Silent Film of the Month: The Christmas Dream (1900)

Run Time:  4 minutes. Studio: Star-Film. Director: Georges Méliès. Main Cast: Georges Méliès. Original Title: Rêve de Noël. 

It should not come as a surprise that French filmmaker, Georges Méliès should have directed one of the earliest Christmas films. Georges Méliès was one of the early masters of fantasy films and magic played a major role in most of his films. With how fantasy and magic fit perfectly with the Christmas season, this a match made in heaven.

In this film, on Christmas Eve a woman tucks two little kids into bed and reads to them. A couple set pieces of Christmas go through the children's heads. The first involves a land of toys that come to life and dance. The second involves a church at wintertime. After these wonderful dreams, the kids awake on Christmas morning and rush downstairs to see a big Christmas tree with presents underneath. 

With a runtime of 4 minutes, naturally the storyline is very simple. Yet this is the real charm of this movie. In this short runtime, the film perfectly captures what it is like to be a kid at Christmas time. As a child there is nothing like going to bed on Christmas Eve and waking up Christmas morning. Like many of you, my mind would run wild as I went to bed on Christmas Eve night. I was excitingly thinking about the magic that Christmas brings. Then waking up Christmas morning was simply the greatest feeling in the world. To frame these imaginative set pieces with going to sleep on Christmas Eve and waking up on Christmas morning makes it feel all the more magical as it brings us back to our own childhoods. 

The set pieces themselves are fantastic. The set and backdrop for the Toyland scene is fantastic. It looks like a world that would come straight from a child's imagination. The church at wintertime gives a very peaceful and serene feel.

The visual filmmaking is very sophisticated for its time and even for today it looks great. This movie has many perfect uses of cross-dissolves, a filmmaking technique that would have felt new and fresh to audiences at the time. Such an effect was not easy to achieve at the turn of the century. Historian J.B. Kaufman (on his wonderful website) described how this was done. "This means that all of this picture would have been photographed on one continuous strip of film and must have called for meticulous preplanning. Once the first scenes had been photographed and the first dissolves were in place, there was no turning back. Méliès and company would have exactly one chance to film each scene in this little pageant, and if any mistakes occurred, retakes were not an option. That shoe at center stage, far from indicating a careless or slipshod filmmaker, is actually a testament to the pains Méliès took in crafting this and his other films."

If you want to watch this delightful film, you can do so below. 

This is a very underrated Christmas time treat. 


Resources Used

https://www.jbkaufman.com/movie-of-the-month/r%C3%AAve-de-no%C3%ABl-1900

Cowboy Church #244

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

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with the medley Remember Whose Birthday It Is/Happy Birthday, Gentle Saviour. There is no problem at all enjoying all of the presents, decorations and movies that come with Christmas (and no one loves them more than me), but we must always remember that Christmas is all about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and it is important every Christmas to remember what Jesus gave up by coming down from heaven to be a human here on Earth. Most importantly it is important to remember why he did it. He did it because of his love for us and his desire for us to be able to spend eternity in heaven with him. This wonderful recording comes from Roy and Dale's 1967 Christmas album, Christmas is Always.

This is followed by Brenda Lee with Papa Noel. This 1958 recording was the B-side to Brenda's biggest hit, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. 

Afterwards is The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1947 recording of The Sea Walker. This song was written by Tim Spencer, one of the group's founding members. Music was a major part of Tim's life from very early on. In fact when he was only 3 years old he was already singing at the church he grew up in. His love of things cowboy and western related also began very early as he had grown in awe of western movies and screen cowboys like Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, William S. Hart and others were his boyhood heroes. With this it is no surprise that in 1931, he went to California to see how his talents could be used in Hollywood. Yet music always remained a major passion for him. As he worked in a warehouse, he would spend his weekends and time after working going around to all the country music radio shows, getting to know all the people he could. This is how he met fellow founding members of the Sons of the Pioneers, Bob Nolan and Leonard Slye (later Roy Rogers). The Sea Walker as well as being written by Tim also features him as the lead singer. The great Bass vocals in this song are courtesy of Hugh Farr.

Then comes The Chuck Wagon Gang with It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.  The song was written by Edmund H. Sears. This hymn first appeared in Boston's Christian Register, on December 29, 1849 (yes after Christmas). That version has a verse that does not appear in this version, "But with the woes of sin and strife the world has suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not the love-song, which they bring: O hush the noise, ye men of strife, and hear the angels sing!" This verse reflects the state if America at the time this song was written. The Civil War was approaching, and Sears found himself concerned with the division in our country. Unlike many Christmas songs, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear is not a song about peace on Earth but rather a plea for it. With the division and anger that is so prevalent today, this is a perfect Christmas song for our time as well. This song has been put to different tunes over the years and the two most prevalent are Carol (by Richard Storis Willis in 1850) and Noel (by Sir Arthur Sullivan in 1878). Carol is the preferred version of this song in the U.S. This recording of the song comes from The Chuck Wagon Gang's 1970 album, Going Home for Christmas. 

