G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (Series 2) – Season 2 [DVD Review]

G.I. Joe, Series 2: Season 2
2012, Shout! Factory
Originally Aired: September 23, 1991 – January 20, 1992

“This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.” - T.S. Eliot

So I’ve finally wrapped up watching Series 2 of G.I. Joe and I’m happy for it to be over. DIC’s Series 2 Season 1 was a big enough letdown compared to the original Sunbow era of the show that ran from 1983 to 1987 but Season 2 of Series 2 continues the decline in quality. Last season’s saving grace, Chris Latta (the voice of Cobra Commander), is gone. Scott McNeil actually does a fine job as Cobra Commander but the stories are so juvenile and stupid, the animation sub-par, the character redesigns are poor and most of the rest of the voice acting is so bad that this season is a dud. In fact, you can say that about the whole DIC run.

If I thought DIC’s first season was dumbed-down, at the beginning of Season 2 they must’ve taken their audience for complete idiots. Just look at the episode “Kindergarten Commandos” where a bunch of little kids kick Cobra’s butt at an elementary school. Probably the worst episode ever out of the Sunbow/DIC years. “El Dorado: The Lost City of Gold” was pretty awful as well. So was the two-part “Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll” (Cobra has the bright idea to use GUITARS to level entire cities). Some of the episodes are just plain lazy like “A is for Android”, which is take-off of 1985′s “The Synthoid Conspiracy” two-parter.

I won’t say there aren’t any good episodes in this set. A few are decent with the best probably being “Messenger from the Deep”. It’s no coincidence that this episode was written by legendary comic book scribe Marv Wolfman, who previously wrote a few episodes for Sunbow’s second season. This episode has a strong sci-fi vibe to it that would make it right at home with the 1986 Sunbow season. If the voice acting was better, this episode could’ve shined even brighter.

Other episodes I somewhat enjoyed was the two-part “The Sludge Factor”. These episodes introduce the new eco-terrorist Cesspool along with his Toxo-Vipers and Sludge-Vipers and the Joe sub-group the fluorescent attired Eco-Warriors. Well, at least Flint is back, even if the voice is totally wrong and he looks radioactive. Cesspool is a genuinely creepy villain with his facial disfigurement and weird breathing/speech and he’s also completely insane. He doesn’t want to conquer the world, he wants to destroy it. In the hands  of more capable writers, they could’ve taken this character into some very dark (but good) areas.

“Shadow of a Doubt” calls Storm Shadow’s loyalty to the Joes into question but doesn’t get too in-depth with it. I liked it for what it was though. Oh, you didn’t know he joined the Joes? Yeah, that’s only briefly touched upon in the in this episode. They should’ve made an entire two-parter based on Storm Shadow turning against Cobra! “The Sword” could’ve been another good episode if handled by Sunbow.

“The Greatest Evil” two-parter is okay and features the debut of another Joe subgroup the DEF (Drug Elimination Force) and the drug-dealing Evil Headhunters lead by the Headman. The Joes & Cobra team up to battle the Headhunters and that usually makes for a fun episode when G.I. Joe and Cobra are forced to work together. The story is actually pretty dark because it shows you basically go insane from drugs and the Headman actually dies at the end thanks getting an overdose of his own merchandise blasted in his face. Then his whole factory blows up for good measure.

Headman the Deadman

Mmmkay?

Sgt. Slaughter doesn’t appear at all in this season and a lot of the main characters from Season 1 are reduced the supporting roles or simply background characters. In fact, I don’t know why Lady Jaye and Gnawgahyde on the cover of the DVD because I don’t even think they appear as background characters this season. Destro is also back in his traditional silver mask for the entire season.

Season 2 is a bit more varied with who gets a starring role (just like the Sunbow episodes were). Throughout the majority of the season, Duke, Scarlett, Wet-Suit, Big Ben, Skymate, Snake-Eyes, Big Bear, Storm Shadow, Falcon, General Hawk, Grunt, Mercer, Rock ‘N’ Roll, Tracker, Falcon, Roadblock, Flint, Pysche-Out, Mutt, Shockwave, Low-Light, Ozone, Clean Sweep, Major Altitude, Dusty and Captain Grid-Iron play a major role at one point or another. So it’s a good mix of old and new. Thankfully, Grid-Iron only stars in one episode and the rest of the time he doesn’t have a speaking role.

