Movies you've just watched

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xxx1993

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Post by xxx1993 »

That's one of the best movies to watch on Halloween. It even has an awesome music score reminiscent of 80s cyberpunk movies.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Yeah, I had high hopes after hearing they'd gone for a Halloween III: Season of the Witch vibe, wasn't disappointed! Taps the classic vein of stylish black-lit crazy played dead straight. Actually, this would've made a fine Halloween IV, had that series continued its anthology route.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Superman (1977): ***

This was Hollywood's first attempt at a big budget blockbuster superhero movie (Sure there was the 1966 Batman movie, but that was basically a 2-hour episode of the Adam West Batman TV show.) In some ways this holds up surprisingly well (there is some amazing practical effects and model work going on here) but in a lot of ways it feels like they spent all the money on the effects and sets, and spent about $12 and a couple of sticks of Juicy Fruit on the writing. You get such bizarre things as a sequel hook ten minutes into the film that never shows up anywhere else in the film, Gene Hackman's weird performance as Lex Luthor, a nuclear explosion that sets off the San Andreas Fault which somehow only causes four very specific disasters, two of which just happen to involve Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, a classic "ran out of money" ending that just completely handwaves the big dilemma it purports to present, and some really random occurrences along the way.

That said, it definitely feels like a comic book movie would have in 1977. Comic books hadn't reached the edgy phase they would hit in the eighties, and as a result the writing was still pretty campy overall, and this movie definitely feels campy in spots. Still worth watching, but it'll definitely come across as a bit weird to people more used to stuff like the MCU (and especially DC Murderverse) films.
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xxx1993

Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by xxx1993 »

BIL wrote:Yeah, I had high hopes after hearing they'd gone for a Halloween III: Season of the Witch vibe, wasn't disappointed! Taps the classic vein of stylish black-lit crazy played dead straight. Actually, this would've made a fine Halloween IV, had that series continued its anthology route.
I wasn't too crazy about the movie at first, but after seeing it that's when I truly got interested.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by Mischief Maker »

Vexorg wrote:Superman (1977): ***

[...]

in a lot of ways it feels like they spent all the money on the effects and sets, and spent about $12 and a couple of sticks of Juicy Fruit on the writing. You get such bizarre things as a sequel hook ten minutes into the film that never shows up anywhere else in the film,
Oh, you are WAY off! They hired Mario Puzo of "The Godfather" fame to write the screenplay. The thing with the sequel hook is the film was initially planned as a "Kill Bill"-esque two parter, and they were filming both Superman 1 and 2 at the same time. The original ending to Superman 1 involved superman throwing one of Lex Luthor's nukes into space where it shattered the phantom zone and released Zod as a "To be continued" hook. It was planned as a greek tragedy with Clark having to choose between marrying Lois Lane as a regular dude, or being the Superman needed to protect Earth from the likes of Zod.

Unfortunately the producers of the films, the Salkinds, had a deservedly weaselly reputation and partway into filming Superman 2 they replaced Director Richard Donner with Richard Lester, who was a big fan of slapstick comedy and pushed the series off a cliff into true camp. The stories of the behind-the-scenes shennanigans with these films are legendary. Years later fans of the original cobbled together most of the discarded Richard Donner footage from Superman 2, filled in the missing gaps with screen test footage, and released The Richard Donner Cut, which is the only version of Superman 2 worth watching in my opinion.

But I unreservedly love Superman 1. The John Williams score, the vision of a Krypton whose technology was so far beyond our understanding, the great effects, and especially the performance of Christopher Reeves. I would not call Superman 1 "camp," that's Adam West Batman. There's a theme throughout the film of this wholesome comic book character clashing with the deep cynicism of the late 70s. (The first person to see Superman wearing the suit in public is a street pimp, when he says he's fighting for "truth justice and the American way" Lois retorts that he'd be fighting every politician in Washington, when the little girl tells her mom superman flew out of the sky to save her cat she gets slapped, etc). It's a testament to Reeves' acting ability that he was able to play it straight even with Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty bouncing off each other.

