Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 447th Edition

Welcome to the 447th Edition of my series.  It's been a rough week with my computer going out on me.  I look to get a new one this week.  No matter what happens, I always manage to put out this blog on a Sunday.  Tonight are to Tony's so I have that recording while I do karaoke at the Valhalla.  I will now get to my recommendations for the week.

Kick-Ass (2010):  Matthew Vaughn directed this homage to the comic book world.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Dave Lizewski who is a nerdy high-schooler who is unnoticed and loves comic books.  He then decides to become a superhero though he has no training or powers and becomes the title character.  In his attempts toward the superhero world, he encounters a 10 year old girl who calls herself Hit-Girl, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, and someone called Big Daddy, played by Nicolas Cage, which is Hit-Girl's father.  They team up to take down a mob boss, played by Frank D'amico.  Elizabeth McGovern, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jason Flyming, Yancy Butler, Xander Berkeley, and many others co-star in this film.  I remember seeing this in theaters with my friend Lisa and not really knowing anything about it but becoming pleasantly surprised by what I saw.  I believe Moretz has the highest kill right of a girl of her age and is really good in her role.  Another movie of hers that year was LET HER IN where she also racked up quite a body count.  I thought Nicolas Cage had his best performance in years as her father who is pretty much raising his daughter to become a vigilante and has some rather extreme measures in his training.  This movie has a lot of violence but it has a lot of comedy as well.  This is a very clever and original superhero movie.

Interview (2007):  Steve Buscemi directed and stars this remake of Theo Van Gogh's 2003 film of the same name.  Buscemi stars as reporter Pierre Peders who is usually a political journalist but has a falling out with his editor and is forced to interview a soap star named Katya, played by Sienna Miller.  The interview is supposed to happen at a restaurant but gets off on the wrong foot when she is late but then Pierre is quite unprepared and rather belligerent.  When leaving, Pierre gets injured and Katya goes ahead and takes him home with her so she can tend to the wounds and there they start their interview which really goes both ways and is enhanced by alcohol and their competitive natures.  This is a pretty decent film with the leads very good and carrying the movie quite well.  Steve Buscemi's brother Michael Buscemi co-stars in the movie.  This is available on the app Crackle.

The Horse Whisperer (1998):  Robert Redford directed and co-stars in this more serious one compared to my first two selections so far which is based on the novel by Nick Evans.  A young Scarlett Johansson stars as Grace who is injured in an accident involving a horse which causes both physical and psychological trauma.  Her concerned mother Annie, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, learns of a man in Montana named Tom Booker, played by Redford, who is said to be of the title.  She decides to take Grace and the wounded horse to this ranch in Montana to see about getting both the horse and Grace healed.  In the process, Annie begins to fall in love with Tom even though she is married to Robert, played by Sam Neill.  Diane Wiest, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones, Jeanette Nolan, Jessayn Gilsig, and Kate Bosworth all co-star.  This might be more a a date movie or a girls night movie but is a pretty moving film.

Paul Bunyon (1958):  This is my animated short for the week which is brought by Disney.  This tells the story of the legendary tall tale where a giant lumberjack must adjust to the newer technology and his friendship with Babe the Blue Ox.  The animation is not the greatest but still has a pretty good story and catchy song.

Network (1976):  Sidney Lumet directed this film which was written by Paddy Chayefsky.  Peter Finch stars as news anchor Howard Beale who is just not getting the ratings that he did so he is fired by the network.  He then does an unexpected rant where the ratings soar even higher making the executives exploit the rather deranged man for their ratings but find they are in over their head.  Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Ned Beatty, Beatrice Straight, and many others co-star in this film.  This movie meant to be satire is very ahead of its time and is something I can always watch.  Finch plays Beale to perfection.  I read that actors like Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford, Gene Hackman, and George C. Scott declined the part of Beale but the more unknown Finch fit the part to perfection.  I want you to get mad and yell out the window, I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.  I believe this would be a great play to do on stage.

Princess Tam-Tam (1935):  This is my French film for the week which is one of many stories inspired by PYGMALION.  Albert Prejean stars as French novelist Max who is in Tunisia and meets a shepherdess named Alwina, played by Josephine Baker, who he believes he can turn into a high class woman.  A few misunderstandings happen in the process.  Josephine Baker was a black actress who knew she would not have an easy time doing film in the United States so she moves to France where she gets some really good parts.  Some of this is more for historical purposes but was pretty fun and Baker was very fun in this film.  I recorded this from TCM and anytime I have the great Robert Osborne introduction, I am content.

