This documentary follows four girl scouts as the each try to reach a certain cookie selling goal that they set for themselves.
The best thing about this documentary is the four main girl scouts themselves. They are all very likable and have a charm about them that comes through on camera. We can see a bit of ourselves in each of them and it is enjoyable to spend time with them. Ara is especially adorable and sweet. She was definitely a little scene stealer and there is a moment towards the end that is quite sweet and heartwarming.
This was supposed to be a very uplifting movie that would make us cheer. However, perhaps I am too much of a cynical adult, but I found it anything but. This movie actually made me kind of hate the girl scouts as an organization. Being pushed to sell so many cookies at such a young age by a company that takes most of the profits seems wrong to me. The pressure obviously takes a real toll on them. Some of them are having their childhood's taken away for them by being pushed to do a job that would be this reviewer's personal hell (then again, I am an introvert). Meanwhile their parents (some who aren't well off financially) have to pay for any cookies their children can't sell. This movie briefly touches on these problems but refuses to truly delve into them. Instead, it just goes back to trying to be a feel-good family film. It is hard to feel uplifted when you are so angry at the reason these girls are setting these goals. It doesn't help that many of the so-called uplifting scenes, are so obviously staged. There were moments where the audience is being so obviously manipulated that they are put off rather than charmed. The above-mentioned scene with Ara is the only heartwarming scene that doesn't feel manipulative. It helps that that scene has little to do with the selling of cookies and instead focuses on the sweetness of one little girl.
While the girls were charming and likable, I would have preferred a more honest and less cowardly documentary on the Girl Scouts.
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Have You Read the Bible Today. It is important for each of us to read our Bible each and every day. The Bible is not just some book, it is the living breathing word of God. It is easy for our faith and Christian walk to become idle and stagnant and the easiest way for this to happen is to simply not read our Bible. Taking some time each day to read the Bible is the best way for our faith and our walk with God to continue growing and maturing. This recording is the B-side of a 1955 Little Golden Record by Roy and Dale. The A-side was The Bible Tells Me So.
This is followed by Dailey and Vincent with Joshua Fit the Battle of Jerico. This recording comes from the bluegrass duo's 2009 gospel album, Singing from The Heart.
Afterwards is Johnny Cash with You'll Never Walk Alone. This recording was made in a church using a real church pipe organ. Playing that pipe organ was Benmont Trench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fame. There was a plan for Johnny Cash to make a whole album in a church with an organ before John passed away. In the liner notes for the Unearthed box set, producer Rick Rubin remembered, "Yes it was one of our future plans. We have a whole lot of stuff that was still left to do. This was one of two songs we recorded in a church in L.A. with Johnny singing live -because we wanted it to sound like he was in a church - and Benmont Trench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers playing the church organ. He played the hands and the feet and the church organist pulled all the stops because it was a complicated instrument and unique. We decided to use just one of the songs on The Man Comes Around, and Johnny preferred the other one, 'Danny Boy.'" Tench remembered (in the same linear notes), "It was a really remarkable experience, because the way the organ is set up is so you can see the preacher through a mirror for your cues. I could see Johnny sitting in the chair the preacher sits in when the choir is singing, and he was in the center, facing the congregation, with headphones on. It's hard to paint into words, but the record will tell you what it was like. Indescribably moving."
Next is Porter Wagoner and the Blackwood Brothers Quartet
Then comes Elvis Presley with his 1957 recording of Peace in the Valley. As much as Elvis is known as the King of Rock and Roll, perhaps no other type of music was nearer and dearer to his heart than gospel music. This was the music he grew up with and that continued to have a major influence on him through all the years. Elvis has been quoted as saying "I know practically every religious sing that's ever been written." There is no doubt that these songs moved him very deeply. After Elvis had made his first two appearances on TV's The Ed Sullivan Show, he was clearly a very controversial figure. These performances consisted of pure rock and roll music and Elvis shook his hips to them in a way that was considered much too suggestive for the 1950's. Many groups were quick to condemn this as a horrible influence on the kids and some even claimed it to be demonic. Yet Elvis' third appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was quite different. This time Elvis did not perform rock and roll but instead did a gospel number in a slow and traditional manner. The song was Peace in the Valley and the performance was a huge success. Elvis had never done a studio recording of any gospel songs, but fans of the performance quite writing letters requesting a recording of Elvis singing Peace in the Valley. RCA quickly rushed Elvis to make a four-song gospel EP entitled Peace in the Valley. This EP of course included the title song, as well as Take My Hand Precious Lord, It is no Secret and I Believe. The EP was a huge success, and gospel music would soon play a major role in Elvis' singing career.
