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Post by DubipR on Dec 19, 2016 19:07:18 GMT -5
#6- BATMAN '66We all know the song. We all love the dutch angles. The heroes. The villains. Everything about this TV series and film is part of our lives. Syndication brought the Dynamic Duo to life, courtesy of Adam West and Burt Ward. It was colorful, zany and oh so fun  An incredible who's who of celebrities that were on that show and hundreds more dying to be on to make a cameo. What's not to love.... 
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2016 19:07:49 GMT -5
Day 7 Daredevil (Netflix) As much as I DID like the movie (director's cut), the tv series is simply dark, brooding and awesome with an excellent supporting cast. Scott Glenn is great for a 75 yr old (born 1941). DD is also my second favourite Marvel character. I'm hoping the pulpy brutality on Netflix is continued with the Punisher in 2017. This might have rated even higher if it was more than 2 seasons. |
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Post by String on Dec 19, 2016 20:55:09 GMT -5
#6 Superman the Animated Series
Batman gets all the love, JLU may have been the pinnacle, but IMHO, Timm's Superman the Animated series is one of the finest depictions of Superman and his mythos. In a similar vein as was done with Batman, they stripped the stories and characters down to their core, displaying a Clark Kent who is passionate about his work and friends along with a Superman who, while powerful, struggles in his efforts to do the right thing. The villains, from Metallo to Brainiac to even Toyman, were menacing while the guest stars were terrific (Lobo was a nice standout). The voice talent was amazing, Tim Daly and Dana Delany as Clark and Lois respectively. And just as much as Mark Hamill will forever by tied with the Joker, the equally amazing Clancy Brown will forever be Lex Luthor to me. And quite possibly, one of the finest opening theme songs ever. I mean, how can you not feel a strong sense of hope and optimism when listening to it?
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 19, 2016 22:53:51 GMT -5
#6. V for Vendetta This movie is more than an adventure film. It's more than a revenge tale. It's more than a political thriller. It's a thought provoking story of a future where the government controls everything-what you watch and think. ( Looking at the way the media shamelessly reported this past Presidential election, This is not too far from reality). Hugo Weaving is masterful in playing the enigmatic V. It's not easy acting while having your face covered in a mask, but he did a great job. Of course Natalie Portman did a fine job as his unwilling accomplice. The film has such memorable dialogue that you find yourself saying it aloud. ( Well a geek would, anyway).
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Post by Pól Rua on Dec 20, 2016 1:57:26 GMT -5
6. Spy SmasherCaptain Marvel is, of course, my favourite superhero of all time so, when it comes time to pick a serial, that one would have to be it? I mean, after all, it's one of the best serials ever? Indeed it is, but this one, also based on a Fawcett Comics character, just edges it out by the barest margins.  As far as I'm concerned, 'Spy Smasher' represents the pinnacle of the comic book serial. It's a taut, exciting story. The villain's plan is excellent. There are some genuinely unexpected twists and turns. And it doesn't suffer from that problem the serials were prone to where, because the hero has to be in peril and escape sometimes a dozen times or more before finally dealing off the bad guy, he can end up looking like a bungler who just stumbles into every death trap that crosses his path (Commando Cody/Rocketman was prone to this!). But because of the more complex structure of this one, it meant that the story progressed with each installment, rather than the hero constantly coming undone and having to start from scratch. In fact that, to me is this serial's great strength. It's in almost constant motion. If the heroes are stymied, then the villains will do something and set the action off again. It's a great big bag of wall-to-wall action and two-fisted adventure.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 20, 2016 3:09:49 GMT -5
6. Daredevil (2015-present)  Yeah, I'm loving this Netflix wave of superhero shows. More, I think, than the modern wave of movies. I think 10 hours is a good amount of time to tell a superhero story in. They all seem rushed in just 2. Charlie Cox is Matt Murdock. Scott Glenn is Stick. Vincent D'Nofrio is not quite the Kingpin I know from the comics, but he's recognizable and a compelling character in his own right. Elden Henson is not quite Foggy from the comics, but he is a perfect facsimile, down to expressions and facial tics, of my friend Walter. To the point I think he may have stalked Walter to study him. Jon Bernthal nailed it as the Punisher. Just nailed it. That whole arc nailed it.  A few great action pieces, particularly the continuous shot ones. The show isn't perfect. The Hand stuff didn't quite work right. I would have saved some of the plot of Season 2 for Season 3 to give the Elektra stuff more space to breathe. But it's more than good enough. Tune in tomorrow and I'll have a tale or two for you.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 20, 2016 3:13:11 GMT -5
On the seventh day of Christmas, Raymond Briggs gave to me… #6 when the wind blowsI never read the graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, but it seems to be on par with his other great works like Ethel & Ernest. The movie is, in any case, a great storytelling success. You should. I tracked it down pretty recently (I think because Confessor had pointed it out) and found it easy to find. Though the film is a pretty straight adaptation. Apparently the depiction of the government pamphlet is entirely accurate. |
