Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 301st Edition
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- DirectorJon FavreauStarsRobert Downey Jr.Mickey RourkeGwyneth PaltrowWith the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father's legacy.I open this week with part two of my three part Scarlet Johannson series who plays the Black Widow in this film. Jon Favreau directs this film and Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the eccentric Tony Stark. In this film, Stark must contend with the government who wants his iron man suit, his own declining health, his new enemies, and the mysterious Nick Fury. Mickey Rourke plays the Russian villain Ivan Vanko who becomes Whiplash. I really liked Rourke in his role but felt he was used too sparingly. Sam Rockwell co-stars as the corrupt politician Justin Hammer who employs Whiplash. Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her role as Stark's loyal assistant Pepper Potts. Don Cheadle takes over the part of Rhodey which was played by Terrance Howard in the first film. Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Fury who is looking to recruit Tony Stark to be part of the Avengers. I actually liked part one better but still enjoyed this one and my idol Mickey Rourke co-stars in this film. Rourke went to visit a Russian prison in order to prepare for his part to make it as authentic as possible. This movie is available on Instant Netflix and like any of these movies, stay tuned for the credits.
- StarsChristoph WaltzIan RichardsonAndrás BálintA newly "liberated" Eastern European backwater of Slaka, headed by president/romantic novelist Katya Princip, aims to join the EU. Unfortunately, its sole supporter is Hans Joachim Dorfmann.This is my mini-series of the week and a sequel to a British mini-series called THE GRAVY TRAIN. Christoph Waltz reprises his part as Dorfman who is an idealistic member of the European Economic Council. He then negotiates with a lot of trouble to negotiate with the country of Slaka to join the council. This is a four-part mini-series which is mostly of worth to see a younger Christoph Waltz. This is available on DVD on Netflix.
- DirectorIzzy SparberAl EugsterThomas JohnsonStarsJackson BeckGilbert MackJack MercerBluto is accusing Popeye in judge Wimpy's courtroom. Bluto tells a sad tale of how Popeye attacked him without provocation, but Popeye tells his side, in detail (in other words, a large chunk of A Balmy Swami (1949)).This is my mini-series of the week and a sequel to a British mini-series called THE GRAVY TRAIN. Christoph Waltz reprises his part as Dorfman who is an idealistic member of the European Economic Council. He then negotiates with a lot of trouble to negotiate with the country of Slaka to join the council. This is a four-part mini-series which is mostly of worth to see a younger Christoph Waltz. This is available on DVD on Netflix.
- DirectorJerry WarrenStarsKatherine VictorG.J. MitchellSteve BrodieBatwoman and her bevy of Batmaidens fight evil and dance.I watched this on an episode of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 where Mike and his robot friends Tom Servo and Crow to watch the title and provide their commentary. The first part of this episode shows one of those old educational films which talks about the price of cheating in school. It is one of those short films which is meant to be educational but instead just becomes entertaining. Soon, they watched the movie of the title which in no way lends itself to Batman. To say I know what this movie is about would be the biggest lie of all time. This is best to watch with MST3K or with lots of friends.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsIrene DunneCary GrantRalph BellamyA married couple file an amicable divorce, but find it harder to let go of each other than they initially thought.I now bring my screwball comedy for the week. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star as married couple Jerry and Lucy Warriner who are beginning divorce proceedings with some very funny results. They soon try to undermine each others romances in every way possible. One of the most funny scenes was a court scene where they are battling for their dog. Grant and Dunne work so well together and the movie is quite funny even today.
- DirectorAristomenis TsirbasStarsEvan Rachel WoodLuke WilsonJustin LongThe peaceful alien planet Terra faces annihilation, as the homeless remainder of the human race sets its eyes on it. Mala, a rebellious Terrian teenager, will do everything she can to stop it.This is my second animated film for this edition which I really did not know what to expect. This is a sci-fi film that takes place on a peaceful planet called Terra. Their peaceful planet becomes compromised when us humans invade it so I guess we are the aliens in this movie. Evan Rachel Wood provides the voice of Mala who is a rebellious teen alien who wants to enjoy life but does everything possible to stop this alien attack. Luke Wilson provides the voice of Jim Stanton who is one of the invaders but questions what they are doing and takes a liking to the alien Mala. I really ended up enjoying this film and thought it had a really good story as well as good animation. I suppose it has that DANCES WITH WOLVES type element but it was done very well. Other voices include Chris Evans, Rosanna Arquette, James Garner, Brian Cox, Danny Trejo, and many others. This is available on Instant Netflix.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsRichard ChamberlainOlivia HamnettDavid GulpililA Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal Persons in a ritualized taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing things about himself and premonitions.This is my courtroom film of the week but has a lot more to it. Richard Chamberlain stars as an attorney in Sydney, Australia who is assigned to defend five Aborigines in a murder trial but has a hard time getting them to give information. In the process, his life begins to have strange things happen as he begins to learn things about himself and the people he is defending. Chamberlain was very good in his role and this must be watched very closely to understand it.
- DirectorBen BoltHarold BeckerStarsMatt DillonDiane LaneTommy Lee JonesA dice roller falls in love with a talented dancer who happens to be the wife to a gangster.Matt Dillon stars as a small-town gambler named J.C. Cullen who is very good at the craps and is brought to Chicago hoping to hit the big time. Bruce Dern and Lee Grant play a couple who employ and exploit Cullen. He soon joins a crap game run by George Cole, played by Tommy Lee Jones, and breaks the bank and builds even more tension for falling for his wife, played by Diane Lane. Cullen is also seeing another woman played by Suzy Amis. This was a pretty decent gambling film showing the price of this type of lifestyle and good for some of the younger actors.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsAndy GriffithMyron McCormickNick AdamsWill Stockdale is a country bumpkin drafted into the Air Force and too dumb to realize he's driving everyone around him crazy, no one more than Sergeant King.This is my military comedy for the week which stars Andy Griffith as naive country boy Will Stockdale who is being drafted to the air force. In boot camp, he drives everyone nuts with his personality including Sergeant King who just wants to get him out of the unit. This is the movie that Griffith is more known for and while I liked his debut film A FACE IN THE CROWD better, this was still a very funny movie that kept me laughing. Don Knotts has an amusing cameo in this film which was his debut movie leading into their most known work for both of them in the tv series THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW. Griffith played this part on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony award. This movie is available on Instant Netflix.
- DirectorShôgo FuruyaSatoshi KonStarsTôru EmoriYoshiaki UmegakiAya OkamotoOn Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.I end this week with some anime and my third animated selection for this edition. This movie takes place during Christmas where we meet three homeless people. There is Gin who is a middle aged man who is an alcoholic. There is also Hana who is gay and is a drag queen. The third person is a teen runaway named Miyuki. These three people have nothing in common except that they are homeless and each has a pretty dark past. They never get along but evidently care for each other since they stick together. They soon stumble upon an abandoned baby where Hana first has delusions of being a mother. They soon begin to look for the baby's parents. This is a much different anime film in which it is an anime drama while most others are futurstic and/or sci-fi with a lot of action. This is available on the Crackle app which I have on my Roku and it is getting more popular. Strangely enough, this movie is in the action section and I noticed my local library has that there as well seeming that it is being stereotyped because of the genre. If you are looking for action in your anime this is not it. However, this is a really moving film that can possibly be liked by non-anime people.