Welcome to the 985th Edition of my series. I hope everyone is doing okay in these crazy times. I hope the fathers out there had a good Father's Day. I don't really have a lot to say so I'll just shut up and get on with my selections for the week.
Super Size Me (2004): I start the week out with this documentary which was directed by Morgan Spurlock. Spurlock decided to explore the obesity problem in the United States and how the fast food industry could be connected. He then decided to take on his own experiment by eating food at McDonald's for 30 days and that consisted of breakfast, lunch, and dinner each of those days. We see his pre-checkups and communication with doctors while on this experiment. This is very entertaining and eye-opening. We must also consider personal responsibility versus the temptation that is put in front of us. This is available on Prime, TUBI, Pluto TV, Plex, the Roku Channel, and the CW.
Emily (2022): Frances O'Connor wrote and directed this biopic on author Emily Bronte in her directorial debut. Emma Mackey stars as author Emily Bronte who was rather rebellious for her era and would go onto write the famous novel WUTHERING HEIGHTS. This focuses on an alleged relationship with William Weightman, played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. It also has a focus on the relationship with Emily and her sister Charlotte, played by Alexandra Dowling, who would go onto write her own classic novel in JANE EYRE. Fionn Whitehead, Amelia Gething, Adrian Dunbar, Gemma Jones, and many others co-star in this film. A lot of this was from speculation and I guess some documentation from Charlotte. Mackey does very good as Emily Bronte and is a pretty compelling period piece. I admit, I never really put two and two together about the authors of such famous novels were sisters. This is available to watch on TUBI, Pluto TV and Plex.
The Overnighters (2014): Jesse Moss directed this documentary. This features North Dakota pastor Jay Reinke who tries to help migrants out looking for a job. Many desperate people from the United States go to North Dakota in hopes of working in the oil fields of the state. It is not always that simple where some end up homeless and Reinke decides to use his church parking lot and for some to stay in the church. The problem is that the church is not really made for people to stay and Reinke lacks the resources. While Reinke had good intentions, there was still a lot of red tape to deal with as well as his own issues. This is a very fascinating story and a look at the difficulty of employment in the country.
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (1938): This is my Disney animated short for the week. Graham Heid directed this animated short which was part of the "Silly Symphonies" series and based on a poem by Eugene Field. This features three babies of the title name who are in a boat trying to catch fish with candy canes. I guess this is a little unrealistic but the animation was great along with the music in it. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Pocket Money (1972): This is my western for the week which was directed by Stuart Rosenberg and based on the novel by J.P.S. Brown. Paul Newman stars as down on his luck cowboy Jim Kane who gets mixed up in some shady dealings with crooked ranchers. The otherwise honest man must come up with some money and teams with his old friend Leonard, played by Lee Marvin, and pursues some get rich quick schemes in Mexico. Strother Martin, Wayne Rogers, Hector Elizondo, Christine Belford, Kelly Jean Peters and many others co-star in this western comedy. There is also the title song which is sung by Carole King and might be the star of the movie. This is not a typical western and a more modern western. This is a fun Saturday afternoon film to see something more unknown for the stars. This is mostly driven by their performances as it is more character driven than anything.
A Boy Named Joe (1943): Victor Fleming directed this fantasy romantic comedy, and Dalton Trumbo wrote the screenplay. Spencer Tracy stars as WWII pilot Pete Sandige who is very good at his job while also having a relationship with Dorinda, played by Irene Dunne. Pete ends up getting killed while flying and ends up in a heaven for pilots who become guardian angels for other pilots. He soon sees after the pilot Ted Randall, played by Van Johnson, who becomes acquainted with Dorinda making Pete a little jealous. Ward Bond, James Gleason, Lionel Barrymore, Barry Nelson, Esther Williams, Henry O'Neill, Don DeFore, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is some unknown Spencer Tracy and is a rather clever film. This combines fantasy with romantic comedy and a bit of a love triangle. This is available to watch on Kanopy.
