Welcome to the 925th Edition of my series. First of all Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father figures out there. I hope you enjoy your holiday however celebrated. On June 27th, I will be part of the New Castle Renaissance Festival as part of the Marvelously Terrible Shakespeare Company where we will perform a 15 minute version of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and will be playing Lysander. I might have some more things but for now I'll just shut up and get to my selections.
Toy Soldiers (1991): This is part four of my four-part Louis Gossett Jr. series. Daniel Petrie Jr. directed this film which is based on the novel by William P. Kennedy. Terrorists take a boarding school hostage demanding a cartel leader be released. They underestimate a group of troubled kids that decide to take a stand, lead by Billy Tepper, played by Sean Astin. Gossett co-stars as the headmaster of the school that admires Tepper's trouble making but must keep control of his school. Wil Wheaton, Keith Coogan, Andrew Divoff, R. Lee Ermey, Mason Adams, Denholm Elliott, T.E. Russell, Shawn Phelan, Michael Champion, and many others co-star in this film. This was a pretty fun film that combined action and a little comedy with some very serious situations at times. Check out life at a boarding school and what can happen when people come together.
Testament of Youth (2014): This is part three of my Alicia Vikander trilogy. James Kent directed this film based on the autobiography of Vera Brittain, played by Vikander. Brittain was a young woman in 1914 Brittain born to a wealthy family and aspired to be a writer. Against her father's wishes, she attends school at Oxford where she meets Roland, played by GAME OF THRONES alum Kit Harrington, who she would form a relationship with. Everything would change during the start of WWI and lives would never be the same. Taron Egerton, Dominic West, Colin Morgan, Emily Watson, Joanna Scanlan, Miranda Richardson, Hayley Atwell, and many others co-star in this film. This is a good look at this era and the horrors of war as well as the price many had to pay. Vikander and Harrington are great together as the real-life couple. This is available to watch on Starz.
Knives Out (2019): This is part four of my four part series for M. Emmet Walsh. Rian Johnson wrote and directed this murder mystery. Daniel Craig stars as Detective Benoit Blanc who is investigating the murder of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey, played by Christopher Plummer, who is the patriarch of a wealthy, eccentric, and dysfunctional family. Blanc must deal with lies from the family to uncover the truth of what happened. Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Riki Lindhome, Edi Patterson, Frank Oz, K Callan, Noah Segan, and many others co-star in this film. This is a good mystery with the right amount of comedy and twists and turns to get to the solving of the mystery. Johnson did a great job of keeping the script of need to know with the cast while shooting. This whodunit has the perfect sort of characters and motives around a murder.
Powers of Ten (1977): This is my short film for the week which was directed by Charles and Ray Eames. This starts with a couple enjoying their picnic and slowing pushing the camera back by powers of ten and later viewing the subatomic particles of a hand. This has some really good narration and good for those who enjoy math and Science. This can be found on Youtube.
Meet Dr. Christian (1939): Bernard Vorhaus directed this small town film. Jean Hersholt stars as the town doctor of the title name. With the town growing, he lobbies for a new hospital instead of his small clinic. He must deal with the mayor of the town, played by Paul Harvey, who feels Dr. Chritian is too old-fashioned wants someone more "modern". Dorothy Lovett, Robert Baldwin, Enid Bennett, Marcia Mae Jone, Jackie Moran, Maude Eburne, Frank Coghlan Jr., Patsy Parsons, Sarah Edwards, John Kelly, and many others co-star in this movie. This is a really good look at small-town life. It is also a very moving and feel good story. This was also the first of a six-part series of Dr. Christian which I had never heard of until I came across this one. This is available to watch on Prime and MGM +.
No Way Out (1950): Joseph L. Mankiewics directed and co-wrote this Film Noir. Sidney Poitier stars as Dr. Luther Brooks who is trying to adjust to his new place of employment while dealing with racism. Richard Widmark co-stars as Ray Biddle who along with his brother were wounded in a robbery and brought to the hospital to be treated by Brooks much to the dismay of Biddle due to his racist nature. When Ray's brother dies, he becomes convinced the Brooks murdered his brother. Linda Darnell, Stephen McNally, Harry Bellaver, Stanley Ridges, Dots Johnson, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis and many others co-star in this Film Noir. I had never heard of this until I came across is. I feel this is one of Poitier's underrated ones and was very significant to the era and even now. I realized that much of Poitier's roles might have helped some bigots to see that blacks are people like everyone else. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Dream Scenario (2023): Kristoffer Borgli wrote and directed this fantasy film. Nicolas Cage stars as Paul Matthews who lives the married life with his wife Janet, played by Julianne Nicholson, and his two daughters Hannah and Sophie, played by Jessica Clement and Lily Bird, and is a tenured professor where he works. He starts to hear from strangers, students, and even his daughter that he appears in their dreams which at first are in a very harmless way. He starts to get his 15 minutes of fame but his world starts to crumble around him when others say he was very violent. David Klein, Kaleb Horn, Liz Adjei, Paula Boudreau, Marnie McPhail, Noah Lamanna, Tim Meadows, Dylan Baker, Maev Beaty, Marc Coppola, Krista Bridges, Michael Cera, and many others co-star in this film. This one is really hard to describe and Cage was perfectly cast. I also liked Cera in his smaller role where he played a little different than his usual performances. I feel like this is satire to the world of "cancel culture". The movie also feels like an onion slowly peeling itself. It is also an A24 film and those just always manage to work when they really should not work. This is available to watch on Max.
