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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 14, 2016 8:57:10 GMT -5
It’s hardly a secret ‘round these parts that my favorite comic book of all time is a certain DC team-up title, nor should anyone be surprised that I’m a huge fan of the various animated series featuring that publisher’s super-characters that have popped up in the last couple of decades. Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, and their cohorts have repeatedly proven that their grasp of the DC heroes stands head and shoulders over that of their counterparts in the comic book industry. So today's entry was more-or-less created to appeal to me specifically: #11. Batman: The Brave and the Bold [/center] Any cartoon that can give us the Masked Manhunter teamed with the likes of Jonah Hex, Dr. Fate, Kamandi, The Demon, The Outsiders, The Blue Beetle, and even Bat-Mite has definitely got it going on in the eyes of this sentimental fan of the B&B comic. Well-scripted, well-acted, and drawn in that wonderful pseudo-Kirby style, the series is a delightful throwback to the heyday of the so-called Haneyverse. Batman even displays a sense of humor, something I’ve sorely missed since Frank Miller stripped him of it back in ‘86. I own this series on DVD. Just talking about it makes me want to pop it into my player again. Cei-U! I summon the cartoon crack! |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 14, 2016 9:38:48 GMT -5
I am very grateful to Cei-U for making it clear that this list is about our favourite adaptations and not the ones we deem to be of superior quality.
#11, and my only Batman entry...
The dark knight rises. Yes, you read that correctly. Not the more engrossing Batman begins, not the campily charming Batman from 1966, not the redefining Batman by Burton, nor the Dark Knight with its scene-stealing Heath Ledger. If re-watching rate is any indication, I enjoy the dark knight rises more.
See, I'm not a Batman fan. I like the idea of Batman, I like the look, I appreciate the mythological aspect of the character and what he has come to mean in our collective mind. But since I'm not a fan of the "real" Batman, I always preferred alternative versions; the aged and grumpy crimefighter from The dark knight returns or the late XIX century vigilante from Gotham by gaslight, for example. That being the case, I really don't mind if a movie closes the books on a Batman that has become vulnerable, rather inefficient and broke.
The dark knight rises has a premise that is straightforward: an old enemy is out for revenge. That the general plot is silly is a strange argument to be held against a film about a guy who dresses up like a bat to beat up criminals, so it doesn't really affect my enjoyment.
What I like most about this film is that it provides an ending to the Nolan trilogy. Bringing back the League of shadows from Batman begins gives the whole thing a sense of unity, as if it had all been planned in advance. Bruce Wayne has a great character arc: growing from a purposeless drifter to a crusader in the first film, a victim of his well-meaning, but ultimately arrogant actions in the second, here he is a man broken, physically and emotionally, who must pull himself up by the bootstraps to undo what he has unwittingly wrought. That is truly heroic.
And Bane... I love Bane!!! Sure, it's not an oscar-worthy creation like Ledger's Joker was... But the Joker was little more than a cypher, a wild card, a villain who would do bad things just because. Bane is a man on a mission, and a villain who has two great qualities (in a villain, that is): he's at the peak of his own power, unlike the hero, and he's completely incorruptible. His is a pure soul, albeit a brutal one. The way he breaks bones while droning out his philosophical speeches in a debonair tone just cracks me up every time. It also makes for great impressions.
The soundtrack is also very good. Hans Zimmer tends to write the same score over and over again, but he's always efficient.
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Post by brutalis on Dec 14, 2016 9:45:06 GMT -5
For the second day of Christmas i submit for your viewing pleasure: Kiss meets the Phantom of the Park.
An iconic rock and roll team, a comic book Marvel Super Special #1 printed with their own blood in the ink and now a made for television movie. By Hanna-Barbera no less (and their connection continues even unto current times with Scooby Doo meets Kiss) adding to the old school charm or schmaltz or funkiness if you will.
This 1978 extravaganza (NOT) has the Demon, Starchild, Catman and Space Ace battling Abner Devereaux the evil inventor of rides and robots (EVIL ROBOT DUPLICATES of KISS) at a California amusement park. It is full of poor acting, poor effects and the most simplistic of story telling and several Kiss songs. It falls into the it is so bad it is good criteria that so many comic to movie translations have suffered. Yet there is still a 70's charm and essence which draws you into the movie. And for many it would have been their first time exposure to seeing the mythical Rock God's of Kiss outside of a concert or pictures in rock magazines.
What could have been a fun movie instead is now a cult classic for the amusement and silliness it provides the viewer. There is a European version utilizing more music from Kiss and scenes that were cut from the US version.
Having watched it upon it's first viewing on television and then recording on VHS from late night showings it is a personal fave if only because of it's cheesy greatness. Rock and Roll all night and Party every day...
