Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 455th Edition

Welcome to the 455th Edition of my series.  Last week, I laid low except for the weekend.  I just got back from a family reunion from up north so now I'm back to release this one.  I will now get on with my recommendations for the week.

Captain Phillips (2013):  Paul Greengrass directed this true story on a real-life ship hijacking in 2009.  Tom Hanks stars as the title character who is commanding officer of a cargo ship which becomes hijacked by a group of Somali pirates where Captain Phillips gives himself up for the others.  A lot of this movie focuses on the relationship between Phillips and the pirate captain Muse, played very well by Barkhad Abdi, who finds he is in over his head in a standoff with the U.S. military.  This is a very intense film with great performances from Hanks and Abdi.  Abdi makes his film debut in this film when there was an open casting call at the Mall of America in Minnesota where he was working and continued to work there after this movie as he did not make a lot in the film.  Catherine Keener co-stars in this film.  This is based on the autobiography by Richard Phillips A CAPTAIN'S DUTY:  SOMALI PIRATES, NAVY SEALS, AND DANGEROUS DAYS BY SEA.  Greengrass did a great job of portraying this situation and has a very authentic look to it.

Thank You, Good Night (2001):  Chuck Griffith directed this independent film.  Christian Campbell stars as Lee who is the drummer for a slacker band called the Handy Kaufmans who are trying to make it big on the music scene but have not had much success and not much drive.  Their manager Big Frank, played by Jay Leggett, also is not a very good manager but probably the only one they can find.  This is a pretty decent independent film about an independent band which I'm sure many bands can relate to in some way.  Another highlight is cameos from people like Mark Hamill, Gedde Wattanabe, and Nicole Eggert.  When I was in middle school and watched BAYWATCH when I came home, Nicole Eggert was always my favorite in the show so this brought back memories.  Also, Mark Hamill was fun as the father.

Carlito's Way (1993):  Brian De Palma directs this film which stars Al Pacino as the title character.  Carlito is a former Puerto Rican convict who has been released due to a technicality.  He wants to go straight but people from his past and his way of loyalty keep him from his past.  Sean Penn co-stars as his crooked attorney who is one of the main people keeping him from going straight.  Penelope Ann Miller co-stars as Gail who really likes Carlito and stays with him thinking he will change.  John Leguizamo plays Benny Blanco who is trying to muscle in on the territory.  Luis Guzman, Adrian Pasdar, Viggo Mortensen, James Rebhorn, and many others co-star in this film.  Penn is nearly unrecognizable in his role and Pacino does a great job.  This is a great movie on a man torn between going straight and his so-called loyalty.  One interesting fact is that attorney Alan Dershowitz filed a lawsuit believing that Penn's character was based on him.  I do not know what came about on the lawsuit.

Magic on a Stick (1946):  This is my short film for the week from the Passing Parade series.  This is based on English chemist John Walker who invented the wooden friction match in the 19th century.  It shows him becoming frustrated having to rub stones together and the many other difficult ways to start a fire and sets out to make it easier and invented what we now have called the matches.  This was a pretty good historical short that I found on TCM to record.

Young and Innocent (1937):  This is part two of my two-part Alfred Hitchcock series.  He directs this earlier film in his career using one of his favorite plots of the case of mistaken identity.  Derrick De Marnay stars as Robert Tisdall who finds his girlfriend murdered on the beach.  A couple witnesses believe he did it and is arrested.  He manages to escape from the courthouse along with the constable's daughter Erica, played by Nova Pilbeam, and looks to prove his innocence.  I usually favor Hitchcock's work in the '50s but I really like this one and feel this ranks up in his work.  I also believe that Hitchcock's cameo was his best one I have seen in the few films I have seen from the Master of Suspense.  The cinematography is great, especially at the beach.

Good Guys Wear Black (1978):  This is my guilty pleasure of the week which stars Chuck Norris.  Norris stars as John T. Booker who must is the former leader of a Commando rescue team in Vietnam who must figure out why people in his unit are being murdered and who put out a hit on him.  With the help of determined journalist Margaret, played by Anne Archer, Booker puts his skills to use to find out who the bad guys are.  This is one that is fun to watch if you don't take it too seriously and just want to see some Chuck Norris action.

