reviewId int64 363k 588k | userId int64 33.9k 15.9M | itemId int64 1 1.42M | rating float64 1 10 | title stringlengths 1 10.9k ⌀ | content stringlengths 81 11.6k ⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
579,913 | 583,640 | 79,126 | 10 | An excellent , touching Oscar-winning animated short | In 1979 , the United Nations and its program UNICEF started a fund-raising campaign that designated the year as , " The Year of the Child " . That campaign is referenced by this short at the very beginning . The short went on to win the Academy Award and is an incredibly moving look at one child's journey . The title refers to the concept that every child is entitled to a name and a personal identity as an individual as well as humane treatment . I'm very glad to see that this is in-print and it is most highly recommended . Possibly the best thing the National Film Board of Canada has ever produced , at least to date . |
578,812 | 583,640 | 22,883 | 10 | An absolute gem and delightful to watch | This is quite possibly the crown jewel in the long and illustrious career of an extremely troubled and very funny man . Fields has a field day sending up a style of melodrama popular at the time . At one and the same time , this is atypical of Fields ' work generally , but still has his fingerprints all over it as well . Highlights are far too numerous to list , but Fields's rendition of the song , " The Fatal Glass of Beer " ( you can't really accurately call it singing ) , the running gag , " It ain't a fit night out for man or beast " and the ending are hilariously perfect , with a sense of timing of which Chaplin would have been proud . Most joyously recommended |
579,386 | 583,640 | 42,871 | 10 | Truly a classic short . | This is one of Chuck Jones's masterpieces , an incredible blend of music ( mainly opera ) and animation . The new lyrics written to the very old and familiar music are priceless , as is the scene where Elmer at first thinks he's starting to grow hair . One of the best cartoons Warner Brothers ever produced . Well worth watching . Most highly and happily recommended ! |
578,884 | 583,640 | 36,238 | 10 | A Tex Avery Christmas ! ! ! | This cartoon , which I think is one of Tex Avery's best , features as its protagonist a little pig who seems to be a take-off on Red SKelton's Mean Widdle KId character-the voice , mannerisms and even on or two of SKelton's catch-phrases are present in this cartoon . The Wolf doesn't stand a chance ! Junior isn't very well-behaved and is down-right dangerous . He makes Dennis the Menace look like Little Lord Fauntleroy ! Typical Tex Avery sight-gags , but more verbal humor than usual for an Avery short . From downtown at the buzzer , he shoots , he scores ! The Crowd goes wild ! This is an excellent cartoon . Most highly Recommended ! ! ! |
579,260 | 583,640 | 449,619 | 10 | Deservedly won an Oscar last year , much as Ryan won the year before | This short is a combination of animation , still photos and what look like home movies in trying to create an imaginary conversation between a father and his son . Like Ryan , which was an animated look at the life and troubles of animator Ryan Larkin's life , this short looks at very real people and situations and , like Ryan , it also won the Oscar for Animated Short . Because I want to at least touch on some of the details , this is a spoiler warning : This short is a conversation going on in the head of its creator , John Canemaker between he and his father and is basically Canemaker's questioning his father about his actions and the events in his life which wound up putting the father on trial for arson and eventually resulting in the incarceration of his father for five years . It's a fascinating story , told primarily by the voices of the father and son , ably done by actors Eli Wallach and John Turturro . Anyone who says that voice work isn't really truly a full acting performance may technically be right , but the performances in this short should at least prove that you can turn in a memorable performance even if you're just providing the voice alone . Just about every emotion you would expect to come out in a conversation between a parent and a child with a significantly adversarial relationship is found here-anger , rage , frustration , irritation , accusation , pain and love are quite apparent in both men as the son tries to find out what precisely happened and why his father went to jail for arson for five years in the early 1950s . As you get deeper in , however , it becomes clear that this is just the most significant problem in a string of problems between father and son , most revolving around the father's temper and the short fuse which causes that temper to be frequently displayed . The animation is simple but quite effective and appropriate to the subject matter . At times , the animation appears to be deliberately child-like and it feels like Canemaker is trying to show the reaction of a confused , frightened and hurt eight year old ( which was how old he was when his father went to jail ) . The animation basically fits with the mood of the short . This short is really difficult to describe in words which will do it justice , as it really should be seen . Fortunately , it and most of the other 2005 shorts nominees are available on a compilation DVD featuring all five Live-Action Shorts and three of the five Animated Shorts ( the other two animated nominees weren't included because Pixar presumably had plans to release One Man Band and 9 has been optioned to be turned into a feature film ) . Highly recommended . |
578,779 | 583,640 | 152,989 | 10 | The last theatrically produced Magoo and it's a fitting conclusion for UPA ! | This short is the last one produced for movie theater release , both in the Magoo series as well as the last made by the studio . Magoo goes out in perfect form and style . The plot revolves around a television program and a most unusual burglary . The standard Magoo sight gags and a most entertaining finale to the run . Well worth tracking down and getting . Most highly recommended . |
578,880 | 583,640 | 22,899 | 10 | Even after almost 70 years , it's an incredible piece of art ! | This won the very first Academy Award given for animated short and even after close to 69 years , it is still a marvel to behold . It quite justifiably won its praise at the time and is one of Disney's high points . Everything about this is excellent : story , music , characterization , plot , layout , visuals-everything ! Periodically , this is run on the Ink and Paint Club on the Disney Channel and should be out on video . Apparently the powers that make the decisions for The Mouse don't see a point in releasing shorts on home video . Such a shame to have such remarkable material out of circulation . sigh The winner , on points . Most highly recommended . |
578,919 | 583,640 | 280,580 | 10 | Oscar-nominated documentary filmed in an Actor's Fund retirement home that is fascinating to watch . | This documentary , an Oscar nominee this year , takes a look at the lives of some of the residents of an Actor's Fund home and is a glimpse into the lives of people who worked in the theater and film business-in front of and / or behind the stage or camera . No household names ( although I had heard of Dalton Dearborn before and Pamela Duncan . ) , just a number of people who made something of a living at their craft and now enjoy reminiscing with others with the same background . It is really kind of like taking a time machine back 40 or 50 years , in a way . At turns funny and sad , joyous and heart-rending , anyone who is fascinated by the theater or films beyond just watching movies will probably enjoy this . Part of the Cinemax Reel Life series , it will probably air periodically for at least the next year or so . Well worth the effort to see . Most highly recommended . |
579,956 | 583,640 | 36,244 | 10 | Haunting story of a " mob mentaity " and what happens when people lose control | This is one the best westerns and better films I have ever seen and features a very fine , almost understated , performance by Henry Fonda and excellent work by a host of familiar faces , most notably early work by Dana Andrews and Anthony Quinn . Fans of movies from the 1930s and 1940s will recognize lots of character actors like Harry Davenport and Jane Darwell . But this movie and what it says about human behavior and crowd psychology is quite unsettling and thought-provoking . I'm surprised that it was only nominated for one Academy Award , even if it was Picture . Normally , I would make some exuberant , lighthearted comment with a film I think this highly of , but it would be out of place here . This film is that intensely disturbing . I most certainly recommend this film . |
579,133 | 583,640 | 34,097 | 10 | Bravo ! Bravo ! ! Encore ! Encore ! ! | This cartoon short SHOULD have won the Oscar instead of Lend A Paw ! An absolutely perfect blending of music and action throughout , well-executed at every turn . Incredibly funny with no dialogue-sight gags only and the running gags are great ! Wonderful marriage of beautiful music and antic lunacy with a drop dead ending ! Fanatically , totally recommended ! I love this cartoon ! ! ! |
579,947 | 583,640 | 45,000 | 10 | Wile E . ' s luck is no better with Bugs Bunny than it is with Roadrunners | Wile E . Coyote just can't catch a break . One of several encounters with Bugs Bunny goes as badly for him as his attempts at catching the Roadrunner do . I feel for his life and accident insurers ! It's a pity they only made 5 or 6 of these , because it's a good combination . Wile E . is a good foil for Bugs and most of the shorts are hilarious and all of them are enjoyable . The animators could stretch the characters in ways they couldn't normally . Most recommended |
579,605 | 583,640 | 81,361 | 10 | The best of the more recent additions to the older works | Although they've mostly worked , the cartoons done in the 1970's and after usually aren't quite as good as the older stuff ( probably because budgets and cost won't allow the same freedom ) . This one and a few others are the exception . I put this one above the two most notable others ( The Duxorsist and Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24th and a Century ) because it has some funnier lines and situations and a very funny cameo by none other than Wile E . Coyote . Chuck Jones did a marvelous job with this one and it is highly recommended . |
