Batman and Robin 1949 Serial Review

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a big fan of the classic black and white movie serials from the 1930’s and 1940’s. I tend to like the action serials best of all, but if they happen to be comic book related? even better.

A few tears ago on this here blog, I wrote a review of the 1943 Batman live action serial. When I wrote that review, I was aware there was another Batman serial made later in the 1940’s. I’d even seen the dvd set at a couple of used movie stores. But I didn’t get a chance to watch the serial, until now that is.

“Batman and Robin” is the 1949 sequel to the 1943 serial “Batman.” But despite both serials being produced by Columbia Pictures, “Batman and Robin” stars a completely different cast. In this new live action 15-chapter adventure, Robert Lowery played Batman/Bruce Wayne, while Johnny Duncan played Robin/Dick Grayson. Supporting characters included Jane Adams as Vicki Vale, Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon, William Fawcett as Professor Hammil, and Eric Wilton as Alfred Pennyworth.

Unlike the 1943 serial where Batman took on the Japanese in the middle of World War II, this time, Batman and Robin battle a villain known only as The Wizard. The cloaked and hooded Wizard operates from a secret cave laboratory, where he uses “remote-control” technology to ransom Gotham City by disrupting all of the city’s cars and trains.

This machine the Wizard uses is made up of a quaint-looking bay of switches and knobs, and is fueled by diamonds. The machine doesn’t look like much today, but I’m guessing back in 1949 kids saw this as high-tech stuff. The Wizard has other trick too, like a hypnotic power and, eventually, the ability to turn invisible.

One of the things I enjoy about these serials is the simplistic way Batman is portrayed. This is just a guy trying to do the right thing. He has almost no state of the art gadgets, and often the villain is better equipped than Batman. This was nicely done in the 1943 “Batman” Serial, which is probably why I liked that serial so much.

From a visual standpoint though, I liked the cinematography of the 1943 serial over “Batman and Robin.” The original serial had more flair, and used shadows really well. In “Batman and Robin,” the direction and camera work isn’t as creative. All the car chases are shot the same, as are the fight scenes. Even the chapter cliffhangers are scenes we’ve seen before in other serials.

It’s possible the filmmakers had a bigger budget in 1949, but it doesn’t show in the finished product. Batman and Robin get from place to place in Bruce Wayne’s car. Only Vicky vale notices this, but she never follows up on the lead. Vicky also walks around with a camera the size of a Buick. This camera looks huge even for 1949.

The dynamic duo’s costumes were updated for this serial, with darker capes for both and tights for Robin. Thing is, Lowery ends up in a goofy-looking cowl that gives Batman a round-head and floppy ears. Robin’s mask is a little too big for his face, but it looks similar to the 1943 mask. Batman’s utility belt looked better in the first serial, but at least it gets used here. Although I’m not sure how the giant gas masks fit in there. On the plus side, neither Batman or Robin’s capes get in the way quite as much as they did in the 1943 serial.

When it comes to the leads, Robert Lowery as Bruce Wayne/Batman and John Duncan as Dick Grayson/Robin, are not very convincing as either the heroes or their civilian alter egos. Lowery over plays the playboy angle, making Bruce Wayne more of a joke than anything else. If he’s really only interested in resting and going on vacation, why would the police commissioner bother to get his advice on cases?

Meanwhile, John Duncan in particular is just too damn old to be the “Boy” Wonder. Plus he spends more time on the ground rather than doing something productive. I lost count of how many times he got hit behind the head and missed part of the action. Duncan may have been knocked out more times than Tonto on an episode of “The Lone Ranger.”

While “Batman and Robin” isn’t the worst serial out there, it’s not my favorite either. This serials lacks some of the originality of the first Batman serial. The story has some good ideas, but it dumbed down with inconsistencies. For example, one character is in a wheel chair for most of the serial, but when the rest of the character see him walking, nobody addresses it.

Little things like that drive me nuts, but that’s just me. Then again,  if you’re a big Batman fan, then check out the “Batman and Robin” serial. If nothing else, it’s fun to see this often forgotten chapter of Batman.

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Fantastic Four #1 Review

 

FANTASTIC FOUR #1
Written by: Dan Slott
Art by: Sara Pichelli, Elisabetta D’Amico, Marte Gracia, Simone Bianchi, Marco Russo, Skottie Young, Jeremy Treece, Joe Caramagna
Edited by: Alanna Smith, Tom Brevoort
Published by: Marvel Comics

What it’s about…

BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT – THE WORLD’S GREATEST COMIC MAGAZINE IS BACK! Since the end of SECRET WARS, there’s been a gap in the Marvel Universe. A void no other team can fill. And it’s time for the world to move on. But can it? A life-changing decision by the Thing! A momentous declaration by the Human Torch! A clarion call-to-arms that summons Doctor Doom! And a signal in the sky that heralds the return of hope to the Marvel Universe!

