Movie Review: Bender’s Game Futurama was a science-fiction cartoon created by Matt Groening (The Simpsons) for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It starred Philip J. Fry, a New York City pizza delivery worker who is “accidentally” cryogenically frozen for a thousand years. In the bizarre future world, Fry has trouble fitting in at first, but… Continue reading Movie Review: Bender’s Game
Category: Movie
Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School
Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School Fujiwara leads a double life. He’s the leader of a gang of high school bullies, and also the teacher-trusted student president. He’s reasonably comfortable with this, having a binary view of life. There are winners and losers, and he’s determined to be a winner. Fujiwara is baffled, however, when… Continue reading Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School
Movie Review: Reet, Petite and Gone
Movie Review: Reet, Petite and Gone Years ago, Schuyler Jarvis (Louis Jordan) was a young entertainer who fell in love with a woman named Lovey Lynn (Bea Griffith.) She liked him plenty too, but her mother disapproved because Jarvis was a poor man, and forced Lovey to break off the affair. Lovey was married to… Continue reading Movie Review: Reet, Petite and Gone
Movie Review: Private Buckaroo
Movie Review: Private Buckaroo When bandleader and trumpeter Harry James (playing himself) is drafted, his entire band enlists to accompany him. However, his main vocalist, Lon Prentice (Dick Foran) is initially classified 4-F due to a foot problem. One visit to the doctor later, Lon is cured and can enlist with the other fellows.… Continue reading Movie Review: Private Buckaroo
Movie Review: Trocadero (1944)
Movie Review: Trocadero (1944) Hollywood columnist Erskine Johnson (playing himself) needs a story for his Sunday slot, and goes to his favorite nightclub, the Trocadero. It’s hopping as usual, but headwaiter Sam (Ralph Morgan) finds a moment between celebrity cameos and musical numbers to talk to the columnist. He reveals that things were not always… Continue reading Movie Review: Trocadero (1944)
Movie Review: All-American Co-Ed
Movie Review: All-American Co-Ed The movie starts with chorus girls’ feet and legs kicking behind the title sequence. Then the camera is pulled back and we discover that the “chorus girls” are all men. The Zeta Fraternity of all-male Quinceton University are putting on a drag revue. Matilda Collinge (Esther Dale) sees a description (but… Continue reading Movie Review: All-American Co-Ed
Movie Review: Till the Clouds Roll By
Movie Review: Till the Clouds Roll By This 1946 musical, filmed in glorious Technicolor, is loosely based on the life of songwriter Jerome Kern (Robert Walker). It opens with the opening of Showboat, the famous Oscar Hammerstein play he wrote the music for. After several numbers, we skip to the end of the performance. Mr. Kern… Continue reading Movie Review: Till the Clouds Roll By
Film Review: Hi-De-Ho (1947)
Film Review: Hi-De-Ho (1947) Jazz singer and bandleader Cab Calloway (Cab Calloway) has a new manager named Nettie (Ida James). His girlfriend Minnie (Jeni Le Gon) becomes insanely jealous, despite the relationship being purely professional. When Nettie lands Cab and his orchestra a gig at the ritzy Brass Hat Club, Minnie hies herself over to… Continue reading Film Review: Hi-De-Ho (1947)
Movie Review: The Duke is Tops
Movie Review: The Duke is Tops (1938) Duke Davis (Ralph Cooper) is a show producer who has a star act, Ethel Andrews (Lena Horne), who is also his sweetheart. Their current show, “Sepia Scandals” is doing very well in the small Southern cities it’s playing. A big-time East Coast agent wants to put Ethel on… Continue reading Movie Review: The Duke is Tops
Movie Review: Doll Face (1945)
Movie Review: Doll Face (1945) “Doll Face” Carroll (Vivian Blaine) is a burlesque queen who wants to move into Broadway productions. When slightly snobbish producer Flo Hartman (Reed Hadley) scorns her audition because Doll Face isn’t “cultured”, her manager Mike Hannegan (Dennis O’Keefe) comes up with the idea of making her seem more accomplished by… Continue reading Movie Review: Doll Face (1945)