Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 753rd Edition

Welcome to the 753rd Edition of my series.  I hope all is having a good Memorial Day weekend and for me it was a birthday weekend as my birthday was last Friday.  It was a bit disappointing that I could not sing karaoke but I know I will soon.  As you can see at the end, new dates have been announced for YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU in Elwood which are on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Yes, that is unusual for theater but our director wanted to retain the original cast put together at the beginning of the year and that was the only way.  There is not much else happening so I'll just bring my selections for the week.

Five (2011):  I start the week out with this ensemble drama that have five interconnected stories of breast cancer and the impact it has on their lives and the lives around them.  Jennifer Aniston, Patty Jenkins, Alicia Keys, Demi Moore, and Penelope Spheeris each direct a segment of this movie.  Each one has kind of a variety of ways of dealing with their issue.  Jeanne Tripplehorn is the closest to the star of this film where she plays the doctor who must give them the dreaded news and help however she can.  Patricia Clarkson, Rosario Dawson, Lyndsy Fonseca, Ginnifer Goodwin, Ava Acres, Carla Gallo, Aisha Hinds, Josh Holloway, Jennifer Morrison, Austin Nichols, Annie Potts, Xander Berkeley, Kathy Najimy, Romy Rosemont, Tony Shalhoub, Jenifer Lewis, Trecee Ellis Ross, Jeffrey Tambor, David Eigenberg, Taylor Kinney, Bob Newhart, Ravi Patel, Alan Ruck, Scott Wilson, Talyan Wright, Mark Daneri, and many others co-star in this Lifetime tv movie.  This is a pretty insightful film on a dreaded topic that is sad at times but also inspires and brings a few laughs like Clarkson's character staging her own funeral.

Captain America:  The First Avenger (2011):  I go from a Lifetime drama to the MCU superhero film.  Joe Johnston directed this origin story of Captain America.  After being in rather average superhero films as the Human Torch in THE FANTASTIC FOUR movies, Chris Evans finds his niche as the very patriotic Steve Rogers.  This starts out during WWII where at this time Steve is a very short person and has a lot of disease that get him rejected from military activity.  He feels that it is his duty to serve no matter how weak he might be.  Dr. Abraham Erskine, played by Stanley Tucci, recruits him to be a part of the secret Project Rebirth where Steve becomes a whole new person in terms of his body.  At first Rogers as used as the propaganda piece Captain America but feeling he is not being used right, he leads a rescue mission with the help of Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, and goes after the Nazi group HYDRA, lead by Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving.  This also shows how Captain America gets to the modern era to join the Avengers.  Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Dominic Cooper, Richard Armitage, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Kenneth Choi, JJ Feild, Bruno Ricci, Lex Shrapnel, Michael Brandon, Martin Sherman, Natalie Dormer, and many others co-star in this superhero film.  I feel his solo movies are the best of the MCU thought CAPTAIN AMERICA:  CIVIL WAR was more of an Avengers movie.  I really enjoyed this origin story that would lead to two more Captain America and a pretty good tv series in AGENT CARTER.  This is available on Amazon Prime and Disney Plus and is the last movie before the first Avengers film of the MCU series.

Once Upon a Mattress (2005):  This is technically an episode of THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY where they adapt the popular musical which is a version of the fairy tale THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA.  Kathleen Marshall directed this tv movie based on the musical by Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer.  Carol Burnett stars as the tyrannical Queen Aggravain who has decreed that no one in the town can marry until her son Prince Dauntless, played by Denis O'Hare, but none of the potential princesses seem to be able to pass the Queen's tests and get rejected.  Things get difficult for the Queen when Princess Winnifred, played by Tracey Ullman, comes along and shows she is hard to get rid of and determined to marry Dauntless.  Zooey Deschanel, Matthew Morrison, Michael Boatman, Tom Smothers, Edward Hibbert, Michelle Harrison, and many others co-star in this musical.  This is a pretty fun adaptation of the musical with Ullman clearly enjoying her role and Burnett very enjoyable as the Queen.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

An American Girl (1958):  This is my short film for the week.  This centers around a teenage girl named Norma who decides to wear a Jewish charm bracelet that she received for her birthday.  When wearing this, she discovers anti-semitism  and prejudice attitudes from her friends.  This is a pretty early look at the prejudices of the world and starts by saying "This film is dedicated to America's teen-agers and to their unerring instinct for juvenile DECENCY.  This short film has no film credits and no one seems to know the actress playing the role of Norma.  A young Patty Duke plays her little sister and Frank Overton and Audra Lindley play her parents.  This is about a half hour long and can be found on Youtube as well as Amazon Prime in the "Prejudice Films" which has a handful of short films.

