Family Fun Saturday - The Emperor's New Clothes (1987)

The Cannon Group, 1987

Starring Robert Morse, Sid Caesar, Jason Carter, and Lysette Anthony

Directed by David Irving

Music by Stephan Lawrence; Music by Michael Korie

This was the third Cannon Movie Tale, the low-budget series based around famous fairy and folk tales. It's the only one to adapt a Hans Christian Anderson story, and as you can guess with that cast, to be played as more of a comedy with songs than a fantasy romance. How does the tale of two con-men who swindle an emperor with a supposedly "magical" cloak look today? Let's begin at the seashore, just as a line of prisoners are about to be drowned, and find out...

The Story: The prisoners are spared death by the announcement of the wedding between Princess Gilda (Anthony) and Prince Nino (Danny Segev). Truth be told, independent Gilda doesn't really want to marry the repulsive and bizarre prince, but the wedding was arranged years ago, and her father's prime minister (Clive Revill) insists on it to strengthen their borders. 

Gilda's father the Emperor (Caesar) could probably care less who marries whom. He's far more interested in his elaborate and expensive clothes. The con artists manage to sneak into one of his fashion shows, dress as gentlemen, and pass them selves off as tailors. The elder of the two (Morse) claims they can weave a special cloth made of diamonds that stupid people and those who are unfit for office can't see. The Emperor and his couriers bring him bags of jewels to weave into the "cloth," but the head guard (Yehuda Efroni) is suspicious. Meanwhile, his nephew (Carter) falls for Gilda, who certainly finds him more attractive than the obnoxious, spider-collecting Nino.

The Song and Dance: The central performances are the thing here. Morse and Caesar have the most fun as the wild-eyed huckster always on the lookout for his next adventure and the clothes-obsessed monarch who desperately wants to appear in something different and unique at his daughter's wedding. I also like that we have another spunky, tough princess in Gilda who figures out their scheme a lot faster than her father and his court. Appropriately, the costumes are nifty and detailed, especially for something low-budget. Check out the Emperor's golden Greek-inspired ensembles with the grape trim on the shoulders of his capes! 

Favorite Number: Caesar introduces the Emperor and his vanity as he explains to his couriers why "Clothes Make the Man" and he must have more of them. Morse and Carter sing about going on "The Adventure of the Century" outside of the gates of the castle, and after they've gotten in and dressed as nobles. Morse gleefully performs "Weave-O" as they work on the non-existent cloth to convince the court that they're actually doing something.

What I Don't Like: Beyond the two leads and Anthony, the remaining actors just aren't that interesting. Carter is an especially bland hero, and really not terribly believable as a con artist. No wonder he wanted out. The songs aren't that memorable, either. With the accent firmly on comedy, the movie often feels as if it doesn't know if it wants to play the story straight or as a spoof of romantic fairy tales. Carter and Anthony's love duet "Is This a Love Song?" bears out that confusion as the two wonder how they ended up in a romantic movie ballad in the first place. There's also the usual Cannon cheap sets and tinny score clashing with the more sumptuous outfits. 

The Big Finale: Not my favorite Cannon Movie Tale, but far from horrible if you're a fan of either leading men or the original Hans Christian Andersen story.

Home Media: One of the easier Cannon Movie Tales to find, it's currently on DVD and free for streaming on Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Idlewild

Universal/HBO Films, 2006

Starring Andre 3000, Big Boi, Paula Patton, and Terrence Howard

Directed by Bryan Barber

Music and Lyrics by various

Cotton Club wasn't the last recent musical to depict the African American experience in the 1930's. Members of the hip hop duo Outkast wrote the music and starred in the lead roles of this tale of two best friends who have close encounters with gangsters and shady dames while running a nightclub in a southern town in 1935. The difference here is, this one goes the Moulin Rouge route of using music that reflects more 2006 than 1936 - in this case, hip-hop, R&B, and soul - along with a music video director known for his flashy editing techniques. How does it hold up today? Let's take a trip through time to Idlewild, Georgia, as best friends Rooster (Big Boi) and Percival (Andre 3000) grow up together and find out...

The Story: Rooster and Percival are best friends literally all their lives, ever since they started out hanging around at the funeral parlor Percy's dad (Ben Vereen) owns. Rooster eventually marries Zora (Malinda Williams) and having five children with her, while Percy continues to work at the funeral home. Their lives intersect again when Rooster becomes a singer and Percy a piano player at The Church Club. Percy's content to play behind Rooster, until he's late on a night when local gangsters Spats (Ving Rhames) and Trumpy (Howard) are in residence. Also arriving that night is Angel Davenport (Patton), a singer who claims to be a star from St. Louis who has a contract with the club.

After Trumpy kills Spats and Church manager Ace (Faizon Love) in a shoot-out, Rooster becomes the new manager of the Church. Turns out Rooster inherited Ace's debts and has to sell the booze from Trumpy's suppliers at the Church whether he likes it or not. He's so desperate, he eventual gets Angel onstage. She's nervous at first, until Percival suggests they sing a song he wrote for her. It turns them into a sensation. Even after Percy finds out who she really is, he still considers going to Chicago with her to cut a record. 

Rooster, however, is still having trouble with Trumpy. He hooks up with another bootlegger, GW (William Nunn), to see his hooch from Percy's hearse, even as his wife takes their children to her mother's house. It all comes down to an explosive confrontation at the Church that reminds Rooster of what's really important to him...and Percival of what he has to lose.

The Song and Dance: Evocative and violent look at two friends whose lives intersect in a web of music, romance, and gangland violence. It's the supporting cast that really shines here, with Howard appropriately menacing as Trumpy, Vereen stoic in his few appearances as Percival Senior, and Patton simply glowing as the beauty with the angelic voice who isn't what she claims to be. I love the gorgeous, period-accurate costumes and the wild editing that brings vitality and vigor to the amazing dance routines and gives the film the right sepia-and-dust look of a faded movie print from this time.

