Welcome to the 956th Edition of my series.  I hope everyone is hanging in there in these crazy times.  I am enjoying this weather myself.  I don't really have much going on right now, so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

American Pimp (1999):  I start the week out with this documentary which was directed by the Hughes Brothers.  This combines footage of real-life pimps being interviewed and footage mostly from Blaxploitation films.  They all have their own point of view on what is right and wrong.  I mostly watched this in WTF mode as they have some outrageous stories and viewpoints.  I was a little disappointed they did not include the wrestler the Godfather who taught my generation that pimpin' ain't easy.  Also, I would have liked to see some Harvey Keitel footage from TAXI DRIVER, but I will let that go.  The Hughes Brothers took on a rather daring project and was pretty interesting.  This leaves it to the viewer for their thoughts with the interviews.

Carandiru (2003):  I go from pimps to prison.  Hector Babenco directed this prison film which is based on a book by Drauzio Varella.  Luis Carlos Vasconcelos staJrs as Varella who is the prison medic and takes place from his point of view in trying to prevent AIDS which was on the rise at the time.  It also takes a look at life for various prisoners in the overcrowded prison which lead to a tragic riot that led to the death of many prisoners.  Milton Goncalves, Ailton Graca, Maria Luisa Mendonca, Aida Leiner, Wagner Moura, Caio Blat, Rodrigo Santoro, Lazaro Ramos, Julia Ianina, Floriano Peixoto, Ricardo Blat, Leona Cavalli, and many others co-star in this Brazilian film.  This is essentially a docudrama where they do a very good job developing the handful of inmates being featured.  This is based on true events which lead to what is called the Carandiru Massacre of 1992.  

The Painting (2011):  Jean-Francois Laguionie directed this French animated film.  This animated movie takes place within a painting that has not been completed yet.  The characters that have been painted completely usually put themselves on a high scale and look down upon those that are incomplete or have only been sketched.  The characters Ramo, Lola, and Plume set out to find the painter to see why he never finished the painting in hoping he will complete it.  JB Blanc, Steve Blum, Wayne Grayson, Jean-Fracois Laguionie, Gary Littman, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Dave B. Mitchell, and many others provide their voices for the French and American versions.  This was a beautiful film in many ways with a lot of very deep thought.  It is a very interesting look at prejudice and class within the world of a painting.  This is available to watch on TUBI.

The Sorcerer's Appearance (1962):  This is my short film for the week and part two of my possible Alfred Hitchcock trilogy.  Yes, technically this is technically an episode of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS but I make the rules, so I have right to call this a short film.  Joseph Lejtes directed this episode which was written by Robert Bloch.  David J. Stewart stars as magician Sadini who decides to take a young apprentice named Hugo, played by Brandon De Wilde, under his wing.  Sadini's wife Irene, played by Diana Dors, finds that Hugo is easily manipulated and takes full advantage of it.  Hitchcock has his usual opening of the episode where he describes the episode and takes a few stabs at the sponsors.  I thought this one was a lot darker than the other episodes.  This episode never aired until it got sold into syndication.  This is available to watch on Peacock, TUBI, and the Roku Channel.

The Emperor Jones (1933):  Dudley Murphy directed this film which is based on the play by Eugene O'Neill.  Paul Robeson stars as the ruthless Brutus Jones who ends up in prison doing hard labor.  Jones kills a guard and manages to escape ending up on the Carribean.  While there, he manages to become "emperor" of this island while being driven to the brink of insanity when haunted by his past.  Dudley Digges, Frank H. Wilson, Fredi Washington, and many others co-star in this film.  While Robeson played a villainous character, he did not hide his good singing voice in the movie.  I suppose it does not age well but interesting to see Robeson in his element.  This is available to watch on Max and Criterion Channel.  

Cheaper By the Dozen (1950):  Walter Lang directed this comedy which was written by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.  Clifton Webb stars as efficiency expert Frank Gilbreth who is married to Lillian Gilbreth, and they are raising a dozen kids together from infant to a senior in high school.  Frank has no problems using his expertise towards his own children.  Jeanne Crain, Betty Lynn, Edgar Buchanan, Barbara Bates, Mildred Natwick, Sara Allgood, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is based on a true story and was written by a couple of the kids of Frank Gilbreth.  This is a very light-hearted comedy which brings on the laughs while doing a good job of portraying a large family.  

The Cheap Detective (1978):  Robert Moore directed this detective parody which was written by Neil Simon.  Peter Falk stars as private detective Lou Peckinpaugh who is very cheap.  His partner is killed and is trying to prove himself innocent while helping a group of characters recover a lost treasure.  Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing, James Coco, Dom Deluise, Louise Fletcher, John Houseman, Madeline Kahn, Fernando Lamas, Marsha Mason, Phil Silvers, Abe Vigoda, Paul Williams, Nicol Williamson, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is mainly a send-up of the Humphrey Bogart films CASABLANCA and THE MALTESE FALCON so I would encourage watching those two before tackling this one.  This is a rather underrated parody with a good performance of Falk channeling the Bogey within him.  