Obsession (2025): Having heard such good things about this, I decided it was time to go check it out in the theaters. Curry Barker directed and wrote this horror film which I suppose has the theme "be careful what you wish for". Michael Johnston stars as Bear who has always had a crush on Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette, who he has always been friends with. Bear comes across a device called a "One Wish Willow" which is said to grant one wish after it is broken in half. The wish seemingly works but Nikki displays some very disturbing behavior. Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter, Haley Fitzgerald, Darin Toonder, Anthony Pavone, Justice, Anthony Casabianca, Chloe Breen, and many others co-star in this horror film. This was a great one to see in theaters. This has a great combination of dark comedy and horror with jump scares. They always know the right place to get us. Navarrette puts on a great performance in her very complex role.
From Russia With Love (1963): Terence Young directed this Bond film which is based on the novel by Ian Fleming. Sean Connery reprises his role of James Bond in the second Bond film. 007 is on the search for a Russian decoding machine with the help of defecting Russian girl Tatiana Romanova, played by Daniela Bianchi, and goes after the evil SPECTRE. This includes the very strong Grant, played by Robert Shaw, and agent Rosa Klebb, played by Lotte Lenya. Pedro Armendariz, Bernard Lee, Eunice Gayson, Walter Gotell, Francis De Wolff, Nadja Regin, Lois Maxwell, Aliza Gur, Martine Beswick, Vladek Sheybal, Anthony Dawson, Desmond Llewelyn, and many others co-star in this Bond film. This is Llewelyn's introduction into the franchise as Boothroyd who we would later know as Q where he has more of a cameo in this one. Dawson plays Bond's main rival Blofeld where we can't see his face, that would come later. Connery has declared this as his favorite of the Bond films. I feel this does not have the notoriety as some do but this is still a very good Bond film in my opinion. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Sullivan's Travels (1941): Preston Sturges wrote and directed this showbiz film. Joel McCrea stars as Hollywood director John L. Sullivan who has only really known the fluffy comedies. He decides he wants to make a film about the real-life harsh times of society and decide to become a homeless person in order to gain perspective of what is he wanting. Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn, Porter Hall, Byron Foulger, Margaret Hayes, Robert Grieg, Eric Blore, Torben Meyer, and many others co-star in this film. This kind of goes in different directions where it seems like a comedy, but it goes pretty deep at times in his Hollywood satire which I suppose is also a commentary. I also thought it had a very interesting way of ending the film. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and might give us a better appreciation of what we get in the way of film.
Muscle Shoals (2013): I end the week with this music documentary which was directed by Greg Camalier. This documentary celebrates the life of music producer Rick Hall who founded FAME studios in the small town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. A lot of big singers and bands got a lot of their music produced their and many cited the preference of going there as opposed to a place in New York. When the place got founded, this was a time of racial tension, but segregation did not exist at the studio. Interviews include Rick Hall, Aretha Franklin, Keith Richards, Jerry Wexler, Bono, Jimmy Cliff, Candi Staton, Clarence Carter, and many others. Hall has since died but FAME studios still lives on through his son. This is a great look at music history and an unlikely place to have careers take off. This is available to watch on Kanopy, Dox, and Magnolia Selects. Dox and Magnolia Selections require a subscription with Prime.
Well, that is it for this week but I have my segment "Father's Day Madness to celebrate last week's holiday Father's Day. I will be back in a couple weeks which so far includes Sigourney Weaver, Julia Roberts, Jim Carrey, John Wayne, Sissy Spacek, Gwyneth Paltrow, Faye Dunaway, Marilyn Monroe, and many others.
FATHER'S DAY MADNESS
I decided to do a little celebration for the holiday. I don't have really any reason for the selections except they were on my list and looked for a father no matter how significant setting on ten selections.
Neighbors (2014): The father in this selection is Seth Rogen who is the father of a newborn baby. Nicholas Stoller directed this comedy which was written by Andrew Jay Cohen. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne star as married couple Mac and Kelly Radner who also have a newborn baby. They get new next-door neighbors who happen to be a fraternity, lead by fraternity president Teddy Sanders, played by Zac Efron. They try to make a peace agreement, but when the agreement is broken, a neighborly war begins. Brian Huskey, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Dave Franco, Halston Sage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jerrod Carmichael, Craig Roberts, Ali Cobrin, Kira Sternbach, Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Adam Devine, Jason Mantzoukas, Lisa Kudrow, Randall Park, and many others co-star in this raunchy comedy. This is a pretty ridiculous movie but I laughed through it all. I suppose it also makes fun of the ridiculousness of fraternities and some of the rituals they have for initiation. The Robert De Niro party scene makes it all worth it in my opinion.