Favorite Number: We open with Macy Gray as the Church's lead singer Taffy shimmying and shaking to "The Greatest Show On Earth," as a wild assortment of tap dancing, jitterbugging, and chorus dances go on around her. Rooster sings about his snappy "Bowtie" with the chorus when he does finally arrive to appease the gangsters. Joi Gilliam, who dubbed Patton, joins Andre 3000 for the montage "Movin' Cool (The After Party)" as Angel and Percy go from desperately thrown-on-stage replacements to the stand-out stars of the Church. 

"Church" is the big chorus number with Rooster that becomes a bloodbath when it's invaded by Trumpy, his henchmen, and their guns. "She Lives In My Lap" is the touching and rather creepy song Percy performs when he has to prepare Angel for her casket. The film ends on a high note showing how Percy becomes a star with two big choral routines, "When I Look In Your Eyes" and "PJ & Rooster" over the credits.

What I Don't Like: The plot pretty much cobbles together the best parts of everything from The Cotton Club to The Public Enemy and tosses them in a blender. Like The Cotton Club, the whole gangster plot is confusing, annoying, violent, overlong, and ultimately besides the point. The only real reason to see this is the dancing. The two lead performances can sometimes be a bit stiff as well, and the dynamic editing often takes us into the audience or away from what we really want to see, those dynamic dance routines. 

And did I mention the violence? While not at the level of The Cotton Club, there is blood, shootings, several sex scenes (including one that's a musical number), and at least one woman is seen full-on topless briefly. It's absolutely not for children or those who can't handle the violence level. 

The Big Finale: The wild numbers alone makes this worth checking out at least once for fans of gangster movies, elaborate Moulin Rouge-style musicals, or Outkast and other rap and hip-hop stars of the 2000's. 

Home Media: Easy to find on all major formats; currently streaming on Amazon Prime and HBO Max.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

St. Louis Blues

Paramount, 1958

Starring Nat King Cole, Eartha Kitt, Juano Hernandez, and Ruby Dee

Directed by Allen Reisner

Music and Lyrics by WC Handy and others

W.C Handy is nowadays considered to be the "Father of the Blues." He was one of the most prolific composers of the early 20th century, and one of the first black composters to achieve major recognition. His hit songs like the title number and "Memphis Blues" are still performed by jazz, blues, and R&B artists to this day. How does this very typical biography deal with a not-so-typical subject? Let's start in Memphis in the 1880's, as the young William Christopher Handy (Billy Preston) watches his father Reverend Charles Handy (Hernandez) give a fiery speech and find out...

The Story: Reverend Handy is completely against any music that isn't classical or spiritual, calling it "the devil's music." His son, however, can't help but be drawn to it. Even after he returns from school, Will (Cole) admits to his girlfriend Elizabeth (Dee) that he spent his summers playing music with blues bands and minstrel shows. Elizabeth is horrified and tells him he should take a good job as a teacher. Will considers it...until he plays the piano at a friend's saloon. He's asked to write a campaign song for a local sheriff's political rally and puts together a band to play the tune. Song and band are so successful, singer Gogo Germaine (Kitt) hires them to sing in her nightclub. He ultimately sells the song, and though he likes Gogo, she wants their relationship to be strictly business.

He still hasn't told his father, but the Reverend ends up finding out any way from a member of the church choir (Mahalia Jackson). Will tries to tell his father how he feels about his music, but the Reverend won't hear it. His son moves out and writes more hit songs, including "St. Louis Blues." He uses the checks to buy a piano for his father, but the Reverend isn't amused. Will finally comes home when he goes blind. When his sight returns, he takes music students...but he can't forget his music. It's Gogo who finally brings everyone to New York to hear "St. Louis Blues" performed by a real symphony...and who points out to Will's family just how damaging their judgmental behavior is to him. 

The Song and Dance: The songs by far the main reason to see this, along with the unique cast. This would be Cole's only shot at a leading role in films, and a rare chance for Kitt to sing in films, too. Kitt and Hernadez are the stand-outs as the tough singer who understands Handy's feelings about the emerging blues music, and his strong-willed priest father who is determined to see his son become a man to be proud of. Reiser's not a great director, but he does manage to bring a level of intimacy to this fairly heavy drama that works with the actors' understated style. There's also the rare music on display. "St. Louis Blues" remains popular to this day, but a lot of the other songs are a lot less well-known nowadays.

Favorite Number: The movie kicks off with Jackson and Pearl Bailey as Handy's Aunt Hagar performing the spiritual "Hush the Wind," but Reverend Handy doesn't like the bluesy spin Hagar gives it. Gogo performs her own lyrics to Handy's campaign song at the club, rechristening it "Yellow Dog Blues." She joins Will for the aching blues ballad "Careless Love" when he admits he has some feelings for her. "Morning Star" is the number Handy performs on the new piano he buys his father that the Reverend finds so offensive.

What I Don't Like: I can kind of understand why Cole didn't get another leading role after this. He sings and plays well, but his acting is wooden. (In his defense, he was said to be a very shy person in real-life.) It's too bad the story doesn't rise to the level of Handy's still-delightful songs. It's one great big cliche after another, with very little of it related to Handy's actual life. The sequence with him suddenly going blind, then suddenly regaining his sight when the church choir sings a spiritual, is utter claptrap. (Handy did go blind briefly...as the result of an illness while living in New York, nothing that had to do with his father.) There's barely any mention of Handy's extensive traveling with various groups, especially in his younger years. The costumes and sets don't really give you a sense of time passing, either. It looks like 1958 for more-or-less the entire film. Fitzgerald is listed in the cast, but she performs one number late in the film and that's it. 

The Big Finale: Worth seeing for the musical performances alone if you love any of the singers here or are a fan of jazz, blues, or Handy's work.

