Welcome to the 918th edition of my series. Unfortunately my Super Bowl wish of the 49ers winning did not come true but there is next year. I would also like to announce that my show THE INVISIBLE MAN: A LIVE RADIO PLAY starts on Friday at the Pulse Opera House in Warren, Indiana. The dates for the show are March 1-3 and 8-10 with Fridays being at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sundays at 4 pm so make a date and come see us pay homage to some old time radio.
The Dropout (2022): This is part three of my five-part Amanda Seyfried series which is a mini-series but as I always say, it's my blog so I make the rules. Elizabeth Meriwether created this mini-series which is based on a true-crime podcast of the same name. Seyfried stars as Elizabeth Holmes who was a medical student in Stanford and decided to drop out of college with the inspiration of people like Steve Jobs. She would start a company called Theranos which was supposed to revolutionize the world of blood testing and make it much easier. When dropping out of college to start the company, reality would hit and she was in way over her head but did whatever it took to make the company successful. Naveen Andrews, Michael Gill, William H. Macy, Elizabeth Marvel, Sam Waterston, Anne Archer, Kate Burton, Stephen Fry, Bill Irwin, Laurie Metcalf, Dylan Minnette, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, LisaGay Hamilton, Camryn Mi-Young Kim, Bashir Salahuddin, Kurtwood Smith, Kevin Sussman, Alan Ruck, Michael Ironside, and many others co-star in this mini-series. This mini-series consists of eight episodes that are less than an hour long. I admit, I had never heard of Elizabeth Holmes going into this series so I wanted to keep it vague and feel the less you know can be a good way of going into it. Much of the events happened around when this came out so I would suggest when getting finished to look into Holmes as to where she is now. This is available to watch on Hulu.
The Full Monty (1997): This is part three of my Tom Wilkinson trilogy that came about when he recently left this world. Long before there was MAGIC MIKE, we had these mostly out of shape and unemployed steelworkers who come together to perform a striptease in their local town. Peter Cattaneo directed this British comedy that takes a look at a serious situation of the job force. Robert Carlyle stars as Gaz who is unemployed and trying to get the money together for the sake of his son. After catching a striptease act of men in his local bar, he feels that he can do it too and talks a group of people into it that includes Wilkinson, Mark Addy, Steve Huison, Paul Parber, and Hugo Spear. Leslie Sharpe, Emily Woof, Paul Butterworth, Dave Hill, Bruce Jones, and many others co-star in this comedy. This was a lot of fun where we get to laugh a lot but also get exposed to a few serious subjects in the process.
Much Ado About Nothing (1993): This is part three of my possible five-part Denzel Washington series where he co-stars as Don Pedro. Kenneth Branagh stars in this Shakespeare comedy where he also stars as Benedick. Robert Sean Leonard and Kate Beckinsale star as young lovers Claudio and Hero who are set to marry but also want to get Benedick and Beatrice, played by Emma Thompson, together as well with the help of Don Pedro. Don Pedro's villainous brother Don John, played by Keanu Reeves, has his own scheme to make Hero look like she is guilty of infidelity. Richard Briers, Imelda Staunton, Jimmy Yuill, Brian Blessed, Phyllida Law, Richard Clifford, Gerard Horan, Patrick Doyle, Michael Keaton, and many others co-star in this Shakespeare comedy. Keaton was the best part of this film in my opinion as Dogberry. Branagh as always paid respect to Shakespeare and delivers some good laughs in this comedy of love and in the end, just what the title says. This is available to watch on MGM+ and Tubi.
For Scent-imental Reasons (1949): This is my animated short this week from the world of Looney Tunes which features the controversial skunk Pepe Le Pew, voiced by Mel Blanc. Pepe goes to a perfume store to sample the scents and takes a liking to a female cat that he chases until the cat manages to turn the tables on him. Pepe became controversial during the "#metoo" movement and became a mostly cancelled character with his aggressive behavior that has sparked a lot of debate. I checked it out on DVD from my library to see this one.
