Welcome everyone to the 231st Edition of my long running series. This was difficult to put together as I have been busy with rehearsals with my show but much was done at the Starbucks across from where we are having rehearsals. I am pretty satisfied with my end product, maybe not my best selections but well under the circumstances so get out your Netflix and Blockbuster queues and read on.
The Cove (2009): I start this week with 2009's most award-winning documentary. Louis Psihoyas directs this film and takes a group of activists to Taijii, Japan in order to investigate the questionable means of capturing dolphins so that we can have our wonderful dolphin shows at the zoo. A lot of this movie centers a lot on former dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry who feels responsible for what goes on in this country for his part in helping to train the dolphins on the tv classic FLIPPER. Even then, he felt his job was rather unethical and turned activist hoping to make up for what he did. This documentary is very thought-provoking and informative plus quite real.
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Now I bring you more of a comedy. Sally Hawkins stars as Poppy who is a school teacher who is always very optimistic but her constant optimism does not reflect on her friends and the people around her. She becomes tested when certain things are going on in her life. She is learning to drive after many years and has a very difficult instructor who might just have feelings for her. She also is in Flamenco dance class who has a very fiery instructor. She then must deal with the aggression of a boy in her class with the help of a social worker who she starts to like. These events lead to situations that test her optimism. Hawkins was great in the lead and carried this very well. This was not my favorite movie of all time but seeing her and the interaction with her driving instructor made this worth it for me.
The Ballad of Narayama (1983): This is my Asian film for the week from director Shohei Imamura. This takes place in a small village in Japan where due to the scarcity of food, people who reach the age of 70 must go to the top of the mountain to die. We then meet the 69 year old Orin who is 69 who does not object to this custom but wants to find her son a wife before she dies. It is a very good movie about a community which is I suppose in the late 1800s and 1900s who use unusual means for survival. It is clear, the community is not trying to be mean by their law of what happens when they become 70 but just trying to find ways to keep the younger generation and children fed. There is not much more to explain here except that is another that can provoke thought. I guess I am doing that a lot this week.
A Foreign Field (1993): This is part one of likely two in a Leo McKern series. I watched this one instantly on my Roku player. I guess this is really an episode of the BBC tv series SCREEN ONE but I let that pass since it was 95 minutes and I was interested in seeing acting legends later in their career. This one takes place where a lot of WWII buddies reunite after 50 years. Alec Guinness and Leo McKern play WWII friends who decide to go visit the grave a friend who died during the D-Day invasion. They then meet up with another WWII veteran they knew named Waldo, played by John Randolph. Waldo and Leo vie for the affection of a Frenchwoman they competed for during WWII. I was actually quite surprised by this and how funny it actually was. Edward Herrman, Geraldine Chaplin, and Lauren Bacall co-star.
A-Haunting We Will Go (1949): I had to delve into my animated shorts for this week and for this one I chose Casper, the Friendly Ghost. I guess the theme of any Casper cartoon is that we fear the unknown. Casper has a hard time making friends with his brothers because he just does not want to scare like they do and other people and animals fear him because he is a ghost. In this one, a baby duck gets left behind and Casper befriends him. Casper then must deal with some mean hunters who want that little duck which provokes Casper to do what is necessary to save his friend. I cannot believe I am going even this in-depth with Casper but this was pretty enjoyable.
Rendezvous (1935): I found this one on TCM. This is my WWI comedy for the week which stars William Powell as Lt. Bill Gordon. Rosalind Russell co-stars as the meddlesome Joel Carter who is the niece of the Assistant Secretary of War. She notices he is very good at deciphering codes so she has his orders to cancel his orders of going to war in France in order to decipher enemy codes. He does not like his new assignment but does what he must hoping he'll be reassigned. Binnie Barnes co-stars as Russian Spy Olivia Karloff. Bill must juggle his feelings for Joel while still find a way to get a book from Olivia. This was a pretty funny film. Russell might have been unnecessary for the purposes of the plot.