Next is Ricky Skaggs with a cover of the Ralph Stanley song, Hallelujah I'm Ready. This comes from Ricky's 1982 album, Family & Friends.
Today's musical selection ends with The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1948 recording of The Old Rugged Cross. The song itself dates back to 1913 and was written by evangelist, George Bennard. Actually, the first verse was written in 1912. It was written while Bennard was a part of a series of revival meetings in Albion, Michigan. He was worried about the complete disregard for the gospel around him and wrote this verse as a repose. Of writing it Bennard said, "I seemed to have a vision ... I saw the Christ and the cross inseparable." The song wouldn't be completed for several months, when he was leading meetings at a local church in Pokagan, Michigan. He played it for Rev. Leroy (the sponsoring pastor) and his wife, Ruby Bostwick, both of whom found themselves moved to tears. It was then incorporated into a service at that church on June 7, 1913. The song has the same effect today as it must have back then.
Now for a message from the Reverand Billy Graham.
Now for the 23rd episode of TV's The Lone Ranger.
Book of 1 Peter
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Be Holy
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again, it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with Oswald the rabbit in Everybody Sing (1937). Many animation histories end Oswald's story with when Walt Disney learned that he did not actually own the rights to this character he created, which lead to him creating Mickey Mouse. However, the rabbit's story does not end here. He would appear in many cartoons afterwards, first produced by Charles Mintz and then Walter Lantz (later of Woody Woodpecker fame). In the earlier Walter Lantz Oswalds, the character was very recognizably the same character that Walt Disney used. However, in the later ones (including this film), he was redesigned to the point where he no longer looked like the Walt Disney character. Though this is technically an Oswald cartoon, the rabbit actually receives quite little screen time here.
Next comes Cubby Bear in Mischievous Mice (1934). This short film is one of three that Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising made three shorts for the Van Buren studio after leaving Warner Brothers (where the made the earliest Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies). The first two of these (Cubby's World Flight (1933) and Gay Gaucho (1933)) received a theatrical release. However, this third film didn't. In the late 1940's Hugh Harman Productions did however release a print of this film with music from the studio's Industrial film, Easy Does It (1946). Enjoy.
Next comes one of my favorite cartoons from director Norm McCabe, Daffy's Southern Exposure (1942). I absolutely love the way this film treats Daffy. He is very much in his early wild and crazy mode. But at the same time there is a bit more to him than just being crazy. He is also the type of duck who is always simply looking for a good time and will ignore the warnings of others if they try to get in the way of him having fun. Still even when getting his comeuppance, he never learns any sort of lesson and remains the same duck he was the beginning of the cartoon. This is a fun characterization for Daffy, especially as he is still fun of the pure energy that makes the early Daffy so popular. This is just as much of a fully formed character as the one we would see in the later Chuck Jones classics of the 1950's. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "DAFFY'S SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: Cartoon- Good black and white cartoon. Enjoyed by people that saw it. —Conrad H. Tapia, Chief Theatre, Casa Grande, Ariz."
Now we join Donald Duck in Donald’s Happy Birthday (1949). This short film made its TV debut on an episode of the Disneyland TV show entitled At Home with Donald Duck (1956). It later appeared on an episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color entitled Kids is Kids (1961).
