Welcome to the 949th edition of my series. I continue rehearsing for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS out in Richmond where I play Mr. Mushnik. This happens in May, and I will provide more details on my next installment. I will just get on with my selections for the week.
Kinky Boots (2005): This is part five of my five-part series for Joel Edgerton. Julian Jarrold directed this film which was written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. Edgerton stars as Charlie Price who ends up inheriting his father's shoe factory business and finds that it is on its last legs. Charlie meets the drag queen Lola, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who complains about the adequate footwear. Charlie convinces Lola to be their footwear designer in hopes of saving the business while Lola must adjust to certain prejudices within the factory. Sarah-Jane Potts, Jemima Rooper, Nick Frost, Linda Bassett, Robert Pugh, Ewan Hooper, Stephen Marcus, Mona Hammond, Kellie Bright, Joanna Scanlon, Leo Bill, and many others co-star in this film. This is inspired by a true story in Northhampshire of a struggling factory and saved when making kinky boots for drag queens. This would also become a Broadway musical which was written by Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper. This is available to watch on Pluto TV.
Queen of the Ring (2024): Ash Avildsen directed this wrestling biopic which is based on the book by Jeff Leen. ARROW alum Emily Bett Rickards stars as wrestling legend Mildred Burke who is essentially the pioneer for women's wrestling. This starts in her younger days as a single mother working as a waitress in a small town. When a wrestling promotion hits her town, she decides she would like to become a wrestler in a world where most places banned women from wrestling and was very taboo in this era. When meeting Billy Wolfe, played by Josh Lucas, she convinces him to train her and they begin an early revolution in women's wrestling. Tyler Posey, Walton Goggins, Francesca Eastwood, Marie Avgeropoulos, Kailey Farmer, Cara Buono, Gavin Casalegno, Adam Demos, Deborah Ann Woll, Kelli Berglund, Damaris Lewis, Martin Kove, Jim Cornette, Jett Jansen, Toni Storm, Trinity Fatu, Britt Baker, Ash Avildsen, Jared Kripke, Mickie James, and many others co-star in this film. I have been excited about this film since hearing about it and was determined to see it when it hit my local theaters. This is a great historical film showing the early days of women's wrestling and how far it has come and quite a few wrestlers got to make appearances. It was also really good to see wrestler Jared Kripke who I know from working a lot in the Indiana Powerhouse Wrestling shows in my town. This is for both wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans and was worth a trip to the movie theaters to see.
The Tale (2018): This is part three of my trilogy for Laura Dern. Jennifer Fox wrote and directed this film which is based on herself. Dern stars as Jennifer Fox who is a documentarian working in New York. She starts to reexamine a short story she wrote at the age of 13 and the nature of her relationship at the time with a riding instructor in Mrs. G, played by Elizabeth Debicki, and her running instructor Bill, played by Jason Ritter, in a summer camp which would turn into sexual abuse. She sets out to learn more of what happened with herself and other people which opens old wounds. Common, Jessica Sarah Flaum, Laura Allen, Juli Erickson, Matthew Rauch, Ellen Burstyn, John Heard, Frances Conroy, and many others co-star in this film. This would be Heard's last movie before his death. This is not easy to watch and is likely not for everyone. This is Fox's first narrative film having directing documentaries before this one. This is available to watch on Max.
The Egg Collector (1940): This is my animated short for the week which comes from Merry Melodies. Chuck Jones directed this animated short which features the character of Sniffles the Mouse, voiced by Margaret Hill-Talbot, and his friend the Bookworm. They decide to take up egg collecting but mess with the wrong owl, voiced by Mel Blanc. Sniffles is a character who has a series of shorts in the '30s and '40s and would appear some in the later years. This is also available to watch on Max.
Modern Times (1936): Charlie Chaplin wrote and directed this mostly silent film and would star as his iconic character the Tramp. The Tramp struggles to make it in the industrial world of this era. He starts out at a factory which has some very iconic special effects and would later try to adjust to the modern era along with his homeless friend, played by Paulette Goddard. Henry Bergman, Tiny Sandford, Chester Conklin, Hank Mann, Stanley Blystone, Al Ernest Garcia, Richard Alexander, and many others co-star in this film. Chaplin went the silent route most of the film in a time when everybody was still doing "talkies". The exceptions were things like the boss of the factory was talking, a barking dog, and an interesting music number by Chaplin near the end. This is a satire towards the Industrial Revolution and I think took a little bit from LES MISERABLES. Like many of Chaplin's comedies, he would use comedy in very serious situations like in this case dealing with the transitions of using machinery. This is available to watch on Max, Prime, and Freevee.
