Animation Celebration Saturday - Playmobil the Movie

Pathe Distribution, 2019

Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Gabriel Bateman, Jim Gaffigan, and Daniel Radcliffe

Directed by Lino DiSalvo

Music and Lyrics by various

When The Lego Movie was announced, everyone thought it would be a soulless advertisement for the building blocks. It turned out to be a thoughtful, well-written adventure that managed to discuss the importance of creativity and connection while not only advertising Legos, but a slew of other franchises as well. Playmobil, a German toy company that also created plastic figures and buildings, initially jumped on the bandwagon in 2014. The film didn't make it out until November 2019, by which time many imitations, including a second Lego Movie, had come and gone. How does this one fare? Let's begin in live action with Marla (Taylor-Joy) as she tells her brother Charlie (Bateman) about her desire to see the world and find out...

The Story: After their parents die, Marla gives up her dreams of travel to take care of her brother. He feels she's being too cautious and protective; she wishes he'd respect her. When Charlie runs away, she follows him to a toy museum with an exhibit of their favorite playthings, Playmobil. He grabs one of the Vikings; she grabs him. 

The light of a towering lighthouse whisks them into the world of Playmobil. Charlie enters the body of the Viking he held. Marla, who just held her brother, remains herself in Playmobil form. Her brother is kidnapped first by Vikings who admire his incredible strength, then by pirates. She follows him across the world of Playmobil, joined by Del (Galligan), a figure with a bushy beard who lives out of his food truck and sells questionable pink hay. Marla goes on the adventure of a lifetime, from the Wild West to an enchanted forest to a Greek coliseum - to free her brother and finally find the new places she always wanted to see. 

The Animation: On one hand, how they do the eyes in cartoony 2-D is kind of weird, and doesn't seem to match the rest of the obvious computer animation. On the other hand, those eyes are fairly expressive and move quite well. Wish the same could be said for their bodies. Marla has to get used to being stiff plastic when she falls into the Playmobil world...but then she has joins and moves normally for the rest of the film. 

The Song and Dance: For all the complaints bout how derivative this is, they at least went for an original plot that doesn't rip off anything from Lego Movie but the general idea. Ratcliffe has so much fun as the egotistical super spy Dasher, you really wish he was either in more of the movie or would appear in a live-action spy caper pronto. Likewise, Adam Lambert has a ball as the whiny, makeup-sporting Emperor Maximus and Megan Trainor makes an adorable supportive Fairy Godmother. Some of the details are so creative. I love what the hay turns animals into (including a tyrannosaurus rex). 

Favorite Number: We open in live-action with an eager Marla telling her brother how there's "So Much World" out there she intends to see. Charlie and the Vikings are enthusiastic "Brothers In Arms" after we enter the Playmobil world and they celebrate their victory. Adam Lambert explains why he "Gives the People What They Want" to the warriors he's captured. "Rex Dasher" has his own spoof theme that touts his ultra-cool and dangerous lifestyle. The Fairy Godmother shows Marla why she should "Run Like the River" and believe in herself and her dreams.

What I Don't Like: The plot may not directly rip-off Lego Movie, but it still drowns in a tidal wave of cliches. The story of orphans who bond while going on a fantastic adventure has been told many times before, and likely will be told again. Some details may be nifty to look at or bring a chuckle, but they more often than not don't serve the story. Rex Dasher and Emperor Maximus are barely in the movie, but are so funny in their parodies of British secret agents and demanding rulers you wish they were the ones the story revolved around. 

And yeah, there's no getting around the fact that this was made to sell toys...and isn't even as subtle about it as Lego Movie. 

The Big Finale: Not as bad as many critics claimed in 2019, but not great, either. Worth a watch once on a rainy afternoon if you or your kids are fans of Lego Movie or have played with the toys. 

Home Media: Probably thanks to it being a major bomb on release, this can now often be found on DVD for around 5 dollars or less; it's currently streaming for free on Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Musicals On Streaming - Black Is King

Disney Plus, 2020

Starring Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Folajolmi Akinmurele, Niyaniso Ntsikelolo Dzedze, and Stephan Ojo

Directed by Beyonce Knowles, Kwasi Fordjour, and many others

Music and Lyrics by various

By the time she appeared on the 2019 version of The Lion King as the voice of the adult Nala, Knowles had long-since broken from Destiny's Child and become one of the most popular and influential singers on the planet. She intended to make a small clip for a video from her Lion King-inspired album The Gift...which eventually snowballed into this lavish and elaborate exploration of African and black identity and culture. Was its huge success at a difficult time warranted? Let's head to the coast of Africa as a baby found in a basket begins his journey, and find out...

The Story: The young Prince (Akinmurele) is anointed as part of his tribe by an elder (Mary Twala) and his ancestor (Knowles-Carter) after his basket's found in the river. His father (Sibusiso Mbeje) teaches him the ways of the tribe and that his ancestors will always be looking down at him. He follows a monkey into the city and is confronted by his uncle (Warren Masemola) and his biker gang. After the bikers mow down his father, he flees to the city. He hopes to live in luxury, but ends up wasting his life away in the city. It takes a vision of his uncle, reuniting with his childhood sweetheart (Nandi Madida), and ascending to the ethereal plane to discover his true purpose and identity in life. 

The Song and Dance: Wow. This was apparently a labor of love for Beyonce, and it shows in every frame, every lavish costume and beautifully filmed setting. The story may be thin, but it allows for the exploration of black culture, music, and identity in a beautiful, poetic way. This isn't a traditional musical, but a "visual album" of music videos, all relating to black identity via The Lion King story...but it still has some magnificent music, some of the most amazing costumes and hair styles I've ever seen in a film, and location shooting across six continents. 

