Fatty Oxidation Movie Reviews

"Our Hospitality" and "Sherlock Jr." are two of Buster Keaton's finest silent films.

In "Our Hospitality", Buster plays Willie McKay, a naive New York City resident (if you can call New York a city in 1830) who returns to his native south to collect an estate from his mother who has just recently died. Unfortunately, McKay's family has been involved in a backwoods feud with the Canfield family who are determined to kill off the last surviving McKay.

Further complicating matters, Willie finds himself falling in love with the elder Canfield's daughter who invites him to dinner. The Canfields will not shoot McKay in their house as this violates their code of honor (there is apparently nothing dishonorable about shooting McKay outside). This leads to a series of hilarious comic situations as Willie must find ways to prolong his visit. Later, when he runs out of excuses, he must find a way to sneak out without being recognized. Wait till you see what he uses for a disguise!

The film leads up to a hilarious and exciting chase sequence ending on a river. Buster Keaton was quite the acrobat. It's amusing how throughout the film he pokes fun at the south's twisted sense of hospitality. There's also a surprisingly touching finale.

"Sherlock Jr." is another great, albeit short film. Buster plays a hapless movie projectionist and amateur detective who is wrongly accused of stealing his girlfriend's father's watch. Ostrasized by his girlfriend, Buster falls asleep in the projection room and in his dream, walks into the movie and interacts with the characters. In his dream, he imagines himself as the great detective Sherlock Jr. and attempts to find the culprit of a stolen watch.

"Sherlock Jr." is an interesting film as it deals with Keaton's fascination with the film medium. The special effects for the scene where Buster walks into the screen were incredible for their time. This scene has been copied a lot in subsequent films. Unfortunately, the film is marred somewhat by the inane music score which someone decided to tack on. Nevertheless, it's well worth viewing.

Buster Keaton was a genius. His best films matched, if not surpassed those of his rival Charlie Chaplin. They were cinematically superior and had better stuntwork (nothing wrong with Chaplin mind you). A must for any lover of silent comedies.

Personality diviners: which Beatle is your favorite? did you think *The Big Lebowski* was funny? Coke or Pepsi? Keaton or Chaplin? If you answered John, Yes, Coke, and Keaton, you're my type of person. But to focus on the topic: Keaton's films have unarguably aged better than Chaplin's. Whereas the latter's films have a good-for-you, culturally-enriching aura, Buster's movies happen to still be unpretentiously entertaining. Kino, with this double-feature set, offers a great showcase of Keaton's many talents:

*Our Hospitality* (Four Stars): Somewhat primitive but still accomplished comedy about a city boy (Keaton) who embarks on a journey Down South to claim his ancestral inheritance. The joy of the thing is in the journey, which involves an amazing, diminutive, jerry-rigged "train", replete with roof-chairs on which passengers bob and sway like reeds in a high breeze. Once arrived, Keaton discovers that he has also inherited participation of a blood feud, of the Hatfied-McCoy variety, with another family. (Of course, the girl he falls for on the train ride is the daughter of the enemy family.) Much humor (and irony) is derived from Keaton's character taking advantage of the fact that the enemy clan must not, out of Southern Honor, shoot him down like a dog as long as he's a guest in their home. Other points of interest: costumes and architectural details are surprisingly accurate (the movie takes place in the 1830's); and Keaton's stunts in this movie are among his most death-defying.

*Sherlock Jr.* (Five Stars): The first movie turns out to be a starter for the main (yet smaller, at 45 min.) course, the masterpiece *Sherlock Jr.*. Falsely accused of stealing a watch, wanna-be detective Keaton returns to his dreary projectionist job at the local movie-house and has a dream that begins with him leaping into the movie screen and becoming master detective "Sherlock Jr.", a hero of his own film. I could put my egghead's cap on and blather about the movie's postmodern immersion in its own medium; how it influenced filmmakers like Woody Allen; how it's arguably the greatest achievement in silent comedy. Or: I can tell you that the scenes involving an explosive billiards-ball and a daffy motor chase through the city are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Many of the special effects (this is 1924, mind you) still defy easy detection . . . which is more than can be said for 2002's *Spider-Man*, to use just one current example.

