Soup to Nuts

Soup to Nuts (1930)

Runtime: 70 minutes 

Directed by: Benjamin Stoloff

Starring: Ted Healy and the men to be later known as The Three Stooges

From: Fox

This was a good movie to watch last night to celebrate the 131st birthday of Shemp Howard. Those not familiar w/ the early lore of The Three Stooges, at this time they were a vaudeville act of Moe, Larry, & Shemp but led by their leader/manager, a dude named Ted Healy. This was their debut on film. A few years later, Shemp left the act, Moe & Larry dumped the allegedly abusive alcoholic Healy, and added Curly. This was also of interest to me as a co-writer of the script was Rube Goldberg. Yes, the guy who the phrase “Rube Goldberg Machines”-an idea I’ve referenced more than once in reviews. He even has a cameo as himself.

To copy and past from his Wiki article:

“Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated gadgets performing simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways.”

As for the movie… it made me realize that Ted Healy and his Stooges would never have been beloved even in 2026 like The Three Stooges are. I don’t know if people back then were supposed to like a loudmouth verbally abusive jerk that was Healy’s lead character, but I certainly didn’t last night.

The plot: Healy works at a costume shop, ran by a guy obsessed with Rube Goldberg Machines; this is why the business is bankrupt and taken over by creditors. Healy also enjoys hanging out at the fire station where Moe (billed in the credits as HARRY HOWARD, no lie), Larry, & Shemp work at… just because. A mute fireman named Freddie also is a fireman; there’s always a risk in injecting a political reference in a review but saying that “Freddie has Ben Shapiro’s eyebrows as they appeared in a recent viral Photoshopped image” is an accurate statement!

The Stooges are only shown in a few scenes before the final act; Healy is in many more… my belief that the movie is “fine” is DESPITE Healy and his odious presence. The other characters and scenarios thankfully gave me enough entertainment to counteract Ol Ted. This includes child actor Billy Barty (who in the 60’s had a TV show on KTLA in Los Angeles that would air Three Stooges shorts), Mack Swain of The Gold Rush fame and Heinie Conklin, who would appear in a few dozen Stooge shorts.

As a fan, it was fascinating to see routines and lines of dialogue that would appear when they were on their own. Most people, there likely is little need to check out Soup to Nuts & its threadbare plot unless you’re a huge Stooge fan and/or had the foreknowledge that there was a person named Rube Goldberg.

Save the Children

This is a 1973 concert film that was resurrected in an edited form for a 2023 release,as I explain below: 

Despite some controversial moments in the past, it wouldn’t seem right for me not to say RIP to the recently-departed Reverend Jesse L. Jackson. I should be canceled if his impact as a critical civil rights leader for Black people starting in the 1960’s was not noted by me. I mention Reverend Jackson as this concert film (where the film crew was entirely composed of Black talent) was filmed at the PUSH Expo in 1972 Chicago-as in Jackson’s Operation PUSH.

A longer version of this was barely released by Paramount in 1973, then summarily vanished and could only be seen in bootlegs before the Reverend sought to have the movie restored starting in 2021. I say longer because the cut on Netflix-as Save the Children: A Concert for the Ages-is about 20 minutes shorter than what was released in 1973. The presumption is that non-concert scenes were excised although that’s a non-confident guess.

If the low amount of ratings on IMDb & Letterboxd are an accurate barometer, another presumption is that the film is hidden on Netflix-people not knowing of its presence on the platform. For those that have seen & loved 1973’s Wattstax and 2021’s Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), this is a must. What an astounding collection of Black talent, including:

Marvin Gaye
The Temptations
The Main Ingredient (led by Cuba Gooding, Sr.)
Cannonball Adderly
Reverend James Cleveland and his choir
Isaac Hayes
The O’Jays
Curtis Mayfield
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Quincy Jones
Roberta Flack
The Jackson 5, who wore some of the most incredible multicolored clothing my eyes have ever seen. A few songs from them are shown, as the crowd treated them as if they were a boy band, they were so over at the time.

Among many others; I don’t want this review to be too long. I was happy to see the collection of legends perform. Reverend Jackson is shown preaching, twice. This alone is a great artifact of his skill as a great orator.

In addition, during a few performances, footage is shown of Black people living their life in Chicago & the surrounding environs.

While it’s a shame that more people don’t know that Save the Children exists (especially in the high quality presentation that’s on Netflix), I was happy to publicize it via this review no matter who was involved with the production.

