Armchair Commentary

DVDs from the Vault: Forgotten Noir, Jungle Thrills - Plus! Rock, Doris, Popeye, Penrod and Sam (and More!)

Let's begin this week's feast of vintage features on DVD with a newly remastered quintet of lessr-known noir, all culled from the Warner acquisitions library and released via their manufacture on demand imprint, Warner Archives. Monogram's The Fall Guy (1947) benefits greatly from its source material - the short story "Cocaine," by Cornell Woolrich,, whose doom-laden work also served as the inspiration for The Leopard Man (1943), Phantom Lady (1944), Rear Window (1954), The Bride Wore Black (1968) and countless other films. The Fall Guy draws from one of Woolrich's favorite tropes - the crime commited in the wake of an alcohol- or drug-fueled blackout (see also Black Angel and The Guilty, both 1947) - with actor/director Leo Penn (father of Sean, Chris and Michael Penn, and here billed as Clifford Penn) discovering that he may have murdered a woman while in the grip of a bender. The left-field upbeat ending and budget-driven is balanced by the presence of Robert Armstrong (King Kong, 1933) as Penn's cop brother-in-law and Elisha Cook, Jr., in full ferret mode as a highly suspicious stranger. 

DVDs from the Vault: Bowery Boys Volume 2, Jackie Chan, Repo Man, Eddie Cantor and More!

Warner Archives has issued The Bowery Boys: Volume 2, a four-disc collection featuring twelve titles from the impossibly long-running comedy series. The dozen pictures collected in the set roughly cover the first decade of the team's stint under the Bowery Boys' moniker after two previous decades as the Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys and East Side Kids. The tone of the Bowery movies is decidedly more slapstick than in previous incarnations (thanks in part to the behind-the-camera presence of Three Stooges vet Edward Bernds and Jean Yarbrough, who directed numerous Abbott and Costello features and TV shows), and as the series progressed, swiftly moved into psychotronic territory: in Spook Busters (1946), a mad scientist wants to put the brain of Sach (Huntz Hall) into a gorilla, while a spate of candy consumption in Master Minds (1949) gives Sach psychic abilities, which attracts the attention of another mad scientist (Alan Napier from the TV Batman) with noggin-swapping designs for his monster (Glenn Strange). Bernds' The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1955) goes all-out in its grab for the horror-kid crowd, offering up mad scientist John Dehner a gorilla, robot, vampire and a man-eating tree (maintained by The Waltons' Ellen Corby). The other Boys' adventures included in the set are only moderately less weird - they develop a vitamin drink that makes Hall an unstoppable football champ in Hold That Line (1952), tangle with outlaws in Bowery Buckaroos (1947), faux spiritualists (Hard Boiled Mahoney, 1947) and con artist Amanda Blake in High Society (1955), which was accidentally offered up by the Academy for a Best Story Oscar. The Bowery Boys' titles are definitely an acquired taste, but for former Saturday afternoon matinee habitues of a certain age, their antics are comfort-food-level pleasures, dependably broad and daffy and entirely predictable; the WA set features pressed discs and widescreen presentations on Meet the Monsters and two other titles.

DVDs from the Vault: Code Breakers, Killers, Cronenberg, Screwball Comedy and More

Warner Archives presents Volume 6 of the exemplary Forbidden Hollywood series, which unearths remastered editions of long unavailable titles from the Pre-Code era (late 1920s to 1934). As with many pictures from this storied period, the quartet of films included in Volume 6 address a number of "hot" topics which, while handled in a manner that would be considered quaint today, were decidedly mature subject matter in their day, including alcoholism (The Wet Parade, 1932), racism (Massacre, 1934) and a heady bouillabaisse of criminal and moral peccadillos (Michael Curtiz's Mandalay, 1934). There's also John Gilbert as a sexually voracious cad who upends a well-to-do household in the dark comedy Downstairs (1932), a proposed comeback feature conceived and co-written by the former silent film star. There's star power to spare in all four films, from Walter Huston, Myrna Loy, Wallace Ford and Jimmy Durante buffeting stars Robert Young and Dorothy Jordan in their fight against the evils of liquor in Victor Fleming's The Wet Parade to Ricardo Cortez, Warner Oland and Lyle Talbot doing their best Tex Avery wolf imitations at the sight of "hostess" Kay Francis in Mandalay. And while Richard Barthlemess and Ann Dvorak in tan makeup as Sioux in Massacre might strike modern-day viewers as camp (at best) or offensive (at worst, and the depiction of black characters in the film isn't much better), the film takes a remarkably sober and sympathetic look at the wholesale indignities heaped upon reservation dwellers by white government and religious representatives. Forbidden Hollywood Volume 6 is again a treasure trove for aficionados of Hollywood's Golden Age and its more eyebrow-raising efforts.