Young and Innocent (1937):  Alfred Hitchcock directed this film which has possibly his favorite story elements of the wrongly accused and based on the novel by Josephine Tey.  Derrick De Marney stars as writer Robert Tisdall who comes across an actress girlfriend who has died and when trying to report it is immediately suspected.  Nova Pilbeam co-stars as Erica who is the daughter of the police constable and goes with Robert upon his escape believing his innocence and they must set out to find the real person.  Percy Marmont, Edward Rigby, Mary Clare, John Longden, Basil Radford, George Merritt, J.H. Roberts, and many others co-star in this film.  As I said in the beginning, this was Hitchcock's favorite sort of element in dealing with the wrongly accused.  I thought this one one of Hitchcock's better movies from this era with Tisdall and Pilbeam working very well together.  I also thought this was the best Hitchcock cameo I have seen where is a photographer.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Mechanic (1972):  Michael Winner directed this action film that centers around the world of hitmen where they are referred to by the title.  Charles Bronson stars as Arthur Bishop who has been a hit man for a long time and is looking to retire.  Jan-Michael Vincent co-stars as Steve McKenna, a young man wanting to learn the trade and is brought in by Arthur as an apprentice.  Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland, Frank DeKova, James Davidson, Lindsay Crosby, and many others co-star in this action film.  It is hard to really explain this movie much further without giving it away.  I personally prefer the remake years later with Jason Statham but this still is watchable and kind of a star making role for Bronson who a couple years later would be in one of his most known movies DEATH WISH.

Escape at Dannemora (2018):  This is my mini-series for the week which was directed by Ben Stiller and created by Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin.  Benicio Del Toro and Paul Dano star as prison inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat who are planning a prison escape with the help of prison employee Tilly Mitchell, played by Patricia Arquette, and both have been with Tilly romatically.  Bonnie Hunt, Eric Lange, David Morse, Jeremy Bobb, Michael Beasley, Calvin Dutton, Dominic Colon, Gregory Dann, Johanna Day, Carolyn Mignini, Michael Imperioli, Jim Parrack, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  This has seven episodes roughly around an hour with the last one more like an hour and a half.  This is based on the actual 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape.  Arquette is nearly unrecognizable as Tilly who the movie revolves around most in her job and her troubled marriage.  This was originally shown on Showtime and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Carnival Story (1954):  Kurt Neumann directed by this movie which obviously centers around a carnival.  This is a struggling American carnival group that relocates to Germany.  Anne Baxter stars as pickpocket Willi who gets a job through Joe the Barker, played by Steve Cochran, after he catches her trying to pickpocket him.  Lyle Bettger co-stars as high diver Frank who recruits Willi to be his assistant and falls in love with her which leads to a love triangle and tragedy.  George Nader, Jay C. Flippen, Helene Stanley, Ady Berber, and many others co-star in this carnival melodrama.  The movie is billed as "An American carnival in Germany sets the scene for sin, sex, and melodrama" but is a more simple story of a scheming young girl.  It also does a good job of conveying the carny life from that era.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Salesman (1969):  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin.  This takes a look at a few men who are door to door salesman at a company that sells expensive bibles.  Most of the people they talk to are rather low income people who cannot afford that fancy bible but they are still relentless in their sales.  This also shows the struggles of being homesick and burnout.  I once played a bible salesman in a play but cannot imagine that sort of job in real-life.  There is not much more I can say on this except it is a pretty compelling documentary from that time.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Best in Show (2000):  I end the week with this great mockumentary after hearing that Fred Willard unfortunately left us and I can't think of a better movie to pay homage to Willard in my favorite role of his as the rather inappropriate color commentator of a dog show.  Christopher Guest directed and co-stars in this comedy that centers around the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show.  This takes a look at a very diverse group of people entering their dog into the dog show.  Willard, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Bob Balaban, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Patrick Cranshaw, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Larry Miller, Ed Begley Jr., Jim Piddock, Jay Brazeau, Lewis Arquette, Will Sasso, and many others co-star in this classic comedy.  As indicated in the beginning, this is shot like a documentary and the cast work great together in a movie that is mostly improv from the actors.  I always thought Posey was the most entertaining along with Willard's color commentator character.  The whole movie though is hilarious remaining one of my favorites.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for "The Bookworm Corner" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.

THE BOOKWORM CORNER

I decided to do a binge on the novels of Elmore Leonard and to those that feature the character Raylan Givens that was made famous on the FX series JUSTIFIED.  People know right away about authors like Stephen King, John Grisham, and Tom Clancy but I feel Elmore Leonard is a bit underrated even though many of his books have been adapted for television and film which include GET SHORTY, OUT OF SIGHT, and JACKIE BROWN.  When I was in high school, for English class, we had to read 300 pages of a book and then have a verbal report of it with the teacher at the end of the grading period.  I was not much of a reader but I set out to find me a book at the book store that might interest me so I came across his book MAXIMUM BOB, which was also a tv series that was unfortunately short lived, and when I started reading that book I was hooked and used quite a bit of his books to get me through Outside Reading.  I credit Elmore for getting me through high school in some ways.

Pronto (1993):  This is the first of the four novels by Leonard that feature United States Marshall Raylan Givens.  This centers around Miami bookie Harry Arno who has been operating for twenty years and has been skimming profits for the twenty years.  He is looking to retire in Italy along with his girlfriend Joyce but local mobster Jimmy Cap looks to put a hit on him.  U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens is trying to get Arno to testify (in front of a grand jury but is able to flee Givens and go to Italy in hopes of hanging out.  Givens has an idea of where he is going and goes out there to catch as well as protect Arno but there are also some of Jimmy Cap's men also looking for Arno to kill.  Like just about all of Leonard's books, it is a very complex story yet also very easy to follow and enjoy.

