Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 867th Edition

Welcome to the 867th Edition of my series.  This week I am starting rehearsals for the classic Thornton Wilder play OUR TOWN which will be at the New Castle-Henry County Public Library in their auditorium in New Castle.  I got cast into two roles, one of which is the milkman Howie Newsome and the other is choir director Simon Stimson.  I am pretty excited to get started on this and will be put on in September.  That is all I have for right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Blood Simple (1984):  This is part three of my Frances McDormand trilogy.  This Coen Brothers wrote and directed this Neo-Noir in their directorial debut.  Dan Hedaya stars as small-town bar owner Julian, whose employee Ray, played by John Getz, is having an affair with his wife Abby, played by McDormand in her film debut.  Julian hires sleazy private detective Visser, played by M. Emmet Walsh, to kill them but has plans of his own where misunderstanding, lies, and mischief are all over the place.  This was the start of a great career for the Coen Brothers and McDormand.  This has lots of twists, and four main characters that hold your attention throughout the film.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Queen Bees (2021):  This is part three of my ten part James Caan series and this is his last movie.  Michael Lembeck directed this romantic comedy for the elderly.  Ellen Burstyn stars as Helen whose home is being rebuilt and reluctantly agrees to stay with a retirement community.  She finds that it is like high school where that are cliques like the Queen Bees, lead by Janet, played by Jane Curtin, along with Sally, played by Loretta Devine, and Margot, Ann-Margret.  While there, Helen connects with the newcomer Dan, played by Caan, and may have found a new chance at love.  Christopher Lloyd, Alec Mapa, French Stewart, Matthew Barnes, Ricky Russert, Elizabeth Mitchell, Matt Lewis, Marianne Muellerleile, and many others co-star in this romantic comedy.  This is a funny and moving story of life in a retirement community with a good blend of romance and comedy.  This would be a good double feature to go along with MEAN GIRLS.

Heavy Metal (1981):  Gerald Potterton, John Bruno, and John Halas directed this animated anthology film.  This has multiple stories that center around a glowing green orb from outer space.  Richard Romanus, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks, Susan Roman, Al Waxman, Harvey Atkin, Marilyn Lightstone, Jackie Burroughs, August Schellenberg, John Vernon, Eugene Levy, Rodger Bumpass, Douglas Kenney, George Touliatos, Warren Munson, Alice Playten, Harold Ramis, Vlasta Vrana, and many others provide their voices to this film.  This is very adult animation and the tagline is "Sex and crime and rock 'n' roll".  It is some very erotic fantasy animation and its most known for its soundtrack which includes Blue Oyster Cult, Donald Fagen, Stevie Nicks, Journey, Cheap Trick, Don Felder, Grand Funk Railroad, Nazareth, Sammy Hagar, Black Sabbath, and Devo.  My favorite song is the title song from the former Eagles member Don Felder.  This cult classic is available to watch on Crackle and Plex.

Bored of Education (1936):  This is my comedy short for the week which features the Little Rascals.  The kids are all starting school with Spanky and Alfalfa deciding to fake their sickness.  Their beautiful teacher Miss Lawrence overhears this scheme and does what she can to convince them which involves ice cream.  This short is the only Little Rascals short to win an Academy Award.    

How I Won the War (1967):  This is my war comedy for the week which was directed by Richard Lester and based on the novel by Patrick Ryan.  Broadway legend Michael Crawford stars as the inept Lt. Goodbody who leads his WWII unit into some disasters.  Beatles member John Lennon costars as one of the members of the unit.  Roy Kinnear, Lee Montague, Jack Macgowran, Michael Hordern, Jack Hedley, Karl Michael Vogler, Ronald Lacey, and many others co-star in this anti-war comedy.  It is hard to really describe this beyond what I already did.  This is a satire on the price of war.  Lennon wrote the Beatles hit STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER while doing this movie.  

The Set-Up (1949):  Robert Wise directed this Film Noir that centers around the world of boxing.  Robert Ryan stars as aging boxer Bill Thompson but goes by Stoker and still has the "one more fight" in him much to the concern of his wife Julie, played by Audrey Totter.  What Stoker does not know is that his own manager is betting on him to take a "dive" but is not made aware.  George Tobias, Alan Baxter, Wallace Ford, Percy Helton, Hal Baylor, Darryl Hickman, Kevin O'Morrison, James Edwards, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a very gritty film and a very well filmed boxing match.  I feel that Ryan has gone onto be a rather underrated actor in today's world.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and is really worth a look.

