Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier

Fess Parker played Davy Crockett in the 1955 film, “Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier,” which combined three episodes of the TV series that aired on ABC.

First, Davy and his partner George Russel (Buddy Ebsen) scout for General Andrew Jackson (Basil Ruysdael), who’s trying to suppress a revolution by the Creek Indians and Chief Red Stick (Pat Hogan).

As predicted, Davy proves much more skilled at fighting Native Americans than the regulars under Jackson’s command, including Major Tobias Norton, played by William Bakewell.

Once peace is restored, Davy and George travel to Tennessee. When they arrive, Davy meets the local bully, becomes judge, than a state representative.

In the end, Jackson, now president, recruits him to run for Congress. Mark Franklin said in his blog, “Davy finds his backwoods politics plays well, even in Eastern cities. He also discovers that more seasoned politicians are eager to take advantage of his naiveté.”

Done with politics, Davy and George travel to Texas. Why? Franklin answered, “Because American homesteaders who have settled there are fighting for their liberty.”

They end up at the Alamo, where Colonel Jim Bowie, played by Kenneth Tobey, immediately tells the truth with Crockett, but not the rest of the men. Their situation is desperate. And the likelihood of reinforcements distant.

Franklin noted, “The film became a smash hit for Disney, the Davy Crockett role made a star of Fess Parker and coonskin caps became a craze, all the result of a TV show designed to promote the Frontierland portion of Walt Disney’s Florida theme park.”

Given Parker’s easy-going likability in the lead role – at one point, he tries to smile down a bear – it’s easy to see why this would be popular with kids and as family friendly viewing.

Franklin criticized, “But it’s too cliché-ridden to be taken very seriously as adult entertainment.” In one scene in part one, Davy challenges the Native American chief to a hand-to-hand fight. This comes after Davy and George have taken turns saving one another.

The theme song became famous. Franklin noted, “In fact, at one point, three different versions of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” were in the Billboard Top 10, one by Tennessee Ernie Ford, one by Fess Parker and one by Bill Hayes. The Hayes version made it to number one.”

Yes, Davy dies at the Alamo, but Disney came back with a prequel the following year, which we will look at tomorrow.

This is a good movie. I saw this on Disney+ and I enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t know this was a TV show, but that is because it was way before my time. I might watch the show, but I don’t know. In fact, this should be seen by everyone to know what a classic this is.

Look out tomorrow when I review the prequel in “Disney Month 2024.”

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Our next review is going to be “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” Entertaining 1954 fantasy adventure version of the classic Jules Verne novel, directed with the skill of a craftsman by Richard Fleischer and finely written by Earl Feltor to be lively, hilarious, and messing around with a political agenda that can’t be said out loud it’s against colonialism by the major authority but gives the eccentric scientist a motivation for why he’s livid at the world – something not said in the novel. Dennis Schwartz said in his review, “Great art designs, colorful underwater shots and amazing technical skill fashioning the ultra-modern submarine, plus robust battle scenes, a superbly dark performance by James Mason and imaginative story-telling, make this sci-fi sea yarn a good one that could have been better with a little less Kirk Douglas and more scientific things to gawk at in wonder.”

In 1868 San Francisco, there’s fears of a sea monster shattering vessels in the South Seas which has sailors afraid of enlisting on ships going in that direction. When a US Naval warship under the arrogant Captain Farragut (Ted de Corsia) sails to the South Seas to either conquer the beast or prove there’s no such thing, nice humanitarian visiting the best French marine scientist from the National Museum of Paris, Professor Pierre Arronax (Paul Lukas), his alcoholic apprentice Conseil (Peter Lorre) and the harsh passionate American adventurer harpoonist Ned Lands (Kirk Douglas) are invited to go on the journey. In the water Saigon, Farragut’s vessel is destroyed by the beast, which turns out to be a futuristic submarine named the Nautilus, that’s been built and is commanded by the power-hungry committed lunatic genius Captain Nemo, played by James Mason, and the crew includes a dedicated group of robotic sailors. The three survivors – Ned, the Professor, and Conseil – are taken on board as prisoners, and are amazed by every advanced technology but intimidated at how evil Nemo is in killing innocent sailors because he believes the world powers transporting war goods on the sea.

