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Gotham Plaza => Iceberg Lounge => Comic Film & TV => Topic started by: Silver Nemesis on Fri, 24 Aug 2018, 17:44

Title: Blade (1998)
Post by: Silver Nemesis on Fri, 24 Aug 2018, 17:44
Happy anniversary to Stephen Norrington's Blade, which turned 20 earlier this week. For a teenage comic book fan back in 1998, this movie was a lifeline. Batman & Robin had delegitimized superhero movies for many youngsters, and things weren't looking good for the genre. But then Blade came along and showed that CBMs could still be hip, modern and edgy.

(https://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/2/A70-1117)

The final showdown remains one of my favourite fight scenes in any superhero movie. Blade tanks up on blood and rage-modes his way through Deacon Frost's entire army of vampire goons, massacring them with his bare hands. This was Snipes in his prime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3BcIftlU0A

Most people seem to prefer Guillermo del Toro's Blade II over the original, but the first film will always be my favourite.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: Silver Nemesis on Fri, 21 Jul 2023, 20:07
The latest Deadpool 3 rumour claims Snipes is returning as Blade 8) : https://geekositymag.com/wesley-snipes-brings-horror-to-deadpool-3-as-blade/

(https://i.gifer.com/5pF.gif)

Jackman's Wolverine, Affleck's Daredevil, Garner's Elektra and Snipes' Blade in the same movie. Get Thomas Jane as the Punisher and this could be the best multiverse superhero line-up to date. That's assuming the rumours are true.

I'll be curious to see if Deadpool 3 has a negative impact on the mainstream MCU reboots of Daredevil and Blade. It's going to be hard enough to get fans to accept someone other than Snipes in the role, and it'll be ten times harder if Snipes has only recently played him again. Particularly if Deadpool 3 is a good movie that does justice to the character.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: The Joker on Sat, 22 Jul 2023, 00:18
Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Fri, 21 Jul  2023, 20:07The latest Deadpool 3 rumour claims Snipes is returning as Blade 8) : https://geekositymag.com/wesley-snipes-brings-horror-to-deadpool-3-as-blade/

(https://i.gifer.com/5pF.gif)

Jackman's Wolverine, Affleck's Daredevil, Garner's Elektra and Snipes' Blade in the same movie. Get Thomas Jane as the Punisher and this could be the best multiverse superhero line-up to date. That's assuming the rumours are true.

I'll be curious to see if Deadpool 3 has a negative impact on the mainstream MCU reboots of Daredevil and Blade. It's going to be hard enough to get fans to accept someone other than Snipes in the role, and it'll be ten times harder if Snipes has only recently played him again. Particularly if Deadpool 3 is a good movie that does justice to the character.

This very well could shape up to be a more satisfying take on the multiverse concept, than what "Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" proved to be. Course, that wouldn't be too difficult a task either. Heck, I would be game for a Eric Bana Hulk cameo, though you just know the Shrek jokes would come flying soon after he appears. Course, it would be cool to maybe see Bana's Hulk in a skirmish (if just briefly) with Jackman's Wolverine. Which would be a nice little nod to the many Hulk/Wolverine battles from the Marvel comics history.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: thecolorsblend on Sat, 22 Jul 2023, 03:10
Quote from: The Joker on Sat, 22 Jul  2023, 00:18I would be game for a Eric Bana Hulk cameo
That's... a very interesting point.

But same. I mean, I'd prefer Edward Norton. But that's probably never happening. So, Bana? Yeah, I could go along with that.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: Silver Nemesis on Sat, 22 Jul 2023, 11:00
Bringing back Bana's Hulk would be amazing.

But I'd go one step further. Why not bring back Ferrigno? Not just as the voice of the Hulk, but actually playing him in live action again. Sure, he's 71, but he's still in good shape for his age. In the old days they used perspective photography to make him appear bigger, but now they could enhance his size using digital effects. They could even bring back these guys for a cameo.