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Post by foxley on Dec 20, 2016 4:00:48 GMT -5
On the seventh day of Christmas, Raymond Briggs gave to me… #6 when the wind blowsI never read the graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, but it seems to be on par with his other great works like Ethel & Ernest. The movie is, in any case, a great storytelling success. You should. I tracked it down pretty recently (I think because Confessor had pointed it out) and found it easy to find. Though the film is a pretty straight adaptation. Apparently the depiction of the government pamphlet is entirely accurate. I read it when i was in high school. I found it quite chilling, and very different from his Father Christmas and Fungus the Boogeyman books; which were intended for a younger audience. The animated adaption inspired Scottish-Australian folk singer Eric Bogle to write a song called When the Wind Blows: |
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 20, 2016 14:45:45 GMT -5
6. Arrow Back in 2007, when we last did our favourite adaptations, I would have laughed if you told me that by the next time we did this: - There would a live-action Green Arrow TV series;
- That said live-action adaptation would be successful; and
- Green Arrow would actually be popular.
Nevertheless, all of this has come to pass. This series kicked off DC's run of successful TV series. But, more than that, it was a highly successful in its own right. It manages to take the basics of Green Arrow and repackage them in a way that is palatable and comprehensible to a non-comic reading audience: ditching some of the sillier thing that have built up in decades of comic book continuity. I have always been more of a fan of the street-level heroes, rather than those who juggle planets, and this is the best live-action show about a street-level hero I have seen. How quickly they forget the GA movie from 1942. Tsk, tsk...  |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 20, 2016 20:55:18 GMT -5
6. Duck Tales
I know, I know.. this isn't really anything like the comics... they sub in Launchpad for Donald in most episodes, they toss in Webigal and her aunt to make it less of a Duck Sausage fest, and all the rest.
All I can tell you is high school me made sure I was home every afternoon so I could make sure my little brothers watched.. because, you know, it was a kids show. I had no idea who Carl Barks or Don Rosa were at the time, and only had a vague notion that awesome comics could exist without capes and superheroes... Duck Tales was kinda a landmark for me.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,199 
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Post by Confessor on Dec 21, 2016 11:22:09 GMT -5
On the seventh day of Christmas, Raymond Briggs gave to me… #6 when the wind blowsThis nearly made my list, but just fell off of the end. Good to see you including it, RR. You know what though? The book is superior. Although the film stays very close to the graphic novel, the story just has much more impact as sequential art somehow. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,199
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Post by Confessor on Dec 21, 2016 11:31:25 GMT -5
#6: Spider-Man (2002)  My number 6 pick is director Sam Raimi's cinematic adaptation of Spider-ManReleased in 2002, back when decently made superhero films at your local multiplex were still something of a rarity, this film hit all the right notes for me. Peter Parker/Spider-Man is hands down my all-time favourite superhero character and there's a lot that this movie gets right. Yeah, I know, Tobey Maguire didn't really look like a 15 year old high school kid, but he made for a very convincing Peter Parker nonetheless. He managed to ably juggle the emotion, courage, fragility and pathos of the character perfectly, while deftly showing us the stinging sacrifices that Peter has to make in order to become Spider-Man. It's a painful journey for the character and, watching Maguire on screen, I felt that he took the audience right along with him on that journey. The supporting cast are mostly excellent too. Willem Dafoe's portrayal of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin is just the right blend of bat s**t crazy and cold-hearted, ambitious, vengeful sociopath; James Franco made a decent Harry Osborn; and, of course, who could forget J. K. Simmons's scene stealing turn as J. Jonah Jameson? Now that really was like the comic book come to life! Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson is a more flawed casting choice IMHO, but she mostly worked in the role, despite the fact that, for me, Dunst really didn't act or look very much like how I imagine MJ to be. There are other problems with the movie too, like the lack of wisecracking from Spidey during his fights, and I could have done without the Goblin's ridiculous looking battle armour too. Also, some of the CGI special effects haven't really aged that well in the 14 years since its release. But in spite of those quibbles, this film does the best job we've seen so far of putting Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's crowning achievement on screen. This is a film that is made by a fan (Raimi), for the fans, and with real love for the characters. It spawned an excellent sequel and, even Spider-Man 3 is a far, far superior movie to the Andrew Garfield Spidey films, as far as I'm concerned.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Dec 23, 2016 17:18:16 GMT -5
6. Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier 2014
Because everybody has to have one of these Marvel movies on the list, right?
