One of the best 'Alice' entries is still weak

Alice the Whaler (1927)
Starring: Lois Hardwick
Director: Walt Disney
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

Alice (Hardwick) is the captain of a whaling vessel operated by a literal zoo crew of cartoon animals.

 The "Alice Comedies" (also referred to as "Alice in Cartoonland") was an early series of 50+ short films by Walt Disney. It merged live action footage with animation in a fashion similar to the "Out of the Inkwell" series from Max Fleischer, but much cruder in execution.

"Alice the Whaler" came toward the end of the series, and it's one of the better ones I've watched so far... but it's also incredibly inconsistent in the level of quality as it unfolds. There are some really nice bits of animation with flying birds, some of the crew antics are fairly complex and funny. On the other hand, there are some jokes that get drawn out well beyond the point of being funny and there's some cheaply and lazily executed animation sequences, and the live-action Alice is barely incorporated into any of the cartoon action. 

What really ruins this cartoon, though, is the ending. It involves Alice's whaling ship successfully harpooning the whale, and, given how this is set up, I can't believe that even 100 years ago audiences would have found that turn of events amusing or entertaining. Either Walt Disney conceived of one of the worst endings to a cartoon ever, or the full ending has not survived to present day. (The only satisfying finale *I* can think of for this one, would have seen Alice's ship smashed to bits and she and her zoo crew bobbing in the ocean, clutching flotsam.)

But don't take my word for it--click below and watch for yourself. Aside from the completely botched ending, this is a pretty cute cartoon. The music is also matched nicely to the action.

Alice strikes out in the cartoon big league

Alice in the Big League (1927)
Starring: Lois Hardwick
Director: Walt Disney
Rating: Four of Ten Stars

Alice proves herself to be the worst baseball umpire in Cartoonland.

A few weeks ago, I posted a review of "Alice's Wonderland" (1923).  In it, I commented that I hoped the "Alice" series would improve over its 50+ episode run. By sheer chance, I recently came across the final entry in the series. Titled "Alice in the Big League" in was released in 1927. It was once considered a lost film, but now there are several different versions available on YouTube.

That said, I can't really recommend it. It's like Disney and his animators stretched three-four minutes of material to fill the eight-minute running time with looped animation, by pounding gags to death, and otherwise delivering a product that makes the Van Beuren output from around this same time absolutely brilliant and the conceptually similar "Out of the Inkwell" series from Fleischer the product of the gods themselves.

 
Although the animated characters aren't as creepily lifeless as they were in the early "Alice" episodes--their eyes aren't quite as dead here as they were in "Wonderland--the degree of integration between the live-action footage and animation has not improved at all. It might even have gotten worse. Take a look at the still used at the top of this post and then look at this one: 

You'd think Alice would be somewhere behind the pitcher mound in the long shot of the game, but she isn't. Even worse, the animators drew a shadow for the soap box the pitcher is standing in, but not one for Alice. This persistent continuity glitch annoys probably more than it should, but it's the most glaring sign that this series probably never came close to "Out of the Inkwell" in quality. Even the film's final moment--where Alice flees cartoon characters enraged by her bad calls--is sloppily done.

On the positive side, I found the various visual gags relating to baseball amusing, and, if the various sequences hadn't be dragged out beyond all reason, I think I would have loved the variety of ways the cartoon characters cheated at the game. Naturally, Alice never called them on the cheating though; all of her calls for of the "umpire, are you blind?!?!" variety. Also, a little more effort appears to have gone into the crowds than in early episodes, and I previously mentioned that the characters didn't seem quite as dead inside as those in the first installment did. But I'm not sure if the visual gags and slightly better animation are enough for you to devote eight minutes of your life to watching this weak effort. The only people I could recommend this short film to are those committed to watching EVERY available "Alice in Cartoonland" film, EVERY baseball-based comedy, or those who love baseball gags so much they thought the "NUELOW Baseball Special" equal parts funny and informative. (Actually, and this might be perceived as arrogant and self-serving, but I think this booklet by L.L. Hundal, Sam Hamm, and myself is far funnier than "Alice in the Big League". Some of the same gags are even implemented better in our product than in the cartoon.)

