Welcome to the 975th edition of my series. I hope everyone is hanging in there in these crazy times. I don't have any real favorite for the Super Bowl tonight except just to have a good game and hang with friends. Next weekend and the week after is part one of the Short Play Festival in Connersville. I am not in this one, but it could use some support so maybe consider this if looking for something to do. Information is on the bottom of this and I am in one of the short plays in March. I will shut up now and get on with my selections for the week.
American Underdog (2021): I thought with tonight being the Super Bowl that this would be the perfect way to start. Andrew and Jon Erwin directed this film which is based on the book ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE by Kurt Warner and Michael Silver. Zachary Levi stars as the Superbowl winning quarterback Kurt Warner who had a great career in the NFL but did not arrive there in the conventional way. In college, he played quarterback for the relatively unknown Northern Iowa Panthers and finally got to start in his last year where he finally gained some notoriety. This was not enough to get him drafted by the NFL but with the support of his wife Brenda, played by Anna Paquin, he would continue to plug way. Dennis Quaid co-stars as Rams coach Dick Vermeil who took note of Warner at the Arena Football League and brought him in against the wishes of his coaching staff. Hayden Zaller, Ser'Darius Blain, Chance Kelly, Bruce McGill, Adam Baldwin, Cindy Hogan, Dean Denton, Kevin Downes, Morgana Shaw, Danny Vinson, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very inspirational true story of a man working for a grocery store and to eventually being the starting quarterback for the St. Louis Rams with everything in between. This is available to watch on Hulu.
The Fat and the Lean (1961): This is my short film for the week which was directed by Roman Polanski. Andre Katelbach and Roman Polanski essentially star as master and slave and are the title characters. Polanski does all kinds of things, some very humiliating to keep his master entertained. This is a silent short which was carried out by the music of Krzysztof Komeda who would work a lot for Polanski through the years. Polanski put this out just after completing film school. This shows shades of what a great career Polanski would have. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Oliver Twist (1933): William J. Cowen directed this movie which is based on the classic novel by Charles Dickens. Rascal member Dickie Moore stars as the title orphan character. Oliver has been in a workhouse most of his life and when he leaves, he gets taken in by a gang of thieves led by Fagin, played by Irving Pichel. He finally finds hope with the successful Mr. Brownlow, played by Alec B. Francis, but his good times are threatened by the gang and the sadistic Bill Sikes, played by William Boyd. Doris Lloyd, Barbara Kent, Sonny Ray, George K. Arthur, Clyde Cook, Lionel Belmore, Tempe Pigott, Nelson McDowell, Virginia Sale, and many others co-star in this movie. This is probably Dickens' second most adapted novel behind A CHRISTMAS CAROL. This is the first sound adaptation of the story and long before it became the popular musical we know today. This is available to watch on TUBI, Plex, and Indieflix Shorts with a prime subscription.
Lackawanna Blues (2005): I suppose this could play into Black History Month. This is part three of my Jeffrey Wright trilogy and plays Mr. Paul in this film. George C. Wolfe directed this film which is based on the play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson who also wrote the teleplay and co-stars as Freddie Cobbs. Marcus Carl Franklin stars as Ruben Santiago Jr. who grows up in a boarding house in the '60s ran by Rachel "Nanny" Crosby, played by S. Epatha Merkerson. Nanny became a mother figure to Ruben where he also learns a lot from all the other colorful characters of the boarding house. Mos Def, Carmen Ejojo, Louis Gossett Jr., Macy Gray, Terrence Howard, Ernie Hudson, Delroy Lindo, Rosie Perez, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lieve Schreiber, Jimmy Smitz, Patricia Wettig, Jeffrey Wright, and many others co-star in this adaptation of the play. This is an autobiographical story by Ruben Santiago-Hudson who performed it as a one man show Off-Broadway. This is a very good coming-of-age, slice of life kind of story. It also conveys very well that it really does take a village to raise a child. This is one that really deserves a look.