Adapting a decades old comic franchise is hard - and, honestly, I'm not that upset when the movie people don't try. I quite liked Robert Downey Junior is absolutely nothing like Iron Man, ferinstance.
But, man, Cap: TWS gets it. It puts Captain America in a spy story (where he's always worked well, from Lee/Kirby to J. M. Dematties to Ed Brubaker) and actually touches on some of the thornier thematic questions raised by teh comic - like the seperation between "The United States" and it's current government. It's not QUITE President Nixon shooting himself in the oval office, but you can tell the screenwriters have read and even understood what Captain America is about.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 25, 2016 22:12:25 GMT -5
Seventh Day
Captain America: Winter Soldier. Love this film and considered it (and about half the MCU) for my list, before settling on Civil War.
I considered the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series for my list. I loved it as a child, so it would have fit. I didn't lean into nostalgia and focused more on the things I love today, thus leaving this and Marvel Superheroes off my list.
Trial of the Incredible Hulk. I recall this quite fondly. My favorite of the Bixby Hulk films.
When the Wind Blows was a great film and comic. I watched it recently thanks to this community turning me on to it (I think Confessor is who I have to thank?)
A Charlie Brown Christmas. I like all these movies.
V for Vendetta. I have complicated feelings. I think it's one of the greatest comics of all time, and I loved what the movie did right: keeping V's mask on; keeping the interlude about the letters in prison. But I was so annoyed by what it did wrong: the whole conspiracy to let loose a plague in a bid for power. This one script issue had spiraling effects that affected the quality of the whole film.
Superman The Animated Series. A fine show.
Arrow. I was liking it in the beginning. Soap opera was stupid, but I liked their takes on the villains. But I got bored of it. I'm slowly working through it, but am pretty far behind and finding it a slog.
Spy Smasher. I watched about half of this a few years back. Long past time to finish.
*I rather dislike:
Watchmen (If I were to adapt Watchmen, it would have looked a lot like this. I expect a professional director to be better than me. A soulless film with no creative voice behind it.)
Sin City 2 (Love the original; this was such a disappointment)
*Haven't seen:
The Tick (Shameful to admit since the Tick animated was my #12 pick and the series is one of my all-time favorite comics, but I somehow have not gotten around to watching this. I will.)
Witchblade
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 30, 2016 10:22:40 GMT -5
#6 Batman: The Animated Series (1992-95) Many a poster has extolled the values of this series, so little I can add will be of value. I will say, though, that like quite a few of the entries here, it remains a favorite, however little I have seen of it since it first came on, because of the connection it forged between me and my children, especially my two boys. (For my daughter, it was Duck Tales and the old 50s Lone Ranger series, which I would have included on this list but couldn’t, for obvious reasons.) For me to have been able to share with them a well-made Batman series whose creators not only had an affection for the essence of the Batman character, but a respect for it as well, was a delight. B:AS (like Duck Tales) inspired imaginative scenarios starring a slew of action figures from all kinds of “universes” set in block cities that wound up involving the boys’ trucks, planes, race cars and all manner of vehicles. But the fabled animated Batman figure was always the A-lister. The series led to the boys’ reading every issue of the many Ty Templeton/ Paul Dini Batman titles and are a key reason that they retain a childlike love of detective and adventure stories of every stripe. (Foyle’s War is their latest obsession.) Nuff said. We all loved it for its intelligence, its beautiful design, and its lack of condescension. It was one more way to strengthen a loving bond among us, which, I can tell you, is still there. BTW, our favorite episode: “The Gray Ghost,” with Adam West 
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