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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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.

Better late than never review: Super Troopers 2

Possible spoilers ahead!

Movie goers didn’t get to see Broken Lizard’s 2001 film “Super Troopers” until early 2002. The movie turned out to be a special kind of comedy: part stoner film and part prank film. The story of a group of Vermont state troopers trying to save their jobs, was the underdog story we needed at the time. That’s because “Super Troopers” came out at a time when all of us needed a good laugh. Now more than 17 years later, the old gang is back in “Super Troopers 2.”

Directed once again by Broken Lizard member Jay Chandrasekhar, “Super Troopers 2” brings back the five-man creative team of Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske, as co-writers and stars. Brian Cox reprises his role as the troopers’ ornery captain, John O’Hagen. Marisa Coughlan returns as Officer Ursula Hanson, but sadly its just a cameo.

The film picks up after the events of the first film, and finds the former troopers rehired by Vermont Gov. Jessman (Lynda Carter). She sends the troopers to police a region near the northern edge of Vermont that’s become the subject of a border dispute between the U.S. and Canada. Here, the Super Troopers 2 pitted against a trio of Canadian Mounties and the mayor of the border town.

New additions to the cast include Rob Lowe as Guy Le Franc, a former hockey player who now serves as the mayor and owner of the local brothel. Another addition is Emmanuelle Chriqui as a cultural attaché working with the American and Canadian. The trio of Canadian Mounties are played by Tyler Labine, Will Sasso, and Hayes MacArthur.

“Super Troopers 2” is not as good as the original, but its not a bad film either. Most of the jokes are still funny, but the sense of unpredictability that I felt watching the first film is missing here. The script in the sequel felt more put together, and more thought out. While in the first “Super Troopers,” it appeared to be more like chaotic fun.

“Super Troopers 2” finds most of its humor in the cultural, political, and each country’s preferred units of measurement. Some of the jokes are genuinely funny, because the Broken Lizard guys are so lovable and funny. But there’s only so many times you can go back to the same joke. Also, unlike in the first film, we don’t get as much syrup chugging, “meow” gags, or mustache rides. And I think that was part of why “Super Troopers” clicked with audiences in the first place.

But I give the Broken Lizard guys credit for always trying to push the envelope. This movie features a subplot involving one of the Troopers getting hooked on menstrual cramp meds, becoming increasingly, stereotypically feminine. This leads to a few funny moments with the other troopers. Some people might not find this bit funny, but I can’t think of anyone else who could pull it off like the Broken Lizard cre.

As for the new cast additions, Rob Lowe was great as the Canadian Mayor. His facial hair may rival Henry Cavill’s, and Lowe gets some great one liners int he film. The always gorgeous Emmanuelle Chriqui is good as Genevieve Aubois. But her relationship with Rabbit didn’t feel as organic as Ursula’s and Foster’s did in the first movie. Even so, I will happily watch Chriqui in anything she does.

As I said earlier, “Super Troopers 2” isn’t as good as the first “Super Troopers.” However, the sequel still delivers more than a few laughs, and if you enjoyed Broken Lizard’s other stuff, you’ll like this movie. The main cast is still a lot of fun to watch, and many of the joked are funny as hell. If you’re looking for something funny to watch one night, give “Super Troopers 2” a shot.

“Super Troopers 2” score: C+

Better late than never review: Rampage

Possible spoilers ahead!!

Dwayne Johnson stars as Davis Okoye, a primatologist working at a San Diego wildlife preserve who prefers the company of animals after his years in the military. Davis now spends his days training new recruits and caring for the park’s gorillas. The star attraction is George, a rare albino silverback gorilla whom Davis rescued as an infant. Since rescuing George from poachers, Davis has taught him sign language, and how to take care of his fellow gorillas.

Everything changes one night when George is exposed to a strange chemical from a canister that crashed down at the preserve. The substance causes him to grow rapidly and act violent. Hoping to help his friend before the government kills him, Davis finds an unexpected ally in genetic engineer Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris). Caldwell claims to know what’s happened to George and how to cure his condition. However, before the two can do anything to help, George escapes and draws the attention of not only the authorities, but the people at the Energyne corporation.

Run by Claire Wyden (Malin Åkerman) and her brother Brett (Jake Lacy), Energyne has been funding a secret operation in space known as “Project: Rampage.” The experiments went wrong, causing the Energyne space station’s destruction, and the cannisters to crash land on earth. In other words, there’s more to this than Davis and Kate thought, and now its up to them and government agent Harvey Russell (Jeffrey Dean Morgan ) to stop the rampage.

I guess if nothing else, “Rampage” proves once and for all that Dwayne Johnson can sell any movie. “Rampage” is not a masterpiece, nor will it go down in history as The Rock’s best film. There are plenty of issues with this movie, for instance: other than Davis Okoye, the rest of the characters are one-dimensional, and get little to no background stories or arcs. The acting is over the top at times, especially from Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The villains act like cartoon villains, and I never felt like they were a credible threat.

The talented Naomie Harris mostly exists to react to what ever Dwayne Johnson’s does or say. Occasionally she’ll say something to keep moving the plot forward, but is she relevant to the story? Nah, not really. But I suppose the Rock needs a proper sidekick in these situations. Still, Naomie Harris deserved better matirial to work with.