Wallace and Gromit:  Vengeance Runs Fowl (2024):  Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park directed this stop-motion animated film.  Ben Whitehead voices the role of the inventor Wallace who decides to invent a "smart gnome" named Norbot, voiced by Reece Shearsmith, much to the dismay of Wallace's loyal dog Gromit.  Norbot seems to have a mind of his own and Gromit springs into action when Wallace is framed for a series of thefts.  Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, Muzz Khan, Lenny Henry, and many others provide their voices.  This is part of a very popular series which are mostly short films, and this is the second feature film.  This is also the first film since 2008 so I would encourage becoming familiar with this animated duo.  This was a lot of fun and was some great animation.  It is also an interesting satire on the world of artificial intelligence.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Scandal Sheet (1952):  Phil Karlson directed this film which is based on the novel THE DARK PAGE by Samuel Fuller.  Broderick Crawford stars as stars as newspaper editor Mark Chapman whose past comes to haunt him resulting in him committing murder.  He assigns his protege Steve, played by John Derek to investigate hoping to deter attention from himself while trying to cover up what happened.  Donna Reed co-stars as frustrated writer Julie Allison who also helps to investigate what happened.  Rosemary DeCamp, Henry O'Neill, Harry Morgan, James Millican, Griff Barnett, Jonathan Hale, and many others co-star in this Film Noir.  This was a very gritty and suspenseful film with a good performance out of Crawford.  It is one that has gone unnoticed through the years and is worth a look.  This is available to watch on Prime and TUBI.

William S. Burroughs:  A Man Within (2010):  I started the week with a documentary and now I end the week with a documentary which was directed by Yony Leyser.  This takes a look at writer William S. Burroughs who is probably most known for NAKED LUNCH.  Burroughs was also part of the "beat" generation along with Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.  He also crossed a lot of his own boundaries more than most others.  Peter Weller provides the narration and interviews include Laurie Anderson, David Cronenberg, John Waters, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Gus Van Zant, Genesis P-Orridge, and many others.  This was a very fascinating and complex person.  He was a hard person to get to know and remains a bit of a mystery, but this was a very insightful look into the pop culture figure.  This is available to watch on TUBI.

Well, that is it for this week, but I did bring back the categories "Tube Time" and "The Bookworm Corner".  Tell me what you like, and dislike and I will be back in a couple weeks including John Turturro, Michael Keaton, Milla Jovovich, Harold Lloyd, Marlene Dietrich, and many others.

TUBE TIME

Black Scorpion (2001):  Roger Corman and Craig J. Nevius created this one season wonder superhero series which is based on the 1995 movie of the same name.  In a town where the mayor is corrupt and the police force is incompetent; we are brought a new form of justice.  Michelle Lintel stars as L.A. Detective Darcy Walker who at night dons the outfit of Black Scorpion in trying to bring justice to the world.  With the help of her assistant Argyle, played by BT, and her partner Steve, played by Scott Valentine, Darcy dons the superhero outfit to do what she cannot do as just a detective.  Each week had a different villain that usually resulted from the mayor's corruption.  Enya Flack, Shane Powers, Guy Boyd, Robert Pine, Shae Marks, Raye Birk, Adam West, Brent Huff, Steve Eastin, Lisa Boyle, Athena Massey, Soupy Sales, Carl Banks, Martin Kove, Frank Gorshin, Nancy Valen, Lana Clarkson, Lou Ferrigno, Traci Bingham, Joe Estevez, and many others co-star or have guest appearances in this series.  This is more of a fun guilty pleasure than anything seeing Corman's idea of a superhero world.  Seeing Kove in the first episode was worth it all.  The other villains were also over-the-top fun.  This is available to watch on Prime, TUBI, and the Roku Channel. 

Eerie, Indiana (1991-1992):  Jose Rivera and Karl Schaefer created this short-lived series which takes place in my own state.  Omri Katz stars as the teenage Marshall Teller whose family moved into a town which he feels that weird things are happening.  Nobody will believe him except his friend Simon, played by PICKET FENCSE alum Justin Shenkarow who helps him to solve some very strange cases.  Mary-Margaret Humes, Francis Guinan, Julie Condra, Jason Marsdon, Archie Hahn, John Astin, Harry Goaz, Gregory Itzin, Dan Stanton, Don Stanton, Belinda Balaski, Andrew White, Todd Felker, Tobey Maguire, Henry Gibson, Vincent Schiavelli, Tony Jay, Danielle Harris, Nikki Cox, Dick Miller, Rene Auberjonois, Ray Walston, Claude Akins, Kelly Connell, Scott Weinger, Stephen Root, Michael J. Pollard, Joe Dante, Leland Orser, and many others co-star in this teen comedy horror series.  Joe Dante also directed a few episodes of the series.  This was unfortunately cancelled rather abruptly but has lived on to reach cult status.  This was very funny and creepy.  It also had a TWILIGHT ZONE feel to it as well.  This is available to watch on Prime and TUBI.

THE BOOKWORM CORNER

When it Was:  My Life on Both Sides of the Camera by Scott Romer and John Cosper (2020):  This book talks a lot about photographer Scott Romer whose photography was mainly in wrestling and boxing but has been part of many events.  He has also been a manager named Saul Creatchman in wrestling and has wrestled some as well as even boxed.  Scott talks a lot about his life and friends and family also talk about their times with Scott Romer.  The other part of the book are photos that he has taken and the many celebrities he has posed with through the years.  Rip Rogers, Dan Garza, Dr. Jerry Graham Jr., Bill Apter, Mad Man Pondo, Rampage Raddison, Andrew Anderson, David McLane, and many other have their excerpts.  This is a great book about living your dream.  I have just more recently gotten to know Scott and now I know him a little more having read this book.  He may not be a mainstream name, but he has a lot of great stories and photos.  This is available for purchase on Amazon.

