Clockwise from bottom left: Beetlejuice (Warner Bros.), Palm Springs (Hulu), The Guilt Trip (Paramount), Frank (Magnolia) Graphic: AVClub
Hulu is a great resource for viewers seeking laughs, as this round-up of the platform’s best available comedy movies can attest. The A.V. Club’s list particularly proves that Hulu...
Hulu is a great resource for viewers seeking laughs, as this round-up of the platform’s best available comedy movies can attest. The A.V. Club’s list particularly proves that Hulu...
- 1/20/2024
- by The A.V. Club
- avclub.com
If you’re a fan of animation, you know the name John Musker, whose four decades at Disney included writing and directing such classics as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Moana. Since retiring from the studio in 2018, he independently pursued an idea for a playful hand-drawn short, which he populated with caricatures of dozens of people from his life, among them fellow animators, CalArts classmates and Disney studios execs.
I’m Hip — shortlisted for an Academy Award — is a charming, music video-like film featuring a cat singing the catchy title song, Dave Frishberg’s 1970s recording of a tune he wrote with Bob Dorough. “[The song’s] very witty, and I always thought that would make for a fun short,” says Musker, 70.
“I have a penchant for teasing people,” he says, and his film “teases people who are so desperate to be on the cutting edge of things. Certainly Los Angeles is full of those people.
I’m Hip — shortlisted for an Academy Award — is a charming, music video-like film featuring a cat singing the catchy title song, Dave Frishberg’s 1970s recording of a tune he wrote with Bob Dorough. “[The song’s] very witty, and I always thought that would make for a fun short,” says Musker, 70.
“I have a penchant for teasing people,” he says, and his film “teases people who are so desperate to be on the cutting edge of things. Certainly Los Angeles is full of those people.
- 1/10/2024
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the contemporary field of Japanese animation, no one makes films and TV shows like Yuasa Masaaki. Compared to the lifelike backgrounds and careful detailing of facial animations that typify much of anime, Yuasa’s mash-ups of disciplines and methods recall the unorthodox approaches of Don Hertzfeldt and Soviet-era Hungarian animators like Marcell Jankovics and György Kovásznai. But Yuasa’s north star—in underlying motivation, if not aesthetic—may be Tex Avery, whose brand of unpredictable comedy can be seen in the filmmaker’s willingness to upend character continuity and even the fundamental outlines of drawings for the sake of pursuing a joke or feeling to its most outlandish conclusion.
The plots of the five films included in Shout! Factory’s new box set are, however fantastical their framings, often elementally simple, and many have reference points in another anime films and shows. A kind of lysergic take on Miyazaki Hayao’s Ponyo,...
The plots of the five films included in Shout! Factory’s new box set are, however fantastical their framings, often elementally simple, and many have reference points in another anime films and shows. A kind of lysergic take on Miyazaki Hayao’s Ponyo,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
Did you know "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie" was even happening before you clicked on this article? You would think Warner Bros. would treat the first-ever fully animated feature-length theatrical film (not including any of the previous "Looney Tunes" package movies that compile multiple shorts) featuring some of the most iconic cartoon characters in cinema history as a momentous occasion. But no, under the reign of current WB Discovery CEO David Zaslav, "The Day the Earth Blew Up" has thus far been treated as little more than extra "content" for the fire (apologies for using the C-word).
Case in point, the original plan was to quietly shuffle "The Day the Earth Blew Up" onto Max with little fanfare -- right up until Zaslav's regime went all Freddy Krueger on the streaming platform's animation department and canceled half a dozen of their developing projects back in...
Case in point, the original plan was to quietly shuffle "The Day the Earth Blew Up" onto Max with little fanfare -- right up until Zaslav's regime went all Freddy Krueger on the streaming platform's animation department and canceled half a dozen of their developing projects back in...
- 10/31/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Happy Birthday, Bugs Bunny!
The world’s favorite rabbit turns 75 this month: July 27, 1940, saw the debut of the cotton-tailed character’s first cartoon short “Wild Hare,” directed by Tex Avery.
There won’t be much hoopla to celebrate, because Warner Bros. doesn’t observe the birthdays of animated characters. And there’s some logic to that, especially in Mr. Bunny’s case.
There had been earlier variations: A wisecracking rabbit, voiced by Mel Blanc, debuted in the 1938 “Porky’s Hare Hunt” but the speech patterns and look were very different. In the next few years, WB’s Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons featured other rabbits.
But the 1940 “Wild Hare” was the first one where Bugs looked like himself, sounded like himself and, significantly, it was the first time he uttered the immortal words “What’s up, Doc?”
Don’t be misled by those earlier rabbits. On Sept. 10, 1940, Variety ran...
The world’s favorite rabbit turns 75 this month: July 27, 1940, saw the debut of the cotton-tailed character’s first cartoon short “Wild Hare,” directed by Tex Avery.
There won’t be much hoopla to celebrate, because Warner Bros. doesn’t observe the birthdays of animated characters. And there’s some logic to that, especially in Mr. Bunny’s case.
There had been earlier variations: A wisecracking rabbit, voiced by Mel Blanc, debuted in the 1938 “Porky’s Hare Hunt” but the speech patterns and look were very different. In the next few years, WB’s Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons featured other rabbits.
But the 1940 “Wild Hare” was the first one where Bugs looked like himself, sounded like himself and, significantly, it was the first time he uttered the immortal words “What’s up, Doc?”
Don’t be misled by those earlier rabbits. On Sept. 10, 1940, Variety ran...
- 7/27/2023
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
This Unicorn: Warriors Eternal review contains no spoilers.
“Who are you?”
Genndy Tartakovsky is one of the most exciting storytellers in animation who’s responsible for totemic titles like Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Primal. Tartakovsky has a passion and respect for animation that’s palpable in his creations. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is Tartakovsky at his most unleashed and it’s like he’s directed an animated version of Eternals or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, with a hint of Tintin and 1930s Disney thrown in for good measure. Set in an alternate version of 1890s London, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal tells a remarkable sci-fi/fantasy adventure that pulls from all sorts of international animation influences, but at its core is really a story about identity, family, and the unbearable weight of destiny.
Tartakovsky’s work always searches for the emotional truths behind its grandiose action stereotypes and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal...
“Who are you?”
Genndy Tartakovsky is one of the most exciting storytellers in animation who’s responsible for totemic titles like Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Primal. Tartakovsky has a passion and respect for animation that’s palpable in his creations. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is Tartakovsky at his most unleashed and it’s like he’s directed an animated version of Eternals or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, with a hint of Tintin and 1930s Disney thrown in for good measure. Set in an alternate version of 1890s London, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal tells a remarkable sci-fi/fantasy adventure that pulls from all sorts of international animation influences, but at its core is really a story about identity, family, and the unbearable weight of destiny.
Tartakovsky’s work always searches for the emotional truths behind its grandiose action stereotypes and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal...
- 5/4/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Spring is finally here, though you wouldn't know it from the snow flurries currently battering my house. Fortunately, there are plenty in the way of options to choose from, should you find yourself, like me, looking for something you can stream from the comfort of your home while you wait for the weather to get its act together. Or perhaps you don't really do the whole "leaving the house" thing very much, even when it is nice and sunny outside. Believe me, I get it, my fellow creatures of the dark.
