Post by klep on Nov 6, 2018 8:46:28 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 11/5: The Rocketeer
GUEST ESSAY WEEK!
Note: Today's essay is graciously provided by <redacted>
For a while in the early '90s, it looked as though we were actually going to start getting regular, good movies about superheroes. Oh, there were some turkeys; there is no genre without them. But Tim Burton had made a successful Batman movie, and imitators started coming out of the woodwork. Interestingly, we did not then get a string of Marvel and DC movies—Marvel was handling their properties very badly in those days, and I don't know what was going on at DC. But for whatever reason, the imitators leaned toward the pulp. Arguably the best of these was from Disney and was The Rocketeer.
It wasn't Disney's first foray into superheroes; 1981 had seen the incredibly forgettable Condorman come and go. (Mostly go.) But now, ten years later, they were going to put some effort into it. Billy Campbell was young, fresh-faced, wholesome. Jennifer Connelly was, well, Jennifer Connelly. Alan Arkin got to be the best kind of Alan Arkin, the snippy sardonic kind with an underlying heart of gold. Timothy Dalton got to both swashbuckle and smarm, and he excels at both of those. And so forth. The sets were quality. The costumes were outstanding. The special effects were good. The set pieces were well done.
And . . . it sank. Not without a trace, quite—I wouldn't be surprised to know that my grandchildren would be staring at the image of Jennifer Connelly in a white evening gown, for one thing. But it, like the fad that spawned it, seems to exist now as much as a curiosity as anything else. A failed experiment that has its defenders but mostly went away with even less fanfare than that with which it arrived. Unless you can imagine, as I can, Cliff Secord somewhere in California as Steve Rogers is growing up across the country in New York, it doesn't even have any lasting impact on the world of superhero movies.
Of course, the Steve Rogers tie-in is not entirely coincidental, as both movies were directed by Joe Johnston. I will admit freely that I didn't remember this when I went to see Captain America: The First Avenger, but I could still see plenty of parallels. So I guess that shows that, if it is true that all Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are alike (a point I vehemently reject, but anyway), they all have The Rocketeer in their DNA.
But even if I'm right and it isn't true, they do anyway, because The Rocketeer was the first real experiment in combining big-budget production design, quality action, and the wry wit and topical humour that are hallmarks of the Marvel movies. For one thing, The Rocketeer manages to both take itself seriously and realize that its very premise is ridiculous. That's a hard balance to maintain yet, in my opinion, the most important one a superhero movie can strive for. In practice, this means things like Peevy's matter-of-fact announcement to Cliff that he looks like a hood ornament. Or the idea that Jenny has been so busy that she isn't even aware of the Rocketeer's existence to be impressed when she finds out that the man in the helmet is her own boyfriend.
And honestly, I'd rather have Jenny Blake on my side than Vicki Vale from Tim Burton's Batman. Vicki Vale, a former war photographer, screams whenever anything happens around her. Jenny is clever, brave, and resourceful. I also happen to think she's a lot better-looking, but of course that's a matter of taste. I also like that she's out doing her job while Cliff is gadding about with a rocket pack stolen from, all told, Howard Hughes, the mob, and the Nazis. And her job has nothing to do with Cliff. She has goals and dreams and interests that don't always coincide with his, and they love each other anyway. That's rare in a movie of any kind, possibly most of all in an action movie.
It can be interesting to go back over the little cul-de-sacs of fad in film history and contemplate what might have been. If Disney's dabbling in steampunk early in this century had taken off. If the spattering of big-budget musicals we've had since Chicago had really drawn public obsession. And if the pulp trend of the '90s had taken root. As it happens, I'm really fond of superhero period pieces, and I wish someone would start doing more with them. Especially if they're done like this.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 11/12: The Hitch-Hiker
NOIRVEMBER!
Ida Lupino's heralded 50s noir is our next Movie of the Week! Come join us next week for our discussion. The Hitch-Hiker is in the public domain, and is available in many places, including on YouTube.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 11/6: A Star Is Born (2018)
In the second part of the latest edition of the podcast, the crew takes a look at the most recent attempt to make A Star Is Born, with Bradley Cooper's directorial debut. Be sure to join us Wednesday for our discussion; A Star Is Born is still in theaters.
