Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 684th Edition

Welcome to the 684th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone has a good holiday however celebrated.  I just want everyone to know, I welcome whatever holiday greeting one feels comfortable with or none at all.  I don't have much else happening right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Miracle on 34th Street (1994):  I start the week out with this updated version to the classic Christmas story.  Les Mayfield directed this version which kind of centers around the mother and daughter Dorey and Susan Walker, played by Elizabeth Perkins and Mara Wilson.  Despite Dorey running the annual Coles Day Parade, which is usually the Macy's Day Parade but Macy's refused to give their name for this movie, she brings up Susan in a more reality based world.  When Susan meets the newly hired store Santa, played by Richard Attenborough, that is convinced his name is Kris Kringle and that he is the real Santa Claus, she starts to wonder.  THE PRACTICE alum Dylan McDermott co-stars as their neighbor and attorney Bryan who lives in a more fantasy like world.  J.T. Walsh, James Remar, Jane Leeves, Simon Jones, William Windom, Robert Prosky, Mary McCormack, Allison Janney, Jack McGee, Horatio Sanz, and many others co-star in this movie.  What always interests me about this story is the overlooked plot which is really about an unorthodox business scheme where stores help each other but still manage to thrive.  I was in the musical version of this story which was so far my last show at Muncie Civic Theater.  While this does not match the 1947 version, this is still good for the times and still conveys the hope and faith that was intended.

Martin and Orloff (2002):  I follow with a non-holiday selection and a more adult oriented comedy.  Lawrence Blume directed this comedy which stars Ian Roberts as Martin Flam who is a very depressed marketing man who after attempting suicide is sent to a shrink.  Matt Walsh co-stars as Dr. Eric Orloff who is Martin's shrink and not much better off than him while forming an unexpected friendship.  H. Ron Benjamin, Amy Poehler, Kim Raver, Matt Besser, David Cross, Marylouise Burke, Teddy Coluca, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Janeane Garofalo, and many others co-star or have cameos.  Roberts and Walsh co-wrote the script to this comedy.  Most of the actors come from the Upright Citizens Brigade group.  I honestly know nothing about the group but was delivered a lot of laughs in this very raunchy comedy.  This is very enjoyable if you can overcome that it is not very realistic and rather inappropriate at times.

The National Tree (2009):  This holiday I have been trying to include more of these kinds of movies that are tv movies and more family oriented holiday movies which are usually associated with Hallmark.  I have done some with that formula but this is the first official Hallmark movie I have done.  Graeme Campbell directed this Hallmark movie which is based on the book by David Kranes.  Brat Pack alum Andrew McCarthy stars as widowed father Corey Burdock who plants a Sitka Spruce tree in their small town for his son Rock which he was a child and is now a teen.  This tree is still going and through Rock manages to win a contest for the White House tree that they want planted in the front of the White House.  Corey reluctantly agrees for this to happen out of concern for the life of the tree but finally agrees if Rock will do it his way which is transport it themselves.  This starts a long road trip and lots of media coverage as they transport the tree.  Kari Matchett, Paula Brancati, Jayne Eastwood, Ted Atherton, Vas Saranga, Amanda Joy, Kristina Nicoll, and many others co-star in this Hallmark movie.  This has the usual sort of predictable formula though seems a little different having a father and son bonding with each other on a road trip.  This type of movie has a pretty wide audience which I think will like this one.

Nearlyweds (1957):  This is my animated short for the week which is a Popeye short.  In this one, Popeye and Bluto fight over Olive Oyl.  Popeye proposes marriage to Olive Oyl and at first she says yes but then Bluto sets out to make Popeye look bad as always making Olive have to choose.  Usual sort of formula for Popeye in his love triangle but still a fun watch.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime with "Classic Cartoons Vol. 3".

A Star is Born (1937):  A couple weeks ago I featured the latest version of this story to come out this year and this week I feature the one that started it all.  William Wellman directed this film which centers around the film industry in this version.  Janet Gaynor stars as small-town girl Esther Blodgett who decides to try her luck and go into Hollywood in hopes of making it as an actress.   When she arrives she struggles a lot until she meets seasoned actor Norman Maine, played by Fredric March.  He helps her career while also forming a relationship with her but struggles with his alcoholism and the fact that his best days are behind him.  Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine, Lionel Stander, and many others co-star in this film.  This one is more of an homage to Hollywood in this era.  The version that came out this year was great in my opinion but I try to give credit where it is due.  This has a similar plot but like the other versions, it works with the times it accommodates.  Other versions would be made in 1954, 1976, and this year and all have the similar plot but set to the times of that year.  This is a good one to start with and still holds up today.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Going in Style (1979):  Martin Brest directed this film which I would say is disguised as a comedy but is more of a story of getting older.  George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasburg star as three elderly friends who are mostly resigned to dying but one of them concocts a scheme to rob a bank.  It is hard to really describe it further without giving too much away but who can turn away from the trio that is named?  There are some pretty funny moments just because of their personalities but the movie is more of a character study of three men trying to come to terms with the later years of their life.  This was remade in 2017 which I have not seen but that might have given this one a little more attention.  This has stayed off the radar and had not heard of it myself until I came across it on Amazon Prime in which it is available to watch.