Mean Streets (1973): This is a more random selection than usual but I was just looking for a DVD on my shelf from the 70s and decided upon this on to watch at Starbucks after my rehearsal. This is the first of many teamings between director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro. This movie takes place in New York City's Little Italy. Harvey Keitel plays Charlie, a small-time hood trying to make his way up the local mob ladder. Robert De Niro, in his star-making role, plays Johnny Boy who is an irresponsible gambler in debt to about every bookie in the area. Charlie really likes Johnny and tried to put in a good word for him but puts himself in jeopardy. Amy Robinson plays Teresa, who is Johnny Boy's cousin and has a secret affair with Charlie who knows his family will disapprove because of his epilepsy. SOPRANOS alum David Proval and Cesare Danova are a couple of the people Johnny Boy is in debt to and they are running out of patience. This is a great character driven story which was made to look pretty authentic with the hand-held camera. This movie is one of the films to set the foundation for the future of Martin Scorsese. Shortly after this one, De Niro won Best Supporting Actor for THE GODFATHER PART II.
When a Man Loves (1927): This is my silent film for the week which stars John Barrymore who stars as Fabien who is studying to enter the priesthood. Delores Costello stars as Manon who is saved by Fabien when her brother is trying to "sell" her. Fabien and Manon soon fall in love making him abandon his priest ambitions. They are soon separated however when she is blackmailed by her brother to leave Fabien. Fabien then soon discovers she is endanger to the King of France. I always jump at a chance to see John Barrymore who was very good here. If you like silent films, this is one to check out. If you do not like silent films, then this one may not be for you. I actually observed some resemblance in the face to his granddaughter Drew Barrymore.
Marty (1955): This was another one where I had to make a more random selection. This actually comes from a United Artists boxed set my dad got me for Christmas and I liked the idea of 95 minutes. Ernest Borgnine stars in this film as the title role who is in his 30s and remains single and living with his mom while his other siblings have married and become parents. Betsy Blair co-stars as Clara who is a schoolteacher and also rather lonely and shy woman who is shunned. Marty takes an immediate liking to her since he can relate. This is a great love story here. These lonely people come together but does not get approval from Marty's mother because Clara is not catholic. This is not only a great love story but a really good look at a catholic family and their traditions. Borgnine was great in this unusual role for him where he usually played more tough guy parts. I suppose one theme for this film is that we really need to look more into the inner-beauty of people which no one really took the time to do with Marty and Clara. This is the type of love story that many can actually relate to.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): This was the first of the trilogy of the J.R.R. Tolkien novels which were directed by Peter Jackson. Elijah Wood stars as the courageous, little hobbit Frodo who is entrusted with an ancient ring which has done more harm than good. He must go to Mount Doom where the ring is to be destroyed. Sir Ian McKellan stars as Gandolf the Grey who is a good and wise wizard and is with him on the journey. The legendary Christopher Lee co-stars as the villain Saruman who will do what he must do to stop the ring from being destroyed. Lee actually fought for the role of Gandolf but with his friendship to Tolkien wanted to be part of this in any way he could accepted the evil wizard. Frodo is not alone in his journey and has the protection of Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson), Boromir (Sean Bean), Legolas the elf (Orlando Bloom), Gimli the Dwarf (John Rhys-Davies), and Frodo's other hobbit friends Sam, Merry, and Pippin (Sean Astin, LOST alum Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd. Liv Tyler, Ian Holm, Cate Blanchett, and Hugo Weaving co-star in this great fantasy film. It had been a while since I saw this but this really renewed my interest in this series. I'm sure the others will be featured on here in time but I don't really know when. Peter Jackson is a great director who puts a lot of effort into his special effects so that they mean something and makes sure that the story and the characters come first.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Meryl Streep, Richard Gere, a documentary, more Leo McKern, and many others.
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