All this, and Alicia Masters adopts kittens! So cute! Plus, the Impossible Man! AND BONUS STORIES ILLUSTRATED BY SIMONE BIANCHI AND SKOTTIE YOUNG! IF YOU READ ONLY ONE MARVEL COMIC THIS MONTH, THIS IS THE ONE!

What I thought about it…

I’m a little bit torn over Fantastic Four #1. On one hand, this issue had classic Fantastic Four family moments, like Ben and Alicia adopting some kittens, and Johnny and wingfoot taking in a Mets game. But on the other hand, this wasn’t the first issue I was hoping for or expecting. The way this comic plays out, it should have been the final issue of Marvel 2-in-One. That book hasn’t ended, but FF #1 basically told me how it’s going to end.

Otherwise, this comic should an annual, or a zero issue for the new ongoing series. Any of those options would have worked for me. However, that criticism doesn not take away the fact that this extra-sized adventure is a fun and heartfelt first step to returning the Fantastic Four to the main Marvel Universe.

Dan Slott writes the whole issue, and each of the original four has a something to say, and they combine into a wonderful story than will tell you everything you need to know about the Fantastic Four. Even if you haven’t read an FF book before, this comic brings you right in, and you won’t feel lost at all.

Furthermore, Dan Slott’s script humanizes the Thing like I haven’t seen before. Here we see what matters most to Ben now, who his closest friends are, and what his everyday life is like today. But the scene with the kittens was probably my favorite moment in the book, and there were plenty to choose from in this comic.

For the new series, Slott is joined by Sara Pichelli on art. From the start, Pichelli draws the characters as her own. The Thing is massive when he’s next to Alicia, and Alicia is the girl next door that Ben fell in love with ages ago. All the characters in this issue are wonderfully expressive, and fun to look at. Not once does Pichelli try to copy anyone elses FF, this is her version and hers alone. And I’d guess she’s having a fun time working on this book.

Although Fantastic Four #1 somewhat spoils what is going on in Marvel 2-in-One, this was still a great opening chapter. The story by Dan Slott is solid, and he writes plenty of moments Fantastic Four fans will be happy to see. Sara Pichelli is the perfect artists for this series, and her work here is phenomenal. When all is said and done, Fantastic Four #1 is a great read for the final days of summer.

Fantastic Four #1 score: B+

Looking back at Doctor Who season 8 (1971)

For the last week I’ve been fighting what is arguably the worst summer cold I’ve ever had. Because of this, I’ve been spending a lot of time in bed and taking cold meds. However, in-between coughing and sneezing, I needed something to do. So I decided to watch some of the classic Doctor Who episodes that I haven’t seen for one reason or another.

Actually, I know the reason I haven’t watched these particular episodes: they star the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, my least favorite Doctor. The only Pertwee stories I have seen are “Spearhead From Space,” “Inferno,” and “The Three Doctors.” I didn’t care much for Pertwee’s version of the Doctor, so I’ve avoided his era since. But now that I have Britbox, I figured I should give the third Doctor another chance.

I just finished season 8, which stars Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, and his companion Jo Grant, played by Katy Manning. Also starring this season are Brigadier Lethbridge-Steward (Nicholas Courtney), and The Master (Roger Delgado). Season 8 was broadcast, consisted of give serials with total of 25 episodes which aired from late January to late June of 1971. These stories were:

“Terror of the Autons”
“The Mind of Evil”
“The Claws of Axos”
“Colony In Space”
“The Daemons”

These stories had a loose story arc running through it, which introduced the popular recurring villain, The Master. But if I’m honest, having the Master as the main villain in so many back to back stories took away from what makes the character special. For one thing, he didn’t seem to have any specific goal in mind. This seemed to change with every story, and all he ever really did was hypnotize the poor UNIT guys. By the time I got to “Colony in Space” I was tired of seeing the Master show up again.

“Terror of the Autons” (4 episodes) is the first appearance of the Master. In this tale, the Master constructs beings out of plastic to kill people. I thought this was a nice story with some genuinely scary moments throughout. There’s also plenty of action involving the UNIT guys and a surprisingly high body count.