GUEST ESSAY WEEK!
Note: Today's essay is graciously provided by <redacted>
For a while in the early '90s, it looked as though we were actually going to start getting regular, good movies about superheroes. Oh, there were some turkeys; there is no genre without them. But Tim Burton had made a successful Batman movie, and imitators started coming out of the woodwork. Interestingly, we did not then get a string of Marvel and DC movies—Marvel was handling their properties very badly in those days, and I don't know what was going on at DC. But for whatever reason, the imitators leaned toward the pulp. Arguably the best of these was from Disney and was The Rocketeer.
It wasn't Disney's first foray into superheroes; 1981 had seen the incredibly forgettable Condorman come and go. (Mostly go.) But now, ten years later, they were going to put some effort into it. Billy Campbell was young, fresh-faced, wholesome. Jennifer Connelly was, well, Jennifer Connelly. Alan Arkin got to be the best kind of Alan Arkin, the snippy sardonic kind with an underlying heart of gold. Timothy Dalton got to both swashbuckle and smarm, and he excels at both of those. And so forth. The sets were quality. The costumes were outstanding. The special effects were good. The set pieces were well done.
And . . . it sank. Not without a trace, quite—I wouldn't be surprised to know that my grandchildren would be staring at the image of Jennifer Connelly in a white evening gown, for one thing. But it, like the fad that spawned it, seems to exist now as much as a curiosity as anything else. A failed experiment that has its defenders but mostly went away with even less fanfare than that with which it arrived. Unless you can imagine, as I can, Cliff Secord somewhere in California as Steve Rogers is growing up across the country in New York, it doesn't even have any lasting impact on the world of superhero movies.
Of course, the Steve Rogers tie-in is not entirely coincidental, as both movies were directed by Joe Johnston. I will admit freely that I didn't remember this when I went to see Captain America: The First Avenger, but I could still see plenty of parallels. So I guess that shows that, if it is true that all Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are alike (a point I vehemently reject, but anyway), they all have The Rocketeer in their DNA.
But even if I'm right and it isn't true, they do anyway, because The Rocketeer was the first real experiment in combining big-budget production design, quality action, and the wry wit and topical humour that are hallmarks of the Marvel movies. For one thing, The Rocketeer manages to both take itself seriously and realize that its very premise is ridiculous. That's a hard balance to maintain yet, in my opinion, the most important one a superhero movie can strive for. In practice, this means things like Peevy's matter-of-fact announcement to Cliff that he looks like a hood ornament. Or the idea that Jenny has been so busy that she isn't even aware of the Rocketeer's existence to be impressed when she finds out that the man in the helmet is her own boyfriend.
And honestly, I'd rather have Jenny Blake on my side than Vicki Vale from Tim Burton's Batman. Vicki Vale, a former war photographer, screams whenever anything happens around her. Jenny is clever, brave, and resourceful. I also happen to think she's a lot better-looking, but of course that's a matter of taste. I also like that she's out doing her job while Cliff is gadding about with a rocket pack stolen from, all told, Howard Hughes, the mob, and the Nazis. And her job has nothing to do with Cliff. She has goals and dreams and interests that don't always coincide with his, and they love each other anyway. That's rare in a movie of any kind, possibly most of all in an action movie.
It can be interesting to go back over the little cul-de-sacs of fad in film history and contemplate what might have been. If Disney's dabbling in steampunk early in this century had taken off. If the spattering of big-budget musicals we've had since Chicago had really drawn public obsession. And if the pulp trend of the '90s had taken root. As it happens, I'm really fond of superhero period pieces, and I wish someone would start doing more with them. Especially if they're done like this.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 11/12: The Hitch-Hiker
NOIRVEMBER!
Ida Lupino's heralded 50s noir is our next Movie of the Week! Come join us next week for our discussion. The Hitch-Hiker is in the public domain, and is available in many places, including on YouTube.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 11/6: A Star Is Born (2018)
In the second part of the latest edition of the podcast, the crew takes a look at the most recent attempt to make A Star Is Born, with Bradley Cooper's directorial debut. Be sure to join us Wednesday for our discussion; A Star Is Born is still in theaters.