SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE

YES, I know you’re probably sick and tired of me writing about superheroes at this point. But I’ve only just begun! The only difference is that this time we will be taking a look at a DC COMICS superhero instead!

created by writer JERRY SIEGEL and artist JOE SHUSTER. He first appeared in “ACTION COMICS #1, a comic book published on April 18, 1938. He appears regularly in American comic books published by DC COMICS, and has been adapted to radio shows, newspaper comic strips, cartoons, T.V. shows, movies, video games/mobile games/apps and he even had his own Broadway musical [which was later turned into T.V. Special]!

Here are some good examples for you as proof:

[COMIC BOOKS,] “ACTION COMICS #1: SUPERMAN [JUNE, 1938]”

[“SUPERMAN’S” very first appearance]

[COMIC STRIPS,] “SUPERMAN #8148” [REMARQUED IN 1982]

[RADIO,] “THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN” [1940-1951]

[One of the show’s ads.]

[ANIMATED THEATRICAL SHORTS,] “MAX FLEISCHER’S SUPERMAN 1941-1942”

[WEEKLY MOVIE SERIALS,] “SUPERMAN [CHAPTERS 1-15]” [1948]

[T.V.,] “THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN” [1952-1958]

[GEORGE REEVES as “SUPERMAN/CLARK KENT”]

[ANIMATED T.V. SHOWS,] “SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES” [1996-2000]

[ANIMATED MOVIES,] “THE DC UNIVERSE MOVIE: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN”

“THE DC UNIVERSE MOVIE: REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN” [2019]

[“THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN” AND “REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN” are both installments of “A 2-PART DC UNIVERSE MOVIE EVENT!” that is heavily inspired by the DC COMICS graphic novel also called “THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN”.]

[GAMES,] “INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US” [2013]

[LIVE-ACTION FEATURE-LENGTH MOVIES] “MAN OF STEEL” [2013]

[AND THE MUSICAL!] “IT’S A BIRD…IT’S A PLANE…IT’S SUPERMAN”

[The original Broadway show poster.]

[An add for the T.V. version!]

Did you know that filmmaker J.J. ABRAMS had his own “SUPERMAN TRILOGY” planned? In the 20 years between “SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE” and “SUPERMAN RETURNS” many parties attempted to revive the damaged Superman brand and all of them failed to get off the ground. However, few failed as loudly and spectacularly as SUPERMAN: FLYBY”.

Written by ABRAMS, the script attracted directors such as BRETT RATNER and McG and was the first in a proposed trilogy. But then the internet got involved. When details of the script hit the still relatively young net, geeks all over the world were appalled by ABRAMS' reinvention of the “SUPERMAN MYTHOS”. “LEX LUTHOR” as a government agent obsessed with UFOs who is secretly an alien? “KRYPTON” not being destroyed and being home to a civil war that “SUPERMAN” gets involved in? The potential of ASHTON KUTCHER putting on the red and blue tights? The fan outcry was enormous and severely tainted the project, but it was McG's refusal to shoot in Australia that ultimately killed “SUPERMAN: FLYBY”.

[ABRAMS on the set of 2009’S “STAR TREK”.]

Did you know that Director RICHARD DONNER was offered the job while he was using the toilet?

Before DONNER got the job Producers ALEXANDER and ILYA SALKIND had hired GUY HAMILTON to Direct both “SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE” and “SUPERMAN 2” back-to-back. But HAMILTON had to back out at the last minute due to some legal issues involving being banned from filming on location in England!

Desperate to find a new Director the SALKINDS decided on “THE OMEN” [1976] Director RICHARD DONNER! In an interview DONNER claimed that ALEXANDER SALKIND offered him the job while he was still on the toilet! Here’s what DONNER said during the interview:

“I was hot. It was just a high point in my life, because I had done a lot of TV and then “THE OMEN”. I was getting a lot of calls and I had no idea where I was going. And then I got this call from Alexander Salkind.

He said, “Do you know who I am?” and I said, “No. Why are you calling me?” He said, “I’ll get to that. I’m a producer. Did you ever see “THE THREE MUSKETEERS”?” I said I did see it, and he said “I produced that.” And I said, “The way I hear it, they tried to release a second picture without paying the actors.” He said, “Well, that’s a long story. I’m making “SUPERMAN”. I don’t have a director and I’ll pay you a million dollars.”

A million dollars! That was like saying, “I’ll give you all the tea in China.” I said, “Oh. How many pictures is it?” He said, ”Two. I have MARLON BRANDO for X number of weeks and I have GENE HACKMAN, and we start shooting on such and such date.” I said, “Whoa, that’s close.” He said, “But we’re all prepared. We’re ready to go.” I said, “What’s your script like?” He said, “Perfect.”

DONNER would later discover that the script was the exact opposite of “perfect”. Speaking of the script:

Did you know that the script was so long and so bad that DONNER demanded that it had to be completely rewritten?

When the SALKINDS began the project, they wanted a high-profile writer to boost the film’s profile, and decided on “THE GODFATHER” Author MARIO PUZO. After spending some time with editors and DC COMICS to familiarize himself with “SUPERMAN” lore, PUZO got to work and produced a massive script spanning two films and 500 pages. The script was later rewritten by DAVID and LESLIE NEWMAN and ROBERT BENTON. When DONNER joined the film, which ALEXANDER SALKIND had assured him was “perfect,” he demanded rewrites.

“It was disparaging,” DONNER recalled. “It was just gratuitous action. I’m reading this thing and “SUPERMAN’S” looking for “LEX LUTHOR” in “METROPOLIS”, and he’s looking for every bald head in the city. And then he flies down and taps a guy on the shoulder and it’s [“KOJAK’S”] TELLY SAVALAS, who hands him a lollipop and says, ‘Who loves ya, baby?’

“I was brought up on “SUPERMAN” as a kid. There was a whole point in my life where I read “SUPERMAN”. So when I was finished with it, I was like, ‘Man, if they make this movie, they are destroying the legend of “SUPERMAN”.’ I wanted to do it just to defend him.”

To “defend” “SUPERMAN”, DONNER called in his friend TOM MANKIEWICZ (“LIVE AND LET DIE”), and the two began reshaping the story.

[A RICHARD DONNER SIGNED COPY OF THE FILMS OFFICIAL SCRIPT!]

Did you know that there are multiple versions of RICHARD DONNER’S “SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE”?

Three versions of this film were produced with over 40 minutes of film that was removed from the original theatrical version! ABC offered to pay the SALKINDS for every minute that was not shown in theaters. This resulted in making a special 2-Night-4-Hours-Long T.V. movie event! [A 2017 Blu-Ray release would shorten it to 3 hours due to having no commercial interruptions!] Eight minutes of the “EXTENDED CUT” were re-added into the film for the “SPECIAL EDITION” 2001 DVD/VHS releaseses.

[THE 1978 “THEATRICAL VERSION”,]

[THE 2001 “SPECIAL EDITION”]

[AND THE 2017 “EXTENDED CUT”.]

All of the sequels, except for “SUPERMAN RETURNS”, also have alternate/extended versions produced for T.V. and one alternate DVD version of “SUPERMAN 2” called “SUPERMAN 2: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT”.

[“SUPERMAN 2: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT”, THE DVD/BLU-RAY RELEASE.]

[“SUPERMAN 2: THE RICHARD LESTER CUT”, THE THEATRICAL RELEASE.]

Did you know that Cinematographer GEOFFREY UNSWORTH mistakenly believed that he had caused the NEW YORK CITY blackout of July 13-14, 1977, by plugging in a spotlight to a lamppost while filming “SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE”?

In fact, many New Yorkers believed it too because of the air conditioning and lights needed to film their scenes. The studio put out an apology just in case, but the Mayor demanded an investigation. It turned out an electrical storm had caused a lightning bolt to strike one of Consolidated Edison's key transmission lines, knocking out all electricity in the five boroughs of New York and Westchester County, and plunging some ten million people into darkness. Filming continued thanks to mobile generators and air conditioned cars.

[UNSWORTH at work.]

Sadly UNSWORTH passed away before the release of “SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE”.

Here are some quick little fun facts from IMDb just for you!:

1- MARLON BRANDO was paid $3.7 million, plus a percentage of the gross, for twelve days of shooting. The payment also covered the sequel, which was shot at the same time. Brando did not appear in the sequel, because he'd sued ILYA SALKIND, claiming Salkind had not paid him his percentage of the profits. He ultimately received about $14 million for ten minutes of screentime. The footage shot for the sequel was used in “SUPERMAN RETURNS” (2006). [Some of BRANDO’S footage can also be seen in “SUPERMAN 2: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT”.]

[BRANDO AS “JOR-EL”]

2- According to ROGER MOORE’S autobiography, he witnessed CHRISTOPHER REEVE walking through the canteen at Pinewood Studios in full Superman costume, oblivious to the swooning female admirers he left in his wake. When he did the same thing dressed as Clark Kent, no one paid any attention!

[ROGER MOORE AS “BOND, JAMES BOND” - I am not sorry for using that line!]

3- To obtain the musculature to convincingly play Superman, CHRISTOPHER REEVE underwent a bodybuilding regime supervised by DAVID PROWSE, the man who played Darth Vader in the original "Star Wars" trilogy. [PROWSE also originally auditioned for the role of “SUPERMAN/CLARK KENT”. But he was turned down for being to british!]

[PROWSE AS “LORD VADER”.]

4- STEVEN SPIELBERG was offered the chance to direct this film. Producers balked at the salary he asked for. They decided to see how “JAWS” (1975), which he had just completed, did at the box-office. That movie was a huge success, and Spielberg went on to other projects.

[SPIELBERG AT “THE 79TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS”.]

5- During the scene in which Superman and Lois go flying together and then Superman flies away, there is no cut between Superman flying away and Clark showing up at Lois' door. This was done using a pre-recorded movie of Superman flying away on a screen, with Lois standing in front of it. Then, as she walks away from the balcony, she crosses from the screen to the set with her apartment, where she opens the door to reveal the real-time Clark Kent.

[“CLARK KENT” transforming into “SUPERMAN” [CHRISTOPHER REEVE] from the movie “SUPERMAN 3”. I couldn’t find the right images for the scene we were talking about, but it does fit in with our next fact!]

6- CHRISTOPHER REEVE proved to be an even greater asset than anticipated after being cast. Reeve flew gliders as a hobby and used his experience as a pilot to make Superman's flying feel more believable. His performance as both Superman and Clark Kent was roundly praised in making the superhero's secret identity seem surprisingly convincing.

7- To obtain the "glowing" effect of the clothing on Krypton, the wardrobe department spent weeks sewing tiny glass balls on to each actor's apparel. If the "material" was accidentally touched, the oils on the actor's hands would interfere with the lighting effect, leaving a dull patch on the costume.

[THE KRYPTONIAN COUNCIL]

8- When the young “CLARK KENT” races the train, he is said to be eighteen years old, while “LOIS LANE”, who is inside the train, appears to be considerably younger. MARGOT KIDDER, who played the adult “LOIS”, was four years older than CHRISTOPHER REEVE, who played the adult “CLARK”. This can easily be explained from the comic book source material where “SUPERMAN” has been shown to have a slower metabolizim and ages much slower than human. This is either due to not being human at all, or from the abilities given to him by earths yellow sun.

9- The Kryptonian costumes were made of Scotchlite, a material used to make movie screens and reflective clothing. It was also used for the light-saber blades in the Star Wars franchise, and as the lettering on expressway signs.

[A couple of “STAR WARS” “LIGHTSABERS”.]

10- The film of the black-and-white sequence that opens the movie is shown in reverse. The sequence was filmed starting with a close-up of the Daily Planet panel followed by a zoom-out. Then the child's hand turns each page left-to-right, then closes the cover. (As the child turns each page and then closes the cover, notice that the corners fold in the opposite direction of how they should fold.)

[An image from the films opening scene.]

Well, that’s all I have for this entry. in the semingly immortal words of “SUPERMAN”: “UP, UP AND AWAY!” [FFWWOOSSHH!].

SPIDER-MAN: THE MOVIE

We’ve talked about “MARVEL SUPERHEROES” before in the past but now I’d like to take some time to talk about my favorite MARVEL COMICS superhero: “SPIDER-MAN!”

Did you know that “SPIDER-MAN” has appeared in 19 different movies [If you include the “VENOM” post-credits scene with the “PETER PARKER” and “MILES MORALES” cameo!] [No more spoilers from this point on, I promise!] that also includes a couple of films currently in production?

That list includes:

• “SPIDER-MAN” An unauthorized 1969 live action short film Directed by then unknown filmmaker named DONALD F. GLUT [Who also cast himself as “SPIDER-MAN”].