Favorite Number: We open with Beyonce in her floaty tattered gown, surrounded by ancestors and tribal elders while dancing on the coast as they explain to the infant prince that he's part of something "Bigger." His father and the elders encourage him to "Find His Way Back" and remind him of his p place in the world. "Don't Jealous Me" is his uncle's song in a warehouse as he lures him with gold and gambling and admits he wants to rule the tribe. The prince grows to maturity while dreaming of a fine home with lots of women in "Mood 4 Eva." "Already" sends him home, as he finally wakes up in the city and realizes he can't chase money forever. "Brown Skin Girl" gives us black womanhood in every shade and color possible, draping them in some of the most amazing and colorful gowns in a film brimming with them.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention this is a "visual album?" This isn't a straightforward story, but of a dreamy allegory about black identity separated into a series of especially lavish music videos. If you want something more straightforward or aren't interested in black culture, this is not the place for you. (Having seen either version of The Lion King helps, too.) 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Beyonce or The Lion King, want to learn more about the state of black culture and identity, or just want to check out some of the most incredible hairstyles, sets, and costumes of the past two years, you'll want to join Beyonce on this trip through the spiritual plane too. 

Home Media: It's a Disney Plus exclusive at the moment. 

Disney Plus

Musicals On TV - Carmen: A Hip-Hopera

MTV/New Line Cinema, 2001

Starring Beyonce Knowles, Mekhi Phifer, Mos Def (Yasiin Bey), and Rah Digga

Directed by Robert Townsend

Music and Lyrics by various

This is the second time the opera Carmen was made into an all-black musical with an updated setting. Carmen Jones debuted on Broadway in 1943; a film version was released in 1954. Both were surprise hits, thanks to excellent casts singing the music of Bizet and Oscar Hammerstein. This one came out at the height of an explosion of popularity in rap and hip-hop music. The gritty urban sound came off the streets and on the charts the decade before, but it really started to make waves as the millenniums flipped and groups like Destiny's Child mixed hip-hop, pop, and rock sensibilities. Beyonce Knowles, the lead singer of Destiny's Child, was just becoming an international superstar when she made this, her first acting job. How does the tale of a wanna-be actress who leads a cop into tragedy look today? Let's begin on the streets of Philadelphia, as two cops cruise the downtown to keep the citizens on the straight and narrow, to find out...

The Story: Carmen Brown (Knowles) is an aspiring actress who causes trouble wherever she goes, usually between men. She meets police officer Sgt. Derek Hill (Phifer) when he's supposed to take her home after she's in a fight at a local bar. She ends up getting him to her apartment and seducing him into letting her go. He's caught the next day by his cocktail waitress girlfriend Caela (Reagan Gomez-Preston) and corrupt boss Lieutenant Miller (Mos Def). 

Hill ends up in jail, but even there, he can't stop thinking about Carmen. She's more interested in getting to Los Angeles and joining her best friends with successful rapper Blaze (Casey Lee). Hill's facing probation after he does get out, but he punches out Miller for insulting Carmen and the two end up running to LA. Carmen can' find work there, but she does find her friends and Blaze. Hill's furious when she dumps him to join Blaze. Miller realizes that Hill knows how corrupt he is and goes after him, too. Carmen only cares about being a star...but her passions will end up being her downfall when Hill confronts her at Blaze's sold-out concert.

The Song and Dance: For a movie based after an opera, I appreciate how unpretentious this is. It's the kind of thing that's low-budget, knows it, and runs with it. The men do mildly better than the ladies, with Phifer a touching Hill when he's not called on to sing and Mos Def excellent as his corrupt partner. You probably can't get much more downtown urban 2001 than this movie, with the ladies all in skimpy t-shirts and huge jeans and the guys in fedoras and t-shirts or plaid. 

Favorite Number: "Carmen In Lou's Pub" is her introduction, as she flits from man to man and delights in being the center of attention. "Carmen Seduces Hill" in her lingerie at home, and boy, does it work. "Hill's Prison Song" has his jail bird buddies (Jermaine Dupri and Chad Moss) trying to tell him Carmen's bad news while he continues to obsess over her. "The B.L.A.Z.E Song" introduces Blaze and his own brand of seduction as he sings about how wonderful it is to be powerful. "Girls' California Dreams" takes Hill and Carmen to Los Angeles when they drive across the US in a cheesy montage that makes ample use of back projection, green screen, and early CGI lettering over people's heads. They have an "Argument at the Motel" over Carmen's lack of success in finding acting work. A fortune teller's (Wyclif Jean) cards tell him that this is Carmen's "Death Song," but she's not ready to leave this world yet.

What I Don't Like: Knowles would later become a decent actress in movies like Dreamgirls, but here, she's stiff, has little chemistry with Phifer, and has no idea how to play to the camera. Her friends from Destiny's Child are even less interesting. Phifer's not a bad singer, but he doesn't quite have the pipes she does, and they sound awkward in their duets. The film frequently shows it's a made-for-cable movie from 2001 with its cheesy special effects and simple and dull sets and costumes. It's more like a music video from this time period stretched to feature length. Ironically, for all that, it's also too short to squeeze in all the plot they want to have. It probably should have been at least 20 minutes longer. 

Also, keep in mind that, as per the original story, this is not a lighthearted romp. This is very dark, has an extremely depressing ending, and is absolutely not recommended for younger kids. 

The Big Finale: I'm going to be thoroughly honest and admit I'm not the biggest fan of rap, so this probably isn't up my alley. If you're more into the singers or the genre than I am or are a huge fan of Beyance or any of the rap stars involved, this is worth checking out at once for some half-way decent numbers alone.

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Fearless Four

Warner Bros/Munich Animation, 1997

Voices of James Ingram, Oleta Adams, B.B King, and Zucchero

Directed by Michael Coldway, Eberhard Junkersdorf

Music by Peter Wolf; English lyrics by Ina Wolf

By the late 90's, the popularity of Disney's animated fantasies were so all-encompassing, even overseas companies put out their own versions. Warner Bros got together with Munich Animation for this retelling of the Grimm's Fairy Tale "The Bremen Town Musicians." How does this tale of four unwanted animals who hope to become famous singers look nowadays? Let's begin on the hunt with the owner of Buster the Dog (Ingram), who would rather be singing than chasing foxes, and find out...

The Story: Buster encounters Fred the Donkey (King) when he's fleeing the miller who replaced him with a mechanical centaur. Gwendolyn the Cat (Adams) joins them after her late owner's family tries to kill her and get her owner's fortune. Tortellini the Rooster (Zucchero) is kicked off the farm after romancing one too many hens. 

