Movie Review: The Teachers' Lounge (Das Lehrerzimmer)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

An incredibly intelligent and captivating film from Germany. 

Though there are no big action sequences or deaths here, this is a movie that will truly keep you on the edge of your seat. Like most great suspense films, the storyline starts off quite small. In this school where a new teacher has just started, money from various facility members is being stolen. At the start of the film, this is something that is simply happening in the background, while we watch this teacher simply go through her day-to-day job. However as the film goes on this becomes more and more prevalent. I wish to not give away anything more than this because it is best you come into this movie with no prior knowledge of just where this story is going. I will say that you will be on the edge of your seat in a way you might not expect from a movie about a teacher at her job. Much of this is due to how well this film, puts you inside the mind of our main character. You completely feel her anxiety mounting as the film goes on. This is done very effectively in many ones. Marvin Miller's score is not only wonderful to listen to, but it also always perfectly reflects what is happening in the character's mind. In many of the most anxiety inducing scenes, the music is appropriately very intense. There are also a few wonderful moments in which we fully see things from her point of view, including one where we see the images her anxiety is creating in her mind. Our connection to this character also comes through Leonie Benesch's wonderful performance that truly captures even the smallest inflections of this character. 

This movie also benefits from incredibly smart script by director, Ilker Çatak and his co-writer Johannes Duncker (the two previously worked on I Was, I Am, I Will Be (2019)). The story masterfully builds its suspense. Everything here elevates in a completely believable way, that feels completely real to us. The elevating suspense also keeps the movie from ever getting boring and therefore keeping the audience truly on the edge of its seat. The story takes a view at not only school but at society as a whole. Yet it does this in an unpretentious way, that never preaches to its audience. Instead, this is simply a story that works on multiple levels. It can be taken at face value or as a look at society today and either way it works perfectly. The script also does a great job of letting us know even the most minor characters. While some characters are better fleshed out than others, each has at least a little bit of personality. This makes the whole movie feel much more real to us. This is a script that pays attention to even the smallest details. That is a major reason for the film's effectiveness as it makes the whole movie feel more real to us.

This is simply a must see, 

Movie Review: Argylle

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable, but very familiar spy comedy-action film. 

There may be absolutely nothing in this movie that any movie fan hasn't seen before but it is still quite entertaining for what it is. The story line is very over the top and silly. However, what makes it kind of work is that the film embraces how silly it is. There is twist after twist in this film. Some of will take you by surprise, while others are incredibly predictable. Still this movie gleefully gives us each of these twists in a way that I simply enjoyed all of them. Because of the film's light tone, even some of the most over-the-top twists kind of worked. The movie also works because of the characters. Our main characters are all very likable. They may not be complex, but we do care for them and want to see them make it out of this film alive. Our main character especially works because Bryce Dallas Howard is so charming here. Matthew Vaughn is always a stylish and fun director. He provides us here with some wonderfully stylish and playful direction in many scenes. 

The humor here is more the type that will make you smile, than make you laugh out loud. While there is nothing wrong with this type of humor, there were times when the filmmakers were obviously trying to make us laugh out loud. These moments just weren't as funny as the filmmakers thought though. 

The movie does suffer from overlength and can tend to drag at times. The whole film also feels very familiar and there are quite a few times, when you think of other movies while watching it. There are also plenty of things about the plot that make no sense at all when you think about them. 

This is not a great film by any means, but it is a fun little movie.  

Cowboy Church #162

 ello 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. 

Then comes Barbara Mandrell with He Grew the Trees. This comes from her 1982 gospel album, He Set My Life to Music.

Next comes The Carter Family with their 1936 recording of No Depression in Heaven. Though this song was topical for the time it was written, it is still just as powerful and beautiful today. 

Afterwards is Jean Shepard with Precious Memories. Though this is a sweet uplifting song, it was based upon a tragedy. In 1922, John Wright lost his five-year-old son. Wright would later say about this song, “’Precious Memories’ was born in the midnight hours as I bathed by pillow with tears, likewise all my songs came through life’s severest tests.” Though this is a very famous hymn, John Wright only received $36 for writing it. He would remain a janitor that was always struggling to make ends meet for his entire life. 

Now for Bob Dylan with his 1961 recording of This Train Is Bound for Glory. This recording even predates Bob's first album. 

Now for Charlie Walker with 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. This version of the song comes from Charlie's 1968 gospel album, He is My Everything. 

Next is The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1948 recording of When It's Roundup Time in Heaven. 

Today's musical selection ends with The Weavers with The New Jerusalem.  

Now for the C.S. Lewis essay, Christianity and Literature.

Now for an episode of Roy Rogers' radio show.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114

The Lord will keep you from all harm. he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5

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 #263

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

Today's cartoon selection begins with Mighty Mouse in Hansel and Gretel (1952). This short film is a nice twist on the famous fairy tale. The cartoon also benefits from some wonderfully cartoony animation by Jim Tyler. 