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Lynnial Johnson

Welcome to the 955th Edition of my series.  I would like to wish the fathers out there, including my own, a happy Father's Day.  This is for the biological, step, animal, and whatever other fathers out there.  I have made a special section of selections dealing with fathers of some sort.  I will shut up now and get on with my selections.

Val (2021):  This is part four of my four-part Val Kilmer series.  Ting Poo and Leo Scott directed this documentary on Val Kilmer.  Through the years Kilmer filmed himself a lot for his personal life and on the movie sets.  This takes a look at his film career up to the point where he got throat cancer which changed his life a lot.  It also takes a look at the extreme preparation he does for his roles including his role as Jim Morrison in THE DOORS and of Doc Holiday in TOMBSTONE.  One thing I was not aware of until watching this was his one man show where he portrays Mark Twain on Broadway in the production CITIZEN TWAIN.  With Kilmer not able to talk well, his son Jack Kilmer provides the narration as Val as he has a very similar voice.  Most of know that Kilmer recently left us, but this was a great way to keep his memories alive and to see his passion for life.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Day Night Day Night (2006):  Julia Loktev directed and wrote this independent film.  Luisa Williams stars as a young woman who prepares to be a suicide bomber in Times Square.  This takes a look as she prepares for the event with fear and anticipation along with hints of doubt at times.  Josh P. Weinstein, Gareth Saxe, Annemarie Lawless, and Nyambi Nyambi co-star in this film.  Williams does a great job in the lead role as the cameras essentially are just filming her for a 48-hour period as she prepares for an unspeakable act.  It is left to our own interpretation as to why she is willing to do what she is agreeing to do.  I suppose this also shows how we never know the people that we walk by on the streets and what their movies are in the end.G

Waves (2019):  Trey Edward Shults directed this independent film of a family becoming broken from tragedy.  Kelvin Harrison Jr. stars as high school senior Tyler who is on the verge of a becoming the best wrestler on his team but gets injured, among other things going on in his life.  While being injured, he keeps it secret from his family including his domineering father Ronald, played by Sterling K. Brown.  Things start spinning out of control and Tyler goes off the deep end causing his life to change forever as well as his family.  Renee Elise Goldsberry and Taylor Russell co-star as Tyler's mother and sister.  Alexa Demie, David Garelik, Justin R. Chan, Joshua Brockington, Clifton Collins Jr., Vivi Pineda, Holland Hayes, Ruben E.A. Brown, Lucas Hedges, and many others co-star in this film.  This will hit pretty hard at times but is also a story of hope and forgiveness.  This is one that is best to just watch the movie and let it unfold.  This is available to watch on TUBI, Pluto TV, and Plex.

The Chaney Vase (1955):  This is my short film for the week which is technically a season one episode of the anthology series ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS.  Robert Stevens directed this episode which was written by Robert Blees.  Darren McGavin stars in this episode as Lyle Endicott who is fired from his job at an art museum.  He soon hatches a plan where he befriends invalid Martha, played by Patricia Collinge, who has an heirloom worth a lot of money, and he plans to take advantage of Martha to get it.  Carolyn Jones, George Macready, Kathryn Card, and Ruta Lee co-star in this episode.  Like all episodes, Alfred Hitchcock hosts it as he introduces the episodes and takes jabs at the sponsors.  McGavin is probably most known as the old man in A CHRISTMAS STORY so it was good to see him in something like this.  It will be a good evening as Hitchcock always says.  This is available to watch on Prime, Peacock, TUBI, and The Roku Channel.

Another Thin Man (1939):  W.S. Van Dyke directed this installment of the comedy series which is based on the novel THE FAREWELL MURDER.  William Powell and Myrna Loy reprise their roles as Nick and Nora who are now parents.  They are also called to the estate of Colonel MacFay, played by C. Aubrey Smith, who believes someone is trying to kill him which ends up happening so Nick and Nora try to solve the mystery along with their trusted dog Asta.  Virginia Grey, Otto Kruger, Ruth Hussey, Nat Pendleton, Patric Knowles, Tom Neal, Phyllis Gordon, Sheldon Leonard, Don Costello, Harry Bellaver, and many others co-star in this mystery comedy.  Look for stooge Shemp Howard in the birthday party scene.  This was made in the "Golden Year" of cinema and is the third of six in the THIN MAN series.  This has a great blend of comedy and mystery in this film along with some funny scenes of Asta trying to adjust to the baby.  

Deep End (1970):  Jerzy Skolimowski directed and co-wrote this provocative coming of age film.  John Moulder-Brown stars as the 15-year-old Mike who takes a job at Newford Baths where he forms an infatuation with colleague Susan, played by Jane Asher.  He even stalks Susan and his fiance in hopes of breaking up their relationship.  Karl Michael Vogler, Christopher Stanford, Diana Dors, Louise Martini, Erica Beer, and many others co-star in this film.  This is controversial to the core and hard to really explain further.  This is essentially about a teen very out of place where he works and tries to deal with his obsession.  This is available to watch on Criterion Channel and Plex.