Next is Mississippi John Hurt with his 1928 recording of Blessed be the Name.

Now for Doc Watson 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. 

 Today's musical selection ends with a true Christmas classic, Gene Autry's 1949 recording of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. After Gene had a hit with Here Comes Santa Claus, it seemed natural that he needed a Christmas follow-up. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer ended up being that follow-up. Rudolph as a character made his debut in a children's book by Robert L. May, that was a free booklet that was handed out to kids at Montgomery Ward. The song was written by May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks. Marks would later say about writing this song, "I thought about it for a while and sat down to write a song about it. That song was easily one of the worst songs ever written. Then about a year later I was walking down the street when a new melody came to me. It's the only time that ever happened to me, and I have to admit it is a great melody." When this song was sent to Gene, he was originally hesitant to record it. He was not a fan. However, his wife Ina loved the song. It is widely believed that Ina talked Gene into recording this song. With all the recordings of this popular Christmas carol over the years, Johnny Marks said Gene's version was his favorite. In 1961 he told Gene, "What I sent you in 1949 were ink dots on a piece of paper. You had to translate this into a sound, lyrically and musically, that people would like. How many great songs have been lost because of the wrong rendition? Many people have said 'Any one could have had a hit with Rudolph.' My answer has always been: 'We'll never know. I only know that Gene Autry did do it, and that all the other followed." (quotes from Public Cowboy no.1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry by Holly George-Warren)

Now for a Christmas sermon from Charles Spurgeon. 

Today's movie is The Utah Trail (1938) starring Tex Ritter. 

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. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #257

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a Christmas classic, Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952). Like many of the post-1930's Mickey Mouse short films, Mickey is not really the star of this cartoon. Instead, the movie centers around Pluto and Chip and Dale. Though Chip and Dale are mostly recognized for fighting with Donald Duck, they did make their film debut as antagonists for Pluto in Private Pluto (1943). This movie features a great cast of animators including, George Kreisl, Fred Moore, Bill Justice, Volus Jones, Blaine Gibson and Dan MacManus. Dan MacManus animates the opening scene of the cartoon. Fred Moore is recognized as one of the greatest Mickey animators of all time and he gets to show that off here as he animates Mickey chopping down the tree, Mickey decorating the tree, Mickey with the Christmas gifts, Mickey's reactions to Pluto's antics, Mickey holding the chipmunks and him and Pluto looking out the window. Bill Justice and Volus Jones animate much of the Chipmunks. Justice also animates the cameo of Minnie, Donald and Goofy at the end. George Kreisl animates much of Pluto's antics. Blaine Gibson animates very little in this movie with the tree lights going off and on. This cartoon was directed by Jack Hannah, who directed the majority of the Chip and Dale shorts. 

Now for our good friend Mighty Mouse in When Mousehood was in Flower (1953). In this short film, Mighty Mouse helps a pretty young mouse when an evil cat tries to get her to marry him. As one can tell from the title, this familiar story takes place back in the days of knights and castles. Like many Mighty Mouse cartoons of this era, this short is presented in an operetta style. To me this style suited these period pictures, even better than the modern-day ones. This cartoon was directed by Connie Rasinski.

Next comes the Aesop's Sound Fables cartoon, House Cleaning Time (1929). 

Santa's Surprise (1947) is an especially delightful Christmas cartoon from Famous Studios. This cartoon is best remembered as the first cartoon to feature the character of Little Audrey. Little Audrey was an original character for the studio and also a replacement for Little Lulu, who the studio had made a series of cartoons within the past. Little Lulu was not created by the studio but was the star of a comic strip by Marjorie Henderson Buell. When Paramount decided not to renew the license for Famous Studios to use that character, Little Audrey was created. The character was designed by veteran Disney animator Bill Tytla (possibly my favorite Disney animator), who was now a director at Famous. This short's lead animator was Myron Waldman, who specialized in cute animation (often shining his best in the studio's Casper series). Myron would later remember this cartoon as one he was especially happy with.

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now we join Heckle and Jeckle in The Lion Hunt (1949). This short film was directed by Eddie Donnelly. Producer Paul Terry said about Eddie Donnely, "Eddie Donnelly was a very hard worker. I remember we used to wash the cels and use them over again in [the 1930's], and Ed even used to that at night so he could make a little extra money. [He Started] at Fables, and he got to be a very good director. He was on par with Connie Rasinski, and Connie was the best." 

Next is Mickey Mouse in Mickey’s Christmas Crisis (2000). This cartoon would later be used on the House of Mouse episode, Clarabelle's Christmas List (2002). 

It is now silent movie time with Felix Lends a Hand (1922). 

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

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

https://afilmla.blogspot.com/

 

Movie Review: Zootopia 2

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent Disney sequel. 