(https://i.postimg.cc/CxWH6dLW/thordevil.png)

Most people wouldn't have a clue who they are, but older comic fans would get a kick out of it.

The funniest cameo would be if they got some random DC hero in there. Like if Dean Cain appears dressed as Clark Kent and Deadpool says, "Are you even allowed to be here?" Cain could then change into his Superman costume, only to find the S-shield digitally blurred for copyright reasons. He could only be referred to or credited as C.K., but everyone would know who he was. That would really shatter the fourth wall.

Maybe I'm going too far back in time though. The multiverse aspect of Deadpool 3 seems to be specifically concerned with those abandoned Marvel properties from the 2000s. If that's what they're focusing on, then adding Bana and Jane to the line-up they've already got would be perfect. They could also get Cage as Ghost Rider. Presumably all the Raimiverse characters are off limits.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: The Dark Knight on Sat, 22 Jul 2023, 13:12
I have no interest in any new movies on the immediate radar. Goodbye. See ya later. I hope they tank harder than an M1 Abrams. I remember having fond memories of the first two Blade movies, but I haven't seen them for ages. Dark humor from a badass black beast sounds good to me. So it's back to 1998 and 2002 for my entertainment - the current crop apart from Mission Impossible and Wick can't be trusted.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: The Joker on Sun, 23 Jul 2023, 00:08
Quote from: thecolorsblend on Sat, 22 Jul  2023, 03:10I mean, I'd prefer Edward Norton. But that's probably never happening. So, Bana? Yeah, I could go along with that.

Yeah, between the two, I would agree with Norton being the choice if it wasn't for the circumstances, and probably more difficult to get on board as opposed to Bana. Plus, Bana kinda fits better in the grander scheme of things with the notion of the multiverse in Deadpool 3 acknowledging the late 1990s-2000's era of Marvel movies. The "Experimental Phase", as I would call it. Before Disney got into the game, and increasingly became formulaic.

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Sat, 22 Jul  2023, 11:00Bringing back Bana's Hulk would be amazing.

You know, seeing Bana's Hulk ripping apart Jackman's Wolverine would not only be inspired by the "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk", but they could also have it as a call-back to what Juggernaut 2.0 did to Deadpool in the 2nd movie. With Deadpool snarkily referencing his own experience of course.

I kinda want to see that now.

QuoteBut I'd go one step further. Why not bring back Ferrigno? Not just as the voice of the Hulk, but actually playing him in live action again. Sure, he's 71, but he's still in good shape for his age. In the old days they used perspective photography to make him appear bigger, but now they could enhance his size using digital effects.

As much as I love that show, I would be game for that. Even if big Lou just ADR's his voice, I'm sure they have more than enough footage of his face as the Hulk during the series to deepfake on top of a bodybuilder stand in. Similar to how "Terminator Salvation" recreated the bulkier Arnie from 1984. Complete with the same hair style and all.


QuoteThey could even bring back these guys for a cameo.

(https://i.postimg.cc/CxWH6dLW/thordevil.png)

Most people wouldn't have a clue who they are, but older comic fans would get a kick out of it.

Nothing wrong with that. Warners pretty much did the same with the Golden Age Jay Garrick Flash, and Nic Cage Superman appearing in "The Flash". With absolutely no frame of reference for either by the majority of the audience I'm sure.

QuoteThe funniest cameo would be if they got some random DC hero in there. Like if Dean Cain appears dressed as Clark Kent and Deadpool says, "Are you even allowed to be here?" Cain could then change into his Superman costume, only to find the S-shield digitally blurred for copyright reasons. He could only be referred to or credited as C.K., but everyone would know who he was. That would really shatter the fourth wall.