Scarlet Street (1945):  This is part three of my three-part Edward G. Robinson series.  Fritz Lang directed this film noir which stars Robinson as Christopher Cross who is a mild mannered cashier and paints on the side for pleasure.  He rescues a beautiful woman named Kitty, played by Joan Bennett, who thought she was being mugged but was really her boyfriend Johnny, played by Dan Duryea.  She learns of his paintings and along with Johnny, they scheme to make money off his paintings but with tragic results.  I usually favor this genre in this era.  Robinson is great as the cashier whose crush on a younger woman really clouds his judgment.  It also has a very interesting ending for the era of the Hayes Code and one that was kind of pushing it.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is a really good watch.

Plain Truth (2004):  This is my tv movie for the week and a very rare Lifetime Network selection.  This takes place in a Pennsylvania town among an Amish community where an infant is found dead and an unmarried 18 year old Amish girl named Katie, played by Allison Pill, is charged with murdering her infant but denies even becoming pregnant even with all the tests done.  LAW AND ORDER:  SVU star Mariska Hargitay stars as defense attorney Ellie Harrison who reluctantly takes this case and must try to understand someone who is part of a group which never really trusts the outside world in order to help her client.  This is not bad for a Lifetime movie.  It is based on a novel by Jodi Picoult which is fictional but did a lot of research on the Amish before writing it.  It does take a good look into the Amish community and showing for a lack of a better word, the dark side of the group like being disowned for not following the family tradition.  This is a pretty compelling story and was able to keep my interest throughout the movie.

Les Bronzes Font Du Ski (1979):  This is my French film for the week.  Patrice Leconte directed this French comedy which takes place at a ski resort.  A few friends get together at the ski resort on the Ivory Coast where they met years ago.  There is no real linear plot and is more focused on the characters.  This movie does deliver a lot of laughs and was quite a bit of fun.  Fans of foreign cinema should really check this out and if you can tolerate subtitles, you should also watch this movie.  This is available on Amazon Prime and was really worth a look.  This is a sequel to LES BRONZES which came out the year before and I actually was not aware of this one until now so I guess I should look to see this one soon.

Holy Ghost People (2013):  I end with this really strange independent film.  I had the unexpected pleasure of viewing this movie at the local bar Valhalla with my mom who learned that a local band called Dusk 'Til Dawn was in it.  Emma Greenwell stars as Charlotte who is looking for her estranged sister.  She enlists the services of an alcoholic ex-marine named Wayne, played by Brendan McCarthy, and they end up at a place called the Church of One Accord headed by the snake-wielding Brother Billy, played by Joe Egender.  When at this place, they find this group of people is more like a cult.  The band Dusk 'Til Dawn are the band at this place.  I also liked a version of the song CRY LITTLE SISTER sang by singer Heather Baker which really fit this movie.  This is a very dark film but is very well acted.  This was taken from a 1967 documentary of the same title that focused on a Pentecostal congregation in Scrabble Creek, West Virginia.  It takes a look at the very dark side of religion when people seem to be using it more for personal gain instead of inspiration which is was really meant for.  This is available on DVD through Netflix.  I was really glad to go to the bar to see this movie.  Unfortunately, it lacked advertising so had a very little crowd and even I learned of it at the very last minute.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and what you dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Christopher Walken, Jet Li, William Holden, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 454th Edition

Welcome to the 454th Edition of my series.  It was quite a week where I tried taking part in my friends' Angie and Kristin's 7 day karaoke event where it was at a different place each week.  I did six of the seven days and each night made sure to sing something different each night.  Not much else happened so I'll just get to my selections for the week.

It Might Get Loud (2008):  I start the week out with this rock documentary from Davis Guggenheim.  This takes a look at the electric guitar which features Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, U2's The Edge, and White Stripes' Jack White who each reflect on their point of view on the guitar and on the career.  They are also in the same room and get to converse with each other and it is very interesting seeing these three very diverse guitarists jam together.  I am not sure how they were all selected but it was good to see people get exposed more to Jack White and Edge does a little bit of singing on the jam session and showed he is really pretty good.  This is a really good documentary and guitarists will likely love it.

