Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 763rd Edition

Welcome to the 763nd edition of my series.  Yesterday, I became very excited and some may think it's silly but it's who I am.  My local library announced a contest Filmopoloy where a Monopoly board is provided and each space has a different category.  Filling in all the spaces will get potential prizes and this contest lasts for a year and more than one board can be done.  I will likely get one when I do my pickup this week and will look to keep everyone updated on my progress.  I hope everyone is staying safe right now and I am just going to get on with my selections for the week.

Pain and Glory (2019):  Pedro Almodovar wrote and directed this film that I believe would qualify as a character study.  Antonio Banderas stars as aging filmmaker Salvador Mallo who is suffering from chronic illness and having a struggling period in his career.  He starts to reflect on his childhood in the moments that lead him where he is today while also trying to reconnect with actor Alberto Crespo, played by Asier Etxeandia, who have been on the outs for 32 years.  Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Navas, Julieta Serrano, Cesar Vicente, Asier Flores, Penelope Cruz, Cecilia Roth, Susi Sanchez, Raul Arevalo, Pedro Casablanc, and many others co-star in this film.  This was inspired by Fellini's 8 1/2 and it shows but does have its own image as well as being easier to follow in my opinion.  Banderas is great as the protagonist character.  This is a pretty compelling portrait on a filmmaker reflecting on his life and times as well as his current struggles.

Love and a .45 (1994):  This is the last part of what is my eight-part Renee Zellweger series.  C.M. Talkington wrote and directed this lovers on the lam story.  Gil Bellows and Renee Zellweger star as Watty Watts and Starlene Cheatham who go on the run after a convenience store robbery gone wrong and look to make it to Mexico.  Along the way, they develop a cult following in their cause.  Rory Cochrane, Jeffrey Combs, Jace Alexander, Ann Wedgeworth, Peter Fonda, Charlotte Ross, Michael Bowen, Wiley Wiggins, and many others co-star in this film.  Bellows and Zellweger worked very well together and Cochrane plays a good villain to them.  This is a very violent movie and is not for everyone.  I really enjoyed the story and dark humor in it as well as the characters.  This is available on Amazon Prime as part of imdb tv which is a free watch with ads.

The Little Prince (2015):  Now I go to a more family oriented stop-animated movie and the last of the eight-part series I have had for Paul Giamatti.  This is based on  the novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.  Mackenzie Foy stars as a young girl who is being over scheduled in the way of education without any time of fun.  She soon meets her eccentric neighbor who is credited as "The Aviator", voiced by Jeff Bridges, and opens up a new world with his favorite story THE LITTLE PRINCE.  Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Riley Osbourne, James Franco, Bud Cort, Benicio Del Toro, Ricky Gervais, Albert Brooks, Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti, and many others lend their voices to this animated movie.  There is a 1974 version of the same which is more based on the book.  This movie is partly based on the book and is based around the book with another story.  I really liked this version which has a really good message on not forgetting who you are when becoming a grown-up.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Yankee Doodle Bugs (1954):  This is my animated short for the week.  Bugs' nephew Clyde, both voiced by Mel Blanc, is visiting and is struggling with learning American history.  Bugs educates his nephew by putting himself in historical situations like with Ben Franklin and George Washington.  To be honest, I do not remember Bugs having any relatives.  This is on the dvd of YANKEE DOODLE DANDY in the extras.  This was a pretty fun short work a few minutes.

The Kennel Murder Case (1933):  Michael Curtiz directed this murder mystery which is based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine.  William Powell stars as investigator Philo Vance, accompanied by his losing Scottish Terrior, who is investigating the death of a much-hated collector and does not buy into the suicide.  Just about anyone could have done this murder and the debonair detective Vance is determined to find the killer.  Mary Astor, Eugene Pallette, Ralph Morgan, Robert McWade, Robert Barrat, Frank Conroy, Etienne Girardot, and many more co-star in this murder mystery.  Look for a cameo from the dog Asta who is well known for THE THIN MAN series which would come out the next year so I guess Powell liked Asta better than the dog in this movie.  This is the last appearance Powell would make as Philo Vance and would take up Nick Charles in THE THIN MAN as mentioned.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Battle of Britain (1969):  This is my war film for the week which was directed by Guy Hamilton and based on the book THE NARROW MARGIN by Derek Wood and Derek Dempster.  This centers around the the British Royal Air Force which fights a desperate air battle against the Luftwaffe that can determine a significant invasion from happening.  This takes a look at the point of view of both the British and German sides.  Michael Caine, Harry Andrews, Trevor Howard, Curt Jurgens, Ian McShane, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Nigel Patrick, Christopher Plummer, Michael Redgrave, Robert Shaw, Susannah York, Ralph Richardson, Patrick Wymark, Robert Flyming, Isla Blair, Barry Foster, Edward Fox, and many others co-star in this war film.  This has a very good cast and even more important has some great air sequences.  This is a well done war film and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

