'90s Fun: Mystery Men (1999)

 A Film about Supporting Characters from an Independent Comic that somehow was given $68 million!  If you adjust for inflation, it is around $130 million in today's money!

Mystery Men is a 1999 Film based on, as mentioned, Supporting Characters from the Flaming Carrot Comic Series.

They couldn't afford to actually use the Title Character, but oh well!

The Plot involves a bunch of would-be Superheroes trying to rise to the occasion when the big-time Hero falls.  The result is manic, crazy and pretty funny.

While it was made in 1999, it is still a firmly '90s Film, featuring Greg Kinear, Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Geoffrey Rush and Paul Reubens.
Hell, even Tom Waits is in this one!

Sadly, the Film is most famous for introducing the World to the song 'All-Star' by Smash Mouth.  Should it be known for more?
Let's find out...

A team of criminals- lead by Artie Lange!- try to rob an Old Folks Home.

A trio of wannabe Heroes- The Shoveler, Mr. Furious and The Blue Raja- try to stop them.

This doesn't end smoothly.

The City's big Hero- Captain Amazing- shows up and saves the day!

He's a Corporate Superhero, literally wearing company logos on his outfit like a NASCAR Driver.

He's told by his Agent that he's going to lose Sponsorships because Crime is TOO down and he's not exciting anymore.

As such, he uses his dual identity to free an old Archnemesis- Cassanova Frankenstein (Rush)- from an Asylum.

This doesn't end smoothly.

One of the 'heroes' finds out that he's been kidnapped and tries to get more Heroes to their cause.

They get The Spleen- who has targeted farting-, Invisible Boy- who can only be invisible when nobody is looking- and The Bowler- a lady who throws around a semi-anthropomorphic bowling ball that contains her dead dad's skull.

All-Star!

The team is also aided by The Sphinx (Wes Studi) who teaches them how to be better, while also talking in obvious riddles to sound smart.

'If you can't learn to master your fear, your fear will become your Master.'
That kind of thing.

They also get Tom Waits's Scientist to make them gadgets for the big night!

They find the captured Captain Amazing.

They try to save him.

This doesn't end smoothly.

Now they have to rise up and save the day, as the weapon that killed Amazing will be turned on the City!

We get one Scene of them sewing and twenty minutes later- boom- new costumes for the finale!

The Finale is broken into a series of vignettes to let everyone shine.

Invisible Boy's power works!
The Shoveler wins a fight.
The Bowler gets her revenge.

Mr. Furious also manages to save his love interest- Claire Forlani, who is just here to be chill and then be captured- from Frankenstein, tossing him into his own device.

In the aftermath, the News all shows up and the team struggles to come up with a name.

Thankfully, this Reporter does it far smoother than in Fant4stic.

I can't wait to see them in...oh right- this Film lost over $30 million.
Never mind- The End.

A Film that is really damn silly and fun.  Is there more to this?

In a word?  No.
They act like the message is 'These guys have heart and that's why they are heroes.'

Cool- so why did they have to learn brand new skills and change dramatically then?  It is one OR the other, right?

In any event, the Film is a great time capsule in all of the best and worst ways. 
According to Wikipedia, this one was greenlit in 1997 along with about 50 other Comic Books, most of which eventually came out eventually (Sorry, Concrete).

This one features MANY CGI Shots of the City and they...don't look great.  Just use Scale Models, guys and gals!

If you buy into the Film's silly charm and attempt at heart, it is a fun watch.  Will someone ever approach this again?

Maybe a gritty reboot with an aged Stiller and Macy struggling to find a place in the world?

Probably not.

Enjoy these very dated cameos instead.

Anyone remember Dane Cook?

*******

This Film's Director and Michael Bay did 'Got Milk' commercials, so...

Next up, let's stick to the same Decade, but otherwise do a complete tonal shift.  It is a serious Film and it...actually won an Oscar?!?  Stay tuned...

Fiction vs. Fiction: Deadly Friend (1986)

 While we're on the subject of Robots/Androids, why not bring this Series back?

As luck would have it, I found the Book called 'Friend' in a Tampa Thrift Store and then realized that it was turned into Wes Craven's 1986 Thriller.

That one was famously reshot and tweaked via Studio mandate, so let's see how close it ended up to the Book...

***VS***

What's the Same?

The basic Plot and premise is not changed.  We still get the sad tale of a kid who loses his robot and his would-be-girlfriend in short succession.

Desperate, he puts the robot's 'brain' (chip) into the girl and strange things happen!

After that, well, many things change!

What's Different?

For starters, everyone is somewhat aged up.  They feel like barely teenagers in the Book but are obviously older here (The lead guy is 20, while Kristy Swanson was actually 16).

Our Lead- Paul- is nicknamed 'Pig' and usually referred to as such in the Book.  His buddy is nicknamed 'Slime' and called that.

As you can see, our Lead (standing up) is not fat and his buddy is quite normal.

