FilmArcade.net: Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 972nd Edition

Welcome to the 972nd edition of my series. I hope everyone had a good holiday however celebrated and wish you all well in 2026. This will be my last of the year and will be back in a couple weeks next year.

Hatfields and McCoys (2012): I start the week out with this mini-series and is part two of my Jena Malone trilogy. This does have a small reference to Christmas in the last episode. Kevin Reynolds directed this historical mini-series of the feuding families. Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton star as Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy who are friends at first and fighting on the same side in the Civil War. When they get home, tension and misunderstandings spark an all-out war between the families. Matt Barr, Tom Berenger, Powers Boothe, Andrew Howard, Jena Malone, Sarah Parish, Lindsay Pulsipher, Ronan Vibert, Joe Absolom, Noel Fisher, Michael Woods, Boyd Holbrook, Tom McKay, Sam Reid, Mare Winningham, and many others co-star in this mini-series. This has three episodes, all of which are about 90 minutes. This was a pretty intense show that depicts real-life events. Costner and Paxton played off each other very well and the rest of the cast does a great job.

Home Alone (1990): This is part four of my Culkin series. Chris Columbus directed this holiday comedy which was written by John Hughes. Macauley Culkin in his star-making role stars as the eight year old Kevin McCallister who gets into a scuffle with his older brother and is sent to the third floor of the house. The entire family is set to go to Paris the next morning and running very late, they forget about Kevin they leave him at the house by himself. While enjoying being by himself, at least a first, he discovers two burglars, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, who are plotting to rob all the houses in the neighborhood that are off vacationing. He takes charge of this leading to a rather violent confrontation with the criminals through some rather interesting traps that Kevin makes. Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Angela Goethals, Devin Ratray, Gerry Bamman, Hilary Wolf, John Candy, Larry Hankin, Michael C. Maronna, Kristin Minter, Diana Rein, Kieran Culkin, Hope Davis, and many others co-star in this holiday comedy. I have to say this has some rather extreme violence, almost like cartoonish violence but still entertains if we can just suspend our disbelief for a little bit. I have come to believe that Kevin McCallister is actually young Jigsaw from the SAW franchise. This is probably best for kids in the late elementary ages. This is available to watch on Disney + and Hulu.

Straight Outta Compton (2015): This shows Easy E when he got Aids, and it is Aids Awareness Month. F. Gary Gray directed this biopic on the famous rap group N.W.A. which is not the National Wrestling Alliance and I'm afraid if I say what it stands for I'll get red flagged again. The group consisted of Easy E, played by Jason Mitchell, Dr. Dre, played by Corey Hawkins, Ice Cube, played by his own son O'Shea Jackson Jr., MC Ren, played by Aldis Hodge, and DJ Yella, played by Neil Brown Jr. This shows them coming together and the falling out as well as the successful careers of Dre and Cube afterward. R. Marcus Taylor, Carra Patterson, Alexandra Shipp, Paul Giamatti, Elena Goode, Keith Powers, Joshua Brockington, Sheldon A. Smith, LaKeith Stanfield, Cleavon McClendon, Aeriel Miranda, Lisa Renee Pitts, and many others co-star in this biopic. I grew up on this era thought I guess my exposure was more after the breakup of N.W.A. and when Dr. Dre and Ice Cube got on the rise. This did make me feel like I was reliving my youth. This did start a rather annoying craze where everybody was "straight outta" somewhere but this was still a very well-done biopic on the ups and downs of this legendary rap group. This is available to watch on Hulu, MGM+, and TUBI.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): Bill Melendez directed this classic holiday special which is written by Charles M. Schulz. Our depressed protagonist Charlie Brown, voiced by Peter Robbins, tires of all the commercialism around Christmas. He is appointed the directed of the school Christmas project which becomes very overwhelming as he tries to find a deeper meaning of Christmas. Ann Altieri, Chris Doran, Sally Dryer, Karen Mendelson, Geoffrey Ornstein, Christopher Shea, Cathy Steinberg, Tracy Stratford, and many others provide their voices in this classic special. I grew up on this one and it still resonates today. This is the first animated special for the PEANUTS comic strip. This is also one of the first animated specials that actually used children to provide the voices instead of adults playing children. Lots of very iconic scenes like the Christmas tree that Charlie chose. This is available to watch on Apple +

