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THE SHADOW Changes Studios (And Directors)!?
Merrick here...
Sam Raimi's long-gestating SHADOW project is experiencing some shake-ups. Per THIS write-up at Latino Review...
...THE SHADOW left Sony and has now been picked up by Fox.
...Sam Raimi is no longer looking to direct the movie, but will still produce it.
...The Powers That Be want to bring in David Slade (HARD CANDY, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, the forthcoming TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE) to direct.
THE SHADOW was last seen on the big-screen in 1994 as a handsome-but-sloppy adaptation from HIGHLANDER director Russell Mulcahy (HERE
). Its super-charged, Taylor Dayne-performed theme song (by the inimitable Jim Steinman) went like this:
The Shadow looked kinda like "The Smoke Monster" in that clip...
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heh.
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That would've been my first 'first'! *shakes fist*
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...in my heart?
If so, back off big man...that routine might work with the ladies, but not with me. -
If the Shadow is shooting people in the face
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The Shadow had everying going for it accept a great script. I actually love the look and tone of the film but Alec Baldwin really had no one to mix it up with, just a sad Gengis Kahn dude with take-over-the-world fever. Yawn.
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Stark is the leader, not Cap, guarantee the movie will go in the same direction.
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Hoping they go old school (the Maxwell grant novels) and have a the Shadow's agents used as pawns in his intricate game of cat and also cat with the picture's villain..
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It was pulp fun. Dude, be nice.
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The type that rip-off Latin Review consistently.Shameless!
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Time hasn't been so kind to it. But that evil knife that was always biting and glaring at people? Awesome.
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...is that Alec Baldwin was handsome, then he got all ugly when he turned into the Shadow. So this means we got all of three minutes total screen time for the actual Shadow character. But other than that, it's a cool movie in a retro "Rocketeer" sort of way, and it's the only time Penelope Ann Miller acted in something that didn't get on my nerves.
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and entertaining as hell.
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But whatever chance this new one had died when it went to Fox. That studio has no credibilty with me now. Even Avatar was Camerons weakest film despite the billions it's taken. Colour me disinterested.
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And make it WIDESCREEN this time for the love of God!
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Was a good movie. Alec's too strong an actor to be put up against the rest of that cast. The visuals (mostly the matte paintings) were gorgeous.
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...nuff said.
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God knows, they tried. The Phantom, Steel, The Shadow, The Rocketeer. Some were even great, like The Crow, but they just couldn't get past the whole "it's just a comic book movie, guys" way of thinking. Thank God for Nolan.
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still the most hilarious line reading ever.
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Mar 04, 2010 10:30:43 AM CST
Movie is even better if you imagine it's a 30 Rock prequel.
by spacehog
Particularly the hairy-chested love god/hedonistic villain stuff before the mystics take him and make him boring.
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Mar 04, 2010 10:31:27 AM CST
I'm still in disbelief there is a Steel movie but no Superman Do
by disgustin_justin
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They ALWAYS flop.
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LETS LINE EM UP: 1) The Spirit(won't even say anything) 2) The Phantom (Man, me and the friends were hyped at this before it came out.Then it did.then we laughed. 3)The Shadow(it had one or two cool things,but basically was lame as fuck.Lame villain with fake-ass beard.just lame.)4) The Rocketeer(I know there love for this on the site.But I don't get why.I saw this at 9? And fucking hated it). Dear Hollywood, STOP!
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So I haven't seen The Shadow since the theater. I liked it, particularly that badass Batman Begins-style intro. Unfortunately this probably means they won't bother releasig it until this new version hits theaters which is probably 2 years away.
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. . . he can make winners of those kids on and off the basketball court!
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The Shadow knows.
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Not as good as the books, but on a par with the radio serials and that's high praise from me. Loved that film a lot - have to agree that a lot of the '90s comic book movies sucked, but this and The Rocketeer were the best of them for me. But as to Raimi having anything to do with a new version? It's going to suck. I love the guy, I do, but he's seriously gone off the rails. I mean Spidey 3 and Drag Me to Hell were just atrocious, both of them. I don't see him as a fit for this film in anyway. Can't say who would be to be fair but I'd rather they gave it to someone newish who's shown flair so far than one of the better known directors. I have a very strong feeling on this one that Alec Baldwin's Lamont Cranston is still going to be my favourite in 5 years time.
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They'd better keep the Purba and they'll never top the Steinman/Taylor Dayne theme song or video. Ten kinds of awesome, that. Taylor Dayne may have sucked for everything else she warbled but she hit the heights with that one.
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A technically proficient but 'soul-less' movie. Also, who gives a fuck about the Shadow?
