Welcome to the 960th Edition of my series.  My play ARSENIC AND OLD LACE was postponed into October 23-26 which will be in Rushville, I will give more details as they come.  

Clerks II (2006):  I start out with this raunchy comedy sequel which was written and directed by Kevin Smith.  Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson reprise their roles of Dante and Randal from the 1994 film CLERKS.  The convenience store has burned down, and they take jobs at the local fast-food joint Mooby's.  Dante is fixing to be moving out with his fiancé Emma, played by Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, and Randal does not believe it is the right thing for him.  Rosario Dawson co-stars as Becky who is the manager of Mooby's.  Jason Mewes and Smith reprise their roles of the stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob.  Jake Richardson, Ethan Suplee, Ben Affleck, Trevor Fehrman, Scott Mosier, Kevin Weisman, Jason Lee, Earthquake, Wanda Sykes, Zak Knutson, Harley Quinn Smith, Kevin Michael Richardson, and many others co-star in this comedy sequel.  This is not for the easily offended by any means.  As always, there is some great dialogue and discussions on pop culture.  I believe Dante and Randal are a very underrated comedy duo in how different they are from each other but play off each other so well.  While this movie is very vulgar and raunchy, it does have a really good hard and manages to make a good message through it all of what is important in life.  I would recommend starting with the original to get to know Dante and Randal.  This is available to watch on Pluto TV.

Hard Eight (1996):  Paul Thomas Anderson directed and wrote this crime film.  John C. Reilly stars as John who loses all his money while gambling.  While sitting outside a cafe, a man named Sydney, played by Philip Baker Hall, tries to help him and buys him a coffee.  Sydney offers to mentor John in gambling and turns him into a pretty good gambler.  Things get complicated when John falls in love with the cocktail waitress and sometimes hooker Clementine, played by Gwyneth Paltrow.  Samuel L. Jackson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Melora Walters co-star in this film.  Anderson makes his directorial debut with this film and would go onto direct the very successful BOOGIE NIGHTS the next year.  This was a really good way to get started.  This is available to watch on Pluto TV.

My Old Ass (2024):  Megan Park wrote and directed this coming-of-age comedy.  Maisy Stella stars as the 18-year-old Elliott who decides to do mushrooms with her friends.  In the process, she meets her 39-year-old self, played by Aubrey Plaza, and must rethink the things in her life.  Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks, Maria Dizzia, Alain Goulem, Seth Isaac Johnson, Carter Trozzolo, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I really had no knowledge of this film going into and was pleasantly surprised.  This was very a very touching and beautiful film while still being very funny.  Stella and Plaza are break as the younger and older selves.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Lonesome Luke, Messenger (1917):  This is my silent short film for the week which was written by Hal Roach.  Harold Lloyd stars as his Lonesome Luke character.  Along with his usual co-star Snub Pollard, they are bicycle messengers and sent to deliver several packages to a girl's seminary to much comedic moments.  This was a character Lloyd played that was similar to Chaplin's character.  This was 59 of 67 films as this character before he would go onto do his own character that is more known today.  This is a good watch for silent comedy buffs.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Mystery of Picasso (1956):  Henri-Georges Clouzot directed this documentary.  This films the famed artist Pablo Picasso doing his paintings.  This was a lot more interesting than I expected and could very well be the definition of "experimental film".  The camera shows his paintings being done in a quick way without showing Picasso doing it.  It also shows the paintings being done to music and they are able to create interesting stories as the music goes on and as the paintings progress.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Charlie is my Darling (1966):  This is my music documentary for the week which was directed by Peter Whitehead.  This takes place during a brief tour in Ireland in 1965 for the Rolling Stones.  This is a very early time in their career and was the first professionally filmed concert of their career.  It also shows them in their lives through the travel of the tour.  I also felt this was before Keith Richards became a persona.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015):  Kyle Patrick Alvarez directed this film which is based on the novel by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, played by Billy Crudup.  Zimbardo was a psychology professor at Stanford where he came up with a bizarre experiment where he took college students to participate in a two-week prison simulation.  Some of the students were prisoners and some were guards.  The guards ended up getting very carried away by the authority and the experiment got very out of hand.  Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Thirlby, Michael Angarano, Moises Arias, Nicholas Braun, Gaius Charles, Keir Gilchrist, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Mann, Logan Miller, Johnny Simmons, James Wolk, Nelsan Ellis, Matt Bennett, Jesse Carere, Brett Davern, and many others co-star in this film.  This was not a high point at Stanford University.  This is not easy to watch but it is an important event that should be remembered and not repeated.  This is available to watch on AMC +, Sundance Now, Plex, Pluto TV, the CW, and TUBI.

