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Watching Any Good Serials?
Topic Started: Apr 12 2006, 09:28 AM (88,275 Views)
Laughing Gravy
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Nope! Juvenile and stupid aren't disqualifiers to anything I watch. Now, dumbing-down and pandering are, hence my aversion to Spielberg pictures.
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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panzer the great & terrible
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Mouth Breather
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...and once again, with Lincoln, Spielberg has proved you wrong. It's a long meditation on the flawed nature of our country -- a big subject, and far from dumbed down. The movie has its flaws, but spoon-feeding the audience isn't one of them.
Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Dec 18 2012, 12:09 PM.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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Laughing Gravy
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In what way? I've always said he has talent, but that he almost always misuses it. The three films he directed before this, Indiana Jones IV, War Horse, and Tin Tin, all proved me right.
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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panzer the great & terrible
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Mouth Breather
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Have you actually seen them now?

As for your question, I've already answered it. The Jones franchise has indeed run out of gas, and I was the wrong age for Tin Tin, but War Horse is a marvel, and Lincoln just as remarkable, with one of the finest screenplays of this or any year.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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Todd 3D
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In my not terribly humble opinion, INDY 4 gets better on repeat viewings--there actually is quite a bit to like in it--TINTIN is terrific (especially in 3D), WAR HORSE extremely well done, and LINCOLN may be the best movie of the year.
"We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home"--Edward R. Murrow
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Frank Hale
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Jeez, not to go off again, guys, but I just saw Indy 4 for the first time a couple of weeks ago courtesy of the Amazon BD package sale, and I thought it was a tremendous let-down.

I re-read all the Indy threads here, and finally decided against posting because all the comments were about the refrigerator or Karen Allen looking a bit weathered, which didn’t bother me at all.

I thought the film absolutely sucked, and for one over-riding reason: CGI. When anything is possible, nothing is believable.

Now, where were we. Oh, yes, the Houdini serial. Ummm…An interesting historical curio.
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Laughing Gravy
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Mystery Squadron, ch. 9: Secret of the Mine

Time once again to visit an E ticket attraction at Stupidland.

It was Bob Steele who went over the cliff in the car, but he was only thrown about 100 yards and landed softly on a bed of granite. He's fine. He and Jellybean and the gang head back to the lodge, and officially, as of this episode, the lodge has more secret passages than hallways. In fact, nobody really USES the hallways anymore, they just use the secret passages to get around, pretty much like stickin' to the corners in a hot game of Clue. Dorothy, using one of the passages, sees Doc Flint kill Martin, and screams and yells and hollers that Flint is the Black Ace, which means of course that he isn't. Not only that, but Martin is now one of the undead, up and marchin' along in secret passages of his own. The Black Ace shows up, kills Flint (or does he?), and Martin tosses Steele off a 4-foot-high balcony to his doom. Whatever.

Next, ch. 10: Clipped Wings

The Master Mystery, ch. 14: The Tangled Web

Realizing they're almost done with this thing, the producer and director spend an entire chapter explaining what the hell's been going on, without even a flashback! I'm serious! Houdini barely appears in this episode! As you probably don't recall, Houdini and Balcom had gotten all blowed up in the mine; well, Harry's fine, but Balcom's deceased, which frees Dr. Q, warped inventor of the Automaton, from his mind control. Turns out he's Zita's real father, despite the fact that he's about 90 and she's about 19 (Tony Randall, anybody?). Dr. Q reveals that the stupid robot had never worked right, so Balcom simply climbed into the robot suit and PRETENDED to be the robot. "Now that Balcom is dead," Dr. Q says, "the automaton will trouble us no more!" Right on cue, the automaton smashes through the door, bent on everyone's doom and/or destruction.

Next, final chapter: Bound at Last!

Flaming Frontier, ch. 10: In the Claws of the Cougar

Bill Cody pops up yet again to rescue Tex, but everyone thinks he's dead and Mary's actually pretty upset about that until Cody tells her, oh, no, he's the "livest corpse you ever saw," which makes her giggle, but just a little. Thundercloud takes Tex to Tom, the villains amass at Charles Middleton's office and formulate a new, daring, highly intricate plan that consists of finding Tex and shooting him until he's dead, and Tex himself falls off his horse and gets eaten by a mountain lion.

Hey, I just report this stuff.

Next, ch. 11: The Half-Breed's Revenge!






"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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riddlerider
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Laughing Gravy
Nov 20 2012, 01:59 PM
My look at the new 75th anniversary Dick Tracy DVD release is up at http://inthebalcony.com/cliffhanger/


I've just added a blog post (with frame captures) on this:

http://muraniapress.com/serials/75th-anniversary-edition-dvd-republics-dick-tracy-1937/

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Frank Hale
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I had only seen the Tracy serial on laser previously, and, on seeing the first chapter of the new DVD a couple of weeks ago, had a similar feeling of “Hey, this is actually pretty good!”

I’ve been in no hurry to return to it, feeling that subsequent Republic chapters are typically a let-down, but I guess I need to get on it based on both your reviews.
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Laughing Gravy
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Mystery Squadron, ch. 10: Clipped Wings. Bob Steele was thrown off the balcony, alrighty, but he lands safely in... the COMFY CHAIR! *keys up dramatic music* We're back again to not knowing which of the numerous suspects (all of whom have worn the Black Ace costume at one time or another) is the actual Black Ace, so Bob 'n' Jellybean decide to head back to the Black Ace's hideout and check things out; meanwhile, Mulhall claims to have caught Johnson tossing the Black Ace's warning darts through the window, so add ANOTHER suspect (although I have believed for 8 or 9 chapters that Mulhall himself is the Ace, for no reason or clues whatsoever). Martin throws a smoke bomb and escapes, too, which'll affect things later, I'm sure. Our entire cast heads to the Ace's joint, where more Black Ace suspects parade in the Ace's getup, and where finally our two heroes blunder into the path of one those flamethrower thingies. Ouch. Next, ch. 11: The Beast at Bay!

The Master Mystery
, final chapter: Bound at Last. Well, for the second week in a row, we get a LOT of exposition as this whole serial is wrapped up, with not much Houdini goin' on. First, everyone runs away from the automaton, who can know throw lightning bolts from his fingertips (dang, he should've done that earlier). The mechanical man clenches his metallic fists and rages in silent frustration. While Houdini works on a gas gun to defeat the robot now that he knows there's a human dude in there, Dr. Q invents a potion that cures Mr. Brent of his Madagascar Madness, and then we're treated to a lengthy flashback - not to previous chapters, surprisingly - on the entire life story of the Brent family, Dr. Q and his relationship to them, and Eva and Zita's true story. A surprise about Houdini's life is revealed, too, but ya ain't a-gonna hear it from me, bub. As the story and flashback ends, the automaton attacks again, but the gas gun kills it and his metal head mask is removed to reveal the true villain - and no, ya ain't gonna hear THAT from me, neither. Fade to a happy scene with the men smoking cigars and the women looking on lovingly; "All Cares Forgotten," as the title card says. Eva asks Houdini, "After all you've escaped from, I wonder if anything can ever hold you." He responds by touching her wedding ring and saying, "This little band of gold" as we fade out. Hey, this was a VERY good serial, I liked it a lot. The escape sequences were amazing, but hey, that's why he's Houdini, no?

Flaming Frontiers, ch. 11: The Half-Breed's Revenge. Tex shoots the cougar. Well, THAT was simple. Thundercloud reveals Bart Eaton as the villain, although he's not aware that Chuck Middleton is just as villainous but dresses better (always wearing his hat and overcoat, even indoors). Tex tries to sneak Mary and her brother Tom out of town in a wagon train to the safety of Coyote Wells, which sounds neither safe nor sanitary to me, in particularly, but anyway the Half Breed hears of it and lets Middleton know. Chuck sends his boys to bring Tom back; Tex gives chase, and arrives just in time to see the wagon with his beloved and future brother-in-law go careening end over end into oblivion. Next, ch. 12: The Indians are Coming!
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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Laughing Gravy
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Mystery Squadron, penultimate chapter: The Beast at Bay

Well, in a rare flash of inspiration, Our Heroes duck the flamethrower and set one of the planes on fire! This causes the villains to flee willy-nilly (well, at least Willy, if not Nilly) as Steele and Jellybean duck into a convenient fireproof vault inside the cave until the fire burns itself out or all the planes explode or something. They have no way to get to the dam to catch up with the villains until Steele notices that the Black Ace's plane is only slightly damaged by the fire and explosion and isn't TOO much a smoking hunk of twisted, seared metal: "I think if we straighten up the struts, she'll make it!" he pronounces, as Jellybean looks on dubiously.

Johnson has been announced as the Black Ace, who has taken Davis prisoner (as I mentioned last week, I think it's the reverse); Steele imitates the Black Ace (he steals the voicebox, you see) and uses the plane's flamethrower to do a great deal of damage to the real Black Ace's equipment, the stinker. Meanwhile, Jellybean has discovered that the Black Ace's darts are boomerangs - you throw them East and they stick on the wall West, which they all deduce means the stupid darts weren't coming from outside the windows after all, they were coming from INSIDE all along. Hmmm...

They check Johnson's right arm to prove that he's the Black Ace, and naturally, there's no bullet hole at all there. While they're pondering THIS, the real Black Ace emerges from the fireplace and his men surround the joint and prepare to seriously kill everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY.

Next, final chapter: The Ace of Aces!

Flaming Frontiers, ch. 12: The Indians are Coming

Everybody survived the stagecoach crash, although Tom is bleeding from the forehead a smidge. Eaton and Half-Breed cook up another plot to turn the Indians against the white guys, and give Tom one last chance to sign over the deed to the mine, which he refuses to do, being a stouthearted Canadian and all. The Injuns attack the fort, and Tex kills one and puts on his war bonnet and sneaks away to get help from the Cavalry, only he - yep, you guessed it - falls off his horse again and his bonnet falls off and the Injuns go, "Look! Him no brave, him Tex Houston! Me Scalpum!" or something like that. And so it goes.

Next, ch. 13: The Fatal Plunge!

"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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Laughing Gravy
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Mystery Squadron, final chapter: The Ace of Aces

I TOLD you Davis was the Black Ace! (Uh... posthumous spoiler alert, there.) How did I know? Several episodes ago, when I discovered that this was in fact the stupidest serial I'd ever seen, Die Hard spread over 12 weeks, I decided to think, "Okay, who would be the stupidest revelation as the Ace in the final episode?" and the answer was, of course, the best friend of our heroes, the guy who called them in to "get" the Ace for him, the guy who's played by an actor who never plays the villain. When I get the ol' noggin' wagon revved up, there's no roadblock c'n stop me boys, no roadblock c'n stop me.

So, the Mystery Squadron has surrounded our heroes, but the sheriff's men burst in and surround THEM, but before anybody can come and surround THEM, and this goes on forever like a pebble making circles in the ocean, the Black Ace sets off a smoke bomb and escapes through the fireplace. Steele gives chase, and finds the Ace's outfit hidden in Davis' room, and Davis tied up in the car, claiming the Black Ace's men left him there, the big fibber. Steele calls everyone together in the lodge, and they all stand there for ten minutes or so (yes, really) discussing the "case", such as it is, and Steele finally figgers out it's Davis as the Ace, and then we get yet another nifty flashback to chapter one. Seems Davis was stealing gold from the mine, and needed to keep the dam from being built 'cause the mine would've been flooded, but we don't really care. The two rival contractors smile and shake hands and become besties, and that gives Davis the chance to escape and flee in a plane. Steele and Jellybean give chase, and Davis/B.A. tries to burn them up with a flamethrower, but he accidentally sets his own bad self on fire and crashes in a fiery fatal explosion. After that, Jellybean chokes on a jellybean and I'm thinkin', gosh, that's another cliffhanger but I forgot, this is the final chapter. Our Heroes get hired to work the dam permanently, and Steele and Dorothy make goo-goo eyes together. Fade out. The end. I was right. I knew. I knew the villain! I also knew that Iraq was a huge, huge mistake. You'd better start listening to me.

Flaming Frontiers
, chapter 13: The Fatal Plunge

Tex and his horse were both just knocked unconscious when they fall off the cliff last week, and if you've never seen an unconscious horse, well, you have no idea what you've missed.

The Indians kidnap Mary, and the white guys try to kidnap Tom, but Tex gets back with the Cavalry and breaks the whole thing up. The Army wants to attack the Redskin camp and rescue the girl, but Tex says that'll just ensure her demise: "The ONLY way to save her is to be as TRICKY as the Indians themselves!" Everyone nods at this sage advice.

Tex and Cody (who's wandered back into our screenplay) send up fake smoke signals that say something like, "Come quick-um! Unguarded train bringing firewater, thundersticks, and issues of Cap'n Billy's Whiz Bang through desolate pass!" and all the Indian braves leave the village, allowing Tex to sneak down, kill the lone guard watching Mary (Tex actually stabs him in the back; I was a little shocked and dismayed) and rescue her. The Indians, meanwhile, realize they've been had, and return a-whoopin' and a-hollerin' and Tex and Cody and their gang escape using "the old blanket trick" which is so stupid I won't recount it here. Meanwhile, the villains have heard that Tex and his buddies are disguised as Indians, so when the see the group of Redskins, one of them says, "HERE THEY COME! They must think we're DUMB!" and attack them, Custer like, only at the last minute realizing how dumb they REALLY are and escaping with the black, foul lives. They then track down Tex and his group, who are crossing the river, and open fire, shooting Tex down like the dog that he is, in the "loyal, friendly, true-blue" sense of what a dog is.

Next, penultimate chapter: Dynamite!

"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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Pa Stark
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Gravy, what will be your next serials you will review?
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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Laughing Gravy
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Pa, I feel like a fighter who was knocked out in the first round and as I wake up in the dressing room with the doctor trying to stitch my face back together, you're the sports reporter standing over me going, "So, when's your next fight, kid?"
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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panzer the great & terrible
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My sympathy. Mystery Squadron near 'bout cured me of the serial addiction.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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