A Bucket of Blood (1959):  Roger Corman directed this film which takes place a lot in a Bohemian Cafe.  Dick Miller stars as Walter who is a nerdy busboy at the cafe who longs to be an artist like much of the regulars there but does not have much talent.  He accidentally kills his landlady's cat and gets the idea to put plaster over the cat and when doing so, his work is acclaimed as a sculptor masterpiece.  This finally gets him the popularity he wants but knows he must repeat the success and resorts to homicidal methods to continue his success.  I actually consider this one Corman's best work.  I thought it was a pretty well-done satire and a coffee shop person like me can really appreciate this one.  The title is not quite what it sounds so try not to be fooled by it and check out Corman's best film.

Idina Menzel Live:  Barefoot at the Symphony (2012):  This is my concert movie for the week which is technically a tv special but I make final ruling as to what is considered a movie on this.  She performs some of her music in RENT, WICKED, GLEE, as well as songs like THE WAY WE WERE.  She also goes into her own backstory making for a pretty entertaining story with a special appearance by Taye Diggs.  For those who do not know her, she was the first Elpheba in WICKED, known for Maureen in RENT, recurring character in the tv series GLEE, and now has probably gotten more into the mainstream with her movie FROZEN as Elsa.  This year's Oscar ceremony might have given her some publicity with John Travolta's butchering of her name calling her something like Adele Dazeem which I do not know where that came from.  She is a very talented singer and actress and puts on a very good show that really deserves a watch.

High Anxiety (1977):  I continue with this Mel Brooks film and his tribute to the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock.  Mel directed, co-wrote, and stars in the Hitchcock spoof as Dr. Richard Thorndyke who is the new administrator of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous.  When getting there, he stumbles onto some strange happenings and is framed for murder.  To clear his name, he must overcome is condition of "high anxiety".  The main Hitchcock reference is for VERTIGO but find some great references to PSYCHO, THE BIRDS, REAR WINDOW, and many others.  It might be a good idea to see some of the Hitchcock films from the 50s and 60s to appreciate the references and humor this movie brings.  Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Dick Van Patten, Barry Levinson, Harvey Korman, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not Mel's best but still pretty fun and is available to watch on Instant Netflix.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011):  I end with this crime thriller directed by Brad Furman.  Matthew McConaughey stars as defense attorney Mick Haller whose office is his Lincoln car.  He defends a wealthy young man named Louis, played by Ryan Philippe who claims innocence but the more Mick looks into this case, the more he finds there is a lot more to what is being said.  Marisa Tomei co-stars as his ex-wife and is also a prosecutor but still remain friends despite being on opposite sides.  William H. Macy also co-stars as Mick's investigator Frank and does a great job.  McConaughey is great in this film as a smooth-talking attorney who seems to only care about money but has a crisis on conscience with his questionable client.  Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena, Bob Gunton, Bryan Cranston, Frances Fisher, and Trace Adkins all co-star in this film.  This has a great blend of comedy and drama with some really good twists and turns.  This is a very enjoyable film that should get a watch.

Well, that is it for this week.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Julianne Moore, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 446th Edition

Welcome to the 446th Edition of my long running series.  I want to take this time to wish my mom whose birthday is today a happy birthday. I don't really have too much to say right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week. 

Patton (1970):  I start the week out with this biopic on the famed and controversial General George S. Patton which was directed by Franklin Schaffner and co-written by Francis Ford Coppola.  George C. Scott portrays the general to perfection and takes place in this WWII years in North Africa, the invasion of Europe and the fall of the Third Reich.  It also shows a lot of his faults like his ego and tendency toward insubordination that at lead to his downfall like being the lead general in the Normandy invasion.  Karl Malden co-stars as General Omar Bradley who is Patton's friend through the years but does not always agree with his ways.  It has a really good beginning with Patton in front of a big U.S. flag and making his speech.  This movie does a great job of portraying the man and the war with Scott giving it everything he had to no longer be George C. Scott but to become General Patton.  Scott won an Academy Award for this film but did not accept it citing he did not like the idea of competition between actors.

