MLP:FIM Sounds of Silence S8 Ep23

This morning's episode introduces us to a new writer, Gregory Bonsignore. This episode was storyboarded by Cory Toomey (Who has been boarding for the show since season 2) and Megan Willis (who has been boarding for the show since season 6). In this episode Applejack and Fluttershy are sent to solve a friendship problem in the land of the Kirin, who have taken a vow of silence after an argument causes damage.


This episode very closely follows the formula set by the map episodes. The map tells two ponies to got to one place to solve a friendship problem. The problem happens to resemble a conflict those two ponies have with each other. Both conflicts get solved and it is a job well done. Honestly I was happy to get away from the redundancy of these storylines with the episodes revolving around the kids lately. Still I have to admit this episode does the story quite well. The lesson here about how you can't just give up living your life because you might hurt someone is an important lesson. Autumn Blaze is a great character and she is a joy to watch. The humor is very funny, and there are quite a few good laughs here. The animation is excellent, with the characters' facial expressions and reactions are just as funny and sometimes even funnier than the jokes. Overall this is a fun episode that has quite a bit to offer even if it all is very familiar.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: Smallfoot

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: A delightfully enjoyable movie.

There is a lot to recommend this movie. The characters here are fantastic. There are no bad guys in this movie, as everybody has a very understandable reason for what they do. Nobody is out to hurt anybody else, they are instead out to either protect others or themselves, enlighten, learn or just trying to keep themselves from financial difficultly. Because of this these conflicts feel so human and completely relatable. We understand perfectly where they come from at all times, and it is easy to put ourselves in their shoes and feel what they feel. Among these conflicts are lessons about blindly believing and following what others tell you and about the importance of keeping your own integrity in a world that doesn't value it. These lessons are not subtle and in fact there is dialogue that directly states these exact things. However these lessons are beautifully worked into the movie. There is never a feeling that the entertainment stops so the movie can preach. Instead the lessons come naturally from the stories and characters. As well as any of this though the movie is just a lot of fun. The design work is fantastic. The characters have a goofy and silly look that is automatically appealing and enhances many of the slapstick scenes. However it is not too silly for us to take the story serious enough for the serious scenes to work. Speaking about the humor it is very good. There are many scenes in this movie that make me laugh. Of course Warner Brothers Animation has been known for its great slapstick comedies since the days of Looney Tunes, and it continues that legacy here. The slapstick is perfectly timed and the character's facial expressions always enhance the slapstick and make it even funnier. Still these jokes again always come directly from the story and add to it instead of detract from it.


The story in this movie is simple and charming. However its familiarity is obvious. We have seen much of this before and from the first song number you can probably guess the majority of the story and get it right. The whole movie is very predictable and because of this at times we feel we have seen this before. One scene in the bottom of a cave showing cave drawings even made me think of a movie as recent as Early Man. Still it is a story that is well told despite its predictability. The songs are also very familiar. Though the are new songs they don't feel new, but instead like so many other songs from recent animated movies. The songs are still pleasant to listen to and there was never a song that I actually disliked. Still there is nothing that I am going to remember tomorrow.

Overall a charming and fun, if familiar movie.

-Michael J. Ruhland      

Hold That Ghost (1941)

With Halloween coming up, I am going to look at and write about each of the spooky-themed Abbott and Costello feature film. First up is Hold That Ghost.

Hold That Ghost was Abbott and Costello's fourth appearance in a feature film and the third one in which they were the stars. It was supposed to be their third film overall and was the third completed. However after Buck Privates became such a smash hit, it was decided to make the next movie another service comedy. So the release of this film was delayed  as the boy's made In The Navy. This plan worked out well as In the Navy was the highest earning film of 1941. Hold That Ghost was originally going to be titled, Oh, Charlie! after a scene where Lou is looking to find a man (who has been killed) named Charlie. Lou as he looks around keeps saying "Oh Charlie." Hold That Ghost was again another giant hit for the boys and is my personal favorite Abbott and Costello film.

