Happy Halloween! - The Midnight Hour

ABC, 1985

Starring Lee Montgomery, Jonna Lee, Shari Belafonte, and Peter DeLuise

Directed by Jack Bender

Music and Lyrics by various

We remain in the mid-80's on this warm Halloween night with another 80's spoof of 50's and 60's cliches. We move the festivities to television, once again with bored teens out for kicks...but this time, their seemingly harmless antics don't merely dredge up a few well-meaning aliens and a crazed killer. These kids somehow manage to bring no less than the living dead out for some Halloween thrills...but we also have proof that the undead isn't always so scary when one of the living kids falls for a beauty from the 50's who is far from what she seems. How does this bloody romance look nowadays? Let's begin with one little boy preparing his bike and his costume for trick-or-treat and find out...

The Story: Hoping to find really cool Halloween costumes for a big party, high school kids Phil (Montgomery), Melissa (Belafonte), Mary (Deedee Pfiffer), Vinnie (LeVar Burton), and Mitch (DeLuise) steal their ancestor's clothes from the local history museum, along with an old chest containing a ring and a parchment scroll sealed in wax. They don't think it's a big deal to recite the words of the scroll at the local cemetary...until suddenly, the undead come to life and start lumbering around their New England town. Led by Melissa's witch ancestor Lucinda (Jonnelle Allen), they turn almost everyone into town into vampires and zombies. 

Phil is the only person in town who avoids this fate. He spends the night with Sandy (Lee), a pretty, sweet girl in a 50's cheerleader outfit whom he finds wandering around, wondering why everything looks so different. Sandy is the one who realizes that they must find the bones of Mitch's ancestor and seal the scroll, before the vampires make Phil into one of them as well. 

The Song and Dance: When the movie puts the spotlight on Sandy and Phil and their feelings for one another, it's actually kind of sweet. Montgomery and Lee have chemistry, and Lee being a 50's cheerleader instead of a lumbering zombie like some of the other creatures in this movie is unique for a horror film. I also appreciate the diverse cast, with Belafonte and Allen coming off best as the teen girl whose insistence on reading the scroll inadvertently brings in her spooky ancestress. Some of the costumes aren't bad either, including the ones they stole from the museum, Sandy's cheerleader outfit, and the very 80's outfits at the masquerade party. Killer soundtrack too, especially if you're a classic rock fan.

The Numbers: Sam the Sham and the Pharaoh's spooky hit "Little Red Riding Hood" is our first number, as a zombie wanders around town in time to the music. His "costume" is so good, no one gives him two glances, even Phil when he almost runs him over. "Clap for the Wolfman" by the Guess Who plays as Vinnie tries to get Melissa to dance with him and Phil attempts to ask Mary to join him, neither with much success. Mitch finally gets their substitute teacher to dance with him to a remake of "Sea of Love" by Phil Phillips. Bobby Vee's "Devil or Angel" accompanies Phil and Sandy as they dance in front of the mall that stands when the malt shop Sandy once hung out at used to be. Melissa turns the only original song "Get Dead" into a huge dance number with the zombified kids at the party.

Trivia: Listen for DJ Wolfman Jack in vocal cameos throughout the film, including one last request from Sandy in the finale. 

What I Don't Like: Uh...did I mention this is a made-for-TV movie from 1985? At times, it's even more confused about its genre than Voyage of the Rock Aliens was. It can't decide if it wants to be a satire of teen horror flicks, an actual teen zombie horror flick with blood and gore and everyone attacking each other, or a touching supernatural romance. I wish they'd focused even more on Sandy and Phil's relationship. You don't really learn much about Sandy, other than she realizes her time is running out. They could have at least mentioned how she died so young...and didn't come back as a zombie or a vampire like the rest of the town. 

There's also Phil's so-called friends being smarmy, obnoxious brats whose instance on stealing from a museum started all the trouble in the first place. Not to mention, they think of the most ridiculous excuse to get them and the costumes into a cemetery. They couldn't have tried them on anywhere else, especially on Halloween? The sets and special effects are pretty chintzy, too. 

The Big Finale: Critics came down pretty hard on this in 1985, and while it's far from the best horror comedy ever, it's certainly more palatable than Voyage of the Rock Aliens. Worth checking out at least once during your Halloween party, especially if you have actual teens around. 

Home Media: Out of print on DVD for years. Your best best at the moment would be YouTube. 

YouTube

Cult Flops - Voyage of the Rock Aliens

Fox Lorber, 1984

Starring Pia Zadora, Craig Sheffer, Tom Nolan, and Alison LaPlaca

Directed by James Fargo

Music and Lyrics by various

For Halloween week, we leap into cult horror and sci-fi with two truly unique rock musicals.  This began life as a spoof of B horror, science fiction, and Beach Party-style teen musicals from the 1960's. Though the producers mostly sought singers rather than actors, they did get two actors for the lead roles and an actual New Wave rock band to play the music-obsessed aliens of the title. How well does this mess of weird drive-in cliches come off today? Let's begin in space with the arrival of the aliens' guitar-shaped spaceship and find out...

The Story: Beings from another planet (RHEMA) search the reaches of outer space for the source of rock music. After considering other planets, they finally land on Earth with their robot companion 1329 (Peter Cullen). Speelburgh is a pretty typical southern industrial town in Georgia...too typical for bored teenager Dee Dee (Zadora). Dee Dee would give anything to sing with her boyfriend Frankie (Sheffer) and his band (Jimmy and the Mustangs), but he thinks the band is fine without a singer. 

Lead alien Absiid (Nolan) falls for Dee Dee and asks her to be the lead singer at the high school's Cotillion Dance. Frankie is jealous, but Dee Dee is smitten, until she realizes why love is so foreign to Absid. Meanwhile, there's also two escapees from the local mental hospital (Michael Berryman and Wallace Merck) roaming around with a chainsaw, the Sheriff (Ruth Gordon) determined to figure out just what's going on here, and a huge tentacled monster emerging from the polluted lake...

The Song and Dance: "Weird" does not begin to do this movie justice. This is off-the-charts Looney-Tunes bizarre. If you're a fan of the synthesizer-laden "New Wave" dance music from this era, you might actually get a kick out of it. Zadora was more known at the time for being famous and her marriages than for actually appearing in anything, so it was kind of interesting to see her here. Nolan came off best as the alien trying to figure out just what this "love" thing is; Gordon has her moments as the tough Sheriff who wants to know what these invaders are up to.

This may be the most 1984 musical in existence. It reeks of "MTV in the mid-80's," with the ladies running around in baggy shirts, tight jeans, and poofy polka-dot sundresses and the guys either in tight shirts and leather, 50's-inspired pompadours and jeans and jackets. If the aliens hadn't thrown stuff around at the malt shop, they wouldn't have looked all that out of place in their tight metallic and studded jumpsuits. There's a few funny gags, and I love how some cliches are subverted, especially when Dee Dee's best friend Diane (La Placa) ends up befriending the chainsaw-wielding nut instead of getting killed by him.

The Numbers: We begin with "Openhearted" over the credits as we get our first glimpses of the aliens' guitar-shaped ship. "When the Rain Begins to Fall" was originally filmed as a music video...and it looks it. Zadora and Jermaine Jackson enact a Romeo and Juliet story on a warring planet that has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. "21st Century" describes how the aliens feel about their home and their roaming as they check the monitors on their ship. 

"New Orleans" gives us a glimpse of how the kids in Speelburgh defy the rules not to swim in the heavily polluted Lake Eerie. Dee Dee flirts and wiggles for Frankie as she sings about "Real Love," even as the tentacled monster invades the party. All of the kids really go wild for the Pack singing "Try To See It My Way" and "Justine" at the malt shop. Dee Dee sings in the bathroom about how "You Bring Out the Lover In Me," with the ladies in the stalls managing to dance along. "Combine Man" really gets New Wave as the aliens put Absid back together after he literally loses his head over Dee Dee and get him around the Sheriff. 

Absid dreams of a cosmically romantic relationship with Dee Dee in "Little Bit of Heaven." He claims "She Doesn't Mean a Thing to Me," even as he insists on his friends helping him find ways to impress her. "Come On" and "Troublemaker" provide the background for the introduction of the murders as they attack the deputy sheriff and others. "Let's Dance Tonight" is the big number at the Cotillion. Dee Dee finally gets her wish to sing with a band, much to the frustration of her jealous boyfriend. "Get Out and Dance" is the aliens' response. Frankie reveals his jealousy and how it's the "Nature of the Beast" in overwrought and badly written "I am" number. The aliens do their best to remove the remaining obstacles to Frankie and Dee Dee's romance in an encore of "When the Rain Begins to Fall." 