In case you need further incentive to chill at home: HBO Max will be streaming the final season of "Succession" throughout April and it sounds as though the trainwreck that is the Roy family civil war remains as entertaining as ever, judging by Shania Russell's rapturous review of season 4 for /Film. The "Doctor Who" special "The Power of...
In case you need further incentive to chill at home: HBO Max will be streaming the final season of "Succession" throughout April and it sounds as though the trainwreck that is the Roy family civil war remains as entertaining as ever, judging by Shania Russell's rapturous review of season 4 for /Film. The "Doctor Who" special "The Power of...
- 3/24/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
It was either Nietzsche or Tex Avery — but one of our great philosophers — who asserted that there are two types of people in this world: those who walk through life blithely unbothered by manholes, and those who are destined to fall into them. Now, for curious members of the former class, comes an intimate examination of what it’s like to be one of the latter: “#Manhole,” Japanese director Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s slick, increasingly deranged survival thriller about a man who will finally learn to know his true nature from a hole in the ground.
Popular, successful and possessed of highly covetable good looks, Shunsuke Kawamura has the world at his feet. It’s the eve of his wedding to the pregnant daughter of his company’s CEO, and his co-workers have organized a surprise party to toast his good fortune. Walking home drunk from the festivities, Shunsuke suddenly stumbles.
Popular, successful and possessed of highly covetable good looks, Shunsuke Kawamura has the world at his feet. It’s the eve of his wedding to the pregnant daughter of his company’s CEO, and his co-workers have organized a surprise party to toast his good fortune. Walking home drunk from the festivities, Shunsuke suddenly stumbles.
- 3/1/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
The world of “Hello Tomorrow” loves both the retro and future in its retro-future aesthetic, lending the Apple TV+ series a visual distinctiveness. While the story itself — an exploration of ambition, the American Dream, and family ties — deals in classic tropes, the show’s presentation blends the greatest stylistic hits of the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s with technological leaps of fancy straight out of a World’s Fair catalog and an episode of “The Jetsons.”
Less obvious an influence? Tex Avery, one of the most significant contributors to the Looney Tunes characters and the man behind a series of cartoons outlining the World of Tomorrow, whose work acted as inspiration for the pleasant facades and gizmo-gadgets of the series’ Vistaville. A mouse-trap, Rube Goldbergesque vibe suffuses the world of “Hello Tomorrow,” where cheerfulness masks latent violence — as suburban housewife Marie (Annie McNamara) finds out all too quickly moments into the first episode,...
Less obvious an influence? Tex Avery, one of the most significant contributors to the Looney Tunes characters and the man behind a series of cartoons outlining the World of Tomorrow, whose work acted as inspiration for the pleasant facades and gizmo-gadgets of the series’ Vistaville. A mouse-trap, Rube Goldbergesque vibe suffuses the world of “Hello Tomorrow,” where cheerfulness masks latent violence — as suburban housewife Marie (Annie McNamara) finds out all too quickly moments into the first episode,...
- 2/25/2023
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
What if a character in a stop-motion animated film gained awareness that he was a character in a stop-motion animated film?
The premise is so wonderfully simple that you can’t help but believe it. And that’s what transpires in director Lachlan Pendragon’s Oscar-nominated “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It.” Pendragon, a 26-year-old Australian animator, also voices the role of Neil, the office-bound telemarketer who questions his own existence after the event of the title. (More about that title in our interview below.)
Pendragon made the 10-minute short over the course of a year while in Covid lockdown. In an even deeper self-reflexive twist, his real human hands are sometimes visible in the film.
In fact, almost the entire story plays out on a camera monitor, with all of Pendragon’s meticulous, frame-by-frame labor visible in the margins, like so:...
The premise is so wonderfully simple that you can’t help but believe it. And that’s what transpires in director Lachlan Pendragon’s Oscar-nominated “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It.” Pendragon, a 26-year-old Australian animator, also voices the role of Neil, the office-bound telemarketer who questions his own existence after the event of the title. (More about that title in our interview below.)
Pendragon made the 10-minute short over the course of a year while in Covid lockdown. In an even deeper self-reflexive twist, his real human hands are sometimes visible in the film.
In fact, almost the entire story plays out on a camera monitor, with all of Pendragon’s meticulous, frame-by-frame labor visible in the margins, like so:...
- 2/22/2023
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
At last count, Disney Animation Studios has canonized 61 of their features. The central "Disney Canon" refers to an ill-defined section of the studio's animated feature output that, as far as one might surmise, serves as examples of the studio's preferred "house style." The Disney Animated Canon includes several animation styles and media, of course, but the 61 films in question are considered to be "official." Canonized Disney films cannot be co-productions, they must be pointedly toyetic, and are typically not auteur-driven. One might not be able to, for instance, recall the directors of "Cinderella" (1950) off the top of their head. Their names, incidentally, are Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske. The trio also directed Disney's animated films "Lady and the Tramp," "Peter Pan," and "Alice in Wonderland."
For Disney, though, the company is the auteur, and weird, smaller projects tend to be excluded from the Disney Canon. "A Goofy Movie,...
For Disney, though, the company is the auteur, and weird, smaller projects tend to be excluded from the Disney Canon. "A Goofy Movie,...
- 1/13/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Whenever Guillermo del Toro appears at screenings of his and Mark Gustafson’s stop-motion film “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” he usually makes a point of saying that the movie was not made for children. And whenever he says that, there are invariably kids in the audience.
That’s what happens when you have an animated film based on an old story that has already served as the basis for a famous animated feature from Disney – it arrives with the assumption that it’s a movie for kids. But while del Toro’s “Pinocchio” includes a wrenching death early in the film and turns the title character’s quest to become a “real boy” into one that involves more confrontations with death and loss, the Oscar-winning director is fine with kids coming to see his film, as long as their parents are ready to talk to them about it.
“Listen,...
That’s what happens when you have an animated film based on an old story that has already served as the basis for a famous animated feature from Disney – it arrives with the assumption that it’s a movie for kids. But while del Toro’s “Pinocchio” includes a wrenching death early in the film and turns the title character’s quest to become a “real boy” into one that involves more confrontations with death and loss, the Oscar-winning director is fine with kids coming to see his film, as long as their parents are ready to talk to them about it.
“Listen,...
- 12/19/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
"The Mask" remains a fan-favorite Jim Carrey comedy — but it could have been a very different movie. The project started life as an adaptation of an ultra-violent Dark Horse comic book in which the central character unleashes wave after wave of brutality on his enemies. Obviously New Line, the studio behind "The Mask," knew that approach wasn't going to work for their attempt to cross over into mainstream movies with the biggest budget project they'd yet produced. And so, the more sanitized version we all know and love was conceived.
Director Chuck Russell had always envisioned Carrey for the lead role. There was literally no one in Hollywood who could handle the physicality the part demanded. Playing the charming but down-on-his-luck pushover Stanley Ipkiss, Carrey's character would of course transform into the outlandish titular hero, whose dynamic antics were based on Tex Avery cartoons. But casting his love interest, Tina Carlyle,...