The Stratton Story (1949): Sam Wood directed this sports biopic on Major League player Monty Stratton. James Stewart stars as Stratton who was a small-town farmboy who would play with a local baseball team as a pitcher. He gets discovered by Barney Wile, played by Frank Morgan, who has some connections in the baseball world helping Stratton get on a team. Stratton's life changes when he is wounded in a hunting accident and has to have his leg amputated. Agnes Moorehead co-stars as Monty's mother who would prefer him to be on the farm than thowing baseballs but understands she must let go. June Allyon co-stars as his future wife Ethel. Bill Williams, Bruce Cowling, Mary Lawrence, Robert Gist, and many others co-star in this biopic. I have seen quite a few baseball movies from this era but had never heard of this movie or the player before coming across this on my dad's list of recordings on Youtube TV.
Tommy (1975): Ken Russell directed this rock opera featuring the album from the Who. Who member Roger Daltrey stars as the title character who as a child becomes deaf, blind, and mute from traumatic events. He also manages to somehow master the game of pinball and eventually sees again while also being seen as a messiah type. Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed co-star as Tommy's parents in this film. Elton John, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Paul Nicholas, Jack Nicholson, Robert Powell, Tina Turner, and many others co-star in this rock opera. This is a very trippy film that is not for everyone. Nicholson manages to hold his own in his music cameo. Elton John also has one of the most famous scenes as the Pinball Wizard. This is a more bizarre musical and has some great music in it.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021): Dean Fleischer Camp directed, co-wrote, and co-stars in this mockumentary film. Marcel, voiced by Jenny Slate, is a mollusk shell who is living in a home with his grandmother Connie, voiced by Isabella Rossellini, that is an Airbnb that Dean is living in while looking for a home. Dean is also a documentary filmmaker who discovers Marcel and sparks a friendship with the Shell while also filming a documentary. Samuel Painter, Jeremy Evans, Lesley Stahl, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Andy Richter, Nathan Fiedler, Jessi Klein, Peter Bonerz, and many others co-star or provide their voice. This is a very clever film that was also brought to us by A24 productions. Stahl plays herself in a cameo in this film to do a 60 MINUTES segment. This is a weirdly touching film that I found when my dad allowed me to go on his Kanopy app which his local library uses while I do not use it. Slate was also a creator of the characters and was a long-term production that took about seven years to film. This is also available to watch on Netflix and Paramount Plus.
Well, that is it for this week but I did bring back my "Fun and Usesless Facts" segment so read on and enjoy. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for two weeks for my next segment which so far includes Parker Posey, Zac Efron, Harold Lloyd, Jerry Lewis, and many others.
FUN AND USELESS FACTS
Andrew Divoff (Toy Soldiers) and Roger Daltrey (Tommy) play immortal in the tv series HIGHLANDER.
R. Lee Ermey (Toy Soldiers) and Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) were in the 1995 film LEAVING LAS VEGAS.
Louis Gossett Jr. (Toy Soldiers) and Don Johnson (Knives Out) were in the 2019 mini-series WATCHMEN.
Denholm Elliott (Toy Soldiers) and Frank Oz (Knives Out) were in the 1983 comedy TRADING PLACES.
Taron Egerton (Testament of Youth) portrays Elton John (Tommy) in the 2019 film ROCKETMAN.
Dominic West (Testament of Youth) plays Lysander in the 1999 film A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. I will be playing the role in a very abridged version at the New Castle Renaissance Fair as part of the Marvelously Terrible Shakespeare Company in July of this year.
Hayley Atwell (Testament of Youth) and Chris Evans (Knives Out) were love interests in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting with CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER.
Miranda Richardson (Testament of Youth) and Toni Collette (Knives Out) were in the 2002 film THE HOURS.
Emily Watson (Testament of Youth) and Dylan Baker (Knives Out) were in 2017 mini-series LITTLE WOMEN.
Daniel Craig (Knives Out) and Isabella Rossellini (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) were in the 2006 movie INFAMOUS.
Daniel Craig (Knives Out) and Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario) were in the 2002 film ROAD TO PERDITION.
Chris Evans (Knives Out) and Michael Cera (Dream Scenario) are in the 2010 film SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD.
Michael Shannon (Knives Out) and Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) are in the 2009 film BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF NEW ORLEANS.
Michael Shannon (Knives Out) and Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario) were in the 2008 film REVOLUTIONARY ROAD.
Toni Collettte (Knives Out) and Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario) were in the 2002 thriller CHANGING LANES.
Christopher Plummer (Knives Out) and Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) are in the 2004 film NATIONAL TREASURE.
Christopher Plummer (Knives Out) and Robert Powell (Tommy) were in the 1977 mini-series JESUS OF NAZARETH.
M. Emmet Walsh (Knives Out) and Michael Cera (Dream Scenario) were in the 2009 comedy YOUTH IN REVOLT.
M. Emmet Walsh (Knives Out) and Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) were in the 1987 comedy RAISING ARIZONA.
M. Emmet Walsh (Knives Out) and Jack Nicholson (Tommy) were in the 1981 film REDS.
Jamie Lee Curtis (Knives Out) and Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On) were in the 2022 film EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE.
Riki Lindhome (Knives Out), Michael Cera (Dream Scenario), and Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On) were in the 2017 animated movie THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE.
Ana de Armas (Knives Out) and Julianne Nicholson (Dream Scenario) were in the 2022 movie BLONDE.
Lakeith Stanfield (Knives Out) and Dylan Baker (Dream Scenario) were in the 2014 film SELMA.
Jack Nicholson (Tommy) declined the role of Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 film AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN which would ultimately go to Louis Gossett Jr. (Toy Soldiers) which all worked out just fine.
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