For the Cobras, Destro’s role is beefed up again and we also have Cobra Commander (of course), Overkill, Metal Head (UGH! Possibly the worst Joe character ever… or maybe Overkill is…?), Road Pig, Major Bludd, Baroness, Sky Creeper, Slice, Dice, Night Creeper Leader, Interrogator (who they should’ve used a lot more) and Cesspool. There’s still a variety of troops being used by Cobra in this season: Incinerators, Sludge-Vipers, Range-Vipers, Flak-Vipers (love these guys), Toxo-Vipers, Crimson Guard Immortals, Night Vultures, Cobra Eels, Snow Serpents, Desert Scorpions and last but not least… the B.A.T.s. The B.A.T.s were generally used this season as the standard Cobra soldier. Those classic, cool Cobra Troopers, Officers & Vipers are a distant memory. All of the troops used this season were mindless and mostly voiceless. In the past, Sunbow made an attempt to give various soldiers a personality but these guys are just fodder this season.

The things this season did right was bring back some of the older Joes like Flint, Duke, Roadblock, Wet-Suit, etc. and increase the amount of name-villains for Cobra but it was obviously all around they they were working with a smaller budget this time. Further proof of that is that the last two episodes of the series were clip shows! What a sad way to end the run of one of the greatest ’80s cartoons. I’m just glad the show was ended before the 1993 line of Joes came along that introduced the Mega Marines (Joes vs. monster aliens!), Star Brigade (Joes in space!) and Street Fighter 2 figures. The entire series was getting way too wacky for its own good. It would’ve been neat to see the Battle Corps versions of Joes used though.

Ultimately, Season 2 is probably a slight bit better than Season 1. But I’m really only saying that because I they had a wider and better selection of (old) characters this season. Much like Season 1 though, this season is something for Joe completists and certainly not anything I would call “good”. I will probably never turn to the DIC episodes again but I know I will be watching the Sunbow episodes for years to come.

So, um… I guess I’ll be reviewing G.I. Joe Extreme next? Or maybe I’ll go back and discuss Series 1, Season 1… Yeah, that’s the ticket!

Season Highlights: “The Sword”, “The Sludge Factor”, “Messenger from the Deep”, “The Greatest Evil”, “Shadow of a Doubt”, “Keyboard Warriors”

Buy Series 2, Season 2 at Amazon

More Joe cartoon talk from me:

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (Series 2) – Season 1 DVD Review

G.I. Joe: The Movie DVD Review

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Season 2.0 DVD Review

 

The Day I Watched Four Movies (Unknown, The Last Stand, The Best of RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 from Outer Space, Bullet to the Head)!

Granted, I’ve probably done this before on a lazy day off or on a day that I’ve called in “sick” to work, but I watched three of these films in a movie theater all in the same day and that’s a personal record. I don’t know if that makes me some type of cool movie geek or a lonely, pathetic loser. YOU BE THE JUDGE!

The day was Thursday, January 31, 2013 and here are the movies I watched…

Unknown
2011, Warner Bros. Pictures
Buy the Blu-ray at Amazon.com

I started my Thursday morning off by catching this action/thriller which continues Liam Neeson’s career reinvention from a guy mostly known for work in low-key dramatic features to a late-blooming action movie star. This was the picture Neeson made after the majorly successful Taken. For anyone not familiar with the movie who may be interested, I won’t spoil too much but there is a good twist to the movie towards the end. You may end up drawing comparisons to another action movie character but it’s a premise that works, original or not.

Liam Neeson is just so great in these tough guy roles. If you enjoyed him in Taken, you should like this movie as well. I’m not too fond of January Jones though. I know she’s supposed to be beautiful but she doesn’t seem all that special to me and her acting just isn’t very good. Her name is awesome though.

The Last Stand
2013, Lionsgate

Seeing as how I couldn’t get anyone to see this movie with me, I decided to check out an afternoon showing of this movie by myself. For the record, this is the third movie I’ve seen in the theaters solo. The first one was Slither and the second was The Dark Knight Rises.