Home Media: The DVD is currently out of print and very hard to find. Your best bet by far is streaming. At the moment, it can be found for free at Crackle.

Crackle

Animation Celebration Saturday - Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return

Clarius Entertainment, 2014

Voices of Lea Michele, Martin Short, Oliver Platt, and Kelsey Grammar

Directed by Will Finn and Dan St. Pierre

Music and Lyrics by various

The sordid history of Legends of Oz begins with Roland and Ryan Carroll, a pair of enterprising brothers who began soliciting funds for the movie in 2006. They were notorious for their shady fundraising practices, with cease-and-desist orders in six states going back as far as 1993. The managed to reel people into investing their life savings by claiming they would turn the world of Oz into a huge franchise, with two sequels and a TV show coming. Well...it wound up being one of the biggest flops of 2014, with nothing but lawsuits left in its wake. With all this going on, how did the film itself come out? Let's begin in Kansas, the day after the big twister, and find out...

The Story: Dorothy (Michele) is upset when a real estate appraiser (Short) comes to her uncle and aunt's farm and condemns not only their home, but pretty much her entire community. As she tries to figure out how she can save her family's livelihood, a rainbow whisks her and Toto off to the land of Oz.

Things aren't going so well there, either. The evil Jester (Short) has captured the leaders of the land, including Glinda (Bernadette Peters), and turned them into puppets in an attempt to be taken seriously. Dorothy travels first to the Emerald City, then to his castle to find him and reverse his controlling spells. She's helped on her journey by Wiser the Owl (Platt) who is so fat he can't fly, obedient candy soldier Marshal Mallow (Hugh Darcy), the brittle and spoiled China Princess (Meghan Hilty), and Tugg (Patrick Stewart), a gentle moving tree who sacrifices himself so Dorothy and the others can get to the Emerald City. Dorothy thinks she has to confront the Jester alone, but she ultimately learns that we can defeat any bully when we work with our community.

The Animation: While the colors are absolutely gorgeous (as is appropriate for a movie based on The Wizard of Oz) and the characters move well, their designs occasionally become a little too scary for their own good. The humans are particularly prone to this, their big-eyed stares and wide smiles often falling a bit too much into uncanny valley territory. On the other hand, there are some really nice action sequences, especially with the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow's escape from the Emerald City and Dorothy confronting the Jester in the end. 

The Song and Dance: And the song and dance is really the main reason to see this. For all the movie's problems, some of the songs really aren't bad. The China Princess and Marshal Mallow have a little romance that's kind of sweet when we see it. (Pardon the pun, given what he's made of.) Michele does do fairly well as the determined Dorothy and pulls off her numbers with a great deal of vitality. 

Favorite Number: We're introduced to "The China Princess" in her dainty country as her couriers sing and throw roses at her feet. Dorothy encourages everyone to "Work With Me" to build boat that will get her and her friends to the Emerald City...and brings in several more animals in the area to aid her as well. "Even Then" is a touching ballad for Marshal Mallow after he thinks he's lost the Princess, and Dorothy when she opts to take on the Jester alone.

What I Don't Like: Dorothy's family is lucky a real appraiser didn't come along and actually kick them off their land. Con man though he was, he's right that the buildings likely weren't habitable and probably should have been condemned. The whole movie is like this, with plot holes left and right. Dorothy changes too quickly from "lets work together" to "I'll do it alone." As nightmarish as the Jester is, he still doesn't command the type of awe and horror that the original Wicked Witch did. While I did like how he finally managed to get off the ground in the end, Wiser was otherwise an annoying stock comic relief character. The dialogue is stiff and unconvincing; most of the performances frequently waver between bored (Peters, Grammar) and overdoing it (Short, Platt). 

I agree with some comments online that mention it would have been better if the film concentrated on the China Princess and Marshal Mallow and their story, rather than on Dorothy and the Jester. His subservice and her dominance and how they learn to overcome these traits is really a more interesting story than anything with Dorothy and her family and the Emerald City residents. 

The Big Finale: The animation and a few good tunes aren't enough to overcome a dull and nonsensical story, the all-over-the-place acting, bad dialogue, and how and why this movie was made in the first place. Only if you're a really huge fan of Wizard of Oz stories or the cast. Everyone else is better off dumping this back into that Kansas twister. 

Home Media: Despite the film's stone-cold reception, it's easy to find in all formats, often for under 10 dollars.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - The Cotton Club

Orion Pictures/American Zoetrope Pictures, 1984

Starring Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, and Lonette McKee

Directed by Frances Ford Coppola

Music and Lyrics by various

Undaunted by his difficulties directing Finian's Rainbow in 1968, Frances Ford Coppola returned to musicals in the 1980's. His One from the Heart was a massive flop in 1982, and this did only slightly better. Production continued for the better part of five years. The movie went way over-budget well before Coppola picked the production up from its original producer Robert Evans, whose extravagant tastes ballooned costs to anywhere from 47 to 65 million, a record at the time. The movie went through at least 12 scripts before finally settling on one filmed during rehearsals. Coppola recut the film in 2015, and it's that version I'm basing this review on. Let's start onstage at The Cotton Club and find out why this movie ran into so much trouble...

The Story: Michael "Dixie" Dwyer (Gere) is a coronet musician drifting through life and jobs in the late 1920's. He finally gets a permanent position playing at the world-famous Cotton Club in Harlem, where blacks perform onstage but, at least initially, can't watch in the audience. Mobster Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins) is the owner who courts the rich, famous, and infamous, like fellow racketeer Dutch Schultz (James Renar). Dwyer falls for Renar's moll Vera (Lane), while his brother Vincent (Nicholas Cage) joins his mob. Madden eventually bankrolls Dwyer's career as a Hollywood star. Jealous, Schultz gives Vera her own club. 