Riding the Rap (1995):  This is a sequel to the 1993 book.  This continues with bookie Harry Arno who is kidnapped by an unlikely trio that involves a Palm Beach pothead, a Bahamian ex-con, and a Puerto Rican gardener turned mob enforcer in hopes to be able to get the ransom from one of Harry's offshore accounts.  They figure no one will care when Harry goes missing but Raylan Givens learns of it and takes it upon himself to find Harry.  The last person to see Harry was a psychic named Dawn who Raylan tries to determine if she is legit or in on the kidnapping.  I actually liked this one better than the first.  This has a very clever story and is a great two-part novel which is easier to understand having read the first but is not a requirement.

Fire in the Hole and Other Stories (2012):  This is a collection of short stories by Leonard, the title story is the one that includes Raylan and the basis for the FX series JUSTIFIED.  There is another story that features his female marshall Karen Sisco who was feature in his book OUT OF SIGHT and in this which was made into a movie with Jennifer Lopez as the character and a short lived tv series called KAREN SISCO which stars Carla Gugino as the title character.  I remember being disappointed at the cancellation of that show.  The story in this book is KAREN MAKES OUT where there is more to her man than meets the eye.  There are seven other stories in this book and is very diverse including the Civil War, unhappy marriages, insurance fraud, to name a few.  Some are shorter, some are longer but they are all compelling stories.

Raylan:  a Novel (2012):  This book is based on JUSTIFIED and was written after the writers encouraged him Leonard to write this book which was used in parts of the series and would unfortunately be his last book before his death in 2013 with a career that is hard to match with all the books and the movies and tv shows his books would inspire.  In this one, Raylan returns to his town of Harlan County, Kentucky to investigate Dickie and Coover Crowe who are known for drug dealing but appear to be involved in an body organ theft ring.  As he investigates, he finds it is gets far deeper than he thought.  This book as quite an array of interesting characters and twists.  I have not seen this series yet but I intend to get started very soon.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 752nd Edition

Welcome to the 752nd Edition of my series.  I have been releasing these in the Fortress of Solitude lately but today I bring this from my local coffee place the Cup which they have open outside.  All I will say for now is I hope everyone is staying safe and even enjoying getting out more if that is what they want.  I will just go ahead and get to my selections for the week.

All the Way (2016):  I start the week out with this political biopic which was directed by Jay Roach and based on a play by Robert Schenkkan who wrote the screenplay.  This starts right after Lyndon B. Johnson, played by BREAKING BAD alum Bryan Cranston, gets the presidency after the assassination of JFK.  This mainly centers around LBJ carrying on JFK's intention of passing a civil rights bill with the help of Martin Luther King Jr., played by Anthony Mackie, in a very uneasy working relationship.  MLK looks to make sure that not only the bill gets passed but that it also does not get "gutted".  Johnson finds that his fellow politicians will not make this easy to pass.  Melissa Leo, Frank Langella, Bradley Whitford, NEWSRADIO alum Stephen Root, Todd Weeks, Ray Wise, Ken Jenkins, Dohn Norwood, Mo McRae, Marque Richardson, Aisha Hinds, Joe Morton, and many other co-star in this political film.  Cranston plays LBJ to perfection and won a Tony award for when it was on stage.  I think something like this would be an interesting play to be in and maybe one day it will happen.  This is a pretty good humanistic look at our former president in his struggle to keep everyone on his side.

Hesher (2010):  Spencer Susser directed and co-wrote this film.  Devin Brochu stars as T.J., a high school freshman who lost his mother and living with his father Paul, played by THE OFFICE alum Rainn Wilson, and his rather senile grandmother, played by Piper Laurie.  Paul's way of dealing with the loss of his wife is to lie around on the couch popping pills leaving T.J. to mostly do his own thing.  He soon meets Hesher, played by THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN alum Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who makes his way into T.J.'s life by bringing him along for his life of crime and moving into their home as a squatter.  Natalie Portman co-stars as Nicole who is a struggling grocery story employee that befriends T.J. when she stops him from being bullied.  John Carroll Lynch, Brendan Hill, Monica Staggs, Mary Elizabeth Barrett, Audrey Wasilewski, Lyle Kanouse, Frank Collison, Van Epperson, Helen Slayton-Hughes, Paul Bates, and many others co-star in this film.  Part of this movie is a very moving story but there are many moments with the title character that just made me think "wtf".  Levitt clearly had a lot of fun playing this part where you just cannot take your eyes off him.  The soundtrack consists of mostly Metallica and Motorhead.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime and Hoopla Digital.

