Movie Flashback: The Shadow

Summer 1994 was a busy one for movies. I spent many days parked at my local theater with friends. After all, this was the summer that saw the releases of “Speed,” “The Lion King,” “Forrest Gump,” “True Lies,” “The Mask,” Beverly Hills Cop III,” and more. But there’s one movie from that summer that is always forgotten: “The Shadow.”

Based on the pulp fiction character created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931, “The Shadow” was directed by Russell Mulcahy. The film boasted an impressive cast featuring Alec Baldwin as the titular character, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller, Ian McKellen, Jonathan Winters, Peter Boyle, and Tim Curry.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to see “The Shadow” on opening day because of an Aunt’s visit. But I made plans with my friends to go see the 12:30 movie the following Tuesday. And since the movie was playing in the theater next to my apartment, I decided I would just meet everyone there a few minutes before the movie started.

I got there as planned, but with only five minutes to go, there was still no sign of my friends. Not wanting to miss anything, I got my ticket and my popcorn, and sat in the back row so my friends could see me when they walked in. By the time the trailers started, my friends were still missing in action, and by the time “The Shadow” began, I realized they weren’t coming.

Oh well, screw my friends. I was there and I was still excited to see the movie.

I suppose Universal Studios was hoping “The Shadow” would be the beginning of a new cinematic franchise, something to rival Warner Bros. successful Batman franchise. Universal likely wanted a hit movie, but also all the merchandising the Batman movies got.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, “The Shadow” landed with a massive thud. The film was on the  receiving end of bad to mixed reviews and flopped badly at the box office. I think audiences ignored the movie in part because there was so many other option that summer.

Yet, I’m one of the few people who saw “The Shadow” in the theater and really loved what I saw. “The Shadow” was pure popcorn entertainment in a summer that had more serious films getting all the attention. “The Shadow” is a comic book adventure that embraces its silliness, complete with one-liners, over-the-top villains, and fun supporting characters.

The film did not deserve to get savaged by critics the way it did, and I still believe this film deserves more credit than it gets. The cinematography is beautiful, and so are the costumes. The villain probably gets the best outfits, but the leading lady has some nice outfits as well.

The 1930’s set also serves the film well, and I like how the agents of the Shadow communicate with one another. But almost none of the critics mentioned any of that when they savaged the movie.

The cast in “The Shadow” is pretty great too. Alec Baldwin plays Lamont Cranston like he’s having an absolute ball. Whether he’s dark and brooding, while saving innocents from criminals. Or when he’s charming a new lady in a club, Baldwin was perfectly cast as Lamont Cranston. Seeing him in “The Shadow” made me wish he’d played Batman at least once.

The rest of the cast is solid too. But every hero must face a unique challenge, and the Shadow gets his in the powerful psychic warrior Shiwan Khan (John Lone). He’s determined to destroy New York unless the city bows to his rule. There are moments were Khan seems better suited for a part in “Batman and Robin,” but the flamboyant he got, the more I liked the character and the performance by John Lone.

As Cranston sets out to stop Khan, he also meets a burgeoning telepath named Margot Lane (Penelope Ann Miller). Cranston likes her, but because she’s a telepath he doesn’t immediately pursue a relationship with her. However, fate throws Cranston and Lane together when her scientist father (Ian McKellen) is under Khan’s control, and on the verge of creating a powerful weapon that will ann but ensure Khan’s victory.

Maybe critics and audiences thought “The Shadow” looked like a Batman ripoff, but that’s not the case at all. The Shadow began in the pages of pulp magazines back in the early 1930s, and later made the jump to radio. The character actually predates Batman by a several years, and its more than likely that the Shadow influenced the Caped Crusader and not the other way around.

Not that it mattered in summer 1994. Audiences and critics didn’t give the new Shadow a chance when the movie came out,  so we never truly got to see what else Alec Baldwin could do with the character and his world.

“The Shadow” also proved that not every comic book type movie needed to the an origin movie. At most, the film spends 10 minutes showing us how Cranston became the Shadow. After that, the main story is off tot he races. Also, nearly all the main characters are given backstories, and all plot threads are resolves by the time the film ends.

Over twenty-four years since its release, I still enjoy watching “The Shadow” a couple of times a year. Alec Baldwin shines as the hero of the night, and as the rich playboy Lamont Cranston. The sets are beautiful, and the musical score always gets the blood pumping. The action is nicely done, and there are a couple of great set pieces like when the Shadow is nearly drowned. In the end, I believe “The Shadow” is one of the truly underrated comic books movies.

