Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Now You Tell One" is an American 21-minute silent black-and-white short film. These limitations should not come to anybody as a surprise as this film has its 90th anniversary this year. Charly Bowers (writer, director, lead actor) made quite a few films, but he never managed the success of Keaton or Chaplin, maybe because when he did these, silent films were almost already a thing of the past. And also he may have looked too similar to the duo and just been a weaker version. People were in the mood for changed and he clung to the old. Anyway, about this one here, I thought the first half was bearable and okay to watch, but then it gets really boring and repetitive at some point. I cannot say I enjoyed this watch. Not recommended.

Snow Leopard For something so little known now, this is pretty impressive and very entertaining. Charley Bowers had some amazing creativity, if this short comedy is any indication. The story itself is amusing enough - Charley's character gets involved in a tall-tale contest at the Liars Club - but it is the visual effects that set it apart. The nearly seamless effects are well-chosen in illustrating Charley's stories, and show an extraordinary creativity in using so many simple objects in clever and surprising ways.It's not even necessary to say that the effects are good 'for their time'. If anything, they are more creative and effective than most of the computer-created visual effects you see these days, because Bowers knew how to create something interesting and enjoyable to look at without resorting to explosions or other tired devices. Based on this feature, it's a real shame that more of Bowers's work is not readily available. But "Now You Tell One" is an excellent little feature, and one that is easily worth the trouble it takes to track it down.

chucksalty I was so impressed by the sheer inventiveness and unique combination of live action and animation in this short -- from the elephants storming the Capitol to a cat's tail spawning off a pussy willow. Mr. Charles Bowers is definitely an unsung comic innovator of the silent era -- he has the crafty sight gags and deadpan persona of Buster Keaton, the impishness of Harry Langdon, coupled with the absurd imagination of an animator. This film is one of the highlights of the mostly excellent compilation, "Slapstick Encyclopedia."

mtoscano Charles Bowers was first an animator, and his flair for stop-motion shows in this amazing short comedy. The excellent special effects will truly amaze even the most CGI-jaded viewer. Luckily, Bowers' creative wit matches his agility with the camera - there're some crazy and hilarious sight gags here.