Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 927th Edition

Welcome to the 927 edition of my series.  I hope everyone has a good holiday on Thursday however celebrated.  I am going to be in the 4th of July parade in Rushville to promote 12 ANGRY JURORS which starts at 11 am.  On July 27th, I am going to be in the New Castle Renaissance Fair in New Castle from 10 am- 4 pm.  I will be doing a couple 15 minute performances of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM as part of the Marvelously Terrible Shakespeare Company as Lysander.  From August 16-18 in Rushville, I will be performing as Juror #3 for the Rushville Regional Theater group and I have a photo at the bottom for that information.  I will shut up now and get to my selections for the week.

Hello Again (1987):  I start the week with this comedy which was directed by Frank Perry.  CHEERS alum Shelley Long stars as suburban housewife Lucy Chadman who ends up choking to death.  Her sister Zelda, played by Judith Ivey, finds a book of spells and learns how she can bring back her sister.  Lucy returns to the world after a year only to find her husband Jason, played by Corbin Bernson, with her friend Kim, played by Sela Ward.  Gabriel Byrne, Austin Pendleton, Madeleine Potter, John Cunningham, Tony Sirico, Elkan Abramowitz, Kaiulani Lee, Illeana Douglas and many others co-star in this comedy.  This was a pretty fun fantasy comedy with Long doing well in the lead role with Ivey in the standout role as her wacky sister.  This could be a good date movie on a rainy day or even on Halloween with the theme and all.  

Dog Days (2018):  This is part two of my Jasmine Cephas Jones trilogy where she co-stars as singer Lola.  Ken Marino directed this ensemble comedy that has a lot of dogs.  This movie has multiple stories that involve dogs and the lives of their owners.  Lots of dogs in the Los Angeles area finding ways to bring each other together.  Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens, Adam Pally, Eva Longoria, Rob Corddry, Tone Bell, Jon Bass, Michael Cassidy, Finn Wolfhard, Ron Cephas Jones, Thomas Lennon, Tig Notaro, Lauren Lapkus, Jessica St. Clair, Ryan Hansen, Tony Cavalero, Jessica Lowe, Mo Gaffney, and many others co-star in this movie.  This movie is as feel good as it gets and is very predictable so if looking for some suspenseful mystery, this is not the one.  However, there are a lot of dogs and sometimes we just need some feel-good predictability.  This is available to watch on the CW app. 

Dear Evan Hanson (2021):  Stephen Chbosky directed this movie adaptation of the popular Broadway musical written by Steven Levenson and the music is written by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek.  Ben Platt stars as the socially awkward high school senior Evan Hansen whose psychiatrist advises him to write a letter to himself.  This leads to a misunderstanding when he accidentally has one printed out in school where a fellow student gets it and commits suicide shortly after this happens.  When this happens, Evan gains the popularity that he never had making it hard for him to be honest with the person's family.  Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams, Danny Pino, Amandla Stenberg, Colton Ryan, Nik Dodani, DeMarius Copes, Liz Kate, Zoey Luna, Isaac Powell, Marvin Leon, Hadiya Eshe, Julia Chen Myers, Gerald Caesar, Avery Bederman, Swift Rice, and many others co-star in this musical.  I have heard a lot about this and heard a little bit of the music but I have not seen it on stage so I only have this to go on.  I found this to be a pretty moving film on someone trying to find himself I guess you could say.  I feel a good double feature to go along with this movie would be WORLD'S GREATEST DAD which I feel has a similar situation.  This is available to watch on Freevee.

Bowery Bugs (1949):  This is my animated short for the week which was directed by Arthur Davis.  This one features Bugs Bunny, voiced by Mel Blanc, who recounts the story of a man named Steve Brodie, voiced by Billy Bletcher, and how drove him to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and survive.  We then see flashbacks of the compulsive gambler Brodie who wants a good luck rabbit's foot off Bugs but gets far more than he bargained for.  This has some pretty funny gags that are different than usual.  Bletcher is also known to have voiced characters like Mickey Mouse's nemesis Pete and Popeye's rival Bluto.  This is actually based on a real person of that name.  This is available to watch on Max.

