martin63 Reviews

To Be (1990)

Shakespeare would approve

[10/10 · 6 January 2002]

This mesmerizing little Canadian gem has popped up on the Cartoon Network and is hard to come by elsewhere, but make the effort if you can. John Weldon gives us a modern day fable that's both consistently funny and genuinely disturbing. It concerns an amazing invention that's initially intended as a form of "Beam Me Up Scotty" transportation, but ultimately leads to a revelation that could keep the current human cloning debate going on forever. A truly thought-provoking flicker.

Superman: The Mad Scientist (1941)

The Most Over-rated cartoon series of all time!

[3/10 · 6 January 2002]

If I were to develop X-ray vision that allowed me to see into the minds of Sup's most fervent fans, I still may never be able to fathom the appeal of these soulless, bloodless, cliche-riddled adventures. It's as if a cartoon talent agent noticed the impossibly wooden prince from Disney's "Snow White", took him aside and promised him a new outfit and his own series. The Fleishers put painstaking care into these films, but it's impossible to care what happens to these robotic, semi-rotoscoped humanoids. This series seems to be the start of a woeful institution of films that are long on technical expertise and devoid of all personailty. And I still think Clark Kent's glasses wouldn't fool Mortimer Snerd, although The Tick would likely buy it.

Wanted: No Master (1939)

Screwloose on the Loose

[8/10 · 16 December 2001]

One of the unjustly forgotten comic strips, Milt Gross's "Count Screwloose of Tooloose" used to house it's nutty hero in a sanitarium. The Count later escaped and settled in suburbia and that is where we find him and J.R. the Wonder Dog in this pull-the-stops-out animated adaptation from MGM. Originally an unreleased flicker, it now pops up intermittently on Cartoon Network's "Late Night Black and White" and is worth hunting down. A hoot from start to finish involving J.R.'s plot to marry off his obnoxious master to an aging spinster. Wacky enough to make you wonder what sanitarium Gross broke out of.

The Captain's Christmas (1938)

Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum

[7/10 · 16 December 2001]

Long John Silver and his henchmen, the Herring Boys, dress up as St. Nick and ruin Christmas Eve for the Captain and the Kids. John feels an unusual sting of remorse and is briefly haunted by a vision of himself as a child. (He looks a lot like Buster Brown!!) Lively and amusing, even though the kids aren't allowed to be their traditionally diabolical selves. Silver's unorthodox method of fund-raising is a highlight. I'm not sure who to credit for this since Graham Webb's "Animated Film Encyclopedia" lists Milt Gross as the director, while other sources give the honors to Friz Freleng.

Straw Dogs (1971)

Pekinpah pulling no punches

[8/10 · 2 December 2001]

I've heard some people decry the end of the American Western. Not me. The form is antiquated, and Sam Pekinpah proves here that the same themes of a lonely man taking on a ruthless world and the inevitability of violence can apply to the modern world in a totally different setting. In most cases the modern western would be a cop movie, but this time it actually takes place in a quiet little English town. Pekinpah ultimately forces you to enjoy the violence, crave more, and respect our hero's use of it. Dustin Hoffman is pretty close to the top of his game here.

M (1931)

The film that put Peter Lorre on the map

[9/10 · 2 December 2001]

Perhaps playing a child-murderer might not be the most desirable way to be a big name, but this Fritz Lang gem definately made Peter Lorre a star. It's an uncomfortable flick for moral absolutists, since we routinely comfort ourselves by the notion that such criminals couldn't be truly human. But when Lorre finally expresses himself, we can't help but feel his horror at the idea of being included in the unsavory world of those "other" social outcasts. He doesn't want to be the monster that he is, but something in his hard-wiring won't let him stop! Few films are more disturbing.

Seal Skinners (1939)

No seals were skinned during the making of this film

[5/10 · 5 November 2001]

Der Captain and Long John Silver battle over who gets to return an escaped seal to the circus for a hefty reward. John Silver (lifted right out of R.S. Stevenson with no apologies) was often used in the strip as a shifty friend and later a rival to the Captain. The animated series cast him firmly in the latter capacity and allowed him free reign to hog the spotlight. (With that Mel Blanc voice how could he not take center stage?)

This entry was directed by an uncredited Friz Freleng whose gifts and limitations are on full display here. Legend has it that he argued with producer Fred Quimby against making a "Captain and the Kids" series on the grounds that human characters rarely work in animation. It's ironic that one of Freleng's final projects was producing a "Blondie and Dagwood" TV cartoon special. Trust me - the "C&K" series, for all it's flaws, is a better show.

A Day at the Beach (1938)

Seaside shenanigans

[5/10 · 4 November 2001]

The Katzenjammers spend a day at the beach and stuff happens. What should have been the quintessential outing for this oddball family is only sporadically amusing. Best Bits: Der Captain's futile quest for shade, his bumbling attempt to rescue Mama with a bottomless boat, and the "Canned Lobster" gag.