 

Undertone

Undertone (2025)

85% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 46 reviews)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Ian Tuason

Starring: Most of the film, it’s just Nina Kiri

From: A24

It presumably wasn’t the intent of the filmmakers to have large pockets of the audience uproariously laugh in disbelief AT their movie for more than 30 seconds straight once the end credits hit, nor have people still chuckle & make negative comments minutes later! They clearly found Undertone to be—underwhelming.

I couldn’t bury the lede here; last night, AMC played this movie on their Dolby Cinema screens before its wide release debut on Friday the 13th. The trailer intrigued despite my mixed opinions on the films A24 either produce themselves or pick up for release. The crowd was decent in size and thankfully weren’t the disruptive folks I feared going in, especially for a movie that proved to be a slow burn, to use modern vernacular.

They reacted appropriately to certain moments. However, they evidently felt the same way I did, re: the final act and did not feel the destination was worthy of the journey the viewer went on. Their reaction is what I’ll first remember, re: Undertone. My issues with the movie were not related to its style, the ambiguity or the style of scares that were presented. I’ll attempt to explain why without revealing too much for those interested… yes, it will be a characteristic long-winded review.

Be that as it may, even after sleeping on it, I struggle with rating the movie. There was plenty I enjoyed, including the conceit that the film was sound-driven. I knew that from the trailer—I did NOT know that only one character was shown speaking & the only setting was the house she lived in w/ her invalid mother.

Another detail unknown to me: her mother was bedridden, comatose, and in the last days of her life. That brought uncomfortable memories of what happened to my late mother. Apologies for those that already recall past discussions of this but she was ill for the entirety of 2020 & was in hospice for far longer than predicted before passing away in late July. I wasn’t “triggered” and that detail doesn’t impact my rating. I do understand why lead character Evy did not have mom in hospice-it’s not cheap.

The plot that I haven’t even alluded to yet: Evy plays the skeptic role on a “true horrors” podcast with a random American dude living in London named Justin that’s a believer. They are anonymously e-mailed 10 different scary audio files of something spooky.

What I was a fan of: the lore intrigued, the sound design was thankfully aces, the subtle images that were or weren’t in the background, the film was patient (the way it was shot… let’s just say I was NOT shocked to read that director Ian Tuason was just announced as the guy who will be the director of the next Paranormal Activity), and while the movie is more “experience” than “story” (to steal a line), I was intrigued. As the lead that dominated the screen due to the story’s structure, Nina Kiri did a swell job as Evy.

Regrettably, I wasn’t the only one who felt that the story fell apart in the final act; they did NOT stick the landing. Moments did not make logical sense & made me realize that earlier moments probably shouldn’t be scrutinized either. I didn’t laugh riotously at the end credits-I was & still am more conflicted in my thoughts.

Even by A24 standards, I surmise that Undertone will be polarizing, whether by Joe Q. Public or Letterboxd members. I saw more than one comparison w/ a movie avoided by me… Skinamarink, or to rip off a term I’m mad at myself for not inventing, STINKAMARINK. And here I thought The Bride would be the only divisive genre movie released in March. I’ll be fascinated in reading the reviews starting Thursday night; for some, Undertone will greatly resonate with you.

Police Python 357

Police Python 357 (1976)

Runtime: 126 minutes

Directed by: Alain Corneau

Starring: Yves Montand, Francois Perier, Simone Signoret, Stefania Sandrelli, Mathieu Carriere

From: Albina Productions S.a.r.l./TiT Filmproduktion GmbH

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting… that’s not meant as a negative & I’m still pleased with this as my first Radiance purchase. A few days ago, someone on a messageboard gave the heads-up that Barnes & Noble were running a sale on a few different labels, including the European label Radiance. For years I’ve known of this French film, which otherwise is difficult to track down. I was happy to not have done what is typical for me & wait many months to see a physical media purchase.

The title is great… even if it’s simply a reference to the specific police officer revolver that the lead’s police department had-made by Colt, who reinstated production of the gun a few years ago.

The title might lead a viewer to surmise the film would be action-packed; this would be in error. Instead, the film shows cop Yves Montand have an affair w/ younger woman Silvia (a lady who had obvious mental health struggles-no sense in shaming her for that-who also is keeping secret that she has a relationship with Montand’s boss. Things happen and Ol’ Yves is suddenly under fire. His Marc Ferrot is a flawed and not always likable character, yet was of course still compelling. So was the boss (Ganay) along with supporting characters, especially Menard as one of the assistant investigators.