Shut Up and Play the Hits (2012):  This is my music documentary for the week which was directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern.  This centers around the rock band LCD Soundsystem and the final show they played on April 2nd, 2011 at Madison Square Garden.  This goes back and forth with concert footage and interview footage mostly with their lead singer James Murphy who reflects on how he got into the music game a lot older in life than others and the ramifications of having his final show.  They would go onto reunite and release a new album in 2017 and perform.  I admit that I really don't know a lot about this band but they did have some good music with the song I recognized which was SOMEONE GREAT.  James Murphy is also a very fascinating person in the interview footage as well as the backstage footage of him preparing what he thought at the time was their last show but like wrestling, the music industry is a hard business to get away from.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Billy Blazes, Esq. (1919):  This is my silent comedy short for the week which is a western short.  Silent comedy legend Harold Lloyd stars as the title character who confronts Crooked Charley, played by Snub Pollard, on the way he has been ruling the town of Peaceful Vale through fear and violence.  Bebe Daniels co-star in this silent comedy.  This is an earlier one for Lloyd and had some pretty amusing gags as the gunslinger.  Lloyd is a lot of times referred to as "The Third Genius" in reference to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton who are far more known by today's standards.  I have heard that at the time Lloyd was just as popular if not more popular in the box office.  This was worth about 13 minutes and is available on the Criterion Channel.

Hot Rod Girl (1956):  This was a pretty popular genre in this era involving hot rods and drag racing which was directed by Leslie H. Martinson.  John Smith stars as Jeff whose brother dies in a hot rod race and blames himself for what happened because he built the car and encouraged his brother to race.  Chuck Connors co-stars as Detective Merrill who knows he cannot stop the dangerous hot rod racing so he is trying to get a more organized setting for it to become safer but becomes more difficult when a bad crime happens.  Lori Nelson, Frank Gorshin, Dabbs Greer , and many others co-star in this hod rod movie.  Gorshin would go onto be most known as the Riddler in the '60s sitcom BATMAN.  This is good for what it is, a drag racing movie.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Third Secret (1964):  I had not heard of this movie until my friend Larry made a post about watching and mentioning the debut of Dame Judi Dench.  Charles Crichton directed this mystery film.  A psychiatrist is believed to have killed himself but his daughter Catherine, played by Pamela Franklin, refuses to believe her father would ever kill himself.  She enlists the help of his former patient Alex Stedman, played by Stephen Boyd, who is now a reporter to investigate the death.  Jack Hawkins, Richard Attenborough, Diane Cilento, Paul Rogers, Alan Webb, Rachel Kempson, Peter Sallis, Patience Collier, Freda Jackson, Judi Dench, Peter Copley, Nigel Davenport, and many others co-star in this mystery.  As mentioned, this is Dench's film debut and was the start of quite a career.  It is really hard to describe this movie without just giving it away.  I was able to find a free version to watch on Youtube.  I have found in the past with youtube that the transfer is not always that good but this one is a really good looking copy and is really worth a look.

Devil's Playground (2002):  This is my second documentary for the week which was directed by Lucy Walker.  This takes a look at some Amish communities and mostly their youth when they experience Rumspringa.  For those that do not know, when they turn 16 they get to experience life for the first time after spending most of their time working and at church services.  They are out in public and having parties that usually involve alcohol and possibly drugs.  They also get to drive cars whereas they usually have a horse and buggy.  As time goes on, they must decide if they want to join the church and continue living the Amish way of life.  This takes a look at a variety of kids in their experience.  It takes a look at the overlooked drug problems and other things like depression among the Amish.  A lot of this was shot in the northern part of Indiana where I have family.  There is also some footage in Sarasota, Florida where my Uncle Cal and Aunt Marcia around fall and winter and then live back in Northern Indiana around the spring and summer seasons so I thought that was cool to see.  This is a rare look into the Amish community as they are big on privacy and takes a look at a very diverse group.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974):  This is an homage to Jerry Stiller who plays the dispatcher in this movie and recently left us.  Joseph Sargent directed this film based on the novel by John Godey.  Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, and HOME IMPROVEMENT alum Earl Hindman team up as a group of criminals to hijack a New York subway train.  Walter Matthau stars as wisecracking Lt. Zach Garber who is a transit cop and the main communication with the hijackers and NYPD.  He does what he can to lead the charge and get the passengers to safety.  James Broderick, Dick O'Neill, Lee Wallace, Tom Pedi, Nathan George, Rudy Bond, Kenneth McMillan, EVERYBODY LOVE RAYMOND alum Doris Roberts, Julius Harris, and many others co-star in this action film.  Hindman is known as Wilson in HOME IMPROVEMENT whose face was always hidden.  This is a very gritty and compelling action film that works on many levels.  This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital.

Shockproof (1949):  This is my film noir for the week which was directed by Douglas Sirk.  Patricia Knight stars as Jenny Marsh who gets paroled from prison for killing a man.  Cornel Wilde stars as her parole officer Griff Marat who is determined to help her go straight even with her criminal boyfriend Harry, played by John Baragrey, interfering.  As time goes on, Griff begins to fall for Jenny which can be detrimental to his future.  Esther Minciotti, Howard St. John, Russell Collins, Charles Bates, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a bit unrealistic at times but is still worth watching.  I think it could have been better with a better ending but that's just my opinion.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Shoplifters (2018):  I end the week with this Japanese film which was written and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda.  This centers around a family that resorts to shoplifting to make ends meet.  Lily Franky and Sakuro Ando star as married couple Osamu and Nobuyo who see over a non-biological family.  They resort to shoplifting to make ends meet and survive.  They find a little girl named Yuri, played by Miyu Sasaki, who is alone and they take in at least for the night.  When about to return her to her home, they find evidence of abuse and keep her.  Kirin Kiki, Maya Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a good portrait of a family that appears to have come together out of survival.  It is rather sad at times but also moving on how much they care for one another despite their questionable choices.  This is available to watch on Hulu.