Outstanding!  ;D

QuoteMaybe I'm going too far back in time though. The multiverse aspect of Deadpool 3 seems to be specifically concerned with those abandoned Marvel properties from the 2000s. If that's what they're focusing on, then adding Bana and Jane to the line-up they've already got would be perfect. They could also get Cage as Ghost Rider. Presumably all the Raimiverse characters are off limits.

Yeah, I still remember all the rumors about Cage's Ghost Rider appearing in "Dr Strange Multiverse of MadnesS", along with a Tom Cruise Iron Man, ect ect ect. Seems like if a Cage Ghost Rider cameo were to EVER happen ... this would be the time. Absolutely.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: thecolorsblend on Sun, 23 Jul 2023, 02:50
Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Sat, 22 Jul  2023, 11:00Bringing back Bana's Hulk would be amazing.

But I'd go one step further. Why not bring back Ferrigno? Not just as the voice of the Hulk, but actually playing him in live action again. Sure, he's 71, but he's still in good shape for his age. In the old days they used perspective photography to make him appear bigger, but now they could enhance his size using digital effects. They could even bring back these guys for a cameo.

(https://i.postimg.cc/CxWH6dLW/thordevil.png)

Most people wouldn't have a clue who they are, but older comic fans would get a kick out of it.

The funniest cameo would be if they got some random DC hero in there. Like if Dean Cain appears dressed as Clark Kent and Deadpool says, "Are you even allowed to be here?" Cain could then change into his Superman costume, only to find the S-shield digitally blurred for copyright reasons. He could only be referred to or credited as C.K., but everyone would know who he was. That would really shatter the fourth wall.

Maybe I'm going too far back in time though. The multiverse aspect of Deadpool 3 seems to be specifically concerned with those abandoned Marvel properties from the 2000s. If that's what they're focusing on, then adding Bana and Jane to the line-up they've already got would be perfect. They could also get Cage as Ghost Rider. Presumably all the Raimiverse characters are off limits.
If they want to go ALL the way, what's Nicholas Hammond up to these days?
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: Silver Nemesis on Sun, 23 Jul 2023, 16:58
Quote from: The Joker on Sun, 23 Jul  2023, 00:08You know, seeing Bana's Hulk ripping apart Jackman's Wolverine would not only be inspired by the "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk", but they could also have it as a call-back to what Juggernaut 2.0 did to Deadpool in the 2nd movie. With Deadpool snarkily referencing his own experience of course.

One of my favourite Hulk comics ever is Peter David's 'Vicious Circle' (Incredible Hulk Vol 1 #340, October 1987), where Grey Hulk fights Wolverine in the snow. I got a reprint of this issue back in the nineties and read it repeatedly as a teenager. I know they've fought in other comics as well, but this is the one I always think of when I imagine them facing off. Something like that in live action would be spectacular.

Just so long as we don't have to see Logan do the Basic Instinct leg crossing thing when his limbs grow back...

Quote from: The Joker on Sun, 23 Jul  2023, 00:08As much as I love that show, I would be game for that. Even if big Lou just ADR's his voice, I'm sure they have more than enough footage of his face as the Hulk during the series to deepfake on top of a bodybuilder stand in. Similar to how "Terminator Salvation" recreated the bulkier Arnie from 1984. Complete with the same hair style and all.

I'd be happy with this approach. I'd just love him to be involved in some way. For me, the TV show starring him and Bixby ranks alongside the Peter David and Greg Pak runs in the comics as definitive Hulk.

And let's be honest, the MCU's Hulk material has been terrible of late. An appearance by Ferrigno, Bana or Norton in Deadpool 3 might be just the thing to wash away the bad taste left by the She-Hulk TV series.

Quote from: thecolorsblend on Sun, 23 Jul  2023, 02:50If they want to go ALL the way, what's Nicholas Hammond up to these days?

Or Reb Brown, for that matter? He played Cap in two TV movies, one of which featured Christopher Lee as the baddie.