• “SPIDER-MAN [THE 1977 PILOT EPISODE]”, “SPIDER-MAN STRIKES BACK” [1978] and “SPIDER-MAN: THE DRAGON’S CHALLENGE” [1981]. Three made for T.V. movies from the hit T.V. series”THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN” starring NICHOLAS HAMMOND as “SPIDER-MAN/PETER PARKER”. “THE PILOT EPISODE” was Directed by E. W. SWACKHAMER, “STRIKES BACK” [a.k.a. “DEADLY DUST PARTS 1 AND 2”] and “THE DRAGON’S CHALLENGE” [a.k.a. “THE CHINESE WEB PARTS 1 AND 2”] was Directed by RON SATLOF. The sequels were also shown regularly on the T.V. series as normal two-part episodes.

• A 1978 Japanese film that was also called “SPIDER-MAN” [a.k.a. “SUPAIDAMAN”] [I’m sure I spelled that wrong!] is released. Starring SHINJI TODU [Again probably wrong!] as “THE JAPANESE SPIDER-MAN/TAKUYA YAMASHIRO” and Directed by KOICHI TAKEMOTO [wrong again!] and was Produced by TOEI CO. LTD. This film was also apart of it’s own weekly “SPIDER-MAN” T.V. series.

• “THE SAM RAIMI SPIDER-MAN TRILOGY” including “SPIDER-MAN: THE MOVIE”[2002], “SPIDER-MAN 2/2.1” [2004] and “SPIDER-MAN 3” [2007] With RAIMI Directing all three theatrical films that casts TOBEY MAGUIRE in the lead role!

• “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN” [2012] and “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2” [2014]. The reboot series Directed by MARC WEBB and starring ANDREW GARFIELD.

• “THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE” films “CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR” [2016], “SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING” [2017], “AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR” [2018], “AVENGERS: ENDGAME” [2019] and “SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME” [also 2019]. All starring TOM HOLLAND as the famous “WEB HEAD”. “CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR” and “AVENGERS 3 AND 4” are Directed by brothers JOE and ANTHONY RUSSO and “SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING AND FAR FROM HOME” is Directed by JON WATTS [who also Directed “HOMECOMING”].

• “SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE” [2018] is the very first feature-length animated theatrical movie from MARVEL STUDIOS even though it is Co-produced by COLUMBIA PICTURES and SONY PICTURES ANIMATION and is also the very first animated movie starring “SPIDER-MAN”! It is being Directed by BOB PERSICHETTI, PETER RAMSEY and RODNEY ROTHMAN. As the title suggests, this film has more than one “SPIDER-MAN”! The film focuses on a new “SPIDER-MAN”, “MILES MORALES” who is “PETER PARKER’S” replacement in MARVEL COMICS’ “ULTIMATE MARVEL/ULTIMATE COMICS UNIVERSE” after the death of that universe’s version of “PARKER” in the comics story “THE DEATH OF SPIDER-MAN”.

  “MORALES” will be introduced to a whole universe full of “SPIDER-MEN/WOMEN/ANIMALS”! “SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE” will feature the voice talents of SHAMEIK MOORE as “MILES MORALES/SPIDER-MAN”, JAKE JOHNSON as an older and more reluctant “PETER PARKER/SPIDER-MAN”, HAILEE STEINFELD as “GWEN STACY/ SPIDER-GWEN”, LIEV SCHREIBER as “WILSON FISK/THE KINGPIN”, JOHN MULANY as “SPIDER-HAM”, LILY TOMLIN as “AUNT MAY” and NICOLAS CAGE as “SPIDER-MAN NOIR”!

  The next three films are not like the other entries on this list because even though “SPIDEY” is involved with these titles, he is not the primary focus.

• “VENOM” [2018] is the first film to be set in “SONY’S MARVEL UNIVERSE” and may or may-not become apart of “THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE”. The film stars TOM HARDY as “EDDIE BROCK/VENOM” and is Directed by RUBEN FLEISCHER. “VENOM” is along time “SPIDER-MAN” villain who made his big screen debut in 2007’s “SPIDER-MAN 3” with TOPHER GRACE cast as “VENOM/EDDIE BROCK”.

• “MARVEL SUPERHEROES 4D” is a special “4D” attraction with multiple versions of the show located at MADAME TUSSAUDS museums in London, New York and Las Vegas with a new version now playing in Bali, called “MARVEL SUPERHEROES 4D: AVENGERS BATTLE IN BALI” [TOM KENNY voices “SPIDER-MAN”].

• “DISNEY’S PHINEAS AND FERB: MISSION MARVEL” is an animated crossover between “DISNEY’S PHINEAS AND FERB”, “MARVEL’S AVENGERS ASSEMBLE” and “MARVEL’S ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN” with actor DRAKE BELL reprising his role as “SPIDER-MAN”.

[A possible poster for GLUT’S 1969 fan-film.]

[An ad for the NICHOLAS HAMMOND T.V. series.]

[The Japanese version of “SPIDER-MAN”.]

[SAM RAIMI’S “THE SPIDER-MAN TRILOGY”]

[MARC WEBB’S “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2-MOVIE COLLECTION”]

[Posters of “SPIDER-MAN” and “THE AVENGERS” from “THE MCU” franchise.]

[Posters for “SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE”, “VENOM”, “MARVEL SUPERHEROES 4D” and “DISNEY’S PHINEAS AND FERB: MISSION MARVEL”.]

Now that’s all done, let’s get to the fun stuff already!

Did you know that there was going to be three more RAIMI “SPIDER-MAN” movies?

Plans for “SPIDER-MAN 4”, “SPIDER-MAN 5” and “SPIDER-MAN 6” were already in development with RAIMI set to Direct all of them and actors TOBEY MAGUIRE and KIRSTEN DUNST [“MARY-JANE “MJ” WATSON”] were set to return as well. But RAIMI was unhappy with every version of the script that he looked at. Combine that with “SPIDER-MAN 3’S” bad reception and SONY’S refusing to push back “SPIDER-MAN 4’S” intended release date and that was all it took to convince RAIMI that the series was all over!

Similar plans were considered for the reboot “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN” except SONY’S new plan would borrow heavily from MARVEL’S then newly established “MCU”! This included “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3”, spin-off films featuring “SPIDEY’S” enemies from “THE SINISTER SIX” and solo films focusing on his friends and allies! However, “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2” failed to meet everyone’s expectations and star ANDREW GARFIELD had a falling out with the head of SONY PICTURES which ultimately cancelled the series.

[A would-be poster for what would have been “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3”.]

The original “SPIDER-MAN” comic book was created in August, 1962 by Writer/Editor STAN LEE [originally named STANLEY MARTIN LIEBER] [December 28, 1922 - November 12, 2018] and Writer/Artist STEVE DITKO [November 2, 1927 - June 29, 2018]. May they both rest in piece. “SPIDER-MAN” first appeared in the MARVEL anthology comic book title “AMAZING FANTASY #15”. But his debut was met with some opposition from MARVEL’S Publisher MARTIN GOODMAN who had problems with “SPIDEY” being a teenager, considering that teenagers could only be sidekicks at the time, and that he would lose just as much as he would win. Despite all of this, GOODMAN agreed to let LEE have the character appear in the final issue of the series “AMAZING ADULT FANTASY” - which was renamed “AMAZING FANTASY” for that one issue because LEE wanted to draw in a younger audience - because MARVEL had already decided to cancel that series and LEE wanted to get the whole “SPIDER-MAN” character concept out of his system. They were both pleasantly surprised to discover that “SPIDER-MAN” was an instant hit!.

[“SPIDER-MAN” in his very first public appearance.]

[“SPIDEY” [left] and his creators, STAN LEE [center] and STEVE DITKO [RIGHT], in three separate images grouped together into one picture.]

Did you know that “TITANIC” Director JAMES CAMERON made an R-rated version of the first films’ script?

Early versions of CAMERON’S “scriptment” had “ELECTRO” and “DOC OCK” [who would’ve been played by ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER] as the main villains, a lot of profanity and both “SPIDER-MAN” and “MARY-JANE” doing some very “adult business” on top of the Brooklyn Bridge! It was very R-rated indeed. What’s even more surprising is that STAN LEE himself actually approved CAMERON’S script!

[JAMES CAMERON]

Did you know that they literally held spider auditions? That’s right, the spider that bit in the first film was not a special effect, it was very real! Director SAM RAIMI wanted the perfect spider for the moment where “PETER PARKER” receives the initial bite, but the spider that most resembled Raimi’s vision was a black widow. It would obviously be too dangerous to use a real black widow, so entomologist Steven Kutcher brought in spiders to “audition” for RAIMI. Eventually, they found a spider that looked just right to play the part.
 

There was just one problem: the color. The solution: makeup. RAIMI explained that he wanted the scene to look as realistic as possible, and CGI just wasn't up to snuff then. So they went all “ROCKY HORROR” on the spider instead, painting it with red and blue accents.

[A real spider wearing red and blue make-up.]

Did you know that four “SPIDER-MAN SUITES” were stolen from the set of the first movie?

The suites are worth $50,000 apiece! The police managed to catch the thief, a former SONY Security guard, who also stole a $150,000 “BATSUIT” from WARNER BRO.S’ “BATMAN” sets in 1996.

[One of the many different versions of “THE BATSUIT”]

Did you know that Producer LAURA ZISKIN fooled some SONY executives with some CGI-animated “SPIDER-MAN” footage?

One of the chief hurdles in producing Spider-Man was creating the convincing illusion of a man swinging between New York City skyscrapers. The production called on Industrial Light & Magic pioneer John Dykstra, who realized that some shots would require a fully computer-generated version of the title character. The shots Dykstra and his team came up with were so convincing that producer Laura Ziskin decided to see if they could fool Columbia chair Amy Pascal and Sony chair John Calley.

“I called up John Calley and Amy Pascal and told them we’d put Tobey [Maguire] in the suit and had him crawling up a building, and we’d shot a test and wanted to show them,” Ziskin recalled. “We went to the screening room and I showed the test of CGI Spider-Man—they thought it was Tobey! Then I told them that was the computer-generated Spider-Man.”

[Visual Effects Designer JOHN DYKSTRA]

Did you know that “UNCLE BEN’S” car that appears in the first movie is actually belongs to SAM RAIMI?

THE OLDSMOBILE DELTA 88 [aka “THE CLASSIC”] is featured in almost all of RAIMI’S films which includes “THE EVIL DEAD” franchise!

The car is not the only cameo to be spotted in this film. the list also includes:

STAN LEE [a random citizen in all the “SPIDER-MAN” films],

BRUCE CAMPBELL [ “THE FIGHT PROMOTER” in “SPIDER-MAN: THE MOVIE”, “THE THEATER USHER” in “SPIDER-MAN 2” and “THE FRENCH MAITRE D’” in “SPIDER-MAN 3” - he was also “THE NARRATOR” in all the movie tie-in video games including “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN”.],

Former WWE superstar “MACHO MAN” RANDY SAVAGE [“BONESAW MCGRAW],

R&B/SOUL Singer MACY GRAY [appearing as herself in the TIMES SQUARE PARADE fight scene.],

and “XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS” star LUCY LAWLESS [“PUNK ROCK GIRL” as well as a few RAIMI film collaborators.

[“SPIDER-MAN” - TOBY MCGUIRE - VS. BONESAW MCGRAW - RANDY SAVAGE!]

HUGH JACKMAN was actually going to appear in the film reprising his role as “WOLVERINE” from “THE X-MEN” film series. But for some reason his costume went missing, forcing filmmakers to abandon the whole idea!

[JACKMAN as “LOGAN/WOLVERINE” from 2000’s “X-MEN: THE MOVIE”]

Well true believers, that’s all the info that I have for you. Until next time. As STAN LEE would say: “EXCELSIOR!”

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

JURASSIC PARK

For 25 years Director and Executive Producer STEVEN SPIELBERG'S "JURASSIC PARK" [1993] [which is based on the novel of the same name by author MICHAEL CRICHTON] has thrilled audiences around the world and it continues to do so with a handful of sequels that include:

"THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK" [1997],

"JURASSIC PARK 3" [2001],

"JURASSIC WORLD" [2015],

 -the latest entry in the series- "JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM" [2018]

and a currently untitled third "JURASSIC WORLD" film that is already in-development!

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT AND THE LEGO GROUP have also teamed up to produce a special 24-minute cgi-animated mini-movie inspired by the first "JURASSIC WORLD" film and the "LEGO JURASSIC WORLD" LEGO brand play-sets called:

"LEGO JURASSIC WORLD: THE INDOMINUS ESCAPE" [2016]

The mini-movie along with an exclusive new "EMPLOYEE SAFETY VIDEO" short-film and a couple of fan-made "LEGO JURASSIC WORLD" shorts were bundled together with the live-action "JURASSIC WORLD" feature film for the animated special's original DVD release!

There's also a LEGO video game simply titled "LEGO JURASSIC WORLD" [Well, what else would it have been called].

This game retells the stories of the first 4 "JURASSIC PARK/WORLD" films with a classic and hilarious "LEGO BRAND" twist!

