Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 887th Edition

Welcome to the 887th edition of my series.  Today is a big day where the 49ers must play the Eagles in Philadelphia.  They are the underdog but I hope to help get them through the game and into the Superbowl.  For now I will just get to my selections for the week.

The Good Lord Bird (2020):  I start the week out with this mini-series which was created by Ethan Hawke and based on the novel by James McBride.  Joshua Caleb Johnson stars as Henry Shackleford who poses as a woman and becomes nicknamed Onion.  He is a slave and joins a group of abolitionist soldiers lead by the eccentric abolitionist John Brown, played by Hawke, trying to fight to end slavery during the Civil War.  Hubert Point-Du Jour, Beau Knapp, Nick Eversman, Ellar Coltrane, Jack Alcott, Mo Brings Plenty, McKinley Belcher III, Quentin Plair, Daveed Diggs, Wyatt Russell, Victor Williams, Rafael Casal, Miles Mussenden, Joel Ashur, George Boaitey, Steve Zahn, Maya Hawke, David Morse, Keith David, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  This is from the point of view of the fictional Onion and Johnson does a great job in that role as well as Hawke as the crazed Brown.  This has seven episodes that are about an hour each and is a pretty good ride each episode.  This is available to watch on Showtime.  

Weird:  The Al Yankovic Story (2022):  Eric Appel directed this biopic of the famed comedic singer.  Daniel Radcliffe stars as Yankovic as we see his difficult childhood with his overbearing parents, played by Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson, who wanted their son to work at the factory like his father.  This also shows his volatile relationship with Madonna, played by Evan Rachel Wood, and quite a few other scandals.  Diedrich Bader, Rainn Wilson, Lin-Manuel Meranda, Thomas Lennon, Richard Aaron Anderson, Weird Al Yankovic, Keanush Tafreshi, Johnny Pemberton, Jonah Ray, Jeremy Bolm, Jack Lancaster, Spencer Treat Clark, Will Forte, Patton Oswalt, Michael McKean, Dot-Marie Jones, Jorma Taccone, Paul F. Tompkins, Aviva Schaffer, Conan O'Brien, Emo Philips, Jack Black, David Dastmalchian, Quinta Brunson, Arturo Castro, Josh Groban, Seth Green, Trenyce, James Preston Rogers, William Guirola, and many others co-star or have cameos in this biopic.  Keep in mind that like most of Weird Al's songs, this is a parody of Yankovic's life.  Maybe I'm wrong, maybe this is the most accurate biopic of all time.  Radcliffe plays Weird Al to perfection in this parodied biopic of the cliches of the rock and role lifestyle.  This is available to watch on the Roku Channel.

The Karate Kid Part II (1986):  John G. Avildsen directed this sequel to the '80s classic which starts right from the first one during the aftermath of the All Valley tournament.  Ralph Macchio reprises his role of Daniel La Russo who accompanies Mr. Miyagi to his hometown of Okinawa to see Miyagi's dying father.  Miyagi manages to renew a rivalry he had with Sato, played by Danny Kamekona, while Daniel manages to make a rivalry of his own rival in Chozen, played by Yuji Okumoto, who would become a big part of COBRA KAI in the later times.  Joey Miyashima, Tamlyn Tomita, Nobu McCarthy, BD Wong, Martin Kove, William Zabka, Chad McQueen, and many others co-star in this sequel.  This does not beat the first one but is a decent continuation and does play some into the greatest tv series there is in COBRA KAI.  This is available to watch on AMC+.  COBRA KAI is available on Netflix and sometime this year they release their sixth and final season and I have recently started from the beginning.

House on Order (1960):  This is part three of my Barbara Stanwyck trilogy.  This is my short film for the week though technically it is the episode of the serial tv series THE BARBARA STANWYCK SHOW.  David Lowell Rich directed this episode of the series where Stanwyck stars as Elizabeth who learns she must have a serious heart operation as she tries to prepare her family.  Yvonne Craig co-stars as her daughter Susan who is resentful and is about to elope making things more difficult for her family.  Shepperd Strudwick, Jack Mullaney, Walter Coy, and Mary Jackson co-star in this episode.  Craig is likely most remembered as Batgirl in the '60s sitcom BATMAN.  This was a short lived series but the couple episodes I have seen are pretty good.  The formula is similar to ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS where Stanwyck introduces the episodes though she would usually have a part in hers.  This is available to watch on Freevee.