579,032 | 583,640 | 36,268 | 10 | Excellent look at Nazi plans for conquest and control of the world | This documentary was nominated for an Academy Award and looks at the intentions of the Nazis in future globl domination had they successfully prosecuted WWII . Fascinating ( and more than a bit chilling ) look at just how detailed the plans were for the systematic looting of funds and resources on a global scale for their own benefit . Turner Classic Movies shows this as filler between films and almost invariably airs this each March as a part of the Thirty-one Days of Oscar they do annually . Highly recommended . |
579,801 | 583,640 | 36,279 | 10 | The unmistakable rhythms of Dr . Seuss are part of the charms of this exceptional short ! | For several of the shorts in this series , Theodore Geisel ( aka Dr . Seuss ) scripted and the speech patterns here reflect his quite familiar cadence . It's great ! Private Snafu really screws up royally here , which was the point , as the series was meant to show soldiers what not to do and what the consequences could be . These are not balanced and fair cartoons-there was a war on at the time and Germany and Japan were the ENEMY , so the caricatures are not nice . If you are easily offended , you likely won't like these . The series is great and well worth watching . Recommended . |
578,999 | 583,640 | 38,114 | 10 | An Oscar winning one-reel short from an extended series of shorts done by MGM | Back when going to the movies was practically an all-day affair , studios made short subjects and most studios had regular series of shorts that followed a basic framework and usually had the same narrator , writers , etc . One of the best and most successful was The Passing Parade , which took its stories from real life , either everyday people in everyday life or footnotes in history , such as the subject of this Oscar winning short . Narrated in an almost flat , somewhat folksy style by John Nesbitt , it tells of the early efforts of one French doctor to help the criminally insane . A very effective and memorable piece , Turner Classic Movies runs this as filler regularly , particularly in March as part of their " 31 Days of Oscar " feature . Highly recommended . |
578,942 | 583,640 | 38,143 | 10 | Tex Avery at the top of his form ! | This cartoon is just great ! Lots of sight gags , a fair number of topical gags framed on the war and life on the home front and the most entetaining fairy godmother to come down the pike in quite a while . Another " fairytale " cartoon by Avery that is ribald and lecherous and pokes fun at everything , including itself . Tex Avery was incredible . The bit with the jeep is beautiful ! The swimmers make the final turn , they're coming to the wall-it's a world record ! Recommended ! |
579,794 | 583,640 | 25,213 | 10 | Anything can happen in a cartoon ! | This is a marvelous cartoon blending some live action footage with animation with incredible results . These days , animation is all too often no more than an excuse for marketing tie-ins or is one long commercial altogether . With some exceptions ( Animaniacs is one of the good ones ) , the truly off-the-wall zaniness has vanished from most cartoons these days . Back in the 1930s , when even Disney would do some truly bizarre things , the Fleischers did marvelous shorts such as this one ! Here , Betty and Koko do splendid and surreal things with ink and a bit of laughing gas to make seven minutes quite memorable and enjoyable . I always liked Koko anyway , but here he's especially delightful ! In print and available . Well worth watching . Most highly recommended . |
579,520 | 583,640 | 58,211 | 10 | By following these safe ( well , maybe not safe ) and easy guidelines , you , too can avoid friendship ! | This short , nominated for an Academy Award , is one of four in a series of " self-help " cartoons done by Rembrandt Films . Arthur Treacher narrates all four and is perfect for the job ! I suspect it's safe to say that if the advice here is followed , friendship is not something that will trouble you for terribly long ! This short , along with the others in the series , can be found on Rembrandt Films Greatest Hits and the entire compilation is wholeheartedly recomended . |
578,777 | 583,640 | 38,087 | 10 | One good short deserves an even better remake . | Dangerous Dan McFoo , a short that Tex Avery directed at Warner Brothers , is re-made here some six years later , when Tex was at MGM . This cartoon is a bit crisper , with better timing , although both are quite good and both unmistakably Tex Avery cartoons . The Robert W . Service poem that serves as the starting point for both is used to much better effect here and Avery had six more years worth of practice honing his timing on his much-loved sight gags . The pacing is better here and it's just a better cartoon . Tex Avery was one of the giants of his field , working at a time when the animated short was significant , at least moreso than it is today . Many of his conventions are still used today . Too bad he didn't really seem to understand his impact while he was alive . From all reports , he felt that he'd been largely forgotten and had done little that would last . The work remains , but like most truly funny men , his personal life was a less than happy one . Excellent cartoon . Well worth seeking out . Most highly recommended . |
579,014 | 583,640 | 44,821 | 10 | A classic Disney short ! | This short is one of the more successful Disney produced in the 1950s . Nominated for an Oscar in 1951 , it has one of the more memorable one-shot characters Disney created in Lambert . Some of the visual gags , particularly toward the end of the cartoon are hilarious ! Toward the end of the 1940s , Disney slipped behind UPA and MGM and even Warner Brothers in terms of shorts . The quality was still there , but the energy seemed to fade a bit . Cartoons like Lambert show that Disney could still more than hold its own . Highly recommended |
579,129 | 583,640 | 190,287 | 10 | So help me , I don't know why , but I enjoy this carton ! ! ! | Normally , I am not overly fond of terminally cute cartoons or country music . This cartoon is guilty on both counts . With all that going on , I should really run screaming from this one , but I don't . Maybe it's just sufficiently bizarre below the surface to be good , or maybe I'm getting sentimental in my dotage . No matter-the animation is top-notch and it's a well-done short , for all it's cuteness . From behind the net , he takes the puck and fires it past the goalie and he scores to win the Cup ! ! ! Recommended . |
579,741 | 583,640 | 23,027 | 10 | One of the Marx Brothers ' best ! | What the Marx Brothers do to higher education in this film is roaringly funny , from the opening song " Whatever It Is , I'm Against It " to the end , possibly the most bizarre American Football " game " not played in the XFL ! Groucho was at or near his best and it's probably the best ( and most significant ) role Zeppo ever had . Most highly recommended . |
579,744 | 583,640 | 49,473 | 10 | An excellent combination of live-action footage and animation that holds up very well | This documentary was nominated for an Oscar and it's easy to see why . Even 45 years later , it is quite an impressive piece of work . Why it isn't in-print is a mystery that only Disney can explain . Good use of live footage and animation in tandem . This used to run as part of " Vault Disney " every few months or so , but I haven't seen it listed in quite a while . sigh Most recommended . |
579,768 | 583,640 | 351,167 | 10 | Visually a treat , extraordinary CGI ! | While having just the barest of a discernable storyline and no plot to speak of ( at least not one that I could find ) , this matters not a whit in my eyes . This is a treat for the eyes , first and foremost , an absolutely breathtaking piece of work . This blows the " crowd " scenes in Gladiator away , though that is admittedly not a difficult feat to manage . I suspect that Gladiator had a larger budget for SFX alone than was spent on Katedra in its entirety and the lead in Katedra is likely more amiable and personable ( if just as laconic ) than the chap in Gladiator . Quite impressive , even if work done three or four years from now makes this look like a Model T compared to a Rolls . Nominated for an Academy Award and deservingly so . Most highly recommended . |
579,343 | 583,640 | 44,868 | 10 | One of Tex Avery's Best | Let me first state that I think that Tex Avery is to the animated short what Walt Disney was to the feature-length animated film . So many of the conventions of animated shorts were either started by Avery or so effectively used by him that he gave us the cartoon format that we know and , hopefully , love . And Magical Maestro is vintage Tex Avery-gags fired at the viewer one right after another , most of them hilarious . This is excellent work from a master of a highly under-rated art form . Bravo ! Encore ! |
579,783 | 583,640 | 150,663 | 10 | I love this cartoon , but then , I would-I worked for an accountant ! | This short does nothing terribly dramatic . No ground-breaking animation , or special voice work . It will not cure the common cold or achieve great breakthroughs in technology or world peace . But it is a rather charming look at a somewhat eccentric couple and their attempts to budget . I consider it one of my favorite cartoons done by a very talented staff at an important studio . It did one thing supremely well and still does , however often I watch it : it made me laugh . That's a good deal to say for anything these days . Wonderful short , well worth tracking down . Most recommended . |
579,689 | 583,640 | 84,701 | 10 | An absolutely beautiful and wonderful short | This short , nominated for an Academy Award , is just incredible ! The animtion , music , story-everything - is as close to perfect as possible . Funny , warm , tender , joyous and bittersweet at various points , it's in-print , deserves to be and is without a doubt one of the finest animated shorts I have seen in my life ! It happened to be released in one of the best years for animated shorts in some time or it would have taken the Oscar hands down ! Most highly recommended ! |
