Author Archives: Phil Hall

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The Bootleg Files: Unorthodox

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BOOTLEG FILES 950: “Unorthodox” (2023 short by Greek filmmaker Konstantinos Antonopoulos).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It never received American commercial release.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It doesn’t seem likely.

One of the most disturbing films to be produced in recent years is “Unorthodox,” a short drama written and directed by the Greek filmmaker Konstantinos Antonopoulos. The film has not enjoyed a wide release, with screenings primarily limited to film festivals in Greece and in Greek-focused film festivals in other countries. That’s a shame because “Unorthodox” is the rare contemporary short film that challenges and provokes the viewer with a simple yet devastating story of cruelty taken to a fatal extreme.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special (1980)

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In this primetime television special, dimwitted law enforcement agent Elmer Fudd arrests Bugs Bunny for being the notorious bank robber known as the Tall Dark Stranger. Bugs goes to prison but aggravates corrections officer Yosemite Sam to the point that Sam kicks him out of the facility. Bugs is eager to clear his name, although he faces distracting detours from Wile E. Coyote (who attempts to capture and eat him) and Tweety and Sylvester (who engage in violent knockabout during a train ride where Bugs is a passenger).

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Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

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“Jason and the Argonauts” is mostly celebrated today for Ray Harryhausen’s wildly imaginative stop-motion animation special effects. Two sequences stand out as being among the most original ever put on film: the giant blank-eyed bronze statue of the titan Talos coming to life and the climactic sword duel between the Golden Fleece-fleecing Argonauts and a squad of sword-swinging skeletons. Nothing in today’s world of CGI wizardry can even come close to the innovative brilliance of those extraordinary sequences.

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The Bootleg Files: Tooth Brushing

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BOOTLEG FILES 949: “Tooth Brushing” (1978 animated short featuring the Peanuts characters).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It is surprising that it hasn’t been a special feature yet.

Any critic who claims to know everything about movies is not telling the truth. The true joy of being critic is to discover films that you never knew existed, particularly within genres where you think that you’re an expert.
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Coffee House (1960)

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In 1960, King Features Syndicate brought forth “Popeye the Sailor,” an animated television series featuring new misadventures of the beloved spinach-chomping hero and his wacky circle of friends and foes. A total of 220 short cartoons were created for the series by multiple animation studios, and most them were forgettable. But there was one short that stood out for being an extraordinary detour from the usual Popeye-fueled knockabout.
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The Bootleg Files: Happy Money

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BOOTLEG FILES 948: “Happy Money” (1969 Christian-themed short film starring Jerry Mathers).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Deservedly obscure.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.

In the course of my film reviewing work, I’ve seen an awful lot of short films – as well as a lot of awful short films. But for sheer badness, I am hard pressed to recall a short film as boring and annoying as “Happy Money,” a 1969 offering that is mostly remembered today for the presence of an unlikely actor in its cast.
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