Meanwhile, Delbert "Sandman" Williams (Hines) and his brother Clayton (Maurice Hines) have joined the Cotton Club's revue as their newest dance act. Williams falls for singer Lila Rose Oliver (McKee), but the manager treats his performers badly and keeps interfering in their romance. There's also Lila's passing for white to perform in whites-only clubs. Sandman and Dixie become friends when Sandman's fast feet save Dixie from being shot...but Schultz may not survive the night of their big number together.

The Song and Dance: It's not hard to tell where those millions of dollars went. This is a lavish, if unsettling, look at a place and time where blacks and immigrants were just starting to be allowed into "polite" white society...and were tired of being told to keep their place. Along with amazing, period-accurate costumes and Oscar-winning sets, the stand-out here is the supporting cast. Look for Fred Gwynne of The Munsters as Owney's second in command, Broadway star Gwen Verdon as the Dwyers' mother, Jennifer Gray as their sister, Larry Fishburne as a black gangster who does not appreciate that racist Cotton Club manager's behavior, and Tom Waits as one of the mobsters. 

If nothing else, I appreciate the restored numbers. Some of these are downright amazing, with some of the best tap dancing seen anywhere on film in the 1980's. 

Favorite Number: The Hines Brothers get two great numbers in the beginning and end of the film as they show how they start off dancing perfectly together...and eventually realize they can still cut a fine rug as a pair. McKee is shown to great advantage in gorgeous versions of the ballads "Stormy Weather" and "Ill Wind" at the Cotton Club, both with dramatic interpretations against lit street lamps and dancers in flowing costumes. Hines gets a chance to show off his dexterous solo moves towards the end of the film with "Copper Colored Gal." Even Lane gets in on it, singing "Am I Blue?" at Vera's Club in a rather attractive voice; Gere joins her for a coronet solo. Larry Marshall, as a nifty Cab Calloway, scores with a dynamic "Minnie the Moocher" and "Lady With the Fan." 

Trivia: Richard Gere did indeed do his own coronet playing.

Richard Pryor was originally cast as Sandman, but the already-inflated budget couldn't accommodate his salary. 

Ironically, the movie did lead to a real-life murder. The vaudeville promoter Evans hired to do promotion for the movie was killed in 1983 by a drug dealer who resented being cut out of the profits from the movie. It also lead to lawsuits galore by investors who never saw their money back. 

What I Don't Like: It's pretty obvious the movie was constantly re-written as it went along. The plot is confusing and annoying. I lost track of who everyone was and what was going on after a while. No wonder audiences in 1984 couldn't figure it out. It's also overlong, especially in the Encore recut. This did not need to be almost two and a half hours, even with the restored numbers. He may be able to burn up the coronet, but Gere is deadly dull as the musician whose career is buoyed by his association with organized crime, and Lane is even less interesting. 

Even in the longer cut, there still isn't enough of the black side of the story. I'd love to see more of Lila's feelings on having to pretend to be white to sing in major clubs, how the black mobs finally pushed for racially-mixed audiences at The Cotton Club, and the relationship between Sandman, Clay, and Dwyer. The happy ending feels forced, too bright and cheerful for this relentlessly dark film. And note that "dark." There's a lot of blood, violence, gunplay, some mild sexual situations, and tons of swear words (including era-appropriate ethnic slurs). This movie really earns its R rating and is absolutely not for children. 

The Big Finale: In the end, the dynamic numbers, colorful supporting cast, and elegant production more than made up for major script problems and the bland leads. Adults with time on their hands and who have any interest in the history of the 20's and 30's or the cast and can handle the violence level will find a great deal to enjoy here. 

Home Media: The original cut is out of print on solo DVD, but the Encore Director's Cut is easily available on all formats. It's currently streaming for free on Pluto TV. 

DVD - Original Theatrical Film

DVD - Encore Cut

Blu-Ray - Encore Cut

Pluto TV On Demand

High Society

MGM, 1956

Starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Celeste Holm

Directed by Charles Walters

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

Let's return to the US for another romantic comedy, this one a bit more down-to-earth. The Philadelphia Story debuted on Broadway in 1939 as a vehicle for Katherine Hepburn. She appeared in the film version a year later, with Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. MGM returned to the material in 1956, this time with Kelly in Hepburn's role of the society beauty who learns a lesson in humility from her ex-husband and two tabloid journalists. How does this retelling fare now? Let's join Louis Armstrong and his band on the road to Newport, Rhode Island, and find out...

The Story: Tracy Samantha Lord (Kelly) wants everything to be absolutely perfect for her upcoming wedding to prominent mining executive George Kitteredge (John Lund). That includes keeping out her ex-husband C.K Dexter-Haven (Crosby). He lives next door, where he's organizing a jazz festival that includes Armstrong and his band. Tracy's little sister Caroline (Lydia Reed) and her mother (Margalo Gilmore) adore Dexter, but Tracy thinks his songwriting is vulgar.

She's even more offended when journalists Liz Imbrie (Holm) and Mike Connor (Sinatra) from tabloid magazine Spy also arrive at the party. Their editor wants them to take pictures of the wedding in exchange for not printing a salacious article on Tracy's divorced father (Sidney Blackmer). They don't think much of Tracy or her wedding at first, especially once Tracy and her family try to appear affected and silly to get rid of them. Drunk on champagne, Tracy first takes Mike to her uncle's house to explain that the rich have their own problems, then winds up in his arms at the party the night before her wedding. Now Tracy has to figure out which man she really loves...and realize that she wants to be a lot more than an ice goddess to be admired.

The Song and Dance: One of my favorite Cole Porter movie scores highlights this brittle confection. Kelly does better with Tracy in ice goddess mode in the beginning than the fluttery young woman who is brought down to earth by a supposed indiscretion. Sinatra isn't bad either as the skeptical reporter who learns that the rich have their problems, too. Love the gorgeous costumes, a variable 50's fashion plate in a riot of soft sherbets and florals and floaty tulle for the ladies and smart dark suits for the men.  