As for my friends? They simply “forgot” we had plans. Sure they did…

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Flashback Review: The Return of the Vampire (1943)

I’ve been a movie fan for most of my life, and I’m willing to try just about any kind of movie. Lately though, I’ve been watching more and more classic movies. More specifically, since this past summer, I’ve been trying to watch classic horror and sci-fi movies, some of which I’ve never heard of before this year.

So far I’ve watched a couple of Frankenstein movies, the Gill-man trilogy, and
a few others flicks. But one classic horror topic I hadn’t really touched until recently was vampires. That all changed a few days ago when I sat down and watched 1943’s “The Return of the Vampire.”

The film stars Bela Lugosi as the vampire Armand Tesla; Frieda Inescort as Lady Jane Ainsley; Nina Foch as Nikki Saunders; Roland Varno as John Ainsley; Miles Mander as Sir Fredrick Fleet; and Matt Willis as Andréas Obry. The story revolves around an Englishwoman’s two encounters with a vampire. The first encounter takes place during World War I, and the second during the blitz in World War II.

“The Return of the Vampire” begins with Lugosi and his werewolf assistant (Matt Willis), who are currently terrorizing a victim in London. The person gets taken in by Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda Inescort) and Professor Walter Saunders (Gilbert Emery). Saunders figures out that the patient has been bitten by a vampire, and his suspicions are confirmed when Lugosi shows up that night to finish the job.

However, Lugosi gets distracted by Saunders’s young granddaughter, Nicki. Since he’s already there, Lugosi attacks her as well. This one-act sends the old man and Lady Jane on a quest to hunt down the vampire’s resting place and end his existence once and for all. But they clearly failed, because Lugosi returns a couple of decades later in war-torn Britain thanks to some grave robbers and some German bombers.

The good news is that Lady Jane is still kicking around, and knows exactly what she’s up against. Unfortunately, little Nicki is also around, and all grown up. But she has no memory of her earlier encounter with Tesla. Lugosi on the other hand, remembers Nicki quite well and quickly sets plans in motion for a reunion.

“The Return of the Vampire” wasn’t the first time Bela Lugosi played a vampire of course, but by 1943 it had been nearly a decade since he’d donned the famous fangs. The time off shows, as Lugosi looks older and a bit heavier than usual. But it doesn’t matter in the end. The man still gives the part his all, and nobody has ever played a vampire as well as he did.

Lugosi even gets to play two parts in “The Return of the Vampire.” For much of the film, he assumes the identity of a doctor that Lady Jane helps to recover from a concentration camp. Its a simple plot device, but it gives Lugosi a chance to show off that debonair front he so masterfully displayed in “Dracula.” His mix of charm and menace is greay throughout the film and makes for some eerie scenes.

As good as he was though, I found Lugosi’s infatuation with Nicki to be a little creepy. After all, he first meets her when she’s very young. He becomes infatuated by her then, and is still after her decades later. This entire situation must have been quite race back in 1943 due to Lugosi’s predatory behavior toward Nicki. But maybe audiences were too distracted by Lugosi’s shadow looming over and eventually descending upon the poor sleeping girl.

One of the things that made me want to watch “The Return of the Vampire” was the wartime setting. Most of the vampire movies up to that point took place centuries in the past, so it must have been something to have one film set in present day. However, war-torn Britain doesn’t play much of a role in the movie. I was hoping to see more of the city and how people dealt with the blitz. But other than one bombing sequence in the third act, we don’t get much information about the war.

The movie has a few plot issues as well, like two bumbling detectives who are not very good at their jobs. Every time the movie cut to them, it slowed down the main plot. I suppose they were there for comic relief, but it didn’t work for me. I actually thought the grave diggers were funnier because their humor was subtle. One of the detective’s voice sounded familiar, and it turns out he played Alfred in one of the Batman serials from the 1940’s.

“The Return of the Vampire” also has some pacing issues in the middle part of the film. At least a few scenes could have been cut out which would have made the things move faster. Then we get to the moment when one of the main characters breaks the fourth wall, which easily could have ruined the movie for some people. I didn’t mind it too much, only because the scene came right at the end, but it was a little odd for sure.

I don’t think Columbia Pictures spent a ton of money on this flick, but the filmmakers used fog and shadow-drenched set-pieces rather well, and the cemetery was really scary. Some of the performances are terrific, and the movies does possess a face-melting sequence, and a nice done one at that. This might have been a first in vampire movies, but I’m not too sure.

Vampire movies have been around almost since movies began. Everything you can possibly imagine has been done with the genre. But the truth is, its been decades since I saw what I would call a good vampire film. The more I think about it, I believe the best vampire movies came out during the black and white days of cinema, and despite a few issues, “The Return of the Vampire” is one of them.

