Welcome back to this series of posts where I try to nail down what exactly inspired me to write what I do. This is my personal Appendix N of art that has stuck with me. More than a favorites list, I'm focused first on what really attached itself to what I do. This hasn't been as easy to compile as I would have thought.
As the years have gone by I've been watching less and less of the old boob tube or spending money to stare at a bigger screen. Perhaps it's shifting interests, or perhaps it's just gotten that bad. Probably both. But even as I look back on the television I enjoyed when I was younger it is mostly limited to adventure cartoons and action series that had been driven out by the end of the 90s or were targeted by ACT at the time. Aside from that? Well, it's anime city. I'm sure that chased off more than a few.
But that will have to wait for another post. For now I would prefer to stick by what really gave me the juice to write in my younger years before the weeb virus hit. This is going to go far back, so be prepared.
As for what exactly I would classify as my Appendix N entries for television and movies? That list is not as long as I would have thought.
So let us begin!
This is the movie I watched more than any other as a kid. For years I would watch this when staying over at my grandmother's house. No lie, I must have rewound that tape so much I'm surprised it lasted anywhere near as long as it did. Essentially a quest film, the fantasy atmosphere, memorable characters, practical effects, and weirdness of the whole project kept me engaged for years. Most people associated Jim Henson with the Muppets, but it was always this movie for me.
Of course it goes without saying that a movie like this could never be made today without checking boxes or sterilizing the story, and the music would never be anywhere near as good, but for its time, and for my childhood, it was exactly what was needed. I can hear David Bowie singing right now.
I'm still surprised I watched this one as much as I did, though looking back now I can see why. Few movies nail the weird fiction feel that Labyrinth does.
Well, I was born in the mid-80s, so of course this would have to be here. But aside from just blandly acknowledging its influence, I can say that the first 9 seasons are some of the best television you will ever see on a writing level. It's smart, it's funny, and it can be touching, sometimes even all at the same time. After that era, season 10 is just okay, season 11 and 12 are abysmal aside from an episode or two, and it's been mediocre ever since. The only reason it is still around is because of that first decade of existence. But what a decade it was.
I do remember seeing the Tracy Ullman shorts when I was young (which will never be officially re-released) and watching the show long after season 8, but it was those first 8 seasons which are the peak of the whole run. Season 9 was the last with many of the writers (who went on to the also great Futurama and King of the Hill right after it) and as such it has more laughs than it does brains, but it is still great and worth seeing. After that it has had the same group of writers give or take a few since season 10, and it shows. I would hardly recommend watching that far in.
But those first eight seasons taught me a lot of what was possible in writing from how much could be crammed into one scene or line and how much every little thing counts from aesthetic to music. I haven't even had to watch a full episode in years since I still remember so much of it. That is why it's here.
Now we get to another movie I wore out as a kid. Bloodsport is regularly acknowledged as one of the best action movies ever made, and Van Damme's best, and for good reason. To be honest, most of it is standard for the time. The acting is passable, the music is typical, and the plot is straightforward. But all of it is improved by the tremendous editing to make it dynamite and the action scenes pop in a big way. Add in that 80s action movies never failed in delivering what audiences wanted and you have a winner..
Van Damme tasked himself with editing this, much like he did with Cyborg, due to Cannon Films' failing fortunes at the time and need for a hit and both resulted in bigger movies than they otherwise would have been. Bloodsport benefited the most, and it is still regarded as his best movie. I concur with that notion. Why else did I watch this so many times as a kid? Even watching it now gets the blood pumping.
This one taught me a lot about the importance of brevity, impact, and editing. All these helped make Bloodsport one of the best action movies, and I hope to incorporate them in what I do.
I watched this series later than most, but that definitely doesn't mean it didn't have an effect on me. I shouldn't have to explain it but the show was essentially Weird Tales for television, especially since it premiered three years after the magazine folded and featured some of the most famous writers in the field such as Richard Matheson. Particularly in the first two seasons, it is a great show that can be eerie, funny, or heartwarming. It's classic status is well deserved.