Holiday (1938): My last edition featured the original 1930 version so I decided to continue with this one. George Cukor directed this romantic comedy which is based on the play by Philip Barry. Cary Grant stars as Johnny Case who is about marry into the millionaire family when he gets engaged to Julia Seton, played by Doris Nolan. He starts to question his engagement as he gets to know Linda, played by Katherine Hepburn, who is more the black sheep of the family and one that Johnny relates to more. Lew Ayres, Edward Everett Horton, Henry Kolker, Binnie Barnes, Jean Dixon, Henry Daniell, and many others co-star in this film. Horton is the only actor to reprise their role from the 1930 version. This is the third of four teamings between Grant and Hepburn. The original was pretty good, but I think this one got better with the performance of Grant and the direction of Cukor. This is available to watch on the Roku Channel and Youtube.

Christmas Eve (1947): Edwin L. Marin directed this holiday movie. Ann Harding stars as Matilda Reed whose nephew Phillip, played by Reginald Denny, is trying to have her deemed incompetent in order to take over her wealth. The only way Matilda will be saved is if her three adopted sons appear for a Christmas Eve reunion. George Raft, George Brent, and Randolph Scott star as her three sons who she hasn't seen in some time and they are having their own issues. Joan Blondell, Virginia Field, Douglass Dumbrille, Dennis Hoey, Clarence Kolb, Molly Lamont, John Litel, and many others co-star in this holiday movie. This is one that has gone overlooked through the years. This is a harmless one to watch this time of year. I thought the best moments were the scenes that introduced each of the sons and what they are dealing with at the time. This is available to watch on Kanopy and Plex.

The Iron Claw (2023): This has a Christmas scene later in the film. Sean Durkin directed this biopic on the Von Erich wrestling family. Holt McCallany stars as Fritz Von Erich we meet at a younger age and later lives vicariously through his sons. He runs the popular Texas '80s promotion World Class Championship Wrestling which centered a lot around his sons Kevin, played by Zac Efron, Kerry, played by Jeremy Allen White, David, played by Harris Dickinson, and later Mike, played by Stanley Simons. This looks at the ups and downs of the kids and the promotion in general. Maura Tierney, Grady Wilson, Scott Innes, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Garrett Hammond, Michael Harney, Cazzey Louis Cereghino, Ryan Nemeth, Lily James, Kevin Anton, Michael Papajohn, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Aaron Dean Eisenberg, and many others co-star in this biopic. This is a family that has dealt with a lot of tragedy through the years. They omitted the youngest Von Erich in Chris and I understand it is due to Durkin feeling there was enough tragedy. Many people in wrestling make cameos as other wrestlers. This is quite sad but also felt it was a good redemption story for Kevin Von Erich. There is a WWE documentary called THE TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH OF WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING that would be a really good follow up to this movie. This movie mostly focuses on the Von Erichs and they did a good job of putting in what they could for two hours. This is available to watch on Prime.

We're No Angels (1955): This is my holiday comedy for the week. Michael Curtiz directed this comedy which is based on the play MY THREE ANGELS by Albert Husson. Humphrey Bogart stars as escaped convict Joseph, who along with Jules, played by Peter Ustinov, and Albert, played by Aldo Ray, escape from Devil's Island prison. They set out to rob a store for money and clothes while posing as people there to fix the roof. They find that the owners of the store are just too kind for them to rob and try to help them through their own financial struggles. Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone, Leo G. Carroll, John Baer, Gloria Talbott, Lea Penman, John Smith, and many others co-star in this comedy. I have always enjoyed this comedy and a different look into the holiday spirit. A theater group tried to do this in Muncie years ago in which I was going to likely be in it, but they did not have the necessary turnout for auditions. This is available to watch on Pluto TV.

Scrooge (1970): Ronald Neame directed this musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel with the music written by Leslie Bricusse. Albert Finney stars as the miser Ebenezer Scrooge who never looked forward to the day of Christmas. To help him get on a better path, the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley who ended up in chains for his misdeeds in life. He warns Scrooge of three ghosts in hopes to save him from the same fate. Edith Evans, Kenneth More, Laurence Naismith, Michael Medwin, David Collings, Anton Rodgers, Suzanne Neve, Frances Cuka, and many others co-star in this holiday musical. I think we all know the basic story by now. Finney took well to this role and to the transition. He also played young Scrooge as he was only 33 in the movie, so they aged him older. I enjoyed the rather morbid future scene where Scrooge was essentially seeing Hell. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus, Pluto TV, and Plex.

