The Bootleg Files: Inki and the Lion

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 631: “Inki and the Lion” (1941 animated short by Chuck Jones).

LAST SEEN: On DailyMotion.com.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: VHS and LaserDisc only.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It is not politically correct.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Everybody knows about the notorious Censored Eleven animated shorts produced by Warner Bros. that were taken out of circulation in 1968 and have never been made available for television broadcast and home entertainment release. However, the studio had other lesser-known shorts with politically incorrect content that have also been quietly removed from release. Among these withdrawn films are five shorts created by Chuck Jones featuring the unusual characters Inki and the Minah Bird.

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Luis Alberni: Character Actor Extraordinaire

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Phil Hall

During Hollywood’s Golden Era, Luis Alberni was one of the screen’s reigning character actors. Equally adept at drama and comedy, he always stole the show with his versatility and charisma. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” Luis’ great-grandson, actor and filmmaker Anthony Carrillo, recalls the life and times of this great star.

The episode is now online here.

“The Online Movie Show” is produced at the Platinum Wolfe Studios.

TV On DVD: Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete Third Season [Blu-Ray/Digital]

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Felix Vasquez

After suffering a major identity crisis for the last three seasons, “Fear the Walking Dead” finally finds it footing. By throwing everything it’s established out and keeping only a few main characters here and there. What began as an urban retelling of the zombie apocalypse involving two families, the Manawas and the Clarks, is now really nothing more an immigration allegory with characters basically bumping back and forth. “Fear the Walking Dead” managed to have the opportunity to really unfold an epic tale of a mixed race family, and how they learned to get along with get to know each other. Their mixed and uneasy union would have to be tested. Except, all we get is a lot of goofy switches of the premise, and wastes of some good characters.

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The Bootleg Files: An Inspector Calls

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 630: “An Inspector Calls” (1954 British drama starring Alastair Sim).

LAST SEEN: On the Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It has been commercially unavailable for years in the United States.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: There is a U.K. DVD version, but no U.S. version yet.

In the aftermath of World War II, British writer J.B. Priestley put forth the play “An Inspector Calls,” which offered an interesting mix of drawing room mystery and socialist agitation against his nation’s suffocating class system. The play was first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and later had its London premiere in 1946 starring Ralph Richardson as the eponymous investigator. The Broadway premiere occurred in 1947 with Thomas Mitchell as the inspector. “An Inspector Calls” also turned up on British television in 1948 and in radio adaptations in 1950 and 1953.
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Lenny Bruce On Film

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Phil Hall

Lenny Bruce had a profound impact on modern comedy, but he was a somewhat elusive figure when it came appearances in film and television. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” film historian Paul Scrabo discusses Bruce’s work as a 20th Century Fox screenwriter, his writing and acting in the under-the-radar “Dream Follies” and “Dance Hall Racket,” and the censorship problems that limited his screen time and, ultimately, fueled his early death.

The episode can be heard here.

“The Online Movie Show” is produced at the Platinum Wolfe Studios.

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998) [Blu-Ray]

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Felix Vasquez

Boyd Kirkland’s “SubZero” stands as not only one of the best animated Batman films of all time, but one of the best Batman films, period. In a time where Warner were handing us goofy films like “Batman Forever,” behind the scenes, Bruce Timm took the material seriously, delivering entertaining mature fare like “SubZero.” Something of a sequel to “Deep Freeze,” Kirkland’s film is also a stark contrast to last year’s “Batman and Harley Quinn,” choosing to expand on the hit episode, rather than repeat the same beats ad nauseum like the latter chose to.

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Justice League (2017) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Felix Vasquez

At the end of the day I think “Justice League” is a very—okay movie, with glimmers of greatness. But that’s the problem, sadly. Fans waited and waited, and didn’t want an okay movie. We fans wanted a great movie, and despite bringing in Joss Whedon in the final hour, “Justice League” feels less like the beginning of an epic saga of superheroes, and more like a throwaway episode of a mediocre superhero series. And what with “mustache gate” and the continued controversy over the original cut of the film, “Justice League” will carry a lot of baggage with it forever. Which is sad, because I still didn’t hate it as much as I did “Batman v Superman.”

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