TCM Classic Film Festival: 2023

 

Hello my friends. For those of you who don't know, last weekend is one of the highlights of a film buff's year, the TCM Classic Film Festival. It was four days of classic films and movie related delights presented at historic Hollywood sights (including Grauman's Chinese Theater, The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (where the first Academy Awards were held)). There were major special guests (including film historians and big time Hollywood stars and filmmakers), the most enthusiastic audiences you have ever seen and of course lots of classic movies. Also for classic film fans it is one of the few times that we can be surrounded by people who are just as passionate about them as we are. 

There were so many highlights for me this year. One of the biggest was the wonderful 100th anniversary screening of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) with Lon Chaney. I have seen this film before in only cheap public domain prints and liked it well enough. However seeing a great print of this film and seeing it in a movie theater, made me realize just what a great movie it is. I found myself emotionally moved by the film in a way I never had been before. Another great silent film experience was seeing the delightful silent movie, Clash of the Wolves (1925) with canine star Rin Tin Tin. It may seem strange to some (who haven't seen his films) that Rin Tin Tin was one of the biggest box office draws of his day and pretty much saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy before The Jazz Singer (1927) and Al Jolson. However when you watch one of his movies, you fully understand. That are such fun movies and a pure delight to watch. Listening to the audience reaction to this film shows how these movies are still sure-fire audience pleasers. Adding to the fun was the wonderful silent film historian and composer Ben Model, accompanying the film live with a truly terrific score. Speaking about audience pleasers, there were no better audience pleasers than Harvey (1950) (which was introduced by the wonderful movie director Joe Dante) and a selection of Laurel and Hardy shorts. Speaking about shorts it was also a delight to watch a panel hosted by Jerry Beck and Randy Haberkamp about Looney Tunes shorts and the Oscars (which included some full cartoons). One of the most delightful surprises was a delightful film Warner Brothers made in Britian, Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk (1935). I had never even heard of this movie before, but I was soon completely won over by its charms. If you ever get a chance to watch this film, I highly recommend it. Leonard Maltin introduced the movie and said that he personally picked it for the festival and I am very grateful to him for picking it. To turn the attention to special guests, I got to see some great ones there. Dave Krager interviewed Richard Dreyfus and Candy Clark before American Graffiti (1973) and Ann Margert before Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and it was wonderful to watch those movies knowing the stars were in the same theater. Brain Henson (son of Muppet creator Jim Henson and the director of The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996)) introduced a screening of Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) (which was another audience pleaser). As an Alfred Hitchcock fan I was delighted to see two wonderful Alfred Hitchcock movies on the big screen, Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). 

This was simply a wonderful four days and I wish it never had to end. If any of you are debating about going next year, do so. 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #221

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a delightful Merrie Melodies cartoon, The Sheepish Wolf (1942). This short film was directed by Friz Freleng.

Now it is time for a silent movie, Egg Cited (1926).  Like most of these shorts this movie cleverly combines animation and live action, as Koko the clown once again battles with his live action creator and often times rival, Max Fleischer (played by himself). Of course, one of the joys of these movies for animation buffs is that they can actually see Max interacting with his characters. The introduction of Max in this film is simply fantastic and remains one of my favorite moments of any of the Out of the Inkwell shorts. 

Next comes an early example of one of Disney's Silly Symphonies, Arctic Antics (1930). Like all Disney cartoons of this era, this short film benefits from an incredible cast of animators. The opening scene with the bears and seals was animated by Frenchy de Tremaudan. Wilfred Jackson, who would go on to direct some of the finest Silly Symphonies shorts animates more of the bears and seals as well as the penguin leader and the little penguin during the march. Dave Hand, who would later be the supervising director for the Disney feature films, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942), animates the bear cub on the ice cake and much of the penguin march. Les Clark, one of Walt's future Nine Old Men and one of the best Mickey Mouse animators, animates the large bear on the ice cake and a penguin doing a dance by himself. Norm Ferguson, whose animation would help define the character of Pluto, animates the operatic walrus (reused animation from the Mickey Mouse cartoon, Wild Waves (1929)) and the penguins dancing in a chorus line. Ben Sharpsteen, who was the supervising director for the Disney feature films Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), animates the four dancing seals, the seals applauding (reused animation from the Mickey Mouse cartoon, Wild Waves (1929)) and the walrus with the fish. Dick Lundy, who would go on to be a great Woody Woodpecker director, animates the seal dancing by himself and the seal balancing a fish on his nose. Johnny Cannon animates the seal squeezing the walrus' nose. Jack King, who would go on to direct some wonderful Donald Duck cartoons animates more of the penguin march. This short film would make its TV debut on an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club that aired on February 17, 1956. 

