Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations: 211th Edition

Welcome to the 211th Edition of my long-running blog. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my family, friends, the theater, and the people who read this blog. I just wrote most of this at the same time so my writing might be a little lackluster this week so forgive me for that one. I can't believe my show starts on Thursday so if you are in the area come see A TIME FOR CHRISTMAS.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990): The Facebook friend I chose for this week is Zach who I was in a Spanish class with in high school and in college. Admit it everyone my age, you watched this cartoon as a kid and you know it. I recently saw the newer cartoon version which just was not the same. I don't know if I would have said the same thing if I was this age during the rise of the turtles but the newer one lacked so much. This was their live-action movie they put out and I remember how popular this one was too. This one starts where they are trying to keep a low profile while saving the world. For those of you that actually do not know who these turtles are, these are four little turtles who ended up in some weird chemical called Ooze and then became genetically mutated into big turtles who are then taught martial arts and life lessons by the wise-rat Splinter. They were then named after famous artists Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello. In this movie, a lot of crime is happening where arch-villain Shreddar is forming a group called the Foot in an attempt to take over the world. Rebellious reporter April O'Neil, played by Judith Hoag, helps to uncover this where only the turtles really believe her and they must do what they can to stop Shreddar who is the most known villain in the cartoon series. Corey Feldman actually provides to voice of Donatello. Elias Koteas is a lot of fun as the Turtles' vigilante ally Casey Jones. Look for a young Sam Rockwell and even Skeet Ulrich as some of the thugs. Cowabunga everyone and bring back some of your memories with this one.

The Devil and Miss Jones (1941): Charles Coburn plays millionaire J.P. Merrick who owns a department store where he learns that many of his employees are trying to organize a union for more money and better working conditions. He then decides to use a fake name and become an employee at the store to find out who is behind this union. Jean Arthur and Robert Cummings are the employees trying to get better conditions and they befriend Merrick where Merrick starts to understand why they are doing what they are trying to do. This is a good comedy with good performances especially by Arthur. It is unfortunate that it is not more on the radar than what it should be.

My Night at Maud's (1969): This is part three of director Rohmer's Six Moral Tales. This movie centers around main character and narrator Jean-Louis. He then vows to marry a beautiful blonde named Francoise who he has never actually met. He then gets an invitation to visit his divorced friend Maud. Jean-Louis then spends the night and they have a philosophical discussion on live and she also helps him to get Francoise. This movie has some very interesting religious discussions.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935): Frank Lloyd directed this classic which stars Clark Gable in my my favorite Gable film. This movie takes place on a ship that is on a voyage to go to Tahiti. The ship is run by the ruthless Captain Bligh, played very well by Charles Laughton, who does not treat his people very well. Clark Gable is his second-in-command who begins to disagree with Bligh's method's and leads a revolt. Franchot Tone is the conflicted midshipman who must defend himself against charges that he supported Christian. This is based on a true story and the three actors named were all nominated for Best Actor. This was remade in 1962 and 1984. I have seen the 1962 remake which was longer and went more in depth after reaching the island but just was not the same as this one.

Geri's Game (1997): This is my Pixar short for the week which was written and directed by Jan Pinkava. This animated short shows an old man playing Chess against himself and ends up having a very viscous game. It does not have any dialogue but does not need it and it has a good music score with funny moments. This won an Oscar for Best Animated Short and really deserved it. It is well worth the five minutes.

Man on Wire (2008): This is my documentary for the week which focuses on Philippe Petit who in 1974 successfully tight-roped across the twin towers. This documentary focuses on him and the others who helped to make this happen where they reflect on that time. Many of his friends were very reluctant but determined to help Petit achieve his goal. It also shows Petit's other feats like walking across the cathedral of Notre Dame. This is a great documentary of a man who did not like to go along with society with some great archival footage and interviews. We obviously know Petit survives since he lives to talk about it here. This movie won an Oscar in 2008 for Best Documentary.

Black Orpheus (1959): This is my South American film for the week which was co-wrote and directed by Marcel Camus. This is an interesting telling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth which was set in a carnival at Rio de Janeiro. Breno Mello plays Orfeo who is a train conductor and engaged to a girl named Mira. He then meets and falls in love with Eurydice. Orfeo must then protect Eurydice from Death. It really difficult to explain but if you stick with it, it will be worth it and the scenery is great as well as the performances. Orfeo and Eurydice have a great Samba dance.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981): This is my sequel for the week which is directed by George Miller and stars a young Mel Gibson who reprises his role of Max. He is a loner and cynical drifter in a post-apocalyptic Australia years after avenging his murdered wife and son. He then agrees to help a group of survivors who have a big supply of fuel to help fight off some very ruthless gangsters who want it for themselves. This movie had a nice, dark feel to it with some good action and a good, early performance from Mel Gibson which got him recognized in the USA. It also had some nice narration in the beginning and end.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969): Sydney Pollack directed this really strange movie that takes place during the depression era Hollywood. Jane Fonda stars as Gloria, a drifter who has always wanted a movie career but just cannot get to that level and along with many other people join an absolutely grueling dance competition. Michael Sarrazin plays Robert, an aspiring director who never gives up on his dream and joins the dance agreeing to partner with Gloria. The dance competition mostly focuses on survival and has nothing real upbeat about it driving Gloria to ask Robert to kill her. Red Buttons is good as one of the older dancers. It in some ways reminded me of SALO: OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM in a weird way, just not as extreme as SALO.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005): This is my favorite of my selections for the week which shows Tommy Lee Jones making his directorial debut as ranch foreman Pete whose best friend which is in the name of the title is killed and he vows to avenge his death and give his friend the burial he wanted in Mexico. He learns that a border patrol member named Mike, played by Barry Pepper, did this so Pet abducts Mike to take him to Mexico to give Estrada the burial he wanted. January Jones, no relation to Tommy, co-stars as Mike's wife who is struggling to fit into the small town they now live in. Dwight Yoakam also shows his acting skills once again as the sheriff of the town. Jones makes a great directorial debut with this contemporary western which makes great use of flashback and a great story.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate and stay tuned for next week. Also, don't forget to check out the blog JCVD VS. MY NAME IS BRUCE if you haven't yet.