Favorite Number: We start off with Armstrong giving us an explanation of what we're about to see and what happened with Tracy and Dexter's marriage in the rollicking opening number "High Society Calypso." Dexter delights Tracy's smitten little sister Caroline with the lilting ballad "Little One." Caroline is so charmed, she promptly declares them engaged. Mike and Liz make their own comment on the veddy rich as they admire Tracy's wedding gifts and ask "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Dexter introduces Armstrong and his band in "Now You Has Jazz." Mike and Dexter make their own commentary on the scandals of the rich, including Tracy, in "Well, Did You Evah!" 

The hit song was "True Love," a gentle ballad that turns up in a flashback near the middle of the film. Tracy recalls her honeymoon with Dexter after he gives her a model version of their yacht the True Love. Crosby sings with Kelly laying back on him, and even she tosses in a few decent lines.

Trivia: Last film for Grace Kelly and Louis Calhern. After she made this movie, Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco. Kelly wore her actual engagement ring during the film. 

What I Don't Like: For all the color and terrific music, the movie frequently lacks the sparkle of its predecessor The Philadelphia Story. Crosby is too laid-back to suggest a husband desperate to get back into his wife's good graces, and Kelly is a much better ice queen than she is a goddess who has fallen off her pedestal. Wish they could have integrated Louie Armstrong and his band better, too. They have two of the film's best numbers, including that great opening. 

The Big Finale: The terrific songs alone makes it necessary for fans of the cast, Porter, or the MGM musicals of the 1950's. 

Home Media: As one of the more popular MGM musicals, this is very easily found on DVD or streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

My Animated Valentine - A Monster In Paris

EuropaCorp, 2011

Voices of Adam Goldberg, Vanessa Paradis, Danny Huston, and Sean Lennon

Directed by Bibo Bergeron

Music and Lyrics by various

We're taking another Valentine's Day trip to romantic Paris, this time in animation. This time, we're staying in the city and jumping back twenty years or so to January 1910. How does this unique French fairy tale look on this side of the Atlantic? Let's go to the movies with projectionist Emile Petit (Jay Harrington) and find out...

The Story: In January 1910, torrential rains overflowed the banks of the Seine River, causing catastrophic flooding in Paris. Emile is more interested in his camera and Maud (Madeline Zima), the ticket taker at the movie theater. His best friend is Raoul (Goldberg), who drives a van he calls "Caroline" that runs on sunflower oil. One evening, Raoul, and Emile bring a deliver to the Professor at the Paris Botanical Gardens. Raoul discovers one mixture that gives the Professor's monkey Charles the voice of an opera singer, and a less stable compound that makes a sunflower grow ten times its size. The sunflower falls over, causing the chemicals to fall and explode. Emile sees a huge creature escape in the destruction.

Singer Lucille (Paradis) discovers the creature out back behind The Rare Bird cabaret where she's the star attraction. Turns out it's a flea that grew to massive size in the blast, along with picking up a beautiful singing voice. She dresses it and brings it onstage, where it's an instant success. Trouble is, its picture was in the papers after the explosion. Police Commissioner Victor Maynott (Huston) is determined to bring this "monster" to justice...but as Lucille points out, the flea isn't the only monster on the soggy streets of Paris.

The Animation: I love the historical details here. They get a lot of things right, from the women's tight dresses to the men's derby hats and Emile's cameras. Even the flea looks fairly accurate to real life. It's not cute, and it's not meant to be. It's actually pretty scary-looking, until it gets onstage with Lucille, where the jagged lines are more elegant than frightening.

The Song and Dance: A charming French confection with a few dark points and an interesting story. I'm especially fond of the setting here. I have to admit, I'd never heard of the damaging Paris floods in 1910 until I saw this film. It makes a unique setting for this sweet story. Though Wikipedia says it's based on The Phantom of the Opera, it has a lot more in common with another French "lady and monster" tale, "Beauty and the Beast." Huston in particular is having a great time as the dastardly villain.

Favorite Number: We're introduced to Lucille and her angel routine at The Rare Bird in the lovely "La Seine and I." She and Lennon reprise the number to even greater effect when the flea finally gets onstage...and the two stop the show cold. "Papa Paris" is the cute little number with the parasol and the band Paradis performs at the opening of the Montmartre Funicular (a trolley that takes people up and down a steep hill), just before Maynott announces he's running for Mayor.

Trivia: Which actually would have been impossible in 1910. The office of Mayor of Paris was abolished in 1871 and wouldn't exist again until 1977.

Vanessa Paradis played Lucille in the French and English versions.

What I Don't Like: It's occasionally pretty obvious this had a lower budget than your average Disney or Dreamworks movie, especially in the iffy water effects when the sunflower's bursting out. For all the unique setting, the story is a strange blend of the cliched (the two human romances, the villain chasing the monster who turns out to have less-than-wonderful motives) and the truly bizarre (the giant sunflowers and a giant flea singing onstage). 

The Big Finale: If you have older kids who love historical action tales or are looking for a unique romance, this odd animated fantasy is worth swimming the flooded Seine for at least once.

Home Media: Out of print on DVD. Streaming is likely your best bet on this side of the Atlantic. Pluto TV currently has it for free.

DVD

Pluto TV On Demand

Honoring Chinese New Year - Mulan II

Disney, 2005

Voices of Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, Mark Moseley, and Lucy Liu

Directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerland

Music by Jeanine Tesori; Lyrics by Scott Erickson

Although it wasn't as big of a hit as some of the Disney animated musicals from earlier in the 90's, Mulan impressed critics with its epic action scenes, delicate animation, and unique heroine. It picked up enough of a fan base after its release to earn one of the last direct-to-home-media sequels the studio churned out from 1994 to 2008. How does this follow-up compare to its illustrious ancestor? Let's start with Mulan (Wen) as she teaches the local kids about martial arts, and find out...