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976):  John Carpenter wrote and directed this low-budget action film which was quite early in his career.  Austin Stoker stars as L.A. copy Ethan Bishop who is assigned to man a mostly defunct precinct.  The precinct is attacked by a ruthless gang and must rely on two inmates in transit and a station secretary to use their wits against the gang that outnumbers them to the extreme.  Darwin Joston costars as death row inmate Napoleon Wilson who helps to fight of the gang.  Laurie Zimmer, Martin West, Tony Burton, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Kyes, and many others co-star in this action film.  This has always been a favorite of mine.  The low-budget and the simple but effective music score written by Carpenter make this work along with the relatively unknown cast.  I believe Napoleon Wilson is one of the biggest heroes in cinematic history.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel, Peacock, Prime, Tubi, Crackle, Freevee and other streaming platforms.

Lilith (1964):  This is part two of my Jean Seberg trilogy.  Robert Rossen directed this film which is based on the novel by J.R. Salamanca.  Warren Beatty stars as Vincent Bruce who is a returning war veteran and finds work in a mental institution as an occupational therapist.  Seberg co-stars as the title character who is a patient in the facility and Vincent becomes very drawn to her.  Things begin to intensify and become dangerous as time goes on.  Peter Fonda, Kim Hunter, Anne Meacham, Jessica Walter, Gene Hackman, James Patterson, Robert Reilly, and many others co-star in this film.  This is some underrated work from Beatty and works very well with Seberg.  It is hard to really describe this movie any further than what I did but it kept my interest all the way through.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Fall Guy (2024):  David Leitch directed this movie adaptation of the '80s TV series of the same name.  Ryan Gosling stars as Hollywood stuntman Colt Seavers who has everything going for him but a stunt gone wrong nearly ends him.  He reluctantly returns after a year or so when asked back and learning that his ex-girlfriend Jody, played by Emily Blunt, is directing the movie.  Soon, he is charged with finding a missing movie star and gets caught up in a conspiracy in the process.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Ben Knight, Matuse, Adam Dunn, Zara Michales, and many others co-star in this action film.  There are some cameos that I will keep as a surprise  This was a lot of fun and I remember seeing some of the series and enjoying it.  This pays a good homage to the unsung heroes in stuntmen.  

Dinner at Eight (1933):  George Cukor directed this film which is based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber.  Lionel Barrymore and Billie Burke star as affluent couple Oliver and Millicent Jordan who throw a dinner for a handful of wealthy acquaintances.  This shows much of the other invitees preparing for the evening and dealing with their own revelations.  Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Edmund Lowe, Madge Evans, Jean Hersholt, Karen Morley, Louise Closser Hale, Phillips Holmes, May Robson, Grant Mitchell, Phoebe Foster, Elizabeth Patterson, Hilda Vaughn, and many others co-star in this film.  This had quite the all-star cast, especially at the time when it was made.  This is more of a character driven movie with both comedy and drama and a bit hard to futher explain.  I was able to watch this at my local library which is part of a film series they are doing so I got to see it on a rather big screen which was nice.  This is available to watch on Tubi and is a must for classic movie buffs.

Journey to Italy (1954):  Roberto Rossellini directed directed and co-wrote this Italian film.  Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders co-star as British married couple Katherine and Alex Joyce who do not have the happiest marriage of all time.  They try to find direction and insight while they vacation in Naples having inherited a villa from Alex's uncle.  Anna Proclemer, Paul Muller, Natalia Ray, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good look at a couple trying to reconnect with one another.  This also has some beautiful Italian scenery with a really good conclusion.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002):  This is part one of a possible Kenneth Branagh trilogy.  Phillip Noyce directed this film that is based on the book by Doris Pilkington.  This takes place in 1931 Western Australia where a law is made for half-white and half Aboriginal children are to essentially become more westernized.  Three of these children in Molly, Daisy, and Gracie, played by Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, and Laura Monaghan, who are two sisters and a cousin and are taken from their home and taken to a school a thousand miles away to pretty much learn to be servants.  Branagh plays A.O. Neville who is the official in charge training.  The three children escape from the school and set out get back to their home.  David Gulpilil, Ningali Lawford, Deborah Mailman, Jason Clarke, Garry McDonald, Roy Billing, and many other co-star in this film.  This is a very moving film that is based on a true story.  The author of the book is the daughter of Molly who is featured in this film.  Also, anyone who knows me well enough knows I am a huge Peter Gabriel fan and he wrote the music score for this film.  I wish he had done more in the way of film as this was a great score.  This is a really well-done flim on a very significant and maybe overlooked part of history that deserves a watch.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for my next edition in two weeks which includes Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Joan Crawford, Jena Malone, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 926th Edition

Welcome to the 926th Edition of my series.  I would like to announce on here that I will be making my debut in Rushville this August in 12 ANGRY JURORS where I play the role of Juror #3 which is the role I wanted.  I will still be performing at the New Castle Renaissance Fest on July 27th a part of the Marvelously Terrible Shakespeare Company.  That's enough for now so I will get on with my selections for the week.