The Flame of New Orleans (1941):  Rene Clair directed romantic comedy.  Marlene Dietrich stars as Countess Claire Ledoux who becomes engaged to a successful banker in Charles Giraud, played by Roland Young, which was her goal.  Bruce Cabot co-stars as the charismatic sea captain Robert LaTour who makes quite the first impression on Claire and starts to rethink who she wants to be with.  Mischa Auer, Theresa Harris, Clarence Muse, Melville Cooper, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is a pretty fun romantic adventure with Cabot standing on in the film.  This was meant to parody Dietrich and it worked very well.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Sandpiper (1965):  Vincente Minnelli directed this more intense love story.  Elizabeth Taylor stars as the free-spirited single mother Laura Reynolds who doesn't really like the educational system of society and tries to instill her own values to her 9-year-old son Danny, played by Morgan Mason.  When Danny runs into problems with the law and is ordered to go to a Christian School.  As time goes on, Laura makes a connection with the married headmaster Dr. Edward Hewitt, played by Richard Burton.  Eva Marie Saint, Charles Bronson, Robert Webber, James Edwards, Torin Thatcher, Tom Drake, and many others co-star in this film.  Taylor and Burton work well together as always and this was the third of eleven times for them to work together.  This gets pretty deep at times with the viewpoints and just the affair that is going on in the film.  I also kind of like Laura's environment and her caring for the bird.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse (2022):  I end the week with this animated short film which was directed by Peter Baynton and Charlie Mackesy and based on Mackesy's book of the same name.  This centers around a boy, voiced by Jude Coward Nicoll, who ends up forming a very unusual friendship with a mole, voiced by Tom Hallander, a fox, voiced by Idris Elba, and a horse, voiced by Gabriel Byrne.  They travel together hoping to help the boy find his home and learn a lot about kindness, friendship, courage, and hope.  This was very simple but effective animation to go along with a timeless story.  This is available to watch on Apple +.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple of weeks which so far includes Jason Statham, Billy Crystal, Helen Mirren, Bela Lugosi, Joan Crawford, and many others.  I recently started a Youtube channel for myself called "The Karaoke Enigma" where I will be posting karaoke videos of myself.  It is a work in progress and the link to subscribe is https://www.youtube.com/@thekaraokeenigma if interested.

Welcome to the 959th Edition of my series.  In September, I am returning to Rushville to do my third production of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE where I reprise my role of Teddy "Roosevelt" Brewster.  The dates are September 11-14, and I will put out more information as time goes on.  There is not much more happening so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.

Zola (2020):  Janicza Bravo directed this dark comedy which is based on a viral Twitter feed by A'Ziah King aka Zola, played by Taylour Paige.  This was then turned into a Rollingstone article ZOLA TELLS ALL:  THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE GREATEST STRIPPER SAGA EVER TWEETED by David Kushner.  Zola works as a waitress and a part-time stripper and becomes friends with another stripper named Stefani, played by Riley Keough.  Zola agrees to go on a road trip with Stefani who claims to have a way to make more money.  Nicholas Braun, Ari'el Stachel, Nelcie Souffrant, Nasir Rahim, Colman Domingo, and many others co-star in this movie.  Just read the beginning part, it is hard to explain much else.  This is an interesting odyssey to go through with the duo.  It is one of those that really should not be that good, but it was produced by A24 and they always seem to make things work.  This is available to watch on TUBI, Pluto TV, and Plex

Brisby Bear (2017):  Dave McCary directed this comedy which was written by Kevin Costello and Kyle Mooney.  Mooney also stars as James who has been in an underground bunker all his life and learns he was abducted.  At 25 years old, he gets reunited with his real family.  He grew up with the show BRIGSBY BEAR only to learn his abducted parents made the show and that is no longer going on.  He sets out to end the show the way he wants and makes the show very popular through friends he has made.  Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins, Claire Danes, Ryan Simpkins, Greg Kinnear, Mark Hammill, Alexa Demie, Beck Bennett, Jane Adams, Kate Lyn Sheil, Andy Samberg, and many others co-star in this comedy.  I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.  This is really a very moving film really about people coming together which is something we need more of these days.  This is available to watch on the Roku Channel.