What really makes this movie work is how it expands on Nick and Judy's relationship. After the events of the last film, they are officially Zootopia's new police team. However all is not well in paradise. It seems there is a lot of friction between them and the two's approach to their police work makes it, so they are not exactly on the same page. This friction is handled incredibly well. It feels very natural and real, just like friction two actual partners would have. The reasons why they are not working well together also reveal a lot about who these characters actually are. This gives us an even greater understanding of these characters then we had in the first film. These are fully fleshed out characters that feel completely real to us in the vein of many classic Disney characters. Underneath the characters' friction with each other, you can still feel how much they love and care about each other. This is even true in the scenes when they are most at odds with each other. How well they work as a team is put to the test here, but their friendship is never in question. I loved this aspect as it made both characters feel completely endearing here.

For a movie where these characters are solving a mystery, the plot actually contains a lot of twists. Some of them I saw coming while others took me by surprise. All of these twists though worked very well making this a fun and constantly engaging ride. 

The humor could be a bit hit and miss ay times. However, when it works it is truly hilarious and there will multiple gags that really made me laugh here. 

  The thing that keeps this movie from being as great as the first film is that it rehashes a lot of story elements from the previous movie. The first movie involved a villain who framed a whole group of animals and created a prejudice against these animals in order to retain power. This second movie features a family of villains doing the exact same thing against a different group of animals. While the message about prejudice and scapegoating is still important, I wish this sequel could have been more original in the way it presented it. 

This movie may rehash many plot points from the first film. However, if you look past that, this is a truly excellent movie with a lot to recommend it. 

Movie Trailer: GOAT

Movie Trailer: Hoppers

Video Link: Disney's Forgotten Power Couple: Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow - West of Neverland

Classic Short Film: Daffy Duck and Tom Turk (1944)

Happy Thanksgiving all. 

Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise (2020)

 

Scott Eyman is becoming one of my favorite film historians. After reading his biography of Cary Grant, I am even more of a fan. This biography is a gripping read that I always hated to put down. It is incredibly well-written, very informative and always fair when examining its subject. 

One of the main points this book makes is that the persona of Cary Grant was a creation of Grant himself. While it did not fully resemble the man who was born Archie Leach and would later bear the name of Cary Grant, it was the creation of the star not the studio. As well as digging into Cary Grant and his movie career, this book also greatly discusses who Archie Leach was. Probably the highlight of this book is the early chapters discussing Archie's life before becoming Cary Grant. As most writings about the Hollywood star tend to focus on his movie career, this is where I learned the most about the man born as Archie Leach. These early chapters are not only very well researched and informative but also where Scott Eyman's writing is at its best. We feel completely engrossed in this bygone world of English Music Halls and American vaudeville. The picture painted of a very vivid picture of this world, and it is easy to understand how it shaped Archie Leach, well into the years he would be known as Cary Grant. 

As well as starting strong, this book also finishes very strong. Most movie star biographies tend to wind down when the reach the years when the star retired. That is far from the case here. Eyman digs heavily into these years painting a very vivid picture of an older man, who finally find much of the peace and joy that he looked for through much of his life (especially due to the love he felt for his daughter Jennifer). These chapters give us probably our greatest understanding of who the man is. 

Though the middle section may not be as strong as the start or finish, it is still quite well worth the read. This is especially true because of the chapters when it talks about Grant's working and personal relationships with his three favorite and possibly best directors, Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks and Leo McCarey. The book provides a very well-researched look into the making of his best work. It also provides a very smart and well-written critical examination of his filmography as a whole. Eyman argues that Grant's reluctance to take risks with many of his roles, hurt his career at times causing him to make inferior films while passing up movies that would have been perfect for him. At the same time Eyman is not short in his praise of Grant's best work, acknowledging that his best films are true cinematic masterpieces of the highest order.  

This book is highly sympathetic to Grant and often times paints a positive picture of the man. However, this does not mean that it overlooks or excuses Grant's worst flaws. Still for every story about his ego or selfish behavior, there are two more about how he took chances with newcomers he believed in or how much he truly loved his daughter. 

This is a must-read biography.    

Movie Review: Now You See Me Now You Don't

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

An enjoyable but instantly forgettable movie.

I have seen the previous two movies in this series. I remember enjoying them but remember next to nothing else about them. I thought that those two previous films would come back to me as I watched this third entry, but they did not. I feel this third movie is most likely going to suffer the same fate for me. I enjoyed watching it, but I doubt that even a few months from now, I'll be able to tell you anything that happened in it.

Everything about this movie is simply average. There is nothing that bad about it but there is nothing that great about it either. The characters are pleasant, but they hardly have anything to make them stand out from countless similar characters. The action scenes are fun, but they still feel like we have seen them a thousand times before. The humor may make you chuckle or smile, but it will never make you laugh out loud. The visuals are fun but again in our minds they will simply blend in with visuals from a million other movies. The only thing about this movie that stands out is that the cast has good chemistry with each other. 

There is not much more to say about this movie other than that it is extremely average. 

