A cartoon cat, sick of the annoying mouse living in his home, plots to take him out with a trap loaded with cheese. The mouse, wise to his plan, safely removes the snack and walks away with a full belly.

You can probably guess what happens next. The story ends as it almost always does: with the cat yelling out in pain as yet another plan backfires.

The duo(二人组)was dreamt up from a place of desperation. MGM's animation department, where creators William and Joseph Barbera worked, had struggled to compete with other studios who had hit characters like Porky Pig and Mickey Mouse.

Out of boredom, the animators began thinking up their own ideas. Barbera said he loved the simple concept of a cat and mouse cartoon, with conflict and chase, even though it had been done countless times before.

Puss(猫咪)Gets the Boot was the first they released, in 1940. It was a hit and won the studio an Oscar nomination for best animated short. Jasper and Jinx, as they were first known, became Tom and Jerry.

According to Barbera there was no real discussion about the characters not speaking, but having grown up with silent films starring Charlie Chaplin, the creators knew they could be funny without dialogue.

Tom and Jerry, with its slapstick(闹剧) violence and dark comedy, remains extremely popular around the world today.

In the 80 years since their creation, the cat and mouse have appeared in everything from a “kids” version to a 1992 musical movie where they sang and spoke. Warner Brothers, who now own the rights to Tom and Jerry, will release a new live-action film just before Christmas this year.

Once again, DC Comics and Warner Bros, have divided fans and critics -- over the superhero film Justice League.

【小题1】 There are a log of reshoots of scenes. A new director was brought in to finish the film after original director Zack Snyder’s tragic loss of his daughter. Of course, there was a lot of talk about Ben Affleck’s future in the role of Batman.

Some people are saying that Justice League is another big disappointment. They say it could have been incredible and instead fails to really entertain. Others say that Warner Bros have finally got it right and that the future for the League looks bright.

My opinion lies somewhere in the middle. The film was by no means a disappointment: It was both exciting and funny to watch. There is something special about watching the heroes from your childhood brought to life on the big screen. 【小题2】

However, I will say that a lot more work needs to be done if the producer wants to guarantee success in the future. Although the film was good, it was obvious which scenes had been reshot and how the characters had been changed. 【小题3】 These are the kinds of problems that you don’t expect to see in a film with such a big budget.

Another point to add is that it is good to see the producer making Superman a somewhat brighter character and adding some jokes to the plot to add to the fun, though there is , sadly, no post-credits scene（“彩蛋”）. The producer must be careful, however, not to make the same mistake as many others in the industry have:making bright and colorful movies with rather poor stores.

Justice League is not a perfect film, but it is definitely not a terrible one. 【小题4】. For me, I hope that DC does not completely lose its darker side.