Dramarama (2020):  Jonathan Wysocki wrote and directed this independent comedy.  This take place in 1994 where Nick Pugliese stars in this film as Gene who is a closeted teen afraid to come out to his Christian friends and having one more slumber party before going to college.  At first they are doing their own murder mystery where they dress as various characters but later things get a lot deeper than expected.  Anna Grace Barlow, Danielle Kay, Megan Suri, Nico Greetham, Zak Henri, and many others co-star in this coming of age comedy.  This was a pretty well written script with relatively unknown actors that work well together.  This is available to watch on Broadway HD and Dekkoo with a Prime subscription.

Columbus (2017):  Kogonada wrote and directed this independent film that was filmed and took place in my dad's town of Columbus, Indiana.  Haley Lu Richardson stars as Casey who is staying in Columbus to stay with her mother Maria, played by Michelle Forbes, who is a recovering addict.  She meets a Korean man in Jin, played by John Cho, who is stuck in Columbus to tend his estranged and comatose father and is encouraged by him to follow her own dreams.  Parker Posey, Rory Culkin, Erin Allegretti, Shani Salyers Stiles, Rosalyn Ross, Lindsey Shope, Jim Dougherty, and many others co-star in this film.  This is also a bit of a coming of age story.  This also puts a lot of emphasis on the architecture that Columbus is known for.  My dad actually gives tours in the town and was disappointed he didn't get to be one of the tour guides in this movie.  This was also a good character driven film that did the town very proud.  

The Iron Claw (2023):  Sean Durkin wrote and directed this biopic of the famous Von Erich family of wrestling.  Holt McCallany stars as the patriarch Fritz Von Erich who runts the Texas promotion World Class Championship Wrestling where he lives vicariously through his sons trying to get what he could never have which was the NWA championship.  Tragedy strikes the close-knit family.  Zac Efron plays the surviving brother Kevin Von Erich.  Harris Dickinson plays David Von Erich who many say is the best and would have won the NWA championship had he not died unexpectedly in Japan.  SHAMELESS alum Jeremy Allen White plays Kerry Von Erich who was the most successful of the family but had issues of his own.  Stanley Simons plays Mike Von Erich who was a bit out of place in the family and probably did not belong in a wrestling ring but did anyway on account of his father.  Maura Tierney, Lily James, Grady Wilson, Scott Innes, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Garrett Hammond, Michael Harney, Cazzey Louis Cereghino, Ryan Nemeth, Kevin Anton, Michael Papajohn, Brady Pierce, Silas Mason, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Aaron Dean Eisenberg, and many others co-star in this film.  This film really centers around Kevin Von Erich and him overcoming all the tragedy around him.  In addition, it focuses mostly on the Von Erich family and not so much on WCCW.  People who know the story will see that the youngest brother Chris Von Erich was omitted.  I looked this up after the first time I saw this and the director made the decision to not include Chris with the feelings that he has enough tragedy in this movie.  To get a more in-depth look about World Class Championship Wrestling I would advise watching TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP.  This movie is available to watch on Max.

Ask Father (1919):  This is my silent comedy short for the week and fits the holiday well.  Hal Roach directed this short comedy which stars Harold Lloyd as a young man in love and wants to marry his girl, played by Bebe Daniels.  The only problem is that her father does not want to give her away and goes to extreme measures in hopes to talk to her father.  Lloyd was one of the more underrated silent comedians, at least by today's standards.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.  