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Next, we join Popeye in Greek Mirthology (1954). This short film is the Hercules story as told by Popeye. The cartoon was directed by Seymour Kneitel, who started working with Popeye when the Popeye theatrical animated shorts began in the mid-1930's. He would continue working with the character through his 1960's TV cartoons.
Now for the Terry Toons cartoon, The Old Oaken Bucket (1941). The following is a review from Showman's Trade Review. "No wonder quartets continue to sing of 'The old oaken bucket that hangs in the well,' if the story behind it is as pleasant and delightful as the animators have made it here. The bucket is an elevator which lowers the hero, a frog, to his sweetheart, whom he takes to his sweetheart, whom he takes to neighborhood amusement park, where they try the parachute jump, the tunnel of love, the roller coaster and other 'thrills' before returning home. While this is no
'Great shakes' as a cartoon, it is still entertaining, and a good subject to brighten any program. Paul Terry produced."
Next is the Pink Panther in Pink Arcade (1978).
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
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald
A moving and thought provoking Japanese sci-fi film.
This movie takes place in the not-so-distant future, where through AI and robotic technology people can get a cybernetic version of lost loved ones. A couple who lost their 7-year-old son gets a cybernetic version of their son. The mom immediately accepts this as their son, while the dad finds it insulting that his son was replaced by (in his words) "a Roomba."
This film is not necessarily a movie for everyone. It's a slow paced and meditative film, that will bore some and fascinate others. Yet for those of who love these types of movies, this is where much of its charm comes from. This movie talks on some weighty subject matter including how we deal with grief, the nature of AI and what makes us human. All of this subject matter is handled in a very intelligent way. Unlike many films featuring AI as a major plot point, this film actually has subtlety in its messaging. The AI version of the young son is not dumb, evil or unsympathetic. However, he is also not their son. Even if outwardly, he looks and acts like the son, deep inside he is something else. The movie doesn't treat him as subhuman but rather just something different from humanity. We like and care for this character, but it becomes increasing obvious that he never quite fits in with the human world. This shows brilliantly that while it has it purposes, AI can never truly be a replacement for humanity. This all leads to an emotional and thought provoking third act, that even the most seasoned movie goers won't see coming. As we see how this AI cyborg is outwardly seemingly human but still can't fully be a replication of humanity makes the audience think about what it is that actually makes us human. Like all great movies, this film doesn't give any easy answers to such questions. The theme of grief is brilliantly explored with how the parents immediately react to this new kid. The mother is immediately willing to accept this cyborg as the reincarnation of her child before even getting to know him. The father on the other hand isn't willing to even get to know the child before dismissing him. They are not reacting to the child itself but instead are reacting to preconceived notions that are formed by how they are grieving the loss of their son.
Though this quiet, mediative, slow-paced film may not be for everybody, it is a very smart and captivating movie for those willing to give themselves over to it.
The stage play combines the myths of Orpheus/Eurydice and Hades/Persephone into a beautiful moving story.
As someone who has never really kept up with popular stage plays, despite always enjoying them, the way I do with movies, I came into this knowing pretty much nothing about the play coming into this movie. I honestly wasn't expecting a whole lot but found myself blown away. Everything about this play was incredible. The storyline is incredibly smart and finds the heart of these myths and understands why they can still speak to an audience today. I found myself deeply moved by this story and wanting to shed a few tears sometimes. The acting is fantastic from the main characters to the bit parts. The musical numbers are incredible. They are catchy and fun but listening to them closer shows the real depth and emotion put into this film. This play can often be simply one musical number after another. Yet the musical numbers tell the story so perfectly, that this feels like the natural and only way to tell this story. The sets and costumes are fantastic, giving this a larger than life feel. As a film, the camera work is fantastic and keeps what is clearly a filmed stage play still feeling like something truly cinematic. Despite this being obviously a stage play, I got so immersed in the story and characters that there were moments I forgot I was watching a filmed stage play. It felt so real to me.
I am keeping this review short because I hope you go into this film knowing as little as I did. Just known you are in for a real treat.
