Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 738th Edition

Welcome to the 738th Edition of my series.  Last week, my San Francisco 49ers did not get it done like I hoped.  This was a really good season though and hope they keep mostly what they have and build into next year.  I have not started rehearsing yet for YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU but have worked on a few lines and trying to come up with a Russian accent.  This Friday is Valentine's Day and I hope everyone enjoys the holiday however celebrated.  I will get on with my selections now so I hope you all enjoy.

Eva:  A-7043 (2018):  I start the week out with this documentary which was presented at my local library.  Ted Green directed this documentary which takes a look at Holocaust survivor Eva Kor who happened to live in a town in my state.  Eva was part of the human experimentation part that they did with twins during the holocaust which were some horrid experiments done by Dr. Mengele.  Eva survived but her twin sister Miriam did not survive.  She became a global spokesperson and would also preach forgiveness to those that wronged her which was controversial to some including fellow survivors.  I believe she did it knowing it what happened cannot be taken back and to just move forward in her life.  Ed Asner narrates this very inspiring documentary.  I was talking to my dad about this and he said that he got to meet her when she spoke in his town of Columbus, Indiana.  Unfortunately, she died last July but left quite a legacy behind.  There is another documentary called FORGIVING DR. MENGELE from 2006 which features Eva Kor which I have not seen but appears to be more about what happened at that time while this one is more about Eva Kor herself.  This could make a good double feature and likely something I'll be looking into at some point.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Past (2013):  Asghar Farhadi wrote and directed this French film.  Ali Mosaffa stars as Ahmad who is going to see his estranged wife Marie, played by Berenice Bejo, in Paris in order to finalized divorce proceedings so that she can marry her boyfriend Samir, Tahar Rahim.  When Ahmad gets there, he sees how complicated things are with the new man in Marie's life and her troubled relationship with her daughter Lucie, played by Pauline Burlet.  This is one that is really driven by characters and gets pretty deep and intense at times.  Farhadi is Iranian and spent time in France to learn more on the country and had to direct through a translator as he did not know the French language.  It is hard to really explain this movie any further but is a very well written script with good performances and sometimes that all we need to enjoy a movie.

The 24 Hour Party People (2002):  This is part one of a possible five-part Steve Coogan series.  Michael Winterbottom directed this biopic on Tony Wilson, played by Coogan, who founded Factory Records along with some friends.  Their biggest act would be the band Joy Division who would go onto become more known as New Order.  John Thomson, Paul Popplewell, Lennie James, Shirley Henderson, Paddy Considine, Raymond Waring, Ron Cook, John Simm, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, Rob Brydon, Simon Pegg, and many others co-star in this biopic.  This is a movie full of sex, drugs and rock and roll as they say.  It mostly focuses on the ups and downs of Wilson.  Coogan does well working some dry humor into a rather serious story.  I remember years ago when my friend Travis showed this movie to us through his Co-Op film series and I believe this is the first that we watched one summer outside at Ball State where we hung a paint tarp from the parking garage to use a projector.  This British film is really worth a look and hope to put it back on the radar some.

Teeth Smile (1957):  This is my short film for the week which was a very early work from Roman Polanski and the word short is an understatement.  This features a man going down an exterior staircase and witnesses a woman washing at her sink.  He gets a very good view and really enjoys what he sees.  This is less than two minutes long and Polanski did this as an assignment at his film school in Lodz.  Roman would go onto have a great career in film but had to start somewhere.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937):  James P. Hogan directed this movie which is based on a play by Herman C. McNeile and Gerard Fairlie.  Ray Milland stars as the title character who is driving home in the dark and tries to revive a woman named Phyllis, played by Heather Angel, that has fallen to the ground.  He finds himself in a much deeper situation when Phyllis gets awarg with Drummond's car.  Guy Standing, Reginald Denny, Porter Hall, Fay Holden, E.E. Clive, Walter Kingsford, and many others co-star in this movie.  This is an iconic character from this era that was portrayed in many novels and films and I supposed one could say he was the James Bond of that era.  These start from the early '20s and go into the late '60s.  The actors have varied and this was Milland's only portrayal.  I don't have much knowledge on the character but thought Milland was pretty fun in his role.  It was also good to see Milland play a good guy as he is known for his villainous or dark roles through the years.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Bay of Angels (1963):  I return to France for the second time this week where Jacques Demy wrote and directed this film.  Claude Mann stars in this film as bank clerk Jean Fournier whose colleague Caron, played by Paul Guers, is a gambler and gets Jean into it.  When Jean starts to have some success, he develops more of an obsession for it.  When at a casino, he meets a woman named Jackie, played by Jeanne Moreau, who has her own gambling addiction and they form a relationship where they rely on their luck at the roulette wheel.  This is part of the French New Wave and have seen a few of their selections.  So far, this is the one I like the most.   The main characters kept my attention the whole way through and is a very compelling film if you don't mind subtitles.  This is a great movie on love and addiction and is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The High Cost of Living (2010):  This is not one of those documentaries about a title might lead one to believe.  Deborah Chow wrote and directed this film.  Zach Braff stars as Henry who is a small-time drug dealer living in Canada and accidentally hits a woman named Nathalie, played by Isabelle Blais, who is also pregnant.  Nathalie's life changes when her baby dies and the guilt ridden Henry involves himself in her life not letting know he is the one guilty of the hit and run accident.  Patrick Labbe, Sean Lu, Anick Lemay, Mylene Savoie, Kyle Switzer, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a rather hard movie to watch in some ways with Nathalie dealing with her grief and Blais playing that role so well.  While it would be easy to hate Braff's character, he does play his likable Zach Braff self.  This is one that is driven by the characters with the leads working very well together.  This is a pretty underrated film that deserves a look.