As mentioned above, "Alice in the Big League" was the final entry in this series. Maybe there was less effort put into this one than others for that reason, so there might still be some better ones between the very first "Alice in Cartoonland" and this last one. I will be watching a few more to find out.

 I am hoping that I DO find some better installments of the series. Although we don't get to see much of Lois Hardwick, who plays Alice in the one, we do see enough to give me the impression that she's a better actress than the original Alice. 

If you want to judge the quality of this cartoon for yourself, or want to watch a film that was once considered lost, it's embedded below for easy viewing!

'Ripped' is strong

Ripped (2007)
Starring: Paul Gray and Freda Evans
Director: Christian Linke
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A artist (Gray) finds a mysterious sketchbook that gives him the power to eradicate what he draws from existence.

"Ripped" is another excellent film that I found while wandering through the deep recesses of Facebook. I thought I recognized the filmmaker's name, but I can't find anything else that's done that I might have reviewed, nor can I find him anywhere on my contact lists. I hope he's done other things since leaving film school, because this is a really neat film.

Writer/director Christian Linke says he was inspired to make this film by episodes of the original "Twilight Zone" series. He's done a great job capturing the look and mood of some of the most iconic episodes of that show while also bringing an appropriate silent movie aesthetic to the actors' performances that echo the best of what that era had to offer. The storytelling is fast-paced, the camera- and lighting-work is creative, and the special effects are simple and effective. Linke did a fine job in general.

There are only two things that dragged the film down from the Seven Rating I was thinking about to the Six Rating that I ultimately gave it. 

First, I found some of the stock music that Linke used distracting. One bit featured a motif that I knew from somewhere, so I found myself thinking more about where from than what was happening on screen. Once I placed the music, I began to wonder why he chose that particular piece; was he trying to evoke the very famous films and even more famous character that it's associated with, or was it just coincidental? (This could just be a "me" issue--I have the same problem when Chinese films lift famous film scores and use them for scenes and genres that have nothing to do with where it was taken from. It could be I notice these things more because I'm a nexus point for film-buffery and music criticism, so this might be a non-complaint complaint as far as most viewers are concerned.)

Second, I kept wanting the stakes to be a little higher, especially in light of the ending. When the Arist realized he could make things vanish via the magic sketch pad, he should have moved onto things far more impactful than just nick-nacks, escalating past annoying pets and to people in quick succession. The film is so well-made that this isn't a huge problem, but it still something I had to "ding" it for.

All that said, I think if you enjoy things like "The Twilight Zone" and "Tales From the Crypt" or classic short-form horror comics, I think you'll get a kick out of "Ripped". Take a few minutes to check it out... and perhaps even let me know in the comments if you could tell what music I found distracting.

'Alice's Wonderland' isn't wonderful

Alice's Wonderland (1923)
Starring: Virginia Davis and Walt Disney
Director: Walt Disney
Rating: Three of Ten Stars

The night after visiting the studio where Walt Disney (Disney) and his fellow animators give life to cartoon characters, little Alice (Davis) is transported to Cartoonland as she sleeps. Here, she's treated like a superstar by the cartoon animals... except for the savage lions who want to make her their dinner!

"Alice's Wonderland" (1923) was an early effort from Walt Disney. It spawned a series that ran from 1923 through 1927, with some installments produced... although judging from what's offered in this first one it's a little surprising it even spawned one sequel. 

 
Released as part of the "Laugh-o-Gram" anthology series, each episode "Alice" merged live-action footage with animation in a similar way to what Max Fleischer had been doing with his "Out of the Inkwell" series starring Ko-Ko the Clown. Unfortunately, Fleischer's team did a much better job with this sort of thing that Disney and his cohorts were able to do. In fact, at this stage in the history of animation, and even standard filmmaking, Fleischer & Co. were far, FAR out of Disney's league.

Even at its best--when the live action footage dominates over the animated during the film's first few minutes--this film is clumsy and pedestrian when compared to even early "Out of the Inkwell" installments. From the very beginning, Fleischer attempted to seamlessly merge reality and animation, while Disney barely attempts that, instead mostly keeping the animated characters on a page, even if they are able to interact and acknowledge the "real people" beyond their two-dimensional world. There is nothing like the overlapping of animation and live footage that is commonplace in the Fleischer films.