In this film, an ice cream man gives kids some demonic ice cream that turns them into zombies that kill all the adults in town.
This premise could have easily resulted in some genuine scares or some real laughs. Unfortunately, in place of these we simply get loads of gore. As soon as the story gets underway it becomes pretty much nothing but gore. The humor comes completely from kids killing people in gory ways and turning this into childish games. This is a very one joke idea that quickly wears out its welcome. Perhaps in a short film this could have been funny but in a feature film it is simply tiresome. As horror this doesn't work because with the constant gore there is no time to stop and build any sense of dread or suspense causing it to be simply not scary.
Adding to this is that the characters are all one note horror movie tropes that always feel more like plot points than real people.
There is one moment that kind of worked for me and this was a parody of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Unfortunately this was just one moment in an otherwise dismal excuse for a horror film and a comedy.
The Bride of Darkseid (Part I) is the first episode of Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show. This version of Super Friends introduced both new heroes and new villains, notably Darkseid. With these new villains, the stakes were raised as our heroes faced greater danger than previous Super Friends series. More importantly, this series has Adam West himself as the voice of Batman.
In this episode, the Super Friends meet the new superhero Firestorm, who is really college student Ronnie Raymond and college professor Martin Stein fused into one being. The team lets Firestorm join the Super Friends. However, Darkseid shows up from his home of Apokolips to Earth with plans of making Wonder Woman his bride.
This is a pretty good start to the series. Firestorm is great addition to the team. His powers provide some fun and creative action sequences. His personality is well formed from even this first episode. Even his crush on Wonder Woman allows for some fun interactions. While we don't spend enough time with Darkseid for him to feel like anything but a typical 1980's cartoon bad guy, his voice and design make him already a great villain. He also proves to be a great threat to our heroes. The artwork in this episode is also great. The background art is as wonderful as it always is in these Hanna-Barbera cartoons. As well as this the art style change when Ronnie and Professor Stein combine into Firestorm is very effective.
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 Ricky Skaggs with The Darkest Hour. This comes from his 1999 gospel album, Solider of the Cross.
Afterwards is Willie Nelson with It's Not for Me to Understand. Willie talked about this song in his book, It's a Long Story: My Life, "The questions raised by the Bible - questions that had been entertained by deep thinkers like Khalil Gibran and Edgar Cayce - had no easy answers. I imagined a blind boy in a school yard, listening to the other children play. Again, the questioning began ... 'It's Not for Me to Understand' became one of the key songs and led to even more pleadings on my part. The sign came in the form of the lyrics. I don't feel that I wrote them. More accurately, I have to say that I felt like I channeled them." This song comes from one of Willie's best albums 1971's Yesterday's Wine. Willie himself would say, "I thought Yesterday's Wine was my most honest album to date."
Next comes Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs and Johnny Cash with Jordan. This comes from Emmylou's 1980 album, Roses in the Snow. This album found Emmylou going in a more bluegrass inspired direction than her previous albums. It also featured her working with some of the all time country and bluegrass greats. As well as Johnny Cash and Ricky Skaggs, this album also finds Emmylou collaborating with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Linda Rondstant, The Whites and Tony Rice.
Then comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Lord You Made the Cowboy Happy. This song should remind us of how blessed we truly are. It is the things we take for granted each day that are our greatest blessings. Sometimes we need to stop and simply thank God for these blessings. The narrator of this song is not thankful for any big event in his life, but rather for all the little blessing he receives every day.
Afterwards is Jim and Jessie with An Old Account Settled.
Today's musical selection ends with Alan Jackson with Love Lifted Me. This song was written by James Rowe in 1912 and was based on two stories from the book of Matthew. One was asleep in the boat with the apostles during a storm. As the apostles were terrified of the storm, they couldn't understand how Jesus was so calm that he could take a nap. They wake Jesus up from his nap and Jesus simply tells the storm to stop and it does. The other story also involved the apostles, Jesus and the sea. It was about how when his eyes were fixed upon Jesus, he was able to walk on the water, but he lost the ability when his faith faltered and he looked away. Still Jesus was a faithful friend and lifted Peter into a boat. This recording comes from Alan's second gospel album, Precious Memories Vol. 2.