God's Own Country (2017):  Francis Lee wrote and directed this British film.  Josh O'Connor stars as young farmer Johnny Saxby who does not seem to like working on the farm and binge drinks to numb the pain.  Things change when a Romanian man named Gheorghe, played by Alec Secarearnu, is hired on the farm and they form a relationship which changes everything.  Gemma Jones, Ian Hart, Liam Thomas, Patsy Ferran, and many others co-star in this film.  This was inspired by Lee's own experiences of working on a farm and wanting to go to film school.  O'Connor and Secarearnu work very well together as a very uneasy couple.  The cinematography in this film is great.  I supposed this could get compared to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN which could be a good double feature.  This is available to watch on AMC +, Sundance Now, TUBI, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel.

Walking (1968):  This is my animated short for the week which was written and directed by Ryan Larkin.  This is a hand drawn portrait of the various types of walking that people do.  I thought after feature Larkin in my segment "The Indie Scene" last time and the documentary short RYAN which was based on him, I'd feature Larkin himself.  This is a pretty compelling few minutes that deserves a look.  This can be found on Youtube and I also recommend the 2004 short RYAN.  

Morocco (1930):  Josef Von Sternberg directed this film which is based on the play by Benny Vigny.  Gary Cooper stars as Legionnaire Tom Brown and Marlene Dietrich stars as cabaret singer Amy Jolly.  They fall in love but things become complicated including Tom's womanizing way and Amy having a rich man that wants her.  Adolph Menjou, Ullrich Haupt, Eve Southern, and many others co-star in this pre-code romance.  I don't think Cooper had reached the American Hero status he would get in the later years, correct me if I'm wrong.  This was pretty controversial at the time.  This is a really good love story with many stand-out scenes. 

A Place in the Sun (1951):  George Stevens directed this film which is based on the novel AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser and based on the play by Patrick Kearney.  Montgomery Clift stars as the poor George Eastman who meets the more wealthy side of his family.  He accepts a factory job and starts on the bottom but moves up pretty quickly.  George starts out with a relationship with Shelley Winters, but later Elizabeth Taylor takes an interest in him making his relationship with Shelley more difficult causing him to go to extreme measures.  I'd say that's a pretty good description.  Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, Herbert Hayes, and many others co-star in this film.  This has always been a favorite of mine.  This has a love story and a look at social status.  This was the start of these types of roles for Winters who does very well in this film.  This is based on a true story about a man named Chester Gillette but I won't give it away by telling his situation.  This is a very compelling film and gets pretty deep at times.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Jacob the Baker (2023):  Gev Miron directed and co-wrote wrote this film.  Dara Emery stars as a reporter who is assigned to interview an author and motivation speaker in Noah Benshea, played by himself.  His books consist of a character named Jacob the Baker and is out to provide hope and help to countless people.  This is not a documentary, but this is a good look at Benshea who I had no knowledge of before watching this film.  In some ways, he reminds me of Fred Rogers with his style of doing interviews.  This person needs some more exposure, and this movie is available to watch on TUBI.  This was really worth a watch and many might benefit from this one.

In Celebration (1975):  Lindsay Anderson directed this film which is based on the play by David Storey who also wrote the screenplay.  This takes place in a Yorkshire mining town where Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, played by Bill Owen and Constance Chapman, are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.  They are visited by their sons Andrew, played by Alan Bates, Steven, played by Brian Cox, and Colin, played by James Bolam.  The sons seemingly have their lives together but each of them harbor a secret of some sort.  Gabrielle Daya co-stars as a family friend.  I had never seen Cox in his younger days as I'm used to his much later roles.  This is one of his first starring roles and had been a stage actor.  This is a very intense drama of people who are not who them seem.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Gidget (1959):  Now I bring something a little more upbeat.  Paul Wendkos directed this coming-of-age beach comedy which is based on the novel by Frederick Kohner.  Sandra Dee stars as Francie who has more of an interest in things like swimming instead of chasing boys with her friends.  She joins with a group of surfer guys after being saved from an accident by Moondoggie, played by James Darren, and earning the nickname of Gidget.  She becomes fascinated by surfing and asked the guys to teach her while also slowly falling for Moondoggie.  Cliff Robertson, Arthur O'Connell, Mary LaRoche, Joby Baker, Tom Laughlin, Sue George, Robert Ellis, Patti Kane, Yvonne Craig, and many others co-star in this beach comedy.  This kind of started that popular genre of beach movies from this era.  This would follow by some sequels and a tv series.  This is good, harmless fun to watch on a Saturday afternoon.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Puss in Boots:  The Three Diablos (2012):  I end the week with this animated short film which follows the hit 2011 animated movie PUSS IN BOOTS.  Antonio Banderas reprises his role as the voice of Puss in Boots who is sent to retrieve a precious ruby from the evil Whisperer with the help of some feisty kittens that Puss must work with at first.  Gilles Marini, Charlotte Newhouse, Chris Miller, Walt Dohrn, Bret Marnell, and Miles Bakshi provide their voices in this animated short.  This is about 13 minutes long and pretty enjoyable in that amount of time.  I would recommend watching the feature film first.  