Limelight (1952):  Charles Chaplin wrote and directed this much later movie in his career.  Chaplin stars as Calvero who is an aging comedian and has passed his prime.  He meets a suicidal dancer named Terry, played by Claire Bloom, who he takes into his home where together they look to find hope and purpose in life.  Buster Keaton has a cameo in a historic teaming where they do a comedy bit together.  Nigel Bruce, Sydney Chaplin, Norman Lloyd, and many others co-star in this film.  Chaplin is known for his comedy, more his silent comedy, but this is more of a drama excluding scenes where Chaplin is in performance.  It is also a very moving story and likely more personal for Chaplin.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Night Walk (2019):  This is my prison movie for the week which which was written and directed by Aziz Tazi.  Sean Stone stars as Frank who is wrongfully arrested by the corrupt Arab police.  The crooked Judge Wilson, played by Eric Roberts, brings Frank back to the United States where he must resort to extreme measures to prove his innocence.  Mickey Rourke co-stars as an Aryan Brotherhood gang leader.  Sarah Alami, Patrick Kilpatrick, Ricco Ross, Frederick-James Koch, Louis Mandylor, Ivana Nguyen, and many others co-star in this prison action movie.  I admit, I was mostly drawn into seeing Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts on the cover.  This is a decent enough action movie for a rainy day and of worth to see Rourke and Roberts.  

Le Samourai (1967):  Jean-Pierre Melville directed this French gangster film which is based on the novel by Joan McLeod.  Alain Delon stars as professional killer Jef Costello who is witnessed when on a job and is on the run by the cops and gangsters.  Francois Perier, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier, and many others co-star in this gangster film.  This is a very stylish action film with a really good story.  This is another one that is difficult to describe in words.  What I will say is that if you are okay with subtitles, this will be a good watch.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Yellow Water (2017):  I end the week with this short film which was written and directed by Emanuele Michetti.  Ashley Carvalho stars a young woman struggling with her sister's, played by Ashley's sister Kimberly Carvalho, death from 20 years ago.  Maria Poulos-Chachere also co-stars in this short film.  This is also an abstract short that can be left to interpretation.  This does convey the the struggle very well without the use of words.  This can be seen on Prime so take about 10 minutes and give this a watch.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Steve Buscemi, Brittany Murphy, Toni Collette, Gary Cooper, James Caan, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 866th Edition

Welcome to the 866th edition of my series.  All kinds of chaos going on in this world and hope I can take someone's mind off it just a little bit with these.  No announcements this week but hopefully next week.  I will get to my selections for the week.

Darkman (1990):  This is part two of my Frances McDormand trilogy.  Sam Raimi directed and co-wrote this sci-fi action film.  Liam Neeson co-stars as scientist Peyton Westlake who has come across some new findings.  He has everything going for him like a fiance in Julie, played by McDorman, but his lab is attacked by a group of gangsters lead by Robert Durant, played by Larry Drake, and he is left for dead.  Peyton survives but is severely disfigured and becomes stronger while taking revenge for those that wronged him.  Colin Friels, Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, Dan Wicks, Ted Raimi, Nicholas Worth, Aaron Lustig, Professor Toru Tanaka, John Landis, Neal McDonough, Bruce Campbell, and many others co-star in this film.  Raimi had intended on doing something regarding the Shadow but could not obtained the rights so he wrote his own superhero type character.  This is more of an anti-hero than anything though as vengeance really consumes Darkman.  This was the start of Neeson starring in action films which would become definitive to his career in some ways.  I have always bought into Neeson's violent tendencies in film where I would never want to piss him off and this is no different.  This does a good job of conveying the price of vengeance.  A good double feature in my opinion would be with this and THE CROW.

Smallfoot (2018):  This is part three of my Zendaya trilogy.  This is one of two animated selections this week which was co-directed by Karey Kirkpatrick and Jason Reisig.  Channing Tatum stars as Migo who is a Yeti where as far as they are concerned, humans are a fantasy though they refer to them as Smallfoots.  James Corden stars as Percy who is a human and as far as they are concerned Yetis are a fantasy.  They encounter one another but have a hard time convincing the rest.  Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, Jimmy Tatro, Patricia Heaton, Justin Rolland, Jack Quaid, Sarah Baker, and many others provide their voices in this animated musical.  A lot of this goes into the fear of the unknown.  It is also a pretty moving story of acceptance and understanding.  It also has a rather underrated soundtrack that was written by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick.  This is a really fun animated movie that the family can enjoy that comes from Warner Brothers.

Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015):  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Kent Jones.  This is centered around Francois Truffaut's book CINEMA ACCORDING TO HITCHCOCK and an interview that Truffaut did with Hitchcock which sparked a legendary discussion as well as a friendship between the two.  Bob Balaban narrates this documentary and features interviews with filmmakers Wes Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher, Olivier Assayas, Arnaud Desplechin, Kiyoshi Kurasowa, Richard Linklater, Paul Schrader, and Martin Scorsese and the influence that Hitchcock had on them and cinema.  This is a very good education on film making and book by Truffaut has been very respected through the years.  This is available to watch on Tubi.