(https://flxt.tmsimg.com/assets/p4578_i_h9_aa.jpg)

He seems proud of them now and would probably be up for a cameo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VykH0woVh8
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: The Joker on Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 00:31
Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Sun, 23 Jul  2023, 16:58One of my favourite Hulk comics ever is Peter David's 'Vicious Circle' (Incredible Hulk Vol 1 #340, October 1987), where Grey Hulk fights Wolverine in the snow. I got a reprint of this issue back in the nineties and read it repeatedly as a teenager. I know they've fought in other comics as well, but this is the one I always think of when I imagine them facing off. Something like that in live action would be spectacular.

That's the one where they are fighting in the snow, right? Yeah, that's a good one. About 20 years ago, there was a local comic store to me closing shop, and liquidating their entire stock. I got extremely lucky and got that issue at a really good price. Don't think I have a reprint though, unless it's in one of the collection trades I have....

QuoteJust so long as we don't have to see Logan do the Basic Instinct leg crossing thing when his limbs grow back...

Right! haha I remember uncomfortably laughing during that scene in the theater. Mainly because of the memorable Jerry Goldsmith score being used briefly, but it was one of those situations where it was like, yeesh!

That's a very distinctive score, and I'd rather associate it with Sharon Stone circa 1992 crossing and uncrossing her legs rather than something like Deadpool!

Quote from: The Joker on Sun, 23 Jul  2023, 00:08I'd be happy with this approach. I'd just love him to be involved in some way. For me, the TV show starring him and Bixby ranks alongside the Peter David and Greg Pak runs in the comics as definitive Hulk.

Yes, those runs were pretty great. Admittedly, I do have a soft spot for the early 2000's Bruce Jones run. When I was getting back into comics during that time, I had been out of the loop for a good 4-5 years, so with the Jones run getting some buzz, I decided to check it out. Personally, I remember thinking that it was a fresh take, and different from before, so I kinda liked it. The covers for the Bruce Jones run are top notch.


QuoteAnd let's be honest, the MCU's Hulk material has been terrible of late. An appearance by Ferrigno, Bana or Norton in Deadpool 3 might be just the thing to wash away the bad taste left by the She-Hulk TV series.

Exactly. It certainly couldn't hurt.

QuoteOr Reb Brown, for that matter? He played Cap in two TV movies, one of which featured Christopher Lee as the baddie.

(https://flxt.tmsimg.com/assets/p4578_i_h9_aa.jpg)

He seems proud of them now and would probably be up for a cameo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VykH0woVh8

Why not? Looks like he's stayed in good shape. I mean, I'm sure there would be some sort of snark remark about brown's CA motorcycle helmet, but his appearance would surely spark some renewed interest. I would expect many more videos popping up chronicling Reb Brown's two Captain America tv movies at the very least.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: thecolorsblend on Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 00:57
Seems like someone is missing.

(https://i.imgur.com/8WYKsWg.jpg)
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: Silver Nemesis on Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 11:53
I almost suggested Salinger, but I figured he'd be too embarrassed to reprise the role. His dad is best remembered for writing Catcher in the Rye, while he's best remembered for donning rubber ears in a bad Marvel movie.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZiNDFkMGMtM2QwMy00MzFlLTgzY2QtODYzOTY2ZTEwZTE2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTc4Njg5MjA@._V1_.jpg)

Still, I have a lot of affection for Cap '90. That and the Incredible Hulk TV movies were the only live action Marvel films I had on video back in the nineties, and as a comic fan I was grateful for them. I've also got to give the movie credit for using a comic villain at a time when most live action Marvel productions didn't. Wasn't Kingpin in Trial of the Incredible Hulk the first live action Marvel villain? And if so, wouldn't that make Red Skull the second? 