The Man who Invented Christmas (2017):  I bring another holiday selection for the week which was directed by Bharat Nalluri.  Dan Stevens stars as Charles Dickens and this movie takes a look at his inspiration and struggles to come up with his most famous story in A CHRISTMAS CAROL.  Miriam Margolyes, Morfydd Clark, Justin Edwards, Cosimo Fusco, David McSavage, Ian McNeice, Miles Jupp, Jonathan Pryce, Christopher Plummer, Donald Sumpter, Katie McGuinness, Anna Murphy, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is an interesting look at the inspiration to the holiday story that has probably been used the most during December.  A good double feature could be this and SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE which both depict the respective writers coming up with their most iconic stories with events happening in their own lives.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956):  This is my live action Disney for the week and is technically a two-part episode of the tv series but released it as a movie which seemed rather common from Disney at the time.  Fess Parker stars as the iconic frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen co-stars as his sidekick George.  They accept a challenge from the boastful Mike Fink, played by Jeff York, in a boat race to New Orleans and later team up to take on a group of river pirates posing as Native Americans.  Kenneth Tobey, Clem Bevans, Mort Mills, Frank Richards, and many others co-star in this Disney movie.  This is a fun family movie and has the iconic theme song that just about everyone knows and have tried to sing it in a bass voice.  This is available to watch on Hoopla.

Zaat (1971):  This is my creature feature and b-movie for the week for those who don't want holiday selections and prefer a good b-movie.  This centers around a mad scientist bitter at the world and transforms himself into a mutated walking catfish to gain revenge on those he feels has wronged him.  I don't think I need to say much more.  This was featured on an episode of MST3K which gave it more exposure.  I actually checked this out on Blu-Ray at my local library so it does have a bit of a following especially those that like bad movies like this one.

The Door (2008):  I end the week with this Russian Oscar-nominated short film.  This centers around a man and a seemingly absurd act of stealing a door but learn of the desperate circumstances that leads him to stealing it.  The short film centers around the Chernobyl disaster that happened in the '80s in Russia.  This is both moving and tragic and really deserves a look.

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- 683rd Edition

Welcome to the 683rd Edition of my series.  There is not a lot going on right now so I'll just get to my selections for the week.

Office Christmas Party (2016):  I start the week out with this raunchy holiday comedy which was directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck.  T.J. Miller stars as Clay Vanstone who runs a branch of a family business in which his uptight sister Carol, played by FRIENDS alum Jennifer Aniston, threatens to shut down.  With his Chief Technical Officer Josh, played by ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT alum Jason Bateman, they rally together to throw a big Christmas party at work against the wishes of Carol in order to try winning a client that can save them.  Olivia Munn, Kate McKinnon, Courtney B. Vance, Jillian Bell, Rob Corddry, Vanessa Bayer, Randall Park, Randall Park, Sam Richardson, Karan Soni, Jamie Chung, Abbey Lee, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Andrew Leeds, Oliver Leeds, Oliver Cooper, Chloe Wepper, Matt Walsh, Ben Falcone, Adrian Martinez, Fortune Feimster, Erick Chavarria, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is one to watch during the holidays if not taken too seriously and for those that just don't want to go the Hallmark route.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965):  This is my animated short for the week which is technically a tv special and is a timeless classic.  Charlie Brown becomes overwhelmed with the commercialism of Christmas.  He takes the role of director for the school pageant to show that Christmas is more than just gifts.  As we know, there is the element of the tree Charlie buys as well as Linus explaining the true meaning of Christmas.  All of our other friends like like Snoopy, Lucy, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, Pigpen, and many others.  This is one of the first animated shows that actually used the voices of children instead of adults imitating children.  This is the first animated Peanuts special.   Not much else really needs to be explained on this absolute classic that still carries an extremely relevant message though I'm sure someone has or will write some article complaining about it and everyone will be in an uproar.  I have come to believe that when this happens, the general public just needs to ignore it instead of everyone sharing it all over the place in disagreement.

By the Law (1926):  This is my Russian silent film for the week which was directed by Lev Kuleshov based on the Jack London story THE UNEXPECTED.  A five-person team of gold prospectors in the Yukon have much success but one of them flies off the handle murdering two members of the team.  The survivors are a husband and wife that have managed to subdue him and are looking to get him prosecuted by the proper channels but are unable to get to civilization anytime soon.  They must decide how to handle what has happened.  This is a pretty compelling story and really good camerawork for this time.  Foreign and silent film buffs should really check this one out.