SpaceCamp (1986):  This is my tribute to Kelly Preston who recently left us.  This is my sci-fi selection for the week which is directed by Harry Winer.  This centers around the Space Camp program at NASA where a group of kids including Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Tate Donovan, and Leaf Phoenix, who we now know as Joaquin, and their instructor Andie, played by Kate Capshaw, get the opportunity to sit in a shuttle but end up accidentally being launched into space by an overzealous robot named Jinx, voiced by Frank Welker.  They must learn to work together if they have any hopes of getting back onto earth.  Tom Skerritt, Barry Primus, Terry O'Quinn, Mitchell Anderson, and many others co-star in this space movie.  I am sure that there are plenty of flaws one can point out in their going into space.  Just take it for what it is though which is an '80s movie and one the family can watch.  This is the feature film debut for Phoenix and at his elementary age, he does show shades of what I call the "Joaquin Phoenix intensity".  This could be a good double feature for the actual true story of APOLLO 13.

Moonshine County Express (1977):  This is my homage to John Saxon who recently left us and I thought I'd look for something more unknown.  Gus Trikonis directed this action movie.  When a hillbilly moonshiner is murdered by a competitor, his three armed daughters, played by Susan Howard, Claudia Jennings, and Maureen McCormick, set out for revenge with the help of local outlaw J.B. Johnson, played by Saxon.  William Conrad, Morgan Woodward, Jeff Corey, Dub Taylor, Albert Salmi, Len Lesser, and many others co-star in this movie.  This was a pretty popular genre in this era involving car chases, inept cops on the lines of movies like SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT.  McCormick was most known for Marcia Brady from THE BRADY BUNCH.  This can be a very fun watch if not taken too seriously and is also available on Amazon Prime.

New Faces (1954):  Harry Horner and John Beal directed this movie which essentially are a series of sketches and based on the Broadway show NEW FACES OF 1954.  Eartha Kitt was likely the highlight of this movie with her music numbers which were likely pretty daring at the time and does perform SANTA BABY.  Ronny Graham, Robert Clary, Alice Ghostley, Paul Lynde, Bill Mullikin, Carol Lawrence, and many others co-star in this movie.  Melvin Brooks wrote a lot of this material and would go onto become Mel Brooks.  This is of interest to see a lot of people before they became big and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Dangerous Liaisons (1988):  Stephen Frears directed this period adaptation of CRUEL INTENTIONS.  Wait, maybe that is the other way around and that named movie was the modern-day version of this story which is based on the novel by Choderlos de Laclos and the play by Christopher Hampton.  Glenn Close stars as Marquise de Merteuil who is a scheming widow that makes a wager with the dashing Valmont, played by John Malkovich, that he can seduce the soon to be married Cecile, played by Uma Thurman, but really wants to seduce Madame de Tourvel, played by Michelle Pfeiffer.  Valmont ends up breaking the rule of not falling in love to tragic consequences.  Swoosie Kurts, Keanu Reeves, Mildred Natwick, Peter Capaldi, Joe Sheridan, and many others co-star in this period piece.  I honestly do prefer the the modern-day version mentioned but this period piece was still a pretty compelling film with great performances from Close and Malkovich.  I would be interested in being in the theatrical version.

Well, that is it for this week but I did bring back my "Movie Time in the Town of Pottersville" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for for next week which so far includes J.K. Simmons, Keanu Reeves, Heath Ledger, Harold Lloyd, Michelle Williams, and many others.

MOVIE TIME IN THE TOWN OF POTTERSVILLE

The Snowtown Murders (2011):  I ended up hanging out at Stephanie's house and took this movie over knowing it is up her alley.  She decided to have me put in the dvd and off we went.  Justin Kurzel directed this film based on the story by Shaun Grant.  Lucas Pittaway stars as Jamie who is a 16 year old who falls in with a group lead by his mom's boyfriend John, played by Daniel Henshall.  John is very homophobic and shows lot of violent tendencies while teaching Jamie his ways of "justice".  Richard Green, Bob Adriaens, Louise Harris, Matthew Howard, Anthony Groves, and many others co-star in this film.  This is unfortunately a true story that happened in Australia that involved a series of murders.  This is not something for everyone to watch.  This has a really good low-budget feel and is the only way this could have worked the way it did.  Steph and I both took well to this film and was really worth a look.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 762nd Edition

Welcome to the 762nd edition of my series.  I haven't really had a lot happening this week so I'm just not going to say anything and get to what everyone came to see.