Director Chuck Russell had always envisioned Carrey for the lead role. There was literally no one in Hollywood who could handle the physicality the part demanded. Playing the charming but down-on-his-luck pushover Stanley Ipkiss, Carrey's character would of course transform into the outlandish titular hero, whose dynamic antics were based on Tex Avery cartoons. But casting his love interest, Tina Carlyle,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Everyone knows Jim Carrey's lovably outrageous superhero character in "The Mask." But it might surprise you to learn the original comic book on which the film is based was a hell of a lot more violent. The "Mask" comic featured a homicidal central character who would don the eponymous artifact only to unleash hell on those who'd wronged him by the most violent means possible. It had some of the humor that would eventually make it into the 1994 movie, but otherwise, it was wholly different from its feature film adaptation.
When it did come time to adapt the comic for the big screen, New Line was looking for something different from the source material. The studio responsible for the "Nightmare On Elm Street" series was open to the idea of doing "The Mask" as a comedy horror, but they couldn't get the screenplay right. Thankfully, while flipping through the comics,...
When it did come time to adapt the comic for the big screen, New Line was looking for something different from the source material. The studio responsible for the "Nightmare On Elm Street" series was open to the idea of doing "The Mask" as a comedy horror, but they couldn't get the screenplay right. Thankfully, while flipping through the comics,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Celebrated cartoonist and screenwriter Daniel Clowes discusses his favorite formative films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Baxter (1989)
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Ghost World (2001) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Art School Confidential (2006)
Help! (1965) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) – John Landis’s trailer commentary,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Gone With The Wind (1939)
Mudhoney (1965) – John Badham’s trailer commentary
Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)
Common Law Cabin (1967)
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Seven Minutes (1971)
Black Snake (1973)
An American Werewolf In London (1981) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews
Lady In A Cage (1964) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Wild One (1953)
Hush…...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Baxter (1989)
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Ghost World (2001) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Art School Confidential (2006)
Help! (1965) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) – John Landis’s trailer commentary,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Gone With The Wind (1939)
Mudhoney (1965) – John Badham’s trailer commentary
Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)
Common Law Cabin (1967)
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Seven Minutes (1971)
Black Snake (1973)
An American Werewolf In London (1981) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews
Lady In A Cage (1964) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Wild One (1953)
Hush…...
- 11/15/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
This article will contain spoilers for the ending(s) of the 2018 film "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch."
In 2018, director David Slade and screenwriter Charlie Brooker (co-showrunner of "Black Mirror") teamed up with Netflix to try out something that hadn't been attempted too many times in the past. Using a kind of basic "branching video" technology, their "Black Mirror" feature film "Bandersnatch" could be watched as a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style interactive experience, letting a viewer decide how the story would progress. About ten minutes of the film would elapse before the main character Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) was faced with a decision, major or minor. On the bottom of the screen, two buttons would appear, and the viewer could dictate Stefan's choice using their remote control. Fittingly, the plot of the movie involved 1984-era computer programmers attempting to build their very own Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style video game, based on his late mother's fictional novel "Bandersnatch."
Patient viewers who watched through "Bandersnatch" several times,...
In 2018, director David Slade and screenwriter Charlie Brooker (co-showrunner of "Black Mirror") teamed up with Netflix to try out something that hadn't been attempted too many times in the past. Using a kind of basic "branching video" technology, their "Black Mirror" feature film "Bandersnatch" could be watched as a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style interactive experience, letting a viewer decide how the story would progress. About ten minutes of the film would elapse before the main character Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) was faced with a decision, major or minor. On the bottom of the screen, two buttons would appear, and the viewer could dictate Stefan's choice using their remote control. Fittingly, the plot of the movie involved 1984-era computer programmers attempting to build their very own Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style video game, based on his late mother's fictional novel "Bandersnatch."
Patient viewers who watched through "Bandersnatch" several times,...
- 10/30/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky joins Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss his favorite silent sequences from great movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Infested (2002)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) – John Badham’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray reviews
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
The Birds (1963) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray reviews
Conan The Barbarian (1982)
Conan The Destroyer (1984)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Party (1968) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary
The Pink Panther...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Infested (2002)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) – John Badham’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray reviews
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
The Birds (1963) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray reviews
Conan The Barbarian (1982)
Conan The Destroyer (1984)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Party (1968) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary
The Pink Panther...
- 9/13/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Eh, what’s up, doc? How about five days of wisecracking, anvil-dropping mayhem to celebrate Bugs Bunny’s birthday? The Looney Tunes icon hopped onscreen 82 years ago this week. Here’s what MeTV has in store starting the morning of July 25—25 toons total! Monday Bugs’ Firsts In 1940’s “A Wild Hare,” Bugs rains down slapstick vengeance on hapless hunter Elmer Fudd; this Oscar-nominated Tex Avery short marks the official birth of the carrot-chomping prankster with the Brooklyn accent. His irreverent personality was inspired by Groucho Marx and also by Clark Gable’s fast-talking It Happened One Night character, who snacks on a carrot while hitchhiking. Plus: See an early Bb prototype in “Porky’s Hare Hunt” from 1938. Animation historian Jerry Beck is a guest. Tuesday Bugs & Sports Bugs scores with classic installments about boxing, golf, high-diving, bullfighting and baseball. Wednesday Bugs’ Birthday Watch the Warner Bros. mascot evolve through the decades,...
- 7/24/2022
- TV Insider
Newly restored 'Daffy Duck' cartoons are now streaming on HBO Max:
Designed as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon short 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this 'daffy duck'."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
Designed as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon short 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this 'daffy duck'."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
- 7/17/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
When Batman & Robin came out 25 years ago in the summer of 1997, it pretty much acted as the death knell for the Dark Knight on the big screen. Following on the heels of 1995’s Batman Forever, this silly, sub-juvenile horror show from director Joel Schumacher killed any good will built up by the earlier Tim Burton Batman movies and created such an awkward situation for Warner Bros. that they ultimately decided it would be better to reboot the franchise eight years later by letting Christopher Nolan go in startling new directions with Batman Begins (2005).
Since then we’ve had Christian Bale as Nolan’s Batman, Ben Affleck as an older, more vengeful Caped Crusader in the Snyderverse, and most recently Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s ultra-dark take about a younger Batman still finding his way. Each of them has had their supporters and detractors, but all have managed to...
Since then we’ve had Christian Bale as Nolan’s Batman, Ben Affleck as an older, more vengeful Caped Crusader in the Snyderverse, and most recently Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s ultra-dark take about a younger Batman still finding his way. Each of them has had their supporters and detractors, but all have managed to...
- 7/4/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
A new series of “Black Mirror” is in the works at Netflix, Variety can reveal.
It’s been almost three years since Season 5 of the dystopian drama premiered on the streaming service in June 2019, but sources indicate that a new anthology series of “Black Mirror” is shaping up, and casting is now underway.
While details about specific stories are being kept under lock and key, Variety understands that Season 6 will have more episodes than Season 5, which comprised of just three instalments and starred Andrew Scott, Anthony Mackie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Topher Grace and Miley Cyrus.
