Welcome to the 922nd edition of my series. This week is the show RADIUM GIRLS at the Elwood Opera House. Shows are April 24-27 from Wednesday to Saturday with Friday being sold out. Get your tickets at https://www.duckcreekcenter.com/tickets/p/radium?fbclid=IwAR0_KVc2isPkOkXjUlzmnAMchyuyoCTdfzuaWeWd9juwAVapFJY2IL_ENAA_aem_AS4DufpdoA4iN5V2sZotn_Brfhlg-AUPbOg_3TqM8yPjSkRtOTpGo-buxnNukjwihM0a8SceWCtVtFUdeeBQzwGJ and come see a great show. I don't have much else going on so read on and enjoy.
Rabbit Hole (2010): John Cameron Mitchell directed this film that is based on the play by David Lindsay-Abaire who also co-wrote the screenplay. Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman star in this film as married couple Howie and Becca whose life crumbles around them when their young child died in an accident. They are each dealing with the death in their own way while trying to make the marriage work. This also shows how this event can effect the people around them. Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller, Tammy Blanchard, Sandra Oh, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney, Stephen Mailer, Mike Doyle, Roberta Wallach, Patricia Kalember, Ali Marsh, Yetta Gottesman, and many others co-star in this drama centered around grief. This is obviously a sad story but it is also a pretty compelling look at the grief of a sad situation. Eckhart and Kidman worked very well together as well as the cast in general. This would be a play that would interest me.
The Color Purple (2023): This is part one of a possible trilogy for Louis Gossett Jr. who recently left us and this was his last feature film. Blitz Bazawule directed this musical remake which was written by Marsha Norman and based on the novel by Alice Walker. This starts in the early 1900s where IDOL alum Fantasia Barrino stars as Celie whose abusive father sends her to live with local farmer Mister, played by Colman Domingo, and become his wife. Mister proves to be just as bad as her father and Celie must do what she can to overcome. Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Halle Bailey, Ciara, H.E.R., David Alan Grier, Don Cole, Jon Batiste, Tamela J. Mann, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Elizabeth Marvel, Stephen Hill, Adetinpo Thomas, and many others co-star in this musical. Also look for Whoopi Goldberg, who was in the original movie, in a cameo appearance. This is a very sad story at times but it is also a story of inspiration and even redemption. Both versions are very good and could make for a good double feature. This is available to watch on Max.
After Love (2020): Aleem Khan wrote and directed this British film. Joanna Scanlon stars as Mary Hussain who has unexpectedly become a widow with the death of her husband. She discovers that her husband has a secret family twenty-one miles from the English Channel in Calais. She then sets out to meet this other family and becomes the cleaning lady while trying to learn what her husband was doing. Nathalie Richard, Nasser Memarzia, Elijah Braik, Narayan David Hecter, and many others co-star in this film. This was a very pleasant surprise for me. It is also a very moving film that could be a dark story but it stays away from that. This is driven by the script and the actors that brought it to live. This also begs the question of how much do we know about our loved ones.
Robinson's Place (1964): This is my French short film for the week which was written and directed by Jean Eustache. This centers around a couple of simple, young guys that spend their time at Parisian cafes trying to pick up women. They find one to take dancing but does not seem nearly as interested. This is about 40 minutes long and is a pretty decent short film. Eustache would go onto direct his more iconic film THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel
Burden of Life (1935): I go from France to Japan for this coming of age comedy-drama which was directed by Heinosuke Gosho. This centers around an aging couple trying to pay for the marriages of two of their daughters. With this, the older father has a hard time connecting to the much younger son. This is a very fun slice of life film that take a look at a Japanese family. This is also available on the Criterion Channel and is a good selection for any foreign film buff.
The Fly (1958): Now I turn to some classic horror which was directed by Kurt Neumann. David Hedison stars as scientist Andre Delambre who has made some pretty big discoveries. Things go awry when a fly gets into his machine and turns him into a human fly. Patricia Owens co-stars as Andre's wife Helene who must deal with her husband's new fate. Vincent Price also co-stars as Andre's brother Francois. Herbert Marshall, Kathleen Freeman, Betty Lou Gerson, Charles Herbert, and many others co-star in this film. This still remains quite the classic. Hedison pulls off a pretty good performance where he can't convey any emotion through facial features but is able to convey a lot through body language. Also of note, Betty Lou Gerson who plays the nurse in this movie also voices Cruella in 101 DALMATIONS.