When the evil Nemo, strangely enough fighting against the villains, is finally surrounded by a group of warships, he and his crew sacrifice themselves and to ignite an A-bomb like explosion his home island of Vulcania – where he build the Nautilus and invented all of its futuristic equipment – saying the world is not ready for his secrets.

I never read the novel, but I think this movie is very enjoyable to watch. Check it out on Disney+ to see a very well shot film for its time. Also, Kirk Douglas sings in this, so it will be a nice way to honor his memory, especially his scenes with Peter Lorre.

Look out tomorrow when I look at a TV show adaptation in “Disney Month 2024.”

Song of the South

Welcome back everyone to “Disney Month.” As always, I will be reviewing various Disney films that I have not seen and including MCU and Star Wars shows in here. Let’s get started with the 1946 controversial film, “Song of the South.”

Famously labeled as too racist to ever release for modern audiences, “Song of the South” is easily the lest seen, most obscure film ever made by Disney. It’s a combination of live action actors and cartoon scenes, added by occasional songs. Mike Massie said in his review, “Considered a musical, the several numbers sung by crowds of sharecroppers are smoothly integrated, while the remaining tunes are crooned by curious animated critters communicating with Remus via melodic conversations.” Set in the Reconstruction era of the deep South and based on Joel Chandler Harris’ stories, all taking place after the Civil War (despite none of this is apparent enough), the controversy around the showing the black characters has prevented generations of audiences from seeing the movie or realizing that the now removed “Splash Mountain” theme park ride at Disneyland came from this film.

Miss Sally (Ruth Warrick) and newspaper man Mr. John (Erik Rolf) travel to a Southern plantation to visit their son Johnny’s (Bobby Driscoll) grandmother (Lucile Watson). The building is a huge white mansion filled with black workers, including “Aunt” Tempy (Hattie McDaniel) and young Toby (Glenn Leedy), who is told to look after the adventurous Johnny. Immediately after arriving, Mr. John leaves, loyally off to attend a newspaper crisis, separating for the first time from his wife and son.

Johnny is upset and sneaks away in the middle of the night (in his little orange suit), wanting to go to Atlanta where his father is going, but quickly becomes distracted by a small campfire gathering where Uncle Remus, played by James Baskett, is telling the story of Br’er Rabbit and how he lost his tail. After inviting Johnny, the two stop at Remus’ cabin for some cornbread, continuing with the stories of the friendly animals that speak with Remus. Eventually returned to the house, Johnny is prepared the next morning to see his grandmother, dressed up in nice clothing and a lace collar, only to be made fun of by the neighborhood, poorer Faver family boys. His little depression is fixed by the generous Ginny, played by Luana Patten, who gives him a puppy – except that Sally tells Johnny he’s not allowed to keep it. Later, the stories of the Br’er animals continue, with Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox, also voiced by Baskett, making a tar baby decoy (literally a decoy made of tar, turpentine, and sticks) to catch Br’er Rabbit for a nice stew – unpredictably successful when Br’er Rabbit is mad by the tar baby’s refusal to respond to a greeting, and punches the prop until he’s completely stuck with the tar.

Nothing about the film is in any way famous (except for the often-debated subject matter), however the unforgettable song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah has surprisingly been around all the years. Massie noted, “The dialogue is slightly confusing to follow, heavily inundated with slang, accents, dialect, and culturally familiar grammatical errors, but most strikingly peculiar because of the intentionally stereotypical voicework by Nicodemus Stewart as Br’er Bear and Johnny Lee as Br’er Rabbit – both African-American comedians from vaudeville, radio, and television. Likely the primary reason Disney continues to so strongly object to the showing of this film, the cartoons speak with exaggerations, like the crows in “Dumbo,” over the course of the entire feature, leaving little room for casual historical inclusion as a politically correct explanation.” Even though the African-American roles are not mistreated, they appear as equals, and are the main characters (Remus is actually a hero), the voices alone are understandably unpleasant.