The next story was “The Mind of Evil” (6 episodes). This was a long story with a lot of characters involved. But “The Mind of Evil” is probably also one of the most interesting Doctor Who stories from this era. This time, the Master creates the Keller Machine which we are led to believe is a new way to rehabilitate prisoners. However, we later learn that there is more to this than meets the eye.

“The Mind of Evil” has even more action than the previous story. Not only do we get prison riots, but in the second half an atomic missile comes into play. We even learn more about The Doctor and his greatest fears.

The third story of the season is “The Claws of Axos” (4 episodes). This one deals with a group of aliens called Axos, who crash-land on earth. After making contact with the Doctor and UNIT, the group proposes to help humankind with one of their minerals. But everything is a cover for the destruction of mankind, and of course The Master is helping Axos. But at one point, this story sees the Master and Doctor helping each-other for the first time.

My favorite arc of season 8 was “Colony in Space” (6 episodes). This was the first time Jon Pertwee’s Doctor left earth. This occurs when The Time Lords feel that someone or something is about unbalance the universe, so they transport the Doctor ans Jo to another planet 500 years in the future. From there we get plenty of politics, class warfare, lizard people, and a giant robot. But later on The Master shows up to spoil things.

Season 8 wraps up with “The Daemons” (5 episodes). This is one of the more supernatural Doctor Who tales. Here, the Doctor tries to thwart a magical Master. This was an interesting thing to see. I don’t know if I’d call it great, but it was definitely interesting.

Going into this season, I fully expected to hate the “earth-bound” doctor era. But I found myself enjoying the stories more than I would have thought. I think it all came down to the regular supporting characters from UNIT, and the guest stars in every story. Heck, even Jo Grant grew on me. I wouldn’t say she’s in my top 10 companions, but she’s definetly higher than many.

But don’t get me wrong, Jon Pertwee is still my least favorite Doctor. I think the Third Doctor was very selfish being, often only thinking about his own problems. He appears to hate everyone and everything around him, maybe except for Jo Grant. Too often he’d help others only because it help him in some wat. It’s no wonder that the Master tries to convert him on more than one occasion. There was even a moment during “Claws fo Axos” where I believe a part of him wanted to join the Master.

Even so, I’m glad I watched this season of “Doctor Who.” I learned a great deal about the third Doctor and about UNIT. I enjoyed the action, and some of the new races we met. Maybe the Master was overused, but it was still fun to see the original version. Now on to season 9!

Astonishing X-Men #14 Review

 

Astonishing X-Men #14
Written by: Matthew Rosenberg
Art by: Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Frank D’Armata
Cover by: Greg Land and Frank D’Armata,
Editors: Annalise Bissa, Darren Shan, Jordan D. White,
Published by: Marvel Comics

What it’s about…

Welcome back to the X-Men stage, the incomparable…the amazing…the uncanny…DAZZLER! The Reavers are hunting random mutants, so Havok and Beast must save a former X-Man. But these Reavers aren’t completely as they seem!

What I thought about it…

Astonishing X-Men should be an easy book to like, especially with the roster writer Matthew Rosenberg has put together. Led by Havok, and with Beast, Colossus, Banshee, Warpath, and Dazzler on the team, this X-Men lineup is full of characters I like. However, something is off or missing from this title, and I’m not sure what that is.

For whatever reason, these characters don’t seem to like each other. They’re always making snarky comments about each other, and it doesn’t come of as funny. Most of these characters have been through the ringer in recent years, but that shouldn’t completley change their personalities. Rosenberg has written good stuff before, but I feel like he’s going out of his way to make me dislike this toster.

The only character on the team that seems to be having fun on this team is Dazzler, and she is the best part of Astonishing X-Men #14. Whether its her comments about retro stuff being back in, or the sad look on her face when she realizes the Havok and the other are there to recruit Forge, not her, Allison stole the book for me.

The art by Greg Land isn’t great, but its not as bad as some of his more recent stuff. He’s at least trying to give each X-Man some personality an emotion. Land doesn’t quite nail either, but I’m glad none of the X-Men look like they were traced from an issue of Vogue. And perhaps its just me, but I get the feeling that Greg Land is going for a Neal Adams X-Men look for this arc.

I had high hopes for this run of Astonishing X-Men, but issue #14 is another disappointment. The team lineup is great, and I like Havok’s reasons for wanting to put together a team of his own. I also like Rosenberg as a writer, and I still have hopes this arc will turn around in the end.  For now though, Astonishing X-Men #14 is only worth reading for Dazzler’s all too brief appearance.

