As a massive fan of both Looney Tunes and TCM, I have long been hoping that these two would cross paths more often. After all cartoons are an important part of film history as there was a time when cinema goers couldn't image a trip to the movies without a cartoon. Recently I found some amazing news that I am very excited about. Starting February TCM will now host the classic Looney Tunes shorts. This is being kicked off by making Bugs Bunny, February's star of the month. From February 2nd to the 9th, the channel will be showing 45 selected Bugs Bunny shorts, that include many long-time favorites of Looney tunes fans. In the spirit of a classic night at the movies these shorts will be grouped by themes and will be followed by a live action feature of the same theme. For instance, Rabbit of Seville (1950) and What’s Opera Doc (1957) will play before the Marx Brothers classic, A Night at the Opera (1935). And this is only the beginning doc; classic Looney Tunes cartoons will become a staple of the channel for the foreseeable future.
So, Overture, curtain, lights. This is it tonight of nights. No more rehearsing and nursing a part. We know every part by heart. Overture, curtain, lights. This is it; we'll hit the heights and oh what heights we'll hit. On with the show this is it. Tonight, what heights we'll hit. On with the show, this is it.
In this movie a man (Chris Pratt) finds himself in an AI court having to prove that he is innocent of killing his wife. To prove himself innocent he has all of technology (which is being monitored by the government) at his disposal.
This movie is heavily inspired by such films as Searching (2018) and Missing (2023) with how for much of the runtime every shot is either of the screen for the AI court or our main character. It does little to deviate from the formula firmly set in place, even down to the main story being a mystery. It does however break away from this with some shots neither of the screen or our main character towards the end (though there is a reason for this narratively).
Though this movie may lack originality, it works quite well as a murder mystery. The mystery itself is very well-written, and it kept me guessing all the way through. The film is full of twists and turns, most of which are very effective. The movie even makes us doubt the main character's innocence at many points or if he knows more than he is telling. The main character himself is quite engaging with how he is a very flawed person but one who truly does care about his wife and daughter. At the end when the mystery is all wrapped up, it feels quite satisfying.
The movie also benefits from very strong performances from Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. Chris Pratt delivers what might be his best non-Guardians performance as he is very believable and deeply human in this role. This show that when called upon to the man really can act. Rebecca Ferguson is fantastic as the AI judge. This is true to the extent that we forget at times we are watching an actress not a real AI.
I do wish this movie would have delved more into its commentary on AI and capital punishment as well as its implications of how much access the government is given into our technological lives in this film. The movie will touch on these subjects and then quickly move on to the more conventional murder plot.
Though this movie often plays it too safe, it is still a well-constructed sci-fi murder mystery.
Gore Verbinski's new dark sci-fi comedy is a real mixed bag.
The plot of this movie involves a man from the future who travels back in time and assembles a team to help him stop the future from being overtaken by AI.
This is a rare modern-day film in which you never know where the story is going. Nearly every twist and turn caught me by complete surprise. I found myself constantly second guessing everything I thought about the plot. This kept me glued to the screen even when many elements didn't work.
Sam Rockwell is another reason to see this movie. He is simply fantastic and brings a quirky charisma that is perfect for this type of film. As over the top as he gets though, he also does a great job in the more serious scenes.
Verbinski and writer Matthew Robinson simply have too many ideas and rely too much on being quirky. Though the main story revolves around this group of characters trying to stop AI from taking over the world, there are many side plots and other messages this film is trying to convey. We get various flashbacks throughout that show us what had been happening in various characters' lives up to this point. These flashbacks disrupt the flow of the film completely and some feel like they belong in a different film.
One flashback having to do with a mom losing her son in a school shooting, especially feels out of place with the rest of the movie (though admittedly it does play a role in the story later on). It turns the dark satire on to a different subject, in a way that can feel derivative. It also introduces characters that are simply elaborate caricatures that react in an exaggerated way that no real person would. This goes against the rest of the film, where as over the top as things might get characters react in a way most people would. Taken on its own this section might be the most effective part of the movie. It doesn't focus on an easy subject for satire like AI or cellphones and never plays it safe (the rest of the movie plays it too safe in comparison). It even has the strongest humor in the movie, while providing us with a terrifying message of how prevalent violence is in our culture and the effect that this has on our perception of tragedies. This type of bleak reflection being matched with actually funny dark humor works quite well. If this was its own short film, I would have loved it. However, as a part of a larger movie, it simply feels at odds with everything around it. Comparing the rest of the movie to this makes the flaws of the rest of the movie all the more apparent, especially how the rest of the movie takes on too easy of a target and gives us a simplistic message we have all heard a million times.
The constant quirky humor doesn't quite work here. It feels like it is trying too hard to be Everything Everywhere All at Once, without ever capturing the comedic highs of that film. Many of the comedic ideas here simply seem to be quirky for the sake of being quirky. For a movie that is so critical of technology, it falls into the same trap as most internet humor. Being random or quirky in and of itself is not funny. There are a few funny moments here but the majority of them fall flat.
There are some great things about this movie, and it does keep your attention all the way through. However, there are also many times when it takes a swing and completely misses.
Hello, my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing In the Sweet By and By. This song came about because of a friendship between composer, Joseph Webster and poet, Dr. Sanford Fillmore Bennett. One day Webster was depressed and Dr. Bennett recognized this. Dr. Bennett asked his friend what was wrong. Webster replied, "Oh nothing. Everything will be alright by and by." These words brought up an idea in Bennett and he wrote down three verses and a chorus to this song as soon as he could. He handed it to his friend saying, “Here is your prescription, Joe.” Webster loved the lyrics and wrote music for them in practically no time at all. Dr. Bennett later said, “It was not over thirty minutes from the time I took my pen to write the words before two friends with Webster and myself were singing the hymn.” The hymn was first published in 1868 and went on to great fame since. This version of the song comes from Roy and Dale's 1973 gospel album, In the Sweet By and By.
This is followed by Red Sovine with The Church Around the Corner. If you have been wandering from God, there is still time to come back to him, and he will welcome you with open arms.
Afterwards is Blind Willie Johnson with his 1927 recording of If Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down. This song would most famously be recorded by the Grateful Dead on their 1977 album, Terrapin Station. This song would also be recorded by Bob Dylan and surprisingly Tom Jones.
Next comes The Sons of The Pioneers with their 1937 recording of One More River to Cross. Our good friend Leonard Slye (aka Roy Rogers) takes the lead vocal here, but like many of the best Sons of the Pioneers recordings, the highlight is the group's great harmonies. The incredible Hawaiian steel guitar player, Sam Koki joins the boys on this recording and does a fine job.
Then comes Jerry Lee Lewis with I'm Longing for Home. This comes from The Killer's 1971 album, In Loving Memories: The Jerry Lee Lewis Gospel Album.
Now comes 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."
Today's musical selection ends with Roy Clark with 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus was another hymn born out of personal tragedy. Louisa M. R. Stead was happily married and one day her, her husband and their four year old daughter had a day at the beach, when they heard a scream. They went to see where the scream was coming from and saw a little boy drowning in the sea. Her husband tried to pull the boy out of the water but the boy pulled the husband down with him. Louisa and her daughter Lilly watched helplessly as the two died before their eyes. It is unknown when the song was actually written, but it is known that it was inspired by this tragedy and how God helped pull her through it as she soon went back on the mission field. The song was first published in 1882 a collection of hymns entitled Songs of Triumph.
Today's movie is Sing Cowboy Sing (1937) starring Tex Ritter.
Now for a message from the Reverand Martin Luther King Jr.
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church.
