Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 893rd Edition

Welcome to the 893rd Edition of my series.  We have one more performance today for ORPHAN TRAIN at the Pulse Opera House at 4 pm.  It has been very well received and we have two more weekends so just see the photo at the bottom for ticket information for those in and around the Warren, Indiana area.  Tickets are $15 and $5 for kids 12 and under so get your tickets and learn a slice of history that seems to go overlooked.  I will shut up now and get to my selections for the week.

Mare of Easttown (2021):  This is part six of my six-part Kate Winslet series which was directed by Craig Zobel and written by Brad Ingelsby.  Winslet stars as small town Pennsylvania detective Mare Sheehan who is investigating the murder of a young girl while also dealing with her own dysfunctional family and life in general.  Evan Peters co-stars as Colin Zabel from out of town who is helping with the murder that takes many turns.  Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, John Douglas Thompson, Joe Tippett, Cameron Mann, Jack Mulhern, Izzy King, Justin Hurtt-Dunkley, Sosie Bacon, David Denman, Neal Huff, James McArdle, Guy Pearce, Ruby Cruz, Enid Graham, Chinasa Ogbuagu, Kassie Mundhenk, Mackenzie Lansing, Phyllis Somerville, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  This takes place in a very dysfunctional where the flaws in people are very noticeable.  It is also a very compelling and dark mini-series which goes for seven episodes that are all around an hour long.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Yes Man (2008):  This is part two of a possible Bradley Cooper trilogy.  Peyton Reed directed this comedy which is based on an autobiographical book by Danny Wallace.  Jim Carrey stars as bank employee Carl who is negative about everything.  When meeting charismatic guru Terrence, played by Terrence Stamp, he challenges himself to say yes to anything.  This new philosophy leads him to meet scooter girl Allison, played by Zooey Deschanel.  Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Rhys Darby, Danny Masterson, Fionnula Flanagan, Sasha Alexander, Molly Sims, Brent Briscoe, Rocky Carroll, John Cothran, Spencer Garrett, Sean O'Bryan, Luis Guzman, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This does have a lot of funny moments and has a really good story.  It also has a pretty good message which is essentially about living life is what I took from it.  Jim Carrey is funny as usual but a little more subdued in this one.  This makes good use of soundtrack including a great rendition of the song JUMPER by Third Eye Blind.

The Rage in Placid Lake (2003):  The title likely leads some to think this is some sort of horror or at least a psychological thriller of sort.  However, it is an independent satirical comedy that was written and directed by Tony McNamara.  Ben Lee stars as Placid Lake who has just graduated high school and decides to annoy his new age parents by entering the corporate world.  Rose Byrne co-stars as his friend Gemma who also does not agree with Placid's choice in career.  Miranda Richardson, Garry McDonald, Jesse Spence, Socratis Otto, Toby Schmitz, Nathaniel Dean, Nicholas Hammond, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a pretty good satire of coming of age and popularity for that matter.  This sharp and witty comedy can be found on Youtube.

Funny Side of Life (1963):  This is part one of a Harold Lloyd trilogy.  This is my documentary short for the week.  It more of Lloyd showcasing some of his silent films.  It was good to get some insight from Lloyd in his later years.  There is not a lot more to say about this short.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and is about a half hour long.

Shanghai Express (1932):  This is my Pre-Code film for the week which was directed by Joseph Von Sternberg and based on a story by Harry Hervey.  Marlene Dietrich stars as the notorious Shanghai Lily who happens to be on the Shanghai Express train along with her old flame Captain Donald Harvey, played by Clive Brook.  They get caught up in the middle of the Chinese Civil War when a group of Chinese Guerrillas take the train hostage.  Anna May Wong, Warner Oland, Eugene Pallette, Lawrence Grant, Louise Closser Hale, Gustav Von Seyffertitz, Emile Chautard, and many others co-star in this film.  This has a lot going on besides the issue with those on the train being held hostage.  I read that this is one of Freddie Mercury's favorite movies so Queen fans might want to look into this one.  American actor Warner Oland continues playing Chinese characters and this one he played Henry Chang and is known for his many appearances as Detective Charlie Chan and Dr. Fu Manchu.  It is hard to really explain this any further than what I did so the best thing is to just check this out and it is available on Criterion Channel.