Well, that is it for this week but I brought back my segment "Tube Time" so read on for that.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple of weeks where I feature Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Aubrey Plaza, Harold Lloyd, Billy Crudup, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Idris Elba, and many others.

TUBE TIME

Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014):  Terence Winter created this HBO series which takes a look at the gangster world in the Prohibition Era and is based on the novel BOARDWALK EMPIRE:  THE BIRTH, HIGH TIMES, AND CORRUPTION OF ATLANTIC CITY by Nelson Johnson.  Steve Buscemi stars Nucky Thompson is the corrupt treasurer in Atlantic City during the Prohibition Era.  Nucky has dealings with his family, mobsters, political figures, and many others.  He has dealings with infamous mobsters like Al Capone, played by Stephen Graham, Lucky Luciano, played by Vincent Piazza, Arnold Rothstein, played by Michael Stuhlberg, and Meyer Lansky, played by Anatol Yusef.  Michael Pitt, Kelly MacDonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Michael Kenneth Williams, Paul Sparks, Gretchen Mol, Anthony Laciura, Jack Huston, Aleksa Palladino, Paz de La Huerta, Dabney Coleman, Charlie Cox, Kevin O'Rourke, Jeffrey Wright, Victor Verhaeghe, Greg Antonacci, Ben Rosenfield, Robert Clohessy, Erik LaRay Harvey, Ron Livingston, Bobby Cannavale, Dominic Chianese, Julianne Nicholson, Patricia Arquette, Brian Geraghty, Stephen Root, Max Casella, William Forsythe, Christopher McDonald, and many others co-star in this series, play recurring characters, and make guest appearances.  The character of Nucky is based on Enoch L. Johnson.  This show went five seasons.  The main point of this series is Nucky and his relationship with the Darmody family which kind of comes full circle.  I thought the most interesting character of the series is the disfigured Richard Harrow, played by Jack Huston.  This is a very compelling series and had a pretty good ending which I know is hard to come up with when it comes to a television series.  This is available to watch on HBO MAX.

Welcome to the 958th Edition of my series.  This week, I decided to use all foreign language selections for the recommendations section.  I also have a new segment called "The Indie Scene" where I feature independent, foreign, documentary, and short films.  Next weekend, I'm competing in my local "Downtown Idol" singing competition during Fire Up Downtown in Downtown Muncie.  Fire Up Downtown starts at 1 pm and the competition starts 5:30 pm.  Also, from September 11-14, I am returning to Rushville and will be in ARSENIC AND OLD LACE.  This is my third version of the play and I am reprising the role of Teddy Brewster which I did in the last one.  I will shut up now and get on with my selections for the week.

I'm Still Here (2024):  I start this out in Brazil and later make my way to Portugal.  Walter Salles directed this film which is based on the biography by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, played by Guilherme Silveiro in the childhood years and Antonio Saboia in the adult years.  Fernanda Torres stars as Eunice Paiva, later played by Torres's own mother Fernanda Montenegro in the later years.  She is the matriarch of a close-knit family and married to former politician Rubens Paiva, played by Selton Mello.  Rubens gets abducted by government agents saying need a "deposition" but never returns.  This leads Eunice into a years long quest to find the truth about what happened.  Valentina Herszage, Marjorie Estiano, Humberto Carroa, Charles Fricks, Maeve Jinkings, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very sad and true story that takes place in the military dictatorship era of Brazil.  It is also a very movie film about a very close family trying to keep it together in such horrid times.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

 

Azumi (2003):  I decided to take a trip to Japan for this one.  Ryuhei Kitamura directed this film which is based on the manga by Yu Koyama.  Aya Ueto stars as Azumi who is raised as an orphan to be an assassin along with a few others.  She is sent to kill three evil warlords while in the process she starts to question her ways.  Kenji Kohashi, Hiroki Narimiya, Eita Nagayama, Shun Oguri, Joe Odagiri, Ken'ichi Endo, Tak Sagaguchi, and many others star in this action film.  Ueto was very fun as the sword-wielding Azumi.  This also has a lot of gore and some really good action scenes.  This can be found on Youtube.