A key detail to note: the movie has a methodical 70’s pace; that alone won’t be for all tastes but I was always riveted as the story and police procedural slowly unfurled. It was nice seeing Montand again-before yesterday I’d only peep a few of his pictures; the same goes for Simone Signoret’s supporting part as an invalid. As for the titular gun, Yves uses it at the firing range but it’s not until the back half where he’s required to pull it out in the field for protection.

The film is a loose remake of a noir-the name won’t be revealed-from the 40’s-which was also remade in the 80’s; the story gripped me, as did elements that many can enjoy (the score from Georges Delerue) along with the moments only fit for esoteric me-a view of a period French grocery store. The film likely will be rewarding for patient viewers; you’ll want to see the denouement.

Police Python 357 is a downbeat 1970’s film that featured a few unexpected Dirty Harry flourishes-of course that’d be of interest to me. The rare occasions I make blind buys, they aren’t always successes—thankfully, this was. The print looked great so I’m happy to compliment Radiance on this release.

I Viewed Scary Movie 2

... and thankfully I still enjoy the film, flaws aside: 

The world missed out on the trio of MARLON BRANDO, Andy Richter, and Natasha Lyonne

For the next few weeks, I’ll be subscribed to the MGM+ service that Prime offers. They have the first two Scary Movie pictures-I never plan on seeing 3 through 5-so it made sense to view 2 after revisiting 1 the night before. 2 was another theatrical experience—unlike the first Scary Movie, there’s no amusing anecdotes concerning that screening. Checking out this again after so many years was still a nice trip down memory lane.

Famously, they rushed this movie into production after the surprise success of the first movie; I was not surprised the movie was only 76 minutes before the end credits hit. Be that as it may, I was still entertained by this film-the story not a specific spoof but instead parodied haunted house films. The leads are dragged by Tim Curry (always great to see him) and David Cross-playing a jerk in a wheelchair; that character I did not always enjoy even in ’01-to Hell House, a reference I appreciate much more now after having viewed The Legend of Hell House. The lore of the house & the plot wasn’t too bad, horror-wise.

As in the first, the humor didn’t always land and some moments have not aged well by 2026 standards, and not just the scatological moments. Despite this and such serious nitpicks as “prominent characters evidently vanishing” & “I felt uncomfortable seeing all the verbal and physical abuse inflicted upon Anna Faris as Cindy,” this does not mean there weren’t laughs to be had, or that amusing running jokes were not present. Chris Elliott is someone I typically ignore but for me, he and his deformed hand were quite amusing.

As an aside, Tim Curry will be turning 80 next month; while I’ve always praised him in reviews, his health hasn’t always been great in recent years so my doing so now felt necessary. Of course, I hope he lives for many years to come.

For something thrown together and a movie that Keenen Ivory Wayans wasn’t entirely satisfied w/, I still like Scary Movie 2 today. This lore was unknown to me until years later, but yes I am still shocked by the story of how James Woods (in a role that is especially wild in current times) wasn’t the first choice to portray the lead priest in The Exorcist spoof that opens the movie. Rather, it was MARLON BRANDO as the lead priest, Andy Richter in the Father Karras part, and Natasha Lyonne as Not Regan. Brando was on set-believe it or not-but his health was so poor, even that small role couldn’t be completed. Seeing him engage in excessive vomiting, straining on the toilet struggling w/ a bowel movement and uttering gross comments… we all missed out on that insanity, as damaging as that could have been for his legacy.

Scary Movie

Scary Movie (2000)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Keenan Ivory Wayans

Starring: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon & Shawn Wayans, Shannon Elizabeth, Lochlyn Munro

From: Miramix 

A politically incorrect film I can share another amusing anecdote about. The first viewing was theatrically in 2000, the Saturday night it opened; some pals happened to be there also so I sat by them-more on that at the end. Yes, teen males at the time would love a movie like this; now, naturally my opinion isn’t the same as a 45-year-old dude. I did see it again between then and now-yet that was eons ago.

In addition, this will substitute a viewing of Scream 7. Before that sequel’s release, there was a struggle as to whether that should be even watched, due to the controversy, people thinking I’m taking a stance on something both trivial & serious, and what people would think… despite many Letterboxd users watching it anyhow. Well, the majority proclaiming Scream 7 as a stinker is a great excuse for me to not even bother.