Notorious (1946):  This is part two of my Cary Grant trilogy and has nothing to do with that rapper.  Alfred Hitchcock directed this spy film.  Grant stars as government agent T.R. Devlin who approaches Alicia Huberman, played by Ingrid Bergman, to infiltrate a group of Nazis lead by Alex Sebastian, played by Claude Rains.  Along the way, Devlin and Alicia form a relationship and she also gets pretty deep into the Nazi group.  Louis Calhern, Leopoldine Konstantin, Reinhold Schunzel, Moroni Olsen, Ivan Triesault, Alexis Minotis, Wally Brown, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a little different from a lot of Hitchcock.  I felt this was more intense but was still very compelling with great performances.  This is available to watch on Tubi and Filmbox.

Olive Kitteridge (2014):  This is part three of my four-part Zoe Kazan series and my second mini-series for the week.  Lisa Cholodenko directed this mini-series and is based on the novel by Elizabeth Strout.  Frances McDormand stars as the title character where we get to know her through a span of about 25 years.  This shows the ups and downs of her marriage, career, and family life.  Richard Jenkins co-stars as Olive's husband Henry who runs the local pharmacy.  Kazan, Ann Dowd, Ken Cheeseman, Adam Freeman, Donna Mitchell, Martha Wainwright, John Gallagher Jr., Peter Mullen, Nancy E. Carroll, Rosemarie DeWitt, Devin Druid, Bill Murray, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  This is four episodes long and are all around an hour long.  This is a pretty good series and does not hold back any flaws in the characters.  McDormand is great as always in the title role.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.

Fiddler on the Roof (1971):  This is part two of my trilogy for Topol who recently left us.  This is my musical for the week which was directed by Norman Jewison and the music written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick.  This takes place in pre-revolutionary Russia, where Topol stars as Russian peasant Tevye who is the patriarch of his family and is trying to keep to the Jewish tradition in a time of oppression.  Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon, Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, Paul Michael Glaser, Ray Lovelock, Shimen Ruskin, Zvee Scooler, Louis Zorich, Alfie Scopp, Barry Dennen, and many others co-star in this musical.  Crane co-stars as Tevye's wife and this would be her last movie dying two years later from cancer.  Glaser makes his film debut and would go onto play his most known most known character in the tv series STARSKY AND HUTCH.  This is Topol's most iconic role of his career and was absolute perfection.  This is one of the most popular musicals done in theaters and the film is very faithful with some really good music numbers.  This is available to watch on Pluto tv and the Roku Channel.

Criss Cross (1949):  Robert Siodmark directed this Film Noir selection.  Burt Lancaster stars as Steve Thompson who returns to Los Angeles after being away for awhile.  When getting back, Steve tries to reconnect with his ex-wife Anna, played by Yvonne De Carlo, who is now married to gangster Slim Dundee, played by Film Noir villain actor Dan Duryea.  Steve devises a crazy plan to appeal to Slim's financial side and possible get Anna back.  Stephen McNally, Tom Pedi, Percy Helton, Alan Napier, Griff Barnett, Richard Long, Edna Holland, John Doucette, Marc Krah, and many others co-star in this Film Noir.  As one might guess, this has nothing to do with the '90s rap group Kris Kross.  The plot is a bit complicated to explain so better to just be watched.  Tony Curtis appears as an extra and is his first film role as he was discovered by the director who asked if he could dance.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and is worth a look.

Lost Highway (1997):  I end the week with this film I suppose could go into the Neo-Noir category.  This is part two of my Robert Blake trilogy and this was his very last movie where he plays the Mystery Man.  David Lynch directed and co-wrote this compelling and complicated film.  Bill Pullman stars as saxophonist Fred Madison who is convicted of murdering his wife Renee, played by Patricia Arquette.  When in prison, Fred morphs into the body of mechanic Pete Dayton, played by Balthazar Getty.  When released, Pete gets caught in a web of intrigue orchestrated by gangster Dick Laurent, played by Robert Loggia.  John Roselius, Michael Massee, Henry Rollins, Mink Stole, Gary Busey, Lucy Butler, Giovanni Ribisi, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Richard Pryor, Marilyn Manson, and many others co-star in this film.  Pryor has a cameo and is his final film appearance.  Did I mention this film is complicated which is to be expected from Lynch which also means it is not for everyone.  It does have quite the cast and Marilyn Manson can be found as one of the porn actors.  I admit, after this viewing I understood it a little more but I don't know that anyone has a full understand of this movie.  I feel that Lynch turned up the volume a bit on this one even for him.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Well, that is it for this week but read on for my returning segment "The Bookworm Corner".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for two weeks which will include Adam Driver, Sean Penn, Max Von Sydow, Harold Lloyd, and many others.