Well, that is it for this week, continue on for my segment "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville" where I continue to pay homage to Jerry Stiller.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Rosario Dawson, Samuel L. Jackson, Zooey Deschanel, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Bronson, and many others.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

Hairspray (1988):  Knowing that I would be watching this really soon, I hit up Stephanie to see if she had the dvd.  I was under the impression she did but I was wrong and responded with "I wish I did".  When I received this on dvd and we were out and about I asked if she'd be interested in watching it so I went home to get it.  John Waters wrote and directed this comedy.  A young Ricki Lake stars as the pleasantly plump Tracy Turnblad who wants to be a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show which I suppose is the equivalent of AMERICAN BANDSTAND.  She finds it tough at first with her size but makes her way into the show and then looks to become an advocate for integration to allow the black race to be on the show.  Divine co-stars as Tracy's supportive mother Edna and Stiller co-stars as Tracy's father Wilbur.  Sonny Bono, Debbie Harry, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Michael St. Gerard, Mink Stole, Shawn Thompson, Ric Ocasek, Pia Zadora, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This would give way to the popular musical we know today.  This one is a bit darker so I know a few who have cited dislike towards this version but credit must be given where due.  In the end, this is about fighting for what you believe in and that is what Tracy Turnblad exemplifies.  This was an enjoyable watch and her seven year old son walked in from time to time and was curious about the filmmaking process so we gave him a bit of an education on things like editing a movie and a little bit of a process on being in a movie.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 751st Edition

Welcome to the 751st Edition of my series.  As I bring this to you all from the Fortress of Solitude, I just want to wish a Happy Mother's Day however celebrated.  I hope we are all staying safe out there and just continuing to think rationally.  That is about all I have for now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Mifune:  The Last Samurai (2015):  I decided to do a part four on this Toshiro Mifune series I have been doing by featuring a documentary about him and was directed by Steven Okazaki and narrated by Keanu Reeves.  This centers around the legendary Japanese actor which start from his beginnings to his days in the military and how he got into film.  It also talks a lot about the working relationship between himself and director Akira Kurasowa where they worked together a lot including likely the most known being SEVEN SAMURAI.  Filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese give their thoughts on the man that would influence their careers in many ways.  This also includes interviews from those still alive that worked with him and his family.  I also learned that he was apparently considered heavily for Obi-Wan Kenobi in STAR WARS but was advised against it by his American agent which I think could have been awesome.  This is a very insightful documentary to look at the ups and downs of the legend.  This is available on the Criterion Channel.

Cashback (2006):  Sean Ellis wrote and directed what I guess is a romantic comedy but is not that simple.  Sean Biggerstaff stars as Ben Willis who is an art student and is going through a going through a painful breakup where he develops insomnia.  He decides to take a job on the night shift at a local supermarket where he learns he can freeze time which helps in his art.  Emilia Fox co-stars as Ben's co-worker Sharon who he starts to develop a crush upon.  Michelle Ryan, Jay Bowen, Shaun Evans, Stuart Goodwin, Michael Dixon, and many others co-star in this film.  There are parts of this movie that seem wrong on so many levels but Ben's narration and likability make it not so wrong.  In fact, it is really a beautiful movie on love and loss.  I have to say that I relate a lot to the character of Sharon and they way she avoids looking at clocks while at work which is something I have always been known for with those that have sat around me in the building I work.  It helped when the soundtrack included my Frankie Goes to Hollywood's son THE POWER OF LOVE which I believe is better than their biggest hit RELAX and glad to see it featured in film.  This relatively unknown cast manages to really make this movie work.

The Red Violin (1998):  Francois Girard directed and co-wrote this film that takes place in different eras.  We start out in present day Montreal where the star of the movie, which is literally the red violin, is being auctioned off and then we see flashbacks starting in 17th Century Italy of its origins and where it would end up through the years in various countries.  Jean-Luc Bideau, Wolfgang Bock, Johannes Silberschneider, Jason Flemyng, Greta Scacchi, David Gant, Sai-Kit Yung, Sylvia Chang, Hong Tao, Samuel L. Jackson, Xiaoshuai Wang, Colm Feore, Monique Mercure, Don McKellar, Julian Richings, Russell Yuen, Sandra Oh, Paula de Vasconcelos, and many others co-star in the ensemble drama.  It is really hard to describe this movie more than I have as it does have multiple stories that involve the title character for a lack of a better word.  This requires a lot of attention but was really worth a look.  This is available to watch on the TUBI app.