579,261 | 583,640 | 469,078 | 10 | A very sweet and poetic cartoon which is also unmistakably a Bill Plympton cartoon | How this one missed being nominated for an Oscar , I'll never figure out . Possibly the committee didn't think it was a Bill Plympton because it is , at its heart , a love story . Who knows ? In any case , I found it delightful and charming . Because I want to discuss some of the details , this is a spoiler warning : Most people at least somewhat familiar with Bill Plympton's work from shorts like Your Face and 25 Ways To Quit Smoking would probably be surprised to learn that this is a love story-and a beautiful one at that . The twist is ( and with Plympton little , if anything , is simple and straightforward ) that the star-crossed lovers are a ceiling fan and a flowering potted plant . There are all kinds of Plympton touches in this short-his animation style , some of the visuals paired with the narration ( as when the fan is first trying to impress the plant with his three different speeds ) complement and accentuate each other quite well and there is humor tinged with sorrow here . This is a visually marvelous short , with one section in the latter part of the short showing the passage of time and the changing of circumstances by a very creative and effective use of silhouettes in a doorway . The ending of the short is marvelous and mixes tragedy and triumph , where out of ruination springs renewal and love transcends life . It's all tied together very well by the narration , done by actor Paul Giamatti . This short is available on a DVD collection of shorts which compiles eight of the shorts nominated for the Academy Awards in the Animated and Live-Action Short categories ( all five Live-Action and three of five Animated nominees are here , as well as two extra animated shorts added to fill out the disc ) . The disc itself is excellent and is well worth getting for this short and the others . Highly recommended . |
579,887 | 583,640 | 141,869 | 10 | One of the better early Fleischer Studios sound shorts-which is quite a compliment ! | In the 1930s , it was Fleischer Studios which was the most competitive studio to Disney . In fact , the argument can be made that in the very early 1930s ( 1930-31 ) that they were better . This short is an excellent example of what the studio was doing at the time . Because I want to discuss this in some detail , this is a spoiler warning : I think , at least for me , the most fascinating aspect of this short for me is the rhythm of this short . The animation and the music are synchronized beautifully throughout . For example , watch the movements of the chicken in relation to Bimbo's movements very early on and then the movements of Bimbo in relation to the cop who catches him trying to steal the chicken . It's all basically in time with the musical score . The beginning is very good . When Bimbo enters the graveyard , it turns from very good to outstanding . This is a very visually impressive short . After about thirty seconds in the graveyard , Bimbo probably wishes the cop had caught and arrested him . There's an incredible run of sight gags , all of them eerie to one degree or another . Ghosts and skeletons predominate and some very bizarre things happen . Then Bimbo goes into a barn , which is like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire . There's a beautiful " call and response " bit where various creepies accuse Bimbo of various misdeeds and with Bimbo replying that he doesn't do that " no more " . The cartoon just keeps getting stranger and stranger , right up to the end . It can hold its own , even after 76 years . At their best , there really is nothing quite like a Fleischer cartoon . This one is definitely worth the effort to track down and watch . Most highly recommended . |
579,949 | 583,640 | 49,510 | 10 | An Oscar winner and an excellent example of how good use can be made of limited animation | This short , produced by UPA in 1956 , won an Oscar , beating out two other UPA productions to do so . UPA used very limited animation and compensated for the limitations in movement with good scripts , careful selection of voices and by making the best use of animation by making it count . The premise of this short is so outlandish , it will remain in your memory for a long while afterwards . The title is a bit of a pun , actually . Most Recommended . |
579,302 | 583,640 | 49,033 | 10 | Absolutely hilarious ! | This is one of the funniest Bugs shorts they ever did . Oddly enough , for an intensely visual cartoon , the funniest bits are mostly verbal in nature . This has some incredibly funny dialogue , particularly Bugs echoing a portion of Elmer's opening harangue calling on Bugs to show himself . Bugs's take on the line and his whole reaction is priceless ! Wonderful cartoon ! Well worth watching . Most highly recommended ! |
579,015 | 583,640 | 20,640 | 10 | The one Marx Brothers film that MIGHT be better than Duck Soup | This is the one film the Marx Brothers made that someone might be able to covince me is better than Duck Soup-maybe . Excellent script , about as believable a plot as they ever had and just an overall Gem of a movie . It also provided the song with which Groucho was most identified in later years - " Hooray For Captain Spaulding " . Great fun . Highly recommended ( but I still like Duck Soup better ! ) |
579,335 | 583,640 | 247,500 | 10 | Haunting and intriguing . | This is a very effective and compelling short that looks a perception , in this case perception through the eyes of children . Using very basic and deceptively simple hand-drawn animation ( incorporating some very entertaining visual tricks along the way ) this tells , in effect , two stories : the story the children see and the probable reality the audience may well ascertain from the same " facts " . A bit like Rashomon , but with only one recounting onscreen . Deservedly won a BAFTA , if I recall correctly . Well worth tracking down . Most recommended . |
578,810 | 583,640 | 106,446 | 10 | Quite possibly the most unfortunately-timed mid-life crisis ever ! | This short justly won the Academy Award and is probably one of the two short produced by the National Film Board of Canada ( the other is The Cat Came Back ) that most people would have seen than any other work done under their umbrella . Excellent and hilariously funny , particularly Bob's semi-meltdown under circumstances that his wife Margaret would just as soon forget . Beware of surprises . Available from the NFBC , relatively easily for Canadian citizens , a bit more complex for non-Canadians , but worth it either way . Most joyously recommended by a somewhat less neurotic , just-turned-42 Robert ! |
578,769 | 583,640 | 38,253 | 10 | Masterful use of the character of Droopy and the running gag . | As the creator of the character , it's understandable that Tex Avery would be best able to utilize him to best effect . Most of the Droopy shorts made after Tex left MGM don't really use the character as effectively , giving him too much dialogue or making him to soft-hearted and without an edge to him . Droopy has teeth and can use them . But , really , what Droopy is , and probably intended to be all along , is a simple character to react to things and bounce things off of , a sort of subtle focus point the audience can be drawn to and relate to , but who doesn't distract from the sight gags . Watch for Droopy's appearances in this one-he pops up unexpectedly in some amusing places . There's also a great running gag here that may well be his best running gag , certainly the best Avery used while at MGM ( the one at the core of The Legend of Rockabye Point may be better , but I love that cartoon so much , I could be biased in its favor ) and running gags were a staple in Avery cartoons . Most of them had at least one . Good cartoon and the ending is great . Well worth watching . Recommended . |
579,620 | 583,640 | 42,555 | 10 | There is one line I simply have to quote from this little delight ! You are warned ! | This is a delightful cartoon , with hilarious dialogue moreso than visual gags . The squaredance scene alone is worth the price of admission , but my absolute favorite line , one that just busts me up every time . Bugs says to one of the Martins , " And who might you be ? " to which his response is , " I might be Teddy Rooseyvelt , but I ain't ! " So sue me ! I think it's a funny line ! Highly recommended . |
579,325 | 583,640 | 29,422 | 10 | Early Porky cartoon directed by Tex Avery | This cartoon features Porky , who is mistaken for a heavyweight wrestler . There are great sight gags in here ( naturally-this is a Tex Avery ) and some of the best come when everybody in the ring plays " choo-choo " ! This short is a great deal of fun and is well worth hunting up . Originally black and white , it has also been colorized . I prefer the black and white-the colorizing on this one isn't as effective . Recommended . |
579,698 | 583,640 | 107,574 | 10 | In many ways , this is a companion piece to The Man Who Planted Trees . | With all due respect to The Wrong Trousers , The Mighty River should have either shared the Academy Award or won it outright . I'm very fond of and impressed by the Wallace and Grommit short , but The Mighty River , like its subject ( the St . Lawrence River ) is magnificent . It bears a great many similarities to The Man Who Planted Trees . Given that the same man directed both and had many of the same people working on both films , the fact that they are similar is not surprising . Both films feature narration , with Donald Sutherland doing the honors here . The incredible attention to detail is here as well and is , if anything , even more remarkable in The Mighty River . Animals of all sorts are depicted with loving care and attention , from fish swimming the river through bears and seals on to birds taking wing . The Mighty River is a look at the history ( and the reckless abuse by over-harvesting of ) the river . It is really one long love note to not only a great river , but to nature herself . If mankind is to prosper , nature must prosper as well , for our continued well-being is inextricably connected with the ecosystem around us . The message is that we must stop doing damage immediately . If we want to help nature recover more rapidly , that's fine . But if we'd stop sticking our finger in nature's eyes , the ecosphere is generally quite capable of healing itself-if the damage stops . Remarkable and beautiful film that is in print , available and deserves to be seen by more people . Most highly recommended . |
