Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 960th Edition

Welcome to the 960th Edition of my series.  My play ARSENIC AND OLD LACE was postponed into October 23-26 which will be in Rushville, I will give more details as they come.  I don't have a lot of other things happening so I will just get on with my selections for the week. 

Clerks II (2006):  I start out with this raunchy comedy sequel which was written and directed by Kevin Smith.  Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson reprise their roles of Dante and Randal from the 1994 film CLERKS.  The convenience store has burned down, and they take jobs at the local fast-food joint Mooby's.  Dante is fixing to be moving out with his fiancé Emma, played by Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, and Randal does not believe it is the right thing for him.  Rosario Dawson co-stars as Becky who is the manager of Mooby's.  Jason Mewes and Smith reprise their roles of the stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob.  Jake Richardson, Ethan Suplee, Ben Affleck, Trevor Fehrman, Scott Mosier, Kevin Weisman, Jason Lee, Earthquake, Wanda Sykes, Zak Knutson, Harley Quinn Smith, Kevin Michael Richardson, and many others co-star in this comedy sequel.  This is not for the easily offended by any means.  As always, there is some great dialogue and discussions on pop culture.  I believe Dante and Randal are a very underrated comedy duo in how different they are from each other but play off each other so well.  While this movie is very vulgar and raunchy, it does have a really good hard and manages to make a good message through it all of what is important in life.  I would recommend starting with the original to get to know Dante and Randal.  This is available to watch on Pluto TV.

Hard Eight (1996):  Paul Thomas Anderson directed and wrote this crime film.  John C. Reilly stars as John who loses all his money while gambling.  While sitting outside a cafe, a man named Sydney, played by Philip Baker Hall, tries to help him and buys him a coffee.  Sydney offers to mentor John in gambling and turns him into a pretty good gambler.  Things get complicated when John falls in love with the cocktail waitress and sometimes hooker Clementine, played by Gwyneth Paltrow.  Samuel L. Jackson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Melora Walters co-star in this film.  Anderson makes his directorial debut with this film and would go onto direct the very successful BOOGIE NIGHTS the next year.  This was a really good way to get started.  This is available to watch on Pluto TV.

My Old Ass (2024):  Megan Park wrote and directed this coming-of-age comedy.  Maisy Stella stars as the 18-year-old Elliott who decides to do mushrooms with her friends.  In the process, she meets her 39-year-old self, played by Aubrey Plaza, and must rethink the things in her life.  Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks, Maria Dizzia, Alain Goulem, Seth Isaac Johnson, Carter Trozzolo, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I really had no knowledge of this film going into and was pleasantly surprised.  This was very a very touching and beautiful film while still being very funny.  Stella and Plaza are break as the younger and older selves.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Lonesome Luke, Messenger (1917):  This is my silent short film for the week which was written by Hal Roach.  Harold Lloyd stars as his Lonesome Luke character.  Along with his usual co-star Snub Pollard, they are bicycle messengers and sent to deliver several packages to a girl's seminary to much comedic moments.  This was a character Lloyd played that was similar to Chaplin's character.  This was 59 of 67 films as this character before he would go onto do his own character that is more known today.  This is a good watch for silent comedy buffs.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Mystery of Picasso (1956):  Henri-Georges Clouzot directed this documentary.  This films the famed artist Pablo Picasso doing his paintings.  This was a lot more interesting than I expected and could very well be the definition of "experimental film".  The camera shows his paintings being done in a quick way without showing Picasso doing it.  It also shows the paintings being done to music and they are able to create interesting stories as the music goes on and as the paintings progress.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Charlie is my Darling (1966):  This is my music documentary for the week which was directed by Peter Whitehead.  This takes place during a brief tour in Ireland in 1965 for the Rolling Stones.  This is a very early time in their career and was the first professionally filmed concert of their career.  It also shows them in their lives through the travel of the tour.  I also felt this was before Keith Richards became a persona.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015):  Kyle Patrick Alvarez directed this film which is based on the novel by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, played by Billy Crudup.  Zimbardo was a psychology professor at Stanford where he came up with a bizarre experiment where he took college students to participate in a two-week prison simulation.  Some of the students were prisoners and some were guards.  The guards ended up getting very carried away by the authority and the experiment got very out of hand.  Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Thirlby, Michael Angarano, Moises Arias, Nicholas Braun, Gaius Charles, Keir Gilchrist, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Mann, Logan Miller, Johnny Simmons, James Wolk, Nelsan Ellis, Matt Bennett, Jesse Carere, Brett Davern, and many others co-star in this film.  This was not a high point at Stanford University.  This is not easy to watch but it is an important event that should be remembered and not repeated.  This is available to watch on AMC +, Sundance Now, Plex, Pluto TV, the CW, and TUBI.

