Fritz the Cat - Movie Review (Not for Everyone, Due to Language and Adult Themes)

Cinemation Industries - 1972

Don't look, kids!

As I'm typing this right now, I haven't even started the movie yet. I pulled up a few pages for information on the film, and I can already tell you that this is gonna be another "love-it-or-hate-it" films. Widely regarded as Bakshi's most famous film and based on the work of Robert Crumb, Fritz the Cat is a lot of things. I mean, before we get to the actual movie, it's important that I at least give an introduction to Robert Crumb and the character of Fritz the Cat.

Observe the artist looking at the work of the old masters.

Robert Crumb is almost synonymous with the underground comics movement. Basically, underground comics were created as a counter-culture to the comics code authority larger publishers abided by. If you know anything about the comics code authority...

This thing.

...then you'll understand some of the frustrations of smaller creators and publishers. A lot of underground comics were known for their sex and violence, something mainstream comics wouldn't even touch back then until decades later. I absolutely abhor censorship, ladies and gentlemen. The ones who silence the most are the weakest in spirit, so I give a lot of credit to artistic movements such as the Italian Renaissance and the Underground Comics Movement (Capitalized, because they're that important) for their opposition of the mainstream. However, Robert Crumb has drawn some disturbing, effed-up stuff that I can't show, and even I think it goes a bit... Too far.

I think I'll skip all the racism he's been accused of, because he claims that he was actually parodying racism. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, since he portrayed blacks in his Fritz the Cat comics as crows.

Another example of lesser-known creators taking jabs at Disney's bullcrap.

Seriously. Do you remember those crows from Dumbo?

You do now. Besides charm and likeability, the Dumbo remake is also missing the talking mouse and the racist talking crows. Call me Mr. Tin-Foil Hat, but I like to think that Disney remade their own movie to have the newer one fresh in people's minds, so they think it's the same movie with a fresh coat of paint, but in fact, it's just the same movie without the racist crows. That scene from Fantasia was just a simple edit. The crows, however, are key in a scene where they figure out how to make an elephant fly. It would be way to obvious of an edit if they re-released the movie without the crows, so they remade Dumbo as an ugly CGI mistake that'll keep the kids quiet, and Disney will keep doing it. I just know it.

So, since underground comics really pushed the limits of what was morally possible, what exactly does an innocent little kitty cat like Fritz do in his own comic?

Okay, so Fritz isn't exactly a role-model. Or innocent, for that matter. In the comics, he joins a left-leaning terrorist group-

Whenever that phrase is uttered, Ben Shapiro jizzes in his pants a little.

Ahem. Fritz also rapes two women and has sex with his sister in one of the earlier comics.

I'm not making this up. Hell, if they had a Fritz the Cat animated series on HBO, everyone would call it brilliant, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Fun fact: Robert Crumb hated the movie so much, he killed off Fritz in a comic. Let me rephrase this so you understand my frustrations with R. Crumb. He was paid $50,000 dollars (Which is a little over $300,000 in today's money) for Bakshi to make a Fritz movie. $50-grand out of the $700-grand budget is not small by any stretch of the imagination. Fritz the Cat made $90 million dollars (Almost $550 million in today's money) at the box office. It's the first X-rated animated movie to be shown in theaters, and is widely regarded as a cult classic. This is what made Fritz the Cat a relatively famous character. And Crumb was so displeased with it, he killed Fritz in a comic, never to use him again.

Comic book movies can only dream of doing that well. (I mean, pre-MCU-splosion). When a superhero movie does bad, the creator wouldn't even think of killing their own character off out of spite. You could argue the fact that "Crumb was tired of drawing Fritz in the first place" but if he didn't want to draw Fritz, then why did he draw him just to be murdered? There's a Robert Crumb documentary, and I hope it answers a few questions on what influenced Robert Crumb as a whole. I've heard he's a bit of a creep, and I can only hope that's an exaggeration.