Of course it's not perfect. Some of the episodes, particularly near the end, are ridiculous, and the public's focus on reading social messages into the show (that one neighbor episode is not about the red scare, for instance) that might not have been there gave it a reputation far from its original intent. These dumb readings ended up with many missing the purpose of what such a show was meant to be. The Weird Tale is the encroachment of supernatural on the normal with the supernatural problem being solved, or understood, by the end of it. The Twilight Zone was the first show to put it to film, and it was a hit for that reason.
The best episode in my opinion is in the first season. The Four of Us are Dying is a noir with a dark twist and an ending that is as creepy as it can get, especially for the time. If you are looking for one episode in particular to watch, start with that. You will see the show is more than reading into messages that may not even exist.
At the time I had only seen The Matrix, and was unaware how much it had taken from Dark City. But as the years go by one's influence has waned while the other has made itself clear to me. Dark City is part noir, part Weird Tale, and part fantasy, with tons of style to spare. In the process it became something wholly unique from the pack, especially from a time period that honestly has very few memorable movies that have lasted. Of course it was also a flop at the time.
I have heard charges that this movie is Gnostic, but I don't see it--especially not to the level of The Matrix. A Gnostic tale has to be one where our reality is the false one and the "real" one, which is considerably more fantastical, is the preferred reality. We need to break into the better one and shun this weak one. However, the dream world in Dark City does not reflect our world at all (there is no sun, for instance) and the real one is . . . well, it's ours, aside from a supernatural explanation as to why they are in the false one to begin with. It's the opposite of a movie such as The Matrix where mundane Earth is bad and secret fantastical universe is great--the whole plot hinges on the opposite being true. It's a movie about searching for light in the dark. That's pretty normal to me.
It's a noir movie where the quest is for the truth hidden by nefarious means and where reality is held up as where one has to live. We don't know what will happen after the credits roll but we do know that things won't be the same again, and that evil has been expelled. For a noir? That's a happy ending. And it is one movie that has influenced me a lot.
I didn't grow up with the original DuckTales comics, but I did grow up with the show, just like every other kid who saw The Disney Afternoon in the '90s. It was a syndicated series which aired every day after school along with other adventure shows for kids such as The Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, and Gargoyles, but this was the biggest one among them. It was also the longest at 100 episodes flat.
Because of its format it had things I had never seen before such as 5-part episodes that ran through the week and genre switching whenever it felt like doing so. One day it might be aliens, the next a trip through the Klondike, or a journey to the center of the Earth, or robots might rise up. It could be anything at any time. You never knew what you were tuning into with any given episode of DuckTales. That is the spirit of adventure, and it is an idea I took very seriously, and still do now.
It was also, like the rest of the block, very family friendly. It didn't need to be explicit to give off danger even when characters died and the situations were still allowed to be dire. I maintain that The Disney Afternoon was Disney's last peak before they became that dross that they are now and this show in particular is an example of why.
It's almost embarrassing at this point to mention Die Hard as an inspiration, but to do otherwise would be lying. It is popular for a reason. Die Hard is one of the best action movies ever made for the fact that its stakes are real, tangible, and always a direct threat to everyone. This means the main character cannot afford to be sloppy or else he will have a hole blown through his plot armor. And he does. Several times.
On top of it, Die Hard is a very funny movie with good lines and character moments. It has tight pacing. The acting is phenomenal. What more can be said? If you've seen it then you understand why. Every piece comes together to make this one a classic.
At the same time I grew up a fan of the series. While the second and fourth movie are not as strong as the first or third, (and the fifth is terrible) as a whole it is one of the best action movie series around. It's up there with Dirty Harry and Lethal Weapon. But its the first movie that makes it here for being the one that really showed me how far out there an action movie can get while also retaining stakes. Few movies do it better than Die Hard.
The first western cartoon in years to try and do something away from comedy. Batman had to catch up to anime, and it did a great job on its own even if the networks have tried so very hard to expunge its influence since. Batman: The Animated Series brought detective noir to animation and did it in a way that no one else really has since, outside of anime. For the time it was untouchable and even now its still a great show that has aged far better than it had any right to.
It also started a whole universe of shows long before Marvel tried their hand at it with movies. This one, Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, Batman Beyond, The Zeta Project, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited, all rolled out from this one to form a cohesive and whole universe. It also had an ending way more satisfying than Marvel's, and at least one movie (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm) that is better than anything to come out of the superhero milieu. And it all started with this series.
