Thursday, March 31, 2011

Worst Superhero/Comic Movies (According to the Razzies)

There are a lot of lists of worst movies based on comics and superheroes. Here is a list I put together based on superhero and comic movies based on Razzie Award Nominations and Wins. I've included Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, even though it is debatable whether it qualifies as a superhero movie.

Entries with astericks indicate that the awards were for actors who appeared in more than one movie (for example, Jessica Alba was nominated for Worst Actor for appearing in Fantastic Four and Into the Blue.)

8 Nominations
Son of the Mask (1 Win)

7 Nominations
Catwoman (4 wins)
Batman and Robin

6 Nominations
Barb Wire (1 Win)

5 Nominations
Howard the Duck (2 Wins)

4 Nominations
Sheena: Queen of the Jungle
Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2

3 Nominations
Red Sonja (1 Win)

2 Nominations
Jonah Hex
Supergirl
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer *

1 Nomination
The Return of Swamp Thing (1 Win)
Batman Returns
Fantastic Four **
Batman Forever
Steel
Batman Begins
Superman Returns
Superman III
Masters of the Universe
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
The Mask ***

* Jessica Alba was nominated for Worst Actress for her roles in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Awake, and Good Luck Chuck. Jessica Alba was nominated for Worst Screen Couple with Ioan Grufudd in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, with Hayden Christensen in Awake, and with Dane Cook in Good Luck Chuck.

** Jessica Alba was nominated for Worst Actress for her roles in Fantastic Four and Into the Blue.

*** Jim Carrey was nominated for Worst New Star for his roles in The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and Dumb and Dumber.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Young Justice: Episode 1 & 2 (Independence Day & Fireworks)

I've been watching Young Justice. I'm really enjoying myself, so I decided to start reviewing the episodes.  (I'll be reviewing episodes as I watch them, and avoiding spoilers as much as I can.) I'm going to review the first 2 episodes in this review, since it's a two-parter. Warning: this will be long.

Ten word summary: Great episodes, fun characters and excellent animation. A solid beginning.

Massive spoilers behind the cut.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Marvel + UK = OTP?

In my last post, I mentioned that The Marvel Super Heroes is available on DVD only in the UK (Region 2). Well, it turns out that's true of a lot of Marvel Comics cartoons. Don't believe me? Here's a list.

1) The Marvel Super Heroes
2) Fantastic Four (1978 series)
3) Spider-Woman
4) Spider-Man (1981 series)
5) Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
6) The Incredible Hulk (1982 series)
7) The Incredible Hulk (1996 series)
8) Silver Surfer
9) Spider-Man Unlimited
10) The Avengers: United They Stand

Honorable mention goes to the 90s Spider-Man cartoon, which has been had all 4 seasons released in the UK but only a few DVDs with 4-5 episodes each released in Region 1.

Now I'm all for releasing these series in the UK but would it kill them to release them in the United States too?

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Marvel Super Heroes- You Don’t Get Much More Old School Than This

I really have no taste when it comes to superhero TV shows. I've enjoyed Super Friends episodes for their endless cheesiness, and I actually own Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation on DVD. Mind you, I don't think Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation was good, but I enjoy making fun of how laughably bad it is. The same is true of many other older shows.

While looking into older cartoons in my endless search for cheesy superhero cartoons, I came across the first ever animated series by Marvel Comics: The Marvel Super Heroes. The Marvel Super Heroes aired in 1966, and the style of animation makes them pretty much the first motion comics. And yes, motion comics were just as pathetic looking back then as they are now.

The show had 5 different features: Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, The Invincible Iron Man, The Mighty Thor, and Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. 13 episodes of each of the features were produced, making a total of 65 episodes.

Amusingly, these shows were allowed to have content that was often not allowed in future cartoon series. About a dozen titles included "die" or "death", and the very first episode involves realistic looking fire arms.

If you're like me and enjoy older cartoons, it is available on DVD . . . but only for Region 2 (Europe). If you live anywhere outside of Region 2, this means that you'll need a region-free DVD player if you want to actually watch the DVDs. (Otherwise, you'll just be buying some expensive Frisbees.)

Be warned that this show is incredibly corny and its age really shows. If you can, watch some episodes before buying it, so you know what you’re getting into.

Here are links to the DVDs on Amazon UK, if you're interested in buying them.

1) Marvel Superhero Classics Collection [DVD]
Contains 52 episodes (all but the Incredible Hulk episodes).

2) The Incredible Hulk 1966 Complete Season
All 13 Incredible Hulk episodes.