Mammals (1962):  This is my short film for the week which was directed by Roman Polanski.  This is a variation on the story WAITING FOR GADOT which feature a couple friends trying to survive in the ice and snow and have a few disagreements.  This was Polanski's attempt at a silent film and would be the last of his short films before he would work on his feature KNIFE IN THE WATER.  This is entertaining for what it is and was the start of a great career for Polanski.  This is available on the Criterion Channel.

Secrets (1933):  Frank Borzage directed this film based on a play by Rudolph Besier and May Edginson.  Mary Pickford stars as Mary Marlowe who comes from a wealthy family and is being forced into marrying a man she does not love.  The man she falls in love with is John Carlton, played by Leslie Howard, a clerk at the bank that her father runs.  When learning of this John gets fired and sets out to make a new life in California where Mary decides to run away from home and join him.  They get married and try to make it on a ranch while having a family.  This takes a look at 20 years of ups and downs of their married life.  C. Aubrey Smith, Blanche Friderici, Doris Lloyd, Herbert Evans, Ned Sparks, and many others co-star in this film.  This does not start out as a western but becomes one as they move to a cattle ranch and take on people stealing from them.  This is Mary Pickford's last movie and goes out very well working well with Leslie Howard who I feel is rather underrated by today's standards.  This is also available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Another Man's Poison (1951):  I follow up with this film noir which was directed by Irving Rapper and based on a play by Leslie Sands.  Bette Davis stars as mystery writer Janet Preston who gets caught up in a web of murderous deception.  Gary Merrill co-stars as George Bates who claims to be a partner in crime of Janet's husband and ends up posing as her husband much to her dismay starting quite the cat and mouse game to get him out.  Emlyn Williams, Anthony Steel, Barbara Murray, Reginald Beckwith, and many others co-star in this film.  Bette is as mean as ever in this film as she seems to have met her match.  Lots of twists and turns in this rather clever and compelling film.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018):  This is my second documentary for the week which was directed by RaMell Ross.  This takes a look at a black community in Hale Country, Alabama at their struggles and dreams.  This is not a real linear sort of documentary and centers a lot around the photography of the area.  I guess in some ways it is like a Terrance Malick movie.  This is beautifully shot and has some great images but is difficult to describe further.  This is also on Amazon Prime.

You Were Never Lovelier (1942):  Now I bring my song and dance selection for the week which was directed by William A. Seiter.  This takes place in Buenos Aires which stars Rita Hayworth as Maria who is the second daughter to the wealthy Eduardo Acuna, played by Adolphe Menjou.  There are four daughters and Eduardo requires his daughters to marry in the order of their age and his older daughter gets married but Maria does not seem to have much desire to marry much to the dismay of the younger two daughters.  Fred Astaire stars as Robert Davis who is an American dancer and is looking for work.  Eduardo allows Robert to work for him if he will play suitor to marry him but then leave her as he does not approve.  Isobel Elsom, Leslie Brooks, Adele Mara, Gus Schilling, and many others co-star in this musical.  I thought Leslie Brookes and Adele Mara were the most entertaining part of this movie as the younger daughters.  This may be a bit dated as far as marriage tradition but is a pretty entertaining romantic comedy.  Astaire has said that Hayworth was his favorite dance partner and they make a great dance team in this film.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Griffin and Phoenix (1976):  Last week, I featured the 2006 remake to this tv movie so I thought I'd bring the original this week.  Daryl Duke directed this tv movie which stars Peter Falk as Geoffrey Griffin who is given a terminal diagnosis that he has no more than a couple years to live.  He decides to attend a university class on the psychology of dying where he meets Sarah Phoenix, played by Jill Clayburgh, and slowly form a relationship no knowing that he has her on terminal illness.  Dorothy Tristan, Ben Hammer, George Chandler, Milton Parsons, John Harkins, Sally Kirkland, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  This is a pretty good love story on making the most out the last days of life.  This is a story that is both sad and beautiful with good performances out of the leads.  The only way I could find to watch this was on Youtube and was worth a look.

...First Do No Harm (1997):  I end the week with another tv movie which was directed by Jim Abrahams.  Meryl Streep stars as Lori Reimuller whose son Robbie, played by Seth Adkins, is diagnosed with epilepsy after having seizures.  The hospital prescribes some medicine but they do not seem to be getting any better so Lori does her own research and learns of a diet that could help but is met with resistance among those at the hospital.  Fred Ward, Margo Martindale, Allison Janney, Leo Burmeister, Sean McCann, Tom Butler, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  Abrahams is known for his comedy direction like last week's feature AIRPLANE but this was a more personal project for him with his own son having epilepsy and was helped by the Ketogenic diet that was emphasized in this movie.  This is also based on a true story.  This is not easy to watch at times to see a child suffer so much but is also very inspiration in the determination of Lori to get her son the help he needs.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my segment "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Melissa Leo, Natalie Portman, Harold Lloyd, Judi Dench, and many others.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