The Fighter (1952):  Some might first think I'm talking about that movie with Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg until they see the year and while this movie deals with boxing, they are both different movies.  Herbert Kline directed this movie which is based on the story THE MEXICAN which was written by Jack London.  This movie combines boxing and Mexican revolutionaries.  Richard Conte stars as Felipe who finds he is gifted in boxing and is able to make some money in order to get the guns necessary to avenge the murder of his family.  Vanessa Brown, Lee J. Cobb, Frank Silvera, Roberta Haynes, Hugh Sanders, Claire Carleton, Martin Garralaga, and many others co-star in this film  I don't know how closely this follows London's material.  This is a pretty decent B-movie from the era and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Freaky Friday (1976):  This is my Disney selection for the week which was directed by Gary Nelson and based on the book by Mary Rodgers who also wrote the screenplay.  Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster star as mother-daughter combo Ellen and Annabel Andrews who each think the other has the easy life and make a fateful wish one Friday morning which results in their bodies switching.  Annabel is now in her mom's body and Ellen is in her daughter's body.  John Astin, Patsy Kelly, Dick Van Patten, Sorrell Booke, Alan Oppenheimer, Ruth Buzzi, Kaye Ballard, Marc McClure, Marie Windsor, and many others co-star in this film.  This is the first of four of these movies of the same title so this one kind of started it all.  For those who are fans of Foster in her adult roles should really check some of these where she is in her teen years.  This has some very comedic situations especially in the role reversal that takes place.  I also like how when they do switch bodies, they don't actually interact with each other.  This is a good family watch and is on Disney Plus along with the 2003 and 2018 versions.  I have seen the 2003 version which stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan which I felt was good in its own right and I'm sure the 2018 version accommodates to the new generation.  Let's not forget the one that started it all.

Fruitvale Station (2013):  Now I must bring everyone down a bit after my previous comedic selection.  Ryan Coogler wrote and directed this film which is based on a true story and is his directorial debut.  Michael B. Jordan stars as Oscar Grant III who only expects to celebrate the new year not knowing it would be his last day on earth when getting shot by a cop.  This movie depicts his last day as well as some flashbacks.  Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ohna O'Reilly, Ariana Neal, and many others co-star in this film.  This is rather predictable in terms of the ending and what would happen to Grant.  Coogler worked with Grant's family when writing this movie.  Spencer volunteered to forego her salary when funding fell through and Forest Whitaker was very instrumental in getting this film made.  This is a rather simple but effective film to show someone's day in a life not knowing what is coming later.

Well, that is it for this week but I brought back my segment of "The Bookworm Corner".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Robin Williams, and many others.

THE BOOKWORM CORNER

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (2015):  Most of my reads so far have been murder mystery and wrestler autobiographies.  I took an interest in this book when seeing this was part of a mini-book series at my local library which is called Women in Science Fiction.  I have thought about doing this book club thing but did not really want to do a year round one so I decided to check this one out.  This is the first book and is part of the "Broken Earth" trilogy with the other two books written by Jemisin.  This takes place on a supercontinent called the Stillness where every few centuries, the inhabitants endure what they call the "Fifth Season" of catastrophic climate change.  This is a world of many species, castes, orogenes and "comms".  This follows three different female orogenes in different eras.  The first one is for Essun which the book uses in second person form where she sets out to find the husband that murdered their son and took her daughter.  With this character, it is essentially us that make the journey with the author saying "you" and "your" in the place of her name Essun.  The second is of Damaya who is a young girl whose parents discover she is an orogene and has her taken where she is trained to controle her powers.  The third is Syenite who is a rising orogene and forced to be partnered with a man named Alabaster in order to conceive a child with him.  I have to admit this was quite a challenge to read and if it was not for this book club I likely would not have picked this up.  This is a very complex novel that required a lot of concentration on my part.  There were times where when reading this book, I would read out loud and probably looked really stupid when doing it in public but did what I had to do.  This was a book club meeting at the Mark III bar in my town of Muncie ran by Anthony the librarian.  My friend Dennis the Library Menace was also part of it and was able to keep me motivated.  At the meeting, I mostly had to listen and some of the views made this easier for me to understand.  I also picked up on things in the book that are more addressed in the other two books so I suppose I'll have to check them out at some point but may look to do an audiobook listen on this one before I do so.  With my upcoming play, I will not be able to attend the next two so I will look to obtain the book for May and get going on that one.  This was a rather cool experience and glad to have read something much different than I am used to reading.  If reading this book, it might be a good idea to encourage other friends to read as well, then have a discussion on it.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 737th Edition

Welcome to the 737th Edition of my series.  I am very excited about tonight where I get to see my favorite team the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl where they take on the Kansas City Chiefs.  I'm hoping the Niners continue their dominant ways but I know the reality of anything can happen so I will be glued to that television tonight.  Usually, I want to see a close game but with my own team in it, I just want a 49ers win even if it is a blowout.  I don't even care about the commercials and I'm okay with the halftime show of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.  I do feel people make too big of deal of a 15-20 minute concert sometimes.  I have also been working on a Russian accent this week in preparation to my upcoming play YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU which happens in April.  I think I've talked long enough so on with my selections for the week.

