June 29–July 6, 2000

movies

Screenpicks

Rocky and Bullwinkle Mini-Marathon (July 1, 4-7 p.m., Cartoon Network) It’s not much of a surprise that the new Hollywood movie drawn from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons is a ghastly mess, but thanks to promotional synergy, the Cartoon Network is devoting an afternoon to Jay Ward and Bill Scott’s anarchic series. Aired from 1959-1964 — first on ABC as Rocky and His Friends, then on NBC as The Bullwinkle Show — the series split 326 episodes into 28 "adventures," some of which ran as long as 40 installments. In other words, they’re not always easy to cram into half-hour syndication slots, which makes this lengthier airing a godsend. The pun-filled, self-referential series was well ahead of its time, and if you don’t mind a good groan now and then, it’s held up remarkably well. (One adventure that will be shown follows a quest for "The Ruby Yacht of Omar Khayam.") Also in stores is Keith Scott’s The Moose that Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Bill Scott, a Flying Squirrel and a Talking Moose (Thomas Dunne Books, 442 pp., $27.95). Scott (no relation to Bill Scott, the voice of Bullwinkle — although he does not provide the moose’s voice in the movie) has assembled a voluminous (if sometimes fannishly breathless) compendium of all things Moosylvanian which will delight fans and perhaps hook the casual observer as well.

And while we’re on the subject, since Chicken Run has far more of the spirit of the original Rocky and Bullwinkle than its pallid live-action twin — just check the moment a beleaguered chicken-farm owner complains she’s "sick and tired of making miniscule profits," then turns and discovers a brochure titled "Sick and Tired of Making Miniscule Profits?" — this is as good a place as any to slip in a recommendation for Chicken Run: Hatching the Movie (Harry N. Abrams, 192 pp., $35). Though the lavish coffee-table book obviously serves as a promotional tool, it’s also a clearly written, enjoyable look inside the bafflingly complex process of making a stop-motion animated feature. Author Brian Sibley covers ground from the rejected early script to the transition from Aardman Animation’s trademark plasticine to hybrid silicon-and-metal models (the chicken’s spindly legs wouldn’t support their bulbous plasticine frames) with intelligence and wit, making the book a lovely add-on for those who can’t get enough of Aardman’s creations.

The Kentucky Fried Movie (DVD, $24.98) I have a theory and the theory is this: Sooner or later, everything will come out on DVD. While on one end, the industry is busily reissuing every semi-classic with half-a-minute’s extra footage, on the other, Anchor Bay is busily pumping out cult classics by schlock visionaries like Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento. Latest in the series is this oh-so-dated 1977 comedy, best known for launching the careers of John Landis and the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker syndicate (responsible between them for the Airplane! and Naked Gun franchises as well as Animal House, The Blues Brothers and Trading Places). As you might expect from that resume, KFM isn’t exactly an intellectual exercise; a haphazard amalgamation of sketch-comedy bits and movie parodies, it’s at its lowest with segments like Catholic School Girls in Trouble, a parody of sexploitation movies that’s as tasteless as the movies themselves (and not nearly as funny). Right smack-dab in the middle, though, is the half-hour long A Fistful of Yen, a chopsocky pisstake that gets in some zingers along with the clunkers. The audio commentary featuring "five Jews on a couch" — Landis, Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker and producer Robert K. Weiss — is often funnier than the movie itself.

New Shorts Showcase (premieres July 3, 8:30 p.m., Independent Film Channel) The byproduct of IFC’s alliance with Mr. Mudd, the production company formed by John Malkovich, this new feature will show off a new short film every month. Premiering this month is One Soldier, the latest from Oscar-winner (and, OK, standup comedian) Steven Wright, which follows a soldier in the Union army questioning (what else?) his own existence.

The Wizard of Oz (July 3, 8 & 11 p.m., Turner Classic Movies) Sure, you’ve seen it a million times, but (at least according to Turner) it’s never been televised commercial-free. So before you get set to bake your body in the Fourth of July heat (or, say, sit at home and plow through videotapes), it couldn’t hurt to revisit Oz one more time, especially since TCM is bookending its repetitions of Wizard with the 1990 making-of documentary 50 Years of Magic.