What I Don't Like: Hooooo boy. This is 80's cheese of the ripest and most ridiculous sort. For one thing, none of these people are remotely teenagers. (Pia Zadora was 30 during shooting.) The movie looks as cheap as it is, with a rubber tentacle spitting bubbles and cardboard sets. The music isn't terribly memorable, either, especially if you're not into New Wave. Frankie is such a sexist jerk, you can understand why sweet-if-dim Dee Dee rushes to the arms of an alien. The genre-mash-up gives it a real tone problem. It veers from near-horror to comedy to musical, sometimes within the space of seconds. The musical numbers tend to either get cut off or, as with the opening at the polluted lake and the Cotillion, go on for way too long. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of 80's music or cinema or like your movies on the cheesy or "so bad they're fascinating" side, this is worth checking out for the sheer camp value alone.

Home Media: It was only on DVD in Germany, but the Blu-Ray is widely available, and it's easy to find on streaming. (Tubi currently has it for free with commercials.) 

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Musicals On TV - The Canterville Ghost (1966)

ABC, 1966

Starring Sir Michael Redgrave, Tippy Walker, Peter Noone, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Directed by John Robins

Music by Jerry Bock; Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

The Oscar Wilde short story The Canterville Ghost has been adapted for television almost since the medium began, but this was the first musical version. ABC Stage 67 was their attempt to revive the anthology format that had been so successful in the 50's. It didn't take, but the show did produce four hour-long musicals. We've already seen one, the supremely strange Stephen Sondheim horror show Evening Primrose. Is this one just as good...and weird? Let's begin with Lord Canterville showing Mr. Otis (Fairbanks Jr.), the American ambassador, and his wife (Natalie Schafer) and children a beautiful old English manor and find out...

The Story: When Mr. Otis buys Canterville Manor, he also picks up a genuine ghost. Sir Simon Canterville (Redgrave) has haunted the halls for four hundred years, and is very upset when Mr. and Mrs. Otis and their sons Matthew (Mark Colleano) and Mark (David Charkham) refuse to believe in him. Their daughter Virginia (Walker) and her sweetheart Duke David of Cheshire (Noone) do believe, and she's genuinely concerned about the ghost. Sir Simon first tries to scare them away...but then Virginia discovers his hiding place and why he's haunted the house for so long...

The Song and Dance: Surprisingly sweet comedy actually does a really good job updating the original short story. It's actually pretty accurate, other than adding Noone as Virginia's laid-back nobleman boyfriend to sing ballads. Redgrave gives Sir Simon a great deal of gravity and even a note of humor that makes you understand why Virginia finds him so fascinating. The Harnick-Bock score is really cute, too, including the three parodies of TV jingles (which, amazingly enough, also come from the original book). Love the filming in a real British manor house, too. Thank goodness the color exists for this one, as it's exquisite, with the bright colors of the Otis' mid-60's wardrobes contrasting with the gray castle and Sir Simon's wispy pastels and grays. 

The Numbers: The opening number "Canterville Hall" sets up the premise as the servants explain the legend of the Hall and the ghosts to the Otises. Mrs. Otis doesn't take the stain that keeps reappearing seriously. A little "Undertow" cleaner will remove that. "I Worry" is Virginia's song as she admits that she's concerned about pretty much everything that goes on around her, while David reminds her that she won't get a kiss from him "If You Never Try." 

"Rattletrap" is another singing ad, this time from Mr. Otis as he oils a squeaking door. Sir Simon is more interested in getting "Vengeance" against this tacky and non-believing family. All David can tell Virginia when she asks for him to talk romance to her is "You're Super." "Overhead" is another jingle parody, this time from Virginia. The lovely "Peace" is the writing on the tomb of Sir Simon's wife, which they sing together.

What I Don't Like: This is pretty typical of TV programs at the time. Noone was clearly added for the teen market, as his role is basically to sing ballads with the daughter and not do much else. Wispy Walker is a bit spacey as the teen who actually does believe in Sir Simon. As a TV production, some of the special effects, particularly the ghost moving around, can occasionally look chintzy. 

The Big Finale: Charming horror comedy features terrific music and a lovely performance by Redgrave and definitely deserves to be better-known.

Home Media: To my knowledge, the only way to see this one is on YouTube and the Internet Archive. The YouTube version comes complete with the original commercials for Singer sewing machines and Burlington Industries.

YouTube

Internet Archive

Cult Flops - Murder at the Vanities

Paramount, 1934

Starring Kitty Carlisle, Carl Brisson, Jack Oakie, and Victor McLaglen

Directed by Mitchell Leisen 

Music by Arthur Johnson; Lyrics by Sam Coslow

Musical mysteries are rare, but they do exist. Case in point, this true oddity from 1934. Earl Carroll was known in the 20's and 30's as the producer of the raciest revues on Broadway, the Earl Carroll Vanities. His showgirls tended to be less clothed than those of other revues, his comedy rougher-hewn and often taken from burlesque or minstrel shows. Showgirls formed "living curtains" in the scantiest costumes this side of flat-out nudity. 

Carroll more rarely did book shows, including the original Murder at the Vanities in 1933. By that point, backstage musicals had begun to make a comeback after the wild success of 42nd Street. Every studio in town wanted to imitate Busby Berkeley's massive kaleidoscopic numbers, and Paramount was no exception. How do the musical numbers manage to fit into the story of murder and mayhem backstage at the Earl Carroll Vanities? Let's start with the show right before opening and find out...

The Story: Producer Jack Ellery (Jack Oakie) is staging the Vanities for his boss Earl Carroll, who can't come to opening night. His absence is the least of Ellery's problems. Someone is trying to kill leading lady Ann Ware (Carlisle) right before she's to marry leading man Eric Lander (Brisson). Ellery brings in police lieutenant Bill Murdock (McLauglen) to find out who has it in for Ann, while Eric hires private detective Sadie Evans (Gail Patrick) to find out who has stolen some of his private things. 

They walk into a hotbed of intrigue. Second lead Rita Ross (Gertrude Michael) is angry and jealous that Ann and Eric are engaged and would do anything to get him back. Wardrobe mistress Helene Smith (Jessie Ralph) and nervous lady's maid Norma (Dorothy Stickney) were abused by Rita and don't want her to break up Ann and Eric. Giggly chorus girl Nancy (Toby Wing) knows something, but Ellery won't listen. After someone turns up dead during a number, Murdock becomes determined to find out who is killing members of the Vanities...and who doesn't want the show to go on. 

The Song and Dance: Well, you can't say this one isn't unique. If this is what Earl Carroll's revues were really like (minus the blood and mayhem), no wonder they ran from 1923 to 1932. Some of these numbers are simply the strangest and most flamboyant pieces of lunacy I've ever seen in a musical. If you think Berkeley's stuff at Warners got weird, check this out. The ladies in particular are real pieces of work. Michael does well as bitter Rita, and Stickney gets the best performance as poor, besotted Norma. The costumes (what there is of them) are incredible, with everyone clad in acres of beads and feathers...when they're clad at all. I'd love to know how they got away with the scantiest costumes this side of a Vegas show. I also love that we have a female private eye, which remains pretty rare in film even today. 

The Numbers: We open with Ann and Eric rehearsing one of the two standards from this film, that charming hymn to the end of Prohibition "Cocktails for Two." It gets one of the simpler numbers later, with Eric merely singing it in front of a group of ladies sipping the aforementioned alcoholic drinks, then dancing with them. Ann starts the show with "Where Do They Come From, and Where Do They Go?" as a revolving stage shows off an ever-changing line of barely-dressed women representing the different walks of life and occupations they may have had before becoming showgirls. She finishes with boys in top hats and canes and girls representing the east (more top hats) and west (cowgirls twirling lariats).  

This goes straight into "Pretty One," with a male chorus singing as chorus girls recline on giant perfume bottles and powder cases. "Live and Love Tonight" has Ann appearing among chorus girls waving ostrich-plumed fans to resemble waves as she seduces shipwrecked Eric. The next number can only, in all good faith, be termed a lulu. "Sweet Marijuana," our other standard, gets into Mexican turf as Rita shakes her hips with men in sombreros and sings about the fantasy the drug will bring her. This opens to cacti featuring chorus girls just this side of nude...and if the the violence of the lyrics wasn't enough, the blood dropping on one of the chorus girls from the fresh corpse on the catwalk over her certainly does.

"Ebony Rhapsody" begins as Lizst's "Second Hungarian Rhapsody," with Ann and dancers in fanciful feathered bonnets and Empire-waist gowns as ghosts dancing to the classical music. This becomes the far more cheeky "Ebony Rhapsody," as Rita leads black dancers in aprons and negligees in an uncoordinated but energetic stomp to Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. "Cocktails" is heard again in the big finale, with Ann, Eric, and hordes of chorus dancers waving more ostrich fans. 