Bremen's been taken over by the evil Dr. Greed (Ian James Corlett) and his henchman Platini (Garry Chalk). Dr. Greed doesn't allow laughter or singing...but he's so impressed with their singing, he hires them. Turns out he has a lot more in mind for them than singing a few songs. When they learn what he really has in mind for the unwanted critters of Bremen, the animals strike back and prove that every creature deserves another chance at life. 

The Animation: Pretty easy to tell Warners animators worked on this. It's about on par with their other movies from the era, like The Scarecrow and Quest for Camelot. It reminds me a great deal of Don Bluth's later films, but a bit cheaper. The early CGI, including in the factory and the mechanical centaur that replaces Fred, must have been fairly impressive in 1997 but just looks blocky and badly integrated with the 2D animation now. 

The Song and Dance: Kudos for them adapting "Bremen Town Musicians" at all. I can only think of two other versions of this story in North America, a rare Muppet special from 1972 and an episode of the HBO animated show Happily Ever After: Stories for Every Child from 1999. The first half before the quartet arrive in Bremen actually adapts the original fairy tale pretty well. And at the least, they chose a fairy tale that goes off the beaten track from Disney princess tales and romantic fantasies. 

Favorite Number: We open with Buster claiming he's "Never Been Better" to the animals in the near-by woods, even though he's supposed to be chasing a fox. Fred laments to the animals at the mill that "Life Is One Long Rainy Day" of hauling bags of flour. Powertool, the big mechanical centaur who replaces Fred at the mill, brags about his superiority to an animal that can get worn down as he sings "Powertool" and shows off how many bags he can lift. Gwendolyn's lament is the dark ballad "Big Girls Never Cry." "Song of Freedom" is the big number the Musicians perform at the election show for Mr. Greed to reveal what he really has in mind for all those animals he has at his factory.

What I Don't Like: The second half is where this one falters. The original folk story has the animals posing as a "monster" to scare off burglars and opting to stay at their abandoned home. It probably did need some padding to make it feature length...but how did this turn into a rather dark parable about corporate greed and repression? The middle feels more like an attempt at the big action films from this era with vaguely Orwellian overtones and is even a bit depressing. The generic pop and blues songs are pretty dull too, despite having two of the great voices in blues and R&B sing it. 

Oh, and why did they build up what happens when you pull Buster's tail early in the film, only to not use that device again? Likewise, Powertool appears, sings his one song, and promptly vanishes. And apparently the English version cuts out a lot of the finale. You barely see Dr. Greed's fate, how Gwendolyn finally pays for her home, and the party in the very end. It also gets fairly violent, especially in the factory. 

The Big Finale: While I do give them credit for trying something different, this one just gets too strange for its own good. A few folks in Europe, especially England and its native Germany, seem to have seen this and kids and have fond memories. For everyone else, it's a quick curiosity at best for families with animal or music-lovers on hand. 

Home Media: As far as I can tell, this one is currently streaming only in North America.

Amazon Prime

Apple TV 

Vudu

Purple Rain

Warner Bros, 1984

Starring Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, and Olga Karatos

Directed by Albert Magnoli

Music and Lyrics by Prince and the Revolution 

Sorry this was late! I've been having a rough time of it lately...but I'm finally ready to dig into this one.

Michael Jackson was not the only black rock star in the 1980's to headline his own musical film biography. Prince and the Revolution were one of the hottest bands of the mid-80's, with smashes like "1999" and "Little Red Corvette" under their belt. The enigmatic Prince, with his elaborate Edwardian-style costumes and alternately dark and playful lyrics, proved to be too charismatic in music videos and concerts to remain constrained to the stage for long. How does his first movie look nowadays? Let's begin in Prince's native Minneapolis, Minnesota at the real-life First Avenue Nightclub and find out...

The Story: The Kid (Prince) is raw and magnetic in his performances at First Avenue, but his life behind the scenes is far more troubled. The women in the band want him to consider playing their songs, but he'd rather keep the focus on him. His father (Clarence Williams III), a former musician, heavily abuses his mother (Karatos). The only joy he has besides his music is his girlfriend Apollonia (Kotero), a newcomer to Minneapolis who is also looking to become a singer. 

Morris Day (himself) is the head of The Time, another band at First Avenue, who wants The Kid's spot. He convinces club manager Billy (Billy Sparks) to form a girl group with Apollonia as the head singer. Named Apollonia 6, they make their debut at First Avenue and are a hit, despite The Kid publicly humiliating her. The band is still on him about playing music, while his songs are getting a little too personal for the stage, and he's even starting to hit Apollonia the way his father beat his mother. It takes tragedy at home to make The Kid realize how important it is to truly share not only your talents, but those around you, too. 

The Song and Dance: It's all about the song here. Prince's raw but glittery style is ably captured in this dark and very meta look at how personal tragedy can influence creativity. Williams and Karatos in particular are stunning in the harrowing scenes of verbal and physical abuse, showing us a relationship breaking down before our - and Prince's - eyes. Prince is magnetic onstage, strutting in wilder numbers like "Let's Go Crazy" and emotional and thrilling in the darkly sexual "Darlin' Nikki." The striking cinematography plays with the bleak Minnesota landscapes, contrasting the Land of 10,000 Lakes with the industrial neons of First Avenue and The Kid's grimy sepia-toned home life. 

Favorite Number: The movie opens with the wild "Let's Go Crazy," as the Revolution get the crowd pumping with that smash dance tune. Apollonia joins the Revolution onstage for the more driving "Take Me With U." Prince implores Apollonia to choose him and not the flashier Morris onstage with "The Beautiful Ones." "When Doves Cry" is a lot flashier, with its down-and-dirty lyrics and more emotional plea onstage. "Darlin' Nikki" goes even further into sexuality, with its dark lyrics about a woman obsessed with sex and Prince driving this home by playing it glistening naked to the waist down. The tough "Sex Shooter" is Apollonia 6's big number. The film ends with The Kid finally playing one of his female bandmembers' compositions, the driving "Purple Rain," and a montage of his family and group healing to "I Would Die 4 U."

