Tag Archives: Comedy

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Hurdy-Gurdy-Hare (1950)

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Hurdy-Gurdy Hare (1950)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Written by Warren Foster
Animation by JC Melendez
Music by Carl Stalling 

I love “Hurdy Gurdy Hare” because it doesn’t really follow the traditional formula for Bugs Bunny toons. It feels a lot like a callback to the Abbot and Costello show where there’s not a real plot line. There’s just a lot of stuff that happens and Bugs Bunny is at the forefront of it all. Seriously, a lot of stuff just happens with not a lot of the usual Bugs Bunny defending people or whatnot. It’s just Bugs trying to make a living and coming across a devious, greedy little monkey.

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Up on the Housetop (2024) [Chattanooga Film Festival 2024]

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Funsize Epics Vol. 2 Shorts Block 

Director/Writers Dakota Millett, and Michael Fischer’s horror comedy is a short begging to be made in to a feature film. It’s probably not a coincidence that “Up on the Housetop” feels a lot like a proof of concept short rather than actual short film. I honestly don’t begrudge them for that, because both creators have their fingers on the pulse of what they’re trying to accomplish and what they do accomplish in this short format.

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Off Ramp (2024) [Chattanooga Film Festival 2024]

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Director Nathan Tape identifies as a Juggalo and has an obvious passion for the community that are identified as the Juggalos. The popular legion of fans that are easily one of the most misunderstood subcultures are given their due in Tape’s absolute bizarre love letter. “Off Ramp” is everything that Tape seems to love all tucked in to ninety minutes. There’s a fun road trip, and our heroes are two passionate juggalos that live their lives by the doctrines of their community but are never militant about re-enforcing their beliefs on others. I’ve also never seen so much Faygo in my life.

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You Are Here (2023) [Dances with Films 2024]

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Michael Friberg’s “You Are Here” doesn’t feel so much like a movie as it does a three part sketch or some kind of extended commercial. Friberg insists in staging a movie that has no huge stakes or interesting character depth. For that I have to respect it, but I also didn’t care much for it.

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Dexter’s Laboratory: The Complete Series (DVD)

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Now Available from Warner Home Entertainment

In 1996 the cable channel Cartoon Network had solidified itself as a competitor with fellow kids channels like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel. After spending many years playing reruns from their massive Hanna Barbera back catalog, the channel began to dabble in airing their own original series. They recruited a slew of brilliant creators to offer up their own unique animated series, and among them was “Dexter’s Laboratory.” Created and animated by Genndy Tartakovsky, “Dexter’s Laboratory” was an entertaining and often hysterical animated show that dove head first in to the over the top realm with an extraordinary premise packed to the brim with comedic potential.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Rabbit Hood (1949)

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Rabbit Hood (1949)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris
Music by Carl Stalling

After the nastiness that was last week’s “Which is Witch” it’s nice to see Bugs Bunny return to the basics again. “Rabbit Hood” is one of my top ten Bugs Bunny shorts of all time. It’s a hilarious spoof of the Robin Hood tale that ranks up there with 1958’s “Robin Hood Daffy” in terms of hilarity and clever jokes. Oddly Bugs isn’t Robin Hood but he is falling prey to the fascism of the king who is desperate to snag Robin Hood at every turn. Now with the king’s property guarded, Bugs comes under attack by the Sheriff of Nottingham. When Bugs seeks a few carrots from the king’s garden, the two go at it, prompting a hysterical war between the pair.

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