Glory (1989):  This is part four of my four-part Denzel Washington series and start the week out with this Civil War film which was directed by Edward Zwick and based on a book by Lincoln Kirstein.  Matthew Broderick stars as Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw who leads the first black regiment in the Civil War and must deal with with the prejudices of the enemy as well as from within his unit.  Cary Elwes co-stars as his Shaw's best friend Major Cabot Forbes who volunteers to work alongside Shaw with their friendship being tested in the way Shaw runs the army.  Morgan Freeman plays one of his usual inspirational characters in motivating his unit while keeping his friend Private Shaw, played by Washington, in line.  Andre Braugher, John Finn, Donovan Leitch Jr., JD Callum, Alan North, Bob Gunton, Cliff De Young, Richard Riehle, Mark Margolis, and many others co-star in this film.  This is more of an ensemble Civil War film which centers around the characters played by Broderick, Elwes, Freeman, Washington and even Braugher.  This is based on a real unit and is a pretty compelling story.  I didn't really know much about the actors at this time but appears Broderick kind of branched out from his usual comedic roles really showing his acting range as the inexperienced colonel.  This is really worth a look and maybe a good double feature could be Zwick's other Civil War era film THE LAST SAMURAI.

Ragtime (1981):  This is part three of my James Cagney trilogy which is his last feature film besides the 1984 tv movie TERRIBLE JOE MORAN.  This was also his first movie in 20 years.  Milos Forman directed this film which is based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow.  This features multiple stories in 1910s New York with the main one at focus is of Colehouse Walker Jr., played by Howard E. Rollins Jr., who is a black jazz pianist which does not sit will with some white people including a group of prejudice firemen that assault him and vandalize his car.  Through principle, he looks to get justice but to no avail and resorts to criminal activity.  Cagney gets top billing but is more of a supporting character as Commissioner Waldo.  It is more of an ensemble movie though where Brad Dourif, Moses Gunn, Elizabeth McGovern, Kenneth McMillan, Pat O'Brien, Donald O'Connor, James Olson, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, Debbie Allen, Jeffrey DeMunn, Robert Joy, Bruce Boa, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Frankie Faison, Richard Griffiths, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jeter, John Ratzenberger, and many others co-star in this film.  This is really a slice of life sort of movie from that era that deals with the prejudice that happened and even their own pop culture.  This is known to be a stage musical but this version is not a musical.  This is still a very compelling film with a great cast.

Katy Perry:  Part of Me (2012):  Leave it to me to go from the Civil War and the 1910s era to a documentary of a pop singer but that is what I do.  Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz directed this documentary which follows Katy Perry during her California Dreams World Tour.  This takes a look at the preparation that must happen and even the ups and downs of her own personal life.  There are also some biographical elements of her where her parents are both preachers and went from singing Gospel to what she does now.  I try not to dismiss other singers just because they are in the pop music genre and have found myself liking a lot of Perry's songs.  I do feel she sticks out from the other singers out there and does write much of her music.  This documentary does show the hard work that her and her team put on in order to put on the best show possible.  Those that absolutely do not like Perry likely will not like this movie but people at least tolerant of her should be able to enjoy this movie.

The Organ Grinder (1933):  This is my animated short for the week which features and organ grinder and his very talented monkey who can dance and do impressions like of Harpo Marx.  They go around the New York area performing for people in the streets.  This is a pretty fun few minutes and is available on the dvd of last week's feature of THE MAYOR OF HELL.

Treasure Island (1950):  Having been in a radio version of this story, I decided to take a look at this live action Disney movie.  Byron Haskin directed this film which is based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Bobby Driscoll stars as Jim Hawkins who is on board a ship to locate a buried treasure but the group must deal with a group of pirates lead by Long John Silver, played by Robert Newton.  Basil Sydney, Walter Fitzgerald, Denis O'Dea, Finley Currie, Geoffrey Keen, John Laurie, John Gregson, and many others co-star in this Disney film.  This is actually the first live-action movie from Disney which is obviously more known for their animation.  Newton was great as the famed pirate who started the fast food chain later in life and would go onto play Silver in a couple other movies.  I will look to keep everyone informed when the radio version that I was a part of is broadcast.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus along with other versions.