Serenity (2005): I end the week with this sci-fi film which has nothing to do with the holidays but decided upon it when I finished the series which is also featured. Joss Whedon wrote and directed this film which is based on his tv series FIREFLY. Nathan Fillion leads the Serenity crew and tries to evade an Alliance operative, played by Chewetel Ejiofor, who is out to recapture River, played by Summer Glau. Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, and Ron Glass make up for the rest of the crew. David Krumholtz, Michael Hitchcock, Sarah Paulson, Yan Feldman, Rafael Feldman, Nectar Rose, and many others co-star in this movie. This is a follow-up to the short-lived sci-fi tv series which gained quite the cult following. I feel like it is best to watch the tv series first but this can be followed without it.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my segments "Tube Time" and "Holiday Corner". Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple weeks which so far includes Ewan McGregor, Jena Malone, Sam Elliott, Anya Taylor-Joy, Alfred Hitchcock, and many others.

TUBE TIME

I ended up getting through some tv shows I started around October.

Firefly (2002-2003): Joss Whedon created this sci-fi series which was short-lived but has lived on through a cult following. Nathan Fillion stars as Captain Malcolm Reynolds who leads a renegade crew as they fly through unknown parts of the galaxy to evade warring factions as well as authority agents. He has a very diverse crew which mentioned in the FIREFLY summary consists of Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Ron Glass, and Summer Glau. Christina Hendricks, Mark Sheppard, Melinda Clarke, Benito Martinez, Richard Burgi, Zac Efron, and many others made guest appearances on this series. There are 14 episodes of this series plus the movie SERENITY which I featured in my regular section. It is really hard to describe this in words. Much of it is like a sci-fi western. It is also very comedic much of the time and there is quite a bit of action. Each of the regulars are pretty unique

The Flash (1990-1991): Notice this is the earlier series that I believe was on FOX. Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo created this one season series of the Scarlet Speedster. John Wesley Shipp stars as forensic scientist Barry Allen who has an accident that gives him speed. He creates an alter-ego named the Flash to fight crime in his town. Amanda Pays co-stars as STAR lab scientist Tina McGee who helps Barry to fight crime and other issues he might be having. Alex Desert, Vito D'Ambrosio, Mike Genovese, Richard Belzer, Dick Miller, Gloria Reuben, Priscilla Pointer, Joyce Hyser, Justin Burnette, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Mark Hamill, Michael Nader, Jason Bernard, M. Emmet Walsh, John Toles-Bay, Paula Marshall, Bill Mumy, David Cassidy, Jonathan Brandis, Tim Thomerson, Richard Burgi, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Perry, Elizabeth Gracen, Angela Bassett, Ian Abercrombie, Claire Stansfield, Kirk Baltz, Anthony Starke, Parley Baer, Jeri Ryan, Chuck Hicks, Clifton Collins Jr., Wes Studi, and many others co-starred, had a recurring role, or guest starred in this superhero series. This came out shortly after the 1989 BATMAN so it was too bad Michael Keaton or Christopher Reeve never had a guest appearance. This has a different story than the CW series. Shipp would go onto play Barry's father and later the speedster Jay Garrick in the CW series and even reprised his role of Barry Allen in the CRISIS crossover series they did for the CW superhero shows. Mark Hamill plays the Trickster in this series and would also reprise his role in the CW series. Pays also was in a few episodes of the CW series as Tina. I vaguely remember this show when it was on as I was a pretty little kid at the time. This was a pretty fun series that may not have had the expanded universe of the later series or the special effects I suppose but still worked pretty well for this era. Maybe we could have seen a Justice League come about if the show had lasted a little longer with Keaton playing Batman and Reeve playing Superman.

