Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 889th Edition

Welcome to the 889th Edition of my series.  I don't really have a lot to talk about right now so I'll just get on with my selections for teh week..

Heavenly Creatures (1994):  This is part two of my possible six part Kate Winslet series.  Peter Jackson directed this film that is based on a true story.  Kate Winslet stars as English teen Juliet Hulme who is new to her school and befriends the more shy Pauline Parker, played by Melanie Lynskey.  Together, they form quite the friendship and create their own fantasy world which concerns the adults around them which leads to violence.  Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent, Clive Merrison, Simon O'Connor, Jed Brophy, Peter Elliott, Gilbert Goldie, Geoffrey Heath, Kirsti Ferry, Darien Takle, Elizabeth Moody, Liz Mullane.  This is based on the Parker-Hulme murder case in 1954 which is a fascinating story in general.  Winslet and Lynskey were a great duo and both make their film debuts so quite and argument can be made in a best debut discussion.  It is also some early work for Jackson that deserves a look.

Stealing Cars (2015):  Bradley Kaplan directed this film that takes a look at the juvenile detention system.  Emory Cohen stars as Billy Wyatt who ends up in a juvenile detention camp after a number of crimes.  While in there, he earns the respect of the inmates with his charisma and intelligence but not so much the guards.  John Leguizamo, Paul Sparks, Heather Lind, Mike Epps, Al Calderon, Jeff Lima, Leopold Manswell, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Grace Van Patten, Deema Aitken, Tariq Trotter, Chance Kelly, David H. Holmes, and many others co-star in this movie.  This could be considered a juvenile COOL HAND LUKE which could be a good double feature.  This is a pretty moving film that takes a look at the juvenile system and just about survival.  It is also a good look at broken families as we learn more about Billy throughout the film.

The Pianist (2002):  Roman Polanski directed this film that is based on the novel by Wladyslaw Szpilman, played by Adrien Brody.  Szpilman was a Polish Jewish pianist struggling to survive in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII during the Nazi rule as he gets separated from his family.  Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Emilia Fox, Michal Zebrowski, Ed Stoppard, Maureen Lipman, Jessica Kate Meyer, Julia Rayner, Wanja Mues, Richard Ridings, and many others co-star in this Holocaust drama.  This is based on a true story and the climax with his encounter with the German officer has always stuck in my mind. Brody does very well as Szpilman and even learned the piano for the movie.  This is not always easy to watch but is very rewarding if you can get through it.  The actual Wladyslaw Szpilman died during pre-production of this film.

Fast and Furry-ous (1949):  This is my animated short for the week which features the iconic duo of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.  This is the introduction of this duo where Wile tries to catch Road Runner with all his Acme traps.  This could also be a good psychological study where a good argument could be made that Road Runner is a figment of Wile's imagination.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Theodora Goes Wild (1936):  Richard Boleslawski directed this screwball comedy.  Irene Dunne stars as Theodora Lynn who is a respected member of a small town and tries to hide her identity after writing a racy novel under a pen name.  Melvyn Douglas co-stars as Michael Grant who is Theodora's illustrator and takes a liking to her while also harboring his own secret.  Thomas Mitchell, Thurston Hall, Elisabeth Risdon, Margaret McWade, Spring Byington, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I suppose this would go into the "pre-code" category.  This was the first comedy for Dunne as she had always been in dramas and transitioned well.  This is a pretty fun movie from this era and delivers a lot of laughs.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Torn Curtain (1966):  This is part one of a trilogy for Alfred Hitchcock and Paul Newman and as far as I know their only collaboration.  Hitchcock directed this espionage film and Newman stars as Professor Michael Armstrong who is going to Denmark to attend a physics conference.  Michael's assistant and fiancee Sarah, played by Julie Andrews, attends with him and fears he might be defecting to East Germany.  Lila Kedrova, Hansjorg Felmy, Tamara Toumanova, Ludwig Donath, Wolfgang Kieling, and many others co-star in this film.  It's unfortunate that Andrews likely gets overlooked in a discussion of Hitchcock women but she was one.  This is by no means one of Hitch's top films but even so it is still very watchable though he apparently did not have a good working relationship with Newman.  

Knock at the Cabin (2023):  M. Night Shyamalan directed this horror mystery which is based on the novel THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Paul Tremblay.  Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge play the gay couple Eric and Andrew and are vacationing with their adopted daughter Wen, played by Kristen Cui.  They are having a great time until a group of strangers lead by WWE Hall of Famer Dave Bautista and tell them they must do an unspeakable act to save the world from apocalypse.  Rupert Grint, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, McKenna Kerrigan, Ian Merrill Peakes, and many others co-star in this horror film.  I will start by saying that this is Shyamalan if that means anything.  I think if I say much else I will give it away.  It was good to see Grint playing a rugged and rough character with Bautista also doing well as a seemingly everyday guy and forced to resort to extreme measures.  This is still in the movie theaters.

