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.
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