Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 18th, 2007
This is the second volume of Pluto cartoons, here going from 1947 to the end of the series in 1951. The neat thing about these themed collections in the Wald Disney Treasures series is that they highlight particular strengths in Disney’s animation. Thus, if the Silly Symphonies sets focus on the marriage of movement with music, the Pluto cartoons are wonders of pantomime, since the central character doesn’t speak. Pluto is not a jot less communicative for not using words, however, and the sight gags involved in some of his facial expressions (such as when wearing the unwanted “Pluto’s Sweater”) are priceless. Pluto’s frequent sidekick Figaro the cat has the spotlight to himself in three bonus cartoons.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 16th, 2007
Def Comedy Jam Classics: Martin Lawrence contains a few hearty laughs in between heaps of "f-this, f-that, f-to the point where it is no longer a curse word and becomes simply an overused adjective" and sexually explicit material. Many of the comedians featured on this disc seem to be delivering material purely for shock value before an audience that does their best to encourage. As a result, most of the comedy lacks a genuine feel, and that includes the offerings we get from Mr. Lawrence himself. That's n...t to say I found the release a total waste. Dave Chappelle and Chris Tucker show up in early turns proving that funny doesn't have to be a learned trait. These men were just as strong on the mic then as they are now. While their material sticks to the tried-and-true, sex-and-cursing formula, their delivery stands out from the rest of the pack, causing them to come off more as innovators than copycats.
The same cannot be said for every other comic on the disc, including D.L. Hughley, Garfield, Maestro, and comedienne Chocolate. Most are doing their worst impressions of an early Eddie Murphy routine, and the stacked audience hoots and howls as if they are being treated to the real deal. Ultimately, I can see two realities in watching this release: one, why so many comics didn't make it; two, why Chappelle and Tucker did.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 15th, 2007
Warner Bros. had the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, Disney had the Silly Symphonies. This is the second volume collecting those shorts, covering the years 1929 to 1938. The shorts are selected on a menu that can be presented in alphabetical or chronological order, and it is the latter approach that is the most enlightening, as we can see the cartoons evolve. There is no dialogue in these shorts – the point was to fuse animation and music. And while that is an end in itself in the earlier cartoons (and quite the technological feat at that), more and more narrative content develops over the years. The culmination of this form of animation would, of course, be Fantasia, and in such early pieces as “Hell’s Bells,” one can see in embryonic form the ideas that would become, for instance, the “Night on Bald Mountain” segment.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 15th, 2007
The zaniness continues in Bikini Bottom, and the series shows no sign of losing its appeal or its lunatic creativity. Wonderful little example: “Whale of a Birthday” is about Mr. Krabbs’ daughter’s sixteenth birthday. The highlight: a performance by “Boys Who Cry” singing “It’s All About You.” Perfect. There are twenty episodes here to keep your funny and whimsy bones tickled. (What, you don’t think you have a whimsy bone? Of course you do.)
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 9th, 2007
Border Radio is an independent film written and directed by Allison Anders, Kurt Voss and Dean Lent. The film serves as more of a curiosity than a great film on its own merits. Released in 1987, the film fell in amongst the wave of indie filmmakers making an impact at the time, including Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. In fact, Anders directed one of the segments in the film Four Rooms, which also featured stories by these two filmmakers, in addition to Alexandre Rockwell. While Tarantino and Ro...riguez have gone on to amazing success, many of their contemporaries never took off on a grand scale. Anders, Voss and Lent fall into this category, with Lent and Voss later directing a string of "B" movies, and Anders turning her efforts toward directing television programs.
Still, this film is an excellent example of the advice that all indie filmmakers give to aspiring filmmakers; "just make your movie!!" The goal of a debut feature is not always to make the next Reservoir Dogs as much as it is a chance to gain experience and show the world that you can handle the strain of a feature-length production. Maybe neither director went on to direct a $30 million blockbuster film, but they created a career for themselves through their work in a self-funded production.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 7th, 2007
If you haven't heard of The Simple Life, the reality series starring celebrity debutantes Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie, you must not own a TV. If you just haven't ever watched the show, you're one lucky person. I used to be lucky, too, but now I've seen the show's fourth season on DVD.
The Simple Life features Hilton and Ritchie, spoiled rich and absolutely clueless, experiencing everyday American life. You know, like doing chores on a farm. What's new for this season? The girls have had a falling out, which I'm sure was covered in great detail in all of the tabloids and on all of the entertainment "news" programs. So this time Paris and Nicole are alternating days, so as not to cross paths and get in a catfight.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2006
I'd never seen, nor heard of, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law before I received my review copy of this second volume of the series, which aired as part of Adult Swim. What a bizarre show! Not since Ren and Stimpy have I seen such a strange, adult-oriented cartoon.
Harvey Birdman was a shoddy superhero who has become a substandard Attorney. His firm handles cases for well-known animated Hanna-Barbara characters like The Jetsons, with each of the 13 episodes in this second volume presenting a new case. The episodes run about 11 minutes each, and they're all very odd and pretty darn funny. Since the episodes are so short, I'm not going to spoil any of the storylines here. If you're not familiar with the show or the adult-oriented cartoon genre, I suggest renting a disc from Harvey Birdman volume one to get a taste. If you enjoy that, you'll eat up this volume two release.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2006
Hilary Duff vehicle Material Girls hit theatres in August 2006, and failed miserably. That fact was my only comfort while I wasted 98-minutes of my life watching this movie.
I fully expected to dislike this teeny-bop flick, but I was actually surprised by just how bad it actually was. Hilary Duff and sister Haylie probably wish they'd never made this movie, though I imagine the paycheck would make up for this blotch on their filmography. I'm hoping the same is true for Angelica Huston (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Brent Spiner (Star Trek's Data), who play cringe-worthy supporting roles.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 21st, 2006
What we have here are three films from Hollywood’s days before the Production Code kicked in, which show just how much the envelope was being pushed when it came to sexual subject matters. The recurring theme here is sex as a commodity, whether the situations beinig dealt with involve outright prostitution or not.
Outright prostitution is very much the issue in Waterloo Bridge (1931), director James Whale’s effort just prior to making Frankenstein. Mae Clarke (who would play Elizabeth in Frankenstein) is an out-of-work chorus girl during WWI, not a prostitute trolling for men on the titular bridge. During an air raid she runs into a young private from a good family (Kent Douglass). He falls in love with her, and she with him, and so she tries to push him away. This is a romance that is anything but glamorous, despite some scenes in the upper class household (with a young Bette Davis as Douglass’ sister), and the resolution is brutally downbeat.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 20th, 2006
Dr. Katz is Frasier on LSD. This cartoon is based on stand-up Jonathan Katz and is psychobabble routine. Most of each episode centers on Dr. Katz and usually a couple of sessions with patients played by fellow stand-ups or other celebrities. While there is some humor here, none of it jumps out as rip-roaring funny. Then there’s the infamous “Squigglevision”. To me this makes the darn thing near impossible to watch. The gyrating animation gives me a headache. To review this set, I couldn’t watch more than one episode per sitting. I’m told the show was much better in season one, which I’ve never seen. Too bad, really, but there isn’t anything worthwhile about this cartoon.
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![TCM Archives - Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 1 (Waterloo Bridge [1931] / Baby Face / Red-Headed Woman) dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/tcm-archives-forbidden-hollywood-large.jpg)
