#braks gang starring brak

[wulfums]

Introducing Jellystone's newest gang- Brak's Gang Starring Brak (He registered the domain name without asking so they're stuck w/ that name.)

They have beef w all the other gangs (Splits, Kings Gang, Top Cats Gang) and also? They're a throuple.

#jellystone #space ghost coast to coast #zorak #brak #wulf art #bullet #braks gang starring brak

[popculturebuffet]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force MC Pee Pants Retrospective (Comissioned by WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy people. So this one's a bit of a breather after some very intensive exausting reviews, some major schedule slippage and before even more intensive reviews. Today we're looking at Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Having gleefully covered Sealab 2021, Mission Hill, and having a whole Venture Bros retrospective on this blog (That I assure you IS coming back, my schedule is just like living in a living nightmare sometimes), and planning to cover home movies at some point after I realize I hadn't because it's purespun gold, observe…

It's probably not a suprise to Kev who comissoined this nor anyone reading whose been with me a while that I fucking love Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It fit the mold for the other williams street shows at the time like Space Ghost COast to Coast (also another one to cover), Brak Show, or Sealab itself: dialouge heavy but entirely bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-anas to compensate for a budget of a paper cup. It's also the longest lived of them by far, going on for most of Adult Swim's lifespan till being abubtly cancled and even THEN i'ts recently came back with a series of web shorts and the first DTV movie from Warner's new adult swim based intitative.

Aqua Teen will never be canceled, Aqua Teen Won't be Dismantled, Aqua Teen Gonna Be Together, Aqua Teen Gonna Be forever! And honestly it's easy to see why it's lasted this long as given the very simple yet inherently weird nature of aqua teen, three fast food mascots with super powers living in new jersey and having weird shit happen to them and their perverted asshole neighbor carl, means you can do just about anything with it from have Shake cause nuclear armageddon to reboot a flintstones pastiche, to the gang unearthing an evil sandwitch, to evangelical fruits showing up in thier house and one going on an alchoholic spiral, to carl getting himself shoved up a trolls ass as part of a metal band's performance, it can be anything. And while the later seasons are a bit weaker, I do think they still have their gems ala the simpsons.

So I was more than happy when asked to chronicle the rise and explosion and rise and slaughterhouse and rise and vamppiric explosion and rise and rise and squashing and rise and swatting and rise and elder fraud of mc pee pants aka sir loin aka little brittle.

MC Pee Pants came about due to Willams Street at the time making good use of comedian and rap god, MC Chris, a nerdy as fuck rapper with bars for days who I REALLY need to listen more of. When doing Improv one night osme of the williams street execs saw Chris, and asked him to come to atlanta nad while hesitant at first, the part of Hesh for sealab, who I assure you will get his own specail one of these days, maybe a heshtober fest, appealed to him and soon Hesh wanted sex and Adult Swim wanted more of him. So i'ts not a huge shock he popped up on adult swim's latest show Aqua Teen Hunger force and would make yearly apperances before vanishing entirely. Why he fell out with the company.. no one knows. He gladly came back for the 100th episode so there appears to be no real bad blood.. he might of just moved out of altanta. Whatever the case while Hesh made MC Chris' voice acting career, MC Pee Pants is easily just as memorable. As for who he is.. well tha'ts best left under the cut as what he is.. is a lot.

MC Pee Pants MC Pee Pants first debuted in season 1 and our journey begins with him as all his episodes do: with Meatwad blasting his jam box to high heaven and pissing everyone else off. What makes this one special besides being the first is Master Shake is trying to jam a new romantic ballad on the guitar. It can't be undestated how hilarious Dana Synder is and i'm pleased as punch he's still getting work to this day, including a starring role in Ghost and Molly McGee and voicing half of Jellystone.

Naturally Shake's response is to smash his guitar in rage and plan to ram the neck down meatwad's….. uhhhhhhh….. huh. You know I don't think ramming something into meatwad would actually kill him. Maybe HURT him, but i'm not sure ANYTHING can actually kill meatwad short of destroying every last molocule. As long as there's one cell left it'll still be sapient.

Shake CAN still beat the piss out of his hapless roomate though so Frylock, always anti child beating, tries to talk Meatwad down instead. Every attempt is objectively funny. The first is my faviorite: Frylock tries to get Meatwad to listen to classical music. He has such high school band teacher energy here trying to convince Metawad that these were the "real gangsters" while Meatwad looks on in abject horror and just switches back to MC Pee Pants after. Frylock still tries to be patient despite Meatwad having done this for days and does the obvious: has Meatwad use earphones. And I love his happy tone as he says "So master shake won't want to kill you with a guitar neck". I also like the Meatwad hearing loss gag after. Good sound mixing there. Eventually Frylock just tell shim to fuck off with it or he'll let shake beat him which is'nt great parenting but he tried good parenting. Now it's "don't make me let your roommate/brother/tormentor beat you".

Meatwad then tries to get him some candy as the dope new drop from mc pee pants h'es been blasting, I want candy tell shim to. We get a great him as elvis gag (Shake's "Are you the fat elvis" is comic gold as is his casual attempted murder), and ends up getting his fix form carl who true to form has a bunch of easter bunnies he got from the dumpster they just have to wipe off which would be gross but we don't see them actually EAT the things nor what's on them, so it works, especially with Carl's later ask of "Wipe me off another rabbit"

They end up doing this long into the night, and washing Carl's car for some reason. Probably cocaine. I wouldn't put it past carl to have put some on the bunnies and told meatwad they were sugar. Or done so by mistake. It's carl, he's either going to be sad, sleazy, deeply incomptient or all of the above. How is a crapshoot.

Frylock has concerns. Not about the cocaine, he has a snow mountain in his closet, no he's worried about the lyrics which talk about using the hyper active energy of those who eat the candy to power a drill straight to hell to unleash demons to help mc pee pants with a diet pill pyramid scheme.

So with the address given in the song, everyone heads to 612 wharf avenue. Which is ana ctual place in new jersey. It's even near Kevin Smith's store.

Turns out that's EXACTLY Mc Pee Pants scheme and instead of the child on the cover, he's a grown man whose also a giant spider in a diaper and shower cap who talks about how he's insane. Chris unsurprisingly is great in the rolll as MC Pee Pants really makes little sense with his plan, an dis only doing it because he can't get a job.

The resolution is one of the series best: the aqua teens set mc pee pants up for a job interview…. and then blow up an abandoned building iwth him inside. It's just so hilariously cruel and there's no real reason for it. They could just.. take meatwad and leave. He can't really do anything to them. I mean he did domestically abuse dr. weird though.. so fair enough.

MC Pee Pants is a solid episode.. and I got paid TO WRITE THAT. I love my life. It's got plenty of great jokes, chris is terrfiic and I want candy will get stuck in your head guaranteed

Super Sirloin While the first ep was decent, Sir Loin is even better. With this one Frylock hasn't quite caught onto the formula despite Meatwad once again blasting a song at all hours.. in this case instead of a sugar high he can't sleep because he's worried about the starving children.. and how he goes about helping "the shorties" is also hilarious, grabbing every bit of food and stuffing it into a garbage bag. I also like the runner about Master Shake somehow affording steak and eggs and Duck Alaronge, as well as despite Frylock saying it perfectly, him bitching about Frylock butchering the prounciation. I forget how much subtle humor is dotted aroudn the weirder shit. Carl also spits in a bag and Dr Weird grafts a dear antler to his groin to fit in with the heard so it hasn't gotten too subtle. "Sigh" I really miss Dr. Weird. And C. Martin Croaker.

I also like the runner with meatwad eating sand, which starts with Shake just .. getting him to eat it on a regular basis.

Despite Frylock being worried about it even though Meatwad is clearly a highlander, and later escalates to meatwad expecting everyone else to for the shorties and Shake trying it with ketchup and deciding this sucks and they need to go see sir loin. Naturally Mc Pee Pants, now sir loin is the best part of the episode. This time he's a cow whose renting patio furniture and is amassing flies to melt down a bank. Once again I got paid to watch a man explain all this and then write about it.