Film Guff Episode 26: “Ketchup II: Electric Boogaloo”

Like me, you may think you’re dreaming (or having a nightmare). But guess what? This is not a dream, nor a hoax… the Film Guff podcast is really back with another new episode!

In Film Guff’s 26th episode, the boys take a little break from their daily routine of ruling the world to talk about the 2018 film “Blue Iguana.” This recently released comedy stars Sam Rockwell, Ben Schwartz, Phoebe Fox, Amanda Donohoe, Simon Callow, and Peter Ferdinando, and was written and directed by Hadi Hajaig.

Besides discussing the movie, this episode features a crazy mix of topics including (but not limited to): comic books, Russian Dolls, Snatch Wars, and whatever else the hosts have been up to in recent days.

As usual, this episode of Film Guff is hosted by the three-time WCW tag team champions, the irredeemable Ali and the astonishing Cev. They’re joined by TNU’s own Nick Jones. But please don’t confuse him with Nick Jonas, who I think we can agree is far better looking and more talented.

By the way, Nick and I have been friends for nearly thirty years, but in this episode of Film Guff, he seems to have forgotten that. Anyways,  this episode has some very naughty words in it, usually courtesy of Nick. So be careful where you listen to it. But its still a lot of fun, so be sure to enjoy!

Episode edited by: Cevin Moore
Music: “Asteroid (A Corruption)” By Peter & Cevin Moore
Info: filmguff.net
Twitter @FilmGuff

 

 

Retro Review: From the Earth to the Moon

I’ve always been fascinated by space travel. As a kid, I spent hours reading everything I could about NASA and the various space programs around the world. My sixth-grade science project was on the Space Shuttle, and I even dressed up as an astronaut one Halloween.

Over the years I also devoured any movies and tv shows that had anything to do with space flight. One of my favorite space shows is HBO’s “From the Earth to the Moon.”

“From the Earth to the Moon,” was one of the most expensive television miniseries in history. Costing around $68 million, the twelve-part docudrama took viewers back to the incredible era of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, culminating with the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

Along with producers Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Michael Bostick, Tom Hanks served as executive producer/co-writer/co-director/actor and even introduced eleven out of the twelve episodes. Their passion is evident throughout the series, and all of them went to great lengths to ensure “From the Earth to the Moon” would be as accurate as possible.

The ambitious project aired weekly over six weeks in two-hour installments. Each chapter had radically different artistic styles behind the camera. With different writers and directors gave each episode its own tone, look and feel. Each hour of “From Earth to the Moon” plays like a mini-movie, beautifully mixing archival news footage with the new material.

But when “From the Earth to the Moon” first aired in 1998, I wasn’t able to see it, because I didn’t have HBO at the time. I didn’t discover the series until the following year when it hit DVD. It didn’t matter though, I was hooked from the first episode. “Can We Do This?”

Directed by Tom Hanks, the opening chaptter is arguably the most linear, condensing the first few years of the space program into an hour-long episode. This one episode told you everything you needed to know about the history of manned space flight and introduced you to all the key players for the rest of the mini-series. From the opening shots of the Vostok 1 launch to Mike Peck sequence. All of it was a joy to watch.

However, as good as “Can We Do This?” is, other episodes have become my personal favorites. For example, episode five “Spider” begins in 1961, as NASA engineer John Houbolt tried to convince management that the easiest way to land men on the Moon will be to use a separate landing craft. It then traces the design and development of the Lunar Module by a team led by Grumman engineer Tom Kelly.

“Spider” also covers the selection and training of the first crew to fly the LEM: James McDivitt and Rusty Schweickart (along with Command Module pilot David Scott), and culminates with their first flight of Spider in Earth orbit on Apollo 9.

Another episode I can watch over and over again is episode seven, “That’s All There Is.” This episode tells the story of Apollo 12, the second lunar landing mission. The entire episode is narrated by Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean (Dave Foley).

I like this episode because of the friendship the Apollo 12 crew share, and how lost friends are never forgotten by the astronauts.  Pius, there are some very funny moments involving a camera, and a school field trip.

Finally, there is episode ten, “Galileo Was Right,” and episode twelve, “Le Voyage Dans La Lune.” I see these episodes as the two-part story of Harrison “Jack” Schmitt (Tom Amandes). He was the first scientist to go into space.

But maybe, more importantly, Schmitt was essential in getting the astronaut corp the geology training they needed. Plus I also like how nerdy Schmitt and professor Leon Silver (David Clennon) get on field trips.

All in all, “From the Earth to the Moon” remains one of my go-to space shows. IT’s brilliantly cast and directed, no other mini-series has topped it since. I can sit down and binge watch this series at any time, and I usually watch it at least once a year at least.

