This third film in the series has the slimiest storyline yet. It is really just an excuse to get the family to Greece. With that said it is a very pleasant little visit. This is hugely because of our main characters (which remain the strongest asset to every film in this series). Sure these characters are stereotypes but that are such charming and warm hearted stereotypes. This gives us the feeling that we are traveling with some old friends. Even the new characters are quite charming and win us over. As anyone who has been on trips knows, even if it is not always the most exciting of trips, going with the right people is often more than enough. That is certainly the case here. Our visit to Greece is also enhanced by the lovely scenery. As any vacation Film should be, this movie is simply lovely to look at with a lot of great sights.
The humor works well enough. This is not a laugh out loud movie or the type of film that you and your friends will be quoting jokes from. This is the type of comedy that is more likely to make you smile than laugh. With this said there are few to no times when the jokes fall flat and even if you don’t laugh the humor puts you in a good mood.
Admittedly though this slim storyline will seem very familiar to movie goers. There are many plot points that seem to be exactly like what we have seen in plenty of movies, including the previous two films in the series. Because of this you can pretty much always know where this film is heading and be able to see how every plot point will conclude from miles away.
This is not a great film by any means, but it does its job and provides an enjoyable and pleasant trip to the movies.
This movie stands out from many other Bollywood action films, hugely because of its main characters. These are not your typical Bollywood action heroes because they are a little more complex than that. While you are never in doubt that what they are fighting for is the right thing, there are times when we are not sure whether the way they are going about it is morally right. This makes it so we are always rooting for them, while at the same time we don't always know what they will do next. This also adds a real sense of suspense to the film as we never fully know what will happen next. This is especially true with how many well-done twists and turns there are here. This movie also works in some good political commentary into its action-packed story. While this commentary is (like many Indian films) very patriotic, it is also a bit more complex than the average Bollywood film. While this is more complex than the average Bollywood movie, it is no less fun. The action scenes here are excellent. They are wonderfully staged, very exciting, over the top (in a good way) and quite tense. The humor in this movie is also often excellent. The song numbers are also simply a lot of fun.
This film is admittedly longer than it needs to be and there are times when it can drag. This is especially true in a flashback that goes on much too long. This movie also has a very boring villain.
While not perfect, this is definitely one of the better Bollywood action movies of recent years.
What makes this movie work so well is also what made the previous Equalizer films work. That is the main character. Once again this character is simply very likable and charming (even when he is doing very violent things). Here how much we like this character is helped by two major things. One is that Denzel Washington is playing him and the other is the film's pacing. Denzel Washington is simply put a pure movie star, on par with the best from the golden age of Hollywood. He plays this role with such an effortless charm and charisma that makes it hard to be anything but a delight watching him. The pacing also helps a lot. While I wouldn't call this a slow-paced movie, it is slower paced than many other big Hollywood action films. However this works perfectly here. This pace makes us feel like we like we are experiencing everything with our main character. Because of this we always understand what he is fighting for and why he is so driven. This makes what is a very simple story, work better here than in many similar films. It also makes the action scenes work much better. Speaking of the action scenes, they are very well done here (even if too bloody for the squeamish) creating a real tension and suspense. I also love Marcelo Zarvos' music in these action scenes. It combines a more traditional orchestral score with some rock and roll guitar. This creates a real excitement and tension in these scenes. The film also has great ending that is a perfect way to close this trilogy.
This movie does have its flaws though. As likable as our main character is, most of the supporting characters are quite bland. There is little to their personalities, and they can often feel more like plot devices than actual characters. The storyline is also very familiar and it is very east to guess what is going to happen next at many points.
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today’s musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with The Bible Tells Me So. This song was written by Dale herself. Though it may sound like a simple Sunday school kid’s song, it still has an important message for Christians of any age. Faith, hope and charity should always play a major role in our lives. These should be more than just actions they should help define who are.
Now for something completely different, a country gospel tune that talks about UFOs. So enjoy The Buchanan Brothers with their 1947 recording, When You See Those Flying Saucers.
This is followed by Johnny Cash with Believe in Him. I know many of us (including myself) who are Christians can struggle with worry and fear. However any time we have these worries, all we have to do is cast them on Jesus. Jesus truly cares for us and is willing to take care of us. He wants to take our worries and fears and replace them with a peace that is greater than any of them.
Then comes Emmylou Harris with Where Could I Go but to the Lord. This song was written in 1940 by James Buchanan Coats. He was standing beside a dying neighbor, an African American man named Joe Keyes. Coates asked Keyes if he knew where he was going after he died. Keyes responded, "Where Could I Go But to the Lord."
Next is Alan Jackson with I Love to Tell the Story. When recovering from a sickness, Arabella Katherine Hankey wrote a poem about the life of Christ. This poem was broken into two parts the first being called The Story Wanted (published in January, 1866) and the second called The Story Told (published in November, 1866). I Love to Tell the Story comes from this second part. In 1869 William G. Fisher put this text to music and that is the version we know today. Still it is worth noting that Hankey wrote her own music for these words, but her music was seldom used and is now forgotten.
