Welcome to the 915th edition of my series and the first installment of the year. I hope 2024 is treating everyone well so far. I am doing a first and putting two editions into one. I must've spaced out putting this out on the 14th as intended so I will just release this and then do the 916th Edition.
Admission (2013): I start the week out with this romantic comedy which was directed by Paul Weitz. Tina Fey stars as Portia Nathan who is an admissions officer and up for a major promotion. Paul Rudd co-stars as high school teacher John Pressman who has an unusual student in Jeremiah, played by Nat Wolff, that wants to go to Princeton but is quite unconventional for Princeton. Portia also takes interest in Jeremiah and believes he is the son she put up for adoption. John slowly forms a relationship with Portia and starts to question what she wants in life. Lily Tomlin, Gloria Reuben, Ann Harada, Ben Levin, Dan Levy, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Evan Welch, Michael Genadry, Juliet Brett, John Brodsky, Sarita Choudhury, Michael Sheen, Ken Barnett, and many others co-star in this comedy. Tomlin is amusing as Portia's unusual mother. Rudd and Fey worked very well together and were quite fun in their roles. This would be a good date night movie to watch.
RBG (2018): I follow up with this documentary which was directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. This takes a look at the life and career of U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. This takes a look at her younger life in the '60s and '70s where she fought for women's and minority rights and made a huge difference. This also takes a look at her family life and her later life when she would become a justice. She becomes an unexpected pop culture icon. She has unfortunately died since this movie but her icon status lives on today. This is available to watch on Hoopla Digital, Plex, Pluto TV, and Plex.
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984): This is part two of my Eric Roberts trilogy. Stuart Rosenberg directed this crime movie. Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts star as cousins Charlie and Paulie with the irresponsible Paulie always getting Charlie into some sort of trouble. The worst comes when they steal a lot of money which turns out to be from a mobster. Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan, Tony Musante, M. Emmet Walsh, Burt Young, Jack Kehoe, Philip Bosco, Val Avery, Joe Grifasi, Frank Vincent, Paul Herman, and many others co-star in this film. This is possibly the best performance for Roberts where him and Rourke make a really good duo. This has a lot of drama with a good amount of comedy to it. This also reminded me of the movie MEAN STREETS so could make a good double feature to see what I am talking about though some might see it. This is available to watch on Freevee and Pluto TV.
Uncle (1959): This is my Czechoslavakian short film for the week which was directed by Jaromil Jires. Vlastimil Brodsky stars in this short film as a burglar and is seen by a young boy. The burglar claims to be an uncle of the boy and must play along with the boy in hopes of not getting caught. This is a very early short for the country of Czechoslavakia. Jires would go onto be a pretty successful director and this was a student film which helped start it. This is available to watch on Criterion Channel so take a few minutes and give this a look.
Animal Crackers (1930): Victor Heerman directed this Marx Brothers comedy. Groucho Marx stars as Captain Geoffrey T. Spaulding who is an African explorer going to a gala party held for him. When a painting is stolen, Spaulding and the other Max Brothers Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo "help" look for the painting in a way only the Marx Brothers can do. Lillian Roth, Margaret Dumont, Louis Sorin, Hal Thompson, Margaret Irving, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is the usual Marx Brothers formula with all kinds of outrageous gags with a love story within the film. This has some of the most memorable one-liners and is a little politically incorrect at times. Lots of laughs in this classic comedy for those who love classic comedy.
Blast of Silence (1961): Allen Baron directed and co-wrote this crime film. Baron also stars as hired killer Frank Bono who goes to New York with orders to kill a mid-level mob boss. He tries to keep a low profile but is recognized by his old friend Petey, played by Danny Meehan, who invites him to a Christmas party and gets reacquainted with Petey's sister Lorrie, played by Molly McCarthy. Frank is also distracted by rat owner Big Ralph who tries to blackmail him. This takes place during the holidays so could be a good alternative Christmas movie. This was a pretty well done low-budget film that had a lot of style to it. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Wonka (2023): Paul King directed this prequel based on the iconic character created by Roald Dahl. Timothy Chalamet stars as the young Willy Wonka who wanted to own a chocolate shop but discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers. Hugh Grant co-stars as an Oompa Loompa and is the start of their relationship. Kodna Holdbrook-Smith, Matilda Tucker, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, Calah Lane, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Freya Parker, Keegan-Michael Key, Jim Carter, Rakhee Thakrar, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, and many others co-star in this prequel musical. Chalamet does a great job as a younger version of Wonka and seems to channel both Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp in his portrayal while making it his own. There are also subtle references to the other movies. This prequel stays very respectful to its predecessors and is a very fun watch. This was the first movie I saw in theaters this year and is a great one to see in the theaters.