My faviorite bits are Mc Pee Pants slowing down explaning things because he thinks frylock is dumb, chris really nails the condesnion and the bizzare ness of him talking about the farmer asking "gimme the milk, gimmie the milk" and frylock's deadpan "There isn't a farmer is there. " He's way too used to the nonsense that is his existance at this point. They naturally use a slaughterhouse this time which tops the previous finale as last time it was at least plausable that building was a buisness… I mean not very but he's a giant spider in a diaper man. It dosen't tak emuch. This time it's very transparently a slaughterhouse and the SECOND time they've casually murdered him and will not be the last.

Sir Loin is another great episode, taking the same basic premise but finding even better jokes for it. The result's a classic.

Little Brittle

So we're onto the final focus episode for MC, and honestly when I was a teen and until this rewatch I hated this one, feeling it was too slow paced and not nearly as entertaning as the first two. On rewatch I expected to still hate it and dreaded getting to this one

Little Brittle.. is the BEST of the trilogy, and after wondering why MC hadn't come back for more than a cameo till Aquadonk Sidepieces, this gave me the answer: there was no where to go from here. THey already took the formula as far as they could. While other recurrers could be crammed in wherever, MC's episodes relied on him doing the same brainwashing raps and reveal of some stupid plan every time and with this one tearing that formula up they likely just.. couldn't think of a new spin on it. Brittle has the same inciting incident: Meatwad's playing MC's latest rap on loop, only after two times Frylock catches on instantly. Though instead of 612 Wharf Avenue he's at a decaying old folks home, presumibly next to elvis and jfk.

Two things really make this one pop: the subversion of things, which is not easy to pull off: there's a fine line between playing with a formula nad audience expectations and getting good laughs or drama out of it and pulling a swerve bro. It's what seperates the rian johnstons from the vince russos and they pull it off here. Instead of a zany plan MC instead genuinely seems to be a sad old man who just happens to also have a diaper, shower cap and yellow eyes , who misses his grand kids and is dealing with how horribly we treat the elderly. And that's the other sauce: the episode is suprisingly well done satire about how we treat our elderly: the place MC is stuck is GENUINELY awful, wether he's pulling a scheme or not, and Frylock mostly goes along to feel good about himself then abandons Meatwad there with a strange old man because "someone has to" and he dosen't want to be around the elderly because they smell. Shake and Frylock represent the most common ways society treats the old: Shake is just an asshole and is fine with leaving them to die while Frylock is only fine with actually treating elderly people like human beings as long as it's comfortable. Meatwad is only sympathetic because he not only came iwth good intentions but is basically a child unless the episode says he isn't. Little Brittle is a lot and hte fact he powers thorugh and genuinely seems to befriend him again is great.

As is the reveal that of course this is another stupid scheme, this time to have a vampire bite him to become immortal. The reveal he ONLY released come visit me yo in Transylvania is gold, only topped by Meatwad revealing "the import fees were a bitch". What caps it off though and likely sealed this trilogy off.. is that it ACTUALLY WORKS FOR ONCE. No really, Dracula shows up, bites him, and MC actually gets to be a vampire. He dies again, but only because he goes out into the sun and explodes. The ending's also something that grew on me: originally I felt it was random as hell, and while the explosions are, now I can see the setup: after two episodes of a stupid scheme tha tmakes no sense he has one actually work.. and then dies anyway because of the stupidity that got him killed the last two times. Truly brilliant. Shake is also low key great. Carl.. I don't think is in this one much. Dr. Weird is sadly absent altogether as we'd gotten to spacekataz at this point, which was fine and I get stopping the weird bits once they ran out of ideas but god do I miss them.

Side Pieces

So while they only make the three starring episodes, MC still got to show up a few more times.

First was The Last One that united all the villians legion of doom style… where they procede to get nothing done but adopting a highway by clickclickclickclickclick. MC Pitches a scheme and then dies. It's still nice to have him for this one. Then we have the movie, which like the last one I didn't watch in full, but thankfully youtube had his scene which has Meatwad calling on him to make a rap, and MC coming back as a fly, eating a dog turd and giving us a great rap to stop the insano flex.. before shake kills him because he's needlessly cruel and self destructive. It's a great scene honestly especially the oepning where he has choclate unicorn backup dancers because it's awesome. Chris himself also returned for the 100th episode though rather than play mc he simply did a rap.

Given they played this in all the commericals, it's imbeded deep in my brain… and was also the best part of the episode by a wide margin. So finally we have last year's aquadonk side pieces episode. ADSP was a series of web shorts adult swim did focusing on thet villians, with Carl and the others still showing up. It was great, with this one being tied with the dumber dolls sequel for my faviorite of the batch. It's MC teaching people who to rap the elderly out of their homes. BUT HOW IS THIS LEGAL MC

Since it's so short I recommend watching it yourself bellow

It is truly fantastic and pure comedy gold.. and also strangely heartwarming? Like this is the happiest ending he's gotten… being adopted by an old man whose house he planned to steal with his original body again. So if you have HBO about to be Just Max, I highly recommend these episodes. MC Chris is the best and I felt it was only right to play us out with one of his tracks and since it is may the 4th.. hit it youtube! Thanks for reading.

#aqua teen hunger force #master shake #meatwad #frylock #mc chris #mc peepants #sir loin #little brittle #carl brutananadilewski #adult swim #Youtube

[rebrandtdebibls]

Ek hond van ons Here.

Maak toe die deur en slaan die vensters dig

dat ek kan rus en alles buite sluit wat in die stil, geel somer en die lig gerook het bo die waterweiland uit

tot hierdie stilte nou, tot hierdie staar en hierdie bewe van die vingers het ek gekom.

hoe dun is hierdie hand, hoe bleek, hoe swaar op die blink blad, en elke lid is krom en draderig soos 'n valk se klou

O, God, hier kom die Bose weer, die Vrees! Die waansin praat in my; red, red my nou! die duister waan dat hierdie klou kan wees nie my hand, maar 'n dooi stuk van my vleis wat deur die Magte buite en binne my bestuur word soos 'n werktuig tot die daad teen mens en God

dit gaan verby

maar U, o God, mag my geen oomblik laat, dan stort ek in die angs en in die nag:

U moet U sekerheid rondom my hou; U harde liefde gaan bokant my krag, maar laat U almag om my vrese vou

Laat my weer dink. Dink? Dink? die ketting hang met ysterskakel aan ysterskakel vas,

gedagte aan gedagte, deur die lang deurwaakte ure en sleep my af, 'n las wat my aan alle donker dinge bind.

Ek moet nie dink nie; ek moet dood wees en stil, ek moet geen oog wees nie, maar glansloos, blind, 'n lyk, 'n liggaam vir Sy magtige Wil

Tog kom die beelde

Heer, ek is so swak,

al die maande van sy martelgang wat sy vrees gevolg het soos 'n brak, ck, een van God se honde, was ck bang: val van vrees; my skrik was in sy oe, en op die pynbank was ons wild verwar

het hy geskree of ck? Maar in die stil en droë gekerm van die hoogste pyn was dit my star verdraaide lippe wat gespalk was

Eimerik,

die helder man van God, kan skoon beskryf die afgemete stasies van die skrik

die grootste vyftal vingers wat die lyf omvang met diep genade en magtig klem totdat die waarheid uit die broosheid tap van die sondige vlees; - mistieke werkerstem wat hooguit sing waar Hy Sy wynpers trap. Maar ek gaan in die parskuip met hulle saam: die eerste; as ek fluister van die pyn

wat kom, met vae woorde en sonder naam 'n ongewisheid wat vol droefnis skyn... dan roer in ons in hom en my - die skrik soos 'n wilde dier wat onder in 'n kuil

onsigbaar aan sy ketting ruk en stik en angsvol, magteloos, uit die donker huil; die tweede stasie: as ek hom moet lei die stil gang na die folterkamer toe,

sada en die wellus van die pyn ontwaak in my en voor die ysters ek die eerste kerming proe op my droë lippe; die derde as sy lyf naakt en skemerend op die kaal vloer staan, so arm en maer soos ek; die vierde as hy styf op die gladde hout gebind lê en die maan van die blink verskrikking in sy oë rys; die vyfde as hy kerm en voor my skreeu,

en elke vesel van (ons arme vleis is een verskeuring, een ontbinding, een grys sneeu van pyn, een lied, 'n lied

ek val,

o God, ek stort die steilte af! Gryp my bo die steil stem, bo die blink dal, blink dal, blink dal van pyn! Heer, staan my by: laat U nag oor my kom, laat my verskuil wees soos in diep bloed en ongebore, soos in diep water waar ek, 'n vis in U verborge kuil, blind stuur en roer en sonder hierdie later pyn van sien en weet

selfs hierdie troebele gebede van my jeug verstil: die donker onder, wat ek ken en weer; laat my tog niks van die eenvoudiges verskil;

en laat ook, Heer,

gee my 'n dowwe woordeloosheid, 'n rus, gee my die stilte van u effe dae, 'n kleiner tank, 'n enger smart en lus; gee selfs my bid iets van die lomp en trae

bid van die geringstes in U huis; en, om my rein te hou, laat bokant die bleek bane van bed en tafel die eenvoudige starheid van U Kruis in my klein kamer by die kerslig staan.

