Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations: 196th Edition

Welcome of the 196th Edition of my long-running series. I have two selections from the Random Myspace Profile selection process this week and next week will have none. It has been a long week where I have not been feeling good most of the week. I'm not exactly 100% but I am much better now.

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982): I start this week with a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose the Richmond Reviewers. Many of the Trekkies, or is it Trekkers, consider this one the best of the Star Trek movies. In here we have William Shatner reprising his role of Admiral James T. Kirk who is tiring of his desk job and comes back for some action only to have an old enemy named Khan, played very well by Ricardo Montalban, target him and his crew for assassination. Kirk must then train his crew to take down the enemy and survive the many traps set. We still have originals like Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, among others. We also add CHEERS alum Kirstie Alley and Paul Winfield to this cast. Alley makes her debut here as a fellow Vulcan just like Dr. Spock. I am by no means a die-hard Trekker but was still able to enjoy this story. I know enough to know the characters and some from tv series TGN and DSN so die hard Trek fans will know what they stand for. Khan was a character in a 1967 episode still portrayed by Ricard Montalban.

Joe Versus the Volcano (1990): The Facebook friend I chose here was Jennie who was in my Spanish class in high school. This movie got a rather mixed reception from our society and I decided to give it a try. This is the first of the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan trilogy. The others are SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, and YOU'VE GOT MAIL showing a pretty good duo of the 90s which we lack today. We'll never have Tracy/Hepburn again but they are close enough which is not saying a whole lot. Tom Hanks is working in a job he absolutely hates and his doctor diagnoses him with the rare and terminal "brain cloud". He is then hired by a billionaire, played by Lloyd Bridges, to jump into a volcano to appease the volcano god. Meg Ryan plays three different parts in this and each are very different doing a great job in her triple job. Her last character Patricia falls in love with him and has trouble accepting his job. If you're looking something absolutely hilarious, this is not it but there are some good moments and Hanks was good. I especially liked the beginning showing his humiliation at work. Other people in the movie include Dan Hedaya, Abe Vigoda, Robert Stack, Carol Kane, Amanda Plummer, and Ossie Davis. This movie shows extreme measures and the search for the purpose of one's life which Tom Hanks does throughout the whole movie and it takes a lot to make him realize that his life is worth living. Look for Nathan Lane in the tribe. I'll shut up on this one and move on.

We Are Marshall (2006): This is part of the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Chris Yandek. I must say, this really played on my emotions as I teared quite a bit watching this "football" movie. I put quotations because this while there was quite a bit of football playing in this, it is the most unimportant element of the film and the focuses much less than other football movies I have seen in the past. I have put a lot of football films on this one and they work a lot because of the lack of focus on football which might make this one rank on the top of my list of football films. This is based on a true story where after a game where the football team of Marshall University flies back and they crash which killed all of them. Matthew McConaughey plays the replacement coach Jack Lengyal who actually asks for the coaching job after the tragedy when no one else wanted it. LOST star Matthew Fox plays assistant coach Red Dawson who is not on the plane and is reluctant to return. Anthony Mackie is one of the players that was not on the plane and lobbies endlessly to get the team back. What this movie focuses on is the aftermath of the tragedy and how everyone deals with it. It was not the most popular decision among the community to bring back the team. DEADWOOD alum Ian McShane plays a long-time member of the community who frequents the local restaurant and was the biggest critic of the reformation of Marshall because of his son dying in the crash. Other actors in the movie include David Strathairn, January Jones, Kate Mara, among others. This movie did not focus on winning, it focused on a small-town community which made it great in my book and gave me lots to say so I'll shut up and get to the rest. This is a much better directorial effort than his recent movie TERMINATOR: SALVATION in my opinion.

The Piano (1993): Jame Campion directed this period piece that takes place in 1850s New Zealand. Holly Hunter plays Ada, a mute woman, who along with her daughter Flora come for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner named Stewart, played by Sam Neill. Anna Paquin plays Flora and was great showing she had quite a future. Ada is a great piano player who goes through some trouble to get that piano with her. Ada then falls for a neighber named George, played very well by Harvey Keitel, even though she is married to Stewart. She does not like George at first but soon he grows on her. This really is not for everyone but can be very enjoyable and my favorite performance, not necessarily movie, from Harvey Keitel as I don't have to hear that weird scream he sometimes does in his movie, most notably in RESERVOIR DOGS and BAD LIEUTENANT. Holly Hunter is also good as Ada who must work with emotions since she does not have dialogue except for a little narration from her thinking.

