Reviews

I feel that many of the movie critics have been a little harsh on the Fantastic Four. Granted, "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" did not become the greatest comic book movie, especially sharing the year with two of the best, Sin City & Batman Begins. As a fan of the FF in the pages of Marvel Comics, I can say the film was rather true to the characters. The bickering between the Torch & Thing, Reed's lack of people skills despite his brilliance, & Susan's role as the glue which holds the team together are displayed in all their Marvelous glory. Of all the characters, the Thing came off the best. I enjoyed many of the small touches such as his calling Susan by the name Suzy, his voice sounding exactly like I pictured it all of those years reading, and the tragic portrayal of his appearance. The plot of the film, featuring a Doctor Doom very different from the comic, was lacking in my opinion. This fact is not enough for me to give it a bad review. I think the director understood that the FF may have had to be presented little more campy & less serious than some other films of the genre. I've read complaints that the characters just seemed to go with the flow, not really being amazed as a real person would at gaining such powers. There's something to be said for that, but again I think that was done on purpose. If you like super hero movies, I think you'll enjoy the Fantastic Four. If you're sarcastic about every little "unreal" thing that happens, stay away. If you're a really big fan of Dr. Doom, I'd also recommend staying away.

This version of Wait Until Dark is actually a stage play, which I believe is the original format of which the 1967 film is based. This was the first version I ever saw, it was shown on HBO repeatedly in the early 80's. It has been over 20 years since I have seen it, so it's only fuzzy memories that I can reflect upon. I believe it to be the same plot as the film version, which is basically a few men trying to get back a loaded teddy bear from a blind woman (Suzy) who knows nothing about it.

There were many things about the story that I have always enjoyed. One thing was the teamwork required to manipulate Suzy. Also, Suzy's determination & will to go on during frightening circumstances. Another aspect of the story that I enjoyed was the varying degrees of evil within the bad guys.

The chilling music was another standout of this version. I recommend it, now if only I could find it somewhere.

Night Tracks was such a tradition at my & my friends' house on the weekends. It was a wonderful part of my childhood. The great thing about Night Tracks was that it was a great thing a kid could do in the safety of one's home on Friday & Saturday night. My friends & I would be anticipating each week's show, wondering if we would catch "Little Red Corvette" or "1999" by Prince. Back in those days nobody had VCR's, so we had to watch every move with full concentration to mimic the hot dance moves. Night Tracks videos were far superior to MTV due to the variety. It seemed that MTV had just changed to the AC/DC type videos & those were not very fun. Videos from that era were so original & creative. I used to audio tape Night Tracks by laying my recorder by the television! How primitive is that by today's standards? My cousin, who was in college, used to try to end his Friday Night dates by about 11 pm & he would drive over & watch the videos with my brother & I. It was a very happy era of my life, I guess that's why I enjoy videos from that era so much. There were many videos by bands such as the Time, Gap Band, & others that never saw the light of day on MTV back then. It was like seeing a whole other world. I wish WTBS would bring it back!

This cool 60's-style cartoon based on Bill Everett's anti-hero Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner is among my favorites. The animation is limited, but the stories & characterization are Marvelous (pun intended) to view. Namor is ruler of Atlantis but is not without human weaknesses such as arrogance. In the typical Marvel Comics fashion, Namor goes through adventures which are larger than life, but all have lessons that apply to us as regular ole humans. I recommend that if you are viewing this for the first time that you should look at the cartoon as a moving comic book rather than typical animation. You may be disappointed if you are expecting much in the animation department. However the sound effects, voices, narration, still art, backgrounds, scripts, & fun value are off the charts! Oh how I long for a release of the complete set of Marvel Super Heroes on DVD. The opening song is also classic for those who grew up with it.

This series should be viewed as a video comic book. Don't expect great animation or you will be let down. However, everything else is positive. The voices are fantastic, along with the sound effects, stories and still art. Most art is ripped right off the comic page itself. The creators may have taken some liberties with the plots, but one can get the feel of the 1960's comic creativity boom by viewing these cartoons. As for the theme, yes it's campy but fun. I would probably rank Hulk's song last amongst Thor, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, Iron Man & Spider-Man. It's still a cool song to me

G.I. Joe was an above-average cartoon from the 1980's. The series walked the line between military action & science fiction. There were many fascinating characters, including the silent Snake-Eyes, the jolly chef Roadblock, metallic-headed arms dealer Destro, & ninja Storm Shadow. A TV series was the perfect format for G.I. Joe, due to the huge amount of characters. The show had a few strengths. First, the opening. The way the show comes on, with all-out action & the theme song are now 80's classics. The animation is rather good, as well as the sound effects & voices. I found it interesting that the creators chose to use laser guns over bullets, I suppose it keeps it in a realm of fantasy. This leads me to the few drawbacks. It seems that nobody could ever hit each other. Even as a child, I found it to be a little far fetched that nobody ever hit anyone with all that blasting. (Cobra officers always escape their exploding vehicles, too) I understand it was done to tone down the violence. The only other negative to me was the "Yooo-Joe!" & "COOOBRAAAA" battle cries were a little corny, even for my 10 year old self back then. Those are my only complaints other than the sci-fi turn of the later episodes (Serpentor, etc.)