Where "Alice's Wonderland" truly fails, though, is in the animation department. The jokes and sight gags are uninspired, the character designs are lazy, and the animation is so lazy that it makes the film unintentionally creepy: Most of the animated characters have dead, lifeless eyes and faces. The parade scene from which the still illustrating this review was taken becomes unintentionally creepy because no one blinks, no one shifts their heads to look at Alice as she passes by... they just stand there, frozen. In fact, the parade ends up feeling a bit like some sort of time loop, as the elephant-riding Alice passes the same group of onlookers, over and over, as they stand paralyzed. Alice may be oblivious to the horror of the situation, but I wasn't.

A perhaps even bigger problem is that the second half of the film is made up of sequences that go on entirely too long. Even the amusing climactic chase scene--with Alice fleeing or fighting a pack of hungry lions--goes on and on and on for long enough to become tedious.

"Alice's Wonderland" is yet another early effort from Walt Disney that makes me think he might have been far better at spotting, hiring, and managing creative talent than doing the creating himself. It's another of his early films that has moments, but the overall the bad drags down the good.

But don't just take my word for all of that. Take a few minutes to watch the film for yourself. Let us all know in the comments below if you agree or disagree with my take. (Meanwhile, I'll watch a few more entries in this series to see if they get better and more competently executed as time goes by.)

The answer to 'What came first--Koko or the egg?'

Ko-Ko Gets Egg-Cited (aka "Koko's Barnyard") (1926)
Starring: Max Fleischer
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Ko-Ko tries to start an chicken farm that bridges the animated and physical world.

"Ko-Ko Gets Egg-Cited" is one of the most fascinating "Out of the Inkwell" installments, and it turns what passes for reality in this world where the cartoon characters cross back and forth easily between their two-dimension existence and our three-dimensional one completely on its head: Usually, it's the Animator (played by Max Fleischer) who brings Ko-Ko and his environment into existence, but here it's Ko-Ko who uses the ink pen to create the Animator (as well as the incubator which become the center of some stop-motion animation sequences in the film's second half).

The antics of Ko-Ko and his pet dog in the animated world are funny, but fairly standard for the series, but the scene where Ko-Ko woos a chicken to get her to lay eggs, and what eventually comes out of those eggs, is equal parts hilarious and horrifying. It's one of the many touches that makes this a must-see, as well as one of the most creative and wildest entries in the entire series. (I didn't think they'd be able to top destroying the world, but they did so with this one!)

Take a few minutes of your day to watch reality break down completely in this masterfully executed short film that mixes traditional animation with stop-motion animation and live-action footage.

A high-flying early action/comedy!

A Dash Through the Clouds (1912)
Starring: Mabel Normand, Fred Mace, Phillip Orin Parmelee, Jack Pickford, and Sylvia Ashton

Director: Mack Sennett

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Josephine (Normand) is more fascinated by airplanes and pilots than she is by her would-be boyfriend (Mace). After he jealously acts out and ends up being pursued by an angry, blood-thirsty mob, he comes to appreciate Josephine's love of aviation, as she and a pilot (Parmelee) come from the sky to rescue him.

 

"A Dash Through the Clouds" is a fun little action comedy where Mabel Normand screen presence and more natural acting style than her fellow cast members combine with a sense of excitement and wonder over the still-new technology of flight to almost make up for the thin and somewhat poorly structured storyline of the film.

While watching this film for its entertainment value might be reason enough to check it out, an added bonus is to watch it for the scenes featuring the rickety, early airplane where pilot and passenger sat on the wings, in front of the engine, with nothing between them and the sky. It's even more remarkable to see that it's actually actress Mabel Normand who's taking to the sky onboard the plane. because she glances over her shoulder toward the camera as it is lifting off. 


All the bits with the plane, whether it's landing or taking off, or being shown in flight are fascinating lots of fun to watch--and I imagine viewers who are aviation buffs like our heroine will find it doubly so. While this wasn't the first film to feature the then-new technology of planes, I think it may be the first where a plane and a pilot is a central and indispensable part of the plot.

Click below and join Mabel Normand on a dash through the clouds!  

Trivia: "A Dash Through the Clouds" was Parmelee's first and only film appearance. He was a real-life aviation pioneer--exactly the sort of dashing daredevil he portrays in this film. He died at the age of 25 as his plane crashed on June 1, 1912, just days after completing his scenes for the film. (The film first appeared in theatres on June 26, 1912, almost 110 years to the day of this post appearing.)