[The DVD is adequate. *Sherlock Jr.*, actually, has somewhat better-than-adequate picture quality. Good job, guys. And I'm rather more glad than not that there are no "special features": the last thing I need is some film scholar stripping away, piece by piece, Keaton's layers of artifice.]

I am a Buster Keaton fan, even though I had only seen a few of his films until now. My favorite remains "The General" which is a great Civil War adventure with a lot of laughs, too. This Kino DVD, a combo of Sherlock Jr and Our Hospitality, is hilarious! Our Hospitality is the first on the DVD and tells the tale of Buster Keaton's woes when he wanders into an old blood feud between families and spends half the film blissfully unaware that he is a walking bullseye. The film is set in the 1830s and has some hilarious scenes, such as the early railroad trip back to the old homestead (some of the jokes in this part are a prelude to The General) and some great stunt work (Keaton on the edge of a REAL waterfall). And Keaton does all his own stunts, it's amazing he didn't hurt himself more often!

Sherlock Jr. is probably one of Keaton's more famous works, but to be honest, I liked the first movie on the DVD more. This one is funny, too, but it's kinda scattered, plot-wise. Keaton plays a movie projectionist who enters his movie (in a dream), solves the mystery, and saves the girl. It's really an excuse for some great special effects (back in those days, at least!). I guess some things never change (I wonder if Sherlock Jr. was a summer film...) but this film is still really really funny. Back to back, these films are funnier and more original than almost anything you'd see in theaters today.

Just a few words about the DVD itself - these films are 70+ years old, so they aren't in perfect condition. Our Hospitality has scratches and dust. The source print is ok but looks its age. At least the image is clear with good contrast, unlike a lot of silent films which look all black with patches of white. Sherlock Jr's print source is great! It almost looks new and has great contrast. Plus, the best part is the soundtrack. The Sherlock Jr soundtrack is really jazzy with bits of James Bond/Batman/saxophone music; it doesn't have the typical ragtime piano or organ music you usually hear and it really makes the movie sound fantastic (that's something you don't hear much about silent films...) Too bad there are not extras on the DVD, except for chapter search. I would have liked to see a Keaton biography or filmography, especially since this DVD is a little pricey.

Still, a great DVD, and a must for Buster Keaton fans! Get the General, too! Or any of the Chaplin feature films (get them from Image, which has access to the Chaplin vaults and has the best looking films as a result).

Without the generosity and support of comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, the cinematic art of Buster Keaton may never have blossomed. The 12 existing shorts in "The Best Arbuckle/Keaton Collection" display Arbuckle's comedic skill while revealing the astonishing speed in which co-star Keaton mastered the medium. After 15 two-reelers from 1917 to 1920, Buster was ready to fly solo with a remarkable string of masterpieces. Sadly, Arbuckle's subsequent career in features was unjustly destroyed by the 1921 scandal, yet he persevered and made an all-too-brief comeback before his untimely death in 1933. Admittedly, not all the Arbuckle-Keaton shorts are gems, but "The Butcher Boy" (1917), "Back Stage" (1919) and "The Garage" (1920) remain memorable comedies that showcase Fatty and Buster's effortless rapport. Despite some unfortunate racial humor, "Out West" (1918) is a wild, fast-paced romp that satirizes the Westerns of William S. Hart. Though the prints vary in quality, one must be grateful that they exist at all. "The Best Arbuckle/Keaton Collection" represents a valuable chapter in the history of film comedy.

This is a very nicely done collection of the Buster Keaton - Fatty Arbuckle Comique comedies made between 1917-1919. The collection contains almost all of their existing comedies, with the exception of "The Cook" which was recently discovered.

The presentation is very well done, although there appears to be no "View All" option, so you must go to each comedy seperately. A minor problem, to be sure.

