THE SIMPSONS: THE FOURTEENTH SEASON -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 12/23/11

 

Whenever I hear that heavenly chorus singing the title as the camera's eye descends upon the town of Springfield--followed by one of the greatest TV sitcom themes of all time (thanks to Danny Elfman)--I know I'm in for a half-hour of almost supernaturally blissful cartoon comedy.  With 20-Century Fox's 4-disc DVD set THE SIMPSONS: THE FOURTEENTH SEASON, I get to experience this heady sensation 22 times! 

That may sound a little over-the-top, but aye carumba!, I love this show.  Breezy, colorful, and as addictive as only the most delectable mind candy can be, the irreverent and sharply satirical (yet often heartfelt) adventures of Homer and Marge Simpson and their kids Bart, Lisa, and Maggie easily earn a spot in the top ten greatest situation comedy series of all time.  Maybe even the top five.  Top three?  Arguably.

Some fans insist that the long-running show has long been running on fumes, but by season fourteen it was still going strong, netting an impressive array of guest stars, winning Emmys, and serving up some of its most memorable episodes with all the familiar panache.  As usual, each one reels us in with some intriguing situation which seems to be the main plotline until it unexpectedly veers into something entirely different.
 


A family jigsaw-puzzle obsession leads to Homer and Marge's sudden breakup; a disastrous trip to the Springfield Botanical Gardens morphs into a heartwarming love story between baby Maggie and eternal loser Moe the bartender ("Moe Baby Blues").  When movie star Ranier Wolfcastle holds an estate sale to pay off his debts, this gag-filled opening gives no indication of the trauma that will ensue when Marge is mugged on the way home and becomes a trembling agoraphobe hiding out in the family basement ("The Strong Arms of the Ma").

The season comes charging out of the gate with an outstanding Halloween episode, "Treehouse of Horror XIII", featuring three scarifying stories: "Send in the Clones", in which Homer acquires a magic hammock that generates even dumber duplicates of himself; "The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms", which tells what happens when the Old West's baddest outlaws rise from the grave to menace Springfield just after Lisa has succeeded in wiping out all handguns; and "The Island of Dr. Hibbert", a twist on the old H.G. Wells tale which has the Simpsons and other characters being transformed into manimals. 

This is followed by one of the series' most celebrated episodes, "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation."  After an inebriated Homer is caught dissing his family life on the reality show "Taxicab Conversations", Marge and the kids decide he needs a break and ship him off to a Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp presided over by none other than guest voice talent Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Lenny Kravitz, and Brian Setzer.

"Barting Over" marks the milestone 300th episode (or does it?) with Bart suing to become an emancipated minor and becoming pals with skateboard ace Tony Hawk after moving into his own loft apartment. In "Pray Anything", Homer's ongoing turbulent relationship with God is further explored when he's awarded ownership of the church in an accident suit and turns it into party central. 

"Three Gays of the Condo" finds him exploring the world of homosexuality, not to mention his first guy-guy kiss, when yet another tiff with Marge results in him rooming with two gays including guest voice Scott Thompson ("The Kids in the Hall").  Marge's unconscious resentment of Homer surfaces with a string of attempts on his life in "Brake My Wife, Please", featuring the voices of Steve Buscemi, Jackson Brown, and Jane Kaczmarek. 



Other episodes in this collection include "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade", "Large Marge" (a hospital mix-up results in Marge being given huge fake boobs), "Helter Shelter", "The Great Louse Detective", "Special Edna" (regular Marcia Wallace voices Bart's lovelorn teacher Miss Krabappel), "The Dad Who Knew Too Little", "I'm Spelling As Fast As I Can", "A Star is Born Again" (widower Ned Flanders has an affair with Marisa Tomei's sexy movie star character Sara Sloane), "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington" (Krusty the Clown runs for Congress), "C.E. D'oh", "'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky", "Dude, Where's My Ranch?", "Old Yeller-Belly", and "The Bart of War."

Some of the guest voices not already mentioned: Kelsey Grammer (returning as Bart's eternal nemesis Sideshow Bob), Tony Bennett, Jan Hooks, Adam West and Burt Ward, Baha Men, Larry Holmes, David "Squiggy" Lander, Little Richard, Elliot Gould, Pamela Reed, Ken Burns, Lisa Leslie, blink-182, George Plimpton, Jim Brooks, Helen Fielding, Joe Mantegna (as mobster Fat Tony), "Monty Python" star Eric Idle, "Weird Al" Yankovic, David Byrne, Andy Serkis, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Stacy Keach.

In addition to some beautifully designed menus featuring the entire cast being hosted for "dinner" by ravenous aliens Kang and Kodos, the set is overflowing with a wealth of fun special features.  These include an introduction by creator Matt Groening (bo-ring!), audio commentaries on all episodes, deleted scenes, lots of featurettes, sketch galleries, and several Easter eggs that can be accessed by pressing the "up" button on individual episode menus.  The packaging itself is an eye-pleasing double-sided pictorial foldout containing a sizable information booklet.  The only snag is having to fish the discs out of those snug built-in pockets.

Watching THE SIMPSONS: THE FOURTEENTH SEASON is similar to taking a trip through a theme park brimming with childlike delights, like Six Flags or Knott's Berry Farm (but not Dollywood, because Ned Flanders wouldn't approve) without the inconvenience of finding a parking space or having to walk.  If you're a Simpsons fan, the rewatchability factor is pretty much endless. 

THE SIMPSONS: THE FOURTEENTH SEASON -- DVD Review by Porfle

YOGI BEAR'S ALL-STAR COMEDY CHRISTMAS CAPER -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 12/21/10

 

In the 60s, Joseph Hanna and William Barbera pioneered the use of limited animation for television, knocking off a string of successful cartoon shows such as "Huckleberry Hound", "Quick-Draw McGraw", and "The Flintstones."  While simpler and cheaper than fully-animated theatrical cartoons, the initial Hanna-Barbera TV output was still far superior to the increasingly-inept Saturday morning drivel that would follow, and hold up today as good-looking, well-written shows which, like their big-screen counterparts, are entertaining for both children and adults.

Such is the case with one of their most popular characters, Yogi Bear, who lives in Jellystone National Park with his pal Boo-Boo and drives Mr. Forest Ranger crazy by constantly stealing picnic baskets from unwary campers.  With the DVD release of YOGI BEAR'S ALL-STAR COMEDY CHRISTMAS CAPER, we get to see examples of Yogi both in his glorious 60s heyday and in a lackluster 80s adventure that pales in comparison.

(Little kids, of course, will probably enjoy each of them equally, so feel free to pop in this DVD and let the tykes go nuts.  With that out of the way, let's look at the two stories on this disc from the nostalgic old geezer perspective.)

 

 

First up is the titular tale, "Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper."  This originally aired in 1982, when most made-for-TV cartoons had regressed in quality to a point well beyond "limited", coming off as cheap, slapdash drivel whose stories were written solely for the purpose of keeping undiscerning kids occupied.  Design and rendering of characters is sketchy and sloppy, direction is uninspired, and the "comedy" is on roughly the same level as pulling funny faces at babies to make them laugh.

The best thing about it is that it reunites some of the best vocal talent in the business--Mel Blanc, Allan Melvin, Hal Smith, Janet Waldo, Don Messick, and the great Daws Butler, among others--as a group of Hanna-Barbera's most memorable characters help Yogi and Boo Boo celebrate the Christmas spirit by bringing a poor little rich girl and her neglectful father closer together during a sojourn to the big city.

An interesting side note to this episode is the fact that the word "Chanukah" was edited from the soundtrack when the show first aired.  According to tvseriesfinale.com, someone at CBS was leery of Snagglepuss' line "Merry Christmas! Season’s Greetings! Happy Chanukah, even!", bleeping the reference to the Jewish holiday for reasons unknown.  Even on this DVD, it's simply replaced by the word "happy."  Weird, even!

After being distinctly unimpressed by Yogi's yuletide antics, I was relatively ecstatic to find that the second offering was a special 1962 episode of the original TV series, entitled "Yogi's Birthday Party."  The difference is immediately apparent--there's exquisite artwork and character design done with style and flair, snappy direction by Hanna and Barbera themselves, and, best of all, genuinely funny gags that adults (especially us nostalgic cartoon geeks) can appreciate right along with the kids.  Maybe even more so.

It's a week before Yogi's birthday and the show's sponsor is planning a gala surprise celebration for their star, with a nervous Mr. Forest Ranger charged with keeping the secret from him.  "Trying to keep a secret from Yogi is like trying to hide Lake Michigan from a duck," he moans.  Yogi overhears just enough of the phone conversation to get the idea that he's being given his own entertainment special, and will be expected to perform.


 

Worried that his singing and dancing skills aren't up to par, Yogi takes a series of lessons in a montage that pokes fun at some popular personalities of the era.  He gets dancing lessons from Fred Upstairs, singing tips from Boppy Darin, and even some piano-playing pointers from one "Lee B. Rocky." 

When the big night comes and Yogi discovers the birthday surprise, his reactions are priceless.  Mr. Forest Ranger turns the event into a spoof of Ralph Edwards' "This Is Your Life" with a succession of all-star guests from Yogi's past appearing one after another.  First, Huckleberry Hound's voice is heard from offstage:  "A hound-dog howdy to y'all, Yogi."  Mr. Forest Ranger asks, "Who's that, Yogi?"  Yogi's guess: "The president?"

As familiar characters such as Snagglepuss, Hokey Wolf, Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks, Quick-Draw McGraw, Yakky Doodle, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, and Snooper and Blabber accumulate onstage (with all the top voice actors on hand again, this time including June Foray and Duke Mitchell), the gags give way to a cheery birthday song written especially for the occasion.  For me, this breezy and utterly charming classic episode is a delightful treat all the way.