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Avengers: Infinity War (2018): The father in this selection is Josh Brolin who plays Thanos and has a couple daughters in Gamora and Nebula and may not have the best kind of father-daughter relationship. Anthony and Joe Russo directed this superhero film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brolin stars in this film as Thanos who is looking to get the Infinity Stones in order to create his own world. This calls for all hands on deck including the Avengers, the Guardians, and all other allies in order to stop Thanos from what is he trying to do. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Idris Elba, Danai Gurira, Peter Dinklage, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio Del Toro, Chris Pratt, William Hurt, Letitia Wright, Carrie Coon, Winston Duke, Kerry Condon, and many others co-star and some provide the voice in this superhero epic. This is essentially the story of Thanos and has a great character development arc. This was a very well-done film and where I am on the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline binge. Something I don't agree with are those who side with Thanos who essentially is looking to commit genocide as far as I am concerned. Other than that, this was a great way to feature all the significant characters. This is available to watch on Disney Plus. For those interested in doing a timeline binge, the website is Marvel in order: How to watch MCU in chronological and release order.
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Elvis (2022): The father in this selection is Richard Roxburgh who plays Vernon Presley, the man who would bring up Elvis. Baz Luhrman directed this biopic on the music legend Elvis Presley. Austin Butler stars as Elvis which looks a lot at the relationship with his producer Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks and his relationship with Priscilla, played by Olivia DeJonge. The movie is seen through the eyes of Tom Parker. Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison Jr., David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Luke Bracey, Dacre Montgomery, Leon Ford, Natasha Bassett, Xavier Samuel, Adam Dunn, Alton Mason, Shonka Dukureh, and many others co-star in this film. This looks at the ups and downs of Elvis's career, and it does center a lot around the Colonel which might take away some from Elvis. We also get the Baz Luhrman treatment of Elvis which has some surrealistic moments at time. Butler does a great job as Elvis and is Elvis, not some impersonator. This could be a good double feature to go along with BUBBA HO-TEP.
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Lean on Pete (2017): The father in this one is Travis Fimmel who is more of an absent father. Andrew Haigh directed this film which is based on the novel by Willy Vlautin. Charlie Plummer stars as the fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson who is trying to find a little purpose in life. He finds work with a horse trainer in Del, played by Steve Buscemi, and his jockey Bonnie, played by Chloe Sevigny. Charley forms a connection with Del's fading racehorse Lean On Pete. Amy Seimetz, Julia Prud'homme, Jason Rouse, Lewis Pullman, Justin Rain, Steve Zahn, Allison Elliott, and many others co-star in this film. This movie never really goes the direction one might think it is supposed to go. I also believe that the less known, the better. It has an unpredictable nature that one just has to experience. This is available to watch on Prime, Pluto TV, Plex, and the Roku Channel.
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Hearts Beat Loud (2018): The father in this one is Nick Offerman who is the single father to a musically inclined daughter. Brett Haley directed and co-wrote this film along with Marc Basch. Nick Offerman stars as single father and record store owner Frank Fisher who is preparing to send his daughter Sam, played by Kiersey Clemons, to college. Frank is able to talk Sam into one of their jam sessions which results in an unexpectedly good song which Frank puts on Spotify to unexpected success. Blythe Danner, Toni Collette, Sasha Lane, Ted Danson, and many others co-star in this film. This is one of those great indie gems and a great father/daughter story. This has some good performances and is a very touching story. This is available to watch on TUBI, Pluto TV, Plex, and the Roku Channel.
