Welcome to the 930th Edition of my series. Next weekend we put on 12 ANGRY JURORS at the Historic Princess Theater in Rushville, Indiana and the info is at the bottom of the page on the poster. Anyone in or near the area should make plans to attend this great production which is fixing to be one of my favorite roles I have played. I don't have much else happening so I will just get on with my selections for the week.
Horrible Bosses (2011): This is part three of my six-part Donald Sutherland series and part two of a Bob Newhart trilogy where both essentially make cameos. Seth Gordon directed this workplace comedy where the bosses are not very well liked. Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis star as three friends Nick Hendricks, Dale Arbus, and Kurt Buckman who are unhappy at their respective jobs and conspire to murder their employers, played by Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell. The problem is that they are relying on things they have seen in movies and television but don't really have criminal minds. Lindsay Sloane, Steve Wiebe, Michael Albaba, Jennifer Hasty, Reginald Ballard, Barry Livingston, Meghan Markle, Celia Finkelstein, Scott Rosendall, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is not a 4 star or award-winning movie, just a fun and maybe relatable comedy. Aniston was also a lot of fun in one of her more villainous roles as the dentist. This would be a great movie for a group of friends who just want some laughs.
Girls Just Want to have Fun (1985): Now I pay homage to Shannen Doherty who recently left us. Alan Metter directed this '80s teen comedy centered around a dance show on television. Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Janey who loves the TV show DANCE TV as well as her new best friend Lynne, played by Helen Hunt. Janey has the potential to be on that series but learns she must rebel against her military father, played by Ed Lauter, who is against her doing the show. Holly Gagnier, Jonathan Silverman, Lee Montgomery, Biff Yeager, Kristi Somers, Richard Blade, Ian Michael Giatti, Morgan Woodward, Terence McGovern, Lee Arnone-Briggs, Mark Caso, and many others co-star in this '80s film. This is pure '80s fun with a lot of dancing. Yes, it is quite predictable but sometimes predictability is a little needed. This is available to watch on Prime, TUBI, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel.
The Long Way Home (1998): This is part three of my Jack Lemmon trilogy. Glenn Jordan directed this tv movie. Jack Lemmon stars as depressed widower Thomas Gerrin and meets the 21 year old Leane, played by Sarah Paulson, who has her own issues. They strike up an unlikely friendship and decide to hike cross-country to find what they are looking for. Kristin Griffith, Garwin Sanford, Rosemary Dunsmore, Peter Dvorsky, Tom Butler, Betty Garrett, Eric Keenleyside, Peter Bryant, William Devry, Tom Heaton, and many others co-star in this tv movie. This is a rather underrated movie of an unlikely friendship and them respecting the differences of one another. It is also a coming of age story for both the young and old. This is available to watch on Prime, Crackle, Freevee, Plex, Shout! Factory TV, The Roku Channel, and Tubi.
The Chump Champ (1950): This is my animated short for the week which features Droopy Dog. Tex Avery directed this short film which features Droopy's rival Spike and they compete in a series of athletic contests. Spike tries to win by cheating but each time it backfires. Lots of funny gags in the eight minutes or so.
Bringing Up Baby (1938): Howard Hawks directed this classic screwball comedy. Cary Grant stars as paleontologist David Huxley who is doing what he can to secure a million dollars for his museum. Things get complicated for him when heiress Susan Vance, played by Katherine Hepburn, starts to follow him and all kinds of accidents start to happen while also falling in love with her. Add that to Susan's pet leopard Baby to add to the problems. Charles Ruggles, Walter Catlett, Barry Fitzgerald, May Robson, Fritz Feld, Leona Roberts, George Irving, Tala Birell, John Kelly, and many others co-star. Also, look for the famed Hollywood dog Asta from THE THIN MAN series. This delivers many laughs and is one of my favorite comedies from this era. Hepburn does well in her comedic debut. Lots of comedy action takes place in this and is worth a look. This is available to watch on Tubi.