The Warner Brothers DVD is in standard format with English and Spanish soundtracks.  Subtitles are in English, Spanish, and French.  Bonus features consist of some DVD and video game trailers.

I keep saying that "the kids" will like both features on YOGI BEAR'S ALL-STAR COMEDY CHRISTMAS CAPER, but to tell you the truth I'm never really sure what the hell little kids like or don't like these days.  As for me, I had a ball watching the older one because it's really good and it brought back fond memories.  The later one, on the other hand, is one of the main reasons I quit bothering to get out of bed on Saturday mornings.

YOGI BEAR'S ALL-STAR COMEDY CHRISTMAS CAPER -- DVD Review by Porfle

CHARLIE BROWN'S CHRISTMAS TALES -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 12/16/10

 

Most fans of Charles Schulz' "Peanuts" no doubt have a special place in their hearts for those animated specials that have been popping up on TV off and on for over forty years.  If it's been awhile since you watched one, you can relive old memories with CHARLIE BROWN'S CHRISTMAS TALES, a good example of the best and worst of the lot. 

First up on this DVD is the title piece from 2002, which is a series of Christmas vignettes loosely linked by the seasonal theme, each showcasing a particular character.  There's no main plot linking them all together, but each mini-story is charming and engaging on its own. 

The episodes play like those "Peanuts" comics that followed a single story thread for several strips, and watching it is like reading an animated version of one of Schulz' paperback compilations.  In fact, I have a feeling these were actually taken right from the comics.  The setups and punchlines come one after another just as though we're paging through one of those comics collections, and they're deftly delivered like a stand-up comedian on a roll.

Our favorite characters get the spotlight in turn, beginning with Snoopy, who's taken up being an accordion-playing street corner Santa.  An example of the classic set-up and punchline style on display here: Lucy and Linus walk by Snoopy-Santa as he squeezes out a tune, there's a pause, and then Lucy remarks, "I don't know, Linus...to me, 'Oh Susanna' just doesn't sound very Christmassy."  (In a nod to past glories, Snoopy then switches to the theme song from "A Charlie Brown Christmas.")

Obsessive-compulsive Linus spends his segment agonizing over how to address Santa in his letter and dealing with his romantic feelings for a mysterious girl in his class who changes her name every day.  Charlie Brown's little sister Sally, one of my favorite characters, is concerned with trying to get her "sweet Baboo" Linus to notice her.  She also must deal with her embarrassment over mistakenly thinking "Santa" Claus is "Samantha" Claus and her quest to obtain a Christmas tree by willing one to fall down rather than having to chop it down.

Lucy resolves to be nicer than ever, which naturally makes her more crabby than before.  We see her wooing the reluctant Schroeder and trying to convince Linus that the Bible dictates he give her a Christmas present.  Charlie Brown, as always, simply reacts to the various indignities and absurdities that are thrust upon him daily.

Vince Guaraldi's irresistible and instantly-recognizable music is nicely arranged and performed by David Benoit, and the voice work is good.  "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales" is a briskly-paced series of brightly funny gags that are smartly drawn and animated, breathing new life into these long-running characters.

The second feature on the disc, "Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?", came out around the tail end of the vintage Charlie Brown specials and isn't nearly as memorable as the earlier ones.  It seems as though writer Charles Schulz' heart wasn't really in this one, which had the potential to be one of the series most heartfelt stories.

This time Linus and Lucy are moving away due to their father's job relocation, and Charlie Brown faces the loss of his two best friends.  Such an event is important in a kid's life, and we expect something more substantial than this episodic, disjointed narrative.  With Linus and Lucy gone, the story veers into a lengthy and rather unspecial subplot about Peppermint Pattie's dogged attempts to get Charlie Brown to ask her for a date.  An abrupt wrap-up follows this uninteresting detour from the main story, which isn't developed very well at all.

Besides an awful musical score (not by Vince Guaraldi), subpar vocal talent, and some iffy character design, "Goodbye" commits a cardinal sin--showing adult characters onscreen.  Watching this when it first aired back in 1983, I remember thinking how jarring it was when the moving men were shown loading the Van Pelts' belongings into a van.  "Peanuts" has always been a kids-only world, where the closest thing to a grownup was the comically distorted "voice" of Charlie Brown's nagging teacher.  So, to casually introduce some anonymous adult characters from out of the blue is, to me, a bothersome misstep.


The Warner Brothers DVD is in standard TV format and Dolby Digital sound with English and French subtitles.  Also included are trailers for other Peanuts DVDs. 

Now that I think of it, the disappointing "Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?" is probably the reason I finally quit watching these "Peanuts" specials altogether.  So it's nice to see that, with "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales", the old magic was restored.  Of course, all of this nitpicking comes from the point of view of a grownup, and, despite my comically distorted gripes, kids will probably manage to enjoy both of these stories just fine.

CHARLIE BROWN'S CHRISTMAS TALES -- DVD Review by Porfle

Little Harry Shearer in "ABBOTT & COSTELLO GO TO MARS" (1953)

Harry Shearer does lots of voices on "The Simpsons."

He also played Derek Smalls in the 1984 rock mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap."

But before all that, he was a little kid -- making his film debut in a 1953 Abbott & Costello movie!



I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Little Harry Shearer in "ABBOTT & COSTELLO GO TO MARS" (1953)

SPACEBALLS: THE TOTALLY WARPED ANIMATED ADVENTURES! -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

(Originally posted on 1/11/10)

 

 

 

When Mel Brooks' sci-fi spoof SPACEBALLS came out way back in the 80s, I only watched it once because it wasn't all that funny to me compared to his previous films, and I didn't like it very much. The same could be said for Mel Brooks' SPACEBALLS: THE TOTALLY WARPED ANIMATED ADVENTURES! (2008), only with even more emphasis on "not funny" and "didn't like." As low comedy, the laughs just aren't there, and as an exercise in shock value (cartoon characters saying and doing very crude things) much of it is enough to embarrass even John Kricfalusi.

As in the original film, Mel plays (that is, voices) the evil President Skroob of the planet Moron. Together with his diminutive henchman Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis in the movie, Dee Bradley Baker here), Skroob comes up with one dastardly scheme after another for ruling the universe, but is thwarted every time by interplanetary good guy Lone Starr (Rino Romano) and his canine co-pilot Barf (Tino Insana), who are patterned after STAR WARS' Han Solo and Chewbacca. Bill Pullman and the late John Candy are missing from these roles, but Daphne Zuniga and Joan Rivers are back as the ever-in-peril Princess Vespa and her faithful protocol droid Dot Matrix, who is like a female C3PO. Brooks also supplies the voice for Yogurt, a Yiddish Yoda who aids Lone Starr in using "The Schwartz" to battle evil.

The artwork for the series is pretty good--at times resembling a moving Bill "Zippy the Pinhead" Griffith comic--while the animation is done via digital manipulation a la "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." This doesn't quite compliment the series' BLAZING SADDLES-style humor which depends so much on performance to put it across, especially considering that much of the voice work here is less than stellar.

Brooks tries his best to liven up the stale, smut-filled dialogue he has to work with but the medium is simply too constricting and makes him sound stilted. His "Yogurt" character grows especially tiresome with its endless string of Jewish jokes, and the attempts at topical humor mostly fall flat (Yogurt's nagging wife Yenta chides him for eating imitation shellfish: "Kosher-shmosher! Still gives you more gas than Dubai.") The "adult" nature of the show's humor manifests itself mainly in a plethora of boobs, barf, blow-up dolls, overt sexual sight gags, single entendres, and fart jokes.

Four of the series' thirteen episodes are on hand here, and can be viewed either seperately or combined into a "feature" with new interlocking segments in the form of a telethon-slash-infomercial for President Skroob's new book, "The Moron's Guide to Conquering the Universe and Beyond." The first episode, "Outbreak", concerns Skroob and Dark Helmet's plan to spread Ebola and Ecoli throughout the galaxy with a new soft drink called Ecola. When all shipments of the tainted cola are accidentally sent to their own planet Moron, they must call upon Lone Starr and Barf to save the day as the entire infected population begins to drown in its own barf.

There's a big barf sequence with a random fart-joke topper that provides a few laughs. We also get some pretty groan-inducing lines such as a conversation about "moving the bowels" of the ship, Dark Helmet's "I'm getting a bad case of deja-voodoo!", and Skroob announcing "I can see your Schwartz is as firm as ever, but it's no match for mine!" A sequence showing Dark Helmet trying to fit his head into the tight folds of a tent entrance is a prime example of the kind of anatomical visual humor this series has to offer.

"The Skroobinator" pokes fun at a certain Arnold flick (along with BACK TO THE FUTURE) with Skroob scheming to go back in time to the 1980s and kill Lone Starr's great-great-great-etc-grandmother. The one redeeming feature of this episode is a pretty good chase sequence although the "hog" joke might make you wince. In "Deep Ship", Skroob tricks Princess Vespa into his clutches by luring her and Dot Matrix onto an interplanetary cruise ship to the planet Areola (where things tend to get "a bit nippy"), making way for a string of clunky gags based on TITANIC and THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. Not surprisingly, the ship eventually gets sucked into the Galaxy of Bad Gas, prompting Skroob to announce to us: "Lucky for you this isn't Smell-o-Vision!"

"Grand Theft Starship" wraps things up with Lone Starr's videogame obsession resulting in him and Princess Vespa being sucked into the titular game and forced to play for their lives. Skroob and Dark Helmet get into the act with a scheme to take over videogame land, and with Yogurt's help Barf must enter the game MATRIX-style and save his pals. Gamers might appreciate the myriad of references to everything from Tetris to Super Mario Brothers to (of course) Grand Theft Auto, with other gags aimed at the likes of THE MATRIX, TRON, and THE ROAD WARRIOR.