The Lottery (1969):  This is my short film for the week which was directed by Larry Yust and based on a short story by Shirley Jackson.  This centers around a small village and a very strange tradition that takes place annually.  Olive Dunbar, William Benedict, William Fawcett, Ed Begley Jr., Nancy Hale, Irene Tedrow, and many others co-star in this short film.  This is a pretty dark story and has a HUNGERS GAMES sort of feel to it.  This is available to watch on Youtube and is only about 20 minutes long.

I Cover the Waterfront (1933):  James Cruze directed this pre-code film based on the book by Max Miller.  Ben Lyon stars as investigative reporter Joe Miller who is investigating a smuggling ring of illegal Chinese immigrants that he believe is lead by Eli Kirk, played by Ernest Torrence.  Joe starts to fall for Eli's daughter Julie, played by Claudette Colbert, but her loyalty to her father might be a conflict of interest.  Hobart Cavanaugh, Maurice Black, Purnell Platt, Harry Beresford, Wilfred Lucas, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a decent B-movie for this time period and remains pretty relevant today.  This could be a good feature go to along with ON THE WATERFRONT.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Peter Pan (1953):  This is my second animation feature and is some classic Disney.  Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske directed this animated Disney adaptation of the J.M. Barrie classic.  I think we all know the story here of the boy who refused to grow up which is Peter Pan, voiced by Bobby Driscoll.  In search of his shadow, Peter ends up at the Darling house where he would take the teenage Wendy, voiced by Kathryn Beaumont, and her brothers John, voiced by Paul Collins, and Michael, voiced by co-director Luske, to his world of Never Land where no one has to grow up.  When there, we meet the Lost Boys but also a group of pirates lead by Peter's arch-enemy Captain Hook, voiced by Hans Conried.  Bill Thompson, Heather Angel, Candy Dandido, Tom Conway, Roland Dupree, Don Barclay, and many others lend their voices to this animated classic.  By today's standards, this is politically incorrect to the core in its portrayal of Indians and gives the disclaimer before we watch.  This does have some great animation and is a lot of fun if understanding times were a little different in this era.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

King Richard (2021):  Reinaldo Marcus Green directed this sports biopic.  Will Smith stars as Compton resident Richard Williams whose daughters Venus, played by Saniyya Sidney, and Serena, played by Demi Singleton, would become big tennis stars.  This shows Richard trying to shape them into who they would become.  While he wanted his daughters to become stars, he was also determined to do it in his way.  Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn, Makayla Lashae Bartholomew, Daniele Lawson, Layla Crawford, Erika Ringor, Craig Tate, Josiah Cross, Kevin Dunn, Brad Greenquist, Christopher Wallinger, Chase Del Rey, Judith Chapman, Dylan McDermott, and many others co-star in this biopic.  This focuses more on Venus's rise as she was old enough to enter professional tennis.  Smith does well as the overbearing father that meant well.  I also realized how versatile of an actor Bernthal is as one of the coaches and would not recognize that it is the same guy that played the Punisher.  Unfortunately, Will has been a bit overshadowed by his behavior at the Oscars and some might have cancelled him.  I thought that what he did was wrong but not unforgivable.  I also read that he split his salary with the other actors.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

The Conqueror (1956):  I have always been curious about this movie and my friend Buff managed to score me a copy.  I follow up with another biopic which was directed by Dick Powell.  John Wayne stars as Temujin who most of us know as Genghis Khan.  Yes, John Wayne played the Mongolian leader and and portrayed the role as John Wayne.  In this movie, Temujin was at war against the Tartar armies and tried to win the love of their princess Bortai, played by Susan Hayward.  Pedro Armendariz, Agnes Moorehead, Thomas Gomez, John Hoyt, William Conrad, Ted de Corsia, Leslie Bradley, Lee Van Cleef, Peter Mamakos, and many others co-star in this biopic.  Yes, Wayne was very miscast as Genghis Khan and became an enjoyably bad movie.  This also has some sad historical significance and was shot in an active nuclear test site in Utah.  Much of the cast through the years would contract cancer and many died including Wayne himself.  Howard Hughes also produced this film and was his final film project.  

The Rain People (1969):  This is part two of my ten part James Caan series.  Francis Ford Coppola wrote and directed this early film in the career of Coppola.  Shirley Knight stars as housewife Natalie who leaves home after learning she is pregnant.  Along the way, she meets a hitch-hiker named Killer, played by Caan, who became brain-damaged when playing football so becomes very slow-minded and Natalie questions how much she wants that responsibility as he has nowhere to go.  Robert Duvall, Tom Eldredge, Andrew Duncan, Alan Manson, and many others co-star in this film.  A few years later Caan and Duvall would have their breakthrough roles in Coppola's THE GODFATHER.  Caan and Knight worked very well in this character driven film that would become good early work for Coppola and really deserves a look.