His Three Daughters (2023):  Azazel Jacobs directed and wrote this film about an estranged family dealing with their dying father.  Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olsen play sisters Katie, Rachel, and Christina who come together to deal with their dying father and try to repair their broken relationship.  Their very different personalities make it hard to work through their differences.  Rudy Galvan, Jose Febus, Randy Ramos Jr., Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, and Jay O. Sanders co-star in this film.  This was very tense at times and also very touching at times.  The three worked very well as estranged sisters trying to work through the differences and their different sort of personalities.  It takes place mostly in the apartment with scenes where they might go outside but it caught the tension very well with the limited set.  This is rather underrated in my opinion.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

It Happened Tomorrow (1944):  Rene Clair directed this fantasy comedy.  Dick Powell stars as reporter Larry Stevens who learns he get the paper for the next day.  This starts to bring a lot of problems, especially for his new girlfriend Sylvia, played by Linda Darnell, who is part of a phony clairvoyant act.  Jack Oakie, Edgar Kennedy, George Cleveland, Sig Ruman, George Chandler, Eddie Acuff, Edward Brophy, Paul Guilfoyle, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I saw this as a TWILIGHT ZONE movie before that show even existed that maybe Rod Serling saw and got an idea.  It also has shades of the tv series EARLY EDITION which has a very similar premise.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel, Prime, Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, and the Roku Channel.

End of the Road (1970):  I did not know I was about to pay homage to Harris Yulin who recently left us.  I feature another strange movie from 1970.  Aram Avakian directed this film which is based on the novel by John Barth.  Stacy Keach stars as Jacob Horner who has a catatonic episode and ends up in an insane asylum run by the eccentric Doctor D, played by a young James Earl Jones.  When he is out, he takes a job as an English lecturer while having an affair with Rennie, played by Dorothy Tristan, who is married to Jacob's colleague Joe, played by Harris Yulin.  Grayson Hall, John Pleshette, Graham Jarvis, James Coco, Oliver Clark, M. Emmet Walsh, and many others co-star in this film.  I don't think Boys II Men based their song of the same name on this movie.  This was a very bizarre film essentially showing one man's odyssey I suppose.  I feel it was most worth seeing a very over the top James Earl Jones where he was just out there more than I have ever seen.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and there is a copy on Youtube.

The Reward (2009):  I end the week with this short film which was directed by Lucy Patrick Ward and written by Joel Harwood.  Anotol Yusef and Phoebe Waller-Bridge star as Felix and Charlotte who are a couple of alienated New Yorkers who unite over Felix's lost dog.  They find common ground with one another through a tragedy.  This is about 15 minutes long and is a pretty touching film.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

Well, that is it for this week but read on for my segment "Father's Day Special".  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for my return in a couple weeks.

FATHER'S DAY SPECIAL

I decided to feature a few selections of movies that somehow involves the world of fathers.  I did go all out on this one with the selections so read on a little more.  I tried to include a little of everything.

Interview with the Vampire (1994):  Brad Pitt plays a father figure as Louis to young Claudia who he takes in as an orphan.  Neil Jordan directed this film which was adapted from the classic vampire novel by Anne Rice.  Brad Pitt stars as the vampire Louis who is about two centuries of age and is about to do an interview with reporter Daniel Malloy, played by Christian Slater.  He reflects on his times of being turned into a vampire by the charismatic but dangerous Lestat, played by Tom Cruise, and the father/daughter type relationship he had with Claudia, played by Kirsten Dunst.  Antonio Banderas, John McConnell, Thandiwe Newton, Stephen Rea, and many others co-star in this vampire film.  This is one of the best vampire films of all time.  Anne Rice loved the adaptation of her novel.  Pitt and Cruise work very well together even if they apparently didn't get along well on the set.  This could be a great double feature to go along with BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA.  

Hereditary (2018):  Gabriel Byrne plays the patriarch of his family trying to keep it all together through all the strange happenings going on in his home after his mother-in-law passes away.  Ari Aster directed and wrote this horror film.  Toni Collette stars as Annie whose mother has died.  Gabriel Byrne co-stars as Annie's husband Steve and Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro co-star as their kids Peter and Charlie who all become affected by cryptic and terrifying secrets about their family ancestry driving Annie to insanity.  Steve does what he can to keep the sanity in his family but may not be able to outrun a possible sinister fate.  Christy Summerhays, Mallory Bechtel, Jake Brown, and many others co-star in this film.  This has a legitimate creep factor in it.  This is not one big happy family and we continue to see A24 working out really well.  Aster makes a great directorial debut with this film. 

Whiplash (2014):  Paul Reiser plays the concerned father to a promising young drummer in Andrew.  Damien Chazelle wrote and directed this film that takes place in the music world.  Miles Teller stars as Andrew Niemann who wants nothing more to be the greatest jazz drummer in the world and in a league with Buddy Rich.  He enrolls in the Shaffer Conservatory of Music run by a very ruthless instructor in Fletcher, played by J.K. Simmons, who is not one to settle and gets to the point of being abusive.  Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, Chris Mulkey, Damon Gupton, Susanne Spoke, and many others co-star in this film.  This has become a favorite of mine with Simmons and Teller having a great dynamic between each other.  This can make one cringe at times with the character of Fletcher and even with Niemann's own self-righteous personality.  I really love the climax of this film and is really worth a look.

Around the Bend (2004):  Christopher Walken is the most notable father in this one.  Jordan Roberts wrote and directed this film which features four generations.  Josh Lucas stars as Jason Lair who was recently separated and is now living with his grandfather Henry, played by Michael Caine, and his son Zach, played by Jonah Bobo.  Christopher Walken co-stars as Turner who is the estranged father of Jason and things get more complicated when he comes into the picture.  They end up all going on a road trip which was essentially arranged by Henry in hopes his son and grandson can work through their fractured relationship.  Glenne Headly, David Eigenberg, Gerry Bamman, Jean Effron, David Marciano, Norbert Weisser, Laurie O'Brien, Kathryn Hahn, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty fun road movie which promotes KFC a lot.  These are also very well written characters with clear flaws that are easily relatable.

