Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 532nd Edition

Welcome to the 532nd edition of my series.  I want to make the announcement that on Wednesday at 8:30 I am going to be a guest on the podcast TOTAL DUDES WITH SIGN GUY AND REX.  It's been a rather long month trying to battle this cold but I am glad to say things are finally starting to look up for me.  Tonight is a football/wrestling day from home where I will be watching the football games and on my big screen am watching some ROYAL RUMBLE for the first time on the television.  That is all for now so I'll get on with my selections for the week.

Coach Carter (2005):  I start the week with this basketball movie directed by Thomas Carter and is based on a true story.  Samuel L. Jackson stars as Ken Carter who runs a pretty successful sporting goods store in the poor town of Richmond, California and is hired to coach basketball for the high school that he played at and was a star at the time.  It is a team that has not been playing well and finds that their attitudes are not much better.  He decides to have all his players sign contracts that included respect, dressing up game days, and a 2.3 grade point average.  This is a town that has clearly lost faith in their youth and much of the parents say that basketball is "all they got" in their lives.  Rob Brown, Robert Ri'chard, Rick Gonzalez, Nana Gbewonyo, Antwon Tanner, Channing Tatum, Ashanti, Texas Battle, Denise Dowse, Debbi Morgan, Vincent Laresca, Sidney Faison, Octavia Spencer, and many others co-star in this film.  Tatum makes his film debut.  Jackson puts on a very good performance here as a coach who wants to win but even more wants to help his kids reach their potential that everyone else seems to have lost faith.  I believe this is a good one to show in high schools, especially the inner-city ones.

Uncle (1959):  This is my short film for the week and my third selection in a row from Czech director Jaromil Jires.  A burglar breaks into the house and happens to break into the of a young boy.  The thief tells the boy he is an uncle.  There is a lot of very interesting interaction between the two and is a good, early Czech film to look into.  It is on the blu-ray of VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS.

Battle of the Bulge (1965):  This is part four of my four part Henry Fonda series.  Ken Annakin directed this dramatization of Nazi Germany's final counterattack of WWII.  Robert Shaw stars as German Colonel Hessler who is behind the planning of the attack but might be thwarted by American intelligence officer Lt. Col. Dan Kiley, played by Henry Fonda.  Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews, George Montgomery, Ty Hardin, Pier Angeli, Charles Bronson, James MacArthur, Telly Savalas, and many others co-star in this war drama.  This is a fictionalized account of what happened including the characters but does have some pretty well done war scenes.  It is good for entertainment purposes and worth a watch.

War Dance (2007):  This is my documentary for the week.  Sean Fine and Andrea Nix directed this documentary out in Uganda.  This shows a group of kids who are part of a northern refugee camp and are practicing for the annual music and dance competition in Uganda.  It was a very well done movie of a group of people in a war torn country trying to show they are more than refugees.  The music footage is actually very good as well as seeing them play and make the most of the instruments that they make.  Honestly reminds me of some of the background singers that Peter Gabriel sometimes uses in his music.  It is both sad and inspiring at the same time.

Polly of the Circus (1932):  This is part one of a two-part Clark Gable series.  Alfred Santell directed this film based on a play by Margaret Mayo.  Marion Davies stars as trapeze artist Polly Fisher who rolls into a small town for a circus in a religious town where they go to extremes to "cover" her up on billboards.  She soon meets the local minister Reverend John Hartley, played by Gable, and confronts him about her dismay.  As they get to know each other, he attends her circus show and she has a tough fall and taken to his home to recover where they soon form an unlikely relationship leading to marriage.  In the marriage, they find they are in total different worlds making their marriage very complicated.  This is a pretty decent romantic comedy and an enjoyable 70 minutes.  Gable and Davies work very well together and has some some trapeze footage.  This might be the ultimate movie of circus and religion.