Then comes Carl Smith and The Carter Family with their 1952 recording of The Blood That Stained The Old Rugged Cross.
Afterwards is The Petersens with Wade in the Water.
Today's musical selection ends with The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1934 recording of Open Up Them Pearly Gates.
Now for a message from S.M. Lockridge.
Now for an episode of Gene Autry's Melody Ranch radio show that aired on September 19, 1948.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Romans 10:13-14
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
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 the Betty Boop film, Pudgy the Watchman (1938). By the time this movie was made Betty was often playing supporting roles in her own films. In this short film, her dog Pudgy takes center stage as he often did in these latter Betty cartoons.
Up next is one of the best post golden age Looney Tunes cartoons, Box Office Bunny (1991). This short film played before the feature film The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1991) in movie theaters.
Next comes a real classic, Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953). Though this is a Disney cartoon, it does not visually resemble what one excepts from a Disney film. This short has a stylized look that was clearly inspired by what the UPA (Mr. Magoo, Gerald McBoing Boing) was doing at the time. This movie was very much legendary Disney animator (and one of the infamous Nine Old Men), Ward Kimball's brainchild. Though C. August Nichols receives a co-director, he soon had little to do with this movie leaving all the creative decisions to Ward. Ward later remarked, "I was the one who did that picture all the way." As well as the high stylized look this short also uses limited animation. This is not limited animation used for budgetary reasons (like so many Saturday Morning Cartoons) but an artistic choice. Ward later commented on this decision stating, "you have to hold drawings. Watch and you'll see that sometimes the mouth just moves or an eye blinks. That is the difference between full animation and limited animation." Some at the Disney studio did not approve of the look or movement in this cartoon, with Ward even stating that for some it was "regarded as sacrilegious for Disney at the time." Iwao Takamoto for instance would state, "I believe that Ward in a sense took advantage of Walt's growing interest in live action during the early 1950's and that Walt was away from the studio more than he had been previous. This is how [Ward] was able to produce things that Walt would have never been in favor of, such as 'Toot Whistle, Plunk and Boom' which … was drawn in that stark, modern UPA style that Walt tended to disparage." However some were inspired by the short. Director Jack Hannah would even use similarly flat stylized designs in a few of his future cartoons. As this movie was almost finished. Walt Disney got a call from Darryl Zanuck (head of 20th Century Fox) who asked if they had any cartoons to go with his Cinemascope features. Walt said, "Well, I'll look around." Walt approached Ward Kimball about releasing this film in Cinemascope to which Ward replied, "We're almost finished with it but ok I'll go back and redesign some of the gags for the bigger screen." It turned out to be a much more complex and daunting task than this though. Kimball would state about these changes that they "would have to change the size of the celluloid sheet on which we make our drawings and paintings - from 12 1/2 by 15 1/2 inches to 12 1/2 by 31 inches." He also learned the difference between making a cartoon for Cinemascope. He would later state, "In Cinemascope cartoon characters move not the backgrounds. Because there is more space, the characters could move about without getting outside the visual angle … characters could no longer perform in one spot against a moving background but are moved through the scenes." Still Ward was able to meet the deadline. The movie was a huge success winning the Acedmy Award for Best Animated Short Subject. However since a live action Disney nature documentary short was also nominated for an award that night, Walt came up and accidentally thanked the "Naturalist photographers who have played such a great part in making the nature films." This movie receives the number 29 spot in Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons.
Now we join our good friend Gandy Goose in A Bully Romance (1939). In this short film Gandy must fight a bull in order to win the girl of his dreams.
Now for a commercial break.
Next comes an early Woody Woodpecker short, The Dizzy Acrobat (1943). In these earlier Woody films the character is a bit cruder than fans of his later work are used to. But there is something about this sheer unabashed craziness that many cartoon fans (including myself) can't get enough of. This movie was nominated for an Academy Award, however it lost to Disney's Der Fuehrer's Face (1943). The following is from an issue of Showman's Trade Review (dated June 5, 1943), "Walter Lantz Cartune Studios which releases through Universal, has just released 'The Dizzy Acrobat,' A Woody Woodpecker special. The cartune revolves around the circus, and Lantz had experts advising the animators so that the action and facts would be accurate." This cartoon was nominated for an Academy Award for best animated short film, however it lost to the Tom and Jerry cartoon, The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943).
Now for a silent Aesop's Film Fables short, Small Town Sheriff (1927).
Now for a classic one-shot Merrie Melodies cartoon, Bars and Stripes Forever (1939). This short film is directed by the directing team of Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, who I feel are very overlooked as directors of Warner Brothers cartoons.
Let us close with singing one we all know. Last week I talked about the Mickey Mouse cartoon, Mickey's Follies (1929). That film had a song called Minnie's Yoo-Hoo, which would become the instrumental theme for the Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts. This song also launched a sing-a-long short called Minnie's Yoo-Hoo (1930) that featured the footage from the previous film. This short was not made as a regular Mickey Mouse movie, but rather as a film to be played when the various Mickey Mouse Clubs (well predated TV's Mickey Mouse Club) would meet at their local movie theater.
