Welcome to the 901st edition of my series. I have a couple announcements before getting to my selections for the week. Today at 5 pm Eastern time and next Sunday at the same time the radio play PRINCESS O'HARA is getting aired on https://www.weciradio.org/ through Richmond Radioworks where I reprise my role of Harry the Horse that I played in GUYS AND DOLLS in 2010. Also, I start rehearsals for tomorrow for SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS where I play the role of Morris Wiggins. I will keep updated in the next few weeks on that show so now I will shut up and get to my selections.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984): Steven Spielberg directed this prequel to the 1981 classic RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Harrison Ford reprises his role as Indiana Jones where he teams up with the unwilling night singer Willie, played by Kate Capshaw, and his resourceful 12 year old sidekick Short Round, played by Ke Huy Quan. They end up at a distressed village in India where a sacred stone was stolen and believe it resulted in evil spirits abducting their children. Indy agrees to look for the stone where he goes up against a cult like group lead by the crazed Mola Ram, played by Amrish Ruri. Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Roy Chiao, David Yip, Ric Young, Philip Tan, Dan Aykrody, and many others co-star in this film. With the success of Raiders, there was just no way they could not follow up. This takes us on quite the adventure of all kinds of obstacles. I admit I cringed at some of the gross-out gags at times but still found to be a fun adventure with quite the climax. This is available to watch on Disney Plus and on Showtime.
Lend a Paw (1941): This is my animated short for the week which features Mickey Mouse and Pluto. Pluto becomes jealous of Mickey's new kitten and must make decisions based on his devil and angel self. He must make his ultimate decision when the kitten falls in a well and whether or not to save it. This is Mickey's only Oscar winning film having won best animated short subject. This is also available to watch on Disney Plus.
Dracula's Daughter (1936): Lambert Hillyer directed this sequel to the 1931 classic DRACULA. This picks up right where the predecessor left off after Van Helsing, played by Edward Van Sloan, has killed Dracula. Oops, I guess I left a little spoiler. Scotland Yard is not aware of vampires and Van Helsing must explain his actions. Meanwhile, Countess Marya Zaleska, played by Gloria Holden, comes into the picture and is the daughter of Dracula being a vampire herself. She believes if she destroys Dracula's body that she will finally be free of his influence. Otto Kruger, Marguerite Churchill, Gilbert Emery, Irving Pichel, Halliwell Hobbes, Belly Bevan, Nan Grey, Hedda Hopper, Claud Allister, Edgar Norton, E.E. Clive, and many others co-star in this sequel. This is loosely based on a short story called DRACULA'S GUEST. This is a pretty decent sequel that eventually goes its own direction that sets out into its own story. This is part of the DRACULA boxed set for Universal.
Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired (2006): This is my live performance selection for the week which was directed by Michael Drumm. Obviously this featured comedian Wanda Sykes where she makes comedy of societal issues going on. She tackles everything from politics, sex, racism, homosexuality, abortion, and many other things. Fans of stand up and Wanda Sykes should really enjoy this one.
The Other Side of Hell (1978): This is part two of my trilogy of Alan Arkin who recently left us. This is my prison movie for the week which was directed by Jan Kadar and based on a non-fiction book called THE SHOE LEATHER TREATMENT by Bill Thomas. Arkin stars as Frank Dole who is having a lot of mental issues and is told he will be sent to a hospital for the criminally insane where he will receive rehabilitation. Instead he winds in more of an insane asylum where brutality is a normal thing. Roger E. Mosley, Morgan Woodward, Shay Duffin, Richard L. Hawkins, Al Checco, Leonard Stone, Nicky Blair, and many others co-star in this movie. This is a pretty intense film with a great performance by Arkin. It also takes a good look at the flaws of our legal system. This is available to watch on Fandor with a Prime subscription, as well as free streaming apps like Freevee, the Roku Channel, and Tubi.