579,005 | 583,640 | 236,447 | 10 | Excellent documentary that is engaging and thought-provoking-Warning Potential SPOILER comments | This is an exceptionally well-done and thoughtful documentary on the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa and the rather different " war crimes " tribunel approach they took in South Africa . While I was disappointed that they didn't touch on black-on-black attacks ( anyone who's ever seen the end result of " the necklace " - even on film-won't ever forget ) , it was a very good and even-handed presentation . I could not write a comment here without getting this off my chest , though : POSSIBLE SPOILER - In my opinion , there isn't any difference materially between Eric Taylor-white SA police officer who killed a black SA man unlawfully-and Robert McBride-black SA who admits to planting a bomb outside a club that killed three women . That they are treated quite differently by the tribunal in their respective amnesty applications is therefore disturbing , although the reasons are obvious and I do not think the tribunal played favorites in any way . Most Recommended . |
579,690 | 583,640 | 84,764 | 10 | This must be watched-words do not do it justice ! | The year 1982 saw three shorts nominated for the Academy Award for Animated Short . All were excellent and could easily have won . It was the misfortune of The Great Cognito and The Snowman that they were in direct competition with this short . This is so intricately done and so fascinating in its conception and execution , that words fail me . It reminds me of the feeling I get when I look at the works of M . C . Escher . This must be watched ( more than once ) to be fully grasped . One warning is necessary : this is not for children . A portion or two of this is most decidedly adult in nature . Most decidedly and solidly recommended ! |
579,914 | 583,640 | 81,040 | 10 | A fly's-eye view of the world | This short , an Oscar winner , is an exceptionally detailed effort that can be a bit unsettling at first ( particularly for anyone who has problems with depth-perception ) , but is a fascinatingly drawn and meticulously constructed animation and is a must-see if you like animation . Fortunately , it is currently in-print . Most highly recommended . |
579,739 | 583,640 | 44,685 | 10 | I could not disagree more with the Maltin review ! ! ! | Whoever reviewed this film for Maltin's Guide ( I wish they'd indicate who the reviewer is by initials or something . It'd make the book more useful ) does not share my tastes . I personally don't care that it bears no relation to Andersen's life . They admit it up front . Judge a film by itself , not on it's supposed relation to reality ! Given Andersen's real life and his moody , pessemistic nature , I doubt being more accurate would have been a good thing . The score is beautiful , the sets and Costumes are great and Danny Kaye was wonderful ! I haven't seen the movie for a couple of years and I stll remember most of the score ! Granted , it's not one of the all-time greats , but it's better than the Maltin review implies . A worthy effort . Recommended . |
579,939 | 583,640 | 49,328 | 10 | I love the Humphrey the Bear shorts ! | I just love this series of shorts ! I have no idea why , but I think they're marvelous . Humphrey usually winds up the loser in whatever is going on and the expressions on his face are hilarious . The animation is quite good for 1950s animation and Humphrey and Ranger Woodlore are well developed as characters . Too bad these aren't in print . Well worth looking for . They run these on The Ink and Paint Club . Most recommended . |
579,960 | 583,640 | 29,339 | 10 | The attention to detail is breathtaking ! | The folks at Disney won an Oscar for this astonishing piece of work and deservedly so ! It's got to be one of the most meticulously done animations I have seen in my life ! The detail work is inspired and it's apparent that a great deal of time , effort and creativity was given to this gem . While it isn't available commercially ( like far too much of the shorter animation done for the Mouse ) , it do run on the Ink and Paint Club periodically . I wish they would release more of the animated shorts and the live-action shorts and documentaries they did in the 1940's and 1950's . sigh The puck is on his stick , he's skating for the net , he shoots , he scores and the place goes crazy ! Most unreservedly recommended . |
579,705 | 583,640 | 106,428 | 10 | Fascinating look at blindness and possibly at perceptions . | This short , nominated for both the BAFTA and the Academy Awards ( deservedly so ) is an excellently executed take on the world of a blind man . The animation , use of color and black and white and sound to create mood is great . Often what one imagines is far more unusual and / or frightening than reality . When you cannot see something and must theorize instead about what faces you , life becomes a good deal more unsettled , as with any limitation on the ability to perceive things or to simply function in a world designed by and large for people without such limits primarily by people without such limits . Fascinating piece of work and a prime example proving that cartoons aren't just for children , but an artistic medium in their own right . Of course , the same may be said about much of what was done at Warner Brothers , MGM , Fleischer and other studios some 45-50 years ago and more . Well worth seeking out and getting . Most highly recommended . |
579,906 | 583,640 | 22,610 | 10 | The most unusual penny arcade ever ! | This is an unusual arcade to say the least ! Interestingly enough , the Fleischers also did a Popeye centering around penny arcades some years later that is considerably different in style and mood from this one . The Betty Boop series as a whole had a much different feel from the Popeye series , which is understandable , as the intent of the two series are much different as well . Betty is making change in a penny arcade and the gags are mostly sight gags ( actually , primarily Bimbo drooling over Betty for about a third of the short ) and it is bizarre and occasionally a bit creepy . Marvelous short , but a strange one . In print and available . Well worth watching . Most recommended . |
579,717 | 583,640 | 94,364 | 10 | A remarkable piece of animation by Bill Plympton | This short , nominated for an Academy Award , is visually exceptional and conceptually wonderful . From what I've seen of his work , it's also one of the most conventionally " normal " pieces he's done ! It's a kick to watch . Plympton is an acquired taste and I seem to have done so . If you like good animation that messes with the boundaries and sometimes colors outside the lines , try Plympton . By all means , catch this one ! Most recommended . |
579,033 | 583,640 | 49,380 | 10 | Clever , almost cute , cartoon that is almost a textbook example of UPA's work | This short , one of the three UPA shorts nominated for an Academy Award ( a clean sweep for UPA that year ) , is almost the prototypical short for UPA : Limited animation combined with a clever , interesting idea that is fleshed out with a good script that uses the strengths of the animation style to best advantage for the concept . The idea here is simple : the main character has taken up jaywalkng as a hobby and it quickly becomes manic , almost obsessive , behavior . The cartoon is beautifully executed and is well worth getting a hold of for anyone who enjoys animation . Recommended . |
579,367 | 583,640 | 220,676 | 10 | For Richard Condie , this is a " normal " short . | If most directors did a cartoon like this , it would probably be the oddest thing they ever did . But for Richard Condie , this is a comparatively normal short ( " comparatively " being the operative word-Condie does nothing " normal " ) whereas everything else I've ever seen is stranger than this within sixty seconds . Condie is an acquired taste and I've acquired it myself , which probably means a great deal , but I'm getting better , honest . Condie is a national treasure ( or should be ) in Canada , the Mad Genius . A wonderful short , well worth tracking down . Most recommended . |
579,336 | 583,640 | 46,973 | 10 | Not one of Claude's better days , I'd imagine . | This is my favorite of the shorts starring Marc Anthony , though one of the others , Cat Feud , is a better cartoon . Claude Cat is thoroughly unlikeable in this one . He's deceitful , disgraceful and devious and those are his good qualities ! Marc Anthony ( clearly a dog's equivalent to Prince Valiant ) wins out for the cause and for Truth , Justice and the American Way ( oops , wrong hero ) and the dim bulb that is the human " master " finally realizes that Claude's been playing him like a pipe organ in church . Marc Anthony's final ruse to get inside is priceless , as are Claude's facial expressions as the plot unfolds . The ending is marvelous and Claude's exit line is perfect . Well worth tracking down and watching . Most recommended . |
579,365 | 583,640 | 36,015 | 10 | Excellent short by a little-known director | This is an excellent cartoon and is one of a handful directed by Norman McCabe , who is not nearly as well known as other Warner Brothers directors , chiefly because he didn't direct for terribly long . Claude Hopper is a very engaging character similar to Disney's Goofy because he was voiced by Pinto Colvig and all of Pinto Colvig's voice work tends to make the characters sound about as bright as a five watt bulb . There are voices which are so distinctive that they are instantly recognizable and Colvig had one . A remarkably talented man and he's perfect for Claude Hopper , a character so dumb he doesn't realize that the two rabbits are tricking him left and right . The ending is great and in keeping with the times , what with a war on and all . McCabe usually worked some war related reference , most prominent as a rule . Worth the trouble to see . Most recommended . |