Dis voorgeskryf (om 'n verborgener strik te span): dat 'k sag en vaderlik moet praat, "blande et mansuete," en al die wik en weeg van sy onsekerheid deur my raad luider laat spreek, terwyl ek een en al besorgdheid en begrypende liefde is.. maar wat by hul bereken is- maat en getal van die mens se vrees, pyn en onsteltenis, - die is my liefde, my hart se eie spraak;

eers was hy bang, sy siel was toegesluit

teen my liefde en my sagte aandrang, en sy vrees, dié het gewaak

oor elke woord en teken, maar ek het buite die grense van ons eng saam-wees gegaan: in die stilte van die kamer, wit en kaal, voor Sy stil Kruis, het ek hees, sonder traan, my eie donker jeugtyd uitgehaal

en kaal getoon- my opstand, al my klein verraad, elke smet- ek het my hart leeggemaak. Van al my jeug se twyfel, al my pyn

het ek gepraat; en toe ek so naak met God voor hom geworstel 't, toe het hy sag uit sy eie smart, bekommerd en vol sorge

om my, na my gebuig en met die lag -so stil en so vol wyse deernis - die verborge twyfel van sy eie hart genoem as troos vir my. o God, dit was die slag,

die lam-slaan van my gees: toe ek verneem hoe sy stil menslikheid U wilde Krag en die waansin van U Wil omsluier het; hoe daardie twyfel naamloos, swak en klein geskipper het teen sy hart se enkel wet van mens-wees, aardse deernis, skerp omlyn teen wat onmenslik en ontasbaar is.

Elke woord van hom was deur my oë 'n slag: wat by hom skadu was, was by my duisternis; teen sy klein twyfel, was my twyfel 'n mag van dood en ondergang; sy klein verweer van redelikheid die was 'n dag se taak: só onderneem, só afgedaan; o Heer, vergeef, U weet hoedat my twyfel waak

deur nagte en jare, God, hoe ek telkens tas tot aan die wortels van my weet, hoe ek U Woord vaag hoor verklink, onheilig, en belas met menslike wysheid, dwaling, en verstoor deur skoonheid van die aarde; - o Heer, U weet

hoe ek dieper tas en aan U Wese gryp

en dink oor U Bestaan en U durf meet

met die mate van my dwaasheid, hoe ek slyp aan fyner lense en op U maaksel staar skerper en skerper, en in die grys kristal van my wilde beelding U heelal gewaar koud en ontdaan, 'n wye maal, 'n val van ewige waters oor 'n afgrond grondeloos o red my, Heer, dat die wildste beeld nie kom: die waan waarin ek U in angste mateloos sien as iets Boos, wat doof en blind en stom U vellings van verskrikking om ons draai!

Laat dit verbygaan, hierdie beeld en tyd: laat uit ons kinderjare 'n kou wind waai en laat U heelal enkeld wees en wyd.

U weet die twyfel is my doringkroon wat diep gedruk word, telkens, en geroer, gelig, met vingers aangeraak; en ek woon bestendig in die pyn soos op 'n vloer. Maar in sy hart was daar geen angs

daar was 'n nuwe ligtheid, buigsaam, teer, asof hy ons waarheid, twyfel, albei in die vangs gehad het van sy nette en weer gelos het om die diep see in te swem: ek weet dit is die nuwe tyd wat mens bo God stel, chaos bo kristal, en die ongetemde perd, ons kwaai planeet, na wil en wens deur die vlaktes en die wind van God wil men....

toe 't ek besluit dat hy sou sterwe in die vlam, net soos die grys tyd wat wil kom en wat ek ken, verwilderd sal vergaan agter die kam van 'n hoë branding wat ek reeds sien

Hierdie tyd ken ek; die koue koningin vir wie ek biegvader is, die noem haar klein, klein sondes van ydelheid en owerspel, versin duister wellustigheid en doen in bygeloof boete ('n nuwe wellus), smeek my straf en toorn met vrouedeemged oor haar, en sloof haar siel af met gebede en krale- laf teenoor die nuwe wildheid in haar bloed. Die sondes bly benede God se haat! Maar wêrelds is haar hart, gevul met soet en aardse menslikheid, nuwe gedagtes: staat en welvaart, skoonheid, en die luide faam van lettere langs die ceue af basuin

Hul ceue teen U Ewigheid, en teen U Naam hul duisend name! Heer, op die nou kruin van hierdie aarde wat sidder in U hand wil my geslag, aan U swart vloed ontrou. marmer en woord en wapenroem tot stille stand van 'n eie eng blink ewigheidjie bou!

Hulle vrees! Hulle vrees! Die hele bleek geslag! Hulle durf hul nie aan U Verwardheid gee, en al hul vastigheid, o God, is vlug! Maar ek gaan in U duister waters mee, spat in U skuim, daal af in koue strome tot stil wêrelde van groen en swart kristal, en enkele male, Heer, deel ek U droom in see, more-wit en wyd na alle horisonte uitgestrek.

Dit is alleen, alleen. Die wat rondom my is en naaste, wat aan my tafel eet en in U scen van brood en wyn deel met my, ken die laaste trappe van my angs nie en my nagte, my verdriet; en elkeen loop so opgerig in sy afsonderlikheid, elkeen verwag 'n eie heil, elk is 'n wêreld, 'n gesig van onsegbare enkelheid

en hul stap breed in die opmars van die dooi geslag: sit aan ons regbank, fluister my 'n grap tussen die protokolle, gaap en wag op beter werk- bisdomme en abdye verdoem intussen volgens maat en wet, en plooi, nie onbehaaglik, fynweg aan die wye Youe van die statige kleed; word vet van die gesonde vaste en feeste.

o God, o God, sit dalk hul menslikheid ontasbaar ver, hul pyn, hul trane? Verbreek ek U gebod hier waar ek oordeel? Is hul oë toegesper met daardie enkelheid?

Nee, nee: ek weet; ek ken hul goed: die glimlag, moeg, voldaan, ná ons gevonnis het, (geweeg, gemeet met die mate wat aan God alleen betaam!) die vashou aan artikel, formulier;" en dan hul jammerte, hul woord van troos waar 'n siel gevang sit soos 'n wilde dier in die hokke van sy hulpelose vrees: daar moes hul stil wees, wreed en stil en kort, want God is baie naby.

Ek ken hul hart - of soveel hart as wat daar is-ek stort alleen vervaard, ek raak verward vir daardie nuwe soort...

Een is ons hoof, heers in die heilige stad, slaaf van die slawe hy moet u fakkel wees onuitgedoof, waaraan die een Vlam van U Offergawe deur alle eeue en geslagte tot die einde reik. Maar hoe is hy? Hy min die goue klank van woord en vers waaruit die ryk soet heidense bedwelming soos 'n stank opstyg: hy streel met vingers liefdevol 'n brokstuk marmer, glad, voorwêrelds, wit uit daardie Ryk wat U, omdat hy hol en duister was, verbreek het en verplet en sin op eeue en roem. Hoe kan ek straf? Hoe kan ek oordeel? U kies ook na die tyd die werktuig

Maar ek, o Heer, nooit mag ek laf

buig voor die eeu, die nuwe menslikheid.