Girl Rising (2013):  I continue with this documentary and is part four of my four-part Anne Hathaway series where she does part of narration.  This movie takes a look at nine young girls around the world who face many injustices like arrange marriage, slavery and many other things.  They all are trying to break from the traditions of their countries and look to get educated and lead better lives.  Cate Blanchett, Priyanka Chopra, Selena Gomez, Salma Hayek, Alicia Keys, Chloe Grace Moretz, Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, and Liam Neeson all contribute to the narration.  This documentary was put on by the organization of the same name who look to help women around the world get a good education.  I really did like this as someone who believes a lot in equality.  I'm one of those who cringe toward gender jokes, both male and female and really do not believe in any kind of gender superiority which goes for both sides.  Liam Neeson usually narrates toward the end when he talks about where the girls are in life and maybe they put him there to deter anyone from mistreating women fearing he might come after them if they do.  They have a website at http://www.girlrising.com which is an organization a rather admire.

The Wolverine (2013):  This is my superhero movie for the week which was directed by James Mangold.  I suppose this is a reboot and a sequel in a sense.  After the 2009 flop X-MEN ORIGINS:  WOLVERINE, they tried again with this one and succeeded pretty well.  Hugh Jackman reprise his role as the title character and this continues from X-MEN:  THE LAST STAND where he is still haunted by the death of Jean Grey and tries to shut himself off from the world.  He is summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance where he faces a new nemesis, one of which Viper, played by Svetlana Khodchenkova, who takes his healing powers leaving him more venerable than ever and must confront his demons as well as members of the Yakuza.  He also has a couple cute Japanese girls on his side in Rila Fukushima and Tao Okamoto.  A lot of this movie is Wolverine's battle with himself and deals with a web of intrigue and betrayal.  In some ways it shows a price of immortality where Wolverine must deal with those he loves dying.  Jackman is great as Wolverine and in some ways this is more of a character study superhero film but still has some good action.  This is available to watch on HBO On-Demand and like any Marvel film stay through the credits.

Big Man from the North (1931):  This is my animated short for the week which was from the early days of Looney Tunes featuring their star character at the time Bosco who was big in the 20s and 30s.  In this short, he is a Mountie in the extremely cold weather and must confront a wanted man in a saloon where Bosko seems timid but will get the last laugh.  The character of Bosco is a caricature of a black man and kind of modeled from a black face Al Jolson.  By today's standards, some may consider this racist but a lot of cartoons from that era really are rather racist by today's standards which was not necessarily the intention at the time.  This is a good one for classic cartoon buffs to check out.

Lifeboat (1944):  This is part one of a two-part Hitchock series.  Alfred Hitchcock directed this film which takes place in a boat throughout the film.  This takes place in WWII where a ship is sunk by a German U-Boat and the survivors gather in a boat which includes a journalist, businessman, radio operator, nurse, steward, sailor and an engineer.  They all look to work together in order to survive and are soon joined by a Nazi, played by Walter Slezak, who was involved in the bombing and are unsure of if they should listen to him for survival.  Tabullah Bankhead, William Bendix, Henry Hull, and Hume Cronyn are among the actors.  Hitchcock and the actors did a great job of keeping the movie very interesting when they were in the same place all the time.  It was also very daring for its time with some of the scenes.  A lot of the actors caught some sort of sickness during the filming due to things like the cold water.  This is based on the novel by John Steinbeck who is most known for THE GRAPES OF WRATH and THE GREAT GATSBY.  Steinbeck wrote this novel at Hitchcock's request.  I would consider this an overlooked masterpiece from "The Master of Suspense".

I Will Fight No More Forever (1975):  This is my tv movie for the week which is based on a true story.  Ned Romero stars as Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians who lived in Wallowa Valley of Idaho and Oregon.  President Grant opens it up for white settlers much to the dismay of the tribe.  General Howard, played by James Whitmore, is sent to clear them out but also wanted to work something out with them.  He is torn between his beliefs and his orders and Chief Joseph does not like what is happening but also does not want war.  Joseph does what he can to keep the military away but finds it more and more difficult and must decide what is best for his tribe.  A young Sam Elliot co-stars as Howard's assistant Captain Wood.  This is a pretty good tv more.  Romero is great as Chief Joseph and is a pretty good historical movie.

