Welcome to the 897th edition of my series. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there and I hope you have a good holiday however celebrated. My thoughts go out to those who have lost their father. I have been recruited for the New Castle Renaissance Festival where I will be performing 10-15 minute abridged versions of OTHELLO and THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. This will be on July 29th and I will get details out as they come. That is about all for now so I will just get on with my selections for the week.
Gladiator (2000): I start the week out with this period film that was directed by Ridley Scott. Russell Crowe stars as respected Roman general Maximus who is loyal to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, played by Richard Harris. Maximus is betrayed by Marcus's son Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, when he is sold into slavery and is made into a gladiator. Connie Nielson, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimou Hounsou, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Tomas Arana, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings, Tommy Flanagan, Sven-Ole Thorsen, and many others co-star in this film. This has always been a favorite of mine and I like this better than SPARTACUS which I'm sure is an unpopular opinion. This has a lot of iconic scenes like when Maximus unmasks himself. It has a very memorable music score by Hans Zimmer. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV.
Two Days in the Valley (1996): John Herzfeld wrote and directed this crime comedy of interconnected stories. This mostly centers around aging hitman Dosmo Pizzo, played by Danny Aiello, who is betrayed by his ruthless partner Lee, played by James Spader. Eric Stoltz co-stars as the idealistic vice cop Wes Taylor whose partner Alvin, played by Jeff Daniels, is trying to bust Asian massage parlors while Wes wants more and gets what he wishes for. Charlize Theron, Greg Cruttwell, Glenne Headly, Peter Horton, Marsha Mason, Paul Mazursky, Keith Carradine, Louise Fletcher, Austin Pendleton, Michael Jai White, Cress Williams, Lawrence Tierney, and many others co-star in this film. This is Theron's first feature film. I have always enjoyed this movie and have always thought this was quite underrated. This does a great job of weaving in each story to mean something and has a lot of colorful characters. This is available to watch on Prime, Paramount Plus, AMC Plus, and Pluto TV.
Red Rocket (2021): Sean Baker directed and co-wrote this character driven movie. Former MTV VJ Simon Rex stars as washed up adult film actor Mikey who returns to his hometown in small town Texas. He moves in with his estranged wife Lexi, played by Bree Elrod, and his mother in law Lil, played by Brenda Deiss. While trying to make things work, he meets a young girl at the donut shop named Strawberry, played by Suzanna Son, and falls back into his old ways. Judy Hill, Brittney Rodriguez, Ethan Darbone, and many others co-star in this film. The movie cover would make this look like an all-out comedy, it really was more of a drama with some comedy built into it. This has a relatively unknown cast that works very well with this low budget movie. This was also done by A24 productions that always seem to make things work. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and Showtime.
Moonlight for Two (1932): This is my animated short for the week from the early days of Merrie Melodies. The dog Goopy Geer is out courting a fellow dog at a dance. A bear then tries to make trouble but Goopy fends him off. Goopy is not a character that lives on but is a character of significance. Disney would come out with a character named Dippy Dog around the time this came out and would later become Goofy. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Keeper of the Flame (1942): George Cukor directed this mystery film about a man who man not have been as great as people thought and based on a novel by . Spencer Tracy stars as journalist Steve O'Malley who wants to do a piece on a national hero that he admired. When investigating, Steve finds a lot of conflicting information including his widowed wife Christine, played by Katherine Hepburn. Richard Whorf, Margaret Wycherly, Forrest Tucker, Frank Kilbride, Audrey Christie, Darryl Hickman, Donald Meek, Howard Da Silva, and many others co-star in this film. This is the second of the nine teamings of Tracy and Hepburn. They are more known for the battle of the sexes romantic comedies but this was quite different. This was a quite the drama full of lots of twists and turns. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Hair (1979): I watched this movie not knowing this was going to be a tribute to Treat Williams who recently left us and is part one of my Treat Williams trilogy. This is my musical for the week that was directed by Milos Forman and based on the musical with the lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and the music by Galt MacDermot. John Savage stars as Claude who has been drafted to the Vietnam War and wants to see New York City before going off to the military. While there he meets up with a group of hippies lead by Berger, played by Treat Williams, who take him into the group. He also falls in love with Sheila, played by Beverly D'Angelo, a rich girl but a hippie at heart. He also has to face the harsh reality of being drafted into Vietnam. Annie Golden, Dorsey Wright, Don Dacus, Cheryl Barnes, Richard Bright, Nicholas Ray, Charlotte Rae, Miles Chapin, Antonia Rey, Nell Carter, Michael Jeter, Renn Woods, Grand L. Bush,and many others co-star in this musical. This is a bit different from the controversial stage version which features a nude scene which some do and so do not do it. The biggest difference is how the character Claude Bukowski is rewritten. This also has a lot of iconic music numbers that even became hit songs like AQUARIOUS and LET THE SUNSHINE IN. This is available to watch on MGM+, Paramount+, TUBI, the Roku Channel, and Pluto tv.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Steven Spielberg directed this adventure film and was written by the all-star trio of Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, and Philip Kaufman. Harrison Ford stars in one of his most iconic roles of the adventurous archaeologist Indiana Jones and this starts the franchise. In 1936, Indiana is hired by the U.S. Government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis get their hands on it. He teams with his former flame Marion, played by Karen Allen, and his friend Sallah, played by John Rhys-Davies, to find the Ark. Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, Wolf Kahler, Anthony Higgins, Vic Tablian, Don Fellows, William Hootkins, and many others co-star in this iconic adventure film. I had the pleasure of seeing this in the movie theater through Fathom Events. There is not a lot that really needs to be said about this film. All kinds of memorable scenes, lines, as well as the music score by John Williams. This is available to watch on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
The Yakuza (1974): Sydney Pollack directed this crime film. Robert Mitchum stars as private eye Harry Kilmer who is hired by his old friend George, played by Brian Keith, to rescue his kidnapped daughter. The problem is that he must go to Japan as the Yakuza is who has George's daughter. Harry has some history with Eiko, played by Keiko Kishi, who is an old flame and her brother Ken, played by Ken Takakura, that owes Harry a debt. Herb Edelman, Richard Jordan, Eiji Okada, James Shigeta, Kyosuke Machida, Christina Kokubo, Eiji Go, and many others co-star in this film. I believe Mitchum was at his best in the '70s when he played his aging gritty characters. This is one that requires full attention and is really hard to explain beyond what I already did. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
The Goddess (1958): John Cromwell directed this film that was written by Paddy Chayefsky. Kim Stanley stars as Emily Ann Faulkner, played by Patty Duke as a child. She grows up unwanted and as she grows up she becomes adored by the boys. She becomes an actress and rises rapidly while also hitting the depths of anguish. Lloyd Bridges, Steven Hill, Joan Copeland, Elizabeth Wilson, Bert Freed, Joanne Linville, Joyce Van Patten, Louise Beavers, Werner Klemperer, Burt Brinckerhoff, and many others co-star in this film. This is more of a character study than anything. This is loosely based on the life of Marilyn Monroe with elements of Joan Crawford and Judy Garland. Stanley does a great job as Faulkner as well as Duke as she introduces the role. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Hairspray (1988): John Waters wrote and directed this comedy about '60s Baltimore. Ricki Lake stars as pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad who lands a spot on the local dance show the Corny Collins Show. While there, she witnesses racial discrimination and segregation and joins the fight to integrate the show. Divine co-stars in a dual role as Tracy's mother Edna and the bigoted tv head Arvin Hodgepile. Jerry Stiller, Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono, Vitamin C, Ruth Brown, Michael St. Gerard, Clayton Prince, Mink Stole, Ric Ocasek, Pia Zadora, Jo Ann Havrilla, Josh Charles, Jason Downs, Holter Graham, and many others co-star in this offbeat comedy. I also saw this at the movie theater when it was presented by Fathom Events. Most people likely know more about the musical version which is understandable. I do believe in giving credit where it is due and this made your musical possible. This is John Waters's only PG movie and while he toned it down a lot, it still has that Waters weirdness to it.. It is also a really good look about inclusion whether that be for Tracy's weight or the group of black people that only got to perform on the show once a month. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and I will be back in two weeks with Ann-Margret, Jessica Chastain, Robin Williams, Claudette Colbert, and many others.
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