REEL RETRO CINEMA | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

Sep18

UNCANNY: 1963’s Startling and Groovy ‘X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES’

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Sep 18, 2024

UNCANNY: 1963’s Startling and Groovy ‘X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES’

REEL RETRO CINEMA: New looks at old flicks, and their comics adaptations… By ROB KELLY Anyone who has read superhero comics with any regularity has, at some point, let themselves imagine what superpower they would most want to have, if given the chance. When asking this question, you’ll most likely get the same few answers: flight, super strength, telepathy—the kinds of abilities that seem to most inspire awe and wonder in all of us earthbound creatures. Not far down on that list, it’s safe to say, is x-ray vision. The idea of having a power that you can use and no one is the wiser is just too irresistible for a lot of people, especially the dominant demographic for superhero comics: young males. There’s a reason why x-ray specs were a staple of the kitschy junk advertised in comics for many decades. Roger Corman’s film X (titled X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes in advertisements only) — released Sept. 18, 1963 — starring Academy Award-winning actor Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend, Dial M For Murder) takes that undeniable hook and runs with it from the first scene, where we meet Milland’s Dr. James Xavier, already deep in his research on how to increase the range of human vision. By his estimation, humans can only see one-tenth of the visible spectrum, and he thinks he has developed a formula to peer into the ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. He experiments on a monkey, and almost immediately his suspicions are confirmed: The little creature appears to be able to see through solid objects. At this point, Xavier is off and running, despite the protestations of two colleagues, Dr. Sam Brant (Harold J. Stone) and Dr. Diane Fairfax (Diana Van der Viis, who looks like Sue Storm come to life). Xavier then experiments on himself, and immediately he is able to see through solid objects, as well. When consulting on a medical case involving a young girl, he is able to peer into her chest and determine what her real problem is. No one believes him of course, but that doesn’t stop him from slicing the hand of the surgeon about to operate, so Xavier can take over and show everyone he was right. Things accelerate from there, and soon Xavier is seeing the world in forms of light and color that...

Aug10

BUCKAROO BANZAI: A 40th Anniversary Salute to Anarchic Film Magic

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Aug 10, 2024

BUCKAROO BANZAI: A 40th Anniversary Salute to Anarchic Film Magic

REEL RETRO CINEMA: New looks at old flicks and their comics connections… By ROB KELLY Forty years ago, movie audiences were introduced to physicist/neurosurgeon/test pilot/rock star Buckaroo Banzai. Like its lead character, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension is a cinematic polymath, combining sci-fi, comedy, rock and roll, Monty Python, The Right Stuff, the Shaw Brothers, Doc Savage, and even a little Three Stooges, resulting in one of the most unique movie-going experiences of the ’80s. Created in the 1970s by novelist Earl Mac Rauch, the then-named Buckaroo Bandy came with a back story so extensive it rivaled what George Lucas crafted for Star Wars. It wasn’t until Rauch became friends with screenwriter and director W.D. Richter that the project gained some momentum in Hollywood, eventually landing at 20th Century-Fox (the same studio as… Star Wars). Buckaroo Banzai — released Aug. 10, 1984 — hurls its audience into its world at the same velocity its title character hits a mountain in his attempt to pierce the 8th Dimension, and never slows down. Within minutes of being introduced to Banzai (Peter Weller), we meet his band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, as well as the main bad guy, Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow), who tried to break the 8th Dimension himself and went mad in the process. When he sees Banzai’s success, he hatches a plot to steal Banzai’s “Oscillation Overthruster” and get revenge on the world that cast him aside. Assisting him are aliens from the 8th Dimension called Lectroids who want to take over the world. A few nights later, Banzai and his band are performing when a woman named Penny Priddy (Ellen Barkin) tries to kill herself but is saved by Banzai and is revealed to be the long lost twin sister of Banzai’s late wife. Got all that? I hope so, because the film isn’t even half done. It’s a damn shame and completely understandable why audiences rejected Buckaroo Banzai upon arrival. With stiff genre competition like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Ghostbusters, and Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, Banzai had its work cut out for it. The film simply asks too much of its audience’s attention, practically demanding repeat viewings just to catch everything. With the advent of cable and home video, that’s how Banzai became a cult classic,...

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