Annie Hall (1977):  Woody Allen directed and co-wrote this comedy in which he also stars as comedian Alvy Singer who is reflecting on his relationship with the title character, played by Diane Keaton.  With it, he reflects on his childhood that lead to his neurotic personality.  Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Janet Margolin, Colleen Dewhurst, Christopher Walken, John Glover, Jeff Goldblum, Shelley Hack, Beverley D'Angelo, Tracey Walter, Sigourney Weaver, and many others co-star in this comedy.  It it really hard to describe this movie in a simple way besides what I said.  This is an early film of breaking the fourth wall and thought of the much later tv series THE OFFICE in the way they sometimes talk into the camera.  There are a lot of other clever comedic elements worked into the comedy.  If you just cannot stand Woody, this probably is not one to watch but for others it will have some laughs.

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961):  Roger Corman directed this adaptation of the classic story from what you might call the grandfather of horror in Edgar Allen Poe.  I'm open to disagreement on that statement.  This takes place in the 16th Century where Francis Bernard, played by John Kerr, travels to a castle in Spain when learning of his sister's death.  Vincent Price stars as the sister's husband Nicholas Medina who tells Francis she died of a blood disease but he has a hard time believing that was what happened.  Barbara Steele, Luana Anders, Antony Carbone, Patrick Westwood, and many others co-star in this classic.  This is the second of Corman's Poe stories and would go onto do six more.  Price is cast perfectly as Medina.  Some might point to this as Corman's best work which could be justified.  This is a nice and creepy feel to it and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Goodbye, My Lady (1956):  William A. Wellman directed this film which is based on the novel by James Street.  Walter Brennan and Brandon De Wilde star as Jesse and Skeeter Jackson who are uncle and nephew living together in the Mississippi swamps.  They work everyday for survival and Skeeter encounters an unusual looking dog that no one knows the breed and Skeeter takes an immediate liking to it and is able to talk his uncle into keeping the dog.  They train the dog to be a bird dog and form a strong bond but soon learn the dog is missing and must decide what is best.  Phil Harris, Sidney Poitier, William Hopper, Louise Beavers, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty touch movie and any dog lover is going to take a liking to this.  Most would know De Wilde as the boy in SHANE and appears to have gone onto be a rather underrated child actor.  Brennan and De Wilde work very well together as what appears to be a great-uncle and nephew.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Parasite (2019):  This is my Korean film for the week and one that has won a lot of awards so I thought I'd give this a look.  Bong Joon Ho directed and co-wrote this film of an unemployed family and when one of them learns of a scheme to pose as a English tutor of a wealthy family, they all make their way into the family some way or another getting entangled in an unexpected incident.  Kang-Ho Song, Sun-Kyun Lee, Yeo- Jeong Jo, Woo-Sik Choi, So-Dam Park, Jeong-Eun Lee, Hye-Jin Jang, and many others co-star in this film.  I went in not really knowing a lot about this movie and did not expect to be so bizarre.  I was looking for a movie to see at my local movie theater where they have $5 off Tuesday and usually don't get the opportunity to see a foreign language film in the theaters so I jumped onto this one.  This could be described as a dark comedy in some ways.  There were many times I thought "wtf" but yet could not take my eyes off it.  There were also a lot of moments where I would laugh and feel kind of bad about it.  This is probably not one to take the kids to see but if you can tolerate subtitles and dark comedy this is worth a trip to the movie theaters.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007):  I end the week with this Romanian film which was presented to us at my local library as part of the monthly Cinemuncie film series brought to us by Dennis the Librarian Menace.  Cristian Mungiu wrote and directed this film that takes place in 1987 Romania.  Laura Vasiliu stars as Gabita who is in an unwanted pregnancy and is looking to get an abortion which is very illegal in that country.  Anamaria Marinca co-stars as Gabita's friend and roommate Otilia who looks to help her friend get the illegal abortion and finds an abortionist named Bebe, played by Vlad Ivanov.  Bebe agrees to do the job but at a price both financially and figuratively.  What is being described is likely not for everyone and is not the easiest movie to watch.  The camerawork is very interesting where it the camera work is done by a person following them and as someone referenced after the movie that we are a bit voyeuristic in a world we should not be in.  Before the movie Dennis talked to us about the Romanian New Wave of film that this movie is part of that focus on a realist and minimalist approach.  I am grateful that Dennis has the guts to put on movies like these in the library and this can be seen on the Criterion Channel.

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

Shaun Berks 10 Movie Recommendations- 736th Edition

Welcome to the 736th Edition of my series.  I am excited for the super bowl next week which features my team the San Francisco 49ers and hope to see them continue their winning ways.  I'm even okay with the halftime show of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, I'm sure that will be a lot of fun.  I would also like to announce that I am going to be making my debut at the Attic Theater in Elwood, Indiana where I am to play Boris Kolenkhov in the comedy YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU in April.  I will get more details in the coming weeks but for now I will get on with my selections.

Blessed is the Match:  The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh (2008):  I start the week out with this documentary which was directed by Robert Grossman.  Senesh was a Hungarian poet during WWII who was part of a group that parachuted in Yugoslavia to assist anti-nazi forces.  She was captured and tortured before being put to death.  Joan Allen does the voice of Hannah's mother in this documentary of someone from this era that not as talked about but is very significant.  This has interviews of friends and family as well as those who fought beside her during this time.