The DVD from MGM and Fox Home Entertainment is 1.33:1 full-screen with Dolby Digital stereo and English soundtrack and captions. Besides the four episodes, there are the five brief connecting segments mentioned previously, plus an additional closer entitled "One More Goodie."

SPACEBALLS: THE TOTALLY WARPED ANIMATED ADVENTURES! would probably be dandy entertainment for little kids if it weren't packed to the gills with bouncing boobs, bawdy (and oddly old-fashioned) burlesque humor, and resounding farts. As a cartoon aimed at adults, however, it wouldn't last long on Adult Swim alongside far superior shows of its kind such as "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", "Futurama", and "Sealab 2021." Back to the drawing board, Mel!

SPACEBALLS: THE TOTALLY WARPED ANIMATED ADVENTURES! -- DVD Review by Porfle

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 9/15/10

 

As one of the shocked and terrified viewers who sat in the dark watching NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) during its first run, I found the concept of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED-- that is, the entire film reinterpreted piecemeal by a variety of graphic artists, along with the original soundtrack--to be irresistibly intriguing. My initial viewing of this disjointed and sometimes off-puttingly crude curio was, unfortunately, a disappointment.

However, once I realized that the film is intended as a sort of kinetic art gallery rather than a cohesive narrative, and that it's more of a fan-contributor project (by organizer-curator Mike Schneider) than the polished work of professional artists and animators, I was able to relax my expectations and begin to appreciate some of the various artistic renderings of all those familiar images. One thing's for sure, though--a scene-by-scene knowledge of the original film is necessary to make sense of this collaborative reimagining. Try to watch it first, and you'll probably have no idea what the hell's going on.

The term "reanimated" is a bit misleading, since much of the film consists of still images. Some resemble comic book panels, some hastily-drawn storyboards, and some merely sketches and scribbles. Occasionally you get some pretty nice work, much of which is done in the style of the old underground comics of the 60s and 70s or the earlier EC horror comics. There's a nice series of portraits of Barbra which are amateurish-looking but expressive, as she relates to Ben the story of what happened to her and Johnny in the cemetary. Her discovery of the music box brings another interesting series of images.

The segments that are actually animated are a real grab bag of wildly-uneven quality and tone. Some scenes resemble pre-"Goldeneye" videogame technology and are interesting in their own strange way. Others, such as Barbra first seeking shelter in the farmhouse and the final zombie attack, are done using claymation that is so crude it makes Art Clokey look like Ray Harryhausen. A long segment of Ben and Barbra boarding up the house looks like something out of a Bizarro "South Park" episode.

Sequences switch between digitally manipulated still drawings, animated stick figures, pictures with actual talking mouths superimposed "Clutch Cargo" style, and even abstract images consisting of moving shapes filled with writhing squiggles. (The latter segments, more than any others, necessitate a familiarity with the original film lest the viewer be totally lost.) The early scene of Barbra and Johnny's arrival in the cemetary uses actual actors who are animated a la Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" video. My least favorite moments are the ones in which actual footage from the original film is merely altered in some way.

With its emphasis on artistic expression and variety, NOTLD: REANIMATED sacrifices not only the original's narrative flow but often its grim attempts to scare us as well. This is especially true when one familiar fright sequence is rendered, believe it or not, in a cartoon style resembling "Ren and Stimpy" and "Itchy and Scratchy", with cats as the zombies and mice as the terrified humans. Several other contributions are aimed at being more amusing than scary, with sock puppets and even Muppets taking part in the carnage.

Even Barbie dolls get in on the action at times, particularly in the cellar scene with Harry and Helen Cooper. Watching these dolls being hand-manipulated in real time isn't all that interesting, although the miniature sets are nice. There is, however, one sublime moment--the famous "jump cut", which George Romero says he simply couldn't edit his way around, is faithfully reproduced.

The DVD from Wild Eye is in 1.33:1 full screen and runs 101 minutes including the introduction by horror host Count Gore De Vol. As with other Wild Eye DVDs I've seen, there are numerous special features. These include three commentary tracks, alternate and deleted scenes, some short horror films and comics, interviews with some of the film's main contributors, NOTLD coloring book contest entries, a look at the extensive NOTLD box art collection of Wild Eye's Rob Hauschild, and "Zombie Encounter", a lengthy panel discussion on zombie films with Hauschild, authors John Joseph Adams, Jonathan Maberry, and Dr. Kim Paffenroth, and other notables. Various other interesting tidbits round out the extras menu.

"Over 100 artists--over 100 styles" claims the liner notes on the DVD box, and you won't doubt it after being assaulted by this sometimes boring, yet curiously fascinating conglomeration of disparate images. You may not like it even after giving it a thoughtful second viewing as I did, but if you're a fan of George Romero's original classic, you owe it to yourself to take a stroll through the oddball cinematic art museum that is NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED. It's definitely a unique experience.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED -- DVD Review by Porfle

THE CLEVELAND SHOW: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 9/26/10

 

I watched the first episode of "Family Guy", hated it, and never tuned in again.  So when I heard that creator Seth MacFarlane had spun off one of the characters from that show into his own series, "The Cleveland Show", I wasn't exactly thrilled.  But about halfway through the first disc of THE CLEVELAND SHOW: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE, I had to admit that, despite its faults, I was actually enjoying it.

"The Cleveland Show" breezily mocks the familiar stereotypical sitcom style, complete with a saccharine opening theme song by Walter Murphy and funky bumper music.  Cleveland Brown (Mike Henry), a pudgy, Reginald Veljohnson-type black guy who is much nicer and less cynical than his former neighbor Peter Griffin, has returned to his hometown of Stoolbend, Virginia to marry his high-school sweetheart, Donna Tubbs (Sanaa Lathan), and settle into suburban life. 

Cleveland's rotund son, Cleveland Jr. (Kevin Michael Richardson), a sensitive, kindhearted nerd, joins Donna's much hipper kids Roberta (Reagan Gomez) and precocious tyke Rallo (Mike Henry again) to form an oddly-matched new family.  They live across the street from a redneck couple named Lester and Kendra Krinklesac.  Cleveland's other neighbors include Holt Richter, a lonely middle-aged bachelor who lives with his mom, and a couple of very large bears named Tim and Arianna.  Yes, bears.  MacFarlane himself plays Tim, while Arianna sports the unmistakable voice of Arianna Huffington.  And they're bears.
 

The show whisks us through a rapid-fire series of off-kilter takes on the usual sitcom cliches, plus some not-so-familiar ones such as the time Cleveland and his hunky cable-guy partner Terry stumble into a bachelorette party and are mistaken for male strippers.  The groaningly obvious puns of "Family Guy" continue here as Cleveland remarks "I guess there's no harm in showing a little helmet", whereupon he reaches into his underwear and pulls out--you guessed it--a tiny football helmet.  "Look, it's the Redskins!  Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"  Groan!!!

In the same episode ("Brotherly Love"), Junior seeks romantic advice from preschool playa Rallo after he falls for a pretty classmate named Chanel.  Rallo, the show's "Stewie" equivalent but not nearly as obnoxious, takes one look at Chanel, goes ga-ga, and starts scheming to sabotage Junior's efforts to woo her.  But they're both thwarted when Chanel's boyfriend Kenny shows up and challenges Junior to a rap contest.  (Kenny is voiced by Kanye West, who, surprisingly, lets Junior finish.)  Meanwhile, Terry has graduated from stripper to male prostitute, with a delighted Cleveland getting to be his "pimp."  That's a plotline I don't think they ever went into on "The Cosby Show."

The Black History Month episode has some fun moments, with Cleveland getting into a race-fueled slugfest with his white trash neighbor Lester and ending up being charged with a "hate crime."   Later, Lester's morbidly obese wife Kendra falls off a stool in her kitchen and lands butt-first on Rallo.  Trapped beneath half a ton of bloated flesh, the diminutive Rallo must find a way out of this death-trap before he's crushed.  When Donna gets wind of the situation she hijacks a "Brotherhood" parade float that Cleveland and Ernie were court-ordered to build together, screeching her way through the other floats in a nicely-animated action sequence. 

The show boasts a heavily-populated supporting cast, ensuring a wealth of storylines, and several characters are voiced by well-known names.  David Lynch appears as Gus, the bartender at the bar where Cleveland and the gang hang out.  Jamie Kennedy is Roberta's white rapper boyfriend Federline, and Jason Alexander appears as his father.  Other guest voices include Bruce McGill, Stacy Ferguson, Bebe Neuwirth, Seth Green, Stockard Channing, Jennifer Tilly, and Hall and Oates as Cleveland's good and evil angels. 

Unlike similar cartoons of years past, the limited animation style of "The Cleveland Show" is augmented by computer effects that give the movements of characters, automobiles, etc. much more of a "full animation" feel.  Vivid colors and beautifully-rendered backgrounds richly enhance the visuals in each episode, giving the show a strong aesthetic appeal.  Occasional musical interludes include the lavish and soulful "Balls Deep" (not what you think) in which a lovesick Junior is joined in song by NBA star Scottie Pippin.
 

While "The Cleveland Show" manages to radiate some of the same warmth as the standard family sitcom and its characters become more endearing over time, the show is still bursting with the same caustic frat humor of its predecessor.  Each line is a potential set-up for the next visual aside, which may consist of anything from an aging Clint Eastwood flushing his own balls down the toilet to the ghost of Bea Arthur screaming "God'll get you for that, Rallo!" from beyond the grave. 

These rapid-fire throwaway gags are so plentiful that the belly-laugh bullseyes make up for the frequent groaners.  Blacks, whites, Asians, gays, Jews, Eskimos--everyone is fair game.  The writers don't pull any punches, offering up merciless visual puns regarding Nicole Kidman and Meg Ryan's plastic surgeries or tossing off lines like this:

"Hey, you want another cold one?"
"Does Amy Winehouse pick at her skin a lot?"

