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Post by HulkSmashNow on Nov 25, 2009 13:38:45 GMT -5
Another damn fine episode, guys. Any time I get to here Michael Bailey talk about Superman is a great time for me!
The first Superman film I saw was Superman II, and it was also my first exposure to Superman at all. My first superhero was the Lone Ranger, but after Superman II, it was all Man of Steel for me. My plastic Superman Halloween costume was worn well past October 31, and eventually just became shredded beyond repair.
Oddly enough, my least favorite Superman film for the longest time was Superman: The Movie, until I saw the expanded edition DVD. I cried like a baby through most of it and absolutely fell in love with the movie.
I loved The Donner Cut, but it was by no means perfect. However, it totally redeemed Margot Kidder's Lois Lane in my eyes. She was a much better character in this version, I felt, and looked a helluva lot better, too. Less drawn and actually pretty attractive.
Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace each have special places in my heart, and after receiving the Ultimate Collection for Christmas a while back, I watched them and decided I wouldn't again. But, after hearing about Michael's affection for them, I just might give them a try again.
There's many things wrong with Superman Returns. You guys listed them all, but I do like this movie a little bit more every time I watch it. However, I want to see a Superman film closer to the comics, preferably John Byrne's reboot, but I doubt we'll ever see that.
Once again, great show, gentlemen, and thanks for taking me along on a nice trip down memory lane.
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Post by james on Nov 25, 2009 13:46:29 GMT -5
Oddly enough, my least favorite Superman film for the longest time was Superman: The Movie, until I saw the expanded edition DVD. I cried like a baby through most of it and absolutely fell in love with the movie. I was lucky enough to see the expanded version in a rare theatrical screening, a few years ago at the Loews in Jersey City. It was a one-of-a-kind experience.
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Post by HulkSmashNow on Nov 28, 2009 19:32:51 GMT -5
Oddly enough, my least favorite Superman film for the longest time was Superman: The Movie, until I saw the expanded edition DVD. I cried like a baby through most of it and absolutely fell in love with the movie. I was lucky enough to see the expanded version in a rare theatrical screening, a few years ago at the Loews in Jersey City. It was a one-of-a-kind experience. That must of been truly great. I did see Superman IV in the theaters, and of course, at age eight, thought it was great. However, when I saw it on video a few years later, I felt, not surprisingly, much different about the movie.
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Post by james on Nov 29, 2009 8:21:02 GMT -5
Yep, I also watched Superman IV in a theater, when I was eleven. The only thing I remember about it was, of all things, the opening trailer, for Who's That Girl. Go figure.
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Dino
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Tai-Pan
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Post by Dino on Dec 22, 2009 2:17:00 GMT -5
I'm at odds with you guys on some things. Superman II I really cannot stand. That's why I loved the Donner cut so much, because it eliminated all the camp. I get what Michael was saying about the ending, but everything else about the film completely redeems that.
And also, don't care what anyone says, but Superman Returns is one of my favorite superhero movies. I agree that Bosworth was miscast and I would have preferred a new version of Superman for this generation. But I still love the movie and I get a massive kick whenever I watch it.
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Post by Derrick on Dec 22, 2009 11:39:20 GMT -5
SUPERMAN RETURNS gets unfairly poked up the ol' grainy hole every time a discussion about it comes up.
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Post by geekarino on Dec 22, 2009 14:05:28 GMT -5
A few years ago I got to see Superman The Movie in a theater again via Clearview Classics series. There was a scene that I don't recall ever seeing in any cut before. After Clark's father dies his mother comes downstairs and calls to him asking if he'd like breakfast. Then it cuts to her looking out the window and seeing him standing in the wheat field. This runs longer than I remember it originally running. Anyone else remember this?
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Post by Derrick on Dec 22, 2009 15:05:56 GMT -5
Don't quote me on this but that sounds like you might have seen the version that was shown on ABC ages ago. There were a bunch of scenes in that version that I hadn't seen before. The Krypton sequence is longer, I believe.
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Dino
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Post by Dino on Dec 23, 2009 7:32:20 GMT -5
Definitely. I'm just glad there are other people out there besides me who can appreciate it. Shows I'm not completely crazy (or if I am, at least I'm in good company).
Geekarino, did you happen to see this screening in Austin in 2001? Because when Warner Bros. was preparing to release a special edition of Superman: The Movie with the additional footage, they did a screening in Austin with (aborted) plans for a wider theatrical release. The special edition includes a lot of footage not in the theatrical release. Most notable being the extended Krypton sequence.
The 2006 DVD release includes both the theatrical and special editions. For my money, I prefer the special edition. Especially for the additional scenes on Krypton and more Brando as Jor-El.
ABC's version is slightly longer, some of it was trimmed for the special edition because it interfered with pacing and didn't time correctly with the score. ABC didn't care too much about these things, they were just trying to extend the run time.
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Post by james on Dec 23, 2009 11:02:13 GMT -5
Geekarino, did you happen to see this screening in Austin in 2001? Because when Warner Bros. was preparing to release a special edition of Superman: The Movie with the additional footage, they did a screening in Austin with (aborted) plans for a wider theatrical release. The special edition includes a lot of footage not in the theatrical release. Most notable being the extended Krypton sequence. Yes, this is the version I saw in Jersey City. It was definitely connected in some way with a pending DVD release, from what I remember. The extra footage with Brando and Reeve together was included. Regarding television prints, some versions of Superman II screened for TV have included extra footage. I don't know if any of it turned up in the Donner cut (I haven't seen it).
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Post by geekarino on Dec 23, 2009 13:50:57 GMT -5
The print that I saw was old and very scratchy. Didn't stop us from enjoying it though!
In regards to Superman Returns, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been it's own movie instead of being a semi-sequel to the original Chris Reeve films. I don't feel that it needed to be so dark and viscous, no matter how much jail time Lex had served. It just wasn't fun. Truth, Justice and "all that stuff" INDEED!
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Post by Derrick on Dec 23, 2009 14:00:44 GMT -5
The print that I saw was old and very scratchy. Didn't stop us from enjoying it though! I don't feel that it needed to be so dark and viscous, no matter how much jail time Lex had served. It just wasn't fun. Truth, Justice and "all that stuff" INDEED! Yeah, I coulda done without seeing Superman getting shanked in the back with a Kryptonite shiv.
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Dino
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Post by Dino on Dec 24, 2009 0:40:21 GMT -5
That was one of my favorite Luthor moments, especially the way he says, "now fly!"
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