Unstoppable (2010):  This is part three of my four-part Denzel Washington series.  Tony Scott directed this film that is based on a true story.  A runaway train carrying cargo of toxic chemicals is on the loose where veteran engineer Frank and his conductor Will, played by Chris Pine, are in a separate locomotive and put their lives on the line to chase the train and save the town.  Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn, Kevin Corrigan, Kevin Chapman, Lew Temple, T.J. Miller, Jessy Schram, David Warshofsky, Andy Umberger, Elizabeth Mathis, Meagan Tandy, Dylan Bruce, Jeff Hochendoner, and many others co-star in this film.  I had no idea what to expect in this movie except it was an action movie of sorts with Washington and Pine.  I assumed it would be some cop movie but I was wrong.  It is really a rather inspiring story of these guys trying to do right even if their lives are on the line.  I also really liked how the community came together in their support for them.  I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.

Bird (1988):  Some might think this is about basketball legend Larry Bird but I'm sorry to disappoint that is not who this is about.  This is my music biopic for the week which was directed by Clint Eastwood.  Forrest Whitaker stars as famous jazz musician Charlie "Yardbird" Parker who rises to fame in New York City with his innovative ways of jazz but also gets a drug addiction.  Diane Venora co-stars as his wife Chan who tries to support him in his career as well as help him with his drug problem.  Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright, Keith David, Michael McGuire, James Handy, Damon Whitaker, Morgan Nagler, Arlen Dean Snyder, Sam Robards, Bill Cobbs, Tony Todd, Tony Cox, and many others co-star in this film.  Damon Whitaker is the nephew of Forrest and plays Parker as a child.  This focuses pretty equally on his music and drug problem so it can be very sad at times.  Whitaker does a great job at Parker who was very significant in the Jazz world.

Film (1965):  This is my silent short for the week which was directed by Samuel Beckett and Alan Schneider.  This is a silent short that stars silent film legend Buster Keaton who is silent comedy legend but this one is not so much a comedy.  Keaton is trying to evade the observation of an all-seeing eye.  This is hard to really explain and I just accidentally came across this but was intrigued right away.  This is silent to the core in terms of dialogue and even music.  I suppose a music score would have been nice but it was good to see this later work of Keaton doing a more dramatic role.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

The Mayor of Hell (1933):  This is part two of my James Cagney trilogy.  Archie Mayo directed this film which stars Cagney as gangster turned deputy commissioner Patsy Gargan.  He goes to a state reformatory which is for teen criminals and does not like the authoritarian way it is run and along with nurse Dorothy, played by Madge Evans, makes changes to show kids more meaning in their life.  Gargan's gangster past comes to haunt him and everything he works for gets jeopardized.  Arthur Byron, Allen Jenkins, Dudley Digges, Frankie Darro, Sheila Terry, Robert Barrat, Allen 'Farina' Hoskins, Harold Huber, Dorothy Peterson, G. Pat Collins, Edwin Maxwell, and many others co-star in this film.  This was remade in 1938 as CRIME SCHOOL with Humphrey Bogart and was the start of the Dead End Kids if I'm not mistaken.  While Cagney had top billing, it was centered around a teenage gang and most notably the headstrong Jimmy, played by Darro.  This is a much earlier role from Cagney and is worth a look.

Gentleman's Agreement (1947):  Elia Kazan directed this film which was based on the novel by Laura Z. Hobson.  Gregory Peck stars as reporter Philip Schuyler Green who is given an assignment to do an article on anti-semitism in America.  At first he is reluctant to take the assignment not knowing how to approach it but decides to pose as a Jewish person to experience the degree of racism and prejudice of Jewish people.  Dorothy McGuire co-stars as Kathy Lacy who is the niece of the publisher and forms a relationship with him but their relationship is affected when she does not really understand Green's vision of what he wants to do.  John Garfield, Celeste Holm, Anne Revere, June Havoc, Albert Dekker, Jane Wyatt, Dean Stockwell, Nicholas Joy, Sam Jaffe, Harold Vermilyea, and many others co-star in this film.  This is still very relevant today and while may be a bit outdated with the Jewish prejudice but can be applied to any other prejudice of today.

Dolemite (1975):  This is my Blaxploitation selection for the week which was inspired by the recent Netflix hit DOLEMITE IS MY NAME which I intend to see but wanted to check this one out first.  D'urville Martin directed this blaxploitation classic and also co-stars as an enemy of the title character.  Rudy Ray Moore stars as Dolemite who is a pimp and serving time but gets released to go after the man who set him up as well as some corrupt cops.  He gets a little help in the way of some female warriors who know martial arts.  This is a character that Moore developed as part of some stand-up comedy routines he was doing and then turned it into this movie.  This is not for everyone and must understand the genre of Blaxploitation to really get through this movie which have quite a bit of stereotypes.  If you can get past all that, this is pretty entertaining and a real guilty pleasure.  The mentioned Netflix movie is about the making of this movie from my understanding.  This movie is available on Amazon Prime so I recommend seeing this before the Netflix movie.