Hot Rod (2007):  The father for this one is a hard to impress stepfather played by Ian McShane.  Akiva Schaffer directed this comedy which was written by Pam Brady.  Andy Samberg stars as a Rod Kimble who is a wannabe stunt man and craves the respect of his stepfather Frank, played by McShane.  Frank ends up needing an operation, Rod hatches a plan to set a school-bus-jumping record on his moped to get the money to save his stepfather.  Isla Fisher, Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett, Chris Parnell, Britt Irvan, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I laughed a lot at this film and can usually laugh no matter what Samberg is doing with this movie being no exception.  This is Schaffer's feature-film directorial debut and was a good one.  I'm sorry to those who might think they are watching a movie about wrestling legend Roddy Piper.  This is available to watch on Paramount Plus.

The Lipstick Stain (2013):  This is a short film which was written and directed by Dagny Cooper.  Sophia Lillis stars as the 10-year-old Addie whose mother has abandoned her.  She ends up staying with her estranged father Dennis, played by Devin Kawaoka, in the Ozarks where he runs a funeral home.  Unfortunately, her family there does not prove to be much better.  This is a bit unsetting but worth a few minutes to see the debut of Sophia Lillis who does a good job and has come a long way since this short film.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

Infinitely Polar Bear (2014):  Maya Forbes directed this film which is loosely based on a true story.  This takes place in 1970s Boston where Mark Ruffalo stars as the bipolar Cam Stuart.  He lives with his wife Maggie, played by Zoe Saldana, and their two daughters Amelia, played by Imogene Wolodarsky, and Faith, played by Ashley Aufderheide.  Cam has a mental breakdown and is institutionalized while also losing his job.  When he gets out, Maggie decides to go for an MBA which requires her to move to New York for 18 months and must ask Mark to take care of the daughters while she is gone.  Nekhebut Kum Juch, Keir Dullea, Georgia Lyman, Wallace Wolodarsky, and many others co-star in this film.  Ruffalo puts on a great performance where we get to see some of his good days, but we also see his bad days when dealing with his mental issues.  We also get to see a lot of the family struggles and triumphs like we are there.  This is a very moving film and is available to watch on the Roku Channel.

Desert Bloom (1986):  The father emphasized is a troubled and alcoholic stepfather played by Jon Voight.  Eugene Corr directed and co-wrote this coming-of-age story.  Annabeth Gish stars as Rose Chismore who recalls her youth in 1950s Nevada, which is full of ups and downs.  Jon Voight co-stars as Rose's alcoholic stepfather Jack who is a veteran suffering from PTSD.  Ellen Barkin co-stars as Aunt Starr who was a more pleasant part of Rose's memories, but her behavior is detrimental to the family.  This centers around atomic testing in Vegas which is another source of Jack's problems.  JoBeth Williams, Jay Underwood, Allen Garfield, Ann Risley, and many others co-star in this film.  Gish makes her film debut and does a great job in her debut.  Voight also does a good job working through all his emotions of someone with PTSD.  This is not always an upbeat story but does a good job conveying a dysfunctional family trying to work through problems.  This is available to watch on TUBI.

People Like Us (2012):  This centers around a late father.  Alex Kurtzman directed and co-wrote this film.  Chris Pine stars as Sam who is a salesman and has a sale go extremely wrong to the point there may be legal consequences.  While dealing with this, he learns his estranged father has died.  While there, Sam discovers his father had an affair and that he has a sister from that affair in Frankie, played by Elizabeth Banks, who is a struggling single mother.  Michelle Pfeiffer co-stars as Sam's mother Lillian and Olivia Wilde co-stars as his girlfriend Hannah.  Michael Hall D'Addario, Mark Duplass, Sara Mornell, Philip Baker Hall, Dean Chekvala, Barbara Eve Harris, Gabriela Milla, Jon Favreau, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good film of connecting and reconnecting with people in a life.  It also does a god job of people trying to work on their flaws.   

The Flintstones (1994):  The fathers in this one are the cavemen Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.  Brian Levant directed this live-action adaptation of the popular animated series.  This centers around the Flintstone and Rubble family.  John Goodman and Rick Moranis star as best friends Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble who both work at Slate and Company.  A new promotion at work leads to take an aptitude test which Fred gets because Barney switched tests returning a big favor.  The newfound authority starts to go to Fred's head while slowly seeing he is being set up to be a fall guy in an embezzlement scheme.  Elizabeth Perkins and Rosie O'Donnell co-star as their wives Wilma and Betty.  Halle Berry, Kyle MacLachlan, Elizabeth Taylor, Dann Florek, Richard Moll, Jean Vander Pyl, and many others co-star in this live-action adaptation.  This is a fun adaptation of the animated series mostly meant to be a family movie.  It has good special effects from that era to capture the modern-day stone age.  Goodman was perfect as Fred Flintstone.  This is available to watch on Prime.