Trivia: Director Albert Magnoli later became Prince's manager. 

What I Don't Like: First and foremost, while there's more of a story and a lot more of interest here than in Moonwalker, this is still a vanity project for a major rock star. If you're not a fan of Prince, his music, or the mid-80's rock/dance scene, you may find a lot of this heavy going. Despite his undeniable charisma, Prince isn't the world's best actor, and his then-real-life girlfriend Apollonia is even less interesting. 

Speaking of his parents, strong language, Prince's sex-charged lyrics on several songs, and the harrowing scenes of verbal and physical abuse makes this for adult Prince fans only. This obviously isn't for anyone looking for something lighter or more romantic in their musicals, either. 

The Big Finale: As strange and alluring as its undeniably magnetic star. Worth checking out if you love Prince or have fond memories of when the hit songs from this film made him one of the biggest music stars on the planet.

Home Media: A major hit in 1984, this is still easily found anywhere, including on disc and streaming. It can currently be watched for free with ads on Tubi.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Musicals on TV - Hairspray Live!

NBC, 2016

Starring Maddie Baillilo, Harvey Fierstein, Martin Short, and Jennifer Hudson

Directed by Kenny Leon and Alex Rudzinski

Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Scott Whitman 

Buoyed by the success of Grease Live! on Fox that January, NBC turned to another high-energy, teen-oriented property that had been a popular movie. The film version of Hairspray only came out a decade before and was still fairly fresh in the minds of many viewers...but it also made quite a few changes from the original Broadway show and dropped several songs. This was a more faithful rendition of the Broadway production that even retained its original Edna Turnblad, Harvey Fierstein. How well did it work out? Let's start on the streets of Baltimore in 1962, as Edna's plus-sized daughter Tracy (Maddie Baillio) heads off to school, and find out...

The Story: Tracy and her best friend Penny Pingleton (Ariana Grande) are crazy about The Corny Collins Show, a local dance program that has teens gyrating to recent hits. Tracy's through the moon when a spot opens up on the show and she's able to audition. Neither she nor Penny can get past the show's producer Velma Von Tussle (Kristin Chenowith), who prefers all her dancers to be slim, pretty, and white, like her daughter Amber (Dove Cameron). 

Thanks to the sexy moves she learns from her new black friend Seaweed (Ephraim Sykes) that's spotted at a school dance, she does manage to get on the show. Her provocative dances make her the talk of the town. Even Edna (Fierstein) leaves her laundry business to become her manager. She's even happier when she manages to get the attention of handsome Link Larkin (Garrett Clayton), whom she has a huge crush on. She still wants all her friends to dance together on more than just the show's "Negro Day," though, and is willing to give up her popularity if it means everyone, regardless of their size or skin color, has a chance to dance.

The Song and Dance: Some good performances and the candy-box sets and costumes anchor this high-energy treat. The gorgeous rainbow of pastels at the studio and down-and-dirty primaries at the Turnblads' home and Motormouth Maybelle's shop were so spot-on, they were nominated for Emmys. (And the sets and - rather appropriately - the hairstyles won.) 

I'm glad to see Fierstein finally get a chance to play Edna here. He has a great time showing how Edna comes out of his shell and pairs nicely with a manic Short. Kristin Chenowith and Dove Cameron play a villainous mother and daughter for the second time in a TV musical; Chenowith is so much fun, she even gets an addition number added just for her.

Favorite Number: We kick off as Tracy wishes "Good Morning Baltimore" and joins the local kids and characters as she hurries off to school. "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now" makes its full screen debut in a split-screen number as Tracy, Penny, and Amber explain to their mothers why they disobey their wishes. Chenowith leaps into her two big numbers, "The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs" as she recalls her past beauty pageant triumphs at the audition and "Velma's Revenge" after Tracy is a hit and she's imagining everything she'd do to her newest star if she could. 

"Welcome to the 60's" returns to its original contours as Edna and Tracy revel in becoming the hippest plus-sized ladies in the South. "Without Love" also gets its original lyrics back, covering Tracy's escape from prison and Seaweed freeing Penny from her mother's tying her to the bed. Jennifer Hudson knocks over a searing "I Know Where I've Been" right before they invade the Miss Hairspray show. 

"Cooties" is another number making its film debut. Amber and the so-called Nicest Kids In Town insult Tracy at the Miss Hairspray Contest in song and dance to lower her numbers, so Amber will get the crown. Everyone comes together for "You Can't Stop the Beat" as the cast, including Chenowith, Cameron, and Fierstein popping out of the oddest place you can imagine. Grande and Hudson get their 60's rock concert on as the rest of the cast whirls over the credits to their "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)." 

Trivia: "Velma's Revenge" was written for the film, but not used. "Ladies Choice" and "Come So Far" were taken from the film. 

Look for original 1989 screen Tracy Ricki Lake and 2002 stage Tracy Marissa Janet Winokur as Mr. Pinky's (Sean Hays) assistants during "Welcome to the 60's."

What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, most of the kids aren't up to their adult counterparts. Garrett Clayton makes for an especially dull Link and has no chemistry with Baillio. Baillio is a sweetheart and tries hard, but she has a hard time calling up the energy needed for this show. Grande's a popular singer, but she's no comedienne and only wakes up during her musical numbers. And ironically for a show about integrating black and white performers, Sykes as Seaweed and Shahadi Wright Joseph as his sister Little Inez don't get nearly as much screen time as the white kids and adults. 

The Big Finale: While I liked the 2007 film slightly more, this one has a few of its own charms, including Fierstein recreating his iconic role and several songs that didn't make it into the movie. 

 Home Media: Easy to find on disc and streaming, including currently for free on Peacock.

DVD

Peacock

My Animated Valentine - Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart

EuropaCorp Distribution, 2013

Voices of Orlando Seale, Samantha Barks, Harry Sadeghi, and Stephane Cornicard

Directed by Stephane Berla and Mathias Malzeiu

Music and Lyrics by Dionysos

For the second Valentine's Day in a row, we head to France for an unusual romantic tale. This one takes us away from Paris and across a frozen Europe, from Scotland to Spain, for the gothic love story of a boy with a mechanical heart who learns about love from his childhood sweetheart and an early film pioneer. Let's start on the coldest day ever in Edinburgh, Scotland, as a woman searches for someone to help with her impending birth, and find out...