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
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin.
The 50 Greatest Cartoons Edited by Jerry Beck
The Life and Times of Ward Kimball: Maverick of Disney Animation by Todd James Pierce.
Run Time: 60 minutes. Studio: Constance Talmadge Film Company . Director: David Kirkland. Writers: John Emerson, Anita Loos. Producers: John Emerson, Anita Loos. Main Cast: Constance Talmadge, John Halliday, Arnold Lucy, Natalie Talmadge, Fannie Bourke, Nellie Parker Spaulding, Marion Sitgreave. Cinematographer: Oliver T. Marsh. Assistant Director: Carl M. Leviness.
With how today the term romantic comedy has become something more associated with sweet and charming instead of laugh out loud funny, it is easy to forget that during the golden age of Hollywood (of which the 1920's are definitely a part of) there were many truly hilarious romantic comedies. The Love Expert is just one example but it is a truly wonderful one.
In this movie, young Babs (Constance Talmadge) considers herself an expert in love. Wanting to get her away from romance, her father (Arnold Lucy) sends her to live with her aunt Emily (Marion Sitgreave). When Babs learns that Aunt Emily has been engaged to Jim Winthrop (John Halliday) for six years and they still aren't married, Babs decides to use her expertise in love to help the two out.
There is no better word to describe this film than charming. This is one of those movies that I find it hard to watch without a big smile on my face. The story is quite a light-weight affair but there is nothing wrong with that. Not every film needs to be something complex or groundbreaking. Sometimes a lighthearted fun movie like this is exactly what you want to watch. What makes this movie work so well is that it doesn't try or want to be anything more than what it is. This lack of any pretention simply makes it hard to not enjoy the picture. The delightful script (by John Emerson and Anita Loos) has an easy-going charm and never once takes itself too seriously. Not only this but the funny moments are truly funny. One would not except to laugh out loud much at a cute and sweet romantic comedy like this one, but I laughed out loud a lot while watching it. This is a truly hilarious movie that truly delivers when it comes to big laughs. Because of this the film will even endear itself to those who usually don't like romantic films. Adding to the fun is a charming and charismatic performance by Constance Talmage, who is just as wonderful as always here. She brings a real charm and likability to a character, who could have easily come off as full of herself in the hands of a lesser actress. Because of this instead of feeling turned off by this part of her, we enjoy and admire the sheer self-confidence and assurance of this character. This movie also has something I love to see in silent movies. This is the use of artwork on the intertitles. This is something only a silent film can do, and I love to see these films take advantage of this. The artwork in these intertitles is simply lovely and a delight to look at.
Motion Picture News, 1920
David Kirkland was a perfect director for a lighthearted comedy like this, as by this time he had already had experience in comedy films. This was both as a director and an actor. As a director he directed many comedy shorts starring the likes of Ford Sterling, Mack Swain, Louise Fazenda, Dot Farley, Bobby Vernon, George Jeske, Harry Gribbon and Mae Busch. He directed these shorts for such studios as Keystone, Essany, Fox (on their Sunshine Comedies) and the L-KO Kompany. As an actor he starred in a forgotten series of comedy shorts called the Snakeville Comedies, as Dr. Dopem. As well as working in comedy, David Kirkland also worked in westerns. He had acted in multiple of the Broncho Billy Anderson short films. As a director he directed multiple western movies starring Fred Thompson. Even into the sound era he directed the B-Western Riders of the Cactus (1931) starring Hal Taliaferro. Starting his movie career in the early 1910's, Kirkland would still be having supporting roles in movies as late as the early 1940's. As well as directing The Love Expert Kirkland would also play the role of Mr. Smithers.
Actress Constance Talmadge, while not as well remembered as she should be, was a big star at this time. Though her acting years started in 1914, she did not receive a major role until she appeared in D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), where she appeared as both the mountain girl and as Princess Marguerite of Valois. Along with her sisters Natalie and Norma Talmadge she was part of the infamous Talmadge sisters. Her sister Norma was known for being in tragedies, while Constance was known for being in comedies like this one. Natalie's career didn't take off, but many may know her for marring silent screen legend Buster Keaton. However Natalie did appear in some films like Yes or No (1920) and alongside Buster in Our Hospitality (1923). Constance is unfortunately one of the stars of the silent screen who didn't make the transition to talkies. Natile Talmage also appeared in this film as Dorcas Winthrop. Arnold Lucy, who played our main character's father, spent most of his career playing small and uncredited roles. He did however have a credited role in a movie that anyone reading this blog has definitely heard of and probably seen. He played Kantorek in the Best Picture Oscar winner, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). As for Marion Sitgreave, who played Aunt Emily, this is her only known movie role. John Halliday, who played Jim Winthrop, had a career that stretched from the early 1910's through the early 1940's. He appeared in a wide range of movies but is best remembered for playing Katherine Hepburn's father in The Philadelphia Story (1940).
For anyone interested in this film, you can watch it below on YouTube.