Video Link: Donald Duck's Hilariously Chaotic Guide to Thanksgiving Dinner - West of Neverland

Video Link: The Chaos Queen of Classic Horror - Universally Me

Cowboy Church #243

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

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Thank You God. This is the A-Side of a Little Golden record the husband-and-wife team made in 1956. The B-side was Let There Be Peace on Earth. 

This is followed by The Charlie Daniels Band with the southern gospel classic, I'll Fly Away. This comes from their 2001 gospel album, How Sweet the Sound (which I highly recommend to all those who love country gospel music). With its fast paced and joyful sound, it is hard to think of a gospel song better suited to The Charlie Daniels Band and they perform it to near perfection here. The song itself (first published in 1932) has become one of the most (if not the most) recorded gospel song in the world. This song's writer, Albert Edward Brumley, had spent much of his early life planting and picking cotton on his family's farm. This was tough and exhausting work and Brumley admitted that he wrote this song with the thought of "flying away" from the cotton field. He also admitted that he had taken inspiration from The Prisoner’s Song. This song reminds us that any troubles of this world are temporary, yet the blessings of God are eternal. It does not pretend that life is easy but reminds us that there is a beautiful hope that has overcome all the problems we face in life.

Afterwards is Brenda Lee with The Old Rugged Cross. The song 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 Pokagon, 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.

Then comes Washington Phillips with his 1927 recording of Lift Him Up.

Then comes Johnny Cash with I Call Him. The song was written by John himself and comes from his 1959 gospel album, Hymns By Johnny Cash. This was John's second album for Columbia records.  John would state that his main reason for leaving Sun Records and moving to Columbia is because producer Sam Phillips would not allow him to record a gospel album. This was especially important to John because he never set out to be a country singer or a rock and roll singer, but a gospel singer. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that as soon as he left Sun, he would set out to make a gospel record. Hymns By Johnny Cash became his first of many gospel albums and proved to be a success with his fans.

Afterwards is Megan Fowler with It is Well with My Soul. Though this is a hymn of hope and peace it was written in a time of great sadness. The song was written by Horatio G. Spafford in 1873. He had planned a European trip for himself, his wife and four daughters, however because of his work he was unable to go, and he let his family go without him and after he finished his work, he would meet them there. However, the ship was hit and quickly sank. Though his wife was saved all four of his daughters had gone down with the ship. Amazingly he wrote this hymn when approaching an area near where his daughters had sunk.

Today's musical selection ends with Sons of the Pioneers asking that great theological question, Will There Be Sagebrush in Heaven with a delightful 1947 recording. 

Now for a sermon from Al Green. 

Today's movie is Texas Gunfighter (1932).

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,

    for I am poor and needy.

2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;

    save your servant who trusts in you.

You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord,

    for I call to you all day long.

4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,

    for I put my trust in you.

5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,

    abounding in love to all who call to you.

6 Hear my prayer, Lord;

    listen to my cry for mercy.

7 When I am in distress, I call to you,

    because you answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;

    no deeds can compare with yours.

9 All the nations you have made

    will come and worship before you, Lord;

    they will bring glory to your name.

10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;

    you alone are God.

11 Teach me your way, Lord,

    that I may rely on your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart,

    that I may fear your name.

12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;

    I will glorify your name forever.

13 For great is your love toward me;

    you have delivered me from the depths,

    from the realm of the dead.

14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;

    ruthless people are trying to kill me—

    they have no regard for you.

15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;

    show your strength in behalf of your servant;

save me, because I serve you

    just as my mother did.

17 Give me a sign of your goodness,

    that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,

    for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

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

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #256

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Disney short, Old MacDonald Duck (1941). This cartoon was directed by Jack King, a fine director who directed many delightful Donald Duck cartoons at this time. As expected of a Disney cartoon from this era, this short film boasts some very fine character animation that fully shows, how much great talent was at the Disney studio during this time period. A brief scene from this short was used in the Disney feature film, The Reluctant Dragon (1941) when a live action Robert Benchley is getting a look at how cartoons are made. This cartoon would make its TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that would air on October 1, 1957. The following is an exhibitor's review from Motion Picture Herald. "OLD MacDONALD DUCK: Walt Disney cartoons - It doesn't take a good reel to have the audience applaud Disney. The mere title of "Don Duck" - and heaven help the stoic. The usual dilemmas - the repetitious finale. Sir Duck is prostrated by a beastly insect, the paying audience is prostrated with the much needed delight. Running time, 8 minutes. - Gene Rothgeb, Haven Theatre, New Haven, Ind. General Patronage." 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, Felix the Fox (1948). This short film benefits from one of the best Groucho Marx impressions I have heard in a cartoon as well as a very effective twist ending. 

Now for the Van Beuren cartoon, A Cat-Fish Romance (1932).