The Color of Paradise (1999):  I go from Russia to the middle east in Iran.  Majid Majidi wrote and directed this film which centers around an 8 year old blind boy named Mohammed who returns home from being at the school for the blind.  His grandmother and sisters are glad to have him back but cannot get the support from his widowed father who is ashamed of him and concerned at the same time.  This is a pretty moving film about a poor but loving family and a good point of view on a blind child trying to make it in the world.

Beyond Christmas (1940):  This is another holiday movie or one that takes place during the holiday, however you want to interpret that and it is sometimes called BEYOND TOMORROW.  Harry Carry, C. Aubrey Smith, and Charles Winninger star as Melton, Chadwick, and O'Brien who are rich but lonely heads of an engineering firm.  They invite three strangers over for a Christmas Eve dinner which is answered by two of them in James, played by Richard Carlson, and Jean, played by Jean Parker, who meet and fall in love.  The three men end up dying in a plane accident and come back as ghosts hoping to help the young couple through trouble times.  I usually try to find older holiday movies that I have not seen every year and found this one that I had not seen or heard.  This has not been very known and stayed in the public domain for a long time but TCM has been airing it on an annual basis and it is also available to watch on Hoopla.

Frozen River (2008):  This is a holiday film in a sense as it takes place around Christmas time and the holiday plays a significant part in the lives of the characters.  Courtney Hunt wrote and directed this film which stars Melissa Leo as Ray Eddy whose husband has left town with the money that they were supposed to use to pay rent leaving her a single mother with a part time convenience store job.  She has a chance encounter with a girl from the Mohawk tribe named Lila, played by Misty Upham, who has issues of her own introducing Ray into the world of immigrant smuggling from the little known Mohawk reservation back into New York State.  Charlie McDermott co-stars as Ray's older son T.J. who resorts to his own unscrupulous ways of making money out of desperation.  Michael O'Keefe, Mark Boone Junior, James Reilly, Jay Klaitz, and many others co-star in this film.  I had seen this a few years ago and has kind stayed with me.  This is driven well by the characters and and brings us into the story very well.  This is a rather bleak but compelling drama that deserves a lot more exposure.

Too Late for Tears (1949):  This is my film noir for the week which was directed by Byron Haskin and based on a story by Roy Huggins.  Lizabeth Scott and Arthur Kennedy star as married couple Jane and Alan Palmer with Jane possible being the ultimate femme fatale.  While driving, they stumble upon a bag of cash which Alan immediately has the instinct to turn into the police but Jane wants to hold onto it " for a while".  Don DeFore, Dan Duryea, and Kristine Miller play into the story of murder and betrayal very well.  This is another movie that has gone unnoticed and is a great entry into the film noir genre which I find are the movies of this era I enjoy most.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Man Who Saved Christmas (2002):  This is my more Hallmark oriented holiday movie for the week even though it is not Hallmark and is even based on a true story.  Sturla Gunnarsson directed this tv movie which stars SEINFELD alum Jason Alexander as A.C. Gilbert who along with his brother Frank, played by Ari Cohen, are able to start a toy company which produces some very innovative and educational toys.  With WWI on the rise, he is pressured by the government to turn his store into a munition factory and even cancel Christmas.  With the help of his family, A.C. must look for a way to not cancel Christmas as this was something that was discussed at this time.  Kelly Rowan, C. David Johnson, Jayne Eastwood, Daniel Kash, Kenneth Welsh, Ed Asner, and many others co-star in this film.  Growing up, I usually watched SEINFELD and while most I know loved Kramer the most, I was more into Alexander's George Costanza.  He also did well in this movie as the famed toymaker.  This has a certain predictable formula but that has its audience especially this time of year.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964):  I got to see this B-movie holiday classic during a double feature at my local library that also includes a selection in my Holiday Time segment.  On Mars, the children there are obsessed with Earth tv and their parents come across Santa Claus deciding they need him in Mars so they abduct him and a couple of children to go to Mars.  Most of them are well-meaning but go about it in the wrong way except for Voldar who is all about war and does not want Santa putting positive thoughts into the heads of the children.  This has been featured in both MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 and RIFFTRAX.  This has some really bad looking martian outfits and dialogue but I believe a very underrated robot in Torg who I believe is the black sheep brother of Gort.  I also don't understand why the theme song HOORAY FOR SANTA CLAUS.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Even the Rain (2010):  I end the week with this Mexican film that was directed by Iciar Bollain.  Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Spanish director Sebastian and along with his executive producer Costa, played by Luis Tosar, go to Bolivia to shoot a motion picture about Christopher Columbus.  Things are going smoothly until a conflict among the locals protesting the privatization of the water supply makers it more and more difficult especially for one of the actors that is mainly leading the protests and the movie becomes less important as they see how the country is being affected.  Juan Carlos Aduviri, Karra Elejalde, Raul Arevalo, Carlos Santos, Cassandra Ciangherotti, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good look at independent film-making and also of a village standing up for their rights.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week but have a couple selections for a segment I call "Holiday Time".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

HOLIDAY TIME

I decided to add this section of holiday movies that I saw but did not really fit into my main section and could have this next week as well.

Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentines Day Special (2017):  Scott Aukerman and Akiva Schaffer directed this Netflix special.  I know it says Valentine's day in the title but this is kind of like a NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS in the way that it plays into two holidays.  In this hour long Netflix special, Santa's elves have made too many toys and there are not enough children for the distribution so he needs Michael Bolton's help to inspire people to make love and conceive many babies and what better day than Valentine's Day.  In turn, Michael puts on a telethon in hopes of saving Christmas.  This has quite the cast that includes Andy Samberg, Adam Scott, Fred Armison, Chris Parnell, Maya Rudolph, Will Forte, Sarah Stahl, Grey DeLisle, Brooke Shields, Louis Anderson, Sinbad, Sarah Silverman, Bob Saget, and many others.  Many people I know have been very close minded when I mention this and for a long time I just couldn't stand Mr. Bolton but can now say I am a fan.  Michael struck comedic gold in this special as far as I'm concerned.  This will be one for me to watch for Christmas and Valentine's Day.  This is available on Netflix.

Santa Claus (1959):  This was the second movie in the double feature that was shown at my local library along with the one featured.  I remember seeing this for the first time years ago when I recorded it from TCM.  When watching it, I just kept watching and throughout this movie, Im just thinking WTF but yet I could not keep my eyes off of it.  There are many things I learned when watching this movie.  For starters, Santa does not have elves, he has child labor from all over the world in which sing very annoying music.  Also, he is apparently at another planet and have reindeer which are made up of what looks like Styrofoam and can only last for so long.  We also learn that Santa and Satan are rivals in which Satan tries every year to ruin Christmas and sends his very inept dance-loving minion Pitch who is told he would be punished with ice cream if he fails.  Also, I don't know what happened between Merlin and King Arthur whether they had a falling out or maybe Arthur might have died but Merlin decided to work for Santa in the North Pole.  I don't really know what was going through the minds of those involved when this was being made but was bad enough to become a great holiday tradition and I actually prefer this over Santa Claus Conquers the Martians but that is a good double feature.

Jingle All the Way (1996):  Here's another holiday comedy to see.  Brian Levant directed this comedy which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as mattress salesman Howard Langston who is devoting more time to the job than to his wife, played by Rita Wilson, and is son, played by Jake Lloyd.  His son Jamie continues to get disappointed by his father missing his events and Howard decides to get the most popular toy on the market in the new Turboman doll.  The only problem is he has waited too long to get it and is mostly sold out.  To add to that, he must compete with another father named Myron, played by Sinbad, who is also trying to get it for his own son.  Phil Hartman, Robert Conrad, Martin Mull, Jim Belushi, Laraine Newman, Harvey Korman, Richard Moll, Daniel Riordan, Chris Parnell, Mo Collins, The Big Show Paul Wight, Curtis Armstrong, Verne Troyer, and many others co-star on have cameos.  This was based on a time in the '80s when there was a craze over Cabbage Patch Dolls and at the time was around the rise of Tickle Me Elmo.  I found this movie to be ridiculous and wrong on so many levels.  At the same time, seeing all these grown men acting childishly in consequence to their procrastination brought a lot of laughs.  This is a satire and even a spoof towards the commercialism of Christmas.  There is a lot of cartoonish sort of violence and quite the rivalry between Schwarzenegger and Sinbad.  This can be enjoyed as long as it is not taken way too seriously.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 682nd Edition

Welcome to the 682nd Edition of my series.  There is nothing really new happening at this time except I'm not liking this cold weather but I guess there is not much I can.  I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Sisters (2015):  I start the week out with this raunchy comedy which was directed by Jason Moore and written by Paula Pell.  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite as sisters Kate and Maura Ellis.  They are summoned by their parents, played by James Brolin and Dianne Wiest, to clear out their childhood bedroom as the parents decide to sell the house much to the dismay of the sisters.  They decide they need to relive their youth and throw one last party with their childhood friends which after much alcohol goes completely wrong.  Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, John Leguizamo, John Cena, Bobby Moynihan, Greta Lee, Madison Davenport, Rachel Dratch, Santino Fontana, Britt Lower, Samantha Bee, Matt Oberg, Kate McKinnon, Jon Glaser, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Chris Parnell, Paula Pell, Brian D'Arcy James, Heather Matarazzo, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is not for everyone but I think many can relate to this film in our wanting to relive our glory.  There is a lot of immaturity among these adults in this which was the point in my opinion and I could not help but laugh.  For wrestling fans, John Cena is very amusing as the tattooed drug dealer and lead me to the belief that he did comedies like these in hopes of getting out of him boy scout image in wrestling.  I even got to relive my childhood a bit with that '90s one hit wonder hit INFORMER by Snow.  This was great to watch to have a lot of laughs if not taken too seriously.