Trivia: This movie just squeaked out a few weeks before the Production Code was enforced and less than a year before marijuana was made illegal nation-wide. It goes without saying that it would be more than 30 years before it turned up again, especially that infamous "Sweet Marijuana" number. "Marijuana" was discovered by the 60's and 70's drug culture and had several recordings at the time, including from Bette Midler. Even now, the movie is often shown without the "Marijuana" number when it runs on local stations. 

Screen debut of Kitty Carlisle. 

Look for Lucille Ball, Ann Sheridan, and Alan Ladd among the chorus members. 

What I Don't Like: The only people who come off as remotely likable are Carlisle and Brisson, and they're dull blocks of wood when they're not singing. Brisson in particular is such a snore, it's hard to understand why Rita and Norma are willing to kill for him. The numbers are shot as they would be on a real stage, which works with the relatively realistic story for a musical but may be disappointing for those expecting Busby Berkeley fantasies. The mystery plot is pretty cliched and straightforward; many viewers may figure it out long before Bill Murdock does. 

The Big Finale: Worth a look for the wild numbers alone if you're a fan of Pre-Code cinema or just want to see how strange a backstage musical could get in the early 30's. 

Home Media: Originally released as part of a Universal pre-code set in 2009, it can now also be found on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber. 

DVD - Pre-Code Hollywood Collection

Blu-Ray

Joker: Foile a Deux

Warner Bros, 2024

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Catherine Keener, and Harry Lawtey

Directed by Todd Phillips

Music and Lyrics by various

We leap into rougher territory this week with a mystery and a psychological thriller that explore the darker side of the traditional musical. Joker, with Phoenix as a failed stand-up comedian-turned killer, was not the first movie you'd associate with musical numbers. In fact, DC originally intended it to be a stand-alone movie, though there was talk of it launching a "DC Black" series. Director Phillips was the one who thought there was more to the story and brought in Gaga as Joker Arthur Fleck's love interest and added the dance routines in their heads. Was he right that there's more to Fleck's story, or should he have let sleeping clowns lie? Let's begin in Looney Tunes-style animation as Fleck (Phoenix) tries desperately to avoid his nefarious shadow and find out...

The Story: Fleck first encounters Harleen "Lee" Quinznel (Gaga) in the choir room at Arkham Asylum. They're attracted to each other at the start, despite Harleen lying to him about her home life and where she comes from. Arthur has more problems than her obsession with him, though. His lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Keener) wants to argue that he's mentally unstable and created the Joker personality to cope with his abusive childhood. Lee insists that he IS the Joker, and so does devious district attorney Harvey Dent (Lawtey). 

The media hype and clown-masked fandom surrounding Arthur's trial is so intense, it's one of the first to be broadcast live. Under Lee's influence, Arthur briefly reverts to his Joker persona, leading a revolt at Arkham and firing Maryanne. The guards at Arkham, however, are not amused. Their damaging attack makes Arthur wonder if Lee really wants to build a mountain with him...or only wants to be entertained by the Joker.

The Song and Dance: And that and the genuinely cool opening cartoon sequence are the highlights here, along with Lady Gaga and Phoenix's intense performances as the troubled pair in question. The lounge acts and R&B songs parody both the cheesy scarlet and gold variety aesthetic of the movie's 70's-early 80's setting and the cheerier numbers from 50's and 60's musicals like The Band Wagon (which is seen twice, including when Lee sets Arkham on fire) and Sweet Charity. The terrific period-appropriate costumes add a much-needed shot of color to the depressing gray sets and dark score.

The Numbers: We open with a medley of "Slap That Bass," "Get Happy," and "What the World Needs Now" in the cartoon sequence as the Joker tries to dodge and fights with his shadow, who ultimately takes over his act. Our first number proper is "For Once In My Life," as Arthur revels in Lee's attention to him. They perform "Get Happy" with the choir after he's declared sane enough to join. Lee is thrilled as they dance for the first time, literal sparks coming from the fire as she crows "If My Friends Could See Me Now." Lee also gets Lady Gaga's own "Foile et Deux," written directly for the film and performed during the sequence when Arthur imagines them dancing in the moonlight Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers style, with him in his Joker costume. 

Arthur goes into the Rogers and Hart standard "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" during a talk show interview to explain his feelings for Lee. Lee sings "That's Entertainment" twice, the first time after the show. "When the Saints Go Marching In" is heard three times, notably as Arthur leads his revolt in the cafeteria, dancing on tables. Arthur sings the standard "When You're Smiling" on his way to the trial, revealing how happy he is with Lee. They do the R&B standard "To Love Somebody" on a stage surrounded by musicians, with her in ruffled early 70's garb and him in his Joker outfit...until she shoots him in the gut. 

She sings "Close to You" when she comes to see him at Arkham; he joins in, but it doesn't seem to reach his eyes like before. He laments being "The Joker" in a shadowy night club act parody. They're "Gonna Build a Mountain" in a huge variety act that includes her on the piano while he tap-dances in his big clown shoes for the crowd. Lee and his follower at Arkham claim "I've Got the World On a String" after Arthur fires his lawyer and returns to his Joker persona. "If You Go Away" is Joker's song after he's attacked and he's decided who he really is. "That's Life" is heard twice, earlier in a montage at Arkham performed by Frank Sinatra, and near the end by Lee. Arthur finishes with "True Love Will Find You In the End."

What I Don't Like: For a flashy musical inspired by cheesy variety shows, this is one depressing as heck movie. Lee and Arthur's colorful fantasies and the terrific music aren't enough to offset the dull sets and relentlessly grim outlook. The ending isn't much fun, either. Though I do appreciate that Lee and Arthur's relationship isn't as abusive as it tends to be elsewhere, I also fully agree with Lee and think Arthur should not have renounced his Joker persona. It doesn't suit the character or, from what I gathered, the first film. 

In fact, I haven't seen the first movie, but apparently a lot was changed between films, including some plot threads there that aren't picked up here. There's also the fact that, despite being second-billed, Lady Gaga simply doesn't have quite as much to do as Phoenix, and the movie runs way beyond too long and should have left some of those numbers on the cutting room floor. 

The Big Finale: There's a reason this is flopping big-time right now. Good numbers aren't enough to offset the grim plot, obnoxious characters, and a movie that is as confused about its identity as Arthur is. For major fans of Lady Gaga or DC Comics only. Everyone else can look for the soundtrack or Lady Gaga's album "inspired" by this film, Harlequin. 

Home Media: It's currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Animation Celebration Saturday - Scooby Doo and the Goblin King

Warner Bros, 2008

Voices of Casey Kasem, Frank Welker, Hayden Panettiere, and Wayne Knight

Directed by Joe Sichta

Music and Lyrics by Thomas Chase Jones

We kick off the Halloween season with the first attempt at a musical Scooby Doo story, and one of their two direct-to-home-media movies to revolve around the holiday. Truth be told, this is kind of an odd story for them in several respects. The monsters and magic are real, not just people in magic and special effects, and Shaggy and Scooby are the ones who don't believe in it. Just how unique is this strange fantasy adventure? Let's start on the horror-themed roller coaster at the Coolsville Halloween Carnival and find out...

The Story: Scooby (Welker) and Shaggy (Kasem) sabotage the Amazing Krudsky's (Knight) act when he won't let Scooby into the show, revealing him to be a fraud. The kids get thrown out of the carnival, and Krudsky swears revenge. He thinks he gets his chance when Fairy Princess Willow (Panettiere) tells him about the powerful Goblin Sceptor that belongs to her father the Goblin King (Tim Curry). Krudsky manages to capture her and absorb her magic.

Scooby and Shaggy are trick-or-treating when they encounter Mr. Gibbles' (Wallace Shawn) Real Magic Shoppe. They learn just how real it is when Krudsky appears, steals the magic equipment, and turns Gibbles into a rabbit. Gibbles sends them to the Spirit World disguised as monsters. The cowardly duo discover just how real magic is when the Grand Witch (Lauren Bacall), a talking Jack O'Lantern (Jay Leno), and a town filled with fairies all join them to rescue the Goblin King and stop Krudsky from taking over the world.

The Animation: Honestly not bad for the Scooby Doo direct-to-home-media movies. There's some wonderful details at the Halloween carnival and in the Spirit World, from the opening horror roller coaster to the fairies' town. The characters move well enough, and the fantastical ones, like Fairy Princess Willow, the Goblin King, and the Grand Witch, have genuinely nifty designs.