Then there's that time the world ended...

Koko's Earth Control (1928)
Starring: Max Fleischer
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

In 1928, the world was destroyed through the actions a psychopathic cartoon dog that gained that power due to the irresponsible behavior of an animator (Fleischer) and his magic ink. Clearly, some superior being must have stepped in and remade the world, or you wouldn't be reading these words, or be able to click below to watch the video evidence of the horror that unfolded.

Mary and Jim are gonna marry! Nothing will stop them! Except...

They Would Elope (1909)
Starring: Mary Pickford, Billy Quirk, and James Kirkwood
Director: D.W. Griffith
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A young couple (Pickford and Quirk), convinced their families are opposed to their desire to get married, decide to elope. But Fate keeps trying to stop them.

I almost gave up on "They Would Elope" roughly one minute in, because it felt stagey even for an early silent movie. Not only that, it felt stagey in a bad way, with the actors performing on a stage that was far too small for the scene they were attempting. (Her parents walk in on the young lovers canoodling, but they don't notice them initially, despite standing right next to them and talking. And the young lovers don't notice the parents intially, despite the fact they are standing right next to them, talking. The scene is so badly done that I found it hard to believe that it was in a D.W. Griffith film.)  

I'm glad I kept watching, though, because moments later, an amusing twist was introduced into the story... and from that point forward the film went down a very deliberate, very silly path. Even as it grew more silly, it grew more charming. I went from almost turning the film off to eagerly wanting to see what would happen when the young lovers inevitably reunited with their families.

I think "They Would Elope" is the first comedy from D.W. Griffith I've seen. While it has its flaws, it's just as fast-paced as his dramatic short films, and I think modern audiences will be as entertained by it as they were in 1909. One thing I personally realized (or perhaps rediscovered after forgetting, because I feel like I should have known this already) is that filmmakers were making full-on satires of melodramas as far back as the early days of cinema. 

I am embedding "They Would Elope" via YouTube to make it easy for you to enjoy this fun movie. Feel free to leave a comment on this post if you think my estimation of it is off.

Dont be shy. Watch 'Bashful'!

Bashful (1917)
Starring: Harold Lloyd, Bebe Daniels, William Blaisdell, Snub Pollard, Belle Mitchell, and Bud Jamison
Director: Alf Goulding
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A shy young man (Lloyd) will inherit millions of dollars if he has a wife and child. When the estate executor (Blaisdell) pays him a visit, his girlfriend (Daniels) pretends to be his wife, and his manservant (Pollard) and cook (Mitchell) set out to find and "borrow" a baby.

"Bashful" hits the ground running and never slows down for its 9-minute running time. The early part of the film is amusing, but things get over-the-top hilarious once the menacing executor of the estate (played with great effect by the giant-of-a-man William Blaisdell) arrives to vet the heir and his family, and the household staff go through their efforts to make sure their employer can present a baby.

As is almost always the case, Harold Lloyd and Bebe Daniels are a joy to watch. This film is made all the more fun by there being a slight role reversal to what was typical in these older films: Daniels' character wants to smooch with Lloyd's character and she isn't afraid to go after him for it. Meanwhile, Lloyd's character is more demure and brushes off her advances. (Daniels played a similar character in "Off the Trolley", which is another Lloyd/Daniels pairing I highly recommend.)

 

As mentioned above, "Bashful" is a fast-moving film, and not a second of screen time is wasted on anything that doesn't move the plot along, or isn't a gag or an extended comedy bit. This might have been an Eight Star film if it had been a little slower in a couple of different ways--or maybe a little longer. The film ends with a couple of MAJOR plot elements unresolved--and they had intersected and were coming to a head as things fade to black. 

I don't think the version I've watched is incomplete, because the ending isn't abrupt and satisfying in the overall context of the film... but I would have loved to see the total chaos and possible brawling and chases that almost certainly descended upon the Lloyd household after. All it would have taken would be another minute or two or run-time (well, and a longer shooting schedule and a bigger budget and...)

I can't go into details about what those plot elements are without ruining some of the film's funniest moments, but I hope you will take a few minutes to check out this great little film. I'm not terribly fond of the music used in this version, but the image quality is fantastic!