SPIELBERG brought an entire special effects team together that includes:

STAN WINSTON,

PHIL TIPPET,

MICHAEL LANTIERI

and DENNIS MUREN along with

STEVE WILLIAMS

and MARK DIPP'E who were both leading a team of animators from GEORGE LUCAS' ILM [which is a division of LUCASFILM LTD].

and lets not forget about the iconic score by legendary Composer, Conductor and Pianist JOHN WILLIAMS!

Did you know that STEVEN SPIELBERG and GEORGE LUCAS have have been fr iends and collaborators since 1980, though they first met as rivals in 1967? They first met at a student film festival for at UCLA to see LUCAS' student film called "THX-1138" [THX would also become the name of another division of LUCAS' company.] and SPIELBERG'S "AMBLIN" [SPIELBERG would also name his own company after this film, AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT.] around the age of 18. They had different opinions of each others films and didn't meet again until four years later!

[DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER STEVEN SPIELBERG AND LUCASFILM LTD/ILM FOUNDER GEORGE LUCAS GOOFING AROUND.]

SPIELBERG first met WILLIAMS in 1974 to compose the music for SPIELBERG'S very first theatrical film, "THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS"[1974]. SPIELBERG also recommended WILLIAMS to LUCAS to do score for "STAR WARS" [1977] aka "STAR WARS: EPISODE 4: A NEW HOPE" [the 1981 "SPECIAL EDITION" title] and the rest, as they always say, is history!

[From left to right: SPIELBERG, WILLIAMS AND LUCAS at USC'S grand-opening of THE JOHN WILLIAMS SCORING STAGE on Tuesday April 26th, 2011.]

Did you know that MICHAEL CRICHTON actually wrote two "JURASSIC PARK" novels?

[CRICHTON]

It's true!, Fans of the original novel "JURASSIC PARK" [1990] and the 1993 SPIELBERG film of the same name and SPIELBERG'S interests for a sequel are all that was needed to lead the Author to write "THE LOST WORLD" [1995] [which was partly inspired by a book written by SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE that is also called "THE LOST WORLD" - That is also why the 1997 film version was renamed "THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK"]. Both books were re-released as one single book called "MICHEAL CRICHTON'S JURASSIC WORLD" [which is completely unrelated to the 2015 film-sequel that's also called "JURASSIC WORLD"].

[The original novel that inspired the hit film series!]

["THE LOST WORLD" is the only sequel that CRICHTON ever wrote to any of his novels.]

[This is the only book that was made to combine two of CRICHTON'S own novels - JURASSIC PARK AND THE LOST WORLD - into one groundbreaking story!]

CRICHTON and SPIELBERG also worked together as Executive Producers on the NBC T.V. drama "ER". The two storytellers had begun talking about "JURASSIC PARK" while working on the Screenplay for an early version of "ER" back in October 1989 [Heck, the book hadn't even been released yet!]. SPIELBERG was one of the shows Executive Producers until he left the series after completing season one.

[The original cast members of "ER".]

SPIELBERG and CRICHTON also collaborated the 1996 epic disaster film "TWISTER" [which was not based on any of CRICHTON'S books].

CRICHTON was also a filmmaker and a Director, usually working on film and T.V. adaptations of his own books [though some of them were all original ideas that he felt were better on film instead of in books]. He has Directed the following films:

"PURSUIT" [1972],

[This was based on one of the books - called "BINARY" [also released in 1972] - that he wrote under his pseudonym JOHN LANGE. He also wrote books under another pseudonym - JEFFREY HUDSON and co-wrote "DEALING: OR THE BERKELEY-TO-BOSTON FORTY-BRICK LOST-BAG BLUES" [1970] with his younger brother DOUGLAS CRICHTON under the combined name MICHAEL DOUGLAS - not to be confused with the ACADEMY AWARD WINNING ACTOR of the same name.]

"WESTWORLD" [1973],

"COMA" [1978] [Which is not based on a CRICHTON story!],

[And this film actually does have MICHAEL DOUGLAS the actor!]

"THE FIRST GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY" [British tittle] aka "THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY" [U.S. tittle] [1979] [The novel also went by this name.],

"LOOKER" [1981],

"RUNAWAY" [1984],

and "PHYSICAL EVIDENCE" [1989]

There are other films that CRICHTON worked on but we need to move on.

Did you know that "JURASSIC PARK'S" original story was completely changed?

MICHAEL CRICHTON began working on the novel that became the basis for "JURASSIC PARK" in the 1980s, writing from the perspective of a young boy who was present at a theme park when dinosaurs escaped. He received negative feedback from early readers and reworked the novel into an adult story. The book was published in 1990 and immediately became a hot project to buy in Hollywood. UNIVERSAL PICTURES won the bidding war, in large part thanks to a long-standing friendship between CRICHTON and SPIELBERG.

Did you know that the dinosaurs only appear in the film for fifteen minutes? This was done to give the creatures and scenes a more dramatic effect. The other reason has to do with some personal experience from SPIELBERG'S very first blockbuster film "JAWS". This was due to the mechanical shark constantly breaking down on set forcing SPIELBERG to change his idea of revealing the shark at the start of the film to when ROY SCHEIDER throws the dead fish into the water which got a much bigger reaction from the audiences!

[Above - "JURASSIC PARK'S" own "T-REX" and "THE SHARK" from "JAWS".]

Did you know that out all of the stories that CRICHTON wrote besides "JURASSIC PARK", only one of his other ideas actually  managed to create it's own successful franchise?

[An image of actor YUL BRYNNER as "THE GUNSLINGER" from "WESTWORLD"]

CRICHTON'S film  "WESTWORLD" [1973] went on to create a sequel and two T.V. shows including:

"FUTUREWORLD" [1976-SEQUEL],

"BEYOND WESTWORLD" [1980-1st T.V. series, cancelled after only making 5 episodes - Only three of the five episodes were actually shown on t.v. for CBS.] and

"WESTWORLD" [2016-present-2nd - and only reboot - T.V. SERIES for HBO.].

MICHAEL CRICHTON had no further involvement with the franchise after writing and directing the first "WESTWORLD" movie.

Did you know that other SPIELBERG directed movies, as well as a pinball game, have been referenced in all the "JURASSIC PARK/WORLD" films?

1- In "JURASSIC PARK" a scene from from "JAWS" is shown on "NEDRY'S" [WAYNE KNIGHT] computer during his argument with park founder "JOHN HAMMOND" [RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH].

2- In the L.A. T.-REX chase scene from "THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK", there's video store with a couple of fake movie posters for some fake films starring some very real actors including: ROBIN WILLIAMS, TOM HANKS and ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER [HANKS and WILLIAMS have both appeared in other SPIELBERG films and SCHWARZENEGGER appearing as callback to his rivalry with SPIELBERG over the opening weekend of "JURASSIC PARK" and "LAST ACTION HERO"].

3- In the diner scene from "JURASSIC PARK 3" a "JURASSIC PARK PINBALL GAME" arcade machine can be seen in the background!

[I couldn’t find an image from the scene in the movie but I did manage to find an image of the pinball game at least!]

4- The scene of the great white shark being eaten by the MOSASAURUS in "JURASSIC WORLD" is an homage to "JAWS".

5- And finally a few easter eggs for "E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL" can be found through-out "JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM".

Did you know that before the release of “JURASSIC WORLD”, “JURASSIC PARK” was given a reissued theatrical “3D” re-release!

“JURASSIC PARK 3D” was released in IMAX theaters on April 5, 2013 and later onto BLU-RAY 3D.

There have also 3D releases for “JURASSIC WORLD 3D”

and “JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM 3D”.

There are no 3D releases of “THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK” and “JURASSIC PARK 3” as of yet.

Speaking of the new movie, “JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM” just came out on DVD and BLU-RAY.

All 5 films [“JURASSIC PARK”, “THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK”, “JURASSIC PARK 3”, “JURASSIC WORLD” and “JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM”] are also now in a new “5-MOVIE COLLECTION” DVD/BLU-RAY set now available in stores everywhere!

Did you know that the T.-Rex animatronic from the first film would mysteriously malfunction by turning itself on and scare any nearby crew members?

in an interview Producer KATHLEEN KENNEDY said:

"The T.-Rex went into the heebie-jeebies sometimes. Scared the crap out of us. We'd be, like, eating lunch, and all of a sudden a T. rex would come alive. At first we didn't know what was happening, and then we realized it was the rain. You'd hear people start screaming."

Did you know that we almost got a very different version of “JURASSIC WORLD”?

The initial concept included genetically altered being bred for war while carrying specialized military weapons!

Although we did end up with the “INDOMINUS REX” and the “INDORAPTOR” were used in both “JURASSIC WORLD” films and “JURASSIC WORLD’S” human antagonist “VIC HOSKINS” [VINCENT D’ONOFRIO] insisted that the fully trained VELOCIRAPTORS are ready to be used for war, we still got a much better fourth movie!

[“JURASSIC PARK 4” CONCEPT ART]

And now some quick little fun facts:

Did you know that the glass breaking on the roof of the car was done by accident?

During the first T-REX attack, when the dinosaur’s jaw bangs itself on the top of the Ford Explorer, the glass on the roof of the vehicle was not supposed to break! the glass breaking scared the kids [ARIANA RICHARDS[“LEX MURPHY”] and JOSEPH MAZZELLO [“TIM MURPHY”] respectively] so much that they actually screamed when it happened. SPIELBERG decided to use that shot instead having the entire scene be re-filmed.

Did you know that there was a “GODZILLA” reference in “THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK”?

In the SAN DIEGO scene, some japanese tourists can be seen running away from the out of control T-REX and one tourist can be heard saying in complete japanese: “I left Japan to get away from this?”

[Here’s a quick comparison of the “GODZILLA” moment from 1997’S “THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK” with a shot from the very first “GODZILLA” movie: “GOJIRA” [The 1954 Japanese version] a.k.a. “GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS!” [The 1956 U.S. version] to give you an example of what i’m talking about!]

Did you know that the SPINOSAURUS is the largest audio animatronic ever built?

The SPINOSAURUS from “JURASSIC PARK 3” is nearly 45 feet long and weighed 25,000 pounds. the SPINOSAURUS was so big and was so heavy that the the operators and technicians had decided to have the animatronic mounted on to a motorized cart that ran on tracks, therefore making it the largest, heaviest and fastest dinosaur robot ever built!

[The SPINOSAURUS and the crew members on the set of “JURASSIC PARK 3”.]

Okay well, that should do it for this entry. See you guys next time before we end up going extinct, bye!

THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE - PART 2

Hi there! Today we will be continuing our look at "THE MCU" and this time we'll be digging up some behind the scenes fun-facts about this extraordinary franchise!

Have you heard the news that THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY [who already owns MARVEL STUDIOS, LUCASFILM LIMITED, TOUCHSTONE PICTURES, DREAMWORKS PICTURES AND PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS] has just bought 20TH CENTURY FOX!

That's great news for MARVEL COMICS fans because it gives us a chance to see THE X-MEN, WOLVERINE, DEADPOOL, THE FANTASTIC FOUR, SILVER SURFER and other "X-MEN" related characters team up with "THE AVENGERS".

[The newly extended MARVEL STUDIOS family.]

However, do not expect any crossovers in the foreseeable future as MARVEL President and Executive Producer KEVIN FEIGE has made it very clear in an interview for THE PLAYLIST when he was asked if any FOX-MARVEL characters would appear in "THE MCU", FEIGE said:

"No, because any of that deal would take a while to get going and years from whenever and if ever it happens. So, certainly it won’t impact the five movies we’ve announced, and it probably wouldn’t impact anything for a handful of years after that. Because really, we’re not thinking about that. We’re thinking of delivering on what we promised. Any movie, especially for any characters we don’t have the rights to yet until someone tells us we do, would be even further after that."

But like "DOC BROWN" says at the end of "BACK TO THE FUTURE PART 3": "The future hasn't been written yet" which means we can always hope and pray that it will become a reality much, much sooner.

Did you know [and i'm sure you did] that many of the "MARVEL HEROES" have also appearred in films outside of "THE MCU"?

Here's a list of the films and T.V. shows that they have starred in:

Theatrical/Direct-To-VideoMovies:

1} CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE 1944 MOVIE-SERIAL SERIES [MARVEL COMICS was known as TIMELY COMICS at the time.] [1944-15 Episodes]

[The theatrical movie poster for "CHAPTER 1: THE PURPLE DEATH".]

THE PUNISHER [1989 Direct-to-video film] [1989]

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE MOVIE [A 1990 - Direct-to-video film released in 1992!] [1990-92]

SPIDER-MAN: THE MOVIE [2002]

DAREDEVIL [2003]

 THE HULK [2003]

SPIDER-MAN 2 [2004]

THE PUNISHER [2004] [Remake]

ELEKTRA [DAREDEVIL spin-off movie about his supposably dead girlfriend.] [2005]

SPIDER-MAN 3 [2007]

 PUNISHER: WAR ZONE [2008]

 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN [Reboot] [2012]

 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 [2014]

 Bonus title:

14} GEORGE LUCAS PRESENTS: HOWARD THE DUCK

[he doesn't have a major role in "THE MCU" but "HOWARD" does have a cameo appearance in a couple of scenes from "GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY" and "GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2" so I thought i'd mention him right here.] [1986]

["LUCAS' HOWARD" and "THE MCU HOWARD" in an edited split-screen comparison shot.]