THE BOOKWORM CORNER

Runaway Train by Lee Matthew Goldberg (2021):  I'm trying to do the reading thing again and decided on looking into something from Mr. Goldberg after reading his book THE MENTOR.  This takes place in the '90s during the Grunge scene and centers around the 16 year old girl Nico whose older sister has just died.  She has always had a troubled relationship with her family and decides to take on a road trip per the advice of her friends.  She has a bucket list of things she has always wanted to do with the ultimate one of ending up at Kurt Cobain's home in Seattle.  She has her '90s mixtape and experiences a lot of different things along the way.  Goldberg's first mentioned book was more of a horror book and he shows a lot of versatility with this coming of age story.  I usually read mystery novels or wrestling books but this was a good change of pace and really enjoyed following Nico's story that was a first person account.  This is also for anyone that grew up in the '90s.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 892nd Edition

 

Welcome to the 892nd Edition of my series.  I'm a little later than usual, I have had limited wi-fi access.  It has been a great weekend where on Friday and Saturday I got to the Squared Circle Expo in Indianapolis.  This was a wrestling convention which also had a wrestling show and I got to meet a lot of people in the industry.  I will shut up now and get to my selections. 

Down in the Valley (2005):  David Jacobson wrote and directed this independent film.  Evan Rachel Wood stars as the 16 year old Tobe and meets the delusional cowboy Harlan, played by Edward Norton.  They form a relationship much to the dismay of her father Wade, played by David Morse.  Harlan and Wade become very determined and are on opposite sides of what is good for Tobe.  Rory Culkin, Bruce Dern, John Diehl, Geoffrey Lewis, Elizabeth Pena, Kat Dennings, Hunter Parrish, Aviva Baumann, Aaron Fors, Heather Ashleigh, Jennifer Echols, and many others co-star in this film.  When watching this movie, it reminded some of the movie FEAR but on a far more low-key level.  Norton is great in his role of a slow-minded person and works well with Wood.  

Hideous Kinky (1998):  This is part five of my six-part Kate Winslet series.  Gillies MacKinnon directed this film which is based on the novel by Esther Freud.  Winslet stars as Julia who is the mother of two daughters Bea and Lucy, played by Bella Riza and Carrie Mullan.  She burns out from living in London and relocates with her girls to a town in Morocco.  While they enjoy various adventures, they also struggle to make ends meet.  Said Taghmaoui co-stars as street performer Bilal who has an affair with Julia but also has his own problems. Pierre Clementi, Abigail Cruttenden, Ahmed Boulane, Amidou, Michelle Fairley, Kevin McKidd, Peter Youngbood Hills, and many others co-star in this film.  This came out with Winslet fresh off her success of TITANIC and made far less in this movie.  This was an artistic success though with the beautiful scenery and the performances.  It is a good look at a single mom trying to keep her sanity.  This is available to watch on much of the free streaming apps like Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel, and Tubi.  

For Your Eyes Only (1981):  This is part one of a trilogy for Topol who recently left us.  John Glen directed this 007 film that is based on the novel by Ian Fleming.  Roger Moore takes the helm as James Bond who must look for a communication device before it gets into Russian hands.  He teams with Melina Havelock, played by Carole Bouquet, whose parents are brutally murdered and is determined to get revenge.  They must deal with with Aristotle Kristatos, played by Julian Glover, and Milos Colombo, played by Topol, who are mortal enemies and accuse each other of having Russian ties.  Lynn-Holly Johnson, Cassandra Harris, Jill Bennett, Michael Gothard, John Wyman, Jack Hedley, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Geoffrey Keen, Walter Gotell, James Villiers, Charles Dance, and many others co-star in this action film.  This is possibly the best of this era and Moore's best.  It has some really good action and is might be a little more realistic and other Bond films.  Bill Conti of ROCKY fame does the score and some of the other songs in the soundtrack.  This is available to watch on MGM + and Paramount +.

Waldo's Last Stand (1940):  This is my comedy short for the week and part of a trilogy for Robert Blake who recently left us.  This was during his youth days where he played Mickey in a lot of shorts for the OUR GANG group.  The gang decides to stage a talent show in hopes of bringing business to a young boy trying to sell lemonade and went through rather extreme measures to do so.  Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Darla Hood, Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, George "Spanky" McFarland, Darwood Kaye, and Billy "Froggy" Laughlin, co-star in this short.  I don't know how the gang managed to get as many dancers as they did for the talent show on seemingly short notice but I'll let that go.  This can be seen on Youtube.