The Night of the Hunter (1955): Charles Laughton directed this film which was based on the novel by Davis Grubb. Robert Mitchum stars as the very sinister preacher Harry Powell who learns from an inmate of $10000 that was robbed. When being released, he manages to marry Willa Harper, played by Shelley Winters, whose children John and Pearl, played by Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce, swore to their father they would never tell the whereabouts of the money. Powell does what he can to force it out of the children. Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Peter Graves, Gloria Castillo, and many others co-star in this film. This is possibly Mitchum's most iconic character of his career. Gary Cooper was offered the role but feared it would be detrimental to his career. This combines a lot of genres like Film-Noir, horror, dark comedy, a fairy-tale story, and even a musical in some ways. Famed author Stephen King names this as the scariest movie in his eyes. This is loosely based on a serial killer named Harry Powers for those that might be interested. This is available to watch on TUBI and Pluto TV.
Horrible Bosses 2 (2014): This is part three of my Christoph Waltz trilogy. Sean Anders directed this sequel to the 2011 comedy. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day reprise their roles as the unhappy Nick, Kurt, and Dale who have since quit their respective jobs and are trying to go into business for themselves. Soon, things don't go their way when the investor Bert Hanson, played by Waltz, screws them over and his son Rex, played by Chris Pine, talks them into a hairbrained kidnapping scheme. Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jonathan Banks, Lindsay Sloane, Keegan-Michael Key, Kelly Stables, Jerry Lambert, Sam Richardson, Brianne Howey, Lidia Porto, Jay Razor, Lennon Parham, and many others co-star in this sequel. Like the first one, the purpose is just to have a little fun and this accomplished that in my opinion. This is very politically incorrect at times so use your judgement.
Straight Time (1978): Ulu Grosbard directed this film which is based on the novel NO BEAST SO FIERCE by Edward Bunker who also has a part. Dustin Hoffman stars as the recently paroled Max Dembo. He wants to go straight and be a part of normal society but his parole officer Earl Frank, played by M. Emmet Walsh, does not make that easy for him. Theresa Russell co-stars as Jenny who works at the employment agency which gave Max a job and becomes his love interest. Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, Rita Taggart, Kathy Bates, Sandy Baron, Jake Busey, and many others co-star in this film. This conveys very well how difficult it can be to go straight and how easy one can be set up. This is hard to describe much further but this one does deserve a watch.
Girl With Hyacinths (1950): Hasse Ekman wrote and directed this Nordic Noir. Eva Henning stars as Dagmar Brink who has recently committed suicide. Her neighbors try to piece together what happened and why she decided to abruptly end her life. Ulf Palme, Birgit Tengroth, Anders Ek, Gosta Cederlund, Karl-Arne Holmstein, and many others co-star in this Swedish film. This had a CITIZEN KANE feel to it in my opinion where we know what happened and flashbacks are used to try to piece everything together. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Rebel Ridge (2024): Jeremy Saulnier wrote and directed this psychological thriller. Aaron Pierre stars as Terry Richmond who is dealing with small-town corruption when trying to bail his cousin out of jail. Don Johnson co-stars as police chief Sandy Burnne who tries to make life hell for Richmond but finds he might have messed with the wrong person when learning Richmond is an ex-Marine. AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen, Steve Zissis, Dana Lee, C.J. LeBlanc, Brannon Cross, James Cromwell, and many others co-star in this film. Pierre was very well cast as the former Marine and had a FIRST BLOOD feel to it in my opinion. Johnson is a great foil for Pierre in this Neo-Noir I guess you could call it. This is available to watch on Netflix.
Father of the Bride (1991): This is part eight and the last part of my Culkin series which features Kieran as the little brother of the bride. Charles Shyer directed this remake of the 1950 classic. Steve Martin co-stars as George Banks whose daughter Annie, played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley, is about to get married. George has a hard time adjusting to his daughter growing up while helping to plan the wedding. Diane Keaton, Martin Short, Kieran Culkin, George Newbern, BD Wong, Peter Michael Goetz, Kate McGregor-Stewart, Carmen Hayward, April Ortiz, Tom Irish, and many others co-star in this comedy. This holds its own to the 1950 classic which stars Spencer Tracy. Steve Martin is great as the title character who I'm sure many fathers out there can relate. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my new segment "Ashing It Out". Tell me what you like and dislike and I will be back in a couple weeks which so far includes Colin Farrell, Billy Crystal, Lana Turner, and many others.
ASHING IT OUT
This is in tribute to the holiday Ash Wednesday which happens on February 18th. This is where we celebrate those with the "Ash" variation in their names and yes that is what Ash Wednesday is for. I looked at everything on my watchlist to look for people named with the Ash variation and found I got quite diverse in doing this.