T.V. Shows:

1} SPIDEY SUPER STORIES [Segments from the hit educational T.V. series "THE ELECTRIC COMPANY"] [1974-77]

2} THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN [1977-79]

3} THE INCREDIBLE HULK [1977-82]

4} SPIDER-MAN: THE JAPANESE T.V. SERIES [a.k.a. "SUPAIDAMAN" - I hope I spelled that right.] [1978-79]

This 41 episode T.V. series also included a theatrical movie simply titled "SUPAIDAMAN" [Again I don't know if I spelled that right!] A.K.A. "SPIDER-MAN [THE 1978 JAPANESE FILM]".

T.V. MOVIES AND MOVIE-EPISODES:

1} SPIDER-MAN: THE PILOT EPISODE [For "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" T.V. series] [1977]

2} THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: SPIDER-MAN STRIKES BACK [A.K.A. the episodes "DEADLY DUST PARTS 1 AND 2"] [1978]

3} THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: THE DRAGON'S CHALLENGE [A.K.A. the episodes "THE CHINESE WEB PARTS 1 AND 2"] [1979]

4} THE INCREDIBLE HULK: THE PILOT EPISODE [1977]

5} THE RETURN OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK [A.K.A.] THE INCRIDIBLE HULK: DEATH IN THE FAMILY [this movie-episode was retitled for syndication.] [1977]

6} THE INCREDIBLE HULK: MARRIED [A.K.A.] THE BRIDE OF THE INCERDIBLE HULK [Season 2 episode 1] [Title changed for Home Video release] [1978]

7} THE INCREDIBLE HULK RETURNS [Post-series guest-starring "THOR"] [1988]

8} THE TRIAL OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK [Post-series guest-starring "DAREDEVIL" and MARVEL COMICS supervillian "THE KINGPIN"] [1989]

9} THE DEATH OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK [Post-series and the overall series finale] [1990]

10} DR. STRANGE [1978]

11} CAPTAIN AMERICA [1979]

12} CAPTAIN AMERICA 2: DEATH TO SOON [1979]

13} NICK FURY: AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. [1998]

Did you know that before MARVEL STUDIOS started their "CINEMATIC UNIVERSE" series, MARVEL wasn't even producing there own film projects? All pre-mcu movies before 2008 were licensed to other major Hollywood studios. The movie branch started in 1993 as MARVEL FILMS. The studio would make money off of merchandise inspired by the films that were released at the time!

[The MARVEL FILMS logo - though you probably already knew that! heh, heh.]

Did you that some "GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY" characters origin stories are much darker in the comics?

It's true!,  they do have a tragic past. This [rather short] list includes:

1 "MANTIS"

There are number of different versions of "MANTIS'" origin story [And all of them are not very happy ones.] but the most popular version, Mantis is raised and trained by Kree priests until her mind is wiped and she must work as a prostitute in Vietnam before eventually joining the Avengers.

Other versions of Mantis’s backstory involve her exploding and having the fragments of herself killed off one by one. Moving on...

2 "GROOT"

Groot’s origin story, Groot used to be able to speak in full sentences without a problem.

However, Groot and the rest of his species, all suffer from a unique disorder which causes their vocal cords to tighten and harden over time until all they are able to say is three simple words: “I am Groot.” So much for a cute one-liner.

3 "TASERFACE

"TASERFACE" in the comics faces off with the original Guardians in the year 3000, and can be directly connected with another character from the MCU-- Tony Stark. "TASERFACE" belongs to the Stark race, which is a group of aliens that have constructed their society and way of life from Tony Stark’s litter, leftovers, and trashed technology that he shot into space thousands of years earlier. In other words, the cruelty of Taserface is an eventual result of Tony Stark’s casual disregard for littering.

And finally, the most disturbing one of all........

4 "ROCKET RACCOON"

According to this origin story, Rocket Raccoon was originally engineered by cruel scientists not just for the purpose of providing scientific data through harsh experiments, but to keep insane patients of a mental asylum company, along with other animal friends. Eventually Rocket escaped the asylum and began an alternate career of crime and debauchery.

Did you know that "CAPTAIN AMERICA'S" list in "CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER" is different depending on which country your in?

Here's an example:

The U.S. version -

The U.K.-

[In case you guys can't read it, the very top of the list says "T.V. show - SHERLOCK right where I LOVE LUCY can be found in the U.S. version.]

Here's a couple more examples for you:

Aussies have AC/DC, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, and Steve Irwin added to the list, while Koreans get Ji Sung Park, Dance Dance Revolution, and Oldboy. French fans see the 1998 World Cup and The Fifth Element, among other things.

Did you know that "GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY" Director JAMES GUNN 'S own brother, SEAN GUNN, plays two characters?

He plays the ravager "KRAGLIN" in "GOTG VOLS. 1 AND 2" does the motion capture work for fellow guardian "ROCKET RACCOON" in "GOTG VOLS. 1 AND 2" and "AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR".

[SEAN GUNN - in a motion-caption suit - as "ROCKET" with wwe superstar DAVE BATISTA as "DRAX" filming a scene.]

[ GUNN as "KRAGLIN" in another scene.]

Did you know that at first CHRIS EVANS did not want to play "CAPTAIN AMERICA"?

EVANS turned down the part three times due to his previous experience playing "THE HUMAN TORCH" in "THE FANTASTIC FOUR" franchise. EVANS eventually accepted the role after deciding to appear   in six films after he managed to overcome his concerns [MARVEL originally wanted evans to appear nine films].

[EVANS as both "THE HUMAN TORCH" and "CAPTAIN AMERICA".]

EVANS has also expressed interest in playing both roles in a possible  "CAPTAIN AMERICA/THE HUMAN TORCH" movie done as a crossover-style buddy comedy.

Here's what EVANS said in a twitter post:

"So who do I talk to about a Cap/Human Torch buddy comedy spinoff? I’m thinking Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Parent Trap." 

Of course EVANS could have only been joking with us. But even if EVANS' comment was a joke it has gotten some support from "ANT-MAN" and "ANT-MAN AND THE WASP" Director PEYTON REED!

REED has offered to direct the film saying, in his own tweet: 

"Hey, @ChrisEvans: I'm in"

Yeah, so ummm... i'll let you guys decide if it's a joke or not.

["ANT-MAN" and "ANT-MAN AND THE WASP" Director PEYTON REED]

Did you know that "CAPTAIN AMERICA'S" ship being discovered was forshadowed in the infamous deleted "SUICIDE SCENE" from "THE INCREDIBLE HULK"?

[A shot from the deleted scene with a close-up of what looks like "CAP'S" shield in the lower-right corner.]

[A clearer look at the "CAPSICLE" is seen in this screen-shot.] 

Director LOUIS LETTERRIER removed the scene for a reason that is explained in this statement from LETTERRIER:

“There’s a point when "BRUCE BANNER" gives up on his quest for the cure and decides to kill himself. So he travels far North and reaches the Arctic Circle. You might have seen bits of it in some of the promos. The result was a very dark and strong scene, which Marvel, me and everyone else considered to be too hard to young audiences to take, so we’ve cut it. Having that said, when Bruce arrives at his destination he meets up with Captain America! At some point this week, we will make it available on the internet but I cannot tell you where or when and the material will definitely be on the DVD.”

[This comment was made back when "THE INCREDIBLE HULK" [2008] was released into theaters.]

Did you know that two of "BLACK PANTHER'S" Co-stars went to the same school?

LUPITA NYONG'O ["NAKIA"] and WINSTON DUKE ["M'BAKU"] were both students who attended YALE SCHOOL FOR DRAMA. Both actors also went and saw "MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS" together. They loved the movie they dreamed of starring in a film just like "THE AVENGERS" someday.

[NYONG'O as "NAKIA"]

[DUKE as "M'BAKU"]

There are hundreds of facts about "THE MCU" out there. That's too many for me to name so good luck finding them.

Until next time, see 'ya!

THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE PART 1

Welcome back to my movie blog. For this entry I will not be looking at just 1 franchise, I will be looking at entire universe!

We will be looking at "THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE" [or "THE MCU" for short].

Did you know that "THE MCU" is now 10 years old?

The "pilot episode" for this mega-series is the 2008 movie "IRON MAN". There are currently 18 films total and with more films already in production that add up to 24 movies in total and even more titles going well into 2028!

Did you know that a handful "MCU" films are referred to as a "PHASE", just like a T.V. show has seasons? This list includes:

PHASE 1: AVENGERS ASSEMBLED:

"IRON MAN" [2008],

"THE INCREDIBLE HULK" [2008],

"IRON MAN 2" [2010],

"THOR" [2011],

"CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER" [2011],

and "MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS" [2012].

PHASE 2:

"IRON MAN 3" [2013],

"THOR: THE DARK WORLD" [2013],T

"CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER" [2014],

"GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY" [2014],

"AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON" [2015]

and "ANT-MAN" [2015].

PHASE 3:

"CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR" [2016],

"DOCTOR STRANGE" [2016],

"GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2" [2017],

"SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING" [2017],

"THOR: RAGNAROK" [2017],

"BLACK PANTHER" [2018],

"AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR" [2018],

"ANT-MAN AND THE WASP" [2018],

"CAPTAIN MARVEL" [2019],

and a yet to be named 4th "AVENGERS" movie.

["CAPTAIN AMERICA" - CHRIS EVANS - and "THE HULK" - MARK RUFFALO without all of the green giants motion-capture special effects - on the set of "AVENGERS 4".]

And here's a couple of POST-PHASE 3 [Also known as PHASE 4] movies in pre-production and developement:

"SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME" [2019] and "GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3" [2020].

More "MCU" films will be coming between the years 2019 and 2028.

Did you know that "THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE" also expands into the realm of television as well?

Okay, there's a good chance that you already knew about this one. But just in case you didn't, well here's a list of each show with each T.V. network/mobile app that they have all appeared on:

[WARNING!: All T.V. show titles start with the brandname "MARVEL'S" in the name like alot of movie studios like to do now for some reason.]

ABC:

"MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D." [5 SEASONS September 24, 2013 - present],

"MARVEL'S AGENT CARTER" [2 SEASONS January 6, 2015 - March 1, 2016]

and "MARVEL'S INHUMANS" [1 SEASON-CANCELLED September 29 -November 10, 2017]

NETFLIX [All shows still airing]:

"MARVEL'S DAREDEVIL" [3 SEASONS April 10, 2015-present],

"MARVEL'S JESSICA JONES" [2 SEASONS November 20, 2018-present],

"MARVEL'S LUKE CAGE" [2 SEASONS September 30, 2016-preseent],

"MARVEL'S IRON FIST" [March 17, 2017-present],

"MARVEL'S THE DEFENDERS" [August 18, 2017-Eventmini-series] and

"MARVEL'S THE PUNISHER" [2 SEASONS - SEASON 2 is currently in production - November 17, 2017-present].

HULU:

"MARVEL'S THE RUNAWAYS" [2 SEASONS - SEASON 2 is currently in production - November 21, 2017-present.]

FREEFORM:

"MARVEL'S CLOAK AND DAGGER" [The series premiere is on June 7, 2018.]

And there are some series titles that are currently in-development without a major T.V. network/online streaming company for it to air on yet:

"MARVEL'S NEW WARRIORS", "MARVEL'S MOST WANTED" AND "MARVEL'S DAMAGE CONTROL".

MARVEL has also created a series of short films for "THE MCU" movies' Blu-ray releases called "MARVEL ONE-SHOTS" including:

"MARVEL ONE SHOTS: THE CONSULTANT" ["THOR"], 

"MOS: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THOR'S HAMMER" [CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER"],

"MOS: ITEM 47" ["MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS"],

"MOS: AGENT CARTER" ["IRON MAN 3"]

AND "MOS: ALL HAIL THE KING" ["THOR: THE DARK WORLD"]

There's also a trilogy of short-films that casts "THOR" and "THE HULK" along with "THOR'S" new friend and roommate "DARRYL JACOBSON" [an original character created for the shorts] in a mockumentary setting. These films are called:

"TEAM THOR: WHILE YOU WERE FIGHTING: A THOR MOCKUMENTARY" ["CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR"],

"TEAM THOR PART 2: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" ["DOCTOR STRANGE"] AND

"TEAM DARRYL" ["THOR: RAGNAROK"].

["THOR" and "DARRYL" in an "interview" for "TEAM THOR PART 2" on the "DOCTOR STRANGE" blu-ray release.]