Now we join our old friend Gandy Goose in his very first color cartoon, Doomsday (1938). This short film is a delightful take on the story of Chicken Little. 

Now it is time for a commercial break.

Next is one of the most popular and best pairings of Mickey, Donald and Goofy, Lonesome Ghosts (1937). This film provides one with everything they could want from one of these cartoons. It has tons of fast-paced slapstick and creativity throughout. The story of this movie changed over the time it was being made, originally the haunted house was going to be a fake created by gangster Pete to scare others away. As you will see when you watch the film, the ghosts here are completely real. This caused a review for Motion Picture News too call the movie, "rather scary for tiny tots." A review in The Film Daily however said just the opposite stating "The Ghost stuff is all played for laughs instead of spookiness and the kids will eat it up." The following are a couple exhibitors' reviews from The Motion Picture Herald. "Lonesome Ghosts: Walt Disney cartoons - Another Disney of outstanding entertainment. - Harland Rankin, Plaza Theatre, Tilbury, Ontario, Canada. General Patronage." "Lonesome Ghosts: Walt Disney cartoons - I feel that Disney is living on his Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs reputation and his cartoons are not up to the usual standard he formally had. Running Time seven minutes - A.J. Jinks, Crystal Theatre, Ligonier, Ind. Small town patronage." This short film made its TV debut on the very first episode of the Disneyland TV series, The Disneyland Story (1954). 

Now we join our old friend Flip the Frog in Puddle Pranks (1930). The only person credited on this film is Ub Iwerks, someone who Disney fans should be quite familiar with. His work with Walt Disney (the two basically co-created Mickey Mouse) on the early Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies cartoons, as well as the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts and Alice Comedies, helped shape Disney animation and to fully state his impact on Disney history is impossible. Yet he would be lured away from Disney to head his own cartoon studio, where he would make this film. After his own cartoon series didn't catch on with the public the way his Disney work had, he wound up back at Disney. There he did special effects for such Disney movies as The Three Caballeros (1944), Song of the South (1946), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), and Mary Poppins (1964). He even worked on some episodes of Disney's TV children's show, The Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1958). Away from Disney, he did special effects work on Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). 

Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World, 1930

Next is Woody Woodpecker in Dippy Diplomat (1945).

Now to end with the next part of the Looney Tunes Webtoons, mini-series, Toon Marooned (2001). Who will get voted off this week? 

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

Resources Used

Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein 

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

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald 

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Video Link: The Art of Restoration with The Film Foundation | WB100

Movie Review: Little Richard: I Am Everything

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A wonderful documentary on rock and roll icon, Little Richard. 

What I try to bring to reviewing any music documentary is to ask myself if I hadn't heard of the musician or band going into the movie, would I leave the theatre a fan of their music. While I have long loved the music of Little Richard, if that wasn't the case I would still have left this movie a fan. The most obvious reason for this is hearing the music itself. The songs featured in this film are truly fantastic. While one may argue that they are obvious song choices, they are still a joy to listen to. There is a reason these songs were such major hits and I definitely enjoyed listening to them here. The clips of him performing these songs live are also wonderful and you can easily see what a great live performer he was. This movie also does a great job of putting Little Richard's music into context of both the time period and Richard's career as a whole. This gives those who may take much of his great music for granted, a greater understanding of the importance of what he did and how revolutionary it was. While his music still remains good listening today, this adds a whole new level to one's appreciation of it.

Also while this movie may be in many ways an overview of the artist's career, it is also a wonderful look at just who the man was. Little Richard was a complicated man and one who was seemingly full of contradictions. He was a Christian, who spent much of his time spreading the word of God, but he also was a party animal who took part in wild orgies. He took what many people said about him in stride as if he didn't care what anyone said about him, but he also was very upset at not receiving the public recognition he deserved. This movie addresses these contradictions head on. As you watch this film you begin to understand more and more why he was the way he was. This look into who Little Richard was is made much more authentic due to the use of many interviews Little Richard did at many parts in his career. Because of this we often get to hear who Little Richard was from the mouth of Little Richard himself. There are even some very clever scenes where we see back to back ways that he contradicted himself in various interviews. This works especially well because there place in the movie helps us understand just why he gave contradictory answers. This creates a more complex and more fascinating look at the man himself. 

This is simply put a wonderful documentary that I recomend equally to long time fans and new comers. 

Movie Review: La Usurpadora: The Musical

 

Michael's Movie Grade: D-

A bland and overly cliché musical film from Mexico.

