The Cocoanuts (1929)

Directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley
Starring The Marx Brothers
Produced by Paramount Pictures

At a struggling resort hotel in Florida, a con man and his girl plot to steal some jewels from Mrs. Potter, a wealthy matron staying at the establishment.

Mrs Potter's daughter Polly is in love with Bob, but Mrs. Potter wants her to marry the con man, believing him to be a socialite.

When the jewels go missing, Bob is blamed. How can he prove his innocence and get the girl? And what are the Marx Brothers doing here? And what about these dancers that keep showing up?



The Cocoanuts is the first ever Marx Brothers film, so it has an automatic place in film history. The film is an adaptation of the brothers' stage show...

It's also a mess, a mess that almost works.

As an exercise in meta filmmaking, The Cocoanuts is remarkable. Here, you have a film that is ostensibly about this love triangle and heist, with the Marx Bros. as background characters. However, over the course of the film, the comedians start taking over. Their scenes become longer and, by the end, we forget the "main" characters even existed.

Watching the Marx Brothers invade this more traditional film is a joy. There are problems however. In addition to the comedians, we have a group of dancers constantly elbowing their way into the movie. The film at points literally screeches to a halt to accommodate a musical number.

I do not have any issue with musicals. The dancing here is actually pretty well done (especially compared to something like The Broadway Melody). However, The Cocoanuts makes no effort to connect the dancing to anything happening in the story. None of the dancers are characters and you could cut them entirely with no impact on the plot.

My other big problem here is frankly the Marx Brothers. I just didn't find them to be very funny. I can sit there and objectively assess that turning "stucco" into "stuck-oh" or "viaduct" into why a duck" is clever. I get that Harpo eating a telephone is absurd. It just doesn't tickle my funny bone at all.

So while I love the conceit of a movie that is so utterly hijacked by the Marx Brothers that it only begrudgingly resolves its plot, the fact that the comedians' humor doesn't work for me here means I'm not left with much. Add in the unnecessary musical numbers and I can only say I was disappointed.

** out of *****

NOTE: Apparently, I am not the only one who had an issue with the film. The Marx Brothers reportedly were horrified when they saw the final cut and tried to convince the producers to sell them the film so they could bury it. Their offer was refused and The Cocoanuts went on to be a big hit.

Photo from A Mythical Monkey writes about the Movies

Read More

The Love Trap (1929)

Directed by William Wyler
Starring Laura La Plante and Neil Hamilton
Produced by Universal Pictures

It's rehearsal time for a chorus line. The girls stretch and then move into a rhythmic Rockettes-like kick line.  The director's eyes fix on Evelyn Todd.  He stops the dance and asks her to demonstrate the steps.  She is thrilled with the attention until the director warns the other dancers that if they dance like Evelyn, they'll be fired too.

Rejected and despondent, Evelyn agrees to go to a party with her friend Bunny. Evelyn gets a little tipsy and proves to be a little too unreserved for the likes of Judge Harrington.  Bunny trades dates with her friend, and Evelyn ends up with the party's host Guy Emory.

After "accidentally" spilling a drink on his new date, Emory takes Evelyn up to his room to change. There, he "accidentally" drops her dress out the window.  Evelyn seems to give into Guy's advances, but then punches him in the nose and hightails it out of there.

She races home in a stolen jacket to find she has been evicted from her apartment and all of her belongings thrown in a heap on the sidewalk.  Dejected, she sits on one of the chairs as a rainstorm hits. A passing auto throws mud all over her. 

However, things are not as bad as they seem.  The car slows to a halt and a man jumps out the back.  He cleans her off and offers to drive her somewhere to spend the night.  When Evelyn is hesitant to leave her possessions, he hails three additional cabs and loads her stuff into them.

After sleeping in the cab and waking to find they cannot afford the fare, the couple are unceremoniously dumped in the countryside.  The incident causes the two to fall in love and they marry.

However, Evelyn's new husband Peter is the nephew of Judge Harrington and the well-to-do patriarch is none too pleased about welcoming a chorus girl into the family.  Will Peter and Evelyn's love stay strong?  And can the woman outwit the domineering Judge?


Sometimes you go into a film wanting to be challenged.  Wanting to see the world in a new way. Wanting to learn something you never knew before.

And sometimes you want something breezy and fun like The Love Trap.

The film has all of the heft of a helium balloon, but it's so much fun you don't mind staying with these characters for an hour or so.

Much of the credit here goes to Laura La Plante's Evelyn and Neil Hamilton's Peter.  They only have a few moments to make you believe that they fall in love, but their meet-cute works.  Peter's clearly gallant and head-over-heels, but Evelyn maintains a healthy skepticism right up until her white knight battles the cab drivers for her.  You see why she falls for him and falls hard.

The third act is a nice reversal of Evelyn's early predicament with Emory.  Judge Harrington is just the right amount of befuddled to sell the comedy.  And the way Peter resolves it all is smart and in keeping with every one's character.

One interesting element of the film is the shift two-thirds of the way through from silent to talkie.  It's a subtle shift (there were not a lot of title cards throughout the silent portion), and one I didn't think much about until after it was over. 

Although the switch is not overly shocking, it does affect La Plante's performance.  During the silent portions, you can clearly tell what she is saying by reading her lips.  Once the sound is turned on for the third act, she continues to over-enunciate every word as she did through the earlier, silent scenes.

I generally like compressing scripts into their most basic elements, but here they went perhaps a too minimal.  It would have been nice to see a bit more of Evelyn and Peter's courtship and wedding.  It's honestly not necessary for the story, but I enjoyed them as a couple so much it would have been nice to spend a little more time with them.

The Love Trap is a fun, funny romantic comedy that could have stood to have a bit longer second act.  It won't change the world and isn't essential viewing, but if you're looking for a light, cotton candy confection of a film, it's a great choice.

**** out of *****

NOTE: I said this in my earlier review of America, but it bears repeating: Neil Hamilton would go on to play Commissioner Gordon in the 1960s Batman television series.

Read More

You Did It! Metropolis = MOTM!

Well, it's official.

Metropolis is the next Movie of the Month over at the Large Association of Movie Blogs!

They'll be more to come on this, but for now let me just say:

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou
thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou
thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou
thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou
thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou
thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

I am really excited and a bit humbled by the response this got.

More to come...

P.S. Did I say thank you?

Read More

Bowl of Serials: Tarzan the Tiger Episode 12

Bowl of Serials delves into the world of movie serials in cinematic history, one episode at a time.  First up, Tarzan the Tiger, a 15 episode serial that ran in theaters weekly between 1929 and 1930.  The episodes starred Frank Merrill (Tarzan), Natalie Kingston (Jane), Al Ferguson (Werper), and Kithnou (La) and were directed by Henry MacRae.
We return to our story to find Tarzan has left Jane to track down some approaching baddies. Unfortunately, the bad guys find Jane before Tarzan finds them. Jane retreats onto a log which crosses a crocodile-infested river. The log breaks, Jane falls, and the crocs move in.