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Seriously, remaking "Evil Dead" is retarded, but I could actually get jazzed for a new version of Raimi's Shadow-inspired "Darkman".
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I put The Shadow down as much of a must-see character as The Green Hornet.
Irrelevant today. -
Thank you. Now that's stuck in my head.
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Its not completely tainted.
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That's just brilliant.
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The first one worked for me but I wonder what that order of people would be like today. It sucks that Raimi won't direct but I like David Slade.
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I didn't see much wrong with the Shadow and the Phantom. They had cheese, but seemed to fit what they were wanting with the original material. The Rocketeer was another good example of a throwback pulp film. Was I the only person who liked Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Again, love that 20s-30s vibe. For some reason thinking of these movies makes me long for the old Defenders of the Earth cartoon.
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He really did have a great run of movies in the mid 80s to mid 90s, including the baddy in that Mickey Rourke Dragon movie, the Khan, and of course the Last Emperor.
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More or less anyway. He doesn't need to make the same movie twice, and it would just get lost with all the other pulp characters that are being made in the next few years (Flash Gordon, Solomon Kane, Conan, John Carter, et al).What he needs to do is make "Evil Dead 4" before Bruce Campbell looks like someone's grandfather (re: Indiana Jones 4) and then it'll end up being too similar to "Bubba Ho-Tep".
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This kind of film could be one of those that is surprisingly good. But typically it ends up in the hands of guys like Brett Ratner and they suck. I'll be interested to see where this goes.
"You have nothing to worry about, this won't hurt one little bit." -
Thanks for digging up the music video, been years since I've seen it. But it reminds me that the first reveal of the Shadow on the bridge is different in the movie than the video. When I saw the movie in theaters I had thought the movie scene was rather static as they did the long zoom into the Shadow's eyes but in the music video they showed his cape being animated. I've always wondered why they didn't use the animated cape shot in the movie.
Anyway, I loved the '94 movie and I hope that the new one can only do better with a darker tone. -
that song was much better when meatloaf did it.
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Wasn't that bad. It had great imagery, a great theme, and a cool villain. I don't see why it gets hated on.
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And yes, I'm including Knots Landing,
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What little of it existed was awful. One scene in particular stands out as being really stupid.
Cranston goes into a big water tank and Tim Curry locks him in. First off, what idiot walks into a tank like that? Think it might be a trap? And second, how does our hero escape? Does he take control of Curry's mind to let him out or find some cool way to escape? No, he telepathically calls Margo to come and save him. Ridiculous. At least Luke in ESB was badly wounded, hanging on by inches and didn't deliberately put himself in such a position.
And the ticking bomb with the big red numbers cliche at the climax? With all the Shadow stories out there, that's the best that Koepp could come up with?
Not to mention the fact the Khan blanks out his building's existence from everybody's minds. So what happens when a city inspector or a wino goes onto the property and hits an invisible wall? Think maybe people might get a wee bit suspicious after a while? -
I know there are some issues with the 94 version, but I actually liked a great deal of that adaptation. Nice to see a few other fans of it as well. Now, if some nimrod at FOX says they should emulate the tone and style of The Dark Knight in the new version of The Shadow, I will calmly walk outside and set myself on fire.
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Watching the Shadow never fails to impress on me the fact Alec Baldwin would have made an excellent Batman/Bruce Wayne. The whole look and feel of The Shadow was dark, cool and stylish. The story suffered a bit from plot holes and a marginal villain, but it was tons o' fun! IMO, one of Baldwin's best roles. As for a new Shadow movie, sure, why not.
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just don't call it bad. The climax of the film fell flat (the treatment of the ticking time bomb was a little too slapstick that late in the film), but it also had some great visuals. Of all the pulp retro films of the past couple of decades, I think it is only surpassed by Sky Captain, which was hugely underrated.
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I remember seeing that movie in the theatre and my buddy (who was a huge Shadow fan) nearly lost his mind with disappointment. He hated just about everything. Meanwhile, I liked the flying, screaming knife, the bullets that stopped each other, and the Shadow's vacuum tube mail system. I also seem to recall liking the score (but loving the music in the trailer better). My friend hated the music, too, claiming Jerry Goldsmith must have farmed out the scoring to his "brother, Barry Goldsmith." Yeah, I never really understood if that was supposed to be funny, either.
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Was born to play the Shadow. Go check out a picture and imagine him with the bandana across his face, is all I'm saying.
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Goldsmith's score for the film was excellent. I also thought the early scenes of the film were very reminiscent of Batman Begins.