Illegal (1955):  This is part two of my three-part Edward G. Robinson series.  Robinson stars as Victor Scott who is a very respected and determined district attorney.  He learns after the fact that he sent an innocent man, played by STAR TREK alum Deforest Kelley, to the electric chair.  Being regretful of what happened, Victor resigns from District Attorney's office and forms his own private practice while also resorting to alcohol.  As a defense attorney, Victor applies his unorthodox methods in getting his clients off which gets the attention of mobster Frank Garland, played by Albert Dekker, who hires him as an attorney where Victor slowly goes off the deep end.  Nina Foch, Jayne Mansfield, Hugh Marlowe, and many others co-star in this film-noir.  Robinson does a great job in his role and the movie keeps interest throughout the movie.

Harvie Krumpet (2003):  Adam Elliot directed and co-write this Academy Award winning animated short film.  Geoffrey Rush narrates this short about the title character who has a lot of bad luck through his life like Tourette's Syndrome, being struck by lightning, among other things.  A lot of it shows him still having an optimistic outlook even if he has had a lot of bad luck and not a lot of money.  This has some very good use of claymation with a fascinating story.

Telefon (1977):  Don Siegel directs this espionage film.  Charles Bronson stars as Major Grigori Borzov who is sent to the United States to find a Russian named Dalchimsky, played by Donald Pleasance, who has stolen something very important to the KGB.  He also must stop a possible war where people are being brainwashed into doing things just by hearing a phrase.  Lee Remick co-stars as Barbara who is a U.S. agent teaming with Borzov.  I did not exactly buy Bronson as a Russian but just went ahead and looked past it.  This is an interesting spy thriller and is worth a look sometime.

In a Better World (2010):  I end this week with this Danish drama directed by Susanne Bier.  This focuses on two Danish families.  William Nielson stars as Christian whose mother has died and has a very hard time dealing with her death and his father Claus, played by Ulrich Thomsen, does not really know how to deal with Christian's resentment.  Christian is new to his school and soon meets Elias, played by Markus Rygaard, and forms an immediate friendship.  Elias is bullied a lot at school and Christian begins to experience it but they realize they messed with the wrong person in Christian.  He also involves Elias in a very dangerous revenge scheme which changes everyone's lives in the process.  Mikael Persbrandt co-stars as Elias' father who spends a lot of time in Africa as a doctor at a refugee camp.  He is assaulted which becomes the source of the revenge scheme despite him trying to teach the kids that violence is not worth it.  This is a really good look into testing a friendship and the aftermath and consequence of what happens and the kids and parents figuring out how to deal with the has happened.  These are all very well written characters and a good story that is really worth 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 Tom Hanks, Mark Hamill, Al Pacino, more Alfred Hitchcock, Chuck Norris, more Edward G. Robinson, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 453rd Edition

Welcome to the 453rd Edition of my series.  I am glad to announce that October 18th marks the return of Action Packed Wrestling and I will be stirring things up with the Shaun Berkey Talent Agency.  Also this week, my friend and fellow karaoke junkie Angela is looking to do karaoke every day this week starting with tonight going until Sunday and I will look to do the same so this should be interesting.

Enough Said (2013):  Nicole Holofcener wrote and directed this independent romantic comedy but please do not stop reading just because I said "romantic comedy" because it is much more than that.  SEINFELD alum Julia Louis-Dreyfuss stars as Eva who is a masseuse and is divorced as well as a single mother whose daughter will be leaving for college.  SOPRANOS alum James Gandolfini stars as Albert who is also divorced and will also be facing an empty nest.  When meeting they form an interest with each other.  Eva soon befriends a woman named Marianne, played by Catherine Keener, who rags a lot on her ex-husband which happens to be Albert and does not inform them that she is aware they they used to be married.  Toni Collette also co-stars in this film.  This is a very well-written film which has likable characters.  I really liked the low-key way Gandolfini portrays his character as really just a nice and simple man and am so glad he got to do this movie before his tragic death.  Louis-Dreyfuss and Gandolfini work very well in this film driven by a good script and characters.