The King (2005):  This is part one of a two-part Paul Dano series and possibly the start of a William Hurt series.  James Marsh directed and co-wrote this film.  This is one of those where I thought "wtf" throughout the viewing but found I could not take my eyes off of it.  Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Elvis who has just been discharged from the Navy and ends up in Corpus Christi, Texas in search of his father who is a local preacher named David, played by William Hurt, who had  a very brief affair with his mother, likely a one night stand.  David does not want anything to do with him and Elvis does what he can to get his way into the family.  Paul Dano, Laura Harring, Pell James, and many others co-star in this film.  If I say more, I might start giving things away so I won't explain any further.  It does have some very unpleasant undertones but at the same time it is still very compelling making me still think about it.  It also has some very good performances.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976):  This is my tribute to David Bowie who as just about everyone knows recently left us.  Nicolas Roeg directed this movie that is mostly a drama but has elements of sci-fi.  Bowie stars as humanoid Thomas Jerome Newton who lands on earth to get some water for his dying planet and ends up crashing.  He starts a high tech company with the goals of a billion dollars to build a return spacecraft to get back.  In the process, he falls to the excess of things on earth like greed and ruthlessness.  Rip Torn, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, Bernie Casey, and many others co-star in this film.  This is Bowie's film debut in a decent film career in addition to his great music career.  He gives a very good and understated performances as an alien being corrupted by the excesses of Earth.  Another one that is a bit hard to describe but must see.  This is available on the Criterion Collection.

Mad Max:  Fury Road (2015):  This is my apocalyptic selection for the week where George Miller continues with his iconic character Max Rockatansky, this time being played by Tom Hardy.  Charlize Theron stars as Furiosa who rebels against a tyrannical ruler in post-apocalypse Australia with a group of female prisoners, a defecting worshiper and by Max.  Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Josh Helman, Nathan Jones, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, Richard Carter, Angus Sampson, Megan Gale, Melissa Jaffer, and many others co-star in this film.  Some will disagree but I think I have found my favorite of the year.  Everything from the action, the cinematography, and just the costumes.  I also liked that guitar in the film.  It is really hard to put this film into words except that i was taken in from minute one.  Hardy took the torch that Mel Gibson had and was able to remain faithful to it while making the role his own.  Theron was also great as the action heroine.  This was a great watch on my newer big screen television.

Man of a Thousand Faces (1957):  This is part two of my two-part James Cagney series where last week he was a naval captain and this week he plays a legendary actor showing his versatility from his gangster films.  Cagney plays Lon Chaney which first shows his childhood and how he was raised by deaf parents, then onto his Vaudeville career, then his transition into silent film where he would get the title nickname.  Dorothy Malone stars as his first wife and the mother of their child Creighton.  Jane Greer plays his second wife Hazel.  Jim Backus, Robert Evans, Celia Lovsky, Jack Albertson, Roger Smith, and many others co-star in this film.  From what I looked into, some creative licensing was used but is still a great tribute to the silent film legend with Cagney giving a good portrayal.  I suppose Chaney could be considered the original horror film actor so watch this, then look into the real Chaney.

Company (2011):  I end the week with this live Stephen Sondheim musical where he takes a more comedic approach to this musical.  Neil Patrick Harris stars as Robert who is a perpetual bachelor who has a hard time committing to a relationship.  A series of vignettes happen with his five couple friends and his three girlfriends that explore the meaning of a relationship in a truthful and sometimes cynical way.  Patti Lupone, Martha Plimpton, Jon Cryer, Craig Bierko, Katie Finneran, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Lazar, Jill Paice, Chryssie Whitehead, Stephen Colbert, and many others co-star in this live musical.  For me, I have always favored Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD:  THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET and hope to someday be in his musical ASSASSINS but this is still a very well-done musical which was pretty innovative and considered a concept musical.  The actors here did a really good job including NPH as the lead.  The New York Philharmonic was their orchestra and was a very beneficial element to the show.  If you are into musicals and enjoy Sondheim this is a must.

Well, that is it for this week though I did return with my segment of "Movie Night at the Shera".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Jason Statham, Paul Dano, Clark Gable, and many others but continue reading for a bonus segment.




MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

St. Vincent (2014):  We have not been able to get together as much lately so I jumped at this chance to hang out at her house, watch a movie, and include her in my segment.  I will say that our original choice was MAD MAD:  FURY ROAD but wasn't sure that would be good for her youngest daughter to see and this was kind of my back up plan knowing I can never talk her into watching any of my favorite Asian films.  She agreed that this comedy might be better for the night and a little shorter.  Theodore Melfi wrote and directed this comedy.  Bill Murray stars as Vincent who is a bitter Vietnam veteran.  He gets new neighbors in newly single mother Maggie, played by Melissa McCarthy, and her son Oliver, played by Jaeden Lieberher.  Maggie is caught up in her work and needs a sitter where Vincent decides he will do it for a fee.  They soon form an unexpected friendship where Oliver begins to see the good in Vincent that no one else sees.  Naomi Watts is amusing as Vincent's Russian hooker friend Daka.  McCarthy also brings it down some and does a good job in what is kind of the straight person of the film.  Terrence Howard, Chris O'Dowd, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not exactly an original kind of film but Melfi was able to write some good characters to do a really good job with what might be a familiar formula.  I believe Shera and I made a good decision on what we decided to watch.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 531st Edition

Welcome to the 531st Edition of my series.  This was a pretty tough week in the celebrity world where we have lost Lemmy, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, GRIZZLY ADAMS star Dan Haggerty, and voice actor Brian Bedford.  Also Celine Dion lost both her husband and brother so my thoughts really go out to her.  I guess at least their legend lives on and my thoughts go to their friends, family, and fans.  I will just get on with my selections for the week.

D.W. Griffith:  Father of Film (1993):  I start the week out with this documentary on the director in which as the title says, many say he is the father of film.  This covers a lot of ground which includes his earlier life when he was in theater, then his interest with as they were called in those days moving pictures.  It talks about his earlier days when he was given a job through Biograph pictures where he did over 400 short movies that proved to be very good and then his departure from this company into much bigger films.  Most know him from his very controversial 1915 film A BIRTH OF A NATION which is considered to be the first big American epic.  It also goes into detail on his working relationship with Lillian Gish as well as the founding of United Artists along with Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford.  This is a really good two and a half hours on a pioneer in the world of film.

U2:  Rattle and Hum (1988):  I go from a documentary on film into a documentary into the music industry.  Phil Joanou directed this documentary mainly taking a look at their 1987 North American tour.  In addition to concert footage, it goes behind the scenes some in their rehearsals and in the studio.  This was a very well filmed documentary making a very effective use of black and white.  It also had really good footage from the band of U2 getting insights from every member.  They also pay respect to other people in the music industry like Elvis, the Beatles, and many others.  If you are at least a casual U2 fan, this is a must see especially since this was in their glory days.

Analyze This (1999):  Now I bring a great mafia comedy and possibly the best one.  Harold Ramis directed this comedy which stars Billy Crystal as Dr. Ben Sobel.  Ben is a successful psychiatrists and is about to get married to Laura, played by FRIENDS alum Lisa Kudrow.  Robert De Niro co-stars as mob boss Paul Vitti who is experiencing anxiety issues and hires Sobel to help with his problems though it is more like he forces Sobel to help his anxiety.  In helping Vitti, he also inadvertently gets caught up in a mob war making his life and upcoming marriage very complicated.  Chazz Palminteri, Joe Viterelli, Molly Shannon, Max Casella, Bill Macy, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a storyline that that would get used in THE SOPRANOS which came out in the same year.  This might have been inspired by mobster Frank Costello who did talk to a psychiatrist in real life.  This is a pretty realistic comedy that had some pretty funny moments along with a sense of danger.  De Niro and Crystal work great together and it has a really good parody scene from THE GODFATHER.  This was followed by ANALYZE THAT which I did not feel came close to matching this one.

Footprints (1960):  This is my short film for the week from Czech director Jaromil Jires whose 1970 film VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS I featured last week.  This shows an escaped prisoner who is taken in by a friendly family.  This does not have the surrealistic imagery that last week's feature had and appears to only really be available on the Blu Ray that the film is available upon.  It might be good to check out this early Czech short film.

Mister Roberts (1955):  This is part three of a four-part Henry Fonda series and possibly even a two-part James Cagney series.  John Ford and Melvyn Leroy directed this comedy drama taking place on a naval ship.  It does have quite the cast in Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon.  This is a US Cargo ship that is considered not important during WWII and has never seen any sort of combat.  Fonda stars as the title character who is burned out on the ship and wants a transfer in order to see combat but the captain, played by Cagney, will not let it happen.  Lemmon is very amusing as the more lazy sailor and Powell rounds it out very well as the doctor.  Betsy Palmer, Ward Bond, Philip Carey, Harry Carey Jr., Patrick Wayne and many others co-star in this film.  This is the second movie where they manage to make comedy out of a serious situation.  There is a lot of realism to this but still make the most of it with some comedic scenes.