NOW. With all of this said and done, just so you folks have a frame of reference of the source material, how is the movie? Let's dive in.

Bam! Now this image is stuck in your head!

As the movie starts, we have our first taste of crumb-inspired filth with a horse pissing from the top of a skyscraper under construction. Less than 90 seconds into the movie, and we have a golden shower. And you see the guy's junk. Still with me?

Fritz and his two friends are trying to pick up chicks at a hippie get-together in a park. A trio of ladies seem more interested in talking to a crow (You know, the black-coded kind). They kinda suck at flirting with him, and give him the "I know black things" treatment to try and impress him. Now, I'm not black, but I imagine that's a bit condescending. It's a little uncomfortable to hear, even in a comedic and animated form. The crow walks away, all sassy like, giving Fritz the opportunity to pick the girls up. It was the 60s. It must have been easy. He said with heavy sarcasm.

In the most Fritz-like way, he gets the trio of girls to shag him in the bathroom at a stoner party. The cops arrive. Of course, in a world full of animals, the cops are pigs. And stupid. The stoner's bathroom quickly turns into something out of Rainfurrest: Overcrowded, full of sex and drugs. And soon, the authorities get involved. Fritz hides in the toilet, one of the pigs gets pissed on, and then gets pissed off. Fritz, high out of his mind, grabs the pig's gun, shoots the toilet, and causes a flood in the apartment. 

The cops chase Fritz into a synagogue, but Fritz manages to escape when the chosen people go wild over news of the US sending weapons to Israel. No, really. Fritz is tired of his normal boring life, and sets his dorm on fire, which sets the building on fire. No, really.

Fritz heads to a bar full of crows. You could call it... A bar for crows, where we get more clever racial banter.

Fritz: "I studied the race problems, man. I know-"
Duke the Crow: "You don't know anything about the race problems. You gotta be a crow to know about the race problems."

It's as simple as that. Feeling guilty about causing suffering is nothing compared to the pain of suffering.

Fritz and Duke steal a car, and nearly kill one of the pigs from before. Fritz drives like a complete maniac, and drives the car off a bridge. Both of them nearly die. Fritz is an idiot. They head to some drug den owned by a crow named Big Bertha.

Guess where she keeps her drugs. You're wrong. It's the other place.

Fritz smokes a lot of weed, and he and Bertha the Crow begin to shag. You can tell this is a fantasy, because Fritz hallucinates, has the energy to jump around and have sex, and doesn't have the munchies.

In some sort of idiotic revelation, Fritz begins to spout Marxist gibberish. The pigs arrive, and the crows surround them. A fight starts, and in the chaos, Duke the Crow is shot and killed, trying to protect Fritz from gunfire. Really, Duke was one of the more likable and innocent characters, and Fritz is the reason he's dead. He died trying to save Fritz.

More police show up, there's shooting in the streets. Fritz is now responsible for multiple deaths. The airforce shows up, and it's a miracle that Fritz survives. (At least for Fritz. He seems to bring chaos with him wherever he goes.) An old friend of his, Winston the Vixen, finds him in a garbage can, and takes him out of the city.

Fritz, being Fritz, abandons Winston in the desert. He then meets up with a blue, heroin-addicted Nazi biker rabbit, and Harriet, a horse. No, really. Blue, the blue junkie Nazi biker rabbit and Harriet the Horse take Fritz to a secret underground base, home of some evil terrorist organization. Blue, probably strung outta his mind, begins to assault Harriet with a chain. The other terrorists get a kick out of it, and it's implied that they rape her. Fritz does nothing to help. Only after Fritz is told to blow up a power plant does he have a change of heart. I would have stopped with Duke being shot trying to save me.

After failing to stop the dynamite from blowing up, Fritz is hospitalized. He survived an explosion to the face that could potentially level an entire power plant. Fritz is revived by the three girls from the beginning, and they canoodle. The End. Moral of the story: Fritz is a force of chaos and destruction.

