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Post by Slam_Bradley on Dec 19, 2016 12:17:39 GMT -5
Captain America: The First Avenger
I've at least liked all the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some more than others, surely. I've already put The Avengers on my list. This will be the second and last stop. I was always a big fan of Captain America. And I always felt he worked best in World War II. This film gave me everything I wanted in a Captain America movie. From wimpy Steve to the theatrical Cap to the Howling Commandos to Red Skull. A fun movie all around.
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Post by hondobrode on Dec 19, 2016 12:24:03 GMT -5
One of my favorite strip characters ever, Dick Tracy. I'm not normally a Warren Beatty fan, but I love everything he did with this movie. It's the perfect balance of over-the-top four color adventure and sensationalism. Nothing just happens, it HAPPENS !! Beatty is great as Tracy and all the star cast didn't hurt at all either. Disney was hoping to have this continue as a franchise, and I could see that happening. Outside of Batman, I don't think anyone else has as diverse or bizarre a rogue's gallery as Tracy. From left to right starting at the top : Itchy, Tracy, Influence, Pruneface, Breathless Mahone, Flattop, and Big Boy Caprice. Madonna was really good in this and I think she enjoyed it. I remember one scene towards the end where Tracy fights a guy who was like a father figure to The Kid, but was exploiting him. Tracy gives him a good thrashing and we see the outside of this tiny shack and it's like it's on hinges with the walls rocking back and forth at diagonal angles. That burned into my memory. Hopefully Disney eventually returns to this. I realise this film is a favourite of many people, and I'm starting wonder if I am the only person who dislikes it. However, to me this film completely missed the point of Dick Tracy, and in particular his rogue's gallery. Yes, Tracy has one of the best rogue's galleries in comics, but the point is that any one of them is a near match for Tracy. That's why his battles with them become extended battles of wills and chases, as it would take everything Tracy had to bring them down. By cramming so many of the classic foes into one film, all it did was ensure that most of them received only a few minutes screen time and no character focus at all. And then they just had most of them killed in a shootout with the cops: no karmic comeuppance as they would have received in the comics. A triumph of style over substance, and such a wasted opportunity. You're right about that, though it didn't occur to me until now. That's exactly why I can't buy into Spider-Man vs The Sinister Six. Between a half dozen villains, they should at least overwhelm if not defeat him. |
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Post by brutalis on Dec 19, 2016 12:51:59 GMT -5
On the fifth day of Christmas is give to thee the Defenders of the Earth cartoon. Animated greatness with the stars of King Features Syndicate: Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the magician and Lothar along with their children as future inheritor of their legacy as they fight the evil Ming the Merciless and his crystal warriors to prevent their taking over Earth.
DoE did something here long before the independent comic book companies ever did: teaming up 3 of the greatest stars of comic books into one super team. IDW just stole this concept and have been trying it out on any and every pulp adventurer ever since (with some small degree of success) but DoE remains the 1st cartoon doing so and doing so successfully. This is what i call fun: you have space, magic, youth and jungle/adventure all combined in one team that is instantly contagious. From the very 1st episode this series takes you all across the Earth and universe in a mixture of old school charm and current sensibilities updating classic heroes and villains without ruining what made them great to begin with.
This is the team cartoon supreme of the time with one of the best villains that was ever (even if he did forget to wash regularly and turned green) created. Begin with a theme song which explains them all and sets up the series and from there it is just a mix of childhood excitement and thrills. For many this could be their 1st connection to the Phantom and Mandrake but once having watched this show i guarantee it won't be the last. This is what grand memories of my youth are about. More so than any other super group out there i wanted to be a member of the Defenders of the Earth flying and shooting and fighting against Ming and his evil minions.
Defenders of the Earth, Defenders!
Out of the sky his rockets ignite!
Jets into battle, flies faster than light!
Flash Gordon!
Lord of the jungle, the hero who stalks!
The beasts call him brother, the ghost who walks!
Phantom!
Defenders of the Earth, Defenders!
Master of magic, spells and illusion,
Enemies crumble in fear and confusion!
Mandrake!
Defenders of the Earth, Defenders!
His strength is a legend, his skills conquer all,
Armed with his power, we never will fall!
Lothar!
Defenders of the Earth, Defenders!
With our new young hero's, proving their worth,
Four become eight, defending the Earth!
Defenders of the Earth, Defenders!