MODs of the Week: Pirates, Cowboys, Illustrated Men and Dead End Kids

Warner Archives offers a remastered presentation of actor Robert Taylor's near-to-last screen outings in Return of the Gunfighter (1967), a made-for-TV feature originally broadcast on ABC before receiving a theatrical release overseas. Taylor's weathered visage, worn down from its former matinee idol glory by age and illness (he would die from lung cancer two years after the film's release), does much to sell his portrayal of an aging gunslinger whose attempt to retire in peace is cut short by a search to find a friend's killer (Lyle Bettger as yet another charismatic heel). A young Chad Everett joins Taylor on the trail, while the supporting cast is filled out by familiar players like Michael Pate, Mort Mills and John Crawford and John Davis Chandler as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Warner also has Taylor in the pungently titled Tip on a Dead Jockey (1957), a modest thriller adapted from a short story by Irwin Shaw, with the star as a guilt-ridden former pilot who accepts a job from Martin Gabel (first mistake) to transport smuggled currency (second mistake). Jack Lord is Taylor's down-on-his-luck pal, while Dorothy Malone and Marcel Dalio are his wife and gabby houseguest, respectively.

Guest Post: Now Leaving "Eureka" (A View from the Inside)

Amy Berg, Eureka co-executive producer, bids a fond farewell to the funny, smart and inventive Syfy series, which brought joy (and science) to fans for five seasons. The final episode airs tonight at 9/8C, and also will be available via Amazon Instant Video.

"Although I only joined the show at the start of season four, I’ve been a fan since its premiere," Berg told Amazon Studios' Hollywonk blog. "There has always been something magical about Eureka. Not just what you see on screen, but behind the scenes as well. The show brought together an amazing collection of humans, from our writing staff to our production assistants and every member of the cast and crew."

 

Eureka stars, from left to right,
Salli Richardson-Whitfield as Dr. Allison Blake, 
Niall Matter as Zane Donovan, 
Joe Morton as Dr. Henry Deacon, 
Erica Cerra as Jo Lupo, 
Neil Grayston as Dr. Douglas Fargo
and Colin Ferguson as Sheriff Jack Carter,
a regular guy who succeeds with
common sense when genius runs amok.

 

Now Leaving Eureka

by Amy Berg

“First my PDA has a camera, and now black holes are everywhere? People need to know these things!”

Oh, Sheriff Carter. I’m going to miss you.

I’m going to miss your endearing naïveté. The way you see the world and the people who inhabit it. The love you have for your family, the respect you have for your friends, and the lengths you’re willing to go to protect people you don’t even know. Most of all, I’m going to miss your charm. So. Much. Charm.  

You’re more than just a role model for young women, Allison. You are proof positive that genius is color blind. You’re strong and confident but never cold. You’re guided by your mind and your heart in equal measure, and that’s something we all can envy.

The smartest man in the smartest city also has the gentlest soul. You wear your heart on
your sleeve, Henry, and sometimes it bites back. You have all the answers, except when it comes to your own life. But despite everything you’ve been through, you’ve never sacrificed your ideals and you’ve never let down your friends. 

You don’t just save lives, you enrich them. You’re tough as nails, but not invulnerable. So what if you’re not an intellectual, you’re okay with that. You’re not intimidated by anyone, be it politicians, five-star generals, or Eureka’s resident smartypants. You may not always know what you want, but you always know what others need. I want to be you when I grow up, Jo.

Damn, you’re sexy. But you’re also quite handy with a keyboard. That wall you put up was tough to crack at first, but eventually you stopped trying to patch it. Now we know the real you, Zane. You’re a honorable guy with a good heart. So suck it up.

No one has come farther than you, Fargo. You went from bungling button-pusher to the head of Global Dynamics, and it’s been a treat watching you grow. Your inner workings and outer spaciness are a hoot and a half. We’ve enjoyed getting a peek into that inquisitive mind of yours… and occasionally, if not intentionally, your pants.

From uber-smart offspring Zoe and Kevin to overly accommodating Deputy Andy, I’m going to miss everyone who has visited Eureka over the past six years. Beloved town crier, Vincent. Long-suffering Larry. Charming thorns Nathan Stark, Trevor Grant, and Isaac Parrish. Hell, I’m even going to miss that crazy bitch Beverly Barlowe. 

