Short Film Corner: Not Waving But Drowning (2022)

Movie Review: The Matrix: Resurrections

 

Michael's Movie Grade: F

Another terrible movie in this vastly overrated franchise. 

To be honest I have not liked any of the Matrix movies, but I still think this film is the worst of them. This fourth installment features all of the faults that made me hate the previous films but somehow, they are even worse here. The biggest fault here (and in the other movies) is simply how bland and boring the characters are. These characters have little to no personality outside of how they serve the plot. We are four movies in, and I still cannot relate to characters like Neo or Trinity in the slightest because there is nothing about them to relate to. There has never been a moment in any of these movies where any of these characters felt real and therefore there is no emotional connect to any of them. The main characters of an action film do not need to be deep or complex, but they still need to be people you can relate to and root for. This movie adds a new villain to the mix, who frankly is just as boring as our heroes. This film also features another fault so prevalent in The Matrix movies, which is dialogue that is supposed to come off as thought provoking or deep but is instead incredibly simplistic and hollow. The philosophy offered in these movies offers little food for thought after watching them. It is actually really basic philosophy that is no more complex than that of many action movies that are much less pretentious than these films. This film however takes this to a whole new height. If you are like me and felt this dialogue in the previous movies was too on the nose, that dialogue is subtle compared to what you get here. The dialogue about the new video game early on in this movie is painfully annoying in its obviousness. However, this is nothing compared to the villain's dialogue which so obviously spelled out everything this film was trying to say as if I was too dumb to get the message otherwise. To say this made me feel talked down to is an understatement. Personally, I would rather watch a big dumb action movie than one which conveys its message as poorly as this does. Speaking of action, that is the one thing I liked about the previous Matrix movies, but somehow even that is terrible here. These action scenes simply seem like pale copies of the ones from the previous films.  

Maybe if you are a Matrix fan you will find something to like here. But not only did I hate the previous films, but I hated this one even more. 

Laurel and Hardy in Foreign Languages

 The following is an article from a 1930 issue of The New Movie Magazine. If you have trouble reading, click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in. If that still doesn't work, click here.

Movie Review: Betty White: A Celebration

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent documentary on Betty White and a touching tribute to someone we all love. 

This movie is equal parts a documentary on Betty White and a loving tribute to her. There is much time spent with the people who worked with her gushing over how amazing she was. In many documentaries this would seem like too much, but in a movie about Betty White this feels well deserved. After all is there a single one of us who owns a TV set and doesn't love her. The documentary aspect of this film is excellent but tantalizingly brief. Not including a bonus TV episode at the end, this movie only runs about 70 minutes. For such a long career this is too brief a runtime to give comedy buffs (like me) all the information they want to know. However, this film fits a surprising amount of information into this brief runtime and provides an excellent overview of her career and a good look at who she was as a person. And even if it is too brief there is no doubt, I was riveted every second. The movie also includes some clips from her amazing TV career. Betty was one of the funniest women to every grace the TV screen and these clips do an incredible job of showing this. Little scenes from Life with Elizibeth, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland got huge laughs from the audience in the movie theater with me. These are golden comedy moments that will still be funny 100 years from now. As an animal lover myself (and someone who strongly believes in animal rights), I also absolutely loved that this film highlighted all that Betty has done for animals. She has done as much for animals as she has done for comedy and it is just another thing, I love about her. 

After the documentary was over there was a bonus TV episode of Date with the Angels. This was something I had mixed feelings about. On one hand it is something that most people haven't seen and gives a good historical look into the early part of Betty's career. On the other hand, this is easily one of the weakest TV shows she had starred in. Plainly put it was not funny at all. Hearing the silence from the audience after the majority of the jokes, I couldn't help but think how loud and infectious the laughter would have been if a Mary Tyler Moore or Golden Girls episode would have played. Still, I admit the history buff in me found it a fascinating watch. 

All in all, this is a very well-done documentary and I imagine Betty would have approved. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Sermons

 

Cowboy Church #155

 Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church. 

Today's musical selection begins with Ray Price singing Don't Wait Till Sunday to Pray. This recording comes from Ray's 1974 gospel album, This Time Lord. This is followed by Skeeter Davis singing God Loves His Children. This song was written by bluegrass legends Lester Flatts and Earl Scruggs. It comes from Skeeter's tribute album to Flatts and Scruggs, 1968's I Love Flatts and Scruggs.  Next comes Johnny Cash singing Softly and Tenderly.  The song was written by an Ohio businessman named Will Thompson in 1880.  As well as writing gospel songs Thompson also wrote quite a few secular songs and parotic songs. When the songs he wrote were rejected by publishers he created his own company,  Will L. Thompson & Company. This company would not only publish music by sell musical instruments. Softly and Tenderly first appeared in 1880's Sparkling Gems, Nos. 1 and 2, a collection of songs from the company. When evangelist Dwight L. Moody was on his death bed he told the songwriter, "Will, I would rather have written ‘Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling’ than anything I have been able to do in my whole life." This was appropriate as Will decided to make songwriting his career while at a meeting held by Moody.  This version of the song comes from John's 1975 album, Johnny Cash Sing Precious Memories. This album (which entirely consists of traditional gospel songs) abandons John's traditional sound for a more lush and orchestrated sound. Much of this was due to arrangements by Bill Walker, who had been the musical director for John's TV show. This album was dedicated to John's late brother Jack, who had died at the age of 15 in a sawmill accident. His death took its toll on John and affected him for the rest of his life. This is written on the back of the album, "Dear Jack, We lost you one sad day in May 1944. I was twelve years old. Some of these songs were the songs we sang at your funeral. As you were dying you gave us a description of heaven and singing angels. Could these be some of the songs the angels were singing? See you later. Your little brother J.R." This is followed by The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1948 recording of The Old Rugged Cross. After this is Red Steagall with Church At the Wagon. This is followed by Conway Twitty with Who Will Pray For Me. The song was written by Darrell Statler & Lorene Allen.  This recording comes from Conway's 1973 gospel album, Clinging To A Saving Hand /Steal Away. Next is Roy Rogers with Peace in the Valley. This version of the song comes from an episode of Roy's radio show entitled The Rene Eigen Case, that aired on April 11, 1952. Today's musical selection ends with Gene Autry singing God Must Have Loved America. This recording comes from an episode of Gene's Melody Ranch radio show that aired July 26, 1942. This is the most famous episode of the show as it was the one where Gene was sworn into the United States Army Air Forces live on the air. This song closed this great episode. 