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I liked it so much I bought the pan and scan DVD. Has good action, and a lot of humor. The first scene where Cranston and Khan are talking about Suits, also "Psychically I am very well endowed" I admit some of the stuff was ludicrous, but it fit the time the film was set in. Ever watch movies from that era? (Not all but some are a mess and very goofy)
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Penelope was not bad in Other People's Money and Carlitos Way.
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there were a number some cool things about it visually, but the script needed some work for sure
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Man is Alec Baldwin's prosthetic nose legendary in The Shadow. I think it was an entertaining enough film on the whole, but definitely some laughably bad aspects.
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..but given all the studio and director musical chairs that is going on with both projects has me wondering if they will ever see the light of day.
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I was really looking forward to that.
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... Spartacus: Blood and Sand. That made me like it more for some reason. Anyway, I'd like to see another attempt at a Shadow movie. Doesn't really matter to me who produces or who directs, just that it doesn't suck. It's an interesting character if you handle it right. Which is to say, not a big budget, huge explosions all the time action movie.
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There were stories that Mulcahy burned through his budget - the powers that be refused to give him more - and a sloppy and rushed ending ensued.
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When I heard about this project the first thing I thought was Adrian Brody.
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But whatever, let's talk about "The Shadow."
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I mean, in real-life it is obviously, but not in the context of the film. The Shadow's power is the ability to "cloud men's minds". He makes those around him see what he wants them to see. In teh case of his disguise, he's an ugly fuck. Now while I may well agree that the giant nose idea is stupid, that's from the original comic. I hope they come up with something much better, like a dark ghost-like figure, for the remake.
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I am all for new versions of the great old Pulp Era heroes. After I saw Baldwin as the Shadow in 94, I also thought he would be great as Batman/Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton's Batman films (Burton could have even brought back Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale. How cool would that have been? Playing Baldwin and Basinger off of each other in a superhero movie. Anyway, if they make a new Shadow film, they should go ultra-violent, and also make it a period piece, setting it in the Thirties. Either that, or update it using Howard Chaykin's comic book version of the Shadow, who was active in the Thirties, and is effectively ageless due to his mystical Eastern powers, and thus survives to modern times with his youth and powers intact (while his old lovers and allies age as he remains young...see the Howard Chaykin comic for details). Anyhow, what about the great Doc Savage? Who could they cast as the Man of Bronze? ("cast", "bronze", get it?). While the Shadow is the best known Pulp Hero, Doc Savage is arguably the greatest. I would love to see a well made Doc Savage film.
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That's the Mad Men guy everyone wants as Supes, right?
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DUUUUUUCCCCCAAAAAARDDDDD
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another SKY CAPTAIN fan here
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the baldwin one was close, but no cigar.
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I'd pay to see Baldwin's fat ass squeeze into a Shadow costume! Seeing him pass out after the first pose is worth ten bucks a ticket!
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was the movie that finally, once and for all convinced me that no matter how beautiful a film is, the story's got to be there. I've maybe put the DVD back in the player one time since I bought it; beautiful to look at, painful to sit through.
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The song was originally performed by a girl group Steinman assembled called Pandora's Box (featuring "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"'s and Night Court's Ellen Foley). I'm willing to bet they just removed the Pandora's Box vocals and inserted Taylor Dayne's. The production was nearly identical. Meat Loaf's version came along a year later. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep5oNzx6qG4
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It's been said above, but the only reason I own that movie (On VHS, natch) is so I can periodically pop it in and watch Alec Baldwin deliver that line.
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It's one of his great late scores
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Now I know what I'll be watching in a drunken stupor tonight.
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I thought that movie was great. It had an awesome fantastical cheesiness to it and some great lines. "I dreamt I ripped all the skin off my face and was someone else underneath" "You have problems" "I'm aware of that". I used to teach and whenever there was a lull in the day, I would tell this movie to the kids like it was a story. I was the coolest teacher in the world for "making up" a story where the bad guy gets stabbed in the head in the end.
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Sam Raimi knows. Bwahahahahahahaha! OK, that was fun, but seriously, I could see David Slade on this (provided he doesn't shoot himself in the foot with Twilight), and if there's any producer immune Fox's meddling nature when it comes to genre stuff, it's Raimi.
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... to get a DVD/BR letterboxed version of this thing out now! Has it ever been shown on cable letterboxed? Anyone own the laser?
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Great casting in Alec Baldwin. That alone pushes the movie into a must-see territory, not that it didn't have it's cheesy moments or effects, but still...
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My son 11 year old son is a total fan of the Shadow because he likes to go to sleep listening to the radio shows I've collected from the internet archives.