Needless to say, I owe a lot to this series when it comes to world-building possibilities and in pure imagination. This might not be the best series of the 90s, but it's close to it.
Despite how controversial John Woo might be considered as a filmmaker, I would not trust anyone who told me The Killer was anything less than a classic. Top notch action, wonderful cinematography and directing, and fantastic acting and music elevate it high, but there is one thing that makes it one of the best and that is the moral dilemma.
It's no secret that John Woo is a Christian who likes to use doves quite a bit in his works. However, this film of the awakening of the moral conscience and the discovery of love (and more than one kind of love) amidst a world of darkness, revenge, and death, where hope is a foreign idea, is incredible and engaging from beginning to end. Even the title takes on a whole new meaning by the end of the movie when everything is on fire and the main character gains true sight.
No one could ever remake it, but this did have quite the influential range up to today from anime series such as Trigun to a little series known as John Wick. It's a redemption story, and one of the best of its kind. I don't care who you are: The Killer is one of the best.
Another Batman series? Yes, but not for the same reasons as the other one. You see, after Batman: The Animated Series and the entire animated universe ended, DC had no idea what to do with the character. The first thing they tried was a bland rebooted series (with a surprisingly good movie) called The Batman that could not help but pale to the original. Missing the pulp influence was probably a contributing factor to that. So along came Batman: The Brave & the Bold which threw caution to the wind and did something new.
This series is unabashedly pulp. Aside from the first few episodes which were more Saturday Morning Cartoon in content and unsure to the point they tried being meta and failed, once it got going TB&TB became a series ripped out of the Golden Age of comics, taking the most insane plot ideas seriously with a consistent internal logic, team ups with a large swath of legendary characters, comedy that was the best it had been since Adam West wore the cowl (without the camp, though), and plenty of action and stakes along the way. It has everything. That it took the whole ordeal seriously is what makes it one of the best Batman adaptions, and one of the best comic book TV series ever.
I think this might have been the first series since the '90s to try and unapologetically put pulp on your TV screen and not water it down or treat it as an ironic goof. For that it really showed me how possible it was to have fun with something and treat it seriously at the same time. That type of thing is rare enough these days.
Of course I had to include this. I've never been into Star Trek aside from enjoying a handful of movies and a TV series, of which you can probably guess which ones, but I did understand what Galaxy Quest was both parodying and celebrating when it came out. There's a lot of love in this movie for both old fantastic fiction and the fandom that loves it for reasons they might not even understand.
It's also really funny and clever and takes the premise seriously despite how silly it might seem. And it appears to have hit its mark as twenty years later it is still beloved. I managed to watch this in theaters the day it came out to a mostly empty showing so seeing the appreciation it gets now is great to see.
I quite like this one for how it finds a way to make just about every character quirk both a strength and a flaw and how it turns serious at the right moments when it needs to. The writing is pitch perfect here. This also might be the very last movie of its kind as I can't think of many like it that have come out in the years since.
This one was a marvel for the time. A Disney produced action adventure show taken seriously with a full world mythology and conflicts to explore is not something we had gotten before, or since. In many ways this is what The Disney Afternoon had been leading up to since it first started with Gummi Bears and DuckTales. Incorporating everything from Celtic myths to Shakespeare to the Illuminati within its many stories Gargoyles could go anywhere, and it did.
Unfortunately the run only lasted 65 episodes, with an additional season tacked on by no one involved with the original, however it managed quite a lot in such a short run. It later had a comic continuation but I've never been interested in that as the cartoon was enough. The original run did all it needed to.
Strangely enough the same time this show was running my Elementary school ran a play of MacBeth that I happened to be in. That added quite a bit of context to this already great show and gave me an appreciation for the classics at the same same time I was being told by everyone else how irrelevant they were. Reality can be a strange place.
I'm not going to pretend this is a great movie, but it does have a lot of great moments and performances by Alec Baldwin and Tim Curry to make it sing at times. To be honest, none of the live action Batman movies ever did it for me. It wasn't until later that I learned they were actually missing that pulp heart this movie had in spades. And warts or not, this movie has that feel. Put it in black and white and trim down the weaker elements and you will have an old school pulp film.