And if you feel inclined, let me know if you agree with my view that this would have been an even better film if those severed plot threads and been run out completely.

'Say Nothing' is a stylish mini-thriller

Say Nothing (2022)
Starring: Jake Libner, Craig Roath, and Callie Stonecipher
Directors: Joe Rosener and Jak Velinsky
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Jake (Libner) is a prisoner being subjected to a brutal interrogation. When sees an opportunity to escape, he takes it. But will his interrogator (Roath) capture him before Jake reaches the warmth and safety of his home and loving wife (Stonecipher).

"Say Nothing" is a stylish mini-thriller with an aura of film noir hanging around it thickly. I liked it so much that even though I recognized what it was inspired by, and thus knew where it was ultimately headed, I still enjoyed it right up until the end.

One thing I really liked about the film was the clever way the filmmakers handled transitions. There was already artificial abuse and aging (of the kind you see on those bargain DVDs of public domain or copyright-orphaned films from producers like Alpha Video) done to the footage, and they used the appearance of severe scratches and damage to denote scene changes. I also liked the lighting of the scenes in general, as well as the camerawork. The technical aspects of this film really made it for me.

The only real complaint I can mount is that the entire film was too dark. Although I liked the way the scenes were lit, it was sometimes hard to see what was going on because everything was so dark. If the picture had been a bit brighter and with a little more contrast, I think I might have given this a rating of Seven. (I suspect the dark quality of the film may be a product of the desire to make the footage seem "old", despite the prominent presence of a cellphone.)

A less valid complaint, but one that also probably would have prompted me to give "Say Nothing" another Star (for a possible total of Eight) is that I think it could have been served well with a few lines of actual dialog. While it works as a silent movie, and is enhanced by a well-synchronized score, it would have been even stronger if there had been a voice on the cellphone, or if the interrogator spoke a few lines, and even if we got ot hear from Jake and his wife.

But, like I said, this works well enough as a silent movie. Craig Roath is particularly impressive and sinister as the interrogator, but Jake Libner and Callie Stonecipher also do as much as they can with their parts. (They don't get to emote as much as Roath).

Check out "Say Nothing" below; it's only six-and-a-half minutes long. Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below, and let me know if you caught onto where the film was going early on as well.

(BTW, I think I've seen Callie Stonecipher and Craig Roath in other things, but none of their IMDB credits look familiar, nor can I otherwise place them. Anyone out there know what else they've been in recently?)

Men, Women, and In-Between in the Workplace

Mabel's Stratagem (1912)
Starring: Mabel Normand, Fred Mace, and Alice Davenport
Director: Mack Sennett
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A secretary (Normand) disguises herself as a man so she can get her job back after her boss's jealous wife (Davenport) insists he fire all female staffers and replace them with males.

"Mabel's Stratagem" is a straight-forward and silly comedy about sex, gender, and sexual harassment in the workplace.  The film is 110 years old, but pretty much all of the situational and gender-based humor works almost as well today, what with all the talk about how there's no difference between men and women, how the society is rotten with power imbalance with the hypocritical rich always abusing the workers, and so on.

While the acting styles are outdated, the film is so fast-moving that viewers hardly have time to notice the excessive pantomiming and emoting (except on the part of Fred Mace who really goes above and beyond). In fact, the only serious complaint I can mount is that maybe the film is a little too fast-moving; the story would be more effective if a little more time could have been spent developing the characters. 

"Mabel's Stratagem" is only five minutes, so I recommend you click below and check it out. I think you'll have fun. 

'To Save Her Soul' turns terrible at the end

To Save Her Soul (1909)
Starring: Mary Pickford, Arthur V. Johnson, George Nichols, and William Beaudine

Director: D.W. Griffith

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A beautiful young woman with an equally beautiful voice (Pickford) is put onto the path of a successful showbusiness career after a chance encounter with a theatrical producer (Nichols). A young pastor in her hometown (Johnson) is in love (or maybe just in lust) with her, and he follows her to the big city, in hopes of convincing her to return with him.

I generally don't have the patience for silent dramas, because the pacing combined with the overwrought performance styles and melodramatic pantomiming used by the actors to communicate emotions either bore me or make me laugh. 