Now for the 22nd episode of TV's The Lone Ranger.
Now for a sermon from the Reverand Martin Luther King Jr.
Jude
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
A Call to Persevere
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
Doxology
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again, it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with our friend Little Roquefort in City Slicker (1952). This is a take on the classic country mouse and city mouse story with some delightful slapstick twists of course.
To follow on the country mouse/city mouse theme, here is an especially great Silly Symphony from Disney, The Country Cousin (1936). Like many Disney films of this time this short is especially notable for its great animation. Some of the best Disney animators worked on this cartoon. Probally the one who has been singled out the most has been Art Babbitt for his excellent animation of the drunken mouse. This is appropriate because this animation is a highlight of the film. Still there is much more great animation to be found. In fact Cy Young's animation of the traffic montage was so good that the studio reused it later in the Mickey Mouse cartoon,Mickey's Delayed Date (1947). The opening animation of the country mouse leaving for the city was by Milt Schaffer. Johnny Cannon animates the two mice meeting as well as the country mouse finding his way into a light socket and the film's ending. Marvin Woodward animates the scene with the mouse trap. Les Clark (a future member of Walt's nine old men and expert Mickey Mouse animator) gets to shine with his animation of the mice on the table and the country mouse after eating hot mustard. Future Donald Duck director, Jack Hannah doesn't have much to animate in this film. He only animates the plates falling on the floor. Paul Allen animates the two mice parachuting and some of the action with the cat. This cartoon won the Academy Award for best animated short film. It won the Academy Award for Best Cartoon Production. The cartoon made its TV debut on an episode of the Disneyland TV show entitled, From Aesop to Hans Christian Anderson (1955).
Now for the Talkartoons cartoon, The Robot (1932). This film stars Bimbo, who started off as a starring character but would later become a supporting character for Betty Boop, whose stardom would eclipse his. You can see a primitive early version of Betty in this film.
Next is the Terry Toons cartoon, Uncle Joey (1941). The title character is a caricature of comedian/actor Joe E. Brown. A review from the National Board of Review Magazine stated, "A cute cartoon about a mouse and a cat. The cat isn't as wicked as cartoon cats usually are, but he gets worsted anyway."
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Next comes the last of the great series of cartoons of the 1940's teaming Donald Duck and Goofy together, Crazy With the Heat (1947). These cartoons are delightful all the way, with Goofy's obliviousness to his circumstances (however bad they may be) playing off of Donald's insane temper. This just gets Donald more and more annoyed as the films get funnier and funnier. This is a rare Disney cartoon short directed by Bob Carlson, who mostly worked as an animator by the studio. With how funny this film is that certainly seems a shame. A review in The Film Daily called this cartoon, "Exceptionally good." I can't argue with that.
Next comes one of my favorite early Bugs Bunny films, The Wabbit Who Came to Supper (1942). One of the things you will notice first about this cartoon is how the characters are drawn. Bugs will often go off model in a way you would never see in a later short (around 1944 this would come to an end). Elmer is also in his heavier set design. Bob Clampett had redesigned the character for his cartoon Wabbit Twouble (1941) and that design would stick for four more cartoons (including this one). The design was based off of Elmer's voice artist, Arthur Q. Bryan. Yet there is so much to enjoy about this cartoon that you won't care how the characters look. Director Friz Freleng is known for how perfectly he could time a gag and this is incredibly evident. There are also plenty of incredibly clever gags from writer Michael Maltese (who would go on to form a writer/director partnership with director Chuck Jones that would result in some of the funniest and most famous cartoons of all time). Many of these gags would take cartoon logic to ridiculous and hilarious extremes. A review in The Film Daily called this short, "Tremendously hilarious." A review in The Exhibitor stated, "This has many humorous moments, even if not ranking with the best of the B.B. series. However with that title and his popularity, this offers an opportunity." The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Wabbit Who Came to Supper: Merrie Melodies Cartoons- Good. This series is taking off fast. They are asking when we are having our next 'carrot eating rabbit.' - A.H. Goldson, Plaza Theatre, Chicago, Ill."