Doctor Sleep (2019):  I went and hung out with Stephanie at her house this week when she invited me over to watch this one.  I had not seen it yet so I went on over their to hang with my friend who is a big fan of Stephen King who novel this is based upon.  Mike Flanagan directed this film based on the King novel and is a sequel to Stephen King's THE SHINING.  Ewan McGregor stars as a grown Dan Torrance who must protect a young girl with similar powers to his own named Abra Stone, played by Kyleigh Curran, from a cult known as the True Knot which prey on children with powers to remain immortal.  Rebecca Ferguson, Cliff Curtis, Zahn McClarnon Emily Alyn Lind, Selena Anduze, Robert Longstreet, Catherine Parker, Met Clark, Zackary Momoh, Jocelin Donahue, Carl Lumbly, Henry Thomas, Bruce Greenwood, Sallye Hooks, Alex Essoe, Roger Dale Floyd, Jacob Tremblay, and many others co-star in this horror film.  I have not read the book version and this is more of a sequel to the 1980 version of THE SHINING which was directed by Kubrick and Flanagan did what he could to respect the novel and the 1980 movie from what I understand.  This was a pretty compelling watch that pays some homage to its predecessor while making the movie their own.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 750th Edition

Welcome to the 750th Edition of my series.  I sit in the Fortress of Solitude again to bring this out.  Right now, I am not going to comment on what is going on except to just say let's try to support one another and just think rationally.  With that, I am just going to get on with my selections for this week.

Airplane (1980):  I start the week out with this classic spoof which was directed and written by Jim Abramans, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker.  As one might guess, this takes place on an airplane where the pilots get sick from food poisoning.  Robert Hays stars as Ted Striker who is hoping to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend Elaine, played by Julie Hagerty, and follows her onto the plane where she is a flight attendant.  Striker also happens to be an ex-fighter pilot and has not flown in a long time.  His services are needed and must overcome his fears to land the plane safely.  Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Leslie Nielson, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lorna Patterson, Frank Ashmore, Jonathan Banks, Barbara Billingsley, Lee Bryant, Joyce Bulifant, Marcy Goldman, Rossie Harris, James Hong, Ethel Merman, Kenneth Tobey, Jill Whelan, and many others co-star or have cameos.  Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves and Leslie Nielson all had the reputation for playing no-nonsense characters and were purposely cast in these straight roles to make the satire even more funny.  Nielson would be more the king of spoof movies after this and Bridges even continued these types of movies to an extent.  Lots of great gags going on in this comedy that has remained a timeless classic and a very defined spoof movie.

Griffin and Phoenix (2006):  Ed Hill directed this love story which stars Dermot Mulroney and Amanda Peet as the title characters.  Griffin, played by Mulroney, gets some bad news from his oncologist about cancerous legions spreading through his chest and only getting a year or two estimate to live.  He starts attending psychology classes on dealing with death and meets Phoenix, played by Peet, who happens to be an assistant Dean at the University.  He takes an immediate liking to her and she slowly warms up to his charm but does not tell her of his situation.  Sarah Paulson, Blair Brown, Alison Elliott, Lois Smith, Jonah Meyerson, Max Morris, Simon Jones, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a rather sad but still beautiful story about someone trying to make the most of his last days.  This was a remake to a 1976 movie of the same name which features Peter Falk and Jill Clayburgh in these roles so the personalities are sure to be a bit different.  I have not seen the original but just watching this was done very well through the performances of Mulroney and Peet.  This is a bit of a tearjerker but also delivers some laughs.

Heart:  Alive in Seattle (2003):  This is my concert movie for the week which features the band Heart in concert at the Paramount in Seattle which is the hometown of Ann and Nancy Wilson.  This features some of their classics like BARRACUDA and THESE DREAMS, it features some of their newer songs from this time, and a couple well-done Led Zeppelin covers.  They clearly put on a good concert so if you like Heart in any way, this will probably be enjoyed.  I never really have much to describe these types of movies since it will probably depend on how one feels about the band or singer.

Alphabet Antics (1951):  This is my short film for the week which was on the MST3K episode of the movie DADDY-O that was featured last week.  This essentially goes through the alphabet and having a word for each letter which were usually animals.  This might be entertaining for a little kid learning the alphabet but is more for the laughs these days.  This episode of MST3K is available to watch on Hoopla.

The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920):  This is my silent film for the week which was written and directed by Oscar Micheaux.  Iris Hall stars as Eve Mason who is a light-skinned black woman inherits land from her grandfather.  When arriving, she meets her neighbor Van Allen, played by Walker Thompson, who is living in an oil field and gets threats to sell which were notes by "The Knights of the Black Cross" which were really the KKK.  Micheaux was one of the pioneers in black cinema and as soon as I came across this I thought this must be the follow-up and counter to D.W. Griffith's A BIRTH OF A NATION which painted the blacks to be savages and the KKK to be the heroes even though the movie was very groundbreaking in terms of camera work and movie length.  This is about 54 minutes long and is not complete but I think most of it survives.  This is a decent early look at racism and there will be some terms that are politically incorrect by today's standards but were mostly okay at the time.  This is available on the Criterion Channel.