The Invisible Man (1933): I am currently in a radio play version of this classic, I decided to revisit this classic horror film. James Whale directed this adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic novel. Claude Rains stars as scientist Dr. Jack Griffin who has managed to make himself invisible through his experimentation. He manages to talk the proprietors of a pub to making their room an inn and wants to be left alone. In becoming invisible, he also becomes murderous and the town has a difficult time in stopping a man they cannot see. Gloria Stuart of TITANIC fame co-stars as Flora who is Griffin's love interest and holds out hope he can still be saved. William Harrigan, Henry Travers, Una O'Connor, Forrester Harvey, Holmes Herbert, E.E. Clive, Dudley Digges, Harry Stubbs, Donald Stuart, Merle Tottenham, Dwight Frye, and many others co-star in this horror film. This has some very good special effects that still look pretty good even today. Rains does a great job in his invisible performance and is rather underrated in the world of Universal horror from this era.
The Passenger (1975): Michelangelo Antonioni directed and co-wrote this thriller. Jack Nicholson stars as frustrated war correspondent David Locke who decides to take the identity of an acquaintance he finds dead in their hotel room in hopes of finding more action. Locke does this not knowing that this person is an arms dealer. Maria Schneider co-stars as an unnamed girl that helps Locke along the way. Jenny Runacre, Ian Hendry, Stephen Berkoff, and many others co-star in this film. This is really more of a Neo-Noir than anything. Nicholson has named this movie as one of his own favorite movies. This one is rather difficult to really understand but is a very intriguing film that deserves a watch.
Harlem Nights (1989): I suppose this is my Black History Month selection for the week. Eddie Murphy wrote and directed this gangster comedy from the Prohibition Era. Murphy also stars as Quick who has been raised by illegal casino owner Sugar Ray, played by Richard Pryor. Sugar Ray contends with the pressures of rival gangsters and corrupt policemen to stay afloat. Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner, Della Reese, Berlinda Tolbert, Stan Shaw, Jasmine Guy, Vic Polizos, Lela Rochon, David Marciano, Thomas Mikal Ford, Arsenio Hall, Uncle Ray Murphy, and many others co-star in this comedy. Reese is very amusing in this film and very far from her TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL character. This also has three generations of stand up comedians in Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, and Eddie Murphy. Lots of '80s fun with quite the all-star cast. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV.
My Name is Julia Ross (1945): Joseph H. Lewis directed this B list Film Noir which is based on the book THE WOMAN IN RED by Anthony Gilbert. Nina Foch stars as Julia Ross who goes through an employment agency and lands a job with a wealthy widow named Mrs. Hughes, played by May Whitty. When getting there, she wakes up in a different place is is being told she is the daughter in law of Mrs. Hughes and is mostly a prisoner in a remote home. George Macready, Roland Varno, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Doris Lloyd, and many others co-star in this film. This is a pretty compelling film with lots of suspense. Foch is great as the title character who is doing what she can to free herself and prove she is not part of the family. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Alfie (1966): Lewis Gilbert directed this film which is based on the play by Bill Naughton who also wrote the screenplay. Michael Caine stars as Alfie who has lived his life as quite the ladies' man while avoiding commitment. He finally starts to see the consequences of his lifestyle and to rethink it. Shelley Winters, Millicent Martin, Julia Foster, Jane Asher, Shirley Anne Field, Vivien Merchant, Eleanor Bron, Denholm Elliott, Murray Melvin, and many others co-star in this film. Caine is perfectly cast in the title role and was a breakthrough role for him. There are comedic moments but is just as much of a drama in my opinion. This shows what the sad reality can be of a person like Alfie. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV.
Seems Like Old Times (1980): Jay Sandrich directed this comedy which was written by Neil Simon. Chevy Chase stars as writer Nick Gardenia who is kidnapped and forced to rob a bank. He turns to his ex-wife Glenda who is a public defender and whose husband Ira, played by Charles Grodin, is a district attorney. Glenda tries to help her ex-husband while hiding him from her current husband. Robert Guillaume, Harold Gould, George Grizzard, Yvonne Wilder, T.K. Carter, Judd Omen, and many other co-star in this comedy. This is a pretty fun '80s comedy with Chase and Hawn being a good comedy duo. Much of the hilarity comes from the dogs staying in the house and the attempts to hide Nick.
Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my "Tube Time" segment. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple weeks.
TUBE TIME
My first two selections from my post I made that got my "sensitive content warning" so I decided to put them on here.
