Category: Z-View

“No Census, No Feeling” (1940) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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No Census, No Feeling (1940)

Director:  Del Lord

Writer:  Harry Edwards, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Bruce Bennett, Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent and Frank Mills

Tagline: Those madcap merchants of mirth score a laugh touchdown!

The Plot…

While on the run from the cops, our guys hide in a building hiring census takers.  Soon the boys have jobs. They end up at a rich woman’s mansion and create havoc.  Then they get the bright idea that a stadium full of fans would provide plenty of “customers”.  But when Larry, Curly and Moe are mistaken for professional football players, all bets are off.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

An extended scene where Curly adds alum to the punch and all guests (our guys included) try to talk through puckered lips is hilarious.

Moe asks one man, “Are you happy or married.”  Nyuk-Nyuk-Nyuk.

No Census, No Feeling (1940) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Tassels in the Air” (1938) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Tassels in the Air (1938)

Director:  Charley Chase

Writer:  Al Giebler, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison

Tagline:  They’re Nuthouse Painters!

The Plot…

When Moe is mistaken for the famous painter, Omay, the boys are hired to paint and redecorate a rich woman’s mansion.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The gag that “Curly goes crazy” whenever he sees/smells something is used again in Tassels in the Air.  This time whenever Curly sees tassels, he goes loco until he’s tickled under the chin.  This gimmick was used in three previous Stooges shorts (in Punch Drunks, Horses’ Collars and Grips, Grunts and Groans).

The director, Charley Chase directed and acted in hundreds of shorts and features. In one scene Vernon Dent appears dressed like Oliver Hardy.  Some wonder if this was Chase’s influence as a nod to the comedy great.

Tassels in the Air (1938) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Pop Goes the Easel” (1935) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Pop Goes the Easel (1935)

Director:  Del Lord

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Phyllis Crane

Tagline:  Help! Help! They’re loose again!

The Plot…

The boys on the run from the law, take refuge in an art studio.  There they take on multiple disguises in an effort to not get caught.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Pop Goes the Easel features several Stooges’ firsts:

  • It is the first Stooges’ short directed by Del Lord who would go on to helm more than three dozen.
  • It features the first eye poke
  • It has the first multiple face slap
  • It ends with a big clay fight, which would morph into pie fights in future shorts

There’s a quick scene of two little girls playing hopscotch as the boys run by.  The girls were the daughters of Moe and Larry.

Pop Goes the Easel (1935) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Brideless Groom” (1947) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Brideless Groom (1947)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Writer:  Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre, Virginia Hunter and Emil Sitka

Tagline: Gold-diggers mob the Stooges for their money!

The Plot…

Shemp learns that he will inherit $500,000 if he is married by 6pm.  The trouble is he has no girlfriend and no prospects.  Luckily, Shemp is joined by Moe and Larry in an effort to find him a wife before the deadline arrives.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Emil Sitka, a Stooges regular, gets his best-remembered line “Hold hands, you lovebirds!” in this one.  Believe it or not, the line is on Sitka’s headstone!

Christine McIntyre, another Stooges regular, has a scene where she is to repeated hit Shemp.  Despite repeated takes, the punches didn’t look convincing.  The story goes that Shemp told Christine to really let him have it, explaining that a lot of repeated half-hearted slaps hurt more than a few good ones.  On the next take Christine cut loose with a punch that broke Shemp’s nose.  The take was used.  As Christine apologized, Shemp told her, it was okay, he told her to cut loose and she sure did!

Clyde Bruckman, the writer of Brideless Groom,  was the co-writer on the film Buster Keaton’s Seven Chances (1925) which had a similar plot.

Brideless Groom (1947) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Pals and Gals” (1954) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Pals and Gals (1954)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Clyde Bruckman, Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Christine McIntyre, Stanley Blystone, Heinie Conklin, Vernon Dent and Blackie Whiteford

Tagline: Round up a herd of howls Out West!

The Plot…

When the doctor explains that Shemp is suffering from an enlarged vein in his leg, it is recommended that Shemp head out west where the climate will do him good.  So our boys end up in a rough cowboy town.  When the crook, Doc Barker overhears Shemp talking about his large vein, he thinks Shemp has a gold mine.  As Barker makes moves to steal the mine, our guys learn that Barker is holding three sisters prisoner.  Larry, Moe and Shemp plan to free the girls and fall in love.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Pals and Gals uses footage from previous Stooges shorts: Goofs and Saddles (1937) and Out West (1947). Because of careless editing, Doc Barker dies in one scene and then reappears briefly later in a group shot.

