Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 257th Edition and Odious Oozes: Week 2

Welcome to the 257th Edition of my long-running series. I actually won a game of fantasy football last week taking me to 2-3 which keeps me in the season so hopefully I will post another win in a game where I have Eli Manning and take on Peyton Manning in my Manning vs. Manning 2 game. Last week I actually attended my high school reunion which was very strange but it was good to see everyone. I was not sure how it would go but in ten years we all matured so we all just got along no matter how much I may not have liked some of them in my younger days. I know I was not an angel myself. I will tag whoever was at the reunion who were my friends.

The Perfect Witness (2007): We first meet amateur filmmaker Mickey, played by Wes Bentley, who is looking to move up in the industry. He then witnesses a serial killing and films it. Mark Borkowski plays this serial killer named James. Mickey tells James that if he does not cooperate to do a documentary that he will turn him the footage into the police. He wants to paint a human portrait on a serial killer. However, he soon realizes that it might not have been a great idea to not turn him into the police when he had a chance. I watched this on instant Netflix and while not great, I did find it to be a rather clever premise with decent acting. This is not for everyone but if you have a good enough stomach, it is something to watch on Netflix.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943): This is my Universal Horror for the week which is a sequel to both THE WOLF MAN and GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. Lon Chaney Jr. Reprises his role as Larry Talbot who on the full moon becomes a werewolf. Bela Lugosi finally breaks down and plays the creature of Frankenstein after originally turning down the part that made Boris Karloff famous. Larry then sets off to find Dr. Frankenstein to help cure him of being a werewolf. He finds that he is dead but then gains access to some documents but also gets into a climatic fight with the Frankenstein's monster. With Universal I always know I'll be entertained, just not scared but these movies deserve credit where credit is do in the creature genre.

Black Cats and Broomsticks (1955): This is my short film for the week which I found on TCM On-Demand. This short points many of the superstitions in America like haunted houses, walking under ladders, stepping on cracks, and many others. It is rather humorous the way it looks at these superstitions.

Felicia's Journey (1999): This is another serial killer feature though this one is far less violent. Atom Egoyan directed what is more of a portrait of a killer. Elaine Cassidy plays the title character who is in England looking for her boyfriend but not having much luck. Bob Hoskins plays a lonely catering manager named Joe who befriends Felicia with her slowly realizing he is not who he seems. It is something that must be followed from the beginning and if you're looking for a lot of violence, this is not the one but it is still pretty compelling in a look at the life of a serial killer.

Suspiria (1977): My Facebook friend Daniel recommended me this Dario Argento classic so I figured this would be the perfect time to feature it. Jessica Harper plays Suzy who is a new dancer to a fancy ballet school. The more she is there, the more she realizes that the staff is a group of witches after seeing many brutal murders. She then works to not get killed herself. This is a genuinely creepy film that a horror fan can enjoy. There is also a great music score from Argento. It is really hard to describe this one but I do believe I have said enough so now if you're looking for something on instant Netflix, this is a good choice for the season.

The Fly (1986): I watched this one On-Demand when I was at my Dad's house. David Cronenberg directs this great remake which stars Jeff Goldblum as the eccentric scientist Seth Brundle who has a transporting machine and has gotten it to work with objects but takes a lot of effort transporting live things like a monkey. When finally doing it, he decides to transport himself but when doing it, you might guess what ends up in the machine which slowly turns him into the title character. Geena Davis plays a reporter hoping to get a great story but sees this change in Seth to not be a good thing. This movie shows that remakes are okay as long as they are done right. Not a movie for everyone as there are some gross-out moments but a good creature feature.

The Lovely Bones (2009): Peter Jackson directed this fantasy film which I know I'll receive heat from Elizabeth and possibly others. Saoirse Ronan plays Susie Salmon who is a 14 year old and murdered by her neighbor George Harvey, played well by Stanley Tucci. She is then watching from the depths of the afterlife where she observes and narrates what goes on with her family since the death and her desire for vengeance. I do not consider this Peter's best whatsoever but I did like my own introduction to Ronan who I thought played the part very well. In many ways this goes down as an effort from Peter Jackson that missed. If you have to bash me for this selection, please still look at my other nine selections.