Come Drink With Me (1966):  King Hu directed and co-wrote this Chinese martial arts film.  A ruthless gang kidnaps the son of the governor and demands that their own leader get released.  Pei-Pei Cheng stars as Golden Swallow who is a skilled martial artist and the daughter of the governor and sets out to rescue her brother.  Hua Yueh, Chih-Ching Yang, Hung-Lieh Chen, Ying-Chieh Han, and many others co-star in this martial arts film.  This was a very influential film of the genre.  This is one of the main inspirations for CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.  This has some really good action and has quite a bit of gore for a movie from this era.  Cheng became a star after this one and one of the earlier female martial art stars.  This is available to watch on Plex and with MUBI.  

Artists and Models (1955):  Frank Tashlin directed this comedy which stars the comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.  Dean Martin stars as Rick Todd and Jerry Lewis stars as him bumbling friend and roommate Eugene Fullstack who has a big obsession with comic books most notably the Bat Lady series.  Rick is an aspiring artist struggling to find his break.  Dorothy Malone co-stars as Abby Malone who lives in another apartment and just happens to be the artist for Bat Lady.  Shirley MacLaine co-star as Bessie who is the model for Bat Lady that Eugene falls for.  Romance, chaos, and music numbers ensue with this Martin and Lewis vehicle.  Eva Gabor, Anita Ekberg, George Winslow, Jack Elam, Herbert Rudley, Richard Shannon, Richard Webb, Otto Waldis, and many other co-star in this comedy.  I believe that Martin and Lewis are one of the more underrated comedy duos in my opinion.  This is a pretty fun movie centering around the early days of comic books.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Just Before I Go (2014):  Courteney Cox directed this comedy which was written by David Flebotte.  Seann William Scott stars as Ted Morgan who is just about done with life but wants to return to his hometown to confront those he feels has helped get him to where he is now.  In the process, he meets Greta, played by Olivia Thirlby, who he tells of his intentions and she insists that it gets filmed as a documentary or she would tell everyone else.  Garret Dillahunt, Kate Walsh, Kyle Gallner, Mackenzie Marsh, Evan Ross, Rob Riggle, Connie Stevens, David Arquette, Jack Quaid, Eddie Perino, George Finn, Missi Pyle, Elisha Cuthbert, Griffin Gluck, Cleo King, Clancy Brown, Beth Grant, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a comedy but is also a very deep film on the effects of holding things in and it goes for other in this movie as well.  I thought Scott was able to get away from the Stiffler persona and does very well in this movie.  Cox made her directorial debut with this movie.  This is available to watch on Prime and Pluto TV and is worth a watch.

Bonjour Tristesse (1958):  This is part one of a possible trilogy for Jean Seberg.  Otto Preminger directed this film that is based on the novel by Francoise Sagan.  Seberg stars as the free-spirited 17 year old Cecile who lives with her playboy Raymond, played by David Niven.  Her late mother's friend Anne, played by Deborah Kerr, comes to visit and forms a relationship with her father much to Cecile's dismay.  Mylene Demongeot, Geoffrey Horne, Juliette Greco, Walter Chiari, Martita Hunt, and many others co-star in this film.  This seems like a comedy and has its comedic moments but it also gets rather deep.  This is hard to explain much further but it did keep my interest all the way through and Seberg was someone to look at.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

A Clockwork Orange (1971):  Stanley Kubrick directed this sci-fi classic which is based on the novel by Anthony Burgess.  Malcolm McDowell stars as Alex who is a leader of a gang that goes around terrorizing homes.  The rest of the gang betrays him and Alex goes to prison.  When learning of an experimental program, he agrees to it for an early release.  The experimental program makes him fear violence and even Beethoven leaving him defenseless to those that seek revenge.  Patrick Magee, Warren Clarke, Adrienne Corri, Carl Duering, Miriam Karlin, Aubrey Morris, Sheila Raynor, David Prowse, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very bizarre film to say the least, most notably through the imagery.  This was so different to the point that it was at one point rated X but has since come down to rated R.  McDowell also has an interesting rendition of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN which apparently left Gene Kelly very resentful.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

If Anything Happens I Love You (2020):  I end the week with this short film which was written and directed by Michael Govier and Will McCormack.  This features two parents whose child tragically dies as they struggle to deal with the child's death.  This is an animated short where there is no dialogue and everything is implied through the struggle.  This is a very well done short that fits today's holiday a bit.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week but I decided to add a new segment for the holiday today so continue on for a few more Father's Day selections.  I'll be back in a couple weeks with my next edition which so far includes Gabriel Byrne, Julianne Moore, John Carpenter, and many others.