A source close to the production tells Variety that the latest season is even more cinematic in scope, with each instalment being treated as an individual film. This is, of course, in line with recent seasons of “Black Mirror,” for which episodes usually exceeded 60 minutes and had incredibly high production values.
The new season of...
It’s been almost three years since Season 5 of the dystopian drama premiered on the streaming service in June 2019, but sources indicate that a new anthology series of “Black Mirror” is shaping up, and casting is now underway.
While details about specific stories are being kept under lock and key, Variety understands that Season 6 will have more episodes than Season 5, which comprised of just three instalments and starred Andrew Scott, Anthony Mackie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Topher Grace and Miley Cyrus.
A source close to the production tells Variety that the latest season is even more cinematic in scope, with each instalment being treated as an individual film. This is, of course, in line with recent seasons of “Black Mirror,” for which episodes usually exceeded 60 minutes and had incredibly high production values.
The new season of...
- 5/16/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The Peacemaker show, which was a spinoff of The Suicide Squad, is set to have its own spinoff featuring Viola Davis as the ruthless Amanda Waller.
“Viola Davis is now expected to reprise her role as Amanda Waller in a new Peacemaker and Suicide Squad spin-off series on HBO Max. According to a new report from Variety, the actress is now tied to a new project that is based around her character as the helm of Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad. The project will pick up after Davis’ appearance at the end of John Cena’s Peacemaker, where her daughter Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) exposed her mother’s diabolical work with the band of misfits to the public. Waller will have to deal with the aftermath as she tries to regain her position as one of the most influential figures in the Dceu.”
Read more at HypeBeast...
“Viola Davis is now expected to reprise her role as Amanda Waller in a new Peacemaker and Suicide Squad spin-off series on HBO Max. According to a new report from Variety, the actress is now tied to a new project that is based around her character as the helm of Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad. The project will pick up after Davis’ appearance at the end of John Cena’s Peacemaker, where her daughter Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) exposed her mother’s diabolical work with the band of misfits to the public. Waller will have to deal with the aftermath as she tries to regain her position as one of the most influential figures in the Dceu.”
Read more at HypeBeast...
- 5/5/2022
- by Lee Parham
- Den of Geek
There may still be people unaware of the anarchic joy of Tex Avery, so we’re making it our business to enlighten them. This third Volume of Tex’s MGM cartoons has both variety and some top favorites, plus his first, the intense Blitz Wolf and his last, the surreal Cellbound. Plus the insane King Size Canary, the most endearing Droopy cartoon and the minimalist wonder Billy Boy. You won’t believe they showed Avery the door, and let him lend his talents to TV commercials! The disc came out last October but it’s still worth crowing about now.
Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1942-1955 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 150 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date October 5, 2021 / 21.99
Produced by Fred Quimby
Directed by Tex Avery
Yes, the review is half a year old but we make no excuses; Warners was a little disorganized last year as well.
Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1942-1955 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 150 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date October 5, 2021 / 21.99
Produced by Fred Quimby
Directed by Tex Avery
Yes, the review is half a year old but we make no excuses; Warners was a little disorganized last year as well.
- 4/2/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Take a look at classic, newly restored 'Daffy Duck' cartoons, now streaming on HBO Max:
Styled as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this daffy duck."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
</p...
Styled as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this daffy duck."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
</p...
- 3/2/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
The animated comedy of Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, and Tex Avery has left its mark on the childhoods of multiple generations of kids now. Between Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes, a cadre of silly, endearing characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig have carved out a sturdy place in the pop-culture consciousness. The cartoons' hold on public recognition is so strong that the title of Warner Bros. latest offering banks on common knowledge of each 'toon's speech pattern — we know a Tweety title when we hear one. It's all about the love in...
The post Looney Tunes Cartoons Valentine's Extwavaganza Trailer: Love is In the Air for Bugs and Co. on HBO Max appeared first on /Film.
The post Looney Tunes Cartoons Valentine's Extwavaganza Trailer: Love is In the Air for Bugs and Co. on HBO Max appeared first on /Film.
- 1/25/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
“Nick, we’re going home and I’m not tucking you into bed, I’m tying you in.”
William Powell and Myrna Loy in Song Of The Thin Man (1947) will be available on Blu-ray January 18th from Warner Archive
At a charity gambling benefit aboard the S.S. Fortune, the tables are hot, the jazz is hotter and before you know it, a bandleader’s body is growing cold. They’re playing your song, Nick and Nora Charles! William Powell and Myrna Loy return for the sixth and final time as the married sleuths, rousting suspects out of bed for 4 a.m. interrogations while trying to fathom the bebop argot of ‘40s jazz jive. Speaking of their renowned screen chemistry, Loy once said, “It wasn’t a conscious thing. If you heard us talking in a room, you’d hear the same thing. He’d tease me, and there was...
William Powell and Myrna Loy in Song Of The Thin Man (1947) will be available on Blu-ray January 18th from Warner Archive
At a charity gambling benefit aboard the S.S. Fortune, the tables are hot, the jazz is hotter and before you know it, a bandleader’s body is growing cold. They’re playing your song, Nick and Nora Charles! William Powell and Myrna Loy return for the sixth and final time as the married sleuths, rousting suspects out of bed for 4 a.m. interrogations while trying to fathom the bebop argot of ‘40s jazz jive. Speaking of their renowned screen chemistry, Loy once said, “It wasn’t a conscious thing. If you heard us talking in a room, you’d hear the same thing. He’d tease me, and there was...
- 1/6/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Take a look at classic, newly restored 'Daffy Duck' cartoons, now streaming on HBO Max:
Designed as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon short 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this 'daffy duck'."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
Designed as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon short 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this 'daffy duck'."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
- 1/3/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Take a look at classic, newly restored 'Daffy Duck' cartoons, now streaming on HBO Max:
Designed as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon short 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this 'daffy duck'."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
Designed as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon short 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this 'daffy duck'."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
- 11/17/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"Looney Tunes Cartoons", a reboot in the style of Warners classic 1940's cartoon shorts, is directed by David Gemmill, Ryan Kramer, Kenny Pittenger and Pete Browngardt, based on characters from "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies", streaming Season Three November 25, 2021 on HBO Max:
The style of the series is reminiscent of classic Looney Tunes cartoon shorts directed by Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson.
The series brings together 'Bugs Bunny', 'Daffy Duck', 'Tweety', 'Sylvester', 'Porky Pig', 'The Gremlin', 'Elmer Fudd', 'The Gashouse Gorillas', 'Yosemite Sam', 'Granny', 'Beaky Buzzard', 'Mama Buzzard', 'Road Runner', 'Wile E. Coyote', 'Cecil Turtle', 'Sam Sheepdog', 'Ralph Wolf', 'Cicero Pig', 'Taz'...
...'Gossamer', 'Dr. Frankenbeans', 'Petunia Pig', the 'French Horse', 'Rocky', 'Mugsy', the 'Irish Policeman', the 'Russian Dog', the 'Rich Lady', 'Foghorn Leghorn', 'Barnyard Dawg', 'The Weasel', 'Hector the Bulldog', 'Marvin the Martian', the 'Dead End Kid',...