The Passionate Friends (1949):  David Lean directed this romantic drama that is based on the novel by H.G. Wells.  Ann Todd stars as Mary Justin who is the wife of banker Howard, played by Claude Rains.  She reunites with her old flame Steven Stratton, played by Trevor Howard, who she was in love with but refused to marry feeling that just the love is not enough.  They light the flame again and things get complicated.  Betty Ann Davies, Isabel Dean, and many others co-star in this drama.  This is a much different story by Wells who is usually known for his sci-fi.  This is a very deep movie from this era and could be compared to Lean's BRIEF ENCOUNTER which has a similar premise of having an extramarital affair but is a very different story.  This could be a good double feature.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Organization (1971):  Don Medford directed this crime movie.  Sidney Poitier reprises his iconic role of Virgil Tibbs in his third and final outing.  A group of vigilantes enlist his help to expose a drug ring controlled by a big business.  While reluctant to operate outside the law, Tibbs goes rogue to help clear them of a murder they did not commit.  Barbara McNair, Gerald O'Loughlin, Sheree North, Fred Allen Garfield, Bernie Harrison, Graham Jarvis, Raul Julia, Ron O'Neal, James A. Watson Jr., Charles H. Gray, Jarion Monroe, Daniel Travanti, and many others co-star in this film.  It was good to see Poitier once more as Mr. Tibbs and finds himself in a very gray area.  Watching IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT and THEY CALL ME MR.TIBBS might help but this movie stands on its own so it is not absolutely necessary.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001):  I end the week with this Mexican film which was directed by Alfonso Cuaron and co-written with his brother Carlos Cuaron.  Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna star as teen friends Julio and Tenoch who meet twenty-something Luisa Cortes, played by Maribel Verdu, and embark on quite the road trip.  Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Veronica Langer, Maria Aura, Arturo Rios, Andres Almeida, Diana Bracho, Emilio Echevarria, Mara Aura, Juan Carlos Remolina, Silverio Palacios, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a coming of age story more than anything.  This is a very well directed and acted film that is driven by its script and actors.  This is available to watch on AMC+ and IFC Films Unlimited.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple weeks which so far includes Paul Newman, Kathy Bates, Jean Arthur,  and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 888th Edition

 

Welcome to the 888th Edition of my series.  Tonight is the Super Bowl which I look forward to watching but I am honestly not that excited.  This is because my own team the 49ers were beat by the Eagles to get to the Super Bowl.  I am one of the few that watches the Super Bowl for the football game.  The commercials and halftime show are fine but the football element is the most important.  I don't have much else to say so I will get on with my selections for the week.

Avatar:  The Way of Water (2022):  This is part one of a possible five-part Kate Winslet series.  I start the week with this long awaited sequel of the 2009 film both of which were directed by James Cameron.  Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana reprise their roles of Jake and Neytiri where Jake is living on Pandora and now has a family.  A familiar threat returns to finish what they previously started and must work with the Na'vi race to protect their home.  Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Lo Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans Jr., Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, and many others co-star in this sequel.  Obviously, the first one should be watched before this one.  I thought this was a very good sequel that has its own story.  I ended up seeing this in 3D and was worth the watch to see it that way as this is best seen on a big screen.  

An Impossible Balancing Feat (1902):  This is my short film for the week which was directed by film pioneer Georges Melies.  Melies manages to create quite the illusion where he is able to hold exact counterparts of himself.  He is most known for A TRIP TO THE MOON and was portrayed in the movie HUGO.  This is available to watch on HBO Max as well as a few other shorts from Melies that are all really worth a look to see the early days of cinema.

Roman Holiday (1953):  William Wyler directed this romantic comedy involving royalty.  Gregory Peck stars as reporter Joe Bradley who is an American reporter working at the American News Service in Rome.  Audrey Hepburn stars as burned out Princess Ann who tires of all her royalty duties and runs away.  When Joe comes across her, he sees the opportunity for a story while also acting like he does not know her as well as falling in love with her.  Eddie Albert adds a lot of comic relief as the photographer helping Joe.  Harcourt Williams, Tullio Carminati, Claudio Ermelli, and many others co-star in this film.  I also saw this at the movie theater as part of the 70th anniversary.  I have always enjoyed this movie with Peck and Hepburn making a good pair.  This is available to watch on Paramount Plus.

The Last Film Festival (2016):  Linda Yellen directed this comedy on the independent film industry.  Dennis Hopper stars as struggling film producer Nick Twain who can only get his movie into a very obscure film festival at a small town Ohio high school.  Jacqueline Bisset, Jobeth Williams, Chris Kattan, Leelee Sobieski, Katrina Bowden, Joseph Cross, Agim Kaba, Donnell Rawlings, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is Hopper's last movie before he left us.  This is a pretty fun movie of Hollywood in small town America.  

