Welcome to the 168th Edition of my series. I just had my last performance of A FEW GOOD MEN. The show went very well, I hope I find another show soon. With the Super Bowl coming, all I really want to see is a close game and maybe even a game that goes into overtime. This week I have three people from the Random Myspace Profile selection. I will likely have two for next week but that is always subject to change. Now let's get on with the movies.
Z (1969): Costas-Gavras directed this French film. This is a political film showing the overthrow of a Democratic government in Greece when a leftist politician is killed. After he is killed, the conservatives do everything they can to cover it up and a detective must go through all the red tape to uncover the killing. This is a very interesting movie and something that was probably pretty daring for the time. It is based partly on a true story combined with mystery and suspense.
Se7en (1995): This is part 14 of the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I chose Keenie Beans. David Fincher directed this thriller and was his first collaboration with Brad Pitt who would go onto make FIGHT CLUB. This was the start of things where we have two detectives. Morgan Freeman plays a detective named Somerset who is about to retire and Brad Pitt plays David Mills who is the new man on the force looking to make a name for himself. They must learn to co-exist when they come upon a serial killer whose motive is the seven deadly sins. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Mills' wife who has trouble with her husband as a detective. This is not for everyone and has some pretty disturbing imagery. Other actors here include R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, Kevin Spacey and an uncreditted appearance from Charles S. Dutton.
Z (1969): Costas-Gavras directed this French film. This is a political film showing the overthrow of a Democratic government in Greece when a leftist politician is killed. After he is killed, the conservatives do everything they can to cover it up and a detective must go through all the red tape to uncover the killing. This is a very interesting movie and something that was probably pretty daring for the time. It is based partly on a true story combined with mystery and suspense.
Se7en (1995): This is part 14 of the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I chose Keenie Beans. David Fincher directed this thriller and was his first collaboration with Brad Pitt who would go onto make FIGHT CLUB. This was the start of things where we have two detectives. Morgan Freeman plays a detective named Somerset who is about to retire and Brad Pitt plays David Mills who is the new man on the force looking to make a name for himself. They must learn to co-exist when they come upon a serial killer whose motive is the seven deadly sins. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Mills' wife who has trouble with her husband as a detective. This is not for everyone and has some pretty disturbing imagery. Other actors here include R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, Kevin Spacey and an uncreditted appearance from Charles S. Dutton.
Guarding Tess (1994): I now pay tribute to producer Ned Tanen who recently left us. Hugh Wilson directed and co-wrote this interesting comedy which stars Nicolas Cage as Secret Service agent Doug Chesnic whose job is to provide security for widowed former first lady Tess Carlisle, played very well by Shirley MacLaine. She requests to keep Doug on security detail and makes his job very difficult leading up to a more dark climax. I thought Cage and MacLaine worked very well together making this comedy worth watching and even some of you that hate Nicolas Cage might like this one.
Bathing Beauty (1944): This is part two of my Esther Williams series and her first starring role. Esther Williams and Red Skelton star as the couple who is getting married but is interrupted by a woman claiming to be Skelton's wife. Williams then leaves and takes her job back at a women's college. To win her back Skelton finds the loophole to get into the school and is subjected to some humiliating moments. He has a great scene where he is imitating the women and there is a great final dance number. At the time of the release this movie was MGM's #3 best seller behind BEN-HUR (1925) and GONE WITH THE WIND. I must admit I am really drawn to Esther Williams when I see her and I will be using one more of her movies next week.
Pony Express Days (1940): This is my short film for the week which features George Reeves as a young Buffalo Bill Cody and his rise to fame. It shows Buffalo Bill wanting to ride for the Pony Express but being too tall. When a worker is shot, he must take the Pony Express route himself. I really don't know the accuracy but it is a story showing how William Cody got his nickname. It is worth watching Reeves in a pre-Superman role.