I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay (2006):  I decided to check out South Korea for this one.  Park Chan-Wook directed this romantic comedy of patients in a mental institution.  Lim Soo-Yung stars as Young-goon who is convinced she is a cyborg.  The problem is that she believes she is a cyborg, therefore does not need to eat.  Rain co-stars as Il-Sun who loves Ping Pong and makes it his goal to get Young-goon to eat.  Park Byeong-eun, Kim Byeong-Ok, Oh Dal-Su, Yoo Ho-Jeong, Lee Young-nyeo, and many others co-star in this Korean film.  This is a pretty clever film with a fresh idea.  This is a rather quirky comedy which makes use some of Young-goon's imagination.  This good be a good date movie for both sides to enjoy.

When Angels Fall (1959):  I decided to go into Poland for this one.  This is my short film for the week which was written and directed by Roman Polanski.  This takes a look at an old woman who is a washroom attendant reminiscing about her younger days.  Polanski, Barbara Lass, Henryk Kluba, and Andrzej Kondratiuk co-star in this short film.  This is a sad but compelling look essentially at one person's life and the war times she witnessed.  This was Polanski's graduation assignment and was quite good.  This is available on the Criterion Channel.

The Baker's Wife (1938):  My next stop is in France for this comedy which was directed by Marcel Pagnol and based on the novel JEAN LE BLEU by Jean Giono.  Raimu stars as Aimable Castanier who moves into a small village with his wife Aurelie, played by Ginette Leclerc, and becomes the new local baker much to the delight of the town.  Aimable becomes devasted when he finds Aurelie is gone and ran off with the shepherd Dominique, played by Charles Moulin.  Aimable is unable to bake bread and turns to alcohol when this happens.  The townsfolk try to help him through his difficult situation.  Fernard Charpin, Robert Vattier, Charles Blavette, and many others co-star in this film.  Raimu is great in the lead and is able to bring a lot of comedy to a sad situation.  It is also a really good look at a small community where they might argue a lot but come together when needed.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

The Devil's Eye (1960):  I had to make a trip to Sweden to go see Ingmar Bergman who directed this film which is based on a radio play by Oluf Bang.  This starts out in the world of Hell where Don Juan, played by Jarl Kulle, gets an assignment from Satan, played by Stig Jarrel.  Don Juan is assigned to Earth to seduce the virgin Britt-Marie, played by Bibi Andersson, before her wedding day.  Things get complicated when Don Juan falls in love with Britt-Marie.  Nils Poppe, Gertrud Fridh, Sture Lagerwall, Georg Funkquist, Gunner Sjoberg, and many others co-star in this Swedish film.  This has its share of comedic moments in this Bergman themed film.  I suppose it is not Bergman's best but interesting enough to keep us intrigued.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

Broken Mirrors (2018):  I decided to visit the country of Israel for this one.  Aviad Givon and Imri Matalon co-directed and co-wrote this Israeli film.  Shira Haas stars as the 17-year-old Ariela whose military father Giora, played by Yiftach Klein, inflicts some very severe forms of punishment.  When Ariela makes a very severe mistake, Giora refuses to punish her and she runs away.  In her journey, she discovers a secret about her father.  Aviv Pinkas, Ranana Raz, Yoav Rotman, Liora Rivlin, and many others co-star in this film.  This is not always easy to watch but is very compelling.  It is a story of a troubled relationship between a father and teenage daughter.  Both of them have a lot of learning they must do and becomes a really good journey.  This is available to watch on Prime, TUBI, and Fawesome.

The Machine that Kills Bad People (1952):  I decided to go to Italy and hang out with Roberto Rossellini who directed this fantasy film.  Gennaro Pisano stars as photographer Celastino who is visited by a man claiming to be Saint Anthony.  This person gives a special camera to Celastino to use in order to destroy the wicked.  Marilyn Buferd, William Tubbs, Helen Tubbs, and many others co-star in this film.  This was a very clever and rather funny movie.  This was actually filmed in 1948 but apparently Rossellini lost interest but the studio had a copy they decided to release.  It is hard to really explain this any further than what I did so just give this a look.  This is available to watch on HBO Max and the Criterion Channel.

