Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 209th Edition

Welcome to the 209th Edition of my blog. I have three selections from the Random Myspace Profile selections this week, next week will also likely be three but only two so far. I also pay tribute this week to the late actor Carl Ballatine. I am also using two selections from the Co-Op film series this week.



Dance of the Dead (2008): This is a selection of the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose wrestler Jerry Legend. When thinking of zombie comedies, many think of ARMY OF DARKNESS, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and the more recent ZOMBIELAND. This one is also a pretty decent low-budget film which takes place close to prom time and finding that many people are becoming zombies. Many losers who could not get dates to the prom must band together and the rock band discovers what zombies love. It was a pretty well-done film which worked with the unknown cast.

The Three Faces of Eve (1957): This is another selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose female wrestler Alere Little Feature. Joanne Woodward stars as all three personalities including Eve White, Eve Black, and Jane who is really just one person who suffers from multiple personality disorder in this true story. Lee J. Cobb is the very dedicated doctor who does what he can to treat her and each personality. David Wayne is the husband of the "Eve White" personality but the other two do not acknowledge him. Woodward was great as each personality especially as the mean Eve Black personality. There is really not much else to say except that it is very engaging and moves very well.

A League of Their Own (1992): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Katie who I was in THE WIZARD OF OZ with and seems to be doing very well as a dancer. This is a true story that takes a look at the All American Pro Girls League which was a female baseball league that was put together during WW2 when all the men were off fighting in the war. The story takes place with a couple small-town Oregon sisters who play in their local league and are discovered by a scout looking to put together the league. Geena Davis plays Dottie, the perfect girl who is great at baseball. Lori Petty, in what I feel is her best performance, is her younger sister who is a good pitcher but must work harder and has a lot of jealousy. They are then recruited to try out by a scout played by Jon Lovitz. Tom Hanks is great as their has-been manager who is quite the alcoholic. Penny Marshall directed this movie which also stars Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, David Strathairn, Megan Cavanaugh in her debut, and many others. The actresses actually had to learn baseball and had to do baseball playing for the audition. This is a fictional account of the league but pays good tribute to the league that actually lasted eleven years. This was one that really moved me and even made me shed tears at times. This is an important part of baseball history which took this movie to get it exposed.

Paris, Texas (1984): This is my Co-Op film selection for the week which Travis presented last week. BIG LOVE co-star Harry Dean Stanton stars as a drifter named Travis who does not remember anything until his brother Walt, played by Dean Stockwell, finds him and helps bring back his memories and a rather dark past. Travis also tries to reconnect with his son that he has not seen in four years and those are some great moments in the film of his son slowly warming up to his father. Wim Wenders directed this very nice portrait of an 80s family and many may remember Wenders for this movie WINGS OF DESIRE which he directed. Sam Shepard actually wrote the story. Stanton was great as Travis which may very well be one of his best performances among many for this underrated actor. This movie moves at a slow pace but worth every minute.

White Heat (1949): Raoul Walsh directed what would be James Cagney's last and possibly best gangster film. Here he plays Cody Jarrett, a gangster who is very ruthless and has no real redeaming qualities but still elicits a certain sympathy. He is the sadistic leader of a gang and has no problem killing anyone. He also has a very obsessive devotion to his equally-crooked mother, played very well by Margaret Wycherly, and promises her that he will be on "top of the world". Virginia Mayo is also very good as his wife Verna who is also just as ruthless as Cody and rather unloyal providing a rare performance for a ruthless female in that era. Especially rare in that era was to have two psychotic females which here was Cody's mom which was inspired by the real-life Ma Barker, and Cody's wife. Look for football legend Jim Thorpe as an extra in the prison scene. Cagney plays his common role of a gangster but manages to make even that performance very unique and you can tell the hard work he put into his character. To top it off it has one of the greatest endings of all time. This is no-nonsense gangster film with violence and no senseless romance like some mob films like to pack in.

Pandora's Box (1929): This is my silent film for the and probably the first movie I have used with sex symbol of her era Louise Brooks. This is also the movie that is the most known and iconic to her career. G.W. Pabst directed this German film which stars Brooks as Lulu, whose charm goes into just about every man and ensues a lot of tragedy. This movie was a very controversial and daring movie with a lot of sexual imagery for that era and a performance from Brooks that was good and easy on the eyes. Louise Brooks did not become a big star but her legend still lives on and a lot has to do with this film.

Breaking the Waves (1996): I continue the tragic heroine thing from my last movie on here where Emily Watson plays Bess McNeil who marries a rich oil rig worker named Jan (pronouced Yan), who is played very well by Stellan Skarsgard. This movie is set in a very strict religious town in Scotland where Jan is paralyzed in an accident. Jan then asks Bess to have an affair with another man and then tell him the experience so that he can fantasize the moment himself. She does what he asks but sends her into a world of darkness where she does not understand her feelings and believes she is going by the word of god to help Jan in his recovery and have some interesting moments where she "talks" to God and to her late father. Lars Von Trier directed and co-wrote this very fascinating and well-acted film which requires attention. There is also a lot of interesting religious themes that might offend some so just watch with caution.

Murder at the Gallop (1963): This is probably the first time I have used Agatha Christie's Miss Marple character. Christie wrote many novels with private detective Miss Marple who was probably in her 60s or 70s. We start the movie where an elderly man dies of a heart attack which makes Miss Marple suspect it was murder. This takes place in a a boarding school and she must investigate his four relatives to see which one did it. Margaret Rutherford was good as Miss Marple and played the role in some of the early movies. It is a good murder mystery mixed in with a lot of humor. Stringer Davis is fun as her partner Mr. Stringer.

The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968): This is my tribute to actor Carl Ballatine who played the part of Abel Swanson. This is my western parody for the week which reminded me a lot of Bob Hope THE PALEFACE and a little bit on ALIAS JESSE JAMES. Don Knotts plays recently graduated dentist Dr. Jesse Heywood who decides to go to the Wild West to start his big career but finds himself in the middle of some feuds. Barbara Rhoades plays outlaw Penelope Cushings who agrees to do a job for the government for a full pardon. In the process she marries Jesse which gets Jesse involved in some shootouts where everyone believes he is a hero even though she is doing the work. Don Knotts is funny like usual and Rhoades is pretty good too. Look for Pat Morita as Wong early in the movie.

Flag Wars (2003): This is my second Co-Op selection for the week which Travis presented last tuesday making it my documentary for the week which will make my dad happy since that is what he likes me to feature. This movie takes place in a community in Columbus, Ohio where a group of gay professionals move into a black working-class neighborhood which puts many at odds with them moving in. It takes a look at a divided community and it also looks at both sides where no one is good or bad. We see an black artist who is dealing with complaints of his decorations on his house, mostly a sign he made with his address which apparently defaces the property. We also have a black woman who is clearly unhealthy and likely on drugs who is trying to deal with a lot of zoning violations. We also have a very strong-minded priest who is really against the gay community being there. It is sad but real how divided this community is and is a good documentary which does not discriminate.

Well, that is it this week, tell me what you love and what you hate. Nobody can criticize me for my lack of strong female characters since I did feature a lot of complex female parts whether they are good or bad but most have some shades of gray. Stay tuned for next week which includes John Landis, Clint Eastwood, a Bollywood film, and many more.