As I mentioned earlier, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s government agent Harvey Russell is one over the top character. But Morgan pulls it off with some nice jokes and plenty of charisma. The cast is rounded out by a couple of familiar faces like Joe Manganiello, P.J. Byrne, and Will Yun Lee. But none of them are in the film long, and none of them do anything to advance the plot.

However, somehow, someway, “Rampage” is still a fun disaster film. If you can process a sci-fi film about The Rock battling giant monsters, then you’ll have a lot of fun watching this movie. The People’s Champion does his usual tough but lovable guy routine, and even delivers a few cheese one liners along the way.

Whether “Rampage” has anything to with the 1980’s video game is another story. I don’t recall ever playing the video game when I was a kid. I was a little busy with my other toys, but I’m guessing the was not like the movie. No matter though, since the big attraction here is the Most Electrifying Man in sports entertainment.

In the end, “Rampage” is all about giant animals destroying Chicago and a little bit about the relationship between Davis and George. But I suppose people don’t watch these kind of movies for the plot. We just want to see The Rock kicking ass and taking names. And that’s exactly what “Rampage” delivers on.

“Rampage” score: C

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Review

Possible Spoilers ahead!!

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” presents two parallel stories: one set in 1979 that follows Donna (Lily James) as a young woman, making her way from London to Greece. The other timeline is set a few years after the first “Mamma Mia!” and centers on Donna’s now 25-year old daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who is trying to reopen the family hotel on the Greek island of Kalokairi. This takes place about a year after mom Donna (Meryl Streep) passed away.

Sophie’s desire to stay on the island and run the small hotel creates tension between her and her husband Sky (Dominic Cooper), who is working in New york city. When a massive storm threatens to derail the grand re-opening plans, Sophie struggles to keep it together. But with support from her mom’s best friends Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski), and one of her three dads, Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Sophie doesn’t give up.

Meanwhile, back in the ’70s, young Donna (Lily James) is ready for a new adventure, and along the way crosses paths with three young men who will forever be linked to her: Harry (Hugh Skinner), Bill (Josh Dylan), and Sam (Jeremy Irvine). And of course there’s plenty of singing and dancing throughout.

Directed by Ol Parker, Here We Go Again is a fun musical just like the first “Mamma Mia!” was ten years ago. The sequel even carries over some of the first film’s more popular ABBA songs, like “Dancing Queen” and, of course, “Mamma Mia.” But the sequel also adds a slew of other ABBA songs that were not used in the previous film.

However, the big issue with Here We Go Again is the death of Meryl Streep’s Donna. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise since Streep was absent from most the film’s marketing. But when Amanda Seyfried and Pierce Brosnan confirm the news, it literally sucked the air out of the theater. I heard loud gasps, and “Awws” from a number of people around me.

It’s bad enough she died between movies, I really hate when movies do that. But to make matters worse, Here We go Again doesn’t even explain what happened to Donna. Now, Meryl Streep does appear in the film, but I won’t spoil how or why. But I still  think the script could have handled the situation better, and in a different way that wouldn’t have shocked the audience as much. Plus to hit you with it right after a big happy dance number was an odd choice.

That said, I do think having the two timelines worked well. We see Sophie’s difficulties in present day, while also seeing how young Donna experienced similat situations all those years ago. In a way, both are figuring out where they’re going in their lives, and the film does a nice job of cross-cutting between the two storylines. Most of the transitions are seemless, but a couple of times its jarring going from happy to somber.

For the most part, the new musical numbers are pretty great. Some of the film’s best were “Waterloo” and the opening number at Donna’s school graduation. The choreography in the movie is solid as well, and the cinematography around Greece is stunning too.

One little complaint from me would be that Here We go Again has a couple of plotholes that don’t work with what was said in the first film. But I won’t take away too many points for that. The timeline also doesn’t match up. Assuming the first movie took place in 2008, and  if Donna had Sophie in 1979, then Sophie should be around 35-40, not 25. Otherwise, the first movie took place in 1999? I don’t know, I’m probably over thinking this.

What truly makes the Mamma Mia! sequel work is of course the cast. It’s a lot of fun seeing the old gang back together singing and dancing. Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård as the older versions of Harry and Bill get some of the funniest moments in the sequel, and its nice to see the two characters became good friends over the course of the two films. Pierce Brosnan isn’t given as much to do here, but at least the filmmakers were smart enough not to give him too many notes to sing.

The big surprise for me was Lilly James as young Donna. She may not look like Meryl Streep, but she nailed Donna’s quirks and mannerisms. James also has the same energy and charisma that Meryl Streep brought to the role in the first movie. If that wasn’t enough, Lilly James has great chemistry with the young versions Harry, Bill, and Sam. It was easy to buy that she fell in love with all three, and the movie makes it all very natural.

Other new additions to the cast include Andy Garcia as the mysterious Mr. Cienfuegos, the man Sophie hired to manage the hotel. I’d say this is Garcia’s most subtle role. But I liked that he really cared for Sophie and the hotel. And of course there’s Cher as Sophie’s showbiz grandmother, Rubie. Cher is not in the movie for long, but when she sings, the auidence in the theater actually cheered.

Ten years ago I was shocked when I saw “Mamma Mia!” and liked it. I wasn’t too sure I’d enjoy “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” as much, but the sequel offers just as much (if not more) fun cheesy entertainment and musical number as the first film. It sucks Meryl Streep’s Donna is gone, but it doesn’t take away the fact that I and the audience I saw this movie with, still had fun.

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” score: B