Big Brown Eyes (1936):  Raoul Walsh directed this mystery comedy.  Cary Grant stars as police detective Danny Barr and teams with his manicurist turned reporter girlfriend Eve Fallon, played by Joan Bennett, as they investigate the murder of a baby.  They get frustrated when the one they are convinced is the killer gets acquitted.  Walter Pidgeon, Lloyd Nolan, Alan Baxter, Marjorie Gateson, Isabel Jewell, Douglas Fowley, Henry Brandon, Joe Sawyer, and many others co-star in this film.  This is an interesting mix of a romantic comedy and dealing with a very serious situation.  This is some good earlier work by a younger Cary Grant.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Orphan Train (1979):  This is my tv movie for the week which was directed by William Graham.  Jill Eikenberry stars as Emma Simms who hates seeing children being abandoned and screwed by the system.  She gets the idea to obtain a train and get them to the midwest where she thought the kids would have a better change.  Kevin Dobson co-stars as reporter Frank Carlin who helps obtain the train and tags along with hopes of getting a good story.  Linda Manz, Graham Fletcher-Cook, Charles Fields, John Femia, Glenn Close, Morgan Farley, Severn Darden, Hallie Foote, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  Being in a play about this historic event, I decided to check this movie out.  This is a fictional look in the early days of the Orphan Train in 1854 which went until 1929 where orphan children would be transported by train and there were a lot of ups and a lot of downs for the children being transported.  After watching this, I would suggest looking more into the history of these events.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

Nightmare Alley (2021):  Guillermo Del Toro directed this film based on the novel by William Lindsay Graham.  Bradley Cooper stars as Stanton Carlisle who is a grifter joining a traveling circus in the '40s.  He learns how a clairvoyant act works with Madame Zeena, played by Toni Collette.  He also becomes attracted to fellow performer Molly, played by Rooney Mara, who agrees to go with him on the road.  Cate Blanchett rounds out the female trio as psychologist Dr. Lilith Ritter who looks to expose Stan and has other motives.  Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn, Mark Povinelli, Peter MacNeill, Holt McCallany, Paul Anderson, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Jim Beaver, Clifton Collins Jr., Tim Blake Nelson, David Hewlett, and many others co-star in this film.  My last edition features the original version from 1947 which was also quite good but they were limited to what they could do with the code.  This is a very intense and compelling film with Del Toro putting a great spin on it.  This is available to watch on HBO Max.  

Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962):  This was shown as part of the Cinemuncie series that Dennis the Library Menace puts on every month.  Agnes Varda wrote and directed this French film.  Corrine Marchand stars as Cleo who is a singer and is concerned she might have cancer.  While awaiting the results, she has a difficult time dealing with friends and acquaintances.  Dominique Davray, Dorothee Blanck, Michel Legand, Jose Luis de Vilallonga, Loye Payen, and many others co-star in this French film.  This takes place in real time from 5 to more like 6:30 which is about how long the movie is and shows how someone might deal with this situation.  It is hard to really explain any further.  This is part of the French New Wave if that means anything.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.

I Shot Jesse James (1949):  This is my western for the week which was directed by Samuel Fuller.  John Ireland stars as Bob Ford who kills Jesse James, played by Reed Hadley, in order for him to get the pardon to marry his girlfriend Cynthy, played by Barbara Britton.  Bob learns that love is not that simple and must deal with John Kelley, played by Preston Foster, who also has affection for Cynthy.  J. Edward Bromberg, Victor Kilian, Tom Tyler, Tommy Noonan, Eddie Dunn, and many others co-star in this film.  This is Fuller's directorial debut in this fictional account of the infamous historical event.  Fuller made this film on account of all the other folklore that turned James into a hero and did not see James that way.  Many years later, they would make one of my favorite movies in THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD which was similar but a lot more researched.  This was still a pretty well done film and these could make for a good double feature.  This is available to watch on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.