Submarino (2010):  I end the week with this Danish film which was directed by Thomas Vinterberg and based on the novel by Jonas T. Bengtsson.  Jakob Cedergren and Peter Plaugborg star as brothers who are both haunted by a childhood tragedy and are on their own destructive paths in life.  They reunite at their mother's funeral.  It is hard to really describe this further without giving a lot away.  This is another movie that is driven by the script and its characters.  This is a rather sad but compelling film that is worth a look.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Frances McDormand, Ellen Burstyn, John Candy, Charles Chaplin, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 865th Edition

Welcome to the 865th edition of my series.  I hope everyone is hanging in there with everything going on.  I still bring this thing out each week.  I'm hoping to have an announcement next week but for now I'll just get on with these selections.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017):  This is part one of a four part Frances McDormand series.  Martin McDonagh directed this darkly comic film.  McDormand stars as Mildred whose daughter was murdered but the culprit was never found.  She decides to purchase the three billboards and puts a very controversial message targeting the local chief of police William Willoughby, played by Woody Harrelson.  Sam Rockwell stars as the immature Officer Dixon who is Mildred's bigger problem.  Caleb Landry Jones, Kerry Condon, Alejandro Barrios, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Zeljko Ivanek, Amanda Warren, Malaya Rivera Drew, Sandy Martin, Peter Dinklage, Christopher Berry, Gregory Nassif St. John, Jerry Winsett, Kathryn Newton, John Hawkes, Samara Weaving, Clarke Peters, Brendan Sexton III and many others co-star in this film.  McDormand plays her role as only Frances McDormand can and shines well along with her rival Rockwell.  This is strangely funny at times despite very serious subject matter.  This is also a great look at a small town.  This is available to watch on fxnetworks.com and abc.com.

The Breakfast Club (1985):  I had the pleasure of viewing this movie out outside of the Fickle Peach bar in Muncie as part of the "After Hours Art Reels" series.  John Hughes wrote and directed this '80s detention classic.  This takes place during a Saturday detention where five people with very little in common are serving their detention but get to know each other a bit and find they have more in common than they thought.  Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall star as the Fab Five though that's not really what they are called.  Nelson leads the way for the detention to be more than quiet time.  Paul Gleason, John Kapelos, Ron Dean, and many others co-star in this iconic '80s film.  This also has an iconic soundtrack with the most notable hit DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME by the Simple Minds.  This is a Brat Pack classic to say the least.  This is available to watch on Hulu.

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010):  This is my anime selection for the week which is from Studio Ghibli.  Hiromasa Yonebayashi directed this film that is based on the novel THE BORROWERS by Mary Norton.  This centers around the Clock family who are four inches tall and live anonymously in someone else's house while borrow simple things to get by in life.  Their daughter Arrietty gets discovered by a sickly boy named Shawn which puts her parents to concern even though he has no ill intentions.  Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Moises Arias, Carol Burnett, David Henrie, and many others provide their voice in this film with multiple versions.  As always, Studio Ghibli comes through very well and is very beautiful on many levels including the animation and story.  This is a good story about friendship and living life.  This is available to watch on HBO Max. 

The Selling Wizard (1954):  This is my short film for the week which was presented by Anheiser-Busch.  This was meant to be a short film on selling and most notably selling freezer units.  There is some interesting use of sexism in this video.  The end product turned out to be all over the place and not very entertaining unless watching along with the MST3K guys.  This is available to watch on TUBI with MST3K shorts and the MST3K episode THE DEAD TALK BACK.

Something to Sing About (1937):  Victor Schertzinger directed this song and dance musical.  James Cagney stars as New York band leader Terry Rooney who is offered a contract in film and sets out for Hollywood leaving his fiance Rita, played by Evelyn Daw, behind.  He struggles to adjust to the world of Hollywood and after he gets into a physical fight on the set he leaves out of frustration to marry Rita but when returning he finds himself a star.  William Frawley, Mona Barrie, Gene Lockhart, Philip Ahn, Dwight Frye, and many others co-star in this musical.  Cagney was most known for his gangster roles in this era and gets to show his musical talents years before his classic musical of YANKEE DOODLE DANDY.  It is also semi-biographical to Cagney's own career.  There is also a very interesting scene in this movie of a literal cat fight which I cannot describe in words.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Eight on the Lam (1967):  I follow up with this Bob Hope vehicle which was directed by George Marshall.  Hope stars as bank teller and widowed father of seven kids Henry Dimsdale who is set up for embezzlement at the bank he works at and takes his family on the run while trying to prove his innocence.  Phyllis Diller co-stars as Golda who is the baby-sitter for his kids and tries to protect them from her dim-witter cop boyfriend Jasper, played by Jonathan Winters.  Shirley Eaton, Jill St. John, Kevin Brodie, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This was not award winning by any means but harmless fun with Bob.  You also get to see a couple of Bond girls in this comedy with Eaton as Henry's loyal girlfriend and St. John as a gold digger.  This is also available to watch on Prime.

