Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome 1947
And here we’ve come to the final film in the Dick Tracy theatrical run in the mid ’40s which came out in the very same year as the previous film Dick Tracy’s Dilemma which was released in July where this one was released in September. This means it’s also still relevant to the 1947 Blogathon which is still going on through today at least. It again has Ralph Byrd in the role of Dick Tracy but brings in Boris Karloff to play the heavy named Gruesome. This film also brings back quite a bit of the humor and quirkiness present in the first two films to end on a high note. And, like the last three it is currently available to watch via Hulu. It’s well worth the still quite short sixty-odd minute runtime.
Read the rest of this entry
Dick Tracy’s Dilemma
Dick Tracy’s Dilemma 1947
Over halfway through these Dick Tracy films I’ve finally hit the first of two released in 1947 which fit in with a certain 1947 blogathon going on. Dick Tracy’s Dilemma interestingly keeps much of the supporting cast of the first two films. But replaces Morgan Conway’s Dick Tracy with Ralph Byrd who actually was the original Dick Tracy in the earlier serials. With the change in leads came a slight change in tone, where Dick Tracy vs Cueball has been the lightest of the three films so far, this one would be the most serious in tone as well as the most suspenseful. Even with the more serious tone, it was still an overall fun watch with enough comic relief from the side characters to help lighten the overall tone.
Read the rest of this entry
Filmwhys #53 This is Spinal Tap and Doctor Strange
Episode 53 of the Why Haven’t You Seen This Film Podcast where my guest is Austin Shinn from A Flickering Life and The Film Room Podcast who asks me why I hadn’t seen This Is Spinal Tap, one of the early mockumentaries from Rob Reiner that was a very real-yet-absurd look at the fictional career of heavy metal band Spinal Tap. And in return, I ask him why he hadn’t seen Doctor Strange, one of the better Marvel animated films released through Lion’s Gate shortly before they became a box office juggernaut.
Read the rest of this entry
Dick Tracy vs Cueball
Dick Tracy vs Cueball 1946
I’m continuing my journey through the four feature length Dick Tracy films of the mid ’40’s with the second installment. Most of the cast of heroes return, and even a minor actor from the last movie returns in a different role to die yet again in this film. Compared to the last one, this has a lot more fun with the concept with several more very over the top characters along with a slightly deeper cat and mouse mystery aspect with some of the major players. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than the first Dick Tracy film, and once again it can be found to watch on Hulu.
Read the rest of this entry
Dick Tracy, Detective
Dick Tracy, Detective 1945
Getting ready for the 1947 blogathon later this week I decided to jump in and go all the way back to 1945 with the only comic related heroes in film back then outside of serials with Dick Tracy. There were a total of four Dick Tracy films released within a few years of each other. As far as my knowledge of Dick Tracy goes, it really begins and ends with the 1990 film starring Warren Beatty. This film starts out with many of the iconic Tracy villains in cartoon form alongside the credits, but once things get going it is much more of a typical noir mystery thriller with some comic relief. I was actually quite surprised at how well some of the humor hit me and all in all it was a fairly decent not to mention that it was only about an hour long and to top it off, it’s available right on Hulu right along with the other three.
Read the rest of this entry
Filmwhys #52 Primer and The Punisher
Episode 52 of the Why Haven’t You Seen This Film Podcast where my guest is Jason Soto from Your Face! who asks me why I hadn’t seen Primer, one of the most realistic examinations of how time travel might eventually work in the real world. And in return, I ask him why he hadn’t seen the 1989 Punisher starring 80’s action star Dolph Lundgren that never really got released in the US. And in return, he asks me why I hadn’t seen Primer one of the most realistic examinations of how time travel might eventually work in the real world.
Read the rest of this entry
American Splendor
American Splendor 2003
Before I decided to watch this film I didn’t really know much about it. I knew it starred Paul Giamatti playing a bit of an average schlub, and that it was based on an indie comic book. But aside from that I knew nothing else. Watching the film I found it to be completely fascinating and unique. To try and explain it, it’s an adaptation of a mostly autobiographical comic book that combines dramatizations with actors as well as brief interviews with the actual author and some animated flourishes. I had never really heard the name Harvey Pekar before watching this even though I was vaguely aware of the name American Splendor. I found that while watching the film I was completely drawn to this very average and somewhat depressed guy and his story of his minor success. It was funny, it was touching in moments, but most of all it just felt very real.
Read the rest of this entry
Hulk vs. Wolverine
Hulk vs Wolverine 2009
After watching Hulk vs Thor I had to move right onto the second half of the double feature with Hulk vs Wolverine. And even though they are essentially two halves of a double feature, there is nothing connecting the two stories aside from the fact that Hulk is fighting another Marvel character. While I wasn’t all that fond of Hulk vs Thor I can’t say that I was impressed with Hulk vs Wolverine either. But I will say that between the two of them, this half of the double feature comes out on top, partly because of the surprise inclusion of Deadpool who I had completely forgotten was in this.
Read the rest of this entry
Hulk vs. Thor
Hulk vs. Thor 2009
As you may or may not know, before Marvel Studios went on to make the first Iron Man film and start its path towards complete box office domination, they cut a deal with Lions Gate Films to make a large handful of animated films based on several different characters. This was a mini double feature produced towards the end of their run and the last ones that I have yet to review, though I do remember watching them around the time that they came out. It’s a title that makes sense on a surface level, one of the biggest things that any comic book fan comes around to at one point or another is the question “who would win in a fight?” and then proceeds to pit two characters up against each other in an imaginary battle. It’s also something that tends to happen every now and then within the comics themselves, so it makes sense that they would pit the Hulk up against two of the most powerful and popular Marvel heroes to see who would win. Today I’m taking a look at the fight between Hulk and Thor. Unfortunately, it’s not the battle royale that one might have expected, instead it’s a bit of a let down similar to the last big pay-per-view boxing event.
Read the rest of this entry
Filmwhys #51 The Silence of the Lambs and the Death of the Incredible Hulk
Filmwhys has returned! The intended 1 month-ish hiatus stretched out into 3 months, but we are back and episodes will be coming on a regular basis. In fact, two more episodes have already been recorded and will be posting every other week. No Filmwhys Extras for now, though they may return sporadically in the future. But for now, episode 51 of the Why Haven’t You Seen This Film Podcast where my guest is David Babbitt from 24 Panels per Second who asks me why I haven’t seen the Silence of the Lambs, one of the few horror films that have won an Academy Award for Best Picture and introduced the world to Anthony Hopkins’ version of Hannibal Lecter. And in return I ask him why he hadn’t seen the Death of the Incredible Hulk, the last of the TV movies from the TV show with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno.
Read the rest of this entry
Flights, Tights, and Movie Nights 