MARVEL also teamed up with GOOGLE to produce a series of YOUTUBE videos called "WHIH NEWSFRONT WITH CHRISTINE EVERHART" a faux-news show that's actually a viral marketing campaign! This web-series deals with the aftermath of "AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON" as well as the events surrounding the films "ANT-MAN", "CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR".

Other "WHIH" content was produced other social websites such as GOOGLE+ and TWITTER. MASHABLE also created a special companion piece video hosted by "MS. EVERHART" [LESLIE BIBB].

["EVERHART" [BIBB] doing a report on "THE AVENGERS" and "ANT-MAN".]

MARVEL also partnered-up with ABC.COM to produce a six episode mini-series that also serves as a prequel to the fourth season of the hit ABC T.V. series "MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.". The "mini-web-series" is called "MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.: SLINGSHOT".

Here is a brief description of the show's plot as according to WIKIPEDIA.COM: "ELENA "YO-YO" RODRIGUEZ" [NATALIA CORDOVA-BUCKLEY] is forced to sign the Sokovia accords as an "INHUMAN". However, by signing the Accords, she creates a direct conflict with a personal mission she is looking to complete.

There's even been talks of some animated movies and motion picture soundtrack tie-ins as well!

This music list includes:

"THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACKS" for all the feature films,

"ORIGINAL TELEVISION SOUNDTRACKS" AND "VINYL RECORDS" for the T.V. shows and

"COMPILATION ALBUMS" including:

"AC/DC: IRON MAN 2",

"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE",

"IRON MAN 3: HEROES FALL",

"GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: AWESOME MIX VOL. 1" AND

"GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2: AWESOME MIX VOL. 2".

[A picture of the "AC/DC: IRON MAN 2". some special edition soundtrack releases [like the one shown here] included: a 30 minute bonus DVD with classic AC/DC music videos, the "IRON MAN 2" "SHOOT TO THRILL" music video and "MAKING OF" featurette and a commemorative photographs and movie stills booklet.]

MARVEL also makes special movie tie-in comic books! these titles include:

"MARVEL'S IRON MAN: I AM IRON MAN" [2010],

"MARVEL'S IRON MAN 2: PUBLIC IDENTITY [2010],

"MARVEL'S IRON MAN 2: AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D." [2010],

"MARVEL'S CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST VENGEANCE" [2011],

"MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS PRELUDE: FURY'S BIG WEEK" [2012],

"MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS: BLACK WIDOW STRIKES" [2012],

"MARVEL'S IRON MAN 2" [2012],

"MARVEL'S IRON MAN 3 PRELUDE" 2013,

"MARVEL'S THOR" [2013],

"MARVEL'S THOR: THE DARK WORLD PRELUDE" [2013],

"MARVEL'S CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER" [2013],

"MARVEL'S CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER INFINITE COMIC" [2014],

"MARVEL'S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY INFINITE COMIC: DANGEROUS PREY" [2014],

"MARVEL''S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY PRELUDE" [2014],

"MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS" [2015],

"MARVEL'S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON PRELUDE: THE SCEPTER'D ISLE" [2015]

"MARVEL'S ANT-MAN PRELUDE" [2015],

"MARVEL'S ANT-MAN: SCOTT LANG: SMALL TIME" [2015],

"MARVEL'S JESSICA JONES" [2015],

"MARVEL'S CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR PRELUDE" [2016],

"MARVEL'S CAPTAIN AMERICA PRELUDE INFINITE COMIC" [2016],

"MARVEL'S DOCTOR STRANGE PRELUDE" [2016],

"MARVEL'S DOCTOR STRANGE PRELUDE INFINITE COMIC: THE ZEALOT" [2016],

"MARVEL'S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 PRELUDE" [2017],

"MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING PRELUDE" [2017],

"MARVEL'S THOR: RAGNAROK PRELUDE" [2017],

"MARVEL'S BLACK PANTHER PRELUDE" [2017],

"MARVEL'S AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PRELUDE" [2018] AND

"MARVEL'S ANT-MAN AND THE WASP PRELUDE" [2018].

Well that covers the universe's many connections. Next time we will go behind the scenes. TO BE CONTINUED...

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE ORIGINAL MOVIE [1990] - PART 2

Welcome back to our look at "THE ORIGINAL TMNT MOVIE"! 

When we ended "PART 1" of this review we talked about "MIKEY'S" role in the T.V. special: "CARTOON ALL-STARS TO THE RESCUE". So let's start with some "behind the shells" facts about that!

This special teamed up many of the toons' original voice-actors as well as some recognizable replacements including:

• TOWNSEND COLEMAN as "MICHAELANGELO" from "TMNT"[obviously!] [Oddly enough even though "MIKEY" does appear in this special, he does not appear on the VHS cover and for some reason "SMURFETTE", who's not in the program, for some reason does appear on the cover!]

•  ROSS BAGDASARIAN as "ALVIN" and "SIMON" and JANICE KARMAN as "THEODORE" from "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS"

• JIM CUMMINGS as "WINNIE THE POOH" and "TIGGER" from "WINNIE THE POOH"

• FRANK WELKER as "SLIMER" from "THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS", "BABY KERMIT THE FROG" from "THE MUPPET BABIES" and "HEFTY SMURF" from "THE SMURFS"

• PAUL FUSCO as "ALF" from both the live-action and animated "ALF" T.V. series'

• JEFF BERGMAN as "BUGS BUNNY" and "DAFFY DUCK" from "THE LOONEY TUNES"

• RUSSI TAYLOR as "BABY GONZO" from "THE MUPPET BABIES" and "HUEY", "DEWEY" and "LOUIE DUCK" - "DONALD DUCK'S" nephews - from the classic DISNEY cartoons and the 1990 "DUCKTALES" T.V. series

• LORENZO MUSIC as "GARFIELD" from "GARFIELD & FRIENDS" and other "GARFIELD" T.V. specials

• DON MESSICK as "PAPA SMURF" from "THE SMURFS"

• LAURIE O'BRIEN as "BABY PIGGY" from "THE MUPPET BABIES" and DANNY GOLDMAN as "BRAINY SMURF" from "THE SMURFS"

The cast was also joined by legendary film, T.V. and broadway star GEORGE C. SCOTT ["PATTON", "STANLEY KUBBRICK'S DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB" and the 1984 film version of "A CHRISTMAS CAROL"] as the drug named "SMOKE"!

[GEORGE C. SCOTT as "EBENEZER SCROOGE" in the 1984 film version  of "A CHRISTMAS CAROL.]

This special also includes an introduction by former PRESIDENT GEORGE H. W. BUSH and former FIRST LADY BARBARA BUSH. foreign  versions of the special were introduced by the government leaders of their respective countries! 

[PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. and FIRST LADY BARBARA BUSH at BARBARA'S birthday celebration.]

And finally, the special also includes the musical number "WONDERFUL WAYS TO SAY NO" written by the ACADEMY AWARD winning musical team of ALAN MENKEN and the late HOWARD ASHMAN ["DISNEY'S THE LITTLE MERMAID", "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" and "ALADDIN"].

[ALAN MENKEN and the late HOWARD ASHMAN at "THE 62ND ACADEMY AWARDS" - MARCH 26, 1990]

Now let's get  back to "THE TURTLES":

Did you know that "THE TMNT" have also had a number of one-off direct-to-video specials?

This list of specials includes:

"RTD PRESENTS - OPERATION: BLUE LINE: STARRING THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" 

[This VHS tape was given away for free. Not surprising, considering it's more or less an advertisement for the Metro Blue Line trains.]

"TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: WE WISH YOU A TURTLE CHRISTMAS"

["THE TURTLES" get a present for "MASTER SPLINTER" while singing their own versions of classic CHRISTMAS CAROLS!]

"TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE COMING OUT OF THEIR SHELLS TOUR [PLUS] THE MAKING OF THE COMING OUT OF THEIR SHELLS TOUR [DOUBLE FEATURE]"

["THE TURTLES" decide to become a rock 'n roll band and play their first sold-out concert show at "RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL" and take us "BEHIND THE SHELLS" to see how the show was made!]

[This home video release was also available on two separate VHS titles as well!]

"TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE GETTIN' DOWN IN YOUR TOWN TOUR"

[This title is a sequel to "THE COMING OUT OF THEIR SHELLS TOUR" concert!]

"VANILLA ICE: NINJA RAP: THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE VIDEO SINGLE"

[As the title suggests: This is simply a music video of the song "NINJA RAP" PERFORMED BY VANILLA ICE from the second "TURTLES MOVIE" and soundtrack cd: "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE".]

"THE MAKING OF TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: BEHIND THE SHELLS [AKA] TMNT MANIA: BEHIND THE SHELLS - SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION"

[This video is a behind the scenes look at the "TURTLE-PHENOMENON" that includes interviews with creators KEVIN EASTMAN AND PETER LAIRD and the cast & crew members of   "TMNT 2: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE".]

"NICKELODEON'S TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: HALF-SHELL HEROES: BLAST TO THE PAST"

[A 45-minute animated special based on the PLAYMATES TOYS' HALF-SHELL HEROES action-figures! "THE TURTLES" get trapped in another time-period!]

AND "TURTLE POWER: THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES"

[A special feature-length documentary that celebrates "THE TURTLES' 30TH ANNIVERSARY". This film reveals some behind the scenes stories from the franchise's past! Including:

-How EASTMAN AND LAIRD first met

-The creation of the original black and white "EASTMAN AND LAIRD'S TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" comic books

-The birth of the PLAYMATES TOYS action-figures and the original 1987 animated T.V. series

-1990S' "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE ORIGINAL MOVIE" production secrets

-Concert performers fan reaction stories from "THE COMING OUT OF THEIR SHELLS TOUR"]

"

Did you know that a sequel to the "TURTLE POWER" documentary is currently in production?

The working-title of the film, for now, is called: "TURTLE POWER: THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES VOLUME 2"

[This film will include material that was not shown in "VOLUME 1". This video is said to include stories behind:

-The IDW COMICS re-launch

-The 2003 [4KIDS] and 2012 [NICKELODEON] animated series reboots

-The live-action T.V. series: "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION"

-The '90's and 2007 sequels

-The 2014 NICKELODEON/PARAMOUNT/MICHAEL BAY executive produced movie reboot and more!]

They have yet to decide on a 2018 DVD release date as of yet!

Did you know that "TURTLE-ACTOR"JOSH PAIS ["RAPHAEL"] had anxiety about wearing his Raphael mask? The actor was also the only one to provide his own character voice, but he wasn’t a fan of wearing the turtle mask because of severe claustrophobia. Pais would immediately remove his mask after every cut. At one point the filmmakers decided to use PAIS' phobia as an in-joke during the scene where the gang returns to the NYC sewer system and their human friend "CASEY JONES" [ELIAS KOTEAS] is horrified to learn that they'll be spending the night there, while "APRIL O'NEAL" [JUDITH HOAG] and "DONATELLO" poke some fun at his unease.

[PAIS taking a very, very much needed break from his "head" during filming]

Did you know that it took three puppeteers to make "SPLINTER" come to life? One of the puppeteers is KEVIN CLASH, the puppeteer who portrays "ELMO" on the "SESAME STREET" franchise, who also provides "SPLINTERS'" voice!

[CLASH with "ELMO" filming a scene outside of "OSCAR THE GROUCH'S" trashcan on the "SESAME STREET" set!]

[A side-by-side/split-screen image comparison of "SPLINTER" and CLASH.]

Did you know that JIM HENSON had some mixed reactions about the film? While HENSON was said to be upset by the amount of violence in the finished film, the turtle costumes were created by his Creature Shop in London. Henson said that the costumes were the most advanced technology that he had worked with at the time. His involvement in this film and the sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze probably explains why the Ninja Turtles were parodied in "THE MUPPET BABIES", MUPPETS TONIGHT and "DINOSAURS", where a “TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA CAVEMEN” poster could be seen hanging in  "ROBBIE SINCLAIR'S" bedroom.

[For some reason this picture is comprised of two images but you can clearly see the poster on "ROBBIE'S" - He's the dinosaur who's face can be seen in the picture above - bedroom door in both images!]

Did you know that there was originally going to be a fourth live-action '09's "TURTLE MOVIE"? That's right and it was going to be as dark as the original film too! I've heard of a couple of possible ideas that were considered [All artwork by "TMNT" CO-CREATORS KEVIN EASTMAN AND PETER LAIRD]:

[Cover art and title for "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 4: THE NEXT MUTATION".]

1 - "SPLINTER" and "THE TURTLES" would goat through a terrifying second mutation that would instantly prove to be problematic! 

["SPLINTER"]

["DONNIE"]

["LEO"]

["MIKEY"]

["RAPH" or "RAPTOR RAPH" as EASTMAN AND LAIRD - jokingly - like to call him!]

2 - A "5th TURTLE" named "KIRBY" [named after legendary comic book artist, writer and creator JACK KIRBY], who was more brutish in combat, would have been introduced!