The films often come from different copies than the 2 disc Kino collection of most of these films. "The Butcher Boy" looks about the same, as does "The Rough House". "His Wedding Night" and "Oh Doctor!" are both new to this collection, and look pretty good, although they don't have a lot of Keaton in them. "Coney Island" is slightly improved, and "Out West" is from a MUCH better copy that ever seen before, more complete, much better condition - but with some splices that could have been fixed by editing in footage from the other version. Why wasn't this done?

"The Bell Boy" is exactly the same as on Kino, but "Moonshine" is very different. There are two existing copies of this film - one is a complete copy on 16mm with very poor contrast and lots of missing detail, the other a very fragmentary but high-quality version on 35mm. This set features the 35mm version, the Kino set the 16mm. Once again, why weren't these two edited together? The 16mm could use the quality improvement, and the 35mm just doesn't make sense and is really missing most of the good parts, not to mention the poorly done titles.

On Disc 2, "Good Night, Nurse", "Back Stage", "The Hayseed", and "The Garage" are all in fine condition.

Picture wise, this set is very well encoded, without much artifacting at all.

Musically, the accompaniment is very nicely done. The Kino set suffered from some very bizarre accompaniment by the "Alloy Orchestra", which really detracted from the material and tends to annoy people who are trying to do other things in the room.

The best part of this set, really, is the price, much less expensive than the Kino discs, and with more material. But really, if you are a fan, you need both, don't you? :)

Enjoy!

I have been awaiting this set ever since Image Entertainment announced it's release in order to make a comparison with the earlier one from Kino. Although the two volume ARBUCKLE & KEATON set is very fine (see my other reviews), this set features a new comedy not included in the other one (HIS WEDDING NIGHT) plus mostly original nitrate prints of the other shorts gathered from foriegn archives. There are more complete versions of OUT WEST and THE ROUGH HOUSE here as well as a much better print of MOONSHINE although it's only a fragment. However some of the Image prints (THE BUTCHER BOY, THE BELLHOP, and especially BACK STAGE) are not as pristine as those offered by Kino. They also lack the color tinting of the other set and feature a more traditional music accompaniment (piano and synthesizer) compared to the raucous although endearingly colorful scores by The Alloy Orchestra. The title cards are also different. While not as funny, they are probably closer to the originals. In fact the major difference in these two sets is authenticity in presentation (although in CONEY ISLAND Luna Park is misspelled as Luma). The Image shorts are even arranged chronologically so that we can see Arbuckle and Keaton progress together although the shorts are unevenly distributed among the two discs (8 on Disc 1, 4 on Disc 2). So where does that leave us? For the general public the Kino edition is probably a better introduction to Arbuckle's work although it's on two seperate discs and therefore more expensive. This set is more complete and offers more for the silent film enthusiast who will be more forgiving of its few shortcomings. While I heartily recommend the Kino edition, my nod goes to this set.The important thing is that now there are two quality sets of the Arbuckle comedies available and the choice will be up to you. It's a win/win situation.

I love Charles S. Chaplin. In the sixties, TV sets were not so common as they are today and the only way for me to see films then was to be invited to go to the movies or to attend the weekly movie of the school's cine-club. Fortunately, our teacher had a good taste and I had the luck to discover Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Charles Chaplin and many others during this period. OK ! It was Nostalgy time and it's over.

The overall quality of Madacy's CHAPLIN #2 shows a little improvement in comparison with the #1 that was one of the worst DVDs I have seen in the streets. Not that Madacy has suddenly decided to clean the copies but because I suppose that the available copies were simply in a better shape. It's always under-average quality but let's rejoice anyway ! Furthermore, the music is rather agreeable this time. At last, the program presented here is very interesting and cannot be compared with the three shorts presented in the first volume.

CHARLIE'S RECREATION (1914) allows us to see Chaplin before the tramp disguise and creation that will make a star from him. But it's WORK (1915) that, alone, justifies the US$ 7 you will have to pay for the DVD. One of the first masterpieces of the genius.

A DVD for the archeologists ones.

First of all, I am reviewing the Image dvd of Chaplin's Essanay Comedies, Vol. 02. The Madacy product that this review might appear on is grossly inferior to this edition, and is to be shunned with all your might.

