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454,294 | 11,228,318 | 487,641 | 8 |
A Kick for Cinderella was a highly amusing Mutt & Jeff cartoon from the silent era
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While this IMDb entry seems to refer to a live-action short released in 1924 , it's also a Mutt & Jeff cartoon released the same year and since there's no listing on this site for that version , I'm reviewing it here . Mutt , the tall one , tells Jeff , the short one , about his invitation to the Charleston Ball . Jeff wants to come to but Mutt makes him stay to " keep the fires " in the fireplace burning . Jeff cries heavily until a fairy godmother grants his wishes . Of course , he has until midnight before everything changes back to normal . . . This was a highly amusing cartoon with several gags that must have really wowed audiences back then like a banana peel that keeps walking to Jeff at the ball to make him slip on it again or the short hand of the clock attempting to knock Jeff off the long hand when he tries to keep the latter from going to 12 ! Mutt , usually his buddy , seems really mean here but if you're familiar with some of these cartoons , the ending shouldn't be much of a surprise . Highly recommended for anyone interested in vintage cartoons . I found this on Cartoon Brew linked from Matinée At The Bijou which put this on YouTube .
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453,784 | 11,228,318 | 382,932 | 8 |
Ratatouille is another highly enjoyable Disney / Pixar animated feature
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Ratatouille is another highly enjoyable Pixar / Disney animated feature film that should do very well at the box office in its opening weekend . Having just said that , I must admit that the constant laughs I was expecting mainly seemed to come in fits and starts . Despite that , however , I found the story very enjoyable especially near the end when All is revealed . I found myself crying when that came so this movie definitely touched me on some level . Now that I think about it , I can't think of anything I would cut out or shorten so if the humor doesn't always flow smoothly , when the laughs come from me or the audience I feel they are deserved for the most part . Loved the scenes involving the old lady discovering the rats in her house and her attempts to shoot them all . Loved the constant weird movements involving the garbage - boy - turned - chef - with - a - rat - in - him that made the other staff look at him . And definitely loved the relationship between that garbage boy and the rat Remy and the way they cooperated together . Not to mention Remy's constant speaking to an image of his idol , Gusteau . So while not the funniest Pixar feature ( The first Toy Story probably deserves that distinction ) , Ratatouille is certainly one of the most touching . So on that note , I definitely recommended it .
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454,091 | 11,228,318 | 32,871 | 8 |
One Million B . C . , while old-fashioned , can still entertain today
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Just watched this classic Hal Roach production on the TCM site . It's the story of a man and woman and how they get their previously enemy tribes together . Actually , what I just said made the movie sound simplistic which , despite the prehistoric setting , it's not . In fact , I was surprisingly enthralled by the story , the acting of Victor Mature and Carole Landis ( though Ms . Landis is also good eye candy ) , the fights of the " dinosaurs " ( actually lizards , alligators , and armadillos ) , and the exciting special effects concerning the volcano eruption . Roy Seawright deserves mega-kudos for that last sequence and possibly for Mature's fight with what looked like a model dinosaur worthy of Willis O'Brien . Also loved the music score that was played throughout . That score might have broken whatever monotony the slower scenes may have had . So with all that said , I'm recommending One Million B . C . for anyone interested in these old-fashioned effects movies .
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453,759 | 11,228,318 | 876,257 | 8 |
This DVD documentary brought a lot of curiosity on my part of the movie clips shown
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This DVD compilation of various ' 40s-'50s movie clips that explore dark themes culled from M-G-M , RKO , and Warner Bros . ( since Warners and / or Turner own the films they're from ) explores , from multiple viewpoints , the impact Film Noir has had on future filmmakers and the world at large . Among the people interviewed : the departed like Edward Dmytryk , Jane Greer , and Sydney Pollack ( as of last week ) . Also Brian Hegeland , James Ellroy , Paul Schrader , and Frank Miller among others . They talk about music , the men , and , of course , the fem fatale . And they talk about films outside of the library that have no clips shown ( such as Paramount's Double Indemnity ) . Many of them are clips of movies I've yet to see so there's a lot of curiosity on my part to check them out . Of course , that may take a while so it may be a long time before I comment here on them . Stay tuned . . .
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454,643 | 11,228,318 | 30,448 | 8 |
Mickey's Trailer is another entertaining Walt Disney / Mickey Mouse cartoon
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Just watched this Walt Disney / Mickey Mouse cartoon on YouTube as linked from the Federator blog . In this one , Mickey-along with Goofy and Donald Duck-inhabit a trailer which can literally become a house in a beautiful setting as evidenced by the beginning scene when it's revealed to actually occupy a city dump ! As the trailer moves , the Mouse gets corn and milk from outside ( and without permission , I must say ! ) , while sleepy Donald has his room transform from a bedroom to a bathroom to a table as he , Mickey , and Goofy-who leaves his attached moving car going to the table-eat to their heart's content . Then the Goof realizes no one's driving . . . This mostly amusing Disney animated short takes its own sweet time in presenting the various gags and thrills that makes this so entertaining and the characters so lovable in how they react . Mickey's Trailer is well worth seeing for animation buffs of Walt Disney .
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454,151 | 11,228,318 | 608,230 | 8 |
This Jerry and Gary Lewis-hosted version of " Hullabaloo " was a fascinating time capsule from the ' 60s
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Just found on Guba as linked from the Classic Television Showbiz blog this rare surviving color episode of the ' 60s NBC music series " Hullabaloo " that originally aired on September 20 , 1965 . The guest hosts for this edition were Jerry Lewis with his son Gary who was hot at the time with his band The Playboys . After the network peacock with the announcer saying , " The following is brought to you in living color by NBC " we see a bevy of female dancers in over-sized shirts moving around as Jerry and Gary sing their version of The Beatles ' " Help ! " which while nowhere near as good as the classic single is pretty entertaining in its own cheesy way . Then after Pop promises those models were going to dance with son Gary's group , we see The Playboys singing " Everybody Loves a Clown " with six-year-old girls standing or sitting in a playground setting . After the song ends , the blonde one that stood by Gary the whole time asks for his autograph . When he asks if she wants one from his dad as well , she shrugs and says , " Who ? " Then Joanie Sommers sings a song about losing someone that was touching . After that , we see Jerry introduce a song written by a 19-year-old ( P . F . Sloan ) that addresses the social issues of the day ( and could do the same for today with just a few lyric changes ) . It's Barry McGuire's No . 1 hit , " Eve of Destruction " . Then we once again see the dancers with many of the guests and hosts singing many of the other Top Ten hits of the day only one of which-McGuire's version of " Hang On Sloopy " - I recognize . At the end of this segment , Gary introduces " My father , the singer " , similar to when Jerry said " My son , the singer " earlier , as we hear something Pop Lewis apparently was planning to release . The song and his performance were pretty good although I did detect some mugging . Last we hear Paul Revere and the Raiders in a nightclub setting with the dancers performing a song I did not recognize . After that as the credits roll , Gary and dad Jerry say goodnight as they plug the following weeks lineup with Jerry now wearing one of the Raiders ' Revolutionary War outfits and the dancers continue on dancing . . . This was a fascinating time capsule chronicle of a time before Gary went to Vietnam and suffered post-traumatic stress and Jerry was just getting hooked on pills . And kudos to the uploader who presented the show on Guba in the original video tape version as opposed to the black-and-white kinescops that exist of other surviving " Hullabaloo " shows . Well worth a look for anyone interested in this sort of thing .
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454,437 | 11,228,318 | 832,266 | 8 |
Definitely , Maybe is a compelling romantic comedy for adults
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Just watched this romantic comedy-about a divorced father ( Ryan Reynolds ) telling his daughter ( Abigail Breslin ) about her potential mother from three past lovers ( Rachel Wiesz , Isla Fisher , Elizabeth Banks ) - with my parents . We were all amused by some lines especially some concerning Bill Clinton since Reynolds plays someone who was involved in the former president's inaugural ' 92 campaign who later got disillusioned by his later scandal concerning Monica Lewinsky . There's even a sight of a Clinton lookalike jogging with his men in a later scene . Besides the players I just mentioned , there's also Kevin Kline who plays an grizzly author who is also involved in Wiesz's character . They all enact their characters in a compellingly believable fashion and while some may be alarmed with Ms . Breslin ( who's 11 here ) saying words like " penis " and " vagina " especially having come from a sex education class , it at least gets the Reynolds character to be a little honest about his relationships from before she was born though he stops when she asks what " threesome " means ! And Ms . Fisher is the best of the three women in the flashback scenes as her character exposes her venerability as compared to her previous role in Wedding Crashers . So for anyone looking for a more adult romcom , I highly recommend Definitely , Maybe .
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454,363 | 11,228,318 | 32,926 | 8 |
Popeye Meets William Tell is an amusing cartoon directed by Shamus Culhane
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Popeye Meets William Tell is one of several animated shorts in which our favorite sailor meets with a classic literary or folktale character . In this one , Popeye pretends to be Tell's son after the king demands to see William's arrow-through-apple trick . There's some chuckle-inducing banter about who should hit whom . There's also a funny gag involving a photo of Groucho Marx with his trademark " moving eyebrows " and some choice " anti-smoking " punchlines that might amuse some PC watchers though some of the results may also make them cringe . Nonetheless , I enjoyed this one Popeye cartoon that James " Shamus " Culhane directed and recommend it to any of his fans .
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454,507 | 11,228,318 | 23,747 | 8 |
Ain't She Sweet is an amusing Max Fleischer Screen Song cartoon from the talkie era
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I discovered this rare Max Fleischer Screen Song cartoon on Thad's Animation Blog . It basically takes place in a barn dance inhabited by cats . Many funny gags provided by director Dave Fleischer dominate most of this short like the one where one of the felines puts some punch in a cup and then drinks the rest of the bowl himself ! Or another one where a cat uses his tail to grab some food off a plate and then gets it cut off ! Then singer Lilian Roth , in live action , appears on screen and sings the title song in her bouncy and bubbly manner that makes her the living embodiment of the tune . Then there's a bizarre animated ending that has to be seen to be believed . Oh , and this one has the original Paramount opening and closing credits . So on that note , I recommended you go to Thad's and watch this short .
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454,384 | 11,228,318 | 30,280 | 8 |
Tex Avery's The Isle of Pingo Pongo is another of the " Censored 11 "
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This is another of the " Censored 11 " Warner Bros . cartoons that will probably never be seen on commercial television again . It starts harmless enough with various spot gags about the Sandwich Island ( shaped like a . . . well , you know ) , as well as the Thousand Island ( with a giant bottle of the salad dressing on board ) . There's also various birds represented such as a Mockingbird ( who mocks everything the announcer says ) . Then there are various scenes with the natives who are portrayed here in animated form as black with white lips . As demeaning as these stereotypes are , they do provide some entertaining musical moments singing " Sweet Georgia Brown " and " She'll Be Comin ' Round the Mountain " , the last number in a Country-Western vibe . Then there's the running gag of Egghead ( precursor of Elmer Fudd ) asking the off-screen announcer , " Now , boss ? " with the boss saying , " Not yet . " When that boss finally gives his approval at the end , Egghead provides the short's topper . Since this was directed by Tex Avery , I do recommend The Isle of Pingo Pongo . Just be aware of the political incorrectness that pervades the last few minutes . . .
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454,903 | 11,228,318 | 897,387 | 8 |
Shrek the Halls may become a holiday classic for a new generation
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This Shrek the Halls holiday special can be both frantic and funny and enjoyable and maybe a little exasperating all at the same time and will probably be another classic to be enjoyed for years to come for adults and children and their families in subsequent Decembers to come . Eddie Murphy's Donkey still has that endearingly irritating quality that makes him often the funniest character in this franchise . Mike Myers's Shrek still has that exasperated appeal we can identify with when Donkey almost goes too far in his constant cheeriness . Cameron Diaz ' Fiona makes a nice balance for Shrek when he needs cheering up . Antonio Banderas ' Puss in Boots is still at his suave and cute best . And the Gingerbread Man's frightening reaction to Santa Claus is a great touch of a twist in this wonderful parody of various animated Christmas specials over the years ! So if you thought there weren't any more original holiday shows to be made , Shrek the Halls may slightly change your mind about that .
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454,332 | 11,228,318 | 72,271 | 8 |
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was one really effective horror movie
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Well , after 27 years of curiosity of this controversial cult classic horror movie , I finally saw The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on YouTube which uploaded it a couple of weeks ago . When I first read about this in the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate in 1981 when the movie was re-released , the paper's critic at the time , David Foil , called it " awful " and gave a zero rating . I also read in Danny Peary's " Cult Movies " book that , compared to Wes Craven's Last House on the Left ( which I have yet to see ) which to him encouraged the audience to cheer for the killings , we're shocked at them here . No kidding ! I especially felt sorry for the wheelchair-impaired Franklin especially when his sister Sally treated him badly before his fate . Sally though , as played by Marilyn Burns , does get the sympathy since she suffers the most especially when director Tobe Hooper cuts to extreme close-up on each of her eyes as she screams constantly dreading what Leatherface and his family are going to do to her . Not sure if I want to say this is a great horror movie but it's certainly one of the most effective ever . In fact , I'm not sure if I could have handled this film when I first read about it at age 13 . . . P . S . Being a Louisiana resident , I'd like to acknowledge that the narrator was New Orleans native John Larroquette .
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454,506 | 11,228,318 | 30,272 | 8 |
Injun Trouble is an early Porky Pig cartoon by Bob Clampett
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Plenty of funny gags typical of Bob Clampett and the whole Termite Terrace gang abound in this Porky Pig Looney Tune that has the stuttering porcine character encountering Injun Joe and the hillbilly known as Sloppy Moe . Wanna to see a bear cut down to size and crying ? It's here ! Wanna to see that same bear get a treat from Joe in the form of a big dessert which Joe eats most of ? Also here . Also Sloppy Moe knows " something I won't tell " which he sings to the tune of " London Bridge Is Falling Down " and which he doesn't reveal until the end . He sounds like Pinto Colvig's Goofy but IMDb lists Mel Blanc as doing the voice . Anyway , this may be a little politically incorrect by today's standards but it's still pretty amusing to me . I checked this out on YouTube .
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453,770 | 11,228,318 | 1,042,545 | 8 |
Ripples is another cool experimental Jim Henson short
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This experimental short by Muppet creator Jim Henson lasted only about a minute . In this one , an architect ( Jon Stone ) is throwing little things in his cup in his office which he imagines doing to a pond in a forest outside then dreams during this " ripple " effect of various events that happened throughout history interspersed with still images of many events that are also cultural in nature before we're back in his office with his cup . The end . With suitably eerie sound and music by Raymond Scott , Ripples is another innovative Henson film short that revealed his talent for the unusual that served him later on " Seseme Street " during that show's live-action film segments . I saw this on YouTube where I also watched his Oscar-nominated previous short , Time Piece , that is also highly recommended .