Song of the Gringo (1936):  This is my western for the week which is a B-western no less and possibly Tex Ritter's first time on this blog.  Like Gene Autry, Tex was also one of those cowboys that sang a lot.  This is his debut movie after being recruited from the Grand Ole Opry.  Co-star Al J. Jennings who was the judge was an actual train and bank robbing cowboy turned actor/producer and taught Tex some cowboy maneuvers.  Mostly of worth for historical purposes and to the western buffs.

Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015):  This is my animated selection for the week which is based on the british animation series being made into a feature film.  I will honestly say this is my first time really seeing Shaun the Sheep but how I can resist a movie where the title of a movie has my name spelled correctly.  Mark Burton and Richard Starzak directed this animated film where the rebellious sheep Shaun tires of doing the same thing everyday at the farm and decides to take a day off.  He does what he can to make sure the farmer does not know but when ending up in the big city, they get far more than they bargained for when encountering a ruthless animal control man.  This is very good use of claymation and the way they do not use dialogue but animal sounds and even the humans have their sounds which was very amusing.  It was also pretty moving at parts and it can make one feel they are with the sheep and dog in their journey home.  This will be nominated for most of the animation awards but likely will not win so I wanted to get some exposure on here and remember, they spelled my name right so maybe a good double feature to have this to go along with SHAUN OF THE DEAD.

The Endless Summer (1966):  This is my third documentary for the week and an older one.  Bruce Brown directed this surfing documentary which documents passionate surfers Robert August and Mike Hynson.  Even the climate of California have inhospitable beaches in the winter months so they set out to go around the world to Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Tahiti, and Hawaii introducing the locals to the sport.  Brown spent many years getting footage to get this documentary.  It was very compelling to see them in different countries and in different situations during a time when surfing was not as mainstream.  It followed with a 1994 sequel with some newer ones and showing how far surfing has come.  This is available on Instant Netflix and on the library website Hoopla.

The Big Clock (1948):  This is my film noir for the week.  Ray Milland stars as magazine editor George Stroud and finds that his corrupt boss Earl Janoth, played by Charles Laughton, is trying to frame him for a murder.  Maureen O'Sullivan co-stars as George's wife who is becoming more and more frustrated with her husband's dedication with his job.  Elsa Lanchester is amusing as an artist who plays a part in solving the murder and is kind of the comic relief.  This is a pretty well-done thriller with Milland doing very well as a more nicer character than usual.  It was also interesting seeing Laughton with a mustache.  This is an overlooked film noir that is worth a look.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006):  Ken Loach directed this 1920s film taking place in Ireland.  This movie centers around brothers Damien and Teddy, played by Cillian Murphy and Padraic Delaney.  First they are in a war with the British until IRA leaders negotiate a treaty for an autonomous Free State under the British crown.  This is not sit well with all the Irish causing a civil war pitting the brothers against each other.  Liam Cunningham and Orla Fitzgerald co-star in this film.  This is a very well done war film on a more unknown war that was very well received at film festivals.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Samuel L. Jackson, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Paul Dano, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 530th Edition

Welcome to the 530th Edition of my series.  Tonight are the Golden Globes and I have one likely winner on this list.  I'll be going to the theaters for often in the coming weeks during this road to the Oscars.  Not a lot else going on for me right now besides football so I'll just get to my selections for the week.

The Wind Rises (2013):  I start out with some Studio Ghibli animation and the latest from director Hayao Miyazaki who also wrote.  This is more of a drama than the usual fantasy that anime usually gives.  It is also based on a real person named Jiro Horikoshi who designed the Japanese fighter planes during WWII.  This starts out into his childhood, into his younger years where he has his vision up to Japan's involvement with WWII.  Voices for the American version include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Martin Short, Stanley Tucci, Mandy Patinkin, Mae Whitman, Werner Herzog, William H. Macy, Elijah Wood, and many others.  This is a really good and complex story and a really good addition to the Studio Ghibli series.  It is a very good story of sticking to dreams and a more adult oriented story but appropriate enough for kids.