To be honest, I wasn’t too sure about this movie. I mean… Just look at the poster. Were they really trying to sell this movie using Johnny Knoxville? I much preferred the original poster that I saw hanging up in the movie theater months before the film debut…

Now THAT is a movie poster that lets you know Arnold is back (he told you he would be) and that he means business! But to be fair, the first poster actually conveys the tone of the movie a lot better. This movie is not an action comedy but there are many humorous, over-the-top moments and those moments come off well. Knoxville actually does a good job as the comic relief but he doesn’t play much of a role until the third act and even then he’s just another supporting character, so it’s weird that he’s featured so heavily on the poster. I guess they were going for that Jackass demographic.

The main villain is a bit weak but The Last Stand is far better than I ever thought it could be. It’s a fun action movie (with tons of blood) that doesn’t take itself seriously. I enjoyed it and I think other Arnold fans will as well.

The Best of RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 from Outer Space
2013, RiffTrax/NCM Fathom Events
Buy the Blu-ray at Amazon.com

ONE NIGHT ONLY SHOWING.  Except for that one time they showed it live back in 2009. I caught this one with a co-worker and her husband. I’m a huge fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 so I would obviously be a fan of RiffTrax as well. Same guys, different name.

This was a re-airing of one of the first RiffTrax Live movies back from 2009. I was fine with this because up until Thursday night, I had only seen live RiffTrax airings of Birdemic and Manos: The Hands of Fate. Sidenote: for some reason, the RiffTrax guys really shine on old bad movies. Newer movies like Birdemic  just don’t seem as inspired.

I’m not going to really comment much on the movie itself because who cares? Just know that it’s a bad movie turned into a hilarious movie by the riffing of Kevin, Mike and Bill. I will say this though, it’s really sad that the great Bela Lugosi, horror icon and the greatest Dracula of all-time, was involved in this picture.

MST3K never did Plan 9 from Outer Space, opting to do more obscure films rather than what is probably the best known “worst movie ever made” (though I suppose the legends of Manos: The Hands of Fate and Troll 2 are becoming equal to Plan 9)! I definitely recommend anyone picking up the DVD/Blu-ray of the live show. And I’m happy to now say I’ve seen the “worst movie ever made”. To be fair, it’s hardly the worst ever. Terrible, yes. But the worst ever? I’ve seen much, much worse through my years of watching Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Bullet to the Head
2013, Warner Bros. Pictures

I’m a huge Stallone fan so when I found out this movie was going to have a 10PM showing right after RiffTrax, I knew I had to go. I’m really digging the idea of 10PM premieres instead of the standard midnight premieres, by the way.

I respect the fact that the new Stallone and Schwarzenegger movies aren’t trying to ignore the fact that these guys are in their 60s now. There’s a number of jokes in each movie about their age and even the movie posters get in on the action with taglines like “Retirement is for Sissies” and “Revenge Never Gets Old”. It’s easier to buy into these movies when it’s acknowledged how ridiculous the whole thing is. Along with The Expendables franchise, these movies are pretty much satirizing themselves but in a good way. It’s like they’re saying, “Yes, we know we’re old. Shut up and enjoy the ride.”

Bullet to the Head is based on a French graphic novel. Never read it, never heard of it and this isn’t some superhero story. Nope, it’s a buddy action/crime thriller that takes place in New Orleans. Sly plays a hitman out for revenge for the murder of his partner. Don’t worry, he’s like a hitman with a heart of gold (kinda). Of course, there were some humorous moments but the film was darker in tone than say The Last Stand. I mean that literally. Most of the movie takes place at night.

Again, I felt a bit letdown by the villains. Could it be that our action heroes are so iconic that anyone who is put up against them just doesn’t seem worthy?

I hate to say it because I prefer Stallone over Schwarzenegger but I liked The Last Stand better than Bullet to the Head. I liked the movie and it’s always great to see Stallone on the big screen but it’s nothing too special. I would still watch this over something like Eye See You, The Specialist or Get Carter though.