Next comes a wonderful Donald Duck cartoon, Clown of the Jungle (1947). This short film includes the Aracuan bird, who first appeared in the Disney feature film, The Three Caballeros (1945). This film even features reused animation from that movie. After this the character would only make one more theatrical appearance in the Blame it on the Samba segment from the feature film, Melody Time (1948). Like all Disney cartoons of this era, Clown of the Jungle benefits from a fine cast of animators. Bill Justice animates the scenes involving the Aracuan bird and the hummingbirds and the scene with Donald and the Aracuan bird after the machine gun scenes. Volus Jones animates Donald trying to take pictures of the parrot and flamingo, the imaginary motorcycle chase and the house-building sequence and Donald in the closing scene. Judge Whittaker animates Donald trying to take a picture of the stork, the Aracuan's first suicide attempt, Donald forgiving the Aracuan and the Aracuan imitating Donald. Hal King animates the Aracuan snipping the film, the gags with the boxing glove and elevator, the machine gun sequence and the Aracuan's second suicide attempt. Al Cole animates Donald trying to photograph the mechanical birds and the gag involving the cigar. The effects animation was provided by Josh Meador and Andy Engman. Meador handles the effects in the opening scenes, while Engman handles the machine gun effects. The backgrounds for this cartoon were borrowed from a Donald cartoon from the previous year, Frank Duck Brings 'em Back Alive (1946). The working title for this picture was Feathered Frenzy. As someone who loves the sillier and wackier side of Disney cartoons, this film is a real treat to me, and I hope it will be one to you too. 

Radio Mirror, 1938

Now for an Aesop's Sound Fables cartoon, Noah Knew His Ark (1930). The following is a review from The Film Daily. "Credit this Aesop's sound Fable with possessing much entertainment value. It shows some clever touches, is musically all right and is vastly amusing. A sort of travesty on the tale of the Ark, this animated cartoon gives you Noah in the person of an old sea captain. When the deluge comes, the animals board the bark [sic] to the strain of the music. All goes well until two skunks come into their midst. The animals to escape the odiferous fellows, plunge into the water, leaving the ark in possession of the skunks." 

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

Motion Picture Herald, 1934

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in The Ducksters (1950). This cartoon is a takeoff on old radio quiz shows, as such it is a more dialogue heavy short. Yet the dialogue is often excellent and despite this, the film has some nice visual slapstick that accompanies each auditory gag, and this makes it just as fun to watch as any of the best Looney Tunes cartoons. 

Now for Katnip in City Kitty (1952). 

Next comes a classic silent Out of the Inkwell film, Koko Trains 'Em (1925).

Let us close by singing a song we all know together. 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another selection of animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 

Resources Used

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

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

A Jitterbug, a Wizard and a Cat and Mouse

 The Wizard of OZ (1939) still remains one of the most popular films of all time. Even 85 years later, this movie still lives in the mind of audiences young and old, many of whom have not seen many films from the same time period. Part of why the film still remains etched in the minds of movie fans is the songs. Songs like Somewhere Over the Rainbow, We're Off to See the Wizard, If I Only Had a Brain and Follow the Yellow Brick Road are still beloved today. However, like most movie musicals not every song made it to the finished film. One song that was cut out was called The Jitterbug. This song was supposed to be the scene before the flying monkeys took Dorothy to the Witch's castle. The Witch was to send a bug that would force our heroes to dance until they were too exhausted to fight the monkeys. Despite this scene being cut, there is a line in the finished film that references this scene, where the witch says she sent "a little insect to take the fight out of them." 

One of the most interesting places this song showed up was in the direct to video movie, Tom and Jerry: Back to OZ (2018). Here the evil Gnome King (a character from the OZ books) wants to capture Dorothy and her friends so he can have the magic of the Ruby Slippers. Like the witch was going to do in the 1939 film, he sends the Jitterbug to wear our heroes down. When I first saw that film, I smiled as soon as this song started, happy that this song has finely found its way into an OZ movie, even a direct to video one. Being in a Tom and Jerry movie made it all the more surprising. Here is the version from that film. 

The song has also appeared in various stage productions of the Wizard of Oz. Below is just one example. 

Movie Review: The Zone of Interest

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

An incredible powerful and disturbing movie.

This film involves a family living next door to a concentration camp (where the father and husband works) in Nazi Germany. We never see the inside of this concentration camp, but we hear the horrifying sounds as we watch this family. There is no big story line here instead, we simply watch this family live their lives. However, that is just what makes his movie so powerful and disturbing. The characters don't comment or pay much attention to the horrifying screams and other sounds coming from next door. They simply continue living their lives (down to the most mundane things) without any notice. The kids have a pool party, the family eats dinner together, the parents bicker over mundane things and the kids play with their toys. At one point a couple of characters are having a conversation and it is interrupted by screaming for next door. After the screaming finishes the conversation just continues like before. The very idea that anyone could simply live a normal life without even reacting to the atrocities that surround them seems confounding to us. While most films that simply focus on people simply living their lives, does so to humanize its characters, this film has a very different effect. It both humanizes and dehumanizes these characters. While this focus on the mundane makes the characters feel more real, there is only so much you can humanize them. This is because it is simply inhuman to be immune to such atrocities. 

