Discuss: Movie Spin-offs to Television

Doug: From the silver screen to the "idiot box" -- live action and/or animated (which should really open this up for fans of The Real Ghostbusters). And if anyone wants to argue that Batman: The Animated Series is a spin-off of Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman, you'd get no argument from me!

Also, yesterday Prowler wrote this:

Doug, just a suggest for a topic; a movie that just didn't live up to the hype or a favorite that upon rewatching, just didn't hold up.

 Feel free to consider that for your commenting pleasure, too!

A Simple Question About "Essential" Films

Doug: Back on February 20, we asked you to discuss comic books you might assume "everyone" has read. As our conversations often do, we meandered around some side topics. Movies came up briefly, but what really got me to thinking about today's topic was the revelation from my wife last week that she has never seen the Cecil B. DeMille-directed The Ten Commandments film starring Charlton Heston. I mean, who hasn't seen that? Her. OK, go...

He's Gotta Be "The Man"

Doug: My oldest son and I frequently evaluate life's pleasures in an ongoing conversation about "The Man".

Doug: For example, one of his contentions is that the inventor of brown sugar-cinnamon Pop-Tarts is The Man. I have been known to counter that the person who invented crunchy Cheetos is The Man. But just to show that it's not always positive, we both agreed last week when I was feeling a little under the weather that whoever created DayQuil is also a strong candidate! Take a dose of those, and your cold goes on vacation for four hours!

Doug: So please join the conversation. I think you get the hang of it. What are those pleasures in life that you just think, "Whoever made this..." Show some love today!

Suggestion Unboxed - Upon Further Review...

Doug: Back in October we ran a post requesting ideas from our readers. We promised to run all of those suggestions at some point. While we've covered many of them, it's been a while since some of those thoughts graced our blog. Here's another one:

The Prowler: "Upon Further Review" -- I know we often discuss movies when they first come out, but what about when they're released on DVD? Sometimes, subsequent viewings shed a different light on our opinions. Also, when there're different versions/updates of older movies... I don't like the final version of "Aliens". I think the added scenes actually distract from the theater version. The Bat-Man DVD collection is another topic for conversation.

If I Wasn't a Fan of ..., I'd Be a Fan of ...

Doug: Back on Monday, November 30, I was watching the Chicago Bulls play the San Antonio Spurs in an NBA tilt. It was playoff-caliber basketball, and the level of talent on the floor was top notch throughout the game. The stars played like stars, and the role players did their thing. In the end it was an exciting finish, certainly worthy of the investment of my time. During the game I was texting with my sons and I made the comment that if I wasn't a Bulls fan I could be a Spurs fan. I don't really follow that team, but every time I do see them play I really appreciate their style. In a league where most of the players are "all about me" and many, many players just lollygag through the season to get to the playoffs, the Spurs are one of those clubs that always plays hard, they share the ball, they guard, and although they have future Hall-of-Famers on their roster there are no prima donnas.

Doug: All that was to say this -- we all have favorites: athletic teams, movies, foods, musical artists, superheroes, comics creators, etc. The door is wide open today. Pick something or someone that is your very favorite, and then suggest that if it/he/she was not, then you could get fully on board with something/someone else.

Doug: It's pretty well-documented that the Avengers are my favorite super-team. But if I wasn't an Avengers fan, my money would be firmly in the corner of the Fantastic Four. When I was buying back issues I was of course putting almost all of my resources toward finishing my complete run of The Avengers. But if I'd been wanting to chase another book, it would have been the FF (fully knowing that once I got down to those first half dozen issues I'd most likely have been on the outside looking in).

Doug: Your turn now -- anyone going to get in the corner of chocolate donuts after powdered sugar donuts?

Suggestion Unboxed - the Bronze Age Films of John Travolta

Colin Jones: Who's The Best -- Grease or Saturday Night Fever? 

Edo Bosnar: Colin, I think we should add Urban Cowboy to that list, for a perfect trifecta of popular trend-setting Travolta vehicles.

 

True or False: I Am a Completist

Doug: You may consider just about anything that afflicts you in your obsession... or maybe you're not smitten that way.

True or False: I Am a Completist

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The Man Crate

Doug: Last Tuesday I was contacted by the Community Manager for Man Crates. She'd done some homework on blogs that deal with 1970s and '80s nostalgia, and felt the Bronze Age Babies and its readers would be a good landing point for some help. You can check out the company's website and offerings by clicking here. Personally, I think this is a great idea! In fact, I'm going to suggest my new daughter-in-law take a look at the website. Apparently the folks at Man Crate would like to add to their product line and introduce a new crate -- one geared to "people of a certain age". That's where we come in!

Doug: I was asked to lead this off with my own opinions on what I would like to receive in such a gift package. So I'm going to throw out some suggestions, not really knowing if some of these things are still being made -- but they make me think of my childhood and high school years!