The People v. O.J. Simpson (2016): This is the first season of the anthology series AMERICAN CRIME STORY. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as football legend O.J. Simpson who is now most known for standing trial for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her boyfriend Ron Goldman. This takes a look at the point of view of Simpson, his all-star defense team, the prosecution team, and even the jury. Sarah Paulson co-stars as the main prosecutor Marcia Clark who struggles with balancing her family and career. I believe Courtney B. Vance was the standout in his portrayal of O.J.'s very outspoken attorney Johnny Cochran. Kenneth Choi, Christian Clemenson, Bruce Greenwood, Nathan Lane, David Schwimmer, John Travolta, Dale Godboldo, Rob Morrow, Chris Bauer, Jordana Brewster, Evan Handler, Cheryl Ladd, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Selma Blair, Connie Britton, and many others co-star in this season. I remember being in middle school when this was happening. It was huge media circus that gave many people an unexpected 15 minutes of fame. Watching this made me feel like I was reliving my childhood. This looks at the ups and downs on all side and the clashing of egos among the defense attorneys. This is available to watch on Hulu.

HOLIDAY CORNER

This is mostly regarding Christmas, but I also have some selections for Boxing Day which was December 26th and yes that day is about the sport of boxing. I have one selection that is more for New Years and one that deals with Aids for Aids Awareness Month. Some of these selections might just have one scene saying it is Christmas and that is enough for me.

Better Watch Out (2016): This has become a favorite of mine to watch during the holidays. This is a horror comedy that takes place around Christmas. Chris Peckover directed and co-wrote this holiday comedy. Olivia DeJonge stars as Ashley who is hired to watch the 12-year-old Levi, played by Levi Miller. She finds that there is a home invasion where things take a turn for the worse. Ed Oxenbould, Aleksandar Mikic, Dacre Montgomery, Virginia Madsen, and Patrick Warburton co-star in this horror comedy. This makes a lot of reference to HOME ALONE in a very interesting way. Lots of laughs and violence along with twists and turns. Perfect for those looking for a horror comedy to watch this time of year. This is available to watch on Prime and Peacock.

Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day (2017): This is something I try to watch around Christmas and Valentine's Day. Scott Aukerman and Akiva Schaffer directed this comedy special. Michael Bolton plays himself, well at least a parody of himself when Santa Claus enlists Michael's help. Santa's elves got carried away with the making of toys that he needs more babies to be conceived. Michael then puts on a sexy telethon in hopes to have more babies conceived. Sarah Shahi, Matthew Kimbrough, Grey Delisle, Brooke Shields, Janeane Garofalo, Louie Anderson, Sinbad, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, Randall Park, Andy Samberg, Kenny G, Fred Armisen, Colton Dunn, Jorma Taccone, Maya Rudolph, Mary Holland, Eric Andre, and many others co-star in this comedy special. I hated Michael Bolton for a long time but he has really grown on me through the years. I realized how comedic this guy is and now call myself a fan. This has quite the array of comedians and Bolton holds his own among them. This is about an hour long and is always a fun watch. This is available to watch on Netflix.

The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013): This is my documentary for the week and with Ali being a boxer, he is someone we celebrate on December 26th aka Boxing Day. Bill Siegel directed this documentary which mainly centers around his refusal to go to Vietnam after being drafted and the controversy it sparked. This also takes a look at his conversion and going from being Cassius Clay to Muhammed Ali. One thing I learned is that Ali was in the short-lived Broadway musical BUCK WHITE which was in 1969. This is available to watch on Kanopy and Doc Club which requires a Prime subscription.

It's a Wonderful Knife (2023): Tyler MacIntyre directed this horror comedy and obvious parody to the title IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Jane Widdop stars as Winnie Carruthers who saves her town of Angel Falls from a psychotic killer. Things aren't really going well in her life to the point she wishes to have never been born. When being put in a new reality, she realizes that life would be much loose and must once again take on the psychotic killer with the help of town misfit Bernie, played by Jess McLeod. Joel McHale, Justin Long, Katherine Isabelle, Aiden Howard, Erin Boyes, Sean Depner, Zenia Marshall, Jason Fernandes, Hana Huggins, William B. Davis, Dimitri Thivaios, Cassandra Naud, Sydney Scotia, Thomas Nicholson, Oscar Chark, and many others co-star in this horror comedy. This is what it is, a holiday comedy and variation of the classic IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, even making reference to that movie. This is some holiday fun for those who hate the Hallmark-style movies. This is available to watch on Hulu, AMC +, and Pluto TV.