What a Lion! (1938)

King of the Jungle Fever

[6/10 · 14 October 2001]

The appeal of the Katzenjammer Kids is in the universal, undying temptation to oppose authority for the hell of it. As good as we try to be as we mature, the rascal side of our character is always there, tugging at our sleeves, whispering nasty ideas into our ears. Reading the classic comic strip as both kid and adult, there is part of me that roots for them and another part that knows that when punishment time arrives, they are more than deserving. That's definately the case with "What a Lion", a very traditional "Captain and the Kids" cartoon in which the Katzie Brats wreak havoc with the Captain's safari. Oddly enough, the kids do not have German accents in the MGM cartoons. Der Captain does, courtesy of Billy Bletcher. Der Inspector, pretty talkative in the strip, plays the silent partner here and makes an effective second banana.

Old Smokey (1938)

Headin' for the Krazy Glue Factory

[2/10 · 14 October 2001]

At it's best, the "Captain and the Kids" series at MGM had a strong sense of comic structure while maintaining some of the essence of the Dirks strip ("Buried Treasure", "Mama's New Hat", "The Winning Ticket"). At it's worst you end up with "Old Smokey". Given the fertile theme of childhood mischief and a funny cast of characters that looked animated even in newsprint, it's baffling why director Bill Hanna (uncredited) would opt for a lame, limping, sentimental horsey story. This is the fourth "C&K" entry in which the Kids are nowhere to be found. Perhaps Mama would someday find their pictures on a milk carton.

Poopdeck Pappy (1940)

Bringing up Pappy

[9/10 · 8 October 2001]

Before Famous Studios gradually reduced the Popeye series to a marshmallow-soft snoozer, the Fleisher brothers were still pumping adrenaline into it, and in some of the best entries, they abandoned the "Help, Popeye" rut in favor of focusing on some of the great Thimble Theater supporting characters. In this one, our hero is trying fruitlessly to keep his scrappy Pappy from going out on the town and picking fights. Solid entertainment. And we can only imagine how ornery Pappy will someday be when Popeye eventually decides to dump him in a nursing home!

Jitterbug Follies (1939)

Dancing fools

[9/10 · 8 October 2001]

Milt Gross is one of the unjustly forgotten comic strip artists. He created Count Screwloose of Tooloose in 1929, and in the late thirties brought the character to MGM studios to build an animated series around him. Due to disagreements with producer Fred Quimby, the series only lasted for two films, but the two that were made are a stitch! In "Jitterbug Follies", the Count and his "Wonder Dog" rig a crooked dance contest under the threatening gaze of the Citizens Fair Play Committee, which comes across more like a gang of mobsters. Even process of elimination doesn't make it much easier to find a sympathetic figure in the bunch, but the film manages to hold your interest by being so doggoned funny. Add to that two of the strangest looking penguins even to be captured on celluloid.

Heartaches (1981)

You gotta have heart

[8/10 · 6 October 2001]

This flick is tricky to come by, but it is available on video and is extremely likable. A very young Annie Potts plays an insecure pregnant woman who is afraid to tell her husband that he is not the father of the bun in the oven. She runs away and moves in with Margot Kidder's raunchy man-hungry drifter. The chemistry between the two make it a hard show to resist. A female buddy movie with a refreshing lightness of touch and some beautiful cinematography.

Part Time Pal (1947)

Looks like Tom's finally hit the sauce

[9/10 · 6 October 2001]

Sharp entry in the excellent "Tom and Jerry" series. Tom is chasing his rodent foe, falls in a barrel of alcohol, and you can guess the result. The gimmick here is that every time Tom gets soused, he sees Jerry as a friend. The unorthodox method in which the blotto feline removes a roast chicken from his arm is alone worth renting out a T&J compilation tape.

King-Size Canary (1947)

Pullin' out that bottle of Whup-ass

[10/10 · 3 October 2001]

Whatever Tex Avery was smoking when he came up with this one should be instantly legalized and doled out to the creatively bankrupt. The Classic Avery 'toon, the one he could never quite top, and a joy to behold. Bird, Cat, Dog, and Mouse - in that order - drink from an unassuming-looking bottle of Jumbo-Grow plant food. I won't give away the ending, but I wouldn't mind a sequel if only to find out what could possibly happen next.

Sufferin' Cats! (1943)

Top Flight T&J

[9/10 · 3 October 2001]

MGM animation of the thirties and forties could often seriously rival the Disney studio for sheer lushness and elegance, and generaly had them beat for comedy. "Sufferin' Cats" is a charming and funny early Tom and Jerry romp in which Tom is allowed to display a resoucefulness almost on a par with his rodent rival.