Captain Marvel (2019):  Now I bring the Marvel Cinematic Universe to this edition.  Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directed this superhero film which stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers who would become Captain Marvel and eventually help the Avengers in their fight against Thanos.  This one is more of an origin story for both her and even S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, and Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg.  Danvers is an Air Force pilot who crashes an experimental plane and things happen that give her the powers to become Captain Marvel.  She is eventually trained as a member of the Starforce Military under the command of Yon-Rogg, played by Jude Law.  Marvel ends up on earth and uncovers much of her past while teaming with Fury and Coulson.  Ben Mendelsohn, Annette Bening, Djimon Hounsou, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Rune Temte, Algenis Perez Soto, Mckenna Grace, Akira Akbar, Matthew Maher, Chuku Modu, Vik Sahay, Colin Ford, Kenneth Mitchell, London Fuller, and many others co-star in this film.  Stan Lee has a cameo and would pass away while they were editing.  This went out with some rather mixed reactions from fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  While this was not my favorite I thought it was very enjoyable.  I liked the origin story they did and even having Nick Fury when he was younger.  I thought they had some really good action scenes.  I also liked the '90s era it took place in and lots of reference to the grunge scene of the era that I grew up on.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

Giant (1956):  This is part one of a possible two-part Elizabeth Taylor series.  George Stevens directed this western epic which is based on the novel by Edna Ferber.  Rock Hudson stars as Texas rancher Bick Benedict who goes to a Maryland farm to buy a prized horse and while there he meets and falls in love with their daughter Leslie, played by Taylor.  They eventually marry and have a family.  This movie spans from two generations where Bick has a rivalry with his employee turned tycoon Jett Rink, played by our own Indiana resident James Dean.  Carroll Baker, Jane Withers, Mercedes McCambridge, Chill Wills, Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo, Rod Taylor, Judith Evelyn, Earl Holliman, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not a conventional western in the sense of gun battles and other things one might expect.  This centers around a ranch so I guess that is why it gets the western label.  This is my favorite of the James Dean trilogy and loved the evolution of the film through the generations, especially with Hudson's character who has one of the best fight scenes in film.  James Dean would die in a car crash having to have someone double for him for a few lines near the end.  There is so much to like about this movie in my opinion and is worth the three hours.  A good double feature might be to watch this followed by the much darker THERE WILL BE BLOOD which also deals with the discovery of oil.

Cobb (1994):  I end the week with this biopic which was directed by Ron Shelton and based on a book and article by Al Stump, played by Robert Wuhl.  Tommy Lee Jones stars as aging baseball legend Ty Cobb who hires Stump to help write his autobiography.  Cobb had a reputation of being very feared and despised and as Stump gets to know Cobb, he finds the the general public is right.  Cobb is demanding the story be told in his own way while Stump is secretly writing a more truthful story.  Lolita Davidovich, Ned Bellamy, Scott Burkholder, Lou Myers, William Utay, J. Kenneth Campbell, Rhoda Griffis, Bradley Whitford, and many others co-star in this film.  Also look for legendary pitcher Roger Clemens who plays a pitcher in one of the games and look for a bit role from Jimmy Buffett.  Some sports films are done in an inspirational way but this is not an inspirational film by any means.  Jones does play the role to perfection and is a more underrated performance of his career.

Well, that is it for this week but I did return with my "Fun and Useless Facts" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Denzel Washington, James Cagney, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

As always, I focus on connections between movies and not so much actors within the same movie.  Also, CAPTAIN MARVEL has a middle and end credit scene and did not include anyone that only appeared in that particular scene.  As always, I'm sure there is plenty I missed so please leave anything you see in the comments.

Denzel Washington (Unstoppable) and Samuel L. Jackson (Captain Marvel) were in the 1990 film MO' BETTER BLUES.

Joan Allen (Blessed is the Match) and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) were in the 2015 film ROOM.

Kevin Dunn (Unstoppable) and Tommy Lee Jones (Cobb) were in the 1998 animated movie SMALL SOLDIERS.

Joan Allen (Blessed is the Match) and Kevin Dunn (Unstoppable) were in the 1995 movies NIXON and MAD LOVE.

Kevin Chapman (Unstoppable) was in the 2003 film MYSTIC RIVER which was directed by Clint Eastwood (Bird director)

Joan Allen (Blessed is the Match) and David Warshofsky (Unstoppable) were in the 1997 action film FACE/OFF which is still one of my favorites.

David Warshofsky (Unstoppable) and Tommy Lee Jones (Cobb) were in the 2012 biopic LINCOLN.

Forest Whitaker (Bird) and Jude Law (Captain Marvel) were in the 2010 movie REPO MEN.

David Warshofsky (Unstoppable) and Forrest Whitacker (Bird) were in the 2014 movie TAKEN 3

Forest Whitaker (Bird) and Tommy Lee Jones (Cobb) were in the 1994 action movie BLOWN AWAY.

Andy Umbarger (Unstoppable) and Samuel L. Jackson (Captain Marvel) were in the 2005 film COACH CARTER.