The mean neighbor (Elvira) shoots and 'kills' BB the Robot in the Film.
Later, the abusive boyfriend of his girl friend Sam kills her via stair shove.

In The Book, Elvira's gun is not loaded (the Sheriff took her ammo), but the Dad beats BB 'to death' with it.  He still kills his Daughter in the same way.

In the Film, Sam is just brain dead, so Paul puts the chip in her.
In the Book, she's fully dead.

The Film also sets up that Paul has done brain experiments (at the College).  Foreshadowing.

In the Film, his buddy Not Slime's Dad has the keys to the University, which happens to store Sam's body later.
In the Book, his House is also the Funeral Home and they take the body from there!

In the Film, he can use BB's remote to turn her on and off (when the Plot demands it).
No remote in the Book.

Sam also emotes way more in the Film AND her transformation is less graphic.
In the Book, you see, he has wires running to the chip AND her toes were eaten by rats while kept in the shed.  Gross.

In both versions, Sam/BB kills the Dad and Elvira.  She obviously has less motivation in the Book for the latter.

However, Book Sam/BB drowns Elvira in the tub.
Film Sam/BB famously splats her head with a basketball (thanks to reshoots).

The Film also added some random Biker Bullies to get beat up by BB in the beginning and then be antagonists in the Finale.

In the Book, Sam/BB also kills a Deputy by shoving him down some stairs.  Irony?

Throughout the Book, Paul is haunted by a past mistake.  A lab experiment accidentally led to the death of a kid named Bertram and he keeps seeing him.
Thanks to reshoots, Paul is haunted a single time by the vision of the dead/burned up Dad.  Close enough?

The Finale is WAY different between the two versions.  Again- reshoots likely played a part.
We still haven't seen the original cut, but people keep asking for it.

In the Book, Paul's buddy is killed by Sam/BB.
The Dad comes home later, finds the body and then Sam/BB attacks him, as well as the Mom when comes in.

In the Film, Sam/BB dives through the window (think Bron Breakker's famous spear) to attack Not Slime.  The Mom shows up and she's briefly attacked too.

In the Book, Sam/BB flees down the road.  Paul follows her and she is tossed into the River.  He then realizes that she was trying to take him with her, so he dives into the water and disappears!

In the Film, the Cops show up and shoot Sam/BB, who finally talks in her own voice.  The twist Ending has Paul go back to get her back...again.  

She revives and apparently is now fully BB somehow...because reasons!  She kills Paul.

Final Thoughts

The Film is a more visceral and dramatic version of the Story.  That said, it changes SO MANY THINGS.

Are they bad changes?
Changing Paul from a tortured stereotypical nerd to a sad genius is better.
Splitting up the people behind the deaths was also good.

That said, the changes can also be REALLY silly.  So, unless we ever get to see a drastically different Cut one day, it is a soft recommendation in favor of...

The Book.

Sorry, Film BB.

Forgotten TV: The Outer Limits Does 'M3gan' in 1998

 I control the vertical, the horizontal and the other directions too.

The 1990s revival of The Outer Limits was a big deal when I was younger, giving us a more adult-themed Sci-Fi Show.

How does it hold up to 2025 me?

This is 'Mary 25,' the 15th Episode of Season 4.

It is technically the Sequel to 'Valerie 23,' but they recap it nicely enough.

You'll see why I picked it soon enough.

After the 23rd Model didn't go well- see Footage of said Episode aired-, the Company is now up to the 25th Model and it will be a babysitter.

If you're wondering why they skipped 24, just wait.

* To note, I'm getting Screen Caps from a different (less HD) source, but you can stream these for free (ATM) on The Roku Channel in solid video quality. *

The CEO makes a bold move to keep the company running- he'll make Mary his Babysitter.

We soon find out that he's an awful guy, as he beats his Wife AND has relations with Mary.

Mary proves to be too strict in certain regards, as she separates the kids (a son and daughter) and locks them in while the Parents are away.

When Mom tries to stop her, Mary chokes her before being stopped.

The Mom tries to make moves towards the Engineer for Mary (Stargate SG-1's Michael Shanks).

He feels bad for her, especially when he learns about the violence towards her.

Meanwhile, Mary fills out the Nudity quota, showing off her butt in this Scene, after having her top off earlier.

Shanks feels bad for her and does some new programming on Mary.

Now she will take action against the Husband if he harms the kids...by way of hitting their Mom.
That's...logical.

He gets all choked up.

In the aftermath, Shanks finally can be with the no-longer-Wife and he's happy, until he finds out a secret!

The Wife is actually Valerie 24, given the face of the real lady after her Husband killed her.
I kind of want to see how he arranged that, but whatever!

She reveals that was all her plan, since the guy was going to replace her.  The End.

A solid Episode, even if it just a play on the previous 'Valerie 23' Episode.

In that one, a lady Android became obsessed with the guy and got deadly.  In this one, the lady robot was manipulated...by another one.

