Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 485th Edition

Welcome to the 485th Edition of my series.  Friday and Saturday is when we put on I'M GETTING MURDERED IN THE MORNING at the Amvets in Muncie.  For tickets call 765-287-9054 and they are $20 which includes dinner and a show.  It will be a very funny show with a very hard-working cast so please come out if you can.  That is all I really have to say for right now so I'll get on with the selections.

Air Guitar Nation (2006):  I start the week out with this documentary.  This features the world of air guitar which has really become very popular.  This documentary shows how it became introduced in the United States when it has already become popular across the world.  This features the first U.S. championship where the winner competes in a world tournament in Finland where air guitar is very popular.  I always enjoy these kinds of documentaries and seeing the passion for an unusual hobby like this one.  The people featured in the documentary were very interesting and dedicated to air guitar and is very enjoyable if you can get past them not playing guitar.

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007):  This is part 9 of my Matt Damon series.  Paul Greengrass directed the third in the Bourne series where Damon reprises his part as Jason Bourne.  In this one, he learns more on the origins on his life as a trained killer.  He must also dodge a ruthless CIA agent, played by David Strathairn, and a new assassination program.  Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, Daniel Bruhl, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a really good one in going into his past and it also has some really good action.  It goes along very well with the first two.  It also has a thrilling climax.  This is worth a watch if you like the other two.

Henry Ford (2013):  This is my second documentary for the week and is an episode from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.  Oliver Platt narrates this documentary on the man who made the first cars that were affordable to the middle class and was very influential in things like wages paid to workers.  This shows him as a very influential innovator but also his dark side where he did not have the greatest relationship with his son.  After the Ford Model T, Ford was content with what he had and was dismayed when more was done.  This is a really informative documentary of someone I learned I knew very little about.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Army Champions (1941):  This is my short film for the week which is one of the Pete Smith Specialty shorts.  This goes into the training part of the army where they are training for things like shooting and learning speed, teamwork, and accuracy.  It pretty much says that physical training that athletes got in high school will prepare them for war.  This is one of the many military propaganda shorts from this era.  It is rather amusing to watch and took place before Pearl Harbor.

Wife vs. Secretary (1936):  This is part two of my two-part Clark Gable series.  Clark Gable stars as publishing executive Van whose wife Linda, played by Myrna Loy, believes that the relationship with his secretary Whitey, played by Jean Harlow is more than a professional one.  This leads to all kinds of misunderstandings and even Van's mom warns Linda of how her own husband philandered during marriage and Van would eventually succumb to temptation if not careful.  This was a pretty funny romantic comedy with the leads doing a great job.  A young James Stewart also co-stars as Whitey's boyfriend and has a good early supporting role.  This was probably a bit racy for its time and is worth a look to see two of the top actresses at the time going at it.

Every Which Way But Loose (1978):  This is part one of a two-part Clint Eastwood series.  Eastwood stars as Philo who is a trucker and fist-fighter who meets a country singer named Lynn, played by Sondra Locke, and takes a liking to her but she gives him the brush off.  He already is in some trouble for a bar fight so along with his friend and fight promoter friend Orville, played by Geoffrey Lewis, his beer drinking orangutan Clyde, and a girl named Echo, played by Beverley D'Angelo, they go on a road trip hoping to meet up with Lynn.  They must evade a biker gang and a couple bumbling cops along the way.  Ruth Gordon is very amusing as Ma.  This is not Eastwood's best work but is a very fun watch and was his first comedic film.

Women's Prison (1955):  I found this in a Bad Girls Film Noir boxed set and took interest at this title.  Usually when I think of this title, I think Roger Corman, Pam Grier, and exploitation at its finest but this one was different.  Jan Sterling stars as Brenda who is a good person and made a very bad mistake to get into the prison.  She must learn survival but does not help that the warden Amelia, played by Ida Lupino is very sadistic.  Howard Duff co-stars as Dr. Crane who tries to help the inmates and expose Amelia's corruption.  This is nothing great but it did keep my interests.  More of a drama than other women's prison movies.