The style of the series is reminiscent of classic Looney Tunes cartoon shorts directed by Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson.
The series brings together 'Bugs Bunny', 'Daffy Duck', 'Tweety', 'Sylvester', 'Porky Pig', 'The Gremlin', 'Elmer Fudd', 'The Gashouse Gorillas', 'Yosemite Sam', 'Granny', 'Beaky Buzzard', 'Mama Buzzard', 'Road Runner', 'Wile E. Coyote', 'Cecil Turtle', 'Sam Sheepdog', 'Ralph Wolf', 'Cicero Pig', 'Taz'...
...'Gossamer', 'Dr. Frankenbeans', 'Petunia Pig', the 'French Horse', 'Rocky', 'Mugsy', the 'Irish Policeman', the 'Russian Dog', the 'Rich Lady', 'Foghorn Leghorn', 'Barnyard Dawg', 'The Weasel', 'Hector the Bulldog', 'Marvin the Martian', the 'Dead End Kid',...
- 11/12/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Don Jurwich, a longtime writer-director-producer at Hanna-Barbera and Marvel Productions, died July 13 of natural causes. He was 87.
Starting his career in animation as a layout and background artist, Jurwich worked his way up in storyboarding, eventually becoming a producer and director.
While working at Hanna-Barbera, Jurwich produced and directed “Scooby Doo,” “The Superfriends,” “Captain Caveman, “Richie Rich,” “Fonz and the Happy Days Gang,” along with one hour prime-time special, “Scooby Goes Hollywood.”
At Marvel, Jurwich directed “Spiderman and His Amazing Friends.” He also produced 85 half-hour episodes of “G.I. Joe,” along with the miniseries “G.I. Joe: The Movie,” which was later released as a feature film.
Over the course of his 40-year career, Jurwich contributed to animated series including “Road Runner,” “The Pink Panther,” “Rocky and Bullwinkle,” “The Flintstones,” “George The Jungle,” “Yogi Bear,” “Tom & Jerry” — along with their mini-me successor, the “Tom & Jerry Kids Show.” Jurwich also...
Starting his career in animation as a layout and background artist, Jurwich worked his way up in storyboarding, eventually becoming a producer and director.
While working at Hanna-Barbera, Jurwich produced and directed “Scooby Doo,” “The Superfriends,” “Captain Caveman, “Richie Rich,” “Fonz and the Happy Days Gang,” along with one hour prime-time special, “Scooby Goes Hollywood.”
At Marvel, Jurwich directed “Spiderman and His Amazing Friends.” He also produced 85 half-hour episodes of “G.I. Joe,” along with the miniseries “G.I. Joe: The Movie,” which was later released as a feature film.
Over the course of his 40-year career, Jurwich contributed to animated series including “Road Runner,” “The Pink Panther,” “Rocky and Bullwinkle,” “The Flintstones,” “George The Jungle,” “Yogi Bear,” “Tom & Jerry” — along with their mini-me successor, the “Tom & Jerry Kids Show.” Jurwich also...
- 8/5/2021
- by Jennifer Yuma
- Variety Film + TV
Maybe you remember The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Maybe you don’t. We wouldn’t blame you if the details regarding this pulpy 2017 buddy comedy had faded from your memory banks like so much post-headshot pink mist. Ryan Reynolds is a disgraced bodyguard. Samuel L. Jackson is a hitman who’s supposed to testify at the Hague in a war-crimes trial. The two end up bickering a lot and saving each other’s lives, things get blowed up real good, Jackson says “motherfucker” a lot, yadda yadda yadda. As a bonus,...
- 6/16/2021
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
“The Original Money Pit”
By Raymond Benson
Remember the 1986 comedy The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long? The official credits of that film do not mention the excellent writing team of Frank Panama and Melvin Frank, who adapted Eric Hodgins’ 1946 biographical comic novel Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House into the popular 1948 “disaster comedy” starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. The Money Pit is, in reality, an under-the-table remake of Blandings. It’s a pity that the original was not acknowledged, for, frankly, Blandings is much more realistic (and clever).
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House was indeed a popular film and yet during its initial run was deemed to have lost money—just like the hapless Mr. Blandings does while attempting to move out of New York City to Connecticut. The movie is funny enough, for sure, but perhaps in...
“The Original Money Pit”
By Raymond Benson
Remember the 1986 comedy The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long? The official credits of that film do not mention the excellent writing team of Frank Panama and Melvin Frank, who adapted Eric Hodgins’ 1946 biographical comic novel Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House into the popular 1948 “disaster comedy” starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. The Money Pit is, in reality, an under-the-table remake of Blandings. It’s a pity that the original was not acknowledged, for, frankly, Blandings is much more realistic (and clever).
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House was indeed a popular film and yet during its initial run was deemed to have lost money—just like the hapless Mr. Blandings does while attempting to move out of New York City to Connecticut. The movie is funny enough, for sure, but perhaps in...
- 5/7/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Richard Rush, who picked up two Oscar nominations, best director and adapted screenplay, for his extraordinary 1980 film “The Stunt Man,” starring Peter O’Toole, died April 8 in Los Angeles. He was 91.
His wife Claude said he had been suffering from longtime health issues but that he died comfortably at home. She said in a statement, “He will be remembered for a string of landmark films in the 1960s and ’70s, culminating with his 1980 multi-Oscar-nominated classic, ‘The Stunt Man,’ which is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. To those who were privileged to know and love him, he will be even more warmly remembered, and missed, for his integrity, his loyalty, his endless generosity of spirit and his boundless support and mentorship of other filmmakers, writers or indeed anyone who ever dared to, in the words of his ‘Stunt Man’ hero Eli Cross, ’tilt at a windmill.
His wife Claude said he had been suffering from longtime health issues but that he died comfortably at home. She said in a statement, “He will be remembered for a string of landmark films in the 1960s and ’70s, culminating with his 1980 multi-Oscar-nominated classic, ‘The Stunt Man,’ which is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. To those who were privileged to know and love him, he will be even more warmly remembered, and missed, for his integrity, his loyalty, his endless generosity of spirit and his boundless support and mentorship of other filmmakers, writers or indeed anyone who ever dared to, in the words of his ‘Stunt Man’ hero Eli Cross, ’tilt at a windmill.
- 4/12/2021
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Development continues on Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man" spin-off feature "Black Cat", based on the Marvel Comics character, that may be part of a new streaming deal with Netflix:
"'Spider-Man' connects to a lot of characters," said Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Motion Picture Group. "There are villains, heroes, and antiheroes, and a lot are female characters, many of whom are bona fide, fully dimensionalized and unique..."
"'Black Cat' is enough of her own character with a great backstory and a canon of material to draw from, to justify her own film..."
The character 'Felicia' (Felicity Jones), assistant to villain 'Harry Osborn', made her live-action debut in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2".
'Black Cat' created by writer Marv Wolfman, was inspired by the Tex Avery-directed cartoon short "Bad Luck Blackie".
'Black Cat' debuted in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #194 (July 1979).
"...'Felicia Hardy', the daughter of a world-renowned...
