The Rocketeer

Howdy do. Today I thought we would hit the way back machine to an adventure with a costumed do-gooder that hides his identity to protect his loved ones, battle the mob and Nazis. No time for love, Dr. Jones. So strap on your pack, grab your helmet and pack a decent 1911. This is The Rocketeer.

I'm just borrowing Commander Cody's gear.

Based on the series created by Dave Stevens (artist for Tarzan Graphic Novels, Storyboards for Super Friends and The Godzilla Power Hour) giving this down on his luck pilot that discovers a rocket pack and proceeds to fight crime and Nazis. Disney bought the rights to this particular 1930s style Pulp Comic in 1985 where it stayed into development until 1991.

Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell of Dynasty, Once and Again, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Menno's Mind, Enough and The 4400) a happy-go-lucky pilot whose pockets are thread bared is trying to woo his aspiring actress girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connelly of Phenomena, Labyrinth,Of Love and Shadows, Mulholland Falls) while the FBI are chasing after some Nazi saboteurs making their way with a package, a rocket pack they sneak on the airfield Cliff and his mechanic buddy Peavy (Alan Arkin of Wait Until Dark, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Glengarry Glen Ross, Little Miss Sunshine and Argo)work on.

Peavy and Cliff have dumped all their savings into a plane that crashes and now forced to do a flying circus routine for their penny pinching boss. A buddy of theirs gets behind the stick to assure Cliff doesn't get fired for being out all night testing the rocket pack, but he starts having issues. Peavy and Cliff ready Cliff to go after their buddy.

Terry O' Quinn may go Stepfather on ya, Cliff.

With what appears to be a publicity stunt gets the attention of the mob, the FBI and the Nazis seeing the rocket pack in action. Who is this Rocketeer?

Jenny is all moon eyed over the number three box office actor Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton of The Three Princes, The Voyeur, The Executioner, Agatha and Chanel Solitaire) who seems to be more than he appears. Moving behind the shadows, he too expresses an interest in the rocket pack.

With the mob, the G-Men and Goosesteppers on Cliff's heels, he has to come to the conclusion is he doing the right thing? Can he continue as the Rocketeer? How much is getting hurled at him?

With a PG-13 rating, apparently there was a lukewarm vibe from critics due to the lack of explanation that this is based on a spybuster series. Not enough publicity for it in my opinion so the potential to sequels was dropped. Again this was a 35 million budget and yet made 47 million in the box office. So it would appear that a 12 million profit was something to sneer at in 1991.

Mr. Flynn, you've had enough to drink!

A few anachronisms with firearms, the German Walther P38 while created in 1938 didn't really go into production until 1940. The MP40 Submachine Gun also designed in 1938 but not widely used until 1941.

Just some mild nitpicking there. This has heart, explosions, love, action, gunfights and fist fights. Most kids should have enjoyed this with their parents. But what do I know? No kids.

Honesty Jake, where's your Dalton love? Tsk tsk.

Superhero Film Week: Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan

Well kiddies it is that time again when the week is up, the curtain runs down and the show is over. As we already had a pulp fiction hero prior it is only fair that we get one of Gold Key Comics a shot at the title as well.  Originated from the mind of Edgar Rice Burroughs I speak of his most famous of characters; The Lord of the Apes, Tarzan.   So grab your machete, tip your native guide well and do not start nothing with a silverback.  This is Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan.

 

But bananas are currency for all!

Sixth Earl of Greystoke: If he’s a Greystoke, I’ll know him at a spoiler!

A ship is thrashed about in the high seas leaving a nobleman and his wife stranded in the wilds of Africa.  Our nobleman is not a fop or does nothing as he builds his lady a home up in the far trees where she gives birth to their son.   But a handful of days later a family of apes encounter the couple and panic ensues on both sides and the young boy has become an orphan.  A large silverback gorilla takes the boy as a surrogate son to replace her own lost infant.

Dammit dad I said it was a black tie event!

Twenty years later, a Frenchman Capitaine Phillippe D’Arnot (Ian Holm of The Man in the Iron Mask, Alien, Time Bandits, Brazil, Fifth Element and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) leads a band of English sportsmen and is deeply disgusted at their wanton need of blood sports as they shot Tarzan’s adopted mother.  Tarzan (Christopher Lambert of Highlander, Knight Movies, Fortress, The Hunted, Mortal Kombat and Mean Guns) stalks and kills them all but D’Arnot who was injured in a fall during this gun battle.  Tarzan takes D’Arnot to the tree house and nurses him back to health.  After examining documents and pictures D’Arnot realizes the young ape man is actually of royal birth and heir to the Earl of Greystoke.  The young man adapts quite quickly and even understands English in a few short months.  Will a man of nature be able to flourish in the land of civility, clothes and proper manners or will he long for the hills of Africa once more and renounce his title?

