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"LEGENDS OF THE SUPERHEROES" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Available on DVD October 19 Official Warner Archive site Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Back in the bizarro world of the late 1970s, Hanna-Barbera Productions was producing the popular “SuperFriends” cartoon series. To coincide with this superhero-themed program, the company produced a live-action version of the show, variety show style. Two episodes were produced. The first featured “The Challenge” in which the Legion of Doom plotted in their underground lair how to trick the Super Heroes into drinking a potion that would rid them of their powers.
The second episode was a roast... yes, a roast by celebrity sidekick Ed McMahon. The “Tonight Show” personality came in to poke fun at the Super Heroes, with a few surprise guest, including lesser (and obviously fake) heroes like Ghetto Man. Oh boy, the drugs were good in the 70s.
WHAT I LIKED
I remember watching these shows when they aired back in 1979. Being only eight years old and a huge fan of the “SuperFriends,” I thought they were genius. In this sense, they completely captured the spirit of the 70s, mixing silly superhero types (remember that Richard Donner’s “Superman” was to date the only really serious superhero movie) and the era’s love for variety show programming.
While horribly written and campy as all get-out, looking back on this more than three decades later gives it a bizarre charm. What was just a bit silly in the 70s had become unwatchable in the 80s and 90s but is strangely nostalgic and wildly entertaining today.
Prior to this release from Warner Archive, the only way to watch these shows was on blurry YouTube videos, and I had dabbled before. While shot on videotape with shockingly low production value, they still look pretty decent for the era in question.
Also, one thing to love about this was that outside of the 1960s TV series and the “Batman” feature film, it is the only other time that Adam West and Burt Ward (as the middle-aged wonder by this point) played Batman and Robin on screen. (It is also the only other time that Frank Gorshin played The Riddler.)
“The Legends of the SuperHeroes” is a train wreck, but in a goofy and unbelievably entertaining way. Hardly quality work, I still could not look away and will likely watch this several times over the coming years for a good laugh.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Were I to take this show seriously as a stab at the superhero genre, there’d be plenty to complain about. Forget the shoddy casting of the heroes, it’s the casting of the super-villains that really boggle the mind. Charlie Callas as Sinestro? Wouldn’t that be like casting Mel Brooks as Lex Luthor? Sure, but such was the case in this show.
Additionally, the elaborate schemes the Legion of Doom had to do the superheroes in are convoluted and illogical. If Sinestro has a power ring, why does he need to sabotage the Batmobile (which was left unguarded and unlocked at the side of the road)? Why, if the Weather Wizard has such power over nature, must they dupe the superheroes into drinking a potion?
Finally, the roast episode is just plain insanity. Whoever thought this would be a good idea got away with television murder here because the show is almost painfully ridiculous... but in a good way.
DVD FEATURES
Sadly, there’s no special features on this release, and that’s a shame because I’d love to see how high the people were when they made this show.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone who lived through the 70s and remembers when this was cool.
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"PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Rated R Available on DVD October 19 Official Warner Archive site Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The risqué 1971 film about murder and sex in an American high school comes to DVD courtesy of the Warner Archive Collection. Rock Hudson stars as a womanizing (or rather girlizing) teacher who spends his time testing kids’ IQs and getting in the high school girls’ knickers. Meanwhile, a student who is obsessed with sex and his wickedly hot substitute teacher (played by a still sizzling Angie Dickinson) has stumbled upon a series of murders, which threaten to take attention off the homecoming football game.
WHAT I LIKED
I was born in 1971, so I never saw this film in the theaters, and if it were ever on television, it would have been heavily edited. As a sample of 70s cheese in the spirit of films like “M*A*S*H,” “Pretty Maids All in a Row” gives a distorted but obviously compelling view of the high schools of that time... if only they were really like that when I want to school.
It’s not to be taken seriously, though there are several points in the movie that give an attempt at a political message. Rather, this was the “Porky’s” of its day. There’s plenty of naked girls of various ages in the film, so it works on the T&A level. Yes, that’s a rather crass way of looking at it, but it kept my attention, and I suppose it would do the same for any other red-blooded American male.
“Pretty Maids All In a Row” is more of an interesting look at pop culture of the early 70s rather than a great film, so from a historic perspective (as well as a naked breast perspective), it’s interesting to watch.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Were you to take out the sex and nudity, “Pretty Maids All in a Row” would be nothing but an incomprehensible load of silliness. There’s not much of a plot, and where there is one, it flounders between the high school perv’s obsession with his teacher and the half-assed investigation of the murders.