"'Spider-Man' connects to a lot of characters," said Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Motion Picture Group. "There are villains, heroes, and antiheroes, and a lot are female characters, many of whom are bona fide, fully dimensionalized and unique..."
"'Black Cat' is enough of her own character with a great backstory and a canon of material to draw from, to justify her own film..."
The character 'Felicia' (Felicity Jones), assistant to villain 'Harry Osborn', made her live-action debut in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2".
'Black Cat' created by writer Marv Wolfman, was inspired by the Tex Avery-directed cartoon short "Bad Luck Blackie".
'Black Cat' debuted in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #194 (July 1979).
"...'Felicia Hardy', the daughter of a world-renowned...
- 4/11/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Take a look at classic, newly restored 'Daffy Duck' cartoons, now streaming on HBO Max:
Styled as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this daffy duck."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
Styled as a 'screwball' anthropomorphic, lisping black duck, 'Daffy' first appeared in the cartoon 'Porky's Duck Hunt' (1937), directed by Tex Avery, animated by Bob Clampett and voiced by Mel Blanc, as an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
"At that time, audiences weren't accustomed to seeing a cartoon character do these things," said Clampett. "And so, when it hit the theaters it was an explosion. People would leave the theaters talking about this daffy duck."
Daffy starred in 130 shorts making him the third-most frequent character in the "Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies" cartoon shorts, behind 'Bugs Bunny' at 167 appearances and 'Porky Pig' at 153 appearances.
Click the images to enlarge...
- 2/17/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 2
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1948-55 / 1.33:1 / 143 min.
Starring Blasé Basset Hounds, Antisocial Alley Cats, Swivel-hipped Sex-bombs, Hot-to-Trot Wolves
Directed by Tex Avery
With their bawdy gags and come-hither chorus girls, Tex Avery’s cartoons might seem better suited to the burlesque stage than a movie theater. Your living room is another entertaining alternative and Warner Archive delivers with Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 2—their new Blu ray set continues the exploits of the madman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, an artist whose illogical art was produced with mathematical precision and a libido in hyperdrive. Warner has pulled 21 shorts from the vaults for the follow up to their Screwball Classics Vol. 1—it covers roughly the second portion of Avery’s 12 year stint at MGM and though there’s nothing here as explosive as King Size Canary (the ne plus ultra of Avery cartoons) or as groundbreaking as Red Hot Riding Hood,...
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1948-55 / 1.33:1 / 143 min.
Starring Blasé Basset Hounds, Antisocial Alley Cats, Swivel-hipped Sex-bombs, Hot-to-Trot Wolves
Directed by Tex Avery
With their bawdy gags and come-hither chorus girls, Tex Avery’s cartoons might seem better suited to the burlesque stage than a movie theater. Your living room is another entertaining alternative and Warner Archive delivers with Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 2—their new Blu ray set continues the exploits of the madman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, an artist whose illogical art was produced with mathematical precision and a libido in hyperdrive. Warner has pulled 21 shorts from the vaults for the follow up to their Screwball Classics Vol. 1—it covers roughly the second portion of Avery’s 12 year stint at MGM and though there’s nothing here as explosive as King Size Canary (the ne plus ultra of Avery cartoons) or as groundbreaking as Red Hot Riding Hood,...
- 2/2/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Sophia Loren, the famous Italian actress who made everyone pop their eyes out of their heads like a Tex Avery cartoon character, is the subject of the new documentary short What Would Sophia Loren Do? Sort of. This isn’t really a doc about Loren – instead, it’s about Nancy “Vincenza” Kulik, an Italian-American mother and grandmother living […]
The post ‘What Would Sophia Loren Do?’ Trailer: A Netflix Documentary Short Asks That Very Question appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘What Would Sophia Loren Do?’ Trailer: A Netflix Documentary Short Asks That Very Question appeared first on /Film.
- 1/16/2021
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
The names of the legendary animators of the 30s and 40s have faded with time, except to the connoisseurs and collectors, which is a shame. Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and Tex Avery should be as well known as respected as is Walt Disney, though these days, the latter is better known as an entrepreneur than an animator.
This is why we should love and support Warner Archive, for gathering the forgotten but still vital cartoons of the past and making them available in contemporary forms, which brings me to the just-released Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 2. One a single disc we have 21 cartoons to enjoy, most of which hold up extremely well.
Avery, to those who recognize the name, certainly know him for his work on Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Bugs Bunny. But, after he moved to MGM, he continued to offer up side-splitting entertainment with characters such as...
This is why we should love and support Warner Archive, for gathering the forgotten but still vital cartoons of the past and making them available in contemporary forms, which brings me to the just-released Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 2. One a single disc we have 21 cartoons to enjoy, most of which hold up extremely well.
Avery, to those who recognize the name, certainly know him for his work on Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Bugs Bunny. But, after he moved to MGM, he continued to offer up side-splitting entertainment with characters such as...
- 12/26/2020
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Marvel Comics' "Black Cat" #1, in support of Columbia Pictures developing live-action take on the character, is written by Jed MacKay and illustrated by Carlos Villa, Nina Vakueya, with covers by Pepe Larraz, Taurin Clarke, Todd Nauck, C.F. Villa and Skottie Young, available December 16, 2020:
"...the 'Knull' attack on Earth interrupts the 'Black Cat' and her latest crime-fighting exploits, but if you know 'Felicia', you know she doesn't like to be interrupted.
"So the 'Cat' and her crew aim to acquire something of great value to both Knull and Earth's hope of survival. Guest-starring the 'X-Men', 'Captain America' and 'Doctor Strange..."
"'Spider-Man' connects to a lot of characters," said Sanford Panitch, President of Columbia Pictures. "There are villains, heroes, and antiheroes, and a lot are female characters, many of whom are bona fide, fully dimensionalized and unique..."
'Black Cat', according to Panitch "...is enough of...
"...the 'Knull' attack on Earth interrupts the 'Black Cat' and her latest crime-fighting exploits, but if you know 'Felicia', you know she doesn't like to be interrupted.
"So the 'Cat' and her crew aim to acquire something of great value to both Knull and Earth's hope of survival. Guest-starring the 'X-Men', 'Captain America' and 'Doctor Strange..."
"'Spider-Man' connects to a lot of characters," said Sanford Panitch, President of Columbia Pictures. "There are villains, heroes, and antiheroes, and a lot are female characters, many of whom are bona fide, fully dimensionalized and unique..."
'Black Cat', according to Panitch "...is enough of...
- 11/16/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
What Steamboat Willy was to Disney, A Wild Hare was to Warner Bros. Created in 1940 under the leadership of legendary cartoonist Tex Avery, it was the first short produced by the up-and-coming entertainment conglomerate to feature two of its most iconic Looney Tunes characters: Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
The image of a short and pudgy man poking through rabbit holes with his comically over-sized rifle, only to be outsmarted by the innocent little creature that he’s trying to hunt down, has since become one of the most iconic images in the history of the medium. For close to a century, distributor WB reproduced this setup without alteration – that is, until now.
In an attempt to check the spread of gun violence, WB has decided to replace Fudd’s rifle with a scythe in the new series of cartoons airing on HBO Max. “We’re not doing guns,” an...