I had but a few comments to be made on this film.  This is Andie MacDowell’s first feature film and she was redubbed by Glenn Close because they felt her Southern accent was a bit much for the English teacher her character is.  I have heard countless ridicule aimed at the puppeteers of the Apes and that there was not enough real ape footage to balance the two. This was deeming FX prosthetics and animatronics guru Daniel Parker (Lifeforce, Little Shop of Horrors, Empire of the Sun and Hamlet) and EFX artist Rick Baker (The Howling, American Werewolf in London, Starman, Gorillas in the Mist,  Wolf and Escape from L.A.) some unjust comments.

THERE CAN BE ONLY...oh wait, wrong role. Sorry.

 What really dumbfounds me is how little people see of Christopher Lambert’s performance as the proclaimed lord of the apes.   His eyes and body language speaks volumes of a man taken from his normal element no matter how dangerous it may be and left to these strangers with their culture and mannerisms that are not his to speak of.   This man who spent almost his entire life learning of the ways of the jungle must now comport himself as a proper gentleman and be mindful of not only his surroundings but how others will view and judge him.   To me this is one of the better portrayals of Tarzan as well as one of the best interpretations of the written works.

Superhero Film Week: Doc Savage The Man of Bronze

Comin’ back atcha kiddies with another helping of Superhero Film Week and I found something a little campy, dated and still an impressive feat for its time. As I mentioned earlier, that I would be including Pulp Fiction heroes in this week and I gots us a doozy here.   So without blowing yer skirts up too much and diving in the Way Back machine, I present to you Doc Savage Man of Bronze.

 

Strange growth under my groin. Oh wait that is the title card.

Monk: Have no fear! Doc Spoiler is here!

With his brilliant father Clark Savage ever pushing young Clark Savage Jr., our young lad was trained both mind and body by a team of scientists to create a nearly superhuman man since his birth.  Doc Savage (Ron Ely of South Pacific, The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker, The Aquanauts, The Night of the Grizzly, Fantasy Island and Sheena) is a jack of all trades being a scientist, surgeon, physician, adventurer, inventor, explorer, researcher and musician.  The Nietzschean package of brain and brawn has amazing strength, agility and endurance, a photographic memory, a master of at least 12 martial arts, and a limitless knowledge of the sciences.  Heck the man is also a master of disguise and voice mimicry. 

Chief Wild Eagle finally snaps!

After World War I, Doc found camaraderie with five men who become adventurers with Doc and each from a different walk of life.  Monk (Michael Miller of Rockys Messer, Coming Attractions, Saturday the 14^th and Space Raiders) the industrial chemist, electrical engineer Long Tom (Paul Gleason of All My Children, The Breakfast Club, Die Hard, Social Misfits and The Passing) attorney and adapted swords master Ham (Darrell Zwerling of Chinatown, Grease, Joe versus the Volcano and Wild at Heart), archaeologist/geologist and living lexicon Johnny (Eldon Quick of In the Heat of the Night, How Come Nobody’s on Our Side? And The Big Bet) and of course constructional engineer and bare knuckle boxer Renny (William Lucking of Force Five, Danger in Paradise, Coast to Coast, Erin Brockovich, Red Dragon and Sons of Anarchy) and became his Fabulous Five. 

The boys gather up and bang their heads together on how to break this horrible news to the Doc as they wait in his swanky, plush penthouse in the Empire State Building.  Returning from his Arctic hideaway the fellas have to bare the news of Doc’s father dying under mysterious circumstances while exploring Central America.   No sooner has Doc gone through his father’s safe to examine his papers he too is being targeted by an assassin.  Savage chases down would be killer only to cause him to fall to his death. 

 After a detailed examination and more political and social reach than a giraffe running for mayor, Savage examines his assailant and explains in Holmes’ like detail where he hails from, what tribe he belongs to and how he came to be here.   Yeah he will continue to blow your mind like that but you don’t sweat him because he is a good egg, see?

Pin yer ears back I gots more yacking.  Director Michael Anderson (The Dam Busters, 1984, Around the World in 80 Days, Logan’s Run and Orca) was up to bat as this was his biggest invested film since Around the World in 80 Days and producer George Pal’s (tom thumb, The Time Machine, Atlantis, The Lost Continent and The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm) last film he ever produced giving it his all to get this to a screen debut.  Due to poor box office the sequel never came but every 10 years or so some ninny hammer has to bring it up as a reboot or brilliant sequel idea.   Given the time period this character hails from that writer better do his or her homework.

Superhero Film Week

Hello readers and before you start showing me the signs of the cross or the extremely cross allow me to explain.  The films I refer such are more remnants of my childhood harking back to the 70's to latter 80's.  Yes I am THAT old.   Okay the reasons behind this is with all the green screen and CGI era we should appreciate the humble beginnings of superimposed photography, blue screen and scale model of various size. From an era of my youth that encompasses Omega Man to Raiders of the Lost Ark gives us a rounded look of stunt work, explosions and some corny writing.  Pulp Fiction based characters such as Doc Savage, Kurok the Dinosaur Hunter and of course Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.
 

Can't twist my neck but at least you can understand me.

I hope this week will shed light to these filming days but should also make my younger readers snicker. 10 to 1 most of you have seen these films before and yes as always we will go over them in detail.