This is an old article pending revision.
This is a wonderful show that appeared much earlier than Who's The Boss?, and The Nanny. It also co-stars people that would later appear in Three's Company/The Ropers, Charlie's Angels, and Family Ties.
Try to put a show like Who's The Boss? and The Nanny in the early 1970s. People would want to cancel it. I am also surprised that I Dream Of Jeannie and That Girl weren't cancelled after one season because the shows began with unmarried couples. They were later engaged or married at the end of the show, and some shows even had a few more episodes after the characters got married. or what about Mary Richards, who was engaged but is now living independantly? (and dating numerous men one after the other)
Additionally, the two characters in Bridget Loves Bernie have different religious backgrounds. I think they were trying to make a situation comedy loosely based out of "Romeo and Juliet". I know... the two stories are nowhere near the same but you get the point.
Bernie is a cab driver and Jewish. Bridget is a schoolteacher and Catholic. (and I might have gotten the two mixed up) The two actors get married in real life.
There is a high quality production with this show. I am pretty sure it is filmed instead of videotaped, the lighting is not extremely bright, and there is music... which is the usual jazz/disco music heard during that era. (Now all we hear today is the clapping ukulele landfill genre, Disney "stars", and people that think they can sing well on that American Idol show) and yes I like the plot of Bridget Loves Bernie.
But they cancelled it and that is WRONG. Norman Lear became well known for those "getting the point across" TV shows. Many people were offended with All In The Family but the show and all shows related to it were never cancelled so quickly.
People have to complain, the worst part about it is that they are almost always complaining about the WRONG thing to complain about. There is NOTHING wrong with this show (and yet there is loads wrong with Disney and it disguises their programs as "Family Shows") and yet there is so much more garbage on today that is considered acceptable. Today? Bridget and Bernie could be siblings, have an incest child(ren), and not even get married! And this today would be acceptable on televison... oh, and they don't need to be wearing clothes, and even better let's all make them smoke pot and have them cheat on each other with married persons, unmarried persons, the LGBT citizens, and that fictional character that was on Law and Order SVU when a male child encountered "an accident" shortly after birth, and ended up a female child... etc.
This is an example of a modernized Bridget Loves Bernie. It would probably get a TV-G Rating. And it could last forever. (And they can throw in the Landfil "Music" for the theme songs and background music)
You probably don't know what show I am talking about at all, do you?! I myself have not seen the almost two dozen episodes, only one episode seen on a "TV Land Box Set" a few years ago. I doubt TV Land or anybody else will air this show ever again, and I don't think it will be released for the home audience. (or did it?) It simply did not last long enough to make enough episodes for a traditional second-run syndication. It is a show that is forgotten, due to people complaining about NOTHING.
Also, I am going to get this out of the way: All religions are silly.
and the same people complaining about this show, have tainted the SuperHero Kids Show genre. This made Anime almost impossible to dub without modifying it. It took 33 years to officially dub Gatchaman I. (and no I still have not gotten over that!)
For those of you that still don't know what Bridget Loves Bernie is, ... it is that show that had an opening with a drawing of a taxi cab carving out the letters "Bridget Loves Bernie" in caps, and in a black background. The color of the letters is actually video footage of the city of where they live in, etc. (In other words it looks like a black painted interior wall with letter-shaped windows) and then it shows the cast members on an orange background with video footage of each character. The music playing is instrumental and consists of fully orchestrated jazz music. The production credits are very similar to Gidget, The Flying Nun, I Dream Of Jeannie, and other shows where the slides of the credits morph into each other. (There are several ways credits in general are presented: 1. Scrolling..usually vertically. 2. credits on slides that change immediately, 3. credits on slides that change after a small gap, 4. credits on slides that fade in and out one after the other with a small gap, and the last example... 5. production credits on slides that directly fade INTO each other. Common examples are the credits of I Dream Of Jeannie, etc.) I thought I would point this out for two different reasons. Because this will help you recognize the show better (the credits are in a Gold-ish Font, perhaps Burnt Orange) and because I am surprised an early 1970s show has credit change styles that were commonly used in the 1960s.
Just picture what it would be like if Norman Lear had a large budget (or at least mimmicked one and provided better production quality) ... Imagine what Norman Lear shows would be like with different lighting, music, and Film instead of Videotape.
and if you would like to see some look alikes to Mr. Bosley, Mrs. Roper, Mrs. Keeton, all in the same show, then you will certainly find "Bridget Loves Bernie" interesting.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Reviewing Caillou:
This is an old article pending revision.
Some kids shows are very disturbing, and this is one of them. Actually, they are multiplying! They are all run by a bunch of industrialists that want your children to buy something, try to win some contest, and believe that every kid can be in a famous band. No really there are a lot of shows that APPEAR to be good for kids, but in fact are evil in disguise.
Caillou was made a few years after Arthur, and by the same company, Cinar!! WHAT?! Just look at the beauty of the design of "Arthur"'s layouts, backgrounds...are all done very good. Caillou's backgrounds are very basic so I am surprised that they are made by the same company that made Arthur. Perhaps I will take a second look to be sure that Caillou's backgounds aren't as "silly" as I thought.
It is about this young four year old kid that is also bald. His voice is not good and is a stereotype of how four year olds sound. He is a spoiled brat that gets little discipline. Part of the theme lyrics are "Growing up is not so tough, except when I've had enough" which is annoying but it is a perfect description of Caillou.
Caillou is supposed to be "understanding what little kids are going through" since he is their age. Unfortunately at that age they pretty much just imitate what is on the television and who knows perhaps Caillou's target audience says things like "Why aren't you nicer to me like Caillou's mommy and daddy?!"
There are a few episodes I remember well. There is a good one, about one of Caillou's friends breaking his toe (The other kid, not Caillou's toe LOL). That episode was all right.
Another one was when Caillou's younger sister (often more mature than Caillou) tickled Caillou when he wore a shirt that he had very much outgrown. She was laughing at him and teasing him, which Caillou did not like. (He also was throwing a signature tantrum because he was unable to wear his favorite shirt anymore)
The most memorable tantrum is when Caillou was going to the circuis. He was brushing his teeth and getting ready, when a simple "It's not until tomorrow" set him off and then he tried to calm down by getting out his bathtub toys and played with a car, which broke. and then he threw ANOTHER tantrum and said "Silly old car! Silly! Silly! Waaahhhhh!!!!!"
They should have just made him as emotional as possible. It would NOT make a great kids show then (and still isn't as it is now either) but it would certainly attract teenagers. Caillou's tantrums have gone viral on YouTube, and they are quite fun to edit. Also his tantrums make D.W. Read's tantrums look mature. (she doesn't have as many as Caillou. She is more eccentric than emotional, with the exception of Arthur's Perfect Christmas)
Also, Caillou + Miss BG = a perfect marriage. (and one that would not last very long despite their perfect match... They would act exactly the same once they have become adults.)
Some kids shows are very disturbing, and this is one of them. Actually, they are multiplying! They are all run by a bunch of industrialists that want your children to buy something, try to win some contest, and believe that every kid can be in a famous band. No really there are a lot of shows that APPEAR to be good for kids, but in fact are evil in disguise.