Tarzan leaps into the water and makes the save, wrestling and killing one of the beasts. The couple head on to find treasure and the amnesiac Tarzan's lost memories. Their enemies, the high priestess La and Tarzan's false friend Werper lay plans to trap our heroes.

Back in England at the Greystoke estate, Tarzan's advisor Beardsley expresses concern that no one has heard from the Greystokes since they entered the jungle. Tarzan's cousin Annersley volunteers to go to Africa to find his missing relatives. However, when he's alone, Annersley reads a letter from Werper directing him to come to the jungle.

Next, we are back in Africa and Tarzan and Jane have found the Temple of Opar, home to massive treasure and (Jane hopes) the key to regaining Tarzan's memories. Tarzan recognizes the building, but remembers it looking different. As the apeman clears debris from the entrance, one of La's men sees the couple and reports back to the high priestess.

Tarzan and Jane enter the treasure room and Tarzan seems to be regaining memories. Werper tries to sneak up on our hero, but he senses the attack and a fight ensues. Locked in combat, the two seem to fall over a ledge as La's men converge on Jane.


There are some good things here. The crocodile fight is awesome. Putting the amnesia subplot behind us had me cheering. The Tarzan-Werper battle feels like a cliffhanger.

So why for the love of the Flaming God are we heading to England to introduce characters as we enter the serial's climax? There are only three episodes after this. I want Werper to die horribly. I want La to be spurned but survive. I don't care a bit what happens to this new villain a continent away that I'm just meeting.

With the exception of the England scene, this was a good entry in the series. I cannot wait to see how it ends.

Read More

Bowl of Serials: Tarzan the Tiger Episode 11

Bowl of Serials delves into the world of movie serials in cinematic history, one episode at a time.  First up, Tarzan the Tiger, a 15 episode serial that ran in theaters weekly between 1929 and 1930.  The episodes starred Frank Merrill (Tarzan), Natalie Kingston (Jane), Al Ferguson (Werper), and Kithnou (La) and were directed by Henry MacRae.

 When last we saw Tarzan, he had just been captured by the high priestess La (who wants to take him as her mate) and his former friend Werper (who is after a treasure and Tarzan knows the location). Worse, Tarzan is still suffering from memory loss from an earlier accident. Meanwhile, Jane has been kidnapped by Chulk, an ape seeking vengeance for his brother's death at the hands of Tarzan.

La's men throw Tarzan into a spike-lined pit. Inexplicably, the apeman misses every spike. La demands Tarzan pledge his love, but Tarzan says he wants Jane.

Chulk is trying to untie Jane so he can give her to Werper. A monkey friend of Tarzan has been following our heroine and her captor and goes to enlist Tantor the elephant's help.

Back at the pit, La's men grab their spears and prepare to impale our helpless hero when Tantor charges in and makes the save. Tarzan escapes with the animals and learns from the monkey that Jane is in danger.

Chulk is still working to free Jane when Tarzan arrives. A fight ensues and Tarzan kills the ape. The reunited couple takes off for the temple to try and recover his memories.

They find a lion with a fresh kill and chase the predator off. The animal carcass becomes useful for distracting some crocodiles as Tarzan and Jane cross a river.

As they near the temple, Tarzan goes off on a reconnaissance mission, leaving Jane who quickly is quickly found by a couple of the bad guys.  How will she escape?



If watching Tarzan serials is charted against the five stages of grief, I've reached the last stage: acceptance.

It's maddening that the amnesia plot line is still going. It's frustrating that Jane gets captured by another ape and Tarzan makes the save, a complete repeat of events from seven episodes ago. It's ridiculous that Chulk has a revenge plot built around facts he couldn't possibly know (because he's an ape and I doubt he thinks a lot about Werper's motivations).

You know what? At this point, that's what this is and I'm okay with it. I had higher hopes at the beginning, but I have come to accept that Tarzan will have amnesia until at least chapter 14. Tarzan will continue to inexplicably leave Jane alone. Arbitrary animals will attack to pad this story out.

We did get an awesome new wrinkle this time around with Tantor and the monkey proactively saving their human friend. For all of the jungle friend talk, there was little actual evidence thus far that Tarzan had any real allies.

Still, it is becoming tedious to watch a different variation on the same subplots over and over. I've given up on being surprised. Just get me to the end.

Read More

Save Metropolis Now!

Well, you all are close to pulling it off!  Metropolis is currently leading by one vote in the Movie of the Month poll over at the LAMB.

But it's only one vote.

It's crunch time people!  If you have not yet voted for Metropolis, head over to www.largeassmovieblogs.com.  Up in the top corner, you will see the poll. Metropolis is the last entry.

Now, here' the part where I'm supposed to be all gregarious and say things like "It doesn't matter who you vote for, just vote!"

But I'm not going to do that. I'm going to tell you to vote for Metropolis. 

Let's face it: classic Hollywood barely gets discussed and silents are not even on people's radar.  This is a chance to bring one of the most accessible silent films of all time to a wider audience.

So let's bring this home!

Read More

Off-Topic: Top Ten Lines from The Broadway Melody that Sound Dirty But Aren't

Yup, they are sisters...

Sometimes, a movie is so bad, your mind drifts while watching it and you notice things about the film you wouldn't otherwise. It may be Rudolph Valentino's crazy eyes in The Sheik or some lines in a film that sound a little off-color.  In that spirit, here are ten lines that sound dirty but aren't from The Broadway Melody:

• Queenie, you better be here when I get off. 
• I'm gonna lay that dame like a roll of linoleum. 
• Why, it's cream in the can, baby!
• Screw.
• Gosh, what a big girl you are!
• Say, what'd we do to them on the Gus Sun Time? (I have no idea what this means, and researching it would destroy what I imagine it to mean...)
• I'm just crazy about her, Eddie. She's so young and beautiful. (Note: Not dirty per se, until you realize it's a character describing her sister)
• Babies, smack it over big.
• Next time I'll give you a facial instead of a scalp treatment.
• Let's see your gusher.

And as a bonus, here is the number one quote from The Broadway Melody that belongs in an Activia commercial but isn't:

• You sure are regular, Hank.

Read More

Winning Streak Blogathon: Rob Reiner

Sometimes a film-maker really gets "in the zone", producing a stream of quality films one after the other. Usually though a dud comes along to throw a spanner in the works. For example Spielberg gave us Duel, Sugarland Express, Jaws and Close Encounters only to have his run broken by 1941. John Carpenter had Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween, The Fog, Escape From New York and The Thing before Christine scuppered his streak. The Winning Streak Blogathon sponsored by Movie Waffler is devoted to recognizing directors who came through time and time again. Entries in the blogathon can be found here.

Cinematic winning streaks.  It's hard to think of directors who deliver over and over.  Who are excellent consistently.  Who string together a series of films that make you excited to see what they are going to do next.