The Guardian (2006): This is part 15 of the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I chose Majin Ray. Andrew Davis directed this homage to the United States Coast Guard. Kevin Costner stars as an aging rescue worker who reluctantly becomes an instructor to new trainees after a very tragic incident. THAT 70s SHOW alum Ashton Kutcher plays a very cocky trainee who seems a little too focused on breaking records. As tension mounts between the two, they come to realize that they are not much different. The cast also includes Sela Ward, Clancy Brown, and Neal McDonough. They worked very closely with the Coast Guard to make this as authentic as possible. This is what happens when Costner chooses a good role.
Stage Mother (1933): I came across this one on TCM. Alice Brady stars as a Vaudeville star named Kitty who must leave her daughter Shirley, played by Maureen O'Sullivan, with her deceased husband's parents who have a lot of morals. Kitty then sees a lot of talent in her daughter and decides to push her into stardom and hopef whoully Broadway. As you might guess, Shirley becomes very overwhelmed and has a hard time keeping a relationship because of her mother. It is a very dark look at stardom, especially when that dream is being lived by the parent and not the child. I will just ask parents to not force their children into things just to live some dream you want to continue. This is something that is very overlooked and it's my job to get it looked at. Worth a look with the strong performances from the leads.
My Blueberry Nights (2007): I came across this one through my friend Sean's profile which listed Natalie Portman as a favorite actress and I needed a movie fairly new so I chose this one which features her in a supporting role. Grammy winning singer Norah Jones stars in this movie as Elizabeth who is coming off a breakup and sets off on a soul-searching journey encountering many interesting people along the way. We have Jude Law, David Straithairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman. Jude Law is the place where it starts in his cafe and Portman is great as a mistrusting gambler. I also liked Strathairn in his small role and even though he is an Oscar nominee, he still floats under the radar a lot. Kar Wai Wong directed this film where you will not see any extreme violence but when you get into the mood, I believe this is enjoyable with a nice performance from Norah Jones, in the only movie she has done so far.
Harlan County U.S.A. (1976): This is my documentary for the week which I found on IFC. Barbara Kopple directed this brutal look at a strike with a mining company in a small town in Kentucky. A group of miners wanted to join a union but no one would give in which lead to a strike that lasted over a year which had some violent moments. It is a very interesting look at what people are willing to do to get what they need. I am very fortunate that I never had to lead this kind of life of someone who worked very hard but it was not enough. This is one of the best documentaries of all time.
The Scarlet and the Black (1983): This is part 16 of the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I chose Lenore aka Jackie. I worked with her in the stage production of MASH that I was in. This was a great tv movie which stars Gregory Peck as the real-life Father Hugh O'Flannery who was a Vatican official in Nazi-era Italy. He hid a lot many people who were Allied escaped POWs to save them from arrest and obviously endagering himself. Christopher Plummer and John Gielgud co-star in this movie. This was a very compelling true story and a good, later performance out of Peck.
Well, that is it for this week. Please tell me what you like and what you hate. Next week will feature Esther Williams, Judy Garland, and Ed Harris.
FUN LITTLE FACTS
Brad Pitt (Se7en) plays legendary outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 film THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD and George Reeves (Pony Express Days) played the uncreditted role in the 1943 film THE KANSAN.
Batman Franchise
-Morgan Freeman (Se7en) plays Lucious Fox, the man who does a lot for the Batman suit, in the Batmans with Christian Bale.
-R. Lee Ermey (Se7en) voices the role of Wildcat in a 2009 episode of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
-Clancy Brown (The Guardian) voiced the role of Mr. Freeze in a few episodes of THE BATMAN.
Robin Hood Franchise
-Morgan Freeman (Se7en) plays Azeem, Robin Hood's friend in the 1991 film ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES.
-Kevin Costner (The Guardian) plays the title role in the same film.
-Basil Rathbone plays Sir Guy of Gisbourne who is the Lieutenant to the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1938 film THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD.
