I’m about to do some Popeye and Spinach. The big iron fueled freak-out. When I pop open that can, the nutrients will jack me up to superhuman proportions.
Metaphorically, of course.
That obscure remark aside, I really enjoyed this Popeye cartoon back in the day, maybe you will too:
part 1
part 2
Check out this linked-to-the-gills post on the 50 Greatest Cartoons ever. Lots of time wasting for you folks unlucky enough to be in the office on the Friday before Christmas.
While you’re there, keep your eyes peeled for some of my favorites.
For starters, the #1 and #2 cartoons on the list, Duck Amuck and What’s Opera Doc, are easily amongst my favorite pieces of entertainment in any media ever. They’re both brilliantly creative in concept and both are executed to absolute perfection. If I could be part of one creative project in my life as good as either of those cartoons I could die happy.
There are plenty of other true classics on the list. Some highlights (for me) include:
4. Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953) The best Daffy Duck reel ever.
5. One Froggy Evening (1956) Pure brilliance. I think the impact is somewhat softened with all the exposure that Michigan J. Frog received in the 90s, but the pure fact that the WB decided to use this one-off character as its mascot is a testament to just how good this short really is.
6. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) Winsor McCay, the artist behind the brilliant early strips, Little Nemo in Slumberland and Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend, was also an early animation pioneer.
12. Rabbit of Seville (1950) Pure fun. Very memorable.
17. Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) Honestly, the only Popeye cartoon I have any clear memory of from my youth. I had good taste. A real classic.
30. Rabbit Seasoning (1952) My favorite of the Hunter’s Trilogy is actually Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (For my money “Shoot me! I’m a fiddler crab! It’s fiddler crab season!” is one of the greatest moments in the history of culture,) and Rabbit Fire probably ranks ahead of this one as well. That said, these three cartoons represent everything I want out of a Loony Tunes cartoon, so I’m more than happy with whooping it up for Rabbit Seasoning.
31. The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950) Maybe my second favorite Daffy Reel.
33. Superman (1941) The best Superman ever put on screen? Yes. One of the best looking superhero cartoons of all time. Pitch perfect look and feel.
35. Ali Baba Bunny (1957) “Hassan Chop!”
38. Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969) I still laugh.
39. Little Red Riding Rabbit (1941): I love Red in this. She’s maybe not the most timeless version of the character, being a prototypical 40s teenager, but she’s still a riot.
Psycho. What could I possibly say about Psycho? One interesting thing was watching it with someone who’s never seen it before. That was a treat because it helps to recreate the scary bits for someone like me who’s seen it a dozen times.
“Oh yeah! That WAS a surprise…”
Rock on.
War and Peace. Beyond being REALLY long, it’s also REALLY good. The only complaint I had with it was Tolstoy’s insistence on plugging in several essays on the nature of history/ free will, etc. In theory, they’re interesting, it’s just after a while they become just too numerous and too lengthy. Other than that, it’s just an amazing work full of… basically everything. If you were an alien looking to read one book in order to learn about humans, this might be the best candidate, since it practically touches every aspect of the human condition. Great stuff.
I’m going to read some short books for a little while.
Breathless: Just checking out another one of those “films I ought to see.”
Good to see I followed up Gravity’s Rainbow with some fluff. lol
I’m not going to add much to the collective wisdom about this book with a blog post, BUT, I will say that I’ll always carry Prince Myshkin around with me. He is forever stamped into my psyche.
And yes, it’s true, I’ve only finished two books this year. Sure, it’s 1500+ pages, BUT STILL!