579,644 | 583,640 | 96,273 | 10 | Deservingly won the Academy Award ! | This is an incredible short in many ways ! The computer graphics are great and the storyline is very well-developed and executed brilliantly . This is a most innocently destructive toddler-in other words , a typical baby . As anyone who has spent time in the company of a toddler knows , they are a force of nature not unlike Godzilla ! This one here is more qualified than most . Atilla the Baby , as it were . My sympathies lie with the toy . Phenomenal piece of work worth hunting for . Wholeheartedly recommended . He shoots , he scores ! |
579,815 | 583,640 | 31,455 | 10 | The best of the myriad different film versions of a most excellent novel | The best of the many versions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame , for my money , is this one , although Lon Chaney's is a close second . Despite a Hollywood tendancy to change the novel's ending so as not to depress the cash customers ( although , pray tell , if you're going to change the ending , why does no one ever see Quasimodo sailing off to Tahiti with the girl ? Rule # 1 : strong , handsome poets beat out disfigured cripples every time , even if they're heroes . This is more true in real life than in the movies . Take my word for this , I know from painful experience sigh ) Charles Laughton is exceptional and Maureen O'Hara would make any man swoon and is perfect for the part of Esmerelda . The support includes the usual suspects-Thomas Mitchell , Harry Davenport and many other familiar character actors . Strike up the band and start the parade . Thunderous applause . Most highly recommended . |
579,003 | 583,640 | 47,001 | 10 | Makes Walter Mitty look like an under-achiever ! | Nominated for an Oscar , this cartoon is a takeoff on Walter Mity , with a small boy named Ralph Phillips surpassing Mitty in inventiveness . Thoroughly engaging and extremely hilarious , the situations Ralph imagines are wonderful and so off-beat ( particularly his bout with mathematics ! ) that the cartoon can be watched again and again without getting old or growing flat . Most highly recommended . |
579,370 | 583,640 | 203,310 | 10 | This is an incredibly strange and unusual cartoon , even for a Richard Condie ! | Richard Condie , under the umbrella of the National Film Board of Canada , does some fairly odd and wonderful work . This one is pretty strange even for Condie ! I am seldom at a loss for words , but trying to describe this one and do it justice is difficult . This airs somewhat frequently on O Canada on the Cartoon Network . The show itself is well worth watching . Catch this one if you can . Highly recommended ! |
579,793 | 583,640 | 22,704 | 10 | Betty saves her " Boop oop a doop " in this one . | They don't come with much more innuendo or double entendre than this one from 1932 . Funny , definitely risque , with Koko as the support here , as well as a most despicable ringmaster , who does just about everything but chase Betty around a desk in this one . Well developed characterizations , especially among the circus animals and a solid plot as well as the typically excellent score make this a standout and a keeper . In print and available . Well worth watching . Most highly recommended . |
579,351 | 583,640 | 88,725 | 10 | A reminder of how good animation can be | This short justifiably won the Academy Award for Animated Short . At turns sad and funny , sweet and cruel and with a marvelous ending , it offers proof that the animated short is still being done well and is still a viable art form . Available on The World's Greatest Animation , anyone who takes animation to their heart and particularly the short form , should have this compilation . This short is just one of many reasons to pick it up . You won't be sorry . This short , by the way , was not made with young children in mind . They may not understand it particularly well . |
579,378 | 583,640 | 35,954 | 10 | Funny , but it helps if you know who Jerry Collona was . | This cartoon ( deservedly nominated for an Oscar ) features a parody of the great Jerry Collona , a radio and motion picture comedian . The title is a play on one of his signature bits ( " Greetings , gate ! Let's osculate ! ) that were his trademarks . Collona was parodied several times by the guys at Termite Terrace and was popular at the time . Little-remembered today , he really was very funny and is humorously well-done here . This cartoon should really be in-print , as it's fabulous ! With worms lke this , fish don't have a chance ! But I have just one question : where's Yehoodi ? Recommended . |
579,973 | 583,640 | 179,011 | 10 | Beautiful piece of work with amazing detail . | This won the Academy Award for Animated Short and it's easy to see why , even in a fairly strong field of nominees . The technical aspects alone would justify the award . It's a visually arresting cartoon . I've seen much less attention to detail in " set decoration " in feature-length live-action films ! But the visuals are only part of the tale here-indeed , it is the tale itself that is at the heart of things here . The characters matter , the interactions make sense and the story is interesting to the viewer ( although , at least in my opinion , the primary reason this won out over another nominee was the superior visual look and feel of Bunny and the race was close there , as well . Too bad they didn't end up tied ) without becoming cloying at the end . Good to see this getting wider release on the DVD of the feature Ice Age , by the same studio . Let's hope features don't take up all their time and energy , so that they can occasionally give us a shorter marvel like this . Well worth watching . Most highly recommended . |
579,630 | 583,640 | 96,450 | 10 | An unexpected jewel found by chance | I bought The Spike and Mike Festival of Animation , Vol . 1 for other shorts that were on the cassette . I got better than I thought , as there were several shorts on there that would have been worth getting the tape in and of themselves , including this one . I can't say a great deal about it directly , save that Peter Doctor ( who most recently worked on Monsters , Inc . ) definitely remembers childhood well . This is a scream , particularly the ending . This is a great short on an equally great compilation . Well worth the trouble to hunt up a copy . Most highly recommended . |
579,640 | 583,640 | 73,312 | 10 | One of Woody Allen's most entertaining and amusing comedies | Woody Allen films fall into different categories-his early films verge on slapstick while still being bitingly satirical ( Sleeper , Bananas , Play It Again , Sam , among others ) while his later works generally fall into one of two categories : contemporary social satire or nostalgic period pieces , generally set in the 1930s or 1940s . Love and Death is probably the most cerebral of the slapstick films and what I suspect a collaboration between Woody Allen , Ingmar Bergman and the Marx Brothers would have looked like had one ever taken place . Sight gags abound along with the philosophical discussions Woody Allen films have as a matter of course . It's a hilarious film that spoofs Bergman , the military , patriotism and , of course , love and death . Most highly recommended . |
579,555 | 583,640 | 107,688 | 10 | Textbook example proving the old adage , " The grass is always greener in someone else's yard . " | This film , while far from Burton's masterpiece , is a delightful musical that in the end shows that , sometimes , we have things far better than we think we do and the other side of the fence sometimes looks better just because it's different , but that doesn't make necessarily wise to pursue someone else's dream because we mistakenly think we may like it more . Tim Burton's fingerprints are all over this film . Excellent casting of vocal talent , the score is great and the animation is marvelous . A very good film and worth watching more than once . Recommended . |
579,907 | 583,640 | 22,667 | 10 | I'd vote for her any day ! | This is a wonderful mix of satire and the strangeness that could be found in the best of the early Fleischer shorts , particularly Betty Boop cartoons . A knowledge of 1930s politics helps with some of the jokes , but it's funny even if you don't know who Herbert Hoover or FDR were . These shorts are exceptionally fine work in many cases and are always enjoyable to watch , at least through 1934 or so . Even the ones done later are reasonably good , even if Warner Brothers and MGM had by then surpassed what the Fleischers were doing . In print and available . Well worth watching . Most recommended . |
579,026 | 583,640 | 179,025 | 10 | This PBS series got me hooked on animation ! | This series ran for three seasons on PBS and , like the overwhelming majority of the shows produced for that network , was of excellent quality and had to have been assembled by people who had a love for the subject matter . The shorts that ran on the series ran the gamut from deathly serious ones like Sisyphus ( a Hungarian short ) to the delightful short Great ( a British Academy Award winner ) and every possible spot on the line between . Work from all over was featured , from The National Film Board of Canada , the Eastern Europeans , the United States , the United Kingdom , ranging from shorts done for children to things like Closed Mondays by Will Vinton . Different animation styles , from 2-D hand drawn to puppet and Claymation , were featured . The intent was simply to showcase the best short animation available to PBS . The usual suspects-Warner Brothers , Disney , MGM-weren't featured , but they didn't need the exposure . These shorts did and finally found something approaching the audience they deserved . It's been 25 years since this first came on the air and more than 20 since it ended . Some extraordinary things have been done in the intervening years . It would be wonderful if perhaps PBS or someone would put together a show similar to this in concept to give animation like this more of an audience these days . No matter . Thanks to this show , I discovered a whole side of animation I barely glimpsed before , here and there and for that I'll always be thankful . I wish I could see some of these again , though . |
