Felidae

Last night I saw a famed 1994 animated film from Germany featuring the voice acting of an old actor I've been familiar with for years: 

RIP Mario Adorf

I haven’t reviewed any of his movies in years aside from 1964’s Apache Gold but back in the day, me and someone on a messageboard enjoyed discussing him. That was chiefly for his roles in the poliziotteschi films Caliber 9 and The Italian Connection, both of which are highly entertaining and well worth tracking down. We both laughed that he resembled Bruce Campbell. He was far more famous in Europe than America but I’m bummed he passed away, even if he reached the age of 95.

I referenced this film in my recent review of Cat City, another European animated flick concerning felines; a mutual recommended I check this out… a movie I’ve known of for ages by this point. The setting is a world just like ours, except that cats of many different breeds speak to each other. Francis is new to the neighborhood; he investigates a series of murders. Note that the film is NOT for children; there are horror elements, nightmares, cat corpses mutilated, a sexy saxophone riff, cat sex, and references to Gregor Mendel.

Felidae is mature, a noir concerning plot points that are better represented by animals rather than human beings. Adorf provided the deep voice of Bluebeard, the closest confidant of Francis. The story was more mature & thoughtful than expected, featuring lovely animation, a score from a rare female composer (Anne Dudley), a title song from BOY GEORGE, and nice voice acting. The only other actor I knew was Klaus Maria Brandauer, but everyone was fine.

This was a nice way to pay tribute to Mr. Adorf. Hopefully sometime next week, I’ll see something live-action from him.

 

Nothing Sacred

Nothing Sacred (1937)

Runtime: 74 minutes

Directed by: William A. Wellman

Starring: Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger, Walter Connolly, Sig Rugman

From: David O. Selznick Productions

Getting to see the only accurate representation of this Technicolor movie as it looked in 1937-via a restoration from the Museum of Modern Art-was a delight. The Criterion Collection is the only way to see that print of a film long in the public domain. People may not exclaim, “Jumpin H. Sebastian!” in excitement over how early Technicolor looked compared to its 50’s heyday, but the look is still distinctive.

The movie concerns NYC newspaper reporter Frederic March-disgraced after getting duped by a fake sultan who was a Black man that-ahem-shined shoes-the performance from Black actor Troy Brown, Sr. was fine-he visits Vermont to visit Carole Lombard… not just because she’s Carole Lombard, who looked lovely in Technicolor. Rather, she’s a Radium Girl in a Vermont town run by a watch factory. 

I could write paragraphs on the real-life phenomenon of girls painting radium on watches in the early 20th century so the numbers glowed in the dark… then people realized that radium gave off radiation and those poor girls suffered horrible fates; however, you can use Google or Wiki for further information. Plus, the gag is that Lombard’s Hazel Flagg isn’t sick with radiation poisoning, but goes along with the story because she doesn’t want to be stuck in Vermont forever—not even she saw how much attention would be lavished on her only for the belief that this random people mentioned in a story was on her deathbed.

A biting satire of media and sensationalistic journalism, this was. In addition, the movie’s a funny screwball comedy featuring the expected wacky scenarios that escalate in ludicrousness, snappy patter, and a romance between the leads. The supporting cast also entertained: grumpy newspaper editor OLIVER STONE (yes, that’s the character’s name) as portrayed by Walter Connelly, Sig Rugman as-naturally-a Germanic doctor, and Charles Winninger as a sidesplitting Vermont doctor. Margaret Hamilton appeared for a scene as well.

In addition, there’s the expected quality David O. Selznick production design and such wacky choices as a squirrel appearing randomly in one scene, or the absurdity of actors appearing in the background of scenes behind such foreground props as flowers or a tree branch. 

While there are better examples of screwball comedies-and I’m sure not everyone will love a moment in the finale that plays differently 9 decades later-I was still charmed by Nothing Sacred. I was happy to see something new (to me) from the great director William A. Wellman along w/ the charming performances from the legendary leads.

Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet

Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet (Adela Jeske Nevecerela) (1978)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Oldrich Lipsky

Starring: Michal Docolomansky, Rudolf Hrusinsky, Milos Kopecky, Vaclav Lohnisky, Ladislav Pesak

From: Filmove Studio Barrandov

This movie was as peculiar as I’d always heard. In this case, that means “many years.” As stated on many occasions by now, I expect either drab & serious or something bizarre from movies behind the Iron Curtain; this satiric comedy was the latter.

Nick Carter (no, not the Backstreet Boy! Rather, the American detective character that was popular in dime store novels) is asked to Prague-which at least looked lovely on film but I’m sure the city is still lovely in 2026-to investigate a curious case that involves-among other things-a mad botanist and the titular Adela… a carnivorous plant; take that, Audrey II! He is assisted by a Czech who is a portly man w/ a mustache.