The Meyerowitz Stories (2017):  There are fathers in both Dustin Hoffman and Adam Sandler, and I feature another estranged family.  Noah Baumbach directed and wrote this comedy-drama.  Adam Sandler stars as Danny who is unemployed and going through a divorce.  He goes to see his parents along with his daughter Eliza, played by Grace Van Dien, who is starting college and Danny is moving back with his parents Harold and Maureen, played by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.  It is also a celebration of Harold's artwork.  Ben Stiller and Elizabeth Marvel co-star as Danny's siblings who also have their own troubles.  Danny Flaherty, Adam David Thompson, Ronald Peet, Judd Hirsch, Rebecca Miller, David Cromer, Josh Hamilton, Adam Driver, and many others co-star in this movie.  Sandler has a good and is more low-key than usual.  It is hard to really describe any further except that it is essentially about three siblings trying to reconnect with their father.  It also has multiple family stories as the title implies.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Cold in July (2014):  Jim Mickle directed this film which is based on the novel by Joe R. Lonsdale.  Michael C. Hall stars as the protective father Richard Dane who shoots an intruder in his home.  He is not proud of what happened, he visits the grave of the man he shot only to be confronted by the victim's father Ben, played by Sam Shepherd, who makes indirect threats toward Richard.  Don Johnson, Vinessa Shaw, Ken Holmes, Nick Damici, Brogan Hall, Rachel Zeiger-Haag, Lanny Flaherty, Kristin Griffith, Happy Anderson, Wyatt Russell, and many others star in this Neo-Noir.  What I described is mostly the beginning plot.  This movie goes in many directions, and it is best to just watch it all unfold.  This is a very compelling film and quite dark.  This is available to watch on AMC +, Sundance Now, TUBI, Pluto TV, Plex, and the CW.

Gun Hill Road (2011):  Rashaad Ernesto Green directed this film.  Esai Morales stars as ex-con Enrique Rodriguez who comes home to his home in the Bronx after a stint in prison.  He has trouble reconnecting with his wife Angela, played by Judy Reyes, and finds that his son Michael, played by Harmony Santana, is now a trans female going by the name Vanessa.  This does not sit well with Enrique who is determined to raise a manly man for a lack of a better description.  Enrique must try to overcome his bigotry and hypocrisy with Vanessa.  Robert Salzman, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Rumierk, Felix Solis, Flaco Navaja, Franky G., Isiah Whitlock Jr., and many others co-star in this film.  This is a character study to the core.  The characters are very realistically portrayed in this film.  It is not a by the numbers film and is really worth a look.  This is available to watch on TUBI.

Mulan (1998):  Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook directed this Disney classic.  Ming-Na Wen voices the title character of Mulan, sung by Lea Solanga, whose aging father Fa Zhou, voiced by Soon-Tek Oh, is called to the army for the war against the Huns.  Mulan decides to replace her father and pose as a man in the army lead by Shang, voiced by BD Wong and sung by Donnie Osmand, where she slowly begins to fit into the army.  Eddie Murphy is very amusing as the voice of the dragon Mushu who is trying to mentor Mulan.  Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Fierstein, Freda Foh Shen, June Foray, James Hong, Miriam Margolyes, Pat Morita, Marni Nixon, James Shigeta, George Takei, Gedde Watanabe, and many others co-star in this Disney film.  The '90s period of Disney is my favorite time for Disney and maybe animation in general.  This has a lot of really good music numbers including I'LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU which is one of my favorite songs to karaoke.  This is also a good homage to the Chinese dynasty.  There is not a lot more I need to explain.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus.

Repo:  The Genetic Opera (2008):  I will end with this musical that is just perfect for Father's Day.  Darren Lynn Bousman directed this rock opera which was written by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich.  BUFFY alum Anthony Head stars as Nathan who is a repo man for the company Geneco which repos body organs and pay a high price if they cannot pay.  Nathan has the thankless job and must also try to save his sick daughter Shilo, played by Alexa Penavega.  Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton, Bill Mosely, Kevin Ogilvie, Zdunich, Sarah Power, and many others co-star in this violent musical.  This is not for the weak of heart or those with a weak stomach.  Also, please do not run because you see the name Paris Hilton in the cast and she really held her own in her role.  Brightman is known for Broadway, most notably as the original Christine in the musical version of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and makes her film debut in this one.  This has become a favorite of mine through the story and the music.  I would love to see this performed on stage one day and maybe star as Nathan.  This is available on TUBI, Fawsome, Pluto TV, the CW, and Plex.

Welcome to the 954th edition of my series.  I hope everyone is hanging in there in these crazy times.  I don't really have anything going on at the moment so I will just shut up and get on with my selections.

The Snowman (2017):  This is part three of my four-part Val Kilmer series.  Tomas Alfredson directed this movie based on the novel by Jo Nesbo.  Michael Fassbender stars as detective Harry Hole who teams with new recruit Katrine Bratt, played by Rebecca Ferguson, as they investigate the disappearance of a victim on the first snowfall of the winter.  Harry fears a serial killer might be at it again.  Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jonas Karlsson, Ronan Vibert, J.K. Simmons, Val Kilmer, David Dencik, Toby Jones, Genevieve O'Reilly, James D'Arcy, Jete Laurence, Adrian Dunbar, Chloe Sevigny, and many others co-star in this thriller.  This is a very dark story and good to watch on a rainy day.  There are also some interesting uses of snowmen throughout the movie.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

American Assassin (2017):  I continue with some violence in this film which is directed by Michael Cuesta and is based on the novel by Vince Flynn.  Dylan O'Brien stars as Mitch Rapp whose girlfriend is murdered by terrorists just as they got engaged and is drawn into the world of counterterrorism.  He is mentored by the tough as nails Stan Hurley, played by Keaton, as they investigate a series of seemingly random attacks on military and civilian targets.  Sanaa Lathan, Taylor Kitsch, Charlotte Vega, Yousef Sweid, Trevor White, JF Davis, David Suchet, and many others co-star in this film.  This has some really developed characters and some great action.  Keaton and O'Brien are great together in this film.  This could be a good watch for a guy's night.