579,821 | 583,640 | 84,868 | 10 | I would love to have been a spider on the ceiling when they screened this for upper management at Disney ! | Every time I watch this short , it reminds me of a cross between the old Ralph Phillips cartoons that Warner Brothers did and the comic strip The Far Side . I suspect that management at Disney were a bit unsettled by this one when they first saw the finished work . Here there be spoilers : Vincent Malloy is a boy with a very active imagination and a decidedly dark one at that . He wants to be just like Vincent Price . He projects himself into Edgar Allan Poe stories , much to his mother's chagrin . The resonances with Poe , the character of Ralph Phillips and the absolutely perfect narration by Vincent Price himself create a whole that is much greater than its quite extraordinary parts . The ending , with it's echo of Poe's " The Raven " , delivered in typical Price fashion , is more chilling than you expect from Disney . This short , along with Frankenweenie , makes the DVD release of Nightmare Before Christmas a must-have in my book . Most highly recommended . |
579,097 | 583,640 | 64,504 | 10 | Why isn't this available on VHS or DVD ? | This is one of Disney's better efforts ( which is quite a compliment ! ) This shows up occasionally on The Ink and Paint Club , but I think that Disney ( and the public ) would be well-served if this and some of their other shorts were released in a compilation . This is an excellent example of combining animation with live-action to create at one and the same time a cartoon and a documentary about birds that is informative and entertaining for adults and children . In fact , I have noticed more than a few cartoons that should be in-print that aren't , many of them Disney , but others as well . Highly recommended . |
579,262 | 583,640 | 48,985 | 10 | An absolutely hilarious short from beginning to end , with a funny premise | This is one of my favorite Bugs Bunny shorts , which deftly illustrates one of Chuck Jones's rules for his Bugs cartoons , which was that Bugs should never go after anyone for no good reason-he has to be the aggrieved party first in some way and merely evening the score with a bad guy . Because I want to discuss some of the details , this is a spoiler warning : The short opens with Bugs on his way to meet his cousin Herman when he runs into a boulder-sized gold nugget . After whooping it up about his good fortune ( " I'm rich beyond the means of avarice ! " ) , Bugs suddenly turns paranoid and protective , none of which escapes the notice of Nasty Canasta , who opens up a " bank " where Bugs foolishly deposits his gold . Thinking better of it , he goes back to get his gold , only to have Canasta literally close the bank facade on and around him , trapping him inside . Placing a boulder on the cube encasing the rabbit , Canasta rides off with Bugs's gold , leaving only Bugs's eyes visible and we hear him say , " You realize that this will not go unchallenged ! " and we know that Canasta is in deep trouble . Some six months later , as Canasta is marking a deck of cards in preparation of the opening of his saloon and casino , who should come in but our hero , suited up as a hayseed with his hair full of hay ? If you said Bugs , you win a carrot ! He asks if he can use Canasta's " Telio-phone " , pointing at a slot machine . Canasta chuckles and says " Sure ! " , at which point Bugs hits the jackpot and a huge pile of coins pours out . Canasta urges him to stick around and play some games . We all know who's going to win-Bugs is the hero here , after all-the fun is in watching just how Bugs makes Canasta the patsy , when Canasta thinks he's got a live sucker ripe for the fleecing . They play " marbles , Frisco style " , with Bugs winning a penny bet on 23 , being told that here , the customer always wins , Bugs placing a huge stack on 23 again and Canasta not only nailing a block of wood in place over 23 ( so no one else-in an empty casino-can bet on 23 ) , but using a rigged wheel , only to have the ball go into 23 because of Canasta's actions . They then play poker , with a few cute puns and Canasta says , " I got a full house-what you got ? " , to which Bugs says , " Does that beat two pair ? I have a pair of red ones ( aces ) and a pair of black ones ( also aces ) and Canasta is visibly stunned at losing . As Bugs is getting ready to leave , Canasta pulls out a revolver , Bugs then spins the cylinder and hits another jackpot . After a predictable ( but still funny ) final visual gag , Bugs leaves with a final funny line , which I won't spoil here . This short is available on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection , Volume 4 and is well worth having . Highly recommended . |
579,347 | 583,640 | 96,438 | 10 | One of the best , if not the best , animated features of all time | I absolutely love animation ( not to be confused with anime ) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit ? is my favorite . With Disney and Warner Brothers characters appearing in the same film for the first time , and Betty Boop weighing in as well , that would be enough . But there is also a new cast of animateds in addition-Roger and Jessica Rabbit , Baby Herman and the weasels , et cetera . It's toon heaven on earth . There is a very intricate plot that works as a comedy and as a mystery , characters who grow and that you care about and great special effects . But what I love most about the movie is the action on the fringes . I've seen the movie at least a dozen times and I always catch something I've never spotted before . The movie comes flying at you a hundred miles an hour and there's so much going on in most of it that you can't catch everything the first time . For some people , Toy Story is the best animated feature of all time and for some it's Snow White or Fantasia and there is a case that can be made for each . But for my money , Who Framed Roger Rabbit ? is the champ so far . My highest recommendation . |
579,791 | 583,640 | 22,758 | 10 | The most unusual chess match since Through the Looking Glass | This short is one of the most eccentric cartoons the Fleischer Brothers ever did ! It opens with two men at a chess board , apparently playing a match and then turns its focus onto the pieces for the most bizarre game of chess played since Lewis Carroll penned Through the Looking Glass ! Very odd , even for a Betty Boop in the early 1930s . Wonderful short . I sincerely doubt , however , that another commenter was talking about this short , from the gist of his or her comments . In print and available . Well worth watching . Highly recommended . |
579,290 | 583,640 | 47,097 | 10 | Heavier than usual on funny dialogue , but still lots of sight gags . ( Possible spoilers ) | I had to do a comment on this cartoon , ma'am-it's the law of the West ! Besides , today I celebrate the seventh anniversary of my moving into my current little cubbyhole I call home and it's appropriate for the day . Tex Avery had several different wolf characters-the urbane yet lecherous wolf ( or just plain lecherous wolf ) of the Red cartoons , the Southern wolf in several Droopys and other one-shots and the Western wolf seen here in the Western-oriented shorts like Deputy Droopy . Always a nemesis for Droopy , usually an outlaw ( here , he's a cattleman who doesn't like homesteaders ) , he has more range than Spike and is a more enjoyable villain . The dialogue is funnier than is typically the case in a Tex Avery cartoon ( Avery loved the visual gag dearly ) and a lot of the laughs come from funny lines delivered by the Wolf . Well worth tracking down . Most highly recommended . |
579,352 | 583,640 | 88,805 | 10 | Yet another masterpiece from the inimitable Richard Condie | This short was nominated for an Academy Award , losing to Anna and Bella . Not since Doctor Strangelove has nuclear war been so hilarious ! Condie takes a situation and turns it on its ear and then gives it a spin for good measure . Visual gags abound in Condie's work and I always see something I missed before every time I watch this . On The World's Greatest Animation , well worth seeing for thisand many other shorts . Recommended . |
578,887 | 583,640 | 40,218 | 10 | A Tex Avery masterpiece ! | This is truly one of the greatest animated shorts Avery ever did and one of the best of all time . Virtually every corny sight gag Avery could think of was shoehorned in here . The moon was far more loony here than Armstrong , Aldrin or any of the other astronauts found on their visits and the cat here finds the truth in the adage , " Look before you leap " in this cartoon . Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe this one ! The crowd goes wild and let there be dancing in the streets ! Most emphatically recommended . |
579,258 | 583,640 | 281,010 | 10 | Marvelous documentary about Ladysmith Black Mambazo , its music and the strength of the human heart and spirit . | This documentary , nominated for an Oscar , tells the story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo , the South African singing group that gained much acclaim worldwide after Paul Simon incorporated their sound and music on his " Graceland " album . At the time , what Simon did was controversial , as it was viewed by opponents of apartheid as a violation of the cultural boycott of South Africa in effect at the time . This always puzzled me , because in no way , shape or form can this be seen as a project that benefitted the government of South Africa , while it can be seen as being a great boost to blacks in South Africa in general and the group in particular . The documentary shows the group in rehearsal and in performance and the music is marvelous . It shows quite forcefully that even under conditions designed to crush the human spirit and rob it of dignity , those who would seek to do so overlook the incredible strength and resilience of the human spirit , heart and mind . Most highly recommended . |