Caillou was made a few years after Arthur, and by the same company, Cinar!! WHAT?! Just look at the beauty of the design of "Arthur"'s layouts, backgrounds...are all done very good. Caillou's backgrounds are very basic so I am surprised that they are made by the same company that made Arthur. Perhaps I will take a second look to be sure that Caillou's backgounds aren't as "silly" as I thought.
It is about this young four year old kid that is also bald. His voice is not good and is a stereotype of how four year olds sound. He is a spoiled brat that gets little discipline. Part of the theme lyrics are "Growing up is not so tough, except when I've had enough" which is annoying but it is a perfect description of Caillou.
Caillou is supposed to be "understanding what little kids are going through" since he is their age. Unfortunately at that age they pretty much just imitate what is on the television and who knows perhaps Caillou's target audience says things like "Why aren't you nicer to me like Caillou's mommy and daddy?!"
There are a few episodes I remember well. There is a good one, about one of Caillou's friends breaking his toe (The other kid, not Caillou's toe LOL). That episode was all right.
Another one was when Caillou's younger sister (often more mature than Caillou) tickled Caillou when he wore a shirt that he had very much outgrown. She was laughing at him and teasing him, which Caillou did not like. (He also was throwing a signature tantrum because he was unable to wear his favorite shirt anymore)
The most memorable tantrum is when Caillou was going to the circuis. He was brushing his teeth and getting ready, when a simple "It's not until tomorrow" set him off and then he tried to calm down by getting out his bathtub toys and played with a car, which broke. and then he threw ANOTHER tantrum and said "Silly old car! Silly! Silly! Waaahhhhh!!!!!"
They should have just made him as emotional as possible. It would NOT make a great kids show then (and still isn't as it is now either) but it would certainly attract teenagers. Caillou's tantrums have gone viral on YouTube, and they are quite fun to edit. Also his tantrums make D.W. Read's tantrums look mature. (she doesn't have as many as Caillou. She is more eccentric than emotional, with the exception of Arthur's Perfect Christmas)
Also, Caillou + Miss BG = a perfect marriage. (and one that would not last very long despite their perfect match... They would act exactly the same once they have become adults.)
Reviewing Captain Planet:
This is an old article pending revision.
I love this show and its animation quality. I also like some of the
music. Work began on it in 1989 by Ted Turner. He also owns TBS, aired
it on his network. He also owns Cartoon Network, and when he launched
it, and also when he began to occupy Hanna-Barbera, he now has network
AND animation studio so he shifted production to Hanna-Barbera.
In a world of The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop, Gaia, Spirit Of The Earth
is tired of the pollution and whatever. She sends five magic rings to
five special Young People.
From Africa: Kwame, with the power of Earth.
"Let Our Powers Combine"!! I love that phrase. It is from Levar Burton.
He is also Geordi from Star Trek. I hated the Geordi Character. He was
never supposed to be chief engineer, but instead the nerdy pilot that
gets tortured all the time. He is still a good fit to be sole chief
engineer because he said nerdy things like "Don't touch my engines!!"
and they STILL tortured him lol. Unlike Geordi, (and also Reading
Rainbow) Captain Planet is PERFECT for LeVar Burton. He really does a
great job and his character is the leader of the group. They kinda made
him look like LeVar Burton also. LeVar Burton does a great job as
narrator and narrates the opening segment of first three seasons.
From North America: Wheeler, with the power of Fire. A nick name,
perhaps last name. And he is obviously Irish. He is supposed to be the
ignorant fool that does not know much about the environment. He asks
all the questions and comments that a viewer curious about the
environment would have.
From Eastern Europe: Linka, with the power of Wind. Originally
mentioned as from Soviet Union, Linka has the power of Weeennd! She is
very much an environmentalist and is very grouchy sometimes. In season
3 and onwards, they mention her as from Eastern Europe. I do not
understand why they did not mention Linka from Eastern Europe to begin
with!! All the other Planeteers have their continents mentioned, not
their countries.
From Asia: Gi, With the power of Water: She has the power of Wah-Ter.
In the Hanna-Barbera episodes, she says it faster.
From South America: Ma-Ti, with the power of Heart. He has a Latino
accent with obvious tribal heritage. While Native (North) Americans and
Native Alaskans/Inuits resemble Asians, I am guessing Native (South)
Americans resemble Latinos? This power that he has is often mocked.
Heart?! lol. While not easily seen as an "element", it is not only
recognized by Wiccans, etc. but also a very effective superpower that
is commonly used by other superheroes. In the
JusticeLeague-SuperFriends/PowerPuff Girls crossover: "My ability to
talk to fish is of no use, Wonder Woman!" Wonder Woman tries not to
roll her eyes. LOL. But "Heart" is useful in telapathy, and also even
mind control and has at times been the MOST useful power. Also, "Heart"
can imply to love each other AND the earth.
Succhi: I hate him. I need to be zapped by the Heart power lol. Succhi
is a demon monkey and is Portraying Polluting Perpetrators in disguise.
Gaia: originally voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. With her voice acting, we
get the same amount of wisdom that we get from Guinan. Also their NAMES
sound similar. Perhaps it inspired Star Trek. It is also interesting to
see a resemblance of Whoopi Goldberg in animation and with flat hair.
during the production change, Margot Kidder is the voice of Gaia. She
does not bring out the wisdom in Gaia like Whoopi does. Ironically,
Gaia looks kinda like Margot Kidder also.
Captain Planet: Voiced by David Coburn. he has green mullet hair and
blue skin. he wears a cape-thing, gloves, and boots...all red.
Originally he did not wear boots. He also has red briefs underwear that
appears to be pulled up like a nerd. Briefs on the outside is a common
superhero thing. He would have looked less disturbing in Boxer
Briefs/Compression Shorts with Swim Trunks. Him being shirtless is not
disturbing, and it is similar to He-Man's cape-thing. Sorry but I don't
know what else to describe it. He-Man also wears shorts that are way
too short ugh. Anyways, I would not mind wearing what Captain Planet
does, nor would I mind green hair and blue skin...if I had the strength
to build a levee out of tree trunks (Oh-No!! Captain Planet chopped
down trees?! lol) AND then plug up a dam by with its own rocks that
broke apart by simply tossing them back in, and heating the rocks up to
solidify. AMAZING!! Captain Planet is almost indestructible, but needs
to regenerate and can not come into contact with pollution, nor can he
do anything if he travels into space.
Portraying Polluting Perpetrators: I like Dr. Blight. She is the best
villain out of all of them. And Meg Ryan doing some of the voice acting
is perfect also. (And if you didn't know, she has that strand of hair
covering half her face because she got burnt and has a creepy scar)
There is another villain, I think Skumm? Who is very evil. He hates
people and encourages war and destruction. There is Hoggish McGreedley
and a sidekick that very much remind me of Hawgtie and Skuzz. (And
Filmation beat Captain Planet-TBS/DiC/HB to it with being the first to
introduce a kid dying of a drug overdose before Captain Planet had an
episode. I can't say much more because of IMDb length policy so I will
skip to production flaws.
I did not like the Hanna-Barbera version. They added terrible music in
that version. Some of the episodes (regardless of studio) are annoying.
But otherwise okay. I like the "Go Planet!!" moral scene at the end,
and also the theme songs. (except the HB opening theme lol)
I love this show and its animation quality. I also like some of the
music. Work began on it in 1989 by Ted Turner. He also owns TBS, aired
it on his network. He also owns Cartoon Network, and when he launched
it, and also when he began to occupy Hanna-Barbera, he now has network
AND animation studio so he shifted production to Hanna-Barbera.