And I love Hackman's Luthor. He's such an egotist I can imagine him picking Otis as his henchman specifically because he provides a constant stream of excuses to belittle and intellectually bully him. "Amazing that brain can generate enough power to keep those legs moving." I'll take Hackman Luthor over Kevin Spacey or Jesse Eisenberg any day. And while we're on the subject, Margot Kidder looks way better in Superman 1 than Maggie Gyllenhaal did in Dark Knight. (Which actually makes the screen test footage in the Donner Cut of 2 interesting because Kidder looks GREAT in those, before the coke started to take its toll).
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Trick: The Movie
Loved it! Just as silly and wacky as the tv show as been up to this point (made after series 2 and released before series 3) but really confused by the few reviews I saw of it on letterboxd. Only one review before I made mine made mention that they'd watch the show. The others called it confusing and hard to follow because they hadn't seen the show. Anyways, Yamada is asked to act as a god in a remote town by a couple who head up the youth services because its nearing the 300 years since the last great disaster and legend has it that every 300 years a giant turtle statue moves on its own and a great disaster happens. Ueda, the university professor is sent to the town by his publisher for it to be the subject of his 3rd book. Wacky and silly as usual, and all of the main players from the tv series show up.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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In a lot of ways, Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor feels like he'd be much more at home trading barbs with Cesar Romero's Joker or Frank Gorshin's Riddler from the 1960s Batman TV show than he is next to a generic megalomaniac like Terence Stamp's Zod (had to look up the actor because there's absolutely nothing memorable about the performance.) Speaking of which...

Superman 2: **

Without having seen the Donner Cut version of this, the biggest problem I have with this one is that the inciting incident that sets off the plot is so horrendously contrived that it makes the whole rest of the movie seem ridiculous. The fact that the spinny glass Phantom Zone thingy managed to not only travel in exactly the same direction as Kal-El's lifeboat when Krypton exploded (from three galaxies away no less; a hundredth of a degree difference in course would have put it thousands of light years away) but also show up right when there's a suspiciously convenient nuclear explosion to break it and unleash Zod, makes the whole thing feel campy and ridiculous. I know we're dealing with 70s comic book level writing here, but even by those standards this is pushing it. Also, the product placement in the battle between Superman and Zod in Metropolis is ridiculous enough that you'd think this was a Sony Pictures film or something like that.

Also, the pacing in this one is downright glacial. There's so much padding the runtime in this one that it could probably have been turned into a 1-hour TV special and lost nothing of value.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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I always like the Donner Superman movies. They're very much wholesome in a way most comic book movies are not. Unless you would consider Howard the Duck wholesome. It's a whole lot of some-thing, all right.

I saw The Wind Rises last night; I've had the DVD for years and never got around to putting it in. I hadn't watched an out-n-out Miyazaki movie since Howl's Moving Castle so I don't know what he did in-between that and this (the last Ghibli movie I watched current was Earthsea, which sucked... I know it wasn't all Goro's fault but still*). This reminded me in some ways of Whisper of the Heart in its smaller scope and slice-of-life approach. I enjoyed it a lot more and it felt more like a 'return to form' than something like Howl. As far as Ghibli slice-of-life, Whisper is a better film but this was a nice, bittersweet drama with some great dream sequences to let the animation break out.

*I hear his later films are better, so that's good
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Groundhog Day

One of those that gets better every time you see it.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Stevens wrote:Groundhog Day

One of those that gets better every time you see it.
Just got done watching this as well. Quite true. Never grows out of style!
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Astro Boy (2009) - I enjoyed this movie, even though it was a massive flop and generally disliked by everyone. It's kind of amazing how a sixty-five million dollar movie with countless A-list celebrity voices bombed as badly as it did, but I don't think it deserved its fate. Yeah, it's kind of by the numbers, but there wasn't really anything bad about it. I think people were just spoiled by Disney/Pixar movies at the time. 

Howl's Moving Castle - Couldn't really get into this at all. Yeah, it's beautifully animated, but there was way too much that was never explained. Characters would often do and say things that didn't really make any sense. Charming, sure, but not very well written. 
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xxx1993

Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by xxx1993 »

Saw two Netflix movies this week. Below Zero, and Space Sweepers.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by BrainΦΠΦTemple »

last mOvie i saw was nanook of the north (1922)
it was a pretty cool ethnographic documentary. the thing i learned is fuCk bein' an eskimo
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Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by BIL »

Half-watched Spookies (1986) the other night. Its rueful production aside (studio disliked first cut, hired new director to Frankenstein on another film in post), it's generic junk re: "teenagers" breaking into a haunted house and dying horribly. But! It deserves mention for a notably ghastly spider that made me think of Wicked City. Image That bit's worth a look.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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That's about all I remember from Spookies as well. I had some fun with it, but like you, I definitely half watched it while I was doing some other stuff. That and it's got awesome Richard Corben artwork.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by Stevens »

Terminator Dark Fate

Hadn't seen a new Terminator since 3. This movie wants to be T2. Except with a shit ton of bad CGI and women.