FATHER'S DAY

I made a few selections that deal with with fathers of some sort.  They may not all be the best fathers in the world but they all get their own section.

Repo!  The Genetic Opera (2008):  This rock opera has always been a favorite of mine and deals with a couple fathers.  BUFFY alum Anthony Head stars as Nathan who is the Repo Man which is not repoing vehicles.  He is also the father of Shilo, played by Alexa PenaVega, who is sick and it is dangerous for her to leave the house.  There is also Rotti Largo, played by Paul Sorvino, who runs the biotech company GeneCo, and has three grown children who are mostly disappointments to him.  I would love to see this being put on the stage and would love to play Nathan.  This has a lot of gore in it but is a very compelling film if you can get through the gore.  Musical actress Sarah Brightman makes her film debut in this movie and even Paris Hilton manages to hold her own.  I suppose these aren't the most ideal fathers.  This is available to watch on TUBI, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel.

Hamilton (2020):  This is part one of a possible trilogy for Jasmine Cephas Jones who plays Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in this musical.  Thomas Kail directed this popular musical where they released a live version.  Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote this musical that is based on the novel by Ron Chernow.  He also stars as Alexander Hamilton who was a father as documented but more importantly he was a Founding Father who was the first Secretary of the Treasury so how can I not include this one?  Phillippa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff, Chris Jackson, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, and many others co-star in this musical.  As most know, this has very color blind casting with much of the music being hip-hop numbers educating us on the early days of the USA.  I didn't really mean for the first two selections to be musicals, just what was on my mind.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus

It Runs in the Family (2003):  This has three generations of the Douglas family including Kirk, Michael, and Cameron Douglas as they play Mitchell, Alex, and Asher Gromberg.  Alex struggles to get the approval he wants from his own father while questioning his own parenting toward the troubled Asher.  Rory Culkin plays Alex's younger and more level-headed son who looks and acts exactly like his older brother Macaulay when he was that age.  Michael's mother Diana Douglas also co-stars as his mother even though her and Kirk have been divorced.  Bernadette Peters, Michelle Monaghan, Geoffrey Arend, Sarita Choudhury, Irina Gorovaia, Annie Golden, Audra McDonald, Josh Pais, and many others co-star in this movie.  I am sure many can relate to this family and as far as I know this is the only teaming for Kirk and Michael as far as acting.  This also fits the holiday featuring a couple of fathers.  This is available to watch on the Roku Channel and Tubi.

My Name is Jerry (2009):  This is an independent film that was filmed in my own town of Muncie, Indiana and produced by Ball State University.  Doug Jones stars as struggling door-to-door salesman Jerry Arthur who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter Trisha, played by Allison Scagliotti.  Jones is usually known for his roles that have a lot of prosthetic including Abe Sapien in HELLBOY, Silver Surfer in FANTASTIC FOUR:  THE RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER, Billy Butcherson in HOCUS POCUS, to name a few.  He got to play a human in this one and does well against type.  7TH HEAVEN alum Catherine Hicks, THAT 70S SHOW alum Don Stark, Steven Yeun, Jonathan Keaton, and Katlyn Carlson also co-star.  I was also an extra in the funeral scene where the back of my head can briefly be seen.  I recognized a few others and some other known Muncie places.  Yeun would go onto be Glenn in the popular TV series THE WALKING DEAD.  

Pocahontas (1995):  This Disney classic has the title character of Pocahontas, voiced by Irene Bedard, trying to reason with her Algonquin chief father while John Smith, voiced by Mel Gibson, tries to reason with his group hoping to avoid war.  This also has some really good music number and I really like the message on the price of hatred.  Linda Hunt, Christian Bale, Ben Connolly, John Kassir, Judy Kuhn, Danny Mann, Russell Means, David Ogden Stiers, Gordon Tootoosis, Frank Welker, Jim Cummings, and many others provide their voice in this Disney film.  This is probably my favorite era of Disney.  This was also able to qualify for this edition of Father's Day.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.  