The Winning Ticket (1938)

A Winner

[9/10 · 29 September 2001]

Long John Silver hears a report on his radio that the sweepstakes has been won by "The Captain and the Kids", which means, I guess, that they're the only captain and the only kids in the listening area. This and the fact that the family's very mailbox reads "The Captain and the Kids" are the only real moments of awkwardness in this otherwise engaging cartoon which has plenty of good intentional laughs. No director is credited, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Friz Freleng, who directed other episodes in the series and has always had a tendency to put the prime focus on the aggressor/victim (John Silver in this case, a precursor to Yosemite Sam) Keeps the gags cooking all the way to the end. Naturally, Hans and Fritz are no strangers to fireworks.

Poultry Pirates (1938)

Less cluck for your buck

[5/10 · 29 September 2001]

The best entries in the "Captain and the Kids" series are the ones that mine humor from the Dirks strip's basic concept - the kids tormenting the captain. Director Freleng did not like the idea of adapting the Katzenjammers to animation, but proceeded by order of producer Fred Quimby. "Poultry Pirates" is one of four cartoons in the series in which the kids do not appear at all. In fact, the only regular in sight is the Captain, and he's stuck with a recycled Porky Pig script in which he has to chase the neighbor's chickens out of his garden. Pretty routine business, although it does get amusing toward the climax where Der Cap goes to the mat with a giant, muscle-bound rooster. If there's any moral to this, I guess it would be "Don't feed your poultry steroids".

Cleaning House (1938)

Martha Stewart's got nothing on Mama Katzenjammer

[7/10 · 29 September 2001]

"The Katzenjammer Kids" is the longest running comic strip of them all. Rudolf Dirks created it in 1897 and would later continue it under the title "The Captain and the Kids" (a long story). The longevity is understandable. The characters are naturally funny. The very sight of them suggests dysfunction. "Cleaning House" is the first of 15 cartoons MGM would produce with them. A bit frenzied, it still manages to capture some of the charm of the strip. Der Inspector even makes an appearance. The kids are bent on raising hell, and Der Captain, not surprisingly, is a bit of an overgrown kid himself.

Blue Monday (1938)

Vot kind of a house is you running, Mama?

[5/10 · 29 September 2001]

Der Captain is not satisfied with Mama's housekeeping, so, true to comic convention, she challenges him to do better. If you can't predict the course that follows you will easily flunk "Sitcoms 101". The boys appear only briefly at the beginning. Hardly the pinnacle of this series, although Der Inspector's run-in with a vacuum cleaner with an attitude brings a smile, the animation and music are flawless as always, and since seeing this cartoon, I can't seem to get "No buttons on der ding-busted pants" out of my head. That's gotta count for something!

Mouse in Manhattan (1945)

Class Act

[10/10 · 28 September 2001]

Those who choose to write off the Tom and Jerry series as a violence orgy should be directed toward any television playing this little jewel, which is practically a solo endeavour for the rodent half of the duo, and which suggests that Jerry's finest moments of dancing may not have been with Gene Kelly. See this one. Own it if you can.

Puttin' on the Dog (1944)

One of their best

[10/10 · 28 September 2001]

1944 was a good year for Tom and Jerry and like a fine wine, they've aged well. This one is consistently funny with several laugh-out-loud moments. One reason that the T&J cartoons of the forties are superior to the ones of the fifties is that the animation was not just fluent but funny. Tom's reactions to his increasingly desperate situation and Jerry's levity through it all (like blithely swimming backstroke through the hair of a sheepdog) make up half the fun.

Braindead (1992)

Sick, Sick, Sick - Gotta Love It.

[23 September 2001]

I often get the feeling that people who make films like this must be pretty easy going and pleasant when you meet them since they found a way to get all the sickness out of their system. This thing is hilarious and horrifying. If it had any more blood and gore in it, it would make "The Evil Dead" look like The Andy Griffith Show. I'm still laughing and regurgitating. Thank you, Mr. Jackson.

One Froggy Evening (1955)

Michigan J. Frog as he was before the WB Network

[23 September 2001]

Some of the sparkle may have faded on this one since I'm sure that everyone who likes cartoons has seen it often enough to have every scene memorized. Still, it dazzles. Look at those expressions - face and body! No one can make non-speaking characters say more than Chuck Jones. My advice is for Jones fans to wait about ten years before seeing it again. You'll have a chance to forget a few details and then be dazzled again.

Mama's New Hat (1939)

The Kids Are All Right

[9/10 · 23 September 2001]

This may be the funniest in the "Captain and the Kids" series. Hans and Fritz, having ruined a new hat they bought for Mama, become desperate and steal one from a rather fashion-conscious workhorse. The horse pursues his filched headgear all the way to the Katzenjammer household, wreaking havoc that ultimately takes the whole family soaring to the skies. The Katzenjammers were the cartoon world's first dysfunctional family. May their memory live on. A minor gem.