Now we join Porky Pig in Porky's Phoney Express (1938). This cartoon was directed by Cal Dalton and Cal Howard, both of whom received their first director's credit with this film. A review in The Motion Picture Daily stated, "Here is another Porky cartoon replete with the usual clever animation and serio-comic effects that make it an easy item to sell to a wide audience." A review in the Motion Picture Herald referred to the movie as "An amusing and clever cartoon takeoff on the hard riding heroics of 'Wells Fargo.'" 

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for Felix the Cat in Felix Monkeys with Magic (1924). 

Now for the Mickey Mouse Works short, Pinball Mickey (2002). This short was used in the House of Mouse episode, Pete's One-Man Show (2002). This is just a really charming and fun cartoon and one of my favorite Mickey Mouse Works shorts. 

Next is Little Roquefort in Cat Happy (1950). This marked the first appearance of the character. Here the character is voiced by Dayton Allen, and this was the only time Allen voiced the character. In fact, in many of his future cartoons, Little Roquefort would be a pantomime character. In the future cartoons where Little Roquefort would have a voice, he would be voiced by Tom Morrison. The storyline of this film is very similar to that of the Tom and Jerry short, Part Time Pal (1947). 

Now to 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. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used


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

Donald Duck: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

 

Movie Review: Rental Family

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A lovely and moving dramedy.

In this movie an American actor living in Japan gets a job where he fulfils roles missing in client's lives. When he plays the missing father in a young girl's life, he becomes too emotionally attached. 

This is a truly heartfelt and moving film. In lesser hands this could be overly shmaltzy and cloying. However, in the masterful hands of director/writer Hikari and actor Brendan Fraiser, ever moment feels completely sincere. It is this sincerity that makes this movie truly special. I expected to enjoy this movie coming in but I was surprised by just how much this pulled on my heartstrings. I found myself deeply moved by this film and left the theater with a greater appreciation of my life and the friends and family I get to share it with. Every character here is very well defined and I felt an emotional connection to all of them. There were times when my heart broke for them and other times when I felt great joy for them. One thing they never felt like to me were characters in a movie. I felt like I was looking at real people through a window that showed into their lives. 

Of course, I can't talk about this film without talking about the performance of Brendan Fraiser. I really love the current stage of his career that he is in. He is leaning into more mature and challenging roles, where he gets to show how great of an actor, he actually is. There was a time when people made fun of him as an actor (though I have always like him a lot), and now those people can directly see just how wrong they are. 

What a great movie. 

Movie Review: Wicked: For Good

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A

A wonderful sequel to a wonderful film. 

The first Wicked was a more lighthearted musical with a few more serious undertones worked into it. In this sequel, those serious undertones are rather in the forefront for a darker and more serious ride. This is even seen in the musical numbers, which are no longer the huge singing and dancing production numbers, but rather more heartfelt ballads. Despite this, the focus is still on the same place as the first movie. This is to say, the focus is on the two main characters. These characters remain the endearing yet complex characters that won our hearts in the first film. This movie goes even deeper into examining these characters. This is especially true of Glinda, who receives everything she ever dreamed of, yet at the price of what she knows is right. This is in perfect contrast to how in the previous movie, Elphaba refused receiving all her dreams because she would have to give up everything she stands for. Glinda though finds it too hard to resist all that she is given, though she is bugged by her conscience. As much as the first film is Elphaba's story, this movie is Glinda's story. Though I loved her character in the first movie, I found myself growing even more attached to her here. There were times, when my heart was simply breaking for her. Yet this movie also does a great job with Elphaba. This film shows the aftermath of her having given up her dreams for her morals. You feel her loneliness her and understand why she can't go back. The scenes between her and her sister are emotionally heartbreaking and make you feel so deeply for her. Speaking of her sister, we see her true colors come out in what are possibly the hardest to watch scenes emotionally. This leads to the origin of one of the main Wizard of Oz characters, which is disturbing but incredibly effective. 

Many critics are stating that the musical numbers aren't as strong here as in the first film. I kind of understand where they are coming from but don't completely agree. In the first movie every song hit masterfully. Here, there are a few songs that are kind of forgettable and not up to the standards expected. However, the best songs in this movie (such as No Good Deed, For Good, Wonderful and As Long as Your Mine) are just as great as any of the songs from the first movie. Of course, regardless of the song, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are absolutely wonderful performing them. 

This movie also benefits greatly from wonderful visuals and a great sense of atmosphere. Just like the first movie, this film transports you immediately to the wonderful land of OZ. The whole fantasy world feels so completely real to us and that is the most you can ask for in a fantasy film. The very intelligent and thought-provoking themes about how governments will use scapegoating to keep power is also present here and just as brilliantly used here as in the first movie. 

A must watch. 

Overlooked Classics: Seven Men from Now (1956)

 

When one thinks of great director/actor combinations in western film history, the first that comes to mind is John Ford and John Wayne. However, there are other great combinations that don't get as much attention. One of these is that of Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott. The duo would make seven films together, of which their first would be the wonderful and too often overlooked Seven Men from Now. 