Boo Man (1954):  This is my animated short for the week which features Casper the Friendly Ghost.  This starts out in the usual way where Casper is misunderstood for being a ghost.  He is able to see the moon through a telescope and the image he sees is a moon with a smile so wants to meet this friendly moon encounter and be captured by moon men who see him as a monster.  The moon men are in their own war with animated trees putting Casper in the middle.  This is inspired by GULLIVER'S TRAVELS.  This is said to be the best Casper short and is pretty enjoyable.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime in the "Cartoon Classics Volume 3".

The Return of Doctor X (1939):  Vincent Sherman directed this horror film.  Wayne Morris stars as Walter Garrett who is a reporter stumbling upon a murder of an actress only to find she is alive and well the next day which costs him his job.  He decides to look further into this case and stumbles onto Dr. Flegg, played by John Litel, and his strange assistant Marshall, played by none other than Humphrey Bogart in his first and only horror movie.  Rosemary Lane, Lya Lys, Huntz Hall, Charles C. Wilson, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is mostly of interest to see Bogey in this much different movie where he plays a character that was meant for Boris Karloff.  This was around a time where Bogart was playing supporting roles in gangster films and had not gotten his big break as of yet.  This is more of a Halloween oriented movie and I know I have anti-Christmas people who want things like this one.

The Return (2003):  This is my Russian film for the week which was directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev.  The lives of brothers Andrey, played by Vladimir Garin, and Ivan, played by Ivan Dobronravov, change when their estranged father Otets, played by Konstantin Lavronenko, arrives after being gone for twelve years.  Nataliya Vdovina plays the mother Mat in this film.  This was a very intriguing movie to watch and was glad that all I really knew was the basic plot that I described.  I had no idea what to expect and loved just watching this unfold like it did so I want that to be the case for others that watch this movie.

Black Christmas (1974):  This was shown at the Kennedy Branch of the Muncie Public Library during their "Attack of the Movie" series.  This would have gone along well with out annual October contest the Madness where a holiday theme was used this year.  Bob Clark directed this Canadian slasher film that happens to take place around Christmas time.  This takes place around a sorority house where the girls are planning their Christmas Break only to get strange anonymous calls and a stalker.  Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon, Marian Waldman, Andrea Martin, Doug McGrath, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin, and many others co-star in this film.  While this is not extremely graphic, it still has a very disturbing feel to it in they way they convey the killer.  This is a really good watch for Horror lovers and those who don't want to watch the Hallmark type movies this time of year.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014):  Matt Reeves directed this second part of the trilogy of this ape universe which follows RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.  This takes place many years later where a virus wiped out much of the human race.  Andy Serkis reprises his role as the ape Caesar who after the last movie leads a successful revolt and now is the leader of an ape community where he tries to keep the peace but is threatened by human survivors.  Jason Clarke co-stars as Malcolm who is one of the human survivors and needs help from the apes to help the human survivors.  This causes dissension among the ape community as well as with the humans who are threatened by the apes and vice versa.  Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevado, Nick Thurston, Terry Notary, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer, Jon Eyez, Enrique Murciano, Larramie Doc Shaw, and many others co-star in this film.  I really enjoyed the first of this trilogy but I liked this one even more.  This movie had a lot of emotional dept for me with Serkis and Clarke trying to keep peace between the apes and humans but both sides making it more and more difficult.  I also really liked how it ended.  This is followed up by WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES.  It would be hard to see this without watching the first one and I would recommend doing the first PLANET OF THE APES from 1968 which has some references to this reboot trilogy.

Deliverance (1972):  I continue with some action in this film directed by John Boorman and based on the novel by James Dickey who also wrote the screenplay.  Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox all star as city slicker buddies deciding to go on a canoe trip down the Cahulawassee River before it gets turned into a lake.  When getting there, they find they are among some crazed hillbillies for a lack of a better word and find themselves in the fight of their life.  I don't want to go too much further in the plot for those that haven't seen it.  The most famous scene from this movie is with the dueling banjo scene.  This is the film debut for Ned Beatty.  This has a lot of suspense and is very disturbing at times so is not for everyone.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Stealing Christmas (2003):  Back to the holidays and the last one for this week and this is more for the Hallmark crowd.  Gregg Champion directed this tv movie which stars Tony Danza as bank robber Jack Clayton.  When a robbery goes wrong, he escapes by putting on a Santa suit and gets away to a small town where he is mistaken by single mother Sarah, played by Lea Thompson, and her daughter Noelle, played by Angela Goethals, as the Santa that has been hired by them.  He plays along with the mistake while also casing a local bank to rob but as he forms a liking to the mother and daughter as well as local store owner Emily, played by Betty White, he starts having a crisis of conscience.  Malcolm Stewart, Damon Gregory, Gwynyth Walsh, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  This might be the first time I have ever featured Tony Danza on this list.  While this is not Hallmark, it does play like a typical Hallmark movie.  There is the single mom way too dedicated to her work and meeting a man who makes her see things differently for the first time in a long time.  This movie also kind of has a MUSIC MAN sort of feel to it in my opinion.  For those that like this type of holiday movie, this is one to check out and where can we go wrong with Tony Danza and Betty White in a holiday movie?