The Princess and the Pirate (1944): David Butler and Sidney Lanfield directed this Bob Hope vehicle. Bob stars as actor Sylvester and ends up on a ship to runaway Princess Margaret, played by Virginia Mayo. It soon gets raided by a group of pirates lead by the Hook, played by Victor McLaglen, where Sylvester must rely on his wits as an actor to save the ship and the Princess. Walter Brennan, Walter Slezak, Marc Lawrence, Hugo Haas, Maude Eburne, Brandon Hurst, and many others co-star in this comedy. This is the usual sort of Bob Hope humor where he's the bumbling hero and disguising himself a lot including in drag. He also breaks the fourth wall a lot with what he is doing so fans of classic comedy should enjoy this plus there are pirates. This is available to watch on Prime, Pluto TV, and Plex.
A Shot in the Dark (1964): I follow up with some more comedy with this one being directed by Blake Edwards which was based on a play written by Marcel Achard and Harry Kurnitz. Peter Sellers reprises his most iconic role of Inspector Clouseau from the PINK PANTHER franchise. Clouseau must solve a series of murders that point to suspect Maria Gambrelli, played by Elke Sommer, who he believes is innocent but no one agrees. George Sanders, Herbert Lom, Tracy Reed, Graham Stark, Moira Redmond, Vanda Godsell, Maurice Kaufmann, Ann Lynn, David Lodge, Andre Maranne, Martin Benson, Burt Kwouk, and many others co-star in this film. This one is the second in the franchise which is based off the play they named. The rest of the sequels would have Pink Panther in them in some way. This also has a different music score which I thought was really good. Sellers is as inept as ever as Clouseau which leads to some pretty funny scenes. This is available to watch on Max, Cinemax and the Roku Channel.
It's All True: Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles (1993): This is part two of my possible five-part Orson Welles series. Bill Krohn and Myron Meisel directed this documentary which takes a look into Orson Welles' passion project which was supposed to be a Pan-American anthology film in Latin America. This was supposed to follow up CITIZEN KANE and MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS. Originally RKO gave the green light for this film but when management changed, this got canned which is possibly one of the biggest disappointment in the career of Welles. The last part of this film shows some surviving footage. This is a very informative film and has some really good footage to go along with it.
Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my "Tube Time" segment and for the 916th Edition. Tell me what you like and dislike.
TUBE TIME
Ringer (2011-2012): This is another show I started in October during the Madness when learning that BUFFY alum Sarah Michelle Gellar, who I heavily lobbied for, became a wild card. Eric C. Charmelo and Nicole Snyder created this mystery series that was on the CW network. Gellar stars as Bridget Kelly who witnesses a murder and when it was time to testify she flees fearing for her life. She turns to her estranged twin sister Siohban Martin, also played by Gellar, for help. As they try to reconnect, Siobhan disappears when they are on a boat trip appearing to have committed suicide. When this happens, Bridget takes Siobhan's identity in hopes of staying safer and gains a wealthy husband in Andrew, played by Ioan Gruffudd, as well as a stepdaughter in Juliet, played by Zoey Deutch. Bridget soon learns that Siobhan's life is just as messed up and her life is still in danger. Nestor Carbonell, Kristoffer Polaha, Mike Colter, Justin Breuning, Jason Dohring, Jaime Murray, Andrea Roth, Zahn McClarnon, Tara Summers, Billy Miller, Gage Golightly, Chris Elwood, Sean Patrick Thomas, Darren Pettie, Jordan Marder, Madchen Amick, Jonathan Banks, Misha Collins, Drew Powell, Amber Benson, Alanna Ubach, and many others co-star or guest star in this series. This is a very suspenseful series full of twists and turns just about everywhere. Just about every character in the series has an issue of some sort. Gellar is great in her duel role as twin sisters. This show went on for one season with 22 episodes. They thought they were getting a season two but unfortunately the show got axed due to low ratings so we never got the next season. Unfortunately the show has a season ending rather than a series ending and I apologize to those involved that I did not watch it when it came out. It was still worth seeing and I would just recommend a good binge of the show. This was on the CW app when I first started watching it but it is not on there any longer. This can be seen on Youtube though so go see the show everyone missed out on.
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Welcome to the 916th Edition of my series. I guess I was really busy on the 14th that I just forgot so I'm just doing it here. I would also like to announce that I will be pretty busy in theater for the next few months. In early March I will be in THE INVISIBLE MAN: A LIVE RADIO PLAY at the Pulse Opera House and in late April, I will be doing another round of RADIUM GIRLS at the Elwood Opera House. This evening I will be rooting for my 49ers in hopes they will make the super bowl.