Here is a movie about a mysterious vigilante dealing with the fantastical in strange ways of his own and with a moral code that was as dangerous as it was cool to a kid like I was. Seeing it in the theater was a double treat. To this day I think this film is far more interesting than the Tim Burton Batman movies which never did anything for me. Blasphemous? Maybe. But it's true.
As the years have gone by I've been watching less and less of the old boob tube or spending money to stare at a bigger screen. Perhaps it's shifting interests, or perhaps it's just gotten that bad. Probably both. But even as I look back on the television I enjoyed when I was younger it is mostly limited to adventure cartoons and action series that had been driven out by the end of the 90s or were targeted by ACT at the time. Aside from that? Well, it's anime city. I'm sure that chased off more than a few.
But that will have to wait for another post. For now I would prefer to stick by what really gave me the juice to write in my younger years before the weeb virus hit. This is going to go far back, so be prepared.
As for what exactly I would classify as my Appendix N entries for television and movies? That list is not as long as I would have thought.
So let us begin!
Labyrinth (1986)
This is the movie I watched more than any other as a kid. For years I would watch this when staying over at my grandmother's house. No lie, I must have rewound that tape so much I'm surprised it lasted anywhere near as long as it did. Essentially a quest film, the fantasy atmosphere, memorable characters, practical effects, and weirdness of the whole project kept me engaged for years. Most people associated Jim Henson with the Muppets, but it was always this movie for me.
Of course it goes without saying that a movie like this could never be made today without checking boxes or sterilizing the story, and the music would never be anywhere near as good, but for its time, and for my childhood, it was exactly what was needed. I can hear David Bowie singing right now.
I'm still surprised I watched this one as much as I did, though looking back now I can see why. Few movies nail the weird fiction feel that Labyrinth does.
The Simpsons (1989-1997)
Well, I was born in the mid-80s, so of course this would have to be here. But aside from just blandly acknowledging its influence, I can say that the first 9 seasons are some of the best television you will ever see on a writing level. It's smart, it's funny, and it can be touching, sometimes even all at the same time. After that era, season 10 is just okay, season 11 and 12 are abysmal aside from an episode or two, and it's been mediocre ever since. The only reason it is still around is because of that first decade of existence. But what a decade it was.
I do remember seeing the Tracy Ullman shorts when I was young (which will never be officially re-released) and watching the show long after season 8, but it was those first 8 seasons which are the peak of the whole run. Season 9 was the last with many of the writers (who went on to the also great Futurama and King of the Hill right after it) and as such it has more laughs than it does brains, but it is still great and worth seeing. After that it has had the same group of writers give or take a few since season 10, and it shows. I would hardly recommend watching that far in.
But those first eight seasons taught me a lot of what was possible in writing from how much could be crammed into one scene or line and how much every little thing counts from aesthetic to music. I haven't even had to watch a full episode in years since I still remember so much of it. That is why it's here.
Bloodsport (1988)
Van Damme tasked himself with editing this, much like he did with Cyborg, due to Cannon Films' failing fortunes at the time and need for a hit and both resulted in bigger movies than they otherwise would have been. Bloodsport benefited the most, and it is still regarded as his best movie. I concur with that notion. Why else did I watch this so many times as a kid? Even watching it now gets the blood pumping.
This one taught me a lot about the importance of brevity, impact, and editing. All these helped make Bloodsport one of the best action movies, and I hope to incorporate them in what I do.
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
I watched this series later than most, but that definitely doesn't mean it didn't have an effect on me. I shouldn't have to explain it but the show was essentially Weird Tales for television, especially since it premiered three years after the magazine folded and featured some of the most famous writers in the field such as Richard Matheson. Particularly in the first two seasons, it is a great show that can be eerie, funny, or heartwarming. It's classic status is well deserved.
Of course it's not perfect. Some of the episodes, particularly near the end, are ridiculous, and the public's focus on reading social messages into the show (that one neighbor episode is not about the red scare, for instance) that might not have been there gave it a reputation far from its original intent. These dumb readings ended up with many missing the purpose of what such a show was meant to be. The Weird Tale is the encroachment of supernatural on the normal with the supernatural problem being solved, or understood, by the end of it. The Twilight Zone was the first show to put it to film, and it was a hit for that reason.