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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 14, 2016 10:05:58 GMT -5
For the second day of Christmas i submit for your viewing pleasure: Kiss meets the Phantom of the Park. An iconic rock and roll team, a comic book Marvel Super Special #1 printed with their own blood in the ink and now a made for television movie. By Hanna-Barbera no less (and their connection continues even unto current times with Scooby Doo meets Kiss) adding to the old school charm or schmaltz or funkiness if you will. This 1978 extravaganza (NOT) has the Demon, Starchild, Catman and Space Ace battling Abner Devereaux the evil inventor of rides and robots (EVIL ROBOT DUPLICATES of KISS) at a California amusement park. It is full of poor acting, poor effects and the most simplistic of story telling and several Kiss songs. It falls into the it is so bad it is good criteria that so many comic to movie translations have suffered. Yet there is still a 70's charm and essence which draws you into the movie. And for many it would have been their first time exposure to seeing the mythical Rock God's of Kiss outside of a concert or pictures in rock magazines. What could have been a fun movie instead is now a cult classic for the amusement and silliness it provides the viewer. There is a European version utilizing more music from Kiss and scenes that were cut from the US version. Having watched it upon it's first viewing on television and then recording on VHS from late night showings it is a personal fave if only because of it's cheesy greatness. Rock and Roll all night and Party every day... KISS did not originate in comics so I'm afraid this entry breaks the rules. Sorry. Cei-U! I summon the letter of the law! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 14, 2016 10:55:36 GMT -5
On the Second Day of Classic Comics Christmas I give unto the.. Two Turtle Teams: Turtles Forever (2009)  This TV movie brought together two of my favorite versions of the Turtles: the "originals" that I fell in love with as a kid from the Fred Wolf series and the "grittier" Turtles from the 2003 series that were a perfect amalgamation of that original animated series and the actual characters from the comic. It's a fun dimension hopping Ninja Turtles version of Crisis on Infinite Earths that both stood up to my sensibilities then and continues to do so to this day. It's not earth shatteringly good or anything but it's full of fun Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles moments that fans of any age are sure to love. |
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Post by brutalis on Dec 14, 2016 11:06:00 GMT -5
Cei-U! I summon the letter of the law! My mistake Cei-U. I only briefly read through the rules and missed the originate part. This can be deleted or ignored, as you wish sir! |
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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 14, 2016 11:08:11 GMT -5
Cei-U! I summon the letter of the law! My mistake Cei-U. I only briefly read through the rules and missed the originate part. This can be deleted or ignored, as you wish sir! No worries. Feel free to make another selection. Cei-U! I summon the do-over!  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2016 11:26:37 GMT -5
Having checked with our Grand Dictator to make sure this counted as starting in a comic strip (it was different enough form the novella to be a different character)...on the second day of Christmas it's buda buda buda What's Up Buck?  coming out in the wake of Star Wars popularity, Buck Rogers made it to the Silver Screen (after a thearical teaser) and I was hooked despite the cheese... In an era where access to content was a challenge, home video didn't really exist yet, let alone the internet, kids lie me glommed onto anything tat hit the right notes of sci-fi/comic book content, and this show was aces to 9-10 year old me (at least for the first season. I loved the ship designs, especially the Draconian raiders, I loved the space opera aspect of it, and it was soemething that felt made for me in a world of stuff I wasn't that interested in. Yes it is a complete cheese fest, but what a glorious cheese fest it was... -M |
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Post by brutalis on Dec 14, 2016 12:10:36 GMT -5
Since i goofed: my new 2nd day of Christmas choice is Flash Gordon from 1936. Amazing that a newspaper comic strip only 2 years old has it's very own movie serial! Black and white with the most advanced cutting edge special effects (well for the time, they might have been) ever seen you will marvel at the splendor of Mongo (if only in the grand sets) and the adventures of Flash, Dale and Ming in their valiant struggle to save Earth.
Okay, so it's 13 episodes drag a bit here and there. Yet the fun of 1st seeing this on a large movie screen at the time must have been significantly strong upon kids and adult minds at the time. Now with the advent of DVD we can enjoy the pleasures found with viewing this serial. Lose yourself within the fantasy and fun: Vultan and his winged Hawkmen in their floating city, The smoking, sparkling space ships, Thun the lion man, fist fights galore, intergalactic romance and the vicious orangopod. How could you not be jumping up and down in your seat?
Finding this serialized over a local channel for several weeks in 2 hour blocks kept me coming back each Saturday morning. Buster Crabbe was perfection as Flash. Ming was menacing as portrayed by Charles Middleton. And even knowing at the time that those special effects where seriously silly didn't prevent me from running around the yard with my cousins as we were fighting the minions of Ming.