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454,475 | 11,228,318 | 28,656 | 8 |
Bosko's Easter Eggs is a treat for anyone that are MGM cartoon buffs
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Having just seen Bosko and Bruno ( with the monkey-looking version of the character ) and now Bosko's Easter Eggs ( with the more realistic-looking black boy character ) , I noticed a couple of contrasts : besides the designs , the big difference between monkey-Bosko and real black boy-Bosko is that monkey-Bosko is actually an adult while black boy one is , well , a kid . Also , in Bosko and Bruno , Bruno chases chickens while here , the dog is scared of her because he helped Bosko steal her eggs . The reason this is is because Bruno sorta ruined the ones Bosko was originally carrying in his basket . And the one who automatically figures it out without being told is Honey , here also different from her previous characterization as an adult to that of a little girl . Not much for laughs but entertaining nonetheless with Bosko's rhymes and the way the chicken constantly chases them . Well worth seeing for anyone interested in MGM cartoons made before Tom and Jerry and Tex Avery catapulted them to everlasting fame .
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455,121 | 11,228,318 | 455 | 8 |
The Music Lover is one of the most interesting Melies shorts
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This is one of Melies ' most unusual shorts in which he portrays a music teacher who is trying to teach his students some harmony by having various heads of his representing notes on a large series of lines above him . I've always wondered how those various heads keep popping up from his body like that . In the documentary film , The Magic of Melies , I found out Georges stops film in camera , covers his head with a black sheet to match the background , then starts film again . Of course , any technical problems are fixed in editing . The way short ends with all those musical head-notes flying around is one of the most awesome sights I've seen in silent movies . By all means , seek The Music Lover out !
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454,787 | 11,228,318 | 65,492 | 8 |
Brewster McCloud is one of Altman's underrated classics
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Having read many tributes to the late Robert Altman , I was fascinated by one that mentioned Brewster McCloud was on YouTube . So I clicked the movie there and marveled at seeing Rene Auberjonois ( whom I loved in the TV series " Benson " ) talking about birds and humans and then Margeret Hamilton singing the National Anthem as the credits roll but stopping to correct the key before she sings again with the credits starting again ! Bud Cort is mesmerizing in the title role and Sally Kellerman is luminous as his guardian . Newcomer Shelley Duvall is appealing as Cort's sometime girlfriend but I'm really fascinated by Jennifer Salt's performance as a health store worker who delivers goods to Cort's place in the Astrodome and gets off just thinking of him while he does pull-ups in his underwear ! Perhaps the funniest and sexiest performance in the movie . She and Auberjonois are the best parts in the film . So by all means , if you love Altman , watch Brewster McCloud and be stunned by the tragicomic ending !
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454,312 | 11,228,318 | 34,881 | 8 |
Get bewitched by Veronica Lake in I Married a Witch
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Ten years after taping this from AMC and about thirty after first reading about this in the East Baton Rouge Parish Library film listings ( when they used to show movies on Saturday afternoons or weeknights ) , I finally watched Rene Clair's adaptation of Thorne Smith's I Married a Witch starring Fredric March and Veronica Lake . What a wonderful fantasy-comedy-romance concerning the two leads and surrounded by such hilarious supporting performances of Robert Benchley , Cecil Kellaway , a young Susan Hayward , and that lady who kept singing " I Love You Truly " ( Helen St . Rayner ) ! Witty lines , awesome visual effects , and perfect timing combine to make this one of the most pleasant surprises from the Golden Age of Movies when audiences wanted escapism from the war that was raging at the time . It was perhaps because of this movie-and possibly Smith's original source novel-that helped make the classic TV series " Betwitched " - with Elizabeth Montgomery as another stunning blond witch you'd love to go home to-possible . Certainly , Ms . Lake is at her most beautiful here and-despite what I've read about her and Mr . March's dislike off-screen-has great chemistry with her co-star . Most hilarious scenes involve Mr . Kellaway and his drunken forgetfulness concerning his spells ! For anyone who doesn't mind a classic fantasy filmed in black-and-white , I Married a Witch should be right up your alley !
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454,600 | 11,228,318 | 150,005 | 8 |
By Leaps and Hounds was a pretty hilarious Famous Studios cartoon
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Just saw on Thad Blog linked to Daily Motion this Famous Studios cartoon ( though this version had the Harveytoons banner ) written by Irv Spector whose son now has a blog dedicated to his father . It concerns a new boy hound named Herbert who's a pupil at a fox hunt academy . His teacher gives him a horn to signal for him and the other students to hunt for a fox . But since Herbert hasn't seen one before , the actual fox at first tricks him and the others into a cave . . . That's all I'll say about the synopsis except for when they find the " fox " , he throws them out and says , " Can't a bloke hibernate in PEACE ! " LOL ! Plenty of funny gags and lines abound . Liked hearing the teacher say " Silly Arse ! " and seeing the result of the " one lump or two " question that I used to think was exclusive to Bugs Bunny cartoons . So on that note , I highly recommend By Leaps and Hounds .
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453,942 | 11,228,318 | 240,761 | 8 |
Modern Mexico City is a fascinating look at a wondrous place from James FitzPatrick
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This is actually a review of producer / director / narrator James A . FitzPatrick's travelogue short Modern Mexico City that I saw on the TCM site but for some reason , IMDb doesn't have an entry for it ( which instead led to this title as one of the links and the only one associated with FitzPatrick ) . There are no night scenes here , just daytime ones of the wonderful city that resides south of the border of our country . Among the sites there is a statue of George Washington we gave to them on the honor of Mexico's 100th year of independence . There's also a mariachi band and some bullfighting ( nothing violent , however ) and some views of various buildings and apartments . And the studio , M-G-M , plugs itself there since they have space at the city . All done to beautiful music and wondrous Technicolor . Modern Mexico City is just one of several shorts that Mr . FitzPatrick made during much of his lifetime that showcased the splendor of the various places he traveled . It is highly recommend .
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453,809 | 11,228,318 | 153,835 | 8 |
Wild and Woozy West is another funny Columbia cartoon
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Wild and Woozy West is another of the unsung cartoons from the Columbia studio of the ' 40s . It concerns the capture of the western wolf villain Angel Face , wanted dead or alive ( perferrably dead ) . Among his list of crimes is " using naughty words " . The setting is Pivot Point , pop . 502 . After Angel arrives , however , that would change to 112 . . . I'll just stop right there and mention there are plenty of other visual gags that I don't think I've seen in other cartoons of the period like when the wolf leaves the sheriff's office the wooden door falls down , nails , wood , and all . When the sheriff escapes being locked in his safe and comes outside to find the wolf , the destroyed door comes back together the reverse way it fell apart ! So on that note , anyone seeking these obscure Columbia cartoons can find many of them on YouTube . And Wild and Woozy West is worth seeking out if you do !
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453,850 | 11,228,318 | 113,347 | 8 |
How to Make an American Quilt provides some interesting lessons on life
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Filled with veterans , ( Ellen Burstyn , Anne Bancroft , Jean Simmons ) recognizable character actors , ( Rip Torn , Holland Taylor , Esther Rolle , Alfre Woodard ) , hot young adult stars ( Winona Ryder , Dermot Mulroney , Samantha Mathis ) , some up-and-comers ( Jared Leto , Claire Danes , Johnathon Schaech ) , and a poet ( Maya Angelou ) , How to Make an American Quilt is an inspiring movie about a young college student staying during the summer at her aunt's house with many of that aunt's friends sewing a quilt while sharing memories of their young lives that provide material for the young woman's college paper . Based on a novel , this film provides detailed flashbacks of some of those lives and less so on others but they mostly provide some impetus for the aspiring author's decisions as she makes up her mind of what future she decides on . As a result of the constant flashbacks , some of what happens may be confusing but most gets explained at the end . So on that note , I recommend How to Make an American Quilt .
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455,024 | 11,228,318 | 152,496 | 8 |
Snow Foolin ' has some amusing gags before the song " Jingle Bells " is playing
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Both previous commenters have gotten certain animals mixed up : It's a rabbit who declares the start of winter just before snow falls on him and a hen who tells us to follow the bouncing " hen egg " . Now that I cleared that up , I thought this was a highly amusing , if not hilarious , cartoon with wonderful gags that lead to the song before the last gag afterwards . Loved the ostrich doing " eight the hard way " , and the skunk saying , " Nauseating , isn't it ! " ( What's he responding to ? Watch the cartoon ! ) And then there's a kangaroo and her son falling down from the sky ( don't worry , the son is all right ! ) . When " Jingle Bells " is playing with the bouncing egg jumping on the lyrics , you also see the second and third verse which I don't think I've ever heard anyone else singing whenever I listen to Christmas songs on the radio . On that note , Snow Foolin ' is worth seeing for anyone who loves holiday cartoons .
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454,443 | 11,228,318 | 171,762 | 8 |
Shemp Howard in Society Mugs was very funny to me
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While I saw lots of Three Stooges comedies on afternoon television in the late ' 70s , I admit I don't remember Termites of 1938 . So on discovering Society Mugs on YouTube , I found myself laughing at the antics of Shemp Howard and Tom Kennedy as exterminators mistaken for escorts from college . They turn a society party upside down with their unorthodox manners concerning dining and music . That plus lots or rats , some near-close calls with drills , some Stooge foils like Christine McIntyre and Vernon Dent , and a nice appearance by Charles Williams from It's a Wonderful Life makes this a very hilarious short for me . A look at Shemp outside of brothers Moe and Curly and Larry Fine . Society Mugs comes highly recommended .
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455,235 | 11,228,318 | 24,411 | 8 |
One Man's Journey is a rare gem recently rediscovered
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Just discovered on Mark Evanier's blog that Turner Classic Movies-on their blog-are running a feature every month . One Man's Journey is for June . This just-rediscovered RKO release from 1933 stars Lionel Barrymore as Dr . Eli Watt , a widowed man with 6-year old son Jimmy ( Buster Phelps ) coming back to his old country roots . Since many of the townspeople are nearly poor , Dr . Watt accepts payment in potatoes or other foods . That's what the husband of his first patient offers to him . This husband-a McGinnis ( David Landau ) - gets some good news and bad news . Good : He has a healthy baby girl . Bad : The mother died giving birth . McGinnis wants no part of his girl's life and threatens to kill Eli . For four years , Eli helps raise the girl with Jimmy , a dog , and their housekeeper Sarah ( May Robson ) . Then McGinnis , having rehabilitated himself , wants her back . We then flash-forward about 15 or so years with that daughter Letty ( Dorothy Jordan ) grown up and helping Dr . Watt care for several children with smallpox . Son Jimmy ( now played by Joel McCrea ) is becoming a doctor himself . I'll stop here and mention some other players : James Bush as Bill Radford-Letty's eventual husband , Frances Dee as Joan Stockton-Jimmy's fiancée ( and later McCrea's real-life wife ) , Dorothy Gray as Letty's daughter who has a heart-tugging scene with Barrymore when he's carrying her , and Samuel S . Hinds ( or Sam Hinds as he's credited here ) as Dr . Roger Babcock who pays Eli a very high compliment at the end that makes a marked contrast to me when I remember their later roles on It's a Wonderful Life as-respectively-Peter Bailey and Henry F . Potter-fighting over foreclosures in front of Bailey's son George . All of them give wonderful performances with Mr . Lionel Barrymore at his most heartwarming throughout . There's also some stirring yet underplayed musical scoring by Max Steiner . In summation , One Man's Journey is one of those " they - don't - make - them - like - they - used - to " pictures that makes you wish they still did !
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454,260 | 11,228,318 | 27,700 | 8 |
The Green Pastures is , despite some stereotypes , wonderfully inspirational
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In reviewing African-Americans on film in chronological order for Black History Month , we're now at 1936 with the first all-black production for a major studio since Hallelujah ! from MGM in 1929 : The Green Pastures from Warner Bros . Rex Ingram stars in three roles-De Lawd , Adam , and Hezdrel . As De Lawd , Ingram brings a human dimension to the Supreme Being that expresses his doubts occasionally because of the way things turn out . Playwright Marc Connelly brought to his screenplay adaptation some wonderful humorous touches in retelling some of the bible stories like that exchange between De Lawd and Noah ( Eddie Anderson who I just saw at the beginning of Show Boat ) about whether to bring one keg or two of whiskey to the ark or Gabriel ( Oscar Polk ) saying he'll spit in the eye of Satan ! Among the females , Edna Mae Harris makes an impression in her brief role of Zeba who , after her boyfriend gets shot , takes a shine to the one who shot him ! Was most impressed with the Moses story especially the trick scene with the walking stick turning into a snake and what happened afterward when the Pharaoh initially refused Moses ' request to let his people go . The spiritual singing of the Hall Johnson Choir serving as score throughout was very inspirational . And having New Orleans being mentioned as the Sin City told this Louisianian how some things never change ! While , yes , there's some stereotypes about the Negroes being such simple people ( with heaven presented as a fish fry and the angels getting ten-cent cigars ) , there's also a message about tolerance and how , despite all that's wrong with the world , there's also plenty that's right that is made clear at the end when there's word of someone being nailed at the cross . . .
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454,086 | 11,228,318 | 72,081 | 8 |
The Return of the Pink Panther is a return to form for the Sellers-Edwards collaboration
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With both their careers in somewhat decline , director Blake Edwards and actor Peter Sellers decided to team up again for another Pink Panther movie despite their love / hate relationship off screen . Also returning were Herbert Lom ( now Chief Inspector Dreyfus ) , Andre Maranne ( Francois ) , Burt Kwouk ( Cato ) , and Graham Stark in a different role as snitch Pepi . And Frank Waldman , who previously co-wrote with brother Tom the non-Sellers-Edwards movie Inspector Clouseau , was Edwards ' writing partner for this and the next series entry . And once again , Henry Mancini provides the score which returns the " Pink Panther " theme to the animated opening credits . Joining them were Christopher Plummer as Sir Charles Litton ( replacing David Niven ) and Catherine Schell as Lady Claudine Litton . With an 11-year gap between A Shot in the Dark and this , both Edwards and Sellers seemed to only improve in their collaboration of mining their talents in getting the surefire gags milked for all they're worth . And Lom , especially , is a hoot as the superior of Clouseau who gets more mentally mad every time he fails to kill him . While admittedly , Ms . Schell is a little distracting whenever she noticeably laughs at Sellers ' antics , she's also at her most charming during these scenes and besides , her beautiful face makes those scenes worth it . And the way Cato surprises Clouseau are quite hilarious especially when Edwards uses slow motion . If anything slows the film down , it's the Charles Litton sequences which are the more dramatic parts of the picture . Still , even those scenes provide some humor whenever Stark as Pepi has his fingers constantly hurt by either Charles or someone else . And for the first time , The Pink Panther and The Inspector are teamed in the beginning animated credit sequence to humorous effect with Pink imitating some movie stars while The Inspector chases him . That sequence , by the way , is by Richard Williams Studio with help from Chuck Jones ' animator Ken Harris . So on that note , I highly recommend The Return of the Pink Panther . P . S . Monty Python supporting player Carol Cleveland has a cameo as a Swimming Pool Diver who dives as Clouseau falls backwards into the pool . Next up , The Pink Panther Strikes Again . . .