Keith David (Bird) and Tommy Lee Jones (Cobb) were in the 1997 movie VOLCANO.

Denzel Washington (Unstoppable) and Forest Whitaker (Captain Marvel) were in the 2007 film THE GREAT DEBATORS

James Handy (Bird) and Samuel L. Jackson (Captain Marvel) were in the 2000 film UNBREAKABLE.

Lew Temple (Unstoppable) and Morgan Nagler (Bird) were in the 2005 film DOMINO.

Sam Robards (Bird) and Jude Law (Captain Marvel) were in the 2001 film A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Rosario Dawson (Unstoppable) and Tony Todd (Bird) were in the the 2019 animated superhero movies REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN and THE DEATH AND RETURN OF SUPERMAN where Dawson voiced Wonder Woman and Todd voiced the powerful villain Darkseid.

Clint Eastwood (Bird director) and Tommy Lee Jones (Cobb) flew in a space mission in the 2000 movie SPACE COWBOYS in which Eastwood also directed.

Kevin Dunn (Unstoppable) and Tony Todd (Bird) were in the 2009 action movie TRANSFORMERS:  REVENGE OF THE FALLEN.

Alan Jenkins (The Mayor of Hell) and Rock Hudson (Giant) were in the 1959 comedy PILLOW TALK.

Denzel Washington (Unstoppable) and Dean Stockwell (Gentleman's Agreement) were in the 2004 remake of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE.

Gregory Peck (Gentleman's Agreement) was considered for the role of James Ferraday in the 1968 film ICE STATION ZEBRA which would ultimately go to Rock Hudson (Giant)

Kevin Corrigan (Unstoppable), Samuel L. Jackson (Captain Marvel), and Dennis Hopper (Giant) were in the 1993 film TRUE ROMANCE.

Anne Revere (Gentleman's Agreement) and Elizabeth Taylor (Giant) were in the 1944 film NATIONAL VELVET and the 1951 film A PLACE IN THE SUN.

James Cagney (The Mayor of Hell) and Samuel L. Jackson (Captain Marvel) were in the 1981 film RAGTIME where Jackson had a bit role early in his career.

Albert Dekker (Gentleman's Agreement) and James Dean (Giant) were in the 1955 film EAST OF EDEN.

Forest Whitaker (Bird) and Ben Mendelsohn (Captain Marvel) were in the the 2016 film ROGUE ONE:  A STAR WARS STORY.

Dean Stockwell (Gentleman's Agreement) and Dennis Hopper (Giant) were in the 1986 film BLUE VELVET.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 735th Edition

Welcome to the 735th Edition of my series.  It's been a rather busy week.  I got myself cast in the radio play TREASURE ISLAND at the Richmond Civic Theater as part of their Richmond Radioworks.  We rehearsed the show for a week and yesterday we did the recording for the show.  I played the roles of Black Dog, Captain Smollett, and, Tom Morgan.  They still have some sound effects and editing to do in order to make the final product.  This will air on some station in Richmond and they do have a website.  I will keep posted on when that gets aired.  Tonight, I will be glued to the football game when the 49ers take on the Packers and I'm hoping the Niners will advance to the Super Bowl.  Not much else happening so I'll just get on with my selections.

He Got Game (1998):  This is part two of a possible four-part Denzel Washington series.  Spike Lee wrote and directed this basketball film.  NBA legend Ray Allen stars as Jesus Shuttlesworth who is a high school basketball star and the most sought after player.  Denzel co-stars as Jesus's estranged father Jake who has been in prison and is released to convince his son to sign with the governor's alma mater university.  Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson, Hill Harris, Zelda Harris, Ned Beatty, Jim Brown, Joseph Lyle Taylor, Bill Nunn, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Roger Guinveur Smith, John Turturro, Lonette McKee, Arthur J. Nascarella, Rick Fox, and many others co-star in this film.  Also look for porn star Chasey Lain who would probably become more known in 2000 when the Bloodhound Gang wrote a song about her.  There are also some cameos from a few people in the basketball world.  This is a pretty good look into the world of urban basketball.  Washington was also really good as Jake who was trying to reconnect with his family.  Spike Lee originally had Kobe Bryant in mind to play Jesus Shuttlesworth but he declined and Allen held his own with the cast.  This also has a pretty good rap soundtrack, a lot of which from Public Enemy.

Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940):  This is my Disney short for the week which centers around Donald Duck.  Donald is heading to meet up with Daisy but his nephews Huey, Dewie, and Louie follow their uncle with Donald trying to ditch them but to no success.  We eventually get to see Donald do the Jitterbug.  Clarence Nash voices all five characters very well and each one being very distinct  A question I thought of though was do Huey, Dewie, and Louie know who their parents are?  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