The main reason of the film is to demonstrate the usefulness of Remus’ stories as learning tools for Johnny to use in his real-life scenarios. Massie mentioned, “The boy is described as desolate without whimsical allegories to latch on to (apparently unable to befriend the locals). Fighting, bullying, threats of hanging and skinning Br’er Rabbit as preparation for feasting on him (along with reverse psychology for the cottontail to be thrown into a thorny brier patch instead, which he uses to escape), and even the declaration of drowning the puppy work their way into the script – making “Song of the South” oddly unfriendly to younger audiences, regardless of the animated pieces. Suppressed for controversial depictions of a factual time period, the movie will certainly remain more notable for that single aspect – leaving the mediocrity of the film and its moderate entertainment value largely undiscussed.”

I had heard of this film a long time ago and of the fact that this was never shown again after its release. I think this was debated as the first live-action Disney movie, so I decided to check this one out and see what was so controversial about it. I believe this film should be seen by everyone at least once just so they know and get an understanding of it. Especially with the famous song. It’s not on Disney+, but if you can find it somewhere, see it.

Sorry for the late posting. I was called down to see a movie and I fell asleep because I was just so tired from work. Stay tuned tomorrow to see a review on an adaptation of a book in “Disney Month 2024.”

End of Watch

“End of Watch,” released in 2012, is one of the best police movies in recent years, a brilliant combination of performances and often surprising action. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are Taylor and Zavala, two Los Angeles Street cops who bend a few rules but must be acknowledged as heroes. After too many police movies about officers who essentially use their badges as licenses to go crazy, it’s inspiring to realize that these men take their mission – to serve and protect – with such seriousness they’re willing to risk their lives.

Taylor and Zavala hit every mark of the “buddy cop movie,” but “End of Watch” goes so much deeper than that. They’ve been partners for years and are so close that Zavala’s wife, Gabby (Natalie Martinez), and Taylor’s girlfriend, Janet (Anna Kendrick), have become like sisters. The two cops are transferred to a hard, largely Mexican-American district, where their determination leads them across the scent of a Mexican cartel operating in Los Angeles. This is really a job for a detective, but they don’t avoid risk, and eventually become so dangerous to the cartel that a hit is ordered against them.

That builds up to the film’s third act. Earlier parts have amazing shootouts, chases, and rescuing children from a burning building when the fire department is slow to arrive. You have to see the two men find themselves in an incredibly high percentage of dangerous and violent situations. If every day were as disturbing and risky as their lives here, it’s incredible they can keep going in to work.

As the movie starts, Taylor is filming a video documentary about his job, for a film class he’s taking. “End of Watch” begins with his narration about the nature of his job. Roger Ebert said in his review, “All through the movie, Jake Gyllenhaal reveals a presence and stability that's in contrast to the lighter-weight, ingratiating characters he often plays.” Michael Peña gives one of the performances of his career as the partner, and the reality of their relationship underscores the whole film. We wouldn’t believe some of the things they do if we didn’t believe who they are.

The movie is helped by strong supporting performances, not only by Natalie Martinez and Anna Kendrick but by fellow officers Van Hauser (David Harbour), Sarge (Frank Grillo), and Orozco (America Ferrera).

Ebert noted, “The consistent plausibility of "End of Watch" must owe a great deal to writer-director David Ayer. This is his second credit as a writer-director, after "Harsh Times" (2005), and he deserves many more. He knows this territory. He wrote Denzel Washington's Oscar-winning "Training Day" (2001) and two other superior cop movies, "Dark Blue" (2002), "S.W.A.T." (2003) and "The Fast and the Furious" (2001).”

At this point, it seems fair to guess he may want to stay right there in Los Angeles and explore the police experience in one way after another. From a dramatic viewpoint, there are few professions that give their members entry into other lives, those include cops, doctors, clergymen, journalists, and prostitutes. Maybe that explains why they figure in so much television and movies. Their lives are lived amongst human drama.

This is one of the best buddy cop movies ever. Bear in mind, this has a lot of swearing, including a lot of F bombs dropped. If you don’t mind the language and violence, then you should check this one out because it is worth checking out. You’ll be missing out if you haven’t seen this great film.