Ordinary People (1980): This is part three of my Robert Redford trilogy where he goes behind the camera this time. Redford directed this film that is based on the novel by Judith Guest. Timothy Hutton stars as Conrad whose brother dies an accidental death leaving him very guilt ridden and suicidal. Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore co-star as his parents who are also dealing with the death of their older sons in different ways. Judd Hirsch co-stars as Conrad's counselor who is trying to help him get through his death. M. Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth McGovern, Dinah Manoff, Fredric Lehne, James Sikking, Basil Hoffman, Quinn K. Redeker, Mariclare Costello, Meg Mundy, Elizabeth Hubbard, Adam Baldwin, and many others co-star in this film. This is a great movie in dealing with the death of a loved one and how everyone deals a little differently. It is a sad but very moving film and deserves a look. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and AMC Plus.
Fear and Desire (1953): Stanley Kubrick directed this philosophical war film in his feature film debut. Frank Silvero, Kenneth Harp, Paul Mazursky, and Stephen Colt star as four soldiers trapped behind enemy lines. They have a plan to escape but get sidetracked by a young girl and an enemy general. This is some very early work for Kubrick and he ended up not liking this and did everything to get it destroyed but did not have the rights. I thought it was the start to something great and did hold my interest. In some ways remined me of THE THIN RED LINE. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and Prime as well as free streaming apps Freevee and Tubi.
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revoloution Could Not Be Televised) (2021): This is my documentary for the week which was presented as part of the Cinemuncie series at my local library by Dennis the Library Menace. Questlove directed this documentary about the forgotten music festival of 1969 the Harlem Cultural Festival. This took place in the span of six weeks and went on around the time of the more known music festival in Woodstock which was about 100 miles away. There are performances by Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, the 5th Dimension, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and many others. There is also footage of a lot of activist figures and interviews with the citizens. The moon landing took place during this and we got a much different take from the lower income crowd. This gives us a lot of music and social commentary and the reminder of another huge music fest. A good double feature could be to do this one along with WOODSTOCK. This is available to watch on Disney Plus and Hulu.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972): This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Kenji Misumi and based on manga series on the same name. Tomisaburo Wakayama stars as Ogama Itto who is disgraced and becomes a Ronin along with his infant son becoming a sword for hire and avenging his clan. This was a very popular story in this era and this is part one of a six film series. It was also turned into a tv series. This is a pretty compelling film and does not hold back in the way of gore. This is available to watch on Max and the Criterion Channel.
Derrick Magnum (2023): I end the week with this short film that was written and directed by my own Facebook friend Jeffrey Scott Richards. Jackeem Sellers stars as the title character who had it all being a big director. He loses everything when his wife posthumously publishes a tell-all book that talks about misconduct he had toward her. Years later, he tries to earn redemption with his grown son Matt, played by Christian Rushing. I thought at first I was seeing a documentary but looked further into it and saw that was not the case. We think we might know the direction it is going but in the end we really do not know the direction. This won best drama in the Hollywood Blood Horror Festival. I will let know when this becomes available for the public.
Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my segment "A Day with Juliet". Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next two weeks which so far includes Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, William Hurt, William Powell, and many others.
A DAY WITH JULIET
A Place Among the Dead (2020): BUFFY and ANGEL alum Juliet Landau wrote and directed this psychological horror film. This is a combination of fact and fiction where is directing a documentary and looking into a link between narcissism in the film industry and vampirism. Gary Oldman, Robert Patrick, Ron Perlman, Lance Henrikson, Anne Rice, Joss Whedon, Mariana Klaveno, Charlaine Harris, Meadow Williams, Tom Holland, Kim Newman, and many others co-star in this independent film. I got to see a special screening of this movie. This has been getting shown through interactive screening events and festivals and has been quite successful. This was a pretty compelling film that is shot like a documentary. This is one that may require multiple screenings and one may pick up on different things each screening. This will be available for the public in October of this year.
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