Sweeney Todd (2006):  David Moore directed this BBC adaptation of the murderous barber.  Ray Winstone plays the 18th century barber who was at one timed wronged and is taking his revenge out on everyone at London by cutting the throats of unsuspecting clients while giving a shave.  He soon meets Mrs. Lovett, played by Essie Davis, who owns the local meat pie shop and reluctantly agrees to form an unusual partnership with Sweeney.  This does not have the music numbers but is still pretty well-written with good characters.  In the times of violence, they do not hold back.  David Warner, David Bradley, and Tom Hardy all co-star  It is a rather atmospheric and disturbing to watch.  I liked the element of Sweeney's father in this one that the musical does not feature.  I usually prefer the musical version which I once had the pleasure to be in but still enjoyed this version.

One Million Years B.C. (1966):  This might be the guilty pleasure selection for the week.  Don Chaffey directed this caveman movie movie which stars John Richardson as Tumak who has been banished from his savage tribe.  He comes upon a far more friendly tribe which also seems to have more hot women including Loana, played by the bikini-clad Raquel Welch.  These two form a relationship and decide to go out on their own and must battle many creatures like dinosaurs and even a huge turtle.  It also has a really good climax involving a volcano.  Percy Herbert, Robert Brown, and Martine Beswick co-star in this movie.  The two highlights are Raquel Welch and the special effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen.  There was no real dialogue and no subtitles for the caveman language.  There is never a dull moment in this prehistoric film.

Our Song (2000):  I end with this independent film which was written and directed by Jim McKay.  This takes place in an urban school and centers around three friends and members of the real-life Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band, played by Kerry Washington, Anna Simpson, and Melissa Martinez and dealing with their last year of high school and the school being closed for asbestos.  This has a lot of topics but the main point is the difficulty of maintaining friendships.  This is a pretty decent movie which was driven a lot by the authentic characters.  Kerry Washington makes her film debut and also has some really good band footage.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Kirsten Dunst, more Matt Damon, Channing Tatum, more Clint Eastwood, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 484th Edition

Welcome to the 484th Edition of my series.  Tonight are the academy awards so I'll be watching those like usual.  In two weeks, we will be putting on our play I'M GETTING MURDERED IN THE MORNING at the Amvets in Muncie.  It is on March 6th and 7th which is a Friday and Saturday.  Tickets are $20 which include a dinner and the show and can be reserved at 765-287-9054 so if you are near the area, please get some tickets.  I will get to my selections for the week.

Margaret (2011):  This is part 8 of my Matt Damon series where he plays a smaller but significant role in this one.  Kenneth Lonergan wrote and directed this film.  TRUE BLOOD alum Anna Paquin stars as Lisa who is a 17 year old who witnesses a brutal traffic accident in which she feels responsible.  She does what she can to make things right but is met with opposition and soon she begins to alienate everyone around her including her friends, family and teachers.  Mark Ruffalo, Jean Reno, Allison Janney, Matt Damon, Kieren Culkin, Matthew Broderick, and many others co-star.  This movie met a lot of mixed opinions.  I will say that it probably did not need to be two and a half hours but I did find it to be rather compelling.  Paquin carried it very well.  It does beg the question of how much it is worth the truth with the livelihood of others at stake.

John Waters:  This Filthy World (2006):  This is a selection fro the "Triple Feature at the House of Callies" feature a couple weeks ago.  Jeff Garlin directed this one man show where schlock director John Waters speaks to a crowd on a New York stage.  He reflects on things like his career, his life, and much of his viewpoints.  He is known for his 70s film PINK FLAMINGOS and his 80s film HAIRSPRAY which became a very popular musical.  He was not very politically correct on much of the subjects he spoke on but was quite entertaining.  One might want to see a few of Waters' films before checking this out but I believe you will be thoroughly entertained.  This was a good follow up from the first one.

Unbroken (2014):  Angelina Jolie makes her directorial debut in this film where the screenplay is written by the Coen Brothers.  Jack O'Connell stars as Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini who joins the armed forces in WWII.  Along with a couple others, he survives in a raft for 47 days only to be captured by the Japanese army and become a POW.  This had to compete with the controversial AMERICAN SNIPER for the year.  This one is more about survival and criticism has been given on things that were left out like religious elements and post-life after the war.  I enjoyed it for the inspiring story that it was.  This was shot between his life before he became an Olympic athlete and during the war where he fought for survival.

Torture Money (1937):  This is my short film for the week and part of the "Crime Doesn't Pay" series that was on the rise at this time.  This one talks about the early days of insurance fraud where people would stage auto accidents and look to settle out of court.  The police and the district attorney wise up to this and look to uncover it.  This gives some insight into the early days of automobiles on something that obviously exists far more today.