This film is never a comfortable watch. While this is an incredible movie, it is never what one might call enjoyable. I can't think of another movie that has ever made me quite this uncomfortable. This movie is so unique and powerful that you leave the theatre still in emotional shock over what you just watched. I sat watching the credits quiet and still being overwhelmed by the sheer angry, sadness, discomfort and many complex emotions I felt. As I am writing this review, I still find myself powerfully effected by what I just saw.

 Director Jonathan Glazer stated about this movie, “This is not a film about the past. It’s trying to be about now, and about us and our similarity to the perpetrators, not our similarity to the victims." While we are horrified by this movie, when we turn a blind eye to the injustice and atrocities committed in this world is not dissimilar to what is happening here. It is very true that these situations are in many ways far from the same, but this film cause us to look inside of ourselves and whenever we have turned a blind eye to the horrors that take place in our world. This makes the movie all the more powerful and chilling. What is more horrifying is the thought that there may never be a time when that message is not relevant.   

This is the type of film that you will leave not being the same as when came into the theater. 

Silent Film of the Month: The Bathtub Bandit (1917)

 

Run Time: 12 minutes. Studio: Kalem Company. Director: Alfred Santell. Main Cast: Lloyd Hamilton, Bud Duncan, Ethel Teare, Henry Murdock, John Steppling, Robert N. Bradbury, Juanita Sponsler.

Like many of you, I love Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, The Marx Brothers and The Three Stooges. However, there is always a joy that comes from watching the lesser-known comedy teams of Hollywood's past. One of my favorites of these comedy teams is Ham and Bud. Consisting of silent film comedians Lloyd Hamiliton and Bud Duncan, this duo made a series of very fun short comedies. These short comedies lasted from 1914 to 1917. While The Bathtub Bandit may not be one of their greatest shorts, it is a fun short and its plot is so bizarre, that it easily puts a smile on my face. 

In this short film, a thief (Robert Bradbury) has a mania for stealing bathtubs. When he frames Ham and Bud for stealing a bathtub, our heroes end up on the run from the cops. This leads to our heroes being out to sea in a bathtub, which is only the start of their troubles. 

There is a time and a place for sophisticated and subtle humor and A Bathtub Bandit is neither the time nor place. This is a slapstick comedy that is delightfully over the top and has a lot of fun with its very silly premise. As silly as the basic premise is, this short only gets sillier as it goes along. With some wonderfully over the top slapstick gags, this film keeps building upon each previous gag until it reaches a delightfully silly ending. While the humor may not be sophisticated, it is really darn funny. There is hardly a moment here where I did not have a smile on my face or even laugh out loud. Ham and Bud may not have much personality in this comedy, but the actors do a good job of delivering each slapstick gag. All of this results in a very entertaining little short comedy. 

In a 1917 issue of Motion Picture News Peter Milne wrote a review of both this and another Ham and Bud comedy. Here is that review.

"Ham and Bud Kalem's comedy team are featured in both 'The Bathtub Bandit' and 'The Onion Magnate's Revenge.' Both are burlesques, the former being carried to an extreme that closely borders the foolish at a point rather remotely removed from comedy. The latter, however, has been handled somewhat more capably, while the line of trick work introduced assists largely in getting over and getting the laughs. 

"'The Bathtub Bandit' describes in its title the character of burlesque. Everything in the burlesque lines, even to the newspaper item, telling of the number of bathtubs purloined in broad daylight under the very eyes of the police, has been introduced. Ham and Bud are employed to steal the tub and the numerous adventures which the theft leads them into compromise the greater part of the picture. The humor runs along a good many lines and the plot gets lost in the latter part of the reel. Some conventional comedy is employed by a drunk who is constantly drinking beer and getting in the way of the principals. 

"'The Onion Magnate's Revenge' introduces Ham and Bud as purveyors of 'fresh' ice 'raised on their own farm.' While making their rounds they discover the great wealth of a millionaire lying in his cellar. The wealth is onions. These they steal and as a consequence become rich overnight. They eventually lose the loot but before doing so go through a number of weird experiences. Henry Murdock succeeds in getting a laugh in the one scene in which he appears in this number and all the cast are remarkably good at burlesque."

Kalem Kalendar, 1915

Moving Picture World, 1915

Director Alfred Santell directed quite a few of these Ham and Bud films. He directed a whole slew of silent comedies for not only Kalem (the studio that released the Ham and Bud films) but also Hal Roach and Mack Sennett. During the talkie era, he would have a good career directing quite a few feature length B movies and the occasional A movie. His talkie credits include The Arizona Kid (1930), The Sea Wolf (1930), Polly of the Circus (1932), Tess of the Storm Country (1932), Cocoanut Grove (1938), The Arkansas Traveler (1938), Aloma of the South Seas (1941), Beyond the Blue Horizon (1942), The Hairy Ape (1944) and Mexicana (1945). 

For anyone interested you can watch this film on YouTube below. 

Resources Used

A-Z of Silent Film Comedy by Glen Mitchell.

https://mediahistoryproject.org/