Stel my daarteen! Maak my die wig. die koevoet wat U instaat in die eeu om hom te breek of uit sy bank te lig en laat ons nie so bloot, u God, maar sneeu ons toe met U verduistering nog 'n duisend jaar! Laat weer 'n streng tyd kom, een woord, een wil: gryp al ons enkele wille, en verguar, big alle strale ten een brandpunt still

die dag toe hy aan my bely 't, en ek, aan U getrou, die heilige verraad

pleeg.

Heer

ek sterf.

en die grond van ons mens-wees voor sy oog ontdek.

Uit daardie dieptes her 'k hom singend opgevoer en na die sterwe gelei vandag, en hy 't die vuur gegryp asof dit U voete was, en die sloer

van die dood berispe;

Heer, in die helder uur van die voormiddag het U Ryk oopgegaan; ek het engele na ons wye land sien daal; weiland en gras het in die glans gestaan, en- uit die korf is die soet vrag gehaal.

Heer, wees by my en laat my U genade daglank en naglank aan my voorkop voel; gedenk my sonde nie, wees nie aandadig aan die sterwe van my siel; o Heer, wees koel rondom my, as ook my laaste uur

genaak het, en maak my rein dat uit my hart nog denk nog woord se skal of iets wat brokkelig is, ooit weer in die stil glasuur van my onsegbare bespiegeling val.

#afrikaans #poeta #dutch language #american

[archive-archives]

Warner Archive October 2020 Releases

Coming soon to an online retailer near you!

NEW 2020 1080p master! DROP DEAD GORGEOUS (1999) Run Time             98:00 Subtitles               English SDH Audio Specs        DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 - English Aspect Ratio       1.85:1, 16x9 Widescreen Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration           BD 50 Includes Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)

The Sarah Rose American Teen Princess Pageant is a beauty contest to die for! And that’s exactly what the contestants in Mount Rose, Minnesota, are doing. Ever since the vivacious-but-vicious former beauty queen Gladys Leeman (Kirstie Alley, TV’s Cheers) started pushing her charm-challenged daughter, Rebecca (Denise Richards, The World Is Not Enough), to win at all costs, the competition has been dropping like flies. Between exploding tractors and deadly hunting accidents, it’s a wonder the top challenger, poor Amber (Kirsten Dunst, Spider-Man), has the courage to keep her tap shoes on. But after Amber’s mother (Ellen Barkin, TV’s Animal Kingdom) is injured in a suspicious trailer-park-beauty-shop bombing, Amber is determined to fight to the finish – and the battle between the good and the bad is about to get ugly! Experience plenty of mom, apple pie and all-American mayhem, plus a hit-packed soundtrack, in this breakthrough comedy that is “clever, fearless and loaded with wicked lines and touches” (Los Angeles Times).

NEW 2020 1080p masters! SPACE GHOST & DINO BOY: THE COMPLETE SERIES Run Time             420:00 Subtitles               English Audio Specs        MONO - English Aspect Ratio       1.33:1, 4x3 Full Frame Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration BD 50 (2) Special Feature: Documentary "Alex Toth: The Artist's Artist: The Journey of a Master Cartoonist" (SD)

Showcasing the episodes in the three-segment form as they originally aired, these stellar retro hits soar through space and time to deliver justice! First, intergalactic policeman Space Ghost navigates the cosmos in his tricked-out spaceship The Phantom Cruiser, battling villains like Brak and Zorak with his legendary suit and powerful wristbands. Then, Dino Boy teams with caveman Ugh and dinosaur Bronty to go primeval on the ancient menaces of their primitive home. And finally, Space Ghost flies again with more extraterrestrial adventures and thrilling takedowns. This dynamite compilation also features the dynamic six-part Space Ghost episode The Council of Doom. It’s cosmic entertainment for all!

NEW 2020 1080p master from 4K scan of best surviving nitrate elements! SERGEANT YORK (1941) Run Time             134:00 Subtitles               English SDH Audio Specs        DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English Aspect Ratio       1.37:1, 4x3 Full Frame Product Color    BLACK & WHITE Disc Configuration           BD 50 Special Features: Commentary by Film Historian Jeanine Basinger; Making of Featurette "Sergeant York: Of God and Country"; Classic Cartoon "Porky's Preview"; Vintage Short "Lions for Sale"; Theatrical re-issue trailer (HD).

Torn between religious pacifism and patriotism, Alvin York of Tennessee went on to become World War I's most acclaimed hero. As the simple backwoods farm boy who captured 132 German soldiers during the Battle of Argonne, Gary Cooper (handpicked by York) also won acclaim and his first Best Actor Academy Award®. Released in 1941 when the United States was on the brink of another war, this stirring adventure inspired thousands of enlisting men. Nominated for a total of 11 Oscars® including Best Picture, a winner for Best Film Editing and movingly directed by Howard Hawks, it tells of a religious man's moral crisis, heroics and subsequent return to the rural life he loved while refusing to capitalize on the adulation heaped upon him. An ode to patriotism and the human spirit, Sergeant York endures as one of Hollywood's finest hours.

NEW 2020 1080p master! REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (1990) Run Time             112:00 Subtitles               English SDH Audio Specs        STEREO - English, DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English Aspect Ratio       1.85:1, 16x9 Widescreen Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration           BD 50 Includes Original Theatrical Trailer (HD) and feature commentary by Director Barbet Schroeder and Screenwriter Nicholas Kazan

Did European aristocrat Claus von Bulow (Jeremy Irons) try to murder his wife, Sunny (Glenn Close), at their luxurious Newport mansion in 1980? Tabloids of the day had their opinions. “You have one thing in your favor,” defense attorney Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) told von Bulow. “Everybody hates you.” Written for the screen by Nicholas Kazan (Fallen, At Close Range), directed by Barbet Schroeder (Single White Female) and based on Dershowitz’s book, Reversal of Fortune is the acclaimed filmization of events that had all of America talking. For his precise portrait of icy brittleness, Irons won the Best Actor Academy Award®* as well as the Los Angeles and National Society of Film Critics Awards. Think you know the truth? Until you watch…you have no idea.

NEW 2020 1080p master! SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO (1960) Run Time             143:00 Subtitles               English SDH Audio Specs        MONO - English, DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English Aspect Ratio       1.85:1, 16x9 Widescreen Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration           BD 50 Includes Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)

He led America’s battles against the Depression and the Axis powers – and won. But first Franklin Delano Roosevelt fought a personal battle against polio that would either destroy him – or arm him for greatness. This powerful film of Dore Schary’s long-running play is an intimate, admiring profile in courage. Ralph Bellamy reprises his dynamic Tony®-winning stage portrayal of the future President, and Greer Garson is his devoted, warbly-voiced wife, Eleanor. Both were uncannily true in their roles, and acclaim followed: Garson earned Golden Globe® and National Board of Review Best Actress awards, as well as one of the movie’s four Oscar® nominations. With exteriors filmed at Campobello and Hyde Park and interiors staged on uncanny duplications of the real-life Roosevelt homes, Sunrise at Campobello shines eloquently and movingly.

NEW 2020 1080p master! THE OPPOSITE SEX (1956) Run Time             116:00 Subtitles               English SDH Audio Specs        DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, STEREO - English Aspect Ratio        2.35:1, 16x9 Letterbox Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration           BD 50 Includes Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)

“I’ve waited a whole year to grow claws like these. Jungle Red!” One of film’s greatest lines belongs to a wronged wife who wins back her man with the aid of an aggressive shade of nail polish. First a hit play, then an all-star 1939 (and later, 2008) movie, The Women resurfaces here as the musical The Opposite Sex, complete with an all-star cast, lines dipped in acid wit, big production numbers and fabulous ‘50s couture in scintillating CinemaScope®. June Allyson portrays the betrayed woman. Joan Collins is the siren who steals her husband. And Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, Ann Miller, Agnes Moorehead, Charlotte Greenwood and Joan Blondell are assorted gal pals (true-blue and envy-green) who convince their demure friend to paint her claws – then use them.

NEW 2020 1080p master from 4K scan from best surviving preservation elements! WATERLOO BRIDGE (1940) Run Time             109:00 Subtitles               English SDH Audio Specs        DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English Aspect Ratio       1.37:1, 4x3 Full Frame Product Color    BLACK & WHITE Disc Configuration           BD 50 Includes Theatrical Trailer (HD) and Screen Director’s Playhouse Radio Program with Norma Shearer and Mervyn LeRoy (audio only).