Center Stage (2000):  Nicholas Hytner directed this movie which was written by Carol Heikkinen.  This focuses on a group of young adults dreaming to get into the American Ballet Academy in New York.  The main focus is on the characters of Jody, Eva, and Maureen.  Amanda Schull stars as Jody who has been dreaming of this all her life but is told she does not have the "ideal" body and bad feet and she does what she can to overcome.  Zoe Saldona co-stars as Eva who is very good at what she does but has problems with authority.  Susan May Pratt co-stars as Maureen whose mother really wants this for her but she may not have the same passion as her mother.   Maryann Plunkett, Victor Anthony, Ethan Stiefel, Peter Gallagher, Donna Murphy, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good look into the world of ballet and people possibly being forced to rethink what they want in life.  I had a little look into the world of ballet when I participated in THE NUTCRACKER as Drosselmeyer which was a really good experience but know I could never make it any further and besides I had more of a character role anyway.  This is possibly the best of its genre.

The Hunting Party (2007):  Richard Shepard directed and wrote this movie based on an article by Scott Anderson.  Richard Gere stars as burned out war correspondent Simon Hunt who along with his veteran cameraman Duck, played by Terrence Howard, and young journalist Ben, played by Jesse Eisenberg, decide to go after the number one criminal in Bosnia in an unauthorized mission.  Their lives become endangered when they are mistaken for a CIA hit squad.  James Brolin, Joy Bryant, Ljubomir Kerekes, Diane Kruger, Dylan Baker, and many others co-star in this film.  This is based on true events and the opening of the movie says "Only the most ridiculous parts are true".  This has some some pretty good action worked in with some humor with good performances from the leads.

Gang Boy (1954):  This is my short film of the week.  This is probably the last of my underground shorts for awhile that I recorded from TCM.  This shows rival gangs going at it and a police officer trying to get them to come to a truce.  This was produced by Sid Davis who did a lot of these "message" pictures.  There is some bad dialogue and some really boring narration but still enjoyable though this one is longer than the others in 27 minutes.

Advise and Consent (1962):  This is part two of my Henry Fonda series that could go four parts.  Otto Preminger directed this political film based on the novel by Allen Drury.  Fonda stars as the president's newly nominated Secretary of State Robert Leffingwell who must go through an investigation before being appointed.  The idealistic Senator Brig Anderson, played by Don Murray, finds some political dirt on Leffingwell but while trying to expose him he receives his own blackmail threats on something.  Franchot Tone, Lew Ayres, Walter Pidgeon, Charles Laughton, Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney, Burgess Meredith, Inga Swenson, Will Geer, Betty White, and many others co-star in this film.  Betty White makes her film debut while Charles Laughton is in his last film.  This is a really good political thriller showing the corruption that can happen when hiding secrets.  This is really worth a look.

A Yank at Oxford (1938):  Robert Taylor stars as college athlete Lee Sheridan who goes to Lakedale State College and whose publisher father Dan, played by Lionel Barrymore always publishes articles on his accomplishments.  These accomplishments get Lee a scholarship from Oxford.  He expects a huge welcome but is wrong when the students there don't except him right away.  He tries to make a name for himself at the school and for a girl named Molly, played by Maureen O'Sullivan, who is taken by a rival student.  Vivien Leigh and Edmund Gwenn co-star in this film.  This is a decent British comedy with some good performances and good sports footage.

Maxed Out:  Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders (2006):  This is my documentary for the week.  James D. Scurlock wrote and directed this film on the financial industry and credit card industry as well as how easy people fall into debt.  One of the most notable parts of the movie is showing how companies target college students and what can get them into debt.  This is a pretty entertaining but very eye-opening documentary that everyone should take a look upon.  As of now I do not have a credit card and if I get one, I will only use it when absolutely necessary.  I also thing high schools should show this to their students before graduation.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970):  This is my Czechoslovakian film for the week brought from Jaromil Jires.  The Czechs manage to have some pretty bizarre movies in my experience and this one is no different.  Jaroslava Schallerova stars as the 13 year old title character who goes through a rather surrealistic world in a non-linear dark fairy tale world with all sorts of strange people even including vampires.  This is available through the Criterion collection on Blu-Ray.

Sierra Baron (1958):  This is my western for the week directed by James B. Clark.  Brian Keith stars as gunslinger Jack McCracken who is hired to Spanish land baron Miguel Delmonte, played by Rick Jason.  He decides that it is not right to kill him after becoming friends falling in love with his daughter Felicia, played by Rita Gam, in the process.  They also must go after the real estate agent Rufus Bynum, played by Steve Brodie.  A bit of a western gem that is available on Comcast On-Demand in the FXM section of the free movies.