David Harum (1934): I now bring you Will Rogers for the week. I know I have really lacked this guy through the years and nothing done on purpose but he is enjoyable to watch. Rogers plays the title character who is a small-town banker who also likes the horses. His rival is the Deacon, played by Charles Middleton, and always seems to end up on the short end of the Stick. David buys a horse off the Deacon and sees that the horse does not want to race. It is then discovered that one thing will make it run making a good horse race scene near the end and for some pretty funny situations. There was a black man in the movie playing a stereotyped character to the core but people accepted that more in those times so try not to dismiss it as absolute racism.

Ten Little Indians (1965): This is my tribute to the late Harry Alan Towers who recently left us. He helped write the screenplay to this adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel. This is based around the strange nursery rhyme and song where 10 strangers meet in a home where a voice comes in accusing each one of causing the death of an innocent person. When hearing this recording, they find that people are being killed one by one like the poem and must find who is killing them whether it is someone in the house or one of them. Hugh O'Brien and Shirley Eaton play two of the people who are trying to find who is trying to kill everyone. This was a very entertaining movie to watch and was drawn in the whole 90 minutes and kept me guessing to the end. Christopher Lee is uncredited as the voice. This is a very small cast where each person has importance and no one is an extra. The cast works very well together.

In This Our Life (1942): I found this John Huston film on TCM on the Bette Davis marathon. Davis plays Stanley Timberlake, a woman who leaves her fiance, played by George Brent for her sister's husband, played by Dennis Morgan. Olivia De Havilland is her sister Roy, who is not very close to her sister for what she did. All four of these people work very well together. Stanley shows her true character when she does something worse than stealing her sister's husband and will not take the blame. Billie Burke plays their mother in a more dramatic role than she is used to. Hattie McDaniel plays their loyal servant. This is a great melodrama on deceit, lie and betrayal. Like Bette Davis or not, she always makes herself known and very easily set herself apart from other actresses from that era. Ernest Anderson plays McDaniel's son who has a great performance and a good portrayal of a black man for that era. Look for Walter Huston in a cameo.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975): Jim Sharman directed this musical based on the stage play by Richard O'Brian, who actually plays the role of Riff-Raff. This is by no means a movie where if you're bored and by yourself just trying to find something to watch. If that happens, you'll be disappointed. This movie is not meant for everyone at all but it is meant for a bunch of friends to get together and play along with it by screaming out all the remarks to the characters and other parts of the routine. When I was about 14 or 15, my dad took me to see the midnight showing of this movie where people were acting out these parts while the movie was gone and I really did not know what to think. I was probably more intrigued than anything. Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon star as engaged couple Brad and Janet, who get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere so the only place to try is a castle where they find is a bit strange and run by a transvestite named Dr. Frank N Furter, greatly played by Tim Curry. Frank is working on his creation of a boy named Rocky for him and Brad and Janet's life will never be the same. Meatloaf has a good cameo appearance as Eddie singing HOT PATOOTIE. Charles Gray, Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, and others co-star is this bizarre musical. I admit, I have not worked up the guts to try out for this where they do a show at Muncie Civic Theater every couple of years. This movie is very strange, not for all tastes but take it for what it is worth and just get a group of friends together and just have fun.

Jinx! (2007): This is my short film for the week which I found on IFC. This is a very interesting 11 minutes where a nerdy girl named Eleanor and the other a bully named Rachel get into an argument when Rachel would not let Eleanor play the school yard game. When these 2nd graders are arguing Eleanor becomes "Jinxed" by Rachel so that she cannot talk unless her name is said by Rachel. Eleanor does what she can to get Rachel to say the word but it takes many years for it to happen leading into a very funny finale. I forgot about the whole Jinx thing until I saw this but I don't recall anyone ever taking it so seriously. If you're not too serious and want a little humor, check this out sometime. If you get IFC, please support these filmmakers and the IFC Short Film Showcase. It puts out some pretty good stuff within an hour.

Virginia City (1940): I now end with this western collaboration between Michael Curtiz and Errol Flynn. Fresh off the DODGE CITY success, they reteam for this western set during the Civil War. Errol plays Captain Kerry Bradford, a Union man who escapes from a Confederate prison who sets off for Virginia City in Nevada. He then learns that the commander of the prison Vance Irby, played by western star Randolph Scott, is planning to take 5 million in gold. Miriam Hopkins co-stars as Julia who is conflicted by her duty and heart. Humphrey Bogart is amusing as pencil-thin mustached outlaw John Murrell but not the most believable as a Mexican. There were some pretty daring stunts performed in this movie and some good action scenes where alliances change a lot. Flynn is good as Bradford who gives his same charm as always.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you love and what you hate. Stay tuned for next week which includes Spencer Tracy, Ian McKellan, and Liv Tyler.

