Cowboy Church #249

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

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Near the Cross. This hymn was written by Fanny Crosby, who had written many beloved hymns including Blessed Assurance and Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour. This song first appeared in an 1869 collection of hymns entitled Bright Jewels. One of those who put together this collection was William Doane, who would write the music for this hymn. Fanny had been blind since she was six weeks old. Evangelist Dwight L. Moody once asked Fanny, “If you could have just one wish granted, what would it be?” Fanny's answer shocked him. She said, “If I could have one wish, I’d wish that I might continue blind the rest of my life.” She explained this answer by saying “Because, after being blind for all these years, the first face I want to see now is the face of Jesus.”

This is followed by Red Sovine with If You Should Visit Heaven. 

Afterwards comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1941 recording of What Wonderful Joy. Though many don't want to give their loves to Jesus because they don't want to give up their sins, the truth is that the joy Jesus can give us is greater than anything we may get out of sinning. This song is about the incredible joy that only Jesus can provide. This recording is very much a duet between two members of the band. Lloyd Perryman and Bob Nolan share the main vocal duties on this song, and both sound as great as ever.

Then comes Washington Phillips with his 1929 recording of I've got the Key to the Kingdom. 

Next is Carl Smith with I Dreamed of the Old Rugged Cross. 

Then come Bill Anderson with Blessed Assurance. This hymn came about when songwriter Fanny Crosby visited composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp. Knapp played a tune for Crosby and asked what came to her mind with that tune. Crosby said, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!" She then immediately followed it with more lyrics that would be in the finished song. The song was published in 1873 and first appeared in a monthly magazine for which the editors were Joseph Fairchild Knapp and Phoebe Palmer Knapp (who were husband and wife). When it later appeared in 1887's Gospel Songs, No. 5 by Ira Sankey, this we lead it to greater fame as it would be commonly sung in the revivals of Dwight L. Moody and Sankey. By 1889, the hymn commonly appeared in Methodist hymnals. This version of the hymn comes from Bill Anderson's 1967 gospel album; I Can Do Nothing Alone. 

Today's musical selection ends with Johnny Cash singing Let the Lower Lights Be Burning. In the notes for the box set Unearthed, John wrote, "This is a very special song for me, and I'll tell you what it means to me now. When my father was dying, he was in a coma, and all my brothers and sisters and I were gathered around the bed, and we felt like telling him goodbye. But my oldest sister Louise said, 'Let's sing to him.' So we started singing 'Let the Lower Lights be Burning.' At some point I looked at him and, though he had been sound asleep in a coma for days, his lips started moving and he started singing that song along with us. The more we would sing it the more he sang. And he opened his eyes, and he looked around at us as we were singing. Ad of course everybody had a good cry as watched him and listened to him as he sang 'Let the Lower Lights be Burning' with us."

Now for a message from the Reverand Billy Graham. 

Today's movie is The Mystery of the Hooded Horsemen (1937) starring Tex Ritter. 

Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,

    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

2 Our feet are standing

    in your gates, Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem is built like a city

    that is closely compacted together.

4 That is where the tribes go up—

    the tribes of the Lord—

to praise the name of the Lord

    according to the statute given to Israel.

5 There stand the thrones for judgment,

    the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

    “May those who love you be secure.

7 May there be peace within your walls

    and security within your citadels.”

8 For the sake of my family and friends,

    I will say, “Peace be within you.”

9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

    I will seek your prosperity.

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

Movie Review: The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

A fantastic political thriller from Brazil. 

This film tells the story of a man who in 1977 Brazil goes back to his hometown of Recife only to discover that it has changed for the worse, turning him into a political refuge. 

As this movie starts, we are quite unsure of who this character is as well as his past. Yet the opening sequence sets up a real sense of dread. We open with our main character pulling into a gas station where a dead body is lying outside because the cops haven't come around to pick it up yet (though it has been there for days). When we see the cops finally come, they do nothing about the dead body but instead search the car of our main character, despite his various objections. This is a perfect opening. It tells us little of anything, yet it pulls us in and intrigues us automatically. This is an opening scene that will stay with me for a good while. The film slowly reveals what is going on, a little at a time. This type of storytelling can be dangerous because it can either come off as intriguing or boring. However here it works perfectly. That is because the excellent filmmaking and well written script make it incredibly compelling, even before we fully figure out what is going on. The whole film is fully of beautiful looking shots and very intelligent dialogue. The musical score is also excellent and lends much to the sense of atmosphere. Meanwhile each reveal is fully worth waiting for as each one is very smart and makes what came before even more effective. The movie also gets more intense as it goes along with a climax that is very exciting and disturbing. 