Sword of Swords (1965):  This is my Asian film for the week.  I actually recorded this from the El Rey network.  This is from the Shaw Brothers company that produced a lot of these kinds of movies in this era.  A young student named Lin Jen-Shiau, played by Jimmy Wang Yu, looks to avenge his teacher's murder and get back a stolen sword that an unscrupulous student named Fang Shi-Shiung, played by Tin Fung, takes.  In the process, Lin becomes blinded and must learn to to fight without being able to see.  This has some really good action scenes and a very good story.  This must not have gotten much exposure as even imdb does not really have enough votes for a rating or comments expressing like or dislike.  Hong Kong buffs will really like this one.

The Tall Men (1955):  This is my western for the week and part one of a two-part Clark Gable series.  Raoul Walsh directed this film which stars Clark Gable and Cameron Mitchell as brothers Ben and Clint Allison who do what the can to survive.  They try to rob cattle baron Nathan Stark, played by Robert Ryan, who in turn decides to give them a job on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana.  In the process they meet Nella, played by Jane Russell, who Ben takes a liking to but she does not believe he is ambitious enough and favors Nathan for being more successful.  Ben does what he can to win her over while they all have to fight attacks from the Indians.  This has a really good blend of action and drama with Gable and Russell working very well together.

Girls Will Be Girls (2003):  Richard Day wrote and directed this movie.  Jack Plotnick, Clinton Leupp, and Jeffery Roberson all portray Hollywood actresses at different stages of their careers.  This is a comedy and a bit of a satire on women reflecting on the success and trying to get into that limelight.  There is some intentional over-the-top moments and some pretty dark comedic moments.  MODERN FAMILY co-star Eric Stonestreet co-stars as Dr. Benson who is not the most on the level people.  This is to be taken for what it is worth and not really seriously.  If you can do that, I believe this will be a rather enjoyable comedy.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Eraserhead (1977):  This was written and directed by David Lynch and his feature directorial debut.  John Nance stars as Henry Spencer who is a hapless factory worker who fathers a mutant child along with an unhappy girlfriend, played by Charlotte Stewart.  He must put up with the constant cries of his weird looking baby.  This has a lot of weird and atmospheric visuals and limited dialogue.  It is really left to interpretation of the viewer.  It was a very good early effort by Mr. Lynch and has become quite the cult classic.

Brigadoon (1954):  This is my musical for the week directed by Vincente Minnelli and written by Alan Jay Lerner.  Gene Kelly and Van Johnson star as Tommy and Jeff who are a couple American hunters in Scotland.  They encounter a village that is not on the map called Brigadoon.  They soon learn it is an enchanted village which appears once every 100 years.  Tommy takes interest in village girl Fiona, played by Cyd Charisse and must rethink what he wants in life.  Van Johnson's character Jeff complements Tommy well and stays rather cynical about getting attached to anyone.  This is a pretty enjoyable musical with a great teaming between Kelly and Charisse which has a good story to it as well as music.  Out of the musical actors of this era, I tend to enjoy Gene Kelly the most and he did really well in this one.

The Constant Gardener (2005):  I end the week with this murder mystery directed by Fernando Meirelles which is based on the novel by John Le Carre.  Ralph Fiennes stars as Justin Quayle whose activist wife Tessa, played by Rachel Weisz, is murdered.  It goes back and forth to moments with his relationship with Tessa and her work as well as in the modern day with Justin investigating the murder which leads his to a bigger conspiracy than he wanted.  Danny Huston, Archie Panjabi, Bill Nighy, Pete Postlewaite, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very compelling story and had great scenery in the Kenya area.  Fiennes and Weisz have some great moments together.  I have always seen Danny Huston as the underrated of the Huston family and also does a good job in this movie.  This is really worth a viewing.

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 Matt Damon, Oliver Platt, more Clark Gable, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hardy, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 483rd Edition

Welcome to the 483rd Edition of my series.  I hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day.  It was just another day for me which was still a good day.  The show is coming together very well and look forward to performing it in March.  I don't have a lot to say for now but I guess next week when I release this it will be on Oscar night.

