Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 258th Edition and Odious Oozes: Week 3

Welcome to the 258th Edition of my long-running series. I am now 3-3 in Fantasy football so hopefully I can continue this today. On Halloween, I will be ring announcing for a wrestling show at the Muncie, Indiana Fair Grounds which is a benifit show so if you are in the area. Doors open at 5:30 and the show is at 6 pm. Don't worry, you can still get some candy. Also, congrats to my cousin Cory who just got married and I'm sure has a great life ahead of him now. Now onto the recommendations for the week.

The Majestic (2001): As many would describe this, it is a throwback to the Capra films of the 40s and as a fan of Capra I came to agree. Jim Carrey stars as movie writer Peter Appleton who becomes blacklisted in Hollywood in the '50s as many people were affected by the Joe McCarthy era. He then gets into a car accident where he loses his memory and ends up in a small-town where he is believed to be a long-lost son named Luke. With these lost identity memories and being placed with this one he begins to learn about life and other human qualities he did not have before. This is a more dramatic part for Jim Carrey and I believe he pulled this off quite well. This movie got some pretty mixed opinions but for me it brought back memories of other Capra films. Martin Landau, Bob Balaban, Hal Holbrook, Laurie Holden, and many others co-star as well as a few surprise cameos.

District 9 (2009): This is the extraterrestrial film for the week where aliens must live in slum-like conditions in Johannesburg, South Africa. They have been here for years since the ship landed in this country and cannot seem to really get along. Neill Blomkamp wrote and directed this film apparently as a statement towards his own childhood in Johannesburg dealing with apartheid. I really like the way this was shot and even looked like a documentary. The aliens I thought looked very real and did not have any overdone CGI effects. The cast also did a good job even though they were unknown. Sharlto Copley is pretty much the star as he is dealing with quite a change after an encounter with one of the aliens. This is actually his debut and got the lead when Blomkamp placed him in front of the camera. He did not intend on having a career but would go onto play Murdock in the recent film adaptation to THE A-TEAM. This was a rather realistic sci-fi film and should rank pretty high in the genre for the years to come.

She-Wolf of London (1946): This is my universal film for the week. June Lockhart plays Phyllis who believes she is part of a bad family curse becoming convinced she turns into a werewolf and committed some murders in the park. This is a much lesser-known Universal film and not one of their best but it was still pretty enjoyable to watch for the season. It is available with THE WOLF MAN dvd set that Universal released.

Alice Rattled by Rats (1925): This is actually an early Disney short. No, this is not the same Alice who we know in Wonderland. This really revolves more around her cat trying to keep the house together when Alice is away but is given lots of trouble by rats. There was a series of these shorts which we could see parts of the magic that would become of Mickey Mouse, the character that skyrocketed Disney. This is findable on Youtube.

The Day the World Ended (1955): This is my Roger Corman film for the week. This takes place after a post-nuclear war where many people must band together to survive the harsh conditions. They must also take on a mutant that was the result from the radiation. The movie sparked my interest but not my favorite out of Corman but short enough for me to get through it with some enjoyment. Probably best to watch with other people to get the enjoyment out of it.

The Brother from Another Planet (1984): John Sayles wrote and directed this interesting sci-fi film which stars Joe Morton as the title character who is a mute alien in the form of a black man and is on the run by outer-space bounty hunters played by Sayles and David Straithairn. He is in Harlem and forms relationships with many people who accept him after witnessing his gift towards fixing things. I guess this has a similar statement as my other feature of the week DISTRICT 9. This is more towards the experience of an immigrant trying to make it here. The title indicates possibly some kind of spoof or parody but that is not what this is as this is a good drama that has become quite the cult classic. This is available instantly on Netflix and would be a good selection even if looking for something with a social commentary.