A Slight Case of Murder (1938):  Lloyd Bacon directed this comedy that was based on a play by Damon Runyon.  Edward G. Robinson stars as Remy Marco who made a good living as a bootlegger and must adjust to selling alcohol after the repeal of Prohibition.  Unfortunately, no one told him that his beer tasted really bad and has a lot of other things going on.  Jane Bryan, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Willard Parker, John Litel, Harold Huber, Paul Harvey, Bobby Jordan, Margaret Hamilton, George E. Stone, Betty Compton, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Robinson played a lot of gangster roles in this era and in this movie he got to do more of a parody of himself.  This was a great script and delivered a lot of laughs.  

Dirty Girtie from Harlem USA (1946):  Spencer Williams directed this b-movie.  Francine Everett stars as Harlem night club performer Gertie Larue who goes to the Caribbean as a headliner in a revue at the Paradise Hotel.  While there, she is given the nickname "Dirty Girtie" as she attracts the attention of various men.  It is hard to really describe this movie without giving anything away.  The director Williams directed a series of these race films that would feature an all-black cast and cater to the African-Americans.  This would receive a little wider release in the '90s and is available on Public Domain.  This is a decent B-list movie and has a lot of historical value.  This is available to watch on Prime. 

An Education (2009):  Lone Scherfig directed this film that is based on a memoir by Lynn Barber.  This is a coming of age film from the early '60s which stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny Mellor who is a London 16 year old.  Her life changes when she meets playboy David Goldman, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who is twice her age.  They slowly build a relationship making Jenny decide if that life is right for her.  Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour, Matthew Beard, Amanda Fairbanks-Hynes, Ellie Kendrick, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Emma Thompson, Sally Hawkins, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good look at a 16 year old from this era trying to get through her rather overbearing parents.  Mulligan and Sarsgaard work well together as people from two totally different worlds.  

The Street With No Name (1948):  This is my film noir for the week which was directed by William Keighley.  Mark Stevens stars as Gene Cordell who is recruited by the FBI to go undercover in the Skid Row area.  Gene meets Alec Stiles, played by Richard Widmark, who is "building an organization along scientific lines" and gets recruited by Stiles making his job more dangerous.  Lutze, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Lawrence, Ed Begley, Donald Buka, Joseph Pevney, John McIntire, Howard Smith, and many others co-star in this film noir.  This is a follow-up to THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET mostly with Lloyd Nolan being in both movies and using a semi-documentary style.  Widmark has gone onto be a pretty underrated actor seemingly specializing in the Film Noir genre and could be portrayed by Walton Goggins in a biopic if he is ever featured in one.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

Ticket of No Return (1979):  This is my German film for the week which was written and directed by Ulrike Ottinger.  Tabea Blumenschein stars as a unnamed and seemingly mute woman who goes to Berlin to drink every chance she gets.  Magdalena Montezuma, Nina Hagen, Gunter Meisner, Kurt Raab, Volker Spengler, Eddie Constantine, and many others co-star in this German film.  This is a very offbeat film I think meant to give commentary of how a woman's public behavior is more scrutinized than a man's behavior.  I am sure it can be interpreted in a variety of ways.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and is worth a look.