Oops. Forgot one. I’m going to miss you too, Holly. I was just, uh, saving the best for last. Not that I like you more than the others, I just mean… crap.

Now it’s awkward.

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” – Isaac Asimov

Eureka isn’t just a town, it’s an idea.

A place where intellectual aptitude is celebrated, not ridiculed. Not only is it okay to be smart, geeky, or obsessive… it’s required. Don’t let all the explosions, AI takeovers, and space-time disturbances fool you. Eureka is a damn fine place to live.

Guest Post: J. Michael Straczynski on Why Comic-Con Matters

J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Changeling) has a special place in his heart for Comic-Con. It's not just an opportunity for JMS to connect with fans of his work in TV, movies and comics — it helped him succeed as a writer, as he explains in this exclusive guest post, written for the Amazon Studios Hollywonk blog:

What’s so special about San Diego Comic-Con? I hear you ask. Yes, that’s right, you, seated in the last row where you thought I wouldn’t notice or call on you. Sit up straight, stop fiddling with your papers and pay attention, because I’m not going to repeat this.

I lived in San Diego from 1974 through 1981, when I made the long trek up to Los Angeles to pursue my writing career in venues a bit broader than were locally available at that time. Despite being a massive comics fan, I was only able to attend SDCC a few times during those years because ... well, frankly, I couldn’t afford it. The con wasn’t unduly expensive, in fact by most measures it was quite a bargain, but at the time every penny I earned as a writer, and there were very few of them, went into buying writing supplies instead of luxuries like convention tickets or food. Which is why despite being 6’3” I weighed only about 145 pounds. I was determined to make it as a writer or die trying.

Whenever I could scrape up enough cash to buy a ticket to SDCC, I did so, even if it meant not eating for a while. It was that important. Why?

Lemme explain.

There is a vast difference between a convention like SDCC and most of the for-profit conventions that are run more by businessmen than by fans. In the case of the latter, there is the audience and there are the participants — the speakers, panelists and special guests — and rarely is there the opportunity for one to become the other.

But that transition, from audience to participant, from fan to professional, is what fan-run conventions are all about. Despite its staggering size and complexity, San Diego Comic Con is the Mount Everest of fan-run conventions. In the course of its history, it has become a Mecca for those who love the visual arts and want to do more than just look on passively.

As a college student, on the few occasions when I had enough cash to buy a ticket to SDCC, I was able to see folks like Harlan Ellison, and Robert Bloch, and Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury and dozens of other leading professional writers talking about the craft of writing. I often learned more about writing in one hour-long panel hosting luminaries of that level than I’d learned in two years of college work. And then there were all the editors and publishers and agents who came to talk about their part of the business, what they looked for in new and aspiring writers, and what it took to break through the background noise and be noticed by those empowered to purchase your work.

And further down the hall, in the dealers’ and exhibits room, you could find publishers from DC Comics, Marvel and other publishers who would actually take the time to review art by novice illustrators or talk nascent writers through the process of improving your dialogue or breaking down a plot for a comic book.

For as much as the event was about comic book companies and others showcasing their wares, it was also about bringing up the next generation of writers and artists, about the transition from here to there, from fan to professional.

And here’s the amazing, the stunning, the delicious part of it all.

It’s still about that!

There is a supportive and positive tide that runs through the core of San Diego Comic Con that crests in the panel rooms and sweeps people up from their seats and deposits them behind the dais where they encourage the next group to hold on as the tidal surge now starts to come their way. It is as regular as clockwork, as powerful as an earthquake and as intimate as the quiet turning of your considered conscience.

It is a celebration, a passing of the torch, a reunion of glorious madmen and women, a parrot-pretty parade of costumes, a top-flight university in the visual and creative arts...and every year it is my favorite place in the world to visit. Because in the final analysis, the whole thing is about hope.

Read the full post at the Amazon Studios Hollywonk blog.

Comics Legend Neal Adams on What Makes Superheroes (and Superhero Movies) Great

Neal Adams knows superheroes. He broke new ground with Batman, X-Men and The Avengers, and recently tackled ZvG: Zombies Vs. Gladiators, a project on the Amazon Studios Movie Development Slate (see the trailer here). Adams talked with us about the best superhero movies he's seen, plus Batman, Sherlock Holmes and what Superman needs to be super again.

Some highlights from the interview:

What do you think are the biggest pitfalls for studios looking to make a superhero movie?

