That's Pictures: A Weird Little Time Capsule of Old Hollywood

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for the really dusty corners of cinema history. It’s not a narrative movie, it’s more of an educational sketch that forgot it was supposed to be educational. People who love The Lady in Red or just want to see how they used to present 'the magic of movies' will find this interesting. Everyone else? You’ll probably be bored by the second song.

J.C. Flippen is our host, and he carries this thing like he's trying to sell you a used car in 1930. He’s got that specific, rapid-fire radio voice that feels like it’s vibrating right against your ear drum.

The whole thing feels like it was filmed in an afternoon on a set that was probably being used for something else. There’s a loose, 'we’ll figure it out as we go' energy here that you just don't see anymore. It’s almost too relaxed.

Oddly specific observations:

• The chorus numbers feel like they were rehearsed for exactly ten minutes.
• Flippen’s suit looks like it’s about three sizes too big, which is distracting.
• The lighting in the 'aspirant' introduction scene is inexplicably harsh, making everyone look like they’ve just seen a ghost.

There’s a part where they try to explain sound recording that is so wildly inaccurate it’s hilarious. It’s not even trying to be factual, just vaguely cinematic. It reminded me a bit of the chaos in Pay as You Enter, where the logic is purely secondary to whatever the camera is pointing at right then.

The pacing is a total mess. One minute we’re learning about lenses, and the next we’re watching a musical performance that feels like it wandered in from a different soundstage entirely. It’s jarring, but in a way that feels oddly honest.

Don’t look for depth. There isn’t any. Just enjoy the weirdness of watching people from almost a century ago try to explain their own jobs to an audience they clearly didn't think was very smart. 🎬