Cowboy Church #220

 Hello my friends and happy Easter. Welcome to a special Easter service of Cowboy Church. 

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing Easter Is A Loving Time. This recording comes from a 1955 Little Golden Record, that the husband-and-wife duo had made. Here they are backed by The Sandpipers and Mitchell (Mitch) Miller & his Orchestra.

This is followed by Tennessee Ernie Ford with a hymn perfect for Easter, The Old Rugged Cross. The song itself dates back to 1913 and was written by evangelist, George Bennard. Actually the first verse was written in 1912. It was written while Bennard was a part of a series of revival meetings in Albion, Michigan. He was worried about the complete disregard for the gospel around him and wrote this verse as a repose. Of writing it Bennard said, "I seemed to have a vision ... I saw the Christ and the cross inseparable." The song wouldn't be completed for several months, when he was leading meetings at a local church in Pokagan, Michigan. He played it for Rev. Leroy (the sponsoring pastor) and his wife, Ruby Bostwick, both of whom found themselves moved to tears. It was then incorporated into a service at that church on June 7, 1913. The song has the same effect today as it must have back then.

Next is Charlie Daniels with He's Alive. In this video Charlie was a guest worship leader at an Easter Service for the World Outreach Church.

Then comes Wanda Jackson with Because He Lives. This version of this great gospel song comes from her 1976 gospel album, Make Me Like a Child Again. 

This is followed by Gene Autry with his 1954 recording of Easter Morning. I hope that the Lord above spends Easter Day with each one of you. If you ask the Lord into your heart, then he will always spend not only every Easter but every day with you. 

Afterwards is Roy Acuff's 1942 recording of I'll Reep My Harvest in Heaven. If life is tough and hard for you on Earth, all these troubles are nothing compared to the joys you will experience in Heaven. If life seems like it is going perfect for you, these blessings can never even come close to the blessings that await you in Heaven. 

Next is The Chuck Wagon Gang with their 1964 recording of Thank God for Calvary. Make sure this Easter, you take some time to thank God for Calvary. 

Then is The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Power in the Blood. 

Afterwards is Ernest Tubb with Love Lifted Me. 

Next is Johnny Cash and The Carter Family with Where You There. 

Today’s musical selection ends with Third Day with Thief. This song is an important reminder to all of us. Jesus may have been innocent when he hung on the cross but the man being hung next to him probably wasn’t. This was a man who must have not only been a criminal but one whose crimes were great for him to be crucified. Yet when he saw Jesus, he knew that he was looking at some one who was far from any ordinary man. It was there he accepted Jesus as his Lord and there Jesus told him that he would see this man in heaven. This shows us that no matter who we are and no matter what we have done, Jesus is willing to meet us right there and then. He is willing to meet us when we are at our lowest and is always willing to save us for the path of sin we have walked down.  

Now for an Easter sermon from Billy Graham.

And an Easter message from S.M. Lockridge. 

Now for the next chapter in the Gene Autry movie serial, The Phantom Empire (1935). 

 

Motion Picture Daily, 1955

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were [b]greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. Luke 24:1-12

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life! Matthew 20:18-19

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Thanks for joining me, come back in a couple weeks for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy Easter my friends. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

 

Some Cartoons For Saturday Morning #220

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic black and white Looney Tunes short, Westward Whoa (1936). This movie stars Beans the Cat and Ham and Ex. Beans the Cat and Ham and Ex made their debut in the Merrie Melodies short, I Haven't Got a Hat (1935). That cartoon also introduced the more famous Porky Pig, who has a smaller role in this film. This movie was directed by Jack King. Jack King had formerly worked at Disney as an animator and would soon return to Disney to direct some truly wonderful Donald Duck cartoons. 