I must have been about 9 when I first saw Cap '90, and back then Mafioso Red Skull terrified me. His origin story, where his family is slaughtered in front of him when he's just a boy, is disturbing enough for a film ostensibly aimed at kids. The fact he was kidnapped, brainwashed and transformed into a monster resembling Frank from Hellraiser only adds to the nightmare fuel. He also seems to be stronger and more skilled than Captain America. He dominates and humiliates Steve during their first fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km09WyWT84c

And he almost beats him a second time during the finale, despite being much older then. The MCU Red Skull might be closer to the comics, but I find the Cap '90 version far more intimidating.

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5d/d1/c0/5dd1c0cf89638f1368f5bfbad151e86e.jpg)

Maybe they could bring back Reb Brown's Captain America for Deadpool 3, but also bring back Scott Paulin as Red Skull. A more subtle way of referencing Cap '90 would be to include the song 'Memories of You' in the soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MawBYFsAb_M

One more thing I'll say for Captain '90 is that it had some impressive names on the cast. Ronny Cox, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon and Ned Beatty all appeared in that movie. McGavin and Dillon had previously played husband and wife in A Christmas Story (1983), and I imagine the ordeal of appearing Cap '90 made Cox and Beatty's previous collaboration Deliverance (1972) seem like a pleasant boating trip.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: thecolorsblend on Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 12:37
The only reason I suggested Salinger is because these cameos all seem to relate to Marvel film characters from the Nineties and 2000s. Salinger would be a conspicuous (but understandable) absence.

I only saw Cap 90 once. And I was far less familiar with Marvel then than I am now. Still, I don't remember being very fond of the movie. The majority of my criticisms ultimately go back to the movie's low budget nature. Very limited action (even by late Eighties/early Nineties standards), very limited makeup/prosthetic effects for Red Skull, a general made for TV vibe plaguing the majority of the production and so forth.

I am inclined to the belief that a quality, high budget Cap film could've been big in that era. Plenty of Greatest Generation types were still alive and they would've remembered Timely Cap comics or else they would've generally related to the WW2/patriotic stuff. I think it would've been an easier sell in the early Nineties than the late Nineties, that's for sure.

Anyway. My hazy memory of Cap 90 is that the movie isn't everything it could've been. It was made on the cheap and it looks made on the cheap.

And I still don't know what was going on with those rubber ears.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: The Joker on Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 13:21
Quote from: thecolorsblend on Tue, 25 Jul  2023, 00:57Seems like someone is missing.

(https://i.imgur.com/8WYKsWg.jpg)

No argument heard here.  8)

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Tue, 25 Jul  2023, 11:53I almost suggested Salinger, but I figured he'd be too embarrassed to reprise the role. His dad is best remembered for writing Catcher in the Rye, while he's best remembered for donning rubber ears in a bad Marvel movie.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZiNDFkMGMtM2QwMy00MzFlLTgzY2QtODYzOTY2ZTEwZTE2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTc4Njg5MjA@._V1_.jpg)

Honestly, I never noticed that as a kid. Course, this was during the VHS era, but I just never noticed the fake ears.


QuoteStill, I have a lot of affection for Cap '90.

Same.

"Captain America 1990" is another one of those movies that I have a fond nostalgia for that has to do with memories that happen to be associated with my discovery of the movie, as it does the movie itself. Allow me to explain myself, sometime in 1992, I had a doctors appointment and thus wasn't going to school that day. My mom worked night shift, so she was taking me that morning and my dad was working at his job. Following the doctor's visit, my mom, being nice, decided to bring me to a local Blockbuster Video to rent a few movies. I remember looking around the new releases sections, and to my bewilderment, there was like 4-5 CAPTAIN AMERICA VHS boxes sitting right there on the shelf, and if memory serves, only one left for rent. First off, I had no clue such a movie had been made, and I remember feeling VERY lucky to be able to rent the last one. As I'm sure had every copy been rented out, I would have been begging my mom to go to another local Blockbuster just in the hopes that they would be in stock (whether she would have gone for that is debatable, but luckily for me I didn't have to find out). Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get home and watch that movie. My mom soon after went to bed, and I remained in my parents living room, absolutely glued to the screen. I must have watched it five or six times before having to return it, but I can't say I was disappointed whatsoever. Sure, it wasn't Batman, but I found a lot of enjoyment out of it.