Tales of the Rat Fink (2006):  This is part three of my John Goodman trilogy.  Ron Mann directed this documentary on Ed "Big Daddy" Roth who was a custom car designer and a very significant artist.  John Goodman narrates this documentary as Ed Roth who had since died.  In addition to his work in the car industry, he also created some very grotesque caricatures which include Rat Fink that was inspired by his anti-Mickey Mouse attitude.  Ted Rosnick, Paul Le Mat, Ann-Margret, Dick Smothers, Tom Smothers, WWE Hall of Famer and former world champion Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jay Leno, ZZ Top member Billy Gibbons, Tom Wolfe, Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson, and SIMPSONS creator Matt Groening provide their voices to mostly car characters.  This was a good look at the artist that was the inspiration to a lot of our pop culture in society.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next release in two weeks which so far includes Kate Winslet, Audrey Hepburn, Dennis Hopper, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 886th Edition

Welcome to the 886th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend however celebrated.  I don't have to work tomorrow so I'm glad for that one.  I was also happy to see the 49ers win to advance in the playoffs.  I don't have much else to say so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Eastern Promises (2007):  This is part one of a possible Vincent Cassel trilogy.  David Cronenberg directed this gangster film that was written by Steven Knight.  Naomi Watts stars as Anna who is a midwife at a London hospital.  She helps to deliver a baby of a Russian prostitute, played by Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, who ends up dying in childbirth.  Anna finds the diary of the prostitute and learns of her ties to the Russian mafia setting out to the baby to a safe family.  Viggo Mortensen stars as Russian gangster Nikolai who tries to keep the peace.  Josef Altin, Raza Jaffrey, Sinead Cusack, Jerzy Skolimowski, Armin Mueller-Stahl. and many others co-star in this film.  This is a plot that is rather convoluted to really describe through words.  I have read that this is pretty accurate in depicting the Russian mafia.  This has become quite the cult film and deserves a look.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021):  Shaka King directed this film that is based on a true story of the Black Panthers.  Lakeith Stanfield stars as William O'Neal who is arrested for stealing a car and is offered a plea deal.  FBI special agent Roy Mitchell, played by Jesse Plemons, offers to drop the charges for William if he agrees to infiltrate the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers headed by Fred Hampton, played by Daniel Kaluuya.  Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rey Howery, Dominique Thorne, Martin Sheen, Amari Cheatom, Khris Davis, Ian Duff, Caleb Eberhardt, Robert Longstreet, Amber Chardae Robinson, Ikechukwu Ufomadu, James Udom, and many others co-star in this biographical film.  This is not always easy to watch but it is an important one.  It is a really good look at this era of the FBI that was lead by J. Edgar Hoover, played by Sheen.  I will give away a lot if I continue so just go check this movie out and then research these people when done.

Lady Bird (2017):  I know I have gotten a bit heavy handed in my first couple selections so now I make it a little lighter with this coming of age comedy which was written and directed by Greta Gerwig.  Saoirse Ronan stars as high school senior Christine McPherson who prefers the name Lady Bird.  She struggles in her town of Sacramento in a Catholic school she does not seem to fit in very well but her parents are convinced it is the safe route.  In her senior year, Lady Bird finds love and looks to get out of the state for college.  Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Beanie Feldstein, Lucas Hedges, Timothee Chalamet, Lois Smith, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Odeya Rush, Jordan Rodrigues, Marielle Scott, John Karna, Jake McDorman, Bayne Gibby, Laura Marano, Marietta DePrima, Daniel Zovatto, Kristen Cloke, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Ronan is really good in her role in trying to find herself in life and learns some lessons about friendship.  Gerwig makes her directorial debut in this film and is a really good one.  This is available to watch on Showtime.  

Dragon Around (1954):  This is my animated short for this week which comes from Disney.  Our two favorite chipmunks Chip and Dale believe they are fighting a dragon.  In reality, it is a power shovel being driven by Donald Duck.  This put Donald and the chipmunks at odds with each other with comic results.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

Midnight (1939):  Mitchell Leisen directed this screwball comedy.  Claudette Colbert stars as American showgirl Eve Peabody who becomes stranded in Paris and picked up by the good-hearted taxi driver Tiber, played by Don Ameche.  John Barrymore co-stars as Georges who wants Eve's services for his own gain.  Francis Lederer, Mary Astor, Elaine Barrie, Hedda Hopper, Rex O'Malley, Monty Woolley, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is another one that is convoluted to describe in words.  This movie during the Golden Year of film.  This nears the end of Barrymore's career and gets his 1939 entry.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

A Bullet for the General (1967):  Damiano Damiani directed this spaghetti Western.  Gian Maria Volonte stars as revolutionary leader El Chuncho.  He makes a controversial decision to bring in the white man Bill Tate, played by Lou Castel, who gives unforeseen help when robbing a government supply train.  They have no idea how to feel about Bill and his boyish charm while he forms quite a friendship with Chuncho.  Klaus Kinski, Martine Beswick, Jaime Fernandez, Andrea Checchi, Aldo Sambrell, Jose Manuel Martin, and many others co-star in this western.  This is a pretty good Spaghetti Western set during the Mexican Revolution.  This has some great action, political statements, and some comic relief.  This is available to watch on Tubi.