Myra and Roy meet and fall in love on Waterloo Bridge during an air raid. Their love will be one of the war’s unspoken casualties. Heartbroken after Roy is reportedly killed in action, Myra turns to prostitution to make her way. The report, however, is false. Roy later returns from a POW camp, eager to begin life anew with his beloved. But Myra’s shattered spirit may no longer hold any room for happiness. Vivien Leigh plays Myra, at once winning and breaking viewers’ hearts in this exquisite melodrama. In a compassionate performance that was his all-time favorite, Robert Taylor is gallant Roy. Under Mervyn LeRoy’s astute direction, they make Waterloo Bridge a meeting place for lovers.

BLACK LIGHTNING: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (2018-19) Run Time             674:00 Subtitles               English SDH Audio Specs        DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 - English Aspect Ratio       ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 1.78:1, 16x9 Full Frame Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration           BD 50 (3)

Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man of many faces. A former Olympic athlete, respected educator and father of two, he’s also Black Lightning, superpowered protector of Freeland. But Jefferson is not alone. His oldest daughter, Anissa (Nafessa Williams), is a med student, part-time teacher and social activist. She is also the Super Hero known as Thunder, possessing invulnerability and super strength for as long as she can hold her breath. Jefferson’s youngest daughter, Jennifer (China Anne McClain), is a fiery teen who inherited her father’s athletic gifts but not his desire to be an athlete. Jennifer also inherited his powers. Her body generates pure electrical energy, and she possesses the potential to be more powerful than Anissa or Jefferson. Lynn (Christine Adams), Jefferson’s ex-wife, is fast becoming an expert in metahuman medicine. Together, the Pierce family fights the gang known as the One Hundred for the soul of Freeland.

BLACK LIGHTNING: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON (2019-20) Run Time             673:00 Subtitles               English SDH Audio Specs        DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 - English Aspect Ratio       ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 1.78:1, 16x9 Full Frame Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration           BD 50 (3)

Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), respected educator and father of two, is also Black Lightning, superpowered protector of Freeland. And he doesn’t fight alone. He is joined by his superpowered daughters, Anissa (Nafessa Williams), aka Thunder, and Jennifer (China Anne McClain), aka Lightning, as well as his ex-wife, metahuman expert Lynn (Christine Adams). Together, the Pierce family combats the ills eroding their city, including a menacing gang that calls itself The 100 and infamous gangster Tobias Whale (Marvin Jones III). Worse, Freeland has been plagued by government-sponsored experiments and drug trafficking, creating metahumans and addicts while making Freeland the target of a dangerous foreign power, Markovia. Fortunately, the family still has allies in their fight: former covert superspy Peter Gambi (James Remar) and Jefferson’s neighbor, the scrupulously honest deputy police chief Bill Henderson (Damon Gupton).

New to DVD

THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA (2020) Subtitles               English SDH Sound Quality    DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND 5.1 - English Aspect Ratio       ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 2.0:1, 16x9 Letterbox Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration           DVD9

The HBO® series The Plot Against America, created by The Wire’s David Simon and Ed Burns and based on Philip Roth’s acclaimed novel, brilliantly imagines an alternate American history during World War II. Told through the eyes of the Levins, a working-class Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey, the six-part limited series charts the political rise of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh, a xenophobic populist who captures the presidency in 1940 and turns the nation toward fascism. Caught in the upheaval, the Levins learn that the violence threatening the lives of ordinary Americans is never more than a moment’s political provocation away. Winona Ryder, Anthony Boyle, Zoe Kazan, Morgan Spector, Michael Kostroff, David Krumholtz, Azhy Robertson, Caleb Malis, Jacob Laval and John Turturro star in this powerful tale of intolerance and totalitarianism.

HEAD OF THE CLASS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (1987-88) Run Time             587:00 Sound Quality    MONO - English, DOLBY DIGITAL - English Aspect Ratio       4x3 Full Frame, ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 1.33:1 Product Color    COLOR Disc Configuration           DVD9

Howard Hesseman (WKRP in Cincinnati) returns as good-natured substitute teacher Charlie Moore for the sophomore season of this fan-favorite sitcom. Charlie is assigned to the Individualized Honors Program, a very different kind of class. The IHP students are so gifted that their teachers are expected to be glorified babysitters, but the unconventional Charlie upsets the applecart by deciding to actually teach! He guides his charges – classic nerd Arvid (Dan Frischman), overachiever Maria (Leslie Bega), debate dynamo Darlene (Robin Givens), Indian immigrant Jawaharlal (Jory Husain), child prodigy Janice (Tannis Vallely), too-cool-for-school Eric (Brian Robbins), chemistry whiz Dennis (Dan Schneider), academic Renaissance woman Sarah (Kimberly Russell), ultraserious Alan (Tony O’Dell) and ethereal bibliophile Simone (Khrystyne Haje) – through academic challenges and real-life problems alike.

#Warner archive #Warner archive collection #new to bluray #new to dvd

[popculturebuffet]

Tex Avery Birthday Spectacular!

Hello all you happy people! And welcome to a celebration of the only cartoon director I knew as a kid and one of the finest whose ever lived, Mr. Tex Avery. 

Avery is a legend in the animation industry and rightly so. Starting out at a few other studios, and loosing sight in one of his eyes due to some tomfoolery at one, Tex was annoyed with the restrctive enviorment and eventually found his way to Termite Terrace, the animated shorts wing of Leon Schislenger Productions, aka the future Warner Brothers Studios and the makers of Looney Tunes. And his impact on the franchise is vast, cannot be overstated and I only learned about just how much recently: The man created Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, created the prototype for Elmer Fudd, and created the design for Porky we’re all far more familiar with. 

Eventually though while he was happy there, his career when ended when he eventually got into a squabble with Leon schsinger over the ending of “The Heckling Hare” and left soon after. Given he got a four week unpaid suspension for it , a bit extreme given all he’d given the studio, I can’t blame him. He instead went over to MGM who badly needed his wacky energy, and thus got to go as nuts as he wanted, with creative control a better budget and the result was his peak and classic characters like Red and my personal faviorite and personal boy: Droopy. I will try and do a birthday thing for him next month, we’ll see if my rather packed schedule will allow for it. Point is I watched the guys cartoons a lot as a kid between looney tunes and his shorts being repacked for the Tex Avery show in the late 90′s, and until recently I had no idea the depth and scope of his career: The guy gave looney tunes it’s standard fourth walll breaking and made it a huge part of the industry, and he was the one to hlep htem break out of being a Disney knockoff and into what we know today. The guy has my utmost respect so today I honor him as the first animator to get one of my birthday specials: As is my standard ten shorts, my patreons get to pick one each (I now have two but she start’s next month so her benefits will too) if they so choose (Kev opted out of the porky pig one next week) and I went to my friend blah for a recomendation as he’s an avid fan of the golden age of animation and thus usually has a really good choice up his sleeve. Now that’s out of hte way join me under the cut for some shenanigans as old tex would want it that way. 

1. The Gold Diggers of 49 (1935)

This was Tex Avery’s first short with warner and the first of his I could find, not ot mention his first time working with Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett, who he’d mentor and go on to be the heart and soul of Looney Tunes and define the characters Tex created. And since this is more significant than his earlier work i’m coutning it as his first. And as a start it’s.. ehhhhhhh. 

I don’t blame him for it though.  Most don’t hit it out of hte park their first time up to bat, and frankly the deck was stacked against him. He was saddled with Beans the Cat...

No one brak no one. He was part of an attempt by warner to create a new star as part of a Little Rascals/Our Gang style group of kids debuting in the short “I Haven’t Got a Hat”. This short is notable not for Beans, who no one cares about, but for the debut of Looney Tunes first star: Porky Pig. Porky was just one of the various characters but the only one audiences really liked. It took some time for Warner to get the hint though, hence Beans starring here and Porky playing his girlfriend’s father.. and also now being much older than him for some reason. 