A notable exception are short films from D.W. Griffith. Every one of them I've seen so far has moved along at a breakneck pace and has been augmented by staging and framing of scenes that are at the same time reminiscent of renaissance paintings and modern-feeling. Griffith was one of the early masters of the cinematic medium, and that's what makes his short films entertaining to this day.

"To Save Her Soul" is no exception. It clips along at a quick pace. While there's plenty of overly dramatic emoting and even some overacting, the two leads--Pickford and Johnson--have enough presence and charisma that their screen presence shines through that. Pickford is, as always, excellent in her part. 

With that said, I'm going to break format and present "To Save Her Soul" for your viewing pleasure here in the middle of this post instead of at the end. This is because the rest of this review reveals the film's ending and thus may spoil it for you.

The story of "To Save Her Soul" is fairly engaging... and it becomes even more so when the handsome lead makes a transition from a concerned would-be suitor to the young singer to a crazed stalker and religious fanatic who is going to murder her, ostensibly to save her soul (as the title implies) but more basically because if he can't possess her completely and wholly, she cannot be allowed to live.

But, ultimately, that character transition is what undoes this movie. Instead of treating the pastor like the vicious monster that he is, the film sets him up as a literal savior: After he literally points a gun at Pickford's character's face and threatens to murder her if she doesn't surrender to his whims and desires (and his whims and desires alone), the young woman surrenders to him completely, leaving behind the life of sinful showbusiness to be his sex slave before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Okay, I probably put a far darker spin on the film's final moments than Griffith intended, but the ending of "To Save Her Soul" is seriously messed up. Even when allowing for more than a century of shifting social standards, the "hero" of this film should have been a villain that one of the show biz folk wrestled with, and ultimately shot with his own gun. That is how this film should have ended, and I would have given it Eight or Nine Stars.

Ever get the feeling you're being watched...?

The Tail (2021)
Starring: Yuvaraj and Vishwa
Director: Prithvi
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A young man (Yuvaraj) finds himself with a mysterious, uninvited and constant companion (Vishwa).

 

"The Tail" is a seven-minute, slow burn comedy that, near as I can tell, is the product of Bengalese filmmakers and actors. I came across it while exploring the dark recesses of YouTube, and I'm glad I did!

This film was shot entirely on an iPhone 8, but it looks better than many productions that are filmed on professional grade equipment. It's also funnier and better paced than many of those films. In fact, someone who generally faults me for my weird taste in movies, watched it and was as entertained as I was.

If you have the same reaction to "The Tail" as my friend and I did, you'll initially be intrigued by what's unfolding, then bemused and, ultimately, very amused. The film keeps going after it's clear what's going on, which, if it was made by a less-talented filmmaker working with less talented and charismatic actors, would have doomed it. Instead, it ends on a perfect and absolutely hilarious note.

Check out "The Tail" by clicking below. I think you'll agree that it's an excellent modern silent movie that makes a statement about the world we live in.

At the intersection of silent movies and torture porn...

Dental Care (2022)
Starring: Jamison England and Simon England
Director: Jamison England
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Terry (Jamison England) is captured by an insane dentist (Simon England) who is bent on giving him the perfect smile.

Does anyone remember "Saw" and the unpleasant flood of "torture porn" movies that followed in its wake (in addition to the sequels the film itself spawned)? I do, and I disliked almost every one of the genre I had the misfortune of seeing; many I couldn't even motivate myself to write reviews of. I even found myself panning films featuring performers I liked, such as the talented Suzi Lorraine.

So, when "Dental Care" veered quickly into torture porn territory--with its innocent victim being set upon in a gruesome and merciless fashion by an evil madman for no apparent reason other than to be gruesome and merciless-- it was quite a surprise to me that I found myself liking it (even as I squirmed at certain moments). While it's possible that my tastes have degraded since the early 2000s, I like to think that the actual reason for me liking this film is that it despite the torture porn vibe, it gets a number of things right that lesser films get wrong--at least when it comes to being effective horror films.

Areas in which "Dental Care" succeeds are both in direction and cinematography. There's a sense of griminess about everything in the film that suits the subject matter perfectly; Jamie England knows that sometimes "less is more" when it comes to what gets shown on screen in a horror film; and the films final few moments are executed so fabulously that a number of famous filmmakers could benefit from taking a look at.

