Every time I try to watch “South Pacific,” I attempt to coax myself into believing that I will fall in love with the film before the closing credits. And after every viewing, I wind up sighing in disappointment.
Continue reading
Author Archives: Phil Hall
The Bootleg Files: Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt
BOOTLEG FILES 912: “Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt” (1965-55 syndicated animated series).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube and other online video sites.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the proverbial cracks.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely at the moment.
The other day, I was scrolling through an animation history forum on Facebook and I saw a post where someone asked a question about a series called “Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt.” While I would like to imagine that I have some degree of expertise regarding animated television series, I found myself stumped – this was the first time that I ever saw any mention of “Sinbad Jr. and His Magic Belt.”
Continue reading
Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Knight-Mare Hare (1955)
Knight-Mare Hare (1955)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Abe Levitow, Richard Thompson
Music by Milt Franklyn
Bugs Bunny is sitting outside of his hole-in-the-ground residence under a hair drying bonnet – as he explains to the viewer, “I just washed my ears and can’t do thing with them.” He is reading a book on medieval times when an apple falls from a tree and bangs on the hair drying bonnet, which falls over Bugs’ head. He suddenly finds himself back in the medieval era where he is assaulted by a knight, a fire-breathing dragon and an aged sorcerer wearing a propeller beanie.
Continue reading
Wrong Again (1929)
Few film scholars elevated the 1929 short “Wrong Again” to classic status, but I’m willing to go out on a limb to suggest it deserves such an honorific classification. It was among the last wave of Laurel and Hardy’s silent output and had three future Oscar winners behind the camera – director Leo McCarey, cinematographer George Stevens, and screenwriter Lewis R. Foster – plus one of the most wonderfully original sight gags of all time.
Continue reading
The 10 Best Musical Numbers in Non-Musical Films
Sometimes when you least expect it, a dramatic or comedy film suddenly erupts into a musical number. For the sake of listicle distraction, here are 10 musical numbers from non-musical films that should get you singing along when you least expect it.
Continue reading
Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Hyde and Hare (1955)
Hyde and Hare (1955)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Arthur Davis, Virgil Ross, Ted Bonnicksen
Music by Carl Stalling
Bugs Bunny talks his way into being adopted by a kindly elderly man who feeds him carrots daily in a park. The man is Dr. Jekyll, who has created a potion that turns him into a hulking, green-skinned, red-eyed brute – the alter ego is never called Mr. Hyde in the film, but we all know who it is supposed to be. Bugs is pursued by this violent monster, who keeps turning back into Dr. Jekyll every few seconds before becoming Hyde again. Of course, Bugs never figures out the two very different figures are the same person.
Continue reading
10 Seriously Broken Movie Trailers
In concept, a film trailer is supposed to pique audience interest into seeing a production that will soon be playing in theaters. Sometimes, however, a trailer has the opposite effect and creates groans or giggles when it should be sparking excitement. Here is an extremely objective list of 10 trailers that fell far short of their goal in creating buzz for their feature films.
Continue reading