The Song and Dance: If you love 80's fantasy adventures like Labyrinth or Shaggy and Scooby's antics, you'll get a real kick out of this one. It also somewhat resembles the 80's Scooby show The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, with its very real monsters and focus on Scooby and Shaggy. There's an impressive voice cast for one of the Scooby movies, too, with Knight the stand-out as the fake magician who gets way in over his head when he goes looking for real power. (And at the very least, the members of Mystery Inc themselves don't actually sing  here.) 

The Numbers: Mr. Gibbles asks "Who's at the Door?" when Shaggy and Scooby turn up in his shop. He proves that yes, magic is real as the enchanted equipment in his store comes to life. The monsters of the Spirit World sing about how a "Bump In the Night" can scare off most humans. The Goblin King's henchman Glob (Jim Belushi) does the "Goblin Oogie Boogie" with the residents of his master's palace as Shaggy and Scooby try to infiltrate his castle.

What I Don't Like: This is one of the least-typical Scooby Doo movies. If you're looking for something closer to the show, with Mystery Inc chasing criminals in masks, you'll want to go elsewhere. Daphne, Fred, and Velma are barely seen in the beginning and the end. Shaggy and Scooby in particular seem a bit out of character here. They're usually the ones who believe every monster is real. 

The Big Finale: Fantasy fans, fans of the cast, and those who love Shaggy and Scooby's antics will likely get the most out of this Hanna-Barbara Halloween fairy tale.

Home Media: Like all the Scooby Doo films, this is easily found on DVD and streaming. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story

VH-1/Rhino Films, 2000

Starring Aaron Lohr, Jeff Geddis, George Stanchev, and L.B Fisher

Directed by Neil Fearnley

Music and Lyrics by various

The Wonders were far from the first or last fictional music group to blur the lines between fantasy and reality. The Monkees began in 1966 as four very different young men who were brought together by director Bob Rafelson and producer Bert Schneider to appear in a TV show that would appeal to young and hip teens, with music catering to them. The show they made may have been inspired by the Beatles and A Hard Day's Night, but it ended up with a wacky style all its own. Though the music used in the show was even more popular for a few years, its creation - and the young men who made it - had a rougher go of things. We learn just how difficult as we start with a modern young man coming up with the idea of using a TV show with a lovable rock band that sounds very familiar...

The Story: Producer and director Van Foreman (Colin Ferguson) comes to NBC in 1965 with a revolutionary new idea for a sitcom about a diverse rock group who live together and have wacky adventures. Mike Nesmith (Geddis), a fiercely independent country singer from Texas trying to support his pregnant wife Phyllis (Polly Shannon), learns about the auditions from the ad Foreman posts in Variety. Peter Tork (Fisher), a folk singer from Connecticut working as a dish washer, hears about it from a friend. Former child star Micky Dolenz (Lohr) and British former stage star Davy Jones (Stanchev) are encouraged to audition by their agents, despite Jones having no prior experience with instruments or rock. 

Foreman and NBC hire Don Kirshner (Wallace Langham) to handle the albums they'll put out in promotion of the show. After a few hiccups, the show and the album are smash hits beyond anyone's wildest dreams, but trouble looms. The music press heavily criticizes the band only handling the singing on their first album, something that frustrates and angers musicians Mike and Peter. Matters come to a head when Kirshner ignores orders to put out a song Mike wrote as a single and uses one of the songs from his stable of songwriters instead. 

After a tense confrontation that ends with Mike putting his hand in a hotel wall, Kirshner is fired, and the guys are finally able to make their own album, Headquarters. It's a big hit...until the much more progressive and slick St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is released. Their tour in 1967 is a hit, too, but their opening act Jimi Hendrix doesn't go over as well with their young audience. The show ends after the second season. Van wants to move the guys into movies with the help of up-and-coming star Jack Nicholson (Matthew Schmelzle), but their movie Head is a weird and bitter bomb. Peter's tired of the guys not wanting to record as a band and is ready to quit, but Mike and Davy are reminded of what's really important after an accident nearly costs Mike his wife. 

The Song and Dance: At the very least, they found four guys who honestly do a decent job playing the Monkees. Geddis and Fisher in particular look like Nesmith and Tork and do excellently as the two musicians who, despite their very different preferences and performing styles, manage to work together to make their songs heard. Geddis nails the intense sequence where Mike and the others confront Kirshner at the hotel. Langham even makes a great smarmy Kirshner. 

In fact, my favorite thing here, other than Rhino surprisingly choosing some relatively obscure material to highlight, is how well they pull off the entire plot with the music. It's apparently pretty close to what actually happened, and it's handled beautifully. The brief recreations of Mike and Davy's audition interviews are pretty spot-on too, up to and including their being in black and white, as is the sequence from the episode "Fairy Tale" with Peter as a peasant and Mike in drag as a persnickety princess. 

The Numbers: Our first actual number is "Last Train to Clarksville," performed in front of an actual train in the Monkees' first live performance. Micky in particular really gets into the song, playing to the screaming girls in the audience and having a whale of a time. "Hey Hey, We're the Monkees" gives us a nice recreation of the original first-season opening credits montage. We get a brief instrumental bit as the Monkees try to learn how to play as a band, with Mike pushing too hard and the guys arguing over the rehearsal. Things go far better at their first concert in Hawaii, where Davy sings the slow version of "I Wanna Be Free" to all those screaming fans. 

"I'm a Believer" takes us into early '67, as the Monkees become more confident as a live band and on the show and "Believer" becomes their biggest hit ever. The live version of "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" provides the backdrop for the Monkees escaping their fans in and around a hotel before their first big gig. Micky even comes out to the audience to sing his heart out, ignoring someone's attempt to throw a cape over him. The Knack's "All In the All and All" is heard in the background during the party that introduces the Monkees to the Beatles. The Monkees have a great time recording the now-rare "All of Your Toys" for Headquarters (which it would eventually be passed over for). Davy and Peter aren't as happy recording Davy's best-known hit "Daydream Believer," but their video for it on the show is a far more pleasant affair. Other than them all wearing white when they were in different clothes on the show, this is also recreated accurately.

Trivia: There's quite a few historical and character inaccuracies, starting with Phyllis Nesmith had already given birth to their first child Christian over a year before The Monkees began and would have another during its production. Mike rode a motorcycle to the studio; he couldn't afford a car at the time. Micky and Davy never saw the ad and had their own private auditions. Peter's friend who told him about the audition was Stephen Stills, of Crosby, Stills, and Nash fame (who looked nothing like the guy who tells Peter in the movie). 

Van is a composite of the real Monkees creators director Bob Rafelson and producer Bert Schneider. The Monkees' hairstyles are also inaccurate for the time. Micky had his hair straight for the first season and wavy but not as curly during the early second. Davy's hair looks like it did in the later first season episodes of late '66-early '67. 

"All of Your Toys" was indeed the first song the Monkees recorded after their revolt, but Kirshner rejected it for not having a Screen Gems (Columbia Pictures) trademark; it was rejected for Headquarters as well. It wouldn't make it on an album until the 1987 release of cut and unused Monkees songs Missing Links. 

What I Don't Like: At times, it becomes all-too obvious that this was a made-for-cable movie filmed in Toronto. Many of the locations look nothing like LA or London. The dialogue is often clunky and stilted, especially near the end, where we get a lot of sloppy speeches from Mike and Peter on artistic integrity and Davy having to "cut the strings" and stop being a puppet. Davy's frustration and homesickness is mostly manufactured (he'd been on his own since he was 14), but his feeling out-of-place in the group wasn't. Lohr was such an adorable Micky and so perfectly captured his endless energy that I really wish he had more to do. Micky isn't seen or heard from as often as the other three, despite having just as much going on at the time as them. 

My biggest gripe is the too-pat ending. It barely touches on Peter's frustration over them not recording as a band and leaving the group. The whole thing at the beach and with Mike and Davy at the hospital is overly sentimental and smacks of a cop-out. In truth, there was no easy ending to the Monkee's story in the 60's. Peter left in 1969. The other three continued on, with Mike finally calling it quits to form his own band later that year. Davy and Micky did one more album as a duo, then Davy quit. (Micky Dolenz claims to be the only member who never quit any version of the Monkees.) There would be successful revivals in 1986 on MTV and Nickelodeon, in 1997, and in 2016 after Jones' death. In fact, I wonder if this might have made a better miniseries. There's really too much story here for a hour and a half cable movie. 

The Big Finale: If you're already a big Monkees fan like me, you probably know everything that's covered here. For casual viewers or fans just discovering their music, use this as a springboard to learning more about the band, their music, and their fight for artistic integrity. 

Home Media: The DVD is out of print and pricey, Streaming is far and away your best bet. Amazon Prime and Tubi both currently have it for free with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - That Thing You Do!