The Big Sick (2017):  This is part two of a possible four-part Zoe Kazan series.  Michael Showalter directed this film on comedy and sickness.  Kumail Nanjiani plays himself who is a Pakistani comedian whose family moved to Chicago when he was a kid.  He meets grad student Emily Gardner, played by Kazan, and while they fall in love, they also struggle as their cultures clash.  Things get really difficult when Emily has a rare disease and must be put into a coma to do what the doctors must do.  In this process, Kumail gets to know Emily's parents, played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, and must get to figure out what he wants in life.  Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, Adeel Akhtar, Bo Burnham, Aidy Bryant, Kurt Braunohler, Vella Lovell, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Jeremy Shamos, David Alan Grier, Ed Herbstman, Shenaz Treasury, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Kuhoo Verma, and many others co-star in this film.  This was written by Nanjiani and the real-life Emily Gordon.  This is semi-autobiographical with some things written in for dramatic effect.  The comedy really comes from the characters and most notably from the stand-up comedians.  Other than that, this is more of a drama and is a pretty moving story.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Well, that is it for this week but read on for the return of Fun and Useless Facts.  Tell me what you like and and dislike and I will be back in two weeks which will include Kate Winslet, Zooey Deschanel, Harold Lloyd, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I decided to bring back this segment for the week.  Keep in mind these are all cross-connections and I did not look for actors in the same movie.  I always stop at 25 facts so I am sure there are a lot of others so please feel free to chime in if you see something missed.

Evan Rachel Wood (Down in the Valley) and Kate Winslet (Hideous Kinky) were daughter and mother in the 2011 mini-series MILDRED PIERCE.

Evan Rachel Wood (Down in the Valley) and Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley) were mother and daughter in the 2003 movie THE MISSING

.

Evan Rachel Wood (Down in the Valley) and Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2007 animated movie BATTLE FOR TERRA.

John Diehl (Down in the Valley) was in the 1989 episode THE HOLLOW MEN of the tv series BEAUTY AND THE BEAST which starred Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley) as the Beast.

Elizabeth Pena (Down in the Valley) and Holly Hunter (The Big Sick) were in the 2004 animated superhero movie THE INCREDIBLES.

Edward Norton (Down in the Valley) and Kate Winslet (Hideous Kinky) were in the 2016 film COLLATERAL BEAUTY.

Edward Norton (Down in the Valley) and Willem Dafoe (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2019 film MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN and in the 2021 film THE FRENCH DISPATCH.

Edward Norton (Down in the Valley) plays Bruce Banner aka Hulk in 2008 superhero film THE INCREDIBLE HULK.  Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley) does the voice of Banner in 1996 episode HULK BUSTER in the animated series IRON MAN as well as other animated series.

Edward Norton (Down in the Valley) and David Strathairn (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2012 action movie THE BOURNE LEGACY.

Edward Norton (Down in the Valley) and Holt McCallany (Nightmare Alley) were in the 1999 film FIGHT CLUB.

David Morse (Down in the Valley) and Holt McCallany (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2015 film CONCUSSION.

Kate Winslet (Hideous Kinky) and Zoe Kazan (The Big Sick) were in the 2008 film REVOLUTIONARY ROAD.

Said Taghmaoui (Hideous Kinky) and Bradley Cooper (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2013 film AMERICAN HUSTLE.

Abigail Cruttenden (Hideous Kinky) and Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2001 film CHARLOTTE GRAY.

Kevin McKidd (Hideous Kinky) and Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2010 movie BUNRAKU and the 2013 DC animated film JUSTICE LEAGUE:  THE FLASHPOINT PARADOX.

Julian Glover (For Your Eyes Only) and Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2022 film TAR.

Charles Dance (For Your Eyes Only) and David Strathairn (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2019 film GODZILLA:  KING OF THE MONSTERS.

Lloyd Nolan (Big Brown Eyes) and Severn Darden (Orphan Train) were in the 1975 mini-series LINCOLN.

Lloyd Nolan (Big Brown Eyes) and Richard Jenkins (Nightmare Alley) were in the 1986 film HANNAH AND HER SISTERS and would be Nolan's last movie.

Glenn Close (Orphan Train) and Bradley Cooper (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2014 superhero film GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

Glenn Close (Orphan Train) and Holly Hunter (The Big Sick) were in the 2005 movie NINE LIVES.

Glenn Close (Orphan Train) and Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley) were in the 2005 animated movie TARZAN 2:  THE LEGEND BEGINS.

Richard Jenkins (Nightmare Alley) and Zoe Kazan (The Big Sick) were in the 2014 mini-series OLIVE KITTERIDGE.

Peter MacNeill (Nightmare Alley) and Holly Hunter (The Big Sick) were in the 1996 movie CRASH.

Tim Blake Nelson (Nightmare Alley) and Holly Hunter (The Big Sick) were in the 2000 comedy O BROTHER WHERE ARE THOU.