But, yes, I’m sure I’ll buy the Blu-ray anyway.

The Bob Hope Collection – Volume 2 DVD Review

The Bob Hope Collection – Volume 2
2011, Shout! Factory

Since I’ve made if my life mission to own every Bob Hope movie, Shout! Factory’s second volume of The Bob Hope Collection was a great addition to my own collection. Six movies and five of them I had never seen (I already owned (Son of Paleface on DVD). Sadly, this is another collection of public domain flicks and some of Hope’s lesser known films other than the Paleface sequel.

Shout! Factory claims these are high-definition transfers but I’ve seen reviews stating this is not true though other reviews say they have been cleaned up considerably compared to other versions floating around. The Great Lover is a poor transfer but maybe that was the best Shout had to work with. Everything else looks very good to my eyes with The Private Navy of Sgt. O’ Farrell looking the best of the bunch.

The Great Lover
(1949, Paramount Pictures)

This film had the working title of My Favorite Redhead which would’ve placed it as the third film in Hope’s My Favorite… series (that honor eventually went to 1951′s My Favorite Spy). Easy Does It was another working title. It was written by Ed Beloin who I’ve already mentioned before was a writer for Jack Benny’s radio program but by this point he had left radio behind for a career as a screenwriter.

There’s something a bit off about this movie. I can’t quite place it. Bob does well but the whole premise isn’t very interesting to me and there just aren’t many funny scenes. Bob plays a scout leader on a cruise with his troops and he finds himself getting mixed up with a beautiful redhead and a murderer.

It didn’t help that the transfer is very poor and that took some of the enjoyment out of the movie for me. The movie’s title doesn’t really make much sense either. B-level effort all around.

The best part of the movie for me was seeing a cameo by Jack Benny. This was my first time seeing the movie so it completely caught me off guard. Jack & Bob have a hilarious moment over a $20 bill. Two years before taking the role of Superman on television, George Reeves has a small part in the movie as well.

Paris Holiday
(1959, United Artists)

Paris Holiday was a pet project of Bob’s. He came up the story idea, was executive producer and wanted it to be a showcase for himself and popular French comedian Fernandel. Even with the talented Ed Beloin getting a co-writing credit, there’s not much to report about this movie. Fernandel apparently knew very little English so his character doesn’t really add much to this comedy-thriller other than wild facial expressions.

True to Bob’s intentions, both actors were showcased. The story revolves around Hope as movie star visiting France  in order to secure the rights to a movie script. He ends up getting mixed up with a criminal organization that are after some important documents but Fernandel has a few scenes of his own to strut his stuff and basically acts as an accomplice to Hope’s character throughout the movie

I guess there were hopes that this movie was going to be a success because although it does have an ending there is a twist at the end to let you know that members of the crime ring are still at large and the movie ends with “The End ?”

There’s a few zany acts of physical comedy but the movie falls flat overall and as I’ve said before, at this point, Bob should’ve been acting more age appropriate and not still lusting after and falling in love with young women.

The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell
(1968, United Artists)

This is one of Bob’s better movies from the second half of his career and it’s pretty surprising because this was his third-to-last starring theatrical role. His movies by this point were getting to be very hit-or-miss.

Hope plays a sergeant in the army stationed out on a Pacific island during WWII. The Japanese had sunk a ship carry supplies (beer, most importantly) and in order to improve morale Bob go to where the ship was sunk and get the beer for the rest of the boys.

Although it’s tough to buy Bob as a sergeant in the military at the age of 65, at least he’s not still skirt-chasing young women. It’s a refreshing change of pace to see Hope play a heroic and somewhat mature and more intelligent (yet still funny) character. A movie like this would’ve been ripe for Hope to partake in back in the ’40s as well but you’d have to make him a skirt-chasing coward during that decade.

The cast on this one is pretty good. Even Phyllis Diller (who I can’t stand) does well in her role and luckily she’s not much of a main character. I wasn’t expecting any good to come of this movie but it’s an enjoyable late Hope comedy and this particular print is as beautiful as Gina Lollobrigada in a floral bikini sitting on a Hawaiian beach.

There’s a couple of funny jabs at Bing Crosby in this one.