This movie was the first Abbott and Costello movie written by Robert Lees and Fredric I. Rinaldo. This writing team would prove to be perfect for the boys' scare comedies as they would also write Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. In my opinion these are the three best of the boys' scare comedies. This is one of the five Abbott and Costello pictures directed by Arthur Lubin. His other four being Buck Privates, In the Navy, Keep 'Em Flying and Ride 'Em Cowboy.

Like many of Abbott and Costello's early pictures, this movie features musical numbers as well as comedy. The film originally was not going to have any musical numbers. However when shown an early version of the movie, a preview audience asked where The Andrew Sisters were (they had been in the Bud and Lou's previous two films). Additional scenes were than added with The Andrews Sisters performing two song numbers, Sleepy Serenade and Aurora. As an Andrews Sisters fan, I am very happy for these additions, especially since both of them are such great songs. Aurora is especially one of my favorite Andrew Sisters songs. Sleepy Serenade was written by Lou Singer and Mort Greene and The Andrew Sisters released it on record shortly before its use in this film with the words on the record stating "From New Universal Picture 'Oh Charlie!" Aurora was written by Mario Lago and Roberto Roberti, with new English lyrics by Harold Adamson. The Andrews Sisters would later again record this song for there 1957 album, The Andrew Sisters in Hi-Fi for Capitol Records. Also performing a couple songs in this movie is Ted Lewis and his orchestra. One of these songs was When My Baby Smiles at Me. This song was written by Bill Murno, Andrew B. Sterling and Lewis himself. Lewis had originally recorded and released the song in 1920, and it became on of his biggest hits. He also performed in this movie Me and My Shadow, written by Al Jolson, Billy Rose and Dave Dreyer. This song had been an important part of Lewis' live performances since it was written in 1927. Both of these are again excellent songs, but unfortunately we only hear parts of them unlike The Andrews Sisters songs which get a full treatment here. Still what we hear of these two songs is completely delightful. Maybe it is because I am a fan of music from this era, but I actually find the song numbers in these early Abbott and Costello movies to add to my enjoyment instead of detract like it does for so many others today. Whatever the reason I love the musical numbers in these movies and this movie is no exception. 

Production was set back because of the scenes where Bud and Lou work at a gas station. The studio had a hard time finding an appropriate gas station. Eventually the studio up making a gas station set themselves. This set would be reused for the Abbott and Costello movie Pardon My Sarong.     

One joke in the script did not make it past the censors. When working at the gas station Bud would explain why Ethel costs more stating "You can go further with Ethel." Not surprisingly this was cut out of the film. However a shockingly risqué joke would actually be in the finished movie. Lou accidently breaks his bed, and Camille (Joan Davis) says they will have to share a bed. Lou then does his trademark whistle.

Some gag sequences would be reused in later Abbott and Costello films. One of them would be a comic ballet between Lou Costello and Joan Davis. Lou would later do a similar (though not as funny) bit with Dorothy Ford in Jack in the Beanstalk. A sequence of a moving candle would be reworked into Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. That moving candle routine was actually where the idea to make Hold That Ghost came from. They had performed this routine on burlesque and also for their original audition for Universal. One joke written for this movie, but that didn't make it into the film was actually used in the later Abbott and Costello film, Ride 'Em Cowboy. In this joke Bud mentions a herd of cows to which Lou responds "Of course I've heard of cows."

Because Lou's scared act went over so well with audiences, a scene with Lou scared would be put into the next Abbott and Costello movie, Keep 'Em Flying.

There is so much to recommend about this movie. It has some of the funniest scenes the team ever did. These include the amazing comic ballet, the changing rooms and Lou's failed attempt at being a waiter. Many individual jokes here are also very funny. I love when Lou states that he is scared to go into the dark with no one to talk to. Bud asks him why he doesn't just talk to himself. Lou responds "I get too many stupid answers." Also adding to the comedy here is an amazing comedic performance by Joan Davis. Her comedic chemistry with the boys is perfect and she adds so many great laughs to this movie. Watching her and Lou do the comic ballet is a wonder to behold. The musical numbers are again great here. Filled with energy and excitement these songs are just a joy. As many of you know at this time, Universal excelled at making horror films, and the same care and attention seems to be on this movie. The look of this movie, from the lighting to the cinematography is incredible. It gives an amazing sense of atmosphere that is absent from most slapstick comedies. Due to this the movie gives much of the same amazement that is seen in the best of those Universal horror films and the images as well as the jokes and the songs stay in one's mind after the movie is over. Beyond all this though the movie is just tremendously entertaining. There is not one dull spot and the whole film just puts a smile on my face each time I watch it. No wonder this is my favorite Abbott and Costello movie. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Review: The House With a Clock in its Walls

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: A delightful mixture of comedy and horror.