The Story: Jack (Seale) was born with a frozen heart. Madeleine, the midwife who brought him into the world (Barbara Scaff), gives him a cuckoo clock in place of a heart. It doesn't always work the best, and it makes him fragile. Madeleine insists he must never play with the hands of the clock, become angry, or fall in love. If he does, the clock will break, and he will die.

As he grows older, Jack insists on going into town and school. He encounters lovely Miss Acacia (Barks) in town and has an instant rapport with her. He doesn't get along nearly as well with school bully Joe (Sadeghi), who torments him for four years. After he believes his cuckoo clock has killed Joe, Madeleine helps him flee to mainland Europe. On the train, he encounters pioneering filmmaker Georges Melies (Cornicard), who repairs his cuckoo heart and helps him find Miss Acacia at the circus. She and Jack are ready to run off together, until the last person they expected to see turns up...and Jack finds his feelings and his fragile heart pushed to their limits.

The Animation: Somewhat similar to the Tim Burton-produced Corpse Bride, which also revolved around a surreal Victorian fantasy. This animation is more delicate than Burton's slightly more upbeat tale; even characters who are supposedly strong (like Joe and Melies) appear wispy and so ghostly white, they're nearly the same color as the snow in the opening and closing. The details are incredible, from the two-headed winged woman Melies falls for at the circus to the puppet show Jack puts on to remind Miss Acacia of their childhood romance. 

The Song and Dance: A truly unique romantic fantasy with an oddly sweet love story at its core. For all the tragedy, you can't help but wish the best for these two delicate youths who only want to be together. Cornicard makes a charming Melies, who encourages their romance and lends his pioneering mechanical abilities and creative mind to helping the two find one another. The English dub I watched is actually pulled off pretty well, with a decent script and mostly good cast. 

Favorite Number: The opening title song introduces us to Jack and his unusual "family," including Madeleine and her odd friends with their spines they can play and skimpy outfits. "Madeleine's Rap" explains her rules and why she so badly wanted to help Jack."Flame With Glasses" introduces Jack to Miss Acacia as they play an organ grinder's instrument in town together and fall in love at first sight. "Joe's Song" introduces his bullying character, as he describes how he ruled the playground with an iron fist and couldn't stand how fragile Jack was. Miss Acacia is "My Lady Key" in her second solo.

Trivia: Based on the book The Boy With the Cuckoo Clock Heart and the concept album by Dionysos.

What I Don't Like: This tragic tale is really dark...maybe darker than it should be. I think they could have kept the happy ending from the book where Madeleine is able to fix his heart and been fine. The ending is less of an ending and more "we didn't know where to go with this, but wanted to keep it gothic, so here it is." The story and strange, wispy style is way too dark for younger kids, and some older ones who aren't into fantasy may be confused as well. Jack himself isn't that well-defined beyond his mechanical heart, either. He's supposed to be controlling his emotions, but he comes off as a little bland. 

The Big Finale: Truly unique and ethereal steampunk romance for pre-teens, fans of Burton's stop-motion films, and those who are looking for something different in their tragic love stories.

Home Media: Easily found on both sides of the Atlantic; cheap on disc and free on many streaming companies, including Tubi and Peacock.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Peacock

Moonwalker

Warner Bros, 1988

Starring Michael Jackson, Joe Pesci, Kellie Parker, and Brandon Quintin Adams

Directed by Jerry Kramer and Colin Chilvers

Music and Lyrics by Michael Jackson and others

And now, we take a deep dive into my 80's childhood for something seriously out of left field...or not even in the ballpark. By the time Moonwalker finally debuted in late 1988, Michael Jackson was THE hottest celebrity on the planet. His Thriller album from 1982 was the biggest-selling LP of all time; Bad, his second, wasn't far behind. His music videos were influential on film and stage for their ground-breaking choreography and use of storytelling. There was trouble behind the scenes, though, including his discovery of a disease that made his skin grow paler and a great deal of eccentric behavior that made tabloid headlines.  He reflected on all that in the album Bad and this movie, which went through its own troubles. Was it worth the headaches, or should this one get blasted by that giant robot in the finale? Let's begin by seeing just how huge Michael was actual footage of him performing "Man In the Mirror" during his Bad World Tour and find out...

The Story: Actually, we have seven music videos strung together here...

Man In the Mirror - Michael reveals what kind of man he wants to be as we see footage of historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa intercut with scenes of the crowds going wild for him.

Retrospective - Ten-minute rundown of Michael's career, from his start with his brothers as the Jackson 5 to the start of the Bad World Tour. 

Badder - Michael's famous "Bad" music video is recreated by hip street-dancing kids, including one (Adams) who is a dead ringer for him.

Speed Demon - Now an adult again, Michael has to outrun the Claymation crowds who want his autograph while morphing into whatever it is that'll get him away from those nutty autograph seekers. He leads them on a merry chase, appearing as different celebrities and a motorcycle-riding rabbit...but it's the rabbit who gets the last word when he and Michael have a dance-off in the desert.

Leave Me Alone - This one jumps into surrealism as Michael depicts his roller coaster life as a circus, and one he just wants to break free of. 

Smooth Criminal - The longest segment with the most story. Michael befriends homeless kids Katie (Parker), Zeke (Adams), and Sean (Sean Lennon). While chasing their dog in the park, he and Katie inadvertently discover the hide-out of drug kingpin Mr. Big (Pesci). Michael makes use of a little smooth dancing - and a lot of wish fulfillment magic - to rescue Katie and save every child on Earth from being drugged to death.

Come Together - We end with another concert, this time with Michael performing a cover of the Beatles hit for the delighted kids. 