We have here five Chaplin films and a guest appearance. The guest appearance is forgettable, as is the rest of the movie that the appearance is in. Two of these films are Chaplin treading water, "By the Sea" and "A Woman". "A Woman" is only important for trivial reasons, because Chaplin makes his last appearance in drag, with astonishing results.

The other films, though, are key to the Chaplin legacy. "Work" is his most political statement yet, with it's condemnation of bosses and managers via Charlie's boss, who sits in the back of a cart while Charlie draws it forwardthrough streets and up impossible hills. This film is so ridiculous that you wonder how on earth it came together to fit so well.

"The Bank" is important in that we have a truly sad ending, with Charlie's unrequited love rejected twice, and reasons for his hopes to get up twice too.

"The Tramp" is Charlie's most important Essanay film, the one that establishes his tramp as a character with depth. This film is more than a collection of gags, it's a story, and the ending is a shock. Chaplin would later learn how to engender his audience's sympathies before the end of the film, but in this film, we cannot help but feel sorry for the tramp, as he walks out of the picture in one of his most famous scenes ever.

These films were painstakingly restored by David Sheperd's "Film Preservation Associates" after a ten-year search for footage. What we have is the most complete versions of the Chaplin Essanay films possible, something that hasn't been seen in almost 80 years. This means, however, that sometimes the scene in a film will change dramatically, from a clear, good print to a worse, grainy, and scratchy print, and back again. But we must put up with such defects if we expect to enjoy these films at all, for the alternative is to see prints which, while consistent, are missing somtimes 20% of the footage originally in the film

The scores are well done, and the video compression is excellent.

And now for the rant, hinted at above...

It is possible to see these same films in a much cheaper edition from Madacy or Koch video, or numerous other companies. Don't do it. These companies have taken poor quality sources, sometimes cutting out a fifth of the frame, added lousy soundtracks, and thrown their product out in nice looking packaging for low prices. This product is unsatisfactory, though, as it is difficult to watch, and really doesn't show Chaplin in a good light. Do search out dvds made by the Image company, or tapes made by Kino, becuase these companies have the restorations that are worth watching. You will be glad you did!

I am only a teenager and like most boys my age I love toilet humor.
So when my Social Studies teacher said we will be watching some Charlie Chaplin videos I was a little closed minded like everyone else.
The video we watched was Work, and just after about 5 minites of watching I was a Chaplin fan. The gags in the short little flim are ever bit as fun and funny as the day they were released. Some of my classmates just fell asleep, because they're too closed minded, but I would still recomened this stuff to any person young and old. He will give an ear to ear grin on the front of your melon. Chaplin rules.

So, there's not much more I can say about the restoration of "The Cook", so let me simply speak to the quality of the dvd.

The three films here are well presented. They have been carefully transferred and encoded, so that as much detail as possible comes through.

The Cook is amazing to see. IT's obvious that the materials used were not of high-quality, but the restorers have brought as much quality into the print as possible, and the results are very watchable, certainly more watchable than most low-budget dvd releases.

The music is good, it accompanies the film without taking over.

There is a bonus function where you can view the two unrestored copies of "The Cook". You can also put the dvd into your computer and try to edit together your own version. "Look mom, I'm a silent film restorer!!" An amazing idea whose time has come....P>Kudos to the producers!

The COOK is restored from two prints, both of which are included as extras. Looking at these incomplete source prints gives one a better understanding of what people in film restoration are faced with when trying to recreate a film from various film elements. Although each of film by itself is choppy with many scenes missing or incomplete, the restored print combines both seamlessly into the final print. Bravo to the folks at Milestone for making this film available. The other two films are a lot of fun. Harold Lloyd's film, NUMBER, PLEASE is one of my favorites. For modern viewers, it's a glimpse of what life was like before cell-phones! Yes, you really did have to dial the operator and wait for her to say, "Number, Please".