Chicago (2002):  This is part seven of my eight-part Renee Zellweger series.  Rob Marshall directed this musical based on the stage production by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb and the music written by Ebb and John Kander.  Zellweger stars as Roxie Hart and Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as Velma Kelly who are both murderesses in prison competing for fame, publicity, and the attention of attorney Billy Flynn, played by Richard Gere.  Queen Latifah co-stars as Matron Mama Morton and was perfectly cast in the role.  Taye Diggs, John C. Reilly, Dominic West, Jayne Eastwood, Colm Feore, Chita Rivera, Mya, Christine Baranski, Lucy Liu, and many others co-star in this film.  I have always enjoyed this musical that is essentially a dark comedy.  I thought this was Gere's best performance of his career.  Rivera played the role of Velma in the original 1975 production.  I would love to play the role of Amos, played by Reilly, one day on the stage.  Go ahead and check this musical out and all that jazz.

Parkland (2013):  This is part seven of my eight-part Paul Giamatti series where he plays an amateur cameraman named Abraham Zapruder that gets footage of the JFK shooting when just hoping to get footage of our president at that time.  Peter Landesman directed this docudrama which was based on the book by Vincent Bugliosi.  This takes place during the aftermath of the JFK assassination.  This takes a look the investigation of the crime, the shattered Oswald family and even gets the point of view from the secret service at times.  Giamatti, Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden, Matt Barr, Billy Bob Thornton, Elizabeth Tulloch, Ron Livingston, Jason Douglas, David Harbour, James Badge Dale, Larry Jack Dotson, Austin Nichols, Jonathan Breck, Eugene Lee, Nico Evers-Swindell, Tom Welling, Mark Duplass, Gil Bellows, Colin Hanks, Gary Grubbs, Jackie Earle Haley, Rory Cochrane, Jacki Weaver, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, and many others co-star in this docudrama.  This really looks most at the events surrounding the events at this time and does not do a lot in the way of character development which I have noticed is a criticism from some.  I did enjoy Giamatti playing a more serious role than usual as opposed to where he is either humorous and/or very sarcastic.  I also liked the stuff with the Oswald family and yes, I believe Oswald did it.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Windy City Heat (2003):  Bobcat Goldthwait directed this tv movie from Comedy Central which I guess is a documentary.  This centers around a man named Perry Caravello who is being lead to believe he is the star of a movie directed by Goldthwait but is unaware that it is a hoax.  Lisa Arch, Dane Cook, Carson Daly, Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla, William "The Refrigerator" Perry, Kitana Baker, Tom Hughes, Toby Huss, Sal Iacono, Tom Kenny, Bob Legionaire, Geoff Pierson, Colin Quinn, Roger Rose, Laura Silverman, Tom Stern, Toshi Toda, Wayne Wilderson, and many others co-star in this film.  There were times I laughed and other times I thought "wtf" and still laughed especially with Caravello who was just absolutely convinced he was a big star.  Give this a look if it seems up your alley.

Elmer Elephant (1936):  This is my classic animated short from Disney.  This centers around a birthday party which consists of many animals.  Elmer is being made fun of for his big nose but is able to save the day with it.  I guess Elmer will always be in the shadow of Dumbo and was not in much after this though has a cameo in WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT.  This guy also deserves to be remembered in Disney history and is said to be the precursor to the later hit movie DUMBO.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

The Lost Volcano (1950):  Ford Beebe directed this jungle movie for a lack of a better description.  Johnny Sheffield stars as Bomba the Jungle Boy whose friend David, played by Tommy Ivo, is kidnapped by hunters that believe he can lead them to a treasure.  It is Bomba to the rescue.  Donald Woods, Marjorie Lord, John Ridgely, Elena Verdugo, Don C. Harvey, Grandon Rhodes, and many others co-star in this movie.  Sheffield played "Boy" in the Tarzan movies during the the Johnny Weissmuller era of the franchise and would go onto be the featured character in this series for a number of movies which would be the end of his film career.  It is never really inferred that this is the adopted son of Tarzan and Jane though maybe in the earlier movies.  This character spoke in the third person but was more articulate than his adopted father Tarzan, at least in the early days of the character.  I had never heard of these movies until I came across it on Amazon Prime so something of interest in my opinion.