Relive the thrills and excitement of the future as portrayed in the days of yesteryear!
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958 
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Post by Crimebuster on Dec 14, 2016 13:23:09 GMT -5
11. Josie and the Pussycats
This was before my time, but for a brief period as a kid, we were able to watch it in reruns. I loved the episodes in space particularly, and the theme song is still epic.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 14, 2016 13:25:21 GMT -5
On the second day of Christmas, I gave unto myself... 11. Dark Knight (2007)  This entry begins a long string of entries about modern superhero movies. I love them so. You may notice a pattern within them, as I had parallel reactions to many franchises. So let me also spend a bit of time talking about this franchise. And, yes, it seems like cheating to pick a film I wrote and directed. (Though they always spell my name wrong in the credits. How hard is it to remember the W?) I loved that first teaser trailer for Batman Begins. And, yes, over 10 years later, it seems like a pretty standard trailer. Long opening monologue, vague shots, some nature, then a bit of dialogue to reveal what's happening. But it was less common then. Or at least it hadn't yet attached itself to a film I cared about. And then I saw Christian Bale speak at Wondercon in San Francisco about his upcoming role. Christian Bale! Yes, most people seemed to know him from American Psycho. But to me, before he was a playboy who butchered women or a playboy who beat up criminals, he was Jack Kelly, singing and dancing about his dreams of Santa Fe. Newsies is one of the best films I have ever seen and I was delighted to learn the star of Newsies would be Batman. A perfect choice! And I loved Batman Begins. His training, some dialogue about why a man would become a symbol (to be "everlasting"), lots of bats, and then his debut seen from the criminal's perspective as he seems to be flapping about the rafters while their cohorts keep disappearing. It made him seem scary and it was awesome. All leading up to a great shot over a beautifully realized Gotham of Batman standing atop a tall tower looking over his city. Stop. Roll credits. It was a perfect Batman origin film. It lasted 1 hour. And then the movie continued. The next hour was pretty solid. Freeman working on some gadgets, Caine making some quips, Bale acting like the ditzy playboy, Murphy scheming, Oldman being cool, and Batman doing a bit of detective work. All decent enough. Then there was a train and some gas exploding and people running around and Katie Holmes and... the last act was just a mess. And ultimately the villains were not compelling enough. And not for not having great actors. Liam Neeson was the best, but only in the beginning. By the time he returned with a big reveal, he was a pretty worthless character. Great start, lots of potential, couldn't bring it home. Dark Knight captured everything the first film did right and corrected its mistakes. Now the villain was compelling, stole the film in fact. Better action set pieces. Like that truck flipping over. Better climax, better ending. Ledger's performance can be somewhat controversial among comic fans, but I thought he nailed it. I have seen and read many versions of the Joker, so I accept a lot of variation in the theme, as long as I recognize Joker. And I did. And I appreciated nods to the comics, however implicit. His many origin stories remind me of his "multiple choice past" line from Killing Joke. And his attempt to prove Gordon could easily go as insane as he is echoed in his social experiments in the film, trying to contrive the circumstances that drive good men to kill. And his gimmick from his first appearance of advance-announcing his murders made it onto screen. I have heard these films described as too dark. They are dark. But not too much so, I find. I contrast them with Man of Steel, which I find hopelessly bleak. And actually consider these films to be fairly optimistic about the human condition. The film is shadowy and gritty, but ultimately about heroism and triumph and the human spirit. I think this is one of the best superhero movies ever. The final film is the franchise struck me as a step down from this one. But I thought it brought an exciting and operatic finale to the whole shebang. I get pretty excited watching it, at least. Back tomorrow. I'll be going rogue with tomorrow's entry. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 14, 2016 13:37:32 GMT -5
Day 2 brings another entry from the world of Continental Cinema:  The film is presented to us, again, by Dino De Laurentiss, directed by auteur Mario Bava, with a super-cool soundtrack from Ennio Morricone. It is pure 60s and is a mixture of a comic book adaptation and a James Bond rip-off. At this time, the Eurospy genre (mostly Italian, though some French) of spy films, in the wake of the success of James Bond. Those elements are especially stressed in the American trailer. In Europe, Diabolik came to life from the pen of two sisters, Angela and Luciana Giussani, in 1962. He is a super-thief and criminal, in the mode of Fantomas and Arsene Lupin. Where Fantomas was a cold-blooded killer, Lupin was a thief who often dispensed poetic justice and there is far more of that in Diabolik. Following the same formula Diabolik carries out daring robberies, under the nose of Inspector Ginko, along with his lover, Eva