school kids and instruction on how to keep clean and neat but overdoes is quite a bit. Keep in mind, this was riffed by the MST3K folks. This is best watched when riffed and is part of MST3K feature I have later on this edition and the Rifftrax side has done it as well. This is also available to watch on TUBI on MST3K shorts.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934): Alfred Hitchcock directed this crime film. Leslie Banks and Edna Best star as British married couple Bob and Jill Lawrence who are vacationing in Switzerland with their daughter Betty, played by Nova Pilbeam. They became caught up in a case of international intrigue when Betty is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination. Peter Lorre, Frank Vosper, Hugh Wakefield, Pierre Fresnay, Cicely Oates, George Curzon, and many others co-star in this film. This is some earlier Hitchcock and I'm one that prefers his later American work. This is still a very intriguing film and is Lorre's first English language movie. It would be remade in 1956 by Hitchcock himself and would be a good double feature. This is available to watch on Prime with a subscription for Filmbox, HBO Max, and the Criterion Collection. It is also available on free streaming apps Plex and Pluto Tv.
Thank God It's Friday (1978): Long before we enjoyed out TGIF on ABC every Friday we had this movie that was excited for Friday. This centers around the Disco bar the Zoo that had various subplots, mainly that the Commodores were to perform but someone needed to bring their equipment. Music legend Donna Summer co-stars as Nicole who dreams of being a Disco star as she mostly plays herself. Valerie Landsburg, Terri Nunn, Chick Vennera, Ray Vitte, Mark Lonow, Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger, John Friedrich, Paul Jabara, Mews Small, Chuck Sacci, Hilary Beane, Otis Day, Phil Adams, the Commodores, and many others co-star in this movie. This gave way for Summer's hit song LAST DANCE. This did not achieve classic status but is still a fun movie in the Disco bar
High Sierra (1941): Raoul Walsh directed this film based on the screenplay by John Huston and W.R. Burnett, whose novel this is based upon, so quite the team there. Humphrey Bogart stars as Roy Earle who has been released by prison due to some connections by aging gangster Big Mac, played by Donald MacBride, despite Roy's reluctance. Bic Mac wants Roy in on a robbery at a California resort hotel and to lead some of the younger criminals. Ida Lupino, Alan Curtis, Arthur Kennedy, Joan Leslie, Henry Hull, Henry Travers, Jerome Cowan, Minna Gombell, Barton MacLane, Elizabeth Risdon, Cornel Wilde, Paul Harvey, Isabel Jewell, Willie Best, and many others co-star in this film. This is what put Bogart more into leading man status. This is a pretty decent gangster film with a really good climax. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Top Gun (1986): Tony Scott directed this classic action drama. Tom Cruise stars as Pete Mitchell whose codename is Maverick. He gets accepted into Top Gun where he must compete with other Navy pilots including Iceman, played by Val Kilmer. Maverick's brash ways threaten to get the best of him personally and professionally. Anthony Edwards co-stars as Maverick's best friend and wingman Goose and Kelly McGillis co-stars as Charlie who is the astrophysics instructor and Maverick's love interest. Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Barry Tubb, Rick Rossovich, Tim Robbins, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Whip Hubley, James Tolkan, Adrian Pasdar, and many others co-star in this film. This is one of Cruise's most iconic roles and one of the most iconic movies of the '90s. It also boasts a great soundtrack and some quotes. This is available on Prime and must be watched before the sequel that is in theaters now.
The Sinister Urge (1960): This was an episode of MST3K of this movie directed by Edward D. Wood Jr. There is a serial killer out there and the police suspect it is related to a smut picture racket. This is also Wood's last movie before transitioning into softcore porn and maybe this movie gave him the idea about the porn industry. I would recommend watching this with MST3k commentary. That's about all I can say about this. This is available to watch on Pluto TV, TUBI and Shout! Factory TV and found the MST3K episode on Youtube.
The Good, the Bart, the Loki (2021): I end the week with this animated short that features the longest running family in the history of television I believe. David Silverman directed this animated parody of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Loki, voiced by Tom Hiddleston, is banished by Odin, voiced by Maurice LaMarche, to the town of Springfield. This features all our friends in Springfield presented as Marvel characters and Lisa, voiced by Yeardly Smith, taking the helm of Loki. Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, and Dawnn Lewis provide their voices in this short. I thought this was a pretty fun few minutes. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my new segment "The Kaotic Movie Theater". Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Jennifer Connelly, John Turturro, Marilyn Monroe, and many others.
THE KAOTIC MOVIE THEATER
Dr. Giggles (1992): This came up in discussion a few weeks ago when I was hanging out with Carrisa around the bonfire when she stated how she saw it when she was around 10 year old or so. I had not heard of it so I looked it up and I was intrigued, especially when I saw my CHARMED girl Holly Marie Combs was in this. I came across this when I was getting dvds at the library and asked Carrisa if she wanted to check it out and agreed. Manny Coto directed and co-wrote this horror comedy. Larry Drake stars as the so-called doctor that you might guess giggles when killing. This comes after escaping a mental institution and going to a small town where his father was killed and starts killing people of the town while becoming infatuated with Jennifer, played by Holly Marie Combs, who has a heart condition. Cliff De Young, Glenn Quinn, Keith Diamond, Richard Bradford, Michelle Johnson, John Vickery, Nancy Fish, Sara Melson, Zoe Trilling, Darin Heames, Deborah Tucker, Doug E. Doug, Patrick Cronin, and many others co-star in this film. Unfortunately, the Dr. Giggles character has not gone down in history the way others like Freddy, Jason, Chucky, Michael, Leatherface, and others and this never became a big franchise. This has a lot of funny medical puns, some clever ways of killing with medical equipment and a really bizarre scene involving childbirth. This would be good for a horror night.
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