The Great Race (1965):  Blake Edwards directed this comedy where he reunites Billy Wilder's comedy duo of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon from the 1959 comedy SOME LIKE IT HOT.  In this movie, they are rivals in the early 20th century and agree to take part in a big race.  Curtis stars as professional daredevil The Great Leslie and Lemmon stars as the dastardly mustached villain Professor Fate.  Joining in the battle for the purposes of getting a story is reporter Maggie Dubois, played by Natalie Wood.  In this race, they run into all kinds of obstacles like being stuck on an iceberg and an epic pie fight occurs as well.  Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, Vivian Vance, Arthur O'Connell, Dorothy Provine, Larry Storch, Ross Martin, George Macready, Marvin Kaplan, Hal Smith, Denver Pyle, William Bryant, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This has a lot of really funny moments with Lemmon great as the villain and Falk very amusing as his henchman.  This could go along with the comedy IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD as a double feature

Knives Out (2019):  Rian Johnson wrote and directed this murder mystery.  Christopher Plummer stars as crime novelist Harlan Thrombey, played by Christopher Plummer, who is found dead on his 85th birthday.  Private detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, is anonymously enlisted to investigate the death which appears to be a murder from someone within the dysfunctional and eccentric family.  Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Ana de Armas, Don Johnson, LaKeith Stanford, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Riki Lindhome, Edi Patterson, Frank Oz, K Callan, Noah Segan, M. Emmet Walsh, Marlene Forte, and many others co-star in this murder mystery.  This takes a lot of turns and is told a lot through flashbacks and just when you think they are getting somewhere, more twists get layered on.  This has a really good modern-day feel to Agatha Christie and this is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968):  This is my western for the week which was directed and co-written by Sergio Leone along with Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci so quite a writing trio there.  Charles Bronson stars as a mysterious stranger who plays the harmonica and teams with a desperado named Cheyenne, played by Jason Robards.  They look to protect a beautiful widow named Jill McBain, played by Claudia Cardinale, whose family was murdered by a ruthless assassin named Frank, played by Henry Fonda.  Gabriele Ferzetti, Woody Strode, Frank Wolff, Lionel Stander, and many others co-star in this western.  Ennio Morricone has one of his usual great music scores.  Henry Fonda was always known to play the hero or at least be a gray area in his movies but he takes a turn as an all-out villain in this one.  This is everything one would expect from a spaghetti western and Henry Fonda being a villain was a big thing at the time.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Where the World Meets (1952):  This is my documentary for the week which was directed by Hannu Leminen.  This was part one of an Olympics film for the XV annual Olympics in Helsinki.  Most of this was footage from the Olympics and the commentary on the track and field events as well as the opening ceremony.  There is a follow-up movie in 1953 called GOLD AND GLORY by the same director.  This and many others Olympic documentaries are available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Mission:  Impossible II (2000):  I end the week with this action sequel based on the hit tv series.  John Woo directed this action film where our favorite Scientologist Tom Cruise reprises his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt.  Ethan must stop a virus called Chimera in which the creator was murdered and the antidote was stolen by disavowed IMF agent Sean Ambrose, played by Dougray Scott.  Thandie Newton co-stars as Nyah Hall who agrees to go undercover and learn what she can about Ambrose and the virus.  Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson, Brendan Gleeson, Rade Serbedzija, William Mapother, Dominic Purcell, Anthony Hopkins, and many others co-star in this action sequel.  It was interesting how this movie kind of hits home with the times we are in though that was not intentional on my end to feature this.  This was a little easier to understand than its predecessor.  This has some great photography, interesting characters, and a lot of action and has become quite the franchise in film.

Well, that is it for this week, tell me what you like and dislike.  Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Penelope Cruz, Renee Zellweger, Rachel McAdams, Mary Astor, Michael Caine, Joaquin Phoenix, the late John Saxon, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 671st Edition

Welcome to the 761st edition of my series.  I hope everyone is staying safe in these unusual times.  I also hope everyone is finding some way to make the most of these unusual times.  Last night, I got to see my best friend do what she does best, besides mothering, and see her at a live music show so those are the ways I'm making the most of these unusual times.  I think I've said enough so I'll just get to my selections.

