Welcome to the 977th edition of my series. Next weekend I will be performing in the SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL at Connersville, and I am in the opening play, THINGS MENDED. I also took a role in their next show GEORGE WASHINGTON ATE MY HOMEWORK where I am a wacky inventor and scientist. Also, on April 25th I will be ring announcing for the wrestling promotion Guilty By Affiliation in Muncie at the Boys and Girls Club. Tonight are the Oscars, whoever wins will win in my opinion. I'm not that obsessive so I'll just get on with my selections for the week.
The Penguin (2024): I start the week out with this mini-series which was created by Lauren LeFranc. This follows the events from the 2022 superhero film THE BATMAN where Colin Farrell reprises his role of Oz Cobb aka the Penguin. Cobb tries to rise up in the criminal underworld of Gotham City by trying play rival crime families against each other. One side was the Falcone family, lead mainly by Sofia Falcone, played by Cristin Milioti, and the other side was the Maroni family, lead mainly by Salvatore Maroni, played by Clancy Brown. Rhenzy Feliz co-stars as Victor Aguilar who is a young punk kid that gets taken in by the Penguin. Deidre O'Connell, Carmen Ejojo, Theo Rossi, Daniel J. Watts, David H. Holmes, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Aria Shahghasemi, Robert Lee Leng, Kenzie Grey, Myles Humphus, Michael Zegen, Jared Abrahamson, James Madio, Francois Chau, Aleksa Palladino, Jayme Lawson, Mark Strong, and many others co-star in this mini-series. A lot of this is a psychological profile between Oz Cobb and Sofia Falcone. Milioti was the standout in this series in my opinion. It is a really good look at the rise of a villain. I suppose Batman was very busy when all this was going on. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Chef Donald (1941): This is my classic Disney animated short for the week which was directed by Jack King. This features Donald Duck who is listening to a radio cooking program and decides he wants to make waffles. He tries to follow directions but gets distracted and ends up using rubber cement instead of baking powder. This leads to comic situations with Donald's struggle to get rid of the rubber cement. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Sunset Boulevard (1950): Billy Wilder directed this slice of Hollywood film. William Holden stars as the struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis who when trying to get away from debt collectors, he ends up at a remote mansion on Sunset Boulevard. He finds that faded silent film star Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson, lives there along with her butler Max, played by Erich Von Stroheim. Norma cannot let go of the fame and convinces Joe to help write a new screenplay for her big comeback which turns out to be pretty dangerous. Nancy Olsen, Fred Clark, Lloyd Gough, Jack Webb, Cecil B. Demille, Hedda Hopper, Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, H.B. Warner, and many others co-star in this film. This is a very iconic film with a lot of memorable lines. Much of the actors play themselves including Demille and Keaton. Many actors struggled to make the transition from Silent films to the "talkies" which is what this movie conveyed. Swanson was someone who was mostly a silent film actress and did some television after but was very intrigued by this role. This has a touch of drama, dark comedy, film Noir, and other things. It also inspired the musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Also, for all you All Elite Wrestling fans, the wrestler "Timeless" Toni Storm. This is available to watch on Paramount Plus.
Black '47 (2018): Lance Daly directed this period drama. James Frecheville stars as Feeney who deserts the British Army to be reunited with his family in Ireland. He finds that his family is affected by a famine going on and by the British occupation, driving Feeney to vengeance. Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Freddie Fox, Barry Keoghan, Moe Dunford, Sarah Greene, Jim Broadbent, Aidan McArdle, adn many others co-star in this film. This is a very good vengeance film on going after corruption. Frecheville carries the movie very well and we can get behind his vengeance. This is available to watch on Acorn TV, AMC +, and Pluto TV.