The Flame of New Orleans (1941):  Rene Clair directed romantic comedy.  Marlene Dietrich stars as Countess Claire Ledoux who becomes engaged to a successful banker in Charles Giraud, played by Roland Young, which was her goal.  Bruce Cabot co-stars as the charismatic sea captain Robert LaTour who makes quite the first impression on Claire and starts to rethink who she wants to be with.  Mischa Auer, Theresa Harris, Clarence Muse, Melville Cooper, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a pretty fun romantic adventure with Cabot standing on in the film.  This was meant to parody Dietrich and it worked very well.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Sandpiper (1965):  Vincente Minnelli directed this more intense love story.  Elizabeth Taylor stars as the free-spirited single mother Laura Reynolds who doesn't really like the educational system of society and tries to instill her own values to her 9-year-old son Danny, played by Morgan Mason.  When Danny runs into problems with the law and is ordered to go to a Christian School.  As time goes on, Laura makes a connection with the married headmaster Dr. Edward Hewitt, played by Richard Burton.  Eva Marie Saint, Charles Bronson, Robert Webber, James Edwards, Torin Thatcher, Tom Drake, and many others co-star in this film.  Taylor and Burton work well together as always and this was the third of eleven times for them to work together.  This gets pretty deep at times with the viewpoints and just the affair that is going on in the film.  I also kind of like Laura's environment and her caring for the bird.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse (2022):  I end the week with this animated short film which was directed by Peter Baynton and Charlie Mackesy and based on Mackesy's book of the same name.  This centers around a boy, voiced by Jude Coward Nicoll, who ends up forming a very unusual friendship with a mole, voiced by Tom Hallander, a fox, voiced by Idris Elba, and a horse, voiced by Gabriel Byrne.  They travel together hoping to help the boy find his home and learn a lot about kindness, friendship, courage, and hope.  This was very simple but effective animation to go along with a timeless story.  This is available to watch on Apple +.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple of weeks which so far includes Jason Statham, Billy Crystal, Helen Mirren, Bela Lugosi, Joan Crawford, and many others.  I recently started a Youtube channel for myself called "The Karaoke Enigma" where I will be posting karaoke videos of myself.  It is a work in progress and the link to subscribe is https://www.youtube.com/@thekaraokeenigma if interested.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 959th Edition

Welcome to the 959th Edition of my series.  In September, I am returning to Rushville to do my third production of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE where I reprise my role of Teddy "Roosevelt" Brewster.  The dates are September 11-14, and I will put out more information as time goes on.  There is not much more happening so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Zola (2020):  Janicza Bravo directed this dark comedy which is based on a viral Twitter feed by A'Ziah King aka Zola, played by Taylour Paige.  This was then turned into a Rollingstone article ZOLA TELLS ALL:  THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE GREATEST STRIPPER SAGA EVER TWEETED by David Kushner.  Zola works as a waitress and a part-time stripper and becomes friends with another stripper named Stefani, played by Riley Keough.  Zola agrees to go on a road trip with Stefani who claims to have a way to make more money.  Nicholas Braun, Ari'el Stachel, Nelcie Souffrant, Nasir Rahim, Colman Domingo, and many others co-star in this movie.  Just read the beginning part, it is hard to explain much else.  This is an interesting odyssey to go through with the duo.  It is one of those that really should not be that good, but it was produced by A24 and they always seem to make things work.  This is available to watch on TUBI, Pluto TV, and Plex