A Case of Spring Fever (1940):  This is my short film for the week which was shown in theaters last night during Rifftrax before their showing of SHARKNADO so that probably says a lot right there.  This shows a man who is frustrated when having to fix the springs in their couch and makes a comment wishing there were no springs.  When saying that, a talking spring named Cully shows up and very upset at that comment so he gives the man a world with no springs.  He learns his lesson and when Cully puts things back to normal he educates his friends to no end about springs.  I learned from this short that I will never talk negatively about springs as I do not want to experience the wrath of Cully.

Son of Dracula (1974):  I learned about this movie during last week's feature on the documentary on music legend Harry Nilsson and learned that he played the title character as well as former Beatle Ringo Starr playing Merlin which really sparked my curiosity.  Nilsson stars as Count Downe and no I don't know how Dracula had a child.  Count Downe is to be crowned King of the Netherworld by his mentor which happens to be Merlin for some reason.  Count Downe falls in love with a girl named Amber and considers looking into mortality.  Baron Frankenstein insists he can do it but has other ideas.  We also have a werewolf that in in a jail cell all the time and if I'm not mistaken I believe I even saw Medusa.  There is also Van Helsing who is the second in command to Meriln and even friends with Count Downe.  This really is something that the Rifftrax guys should look into in the future.  It never really got an official release but this is available on Youtube.  It's one of those where I continue to have the letters WTF in my mind but yet I couldn't take my eyes off it.  If you are looking to get a version that matches the classics from Universal and Hammer Films, this really is not it.  This was an Apple production which was founded by the Beatles and after this movie they likely realized they should stick to music.

Rio (2011):  This is part three of my four part Anne Hathaway series and all of these so far have been animated selections just like this one.  Carlos Saldanha co-wrote and directed this animated movie on tropical birds.  Blu, voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, is a domesticated Macaw and has a very good relationship with his owner Linda, voiced by Leslie Mann.  Linda is soon visited by an ornithologist named Tulio, voiced by Rodrigo Santoro, who informs Linda that Blu is the last male macaw of his species and in Rio De Janeiro there is another female macaw named Jewel, voiced by Anne Hathaway.  She reluctantly agrees to take Blu there to save the species but finds Jewel is more wild and does not like being domesticated.  They are soon abducted and must work together to escape despite that Blu never learned to fly while Jewel can fly though Blu still shows he is very resourceful.  They also become closer in the process of being together.  Wanda Sykes, Jamie Foxx, Black Eyed Peas member Will I Am, Jane Lynch, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, and many others provide their voices.  This is a fun animated movie which I really believe is appropriate for the family.  It is also very colorful and has some fun music numbers.

Smart Money (1931):  This is part one of a two part Edward G. Robinson series.  Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney team up for the first and only time in their careers.  Both were just coming off success in their gangster films.  Robinson had LITTLE CAESAR and Cagney had PUBLIC ENEMY.  In this movie, they are both barbers who find their way into the world of illegal gambling.  Robinson stars as Nick who slowly learns the art of gambling and along with his partner Jack, played by Cagney, they rise but Nick begins to get more and more greedy along with a weakness for beautiful blondes.  Cagney is more of the supporting player in this movie but still does a great job.  Look for Boris Karloff in a bit role as a gambler.  Both of these actors would go onto do some really good movies for Warner Brothers, just not together.  This is more of a comedy than the others and may not be great but is still enjoyable.

Conspiracy (2001):  This is my HBO movie for the week.  This is a recreation of a Nazi conference in 1942 called the Wannsee Conference where Nazi and SS leaders meet and discuss the fate of the Jews in which would come to be known as the Holocaust.  Kenneth Branagh stars as Reinhard Heydrich who leads the meeting.  Stanley Tucci co-stars as Adolf Eichmann who was also a part of this meeting.  Colin Firth and Ian McNeice are members of the meeting and look for Tom Hiddleston as a phone operator.  This is a rather disturbing and compelling look at how a meeting like this may have gone down.  This is based on a document of the minutes done by undersecretary Martin Luther, played by Kevin McNally, and is the only surviving document of this conference.  This was a very well-shot movie and almost shot theatrically.  Branagh won an Emmy for his performance in this tv movie.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969):  I decided to include 007 this week and show George Lazenby's only time playing James Bond.  KOJAK alum Telly Savalas co-stars as Bond's rival SPECTRE leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld who along with his henchwoman Irma Bunt, played by Ilse Steppat, is up a scheme which Bond must go undercover to find out.  He also must team with a mob boss named Draco, played by Gabriele Ferzetti, and also falls in love with his daughter Tracy, played by Diana Rigg.  There has always been mixed opinions on Lazenby as Bond.  This is a more realistic Bond and I thought Lazenby did a better job than others when having to go undercover.  There was also a really good action climax near the end and an ending that was quite a bit different than most 007 endings.  I have also read that this is more to the novels than most of the movies.  I do not find this one to the best of the series but is still a pretty decent entry.