In a world of The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop, Gaia, Spirit Of The Earth
is tired of the pollution and whatever. She sends five magic rings to
five special Young People.
From Africa: Kwame, with the power of Earth.
"Let Our Powers Combine"!! I love that phrase. It is from Levar Burton.
He is also Geordi from Star Trek. I hated the Geordi Character. He was
never supposed to be chief engineer, but instead the nerdy pilot that
gets tortured all the time. He is still a good fit to be sole chief
engineer because he said nerdy things like "Don't touch my engines!!"
and they STILL tortured him lol. Unlike Geordi, (and also Reading
Rainbow) Captain Planet is PERFECT for LeVar Burton. He really does a
great job and his character is the leader of the group. They kinda made
him look like LeVar Burton also. LeVar Burton does a great job as
narrator and narrates the opening segment of first three seasons.
From North America: Wheeler, with the power of Fire. A nick name,
perhaps last name. And he is obviously Irish. He is supposed to be the
ignorant fool that does not know much about the environment. He asks
all the questions and comments that a viewer curious about the
environment would have.
From Eastern Europe: Linka, with the power of Wind. Originally
mentioned as from Soviet Union, Linka has the power of Weeennd! She is
very much an environmentalist and is very grouchy sometimes. In season
3 and onwards, they mention her as from Eastern Europe. I do not
understand why they did not mention Linka from Eastern Europe to begin
with!! All the other Planeteers have their continents mentioned, not
their countries.
From Asia: Gi, With the power of Water: She has the power of Wah-Ter.
In the Hanna-Barbera episodes, she says it faster.
From South America: Ma-Ti, with the power of Heart. He has a Latino
accent with obvious tribal heritage. While Native (North) Americans and
Native Alaskans/Inuits resemble Asians, I am guessing Native (South)
Americans resemble Latinos? This power that he has is often mocked.
Heart?! lol. While not easily seen as an "element", it is not only
recognized by Wiccans, etc. but also a very effective superpower that
is commonly used by other superheroes. In the
JusticeLeague-SuperFriends/PowerPuff Girls crossover: "My ability to
talk to fish is of no use, Wonder Woman!" Wonder Woman tries not to
roll her eyes. LOL. But "Heart" is useful in telapathy, and also even
mind control and has at times been the MOST useful power. Also, "Heart"
can imply to love each other AND the earth.
Succhi: I hate him. I need to be zapped by the Heart power lol. Succhi
is a demon monkey and is Portraying Polluting Perpetrators in disguise.
Gaia: originally voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. With her voice acting, we
get the same amount of wisdom that we get from Guinan. Also their NAMES
sound similar. Perhaps it inspired Star Trek. It is also interesting to
see a resemblance of Whoopi Goldberg in animation and with flat hair.
during the production change, Margot Kidder is the voice of Gaia. She
does not bring out the wisdom in Gaia like Whoopi does. Ironically,
Gaia looks kinda like Margot Kidder also.
Captain Planet: Voiced by David Coburn. he has green mullet hair and
blue skin. he wears a cape-thing, gloves, and boots...all red.
Originally he did not wear boots. He also has red briefs underwear that
appears to be pulled up like a nerd. Briefs on the outside is a common
superhero thing. He would have looked less disturbing in Boxer
Briefs/Compression Shorts with Swim Trunks. Him being shirtless is not
disturbing, and it is similar to He-Man's cape-thing. Sorry but I don't
know what else to describe it. He-Man also wears shorts that are way
too short ugh. Anyways, I would not mind wearing what Captain Planet
does, nor would I mind green hair and blue skin...if I had the strength
to build a levee out of tree trunks (Oh-No!! Captain Planet chopped
down trees?! lol) AND then plug up a dam by with its own rocks that
broke apart by simply tossing them back in, and heating the rocks up to
solidify. AMAZING!! Captain Planet is almost indestructible, but needs
to regenerate and can not come into contact with pollution, nor can he
do anything if he travels into space.
Portraying Polluting Perpetrators: I like Dr. Blight. She is the best
villain out of all of them. And Meg Ryan doing some of the voice acting
is perfect also. (And if you didn't know, she has that strand of hair
covering half her face because she got burnt and has a creepy scar)
There is another villain, I think Skumm? Who is very evil. He hates
people and encourages war and destruction. There is Hoggish McGreedley
and a sidekick that very much remind me of Hawgtie and Skuzz. (And
Filmation beat Captain Planet-TBS/DiC/HB to it with being the first to
introduce a kid dying of a drug overdose before Captain Planet had an
episode. I can't say much more because of IMDb length policy so I will
skip to production flaws.
I did not like the Hanna-Barbera version. They added terrible music in
that version. Some of the episodes (regardless of studio) are annoying.
But otherwise okay. I like the "Go Planet!!" moral scene at the end,
and also the theme songs. (except the HB opening theme lol)
Reviewing Battle Of The Planets:
This is an old article pending revision.
I am actually too young to have watched this program when it first
aired. There are a lot of people that are literally going crazy over
their lost youth and whatnot because of this program.
It was made in 1972 by Tatsunoko as Gatchaman, or Kagaku Ninja Tai
(Science Ninja Team) Gatchaman. It made two more series and had
EXCELLENT animation/backgrounds, story (with morals, including
Captain-Planet-Like morals.), and music. It actually doesn't contain
anything that Star Trek, Law & Order, and almost everything these days
has. (Gatchaman F is much darker however) It was brought to U.S.A. by
Gallerie International Films and Sandy Frank Syndication. They liked
education but was much more concerned about exposure to violence and so
they censored it. (They still to this today, with Cookie Monsters new
diet) The title's style, words, and 7Zark7 are all Star Wars inspired.
Also, 7Zark7 looks similar to the AutoPilot in Gatchaman II. 7Zark7
hosts BotP. Tatsunoko also produced "Speed Racer", and was dubbed with
many words. This was the opposite with BotP and I have a mixed response
to this.
Even worse; Keyop (Jinpei) was born in a lab and his speech did not
develop correctly. WHAT?! and so he talks in almost gibberish. I was
NOT impressed when Keyop said "squawk squawk lovey dovey giggle!"
instead of "You just want to spend time alone with Ken, don't you sis?"
(Mark is Ken) Sorry but Keyop is NOT a talking dog like Scooby-Doo,
Astro, and Muttley. Tiny (Ryu) and Keyop were as goofy and cowardly
like Scooby and Shaggy but no, Jinpei could speak fluently!! This
speech that Keyop has is MORE annoying than the addition of 7Zark7.
but STILL I like this series. Gallerie/Sandy Frank did a great job by
turning it into a successful kids show. At the same time, Princess
(Jun) did backflips and they did not edit out the scenes when her
panties were visible. Some of the violence snuck by. Also, Zoltar
(Katse) kept saying Sosai/Leader X Commander or whatever they call him
in BotP ...he kept saying things like "Oh, Great One." This did not go
well with some religious people, and I will get to that later. But
about the opening and closing: They did GREAT music. This was easier to
do than translate the lyrics of the original theme songs "Destroy
Gallactor!" and "Gatchaman's Song". Bot the originals and the new theme
are great music. The end credits are great and had several people
(including a large writing staff lol) credited. They did not credit
anybody from Tatsunoko but they did credit Tatsunoko as a "Produced In
Association With" and they included the seahorse! The various clips are
excellent and go PERFECTLY with the music! As for the animation
altogether, they blended in perfectly with the original scenes. It is
not obvious by animation/backgrounds/colors that 7Zark7 was added by
Gallerie/Sandy Frank.
