Welcome to the 959th Edition of my series. In September, I am returning to Rushville to do my third production of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE where I reprise my role of Teddy "Roosevelt" Brewster. The dates are September 11-14, and I will put out more information as time goes on. There is not much more happening so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.
Zola (2020): Janicza Bravo directed this dark comedy which is based on a viral Twitter feed by A'Ziah King aka Zola, played by Taylour Paige. This was then turned into a Rollingstone article ZOLA TELLS ALL: THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE GREATEST STRIPPER SAGA EVER TWEETED by David Kushner. Zola works as a waitress and a part-time stripper and becomes friends with another stripper named Stefani, played by Riley Keough. Zola agrees to go on a road trip with Stefani who claims to have a way to make more money. Nicholas Braun, Ari'el Stachel, Nelcie Souffrant, Nasir Rahim, Colman Domingo, and many others co-star in this movie. Just read the beginning part, it is hard to explain much else. This is an interesting odyssey to go through with the duo. It is one of those that really should not be that good, but it was produced by A24 and they always seem to make things work. This is available to watch on TUBI, Pluto TV, and Plex
Brisby Bear (2017): Dave McCary directed this comedy which was written by Kevin Costello and Kyle Mooney. Mooney also stars as James who has been in an underground bunker all his life and learns he was abducted. At 25 years old, he gets reunited with his real family. He grew up with the show BRIGSBY BEAR only to learn his abducted parents made the show and that is no longer going on. He sets out to end the show the way he wants and makes the show very popular through friends he has made. Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins, Claire Danes, Ryan Simpkins, Greg Kinnear, Mark Hammill, Alexa Demie, Beck Bennett, Jane Adams, Kate Lyn Sheil, Andy Samberg, and many others co-star in this comedy. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. This is really a very moving film really about people coming together which is something we need more of these days. This is available to watch on the Roku Channel.
God's Own Country (2017): Francis Lee wrote and directed this British film. Josh O'Connor stars as young farmer Johnny Saxby who does not seem to like working on the farm and binge drinks to numb the pain. Things change when a Romanian man named Gheorghe, played by Alec Secarearnu, is hired on the farm and they form a relationship which changes everything. Gemma Jones, Ian Hart, Liam Thomas, Patsy Ferran, and many others co-star in this film. This was inspired by Lee's own experiences of working on a farm and wanting to go to film school. O'Connor and Secarearnu work very well together as a very uneasy couple. The cinematography in this film is great. I supposed this could get compared to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN which could be a good double feature. This is available to watch on AMC +, Sundance Now, TUBI, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel.
Walking (1968): This is my animated short for the week which was written and directed by Ryan Larkin. This is a hand drawn portrait of the various types of walking that people do. I thought after feature Larkin in my segment "The Indie Scene" last time and the documentary short RYAN which was based on him, I'd feature Larkin himself. This is a pretty compelling few minutes that deserves a look. This can be found on Youtube and I also recommend the 2004 short RYAN.
Morocco (1930): Josef Von Sternberg directed this film which is based on the play by Benny Vigny. Gary Cooper stars as Legionnaire Tom Brown and Marlene Dietrich stars as cabaret singer Amy Jolly. They fall in love but things become complicated including Tom's womanizing way and Amy having a rich man that wants her. Adolph Menjou, Ullrich Haupt, Eve Southern, and many others co-star in this pre-code romance. I don't think Cooper had reached the American Hero status he would get in the later years, correct me if I'm wrong. This was pretty controversial at the time. This is a really good love story with many stand-out scenes.
A Place in the Sun (1951): George Stevens directed this film which is based on the novel AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser and based on the play by Patrick Kearney. Montgomery Clift stars as the poor George Eastman who meets the more wealthy side of his family. He accepts a factory job and starts on the bottom but moves up pretty quickly. George starts out with a relationship with Shelley Winters, but later Elizabeth Taylor takes an interest in him making his relationship with Shelley more difficult causing him to go to extreme measures. I'd say that's a pretty good description. Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, Herbert Hayes, and many others co-star in this film. This has always been a favorite of mine. This has a love story and a look at social status. This was the start of these types of roles for Winters who does very well in this film. This is based on a true story about a man named Chester Gillette but I won't give it away by telling his situation. This is a very compelling film and gets pretty deep at times. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Jacob the Baker (2023): Gev Miron directed and co-wrote wrote this film. Dara Emery stars as a reporter who is assigned to interview an author and motivation speaker in Noah Benshea, played by himself. His books consist of a character named Jacob the Baker and is out to provide hope and help to countless people. This is not a documentary, but this is a good look at Benshea who I had no knowledge of before watching this film. In some ways, he reminds me of Fred Rogers with his style of doing interviews. This person needs some more exposure, and this movie is available to watch on TUBI. This was really worth a watch and many might benefit from this one.
