One of the aspects of “Horse Feathers” that I love is that it introduced me to the sheer radiance that is Thelma Todd. Sure, I ride on a bunch of modern beauties, but out of the slew of reasons why I keep going back to “Horse Feathers,” it’s because of Todd who I’ve managed to have a crush on since I first saw this Marx Bros. comedy masterpiece. Many years ago I viewed this for the first time on VHS and understood why the Marx Brothers were immortal. Suffice it to say I was not let down by “Horse Feathers.” At their prime, the Marx Brothers were unstoppable in the realm of comedy, and delivered laughs at a rapid fire pacing.
Tag Archives: Adventure
Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters: The Complete Series (DVD)
It’s almost as if someone saw “Power Rangers” and how much money it was making and wrote a check for a hundred thousand dollars. They then told producers to raid every single prop and costume store in Los Angeles, as well as every left over prop in the nearest studio warehouse. From there, they had to cobble together their own “Power Rangers” show. What we inevitably got was “Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills.” Even the title screams “We made this shit up in a terrible time crunch.”
Bounty Killer (2013) (DVD)
The best action movie released all year, “Bounty Killer,” finally comes to DVD and Blu-Ray, as director Henry Saine delivers action fans a pulpy apocalyptic thriller worthy of a large fan base. “Bounty Killer” is set in the future where corporations are now enemy number one and have laid waste to civilization with their greed. The government has sent a slew of skilled and crafty bounty killers to hunt down and take down corporate executives daring to run away with their corporation’s profits.
The New Three Stooges: Complete Cartoon Collection (DVD)
I’m a proud Three Stooges fan, raised by two comedy loving parents that taught me to appreciate the classic vaudevillian trio. From Shemp, and Curly, to Curly Joe, I really love the Stooges and their antics. In 1965, Cambria Studios took advantage of their teaming with Curly Joe DeRita, and produced a two season long animated series for the Stooges. Though the animated series has very crude animation, and tones down the physical gags immensely, it’s still a fun and charming little vehicle for the trio of comedy legends.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
I remember the summer of 1993 fondly. It was the year I went to see the “Coneheads” movie and recall thinking back to the release of “Hocus Pocus” wondering why it wasn’t slated for an October release. Disney is usually smart with release dates, and “Hocus Pocus” ended up becoming one of the most revered holiday classics of all time. For Disney-philes, “Hocus Pocus” has enough menace to be considered a horror movie, but not so much where it’s impossible for the kids to watch. Twenty years later, “Hocus Pocus” is that classic horror film for kids that has yet to show its age at all, even when you consider adorable Thora Birch turned in to a gorgeous woman many years later. “Hocus Pocus” hearkens back to the most entertaining element of the Halloween season: the threat of witches.
Labyrinth (1986)
Director Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth” is one of the many epic fantasy films of the eighties indirectly influenced by George Lucas’ “Star Wars,” and while it never aspires to be anything more than a standalone tale, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t possess epic potential from beginning to end. Director Henson unfolds a very unique and entertaining tale of a young girl who learns how to grow as a person through a menacing adventure through a massive labyrinth. Much in the realm of “Alice in Wonderland,” or “Wizard of Oz,” young Sarah finds herself confronting many monsters and menaces, and becomes a hero in the end.
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
It’s pretty sad that at the end of the day, director Sam Raimi had to waste his talents on what is basically a regurgitation of the classic “Wizard of Oz” 1939 film adaptation. He doesn’t even get to think outside the box and offer up his own vision of Oz. Basically, “Oz the Great and Powerful” is yet another version of the movie, but in the view of the all powerful Wizard. The Wizard of Oz is one of cinema’s great macguffins, a big goal the characters work for in the 1939 movie, that they find out was nothing but smoke and mirrors.