Click below to watch "Dental Care"... and please let me know if you agree or disagree with my take!

A tale of a clown and his brother

The Clown's Little Brother (1920)
Starring: Max Fleischer
Directors: Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer
Rating: Six of Ten Stars


A new cartoon character arrives via the mail and springs to life. He quickly outshines the clown created by the Animator (Fleischer), as he can do everything he can--only better!

"The Clown's Little Brother" is one of earliest in a series of shorts that merge animation with live-action footage that would eventually become branded as "Out of the Ink Well". It is the sixth or seventh adventure of a cartoon clown who freely comes and goes between our world and the animated universe he exists it, sometimes to the great frustration of his creator. In fact, this installment is so early in the series  that the clown isn't even formally named yet.

Although it comes at the beginning of the series, all the basics of an "Out of the Inkwell" series can be found here, with cartoon characters leaping off the page and causing--intentionally or not--chaos in the Real World. What's more, we get the sense that the world of Animator is a bit stranger than ours, since he doesn't find it strange that he not only gets a package in the mail with a cartoon character, but someone also sent him a kitten. 

Although this was Early Days for the reality-crashing animated clown, the scenes of him interacting with the Real World in this film are excellent. The Clown's battle against a kitten is impressively executed as many of the action scenes that will follow until the series is retired in 1930. (This is also not the only time Ko-Ko is seen interacting with kittens, and if the short linked here is any indication, he makes his peace with them somewhere along the way.)

The only major complaint I have about "The Clown's Little Brother" is that the purely animated sequences drag on just a little bit too long. We, the viewers, get the point that the Little Brother is more capable in the realm of animated craziness than is the Clown/Ko-Ko, but it gets hammered home to the point where I found myself wishing Fleischer would move on. Maybe a 50+-year-old adult shouldn't be watching these films; maybe the one-upmanship scenes are JUST the right length for younger viewers (or maybe even adult viewers back 100 years ago when this film was made.)

All-in-all, though, I feel the five minutes I spent watching "The Clown's Little Brother" were well spent. I encourage you do click below and check it out, too.

'The Session' is worth attending

The Session (2012)
Starring: Alice Bristow and Niloo Ravaei
Director: Emelie Claxton

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A girl (Bristow) undergoes hypno-therapy with disturbing results.

 
"The Session" is another student film I came across while trawling through YouTube for things to watch and write about in this space. It was made primarily to show its creator's competency with three-point lighting--which she demonstrates that she had--but it is also a very interesting, very creepy silent film that's well worth the few minutes of your time it takes to watch. I hope she got a good grade for it!

I admit that I don't know what to make of the patient's mindscape... but she probably has many more therapy sessions in her future.



Note: The creator of this film graduated from film school in 2015, and she has gone onto be a working director-for-hire. You can visit her website by clicking here.

Felix Goes to War!

Felix Turns the Tide (aka "The Inventor") (1922)
Director: Otto Messmer
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

When the rats and cats go to war, Felix does his patriotic duty, joins the military, and faces the enemy on the front lines.

"Felix Turns the Tide" is a fast-moving cartoon from the silent era as Felix the Cat was reaching the height of popularity. It starts out violently whacky (with rats and cats blowing each other smithereens on a WWI-type battle field) and ends up in the area of the completely insane as Felix brings in some highly unusual reinforcements for the cats. The craziness is bookended by some cute and amusing scenes, as Felix saying goodbye to his friends on the home-front and then as he returns from the war. 

If you enjoy the early Felix the Cat cartoons, I am certain you will love this one. In addition to being firmly set in that crazy world where intelligent, tool-using cats live and work along side humans, it's one of those relatively rare tales where Felix is a straight-up hero in every way. (Just beware--after watching this, you may find yourself thinking twice before you eat sausages again

The version embedded below (for your convenience, easy viewing, and a guaranteed seven minutes of fun weirdness and cartoon violence) was retitled for distribution to television stations in Australia.

(This is the second Monday in a row where we've posted something with a war theme. We didn't really plan this, but maybe we need to start Military Mondays, to go along with Wonder Woman Wednesdays and Firearms Fridays?)