Brigham Young (1940): Dean Jagger plays the real-life title character who becomes the leader of the mormons and leads a group of people to settle in what would become Salt Lake City. It becomes a very difficult journey but one he is very determined to make for his religious freedom. The bigger focus however is on his follower Jonathan Kent, played by Tyrone Power, and his fiance Zina Webb, played by Linda Darnell, who face the biggest hardships of them all. Vincent Price plays the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith in the beginning. I thought the film had pretty good messages. I am not sure of the accuracies of the film. There was a lot of persecution towards them which has been clearly documented as well as all kinds of religious persecution though all ages of existance. I have some family that is Mormon so I am not sure what their response is so if seeing this, please give your thoughts. This is available on instant Netflix.

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977): The first part of what would become a pop culture phenomenon. George Lucas wrote and directed this Sci-fi tale where we meet many of our friends like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, C-3P0, R2-D2, Chewbacca, and many others. Mark Hamill plays Luke who is a farmhand but really wants to join the Jedi and become a fighter. He finally gets his chance when he joins the elderly Obi-Wan, played by Alec Guinness, and teams up with outlaw Han Solo, a star-making performance from Harrison Ford, and Chewbacca as well as the droids. Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher, is captured by Darth Vader, who is the leader at the Death Star. Not much else really needs to be said here since I'm really just reminding people of this film. Not as good as Empire or Jedi but it is what gets the series in its start. James Earl Jones provides the voice for Darth Vader. Peter Cushing also co-stars as Vader's ally Tarkin. Apparently the character of Han Solo was based on Francis Ford Coppola.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005): I found this to be an interesting take to the exorcism genre. Tom Wilkinson plays Father Moore who is put on trial after unsuccessfully performing an exorcism on the title character. He is accused of negligence as prosecution tried to prove that is was more natural. Laura Linney plays his agnostic attorney Erin Bruner who is really just doing it to get promoted at her job begins to like Father Moore and becomes a believer the hard way. The movie really took us through the trial using flashbacks of Emily Rose to see what lead to the exorcism. This is actually based loosely on Anneliese Michel who died after an exorcism was performed.

30 Days of Night (2007): This is my vampire film for the week which takes place in an Alaskan town being overrun by vampires in a time where it stays night one time a year. Josh Hartnett plays the sheriff Eben Oleson who with his estranged wife Stella, played by Melissa George, must lead the town in an attack at these vampires. These were some very ugly and mean vampires, not like the ones in TWILIGHT. This is actually based on a comic book of the same title by Steve Niles. The language spoke by the vampires was an original language written. This is a very violent film but if you're stomach is good enough, I think you'll enjoy it.

Well, that is it for this week. Keep reading for week three of the Horror Marathon.

ODIOUS OOZES: WEEK 3

So far I am still in the lead but we'll see how long it lasts. I have been able to get a lot out of the Netflix queue though. Even if I don't win the contest, I will still declare myself the unofficial winner of variety.

BRUCE CAMPBELL: 2.5 points

1. The Majestic (2001): Bruce has a little part as Roland who is the hero character in the movie within the movie making this a loophole. 666 (2.5 points 152 minutes)

CREATURE FEATURES: 9 points

1. Monsters, Inc (2001): These are monsters and nice as most of them are, they are monsters which should make this count in the contest. 666 (2 points)

2. Cloverfield (2008): This reminded me of DISTRICT 9 in some ways in terms of the filming. J.J. Abrams produced this one where there is a big monster attack and takes the viewpoint of the people. I really liked this one and feel it should count because of the mean monster. 666 (2 points.

3. Monsters vs. Aliens (2009): This was an interesting premise of secretly hiding monsters from the government but when there was an alien invasion these monsters were needed. I would like bonus points for the B.O.B. character which was in the form of slime and kind of like the Blob. 666 (3 points)

4. King Kong (1976): This is the guilty pleasure version of the big ape who finds love in a beautiful woman. the 1933 and 2005 versions are better but this can still get its enjoyment. 66 (2 points)

ROGER CORMAN: 2 points

1. The Day the World Ended (1955): This is a loophole in a sense which I'm sure it would be considered pure sci-fi if not for Roger Corman. 66 (2 points)

PETER CUSHING: 2 points

1. Star Wars: Episode IV (1977): Probably the only STAR WARS film that counts here because of Peter Cushing playing Tarkin and is not in the other ones and Christopher Lee is not a Wild Card so the later ones cannot be used for that with this being pure sci-fi. 666 1/2 (2 points)

EXORCISMS: 2 points

1. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005): Not much needs to be backed up here, I don't see any bonus points happening here since it is more of a demonic possession but I know Elizabeth is very honest and will give me points if I'm deemed wrong. I'll take the two for now. 666 (2 points).