Incidentally, this is a Sequel Episode, but they changed the last name of the Husband from said Episode.  Whoopsie.

The Episode uses its Effects Budget wisely, giving you a couple good moments of practical effects and not using, what I recognized, as CGI.  See below for an example.

All in all, it is not amazing, but a solid Drama with some Sci-Fi flavor and a nice twist.  It is just also one of those Episodes that just kind of ends though.

Fittingly, this is my 2nd Sequel Episode I've covered on the Show.  This one doesn't have Ryan Reynolds, but it is quite good all in all.

Tubi Thursday: Triassic World (2018)

 The Asylum strikes again!  This time, let me check out their response to Jurassic World....Fallen Kingdom.

I was expecting Triassic World - Fall of the Kingdom, but alright.

A dinosaur is on the loose in a Scientific Facility.

It appears to be a mix of a Raptor and a T-Rex.
Is this a Plot Point?

No.

Our Heroes have been cloning dinosaurs and then giving them human DNA to make them into Organ Farms.

A rich guy wants to invest, but he shows up the day that everything goes wrong!

The Dinosaur attacks the potential Donor, but doesn't kill him.

As time goes on, him (and another guy who was also wounded) start to act strange.

Meanwhile, the others try to contain the creature, while coyly ripping off Jurassic Park.

The Director is clearly up to no good and knows more than they let on.

She *might* be inspired by a certain Jurassic World Character, though I can't Bryce it...I mean, place it.

*******

Can they figure out the cause of the strange behavior (that might be a bit inspired by The Last of Us)?

Can they stay alive with the Dinosaur on the loose?

Or will the release of more of the same CGI Models...I mean, Dinosaurs spell their end?

To find out, stream the Film now.

A Film that has none of the ambition of what it is ripping off.

Does that make it bad?

Positives first.

I like that they seemed to have a practical Dinosaur body for some shots.  Good.

The Acting is pretty good.

The one CGI Model looks fine.

The Film really leans into being bloody, so just be aware.
The Tone is very morose.  It is a Film where joy goes to die (at the bloody teeth of dinosaurs).

I'm all for making fun Dinosaur Films, whether you spent $1 million or $150 million.

I just wish that this was fun.

Sorry, Japanese Poster- you're too good for this one.

A Film that is a much lower scope and scale rip-off marketing-wise.  I just wish that it was really fun or interesting.

My Crazy Youth: The Fantastic Four (and The Silver Surfer) vs. Galactus - Round 2!

 The 1990s were an *interesting* time for the Comics Industry and the Fantastic Four were no exception.

They got a Cartoon in 1994 and it was...something.

In short, it was changed drastically for the better in Season 2.

Before that, let's cover the final Episode before the rebrand and it features the return of The Silver Surfer!

A quick recap first (which is given in the Show later as well) ...

The Silver Surfer stood up to Galactus and was forbidden to soar the Universe in return.  He could only stay in our Galaxy.

The Episode begins with Ben and Alicia at home watching the TV, finally with some alone time.

It is interrupted by Johnny (whose Pearl Jam Concert was rained out) and then the other two.

Weird energy in the air is causing what appears on TV to come out of the screen!

That's all of the setup I need for the team to fight Dinosaurs!

They trace the energy to the upper Atmosphere and find Galactus' ship, albeit worn down.

They go inside and THEN put on space suits.

They are called that because you only put them on AFTER you're in Space, right?

All is not what it seems as The Silver Surfer- fresh off of meeting Alicia and recapping his origin- arrives.

They have more company- Dr. Doom!

This was all a trap so that he could zap The Surfer and steal his powers!

He sets the ship to explode and flies to Earth.

Obviously, our Heroes survive and Reed tries to find a way to restore The Surfer's powers.

It is not going well!

Meanwhile, Dr. Doom hijacks all of the TV Signals to announce that he wants the World Rulers to all surrender to him and make him King (of the World)!

As luck would have it, the nosy Land Lady (she stopped appearing in Season 2) inspires a simple plan.

They bait Dr. Doom into chasing them into Outer Space.

They make him fly past Galactus' limit on the Surfer, which gets his attention.

He's a full on Deus Ex Machina here, stopping Doom, restoring the Surfer and then leaving them.

Bye!

The End.

This is a fun Episode, as long as you understand what you are going to get here.

The Show was not great, especially in this 1st Season.  It had moments and it adapted the early Comics, giving a younger Demographic (like me) a taste of them.

There's a genuine charm here.

That said, the Animation, Writing and Production are a little bit off and pretty silly.

We see Sumo Wrestlers come out of a TV!

Pacing is strange as we don't get to fully powered Doom until over halfway through.  As such, they have to rush through to the End.

I can't be mad at this- it is endearing and just kind of silly.

It also features some not so subtle advertising for the Marvel Action Hour (of which this is the 2nd half) ...

Have some goofy fun with this Show- wrinkles and all.  It is both silly and self-serious, which is a good combination for animation.