I saw THE COOK in a rough print of the restoration. The crowd loved it. Picture a theater filled with continuous roaring laughter during Arbuckle and Keaton's riotous rendition of Salome's dance, which somehow manages to incorporate the death of Cleopatra. We laughed until it hurt, and didn't stop.

This is the better of the two collections of Fatty and Buster.

Although most of thee films are two-relers with one reel worth of good material, much of this is good for a laugh (if a bit brutal).

You'll howl at the bit in "The Rough House" where Fatty nonchalantly trieds to put out a fire (that he straterd while smoking in bed)with a smal cup of water. I Love it! "Back Stage" (a possible relation to the 1923 Our Gang comedy of the same name, as some gags and the overall subject matter are similar) is great with the wild dancing of Jack Coogan (Jackie's dad) and a howl-larius scene where Buster and Al St. John wildly fight the stage bully. "Coney Island", despite the story that goes off into wild directions, is priceless for its footage of sections of the amusement park that no longer exist.

A great representation of silent comedy overall. The Fat man cometh.

The appearance of these films on home video is long overdue - but why did Kino have to saddle them with the awful attemted scores of the Alloy Orchestra? I would have to call it audio graffiti, they really have no sense of the mood or rhythm of any given film they're working with - the only way I can sit through the disc is to mute the audio and watch it truly silent. Kino, please dump the Alloy Orchestra and get real musicians like Philip Carli and the Mont Alto Orchestra to render sympathetic scores to your silent film releases

With this second volume, Kino International continues their salute to the sadly forgotten and largely misunderstood silent comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. This set of five comedies contains three of the best in the series plus the final short that Arbuckle and Keaton made together. BACK STAGE gives us a glimpse of the rural theaters of the past. It shows off Fatty and Buster to good advantage and features several gags that Keaton would recycle in his short, THE PLAYHOUSE. It also gives us the rare opportunity to see John Coogan (Jackie's father) do his famous dance routine. GOOD NIGHT NURSE has a memorable opening of Arbuckle in the rain trying to light a cigarette. This story of undergoing the cure in a sanitarium features a spirited performance from his long time co-star Alice Lake. We also get to see an expressive Buster Keaton, though not as expressive as he is in CONEY ISLAND. This short shows what made Arbuckle so popular before the scandal that ruined his career. His charm, his expressions, his acrobatics and his best "in drag" performance are all captured for posterity along with the Coney Island of 1918. Arbuckle's nephew, Al St. John (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Jim Carrey), is given one of his best roles. Also check out Buster's backward flip. THE ROUGH HOUSE has Fatty doing the dinner roll routine that Chaplin would use in THE GOLD RUSH and contains a number of violent sight gags. THE GARAGE was the last in the series and features Buster as the main focus. As in Volume One of the series, the transfers are for the most part far superior to previous releases (with the exception of THE GARAGE) and are complemented by the Alloy Orchestra's commissioned scores. It's great to have these available at last for all to see.

Most silent comedies, aside from Keaton's classics, Harold Lloyd, Our Gang, and some of Chaplin do not hold up very well, and these are no exception.

Buster and Fatty make a good team in the "Butcher Boy" and "The Bellboy." Both of these films being with some rather amusing gags, but go haywire with wild plot twists near the end.

And then there's OUT WEST. For the most part, mighty funny stuff, especially when Fatty and Buster team up to stop the bad guy from molesting the salvation army lady. However, there is a horrible scene where a Black Man (Ernie Morrison Sr, father of Sunshine Sammy of the Our Gang silents) is made to dance as some cruel cowboys (and Fatty Himself!) shoot as his feet until the Salvation army lady comes to his rescue and shames Fatty and the cowboys. The fact that this was a common practice in the days when Black men were lynched kills any humor whatsoever in this scene. Fortuntely, Ernie Morrison Sr. (and Jr.) were to play less degrading roles at the Hal Roach studios.
That aside, worth viewing for historical purposes.