The best episode in my opinion is in the first season. The Four of Us are Dying is a noir with a dark twist and an ending that is as creepy as it can get, especially for the time. If you are looking for one episode in particular to watch, start with that. You will see the show is more than reading into messages that may not even exist.
Dark City (1998)
At the time I had only seen The Matrix, and was unaware how much it had taken from Dark City. But as the years go by one's influence has waned while the other has made itself clear to me. Dark City is part noir, part Weird Tale, and part fantasy, with tons of style to spare. In the process it became something wholly unique from the pack, especially from a time period that honestly has very few memorable movies that have lasted. Of course it was also a flop at the time.
I have heard charges that this movie is Gnostic, but I don't see it--especially not to the level of The Matrix. A Gnostic tale has to be one where our reality is the false one and the "real" one, which is considerably more fantastical, is the preferred reality. We need to break into the better one and shun this weak one. However, the dream world in Dark City does not reflect our world at all (there is no sun, for instance) and the real one is . . . well, it's ours, aside from a supernatural explanation as to why they are in the false one to begin with. It's the opposite of a movie such as The Matrix where mundane Earth is bad and secret fantastical universe is great--the whole plot hinges on the opposite being true. It's a movie about searching for light in the dark. That's pretty normal to me.
It's a noir movie where the quest is for the truth hidden by nefarious means and where reality is held up as where one has to live. We don't know what will happen after the credits roll but we do know that things won't be the same again, and that evil has been expelled. For a noir? That's a happy ending. And it is one movie that has influenced me a lot.
DuckTales (1987-1990)
I didn't grow up with the original DuckTales comics, but I did grow up with the show, just like every other kid who saw The Disney Afternoon in the '90s. It was a syndicated series which aired every day after school along with other adventure shows for kids such as The Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, and Gargoyles, but this was the biggest one among them. It was also the longest at 100 episodes flat.
Because of its format it had things I had never seen before such as 5-part episodes that ran through the week and genre switching whenever it felt like doing so. One day it might be aliens, the next a trip through the Klondike, or a journey to the center of the Earth, or robots might rise up. It could be anything at any time. You never knew what you were tuning into with any given episode of DuckTales. That is the spirit of adventure, and it is an idea I took very seriously, and still do now.
It was also, like the rest of the block, very family friendly. It didn't need to be explicit to give off danger even when characters died and the situations were still allowed to be dire. I maintain that The Disney Afternoon was Disney's last peak before they became that dross that they are now and this show in particular is an example of why.
Die Hard (1988)
It's almost embarrassing at this point to mention Die Hard as an inspiration, but to do otherwise would be lying. It is popular for a reason. Die Hard is one of the best action movies ever made for the fact that its stakes are real, tangible, and always a direct threat to everyone. This means the main character cannot afford to be sloppy or else he will have a hole blown through his plot armor. And he does. Several times.
On top of it, Die Hard is a very funny movie with good lines and character moments. It has tight pacing. The acting is phenomenal. What more can be said? If you've seen it then you understand why. Every piece comes together to make this one a classic.
At the same time I grew up a fan of the series. While the second and fourth movie are not as strong as the first or third, (and the fifth is terrible) as a whole it is one of the best action movie series around. It's up there with Dirty Harry and Lethal Weapon. But its the first movie that makes it here for being the one that really showed me how far out there an action movie can get while also retaining stakes. Few movies do it better than Die Hard.
Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
The first western cartoon in years to try and do something away from comedy. Batman had to catch up to anime, and it did a great job on its own even if the networks have tried so very hard to expunge its influence since. Batman: The Animated Series brought detective noir to animation and did it in a way that no one else really has since, outside of anime. For the time it was untouchable and even now its still a great show that has aged far better than it had any right to.
It also started a whole universe of shows long before Marvel tried their hand at it with movies. This one, Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, Batman Beyond, The Zeta Project, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited, all rolled out from this one to form a cohesive and whole universe. It also had an ending way more satisfying than Marvel's, and at least one movie (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm) that is better than anything to come out of the superhero milieu. And it all started with this series.
Needless to say, I owe a lot to this series when it comes to world-building possibilities and in pure imagination. This might not be the best series of the 90s, but it's close to it.