20th Century Fox, 1996

Starring Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathon Schaech, and Tom Hanks

Directed by Tom Hanks

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we're staying in the 90's and early 2000's with two "biographies," one of a fictional band that managed to produce a hit single, the other of a real band that started out as a fictional band on TV. Tom Hanks dove into directing and songwriting with this look at a garage band who suddenly found themselves thrust into the spotlight after one of their songs ends up as a breakout hit. How well does he do with both? Let's begin in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1964, as Guy Patterson (Scott) sells appliances as a seemingly vintage folk ballad plays and find out...

The Story: Guy may be selling appliances for his father (Holmes Osborne) now, but his real interest is in jazz drumming. He gets his chance to be in a band when his friends Jimmy (Schaech) and Lenny (Steve Zahn) ask him to replace their drummer Chad (Giovanni Ribsi) after he breaks his arm. Guy's wild drumming turns the sweet little ballad Jimmy wrote for their school talent show into a dance sensation. 

They attract the attention of local music manager Phil Horace (Chris Evans), who gets them a gig in Pittsburgh. It's a disaster, but Phil still brings in Play-Tone Records representative Amos White (Hanks). White becomes their manager and changes their name from the Oneders to the Wonders. He even gets them booked on a country fair tour with other Play-Tone bands, with Jimmy's girlfriend Faye (Tyler) as their costume designer. 

The boys love the publicity and are even happier that their single "That Thing You Do!" is roaring up the charts. Guy's thrilled to meet his idol, Play-Tone jazz king Del Paxton (Bill Cobbs), but he's less happy to join the others for puff-piece radio interviews. Jimmy's even less thrilled with their number in a silly Beach Party imitation, Weekend at Party Pier. Even as they ready for their biggest gig yet on national television, their bassist T.B (Ethan Embry) joins the Marines and fails to show, and Jimmy becomes furious with Faye when their engagement is announced on the air. All Guy wants to do is play, but as Mr. White reminds him, one-hit "Wonders" are all too common in the music industry...

The Song and Dance: I forgot how much fun this is...and how historically accurate the music and milieu are. Hanks really did his homework. The songs and musical numbers all look and sound like they could have come from real-life movies and TV shows of the time. Terrific casting, too. Scott made a sensational debut as jazz-loving Guy, and he has real chemistry with Tyler. 

The gorgeous costumes and sets beautifully bring the era of the British Invasion and the many garage-rock bands across America trying to "make it" to life. Other stand-outs include Schaech as Wonders' lead guitarist and songwriter who is more interested in selling his music than making it, Hanks as the seemingly amiable manager, and Obba Babatunde as a concierge at the Ambassador Hotel in LA who ends up befriending Guy and bringing him and Faye together.

The Numbers: We open with what sounds like a typical bouncy folk tune of the time, "Lovin' You Lots and Lots," which was written by none other than Tom Hanks himself. The hit title song starts off as a slow ballad, a genre of which Jimmy is overly fond of. It doesn't become the dance jam beloved by 90's radio enthusiasts until Guy gets really into his drumming at the talent show and turns it into an uptempo pop tune. 

We get two other numbers at the talent show, the supremely bad folk song "I Can Hear the Children Laughing," performed by female hippies, and "La Senora De Dos Costas" from a Latin orchestra. We get to hear another Jimmy ballad, the lovely "All My Only Dreams," at an Italian restaurant that's their first paying gig, before they reprise "That Thing You Do!" Jimmie sings another ballad, "Little Wild One," at the Italian place after they start selling their own 45s. 

The first number after they start the tour is "Mr. Downtown," a parody of the jazzy title songs from cop shows in the late 50's and 60's. "Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart" is a take on black female soul group numbers. It's so accurate to the time, it's one of my favorites from this soundtrack. "Voyage to the Moon" is an instrumental surf number that provides the backdrop to the rest of the tour as the guys rehearse and T.B falls for one of the soul group members. "Dance With Me Tonight," a rollicking surf-tinged dance number, gives way to a far more elaborate version of the title song, with girl dancers in bright-colored pedal pushers and the guys in gold jackets. 

"Shrimp Shack" is another surf-rock parody, this time in a recreation of a Beach Party imitation, complete with the guys in sailor outfits playing "Cap'n Geech and His Shrimp Shack Shooters." The title song is heard one last time on The Hollywood Television Showcase; this time, they're obviously referring to the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. It comes complete with captions giving us each guy's name (and that Jimmy's engaged - something he's not happy about). They're joined by Scott "Wolfman" Pell (Larry Antonio) as bassist, since T.B joined the Marines. The last number is Guy finally getting his wish to play with Del Paxton as they turn Guy's drum improvisation into a jazz composition called "Spartacus."

Trivia: The title song and soundtrack were far bigger hits than the movie. The title song made it to 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains a staple on radio and streaming to this day. It would also be nominated for the Best Song Oscar in 1997. 

Of the four Wonders members, only Embry and Zahn had any experience with their actual instrument. They, Scott, and Schaetch took hours of lessons. They got so good at it, extras on the set thought they were actually playing. In reality, they were miming to the real-life rock and jazz artists who actually recorded the songs.

What I Don't Like: To tell the truth, Schaetch and Scott are the only Wonders we get to know well. I kind of wish we saw more of Embry and especially Zahn, who is very funny when we do see him as the least-serious Wonder. As Mr. White points out late in the film, the story isn't anything you haven't seen in countless movies about bands who break up when they can't handle fame.

The Big Finale: If you're as big of a classic rock fan as Tom Hanks and me, are a fan of Hanks or anyone in the cast, or remember when the title song was the choice dance jam on the radio, you'll want to join the Wonders on their roller-coaster ride to fame and obscurity, too. 

Home Media: Originally released in 2001, an extended version with 39 minutes of additional footage came out in 2007. The Blu-Ray release contains both versions. (Incidentally, my review is based on the original theatrical film.) It can also be found easily on streaming, including Paramount Plus with a subscription.

DVD - Extended Edition

Blu-Ray

Paramount Plus

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Fox and the Hound 2

Disney, 2006

Voices of Patrick Swayze, Reba McEntire, Jonah Bobo, and Harrison Fahn

Directed by Jim Kammerud

Music and Lyrics by various

Even Fox and the Hound got a sequel during the late 90's and 2000's, when Disney was obsessed with giving every movie in its back catalog a direct-to-home-media follow-up. Critics complained that they were cheapening the brand, but they were consistent money-makers. This one came out during the tail-end of that era, when the quality had started to improve slightly. Was it enough to help this tale of Tod and Copper's adventures with a country band at the local carnival? Let's begin with Tod and Copper playing together on a summer's day, chasing crickets, and find out...

The Story: Tod and Copper are excited when the fair comes to town, especially with a group of dogs known as the Singing Strays. Copper gets a chance to join the group after diva dog Dixie (McEntire) refuses to go on. He's such a hit, head dog Cash (Swayze) fires her and hires Copper on the spot after Tod lies and says he's a stray. Tod's so disappointed when his friend spends the whole day with Cash and the Strays, including the fireworks, he tells Dixie Copper has an owner. 

Dixie thinks this is a way to get back with the band, but Tod's attempt to bring Copper's owner Amos Slade (Jeff Bennet) to the performance ends up driving off the Grand Ol' Opry talent scout (Stephen Root) who was supposed to come see them sing. After Tod ends up with the scout's hat, he gets Copper to use his tracking skills and bring Dixie and Cash back together...and make them understand that their relationship and love of singing is more important than any fame.

The Animation: Lovely, warm fall colors almost make up for a distinct lack of detail. In fact, in some ways, this looks a bit better than the rough animation from the original. They were just starting to phase out the Xerox process when they made the 1981 movie. This came long after that had been retired, and it doesn't look half-bad for one of these cheap transfers. The characters look decent and move pretty well, though you do miss the lovely woodsy backgrounds of the original.

The Song and Dance: This wound up being a lot more fun than I expected. As I mentioned last week, The Fox and the Hound was never my favorite Disney movie to begin with, and this does correct some of my problems with that film. Dixie, Cash,  and the Singing Strays are far more interesting characters in the side plot than the two birds chasing a caterpillar in the first film. The country music fits the rural milieu better than Pearl Bailey and her languid ballads did, too. Frankly, the music always did seem a bit out of place in the first film. Tod and Copper have slightly more to do, especially Copper, and Bobo and Fahn are adorable. Swayze and McEntire are the stand-outs as the two dogs who get so caught up in chasing fame, they forget that their true loves are performing and each other.