In this movie ex-sheriff Ben Stride (Randolph Scott) is hunting down and killing the seven men responsible for a Wells Fargo robbery that resulted in the death of his wife. On his mission he travels with young husband and wife couple John and Annie Greer (Walter Reed, Gail Russell) and runs across a criminal he had previously put behind bars named Bill Masters (Lee Marvin). 

This deceptively simple storyline hides a real emotional and moral complexity. This is not a simple western where the good guys wear white hats and the bad guys wear black. While Ban Stride is very clearly the hero, he is not that we envy or would aspire to be. His is cold and stoic, letting nobody truly in, not even the audience. Though he is on the side of right, he is doing so with a heart full of pain and revenge. Watching though we know that even if he completes his mission, it will relieve him of nothing. Randolph Scott is absolutely perfect in this role, capturing the heart and pain of this character so well in a very minimalist performance. On the contrast, Lee Marvin as the villain is fun to watch being truly dynamic and compelling. In fact, his character even gets the best comedic moments in the film. The young married is also very compelling, as their relationship is not the typical romantic western leads, especially as their relationship to each other is more complex than that. For a movie that really focuses on just these four characters each of them is extremely well defined and complex. The basic storyline serves as a catalyst for studying these four characters and it does this masterfully. 

This movie also greatly benefits from some absolutely beautiful location shooting at Lone Pine California. About Lone Pine Boetticher would later state, "If you're going to make a western, you can't make a bad shot in Lone Pine. It's the greatest western location in the world. You had the mountains, the volcanic rocks, and across the road you had sand dunes and rivers. I [could] do my whole picture there.... In Seven Men from Now, I wanted one of my villains to get shot as he tries to escape through a crack in the rocks. And when he's dead, he just hangs there - he never falls to the ground. I found the crack and then I built the rest of the scene around [it] and it really worked."

This film's writer was Burt Kennedy, a screenwriter and actor, who had been working for John Wayne's production company, Batjac. Kennedy later remembered, "they just put me in a room with a title, a legal pad and a pencil, and six weeks later I had written Seven Men from Now." At first the script received little attention. However, Robert Mitchum found it and offered Kennedy $150,000. When John Wayne heard about this, he reread the script and loved it. On the last day of shooting the movie, The Killer Is Loose (1956), Budd Boetticher received a message from John Wayne. Since John had given the director a chance and produced Budd's movie Bullfighter and the Lady (1951), Budd felt he owed it to The Duke to meet him. John handed the director the script for Seven Men from Now and told Budd to read it. Budd came back in an hour and told, Wayne that he loved it. Wayne explained that Boetticher couldn't have read it in only an hour. Boetticher explained "I read 35 pages. That's all I had to read to know that it's great. I'd like to meet this Kennedy fellow." Wayne stated, "So shake hands with him," and motioned to the man standing next to him. That began a major partnership and the two would go on to work on many films in the future. The casting of Lee Marvin was Burt Kennedy's idea. Budd Boetticher later wrote, "Burt and I agreed that western heavies over the years had been portrayed as much too heavy. They rode black horses and wore black hats. You never saw anything good about any of them. Well, we set out to make our villains extremely attractive. Sure they were going to get killed - eventually - by our hero, but we wanted our audience to really love 'em while they were still kickin'." 

John Wayne was hoping to play the main role but was busy filming the John Ford classic, The Searchers (1956). Boetticher remembered, "Wayne said, 'Let's use Randy Scott. He's through.' Well, the Duke's desire to throw poor Mr. Scott a crumb was the basis for five of the finest films I've ever made." Budd would add,  "I thought the Scott character, before the pictures we made with him, was a pretty stuffy guy."

Boetticher and Scott's future collaborations would be The Tall T (1957), Decision at Sundown (1957), Buchanan Rides Alone (1958), Ride Lonesome (1959), Westbound (1959) and Comanche Station (1960). 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used

Leonard Maltin's Best 151 Movies You've Never Seen by Leonard Maltin

https://www.tcm.com/articles/111462/seven-men-from-now

Movie Review: Trifole

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A wonderful film from Italy. 

This movie tells the story of a young woman, who feels she has failed at everything, staying with her grandfather, a truffle hunter whose way of life is being threatened by the changing world around him.

This is a truly lovely movie. Much of the film is very quiet and mediative. The Italian countryside is just as much a character here as the granddaughter and grandfather. With the opening scene of the granddaughter silently walking to her grandfather's house, we are immediately whisked away to this beautiful area. Though the setting is devoid of other people, it never feels empty or lonely. Instead, it feels calm, peaceful and free. It so different from the busy modern world around us that it feels like an escape and retreat. Instead of feeling sorry for a man living by himself, we almost envy him. Here is where the emotional core of the story lies. The old man has found the way of life that gives him comfort and peace but is on the verge of losing it, while the young woman feels she may never find it. This contrast may be simple and straightforward, but it hits us emotional regardless of where we are in life because it gives us an automatic rapport with these characters. The characters themselves are wonderful. They are likable and the emotional connection that grows between them is absolutely lovely. This is due both to the writing and the fantastic chemistry between Ydalie Turk (who also co-wrote the script with the film's director Gabriele Fabbro. 