The Killer (1989)
Despite how controversial John Woo might be considered as a filmmaker, I would not trust anyone who told me The Killer was anything less than a classic. Top notch action, wonderful cinematography and directing, and fantastic acting and music elevate it high, but there is one thing that makes it one of the best and that is the moral dilemma.
It's no secret that John Woo is a Christian who likes to use doves quite a bit in his works. However, this film of the awakening of the moral conscience and the discovery of love (and more than one kind of love) amidst a world of darkness, revenge, and death, where hope is a foreign idea, is incredible and engaging from beginning to end. Even the title takes on a whole new meaning by the end of the movie when everything is on fire and the main character gains true sight.
No one could ever remake it, but this did have quite the influential range up to today from anime series such as Trigun to a little series known as John Wick. It's a redemption story, and one of the best of its kind. I don't care who you are: The Killer is one of the best.
Batman: The Brave & the Bold (2008-2011)
Another Batman series? Yes, but not for the same reasons as the other one. You see, after Batman: The Animated Series and the entire animated universe ended, DC had no idea what to do with the character. The first thing they tried was a bland rebooted series (with a surprisingly good movie) called The Batman that could not help but pale to the original. Missing the pulp influence was probably a contributing factor to that. So along came Batman: The Brave & the Bold which threw caution to the wind and did something new.
This series is unabashedly pulp. Aside from the first few episodes which were more Saturday Morning Cartoon in content and unsure to the point they tried being meta and failed, once it got going TB&TB became a series ripped out of the Golden Age of comics, taking the most insane plot ideas seriously with a consistent internal logic, team ups with a large swath of legendary characters, comedy that was the best it had been since Adam West wore the cowl (without the camp, though), and plenty of action and stakes along the way. It has everything. That it took the whole ordeal seriously is what makes it one of the best Batman adaptions, and one of the best comic book TV series ever.
I think this might have been the first series since the '90s to try and unapologetically put pulp on your TV screen and not water it down or treat it as an ironic goof. For that it really showed me how possible it was to have fun with something and treat it seriously at the same time. That type of thing is rare enough these days.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Of course I had to include this. I've never been into Star Trek aside from enjoying a handful of movies and a TV series, of which you can probably guess which ones, but I did understand what Galaxy Quest was both parodying and celebrating when it came out. There's a lot of love in this movie for both old fantastic fiction and the fandom that loves it for reasons they might not even understand.
It's also really funny and clever and takes the premise seriously despite how silly it might seem. And it appears to have hit its mark as twenty years later it is still beloved. I managed to watch this in theaters the day it came out to a mostly empty showing so seeing the appreciation it gets now is great to see.
I quite like this one for how it finds a way to make just about every character quirk both a strength and a flaw and how it turns serious at the right moments when it needs to. The writing is pitch perfect here. This also might be the very last movie of its kind as I can't think of many like it that have come out in the years since.
Gargoyles (1994-1996)
This one was a marvel for the time. A Disney produced action adventure show taken seriously with a full world mythology and conflicts to explore is not something we had gotten before, or since. In many ways this is what The Disney Afternoon had been leading up to since it first started with Gummi Bears and DuckTales. Incorporating everything from Celtic myths to Shakespeare to the Illuminati within its many stories Gargoyles could go anywhere, and it did.
Unfortunately the run only lasted 65 episodes, with an additional season tacked on by no one involved with the original, however it managed quite a lot in such a short run. It later had a comic continuation but I've never been interested in that as the cartoon was enough. The original run did all it needed to.
Strangely enough the same time this show was running my Elementary school ran a play of MacBeth that I happened to be in. That added quite a bit of context to this already great show and gave me an appreciation for the classics at the same same time I was being told by everyone else how irrelevant they were. Reality can be a strange place.
The Shadow (1994)
I'm not going to pretend this is a great movie, but it does have a lot of great moments and performances by Alec Baldwin and Tim Curry to make it sing at times. To be honest, none of the live action Batman movies ever did it for me. It wasn't until later that I learned they were actually missing that pulp heart this movie had in spades. And warts or not, this movie has that feel. Put it in black and white and trim down the weaker elements and you will have an old school pulp film.