This movie is absolutely insane, from beginning to end. It has anthropomorphic characters shagging, drugs, swearing, pissing, and themes of racial inequality. Should you watch it? Hell yes. I mean, there are movies like Coonskin that tried to break the mold, but Fritz the Cat did it years earlier, and with more sex and violence. An insane, one-of-a-kind movie, no doubt.

My Final Rating: 8.5/10. I learned nothing from this movie, but I feel better due to watching it.

This concludes Ralph Bakshi month. By no means were these four films his complete work. When I get to it, I'll make sure to take a look at more of his movies, or at least movies inspired by his work. Until next time, I suppose.

Coonskin - Movie Review (Not for Everyone, Due to Language and Adult Themes)

Bryanston Distributing Company - 1975

"See, the production credits are what hook them in!"

Yup. This is it. This is what's going to get my blog shut down. I had to stoop this low. I had to review what Bakshi considers his best movie: Coonskin. 

I don't know what to make of the blaxploitation genre. I really do not. I don't know what it's like to be black, and I never will. I'll never, ever get it. Is race something to be exploited, even in media? What about satire? Does it matter if it was made by whites or blacks? I don't know. I tried writing a paper about the Birth of a Nation remake in college, and totally dropped the ball when trying to discuss the themes of race and film. 

What I do know is that the blaxploitation genre mainly targeted black audiences, glorifying certain things about black life, but it quickly spread and influenced others. Crime dramas, comedic films, and even horror moves fall into subgenres of blaxploitation, which is itself a subgenre of the exploitation genre. Usually, the exploitation genre does not aim for quality, and instead uses shock value to get asses in seats. 

However, blaxploitation movies come from a place of struggle and triumph. In fact, certain blaxploitation movies have gone down as some of the all-time greats, such as Do the Right Thing and Boyz in the Hood. You could even argue that Quentin Tarantino was heavily inspired by the genre. Seriously, watch him drop the n-bomb in Pulp Fiction. 

Yeah, the genre can get crass, and even the NAACP frowns on it, but you can't deny the impact. Am I a fan of the genre? Absolutely not. However, I'm going to at least give Coonskin a shot. It can't be that offensive, can it? 

Oh God

OH SHIT

FUCK ME WITH A STRAIGHT RAZOR, THIS IS OUR MAIN CHARACTER

This is going to be awful, and this isn't even my last review of the month. Procrastination is a foul temptress. And so is racism, I guess.

So after the opening credits, with musical accompaniment by Scatman Crothers, the movie starts out with a live-action segment. A preacher and his buddy played by Barry White are planning on breaking out their friend from prison. The friend, Randy, is talking to an older man, Pappy (Played by Scatman Crothers). Now, I should point out that already, we have Scatman Crothers and Barry White in this film. That's awesome.

So, while the preacher and Barry White get into a shootout with the police, Scatman Crothers... I mean Pappy, tells Randy a story about a rabbit, a bear, and a fox. Now, I have a half-working brain, so I can deduce that this is easily a take on Disney's Song of the South, which is easily one of Disney's biggest blemishes.

Now, quick side-note: Disney cartoons have dipped their toes into racism. Here's another thing: They've tried to cover it up. If you had Fantasia on VHS like I did as a kid, you remember that blackfaced faun from the Sunflower segment.

It's one thing to have black/racist caricatures, but it's another thing entirely to censor them, like what Disney did.

I think I'll let Whoopi Goldberg explain my feelings on censoring old cartoons.

What were we talking about again? Oh yeah, Coonskin.

So, we have Rabbit, Bear, and Fox. They've sold their house to a pimp due to some financial difficulties. And of course, the police are corrupt. Oh, and there are boobs in this movie. Not medical boobs, not NatGeo boobs. Sexy boobs. Those kind. It's not long before the cops end up killing eachother. The gang heads towards Harlem in search of fortune.