Sudden Fear (1952):  This is my film noir for the week which was directed by David Miller and based on the novel by Edna Sherry.  Joan Crawford stars as playwright Edna Hudson who meets and marries actor Lester Blaine only to learn that not only does he has a mistress in Irene, played by Gloria Grahame, but that they are plotting to murder her.  Knowing this, Edna is able in a subtle way to foil their plans leading to a very interesting climax.  Bruce Bennett, Virginia Hudson, and Mike Conners all co-star in this film-noir.  I have always found Grahame to be a rather underrated actress from this era.  She is probably most known as Violet in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE where she usually played the secondary female but was always pretty good at it.  This movie is very compelling and keeps our suspense throughout the movie.  This is a very dark and gritty movie from this era and a really good entry from this particular audience.

A Star is Born (2018):  I end the week with this film in which I went to the theater after joining the AMC Stubs club where I get in for $5 on Tuesdays and decided upon this one to start.  Bradley Cooper directed, co-wrote and stars in this film that has versions in 1937, 1954, and 1976.  In this version, Cooper stars as musician Jackson Maine who when passing time at a bar in the town he played discovers a young and talented singer in Ally, played by Lady Gaga.  He meets her and gets her to go along with him on his tours to sing while also forming a relationship with her to the point of marriage.  Everything is threatened as Jack's alcoholism has him on a downward spiral while Ally is experiencing the success he never really achieved.  Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Rafi Gavron, Anthony Ramos, Dave Chappelle, Barry Shabaka Henley, Michael D. Roberts, Michael Harney, Greg Grunberg, Drena De Niro, Eddie Griffin, Alec Baldwin, and many others co-star or have cameos.  The leads did a great job but the entire cast really makes this work as well.  I really liked Clay in his role as Ally's father and really did not know I was watching Andrew Dice Clay at the time.  I feel each version of this story has their own qualities including this one which was able to keep my attention the whole way through.  I have always been a fan of Lady Gaga despite not being a huge fan of pop music.  Cooper does great in his acting and in his singing.  This is another one that just had so much emotional depth and could be my favorite of the year.

Well, that is it for this week with this segment but have returned with my "Fun and Useless Facts" segment so continue on reading.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

This is a segment I use from time to time when I feel I have enough to work with and I have time to write.  I don't usually feature anything from actors in the same featured movies unless there might be another person from another involved so my first movie featured could have all kinds of inner connections but that is not what this is about.  In doing this, I am sure there are plenty I have missed so please feel free to chime in a let me know of others.

Tina Fey (Sisters) and Alec Baldwin (A Star is Born) starred in the NBC sitcom 30 ROCK.

Tina Fey (Sisters), Madison Davenport (Sisters), and Betty White (Stealing Christmas) all do American voices for the Studio Ghibli anime film PONYO.

Tina Fey (Sisters) and Lady Gaga (A Star is Born) were in the 2014 movie MUPPETS MOST WANTED.

Dianne Wiest (Sisters) and Jack Palance (Sudden Fear) were in the 1994 comedy COPS AND ROBBERSONS.

James Brolin (Sisters) and Margot Kidder (Black Christmas) play a married couple in the 1979 horror movie THE AMITYVILLE HORROR.

James Brolin (Sisters) and Ronny Cox (Deliverance) were in the 1977 movie THE CAR.

Amy Poehler (Sisters) and Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) were in the 2001 comedy WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER and Netflix comedy series WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER:  FIRST DAY OF CAMP.

Humphrey Bogart (The Return of Doctor X) and Gloria Grahame (Sudden Fear) were in the 1950 film IN A LONELY PLACE.

Humphrey Bogart (The Return of the Doctor X) and Bruce Bennett (Sudden Fear) worked together in the 1943 film SAHARA, the 1947 film DARK PASSAGE, and the 1948 film THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE that I am aware of, there could be more I suppose.

Keir Dullea (Black Christmas) and Alec Baldwin (A Star is Born) were in the 2006 film THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

Margot Kidder (Black Christmas) and Ned Beatty (Deliverance) were in the superhero movie SUPERMAN in 1978 and SUPERMAN II in 1980.

Andrea Martin (Black Christmas) and Karin Konoval (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) were in the 2006 remake of this week's feature BLACK CHRISTMAS.

Keri Russell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Greg Grunberg (A Star is Born) were in the WB series FELICITY.

Kirk Acevedo (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Ron Rifkin (A Star is Born) were in the 2000 film BOILER ROOM.

Terry Notary (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) were in the 2018 film AVENGERS:  INFINITY WAR.

Gary Oldman (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Ned Beatty (Delieverance) were in the 1989 film CHATTAHOOCHEE.

Gary Oldman (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) plays Dracula in the 1994 film BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA and Jack Palance (Sudden Fear) plays DRACULA in the 1974 tv movie DRACULA.