Next is a 2006 interview with the one and only George Jones.

Up next is Martian Luther King Jr. with his sermon, Our God is Marching On. 

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed are those who heed wisdom's instruction. Proverbs 29:18

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:26-28

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #157

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Toby Tortoise Returns (1936) is maybe my favorite Silly Symphony cartoon. Like many great comedy shorts the story for this cartoon is extremely simple. Max Hare and Toby Tortoise (returning from the earlier Symphony, Tortoise and the Hare (1935)) fight each other in a boxing match. This leads to some amazingly good slapstick. Again, those who think of Disney cartoons as cute and sweet while Warners cartoons were wacky and funny might be surprised to see this film. This cartoon in fact even resembles a Looney Tunes or Merrie Melody from this time period. The slapstick is fast and furious and there is a real wise guy tone to much of the humor. The idea itself came from Ward Kimball, an animator who had joined the studio a year earlier. Ward would soon become one of Walt’s favorite animators and a major asset for the studio’s animated films. Ward is hugely known by Disney buffs today as one of the studio’s most comedic animators, so it comes as no surprise that he would suggest the story for one of the studio’s funniest cartoons. As well as coming up with the story Ward also was one of the film’s animators. One of the scenes he animated was early in the film where the referee is introducing the fighters. There are no real jokes here, but the animation itself is quite funny. The character doesn’t look funny, but he moves funny. This is something that is much more important to animated comedies. This over the top and quite funny animation sets you up perfectly for the slapstick you are about to see. This cartoon is in fact full of fantastic slapstick comedy.  The part with the water was mostly animated by Bob Stokes. The fireworks section was animated by Dick Huemer with the exception of the tiny bit where Max blows out of the ring and into the ambulance, which was animated by Jack Hannah. What all three of these animators understood was using speed for comic effect. This kind of speed was fairly new to cartoons and while Tortoise and the Hare mastered animating speed, this film masters using this type of animation to its full comic potential. Another delight in this cartoon is the use of other characters from Silly Symphonies cartoons in the audience. Just as it is fun for movie buffs to spot all the stars in Mickey’s Gala Premiere (1933), it is fun for cartoon buffs to catch all the cartoon characters seen here. A review in The Film Daily stated, "Aside from the loud laughs, its beautifully done in Technicolor."




Not everyone loved Toby Tortoise Returns though as you can see by the below page from a 1936 issue of Screenland magazine. If you having trouble reading it click on the page and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you are still having trouble, click here.

Next comes one of Bob Clampett's great color Merrie Melodies, A Corny Concerto (1943). This is an unusual film as it is written by but not directed by Frank Tashlin. Tash had been working at the Disney studio after having been a director at Warner Brothers. After coming back to Warners, he found himself briefly in the writing department before returning to the director's chair (taking over Norm McCabe's unit). Appropriately this cartoon is a Disney parody. A Corny Concerto is a parody of Fantasia (1940). However, while this cartoon certainly has its fun with Fantasia there is definitely more than a little respect for Disney's ambitious feature. This cartoon while not as elaborate as a Disney feature, the look of this cartoon is definitely more elaborate than the average Merrie Melodies short. Even as a fan of Fantasia I have to state that the satire is dead on here. Probably the best bit of satire is Elmer Fudd serving in the Deems Taylor role, as he captures the part visually, but is still Elmer Fudd and hilariously lacking the sophistication of Taylor. This cartoon also has one of the few times Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig share the screen in the golden age of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies and even though neither speaks, they work off each other very well. This short is included in in Jerry Beck's book 100 Greatest Looney Tunes. 

The question of how animated cartoons are made has been around nearly as long as animated cartoons. Even back in the silent era film studios were offering often very simplistic explanations to answer this question. How Animated Cartoons Are Made (1919) offered movie goers a look behind the scenes of animated cartoons. 

Next we join the Pink Panther in Sky Blue Pink (1968).

Now for a commercial break. 

Jan Švankmajer is not only one of the finest filmmakers in the history of stop motion animation, but a director, who can hold his own with many of the great live action filmmakers. Case in point is his brilliant short film, Punch and Judy (1966). 

Now we join our good friend Gandy Goose in Gandy's Dream Girl (1944). This cartoon follows a formula often seen in this series where Gandy and his good friend (and this time romantic rival) Sourpuss find themselves a fantasy world of Gandy's imagination. This is in my opinion an above average use of this formula as this film gives us quite a few good gags that make me smile whenever I watch it. Not everyone was so impressed with this cartoon though as evidenced by the following exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, " GANDY'S DREAM GIRL: Terrytoons—Just another cartoon. Laughs few and far between. Skip this and you won't miss a thing. —Elmer Bohlig, Lake Theatre, Big Lake, Minn." 

Now let us close by singing one we all know. 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies be merry. 

Resources Used

The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Edited by Jerry Beck.

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman 

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/animator-breakdown-for-disneys-toby-tortoise-returns-1936/