Shemp has a funny scene playing cards with two cowboys trying to cheat.

Pals and Gals (1954) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Luther: The Fallen Sun” (2023) starring Idris Elba / Z-View

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Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)

Director:  Jamie Payne

Writer:  Neil Cross (based on characters Cross created for the BBC Television series)

Stars: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis, Dermot Crowley, Vincent Regan, Ross Waiton and Carl Spencer

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Detective Chief Inspector John Luther (Elba) is on the case of a serial killer who first kidnaps and blackmails his victims. When the serial killer, David Robey (Serkis) learns that Luther is closing in, Robey uses his use wealth and technology to learn of illegal steps that Luther took in the past to bring criminals to justice.  Luther stands trial and is sentenced to prison.

While in prison, Robey taunts Luther with a video showing Robey committing a recent murder.  Luther works with friends to set up a prison break so that he can track down Robey.  With the police on his trail, Luther closes in on the killer.  Robey knows Luther is coming and has a plan to make Luther his next victim.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

It’s great to see Elba return to the character that made him famous.  I’d love to see more Luther movies.  There was talk that Elba would make a great 007.  The ending of Luther: Fallen Sun makes that unnecessary.

Kudos to Jamie Payne for his direction.  I look forward to seeing what Payne does next.

Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“So Long Mr. Chumps” (1941) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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So Long Mr. Chumps (1941)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Clyde Bruckman, Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent, Bruce Bennett, Bud Jamison and Blackie Whiteford

Tagline: NUTTIER THAN EVER!

The Plot…

The boys find an envelope full of bonds and return the it to the rightful owner.  The grateful man offers our guys a $5,000 reward if they can find an honest man to run his business.  After repeated unsuccessful attempts, Larry, Curly and Moe realize that an honest man is being held in jail.  Our boys decide the best plan of action is to get arrested and then get the man out.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bruce Bennett’s birth name was Herman Brix.  He was an Olympic athlete and actor under his given name.  He also played Tarzan in the movies.  Feeling he was typecast as Tarzan, Brix changed his name and went on to in both low budget features as well as major motion pictures such as Sahara with Bogart, Mildred Pierce with Joan Crawford, Dark Passage with Bogart and Bacall, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Bogart, Sudden Fear with Joan Crawford and Gloria Grahame and Strategic Air Command with Jimmy Stewart.

In the last scene Curly breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience.

Moe stops Curly from smoking a cigarette, Curly continues to pull out bigger and bigger smokes until he’s finally lighting up a cigar that’s a couple of feet long.

So Long Mr. Chumps (1941) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“No Dough Boys” (1944) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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No Dough Boys (1944)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent and Christine McIntyre

Tagline: You’ll Go Slap-Happy When the Stooges Go Jap-Happy!

The Plot…

The boys are dressed as Japanese soldiers for a photo shoot. Unfortunately for our guys there are reports that three Japanese soldiers on the loose in the city. While on a lunch break, Larry, Curly and Moe are mistaken for the real thing.  As they run for their lives, our guys end up ducking into an apartment that is a secret Nazi hideout.  The spy who runs things, Hugo (Dent) believes that our boys are the escaped Japanese soldiers… until he doesn’t.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Curly starts to light a cigarette when Moe points to a sign and asks Curly what it says.  Curly responds, “Hey, you! No Smoking!”  Moe: “Well?”  Curly: “It says you, not me. Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck.”

Curly later performs the invisible pipe gag (made famous by Laurel & Hardy in two films: Way Out West and Blockheads).

No Dough Boys (1944) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Three Little Beers” starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Three Little Beers (1935)

Director:  Del Lord

Writer:  Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Bud Jamison, Charles Dorety and Jack Kenney

Tagline: Some foam, eh, kid?

The Plot…

The boys are beer delivery men who discover that their company is having a golf contest with a $100 prize.  While on their route, our guys find themselves next to a golf course, of course.  They decide to get in some practice.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Curly on top of a giant stack of beer barrels in a fully loaded truck will bring a smile to your face no matter how many times you see it.  And you know what happens when the truck and our guys end up on a hill.

