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Reviews
Cops Is Always Right (1938)
No spinach? No problem!
Along with a clever plot about an inept Popeye vs an overbearing cop, Fleischer animation brilliance is seen throughout this short. To many, the highlight is a unique, overhead scene where Popeye switches two rooms worth of furniture without batting his one good eye.
Clever gags abound, beginning with bumbling Popeye knocking over a grouchy cop and getting his first of several tickets. The car itself, with locks on every door and "duel horns," is a hoot. Popeye's inability to balance spring cleaning and law abiding is another. The only mild negative is Olive's voice, because Margie Hines was never a sufficient replacement for Mae Questal. This is balanced somewhat by Jack Mercer's cleverness and an inventive soundtrack, which is unlike that of any other Popeye short. Not to be missed!
The Chase (2021)
Slow-talking host who dispenses blatantly leftist material...
...what's not to hate?
I was glad when to hear that the Brooke Burns-Mark Labbett classic was getting another shot, but this was a huge letdown. Sara Haines speaks far too slowly, which hamstrings the entire process, especially in the final round. Brooke Burns is sorely missed. The "Jeopardy" aces have some appeal, but none can equal the power of "The Beast."
Even worse, the writers clearly have both wings on the left side of their fuselage, which is repellent to those who would like some semblance of a level playing field. Even "Jeopardy" isn't this bad.
A Clean Shaven Man (1936)
"Barber out getting a shave"..."He's probably out getting some hamburgers."
This installment isn't as long on dialogue, but the artwork, animation and music (which stays wonderfully in synch with the action) are all first rate. Listen closely to the music accompanying Popeye and Bluto's barbershop antics and you can appreciate what masters the Fleischers were. One of my favorites.
The 'Hyp-Nut-Tist' (1935)
One of the best of the Billy Costello Popeye shorts
This Fleischer Studios short is very clever and funny. Popeye and Olive go to a theater to watch Bluto the Hypnotist and hilarity ensues when a skeptical Popeye distracts Bluto, leading to a series of gags which get better and better until our hero calls upon his magic vegetable. A must for any lover of classic animation.
This was one of the last shorts that had Costello voicing Popeye. He soon wore out his welcome at Fleischer Studios with excessive demands that led to his firing. I always preferred Jack Mercer's version of Popeye (more wit and less brass), but this is one of the best with Costello, helped greatly by Gus Wickie, who was, by far, the best Bluto voice.
A Christmas Carousel (2020)
Horse-rendous!
Ignore the phony positive reviews and avoid this drek at all costs! The ending of the painted-pony-by-numbers story will be plain 5 minutes in and you will waste the remainder of 2 hours awaiting it. Awful (and unoriginal) writing, utterly impossible situations (like completely restoring a dilapidated carousel in 2 weeks!) and phoned-in acting makes this the biggest waste of time I've seen from the Canadian Hallmark Movie Mill. DO NOT WATCH!
Transplant (2020)
Eh's Anatomy
This show has a fine cast that has done a great job with the material, but so many of the cases seem to have lifted from old Gray's Anatomy episodes. Overall, I've enjoyed it and I look forward to Season 2, but I hope their writers plow more new ground for it.
Frasier: Dinner at Eight (1993)
Two snobs and a jerk
Overrated early episode that demonstrated how the show was still working its way through the rough spots. Yes, Frasier and Niles were pretentious snobs, but Martin, in an unfunny scene, was a jerk for having their ties cut off, ordering food they didn't want, then throwing a tantrum when they cracked wise about the pushy service (Who here likes being rushed the way they were?). Happily, far better episodes would arrive soon.
Just Go with It (2011)
A steaming pile of Devlin
The experience of sitting through Just Go with It is akin to watching a bad sit-com that never ends. With some TV shows, commercial breaks provide welcome relief from the monotony of enduring the main attraction, but there is no such respite for viewers of Just Go with It unless it involves faking bladder problems and hiding out in the rest room. In some instances, that might be the preferable choice. Bad writing, annoying as hell characters and not one laugh to be had. The fact that this made money shows that fans of the two leads will watch anything they show up in. Don't waste 2 hours on this mess.
Wonder Park (2019)
Sappy-diferous!
I suppose this movie's heart was in the right place, but the content will likely leave a nauseatingly sweet taste in the mouths of most viewers over the age of 10. There's an ample supply of eye candy to enjoy, but the story and dialogue would be more at home in an episode of Barney, not a $100,000,000 movie. Too bad; a flick about an amusement park was a worthy idea, but this venture deserved to fall on its face at the box office, and fall it did.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Skin of Evil (1988)
Mediocre episode, but it did us all a huge favor
This episode was troubled from the get-go and many re-writes were made before the final one, which allowed Denise Crosby to make her early exit from the series. In doing so, she did the series and its fans a huge favor by removing her one-dimensional character and one-dimensional acting from the series. This allowed Michael Dorn's character of Worf to assume her role and greatly expand it and the series's potential.