Only 85 episodes of a 105 episode series was dubbed; Some were made as
"BotP: The Movie". Sandy Frank brought it back again and co-produced it
with TBS. It was then "G-Force: Guardians Of Space". 85 episodes once
again, with more words in this dub (but still altered somewhat) but the
music was not orchestral anymore. (sad to see less of this these days,
NOWadays we only see clapping ukulele music UGH) It wasn't as bad as
clapping ukulele music, but it was still synthesized. The theme song is
not nearly as good, and they blasted the core of it throughout any
"empty" scene! (BotP added music, and remixed the original music to
fill musicless scenes and great job for doing so) TBS/Sandy Frank STUNK
at adding a soundtrack and it makes BotP shine on even more so. Other
things that they did was PeeWee (Keyop/Jinpei) became fluent again,
"Gallactor" (Zoltar/Katse) had this horrible monotonous voice now, and
X was called "Computor", and given less scenes to make him not look
like a God that Katse/Zolar seemed to worship by those religious
critics.
I don't remember TBS/Frank's G-Force THAT well and so I can't STAND
that droning music! I LOVE the original Gatchaman and I also enjoy
BotP.
Gatchaman II and Gatchaman F were brought to U.S.A. by Saban (known for
Super-Sentai-inspired Power Rangers) as "Eagle Riders" with a THIRD
round of name changes (this makes four counting the original names)
These were remixed episodes and that did not go well for most people.
Gatchaman is an uncut English dub with the OVA, and also Gatchaman I by
ADV films. This is a rare version as it has not aired to my knowledge
and only exists on an out of print DVD. What about II and F/Fighter?
The animated 1978 movie? It is WORTH IT to learn Japanese to watch!! I
don't have any major issue (except for Keyop) with BotP, but the fact
that Gatchaman took THIRTY-three years to dub uncut to English is just
plain SAD.
I am actually too young to have watched this program when it first
aired. There are a lot of people that are literally going crazy over
their lost youth and whatnot because of this program.
It was made in 1972 by Tatsunoko as Gatchaman, or Kagaku Ninja Tai
(Science Ninja Team) Gatchaman. It made two more series and had
EXCELLENT animation/backgrounds, story (with morals, including
Captain-Planet-Like morals.), and music. It actually doesn't contain
anything that Star Trek, Law & Order, and almost everything these days
has. (Gatchaman F is much darker however) It was brought to U.S.A. by
Gallerie International Films and Sandy Frank Syndication. They liked
education but was much more concerned about exposure to violence and so
they censored it. (They still to this today, with Cookie Monsters new
diet) The title's style, words, and 7Zark7 are all Star Wars inspired.
Also, 7Zark7 looks similar to the AutoPilot in Gatchaman II. 7Zark7
hosts BotP. Tatsunoko also produced "Speed Racer", and was dubbed with
many words. This was the opposite with BotP and I have a mixed response
to this.
Even worse; Keyop (Jinpei) was born in a lab and his speech did not
develop correctly. WHAT?! and so he talks in almost gibberish. I was
NOT impressed when Keyop said "squawk squawk lovey dovey giggle!"
instead of "You just want to spend time alone with Ken, don't you sis?"
(Mark is Ken) Sorry but Keyop is NOT a talking dog like Scooby-Doo,
Astro, and Muttley. Tiny (Ryu) and Keyop were as goofy and cowardly
like Scooby and Shaggy but no, Jinpei could speak fluently!! This
speech that Keyop has is MORE annoying than the addition of 7Zark7.
but STILL I like this series. Gallerie/Sandy Frank did a great job by
turning it into a successful kids show. At the same time, Princess
(Jun) did backflips and they did not edit out the scenes when her
panties were visible. Some of the violence snuck by. Also, Zoltar
(Katse) kept saying Sosai/Leader X Commander or whatever they call him
in BotP ...he kept saying things like "Oh, Great One." This did not go
well with some religious people, and I will get to that later. But
about the opening and closing: They did GREAT music. This was easier to
do than translate the lyrics of the original theme songs "Destroy
Gallactor!" and "Gatchaman's Song". Bot the originals and the new theme
are great music. The end credits are great and had several people
(including a large writing staff lol) credited. They did not credit
anybody from Tatsunoko but they did credit Tatsunoko as a "Produced In
Association With" and they included the seahorse! The various clips are
excellent and go PERFECTLY with the music! As for the animation
altogether, they blended in perfectly with the original scenes. It is
not obvious by animation/backgrounds/colors that 7Zark7 was added by
Gallerie/Sandy Frank.
Only 85 episodes of a 105 episode series was dubbed; Some were made as
"BotP: The Movie". Sandy Frank brought it back again and co-produced it
with TBS. It was then "G-Force: Guardians Of Space". 85 episodes once
again, with more words in this dub (but still altered somewhat) but the
music was not orchestral anymore. (sad to see less of this these days,
NOWadays we only see clapping ukulele music UGH) It wasn't as bad as
clapping ukulele music, but it was still synthesized. The theme song is
not nearly as good, and they blasted the core of it throughout any
"empty" scene! (BotP added music, and remixed the original music to
fill musicless scenes and great job for doing so) TBS/Sandy Frank STUNK
at adding a soundtrack and it makes BotP shine on even more so. Other
things that they did was PeeWee (Keyop/Jinpei) became fluent again,
"Gallactor" (Zoltar/Katse) had this horrible monotonous voice now, and
X was called "Computor", and given less scenes to make him not look
like a God that Katse/Zolar seemed to worship by those religious
critics.
I don't remember TBS/Frank's G-Force THAT well and so I can't STAND
that droning music! I LOVE the original Gatchaman and I also enjoy
BotP.
Gatchaman II and Gatchaman F were brought to U.S.A. by Saban (known for
Super-Sentai-inspired Power Rangers) as "Eagle Riders" with a THIRD
round of name changes (this makes four counting the original names)
These were remixed episodes and that did not go well for most people.
Gatchaman is an uncut English dub with the OVA, and also Gatchaman I by
ADV films. This is a rare version as it has not aired to my knowledge
and only exists on an out of print DVD. What about II and F/Fighter?
The animated 1978 movie? It is WORTH IT to learn Japanese to watch!! I
don't have any major issue (except for Keyop) with BotP, but the fact
that Gatchaman took THIRTY-three years to dub uncut to English is just
plain SAD.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Reviewing Science Ninja Team Gatchaman:
This is an old article pending revision.
I still prefer the original Gatchaman series and I don't blame Sandy Frank or Gallerie International. It is mainly a narrow-minded view of "foreign" films and also an over-protection from violence. Even Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry ended up with deleted scenes!
What a tragedy. I mean the way the series was treated, not the actual content of the series.
