simpfann Reviews

Swing You Sinners! (1930)

Absolutely amazing!

[10/10 · 6 November 2005]

They don't make them like this anymore. The complete surrealism of early Fleischer cartoons is working on all six cylinders here- everything has a life of its own and the very background pulsates to the jazzy soundtrack.

It starts out simply enough with some pretty basic cartoon gags, but it slowly builds to a completely mind-blowing finish: as if tombstones growing rubbery faces and singing weren't weird enough, once the scene switches to a barn, there's no turning back from this nightmarish world: a bag of grain becomes a pig, a rake becomes a scythe which then grows a mouth and speaks, the animation becomes more and more grotesque and the imagery becomes completely abstract, with random shapes and strange creatures forming from out of nowhere: a scat-singing quasi-frog, a big human face sprouting from a tree-like shape, until the final, macabre image of a skull zooming towards the camera.

It's hard to believe this dark, insane, Daliesque phantasma was a TYPICAL product of the Fleischer studio at this time, and even harder to believe that something like this was produced in an era before marijuana and LSD were commonly used. If you can find this cartoon, watch it- it might scare the hell out of you, but it's an absolutely incredible film!

12 Angry Men (1957)

Excellent!

[23 January 2003]

My 10th-grade class just watched "12 Angry Men" this week in civics class since we've been studying about the US judicial branch, and our teacher wanted to show us how prejudice can effect a verdict. But anyway, as for the movie itself, I really enjoyed it. It's about a jury trying to decide the verdict of a murder case where a teenage boy stabbed his father with a knife. At first the jurors all have a "let's get this over with and go home" attitude and the vote is 11 to 1 guilty, but the one juror who questions the kid's guilt presents his arguments and suddenly all 12 jurors are arguing and debating over the evidence. The whole movie, except for the first and last scenes, takes place in the jury room, in a claustrophobic Hitchcock-esque manner which leaves the drama of the movie entirely up to the talent of the actors. The actors are all excellent and bring the dialogue to life as the jurors' personalities clash and they review the evidence over and over to ensure justice. When I think of "classic Hollywood movies", it's movies like this that come to mind. I reccomend "12 Angry Men" as entertainment and also as a reminder to us all to take our duties as American citizens seriously.

Horse Feathers (1932)

Second only to Duck Soup!

[1 July 2001]

This is the fist Marx Brothers movie I ever saw, and I saw it practically by accident when I was about 8 years old.

Of course, the cartooniness of the Marxes personae and the overt silliness of the humor were good fun for an eight-year-old, and I giggled myself silly. Now that I'm 14, I appreciate the Marx Brothers even more, and they have definetely been a HUGE influence in honing my own individualized sense of humor.

I recall thinking it was going to be boring when they opened with Robert Grieg. Little did I know that such boring, pompous characters were there TO BE RIDICULED BY the brothers, so right away "It is indeed an honor to welcome you to Huxley College." "Never mind that, hold this coat." "By the way, Professor, there is no smoking." "That's what YOU say." "It would PLEASE the faculty if you would THROW your cigar AWAY!" "The faculty members might just as well keep their seats, there'll be no diving for THIS cigar" fascinated me because Groucho's impudence and Harpo's zany antics were like nothing else I had seen before. Highlights include Groucho's opening speech to the students, Groucho trying to guess the password (swordfish) so Chico will let him into a speakeasy, and of course the football game. Despite another reviewer's comments about this movie being lamebrain humor and stupid, I say see this movie and you'll be laughing for days to come. "Well, I knew there was SOMETHING you couldn't burn at both ends, but I thought it was a candle."

Gilligan's Island (1964–1992)

Sure it's corny, but for some reason we just keep coming back for more!

[22 June 2001]

It's late and I'm tired as I type this, but I'll just make a quick comment. I don't think this show was ENTIRELY meant for kids. I mean, all the sexual innuendo with Ginger was not only more adult-oriented, it probably crossed the line of what was acceptable to put on TV back then.

I remember one episode where Mary Ann said to Ginger, "well, you're not from Kansas, so I suppose you don't know anything about wolves." "Are you kidding?" she replied coyly, "I come from HOLLYWOOD". I don't think they would have put innuendos like that in there if they intended the show solely for four-year-olds!

Eddie Izzard: Glorious (1997 Video)

Lives up to it's title!

