Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 213th Edition

Welcome to the 213th Edition of my long-running series. I have one last performance today for A TIME FOR CHRISTMAS which has gone quite well. I just hope I get a part in one of the things I have auditioned for. This week I pay tribute to the later REMOTE CONTROL host Ken Ober. Now let's get to my 10 selections for the week.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): This is #28 on Dr. Royce Clemens' top 50 movies of the decade. Danny Boyle directed this award-winning film about a boy in India who goes on the Indian version of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE only to have his life possibly become worse. Dev Patel stars as Jamal who is being interrogated and tortured when he is suspected of cheating on the show to move up as high as he did on the show. After all, how would some "slumdog" be able to know all these questions and win so much money. The movie centers around this situation and then goes into flashbacks of his difficult childhood where he explains why he knew each question. I really liked the technique used. It is also a great depiction of life in India. Naturally with the hype placed upon it, it will receive some pretty mixed opinions. Did it deserve the awards it received? I really don't know if it deserved everything but I just want to see a movie. I really don't believe that Danny Boyle directed this movie and while directing thought "this is going to be the most award-winning film of 2008". Granted I watch the movie award shows and like many other strange selection processes I use for this blog, it is just as important. When watching this, try to think of the movie. For all you Bollywood lovers, be patient as there is quite the song and dance number towards the end but for Bollywood haters, the song does not effect the story as it comes in the credits.

Trudell (2005): This is my documentary for the week which features Native American poet/activist John Trudell who fought a lot for the rights of his Native American people. He goes around and gives many speeches on his beliefs and is a very interesting person to listen to. Mnay of his friends like Robert Redford, Jackson Browne, Kris Kristofferson, and many others speak on his behalf as well. It has a lot of good footage and while not the best documentary I have seen, it is worth a shot.

Quo Vadis (1951): Mervyn Leroy directed this Roman epic which stars Robert Taylor as General Marcus Vinicius who returns to Rome after a lot of warring. He soon meets Lygia, a christian, and does not want anything to do with the warrior at first but slowly warms up to him. She is the adopted daughter of a retired general and technically a hostage. Deborah Kerr is very good as Lygia. Marcus then asks Emperor Nero for Lygia after the services he has done. Nero then gets crazier which makes Marcus go against him. Peter Ustinov gave a very interesting and rather over-the-top performance of Emperor Nero which was done quite well. It also takes a look at the world of Christianity in the harsh Roman world. This movie has some great scenery, battle scenes, and performances with a great climatic battle with the lions. Look for Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor as extras.

Loaded Weapon 1 (1993): This is my tribute to the late former REMOTE CONTROL host Ken Ober who here plays Dooley. This is a National Lampoon parody to LETHAL WEAPON which stars Samuel L. Jackson and Emilio Estevez as two opposite partners paired together. They must uncover a plot where they are producing cookies that are made from cocaine. Whoopi Goldberg plays a cop in the beginning of the film. STAR TREK alum William Shatner plays the head of the crime ring General Mortars. Tim Curry is amusing as Jigsaw and Kathy Ireland has a part. When was the last time you heard that name? There were a lot of cameos and gags where some were funny and some weren't. It was not the greatest spoof of all time but better than a lot that is put out today.

Finding Nemo (2003): The Facebook friend I chose for this week was Tosha. This is my Pixar film for the week which centers all around fish and other sea animals. Albert Brooks does the voice for Marlin, a single-father clownfish whose son Nemo is taken by fisherman and made a pet at a dentist's office. Marlin then meets a blue tang fish named Dory, voiced by Ellen Degenerous, who suffers from short-memory loss. She then helps Marlin set out to retrieve his son. Nemo is in the fish tank doing what he can to escape. Willem Dafoe voices the part of Gill, an aging fish in the aquarium who has tried for many years to escape from the cage. This was a great Pixar film about not giving up and did a great job of portraying fish in the sea with human characteristics. We had two great stories with Marlin meeting all kinds of colorful characters in his long journey and Nemo being determined to go back where he belongs. A lot of fishermen may hate this movie but if you're open-minded I think it can be enjoyed.