While Linda Hamilton was probably the best part, the rest was a shittier version of a great movie I saw 30 years ago.

Edit - It also was stupid that the terminator got its ass kicked 20 minutes or so into the movie.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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I was half-interested in seeing Dark Fate for a few days when it came out in theaters but I quickly reminded myself that no sequel to a classic franchise decades later is ever gunna be good. :(
Ajora wrote: Howl's Moving Castle - Couldn't really get into this at all. Yeah, it's beautifully animated, but there was way too much that was never explained. Characters would often do and say things that didn't really make any sense. Charming, sure, but not very well written. 
I never really enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle either, visuals aside. Like you I think it had too many story problems. I felt like it was the start of Ghibli's slumming period, in a way.

I just recently watched The Wind Rises for the first time the other night and found it so much better than the last few Ghibli flicks I've watched. Bittersweet story, beautiful. The slice-of-life approach reminded me a lot of Whisper of the Heart and while I think Whisper of the Heart is a better film, I do love a 'scaled back' approach and Wind Rises was a really good example of that. It let the flying and dream sequences stand out even more.

I still need to see Kaguya, which is the one Ghibli film I really have left on my 'must see' list.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by BIL »

Dark Stool is utter shite but I would pound Cyber Bieber and bust all over her face. 2/5 stars.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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EmperorIng wrote: I never really enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle either, visuals aside.
I watched it w/ my son a year or so ago in the theater and was somewhat surprised that Takuya Kimura (of Smap) voiced Howl. I don't keep up with pop bands of any nation (most definitely Japan) but they are kind of hard not to know about.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Earwig and The Witch
This isn't as horrible as most everyone is making it out to be. Some amazing visuals in this, especially that melting wall and the score is really interesting and different for a Ghibli movie. Plot is kinda all over the place and the abrupt ending is the most annoying thing. The end credits have a bunch of nice hand drawn, almost childlike arts of events with the family and even a cute little easter egg. By far not the worst thing Ghibli has ever put out, just a decent effort from them.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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GaijinPunch wrote: I don't keep up with pop bands of any nation (most definitely Japan) but they are kind of hard not to know about.
Tell me about it. The members of SMAP have so pervaded Japanese media that you can't avoid them. If you turn on a TV or allow yourself to glance at billboards or magazines, you know who SMAP is.

We don't even have an equivalent of the level of ubiquity in the US, but it would be like if the BackStreet Boys were as famous as the Beatles and they went on to host game shows, talk shows, cooking shows and documentaries about fisheries.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by GaijinPunch »

vol.2 wrote: Tell me about it. The members of SMAP have so pervaded Japanese media that you can't avoid them. If you turn on a TV or allow yourself to glance at billboards or magazines, you know who SMAP .
Guilty pleasure: I kind of like Shingo. He did a show many moons ago which, in true Japanese TV form, was garbage, but somehow entertaining. The whole premise was basically them asking him English questions, and we would just absolutely butcher the language like he was in an 80's slasher flick. And let's face it, they're in one of the coolest commercials ever even if it is an advertisement for a cumpany that embodies everything wrong with Japan.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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GaijinPunch wrote:
vol.2 wrote: Tell me about it. The members of SMAP have so pervaded Japanese media that you can't avoid them. If you turn on a TV or allow yourself to glance at billboards or magazines, you know who SMAP .
Guilty pleasure: I kind of like Shingo. He did a show many moons ago which, in true Japanese TV form, was garbage, but somehow entertaining. The whole premise was basically them asking him English questions, and we would just absolutely butcher the language like he was in an 80's slasher flick. And let's face it, they're in one of the coolest commercials ever even if it is an advertisement for a cumpany that embodies everything wrong with Japan.
hahaha. I never really watched a lot of Gatchaman stuff actually. Not because I don't like it, but just never got around to it. Looks cool though.

I like SMAP just fine, they are kind of comforting in a way. Even if I don't much like their music, they are kind of like a constant in the world in the same way that Doraemon is.