Thank you for joining in on this long-running “Buddy Cop Month.” I hope you enjoyed every film that I reviewed and you checked out the ones I recommended. Look out next month for what I will end the year out with.

Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow

For this year’s Thanksgiving Movie Review, I will be looking at a Lifetime movie that premiered in 2015, “Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow.”

There is a reference to a famous cartoon series toward the end of the film. Robert Lloyd said in his review, “Whether it’s there as an act of homage or an admission of guilt, I don’t know, but the movie is very much a variation on a theme by “Scooby-Doo” — if the gang had some light family business to resolve.”

Written by Tim Burns and Christopher Baldi, the film is based on a story and characters created in 1968 by the late Jim Henson and his former writing partner, Jerry Juhl. As we all know, Henson created the Muppets and they now work Disney, which has made them stuck under contract to an ABC sitcom, while the Jim Henson Co. does other work (including Fusion’s puppet panel show, “No, You Shut Up!”).

Even though there are some small suggestive humor, this is an old-school film at you would see from watching it. Director Kirk Thatcher, who also made “A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie” and “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz,” knows what to do.

Lloyd said, “The setup recalls a thousand such seasonal movies, another 600 of which will be made this year by the Hallmark Channel.” Jay Harrington plays a recently divorced father who goes to spend Thanksgiving with his eccentric aunt, played by Mary Steenburgen, in a famous town off the grid, in the woods.

He brings his two children: his son (Graham Verchere) is excitable and intrusive, and his daughter (Genevieve Buechner) is suspicious and bored. Lloyd mentioned, “Like Hansel and Gretel and their many fairy tale siblings, they will go into that forest, where a Bigfoot-type creature is said to lurk.”

The parts are classically assigned. Lloyd noted, “In addition to the family, there are a greedy villain (Linden Banks), henchmen in assorted sizes, an almost amorous sheriff (Reese Alexander) and — what I suppose might strictly speaking be considered a spoiler, but given the provenance, no less than you should expect — some friendly monsters, played by puppets.” They’re not Muppets and they’re in the ads.

Lloyd credited, “And, as in “Our Town” and, oh, lots of things, there is an onstage narrator, played by a very amusing Chris “Ludacris” Bridges in a Mr. Rogers cardigan. He brings the meta (“Am I on? I thought somebody called lunch,” “Does that say ‘tragically slayed’ or ‘magically saved’? I can barely see the cue cards”), and he brings it well.”

Everyone plays their part well, but Steenburgen is the highlight. Even in the one of the lesser moments, she’s always worth watching. Without changing much about her person, she can go from innocent to cruel with no problem at all.

Here, she has some grey hair to play a little bully, more than slightly grumpy old woman, someone who loves the world but is less sure about people. She is not a hugger. Strangely, the film respects this: Aunt Cly is not, in the usual way of things, someone who can be cracked open. She’s doing just fine.

The flaws include the predictability that you have seen in other holiday specials and “Scooby-Doo.” Lloyd pointed out, “And there is perhaps a little too much whimsicality in the score, which needlessly doubles down on the whimsy already on screen.” The film is best at its least sentimental, and it is mainly not sentimental.

Overall, this is nice, solid entertainment for everyone, modest in its ambitions yet far above the amount of made-for-TV holiday specials that were seen after that. This one has puppets.

This is currently streaming on Disney+ and Amazon Prime. If you check it out, I don’t think it will hurt as I think it does its job fine, but I don’t know if this is something I will remember. Check it out and enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I know probably like everyone else I am looking forward to the dinner tonight. Just make sure you don’t overindulge, even though I know we’re all guilty of doing that. Stay tuned tomorrow for the finale of “Buddy Cop Month.” 

Gladiator II

Tonight, my siblings and I came back from watching “Gladiator 2,” which came out three days ago. I was surprised to hear that they made a sequel to “Gladiator,” as I felt that one just stood on its own. Why make a sequel all these years later?

Ridley Scott is about to turn 87 and he can still make old-school action flicks. His legacy sequel to his Best Picture Oscar winner remains influential and loved by many to this day. Daniel Rester said in his review, “The sequel doesn’t have the same grit and soul as the Russell Crowe-starring original, but it still has enough craftsmanship and excitement to make it a solid follow-up.”