The Phantom of the Opera (1925): Yes, this story existed before the great musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber. This is a silent film based on the book by the author Gaston Leroux. Lon Chaney Sr. plays the title character who is a disfigured composer residing in an opera house. He takes a big liking to Christine Daae and forces the star Carlotta to give up her spot for Christine. However, his liking of Christine is also quite an obsession which even puts her under his spell a bit. This is a great silent horror effort where this one must also be given for that great musical we enjoy today. This is probably the first time I have ever featured both Lon Chaneys on one edition.

The Magnificent Seven (1960): This is my western of the week and another remake and this remake is of the samarai classic SEVEN SAMARAI. Obviously with a western, these seven must be gunslingers. We start with a Mexican village being terrorized by Calvera, played by Eli Wallach, and his men. Some of the mexicans go to the states looking for help and end up with seven gunfighters making the title including Yul Bryner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and Brad Dexter. This movie had a lot of good action and really matched its samarai counterpart becoming another featured remake that is okay to do if done right and this was done right. I heard that Bryner and McQueen did not get along well but they still worked well together here.

A Simple Plan (1998): I end with this Sam Raimi film which stars Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton who play Hank and Jacob and are brothers. Hank is the more sensible one, has a decent job and is about to become a father. Jacob is the more irresponsible one. They decide to go out on a cold winter day with their friend Lou, played by Brent Briscoe, where they stumble upon a plane which has a lot of cash. Jacob and Lou are quick to take the money but Hank, the more sensible one, wants to turn it in but finally agrees to keep it and if no one comes looking for it they will split it. Once this happens, a lot of tension arises leading to some regrettable decisions. Bridget Fonda co-stars as Hank's pregnant wife. This was a great, suspenseful tale of tension that money can cause. Performances were great and I felt the movie flowed very well.

Well, that is it for this week. Stay tuned for next week and continue to read on for the Horror Marathon contest.

HORROR MARATHON: ODIOUS OOZES WEEK 2

Last week I ran away with the first week but this week did not quite match it so we'll see if I still have the lead after this week. I did come up with some good loopholes though so keep on reading and good luck to the other contestants and my thoughts go out to Fred, someone who was in the contest who made the decision to drop out because of the loss he recently experienced. He's been a loyal reader to me and while we have never met in person seems like a pretty good guy.

DARIO ARGENTO: 2 points

1. Suspiria (1977): This is the Wiccan film for the week directed by Argento who anything he directs can be counted not that it would not otherwise. I didn't find anything that would get me bonus points. 666 (2 points)

LON CHANEY JR. AND SR.: 4 points

1. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943): This is a fun Universal creature feature which stars Lon Jr. who would become just as good as his father and not have to live in some big shadow all his career. 66 1/2 (2 points)

2. The Phantom of the Opera (1925): This is the one which features Lon Sr. and this is a portrait of a disfigured man who descends into madness so I feel this one should be counted for the contest. 666 (2 points)

DON COSCARELLI: 2 points

1. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002): This is an annual viewing of mine and ranks up as one of my absolute favorites and my favorite Bruce Campbell film as I regard this as his best performance. It qualifies because of him and director Coscarelli. Bruce plays Elvis who is still alive but took the name of an impersonator who died. Ossie Davis plays JFK who survived the assassination but was secretly turned black by the government. They are both in their older ages and living in nursing homes. They team up against a mummy who is feeding off of souls in the nursing home. They also see their chance at redemption. This is actually a true story except the mummy part. 6666 (2 points)

DAVID CRONENBERG: 4 points

1. The Fly (1986): This is my Cronenberg selection who can be used for anything he directs so be afraid, be very afraid. I'm looking to win this contest. I also get bonus points for the hideous transformation into a fly. 666 (4 points)

HALLOWEEN THEMED CHILDREN'S CARTOONS: .5

Bobby's World: Halloween episode (Date and episode unknown): I found this on the free movie section on On-Demand. Many of us remember this which is one of the better cartoons of the era. Bobby was too young to go trick or treating so Uncle Ted came over and they did their own little haunted house. 666 (.5 point)

PETER JACKSON: 2 points

1. The Lovely Bones (2009): This is more of a ghost story and Jackson has been added to the wild cards. 66 1/2 (2 points)

