Video Link: The Justice League DESTROYED Their Teen Mascot! - Causally Comics

 

Movie Review: Solo Mio

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A very charming rom com. 

In this film, a man (Kevin James) is left at the altar and unable to get a refund on his honeymoon trip decides to go on it by himself. There he falls in love with a woman at a coffee shop in Rome (Nicole Grimaudo).  

While this movie may not offer much of anything we have not seen in other rom coms, it tells its familiar story quite well. Kevin James is perfect as a romantic lead. He perfectly captures this character who felt he finally found love in his 50's, only to be left at the altar. He can capture the hurt the character is feeling quite well Yet he also captures the joy of him finding love again as well as the humor and charm needed for a classic rom com. Nicole Grimaudo is excellent as the new love he finds and the two have excellent chemistry. The supporting cast is also excellent. Their characters may be a bit underdeveloped, but the performers make up for this (plus it is nice to see Alyson Hannigan in a movie again). On top of this the Roman setting is simply lovely and perfect for a romantic movie. Plus, rare for a modern romantic comedy, the comedy is actually pretty funny. I was surprised by just how much I laughed watching this.

This may be a very familiar and cliché film, but it is also a lot more charming and fun than many recent rom coms. 
 

Movie Review: Nirvana The Band the Show the Movie

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

A sporadically funny comedy. 

In this film (based off a TV show, I wasn't aware of) an unknown band is trying various crazy schemes to a get a concert at a well-known Canadian venue. Unfortunately, one of these crazy schemes accidently has them travel back to 2008 in a Back to the Future inspired way. 

The storyline is completely over the top and silly. However, it is the dedication to this over-the-top silliness that gives the story its charm. It is hard not to appreciate a silly movie that dedicates itself so completely to silliness, especially when these types of comedies have sadly been too rare in recent years. Yet as silly as the story is it has a surprising amount of heart to it. We actually really like our main characters and the relationship between them is very well fleshed out and kind of touching. 

I also very much appreciated this movie's mockumentary style of filmmaking. This film perfectly captures the look and feel of a documentary. I was impressed by just how great from a technical standpoint this was achieved, even to the point of using older cameras for the part that took place in 2008. 

 The main problem is that for a film that is first and foremost a comedy, it is only sporadically funny. There were some moments that made me laugh out loud here that they were too few and far between. A lot of the humor simply falls flat. This is most of all because it seems to try so hard to be funny that it can come off as a little off-putting and occasionally annoying instead. Matt Johnson as the main character can often be too over the top in his delivery of gags as well.

This movie has its charms but for such an over-the-top comedy, it is never as funny as it should be. 

Movie Review: Send Help

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent survival thriller from Sam Rami. 

In this film, an employee (Rachel McAdams) is the smartest person at the firm but because she is socially awkward and not exactly fashionable, her new boss (Dylan O'Brien) gives a promotion to someone less qualified and treats her like a joke. However when the two end up as the only survivors on a deserted island, she becomes the one in charge. 

The basic premise of being on a deserted island causing a great role reversal is nothing new. In fact, it has been done since the silent era (Male and Female (1919)). However, what Sam Rami does with it here makes it feel completely fresh. Rami makes a dark and twisted ride that is always a lot of fun. At first this movie seems very morally simplistic. We like the employee and think that her boss is a completely jerk. The early scenes do a great job of setting this up. Anyone who has ever had someone underestimate them and treat them as if they are incapable of something by someone who they are more capable than at that. This means pretty much everyone at one point in their lives or another. This fully puts us into her shoes and makes us care deeply about her and hate him. However, the characters soon turn out to be more complicated than that. She has her dark side, and he has his more vulnerable side. Because of this multiple times throughout the film, we find ourselves changing our alliances. This is because though both characters have their dark sides, we can still relate to each one. The last act of this movie becomes incredibly dark in its twists and turns but because everything was set up so well, this darkness feels completely earned. 

This movie also works so well because of Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien. They are both incredibly excellent here capturing all the sometimes-contrasting character traits that make these characters so real and three dimensional. Rachel McAdams is especially great here. She has always been a very gifted actress, but she outdoes herself here with some of her best acting. She can go from a kind and caring person to someone who is absolutely terrifying at the drop of a hat and still feel like the same character. 