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454,824 | 11,228,318 | 1,055,412 | 8 |
Second episode of " Back to You " is even better that the first
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At the end of the pilot episode of " Back to You " , we found out that the 10-year-old daughter ( who was originally said to be 8 ) of Kelly Carr , Gracie ( Laura Marano ) , was also Chuck Darling's . Kelly didn't want him to know because she doesn't think he'd be responsible enough . On the second day , the news director gives Chuck a goldfish bowl as a present . Chuck manages to kill fish by overfeeding him . He keeps making the news director get him new goldfish after the previous one dies accidentally to keep Kelly from knowing so she'll think him capable of caring for their daughter . Meanwhile , Marsh is trying to figure out how a magician performed a certain trick he saw recently . Montana , a former magician's assistant , eventually reveals after much begging from Marsh . And Gary reluctantly agrees to get tazered on live TV after a previous incident involving a Llama's ear . . . This follow-up after the pilot gets excellent comic mileage out of ways various goldfish die and the attempts of keep Kelly from finding out . Great support from Fred Willard and , once again , Ty Burr , especially the scenes after he gets tazered . Hope the ratings improved from the previous week's !
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454,469 | 11,228,318 | 67,787 | 8 |
See Star Spangled Girl and laugh your head off !
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I watched this movie on DVD after seeing a Living In TV Land on tape that featured Davy Jones knowing that his song , " Girl " , would be in this movie after reading the other comments on this film . ( Personal note : I saw Jones on stage at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville , FL , where he performed this song in The Real Live Brady Bunch which enacted the episode that had Marcia trying to get him to her prom . ) Based on a Neil Simon play adapted by Arnold Margolin and Jim Parker , Star Spangled Girl comes through fast and furious with the wisecracks that makes us forgive the initial annoyingness of the lead characters played by Sandy Duncan , Tony Roberts , and especially Todd Susman in a role completely different from Officer Shifflet on Newhart . Jerry Paris ' direction times everything with a sledgehammer that hits more than misses occasionally slowing down so we can take a breath . If you're a fan of all of the above players as well as composer Charles Fox , what are you waiting for ? By all means , seek this one out ! By the way , Susman would later be the voice of the Greyhound dog on TV and radio . In case anyone didn't notice , Duncan rides Greyhound buses in the movie .
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454,619 | 11,228,318 | 22,405 | 8 |
Smile , Darn Ya , Smile ! is another Foxy Merrie Melodies cartoon
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Smile , Darn Ya , Smile ! is a Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Foxy from Hugh Harmon-Rudolf Ising Productions in association with Leon Schlesinger and distributed by Warner Bros . In this one , Foxy is a train conductor who needs passengers . A lady hippo comes on board but being heavy makes the train lean over . Foxy solves this by getting a pin and literally deflating her to small size ! Offended , she backwards insults him and goes on her way . Foxy later picks his girlfriend up as they sing the theme song ( I must tell you here that except for the bushy tails and ears , they both resemble Mickey and Minnie Mouse . No surprise here since Harmon and Ising once worked for Walt Disney ) . They later encounter some friendly hobos who also sing the title song and a stubborn cow who won't move from the tracks . If you want to know what happens after that watch the animated short on YouTube . Certainly worth a look for any animation fan of Warner Bros .
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454,453 | 11,228,318 | 148,180 | 8 |
The Fox and the Grapes is hilarious Frank Tashlin cartoon
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Frank Tashlin's The Fox and the Grapes was the first of several Fox and Crow cartoons produced by Columbia Pictures . In this initial effort , the Fox is planning a picnic in the forest . The Crow , wanting the food for himself , posts signs to the perfect place . As the Fox prepares to eat , the crow steals some hot dogs and mustard that the Fox witnesses . He puts a match on the crow's foot and lights it making the crow go to his home to cool it off in water . Crow reads " Elsop's Fables " and finds out that " Foxes are suckers for grapes ( looks further down page ) . . . Especially in glorious Technicolor " ( Technicolor is spelled in various colors ) . I'll stop there and mention that some well-timed blackout gags concerning the Fox's attempts to get those grapes the Crow hangs from up high his tree are hilarious and it's not surprising to know that Chuck Jones ' revealed this short as the inspiration for his Road Runner series . Tashlin later made his mark on many classic live-action comedies like The Girl Can't Help It and many Jerry Lewis entries . Well worth seeing for animation buffs .
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453,755 | 11,228,318 | 33,618 | 8 |
Forbidden Passage is another " Crime Does Not Pay " short entry and is compellingly directed by Fred Zinnemann
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This is another in the " Crime Does Not Pay " series of M-G-M shorts that I found on the DVD " Film Noir : Bringing Darkness to Light " . Forbidden Passage got an Oscar nomination ( 1941 ) and was directed by Fred Zinnemann , who would eventually win two of those . This one is about foreigners sneaking into our country illegally because of the constant delays when trying so legitimately , resulting in some of them winding up dead in sacks at the bottom of the ocean . That's what happens to one Otto Kestler wanting to see his wife and child after going through a couple of other countries . Among the players are Bill Edmonds-best known to me as Mr . Martini in It's a Wonderful Life-as one of the immigrants who brings his little girl along and a pre - " Leave It to Beaver " Hugh Beaumont who plays a U . S . customs agent speaking in a slightly stereotypical Swedish accent in disguising himself as a fellow immigrant . Nicely played drama throughout and Zinnemann provides some of his talents that made him such a world-renowned filmmaker .
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455,161 | 11,228,318 | 297,874 | 8 |
Elvis : The Tribute is my final comment on the loss of The King , 30 years ago
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Elvis : The Tribute is my final comment for this , the 30th anniversary of when we lost the King forever . John Stamos hosted this all-star concert and took us through Graceland , the house bought by Presley in 1957 . Among the artists paying great tribute were : Michael Bolton ( " Jailhouse Rock " ) , Melissa Etheridge ( " Burning Love " ) , U2 ( " Can't Help Falling in Love " ) , Tony Bennett ( " Love Me Tender " ) , Carl Perkins ( " Blue Suede Shoes " which he wrote and originally performed ) , Tanya Tucker ( " Teddy Bear " ) , and many others . In addition , we have an extra scene from the ' 68 comeback special of Elvis performing " One Night with You " and various clips of Presley performing his hit songs individually spliced together . Two of the weirdest scenes here were of Jim Belushi and Quentin Tarantino performing " Viva Las Vegas " on location video and seeing Priscilla Presley , her and Elvis ' daughter Lisa Marie , and that daughter's then-husband Michael Jackson in the audience . Boy , a lot has changed since then with M . J . getting more weirder than the King did near the end of his life ! In closing , I'd like to quote Groucho Marx , who died three days after Presley , in a clip included in the special , his reaction to a large female contestant on his game show , " You Bet Your Life " , who was an Elvis fanatic who said she got a lock of his hair : " A lock of his hair ? You want cream cheese with that ? "
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454,082 | 11,228,318 | 150,127 | 8 |
Cilly Goose is another pretty enjoyable Famous Studios cartoon
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This was one of those rare Famous Studios cartoon shorts that I just discovered on Thad's Animation Blog which linked this from YouTube . The title character had just laid an egg for the first time but finds her other farmland animal friends unimpressed since they have had plenty of children before her . After reading about how valuable a golden egg is , Cilly paints hers that color and gets so much attention , she gets booked at the Madison Square Garden to lay several in person ! As in many Famous cartoons in the ' 40s , the animation is quite good and the music matches them perfectly . Nice use of pantomime in most sequences with an ending you may or not predict if you're familiar with many cartoons . Well worth seeking out .
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454,741 | 11,228,318 | 43,341 | 8 |
Big Top Bunny is a pretty entertaining Robert McKimson Bugs Bunny
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When the circus hires Bugs Bunny as an attraction , Bruno-an Eastern European bear , gets jealous and tries to sabotage him . He succeeds the first time but the rabbit catches on . The gag where Bruno ends up in the band's kettle drum isn't funny but everything else is . I especially liked the one when Bugs , after being given a handle with bear hands by Bruno on his trapeze , uses that handle and " peddles " his way back to the bear's starting base . Robert McKimson didn't make the greatest Warner Bros . cartoons compared to Chuck Jones , Friz Freling , Bob Clampett , Tex Avery , or Frank Tashlin but because of all that talent that surrounded him , he could still make good animated shorts that can be entertaining in themselves . Big Top Bunny is one of them .
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455,065 | 11,228,318 | 871,426 | 8 |
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler make a good team in Baby Mama
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In a nutshell : real-life friends from SNL-Tina Fey and Amy Poehler-play an odd couple of sorts with Fey playing a businesswoman trying to have a baby and Poehler becoming a surrogate . No surprise concerning their chemistry and they're surrounded by a who's who of capable supporting players : Sigourney Weaver , Maura Tierney , Holland Taylor , Dax Shepard , Greg Kinnear , and Steve Martin as Fey's boss who likes to reward her with five minutes of staring at his face . Also look for former and current SNLers Fred Armisen , Will Forte , and Siobhan Fallon . Alternately hilarious and touching , Baby Mama should please many fans of the two leads and most of the above . So with that , I highly recommend it ! Oh , and congrats to Ms . Poehler and hubby Will Arnett on their upcoming blessed event !
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454,893 | 11,228,318 | 1,001,576 | 8 |
Subway Hero is a treat of an episode of " 30 Rock " with Tim Conway and the return of Dean Winters as Dennis
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As Liz enters his office , Jack has two requests for her : to attend John McCain's fund-raiser so it won't be a " massive sausage-fest " ( she refuses ) and to book the " Subway Hero " on TGS , so called because he saved the life of someone about to be hit by a train . As Jack turns on the TV , Liz is stunned since the man Mayor Bloomberg is giving the medal to is her ex-boyfriend , Dennis Duffy , who embarrasses himself on live television by saying " Baba booey ! " Still , he seems to get along with the writing staff and Liz herself seems to enjoy him again . Only Jenna thinks Liz can do better . Meanwhile , old-time TV star Bucky Bright ( Tim Conway ) drops in as a Republican star for the fund-raiser . Jack turns him away but Kenneth decides to talk to Bright about the good old days . Turns out many of them were pretty bizarre such as when men had a spot in their suits where they stored " opium and switchblades " ! Kenneth seems flabbergasted until he recounts some of his errands for Tracy and then sees Bucky in a new light . Tracy , after being electrocuted after using a screwdriver to fix a repeat on the word " Nixon " on a CD of " We Didn't Start the Fire " , dreams he's in heaven with the late president ( Alec Baldwin ) and Sammy Davis , Jr . ( Keith Powell , who's usually Twofer ) . As a result , he agrees to be the black Republican in a TV spot . After one in which he says Dr . King had a dream to install a wall to " keep Mexicans back " , he tells Jack blacks always vote Democratic , no matter what . So his next spot simply tells his race to not vote . It's paid for by the " Commitee to Re-invade Vietnam " . After hearing enough of Dennis ' dumb remarks , Liz turns down his proposal in front of a crowd who turn on him after he says " I can have my pick of any woman , not just the fatties and butter-faces " . Then when she sees him back at the subway where he did his good deed and is now depressed , because of TGS dropping him after his public faux pas , Liz tries to assure him his luck will come . She calls him a loser again , however , after he tries to push her onto the tracks-not realizing the train was on the other side-in order to save her and she runs away with Dennis saying , " You'll be back ! " . . . Not as funny as the previous episode but funny enough with the subversively funny lines of Tim Conway ( especially about Conan O'Brien ) and of the welcome return of Dean Winters as Dennis . And I loved Tracy's dance to Billy Joel's song about American history from the ' 50s to the late ' 80s ! So this was another worthy episode of " 30 Rock " for this second season .
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454,887 | 11,228,318 | 1,001,577 | 8 |
Succession is another hilarious episode of " 30 Rock "
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Since he doesn't believe in nepotism for his business handlings , network chairman Don Guiess picks Jack Donaghy over soon-to-be-son-in-law Devon Banks as his successor . Since it won't be announced publicly for awhile , Jack only tells Liz and appoints her as his successor . Liz initially declines until she sees the salary . Meanwhile , Tracy is despondent because he found out his son didn't take him on " Take Your Dad to School " day . In fact , when he arrived returning his flute , he made a fool of his son when he took off his shirt and danced . So he resolves to change the world by creating a porno video game . That makes Frank jealous since he tried to do that for years while Tracy does it in one day . Back on Jack's front , Devon arrives and tries to one-up him for Guiess ' favor . While on an elevator with Liz , he finds out from her some juicy secrets he can't wait to reveal to his future-father-in-law but Liz French kisses him in front of the camera inside that she threatens to show Don . At the later announcement party , Liz , Don , and Jack share some corporate humor while Devon looks forlorn knowing Jack is getting the job since Guiess told him . Just as him and Jack calmly reminisce " good times " , Liz discovers Don in a diabetic coma . Jack calls Dr . Leo Spaceman who confuses 411 with 911 and can't find Guiess ' heart . While Liz backs Jack on knowing who Don picked to take his place , Devon denies it . It's Devon who convinces the board to pick Don's mentally mute daughter to succeed him with him as consultant . As he's telling Jack this , Devon throws him out . . . This was another hilarious episode of " 30 Rock " with welcome returns of Rip Torn , Will Arnett , and , especially , Chris Parnell as Spaceman . Loved hearing Jack mention Clay Aiken in " Spamalot " as the reason Devon returned in his presence with Devon adding he'll see him every day until the show closes or Clay leaves . And how about seeing Leo's entrance carrying a cape ! With two more episodes left this season , I can hardly wait for " 30 Rock " again next week . . .
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454,964 | 11,228,318 | 1,001,578 | 8 |
Sandwich Day is another very funny episode of " 30 Rock "
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In a nutshell : Jack has been reduced to talking to the comatose Geiss and working on the 12th floor , Liz finds out from Jenna and Pete about a surprise phone call from Floyd who's flight back to Cleveland has been delayed , this being Sandwich Day-Tracy , Frank , and Lutz take the one the absent Liz left on her desk and , after Liz threatens to give them all chins , go to the teamsters ' office ( led by Brian Dennehy ) and get challenged to a drinking contest-with Jenna in tow-to get this unique one with a special sauce back to her , and Geiss ' daughter has trouble opening the women's rest room door ( she pushes when it's supposed to be pulled ) . . . Lots of hilarious stuff happens here like when Liz says she wants to be Marcia for once instead of Jan just before something hits her on the face , Liz looking fabulous in front of Floyd just as Pete instructs a crew member to hit the wind fan , and . . . well , you'll have to just watch the episode . With one more episode to go this season , 30 Rock is firing on all cylinders . I can't wait to find out if Liz is pregnant or not next week ! So until then . . .