The image of a short and pudgy man poking through rabbit holes with his comically over-sized rifle, only to be outsmarted by the innocent little creature that he’s trying to hunt down, has since become one of the most iconic images in the history of the medium. For close to a century, distributor WB reproduced this setup without alteration – that is, until now.
In an attempt to check the spread of gun violence, WB has decided to replace Fudd’s rifle with a scythe in the new series of cartoons airing on HBO Max. “We’re not doing guns,” an...
- 6/7/2020
- by Tim Brinkhof
- We Got This Covered
The return of classic-style Warner Bros. animation with “Looney Tunes Cartoons” for this week’s launch of HBO Max took some persuading at the studio: Would kids under 10 get the slapstick humor and find the legendary Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, and the rest of the gang relatable? That’s when showrunner Pete Browngardt (“Uncle Grandpa”) suggested group testing some of the old cartoons for families to see how they played.
“There was a concern about the familiarity of the characters and how violent they could be,” Browngardt said. “And they worked perfectly. They’re perfect capsules of comedy.” Among the cartoons they tested were “The Great Piggy Bank Robbery” (1946) with Daffy at his loony best, and “Easter Yeggs” (1947) with Bugs and Elmer Fudd. Unfortunately, the gag with a revolver as a pacifier didn’t go over well given the preponderance of elementary school shootings, so they...
“There was a concern about the familiarity of the characters and how violent they could be,” Browngardt said. “And they worked perfectly. They’re perfect capsules of comedy.” Among the cartoons they tested were “The Great Piggy Bank Robbery” (1946) with Daffy at his loony best, and “Easter Yeggs” (1947) with Bugs and Elmer Fudd. Unfortunately, the gag with a revolver as a pacifier didn’t go over well given the preponderance of elementary school shootings, so they...
- 5/29/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
With “Scoob!,” Warner Bros. Animation launches a new Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe built around the crime-fighting Mystery Inc. teenage gang and its lovable Great Dane. The plan was to release the franchise’s first CG-animated feature theatrically on May 15, but, of course, the pandemic intervened, so it’s going straight to VOD instead.
Whether or not “Scoob!” taps as large an audience as DreamWorks’ “Trolls World Tour” remains to be seen, but, according to director Tony Cervone, a veteran of the Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes home video franchises, it offers nostalgic comfort food for quarantined families. “Sure, I would’ve loved a theater experience, but we’re in a weird time,” he said. “It’s a bummer. But because of that, there’s families at home looking for stuff to watch, and there’s something reaffirming and warm and fuzzy and bright and colorful [about ‘Scoob!’].”
It begins with Scooby and Shaggy...
Whether or not “Scoob!” taps as large an audience as DreamWorks’ “Trolls World Tour” remains to be seen, but, according to director Tony Cervone, a veteran of the Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes home video franchises, it offers nostalgic comfort food for quarantined families. “Sure, I would’ve loved a theater experience, but we’re in a weird time,” he said. “It’s a bummer. But because of that, there’s families at home looking for stuff to watch, and there’s something reaffirming and warm and fuzzy and bright and colorful [about ‘Scoob!’].”
It begins with Scooby and Shaggy...
- 5/14/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Movies to watch when you’re staying in for a while, featuring recommendations from Dana Gould, Daniel Waters, Scott Alexander, and Allison Anders.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Destroy All Monsters (1969)
Planet Of The Apes (1968)
Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)
Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)
Suparpie
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Hello Down There (1969)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Thirteen Days (2000)
Stalker (1979)
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
No Exit (1962)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Sleeper (1973)
The Tenant (1976)
Final Cut: Ladies And Gentlemen (2012)
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
La classe américaine (1993)
The Sex Adventures of a Single Man a.k.a. The 24 Hour Lover (1968)
The Omega Man (1971)
Soylent Green (1973)
Knives Out (2019)
The Hunt (2020)
Banana Split (2020)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Monkey Business (1931)
Horse Feathers (1932)
Duck Soup (1933)
A Night At The Opera (1935)
The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971)
Susan Slade (1961)
My Blood Runs Cold...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Destroy All Monsters (1969)
Planet Of The Apes (1968)
Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)
Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)
Suparpie
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Hello Down There (1969)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Thirteen Days (2000)
Stalker (1979)
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
No Exit (1962)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Sleeper (1973)
The Tenant (1976)
Final Cut: Ladies And Gentlemen (2012)
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
La classe américaine (1993)
The Sex Adventures of a Single Man a.k.a. The 24 Hour Lover (1968)
The Omega Man (1971)
Soylent Green (1973)
Knives Out (2019)
The Hunt (2020)
Banana Split (2020)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Monkey Business (1931)
Horse Feathers (1932)
Duck Soup (1933)
A Night At The Opera (1935)
The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971)
Susan Slade (1961)
My Blood Runs Cold...
- 3/27/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
At long last a beautifully restored and mastered selection of a number of cartoon king Tex Avery’s brilliant, innovative and (most of all) hilarious MGM shorts comes to Blu-ray via the Warner Archive, with the implied promise of more volumes to come. Some of his greatest cartoons are included, and many of these shorts have likely not looked and sounded so good since their original theatrical release. This is a virtual godsend for the director’s legion of fans, and a worthwhile introduction for those yet unfamiliar with Avery’s uniquely zany oeuvre.
Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 1
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1943-1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 138 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Voice characterizations: Not credited onscreen, but voices include Bill Thompson, Frank Graham, Kent Rogers, Sara Berner, Daws Butler, John Brown, Wally Maher, John Wald, Patrick McGeehan, Dick Nelson, Don Messick, Billy Bletcher, Connie Russell, Tex...
Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 1
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1943-1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 138 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Voice characterizations: Not credited onscreen, but voices include Bill Thompson, Frank Graham, Kent Rogers, Sara Berner, Daws Butler, John Brown, Wally Maher, John Wald, Patrick McGeehan, Dick Nelson, Don Messick, Billy Bletcher, Connie Russell, Tex...
- 2/18/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Much of Ealing Studios’ core appeal begins right here, with T.E.B. Clarke’s astute look at the character of pragmatic, energetic Londoners, who in this fantasy face an outrageous situation with spirit, pluck, and a determination not to be cheated. What happens when a few square blocks of London discover that they’re no longer even part of the British Empire? A classic of wartime ‘adjustments,’ the ensemble comedy even begins with a Tex Avery- like ode to rationing.
Passport to Pimlico
Blu-ray
Film Movement Classics
1949 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 84 min. / Street Date December 20, 2019 / 29.95
Starring: Stanley Holloway, Hermione Baddeley, Margaret Rutherford, Sydney Tafler, Betty Warren, Barbara Murray, Paul Dupuis, John Slater, Jane Hylton, Raymond Huntley, Philip Stainton, Roy Carr, Nancy Gabrielle, Malcolm Knight, Roy Gladdish, Frederick Piper, Charles Hawtrey, Stuart Lindsell, Naunton Wayne, Basil Radford, Gilbert Davis, Michael Hordern, Arthur Howard, Bill Shine, Harry Locke, Sam Kydd.