Sambizanga (1972):  I knew in my trip I had to go bless the rains in Africa at some point and I made it.  Sarah Maldoror directed this African film which is based on a novel by Luandino Vieira.  Domingos de Oliveira stars as revolutionary Domingos who is arrested by the Portugues police after bloody events in Angola.  This leaves his wife Maria, played by Elisa Andrade, to search for her husband and not getting the answers.  This is based on true events and is a hard watch.  This is an important part of history and is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.

2046 (2004):  I end this trip in Hong Kong in this film which was directed by Wong Kar-Wai.  Tony Leung stars as sci-fi writer Chow Mo-Wan who is writing a book and is haunted by his past while have affairs with multiple women, played by Gong Li, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, and Faye Wong.  In the story is the mysterious destination in 2046 where passengers on a train hope to reclaim lost memories.  Takuya Kimura, Carina Lau, Chang Chen, Jie Dong, and many others co-star in this sci-fi film.  This is the third of an unofficial trilogy which includes DAYS OF BEING WILD and IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE.  This is a very complex story which is really hard to explain beyond what I did.  It does have quite the all-star cast in this Asian film.  It also takes place around Christmas time and makes reference a little bit so maybe a holiday film.

Well, that is it for this week, but I have a new segment called "The Indie Scene" where I include independent, foreign, documentary, and short films.  Tell me what you like and dislike and I will be back in a couple weeks which so far includes Greg Kinnear, Marlene Dietrich, and many others.

THE INDIE SCENE

I went all out on this one.  As stated, I have all independent, foreign, documentary, and short films.  I stopped went I hit twenty so here it goes.  

He Was a Quiet Man (2007):  Frank A. Cappello directed and wrote this workplace satire I supposed it could be called.  Christian Slater stars as the very unhinged and frustrated employee Bob Maconel who is plotting a shooting spree.  Someone else in the workplace has the same idea and Bob draws the line when he sees the one employee he likes in Venessa, played by Elisha Cuthbert, gets shot.  Bob saves Venessa from death while she is paralyzed and is deemed a hero in his workplace and in his community.  William H. Macy, Michael DeLuise, Jamison Jones, Anzu Lawson, John Gulager, K.C. Ramsey, Sascha Knopf, David Wells, Frankie Lou Thorn, Randolph Mantooth, Sewell Whitney, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a very interesting character study with a very good performance out of Slater.  This is a dark comedy to the core and goes a lot deeper than it seems.  This takes place around Christmas time and makes a few references so could be a holiday film this year.  This is available to watch on Prime.

Do Not Feed the Pigeons (2021):  This is my first of the short films for this section.  Antonin Niclass directed this stop-animated short film which was written by Vladamir Krasilnikov.  This takes place in a very late and sad night at the coach station.  Things seem to be a little better when the pigeons come in bringing a united feel to them.  This was done by 2D paper drawings and was very effective in the point they were trying to get across.  This is only about 10 minutes long and can be found on Youtube.

Don't Stop Believin':  Everyman's Journey (2013):  This is my first documentary for this section which was directed by Ramona S. Diaz.  This takes a look at the Filipino singer Arnel Pineda who would perform in the Philippines with a cover band in bars and would later get discovered on Youtube by the remaining members of Journey to become their lead singer.  This is really the ultimate story of one achieving success.  Things have changed since this documentary came out as Pineda left Journey back in 2023.  However, this is still a great documentary to watch about what would seem like a fairytale story.  This is available to watch on Pluto TV, Docurama, Plex, and Fawesome.

Look (2007):  Adam Rifkin wrote and directed this film taking a look at "Big Brother" America.  This has multiple stories of people who believe they are in privacy but are caught by some sort of surveillance which we do not think much about.  Jamie McShane, Spencer Redford, Hayes MacArthur, Nichelle Hines, Ben Weber, Paul Schackman, Chris Williams, Jennifer Fontaine, Giuseppe Andrews, Miles Dougal, Rhys Coiro, Sebastian Feldman, Kimberly Quinn, Heather Hogan, Ryan Cutrona, Valerie Breiman, Tom Hodges, and many others co-star in this film.  This is an interesting look at the world of surveillance we live in these days.  I suppose it can work to our advantage, and it can hurt us as well.  Look close for director John Landis in a cameo.  I suppose I'm being watched right now just writing this movie blog.  