A New Leaf (1971): Elaine May directed this dark comedy which is based on the short story THE GREEN HEART by Jack Ritchie. Walter Matthau stars as playboy Henry Graham who learns that his playboy lifestyle has depleted all of his funds. Instead of just looking for a job, he looks to find a wealthy woman to marry and then murder. He meets wealthy scientist Henrietta Lowell who agrees to marry him and Henry's plans just go awry. Jack Weston, George Rose, James Coco, Doris Roberts, Renee Taylor, William Redford, Graham Jarvis, Jess Osuna, David Doyle, Fred Stewart, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is a pretty interesting romantic comedy which include murder plots. This rather unknown Matthau film is worth a look. This is available to watch on Kanopy and Pluto TV.
Eat Wheaties! (2020): This is part two of my six-part Paul Walter Hauser series. Scott Abramovitch directed this comedy which is based on the novel THE LOCKLEAR LETTERS by Michael Kun. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT alum Tony Hale stars as Sid Straw whose social ineptitude gets the best of him. He claims to have known Elizabeth Banks in college and starts writing letters on her Facebook page not knowing everyone can see them and it goes viral causing his world to crash around him. As Sid tries to get his life back together, he begins to understand what is most important in the world. Elisha Cuthbert, Danielle Brooks, David Walton, Sarah Burns, Alan Tudyk, Sarah Chalke, Lamorne Harris, Sarah Goldberg, Sugar Lyn Beard, Robbie Amell, Kylie Bunbury, Hayden Szeto, Rizwan Manji, Mimi Kennedy, Phil Reeves, Kristian Bruun, and many others co-star in this comedy. This has a lot of comedic moments and a good cast. I suppose this is middle aged sort of coming-of-age story and shows how social media can lead to a lot of misunderstandings. This could be a good double feature to watch along with the movie WORLD'S GREATEST DAD. This is available to watch on Peacock.
Thunder on the Hill (1951): Douglas Sirk directed this crime drama which is based on the play by Charlotte Hastings. Claudette Colbert stars as nurse Sister Mary who works at a convent hospital. Ann Blyth co-stars as convicted murderer Valerie Carns who is being transported to hang but flooding strands her and the guards. Mary becomes convinced that Valerie did not commit the murder and sets out to prove her innocence which was against the wishes of the guards and her own superiors. Robert Douglas, Anne Crawford, Philip Friend, Gladys Cooper, Michael Pate, John Abbott, Connie Gilchrist, Gavin Muir, Phyllis Stanley, Norma Varden, and many others co-star in this film. This is a good story on walking a thin line in many ways. The atmosphere and tension are also there at full force for this suspenseful story. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Bone (1972): Larry Cohen wrote and directed this dark comedy in his directorial debut. Andrew Duggan and Joyce Van Patten star as Beverly Hills couple Bill and Bernadette. Yaphet Kotto stars as Bone who invades their home assuming they are a very wealthy couple only to find out they are having all kinds of issues with their marriage and finances. Everything unfolds from there with Bone's resolution to their problems. Jeannie Berlin and Brett Somers co-star in this film. This movie is very out there in their portrayal of the dark side of suburban life. Kotto puts on a very good performance as the title character and has cited that one as his best. This is available to watch on Tubi and Full Moon which is a Prime subscription.
Executive Decision (1996): I end the week with this action film which was directed by Stuart Baird in his directorial debut. Kurt Russell stars as intelligence expert David Grant who must join a group of anti-terrorists to save a 747 from a group of terrorists hijacking the plane. They use a specialty plane to get on board on the 747 and must diffuse a bomb and take on the terrorists. Halle Berry co-stars as flight attendant Jean who is able to help the group. Steven Seagal, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, David Suchet, BD Wong, Len Cariou, Whip Hubley, Andreas Katsulas, Mary Ellen Trainor, Marla Maples, J.T. Walsh, Ingo Neuhaus, Nicholas Pryor, Richard Riehle, and many others co-star in this action film. This is not necessarily an all-out action film as much of the movie is the anti-terrorist unit trying to plan before they make their attack. The suspense is just as effective in my opinion and the action means a lot when we get to that point. This would be good for a guy's night.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned in a couple weeks for the installment which so far includes Jennifer Connelly, and many others.