...it would deserve 10 if the music had been composed by somebody who liked Buster Keaton and not some dim-wit specialized in background sounds (or, better say noises) for Pachinko-saloons. But, once the sound set on mute (or any rag-time of your choice), even with some very dated materials, gags like the cleaning of the phone-booth window or stunts as the one from barber to restaurant should be able to convert anybody to a Keaton's fan, even if one didn't know about him before. Which would be a pity, since, although Chaplin was a master of work-polishing, Buster Keaton was (in my judgement) a top-master in inventiveness; as well, due to his very early training, I never saw anybody performing stunts and somersaults the way he could do it: just watch "The Rairodder", and think how many 70 years old could do the same.

By the way, I only noticed the pictures' imperfections after muting the sound

To give some additional historical perspective on these films and their current condition, lets first examine the history of Fatty Arbuckle.

In 1921, Arbuckle was charged with the rape and murder of Virgina Rappe. These charges were false, but they ruined his career. His films were banned, and it appears that most copies were destroyed. That makes these dvds even more amazing, as the survival of these prints, as poor as some of the are, is almost by pure chance, and a slim chance at that.

These five films are very funny.
There are moments in "The Bell Boy" that defy description.
"The Butcher Boy" is Keaton's first foray into film, which is perhaps all that makes this film essential, as the rest, while amusing, is not the funniest of this group.
"Out West", despite, some very aged racial material, is very irreverent, and very funny. Buster, as the peace-keeper of the saloon, keeps kicking the bodies of deaceased bad guys into a trap door in the saloon floor. This fiulm has perhaps the worst print of all five.
"Moonshine" is truly bizarre, surrealistic humor before surrealism was hip. I wonder what audiences thought of this one.
"The Hayseed" is pretty good, more country bumpkin humor.

If you are a Keaton fan, you need to own this dvd. Now.

"Go West" is one of Buster Keaton's more disappointing films. Shot on location outside Kingman, Arizona in 1925, "Go West" is one of the few Keaton movies that hasn't stood the test of time. It contains many gags that may have been revolutionary upon its initial release, but have worn thin to today's comedy standards.

Gone is the trademark chase, which was always a favorite of Buster Keaton fans. Gone is the cohesive storyline, as I get the feeling that 50% of this film was 'forced' on location. In all his films, Buster Keaton always battles the elements, be they man-made or natural, but as we discover in "Go West", there are truly a small, finite number of prop gags that can be accomplished in the barren desert. In fact, Buster's own review of "Go West" wasn't too encouraging; "Some parts I liked, but as a picture, in general, I really didn't care for it."

But this DVD has the saving grace of 2 very hilarious shorts: "The Scarecrow" and "The Paleface". Made in 1920 & 1921, respectively, these two shorts are perhaps some of Buster's best non-feature productions. They include many excellent chase scenes, many hilarious gags, and very inventive props & storylines. The 'High-Tech Dining' scene in "The Scarecrow" is maybe one of the funniest and most creative segments I've seen in the entire Buster Keaton catalog. "The Paleface" is equally entertaining, however today's audience will probably notice the blatant stereotyping of American Indians. It's a different world now.

"Go West" is a good DVD to have for 2 reasons: A) To enjoy 40 minutes of marvelous shorts and B) to complete your Buster Keaton collection. Newbies to Buster Keaton are better off starting with "The General" or "Sherlock Jr".

Go West is not out one of Keaton's very best films, but this DVD should still be a must for Keaton fans. After all, gradually one wants to collect them all. Go West is not consistently funny nor ingenious and thus cannot really compare with either The General or Our Hospitality. Nevertheless, it has many brilliant moments. I particularly enjoyed the parody of the 'smile when you say that' scene from The Virginian. How is stoneface Buster going to smile? His solution is another parody, this time of Lilian Gish in Broken Blossoms. The best thing about this DVD however, is not Go West but the short film The Scarecrow. This is both extremely clever and funny. It is among the very best of Keaton's films. As far as I'm concerned it is worth the price of the DVD on its own. The final short film The Paleface I found the least interesting part of this DVD. The story, even within its own terms, did not quite hang together. Even so, once again, it has moments of great comedy. The quality of the prints on this DVD are fine while the music is appropriate and well played. This DVD is probaly not the best place to start for those new to Keaton's films. However, for those fans who are building a collection it should not be ignored.

