Welcome to the 899th Edition of my series. With the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike going on, I will continue to bring these out every two weeks. I hope that soon someone can come to a reasonable agreement but I'll just leave it at that. In other news, that strike will not stop the New Castle Renaissance Festival from happening on July 29th. I will be performing abridged versions of OTHELLO and THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. It is free and see https://www.nchcrenfest.org/schedule for the events. I will shut up now and get on with my selections for the week.
Things to do in Denver When You're Dead (1995): This is part three of my trilogy of the late Treat Williams. Gary Fleder directed this film that was written by Scott Rosenberg. Andy Garcia stars as Jimmy the Saint whose business is struggling and turns to crime lord "the Man With the Plan", played by Christopher Walken, to help him. To get what he wants, Jimmy must to a crime favor four him and recruits Pieces, played by Christopher Lloyd, Franchise, played by William Forsythe, Easy Wind, played by Bill Nunn, and Critical Bill, played by Treat Williams, to help carry it out. Things go extremely awry and they struggle to stay alive. Steve Buscemi, Jack Warden, Fairuza Balk, Gabrielle Anwar, Bill Cobbs, Marshall Bell, Glenn Plummer, Don Stark, Willie Garson, David Stratton, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Don Cheadle, Tiny Lister Jr., and many others co-star in this flim. I believe this is one of the best performances from Williams as the violent and psychotic Critical Bill. This has a great cast and holds nothing back in terms of violence and dialogue so take precaution there.
Witness (1985): This is part three of my four-part Harrison Ford series. Peter Weir directed this crime film. Harrison Ford stars as Philadelphia detective John Book who must protect an Amish boy named Samuel, played by Lukas Haas, after he is the sole witness to a murder. John uncovers corruption at the highest level and hides out with the Amish after an attempt on his life is made. Kelly McGillis co-stars as Samuel's mother Rachel who forms a relationship with John much to the dismay of the Amish community. Josef Sommer, Jan Rubes, Alexander Godunov, Danny Glover, Brent Jennings, Patti Lupone, Angus MacInnes, Viggo Mortensen, Ed Crowley, Timothy Carhart, and many others co-star in this film. Mortensen makes his feature film debut in this movie and was the start of a great career. This is a good look at an Amish community and there were some real-life Amish people to witness the filming. Ford gets his first and only nomination for an Academy Award in this film. This also has a really good action climax where Ford must rely on his wits to survive.
The Best We've Got: The Carl Erskine Story (2022): Ted Green directed this documentary about someone local. This takes a look at Carl Erskine who has lived most of his life in Anderson which is about a half hour from where I live and that is where I was born. This takes a look at his childhood in Anderson and when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers where he had quite a career that included two no hitters. It also looked at his post career as a great humanitarian that did not go along with societal viewpoints but what he thought was right. I had the pleasure of seeing a viewing at the Mill Creek Civic Center in Chesterfield. I hope this gets more exposure in the years to come. The website https://www.carlerskinefilm.com/ is where you can go to purchase on dvd, get streaming options, and where there are screenings and broadcasts. This is a man that people should know about and learn from.
The Colours (1976): This is my Iranian short film for the week which was directed by Abbas Kiarostami. This is more geared towards kids and has narration about the value of colors and their association. This also features footage of consumer culture prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. This is a pretty fun short film about colors and is only about ten minutes long. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Dracula (1931): This is a little preview to the Madness this year which has a vampire theme. Tod Browning directed this film that is based on the novel by Bram Stoker. Bela Lugosi stars as Count Dracula who makes a deal with real estate agent Renfield, played by Dwight Frye, to finalize Carfax Abbey in London. In the process, he also makes Renfield a slave getting him committed to an institution while going after Mina Seward, played by Helen Chandler. Edward Von Sloan co-stars as Van Helsing who must convince those close to him that vampires exist and that Dracula is indeed a vampire. David Manners, Herbert Bunston, Frances Dad, Charles K. Gerrard, and many others co-star in this horror classic. Lugosi is probably the most iconic portrayal of Dracula and had played the role in a play prior to this film. This was the start of the Dracula franchise through Universal and is always worth a look no matter the time of year.
Cover Girl (1944): This is my musical for the week which was directed by Charles Vidor with music written by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin. Rita Hayworth stars as nightclub dancer Rusty Parker who dreams of becoming a Broadway star. The nightclub she works at is owned by her boyfriend Danny McGuire, played by Gene Kelly. As she becomes more successful, Danny worries she will leave and things get complicated to make a long story short. Phil Silvers, Lee Bowman, Jinx Falkenburg, Eve Arden, Leslie Brooks, Otto Kruger, Jess Barker, and many others co-star in this musical. Kelly got a lot of control when making this film and made a lot of things work as well as a lot of things similar to what we would see in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Long before Billy Idol would sing DANCING WITH MYSELF, Gene Kelly managed to make it happen in this movie.
The Campaign (2012): This is my political comedy for the week which was directed by Jay Roach. Will Ferrell stars as Congressman Cam Brady who is under some scandal and the powers-that-be appoint Tim Wattley, played by Zach Galifianakis, to run against him. Tim is far more idealistic while Cam is willing to do whatever is necessary in their comical campaign. Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Katherine LaNasa, Sarah Baker, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Cox, Karen Maruyama, Grant Goodman, Randall D. Cunningham, Madison Wolfe, Thomas Middleditch, Josh Lawson, Heather Lawless, Jack McBrayer, Taryn Terrell, and many others co-star in this political comedy. This is politically incorrect to the core so to those easily offended, I do not recommend this one. I thought this was a hilarious parody to politics and unfortunately may not be much of a stretch these days from real-life politics.
The Strange One (1957): Jack Garfein directed this Film Noir which was written by Calder Willingham. This takes place in a military academy where Ben Gazzara stars as the manipulative Jocko De Paris whose actions get someone expelled. Through various pressures, he tries to silence those around him leading the rest to take matters into their own hands. Pat Hingle, Peter Mark Richman, Arthur Storch, Larry Gates, Clifton James, Geoffrey Horne, James Olson, Julie Wilson, George Peppard, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very disturbing and compelling film. I have never believed in hazing or humiliation of any kind just to fit into a group. This is the film debuts of Gazzara and Peppard and early performances for others. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): This is my western for the week which was directed by George Roy Hill. Paul Newman and Robert Redford stars as the title outlaws. They are the leaders of the Hole in the Wall Gang and when a train robbery they have a posse hot on their trail. Katherine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones, Jeff Corey, George Furth, Cloris Leachman, Ted Cassidy, Kenneth Mars, Donnelly Rhodes, and many others co-star in this historical western. This has always ranked as my favorite western. I always enjoyed the blend of action, comedy, and humor this film brings and the great duo of Newman and Redford. This is available to watch on Max.
For Sama (2019): I end the week with this documentary which was directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts. Waad is a Syrian woman living through the uprising in Aleppo. While fighting oppression, she has a daughter named Sama and has a tough decision to make. This has some really good footage and some that is very hard to watch. It is hard to describe this documentary much further but is a good watch. This is available on Prime with a PBS Documentaries subscription.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next one in two weeks which will include Harrison Ford, Gabriel Byrne, Sissy Spacek, Harold Lloyd, and many others
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