I am keeping this review short as to not give away too much. However, I give it my highest recommendation. 



 

Movie Trailer: Madden

Movie Trailer: Avengers: Doomsday

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #261

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

Today's cartoon selection begins Bugs Bunny in Super Rabbit (1943). The ending of this short film resulted in the U.S.M.C. acknowledging Bugs Bunny as an honorary marine with the title honorary Marine Master Sergeant Bugs Bunny. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Hearld, "SUPER RABBIT: Merrie Melodies Cartoons - One of the best Merrie Melodies. The kids sure like cartoons of this kind. I run one every Sunday and believe they draw the kids better than the feature.  - Victor E. Dahl, Fayette Theatre, Fayette, Iowa." 

Next comes the Terry Toons cartoon, The Mechanical Bird (1952). This lovely short film is an adaption of the 1843 Hans Christian Anderson short story, The Nightingale. While it doesn't fully capture the charm of that classic short story, this is a very sweet and very charming film. 

Next comes a Modern Madcap cartoon, The Robot Ringer (1962). 

Next is a late Fleischer Studios Popeye short, I'll Never Crow Again (1941). The year after the release of this cartoon Max and Dave Fleischer would find themselves no longer making cartoons for Paramount and many of their employees continuing to make Popeye and Superman shorts for Paramount without them. Many critics of the Popeye series claim that all the cartoons simply feature Popeye and Bluto fighting over Olive. However, a look at the sailor's filmography shows that there were in fact many cartoons that did not follow this formula in the slightest. The song that Popeye and Olive sing at the beginning of this cartoon is from the first of Fleischer Studio's two feature films, Gulliver's Travels (1939). A review in The Motion Picture Daily called this cartoon, "Good for a few laughs." A review in Showman's Trade Review stated, "While this is not the usual type of Popeye cartoon, the novelty is not sufficient enough to raise it out of the 'fair' class." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "I'LL NEVER CROW AGAIN: Popeye the Sailor— Popeye Cartoons are always enjoyed, but this was not as good as average. Running time, 7 minutes. —J. M. Thomsen, Center Theatre, Marlette, Mich. Rural patronage."


 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

 Now for one of the rare instances of very dark satire in one of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies, Who Killed Cock Robbin? (1935). This film shows cartoon birds at the mercy of an unjust legal system. Satire, dark humor, celebrity caricatures and slapstick abound. The most significant of the celebrity caricatures is Jenny Wren, a caricature of Mae West. Most of her animation here is handled fantastically by Ham Luske and her voice comes from Martha Wentworth who does a really good impression. This character would later appear in the Silly Symphony Toby Tortoise Returns (1936). Two of Walt's future Nine Old Men animate on this film, Eric Larson and Clyde Geronimi. Eric animates the scene where Cock Robbin falls and the cops rushing in. Clyde animates the scenes involving the blackbirds and the cops, Legs Sparrow with the cops and then going into the witness box, and the cops' raiding the area. For the year of 1935 the National Board of Review named this as one of the Ten Best American Films (not just cartoons but films as a whole). According to JB Kaufman and Russell Merrit's excellent book, Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series, the idea for making this film had been around the Disney studio as early as October 1933 but work truly began in March 1934. Wilfred Jackson was originally going to be the cartoon's director, but he was replaced with Ben Sharpsteen, who was replaced with Dave Hand, who actually directed the cartoon. Dave Hand would later be the supervising director for the Disney feature films, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942). My fellow Alfred Hitchcock fans will recognize that a clip from this cartoon was later used in Hitch's classic movie, Sabotage (1936). The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Ye olde master, Walt Disney, has produced another cartoon which makes a swell approach to the entertainment values he provided in 'Three Little Pigs.' It's class A stuff, effectively done in color. A mysterious shadowy figure 'kills' the fabled Cock Robbin, who, by the by, is the sweetie of a May Western type of bird. Then come the Keystonian cops, also birds, and later the trial. Finally, a birdy version of Dan Cupid admits to having shot Robin but May brings him to with a Big Kiss. Catchy music helps enliven the proceedings." The following is from a 1935 issue of Modern Screen Magazine and was a letter sent in by a reader. "A short time ago I took my five-year-old son with me to a local theatre. When a colored cartoon was shown, he was immensely pleased, as were several other children near us. The cartoon was 'Who Killed Cock Robin?' I may be wrong but I'm under the impression that those pictures are primarily to amuse children. If that is true than it failed. I heard several half-grown boys snickering as 'Jenny Wren' a parody of Mae West, with a high bust, wiggling hips and a sexy voice, flirted with the judge and later indulged in a kiss with Cock Robin. The smaller children merely looked puzzled and disappointed with the whole thing. Please have more cartoons like 'The Three Little Pigs,' 'Water Babies,' etc., unless of course, I'm wrong and those comedies are for grown-ups and not for little children. - Mrs. E. DeLamater, Charleston, S.C."   

