Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 215th Edition

Welcome to the 215th Edition and the last one of 2009. I hope everyone had a good Christmas. This week I pay tribute to Tyler Perry, Roy Disney, and Jennifer Jones. I also have one selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946): This, along with A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS probably has a record for being on here and since this is no longer shown on NBC every year, I decided to get it on DVD. Frank Capra directs this movie which stars James Stewart as small-town boy George Bailey who is having a lot of problems so when an angel is about to be sent down we see the moments from his childhood into his adulthood that lead up to him thinking that he is not of use. He is taking over his late father's small-banking company which is the only business the crooked Mr. Potter, played very well by Lionel Barrymore, has not muscled in on. When money is accidentally lost, George feels that he has nothing left even though he has a great wife and loving children. Enter Clarence, played by character actor Henry Travers, a second-class angel looking to get his wings who must make George see what is the title of the movie so to do this, he grants him a wish that he was never born to see the fate of each person in his life would have had without George. Donna Reed plays George's loving and understanding wife. Ward Bond and Frank Faylen play Bert and Ernie who sing a song for George and his wife. As many might know, these are two of the most famous SESEME STREET characters of all time which is claimed to be a coincidence but I think otherwise. Also, look for Carl Switzer who is most known for playing Alfalfa in THE LITTLE RASCALS and is the one who lets out the pool in the reunion scene. I never tire of this one and some people believe this is too sad of a movie. I believe this portrays the everyday man and like many take for granted the little things. I believe what Capra wants to portray is that when we help things in what seem to be little things, they can go a long way. When I was in A TIME FOR CHRISTMAS, I may have prevented some serious injuries to a little 5 year old girl in the show. Thinking of this movie and that event made me realize, I did not just help her but I helped the family in terms of relief and I may have saved others from regret. I can't really know for sure how hurt the little girl would have been but it was a scary situation. This is definitely one of my favorite movies of all time and is something the whole family can enjoy.

Picture Snatcher (1933): Lloyd Bacon directed this more unknown Cagney film where we first see him in prison and then being released. James Cagney is Danny Kean, a gangster who decides to try to go straight upon release. He then gets a job as a photographer for a tabloid paper who thrive on shock. The head of the paper does not want an ex-con at first but then sees that he has a lot of guts so he hires him. He then sets out to get a photo of an execution in the prison he was once at which causes a big uproar. Cagney was great as always in what was a rather daring film and something that is rather relevant today with today's paparazzi and all. This is definitely worth a watch.

Star Trek (2009): This is my tribute to Tyler Perry who recently lost his father and while I could have used a Madea film, this was on my Netflix Queue so I decided it was time to check this one out. Here, he plays the head of the Starfleet Academy. I had heard a lot about this on account of Lisa who saw this at the theaters like 5 times and it did not disappoint. I admit, I have never really been into the STAR TREK thing through the years but I have some memories of the shows. This one takes a look at Captain James T. Kirk, played by Chris Pine, and his crew when they came together. When seeing out Captain Kirk, we see him as a rebellious teen, who has a big problem with authority. He is also in the shadow of his late father and joins Starfleet to prove his worth. Zachary Quinto plays Spock whose father is Vulcan and mother is human so he is looked down upon by his fellow Vulcans. Quinto has quite a resemblance to Leonard Nimoy, who actually is in this movie as the older version of Spock, and we see what would become an iconic friendship between Kirk and Spock but here they start out at odds with each other. Karl Urban plays the part of Bones McCoy and I felt he did a pretty good job filling the shoes of DeForest Kelley. Simon Pegg plays Scotty in a very amusing portrayal. Zoe Saldona plays Uhura and has a lot of resemblance to Nichelle Nichols who originally played the part in the tv series. James Cho plays Sulu but didn't feel he had as much to work with. Eric Bana is the villain of the film who had quite a rivalry with Kirk's father and targets James while also taking hostage their then head of Starfleet Pike, played by Bruce Greenwood. J.J. Abrams directed this film and did a great job of casting the parts. He also did a good job of researching the original series for the references.

The 400 Blows (1959): Francois Truffaut directed his first feature film which is a rather bleak, autobiographical account of his childhood. Jean-Pierre Leaud plays Antoine, a misunderstood youth who then resorts to a small-time life of crime. He must deal with parents who do not pay much attention, oppressive teachers, and the many other difficulties of childhood. This goes down as one of the best French films of all time with great direction from Truffaut.