Gwyneth Paltrow (Se7en) plays the role of Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's personal assistant, in the 2008 film IRON MAN and the 2010 sequal. Nicolas Cage plays Johnny Blaze who becomes the Ghost Rider in the 2007 title film
Superman Franchise
-Kevin Spacey (Se7en) plays Superman's arch-enemy Lex Luthor in the 2006 film SUPERMAN RETURNS
-Nicolas Cage (Guarding Tess) was at one time cast in Tim Burton's Superman project which never got off the ground.Bathing Beauty (1944): This is part two of my Esther Williams series and her first starring role. Esther Williams and Red Skelton star as the couple who is getting married but is interrupted by a woman claiming to be Skelton's wife. Williams then leaves and takes her job back at a women's college. To win her back Skelton finds the loophole to get into the school and is subjected to some humiliating moments. He has a great scene where he is imitating the women and there is a great final dance number. At the time of the release this movie was MGM's #3 best seller behind BEN-HUR (1925) and GONE WITH THE WIND. I must admit I am really drawn to Esther Williams when I see her and I will be using one more of her movies next week.
Pony Express Days (1940): This is my short film for the week which features George Reeves as a young Buffalo Bill Cody and his rise to fame. It shows Buffalo Bill wanting to ride for the Pony Express but being too tall. When a worker is shot, he must take the Pony Express route himself. I really don't know the accuracy but it is a story showing how William Cody got his nickname. It is worth watching Reeves in a pre-Superman role.
The Guardian (2006): This is part 15 of the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I chose Majin Ray. Andrew Davis directed this homage to the United States Coast Guard. Kevin Costner stars as an aging rescue worker who reluctantly becomes an instructor to new trainees after a very tragic incident. THAT 70s SHOW alum Ashton Kutcher plays a very cocky trainee who seems a little too focused on breaking records. As tension mounts between the two, they come to realize that they are not much different. The cast also includes Sela Ward, Clancy Brown, and Neal McDonough. They worked very closely with the Coast Guard to make this as authentic as possible. This is what happens when Costner chooses a good role.
Stage Mother (1933): I came across this one on TCM. Alice Brady stars as a Vaudeville star named Kitty who must leave her daughter Shirley, played by Maureen O'Sullivan, with her deceased husband's parents who have a lot of morals. Kitty then sees a lot of talent in her daughter and decides to push her into stardom and hopef whoully Broadway. As you might guess, Shirley becomes very overwhelmed and has a hard time keeping a relationship because of her mother. It is a very dark look at stardom, especially when that dream is being lived by the parent and not the child. I will just ask parents to not force their children into things just to live some dream you want to continue. This is something that is very overlooked and it's my job to get it looked at. Worth a look with the strong performances from the leads.
My Blueberry Nights (2007): I came across this one through my friend Sean's profile which listed Natalie Portman as a favorite actress and I needed a movie fairly new so I chose this one which features her in a supporting role. Grammy winning singer Norah Jones stars in this movie as Elizabeth who is coming off a breakup and sets off on a soul-searching journey encountering many interesting people along the way. We have Jude Law, David Straithairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman. Jude Law is the place where it starts in his cafe and Portman is great as a mistrusting gambler. I also liked Strathairn in his small role and even though he is an Oscar nominee, he still floats under the radar a lot. Kar Wai Wong directed this film where you will not see any extreme violence but when you get into the mood, I believe this is enjoyable with a nice performance from Norah Jones, in the only movie she has done so far.
Harlan County U.S.A. (1976): This is my documentary for the week which I found on IFC. Barbara Kopple directed this brutal look at a strike with a mining company in a small town in Kentucky. A group of miners wanted to join a union but no one would give in which lead to a strike that lasted over a year which had some violent moments. It is a very interesting look at what people are willing to do to get what they need. I am very fortunate that I never had to lead this kind of life of someone who worked very hard but it was not enough. This is one of the best documentaries of all time.
The Scarlet and the Black (1983): This is part 16 of the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I chose Lenore aka Jackie. I worked with her in the stage production of MASH that I was in. This was a great tv movie which stars Gregory Peck as the real-life Father Hugh O'Flannery who was a Vatican official in Nazi-era Italy. He hid a lot many people who were Allied escaped POWs to save them from arrest and obviously endagering himself. Christopher Plummer and John Gielgud co-star in this movie. This was a very compelling true story and a good, later performance out of Peck.