Along the way, there’s still photographs used to animate certain moments, animation-including stop-motion from the legendary Jan Svankmajer-and the unexpected advertisement of Czech food & drink throughout, especially pilsner beer. There’s also disguises that would make Ethan Hunt proud and attractive women, but I’d rather not reveal too much. The soundtrack that served as background typically sounded like that of a silent film; makes sense, considering the early 20th century setting. An idiosyncratic and unique movie, this was.

This also made the movie feel fresh and distinctive. I’m glad that Czech movies are easier to track down than before via streaming platforms like Night Flight/Eternal Family/Midnight Plus (the trio share quite a few movies) or the Criterion Channel, and Deaf Crocodile, a label that deserves more love for the wide berth of foreign films they release on physical media.

 

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

42% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 187 reviews) 

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Aaron Horvath/Michael Jelenic/Pierre Leduc

Starring: Quite a few famous faces

From: Universal/Nintendo 

To echo the thoughts of (presumably) many, I’d also like an 80’s cartoon series of [redacted.]

Despite the frostier reception that this sequel has received so far, I was still interested in a viewing due to my finding the original film to be fine—a safe story, but competent, w/ great visuals and humor that typically didn’t bother me too much. As I explained in that review, I’m someone who only knows the franchise from the 80’s & 90’s… and the awesomely bad 90’s film and the first Super Smash Brothers game. Getting to check out the movie in 3D was an additional delight; those effects were nice.

My opinions of the 2023 movie as “safe story, but competent” also apply to Galaxy. The references to the universe made in 2000 and after mostly flew over my head yet the plot still was fun. Is it as in-depth & complex as Pixar (well, vintage Pixar)? Nope—doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with a story where Bowser, Jr. wishes to rescue his father & also make him proud, which is done by kidnapping Peach’s sister Rosalina so her powers could be used to help end the universe. 

I was entertained by the spectacle, Yoshi & the other characters introduced (including one that wasn’t in the trailers & as that character is well-known in the universe, someone in the audience had an audible reaction during their opening scene), the action setpieces-including a scene that Joe Bob Briggs would describe as UMBRELLA-FU, and best of all, how delightfully colorful the movie is, especially in 3D.

As an aside, a recent mutual on Letterboxd might want me to mention that the voice cast featured several Black actors: Donald Glover, Keegan-Michael Key, & Kevin Michael Richardson. It can be argued whether a cast full of famous actors was right for an animated picture but colorblind casting in this field is fine with me. What I appreciated returning was the return of the Kamek character, a.k.a. the dude designed to look & sound like Peter Lorre.

The expectations weren’t high-especially after the negative reviews-but I was mostly fine w/ Galaxy. Yes, more than one character arguably should have had more screentime for the story being told, among other valid criticisms. Even then, I was entertained by what may be a rare new popcorn film I check out in 2026. Yes, even I am not immune to fanservice moments that reminded me of games played during my youth.

 

Brats

I returned to the world of Laurel & Hardy with this 1930 short: 

Laurel & Hardy appear as children due to movie magic = aces. Last night I wasn’t in the mood for a feature film; thankfully, something that’s 20-minutes long-like Brats was-fit my mood better. I’ve dug their shorts and feature films, silents and “the talkie era.”

Brats is distinctive as it’s dual roles for Laurel & Hardy; they also portray their children. This is done by both them interacting w/ oversized sets and camera tricks. Besides the silliness of grown adults portraying little children, at first you think that the men are a married couple, but a photo on a mantle plus a line of dialogue reveals this not to be true. That photo… is of Jean Harlow! Is it a three-way polyamorous relationship?! The children-also called Stan & Oliver-cause plenty of mayhem at home one evening by acting childish, much to the dismay of their parents.

The production design was swell; this helped the viewer believe in the wacky conceit. Both parents and children suffer many pratfalls and bumbling about. The adults can’t handle either a game of checkers or a game of billiards, while the kids have a run-in w/ hot liniment fluid, alphabet blocks, and a mouse brought to life via animation.

I’m predisposed to this style of humor anyhow; I was delighted that the short allowed for different humor from the duo due to the concept. It’s been a delight to see more from Laurel & Hardy in the past 5 or 6 years.

 

The Leopard

The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) (1963)

Runtime: 186 minutes

Directed by: Luchino Visconti

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, Paolo Stoppa, Rina Morelli 

From: Several different Italian and French companies

Would people be AGHAST that this was my first Luchino Visconti film? For the newer followers, I haven’t viewed much classic cinema as of late but in the thirteen (!) years I’ve been on Letterboxd, what’s been reviewed has run the gamut. It’s everything from The Room and Birdemic to some cinephile musts from the likes of Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Fellini, Bergman, John Ford, Fritz Lang, Ozu, Truffaut, etc.