Clerks (1994):  Now I make a big jump from a war film to this independent comedy.  Kevin Smith makes his big debut where he directed, wrote and co-stars in this portrait of a couple clerks like the title implies.  I believe all of us can relate to this one in some way or another.  Brian O'Halloran stars as Dante who works at a convenience store and is called in on his day off and unexpectedly works the whole day even though he had a lot planned.  Jeff Anderson stars as Randal who really had no customer service or people skills but works at the video store across the street and tends to hang out more with Dante.   Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith co-star as Jay and Silent Bob who would become regular characters in these movies and hang out in front of the store all the time.  Marilyn Ghigliotti co-stars as Dante's girlfriend Veronica and Lisa Spoonhauer co-stars as Veronica who is Dante's ex-girlfriend and cannot let go of her.  This movie is in black and white which really was not a statement by Smith, just all he could afford.  This has a very low budget and Smith sold his comic book collection in order to get the funding though bought them right back with the success of this film.  I also notice that Kevin Smith always had good, subtle messages about letting people move on from their past which was Dante's big problem.  Smith clearly shows how much he cares about this project and his determination made this possible and is possibly one of the best comedies of this era.  He did not have a lot of money, state of the art equipment, but had one was important, a great mind and a very clever script.  He also is great on dialogue like the STAR WARS debate between the two.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Noah's Ark (1959):  This is my animated short for the week which is from Walt Disney and their first stop-motion animated movie.  This is a retelling of the famed tale done in a rather unusual way that includes things like Jazz music.  The animals were done with all kinds of objects like funnels, eggs, pipe cleaners, corks and many other things.  I know there has been a lot of controversy with that new movie NOAH which has taken a lot of anti-religious critique.  This one is very fun and very clever in their first stop-motion animation film.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011):  Stephen Daldry directed this movie based on a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.  This is based post 9/11 where one of their employees Thomas is killed.  Thomas Horn stars as his nine year old son Oskar who has a hard time making sense of his father's death.  He soon finds a key that his father left behind and searches all over New York City to find the lock that belongs to it.  Sandra Bullock co-stars as Oskar's single mother Linda who is trying to help her son understand the loss of his father and her husband.  A lot of this uses flashback to show past interactions between Thomas and Oskar.  Zoe Caldwell, John Goodman, Max Von Sydow, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, and many others co-star in this movie.  Von Sydow was very good in his role as a mute and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the Academy Awards  I really see this as a movie showing a young boy how he copes after such a tragedy and the difficulty to understand it.  Horn was very good and really carried a lot of this movie.  

Romeo and Juliet (1936):  George Cukor directed this earlier adaptation of the Shakespeare classic.  Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer play the star-crossed lovers who are from rival families.  Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is the daughter of the Capulets which is the rival family.  John Barrymore is very amusing as Romeo's friend Mercutio and Basil Rathbone plays the villainous Tybalt.  There were some interesting casting her in terms of ages.  The leads are much older than the characters intended to be though if I heard correctly, they took out lines involving age.  I have always considered this my favorite Shakespeare and this one was pretty well acted despite the older age casting.  It does not beat the 1968 version in my view but is still watchable for those who are okay with Mr. Shakespeare.  I had the pleasure of being in an abridged version of the tale as Paris and this movie had some dialogue I would have liked to say but I had a good part in the show.

Red Dust (2004):  Hilary Swank stars as attorney Sarah Barcant who returns to her homeland of South Africa in order to represent Parliament member Alex Mpondo, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who was tortured during Apartheid by a police officer named Dirk Hendricks, played by Jamie Bartlett, who has applied for amnesty.  This is rather unknown but a movie I felt did a good job of giving an understanding to both sides even towards Sarah who has her own past where she was arrested for having a black boyfriend which was against the law during Apartheid.  It also has a very good message towards forgiveness.  This is a BBC produced film which was directed by Tom Hooper and did a great job.

Decoy (1946):  This is my film noir for the week.  Robert Armstrong plays gangster Frank Olins who is to get the gas chamber.  Jean Gillie stars as his girlfriend Margot who recounts the story of reviving Frank's body in order to find $400,000 that only he knows.  Gillie plays possibly the most vindictive femme fatale in noir history and did a great job.  Sheldon Leonard co-stars as Sergeant Joe Portugal who is trying to piece together this complex plot.  This was unknown for a long time but has achieved a cult status since its 2000 rediscovery.  This is one for anyone who loves the genre to check out.  It is available on DVD as a double feature with last week's CRIME WAVE.

John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band: Sweet Toronto (1988):  D.A. Pennabaker put together this concert documentary which features the only time John Lennon played live with the Plastic Ono Band. This was a Toronto concert in 1969.  The beginning feature Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chuck Berry performing some of their stuff and good footage there.  When Lennon was up there, Eric Clapton is featured as the guitarist.  Lennon had an interesting version of BLUE SWEDE SHOES.  The last 10 minutes or so are rather laughable with Yoko Ono and I have no real description for what she was doing except I was cracking up.  Usually, I love Asian music, even if I do not know what they are saying but Yoko was terrible.  This is about an hour long and worth a watch despite Yoko.  Keep in mind the last 10 minutes or so are weird sounds from Yoko.  Even John Lennon is looking at her like "WTF" as well as Clapton.