The death of Cleveland's ex-wife Loretta is presented in rather graphic terms with guest star Peter Griffin delivering the tasteless coup de grâce:  "Hey, look at her gross boobs!" (The unused alternate line is even worse.)  I won't even hint at what happens to her after Peter's friend Quagmire is charged with delivering the body to Stoolbend for the funeral. 

But perhaps the most over-the-top aspect of the show is its staunch dedication to gross-out humor.  Whether or not you like "The Cleveland Show" will depend a lot on your tolerance for some of the most extreme fart, vomit, and toilet jokes ever seen on television.  A prime example of this is the Thanksgiving episode, in which the Browns host Cleveland's parents along with Donna's weird and extremely flatulent Aunt Momma, who isn't quite what she seems.  The aftermath of an impromptu sexual tryst between Aunt Momma and Cleveland's macho father, Freight Train, involves literally gallons of vomit being retched like there's no tomorrow.

The four-disc set from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, containing all 21 first-season episodes, is widescreen with English 5.1 Dolby Digital sound.  Subtitles are in English, Spanish, and French.  Several episodes feature cast and crew commentaries, deleted and alternate scenes, and both censored-for-TV and uncensored versions (the latter retaining the unbleeped profanity).  "Meet Cleveland" is an entertaining featurette.  Earth, Wind, and Fire appear in a Christmas video for the song "Get Your Hump On", which is followed by a "making of" short.  Of particular interest is a table-read for the entire "Brotherly Love" episode.    

Even with its endlessly puerile "let's see what we can get away with on TV" humor, "The Cleveland Show" still manages to connect on an emotional level (albeit a superficial one) from time to time, making it considerably less disposable than it might have been.  Cleveland himself is a basically decent, likable lug who may remind you of a black Homer Simpson, and his family, aside from the underdeveloped Roberta character, is a fun bunch.  But the main goal of THE CLEVELAND SHOW: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE, aside from being genuinely funny at times, is to be as outrageously offensive and tasteless as it can possibly be.  As such, I found it similar to an inflamed zit--it sorta grows on you.

THE CLEVELAND SHOW: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE -- DVD Review by Porfle

MY TOP 20 FAVORITE CARTOON MOVIES! by Porfle

This is just for good old-fashioned actual cel-animated cartoon movies that contain little or no CGI.

MY TOP 20 FAVORITE CARTOON MOVIES! by Porfle

THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO -- DVD review by porfle

 

Originally posted on 8/30/09

 

If you ever wanted to see Rob Zombie's mind take a technicolor dump, then THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO is just the movie for you.

Combining a whirlwind of influences from Ralph Bakshi, John Kricfalusi, Adult Swim, R. Crumb, underground comics in general, HEAVY METAL, old theatrical cartoons, classic Universal horror flicks, and probably a ton more that I missed, this colorful and visually delightful conglomeration of dirty jokes and ADD-friendly action comes at us like all the different elements are being stuffed into a cannon and fired through the screen. Some of it sticks, while a whole bunch of it just flies in all directions. It's as though Robin Williams' genie character from ALADDIN improvised the script while tripping his ass off on acid and crystal meth.

El Superbeasto is a Santo-like Mexican wrestler-slash-actor (he wears a suit and a mask) with a magnificently massive ego who loves gorgeous babes with magnificently massive hooters. His sister, Suzy X, is an eyepatch-wearing super-sexy superheroine who battles Zombie Nazis with the help of her lovesick and painfully horny robot pal, Murray (who is right out of the 1939 Bela Lugosi serial THE PHANTOM CREEPS).

Meanwhile, their nerdy high school nemesis Steve Wachowski has reinvented himself as Dr. Satan and is searching for a woman with the numbers "666" on her ass. Once he marries her, according to legend, he'll be transformed into a fearsome, unstoppable colossus to whom El Superbeasto will never, ever give another wedgie again. The woman with the fateful mark on her tush turns out to be spectacularly-endowed stripper Velvet von Black, who is kidnapped by Dr. Satan's gorilla henchman Otto as a smitten El Superbeasto follows the trail. All of this results, as you may have guessed, in a final showdown with El Superbeasto and Suzy X battling a super-sized Dr. Satan, his minions, and those pesky Zombie Nazis.

It goes without saying that this movie doesn't take itself very seriously, which is a plus. I didn't find all of it funny--the jokes, good and bad, just keep pummelling us non-stop until the whole thing is somewhat numbing--but it's tuneful and fun. Amidst all the frenetic activity, I found the quiet, subtle scenes with ape-henchman Otto and Lenny the schlubby elevator operator in Dr. Satan's castle to be the most laugh-out-loud funny. As for the songs by Hard 'N' Phirm, they're often delightfully twisted and amusing comments on the action. The Zombie Nazi theme is especially fun as it reels off lyrics that are simply the most painfully obvious stream-of-consciousness exposition set to music.

Creatures of all kinds fill the screen along with a bevy of outrageously sexy (in a cartoon sense, that is) babes. Velvet von Black is so hot, in fact, that her theme song contains the line: "She could suck the gay right off a painting of a unicorn." Another song which is heard as Dr. Satan enjoys a wank in his private bed chamber tells us:

"It's all right to jerk off to cartoons
The Japanese do it every day
So rub one out for the USA."

Super-stacked action babe Suzy X keeps her robot ally Murray in a constant state of excitation, especially when he transforms into a vehicle that Suzy operates via a strategically-placed joystick. And, needless to say, there's a Suzy vs. Velvet catfight setpiece.

Younger viewers may recognize a few of the guest cameos that pop up all over the place, but the majority of cultural references that Rob Zombie has lovingly stuffed into this movie will just sail right over their heads. The first few minutes should be a real treat for Universal horror fans--they're a reproduction of the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN'S opening titles right down to the music, visuals, and that famous "friendly warning" from Edward van Sloan.

The vocal talent is pretty impressive. I'd never heard of comedian Tom Papa, who voices El Superbeasto, but he's very good. Sheri Moon Zombie is perfect as Suzy X since she already sounds like a cartoon anyway, and Rosario Dawson ably spouts all of Velvet von Black's incessant homegirl blather. "Mr. Show" faves Brian Posehn and Tom Kenny breathe comic life into Murray and Otto, respectively, while Paul Giamatti is dastardly nerd Dr. Satan.

 

Other notable voices include Danny Trejo as Rico, Dee Wallace as Trixie, Tura Satana as Varla, Geoffrey Lewis as Lenny, Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson as Amber, Clint Howard as Joe Cthulu, Daniel Roebuck as talk show host Morris Green, Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD) as Luke St. Luke, and Laraine Newman as Betty Sue Lou. Sid Haig and Bill Moseley reprise their characters Captain Spaulding and Otis Driftwood.

The DVD's 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image and Dolby 5.1 surround are very good. English subtitles for the deaf and hearing-impaired are available. Extras consist of some deleted scenes and shots, plus about half an hour of alternate scenes in various stages of completion.

I didn't find THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO to be totally engaging, but I enjoyed it anyway thanks to its constant barrage of colorful eye candy, sex 'n' violence, and good-natured stupidity. The numerous film and pop-culture references are also fun. I never read Rob Zombie's comic book on which this is based, but the film reminds me of the kind of underground comics that I used to skip over to get to the R. Crumb and Gilbert Shelton ones, and then eventually come back and read later. They weren't as good but they had their own charms.

THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO -- DVD review by porfle

LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: FOGHORN LEGHORN & FRIENDS -- DVD review by porfle

Originally posted on 1/14/11

 

One of my favorite Warner Brothers cartoon characters of all time, the blustery Southern-fried rooster Foghorn Leghorn, gets the spotlight in LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: FOGHORN LEGHORN & FRIENDS.  This set contains nine of his most raucous comedies along with six cartoons featuring other characters both well-known and obscure.

All but two of these shorts are directed by creator Robert McKimson, a Warner Brothers regular who was a master of comic timing and the staging of complex, rapid-fire gags.  Another master of his craft, voice legend Mel Blanc, performs the role of Foghorn in addition to several others.  Based mainly on a Southern politician character named "Senator Claghorn" from the old Fred Allen radio show, the oversized rooster is known for familiar lines such as "That's a joke, son" and "What--I say, what's goin' on here?", along with variations of the song "Camptown Ladies."

While Foghorn's screen appearances spanned a period from 1946-64, this set consists mainly of shorts from the 50s.  This was a time in which the Warner Brothers cartoons maintained much of the quality and creativity of their earlier output (which finally fizzled out in the 60s) while beginning to experiment with more stylized backgrounds. 

In 1959's "Crockett-Doodle-Do", probably the most extreme example, the modern-art influence is particularly apparent in the angular, almost abstract settings, although character design remains much the same.  Farther on into the early 60s, however, the artists seem to have reined in this look in favor of a more familiar style.
 

The first cartoon in the set, "All Fowled Up" (1955), introduces us to the hilarious ongoing feud between Foghorn and Barnyard Dawg, whose job is to guard the chickens from predators.  Foghorn struts casually up to the doghouse singing his familiar "doo-dah, doo-dah" song, lifts the sleeping dog out of his house by the tail, and gives him several swift whacks on the rear with a board.  The enraged dog then chases him until the rope on his collar snaps taut and jerks him off his feet.  The war now fully under way again, both characters engage in increasingly complex tit-for-tat attacks with Foghorn's efforts usually backfiring in the end. 

Often various predatory animals will get into the act, prompting the two adversaries to either join forces or use the new character against each other.  In "Fox Terror" we meet a chicken-stealing fox whose wily methods are eventually adopted by Foghorn and Dawg to drive him away.  Both "All Fowled Up" and 1961's "Strangled Eggs" feature the scrappy little chicken hawk Henry, who is determined to eat a chicken even if it's ten times bigger than he is. 