Personally, my favorite vocal group is Tokio because I like Taichi Kokubun. I was really into Danshi Gohan, the cooking show. https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%94%B7 ... F%E3%82%93
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Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by BIL »

drauch wrote:That's about all I remember from Spookies as well. I had some fun with it, but like you, I definitely half watched it while I was doing some other stuff. That and it's got awesome Richard Corben artwork.
Holy fuck, yeah, that poster is ace. :o I love promo art that clearly reflects stuff seen in-film (in-game, in-book, whatever). All the gang's there, except for maybe SHOCKTHAPUSS, the VOLTAGE OCTOPUS, but eh. (I like his scene - very waking nightmarish reveal!)

Image

(CLICK 4 FULL REZ ^o^)

Cool article/interview on the trainwreck. Sounds like financier was a total assclown!
"I should never have agreed to [farting mudmen]. The sound mixer burst out laughing, and Michael said, “See, everybody loves that.”
Oh no!
He said, “Well Goonies worked, let’s call it Spookies!” I said, “You can’t call it Spookies in America, because that’s a derogatory term for African-Americans.”
Oh nooo! Wait what. :lol:

On reflection, I'll also give a shout to lovable meathead stereotype DUKE RENO ("Nobody counts out DUKE RENO! Wait - SHIT!"), who plays well off his opposite number, Random Fiftysomething. Who of course Psycho Crushers a locked door, to the delight of anyone who's played a Resident Evil or Silent Hill game. :cool:

After Spookies, was in the mood for some more 60s through 80s d-list horror that nobody cares enough to DMCA off Youtube. Image

The Evil (1978) Another "teenagers" die horribly in haunted house flick, armed with the superb Richard Crenna. Good thing, as his debonair beardy Doc aside, it's bland as fuck! Oh wow, the house is built on native burial site "DEVILS ASSHOLE," great, I wonder what will happen. Many lame, sub-Final Destination Rube Goldberg antics. I did like one particular scene, in which a character is ambiguously dragged kicking and screaming into the dark, never to be seen again. The abrupt terror and violence would've been upsetting, in a good movie! Then more Evil Cables bring the tone down again. :[

TECHNICAL BONUS: Game of Thrones' dogshit Night King sendoff done here first!

The Plague of the Zombies (1966) Dependable Hammer Horror fare. I almost always dig their stuff, even when they're a bit slow-paced, like this one. Lots of stage-trained actors who give a fuck, very proper! A ZOMBI PROCEDURAL of sorts. Hardcase Old Prof/HANDSOME devil Andre Morell must solve the case of Plagued Cornish Village!

Image

Hey this is kinda my groove. :o

Image

And this DEFINITELY is! Image

Image

Ahh, man, comfy as fuck. Image A little prosaically-done, with Prof getting a vigorous full-body workout on multiple graverobbing runs. Kind of movie that can get away with a little slack. It's a chill joint. Pretty decent zombi effects, handful of cracking scenes here.

Asylum (1972) Young Doc must solve the case of the nuthouse story hour! Third in a row anchored by an estimable leading man, here the wonderful Peter Cushing. However! As a set of four vignettes, his commanding presence is limited to just one short. They are as follows!

Frozen Terror: More like Frozen Shite. Or The Telltale Heart, But Shite. Built around an amusing axe-murder aftermath setpiece, which the effects and direction just can't save from unintended hilarity. After this dud, I was ready to fuck off to bed. :sad: Only the HAWT lead actress kept my attention, a filthy ardour that would be rewarded later! Image

The Weird Tailor: Much better. Very Outer Limits, with the talismanic Mr. Cushing. Moody and intriguing, with a memorably uncanny payoff.

Lucy Comes To Stay: Aww fuck, Lezzer Tension Gauge is EXPLODING THROUGHOUT Image as Charlotte Rampling and Brit Eklund ambiguously pal about in the bedroom. Holy fuck, this might end in a spot of NAZI TRIB as our English rose is enticed by that TEASEFUL Master Race Pussy! :shock: Clearly the best movie in this post and on this page.

Image

Mannequins of Terror: Another neatly offbeat/ghastly concept worthy of oldschool OL, seguing into the frameup. Nicely done. I really dig the standard of acting in these footnote British horror flicks, a well-played B film is always a treat.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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The Shadow: **1/2
Mid-90s superhero film with Alec Baldwin as the Titular Shadow, a character originally pulled from old pulp magazines and radio serials. Sort of a discount Batman with the ability to perform Jedi mind tricks, which makes him incredibly overpowered against pretty much anyone except a villain with the same powers (who also happens to be a descendent of Genghis Khan, with similar world-conquering ambition.) Somehow devolves into the standard "Disarm the nuke before it blows up New York" plot from a Mission: Impossible movie (which is ironic because Alec Baldwin eventually ended up in a couple of M:I movies).