The Imitation Game (2014):  I start the week out with this Oscar nominated film directed by Morten Tyldum and based on a book by Andrew Hodges.  Benedict Cumberbatch stars as British mathematician Alan Turing who along with others during World War II helps break the code for the Enigma machine which was very pivotal towards the Allies in the defeat against the Nazis.  He also must hide his homosexuality which was banned in the UK in those days even if he did his country a great service.  Keira Knightley co-stars as as Joan who is one of the fellow mathematicians helping to break the code and also marrying Alan in the process.  Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Alan Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a pretty good film based on a very important part of WWII with very good performances that carry this film.

Brian and the Boz (2014):  I follow up with this documentary which is technically an episode from the ESPN tv series 30 FOR 30 but as always, I make the rules so I say it qualifies as a movie.  This is based on former college football star Brian Bosworth.  A lot of it focuses on Bosworth and his days with the Oklahoma Sooners and his father/son like relationship with his coach Barry Switzer.  It also talks about his alter-ego that he developed referred to as the Boz which was very controversial but still very successful in college and helped bring publicity to that era.  Eventually, the Boz began to take over which would lead to a downfall in his career which included an unsuccessful career in the NFL.  A lot of it is in the modern day where a more level headed Brian Bosworth goes through a storage unit with his son and reflects on those days as well as the lessons learned.  I really enjoyed this documentary and gave me a new perspective on the Boz.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999):  This is part 7 of my Matt Damon series.  Anthony Minghella directed this movie based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith.  Damon plays Tom Ripley who is a New Yorker hired by the wealthy Herbert Greenleaf, played by James Rebhorn, to bring his son Dickie, played by Jude Law, from France back home.  Tom goes to France and meets Dickie and his fiancee Marge, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, and soon cons his way into their lives by things like claiming to love Jazz when that is not true.  Tom mostly looks to become Dickie and goes to extreme measures in order to do so especially when Dickie tires of Tom.  Cate Blanchett, Jack Davenport, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Baker Hall, and any others co-star in this complex drama.  This has some very well developed characters and Hoffman does a great job as Dickie's friend who sees right through Ripley.  Damon is also really good as the sociopath title character who brings a lot of depth to the role.  I believe this can really rank up in the films of the 90s.

Studio Visit (1946):  This is my short film for the week which is one of the Pete Smith Specialties.  In this one, he takes a look at a film studio where we see a sleight of hand artist, a 3 year old who can balance extremely well, and Lena Horne singing in a bathtub.  This was a pretty humorous short and had some pretty good acts and was worth a watch.

Mary Poppins (1964):  This is my Disney film for the week which blends live action and animation.  Julie Andrews stars as the title character who is a super nanny summoned by a couple children of a strict banker father.  She helps with getting the house cleaned in very quick ways and takes the kids out and about having many encounters with jack of all trades Bert, played by Dick Van Dyke.  David Tomlinson, Glynis Jones, Hermione Baddeley, Elsa Lanchester, Ed Wynn, Reginald Owen co-star in this really fun Disney film.  Andrews is great as Mary Poppins and I really enjoyed Van Dyke who had a rather bad cockney accent but that is what made it so enjoyable in my opinion.  Not much else needs to be explained on this one.  This is one the family can watch.

The Iron Horse (1924):  This is my silent film for the week.  John Ford directed this silent western.  President Lincoln has approved construction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways.  In their construction, they must avoid Indian attacks.  This is based on the construction of the first transcontinental railroad but love, treachery, and revenge occur in the process.  This is probably Ford's breakthrough in directing and was rather revolutionary in the western genre.  George O'Brien and Madge Bellamy star in this film.  This would be one for classic movie buffs and silent film buffs.  This has some pretty good action from this era and moves really well.

The ABCs of Death (2012):  This came from last week's "Triple Feature at the House of Callies" feature.  This has 26 different segments going by the letters of the alphabet and had 26 younger up and coming directors to direct them.  Each one dealt with death in some way and had directors from all over the world doing this.  I will say right now, this movie is not for everyone.  I will also say that there were some segments I liked, there were some I thought did not have enough time to get their point across and some made me absolutely cringe.  Each director was given a letter and mostly free reign on what they wanted to do with it.  This was a really good effort where some hit and some miss.  Some of them were just too much for me.  I did like that they were all quite different and that they had animation on a couple of them.  Take precaution before watching this one as many I know might have walked out on this one.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Tension (1949):  This is my film noir for the week.  Richard Basehart stars as Warren Quimby who is a meek pharmacist and learns his wife Claire, played by Audrey Totter, leaves him for another man.  Warren devises a plan to form a new identity and kill that other man in order to make it look like someone else did it.  Things don't go as planned when someone else commits the murder making Warren the prime suspect.  Cyd Charisse co-stars in this Noir.  This is a pretty good B mystery that is really worth a look.

Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 Minutes (1965):  Ken Annakin directed and co-wrote this comedy on an International air race from the early 1900s when flying was just getting on the rise.  This is based on a real life race but a fictional account of it.  Each person is determined to win this race and each one has their own comical motive.  Stewart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sorli, Terry-Thomas, Robert Morley, Gert Frobe, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Red Skelton, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This might be the only other movie I have seen Gert Frobe in besides GOLDFINGER and was very amusing.  Terry-Thomas was also quite funny.  This is a really good comedic look into the early days of aviation and has really been under the radar.  This will likely give a lot of laughs especially for those involved in aviation.

Elizabeth I (2005):  I end the week with this HBO mini-series which was directed by Tom Hooper.  This takes place in the later days of The Virgin Queen who is played by Helen Mirren.  She has been queen for 20 years but has not gotten married or have had any children.  Her adviser plans to have her married to a man she does not love much to the dismay of the Earl of Leicester, played by Jeremy Irons, who has always had feelings for Elizabeth and vice versa but they could not marry due to their places in life.  Hugh Dancy, Toby Jones, Ian Mcdiarmid, Ewen Bremner, Eddie Redmayne, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  Helen Mirren does a great job in this mini-series where within the year she plays Elizabeth II in THE QUEEN.  This is a pretty compelling portrayal and are very graphic when it comes to execution and torture scenes.  This is available on Amazon Prime.

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 Matt Damon, John Waters, Angelina Jolie, Jane Russell, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 482nd Edition

Welcome to the 482nd Edition of my series.  We now have our cast together for I'M GETTING MURDERED IN THE MORNING which is a murder mystery dinner theater at the Amvets in Muncie on March 6th and 7th.  It is $20 which gets you both dinner and the show.  The dinner and drinks start around 6 and our show starts around 7:30.  It will be a very funny show so call 765-287-9054 to reserve tickets.  I will now get to my selections for the week.

Breach (2007):  I start the week out with this FBI drama which is based on a true story.  Ryan Phillippe stars as Eric O'Neill who is very determined to reach agent status with the FBI.  He is assigned to be a clerk for Agent Robert Hannsen, played by Chris Cooper, but is really being assigned in an undercover operation to expose Hannsen on being a double agent.  O'Neill slowly becomes involved in Hannsen's personal life developing a respect for him and at the same time his wife Juliana, played by Caroline Dhavernas, resents Hannsen for his intrusiveness.  O'Neill's life both personally and professionally becomes difficult in this job where he gets more than he bargained for.  Laura Linney, Gary Cole, Dennis Haysbert, Kathleen Quinlan, Bruce Davison, Mary Jo Deschanel, and many others co-star in this drama.  This spy drama really focuses on the relationship between O'Neill and Hannsen where it seems really hard to believe that Hannsen is the person that has been described.  This is based on what many call the biggest security breach in U.S. history and this movie does a really good job bringing it to life.  This is really driven by characters and has very limited action scenes but the performances keep this going and make it watchable.

Captain America:  The Winter Soldier (2014):  I follow up with this superhero film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.  Chris Evans reprises his role as Steve Rogers aka Captain America where is still trying to adjust to the modern day after being thawed out of ice he was in for years and also follows the 2012 film THE AVENGERS.  He teams up with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Black Widow, reprised by Scarlett Johannson, against a very deadly assassin called the Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan.  There is also a conspiracy where Captain America is branded a traitor and becomes a fugitive where he must prove his innocence with the help of Black Widow and his new friend Sam Wilson who becomes the Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie.  Robert Redford co-stars as Alexander Pierce who is the boss of Nick Fury, reprised by Samuel L. Jackson.  Cobie Smulders, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Jenny Agutter, Garry Shandling, all have parts.  Gary Sinise can be heard as the narrator at the Smithsonian Museum.  I don't want to get to much into this one but ranks up really high in the Marvel series and among the superhero genre.  This had a great story and really good action scenes.  There are also some humorous moments of Steve trying to adjust to the modern-day pop culture.  It was also a really good introduction to the character the Falcon.  Like always, stay through the credits.  This is one that is really worth a look is one of the best in what has become one of my favorite film series in Marvel.