Brisby Bear (2017):  Dave McCary directed this comedy which was written by Kevin Costello and Kyle Mooney.  Mooney also stars as James who has been in an underground bunker all his life and learns he was abducted.  At 25 years old, he gets reunited with his real family.  He grew up with the show BRIGSBY BEAR only to learn his abducted parents made the show and that is no longer going on.  He sets out to end the show the way he wants and makes the show very popular through friends he has made.  Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins, Claire Danes, Ryan Simpkins, Greg Kinnear, Mark Hammill, Alexa Demie, Beck Bennett, Jane Adams, Kate Lyn Sheil, Andy Samberg, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.  This is really a very moving film really about people coming together which is something we need more of these days.  This is available to watch on the Roku Channel.

God's Own Country (2017):  Francis Lee wrote and directed this British film.  Josh O'Connor stars as young farmer Johnny Saxby who does not seem to like working on the farm and binge drinks to numb the pain.  Things change when a Romanian man named Gheorghe, played by Alec Secarearnu, is hired on the farm and they form a relationship which changes everything.  Gemma Jones, Ian Hart, Liam Thomas, Patsy Ferran, and many others co-star in this film.  This was inspired by Lee's own experiences of working on a farm and wanting to go to film school.  O'Connor and Secarearnu work very well together as a very uneasy couple.  The cinematography in this film is great.  I supposed this could get compared to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN which could be a good double feature.  This is available to watch on AMC +, Sundance Now, TUBI, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel.

Walking (1968):  This is my animated short for the week which was written and directed by Ryan Larkin.  This is a hand drawn portrait of the various types of walking that people do.  I thought after feature Larkin in my segment "The Indie Scene" last time and the documentary short RYAN which was based on him, I'd feature Larkin himself.  This is a pretty compelling few minutes that deserves a look.  This can be found on Youtube and I also recommend the 2004 short RYAN.  

Morocco (1930):  Josef Von Sternberg directed this film which is based on the play by Benny Vigny.  Gary Cooper stars as Legionnaire Tom Brown and Marlene Dietrich stars as cabaret singer Amy Jolly.  They fall in love but things become complicated including Tom's womanizing way and Amy having a rich man that wants her.  Adolph Menjou, Ullrich Haupt, Eve Southern, and many others co-star in this pre-code romance.  I don't think Cooper had reached the American Hero status he would get in the later years, correct me if I'm wrong.  This was pretty controversial at the time.  This is a really good love story with many stand-out scenes. 

A Place in the Sun (1951):  George Stevens directed this film which is based on the novel AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser and based on the play by Patrick Kearney.  Montgomery Clift stars as the poor George Eastman who meets the more wealthy side of his family.  He accepts a factory job and starts on the bottom but moves up pretty quickly.  George starts out with a relationship with Shelley Winters, but later Elizabeth Taylor takes an interest in him making his relationship with Shelley more difficult causing him to go to extreme measures.  I'd say that's a pretty good description.  Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, Herbert Hayes, and many others co-star in this film.  This has always been a favorite of mine.  This has a love story and a look at social status.  This was the start of these types of roles for Winters who does very well in this film.  This is based on a true story about a man named Chester Gillette but I won't give it away by telling his situation.  This is a very compelling film and gets pretty deep at times.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Jacob the Baker (2023):  Gev Miron directed and co-wrote wrote this film.  Dara Emery stars as a reporter who is assigned to interview an author and motivation speaker in Noah Benshea, played by himself.  His books consist of a character named Jacob the Baker and is out to provide hope and help to countless people.  This is not a documentary, but this is a good look at Benshea who I had no knowledge of before watching this film.  In some ways, he reminds me of Fred Rogers with his style of doing interviews.  This person needs some more exposure, and this movie is available to watch on TUBI.  This was really worth a watch and many might benefit from this one.