Interiors (1978):  Woody Allen wrote and directed this Bergman-esque drama.  Diane Keaton, Mary Beth Hurt, and Kristin Griffith star as sisters Renata, Joey, and Flyn whose parents announce a separation.  E.G. Marshall and Geraldine Page co-star as the separated parents leaving their three daughters to deal with things in their own way.  Richard Jordan, Maureen Stapleton, Sam Waterston, and many others co-star in this drama.  This is Allen's first dramatic film breaking away from his usual comedy even though still dealing with similar situations.  As described this is partly inspired by the legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman.  The script and performances make this drama really work.  This is available to watch on Prime.

There's Always Tomorrow (1956):  This is part two of a possible Barbara Stanwyck trilogy.  Douglas Sirk directed this romantic drama.  Fred MacMurray stars as to manufacturer Clifford Groves who starts to feel unappreciated by his wife Marion, played by Joan Bennett, and his kids.  His past love Norma, played by Stanwyck, comes back into his life where Clifford rekindles his old past love.  William Reynolds, Pat Crowley, Gigi Perreau, Jane Darwell, Race Gentry, Judy Nugent, Helen Kleeb, Frances Mercer, and many others co-star in this film.  This does a good job showing the gray areas in the family unit and how feelings need to be considered on all sides.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Patriots Day (2016):  This is part two of a possible John Goodman trilogy.  Peter Berg directed this film based on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.  Mark Wahlberg stars as the troubled police officer Tommy Saunders who is assigned to work security during the annual event.  What would usually be an enjoyable event for people to come together, someone must ruin it.  The police force and the FBI team up to find those that committed the horrific act.  Goodman, Michelle Monaghan, J.K. Simmons, Dicky Eklund Jr., Michael Marchand, Rhet Kidd, Rachel Brosnahan, Jake Picking, Lana Condor, Jimmy O. Yang, Melissa Benoist, Alex Wolff, Kevin Bacon, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a surprisingly moving film which focuses mostly on the point of view of Saunders who learns what is more important in life.  This is available to watch on Pluto TV.

Official Rejection (2009):  I end the week with this Documentary which was directed by Paul Osbourne.  This takes a look at a group of young filmmakers including Osbourne as they try to get their feature film to be screened at a film festival.  This shows the difficulty in getting a low-budget movie to a festival.  Scott Storm, Andy Dick, Troy Duffy, David Faustino, Jenna Fischer, Traci Lords, Bryan Singer, Kevin Smith, Jennifer Tilly, Lloyd Kaufman, and many others give interviews in this documentary.  This is a good look at the independent film industry of today and how they tried to maneuver to at least get into something.  There is also a lot of talk on the Sundance Film Festival where many feel that is no longer an independent film festival.  This is very eye-opening and worth a look.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my segment "Tube Time".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned in two weeks for my next release which so far includes Ethan Hawke, Evan Rachel Wood, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, and many others.