Dune (2021):  This was presented as part of my local library's Droids and Dragons group that mostly focuses on books but went ahead and presented this adaptation.  Denis Villeneuve directed this film based on the novel by Frank Herbert.  This is also part two of my Zendaya trilogy.  This centers around a noble family that becomes embroiled in a war over the galaxy's most valuable asset.  Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgard, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Chang Chen, WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE Champion Dave Bautista, David Dastmalchian, Charlotte Rampling, and many others co-star in this sci-fi film.  It is a bit hard for me to really describe this in words.  This has had a couple other adaptations before this one and many I need to go back to the original.  This is also part one and will conclude sometime next year from what I understand.  This does have quite the cast and was a pretty compelling watch.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Cinderella Liberty (1973):  This is the first of a ten part series for James Caan who recently left us.  Mark Rydell directed this romantic drama.  Caan stars as navy sailor John Baggs Jr. who is given "Cinderella Liberty" where he can be out until midnight.  Things chaneg when his records cannot be found and it gets extended.  Through this he meets and falls in love with hooker Maggie, played by Marsha Mason, and things become more complicated when he learns she has an 11 year old son, played by Kirk Calloway.  Eli Wallach, Burt Young, Bruno Kirby, Allyn Ann McLerie, Dabney Coleman, Fred Sadoff, Sally Kirkland, David Proval, and many others co-star in this film.  As a Navy veteran himself, this has always been a favorite of my dad's.  I know I referred to this as a romantic drama but it is a lot more.  Caan is very good as the caring sailor who tries to be a father figure to Maggie's son and must rethink what he wants in life.  

Lost in a Harem (1944):  Now I bring the iconic duo of Abbott and Costello in this later comedy of theirs which was directed by Charles Reisner.  Abbott and Costello star as bumbling magicians Peter and Harvey who are on tour in the Middle Eastern kingdom of Baraheeba.  While there, they look to help Prince Ramo played by John Conte, regain his thrown from his devious uncle Nimativ, played by Douglass Dumbrile.  Marilyn Maxwell, Murray Leonard, Milton Parsons, Ralph Sanford, Jimmy Dorsey, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Dumbrile was very good as the villain in this movie while the duo came through as well in their gags.  This is worth a look for classic comedy buffs.

Happy Birthday (2002):  I end the week with this independent LBGT film which was written and directed by Yen Tan.  This is a character driven film of five different people who share the same birthday.  Benjamin Patrick, John K. Frazier, Davashish Saxena, Michelle E. Michael, and Ethel Lung star as these conflicted gay characters, each of which have a serious situation.  This is a pretty good commentary of the LBGT community and was released in a time where it was not accepted as much as it is today.  This is one that has been under the radar but deserves a look.

Well, that is it for this week but I brought back my segments "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville" and "The Kaotic Movie Theater".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Frances McDormand, Channing Tatum, Alfred Hitchcock, Will Smith, and many others.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

Child's Play (2019):  I went and hung with my bestie Stephanie at her dad's house during her birthday.  We decided to give this remake a watch.  Lars Klevberg directed this film where Chucky is presented as a new toy manufacture as a Buddi doll.  Gabriel Bateman stars as early teen Andy whose mother Karen, played by Aubrey Plaza, buys him a Buddi doll which becomes Chucky, voiced by Mark Hamill, which turns out to have a very sinister nature.  Tim Matheson, Ben Daon, Trent Redekop, Beatrice Kitsos, Ty Consiglio, Amro Majzoub, Bryan Tyree Henry, Carlease Burke, and many others co-star in this horror remake.  I know know words like remake and reboot are very dirty words to some.  I still thought this was a pretty fun and clever presentation with Chucky is a line of toys whereas in the originals the doll was possessed by the soul of a serial killer.  I like how Hamill made Chucky more child like but very violent.  I feel this has its place among the franchise, just don't forget the originals.