This movie unfortunately has a bit of messiness in its third act, where it briefly loses sight of what the heart of the story is. However, the film comes back strong with an emotionally powerful ending. Usually such a fault would have me give this a lower grade, but the rest of the movie was so perfect that I can easily overlook and forgive this.   

A wonderful movie. 

Video Link: Why This 1935 Disney Short Was a Game-Changer for the Fab Five - West of Neverland

Movie Review: The Running Man

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B-

I had high expectations for this movie. While it is definitely a good film, it still did not fully reach those expectations. 

For those of you unaware of this movie's premise (it was based off a Steven King book and a 1987 film adaptation of the book) a man who has been blacklisted and can't get a job, finds nowhere to turn but a game show where a man is hunted by people wanting to kill him for 30 days. This premise seems like a perfect fit for director/co-writer Edgar Wright, whose fortes are action and satire. He mostly succeeds but strangely the film feels too restrained, lacking Wright's usual touch. 

There is a lot to really like about this film. Glen Powell is fantastic in the main role, giving a real charismatic charm to the main character here. He is both a lot of fun to watch and this role and quite likable. Though the visuals never fully utilize the sci-fi setting (in the way you think Wright would), this is a consistently handsome looking movie. The action scenes are excellent, being a lot of fun and very exciting. For the most part this movie does a good job of mixing its political and social commentary in with mainstream entertainment (though a couple scenes can be too on the nose and preachy). There are some moments of genuinely good commentary. 

Oddly for an Edgar Wright film, a lot of the comedy simply falls flat. Despite seeing this in a theater with an audience no one laughed at even one of the comedic moments. These comedic moments felt oddly restrained and often times quite forced. The main problem with this movie though is in a very messy last act, which is full of contrivances that don't make much logical sense and seem to exist only so the movie can reach the desired ending. This desired ending is nowhere near as satisfying as it should be, due to it not feeling earned. 

There is a lot to like about this film, yet it never lives up to its true potential. 

Cowboy Church #242

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

Today’s musical selection begins with the King of the Cowboys and The Queen of the West, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Jesus in the Morning. This song reminds us that we are not only to leave a small part of the day with Jesus as our focus but all day long as well as everyday. We should wake up each morning with Jesus on our mind and go to bed each night the same way. While few of us will succeed with this every day, we will find that each day we do it will be an enriching day that will makes us grow as a person. This song comes from Roy and Dale’s 1973 gospel album, In the Sweet By and By.

This is followed by Patty Loveless with Diamond in my Crown. This comes from her 2009 gospel album, Mountain Soul II. 

Afterwards is Red Sovine with Cast Thy Bread Upon the Water. 

Then comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. . This hymn began with a man named Anthony Showalter. As a fan of gospel music and an elder in a Presbyterian church, he held many "singing schools" at various churches in the south. One day he received two letters from former students who were struggling after their wives had passed. To respond to these letters, Showalter consulted scripture. He came across Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." After reading this verse lyrics for a song chorus went through his head and he wrote down, "“Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” After using this in the letters to his former students he sent this chorus to his friend hymnist, Elisha Hoffman. In the letter he also wrote, “Here is the chorus for a good hymn from Deuteronomy 33:27, but I can’t come up with the verses.” Hoffman then wrote the rest of the lyrics to which Showalter put to music. The hymn was published in 1887.

Next comes Washington Phillips with his 1929 recording of The Church Needs Good Deacons. 

Following is Megan Fowler with Jesus Paid it All. Elvina Hall wrote the words to this hymn on the flyleaf of her hymn book and handed it to her pastor. Meanwhile the church's organist John Grape handed the pastor a new piece of music he had just written. Noticing that the poem and the music fit together perfectly, the pastor put the two together and the hymn was born. The hymn came to be in 1865. This recording comes from Megan's 2017 album, Tune My Heart. Megan is a very talented and lovely country singer that has as of yet not received the attention she deserves.  

Today's musical selection closes with Johnny Cash with This Train is Bound for Glory. This wonderful recording comes from John's 1979 album; A Believer Sings the Truth. This was a double length gospel album and Columbia Records felt that such an album from John could never be successful. However, Columbia allowed John to release the album on its own and it was successful earning a spot in the Country Top 50. A shorter version of the album called I Believe would be released in 1984, which would feature a select few songs from the double album. A Believer Sings the Truth would not find its way to CD until 2012.

Now for a sermon from Al Green. 

Now for today's movie, Cattle Thief (1936) starring Ken Maynard. 