Asteroid City (2023):  This is Wes Anderon's latest which features a grieving and widowed father, played by Jason Schwartzman, who along with his four children look to come to terms with the death of his wife and their mother.  Tom Hanks co-stars as Schwartzman's father in law who has not always been crazy about his daughter's choice in husband.  There is more to the movie that these elements but these are the fatherly elements.  Like all of Anderson's films this has an all-star cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Maya Hawke, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Liev Schreiber, Steve Carell, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, Margot Robbie, Adrian Brody, Tilda Swinton, Fisher Stevens, Jeff Goldblum, and many others.  This is not for everyone and Anderson is a bit of an acquired taste with his usual quirkiness.  This is available to watch on Prime.  

Face/Off (1997):  I end with this great Father's Day selection which was directed by John Woo.  John Travolta stars as FBI agent Sean Archer whose son was killed in the crossfire by his deadly rival Castor Troy, played by Nicolas Cage.  Archer finally thinks it is over when Troy is put in a coma but then learns there is a bomb out there and agrees to a very experimental surgery where he takes Troy's face in hopes of learning where the bomb will be.  Troy then comes out of the coma and takes Archer's face.  Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominique Swain, Nick Cassavetes, Harve Presnell, Colm Feore, John Carroll Lynch, CCH Pounder, Robert Wisdone, Margaret Cho, James Denton, Matt Ross, Chris Bauer, and many others co-star in this action film.  This has always been a favorite of mine.  What I love about this movie is that while it is extremely violent, it is also strangely moving with a lot of emotional depth in my opinion.  While this is mainly about the leads switching faces, it is also about the family dealing with the loss of their boy.  The ending tears me up every time.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 925th Edition

Welcome to the 925th Edition of my series.  First of all Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father figures out there.  I hope you enjoy your holiday however celebrated.  On June 27th, I will be part of the New Castle Renaissance Festival as part of the Marvelously Terrible Shakespeare Company where we will perform a 15 minute version of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and will be playing Lysander.  I might have some more things but for now I'll just shut up and get to my selections.

Toy Soldiers (1991):  This is part four of my four-part Louis Gossett Jr. series.  Daniel Petrie Jr. directed this film which is based on the novel by William P. Kennedy.  Terrorists take a boarding school hostage demanding a cartel leader be released.  They underestimate a group of troubled kids that decide to take a stand, lead by Billy Tepper, played by Sean Astin.  Gossett co-stars as the headmaster of the school that admires Tepper's trouble making but must keep control of his school.  Wil Wheaton, Keith Coogan, Andrew Divoff, R. Lee Ermey, Mason Adams, Denholm Elliott, T.E. Russell, Shawn Phelan, Michael Champion, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a pretty fun film that combined action and a little comedy with some very serious situations at times.  Check out life at a boarding school and what can happen when people come together.  

Testament of Youth (2014):  This is part three of my Alicia Vikander trilogy.  James Kent directed this film based on the autobiography of Vera Brittain, played by Vikander.  Brittain was a young woman in 1914 Brittain born to a wealthy family and aspired to be a writer.  Against her father's wishes, she attends school at Oxford where she meets Roland, played by GAME OF THRONES alum Kit Harrington, who she would form a relationship with.  Everything would change during the start of WWI and lives would never be the same.  Taron Egerton, Dominic West, Colin Morgan, Emily Watson, Joanna Scanlan, Miranda Richardson, Hayley Atwell, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good look at this era and the horrors of war as well as the price many had to pay.  Vikander and Harrington are great together as the real-life couple.  This is available to watch on Starz.

Knives Out (2019):  This is part four of my four part series for M. Emmet Walsh.  Rian Johnson wrote and directed this murder mystery.  Daniel Craig stars as Detective Benoit Blanc who is investigating the murder of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey, played by Christopher Plummer, who is the patriarch of a wealthy, eccentric, and dysfunctional family.  Blanc must deal with lies from the family to uncover the truth of what happened.  Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Riki Lindhome, Edi Patterson, Frank Oz, K Callan, Noah Segan, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good mystery with the right amount of comedy and twists and turns to get to the solving of the mystery.  Johnson did a great job of keeping the script of need to know with the cast while shooting.  This whodunit has the perfect sort of characters and motives around a murder.  

Powers of Ten (1977):  This is my short film for the week which was directed by Charles and Ray Eames.  This starts with a couple enjoying their picnic and slowing pushing the camera back by powers of ten and later viewing the subatomic particles of a hand.  This has some really good narration and good for those who enjoy math and Science.  This can be found on Youtube.

