Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 220th Edition

Welcome to the 220th Edition of my long-running series. This week I pay tribute to Erich Segal, Robert B. Porter, Jean Simmons, James Mitchell and Tony Halme which is probably a record week for these type of selections in my blog. I will be checking out the wrestling PPV Royal Rumble tonight at Buffalo Wild Wings so feel free to join me if you are in the Anderson area. Let's now get to my 10 recommendations for this week.

Love Story (1970): This is my tribute to the late Erich Segal who wrote this story of love and tragedy. I guess this would be my chick flick for the week of a simple, effective story of love. Ryan O'Neil stars as Oliver Barrett IV who is a Harvard Law Student and from a wealthy family. Ali MacGraw stars as Jennifer Calliveri, a music student who has a much different background. With them meeting they have much different views but they still attract each other creating what the title says. Their love does not come to agreement from the parents especially Oliver's father. They do not let this get in the way but tragedy does come in this tearjerker so if a chick flick is what you want, this is one of the best. John Marley, Ray Milland and Tommy Lee Jones co-star in this film where we learn that when in love it is not necessary to say "sorry".

Robin Hood (1922): Most people remember the Errol Flynn version, the Kevin Costner version, the Mel Brooks spoof, and even the Disney version but most don't know this version that happened before all which stars Douglas Fairbanks. This one is a much different version of the classic tale of an outlaw who robs from the rich to give to the poor. Wallace Beery, in an early role, plays King Richard who goes on the Crusades leaving his brother Prince John to take charge. Prince John is found to be more authoritarian where the Earl of Huntington decides to oppose the rule of Prince John but then his friends become outlawed and Marian is apparently dead. When in exile, the Earl of Huntington becomes the champion Robin Hood who wants to put a stop to Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Alan Hale plays Little John and reprised the role in the 1938 version which is the most popular and possibly the best. This was worth a view and it is available on Kino Video.

Stone Cold (2005): This is my tribute to the late Robert B. Parker who wrote the novel to this tv movie. Tom Selleck stars as Jesse Stone which is his 1st of six performances of this character. Jesse Stone is a former LA detective who moved to New England to become a police chief there. Stone must investigate a series of murders of which he knows the identity but cannot come up with proof or motive. In the process he resorts to old habits of alcohol and women. Stone is still a good person and shows that when he does everything he can to help a raped teenage girl. This is the first Jesse Stone film I have seen but may need to delve into the others if they are anything like this. Selleck is great as Jesse Stone and this is a good tv movie.

Heaven's Gate (1980): Now I bring what was considered to be quite a flop and received a very mixed reaction. Michael Cimino wrote and directed this dark western which is based on events in 1890s Wyoming. Kris Kristofferson plays Sheriff James Averill who opposes new laws set to "solve" the conflict of many European immigrants and begins to protect them in any way he can. Christopher Walken plays Nathan Champion, a hired gun set to kill many immigrants on the list. Averill clashes with Champion in this regard and for a woman they both love. However, Champion begins to question his job. Joseph Cotton plays one of his later roles as the Reverend Doctor. Other actors include John Hurt, Mickey Rourke, Jeff Bridges and an uncredited Willem Dafoe who can be seen as an extra. Cimino had lots of ambition and did not really have the right budget which unfortunately hurt his career and even United Artists. There are two cuts of this, one at 149 minutes and the other at 219 minutes and I watched the longer one. Cimino actually asked United Artists to pull it from theaters so he could do his own cuts and they did thus showing UA did not pull it for reviews and money like people think. If you can just watch the film it is not horrible and cool to see some of the young actors in Mickey Rourke and Jeff Bridges. Cimino made a great effort but failed in many ways but still an important film in our culture.

Ryan (2004): This is my animated short for the week which I found on IFC's Short Film Showcase. This is probably the short film I have watched the most as I get more and more intrigued every time I see it. Chris Landreth directs which is also like a documentary. Landreth sets out to interview Ryan Larkin. He was pretty famous in the world of animation in the 60s and 70s with some of his animated shorts where his short film WALKING was nominated for an Oscar. Unfortunately, like many in the industry, he went down a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol. Landreth sets out to interview him asking him to get better and get back into the industry. Larkin then explains what has gone on in his life. The animation was very cool and strange. I usually hate when the characters in animation look like the people voicing them but this was quite different. They were both drawn to themselves but are missing fragments of their bodies I guess to symbolize everything they have went through in their lives as Landreth admits problems of his own. There is also footage of Ryan Larkin's past work. The real-life Ryan Larkin did get back into animation but died in 2007 of lung cancer. If you can find this, I really feel you'll like it.