Judy Greer (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Sam Elliott (A Star is Born) were in the 2015 comedy GRANDMA.

Judy Greer (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Andrew Dice Clay (A Star is Born) had cameo roles in the 2015 comedy ENTOURAGE based on the HBO series.

Sam Elliott (A Star is Born) was forced to drop out of the 1982 tv movie THE AMBUSH MURDERS and was replaced by James Brolin (Sisters).

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 681st Edition

Welcome to the 681st Edition of my series.  This week I start including holiday films and not all of my selections will be holiday films.  I have heard discussions from some saying there are holiday films and films that take place on the holidays.  As far as I'm concerned they are all holiday films.  I finally signed myself up for Hulu when I saw a deal that has Hulu has .99 a month for 12 months and made one selection this week.  It was also very upsetting that Filmstruck shut their services down.  There is not much else going on so I'll get on with my selections.

Ashby (2015):  I start the week out with this crime comedy, maybe even buddy comedy which was suggested by my friend Stephanie which she insisted on watching while I was over.  I had not heard of this movie and I admit she got my attention when saying Mickey Rourke.  Tony McNamara directed this film which stars Nat Wolff as Ed Wallis who is the new kid in town having trouble fitting in and forms an unlikely friendship with his neighbor Ashby, played by Rourke, when having an assignment to do a paper on an older person.  Ashby is a retired CIA assassin who is terminally ill trying to make peace with God and starting to question an assignment he did leading to vengeance of former bosses.  Emma Roberts, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Dunn, Zachary Knighton, Michael Lerner, John Enos III, and many others co-star in this film.  This could also be described as a coming of age comedy and an approaching death comedy/drama.  Rourke has a more comedic role than usual and does well as the retired assassin questioning the morality of what he has done personally and professionally.  Rourke and Wolff work well together to make this movie work.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime and is worth a look.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011):  Rupert Wyatt directed this latest reboot of the franchise and is the start of a great reboot after much mixed opinions of Tim Burton's remake in 2001. As the title indicates, this focuses on their rise. James Franco stars in this film as Will Rodman who creates a drug which gives apes more human-like intelligence. He soon raises an ape named Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, like a child along with his girlfriend Caroline, played by Freida Pinto. After eight years, Caesar is taken from his human family and put in a sanctuary among other apes who are being abused by the unscrupulous employees. He soon leads a revolt where he is able to get the fellow apes the drug he has been exposed to leading into a violent fight of man against apes.  John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Tyler Labine, Jamie Harris, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Richard Ridings, Christopher Gordon, Devyn Dalton, Jay Caputo, and many others co-star in this film. In the 1968 film PLANET OF THE APES as well as the rest of that particular series, the humans are portrayed more as the protagonists and the simians are more the villains with the exception of Cornelius and Zera and in this film it is more the other way around where you are really for these apes. This movie had some great special effects and some really good action scenes. It also makes some references from the original film.   There is a mid-credit scene but I did not pick up on the significance so if someone can explain be my guest.  A good double feature could be the original 1968 film to pick of on references on this one which is a great entry into the franchise.

The Incredibles (2004):  This is part two of my two-part Holly Hunter series.  I brought some Pixar for the week which was directed and written by Brad Bird.  This takes place in a world among superheroes where they cannot be superheroes any longer.  Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter star as Bob and Helen Parr who met as superheroes Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl but are now forced to live a suburban lifestyle and have children with their own superpowers in Violet, voiced by Sarah Vowell, Dash, voiced by Spencer Fox, and newborn Jack-Jack, voiced by Eli Fucile and Maeve Andrews.  Circumstances force them into action and are joined by Violet and Dash on their first adventure when the villain Syndrome is seeking vengeance on Mr. Incredible from something in the past.  Samuel L. Jackson, Dominique Louis, Wallace Shawn, Lou Romano, Elizabeth Pena, Bud Luckey, Jean Sincere, Kimberly Adair, John Ratzenberger, and many others lend their voices to this film.  This is a very clever superhero film taking where superheroes could not live the lives they wanted and had to adjust to suburban life.  They recently had a sequel that took awhile but was worth the wait.  I will let know there is no mid or end credit scenes.

Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen (1951):  This is my short film that is the start of some holiday selections.  One of Santa's "brownies", which is another word for elves and no I don't have any explanation on the reason for the change of word, Snoopy introduces the story of the fairy snow queen who brings toys to life only to have Santa tell her they must become inanimate objects again.  Keep in mind, this was included as the short film in a RIFFTRAX episode that included SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS.  This is just really weird to say the least but might make you laugh with all the bad acting and dialogue and the extremely annoying Snoopy which is not that beloved beagle.  This is also available on Amazon Prime with "Classic Christmas Shorts".