TUBE TIME

Smallville (2001-2011):  This was a rather different take towards the Superman legend.  Tom Welling stars as a young Clark Kent as he tries to find his way in Smallville, Kansas while trying to learn his powers and save his town from threats.  He learns values from his adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent, played by John Schneider and Annette O'Toole.  He also continues to learn about himself through his biological father Jor-El, voiced by Terence Stamp.  Kristen Kreuk also stars in this series as Clark's love interest from his younger days in Lana Lang while later Erica Durance would come onto the show as Lois Lane.  Michael Rosenbaum would star in this series as Lex Luther who would start out as a pretty decent person and friend to Clark but would have a slow descent into darkness.  Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, John Glover, Sam Jones III, Cassidy Freeman, Aaron Ashmore, Eric Johnson, Laura Vandervoort, Camille Mitchell, Jensen Ackles, Callum Blue, Alessandro Juliani, James Marsters, Phil Morris, Ian Somerhalder, Jane Seymour, Alaina Huffman, Ted Whittall, and many others would co-star or play recurring roles in the series.  I really enjoyed this take to the legend and we would meet a lot of others from the DC universe like his main ally in Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow, played by Hartley.  There are a lot of appearances from past franchises to guest star on this series.  This is available to watch on Hulu.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 885th Edition

Welcome to the 885th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good holidays however celebrated.  I feel like last year was a pretty decent year and hope to make this year one as well.  I don't have much more to say so I'll just get on with my selections.

Revenge of the Nerds (1984):  This is part one of a possible John Goodman trilogy.  I start the year out with this classic comedy that was directed by Jeff Kanew. Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards star as friends Lewis and Gilbert who are starting college and are nerds.  The jocks of Alpha Beta lead by Stan Gable, played by Ted McGinley, make life hell for the nerds.  With the help of fellow nerds Booger, played by Curtis Armstrong, Poindexter, played by Timonthy Busfield, and some others, they turn the tables on the jocks with high-tech warfare.  Larry B. Scott, Julia Montgomery, Michelle Meyrink, Matt Salinger, Donald Gibb, James Cromwell, David Wohl, John Goodman, Bernie Casey, Alice Hirson, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Cromwell co-stars as Lewis's father and came up with that iconic laugh that was imitated.  This is some great '80s fun that many I am sure can relate to in this comedy of nerd revolt.  

The Traitor (2019):  Marco Bellocchio directed this mafia film that is based on a true story.  Pierfrancesco Favino stars as Tommaso Buscetta who was known as the "boss of two worlds" and resided in Brazil with his families to flee the constant wars.  Things happen that make forces him to return to Italy and decides to do the the unthinkable which was to inform on the mafia to anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, played by Fausto Russo Alesi.  Maria Fernanda Candido, Fabrizio Ferracane, Luigi Lo Cascio, Bruno Cariello, Vincenzo Pirrotta, Pier Giorgio Bellocchino, Gabriele Cicirello, and many others co-star in this Italian film.  This is a pretty compelling look at the mafia in the '80s and very informative.  This could be a good double feature to go along with GOODFELLAS.

The Last Five Years (2014):  Richard LaGravenese directed this musical based on the musical play by Jason Robert Brown.  Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick star as Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hiatt who have a love affair and this musical shows the struggle and deconstruction of the relationship.  Jamie is an author who is experiencing a lot of success and Cathy is a struggling actress.  This is a two-person musical when done on stage.  With Cathy, her songs start from the end of the marriage while Jamie's start from the beginning of the relationship.  I want to do a two person show sometime so I have eyed this show and have auditioned for it once.  I have been using THE NEXT TEN MINUTES as my audition song if I try out for a musical.  Jordan and Kendrick work well together in this movie version.  This is available to watch on Cinemax.

The Village Smithy (1936):  This is my animated short for the week which was directed by Tex Avery and features the stuttering Porky Pig.  Porky is the assistant to a blacksmith and makes some screw-ups that lead to some funny moments.  This is loosely based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and gets narrated with the poem.  This is available to watch on HBO Max as part of Looney Tunes.

Our Town (1977):  George Schaefer directed this adaptation of the classic play by Thornton Wilder.  This takes place in the fictional town of Grover's Corner between the years of 1901 and 1913 through the everyday life of its citizens.  Hal Holbrook stars as the Stage Manager who serves as the narrator of the play.  Ned Beatty, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robby Benson, Ronny Cox, Glynnis O'Connor, Sada Thompson, Charlotte Rae, William Lanteau, and many others co-star in this film.  This was shot more like a play and followed the script a lot more than the 1940 movie which was necessary for the film in my opinion. Having done this play last year, it was good to relive and watch it the way we are supposed to and use our imaginations.  Holbrook is perfect as the Stage Manager and Benson would go onto be most know as the Beast in Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.  It was good to see a younger Benson in this role.  I was able to find this on Youtube.

