Now Very Bad…

Tag: 1966

  • It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

    It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Have you ever had a Halloween in which you failed to watch this? Feels kind of incomplete, doesn’t it? 3rd Peanuts special is 1 of the best.

    It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown:

    Best piece of trivia I came across when researching this review? It was mentioned in the 20th anniversary Peanuts documentary and is also mentioned on imdb: “After this special originally aired, children all over the country sent candy to Charlie Brown out of sympathy.” I just love that…

    It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

    I know I certainly always identified with Charlie Brown as a character growing up. I remember telling my dad during one of these specials that one of the kids at school said that I reminded them of Charlie Brown. I think Dad was offended on my behalf, but I didn’t really take it as an insult. I think all of us have moments of feeling like good ol’ Chuck. I don’t think I want to know a person who can’t empathize with Charlie Brown.

    It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

    I’m not sure I could pin down which of the Peanuts specials is my favorite. A Charlie Brown Christmas was the first and greatest – a show that transcends a simple tv program – but this one really remains special.

    It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

    So much about the program has entered popular culture that it’s hard to really see it with fresh eyes unless you watch it with a child (highly recommended). Then you can see the complete delight in watching Lucy yank away the football, getting kissed with dog lips, and the pure and beautiful conviction of Linus that the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch, if only he can find the most sincere one…

    It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

    It’s a real testament to Charles Schultz’s writing that these stand up as well as they do, despite the fact that they don’t shy away from dating themselves. Think of Snoopy’s antics as a World War I flying ace; this was a dated reference even when the show aired in 1966. And the Peanuts strips and animated specials are full of references that may be completely lost on modern audiences. It’s irrelevant – Schultz’s work remains about a boy named Charlie Brown. You don’t need to pick up the references to athletes of the day or anything to get the jokes or to understand his world.

    (Actually, I was a real fan of the early days of air warfare as a kid; I actually had paintings of famous WWI battles on my walls, showing the last flight of Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron), his Fokker Dr. I being shot down by a Sopwith Camel near the Somme River, among others. So I was the exception, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. This is great comedy.)

    It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

    Happy Halloween, Now Very Bad readers! I hope your pumpkin patch contains not a sign of hypocrisy.

    [Cue fade out credits…]

    Just wait till next year, Charlie Brown. You’ll see! Next year at this same time, I’ll find a pumpkin patch that is *real* sincere and I’ll sit in that pumpkin patch until the Great Pumpkin appears. He’ll rise out of that pumpkin patch and he’ll fly through the air with his bag of toys. The Great Pumpkin will appear and I’ll be waiting for him! I’ll be there! I’ll be sitting there in that pumpkin patch… and I’ll see the Great Pumpkin. Just wait and see, Charlie Brown. I’ll see that Great Pumpkin. I’ll SEE the Great Pumpkin! Just you wait, Charlie Brown. The Great Pumpkin will appear, and I’ll be waiting for him…I’ll be there! I’ll be sitting there in that pumpkin patch… and I’ll see the Great Pumpkin. Just wait and see…

    Poster:

    It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score:

    Yeah, I’m not doing this for a Charlie Brown cartoon…

    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.peanuts.com/” name=”It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” description=”The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin.” director=”Bill Melendez” actor_1=”Peter Robbins” ]

    Main Cast Peter Robbins Charlie Brown (voice), Christopher Shea (as Chris Shea) Linus Van Pelt (voice), Sally Dryer Lucy Van Pelt (voice), Kathy Steinberg (as Cathy Steinberg) Sally Brown (voice)
    Rating Atp
    Release Date Thu 27 Oct 1966 UTC
    Director Bill Melendez
    Genres Animation, Short, Comedy, Family
    Plot The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin.
    Poster It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
    Runtime 25
    Tagline Peanuts, pumpkins, and pleasure for the whole family! (2008 DVD re-release)
    Writers Charles M. Schulz (written by)
    Year 1966
  • Batman: The Movie (1966)

    Batman: The Movie (1966)

    Batman turned 75 years old earlier this year (2014). In recognition, we are rebranding our site for one week to Now Very Bat… and focusing on the blockbusters, the smaller films, the comics and the video games that feature the Dark Knight.

    Now Very Bat...