Rush (2013):  Ron Howard directed this racing film which takes place in the 70s during Formula 1.  This is based on the rivalry between racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda.  Chris Hemsworth plays James Hunt who is a playboy and walks a rather thin line in life.  Daniel Bruhl plays Niki Lauda who was more focused on the racing.  This is a narrative from both reflecting on their personalities on and off the track.  Olivia Wilde co-stars as Hunt's first wife.  I will be the first to say that I am really not a racing fan but still enjoyed this one.  Hemsworth and Bruhl are great in their roles.  I have heard that the rivalry was exaggerated some but both clearly respected one another.  Howard did a great job of giving an authentic look to the world of racing.  I have heard Lauda endorsed the movie and Bruhl got both the look and voice down.

A King in New York (1957):  This is a much later Charles Chaplin film which he directed and wrote as well as stars.  He stars as European King Shahdov who comes to the United States due to a revolution happening in his country.  He goes there and becomes broke so turns to television to make some money after being reluctant until learning of the money involved.  He also meets a child named Rupert, played by his own son Michael, who is a child of parents who are being suspected of communism which makes the government suspect him during the McCarthy era.  This movie was filmed in Britain because of Chaplin's deportation from the states for those very reasons.  He also pokes fun at our obsession with technology and media which is a very early look at something even more relevant in today's society.  This movie was never released in the United States until 1973.  This is a very underrated work from Chaplin who could very well be the master of making comedy out of very bad times.  He made very obvious statements on things like technology and the anti-communist scare.

Taken (2008):  I end the week with this action film directed by Pierre Morel and co-written by Luc Besson.  Liam Neeson stars as retired CIA operative Bryan Mills who looks to reconnect with his daughter Kim, played by Maggie Grace, who lives with her mom Lenore, played by Famke Jannsen, and her stepdad Stuart, played by Xander Berkeley.  Bryan reluctantly signs a form allowing Kim to go to Paris with her friend Amanda, played by Katie Cassidy.  When they arrive, they are abducted by an Albanian gang but not before Kim was talking to her father before it happened, giving him information to go upon to find Kim.  Bryan wastes no time going to Paris and pretty much using all means necessary to find his daughter.  I always say that if I can have any celebrity bodyguard, I would choose Liam Neeson without any hesitation.  This was a great action film with a good performance from Liam as the determined father racking up quite a body count.  This was very fun movie showing that one should not mess with Liam Neeson's family or there will be hell to pay.  I still cannot understand why anyone would mess with Mr. Neeson.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Alfred Hitchcock, Sam Elliot, more Edward G. Robinson, Geoffrey Rush, Charles Bronson, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 452nd Edition

Welcome to the 452nd edition of my series.  On Saturday, I look to get back into the world of theater.  I have a couple auditions and will let know as things go along.  Not a lot of big things going on right now so I'll just get to my recommendations for the week.

Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him?) (2010):  I start this week out with this music documentary which was directed by John Scheinfeld.  This explores the career and times of this musician who is relatively unknown but very respected and still has quite a following.  He is most known for his song EVERYBODY'S TALKIN' from the movie MIDNIGHT COWBOY.  This takes a look at his early days to his rise in the industry and with the friendships with the Beatles, most notably Ringo and John.  It also shows how he never performed live and became successful in other ways which is hard to do in the music industry.  It also shows his involvement in film and tv like his animated movie THE POINT which I had a lot of exposure to on account of my dad when I was little.  I first knew about Nilsson on account of my mom when I was in middle school and bought his cd.  This movie was made shortly after his death where friends and family reflect on their experiences with Nilsson who made a great mark into the music industry.  This is available on Instant Netflix and is great for fans and for those who do not know him and ask the title question.