North Dallas Forty (1979):  This is my sports comedy for the week but a rather dark one.  Nick Nolte stars as aging NFL receiver Phil Elliott who is trying to stay off the sidelines.  He also questions if he is still fit to play and if he fits into the sport.  This is loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys teams of the 70s and is the first movie to take a look at things like drugs, alcohol, and many other things that were a little taboo in the era.  Charles Durning, Bo Svenson, Steve Forrest, G.D. Spradlin, Dabney Coleman, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not one of the inspirational football films but one which takes a look more at the dark side of the game.  This is based on the semi-autobiographical novel from Peter Gent in which Nolte's character is based upon.

Get the Gringo (2012):  I end with this film directed by Adrian Grunberg.  Mel Gibson stars as career criminal who is sent to the strange and dangerous Mexican prison El Pueblito.  This was a new sort of place for him and had to rely on a 10 year old boy, played by Kevin Hernandez, to learn the ropes.  Peter Stormare, Scott Cohen, and Bob Gunton all co-star in this film.  This one is a bit hard to put into words for me.  It is an interesting sort of prison but a pretty realistic one from what I am understanding.  It also has a pretty good storyline which takes it way beyond the prison.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Nicolas Cage, Steve Buscemi, Scarlett Johannson, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 445th Edition

Welcome to the 445th Edition of my series.  It's been a week of ups and downs.  I had a great birthday and my very dear friends Ashley and Stephen came back to town and celebrated with me.  We had a great time at the Selma American Legion during my celebration which had a good turnout.  We then went to Downtown Muncie and had a great time there as well and then the karaoke bar.  This year is possibly the best birthday I have had.  A down point of the week was learning that my cousin Alex died.  My thoughts go out to the rest of the friends and family.  He was a really good person and really loved music.  Don't ever take your loved ones for granted for we do not know what can happen the next day in life.  I hope he is doing well in heaven and maybe jamming with musicians he really liked including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury, the Who drummer Keith Moon, Frank Zappa, Johnny Cash, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Rolling Stones member Brian Jones, The Clash member Joe Strummer, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Joey Ramone, and Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett, among others.  With all that, let's get to my recommendations for the week.

Saturday Night Live:  The Best of Amy Poehler (2009):  This technically may not be considered a movie but as I have said before, I get to decide on what is considered a "movie".  This is a few of the SNL sketches which featured Amy Poehler which include her Hilary Clinton impersonation, Dakota Fanning impersonation, the Bush twins, and many others from her days as a member.  A really good one is her rapping.  This compilation is of her later work so it would have been nice to see some of her earlier material but still provides entertainment and is still quite funny.

Cirque du Soleil:  Quidam (1999):  This is the first time I have actually seen one of these.  For those who don't know, they are a group founded in Canada in the mid-80s.  They do live shows that featured a lot of circus acrobatics, dance, and a lot of other theatrical techniques.  There are different groups and this one was founded in 1996 and is based on young, jaded girl named Zoey, played by Audrey Brisson, and the performance is the source of her daydream.  This had both music and lots of amazing acrobatics.  This was in French and unfortunately some of the subtitles did not work.  Brisson did do a great job in her role and all kinds of eye-popping action.  I'll probably start looking into more of these in the future.  This was a lot of fun and very compelling.

Man on Wire (2008):  This is a documentary on tightrope walker Philippe Petit who walked across the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.  This goes into some background of his early life and the way he became a tightrope walker.  Most of it is interviews with him and the people closest to him which helped make his daring and illegal walk possible.  Petit may have been the one to walk but the event was a team effort in making it possible.  This is a very compelling documentary on what some call the "Artistic Crime of the Century".   This is available on both Instant Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Betty Boop for President (1932):  This is my animated short for the week and Betty Boop tackles political satire on this one.  She is running for president and going against a stick figure candidate named Mr. Nobody.  She parodies other candidates and even addresses a group of elephants and a group of donkeys called "asses".  Very interesting satire and decent Betty Boop.  This is available on the Pub-D-Hub app.

Jack and the Witch (1967):  This is my animated selection for the week.  Taiji Tabushita directed this one.  Jack and his friends which are a bear, fox, mouse, and puppy.  He meets a girl named Allegra who works for the evil queen named Auriana who turns children into her slaves.  The mouse friend is abducted so Jack races to save his friend but also Allegra.  This is a pretty good early anime film that the family can watch together.  This is available on Amazon Prime and is really worth a look, especially for anime fans.

All About Eve (1950):  Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote and directed this great drama taking place in the world of theater.  Anne Baxter stars as the title character who makes her way into the world by claiming to be a fan of star Margo Channing, played well by Bette Davis, and her circle while maneuvering her way into stardom at their expense.  George Sanders co-stars as cynical theater critic Addison DeWitt who is the only person that sees through Eve's naive and humble personality.  Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, and Hugh Marlowe co-star as part of Margo's circle who take in Eve.  Also look for a young Marilyn Monroe who plays actress Miss Casswell.  This is a great tale of ambition and betrayal that holds up today.  