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454,214 | 11,228,318 | 1,001,572 | 8 |
SeinfeldVision marks a hilarious new start for " 30 Rock " s second season
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After more than 3 months , " 30 Rock " is back with a new episode . Glad it's back , especially after it won the Emmy for Best Comedy ( loved Ms . Fey's acceptance speech in which she thanked " dozens and dozens of viewers " ) . This episode begins with Liz and Jack saying how good their summers been ( Liz doing a long quilt after breaking up with Floyd , Jack putting successful reality shows like " MILF Island " on after his surgery ) and how it's going to be a great year . Both , though , have their own troubles : Jack has been digitalizing Jerry Seinfeld on all the NBC shows without Jerry's approval , Liz keeps calling Floyd's apartment in Cleveland . Also , Tracy Jordan now lives in the building with Kenneth since his wife threw him out . Meanwhile , Jenna has gained a lot more weight since she kept eating pizza while performing in " Mystic Pizza : The Musical " on Broadway . And Seinfied , having found out about Jack's deceit during his family vacation in Europe , comes back to NBC . . . Many funny lines abound in this Fey-written season premiere with some favorites being Alec Baldwin's " Liz , women your age are more likely to be mauled by a bear than getting married " or Cerie's ( Katrina Bowden ) exchange to Liz after Liz accepted a bridesmaid invitation : " Now I've got something old . " Also loved Kenneth's creepy grin whenever he sees Seinfeld and his reciting the guy's TV theme in front of him to which Jerry can only reply , " Really ? " So much stuff that was funny that I won't reveal here . And nice to find out the ratings have indeed improved so on that note , to quote Jack and Liz , I think it's certainly going to be their year !
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454,522 | 11,228,318 | 71,994 | 8 |
Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise is one campy horror surprise !
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Having recorded this movie from AMC in 2002 , I thought now , Halloween day , was the perfect time to finally watch Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise . This modern-day retelling of The Phantom of the Opera is so ' 70s dated but that's what I found so fascinating about this cult horror-musical . Paul Williams , William Finley , and Jessica Harper are so right in their roles and the songs by Williams are very entertaining whether in ballad mode or the more hard rocking sound so prevalent in that decade . Ms . Harper is so luminous that when she sometimes seems a little overwrought in both vocalizing and dancing she's still fascinating anyway . Certainly her unlikely love scene with Mr . Williams ( with her unbuttoning his shirt ! ) is very sexy the way DePalma plays it . And the way Finley is pained when he watches is so heartbreaking . There's also some funny scenes concerning Gerrit Graham as the rock star Beef . This is one campy musical horror film that I enjoyed and may see again next year ! And what a treat to hear Rod Serling in the introductory narration shortly before his untimely death .
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454,123 | 11,228,318 | 116,040 | 8 |
Daylight was a thrilling Sylvester Stallone flick despite some clichés
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My dad and I felt like staying up late and he wanted to watch a movie . He picked this one among many HD-DVD's he bought by mail . A throwback to the disaster movies from the ' 70s made by Irwin Allen ( The Towering Inferno , The Poseidon Adventure ) and Universal Studios ( Earthquake , the Airport movies ) which distributed this one as well , Daylight provides plenty of thrilling action , plenty of explosions , and many supporting characters that you may or not care about . I did like that black guard character and the way he managed to help the Sylvester Stallone lead hero even after he got injured by that vehicle that crushed him as he give Stallone instructions though I did half think it convenient that it was another black guy giving his life for the white guy cliché . It's the same feeling I had when it looked like that dog was going to drown but I knew in movies like this that he would eventually turn back alive since I personally think that no audience would stand to have a pet , especially a dog , die ( it only worked in Old Yeller because that one was already rabid and had to be killed ) . And there were times that the Amy Brenneman character could get on ones nerves . Having said all that , Daylight was indeed well made and entertaining from beginning to end . Only really sad part about the final scene was the sight of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the knowledge of what would happen to them and their inhabitants some five years later . . .
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454,195 | 11,228,318 | 93,870 | 8 |
RoboCop is Paul Verhoeven's classic sci-fi action picture
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Quick , what do Peter Weller , Ray Wise , and Paul McCrane have in common ? If you say they were all in RoboCop , you're all halfway there . What they also have in common was they all were in Day 5 of " 24 " ( with McCrane's role partly expanded to Day 6 ) . Besides those names other familiar faces include Ronny Cox ( Beverly Hills Cop series ) , Nancy Allen ( ex-husband Brian De Palma movies , I Wanna Hold Your Hand ) , Miguel Ferrer ( " Twin Peaks " ) , and , in the movie's best role , Kurtwood Smith ( " That ' 70s Show " ) as the main villain , Clarence Boddicker . While partially predictable , RoboCop has some of the most badass action in movie history with wonderful humorous touches throughout . Director Paul Verhoeven really keeps a constant pace during the chase scenes . Check out Leeza Gibbons as one of the news anchors in the TV clip sequences . This movie is most highly recommended .
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454,204 | 11,228,318 | 1,001,596 | 8 |
Corporate Crush is another seriously funny episode of 30 Rock
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After the fiasco of last week's fireworks show , Jack is relieved of his responsibilities of the microwave division of NBC-Universal . Liz is delirious about her relationship with Floyd . She arranges him to meet Jack who hits it off well with him causing Liz some concern . Meanwhile , Tracy , having found out about his ancestry from Thomas Jefferson , tries to get his multi-character Jefferson movie off the ground but gets a no from chairman Don Geiss ( returning guest Rip Torn ) . He wants a Fat Bitch 2 instead . At a museum , Jack gets reacquainted with a woman named Phoebe ( Emily Mortimer ) who previously helped his now ex-wife get some jewelry for her . Jack likes her so much he asks to marry her . . . Hilarious episode with highlights being Tracy's preview of his movie , Liz mouthing Jack when he tells Floyd a story during a basketball game , and Jack calling Floyd in Liz ' apartment with various phones ringing as they try to avoid him . Show keeps getting funnier and funnier . Too bad the ratings still haven't reflected that .
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454,380 | 11,228,318 | 1,083,966 | 8 |
Love Will Find a Way marks an impressive second episode of " Swingtown "
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When I previously reviewed the pilot episode of " Swingtown " , I forgot to mention it took place in my childhood hometown of Chicago , Ill . This episode had some good exterior scenes of the downtown area there as we see Bruce at his job as a trader . As enjoyable as this episode was , however , I have to once again mention some anachronisms concerning music used in the summer of ' 76 setting : 1977's " Best of My Love " by the Emotions and ' 78's " Love Will Find a Way " by Pablo Cruise . Unlike last week , both the adult couples ' and the teens ' stories provided equal interest especially the one concerning that teen boy and the runaway girl who provided some background about the ring she wore around her neck that belonged to her father who fought in Vietnam . I'm not sure I liked that all-female production of " Waiting for Godot " as much as that other teen girl did but it certainly was an interesting presentation as it was briefly played here . The way various couples were interacting and / or avoiding each other was of high interest to me as was the way certain objects stayed still while the rest of the scenes were dissolving . What I've seen of " Swingtown " looks good so far . Can't wait to see what the next episode provides . . . P . S . I also loved Janet's dream sequence involving she and her husband and the swinging couple they encountered previously . . .
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454,377 | 11,228,318 | 1,083,967 | 8 |
Double Exposure has more than one ( or two ) meanings on " Swingtown "
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Okay , so in this episode , Susan suddenly wants to go to church after she and Bruce hadn't gone for a while and they take their kids with them . How convenient Janet and Roger is there ( but their son isn't ) . Susan asks old friend Janet for a welcoming party at her new home which Janet accepts . At the party , new neighbors Tom and Trina , the swingers , also turn up along with Brad and Sylvia , the couple we met at the Playboy club last episode . They upset whatever balance Janet had control over the proceedings . Susan , however , opens up a little more when she tears the wallpaper she hated and invites everyone to write anything on it . Trina also warms a little over frosty Janet when she asks for one of her recipes which Janet writes on the wall . On the teens ' side , Susan's son's attempts to bond over the druggie woman neighbor's daughter is slow going especially when his previous best friend says he doesn't like it , and his sister is spending time with her summer school teacher at the library , after closing , searching books that have stayed on the shelf for about five years . The time there has her kissing her teacher that she had a crush on for a while . At show's end , Susan and Bruce resolve to be more open to each other before filming , for the first time , themselves having sex . . . Another compelling of " Swingtown " . Best surprise for me was when after Susan tore the wallpaper down , she also fixed the top part of her dress so that her shoulders were bare . What a woman ! That kiss from her teen daughter to her teacher almost chilled me but since the man didn't return it , maybe it won't lead to something more pervy . Trina sure likes to spice things up with that fondue , doesn't she ! And I loved that conversation between the fathers and sons about how the Playboy women weren't " real " ! Oh , and I didn't spot any anachronisms concerning music this time . So for all that , this was another enjoyable episode of " Swingtown " . Until next time . . .
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453,798 | 11,228,318 | 1,001,593 | 8 |
Secrets and Lies was another funny episode of " 30 Rock "
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Jenna got an award for a " movie based on a musical based on a movie " which gets Tracy jealous so Liz makes one up for him . Tracy then wants to stage an award presentation . Jack and C . C . are tired of sneaking around but while C . C . settles with her company in order for her and Jack to go public , Jack still refuses . James Carville just happens to stop by and helps Jack change his mind . He also helps Frank and Twofer settle their feud . Then he helps someone break into a candy machine . All " Cajun style " . Jenna , feeling jealous of Tracy's preferential treatment , becomes difficult herself until Liz reveals her award was a fake and how she's had to coddle her too . That gets Jenna in forgiving mode . After Jack and C . C . come out to his Republican friends , many of them start confession things too , the last one saying , " I killed my wife " . . . Another funny episode of " 30 Rock " . I loved Tracy when he was about to " shark " Jenna ! Everyone's on fire here and was glad to see Josh back in this and the last episode after being absent much of this season . Also like the American Express Christmas commercials that featured Kenneth and many of the supporting cast especially the one with Pete on " his time " about to watch the lesbian scene in Mulholland Drive when he suddenly gets surprised by Kenneth and Pete's kids ! With one more episode to go , I hope NBC keeps this show on after the writers ' strike ends despite the not-so-impressive ratings .
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454,899 | 11,228,318 | 1,001,592 | 8 |
Cougars is another funny episode of " 30 Rock "
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Okay , here's this week's " 30 Rock " plot in a nutshell : After making excuses for declining co-workers ' invitations , Liz is convinced by Jenna to become a " Cougar " ( i . e . an older woman preying a younger man ) after a coffee boy gets interested in her . Fellow comedy writer Frank also gets interested in him making Frank " gay for Jamie " . Jack and Kenneth offer to help Tracy with his boys club baseball team which almost leads to disaster . Needless to say , things gets awkward for Liz when she first reveals how much older she is and finds out how much younger Jamie is ( " This just went from a senior dating a freshman to Mary Kay Letourneau . . . " ) and then how his mother resembles her . Later , Frank finds out at a gay bar how non-gay he truly is . . . Mostly pretty funny if not hilarious episode of " 30 Rock " here . Loved many of the lines from Liz to Jamie about her trying to get some of his culture and him not getting many of hers ( except the one about Demi Moore ) . Also liked many of Tracy's kids lines about being certain stereotypes when they grow up . And then many of Frank's and Jenna's attempts to one-up Liz were pretty highly amusing ( Loved Frank's painting of a " one-armed mermaid who's part unicorn with Bigfoot " ) . Too bad " 30 Rock " hasn't picked up enough numbers in audience size . . .
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454,064 | 11,228,318 | 1,001,588 | 8 |
The Collection was another funny episode of " 30 Rock "
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Jack tells Liz he's getting an investigation on himself to keep G . E . from finding out about anything scandalous about him . The detective he meets ( Steve Buscemi ) does tell him he has to get rid of his cookie jar collection since the only reason Rudy Guiliani became New York mayor was because no one found out about his doll collection . Jenna is worried about losing her weight since her popularity increased from that so Kenneth tries to say mean things to make her hungry again . Instead it makes her horny for him . And while Liz agreed to watch Tracy when Angie goes somewhere , when Angie's gone Tracy goes to a strip club which doesn't sit well with his wife . . . Many hilarious stuff concerning Jack's cookie jar collection and Jenna's commercial for Enormie , the perfume for plus-size women ( " Make him chase the chunk . " ) After missing for the first two second season episodes , Pete was back for a brief conversation with Liz . Buscemi's appearance was perhaps a bit brief . Maybe he'll be back in another episode . Kenneth , as always , has the best lines . Sherri Shepherd also was funny as Angie . Be back next week with another review . . .
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455,213 | 11,228,318 | 126,880 | 8 |
The Flying House is a fascinating Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend short
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Watching The Flying House , I couldn't help but think that many of the sequences of the house spinning around up and down was just Mr . McCay showing off as I believe if the couple's home was really doing that they would've been really dizzy ! This must've been the first time there was an animated depiction of space with the earth and moon moving side-by-side . Also love the detail of the gas engines with all the wheels pulling all the pulley gadgets constantly and the final sequence where we see a rocket about to explode on the moon instead destroying the house leaving the couple spinning around before they start to fall hastening the woman to wake up . . . Fascinating if less known of Winsor McCay's animated shorts , this Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend entry certainly keeps on its toes in movement and , through written balloons , dialogue . Highly essential viewing for any animation history buff .
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453,841 | 11,228,318 | 603,004 | 8 |
This episode of " The Hollywood Palace " should be of great interest to fans of Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont
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Just watched on YouTube this special episode of " The Hollywood Palace " hosted by Groucho Marx . What was so special about it ? Well , besides his 18-year-old daughter Melinda singing her Petulia Clark-like number called " The East Side of Town " as well as a duet with her father , this particular show marked the last appearance of Groucho's frequent movie and stage co-star-not to mention " The fifth Marx Brother " - Margaret Dumont who died not long after this show was taped and a few weeks before this aired . It's the " Hooray for Captain Spalding " number and despite Groucho's claim that Ms . Dumont never got any of his or his brothers ' jokes , the real-life wealthy dowager cracks up every time he opens his mouth . By the way , loved the " Peyton Place " reference ! There was also a unicycle act called The Four Kents , a Scottish comedian who plays the piano named Don Saunders , African singer Miriam Makeba , flamenco dancer Lydia Torea , and husband-and-wife singing team Gordon and Sheila MacRae ( I did not see other scheduled guest Shecky Greene so I must have watched an edited version online ) . Mr . Marx was entertainingly witty the whole time and hardly seemed old compared to ten years later . If you're a die-hard Marx Brothers fan and are curious about the last team-up of Groucho and Dumont , I highly recommend this episode of " The Hollywood Palace " .