Next comes the Color Rhapsody cartoon, Lucky Pigs (1939).
Now to close with a song.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all 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
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald
Run Time: 50 minutes. Studio: Società Italiana Cines. Director: Giulio Antamoro. Main Cast: Polidor, Augusto Mastripietri, Natalino Guillaume, Lea Giunchi.
The 1940 Disney film version of Pinocchio has had a permanent effect on how people view the character and his story. Though there have been many film versions of the character since then, almost all of them have been at least partially inspired by the Disney movie. However, the story of Pinocchio has been around much longer than that. In fact, Disney's version wasn't even the earliest film adaption of Collodi's classic story. In hindsight it is a bit shocking to watch a film version of Pinocchio that came out before the Disney version was even thought of and was not affected at all by that landmark movie. However, that is also what makes this 1911 silent movie such a joy to watch.
The storyline here definitely reflects Collodi more than it does Disney. While Disney created a tightly woven and traditionally structured story, this silent film keeps the very episodic nature of Collodi's original version. The storyline here is simply treated as an excuse for the wooden puppet to get into one misadventure after another. Unlike the Disney version, Pinocchio's goal to become a real boy is less important than the various misadventures he gets in along the way.
With its episodic structure, this is easily the most playful film adaption of the story. Imagination and fun set pieces take front stage here. As such it lacks the emotional connection of later film adaptions or the depth of Collodi's original story. However, it makes more than up for this in pure fun. There is such a surrealistic and playful tone here that I couldn't help but have a great time watching it. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously and we don't have to either. We can just enjoy the pure imagination and silliness. This is heavily enhanced by the look of the film, which embraces the more surrealistic and adventurous feel of the story. There are times when the costumes can look a bit more like something out of a play version than a film adaption, but this actually fits perfectly with the tone of the film. Ferdinand Guillame (an acrobatic clown who was already well known to Italian movie goers) is very charming and energetic in the main as the main character. He can mug at times but that honestly fits considering the tone of the film.
As an adaption, this film is rather strange. Most of the set pieces come directly from the original. However, they seemed to be shuffled into a completely random order. The result is that none of the sequences seems to lead into the next. As episodic as the original story was, each misadventure seemed directly lead into the next. As fun as this movie is, the shuffling of scenes from the original story can make it feel a bit disjointed in a way that the source material did not.
The same year this film was released, Collidi's original story was reissued in a new storybook version which featured new illustrations by Attilio Mussino. Interestingly the look of this film is extremely similar to that of Mussino's illustrations. For many Italians of that generation Mussino's illustrations become the definitive look for Pinocchio.
If you want to watch this fun film, you can do so below.
Resources Used
Pinocchio: The Making of The Disney Epic by J.B. Kaufman
This ranks among one of the best live action Spider-Man movies (even if Spider-Man 2 (2004) still gets the top spot for me). The reason for this is simple. The new Spider-Man movie is full of heart. What has always made Spider-Man stand out with all the superheroes out there is not the superpowers or the villains. Rather it is the person behind the mask. The best Spider-Man stories, whether in comics or film, have always been more about Peter Parker than about Spider-Man and that is easily the case here. Though there are some stellar Spider-Man action scenes here, the heart of the story revolves around Peter Parker's loneliness. This film focuses on Peter's fear to let anyone in and to love him after the passing of his Aunt May. As the film starts superhero-ing is becoming the character's full life as a way to compensate for how lonely his personal life is. As Peter, he spends nearly all his time watching social media videos of his former friends being sad he is not there. Yet as the movie goes on Peter's loneliness and action-packed adventures become quite intwined creating many moments that will truly pull on your heart strings. Tom Holland's previous films as the webslinger have been rather lighthearted, however he proves he is more than up to the more emotionally heavy material given to him here.