THE KAOTIC MOVIE THEATER

America:  The Motion Picture (2021):  Last night I went and hung out with my friends Carrisa and Arto at their house.  Carrisa took the remote and went to Netflix and started this movie.  They had told me about this so I decided to really watch this one.  This is an animated movie that bring a lot of historical characters together to fight for what we now call America.  Matt Thompson directed this animated film that brings new meaning to rewriting history.  George Washington, voiced by Channing Tatum, and Abraham Lincoln, voiced by Will Forte, are best friends and after Lincoln is killed by a werewolf Benedict Arnold, voiced by Andy Samberg, George gets together his own team that includes Samuel Adams, voiced by Jason Mantzoukas, Thomas Edison, voiced by Olivia Munn, Paul Revere, voiced by Bobby Moynihan, Geronimo, voiced by Raoul Max Trujillo, and Blacksmith, voiced by Killer Mike.  Yes, Thomas Edison is a woman and very dedicated to science.  Everyone is portrayed beyond what we have imagined.  Together, they go after the evil King James, voiced by Simon Pegg, and Benedict Arnold.  Judy Greer, Clyde Alazraqui, Dave Callahan, Kevin Gillese, Iyad Hajjaj, Neal Holman, J. Larose, Megan Leahy, Amber Nash, Matt Thompson, Lucky Yates, and many others co-star in this animated parody of history and the American Revolution.  This is very violent, it is politically incorrect, and not very historically accurate besides certain references and historical puns.  It has a lot of historical puns that Arto would point out every so often.  We mostly just laughed, sometimes the letters of w, t, and f would come to mind.  I think I got the most excited was when they did a parody on the '90s tv series RENEGADE that I used to watch in my middle school years.  This is adult animation so please don't show this to your kids for a historical education and be offended that it is a historical parody.  It might take multiple viewings to pick up on historical references.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 864th Edition

Welcome to the 864th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone is making the most of these times.  I'm still here to give some recommendations for the week so I'll just get right to them.

Ed Wood (1994):  I start the week with this biopic which was presented at the Muncie Public Library as part of the Cinemuncie series by Dennis the Librarian Menace.  Tim Burton directed this film that takes a look at "The Worst Director of All Time" in Edward D. Wood Jr. and is based on the book NIGHTMARE OF ECSTASY.  Johnny Depp stars as the ambitious and determined Ed Wood who along with his misfit group of actors manage to make some low-budget movies that are mostly endearing today for being so bad they are good.  One of the main focuses of this movie is Wood's friendship with the aging Bela Lugosi, played very well by Martin Landau, who Wood is convinced is still very marketable.  The other main focus is on getting his most known movie PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE made which is still know as arguably the best bad movie of all time.  Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, G.D. Spradlin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bill Murray, Mike Starr, Max Casella, Brent Hinkley, Lisa Marie, WWE Hall of Famer George "The Animal" Steele, BUFFY alum Juliet Landau, Clive Rosengren, Norman Alden, Leonard Termo, Ned Bellamy, Rance Howard, and many others co-star in this Hollywood biopic.  A couple of Wood's alums in Gregory Walcott and Conrad Brooks have cameos.  This has always been my favorite of the Burton/Depp collaborations.  This was a very fun and informative look at Depp and for a lack of a better description his band of misfits.  I would recommend getting familiar with some of Wood's movies first like the one mentioned in my description and then give this a watch.  This could also be a really good double feature to go along with THE DISASTER ARTIST.  That would be as Ed Wood always said, PERFECT!

Spider-Man:  Homecoming (2017):  This is part one of a trilogy for Zendaya who co-stars in this film as Michelle but know more now as M.J.  Jon Watts directed this Superhero film which is the first feature film for Tom Holland's Peter Parker after being introduced in CAPTAIN AMERICA:  CIVIL WAR.  Holland stars as the quirky teen Peter Parker trying to balance his life as a high school student and his alter-ego of Spider-Man.  He is also under the watchful eye of his mentor Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., who provides Parker with his state-of-the-art costume.  Being known for playing the DC superhero Batman, Michael Keaton goes the supervillain route as the bitter Adrian Toomes who creates his own costume to wreak havoc as Vulture.  Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Tyne Daly, Abraham Attah, Hannibal Buress, Kenneth Choi, Selenis Leyva, Angourie Rice, Martin Starr, Garcelle Beauvais, Michael Chernus, Michael Mando, Logan Marshall-Green, Jennifer Connelly, Gary Weeks, Christopher Berry, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Tunde Adebimpe, Tiffany Espenson, Isabelle Amara, Michael Barbieri, Josie Totah, Hemke Madera, Stan Lee, Chris Evans, Kerry Condon, and many others co-star or have cameos.  I thought this was a really good start to the Spider-Man part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  One of the main parts of this movie is the relationship of Peter Parker and Tony Stark and their working relationship.  This is available to watch on Starz.

Mean Girls (2004):  Mark Waters directed this film based on the novel QUEEN BEES AND WANNABES by Rosalind Wiseman and co-star Tina Fey wrote the screenplay.  Lindsey Lohan stars as the 16 year old Cady Heron who is going to school for the first time after being homeschooled while living in Africa all her life.  As she learns the world of high school popularity, the clique of the Plastics, lead by Regina George, played by Rachel McAdams, takes and interest in her.  She also takes up the idea of infiltrating the group but slowly becomes one of them.  Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried make up the other part of the Plastics.  Poehler, Fey, Jonathan Bennett, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese, Neil Flynn, Rajiv Surendra, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a really good satire on high school cliques and the stupidity of "popularity".  Unfortunately, social media has ruined this for some people through all the quoting and the memes.  I try to just take into consideration, that those that made this did not foresee this movie being very emphasized through social media.  I also wonder if Seyfried's character Karen Smith was part of what has become the "Karen" craze.  THE BIG LEBOWSKI and OFFICE SPACE are other comedies that come to mind that are really emphasized through social media.  I felt it has a really good message at the end.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

The Rink (1916):  This is my silent short for the week which was directed by Charles Chaplin who also stars.  This is some of Chapin's early work where he stars as a bumbling waiter at a restaurant.  This has a lot of great moments but the highlights involve the Tramp on roller skates.  This is available to watch on HBO Max and MUBI.