The Cat Returns (2002):  This is my anime selection brought by Studio Ghibli and is part two of my Anne Hathaway series that will go at least three parts but maybe four.  Hiroyuki Morita directed this Anime tale about a young girl named Haru, voiced by Hathaway in the American version, who saves the life of a mysterious cat becoming part of the cat world.  The king of the cats wants her to marry his son Lune and while not wanting it, her mixed reply is taken as a yes.  This also makes her slowly turn into a cat and with the help of a couple other cats and a crow, they set out to make things right for Haru.  This is a hard one to really describe beyond what I did.  Anime is really not my genre but tend to enjoy the Studio Ghibli films and while this was not their best, it was still very enjoyable.  Cary Elwes, Kristen Bell, Rene Auberjonois, Andy Richter, Peter Boyle, Elliot Gould, and Tim Curry all lend their voices to this cat tale.

The Bounty (1984):  This is part two of a two-part series from Sir Laurence Olivier.  Roger Donaldson directed this take towards Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian and is based on the book CAPTAIN BLIGH AND MR. CHRISTIAN.  Other movies involve films of 1935 and 1962 called MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.  This takes place in the 1700s on a ship called the Bounty lead by Captain Bligh, played by Anthony Hopkins, and Fletcher Christian, played by a young Mel Gibson, who does not like his treatment causing a mutiny to happen on the ship.  In other movies, Captain Bligh is portrayed as quite villainous but in this one, it is not as black and white which really made me like this and portrays both Bligh and Christian as being wrong.  It starts out with Bligh in a court marshal explaining the events that went on which flash back to these scenes.  Daniel Day-Lewis and Liam Neeson co-star in this film.  This was a very interesting take to the familiar story with good performances and cinematography.  I also liked the music from Vangelis whose best known work is probably the CHARIOTS OF FIRE theme song.  I enjoyed this just as much if not more than the other versions and was worth a look for me.

The Future is Now (1955):  This is my documentary short for the week.  This takes a look at the possible future in the world of industry like solar energy, computerized things, television for science and industry, among other things.  It concludes that the brainpower of man will always be what needs to guide this machinery.  This was interesting, some things came to be and some did not but makes for an interesting watch.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939):  William Dieterle directed this version of the Victor Hugo novel.  Maureen O'Hara stars as the gypsy Esmerelda who is framed for murder by the corrupt Frollo, played by Cedric Hardwick, and is up to the deformed bellringer Quasimodo, played very well by Charles Laughton, who slowly sees that Frollo, who adopted Quasimodo, is not such a good person, and looks to save her from a hanging after she helped him earlier.  This is possibly the best movie adaptation of the classic novel though I really do like the Disney version.  This is a very early Beauty and the Beast sort of tale and one showing how much we fear the unknown and judge too much by looks.  There is some great performances and scenery in this take that mainly takes place at the Notre Dame cathedral.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966):  This is part two of my two-part Eli Wallach series.  This is the third of Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy starring Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name though addressed as Blondie.  He is a gunslinger out to get money where he can forming a partnership with an outlaw named Tuco, played by Eli Wallach, where they make money off Tuco's bounty in a very unique way.  Blondie soon dissolves the partnership which makes Tuco bitter and hunts down Blondie.  They soon learn of a buried treasure which Blondie learns off someone dying and realize they must keep each other alive to find this fortune they are looking for.  The third person on the trail is bounty hunter Angel Eyes, played by Lee Van Cleef, who looks to beat them to the punch.  This is one of the most iconic westerns and possibly the best in my opinion.  Ennio Morricone has an unforgettable score and has some really good action.  The trio of Eastwood, Wallach, and Van Cleef are possibly the best western trio of all time and perfectly cast in their roles, leading to a very good showdown.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Journey to Italy (1954):  This is my Italian film for the week which was directed by Roberto Rossellini.  George Sanders and Ingrid Bergman star as married couple Alex and Katherine Joyce who are a very wealthy and sophisticated couple.  They must go to Naples to dispose of their late uncle's villa and in the trip they begin to experience some tension in their marriage.  They both flashback to different times in their lives which make their marriage even more difficult and even discuss the possibility of divorce.  This is a really good movie dealing with the later years of a marriage and trying to salvage what they have.  It also has a lot of beautiful scenery along with very good performances.  This is not for everyone but foreign film buffs will love this one.