Meet Dr. Christian (1939):  Bernard Vorhaus directed this small town film.  Jean Hersholt stars as the town doctor of the title name.  With the town growing, he lobbies for a new hospital instead of his small clinic.  He must deal with the mayor of the town, played by Paul Harvey, who feels Dr. Chritian is too old-fashioned wants someone more "modern".  Dorothy Lovett, Robert Baldwin, Enid Bennett, Marcia Mae Jone, Jackie Moran, Maude Eburne, Frank Coghlan Jr., Patsy Parsons, Sarah Edwards, John Kelly, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is a really good look at small-town life.  It is also a very moving and feel good story.  This was also the first of a six-part series of Dr. Christian which I had never heard of until I came across this one.  This is available to watch on Prime and MGM +.  

No Way Out (1950):  Joseph L. Mankiewics directed and co-wrote this Film Noir.  Sidney Poitier stars as Dr. Luther Brooks who is trying to adjust to his new place of employment while dealing with racism.  Richard Widmark co-stars as Ray Biddle who along with his brother were wounded in a robbery and brought to the hospital to be treated by Brooks much to the dismay of Biddle due to his racist nature.  When Ray's brother dies, he becomes convinced the Brooks murdered his brother.  Linda Darnell, Stephen McNally, Harry Bellaver, Stanley Ridges, Dots Johnson, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis and many others co-star in this Film Noir.  I had never heard of this until I came across is.  I feel this is one of Poitier's underrated ones and was very significant to the era and even now.  I realized that much of Poitier's roles might have helped some bigots to see that blacks are people like everyone else.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Dream Scenario (2023):  Kristoffer Borgli wrote and directed this fantasy film.  Nicolas Cage stars as Paul Matthews who lives the married life with his wife Janet, played by Julianne Nicholson, and his two daughters Hannah and Sophie, played by Jessica Clement and Lily Bird, and is a tenured professor where he works.  He starts to hear from strangers, students, and even his daughter that he appears in their dreams which at first are in a very harmless way.  He starts to get his 15 minutes of fame but his world starts to crumble around him when others say he was very violent.  David Klein, Kaleb Horn, Liz Adjei, Paula Boudreau, Marnie McPhail, Noah Lamanna, Tim Meadows, Dylan Baker, Maev Beaty, Marc Coppola, Krista Bridges, Michael Cera, and many others co-star in this film.  This one is really hard to describe and Cage was perfectly cast.  I also liked Cera in his smaller role where he played a little different than his usual performances.  I feel like this is satire to the world of "cancel culture".  The movie also feels like an onion slowly peeling itself.  It is also an A24 film and those just always manage to work when they really should not work.  This is available to watch on Max.

The Stratton Story (1949):  Sam Wood directed this sports biopic on Major League player Monty Stratton.  James Stewart stars as Stratton who was a small-town farmboy who would play with a local baseball team as a pitcher.  He gets discovered by Barney Wile, played by Frank Morgan, who has some connections in the baseball world helping Stratton get on a team.  Stratton's life changes when he is wounded in a hunting accident and has to have his leg amputated.  Agnes Moorehead co-stars as Monty's mother who would prefer him to be on the farm than thowing baseballs but understands she must let go.  June Allyon co-stars as his future wife Ethel.  Bill Williams, Bruce Cowling, Mary Lawrence, Robert Gist, and many others co-star in this biopic.  I have seen quite a few baseball movies from this era but had never heard of this movie or the player before coming across this on my dad's list of recordings on Youtube TV.  

Tommy (1975):  Ken Russell directed this rock opera featuring the album from the Who.  Who member Roger Daltrey stars as the title character who as a child becomes deaf, blind, and mute from traumatic events.  He also manages to somehow master the game of pinball and eventually sees again while also being seen as a messiah type.  Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed co-star as Tommy's parents in this film.  Elton John, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Paul Nicholas, Jack Nicholson, Robert Powell, Tina Turner, and many others co-star in this rock opera.  This is a very trippy film that is not for everyone.  Nicholson manages to hold his own in his music cameo.  Elton John also has one of the most famous scenes as the Pinball Wizard.  This is a more bizarre musical and has some great music in it.   