The Animation: Name a style of animation that was faddish in the late 80's - Claymation, surrealism, computer graphics, stop-motion - and you'll probably see at least one sequence representing it here. The "Leave Me Alone" and "Retrospective" segments resembles Terry Gilliam's absurdist cartoons from Monty Python's Flying Circus, with its dogs riding roller coasters over the sleeping Michael. "Speed Demon" plays with the Claymation that was popular on television then - we even see the California Raisins and Domino's the Noid. It all moves decently, but even Michael's rabbit form is grotesque, creepy, and more likely to freak kids out than amuse them.

The Song and Dance: Hoo boy, this is a weird one. This is probably one of the strangest musicals I've reviewed on this blog, In fact, only Head, another surreal bit of lunacy made by rock musicians, gets anywhere near this on the nuttiness level. At the very least, some of the bits are really creative, especially for the time. "Speed Demon," with its mind-blowing quick-change editing, and the incredible dance sequence in "Smooth Criminal" are by far the best of the segments and have the most interesting story, though the colorful surreal imagery in "Leave Me Alone" rates a mention. 

Favorite Number: Adams and a group of ultra-tough pre-teen boys show off their "Bad" side in a spoof of the adult music video that feels more like "Bugsy Malone in the 80's," up to and including the kid-sizes sets. This goes directly into "Speed Demon," as Michael morphs into different celebrities to avoid the crowds who want his autograph and somehow ends up dancing with his Claymation rabbit costume. "Leave Me Alone" depicts Michael's life as a circus, with him finally attempting to escape from the barking dog heads of the press in the end.

The most famous number from this one by far is "Smooth Criminal." Michael is supposed to meet the kids at the Club 30's. They miss him, only seeing dust and dirt. They really should have stuck around. Michael's imagination turns it into an incredible dance routine, with gangsters in snappy pin-striped suits and stylish dames in elegant gowns dancing along with Michael as he takes on several mobsters and shows everyone some of the best moves in any 80's film. It has a level of style and elegance that puts it several notches above anything else in the movie.

Trivia: Two of Michael's nephews are dancers in the "Bad" segment. 

Though this was released to theaters in other parts of the world, the cost made it too expensive for Warners to put out in the US. It still made a mint when it came out on video in North America in January 1989.

What I Don't Like: Um, I think you can guess by now that if you're not a fan of Michael Jackson or weren't around when he was considered to be a near-god in the mid-late 80's, you're going to be incredibly confused. The segments mostly jump from oddball sequence to oddball sequence with no rhyme or reason. "Retrospective" makes him look like he's bragging about all his success...and then "Leave Me Alone" contradicts this, with him claiming he just wants the press to get out of his life. 

And what audience did Michael and Warners intend "Smooth Criminal" for? Sure, there's kids, action, and robots straight out of Transformers, but the kids and Michael are beaten and shot at by vicious drug lords, there's the dancers all rubbing against Michael in a near-orgy during the "Smooth Criminal" routine, and the spiders and cobwebs straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It can be a bit much for kids Katie's age and younger. Not to mention, the idea of Michael running around with a group of little kids may come off as more creepy than sweet nowadays, after his allegations of child abuse in the late 2000's. 

The Big Finale: My sisters and I loved Moonraker when it debuted on cable in mid-1989. We recorded it and watched it constantly. The scattershot structure and weird barely-there plots show their age nowadays. Unless you're a massive fan of Michael Jackson or have fond memories of those cable showings, I'd look up the "Smooth Criminal" number online and skip the rest. 

Home Media: That prohibitive cost has also kept it from being released on disc in North America. Streaming is your only bet on this side of the pond. 

Amazon Prime

Murder With Music

Century Productions, 1941

Starring Bob Howard, Milton Williams, Nellie Hill, and Bill Dillard

Directed by George P. Quigley

Music by Sidney Easton and Skippy Williams; Lyrics by Augustus Smith and Skippy Williams

I'm kicking off this year's Black History Month reviews with one of the "race musicals" made by independent companies for black audiences from the 1910's through the early 50's. As I mentioned back in December, musical thrillers are fairly rare. It can be hard to juggle all the clues to solve a mystery with genuine tension and musical numbers. How well does this low-budget B-tuner with an all-black cast fare? Let's start in the office of an editor (Howard) and Ted, one of his reporters (Williams), as Ted tells him about his latest scoop, and find out...

The Story: Ted's latest scoop is the story of Lola (Hill), a singer at a local nightclub, who's being courted by slick Mike (Dillard) and tougher Hal (George Oliver). After a party at Howard's house gets out of hand, it comes to a head at the nightclub, where one man won't survive the night, and the determined detective has to figure out whodunnit when there's a man with a knife sticking out of his back.

The Song and Dance: Forget the murder. It's the music that stands out here. More specifically, the songs of Noble Sissle and His Orchestra, whose music entertained audiences of all races from the 20's well into the 1950's. There's also a few amusing bits from how hard the men try to court Lola and how they try to hide when the cops or another suitor appears, along with Ted trying to get his big story.

Favorite Number: Male-female dance team Johnson and Johnson get a great tap number together to "That's the Cheese You've Got to Squeeze" before the guy shows off his amazing solo moves. Howard gets in on "Too Late Baby" with Sissle and His Orchestra. They're solo for the jivin' "Running Around." Not to be outdone, Skippy Williams and His Band have a terrific "Jam Session" at the party. Hill perks up a little for the ballad "Can't Help It," first performed with a pianist, then with Williams and his band.

The one for the books is "I'm a Little Bangi from Ubangi," which Lola catches on TV early in the film. This tropical chorus number is almost a parody of jungle dance routines in musicals, from the girls in skimpy feathered costumes barely dancing to the blackface native costumes on the men and the rather silly jungle sets. It looks goofy even for early TV.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention this is a low-budget B musical? It looks and sounds as cheap as it is. The men seem to be enjoying themselves and Marjorie Oliver gets a few funny lines as a secretary, but Hill has no acting ability and is about as interesting as the cardboard sets. You have no idea why all the guys are chasing her. There's also the blackface native costumes in the "Ubangi" number that may offend some audiences today. The title's a cheat, too. The murder doesn't happen until the last five minutes of the film, and it's cleared up quickly.