Astonishing X-Men #14 score: C

Flashback Review: Son of Frankenstein

Over the last couple of weeks, the wifey and I decided to cancel our DirecTV service. It got too expensive, and we are using more streaming services than before. However, the wifey didn’t want to cut the cord completely, so we bundled with Charter Spectrum. The switch has nearly tripled the number of channels I have, but it’s costing me at least $80 less a month, including internet.

I’m still trying to learn where all the channels are. But last weekend when I couldn’t sleep, I landed upon a 1939 movie called “Son of Frankenstein.” I thought I had seen most of the Universal monster movies, but somehow this one had escaped me. But I wasn’t about to miss a Frankenstein movie starring Boris Karloff as the Monster, Basil Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, and Bela Lugosi as Ygor.

In the film, several years have passed since the events of the first film, and we are introduced to Baron Wolf Von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone), the son of Henry Frankenstein, as he prepares to move his family into his father’s castle. I guess this is the castle that was destroyed at the end of a previous movie, but I’m not positive.

Anyway, the local residents aren’t too pleased with their new neighbors, and become predictably hostile. To the townsfolk, the Frankenstein name us a curse upon the village. The only friendly face in the crown is the local chief of police Inspector Krogh (Lionel Atwill). Many find this surprising, since Krogh was a victim of the Monster as a child when, he claims, the beast ripped off his arm. This is something that will play a role later in the film.

From there Wolf runs into Ygor, a creepy blacksmith who mysteriously survived his own hanging. ygor was convicted of grave-robbing, and of course, it wasn’t any old grave he robbed. Later when Wolf visits the family crypt, he discovers the Monster’s body and decides to revive him in an effort to prove his father’s right, and to restore honor to the Frankenstein name. You can probably guess how this decision played out from here.

I can’t say “Son of Frankenstein” is on a par with any of the other Frankenstein movies out there. But I also can’t deny that this was one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen from that era. It all comes down to Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi who give some epic performances. Karloff is as scary and sympathetic as ever, and Lugosi is a scene stealer despite being hidden under layers of hair and make-up. He was so good, I didn’t even realize it was Lugosi because I had missed the opening credits.

The grand finale of “Son of Frankenstein” was more action packed than I expected. There’s even a scene where Frankenstein rips off Inspector Krogh’s fake arm, and starts beating him with it. But the old inspector has another arm, and is able to shoot the monster. He doesn’t kill him, but he stuns Frankenstein long enough so that Basil Rathbone can impersonate Tarzan by swinging across the laboratory, and kicking the monster into the ooze below.

Speaking of Basil Rathbone, it was really strange seeing him play kind of good guy, only because I know him best as a bad guy in classic movies. However, in “Son of Frankenstein,” Rathbone really shows his acting range. Towards the end of the film he goes from meek victim, to homicidal maniac, to action hero. This might be my favorite performance by Basil Rathbone.

“Son of Frankenstein” may not the best of the classic Universal monster movies, but it’s certainly not the worst. This movie has some great scenes filled with suspense, horror, and even a little humor. The acting is easily the best part of the film, and you’ll never go wrong with Karloff and Lugosi in the same movie. All in all, I’m glad I couldn’t sleep that night, and I discovered this great monster mash.

Better late than never review: Ready Player One

Possible spoilers ahead!

“Ready Player One” takes place in a dystopian future where much of the world has been dealing with issues like overpopulation, environmental degradation, and rampant corporate take overs. Hoping to escape the real world, people spend most of their time interacting and in the OASIS, a virtual reality world created by the late James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and his partner Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg).

The OASIS is heavily informed and powered by Halliday’s love with pop culture of the late 20th and early 21st century. This includes everything from movies, tv, music and more. This allows its users to create avatars of their own design, which then can then use to compete in all kinds of games with other players; work for a living in the OASIS; or simply explore the limits of their imagination in a never-ending virtual reality world.

Following his death, it’s revealed that Halliday created one final game in the OASIS known as Anorak’s Quest. The mission calls for players to track down three keys through a series of smaller quests, in order to find Halliday’s last Easter Egg: an item that will grant the winner full control and ownership of the OASIS and its assets in the real world and VR world alike.

No one has been successful in the Anorak’s Quest, until a young man named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), who goes by Parzival in the OASIS, becomes the first person to complete one of these three mini-quests. Perzival becomes an instant celebrity, and draws the attention of a famous player known as Art3mis (Olivia Cooke). But more importantly, Wade makes himself a target for the Innovative Online Industries CEO Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), who is determined to gain control of the OASIS at any cost.