Up next is a Silly Symphony called Funny Little Bunnies (1934). This cartoon does not feature much of an actual story beyond the idea of bunnies getting ready for Easter. However people at the time did not seem to mind this at all. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "This is a likely entry for the best short of 1934. While it may appear that its vogue would be more or less limited to the Easter season because its purely imaginative substance deals with the manufacture and decoration of Easter eggs and bunnies by a colorful rabbit crew, the splendor and variety of coloring and the highly diverting action lift it far above any seasonal appeal. Musical accompaniment is pleasing." The following is a review from The Motion Picture Herald, "Unusually clever, highly entertaining, especially for the youngsters but potentially equally enjoyable for adults, this number of the Walt Disney Silly Symphonies pictures in the inimitable Disney cartoon fashion the manner in which the bunnies, in their woodland workshop, carve out Easter statues of themselves, paint the Easter eggs, with various colors obtained from the end of the rainbow. In this spring season despite the fact that Easter has passed, the subject is highly appropriate and can not fail to meet with the favor of the entire audience, anytime, anywhere." The cartoon also won the gold medal for "Best Animated Film" at the Venice film festival in 1934. Still as is always the case not everyone was impressed. An exhibitors review from The Motion Picture Herald was not very positive stating about Walt Disney, "He'll never make another 'Three Little Pigs.'" In 1935 this movie was part of a four week run of Disney cartoons. Here is The Film Daily talking about that, "Starting April 4, Walt Disney productions, released through Untied Artists, are being featured on the Trans-Lux Theater program for four consecutive weeks. Opening with 'The Tortoise and the Hare,' the next three programs feature the following Disney productions: 'Mickey's Man Friday,' 'Funny Little Bunnies,' and 'The Band Concert,' Disney's first Mickey Mouse subject in Technicolor." One thing I love about the color Symphonies is that they never take color for granted but instead always make sure it is used to full effect. That is definitely true of this cartoon. This movie was reissued to theaters on April 7, 1950.

Next comes one of the Fleischer Brothers' Screen Songs shorts, The Peanut Vendor (1933). 

Now for Heckle and Jeckel in The Stowaways (1949). Paul Terry considered the Heckle and Jeckle films to be the best cartoons, he produced and I wholeheartedly agree. 

Now it is time for a commercial break.

 

Next comes a delightful MGM cartoon, The Milky Way (1940). This was the first non-Disney cartoon to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short film. a major reason for this is that this was the first year in which the Disney studio had not nominated one of their own shorts, presumably because the Disney studio was focusing on features at this time. MGM also nominated another one of their cartoons this year. The other MGM cartoon was Puss Gets the Boot (1940), the first Tom and Jerry cartoon. The Tom and Jerry series would go on to win 7 Academy Awards, more than any other cartoon series. 

Now for a silent movie, Her Minute (1921). Like many silent cartoons this short film was based off of a popular newspaper comic strip. This one was based off the Joys and Glooms comic strip by T.E. Powers. The credited animator of this cartoon was John C. Terry, who was the older brother of Paul Terry (of Terry Toons fame). If you want to learn more about John C. Terry, I recommend reading this excellent article by Charlie Judkins from Jerry Beck's Cartoon Research website. 

Now for a classic Donald Duck film, Donald's Crime (1945). This cartoon marks a milestone in an important Disney character. In previous shorts Daisy Duck had been voiced by Clarence Nash (also the voice of Donald) and had a very similar voice to that of the ill-tempered but lovable duck. Here for the first time though, she has a more normal sounding voice that stands in contrast to Donald's. In this film that voice is provided by Gloria Blondell, who was the younger sister of actress Joan Blondell. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Donald's Crime: Walt Disney Cartoons - One of Disney's best. Our house was in an uproar of laughter from start to finish. By all means play it. - A.R. Dakin, Rice Lake Theatre, Bissett, Manitoba, Can."

Now for the next chapter of the Looney Tunes Survivor parody, Toon Marooned (2001). Foghorn Leghorn got voted off the island last week. Who will get voted off this week?

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more 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

Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in it's Golden Age by Michael Barrier

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Movie Review: A Thousand and One

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A beautiful and gut-wrenching character study. 

This movie mostly functions as a character study and luckily this is where it works brilliantly. The main character of this film is so compelling that it gets hard to look away from the screen. What makes this character work so well is that she is a quite complex person and the film never seems to go out of its way to make her either sympathetic or unlikeable. Instead the movie just wants to show her as deeply human and real. This keeps the story for ever feeling false or forced. It also allows us to connect with her on a deeper emotional level. Even if the character herself never seems to reach out to us for sympathy, we simply can't help but put ourselves and her shoes and go through this emotional journey with her. Some moments along this journey can be so overwhelming as to be difficult to watch but at the same time, I was so invested that I couldn't look away if I wanted to. Much of this effectiveness is due to the simply incredible performance by Teyana Taylor. She has made a name for herself as a singer and dancer and has played some comedic roles in movies. However here she certainly showed that she has dramatic chops far beyond what anyone would except. These types of films depend heavily upon the performance of their stars. If their performance feels false, then the whole movie will feel false. Yet her performance here is so incredibly real that you forget you are watching an actress, but instead feel like you are watching a real person live her life. The pure humanity in this performance will tear your heart out in a way that feels completely real and effortless. She makes this character's love of her son feel so real and powerful. Since the relationship between her and her son is what the whole story revolves around, this is incredibly important. The story and this relationship take some wonderful turns, with each one feeling completely real and natural. 