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Dec 19, 2016 18:44:33 GMT -5
#8. Pryde of the X-Men (1989)This is a pure nostalgia vote for me. I had just gotten into the X-Men in 1990 when my friend first showed me this direct-to-video VHS. I swear I saw this on TV at some point. Didn't I? |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Dec 19, 2016 18:49:30 GMT -5
#8. Pryde of the X-Men (1989)This is a pure nostalgia vote for me. I had just gotten into the X-Men in 1990 when my friend first showed me this direct-to-video VHS. I swear I saw this on TV at some point. Didn't I? I doubt it. It was a failed pilot that Marvel sold direct to video after it didn't get picked up, from what I understand. The X-Men didn't make it to TV until three years later. |
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Post by foxley on Dec 19, 2016 18:53:02 GMT -5
#8. Pryde of the X-Men (1989)This is a pure nostalgia vote for me. I had just gotten into the X-Men in 1990 when my friend first showed me this direct-to-video VHS. I swear I saw this on TV at some point. Didn't I? It was the pilot for a TV series that was never picked up. According to Wikipedia, it was shown infrequently on TV as well as being released on video. |
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Dec 19, 2016 18:53:35 GMT -5
Wikipedia:"X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men (commonly known as Pryde of the X-Men) is an animated television pilot originally broadcast in 1989 on the Marvel Action Universe television block, featuring Marvel Comics’ mutant superheroes the X-Men.[1] The pilot aired infrequently in syndication, and was later released on video. It later served as the basis for Konami's X-Men arcade game.[2]"
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Dec 19, 2016 21:07:39 GMT -5
8. Supergirl Season 1 2015-2016 I wrote about Supergirl a bunch in my twice-yearly-updated comics blog. Go there. Notes: 1) The Flash might actually be the better show but Supergirl was fresher in my brain and Supergirl made me think enough to crap out an essay, and I din't want to put two shows by the same(ish) group up of producers on the list. But lemme honorable mention the Flash TV show, too. 2) Again, I've only seen the first season. But I heard that season 2 doesn't have Cat Grant in it, so season 2 is not as good. I AM SURE OF THIS!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2016 21:48:45 GMT -5
Reptisaurus!...you've been scarce around these parts. Nice to see you posting
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Dec 19, 2016 22:38:15 GMT -5
Heya Jez (Probably? I think?) Good to see you!
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Post by Pól Rua on Dec 20, 2016 1:20:50 GMT -5
8. Batman '66 There are three ages of the 1960's Batman TV Series. The first is childhood. As a kid, I loved this show... all except for the 'to be continued...' cliffhangers which drove me NUTS! As a teenager, I hated it. It ruined Batman and, by extension, comics. If comics (and comic READERS - by which I meant 'me') were to be taken seriously, this technicolour nightmare was the biggest obstacle! As an adult, I LOVE it AGAIN. And that's one of the great things about it. The ability to watch it TWICE with fresh eyes each time! Watching it now is infectious. The villains are having SO MUCH FUN, that you can't help but be swept along with it. And Adam West and Burt Ward are note-perfect straight men. Oddly enough, these days, it's the supporting characters I'm finding myself most enchanted by; Madge Blake as Aunt Harriet, Stafford Repp as Police Chief O'Hara, Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon, and Alan Napier as Alfred, especially the latter two. For all that the villains help to propel the series off into a kind of comedic stratosphere, and the dynamic duo help to bring them down to earth, it's this glorious cast of wonderful character actors who help to keep the Caped Crusaders anchored to the series' version of solid ground. Nowadays, I'm not as insecure about being seen as 'grown up' or being 'taken seriously', which is awesome, because I'd hate to be missing out on this fun.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 20, 2016 3:17:08 GMT -5
That's exactly why I can't buy into Spider-Man vs The Sinister Six. Between a half dozen villains, they should at least overwhelm if not defeat him. Well, when they fought, their egos got in the way. So they decided to take on Spider-Man one at a time. |
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 25, 2016 21:50:25 GMT -5
Most entries have already shown up. I won't repeat my comments from previous days.
Jessica Jones is my #4 pick.
I considered Persepolis for my list. I only saw the film once, in theaters, so decided it couldn't count. But it's a brilliant comic, and the film seemed a fairly straightforward adaptation that captured the style well. An excellent film, just one I decided I didn't love enough: if I did, I'd have watched it more times by now.
The Crow is great.
Agent Carter I've only seen the first few episodes of. I intend to finish it. I like it. It's just the network-television-distaste I've developed in recent years. Same problem Supergirl is suffering. Too many good Netflix/HBO shows, so I have trouble getting through these.