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988):  Last week I featured this in the "Movie Night at the Shera" segment so now I will put it into this section.  Frank Oz directed this comedy which stars Michael Caine and Steve Martin as rival con men.  Caine plays Lawrence who is more classy and Martin plays Freddy who is more small time though more underhanded.  They first tried working together but found the place was not big enough for the two of them and end up making a wager to each other that they can cheat an heiress, played by Glenne Headly, out of $50,000.  This was a very funny crime comedy and a really good ending. This was available in the free movie section of the ATT Uverse on-demand.

Crime Wave (1954):  This is my film-noir for the week.  Gene Nelson stars as ex-con Steve Lacey who is married and trying to get his life together.  Ted de Corsia, Charles Bronson, and Nedrick Young all co-star as escapees who end up killing a cop and taking refuge in Lacey's home against his wishes.  Steve must decide the safest way to handle his old cronies.  Sterling Hayden co-stars as detective Sims who is trying to bring down the criminals and figure out how Steve is involved.  This is a pretty good unknown film with good performances and really deserves to get a look.

Spencer's Mountain (1963):  Delmer Daves directed this movie based on a novel by Earl Hamner Jr. and serves as the inspiration for the popular tv series THE WALTONS.  Henry Fonda stars as Clay Spencer who is a rather poor but very hard-working and respected person who has a wife and quite a few children.  He does not agree with the ways of the church though helps a minister saves his congregation.  The main storyline here is that his eldest son Clayboy, played by James MacArthur, is graduating at the top of his class and really wants to go to college but finds that is very difficult in his poor family.  Maureen O'Hara co-stars as Clay's wife who is far more god-fearing.  It is not the greatest movie but a decent portrait of a family in that era and even Henry Fonda trying to push the envelope a bit with his viewpoints.

This is Martin Bonner (2013):  I end the week with this independent film from director Chad Hartigan.  Paul Eenhoorn stars as the title character who has just moved from east coast to Nevada.  He takes a job as the volunteer coordinator for a non-profit organization which helps people released from prison to get their life together.  Richmond Arquette co-stars as Travis who has just gotten out of prison and having a hard time adjusting to life.  They soon form an unlikely friendship.  This is more of a character driven movie and the characters were very well written and the actors did a good job to make this quite watchable.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes George C. Scott, Kevin Smith, Sandra Bullock, John Barrymore, Hilary Swank, Nick Nolte, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 444th Edition

Welcome to the 444th Edition of my series.  This is the week of my birthday which is on Thursday where I get the ultimate gift of my friends Ashley and Stephen visiting from Philadelphia.  On Friday, they are playing at the Silo in Downtown Muncie from 10-1 so come on out and hear some great music.  I will now get onto my selections for the week.

Chinese Coffee (2000):  This is part 11 of what I will now make my 11-part Al Pacino series.  Pacino takes the helm of director once again to put on a film version of a play by Ira Lewis.  Pacino stars as struggling Greenwich Village writer Harry Levine who has just been fired from his job as a doorman.  He then goes to visit his friend and fellow struggling writer Jake Manheim, played by LAW AND ORDER alum Jerry Orbach, to collect on a debt.  While there, Harry looks to get Jake's opinion on a manuscript he left with him in which he denies reading at first but then goes into his critique starting a rather heated discussion on it and among other things in their life.  These two actors are mainly who were in this movie and were great together.  Pacino has struggled some through the years but made a great decision in picking up this one.  I always enjoy seeing these dramas based on plays and think about theater groups in my area picking them up. Pacino was actually in a 1992 Broadway stage production of this show.

The Bourne Identity (2002):  Doug Liman directed this action film based on the novel by Robert Ludlum though have heard it is a rather loose basing.  Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne who after being rescued and wounded has no recollection on his identity.  He first realizes things like having a lot of strength.  With the help of his new friend Marie, played by Franka Potente,  he sets out to learn more on his identity but learns there are a lot of people out to track him down and kill him.  Chris Cooper leads the government agency in their hunt for Bourne.  Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Clive Owen, OZ and LOST alum Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, THE SHIELD alum Walton Goggins, and many others co-star in this action film.  This is a pretty good start to this Bourne series.  Damon did very well as the title character.  If you are a huge fan of this book, then I suppose you may not like this and that a mini-series in 1988 of the same title is more based on the book.  If you are like me and don't really read much and just watch movies, this is a good action film to start your day. 