Yet, I imagine a few of the serious scholarly cinephiles will be surprised that Visconti was a blind spot until last night. A few weeks ago, the FXM movie channel during their retro block (meaning, unedited movies & no commercials) played The Leopard; despite a 3-hour runtime of a motion picture concerning a topic I knew little of-the unification of Italy in the 1860’s. I shouldn’t have been concerned when there was time last night to play the DVR recording.

To copy & paste the plot description currently on Letterboxd: “As Garibaldi’s troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi, to marry Angelica, the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family’s accustomed level of comfort and political clout.”

The film takes its time as the story slowly unfurled, presenting a tale where the particulars of Italy’s unification isn’t necessary-a viewer is not required to do even a bit of Wikipedia research beforehand, although that could be done for those curious beforehand or after viewing. The film was a rapturous experience as the end of an era is coming & Burt Lancaster’s Prince has difficulty accepting that truth. On the other hand, young cad nephew Alain Delon is more ambitious and probably will succeed in this new Italy, along with Don Sedara, a precursor to what later would be a Mafia Don.

The rest of the cast was also swell: Claudia Cardinale (a belated RIP to her; I never noted the death of this European starlet last fall) as the stunning lady from a rival family who is married to Delon for political reasons. There’s also Terence Hill in a supporting role, so early in his career that he’s billed under his birth name of Mario Girotti.

The showstopper is a long ballroom scene 45-minutes in length where my attention never wavered-rather, it highlighted several key components: there’s the lush score from Nino Rota, the great costumes, the lavish sets. Then, the film’s conclusion was note-perfect. The Leopard was well worth the long journey. Fascinating was that Visconti (who was from a noble family himself) and Lancaster (his hiring was forced on the director by the producers) initially did not get alone but after Ol’ Burt bowed up & yelled at the director, suddenly they were pals for the rest of Visconti’s life. Undoubtedly, in the far-future I’ll view another film from a great director I shouldn’t have overlooked for so long.

The Beastmaster

The Beastmaster (1982)

Runtime: 118 minutes

Directed by: Don Coscarelli

Starring; Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, Rip Torn, John Amos, Joshua Milrad

From: MGM

Hey
Beastmaster’s
On

Last night, Shudder’s 24/7 streaming channel played this motion picture between last year’s Deathstalker & the original Deathstalker-appropriate. Now is the time to discuss what for people middle-aged like me growing up in the United States was a film that didn’t light the box office on fire but found its legs on cable television, where several channels-including HBO-had it in constant rotation for years.

This is a silly sword and sorcery film w/ a standard plot: evil wizard Rip Torn (sporting a hysterical prosthetic nose) wishes to sacrifice the unborn son of the King, the unborn son is saved but he grows up unknowing of his parentage, he becomes a hero & is on a trek to vanquish the villain while teaming up w/ a variety of different pals. Nothing wrong with a standard plot & archetypes—in fact, more modern movies would be better off not “subverting expectations” or especially inserting unneeded “humor.” Just follow the archetypes instead; they’ve endured for a reason. The new idea here is that the hero can communicate with animals and even see through their eyes.

Yes, The Beastmaster can be nitpicked to death. Among the fantasy names, John Amos is known as SETH. A “black panther” is clearly a tiger painted black. The animal sidekicks are a black eagle, the black tiger, and… a pair of FERRETS, cute critters that I know from some friends in college can be kept as pets. However, I won’t nitpick the movie-instead, The Beastmaster was a cheesy good time where each animal assists our heroes on several occasions in creative fashion.

Marc Singer was decent in the role (so was Tanya Roberts) but more memorable were Amos as the main sidekick and Torn as the evil bastard. Originally, a real-life evil bastard was to play the heel but as he did often, turned down the role due to money disputes—Klaus Kinski. As stated recently in other reviews, I’ve come to appreciate practical effects, sets, & locations compared to digital and greenscreens. California and Nevada deserts presented the appropriate vibe for this genre.

Mix in cinematography from an actual Oscar winner (John Alcott), a score from Lee Holdrige that was appropriate for this fantasy, & some creepy moments you’d expect from the guy that gave us the Phantasm movies… Beastmaster was fun even for a middle-aged adult like me. Did it need to be a full 2 hours long? That can be debated.

Neither sequel has ever been tackled by me—hearsay tells me that both are bad yet I imagine that especially the second could be hysterically bad. There’s better than a 0% chance that’ll be tackled one day in the far-future