This movie does have some flaws though. Much of the humor in the story's first act can feel forced and never as funny as it should be. While the final act takes this story to dark R rated places masterfully, the second act, sometimes can rely a bit too much on scenes that are only there for shock value. These flaws however hardly take away from how great this film can be elsewhere. 

A truly excellent movie.    

Cowboy Church #255

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

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Jesus Loves the Little Children.  Jesus would state, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." There is no doubt that Jesus did love the little children and he loves us big children too. If we will humble ourselves and become like little children, the blessings he has for us are immeasurable. 

This is followed by Carl T. Sprague with his 1927 recording of Last Great Round Up.  

Afterwards comes Susan Raye with What a Friend We Have in Jesus.  This hymn still has an important message for us today. When it seems like there is no one to turn to at any moment of our lives, Jesus is always there. He is always there to listen to us, no matter what. More than that though he deeply cares about every single one of us. A better friend than Jesus could never be found no matter how hard we try. What a friend we have in Jesus indeed. This version of the song comes from Susan's 1973 gospel album, Hymns by Susan Raye. 

Then comes Zach Williams and Walker Hayes with Jesus' Fault. This comes from Zach's 2022 album, A Hundred Highways. This album is not to be confused with the Johnny Cash album of the same name. 

Next is 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 sounds as great as ever.

This is followed by Rhonda Vincent with You Don't Love God If You Don't Love Your Neighbor. This song comes from her 2001 album, The Storm Still Rages. 

Afterwards is Vern Gosdin with If Jesus Comes Tomorrow (What Then).

Today's musical selection ends with Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings with The Greatest Cowboy of Them All. This is a song about heroes and all of us have our heroes. While these heroes may be entertainers, writers, political figures, intellectuals and humanitarians, when you put any of them up against Jesus Christ, they simply pale in comparison. This because even someone who is great by human standards is nothing when compared to the glory of God.  

Now for a sermon from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Today's movie is Cowboy from Sundown (1940) starring Tex Ritter. 

Psalm 146

1 Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

2 I will praise the Lord all my life;

    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,

    in human beings, who cannot save.

4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

    the sea, and everything in them—

    he remains faithful forever.

7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed

    and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

8     the Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

    the Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the foreigner

    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The Lord reigns forever,

    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.


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

Video Link: Goofy’s Game Day: The Secret Formula Behind Disney’s Sports Cartoons - West of Neverland

 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #267

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a real classic, Falling Hare (1943). This cartoon features one of the few characters to get the upper hand of Bugs, the gremlin. Despite only appearing in this one short, the character has proven quite popular and has appeared in quite a few Looney Tunes spin offs. The original title for this movie was going to be Bugs Bunny and the Gremlin. However, since Disney was working on an animated feature film about Gremlins (a movie that would never be finished), the studio took the word Gremlin out of the title of this cartoon to appease the Disney studio. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Literally and figuratively, Bugs Bunny, already a prime favorite among current cartoon characters, gets off to a flying start in the distribution season just started. The buck-toothed, long-eared clown meets up with a gremlin and both find themselves aloft in an airplane, with Bugs or what's left of him being darn glad to get back to earth. There are plenty of laughs throughout. The tough Bunny, if this initial '43-'44 offering of his producer Leon Schlesinger, is any criterion, is in for a further rise in popularity among fans who like humor. Of course, the reel is in Technicolor. It was supervised by Robert Clampett and animated by Roderick Scribner. Warner Foster wrote the story and Carl W. Stalling handled the musical direction." This movie amounts to one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons and it is appropriately in Jerry Beck's book, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes.

Next comes the Fox and the Crow in Unsure Runts (1946). In short film, the crow tries to sell the fox some accident insurance and goes to great lengths to do so. Though forgotten today, the fox and the crow were Columbia's most popular cartoon stars and would even get a successful comic book series (published by DC Comics). 

Now for the Fleischer Screen Song cartoon, The Stein Song (1930). The song in this film is performed by Rudy Vallee and his Connecticut Yankees. Vallee was one of the most popular crooners of his day. 