Kant. The film captures all of this, with bold, brash 60s style. The film races along, is filled with fantastic absurdities, like Diabolik and Eva emerging from underneath a pile of money, after making love, inside Diabolik's fantastic underground lair. There are car chases, underwater heists, some nose thumbing of governments, and plenty of jazzy tunes. The film stars John Phillip Law and Marissa Mell as Diabolik and Eva, with Michel Piccoli as Ginko, and Adolfo Celli as the gangster Valmont. British comedy legend Terry Thomas has a cameo role as a government official. It was the final film of MST3K, though I think they were a bit rough on it and they edited out quite a bit of the more serious material. It's rebellious fun, with plenty of camp and style, and some dodgy voicework. Law was never much of an actor; but, he brings a charismatic physical presence here and mell is easy on the eyes, which is all that is required of her. It is beautifully shot and staged by Bava, which helps elevate things from other Eurospy films and 60s camp. The dvd, featuring commentary from Law and a featurette on Italian fumetti (term for comics), with Steve Bisette, is, sadly, out of print. However, it can be seen in its entirety on Youtube. This film and Barbarella would serve as inspiration for Roman Coppola's cult movie, CQ, which is set during the glory days of Italian cinema, about a young editor working on a sci-fi film, Codename: Dragonfly. The film within the film features riffs on Barbarella and Diabolik (with a hint of Modesty Blaise). The movie features a cameo by Law and celebrates this era of filmmaking. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 14, 2016 13:45:05 GMT -5
Having checked with our Grand Dictator to make sure this counted as starting in a comic strip (it was different enough form the novella to be a different character)...on the second day of Christmas it's buda buda buda What's Up Buck? coming out in the wake of Star Wars popularity, Buck Rogers made it to the Silver Screen (after a thearical teaser) and I was hooked despite the cheese... In an era where access to content was a challenge, home video didn't really exist yet, let alone the internet, kids lie me glommed onto anything tat hit the right notes of sci-fi/comic book content, and this show was aces to 9-10 year old me (at least for the first season. I loved the ship designs, especially the Draconian raiders, I loved the space opera aspect of it, and it was soemething that felt made for me in a world of stuff I wasn't that interested in. Yes it is a complete cheese fest, but what a glorious cheese fest it was... -M I saw this in the theater, then weekly, on tv. We were clamoring for films like Star Wars and this fed it admirably, with some repetitive effects footage (same as Larson's other space opera series, Battlestar Galactica). I loved the Draconian Fortress design, as that stood up to the standard of the Imperial Star Destroyer, without looking derivative. Pamela Hensley was fantastic as Ardala and Erin Gray got to be a stronger character, in Wilma, in the film than she ended up in the series (depending on the episode). Still, it was a great mix of classic space opera, James Bond, and swashbuckling adventure. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 14, 2016 13:47:19 GMT -5
It’s hardly a secret ‘round these parts that my favorite comic book of all time is a certain DC team-up title, nor should anyone be surprised that I’m a huge fan of the various animated series featuring that publisher’s super-characters that have popped up in the last couple of decades. Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, and their cohorts have repeatedly proven that their grasp of the DC heroes stands head and shoulders over that of their counterparts in the comic book industry. So today's entry was more-or-less created to appeal to me specifically: #11. Batman: The Brave and the Bold Any cartoon that can give us the Masked Manhunter teamed with the likes of Jonah Hex, Dr. Fate, Kamandi, The Demon, The Outsiders, The Blue Beetle, and even Bat-Mite has definitely got it going on in the eyes of this sentimental fan of the B&B comic. Well-scripted, well-acted, and drawn in that wonderful pseudo-Kirby style, the series is a delightful throwback to the heyday of the so-called Haneyverse. Batman even displays a sense of humor, something I’ve sorely missed since Frank Miller stripped him of it back in ‘86. I own this series on DVD. Just talking about it makes me want to pop it into my player again. Cei-U! I summon the cartoon crack! I caught part of an episode in passing and passed it up as a bit juvenile. Then I gave the first dvd a chance and fell in love. The series had me as a devotee with Detective Chimp. Any series that brings out Detective Chimp (in a parody of Clue) is alright with me. This demonstrated that Batman could be fun and serious, like the comics of the 70s, that I read. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 14, 2016 13:49:08 GMT -5
11. Josie and the PussycatsThis was before my time, but for a brief period as a kid, we were able to watch it in reruns. I loved the episodes in space particularly, and the theme song is still epic. This was my era, as my siblings and I watched The Arches, Sabrina & the Groovie Goolies, and Josie & the Pussycats. I can still see Melanie's head bobbing around as she plays drums, in every musical segment. |
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