The Story: As Mulan works with the kids, General Li Shang (Wong) arrives to propose to her. She accepts, and everyone in China is thrilled...except Mulan's guardian ancestor Mushu (Moseley). If Mulan marries, he loses his new position as head of the ancestors. He's determined to keep them from marrying.

Meanwhile, Mulan and Shang accept a mission from the Emperor of China (Pat Moriata) to take three princesses to the kingdom of Qui Gong, where they'll wed the princes and unify the kingdoms. The royal ladies, however, become smitten with Mulan's three soldier buddies, especially after Mulan insists they follow their hearts. Mushu's scheming works too well. Mulan finally gets fed up with Shang insisting they stick to the mission and breaks up with him...but when disaster falls on the group, she takes it on herself to unify the kingdoms and save China.

The Animation: Not at the level of the first film, but not quite as horrible as some of the others that came out around this time. It's still relatively delicate, with softer colors and fine lines, like Chinese calligraphy as cartoon characters. Some of the expressions don't quite work or are a little too goofy, though, including a notoriously weird one from Shang. 

The Song and Dance: The decent animation and characters are what makes this even mildly watchable. The trio of princesses are well-delineated, with their own adorable personalities and character quirks. I actually wished we could have seen even more of them, together and with Mulan's buddies. The guys are decently funny too, especially when they're thrown out of the bar in the beginning.

Favorite Number: Mulan teaches the local children the importance of balance in their lives as they take "Lesson Number One" in the opening. The princesses just want to do things "Like Other Girls" as they frolic through fields and fly on swings through the air in their imaginations.

What I Don't Like: The plot is ridiculous and annoying, starting with Mushu's selfish attempts to break up Mulan and Shang. Even Mulan calls him on it. There's also Mulan protesting the arranged marriages, only to sacrifice herself later. The marriages were supposed to prevent a war. What happens when none of them go through? What happened with the treaty? Did Qui Gong still become China's ally? And while the songs weren't the first film's strong point, they're even more bland here, just barely registering. 

The Big Finale: In the end, the decent characters aren't enough to save the bland score, so-so animation, and confusing and annoying story. For huge fans of Disney or the original Mulan only. 

Home Media: The solo DVD is long out of print, but it's easy to find on streaming and paired with the original film on disc.

DVD - Mulan/Mulan II

Blu-Ray - Mulan/Mulan II

Disney Plus (Subscription) 

Cult Flops - Sparkle (1976)

Warner Bros, 1976

Starring Irene Cara, Phillip Michael Thomas, Lonette McKee, and Dwan Smith

Directed by Sam O'steen

Music and Lyrics by Curtis Mayfield

If this title sounds familiar, I reviewed the 2012 remake way back in February 2019. I figured it was well past time to cover the original film. Though this wasn't a hit on first release, it later picked up a rather large cult audience, especially among black Americans who admired its gritty portrayal of the time. Let's start in Harlem this time to see how different this version of the story of three sisters whose rise to fame is derailed by drugs, bad men, and bad choices is...

The Story: In 1958, songwriting hopeful Stix (Thomas) rounds up his best friend Levi (Dorian Harewood), his girlfriend Sparkle (Cara), and her sisters Dolores (Smith) and Sister (McKee) to perform as a group at an amateur show. They win the top prize, but Levi drops out right away. Stix convinces a local nightclub to take a chance on the remaining three girls. Sister is the breakout star with her raw sexuality and amazing performances. She attracts the attention of gangster Satin (Tony King) and moves in with him. The relationship is far from healthy. He uses and abuses her, giving her black eyes and getting her hooked on cocaine. 

Dolores gets fed up with their mother Effie (Mary Alice) ignoring the whole thing and being a maid for a while family and leaves in search of racial equality. The cocaine eventually proves to be too much for Sister. After her death, Stix takes off for a construction job, leaving Sparkle heartbroken. It'll take Sister's funeral to patch up hurt feelings between the two. Levi's already in trouble with the mob, and Stix may have trouble of his own when he turns to a white mobster who wants a piece of Sparkle's talent, too.

The Song and Dance: What I like about this one is the almost documentary-esque grit in this story. The low-budget production and filming in and around the real Harlem makes it feel real, even when the plot gets too cliched for its own good. This especially applies to Sparkle and Stix; Cara and Thomas are a lot more believable as crazy kids in love. McKee take top honors as the shy sister coming into her own and the sexier sister who goes down a dark path when she hitches up with the wrong man. I also like Mary Alice as their gentle mother who spent her whole life serving white families and her own daughters.

Favorite Number: We kick off with "Jump" at the amateur show. Though Stix, Levi, and the sisters all perform well, Sister is obviously the stand out as she wriggles and flirts with an appreciative crowd. "Hooked On Your Love" and the hit "Something He Can Feel" are the montages for Sister and the Sisters as they rise to nightclub fame...and Sister descends into her downward spiral pattern of abuse and drug addiction. Cara and a choir raise the roof with "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" as Sparkle grieves for her adored sibling at her funeral. 

Trivia: The movie was a flop in 1976, but the Aretha Franklin soundtrack went over far better. 

What I Don't Like: The melodramatic plot isn't any less-so here than in the remake, and it can sometimes be a little hard to take. I'd love to know what happened to Dolores after she left to "find freedom." She's never mentioned again. Doesn't even show up at her sister's funeral or to see Sparkle's debut in the finale. Sister's descent into drugs is pretty rushed, too. There's also Satin being a generic gangster. I know he's supposed to be imitating whites, but does that have to mean he comes off as a stock violent villain? 

The Big Finale: I ultimately liked the cast a little bit better here, especially the ladies...but the remake has a lot that's good about it, too. I recommend checking out both if you're a fan of the Supremes and similar girl groups or are interested in two different presentations of African-American musical history.