Bobby Deerfield (1977):  Sydney Pollack directed this film based on the novel HEAVEN HAS NO FAVORITES by Erich Maria Remarque.  Al Pacino stars as the title character who is a racecar driver on the European circuit whose death of a team member has him unsettled to continue.  He meets the impulsive Lillian, played by Marthe Keller, who is in her own race in life and falls in love with her while having a new outlook on life.  Anny Duperey, Walter McGinn, Van Doude, Romolo Valli, Jaime Sanchez, Mickey Knox, and many others co-star in this film.  This is some early Pacino and while he is a racecar driver, the movie is far more about the relationship and there is not a lot of racing scenes for those who wanting really see the racing.  It is a very compelling story of a slow-building relationship and an underrated performance for Pacino.

Key Largo (1948):  John Huston directed this film based on the play by Maxwell Anderson.  Humphrey Bogart stars as WWII veteran Frank McCloud who travels to a run-down hotel on Key Largo to honor a friend.  The hotel is run by his friend's widow Nora, played by Lauren Bacall, and father James, played by Lionel Barrymore.  No one expected a group of mobsters lead by Johnny Rocco, played by Edward G. Robinson, to take refuge during the passing of the hurricane and take the place hostage.  Claire Trevor, Thomas Gomez, Harry Lewis, John Rodney, Marc Lawrence, Dan Seymour, Monte Blue, William Haade, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very intense film that has quite the cast.  There is also a great rivalry between Bogart and Robinson leading to a really good climax.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Lost Daughter (2021):  Maggie Gyllenhaal goes behind the camera to directed this film based on a novel by Elena Ferrante.  Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley star as Leda with Colman for the modern era and Buckley for the flashbacks.  While vacationing in Greece, Leda meets a young mother in Nina, played by Dakota Johnson, and her three year old daughter Elena, played by Athena Martin Anderson.  Events happen that make Leda relate to moments of the past.  Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jack Farthing, Ellie Mae Blake, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Panos Koronis, Alexandros Mylonas, Alba Rohrwacher, Nikos Poursandidis, and many others co-star in this film.  This takes a look at the difficulty of parenting and brash decisions that get made sometime which happen in both eras.  Colman and Buckley are well cast as different eras of the same character and Johnson holds her own with them.  It is not an upbeat story.  It is really hard to explain beyond what I did and is quite character driven.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Inferno (1953):  Roy Ward Baker directed this crime drama centering around a love triangle.  Robert Ryan stars as business tycoon Donald Whitley Carson III who is left in the desert to die with a broken leg by his wife Geraldine, played by Rhonda Fleming, and her lover Joseph, played by William Lundigan.  Carson proves to be far more resourceful than they thought as he fights for survival and the others must rethink their plan.  Larry Keating, Henry Hull, Carl Betz, Robert Burton, and many others co-star in this film.  This has a lot of suspense in it.  It is also possibly Ryan's best performance of his career.  This has gone down as a very underrated film that deserves a lot more exposure.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Chase (1966):  Arthur Penn directed this film based on the novel by Horton Foote.  Robert Redford stars as escaped convict Bubber Reeves in a small southern town.  His escape affects residents of the town when the escape occurs.  Marlon Brando co-stars as the troubled Sheriff Calder who is charged with bringing Reeves in safely and must also deal with a mob that is after Reeves.  Jane Fonda, E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Janice Rule, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Richard Bradford, Robert Duvall, James Fox, Diana Hyland, Henry Hull, Jocelyn Brando, Katherine Walsh, Lori Martin, Paul Williams, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good look at a small town where secrets manage to come out.  Both the convict and the cop have a hard time trying to figure out what is right and wrong.  It is something underrated that should be on the radar.