The Revenant (2015):  I end the week with this more current film directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu fresh off his BIRDMAN success and ready for some more awards.  Leonardo DiCaprio stars as 1820s frontiersman Hugh Glass who during an expedition he is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by his own hunting team.  He barely survives but he does and goes on a quest for survival and even revenge toward John Fitzgerald, played by Tom Hardy, who betrays him.  Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck, Paul Anderson, Kristoffer Joner, Jushua Burge, Lucas Haas, and many others co-star in this film.  Many say this will be the year Leo gets his Oscar and this could very well be true.  His dialogue was a bit limited but was driven through his emotions.  He also was very dedicated in things like learning two Native American languages, shooting a musket, building a fire, and even eating bison when he is a vegetarian.  Tom Hardy also does a great job.  This is not a movie for the faint of heart but we are taken on quite a journey for surival with DiCaprio.  It also has some amazing cinematography and is really worth a look in the theaters.

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

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 529th Edition

Welcome to the 529th Edition of my series and the first of the new year.  I saw a lot of friends posting on what a bad year they had in 2015 hoping that 2016 is much better.  I really hope it is better.  I've never really reflected at the end of the year and in the end referred to it as bad.  Everybody is going to have some downs which is unfortunately a part of life.  I guess I just like to reflect on positive things that happen to me and maybe I am more of a day to day thinker.  I have been trying to manage a bit of a cold and while I'm not 100%, I am a lot better.  Okay, enough about me, I'll just get on with my selections.

Three Kings (1999):  David O. Russell directed this post- Persian Gulf War film.  George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze are a group of soldiders who find a map that appears to lead them to finding gold that was stolen from Kuwait.  In their journey, they come across a group of Iraqi rebels who could really use their help changing their lives forever.  Cliff Curtis, Nora Dunn, Jamie Kennedy, Said Taghmaoui, Mykelti Williamson, Holt McCallany, Judy Greer, Jim Gaffigan, and many others co-star in this film.  Also look for Doug Jones as one of the dead soldiers in the beginning.  Russell did a great job in this film.  Apparently Russell and Clooney did not have a very good working relationship behind the scenes but Clooney still manages to give a good performance in a pretty versatile role.  It is a good war movie which has comedic moments at the right times and was able to keep me engaged very well not knowing what to expect.

A Criminal is Born (1938):  This is my short film for the week which is a part of the "Crime Does Not Pay" series.  In this one, a group of kids who are ignored by their parents go on a crime spree.  A bit dated but not a bad showing of giving the parents the message to give children attention since juvenile delinquency existed in this era as well as the modern day.  These were parents who were pretty much more dedicated to their careers than parenting.  This is a pretty good series from that era.

The Producers (1967):  Mel Brooks directed and wrote Broadway spoof that started it all which includes a musical version.  Zero Mostel stars as struggling theater producer Max Bialystock.  Soon, he meets accountant Leo Bloom, played by Gene Wilder, who finds a way to make a fortune by producing a big flop.  Max jumps at the idea while Leo is more reluctant but hates his job so he goes ahead and teams with Max.  They find the musical SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER, hire the worst director and actors sure to produce a flop but ends up becoming unexpectedly successful making the scheme backfire in a legal way.  Dick Shawn, Kenneth Mars, Lee Meredith, Christopher Hewett, Andreas Voutsinas, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This ranks pretty high among the world of comedy and is a classic from Brooks.  I was in the chorus for the musical in 2012 in my Guyer Opera House debut and Muncie Civic Theater will be doing it in February.  This one started it all and has some really hilarious moments so this is a perfect selection for a comedy night.

Sympathy for Delicious (2010):  Mark Ruffalo makes his directorial debut in this independent movie written by Christopher Thornton.  Thornton also stars as paralyzed DJ Dean O'Dwyer and Ruffalo co-star as Father Joe Roselli.  Roselli invites O'Dwyer to the world of faith-healing while discovering that he has the ability to heal but not himself.  As Dean gets to know this power, he joins a band pretty much using his gift for personal gain for those who attend the show.  Juliette Lewis, Orlando Bloom, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, James Karen, John Carroll Lynch, and many others co-star in this film.  It is a pretty good directorial debut for Ruffalo and Thornton is a paraplegic himself who feels there are not good roles for them but writing a good one for himself.  This is an interesting look into the world of healing and I suppose the dark side of it no matter how much a priest's intentions were at the time.