Home Media: Though not released on DVD until 2006, it's now easy to find on DVD and streaming, often for under $10.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Let It Shine

Disney, 2012

Starring Tyler James Williams, Coco Jones, Trevor Jackson, and Courtney B. Vance

Directed by Paul Hoen

Music and Lyrics by various

The Walt Disney Company has adapted it's own fairy-tale properties and the old beach party movies of the 1960's as Disney Channel musicals, but this one has a more surprising pedigree. Musical retellings of the famous French play Cyano De Bergerac were attempted before on the stage, including Cyrano with the late Christopher Plummer in 1973 and the Dutch pop opera Cyrano: The Musical in 1993. Neither show was a success, though Plummer did win a Tony. How does this retelling that turns the French lovers into hip-hop teens fare? Let's start at a church in Atlanta, Georgia, that's about to get down with a unique choir number, and find out...

The Story: Cyrus DeBarge (Williams) is a talented hip-hop writer and singer. He's also shy and is considered to be something of a nerd by his peers. His father, Pastor Jacob DeBarge (Vance), is absolutely against hip-hop and rap, which he calls "the devil's music." He decries it in his sermons and is livid when his son incorporates hip-hop rhythms into one of his choir numbers. Despite his father's distaste for the music, Cyrus works in a rap club called 'Off the Street, soaking up the musical talent there. He tries to ignore the flashy rapper Lord of da Bling (Brandon Mychal Smith), who makes fun of his shyness and lowly job as a server. 

He and his taller best friend Kris (Jackson) are thrilled when teen pop star Roxanne "Roxie" Andrews hits town. She's an old childhood friend of theirs, and they both have crushes on her. Cyrus sends one of his songs in for a contest Roxie's sponsoring under the name "Truth." The included photo is one of Kris and Cyrus, leading Roxie and her manager Lyla (Nicole Sullivan) to believe Kris is Truth. Cyrus convinces Kris to play the role while he lip-synchs his lyrics. This works too well at first, as Kris gets closer to Roxie. Roxie, however, is more interested in the down-to-Earth Cyrus. Now, with a no-lip-sync rap Grand Slam coming up, he has to figure out how to tell Roxie and his father the actual truth...and how he can let the real him shine through the façade.

The Song and Dance: I'm not really a fan of rap or hip-hop myself, but I was impressed with this one. The Atlanta setting gives it a slightly more realistic vibe than the somewhat similar Camp Rock, which also dealt with a teen who thought she had to hide her personality. They actually did pretty well with the Cyrano DeBergerac adaptation. All three teens raise the roof with their numbers and do very well as the shy guy who doesn't think he's good enough to let his music be heard, the cute guy who can dance but is no musical talent, and the girl between them who wants to shed her glittery stage persona and find someone who feels real. 

Favorite Number: We open and close with that hip-hop version of "Let It Shine" that so offended Pastor Jacob. I think the kids had a great time, dancing up a storm and really having fun with it. "Don't Run Away" is the touching song Cyrus writes about Roxie that he submits to the contest. He sings "Guardian Angel" for Roxie later in the recording studio as he admits that yes, they're about her. Roxie throws her heart and soul into "Good to Be Home" at the church...before the pastor gives a sermon condemning her music and all of rap. 

The Grand Slam is a montage of intense numbers, starting with "Moment of Truth," as Cyrus finally admits his deception to a shocked and angry Roxie. Roxie's about ready to write him off...until she sees him take on Lord of da Bling in "Tonight's the Night." Lord taunts Cyrus about his shyness and low-level job, only for Cyrus to point out that he saw something the week before that made him realize that, his dandified affectations aside, he's not all that different from him.

Trivia: Mostly filmed in and around Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia, including the Fox Theater (which is frequently used for concerts in real-life). 

A sequel was apparently planned, but ultimately scrapped. 

What I Don't Like: The story is well-meaning, but the "be yourself" moral is laid with a trowel thick as southern pecan pie. Vance's subplot feels like it should be back in Footloose and is frankly a little dated for 2012, too. There's also the fact that circling his face in the picture or sending a solo photo would have saved a lot of trouble for everyone. 

The Big Finale: I think I just found my new favorite Disney Channel musical. If you're a fan of rap or the cast, or have a kid who loves rap, this is very much worth taking a limo ride over to check out.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, including Disney Plus with a subscription. 

DVD

Disney Plus

Boarding House Blues

All-American News, 1948

Starring Jackie "Moms" Mabley, Dusty Fletcher, Marcellus Wilson, and Marie Cooke

Directed by Josh Binney

Music and Lyrics by various

This is the first of several musicals I'll be doing over the next few weeks to celebrate Black History Month. I enjoyed the B "race market" musical I reviewed last year The Duke Is Tops so much, I thought I'd give a later film a shot. Like Duke, this one also features an actor who became well-known later. Jackie "Moms" Mabley is today best known for her racy comedy albums and stand-up routines in the 60's and 70's. She got her start in vaudeville in the 20's, and by the 40's made regular appearances in B films like this one. Let's head to a boarding house in Harlem to see how well she does in a feature-length movie...

The Story: Moms runs a boarding house for performers and former vaudevillians like herself. Most of her lodgers, like Dusty (Dusty Fletcher) and Boo Boo (Sidney Easton) aren't doing so well and can't pay their rent...and now Moms can't pay the rent for the building. Repossession men first try to take Moms' piano, but the boarders head him off by inviting him to lunch and telling him it's a sleeping boarder. Things get even worse when the landlord threatens to evict everyone if Moms can't come up with the rent today. Pretty newcomer Lila (Cooke) tells him she'll marry him in 24 hours to give them more time. They finally bring together a barrage of black talent, including Moms herself, to keep the boarding house from going under.

The Song and Dance: A few good gags liven the first half of the film, mostly slapstick from the various boarders trying to avoid paying rent or running out, or stuttering repossession men who are easily swayed by the promise of rabbit stew. The real interest is in the second half. There's a barrage of unique black talent you won't see too many other places, including an early glimpse at Moms' act and the amazing one-legged man who shows off some pretty darn sweet moves. 