Whether you saw it twenty years ago, or are just hearing of it for the first time, “From the Earth to the Moon” is an exceptional piece of television, and well worth your time.

Trailer Park: Glass trailer 2

 

I can’t remember the last time I was excited to see an M. Night Shyamalan film. Might have been “Signs” way back when. But I gotta admit after seeing this trailer, I’m very optimistic about “Glass.”

I like the cast from top to bottom, and the action looks solid. Plus January might just be the perfect time for a movie like this.

Film Guff Podcast: Two new-ish episodes!!

Not a hoax nor a dream: There are two brand spanking new episodes of the Film Guff Podcast available now for your listening pleasure!

That’s right boys and girls, the three amigos of Film Guff got together and recorded not one, but two episodes. First up is episode #24 “Beirut: The Director’s Cut.” where the gang deeper look at 2018’s The Negotiator (AKA Beirut).

That’s followed up by episode #24, “Hoopstinker Pixies.” In this episode, the boys are joined by he jetsetting comedian and podcaster Rivers Langley to talk about New Kids On The Block, sandwiches, speech therapy vegan options, and the film “The Hudsucker Proxy.”

As usual, Film Guff is hosted by Ali and Cev, two British gentlemen who may have or may not have competed in “Strictly Come Dancing.” They’re joined by Nick, a man whose love is required, whenever he’s hired, It comes just before the kill. No one can catch him, no hitman can match him
For his million dollar skill.

The point is, go listen to Film Guff.

Doctor Who: The Woman Who Fell to Earth Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

The “Doctor Who” season 11 premiere is a success because new star Jodie Whittaker is a natural as the Doctor. Everything she did and said came off as natural, almost as if she’d been playing the Doctor for years.

From the moment she crashes through the roof of a commuter train, Whittaker is without a doubt the same Doctor audiences have been following for 55 years. She’s smart, fearless, and quick to act when people’s lives are at stake.

Once the Doctor is on the scene, she’s immediately in charge and trying to figure out what the heck attacked the train. But where some previous Doctors who may barked orders at people. Whitaker’s Doctor is more of problem-solver, and always includes her new friends on whatever she’s planning to do. Whether it’s building a new sonic screwdriver or explaining that aliens do exist, this Doctor wants everyone to be on the same page.

Joining the new Doctor is a great group of new companions: There’s Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), a directionless 19-year-old who suffers from a neurological disorders that affects coordination; Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill), a police officer in training who yearns to prove she’s capable of more; and Graham O’Brien (Bradley Walsh), a cancer survivor who knows he’s been given a second chance when he met and married Grace (Sharon D. Clarke), a nurse and Ryan’s grandmother.

All of them immediately clicked with Jodie Whitaker’s Doctor, and all of them showed what great companions they can be. From their introductions, they felt like more than just traveling companions for the Doctor. The companions respect the Doctor because she respects them in return. They’re willing to follow her because all she wants to do is help others.

Another great thing is that unlike the last few seasons, there doesn’t appear to be anything cosmically special about any of her new friends. They’re just regular people who get wrapped up in an extraordinary adventure. They all have questions about what’s going on, and some can’t accept that aliens truly exist, but the show handles all that in a fun a refreshing manner. And when in doubt, always ask a bus driver.

‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’ moves through a lot of emotional territories very quickly. But it’s still an action-packed and exciting episode. However, when it does slow down, it has some beautiful and heartfelt moments between The Doctor and her new friends. The episode is also pretty funny, and that’s thanks in large part to Jodie Whitaker’s manic energy and the confusion Cole, Gill, and Walsh often find themselves in.

Something else I liked from the season premiere, was that the 13th Doctor had a ton of energy, more than usual I’d say. But this is due to her body still adjusting to the latest regeneration. As a long time fan, I really liked this because this is how it usually was.

Look at Peter Davison’s first story in 1981, his Doctor nearly died after regenerating. Having Whitaker’s Doctor suffer some growing pains, was a nice little touch by the episode writers.

 

The episode kicks off a new era for the long-running British sci-fi series – one that includes not only a new Doctor but a new showrunner in Chris Chibnall. This infusion of fresh blood in front and behind the cameras made the Doctor Who season 11 premiere feel fresh while also serving as a great jumping on point for new viewers.

The Doctor Who season 11 premiere is a near perfect start to the new series and for Jodie Whitaker. The overall plot is second to getting the main pieces in motion, for the season, but it gets the job done. Quite frankly, it has been ages since a single Doctor Who episode satisfied me this much, and as far as I’m concerned the question has been answered and Jodie Whitaker IS the Doctor.

‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’ score: A