Ringer (2011-2012): This is another show I started in October during the Madness when learning that BUFFY alum Sarah Michelle Gellar, who I heavily lobbied for, became a wild card. Eric C. Charmelo and Nicole Snyder created this mystery series that was on the CW network. Gellar stars as Bridget Kelly who witnesses a murder and when it was time to testify she flees fearing for her life. She turns to her estranged twin sister Siohban Martin, also played by Gellar, for help. As they try to reconnect, Siobhan disappears when they are on a boat trip appearing to have committed suicide. When this happens, Bridget takes Siobhan's identity in hopes of staying safer and gains a wealthy husband in Andrew, played by Ioan Gruffudd, as well as a stepdaughter in Juliet, played by Zoey Deutch. Bridget soon learns that Siobhan's life is just as messed up and her life is still in danger. Nestor Carbonell, Kristoffer Polaha, Mike Colter, Justin Breuning, Jason Dohring, Jaime Murray, Andrea Roth, Zahn McClarnon, Tara Summers, Billy Miller, Gage Golightly, Chris Elwood, Sean Patrick Thomas, Darren Pettie, Jordan Marder, Madchen Amick, Jonathan Banks, Misha Collins, Drew Powell, Amber Benson, Alanna Ubach, and many others co-star or guest star in this series. This is a very suspenseful series full of twists and turns just about everywhere. Just about every character in the series has an issue of some sort. Gellar is great in her duel role as twin sisters. This show went on for one season with 22 episodes. They thought they were getting a season two but unfortunately the show got axed due to low ratings so we never got the next season. Unfortunately the show has a season ending rather than a series ending and I apologize to those involved that I did not watch it when it came out. It was still worth seeing and I would just recommend a good binge of the show. This was on the CW app when I first started watching it but it is not on there any longer. This can be seen on Youtube though so go see the show everyone missed out on.
Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1991): I decided to revisit my childhood a bit. I started this back in October for the Madness which named Paul Reubens as a wild card which meant that I could use anything with Reubens for our Halloween movie and tv watching contest. Reubens stars as his most iconic character in adult-child Pee-Wee Herman and in his playhouse which lived his object friends like Chairry, Globey, Conky as well as puppets like Randy and dinosaurs like Pterry. He also had a lot of human friends visit like Miss Yvonne, played by Lynne Marie Stewart, King of Cartoons, played by Gilbert Lewis and later William Marshall, Cowboy Curtis, played by a young Laurence Fishburne, Reba, played by S. Epatha Merkerson, and many others. George McGrath, Alison Mork, Paul Reubens, Wayne White, John Paragon, Kevin Carlson, Suzanne Kent, Johann Carlo, Shirley Stoler, Phil Hartman, Natasha Lyonne, Bernard Fox, Jimmy Smits, Leslie Jordan, Steve James, Sandra Bernhard, and many others provided their voice, co-starred or made a guest appearance. A young Rob Zombie was a production assistant on this show which I assume was before he became Rob Zombie. The theme song on the show was sung by someone credited as Ellen Shaw but was really Cyndi Lauper. Each show we had a secret word that when it was said, everyone was to scream. There were a lot of cartoon segments and Pee-Wee would always show how to make some snack. All kinds of lessons done in a fun way and sometimes entertainment where we didn't really have to learn anything. I just wish they had given Dog Chair more attention and I was hoping that as I wrote this Jambi the genie would say "Wish? Did somebody say wish?" but he did not appear to me.
Lilyhammer (2012-2014): Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjornstad created this series about a mobster living in Norway. Fresh off the success of THE SOPRANOS as Silvio Dante, E-Street band member Steven Van Zandt stars as mobster Frank Tagliano who decides to testify against a mob boss that he does not like and enter the witness protection program. Frank decides that he will not be safe in the United States so chooses Lillehammer, Norway on account of what he saw in the Winter Olympics. When there, he finds that it is a whole new world and resorts to his mobster ways to cut through the bureaucratic red tape. Trond Fausa, Tommy Karlsen, Fridtjov Saheim, Nils Jorgen Kaalstad, Valentina Alexeeva, Finn Schau, Kamal Mustaffai, Tim Ahern, Michael Badalucco, Tony Sirico, Maureen Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen, and many others co-star or guest star on this tv series. Yes, singer Bruce Springsteen makes a guest appearance in the last episode. Fellow SOPRANOS alum Sirico plays Frank's brother. This is the first original series for Netflix. I recall seeing the first season and really liking it but never got around to watching it after that. I finally decided to revisit the series and watch the entire thing. This is a three season series with eight episodes in each season. It has a great blend of comedy and drama and really leans toward the comedy side a lot seeing a mobster trying to fit into a different world. This is available to watch on Netflix and deserves a watch.
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