What makes this movie work so well is that the comedy and horror blend so well. Neither overpowers or takes the spotlight away from the other. Instead they both complement each other perfectly. Both are completely part of the story and characters and feel like they grow naturally out of them, instead of being inserted in for their own sake. The horror gives a dark edge to the comedy, while the comedy helps move the story along without us feeling like we are waiting for the next scary thing to happen. On top of this both are quite well done. There may be jokes that don't land in this film, but the ones that do are quite funny. This is a family movie so naturally the horror isn't as horrifying as it is in so many strictly adult aimed horror films, but it is still effective. Some of the images seen here are legitimately creepy and cause a definite sense of unease. Even though this is a family movie, I have no doubt some kids will have bad dreams after watching it. This creepiness will make much of the audience uncomfortable and this uncomfortableness adds extra depth to the sense of atmosphere in this film. The director Eli Roth has worked on some extremely violent R rated movies in the past but he shows here he can still , creating something as effectively dark within a PG rating. Also great here is the cast. As always there is just something so likable about Jack Black in his role, that gives the movie great charm and adds to its humor. Cate Blanchett proves just as effective as a powerful but emotionally hurt witch. Young Owen Vaccaro is definitely good enough to hold his own with these two seasoned pros.    


Sadly many of the scenes that take place at school feel like we have seen them before and done much better (though two basketball scenes are very funny). These scenes feel like they are going through the motions making them feel disappointing compared to the rest of the movie.

All in all this a delightful movie and good Halloween fun.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Overlooked Classics: My Pal Paul (1930)

A movie that is happily getting more attention lately is King of Jazz starring Paul Whiteman. This is an excellent film, with many great songs, some corny but funny comedy and a lovely two stirp Technicolor look. One of the highlights of that movie is a brief animated sequence from Walter Lantz about how Paul Whiteman was crowned the King of Jazz. This sequence was fast paced, funny and represented Lantz and his team at its best. This sequence however was not Walter Lantz's only work that had to doe with King of Jazz. Lantz also made a Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon that was in many ways an advertisement for the feature film.

 This cartoon was titled My Pal Paul. As this film starts a silhouette resembling Paul Whiteman is standing in front of a billboard poster for King of Jazz. This silhouette turns around and reveals himself as Oswald. Oswald is playing a dog's tail as a musical instrument with a bow similar to what Mickey Mouse did with a cat two years earlier in Steamboat Willie. However a small dog finds that Oswald is not really playing the music as he discovers a record player underneath Oswald's "bandstand." All the animals in the barnyard make fun of Oswald and this upsets Oswald so much he decides to hang himself. He is stopped by none other than Paul Whiteman. Oswald decides to show off to his new pal by taking apart Paul's car and playing each part as a musical instrument. They join together in a jam session that includes songs from King of Jazz, such as Happy Feet, Song of the Dawn (Written by Jack Yellen and Milton Ager), It Happened in Monterey (Written by Billy Rose and Mabel Wayne) and Ragamuffin Romeo (Written by Mabel Wayne and Harry Da Costa). This is all fun until Paul realizes what his "pal" has done to his car.


It seems that many of the best Walter Lantz cartoons center around music, whether classical or jazz. There is something about music that always seemed to bring out the most energy in the films of this studio. One only has to think of the great Swing Symphony cartoons or the Woody Woodpecker classics Barber of Seville and Convict Concerto. My Pal Paul is no exception. James Dietrich's music direction here is fantastic as it is in all these early Lantz cartoons. There is a sense of pure fun and energy in this cartoon that I find irresistible. While the animation itself doesn't reach the level of what Disney was doing at this time, it is well above average for a Lantz short of this time. Adding to the fun of fun is that we get to here Paul Whiteman's real voice here singing some of the songs.