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Holy 75th birthday, Batman! Let’s do the Batusi to the film version of the wildly popular camp tv show. As good today as it was then. Umm…

    Batman: The Movie

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Batman: The Movie:

    This is probably hard to explain if you didn’t grow up with it. A tv then film treatment of the darkest comic hero of all time with a huge, campy garishly approach. It’ll be purposefully ridiculous and mocking of the whole franchise. So that means it must have been awful, right? Well, actually…

    Batman: The Movie
    “Some days, you just can’t git rid of a bomb.”

    Look, if you grew up watching the Tim Burton Batman movies, or the Christopher Nolan films, or any of the great animated shows, you’re probably not going to get the appeal of the Batman 1960’s tv show. But trust me, it was really funny. It wouldn’t work today, but at the time it was hugely popular whether you were an adult who got how absurd it was trying (and succeeding) to be, or if you were a kid who was just happy to see Batman & Robin mix it up on tv.

    Batman: The Movie
    “You cowardly kitten! You want to live forever?”

    They first tried to make the movie to kickoff  the tv series, but the studio wouldn’t foot the bill, so they ended up making the motion picture after the first season of the show.

    Batman: The Movie
    “Holy polaris!”

    The plot, such as it is, concerns four of Batman’s greatest super-villains (Catwoman, Joker, Riddler & Penguin) teaming up to take out the Caped Crusader and take over the world by, ahh, who cares.

    Batman: The Movie
    “It’s a low neighborhood, full of rumpots. They’re used to curious sights, which they attribute to alcoholic delusions.”

    The delight in Batman: The Movie comes two-fold: the hilarious script and the hilariously awful acting. The casting follows that of the tv show, and is brilliant.

    Batman: The Movie
    “Holy jumble! Where’s the hope of the world now?”

    Adam West as Batman – even more affected, over the top and easily imitated than William Shatner’s Captain Kirk delivery, if such a thing is possible.

    Batman: The Movie
    “Holy bikini!”

    Burt Ward as Robin – holy <insert acting noun here>, Batman!

    Batman: The Movie
    “We shall spring them from The Joker’s Jack-In-The-Box, through that window, out over the sea, and into the waiting arms of The Penguin’s Exploding Octopus!”

    Cesar Romero as the Joker – forget what Heath Ledger did with the character, Romero showed his commitment to the role by not even bothering to shave off his mustache…

    Batman: The Movie
    “Holy nightmare!”

    Burgess Meredith as the Penguin – for many people he IS the Penguin. One of those performances that seems like it leapt straight off the comic book page.

    Batman: The Movie
    “Disposing a pre-atomic submarines to persons who don’t even leave their full addresses… Good day, Admiral!”

    Lee Meriwether as Catwoman – she replaced Julie Newmar from the show. Ehh, I still prefer Eartha Kitt.

    Batman: The Movie
    “How was I to know they’d have a can of shark-repellent Bat-spray handy?”

    Frank Gorshin as the Riddler – really got into the spirit of the thing, maybe too much. He’s intensely manic and may not have realized this wasn’t a serious gig.

    Batman: The Movie
    Commissioner Gordon: “What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree and is very dangerous?”
    Robin: “A sparrow with a machine gun!”

    The writing by Lorenzo Semple Jr. is simply spectacular. In addition to writing the pilot and first four episodes of the show, he remained Executive Story Editor for all of the first season and wrote the film. He must have used up every joke for the rest of his life in that first year, as he would go on to make serious pictures for the rest of his career.

    Batman: The Movie
    “Holy heart failure, Batman!”

    I can think of no funnier way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the release of the first Batman comic than to watch Batman: The Movie…

    Batman: The Movie

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Fail

    The Representation Test Score: D (3 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Batman: The Movie Representation Test

    [schema type=”movie” name=”Batman: The Movie” description=”The Dynamic Duo faces four super-villains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people.” director=”Leslie H. Martinson” actor_1=”Adam West” actor_2=”Burt Ward”]

    Main Cast Adam West Batman/Bruce Wayne, Burt Ward Robin/Dick Grayson, Lee Meriwether The Catwoman/Kitka, Cesar Romero The Joker
    Rating PG
    Release Date Wed 26 Oct 1966 UTC
    Director Leslie H. Martinson
    Genres Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Sci-Fi
    Plot The Dynamic Duo faces four super-villains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people.
    Poster Batman: The Movie
    Runtime 105
    Tagline He’s Here Big As Life In A Real Bat-Epic
    Writers Bob Kane (comic books), Lorenzo Semple Jr. (written by)
    Year 1966