Underestimating the audience. … They really have to look for good stuff. People are not thrilled necessarily with superheroes — they’re thrilled with characters with characters, just like literature forever. You need good characters. You can relate superhero movies directly to Shakespeare, or stories of the gods.

Of all the superhero movies that you’ve seen, which ones stand out to you as having done the best job?

Well, oddly enough, the last two Batman movies have done some of the best jobs, and Batman is not even a superhero; he is the antithesis of a superhero if you think about it. Nothing super about him …. Superman is probably the greatest comic book superhero, this god-like creature that’s out there. And Batman, created very shortly after that, is the opposite. He’s a superhero who is not a superhero in any way. He’s like an Olympic champion who is very much like Sherlock Holmes. And if you play him that way, then you’ve got a great character. Is he a superhero? Well, he does put on a weird costume. … Sherlock Holmes is a great character. No, he’s not a comic book character. Well, excuse me, I just saw the last two movies. He looks like a comic book character to me. In fact, I would say that of Raiders of the Lost Ark. That guy is a superhero — of a different sort.

What is Superman’s place in the world, in the 21^st century. Some people say he doesn’t work anymore …

Superman is one of the most unrealistic characters. And he’s changed — he used to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, now he can leap tall planets. I think the future of Superman is to downgrade his powers so that he’s fallible and is someone who can be hurt. … I think you have to go in that direction. There are too many middle-ground characters getting too much traction. … If Superman is not making it people’s minds, but Thor is, something’s wrong and it’s gotta be fixed. And it will.

A Rarely-Seen Treat from Prometheus Director Ridley Scott

Those amazing Prometheus shorts? Not Ridley Scott's first experience with firing up a crowd via viral videos. Here he is in the early '80s equivalent, a Blade Runner featurette made to be shown at sci-fi and other genre-fan conventions (via cinephilearchive):

I Have Seen the Future (And It Looks Terrible): 10 Movie Dystopias Before "In Time"

Director Andrew Niccol's In Time, which opened on October 28, envisions a future in which the world's population has been genetically engineered to stop aging when they reach their 25th year. There is, of course, a catch: they are also "programmed" to die at age 26, but can stave off the inevitable by working for minutes to add to their lifespan. This combination of technological heaven and biological hell is the latest in a long line of dystopias on film, depicting worlds where the promise of a future filled with wonder has been replaced by despair, disarray and the human race teetering on the brink of demise. 

Following are ten more memorable visions, listed in chronological order, of the future gone wrong on film. It is by no means a comprehensive list, but merely a representative sampling of the subgenre.

Metropolis (1927) Director Fritz Lang's seminal science fiction film examines the schism between the working class and the managerial elite in this blend of Expressionism and Marxism that also includes one of the screen's first robots, a sleek, metallic automaton used to sow dissent among the rebelling workers. 

Alphaville (1965) Jean-Luc Godard's surreal adventure sends secret agent Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) to the title city, an Orwellian technocratic dictatorship overseen by the super-computer Alpha 60, which has forbidden emotion in favor of mindless obedience.

Rock-Em Sock-Em: 10 Tough Movie Robots Before "Real Steel"

Sure, robots in the movies can be helpful, like C-3P0 or Robby the Robot, or coldly malevolent, like the Daleks. But can they take a punch? That question is answered in Real Steel, a science fiction-action hybrid opening October 7 with Hugh Jackman as a washed-up pug turned promoter of a robot boxer. Based on Richard Matheson's short story "Steel" (which which was previously adapted for the fifth season of The Twilight Zone in 1963),Real Steel reminds us that several memorable movie robots have brought the brawn along with the binary code in prior years.

For the purposes of this list, we're expanding the defintion of the word "robot" to include androids (machines designed to resemble humans) and cyborgs (robots with both biological and mechanical elements). We're also limiting our list to cinematic robots, so you won't find Cylons, Cybermen or the Six Million Dollar Man here (that's another list altogether).

In chronological order:

- Gort, The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) Actor Lock Martin, who stood at 7' 1" (though other sources say 7'7") left his job as the doorman at Grauman's Chinese Theater to play the 8-foot mechanical enforcer for alien visitor Klaatu (Michael Rennie) in Robert Wise's science fiction classic. When a trigger-happy GI accidentally wings Klaatu during his impromptu visit to Washington, D.C., Gort impassionately disintegrates the military's might, and nearly comes close to wiping out humanity as a whole until Patricia Neal utters the enduring phrase "Klaatu barada nikto."