It was made in 1972 with impressive, and at times 3-D, animation. They worked very hard to make this look beautiful and high quality. Every frame was another matte painting. The explosions (and there were a LOT of them) were all painted. A few scenes had live action elements, while others are animated so well, it looks like Live Action. From the talent of "Speed Racer" (Mach Go Go Go) is another show by Tatsunoko Productions. It is done a little better than Speed Racer in terms of drawing. The first few episodes of Gatchaman show signs that they needed a tiny bit more practice which does in fact improve later on.
The music is beautiful. The theme songs "Destroy Galactor!", "Gatchaman's Song", switch places with each other beginning in season 2. The opening theme contains credits, and also lyrics on screen. I have watched several episodes, but most in Japanese. I have learned a few Japanese words! At the same time, the Japanese audio contains several words in English language. So they could have just dubbed it THEMSELVES. Perhaps the Japanese can only speak "Engrish".
The plot like a darker themed "Captain Planet". And really this show is actually GENTLE compared to what passes for "mild" today. There are numerous killings on this show. After all, it is a war series. But the killings are not graphic, and there is very little blood in Gatchaman. There is only mild language, and rarely spoken, so it would get TV-PG. Each episode is well written, and is much better done than most of the television today.
Six years later after its original primere, Sandy Frank turned it into Battle Of The Planets, basing it between Selectol and Earth, but it is very misleading. Gallerie International animates more segments. These scenes match up quite well, but I wouldn't say seamlessly. Whenever they made new scenes featuring The Godphoenix, or any of the ORIGINAL characters, it is done well, but you can still see a difference. The show was hosted by 7Zark7, placed there to say "The soldiers didn't die. They are just unconscious." They retitled Gatchaman, added new theme songs, (but looped the existing soundtrack during episodes) At the same time when they dubbed Gatchaman, they dumbed it down.
I still prefer the original Gatchaman series and I don't blame Sandy Frank or Gallerie International. It is mainly a narrow-minded view of "foreign" films and also an over-protection from violence. Even Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry ended up with deleted scenes!
What a tragedy. I mean the way the series was treated, not the actual content of the series.
It was made in 1972 with impressive, and at times 3-D, animation. They worked very hard to make this look beautiful and high quality. Every frame was another matte painting. The explosions (and there were a LOT of them) were all painted. A few scenes had live action elements, while others are animated so well, it looks like Live Action. From the talent of "Speed Racer" (Mach Go Go Go) is another show by Tatsunoko Productions. It is done a little better than Speed Racer in terms of drawing. The first few episodes of Gatchaman show signs that they needed a tiny bit more practice which does in fact improve later on.
The music is beautiful. The theme songs "Destroy Galactor!", "Gatchaman's Song", switch places with each other beginning in season 2. The opening theme contains credits, and also lyrics on screen. I have watched several episodes, but most in Japanese. I have learned a few Japanese words! At the same time, the Japanese audio contains several words in English language. So they could have just dubbed it THEMSELVES. Perhaps the Japanese can only speak "Engrish".
The plot like a darker themed "Captain Planet". And really this show is actually GENTLE compared to what passes for "mild" today. There are numerous killings on this show. After all, it is a war series. But the killings are not graphic, and there is very little blood in Gatchaman. There is only mild language, and rarely spoken, so it would get TV-PG. Each episode is well written, and is much better done than most of the television today.
Six years later after its original primere, Sandy Frank turned it into Battle Of The Planets, basing it between Selectol and Earth, but it is very misleading. Gallerie International animates more segments. These scenes match up quite well, but I wouldn't say seamlessly. Whenever they made new scenes featuring The Godphoenix, or any of the ORIGINAL characters, it is done well, but you can still see a difference. The show was hosted by 7Zark7, placed there to say "The soldiers didn't die. They are just unconscious." They retitled Gatchaman, added new theme songs, (but looped the existing soundtrack during episodes) At the same time when they dubbed Gatchaman, they dumbed it down.
Reviewing BraveStarr:
This is an old article pending revision.
I have to point something out. BraveStarr television series is simply called BraveStarr, NOT "BraveStarr: The Legend". This name is given to The motion picture, which would be better as a pilot episode. AND it is NOT called "BraveStarr: The Movie". I am glad that IMDB has this Correct, but Qubo and Wikipedia do not.
Also, I read that "source" which is an L.A. Times movie review from 1988. Some Critic. The person gets their facts In-Correct! The judge's name is J.B. Jay Bea. Jay BEA. Not Jay Pea. (The critic In-Correctly said that her name is "J.P.") The Prairie People obviously resemble prairie dogs, and are not simply "gopher-like aliens". Stampede is a Broncosaur, more than a "monster with bull horns". The critic called the meeting of Bravestarr and Thirty Thirty immature, as well as the name of Tex Hex. And also pretty much calling the entire setting a failure. The critic also blasts the special effects, saying that they make the animated characters look flat. The ENTIRE animation, layout, and background is EXCELLENT. If you are going to be a critic, you need to get your facts straight. If you don't believe me, watch "Scaredy Squirrel". But instead lots of critics only know about a few things about what they are writing about! And these critics are obviously biased, and perhaps are partially responsible for the decline in talent in today's "Entertainment". They simply do not like anything unique and creative. And Filmation has to deal with punishment because they aren't the marvelous Disney, which cashed in on softening (which makes "soft" actually look hard) Fairy Tales and is now spewing out live action laugh-track children's sit-coms such as The Suite Life franchise. This ISN'T a Star Wars ripoff either! That title belongs to the well praised "Battle Of The Planets". They did not need to model it after Star Wars for it to qualify as a children's show.
I have watched this movie. It is excellent in both story and animation. It explains a lot of things that didn't make much sense in the show. But now I know how everything became what it is now. I know how Angus gets paralyzed...by rocks falling on him while he is tied up by Tex Hex, a former mining partner. Skuzz forces his people into slavery. I thought that Starr Peak was a now-inactive volcano which fossilized Shaman's spaceship. (and I also thought that the volcano could have been created by Stampede) But instead, Shaman's ship was badly damaged (most likely by Stampede) and would not survive any more damage, and would unlikely be able to remain any more intact once entering (intentionally) the planet New Texas. The rocks melt upon entering the atmosphere and now Shaman's spaceship is now a cave. Shaman seems to be okay with this, since he calls weapons and technology, as "toys". The Prairie People, which appear to be the natives, are fast in both travel and repair. They lack general strength and at first they do not know how to speak English. (which was quickly learned) They rescue Jay BEA and award her with western clothing, The Hammer Of Justice (a gavel/weapon), and they repair her vehicle. (also the critic hates the Turbomules/stallions?! I think they would make a GREAT invention.) They repair it with Kerium, which appears to be much more powerful than Star Trek's dilithium crystals. Only ONE crystal can power a ship for a year. They give her more than one crystal, upgrading it to a "turbostallion", and probably give her an unlimited supply of free Kerium in the future to always keep her vehicle going...all of this for being the first human inside their home. Shaman creates the situation for Bravestarr and Thirty Thirty to meet, which is hilarious. You have to watch it yourself. Also, I like the scene when Bravestarr gets full control of his powers. Bravestarr and Jay BEA fall in love, and even kiss "on camera". There is even a moonlight. and we all get to see Stampede recruit Tex Hex, Fuzz, Sandstorm, Vipra, and many others.
