Welcome to the 872nd edition of my series. We are getting closer to OUR TOWN at the New Castle Public Library. Dates and times are available on the bottom and the show is free to come see. This does require registration to come see which can be done at the website of https://nchcpl.librarycalendar.com/ where you can access the calendar and just look for the date of the show attending. Thursday starts the real season of the NFL so I am excited for that and hope my real team and fantasy team excel this year. I don't have much else happening right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.
The Last Word (2017): This is part three of my Anne Heche trilogy. Mark Pellington directed this comedy-drama. Shirley MacLaine stars as the successful and retired Harriett who always wants to control everything around her including her own obituary knowing she will die soon. She hires obituary writer Anne, played by Amanda Seyfried, to write her own obituary and while Anne is reluctant at first, they form an unexpected friendship. Heche, AnnJewel Lee Dixon, Thomas Sadoski, Philip Baker Hall, Gedde Watanabe, Tom Everett Scott, Joel Murray, Steven Culp, Adina Porter, Todd Louiso, and many others co-star in this movie. The character of Harriett starts out as a pretty unlikable person but slowly we get to peel behind the surface and understand the character more. It is kind of a reverse coming of age movie for this elderly person but Seyfried has a lot to learn herself. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
The Vagina Monologues (2002): This is my live performance selection for the week which stars Eve Ensler who performs her popular play that she wrote. This is a show where she performs the segments of a variety of women and their experiences in life. She also interviews other people to get their insights on the subject in the title. This is a popular play to perform and it is good to see Ensler giving insights about her show. This is sometimes very serious and sometimes very funny. My mom got to be in a version of this at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater and still looks back positively on the experience and those she worked with. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Misery (1990): This is part eight of my ten part James Caan series. Rob Reiner directed this film based on the novel by Stephen King. James Caan stars as author Paul Sheldon who is out in the bad weather and has a really bad wreck. Paul is unconscious and out in the middle of nowhere but luckily a nurse that lives out there in Annie Wilkes, played by Kathy Bates, is out there and rescues him. Annie brings Paul to her home and turns out to be a big fan but also turns out to be an obsessed fan. Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall, Graham Jarvis, J.T. Walsh, and many others co-star in this film. This is a classic suspense film and while King could be critical of the adaptations to his novels, he really liked this one. Caan and Bates were great together and still holds up today. This has since been made into a play and would love to be in it one day.
The Face (1966): This is my short film for the week which was directed Piotr Studzinski. This was a student project in a school in Poland. Krzysztof Kieslowski stars as a tortured artist that can never come to any satisfaction with his work and becomes very destructive. They were classmates at this college and Studzinski appears to have done something outside of film while Kieslowski would go onto have a successful career primarily as a director and is known for his THREE COLORS trilogy. This is available on the Criterion Channel and is worth about six minutes for a viewing.
The Freshman (1925): This is my silent film for the week which was directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor. Harold Lloyd stars as nerdy student Harold Lamb whose goal is to become a popular campus student. The biggest thing he does is to join the football team despite his limited athletic ability. Jobyna Ralston stars as his love interest Peggy who likes Harold for who he is and tries to protect him from the bullying as the result of him trying to impress. A couple movies that came to mind a could be a good triple feature are RUDY and THE WATERBOY. Harold has elements of both of the protagonists in those movies. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and on HBO Max.
Tea for Two (1950): David Butler directed this musical romantic comedy based on the play NO, NO, NANETTE by Frank Mandel and Otto A. Harbach. Doris Day stars as socialite Nanette Carter who wants a part in a Broadway show but her wealthy Uncle Max, played by S.Z. Sakall, just is not having it. Max does agree to a $25000 bet that she can say "no" to everything for 48 hours. Gordan MacRae stars as composer and pianist Jimmy Smith who has a romantic interest in Nanette which complicates her wager. Gene Nelson, Eve Arden, Larry De Wolfe, Bill Goodwin, Patrice Wymore, Virginia Gibson, George Baxter, and many others co-star in this musical. The music numbers were a very diverse group of the top songwriters from this era. This is a pretty fun show where Doris shines very well and is the first movie where she receives top billing as well as the first movie where she dances on screen.
Kicks (2016): Justin Tipping directed and co-wrote this film. Jahking Guillory stars as inner-city teen Brandon who has finally achieved his boyhood dream of owning a pair of Air Jordan shoes. It is not much long after he gets those shoes that they get snatched by local and very feared hood Flaco, played by Kofi Siriboe. Along with his reluctant friends Rico, played by Christopher Meyer, and Albert, played by Christopher Jordan Wallace, he sets out to get those shoes leading to some violent situations. Kyndall, Mistah F.A.B, Mahershala Ali, Molly Shaiken, and many others co-star in this film. Part of me felt like "all this over a pair of shoes"? At the time, I tried to understand Brandon's mindset, even if a bit warped, of the boosted ego that makes him forget a little bit that he is from a poor family. This is a very deep and thought-provoking film no matter your feelings toward the movie. This is available to watch on Peacock.
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947): This is part one of a Cary Grant trilogy. Irving Reis directed this romantic comedy. Cary Grant stars as playboy artist Dick Nugent who is the subject of a teenage crush from Susan Turner, played by a teenage Shirley Temple. This leads to some misunderstandings from Susan's sister, played by Myrna Loy, who is a judge and to some comical situations. Rudy Vallee, Ray Collins, Harry Davenport, Johnny Sands, Don Beddoe, Lillian Randolph, Veda Ann Borg, Dan Tobin, and many others co-star in this romantic comedy. It was rare that we got to see Temple as a teenager though she was 18 years of age at the time. Grant and Loy are also a good duo with Temple adding to it very well. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Friday Foster (1975): This is my Blaxploitation film for the week which was directed and co-written by Arthur Marks and based on a comic strip by Jim Lawrence and Jorje Longeron. Pam Grier stars as photographer Friday Foster who witnesses an assassination attempt of a billionaire. She becomes a target and teams with private investigator Colt Hawkins, played by Yaphet Kotto, to investigate what is happening. Godfrey Cambridge, Thalmus Rasulala, Eartha Kitt, Jim Backus, Scatman Crothers, Ted Lange, Tierre Turner, Paul Benjamin, Carl Weathers, and many others co-star in this Blaxploitation classic. This was a syndicated comic strip in the early '70s which appears to have been mostly featured in the Chicago Tribune Syndicate. This is one of the better of the genre in my opinion with Grier once again holding her own. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Groot's First Steps (2022): I end the week with this animated short which is technically an episode of the Marvel series I AM GROOT. This is a series of shorts that feature Guardians member Groot, reprised by Vin Diesel, as Baby Groot and in this one manages to take his first steps out of the pot that he was in. It shows his struggles and triumphs as he tries to walk. This is a series of animation shorts that are available to watch on Disney Plus.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Janet Leigh, James Mason, Keith David, Robert Redford, James Caan, and many others.
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