1. Candy bars like Reggie, Whatchamacallit, PB Max... I can recall a time in college when the Mars company did a test market in the Peoria, IL area. Peoria's one of the slice-of-America cities that has demographics that make it perfect for such things. Anyway, my mates and I rolled into the lunch room one day to find a nice lady holding a basket of these PB Max candy bars. We'd never heard of them, but let's face it -- chocolate, peanut butter, and crunchies is a formula for success. Being brash young men, we asked if we could take more than one. She said "help yourselves". Whoa... so we each grabbed a couple, and 3-4 more on the way out. We spent the afternoon listening to music and eating candy. And we were so sick I don't recall that we went to supper that evening. But those candy bars were awesome. Other novelties from the corner store included wax lips and candy necklaces.
2. I'd put a copy of one of the Panini Marvel Pocketbook digests in the crate. Again, Edo Bosnar turned me on to these things some months ago, and I now own four with a fifth pre-ordered. They're just great -- the price is unbeatable. Here's a link to those books, on sale from the Book Depository in the UK. I'd definitely toss in one of the Spider-Man or Avengers books, as they're quite Bronze Age.
3. I'm trying to think of movies that I just love -- films that I'll stop and watch whenever I see them on TV. My first inclination is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but since that's not Bronze Age I'll offer up any of the Planet of the Apes movies, Jaws, Animal House, Stripes, and of course Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Superman The Movie, and Rocky. You couldn't go wrong with a DVD set of the $6 Million Man, either. Or the original Battlestar Galactica. And here's a thought -- what about a couple of actors who link the beginning of the Bronze Age to near its end? Take Harrison Ford: American Graffiti, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Or John Travolta? Welcome Back Kotter, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Urban Cowboy?
4. I think a toy of some sort should be in the crate. My go-to back in elementary school was of course the line of Mego action figures -- the World's Greatest Super-Heroes, but beyond that too. DC recently made some retro facsimiles. Another sort of toy I played with through junior high and high school were the various games from Mattel Electronics. I had the second version of the football game and played it endlessly. Many years later, Mattel revived the line and my wife and I, both with fond memories of those, bought a couple for our sons.
5. Lastly, I'd put some snacks in the crate. But old stuff -- Bugles, Hostess Twinkies or fruit pies, Fresca, maybe a Jiffy Pop.

Some of you may recall a post called Take 5: Fabulous Childhood Memories. Today's offering evokes that sentiment -- kindly refer to it if you need further inspiration. I know I can't wait for the comments to begin, because there will be many great suggestions! After all, I didn't even mention music...!

Discuss: Favorite Movie Roles

Doug: I love Sean Connery's turn as Jimmy Malone in Brian dePalma's 1987 reimagining of The Untouchables. Classic tough guy, and really hit on what it must have been like to be a cop in Al Capone's Chicago. Who are your favorites?

Guest Post - Stone the Heretic!

Doug: Cartoonist extraordinaire pfgavigan is back with us yet again with thoughts...

Movie Mania!

Doug: So here's one of those Saturday posts that just gets thrown together at the last minute. The Prowler asked us a couple of days ago in the Wolverine post if he'd missed the SPOILED version of the X-Men: Days of Future Past post. Nope - oversight on our part as we were working through our scheduling issues earlier in May. By the way, I didn't say anything about myself last Monday when Karen was discussing some of her situations. Our oldest son graduated from college in the middle of May, and a week ago we moved him into his new big-boy apartment so he can start his graduate assistant position in the sports information department of one of our state universities. So it's been pretty hectic around here, too. Slowing down now.

Doug: Anyway, let's make this a general movie day. Feel free to discuss your impressions of the X-Men flick. My wife and I and some friends are headed to see Jersey Boys tonight; we've seen the Broadway show twice in Chicago, so are really looking forward to it. Also, the final theatrical trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes came out a few days ago. I am really excited for this film! So feel free to let it all hang out on anything related to summer movies. And if you're not planning to see anything, how about a comparison/contrast of the Apes trailer with the last two films in the first series -- Conquest and Battle? I sure see some similarities. How do you think they'll end up bridging these first three to the original five, or... is that even the direction you think this is going?

Loving on $5 Movies

Doug:  My oldest son is getting into buying films on video.  He's amassed quite a collection already, from action pics to Disney animated features to the ESPN "30 for 30" series to some of the "classics".  He's become a real sucker for the large $5 bins found at stores like Wal-Mart.  When we were moving the boys into college a week ago we did run to the local Wal-Mart for some things they needed for their rooms.  Sure enough, we made it to the electronics section and checked out their budget offerings.  I made strong recommendations for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Bonnie and Clyde.  Previously, I'd purchased him Stripes and Caddyshack -- hey, these are the "classics" I was referring to above!

Doug:  So what are some flicks that you might expect to see on a discount rack that you would highly recommend to a friend?  This can be anything from 1960's staples like The Graduate to '80's films such as Pretty in Pink or The Breakfast Club.  I'm thinking today of films that when I catch 'em on the TV while flipping channels, I'll stop for a few moments -- or even the entire show -- because I just love them!

Face-Off: The Movie was Better! No, the Book Was!

Karen: Because you (OK, it was Richard really)  demanded it - make your case for which better tells the story: the movie or the book?? We're speaking generally here, but please cite some examples.It's entirely possible Richard and Edo have hashed this out, but let's give everyone a chance to air their point of view.