"Weasel Stop" (1956) and "Weasel While You Work" (1958) are showcases for a manic, poultry-starved weasel known for his breathy catchphrase "yeah-yeah-yeah!"  The final Foghorn Leghorn cartoon, 1963's "Banty Raids", introduces an amorous beatnik rooster who moves in on Foghorn's territory and ends with a punchline straight out of Billy Wilder's SOME LIKE IT HOT.

Other plots revolve around Foghorn's attempts to woo the widow Miss Prissy and move into her cozy coop.  In "Little Boy Boo" (1954) and "Crockett-Doodle-Do", this is complicated by the presence of Miss Prissy's bookworm son Egghead, Jr., probably the funniest recurring guest character in the entire series.  Foghorn's efforts to teach the studious little chicken things like sports and woodcraft invariably end up with him getting clobbered by a baseball bat, blown up by chemicals mixed in the boy's chemistry set, or zapped by lighting when Egghead, Jr. nonchalantly uses some dry ice and a paper airplane to create a thundercloud over Foghorn's head.
 

The remaining shorts in the set are a mixed bag.  "Gopher Broke" (1958) stars those effeminate English dandies the Goofy Gophers in an amusing tale which pits them against Barnyard Dawg as they try to reclaim their vegetables from the barn after they've been harvested.  Along with "Weasel While You Work", this short suffers from a bad library score due to (according to Wikipedia) a musicians' strike in 1958, but the artwork and gags are good.

"A Mutt in a Rut" (1960) stars Elmer Fudd and his dog, who mistakenly believes that his master is taking him hunting in order to kill him because he's getting old.  "Mouse-Placed Kitten" (1959), one of my favorite WB one-shot cartoons, is about a mouse couple who suddenly find themselves the foster parents of a new kitten.  "Cheese It, the Cat!" (1957) features "The Honey-Mousers" in a spoof of Jackie Gleason and Art Carney's famous comedy characters, reimagined as mice trying to outwit a wary housecat.

The final two cartoons in the set, "Two Crows from Tacos" and "Crows' Feat" (guest-starring Elmer Fudd), are the main reason for the heavy-handed, politically-correct disclaimer which appears at the beginning of the disc (and automatically makes me feel guilty for watching it).  Warner Brothers, anxious to distance themselves from these depictions of two crows as stereotypical Mexican peasants, take care in this foreword to stress that they're presenting these cartoons for their historical value and "because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming that these prejudices never existed...these depictions were wrong then and are wrong today." 

Anyway, I didn't consider them all that offensive myself, but I did find these two Friz Freling-directed shorts to be uninspired, unfunny, and rather pointless.  Freling's work here lacks the wit and style of McKimson, with stories that meander aimlessly without any comic drive.

The DVD gives the viewer a choice to watch Foghorn and friends in full screen or matted widescreen, with Dolby Digital sound and subtitles in English and French.  Musical scores for most shorts are by either the great Carl Stalling or the almost-as-good Milt Franklyn, while those done by William Lava and other composers are noticeably inferior.

Fans of the classic Warner Brothers cartoons should find LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: FOGHORN LEGHORN & FRIENDS to be a source of pure nostalgic entertainment.  If you're unfamiliar with this character, whom I find funnier than most of WB's more celebrated stars, then boy--I say, boy are you in for a treat. 

LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: FOGHORN LEGHORN & FRIENDS -- DVD review by porfle

SPACE GHOST (1966-1968) -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

 

Originally posted on 1/30/22

 

 

Currently watching: the complete DVD collection of one of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons as a kid, SPACE GHOST (1966-1968). 

 

(Full DVD title: "Space Ghost & Dino Boy: The Complete Series" from the Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection. 20 episodes on 3 discs, 42 7-minute Space Ghost segments in all. Bonus feature is a movie-length documentary, "Simplicity: The Life and Art of Alex Toth.")

 

I love Cartoon Network's later comedy reworking of the character in his own talk show called "Space Ghost Coast To Coast", but that takes nothing away from my feeling for the original action-adventure space opera designed by comics legend Alex Toth. 

 

 

 

It was only Hanna-Barbera's second adventure cartoon after "Jonny Quest", and their first superhero series. "Laugh-In" star Gary Owen did the voice for Space Ghost, and his teen sidekicks Jan and Jace were voiced by Ginny Tyler and Tim Matheson. 

 

Other voice talent includes Ted Cassidy as Metallus, Vic Perrin as Creature King, Alan Reed as Glasstor, Keye Luke as Brak, Paul Frees as Brago, and Don Messick as Blip, Space Ghost's cute monkey companion who often gets him and the kids out of trouble.

 

Alex Toth's character designs and layouts are eye-pleasing, and the show was done while Hanna-Barbera were still doing quality animated shows. The music is great, too. 

 

 

 

The secondary "Dino Boy" segments don't do anything for me--I don't even remember bothering to watch them when originally aired. 

 

Super villains Zorak, Moltar, and Brak would later become regulars on the talk show, along with occasional appearances by Metallus, Tansit, Lokar, and Black Widow. It's fun seeing them play it straight as they do here in their introductory appearances.

 

Space Ghost, whose subterranean laboratory can be found on the Ghost Planet, is sort of an interplanetary policeman whose main powers are supplied by his power bands, which are worn on his wrists, and his inviso-belt. 

 

 

 

Jan and Jace alert him of suspicious activity while on patrol in their scout ship and often get captured by the bad guys so that Space Ghost must fly to their rescue in his spaceship, the Phantom Cruiser. 

 

The stories are flashy and colorful, with lots of explosions, and are kept very simple and formulaic so that they can be easily followed by younger viewers.

 

As far as light entertainment with a strong sense of nostalgia goes, I just love this kind of stuff.

 

 

SPACE GHOST (1966-1968) -- DVD Review by Porfle

LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: TWEETY & SYLVESTER -- DVD review by porfle

Originally posted on 1/19/2011
 

When the Warner Brothers animation department was at its peak in the 40s and 50s, they consistently churned out some of the best and funniest cartoons ever made.  One of their most memorable comedy teams was the cute little bird Tweety and the always-hungry cat Sylvester, whose catchphrases ("I taught I taw a putty tat!" and "Sufferin' succotash!") are part of cartoon history.  With Warner Home Entertainment's LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: TWEETY & SYLVESTER, fifteen of their classic shorts have been collected on DVD--some uproariously funny, others not quite hitting the bullseye.

The team, who had already appeared individually in several Warner Brothers shorts, scored an Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) with their first pairing, 1947's "Tweetie Pie" (sic).  This initial outing, in which homeless Tweety is taken in by a household whose cat sees the tiny bird as a mouth-watering meal, seems to be an answer to MGM's Tom and Jerry.  The cat who would later be known as "Sylvester" is referred to here as "Thomas" just like the MGM character, and is similarly harangued by a generic housewife seen only from the waist down. 

With Tweety's cage suspended from the ceiling, he sits in his swing warbling a strange little tune ("I love little putty, his throat is so warm...And if I don't hurt him, he'll do me no harm").  Meanwhile, Sylvester devises a series of ingenious methods of attaining his prey, giving the writers a chance to come up with some pretty funny material while establishing the basic formula for the series.  Sylvester causes more and more chaos and destruction with each attempt, either by his own ineptitude or the playful deviousness of the little bird.
 

Next comes "Bad Ol' Putty Tat" (1949), the classic situation in which a cartoon cat lays siege to a bird perched high up in a birdhouse, and "All Abir-r-r-d!" (1950), with similar antics taking place in the baggage compartment of a passenger train.   These initial offerings are mid-level Warner Brothers stuff, well-drawn and animated but not all that outstanding. 

With "Canary Row" (1950), the characters have come into their own and the gags are snappy and clever.  "Friz" Freleng's direction also gets progressively sharper and more inventive.  As always, musical maestro Carl Stallings' score plays a major part in making the action a lot funnier as Sylvester tries to sneak into a hotel to get Tweetie.  Thanks to voiceover legend Mel Blanc, we hear the cat speak for the first time as he impersonates a bellboy: "Your bagth...madame?"

Blanc's speeded-up voice is charmingly funny as Tweety sings his theme song over the titles:

"I'm a sweet little bird in a gilded cage
Tweety's my name but I don't know my age
I don't have to worry and that is that
I'm safe in here from that old putty tat."

Tweety's kindly old protector, Granny (first voiced by Bea Benederet, later by June Foray), makes her first appearance as well, thus rounding out the cast and giving the series a more distinctive character.  Thankfully for us cat lovers, it's not as painful seeing Granny whack Sylvester with her umbrella as some faceless harridan beating him with a broom.


1951's "Putty Tat Trouble" opens with Tweety shoveling snow out of his nest ("This is what I get for dweaming of a white Chwistmas!") and catching the attention of two housecats, Sylvester and a roughhousing rival, who go at it tooth and nail over the tiny bird.  This is the first real laugh riot of the collection and had me guffawing out loud several times.  (Look for the cardboard box with the words "Friz--America's Favorite Gelatin Dessert", a self-reference by director "Friz" Freleng.) 

The all-out hilarity continues in "Room and Bird" (1951), with both Granny and Sylvester's owner sneaking their pets into a "No Pets Allowed" hotel where they're joined in mischief by a belligerent bulldog, causing the house detective a huge headache.   "Tweety's S.O.S." (1951), in which Sylvester spots Tweety through the porthole of his cabin on board a docked ship, gives the cat another rare early line of dialogue: "Hell-o, breakfast!"  Later, when Granny catches him and he puts on an innocent act, Tweety exclaims "Ooh, what a hypocwite!"