Big City Blues (1932): Mervyn Leroy directed this pre-code film which is based on the play NEW YORK TOWN by Ward Morehouse. Eric Linden stars as the idealistic Bud Reeves who is leaving small-town Indiana for a better life in New York City. He meets his cousin Gibby there and introduces Bud to the chorus showgirl Vida, played by Joan Blondell. While he falls for Vida, a murder happens at a party where Bud is suspected. Jobyna Howland, Ned Sparks, Grant Mitchell, Guy Kibbee, Inez Courtney, Thomas E. Jackson, Humphrey Bogart, and many others co-star in this film. This was not Bogart's debut film but it was his film for Warner Brothers where he would go onto work a lot for in the future. I suppose this is satire on the saying of "the grass isn't always greener on the other side". This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
A Simple Favor (2018): Paul Feig directed this film which is based on the novel by Darcey Bell. Anna Kendrick stars as Stephanie Smothers who is a single mother and has a parenting vlog. She befriends fellow mother Emily, played by Blake Lively, who is a secretive upper-class woman even if they are extremely different. After Emily asks Stephanie for a favor, she disappears and Stephanie tries to piece together what happened. Henry Golding, Joshua Satine, Glenda Braganza, Andrew Rannells, Kelly McCormack, Aparna Nancherla, Dustin Milligan, Danielle Bourgon, Gia Sandhu, Zach Smadu, Andrew Moodie, and many others co-star in this film. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. This has a lot of dark comedy along with it being a psychological thriller with all kinds of twists. Kendrick is entertaining no matter what she does in my opinion. This is available to watch on Moviesphere.
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963): Vincente Minnelli directed this film which is based on the novel by Mark Toby. Glenn Ford stars as the widowed father Tom Corbett who is trying to raise his son Eddie, played by Ron Howard. Eddie believes it is time for his dad to be remarried but wants it to be to his neighbor Elizabeth, played by Shirly Jones, instead of his other choice in Dollye, played by Stella Stevens. Dina Merrill, Roberta Sherwood, Jerry Van Dyke, and many others co-star in this film. This is part romantic comedy, but it is also a drama in the way of Tom and Eddie dealing with death. This is a pretty funny and moving film involving a father and son. This is available to watch on HBO Max.
Singles (1992): Cameron Crowe directed this film of a group of young Seattle adults. This centers around romances and potential romances between two couples. One of them was between Steve and Linda, played by Campbell Scott and Kyra Sedgwick, who were unsure on whether to commit to each other. Bridget Fonda co-stars as coffee-shop waitress Janet who fawns over local rock star Cliff, played by Matt Dillon. Sheila Kelley, Jim True-Frost, Bill Pullman, James Le Gros, Allie Walker, Eric Stoltz, Jeremy Piven, Tom Skerritt, Peter Horton, Bill Smillie, Christopher Masterson, Paul Giamatti, Alicia Roper, Tim Burton, Debi Mazar, and many others co-star or have cameos in this film. Pearl Jam members Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, and Stone Gossard made up the rest of the fictional band Citizen Dick which Cliff fronted. This also centers around the Grunge scene of this era which is one of the things Seattle is known for. Alice in Chains and Soundgarden made appearances in this film. This centers around some very good characters and a great soundtrack for fans of Grunge music.
The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970): Basil Dearden directed this film which is based on the novel THE CASE OF MR. PELHAM by Anthony Armstrong. Roger Moore stars as Harold Pelham whose life seems to have changed after surviving a car accident. He is told of things that he never did and finds he has a doppelganger out there unless he is just going insane. Kevork Malikyan, Thorley Walters, Anton Rodgers, Olga Georges-Picot, Freddie Jones, John Welsh, Edward Chapman, Laurence Hardy, and many others co-star in this thriller. I had never heard of this and was intrigued by Roger Moore when I came across this. Moore does a great job in this film and is a very underrated performance for him. It is hard to really describe this one further so just check this out. This is available to watch on Kanopy.
Mark Twain and Me (1991): I end the week with this film which was directed by Daniel Petrie and based on the book ENCHANTMENT: A LITTLE GIRL'S FRIENDSHIP WITH MARK TWAIN by Dorothy Quick. Amy Stewart stars as the 11-year-old Dorothy Quick who gets to meet her idol Samuel Clemons which we know more as Mark Twain, played by Jason Robards. Clemons takes a liking to Quick, and they form a friendship in the later years of his life. Talia Shire, R.H. Thomson, Fiona Reid, Anna Ferguson, Chapelle Jaffe, Colin Fox, Susan Coyne, and many others co-star in this film. This is based on true events and was a very beautiful story of the importance of friendship. Robards is a perfect Twain and works well with Stewart. This is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and I will be back in two weeks which so far includes Julia Roberts, Ed Harris, Emma Stone, Orson Welles, Kate Winslet, and many others.
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