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johntracytb5
Reviews
Aquaman (1967)
Great fun above and below the waves!
The summer of 1967 was one of the most exciting times of my youth, once CBS started to run their advertisements for the "Superman/Aquaman Hour Of Adventure." I'd been an avid fan of Aquaman and Aqualad stories since their days in Adventure Comics, and, being that Aqualad was my favorite hero, I also followed his adventures with his land-bound friends, The Teen Titans. Imagine my surprise to find that there would be an animated series based on my favorite heroes, something I could enjoy every Saturday, instead of waiting for the comics to hit the stands.
The voice actors in the "Aquaman" series were amazing, most notably the manic performances of Ted Knight as the narrator, as well as playing nearly every villain featured. I can only imagine the contortions he went into while delivering lines for the Sea Sorcerer or Captain Barracuda. (I'd have paid to see that)! Marvin Miller, previously the voice of TV's "The Millionaire," made for a wonderfully regal yet benign Aquaman, and Jerry Dexter's voicing of Aqualad quite nicely matched the innocent zeal of Aquaman's faithful friend and sidekick. (Every time I see the "Jumpin' Jellyfish" ride at Disney's California Adventure, I hear Jerry's voice in my head saying that line). Diana Maddox had more work at playing the winsome Wonder Girl in the "Teen Titans" cartoons than as Mera, here featured as the Aqua-Duo's gal pal, rather than the wife she was to Aquaman by that time in print stories. Also of note is Pat Harrington Jr's giddy delivery of Speedy in the three "Teen Titans" cartoons, ever the smart-aleck, quick-witted Boy Bowman, coupled with his performance as the youthful Ray Palmer, aka The Atom. (Hopefully those fun outings with the Justice League Of America members and the Titans will appear on DVD in similar fashion following the "Aquaman" DVD). Additionally, the lush soundtrack for this series matched the sumptuous seascape backgrounds, making these undersea romps just as memorable as the inviting image of the ever-glowing Atlantean dome featured at the close of each show.
Unlike the far more sinister and serious Aquaman later featured in Warner Bros. Animation's series "Superman" and "Justice League," these outings with the Aqua-Duo (or "Marine Marvels," take your pick) are a joy: light on violence (though Aqualad gets banged up early and often) and long on aquatic splendor, always ending in mirth and a hearty "Let's head for home, Tadpole" ...or "Squirt," "Sardine," "Shrimp" or "Minnow." (You'd think Aquaman could have had the decency to give the kid a real name, wouldn't you)? It didn't matter that the Sea King had to have a power shift (his hard water abilities) swiped from his wife, or that Tusky gets to save the day almost as often as our heroes. Our Marine Marvels knew how to show off their wondrous undersea world to its best advantage and, to this day, the series remains Filmation's most beautiful effort.
It's sad that it took forty years for WB Animation to clean up those bleeding reds from the old film stock and issue these fabulous cartoons as they originally appeared. I could almost forgive them for the travesty of the Cartoon Express edited versions of the 1990s. (I said "almost")! It is, as Aqualad says, "great fun" to see our intrepid aquatic heroes riding the waves to adventure in glorious comic book colors once again. Filmation owned my Saturday mornings in the late 1960s and I love reliving that era through these marvelous episodes.
Thunderbirds (2004)
It's not OUR Thunderbirds, but it's still F.A.B.
As a member of the "Thunderbirds" audience of the 1960s, I was prepared to be severely disappointed by this film, especially considering the negative reviews coming from various sources. But you know what? Ignore them! Yes, the film IS geared toward kids--but isn't that what many of us were when we flipped for the original? That same sense of wonder and fantasy are alive and well and residing on a new take on Tracy Island, along with our heroes of International Rescue.
Plotwise, what we've got here are the classic teen angst themes of "My dad doesn't understand me!" married to that of a boy trying to grow up too soon and a subplot of a villain vying for the boy's soul by pouncing on his strained parental relationship. The ever-whining Alan Tracy (Brady Corbet) spends a lot of time acting like a jerk before he realizes that he IS exactly that, but at least he attempts to come to terms with it (unlike most adults). The final edit mercifully left out a few other silly, rebellious acts of Alan's (such as an illegal motocross race and a few rude exchanges with Tin-Tin) which went to further illustrate what a "hard case" he is, but, because of this, it's hard to understand why his teacher, headmaster and father are so displeased with him early on. But after activating the controls of Thunderbird 1 while home on holiday---a move which risks revelation of their secret headquarters, Jeff has plenty of reason to "ground" the pouty teen. Soon, Alan is forced to redeem himself while learning the meaning of teamwork and importance of family.