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991): The Facebook friend I chose for this one is Katie, who I went to school with and now seems happily married with a child. I was not sure what I would think and how I would see this movie but I ended up really liking it. It takes place in two time periods. We have the modern day where Kathy Bates stars as Evelyn, an unhappy wife and someone who really does not stand up for herself well. When she is with her husband at the nursing home visiting his mother, she meets Ninny who she befriends. Ninny then tells some stories of Idgie Threadgood, a young lady in 1920s Alabama. Mary Stuart Masterson plays Idgie who is not big on authority but is very loyal to her friends. Mary-Louise Parker plays Idgie's friend Ruth who has a very abusive husband. I really like those flashback scenes as it really diverts from stereotype with blacks and even people like Idgie who treats them as friends and employees. One that really stood out for me was Stan Shaw as Big George who is a very nice black man who will do anything for Idgie. When Evelyn hears these stories, she becomes more inspired to be a more assertive person. It was nice to see Kathy Bates play this type of person when she is most known for playing more psychotic characters like in MISERY. Other people in this movie include Chris O'Donnell and Cicely Tyson. This is based on a novel from Fannie Flagg who also has a funny cameo.

Kissing Time (1933): This is my musical short for the week which shows an American girl in a South American village celebrating San Marcos Day. She falls in love with a lieutenant but must deal with El Toro who is the head of the village and has an eye for the ladies. This was a pretty fun 23 minutes if you like musicals.

Radiant City (2006): This is my documentary for the week which I found on Free Speech TV. This movie takes place in a suburban town with people talking about the pros and cons of suburban life and many of the critics of the world. It mainly takes place among a family who is just moving into the suburban life. The oldest kid is very entertaining and the father is in a local musical called SUBURB: THE MUSICAL which I hope to be able to do someday. This documentary had some interesting direction and I believe is worth a watch.

The Black Cauldron (1985): This is my tribute to the late Roy Disney who recently left us. He helped write some of the dialogue and provided some of the voices. In this film, a young boy named Taran sets out with his clairvoyant pig, cowardly dog, and beautiful princess to retrieve a box of the title name before the Evil Horned King does so and becomes more powerful than anyone. In the process, he meets many interesting characters and even obtains a magical sword. We first see Taran with aspirations of becoming a big warrior but starts to realize it is not very easy. With some of the violent scenes, this is the first Disney film to get a PG rating. This was by no means my favorite of Disney but it was worth a watch on the big screen tv.

Madame Bovary (1949): This is my tribute to actress Jennifer Jones who also recently left us and here plays the title character of Emma Bovary. Vincente Minelli directed this adaptation to the classic Gustave Flaubert novel. I liked the touch that Minelli uses where we first see James Mason playing the part of the author who is actually on trial for writing an "indecent" novel where the title heroine has a lot of flaws and ruined many lives. When trying to explain that it was not an immoral book, we then see Emma Bovary who marries a dull country doctor named Charles Bovary, played very well by Van Heflin, who likes his work but does not make much money. Emma then resents that and starts seeing an aristocrat named Rodolphe, played by Louis Jordan. Emma is never satisfied and wants everything and only ends up hurting everyone. James Mason was good in the role of the author and Minelli takes quite a risk doing a movie of this sort in those days. The trial of Gustave Flaubert really happened and he really had to defend his novel and the character which was someone created from society. If you feel you do not have freedom, at least we have the freedom to write the books we want and the movies we want.

Wicker Park (2004): I end this year and this week with this selection of the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose We Love Movies. This is a remake of the the 1996 French film L'APPARTEMENT. When watching this movie, I was not sure what to expect. Josh Hartnett stars as a young Chicago advertising executive named Matthew who is about to take a business trip to China but puts that and much of his life on hold to chase down a woman he saw who he believes to be the woman he lost two years ago named Lisa. On the trail, he then meets a woman named Lisa but is not the person he thought she was but she might hold the key to finding Lisa. Rose Byrne plays the person claiming to be Lisa. Matthew Lillard plays Matthew's best friend who inadvertingly plays a part to Matthew's obsession. I admit, I did not see the French film but if anything, it makes me take note to check it out in the future. There are some shades of VERTIGO in this film and I was also reminded of a 2000 film called WAKING THE DEAD that I really like. This movie was not as good as the two I named off but I did ending up liking the atmosphere of the film with his obsession. I liked Josh Hartnett and am glad they did not go with Paul Walker or Brendan Fraser which was considered. I was not real big on the ending of the film and people who love the French film might not enjoy this one but I think this was a good effort and worth a watch. I will now be adding the 1996 film to my Netflix queue for a future viewing.

Well, that is it for this week. It has been a good year and look forward to giving you more in the year 2010. Tell me what you like and what you do not like and I will start out the new year with films featuring Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Laura Linney, and many others.