Liked the Baldwin version and looking forward to Raimi's. -
Someone said it was broadcast a couple of years ago on a HD channel connected to Ted Turner, I think, in a 2:40.1 aspect ratio. There's probably a torrent, just google!
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The movie is not good, guys. At all.
Sure, some of the visual are nice, and the cinematography is top notch; the story though is fracking awful. Besides alternating between cheese and noir, it is also inconsistent as far as the abilities of the main character. The screenplay is just all over the place and looks like it was written by 35 different people who each pitched in a couple of pages each. -
that the '94 Shadow was far from perfect, and I don't think many would count it as their #1 favorite film, but it did have its moments, and Alec Baldwin was bad ass in it. It comes down to a matter of opinion, as in: you can really enjoy a film, flaws and all, if you are inclined to look past those flaws. We all do it, it just depends on where your tastes lie.
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Best John Lone character ever. Nothing beats ninja's killing a train load of people! Although campy, I find my self watching "The Shadow" every time it's on. You've got Magneto, Pennywise, Jack Ryan and a smokin' hot chick. What else you want?
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While I got why The Shadow had to change his appearance (his big nose) but..isn't that too much work? Couldn't he just cover up his face better? It seemed contrived.
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luved Baldwin, Mulcahy, the spfx, & Goldsmith's score...but like many have said above, the problem was the script. It's like they didn't know if it should be a straight superhero adaptation, or a 30s screwball comedy...so the tone is constantly veering between the two. Uneven. But from a pure cheese standpoint...it's cinematic gold!
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What the fuck was that idiot Tim (Burton) thinking when he picked flabby faced balding Michael Keaton for the role?!?Jeebsus!
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of watching The Shadow on video with my cousin a million years ago (which is what it seems like to me anyway)
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I actually rented the dvd from Netflix not too long ago, but I saw it was some pan and scan shit and promptly turned it off
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Actually have the widescreen version on laser. Gotta dig it out when I get home. I think it was one of the few LD's with AC-3 (dolby digital) audio, and THX. Anyone tell me a good way to transfer LD to my mac (powerbook pro)?
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I think The Phantom has the best cinematography and perhaps the best casting for the superhero (Zane nailed the campy serious/silly part) but outside of the look and cinematography, it was ultimately too upbeat for modern audiences and probably would have benefited from more action. The Shadow was probably too dark for modern audiences. Interestingly, there was a bigger finale that was planned but the set burned down I think. I had one of the Shadow toys and the audience at the moment wanted modern action like True Lies or something over-the-top like The Mask. The Rocketeer was upbeat but had some really sadistic turns by Paul Sorvino, and Timothy Dalton. I felt like, across the board, The Rocketeer takes a simple story but pushes it in more directions than the other two movies, throwing in the subplot with Howard Hughes, having a grandiose James Horner score, having perhaps the most compelling chemistry with Campbell and Connelly and most easy to root for good guy. Audiences don't like to be challenged, and as a Christian, I have no issue rooting for a former slaughterer in Lamont Cranston and found his backstory intriguing but I can understand how, between that and the gratuitous cackling, parents didn't understand how this guy could be the hero. It's disheartening when X-Men: The Last Stand and the overrated Sin City bring in a big profit but a movie like The Rocketeer could not have become a franchise. Is it the curse of Jennifer Connelly? She was in the ill-fated Hulk which turned a profit but was hated by many, and Labyrinth, which eventually became a cult hit after Jim Henson died. I will say that I don't think deviating from source material is what caused these movies to be financial disappointments. The Rocketeer did make $6m in profit at the box office. The creator of the comic Dave Stevens said there were some good character parts that were cut for time and that he was 70% satisfied with it.
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Mar 05, 2010 12:08:25 PM CST
How about a putting the 94 version on Blu-Ray
by richardgeressoiledgerbil
In widescreen, unlike the crappy Pan and Scan Dvd!
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Which i like quite a bit. Unfortunately it failed and although I'm sure he makes a comfortable living working mostly in TV today, it's rather sad. I was an instant fan after RAZORBACK and looked for him to strike boxoffice gold at some point - too bad.
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Mar 05, 2010 4:56:51 PM CST
the 1994 movie was great but the best thing about it was.....
by cybevenom
The brilliant pinball machine it spawned. I really spend a lot of coins on it. and it will replace my current pinball machine someday.
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when they would go shiny i would get freaked out.
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years ago in a interview about Beetlejuice; talking about what he would have done with the character. I think Keaton (whom I met in a elevator once, and I towered over him even though I'm only 6'2") was already cast, but Batman was definetly on Baldwin's mind. Pretty sure it was in Rolling Stone.