This film takes place in New York City and the city often times becomes the third most important character. This depiction of New York is far from an idealized one, often reflecting some harsh realities. Yet the film does not take a simply negative view of the city and you can tell that underneath the criticisms there is also a full acknowledgement of the beauty and the appeal of New York. This can be seen in much of the great location shooting. This combination of love and criticism creates an incredibly real and powerful cinematic depiction of the city and puts this film far above more simplistic takes on the city in so many other movies. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that director A.V. Rockwell (from him this is incredibly her first feature length film) is a New York Native herself. This movie takes place over the course of over a decade and during that time period, New York goes through many changes along with our main characters creating a wonderful parallel that only makes the story more real and powerful. It also gives this movie an even greater sense of authenticity, while allowing for some great social commentary that feels completely natural. 

I will admit that some of the supporting characters come off as a little bland and that there are moments of the story that feel quite familiar, but these are small faults considering the true beauty of everything else.

This is simply a must watch.

Video Link: The MOST BEAUTIFUL SHOTS of TERRENCE MALICK Movies

Movie Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent feature film adaption of the beloved video game franchise.

It is obvious that those who worked on this movie are major Mario fans, and their love for the source material shows in every second. Not only are there plenty of references to various parts of Mario history for fans of the games to geek out over (as a life long Mario fan, I definitely geeked out a few times), but in simply how the world this movie takes place in is designed. This film in many ways feels like the video games come to life. There is the feeling of joy and unlimited possibilities that make the games so beloved all over the world that this film builds. This movie does exactly what every fantasy movie should do. This is that it makes you want to live in this world and sad when you have to leave it when the end credits start rolling. What is more impressive about this film's world building is that it stays true to the spirit of the games while also feeling cinematic and working in the context of a movie. This movie also does a wonderful job of adapting these characters to film. While none of the characters have especially complex personalities here, these characters are certainly a lot of fun to watch and easy to care about. Even before they enter the Mushroom Kingdom, we already care very much about Mario and Lugi, as it is hard not to. I especially like how Mario is handled throughout this film, as I admittedly related to him, felt for him and cared about him. This movie also has a wonderful sense of humor and I and the audience I watched this with all laughed quite a bit watching this. I excepted to giggle and smile at the jokes but I did not except to laugh out loud as often as I did. Though I love the slapstick of the Minions films, this may be the funniest of all movies from Illumination. The storyline of this movie is very basic but it is effective and the 92 minutes go by incredibly quickly. 

This movie does have its flaws though. One of them is that quite a few story points feel really rushed. This is especially true of Mario and Lugi's backstory, Donkey Kong's character arc and the relationship between Mario and Donkey Kong. This can really take you out of the movie at times and make certain scenes lack the emotional connection they should have. The rushing of Donkey Kong's arc can also make him feel undeveloped and underutilized as a character. The story is also incredibly predictable and there are plenty of parts where anybody who has ever seen a movie before can tell just what is going to happen next as this follows the formula of many other animated family movies very closely. 

All in all, despite some faults, this movie is a real treat to anyone who loves Mario and even some of those who don't. 

Movie Review: His Only Son

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

An incredibly moving film based off the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac. 

This movie takes what is a very difficult and controversial Biblical story and creates something truly beautiful and moving with it. The reason why it works so well is because it creates a real emotional connection with Abraham. There is no way to watch this movie and not put yourself in Abraham's shoes. Watching this film forces you to look inward and picture what you would do in Abraham's place. This is only enhanced by the way the story is told. This movie follows Abraham on his journey with Isaac to mountain of Moriah. Through this journey we see flashbacks in Abraham's mind that lead to the birth of Isaac. This is probably one of the best uses of flashbacks I have ever seen in a recent movie in quite awhile. The simple existence of these flashbacks helps us put ourselves in Abraham's shoes, because if we were him, we would spend a lot of time looking back on the same thing, trying to figure out how the same God, who sent us on this journey could ask what he is asking. Therefore the flashbacks not only give us more information but also strengthen our emotion connection to the story. Adding to this is how incredible Nicolas Mouawad is in the main roles as Abraham. This film also gives a very thought provoking look at this often difficult story and how it foreshadows what would happen in the New Testament. 

This film was made by first time feature film director, David Helling over a course of five years. It was made on a shoestring budget and it theatrical release was mostly crowdfunded. Yet this low budget and absence of a major studio rarely shows on screen, as this is a very handsome looking movie and the acting and the writing for the most part are as good as anything that comes from Hollywood. I am happy to see this movie doing so well in theaters and I hope that more independent filmmakers are able to get their movies to the big screen in a similar fashion. 



 

Movie Trailer: Beau is Afraid