The Big Finale: For fans of big band music or the early African-American sound looking for some good numbers who don't mind the dull production and terrible shape the copy currently circulating is in.

Home Media: This is in the public domain, so it can pretty much be found anywhere. Paramount Plus has it with a subscription.

DVD

Paramount Plus

Family Fun Saturday - Rags (2012)

Nickelodeon, 2012

Starring Max Schneider, Keke Palmer, Drake Bell, and Robert Moloney

Directed by Bille Woodruff

Music and Lyrics by various

By the early 2010's, the overwhelming success of The Disney Channel's original musicals was so all-encompassing that other family and teen cable channels jumped on the bandwagon. Rags was Nickelodeon's fourth and final musical film to date, and by far their most successful. How does this gender-switched modern retelling of Cinderella compare to other family-friendly versions, including the one that debuted on Amazon last year? Let's begin on the streets of New York as our narrator Shawn (Bell), studio technician at Majesty Records, introduces us to our lead characters, and find out...

The Story: Charlie Prince (Schneider) works cleaning his late mother's kareoke bar The Palace for his obnoxious stepfather Arthur (Moloney) and his annoying stepbrothers Lloyd (Burkely Duffield) and Andrew (Keenan Tracey). Arthur is convinced Lloyd and Andrew have musical talent and pushes them as a duo he calls Androyd. Charlie's the one with real talent. He writes his own music and can sing and play guitar. 

Kadee Worth (Palmer) is another talented teen. Unlike Charlie, she's one of the top musical stars in the world, but she's tired of her silly and shallow image and the egotistical rock star Finn (Avan Jogia) she's being forced to date. Her father Reginald (Isiah Mustafa), who owns Majesty, insists it's good to keep her name in the papers, but she wants to play her own songs. Charlie manages to get a job there as a janitor after bringing a CD of his brother's work for Majesty's talent show, but it's Charlie who catches Kadee's eye. They bond when she finds him trying to earn money to buy back his mother's piano and he brings her to perform on the street.

Things are looking up for Charlie when Kadee invites him to the masked ball for the talent show and he and Shawn cut a demo of his song with the stage name "Rags." Arthur takes his invitation and uses it for him and his sons, but they're booed off the stage. Thanks to the Palace's managers Martha (Christina Sicoli) and Diego (Zak Santiago), he's able to attend the ball and wow the crowd. He runs off right after kissing Kadee. She and her father want to know who Rags is, but Arthur is still determined to get his sons in front of the spotlight no matter what...

The Song and Dance: As adorable as this is, I like that it has a slight edge to it that most of the shinier Disney TV musicals lack. Charlie's world includes the rock and rap of the street along with light pop; blousy Arthur reeks of sleaze in his circa 1974 leisure suits and is definitely a wee bit darker than would turn up in any Disney project. Palmer is an attractive pop princess whose father's assistant shoves her into gold armor outfits out of the disco era, but would really rather be playing her own songs with Charlie and chasing her giant dog Trumpet. Though it's set in New York, it was actually filmed in Vancouver, and that real setting adds to that slightly edgier vibe. 

Favorite Number: We open on the street with Charlie and his buddies doing their vibrant "Someday," until it breaks up and Shawn tosses a big tip for him. Charlie dreams of stardom as he dances with a broom while cleaning the Palace with "Hands Up." Kadee's flashy introductory number is "Look at Me Now" in that crazy gold outfit with the overwhelming puffed sleeves. Poor kid. The song's good, but the outfit looks ridiculous. The entire number is an overdone mass of dancers in mock-intense poses, something most real teens would be more likely to hoot off the camera. The two show "Perfect Harmony" when they play the piano together at the pawn shop. Charlie, in his "Rags" guise, reminds everyone they're "Not So Different After All" onstage at the ball. He and Kadee come together in the end with Lloyd as one of their backup dancers for "Me and You Against the World."

What I Don't Like: For all the edgy vibes, this is still a made-for-TV pop musical. Kadee's insistence on playing her own music would be a little more understandable if her own music didn't sound almost exactly like the music she sang before and if her new image was, well, a bit more different than her older one than a slightly less flashy wardrobe. The story is a mass of cliches seen in every version of Cinderella from Sally in 1929 to that Amazon jukebox musical from last year. 

The Big Finale: It's too bad Nick doesn't dive into the genre more often. Overly familiar story aside, this was really adorable. Worth checking out at least once with your favorite young musician if you or your 8 to 14 year old loves the cast or Nick's other films. 

Home Media: On Paramount Plus and DVD, the latter paired with another original Nickelodeon musical, Big Time Movie. 

DVD - Big Time Movie/Rags

Paramount Plus

One In a Million (1936)

20th Century Fox, 1936

Starring Sonja Henie, Adolph Menjou, Jean Hersholt, and Don Ameche

Directed by Sidney Lanfield

Music by Sidney D. Mitchell; Lyrics by Lew Pollack

We're doing this one in honor of the Winter Olympic games beginning in Beijing tomorrow. Sonja Henie was one of the first major stars of the Winter Olympics, winning three gold medals for figure skating from 1927 to 1936. 20th Century Fox signed her shortly after the Winter Olympics ended for a series of musicals surrounding her skating talents. How does the first one of these look today? Let's start on the road in Switzerland with producer Thaddeus Spencer (Menjou) and his all-girl orchestra and find out...

The Story: Thaddeus, his wife Billie (Arline Judge), the orchestra, The Ritz Brothers (themselves), and his harmonica-playing discovery (Borrah Minnevich) find themselves stranded in the Swiss Alps when the hotel they had a gig at burns down. They end up at a small inn run by former skating champ Henrich Muller (Hersholt) and his daughter Greta (Henie). Thaddeus is so taken by Greta's beautiful skating ability, he immediately creates a revue in St. Moritz around it. 

Also arriving at the inn are reporter Bob Harris (Don Ameche) and photographer Danny Simpson (Ned Sparks). Bob's also taken with Greta, but it's not her skating that interests him. After he learns her father lost his medals from the 1908 Winter Olympics when he accepted money as a gift, he rushes to St. Moritz and reminds Greta that appearing in the Olympics provides far greater glory. She leaves with him. Thaddeus and his group follows them, just in time to perform for the Olympics crowds. Greta does win the gold medal, but her one performance as a professional may come back to haunt her...