For the most part characters that originally appeared in Disney's animated feature films did not appear in the studio's short films. There were however exceptions to this. One of the most interesting of these exceptions was The Winged Scrouge (1943), which features the Seven Dwarfs. This is not your typical Disney short. During the time when the studio was making a series of South American films (some of them celebrating South American culture and some made for South American audiences) as part of the US's Good Neighbor Policy, The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (or the CIAA) commissioned the studio to make a series of films about health and safety. This is the marked the first of these films and the only one to use already established characters. Originally going to be titled The Mosquito and Malaria. Because of the nature of this film, it was made with the CIAA working closely with the Disney story team. The CIAA in fact sent specialists to work with the Disney story crew. Working with them on this film were Dr. Edward C. Ernest, acting director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and Assistant U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. E.R. Coffey. The studio came up with a format of the first part of the film being played completely seriously and essentially a lecture. The second part would introduce the dwarfs and bring some slapstick comedy into the film. However with this second part Walt warned, "The only reason to bring in the dwarfs is to add a little interest; when you get into gags and impossible things, you're not accomplishing the job you are supposed to do - show in a simple way how to get rid of the mosquitoes. If you make it look like a tremendous job, they'll say, hell, I'll take the mosquitoes." Even with this not being your typical Disney short, it had a great cast of animators, which even included two of Walt's future Nine Old Men, Milt Kahl and Frank Thomas. John McManus animates much of the first more serious part of the film. Milt Kahl animates the introduction of the dwarfs, Doc and Sneezy in a boat, Happy spraying oil, Dopey with a dipper and an oil can, Bashful and the birds applying the green color, Sleepy digging the ditches, Grumpy chopping the stump, dwarfs with the deer and the cart, Doc with the wheelbarrow and Grumpy with the Woodpecker. Frank Thomas animates the sequence with Dopey and the mosquitos. Harvey Tombs animates Happy with the rain barrel, the dwarfs hanging the screens, Sleepy with the birds and the dwarfs snoring. 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for the New Three Stooges cartoon, Goofy Gondoliers (1965).

Next comes a wonderful, animated short from Disney, Goliath II (1960). This film was released to theaters alongside the live action Disney movie, Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960) and the live action documentary short Gala Day at Disneyland (1959) creating a full Disney night at the movies. This short film was directed by Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman, who would later direct, The Jungle Book (1967). This cartoon has a very similar look to that later feature. 

  Up next is the Van Beuren, Rainbow Parade cartoon, A Waif's Welcome (1936). The Rainbow Parade series was started by Burt Gillett. The Van Beuren studio was no receiving the same success that the Disney or Fleischer studios were and it was felt that brining in a successful director in to head the animation studio was the best solution. So Burt Gillett who had directed the most popular cartoon short at that time, Disney's The Three Little Pigs (1933) would become the head of the whole cartoon studio. There were however constant riffs between him and those who had worked at the studio for a long time. Animator Jack Zander would later say, "He worked like Walt did. We'd do pencil tests. Of course when we were working at Van Beuren, nobody ever heard of a pencil test. We'd just animate and they'd ink and paint it and that's all there was to it, He initiated pencil tests and movieolas. We'd have to animate this stuff and look at it; he'd look at it and then he'd make changes. It was a very stimulating thing. The only ones who had any trouble were the real old animators, animating for years in a set manner. They found it to difficult to adjust." Animator I. Klein went much further on the last comment stating, "The people who were there before him felt, 'why the hell did they take this swell-head from Disney?' They often took that attitude, you know; very seldom did they say, 'Gee that's great - a good man came in,'" However one can't argue that some of the animosity was partly Gillett's fault. Klein also stated, "He was constantly firing people. There was a swinging door all the time, people coming and going." The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "A Waif's Welcome: Rainbow Parade Cartoons - Just a colored cartoon and not so hot. Why not stay by Molly Moo Cow. C.L. Niles - Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa. General Patronage." 

Now let us close with a song. 

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

The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes edited by Jerry Beck


South of the Border with Disney by J.B. Kaufman.

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/disneys-the-winged-scourge-1943/

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Goliath_II