The feeling of 'love at first sight' captured on film

Nuit Blanche (2009)
Starring: Michael Coughlan and Megan Lindley
Director: Arev Manoukian
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Stray glances during a chance encounter leads to love at first sight between a man (Coughlan) and a woman (Lindley) in the Big City.

"Nuit Blanche" is a film that's equal parts romantic, spooky, and startling. It's also the most beautiful and moving short film you're likely to see today, this week, or perhaps even the rest of this year. The music, the cinematography, and the astonishing amounts of visual effects are all perfect... and the only reason I'm not giving this great film a rating of Ten is that I feel like they didn't quite pull off the ending. Still--I am giving it the highest Nine Rating possible.

Click below to watch this mini masterpiece... and feel free to sound off in the comments if you think I steered you wrong. (Or, better yet, add your own praise for the film)

Trivia: The film's title is a French idiom that means "Sleepless Night", although a literal translation is "White Night" so the title could also be a pun on this being a black and white film.

'The Non-Stop Kid' is non-stop funny

The Non-Stop Kid (1918)
Starring: Harold Lloyd, Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard, William Blaisdell, Billy Fay, Lew Harvey, and Sammy Brooks
Director: Gilbert Pratt
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Miss Wiggles (Daniels) is pursued by many suitors, including her true love, Harold (Lloyd). Her domineering father (Blaisdell) has arranged for her to marry Professor Noodle (Harvey), so a desperate Harold decides to impersonate Noodle and steal Miss Wiggles's hand in marriage.

"The Non-Stop Kid" is a swift-moving comedy where we, once again, see Harold Lloyd trying to dodge the domineering father of the lovely Bebe Daniels. There are some portions that feel like throwbacks to the rotten, trouble-making character that Lloyd began his career playing--rather than the tricky romantic that became his signature later on--and these drag the film down a bit for me. (As I've previously noted, I have a strong dislike for those early Lloyd pictures.) Thankfully, those moments are few... in addition to being more funny than anything in the early films they reminded me of.

With the negativity out of the way, let me praise this short film for its 12-minutes of non-stop action and gags. While some work better than others, the scene where Miss Wiggles ) plays a trick on a gang of nattily dressed suitors; the one where Harold is wiping away Miss Wiggles tears and her father interrupts their moment; and the entire afternoon tea sequence makes up for any shortcomings present elsewhere. 

My personal favorite part of the film is the opening bit. The hoard of dimwitted suitors pursuing Daniels' character feel like precursors to the Upperclass Twits that were mainstays in some of the greatest skits from "Monte Python's Flying Circus" and they are every bit as funny.

I strongly recommend you take a few minutes out of your day to check out this great little comedy. Click below... and enjoy! (I had to update the embedded version... and now the best available one has Russian subtitles...)

A plotless collection of winter sports jokes

Cracked Ice (1927)
Starring: No one; it's a completely silent cartoon
Director: Paul Terry

Rating: Five of Ten Stars

Cartoon animals frolic in a winter wonderland--sledding, skiing, ice skating... you name it, they do it. Meanwhile, their keeper tries to maintain order and safety.

"Cracked Ice" is an offering from the proto-Van Beuren animation department, back when it was run by Paul Terry. It was originally an entry in the long-running "Aesop's Fables" series.

Whether it's signs of things to come, or evidence that John Foster, Vern Stallings, and the rest were carrying on a grand tradition is hard for me to say... but this is the most plotless, nonsensical cartoon I've discovered among the offerings from the Van Beuren Corporation and related operations. It's devoid of any semblance of plot, and I just deleted a paragraph from this post that talked about all the things in this cartoon that don't make any sense. Why? Because as I was typing, I realized that I was faulting a cartoon featuring a skiing hippo and ice skating cats for including things that didn't make sense.

One critique I am going to let stand is that this early Van Beuren release contains another mainstay of many of their offerings: Sometimes they don't know when to move on from a gag. There are couple bits in "Cracked Ice" that start funny or cute but are then dragged out to the point of becoming tedious. Thankfully, it's the minority, but the trend for the next decade seems to be getting established here.

My customary teaser summary at the top of this review isn't just a teaser here--it relates everything that's contained in the cartoon (except the particulars of the gags). If you're in the mood for cartoon animals being goofy in the winter-time, you should watch the cartoon embedded below. One thing's for sure--it's as entertaining as anything you're going to see from the Winter Olympics.