The Song and Dance:  Henie makes an appealing debut. She's no actor, but she does have charm, especially when dealing with Bob's advances. Ameche is also pretty cute as the ambitious reporter who takes a shine to Greta and has a nice singing voice, too. Some great lines from Sparks as Bob's dour co-worker, Menjou as the producer whose great ideas often freeze in his face, and Judge as his wife who is more than happy to point out his failures. Special kudos for Fox's use of actual footage from the 1936 Winter Olympics for added authenticity. 

Favorite Number: We hear the title song at least three times. Judge and the all-girl orchestra do a nice performance of it in the opening sequence, as we get various shots showing how frozen they are as they perform. Borrah Minovich and His Harmonica Rascals reprise it at the Olympics, along with their supremely goofy rendition of "Limehouse Blues." Henie finally skates to it in a fantasy sequence when Menjou sees her on the ice behind the inn and imagines a big-time show built around her talents. 

Everyone's saying "We're Back In Circulation Again" on the sleigh ride to St. Moritz. Ameche performs the appealing ballad "Who's Afraid of Love?" with singer Leah Ray at the Inn. Henie's second big number in St. Moritz, "The Lady In White," is enough to convince spectators and Ameche that she has what it takes to be a real champ. The Ritz Brothers imitate Boris Karloff (as Frankenstein), Charles Laughton (as Captain Bligh), and Peter Lorre, then the "Horror Boys of Hollywood," before the Olympics start. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, it's pretty obvious this was Henie's first movie. Feels like Fox grabbed whomever was laying around the lot and tossed them into a slight comedy set around the Olympics. The Ritz Brothers were really big at Fox in the mid-late 30's, but their noisy, slapstick-oriented schtick doesn't fly as well today. Their two numbers are pretty much padding, and they otherwise don't have much to do. Likewise, Borrah Minnovich doesn't do much besides not talk and play his harmonica. Second, it's not as expensive and elaborate as some of her other vehicles. Her skating ballets are fancy as it gets. 

The Big Finale: Charming enough for fans of Henie and figure skating, but she'd do better movies later in the 30's and early 40's. 

Home Media: DVD only via the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.

DVD

Honoring Chinese New Year - Stowaway (1936)

20th Century Fox, 1936

Starring Shirley Temple, Alice Faye, Robert Young, and Helen Westley

Directed by William A. Seiter

Music by Harry Revel; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

Let's celebrate the Year of the Tiger with one of Temple's most successful features. This one changes things up slightly by going for not one, but two exotic settings and focusing more on the lovers than the older curmudgeon and Temple's antics. How does the story of a little American girl raised in China who plays matchmaker to a confirmed bachelor and a young lady look today? Let's begin in the village of Sanchow, China, which is about to be raided by bandits, and find out...

The Story: Barbara "Ching-Ching" Stewart (Temple) flees Sanchow with a guide hired by her friend Sun Lo (Phillip Ahn). The guide abandons her and makes off with her money, leaving her alone in Shanghai. She runs into Tommy Randall (Young), a handsome playboy on a world cruise with his valet Atkins (Arthur Treacher). He leaves her and her dog Mr. Wu in his convertible, but she flees into the rumble seat to avoid the rain. After she falls asleep there, she finds herself on the ocean liner when the convertible's loaded on there.

Susan Parker (Faye), who is traveling to Bangkok to marry her banker fiancée Richard Hope finds Ching-Ching when she's hiding from the Captain (Robert Grieg). Susan agrees to take her in for the voyage, to the dismay of Richard's pushy mother (Wesley). Ching-Ching tries to bring Susan and Tommy together, but Mrs. Hope doesn't like that one bit. Richard likes it even less. There may not be much anyone can do when it turns out Ching-Ching is now an orphan and has to be taken to Shanghai, unless Tommy steps up to take responsibility for her and Susan figures out which man she really wants.

The Song and Dance: The exotic Chinese setting is relatively well-represented for 1936, as are the Chinese themselves. Most of the Chinese characters speak in Confucius homilies and we can hear a few "me speekee English," but they're at least somewhat respected and are played by actual Asian actors. It makes Tommy look even more ridiculous arguing with a shopkeeper when he first meets Ching-Ching. Temple's having a blast, whether she's ordering around her dog or imitating Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor, and Faye is a warm and inviting presence as the woman she latches on to. 

Favorite Number: Ching-Ching first sings "Goodnight, My Love" as a lullaby to herself. Tommy and Susan later dance to it after she sings while they chat about Ching-Ching on the deck. Faye's solo also has her on deck in the moonlight as she muses "One Never Knows, Does One?" Temple's big cheer-up number she performs at the talent show is "You've Gotta S-M-I-L-E to Be H-A-P-P-Y." The movie finishes with a delighted Ching-Ching and her new family gathered around the tree as she sings "That's What I Want for Christmas."

Trivia: Temple was eventually given the Pekinese she had in this movie. She renamed him Ching-Ching, after her character. 

Temple learned 40 words of Mandarin Chinese for her role. 

What I Don't Like: While this one does switch things up a bit by putting the emphasis on the lovers and making the crochety old person the villain, it still comes off as Temple's standard melodrama. For all that they get right with the Chinese, the things they get wrong (like the guy who abandons Ching-Ching, Temple's sing-song delivery, and some of more obvious "me speekee English" in Shanghai and Hong Kong) stand out all the more as annoying and dated. The songs in this one, aside from Temple's imitations and "Goodnight, My Love," are barely afterthoughts, and certainly not up to the scores in some of her earlier movies. The courtroom finale is silly and a bit unnecessary, given that even the judge could see Tommy and Susan were in love. 

The Big Finale: One of Temple's better films is a must if you're a fan of hers, and not a bad place to start with younger kids if you explain about some of the more overt Asian stereotypes. 

Home Media: As with most of Shirley's films, this is easy to find on DVD and streaming. 

DVD

Amazon Prime