Tag Archives: movies

Late Night Movie House of Crap: Superhero Serials

2 May

May 2, 2011

Let me first say that I don’t consider any of this crap. However they are old and in black and white and that’s enough for a lot of people. The special effects may not match today’s cgi magic but a lot of it stands up very well.

End of disclaimer.

This is going to be a big superhero movie summer. Thor, Captain America, and Green Lantern are all hitting the big screen. Comic book movies do well at the box office so it is no surprise that there are more installments of Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man movies in the works, as well as Justice League and Avengers films in the wings.

A lot of people don’t realize how far back these films really go. for many people they go all the way back to the long-gone era of 1978 and Superman the Movie. They should go back quite a bit farther.

Serials were weekly installments of a story that usually ran from 12 to 16 weeks. If you went to the movies from the late 1930’s to early 1950’s for the Saturday matinée you’d likely see one or two serials, a newsreel, some cartoons, a B-movie, and the main feature. A few cents for a ticket kept you entertained most of the day.  Serials also tended to have great lobby cards and I have a few (reproductions, alas) in my collection. But on to the superheroes!

From 1948, here’s Kirk Alyn as Superman:

This isn’t Captain America’s first time on-screen either. From 1944, here’s Dick Purcell:

Think Batman begins with Adam West? Both Superman and Batman had two serials apiece. From 1949 here’s Batman and Robin:

Superman is the world’s most popular hero? Not always. Captain Marvel regularly outsold him and in fact Captain Marvel still holds the record for sales in the millions.

Cool as all of that is, here is the icing on the cake. This is a fan made trailer for what they call a “premake,” a “what if the Avengers film was made decades ago?” You can find a lot of these “premakes,” like Star Wars and Ghostbusters on Youtube. In the spirit of the superhero serials, here is the premake of the Avengers.

Take some time and watch the old stuff. There is some magic there. Some cheese too, but that is part of the magic.

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I’ve Been Netflixed!

18 Apr

April 18, 2011

Netflix is cool. I get it through my TiVo so I don’t even have to bother mailing any DVD’s back. Good thing too because I think my mailman steals.

Anyway, much as I like it, Netflix has a couple of drawbacks, the biggest one being that some films are not available over the ‘net, they’re disc only so you can only get them through the mail. Another one is that if you order a season of a TV show, like Columbo, for some reason 2 out of the six episodes are disc only despite being in the same set as the other four. I don’t get it.

But that’s Ok. TiVo doesn’t get it either. Check out these weird recommendations I came across last night.

What is the connection between Superman II and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan? How does enjoyment of one equal the other? I gave it some thought and I think I got the answer. Superman II starred Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. Luthor was a super genius villain; Bobby Heenan was a super genius heel wrestling manager. I get it. Netflix thinks outside the box. I like that.

Hmm. Godzilla. Doctor Who. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three? I got it! Godzilla destroys large cities; Pelham One Two Three is set in a large city. Doctor Who was played by 11 actors over the years, all playing the same role. Pelham One Two Three was recently remade with Samuel L. Jackson playing the same role as Walter Matthau and John Travolta playing the Robert Shaw role. (Travolta replacing Shaw is not in any way an upgrade, believe you me.) You see? Netflix makes sense once you think about it. It is a nice little intellectual game.

This is a little harder. Arrested Development (a GREAT show you should be ashamed you never watched) and The Office make sense. But Pulp Fiction? Pulp fiction was known for its dialogue and quotes, like “that is a tasty burger” and “this is some fucked-up repugnant shit.” Larry Sanders’ sidekick Hank added “Hey now!” to the American lexicon. (Think that’s a stretch? Let’s see you do any better.) And how did Hank come up with hey now? ”When I was a kid, I used to say ‘hey,’ and then later I said ‘now,’ but I never put it together until later.”

You may not be aware of this but this is funny because the version of 100 Years of Horror that is available instantly is better than the one that isn’t. It is a bigger set and ten years more recent. Anyway, what is the connection between 100 Years of Horror and Fierce Creatures? Easy. Fierce Creatures is a horrible move. And that comes from a fan of a Fish Called Wanda.

OK, they are both British and I read somewhere that Douglas Adams was a fan of Pink Floyd but c’mon Netflix, this is just silly.

And lastly, here’s one Netflix asked me. I’ll leave you with this one to ponder.

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