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Doc Savage: Bruce Willis with some bronzer and his 5th element hair back! The Phantom: Aaron Eckhardt has a GREAT "square jawed" awesomeness to make up for Zane's "babyface" Phantom (you know it's true..). The Shadow: Adrien Brody, you guys above nailed it, and posted it before I got a chance! The Spirit: Jon Hamm is perfect to make it work....or just go back in time and get Bruce Campbell circa Evil Dead II....Hmm...who's missing?
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A Shadow Talkback! I was beginning to lose hope w this movie.
Yes, CLEARLY, Adrian Brody is the best choice for The Shadow.
And, not to toot my own horn... (toot. toot.)
BUT...I casted him for it too, several talkbacks ago.
(and many, many, moons before that)
The 94 movie is GREAT, i love it, the general audience...Not so much. Did they?
And...let's not get our panties in a bunch...they havent really mentione it yet...BUT you KNOW they are probably thinking about "updating" this to "the times." Like Batman.
Now, im not saying this would be a crap idea. Think about it: The Shadow is one of the few pulp heroes that could make the transition to modern times. And he does not really have a complicated outfit either. A hat, a coat and a red scarf. That's it.
Lookwise, He's an almost timeless character.
The Shadows real "powers" are that everybody owes him a favour.
He needs a ride? He calls the cabbie.
How does he call the cabbie? He's got a cop-phone key.
He can get anywhere and everywhere. Using his favours.
Basically a story about a rich guy with a lot of favours to cash...
(everybody owes The Shadow)
That and his akimbo 45's.
Raimi:
I want to see:
Terrified crooks, meeting Sadistic laughter in the night followed by swift, blazing akimbo 45's.
And once again, Raimi:
Adrian brody as The Shadow.
Accept no substitutes.
Look, it's not that im a "fan" of this particular actor, but i could expand on WHY Brody fits best.
However, YES, his nose really says it all.
Jon Hamm would NOT be a good fit.
(Sorry, but that's stunt casting to the n'th degree, just like Fillion for everything)
I could see Hamm pull off Superman though.
Make it happen Raimi.
Oh, and a better dvd/blue-ray of the 94 version really ought to happen.
Seriously. -
a well done ROCKETEER BLUE-RAY would be VERY nice
The Rocketeer failed theatrically, because it went up against the (awesome) juggernaut that was Terminator 2.(Man, that was a good cinema experience)
However, the hype around T2 was huge. It was (imho) bigger than avatar. Hell, even Guns N' Roses promoted that movie everyDAY on Mtv. That movie was EVERYWHERE.
Rocketeer, not so much.
I dont even remember seeing a promo for Rocketeer on tv.
I caught it on cable after 2 or 3 years after release.
Instant favourite, and i now own the (very) plain dvd.
Hopefully Disney comes to their senses and puts out a LOADED blue-ray for it though.
Supposedly, Dave Stevens (who was really pleased with the movie btw) put together some sort of "behind the scenes", "making of thingy", or some such, before he died.
DISNEY:
Contact Stevens widow.
Get that tape and do an interview w her on Dave. A mini DOCUMENTARY on Dave Stevens would be very, very, nice.
contact ILM and ask them for some behind the scenes fx stuff.
They document EVERY movie they work on.
And last, but not least: Record a commentary track with AT LEAST Joe Johnston.
However, getting either Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Tim Dalton or Paul Sorvino, to contribute to the commentary would not be impossible.
Make it happen Disney, do good, just like you are doing with Tron Legacy.
Then do "Tron Online", just do it, you WILL make GAZILLIONS! -
Dr. Roy Tam: I guess you would call it an implosive-explosive sub-molecular device.
Lamont Cranston: Or an Atomic Bomb.
Dr. Roy Tam: Hey, that's catchy! -
I got a huge kick out of this film and still do. But some of the bugs in the script are painfully annoying. Folks here have already mentioned the slapstick rolling-bomb sequence. I also remember something that I think Ebert raised back then: How can you let the Henchman (Tim Curry) nearly succeed in killing the Hero? That's a terrible move! It made the Shadow look like a wuss. And the finale would have been a lot better without the bizarre hall of mirrors thing (where did THAT come from?). They could have kept that and spun it as a PSYCHIC battle - like a Charles Xavier fight - where the Shadow *mentally* lobotimizes Khan instead of physically doing so with the poorly set-up telekinetic stab with the glass shard. Still, I like Baldwin, Miller, and Lone a lot in this film.
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the story was terrible.unless they modernize the character,i dont know how the new movie could find an audience today.
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Balwin.yeah that was the thing that annoyed me most in that movie.
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