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455,090 | 11,228,318 | 39,460 | 8 |
Hi-De-Ho ( 1947 ) was a mostly excellent musical showcase for Cab Calloway
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At first , I wasn't too thrilled about this movie because of Cab's rough treatment of Minnie ( Jeni Le Gon ) and her insolent attitude in return . And the idea of Calloway going to an audition arranged by his manager Nettie ( Ida James ) when , at this point in his life , he had already entertained millions of people in several movies , on radio , and in concerts makes this very much a plot for the birds . Good thing then that not too much time is spent on the " story " though Minnie's tragic end was a little touching with Cab granting her last wish . From then on , it's just a variety show starring Cab with his orchestra along with The Peters Sisters ( a talented group of full-figured women singers ) , and the tap-dancing Millers and Lois ( their tap routines are some of the best I've seen ) . While just every number performed by the Hi-De-Ho man is great , he's especially compelling on the " St . James Infirmary " number . And seeing the wedding number with Cab , Ida without the glasses , and Augustus Smith as the preacher makes an excellent finale for the picture . So on that note , I highly recommend Hi-De-Ho ( 1947 version since Cab previously made a couple of shorts with this name , one of which I reviewed in February ) . P . S . David Betha who plays the Brass Hat Owner here was previously in The Green Pastures ( another movie I reviewed in February ) as Aaron , Ms . Le Gon was born in my birth town of Chicago , Ill . , Mr . Smith was born in Jacksonville , Fl . , a place I lived in from 1987-2003 .
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454,779 | 11,228,318 | 43,376 | 8 |
Canned Feud is another funny Friz Freling Sylvester cartoon
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Watching Friz Freling's Canned Feud , I found myself feeling very sorry for Sylvester for not getting the can opener , to open tuna , from a mean little mouse since no reason is established for his animosity . Still , its pretty funny seeing the cat trying to do nasty things back to the rodent and failing each time . And the twist at the end shows how exhausted Sylvester can get with each obstacle . So , with that in mind , I'll just say that despite the cat being more sympathetic this time around , that doesn't lessen the laughs I got from all his troubles with the mouse , the can opener , and the way things turned out in the end . Frustration can be so hilarious when one calamity builds upon another . So , on that note , I highly recommend Canned Feud .
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453,788 | 11,228,318 | 150,231 | 8 |
Crumley Cogwheel was another highly amusing Paramount Modern Madcap cartoon
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Just watched this Paramount Modern Madcap cartoon on YouTube as linked from Cartoon Brew . In this one , the title character is sent to the president of the Michigan Nuts and Bolts company . This boss has kept his eye on Cogwheel for the last 20 years and wonders why he never asked for a raise . He gives him one week to demand one or he's fired . So Crumley goes to a psychiatrist who tells him to get a new look by shaving his mustasche and getting a wig since he's bald . Unfortunately , he's mistaken for someone else by his boss and gets thrown out ! So on the last day , Crumley gets drunk and walks in his boss ' meeting . When he belligerently demands his raise . . . I'll stop there and just say this was a pretty amusing cartoon from writer Irv Spector and director Seymour Kneitel . The voices of the boss and Crumley are those of Eddie Lawrence who is good at the different characterizations . His Cogwheel brings to mind early Woody Allen especially during the gibberish scenes . What I just described were pretty amusing so when the punchline at the end comes it really hits a wallop ! So on that note , I highly recommend Crumley Cogwheel .
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454,863 | 11,228,318 | 1,133,973 | 8 |
The Education of Jamie Sommers is a more fun " Bionic Woman " episode
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In this , the first Katee Sackhoff-less episode , Jamie poses as a British transfer student in college in order to investigate a possible suspect-a professor-of whoever is responsible of planting some chip in some returning Iraq soldiers that make them kill their superiors . She also falls for a teaching assistant who also becomes a suspect . Meanwhile , Antonio is tracking a Middle Eastern foreigner who's also suspected of selling these gadgets . . . This is the first we hear Michelle Ryan speak in her natural English accent and it sounds a lot better than her American one ( That scene when she is talking on the phone with one of her handlers while still speaking in that accent as she's walking all alone was a highlight of the episode especially when that handler admits how turned on he is by it ! A similar thing happens when a guy she falls for admits the same thing after he hears her " normal " voice . ) Entertaining scenes of her just enjoying her " college fantasy " like switching with her roommate-a young Asian girl-her science assignment for one on James Joyce which gets Jamie an A . With this episode there also seems to be a sense of fun missing from most of the previous ones though many of those were compelling to watch . Since this ep aired two weeks ago , I'll probably review the next one soon . . .
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453,838 | 11,228,318 | 58,694 | 8 |
Two Thousand Maniacs ! was another effective Herschell Gordon Lewis horror film
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Having finally watched a Herschell Gordon Lewis horror movie last year on YouTube ( The Wizard of Gore ) , when I found out that Two Thousand Maniacs ! was now there as well ( actually , The Wizard of Gore now seems removed ) , I quickly clicked the first of nine parts that were uploaded . It was fascinating listening to The Pleasant Vally Boys playing their bluegrass music throughout even after all the gory things that happened though there was silence after one of those deaths were depicted that provided some chills . The gore is mostly well done if not as shocking to me since I grew up watching the Friday the 13th movies on HBO as a teen . The stars are Connie Mason , Thomas Wood ( a . k . a William Kerwin who would eventually marry Mason ) , Jeffrey Allen ( who was born in my birthtown of Chicago , Ill . ) , Shelby Livingston , Ben Moore , Jerome Eden , Gary Bakeman , Mark Douglas , Linda Cochran , Yvonne Gilbert ( who would eventually marry director Lewis before divorcing him ) , Michael Korb , Vincent Santo , Andy Wilson , and Candi Conder . Mason and Wood were in Lewis ' previous film , Blood Feast . All the Southern accents sounded exaggerated though Cochran as Betsy was a turn-on for me especially since her top allowed her bare shoulders and some cleavage ! The other women , Gilbert ( Beverly ) , Livingston ( Bea ) , and Mason ( Terry ) , not to mention Conder's cameo as a switchboard operator were also classic beauties . As for the men , well , their performances were all over the place especially those between Allen as Mayor Buckman , Moore as Lester , and Bakeman as Rufus though no one was as irritating as the kid Santo who plays Billy with the most atrocious Southern accent and is way too loud to boot ! Having known about the Bridgadoon reference , I wasn't surprised by the twist . So overall , this was quite an effective thriller from the legendary H . G . Lewis .
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454,983 | 11,228,318 | 512,048 | 8 |
The Rare Coin is the first of six episodes of " Amos ' n ' Andy " I'm reviewing for Black History Month
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George " Kingfish " Stevens retrieves a letter to Andy Brown concerning a rare nickle from 1877 Andy accidentally found . In trying to get that coin from Andy , Kingfish pretends to be a doctor to get Andy to rest his eyes by blindfolding his face so Andy can sleep in darkness . When the Kingfish tries to call the coin collection company , he accidentally puts the rare coin in the pay phone . . . While lots more happens here , I'll just say that this was a hilarious episode of what is now considered an offensive program because of the stereotypes concerning blacks of the time . Since most of the programs of the time were white-oriented , they probably had a point but now with many multi-cultural choices on the tube , I think they should bring " Amos ' n ' Andy " back on television . TV Land would probably be a good place to start . Anyway , Andy and the Kingfish are a very funny comedy team as perfectly played by Spencer Williams and Tim Moore . Johnny Lee as disbarred lawyer Algonquin J . Calhoun also provides some laughs . Their comic antics are balanced here by many of the African-American cops and judges as well as the good citizen Amos Jones as played by Alvin Childress . So on that note , with this being the first of six episodes I'm reviewing for Black History Month , I'd heartily recommend " Amos ' n ' Andy " .
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454,444 | 11,228,318 | 1,083,970 | 8 |
Friends with Benefits was another pretty entertaining episode of " Swingtown "
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After the last episode when Bruce got angry at Susan for going to the Harry Reems fundraiser on her own , he manages to coerce her into joining a country club fundraiser for children's charities for his boss ' wife Rita Pierce's ( Judith Hoag ) wives club . Janet comes as Susan's guest and charms Mrs . Pierce after she cleans her jacket with Sweet and Low after Mrs . Pierce spills her drink on it . So Janet is also invited to join the country club . Meanwhile , Tom and Trina are at the airport scanning potential swingers when one of them turns out to be Trina's old high school flame Luke ( Ryan McPartlin who plays Captain Awesome on " Chuck " and actually is a native of the city this show takes place in as this author also is , Chicago ) . While Tom and Trina's marriage is indeed open , Tom seems jealous for the first time here . There's also a blond stewardess here that may figure in a future story . Anyway , they end up in a threesome . With Janet loving the taste of the upperclass , she persuades hubby Bruce to ask for a raise from his insurance job . When he does , he gets fired due to cutbacks but the only person he tells is Susan . He also tells her he's relieved since he was miserable much of those 15 years . With Janet having been accepted in the country club , Susan initially wants to quit since she senses Mrs . Pierce doesn't know where the hospital for the charity actually is but relents in hoping to set things right with her . Oh , I should mention that Tom , Trina , and Luke , who now runs his father's company , also attended this party . As for the teens side of this story , the boys are off to camp while Laurie's last assignment for Mr . Stephens ( Michael Rady ) is an oral assignment on relating philosophers to her real life . Since her life consists of dreaming of her teacher , she fails . But after it's over , she and Doug , Teach's first name , start kissing . Oh , and one of Bruce's fellow co-workers is the only woman , Melinda ( Rachelle Lefevre ) , who knows of the bets about her sleeping with one of them which Bruce didn't take . . . I had previously expressed reservations about the Laurie / teacher relationship so now that it's happening I'm glad it didn't dominate this episode's storyline and I'm reserving till the next episode to see how farther it goes . Missed Samantha this week so hoping she returns next . Wow ! Janet really seemed happy with her social climbing and her new hairstyle really matched her new attitude . Too bad it may soon fall down when Bruce reveals to her his real job status . Trina and Tom seem fine this episode especially with Luke almost threatening their marriage but next episode Tom may be less open about an affair to his wife which may be with that blonde I mentioned . And Melinda makes a move on Bruce the following week even though she knows he's married ! Wow ! A lot to think about when watching the next episode so until next time . . .
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454,914 | 11,228,318 | 39,536 | 8 |
Kiss of Death marks Widmark's Oscar-nominated debut
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Since this movie was made while there was still a Production Code , that is before the movie ratings system of 1968 , Kiss of Death may strike some modern-day viewers as dull except for the famous scene of Richard Widmark's Tommy Udo pushing Mildred Dunnock's crippled woman down a flight of stairs , a sequence I first saw as a clip in Sean Penn's 1984 Bad Boys . From a script by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer with direction by Henry Hathaway , this movie takes its time with the story of Nick Bianco ( Victor Mature ) , a career criminal who can't get a break going legit so he robs a jewelry store during the Christmas season and gets caught . It's in jail that he meets Udo who he befriends . Initially refusing to play " stool pigeon " , he changes his mind after a tragedy involving his wife . That's all I'll tell you except I'll also mention good support from Coleen Gray as the narrator and Mature's second wife and , especially , Brian Donlevy as the attorney who tries to protect Nick . Because sequences involving the first wife were not allowed under the Code , like I said , it might make for dull viewing but when some of it gets mentioned later one can almost put two and two together and make for some compelling visuals for the thinking mind to ponder . It's the performances of Mature and Widmark and the various point-of-view shots and shadowy lighting that makes this one of the more compelling film noir's of the late ' 40s . So for all of the above , I highly recommend this movie . P . S . Look for a young Karl Malden .
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453,914 | 11,228,318 | 1,083,968 | 8 |
Cabin Fever was another pleasantly good episode of " Swingtown "
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This was another pretty good episode of " Swingtown " with the three couples of Bruce and Susan , Roger and Janet , Tom and Trina making it a threesome ( not in THAT way ! ) with Janet and Trina having some kind of truce especially after everyone eats Janet's brownies-that Trina laced-after Susan spilled the beans about that . On the teens side , Laurie invites her teacher for dinner . He arrives late after the food was eaten but stays to watch Double Indemnity with her . After he tells her nothing can come of that kiss , Laurie tells him that he's only her instructor for the next two weeks . As the teacher leaves , he's seen by Laurie's former boyfriend who looks jealous . And Ricky , B . J . , and Samantha spend some time at her mom's pool with them all listening to some bootleg KISS from Holland . As Ricky gets drunk , B . J . and Samantha talk about how the neighborhood becomes " freak central " . Oh , and when the women sleep in one room with the men in the other , Trina admits to some loneliness concerning Tom's upcoming flights to Tokyo . . . Nice to see Janet get a little loose in this episode and Trina not push her " buttons " so much . Once again , I'm glad not to see the Laurie-Teach relationship pushed much further , at least not for now . And can I say , seeing Grant Show-who I've been familiar with since " Melrose Place " - with that ' 70s mustache is such a hoot to watch especially when he asks Janet when she's serving lemonade , " Hey good lookin ' , what's cookin ' ? " In summation , " Swingtown " is one of the more pleasant surprises on television this summer . Can't wait for the next episode . . .
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454,095 | 11,228,318 | 779,174 | 8 |
Meet Corliss Archer : Corliss the Cheerleader is funniest episode yet !
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The announcer says the house is shaking as we see the frame shaking a little bit . Inside , Corliss is practicing her cheers . Her mother Janet comes by and shows her daughter what her cheers were like before breaking her heel . Father Harry also comes by and does a cheer from his school days before snapping his suspenders . Boyfriend Dexter then does one from a small and wide table before breaking it while jumping ! Corliss asks Dexter to get head cheerleader Finlay to coach her . Finlay agrees without pay when he sees Corliss making Dexter jealous ! I'll just stop here and tell you this is the funniest and most believable episode of Meet Corliss Archer I've seen yet . The physical comedy involving the Archers and Dexter is the most well-timed . If you like a nice family comedy mixed with a little slapstick , " Corliss the Cheerleader " is a very good episode to seek out .
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453,821 | 11,228,318 | 41,391 | 8 |
Frigid Hare is a cute and amusing Bugs Bunny cartoon
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Frigid Hare is another Bugs Bunny cartoon in which he should have taken a " left turn at Albuquerque " and ends up at the South Pole . It's here that he meets a little penguin who he saves from a hunter who wants to capture him . When he tries to get back to Miami Beach , however , the penguin wants to follow him . Bugs pushes him on his way but the little snow-bird ends up in the man's bag . So the rabbit now has to outsmart him . . . This is both a cute and funny cartoon made by a man who knows how to make that combination work : Chuck Jones . Supposedly , this cartoon was banned recently because of the way the man in this short was drawn and depicted in characterization . While there might some traces of a stereotype here , I don't think any harm was intended . Anyway , I highly recommend Frigid Hare . It's on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection , Vol . 1 .