The Numbers: We open with "Friends for Life," performed by country group One Flew South as Tod and Copper romp and play with the cricket in the beginning. Copper breaks into "We're In Harmony" and becomes an instant sensation. Swayze and the chorus sing about him being a "Hound Dude" at the fair. Frustrated Dixie tells Tod how she's been constantly told "Good Doggie, No Bone!" and that life as a musical act is no bed of dog bones. Trisha Yearwood sings the dark "Blue Beyond" as Dixie realizes all the trouble she's caused and Tod realizes he's ready to make up with Copper. "We're In Harmony" is heard twice in the ending, when Dixie and Cash get together and the group shows the talent scout how good they are, and in the finale as Tod and Copper hear them over the radio. The movie ends with Lucas Grabeel singing "You Know I Will" over the credits.

Trivia: This would be the last Disney film to feature the blue and white castle logo they'd used for over twenty years.

What I Don't Like: At times, it's a lot more apparent that this is a direct-to-DVD sequel to a movie that wasn't all that great to begin with. While it is nice to see Tod and Copper having fun before their break-up, you barely see Amos Slade or the Widow Tweed, Slade's older dog Chief has maybe two lines, and Big Mama and her two bird friends are gone all together. It's hard to see how this upbeat little romp fits into the original dour, dark story. It feels more like a stand-alone movie than any kind of sequel. 

The country music may suit the setting, but it still isn't all that great. Dixie and Cash can be unbearably self-centered, especially Dixie, and their quest for fame seems petty and cliched. The remaining three strays aren't nearly as fleshed out, though Vicki Lawrence has her moments as the eldest member Granny Rose. 

The Big Finale: I consider this to be less of a sequel and more of a stand-alone story that happens to feature Tod and Copper. If you have country fans or younger kids who will enjoy the music and Tod and Copper's antics, this is mildly worth checking out once for the cast and decent numbers. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc packaged with the original and on Disney Plus with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray - The Fox and the Hound/The Fox and the Hound 2

Disney Plus

The Last Five Years

Radius-TWC, 2014

Starring Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan, Natalie Knepp, and Marceline Hugot

Directed by Richard LaGravenese

Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

Other than this being a musical romantic comedy, this is a very different beast than our previous reviews. The Last 5 Years began life as Brown's version of his failed marriage to Teresa O'Neill. While it wasn't a huge hit commercially off-Broadway, it did well enough critically for The Weinstein Company to consider turning it into a film. The show originally had only two characters...and while the film did expand this somewhat, it's still the story of a guy and a girl and the choices they make, good and bad, during their five-year marriage. Let's begin as Cathy (Kendrick) laments that her husband Jamie (Jordan) has left her and find out...

The Story: Jamie and Cathy's life together begins well. Initially, they can't keep their hands off each other, and Jamie is so delighted to have found someone who is so different from his wealthy Jewish upbringing. He's thrilled when his first novel becomes a success, but each book takes him further away. Cathy initially gives up her acting career to be with him, but he eventually encourages her to pursue it. They get married in 2010, but her career is improving, and he's having a hard time avoiding affairs at work. In the end, neither of them have time for each other, and he gets involved in other women. Jamie finally walks out in 2014, but it's Cathy who is devastated.

The Song and Dance: The non-linear timeline makes this unique among musicals and romantic comedies. It's sung-through, with very little dialogue, almost an opera. Jordan and especially Kendrick makes this work far better than it should as the guy whose focus on his career costs him his marriage and the girl who gives herself for a guy, only to regret not putting more into herself. There's some nice cinematography for a relatively low-budget title, making it feel like a movie and not just an off-Broadway show transferred to film. 

The Numbers: We open with "Still Hurting" at their apartment as Cathy admits she misses Jamie and wishes he hadn't left. This introduces the conceit of Cathy's darker memories being seen in grays or darker colors, while Jamie's sun-dappled recollections are bright and sunny. We get this in "Shishka Goddess" as Jamie describes how happy he is with Cathy and how glad he is that she's so unlike any girl he's ever known. In 2013, Cathy claims "See, I'm Smiling," but she's really anything but when Jamie comes to Ohio for her birthday, only to claim he can't stay because he has a party at Random House Publishing to attend.

Jamie's so thrilled in 2010 when Random House buys his manuscript, he ends up dancing on the streets with half of New York. Everything is "Moving So Fast"...but not for Cathy, who can't get an audition. His book is so successful, Cathy decides she wants to be "A Part of That" and focus on his achievement. Cathy is working as a bartender when Jamie tells her his newest Christmas story, "The Schmuel Song," which ends with Jamie encouraging her to follow her own dreams. "A Summer In Ohio" has Cathy unhappily working summer stock and longing to return to Jamie and Broadway. In "The Next Ten Minutes," Jamie proposes at a gazebo in Central Park, where they also get married. 

Jamie wishes "A Miracle Would Happen" and keep him away from women, while Cathy is delighted about getting a part in an off-Broadway show but still wonders what will happen "When You Come Home to Me." She realizes at a reading for one of Jamie's books that she's "Climbing Uphill" and needs to stop putting his needs first. Cathy doesn't at all believe Jamie when she refuses to attend another book party, pointing out that he never pays attention to her. "If I Didn't Believe In You," Jamie says, he wouldn't be there. Earlier, they visit Cathy's hometown, as she insists "I Can Do Better Than That" and avoid being a suburban wife. Jamie does have those affairs, but he tells the women "Nobody Needs to Know." The movie ends with Cathy saying "Goodbye Until Tomorrow" on her first date with Jamie...and Jamie walking out to "I Could Never Rescue You." 

Trivia: The show debuted off-Broadway at the Minetta Theater in March 2002. It only ran for three months, but was well-received by critics and won several Drama Desk and Lucile Lortel awards. It returned to off-Broadway for a limited run in 2013 and did somewhat better in its off-West End production in 2016. It's currently slated to make its Broadway debut in a limited run this April. 

What I Don't Like: I feel sorry for Cathy. She and Jamie both had their problems, but he's the one who had the affairs. I'm not sure he was even worth that aching "Still Hurting" in the opening. Also a reminder that this is a romantic comedy with traditional show tunes in an unconventional format. If you're looking for a more action-packed plot, a lot of huge chorus numbers, a linear story that goes in one direction, or one with less music, this isn't for you. 

The Big Finale: Charming and bittersweet story is best for fans of romcoms that don't move in the ways you'd expect or small-scale musicals that are slightly darker than usual. 

Home Media: Easily found just about anywhere. Can currently be found streaming for free on Tubi.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Cult Flops - Everyone Says I Love You

Miramax Films, 1996

Starring Woody Allen, Goldie Hawn, Drew Barrymore, and Natasha Lyonne

Directed by Woody Allen

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we're looking at two very different romantic comedies revolving around relationships in the last 30 years. Let's start with the more traditional one. Woody Allen saluted the fanciful films of the 1930's featuring wealthy characters pursuing each other in cosmopolitan cities like Paris and New York, along with the Marx Brothers films, in this one. He also brought together a wonderful cast, some of whom were just starting their careers at that point. How well did he do with the story of an affluent extended family and their romantic misadventures? Let's begin with young lovers Skylar Dandridge (Barrymore) and her fiancee Holden Spence (Edward Norton) as Djuna "DJ" Berlin (Lyonne) explains her family's situation and find out...

The Story: DJ tries her hardest to help everyone in her family with their love problems, but it doesn't always work out the way she hoped. She suggests Horton put his wedding ring in Skylar's parfait, but she just eats it. Her liberal lawyer stepfather Bob (Alan Alda) is annoyed with his son Scott (Lukas Haas) whose political views are the opposite of his. Bob's wife Steffi (Hawn) wishes DJ's writer father Joe (Allen) would find another woman, but he's still hung up on Steffi. DJ pairs him with Von (Julia Roberts), an art historian, while on a trip to Venice. 

DJ, meanwhile, has fallen for a handsome gondolier and plans to run off with him...but there's that hunky college student in New York, and the rapper, and the dashing Paris hunk. Skylar breaks up with Horton when she falls for ex-con Charles Ferry (Tim Roth), but rushes back to Horton when it turns out Charles hasn't given up the criminal life after all. There's also Grandpa (Patrick Crenshaw) wandering around New York looking for odd things, and DJ's sisters Lane (Gaby Hoffman) and Laura (Natalie Portman) compete for a handsome local millionaire (John Griffin).

The Song and Dance: And with a story that slim, song and dance are the primary interest here. Considering most of these people aren't known for musicals, voices range from mostly passable (Roberts, Norton) to actually quite good (Hawn has sung on film before, and Alda began his career in stage musicals). The musical numbers are fabulous, with decent dancing, brilliant costumes, and lovely cinematography in the real New York, Paris, and Venice. Even Allen does relatively well as the schlub who thinks he wants his wife back, but really just needs someone new to focus on. He apparently wanted to show what would happen if relatively normal people just burst into old show tunes, and he really has fun with this. The opening numbers that come out of nowhere are my favorite, but he and Hawn get a nice Astaire/Rogers spoof in the end.