3 - "SHREDDER" would have returned, except this time he would've looked a lot less like "THE SHREDDER" and more like PAUL STANLEY and GENE SIMMONS from the '70's rock band KISS!

["KISS-SHREDDER"]

4 - We could have been introduced to an evil version of "APRIL" with a rather "controversial" outfit.

Many of the films concepts have been repurposed for other variations of the "TMNT" franchise including:

1 - More feral versions of the secondary mutations would appear in the 9th and 10th seasons of the '87 animated series.

2 - Another monster version of "RAPH" also appears in "VOLUME 4" of the     EASTMAN AND LAIRD comic book series. His name was "GAMERAPH".

3 - The movies' sub-title was used for the live-action T.V. series; "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION".

4 - While we did not get "KIRBY", "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" did give us a "5th female turtle" named "VENUS DE MILO".

Did you know that STEVE BARRON, the DIRECTOR of "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE ORIGINAL MOVIE", and BRENDAN McCARTHY, "THE ORIGINAL MOVIE'S" CONCEPT and STORYBOARD ARTIST, have reunited in 2001 to create their own attempt at "A FOURTH NINJA TURTLE MOVIE"?

Yes, they did! This "TURTLE MOVIE" would have given them a much more street-like feel.

[A concept-art drawing from BARRON and McCARTHY'S original pitch.] Sadly, this film was dropped in-favor of the 2007 CGI-ANIMATED feature film "TMNT"!

There are now seven "turtle movies" in total, with six theatrical movies and one T.V. movie, including:

[From NEW LINE CINEMA and GOLDEN HARVEST]

 1 - "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE:THE ORIGINAL MOVIE" [1990]

2 - "TMNT 2: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE" [1991]

3 - "TMNT 3: TURTLES IN TIME" [1993]

[From WARNER BROS. PICTURES/THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY and IMAGI ANIMATION STUDIOS]

4 - TMNT [2007]

[Same poster as before.]

[From NICKELODEON MOVIES and PARAMOUNT PICTURES]

5 - "TMNT: TURTLES FOREVER" [2009 T.V. movie]

6 - "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" [2014]

7 - "TMNT: OUT OF THE SHADOWS" [2016]

Did you know that NICKELODEON is currently making a new animated turtles T.V.-series that's set to air later this year? The new show is called "NICKELODEON'S RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES".

[Our five "heroes on a half-shell" from left to right: "LEONARDO", "DONATELLO", The first-ever african-american "APRIL O'NEAL", "MICHELANGELO" and - strangely enough - the leader "RAPHAEL".]

"WWE SUPER-STAR" JOHN CENA is joining the cast as a new villain named "BARON DRAXOM", an alchemist warrior mutant who seeks to turn all of humanity into mutants. CENA'S reoccurring character will appear in the premiere episode and throughout the series, which follows the band of brothers as they encounter new mutants and villains and discover a mystical world they never knew existed beneath the streets of New York City.

[CENA with a "2018 NICKELODEON KID'S CHOICE AWARDS" ORANGE BLIMP.]

Well "TURTLE-FANS" that's all i have to say in this entry so i'm gonna go grab a slice of pizza. Later dudes, COWABUNGA!

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE ORIGINAL MOVIE [1990]

Hi there everyone! For this this weeks entry I've decided to take a look at the 1990 film "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE ORIGINAL MOVIE".

Did you that nobody even wanted to make  the movie?

That's right!, None of the major Hollywood movie studios were interested in the "TMNT" series!

Screenwriter BOBBY HERBECK and Producer KIM DAWSON spent months trying to sell the film but comic book based movies were considered to be box-office poison at the time [This was before TIM BURTON'S 1989 "BATMAN" movie changed everything]. 

[The "TURTLES" with legendary Puppeteer/Filmmaker JIM HENSON and Director STEVE BARRON]

HERDECK was already writing a movie at the time for the Hong Kong based movie studio GOLDEN HARVEST [Which was known producing films starring martial arts super-star BRUCE LEE.]. HERDECK felt that the movie would be perfect for them because the film could make great use of the studio's martial arts team. 

Convincing the studio took months of hard work but  during one lunch-meeting when TOM GRAY [GOLDEN HARVEST Executive/Head Of Production1984-98]stood up and said "Wait a minute. This is nothing more than four of our Chinese stuntmen in rubber suits. We can make this movie for peanuts in Hong Kong."

Did you know that there was originally going to be an extended/alternate ending that pokes fun at Hollywood's reluctance to make the movie, as well as the original "TMNT" comic books that inspired it!

The ending can be seen right here:

For some reason this bit made it into the book adaptation as well as the sticker book (with pictures), but was left out of the movie.The reason for why this ending was removed from the film is currently unknown.

Did you know that the foreign versions went through some major re-editting and that there are other deleted scenes from the U.S. release? 

The depiction of nunchucks on screen was rarely allowed in the UK, so the movie was heavily cut or reframed to remove every last trace of them for its original theatrical exhibition. In 2003 all these cuts were waived by the BBFC due to changed guidelines. 

In the UK theatrical, television and VHS versions, the ban on nunchucks  caused two notable scene trims. The face-off in April's apartment in which Michaelangelo and a member of The Foot clan perform nunchuck moves in succession was removed completely, with the fight starting instead with Donatello diving through the air directly after this sequence. Another sequence trimmed heavily was the apparent death of Shredder. In the full length version, Shredder charges at Splinter, who produces a pair of nunchucks, wraps them around Shredder's staff and hurls him over the edge of the building. Shredder holds onto his staff which Splinter maintains his grip on, and Splinter begins a speech, but is interrupted by Shredder, throwing a scythe at him. Splinter moves to one side, and Shredder looses his grip on the staff, falling into the garbage truck where he is crushed. This was heavily trimmed so that it appears Shredder runs at Splinter, who seemingly trips him up, and Shredder just falls over the edge as Splinter watches on. The original versions of both scenes were reinstated for the 2004 DVD.

The German theatrical version was based on the cut British version. In addition it was heavily dimmed and cartoon-like sound effects were added to the fight scenes. This version was also used for TV airings and VHS home video releases. The uncut version was not available on DVD until 2010.

A scene during the meeting with Shredder and the Foot Clan, with Shredder fighting five of his students, was cut. For years, the only evidence of this scene was a still image, but the scene has resurfaced in the documentary, Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[This scene was meant to show how strong and powerful "SHREDDER" really is - but like the alternate ending, the scene was deleted for unknown reasons.]

When aired on the USA Network channel, the scene of Shredder in the back of a garbage truck was edited somewhat. Like in the original version when Casey pulls the lever, the back door closes and the smashing mechanism begins, next shows Shredder's helmet being flattened, in the USA version, now when Casey pulls the lever it shows a scene of the turtles and Splinter watching then a scene of the punks that Casey and Splinter met back at the hideout then cuts to Shredder's helmet being flattened.

Some parts of the movie were re-shot/re-edited for censorship reasons:

Like the main title for example:

Original U.S. version:

Alternate international version [Germany/Hungary etc.]:

A shot of Michelangelo ordering a pizza is shot differently in both versions. While he tosses his nunchakus in the uncensored version, he doesn't do that in the censored version at all.

[Censored ver.:]

[Uncensored ver.:]

a shot of Mike is different in the uncensored version. Furthermore, one sees how Splinter takes a book and throws it at him.

[CENSORED]

[UNCENSORED]

[CENSORED]

[UNCENSORED]

For a better understanding between the differences here is the German version of the fight scene in "APRIL'S" apartment. Complete with additional sound effects, altered footage and German dialogue [but no English subtitles]!

 

Did you know that the region 2 Germany DVD also includes a feature-length "AUDIO COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR STEVE BARRON" that for some reason is not included in the U.S. release?

A "TURTLE-FAN" based website called "TMNTFILM.COM" has the complete audio track which can be found in the link right here:

Did you know that each of the turtle-suits had two different versions for each character?

That's right! KIM DAWSON, one of the films Producers, said: "There were two sets of turtle costumes. The "action turtles" had no electronics in them. The ones that had all the facial expressions and whatnot had all of the little radio controlled motors in them that controlled the eye movements and the mouth and the eyebrows. Henson had created them and stuck them in the back of the turtle shell, along with all of the cooling devices."

[The "ACTION-TURTLES" Stunt Team.]

Let's talk about the comic book for a moment, shall we?

The turtles are the creation of creators KEVIN EASTMAN AND PETER LAIRD

PETER ALAN LAIRD was born on January 27, 1954 in North Adams, Massachusetts. Toward the end of 1983, Laird was earning just ten dollars an illustration from a local newspaper in Northampton, Massachusetts. He was also doing illustrations for fanzines like The Oracle.

KEVIN BROOKS EASTMAN born [May 30, 1962] in Portland, Maine. He attended Westbrook High School in Westbrook, Maine with comic book illustrator Steve Lavigne.

In 1983 EASTMAN worked in a restaurant while he searched for publishers for his comics. He met a waitress who was attending the University Of Massachusetts Amherst and followed her to Northampton, Massachusetts. While searching for a local underground newspaper to publish his work, he began a professional relationship with PETER LAIRD and the two collaborated for a short time on various comics projects.

[From left to right: PETER LARID, "LEONARDO" AND KEVIN EASTMAN]

In May 1984, Eastman and Laird self-published the first black & white issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The forty-page oversized comic had an initial print run of 3275 copies and was largely funded by a US$1000 loan from Eastman's uncle Quentin (the experience of which had a profound impact on Laird, and led indirectly to his later work with the XERIC FOUNDATION). It was published by the duo's MIRAGE STUDIOS, a name chosen because, as Eastman says, "there wasn't an actual studio, only kitchen tables and couches with lap boards." By September 1985, their first issue had received three additional printings.

Laird's newspaper experience led to the duo creating "a four-page press kit," that, according to FLAMING CARROT creator BOB BURDEN's own "MYSTERY MEN PRESS-KIT" included "a story outline and artwork that they sent to 180 TV and radio stations," as well as both the ASSOCIATED PRESS and UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL. This led to widespread press coverage of both the TMNT property and Mirage Studios itself, creating "a demand for the interestingly-titled comic that caught everyone by surprise." With the solicitation of their second issue, Eastman and Laird's Turtles comic began a meteoric rise to success, bringing in advance orders of 15,000 copies - five times the initial print run of the first issue. This, Eastman has been quoted as saying: "basically ended up with us clearing a profit of two thousand dollars apiece. Which allowed us to write and draw stories full-time: it was enough to pay the rent, pay the bills, and buy enough macaroni and cheese and pencils to live on."

The Turtles phenomenon saw the duo invited to their first comics convention at the tenth annual Atlanta Fantasy Fair in 1984, where they mingled with the likes of LARRY NIVEN, FORREST J. ACKERMAN and FRED HEMBECK (among others). With their (November 1985) fifth issue, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles downsized to the more common American comics-format and size, and the previous four issues were also reprinted in this size and format with new, color, covers. Also in 1985, SOLSON PUBLICATIONS released How To Draw Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Solson would follow this up with the six issue Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Authorized Martial Arts Training Manual as well as one issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teach Karate volume in 1987.

[For those who don't know what SOLSON even is [Which is probably all of you - or maybe it's just me!]: SOLSON PUBLICATIONS was a New York-based black-and-white comic book publisher active in the 1980s. The company was founded by GARY BRODSKY, son of long-time MARVEL COMICS executive SOL BRODSKY; the name of the company was derived from Brodsky's name: "Sol's son" = Solson. Solson Christmas Special: Samurai Santa featured DC COMICS co-publisher and WILDSTORM founder JIM LEE'S professional debut as an inker.]

The concept originated from a comical drawing sketched out by  Kevin Eastman during a casual evening of brainstorming with his friend Peter Laird. The drawing of a short, squat turtle wearing a mask with nunchackus strapped to its arms was incredibly funny to the young artists, as it played upon the inherent contradiction of a slow, cold-blooded reptile with the speed and agility of the Japanese martial arts. At Laird's suggestion, they created a team of four such turtles, each specializing in a different weapon. Eastman and Laird often cite the work of Frank Miller and Jack Kirby as their major artistic influences.

["THE FIRST TURTLE" EASTMAN AND LAIRDS' ORIGINAL DRAWING!]

Using money from a tax refund together with a loan from Eastman's uncle, they formed MIRAGE STUDIOS and self-published a single-issue comic book that would parody four popular comics of the early 1980s: Marvel Comics The New Mutants, which featured teenage mutants, Cerebus, Ronin, and Daredevil, which featured ninja clans dueling for control of the New York City underworld.

In fact, many comics fans will recognize in the Turtles' origin with several direct allusions to the MARVEL COMICS series "DAREDEVIL": The traffic accident, involving a blind man and a truck carrying radioactive ooze, is a reference to Daredevil's own origin story (Indeed in the version told in the first issue "SPLINTER" sees the canister strike a boy's face, though in this world it does not split until it reaches the turtles).. The name "SPLINTER" is a parody on Daredevil's mentor, a man known as "STICK." "THE FOOT", a clan of evil ninja who became the Turtles' arch-enemies, likens to "THE HAND", who were themselves a mysterious and deadly ninja clan in the pages of "DAREDEVIL".