The Way Back (2020):  Gavin O'Connor directed this film which was written by Brad Inglesby.  Ben Affleck stars as Jack Cunningham who once had a promising basketball career but walked away from the game and I suppose into a life of alcoholism.  Years later, Jack is asked to coach the basketball team of his struggling alma mater and looks for a shot at redemption.  Al Madrigal, Janina Gavankat, Michaela Watkins, Brandon Wilson, Will Ropp, Fernando Luis Vega, Melvin Gregg, Ben Irving, Jeremy Radkin, John Aylward, Da'Vinchi, Matthew Glave, Todd Stashwick, Chris Bruno, Emelia Golfieri, and many others co-star in this basketball drama.  This movie holds nothing back and Affleck puts on a really good performance.  Affleck was struggling with alcoholism prior to being in this movie so was parallel to his own life.  This could be a good double feature to go along with the movie HOOSIERS.

The Bookworm (1939):  This is my animated short for the week which was directed by Friz Frelong and Hugh Harman.  This features the Merry Melodies character of the Bookworm who is a worm who loved books.  A witch needs a worm to complete a potion and sends out her raven who ends up catching the Bookworm.  The Bookworm has a lot of literary characters by his side.  This is an entertaining look at an earlier character for Merry Melodies and all the action for an eight-minute short.  This was also co-written by Joseph Barbara before he would team with William Hanna to form Hanna-Barbara.  

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964):  Robert Aldrich directed this psychological thriller.  Bette Davis stars as aging and wealthy recluse Charlotte Hollis who has lived on a Louisiana plantation for 36 years and is plagued by a horrifying family secret that is sending her into a descent into madness.  The only people she really sees are her loyal housekeeper Velma, played by Agnes Moorehead, and her longtime physician and friend Dr. Drew Bayless.  Olivia de Havilland co-stars as Charlotte's cousin Miriam who tries to help her through the madness.  Cecil Kellaway, Victor Buono, Mary Astor, Wesley Addy, William Campbell, Bruce Dern, Frank Ferguson, George Kennedy, Dave Willock, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a really good chiller with Davis in her usual sort of behavior, especially at this point in her career.  This has lots of good twists and turns with a good dark atmosphere.

The Defiant Ones (1958):  Stanley Kramer directed this this crime film on escaped convicts.  Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier star as escaped convicts Joker and Noah who are handcuffed to one another.  They hate one another, partly due to race reasons, but they must work together toward their goal of going north to jump on a train and reach freedom.  Cara Williams, Theodore Bikel, Charles McGraw, Lon Chaney Jr., King Donovan, Claude Akins, Lawrence Dobkin, Whit Bissell, Carl Switzer, Kevin Coughlin, and many others co-star in this film.  Switzer is most known as Alfalfa in OUR GANG and was his last movie before he was gunned down.  This is a good look at race relations and of them learning to work together.  This is available to watch on MGM +, TUBI, and Pluto TV.  

Thunderbolts* (2025):  Jake Scheier directed this from the latest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Sebastian Stan reprises his role of Bucky Barnes who is now in the political world.  He teams up with Yelena, reprised by Florence Pugh, the short-lived Captain America John Walker, reprised by Wyatt Russell, Ava Starr, reprised by Hannah John-Kamen, and Alexei, reprised by David Harbour, when they realize that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, reprised by Julia-Louis Dreyfus, is setting them up.  Lewis Pullman co-stars as Robert Reynolds who is thought to be very powerful and is a project of Valentina.  Olga Kurylenko, Geraldine Viswanathan, Wendell Pierce, Chris Bauer, Violet McGraw, Alexa Swinton, Eric Lange, Chiara Stella, Stefano Carannante, Gianfranco Terrin, and many others co-star in this superhero film.  These are essentially anti-heroes that have had a very dark side but trying to make amends for their past and must also learn to get along for survival.  I also read this is the last film of the Phase 5 portion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has been one of the better movies to date.  Before watching this, maybe look into the five people on the team if you haven't seen the others to understand them more.  

Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976):  This is my martial arts film for the week which was shown at the Public Domain Theater in Muncie's Cornerstone Center of the Arts.  Jimmy Wang Yu directed, wrote and even stars in this martial arts movie.  He plays the Liu Ti Lung who is known as the One-Armed Boxer.  He is being sought for revenge by a blind martial artist who has a very unorthodox weapon in the flying guillotine just as the title implies.  This is more for the fight scenes and not so much the plot.  This would be good for a group of friends to join up and check out.  This is available to watch on TUBI, Plex, and the Roku Channel.  

Native Land (1942):  Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand directed this historic drama.  Paul Robeson narrates this film which looks at the Bill of Rights and how it is under attack in this era by corporations, so I guess nothing has changed in that regard.  This shows different stories of everyday people and how they are affected by what is going on.  Houseley Stevenson, Howard Da Silva, Robert Strauss, John Marley, Harry Wilson, Clancy Cooper, Tom Pedi, and many others co-star in this film.  I feel this is essentially an experimental film.  It's almost like a documentary with a lot of dramatizations.  It is pretty effective and deserves a look.