579,096 | 583,640 | 71,337 | 10 | A very worthy example of Claymation | This cartoon , an Academy Award winner for Animated Short , is one of the most fascinating and thought-provoking cartoons I've seen in my life . I wish that it was available on VHS ( or even DVD ) . Will Vinton ( who gave us the California Raisins ) co-directed and this is one of at least three shorts of his that was nominated for an Oscar ( Rip van Winkle and The Creation are the others ) and so far as I'm aware , none are available . Would somebody do a Best of Will Vinton compilation and include these along with some of the Claymation Television shows . Closed Mondays would be worth the price of addmission alone ! The ending is great ! |
579,122 | 583,640 | 26,706 | 10 | Exceptional sight gags in a technically well-executed short that's also funny ! | Just about every studio has seen the visual possibilities inherent in doing cartoons involving firemen and fires . This is one of the early ones and it works exceedingly well . While I don't know that they started here , a number of the standard gags are here and they work to perfection . Disney was basically firing on all cylinders during this period and was more or less the only studio on top of the mountain in 1935 , given that Fleischer was starting a slow fade , though still doing good work , as the new Code's requirements began taking its toll on the Betty Boop series . Warner Brothers and MGM were not yet as good as Disney or Fleischer and Lantz didn't really hit his stride until Andy Panda and Woody Woodpecker came along . Disney was king and precise , very technically excellent shorts like Mickey's Fire Brigade were the result . Disney spent more time and effort on a seven-eight minute cartoon than some studios took with their feature films ! Great cartoon ( and very funny ) well worth watching . Most highly recommended . |
579,602 | 583,640 | 42,270 | 10 | In my opinion , the best Daffy-Porky teaming | This cartoon is one of the funnier ones WB made and it worked better than most of the others that Daffy and Porky made together , with the Duck Dodgers cartoons and one or two others right up with it as far as humor . Porky holds his own quite well with Daffy , who tends to be a bit overbearing . I really would like to know just where Porky gets his licenses and permits ! I'd like to have a few of those myself ! Great fun was had by all and there was much rejoicing in all the land with the ending . Highly recommended . |
579,127 | 583,640 | 29,161 | 10 | Disney's terrific trio ! | This is a visual treat from start to finish , with some great jokes as well ! Look quite closely at the " ghost catching " equipment and you may wonder just how it is that they expect to catch ghosts with most of it-create some , perhaps , but catch ? Highly unlikely , it seems to me . Mickey , Donald and Goofy are three such radically different characters that it's sometimes amazing that they worked so well together . Not precisely the Three Musketeers , but they work together exceedingly well in any case . Disney at or near the top of its form . Wonderful , if not terribly spooky , with some great sight gags , particularly the ending . Well worth watching-again and again ! Most highly recommended . |
579,929 | 583,640 | 53,909 | 10 | Excellent use of classical music and a very amusing concept | This short , nominated for an Oscar , is one of Chuck Jones's best . You'll never hear The Blue Danube in the same way again . Extremely creative joining of animation and music . One slight correction of another comment on this short : I know I saw this short on television prior to 1977 , because I saw it for the first time before I turned 18 . In any case , Cartoon Network has aired this fairly recently and if I recall correctly , showed it one New Years Eve , as part of a special broadcast . I think it was in 1999 as part of the " Miloony-um " special . Most highly recommended . |
579,615 | 583,640 | 48,292 | 10 | A masterpiece and in my opinion the best short Tex Avery ever made ! | Tex Avery was the best director of cartoon shorts , certainly in the Golden Age and probably ever . In my opinion , The Legend of Rockabye Point is his best short in a long , distinguished career . t's nominally a Chilly Willy cartoon , but the primary focus is not Chilly , but a polar bear named Charlie and a bulldog ( I think his name is Sam ) and the perfect Avery running gag . That this is not currently in-print saddens me beyond belief . It should be . I wish I had this cartoon ! Highly recomended . |
579,971 | 583,640 | 29,151 | 10 | Beautifully crafted short all the more remarkable for the studio that did such exceptional work here . | Charles Mintz saw gold in them there cartoons and thus jettisoned Walt Disney and the contractual relationship they had to start in-house production and make ( he thought ) even more for himself . But Mintz had a gourmand's palate without the imagination or financial willingness to feed such tastes . Columbia was rarely to come even within shouting distance of Disney , MGM and Warner Brothers where animated shorts were concerned . They just didn't much take the time or effort to go beyond nice , enjoyable fluff to fulfill contractual obligations . That makes The Little Match Girl all the more incredible , because it's an emerald awash in a sea of shiny marbles . Much of the credit can go to Al Davis and Sid Marcus , both exceptionally talented . This is probably the crown jewel in Davis's career , a compliment , to say the least . They manage to make this endearing and heart-wrenching without it becoming maudlin or cloying . It's a remarkable piece of work and , had it been more properly promoted at the time , might have won the Academy Award ( and probably should have ) . I don't usually go into detail about the contents of a film , preferring to let the film speak for itself , but one point I need to make : the decision to make the child smaller than normal in perspective to the world around he was brilliant-to a child , the " grownup " world is huge and more than a bit scary . It works wonderfully . That this isn't in print and available is a shame , as it should be . Well worth hunting up . Most highly recommended . |
579,476 | 583,640 | 26,748 | 10 | Excellent and quite novel use of music in this short . | Watching this short , I as struck by several points : first , that the " voices " of the various characters were the notes played by the instrument in question . Second , they actually " converse " in musical phrases with each other ( surely by design , rather than by accident ) throughout the cartoon . Third , Jazz and Classical music are more closely interrelated than many in either camp would feel comfortable acknowledging ( at least publicly ) . There's a novelty to the use of music here through visual and audio cues , particularly in the latter third of the cartoon . One of the Silly Symphonies ' shining moments , this belongs squarely at the top , along with Skeleton Dance and Flowers and Trees as among Disney's finest shorts . ( Small spoiler ) The " battle " sequence is absolutely marvelous and bears close scrutiny ! Well worth watching . Most highly recommended . |
579,688 | 583,640 | 84,023 | 10 | This short fires visuals at the viewer rapidly from the beginning | This short , nominated for an Academy Award , is a marvelous example of just how far one can take stop-motion Claymation . The visuals come at you quite fast and furious over what is a very brief cartoon and it's one of Will Vinton's best efforts . Fortunately , it's available ( along with quite a few other shorts ) on the World's Greatest Animation and is most certainly worth having . Now , if only someone would come along and put together a similar compilation of animated shorts released since 1991 , the year after the release date of the most recent release on WGA , that would be most welcome . Most recommended . |
579,235 | 583,640 | 123,860 | 10 | Marvelous , quite mad and twisted ! More , please ! | Although I shudder to think what this says about me , I love this short ! In my own defense , let me also state that I loved The Man Who Planted Trees ( what that apparent dichotomy says , who knows ? Who cares ? ) and I'm a prince of a fellow currently in frog mode . But I digress . A poor rabbit finds himself trapped in a situation that would reduce Franz Kafka to one gigantic twitch and takes the viewer down a rabbit hole that would send Lewis Carroll out of the room , screaming incoherently as he ran . Why this didn't get nominated for an Oscar ( even a student nomination ) I'll never understand . A must for any fan of films , particularly the demented ones ( the films , I mean , not the fans ) and well worth tracking down . I found it on a Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation and I believe it's to be released ( tentatively , anyway ) sometime next year by the animator as part of a compilation of all his animated shorts . Most highly recommended ! |
579,641 | 583,640 | 99,696 | 10 | A wry and telling commentary on mankind and it's history . | This short , nominated for the Academy Award , is a sardonic look at history and effectively makes a few points about the ultimate realities and who the victors really are . Very well done and well worth the effort to get . Fortunately in print currently . Most highly recommended . |
579,918 | 583,640 | 75,273 | 10 | An exceptional short prduced by the National Film Board of Canada | This short , nominated for an Academy Award , ( I'm surprised it lost , though I've never seen the winner , as far as I know ) is a funny , sad , sweet look at life through the eyes of a child growing up in Canada . An excellent adaptation ( by the author ) of a story by Mordecai Richter and yet another feather in the NFBC's cap . Caroline Leaf is a marvelous director and this is one of her best . Most recommended . |
