Geekfest Rants

In Defense of...Timothy Dalton as James Bond - by Steve Vivona

 
In my prior defense of Never Say Never Again I noted how disenchanted I was with the tenure of Roger Moore as James Bond. I came of age during his reign as Bond, and with the exception of For Your Eyes Only, had little use for him in the role. In the mid-80s, I started recording all the Bond films off network television, and quickly realized Sean Connery was my guy.

When Moore finally relinquished the role after A View to a Kill (a film the producers cajoled him into doing since they had yet to find a replacement), I was excited to see someone, anyone new in the role.

After an exhaustive search that included Liam Neeson and Sam Neill, the producers chose Timothy Dalton, an actor known primarily known for theatre work, who American audiences knew primarily as Prince Baron from the 1980 version of Flash Gordon. Dalton actually turned the Bond role down when he was approached to replace Sean Connery in 1968. Had he accepted the role he would’ve been the youngest actor ever cast as Bond.

 

In Defense of...Dick Tracy - by Steve Vivona

Every Geek worth their salt remembers 1989 as the summer of Batman. The film’s cultural impact was nothing short of massive. Its’ (pre-viral) marketing campaign was sheer genius and every studio wanted in on that action. Long-dormant superhero/pulp properties were revived, and for a short time, the door was wide open for such productions to get underway.

One such property was Dick Tracy, a film gestating longer than the aforementioned Batman. The property bounced from studio to studio and screenwriter to screenwriter for 15 years before it was made. The name most often associated with the square-jawed private eye was Warren Beatty, an actor known for laconic (and iconic) performances since he hit it big with Splendor in the Grass in 1961

Disney was quick to greenlight Dick Tracy after Batman’s incredible numbers came in. Beatty opted to direct the film himself, and had already proved his competence in that area. However, his rep was somewhat tarnished by this point after the colossal failure of Ishtar in 1987. As a director, he was known for his Kubrick-like perfectionism and as a producer he was known for being extremely stubborn.

 

In Defense of...The Rocketeer - by Steve Vivona

After the release of Batman in 1989 studios scrambled to develop superhero properties, much the same way they did following the success of X-Men nearly a decade later. However, technology hadn’t quite reached a level where their fantastic powers could be visualized effectively (Superman notwithstanding).

Much of what was developed in Batman’s wake centered on the pulp heroes of the 30s and 40s, characters born in the comic strip and the serial, such as Dick Tracy, The Phantom and The Shadow. None of them met with great success. Another character cut from the same cloth was The Rocketeer, a retro hero created by the late Dave Stevens in 1983, and modeled after the pulp characters of the 30s.

Disney enjoyed a modest success with Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy, but it was nowhere near as successful as Batman (and I’ll be defending that one in my next column!) The powers that be still hungered for a possible franchise (and ensuing toy line) and optioned Stevens’ Rocketeer, a character who enjoyed modest success in the burgeoning independent comic market of the 80s.

In Defense of...Never Say Never Again - by Steve Vivona

If I remember correctly, my first Bond movie was For Your Eyes Only – not a bad introduction to the character. I was 11 when it was released and I saw it on cable. At the time, I had no idea that anyone ever played James Bond prior to Roger Moore. Well, maybe I had a vague recollection, but I was too enthralled with Star Wars and superheroes to care about much else.

In 1983, my parents took me to see Octopussy in the theatre and I was less than impressed. By this time, I was well aware that a guy named Sean Connery initiated the role on screen, and rather than imitate his style Moore opted for a more lighthearted approach. Turns out, For Your Eyes Only was something of an anomaly in the Moore cannon, a return to seriousness after the awful camp of Moonraker.

Three months later, my parents took me to see Never Say Never Again, Sean Connery’s return to the iconic role that made him a star, a role that he made an indelible stamp on. It was against his performance that every future Bond would be measured.

 

In Defense of...Alien 3 - by Steve Vivona

I have been feuding with my friends from college for nearly 20 years over my enjoyment of a certain film. In fact, their disgust for this film is so ingrained they refuse to acknowledge its existence. Of our core group, only one of them (besides me) has an affinity for the film, but he’s not the staunch defender that I am. When I bring it up, they pretend to hear a buzzing noise instead of spoken language. In those rare moments they acknowledge it exists they turn the hose on me. I expect nothing less today.

So let’s reopen some old wounds, and prepare for an onslaught of venom and bile as I zealously defend Alien 3!

A little background first. We all know Alien and Aliens are bona fide science fiction classics. Alien is a masterwork of suspense, atmosphere and mood. Ridley Scott’s vision of a blue collar crew picked off one by one by a terrifying, visually stunning creature (the like of which had never been seen before) was a great counterpoint to the optimistic family friendly sci-fi of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. 

 

In Defense of...Star Trek V - by Steve Vivona

It’s considered the least of the TOS-era Star Trek films (and deservedly so) but I can easily defend Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. When Leonard Nimoy was given the chance to direct Star Treks III and IV, William Shatner exercised the “favored nations” clause they had in their contracts to demand he get a shot in the director’s chair.

Needless to say, the announcement did not inspire confidence, especially among Shatner’s co-stars, most of whom openly despised him. When details of the plot leaked, I must confess I didn’t feel confident either. When I heard snippets of the Star Trek IV plot I was horrified, so I didn’t necessarily lose hope. The crew of the Enterprise was going to meet God, a story idea that had been bandied about since the original series, and been implemented in various forms. Why it was such a popular concept I’ll never understand.

Star Trek V was released on June 9, 1989. I was a freshman in college and by this time, a dyed in the wool Trekkie. Seeing it opening day was a no-brainer, but by this time it was obvious this film would not hold the same mainstream appeal as its predecessor (which was the highest grossing Trek film to date).

 

In Defense of Superman IV - by Steve Vivona

In Defense Of..

I must admit that while I consider myself a cinephile, I enjoy watching a lot of crap. I believe it’s possible to be entertained by certain films (not all) that are objectively bad. Many fall under the “so bad they’re good” category, others are well-intentioned misfires, and still more contain one or two bright spots that enable me to revisit them multiple times. And then there are the films so unfairly maligned, I must take up their cause. In this occasional series we’ll discuss efforts that fall under all these categories.

Why I am doing this? Why not? It’s easy to sing the praises of Spielberg or Kubrick, and quite frankly, people much more articulate than me have already done so countless times. I like to think of myself as crossing all kinds of cinematic boundaries – I’m a sci-fi geek, action junkie and an art house aficionado. I love schlock horror, blacxploitation and light British comedy. And I like a lot of crap that many of my friends probably consider indefensible.

So here goes. Feel free to hurl your bile and venom my way. If I can raise your blood pressure a few levels I’ve succeeded. If you get really bent, just chill. They’re only movies.

Superman IV