Lady of Burlesque (1943):  William Wellman directed this film which is based on the novel G-STRING MURDERS which was written by known Burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee.  Barbara Stanwyck stars as Dixie Daisy who is part of a Burlesque group and a couple of murders happen to fellow Burlesque Dancers making Dixie a suspect.  She sets out to find the killer of the group.  Michael O'Shea, J. Edward Bromberg, Iris Adrian, Gloria Dickson, Stephanie Bachelor, Charles Dingle, Marion Martin, Pete Gordon, Frank Fenton, Pinky Lee, Frank Conroy, and many others co-star in this Burlesque murder mystery.  This is a pretty decent mystery with Stanwyck putting on a good performance.  This also has a few Burlesque acts between backstage scenes.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Car Wash (1976):  Michael Schultz directed this comedy which was written by Joel Schumacher.  This centers around a close-knit group of car wash employees through their hopes, dreams, tribulations, and some eccentric customers including Richard Pryor as a preacher.  George Carlin has a rather amusing role as a taxi driver.  Franklin Ajaye, Sully Boyar, Richard Brestoff, Irwin Corey, Otis Day, Ivan Dixon, Bill Duke, Michael Fennell, Antonio Fargas, Lorraine Gary, Leonard Jackson, Jake Kehoe, Henry Kingi, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is likely most known for the song by Rose Royce that is the title song.  This is a guilty pleasure more than anything.  The dvd cover usually has Pryor and Carlin though their roles were more cameo roles.  It was also a pretty fun cast among the car wash employees and worth a look. 

Brute Force (1947):  Jules Dassin directed this prison film.  Burt Lancaster stars as Joe Collins who is a prisoner who looks to revolt against the power-mad guard Captain Munsey, played by Hume Cronyn.  This also gives a backstory to other prisoners that Joe is trying to get to help him.  Charles Bickford, Yvonne De Carlo, Ann Blyth, Ella Raines, Anita Colby, Sam Levene, Jeff Corey, John Hoyt, Jack Overman, Roman Bohnen, Sir Lancelot, Vince Barnett, Jay C. Flippen, Richard Gaines, Frank Puglia, James Bell, and many others co-star in this prison movie.  This is actually my favorite of the prison movies from this era.  Lancaster and Cronyn go against each other very well.  It has a very violent climax for a movie from this era.  This is available to watch on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.

Captain Marvel (2019):  This is part one of my Jude Law trilogy  Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directed this origin story superhero film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Brie Larson takes the helm as Carol Danvers who we better know as Captain Marvel.  When escaping to Earth when under attack by the Skrulls, she starts to to see her mentor Yon-Rogg, played by Law, is not the person she thought he was.  She meets Nick Fury, reprised by Samuel L. Jackson, and teams up with him to unravel the truth.  This was also a bit of an origin story for Nick Fury as well and shows how he became the man we have come to know in the MCU.  Ben Mendelsohn, Djimou Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Clark Gregg, Rune Temte, Algenis Perez Soto, McKenna Grace, Akira Akbar, Matthew Maher, Chuku Modu, Vik Sahay, Colin Ford, and many others co-star in this superhero film.  Unfortunately, Stan Lee died during the editing of this movie.  I thought this was a pretty good origin story to prepare us for this character for when AVENGERS:  ENDGAME comes out.  

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my new segment "Tube Time" where I feature a television series, "Holiday Corner" where I talk about a couple of new selections I really liked, and the return of Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville.  Now that I am doing every two weeks, I will try to have additional segments like these.  Stay tuned for my next one in two weeks.  