[10/10 · 27 May 2001]

I just finished watching this video about 5 minutes ago, and it has joined the list of my top 5 favorite comedy movies/shows. I saw Izzard's other show, Dress To Kill, first. Unfortuneately, the local video store doesn't have most of his other shows, but they do have Glorious. My parents had seen it and told it wasn't as funny as DTK. I rented it today out of curiosity as to why they thought it wasn't very good, but now that I've seen it, I disagree. It is every bit as funny as DTK, if not funnier! His thought process is amazing. From interviews I have read, Izzard makes almost no preperation for shows and that his act is highly improvised. It shows, as sometimes he will be doing a bit of "dialogue" (he faces one way speaking as one character and then faces the other way to play the other character, and goes back and forth), and he'll accidentally switch voices or things like that, or sometimes he'll have a character he plays say back to him, "You don't know what you're talking about, do you??" The stream-of-conciousness process of his act is amazing. He opens by talking about the Old Testament, and ends with the Book of Revelations and Armageddon, covering everything from the Trojan War and the X-Files in-between. And his bit near the end about trying to get a computer to print is hysterical because it's word-for-word what really happens, at least from my personal experience, with computers: "It's 5 in the morning! I'm just trying to print this one f**king file-- ohhhh, no, don't-- don't you crash on me, you b**tard!" I hope I can find tapes of some of his other shows. It is indeed glorious. Even if you had to pay 100 dollars to buy this tape, believe me, its worth it.

Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips (1944)

A period piece, but..

[16 February 2001]

"Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips". A Bugs Bunny cartoon produced in 1944, during the second World War.

The film features grotesque Japanese stereotypes.

That "definition" aside, I've seen a lot of these "politically incorrect" cartoons, and I say that this sort of thing should not be hidden.

People of Japanese descent may find it offensive, but if this cartoon is to be shown on television at all, there's a simple solution: put a disclaimer on the screen before airing it! That is much more reasonable than hiding the truth completely. Aside from the Japanese stereotypes, this cartoon, IMHO, is very amusing. The current generation of children who watch these cartoons on television have a right to know what's behind their backs.

WWII was an awful thing, but the children may find it interesting to learn about that period of time and see the cartoons and movies produced in that time, to get an idea of the political views of the time. It would make them curious. I am only 14 years old, but we have been weaned on Looney Tunes for decades. The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons have been virtually everywhere in the public since 1930, and this is one of them. WB may be ashamed to be associated with this cartoon, but like it or not, it's there and it was made more than 50 years ago. They act as though these "offensive" cartoons don't even exist! They may have the legal control to ban this cartoon from the air, but then what? Delete all references to WWII from history books? Historical truth should not be shielded and stood behind. There's nothing that can be done about the past, so the past might as well be acknowledged to the people of the present. So as a final word, I say this cartoon is not offensive if you can put yourself in the timeframe in which it was made. Thanks for taking the time to read my discourse, for I have strong opinions about things like this.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

Caveat emptor!

[27 January 2001]

AN EPIC!

I am a big fan of the South Park TV series, and I would say the movie

lived up to my expectations.

For those of you unfamiliar with South Park, it is a late-night animated

adult comedy show on Comedy Central, featuring four foul-mouthed

8-year-olds, Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Eric.

WARNING: This movie is NOT for children. It is probably the raunchiest

movie of the century. It doesn't just push the envelope, it OPENS the

f***ing envelope and RIPS UP THE LETTER INSIDE! But, it is rated R,

after all, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone have no fear of the MPAA in

fully exploiting their First-Ammendmant rights! but don't let that stop

you.

The songs were stupid, but they were appropriately tongue-in-cheek in

satirizing Disney, etc.

Again, this movie is NOT for children. It is animated, but this movie

reinforces the fact which most people don't know, which is that CARTOONS

WERE ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO ENTERTAIN ADULTS. Parker and Stone must be

utterly insane, and if they aren't, they at least have some kind of

psychotic obsession with profanity, and this may not be a great, great

movie, but it sure is a hell of a movie!

Viva la Southé Parké (and viva l

Rabbit Seasoning (1952)

Great cartoon

[22 January 2001]

I take it most people have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude towards cartoons, but I'm an avid fan of classic cartoons. "Rabbit Seasoning" is the definitive example of the Warner Brothers "hunting" genre. The "Pronoun Trouble" routine is up there with "Who's on First

Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

Some funny moments, but not too great

[16 January 2001]

I like comedy movies, and this one is pretty good. It was a little confusing and seemed to run out of steam towards the end (the slapstick sequence was amusing, but went on too long, and the revenge fantasties were just bizzare). But nontheless, there are a few jokes that stand out. If I had to watch a Sturges movie I had already seen for a second time, I'd rather watch "The Palm Beach Story". But what the heck. A movie ending on a screen-kiss between Rex Harrison and the lovely Linda Darnell can't be all bad.

It's in the Bag! (1945)

Pretty darn funny!

[1 January 2001]

"It's in the Bag" is pretty obscure, but it's very funny. I am a big fan of old radio comedy shows, and thus was interested in seeing Jack Benny, Fred Allen, and other OTR personalities in a movie. Jerry Colonna as a nutty psychiatrist is the funniest role in the movie. Lots of good typical one-liners from Allen, and the opening, featuring Allen making sarcastic comments about the credits as they appear on the screen, was, I presume, a very original idea for a 1940s movie. If your local video store has this movie and you want some good laughs, check this one out.

The Simpsons (1989– )

Pure comic genius- the best show on TV today

[9 December 2000]

What can I say? This show has been on practically as long as I've been alive (minus 6 months and 27 days, to be exact)! And anything that lasts that long has to be good.

Brilliantly funny show- unsurpassed. Almost everyone I know

watches it. And it's pretty clear that the writers aren't

just churning out episode after episode just to satisfy the

demand for the show to continue. They still seem to be enjoying

themselves. My favorite episode is the early one where the Simpsons buy a trailer and get lost in the woods. "The Simpsons" frequently makes me laugh out loud. It's simply the funniest, most original, most brilliant, ingenious show in the history of television!

LONG LIVE THE SIMPSONS

South Park (1997– )

Rude, crude, sick, and twisted- but FUNNY!

[28 November 2000]

True, I agree South Park can be crude, but the cursing and

toilet humor is just the first layer. There are some genuinely

funny moments that make me laugh out loud, such as the

semi-classic "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut" cliffhanger, where,

after Kenny is frozen to death Stan says to Kyle, "Dude! Do you

think if we hit him with a shovel, he'd shatter?!" And Cartman's voice is a riot. Just the way he goes " 'ey!" when

he's p***ed off is hilarious. The cursing can be gratuitous, but somehow it's part of the

appeal of the show. Love it or hate it, it's there to watch, and

will be for a while

Full of Life (1956)

A pleasent little film

[7/10 · 17 November 2000]

Full of Life is a very amusing domestic comedy about pregnant wife Emily Rocco (Judy Holliday) and her husband Nick (Richard Conte) who ask Nick's old Italian father, a carpenter (Salvatore Baccaloni) for help after discovering a hole in the kitchen floor. It's a nice movie, but I was more expecting belly laughs, which is not the purpose of this movie.

Ninotchka (1939)

Entertaining, but dated

[8/10 · 25 October 2000]

I had to watch this movie in 3 sittings before I could finish. I was very entertaining, and had some funny moments, but the jokes about Russian politics and Communism and so on felt pretty dated to me. I'm not saying it's a bad movie, it was just so-so.

Kiss Me Cat (1953)

THE #*%! FUNNIEST CARTOON EVER MADE!

[24 October 2000]

I saw this cartoon about on ABC once, and I laughed my head off. I'm not the type who scorns and says cartoons are kid stuff, but I have never laughed so hard at a 7-minute cartoon in my life!

Born Yesterday (1950)

Essential for those who think Sturges is the last word in screwball comedy

[9/10 · 23 October 2000]

"Born Yesterday" is one of my all-time favorite movies. Judy Holliday's performance, of course, is classic, but I also feel that Howard St. John's wry performance as Jim Devery is under-rated.

I also think this film should have won the Best Screenplay Oscar it was nominated for.

My only complaint is that Broderick Crawford over-acted and was totally obnoxious right up to the last minute. But all in all, I love this movie.

The Frisco Kid (1979)

An overlooked laughfest!

[22 August 2000]

"The Frisco Kid" is a little slow-moving, I also thought it had too much profanity and violence, but the comedy segments were hilarious! It was also sort of an ironic experience to watch this movie because of all the Yiddish phrases used, and at the time I watched it a few months ago, I was trying to study Yiddish! The scene where Gene Wilder emphatically tells an Indian chief that the Jewish Almighty does not make rain is a hilarious and brilliant example of setup\punchline joke construction! As a final word, I say that "The Frisco Kid" is hilarious in its comedy segments and I am disappointed that it is so obscure that it was not even on the list of 500 nominees for the American Film Institute's presentation of the 100 funniest American comedy movies