Red Sun (1971):  I decided to continue with Toshiro Mifune and make this a trilogy when coming across this American movie.  Charles Bronson stars as Link Stuart who is an outlaw in a gang that robs a train which has the Japanese ambassador.  They rob the gold shipment as well as an ancient Japanese sword they were going to give the president.  Link is betrayed by the gang and reluctantly teams with the ambassador's samurai bodyguard Kuroda, played by Mifune, to retrieve the sword and for Link to get payback.  Former Bond girl Ursula Andress teams up with the duo.  Alain Delon, Capucine, Barta Barri, Anthony Dawson, Luc Merenda, and many others co-star in the western.  One of the first thoughts I had with this duo was how this was kind of the original SHANGHAI NOON with Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan with the similarities on how the partnership comes about.  Yes, Mifune had a lot better work in Japan but this was a pretty fun western that brought combined the western and samurai world.

Rambo:  Last Blood (2019):  Adrian Grunberg directed this fifth installment of the franchise.  Sylvester Stallone, who also co-wrote the screenplay, reprises his role as John Rambo who is living a more peaceful life now with his old friend Maria, played by Adriana Barraza, and her granddaughter Gabriela, played by Yvette Monreal.  Gabriela refers to him as Uncle John but is more like a daughter to him and when she disappears, Rambo learns that she was kidnapped by a Mexican cartel.  He must resort to his violent ways when trying to go after her leading to possibly the most violent climax in the franchise.  Paz Vega co-stars as Carmen who is a reporter and helps Rambo find his daughter.  Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Joaquin Cosio, Oscar Jaenada, Jessica Madsen, Louis Mandylor, Fenessa Pineda, Marco de la O, and many others co-star in this installment.  I will say that the fourth one is my favorite and this one did not quite top it but still enjoyed this.  I will say for the five movies that they all have their own image and feel they do a good job of not rehashing while paying homage.  This will not be for everyone and is very disturbing, even more on the scenes with the kidnapped girls in my opinion than the violence that Rambo enacts.  There is also a very good use of the Doors song FIVE TO ONE in this movie.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

The Southerner (1945):  Jean Renoir directed this film based on the novel by George Sessions Perry.  Zachary Scott stars as Sam Tucker who has been a cotton picker and decides to grow his own cotton crop.  He moves his family, which includes his wife, children, and mother, to a new place and find that it will not be easy battling the elements of sickness and flooding.  He also has a jealous neighbor in Devers, played by J. Carrol Naish, who does not seem to want to see his fellow neighbor succeed.  Betty Field, Beulah Bondi, Percy Kilbride, Charles Kemper, Blanche Yurka, Norman Lloyd, Estelle Taylor, Paul Harvey, Noreen Nash, and many others co-star in this film.  This is more of a character study than anything, a man trying to make a better life for his family and refusing to give up.  This has good performances and a good script and really deserves a look.  This movie is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

A Boy and His Dog (1975):  When people see this title and have not heard of it I'm sure many will think something like a LASSIE or OLD YELLER type of story and I must say it is far from either one of those.  This in fact is a post-Apocalypse film which was directed by L.Q. Jones and based on the novel by Harlan Ellison.  A young Don Johnson stars as Vic who wanders the post-Apocalypse wasteland with his telepathic dog Blood, voiced by Tim McIntire, looking for food and sex.  Blood is a dog he is able to verbally communicate with but no one else seems to have that ability.  He is lured to an underground society where the old society has been preserved.  While it seems like a better place, he learns there is something far more sinister going on down there.  Susanne Benton, Jason Robards, Alvy Moore, Helene Winston, Charles McGraw, Hal Baylor, Ron Feinberg, Michael Rupert, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a very popular genre of film in this era and this one has gone onto be a bit overlooked in my opinion.  This movie stands on its own among the others of this genre and is great seeing Johnson before he became his iconic character of Sonny Crockett in MIAMI VICE.  No other way to really describe this except that it is really strange and has a lot of dark humor.  This is available on Hoopla Digital.

A Better Tomorrow (1986):  I end the week with this Hong Kong film where the title reflects what we are all wanting, especially in these times.  John Woo directed this action gangster classic film.  Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung star as brothers Ho and Kit.  They are on opposite sides of the law where Kit is on the police force and Ho has always lived a gangster life.  Ho has just been released from prison and is trying to go straight as well as reconcile his relationship with Kit who is very bitter towards his older brother.  He also finds that leaving the gangster life is nearly impossible.  Chow Yun-Fat stars as Mark Gor who is a longtime friend of Ho and has had his own issues having also feeling betrayed by those he worked for.  Emily Chu, Waise Lee, Feng Tien, John Woo, Kenneth Tsang, and many others co-star in this film.  This was really a breakthrough film for Chow who I learned was only not supposed to have that big of role but Woo saw his talent and reworked the script to give his a bigger role.  He has top billing but I am not sure he did when this first came out or if it was something they did when releasing it and having him as the big name actor.  This is an extremely violent film but at the same time it is also a very moving story of friendship and betrayal.  This spawned two sequels, a remake and many trying to match what they did.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Keanu Reeves, Samuel L. Jackson, Roman Polanski, Bette Davis, and many others.