Paul Mescal is the protagonist of the film playing Hanno and the story takes place about sixteen years after the first film. Hanno farms with his wife, Arishat, played by Yuval Gonen, in Numidia. After they are attacked by Roman armies led by General Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal, Hanno is taken prisoner and brought to Rome.

Rome is now under the rule of emperor brothers Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), who want to control even more territory. They schedule gladiatorial games in the Colosseum to celebrate Acacius’ victories, but the general secretly ponders against the rulers. Meanwhile, Hanno is controlled by Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington, and trained to fight as a gladiator.

Rester noted, “Screenwriter David Scarpa, who also penned the scripts for Scott’s films All the Money in the World (2017) and Napoleon (2023), mostly sticks to a formulaic monomyth as Hanno transforms into a Maximus-like hero in the arena.” Scarpa finds easy and artificial ways to connect Hanno to the original film, especially when returning character Lucilla, reprised by Connie Nielsen, recognizes him. The narrative gets more entertaining when it focuses on the two new emperors and Macrinus, a trio of plotting villains. Rester pointed out, “The screenplay’s dialogue has a few rah-rah sections, but little of it has the quotable rhetoric that Gladiator has.”

Rester continued, “Though the script only offers a few real surprises, Scott elevates the film from feeling too cookie-cutter and makes everything look and sound awesome.” His world-building skills remain amazing, with Rome feeling very believable. From the main cast members down to extras playing homeless people, Scott knows how to capture his actors in visually striking ways. He is heavily helped by production designer Arthur Max and costume designer Janty Yates in making scenes and characters stand out. Washington especially stands out in different colorful robes.

Reston said, “The action scenes are mostly mammoth and vigorous, shot with myriad angles by cinematographer John Mathieson and cut with energy by editors Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo. The blood and sweat of the fighters almost feel like they could drip out of the screen. Scott also allows time to show many nuanced facial expressions from people witnessing the violence on display.” Only the CGI for some of the animals during the fights is unbelievable, with baboons, sharks, and a rhino looking obviously CG’ed.

Mescal’s choices change between interesting and flat. “Gladiator II” is his first large picture role as he has been in indie films and television so far. He does fine enough as he tries to make Hanno more complex than what Scarpa has given him in the script. Obviously, he’s not Crowe.

Washington is better, who is the highlight of the movie. Rester said, “The veteran makes eccentric and almost flamboyant choices throughout. It’s a delicious villain performance, and a riskier film might have pushed him as the main character.” A part with him and a decapitated head makes you think that he is trying to reenact Macbeth.

This film won’t have the same impact as the first him. Rester said, “It’s a well-made and very entertaining sequel, but it’s chained to a hackneyed script.” Scott proves that he still has the ability to turn average scripts into above-average movies.

My siblings say that this film was too long and boring. I can understand where they are coming from, but I found myself enjoying this. The over-the-top acting scenes were hilarious, I liked the action scenes, and it did get emotional. I would say check this movie out in the theaters as you should be able to find theaters with plenty of availability seats. Everyone is going to see “Wicked,” but this film is not to be skipped.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned this Friday for the finale of “Buddy Cop Month.”

Sherlock Holmes

There are a lot of great reasons to go to the theater. You might want to see your favorite actor give an award-winning performance. There might be a mystery out there that impresses you. A fiery romance is always in the middle. Then there’s the simple roller coaster ride. The good news is “Sherlock Holmes,” released in 2009, is all of those. Debbie Baldwin said in her review, “It is a brilliantly acted, smart adventure film, and my favorite movie of the year (so far). Be warned, however: this is not your father’s Sherlock Holmes.”

The film starts in 19^th century London as Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) capture Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) just as he is about to murder another young victim. Blackwood, who is known for the dark arts, tells Holmes that even his execution will not stop him. Baldwin stated, “Blackwood, an enthusiast of the dark arts, informs Holmes that even his execution will not stop him. Holmes laughs off the threat with characteristic bravado until Lord Blackwood is spotted post-execution continuing to pursue his deadly plans.” Meanwhile, Holmes’ enemy and love interest, Irene (Rachel McAdams), has returned working for the mysterious Dr. Moriarty (Andrew Jack).