I thought about a lot of different names here.  From my 100 Years of Movie project, I thought about and discarded D.W. Griffith (so prolific early, but he has some duds) and F.W. Murnau (but I just did a retrospective on him).  I considered my favorite directors of all time: Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and Akira Kurosawa.  Even toyed with the current flavor of the cinematic world, Christopher Nolan (for the record, I do not think he has made a bad film yet).

So why did my mind keep coming back to Meathead from All in the Family?

I think it comes down to two things.  First, between 1984 and 1992, Rob Reiner directed some of the most famous and quotable films ever, but he is criminally under-recognized for it. We are more likely to remember the gimmick of This Is Spinal Tap, or the quotes from The Princess Bride ("Inconceivable!" "...Mostly dead..." "My name is Inigo Montoya") or Jack Nicholson's scenery-chewing supporting turn in A Few Good Men than the guy who actually made all of the films.

Second, it's hard to think of a director who bounced around genres so much yet maintained that level of success.  Just look at the list below.  You have a courtroom drama, an adventure/fantasy/comedy, a mockumentary, agruably the greatest rom-com ever, a coming of age drama, a teen comedy, and a suspense thriller.  At the height of his powers, Reiner could do it all.

Without further ado, let's revisit the early works of Rob Reiner:


1984 - This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is just a ridiculously fun movie and Reiner's debut feature film.  Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are so good as the three non-spontaneously combusting members of the band.  The scenes are classic: Stonehenge, "These go to 11," the tragic history of Spinal Tap drummers.  Reiner even gets in front of the camera as documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi.  A comedy classic that holds up.  As an added bonus, the DVD commentary by the cast in-character is almost as funny as the film.

1985 - The Sure Thing
Probably the most underrated film on this list, The Sure Thing follows a very young looking John Cusack who is thrown together with Daphne Zuniga on a cross-country trip to meet a beautiful blonde his friend has set him up with. It's funny and sweet with a supporting cast (including Tim Robbins and Anthony Edwards) that keeps the film moving.  I think it's overlooked only because of the films that follow, but definitely worth a revisit to see the early stages of the prototypical character Cusack would perfect in Better Off Dead and Say Anything.

1986 - Stand by Me
Reiner's first Stephen King adaptation is about a perfect depiction of that moment when boys become teens and any innocence we have is lost.  The adventure these four friends go on feels intimate and epic all at the same time. It'll make you laugh and cry and hug your kids all at the same time.  The lead actors are all amazing as the children and include recognizable faces like Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and a much chunkier Jerry O'Connell.  One of my favorite films as I grew up.

1987 - The Princess Bride
It may not be the "best" movie of all time, but it is one of my favorites.  The Princess Bride is an adventure film that is funnier than most comedies and more romantic than most dramas.  There's not a wasted line or a wasted character throughout it's entire run-time.  And the storybook quality is completely driven home whether we're with Peter Falk and Fred Savage as they read the book or with Cary Elwes and Robin Wright as they find and lose each other within its pages.  Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane... the entire cast is perfect.  If you have not seen this, stop reading and watch it now.

1989 - When Harry Met Sally...
This is the romantic comedy every other romantic comedy is trying to be.  Harry (Billy Crystal) bums a ride to New York from Sally (Meg Ryan) in the opening scenes.  From there, we jump forward in time to see the two at various points in their lives.  They come close to being together, but circumstances keep them apart.  It's ridiculously romantic, but also very funny.  And Jerry Maguire wishes it had a line as good as "when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

1990 - Misery
When noted author Paul Sheldon (played by James Caan) is rescued by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), it seems like a stroke of luck.  Soon, Paul realizes that his biggest fan is carrying her obsession a bit too far.  Bates deservedly won an Oscar for her role here.  Misery is a perfect suspense film in the vein of Hitchcock, with a lead character who is physically at the mercy of a deranged fan.  And I can watch the goriest scenes in today's horror movies, but I still need to look away during Misery's hobbling scene.

1992 - A Few Good Men
A crackling script by Aaron Sorkin (from his play) and Jack Nicholson's turn as Col. Jessup in the final scenes are what most people remember.  I love the interactions between Tom Cruise, Kevin Pollack and Demi Moore as the legal team defending a pair of Marines accused of murdering one of their own.  Most courtroom dramas derive their suspense from the mystery of who did it.  Here, we know that early on; the question is whether the good guys can prove it, or if in fact they are good enough guys to want to.  And people still say "You can't handle the truth!" to this day.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.  In 1994, Reiner released the big budget flop North.  It's a silly movie with Elijah Wood as its title character, and though it's not nearly as bad as its reputation, North is at best an okay movie.  From there, The American President (which is a really good dramedy) and Ghosts of Mississippi (a ridiculously obvious Oscar-bait film) before finding himself relegated to awful films like Rumor Has It... and The Bucket List.

I would love to see Rob Reiner return to the directing heavyweight division.  He delivered some of the best entertainment of my childhood and no matter what he does from here on, he will always have that winning streak.

Read More

The Broadway Melody (1929)

Directed by Harry Beaumont
Starring Bessie Love, Anita Page and Charles King
Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer (MGM)

Eddie is an up-and-coming song-and-dance man whose latest song, The Broadway Melody, has singers lining up to "put it over." Eddie knows he has a hit, but he's saving it for a sister act moving to New York from the west. Why? Because one of them is the soon-to-be Mrs. Eddie Kearns.

Eddie's fiancée Hank has the brains and moxie of the duo while her sister Queenie has the looks. Eddie gets them in for an audition in Mr. Zanfield's latest review, but between a smart aleck dancer and a malfunctioning piano, their number does not go well. Despite that, Zanfield agrees to bring them into the act.

When the dress rehearsal comes, Zanfield decides the show is moving too slowly and cuts the Mahoney Sisters. Queenie finds herself replacing an injured chorus girl while Hank can only watch from the sidelines.

To complicate matters, Jock Warriner, a wealthy theater patron has taken a shine to Queenie and Eddie himself is falling in love with the more attractive sister.

Will Hank come to terms with her sister's burgeoning stardom? And will Queenie choose Jock or Eddie?

In 1930, The Broadway Melody won the Best Picture Oscar. The award represented a couple of milestones. First, it was the first sound film to win the Academy Award.

And apparently, it is also the worst film to be honored as well.

At some level, I get it. Sound is new and people were flocking to the theater to hear their films for the first time. The Broadway Melody was capitalizing on a trend.

But this is a really bad movie.

The film gives us four main characters, but no reason to cheer for any of them. He brings Hank to New York to marry her, but immediately falls for Queenie on looks alone. Hank is surly and rude for the entire first half of the film, stiffing a bell hop and accosting theater owners with a sense of entitlement. Queenie is vapid, quick to capitalize on her looks and seemingly more interested in diamonds than her sister.