Night Moves (1975): Arthur Penn directed this crime drama which was written by Alan Sharpe. Gene Hackman stars as private investigator Harry Moseby who is hired by socialite Arlene, played by Janet Ward, to find her missing daughter Delly, played by a young Melanie Griffith in her film debut. A simple missing person case as always becomes very complicated. Jennifer Warren, Edward Binns, Harris Yulin, Kenneth Mars, James Woods, Anthony Costello, John Crawford, and many others co-star in this film. This has been a pretty underrated film from this era. This has a lot of twists and turns for us in this complicated story that does require full attention. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Love Lies Bleeding (2024): Rose Glass directed and co-wrote this thriller. Kristen Stewart star as gym manager Lou who meets and falls in love with a female bodybuilder named Jackie, played by Katy O'Brian. Jackie has aspirations of going to Vegas for a bodybuilding contest but Jackie and Lou fall deep into Lou's crime family. Ed Harris co-stars as Lou's criminal father and has a really creepy look to go along with it. Dave Franco, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Eldon Harris, Orion Carrington, Matthew Blood-Smyth, Keith Jardine, Jerry G. Angelo, Tait Fletcher, David Delow, Mikandrew, and many others co-star in this film. This is one of those A24 films which usually shouldn't be very good but they always make it work for some reason. This is not for everyone and has some pretty extreme violence. I was quite compelled but I felt the ending was just a little too unrealistic for this type of movie. I'm usually okay with a little unrealistic action but felt it was a bit much in the end. I did enjoy the journey getting there though and was a very interesting movie but if I say much more I would give it away. This is available to watch on Max.
The Tin Star (1957): Anthony Mann directed this western which is based on the screenplay that Dudley Nichols wrote and on a story by Barney Slater and Joel Kane. Henry Fonda stars as a former sheriff turned bounty hunter named Morg Hickman who rides into a town where the sheriff has been murdered. Morg tries to help the inexperienced acting sheriff Ben Owens, played by Anthony Perkins, to help get better with the gun and help Ben achieve his goal of permanent sheriff even if he may think it is a crazy goal. Betsy Palmer co-stars as Nona Mayfield who becomes Morg's love interest and has a son named Kip, played by Michel Ray, who idolizes Morg. Neville Brand, John McIntire, Mary Webster, Peter Baldwin, Richard Shannon, James Bell, Howard Petrie, Russell Simpson, Jack Kenney, Mickey Finn, and many others co-star in this western. Yes, Henry Fonda teams up in a movie with Norman Bates and Mrs. Voorhies so how much better can it get there? This is a decent enough western from this era with Fonda and Perkins working well together. This is available to watch on Pluto TV.
God Told Me To (1976): Larry Cohen wrote and directed this horror thriller. Tony Lo Bianco stars as New York detective Peter J. Nicholas who is trying to solve a set of murders where there is a different murderer but they all claim that God told them to do it. This leads to a lot of very deep realizations. Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis, Sylvia Sidney, Sam Levene, Robert Drivas, Mike Kellin, Richard Lynch, Sammy Williams, and many others co-star in this film. Also, look for WWE Hall of Famer Andy Kaufman as a police killer. This gets very deep and is not for everyone. It is hard to really explain this one but it does have a very creepy feel and is a rather different sort of horror. This could be a good double feature to go along with ANGEL HEART. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
The Deep End (2001): Scott McGehee and David Siegel directed this psychological film which is based on a novel THE BLANK WALL by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding. Tilda Swinton stars as Margaret Hall who lives the privileged life with a nice home but struggles as a mother while her husband is off in his work life. She finds a dead body of someone connected to her teenage son Beau, played by Jonathan Tucker, and goes to extreme measures to protect him from being accused of murder. She also falls victim to a blackmail scheme making things even more complicated. Goran Visnjic, Peter Donat, Josh Lucas, Raymond J. Barry, Tamara Hope, Jordan Dorrance, Holmes Osborne, Richard Gross, Kip Martin, and many others co-star in this film. This is a pretty intense film that begs the question of what parents will do to protect their children. Swinton carries this movie very well and is worth a look. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Well, that is it for this week, but I am returning with my segment "Fun and Usesless Facts". Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple of weeks which so far includes Jodie Foster, Olivia Colman, Joan Crawford, Donald Sutherland, and many others.
FUN AND USELESS FACTS
I decided to bring back this segment. As always, I don't focus on actors that were in the same featured movie. I also stop when I get to 25 facts so there are probably many that I missed so feel free to comment if you see something.
Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) and Sarah Paulson (The Long Way Home) were in the 2017 movie REBEL IN THE RYE.
Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) plays Superman's main rival Lex Luther in the 2006 movie SUPERMAN RETURNS. Gene Hackman (Night Moves) plays Luther in the 1978 superhero film SUPERMAN and its sequels.
Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses), Jack Lemmon (The Long Way Home), and Ed Harris (Love Lies Bleeding) were in the 1992 film GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS.
Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) and Raymond J. Barry (The Deep End) were in the 1994 comedy THE REF.
Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) and Melanie Griffith (Night Moves) were in the 1988 comedy WORKING GIRL.
Kevin Spacey (Horrible Bosses) was considered for the 1997 animated DISNEY film HERCULES which would ultimately go to James Woods (Night Moves).
Donald Sutherland (Horrible Bosses) and Jena Malone (Love Lies Bleeding) were in the 2003 film COLD MOUNTAIN and play father and daughter in the 2005 film PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. They were also part of THE HUNGER GAMES franchise where Sutherland plays President Snow and Malone plays Johanna Mason who is my favorite part of the franchise.
Donald Sutherland (Horrible Bosses) and Jack Lemmon (The Long Way Home) were in the 1991 political film JFK.
Jamie Foxx (Horrible Bosses) and Jena Malone (Love Lies Bleeding) were in the 2009 movie THE SOLOIST.
Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses) and Dave Franco (Love Lies Bleeding) were in the 2014 animated film THE LEGO MOVIE.
Colin Farrell (Horrible Bosses) and Ed Harris (Love Lies Bleeding) were in the 2010 film THE WAY BACK.
Sarah Jessica Parker (Girls Just Want to Have Fun) was considered for the role of Dr. Julia Harris, D.D.S. in this week's feature HORRIBLE BOSSES which would ultimately go to Jennifer Aniston so FRIENDS won over SEX AND THE CITY in this situation.
Jack Lemmon (The Long Way Home) and Henry Fonda (The Tin Star) were in the 1955 Navy comedy MISTER FANTASTIC. They also share the role of Juror #8 in 12 ANGRY MEN where Fonda would play the role in the 1957 version and Lemmon would play him in the 1997 version. My Facebook friend Tyler plays the role in 12 ANGRY JURORS next weekend in Rushville at the Historic Princess theater and I have the pleasure of playing hi main rival Juror #3. See flyer on the bottom for details.
Jack Lemmon (The Long Way Home) and Sandy Dennis (God Told Me To) were a married couple in the 1970 comedy THE OUT OF TOWNERS.
Jack Lemmon (The Long Way Home) and Peter Donat (The Deep End) were in 1979 film THE CHINA SYNDROME.
Katherine Hepburn (Bringing Up Baby) and Henry Fonda (The Tin Star) were in the 1981 film ON GOLDEN POND as the aging married couple Ethel and Norman. My Facebook friends Susan and Bob played the couple in a 2018 version at the Commons Theatre where I played Bill Ray.
Gene Hackman (Night Moves) and Tony Lo Bianco (God Told Me To) were in the 1971 film THE FRENCH CONNECTION.
Gene Hackman (Night Moves) and Ed Harris (Love Lies Bleeding) were in the 1997 movie ABSOLUTE POWER.
Gene Hackman (Night Moves) and Raymond J. Barry (The Deep End) were in the 1996 Grisham adaptation THE CHAMBER.
Melanie Griffith (Night Moves) and Ed Harris (Love Lies Bleeding) star as love interests in the 1994 romantic comedy MILK MONEY.
James Woods (Night Moves) and Jonathan Tucker (The Deep End) are in the 1999 film THE VIRGIN SUICIDES.
James Woods (Night Moves) and Raymond J. Berry (The Deep End) are in the 1988 film COP.
Ed Harris (Love Lies Bleeding) and Josh Lucas (The Deep End) were in 2001 film A BEAUTIFUL MIND and the 2005 mini-series EMPIRE FALLS.
Ed Harris (Love Lies Bleeding) and Tilda Swinton (The Deep End) were in the 2013 film SNOWPIERCER.
Kristen Stewart (Love Lies Bleeding) and Jonathan Tucker (The Deep End) were in the 2019 action movie CHARLIE'S ANGELS.
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