The Wrong Man (1956):  This is part two of a two-part Vera Miles series and part one of a possible Henry Fonda series.  "The Master of Suspence" Alfred Hitchcock directed this film and was a rather different one for him in which is based on a bizarre but true story.  Henry Fonda stars as Manny who is a bassist for a night club band as well as being a husband and father to two boys.  When at a bank simply seeing what he can take out in the way of a loan, he is mistaken for a man that held the bank up.  He cooperates with the police feeling he has nothing to hide but the more he cooperates, the guiltier he looks.  Vera Miles co-stars as his wife Rose who is equally affected by what is happening psychologically.  Anthony Quayle, Harold Stone, and Charles Cooper co-star in this film.  This stays very true to Hitchcock with the element of an actual true story that still has a lot of suspense.  Hitchcock does the prologue at the beginning which is the only time Hitchcock speaks in his movies.

Like Crazy (2011):  This is my love story of the week which was directed and co-wrote by Drake Doremus.  Felicity Jones stars as British student Anna who goes to a college in Los Angeles and meets American student Jacob, played by Anton Yelchin.  It does not take long for them to fall in love but Anna's American Visa keeps them from living happily ever after when she has to go back to Britain after violating her student visa for staying longer than she is supposed to stay.  Once apart, they must analyze if the relationship is worth the distance.  Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead, Finola Hughes, Chris Messina, Ben York Jones, and many others co-star in this film.  Ben York Jones helped write the screenplay.  This is a pretty good take on young lovers and working through the hardship of things like distance.  There are also very good performances from the leads that drive the movie very well.

The Streetfighter (1974):  This is my Japanese movie for the week and was viewed at Muncie Public Library as a part of the Cinemuncie series.  Martial arts star Sonny Chiba stars as Terry who is a mercenary being hired by a mob boss to kidnap the daughter of a late and rich businessman.  They do not agree on his price and try to kill him prompting him to protect the girl he was supposed to kidnap.  This has quite a bit of cheesy moments but also a lot of ultra violence to the point of having an X rating at one point in the United States.  This is followed by some sequels and for those who have not seen these movies might have heard about them in the movie TRUE ROMANCE.  For those who think Chiba sounds familiar, Quentin Tarantino cast him as Hattori Hanzo in KILL BILL.  Usually when thinking of Japan, one might think of their samurai films, horror films, action films, and their animation but I cannot think of a lot when it comes to martial arts in Japan.

Pacific Rim (2013):  Guillermo Del Toro directed and co-wrote this film which I suppose is an homage to the Japanese monsters out there.  I originally meant to include this in the Madness but did not get to it so I'll just make a selection for this week.  This is a world where humankind is at war with monsters referred to as Kaijus which is a termed used in a lot of the Japanese monster movies.  To combat these, massive robots called Jaegers are invented which are controlled by two pilots.  Our last hope is washed up pilot Raleigh, played by Charlie Hunman, and untested trainee Mako, played by Rinko Kikuchi.  Idris Elba, Diego Klattenhoff, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky, Clifton Collins Jr., Ron Perlman, Brad William Henke, and many others co-star in this sci-fi film.  Del Toro does a pretty good job in this having some good action scenes and special effects.  This is a pretty fun one to watch with a pretty good concept to go along with it.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame (1949):  This is my musical for the week which was directed by Busby Berkeley.  As one might guess, this is a movie which involves baseball.  This is the second of three teamings of Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra while being joined by Jules Munshin on some numbers.  In this movie, they play baseball stars Eddie and Denny who are Vaudevillians during the offseason.  The team gets word of a new owner by the name of K.C. Griffin and find out the hard way that this is a woman, played by Esther Williams.  Denny and Eddie fight some over her while Eddie has trouble with some gamblers.  Edward Arnold and Betty Garrett co-star in this musical.  Williams is known for her aquatic musicals in which she does a little bit in this movie.  This has some pretty fun music numbers with the great team of Kelly and Sinatra.  It is also a good homage to the earlier days of baseball.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Leviathan (2014):  I end the week with this Russian film which was directed and co-wrote by Andrey Zvyagintsev.  This takes place in a coastal town where a family patriarch named Kolya, played by Aleksey Serebryakov, who is fighting the corrupt mayor, played by Roman Madyanov who is about to have their home demolished and their land taken.  He turns to his old friend Dmitry, played by Vladimir Vdovichenkov, who is now an attorney.  Elena Lyadova, Anna Ukolova, Aleksey Rozin, and Sergey Pokhodaev all co-star in this film.  This is not an upbeat film by any means.  The local community brings us with them very well in their fight against corruption.  There is also a lot of emotional depth in this film.  If you can do subtitles, then this is a good watch.