Directed by Frank Tashlin, who also directed Bob in Son of Paleface.

How To Commit Marriage
(1969, Cinerama Releasing Corp.)

Of all the Bob Hope movies I’ve seen, How To Commit Marriage is the second-to-worst and it was also the second-to-last feature for Bob and it was an independent release. By this point, Hope’s movie career was in serious decline and he was having trouble scoring roles and financing for movies. You really could’ve placed anyone in Bob’s role here because with some of Hope’s later movies you lose the feeling that you are watching a “Bob Hope movie” as opposed to it simply being “a movie starring Bob Hope”.

Most of this movie is played as a sophisticated comedy (other than Gleason’s chewing on the scenery and some old-school Hope humor towards the end) that deals with love, sex, drugs and the generation gap but it’s just soooooooooooo dated with the music and the hippies and the guru philosophy and free love ideas. I don’t know how Bob felt about doing this movie but as a huge Bob Hope fan, I can’t imagine he was proud of this effort.

Son of Paleface
(1952, Paramount Pictures)

Son of Paleface is an absolute classic Bob Hope movie and is the crown jewel in this whole collection. It’s often been said this sequel is even better than The Paleface itself but I think they are on equal ground.

Everything you could want is here. It’s that classic Bob Hope role of being the bumbling girl crazy fool who thinks he’s smarter, stronger, braver and sexier than he actually is.

I already owned this on DVD but its inclusion in this set certainly helps improve the collection’s overall appeal.

Cancel My Reservation
(1972, Warner Bros.)

The end of Hope’s leading man career. After this movie was released, he made only two cameos on the big screen (The Muppet Movie in 1979 and Spies Like Us in 1985) and then starred in the made-for-TV movie A Masterpiece of Murder in 1986 with Don Ameche.

What a way to go. This movie is terrible. Even the theme song is absolutely terrible. Pure ’70s soul/funk/pop garbage that’s trying to come off as The Jackson Five. It’s a weird mix of zaniness plus murder mystery and it doesn’t quiet balance out like some of Hope’s previous mystery-thrillers did. It doesn’t help that we’re supposed to believe Hope’s character is 42 years old when in truth Hope himself was 69 years old!

They made an honest attempt to capture some of the slapstick humor that had been a trademark of Bob’s movies (while taking more digs at Bing Crosby in the process) but the magic was gone by this point. Bob does a decent joke but the script is terrible and this was not the right type of role for him nearing 70 years old.

The movie’s real saving grace is the gorgeous Anne Archer. No, Bob isn’t lusting after her. He’s married to Eva Marie Saint in this one. Bob & Eva had previously been paired up in That Certain Feeling (1956).

It’s really sad this was Bob’s final movie.

Overall:

It’s really hard to recommend this set to anyone other than the hardcore Bob Hope fan. I’ve been trying to acquire all of Hope’s movies for quite some time so picking this collection up for a no-brainer for me. For anyone else that is a casual Hope fan and prefers his wise-cracking ways from the Road movies with Crosby, I suggest you stay away because there’s really only one classic here and the rest ranges from passable to poor.

Buy ‘The Bob Hope Collection: Vol. 2′ at Amazon.com

Bob Hope & Mickey Rooney in… OFF LIMITS (1953)

Off Limits
(1953, Paramount Studios)

Off Limits (released outside the U.S. as the blandly titled Military Policemen) is one of those obscure Bob Hope films that somehow has ended up online at a ridiculous price that I’m sure I’ll eventually pay. I don’t believe this is a public domain film so that would explain why it appears Olive Films has the only DVD release for it and are charging $24.95 (they are also doing this with My Favorite Spy). Luckily, before I decide to spend the money on it, it’s available for streaming on Netflix.

Having not heard much about the film, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Once you get into the 1950s, Bob’s movies could be hit or miss (even if his performances stayed top notch). Knowing that and coupling it with the fact this movie seems to become forgotten by most, I figured it was going to be an uninspired effort.

On the contrary, it’s an enjoyable movie that fits the mold of the typical Bob Hope film. Hope himself is still in top form (in what I think might’ve been one his last B&W films) and I’m sure that was helped by the fact that George Marhshall directs. George & Bob first worked together in 1940 on The Ghostbreakers and would work together on a total of 8 films.

