Welcome to the 938th edition of my series. I hope everyone is doing well in these crazy times. I will be releasing week 4 of the Madness at a later date as I can still get more selections in. I don't have a lot going on right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.
Ready or Not (2019): Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directed this horror comedy. Samara Weaving stars as the new bride Grace who thought she had a great life beginning with her new husband Alex, played by Mark O'Brien. However she learns that there is a family tradition and her eccentric in-laws soon force her into a deadly game of "hide and seek" where she must fight for survival. Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, Elyse Levesque, John Ralston, Liam McDonald, Hanneke Talbot, Daniela Barbosa, and many others co-star in this film. This movie is as violent as it comes and is just ridiculous in many ways. It works due to its fun nature and not taking itself too seriously. This shows the dark side of marriage and does not hold back.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023): James Gunn directed this conclusion to the Guardians trilogy. Chris Pratt reprises hi role of Peter Quill who must rely on the Guardians to save Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper. This includes Mantis, played by Pom Klementieff, Drax, played by WWE Hall of Famer Dave Bautista, Nebula, played by Karen Gillan, Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, Cosmo the Dog, voiced by Maria Bakalova, and the returning Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana. Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Austin Freeman, Stephen Blackehart, Terence Rosemore, Sean Gunn, Sarah Alami, Giovannie Cruz, Will Poulter, Nico Santos, Miriam Shor, Linda Cardellini, Asim Chaudhry, Mikaela Hoover, Elizabeth Debicki, Reinaldo Faberlle, Sylvester Stallone, Tara Strong, Michael Rosenbaum, Dee Bradley Baker, Jennifer Holland, Nathan Fillion, Daniela Melchior, Lloyd Kaufman, Seth Green, Michael Rooker, and many others co-star in this Marvel film. This is a really good way to conclude this particular part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was a lot of really good stories going on like the backstory of Rocket. There was also a really good story of redemption in my opinion. I would say that it would be best to watch the first two and even the holiday special and if you like those, this would be a must.
The Damned (2018): Evgeny Ruman directed this psychological horror film from Israel. Daniel Gad, Amit Rahav, and Nimo Hochenberg star as three soldiers on a training exercise and having been cursed by a Bedouin woman. They are in the desert and slowly descend into madness and having tricks played with their minds. This is quite the mind-bender as we see three soldiers trying to get along but are unable to do so. This is one that has not had a lot of exposure, but I found it buried in Prime for a rental.
The Telltale Heart (1928): This is my silent short film for the week which was directed by Charles Klein and Leon Shamroy and it is based on the story by Edgar Allen Poe. Otto Matieson star as the Insane which is the name he is credited upon. The Insane commits a crime and slowly has a mental breakdown as the cops question him. This is an expressionistic version of the story and is done in a very clever way. This can be found on Youtube.
Rashomon (1950): This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Akira Kurasowa. Murder and rape happen and when trying to piece the events together, multiple people have different perspectives of what was witnessed. Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda, Noriko Honma, and many others co-star in this film. Many credit this movie for the Oscars getting a Best Foreign Language award. This is a very clever film, and it works on so many levels. This has great performances and cinematography to go along with the direction. This is available to watch on Max and the Criterion Channel.
Beach Party (1963): William Asher directed this movie in which one might guess takes place on the beach. Robert Cummings stars as anthropologist Professor Sutwell who along with his secretary Marianne, played by Dorothy Malone, are studying the behavioral habits of teenagers. The teen couple in focus are Frankie and Dolores, played by beach icons Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, who are having their own relationship issues. Morey Amsterdam, Harvey Lembeck, Eva Six, John Ashley, Jody McCrea, Andy Romano, Vincent Price, and many others co-star in this beach comedy. This was a very popular genre of this era and this movie is credited for the start of this era. Vincent Price makes a cameo near the end of the movie so where can you go wrong there? This is available to watch on Tubi and Pluto TV.