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455,169 | 11,228,318 | 22,208 | 8 |
Night Nurse is one of Barbara Stanwyck's early underrated movies
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Just finished watching this pre-Code movie called Night Nurse starring Barbara Stanwyck on VHS as one in several of a series of videocassettes named " Forbidden Hollywood " hosted by Leonard Maltin . Before the picture starts Maltin tells of and shows many scenes that a few years after the year this film was made ( 1931 ) wouldn't have been allowed . Like scenes of Ms . Stanwyck and Joan Blondell undressing or of a bootlegger ( Ben Lyon ) getting away with murder . Clark Gable , in one of his early roles , impresses greatly in his scenes with Barbara as the brutal chauffeur who's in cahoots with the crooked doctor in her hospital . And it's always a treat to see Charles Winninger in another one of his kindly elderly paternal roles , here as Stanwyck's moral superior . And seeing Blondell and Lyon with the leading lady are such a treat that I'm now curious if they did anything else together . Quickly and efficiently helmed by William Wellman who directed James Cagney to stardom in The Public Enemy the same year , Night Nurse is one of his more underrated gems .
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454,687 | 11,228,318 | 14,584 | 8 |
The Voice of the Nightingale is most charming Ladislaw Starewicz short
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The Voice of the Nightingale is Ladislaw Starewicz's most charming short about birds and their relationship with nature and humans . It stars his daughter as a girl who keeps the bird after he accidentally wrecks her doll while walking through her trap cage . The bird briefly turns into a rat while captured , frightening the girl ( and us ! ) . The captured bird sings hanging on a windowsill as the girl dreams first of a grasshopper and spider fighting over a pixie captured in spider's web , and then of the caged bird's wife , whom he was looking for when the girl got him , leaving their child alone . She wakes up and frees her pet . As reward , she now has a beautiful singing voice . Besides the story , there's also wonderful color-tinting to be awed and inspired by . So if you love Ladislaw Starewicz's work , seek out the DVD from Image Entertainment , The Cameraman's Revenge and Other Fantastic Tales .
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454,564 | 11,228,318 | 24,154 | 8 |
I Heard is another compelling jazz-flavored Betty Boop cartoon
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This is another jazz-flavored Betty Boop cartoon . This time , the band leader whose song is the title of this short is named Don Redman , a now-obscure artist . This short basically takes place in a mine where the workers go through a shower that washes the coal off their clothes before going to Betty Boop's Tavern ( or Betty Boop's Saloon according to the cartoon backdrop display that appears in the live-action credits when Redman and his Orchestra plays ) and then after we hear Don's rendition of a song that mentions the leading cartoon character's name Betty herself performs with a chorus of mice coming out of the stairs she's singing in front of . Lots of other bizarre stuff happens but , as always in a Fleischer cartoon , it's hard to describe . Well , actually after the miners go through the shower head again , the coal dirt comes back on ! And as always , the music and animation matches perfectly . So on that note , I recommend I Heard .
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454,951 | 11,228,318 | 297,727 | 8 |
Rod Serling : Submitted for Your Approval is another fine episode of " American Masters "
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In preparation of watching a couple of Rod Serling's TV films on the internet , I thought I'd rewatch this " American Masters " episode on his life and career , especially of the show he is most famous for . Presented entirely in black-and-white , Lee Grant narrates the first and last segments while other passages taken from Serling quotes and writings are spoken by Mitch Greenberg in an uncanny impersonation of Rod . We also get photos of him at home , in Hollywood , in New York , as a paratrooper during World War II , and near the end of his life when he looks aged and maybe a little tired . Well chosen scenes of the show itself provide astute commentary on Serling's philosophy and attitude and show what a brilliant writer he really was . We also get scenes of his earlier TV successes , " Patterns " and " Requieum for the Heavyweight " . Various actors , directors , producers , and other writers who worked on Serling's shows provide their own commentary on Rod and Mike Wallace gives his take on his interview with him just before " The Twilight Zone " premiered . The most poignant ones , however , come from widow Carol and his two daughters as well as surviving brother Robert . So if you're interested in a good documentary on the life and career of this vastly talented man , " Rod Serling : Submitted for Your Approval " is a fine place to start . P . S . I got a kick out of seeing clips of Serling's teleplay " The Velvet Alley " that featured future Odd Couple stars : original Broadway Felix Unger , Art Carney , talking to TV's Oscar Madison , Jack Klugman .
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453,757 | 11,228,318 | 33,285 | 8 |
You , the People is another compelling " Crime Does Not Pay " short subject
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Before I begin , I'd like to note that Bill Edmonds-Mr . Martini in It's a Wonderful Life-plays Louie the janitor here . Also appearing are " The Beverly Hillbillies " Raymond Bailey as Bailey Henchman and " Leave It To Beaver " s Hugh Beaumont as Pete . And that Barbara Bedford , who died in a city I once lived in-Jacksonville , Fla . - is a rooming house diner here . Shades ( or maybe not ) of the 2000 general presidential election , this " Crime Does Not Pay " short explores the illegal ways an incumbent mayor's re-election staff tries of " stuffing the ballots " and convincing the " regular folks " to stay home on election day . When someone tries to expose them , however , someone gets shot and police arrive as they try to burn the polling place . . . Gets pretty exciting at the end with the chases and shootings and is also compelling when someone at the end says to shut up since the person he talked to admitted he didn't vote . A pretty good account of how corruptness always seems to be around the corner near election day . Hope nothing like that happens this year with Obama now declared the Democratic presidential nominee . . .
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454,386 | 11,228,318 | 152,217 | 8 |
Rocketeers is one of the best Tom and Jerry ( not that one ! ) cartoons
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Another Tom and Jerry ( the human Van Beuren ones from the thirties , not the cat and mouse team from MGM ) cartoon and one of their best yet . They're in a parade where they're about to launch in a rocket . As one of the councilmen talks in a clarinet-note voice , the short one ( Jerry ) goes in the rocket joined by Tom ( the tall one ) as pushed by the councilman . The moon with a face says , " Uh-oh " , but the rocket actually aims for the sea . Down there we see various sea animals in one-note gags before a male sounding mermaid host says , " Hello , suckers " as we now see a sea-animal band with the lead characters now embracing a couple of beautiful mermaids of their own . They then sing at the piano with their women now dancing . At this point , the councilmen pull Tom and Jerry up with their women who dive back down with T and J and the councilmen following them , hats now floating as we iris out . . . Not much personality of the lead characters or much of a story but good use of animation throughout with wonderful music especially the song at the end . Possibly available in various public domain collections on VHS or DVD . I saw this one on Google Video when I typed " Van Beuren " and saw other Tom and Jerry ( again not the cat and mouse team ) cartoons listed . Well worth seeking out .
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455,072 | 11,228,318 | 1,127,268 | 8 |
The Girlfriend was a wonderful comeback episode ( after a writer's strike ) for " Samantha Who ? "
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During a chance meeting , Samantha and Todd bump into each other and ask how each are doing . Later that day , as she and her mother discuss a makeover with the father out on a trip , Samantha gets a call for dinner from Todd . That dinner was just Todd's way of telling her that Chloe is moving in with him in Sam's apartment that she still owns and Todd still lives in . Though Andrea suggests the ways of the old Sam like making a girlfriend of a man she wants think he's a two-timer by presenting a wine bottle as his gift to them , Sam wants to be fair to Chloe since she's done nothing wrong . At that point , the female president of the co-op board walks by and tells Sam that subletting is illegal at her building . So Sam moves in with Todd and Chloe . Things seem to go well , if a little awkward , but then when Sam wakes in the middle of the night , Chloe threatens her to leave her man alone . In the morning , Chloe's too sunny disposition confuses Sam and when Todd has Sam alone he tells her that Chloe told him that Sam threatened her ! Just then , Chloe comes out with her toy koala with an eye marked with a felt tip pen which she blames on Sam . Sam , denying responsibility , leaves . During much of this , Dena walks into Sam's mom's home and sees the mother having a drink because of her daughter's ditching her . So she agrees to the makeover since " your mom's dead and my daughter's gallivanting around " . The mom confesses to being runner-up in a beauty pageant years ago while Dena mentions drawing a turtle to get accepted in an art school that didn't take her . They resolve to TP that pageant winner's house . They eventually wake up with a rabbit statue that they took from that house . Meanwhile , Sam tries to be like her old self when Chloe arrives to find clothes strewn on the floor and Sam coming out of the shower with a nightie on . That backfires when Todd comes back in . Despite Chloe confessing to vandalizing her own bear , Todd picks her over Sam . After talking to Frank , who agrees to let the co-op president think Sam still lives there , Sam returns to her mother's home as the mom washes the giant turtle face off the wall . . . This was another heartwarming funny episode of " Samantha Who ? " that makes a wonderful comeback after the three-months-old writer's strike . My favorite part was Frank's reason for taking it easy on Sam : He thinks Chole is the same as Sam ( before her amnesia ) and doesn't want to deal with them both at the same time ! Christina Applegate sure has come a long way from Kelly Bundy on " Married . . . with Children " . So with that , until next time . . .
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454,164 | 11,228,318 | 26,017 | 8 |
You're Telling Me ! is one of W . C . Fields ' early classic comedies
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W . C . Fields was one comedian from the movies ' golden age that took me a while to like as a kid . The first time I remember laughing at him was when , in Fatal Glass of Beer , he keeps looking at the open window and saying , " And it ain't a fit night out for man nor beast ! " after which snow would hit him in the face ! You're Telling Me ! has plenty of funny visual and verbal gems that keep the movie breezing along for little more than an hour . Among the highlights are the beginning when Mr . Fields , coming home drunk , encounters a curtain constantly along with his angry wife who keeps telling him to take off his hat and put down his shoes , his talking a princess on a train out of " suicide " after failing to attempt one himself ( because of constant interruptions ) , his struggles with an ostrich he buys for his wife , and his golf game at the end that also gets delayed with various distractions especially from the caddy ( Fields also did this routine on his talkie debut , The Golf Specialist ) . You're Telling Me ! is one of Fields ' classics that should be essential viewing for anyone wanting to be introduced to his work .
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455,130 | 11,228,318 | 1,127,273 | 8 |
The Break Up is another very funny episode of " Samantha Who ? "
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At her workplace , Samantha receives some flowers from Kevin . Her assistant Tracy , already late , frantically offers to take some of the more undesirable parts off of them . Samantha tells her she doesn't have to be scared of her anymore since she's different post-coma . She tells Tracy to treat her as a girlfriend . Before her next date , Sam talks to Andrea , Dena , and her mom Regina about her upcoming first time since the accident of " doing it " . Afterwards , with Kevin still asleep , she declares herself in love so she moves her stuff out of Todd's ( formerly hers ) apartment and moves in with Kevin . Kevin breaks up with her at the next dinner . Seeing Sam put pictures of her and the one from Kevin together with scissors , Andrea tries to cheer her up with a drink . At first refusing because of her alcoholism , Tracy reveals she's really not so off they go with Dena and Regina in tow ! Later , in trying to reach Todd by shouting from the apartment entrance , Frank the doorman takes the drunk Sam to an empty restaurant table as they talk about what love really is . When Sam finally sees Todd , she tells she loved him then though she didn't say so at the time . When she gets back to work , Tracy has shirked most of her responsibilities so Sam goes bossy on her again . She then adds " please " . . . Another hilarious episode of " Samantha Who ? " that fully explores the difficulties of living with amnesia . Loved seeing this new side of Tracy in being the opposite of what we've seen of her especially when she quickly changes back when Sam slips to her old side temporarily . Also nice to see Frank have more of a role here . Another good line was Dena's about the curtain matching the drapes in comparison to Samantha about to choose mismatched bra and panties . Overall , one of the funniest episodes of " Samantha Who ? " yet !
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454,428 | 11,228,318 | 1,127,272 | 8 |
The Hockey Date is another highly amusing episode of " Samanatha Who ? "
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Because Samantha seems to spend most of her time with Dena playing Life at her parents ' house , her mom thinks she should try dating again . Sam explains that since she has amnesia , she just can't talk about herself in front of a stranger when she doesn't know who she is . Her mom says to not let something like that stop her ! She goes to ex-lover-now-friend Todd for info about her former life . He's now " running " with a woman named Chloe ( Kiele Sanchez ) who thinks Sam's condition means she's deaf as she keeps talking loud . Todd mentions Sam's passion for hockey . The next day , as her parents leave her alone with a man they invited called Kevin ( Eddie Cibrian ) , she reveals her liking hockey which gets her a date with him . Before that , however , Sam goes with Todd to the stadium so she can watch a game she's forgot about . What she also forgot was that her old self got arrested at said stadium for faking a handicap in order to get free tickets . She's now banned from going there again . Meanwhile , Andrea , who was supposed to be in Rome with her new boyfriend , reluctantly turns to Dena ( who she calls " Tina " ) after said boyfriend dumps her . After getting thrown out , Sam and Todd play darts at a bar as they bond over some good times . As Kevin arrives , Todd leaves , then Sam tells Kevin the truth about herself . Kevin still wants her . Sam feels good as she later joins Andrea and Dena , both of whom are passing themselves off as " Canadian Flight Attendents " to potential suitors . . . Another funny episode of " Samantha Who ? " that keeps getting better as the weeks go by . Nice to see Dena and Andrea bond a little bit here . Also nice to see Ms . Sanchez , post - " Lost " , and Mr . Cibrian , post - " Invasion " . They're amusing as , I'm sure , temporary mates for Todd and Sam , respectively . As always , Christina Applegate is very amusing playing both her crafty old self and her more sweet new self . Hope the ratings did well enough opposite its new competitor , " Two and a Half Men " .
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454,713 | 11,228,318 | 138,957 | 8 |
Beyond the Fringe provides early look at the careers of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore
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So after decades of reading about the comedy revue that jump-started the careers of the comic duo Peter Cook and Dudley Moore , I finally watched on DVD that revue that also featured Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller : Beyond the Fringe . Not everything that was depicted in this now-legendary event was funny , in fact , many of the references to certain historical or cultural happenings were dated to me but there were still a few skits that were quite hilarious to me like the beginning one about America , " The Great Train Robbery " with Cook making it clear that it's not a reference to a train being stolen , another Cook sketch in which he's a coal miner who wanted to be a judge and who writes about nude women on the side , and then there's " One Leg Too Few " in which Cook interviews Moore jumping on one foot as he auditions for the role of Tarzan ! That one I recognized immediately since I first watched this sketch on a rerun of " Saturday Night Live " that they hosted when I was a teen . Still quite hilarious to me . Also loved seeing Moore at the piano especially as he makes faces to us or when he performs a pretentious version of " The Colonel Bogey March " . Bennett can be a bit droll here especially when he plays a vicar delivering a sermon about the part of a sardine can you can't reach into and Miller can occasionally amuse when he mugs furiously . So on that note , I'd recommend Beyond the Fringe for anyone who's into satire especially of the British kind .