So instead of being a Little Rascals ripoff bean is now a mickey mouse ripoff, as the short gives me mickey mouse vibes.. but without the things that made those shorts actually good and feels mostly built on studios trying to make what they think audiences will like. There’s sparks of waht Tex would become.. but just not enough wiggle room for him to make something special. Also porky looks and sounds weird in this one and Bean’s girlfriend has a REALLY annoying voice. Oh and two horrible Asian stereotypes, because it was acceptable at the time but lord was it never okay. Then again I should be at least mildly greatful none of the shorts had blackface.. because tex apparently REALLY had a problem with that, something I obviously didn’t know as a kid as they edited it out but given most of his MGM shorts have “blackface edited out of x version”, yeahhh.... I may like the guy, quite a bit and feel those gags weren’t done out of malice.. but it dosen’t make them okay, they were never okay and he should’ve done better. 

2. I Love to Singa (1936) Thankfully our next entry is 800% better, as we get a classic from my childhood and probably multiple childhoods. Admittedly part of the reason this one stuck in my head is the title song, sung by a young jazz singing owl whose dad doesn’t like that he sings Jazz instead of classical, enters a contest and nearly looses singing classical to please his dad only for his dad to intervene and finally accept his son. It’s a wonderful story of acceptance with some decent gags, beautiful animation and one hell of a title track that will probably never leave my head. The song is really what makes this short and sometimes that’s okay. Also just to note so someone else doesn’t: This short was a parody of the Jazz Singer one of the first talkie’s.. and also a film that uses blackface and whose 80′s remake bafflingly also uses blackface for some reason. Yes really. 

3. Tortoise Beats Hare (1941)

One of Tex’s only four Bugs Shorts.. but given 3/4 of them are certified classics, and one of them involving a horrible stereotype.. to the point it’s part of the rightfully infamous “Censored 11″ and the ONLY one involving Bugs Bunny. 

So as I said, Tex has a bad history with casual racism, and while it was the style at the time and I don’t THINK he was actively malicious towards black people.. it doesn’t make some of his work any less harmful. The rest of his bugs work though is remembered for the right reasons: his first appearance, and early classic we’ll get to next.. and this standout everyone who saw it as a kid or an adult fondly remembers. 

You all know the premise: Bugs finds out, in an utterly brilliant wall shattering bit at the start where he reads off the crew names and then the title, that this picture will have him beaten by a turtle and taking offense to that challenges the guy. This is honestly one of the few Bugs shorts where he’s the out and out villain of the picture. He’s doing this race purely out of ego, yells at Cecil whose perfectly nice in this one, and in general is the bully set up for a fall he’d later be famous for taking on. But it works, both because this si early in bugs career so it’s entirely in character, and because Mel just really sells the obnoxiousness while still being funny. 

This short also has one of Tex’s trademark setups as this is essentially a prototypical droopy cartoon: A meek, goofy voiced protagonist whose shorter than his large obnoxious enemy and who torments him by showing up every where he’s going to be and casually doing it. Cecil even does so using an army of fellow turtles with Droopy later using a similar trick in one of his shorts. As a big Droopy fan i’m clearly not complaining and while Droopy would do it better, this short’s still a classic for a reason with tons of great bits and is a fun break from the usual bugs setup, though in full fairness the usual bugs setup is still solid gold so take that how you will. 

4. The Heckling Hare (1941)

Originally I was going to have Daffy in Hollywood in this spot as I thought it was on Max, it was not,  so I swapped it out with his final bugs cartoon. For the record his first, and Bugs, is being saved for Bugs birthday this summer. And honestly i’m glad I did because this was 7 mintues of pure joy that has another setup that Tex himself and other Looney Tunes animators would resuuse: Bugs being pitted up against a far dumber antagonist. One who often still fully deserves it but allows him to just have fun for several minutes at this dumb bastard’s expense. It works well here, with tons of clever gags, my faviorite being the two doing dumb faces with each other only for bugs to stop and pull out a sign as seen right above. 

It’s also an approriate capper to our warner made Tex shorts for the day, as this would be the one that got him fired. He and Schisnger argued over it and he got suspended as I mentioned and I found it again a bit fucking extreme. So did Tex and after a handful of shorts elsewhere, he’d move over to MGM, whose cartoons would ironically be bought up by warner. They needed a shot in the arm to compete with Disney and Warner and Tex was happy to provide hte needle filled with nonsense. And the results.. are pure gold. 

5. Dumb Hounded (1943)

I’ll admit as a kid I didn’t know Tex’s MGM shorts were theatrical, or any shorts but somehow I knew they weren’t looney tunes. Besidds obviously having hteir own show they just had their own tone and pacing and style. While the Looney Tunes aren’t bad, at all honestly, Tex’s work here was in a class by itself with MGM gladly giving him a higher budget and even more creative freedom. And the results speak for themselves and one of those results is one of if not my faviorite classic cartoon character. And since I might not be able to get to his birthday with one of these next month, though i’m certainly going to try march is just VERY VERY FULL. Anyways point is our happy hero was introduced here. And given i’m frequently depressed and often withdrawn, not that you could tell from my reviews here, I related to this depressed bulldog who always won anyway despite being an outsider, finding love, sucess and always beating a much larger, much more assholish antagonist. But Droopy is good on his own merits as his shorts are just that funny. 

This was true from Day One as dumb hounded is fucking perfect: The Wolf that Avery always used in his cartoons escapes from jail and is hunted by bloodhounds including our boy, who charmingly introduces himself with “You know what, i’m the hero”. From there it’s a simple setup but a great one as Droopy finds the guy.. then chases him from here to enternity with one amazing gag after another. Simple, utterly hilarious and the dawn of a legend, with the ending having Droopy go a bit nuts after getting his reward money before returning to his usual demeanor “You know what? I’m happy” So am I bud, so am I. 

6. Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)

Yup same year. Tex hit the ground sprinting. This one is his signature MGM toon and for good reason. Using his usual forth wall breaking style, both the wolf and red riding hood rebel when it opens with a typical telling, so it changes to a 40′s nightlife setting: Grandma lives in a penthouse and is man hungry, Red is a fanservicey night club act and the Wolf is a sexually harassing asshole who chases after here and has some over the top reactions to her that are iconic in some’s mind.

The short is gorgeously animated with Red’s dance sequence and Wolfie’s reactions being the highlight and the short isn’t as bad as it could be as the wolf is treated as a scumbag for hitting on her and generally being a creep. SO the first two thirds aren’t bad with nice touches like the narrator clearly improvising the new story. It’s just badly hampered by the last half where Grandma sexually harasses Wolfie and it just doesn’t work. This double standard stuff annoys me and “haha get it it’s funny when a woman stalks a man” isn’t funny. Wolfie stalking her really isn’t that funny either it’s just not you know an entire third of the film. So a classic for a reason.. but one that really has degraded with time. Still worth analyzing and what not, just not great. 

7. Who Killed Who? (1943)

Yes still. It was a good year. This is another one off like Red Hot Riding Hood and as is tradition since the Tom and Jerry one, my patreons each get to pick one and Kev selected this one. And this.. was a great choice. 

Seriously I could not stop laughing with a great gag a minute, WAY too many to mention, a classic ending, and just nothing but net the whole time. I don’t have much to say really.. but because this one’s just good. The whodunnit genre hasn’t really gone away, it’s cliches are welll known even today and this is a lovely parody of it that hits the ground running after a live action intro and runs right through the wall across a lake and straight into droopy “You moved.”. 

The only real observation I have other than “This is fucking awesome watch it immediately” is that the villian looks exactly like the Phantom Blot. Who knew the Phantom Blot was a live action guy with a weird haircut the whole time huh?  Seriously this one is a masterpiece, an instant faviorite, and I highly recommend it. 

8. Screwball Squirrel (1944)

As you can probably guess by how I lead it in this one is not very good. It is tex TRYING to make a bugs or daffy type character again and somehow failing at it. He created them, he did plenty of shorts like theirs with other characters and got how the cat and mouse antics of the old theatrical shorts worked.. so I have no idea how this one happened. 

I’m really not overselling it: The short is about Screwy, who hyjacks it from a cute widdle bunny clearly parodying bambi.. who he beats the shit out of, then decides to get things going asks a dumb dog to hunt him, then insults him to provoke him to attacking him. He then spends the entire short tormenting the poor dumb bastard who again HE PROVOKED. It feels like a poor imitation of dumb hounded, as while Bugs clearly outclassed the dog there, he’d die if he lost, so while he was punching down, he clearly didn’t have a choice and you can’t honestly blame him. Here, Screwy is fine, he just wants someone’s head to fuck with and spends a whole short torturing him. We don’t even get catarsis as while the dog does catch him at the end via  weird gag, they end up deciding to beat up the bunny instead. 