Instead, I was glad to revisit this spoof of both Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer; somehow, how constantly vulgar & crass this was had left my memory. Of course, the most tasteless moment (which involved the lead couple in a bedroom) was never forgotten, nor was one of the gags that aged the worst, involving the P.E. teacher Miss Mann. No disrespect against Jayne Trcka, who passed away just a few months ago.

The jokes didn’t always land (I’m not just referring to the dated material, either) yet Scary Movie wasn’t lacking in laughs nor in pointed jabs against a pair of movies that aren’t immune to mockery. Of course, it’s a little wacky that Dimension Films released this and the Scream films but I was reminded that this shouldn’t have been a surprise when (unfortunately) the name Harvey Weinstein appeared in the end credits as an executive producer. Thankfully, for every awkward moment involving the “mentally handicapped” Doofy, Anna Faris & Regina Hall were always entertaining. Heck, even Shannon Elizabeth was fun. I’m glad the first two are returning for the new film.

It was a relief that I could still entertained by this film, and be brought back to halcyon days of yore. The first sequel was seen by me, but the rest were skipped. With any luck, the new film coming out in a few months will be fun-will it be as vulgar as the original film, or should it even be that off-color? IMO, modern horror is especially ripe for mockery so I’ll be disappointed if Scary Movie 6 is bad.

As for that Saturday night screening back in 2000, I recall it as almost a full house. The dominant memory: the reaction to the aforementioned “most vulgar moment” that involved the two leads in a bedroom. The-ahem-climax was so shocking, everyone was still guffawing long into the next scene, resulting in one of my pals yelling to the projectionist, “Hey, rewind it back!” Who knows if Scary Movie 6 will elicit such a reaction from audiences.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Michael Schultz

Starring: Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees, & Many Others

From: Universal 

What a movie to watch & announce my return to Netflix! Yes, I’ve viewed Sgt. Pepper’s many moons ago; the details as to why my memories of this being a fever dream were long forgotten. As it’s been on Netflix for ages, about time to decide if perhaps a modern viewing would change my mind… nope. That doesn’t mean I did not howl with laughter or had a bad time experiencing this again. I did not remember that Donald Pleasence w/ hair SANG-well, it was more spoken-word-let alone dressed like a 70’s cowboy in his initial appearance then wore other preposterous outfits, or the cornucopia of bizarre moments.

Musicals in general I rarely view due to my lack of interest… jukebox musicals even less so, even of a band that had many songs I dig or that those original tunes were covered by great musicians. As a rock opera horror story of the musical industry, it’s no Phantom of the Paradise… or even Josie and the Pussycats. That proves to be a subplot anyhow when the main plot involving Mr. Mustard introduces himself… and it’s baffling. I don’t fault The Bee Gees or Peter Frampton-both entities are rad.

I did love the presented message that arcades & pinball machines will lead to the downfall of a town-an attitude straight out of the 1930’s-and gives us a moment where a random lady literally pulls a giant wad of cash from underneath her short skirt!

Despite the presence of many familiar faces (whether acting or musical) the movie is a gigantic mess, usually to a hysterical degree. The story is told via the music and occasional narration from George Burns rather than any dialogue driving the story forward. There were things I loved; naturally for me, the 70’s aesthetic delighted me, whether it was the quality production design, the amazing clothing, or the appearance of Los Angeles at the time.

While the soundtrack greatly varied in quality in terms of their covers (I’m glad that other songs from the Beatles catalog were used; Sgt. Pepper’s isn’t my favorite album from them, to be frank), at least the songs from Aerosmith & Earth Wind & Fire have rightfully stood the test of time. I also appreciated that Billy Preston was the ultimate hero of the story. I’m referring to Billy Preston the musician who made awesome music-including being on the OG version of Get Back-and not Preston the person… his addiction to drugs is one thing but he was arrested for sex charges in the 90’s. Reading that on Wiki last year was greatly disappointing.

This is the sort of campy spectacle I enjoy… not modern musical disasters like Cats the movie! Sgt. Pepper’s is better than the other inexplicable musical from the 70’s involving Beatles songs: 1976’s All This and World War II. After I saw it years ago, there’s still no explanation why people thought that covers of Beatles tunes over random footage of World War II & clips from 20th Century Fox movies was a swell idea… it was not, despite the soundtrack featuring an even more impressive lineup. It had everyone from Tina Turner & Elton John to Rod Stewart, Jeff Lynne, and… The Bee Gees, no lie.