FANTASY: 5 points

1. Alice in Wonderland (2010): This is Burton's version which was received to some very mixed opinions. I felt there were some flaws but it did not quite cross the dislike line. However, I would like to see Tim Burton take a break from Mr. Depp and do what I know he is capable of and not have to do some extreme remake. I feel it should be counted due to the fantasy elements. I feel this should get a bonus point for the things Alice has to eat and drink in order to get bigger or smaller though we all know the story is just a young girl's acid trip. 66 1/2 (3 points)

2. Tinker Bell (2008): This was a pretty decent Disney film which shows how the famed Tinker Bell comes to be. She is born in the land of the fairies and was told she was only going to "tinker" with things and never go to the mainland but she is determined to prove the other fairies wrong. It is a fantasy film so I hope to get this counted. 666 (2 points.

PETER JACKSON: 5 points

1. District 9 (2009): At first this was just going to be ruled pure sci-fi but Elizabeth made the last minute decision to have Peter Jackson as one of the wild cards and he produced this film. I had a little part in getting this movie to be counted and I'm glad I did, a great sci-fi film. This gets bonus points for the transformation. 6666 (3 points)

2. Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005): I really enjoyed this documentary talking about the history of the novels, the adaptations including Peter Jackson's. I feel this should be a loophole because of Jackson's interview footage and it is a documentary on a film that counts. It also takes a look at many of the "Ringers" which are dedicated LOTR fans and these kinds of films always fascinate me. 666 (2 points)

LLOYD KAUFMAN: 2 points

1. Rocky (1976): Yes, this is that career-making boxing film from Sylvester Stallone which features Lloyd Kaufman as a drunk in a small part. One of my favorite movies of all time. No matter what you my think of Sly, he did write this when he was in a make-or-break situation and would not sell his script unless he could star in it and United Artists accepted though cut the budget. UA wanted people like Robert Redford, James Caan, Burt Reynolds but not an unknown at the time like Stallone but they obviously liked the script to provide a budget. As most know Sly stars as a small-time boxer named Rocky Balboa working on the side as a loan shark. Carl Weathers is the publicity-hungry champion Apollo Creed whose opponent pulls out. Being in Philadelphia he comes up with a very good publicity stunt to give a local boxer a chance at the title and when going through people he likes the Rocky's nickname "Italian Stallion" and chooses him as well as underestimates Rocky. With this film, Sly created a pop-culture icon and an underdog anyone can relate to. This is the one of the greatest underdog films of all time as well as well as the great music score from Bill Conti and the great line of "Yo Adrian". 6666 (2 points)

VINCENT PRICE: 2 points

1. Brigham Young (1940): Vincent Price plays Joseph Smith giving me my Mormon loophole for this week making a movie based on the rise of the Mormon religion to count in a horror contest thanks to Mr. Price who can be used for anything he acts in. 66 1/2 (2 points)

SAM RAIMI: 2 points

1. 30 Days of Night (2007): Not that I have to reason with this one but this was produced by Sam Raimi so counts no matter what. 66 1/2 (2 points)

JOHN SAYLES: 2 points

1. The Brother From Another Planet (1984): John Sayles wrote and directed this one making this cult classic count and giving me another loophole. 666 (2 points)

VIRUSES: 2 points

1. Carriers (2009): This is all about a virus taking effect and four survivors who must survive. It is quite the horror film, not sure if it gets bonus points, I will let our wonderful host decide that but it does get a least two. 66 1/2 (2 points)

WEREWOLVES: 2 points

1. She-Wolf of London (1946): Not much needs to be explained for this Universal film. 66 (2 points)

TOTAL POINTS: 39.5 and hopefully it goes up and not down.