Is this movie perfect? Not really. The only problems with it is: New Texas has a "sky of three suns". WHERE are the other two suns?! I did not notice them. The paralysis scene may be too much for smaller children. (he gets around with a scooter later, but to see him tied up like that and then injured) Also too much for children could be the kissing scene. The plot is written well enough for all ages to want to watch. At the time of release, this probably wouldn't interest adults much. But now, the children that watched this have grown up INTO adults, and now they'd like it, and most likely show it to their children. Isn't it interesting how things become more popular than they were when first released?
Also, we do not see defense contractor Commander Kane. Nor do we see Doc Clayton. They ought to have included EVERY character in the movie. Sandstorm has NO lines, and Vipra is easily defeated in every appearance.
I also have to point out that this should have been released before the series. Since it wasn't, and since Shaman said "The Evil has finally been defeated." (and it looks like exactly that had occurred) And because there was little clues that "The Evil" would return, this could be mistaken for a 2009 Star Trek film. (although Bravestarr: The Legend did not change anything)
The Bravestarr Franchise is nice. They could have made more toys, and those planned spin offs could have made it into production. I have conspiracy theories why Filmation REALLY closed down, but if I wrote that it would make this review too long.
I have to point something out. BraveStarr television series is simply called BraveStarr, NOT "BraveStarr: The Legend". This name is given to The motion picture, which would be better as a pilot episode. AND it is NOT called "BraveStarr: The Movie". I am glad that IMDB has this Correct, but Qubo and Wikipedia do not.
Also, I read that "source" which is an L.A. Times movie review from 1988. Some Critic. The person gets their facts In-Correct! The judge's name is J.B. Jay Bea. Jay BEA. Not Jay Pea. (The critic In-Correctly said that her name is "J.P.") The Prairie People obviously resemble prairie dogs, and are not simply "gopher-like aliens". Stampede is a Broncosaur, more than a "monster with bull horns". The critic called the meeting of Bravestarr and Thirty Thirty immature, as well as the name of Tex Hex. And also pretty much calling the entire setting a failure. The critic also blasts the special effects, saying that they make the animated characters look flat. The ENTIRE animation, layout, and background is EXCELLENT. If you are going to be a critic, you need to get your facts straight. If you don't believe me, watch "Scaredy Squirrel". But instead lots of critics only know about a few things about what they are writing about! And these critics are obviously biased, and perhaps are partially responsible for the decline in talent in today's "Entertainment". They simply do not like anything unique and creative. And Filmation has to deal with punishment because they aren't the marvelous Disney, which cashed in on softening (which makes "soft" actually look hard) Fairy Tales and is now spewing out live action laugh-track children's sit-coms such as The Suite Life franchise. This ISN'T a Star Wars ripoff either! That title belongs to the well praised "Battle Of The Planets". They did not need to model it after Star Wars for it to qualify as a children's show.
I have watched this movie. It is excellent in both story and animation. It explains a lot of things that didn't make much sense in the show. But now I know how everything became what it is now. I know how Angus gets paralyzed...by rocks falling on him while he is tied up by Tex Hex, a former mining partner. Skuzz forces his people into slavery. I thought that Starr Peak was a now-inactive volcano which fossilized Shaman's spaceship. (and I also thought that the volcano could have been created by Stampede) But instead, Shaman's ship was badly damaged (most likely by Stampede) and would not survive any more damage, and would unlikely be able to remain any more intact once entering (intentionally) the planet New Texas. The rocks melt upon entering the atmosphere and now Shaman's spaceship is now a cave. Shaman seems to be okay with this, since he calls weapons and technology, as "toys". The Prairie People, which appear to be the natives, are fast in both travel and repair. They lack general strength and at first they do not know how to speak English. (which was quickly learned) They rescue Jay BEA and award her with western clothing, The Hammer Of Justice (a gavel/weapon), and they repair her vehicle. (also the critic hates the Turbomules/stallions?! I think they would make a GREAT invention.) They repair it with Kerium, which appears to be much more powerful than Star Trek's dilithium crystals. Only ONE crystal can power a ship for a year. They give her more than one crystal, upgrading it to a "turbostallion", and probably give her an unlimited supply of free Kerium in the future to always keep her vehicle going...all of this for being the first human inside their home. Shaman creates the situation for Bravestarr and Thirty Thirty to meet, which is hilarious. You have to watch it yourself. Also, I like the scene when Bravestarr gets full control of his powers. Bravestarr and Jay BEA fall in love, and even kiss "on camera". There is even a moonlight. and we all get to see Stampede recruit Tex Hex, Fuzz, Sandstorm, Vipra, and many others.
Is this movie perfect? Not really. The only problems with it is: New Texas has a "sky of three suns". WHERE are the other two suns?! I did not notice them. The paralysis scene may be too much for smaller children. (he gets around with a scooter later, but to see him tied up like that and then injured) Also too much for children could be the kissing scene. The plot is written well enough for all ages to want to watch. At the time of release, this probably wouldn't interest adults much. But now, the children that watched this have grown up INTO adults, and now they'd like it, and most likely show it to their children. Isn't it interesting how things become more popular than they were when first released?
Also, we do not see defense contractor Commander Kane. Nor do we see Doc Clayton. They ought to have included EVERY character in the movie. Sandstorm has NO lines, and Vipra is easily defeated in every appearance.
I also have to point out that this should have been released before the series. Since it wasn't, and since Shaman said "The Evil has finally been defeated." (and it looks like exactly that had occurred) And because there was little clues that "The Evil" would return, this could be mistaken for a 2009 Star Trek film. (although Bravestarr: The Legend did not change anything)
The Bravestarr Franchise is nice. They could have made more toys, and those planned spin offs could have made it into production. I have conspiracy theories why Filmation REALLY closed down, but if I wrote that it would make this review too long.
Reviewing Dreams Don't Die:
This is an old article pending revision.
DREAMS DON'T DIE
Dreams Don't Die is a TV movie that aired on ABC in 1982, and again in 1984. It is a forgotten film, which was released on VHS but has been out of print for a very long time.
It is about a boy named Danny Baker who is a tallented artist. His home life is stressful because his mother works long hours at a factory and she has an abusive boyfriend. Danny's preferred method is Grafitti, especially tagging himself "King 65" on subways (and I don't mean the restaurant). Filmed in 1982, the 65 is most likely his year of birth.
There is a girl named Theresa who does not have a family. She has grown up in orpahages and foster homes her entire life. She does very good in school. She is also a drug dealer.
A guy who is two years younger than Danny, but about six months older than Theresa, goes by the name of "Kirk". It is possible that his name is Kirk Gavin but it is most likely that Kirk is an alias. Kirk is a full time drug dealer. He does not attend school and is raised by a drug lord named Albert Gavin. Albert advises him to "retire" from drug dealing but Kirk decides to be a pimp. Kirk's "spaceship" is a limosine with his own television and car phone. He has a sly personality. It is possible that he does not know right from wrong. Like any antagonist, Kirk is an insane, hilarous, and even likable person.
Two more drug dealers is another teenager, an amateur, who gets beat up by Kirk after he let a buyer keep his money. The youngest is Obediah, or "Opie", who is a thirteen year old that kills pigeons and also murders Kirk's enemies.