His voice is also just the worst, just utterly grating and making me wish an anvil woudl fall on HIM instead. Screwy would return for some other shorts but I have no idea why. This was easily the weakest of these ten shorts and I will probably not return to the guy next year.

9. Bad Luck Blackie (1949)

This is one i’d forgotten till I got a ways in. It’s also weirdly one of the only MGM Tex shorts on HBO Max as this was included in the Tom and Jerry collection for some reason, the dog in it clearly isn’t the tom and Jerry verison of spike... though the dog Droopy fought a lot was indeed called spike. Yes that is confusing, no I don’t know why MGM thought this was a good idea. 

 As a result though I have been saving giving out about this till now but seirously , put the tex avery shorts on HBO Max. Their on Blu-Ray, their on boomerang, especially Droopys. I do not get why they aren’t on here. I’m tired of them holding things out for the boomerang app when not everyone subscirbes to that. Let me have my morose dog dammit. 

That giving out aside i’m glad this one caught my eye via i’ts weird name as it’s another masterpiece. It also does what one Tom and Jerry short I reviewed, the one where tom’s a millionare,  earlier this month failed to: properly make it’s antagonist loathsome enough to deserve the parade of abuse he gets. With that one Tom is tourturning jerry for like 30 seconds, but Jerry torments him for most of 5 minutes. 

Here we get about two minutes of our lead kitten getting torremnted by a mean bulldog. It’s not only still a bit entertaining to lessen the horror just enough to be watchable but not enough to make the bulldog likeable, but it makes what happens for the rest of the short oh so fucking satsifying. While the previous short today really didn’t get the karmic ballance neded for a good classic screwball comedy short this one overwhelmingly does.

Our kitten gets some help in the form of Blackie, a professional black cat who agrees to turn the tables, sauntring across to a wonderfully catchy tune. any time the little guy whistles. The result from there is 5-6 nonstop minutes of comedy genius, as Tex finds new and creative ways for the cat to come out of nowhere, and even shakes things up to keep it intresting towards the end iwth the dog getting the whistle.. only for it to still not work out, and for our little kitten to get his revenge at last by painting himself black after the bulldog paints blackie white. As should be obvious by now, it’s really good, showing Screwball Squirrel was the exception not the rule. In general Tex was this good during his mgm and when he was at his peak we got gems like this. Truly sensational, watch it if you have max it’s under the tom and jerry section for some reason. 

10. T.V. of Tommorow A decent one I remember seeing as a kid. Not much to say though, it’s mostly a bunch of gags about “future” tv’s based on their viewer’s needs. Some good stuff.. not as good as most of what was here today but still better than the worst of it and still very memorable and part of a memorable tetralogy i’ll probably come back to when I do Tex’s birthday again next year. Not a bad note to end on though. 

Overall these shorts show just how strong a creator tex was, gleefully taking convention and ripping it to tiny pieces. As i’ve mentioned many times i’ll be coming back to his work next year.. and probably be watching a hell ofa lot more in the time between. Might even do a second special on him in between birthday ones. We’ll see how this does. The Tom and Jerry one sadly wasn’t quite the hit I hoped. 

Until then I have many other reviews. And since Today (This review is late) was supposed to be the 90′s tom and jerry movie but that turned out not to be on Max for some reason. I still plan to cover it some day i’ll just have to find it and buy it first. But tommorow if I have the time i’ll be continuing the Lena retrospective with an intresting little side trip. So until then, i’ts been a pleasure and you know what? Thanks for reading. 

#tex avery #droopy #bugs bunny #porky pig #the gold diggers of 49 #cecil turtle #tortoise beats hare #the heckling hare #tv of tommorow #dumb hounded #red hot riding hood #who killed who #red #spike #bad luck blackie #screwy squirrel #screwball squirrel #owl jolson #I love to singa

[popculturebuffet]

Porky Pig Black and White Birthday Special!

H-h-hello you happy people! And it’s time for my first birthday special for  Looney Tune! While I covered some with Tex’s birthday last week, this is the first of these specials i’ve done to cover one of their stars.. and it’s apporirate it starts with their first big one: Porky Pig! 

Yes for those of you who didn’t know, and until a few months ago that included me turns out Porky wasn’t always a second banana who still had an iconic habit of closing out shorts with his signature “T-t-that’s all folks!’. He was Warner Bros first big star and mascot. Like Daffy would do in Porky’s own shorts he started out  as a sidekick in shorts for Beans the Cat

No one Brak, that’s why eventually Beans, who was a diet Mickey outside of his first short, which we’ll get to in a moment, got the boot while the stuttering adorable pig got the starring role instead. Porky was the studio’s big headliner for years and years.. but most wouldn’t know it. Outside of Porky in Wackyland, none of his shorts without Daffy or Sylvester really got a lot of play on Cartoon Network or other repackages, likely because most were black and white and for whatever reason they didn’t mix them in. But after seeing oh so many in the menu for Looney Tunes on max I was super curious, and thus super excited for this day to come so I could take a look and see how they held up, holding off watching them so they’d be fresh. And outside of three shorts: his first appearance, one suggested by my friend Blah and one picked by my Patreon Emma, as one of the perks for my patreons is getting to pick a cartoon when I do one of these 10 cartoon specials, I just went with my gut, what sounded interesting or what have you, avoidnig the ones where he was Daffy’s sidekick and what not to focus soley on porky hamself to see how he stacked up alone. 

How’d it turn out? Well join me after the cut for a nice pile of ham, bacon, sausage and other pork products as we dig into everyone’s favorite pig. Well almost everyone I have my own favorites. 

Yes yes you are sweetie. Reviews of 10 Porky Shorts, all but one in black and white, under the cut.  Trigger warning: One of these shorts involves attempted suicide Yes really. So if that’s a trigger for you, please avoid this review entirely or if you want to just avoid that specific entry, the one on Porky’s romance. Thank you. 

1. I Haven’t Got A Hat (1935): Bope A Dope A Dope Dope

As I mentioned Pre-Porky, Warner didn’t have a star to compete with Disney, and given Disney was so character based, and a lot of these shorts were coming out at the same time Disney was spinning Donald off into his own series giving them TWO huge stars, it was clear Warner needed at least one to complete. So they came up with a plan: a knock off of Our Gang, aka what would later be dubbed The Little Rascals, starring a bunch of animal kids to see if one or all caught on. As you can tell one did but as the intro made clear it took them a few shorts to realize it. 

The short is about a school recital to raise money for the teachers, just in case you thought them being underpayed was a new thing. So it’s really an excuse for four diffrent segments of hyjinks following a diffrent kid or kids each. Our first is the reason this one is here, porky’s introductoin where he stutters, and struggles throught he midnight ride of paul revere. It’s alright mostly do to his animated actions like the above seen simulating hi mriding his horse. Not bad but like a lot of Porky jokes it relies on his stutter which wasn’t funny to me as a kid or now as an adult, and comes off pretty inesnitive in hindsight, especially as the stutter was a medical condition of his voice actor that forced him to retire and be replaced by Mel Blanc after “Porky’s Romance”, which we’ll get to.

The other three bits are likewise decent: Kitty, a small cat, nervously makes her way through mary had a little lamb next, whic is fine enough. My faviorite is after here, Ham and Ecks, two puppies performing the title number, which is mostly funny because they sing like normal kidddies.. except after saying the title name with Ecks suddenly going in very low. it’s not bad. 

Finally we have Beans and Oliver Owl. Beans wants to get back at Oliver for not sharing Candy so he puts a dog and cat in his piano. It’s colossal, it’ stupendous.. it’s mediocre! As is the whole short, not bad bits, but only the title track is super memorable. It is easy to see why Porky stuck out the most though with his stutter and neat design. As mentioned it would take warner a few shorts to realize his appeal but once he did he was off to the raises and the next three shorts are all from the very next year. 