The Numbers: We open with Norton and Barrymore (dubbed by Olivia Hayman) singing "Just You, Just Me" as they stroll along in New York, passing lovely fountains and mannequins dancing for them in store windows. It's later performed by violinist Isthzak Pearlman and his pianist wife Navah at a party. Norton insists to Lyonne and a jewelry salesman (Edward Hibbett) that his girl doesn't want anything expensive, "My Baby Just Cares for Me." This turns into a huge chorus number with the salespeople and models at the store. As she prepares for her date, Barrymore admits "I'm a Dreamer, Aren't We All?" when she says she wants a man who is tougher and more decisive than her wishy-washy beau.

The hospital sequence after Barrymore eats the ring becomes another chorus routine as the nurses and doctors comment on how their charges are eager for some "Makin' Whoopee." "I'm Through With Love" is performs several times, first by Allen in his Venice hotel room (in a more attractive whispery voice than you might think), and later by Norton and Hawn at Halloween when they have trouble with their significant others. Roberts'  voice on"All My Life" isn't nearly as good, but it does accompany a charming sequence as we see Joe and Von's relationship progress through Venice. DJ changes her tune about the gondolier she fell for when she encounters a hot guy (Billy Crudup) at the airport who sings "Cuddle Up a Little Closer" on the taxi home with the help of the driver (Sanjev Ramabhadran). 

Alda gets one of Cole Porter's lovelier ballads, "Looking at You," as he plays for Steffi at his daughter's engagement party. Tim Roth is more profuse in claiming what he'd do "If I Had You" to Barrymore later in the party; they end up singing "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me."  Grandpa finally gets his say, wiggling with special-effects ghosts at the funeral home reminding everyone to "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)." 

A young Christy Carlson Romano sings about "Chiquita Banana" while showing off her unique costume at Halloween. We finish with a French language "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" performed by a chorus of Grouchos at the Paris Marx Brothers ball. Hawn sings "No Lover, No Friend" as she and Allen dream of dancing in Paris. We end with the entire cast dancing in Marx Brothers costume to the title number. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, I wish Allen hadn't had Haas' character change his political point of view so quickly and ridiculously. I liked his and Alda's sparring, and it's normal for members of families, even wealthy ones, to have differing opinions. Second, yeah, like the movies this is intended to be a homage to, this is genre fluff of the highest order. If you're not a fan of romantic comedy, older songs from the 20's through the 40's, or Allen's other work, you probably won't be into this. It's also not for those who aren't into musicals period. There's a lot of numbers in this movie, and yes, they're all performed by normal people who suddenly burst into song. (And some of those people, notably Norton and Roberts, aren't exactly the world's best singers.)

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Allen, anyone in the cast, or the romantic musicals of the 30's and 40s this is spoofing, you'll have a fine time with the musical misadventures of DJ and her unique family.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, including free on Tubi with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Fox and the Hound

Disney, 1981

Voices of Pearl Bailey, Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, and Jeanette Nolan

Directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens

Music and Lyrics by various

Disney was in transition when they made this one. This dark and unassuming animal story was a first for them in many respects. It was their first animated movie whose creation Walt had no involvement with. The book it's based on debuted in 1967, the year he died. It was also the last movie made by their Nine Old Men who had helped animate many of their earliest films, and the first for many animators who would help create hits for them and elsewhere in the 90's and beyond. How did all this effect the tale of a fox cub and hound puppy who are friends when they're young, only to become mortal enemies when they grow into adulthood? Let's begin with Big Mama Owl (Bailey) rescuing an abandoned fox cub after the death of its mother and find out...

The Story: Big Mama and her bird friends Dinky (Dick Bakalyan) and Boomer (Paul Winchell) bring the cub to lonely Widow Tweed (Nolan). She names him Tod (Keith Coogan) and raises him as a pet. Around the same time, hunter Amos Slade (Jack Anderson) brings home a hound puppy named Copper (Corey Feldman). When the two meet in the woods, they become fast friends and vow to stay that way forever. Neither Tweed nor Amos are thrilled with their relationship. Amos thinks Tod is after his chickens, and Tweed doesn't like Amos harming animals. 

Amos takes Copper and his older dog Chief (Pat Buttram) on a long winter hunting trip. When they return in the spring, Copper (Russell) and Tod (Rooney) have grown to adulthood. Tod wants to renew their friendship, but Copper doesn't want to go against his owner and friend. After Chief is badly hurt in an accident with a train, Copper is determined to track Tod down. Widow Tweed lets Tod into a nature preserve to protect him. Tod's lonely, until Big Mama introduces him to sweet Vixey (Sandy Duncan). Amos and Copper are still after them...but when a bear attacks the entire group, Copper has to decide if he wants revenge, or to respect the friendship they once had.

The Animation: Disney was only just pulling itself out of its 70's slump when they made this. It isn't the best they ever did, but it's also not without its virtues. It's kind of obvious Don Bluth worked on some scenes before he and 13 other animators walked out. This looks and feels more like one of his movies at times, especially in the beginning when Tod and Copper are younger and play with their tongues hanging out. 

The Song and Dance: Considering how much they softened from the original anti-deforestation novel, this still wound up being one of their darker films. I forgot what a terrific cast it has. All four of the actors playing Tod and Copper are splendid; Rooney and Russell give a lift to the dramatic scenes in the second half, and the younger boys would go on to have substantial careers as teens and young adults. Bailey's three songs are charming and sweet, and Anderson and Nolan play off each other well as the cantankerous hunter and the kindly old widow who wishes he'd leave her pet alone. 

The Numbers: The first song isn't until more than 15 minutes in, but it's the charming and bittersweet "Best of Friends." As Tod and Copper frolic in the woods, Mama wishes they really could stay friends forever. Mama and Dinky try to explain why a "Lack of Education" could lead Tod to an early grave, and why Copper won't be his best friend for much longer. Amos claims he's "A Huntin' Man." Widow Tweed talks the lyrics for the heartbreaking "Goodbye May Seem Forever" as she releases Tod into the wild before the chorus takes over. Big Mama encourages Tod to "Appreciate the Lady" and get to know Vixey better after his bad night in the woods.

Trivia: This was also the last Disney movie to simply feature a "The End" graphic at the end and push all the credits to the beginning and the first to use CGI graphics (mainly when Amos is trapping Tod and Vixey in their burrow). 

Though Kurt Russell did ten other Disney movies, this would be his only appearance in one of their animated films. 

Phil Harris and Charo were originally going to appear in the film as two goofy cranes, but it was decided that they and their comic number slowed the pacing and they were removed early in development. 

What I Don't Like: Did I mention how dark this is? Amos and Chief get hurt, there's shooting and gunplay, not to mention the fact that Tod and Copper's relationship, no matter how adorable it is in the beginning of the film, is doomed from the start. Despite all that, I wish they'd gone even darker. Not as dark as the book, where everyone dies and the woods are demolished, but at least let Chief die and give Copper more of a reason for wanting to attack Tod. Unfortunately, I think that was the Disney old guard getting wishy-washy.

And I'm glad they cut the Harris and Charo cranes. Winchell and Bakalyan do have some funny moments as the two birds relentlessly chasing a caterpillar, but their side story seems out of place and disconnected from the main plot about Tod and Copper's relationship. Other than "Best of Friends," Bailey's songs don't really seem to belong, either, and she doesn't have much to do besides sing and rescue Tod in the opening.

The Big Finale: This has never been my favorite Disney movie, thanks to the uneven tone and dark themes, but if your older kids are fans of other animated animal movies like The Secret of NIMH or you're a fan of anyone in the cast, it's worth checking out for that great voice cast and the animation. 

Home Media: It took them so long to release this on video, it was the last movie to appear in the original Walt Disney Classics line in 1994. Thankfully, it's long out of the Vault and is now easily found in all formats, including on Disney Plus. The current disc versions bundle it with its direct-to-video sequel, which I'll be looking at next week.

DVD - The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound II

Blu-Ray - The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound II

Disney Plus

Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter

MGM, 1968

Starring Peter Noone, Stanley Holloway, Sheila White, and Lance Percival

Directed by Saul Swimmer

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's head north with another popular British band from this era, and one that hits even closer to the Beatles. Like the Beatles, Herman's Hermits were based out of an industrial city in North England - in this case, Manchester - and had numerous hits that continue to be run on oldies stations and Spotify playlists to this day. Unlike the Beatles, the Hermits rarely wrote their own music, and their songs tended to lean more towards upbeat pop ditties, gentle ballads, and vintage music hall numbers. 