Olive Films' DVD Release (2011)

The story is that of a boxing/military comedy hybrid as Hope plays Wally Hogan, a boxing trainer. When Wally’s world champion fighter is drafted into the Army, Hogan enlists as well to keep watch on him (a reversal of roles for Bob in regards to 1941′s Caught In the Draft). The problem is the boxer is rejected because he was deemed to be manic-depressive and not fit for enlistment. Hogan of course wants to get out since his boxer has been rejected but it doesn’t work like that.

Once enlisted, Wally ends up running into wanna-be boxer Herbert Tuttle (Mickey Rooney) and they both sign up as MPs (because it’ll be easier work) and Hope tries to make time with Herbert’s Aunt Connie (Marilyn Maxwell) while training Rooney’s character to become a top boxer.

By 1953, Bob was 50 years old. The premise that he was still a skirt-chaser and enlisting in the Army is a bit hard to swallow but he already had 15 years put into this on-screen persona, so why change it? Sure, it’s getting slightly creepy by this point but it still works.

And yes, just in case you’re wondering, there is a very brief Crosby cameo in the form of singing on television.

Off Limits may not rank with some of the best of Bob but it’s certainly better than most of the movies I’ve seen him in from the mid-1950s and into the 1960s. It may be one of the last Bob Hope movies that feels like a Bob Hope movie. If you can catch it on Netflix, I recommend it. Other than that, hardcore Hope fans will probably have to spring $20 or so to own a DVD copy.

Buy it at Amazon.com

College Swing & Big Broadcast of 1938 Bob Hope Double Feature DVD Review!

College Swing / The Big Broadcast of 1938
(2002, Universal Studios)

Another Bob Hope Double Feature DVD Review! I was pretty excited to check this disc out as it features Bob’s first two feature films. He previously appeared on screen in two shorts from 1934: “Going Spanish” and “Paree, Paree”.

College Swing
(1938, Paramount Pictures)

When I think of “college swing”, I think of something entirely different. Something like Girls Gone Wild: College Swing. As you can see from the billing, Bob Hope was not the star of this film. Top billing went the the husband-wife comedy duo of George Burns & Gracie Allen (who is much cuter than I ever realized). There is a loose story revolving around Gracie trying to pass an exam in order to become owner of the college but it’s all just an excuse for love, screwball comedy, dance and song.

There’s typical college hi-jinks and some fun physical comedy here. The cast is very good. In addition to Burns & Allen and Hope, we also get Martha Raye, Betty Grable (looking as hot as ever), comedian Ben Blue, Jackie Coogan (who would later play Uncle Fester on The Addams Family television show) and future Bob Hope radio program cast members Jerry Colonna & Skinnay Ennis. There’s even a brief cameo by Mary Livingstone (wife/cast member of Jack Benny). It’s so brief I didn’t even notice it! I’ll have to go back and look for it.

Not a great piece of work but it’s very interesting for the cast alone and there are a few legit laugh out loud moments.

The Big Broadcast of 1938
(1938, Paramount Pictures)

Bob’s first picture already has him working with a few gals he would go on to work with a number of times in his career: Martha Raye, Dorothy Lamour and Shirley Ross. Bob doesn’t play a major role in this movie. The Big Broadcast of 1938 is another variety picture featuring music, dancing, love and comedy. W.C. Fields is the star and while he was a big name comedian in his day, I’m not really a fan. Maybe it’s just how the print has been preserved but I find it’s hard to understand what he’s saying sometimes. He seems to mumble so much.

Much like College Swing, this is another one of those movies that may not be a true highlight but it’s entertainng given that it features a young talented cast that would go on do to so much more in films. I do believe this movie is historically important for another reason — it debuts “Thanks For the Memory” which is sung by Bob Hope & Shirley Ross. That song would follow Hope throughout his career and would be considered his signature (or even theme) song until his passing.

Overall:
This DVD is definitely a must-own for fans of classic Hollywood comedies & musicals.

Buy the DVD at Amazon.com