Collected images of "DAREDEVIL" and "THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES".]

After conceiving the Turtles' mentor as a rat who had come from Japan and was a ninja master, Eastman and Laird thought of giving the turtles Japanese names, but as Laird explained, "we couldn't think of authentic-sounding Japanese names". Instead they went with Renaissance artists, and picked the four they were most familiar with, with the help of Laird's copy of the book "JANSON'S HISTORY OF ART".

Did you know that there have been hundreds of "TMNT" crossovers?

Yes, you heard that right!!! The "TURTLES" have met just about every fictional character imaginable! This list of crossovers include major franchises like:

"SABAN'S POWER RANGERS", 

"BATMAN",

[I've already mentioned these two in my "SABAN'S POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE [2017]" blog entry.]

"GHOSTBUSTERS",

"ARCHIE",

and even themselves!!! [more than once!] "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: TURTLES FOREVER" - Their 25TH ANNIVERSARY T.V. movie!

"NICKELODEON'S TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES [2012]" SEASON 4 CROSSOVER SPECIAL: "TRANS-DIMENSIONAL TURTLES"

"NICKELODEON'S TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" SEASON 5 SPECIAL: "WANTED: BEPOP AND ROCKSTEADY" [Two of these animated crossovers feature special guest appearances by some of the original 80's voice-cast! However the producers were unable to get them to appear in the T.V. movie "TMNT: TURTLES FOREVER" for legal reasons!]

[Two of these animated crossovers feature special guest appearances by some of the original 80's voice-cast! However the producers were unable to get them to appear in the T.V. movie "TMNT: TURTLES FOREVER" for legal reasons!]

And the mobile app game "NICKELODEON'S TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: LEGENDS"

[And the mobile app game "NICKELODEON'S TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: LEGENDS"]

Plus some more independent titles as well including:

"FLAMING CARROT",

"THE SAVAGE DRAGON",

"USAGI YOJIMBO" and many more!

["USAGI" has appeared in so many "TMNT" stories - he's been in all three versions of the "TMNT" cartoon shows, as well as the comic books - that many "TURTLE-FANS" believe he is a permanent part of "THE TURTLES" universe!] ["USAGI YOJIMBO" - or "MIYAMOTOUSAGI" as many fans prefer to call him - has teamed up with "LEO" more often than the other "TURTLES" causing them to consider each other to be best friends.]

"USAGI" has even appeared as a "TURTLES" action figure!

Did you know that "MICHAELANGELO" has also been in two other crossover films in which "THE TURTLES" are not the main focus? These titles include:

"THE LEGO MOVIE" [Apparently "MIKEY" has somehow earned the title of "master builder"!]

and "CARTTOON ALL-STARS TO THE RESCUE"

In this half-hour T.V. special "MIKEY" teams up with characters from other cartoon shows/franchises including: "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS", "WINNIE THE POOH", "THE MUPPET BABIES", "DUCKTALES" [The early '90's version, not the new version!], "THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS", "GARFIELD", "THE SMURFS", "THE LOONEY TUNES" and "ALF" [Who apparently has an animated series of his very own!] to teach a couple of kids all about the dangers of drugs!!!

It looks like this entry is running out of room so i'm afraid we'll have to end it here for now!

So.......Um..........

TO BE CONTINUED?

SABAN'S POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE [2017] [PART 2]

Welcome to part 2 of my look at the "POWER RANGERS" franchise. 

Last time I mentioned that the RANGERS did a t.v. crossover with the "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" but I forgot to mention that there is now a "MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA" comic book mini-series crossover event!

[I added this image because I thought it looked really cool and because me and some friends of mine were talking about "WONDER WOMAN" earlier.]

The crossover comic book mini-series is being published by DC COMICS and BOOM STUDIOS and will released as a graphic novel in october. 

[Coincidently IDW  and DC COMICS has recently released a "BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" graphic novel crossover and a  "BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ADVENTURES" comic book series as well!]

Both "BATMAN", "THE JUSTICE LEAGUE" and the "TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES" [ Well, A different version of them anyway!] have all met the "POWER RANGERS" by now!

BOOM STUDIOS has also made two more "POWER RANGERS" graphic novels as well:

"MIGHTY MOPHIN POWER RANGERS: PINK"

and "SABAN'S POWER RANGERS: AFTERSHOCK": the official movie sequel!

Did you know that THUY TRANG was not the first actress to play "TRINI / THE 1ST YELLOW MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER"?

Actress AUDRI DuBOIS played "TRINI" in the unaired pilot episode!

DuBOIS was fired because she asked for more wages and was replaced by TRANG.

Tragically TRANG died in a car accident near SAN FRANCISCO on September 3, 2001.

AUSTIN ST. JOHN, WALTER EMANUEL JONES, AMY JO JOHNSON and DAVID YOST attended her funeral but fellow "RANGER" JASON DAVID FRANK was unable to attend do to the death of his older brother ERIK although DAVID FRANK did send his condolences to the TRANG family.

The "POWER RANGERS: TIME FOCE" episode "CIRCUIT UNSURE" is dedicated to TRANG'S memory.

Singer/actress BECKY GOMEZ [aka "BECKY G"] plays "TRINI" in the new "POWER RANGERS" movie.

GOMEZ'S "TRINI" also makes franchise history as the first LGBT "RANGER" and movie superhero in blockbuster history!

Did you know that MMPR/ZEO co-star DAVID YOST ["BILLY/THE BLUE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER"] is also gay in real-life?

YOST quit during season 4 [ZEO] because of crew members bullying him for his sexuality.

It was because of that, that YOST ended up having suicidal thoughts and left during production instead of finishing the season and completing work on "TURBO: A POWER RANGERS MOVIE".

After YOST left the series, he attended conversion therapy for two years hoping to change his sexuality.

At one point YOST had a nervous breakdown forcing him into psychiactric hospitalization for five weeks!

YOST has since then accepted his sexuality and works as a filmmaker in various T.V. projects including the BRAVO series "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS" [as a segment producer].

[DAVID YOST at a major hollywood event.]

RJ CYLER plays "BILLY" in the 2017 film

Did you know that it took HAIM SABAN seven years to get "POWER RANGERS" onto american television?

SABAN had been trying to sell the show to t.v. networks but everyone thought that "Guys in spandex suits and dinosaurs was too weird".

Then, in 1993, SABAN met with FOX CHILDREN'S PROGRAMING President MARGARET LOESCH who took an instant liking to the whole concept. 

                                               [LOESCH]

Did you know that the series was originally going to be called "DINO RANGERS"?

                              ["DINO THUNDER" FAN-ART]

Did you know that AMY JO JOHNSON had decided to leave L.A. right before she was cast as "KIMBERLY/THE 1ST PINK MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER'?

JOHNSON had just moved to L.A., was going through a break-up, sold all of her personal belongings and was on the verge of moving back home to CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS!

The reason JOHNSON ended up staying is because the night before she planned to leave she met the man who would become her acting coach, WALTER RAINEY. [I was unable to find a picture of RAINEY.]

RAINEY convinced JOHNSON to come back and take an acting class and met KATY WALLIN, who is also a casting director who was casting for "POWER RANGERS" at the time. and the rest, as they say, is history!

                                        [WALLIN]    

"KMBERLY" is played by british actress/singer NAOMI SCOTT in the 2017 film.

Did you know that "TOMMY/THE GREEN/WHITE MIGHTY MORPHIN/RED ZEO/1ST RED TURBO/BLACK DINO THUNDER POWER RANGER" [JASON DAVID FRANK] was only going to  appear in a couple of episodes but the fans loved him so much that they sent hundreds of fan-mail begging SABAN to keep "TOMMY" in the series. SABAN granted their wishand FRANK stayed on for six seasons?!

FRANK played "THE GREEN MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER" [S1&2], "THE WHITE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER" [S2&3], "THE RED ZEO POWER RANGER" [S4], "THE 1ST RED TURBO POWER RANGER" [S5] and "THE BLACK DINO THUNDER POWER RANGER" [S12]. FRANK and co-star PAUL SCHRIER [BULK] have the longest runs as cast members in "POWER RANGERS" history!

[SCHRIER with co-star JASON NARVY [SKULL]]

The identity of the new "TOMMY/THE GREEN RANGER" actor for the 2017 reboot film series is currently unknown!

[The 2017 film series reboot post-credits scene is a foreshadowing of future events with "THE GREEN RANGER".]

Did you know that 2017 film reboot co-star BRYAN CRANSTON [ZORDON] also voiced two villains from season 1 and that "BILLY/THE BLUE MMP RANGER" is named after him!

[CRANSTON]

He voiced the monsters "SNIZZARD" in the episode "FOUL PLAY IN THE SKY" and "TWIN MAN" in "A BAD REFLECTION ON YOU" and plays "ZORDON" in the new movie.

["SNIZZARD"]

["TWIN MAN"]

[2017 "ZORDON"]

The crew must have really liked CRANSTON'S performance because they decided to give his last name to "THE BLUE RANGER", thus naming him "BILLY CRANSTON". CRANSTON once said in a REDDIT AMA: "Someone once told me that they named "THE BLUE POWER RANGER" after me, his last name was "CRANSTON". I found out years later that it was true."

CRANSTON has also voiced some english dubs for Japanese anime including "STREET FIGHTER 2: THE ANIMATED MOVIE", "MACROSS PLUS" and more under the screen names "LEE STONE" and "PHILL WILLIAMS".

["FEI LONG" from "STREET FIGHTER 2: THE ANIMATED MOVIE" under the name "PHILL WILLIAMS".]

well were on the subject of actors who have played "ZORDON":

Did you know that his name was originally "ZOLTAR" and that DAVID FIELDING {the actor who played "ZORDON" throughout seasons 1-4] was only filmed once?

FIELDING was not the only actor to play "ZORDON" in the T.V. series actors ROBERT L MANAHAN, WINSTON RICHARD [S2-6] and NICHOLAS BELL ["MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE"] voiced him as well. FIELDING is the only "ZORDON" actor to have his name appear in the shows' opening credits/theme song.

Did you know that WALTER EMANUEL JONES ["ZACK/THE 1ST BLACK MIGHTY MORPHIN  RANGER"] is missing a middle finger on his right hand?

[JONES and his missing middle finger with co-star THUY TRANG [TRINI] in one of the few shots with the absent appendage.]

The film crew had to use some clever camera tricks to avoid showing the injury on camera [though there are few times shots from certain episodes that expose the truth]!

This was also done to avoid any inconsistencies with the japanese footage because "THE BLACK RANGER" in the "SUPER SENTAI" series ["ZYURANGER"] has all ten fingers!

[Notice the difference between the picture of "ZACK" and "TRINI" and the one with "THE BLACK RANGER" with the actors fingers here!] 

This fact has led fans to believe that JONES lost his finger during production at some point but in an interview JONES later revealed that he lost his finger in an accident when he was only four years old!

Did you know that before production started JONES originally auditioned for the role of "BILLY" but JONES decided to play "THE BLACK RANGER" instead because he thought he would be even more recognizable as "ZACK/THE BLACK RANGER"?

This would become completely ironic because some activist groups deemed this casting move to be "RACIALLY INSENSITIVE".

"ZACK" is played by actor LUDI LIN in the new "POWER RANGERS" movie.

Did you know that AUSTIN ST. JOHN ["JASON/ THE 1ST RED MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER" and 2ND "GOLD ZEO POWER RANGER"] was named "The greatest red ranger of all time" and "The most popular red ranger of all" in two separate online/T.V. voting contests held ABC FAMILY [in 2004] TOON DISNEY [in 2007]?

Did you know his real name is JASON GEIGER and not "AUSTIN ST. JOHN"? 

 ST. JOHN'S management team felt the name JASON GEIGER was not strong enough so the actor came up with the name "ST. JOHN" himself and the name "AUSTIN" was suggested by his managers, who got the inspiration from "STEVE AUSTIN" the main character from  the hit T.V. series "THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN" [played by actor LEE MAJORS].

Did you know that ST. JOHN is also a paramedic and martial artist?

ST. JOHN has been studying martial arts since he was five years old and has a second degree black belt in Taekwondo and a first degree black belt in Judo and is currently practicing Kenpo and Shenkito!

[Cover art of ST. JOHN in a martial arts video titled "UAV KARATE MASTERS: AUSTIN ST. JOHN"]

Both ST. JOHN and WALTER EMANUEL JONES reunited to co-host the T.V. special "POWER RANGERS: THE LOST EPISODE".

[ST. JOHN on the set of/in studio filming "POWER RANGERS: THE LOST EPISODE".]

Did you know that ST. JOHN was originally considered to comeback to the series and play "THE BLACK DINO THUNDER RANGER"?