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film (2013): This is a series of short films and Ashley Judd directed the segment called MAGGIE. Laura Dern, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bonnie Hunt, Ashley Judd, and Sharon Maguire each directed segments of this Lifetime movie which deals with mental illness. Brittany Snow, Sarah Hyland, Sofia Vassilieva, Mitch Rouse, and Jennifer Hudson star as the title characters of their segments, all of which deal with them either dealing with their own mental illness or dealing with someone close to them. There is some crossover from time to time in these segments on what is essentially dealing with mental illness. Melissa Leo, Octavia Spencer, Ernie Hudson, Jean Smart, Lea Thompson, Ken Baumann, Melissa Farman, Melanie Griffith, Chelsea Handler, Aimee Teegarden, James Avery, Dave Foley, Clint Howard, Ahna O'Reilly, and many others co-star in this tv movie. This takes a very diverse look at multiple types of mental illness and how people can still come out on the other side. Each story is very well-written and this could be very beneficial to watch as we all have something going on or know someone dealing with these difficult things.
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No Strings Attached (2011): Ashton Kutcher was the source of this selection and this also plays into the February holiday of Valentine's Day. Ivan Reitman directed this romantic comedy which was written by Elizabeth Meriwether and Michael Samonek. Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman stars as Adam and Emma who meet at a summer camp and through the years they would have encounters to the point of having a "sex-only relationship". As time goes on, Adam starts to want more in the relationship. Kevin Kline, Cary Elwes, Gret Gerwig, Lake Bell, Olivia Thirlby, Ludacris, Jake Johnson, Mindy Kaling, Talia Balsam, Ophelia Lovibond, Elizabeth Meriwether, and many others co-star in this movie. This is raunchy sometimes, but it also has a heart. It manages to deliver a lot of laughs. This is also the same year that FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS came out which starred Kutcher's real-life partner at the time and fellow THAT 70S SHOW alum Mila Kunis. This could make for a good double feature some night. It would also be a good movie for date night. Just have some fun when watching. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV.
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Mortal Kombat (1995): Linden Ashby is the Ash in this selection. Paul W.S. Anderson directed this adaptation of the popular video game. Linden Ashby, Robin Shou, and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras star as everyday humans Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, and Sonya Blade recruited by Lord Rayden, played by Christopher Lambert, to defeat the evil Outworld, led by the evil Shang Tsung, played by Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa, in an extreme fight contest. Talisa Soto, Trevor Goddard, Chris Casamassa, Francois Petit, Keith Cooke, and many others co-star in this fantasy action movie. This is the first movie adaptation to the video game and did a pretty good job staying true to it. This is essentially a fight movie involving the characters from the video game and some very unusual abilities some of them have. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
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The Cake Eaters (2007): I chose Elizabeth Ashley for this selection. Mary Stuart Masterson makes her feature directorial debut in this independent film which was written by Jayce Bartok who also co-stars in this film. This is a complex story of a couple families in a small town. I feel the main storyline involves the 15-year-old Georgia, played by Kristen Stewart, who has the rare disease of Friedreich's ataxia which effects movement and speech along with a likely short lifespan. She meets the shy cafeteria worker Beagle, played by Aaron Stanford, and forms a relationship with him in hopes she will lose her virginity. Elizabeth Ashley, Bruce Dern, Miriam Shor, Talia Balsam, Tom Cavanaugh, Melissa Leo, Jesse L. Martin, and many others co-star in this film. If people are expecting a lot of cake eating, I'm afraid they will be quite disappointed. This is a good story about small-town life and is a pretty complex film beyond what I just described. People are quick to criticize Kristen Stewart for her performances in the TWILIGHT franchise. I thought she did a great job in this movie as well as the cast with Masterson's direction.