Next is a very sweet and sentimental MGM cartoon from Hugh Harman, The Little Mole (1941). This is a beautiful looking and charming little film, though its final message seems to be an uncomfortably pessimistic one, when you think too much about it. 

Next is the silent Out of the Inkwell cartoon, The Boxing Kangaroo (1920). 

Let us close with a song.

Thank you 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

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

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Movie Review: Anaconda

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An uneven but mostly enjoyable horror-comedy. 

This movie has a great premise. A group of horror-junkie friends have dreamed as kids of making horror movies together. When none of them are happy about where their adult lives are going, they decide to make a low budget indie-style "spiritual sequel" to the 1997 horror film, Anaconda. However, while making it, they run into a real giant killer snake. Add in a cast that includes Jack Black and Paul Rudd and this movie seems like a sure thing. However, while it is still an enjoyable film it doesn't quite live up to its potential.

As ripe as the premise is for comedy, it is also one that makes us automatically like a relate to these characters. We can nearly all relate to the idea of being disinterested in what we do with our daily lives and wish we had followed the things we dreamed of as kids. Their passion for horror movies and making them is infectious and we get caught up in the excitement of them making this film. Meanwhile, the chemistry between the cast, truly makes their friendship completely believable.

The humor is unfortunately hit and miss. The times when it makes fun of the cheesiness of the movie, they are making or on various aspects of the filmmaking process, it is quite funny. The film that they made as kids is the comedic highlight of the movie and made me laugh out loud. However, much of the slapstick and character driven humor falls completely flat without even a smile. 

I also found the horror elements in this horror-comedy to be rather weak. I didn't expect it to be actually scary, but I expected some suspense and excitement out of a giant snake trying to eat our heroes. Yet that is simply not here. 

This is actually a fun movie, but with such a great premise it was capable of being so much better. 

Movie Review: Song Sung Blue

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

A surprisingly excellent tearjerker. 

With all the musical biopics coming out these days, this film attempts to do something quite different. Rather than tell the story of a famous musician, this film tells the story of a real-life husband-wife Neil Daimond cover band. 

Let's start off by stating that the music in this movie is fantastic. The husband multiple times states that he is tired of people asking him to play Sweet Caroline because there is so much more to his Neil's music than that one song (something I found out through his appearance in the ultimate rock and roll movie The Last Waltz (1978)). Neil Diamond's music is definitely better than some give it credit for. That is definitely heard here as this movie reminds you (or makes you realize) just how rich Neil Diamond's music catalogue can be. Not only are there so many great songs heard here but they are performed very well. With a background in musical theater, Hugh Jackman has a truly great singing voice and he does a wonderful job performing all these classic songs. Equally as great is Kate Hudson, who proves here she also has a really good singing voice. 

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are this film's not so secret ingredient. They are truly wonderful in this movie. They are extremely charismatic when on stage but also very human and vulnerable when off stage. They make every scene in this movie work because you believe and care about them every time they are on screen. Beyond this the story for the most part is quite well written. The first part of this movie plays a traditional biopic, while the second part morphs into a melodramatic tearjerker. Both parts work quite well. The first part is genuinely uplifting and makes you feel like cheering. The emotional notes in the second part all work quite well and many will tear up while watching this. Even during this second part though, the film never became too depressing as there were quite a few genuinely funny and uplifting moments in there as well.   

The movie does have a few problems though. I am not familiar with the true-life story but there were a few moments that were too Hollywood-like. These moments relied too much on convivences that they come off as too implausible for a supposedly true story. I also felt some of the side characters should have been better developed, especially the male lead's birth daughter, who I felt I never got to know the way I am supposed to. 

I came into this movie, not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking it.