However there were two problems with that:

1: He already played a "BLACK RANGER" ["THE GOLD ZEO RANGER"].

2: Due to "TOMMY" being the more popular "RANGER", they decided to cast co-star JASON DAVID FRANK instead!

Did you know that when ST. JOHN attended "POWER MORPHICON 4" in 2014 he met YUTA MOCHIZUKI [i'm sorry if I typed his name wrong!] who played "JASON"'S Japanese "SUPER SENTAI: ZYRURANGER" counterpart "GEKI/THE RED ZYRURANGER".

"JASON" MEETS "GEKI" "THE 1ST RED MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER/RED SUPER SENTAI ZYRURANGER" AT "POWER MORPHICON 4" IN 2014!

"JASON" is portrayed by DACRE MONTGOMERY in the 2017 film.

Did you know that many former "POWER RANGERS" cast members are teaming up for a new action/thriller movie-event called "THE ORDER"?

The cast will include:

ERIN CAHILL ["THE PINK TIME FORCE RANGER"], AUSTIN ST. JOHN ["THE 1ST RED MIGHTY MOPHIN RANGER/ GOLD ZEO RANGER"], CATHERINE SUTHERLAND ["THE 2ND PINK MIGHTY MORPHIN/PINK ZEO/1ST PINK TURBO RANGER"], NAKIA BURNISE ["YELLOW ZEO RANGER/1ST YELLOW TURBO RANGER"], KAREN ASHLEY ["THE 2ND YELLOW MIGHTY MORPHIN RANGER"], STEVE CARDENAS ["THE 2ND RED MIGHTY MORPHIN RANGER/BLUE ZEO RANGER"], PAUL SCHRIER ["BULK"], DAVID FIELDING ["ZORDON"], HILARY SHEPARD ["DIVATOX"-She was the first actress who played her in "TURBO: A POWER RANGERS MOVIE" and the second half of season 5 "POWER RANGERS: TURBO" after CAROL HOYT [both actors also play "DIVATOX"'S sister "DIMITIRA"!]. shepard was on maternity leave at the time.], AZIM RIZK ["THE BLACK MEGA FORCE RANGER/GREEN SUPER MEGA FORCE RANGER"], YOSHI SUDARSO ["THE BLUE DINO CHARGE/DINO SUPER CHARGE RANGER"], ALYSON SULLIVAN ["THE YELLOW WILD FORCE RANGER" under the name ALYSON KIPERMAN], WALTER EMANUEL JONES ["THE 1ST BLACK MIGHTY MORPHIN RANGER"], JASON FAUNT ["THE 1ST/2ND RED TIME FORCE RANGER"] and DAVID YOST ["THE BLUE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGER"].

"THE ORDER" also has some "NONE-RANGER" celebrities including:

MARINA SIRTIS [The "STAR TREK" franchise],

GEORGE LAZENBY [The "OO7" franchise - "ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE"],

MICHELE NICHOLS [Also from the "STAR TREK" franchise], 

BRAD HAWKINS ["SABAN'S VR TROOPERS" - VIRTUAL REALITY TROOPERS]

and GIGI EDGLEY [The "FARSCAPE" series].

Well I hope you guys enjoyed this special look at the "POWER RANGERS" franchise. "SABAN'S POWER RANGERS" is now on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital HD.

Be sure to support the sequels [they need the money!] and as "ZORDON" would say "AND REMEMBER, MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU!".

OH!, And by the way, be sure to check-out the latest T.V. series season DVD release - "SABAN'S POWER RANGERS: DINO SUPER CHARGE: THE COMPLETE SEASON" - in stores now!

And remember: "GO, GO POWER RANGERS!"

Farewell for now!

SABAN'S POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE [2017] [PART 1]

Welcome back! This weeks blog entry is all about the new "POWER RANGERS" movie and the tv series.

Did you know that there have been 24 seasons and counting? Most of the seasons count as separate series. They are:

- "MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS" [SEASONS 1, 2 AND 3]

- "MIGHTY MORPHIN ALIEN RANGERS" [S3.5 \ A 10 EPISODE MINI-SERIES]

- "POWER RANGERS: ZEO" [S4]

- "TURBO" [S5]

 - "IN SPACE" [S6]

- "LOST GALAXY" [S7]

- "LIGHTSPEED RESCUE" [S8]

- "TIME FORCE" [S9]

- "WILD FORCE" [S10]

-"NINJA STORM" [S11]

- "DINO THUNDER" [S12]

- "S.P.D." [S13]

- "MYSTIC FORCE" [S14]

- "OPERATION: OVERDRIVE" [S15]

- "JUNGLE FURY" [S16]

- "RPM" [S17]

- "MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS" [EX RE-VISION]

- "SAMURAI" [S18]

- "SUPER SAMURAI" [S19]

-"MEGAFORCE" [S20]

 - "SUPER MEGA FORCE" [S21]

- "DINO CHARGE" [S22]

- "DINO SUPER CHARGE" [S23]

- "NINJA STEEL" [S24]

AND "SUPER NINJA STEEEL" [S25 - COMING SOON]

Plus three theatrical movies:

- "MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE" [1995] [RATED PG]

- "TURBO: A POWER RANGERS MOVIE"  [1997] [PG]

AND 'SABAN'S POWER RANGERS" [2017] [PG-13].

And three t.v. movies:

- "POWER RANGERS: MYSTIC FORCE: DARK WISH - THE BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE" [RATED TV-Y7] [2006] [A 90 minute t.v.-movie that re-aired as a three part episode]

-"POWER RANGERS: SAMURAI: THE CLASH OF THE RED RANGERS - THE MOVIE"[2011] [TV-Y7] [A 1-hour t.v.-movie event]

AND "POWER RANGERS: SUPER MEGAFORCE: THE LEGENDARY BATTLE THE MOVIE" [2014] [TV-Y7] [This 1-hour t.v.-movie is also the "SUPER MEGAFORCE" season 21 finale! \ An "EXTENDED EDITION" DVD also exits with an additional 8 minutes not shown in the broadcast version}. 

Did you know that some episodes only appeared on VHS and were never seen on t.v.? Most of them were apart of the "MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS" series and some videos also included bonus footage, interviews music videos!

These titles include: 

-"ALPHA'S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS"

-"I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE RANGER" [This special was released with exclusive extra footage and alternate scenes\cuts not shown in future releases.] [this episode premiered on VHS before airing on t.v. as the season 3 christmas episode.]

- "THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE STUPID: THE MISADVENTURES OF BULK AND SKULL"

- "LORD ZED'S MONSTER HEADS" [HALLOWEEN SPECIAL]

-"THE POWER RANGERS HOLIDAY SPECIAL" [With the two previously mentioned "MIGHTY MORPHIN" christmas episodes and "A SEASON TO REMEMBER" from the "ZEO" series]

-"MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE OFFICIAL FAN CLUB VIDEO!"

"MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS KARATE CLUB VOL.1 : THE GREEN RANGER KATA" and "VOL.2: THE WHITE RANGER KATA"

- "MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS LIVE: THE WORLD TOUR: LIVE-ON-STAGE"

-"POWER RANGERS 3D: POWER RANGERS TRIPLE FORCE" [AKA the "LIGHTSPEED RESCUE/LOST GALAXY" crossover episode "TRAKEENA'S REVENGE PARTS 1 AND 2"]

and "THE BEST OF THE POWER RANGERS: THE ULTIMATE RANGERS" [Featuring the top 5 fan-favorite episodes including:

-"WHITE LIGHT PARTS 1 & 2" ["MIGHTY MORPHIN" S2]

-"COUNTDOWN TO DESTRUCTION PARTS 1 & 2" ["IN SPACE"]

-"TO THE TENTH POWER" ["LOST GALAXY"]

-"TRAKEENA'S REVENGE PARTS 1 & 2" ["LIGHTSPEED RESCUE"]

and "FOREVER RED" ["WILD FORCE"/The 10th anniversary episode] 

Did you know that the "POWER RANGERS" franchise is based on a Japanese t.v. series called "SUPER SENTAI"?

The first season was called "HIMITSU SENTAI GORANGER [FIVE RANGERS]". 

"SUPER SENTAI [DINOSAUR SQUADREN] ZYURANGER" is the franchises' 16th installment and is also the season that was adapted into America as "SABN'S MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS".

"SUPER SENTAI" has been around for over 40 years!

"SUPER SENTAI" first aired in 1975 and was created by SHOTARO ISHINOMORI.

Ishinomori was born on January 25, 1938 and died on Jan. 28, 1998. Ishinomori also went by two other names:

His birth name was SHOTARO ONODERA.

His second name was SHOTARO ISHIMORI until 1986 when he changed his name to Ishinomori. His first name always remained the same.

Ishinomori is also the creator of "CYBORG 009",

"SKULL MAN",

"KAMEN RIDER" [which was created with a similar concept to "SKULL MAN" and "SUPER SENTAI"] and more!

"MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS" Premiered on august 28, 1993 and is created and owned by HAIM SABAN. 

SABAN was born on October 15 1944 in Alexandria, Egypt, to an Egyptian-Jewish family.

SABAN is an Israeli-American media proprietor, investor, philanthropist,   musician, record, film & television producer/executive producer.

He is the founder of SABAN PRODUCTIONS [1984]

He renamed it SABAN ENTERTAINMENT in 1988.

[1996]

 He changed it again to SABAN BRANDS in 2011.

[2017]

[This logo premiered with the "NINJA STEEL" episode "LIVE AND LEARN"]

A new logo is shown with the 2017 movie!

SCG [SABAN CAPITAL GROUP] FILMS

[Okay, enough with the logos!]

SABAN was also the creator of other action kids shows such as:

-"VR TROOPERS" ["VIRTUAL REALITY TROOPERS"] [1994-96]

-"BIG, BAD, BEETLEBORGS" [S1] [1996]

-"BEETLEBORGS: METALIX" [S2] [1998]

- "MASKED RIDER" [1995]

and "NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION" [1997-98]

Did you know that even though the RANGERS have done multiple season crossovers they have only done a crossover with one other SABAN owned series!

The event aired as part of the "IN SPACE" season as a 2-part episode:

"POWER RANGERS IN SPACE/NINJA TURTLES: THE NEXT MUTATION:

SAVE OUR SHIP [PART 1] AND SHELL SHOCKED [PART 2]" [The RANGERS also share the same universe as the other previously mentioned SABAN shows].

Okay i'll have cut this entry in half because it's getting a bit too long so goodbye for now!

TO BE CONTINUED....

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Hello my name is Justin and this is my first movie blog! I`ll be talking/writing about fun-facts from some of my favorite movies. Today`s post is about the sci-fi/comedy-classic "BACK TO THE FUTURE" .

                                    

First the casting: Did you know that Micheal J. Fox was not the first actor to play Marty McFly?  

Although Fox was the only actor who was considered for the role he had to turn it down because of his commitment to the tv sitcom "FAMILY TIES" so the part went to an actor named Eric Stoltz [i think that's how his name is spelled] instead.

However the rest of the cast and crew had problems with his work ethic so Executive Producer Steven Spielberg had to fire him and by that time Fox was able to make his schedule flexible enough to work on both projects!

Next up, THE DELOREAN!: Originally the time machine was going to look a lot more like a refridgerator but Director Robert Zemeckis grew concerned about the possibility that once children saw the movie they would pretend that their refridgerators were time machines as well and lock themselves inside!                        And finally, the sequels!: 

Originally "BACK TO THE FUTURE" was going to be a stand-alone film Zemeckis had no desire to make a trilogy but after seeing how successful the first movie was he had a change of heart and made "BACK TO THE FUTURE PART 2" and "BACK TO THE FUTURE PART 3".              

Zemeckis even said that if he had intended to make a trilogy he would not have put the girlfriend in the car at the end of "PART 1" [the ending was originally meant to be a joke] [the words 'TO BE CONTINUED....' were later added in on the VHS release]. The 'Cliffhanger' scene also had to be re-shot because Claudia Wells the actress who plays Jennifer [the girlfriend in question] in "PART 1" was unavailable at the time.

Jennifer was played by actress Elizabeth Shue in "PART 2" and "PART 3". 

Speaking of replacements the sequels also had some trouble with one of the original actors.

Everyone, aside from wells, agreed to come back except for Crispin Glover [George McFly]. 

Both sides have different reasons for why he wouldn't come back! Money was part of Glovers' reason for turning down the sequels. Another reason is he didn't want to be typecast!

With prosthetics make-up, special effects and close-up shots of Glover from "PART 1" Jeffrey Weissman took over the role! 

The series has only three films but the story doesn't end there! There is also a UNIVERSAL STUDIOS THEME PARK attraction [BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE RIDE],

a cartoon show [BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE ANIMATED SERIES],

a videogame [BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE GAME]

and a 30TH anniversary short-film [DOC BROWN SAVES THE WORLD!].

All featuring the film trilogy star Christopher Loyd!  

Well, thats all for this blog entry I hope you guys enjoyed it! See ya' next time. Bye!