579,323 | 583,640 | 42,330 | 10 | Sight gags all through this one and very funny ones too | This short , as is usually the case with a Droopy directed by Tex Avery , is heavy with sight gags ( the ones with another director , particularly by Dick Lundy , were more driven by dialogue than Avery's were ) , although dialogue is more in evidence here than is normal in a Tex Avery short . Generally speaking , in an Avery short , if there is more verbal humor , it's either narration or one character dominates conversations and / or talks to the audience . This cartoon brings home the old saying , " Be careful what you ask for , you might get it . " The ending is great ! Good to see it's in print . Recommended . |
579,355 | 583,640 | 15,864 | 10 | One of the all-time classics ! | If anyone doubts that Charlie Chaplin was one of the funniest comedians ever or that silent films did not require acting ability , t you a commend this film , as well as City Lights . Modern Times isn't , strictly speaking , a silent film , although Chaplin had no dialogue there . The Gold Rush , while not Chaplin's best film , does feature his best performance and has so many classic bits , it must be seen . Excellent film . 1942 version redone by Chaplin is a bit better , but either will do . Most highly recommended . |
579,297 | 583,640 | 42,358 | 10 | Typical Avery , with the germ of an idea used more fully in a later short . | This short is typical Avery , with lots of sight gags and a hilarious premise . But Avery plays around with a series of gags that take expressions of speech and depict them literally in visual gags , an idea he would use to base an entire short on later with Symphony in Slang . Cute cartoon , not terribly innovative , but enjoyably watchable nonetheless . Worth watching and recommended . |
579,704 | 583,640 | 110,547 | 10 | Odd , energetic and engaging short with a perfect ending ! | This has got to be one of the oddest cartoons I've seen in my life ! With little to no dialogue , the animation and background artwork have to carry this one and do so superbly . The action is engaging , if not almost hypnotic at times and there is a plot , though it takes a bit to catch on . The ending is simply perfect and follows logically from events that came before . Absolutely must be seen , as words cannot do justice to this one . Most highly recommended . |
579,375 | 583,640 | 163,175 | 10 | Excellent combining of live-action and animation | This cartoon effectively combines live-action footage with animation in a very funny but also thoughtful short . It explores desires and dissatisfaction on two very different sides of an atypical fence as an ambitious " toon " has a job interview with a bored and vaguely unhappy " human " and concludes with an entertaining resolution to the interview . Most enjoyable and memorable . Highly recommended . NFB of C did it again ! |
579,732 | 583,640 | 46,250 | 10 | sigh Audrey Hepburn sigh ! ! ! | I could just write my one line summary over and over again , but that would make for a rather dull comment , so I won't ( stop cheering in the balcony ! ) . In addition to the wonderful Ms . Hepburn , Gregory Peck does his typically superb job and Eddie Albert turns in a delightful ( but no doubt painful , for him ) performance in this incredibly charming jewel of a film . This film made me an incurable romantic for life ! sigh I'd better quit before my apartment becomes a wind-tunnel ! Joyously , happily recommended ! |
579,083 | 583,640 | 52,139 | 10 | One of the best pairings of Daffy and Porky and absolutely hilarious ! | This short is an extremely funny teaming of Daffy with Porky as his " straight man " ( with Porky's antics the cause of a lot of the funniest bits ) . I have to talk about something specific in the short , so let this be my spoiler warning : Any cartoon where Porky Pig sings the first verse of " Barbara Allen " is one my permanent list of favorites . When I first saw this cartoon , hearing an old tradition song issuing forth in the dulcet tones of Porky Pigs had me rolling on the floor and it still makes me laugh like a loon to this day . The fun in this cartoon is watching Daffy and his progressively desperate ( and increasingly unsuccessful ) attempts to convince Porky that he really is Robin Hood , honest and for truly , he is ! This has been released on a Looney Tunes Golden Collection on DVD and it ( and the rest of the Collections ) are well worth having and all most highly recommended ! |
579,600 | 583,640 | 73,068 | 10 | Very aptly titled | Great is , quite simply , great ! A funny , warm , poignant look a real-life builder named Isambard Kingdom Brunel . I wish it was in-print . It's a masterwork . It deserves better than to languish in an obscurity it most definitely does not deserve . |
579,393 | 583,640 | 31,227 | 10 | First of many " travelogue " cartoons | Back when Tex Avery first did this cartoon , studios regularly produced short subjects in abundance . One of the most frequent and popular types was the " travelogue " which Avery so effectively nails here . The same droning voice-over and cutesy style used here without that big a stretch for parody's sake . Tex Avery sight-gags aplenty . This cartoon spawned a mini-boom in cartoons ( not all by Avery ) sending up travelogues . As usual , Tex was there first and was the best ! One second left on the clock , here comes the alley-oop-it's a touchdown and the band goes wild ! Highly recommended . |
579,287 | 583,640 | 40,515 | 10 | The enemy of my enemy is my friend . | Tom can't seem to catch a break-he not only has Jerry to chase ( difficult in and of itself , as witness his monumental failure rate ) , but a little yellow bird sticks his beak in matters at the most inopportune ( for Tom ) moments . An important object lesson is taught to the two allies at a point of seeming success : premature celebration may be hazardous to one's longevity of health and / or life . Save the congratulations for a safer time and place . Most entertaining and executed short from when Tom and Jerry were definitely in flower . Well worth watching and most highly recommended . |
579,726 | 583,640 | 153,448 | 10 | Why wasn't this nominated for an Academy Award ? | The failure of AMPAS to nominate this cartoon for an Oscar is unbelievable ! Granted , it was a good year for animated shorts and a good year particularly for UPA-Columbia , but this cartoon is simply delightful ! Written by James Thurber and animated in Thurber's artistic style , it is his world come to life ! If you like James Thurber , you'll love this cartoon , probably as much as I do ! Highly recommended . Edit : Since I posted this particular comment , I discovered just why it wasn't nominated for the Academy Award for Animated Short Subject-it was never submitted to AMPAS for consideration , because Stephen Bosustow was , for some reason , not pleased with the end results . I think that it's a marvelous piece of work , but without submission for consideration , the Academy could not nominate the short . I've since watched it several times and it is still highly recommended . |
417,070 | 663,392 | 431,114 | 1 | Seagal Gets Double Crossed ! | Stephen Seagal plays the role of a dude who gets talked into driving an armored car for a bank hold up and drives into everything that comes across his path . However , the police seem to appear on the scene very quickly and Seagal smells a rat who gave the police advanced notice . The story gets into many twists and turns and the money from the hold up has disappeared and nobody knows its new owner . Poor Seagal gets a bit framed into this hold up and naturally he is out looking for the person or persons who are trying to put him away for a long time . In this film , Seagal tries to be a good guy but the forces of evil are against him . Unfortunately , this is not a great film and rather boring and too long . |
417,556 | 663,392 | 295,254 | 1 | Thought It Was Going to Be Better than This | Thought this just might be a great picture concerning a mystery murder involved with the Internet and was sadly disappointed as the film progressed to go down hill . Stephen Dorff , ( Detective Mike Reilly ) , " Alone in the Park " , was finally convinced that what he thought was the death of many young girls was a illness spreading throughout New York City . However , Natascha McElhone , ( Terry Hudson ) , who played the role as Board of Health specialist told Mike Reilly that she believed all these young girls where killed because of a website they visited . This film goes into a complete spin out of control and never stops until the very end . Don't waste your time viewing this film , no matter how cheap it sells for in the stores . |
416,390 | 663,392 | 83,661 | 1 | Poor Virgins | Always enjoy Horror films over the years , going back to Boris Karloff , Vincent Price and Bela Lugosi ; however , this film is a far cry from anything with horror through out this picture . James Earl Jones , ( Frye ) played the role of a tricky dude with a very hot sexy girl friend and plenty of secrets he performed at night , away from he sex pot gal . Jose Ferrer , ( Nereus ) played the Greek Mayor of the small village and tried to keep everyone in line by telling them all the rules they must obey while they stay in his town . The film starts off with a bit of Greek History about virgins being sacrificed in some sort of ceremony and a coin placed in their mouths . As I said before , this is not a horror film , it is just plain Horrible . |
417,066 | 663,392 | 372,832 | 1 | Complete Waste of Good Time | Like to view most of Michael Rooker's films , in this particular film he plays a real tough and ready for action Captain in the U . S . Army , and has a few gals and guys with him trying to find out just who is murdering all these people in a certain wooded area of the country . All of these civilians and some soldiers are very well skilled in combat and have special training for capturing and destroying any possible threat to this country . There is a creature on a horse shooting arrows and using all kinds of primitive weapons and then disappears right on the spot . As far as I am concerned this film can disappear from the face of the earth and it would never be missed . I am real sorry I had to waste my time viewing this garbage and can still feel sorry for the poor actors who had to act in this picture , at least they all got paid , I Hope ! |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.