Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations: Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 882nd Edition and Noirvember: Gaslight- Week 3

Welcome to the 882nd Edition of my series. I decided to wait a little bit and release this when I was ready for week three of Noirvember. I hope everyone has a good holiday however celebrated. My show THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER is December 8-10 so visit https://www.duckcreekcenter.com/events/mousetrap-mdscl-c7a59 to get your tickets. I don't have much else happening so I will just get in my selections for the week.

Enola Holmes (2020): Harry Bradbeer directed this film based on the novel by Nancy Springer. Millie Bobby Brown stars as the teenage Enola Holmes who is the younger sister of Sherlock, played by Henry Cavill, and Mycroft, played by Sam Claflin. She is an expert sleuth in her own right and when she learns that their mother Eudoria, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is missing, she sets out to find her. She also manages to unravel a dangerous conspiracy around a young lord, played by Louis Partridge. Burn Gorman, Adeel Akhtar, Susan Wokoma, Hattie Morahan, David Bamber, Frances de la Tour, Claire Rushbrook, Fiona Shaw, and many others co-star in this movie. This is more geared to the younger crowd and based on a book series that Brown is a fan of and became a producer. I found this to be a pretty fun movie with Brown doing well as the younger sister of a legendary detective. This and its sequel are available on Netflix.

The Whales of August (1987): Lindsey Anderson directed this film on two aging sisters. Bette Davis and Lillian Gish star as aging sisters Libby and Sarah. They reflect on the older days and the modern days as Sarah is the more active of the two and is mostly a caretaker for Libby. Vincent Price, Ann Sothern, Harry Carery Jr., Frank Grimes, Margaret Ladd, Tisha Sterling, Mary Steenburgen, and many others co-star in this film. These were really good later roles for the actresses who both had very long careers and for some of the others in this movie. This was Gish's last film role after 75 years of acting. This is a pretty moving film focusing on the twilight of people's lives. This would be a good double feature to go along with ON GOLDEN POND.

Gideon's Trumpet (1980): Robert L. Collins directed this tv movie which is based on the novel by Anthony Lewis. Henry Fonda stars in one of his later roles as Clarence Earl Gideon who was arrested for petty theft. Unfortunately, he did not have the money for an attorney so he was left to represent himself. At this time, an attorney was only provided for capital cases and Gideon fought quite a battle for the needy to get attorney representation which we now know as public defenders. Jose Ferrer, John Houseman, Fay Wray, Sam Jaffe, Dean Jagger, Nicholas Pryor, William Prince, Lane Smith, Richard McKenzie, Dolph Sweet, Ford Rainey, David Sheiner, J. Patrick McNamara, Les Lannom, and many others co-star in this tv movie. This is based on the the Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright that gave everyone the right to an attorney. This is available to watch on Freevie and Tubi.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939): William Dieterle directed this adaptation of the classic novel by Victor Hugo. Charles Laughton stars as the hunchback Quasimodo who is a bellringer in the church and has been brought up by the corrupt Frollo, played by Cedric Hardwicke. Frollo becomes obsessed with Gypsy girl Esmerelda, played by Maureen O'Hara, and sends Quasimodo to capture her. While doing this, Quasimodo takes a liking to Esmerelda while seeing that Frollo is not such a good person. Thomas Mitchell, Edmond O'Brien, Alan Marshall, Walter Hampden, Harry Davenport, Katherine Alexander, George Zucco, Fritz Leiber, Etienne Girardot, Helene Reynolds, Minna Gombell, and many others co-star in this film. O'Hara makes her feature film debut in this movie and what a debut. Laughton plays the iconic Quasimodo to perfection. This could be a good double feature to go along with the Disney version.

Fear Strikes Out (1957): Robert Mulligan directed this biopic which is based on the book by Jim Piersall. Anthony Perkins stars as Jim Piersall and is pushed hard by his father John, played by Karl Malden, in baseball to get him into the major leagues. His father is more living vicariously through his son after his own limited success in minor league baseball and starts having psychological effects on his son through all the pressure. Norma Moore, Adam Williams, Perry Wilson, Peter J. Votrian, and many others co-star in this biopic. I have always thought this was the movie that Alfred Hitchcock watched and thought "this is my Norman Bates". This is a good look at baseball and mental illness with Malden and Perkins working well as a father/son duo.