After having a hit with the wacky Hold On! in 1966, MGM decided to run with those music hall songs, including the title number, and put them in a more traditional musical. How does the story of the Hermits running a race horse - and into lovely ladies - look today? We open with shots of Manchester and the Hermits riding to the racetrack and find out...

The Story: Herman (Noone) and his Hermits each own a stake in Mrs. Brown, a greyhound Herman inherited from his grandfather. They're trying to earn enough money to race her in London, but can barely afford to feed her and themselves. It's even worse when Herman loses his job as a junior executive when the heads of the company don't appreciate him not conforming to their standards. They play gigs to earn the money, including working at the fruit market owned by enthusiastic G.G Brown (Holloway). Peter has a crush on Brown's daughter Judy (Sarah Caldwell) who hopes to  be a model, but local girl Tulip (White) has eyes for him. 

Peter only has eyes for Mrs. Brown. The dog does well in the Manchester preliminaries, but they still need to earn money to get her into the London races. Even after they earn the money, Peter manages to lose the dog...and Judy when he realizes that her modeling will always come first, before any romance. Tulip's there to help, though, and so is Percy the tramp (Percival), who keeps popping up in the oddest places. 

The Song and Dance: This also wound up being a surprise. I was expecting a goofy romp like Help! or the Monkees series. Instead, I got an adorable and very British MGM musical. The supporting cast shines in this one. Holloway has some terrific bits as the grocer who takes the Hermits under his wing, including two major numbers of his own, and there's hilarious Percival as Percy the tramp, Marjorie Rhoades as Herman's supportive and feisty Grandmother Gloria, and White as spotlight-craving Judy. It has a sweetly low-key feel to it that's refreshing in a era of huge musical movies on both sides of the Atlantic, with decent location shooting in the real Manchester and London along with Shepperton Studios.

The Numbers: We open with "It's Nice To Be Out In the Morning" as the guys ride to the race track with Mrs. Brown, and later as they get dressed and have breakfast. The Hermits rehearse the jaunty "Holiday Inn" at an abandoned bus in a junkyard, contrasted with footage of old ladies in bathing suits tossing a beach ball around. "Ooh, She's Done It Again" provides the background for Mrs. Brown's triumphant first race at the track in Manchester and the arrival of G.G Brown. 

The film's big hit was the uptempo ballad "There's a Kind of Hush," which provides the backdrop to the scene where Herman is walking through the park, thinking of Sheila and seeing couples falling in love all around them. Herman and the Hermits join the enthusiastic crowd at a local pub to earn money for their London trip to the tune of the delightful music hall ditty "Daisy Chain," which turns into the film's only major chorus routine. Brown teaches the Hermits how to sell "Lemon and Limes" when they can't find a place to stay in London. 

Herman claims Sheila is "The Most Beautiful Thing In My Life" during a soft-focus stroll through the park. "The World Is for the Young" is a gently touching rumination on how youths like Tulip and Herman think they've seen everything about love, but older adults know better, performed charmingly by White, Holloway, Rhoades, and Washbourne. We don't get the title song until the end credits. The other major dance number is an instrumental song, performed at a groovy nightclub while Herman's desperately searching for Mrs. Brown. We finally get the title number in the end credits, over shots of Sheila being photographed all over London alternating with the Hermits heading home.

What I Don't Like: Peter Noone continues to be a charming and funny presence onstage to this day, but he's no actor and comes off as either stiff or clueless. The other Hermits have even less to do than Dave Clark's band members did in Having a Wild Weekend. The fluffy plot does make more sense than them chasing rocket scientists in Hold On!, and I do appreciate that Herman doesn't end up with the girl you expect him to get. On the other hand, it's still pretty inconsequential. I really wish they'd done more with some of the advertising parodies early on. We sort of lose that midway through, and they were genuinely funny. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Herman's Hermits, British Invasion bands, or love British or MGM musicals from the 50's and 60's, you'll want to give Mrs. Brown a chance at racing fame, too.

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD, the latter from the Warner Archives. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Having a Wild Weekend (Catch Us If You Can)

Warner Bros, 1965

Starring Dave Clark, Barbara Ferris, Yootha Joyce, and David Lodge

Directed by John Boorman

Music by Dave Clark; Lyrics by Lenny Davidson and Denis Peyton

This week, we rock the British Invasion with two movies featuring popular bands from overseas. The success of the first two Beatles films suddenly made rock bands from England all the rage. One of the most popular on both sides of the Atlantic was The Dave Clark 5. In fact, they were the second biggest band in England during the mid-late 60's, with 12 top 40 hits in the UK and 17 in the US. Warners, seeing their success and that of Hard Day's Night, contracted them to make their own rock-based movie. How does their film debut look today? Let's begin with stuntman Steve (Clark) and his buddies as they begin their day to the title song and find out...

The Story: Steve is tired of doing stunts for a series of TV meat commercials with his friends, but he does enjoy working alongside "The Butcher Girl" Dinah (Ferris), the campaign's spokeswoman. She too has had enough of fame and joins Steve when he steals a Jaguar being used as a prop. Dinah wants to see an island she's purchased and convinces Steve to take her across a lovely wintry English landscape to see it. 

They end up among hippies squatting in a bombed-out abandoned town, spend time with a wealthy couple in the upper-class Royal Crescent housing row in Bath, and frolic at a party with Steve's buddies and at a costume ball. The police and Dinah's manager Zissell (David De Keyser) believing that Steve's kidnapped her and chases them across England. Steve already has a crush on lovely Dinah, but it may turn out that, despite her complaints, she loves her time in the spotlight more. 

The Song and Dance: This didn't end up at all like I expected. I figured we'd get a goofy comic romp, like the Beatles movies or the Beach Party films made in the US around the same time. What we got was a charmingly bittersweet romance between two people who are tired of the fame machine and just want peace and quiet. 

As with the Beatles films, having a genuinely good director who was in tune with the material made all the difference. John Boorman would later go on to direct classics like Deliverance and the original Point Break, and he brings his darker sensibilities to this teen romance. Some of the cinematography is breathtaking, and Boorman shoots it in a way that shows its majesty and plays up the darker edges in the script. 

The Numbers: We open with the Dave Clark Five giving us their daily morning work out to the tune of the original title song, "Catch Us If You Can." An instrumental montage shows us the meat ads that feature the Five and made Delilah famous popping up all over London. A second instrumental montage shows Delilah and Steve stealing the car and wrecking havoc around London, including painting glasses and beards on Delilah's ads. "Having a Wild Weekend," the title song for the US release, provides the background for the actual wild party as Dinah borrows clothes from a friend of hers. 

The hippies play a short, moody guitar-and-harmonica piece as Delilah and Steve arrive.  "Catch Us If You Can" returns during the big masquerade ball where Dinah and Steve hide with the help of his friends. We also hear the moody ballad "Sweet Memories" and the wild "I Can't Stand It" after the police arrive. "On the Move" provides the backdrop for the wild chase through the baths that end with half the guests in the swimming pool. "When" is the background music as Dinah and Steve hike and chase each other across the frozen English landscape. The movie ends with "Sweet Memories" as the others drive Steve away, leaving Dinah to her real love - the spotlight.

Trivia: Dinah would be happy to know that the abandoned hotel on her sandbar Burgh Island has since been restored and is now in operation as Bigbury-By-the-Sea.

In real life, British military training and target areas are fenced off with clear signage indicating what they are. There's no way Dinah, Steve, or the hippies would end up there. If nothing else, the military would have checked for trespassers before they opened fire anyway. 

Dave Clark 5 member Lenny Davidson is the only one with no lines in the film.

What I Don't Like: There's a lot of negative reviews for this online, and I suspect most of them were expecting this to be more like the upbeat Beatles films or a feature-length Monkees episode. It works best when it stands out from the crowd as a gentle, moody, meandering romance. The attempts to ape Hard Day's Night, including the party at the guys' apartment, the opening title song sequence, and the goofy masquerade party, don't work nearly as well and come off as trying too hard to be funny. There's also that "meandering" thing. Dinah and Steve's wandering all over England can get kind of dull, especially in the second half and for people expecting a more linear and traditional musical. 

There's also the problem of Clark himself. He's handsome and clearly knows how to play to the camera, but he's also not much of an actor and has the personality of a dead fish. Ferris does somewhat better as flighty Dinah, and the rest of the Dave Clark Five have their moments, but there isn't nearly enough of them. I kind of wish Clark had relinquished a little of the spotlight and allowed them to do more with the guys and Dinah as a group. 

The Big Finale: This may not be the wildest weekend ever, but it is a surprisingly sweet and moody romance that deserves to be far better-known. Highly recommended for fans of European cinema in the 60's or British Invasion rock. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD, the latter from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime