DTV Trash?: Superman- Braniac Attacks

DC had a great run as the Studio making the best Animated Shows in the '90s.
Inevitably, the Shows had to end and Direct to Video Features followed.

Some are confusing (like Mystery of the Batwoman), some are good (like Subzero) and some hurt us all on a deeper level (like Batman & Harley Quinn).

This one- 2006's Superman- Brainiac Attacks has eluded me for a while.

Which category does this fall into?

To find out, read on...

As a foreword, this is actually NOT a follow-up to the DCAU (Batman to Justice League Unlimited). 

It's just an Animated Film made in 2006- the same year as Superman Returns- that uses the same art assets and half of the OG Voice Cast of the Superman Cartoon.

That's only a lot confusing.

Anyhow, as the Title states, Brainiac attacks!  This looks like a job for, well, you know...

Brainiac hijacks Luthor's anti-meteor satellite (which failed to stop his arrival) to blast the crap out of Superman.

This gives Luthor- voiced here by Powers Boothe channeling Gene Hackman- an idea or two. 

Superman finally wrecks Brainiac's body by freezing it and making it shatter.

That's not usually how this works, but I'll accept it.

Cool shot- no pun intended.

Luthor pockets Brainiac's brain chip from the debris and takes him back to LexCorp.

He makes a deal- he'll give Brainiac a new body with some new tech (including the one piece of kryptonite he has) if he destroys Superman.

In the Cartoons, they were literally fused into one Cronenbergian body.  This is safer.

This new body is formed from the Satellite itself and...now he has arms and legs?

The Satellite had those already or...I'm probably overthinking a Cartoon, aren't I?

Using Luthor's tech, it can track Superman and attacks him while he's out with Lois as Clark.

A fight ensues, but it eventually blasts Superman and Lois with some sort of kryptonite wave beam.

This poisons them both, because...why not?

Superman finds no help in his Fortress of Solitude and Brainiac attacks again.

He blows up the place and vanishes into The Phantom Zone, where the secret lies.

Seen here flying inside the mind of Hunter S. Thompson

While he's in there, Luthor reveals to Mercy that he has a failsafe to destroy Brainiac's body.

He positions himself as a hero to stop Brainiac...who took out the failsafe, because, you know, he's Brainiac.

Things go poorly for him until Superman returns (not that one).

Superman is covered in an orange glow and now resistant to the Kryptonite beams.

He eventually overpowers and overcharges Brainiac for the victory.

One final attack makes Superman have to use up the orange energy to save Lois.

In the aftermath, a cocky Luthor soon is hoisted by his own petard!

Oh and Superman doesn't stop being Clark.  Cool.

A decent to good Animated Film that does take some adjustments to enjoy.

As noted, this is just a completely separate entity from Superman: The Animated Series, despite using their Character Models, Locations and half of the Voice Cast.

I was distracted quite a bit at first by the new voices- Boothe as Luthor and Lance Henriksen as Brainiac- while others- like Tara Strong as Mercy- were fine.

Boothe- who was great as Gorilla Grodd- plays a campier and sillier Luthor here that I eventually warmed up to.  There's no wrong version of the Character- well, other than Jesse Eisenberg- but seeing the face I know with a different voice was weird.

Henriksen was fine, if unremarkable as Brainiac.  Corey Burton brought a subtle menace that Lance simply didn't.

Canon and Voice issues aside, this one was alright.  It took some big swings in the story and some of them paid off.

A prolonged part where Jimmy Olsen is beaten up- weird.  
Other swings were countered by simply being undone abruptly (the Fortress will be rebuilt and Clark stays). 
If you're not canon, why not stick to these?

Ultimately, this one kind of falls in the middle with these Adaptations/Follow-Ups.  It's just alright and I can see why it isn't talked about much.

Sorry, new Lex.  I did grow to like you.

Next time, I dig into my digital vault to cover a Sequel that is very much forgotten.  Before he made billion-dollar Films, James Cameron went fishing.  Stay tuned...

Shudder Day: Tales from the Crypt- 'Collection Completed'

 37 years (and one day) ago, the 5th and final Episode of Season 1 aired.

Yes, the Season was only 5 Episodes.
I don't know why.

With a big name as the Lead, let's check out the Episode known as...

It is a big day!

A hard-working man is retiring after 47 years and his Wife threw him a party!

However, the guy- who I'm sure that you'll recognize- is a grump and never realized how much his Wife (of many Decades) loved animals.

I guess he was oblivious all of the time between working 6 days a week.

He can't adjust to life at home due to minor slights like sitting on a cat toy or accidentally being fed tuna cat food and not normal tuna!

He can't stand the animals.

Not one bit!

He takes it out on the poor plants in the backyard, while his Wife loves every animal that could come by.

He hides in his basement for about 2 weeks working on his 'new hobby.'

As it turns out, he's decided to take up Taxidermy- starting with every animal in and around the House!

He's down to the final pet- a cat named Mew Mew- now.

She grabs the golden hammer he got as a retirement gift (Chekhov's Hammer) and kills him with it.

Later, the nosy Neighbor shows up and sees that she's Taxidermized him!
The End!

A simple, but quirky tale of insanity.

This one walks the line between being funny and dramatic.  It was co-written by SNL alum A. Whitney Brown, so that makes sense.

The tale is simple enough.  The man never spent enough time at home and awake to see how the Wife really was.
Either he had to learn to live with it or find a way to change things.

Needless to say, his choice was the wrong one!

All of these Tales are based on EC Comics, but this one does remind me of a *different* one about a clean, organized General and his new Wife.

The guy was Terry-Thomas, but he met a similar fate.

See 'The Vault of Horror' for more details.

A quirky little tale about suburban insanity.  The Actors really make the simple narrative get more weight in its shortened runtime.

Forgotten TV: The Outer Limits - 'Descent'

 As we work our way down the Bottom 10 Rated Episodes, do things get better...or weirder.

This is a Season 5 Episode with a notable 'That Guy' in it.
Does the Plot accidentally touch on some modern ideas?

Let's go ahead and take the...

In the Cold Open, we see these Quest For Fire-looking guys fighting over food.

We then see that a Doctor is imagining the Scene entirely while staring at a Display on Primitive Man.

The Doctor- a famous That Guy named Leland Orser- is experimenting with DNA and trying to create the Dominant and Submissive genes.

With a potion, he can- in theory- make someone more of either.

As you can probably guess, he doesn't take the Submissive formula.

He's already got too much of that, he thinks.

The first dose makes him more confident and more assertive.

It's not enough, however, and he takes a second dose.

That one makes him very aggressive, to the point where he attacks his Boss like it is the Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey!

He also gives the female Doctor he's obsessed with a dose of the Submissive stuff when the Office is just all getting flu shots- as you do.

The combination doesn't work, however, and he regrets what he did by trying to force himself on her.

She agrees to help him, making an antidote while he regresses.

Unfortunately, he can't accept a normal life without her and gives himself ALL of the formula he had left over.

After being shot by Security, we see his final fate..

He's now on Display in place of the mannequins!
The End.

A fairly simple Episode, but a pretty effective one.

As a reminder, these kinds of Shows tend to be little Morality Plays.
This is definitely one of those.

Poor Leland learns that power comes at a cost.  At first, he's willing to pay it.
Eventually, he sees the error of his ways...right?

This one has a pretty tight focus, only giving us Leland, the Lady, a Male Coworker and a Boss to focus on.  It helps make this easy to follow.

While it is somewhat of a universal idea- see those old Ads about He-Men on the Beach-, this one does feel a bit topical with the Tates and others doing their things online about being 'real men' or being 'man enough.'

While it is Sci-Fi (and replayed on said Channel), it's a good lesson in going too far for the wrong reasons.
Take us away, reused Newspaper Prop!

Next up, we get to lucky #10 on the lowest rated Episodes.  In this one, crazy people under care may not end up being the ones who are truly insane!  See you then...

Tubi Thursday: In the Year 2889 (1969)

 On June 16, 1979, Svengoolie (then Son of) ran his first Episode.
He featured the 'classic' Film known simply as In the Year 2889.

On June 25, 2026, I watched said Film.

Nuclear War!

Survivors!

An old guy and his Daughter are hidden out in a Valley (sounds familiar) and survived.

Sadly, her Fiancee is dead, but they suddenly get lots of company in the form of 2 Brothers, a sneaky Couple and a drunk dude.

The Dad bonds with the non-irradiated Brother (who looks like Elvis' Stunt Double) and thinks that he can trust him.

He also wants him to bang his Daughter, but that comes later.

The drunk guy- who perved on the Daughter- and the creep- who first pulled a gun to blast open the door- are no help.

The former keeps going out to the yard for his jug of booze (why not put it in your room?) and the other guy lusts after the Daughter.

He's also no help.  At all.

The irradiated brother keeps wandering out at night and has weird urges (raw meat, but no water).

They learn that the radiation is making him evolve and, like everything in this Film, it takes forever!

The group is all worried that it will rain and bring down the radiation from the clouds.

That...doesn't sound like a thing.

Who cares- ladies in a pool!

It all comes down to them saying that a bunch of mutants- more mutated versions of the brother- are just outside of the fog surrounding the Valley.

We see one.

He carries the girl- in 1950's Cliche #27- and gets shot.
They all figure out that the water- being clean- can kill them.

The young couple walk towards the camera hand-in-hand.
The...Beginning?

A Film whose Plot has potential, but it never lives up to it.

For starters, the Title is a lie.  Here's the short version...

AIP optioned the Jules Verne Story of the same name...in 1961.  Years later, they hired Larry Buchanan to Remake a 1955 Film and just used this Title, since they already owned the rights.

No, really.

The concept- again- is not a bad one.  The Acting is just alright.  The Budget is super low.  The Pacing is really bad.  The payoff is not great.

The Film is dated in so many ways.  That is what happens when you do a line-for-line Remake of a 1955 Film in 1969.
It is like how I Eat Your Skin was dated in 1971, since it was made in 1964.

I really like to either find a hidden gem or give a new shine to an old Film like this.
No such luck- it's just kind of dull and generic.

Why can't we just get THIS instead?

A Film that is historic as Svengoolie's first Film and for being played so often.  That said, it kind of sucks.

Forgotten TV: House of Frankenstein (1997) (Part 2)

 After a big debut, let's return to...

Here's a Recap for you...

A Dracula guy has been killing people in Los Angeles.
A Werewolf guy was attacking people.
The rich guy also brought the Frankenstein Monster to the City.

A Detective worked the case and denied the reality, until it became too real.

A lady got turned into a Werewolf by the bad done.
Not Dracula killed the guy Werewolf and kidnapped the lady after her transformation.

Back in the City, the Frankenstein Monster is in police custody after the Vampire killed his friend.

They want to lay all of the killings on him.
That makes it easy!

Pasdar's Detective finally goes to CCH Pounder after seeing Polo transform and the Vampire in its full form.

She drops a crazy bomb on him- Vampires like Dracula guy are Fallen Angels!

Dr. Frankenstein leads a Police Station breakout for the creature, which includes him sliding a cab along the road and a car chase.

The Dracula guy inadvertently kills Pasdar's Partner and everyone is sad.

In a twist, Dr. Frankenstein was actually turning the creature over to the Dracula guy!

The Doctor is never seen again.

The Dracula guy wants to seduce Polo, but she resists his charms.

He tries to kill Pasdar and Pounder (they're Lawyers!), but that just ends in the CSI lady being staked.

Plan B- sic the Creature on them...or else she dies!

The Creature, of course, doesn't do it and instead sides with our heroes.

With his henchmen dead and the Staff gone, Dracula guy is ripe for the picking.

Of course, he still turns into one of those '70s Gargoyles on steroids, so he's no pushover.

We finally reach my sense memory of this Film when the Creature and Dracula guy fight.

The former actually stakes the latter.

Pasdar takes the wounded Polo- who he shot while she was transformed- but then Dracula guy no-sells the stake and chucks the Creature into the fire place.

Time to kidnap Polo- again!

Pasdar survives the attack- while Pounder plummets- and goes to the Club, the last vestige of the Vampire.

His fellow Cops all join him and a Vampire vs. Cops battle breaks out to Smashing Pumpkins.

Pasdar goes to save Polo, who is now worthless to Dracula guy since her wolf side died (don't ask).
When she rejects him yet again, the Vampire drops to his fiery death.

Wow, so much for my big moment.

In the aftermath, this TV Mini-Series does some massive Sequel Baiting!

Pounder is alive and turning into a Werewolf.
The Creature survived being burned and is escaping the city.

...and the happy couple talk about how they are safe while Dracula guy's helper is revealed to be a Vampire himself and watching them!

There is no follow-up.

A decent climax to the events, even if some of the confrontations felt rushed.

This one is tricky because it is the culmination of all of the story beats and Plots.
As such, you expect certain things.

For instance, the battle between Dracula guy and the Frankenstein Creature is very abrupt and the rematch is even more so.
Likewise, the final confrontation between Pasdar and the Vampire is just kind of...oh, that's it?

The makeup work here is really darn good.  They used CGI sparingly and that was a good thing.

The Acting is also good too.  The whole thing doesn't feel cheap, especially for at TV Movie/Mini-Series.

As of this writing, no DVD, Blu-Ray or Streaming options for this exist.  I got a digital copy, since, well, nobody is trying to sell it.  It's worth a look if you remember it vaguely or just want something different.

Now...is that Svengoolie?

Next up, I take a look at a forgotten part of the Batman-Superman Series.  Is this long-delayed Superman follow-up worth the $3.18 I paid for it?  Stay tuned...

Streaming Standard: Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2025)

 I only know the Games based on YT Videos and reputation.
I wasn't wowed by the first Film.

So how do I feel about the Sequel?

Let's find out...

As a reminder, a bunch of kid ghosts were trapped in animatronics not at all based on Rockafire Explosion.

They turned on their captor- Matthew Lillard- but the events haunted those affected by it.

About 2 years later, the girl at the center of it- Abby- wants to save the spirits in the machines, but her older brother Mike won't do it.

She eventually runs away to the Restaurant (somehow still not demolished) and gets a device to 'talk' to Freddy Fazbear.

A bit later, a bunch of random dead meats go to a SECOND Freddy's location.
Yes, there was another one like 4 miles away the whole time.  Duh.

McKenna Grace runs afoul of an especially dangerous and new animatronic with a backstory laid out in the Cold Open. 

The new one- Marionette- is possessed by the spirit of a DIFFERENT kid spirit (think of it like a Japanese Rage Ghost) and is mad at Emily for the sins of her and her Father.

Speaking of her Dad, Lillard appears in random flashbacks/dreams throughout.

Abby has an ongoing issue with her Teacher- Wayne Knight- and he runs afoul of Toy Chica, the definitely evil version of the animatronic from the other Restaurant.

Can you name a Film in which Wayne survives?  I can't.

The Marionette wants Emily dead.

The Toy Animatronics want everyone dead.

Who will win?
Will this actually do more than just set up a third Film?

To find out, stream it now.

A bigger, bolder...but not better Sequel.

Positives first.
The Animatronics look great, courtesy of the Henson Company.
Really impressive stuff- no question.

There are some good visuals overall here.

That said, the Plot really dives into the convoluted lore of FNAF, thanks to its Creator writing the Script.
We've got two sets of Animatronics, a Marionette, a brand-new villain, a 2nd restaurant that was somehow always there, a Fazz Festival that never pays off and more.

Furthermore, these big, metal robots can shake the floor with each step...or be deathly silent when the Plot demands it (see image below).  Sure!

I watched this only a few days ago and I'm already struggling to remember huge chunks of it.  The Film also features random guests as Voice Actors that you can't even recognize.  Money well spent.

Oh and I didn't even mention the essentially pointless Cameo by Skeet Ulrich, part of two Films that nostalgia baited Scream fans.  The pair are never seen together.

If you're a fan of the Series and lore, you'll be able to ignore the nonsense- you're already all in.
For everyone else, you can watch it if you're really curious.

A Film that spent more money in many good ways.  Too bad they didn't make the Film for everyone and not just hardcore fans/theorists.