While "Thunderbirds" is certainly not the film that longtime fans were hoping for, it is still a gem. Unlike most of the pap that's pedaled to kids today, this film is all about respecting life, honoring ones parents, being selfless, valiant and championing the good. The Tracys are self-sacrificing heroes who go beyond the call of duty, risking their lives to save others in peril. How sad that there were so many young children being taken to see frightful images in films like "Alien Vs. Predator" and "The Village," while this rare, decent, wholesome story played to sparse audiences in the same locations. So much for "family values." Sadly, we don't see enough of those valiant Tracy boys doing what they do best: performing rescues, the main flaw of this film.
Best performances: The true saviors of this outing are the irresistible Lady Penelope (Sophia Myles) and Parker (Ron Cook). They enliven a sometimes heavy-handed script, filling it with veddy English bon mots and some stirring gymnastic fisticuffs. Also fully enjoyable in a menacing sort of manner is The Hood (Sir Ben Kingsley), whose red cat eyes would definitely have kept me awake at night had I been a small child viewing this film, but older kids will probably think he's "cool," if not more than a bit bizarre.
Kudos to Bill Paxton for portraying patriarch Jeff Tracy as every bit the ex-astronaut image we'd expect of the billionaire philanthropist, as well as humanizing his often gruff TV persona. Here, Jeff is a loving, tactile and protective father, forced to watch as his sons and friends suffer at the hands of his previously unknown nemesis. Though we are treated to precious little of those delicious, boy band coiffed Tracy brothers (the best thing about the original series!), Lex Shrapnel stands out as the perpetually space-bound John Tracy, The Hood's first victim, with Philip Winchester as a suitably stoic Scott and the dishy Dominic Colenso as the handsome Virgil. Among the kids, Vanessa Anne Hudgens is darling as the curiously telekinetic Tin-Tin, though her performance would have been better had she focused her attention, rather than looking off into space during many scenes. Soren Fulton is likable as the put-upon and clever Fermat, the new character who is the best friend of the rebellious, overexposed Alan. Rounding out a superb cast is the comical Anthony Edwards as the stammering, rubber-faced Brains with whom the female baddie Transom (Rose Keegan) is besotted.
The renderings of the ships and Tracy Island are a dream come to life. There are times when you can feel the weight of the behemoth that is Thunderbird 2, when you're caught in the slipstream of Thunderbird 1 and when you feel like Chill Wills' character in "Dr. Strangelove" riding along outside Thunderbird 3!
The up side: Glorious renderings of the beloved vehicles; glittering, realistic sets; the perfect Lady Penelope and Parker; charming, gorgeous Tracy men with no strings attached! The down side: only about 25 minutes out of an 87 minute running time actually devoted to all of the above! The real criminals here are not The Hood and his minions, for the villains come up smelling like roses when compared to the studio know-nothings who turned a wonderful TV series premise into a curiously uneven yet somehow still oddly satisfying outing. No, this isn't exactly "our Thunderbirds," but it's still great fun all the way 'round! Despite the flaws, editing gaffs and major league hijacking of the screen time by the kids, the film still manages to be at times thrilling, often giddy and ultimately clever, and small children, in particular, just love it. It's a...GO!
Chasing Destiny (2001)
Great romantic comedy!
Cute, funny and bitter-sweet with an enduring message about life and love of all kinds: this film has it all. Casper Van Dien is thoroughly charming as "Bobby Moritz," the beleaguered romantic lead. He shows a wonderful sense of comic timing throughout the movie. Roger Daltrey is huggably adorable as the whiskey-voiced Nehemiah, the long-time pal and band-mate of 1960s rock star Jet James (Christopher Lloyd). Daltrey adds a great sense of humor to the film, a nice change from the far more serious roles he's taken on over the years. His character cements this wonderful ensemble cast and provides an anchor to link the dramatic and comedic plot lines, all of which is carried off without a hitch. The romantic entanglements are realistic yet mystical in nature, in keeping with the "Age Of Aquarius"-like feel which unites the main characters. Like the best of old Hollywood films, every single performance is important to the plot and all are well performed. It's a shame that Hollywood doesn't make more clever, romantic, multi- generational films of this kind. It's a pure joy!