Rosewood (1997):  John Singleton directed the portrait based on a true story in town in the 20s that was very segregated.  This is based on an incident in 1923 where a white woman falsely accuses a black man of rape and the close-minded white community destroying a predominantly black community.  Jon Voight stars as John Wright who is a store owner and less judgmental.  He ends up looking to get the surviving black community on a train and escape the town with the help of a black drifter named Mann, played by Ving Rhames.  Michael Rooker also co-stars as the sheriff who is conflicted but loves his job as sheriff.  Bruce McGill, Don Cheadle, Esther Rolle, Elise Neal, Robert Patrick, Mark Boone Junior, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very powerful film and does a great job showing the price of racism. 

So You Think You're Allergic (1945):  This is my comedic short film for the week which is a comedic one in the Joe McDoakes series.  This is a look at the common problem of hay fever and Joe, played by George O'Hanlon, trying to find a cure to it in many comical ways.  One of the funny parts was the back stories and the ancestry of the McDoakes family.

The Kid (1921):  This is my silent film for the week and Charlie Chaplin's first feature length film as the Tramp.  The Tramp finds an abandoned baby by a garbage can and decides to take are of the boy as his own.  Years later, the Tramp and the Kid, played by Jackie Coogan, are very happy together despite being poor but their relationship is threatened when the real mother comes back into the picture.  I suppose this could be considered the original BIG DADDY and was probably pretty groundbreaking at its time with someone taking in a child that is not biologically theirs.  There are a lot of funny moments from Chaplin but also rather sad moments as well.  Chaplin did always have a way of turning a bad situation into comedy with the biggest example THE GOLD RUSH.  This is a great entry into the genre of silent comedy and is available on Amazon Prime.

Fat City (1972):  John Huston directed this film on two struggling boxers.  Stacy Keach stars as Tully who is now a has-been and working as a field worker in hopes for a comeback.  When in a gym, he meets an 18 year old named Ernie, played by a young Jeff Bridges, who he sees potential and tries to help him towards a boxing career.  This shows the struggles of both of them in career and love life.  CHEERS alum Nicholas Colasanto plays their crooked manager Ruben.  This is a really honest look into the small time world of boxing.  Susan Tyrrell and Candy Clark co-star as their love interests.  I am not really sure as the reason for the title since it did not really focus on that type of society.  This had great direction, performances, and cinematography and unfortunately has gone overlooked today.  I notice even Netflix does not have it for DVD but it is available on Crackle for free.

Unidentified Flying Objects:  The True Story of Flying Saucers (1956):  I guess you could say this is my sci-fi film for the week though is part documentary combined with a fictional story on sightings on UFOs.  The government is determined to figure out these sightings and there is interview footage and documents on things.  There is also footage on what they saw which does not necessarily convince me though still an intriguing film on the paranoia of these sightings.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

From One Second to the Next (2013):  This is my documentary short for the week.  In trying to find a newer movie for this list, I came across this short film about the dangers of texting and driving and then see the director in Werner Herzog.  Herzog clearly wanted to express the importance of concentrating on the road when driving and that texts can always wait.  He focuses on four accidents in which texting and driving alters the lives of many forever.  There was one of them in Bluffton, Indiana which is about an hour from where I live.  It focuses on the victims, the loved ones and even a couple of people who were the cause of the accident.  Herzog hits the nail on the head in many ways in this half hour documentary and is something that can happen to anyone.  I know I will never be texting while driving again and those who are doing it, please stop.  If no one else can get through to you, hopefully Mr. Herzog can.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Ghidora, the Three-Headed Monster (1964):  This is my Japanese monster movie for the week and this movie introduced us to King Ghidorah which was the result of a meteor that fell.  At the same time, Rodan and Godzilla have come out of hibernation and are fighting each other.  The twin fairies call upon Mothra who tries to convince Rodan and Godzilla to put aside their differences to take on the more dangerous monster.  That was a very intriguing scene in my opinion where Mothra is trying to convince the others to team up and the small twin fairies translate their conversation.  This was a pretty decent entry.  Like always the human storylines have much to be desired but then once the monsters come into play it's on and they did not disappoint.  Ghidorah would go onto become the main villain monster for Toho having many battles with Godzilla and Mothra.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

El Mariachi (1992):  Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed this independent action film in his directorial debut in a feature film.  For those who do now know, the movies DESPERADO and ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO were parts two and three to this one.  Carlos Gallardo stars as the title character who is essentially a drifter and looking to be successful as a mariachi singer.  When getting to another town, he is mistaken as an assassin who carries a guitar case full of guns.  He then becomes the target though proves to be quite resourceful when his life is in danger.  This is a big case of low-budget but one that worked very well with a good script, action, and good characters.  Rodriguez made a great debut and achieved quite a cult following with this one so I help this extends it.  This is available on both Instant Netflix and Crackle.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988):  When we got to Shera's house we were looking for some movie to watch on ATT U-Verse and started with BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA which is a great movie but no one was really getting into and were distracted so maybe another time.  Shera decided upon a comedy so as we were going through titles, this was one she had not seen but decided upon it because of Steve Martin and agreed to go along.  Frank Oz directed this comedy which stars Steve Martin and Michael Caine as rival con artists who continue to try one-upping each other.  They soon make a wager that they can con an American heiress out of $50,000 and the game is on as well as the laughs.  We were both quite into this comedy and is a great entry in the 80s.  It is also a Broadway musical.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 443rd Edition