Movie Age, 1931

Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

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

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #255

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Felix the Cat in Bold King Cole (1936). The Van Beuren cartoon studio never enjoyed the success of Disney, Warner Brothers, Walter Lantz or the Fleischer Brothers. One of the main reasons for this was that they lacked strong starring characters that would stay in the minds of movie goers. To try to get some of the success other cartoon studios had, studio boss Amadee J. Van Bueren in 1934 decided to hire Burt Gillett away from Disney and have Gillett supervise all the studio's output. Gillett had been the director of Disney's The Three Little Pigs (1933), the most popular cartoon of the era. Gillett clashed with many of the old hand, who felt a certain amount of resentment towards him. In 1936 Gillett decided to purchase the rights to two popular properties in order to give the studio stronger starring characters (something they were still lacking). One of these was Fontaine Fox's comic strip Toonerville Trolly and the other was Felix the Cat, who had been a major animated cartoon star during the silent era. Three new cartoons were made with Felix, of which I feel Bold King Cole is the strongest. This film has a wonderful sense of atmosphere and a delightfully clever story. However, purchasing these properties all proved to be for naught. The Disney studio left their previous distributor United Artists and found a new distributor in RKO. Unfortunately for Van Beuren RKO was also the distributor of the Van Beuren cartoons. With the Disney cartoons RKO had no further use for the Van Beuren ones and this would mark the end of the Van Beuren studio. 

Next comes the Terry Toons short, Pick-necking (1933). 

Now for the Mickey Mouse Works cartoon, Mickey's Mix-Up (2000). This cartoon would later air as part of the House of Mouse episode, The Mouse Who Came to Dinner (2001). The short really benefits from a very strong ending gag.

Next is the Terry Toons short, Swooning the Swooners (1945). This film was written by John Foster. As well as writing plenty of Terry Toons cartoons, Foster also directed plenty of them. Studio head 
Paul Terry would sate about John Foster, "John Foster was the best, the most brilliant. They say if you can take a little out of this and a little out of that it's called research. But if you take a big bite out of one thing, that's plagiarism and you're a thief. So, we used to have a saying, John Foster and I, 'Never steal more than you can carry.'"  Director Connie Rasinski began working on Terry Toons shorts in the 1930's and would continue to do so through the 1960's. About Rasinski Terry stated, "He came to work when it was Terry, Moser and Coffman. An old friend of mine named Litchfeild, who was a painter, passed away, and his wife sent this kid over to get a job, and I gave him a job. And that's Connie. Connie, who came to work for me as a kid, developed rapidly and he was with me for practically all his life. He was fat and everything he drew was chubby and round and well fed."

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Now for an old Stop Motion short that is not creepy at all, Dolly Daisy in Hearts and Flowers (1930). Also, the poor kid who just gets run over by two cars. There are no words that can describe just what you are about to watch here. 

Next comes Porky Pig in Porky's Prize Pony (1941). In this cartoon, Porky sings We're in The Money with modified lyrics. This song was written by Al Dublin and Harry Warren for the movie, Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933). Since that was a Warner Brothers movie, this song appears in many classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts. 

Now for the Walter Lantz produced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon, Kings Up (1934). One of the animators on this film is future legendary cartoon director, Tex Avery (credited as Fred Avery). Tex Avery later remembered how he came to work at Walter Lantz studio and found himself as an animator. "I met a fella who knew a girl who was head of the inking and painting at Walter Lantz's, so I inked and painted for a while. . .. Then I worked up into inbetweens, then about that time Disney raided the whole West Coast for talent. And the three quarters of us who were left knew nothing of animation. We had just been inbetweening." Taking this into account, despite the flaws, it is impressive how much of the animation actually works. 

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in The Art Museum (1988). This is one of the short Simpsons cartoons for The Tracey Ullman Show, before the cartoon family got their own TV show.

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.

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Mickey%27s_Mix-Up

 

   

Movie Trailer: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Video Link: Dean Martin & Roger Miller - Dang Me/Husbands & Wives

Movie Review: Sarah's Oil

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent faith-based film. 

This film follows the true story of Sarah Rector, a young 11-year-old black girl, who is given a plot of land that she believes God is telling her oil is on. When she hires a company to check for if there is oil on her land, they try to swindle her out of her land. 

What makes this movie work is that it shows us the ugly side of humanity, while still remaining hopefully about the future. The film never sugarcoats when it comes to racism and human greed. We see the absolute worst of both of them here and some of these scenes can be heartbreaking to watch. Yet this is a movie about how sometimes human decency and kindness can sometimes overcome hatred and greed. We may know that this may not always be the case but knowing it can happen sometimes gives us hope, especially as sadly this kind of hatred and can sadly still exist. 

This movie also benefits from some strong concise storytelling that doesn't waster a moment, as well as some strong acting. While Zachary Levi gives one of his better performances here, it is young Naya Desir-Johnson as the titular character who steals the show. She is so charming, likable and completely believable here that she makes the whole movie work very well. 

I will say though that this movie is very predictable and it is very often that you can see exactly where it is going. There are no surprises in the whole movie. 

Overall, this is an excellent movie.