PRODUCTION:
If you like 21 Jumpstreet (It is supposed to be spelled 21 Jump Street), you will like this film. It has a very similar premise to 21 Jumpstreet. Although Danny and Teresa who look like teenagers ARE teenagers instead of police officers, they help a drug bust. In fact Danny insists the police captain to set up the drug bust.
Set in the 1980s, and filmed in the 1980s, this TV series is very much 1980s. It is filled with somber, suspenseful music consisting of both traditional musical instruments and synthesized ones. The acting, writing, and cinematrography are both excellent.
REACTION:
This is film was broadcast at least twice on ABC, as part of their Movie program. It was released on VHS but it has been out of print for a very long time. This film is mostly forgotten. Of those that remember the film, they have misunderstood it. Many people believe that this film is promoting vandalism, despite the close up of the "IT'S YOUR SUBWAY. Please help us keep it clean."
STORY:
Danny needs to cope with his stressful home life. He does not do well in school. He has a part time job which he spends his money by supporting his mother. His mother has a job too -- double shifts, as well as overtime, at a factory. She has a deadbeat boyfriend and they have an infant child together. She does not approve of Danny's graffiti but Danny does not approve of his mother's abusive relationship.
After an argument between Danny and Teresa, Teresa said that she is going to leave NYC with or without him. Kirk, who lives in a part of the city where all the buildings have fallen apart (except his for example) is driven by a chauffeur to one of his associates. This associate is an amateur who forgot to collect a small amount of money. Kirk explains that if they let somebody keep even a nickel or a penny, their enemies will be taking everything they own, "...my limosine, and my hat. You wanna be taking my hat [too]?!" Kirk shoves his hat on the other guy's head. He tries to run away but Kirk beats him up. He says "...and a man protects himself." Kirk shoots at him and then he tells the amateur "Kirk protects himself!" Ironically, the amateur DOES end up with Kirk's hat.
Danny and Theresa are still not talking to each other. Kirk spots Theresa, who wears unfashionable clothing, is very poor, but very smart. She is hired by Kirk. Danny forbids this but Theresa accuses Danny of being a hypocrite.
An experienced officer, Banks, catches ALL THREE of them. He catches Danny first, and then he catches Theresa and Kirk. He says he is too busy looking for rapists to arrest Danny. Theresa and Kirk are brought to the police station. A court appointed attorney bails out Kirk. Banks tells Theresa to stay which infuriates Kirk. He says "They sent us a real turkey. Where's my regular lawyer, [you] TURKEY?!", once he is carried out by his court appointed attorney, he tells the others "I'm going to find my real lawyer. I'm getting him, and I'll be back, DOOOD!"
Officer Banks befriends Danny and Theresa. He warns them to stop committing crimes. He also wants them to bust Kirk and Albert. He buys them tickets to a very large art museum and tells Danny that any good artist deserves to be paid instead of vandalism which is washed off routinely.
When Danny considers Banks's offer, he approaches him when he is patrolling at night. They go into a restaurant and Banks buys Danny a strawberry milkshake. Banks orders coffee. He tells Danny that one of his friends is an executive at a publishing company and has arranged an interview with Danny in exchange for setting up a drug bust and stop writing on public walls. He tells Danny that he should learn how to draw comics. Banks tells the man in the restaurant "I'll be back when you learn how to make real coffee."
Literally seconds later they hear a gunshot. Danny ran outside and collides into Obediah. Danny then found Banks, who died shortly. The shooting was arranged by Kirk who got revenge because Danny painted graffiti on "The Enterprise" when Danny and Theresa were arguing with each other. The man from the restaurant is the only one who helped.
The police captain brought Danny in for a line up. Both of them knew it was Obediah but they had to free him. This made Steadman angry because he had to let the criminal go, and it made Danny angry because he lost his friend and mentor.
He went home to mourn, and then went to the subway. He rolls his eyes once he sees his tag but he got the idea to paint on a billboard outside of Kirk's house.
The next morning Kirk sees Danny's very first comic - It is an editorial. The editorial illustration has Kirk shooting Banks. Danny tells Theresa about the interview and also tells her that they must "get" Kirk, fulfilling the promises he made to Banks. The Interview is successful, but Danny almost vandalizes the office window. He is assigned to work with a woman that will teach him how to draw comics. Steadman tells Danny Kirk's birthday, and Danny also demands that the Steadman arrange a drug bust. Once Kirk gets over his shock, he orders Obediah to kill Danny. Albert is interested in keeping Theresa "employed" until her 16th birthday, which isn't for several months. Kirk then tells Albert that Danny must be killed. Albert tells Kirk to shut up, thinking that this murder plot will scare Theresa into quitting. She tells Danny that he must check into a hotel. Danny goes to an outpatient clinic to get sleeping pills to poision Kirk. While Theresa is "working", she offers that they go to a hotel tomorrow. For the first time we get to see the sly drug dealer in a weakened position. He trusts Theresa and he is no longer "protecting himself".
She adds the pills to his alcoholic beverages and keeps Kirk asleep for hours and hours. Danny sneaks in and changes the date on Kirk's wristwatch. The next morning a traffic jam wakes up Kirk who immediately spots Danny. Kirk (and Danny) are startled but Danny quickly runs outside while Theresa convinces Kirk "You were just dreaming. It's not real." Later, they quietly celebrate Kirk's birthday who is still asleep. Kirk sleeps until Theresa wakes him up on the day "before" his birthday.
Kirk and Theresa go to Coney Island, the place for Kirk's last drug transaction while he is "still" 15. He asks Theresa to do it for him but Theresa insists that the drug buyer is his father's boss. The man only knows Theresa, and does not know that she is a drug dealer. (It is possible that this man is her case worker which means that she wasn't lying. Also, Danny forgot to tell them that Theresa is part of the drug bust, and NOT the criminal. Either way, they would not be able to catch Kirk if he stayed in the car!)
Kirk took the bait and was arrested. Kirk thinks he is above the law but Danny rains on his parade. Steadman confirms that it is Kirk's birthday and his present is doing hard time with "animals". Kirk starts crying and begs them over and over again to give him another chance and "I'll help you if you'll help me!". But Steadman says all he is going to do is talk to Kirk about Albert regardless. It is unlikely that they will plea bargain. He is carried away by the undercover police officer. (This is the best moment in the entire film)
Furthermore, Obediah is brought to justice. He tries to kill Danny, Theresa, and the captain. But Steadman shoots Obediah and Obediah will be arrested.
Danny and Theresa will be interrogated by Steadman one last time for capturing these impossible-to-catch criminals. They still aren't adults yet, but they leave their homes and move to Manhattan where Danny is a paid apprentice at the publishing company.
DREAMS DON'T DIE
Dreams Don't Die is a TV movie that aired on ABC in 1982, and again in 1984. It is a forgotten film, which was released on VHS but has been out of print for a very long time.
It is about a boy named Danny Baker who is a tallented artist. His home life is stressful because his mother works long hours at a factory and she has an abusive boyfriend. Danny's preferred method is Grafitti, especially tagging himself "King 65" on subways (and I don't mean the restaurant). Filmed in 1982, the 65 is most likely his year of birth.
There is a girl named Theresa who does not have a family. She has grown up in orpahages and foster homes her entire life. She does very good in school. She is also a drug dealer.