So yeah, whenever I think of "Captain America 1990", I can't help but think of that day and the fond memory of finding out a Captain America movie had been made by seeing the VHS box at a local Blockbuster Video.  ;D

QuoteThat and the Incredible Hulk TV movies were the only live action Marvel films I had on video back in the nineties, and as a comic fan I was grateful for them. I've also got to give the movie credit for using a comic villain at a time when most live action Marvel productions didn't. Wasn't Kingpin in Trial of the Incredible Hulk the first live action Marvel villain? And if so, wouldn't that make Red Skull the second?

Pretty much as far as I can tell. About as close as the Bixby/Ferrigno Hulk came to showcasing a comic book style villain, was in "The First" 2-parter. 

QuoteI must have been about 9 when I first saw Cap '90, and back then Mafioso Red Skull terrified me. His origin story, where his family is slaughtered in front of him when he's just a boy, is disturbing enough for a film ostensibly aimed at kids. The fact he was kidnapped, brainwashed and transformed into a monster resembling Frank from Hellraiser only adds to the nightmare fuel. He also seems to be stronger and more skilled than Captain America. He dominates and humiliates Steve during their first fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km09WyWT84c

Yeah, despite the Italian lineage backstory, the 1990 film certainly made for a compelling villain. I remember thinking that the Red Skull looked aesthetically great during the WW2 segments, and was a bit disappointed seeing the modern Skull with the plastic surgery to hide his true visage be used for the remainder of the film. Though it did make sense if we're looking at it from a verisimilitude light. The fact that he has a daughter is straight from the comics, and I kinda like how the recording of his family being murdered jars his memory, and the subsequent line towards Cap with, "We are both tragedies ...."

Speaking of the tragic backstory, I admittedly still like the angle of the italian female scientist going rogue against Mussolini, and becoming the lead scientist for America's "Super Solider" program. It's a pretty good juxtaposition of the Red Skull receiving a (presumably) harsh upbringing as a experiment, where Cap was guided (if just briefly) by a gentle and soft spoken female scientist looking for redemption.

QuoteAnd he almost beats him a second time during the finale, despite being much older then. The MCU Red Skull might be closer to the comics, but I find the Cap '90 version far more intimidating.

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5d/d1/c0/5dd1c0cf89638f1368f5bfbad151e86e.jpg)

Oh, for sure. I do like the scene where he's trouncing Cap during their first meeting/fight, and he confidently looks up at Mussolini exclaiming, "Pity him! He is like a child!" Giving the notion that the Skull would be an incredibly difficult villain to physically overcome.

QuoteMaybe they could bring back Reb Brown's Captain America for Deadpool 3, but also bring back Scott Paulin as Red Skull. A more subtle way of referencing Cap '90 would be to include the song 'Memories of You' in the soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MawBYFsAb_M

That "Memories of You" song, along with the montage of Cap state of confusion in the modern world is still wonderfully well done in my estimation. Criminally underrated.

QuoteOne more thing I'll say for Captain '90 is that it had some impressive names on the cast. Ronny Cox, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon and Ned Beatty all appeared in that movie. McGavin and Dillon had previously played husband and wife in A Christmas Story (1983), and I imagine the ordeal of appearing Cap '90 made Cox and Beatty's previous collaboration Deliverance (1972) seem like a pleasant boating trip.

True. I didn't realize until years later that Bill Mumy's character is actually a younger version of Darren McGavin's military character. Melinda Dillon was always good portraying a caring and loving mother.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: Silver Nemesis on Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 21:59
Quote from: thecolorsblend on Tue, 25 Jul  2023, 12:37The only reason I suggested Salinger is because these cameos all seem to relate to Marvel film characters from the Nineties and 2000s. Salinger would be a conspicuous (but understandable) absence.