Well, that is it for this week but I did decide to bring back my "Fun and Useless Facts" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes William H. Macy, Zoe Saldona, Richard Gere, and many others co-star in this film.



FUN AND USELESS FACTS

I bring back this segment for the week.  As always, I don't focus much on actors within the movie but use interconnections so enjoy.

George Clooney (Three Kings) plays Danny Ocean in the trilogy OCEAN'S 11, 12, and 13 in 2001, 2004, and 2007.  Frank Sinatra (Take Me Out to the Ballgame) plays Danny Ocean in the 1960 film OCEAN'S 11.

George Clooney (Three Kings) and Juliette Lewis (Sympathy For Delicious) were in the 1996 movie FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.

George Clooney (Three Kings) and Alex Kingston (Like Crazy) worked together on the tv series ER.

Said Taghmaoui (Three Kings) and Jennifer Lawrence (Like Crazy) were in the 2013 film AMERICAN HUSTLE.

Said Taghmaoui (Three Kings) and Ron Perlman (Pacific Rim) were in the 2011 movie CONAN THE BARBARIAN.

Judy Greer (Three Kings) and Orlando Bloom (Sympathy For Delicious) were siblings in the 2005 film ELIZABETHTOWN.

Judy Greer (Three Kings), Jim Gaffigan (Sympathy For Delicious) and Mark Ruffalo (Sympathy For Delicious) were in the 2005 comedy 13 GOING ON 30.

Doug Jones (Three Kings) and Ron Perlman (Pacific Rim) have played Abe Sapien and Hellboy in the live action and animated HELLBOY movies.

Doug Jones (Three Kings) was directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Pacific Rim director) in the 2006 film PAN'S LABYRINTH.

Nora Dunn (Three Kings) and Juliette Lewis (Sympathy For Delicious) were in the 2006 movie THE DARWIN AWARDS.

Spike Jonze (Three Kings) directed Mark Ruffalo (Sympathy For Delicious) in the 2009 film WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE.

Mark Wahlberg (Three Kings) and Juliette Lewis (Sympathy For Delicious) were in the 1995 movie THE BASKETBALL DIARIES.

Mark Wahlberg (Three Kings) and John Carroll Lynch (Sympathy For Delicious) were in the 2015 comedy TED 2.

Holt McCallany (Three Kings), Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy), and Alex Kingston (Like Crazy) were in the 2006 film ALPHA DOG.

Mykelti Williamson (Three Kings) and Brad William Henke (Pacific Rim) were in the 2004 film THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON.

Eddy Waller (A Criminal is Born) and Henry Fonda (The Wrong Man) were in the 1940 film THE GRAPES OF WRATH.

Mark Ruffalo (Sympathy For Delicious) and Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim) were in the 2008 film THE BROTHERS BLOOM.

Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy) and Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) will be in the upcoming 2016 film STAR TREK BEYOND.

Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy) and Clifton Collins Jr. (Pacific Rim) were in the 2009 film STAR TREK.

MARVEL FRANCHISE
-Doug Jones (Three Kings) was Silver Surfer in the 2007 movie FANTASTIC FOUR:  RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER.
-Mark Ruffalo (Sympathy For Delicious) plays Bruce Banner aka the Hulk in the Marvel Universe since the 2012 film THE AVENGERS.
-Jennifer Lawrence (Like Crazy) plays Mystique in the later X-Men movies starting with the 2011 film X-MEN:  FIRST CLASS.
-Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) plays Asgard resident Heimdall in the Thor series starting with the 2011 film THOR.