A guy who is two years younger than Danny, but about six months older than Theresa, goes by the name of "Kirk". It is possible that his name is Kirk Gavin but it is most likely that Kirk is an alias. Kirk is a full time drug dealer. He does not attend school and is raised by a drug lord named Albert Gavin. Albert advises him to "retire" from drug dealing but Kirk decides to be a pimp. Kirk's "spaceship" is a limosine with his own television and car phone. He has a sly personality. It is possible that he does not know right from wrong. Like any antagonist, Kirk is an insane, hilarous, and even likable person.
Two more drug dealers is another teenager, an amateur, who gets beat up by Kirk after he let a buyer keep his money. The youngest is Obediah, or "Opie", who is a thirteen year old that kills pigeons and also murders Kirk's enemies.
PRODUCTION:
If you like 21 Jumpstreet (It is supposed to be spelled 21 Jump Street), you will like this film. It has a very similar premise to 21 Jumpstreet. Although Danny and Teresa who look like teenagers ARE teenagers instead of police officers, they help a drug bust. In fact Danny insists the police captain to set up the drug bust.
Set in the 1980s, and filmed in the 1980s, this TV series is very much 1980s. It is filled with somber, suspenseful music consisting of both traditional musical instruments and synthesized ones. The acting, writing, and cinematrography are both excellent.
REACTION:
This is film was broadcast at least twice on ABC, as part of their Movie program. It was released on VHS but it has been out of print for a very long time. This film is mostly forgotten. Of those that remember the film, they have misunderstood it. Many people believe that this film is promoting vandalism, despite the close up of the "IT'S YOUR SUBWAY. Please help us keep it clean."
STORY:
Danny needs to cope with his stressful home life. He does not do well in school. He has a part time job which he spends his money by supporting his mother. His mother has a job too -- double shifts, as well as overtime, at a factory. She has a deadbeat boyfriend and they have an infant child together. She does not approve of Danny's graffiti but Danny does not approve of his mother's abusive relationship.
After an argument between Danny and Teresa, Teresa said that she is going to leave NYC with or without him. Kirk, who lives in a part of the city where all the buildings have fallen apart (except his for example) is driven by a chauffeur to one of his associates. This associate is an amateur who forgot to collect a small amount of money. Kirk explains that if they let somebody keep even a nickel or a penny, their enemies will be taking everything they own, "...my limosine, and my hat. You wanna be taking my hat [too]?!" Kirk shoves his hat on the other guy's head. He tries to run away but Kirk beats him up. He says "...and a man protects himself." Kirk shoots at him and then he tells the amateur "Kirk protects himself!" Ironically, the amateur DOES end up with Kirk's hat.
Danny and Theresa are still not talking to each other. Kirk spots Theresa, who wears unfashionable clothing, is very poor, but very smart. She is hired by Kirk. Danny forbids this but Theresa accuses Danny of being a hypocrite.
An experienced officer, Banks, catches ALL THREE of them. He catches Danny first, and then he catches Theresa and Kirk. He says he is too busy looking for rapists to arrest Danny. Theresa and Kirk are brought to the police station. A court appointed attorney bails out Kirk. Banks tells Theresa to stay which infuriates Kirk. He says "They sent us a real turkey. Where's my regular lawyer, [you] TURKEY?!", once he is carried out by his court appointed attorney, he tells the others "I'm going to find my real lawyer. I'm getting him, and I'll be back, DOOOD!"
Officer Banks befriends Danny and Theresa. He warns them to stop committing crimes. He also wants them to bust Kirk and Albert. He buys them tickets to a very large art museum and tells Danny that any good artist deserves to be paid instead of vandalism which is washed off routinely.
When Danny considers Banks's offer, he approaches him when he is patrolling at night. They go into a restaurant and Banks buys Danny a strawberry milkshake. Banks orders coffee. He tells Danny that one of his friends is an executive at a publishing company and has arranged an interview with Danny in exchange for setting up a drug bust and stop writing on public walls. He tells Danny that he should learn how to draw comics. Banks tells the man in the restaurant "I'll be back when you learn how to make real coffee."
Literally seconds later they hear a gunshot. Danny ran outside and collides into Obediah. Danny then found Banks, who died shortly. The shooting was arranged by Kirk who got revenge because Danny painted graffiti on "The Enterprise" when Danny and Theresa were arguing with each other. The man from the restaurant is the only one who helped.
The police captain brought Danny in for a line up. Both of them knew it was Obediah but they had to free him. This made Steadman angry because he had to let the criminal go, and it made Danny angry because he lost his friend and mentor.
He went home to mourn, and then went to the subway. He rolls his eyes once he sees his tag but he got the idea to paint on a billboard outside of Kirk's house.
The next morning Kirk sees Danny's very first comic - It is an editorial. The editorial illustration has Kirk shooting Banks. Danny tells Theresa about the interview and also tells her that they must "get" Kirk, fulfilling the promises he made to Banks. The Interview is successful, but Danny almost vandalizes the office window. He is assigned to work with a woman that will teach him how to draw comics. Steadman tells Danny Kirk's birthday, and Danny also demands that the Steadman arrange a drug bust. Once Kirk gets over his shock, he orders Obediah to kill Danny. Albert is interested in keeping Theresa "employed" until her 16th birthday, which isn't for several months. Kirk then tells Albert that Danny must be killed. Albert tells Kirk to shut up, thinking that this murder plot will scare Theresa into quitting. She tells Danny that he must check into a hotel. Danny goes to an outpatient clinic to get sleeping pills to poision Kirk. While Theresa is "working", she offers that they go to a hotel tomorrow. For the first time we get to see the sly drug dealer in a weakened position. He trusts Theresa and he is no longer "protecting himself".
She adds the pills to his alcoholic beverages and keeps Kirk asleep for hours and hours. Danny sneaks in and changes the date on Kirk's wristwatch. The next morning a traffic jam wakes up Kirk who immediately spots Danny. Kirk (and Danny) are startled but Danny quickly runs outside while Theresa convinces Kirk "You were just dreaming. It's not real." Later, they quietly celebrate Kirk's birthday who is still asleep. Kirk sleeps until Theresa wakes him up on the day "before" his birthday.
Kirk and Theresa go to Coney Island, the place for Kirk's last drug transaction while he is "still" 15. He asks Theresa to do it for him but Theresa insists that the drug buyer is his father's boss. The man only knows Theresa, and does not know that she is a drug dealer. (It is possible that this man is her case worker which means that she wasn't lying. Also, Danny forgot to tell them that Theresa is part of the drug bust, and NOT the criminal. Either way, they would not be able to catch Kirk if he stayed in the car!)
Kirk took the bait and was arrested. Kirk thinks he is above the law but Danny rains on his parade. Steadman confirms that it is Kirk's birthday and his present is doing hard time with "animals". Kirk starts crying and begs them over and over again to give him another chance and "I'll help you if you'll help me!". But Steadman says all he is going to do is talk to Kirk about Albert regardless. It is unlikely that they will plea bargain. He is carried away by the undercover police officer. (This is the best moment in the entire film)
Furthermore, Obediah is brought to justice. He tries to kill Danny, Theresa, and the captain. But Steadman shoots Obediah and Obediah will be arrested.
Danny and Theresa will be interrogated by Steadman one last time for capturing these impossible-to-catch criminals. They still aren't adults yet, but they leave their homes and move to Manhattan where Danny is a paid apprentice at the publishing company.
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