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The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012): I chose Ashley Jensen who provides the voice of the Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate in this animated movie. Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt directed this stop-motion animated film which is based on the book THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH THE SCIENTISTS by Gideon Defoe. Hugh Grant stars as the Pirate Captain who leads a band of misfits but can never seem to seem to win the Pirate of the Year award. He becomes more determined to win that award and has a pretty extreme idea where he teams with a young Charles Darwin, voiced by David Tennant. He must also deal with the pirate-hating Queen Victoria, voiced by Imelda Staunton, who has plans of her own. Salma Hayek, Jeremy Piven, Lenny Henry, Brian Blessed, Russell Tovey, Anton Yelchin, Brendan Gleeson, Ashley Jensen, Al Roker, Ben Whitehead, and many others co-star in this animated film. This has some great animation and a lot of laughs. It is also a good family selection and enjoyable for anyone. This is available to watch on TUBI.
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The Cheating Pact (2013): The Ash for this one is Laura Ashley Samuels. Doug Campbell directed this Lifetime movie, yes another Lifetime movie. Daniela Bobadilla stars as high schooler Heather Marshall who along with her friends Kylie, played by Laura Ashley Samuels, and Jordan, played by Max Carver, feel the pressure to get into a good school which requires a high score on a College Entrance exam. They manage to convince the shy but very intelligent Meredith, played by Laura Wiggins, to take the exam for them. This scheme leads to a death where Daniela is being accused and must prove her innocence. Cynthia Gibb, Paula Trickey, David Rees Snell, Pancho Demmings, Jamie Lunar, and many others co-star in this TV movie. Just watching this made me thing "WTF" the whole way through and that this has to be based on a true story of some sort. This is loosely based on the Long Island Cheating Scandal where they did what the students did. I think the death was added in this movie for dramatic effect. I guess this shows what that high pressure can do and I have never really favored standardized tests anyway. This is a fairly compelling watch and I did understand the pressure element at least. This is available to watch on Prime, TUBI, the Roku Channel, and Plex.
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United (2011): For this selection, I chose the actress Kate Ashfield. James Strong directed this docudrama based on the soccer team Manchester United in 1958 when they had it all but were in a plane crash that took the lives of eight of their players. This focuses most on the relationship between assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, played by David Tennant, and the player Bobby Charlton, played by Jack O'Connell. Dean Andrews, Kate Ashfield, David Calder, Sam Claflin, Werner Daehn, Shirley Dixon, Dougray Scott, and many others co-star in this film. This is both sad and inspirational at the same time. I did not know about this event until I came across it. It was a very well-done film and has a really good authentic look for the era. This is available to watch on Prime, TUBI, and Pluto TV.
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Coachella (2006): This time I chose an actual band named Ash who is featured for an interview in this concert documentary. Drew Thomas directed this documentary which features the annual music festival Coachella which happens in Indio, California. This shows concert footage, interviews with the bands, and interviews with some of the fans. I can see this has a very loyal following. Ben Harper, Thievery Corporation, Spearhead, The Mars Volta, Belle and Sebastian, the White Stripes, the Stooges, Fischerspooner, Oasis, Bjork, Radiohead, Saul Williams, Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, Morrissey, the Pixies, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Flaming Lips, and Zero 7 performed at this festival. Yes, even Morrissey appeared at this music festival and it has a very diverse lineup. Maybe the band Ash performed but their footage did not appear in this movie. This is available through a subscription with Qello Concerts.
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The Square (2013): For this selection, I chose Egyptian activist Magdy Ashour who is featured a lot in this documentary. Jehane Noujaim directed this documentary of the Egyptian Revolution. This features a group of Egyptian revolutionaries battling a corrupt regime. This gets into a lot of complications for their cause and people within the cause had their own disagreements. This is not easy to watch but very eye opening. An interesting fact about this is that is it the first Kickstarter film to be nominated for an Oscar so there is that. This is available to watch on TUBI.
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Phone Booth (2002): I end with this thriller and feature actress Arian Ash who plays one of the hookers in the beginning. I think I'm also going to make this part one of a possible Colin Farrell trilogy. Joel Schumacher directed this thriller which was written by Larry Cohen. Colin Farrell stars as publicist Stu Shepherd who is forced into a phone booth where there is a sniper, voiced by Kiefer Sutherland. The caller looks to extort him leading him to quite a climax. Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell, Katie Holmes, Paula Jai Parker, Arian Ash, Tia Texada, John Enos III, Richard T. Jones, Keith Nobbs, and many others co-star in this film. Sutherland has the perfect voice to be the caller. This has a great amount of suspense and a really good performance out of Farrell. No one can perform this type of act in the phone booth now.
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