Another thing I should mention about Coonskin is that even the animated parts are inter-cut with live-action film, like during driving scenes and such. I guess I've been spoiled by Bakshi's trademark rotoscope animation style, I didn't expect more traditional animation. If it sounds like I'm doing a bad job explaining the film, it's because I am.

After a few run-ins with locals, namely Miss America, who we'll talk about in a bit, the trio walks into a club, where they are preached to about race by a naked fat black man, claiming to be Black Jesus's cousin. Trust me, it's smarter than it sounds. Of course, the whole thing is a scam. The trio start a riot in the club, steal the money, and kill the naked fat black man, and takes over his little racket, vowing to get rid of any opposition. This includes the mafia and the police.

So, here's Miss America. She shows up every once in a while, just sort of lingering. She's a metaphor for America, and while it is a bit heavy-handed at times, her actions basically reflect how mainstream America treated blacks at the time, with violence and misdirection.

After we're introduced to a villainous cop (Who doesn't last very long, thanks to drugs and blackface) the rest of the movie is a bit of a jumbled mess. After what I think is an intermission, the mafia tries to kill rabbit, but ends up seriously injuring bear. He becomes a boxer, and after a gag involving a tar rabbit (No doubt another reference to B'rer Rabbit) the mafia is defeated, concluding the animated segment.

The movie ends with Scatman Pappy and Randy escaping jail. Moral of the story: This movie is insane.

I don't rate movies based on quality. I rate them on how much they're worth your time. This movie is offensive, crass, and not very smart, but it is worth your time. Unlike Fire and Ice, this movie isn't boring in the least. Two-thirds of this movie are incoherent, but it's a satirical cartoon. What did you expect?

My final rating for Coonskin: 8/10. This movie is certainly controversial, but you'll need to see it for yourself. It's a blaxploitation acid trip, that'll certainly change you. I've seen people praise this film and bash it, but when a movie is both praised and heavily criticized, that just means there's nothing quite like it.

Come Wednesday, I'll close out the month with Bakshi's most famous movie, Fritz the Cat.

Fire and Ice - Movie Review

20th Century Fox - 1983

No, they're not going to swordfight during sex, despite your quick glance at the title.

In this second helping of a Bakshi movie this month, we'll be taking a look at the animated fantasy epic, Fire and Ice. In my search for a truly awful Ralph Bakshi movie, I decided to take at the one that looked the most like a Conan ripoff. Believe me, those thrived in the '80s. I should also point out that I don't look at major review sites for opinions before I watch movies that I review, because I don't want to give that kind of impression. So, in the beginning of my journey, I had no clue what it'd be like.

Speaking of Conan, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, who wrote a few Marvel-published Conan comic books, worked on this film's screenplay. I myself have not read those comics, but I have sort of high hopes for their ability to write an epic fantasy screenplay, considering that there's two of them, and Marvel paid them more than once.

In addition, the film is a collaboration between Bakshi and artist Frank Frazetta. Frank Frazetta is mostly known for doing badass fantasy art, some of which you may have seen if you've toured a comic book shop, thrift store, or record store. Not to oversell the man, but his work is fantastic. I don't own any physical media to commemorate my love for him besides the cover of a Conan book where he's about to tear an ape-man a new one with a dagger.

Art by Frank Frazetta. Oil on Canvas. Please don't sue me.

So, is it fair after all to compare this to Conan when several Conan collaborators culminated to creatively craft? Let's find out. But first, the plot.

Also yes, it uses rotoscoping, like in American Pop. A lot of Bakshi's work does that. A lot being more than once.

First and foremost, this is your typical epic fantasy movie. Picture a typical epic fantasy movie, and you've got Fire and Ice, basically. My main gripe with Fire and Ice is the lack of new ground it treads when it comes to epic fantasy movies. Yes, it's an animated epic fantasy movie, but Ralph Bakshi did all that and more with his own version of The Lord of the Rings. In fact, this movie is so tropey at first, it almost seems like a parody of an epic fantasy.