By the end of the film, I can’t say that I was satisfied from a story and character perspective, but I don’t feel I wasted my time.
DVD FEATURES
Like other releases in the Warner Archive Collection, there are no special features.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who remember this movie and those who want to see 1970s-era (read as: pre-boob job) breasts.
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"JONAH HEX" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The post-Civil War hero from DC Comics who can talk to the dead gets a notorious feature film treatment in “Jonah Hex.” Josh Brolin plays the title role as an ex-soldier whose wife and child were killed by former General Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). Disfigured and distraught, Jonah Hex becomes a bounty hunter until he discovers Turnbull is alive and planning an act of terrorism on U.S. soil.
WHAT I LIKED
“Jonah Hex” was one of those films that was released this summer that had me thinking, “It can’t be as bad as everyone says it is.” And unlike films like “The Love Guru” and “Gigli,” it wasn’t. I actually enjoyed this movie for the most part.
It’s a quick flick, with a scant 82-minute running time. And sure, it seems rushed at times and repetitive at others, but I wasn’t expecting much. In this respect, it wasn’t bad. Brolin does a decent job bringing the haggard hero to life, and Malkovich plays his standard villain.
There’s some decent action, even if it is put up against a really out-of-place metal soundtrack. Call it my guilty pleasure of 2009, but “Jonah Hex” was silly and fun, and it actually plays decently on home video.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’ll let everyone else online complain about “Jonah Hex” because they have plenty to say about it, and I can’t really say they’re wrong. The story is a bit convoluted, the characters aren’t fleshed out very well and the pacing is all over the place. But like I said, I was okay with this for what I was expecting.
The only unforgivable part in this film is the casting of Megan Fox as the pointless and sweaty prostitute who has captured Jonah Hex’s heart. Even after seeing the movie twice, I don’t understand her purpose in this movie beyond showing the actress in a corset... and even then she’s so stanky looking that I can only image that she smells like week-old cheese.
DVD FEATURES
The DVD comes with a few deleted scenes and nothing else, which is sad because a nice selection of bonus features might have persuaded more people to see the film... or at least check out the DVD.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
I think I may have been the only one.
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"ALIEN AUTOPSY" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Available on DVD September 29 Official WB DVD site Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In 1995, music producer Ray Santilli was shown a piece of film that depicted an autopsy done on aliens that had crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico. Seeing a chance at fame and fortune, he and his partner Gary Shoefield plan to sell the footage to networks around the world. But after discovering the film had deteriorated, they reshoot the autopsy at a friend’s flat and end up cashing in on one of the biggest UFO hoaxes ever.
WHAT I LIKED
Anyone who has followed any sort of UFO reports in the mid-1990s should have a certain interest in this film. Just prior to its release in 2006, the real Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield came clean with their account of the alien autopsy video, and if you were one who thought it could possibly be true (and I was one of those, I’ll admit, having some interest in the genre), you can’t help but feel a little stung by the revelation.
However, knowing the public story before the mea culpa, it was interesting to watch how this film revealed itself. In particular, I did enjoy seeing how the alien autopsy was recreated in a small flat and how things went down behind the scenes.
However, to really enjoy this movie, you have to take it as a whimsical comedy rather than a science fiction piece or a serious drama, because it’s presented more as a BBC sit com than a feature film.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
My biggest problem with this movie was how the characters were retrofitted to reality stars Declan Donnelly and Ant McPartlin. I know there’s a lot of Ant & Dec fans out there, but for someone like me who are seeing them for pretty much the first time, they just didn’t seem right for the roles.
Ultimately, this movie doesn’t know what it’s trying to be. The comedy could work, and the descent into celebrity debauchery by Ray Santilli was mildly interesting, but it all started to turn into a wannabe Hollywood story. I was more interested in a more revealing story about the people behind the hoax, in particular the original cameraman.
Finally, there’s a rather intelligence-insulting insinuation with this film that while Santilli and Shoefield were charlatans, there was a truth behind the real footage... and that is just a little too cheesy for my tastes.
DVD FEATURES
The DVD comes with deleted scenes, outtakes, an alternate opening, a commentary by director Johnny Campbell and a making-of featurette with Ant & Dec hosting.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of Ant & Dec, and anyone who wants the sort-of true story behind the alien autopsy.
