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.
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