Heroic barbarian: Check. Evil wizard with an evil-sounding name: Check. Side-character with edgy name: Check. Scantily-clad princess: Check. Basically inhuman mooks serving said evil wizard: Check. Evil force trying to swallow the forces of fire/light: Double check. When all of those elements are in play, you can almost yell a play-by-play beforehand. Normally, I wouldn't mind any of these, usually because I've seen so many Conan rip-offs and parodies over the years.

Here's the thing: This movie is not good. It is also not bad. It is painfully average. I was hoping for a massive stinker, but I got mostly nothing. It's not a bang. It's not a bust. It's a yawn. Usually, a movie like this would need to amp up the sex and violence to stand in league with Conan, but it doesn't. It's basically the margarine of Conan. The diet coke of Conan. Just one calorie. Not Conan enough.

You want me to explain the plot? Okay then. Wizard evil. Cold evil. Cold go toward warm. Warm princess good. Cold henchmen kidnap warm princess. Barbarian hero save princess. End. Average. Non-offensive.

I rate Fire and Ice a 6/10. If I did ratings in quarters, I would give it a 6.25 for it being animated and somewhat interesting because of that, but I don't do that.

Really, this movie wasn't much to talk about. I guess you could find it entertaining, but I wouldn't see many people enjoying it enough for a second helping. I sure as heck wouldn't see it a second time. For at least a while. I'm going to find a Bakshi movie that's bad or offensive to sate you all.

Go away, I'll be busy looking for a while.

American Pop - Movie Review

Columbia Pictures - 1981

Rotoscope is rotodope!

I'mma be real with you. I didn't have the best experience with Ralph Bakshi's films at first. I was prepared to bash Baskhi for the entirety of July, starting the day after Independence Day. Here's the thing, Ralph Baskhi tells stories in animation that you don't get anymore. Adult animated films aren't really things anymore unless you count Sausage Party, and that's a flick not really worth your time, because it's more or less some stupid stoner comedy barfed out by Seth Rogan. And hey, the movie I'm talking about today didn't treat its animators like crap.

Heu heu heu heu... What if we had a movie where food smoked weed, too?

American Pop is the story of an immigrant, his life story, and the life stories of his descendants. Through 4 generations of entertainers, we get to see how music, culture, and the American life evolves. Really, if you ask me, is there anything more American than an immigrant? I don't mean to get political in this movie review, but... If you're not a Native American, and you're complaining about immigrants, you're a piece of crap.

The movie, like some other of Bakshi's films, uses rotoscope animation. Basically, you trace over live actors to get more realistic movement in animation. In some scenes, it can get a little creepy, but for the most part, it's fine. I guess. Rotoscoping isn't used too frequently, but if you ask me, it looks way better than what Cartoon Network uses to animate their shows today. I'd say the names of specific shows, but I don't want death threats sent to me.

At its heart, American Pop is a period piece, or rather several period pieces in one movie, bridged by a character aging and moving onto the next time period. The 20th century saw some of the most influential changes in American history; The Great Depression, The World Wars, jazz, rock n' roll, and so much more are shown in their appropriate times, and serve as set-pieces and plot points.

Speaking of jazz and rock n' roll, the movie uses period-appropriate music in certain scenes, and it does show how much entertainment changed over the decades, but to some hilarious results. The last main character, Pete, claims to have wrote the song Night Moves. Bob Seger's gonna cut a fool once he finds out that a heartland rock Yoshikage Kira stole his song and made money off of it.

Still, this movie is worth your time. It's got sex, it's got violence, and it's got heart. I can't really think of any other movie quite like it. It's no masterpiece, but if you ask me, it's one of Bakshi's best films. I thought I would be spending this month bashing Bakshi, but at random, I guess I picked one of the best animated movies I've seen in years.

I rate American Pop as a 7.5/10

My Final Thought: I'm gonna need to pick out something offensive and/or awful for the next review.