Speed (1994): Jan De Bont directed this action film which was written by Graham Yost. Keanu Reeves stars as young LAPD cop Jack Traven who must save a bus from exploding when a bomb becomes armed. This is done by the bitter retired cop Howard Payne, played by Dennis Hopper, who has the bomb to disarm if the bus goes under 50. Sandra Bullock co-stars as Annie who is at first only a bus passenger but must become driver. Joe Morton, Jeff Daniels, Alan Ruck, Glenn Plummer, Richard Lineback, Beth Grant, Hawthorne James, Carlos Carrasco, Daniel Villarreal, and many others co-star in this film. This was always a favorite of mine growing up and still enjoy it just as much today. Reeves and Hopper play very well off of one another and Bullock does well in what is essentially her breakthrough performance. This is an edge of your seat film with some great action and a really good music score to go along with it. This is available to watch on STARZ.
The Swindle (1955): Federico Fellini directed and co-wrote this Italian film. This centers around a group of con artists in Augusto, Carlo, and Roberto, played by Broderick Crawford, Richard Basehart, and Franco Fabrizi. Augusto is mostly the leader of the three with his age and experience and starts to have a crisis of conscience when he gets reacquainted with his daughter. Carlo also has trouble in trying to convince his wife of who he is and her starting to not believe him. Giulietta Masina, Sue Ellen Blake, Irene Cefaro, Albert De Amicis, Lorella De Luca, and many others co-star in this film. This has a really good blend of drama and comedy and does a good job of showing consequences for actions. This is also a rather moving film with emotional depth. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and is titled IL BIDONE.
Shoot the Piano Player (1960): Now I go to France where Francois Truffaut directed this film which is based on a novel by David Goodis. Charles Aznavour stars as piano player Charlie Koller which is an assumed name after his dark past. He looks to help his brother Fido, played by Richard Kanayah, escape a couple gangsters but Fido is abducted in the process. Marie Dubois, Nicole Berger, Michele Mercier, Serge Davri, Claude Mansard, Albert Remy, and many others co-star in this film. This is part of the French New Wave cinema and is rather had to describe any further without giving things away. This is a pretty compelling film and a must for foreign film fans. This is available to watch on Max and the Criterion Channel.
Tick, Tick... Boom (2021): I end the week with biographical musical on composer Jonathan Larson which was directed by Lin-Manuel Meranda in his directorial debut. Andrew Garfield stars as Larson who some may know as the man who wrote the musical RENT. This takes a look at Jon in his younger days before he would write that popular musical we know today. He waits tables at a New York City diner while struggling to write his musical which is due very soon. He also has pressures with his girlfriend Susan, played by Alexandra Shipp, who wants a live beyond New York City. Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, Jonathan Marc Sherman, MJ Rodriguez, Ben Levi Ross, Judith Light, Bradley Whitford, Laura Benanti, Micaela Diamond, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Gizel Jimenez, Kate Rockwell, Joel Perez, Judy Kuhn, Danny Burstein, Lauren Marcus, Richard Kind, Tariq Trotter, Roger Bart, Steven Schwartz, Marc Shaiman, Matthew Sklar, and many others co-star or have cameos including a lot from the Broadway world. This is a great homage to the late Larson with a great performance from Garfield who took a year of voice lessons to prepare for his musical debut. This is available to watch on Netflix.
Well, that is it for this week but I did return for my segment "The Bookworm Corner" where I feature a book. Next week is the 19 year anniversary of this blog series. I know, I can't believe it either. I will also be featuring the last week of the Madness.
THE BOOKWORM CORNER
Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon (2023): This book centers around L.A. businesswoman Lana Rubicon who has a lot going on for her but gets a cancer diagnosis. She goes to stay with her daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack. Jack comes across a dead body while she was at work in her kayaking job. Jack becomes a suspect which prompts Lana to investigate the crime and teams up with Beth and Jack while having a difficult relationship with Beth. This is a very fun and lighthearted whodunit with a great trio of three generations. This is Nina Simon's first novel and was a very personal project from her. I hope she decides to do another one soon. It was also a pretty easy read while still enjoyable and keep in mind I have never really been much of a reader but I'm trying to become one. This is also endorsed by Reese Witherspoon as part of Reese's Book Club.
No comments:
Post a Comment