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

Jan26

The Sweet Diversion of 1980’s HERO AT LARGE

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jan 26, 2019

The Sweet Diversion of 1980’s HERO AT LARGE

REEL RETRO CINEMA: New looks at old flicks and their comic-book connections… A little while back, we published Rob Kelly’s REEL RETRO CINEMA column on 1981’s Condorman, a superhero movie that really wasn’t. (Click here.) It reminded me of another superhero movie that wasn’t, from the same era – 1980’s Hero at Large. I never saw Hero at Large in the theater but it was in heavy rotation on HBO at just the right time and, given the adolescent I was, I fell in love with it. It always struck me as a sort of Bizarro Universe version of Superman: The Movie – the Captain Avengermania seen in the film appeared to be inspired by the popularity of Richard Donner’s flick, and the two had similar atmospheres, since each was filmed in the gritty, exciting New York City of the period. Anyway, here’s Rob’s take on a longtime favorite that deserves another look… — Dan — By ROB KELLY Superheroes in live action were a real thing in the mid-to-late 1970s, reaching their peak (in more ways than one) with 1978’s Superman. Doc Savage, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Dr. Strange, and even original creations like the Greatest American Hero donned tights and fought for truth and justice on the big and small screens. Coming on the tail end of this trend was 1980’s Hero at Large, starring sitcom megastar John Ritter as Steve Nichols, a struggling actor living in New York City, who finds himself a hero to many in his role of the costumed superhero Captain Avenger. Steve is a nice guy; maybe too nice to survive in the cutthroat world that was (is?) the New York City acting scene. Early in the film Steve has lunch with his grizzled old agent (veteran character actor Allan Rich), who is aghast when he learns that Steve gave away a part in a commercial to a fellow actor friend. Steve believes, truly, that one day his friend will return the favor, and generally seems to have a sunny, optimistic view of the world, despite the fact that he can’t even pay his rent because he can’t find acting gigs. At this same time, a big budget movie called Captain Avenger is being released, and the studio has hired dozens of able-bodied leading-man types to dress as...

Jan16

The Kitschy Greatness of THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jan 16, 2019

The Kitschy Greatness of THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD

REEL RETRO CINEMA: New looks at old flicks — and their comic-book adaptations! — UPDATED 1/16/19: Caroline Munro turns 70 today. This piece first ran in 2016 but it’s as fitting now as it was then. Enjoy. — Dan — OK, so there’s a special reason Rob Kelly’s latest REEL RETRO CINEMA column is focused on this Sunday-matinee staple. See, over the last year or so, ever since Sir Christopher Lee died, he and Caroline Munro have become minor obsessions of mine. It’s because I’m convinced that the two of them should have been Ra’s al Ghul and Talia in a ’70s Batman movie that should have been made but wasn’t. (Read about that here.) This is an idea that goes back to childhood. (Read about that here.) Anyway, we’re right now in the thick of NEAL ADAMS MONTH (again, click here) in which the legendary artist provides us with daily commentary on every variant cover he’s done for DC in February, each one based on one of his Bronze or Silver Age classics. But during our lengthy discussions, I made sure to ask him about the Lee-Munro idea — and he was really into it. (You can read about that here.) So the timing seemed right to revisit The Golden Voyage of Sinbad in all its Munrovian glory… — Dan — By ROB KELLY “Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel.” 1973’s “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” was producer Charles H. Schneer and Ray Harryhausen’s second Sinbad film, following 1958’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. This time around, John Phillip Law (Diabolik himself!) plays the world-traveling, sword-wielding adventurer. Let’s set sail! Directed by Gordon Hessler (who helmed many fine films, plus KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park), the movie opens aboard Sinbad’s ship as it cruises the high seas. A small winged homunculus flies above, dropping a golden tablet. Sinbad wears it around his neck, and that night has a strange vision of a mysterious woman with an eye tattooed on her hand. A strange storm blows the ship off course, and Sinbad and his crew find themselves at a coastal town in the country of Marabia. While on land, Sinbad is accosted by a stranger in black who demands the tablet, showing off his sword for emphasis. Sinbad refuses, escaping to the city. There...

Home » REEL RETRO CINEMA