Downey has really reinvented Holmes. Baldwin noted, “While he continues to be the keen genius with a substance abuse problem, he is not channeling Basil Rathbone. This Holmes is a codependent—there were early rumblings that Holmes and Watson were in a sexual relationship, but Holmes’ neediness is far more immature—and mercurial. When he’s not working on a case he is pouting in his room or engaging in bare-knuckle boxing matches. No doubt Downey’s own struggles have informed his character choices. The plot is intelligent and the acting is brilliant. I didn’t want it to end.”

I really liked this movie, as this came out right after Downey did “Iron Man.” He seemed to have been on the rise of being popular amongst people and this film really helped him out with playing a famous book character. This is currently streaming on Max so make sure to check this out as you will enjoy this one a lot.

In 2011 came the sequel, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

With the first film, Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law gave an updated, action packed, and entertaining version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective. It still had enough of the spirit of the original stories to be recognizable, but put a modern fast paced look on them. What was best was the chemistry between Downey Jr. and Law as Holmes and Watson. Now the same cast and crew are back for a sequel that may not be as good as the first, but still manages to entertain.

Scott said in his review, “The spirit of the original Holmes seems dimmer this time around as the plot resembles more of a Victorian era James Bond than it does a Sherlock Holmes tale.” Holmes’ archenemy Professor Moriarty has plans to start a world war to help his newly acquired ammunition factories. While almost all of the original Holmes stories took place in or around London, this story has Holmes and Watson traveling around Europe from London to Paris to Germany and the climax is in the mountains of Switzerland. There’s even a few gadgets inserted for good measure.

The highlight of the movie, just like the first, is the interaction between Holmes and Watson. Scott described, “Law and Downey Jr. share a great comic chemistry, bickering like an old married couple yet always being there for each other when they're needed.” The most enjoyable part of the film is their time together, mainly at the beginning of the story when Holmes takes Watson to his bachelor party and then ends up joining Watson and his wife, played by Kelly Reilly, on their honeymoon train journey. Holmes’ jealousy of Mrs. Watson also adds to the comedy.

The supporting cast is mixed. Stephen Fry gives some nice comedy as Sherlock’s strange brother Mycroft. Rachel McAdams returns briefly as Irene Adler that basically is a cameo appearance. The original girl with the dragon tattoo, Noomi Rapace, is the female lead, but not in a romantic way. Her part feels inserted just to have a female character and she adds little to the story. Scott suggests, “They could have simply expanded Mrs. Watson's part since there isn't a hint of romance between Sherlock and Noomi's character.” Jared Harris is fine as Moriarty, playing it more seriously than the rest of the cast.

Scott said, “While the first movie certainly had its moments of humor, here Holmes seems to reach new levels of campiness. He has become increasingly difficult to take serious at all. To continue the James Bond analogy, this is a Roger Moore Sherlock Holmes rather than a Sean Connery one. It entertains but the actual tension is never that high.”

Ritchie films the story with great style. The journey through the woods while Holmes and Watson are being shot at and shelled is a very well shot scene with great use slow motion. There are also a repeat or two of Holmes analyzing a situation to “see” into the future that are cleverly shot.

Scott ended his review by saying, “I still enjoyed this movie quite a bit, but not as much as much as the original. It's a fun romp, but a slight reining in of the campiness, particularly in Downey Jr.'s performance wouldn't have gone amiss. A return to a more traditional Holmes mystery rather than a bigger is better philosophy might also help the inevitable third film in the series. When it does come, I'll still go to see it, but without quite the level of excitement that I had for the original.”

Interestingly enough, I saw the sequel before I saw the first film. I went to the theaters one night to see this film and I found myself enjoying this a whole lot. It is a fun film and I think that if anyone loved the first film, they will love this one too. There has been talks of a third film for years, and Downey and Law are signed on to reprise their roles, but it has fallen into development. We’ll see when it will be made.

Look out next week for my yearly Thanksgiving Day movie review and the finale of “Buddy Cop Month.” Sorry for the late posting. I was exhausted after work today that I took a nap.