By default, Jock is the one I most liked. And he is supposed to be the villain of the piece. We are told repeatedly that he is a skirt chaser who will lose interest in Queenie the moment a new model comes around. We never see that. In fact, he seems pretty devoted. He makes a turn toward the end to solidify his spot as the bad guy, but for most of the movie it's not apparent why we are rooting against him.

All that would be a high hurdle for any film to overcome. The Broadway Melody however couples its loathsome characters with terrible acting. I mean high school freshman level. A character leaves a room, then stops because he is waiting for someone to call him back. There are random, multiple awkward hugs, uncomfortable stares and emotionless line readings.

For a musical, even the singing and dancing is unremarkable. There are no memorable songs and the dancing lacks any energy or even coordination at points.

For directors, usually I am paying attention to shot selection and framing, editing and how well they work with the actors. I apparently also have to worry about whether they and their crew can keep a shot in focus.

There are exactly two things I enjoyed here. First, there were some nice helicopter shots establishing New York City. Second, Eddie Kane as Zanfield was great. It's a character who surrounds himself with yes-men and always gets his way. Kane delivers his lines stone-faced and in a deadpan tone that brought some humor.

If it sounds like I am reaching for things to like, you are definitely on the right track. A cliched scenario, characters you hate, actors who can't act and dancing that grates. The Broadway Melody is almost so bad it's good.

Almost.

* out of *****

Read More

Metropolis Needs Your Help!

As many of you know, I am a member of the Large Association of Movie Blogs.  Every month, they have a discussion and blogathon about one film that is voted on for that month.  The movies are nominated by members and championed by them through a poll.  The winner is the official Movie of the Month (MOTM).  You can vote at the LAMB's website in the sidebar.

For September's MOTM, I am championing Metropolis.  If you need any reminding of this film's awesomeness, here is my review.

Why should Metropolis be MOTM?

• It's amongst the most ambitious film's ever.  The production design of Fritz Lang's world is staggering for its time.
• Brigitte Helm's gloriously unhinged performance as the Machine Man.  She plays two characters who look identical, but you never doubt which is which.
• Rotwang, the stereotypical mad scientist with the hint of tragedy lurking behind his actions.
• Introducing LAMBs to both one of the most important sci-fi films of all time and one of the best silents ever.

So I need you all to click on the LAMB website go to the upper right corner and give Metropolis your vote!

Read More

Bowl of Serials: Tarzan the Tiger Episode 10

Bowl of Serials delves into the world of movie serials in cinematic history, one episode at a time.  First up, Tarzan the Tiger, a 15 episode serial that ran in theaters weekly between 1929 and 1930.  The episodes starred Frank Merrill (Tarzan), Natalie Kingston (Jane), Al Ferguson (Werper), and Kithnou (La) and were directed by Henry MacRae.

In the last dramatic installment, Tarzan's duplicitous friend Werper teamed up with the high priestess La to hunt down an amnesiac Tarzan and Jane. For their part, the jungle couple had been heading back to the Temple of Apor to find the treasure when they came upon a deer stuck in a bog. Tarzan freed the animal, but they were set upon by a lion.

The lion as it turns out was not interested in the humans. He takes off through the forest after the deer. Jane is upset about the near miss. Tarzan doesn't remember that Jane is his wife, but he does like her. He offers her the jewels to make her smile and fashions a crown for her head from some branches.

Meanwhile, La is growing restless to find Tarzan. She threatens Werper, but he assures her they will find their prey that day.

Tarzan sets out to find food for Jane and asks a monkey to watch over the woman. He unleashes the jungle yell to ask for help, but only succeeds in attracting the attention of Chulk, the brother of the ape Taglat, whom Tarzan killed in episode 4. Chulk heads off for revenge.

Werper, La and their entourage find and capture Jane. Werper demands to know where the jewels are, but Jane won't say. The tie Jane up and throw her in the forest.

La waits for Tarzan to return and again offers to make him king of Apor. The apeman refuses and demands to know where Jane is. La lures him to a nearby hut and her men capture Tarzan in a net.

Chulk finds Jane and carries her off. What does the ape have planned for Jane? And how will Tarzan escape this time?


I must say I was excited leading into this. The bad guys had teamed up. The good guys were together. It felt like we were heading to the endgame.

Instead, everyone gets split up again and we get the introduction of another random animal rival of Tarzan. For all the apeman's talk of jungle friends, he sure seems to have a lot of enemies.

I wish Tarzan's relationship with his jungle world was better developed. Sometimes, the animals are anthropomorphized, harboring grudges and hatching plots. Other times, the animals are... well, animals. The idea that Chulk a) cares what happened to his brother enough to plot revenge, b) knows who killed Taglat despite not being there, and c) somehow figures out that Jane has a connection to Tarzan is on its face silly. I'm willing to go with it, but the world needs to be more consistent in how its creatures act.

Hopefully, we can finally tie up some of the threads over the next couple of episodes so we can get focused on a Tarzan vs. Werper climax.

Read More

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Hurdy Gurdy and Permanent Wave

Directed by Walter Lantz
Produced by Universal Pictures and Walter Lantz Productions

In Hurdy Gurdy, a bear entertains passersby on a street corner with his music box and pet monkey.  When Oswald incapacitates the monkey, the bear forces the rabbit to become his new monkey.  This kicks off a series of adventures that lead to Oswald making out with a cat and a hippo mooning the audience as she bathes.

In Permanent Wave, Oswald is the first mate on a boat captained by the bear.  Our hero attempts to find food for his oppressive captain, but even the bowl of soup is stolen by a gull.  The boat happens upon an island whose main inhabitant is a beautiful singer.  Can Oswald win the girl from his evil boss?



Oswald the Lucky Rabbit? More like Oswald the Gets Lucky Rabbit.

In Hurdy Gurdy, Oswald kisses a cat. A lot. At the end, there is even some really obvious interspecies tongue. In Permanent Wave, he's not constantly making out, but he definitely ends up smacking lips with exotic island babe.

Oswald's skirt chasing is at least character-defining, which give these shorts a leg up on the Mickey ones from this year.  In Hurdy Gurdy, he seems almost single-mindedly focused on chasing a girl.  In Permanent Wave, he's trying to escape his awful job; the girl is just a happy coincidence.

The films also have a preoccupation with butts.  We see a hippo's naked rear and learn that boats apparently have butts as well.  Weird.

The character design of Oswald's universe remains so close to Disney's characters it's frightening.  Disney did not own the rights to Oswald so when he went out on his own, he abandoned his creation.  Even with Universal now producing the films, they remain very close cousins to the signature look of the mouse.

As to the quality of these shorts.  They are fine.  Not terribly funny, but not terrible either.  They are good for what they are, but not something I'm going to remember for the long haul.

Hurdy Gurdy: ***
Permanent Wave: **1/2

Read More

Bowl of Serials: Tarzan the Tiger Episode 9

Bowl of Serials delves into the world of movie serials in cinematic history, one episode at a time.  First up, Tarzan the Tiger, a 15 episode serial that ran in theaters weekly between 1929 and 1930.  The episodes starred Frank Merrill (Tarzan), Natalie Kingston (Jane), Al Ferguson (Werper), and Kithnou (La) and were directed by Henry MacRae.

When last we saw Tarzan, he and Jane had gone back to the apeman's childhood hut to retrieve jewels Jane had hidden there. Unbeknownst to them, their former friend Werper and an associate are lying in wait. They rope Tarzan and hit him over the head knocking him unconscious.

Or did they? Werper raises his knife to deliver the killing blow, but Tarzan grabs his arm, beats him and throws him out the door. His partner fairs no better and is soon lying unconscious outside the hut. Werper sees the writing on the wall and escapes.

Tarzan (still suffering from amnesia) says he has vague memories of Werper. Jane tries to use the connection to help her husband remember more, but his mind remains clouded.

Back at the temple of Apor, the high priestess La, who has swore to only mate with Tarzan, has a vision that... she should only mate with Tarzan.

Tarzan and Jane decide to head to the temple to find more jewels, while Werper goes there to enlist La's help with the apeman.

Now, the four are on a collision course. But is that a lion stalking our heroes? Will they live long enough to see the temple?


This may have been the most annoying episode yet.

First, we get exactly what I thought after the last chapter: incapacitated Tarzan is not so incapacitated and quickly dispatches Werper. At least he got thrown out of a door this time instead of a window.

Then, Jane tries to jog Tarzan's memory. He gets a thoughtful look and seemingly remembers the first five minutes of episode 1. I assume this because the director replays these minutes in their entirety.

Except when we cut back to Tarzan, he still doesn't remember. Well, someone remembered. That, or the filmmaker doesnt understand that if a character is trying to remember something, then you cut to that memory, we as an audience assume the character remembered.

Then we cut to La and a title card explaining she will only mate with Tarzan. She takes a couple of minutes to perform a ceremony to tell her what to do. And the vision tells her to pursue Tarzan which a) we knew, and b) leads me to question La's visions. There's a difference between a real supernatural talent and pushing the piece on the ouija board towards the answer you want.

As the final minutes approached, I actually thought to myself that we had not had a random animal attack in a while and... here comes the lion.

This installment was pointless. Nothing happened. Old information was repeated. The same beats get hit again. And I just don't buy that there is any danger at the end.

Read More

Japanese Animation of 1929: Kobu-Tori and Taro's Toy Train

Directed by Yasuji Murata

In Kobu-Tori, an old man with a lump growing on his face takes refuge in a hollow tree during a thunderstorm.  When he awakens, he finds the forest populated by mythic creatures.  He dances with the sprites and as a reward, the creatures remove his deformity.  Back in the village, he tells another man who has a similar growth on his face?  Will the creatures bestow the same boon upon this other man?

In Taro's Toy Train, a small boy named Taro spends his days playing with other children and his evenings playing with his toy electric train.  After he goes to sleep, the train comes alive in his dreams with animals as passengers and himself as the conductor.  But when the monkeys and the farm animals come to blows, can Taro keep the peace?



In 1929, we have seen Disney (meh) and we have seen Felix (better), but after watching these, the Japanese are frankly kicking our American tail.

Both films have a wonderful amount of detail at a level unseen in the other animation reviewed on the site.  The characters here are incredibly intricate in design and capable of a range of emotions that make Mickey and Felix look like cardboard cutouts.

Kobu-Tori is superior to Taro's Toy Train in the story it tells. The former has a whimsical, fairy tale atmosphere and some real lessons at its heart. The latter is slight and practically devoid of any real plot.

In these early Japanese cartoons you can see the beginnings of anime. It's frankly embarrassing to see how far ahead these are compared to anything produced in an American studio.

Kobu-Tori: ****1/2
Taro's Toy Train: ***1/2

Kobu-Tori:


Taro's Toy Train:

Read More

Felix the Cat in One Good Turn and Forty Winks (1929)

Directed by Otto Messmer
Produced by Pat Sullivan Cartoons

In One Good Turn, after being momentarily mistaken for a clock by his groggy owner, Felix is begrudgingly put outside for the night. He works his way back into the house, but his owner launches him into the woods. There, he encounters a boxing bear, but is rescued by a fox. Our feline hero heads home, but spies a hunting party looking for his new friend? Can Felix repay his new friend's kindness and save the fox?

In Forty Winks, Felix is conducting a chorus of cats as they attempt to sing. A nearby homeowner objects to the cacophony and succeeds in knocking all of the cats out (except Felix) with a cloud of ether. Our feckless feline in not unaffected by the gas and tries to grab some shuteye on the couch. His sleep is soon interrupted by everything from a screaming baby to a rambunctious bear. (At least I think it's a bear. It has mouse ears so... a bear mouse? Ursa rodentus?) Can Felix find a quiet spot for a nap?



These Felix shorts have everything I want out of my 1920s animation. You get a real sense of the cat as a character in these, but you also get some really clever and funny ideas in the animation itself.

Felix of course is both a troublemaker and has a heart of gold. He's willing to leave the anthropomorphic clock out in the dreary night, but risks his life to save the fox from the hunters. He falls squarely into that long tradition of Bugs Bunny-like cartoon heroes.

Where the Felix cartoons really shine is in how they present Felix' world. You feel like there is never a missed opportunity. After saving the fox, Felix orders a couple of beers from a mosquito. The bug goes to a barrel, uses its needle-like nose to drain it, then returns to fill up a couple of barrels.

That sight gag would be funny enough, but then the fox blows the head of the beer of the mug and onto Felix' face. The cat turns it into an opportunity to shave. The gags are constantly building on each other in ways that made me smile, if not laugh.

The other great thing about the Felix shorts is their timing and pace. The jokes are well-constructed and the shorts really motor along. The animators only linger on moments for as long as necessary.

If I had to put Felix and Mickey Mouse in a steel cage death match based on their 1929 films, the cat would wipe the floor with the mouse.

Read More

Mickey Mouse in Haunted House and The Opry House

Directed by Walt Disney
Produced by Walt Disney Productions

In Haunted House, our verminous hero finds himself stuck in the middle of a terrible storm. He seeks refuge in a dilapidated home, but soon learns this haven may be more terrifying than anything Mother Nature can dish out. Will the home's undead occupants prove too much for Mickey? Or will he be able to keep them toe-tapping to some organ music long enough to make his escape?

In The Opry House, the rascally rodent performs a vaudeville show for the residents of a small town. The mouse is literally a one man show. He sweeps the theater's porch, performs every role and plays every instrument. But will he be able to handle all of these responsibilities?


After the giddy kick-in-the-pants that was Steamboat Willie, I was excited to revisit some more of Walt Disney's early Mickey Mouse cartoons. The animator's sound breakthrough reveled in the hero's mischievous attitude and the short's innovative use of music and noise.

Sadly, these shorts feel like a bit of a step back. Mickey never really gets to shine through as a character. In Haunted House, he enters a house, gets frightened by some spiders and bats, and is forced to play music for a room full of skeletons. Stuff happens to him and he just passively takes it.

In The Opry House, he's just putting on his show. There's not a lot of conflict he's dealing with (except for his efforts to fit a portly audience member through the front door).

Both shorts are gag-driven and I could forgive the issues above if they were funny, but they're not. Haunted House is monotonously boring. Skeletons dancing over and over. At least The Opry House switched things up a bit by having Mickey perform different numbers. Even these though seemed more a showcase for an animation style (which is unavoidably dated) than for producing laughs.

Throw a racist portrayal of Mickey as a Hasidic Jew into the mix and I get nothing but disappointment. The Opry House is slightly better than The Haunted House, but both are pale shadows of Steamboat Willie.

Photos from Wayfaring Mouse and Mickey Mouse Cartoon

Read More

Bowl of Serials: Tarzan the Tiger Episode 8

Bowl of Serials delves into the world of movie serials in cinematic history, one episode at a time.  First up, Tarzan the Tiger, a 15 episode serial that ran in theaters weekly between 1929 and 1930.  The episodes starred Frank Merrill (Tarzan), Natalie Kingston (Jane), Al Ferguson (Werper), and Kithnou (La) and were directed by Henry MacRae.

We last left Tarzan and Jane staring down the barrel of a gun on one side and the eyes of a lion on the other. Tarzan's former friend Werper is behind the gun and he is after some jewels he thinks the apeman has. For his part, Tarzan is suffering from amnesia and cannot remember anything about his former life including Jane.

Tarzan surveys the situation and leaps to grab the barrel of the rifle. The gun goes off, killing the lion before it can pounce. Realizing they are overmatched, Werper and his partner hightail it out of the cave.

Jane had hidden the jewels at Tarzan's old hut. So the apeman summons Tantor the elephant to carry them across the jungle to the treasure.

It's too far to reach in one day so they camp for the night. After trying to help Tarzan recover his memory, they sleep apart for the evening.

The following morning, Jane goes skinny dipping under a nearby waterfall. Tarzan seems to have... well, let's call it a glimmer of recognition.

Werper has been following the couple and overhear Jane saying the jewels are in the hut. Now with a location, the villain and his associate race to reach the hut before our hero.

At the hut, Werper cannot find the jewels. He hears Tarzan coming and sets a trap. Jane recovers the jewels, but Tarzan finds himself caught in a rope and knocked unconscious. Can Tarzan and Jane escape? And will he ever $@!? recover his memory?


Okay, this is getting tedious. Half of every chapter is devoted to Jane trying desperately to get Tarzan to remember, followed by Tarzan staring blankly into space like he might be remembering, then ending with him shaking his head. I'm done. Please for the love of God, let's get him back to normal.

The peril here is not as pronounced as we've seen in other episodes. Tarzan's captured, but experience says that will be a temporary situation.

I am enjoying hating Werper. He's a nice slimy villain. I cannot wait for his comeuppance.

Read More

Bowl of Serials: Tarzan the Tiger Episode 7

Bowl of Serials delves into the world of movie serials in cinematic history, one episode at a time.  First up, Tarzan the Tiger, a 15 episode serial that ran in theaters weekly between 1929 and 1930.  The episodes starred Frank Merrill (Tarzan), Natalie Kingston (Jane), Al Ferguson (Werper), and Kithnou (La) and were directed by Henry MacRae.
 

So where'd we leave off? Werper had just sold Jane into slavery when Tarzan came busting into the slave market riding Tantor the elephant.

The merchant who purchased Jane mounts a camel and takes off with her, with Tarzan in hot pursuit.

Werper tries to sneak away, but his men catch him demanding their share of the jewels. They open the bag and discover it's filled with gravel. Score one for Jane. All but one of Werper's men leave him in disgust.

Meanwhile, Tarzan catches the merchant and kills him after a brief fight. Our hero is still suffering from amnesia and thinks Jane stole the jewels. Jane is trying to explain herself when a gunshot rings out. Werper and his henchman have caught up to them. The couple escape into a nearby cave.

Tarzan moves a rock in front of the entrance and Jane gets to work helping Tarzan recover his memory. He seems close for a moment, but then it fades.

However, the peril for our heroes isn't going anywhere. The muzzle of a gun slides into view by the entrance to the cave. And is that a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness?


Oh Tarzan the Tiger, why must you tease me?

It really felt like we were about to put the amnesia plot behind us. It's so cliche I just hate it.

We do get some bad guys making some smart decisions. They see Werper, realize he's a fool, and seek greener pastures. And Werper actually figures out that if he tries to shoot Tarzan from a distance, he won't be immediately thrown out a window.

It feels like we are repeating a lot of the same beats. Hopefully the next episode will get us moving again.

Read More

Simple Question, Difficult Answer: Best Actor of the 1920s

You know the drill.  The poll can be found in the sidebar.

Who do you think was the best actor of the 1920s?

• John Barrymore (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Beau Brummel)
• Lon Chaney (The Phantom of the Opera, The Unknown)
• Charlie Chaplin (The Gold Rush, The Kid)
• Douglas Fairbanks (The Mark of Zorro, The Thief of Baghdad) 
• John Gilbert (Bardelys the Magnificent, Flesh and the Devil)
• Buster Keaton (The General, The Seven Chances)
• Emil Jannings (The Last Laugh, The Last Command)
• Fritz Rasp (Metropolis, The Love of Jeanne Ney)
• Rudolph Valentino (Beyond the Rocks, The Sheik)
• Conrad Veidt (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Beloved Rogue)
• Other (include in the comments of this post)

Read More

Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

An empty theater sits, awaiting its next audience. The seats of the chairs lower in unison, inviting the crowd to watch the scheduled movie. The patrons file in and take their seats, the lights lower and the projector springs to life to show...

Dawn is approaching in the city. Its denizens begin to stir, its streets come to life, its machinery starts turning. We see people at work and at play. Committing to one another through matrimony and breaking the bond in divorce. Being born and dying.

It could be any day in any city, but a lone cameraman is there, moving through the crowds and buildings, climbing and flying to document every tick and movement of the metropolis.



I am sure director Dziga Vertov had never heard the term "meta" in 1929, but he certainly understands the concept. At its core, Man with a Movie Camera is a film about an audience watching a film about the camera man creating the film that they are watching. Mindbending stuff.

To make the film more enigmatic, it is clear we are never actually seeing the footage shot by the cameraman being followed on screen. As he is pulled across a waterfall on a platform, he looks to be getting some great footage. But it never appears on the screen. We are only following him.

The set up and premise are challenging (in the best possible way), but the beyond its scenario, the film has to be good to be meaningful. Despite its meta trappings, Man with a Movie Camera is essentially a documentary about life in a city, cinematic ground previously covered by Berlin: Symphony of a Great City.

Except Man with a Movie Camera aspires to so much more. Every frame, every shot is meticulously considered and it's juxtaposition always has a point.

Some of it is obvious. We cut between a wedding and a divorce proceeding. A live birth and a funeral procession.

But others are more whimsical. Opening and closing window blinds intercut with a blinking eye. A seamstress working thread with a film editor cutting film.

The images make you think. About mortality. About the body as a machine. About the possibilities of film. And if a scene doesn't speak to you, another moment is coming hard upon its heels.

For its time, Man with a Movie Camera is revolutionary for its fast editing and cerebral approach. I can't say it was entertaining, but days later I'm still turning individual scenes over in my head.

****1/2 out of *****

Photo from Silent Volume

Read More

Blackmail (1929)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Anny Ondra, John Longden and Sara Allgood 
Produced by British International Pictures

Detective Frank Webber is taking his girl Alice out for a night on the town.  Frank manages to sneak the couple into a posh and exclusive night spot, but Alice seems distracted.  He asks if she'd like to take in a movie later.  She demurs before accepting.

Then a man in a light-colored suit enters the restaurant.  Alice notices him and backs out of her date with Frank.  Frustrated, the detective storms out of the restaurant, but pauses outside the entrance to contemplate his next move.  He seems ready to reenter the building.  When he sees Alice leaving arm-in-arm with the other man.

The man, an artist named Crewe, walks her home, pointing out his flat as they go.  He asks if she'd like to stop up and after a little protesting Alice agrees.

Once in the man's apartment her eye is drawn to a painting of a clown pointing his finger out from the canvas and laughing.  Crewe gives Alice an impromptu art lesson, drawing a slender woman's figure on a cartoonish face she created.  He offers to draw her modeling a dress he has on hand.  She slips into it while he plays the piano.  When she's dressed... he forces her onto the bed.

Alice screams and fights back, but it's no use.  Desperately, she reaches for anything she can find.  Her hand falls on a knife next to a plate of cheese.  There is a struggle hidden behind a curtain. When the confrontation ends, a dazed Alice emerges from behind the curtain.

Panicking, she quickly wipes all evidence of her presence from the room, walks home and slips into bed before anyone notices she is gone.

The next day, Crewe's landlady finds his body and calls the police.  One of the officers is Frank.  He surveys the room and notices Alice's glove on the floor.  Instead of turning over the evidence, he pockets it and goes to speak with his girl.

As Frank starts to confront Alice about her night, the couple are interrupted by petty criminal Tracey, who has Alice's other glove from the murder scene.  He's willing to forget they were there for a payoff.

Can Frank and Alice turn the tables on Tracey?  And can Alice live with her crime?



Amidst all that is going on in film at this point (stilted melodramas and a messy transition to sound), it is fascinating to see Hitchcock's first real talkie arrive. And it's a classic Hitchcock set up. Boy like girl. Girl likes other boy. Girl kills other boy after attempted rape. Boy helps girl cover up crime. Stir in a healthy dose of paranoia and you are ready.

What surprises is Hitchcock's immediate mastery of sound and all of its possibilities in film. There is an amazing sequence with Alice, at the height of her paranoia, listening to another person describe the crime. It's a normal conversation, but gradually the words start to blur and become muffled until all Alice can hear is the word "knife." And the word is shouted like punctuation at the end of a sentence.

More than that (and very unlike the recently reviewed In Old Arizona), Blackmail is a film that revels in its silent moments. The director already seems to grasp the tension created when we hear nothing, when we are holding our breath in anticipation along with the characters on screen.

The other truly notable element of Blackmail is its imaginative camerawork. The camera floats through walls and floors to follow characters up flights of stairs. It finds the small details of every scene: here, a spinning hubcap; there, the tinkling bell above the shop door. We see the characters in extreme closeup, often seeming to challenge the audience directly.

All that said, it's far from a perfect film. The editing, a signature of later Hitchcock work, is too disjointed and choppy in parts. We careen from shot to shot, sometimes with little purpose and sometimes for too short a moment for it to have purpose.

The acting is okay, with the exception of Anny Ondra's Alice. She overplays every emotion in a movie that needs a bit of understatement.

Knowing where Hitchcock is going later in his career only adds to my admiration for Blackmail. Like the pencil drawing in the film, we get hints of genius, but it's unfinished and unrealized here. Still, it's a fascinating watch if only to see the word "Hitchcockian" begin to be defined.

***1/2 out of *****

Photo from The RD Horror Project

Read More

Bowl of Serials: Tarzan the Tiger Episode 6

Bowl of Serials delves into the world of movie serials in cinematic history, one episode at a time.  First up, Tarzan the Tiger, a 15 episode serial that ran in theaters weekly between 1929 and 1930.  The episodes starred Frank Merrill (Tarzan), Natalie Kingston (Jane), Al Ferguson (Werper), and Kithnou (La) and were directed by Henry MacRae.

When we lost saw the amnesiac Tarzan, he had been captured by now-deceased slaver Achmet Zek's men after being betrayed by his former friend Werper over a satchel of jewels.

His captivity lasts all of ten seconds as he begins beating Zek's men and throws Werper out the window.

He is about to exit, but realizes he can't leave Jane behind. Even though he can't remember her, Tarzan feels Jane is a friend.

The couple head toward the hut where Tarzan was orphaned and adopted by an ape. Jane tries unsuccessfully to help Tarzan regain his memory. After some effort, Tarzan heads for the treetops to sleep, leaving Jane in the hut with the jewels.

Werper and his men find the hut and Werper convinces Jane he instill her friend. He "pretends" to capture her and takes her to the slave market.

Tarzan awakens and finds the hut empty. Enraged because he thinks Jane has betrayed him, he teams up with Tantor the elephant to track her down.

Werper convinces Jane to be sold as a slave and commits to being the highest bidder. Of course, when the moment comes, he does not bid and Jane is sold.

Moments later, Tantor destroys the gates to the market with Tarzan on his back. The elephant stampedes through the square scattering slaves and slaver's alike. What happens next? Tune in next week...


I like the tale they tell here. We get some natural exposition about Tarzan's history. We get Tarzan actually getting an assist from one of his jungle friends. We get Werper going full-on baddie.

Unfortunately, we get Jane being a rube.

"Sure, guy who betrayed me moments ago, I'll totally pretend to be your prisoner. What? You want to sell me as a slave, but buy me yourself? I can see no flaw in your plan?"

The sad thing is from a story perspective, there's no reason for Jane to trust Werper. If she had not trusted, she still would have become a prisoner and been sold as a slave. The script choice serves only to make her look like an idiot.

Still, it's keeping my interest. Wonder what will happen next?

Read More

Bowl of Serials: Tarzan the Tiger Episode 5

Bowl of Serials delves into the world of movie serials in cinematic history, one episode at a time.  First up, Tarzan the Tiger, a 15 episode serial that ran in theaters weekly between 1929 and 1930.  The episodes starred Frank Merrill (Tarzan), Natalie Kingston (Jane), Al Ferguson (Werper), and Kithnou (La) and were directed by Henry MacRae.

When we last saw Tarzan and Jane, they were captured by the priestess La and her Sun Worshippers, and Tarzan (still suffering from amnesia) was about to meet the business end of a spear. Tarzan's false friend Werper returned to Greystoke to find a suspicious Achmet Zek waiting for him.

The Sun Worshipper hurls the spear at Tarzan from a few feet away and... misses! High and to the right. No sooner does the spear lodge itself in the tree when Zetks men arrive and recapture Jane. A fight ensues and Tarzan rescues La.

La, now believing Tarzan loves her, declares he shall not be harmed. The priestess' necklace reminds Tarzan of the jewels he hid in the forest.

He sets off to find the treasure and discovers Werper has stolen it. Enraged, he seeks out his former friend and sees him in the distance being chased by Zek.

Werper and Zek fight. Werper kills the slaver and escapes from Tarzan back to Zek's camp where Jane is being held.

Werper plots to sell Jane as a slave, but is betrayed by Zek's second-in-command. Werper kills the man, but Tarzan arrives, crashing through the roof to reclaim his jewels.

Zek's men arrive and see their leader dead. Werper claims Tarzan murdered him and is captured. What fate awaits our hero next?


This episode represents the best and worst aspects of this serial so far. The pace really picks up. Zek is taken off the board. Werper is revealed as a bad guy. Tarzan reaches a temporary resolution with La. It ends at an intriguing moment. All good.

But then there's the spear missing Tarzan. You want your hero to earn his escape, not stumble into it. When Tarzan is angry, he starts breaking sticks, uprooting trees and throwing boulders. He looks ridiculous doing it, like my four year old throwing a tantrum. And when the animals "help" him? It consists of him running by a tiger, pointing as though he is speaking with the comatose animal, and running off. Silly.

Still, I'm happy about the forward movement here. I'd be happier if the amnesia subplot fizzled out, but I'm not holding my breath there.

Read More

Off-Topic: Tips for Making a Great Film Podcast (from a Humble Listener)

Off-Topic features post that deviate from my normal 100 Years of Movies marathon.  Topics can be anything in the world of film.

I am a podcast addict.

I listen to podcasts constantly. While 90 percent of them are film-related, I also listen to some news, television and science podcasts. I have some I listen to religiously, looking forward to each new episode like others may anticipate an episode of The Walking Dead or Grey's Anatomy. Some sit on my iPod and are heard when I get a chance. And some others get sampled and discarded after a couple of episodes.

That's a long-winded way of saying I have some thoughts on what separates the good from the bad in the world of podcasting. I will say right up front that I am not a podcaster myself and cannot offer any opinions on equipment or software (though there is plenty of information about that on the web).

Without further ado, my top ten tips for great podcasting:


1. Go into it with a mission.
I have abandoned a number of podcasts that were frankly aimless. If you just want to talk about the latest release with your friends and beam it out, that's fine. But unless your name is Roger Ebert or A.O. Scott, most people aren't going to care. Try to come with some hook. Maybe you focus on a particular obscure genre of film. Maybe you do a more detailed scene by scene analysis of movies than anyone else. Maybe you challenge your cohost to watch a particular film and review that. Give yourself something to stand out from the crowd.

2. Have a format.
This should be a nobrainer but it's often not. Are there segments to your show? Is someone the host? Are you going to give spoilers (definitely announce that in advance)? Be sure to set an agenda.

3. Treat every podcast like its the first (because for someone it will be).
This is a big pet peeve of mine. Look at that mission and your format. Now come up with a short, punchy explanation of what your podcast is. There are bonus points if you can make it entertaining. Repeat that introduction to your podcast before every episode. EVERY. EPISODE.

There is nothing more frustrating as a listener than to hit play on their first episode of a podcast (which may actually be the 12th  or the 112th released ep) and hear three people just start talking. Sure, I can stick around and figure out your format and mission over the next three episodes. But unless you're immediately entertaining, you're going to lose me to someone else's podcast.

4. Limit the number of participants.
Another pet peeve and potentially controversial for some. My ideal is two or three speakers. You can get away with four, but that's pretty much the upper bound for not creating confusion for the listener. I'm listening while I run or drive my car. I do not want to be worrying about whether it's Tom or Joe speaking right now.

If you have more than four people who want to be involved, there are practical ways around that. The AV Club's Reasonable Discussions podcast will include different people in different segments to keep the numbers down. The LambCast rotates amongst a dozen or more members, only retaining its host from episode to episode.

5. One at a time and include any guests.
Again, a common sense one but do not talk over each other. It's frustrating and annoying for listeners. It's okay for one of the participants to interrupt the speaker, but don't make your point until you have the floor. I have dropped podcasts out of frustration with this issue.

On the opposite side, if it's you and your best friend hosting with an occasional guest, realize your natural chemistry may lead you to exclude that guest. Make efforts to include everyone. It should not be a two person conversation where you ask someone else's opinion at the end.


6. Expletives? Just shut the $&@? up.
Another potentially controversial stand, but expletives in podcasts should be used sparingly. It's okay to use it to underline a point (as in "I $&@!?@$ hated this movie!"). But if every other word out of your mouth is on George Carlin's list? I stop listening.

Now, I am no prude, but I have two reasons for feeling this way. First, it frankly sounds immature. I want to get the opinions of people I take seriously as a reviewer. And if you have to rely on expletives to get your point across, you sound less professional. Second, and more practically, I am a parent. I do most of my listening in the car. I do not want to worry about what will come out of the speakers when I press play. If you revel in your explicit tag on iTunes, realize you are immediately limiting your potential audience.

7. Prepare.
This is one that never fails to shock me. If you are going to talk about say Prometheus, have a plot description ready to at least refer to if not read. If you are going to read listener emails, don't openly comment that you can't find them on your computer. Listeners do not want to hear you stumble through items that should be readily at hand.  Mistakes are fine, but when it becomes a trend...

8. Audio quality and presentation matters.
Another pet peeve. If you listen to your podcast and it sounds like one of the participants is in another room, that's a problem. One that needs to be fixed.

In the same vein, the way you sound makes a difference. You need to articulate words, speak clearly and not pepper your discussion with "like" an "um."

9. Focus on the task at hand.
Look, you and your podcast partner may have been best friends since kindergarten. He may have introduced you to your wife. For the time you are recording, focus on the purpose of the podcast. I'm not saying don't have a personality and don't have a brief conversation about what's going on in your lives. But if you are eight minutes into recording and still haven't gotten into the point of the podcast? Your listeners are frustrated.

10. Content.
It's last because it's a forgone conclusion, but your podcast needs to inform or entertain or preferably both. I have laughed out loud listening to a podcast and I have also seen a movie in a new light. Make sure you have something to say.

Feel free to add your thoughts or additional tips in the contents below.

Read More