Moe gets a funny one-liner when he sinks a shot and Larry says, “It went into the hole!” Moe sadly responds, “Just my luck.”

Three Little Beers (1935) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Sing a Song of Six Pants” (1947) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Sing a Song of Six Pants (1947)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Vernon Dent, Phil Arnold, Cy Schindell and Jules White (voice)

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The boys run a dry cleaning shop and if they don’t get some fast cash, they’re going to lose their business.  When a safe cracker ditches the police and leaves his clothes in their shop, the boys find his cash.  They get an idea that when he returns they’ll capture him for the reward money.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

At the start of Sing a Song of Six Pants we see several signs in the window of their dry cleaning shop.  One of the signs advertises “altercations” (not alterations).  I wonder if that was a happy accident.

Sing a Song of Six Pants (1947) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat” (2022) / Z-View

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Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat (2022)

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg

Writers: Cristoph Grøndahl, story by Live Bonnevie, Erik Skjoldbaerg, Sebastian Torngren Wartin

Stars: Kristine Hartgen, Carl Martin Eggesbø and Billy Campbell.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

1940.  World War II rages.  Norway is a neutral country.  Because most of the world’s iron ore passes through the port at Narvik, both England and Nazi Germany have diplomats in the city.  In April, a force of German soldiers arrive in the city as part of a takeover.

Ingrid Tofte (Hartgen) is a young, married hotel worker.  Her husband, Gunnar (Eggesbø) is a corporal in the Norwegian army. Ingrid and Gunnar have a baby that is their world.  When the Nazis arrive, Gunnar is part of a unit sent to blow-up a bridge to delay Nazi advancement.  Ingrid, because she speaks two languages is picked to help Nazis as they attempt their takeover of the city.  If either Ingrid or Gunnar are exposed both will surely be executed.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Narvik is at it’s best when showing the dangers and choices that individuals are forced to make as the Nazis move in.  Some choose to wage war while others lay down their arms.  It would be a difficult choice to fight. You’re facing overwhelming odds and then your commanding officer hands over his pistol to the invading commandant!  Some soldiers dropped their weapons, took off their uniforms and ran away.  Others find a different officer and plan for future attacks.

Civilians had to make tough decisions to make as well.  Cooperate with the Nazis and lose your way of life. Try to run or stay and fight and you could lose your life.  If you had small children, the decision was even more difficult.  And if your child’s life is on the line, what would you do?

If I had any nits to pick, it would be with the film’s length.  When the tension is on and the battles are raging, the film is at it’s best.

Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat (2022) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“I Saw the Devil” (2010) / Z-View

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I Saw the Devil (2010)

Director: Jee-woon Kim

Writer: Park Hoon-jung (screenplay), Jee-woon Kim (adaptation)

Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik 

Tagline: To Catch A Monster He Must Become One

The Plot…

When a serial killer murders a government agent’s pregnant wife, the agent captures, tortures and then releases the killer.  The agent then captures, tortures and releases the killer again.  How long will this go on before one murders the other?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I Saw the Devil is well directed.  Jee-woon Kim is an excellent director.  He creates shots that are impressive and scenes that produce tension, fear and humor as needed.  The two leads are very good.  Where it goes off the rails for me is with the story and the gore.

The film loses me when the agent releases the serial killer after torturing him.  The serial killer then attacks a girl.  The agent stops him, but not before the killer has sexually assaulted the young woman.  The agent beats the killer and then releases him yet again.  The killer then attacks another woman. And the agent stops him mid-attack.  Rinse and repeat.  The agent could have saved these women from ever being molested.  It’d be one thing if the killer was taken in and escaped to attack women.  To have the agent release him so the agent could capture and torture him again is just stupid… and sick.

Speaking of sick, I Saw the Devil contains many gory scenes.  It wallows in scenes of torture.  While some movie fans enjoy graphic depictions of abuse, I’m not one.  The agent’s final plan to end the serial killer’s life involved a scene worthy of the Saw franchise.  The killer is beheaded when the killer’s elderly parents and his young son open a door.  The killer’s head rolls to sit in front of his little boy and his parents.  How sick is that?  Too sick for my taste.  Keep in mind that I Saw the Devil has earned high ratings on IMDb as well as many awards.  Your mileage may vary greatly from mine on this one.