      

Also working on this film is a great crew of animators. Animating here are Ray Abrams, Bill Nolan, Clyde Geronimi, Manuel Moreno and Pinto Colvig. Geronimi would become a legendary Disney animator and director. He would go on to codirect such films as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians. Abrams would continued animating for Lantz all the way through the 1950's. Nolan was an incredible animator who played a huge role in this early Lantz cartoons, and he would go onto to become an important animator and director for the Fleischer studio and later Famous Studios. Moreno would spend most of his career animating on these 1930's Lantz cartoons. Though Colvig worked as an animator for Lantz and as a writer for Fleischer, he is probably best remembered as the voice of Goofy for Disney.


Though many today recognize Oswald as a Disney character at this time he was not. Walt Disney would learn that he did not actually own the rights to Oswald, and after refusing to take a pay cut would have the character taken away from him. The man who was responsible for taking the character away was Charles Mintz. However Universal which was distributing these cartoons took the character away from him and gave it to the head of their new animation department, Walter Lantz, who would continue making Oswald cartoons until 1943.

This cartoon can be found on the Criterion release of King of Jazz along with another Lantz Oswald entitled Africa which features animation that is reused from the animated segment of King of Jazz. My Pal Paul can also be found on youtube.

-Michael J. Ruhland  

MLP:FIM What Lies Beneath S8 Ep22

Today's episode was written by Michael Vogel, who has been writing for the show since season 6 and worked on the development crew since Season 2. It was storyboarded by Cat Tang (who has been boarding for the show since season 6) and Krista Porter. In this episode the students discover something beneath the school and their fears are put to the ultimate test.


This is a very enjoyable episode and shows just how developed these characters have become over the course of this show. They show they are more than the simple stereotypes they could easily be and are accused of being towards the begging of the episode. They have some personality traits that conform to these stereotypes, but also some that are in direct conflict with them. The fears of the characters are especially interesting, and in some cases add another dimension to the personalities. Smolder is afraid of his tough image being challenged by other creatures figuring out he likes some stuff that guys against it. Ocellus has the fear that he will always be viewed as a monster and that maybe deep inside he still is one. Silverstream is afraid of going into hiding again. All this shows just how much they have developed and become real to us. Also featured in this episode is excellent character animation, some great humor and a story that opens up more into what is possible in the world of this show without ever stretching into the field of being unbelievable.


-Michael J. Ruhland  

Movie Review: Unbroken: Path to Redemption

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland


Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: Not everything in this movie may work, but what does work is very moving and emotional.

Maybe it is because this film was made first and foremost as Christian movie that were this movie really shines is its Christian message. While few of us can truly understand what the real man went through and the pain this caused, the movie does an amazing job of showing us that it was much to overwhelming for any man to overcome on his own. The nightmare sequences are very intense and Harold Cronk's (God's Not Dead 1 &2, God Bless the Broken Road) direction of these scenes is very good. Watching this film, you understand that the character needed help from a higher power to just continue going on. His struggle with faith is played very well here and is definitely enhanced by a great human performance by Samuel Hunt. This movie conveys the message of God being able to help anybody no matter how much they hurt is powerful. However I will admit there was one thing I would have liked to have seen more of in this department. This was his visit to Japan, to meet with those who had hurt him so much. I would have liked to see him come to terms with the fact that he must forgive them and how and what he would say to them. I admit that is critiquing the movie for what it isn't instead of what it is, but I would have liked to see its take on this subject that is even difficult for many strong Christians. Still the message it has is done very well.

Where this movie falters is the romance and sadly this is a large part of the movie. Cynthia, while well played by Merritt Patterson is not the most interesting part of this movie. The way she is portrayed here bears little difference from so many similar characters we have seen. Also these romance scenes can feel rushed and like they are just going through the motions. Still what was good about this movie was more than good enough to overcome what was bad.


-Michael J. Ruhland