GO WEST (1925): In Go West, Keaton cast an unusually thick role to his leading lady. She's actually the plot. She's a cow. The plot centers around Keaton becoming emotionally attached to her and desperately trying to save her from the slaughterhouse. The beginning of this movie was filmed on a ranch in Arizona, and later in Los Angeles, so we get to see some good authentic 1920s location shots. One of the things that's sort of missing from Go West is Keaton's avalanche of whirleygigs, spin-arounds, and flipflops that pepper his other films (especially the early one's with Arbuckle), but since he's centering the plot on sympathy this time, the slapstick is kept to a minimum. Don't worry, Keaton fans, the sympathy isn't as shmarmy as Chaplin's. This film is charming and it's understandable why it was a hit for MGM. One of the things I discovered about Go West was that, earlier in the day of the first time I viewed it, I happened to have been reading some of Keaton's autobiography. He mentioned that when he was a toddler, he got his index finger stuck in the wringer of a clothes washtub, which crushed it, and then had to be amputated at the first joint. After I read this, I wondered if there was evidence of the amputation seen in any of his films. Later that night, I watched Go West and along came a close-up scene of Keaton going through the contents of a lady's purse. The camera was right on top of his hands. Because of this scene, sadly I discovered the index finger of his right hand was substantially shorter than his middle finger.

THE SCARECROW (1920): The Scarecrow is one of Keaton's best early shorts. The first reel is hilarious because we get to see Buster and his perennial heavy, Joe Roberts, as roommates living in a house full of useful gadgets which hang by strings from the ceiling. They are both competing for the same girl, and Keaton wins her by accident. I found the film fun to watch because of numerous 1920 L.A. exteriors - they seem to be a priority with me on Keaton's films.

THE PALEFACE (1921): In the Paleface, Buster is at the wrong place at the wrong time. When a tribe of indians get cheated out of their land by an oil company, the indians decide to punish the first white guy they will next see on their land, and it happens to be Keaton who is cast as a butterfly catcher. After being chased by the tribe for awhile, Keaton comes across a bundle of asbestos which he wears under his clothes because he knows the tribe wants to execute him Joan of Arc style. The gag is hilarious as we watch the flames surround Keaton and then eventually smolder. After surviving this, Buster is looked upon as a living God and becomes part of the tribe.

This is an ok kids movie, like the movie Jack type, but the kids are not cute in this one! It stars that Ernest guy. Its an okay movie for like 9 and 10 yr olds.

The Treehouse Hostage, an evolutionary masterpiece in the art of high school drama, takes a daring step in analyzing the social dynamics of the youth of our nation. Starring such unsung talent as Jim Varney, who has played the hopelessly lovable Ernest in the well...Ernest movie classics series, plays a ex-vietnam, underwater, basket weaving coach who befriends a hilariously charming talking dolphin named Nicodemus. Jim Varney's arcane knowledge of ancient Filipino stick fighting style makes for a zenith in the realm of martial arts cinema, the culmination of 20th century action. Overall I would recommend this to anyone possessing any type of obsessive compulsive disorder of the shin, of south east Pennsylvanian descent, or is in any way named Bob. 5 stars. Nuff said.

i enjoyed this movie. buy it or rent it. enjoy it!

Not bad, but not as good as the original. I think there is a scene in a high school bathroom that is pretty scary.

What's interesting about this sequel is that it picks up directly where the first ended. It's a seamless transition and a worthy addition to the Halloween series.

Recommended.

A Great Movie The Closest To The 1st One As You can Get Great Movie Very scary One Of The Best In The Series No Doubt Cant Go Wrong With This one

Not bad, but not as good as the original. I think there is a scene in a high school bathroom that is pretty scary.

What's interesting about this sequel is that it picks up directly where the first ended. It's a seamless transition and a worthy addition to the Halloween series.

Recommended.

A Great Movie The Closest To The 1st One As You can Get Great Movie Very scary One Of The Best In The Series No Doubt Cant Go Wrong With This one