Within the Woods (1978):  Here another short film for the section which was directed and written by Sam Raimi.  Bruce Campbell stars as a character named Bruce who accidentally desecrates an Indian burial ground.  In the process, Bruce turns into a zombie and starts to kill off his friends.  This is back when Sam and Bruce were making a lot of short films together and this would be like a pre-EVIL DEAD which would go onto make both of their careers.  This is available to watch on Youtube and worth a look to horror fans of a couple guys who managed to make something of very little budget into a huge franchise years later.

20 Days in Mariupol (2023):  I bring another documentary which is an episode of the PBS series FRONTLINE.  Mstyslav Chernov directed this documentary which takes a look at the dark times in Mariupol, Ukraine as they are being invaded by Russia.  Chernov is also a reporter who is stuck in Ukraine and looks to capture all the emotions of their citizens.  There are a lot of heartbreaking photos and footage in this documentary.  This is meant to make us feel uncomfortable but one that is important to watch.  What more can I say on this one?  This did win an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

Two Distant Strangers (2020):  Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe directed this short film.  Joey Bada$$ stars as Carter who is simply trying to get home to his dog and has a deadly run-in with a cop, played by Andrew Howard.  Carter finds himself in a time loop with the cop.  Zaria co-stars as Carter's girlfriend whose apartment he is leaving after each time loop.  This has a really good and sad story.  This was written in tribute to George Floyd and other black men needlessly killed by the police.  This is available to watch on Netflix.

Bodyguards and Assassins (2009):  This is my first foreign language film for this section.  Teddy Chan directed this historical film which takes place in 1905 Hong Kong.  Revolutionary Sun Wen is to arrive in Hong Kong with plans to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and develop a republic.  It is learned that assassins are sent to assassinate Sun Wen.  Tony Ka Fei Leung stars as reporter Chen Shaobai who meets businessman Li Yutang Wang Xueqi to support the revolution.  Jun Hu, Bo-Chieh Wang, Nicholas Tse, Donnie Yen, Bingbing Fan, Yuchun Li, Mengke Bateer, Leon Lai, Eric Tsang, Cung Le, Hanyu Zhang, Simon Yam, Jacky Cheung, and many others co-star in this film.  I seem to be including a lot of these movies of oppressed nations and the fighting that must be done.  This is very heartbreaking at times where everyday people stood up to fight for their country.  Yen is great as a cop with a gambling addiction but is trying to earn redemption for the sake of his family.  This is available to watch on TUBI, Pluto TV, Plex, the Roku Channel, and Shout! TV Factory.

Superbob (2015):  Jon Drever directed and co-wrote this superhero comedy.  Brett Goldstein stars as Robert Kenner who is looking for love while also saving the world as a superhero.  He finds that his biggest challenge is going on a date.  Natalia Tena, Laura Haddock, Ruth Sheen, David Harewood, Catherine Tate, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This is more about the life of a superhero and not so much fighting the enemies.  It is shot like a documentary in some ways.  This was a pretty amusing film with Goldstein doing well in the title role.  This is available to watch on Prime, TUBI, Pluto TV, Plex, and Fawesome.

Warsha (2022):  This is my Lebanese short for the week which was directed and written by Dania Bdeir.  Khansa stars as Mohammed who is a Syrian migrant working in Beirut as a crane operator.  When he takes on one of the most dangerous cranes and when there he finds himself alone and able to live out his fantasies.  This is a very powerful short film which is about 15 minutes long.  This is available for rental or purchase on Vimeo.

Racing Dreams (2009):  Marshall Curry directed this documentary of kids dreaming to be part of NASCAR one day.  This takes a look at the World Karting Association's National Pavement Series where we get to know three different kids chasing that national championship and hoping for bigger things one day.  This takes a look at the kids and their families on what they go through to get together what is needed as well as their concerns for the danger of the race.  This is a very good documentary even if we might not be racing fans.  We can still watch and admire their passion.  This is available to watch on Youtube.  

The Long Goodbye (2020):  Aneil Karia directed and wrote this short film.  Riz Ahmed stars as Riz who is just with his family at home on a typical day.  A right-wing march is going on which arrives at their front door with devastating consequences.  This is a look at a Dystopian world and the price of hatred.  This is also based on Ahmed's rap album of the same name.  This can be found on Youtube.