Well, that is it for this week. Please tell me what you like and what you hate. Next week will feature Esther Williams, Judy Garland, and Ed Harris.
FUN LITTLE FACTS
Brad Pitt (Se7en) plays legendary outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 film THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD and George Reeves (Pony Express Days) played the uncreditted role in the 1943 film THE KANSAN.
Batman Franchise
-Morgan Freeman (Se7en) plays Lucious Fox, the man who does a lot for the Batman suit, in the Batmans with Christian Bale.
-R. Lee Ermey (Se7en) voices the role of Wildcat in a 2009 episode of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
-Clancy Brown (The Guardian) voiced the role of Mr. Freeze in a few episodes of THE BATMAN.
Robin Hood Franchise
-Morgan Freeman (Se7en) plays Azeem, Robin Hood's friend in the 1991 film ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES.
-Kevin Costner (The Guardian) plays the title role in the same film.
-Basil Rathbone plays Sir Guy of Gisbourne who is the Lieutenant to the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1938 film THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD.
Gwyneth Paltrow (Se7en) plays the role of Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's personal assistant, in the 2008 film IRON MAN and the 2010 sequal. Nicolas Cage plays Johnny Blaze who becomes the Ghost Rider in the 2007 title film
Superman Franchise
-Kevin Spacey (Se7en) plays Superman's arch-enemy Lex Luthor in the 2006 film SUPERMAN RETURNS
-George Reeves (Pony Express Days) plays Superman in the early tv series in the 50s
-Clancy Brown (The Guardian) does the voice of Lex Luthor in the Superman animated series in the 90s
-Clancy Brown (The Guardian) does the voice of Lex Luthor in the Superman animated series in the 90s
Nicolas Cage (Guarding Tess) plays the role of Jacob Marley in the 2001 animated film CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MOVIE. Basil Rathbone (Bathing Beauty) played the role in a 1954 episode of SHOWER OF STARS called A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Rathbone also played Ebenezer Scrooge in a 1958 episode of TALES FRON DICKENS once again titled A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
-Basil Rathbone (Bathing Beauty) is known by many to be the best actor to portray Sherlock Holmes.
-Jude Law (My Blueberry Nights) will play Holmes trusted friend and partner Dr. John Watson.
My myspace and Facebook friend Sean played his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty in a version at Muncie Civic Theater.
Basil Rathbone (Bathing Beauty) plays Baron Wolf von Frankenstein in the 1938 film SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. Clancy Brown (The Guardian) plays a version of the Creature named Viktor in the 1985 film THE BRIDE.
Rachel Weisz (My Blueberry Nights) cites Shirley MacLaine (Guarding Tess) as one of her idols
Walter Gotell (Scarlet and the Black) was Bond villain Morzeny in the second film of the Connery era which was 1964's FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. He would later play a recurring role as KGB General Gogal as mostly an ally of Bond in the Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton era.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
-Basil Rathbone (Bathing Beauty) is known by many to be the best actor to portray Sherlock Holmes.
-Jude Law (My Blueberry Nights) will play Holmes trusted friend and partner Dr. John Watson.
My myspace and Facebook friend Sean played his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty in a version at Muncie Civic Theater.
Basil Rathbone (Bathing Beauty) plays Baron Wolf von Frankenstein in the 1938 film SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. Clancy Brown (The Guardian) plays a version of the Creature named Viktor in the 1985 film THE BRIDE.
Rachel Weisz (My Blueberry Nights) cites Shirley MacLaine (Guarding Tess) as one of her idols
Walter Gotell (Scarlet and the Black) was Bond villain Morzeny in the second film of the Connery era which was 1964's FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. He would later play a recurring role as KGB General Gogal as mostly an ally of Bond in the Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton era.
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