"Tweet Tweet Tweety" (1951) takes place in a national forest with Sylvester trying to cut down the tree in which Tweety's nest is perched.  We hear his catchphrase "Sufferin' succotash!" for the first time here as he grows increasingly more talkative.  "Gift Wrapped" (1952) is an amusing Christmas-themed story.

In "Ain't She Tweet" (1952), a pet store delivers Tweety to Granny, who also keeps a hundred or so vicious bulldogs fenced in her yard.  The sight of Sylvester repeatedly falling into this roiling mass of teeth and claws in his attempts to get into the house are somewhat nightmarish. 

"Snow Business" (1953) is the first time we see "Tweety & Sylvester" billed together as a team.  They start out as friends this time, until they get snowed in up in Granny's mountain cabin with nothing to eat but bird seed.  While a starving Sylvester tries to trick Tweety into a boiling stew pot, he must also avoid a hungry mouse who's after him.  For some reason, the cat never thinks of eating the mouse.

"Satan's Waitin'" (1954) suffers from an unwieldy premise--Sylvester gets killed while chasing Tweety, goes to Hell, then finds that his punishment will be delayed while his other eight lives are snuffed out one by one.  An unfunny bulldog-Satan eggs them on in a series of tepid gags, each climaxing with another death.  Geez, getting hit with a broom is bad enough--I don't really want to see Sylvester being cast into a fiery lake of devilish bulldogs for all eternity.

1961's "The Last Hungry Cat" shows the more modern influence of later WB cartoons with angular backgrounds rendered in an appealingly creative way.  High concept strikes again in this spoof of "The Alfred Hitchcock Show" in which Sylvester thinks he has "murdered" Tweety and is sought by the police.  The guilt-ridden cat suffers a torturous, sleepless night, constantly needled by the Hitchcock-like narrator, until he discovers Tweety is still alive and reverts back to form.  While this short is nice to look at, it just isn't funny.
 

The trend of over-thinking these stories continues with "Birds Anonymous" (1957).  Sylvester is initiated into an "AA"-type group for bird-crazed cats, who are presented as helpless addicts.  ("I was a three-bird-a-day cat," one of them testifies.) 

Increasingly preoccupied with being clever, the writers of these later cartoons sometimes forget to pack in the funny, fast-paced gags that made this series so popular in the first place.  Here, Sylvester endures yet another mental ordeal, with a grotesque bloodshot-eyes closeup that's almost a duplicate of the one from "The Last Hungry Cat."  Why the heck has Sylvester suddenly turned into Ray Milland?

The final short in the collection, "Tweety and the Beanstalk" (1957), is a fun take-off on the old fairytale (June Foray can be heard as the unseen woman who throws Jack's magic beans out the window).  The idea of Sylvester running around the giant's castle trying to nab a Tweety who's the same size as him, while eluding a monstrous bulldog, sounds tiresome at first but actually manages to generate some old-style sight gags with an outrageous ending.

The DVD is in standard format (no choice of matted widescreen this time) with Dolby Digital English and Spanish mono sound, and subtitles in English and French.  The titles on this disc have appeared previously in other Warner Brothers DVD collections.

While uneven in quality, the fifteen shorts in LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: TWEETY & SYLVESTER are examples of some of the finest theatrical cartoons ever produced by one of the top animation studios of its time, in an era when such fare was designed to be enjoyed and appreciated by audiences of all ages. 


Buy it at Amazon.com

LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: TWEETY & SYLVESTER -- DVD review by porfle

"WE BARE BEARS THE MOVIE" Is Coming To DVD - Cartoon Network's Beloved Bears Stack Up In Their Greatest Adventure On September 8th

 Cartoon Network’s Beloved Bears Stack Up for their First TV Movie with

"WE BARE BEARS THE MOVIE"

Adventure Awaits on DVD September 8, 2020


BURBANK, CA (July 30, 2020) It all started with a bear stack, and now TV’s most hilarious and heartwarming bears star in their first TV movie! Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing Cartoon Network’s hit series into your homes on September 8, 2020 with the release of We Bare Bears The Movie on DVD.

The movie is an extension of the successful We Bare Bears series, created by two-time Annie Award-winner Daniel Chong, and executive produced by Cartoon Network Studios. Eric Edelstein (“Shameless,” “Clarence”), Bobby Moynihan (“Saturday Night Live,” Me Myself & I) and Demetri Martin (“Important Things with Demetri Martin”) return as the voice actors of the loveable bears; Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear along with recurring guest stars include Patton Oswalt (“King of Queens,” Ratatouille), Ellie Kemper (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “The Office”), Charlyne Yi (“House,” “Steven Universe”) and Jason Lee (Alvin & The Chipmucks, Mallrats).

Stacked with bonus features including commentary, the movie pitch, deleted scenes and more, We Bare Bears The Movie carries a suggested retail price of $19.99 for the DVD ($24.99 in Canada) and is rated TV-Y7. We Bare Bears The Movie is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers.

In We Bare Bears The Movie, when the bears' love of food trucks and viral videos gets out of hand, it catches the attention of the menacing Agent Trout from the National Wildlife Control, who pledges to restore the "natural order" by separating them forever. Chased from their home, Grizz decides there’s only one thing they can do to find refuge - move to Canada! The Bears embark on an epic road trip filled with new friends, dangerous obstacles, and massive parties. But most importantly, the perilous journey will force the Bears to face how they first met and became brothers, in order to keep their family bond from splitting apart.

“Get ready for lovable bear hugs, internet culture references, and human life lessons we all need to learn in our technologically driven society,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WBHE Senior Vice President, Originals, Animation & Family Marketing.  “We are eager to bring home the laughter and antics of Cartoon Network’s first feature film for the series loyal fanbase and the whole family to enjoy.”

We Bare Bears premiered in 2015 and since its debut, has earned numerous awards including a BAFTA Children’s Award, a Jury Award for Best TV Series at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and several Annie Awards. Fans around the world, most notably in the APAC region, have embraced the show for its portrayal of Asian pop culture.


DIGITAL
We Bare Bears The Movie is currently available to own on Digital. Digital allows consumers to instantly stream and download all episodes to watch anywhere and anytime on their favorite devices. Digital is available from various retailers including iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, Vudu, PlayStation, Xbox and others. A Digital Code is also included in the U.S. with the purchase of specially marked Blu-ray discs for redemption and cloud storage.


BONUS FEATURES

    Commentary
    Early Sketches
    Movie Pitches
    Animatics and Pencil Tests
    Deleted Scenes



BASICS
Street Date: September 8, 2020
Presented in 16x9 widescreen format
Total Runtime: Approx. 72 minutes
Enhanced Content: Approx. 90 min
1 DVD-9s
Audio – English (5.1)
Subtitles – English SDH
Rated: TV-Y7
Price: $19.98 SRP ($24.99 in Canada)
UPC #: 883929705504 (#883929705504 in Canada)
Catalog # 100756891 (#883929705504 in Canada)


About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution and interactive entertainment businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees.

About Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a division of WarnerMedia and the #1 global animated series network, offering the best in original content for kids and families with such hits as Ben 10, Craig of the Creek, Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Powerpuff Girls, and We Bare Bears. Seen in 187 countries, over 450 million homes and in 33 languages, Cartoon Network inspires the next generation of creators and innovators by engaging its audience at the intersection of creativity and technology. Its award-winning pro-social initiatives, Stop Bullying: Speak Up and CN Buddy Network are acknowledged and often used resources for kids and adults looking for tools that can assist in dealing with the ongoing issue of bullying. WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. Warner Media is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

About Cartoon Network Studios
Established in 2000, Cartoon Network Studios (CNS) is a global animation and interactive studio recognized for its innovative approaches to IP development and world-building. Fostering a creator-driven environment, CNS is home to hundreds of visual artists who have been a part of the studio’s many critically acclaimed and groundbreaking animated series including Adventure Time, Ben 10,Craig of the Creek, Steven Universe, The Powerpuff Girls, and Victor and Valentino. CNS has also produced notable Adult Swim hits such as Primal, Samurai Jack, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. CNS has been honored with multiple awards and accolades including: Emmy, Peabody, GLAAD and Annie Awards. Internationally, the studio also garnered the BAFTA, Italy’s prestigious Pulcinella Award and Annecy Festival’s Cristal Award. Currently, CNS houses a VR lab, and produces an array of interactive formats and products for youth and young adult audiences around the world. As part of its ongoing efforts to discover unique and promising voices everywhere, the studio has a robust global Artist Program and has numerous partnerships, including Exceptional Minds, Black Women Animate and California Institute of the Arts.

"WE BARE BEARS THE MOVIE" Is Coming To DVD - Cartoon Network's Beloved Bears Stack Up In Their Greatest Adventure On September 8th

Olive Films Announces October 2017 DVD & Blu-ray Releases (Includes "Return of the Ape Man", "Vampire's Ghost")

Olive Films is proud to announce the following October 2017 releases:

Flipper Season 3
Rock-A-Doodle
Stay Hungry
The Miracle Worker
The Madness Of King George
S.O.S. Tidal Wave
The Vampire’s Ghost
Return Of The Ape Man


FIRST TIME ON
BLU-RAY!

US+CANADA
PREBOOK:      10/17/17
STREET:         10/31/17

FLIPPER SEASON 3        DVD     
CAT:                 OF1372
UPC:       887090137218
SRP:                 $34.95

FLIPPER SEASON 3        BD       
CAT:                 OF1373
UPC:       887090137317
SRP:                 $39.95
FLIPPER SEASON 3
BRIAN KELLY
(Around the World Under the Sea, TV’s Straightaway, TV’s 21 Beacon Street)
LUKE HALPIN
(Island of the Lost, Shock Waves, Nobody’s Perfekt)
TOMMY NORDEN
(Five Miles to Midnight, TV’s Search for Tomorrow, TV’s Naked City)

Flipper, created by Ricou Browning and Jack Cowden and shepherded to the small screen by Ivan Tors, the veteran producer of the TV classics Sea Hunt, Science Fiction Theatre and Daktari, featured one of the catchiest theme songs (written by William “By” Dunham and Henry Vars) ever composed for television.