FUN LITTLE FACTS

This week includes movies one through nine, I had too long of week to work in what might have connections in VIRGINIA CITY but readers are free to comment and give information about it.

William Shatner (Star Trek) plays John Adams and Hugh O'Brian (Ten Little Indians) plays Thomas Jefferson in the 1970 tv special SWING OUT, SWEET LAND

O.K. CORRAL FRANCHISE
-Deforest Kelley (Star Trek) plays Morgan Earp in the 1957 film GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL.
-Hugh O'Brian (Ten Little Indians) plays Morgan's more famous brother Wyatt Earp in the 50s-60s tv series THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF WYATT EARP.
-Walter Huston (In This Our Life) plays Doc Holiday in the 1943 film THE OUTLAW

Kirstie Alley (Star Trek) plays Rebecca Howe in the tv series CHEERS. Dan Hedaya (Joe Versus the Volcano) plays recurring character Nick Tortelli in the series.


Paul Winfield (Star Trek) plays Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1978 mini-series KING. Ossie Davis (Joe Versus the Volcano) plays his father in the same mini-series.

Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek) voices the role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the 1994 film THE PAGEMASTER. Wilfred Hyde-White (Ten Little Indians) plays the role in the 1949 film HELTER SKELTER





Lloyd Bridges (Joe Versus the Volcano) was considered for the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the 1966 tv series STAR TREK which would ultimately become iconized by William Shatner (Star Trek)


Amanda Plummer (Joe Versus the Volcano) plays Honey Bunny who plots to rob a restaurant in the 1994 film PULP FICTION. Harvey Keitel (The Piano) plays Winston Wolf, who gets people out of jams in the same film.

Meg Ryan (Joe Versus the Volcano) does the voice of Anastasia in the 1997 film ANASTASIA. Olivia De Havilland (In This Our Life) plays Empress Maria, Anastasia's mother, in the 1986 tv movie ANASTASIA: THE MYSTERY OF ANNA

Ian McShane (We Are Marshall) plays Judas, who most know betrayed Jesus Christ, in the 1977 mini-series JESUS OF NAZARETH. Harvey Keitel (The Piano) plays the part in the 1988 film THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

CAPTAIN HOOKS
-Ian McShane (We Are Marshall) does the voice for Captain Hook in the 2007 film SHREK THE THIRD and apparently in the next sequel.
-Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show) does the voice for the cartoon series in the early 90s PETER PAN AND THE PIRATES.
-My Facebook friend Kayla played the part in their production at Lee's Theatrical Productions.

Sam Neill (The Piano) plays former president Thomas Jefferson in the 2000 tv movie SALLY HEMMINGS: AN AMERICAN SCANDAL. Hugh O'Brian (Ten Little Indians) plays the role in the 1970 tv special SWING OUT, SWING LOUD.

TEN LITTLE INDIANS actors Hugh O'Brian and Leo Genn have both played the part of Starbuck in MOBY DICK.
-O'Brian played the part in a 1954 episode of HALLMARK HALL OF FAME
-Genn played the role in the 1956 film

JAMES BOND FRANCHISE
-Shirley Eaton (Ten Little Indians) plays "Golden Girl" Jill Masterson in the 1964 film GOLDFINGER
-Christopher Lee (Ten Little Indians uncredited) plays villain Francisco Scaramanga in the 1974 film THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.
-Charles Gray (Rocky Horror Picture Show) plays villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the 1971 film DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. Blofeld was Bond's rival mostly in the Connery era and the single Bond film that George Lazenby did.

Dennis Price plays Dr. Edward Armstrong in this week's feature TEN LITTLE INDIANS. Walter Huston (In This Our Life uncredited) plays the role in the 1945 version AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

Christopher Lee (Ten Little Indians uncredited) plays Mycroft Holmes, an older brother of Sherlock, in the 1970 film THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. Charles Gray (Rocky Horror Picture Show) played the part in the 1976 film THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION and would go onto play it on tv later in his career.

Tim Curry (Rocky Horror) plays Cardinal Richelieu in 1993 film THE THREE MUSKETEERS. My facebook friend John played the part in the recent production at Muncie Civic Theater.

Tim Curry (Rocky Horror) plays Rooster in the 1982 film ANNIE. My facebook friends Eric and Tommy have each played the part at the Anderson Mainstage Theater. I know I have used that one a lot but I am on a role with the Facebook thing so I'll get in every tag I can now.

Through the years many of my Facebook friends have been in the production of this week's feature THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW including Corey, Sean, Kristen, Lindsey, Kevin H., Nathyn, Katie, Joe, Kevin P, Aaron, Stevie, Cody, Amanda, Brittany, Alli, Kellin, and even Bill. If I have missed anyone, I am sorry.