Angel Face (1952): This is my tribute to the late actress Jean Simmons who recently left us. This is my film noir for the week which stars Robert Mitchum as ambulance driver Frank Jessup. He then meets the dangerous Diane Jessup, played by Simmons, who is part of a rich family and a stepmother she does not like. Jessup gets him hired as a chauffeur but soon he starts to see that she may not be the greatest person. This was a pretty intriguing film noir which shows how one person's life will not be the same after meeting such a dangerous woman as she schemes to bring him down. The ending was also very sudden and twisted which if you have not paid attention, you'll be brought in by that.

The Toast of New Orleans (1950): This is my tribute to the late ALL MY CHILDREN star James Mitchell who recently left us. Kathryn Grayson is opera singer Suzette who meets a fisherman on the Louisiana Bayous named Pepe, played by Mario Lanza who is also a very good singer. David Niven plays Suzette's agent who talks Pepe into coming to New Orleans to learn the world of opera. As you might tell, Grayson and Lanza become love interests. Pepe does soon see how much of a different world he is in but learns opera very well. J. Carrol Naish is very amusing as Uncle Nicky. This is a pretty decent B-musical so if you are a musical buff, this might be worth a shot.

Where Eagles Dare (1968): Alistair Maclean wrote the novel and screenplay of this war film which stars Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Allied soldiers stage a dangerous mission to infiltrate a Nazi base where an American general is being held hostage. They must rescue him before he reveals plans of an invasion in France. Richard Burton plays the head of the British invasion Major Smith. Clint Eastwood plays Lt. Schaffer who is an American not sure why he is part of a British invasion. Things get even more confusing when double agents are revealed. This is a pretty good war film which MacLean wrote the novel and screenplay at the same time. There are some very good battle and action scenes in this movie.

Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995): This is my tribute to Tony Halme who recently committed suicide. He is most known as WWE wrestler Ludvig Borga in the 90s and did some work in MMA fight leagues. He plays Roman in this movie. I just did the first DIE HARD two weeks ago and had no plans to do another in the series so quickly but this was the best selection I saw of his so it happened. John McTiernan directed the third part of this series as he did the first two and I did not leave disappointed. This is actually the first one I saw. Bruce Willis reprises his role as John McClane who is a loose cannon police officer and having marriage issues. Things get worse when a man named "Simon" puts McClane through a lot of dangerous situations and if he does not do them, a bomb will explain. Samuel L. Jackson plays Zues, a local store owner who unwillingly gets brought into Simon's game. Jeremy Irons plays the psychotic Simon who shines as the villain. Jackson is pretty good in his part and works very well with Willis who he has teamed up with more than once. There are also lots of great action, suspense and car chases.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (1995): I end with this rock documentary on Iron Maiden's 2008 tour. This was a very groundbreaking tour where they did 23 concerts in 5 continents. Iron Maiden's lead singer Bruce Dickinson actually flew their plane to save a lot of money on something thought to be impossible. This movie takes a look at the band members, road crew, and their fans from all around the world. They are a heavy metal band that does not get much publicity but still get big reception with their concerts and cds. I am not a huge fan of Iron Maiden, though I do like FEAR OF THE DARK, but I do respect them for what they have done and this tour they pulled off. I really liked seeing all the fans on each continent they were on. If you are an Iron Maiden fan, you will love this one. If you are not an Iron Maiden fan I really believe you might still like this and if you just cannot stand their music, just mute the concert footage when they are singing.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate. I see I used a lot of death and violence in this edition with exception of a couple selections but I was satisfied with the end result here. Stay tuned for next week which will include more Mickey Rourke, Maureen O'Hara, George Segal, Randolph Scott, and many others.

HONORABLE TV MENTION

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1995): I kind of forgot about this animated show on Comedy Central. I recall my dad used to watch this some when I was in middle school and when I saw the first season DVD at the library, I decided to give it another look. It is a pretty dry, but funny show. Jonathan Katz voices Dr. Katz and is a psychiatrist and sees a lot of comedians. Some play themselves, some provide voices like Ray Romano and many others. When Dr. Katz is not helping his clients, he deals with his unemployed son in his 20s who does not seem to express interest in working. He also has a receptionist who does not take her job very seriously which adds more to the comedy. This was a pretty amusing show and I might check out some of the later seasons when I get a chance.