Welcome to the 443rd Edition of my series.  Last night was our last performance of THE GOOD DOCTOR.  Thanks to a great cast and crew for making this a good and fun production.  I do not know what is next as of right now but as always I will keep everyone updated.  Now for what you are wanting to learn, the recommendations.

Justice League:  The Flashpoint Paradox (2013):  I start the week out with this animated superhero movie from the DC Universe.  This movie centers around Barry Allen aka the Flash, voiced by Justin Chambers, if you had not noticed.  Even with a museum dedicated to him and the many times he has stopped crime, he still feels guilty about his mother being murdered during his childhood.  He finds a time to go back and save his mother but then inadvertently creates a ripple which makes a much darker world.  In this world Batman, voiced by Kevin McKidd but Kevin Conroy in the modern world, is a lot darker and is more about killing his enemies.  Also, Wonder Woman, voiced by Vanessa Marshall, and Aquaman, voiced by Cary Elwes, are at war with each other in a very brutal war.  There is also a resistance group that have people like Lois Lane, voiced by Dana Delany, and Lex Luthor, voiced by Steve Blum.  In this world, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are no better than Luther.  Batman and the Flash along with Cyborg, voiced by Michael B. Jordan, look to fix Flash's mistake and get the other world back.  Other Justice League members included are Superman, voiced by Sam Daly, Green Lantern, voiced by Nathan Fillion, and Captain Atom, voiced by Lex Lang.  The main villain in this one is Professor Zoom, voiced by C. Thomas Howell, who has the Flash's abilities.  Other voices include Grey DeLisle, Danny Huston, and Jennifer Hale.  The one I missed was Martian Manhunter but I was glad to see people like Aquaman and Captain Atom who usually aren't in the animated movies.  This is not really a family movie like the animated series was.  This is quite dark but very compelling.  I have found that some of my favorite superhero movies are these DC animated movies that go straight to video and this one is no exception.  It was also really good to see something centered around the Flash and his working relationship with Batman who are pretty much partners in this movie.  This has a great array of heroes and villains and is really worth a watch.

Porky and Daffy (1938):  I continue with this animated short that is a little more family oriented and this one centers around Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.  In this short, Daffy Duck is a boxer and Porky is his manager and Daffy gets a title shot against a rooster and uses rather underhanded techniques in attempt to win.  This is an early one for both of them but was a very fun boxing parody.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973):  This is my tv movie for the week.  Kim Darby and Jim Hutton star as married couple Sally and Alex.  They have just moved into a Victorian mansion.  Sally begins to witness strange happenings but her husband dismisses her for being paranoid and neurotic.  She also has a hard time getting anyone else to believe that she has seen a group of small creatures that inhabit the house.  This is a really good made for tv horror movie and is quite a chiller.  Pedro Armendariz Jr. also co-stars in this movie.  This was remade by Guillermo Del Toro in 2010 and I have not seen that one.  This has a very good look to it, a good feeling of creepiness and is really worth a look especially for horror buffs.

The Ghost Writer (2010):  Roman Polanski directed this political thriller.  Ewan McGregor stars as the title character who is being hired to complete the memoir on former UK Prime Minister Adam Lang, played by Pierce Brosnan.  Lang soon becomes embroiled in a major scandal which then puts the ghost writer's life on the line.  James Belushi, Timothy Hutton, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Eli Wallach, Tom Wilkinson, and many others co-star in this film.  I'm not going to go into much more detail as that may give it away.  Polanski does a great job directing this and the performances were very good along with the Alexandre Desplat music score which really contributed to this thriller.

3:10 to Yuma (1957):  This is my western for the week which was directed by Delmer Daves.  Glenn Ford stars as Ben Wade who leads a group of outlaws and he gets captured though the rest of the gang is determined to free Ben.  Small-time rancher Dan Evans, played by Van Heflin, is hired to get him to court at Yuma while evading the other gang that wants to free him.  Wade is a poor farmer and takes the job for the money but also for money reasons feeling an obligation to help justice happen.  Felicia Farr, Henry Jones, and Richard Jaeckel co-star in this western.  There are some great interactions between Ford and Heflin.  This is one of my favorite westerns from this era and prefer this one over most John Wayne or James Stewart westerns I have seen.  This is another movie which has a remake which I have not seen yet but may look into this one soon hearing good things about it.  Credit still must be given where it is due so give this one a viewing if you have seen the new one.