The Proposal: **
Pop quiz: Your horrible tyrant of a boss, in a last-ditch effort to avoid being deported back to Canada for violating the terms of her visa, abruptly informs you that you are now engaged to her. Do you:
A) Refuse to do so, immediately quit your job and call your lawyer to sue her into oblivion, or:
B) Bring her to Alaska to meet your quirky family, and then for some inexplicable reason fall in love with her in the process?

If you chose A, you are a sane person, but your movie is now about ten minutes long. Ryan Reynolds, unfortunately, chose B, so now we have this rom-com with Sandra Bullock as the horrible boss. Ultimately, it's a Hallmark movie plot, only this time it has about ten times the usual budget and a nude scene. Probably the best performance in this one comes from Betty White as the grandmother.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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BIL wrote:The Guest (2014) Helpful soldier rooms with his dead buddy's family to promote better living via ultraviolence. Enjoyable! More finely-balanced black-comedic domestic horror from the team behind bizarro home invasion You're Next (2011).

Image
The best use of Because I Love You in recorded history.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Yeah. :sad: :lol:
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Recently watched

La Strada and Wings of Desire

Both are great tbh.
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Re: Movies you've just watched

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Vexorg wrote:The Proposal: **
Were you expecting a surprise hit, or do you watch these for the humor value?
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Re: Movies you've just watched

Post by Ed Oscuro »

Vexorg wrote:The Shadow: **1/2
Mid-90s superhero film with Alec Baldwin as the Titular Shadow, a character originally pulled from old pulp magazines and radio serials. Sort of a discount Batman with the ability to perform Jedi mind tricks, which makes him incredibly overpowered against pretty much anyone except a villain with the same powers (who also happens to be a descendent of Genghis Khan, with similar world-conquering ambition.) Somehow devolves into the standard "Disarm the nuke before it blows up New York" plot from a Mission: Impossible movie (which is ironic because Alec Baldwin eventually ended up in a couple of M:I movies).
This kind of end-of-the-millennium retro throwback, pulp-and-serial inspired movie is theoretically one of my favorite types of film - including the likes of The Rocketeer and certainly Dick Tracy. It's not nostalgia for the era so much as the chance to have some outrageous plots and fashion in a wild and free-wheeling era of history (especially Prohibition-era and prewar America, of course).

I'd like to hear some opinions on how they all stack up to similar fare. 1996's "The Phantom" comes to mind. I have misplaced my copy, it seems, but it can't be any worse than The Shadow as it at least uses some exotic locales (this is the only one I can think of which isn't strictly American in theme, unless you really want to count 1995's Richard III).

On the other hand, there's the 1987 TV movie "The Spirit," based on Will Eisner's classic character. It's got low apparent production values in keeping with its design as the prototype for a potential TV show - which never materialized, alas. But its look fits the theme and source well enough and the cast is excellent. I don't know exactly what sunk it because shortly thereafter Dick Tracy, The Flash, and every other thing jumped into the mold, but perhaps it was one of the trailblazers.

Baldwin and Ian McKellen are misused in The Shadow, a movie which was unwise to compete with the Batman movies and Darkman - plays on the ups and downs of life, wealth, poverty, and grit with a bit of depth and visual flair. The Shadow doesn't keep alive the comic spirit of fantastical doomsday plots either - penguin bombs, tainted cosmetics, chopper chases and cigar cutters are much more fun than plain old nuclear weapons. There is a very straightforward "why" behind the villain of Darkman, but by the time of the reveal you'll hopefully agree that the movie has earned its moment to get a little serious. The Shadow doesn't have any particularly great setpieces nor any convictions to justify any of its cast giving a speech on them. My favorite thing about The Shadow is probably the opening sequence with the pneumatic message tube - things go downhill from there. McKellen was drafted as comic relief in a movie that's not funny. Baldwin doesn't seem to inhabit either guise of The Shadow convincingly, and I wonder if the filmmakers had any particular ideas for him beyond striking a pose in a fake nose. What's worse, for the gobs of money wasted on this title, presumably they could have picked and sorted through the different backstories for The Shadow to find the one that would put the most daylight between him and Caped Carbuncle's capers. At least they've left The Spider alone so far.
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