Other than giving us a baddie to boo/hiss, this episode had no definitive plot and existed for no reason other than to show Tasha Yar the door, for which I and many others were grateful.
It's the Natural Thing to Do (1939)
Very "rough-fined!"
With this episode, the Fleischers were, in effect, flipping the bird at those saying their pictures were "too violent." When Popeye, Bluto and Olive receive a pointed telegram, then comically show up as "proper" society types, they're saying, very sarcastically, "Maybe you'd rather have THIS, you sissies?" As the three realize they're making idiots of themselves, give in and hilariously revert to the violence, the viewer understands that without some fisticuffs tossed in when needed, the Fleischer tunes might as well have gone down the Disney path and sacrificed humor for beauty.
Make no mistake, both humor and beauty have always had their place in animation, but the Fleischer 'toons and, later, those of Warner Brothers (to whom many of Max and Dave Fleischer's best writers went after Paramount took over and ruined Popeye), were far funnier than Disney's. And yet, with their meticulously crafted backgrounds, Fleischer pictures had a unique beauty of their own. I love both the Fleischer and Disney creations from the 1930s, but given the choice of either, I'd take the Fleischer creations in a heartbeat.
All this installment lacks is the far-better voices of Gus Wickie as Bluto and Mae Questal as Olive, but Max lost both when he moved his studio to Florida. Such is life.
Dragnet 1967: The Prophet (1968)
It might not expand your mind, but it's fun to watch.
This was my personal favorite of the entire series. The LAPD's Dynamic Duo engages in an episode-long debate with a Timothy Leary knockoff (beautifully played by Star Trek vet Liam Sullivan, surrounded by great 60s drug props) about the pros and cons of drugs and the laws that deal with them. What makes this episode unusual was that both sides score points ("No law that tells me what to do with my body on my land is a good law!") and Gannon actually scores several of them himself instead of playing his usual Tontoesque role. David Vowell's scripts were always among the best of the lot, but he outdoes himself with this one. Check it out.
Star Trek: The Trouble with Tribbles (1967)
Overrated, especially because Gerrold ripped off Heinlein
It's moderately fun to watch, though slapstick has never fit in well with the overall image of the sci-fi great that is Star Trek.
That being said, Gerrold got away with murder by lifting most of the story from Robert Heinlein's "The Rolling Stones," which tells of furry "flat cats" that are born pregnant, make a soothing vibration when petted and multiply so quickly that they fill up a spaceship. Sound familiar?
Heinlein graciously allowed Gerrold to take the accolades for this, but facts are facts and the fact here is that the heart of the story was stolen.
First Love, Last Rites (1997)
Boring, plot less, pointless, brainless and STUPID!
Why did I waste ninety minutes of my life on this piece of crap? Badly acted, horrendously directed and utterly devoid of a coherent story (climaxed by the brain-dead lead squashing a rat), how the hell does this thing garner these sort of numbers in here? Anyone giving this thing a 10 must be a masochist, desperately in need of therapy. First love? For whom? Obviously not these two sexaholics (though none of their sex scenes could ignite a candle). Last rites? Who for...the rat? That's about the only thing actually dying in this film whose title itself is a blatant lie.
My only consolation is that I found this for 2 bucks in a bargain bin, but I WANT MY NINETY MINUTES BACK! Curse each and every talentless hack who helped birth this hunk of garbage!!
The Omega Man (1971)
Helluva flick
Despite the lame and inaccurate commentary provided on the front page, this is a haunting and brainy thriller that eloquently paints the portrait of a man forced to fight for survival against a group of technology-hating mutants whose sole aim is to kill him. Along with wonderful performances by Heston and Zerbe, the photography and direction are first-rate. Also noteworthy is Ron Grainer's unique musical score, which completes this unique experience. Rent or buy this baby! **** out of 5 stars.
The Haunting (1999)
What a piece of crap
This steaming pile of bat droppings was unintentionally funny in so many scenes that I kept picturing the threesome from "Mystery Science Theater 3000" down in the corner, making the derisive remarks it so thoroughly deserved. Shameful waste of a good cast, some nice effects and a Goldsmith score. De Bont's career (his films "Twister" and "Speed" were overrated anyway.) was deservedly grounded by this waste of two hours and seven bucks. They should have paid ME to see it.