STEVE MCQUEEN: 2 points

1. The Magnificent Seven (1960): Here is my western loophole of the week starring Mr. McQueen who I can use any movie for and a great western to be included in a horror contest. 666 1/2 (2 points)

VINCENT PRICE: 1.5 point

1. Biography (1997): This is the great show from A & E and the focus was on Vincent Price and was actually very interesting to watch. 666 1/2 (1 point)

2. Holiday Classics: A Christmas Carol (1957): I now bring the ultimate loophole . This appears to have been some half-hour tv special which was narrated and hosted by Vincent Prince with this condensed version of the holiday classic. 66 (.5 point

SAM RAIMI: 9 points

1. A Simple Plan (1998): This is quite a thriller but a loophole in terms of Horror but Sam Raimi directed so it is usable. One of my favorites. 6666 (2 points)

2. Xena: Warrior Princess (1998): This is an episode and Sam Raimi was the executive producer for the show making this series qualify. This is the musical episode of Xena where Xena and Gabrielle are having a lot of problems and are sent to a strange world being lead by the likes of Ares, Callisto, and Joxer to try to resolve them. 66 1/2 (1 point)

3. Spider-Man (2002): This was a very important film in the resurgence of the super-hero genre which counts here because of Sam but now I am going to look into bonus points for this one. This is where Peter is bitten by a radioactive spider which is in a form a transformation for the strength he gained in order to become Spider-Man. Also, Norman Osbourne also went through a Jekyll and Hyde transformation in a sense in his experiments that he was greedy but had good intentions which turned him psycho thus becoming the Green Goblin. There's my argument so take it for what it is worth. 666 (4 points)

4. Xena: Warrior Princess: The Ides of March (1999): This is pretty much the season four finale as far as I'm concerned where Xena sets off once and for all to kill Julius Caesar but things get complicated when Callisto is sent back from hell to help Caesar become emperor. Has a very powerful ending. Raimi executive produced. 666 (2 points)

SERIAL KILLERS AND SLASHERS: 4 points

1. The Perfect Witness (2007): This shows a filmmaker documenting a serial killer hoping to make a compelling documentary. 66 1/2 (2 points)

2. Felicia's Body (1999): Another showcasing of a serial killer played by Bob Hoskins. 66 1/2 (2 points)

ZOMBIES: 4 points

1. Diary of the Dead (2007): I doubt there are bonus points for this one since there is no special way they become zombies. This is Romero's return to the zombie genre but did not really match his other classics. 66 (2 points)

2. Zombie Prom (2010): This is my live theater selection which is going on at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater. I suppose you could call this the zombie version of Grease. We first meet Jonny who is the Fonzie/Danny Zuko type and is quite misunderstood. He forms a relationship with Toffee but it is forbidden because her parents do not think he is right for her. He then dies in a nuclear accident and is a zombie who continues to win over Toffee. I saw it last night and it was a very fun show with a very good cast and crew. Katie O'Keefe, who has made quite a mark at the civic, plays Toffee very well and has a great voice. Ethan Litt plays the rebel turned zombie Jonny who works very well with Katie. Meghan Ollivant plays the principal Miss Strict who may have been a bit young but I really believe she made it work and was into her part a lot. Edward Conley plays a reporter out for a good story where Ed once again made the part absolutely his. The rest of the ensemble cast rounded the show out very well. You can still check this show out October 16th, 22nd, 23rd, 29th-31st. Tickets are $10 and in return you get laughs and good songs. Reserve tickets at 288-PLAY. 666 1/2 (2 points)

Miss Strict - Meghan Ollivant
Toffee - Katie O Keefe
Candy - Liz Bancroft
Coco - Olivia Sweets
Ginger - Caitie Noller
Johnny Warner - Ethan Litt
Joey - Aaron Keen
Josh - Nick Rogers
Jake - Bradley Wilkinson
Eddie Flagrante - Edward Conley

Director - Craig Underwood
Assistant Director - Lisa Wade
Costume Designer - Susan Lankford
Choreographer - Arttacgo Luckett
Music Director- Cody Ricks


TOTAL POINTS: 34 points provided my Spider-Man argument works.