Author Archives: Felix Vasquez

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: The Unruly Hare (1945)

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2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

The Unruly Hare (1945)
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Written by Melvin Miller
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Cal Dalton

Frank Tashlin is a director who just gets comedy. He understands the silliness, the ebbs and flows, the timing, the motion. That’s why “The Unruly Hare” is so good, I presume. At the end of the day, it’s another average Bugs vs. Elmer adventure, but Tashlin’s direction is very good, probably as good as Chuck Jones or Bob Clampett. It’s too bad I’ve barely heard about him at all whenever reading about Termite Terrace and great animation directors. This is Tashlin’s only real time being credited as director, sadly, which is a shame because he’s a damn good director. Tashlin has delivered on some great poppy fifties and sixties comedies like “The Girl Can’t Help It,” “Who’s Minding the Store?”, and “The Disorderly Orderly.”

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Dylan’s New Nightmare: A Nightmare on Elm Street Fan Film (2023)

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I love a good fan film. On rare occasions they can offer up interesting ideas and concepts. “Dylan’s New Nightmare” is an ambitious and interesting fan film in that its concept works for and against the final film, in the end. While the whole concept of a follow up to “New Nightmare” is a good one, it’s problematic in that: it basically feels like a proof of concept for a sequel, and “New Nightmare” isn’t canonical to the rest of the series. With “New Nightmare,” Wes Craven was holding up a magnifying glass, stepping back to examine the overwhelming expectations and pains of success.

It was also not on the timeline of Freddy Krueger, as the monster in the film was not Freddy Krueger.

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Apocalypse Clown (2023)

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It’s not hard to figure out why “Apocalypse Clown” premiered to nothing but sell out shows in this year’s “Fantasia Film Festival.” Even after so many years watching so many unusual movies, I have never really seen anything like “Apocalypse Clown” before. And I doubt I ever will again. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing, as George Kane offers up such an original and surreal apocalyptic comedy. I was so confused but amused at what I’d been watching, as director and writer Kane opts to spotlight a movie that focuses on some of the most unlikely protagonists imaginable.

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We Kill for Love: The Lost World of the Erotic Thriller (2023)

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If you grew up in the eighties or nineties with cable television, there was always a few occasions where you’d be cruising through the channels looking for something to watch. And there was always a chance you’d happen upon channels like Showtime, Cinemax, or HBO and inevitably stumble on to an erotic thriller. These glossy movies were made cheap, and fast, and almost always featured a hard boiled male protagonist as well as an absolutely sexy woman, and always featured softcore sex. From the late eighties to the end of the nineties, the erotic thriller was a popular facet of late night television and video store shelves.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Herr Meets Hare (1945)

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2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

Herr Meets Hare (1945)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Michael Maltese
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy

So the Warner Propaganda machine comes full circle finally with Bugs Bunny finally taking on the Germans and Hitler. Bugs is one in a long line of characters that did battle with Hitler including Superman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, and the Ninja Turtles. Sure, “Herr Meets Hare” is pure propaganda but it at least has a good time making a mockery of Hitler and lampooning he and his followers big time. I’m not a big fan of the Looney Tunes being used as tools for war or political ideologies, but “Herr Meets Hare” at least punches up and works very hard in having a good laugh and taking the air out of the whole Nazi anxiety.

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The Flash (2023) [Blu-Ray/Digital]

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“The Flash” could have and should have been this sleek, exciting, action adventure science fiction film that chronicled what is still a very appealing superhero for the modern age. Instead, with Warner Bros. help, “The Flash” is transformed in to a silly, campy, overlong chore that spends much more time on fan service than it does building an interesting character. Although The Flash is still a popular character with comic book fans, “The Flash” should have had broader appeal and a better grasp of its subject matter. Instead Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the scarlet speedster feels like a goofy riff on “Back to the Future” time and time again.

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Here For Blood (2023)

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Warning: Spoilers pertaining to the movie abound.

You really haven’t seen it all until you’ve seen a wrestler elbow drop a flesh eating zombie multiple times until its head explodes. That’s that thing about “Here for Blood.” It has a ton of good ideas and a great sense of humor about itself, but it gets lost in so much filler and narrative excess. What could have been a simple and fun home invasion thriller turns in to a convoluted survival film about cults, and sacrifices, and masked killers, and anointed prophets. It’s all a movie that could have been so much better with tighter editing and fifteen minutes trimmed down.

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