Rust and Bone (2012): I'm pushing it a little bit on this one but the main character was referenced to being a boxer and has some underground fights. Jacques Audiard directed this film based on short stories by Craig Davidson. Matthew Schoenaerts stars as Ali who has custody of his son but no other work. He moves in with his sister and her husband while taking a job as a bouncer and kickboxing bouts. In the process, he meets Stephanie, played by Marion Cotillard who is an orca trainer and has a bad accident during a show. In the process, her legs get amputated and forms a relationship with Ali. Celine Sallette, Bouli Lanners, Jean-Michel Correia, Yannick Choirat, Francoise Michaud, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very deep film and brutally honest. It is a very compelling love story and is far more than just a love story.

A Home at the End of the World (2004): This movie does deal some with Aids. Michael Mayer directed this film which is based on the novel by Michael Cunningham who also wrote the screenplay. Colin Farrell and Dallas Roberts star as Bobby and Jonathan who have been friends since childhood. As adults, they become friends with Clare, played by Robin Wright, and form an unusual love triangle. Ryan Donowho, Asia Vieira, Ron Lea, Erik Smith, Harris Allan, Matt Frewer, Sissy Spacek, and many others co-star in this coming-of-age film. The three leads are great together to go along with a good script. It can be difficult at times but is quite touching and very complex. This is from the author of THE HOURS so maybe a double feature here.

Santa Claus (1959): This is the ultimate holiday B-movie in my opinion. Rene Cardona directed this Mexican film based on Santa. There are a lot of interesting elements in this movie including the North Pole being some place near earth but not on there. The first 15 minutes or so are of Santa letting us know of his child employees working from him from around the world so I guess he uses child labor instead of elves. Santa must also contend with Satan every year and is sending his dancing minion Pitch to ruin Christmas. Santa also has Merlin working for him and the reindeer are made of something where they only have so long for Santa to deliver his gifts. I don't know what else to say except that it is extremely bizarre. This is available with TUBI, The Roku Channel, Plex, CONtv and Fandor with a subscription with Prime.

Ebenezer (1998): Ken Jubenvill directed this movie based on the novel by Charles Dickens in this western version of the classic story. Jack Palance stars as Ebenezer Scrooge who in this movie is a saloon owner, gunfighter, land baron, and poker cheat. We still have that same basic story of the ghosts and all that. Another part of this is that Ebenezer screws a young cowboy named Sam out of his land and Sam wants a duel with Ebenezer. Amy Locane, Albert Schultz, Daryl Shuttleworth, Richard Comar, Michelle Thrush, Richard Halliday, Susan Coyne, and many others co-star in this variation of the classic story. I remember really taking to this when it first came out and was on TNT I believe. Usually, Scrooge is just someone who feels screwed over but in this one he is more devious than usual. I thought this was an interesting twist to put to the story done many times. This can be seen on Youtube.

Anora (2024): This starts out on New Year's Eve which starts next week. Sean Baker wrote and directed this film. Mikey Madison stars as Anora who works as a stripper and meets Ivan, played by Mark Eydelshteyn, who is the son of a Russian oligarch. Ivan manages to talk Anora into marrying him much to the dismay of his parents who set out to have the marriage annulled. Paul Weissman, Lindsey Normington, Emily Weider, Luna Sofia Miranda, Vincent Radwinsky, Brittney Rodriguez, Ella Rubin, and many others co-star in this film. This did win some awards which I feel has gotten it some criticism. Madison does a great job as the title character. This also takes a good look into world of sex work with a good look of authenticity. This is available to watch on Hulu.

A Christmas Story (1983): I end with this classic Christmas story which was directed by Bob Clark and based on the Jean Shepherd novel IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH. Peter Billingsley stars as the nine-year-old Ralphie Parker who longs for the Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas but keeps getting told that he'll shoot his eye out. Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Scott Schwartz, RD Robb, Zack Ward, and many others co-star in this holiday classic. It has been tradition for years to play this movie on TBS and TNT throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas. I don't think I need to explain much as it has a lot of very iconic scenes. This is a fun and harmless family movie where a man reflects on one particular Christmas. Clark also directed the holiday slasher BLACK CHRISTMAS so this could be a good double feature. I also like the 2022 follow-up movie A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS where Billingsley reprises his role of Ralph who is now married and has children of his own. This is available to watch on Hulu and HBO Max.