TUBE TIME

Agent Carter (2015-2016):  I am doing a slow-moving binge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the timeline and just recently finished this series that is in the early part of the binge.  Hayley Atwell reprises her role as the tough as nails Agent Peggy Carter who is trying to move forward after losing Captain America.  She is working for an agency and is treated more like a secretary in the beginning.  In the first season Howard Stark, reprised by Dominic Cooper, is accused of treason and turns to Peggy to help clear him.  Agent Carter and Howard's trusted butler Edwin Jarvis, played by James D'Arcy set out to clear the name of Howard Stark.  Enver Gjokaj, Chad Michael Murray, Wynn Everett, Reggie Austin, Bridget Regan, Lesley Boone, Shea Whigham, Lyndsy Fonseca, Currie Graham, Lotte Verbeek, Kurtwood Smith, Matt Braunger, Ken Marino, Rey Valentin, Alexander Carroll, and many others co-star in this series.  This series lasted for two seasons and has a total of 18 episodes.  This was a well written espionage series and Atwell is great as Carter being just as tough as those heroes that have powers.  It also has good attention to detail during the WWII era.  I was not aware until the time I started writing this that Edwin Jarvis inspired Tony Stark's AI program J.A.R.V.I.S.  Unfortunately, this show was cancelled by ABC where I understand they cancelled it wanting Atwell to star in something more mainstream in hopes of getting better ratings which I don't think anything ever really happened except getting axed after season two when there were still things left unaddressed in the series.  The series is now available on Disney Plus and for those that want to do a timely binge of the MCU, this is a great website in https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a825774/marvel-cinematic-universe-in-chronological-order/ which keeps updated as soon as something new comes out on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  

HOLIDAY CORNER

A Christmas Story Christmas (2022):  There was no way I could not write anything on this new holiday movie.  We all know the 1983 classic A CHRISTMAS STORY which gets played for 24 hours on TNT and TBS on Christmas Eve at some point all through Christmas Day.  Many years after seeing Ralphie get his Red Ryder BB Gun, Peter Billingsley reprises his role as Ralphie Parker and is now married to Sandy, played by Erinn Hayes, and has two kids in Mark, played by River Drosche, and Julie, played by Julianna Layne.  Ralph is now living in Chicago and struggles to get his book published.  He also learns of his father's death and returns to his home in Indiana on Cleveland Street.  While there, he tries and struggles to make a good Christmas for his kids just like his own father did.  Billingsley does narration in the same tone as adult Ralphie in the 1983 movie and has not lost his imagination.  Returning actors besides Billingsley are Scott Schwartz as Flick, R.D. Robb as Schwartz, Zach Ward as Scut Farkus, Ian Patrella as Randy Parker, and Yano Anaya as Grover Dill.  Julie Hagerty, Ian Porter, Sam Parks, Davis Murphy, Zack Ward, Benjamin Noble, Derek Morse, Henry Miller, and many others co-star in this holiday movie.  I can't tell you how much I really enjoyed this new holiday movie and what a really good follow-up that Billingsley got to be in.  There were also a lot of laughs when I was watching.  This does a great job paying tribute to the original while being its own movie.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022):  This was more of a tv special which was directed by James Gunn.  The Guardians are looking to get Peter Quill, reprised by Chris Pratt, the perfect gift by going to Earth in hopes of getting him the perfect gift.  WWE Hall of Famer Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Luke Klein, and many others co-star in this holiday special.  This was pretty short and just gets to the point.  There are no enemies to fight and is a lot of fun.  With this still being somewhat fresh, I won't get into too many details.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus and is perfect for the holidays if still in the holiday spirit.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

Witching and Bitching (2013):  Alex de la Iglesia directed this Spanish horror comedy.  Hugo Silva stars as Jose who leads a robbery of a gold exchange pawn shop and even brings his song along letting him participate so he likely won't be getting father of the year anytime soon.  They are now on the run and take refuge in a village that turns out to be a coven of cannibalistic witches.  Mario Casas, Pepon Nieto, Carolina Bang, Terele Pavez, Jaime Ordonez, Santiago Segura, Macarena Gomez, Javier Botet, Enrique Villen, Carlos Areces, Maria Barranco, Carmen Maura, Alexandra Jimenez, and many others co-star in this horror comedy.  This is full of laughs and violence.  I truly believe the heist scene ranks up high in the most clever heist scenes of all time.  This is a rather underrated comedy and is available to watch on AMC+ and IFC Films Unlimited.