Rumble Fish (1983):  Francis Ford Coppola directed this film adaptation based on the novel by S.E. Hinton.  Matt Dillon stars as small-town thug Rusty James who lives in the shadow of his brother the Motorcycle Boy, played by a young Mickey Rourke, and longs for the days of brawls which are quite absent.  His mother has left, his father drinks a lot and school has no meaning for him.  The Motorcycle Boy returns to town after a long absence trying to get through to his brother but at the same time has his own issues to deal with.  It mostly deals with the relationship between the brothers but there is a lot more to it.  Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Diana Scarwid, Vincent Spano, Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne, and Tom Waits all co-star in this film.  This is a really good look at small-town life and shot very well in black and white where only the fish are in color.  There is also a very good scene taking place in the pet store.

Trouble Man (1972):  This is my Blaxploitation selection for the week which was directed by Ivan Dixon.  Robert Hooks stars as private investigator Mr. T who is hired to figure out who is knocking over crap games at the pool hall.  Also, a rival gang lord dies and is up to Mr. T to prevent a gang war and keep the cops off his back.  This is one that can be enjoyed if understanding and tolerant of the genre.  It is a rather fun movie and Hooks is very fun as the smooth talking p.i.

Sharknado (2013):  I end the week with this cult hit from the Syfy channel and featured last Thursday at the movie theaters under Rifftrax.  This takes place in L.A. where a hurricane hits and for some reason sharks are at very high and deadly numbers.  90210 alum Ian Ziering stars as surfer Fin and leads a group which includes his ex-wife April, played by Tara Reid, to get to safe land and stop the sharks.  John Heard, Cassandra Scerbo, Jaason Simmons, and many others co-star.  Heard was rather amusing as the bar regular who was determined to keep the stool he sat on and even used it as a weapon.  One thing I found interesting was the kids of Fin and April who looked about their age and must have been very young when giving birth.  It also has a lot of gun action and took out a lot of sharks with their aim but they were still coming from everyone and no one is safe.  This was just as intended, a purposely made "bad movie" which was a lot of fun and delivered a lot of laughs.  There is a sequel coming soon which we were treated to a preview.  The Rifftrax guys made some very amusing commentary and had some good pre-show stuff.  It was a very fun movie and is available on Instant Netflix.  This would be a good one to get some friends together and to do your own riffing on this modern day classic bad movie.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Catherine Keener, more Anne Hathaway, and many others.  Continue to read though for return of my "Movie Night at the Shera" segment.



MOVIE NIGHT AT THE SHERA

Fargo (1996):  I went to Shera's house to get my annual haircut and then when in the living room, she went through her ATT On-Demand to look for a movie to watch and was very pleased with her selection of this one which is one of my favorites.  This was directed by the Coen Brothers.  William H. Macy stars as car salesman Jerry Lundegaard who is struggling financially and has a rather unusual scheme of making money.  He hires two inept criminals, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, to kidnap his wife whose father is very wealthy and to split the ransom with them.  The kidnapping goes forward and some unexpected bloodshed happens making things more complicated.  Frances McDormand co-stars as Sheriff Marge Gunderson who is pregnant and very determined to solve these murders.  This movie works so well with the dialogue, characters, scenery, music score and so many other things.  It is a great dark comedy and while the violence is limited, they really emphasize it when it happens.  Macy is great as the salesman who turns to crime but then realizes he does not have much of a criminal mind.  McDormand was also really good as the pregnant sheriff.  A lot of Shera's commentary is towards the really dumb criminals and as I explained to her, that was really the point to show how criminals usually are not that smart, especially the character Buscemi plays while gives a good performance.  In the end, Shera seemed to like it pretty well and after over saying "interesting".  I have the tv series to DVR so I'll probably start watching that soon.  The movie version is available on Instant Netflix.  So yah, give this a watch.