I only saw Cap 90 once. And I was far less familiar with Marvel then than I am now. Still, I don't remember being very fond of the movie. The majority of my criticisms ultimately go back to the movie's low budget nature. Very limited action (even by late Eighties/early Nineties standards), very limited makeup/prosthetic effects for Red Skull, a general made for TV vibe plaguing the majority of the production and so forth.

My affection for Cap '90 is based on nostalgia. It's a guilty pleasure, and even back in the day my big brother used to make fun of me for watching it. The score, editing and special effects are all dreadful, the cinematography is bland, the fight choreography incredibly basic. There are lots of continuity errors (like Cap's shield suddenly appearing when he's found in the ice, even though he didn't have it when he was strapped to the missile), and visible shadows of camera equipment. It's objectively not a good movie.

But it reminds me of a more innocent time in my life, back when I first started reading the Captain America comics and was excited just to see the character in live action. Even then, I knew it was grossly inferior to the Superman and Batman films. But it was all Cap fans had at the time. I didn't see the Reb Brown Cap movies until I was an adult. So Salinger was the Cap of my childhood and I'll always have a soft spot for the 1990 movie for that reason.

Quote from: thecolorsblend on Tue, 25 Jul  2023, 12:37I am inclined to the belief that a quality, high budget Cap film could've been big in that era. Plenty of Greatest Generation types were still alive and they would've remembered Timely Cap comics or else they would've generally related to the WW2/patriotic stuff. I think it would've been an easier sell in the early Nineties than the late Nineties, that's for sure.

Anyway. My hazy memory of Cap 90 is that the movie isn't everything it could've been. It was made on the cheap and it looks made on the cheap.

The Rocketeer is what Cap '90 ought to have been. Which is presumably why Marvel hired director Joe Johnston to helm Captain America: The First Avenger.

Quote from: The Joker on Tue, 25 Jul  2023, 13:21Same.

"Captain America 1990" is another one of those movies that I have a fond nostalgia for that has to do with memories that happen to be associated with my discovery of the movie, as it does the movie itself. Allow me to explain myself, sometime in 1992, I had a doctors appointment and thus wasn't going to school that day. My mom worked night shift, so she was taking me that morning and my dad was working at his job. Following the doctor's visit, my mom, being nice, decided to bring me to a local Blockbuster Video to rent a few movies. I remember looking around the new releases sections, and to my bewilderment, there was like 4-5 CAPTAIN AMERICA VHS boxes sitting right there on the shelf, and if memory serves, only one left for rent. First off, I had no clue such a movie had been made, and I remember feeling VERY lucky to be able to rent the last one. As I'm sure had every copy been rented out, I would have been begging my mom to go to another local Blockbuster just in the hopes that they would be in stock (whether she would have gone for that is debatable, but luckily for me I didn't have to find out). Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get home and watch that movie. My mom soon after went to bed, and I remained in my parents living room, absolutely glued to the screen. I must have watched it five or six times before having to return it, but I can't say I was disappointed whatsoever. Sure, it wasn't Batman, but I found a lot of enjoyment out of it.

So yeah, whenever I think of "Captain America 1990", I can't help but think of that day and the fond memory of finding out a Captain America movie had been made by seeing the VHS box at a local Blockbuster Video.  ;D

Nowadays it's relatively easy to track down an obscure movie. If you can't buy the DVD online, you can probably find it on a streaming site, or on YouTube or the Internet Archive. At the very least you can find information, pictures and clips online. But back in the nineties, discovering a rare movie in a video rental store, or seeing it listed in the TV guide, was an exciting experience. Particularly if you didn't even know that the film in question existed until you stumbled across it.