2. The Blow Out (1936): Insert Silly Jig Music Here

This one is simple but it works: A mad bomber, what bombs in broad daylight, is setting up time bombs and being hammy. Meanwhile Porky, whose still a kid in this one, wants a big old soda float and only has half the money, but after helping a guy pick up his cane on relflex, starts helping people pick up their items. You can see where this is going and the climax is damn fun as you’d expect from Tex Avery. The runner of Porky doing a silly little dance with a catchy musical sting as he trops the pennies he gets in his pocket is also pretty neat. Not the best he’s done, given I did a whole birthday special last week he’d get much better, but still some fun silly stuff. 

3. Plane Dippy (1936): Spin It! Even better, with a simple premise: Porky joins the army, we get some hyjinks as he does the tests and then he’s assigned to dust a remote plane that Kitty ends up accidently directing when talking to her dog. There’s some really fun screwball stuff here, though the ending is a bit weak, everything else is pretty strong. The pattern for the last three holds: not the best thing i’ve seen from Disney, Warner or MGM, but pretty neat. 

4. Porky In The North Woods (1936): Turtle Paddlin

This one’s a disney style picture as Porky sets up an animal refuge, only for an egotistical hunter to outright ignore his signs and presumed legal right and set up traps then try and kill Porky for daring to. undo his traps.. in an area outright labeled as an animal sanctuary. I’d say just hunt somewhere else but as the modern republican party has proven Stubborn assholes afraid of change won’t just go away or obey the law. The animals return Porky’s kindness by kicking hte guys ass, the best bit being some turtles grabbing some paddles and giving him what for, to the point I screencapped that bit specically.

But other than the Climax it’s just alright, but the hammy villian does help elevate this one. 

5. Porky’s Romance: I made a Huge Mistake

This one was one I picked out I knew wasn’t on Max but curious about Petunia’s first apperance, I added it to the rotation anyway. 

I’m not sugarcoating it because this short dosen’t deserve it: This is the worst of the shorts i’m covering here today. It is pure awful distlend into 7 LONG minutes. 

As some of you may recall, back when I did my first shortravaganza for Donald Ducks birthdy, I reviewed Donald’s Diary, the last Daisy short and one with some pretty cute Donsy stuff but ends with him reconsidering proposal like a jackass because he asasumes marriage will be terrible and she’ll turn abusive and “GASP” make him do chores like a responsible partner. It’s one half a good short, and one half a really bad short. 

You want to see the truly terrible version of that done years earlier, on less of a budget and only satisfying at hte very end? No. Well I didn’t either but that’s what I got. The short starts okay, with a bit introducing Petunia in am eta way. But the short itself after that little meta bit?

The short has Porky lovingly picking out choclates and a ring for Petunia. Petunia in this short.. is a horrible monster who dismisses him out of hand and only lets him court her to get his choclate, her dog barks at him trying to get some, so their all assholes, and she outright laughs at his proposal. 

It’s here where I needed a trigger warning, as Porky tries to kill himself over it. So we have a woman using a prospective partner for finacials and her real intentions driving him to suicide. I.. why would you put this in here. How is this funny? or entertaining? Or anything I want to watch in a looney tune? I don’t want to watch Porky get depressed and try and hang himself. No one wants that and if you do, please get some help. 

He hten has a dream, hence the comparison, of an awful wedded life with Petunia where he does everything, and she GASPS puts on weight.. even though...

He wakes up, finds Petunia likes him now but leaves, takes the choclates and kicks the dog. Haha he’s sitll not a good person. 

As you can tell, this short is throughly miserable. It’s not funny, it’s not tearjerking, it uses sucicide for some reason and takes a dark tone, and is VERY sexist saying “Well women be like this you know” it feels like. It also makes VERY light of domestic abuse, and while that was the style at the time it dosen’t make it any better. Tackling either suicide or domestic abuse is fine, their very important issues.. but don’t put them in your looney tune, for god’s sake. I do not get the tone they were going for but I hate it. I HATE THIS ONE. Do not watch it it bad. Let’s please move on. 

6. Porky’s Garden (1937): It’s A Me! An Itallian Sterotype!

My good friend Emma, whose now one of my patreons, picked this one mostly because it popped up on youtube when she did a youtube search. ironically she herself is itallian and i’m 100% convinced she had no idea what this cartoon contained: Porky versus an itallian sterotype for a county fair prize. Now is this the worst thing Looney Tunes has done? Nope the censored eleven exist, Porky’s Romance exists and Loontics unleashed exists, so i’ts not the worst but it’s still just very cringe inducing that the only joke the guy has is “laugh at the evil foreigners funny accent” It’s not very good, not worht your time, and has weird popeye joke for some reason. 

7. The Case of the Stuttering Pig (1937): The Creampuff in the Third Row This one could’ve been done for Halloween, as Porky deals with a lawyer turned into a monster stalking him and Petunia.. whose possibly his sister here which somehow makes Porky’s romance even worse but given the unviersal adaptor cast of the looney tunes, i’m assuming it wasn’t. That short is horrible enough own without that little chesnut. The short is dripping with atmosphere but on the whole is just okay, though the runner about the villain insulting a guy in row three only for that guy to get even at the end and save the pigs is pretty great not going to lie. 

8. What Price, Porky? (1938): Daffy!

I purposefully chose not to have as little of other looney tunes as possible, in order to make this Porky’s day. As you can tell for the most part that’s been a mistake but even the one with Daffy is just okay, but at least has a creative premise. Porky is a farmer, a surprisingly common theme, and some local ducks are stealing his Chicken’s corn. So while he tries to ask them nicely not to, the general, played by daffy, attacks. Sadly he’s barely in it but we do get some neat gags and it’s far more of a ride than the last few. The ending is bad, the ducks win despite being the antagonists, but still pretty fun. Thankfully we’ll be getting more Daffy in April. 

9. Porky’s Hare Hunt: Halfway To Bugs

As you can tell this day ended up being kind of a disapointment: Porky just isn’t the most intresting leading man and ended up working better as a straight man.  I still genuinely love the character, but it’s clear there was only so much you could do with him in the lead and by the end here, he was either being sidelined so Chuck Jones could do something else like the last one or made the foil to someone goofier often daffy but our last two, and today’s two best, this one being secon dbest, prove whyt hey’ve stuck to that since. 

This one has him hunting a Rabbit whose a bit nuts and utterly delightful, a prottype for bugs.. and for woody woodpecker, whose va he shared, and Screwball Squirreel. THANKS...FOR...THAT... but unlike screwy, this rabbit at least is being hunted, so we get a fun breezy short with some goofy antics and a loveable protgangsit going up against Porky as the antagonist. Good stuff. 

10. Porky in Wackyland: Ending on a High

As I said this ended up being kind of a slog. I wanted to honor Porky by showing his solo career and instead found it dated with a few good shorts.. but only a few really held a candle to the disney stuff going on at the time or the warner stuff to come later like Porky’s Hare Hunt and the Blow Out. Otherwise it’s pretty standard outside of the previous entry.. and there’s only one true masterpiece. This one. Porky in Wackland. 

Porky in Wackland is just Bob Clampett going nuts for 7 minutes and it’s glorious to watch. Porky is hutning for the last Dodo and ends up in the utterly deranged and wonderous wacky land. The only bit that does not work in this entire 7 minute orgy of weirdness is a refrence to the jazz singer with a creature screaming mammy that’s a slight caracture of a black person. I’ve seen much worse but i’ts still eesh. But unlike some shorts, that dosen’t slow it down for long and it’s almost etnirely just fun, utterly batshit stuff and a great chase with the dodo himself at the end and one hell of a warner brothers logo gag. Check this one out, it’s admired for a reason. Tremendous stuff. Should be on max with.. that bit.. edited out. 

So that was a look into Porky’s solo career and yeah, I can see why he’s better as a straight man. I still love the guy though and he has lasted as long as his brothers while others from this time were forgotten> He’s still a good character.. he’s just better paired with Daffy or someone else, part of a team. As a solo act.. he’s just okay but as part of a group.. he’s sensational. 

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#looney tunes #porky pig #porky pig's birthday #petunia pig #daffy duck #what price porky #the blow out #haven't got a hat #plane drippy #the case of the stuttering pig #porky's romance #porky's hare hunt #porky in wackyland #porky's garden #porky in the north woods