The White Princess (2017):  I start the week out with this mini-series on Royalty.  Jamie Payne and Alex Kalymnios directed this mini-series which is based on the novel by Philippa Gregory.  This is based on the story of Elizabeth of York, played by Jodie Comer, and Henry VII, played by Jacob Collins-Levy.  This shows all the power plays between each other and the families.  Rebecca Benson, Richard Dillane, Michelle Fairley, Kenneth Cranham, Nicholas Audsley, Essie Davis, Caroline Goodall, Adrian Rawlins, Joanne Whalley, Susie Trayling, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  This was shown on Starz and is eight episodes long with each being around an hour.  It is hard to really describe for me to describe this any further.  I really loved the opening sequence of the episodes.  I will say that as I was watching this, I kind of started thinking of the royal families as being the original mafia in a sense.  This is a sequel to THE WHITE QUEEN which has the same author and was on as a mini-series in 2013 on the BBC network.

Me, Myself, and Irene (2000):  This is part six of my Renee Zellweger series and in doing this, I have created a trilogy for Jim Carrey as well with my Paul Giamatti features I have had in the last couple weeks.  The Farrelly Brothers directed this comedy which stars Carrey as a Rhode Island state trooper named Charlie who has been getting walked on by those around him and soon develops a split personality named Hank.  Zellweger stars as the title character who is put on the run and Charlie is assigned to return her to upstate New York until they find that corrupt cops are after him.  Anthony Anderson, Mongo Brownlee, Jerod Mixon, Chris Cooper, Michael Bowman, Richard Jenkins, Robert Forster, Mike Cerrone, Rob Moran, Daniel Greene, Tony Cox, Zen Gesner, Steve Sweeney, Traylor Howard, Anna Kournikova, Cam Neely, Lin Shaye, Kate Forster, and many others co-star in this film though some you might have to watch the credits to see in the very clever closing credit sequence.  Anderson, Brownlee, and Mixon are very amusing as Charlie's getto speaking but extremely intelligent sons.  I have always found this to be very enjoyable with Carrey being great in his more dual role and I know some that have said they hate Jim Carrey but like this one.

American Splendor (2003):  This is part six of my Paul Giamatti series.  Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini directed this film based on Harvey Pekar's comic book series of the title and his more personal graphic novel OUR CANCER YEAR.  Pekar plays himself in interview segments and is also played by Giamatti.  Pekar is an everyday struggling American in Cleveland working as a file clerk and collecting records.  He meets underground comic artist Robert Crumb, played by James Urbaniak, and gets the idea to do an underground graphic novel on himself which becomes quite successful.  Hope Davis co-stars as his wife Joyce.  Sylvia Kauders, Charles Eduardos, Judah Friedlander, Robert Pulcini, Donal Logue, Molly Shannon, Josh Hutcherson, and many others co-star in this film while Joyce and Harvey's friend Toby Radloff play themselves in interview segments.  I actually got to meet Harvey Pekar once when he came to my town of Muncie to speak at Ball State University and talks about his life in the world of underground comics.  This was a few months before his death.  This was a very clever film combining documentary footage and a feature film.  A really good double feature could include this and the documentary CRUMB which is about Robert Crumb.

Guerille Talks (1978):  This is my short film for the week which was directed by Vivienne Dick.  This has interview footage of eight women which were essentially Dick's test subjects much of which are associated with the punk music scene.  This is various examples of female self-definition which was part of the "no wave" period.  This was an underground filmmaking movement that was mostly on the Lower East Side of New York City.  Maybe before checking this out, look into this particular era of film and Vivienne Dick's background.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

You Can't Take it With You (1938):  Frank Capra directed this comedy that is based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.  James Stewart stars as Tony Kirby who is the Vice President of his father's business and falls in love with his employee Alice Sycamore, played by Jean Arthur.  Tony has been used to the work and money with this greedy father Anthony, played by Edward Arnold.  When meeting Alice's family, he finds a rather offbeat and eccentric family who are not really about money and more about enjoying life no matter how unusual.  Lionel Barrymore co-stars as Martin Vanderhof who is the patriarch of the household and refuses to give into Anthony's business demands.  Mischa Auer, Ann Miller, Spring Byington, Samuel S. Hinds, Donald Meek, H.B. Warner, Halliwell Hobbes, Dub Taylor, Mary Forbes, Lillian Yarbo, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Charles Lane, Harry Davenport, Ward Bond, and many others co-star in this film.  As just about everyone knows, I was recently in the play where I got to play the Russian dance instructor Kolenkov.  This version takes most of the play and is rewritten a bit to put the Frank Capra spin on it and to likely to make Stewart into more of the star of the film as opposed to being more of a supporting role in the play.  This still has some great social messages that can resonate with just about any era.

The Foundling (1940):  This is my Russian film for the week which was directed by Tatyana Lukashevich.  Veronika Lebedeva stars in this film as little Natasha who manages to leave the house and go on some adventures around town.  Through her wandering around town, she meets many new friends of both adults and children who take to her personality.  There is not much else to say to describe this movie.  I had heard that this was made to show what Russia was like before the got involved in WWII.  Whatever the statement being made, it is a pretty good family film with some funny moments.  This is available to watch on the Hoopla Digital website.