Antichrist (2009):  I watched this a couple weeks ago with my friend Chris which was another movie in my "Triple Feature at the House of Callies" segment.  He had been on me for some time wanting me to watch this so finally did.  Lars Von Trier directed this horror film which was pretty much a psychological horror film.  I never really looked into the background of this movie so with this title, I was mostly expecting all kinds of satanism, maybe some sort of demons but found I was quite wrong.  As I learned, this is more of an experimental art film.  Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg star as a married couple and are credited as He and She.  They must deal with the grief of losing a child who jumped out a window while they were having sex in another room.  The wife becomes very depressed and her psychiatrist husband decides to take her home in attempt to treat her depression even though it is against the rules to treat loved ones.  They decide to go to a remote cabin in the woods where they look to confront their fears.  These two actors carry most of the film where they experience a lot of lust and violence.  It is quite hard to put this in words, it really holds nothing back as Chris told me.  It also does a really good job portraying someone going through withdrawal of anti-depression pills as she became very dependent upon.  There are some very graphic scenes in terms of sex and violence as well as some very bizarre imagery.  This is by no means for everyone but I was very compelled by the story and the imagery.  Dafoe and Gainsbourg work so well together and carry the film well.  If you are easily offended and don't have a great stomach, this is not for you.  For those who find this interesting, it is available on Instant Netflix.

All That Jazz (1979):  Bob Fosse directed and cTo-wrote this show business film which he bases on his own life.  Roy Scheider stars as Joe Gideon who is trying to get dancers for a show and at the same time editing a feature film about a stand-up comedian.  He becomes overwhelmed with everything going on in his life where he smokes a lot, does drugs, womanizes, and just overworks himself.  Jessica Lange co-stars as Angelique who is like a fantasy figure in Joe's life.  Leland Palmer, Ann Reinking, Cliff Gorman, Ben Vereen, John Lithgow, CCH Pounder, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really interesting and compelling look into the dark side of show business and the effects of one who overworks.  It has some really good song and dance numbers to go along with the dark moments.

Right or Wrong? (1951);  This is my short film for the week which comes from the always entertaining Coronet film series.  This involves a group of boys who bust a window at a warehouse and the night watchmen recognizes one of them.  The boy that gets caught does not want to squeal and everyone must decide what is right and what is wrong.  I guess this one was a little more reasonable than the others and has some education to it unlike most from the series which have become more in the way of entertainment.  This is available on public domain.

Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935):  This is the last of the Charlie Chan films for right now.  Chan, played by Warner Oland, is first there to investigate from an ancient tomb excavation but we know someone has to get killed which in this one was a man found in a tomb that was mummified after being murdered.  A young Rita Hayworth has a small part and is billed as her real name of Rita Cansino.  This is the 11th of 47 Charlie Chan films.  This is a fairly enjoyable series and I liked the Egyptian element taking place around the mystery.

American Sniper (2014):  This is a movie that has garnered a lot of praise but has also been very reviled.  Clint Eastwood directed this film based on the autobiography by real-life sniper Chris Kyle, played very well by Bradley Cooper.  This starts out briefly in his childhood where we see he is a really good shot which leads him to his decision to join the Navy Seals and becomes a sniper getting around 160 kills.  It also shows him when he is home from a tour of duty with his wife Taya, played by Sienna Miller, and his children where he finds that it is really hard to let go of his military life.  A lot of controversy surrounds the kind of person Kyle was and I have found that many find him to be no more than a murderer.  From what I can see, he was doing his job and following orders.  There is a part of the book which Kyle claims to have punched out Jesse Ventura where Ventura denies it and won a defamation suit after Kyle's death so that part is questionable.  I will say that I liked LONE SURVIVOR more than I liked this one but still found this one to be quite compelling.  I know many military people relate well to this movie that life of a military man on and off duty.  I don't really feel this movie necessarily is pro or anti war but a pretty realistic portrait on someone in the military.  This is by no means for everyone but is a very well done film.  Cooper put a lot of effort in bringing Kyle to life and did a lot of studying of footage and got really built for the film.