YEAR: 1966 -1967
GENRE: DRAMA
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME:  728 mins
RATING: N/R
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; Color
AUDIO: MONO


No one you see, is smarter than he! They call him Flipper …

The classic TV series Flipper, starring Brian Kelly (Around the World Under the Sea) as Porter Ricks, Chief Warden and Park Ranger at Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve, comes to DVD and Blu-ray in a beautiful new presentation that captures the pristine aquatic Florida backdrop in all its glory. Ricks, along with his two young sons Sandy (Luke Halpin, Island of the Lost) and Bud (Tommy Norden, Five Miles to Midnight) share weekly adventures aided by Flipper, their friend and pet, a highly intellectual and daring dolphin adept at protecting the preserve and sleuthing out unsavory characters.

Throughout its three-season run (1964 through 1967), Flipper featured a galaxy of guest stars including Burt Reynolds (Shark), John Kerr (South Pacific), Jessica Walter (Play Misty for Me), Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now), Barbara Feldon (TV’s Get Smart), David Soul (TV’s Starsky and Hutch), Bo Svenson (Heartbreak Ridge), Huntz Hall (The Bowery Boys), Daniel J. Travanti (TV’s Hill Street Blues), Marshall Thompson (It! The Terror from Beyond Space), Julie Sommars (TV’s Matlock), Pat Henning (On the Waterfront), Denise Nickerson (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), John Castle (Blow-Up), Michael Conrad (TV’s Hill Street Blues), Aline Towne (The Invisible Monster), John Abbott (Gigi), Jon Cypher (TV’s Major Dad), Karen Steele (Marty), Andy Devine (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), Wende Wagner (Rosemary’s Baby), Jean-Pierre Aumont (Day for Night), and Gloria DeHaven (Summer Stock).
 

FIRST TIME ON
BLU-RAY!

US+CANADA
PREBOOK:      10/17/17
STREET:         10/31/17

ROCK-A-DOODLE           DVD     
CAT:                 OF1358
UPC:       887090135818
SRP:                 $24.95

ROCK-A-DOODLE           BD       
CAT:                 OF1359
UPC:       887090135917
SRP:                 $29.95

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER
(The Sound of Music, Beginners, The Man Who Would Be King)
GLEN CAMPBELL
(True Grit, Norwood, The Cool Ones)
PHIL HARRIS
(The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, The Aristocats)
EDDIE DEEZEN
(Zapped, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Grease)
SANDY DUNCAN
(Star Spangled Girl, The Fox and the Hound, The Million Dollar Duck)
ELLEN GREENE
(Little Shop of Horrors, I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can, Leon: The Professional)
DEE WALLACE
(E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Howling, Cujo)
CHARLES NELSON REILLY
(Cannonball Run II, Body Slam, TV’s The Ghost & Mrs. Muir)

Directed by
DON BLUTH
(An American Tail, Anastasia, The Land Before Time)

From director Don Bluth, the creative force behind the animated features An American Tail, All Dogs Go to Heaven, The Secret of NIMH and Anastasia, comes the song-packed, hip-swiveling, heart-tugging Rock-A-Doodle featuring the voice talents of Glen Campbell, Christopher Plummer and Sandy Duncan.

YEAR: 1991
GENRE: ANIMATION
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 74 mins
RATING: G
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
AUDIO: STEREO


Chanticleer’s (Glen Campbell, True Grit) a rooster who’s quite literally the cock of the walk. His ability to wake the sun with his morning crow is the envy of all. With one exception. The Grand Duke of Owls (voiced by Christopher Plummer, The Sound of Music) is one very foul fowl. Bent on destroying Chanticleer, the jealous Duke devises a plan so that it appears that the sun can rise on its own without Chanticleer’s help. Shunned by the farm animals whose reaction is swift and pitiless, Chanticleer heads to the big city to start a new life, leaving the farm on the edge of disaster.

With his career on the rise, thanks to his manager Pinky Fox (Sorrell Booke, TV’s The Dukes of Hazzard) with an assist from the duplicitous Grand Duke, Chanticleer’s future is looking golden.  But he’ll soon realize that family, friends and home mean more than fleeting fame in the touching and comic animated film for the entire family, Rock-A-Doodle.

Rounding out the Rock-A-Doodle voice talent cast are Sandy Duncan (The Fox and the Hound) as Peepers, Eddie Deezen (1941) as Snipes, Ellen Greene (Little Shop of Horrors) as Goldie, Dee Wallace (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) as Dory, Charles Nelson Reilly (Cannonball Run II) as Hunch and Phil Harris (The Jungle Book) as Patou.

FIRST TIME ON
BLU-RAY!

US+CANADA
PREBOOK:      10/17/17
STREET:         10/31/17

STAY HUNGRY   DVD     
CAT:                 OF1369
UPC:       887090136914
SRP:                 $24.95
 
STAY HUNGRY   BD       
CAT:                 OF1370
UPC:       887090137010
SRP:                 $29.95

JEFF BRIDGES
(Hell or High Water, The Last Picture Show, TRON)
SALLY FIELD
(Places in the Heart, Norma Rae, Not Without My Daughter)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
(The Terminator, True Lies, Predator)
ED BEGLEYJR.
(Cat People, Goin’ South, TV’s St. Elsewhere)
SCATMAN CROTHERS
(The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Silver Streak)

Directed by
BOB RAFELSON
(Five Easy Pieces, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The King of Marvin Gardens)

Stay Hungry features a stellar cast of award-winning actors including Jeff Bridges (Academy Award for Best Actor, Crazy Heart – 2010), Sally Field (Academy Award for Best Actress, Norma Rae – 1980, Places in the Heart – 1985) and Arnold Swarzenegger (Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture, Stay Hungry – 1977).

YEAR: 1976
GENRE: COMEDY/DRAMA
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 102 mins
RATING: R
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
AUDIO: MONO


You meet the most amazing people at the gym. The rich, aimless Craig Blake (Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water) is about to find that out firsthand in the comedy-drama Stay Hungry.

Director Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces) effortlessly guides his cast through a plot that involves shady business dealings, romance and body building when Craig, the hapless hero of the piece, becomes smitten with Mary Tate Farnsworth (Sally Field, Places in the Heart), the free-spirited receptionist at a tiny gym he’s been tasked with observing for slimy con man Jabo (Joe Spinell, The Godfather: Part II), who has a penchant for land grabs. And Jabo has his sights set on demolishing the gym to make way for new high-rise construction.

What begins as an errant errand soon turns into the adventure of a lifetime for Craig, Mary Tate and Joe Santo, a Mr. Universe-title-seeking body builder and bluegrass fiddler portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Flexing his acting muscles in his first sustained screen role (and using his actual voice), Mr. Schwarzenegger, for his efforts, would take home a Golden Globe for “Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture” in 1977.



FIRST TIME ON
BLU-RAY!

US+CANADA
PREBOOK:      10/17/17
STREET:         10/31/17

THE MIRACLE WORKER  DVD          
CAT:                 OF1380
UPC:       887090138017
SRP:                 $19.95

THE MIRACLE WORKER  BD         
CAT:                 OF1381
UPC:       887090138116
SRP:                 $29.95

ANNE BANCROFT
(The Graduate, The Elephant Man, Heartbreakers)
PATTY DUKE
(Valley of the Dolls, Billie, TV’s The Patty Duke Show)
VICTOR JORY
(Gone with the Wind, Papillon, The Man from the Alamo)
ANDREW PRINE
(Chisum, Kiss Her Goodbye, Advance to the Rear)
INGA SWENSON
(Advise & Consent, The Betsy, TV’s Benson)
KATHLEEN COMEGYS
(Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell, The First Time, Birth of a Baby

Directed by
ARTHUR PENN (Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man, Alice’s Restaurant)

The Miracle Worker’s Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke would take home Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards for their performances in Arthur Penn’s (himself a three-time Academy Award nominee for Best Director, The Miracle Worker – 1963, Bonnie and Clyde – 1968, Alice’s Restaurant – 1970) screen adaptation.

YEAR: 1962
GENRE: DRAMA
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 106 mins
RATING: N/R
VIDEO: 1.66:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
AUDIO: MONO

The powerhouse performances of Anne Bancroft (The Graduate) and Patty Duke (Valley of the Dolls) are the heart and soul of director Arthur Penn’s (Bonnie and Clyde) screen adaptation of The Miracle Worker. Working on familiar ground (having directed Bancroft and Duke in the Broadway play), Penn would find a fresh approach in transitioning the story of Helen Keller from stage to screen by opening up the action with on-location shooting, unique camera work by Ernest Caparros (TV’s Naked City), razor sharp editing by Aram Avakian (Lilith) and several bravura set pieces.

The young Helen, blind and deaf since infancy as a result of scarlet fever, becomes prone to violent outbursts that grow more frequent and intense, resulting in her parents, Captain Arthur Keller (Victor Jory, Gone with the Wind) and Kate Keller (Inga Swenson, Advise & Consent), reaching out to a school for the blind for help. That help arrives in the form of Anne Sullivan, a teacher whose personal struggles have provided her with the tools to assist Helen. And so begins a battle of wills between the obstinate Helen and the equally stubborn Anne (a breakfast scene between the two becomes a virtual wrestling match). Through sheer willpower and compassion, the walls separating Helen from the outside world begin to crumble, as student and teacher forge a connection.