To say that this movie is over the top and soap opera-ish is an understatement. This film may be based off a TV soap opera, but even with this there is a certain limit to this kind of soap opera like storylines, that this movie definitely passes. There are so many over the top and overly convenient soap opera-ish turns in this story, that it is hard to have any emotional connection to anything that happens. This could work if the movie was played in a tongue in cheek manner, but instead, we are actually supposed to take this somewhat seriously. That proves to be impossible to do. Making this even worse is the characters here. They are very bland and have little personality outside of one or two character traits. Because of this the characters feel much more like story devices than actual people. We never feel these characters are real and therefore we never feel any emotional connection to them at all. This leaves one with little interest whenever there is a scene that is supposed to get an emotional response out of us. The storyline here is also as cliché as possible and has every soap opera cliché in the book. This makes it so anyone who has ever seen a movie knows exactly how it will end. 

The only good things I can say about this movie is that I actually liked some of the songs and there were one or two jokes that got a small chuckle. Other than that though this movie was a waste of time. 

Movie Review: Air

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent film based off a true-life story.

Despite being someone who has never watched a basketball game in my life, I find myself often completely engrossed by this movie. Probably one reason why this film appealed to me so much is that we see little actual basketball here. This is instead a story about a shoe company wanting to create a shoe for Michael Jordan (I do know who he is because I have seen Space Jam). This gives this film a freshness and something that sets it apart from other sports films. It is also simply a compelling story. This movie takes exactly what so many people love to see in sports films and translates it to a different part of the sports world. That is that this is very much the type of underdog story that will always be appealing to movie audiences. The idea of a company risking everything on a rookie, who has yet to become a major name, is simply an incredibly appealing storyline. This movie tells that story very well. Much of this is due to how it makes us automatically sympathize with and root for our main character. We like this guy and want to see him be successful. This is only helped by a wonderful performance from Matt Damon, who is at his most fun and charming here. Also wonderful in this cast is Voila Davis as Michael Jordan's mom. Though her character does not receive a lot of screen time, she steals every scene she is in. She also provides a lot of heart and charm to this movie, that make the dramatic moments so great. This film also benefits from a great sense of energy that is even clear in the most dialogue heavy scenes. This energy shows itself through much of the film and keeps it always moving at a fast pace. In fact, the near two hours of this movie simply fly by. Throughout the majority of the movie, I simply had a lot of fun watching. This is especially true with a wonderful sense of humor that had me laughing out loud quite a few times. 

Unfortunately, this movie has the fault that is true in many movies based off true stories and that is that we always know how the story is going to end. There have been a few movies that make you forget that you know how the story will end, but that is the exception rather than the rule. In this film, you always remember that you know how the film will end taking away any true feeling of suspense. There are also some side characters here that are two over the top and cartoonish, and they simply feel out of place in a movie based on a true story. While a lot of the dialogue between the characters is fantastic, this does not translate to the moments when a character stops to make some sort of speech. These speeches feel quite corny and out of place.

All in all, this is an excellent film. 

Movie Review: Paint

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An intermittently funny comedy.

Despite this movie's sillier story points and the comedic similarities between the main character and Bob Ross, this is actually a slower paced and rather low-key comedy. This both works to the film's advantage and works against the movie. There are times when the low-key way this film is played makes some jokes incredibly funny. This is especially true of some of the most absurd scenes, because the fact that the film doesn't call attention to the absurdity of what you are watching makes these moments funny. This is especially true of the scenes where we see Ambrosia's (our main character's rival painter at the studio) bizarre paintings and people's reaction to them. There were definitely times watching this that I really laughed out loud. However this also leads to many moments where you "get" the joke, but simply don't laugh at it. This doesn't mean the joke falls flat because the jokes aren't really bad, but the slower pacing and low-key filmmaking work against them. This is especially true in the scenes where we see the women pining for our main character or spoiling them. This is a funny idea, but this subtler type of filmmaking keeps it from becoming anything more than simply a funny idea. However this leisurely pace does give this movie a charming easygoing feel that makes it pleasant to watch. It also works that Owen Wilson's performance is wonderfully charming and a delight to watch. This movie is also shockingly not mean spirited at all, but also has a good heart underneath its comedy, which leads to a quite pleasant watch. 

This movie does have a problem with the fact that the romance simply isn't that interesting nor is it funny enough (outside of maybe one or two jokes) to make up for this. The few scenes where the romance is played straight simply fall flat.

This is not a great comedy by any means, but it did have some moments that made me laugh out loud and a nice charm to much of it.