Old Joy (2006):  Kelly Reichardt directed this film which is based on a short story by Jonathan Raymond.  Daniel London and Will Oldham star as friends Mark and Kurt who reunite to go on a road trip to go camping in the Cascade Mountain region.  They find they are on very different paths in life with the reunion becoming difficult at times.  This was done on a low budget which was pretty effective for what they were trying to do.  This is mostly a simple road trip movie among a couple friends that was also a touching film and with really good scenery.  The dog in the film was the same dog to play Lucy in the movie WENDY AND LUCY which is from the same director and writer of this film.  This is available to watch on Max and the Criterion Channel.

Perfect Sense (2011):  David Mackenzie directed this romantic sci-fi film which was written by Kim Fupz Aakeson.  Ewan McGregor stars as Michael who is a chef and Eva Green stars as Susan who is a scientist.  They form a relationship while an epidemic is going on in which Susan is trying to understand.  Connie Nielson, Denis Lawson, Stephen Dillane, Malcolm Shields, Ewen Bremner, and many others co-star in this film.  This get really deep and is hard to really explain beyond what I have already described.  This is like a pre-Covid film in some ways I suppose.  It is both depressing and beautiful at the same time with Green and McGregor working very well together.  This is available to watch on AMC +, IFC Films Unlimited, and the CW. 

Ryan (2004):  Chris Landreth directed this animated short documentary.  Landreth talks about and interviews animator Ryan Landreth who did some animated short films in the 60s and 70s but dropped off the planet due to drug and alcohol problems, among other things I'm sure.  This has always been a favorite of mine and was glad to revisit this one.  The animation art is amazing in this film.  This can be found on Youtube and is really worth a look.

Swiss Army Man (2016):  Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert co-directed and co-wrote this buddy comedy.  Paul Dano stars as Hank who is stranded on a deserted island.  He finds a dead body washed ashore and befriends the dead body when seeing he can talk naming him Manny, played by Daniel Radcliffe.  They set out on an epic journey in hopes of getting home.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Antonia Ribero co-star in this film.  This takes the genre of buddy comedy to a whole other level.  The two Daniels must have some very interesting minds when coming up with this one.  I know many will watch this with wtf on their minds most of the time but an inability to look away.  That is the best I can describe this.  

The Windshield Wiper (2021):  Alberto Mielgo directed and wrote this animated short film.  A man poses the question "what is love?" while sitting in a cafe.  Through a series of vignettes, the man goes on a journey of enlightenment.  Eboni Adams, Fanny Rosen, Charlie Bean, Andrew Calder, and Albert Mielgo lend their voices in this short film.  This has a really good animation style with the narration to go along with it.  I don't know that Mielgo really got the answers any more than Haddaway or Howard Jones did about love but he went on a good journey to learn a little something.  This can be seen on Youtube.

Double Dare (2004):  Amanda Micheli directed this documentary that takes a look at the stunt world.  This features the stuntwomen Jeannie Epper and Zoe Bell.  Epper has been around for a long time and is part of a big stunt family.  She is most known for doubling as Lynda Carter in WONDER WOMAN and does what she can to continue to work in these later years.  Bell got to double for Lucy Lawless in XENA:  WARRIOR PRINCESS and would get her break when Quentin Tarantino hired her as a double for Uma Thurman in the KILL BILL films.  Ken Howard, Steven Spielberg, Tarantino, and many others interview for this film.  This is a good look at these women trying to make it in a male dominated world.  This gives a lot of insight and gives homage to the unknown people in the stunt world

Spare Change (2008):  I decided with my selection of RYAN, that I would feature animated short of Ryan Larkin that he made after that came out.  Larkin based this short on his own life experiences of begging for change and the way they are treated.  It gets a little deeper than what is described.  This was Larkin's first animated short in 36 years and was his last as he died a year before this was released.  This is available to watch on Youtube.

Strawberry Mansion (2021):  I am ending the week with this independent sci-fi and fantasy.  Kentucky Audley and Albert Birney co-directed and co-wrote this film.  This takes place in 2035 in a world where dreams are to be recorded and sent to the government for review.  Audley stars as dream auditor James Preble who is sent to audit the eccentric 80-year-old Arabella Isadora who has not sent in her dreams.  Through Bella, Preble learns a lot of about what is going on in the world.  Grace Glowicki, Linas Phillips, Reed Birney, Constance Shulman, Ephram Birney, and many others co-star in this film.  This is hard to describe beyond what I already did.  It is a very clever film and is very surreal and beautiful.  This is available to watch on Prime, TUBI, Plex, and the Roku Channel.