A Lion in the House (2006): This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert. This takes a look at five families over the course of six years of cancer treatment for their children. This take a look at the parents, medical staff, and the cancer patients and the ups and downs of the cancer treatment. This takes a look at the hard decisions that parents and the medical staff must make. This is full of ups and downs where we feel many emotions and I'm sure many parents relate to this all too much. This is a two-part documentary with both parts being a little less than two hours and this is available to watch on Netflix.
The Jerk (1979): This is part one of a possible five-part series for M. Emmet Walsh who recently left us. Carl Reiner directed this classic comedy. Steve Martin stars as Navin Johnson who is the adopted son of a loving black family in Mississippi. He has been raised to believe he is black and is surprised to learn he is white. He decides that he wants to see the rest of the world. People take advantage of his naivete but is brought a fortune from a simple invention. Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Mabel King, Richard Ward, Dick Anthony Williams, Bill Macy, Dick O'Neill, Maurice Evans, Renn Woods, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is one of the most iconic roles for Martin. I also realized while watching this how similar ELF is having a rather naive protagonist going out into the bigger world. Walsh was also amusing in his role as the mad man. This is a timeless comedy that still holds up today.
The Quiet Man (1952): John Ford directed this rugged love story. John Wayne stars as Sean Thornton who returns to his homeland of Ireland having been in the United States. In the States, Sean was a boxer and accidentally kills his opponent and vows to never fight again. When getting to Ireland, he falls for Mary Kate Danaher, played by Maureen O'Hara, whose brother Red, played by Victor McLaglen, opposes a relationship between them which makes Sean question his vow. Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, Mildred Natwick, Francis Ford, Arthur Shields, and many others co-star in this film. This is a little different for John Wayne with him usually being in westerns or war movies though I suppose this is a western in a sense with the psychology involved. This also has a very iconic fight climax that is still talked about today. This is available to watch on Pluto TV.
Winchell (1998): I end the week with this biopic of Walter Winchell which was directed by Paul Mazursky which is based on the book by Herman Klurfeld. Stanley Tucci stars as the controversial columnist Walter Winchell. This focuses on him writing a gossip column with the New York column but wants to get more serious in going after Joseph McCarthy. Paul Giamatti, Christopher Plummer, Glenne Headly, Xander Berkeley, Kevin Tighe, Frank Medrano, Vic Polizos, John F. O'Donahue, Michael Greene, Victoria Gabrielle Platt, Megan Mullally, and many others co-star in this biopic. There is a lot more ground covered than what I have described. Plummer pulls off a pretty good portrayal of FDR. Tucci plays the part of Winchell very well and is an interesting look at entertainment from the era. This is available to watch on Youtube.
Well, that is it for this week but I am returning with my segment "the Bookworm Corner" so read on for that one. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple weeks for my next edition which so far includes Michael Cera, Alicia Vikander, Bela Lugosi, Sidney Poitier, and many others..
THE BOOKWORM CORNER
I decided to do a little double feature of WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff and host of the podcast 83 WEEKS which I listen to on a weekly basis. I recently got to meet him and get a photo with him at the Squared Circle Expo.
Controversy Creates Cash by Eric Bischoff and Jeremy Roberts (2006): This is one of two autobiographies by Eric Bischoff who is most known as the president of the WCW for a time and as part of the New World Order. This talks about his childhood days and his beginnings that started in AWA under Verne Gagne where he just had a simple sales position. Verne needed someone as an announcer and commentator so with his lack of money, he just appointed Bischoff to the position. It continues on through the ups and downs of World Championship Wrestling and his time as an on-air character in WWE. This is a very insightful book and Eric holds nothing back.
Grateful by Erich Bischoff and Guy Evans (2022): This is Eric's follow-up from CONTROVERSY CREATES CASH which is more about his personal life and the ups and downs of it. He also goes into his time with TNA wrestling and a brief return to the WWE where he was executive director. He also talks about his meeting with Conrad Thompson where he would start his podcast 83 WEEKS. There is a lot more in this book and is another very enjoyable read. This is also a pretty inspirational book on a family man that takes a lot of chances. This is also rather innovative where after each chapter it has a scanner to access a YouTube video of him talking about the chapter.
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