Days of Wine and Roses (1962): Blake Edwards directed this very daring film which stars Jack Lemmon as "social drinker" Joe and Lee Remick as Kirsten. They fall in love together and he slowly becomes more and more of an alcoholic and Kirsten then takes to the booze even more giving them a very destructive relationship which they both learn is hard to overcome. They are portrayed as a couple through the years and showing the harsh effects of being an alcoholic where they try to quit but always end up relapsing. They even become parents so we see the effect it has on their daughter as well. I believe this is Jack Lemmon's best film and I also believe this was a great performance by Lee Remick who goes quite overlooked today. I remember seeing this the first time at my dad's house and recall that he really likes this one. This movie shows that love can have a high price when what they love the most is what is not good for them which gives a great ending that Edwards really fought the producers to keep.

Milk (2008): Gus Van Zant directed this true story where Sean Penn stars as the title character Harvey Milk. Milk is an openly gay man in the '70s in San Francisco where he becomes an activist to fight for the rights of gays and is the first openly gay politician. Josh Brolin plays politician Dan White who opposes all of Milk's ideas and wants a law passed which will ban gays from holding jobs at public schools. This focuses a lot on the intense rivalry between Milk and White. James Franco plays Milk's lover who tires of Milk's work but still understands. ALIAS alum Victor Garber also co-stars as San Francisco mayor George Moscone who supports Milk. We also see a lot of footage from singer Anita Bryant who held lots of anti-gay standards. Van Zant has tried for many years to do a movie on Milk and finally getting to do this one. Sean Penn is great as Milk as I am a big admirer for Penn for his willingness to take on roles that are very controversial.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): This timeless classic probably has the record for being on here as I just never tire of these. The hapless Charlie Brown really starts to question the commercialism of Christmas. He is then set to direct the school play and is determined to make it about the tradition of Christmas and not the commercialism. We get so many iconic moments like the tree that Charlie Brown gets, Linus' speech on the real meaning of Christmas, Snoopy's prize-winning dog house and many more. These are some of my favorite cartoons and these will just keep getting passed down to other generations.

Men are Such Fools (1938): This is a movie directed by Busby Berkeley and co-stars Humphrey Bogart so if you are looking to watch their best movie, this is not it but it is a fun romantic comedy with a great performance by Priscilla Lane as Linda Lawrence who becomes an account executive where she works. She then marries ex-football star Jimmy Hall. Bogart plays Harry Galleon, Linda's employer who promises her to push her career forward if she will just be "nice" to him. Jimmy becomes jealous so Linda quits her job to become a suburban housewife but realizes that might not be for her. It has some pretty funny moments but forgetful in the career of Bogart. I did notice the word "damn" being said which maybe it got overlooked with it not really being the most popular movie because many might know that the next year the people in GONE WITH THE WIND had to pay a fine to say that word.

The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg (1936): This is very rare that I have three animated selections in one week but it happened here. I also used two pretty short films, especially this one. I never intended to use this but I was trying to finish it last Wednesday night and I did not possess anything from the 50s-below and the weather was very bad that night plus I could not really find anything on AMC or TCM so I dug into my animated shorts and decided upon Felix the Cat. This short actually takes place during the depression where Felix is handing out cash which comes from the golden eggs from the goose. His rival Captain Kidd then comes to kidnap the goose so Felix must go to the pirate ship to the rescue. This was a very interesting short that addresses the depression. This is the first time Felix actually speaks as there were some silent ones before this one.

Well, that is it for this week. It was some unusual selections, I know my friend Bill will like that I have three animated selections on this one which is very unusual for me. Tell me what you like and what you hate. Stay tuned next week which includes Frank Sinatra, another animated short, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Molina, Robert Mitchum, the late Richard, and many others.