One, Two, Three (1961):  This is part of a possible James Cagney series.  Billy Wilder directed this comedy that takes place in West Berlin during the Cold War.  Cagney stars as C.R. MacNamara who is an executive with Coca-Cola in West Berlin.  His life spins out of control when he is charged with watching the boss's daughter Scarlett, played by Pamela Tiffin.  She ends up marrying Otto, Horst Buchholz, who is a staunch communist and everyone else looks to make him presentable to his new father in law.  Pamea Tiffin, Arlene Francis, Howard St. John, Leon Askin, Hubert Von Meyerinck, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is one of those that is hard to really put into words.  It is essentially satire on the Cold War.  This was Cagney's last movie until his actual last movie in 1981 where he was in RAGTIME.  A good double feature would be to watch this along with this one would be the 1964 film DR. STRANGELOVE which also has an interesting reference to Coke and has a rather similar message, just darker than the one featured.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008):  Peter Sollett directed this comedy which is based on the novel by Rachel Cohn.  Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star as the title characters.  Nick is going through a breakup and Norah's concerns seem to lie on the local music scene.  They have a chance encounter where they become friends and are looking for the same band.  Along the way among their friends, they go on a series of misadventures while slowly forming a relationship as long as Nick can let go of Tris, played by Alexis Dziena.  Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron, Ari Graynor, Jonathan B. Wright, Zackary Booth, Jay Baruchel, Seth Meyers, Lorene Scafaria, Andy Samberg, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Frankie Faison, John Cho, Kevin Corrigan, John Cantwell, and many others co-star in this comedy or have cameos.  This is a pretty funny movie with the leads working very well together.  It is also a nice homage to the local music scene.

The Skin Game (1931):  This is some early work from Alfred Hitchcock and based on a play by John Galsworthy.  This centers around a family feud between the Hillcrests and Hornblowers.  The Hillcrest family are upset with Mr. Hornblower, played by Edmund Gwenn long before his iconic role of Kris Kringle in MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, who buying land and evicting tenant farmers.  Helen Haye, Jill Esmond, John Longden, Phyllis Konstam, Frank Lawton, and many others co-star in this film.  I usually favor Hitchcock's much later work in the '50s and '60s but this is still a pretty compelling watch about feuding families.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel but is leaving at the end of the month as well as some other Hitch selections.

Beast (2017):  Michael Pearce wrote and directed this independent film.  Jessie Buckley stars as Moll who lives in a tiny island community and is pretty much the black sheep of her family.  She meets the charming and intriguing Pascal, played by Johnny Flynn, who she forms a relationship with but he is a suspect in a series of murders.  Geraldine James, Charley Palmer Rothwell, Shannon Tarbet, Trystan Gravelle, Emily Taaffe, Hattie Gotobed, co-star in this film.  This is loosely based on a real-life person dubbed the Beast of Jersey.  This was really driven most by the chemistry of Buckley and Flynn.  Pearce makes his feature film debut with this one and is quite a start so hopefully things will just continue to improve.

The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975):  This is my tv movie for the week which was directed by Paul Wendkos.  Our favorite tv witch Elizabeth Montgomery takes a darker turn when playing Lizzie Borden who was the main suspect in the ax murders of her father and stepmother which happened in 1882 Massachusetts.  This movie mostly centers around Borden's trial which was quite a spectacle.  Fionnula Flanagan, Ed Flanders, Katherine Helmond, Don Porter, Fritz Weaver, Bonnie Bartlett, John Beal, Gloria Stuart, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  This was broadcast on ABC and was pretty daring for its time.  This is a legend that has lived on through many generations and strangely inspiring a nursery rhyme.  Montgomery was a real-life cousin of Borden and portrayed her cousin very well.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

Free Solo (2018):  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.  I know some might look at this title and think it is about people banding together to get Han Solo free from the frozen carbonate but this movie has nothing to do with STAR WARS.  This centers around Alex Honnald who attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb El Capitan.  For those who do not know, free solo is climbing without any kind of wires.  The documentary centers around all the preparation it took for this to happen and some of the footage of the climb.  Honnold himself is already a fascinating person and his climbing exploits make this a must watch documentary.  There is not much more to say on this one except that this is available to watch on Disney Plus.

A Cantebury Tale (1944):  Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger wrote and directed this film.  Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, and Dennis Price all play different characters who arrive in a British town and unexpectedly come together to investigate some strange crimes going on in the town.  John Sweet, Esmond Knight, Charles Hawtry, Hay Petrie, George Merritt, Edward Rigby, Freda Jackson, and many others co-star in this film.  This is one that is really hard to describe.  It takes place during WWII and involves a couple soldiers but it is not a war film.  Something I found when looking into this is that GONE WITH THE WIND author Margaret Mitchell was on her way to see this movie and was hit by a speeding car in which she would die days later.  The movie has a fair amount of comedy in it and is driven well by the main characters.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Collection.

About Elly (2009):  I end the week with this Iranian film which was directed by Asghar Farhadi.  Golshifteh Farahani stars as Sepideh who invites her friend Elly, played by Taraneh Alidoosti, to join her and the family for a weekend at seaside.  Elly is also the Kindergarten teacher for Sepideh's daughter.  Elly eventually disappears and Sepideh and the family must figure out what happened which lead to a lot of secrets.  This is a pretty good story of how something like a disappearance affects each person in a different way.  This is another one that words don't really describe very well except it is a good story with good performances and deserves a look.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Joan Allen, Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood, Buster Keaton, and many others.