Give Me Liberty (2019):  Kirill Mikhanovsky directed this independent film.  Chris Galust stars as a medical transport driver named Vic who while very hard-headed, he could not help but risk his job to help a group of rowdy seniors and a Russian boxer get to a funeral.  While trying to do this, he struggles with main roads being closed off for protests and an ALS client named Tracy, played by Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer, who is being brought along for the ride against her wishes.  Darya Ekamasova, Jehonathan Guzman, and many others co-star in this film.  This cast is a group of non-professional actors, more like non-actors, to be in this movie which brought a lot to all these characters.  This is the third selection in a row where there is some sort of Russian element at play.  This can be tough to watch at times with the struggles of some of these characters but it is also pretty comical at times.

Club Paradise (1945):  Christy Cabanne directed this movie which is based on the story PARTY GIRL by John Faxon.  Doris Merrick stars as the Julie who tires of her domineering father and decides to get out of the house.  She falls for a man Danny, played by Robert Lowery, who is playing off her being very naive leading her down a bad path.  Constance Worth, Isabel Jewell, Wanda McKay, Nestor Paiva, Byron Foulger, Lyle Talbot, and many others co-star in this B-movie picture.  This is a pretty decent and suspenseful film that was really worth about an hour watch.  Many seem to like to pair with Film Noir classic DETOUR which came out the same year.  This is also known as SENSATION HUNTERS.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Les Miserables (1978):  Glenn Jordan directed this adaptation to the classic novel by Victor Hugo.  Richard Jordan takes the helm of Jean Valjean who resorts to theft when stealing bread for his impoverished family and is sentenced to very hard labor in prison which lasts 19 years.  When finally getting out, he struggles to find work until meeting a very noble priest who give Valjean what he needs to start a new life.  As he tries to lead a decent life, he can never escape the ruthless cop Javert, played by Anthony Perkins, whose view of the law is a very extreme black and white way.  Cyril Cusack, Claude Dauphin, John Gielgud, Ian Holm, Celia Johnson, Joyce Redman, Flora Robson, Christopher Guard, Caroline Langrishe, Angela Pleasance, and many others co-star in this tv movie.  I thought this was a very well-done version of the classic novel.  Many really only know Perkins as Norman Bates in PSYCHO but he really was a lot more than that character and shows his range here as Javert.  This is available to watch on Amazon Prime though it does appear to be edited.  The movie is supposed to be two and a half hours and the version on Prime is a little over two hours.  Through the versions I have seen including the musical, I couldn't really think of what could have been cut.  If I was to ever be in the musical, I'd likely go for Javert.

Being John Malkovich (1999):  I end the week with one of my absolute favorite movies.  Spike Jonze directed this film which was written by Charlie Kaufman.  John Cusack stars as struggling puppeteer Craig Schwartz who must take a job as a file clerk.  When there, he discovers a portal where he can go inside the mind of John Malkovich, played by himself, and then get dumped on the New Jersey turnpike.  Cameron Diaz co-stars as his animal lover wife and Catherine Keener co-stars as Craig's co-worker Maxine who both have different interests after learning of Craig's discovery.  Ned Bellamy, Octavia Spencer, Mary Kay Place, Orson Bean, Willie Garson, W. Earl Brown, Charlie Sheen, and many others co-star.  I have no idea what was going through Kaufman's mind to come up with a plot where people find a portal to the brain of John Malkovich but I sure am grateful he came up with it.  This was very bizarre to say the least and while comedic, it was very dark, especially the character of Craig Schwartz who takes puppeteering to a new level.  I have always been very enthralled by this movie and seem to pick up on different things on each watch like what I never really caught in the ending that I saw this time.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Renee Zellweger, Billy Bob Thornton, Jack Lemmon, Jamie Lee Curtis, and many others.

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 760th Edition

Welcome to the 760th Edition of my series.  After performances of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I'm back to normal life for now.  I'm grateful I got to perform in these times and is one of my favorite shows I have done.  I don't know what is going on with my work as of now so I will need to take a break for now but I'm sure I'll be back.  Nothing else happening right now so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Man on the Moon (1999):  I start the week out with part five of my Paul Giamatti series which is my first time really noticing him.  Milos Forman directed this biopic on Andy Kaufman, played by Jim Carrey.  This takes a look at the career of comedian Andy Kaufman when he was on TAXI as well as his times as the self-named Intergender Wrestling Champion of the world that would start his legendary feud with wrestler Jerry Lawler, played by himself.  Giamatti co-stars as his co-writer Bob Zmuda who also had a cameo himself.  Courtney Love stars as Kaufman's girlfriend Lynne Margulies and Danny Devito co-stars as Kaufman's agent George Shapiro.  Vincent Schiavelli, Peter Bonerz, Reiko Aylesworth, Michael Villani, Caroline Rhea, Tracey Walter, David Koechner, Gerry Becker, Bobby Borielloe, Pamela Abdy, Patton Oswalt, Jim Ross, Mando Guerrero, Stacy Carter, Norm McDonald, Lorne Michaels, Brittany Colonna, Lance Russell, and many others co-star or have cameos in this film and many people in Andy's life play themselves.  Colonna is the real-life granddaughter of Kaufman and plays her aunt Carol as a child.  R.E.M. did the music score and the hit title song.  This is a really good look at someone who we refer to as a comedian but a comedian who was not concerned about laughs or getting liked.  Kaufman's goal was to get a reaction even if it was hatred and when I see this type of performer, I associate them with Andy Kaufman.  I put Marilyn Manson into that category.  I decided to follow this up by watching the 2016 Netflix documentary JIM AND ANDY:  THE GREAT BEYOND.  This was a behind the scenes showing of Jim Carrey getting into character and mostly was either Andy Kaufman or Kaufman's alter-ego Tony Clifton on the set.  This documentary also talks about the way Jim Carrey would try to entice Lawler behind the scenes.  Both of these were really good and great for a double feature.

Tombstone (1993):  George P. Cosmatos directed this western biopic on the iconic lawman Wyatt Earp, played by Kurt Russell.  Wyatt decides to move to Tombstone, Arizona in hopes of retiring from the law and going into business.  He is joined by his brothers Virgil, played by Sam Elliott, and Morgan, played by Bill Paxton, as well as his friend the controversial Doc Holliday, played by perfection by Val Kilmer.  A group called the Cowboys were wreaking havoc on the town which slowly brings Wyatt and his brothers to come out of retirement leading into the iconic gunfight at the O.K. Corral.  Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Jon Tenney, Stephen Lang, Dana Delany, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Rooker, Harry Carey Jr., Billy Bob Thornton, Tomas Arena, Paul Ben-Victor, John Philbin, Robert John Burke, Billy Zane, Charlton Heston, John Corbett, Peter Sherayko, Buck Taylor, Terry O'Quinn, Frank Stallone, Pedro Armendariz Jr., Christopher Mitchum, Wyatt Earp, and many others co-star in this film.  The actor Earp is the real-life cousin of the Earp family.  Robert Mitchum does the narration in this film.  This is a western that has really become a cult classic through the years.  I did feel this movie captured Wyatt Earp's dark side better than the older presentations through the years, most notably in what they call the "Earp Vendetta Ride".  I also felt this took a closer look at some of the minor people from this era.  I decided to follow up this with a couple documentaries that included PBS documentary AMERICAN EXPERIENCE:  WYATT EARP and the documentary IN SEARCH OF DOC HOLLIDAY which was both available on Amazon Prime.  This is a great western that is available on imdb tv with commercials and is complemented well with the documentaries named.

Hamilton (2020):  I continue by biographical selections with this look at founding father Alexander Hamilton.  Thomas Kail directed this stage performance of the popular musical which was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda who also stars as Alexander Hamilton and is inspired by the novel by Ron Chernow.  This takes a look at the ups and downs of Hamilton in his days in the military and his political career.  Leslie Odom Jr. also stars as Aaron Burr and is essentially the narrator in the musical.  Daveed Diggs, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Chris Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Okieriette Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, Phillippa Soo, Sydney James Harcourt, Thayne Jasperson, Jon Rua, Ephraim Sykes, and many others co-star in this 2016 stage presentation that is the original cast.  This recently got picked up by the Disney Plus network.  This is known to have some very unusual casting where race was not a concern with the cast and much of the music has a rap/hip-hop feel.  I have never got to see this show live but I have listened to the soundtrack many times when I'm working and have always enjoyed the soundtrack.  I have also karaoked a couple of these songs.  This is not for everyone, I know some do not like the rap element of the show.  A good double feature could be this and the musical 1776.  While I enjoy 1776, it is more of a dramatization while this tries to have more historical fact.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