I Saw the Devil (2010) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Dig” (2022) starring Thomas Jane and Emile Hirsch / Z-View

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Dig (2022)

Director: K. Asher Levin

Writer: Banipal and Benhur Ablakhad

Stars: Thomas Jane, Liana Liberato, Harlow Jane, Emile Hirsch, Michael Vincent Berry and Diego Romero.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Scott Brennan (Jane) is a single parent raising Jane (Harlow Jane) his deaf, angry daughter.  She’s angry because Scott’s temper in a road rage incident accidentally caused her deafness and worse still, the death of her mother.  When Scott is offered $30,000 for a weekend home demolition, the money is too good to pass up.  He brings Jane along to assist with the job.  They drive to the remote location and start work.

That’s when a psycho (Hirsch) and his homicidal girlfriend (Liberato) take Scott and Jane hostage.  There’s something buried in the backyard that the couple need to have dug up before Monday morning.  Scott knows when they recover the item he and his daughter are dead.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I’m a Thomas Jane fan, but Emile Hirsch is the scene stealer in Dig.  I was surprised to learn that the actress who plays Jane’s kid, is in fact his real life daughter.  Patricia Arquette is her mother.

The plot is interesting and there’s a nice mystery as to what needs to be dug up.  Unfortunately some stupid things the characters do (both the crazy couple as well as Scott and his daughter) take the enjoyment level down a few notches.  Still, Dig isn’t a bad way to pass an hour and a half.

Dig (2022) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Apeman” (1943) starring Bela Lugosi / Z-View

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The Apeman (1943)

Director: William Beaudine

Writer: Barney Sarecky based on the short story They Creep in the Dark by Karl Brown

Stars: Bela Lugosi, Wallace Ford, Minerva Urecal and Ernest Morrison.

Tagline:  No one is safe from the cruel desires of this inhuman fiend!

The Plot…

Dr. James Brewster (Lugosi) accidentally turned himself into a apeman.  The only cure is to inject himself with human spinal fluid. Unfortunately the process kills the donor.  That matters little to Brewster, who needs more spinal fluid!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

While The Apeman is supposed to be a horror movie, it falls far short of being frightening.  Lugosi looks like an old 1950s beatnik.  His gorilla is one of the all-time worst movie apes.  The only reason to watch is if you’re an Lugosi completist… and even then you might reconsider.

The Apeman (1943) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“The Scalphunters” starring Burt Lancaster & Ozzie Davis / Z-View

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The Scalphunters (1968)

Director: Sydney Pollack

Writer:  William W. Norton

Stars: Burt Lancaster, Shelley Winters, Telly Savalas, Ossie Davis, Dabney Coleman, Paul Picerni, Dan Vadis, Armando Silvestre, Nick Cravat and Chuck Roberson.

Tagline:  I’M JOE BASS and I say that scalphunters are the most ornery, girl-grabbing, back-stabbers on earth. I HUNT SCALPHUNTERS!

The Plot…

Joe Bass (Lancaster) is on his way to trade the furs he collected during the winter.  Bass is stopped by Two Crows (Silvestre) and his band of Kiowas.  Two Crows wants Bass’ furs and offers him a captured slave named Joseph Lee (Davis).  Bass wants no part of the deal.  Two Crows and his men force the trade and ride off with the furs.

Bass is determined to get the furs back and wants Joseph Lee to assist.  Before Lee was captured by the Kiowa he had been an educated house slave.  Lee has no understanding of the wilderness or guns.  Still, what other option does he have?

As Joe Bass and Joseph Lee prepare for battle with the Kiowa, a ruthless group of scalphunters joins the action.  Outnumbered and outgunned, Joe Bass is determined to get his furs back… even if it kills him.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I was surprised by the humor in The Scalphunters.  I was expecting a grim late 60s western.  The opening scenes are funny and as I adjusted my expectations, a surprisingly brutal and graphic (for the time period) event happens.  There is a nice mix of humor and drama that ends up leaning more into the comedy by the time the movie is ready to end.

Ossie Davis is a scene stealer.  He and Burt Lancaster had great chemistry.  Sequels weren’t as rampant then or I’m sure we’d have had more of these two.

Shelly Winters and Telly Savalas make for a believable couple.  Look for Dabney Coleman as one of Savalas’ henchmen.

The Scalphunters (1968) rates 3 of 5 stars.