Autumn Sonata (1978): Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed this Swedish film. Liv Ullman stars as Eva who invites her mother Charlotte, played by Ingrid Bergman in her final film role, to her home after not seeing each other for seven years. Charlotte is a famous concert pianist who dedicated much of her life to her craft rather than her family. A lot of tension builds between Eva and Charlotte as they are able to tell each other what they have wanted to say. Lena Nyman, Halvar Bjork, Marianne Aminoff, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Erland Josephson, Georg Lokkeberg, and many others co-star in this Swedish film. I just want to get out of the way that Ingmar and Ingrid have no relation despite sharing a last name. This is a very deep film like Ingmar likes to do. Ingrid is able to go out very well with this being her last theatrical film and Ullman held her own against her as her daughter. This is available to watch on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.

Fathers and Daughters (2015): Gabriele Muccino directed this character driven film. Russell Crowe stars as Pulitzer winning writer Jake Davis who is a widowed father and has a mental breakdown as he struggles to raise his daughter Katie, played by Kylie Rogers in the younger years. Amanda Seyfried stars as Katie in her adult years who struggles to form her own connection and we see two different eras going back and forth. Aaron Paul, Diane Kruger, Quvenzhane Wallis, Bruce Greenwood, Janet McTeer, Jane Fonda, Octavia Spencer, and many others co-star in this film. This is a really well done film that was driven by the script and the actors. This is quite sad at times but also a very moving story of redemption and forgiveness. This is available to watch on Prime.

The Happiest Millionaire (1967): Norman Tokar directed this musical based on the play by Kyle Crichton. Tommy Steele stars as the new butler of a wealthy but eccentric Biddle family. Fred MacMurray co-stars as the patriarch of the family whose daughter Cordy, played by Lesley Ann Warren, who tires of the family antics as much of her dates leave out of fear. Greer Garson, Gladys Cooper, Geraldine Page, Hermione Baddeley, John Davidson, Paul Peterson, Eddie Hodges, Joyce Bulifant, Sean McClory, Jim McMullen, William Wellman Jr., Aron Kincaid, and many others co-star in this Disney musical. This is a very fun musical written by the Sherman Brothers that has a little YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU within it. This is also based on a true story. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

The Strawberry Blonde (1941): Raoul Walsh directed this romantic comedy that was based on a play by James Hagan. James Cagney stars as the quick tempered but likable Biff Grimes who falls for the flirtatious Virginia Brush, played by Rita Hayworth, as well as other men in town. Biff is framed for a political scheme that lands him in jail and sets out for revenge but also love. Olivia de Havilland, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, George Tobias, Una O'Connor, George Reeves, and many others co-star in this film. This is a good and complex love story that is hard to really explain beyond what I already did. Cagney gets to show his comedic side in this film and one that has gone a but underrated through the years. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982): This was a live adaptation of the Sondheim musical when the show first came out on stage. George Hearn stars as the vengeful barber Sweeney Todd who was wrongly sent to prison by the corrupt Judge Turpin, played by Edmund Lyndeck, and has escaped to take revenge on the town of London. Angela Lansbury co-stars as Mrs. Lovett who owns a struggling meat pie shop and makes a rather unusual business deal with Sweeney while he continues to take his revenge. Sal Mistretta, Cris Groenendaal, Sara Woods, Calvin Remsberg, Betsy Joslyn, Ken Jennings, and many others co-star in this stage musical and Jennings is not that same guy from JEOPARDY. This was a very good production with Lansbury as the ultimate Lovett. I just wish the original Anthony in Victor Garber had been in this but some left the production upon the national tour. I just learned there has been a revival with Josh Groban as Sweeney Todd that I'd be interested to see.

Well, that is all for this week but continue on for week three of Noirvember. Tell me what you like and dislike and I will be releasing the fourth and final week of Noirvember on Wednesday and the blog in a couple weeks.

NOIRVEMBER: GASLIGHT- WEEK 3

This is the third week of the Noirvember contest. Much of my selections aren't pure Film Noir but are some that I thought were Noirish except for some I used with wild cards. Next week is the last week and I hope to make this an annual contest just like the Madness.

ANGELA LANSBURY

Angela is a wild card so I can use anything she has done and get triple bonus points

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997, 66 1/2): This is a holiday prequel where the now human Mrs. Potts tells a story of how the Beast and Belle almost weren't when the piano Forte tried to tear them apart. Nothing great but not horrible Disney prequel but does have Tim Curry and Paul Reubens.

-75 minutes

-ATB for Angela Lansbury

Murder, She Wrote: Broadway Malady (1985, 666): Murder on Broadway and Jessica is there to unravel what happened.

-48 minutes