Scent of a Woman (1992):  This is part 10 of my eleven part Al Pacino series which is probably the longest I have ever had on this blog.  Martin Brest directs this movie based on the novel by Giovanni Arpino.  Chris O'Donnell stars as prep school student Charlie Simms who finds an add to look after someone for the Thanksgiving weekend and when finding who he is being hired to watch he finds this is not the simple job he thinks it will be.  Pacino stars as Lt. Col. Frank Slade who is now blind and whose family is leaving for Thanksgiving and want to hire someone to make sure he is okay.  At first Frank seems very unlikable but slowly forms a friendship with Charlie.  Frank unexpectedly decides to go to New York and Charlie reluctantly agrees to go along having quite the life-changing weekend.  A young Philip Seymour Hoffman co-stars in this film as one of the prep school students.  James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Bradley Whitford, and Ron Eldard co-star in this film.  Pacino finally won an Oscar after many unsuccessful nominations and does great as a blind man who may not be able to see but knows what is going on around him.  O'Donnell holds his own with Pacino.  This has some very dramatic and comedic moments like Pacino's character driving a car when he was blind.  This is really worth a look.

Conversations with Other Women (2005):  Hans Canosa directs this independent film which makes interesting use of the split screen.  Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter star as people who are in a wedding and then begin to flirt afterwards and rekindle on times when they met when they were younger.  These people are not given names, they are only credited as "man" and "woman".  The split screen method gives different angles of their interactions as well as sometimes using flashbacks.  Both actors worked very well together and did a great job of carrying the film and the split screen was very clever as well.  This is more of a character driven film that worked very well.

Samson and Delilah (1949):  This is my biblical film for the week that was directed by Cecil B. Demille and I suppose you could say this is the first of the Demille biblical trilogy that includes THE TEN COMMANDMENTS in 1956 and BEN-HUR in 1959.  Victor Mature stars as the strongman Samson who falls in love with Philistine Semader, played by a young Angela Lansbury, who in turn betrays Samson and is killed in the infighting.  Hedy Lamarr stars as Delilah who is the sister of Semander and is determined to get revenge against Samson.  She soon has an affair and learns Samson's source of his strength and betrays him to the Saran, played by George Sanders.  Henry Wilcoxan and a young Russ Tamblyn star in this biblical film.  This was a pretty decent biblical film which had great use of colors as well as good action scenes.  The special effects weren't bad for the time.  It is also of worth to see a young Lansbury.  Out of all three of these biblical films, I liked BEN-HUR the most but favor this one over TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

The Hustler (1961):  Robert Rossen directed this pool drama.  Paul Newman stars as "Fast" Eddie Felson who is a very good pool player but is also very self-destructive.  He then meets pool legend Minnesota Fats, played by Jackie Gleason is a more dramatic role than usual, and challenges him to a high-stakes marathon but is unsuccessful.  He then goes onto becoming even more self-destructing with alcohol and his lack of confidence.  George C. Scott co-stars as Bert Gordon, who kind of takes him in and looks to help him get his confidence back but at the same time is very shady making Eddie realize working with him could cost him his soul.  Piper Laurie also co-stars as Eddie's girlfriend Sarah who has problems of her own and is Laurie's last movie until the horror classic CARRIE came around.  Look for boxer Jake LaMotta and actor Vincent Gardenia who play bartender roles.  This movie at the time started a big resurgence of pool.  Newman did not play much pool before the movie but got a pool table and played every chance he could to become good.  He ended up doing most of his own shots and Gleason was already a good pool player before the film.  This is a very good drama that centers around the world of pool and hustling and one where winning is not always black and white.  It also takes a look at the dangers of being a hustler where one does not seem to know when to quit and lacks knowledge of what they are getting into.  This is a pretty authentic looking film and one of Newman's best in my opinion.

Assassins (1995):  I end this week with some action.  Richard Donner directed the action movie which stars Sylvester Stallone as burned out hitman Robert Rath who is looking to get out of the business.  He finds that will not be easy when encountering another hitman named Miguel Bain, played by Antonio Banderas, who is a young up and comer and wants to make a name for himself.  Julianne Moore co-stars as Electra who is a computer hacker and finds herself in the middle of their feud having to stick close to Robert for survival.  I don't think I really need to go any further on this one.  This is not the greatest movie of all time but a good one to suspend your disbelief for awhile and take your mind off things.

Well, that is it for this week.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Al Pacino, Matt Damon, and many others.