Strange Days (1995):  Kathryn Bigelow directed this Dystopian film which was written by James Cameron and Jay Cocks.  Ralph Fiennes stars as former cop turned street hustler Lenny Nero who deals in illegal recordings for memories of lives.  He stumbles upon a conspiracy in Dystopian 1999 Los Angeles.  With the help of his friend Max, played by Tom Sizemore, and Mace, played by Angela Bassett, he tries to solve the conspiracy.  Juliette Lewis, Michael Wincott, Vincent D'Onofrio, Glenn Plummer, Brigitte Bako, Richard Edson, William Fichtner, Josef Sommer, Nicky Katt, Michael Jace, Louise LeCavalier, David Carrera, Jim Ishida, Todd Graff, Kelly Hu, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a really good futuristic film that looks really good visually.  It also has a really good story of twists and turns to keep the interest and is hard to really describe beyond what I have already said.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and Hulu.

Well, that is it for this week but I did bring back "Fun and Useless Facts" for the week so read on for that one.  Tell me what you like and dislike and I will be back in a couple weeks which so far includes Val Kilmer, Alfred Hitchcock, Myrna Loy, Kirsten Dunst, Toni Collette, Christopher Walken, and many others.

FUN AND USELESS FACTS

Val Kilmer (The Snowman) plays Batman in the 1995 movie BATMAN FOREVER.  Michael Keaton (American Assassin) plays Batman in the 1989 film BATMAN and the 1992 sequel BATMAN RETURNS.  He also reprised the role in the 2023 movie THE FLASH.  Ben Affleck (The Way Back) plays Batman in the DC Universe including the 2021 film ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE.

Val Kilmer (The Snowman) and Tom Sizemore (Strange Days) were on a heist team in the 1995 film HEAT.  They were also in the 2000 movie RED PLANET.

Val Kilmer (The Snowman) and Ralph Fiennes (Strange Days) play Moses and Rameses in the 1998 animated movie THE PRINCE OF EGYPT.

Val Kilmer (The Snowman), Bruce Dern (Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte), and Angela Bassett (Strange Days) are in the 2003 film MASKED AND ANONYMOUS.

Val Kilmer (The Snowman) and Michael Wincott (Strange Days) were in the 1991 biopic THE DOORS.

Val Kilmer (The Snowman) and Lewis Pullman (Thunderbolts) were in the 2022 film TOP GUN:  MAVERICK

J.K. Simmons (The Snowman) and Ben Affleck (The Way Back) are in the 2016 film THE ACCOUNTANT and the 2025 sequel THE ACCOUNTANT 2.  They are also Commissioner Gordon and Batman in the DC Universe in ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE.

J.K. Simmons (The Snowman) plays Santa Claus in the 2024 action film RED ONE.  David Harbour (Thunderbolts) plays Santa in the 2022 action film VIOLENT NIGHT.

J.K. Simmons (The Snowman) and Sebastian Stan (Thunderbolts*) play the older/younger versions of their character in the 2017 movie I'M NOT HERE.

J.K. Simmons (The Snowman) and Dylan O'Brien (American Asassin) were in the 2024 film SATURDAY NIGHT.

J.K. Simmons (The Snowman) and Taylor Kitsch (American Assassin) were in the 2019 film 21 BRIDGES.

Chloe Sevigny (The Snowman) and Bruce Dern (Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte) are daughter-in-law and father-in-law in the polygamist HBO series BIG LOVE.  

Michael Fassbender (The Snowman) had his first movie audition for the role of Rafe Cawley in the 2001 movie PEARL HARBOR which would ultimately go to Ben Affleck (The Way Back).  Affleck, William Fichtner (Strange Days), and Tom Sizemore (Strange Days) were in PEARL HARBOR.

Michael Fassbender (The Snowman) plays Macbeth in the 2015 movie MACBETH.  Ralph Fiennes (Strange Days) plays Macbeth in the 2024 film of the same name.

David Dencik (The Snowman) and Ralph Fiennes (Strange Days) were in the 2021 Bond film NO TIME TO DIE.

Toby Jones (The Snowman) plays Dobby in the Harry Potter Franchise.  Ralph Fiennes (Strange Days) plays Harry Potter's main rival Lord Valdemort in the franchise.

Toby Jones (The Snowman) and Sebastian Stan (Thunderbolts*) were in the 2011 superhero film CAPTAIN AMERICA:  THE FIRST AVENGER.

Rebecca Ferguson (The Snowman) and Angela Bassett (Strange Days) were in the 2018 action film MISSION:  IMPOSSIBLE- FALLOUT.

Rebecca Ferguson (The Snowman) and Florence Pugh (Thunderbolts*) were in the 2024 sci-fi film DUNE:  PART TWO.

James D'Arcy (The Snowman) and Michael Wincott (Strange Days) were in the 2012 biopic HITCHCOCK.

James D'Arcy (The Snowman) and Florence Pugh (Thunderbolts*) were in the 2023 biopic OPPENHEIMER.

Taylor Kitsch (American Assassin) and Eric Lange (Thunderbolts*) were in the 2018 mini-series WACO.

Taylor Kitsch (American Assassin) and Sebastian Stan (Thunderbolts*) were in the 2006 horror movie THE COVENANT.

Ben Affleck (The Way Back) and Nicky Katt (Strange Days) were in the 1993 film DAZED AND CONFUSED.

Wendell Pierce (Thunderbolts*) and Angela Bassett (Strange Days) were in 1992 biopic MALCOLM X and the 1995 film WAITING TO EXHALE.