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021):  Dean Fleischer Camp directed, co-wrote, and co-stars in this mockumentary film.  Marcel, voiced by Jenny Slate, is a mollusk shell who is living in a home with his grandmother Connie, voiced by Isabella Rossellini, that is an Airbnb that Dean is living in while looking for a home.  Dean is also a documentary filmmaker who discovers Marcel and sparks a friendship with the Shell while also filming a documentary.  Samuel Painter, Jeremy Evans, Lesley Stahl, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Andy Richter, Nathan Fiedler, Jessi Klein, Peter Bonerz, and many others co-star or provide their voice.  This is a very clever film that was also brought to us by A24 productions.  Stahl plays herself in a cameo in this film to do a 60 MINUTES segment.  This is a weirdly touching film that I found when my dad allowed me to go on his Kanopy app which his local library uses while I do not use it.  Slate was also a creator of the characters and was a long-term production that took about seven years to film.  This is also available to watch on Netflix and Paramount Plus.

Well, that is it for this week but I did bring back my "Fun and Usesless Facts" segment so read on and enjoy.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for two weeks for my next segment which so far includes Parker Posey, Zac Efron, Harold Lloyd, Jerry Lewis, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Andrew Divoff (Toy Soldiers) and Roger Daltrey (Tommy) play immortal in the tv series HIGHLANDER.

R. Lee Ermey (Toy Soldiers) and Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) were in the 1995 film LEAVING LAS VEGAS.

Louis Gossett Jr. (Toy Soldiers) and Don Johnson (Knives Out) were in the 2019 mini-series WATCHMEN.

Denholm Elliott (Toy Soldiers) and Frank Oz (Knives Out) were in the 1983 comedy TRADING PLACES. 

Taron Egerton (Testament of Youth) portrays Elton John (Tommy) in the 2019 film ROCKETMAN.

Dominic West (Testament of Youth) plays Lysander in the 1999 film A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.  I will be playing the role in a very abridged version at the New Castle Renaissance Fair as part of the Marvelously Terrible Shakespeare Company in July of this year. 

Hayley Atwell (Testament of Youth) and Chris Evans (Knives Out) were love interests in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting with CAPTAIN AMERICA:  THE FIRST AVENGER.

Miranda Richardson (Testament of Youth) and Toni Collette (Knives Out) were in the 2002 film THE HOURS.

Emily Watson (Testament of Youth) and Dylan Baker (Knives Out) were in 2017 mini-series LITTLE WOMEN.

Daniel Craig (Knives Out) and Isabella Rossellini (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) were in the 2006 movie INFAMOUS.

Daniel Craig (Knives Out) and Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario) were in the 2002 film ROAD TO PERDITION.

Chris Evans (Knives Out) and Michael Cera (Dream Scenario) are in the 2010 film SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD.

Michael Shannon (Knives Out) and Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) are in the 2009 film BAD LIEUTENANT:  PORT OF NEW ORLEANS.

Michael Shannon (Knives Out) and Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario) were in the 2008 film REVOLUTIONARY ROAD.

Toni Collettte (Knives Out) and Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario) were in the 2002 thriller CHANGING LANES.

Christopher Plummer (Knives Out) and Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) are in the 2004 film NATIONAL TREASURE.

Christopher Plummer (Knives Out) and Robert Powell (Tommy) were in the 1977 mini-series JESUS OF NAZARETH.

M. Emmet Walsh (Knives Out) and Michael Cera (Dream Scenario) were in the 2009 comedy YOUTH IN REVOLT.

M. Emmet Walsh (Knives Out) and Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) were in the 1987 comedy RAISING ARIZONA.

M. Emmet Walsh (Knives Out) and Jack Nicholson (Tommy) were in the 1981 film REDS.

Jamie Lee Curtis (Knives Out) and Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On) were in the 2022 film EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE.

Riki Lindhome (Knives Out), Michael Cera (Dream Scenario), and Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On) were in the 2017 animated movie THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE.

Ana de Armas (Knives Out) and Julianne Nicholson (Dream Scenario) were in the 2022 movie BLONDE.

Lakeith Stanfield (Knives Out) and Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario) were in the 2014 film SELMA.

Jack Nicholson (Tommy) declined the role of Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 film AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN which would ultimately go to Louis Gossett Jr. (Toy Soldiers) which all worked out just fine.