It's Not Just You, Murray! (1964):  This is my short film for the week and I decided to delve some more into the early work of Martin Scorsese.  Ira Rubin stars as Murray who is reflecting back on his life as a mobster.  He expresses gratitude to his friend Joe but oblivious that Joe is not much of a friend.  Martin's mother Catherine Scorsese also has a role in this short film.  This is pretty funny and I guess the start of Scorsese's mafia films that he would be very known for later in his career.  This and many of his other early short films are available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925):  Donald Crisp directed this sequel to the 1920 film THE MARK OF ZORRO and is based on the novel by Kate and Hesketh Prichard.  Douglas Fairbanks has a duel role where he reprises his role of Don Diego and plays his son Cesar.  Cesar is framed for murder so he fakes his death and takes on the persona of Don Q to solve the murder and gets some help from Zorro.  Donald Crisp, Mary Astor, Jean Hersholt, Warner Oland, Albert MacQuarrie, Lottie Pickford, Charles Stevens, and many others co-star in this silent film.  This and its predecessor are both available to watch on Amazon Prime and are some very action packed movies for their time.

The Mugger (1958):  William Berke directed this film based on a novel by Ed McBain.  A town is subject to many cases where women are being attacked, having their purses stolen and getting a cut on their left cheek.  Kent Smith stars as Dr. Pete Graham who is investigating these crimes and the mind of the mysterious mugger.  Nan Martin, James Franciscus, Stefan Schnabel, Dick O'Neill, Leonard Stone, John Alexander, Arthur Storch, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty decent low-budget mystery with a good amount of suspense.  This is also available to watch on Amazon Prime and is worth a look.

One True Thing (1998):  This is part five of my Renee Zellweger series.  Carl Franklin directed this film that is based on the novel by Anna Quindlen.  Zellweger stars as Ellen Gulden who is forming a successful career and seems to have about everything going in her life.  When she learns her mother Kate, played by Meryl Streep, has cancer, she puts everything aside to move back to her home and care for her mother.  When there, she learns some family secrets involving her father George, played by William Hurt.  Tom Everett Scott, Lauren Graham, Nicky Katt, James Eckhouse, Patrick Breen, Gerrit Graham, Lizbeth Mackay, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty good look at a rather dysfunctional family trying to keep it together and the sacrifices that have to be made.  This is a semi-biographical story by the author.

Miss Annie Rooney (1942):  Edwin L. Marin directed this movie which stars a teenage Shirley Temple.  Temple stars as poor girl Annie Rooney who is being raised by her father and grandfather, played by William Gargan and Guy Kibbee.  She meets an upper-class boy in Marty, played by Dickie Moore, who she really likes.  Her father is also always looking for a get rich quick scheme which all play in together.  Peggy Ryan, Gloria Holden, Jonathan Hale, Mary Field, George Lloyd, Selmer Jackson, June Lockhart, and many others co-star.  Temple still had the Shirley Temple personality in her as an early teen and I learned in this movie she got her first on-screen kiss.  This was a transitional period in her life when she left Fox and was the start to her teen career as she would leave acting not long after for the most part.  I always hoped that Quentin Tarantino and her would get together for some comeback role but that never happened.  This is of worth to see Shirley as a teen and is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970):  This was kind of an audible when I learned that composer Ennio Morricone died and came across this movie when trying to find one he scored and fits into what I have done so far.  Elio Petri directed and co-wrote this Italian film.  Gian Maria Volonte stars in this film as a police detective who kills his mistress, played by Florinda Bokan, and is trying to leave clues to prove himself but the title says it all.  Orazio Orlando, Arturo Dominici, Mossimo Foschi, Vittorio Duse, and many others co-star in this film.  It is hard to describe this movie from what I already have described except very unusual.  Volante was perfect for this role and kept my attention up until the interesting ending.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Albert Nobbs (2011):  Rodrigo Garcia directed this film which is based on the 1927 novella by George Moore.  Glenn Close stars as the title character who is a woman in 19th century Dublin but posing as a man, not due to gender identity issues but to get a job as a butler in a world where it is hard for women to get good paying jobs.  Mia Wasikowska, Janet McTeer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Pauline Collins, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Mark Williams, James Greene, Serena Brabazon, Michael McElhatton, Phyllida Law, Brendan Gleeson, Kenneth Collard, Judy Donovan, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Phoebe Waller- Bridge, Emerald Fennell, John Light, Brenda Fricker, and many others co-star in this film.  I feel it best to not describe this any further.  Close reprised this role from an Off-Broadway play in 1982 called THE SINGULAR LIFE OF ALBERT NOBBS.  Close does a great job in this role and Janet McTeer also has a very good performance as well as the rest of the cast.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, James Stewart, and many others.