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Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008): The father in this one is Anthony Head who is the father to Shilo and harbors a dark secret. Unfortunately, he joins the BUFFY alums to have left this world recently so RIP Anthony. Darren Lynn Bousman directed this rock musical which is based on a play by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. This takes place in a not-so-distant future where body organs are purchased and meant for repossession of they are not paid. Alexa Vega stars as Shilo Wallace who is a sheltered girl looking for a cure to her rare disease and does not know that her father Nathan, played by Buffy alum Anthony Head, is a repo man. Zdunich, Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton, Bill Moseley, Sarah Power, Briana Buckmaster, and many others co-star in this musical. I really liked seeing Head in a more starring role and getting to show off his singing talent. Brightman is most known as Christine in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and makes her first film appearance. Please don't run for the hills when seeing the name Paris Hilton. She does pretty good in her relatively small role. This is not for everyone, but has some pretty good rock oriented music numbers and some great imagery. This is a musical I would love to be in someday. This is available to watch on Prime, TUBI, Pluto TV, and Plex.
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Spirited Away (2001): The father in this one is Michael Chiklis who provides the voice of Akio in the American version who is the father Chihiro who is the protagonist in this Studio Ghibli film. Also, Daveigh Chase who voiced Chihiro in the American version has recently left us at a very early age so RIP Daveigh. Hayao Miyazaki directed and wrote this Studio Ghibli film. The 10-year-old Chihiro must move to the suburbs with her parents and she is not happy with it. They stop along the way and find themselves in a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits and the parents have turned into pigs. Chihiro must find a way to save them and encounters a lot of strange beings along the way. Jack Angel, Dee Bradley Baker, Bob Bergen, Rodger Bumpass, Susan Egan, Lauren Holly, Jason Marsden, John Ratzenberger, Tara Strong, and many others provide their voice in the American version. This is a very beautiful story and one of the most iconic anime films. It is hard to really describe beyond what I did but is really worth a watch, just like any Studio Ghibli films. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
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Nope (2022): The father in this one is Keith David who is the unfortunate victim of the unknown objects in the sky. Jordan Peele directed and wrote this sci-fi horror film. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer star as siblings O.J. and Emerald who try to continue their late father's ranch. They are also trying to prove video evidence of a UFO that they believe it wreaking havoc on their town. Brandon Parea, Michael Wincott, Steven Yuen, Wrenn Schmidt, Keith David, Devon Graye, Terry Notary, Barbie Ferreira, Donna Mills, Osgood Perkins, Eddie Jemison, Jacob Kim, Sophia Coto, Jennifer Lafleur, Andrew Patrick Ralston, Lincoln Lambert, and many others co-star in this sci-fi film. This has elements of a few classic sci-fi films like CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, WAR OF THE WORLDS, and even SIGNS. Peele manages to make this his own and is a very compelling film to watch. It also has a good homage to classic film and television. I understand though that some might just say nope to watching this movie with it being horror and all.
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The Father (2019): This is my Bulgarian film for the week and the father in this one is Ivan Savov. Kristina Grozeva and Peter Valchanov co-directed and co-wrote this film. Savov stars as Vasil who has lost his wife Valentina. Vasil becomes convinced that he can still contact her and seeks the help of a well-known psychic in hopes of contacting his wife. Ivan Barnev co-stars as Vasil's son Pavel who struggles to get his father to come to his senses. Margita Gosheva, Maria Bakalova, and many others co-star in this film. This is a really good story about dealing with grief and a good look at a father and son struggling to have a close relationship. This is available on the app Klassiki which is perfect for foreign film buffs.
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024): The father in this one is Santiago Cabrera who is ghostly father to Astrid. Tim Burton directed this sequel to the 1988 classic comedy. Winona Ryder reprises her role of Lydia whose daughter Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega, accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife. With everything going on, Lydia must turn to Beetlejuice, reprised by Michael Keaton, to help her save Astrid. Catherine O'Hara, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, Nick Kellington, Santiago Cabrera, Burn Gorman, Danny Devito, Mark Heenehan, and many others co-star in this sequel. I thought this was a fun continuation film years after the original. I loved Defoe's comedic performance as an Afterlife character. This is O'Hara's final live-action role before her death in 2026. This is one that the original needs to be watched in order to understand what is happening so why not make a double feature night. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
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