As Good As It Gets

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Decent Foghorn Leghorn short, directed by Robert McKimson. The story has Foghorn helping a weasel try to get into the chicken coop, for no other reason than to tick off the guard dog. The dog, by the way, is not Barnyard Dog but a new one voiced by Lloyd Perryman. The weasel (and this basic plot) was used more than once in Foghorn cartoons. It always seemed like the Looney Tunes version of a crackhead jonesing for a fix. This one also includes the famous "numbered feathers" bit. Solid voice work from Mel Blanc and Lloyd Perryman. Lively music from Milt Franklyn. The animation is nice and colorful. Can't say I care for the character design for the dog, though. It looks like an old dirty carpet or something. It's not a great Foghorn cartoon but it is enjoyable enough. The weird country dog and the crackhead weasel keep things interesting and Foghorn gets some funny lines.

. . . continues in WEASEL STOP. It seems like every other outing featuring either Daffy Duck or Foghorn Leghorn Rooster involves an explosion or varmint plucking Daffy or Leghorn nude (save for their boxer shorts), after which the bare bird says, "Fortunately, I keep all my feathers numbered." That begs a question. I might keep all my toothpaste tubes--past and present--carefully enumerated, but what good would that do once all the white stuff has been Squooze out? Next time you take your Thanksgiving turkey out of your oven, try inserting all of its feathers BACK into the holes you carefully numbered when you plucked it. See for yourself if "Tom" suddenly becomes the "life of the party." Jeffrey Dahmer "experimented" for years on all creatures great and small in his parents' basement before he moved up to humans. I think the Hollywood Cold Case Squad should try to correlate the whereabouts of the Looney Tunes "numbered feathers"-obsessed writer with the Blue Dahlia Murder Case and similar unsolved Kinkster Killings.

While Foghorn Leghorn is not my favourite of the Looney Tunes characters, he is always fun to watch and I take much pleasure in his cartoons. Foghorn himself is an interesting and distinctive character and while the stories are fairly routine they are brightened by the humour and the rapport between Foghorn and his supporting characters(Barnyard Dog and Henery being the popular ones). Weasel Stop is very entertaining, I prefer Weasel While You Work, but a lot of what I liked about that cartoon is here as well. The animation quality has some lovely colours but generally could have been sharper. However, the music is characterful, with a mix of arrangements of familiar tunes and original themes as always with Looney Tunes, and beautifully orchestrated. Weasel Stop is very funny. The dialogue is very witty, sharp and precise, not the most quotable but I had a good laugh and smile throughout. I liked the folksy sayings too, though some may find they might go over their heads. The gags come by thick and fast and have a good deal of imagination and freshness. Of the characters, Foghorn of course steals the show, even worse in his treatment of those around him than usual but also gets his just desserts in the end. The dog is a nice addition, and the weasel- looking more like a squirrel rat if I may say so- likewise. Mel Blanc is faultless as usual. In conclusion, not Foghorn's best for me but much fun to be had. 8/10 Bethany Cox

One thing that strikes me about Robert McKimson's Foghorn Leghorn short "Weasel Stop" is the absence of Barnyard Dawg (who has on ongoing feud with FL). In his place there's an inattentive mutt whom a weasel - one of the recurring characters in FL cartoons - plans to trick in order to steal chickens. Foggy is only too happy to help the little guy (just to play his usual practical joke on the barely reactive hound). However, things don't go quite as planned...This was far from my favorite Foghorn Leghorn cartoon; I usually like it when FL and BD get to carry out their regular shenanigans. But in the grand scheme of things, just about any, I say just about any Foghorn Leghorn is good Foghorn Leghorn. Worth watching, that is.