Boyz N the Hood (1991):  I end the week with this classic which was written and directed by John Singleton and see that while I started out with some fun selections, each one got more and more intense.  This takes a look at social problems in inner-city Los Angeles.  Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as Tre who is sent to live with his father Furious, played by Laurence Fishburne.  Furious tries to keep his son in line and does what he can to teach the values of doing the right thing.  Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut co-star as half brothers Doughboy and Ricky who each have a different path in life.  Angela Bassett, Lexie Bigham, John Cothran, Tyra Ferrell, Dedrick D. Gobert, Tammy Hanson, Desi Arnez Hines II, Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, Baha Jackson, Regina King, Nia Long, Alysia Rogers, Esther Scott, Vonte Sweet, Yolanda Whittaker, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very important film that remains relevant today.  This has a message for just about anyone.  It looks at racism among the blacks and it also looks at the tensions between the race.  Singleton based his characters off those he knew.  This is available to watch on Starz.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for the return of my segment "Fun and Useless Facts".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Frances McDormand, Emilio Estevez, Carol Burnett, James Cagney, Bob Hope, Oscar Isaac, James Caan, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I decided to bring back this segment.  I kept the connections coming from different movies and not actors from the same movie.  I limited my facts to 30 so I'm sure there is plenty I have missed so feel free to comment if another is found.

Johnny Depp (Ed Wood) goes undercover and learns the ways of being a wise guy from Al Pacino (Bobby Deerfield) in the 1997 film DONNIE BRASCO.

Ed Harris (The Lost Daughter) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (Boyz N the Hood) star in the 2003 film RADIO.

Johnny Depp (Ed Wood) and Marlon Brando (The Chase) are in the 1994 film DON JUAN DEMARCO.

Chris Evans (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) and Laurence Fishburne (Boyz N the Hood) were in the 2007 superhero movie FANTASTIC 4:  RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER.  Fishburne provides the voice of the Silver Surfer.

Johnny Depp (Ed Wood) was considered to play Charles Chaplin (The Rink) in the in the 1992 film CHAPLIN which would ultimately go to Robert Downey Jr. (Spider-Man:  Homecoming).

Ed Harris (The Lost Daughter) and Laurence Fishburne (Boyz N the Hood) were in the 1995 movie JUST CAUSE.

Martin Landau (Ed Wood) and Al Pacino (Bobby Deerfield) in the 1996 movie CITY HALL.

Marlon Brando (The Chase) and Angela Bassett (Boyz N the Hood) were in the 2001 movie THE SCORE.

Patricia Arquette (Ed Wood) and Laurence Fishburne (Boz N the Hood) were in the 1987 horror film NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3:  DREAM WARRIORS.

Michael Keaton (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) and Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls) were in the 2015 film SPOTLIGHT.

Jeffrey Jones (Ed Wood) and Michael Keaton (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) were in the 1988 film BEETLEJUICE.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) and Laurence Fishburne (Boyz N the Hood) were in the 2011 film CANTAGION.

G.D. Spradlin (Ed Wood), Al Pacino (Bobby Deerfield), and Robert Duvall (The Chase) were in the 1974 film THE GODFATHER PART II.

Michael Keaton (Spider-Man:  Homcoming) and Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) were father and daughter in the 2005 movie HERBIE FULLY LOADED.

Vincent D'Onofrio (Ed Wood) and Robert Downey Jr. (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) play brothers in the 2014 film THE JUDGE whose father is Robert Duvall (The Chase).

Michael Keaton (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) declined in the role of Peter Venkman in the 1984 comedy GHOSTBUSTERS which would ultimately go to Bill Murray (Ed Wood)

Vincent D'Onofrio (Ed Wood) and Angela Bassett (Boyz N the Hood) are in the 1995 sci-fi film STRANGE DAYS.

Marisa Tomei (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) and Al Pacio (Bobby Deerfield) were in a 2003 Broadway production of SALOME.

Bill Murray (Ed Wood) was considered for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1989 film BATMAN which would ultimately go to Michael Keaton (Spider-Man:  Homecoming).  Murray was considered when the project would be more like the '60s sitcom.

Jon Favreau (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) and Robert Duvall (The Chase) were in the 1998 disaster movie DEEP IMPACT.

Mike Starr (Ed Wood) and Laurence Fishburne (Boyz N the Hood) were in the 1997 gangster film HOODLUM.

Michael Keaton (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) and Dakota Johnson (The Lost Daughter) were in 2014 movie NEED FOR SPEED.

Mike Starr (Ed Wood) and Robert Redford (The Chase) were in the 1984 film THE NATURAL.

Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) and Ed Harris (The Lost Daughter) were in the 1996 action film THE ROCK.

Mike Starr (Ed Wood) and Al Pacino (The Chase) were in the 1980 film CRUSIING.

Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man) and Angela Bassett (Boyz N the Hood) were in the 1995 film PANTHER.

Max Casella (Ed Wood) and Robert Duvall (The Chase) were in the 1992 musical NEWSIES.

Charles Chaplin (The Rink) directed Marlon Brando (The Chase) in the 1967 film A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG where Chaplin would have a cameo and would be his last movie.  Both have spoken rather negatively of one another when filming.

Brent Hinkley (Ed Wood) and Robert Duvall (The Chase) were in the 1993 film FALLING DOWN.

Jennifer Connelly (Spider-Man:  Homecoming) and Ed Harris (The Lost Daughter) were in the 2022 blockbuster TOP GUN:  MAVERICK.