In Celebration (1975):  Lindsay Anderson directed this film which is based on the play by David Storey who also wrote the screenplay.  This takes place in a Yorkshire mining town where Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, played by Bill Owen and Constance Chapman, are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.  They are visited by their sons Andrew, played by Alan Bates, Steven, played by Brian Cox, and Colin, played by James Bolam.  The sons seemingly have their lives together but each of them harbor a secret of some sort.  Gabrielle Daya co-stars as a family friend.  I had never seen Cox in his younger days as I'm used to his much later roles.  This is one of his first starring roles and had been a stage actor.  This is a very intense drama of people who are not who them seem.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Gidget (1959):  Now I bring something a little more upbeat.  Paul Wendkos directed this coming-of-age beach comedy which is based on the novel by Frederick Kohner.  Sandra Dee stars as Francie who has more of an interest in things like swimming instead of chasing boys with her friends.  She joins with a group of surfer guys after being saved from an accident by Moondoggie, played by James Darren, and earning the nickname of Gidget.  She becomes fascinated by surfing and asked the guys to teach her while also slowly falling for Moondoggie.  Cliff Robertson, Arthur O'Connell, Mary LaRoche, Joby Baker, Tom Laughlin, Sue George, Robert Ellis, Patti Kane, Yvonne Craig, and many others co-star in this beach comedy.  This kind of started that popular genre of beach movies from this era.  This would follow by some sequels and a tv series.  This is good, harmless fun to watch on a Saturday afternoon.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Puss in Boots:  The Three Diablos (2012):  I end the week with this animated short film which follows the hit 2011 animated movie PUSS IN BOOTS.  Antonio Banderas reprises his role as the voice of Puss in Boots who is sent to retrieve a precious ruby from the evil Whisperer with the help of some feisty kittens that Puss must work with at first.  Gilles Marini, Charlotte Newhouse, Chris Miller, Walt Dohrn, Bret Marnell, and Miles Bakshi provide their voices in this animated short.  This is about 13 minutes long and pretty enjoyable in that amount of time.  I would recommend watching the feature film first.  

Well, that is it for this week but I brought back my segment "Tube Time" so read on for that.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple of weeks where I feature Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Aubrey Plaza, Harold Lloyd, Billy Crudup, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Idris Elba, and many others.

TUBE TIME

Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014):  Terence Winter created this HBO series which takes a look at the gangster world in the Prohibition Era and is based on the novel BOARDWALK EMPIRE:  THE BIRTH, HIGH TIMES, AND CORRUPTION OF ATLANTIC CITY by Nelson Johnson.  Steve Buscemi stars Nucky Thompson is the corrupt treasurer in Atlantic City during the Prohibition Era.  Nucky has dealings with his family, mobsters, political figures, and many others.  He has dealings with infamous mobsters like Al Capone, played by Stephen Graham, Lucky Luciano, played by Vincent Piazza, Arnold Rothstein, played by Michael Stuhlberg, and Meyer Lansky, played by Anatol Yusef.  Michael Pitt, Kelly MacDonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Michael Kenneth Williams, Paul Sparks, Gretchen Mol, Anthony Laciura, Jack Huston, Aleksa Palladino, Paz de La Huerta, Dabney Coleman, Charlie Cox, Kevin O'Rourke, Jeffrey Wright, Victor Verhaeghe, Greg Antonacci, Ben Rosenfield, Robert Clohessy, Erik LaRay Harvey, Ron Livingston, Bobby Cannavale, Dominic Chianese, Julianne Nicholson, Patricia Arquette, Brian Geraghty, Stephen Root, Max Casella, William Forsythe, Christopher McDonald, and many others co-star in this series, play recurring characters, and make guest appearances.  The character of Nucky is based on Enoch L. Johnson.  This show went five seasons.  The main point of this series is Nucky and his relationship with the Darmody family which kind of comes full circle.  I thought the most interesting character of the series is the disfigured Richard Harrow, played by Jack Huston.  This is a very compelling series and had a pretty good ending which I know is hard to come up with when it comes to a television series.  This is available to watch on HBO MAX.