Favorite Number: The first number at the stage show must be seen to be believed. One-legged, one-armed "Crip" Heard does a darn nice dance despite only having one foot to perform on. The Berry Brothers perform the standard "You'll Never Know" between jokes and teasing each other. Stump and Stumpy were apparently a popular duo from the 30's through the 50's; here, they show why "We've Got Rhythm to Spare" when Stump has to deal with his goofy drunk buddy Stumpy. Singer Una Mae Carlisle gets two numbers, accompanying herself on the piano; of her two songs, I preferred the more uptempo "It Ain't Like That." Of the three orchestra numbers, my favorite is the dreamy ballad "We Slumber."

What I Don't Like: Even more than Duke Is Tops, the B-movie origins show plainly. The sets are limited to Mom's house and the theater, and costumes are nothing fancy. There's not even an attempt at chorus numbers this time - it's duos, solos, and an orchestra. Doesn't help that the copy at Tubi is terrible, washed out and sometimes hard to watch. Someone needs to take a crack at restoring this bit of African-American history. And if Cooke's character is supposed to be a singer, why doesn't she have a number?

The Big Finale: Not the strongest story in the world, but if you're a fan of Mabley or any of the performers here, or you're interested in the "race" movies of the 30's, 40's, and early 50's, you'll want to check this one out for the rare acts alone. 

Home Media: It's in the public domain, so it's fairly easy to find on disc and streaming (though as mentioned, the copy isn't great). 

DVD

Tubi

Cult Flops - Two Tickets to Broadway

RKO, 1951

Starring Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, Eddie Bracken, and Gloria DeHaven

Directed by James V. Kern

Music by Jules Styne and others; Lyrics by Leo Robin and others

By 1951, Hollywood was in panic mode. Audiences were flocking to that new device in their living room called television and away from aging downtown and neighborhood theaters. RKO was in the worst shape of the major studios. It had never been the most prosperous to begin with, and it's new owner and producer Howard Hughes did nothing to help with his constant fussing over the tiniest details. One of the projects he produced was this big, bright musical tale with one foot in an old-fashioned "everyone put on a show!" plot and the other in the future of media. Let's start on the road, with three chorus girls on their way back from a disastrous job, and find out just how old-fashioned...and new-fangled...this is...

The Story: Also on the bus is Nancy Peterson (Leigh), the pride of Pelican Falls, Vermont. She's hoping to become a major star on the stage, but she doesn't have an easy start. Her suitcase gets mixed-up with the one belonging to singer Dan Carter (Martin). She chews him out about stealing her things before she figures out they have the same suitcase, then takes off with his. He brings it back and learns that she too is interested in singing. 

Dan and the dancers are represented by Lew Conway (Bracken), an unscrupulous agent who will lie about anything to get his clients work. He tells Dan, the ladies, and deli owners Harry (Joe Smith) and Leo (Charles Dale) he can get them on Bob Crosby's (himself) TV show, then hires a man (Taylor Holmes) to play Crosby's producer and convince the others they can get a spot. Trouble is, Lew can only lie for so long before the others start to realize they're rehearsing for nothing...and Nancy goes to Crosby herself...

The Song and Dance: Hughes wanted to get the film as close to the major musicals made by larger studios like MGM and Paramount, and he mostly succeeded. Busby Berkeley choreographed the numbers, and while they're not as spectacular as some of his earlier ones, they're probably the best thing about this along with the cast. DeHaven enjoys a rare chance to play a tougher singer than her usual dainty ladies. She, Miller, and Barbara Laurence have a fine time as the trio of been-around-the-block chorus dancers who are about ready to throttle Lew if he doesn't give them a chance. This would also be a rare chance to see stage comedians Smith and Dale's work and Bing's bandleader brother Bob as well.

Favorite Number: Our first big number has Nancy's high school insisting she sing a salute to her hometown of "Pelican Falls" as she's about to be sent off to the big city, complete with cheerleaders tossing people around and a marching band. The Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart song "Manhattan" begins as Martin singing with the ladies at Nancy's boarding house on the piano, and ends with them turning it into a spoof of New York types and shows. 

Martin and Leigh perform "The Closer You Are" on a piano in the rain; Martin does surprisingly well as a dancer. DeHaven reminds the ladies that being like "The Worry Bird" won't help their problems in a delightful number in the park tapped by Ann Miller. Bob Crosby jokes about his relationship with his more famous brother Bing, singing "Let's Make Comparisons" to a cardboard Bing come to life. The film ends on a romantic note with "Are You In a Beautiful Dream?" as Martin performs the sweet ballad and Leigh flits around in a filmy yellow dress, against pink feathers. 

Trivia: Laurel and Hardy were originally intended to play the deli owners, but Stan Laurel got sick after filming Atoll K and they weren't able to do it. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, RKO's financial problems means Berkeley couldn't play with the camera or do a lot of the tricks he's known for. I wouldn't have known he directed this if they didn't mention it at Wikipedia and Imdb. Second, while Bracken is a wonderful comic performer, his Lew is an annoying, whiny idiot who does nothing but lie to every single person within earshot. I have no idea why anyone would ever stick by him or why his girl remains with him. For all its TV setting, the story is your basic "put on a show" that had been done before and would be done again, with little that's original. The score is also not terribly memorable, other than the aforementioned dance routines. 

There's also one of the numbers at the TV show, "Big Chief Hole-In-the-Ground." This Native American spoof with Martin as an Indian who struck oil and the ladies as his wives may have been amusing in the 50's, but it's offensive, awkward, and incredibly tacky for most viewers today. 

The Big Finale: Really for fans of the cast, Berkeley, or the big musicals of the 40's and 50's only. 

Home Media: Currently DVD-only in a remastered edition from the Warner Archives.

DVD