BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . BUCKEROO BUGS fully encapsulates ALL the whys and wherefores of the climactic day in the Chase for the 2016 Second American League Wildcard Slot. The opening narrator represents the always histrionic Fox Megacorp, which hates America's "Motor City" with a vengeance (since the United Auto Workers Union spawned a critically-thinking U.S. Middle Class at odds with Fox's Ultimate Goal to create a Nation of Burger Flippers dumb enough to swallow Fox's Alternate Universe programming). Knowing that the 2016 Tigers' Achilles Heels are day games, as well as Saturday contests (their record would top the Cubs IF they only played Sunday through Friday NIGHTS), Fox forces Detroit to switch the Saturday, Sept. 24 game from a 7:10 PM start to 1:05 PM (rubbing salt in the wound by depriving fans of their contracted Saturday Night Fireworks with this last minute switch). Did I happen to mention that the Tigers ALWAYS play their worse during National Broadcasts (since the gullible Mr. Burns made a thoroughly discredited pack of lies about Tiger icon Ty Cobb the centerpiece of his 139-hour BASEBALL television documentary), and this one made it clear that it's Magglio Ordonez Day, to "honor" Mr. Cartoon Hair for his place in Tiger History on the 10th Anniversary of Detroit's shocking 2006 World Series Defeat? That was the Series in which all the brainy pundits said that they had "the Tigers in THREE," St. Louis was supposedly so outmatched. With Ordonez batting about .090, it was the Cards in five.Getting back to BUCKAROO BUGS, the "Red Hot Ryder" character--representing the Tigers--enters astride the momentum of a runaway horse (symbolizing the Tigers' five-game winning streak through Sept. 23, which has allowed them to clamber over the Orioles into Wildcard Number Two). What does Red Hot do? He bludgeons his horse (remember, that's the Tigers' momentum) with a BALL BAT 2:26 into BUCKAROO BUGS! This is the always prophetic Looney Tuners' way of summing up how the Tigers would pound out 14 hits in the first eight innings Sept. 24, put 18 men on base, but ONLY eke out a measly 4 runs! Bugs Bunny emerges from his dugout in a whirl of dust 11 seconds later, at 2:37, representing Detroit's competition on National TV, the defending World Champion Kansas City Royals. Held to a paltry six hits through eight, KC is down to its VERY LAST STRIKE against Major League Baseball's current CAREER SAVES LEADER, "K-Rod." But since Francisco Rodriguez' "fast ball" has slowed over the years to about 20 MPH (mocked by Bugs when he dresses up as a gray-bearded "Western Bunions" telegraph "boy"), it's not hard to see that the Tigers' Emperor has no clothes, to anyone who cares to look.If anything, the Bugs Bunny of BUCKEROO BUGS could be classified as a voyeur, he loves to look so much. He taunts the geriatric Tigers by stripping them--in the guise of K-Rod--down to their barest undies THREE TIMES here! (The first and third times Red Hot Ryder is depicted in frilly white panties with pink polka dots; for his second denuding, K-Rod is pictured first in a white diaper, then just a fig leaf.) Proving he should have been put out to pasture years ago, like the 10-fingered (!) horse Red Ryder rode in on (BUCKAROO BUGS also uses the glue factory cliché concerning K-Rod), Rodriguez has the WORST OUTING OF HIS CAREER just when the Whole World Is Watching (thanks to Fox), and when the top-dollar-paying Tigers need him the most! K-Rod enters the Ninth with a 4-2 lead, and the Tigers are behind 7-4 when he leaves six hours (could it really have been that long?) later--AFTER ONLY GETTING TWO OUTS!! (Naturally, the shell-shocked Detroiters make their three outs in the Bottom of the Ninth as quickly as they can, despite having notched hits in each of the previous eight innings!) After enjoying this Clown Act on their clubhouse TV's, the Orioles have no problem in PERMANENTLY reclaiming their rightful lock on the Playoffs by easily winning THEIR game Sept. 24. I still can't get over how the Looney Tuners so aptly put the Tombstone on Detroit's 2016 season by having Red Hot Ryder jump his washed-up K-Rod 10-fingered nag into America's Grand Canyon!

slymusic There's trouble in the San Fernando Alley! The Masked Marauder has stolen an entire supply of carrots from the townspeople's victory garden! Who is the Masked Marauder, you ask? Why, it's "Buckaroo Bugs"! And who will stop this pesky wabbit?! Red Hot Ryder, that's who! (Uh, yeah. Right.) Highlights from this cartoon: Upon his initial appearance (to the accompaniment of the famous William Tell Overture), Red Hot Ryder tries desperately to whoa his horse, but to no avail, until he whips out a gigantic club. Later on, he thinks he's riding his horse until he discovers he's merely riding a hitch rail, and the audience discovers that the horse has fingers. AND, with the generous aid of Carl Stalling's music score, Bugs applies a horseshoe magnet to Ryder's bullets, badge, coins, belt buckle, etc.Directed by Bob Clampett, "Buckaroo Bugs" is one of the wildest, funniest Bugs Bunny cartoons ever made. Is it any wonder that Bugs unashamedly laughs at the extremely dopey Red Hot Ryder when he first sees him? This cartoon can be found on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 Disc 3, featuring two additional audio commentaries. One is a scholarly commentary by animation historian Michael Barrier, and the other one just elicits a lot of hysterical laughter.

ccthemovieman-1 The big question in this story: "How long will this fair-weather fiend, the Masked Marauder, be allowed to roam at will, dragging in the mud the name of justice and decency?"The answer: "Brooklyn's famous fighting cowboy, riding to right this wrong, rides 'Red Hot Ryder'!!"Wow, those corny and ultra-dramatic lines are uttered to set up this Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes effort from 1944. Unfortunately, it might have been the high point of the cartoon.Bugs was his normal cocky and humorous self but "Red Ryder" was so stupid-sounding he was annoying and not decidedly not funny. He sounded more like the "Lenny" (of Mice and Men") dopey characters that were in a few other Looney Tunes. I would prefer to see Bugs up against someone of equal intelligence, but that is rarely shown. Hearing "Which way did he go" Which way did he go?" a half dozen times in this retarded-sounding voice is more irritating than it is funny.The beginning of this nine-minute cartoon was very good and the whole thing looked promising until "Red Hot Ryder" showed up. After that, there wasn't much to laugh about.

bob the moo When the West was won, pioneers settle down to make their homes. However one such town is ravaged by the Masked Marauder, a thief who robs the gardens of their carrots. One man is called in to stop the thief – the Red Hot Ryder. However will he be enough to stop Bugs?The weakness in this cartoon is the normal one in average Bugs cartoons – lack of a really good foil, in fact Bugs himself describes Red Hot Ryder as `a fugitive from the funny papers'. However despite the slightly dopey sidekick, Bugs doing his usual stuff is more than enough to make the cartoon funny. He totally confuses Red and it is very funny to watch.Red is OK but he isn't up to the standard of the other cowboy character (who I expected to be in this) and all he does is be a bit silly and dopey. It speaks volumes that I actually laughed more at his horse than I did at his antics. Bugs is on good form though and he keeps everything moving really well.Overall this is further proof that Bugs is best with a strong sidekick but that he can make a cartoon work even without one. Very funny short with Bugs' usual wit and attitude.