Welcome to the 948th edition of my series. I would like to announce that I will be playing Mr. Mushnik in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Richmond Civic Theater in May of this year. The shows will be May 8-11 and May 15-18 of this year and I will have more information in the coming weeks. I will shut up now and get on with my selections for the week.
Red Sparrow (2018): This is part four of my five-part Joel Edgerton series. Francis Lawrence directed this spy thriller which is based on the novel by Jason Matthews. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Dominika Egorova who is a Russian ballet dancer who becomes injured, and learns it was not an accident. She takes revenge on those who wronged her and her Uncle Ivan, played by Mattias Schoenaerts, approaches her to become an agent which would help her avoid prosecution and be able to care for her ailing mother. She trains to be a "Sparrow" which an operative capable of seducing their targets with "sexpianoge" and the target assigned is CIA operative Nate Nash, played by Edgerton. Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, Joely Richardson, Bill Camp, Jeremy Irons, Thekla Reuten, Douglas Hodge, Sakina Jaffrey, Sergei Polunin, Sasha Frolova, Sebastian Hulk, Nicole O'Neill, Kristof Konrad, and many others co-star in this thriller. There is a lot going on and is hard to explain beyond what I already did. It is a very provocative film to say the least with Lawrence and Edgerton bringing a lot to the table.
The Secret of the Marquise (1922): Lotte Reiniger directed this German animated short which was actually an early commercial for Nivea. Reiniger uses her silhouette animation to convey this love story where is it explained that Nivea was used to maintain such beautiful skin. Reiniger was quite the pioneer for the world of animation and had one of the first feature animated films in THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED. Most of her career consisted of silhouette animated shorts and would go on for many years. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel along with much of her other works.
The Hitch-Hiker (1953): Ida Lupino directed and co-wrote this film which is based on true events. Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy stars as friends Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen who are looking to go on a fishing trip. Along the way, they pick-up a hitchhiker named Emmett Myers, played by William Talman, who happens to be a murderer and takes them hostage forcing them to comply with his demands. Jose Torvay, Wendell Niles, Sam Hayes, Jean Del Val, Clark Howat, Natividad Vacio, and many others co-star in this Film Noir. This is based on a real-life killing spree in 1950 by Billy Cook. This is a very gritty and disturbing film which holds nothing back. This is available on the public domain and my friend Dennis did a showing for his Public Domain series at Cornerstone Center for the Arts which I was unable to attend. I did still take the time to include it this week which was really worth a look. It is available to watch on Prime, Freevee, Plex, Tubi, Pluto TV, Fawesome, and probably others.
The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (2015): This is my French film for the week which was directed by Joann Sfar and based on the novel by Sebastian Japrisot. Freya Mavor stars as Dany who decides to go joyriding in her boss' car and visits a seaside town. When there, everyone seems to know who she is and learns she is the lead suspect of a murder. Dany must piece together what has happened while wondering if she is crazy. Benjamin Biolay, Elio Germano, Stacy Martin, Thierry Hancisse, and many others co-star in this film. This is the remake of a 1970 film of the same name which I know nothing about but might seek it out. Mavor does a good job of carrying this film. It is an interesting enough psychological thriller that is not for everyone. This is available to watch on the Roku Channel as well as Prime Video channels Magnolia Selects, Monsters and Nightmares, and Warriors and Gangsters.
Coonskin (1974): Ralph Bakshi wrote and directed this blend of animation and live-action. Scatman Crothers and Pre-MIAMI VICE alum Philip Michael Thomas star as Pappy and Randy who are attempting a prison break and tell the animated stories of Brother Rabbit, voiced by Thomas, Brother Bear, voiced by Barry White, and Preacher Fox, voiced by Charles Gordone, and their rise to the top of the crime ranks in Harlem. I supposed this is Bakshi's animated entry into the world of Blaxploitation. This is a satire of race relations in America, and this is sure to offend. This is a darker version of SONG OF THE SOUTH which some might have already noticed in the description. It is hard to really describe this in words except to check this out if you are not easily offended. This is available to watch on Kanopy which requires a library which uses this service and on the Prime Video channel CONtv.
99 Homes (2014): This is part two of my Laura Dern trilogy. Ramin Bahrani directed and co-wrote this film which shows the dark side of home ownership. Andrew Garfield stars as Dennis Nash who is a recently unemployed single father whose home of been foreclosed. Michael Shannon co-stars as real-estate broker Rick Carver who is the source of the foreclosed home and offers Dennis a job working for him in order to win back his home. Dennis finds that he is selling his soul but understands his son, played by Noah Lomax, and his mom, played by Dern, need a home. Clancy Brown, Douglas M. Griffin, Randy Austin, Carl Palmer, and many others co-star in this film. Garfield gives a very good performance as a desperate man. I found this to be a very sad but compelling on how crooked the world of real estate can be. This is available to watch on Starz, Tubi, the Roku Channel, Plex, and Fawesome.
I remember Mama (1948): George Stevens directed this film which is based on a play by John Van Druten and the novel by Kathryn Forbes. Barbara Bel Geddes stars as Katrin who is writing a novel based on her own childhood. Irene Dunne co-stars as Martha who is the matriarch of the Hanson family and does what she can with her pennywise budget. Oscar Homolka is very amusing as the eccentric Uncle Chris. This looks at the ups and downs of an immigrant Norwegian family in 1910 San Francisco. Philip Dorn, Cedric Hardwicke, Edgar Bergen, Rudy Vallee, Barbara O'Neil, Florence Bates, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very touching film that holds up today. It is a good look at a loving family from this era. This was a very good mother.