Lovelace (2013): This is part three of my Eric Roberts trilogy where he makes more of a cameo in this one and this part one of a possible five-part Amanda Seyfried series. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman directed this biopic on '70s adult film star Linda Lovelace, played by Seyfried, who stars in the first successful pornographic feature film DEEP THROAT in 1972. This shows the dark side of her success starting with her coercive and abusive husband Chuck, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who gets her into the business but gets jealous of her success. Sharon Stone, Juno Temple, Robert Patrick, Chris Noth, Bobby Cannavale, Hank Azaria, Adam Brody, Chloe Sevigny, James Franco, Debi Mazar, Wes Bentley, Eric Roberts, LisaGay Hamilton, and many others co-star in this biopic. This is obviously not for everyone. Seyfriend does well as the title character in this rather dark film which is to be expected in my opinion. This could go well for a double feature that goes along with BOOGIE NIGHTS. This is available to watch on Freevee and Tribeca Shortlist with a Prime subscription.
This Beautiful Fantastic (2016): This is part one of a possible trilogy for Tom Winkinson who recently left our world. Simon Aboud wrote and directed this British contemporary fairy tale story. Jessica Brown Findlay stars as the young and agoraphobic Bella whose elderly neighbor Alfie, played by Wilkinson gives her a hard time when she falls into his garden. They start getting to know each other and slowly become friends. Andrew Scott, Jeremy Irvine, Anna Chancellor, Eileen Davies, and many others co-star in this film. This is a fun and touching film that mostly revolve around its characters. Some have compared this to the popular French film AMELIE which I can see and that could be the double feature. This is available to watch on Starz and Tubi.
Coming Up Roses (2011): Lisa Albright directed and co-wrote this character driven drama. Bernadette Peters and Rachel Brosnahan star as mother and daughter duo Diane and the 15 year old Alice. Diane is a struggling actress and moves her daughter from place to place. Alice is the more level-headed one dealing with her mother's depression issues and resorts to extreme measures to help with the bills and other things being formed to wonder if it is all worth it. Peter Friedman, Jayce Bartok, Ari Butler, David Cale, Amelia Campbell, Ann Dowd, Christopher Durham, Shannon Esper, Adam Henry Garcia, and many others co-star in this film. This is not a very upbeat film like the last one featured. This is a tale of survival and the child having to become the parent. This is also available to watch on Tubi.
The Big Shave (1967): This is my short film for the week which was directed by a young Martin Scorsese. Peter Bernuth stars in this short film as a younger man about to shave but appears to have a lot of issues. As he puts the blade to his face, more and more blood runs down his face. Scorsese has cited that he thought of this as the effects of the Vietnam war. Whatever the statement, this is a very interesting five minutes of a man shaving that only Scorsese can pull off. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and Max.
Scarface (1932): Howard Hawks directed this gangster film which is based on the novel by Armitage Trail. Paul Muni stars in this gangster film as Tony Camonte who is loosely based on Al Capone. Tony does what he must to get on the top of the gangster world but has certain weaknesses that prove to be his downfall. Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins, C. Henry Gordon, George Raft, Vince Barnett, Boris Karloff, and many others co-star in this film. In 1983, we would get the far more known version with Al Pacino where he is the Cuban Tony Montana and works his way up in the drug world. I am a fan of both but I don't think this one should be dismissed. This was pretty thinly veiled in their reference to Al Capone who was on the rise when this was made having a few events that resemble some of Capone's crimes like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. I have also expressed many times how much I feel Muni is a very underrated actor from this era and deserves more recognition. Karloff is also good playing against type as Camonte's gangster rival. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel but leaves on January 31st so check this one out and the remake.
Gidget (1959): Paul Wendkos directed this beach comedy based on the novel by Frederick Kohner. Sandra Dee stars as 16 year old Francie Lawrence whose friends are all about "manhunting" but Francie just wants to swim and takes to a group of surfer guys. She asks to be trained and they guys give her the named Gidget which with her short stature is a combination of the works girl and midget which I know now is politically incorrect by today's standards but as the cliche goes, times were different. James Darren co-stars as Moondoggie who she really likes but has trouble getting through his rough exterior. Cliff Robertson co-stars as the Big Kahuna who is one of the older people among the surfer gang and becomes more of a mentor to Gidget. Arthur O'Connell, Mary LaRoche, Joby Baker, Tom Laughlin, Sue George, Jo Morrow, Yvonne Craig, Patti Kane, Doug McClure, Burt Metcalfe, and many others co-star in this comedy. This was a start to a pretty iconic character that would have sequels and a couple of TV series.