Cinematography: Lionel...
Passport to Pimlico
Blu-ray
Film Movement Classics
1949 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 84 min. / Street Date December 20, 2019 / 29.95
Starring: Stanley Holloway, Hermione Baddeley, Margaret Rutherford, Sydney Tafler, Betty Warren, Barbara Murray, Paul Dupuis, John Slater, Jane Hylton, Raymond Huntley, Philip Stainton, Roy Carr, Nancy Gabrielle, Malcolm Knight, Roy Gladdish, Frederick Piper, Charles Hawtrey, Stuart Lindsell, Naunton Wayne, Basil Radford, Gilbert Davis, Michael Hordern, Arthur Howard, Bill Shine, Harry Locke, Sam Kydd.
Cinematography: Lionel...
- 12/31/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Today sees the DVD release of The Intruder, a new film in which Dennis Quaid plays the ex-owner of a house who doesn’t take too kindly to the new owners when he is forced to sell it. The psychological thriller was directed by Deon Taylor and written by David Loughery and gives Quaid the opportunity to terrify audiences with an intensity which marked out much of his best work. To that end Cai Ross looks back at some of his greatest roles.
For about 20 years, Dennis Quaid was Hollywood’s nearly-man. Following a break-out performance in Peter Yates’s wonderful cycling drama Breaking Away in 1979, it seemed that the world might just have found its new James Dean. Impressive performances in Walter Hill’s familial Western The Long Riders (alongside elder sibling Randy and a host of Keach and Carradine brothers) and Philip Kaufman’s epic space drama The Right Stuff,...
For about 20 years, Dennis Quaid was Hollywood’s nearly-man. Following a break-out performance in Peter Yates’s wonderful cycling drama Breaking Away in 1979, it seemed that the world might just have found its new James Dean. Impressive performances in Walter Hill’s familial Western The Long Riders (alongside elder sibling Randy and a host of Keach and Carradine brothers) and Philip Kaufman’s epic space drama The Right Stuff,...
- 12/2/2019
- by Cai Ross
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
One of America’s favorite holiday movies plays strangely today, and despite being one of the most popular pictures of its year, really should have disturbed people when it was new as well. Director Leo McCarey and his glowing stars Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman do remarkable work, and the show has its heart in the right place… but the values built into the story are painfully wrong-headed. We don’t expect ’40s films to adhere to today’s so-called enlightened PC values, but some of the attitudes in this one make us want to throw things at the screen. Taken from a beautifully remastered new restoration, Olive’s Signature Edition is flawless.
The Bells of St. Mary’s
Blu-ray
Olive Signature
1945 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 126 min. / Street Date November 26, 2019 / available through the Olive Signature website / 39.95
Starring: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, William Gargan, Ruth Donnelly, Joan Carroll, Martha Sleeper,...
The Bells of St. Mary’s
Blu-ray
Olive Signature
1945 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 126 min. / Street Date November 26, 2019 / available through the Olive Signature website / 39.95
Starring: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, William Gargan, Ruth Donnelly, Joan Carroll, Martha Sleeper,...
- 11/26/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
An unpaid intern pays off for The Simpsons' season 31, episode 2, Go Big or Go Homer.
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This The Simpsons review contains spoilers.
The Simpsons Season 31 Episode 2
The Simpsons, season 31, episode 2, "Go Big or Go Homer," is a cautionary tale told recklessly. It opens with the worst thing that ever happened at a nuclear power plant (number six is when all those horses went bald) and closes with the most criminal enterprise to hit Springfield on wheels. But at the center is a sad tale of a vulnerable cog in an oil-deprived machine.
Mr. Burns burns Homer's buns because he signs a birthday card for Lenny. Without coughing up anything to pay for the card or the party, which includes the closeup magic of AbracaDebra, Burns pulls a Houdini to purloin all the glory from the best birthday party Lenny's ever gotten. Homer's slow burn is foreshadowing to his future shadow.
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This The Simpsons review contains spoilers.
The Simpsons Season 31 Episode 2
The Simpsons, season 31, episode 2, "Go Big or Go Homer," is a cautionary tale told recklessly. It opens with the worst thing that ever happened at a nuclear power plant (number six is when all those horses went bald) and closes with the most criminal enterprise to hit Springfield on wheels. But at the center is a sad tale of a vulnerable cog in an oil-deprived machine.
Mr. Burns burns Homer's buns because he signs a birthday card for Lenny. Without coughing up anything to pay for the card or the party, which includes the closeup magic of AbracaDebra, Burns pulls a Houdini to purloin all the glory from the best birthday party Lenny's ever gotten. Homer's slow burn is foreshadowing to his future shadow.
- 10/5/2019
- Den of Geek
The legendary director Raoul Walsh hits The Big Trail one more time for a CinemaScope & stereophonic ‘big star’ cattle drive movie, dodging most cliches but taking a few squarely between the eyes. Star chemistry is what keeps them dogies movin’, with Clark Gable making it look all too easy. Frisky Jane Russell fares well, but not our favorite Robert Ryan: despite the high-profile billing, he pulls S.O.B. duty yet again. There’s no doubt about it, pilgrim … I see a whole lotta cows in this one.
The Tall Men
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date September 17, 2019 / Available from Twilight Time Movies / 29.95
Starring: Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert Ryan, Cameron Mitchell, Juan García, Harry Shannon, Emile Meyer, Argentina Brunetti, Chuck Roberson, Will Wright.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Editing: Louis R. Loeffler
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Sydney Boehm, Frank Nugent from the novel by Clay...
The Tall Men
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date September 17, 2019 / Available from Twilight Time Movies / 29.95
Starring: Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert Ryan, Cameron Mitchell, Juan García, Harry Shannon, Emile Meyer, Argentina Brunetti, Chuck Roberson, Will Wright.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Editing: Louis R. Loeffler
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Sydney Boehm, Frank Nugent from the novel by Clay...
- 9/24/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Word spread quickly this past Saturday through the world’s animation news outlets, word of the loss of one of the true innovators and greatest masters of the art form. Here’s how Variety reported his passing:
“Renowned animator Richard Williams, best known for his work on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” died Friday at his home in Bristol, England, Variety has confirmed. He was 86.
Williams was a distinguished animator, director, producer, author and teacher whose work has garnered three Oscars and three BAFTA Awards. In addition to his groundbreaking work as the animation director of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” Williams also animated the title sequences for the “Pink Panther” franchise and received critical acclaim for his first film “The Little Island” in 1958 and his animated adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” in 1971, for which he won his first Oscar.”
While many sources called him the creator of Roger Rabbit, a character...
“Renowned animator Richard Williams, best known for his work on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” died Friday at his home in Bristol, England, Variety has confirmed. He was 86.
Williams was a distinguished animator, director, producer, author and teacher whose work has garnered three Oscars and three BAFTA Awards. In addition to his groundbreaking work as the animation director of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” Williams also animated the title sequences for the “Pink Panther” franchise and received critical acclaim for his first film “The Little Island” in 1958 and his animated adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” in 1971, for which he won his first Oscar.”
While many sources called him the creator of Roger Rabbit, a character...
- 8/20/2019
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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