For that reason, people of our generation ended up cherishing films we might otherwise have disregarded. If we saw those films today listed among hundreds of other movies on a streaming platform, we mightn't look at them twice. But back then, when rare films were harder to get hold of, we appreciated them more. Even if they were bad. I remember it being a big deal when a movie like Ghostbusters or Back to the Future was shown on TV. There were far fewer channels back then and a classic film might only air once a year, and everyone at school would be talking about it on the playground the next day. Nowadays seeing a movie on television doesn't seem as special.

I learnt a lot about movies by hanging out in my local video store, just looking at the boxes and reading the descriptions on the back. This was pre-internet, so if I wanted to research a film further I had to look it up in my dad's copy of Leonard Maltin's film guide. I think experiences like that helped shape many of us into the film buffs we are today. We got into the habit of researching older movies and seeking them out, rather than just watching the new films that were trendy at the time.

Quote from: The Joker on Tue, 25 Jul  2023, 13:21Oh, for sure. I do like the scene where he's trouncing Cap during their first meeting/fight, and he confidently looks up at Mussolini exclaiming, "Pity him! He is like a child!" Giving the notion that the Skull would be an incredibly difficult villain to physically overcome.

Also the way he casually catches Cap's shield and throws it back at him was menacing. We'd just seen the shield tear down a searchlight tower, but Red Skull's strength and reflexes are such that he can intercept it as though it were a Frisbee.

Quote from: The Joker on Tue, 25 Jul  2023, 13:21True. I didn't realize until years later that Bill Mumy's character is actually a younger version of Darren McGavin's military character. Melinda Dillon was always good portraying a caring and loving mother.

Funnily enough, I just watched Close Encounters again a couple of nights ago, and Dillon's great in that. The sequences with Jillian and her son feel like a test run for Poltergeist, what with the toys moving by themselves and the creepy abduction scene. I'm half thinking of creating a thread about that movie to discuss it in more depth.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: Kamdan on Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 22:26
Ooh, I gotta throw my hat into the ring when it comes to a discussion on Captain America '90. I'm convinced this movie saved my life.

When I was around three or four, when it came out initially on VHS, I had to have a dental procedure where crowns were placed on my back teeth. It was excruciatingly painful and not fun at all for a kid that needs to endure. When I came home I was in a feudal state but thankfully we had rented this film and spent the evening watching it. The way it started off with the Red Skull as a child being put through a horrible procedure made me relate very hard and also subsequently when Steve Rogers undergoes his treatment.

I am eternally grateful for this movie, giving me a sense of strength of overcoming an ordeal like I suffered. Sometime later, I remember us, renting the first Reb Brown Captain America movie, and if we would've saw that, that would've killed me dead right there.
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: The Joker on Thu, 27 Jul 2023, 03:06

That's pretty cool.

Yeah, I can appreciate the Reb Brown movies, but I don't have nearly the nostalgia/attachment as I do the 1990 Cap film. If memory serves, I think the first time I saw the Reb Brown movies was during one of those "Marvel Movie Marathons" that the Sci Fi Channel had (prior to the Syfy spelling change) during, I think, the late 1990s.

You know, back when movies based on Marvel properties were fairly sparse, and mainly consisted of made-for-tv movies.  :D
Title: Re: Blade (1998)
Post by: Kamdan on Sun, 30 Jul 2023, 03:40
QuoteThat's pretty cool.

Yeah, I can appreciate the Reb Brown movies, but I don't have nearly the nostalgia/attachment as I do the 1990 Cap film. If memory serves, I think the first time I saw the Reb Brown movies was during one of those "Marvel Movie Marathons" that the Sci Fi Channel had (prior to the Syfy spelling change) during, I think, the late 1990s.

You know, back when movies based on Marvel properties were fairly sparse, and mainly consisted of made-for-tv movies.  :D

Oh, yes. I spent many weekends watching those Mighty Marvel Marathons. My uncle walked in on one of those and gave me a scholarly talk about Marvel since he was big into them when he was a kid.