Yet as well as being quite emotional, this movie is also a lot of fun. As mentioned before the action scenes are fantastic. The action-packed climax is truly wonderful. This movie also has some of the funniest post-Endgame bits of MCU humor. Unlike the weakest MCU films, the humor and the drama are balanced out very well. The filmmakers know when to be funny and when to be serious. Neither ever gets in the way of the other.
Like many Marvel movies, this tries to put a lot of Marvel into a movie that is supposed to be about a specific one. On the bright side all of these characters are entertaining in their roles. On the downside it can make the movie feel a bit overstuffed. However, this is not enough to truly hurt a movie as delightful as this.
In this film, a man is framed for an illegal drug haul by a criminal who steals his girlfriend while he is in prison. When the man gets out of prison he hunts for the man who ruined his life.
This film greatly resembles Silent Night (2023). Both are action movies with revenge plots, and both tell their stories without the benefit of dialogue. Yet I personally feel that Silent Night did this much better. In Silent Night the lack of dialogue felt natural, and you almost forgot that there wasn't any dialogue. Here the lack of dialogue feels instead like a gimmick and honestly comes off as a vit distracting. You are constantly aware that the filmmakers are trying to tell this story without dialogue. The filmmakers seem to be trying much too hard to not have the characters speak. There are moments where the actors are doing over the top mugging to have the characters communicate without speaking. In silent films the characters mouths still move, even though we don't hear what they are saying. This feels more authentic and believable because they are communicating like people, even if we can't hear what they are saying. What we have here instead feels forced and gimmicky.
However, there is still quite a bit to enjoy here. The action scenes are exciting and a lot of fun. They are over the top and violent in the most fun way possible. The film has a wonderfully stylistic neo-noir look that gives this film a delightfully atmospheric pulpy feel. The movie also benefits from a very strong soundtrack that effectively uses various 70's tunes in a way that causes the movie to really come to life.
Despite being overly gimmicky, there is some fun to be found with this stylish action film.
For true movie lovers, the Cinecon Film Festival is one of the greatest highlights of the year. This film festival is aimed at the most dedicated cinephiles, and you can spend five days living a life that completely revolves around movies. These are not just any movies, but many are films that even the most die-hard movie buffs have never seen. Most of them come from the silent era through the 1940's, though some later films are included as well. For many of these films this is the only way you can see them as they aren't available on home video or streaming. Though these are mostly old films, you are experiencing them with an audience who has also never seen them and doesn't know what to expect. This makes them feel so fresh, new and exciting.
As well as being filled with movies, the festival also honors some great special guest stars. And this year has some truly incredible guest stars. Receiving the Cinecon Legacy Awards this year are Lainie Kazan, Nancy Kwan, Barbara Eden (of I Dream of Jeanie fame) and Anna Maria Alberghetti. Each will be interviewed following a showing of a lesser-known film of theirs. For Lainie Kazan they will be showing My Favorite Year (1982). For Nancy Kwan, they will show, The Main Attraction (1962). For Barbara Eden, there will be a screening of All Hands on Deck (1961). That movie features Pat Boone, who will be presenting Barbara Eden with her award. For Anna Maria Alberghetti, there will be a screening of The Starts are Singing (1953).
Other highlights of the festival include a new restoration of the silent OZ film, The Magic Cloak of OZ (1914), the John Ford directed silent, 3 Bad Men (1926), the John Wayne B-Western, The Lucky Texan (1934), the rarely seen tru-color musical That’s My Gal (1947), a tribute to the George Pal's stop motion Puppetoons and rare Paramount Technicolor shorts. As well as the cinematic treats there will be some rare early live television delights featuring comedians Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Jackie Gleason and Sid Ceaser.
The film festival will be held at the Landmark Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles (11272 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025), It will take place Labor Day Weekend from September 3-7, 2026.
To view the full schedule and buy tickets for the festival, please go to Cinecon's website by clicking here.