A Christmas Carol (1938):  Edwin L. Martin directed this version of the classic Charles Dickens novel and is possibly the most beloved movie version.  Reginald Owen stars as the miser Ebenezer Scrooge who does not like Christmas and considers it a humbug.  He is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, played by Leo G. Carroll, who worse than he was and warns that he must change his ways.  To help him, Scrooge will be visited by three ghosts to show his past, present, and future.  Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart, Terry Kilburn, Barry MacKay, Lynne Carver, Lionel Braham, Ann Rutherford, D'Arcy Corrigan, Ronald Sinclair, and many others co-star in this film.  Owen does a great transition when he begins to embrace Christmas.  I guess I gave a spoiler but I think just about everyone knows this story.  I have been in two versions of this story on stage but now hope to one day be able to play the role of Marley.

Period of Adjustment (1962):  George Roy Hill directed this film that is based on the play by Tennesse Williams and is a holiday film.  This centers around two couples.  One is George and Isabel Haverstick, played by Jim Hutton and Jane Fonda, who have just gotten married after barely knowing each other.  The other is Ralph and Dorothea Bates, played by Anthony Franciosa and Lois Nettleton, who have just separated.  George and Ralph are longtime friends from their days in the Korean war and George turns to Ralph when needing to stay.  Both marriages are having trouble and all must examine how they are to move on in their lives.  John McGiver, Jack Albertson, Mabel Albertson, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a rare romantic comedy turn for Tennessee Williiams and one where the characters managed to keep my attention through some pretty funny moments and a well written script.

Columbus (2017):  Kogonada wrote and directed this independent film.  John Cho stars as Jin who is a Korean born man finding himself in Columbus, Indiana where his architect father is in a coma.  He soon meets a local girl named Casey who is not far into adulthood and feels she needs to stay to be with her mother, a recovering addict.  Parker Posey, Michelle Forbes, Rory Culkin, Erin Allegretti, Shani Salyers Styles, Reen Vogel, Roselyn R. Ross, Lindsey Shope, Caitlin Ewald, Jim Dougherty, and many others co-star in this film.  This was filmed and takes place in my dad's town of Columbus, Indiana which has become like a second home to me.  Him and my stepmom moved there from Anderson when I was about 18 or 19.  I did not know if I would like the move at first with having to drive longer but I can see how much Dad embraces living there and I have made some friends there myself.  Columbus is also the town where I first started ring announcing in wrestling.  This is the feature directorial debut of Kogonada and is a very well done film driving by the characters.  Columbus, Indiana is known for its architecture which is emphasized in this movie.  My dad is a tour guide in Columbus and really enjoys doing the tours and learning about his town.  He could probably give commentary on the architecture just watching this movie.  I thank all involved who came to Columbus, Indiana to do this movie. I just wish I could have been in it.  This is available to watch on Hulu.

F For Fake (1973):  This movie now has a place in history for being the last movie I watched on Filmstruck before they decided to shut down their services.  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Orson Welles.  This documentary takes a look at fraud and fakery.  One of the subjects is on art forger Elmyr de Hory and his own biographer Clifford Irving who also wrote a fraudulent autobiography on Howard Hughes.  Welles also focuses on his own fakery like his infamous radio broadcast of WAR OF THE WORLDS.  I don't really know how to describe this documentary, if that is even what we call it.  This is an interesting look at the world of questionable value of authenticity.  Welles weaves this together in a way that only he can and just at least expect to be entertained.

Ikiru (1952):  This is my Japanese film for the week and was presented at the Carnegie branch of Muncie Public library for the monthly Cinemania series.  Akira Kurosawa directed this film about a dying man trying to find meaning in life.  Takashi Shimura stars as civil servant Kanji Watanabe who has been a very dedicated employee for many years and finds out he has terminal cancer.  He feels he must live life to the fullest and do something meaningful in life before his death.  In some ways this is inspirational in living life to the fullest but there is also some very interesting social commentary with the people around him and their reactions.  Shimura is a very known actor in a lot of Kurasawa films and carries this film very well to bring us in through his journey.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989):  Visiting Stephanie and Drew lead to this unexpected selection when Steph wanted to watch something and we agreed on this holiday comedy.  Jeremiah Chechik directed this film which was directed by John Hughes.   This is the third in the vacation series where Chevy Chase and Beverley D'Angelo reprise their roles of Clark and Ellen Griswold with their children being played by THE BIG BANG THEORY star Johnny Galecki and Juliette Lewis.  This one, the vacation stays at home while the Griswolds decide to host Christmas and Clark has his usual bad luck being worsened by family guests like Cousin Eddie, played by Randy Quaid, who contributes the most to the dysfunctional family.  Some of the best stuff in this comedy is Clark trying to get his Christmas lights going at his home and go beyond everyone else.  John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Sam McMurray, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Nicholas Guest, Brian-Doyle Murray, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is quite possibly the best Christmas comedy out there and good for those who don't like the Christmas sap which I admit this time of year I'm kind of a sucker for it.  Spend Christmas the Griswold way.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes John Leguizamo, Humphrey Bogart, and many others.