The Snake Pit (1948):  Anatole Litvak directed this film which stars Olivia de Havilland as Virginia Cunningham.  She finds herself in an insane asylum and does not remember how she got there.  In flashback we see her marriage and developing system.  In the asylum, not only does she not know how she got there but gets mistreated by the staff.  Leo Genn co-stars as Dr. Mark Kik who is trying to find the root of Virginia's problem.  Mark Stevens, Celeste Holm, Leif Erickson, Beulah Bondi, and many others co-star in this drama.  This was a pretty intense drama for its time.  This is based on the autobiography by Mary Jane Ward.  It was a really good portrait of someone who probably did not belong in the asylum but being in it made her worse and drove her insane.  De Havilland does a great job as Virginia.  This is really worth a look.

Luther (1974):  This is a biopic based on Reformation leader Martin Luther.  Stacy Keach stars as Luther who we first see as an Augustine monk who rose through the ranks.  He began to develop some more challenging theories from this era of the 1500s which did not sit well with the higher ups like the Pope.  His defiance would lead him to be excommunication by the pope.  This was a pretty honest portrayal of this world in those days.  It is based on a play by John Osborne.  Stacy Keach was very good as Luther.  Hugh Griffith, Robert Stephens, Julian Glover, and Judi Dench co-star in this biopic.   This was an earlier performance from Judi Dench who plays Katherine and is also very good in this film.

Titan A.E. (2000):  This is part 6 of my Matt Damon series which might go for ten parts but not sure yet.  This is my first animated selection in the series.  This was directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman.  This is a futuristic sci-fi film.  A group of aliens called the Drej destroy the earth in the 3028, where one of the survivors is Cale whose father gives him a ring which turns out to be of much importance.  Years later, he is seeked out by a captain named Joseph Korso and his pilot Akima, voiced by Drew Barrymore, and that he must help seek out the Titan which contains a mechanism which will create a new earth.  They must take on the Drej who want to destroy the ship.  John Leguizamo, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo, Ron Perlman, Alex D. Linz, Tone Loc, Jim Breuer, Jim Cummings, and Charles Rocket provide their voices.  This has some really good animation with good action and characters.  This is Bluth's more adult oriented movie with some pretty intense violence at times.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far include Keira Knightly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julie Andrews, John Ford, and many others.  Continue to read for another segment of "Triple Feature at the House of Callies".



TRIPLE FEATURE AT THE HOUSE OF CALLIES

Many people like to spend a Friday night at a bar but I was just as content spending it at my friend Chris's house and let him present some movies to me which are on Instant Netflix.  This is the second time we have done this and always look forward to his interesting selections.

The ABCs of Death (2012):  He seemed pretty anxious to show me this one.  I guess in some ways this could be called an experimental film.  This has 26 different segments going by the letters of the alphabet and had 26 younger up and coming directors to direct them.  Each one dealt with death in some way and had directors from all over the world doing this.  I will say right now, this movie is not for everyone.  I will also say that there were some segments I liked, there were some I thought did not have enough time to get their point across and some made me absolutely cringe.  Each director was given a letter and mostly free reign on what they wanted to do with it.  This was a really good effort where some hit and some miss.  Some of them were just too much for me.  I did like that they were all quite different and that they had animation on a couple of them.  Take precaution before watching this one as many I know might have walked out on this one.  This is available on Instant Netflix.

This Filthy World (2006):  This is a one man show where schlock director John Waters speaks to a crowd on a New York stage.  He reflects on things like his career, his life, and much of his viewpoints.  He is known for his 70s film PINK FLAMINGOS and his 80s film HAIRSPRAY which became a very popular musical.  He was not very politically correct on much of the subjects he spoke on but was quite entertaining.  At one point, he was talking about something that myself nor Chris knew anything about so he decided to ask Siri what it was and got a response saying "That's Not Nice" and we cracked up.  One might want to see a few of Waters' films before checking this out but I believe you will be thoroughly entertained.  This was a good follow up from the first one.

Doc of the Dead (2014):  It was getting a bit late and I had to work the next morning and was considering leaving after the second one but when Chris found this, I become intrigued and stuck around.  This talks about the history of zombies and the early days when it started, then when George Romero made the genre very popular with the 1968 film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  It talks about zombie rules, the way it has become part of out pop culture, and the different types of zombies through the years.  They also talk about the possibilities of zombies becoming a reality which I really do not believe.  They have interviews with Romero, Simon Pegg, Bruce Campbell, WORLD WAR Z author Max Brooks, Stuart Gordon and many others.  This was a pretty amusing documentary and really liked seeing Bruce Campbell marrying a couple that were dressed like zombies and would be honored to have Bruce marry me if it ever happens.