The Miracle Worker is directed by Arthur Penn, written for the screen by William Gibson (based upon his stage play), produced by Fred Coe and features music by two-time Academy Award nominee Laurence Rosenthal (Best Score, Becket – 1965; Best Musical Adaptation, Man of La Mancha – 1974).



FIRST TIME ON
BLU-RAY!
US+CANADA
PREBOOK:      10/17/17
STREET:         10/31/17

THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE            DVD     
CAT:                 OF1384
UPC:       887090138413
SRP:                 $24.95

THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE            BD       
CAT:                 OF1385
UPC:       887090138512
SRP:                 $29.95

NIGEL HAWTHORNE
(Amistad, Demolition Man, The Object of My Affection)
HELEN MIRREN
(The Queen, The Debt, Trumbo)
IAN HOLM
(Another Woman, Time Bandits, Brazil)
RUPERT EVERETT
(My Best Friend’s Wedding, Dance with a Stranger, The Comfort of Strangers)
RUPERT GRAVES
(TV’s Sherlock, Death at a Funeral, Damage)
AMANDA DONOHOE
(The Lair of the White Worm, Liar Liar, One Night Stand)

Directed by
NICHOLAS HYTNER
(The Crucible, The Object of My Affection, The History Boys)

Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible) made his film directing debut with The Madness of King George which would garner four 1995 Academy Award nominations including Best Actor (Nigel Hawthorne), Best Supporting Actress (Helen Mirren), Best Writing Adaptation (Alan Bennett), with Ken Adam and Carolyn Scott taking home awards for Best Art Direction.

YEAR: 1994
GENRE: DRAMA
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 111 mins
RATING: PG-13
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
AUDIO: STEREO

Based on the true story of the deteriorating mental health of Britain’s King George III, The Madness of King George is historical drama at its entertaining best. With a cast of British acting royalty led by Nigel Hawthorne (Amistad) as the “Mad King”, George III, the film features Helen Mirren (The Queen) as Queen Charlotte, the King’s wife and staunchest supporter; Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding) as George, eldest son and the Prince of Wales; Ian Holm (Time Bandits) as the caring Dr. Willis whose radical treatment of mental disorders is viewed with skepticism by the royals; Rupert Graves (TV’s Sherlock) as Captain Greville, the King’s equerry; and Amanda Donohoe (The Lair of the White Worm) as Lady Pembroke, attendant to the Queen.

The Madness of King George is directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible), written by Alan Bennett (based on his stage play The Madness of George III), photographed by Andrew Dunn (Precious, Gosford Park) and features a selection of classical compositions by George Frideric Handel, adapted and arranged by George Fenton (Dangerous Liaisons, The Crucible).

FIRST TIME ON
BLU-RAY!
US+CANADA
PREBOOK:      10/17/17
STREET:         10/31/17

S.O.S. TIDAL WAVE        DVD     
CAT:                 OF1374
UPC:       887090137416
SRP:                 $19.95

S.O.S. TIDAL WAVE        BD       
CAT:                 OF1375
UPC:       887090137515
SRP:                 $24.95
S.O.S. TIDAL WAVE
RALPH BYRD
(Jungle Book, A Yank in the R.A.F., Desperate Cargo)
GEORGE BARBIER
(Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Return of Frank James)
KAY SUTTON
(Carefree, Lawless Valley, Li’l Abner)
FRANK JENKS
His Girl Friday, Christmas in Connecticut, Woman on the Run)
MARC LAWRENCE
(Flame of Barbary Coast, Marathon Man, From Dusk Till Dawn)
DOROTHY LEE
(Roar of the Press, Too Many Blondes, The Curtain Falls)
FERRIS TAYLOR
(A Man Betrayed, Magnificent Doll, Bringing Up Father)

Directed by
JOHN H. AUER (The Eternal Sea, Johnny Trouble, Hell’s Half Acre)

Every film deserves a great film score, and six-time Academy Award®-nominee Cy Feuer (Cabaret, Ice-Capades, Hit Parade of 1941, She Married a Cop, Storm Over Bengal, Mercy Island – shared with Walter Scharf) was one of a team of musical talent working behind the scenes on S.O.S. Tidal Wave.


YEAR: 1939
GENRE: ADVENTURE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 62 mins
RATING: N/R
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
AUDIO: MONO

S.O.S. Tidal Wave is both a political thriller and one of the earliest examples of the disaster film genre.  The corrupt Clifford Farrow (Ferris Taylor, A Man Betrayed), his sights set on winning the New York City mayoral race with backing from the nefarious political boss Melvin Sutter (Marc Lawrence, Flame of Barbary Coast), sees the world as his oyster.

That’s until stalwart television journalist Jeff Shannon (Ralph Byrd, Jungle Book) unmasks a system that would place the unscrupulous and unqualified Farrow into power. S.O.S. Tidal Wave remains true to its crime thriller roots until a very surprising twist. The devious Farrow and Sutter, using stock horror film footage of a tsunami-like tidal wave, try to convince an unsuspecting public that the killer wave is about to hit New York, thereby throwing voters into a War of the Worlds-type panic. Will Jeff be able to convince the public of this hoax in time to save the election?



FIRST TIME ON
BLU-RAY!
US+CANADA
PREBOOK:      10/17/17
STREET:         10/31/17

THE VAMPIRE’S GHOST  DVD          
CAT:                 OF1376
UPC:       887090137614
SRP:                 $19.95

THE VAMPIRE’S GHOST  BD          
CAT:                 OF1377
UPC:       887090137713
SRP:                 $24.95

JOHN ABBOTT
(Gigi, Mrs. Miniver, Gambit)
CHARLES GORDON
(Captain Tugboat Annie, Swamp Fire, Road to Alcatraz)
PEGGY STEWART
(The Runaways, That’s My Boy, Beyond Evil)
GRANT WITHERS
(Rio Grande, Fort Apache, My Darling Clementine)
ADELE MARA
(Sands of Iwo Jima, Wake of the Red Witch, You Were Never Lovelier)
EMMETT VOGAN
(The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, San Quentin)

Directed by
LESLEY SELANDER
(The Catman of Paris, Dragonfly Squadron, Brothers in the Saddle)

John Abbott (born John Albert Chamberlain Kefford) would lend his substantial British charm to the role of Webb Fallon, the suave and sophisticated nosferatu in The Vampire’s Ghost.

YEAR: 1945
GENRE: HORROR
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 59 mins
RATING: N/R
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
AUDIO: MONO

Vampires and voodoo and priests, oh my!

The Vampire’s Ghost, starring John Abbott (Gigi), Charles Gordon (Road to Alcatraz), Grant Withers (Rio Grande) and Peggy Stewart (The Runaways), grabs the viewer by the throat and doesn’t let go.

In the African port town of Bakunda, the undead are restless. Webb Fallon (Abbott), having fallen under the curse of the vampire, is unable to find eternal peace. With an unquenchable thirst for blood, Fallon wanders the vast landscape in search of sustenance and the local missionary Father Gilchrist (Withers), along with friends Roy Hendrick (Gordon) and Julie Vance (Stewart) could very well be his next … victims!

Directed by Lesley Selander (Dragonfly Squadron) and written by John K. Butler (Drums Across the River) and Leigh Brackett (The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye) based on an original story by Brackett, The Vampire’s Ghost is the quintessential 1940s horror film – when an ominous shadow and a widened eye conveyed all one needed to know of the horror to come. 



FIRST TIME ON
BLU-RAY!
US+CANADA
PREBOOK:      10/17/17
STREET:         10/31/17

RETURN OF THE APE MAN  DVD
CAT:                 OF1378
UPC:       887090137812
SRP:                 $19.95

RETURN OF THE APE MAN  BD
CAT:                 OF1379
UPC:       887090137911
SRP:                 $24.95

BELA LUGOSI
(Dracula, Voodoo Man, The Ape Man)
JOHN CARRADINE
(Voodoo Man, Blood and Sand, The Grapes of Wrath)
GEORGE ZUCCO
(Dead Men Walk, Voodoo Man, The Black Raven)
FRANK MORAN
(The Corpse Vanishes, Sullivan’s Travels, The Palm Beach Story)
MARY CURRIER
(Joan of Arc, Angel in Exile, The Valley of Decision)

Directed by
PHILIP ROSEN
(Murder by Invitation, Captain Tugboat Annie, It Could Happen To You!)

Bela Lugosi, no stranger to the world of mad scientists and demented doctors (Voodoo Man, The Ape Man, The Raven, Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Black Cat) would once again entertain his legions of fans with his performance as Professor Dexter in Return of the Ape Man.

YEAR: 1944
GENRE: HORROR
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 61 mins
RATING: N/R
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
AUDIO: MONO


The titular ape man (incarnated by Frank Moran, The Corpse Vanishes, and fleetingly by George Zucco, Voodoo Man) is featured alongside Bela Lugosi (Dracula), John Carradine (Voodoo Man) and Mary Currier (Joan of Arc) in the fright fest Return of the Ape Man.

Directed by Philip Rosen (Murder by Invitation), Return of the Ape Man stars Lugosi as Professor Dexter, the doctor who put the mad in mad scientist. On the verge of restoring a recently unearthed simian from its frozen sleep, Dexter’s plans for the apesicle will have chilling consequences when he sets about transplanting a human brain into his frozen find. With unwitting (and unwilling) help from fellow scientist Professor Gilmore (Carradine), Dexter hopes to unravel the mystery of the “missing link.”

Return of the Ape Man also features Michael Ames (From Hell It Came), Judith Gibson (Bluebeard), Ed Chandler (The Ghost and the Guest) and Ernie Adams (Invisible Ghost).

Olive Films Announces October 2017 DVD & Blu-ray Releases (Includes "Return of the Ape Man", "Vampire's Ghost")