In Celebration (1975): Lindsay Anderson directed this film which is based on the play by David Storey who also wrote the screenplay. This takes place in a Yorkshire mining town where Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, played by Bill Owen and Constance Chapman, are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They are visited by their sons Andrew, played by Alan Bates, Steven, played by Brian Cox, and Colin, played by James Bolam. The sons seemingly have their lives together but each of them harbor a secret of some sort. Gabrielle Daya co-stars as a family friend. I had never seen Cox in his younger days as I'm used to his much later roles. This is one of his first starring roles and had been a stage actor. This is a very intense drama of people who are not who them seem. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Gidget (1959): Now I bring something a little more upbeat. Paul Wendkos directed this coming-of-age beach comedy which is based on the novel by Frederick Kohner. Sandra Dee stars as Francie who has more of an interest in things like swimming instead of chasing boys with her friends. She joins with a group of surfer guys after being saved from an accident by Moondoggie, played by James Darren, and earning the nickname of Gidget. She becomes fascinated by surfing and asked the guys to teach her while also slowly falling for Moondoggie. Cliff Robertson, Arthur O'Connell, Mary LaRoche, Joby Baker, Tom Laughlin, Sue George, Robert Ellis, Patti Kane, Yvonne Craig, and many others co-star in this beach comedy. This kind of started that popular genre of beach movies from this era. This would follow by some sequels and a tv series. This is good, harmless fun to watch on a Saturday afternoon. This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos (2012): I end the week with this animated short film which follows the hit 2011 animated movie PUSS IN BOOTS. Antonio Banderas reprises his role as the voice of Puss in Boots who is sent to retrieve a precious ruby from the evil Whisperer with the help of some feisty kittens that Puss must work with at first. Gilles Marini, Charlotte Newhouse, Chris Miller, Walt Dohrn, Bret Marnell, and Miles Bakshi provide their voices in this animated short. This is about 13 minutes long and pretty enjoyable in that amount of time. I would recommend watching the feature film first.
Well, that is it for this week but I brought back my segment "Tube Time" so read on for that. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple of weeks where I feature Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Aubrey Plaza, Harold Lloyd, Billy Crudup, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Idris Elba, and many others.
TUBE TIME
Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014): Terence Winter created this HBO series which takes a look at the gangster world in the Prohibition Era and is based on the novel BOARDWALK EMPIRE: THE BIRTH, HIGH TIMES, AND CORRUPTION OF ATLANTIC CITY by Nelson Johnson. Steve Buscemi stars Nucky Thompson is the corrupt treasurer in Atlantic City during the Prohibition Era. Nucky has dealings with his family, mobsters, political figures, and many others. He has dealings with infamous mobsters like Al Capone, played by Stephen Graham, Lucky Luciano, played by Vincent Piazza, Arnold Rothstein, played by Michael Stuhlberg, and Meyer Lansky, played by Anatol Yusef. Michael Pitt, Kelly MacDonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Michael Kenneth Williams, Paul Sparks, Gretchen Mol, Anthony Laciura, Jack Huston, Aleksa Palladino, Paz de La Huerta, Dabney Coleman, Charlie Cox, Kevin O'Rourke, Jeffrey Wright, Victor Verhaeghe, Greg Antonacci, Ben Rosenfield, Robert Clohessy, Erik LaRay Harvey, Ron Livingston, Bobby Cannavale, Dominic Chianese, Julianne Nicholson, Patricia Arquette, Brian Geraghty, Stephen Root, Max Casella, William Forsythe, Christopher McDonald, and many others co-star in this series, play recurring characters, and make guest appearances. The character of Nucky is based on Enoch L. Johnson. This show went five seasons. The main point of this series is Nucky and his relationship with the Darmody family which kind of comes full circle. I thought the most interesting character of the series is the disfigured Richard Harrow, played by Jack Huston. This is a very compelling series and had a pretty good ending which I know is hard to come up with when it comes to a television series. This is available to watch on HBO MAX.
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