The Whale (2022): Darren Aronofsky directed this film which is based on a play by Samuel D. Hunter. Brendan Fraser stars as morbidly obese English teacher Charlie who teaches online and is able to have his students not see him. He has his nurse Liz, played by Hong Chau, who is more of a friend and tries to talk him into getting more help. Sadie Sink co-stars as Charlie's estranged daughter Ellie who he tries to reconnect with but finds that is not easy. Ty Simpkins co-stars as the missionary Thomas who appears to be trying to convert Charlie. Samantha Morton also co-stars as Charlie's ex-wife Mary. Sathya Sridharan also co-stars in this film as the local pizza man. This movie has a lot of emotional depth as it is really easy to feel for Charlie in his struggle physically and mentally as he suffers from depression. Fraser earned every bit of the best actor award for his great performance. This is a rather sad story but also a very moving story as well. This could be a good double feature to go along with Aronofsky's THE WRESTLER. This is available to watch on Showtime.
The Immortal Story (1968): This is part three of my Orson Welles trilogy which was directed and co-written by Welles. In the town of Macao, Welles stars as the wealthy Mr. Clay. He learns about a story that turns out to be legend and enlists his clerk Levinsky, played by Roger Coggio, to make the story true which involves a sailor named Paul, played by Norman Eshley, and a woman named Virginie, played by Jeanne Moreau. This is a very fascinating story of a rather lonely man in Mr. Clay but is really hard to explain much further. This is only about an hour long. This is available to watch on Max and on the Criterion Channel.
Rhubarb (1951): Arthur Lubin directed this comedy which is based on the novel by H. Allen Smith. Eccentric rich man T.J. Baker, played by Gene Lockhart, adopts a feral cat which he names Rhubarb, played by cat actor Orangey. He is able to turn the cat into a more affectionate cat and when T.J. dies, he leaves most of his fortune to Orangey instead of his actual daughter as well as his baseball team. T.J. friend Eric Yeager, played by Ray Milland, is named guardian of the cat. At first the team protests but then Eric is able to convince the team that the cat will bring good luck which causes a lot of complications to his personal life and professional life. Jan Sterling, William Frawley, Taylor Holmes, Willard Waterman, James Griffith, and many others co-star in this comedy. I was pleasantly surprised by this comedy and found it to be hilarious. It does a great job in making fun of superstitions which is mostly among the baseball team. This is one of the more underrated movies out there and deserves far more recognition. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Mo' Better Blues (1990): This is part one of a four part Denzel Washington series. Spike Lee directed and wrote this slice of life story that takes place around the world of jazz. Washington stars as jazz musician Bleek Gilliam who has his own band the Bleek Gilliam Quartet while forming a rivalry with his member shadow, played by Wesley Snipes, and has a couple women romantically which also complicates his life. Spike Lee, Giancarlo Esposito, Robin Harris, Joie Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Dick Anthony Williams, Cynda Williams, Nicholas Turturro, Samuel L. Jackson, and many others co-star in this film. Williams who is from my area makes her debut in this film and a very good one. This is a very good story that has well-written characters and a good look into the world of jazz
Well, that is it for this week but I have another Tube Time so check that out. I'll be back in two weeks for the next edition and I will try not to miss that one which includes Amanda Seyfried, Audrey Tautou, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, and many others.
TUBE TIME
Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1991): I decided to revisit my childhood a bit. I started this back in October for the Madness which named Paul Reubens as a wild card which meant that I could use anything with Reubens for our Halloween movie and tv watching contest. Reubens stars as his most iconic character in adult-child Pee-Wee Herman and in his playhouse which lived his object friends like Chairry, Globey, Conky as well as puppets like Randy and dinosaurs like Pterry. He also had a lot of human friends visit like Miss Yvonne, played by Lynne Marie Stewart, King of Cartoons, played by Gilbert Lewis and later William Marshall, Cowboy Curtis, played by a young Laurence Fishburne, Reba, played by S. Epatha Merkerson, and many others. George McGrath, Alison Mork, Paul Reubens, Wayne White, John Paragon, Kevin Carlson, Suzanne Kent, Johann Carlo, Shirley Stoler, Phil Hartman, Natasha Lyonne, Bernard Fox, Jimmy Smits, Leslie Jordan, Steve James, Sandra Bernhard, and many others provided their voice, co-starred or made a guest appearance. A young Rob Zombie was a production assistant on this show which I assume was before he became Rob Zombie. The theme song on the show was sung by someone credited as Ellen Shaw but was really Cyndi Lauper. Each show we had a secret word that when it was said, everyone was to scream. There were a lot of cartoon segments and Pee-Wee would always show how to make some snack. All kinds of lessons done in a fun way and sometimes entertainment where we didn't really have to learn anything. I just wish they had given Dog Chair more attention and I was hoping that as I wrote this Jambi the genie would say "Wish? Did somebody say wish?" but he did not appear to me.
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