A Real Pain (2024): Jesse Eisenberg wrote and directed this dramedy of a couple reunited cousins. Eisenberg also stars as David who along with this cousin Benji, played by Kieren Culkin, go to Poland to honor their late grandmother. Tensions arise for these mismatched cousins against the backdrop of their family history. Will Sharpe, Daniel Oreskes, Liza Sadovy, Kurt Egyiawan, Jennifer Grey, Ellora Torchia, and many others co-star in this film. This is more of a character study than anything and hard to really describe beyond what I already have. It does have a very good blend of comedy and drama. Culkin and Eisenberg work greatly together and their mismatching personalities work perfectly. This is available to watch on Hulu.
Scarecrow (1973): This is my homage to Gene Hackman who recently left us. Jerry Schatzberg directed this buddy comedy. Hackman stars as Max who is an ex-con and determined to open up a car wash. Al Pacino stars as former sailor Lion who is determined to meet his child for the first time and make things right with his wife. They form an unlikely friendship as their drifting ways and personalities make things very difficult. Dorothy Tristan, Ann Wedgeworth, Richard Lynch, Eileen Brennan, Penelope Allen, and many others co-star in this film. Hackman has said this was his favorite performance and Pacino has also spoken very highly of this film. This is a transitional film in between THE GODFATHER for Pacino and might be the first time he has gotten to show a more comedic side. While this has some pretty funny moments, there are very serious situations that make it hard to watch at times. This does deserve to get more exposure, so I hope to put this on the radar.
Hunger (2008): Steve McQueen directed this film which is based on a true story. Michael Fassbender stars as Bobby Sands who leads the 1981 IRA hunger strike at Maze Prison in Northern Ireland. This was meant to improve prison conditions and get them recognized as political prisoners. Liam Cunningham, Stuart Graham, Laine Megaw, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon, Karen Hassan, Frank McCusker, Lalor Roddy, and many others co-star in this film. McQueen makes his feature film debut, and this is a different Steve McQueen than the one we know. This is a brutally honest film that is not easy to watch. It is a very well-done and significant film with a good performance out of Fassbender. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Well, that is it for this week, but I have brought back the segment "Tube Time". Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Joel Edgerton, Laura Dern, Charlie Chaplin, Walter Matthau, Paul Walter Hauser, and many others.
TUBE TIME
Cobra Kai (2018-2025): This is part one of a six-part series for Paul Walter Hauser who plays the recurring role of Stingray in this series. The rest of my selections for him will be in the film selections. Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg directed this continuation series of the KARATE KID franchise which came to an end this year. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprise their roles of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence who were rivals in the first KARATE KID and find themselves rivals again years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. Daniel is doing well as he is married, has children, and has a successful car business. Johnny is struggling in life still trying to find purpose. Johnny rescues his bullied next-door neighbor Miguel, played by Xolo Mariduena, and becomes a Mr. Miyagi type figure to him. He also decides to reopen Cobra Kai which sets off his old rival Daniel. Daniel starts to train again himself and takes in Robby Keene, played by Tanner Buchanan, not knowing in the beginning that he is Johnny's estranged son. As time goes on, Daniel and Johnny must team up against common enemies in John Kreese, reprised by Martin Kove, and the even more ruthless Terry Silver, reprised by Thomas Ian Griffith. Courtney Henggeler, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo, Vanessa Rubio, Peyton List, Owen Morgan, Aedin Mincks, Griffin Santopietro, Dallas Dupree Young, Khalil Everage, Joe Seo, Nathaniel Oh, Hannah Kepple, Yuji Okumoto, Rose Bianco, Oona O'Brien, Nichole Brown, Annalisa Cochrane, Paul Walter Hauser, Dan Ahdoot, Bret Ernst, Alicia Hannah-Kim, Carsten Norgaard, Diora Baird, Bo Mitchell, Lewis Tan, Patrick Luwis, Keith Arthur Bolden, Keith Arthur Bolden, Brandon H. Lee, Daniel Kim, Barrett Carnahan, Rayna Vallandingham, Vas Sanchez, Edward Asner, Sean Kanan, Tamlyn Tomita, Elizabeth Shue, Britt Baker, Elizabeth Berkley, Robyn Lively, and many others co-star or guest star in this television series. This series goes six seasons with the first five having ten episodes and the last season having 15 episodes. This show provides flashbacks from the movies to explain situations and characters. I also believe that watching the movies would be beneficial but does not have to be to get into the series. The first couple seasons consist of characters from part one of the trilogy. Season three starts to bring characters from part two of the trilogy. The last three seasons start to bring characters from part three of the trilogy. They do not deal with THE NEXT KARATE KID though bringing in Hilary Swank might have been interesting. I do feel that part three means more now thanks to this series. Thomas Ian Griffith comes out of acting retirement to reprise his role of Terry Silver. This show has some great fight scenes and even wrestling type storylines which they even reference sometimes. What I really like about it is that forgiveness and redemption and emphasized a lot on this show. I also believe that it is a good redemption story for the character of Johnny Lawrence. This show manages to come up with a great ending after six seasons which comes full circle from first KARATE KID film. This has a great blend of action, comedy, and drama and is one I'll probably continue to revisit. Cobra Kai never Dies! This is available to watch on Netflix.
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