The Hiding Place (1975):  Now I get a little more serious with this Holocaust film that was directed by James F. Collier and based on the book by Corrie Ten Boom, played by Jeannette Clift in this movie.  Julie Harris stars as Corries's sister Betsie who is living in WWII Holland and among the Nazis.  They are eventually suspected of hiding Jews and get sent to a concentration camp where their Christian faith keeps them sane during such horrid times.  Arthur O'Connell, Robert Rietty, Tom van Beek, Nigel Hawthorne, John Gabriel, and many others co-star in this film.  This has been overlooked through the years but has gone onto be underrated as a rather sad but inspirational film.  An unfortunate incident happened during its premier where someone through a tear-gas canister before the movie started forcing an evacuation and obvious delay.  This is available to watch on Prime.  

Strangers (2007):  Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor directed this German film.  Liron Levo stars as Eyal Goldman who is an Israeli living in a Kibbutz.  Lubna Azabal stars as Rana Sweid who is a Palestinian living in Paris.  They have an accidental meeting at the Berlin Subway which leads to an intense relationship but circumstances keep them apart.  Abdallah El Akal, Patrick Albenque, Birol Unel, Clemence Thioly, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty moving story that makes us root for these two people to be together.  This movie also introduced me to a song I really liked called ONE MORE WORD by the Swell Season that comprised of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova who are known for their movie ONCE.  This is a very intense love story and deserves a look.

The Wild Women of Wongo (1958):  James L. Wolcott directed this B-movie though supposedly Wolcott was a good friend of Tennessee Williams who helped direct this movie.  This takes place on the tropical island of Wongo where a tribe of beautiful women discover on the other side of this island is a group of handsome men.  They also discover that a tribe of evil ape men live there too and the men and women must band together.  What more can I say about this movie?  I don't think this one has been covered by MST3K or Rifftrax but is a worthy watch for them though correct me if I'm wrong.  This is not something to watch if looking for an Oscar worthy film but could be a fun watch for a group of friends.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Anna Karenina (2012):  This is part two of a possible Olivia Williams trilogy where she plays Countess Vronsky.  Joe Wright directed this film based on the classic novel by Leo Tolstoy.  Keira Knightley takes the helm of the title character who is in an unhappy marriage with Count Alexie Karenin, played by Jude Law.  Anna meets and falls in love with cavalry officer Count Vronsky, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson.  Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Guro Nagelhus Schia, Bryan Hands, Luke Newberry, Michael Schaeffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Pip Torrens, Susanne Lothar, Alexandra Roach, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, David Wilmot, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Holliday Grainger, Emily Watson, Michelle Dockery, Bill Skarsgard, Cara Delevingne, Shirley Henderson, and many others co-star in this tragic love story.  I have heard that this was a lot more stylized than other adaptations but I did like how it was shot.  Knightley was really good as the title character.  Those who like the period pieces should enjoy this one.  

Which Way is Up? (1977):  Michael Schultz directed this comedy which is a remake of the 1972 comedy Italians THE SEDUCTION OF MIMI.  Richard Pryor stars in a trio of roles mainly of which orange picker Leroy Jones who accidentally becomes a leader being forced out of town after being laid off in his job and leaving his wife Annie, played by Margaret Avery, and the rest of his family behind.  In Los Angeles, Leroy works for the same company as a manager and falls in love with labor organizer Vanetta, played by Lonette McKee, and to divide time between his wife and mistress.  Morgan Woodward, Bebe Drake, Otis Day, Diane Rodriguez, Dolph Sweet, Tim Thomerson, Daniel Valdez, Marc Alaimo, Victor Argo, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Pryor also plays Leroy's sex obsessed father Rufus and a hypocritical preacher.  We mostly know Peter Sellers and Eddie Murphy, I'm sure there are plenty of others, that are known to play multiple roles.  Pryor does well in his attempt though I don't think he did this any other time in his career.  This is a lot of fun and will give some laughs. 

In the Blood (2014):  I end the week with this action movie which was directed by John Stockwell.  Gina Carano stars as the newlywed Ava who marries Derek Grant, played by Cam Gigandet.  They go to the Caribbean for their honeymoon where Derek disappears and when the police aren't cooperative, Ava goes on her own investigation to find him making those responsible realize they messed with the wrong woman.  Ismael Cruz Cordova, Danny Trejo, Luis Guzman, Amaury Nolasco, Stephen Lang, Treat Williams, Yvette Yates Redick, Eloise Mumford, Paloma Louvat, and many others co-star in this action movie.  This is a bit of a guilty pleasure and I can usually enjoy a female action hero.  This does have a lot of action and can be enjoyed if not taken too seriously.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my segment "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for two weeks which so far includes Kate Winslet, John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Julie Andrews, and many others.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

28 Days Later (2002):  We decided upon this zombie film which was directed by Danny Boyle.  A mysterious and seemingly virus has spread through the United Kingdom which turns people into zombie like people.  A group of survivors band together to find sanctuary.  Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer, Bindu De Stoppani, David Schneider, Toby Sedgwick, Noah Huntley, Christopher Dunne, Kim McGarrity, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, Luke Mably, Stuart McQuarrie, and many others co-star in this zombie film.  This is a pretty simple zombie film but is still very effective.  The zombies are also well done and quite believable in my opinion.   This is a must see for the horror fans out there.