Adapted from the novel by Ernest Cline, “Ready Player One” is the latest effort from legendary director Steven Spielberg. He’s a director that’s hit or miss for me. For the most part, I either love his movies or hate them. There’s rarely any room in between. But “Ready Player One” is unlike anything Spielberg has ever done, and thus, it doesn’t feel like a Spielberg movie. Perhaps that’s why I ended up enjoying “Ready Player One” as much as I did.

But let’s be clear about one thing: the OASIS is the true star of “Ready Player One,” and a ton of credit has to go to Spielberg and his special effects team. The filmmakers created a world filled with mo-cap characters, and a ton of easter eggs for fan boys like me. There’s so much going on in these scenes that its likely I missed a bunch of stuff. But it was still a thrill seeing the Iron Giant, Batman, Voltron, the “Back to the Future” Delorean, and more together.

If “Ready Player One” fails in one area, it would be in making the real world characters likable and engaging. I don’t think its the actor’s fault, but the script could have done better by them. I never felt much of a connection with lead character Wade Watts, especially since the character of Art3mis was more fully developed than he was. She’s a more complicated character than I expected, and just as capable (if not more) than Wade.

One aspect of the cast I did enjoy were Wade Watts’ friends in the OASIS, including his good buddy Aech (Lena Waithe) and the siblings Sho and Daito (Philip Zhao and Win Morisaki). Some of my favorite moments int he film were the scenes in which this group of players join forces to battle Nolan Sorrento and his goons.

For the past six years my friend Nick has been telling me to read this novel. I still haven’t, despite his nagging, so I’m not sure how closely Steven Spielberg stuck to the source material. But I’m guessing he took a few liberties here and there. Regardless, I found “Ready Player One” to be a fun, fast paced trip down memory lane. Add to that the incredible world of the OASIs, and I was hooked. This is one movie I’ll be watching again.

“Ready Player One” score: B

Movie Flashback: Mask of Zorro

Hard to believe “The Mask of Zorro” just turned twenty years old. It doesn’t seem like that much time has gone by.

The film starring Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, and Catherine Zeta-Jones and directed by Martin Campbell was a big deal for me. I had been a Zorro fan most of my life, but this would the my first chance to see Zorro on the big screen.

I still remember going to see the movie the first Sunday it was out. My friend John and I wanted to see the first show of the day at the National Amusements theater in Randolph Ma, but it was sold out. We managed to get tickets to the 2:00 show, but even that was packed and we ended up sitting in the last row. We sat so far up, that we had to use a different door to get into the theater.

Luckily the sitting arrangement did not take away my enjoyment of “The Mask of Zorro.” This movie was everything I wanted to see and so much more. The film not only reintroduced the character to new generations, but it expanded on what had been done before. “The Mask of Zorro” had a lot of energy, fun, swordplay, and humor. I never felt like the movie talked down to long time fans, or tried to preach at you. The movie simply showed you how good can battle evil, with honor.

My favorite scenes in the movie were the ones between Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who had great chemistry and,  an ideal to the right thing. Whether its the dance at Don Rafael’s hacienda, at which the daughter and the dashing visitor take over the dance floor in a passionate paso doble. Or a scene that starts as a duel to the death between man and woman, and ends in a surprised embrace. All of their scenes together were gold.

As John and I left the theater, I couldn’t stop raving about the movie. Then as we rode the escalator up, we saw going down were the rest of our friends. They were on their way to see “Armageddon,” which John and I had already seen. But they said we should come along anyways, so we did. Afterwards I told them about “Mask of Zorro,” and Nick suggested we go see it. I couldn’t say no, so off we went to see the movie once more.

When I was around five or six years old, I got sick at school, and had to stay home the next day. I spent most of the day sleeping, but woke up every few hours to take my medicine. It was during one of the medicine breaks when I turned the tv on and discovered Disney’s 1950’s “Zorro” series starring Guy Williams.

I changed the channel just in time to see Zorro jumping from a rooftop. I didn’t know who the masked man wearing black was, but I definitely wanted to know more. It only took one scene to make me a fan. And as I recovered over the next couple of days, I made sure to catch more episodes of Zorro.

That was a long time ago, but my love of Zorro has remained intact. Since that day in the early 1980’s, I’ve watched every Zorro tv show and movie I could find. I’ve read the original story by Johnston McCulley countless times. Aside from the Guy Williams show, I’m particularly fond of the 1940 film “Mark of Zorro” starring Tyrone Power. But my next favorite Zorro adaptation is none other than the “Mask of Zorro.” And the memories o seeing the movie probably have a lot to do with that.