Young Justice. I've only seen the first few episodes. Love it so far and intend to finish.
Batman: Assault on Arkham. As I commented for Under the Red Hood, I'm just not loving any of this wave of DC animated films. Unnecessarily violent. Looking at my own list of favorite superhero films, I do see I put this one in the top 100, so I guess I liked it a little better than some of the others. I think it was a good take on Suicide Squad.
Pryde of the X-Men. Had never heard of X-Men when I watched it. I perhaps saw it before reading my first comic; it would have been close. I eventually became obsessed with X-Men after reading X-Men #1 in 1991. But I think that obsession is disconnected from this film. But it remains an important milestone in my comic history. I have the just-put-the-cells-into-a-comic graphic novel they made.
Defenders of the earth I have never seen. It seems like I should probably rectify that.
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Post by MWGallaher on Dec 31, 2016 8:51:43 GMT -5
#8: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
OK, I recognize and accept its flaws. I get the hate. I just don't feel it, myself. In fact, I really dig this movie!
Yeah, this Superman is not "my Superman", but I don't have a really strong emotional attachment to the character, so I'm not upset at a different take, although I'd certainly have liked seeing a little more brightness to his personality.
And I don't have nearly as much fondness for Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" as many seem to, so the fact that this film draws heavily from that interpretation of the Batman doesn't account for my appreciation of the movie.
A big part of it was the fun in seeing the two together on the big screen at last, and especially with the addition of Wonder Woman, played very nicely here, I thought, by Gal Gadot, overcoming a criticized "too frail" physique with a convincing physicality. I loved getting cameos of Flash and Aquaman, and parademons, and the hint of the arrival of Darkseid!
I think that some of the thrill at just seeing these things happen had been diminished by Marvel's cinematic efforts paving the way by teaming up their super-stars in The Avengers, and putting obscure characters into films when we'd never have dreamed of really seeing them on screen.
But I'm at heart more of a DC fanboy, so the elements of BvS got to me. I loved the interpretation of the batcave, I got a kick out of the manic reinterpretation of Luthor (easy enough to assume the "real" Luthor was this guy's father), and I loved seeing my fave Jim Aparo's name in the credits, receiving thanks presumably for inspiring the visuals in the meeting between Bruce and Diana, but perhaps also simply as the premier DC "Team-Up" artist, despite only drawing this particular combo (Batman and Superman, that is) twice (both times under the radar).
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 1, 2017 17:04:14 GMT -5
#8: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of JusticeOK, I recognize and accept its flaws. I get the hate. I just don't feel it, myself. In fact, I really dig this movie! Yeah, this Superman is not "my Superman", but I don't have a really strong emotional attachment to the character, so I'm not upset at a different take, although I'd certainly have liked seeing a little more brightness to his personality. And I don't have nearly as much fondness for Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" as many seem to, so the fact that this film draws heavily from that interpretation of the Batman doesn't account for my appreciation of the movie. A big part of it was the fun in seeing the two together on the big screen at last, and especially with the addition of Wonder Woman, played very nicely here, I thought, by Gal Gadot, overcoming a criticized "too frail" physique with a convincing physicality. I loved getting cameos of Flash and Aquaman, and parademons, and the hint of the arrival of Darkseid! I think that some of the thrill at just seeing these things happen had been diminished by Marvel's cinematic efforts paving the way by teaming up their super-stars in The Avengers, and putting obscure characters into films when we'd never have dreamed of really seeing them on screen. But I'm at heart more of a DC fanboy, so the elements of BvS got to me. I loved the interpretation of the batcave, I got a kick out of the manic reinterpretation of Luthor (easy enough to assume the "real" Luthor was this guy's father), and I loved seeing my fave Jim Aparo's name in the credits, receiving thanks presumably for inspiring the visuals in the meeting between Bruce and Diana, but perhaps also simply as the premier DC "Team-Up" artist, despite only drawing this particular combo (Batman and Superman, that is) twice (both times under the radar). Perceptive take on this movie, MW, which I also didn't hate or even intensely dislike, as I thought I might. Your comment on Eisenberg's Luthor makes me wonder if he might have been/could still be a good Joker... I thought Gadot was good, too. Hadn't heard that "frail physique" remark before. I have t tell you, fewer over-inflated heroes and heroines would be just fine with me. She looked lithe, fit and strong to me. I worry that the Avengers parallels, though almost unavoidable, are a problem. Heroes fight, heroes are summoned, heroes unite to defeat giant bad guy from beyond time and space. |
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