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454,084 | 11,228,318 | 78,447 | 8 |
The Uranium Conspiracy is quite an exciting movie that I just discovered
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This is another movie that was just put up on YouTube that I decided to watch . This film , whose English title is The Uranium Conspiracy , is the first time I've watched a Yoram Globus-Menahem Golan production directed by Golan in its entirety . As a spy thriller involving nuclear weapons , this was quite an exciting flick especially during the boat and car chase scenes . Filmed in many European locations and some sea locales , there were many intrigues that got me hooked throughout the picture . Fabio Testi is the Italian agent Renzo who does assignments for Israeli Dan ( Assi or Assaf Dayan ) for a price . Despite that , they're actually friends . Helga ( Janet Agren ) is the Swedish woman who works for a German company that makes nuclear weapons . She falls for Renzo . That's all I'll say except this is one exciting movie that I'm glad I watched on YouTube !
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454,423 | 11,228,318 | 20,264 | 8 |
Stan and Ollie star in the ironically titled Perfect Day
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This is one of Laurel and Hardy's earliest talkies . It basically involves the boys ' attempt to take their wives and Uncle Edgar Kennedy , who has a gouty foot , to a picnic but because of car troubles are unable to get out . Hilarious use of sound effects throughout especially in the use of the car horn and the sound when Ollie hits Stan on the head with a clutch after Stan literally threw it out per Ollie's commands ! During one ad-lib scene between the wives and uncle , Kennedy says a swear word that I probably wouldn't have noticed had I not read about it in a Laurel and Hardy filmography book . All this plus a rowdy dog , some unruly neighbors-one of whom is Stan's buddy Baldwin Cooke , and brick throwing at windows and you have one of the funniest comedy shorts of the late ' 20s . Well worth the time for lovers of comedy in general !
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453,876 | 11,228,318 | 94,075 | 8 |
See Superstar : The Karen Carpenter Story for it's unusual doll depiction of a life
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I have seen this long illegally circulated film on YouTube after nearly twenty years of hearing about it . Filmmaker Todd Haynes ' dramatization of Karen Carpenter's life story and her battle with anorexia nervosa with Barbie dolls makes this one of the most fascinating depictions of a superstar's descent into madness . Karen's fellow musician brother Richard and mother Agnes also make impressions though not always positive ones . Interspersed with actual news footage of ' 70s events and Carpenter songs playing at the same time , there's a disorienting atmosphere throughout . You also get commentary , both pro and con , on Karen's music from some real people on screen . Haynes , who would later make Far From Heaven and Safe , plays various Carpenter songs alone to illustrate Karen's feelings clearly when scenes focus on her . The video I saw was a bit fuzzy but don't let that stop you . For the unusual way you see an entertainer's life depicted , Superstar : The Karen Carpenter Story is certainly one of the most mind blowing experiences I've ever had !
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453,870 | 11,228,318 | 284,364 | 8 |
Ode to G . I . Joe is amusing tribute to 12 " action figure
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The Archies ' " Sugar , Sugar " is playing in the background as we dolly through a child's room filled with mostly ' 70s items ( like a Partridge Family album ) . We then pan to the radio and see a G . I . Joe doll switch to another station . Now it's playing The Staple Singers ' " I'll Take You There " as we see lots of other G . I . Joe dolls dancing ! This continues until we hear an adult voice calling for his son . The son asks what his dad wants . Dad wants him to clean his room . Son says he did . Dad doesn't believe him since he saw the mess ! Way before Toy Story came this stop-motion short by Gregory Grant about the various 12 " G . I . Joe dolls that were on the market from 1964 to 1978 . This film is dedicated in memory of them . Very amusing and highly recommended , Ode to G . I . Joe is one of many shorts from the Volume 5 videocassette of The International Tournee of Animation from 1992 .
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454,688 | 11,228,318 | 57,112 | 8 |
Purlie Victorious is amusing depiction of early ' 60s south
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If you've ever wondered whether anything satirical was ever made about the civil rights struggles of the 1960s , Ossie Davis ' Purlie Victorious may be the answer you're looking for . Davis , who is the movie's and original play's author , plays the title role as a preacher who , with help from fiancée Lutiebelle Jenkins ( wife Ruby Dee ) , tries to claim his $500 inheritance from former employer Stonewall Jackson Cotchipee ( Sorrell Booke in his Dukes of Hazzard southern accent ) . Jenkins manages to convince Cotchipee she's the cousin of Purlie . . . until she signs her own name on the receipt ! While that's all I'll reveal of the plot , I'd also like to mention the other players : Beah Richards , newcomer Alan Alda , and a hilarious turn by Godfrey Cambridge . While some of the performances may be over-the-top , that shouldn't stop you from enjoying the nuances of characterization that inform the narrative to its eventual conclusion . By all means , seek this one out .
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453,869 | 11,228,318 | 102,730 | 8 |
Push Comes to Shove is bizarre Bill Plympton animation short
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Push Comes to Shove is an animated short about two men looking the same doing various bizarre things to their faces . Like one pulling the other's ears forward , tying them in front of his face , getting a big rock in between the tied ears and pulling said ears with rock toward the face making a big fluffy hole on it . Or using grass seed with water on other's face , growing grass on it , and using a lawnmower to mow it down ! Or painting red marks on it so it looks like a baseball before hitting it , then another face appears literally from the neck up ! Like I said , pretty bizarre and highly recommend ! I saw this on Volume 5 of The International Tournee of Animation from 1992 . Well worth seeing if you like the offbeat .
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454,242 | 11,228,318 | 28,007 | 8 |
Musical Charmers is a wonderful showcase for Phil Spitalny and his All-Girl Orchestra
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This musical short from Paramount was another rarity that I read about in the Matinée at the Bijou site which linked this to YouTube . As we watch a performance of Phil Spitalny and his All-Girl Orchestra and Choir , the first song being performed is " I'll Bet You Tell That to All the Girls " led by a three-girl chorus . Then we segue to Evelyn and her Magic Violin with singer Maxine for " Rendezvous with a Dream " . After that , pianists Rochelle and Lola provide their version of " Goody Goody " . And finally , the entire orchestra plays " Song of India " with silhouettes of two female belly dancers as the short concludes . . . Very entertaining from beginning to end , Musical Charmers provided another musical act on film that possibly entertained many audience members who otherwise couldn't have afforded to see them live . I myself was familiar with them having seen them in Abbott and Costello's Here Come the Co-eds . This short is highly recommend to anyone interested in vintage period music as well as anyone who just loves to find new discoveries from the cinema of yesteryear . P . S . Evelyn Kaye Klein-the one with the " magic " violin-was married to Spitalny in real life .
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454,139 | 11,228,318 | 26,109 | 8 |
Betty Boop and Grampy is another entertaining Fleischer cartoon
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Having just rediscovered Betty Boop and Grampy on Mark Evanier's site , I forgot how charming the entire cartoon was especially the fun-loving inventor Grampy ! Betty sings and invites two piano movers , a fireman , and a traffic cop to Grampy's house which is far from the first door the gang arrive at but moves to it once it is rung ! Once inside , they encounter a ceiling punch , an uncovered umbrella that cuts the cake at all sides at the same time , a musical showcase of " Hold That Tiger " involving a Rube Goldberg-like device of a teakettle-playing flute with gloves and a fan and a boot pushing a trash can and a clock , and Grampy pushing chairs to his guests after getting exhausted dancing while he continues doing so . I also marveled at the 3-D like backgrounds in the beginning that seemed par for the course in these Fleischer shorts . While Disney's cartoons may have been more artistically pleasing , Fleischer's were some of the most entertaining at this time . Well worth checking out !
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454,412 | 11,228,318 | 31,816 | 8 |
Porky's Tire Trouble is another funny Porky Pig cartoon by Bob Clampett
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Just found this on Thad's Animation Blog . This was another Bob Clampett cartoon starring Porky Pig . In this one , it's Porky's dog , Flat Foot Flookey , that gets the lion's share of the laughs especially after following his master to his job at the Snappy Rubber Co . and falling into a vat of rubberized solution that causes his face to morph into various celebrities ( including Edward G . Robinson and Clark Gable ) . The dog also gets into a scrape with Porky's boss who loudly declares , " I hate dogs ! " which scares a hot dog to get out of his bun ! That last incident I mentioned was the funniest thing in the cartoon ! So on that note , I highly recommend Porky's Tire Trouble .
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454,033 | 11,228,318 | 78,382 | 8 |
Thank God It's Friday is a fun ' 70s disco dance movie
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After almost 30 years of hearing or reading about the ' 70s disco movie , Thank God It's Friday , and having taped it for future viewing from AMC 5 years ago , I finally got around to seeing it a couple of hours ago . I must say , I was mainly expecting some cheesy comedy set in a dance club with lame jokes and a bare plot . Instead , most of the intentional punchlines and visual gags worked and I loved the multi-character story lines that occasionally overlapped . Good musical performances by The Commodores and Donna Summer who here plays a struggling singer named Nicole Sims . Her song , " Last Dance " is the highlight of this movie and helped win an Oscar for Best Song for its writers , Giorgio Moroder and Paul Jabara who also plays a character who gets stuck in a staff room backstage . Also appearing are Jeff Goldblum as the club's owner , Debra Winger as a nice girl , and future Berlin lead singer Terri Nunn , who's 16 here , as an underage club hopper . Special mention must go to the guy who plays Marv Gomez ( Chick Vennera ) who's hilarious dancing on some car roofs having the time of this life . Watch this movie and see if you don't feel the same ! By the way , kudos to whoever animated the Columbia Torch Lady dancing . . .
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454,143 | 11,228,318 | 67,858 | 8 |
To All My Friends on Shore presents a touching , dramatic Bill Cosby
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Having mainly seen Dr . Cosby ( I refer him as such because of his PHD ) in " Fat Albert " , " The Cosby Show " , his movies with Sidney Poitier , and his guest appearances in various ' 70s variety shows ( as well as starring in his own short-lived ABC show ) , I was wonderfully surprised to see him playing a dramatic role in this TV movie from his own idea about a ghetto man who works various jobs in order to save enough money to buy a home for his maid working / nurse training wife and his teenage son . Because he doesn't let his son out much , there is some animosity between them . Cosby does a good job in fleshing his character's background to his son during many of the walks and drives that are well staged by director Gilbert Gates ( Oh , God ! Book II , The Academy Awards ) . Gloria Foster ( The Matrix I and II ) is fine as the wife . The son ( Dennis Hines ) later gets a disease that is common for blacks so we also get some lessons about Yesterday , Today , and Tomorrow People that leads to a very touching denouement . The $1 DVD I got is double-billed with The Black Brigade with Richard Pryor and Billy Dee Williams . Worth checking out for any Cosby fans .
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454,068 | 11,228,318 | 942,525 | 8 |
Unexpected is a step up from the previous few Heroes episodes
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When we last saw Claire with her mom , Mrs . Bennett had lost all memory . Claire leaves to get her younger brother and finds her mom get her memory back . A few minutes later , however , Mrs . Bennett collapses . The agent that frees Hiro pulls a gun on him . Seems he wants a piece of the showgirl's action . The showgirl and Ando stop which is when Ando discovers her riches and gets a gun pulled on him . Matt gives his wife the diamond ring he took from the dead guy he guarded . Wife calls to get ring extended and finds out about the stolen merchandise . Matt's about to turn them in when he gets a call from Ted ( the guy who can set fire on himself ) and his new female partner who can use her mind to type on the internet . Mohinder and Syler , who the former still thinks is the guy he was looking for last week , find Dale , a mechanic who can can hear sounds a hundred miles or so away . She plays rap music on her walkman to keep the loud sounds from bothering her . Mohinder and Syler offer to help the next day but she turns up dead by then . Syler had murdered her the previous night and now finds himself overwhelmed with her power . Issac asks HRG to help find Peter with Simone doing the same with Issac and Nathan . Peter and Claude are doing painful test battles when HRG and the Haitian man find them . At this point Peter confidently uses his powers that he's encountered over the last few months and flies himself and Claude out of the pursuers way . HRG gets a phone call from Claire to come home because of his wife's condition . As the showgirl and the agent battle it out , Hiro and Ando run to a bus luggage cabin and apologize to each other . Just as the showgirl is about to shoot them , Hiro regains his powers and prevents the bullet from hitting them . He then leaves Ando to his car as he takes the next bus . Claire lashes out at her father for all the deception he's done . After the Bennetts arrive home , they are held up by Matt , Ted , and the Internet girl ( sorry , don't know her name yet ) . Peter confronts Issac about his telling HRG about his whereabouts and destroys his paintings while turning invisible . Issac uses the gun given him by HRG and shoots at wherever invisible Peter strikes but he ends up shooting Simone who Peter had tried to protect by making her invisible too . They both look on at Simone's dead body . . . Wow , more action packed than the previous few episodes . Loved seeing Marvel honcho Stan Lee as the bus driver Hiro encounters . Claire's father sure got what he deserved from his daughter but what's he going to do now that he knows what she knows ? When will Mohinder find out about Sylar ? Will Peter and Issac reluctantly team up ? And where is Hiro going ? Hope the next episode turns out to be more exciting . Until next time . . .
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454,155 | 11,228,318 | 43,128 | 8 |
What's Up Doc ? is an amusing show biz parody cartoon from Bugs Bunny
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What's Up Doc ? is a pretty amusing , if not hilarious , cartoon from director Robert McKimson about Bugs Bunny's rise in show biz . As a child , he learns to play Franz Lizst on the piano . Then as an adult , he starts in the chorus in various musical revues . Bugs blows his big chance , however , when his solo act only gets crickets chirping ( a familiar cartoon gag for when a performer bombs ) . Down on his luck , he sits on a park bench with Al Jolson , Jack Benny , Eddie Cantor , and Bing Crosby when headliner Elmer Fudd walks by . Fudd rejects everybody as they do their trademark cues except Bugs . Bugs is basically a stooge to Elmer so he switches punchlines in New York which causes an angry Fudd to get a rifle in the wabbit's face making Bugs say , " What's Up Doc ? " for the first time . As he notices the audience eat it up , he tells Elmer to say it again . He does and the applause gets louder ! That leads to their first screen test at Warner Bros . where Bugs sings " What's Up Doc ? " with Elmer singing and dancing along at the end . Having told all this to a female reporter , Bugs looks at his watch and says he's due on the set for his next starring role . As the curtain with his initials goes up , we see him singing and dancing with . . . those same chorus boys he performed earlier with in his career ! Like I said mostly amusing if not hilarious though I loved many of the jokes that Elmer and Bugs did in the vaudeville segments . And the celebrity voices done mostly by Mel Blanc were spot on . Anyone who saw the live-action What's Up , Doc ? that starred Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal should be very familiar with the " What's Up Doc ? " number since that sequence appeared at the end of that movie . This short is part of Volume one of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection .
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454,635 | 11,228,318 | 41,198 | 8 |
Border Incident was one of the late Ricardo Montalban's more compelling movies
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With the death of Ricardo Montalban still fresh from a few weeks ago , I thought I'd check from my local library a DVD of one of his more dramatically compelling movies he made for his contracted studio , M-G-M . Directed by Anthony Mann just before his legendary streak of James Stewart westerns in the following decade , Border Incident has a sort of western feel as it tells the story of a couple of agents , one U . S . and one Mexican , trying to protect Mexican immigrants from being exploited and beaten to death in this country . Both Montalban and George Murphy-who's usually a song-and-dance man-are very compelling in their straight roles . As the villains , Howard Da Silva and Charles McGraw also bring their subtle creepiness to somewhat charismatic effect ( well , Da Silva anyway ) . And James Mitchell brings his own charm as one of the migrant workers Montalban tries to help . There's also a naturalistic documentary feel in the beginning and end that make this somewhat realistic for the era which is also achieved by rare uses of the music score throughout . If you've only known Mr . Montalban as Mr . Roarke on " Fantasy Island " or as Khan on the " Star Trek " episode " Space Seed " not to mention Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan , you'll probably be wonderfully surprised by his heroic role here . With that , I highly recommend Border Incident .
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454,664 | 11,228,318 | 22,113 | 8 |
George Stevens ' Mama Loves Papa is hilarious !
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Mama Loves Papa is an entry in Hal Roach's The Boy Friends series . Among the stars are occasional W . C . Fields stooge Grady Sutton and a couple of former original Our Gangers Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman , here playing brother and sister . The plot concerns Daniels and Kornman's mother about to marry another brother and sister's father . To keep this from happening , both pair siblings try to convince the others ' parents that they're crazy . What follows are various gags that , typical for ' 30 comedies especially for Hal Roach , involve making yourself look tiny , pretending to chop sibling's head , and hanging from a chandelier ! After all this is cleared up , one of the adult children finds a pastor to marry the new stepparents but this results in a twist you may guess if you're familiar with many of these sitcom-like plots over the years but I won't reveal here ! Funny short from beginning to end and well directed by former Laurel and Hardy cameraman George Stevens . By all means , seek this out !
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454,673 | 11,228,318 | 320,629 | 8 |
Timmy's Wish is one irreverent short comedy
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Just watched this pretty blasphemous but also funny short on atomfilms . com . In a nutshell , Timmy , after getting sent to his room for not finishing his dinner because it has Brussel sprouts and liver , prays to Jesus that he wishes his parents were dead . Guess what happens ? The Jesus character is played by the director as someone with an attitude who swears and smokes and lets the boy partake in some vices . That is until he sees . . . Oh , just watch this short and judge for yourself if you get offended at what is depicted here . As a Catholic , I wondered why the son of God acted the way he did but then I decided this was one of those be-careful-what-you-wish-for suspense parodies that was meant to be taken with a grain of salt . So on that note , I'm cautiously recommending Timmy's Wish .
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455,101 | 11,228,318 | 402,886 | 8 |
Capital P is scarily amusing depiction of a child's imagination
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We see child like drawings of house , sun , hose , and bed . At bed , a child is wetting it with hose . House comes alive and says to child , " Don't wet your bed ! " Child wakes up . Just a dream . He rushes through the dark hallway , scared until he turns on the light . He finds the bathroom and sits on the toilet . As he waits , it is thundering outside so the lightning frightens him ! After he's done , he hurries through the darkened hallway and goes back to bed . Imaginary house reappears and asks , " Did we forget to flush ? " Child wakes up astonished as he dreads going back to bathroom . The end . Amusingly scary cartoon that explores a child's active imagination from Canadian Stephen Barnes . This was a worthy entry from Volume 5 of The International Tournee of Amimation videocassette .
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453,842 | 11,228,318 | 1,248,331 | 8 |
Generalissimo was another quite funny episode of " 30 Rock "
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In this episode , a bunch of white male investment bankers recently laid off are now interns and have roped Tracy Jordan into some all-nighters which is ironic since Jordan quickly gets tired of them , Jack has a hard time impressing Elisa's grandmother because of his resemblance to the villain in her favorite telenova , and Liz checks out mail accidentally left in her apartment and finds out the owner is a handsome doctor just moved to her floor . . . What a hoot to see Alec Baldwin play both Jack and this soap actor with mustache . And this is the first of several eps to have " Mad Men " actor Jon Hamm playing this doctor Liz is smitten with . Not quite as hilarious as previous episodes but there's still some entertaining gems of humor like those concerning " roofies " ! I especially loved Liz ' villainous cackle as she starts acting just like that telenova villain . Next episode takes place on Valentine's Day so until next time . . .
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455,111 | 11,228,318 | 152,091 | 8 |
Prosperity Blues is a Krazy Kat cartoon from the Depression that seems relevant to today's times
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Just watched this Depression-inspired Krazy Kat cartoon on Uncle John's Crazy Town blog . In this one , Krazy is selling apples for 5 cents though he doesn't seem successful until he sees a limousine . . . then we find out that car has his chauffeur also selling apples ! Not to worry , a customer then buys a couple and gives Krazy a check which he attempts to cash in but the bank he goes to is abandoned with cobwebs all over the place . So when he goes back to the customer , that customer then takes back the check and then plants a fake smile on Krazy who is now so happy he sings " Smile , Darn Ya , Smile " and plants other fake smiles on various peoples and inanimate objects . Then everyone , including buildings and Uncle Sam , starts singing " Happy Days are Here Again " as the whole nation seems to be in a state of perpetual happiness . . . There are a few other funny gags like a bone dropping from the sky which every dog character attempts to get but only one particular one does as we see him put it in a safe . . . with other bones ! Also , Krazy has one customer who has a mouse in his purse that just licks the apples and that's it ! The mice here look just like Mickey so Walt Disney might have sued former employer Charles Mintz if he watched this cartoon ! The whole thing has a surreal Max Fleischer-quality about it and those creepy slapping of smiles might have scared some of the grouches in the audience . With today's economy threatening another Depression , Prosperity Blues seems especially suitable for the times . So on that note , this cartoon is highly recommend for ' 30s animation buffs .
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454,793 | 11,228,318 | 89,310 | 8 |
Ken Burns ' Huey Long is interesting documentary of Louisiana political figure
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Having grown in Baton Rouge , La . most of my life and visited the State Capitol , as a kid on a school field trip , where Huey Long was shot , I was very interested in seeing Ken Burns ' documentary Huey Long despite airing on WLPB ( our local PBS affiliate ) opposite CBS ' Two and a Half Men and The New Adventures of Old Christine as well as NBC's Heroes ( shows I usually watch or tape around this time ) . As with many of Burns ' subsequent films , Huey Long explores the state governor and senator's life through many still photos of his and Louisiana's history in the early 20th century . There's also many talking heads of various citizens of Louisiana , rich and poor , pro - and anti-Long , including Long's son Senator Russell Long , and Robert Penn Warren , whose book " All the King's Men " was a thinly veiled bio of Governor Long . Many of Long's exciting speeches have also been preserved here . Balance is provided of Long's good and bad points . But without him , Louisiana might have been worse off without the new school textbooks for all the undereducated kids he helped provide or the paved roads and bridges he helped build . So for anyone interested in the life and career of one of the most colorful figures in both Louisiana and American politics , I highly recommend Ken Burns ' Huey Long .
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453,962 | 11,228,318 | 14,385 | 8 |
Max Fleischer's The Puzzle is another charming " Out of the Inkwell " series entry
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As Max Fleischer goes to his drawing board , he doodles some squares with fragments of pictures in each one . When he arranges them , they become various animals or people until he does one that becomes Ko-Ko the Clown . Max gets the clown to sit on a chair before putting some more puzzle shapes on the board which he allows the clown to play with . However , Ko-Ko just kicks them around so Max draws rope around him and puts wheels on the chair so the clown can get out of his way . It's at this point that Ko-Ko goes to a bridge , a maze , and Puzzle Town where he goes to a hall of mirrors . After going back to where Max is assembling the puzzle pieces , Max draws a cave with the words " This Way Out " on them but Ko-Ko goes inside with the puzzle box making Max go in the cave himself . Big mistake as Ko-Ko goes back out with box and closes the door trapping Max inside ! So while Max tries to get out of the cave with various drawings inside , Ko-Ko assembles the puzzle pieces . A big surprise happens after that but I won't reveal what . . . This was another of Fleischer's " Out of the Inkwell " entries made during the silent era that I watched on YouTube . Another charming piece of early animation that should provide plenty of charms for anyone interested in vintage filmaking . I truly was pleasantly surprised by how this short ended . So for all that , I highly recommend The Puzzle .
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454,996 | 11,228,318 | 148,316 | 8 |
House of Hashimoto is an unique entry in the Terrytoons canon
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Having just seen this on YouTube , House of Hashimoto is one of the more unusual cartoons to come from the usually conservative Terrytoons . In fact one of the writers , Bob Kuwahara , is Japanese . So this story of an invisible mouse who defeats a " giant cat " seems to have a genesis in Asian legend . It's certainly fascinating to see such a non stereotypical view of another culture from an American cartoon from the late ' 50s . The title character tells this story to an American mouse friend who's a newspaper reporter looking for an angle . He leaves because he doesn't think the readers will believe what Hashimoto tells him . The ending will be surprising to anyone except those who are familiar with various folk tales . Worth a look for any animation fans . P . S . Ralph Bakshi was one of the animators .
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454,570 | 11,228,318 | 152,157 | 8 |
Red Hot Music was one entertainingly jazzy Terrytoons short
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Here's another animated cartoon I watched on Uncle John's Crazy Town blog . It's a Terrytoon starring Kiko the Kangaroo . Who you ask ? This was an animal character that originated in the Farmer Al Falfa series . In this one , Kiko is a fire fighter who's called to douse the flames of Station KIKO which has a literally hot jazz band playing in the building . The instrumental music provided is highly enjoyable throughout and is accompanied by some amusing gags like taxis dancing or some notes literally moving on air . The Kiko character didn't really have much of a personality to last long in the Paul Terry staple like later characters like Mighty Mouse or Heckle and Jeckle but in cartoons like this , he got showcased in some of the best black-and-white ones the company made in the ' 30s . So on that note , I highly recommend Red Hot Music , .
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455,158 | 11,228,318 | 800,972 | 8 |
Family Portraits : The Marx Brothers is an affectionate tribute from the children of their famous fathers
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Narrated by AMC's host Bob Dorian , this program showcased family members of The Marx Brothers . Among them who appeared on camera were Susan Fleming ( Harpo's wife ) , Bill Marx ( Harpo's son ) , Minnie Marx ( Harpo's daughter ) , Maxine Marx ( Chico's daughter ) , and Miriam Marx ( Groucho's daughter ) . This show was divided into three segments . On Harpo , we see home movie footage of him without his wig and costume . In fact , he's really quite bald here with brown hair on the back but his expressions and movements are unmistakably Harpo's with the playfulness he displays with his wife and kids . On Groucho , there's plenty of stills of him with his first two kids , Arthur and Miriam , and his first wife and their mother , Ruth , who was revealed to be somewhat of an alcoholic . We also see some film clips of other daughter , Melinda , as both child and young adult singing both solo and with her father . And on Chico , there are plenty of stills of him with Maxine and her mother . His taking over management of his team from mother Minnie and his compulsive gambling is also mentioned here but in mostly forgiving terms by his daughter . Loved seeing Harpo's clown painting displayed here and his son Bill mentioning playing piano at Groucho's various parties during the latter's final days . All in all , a very affectionate tribute to the Marx children's fathers as they were off-screen . Well worth seeing for Marx Brothers fans .
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454,953 | 11,228,318 | 307,141 | 8 |
The Mayflower Voyagers is a fine informative first episode of " This Is America , Charlie Brown "
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Though Thanksgiving was three days ago , I had to at least watch this first episode of " This Is America , Charlie Brown " miniseries-which was a bonus feature on the " A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving " DVD-before November turned into December . As Charlie Brown narrates about the Pilgrims ' voyage from England , we see him and the rest of the Peanuts gang suffer with the adults during the weeks-long sea trip . I'll stop there and just say what an entertaining and educational animated show this is with much of Charles Schulz ' humor intact involving his kid characters along with dog Snoopy and bird Woodstock . Lucy , of course , is her normal bossy self who's not above occasionally touting her feminine wiles while Peppermint Patty and Marcie provide their own humorous give-and-take concerning a snake in the forest . Then there's the round headed kid's worrying contrasted with Linus ' belief in faith that gives the viewers the various feelings about the passengers ' wonderment of whether the trip to leave their home country was worth it . This is highly recommended to Peanuts fans , especially those kids who would otherwise probably avoid learning history which they'd possibly dismiss as something from a boring textbook .
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454,001 | 11,228,318 | 64,113 | 8 |
Bugged by a Bee was one of the funnier of the latter-day Warner Bros . cartoons
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Just watched this latter-day Warner Bros . Looney Tunes cartoon on YouTube as linked from the Misce-Looney-ous blog . It stars a now-forgotten character named Cool Cat who's voiced by Larry Storch , the star of Warner Bros . Television's " F Troop " ( whose music scorer is the same here-William Lava ) . Cool Cat is a college student who wants to outscore the Big Man on Campus in athletics . With the help of a bee that keeps stinging his tail , he . . . well , watch the short . Directed by Bob McKimson ( yes , that's how he's credited here ) , that bee provides most of the laughs from me in this not-so-limited animation short as there are some movements of Cool Cat that are pretty hilarious if I do say so myself . With this being one of the last of the WB theatrical cartoons in regular production , I'd recommend Bugged by a Bee to any Warner cartoon completist out there . . .
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Pluto's Christmas Tree is a very enjoyable Walt Disney Christmas cartoon
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Just went on YouTube and rediscovered this classic cartoon from Walt Disney starring Mickey Mouse , Pluto , and Chip ' n ' Dale that I first saw on " The Wonderful World of Disney " on December 25 , 1977 when the episode was the all-animated " From All of Us to All of You " . In this one , Mickey and his dog live in a cabin near the tree that the chipmunks reside in . C ' n ' D have some mischief with the yellow dog before master Mickey chops their tree down . Since the mouse is oblivious to the little rodents , Pluto risks trouble in pursuing them . . . Directed by usual Donald Duck helmer Jack Hannah , Pluto's Christmas Tree shows nice timing in many visual gags especially of the chase variety though they do pale somewhat compared to the kinds of pacing that abound in the Warner Bros . and M-G-M cartoons of this period . Still , it's enjoyable enough and well worth seeing for Walt Disney enthusiasts of all kinds .
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