Here is a movie about a mysterious vigilante dealing with the fantastical in strange ways of his own and with a moral code that was as dangerous as it was cool to a kid like I was. Seeing it in the theater was a double treat. To this day I think this film is far more interesting than the Tim Burton Batman movies which never did anything for me. Blasphemous? Maybe. But it's true.
As I said there were problems. There are a few tonal issues and I don't like the fact that there is an origin story, but it otherwise made The Shadow such an interesting character that he always stuck with me long after the movie was forgotten by everyone else. When I try to write heroes it is hard to not have The Shadow lingering in the back of my thoughts just as he would probably prefer.
Rocko's Modern Life (1993-1996)
Overshadowed these days by a show named Spongebob Squarepants which shared much of its staff, there wasn't really anything like Rocko's Modern Life at the time, or now. Nickelodeon was known as the edgy new cartoon network then and shows like Ren & Stimpy and Ahh! Real Monsters were well in that gross-out style, but Rocko was a bit different. It was a satire of modern life and all the crazy things that were happening at the time.
In a way it was The Simpsons for kids only it was a lot cruder and unforgiving on the modern world's foibles. From everything to corporate cubicle life to pop culture worship to cults, it covered just about everything. It was also wickedly funny. It did this without having to preach anything to the viewer either. Not bad for a kid's show at a time when they were under fire.
Nickelodeon started strong but never managed to keep its quality level, especially after the 90s, and it never got as good as Rocko again. But this one did show me the right way to write about sensitive and controversial topics without pandering, and remaining entertaining at the same time. This is an art lost to time, but the show still holds up. As much as it would be nice if it didn't.
Cobra (1986)
This was the first action movie that showed me the importance of the clear dichotomy between good and evil and how it leads to more explosive and intense action scenes. In Cobra everything is black and white and those that try to gray it up are actively helping the black. At the same time the main character's code hinders him throughout the film no matter how correct it might be, showing that for good to win it must work much harder than evil does.
It's also incredibly fun. The action scenes are intense and well-directed, there are one-liners all over the place, and the pacing never drags. For a movie edited at the zero hour it sure doesn't show it aside from cutting out the villains' motivations which don't matter that much in the long run for those who have seen the movie.
As far as action movies go, Cobra is one of the best and is still the one I think of when I think of the genre. It does everything right and remains a model for me on how to write in the genre. Oh, and that soundtrack is perfection. Can't forget that.
King of the Hill (1997-2010)
Whereas The Simpsons was the most important sitcom of the 20th century, King of the Hill went on to become the best one. Run by Mike Judge (Office Space, Idiocracy, Beavis & Butthead) and Greg Daniels (The Office), King of the Hill was at once a celebration, satire, endorsement, and parody, of small town life in one of the few places such a life still existed in the western world: the American South. With a rich cast of characters, a seemingly endless bag of tricks, and a good portion of the writers from The Simpsons in tow, King of the Hill ran for over a decade and 250 episodes, somehow surviving despite its network trying hard to kill it off.
It's difficult to imagine a series like this existing now. Staunchly traditional, it didn't even move to HD until its very last season. It was very old school from comedic sensibility to its lack of reliance on subversion, though it did have that, too. That might be why it had the longest run of pure quality of any sitcom to date--it didn't have to keep shocking the audience. Despite this it didn't mind indulging in and poking fun at just about every aspect of the small town way of life. Fittingly enough, it ended about the time that way of life did at the end of the '00s. King of the Hill now rests as a time capsule of the 20th century that fell away as the 21st got its hooks in and tore it asunder.
The Princess Bride (1987)
As a kid I watched a good few of the '80s classics Gen Y went through from The Goonies to E.T., but of all of them I would imagine The Princess Bride is the one that wins over them all. In many ways, it is also the last of its kind, as far as adventure movies go. But that merely adds to the charm.
This was a pure-hearted swashbuckler seen through a modern lens that is hard to see as anything but an attempt at subversion that utterly fails because it cannot compete with itself. Despite how funny the movie it is, it is funny in context with the story of adventure and romance as the backdrop. It showed that these types of stories are impossible to subvert as when once is tempted to play it straight it shows to be too good to ignore for those involved. This is adventure too good for this world.
It isn't hard to see why this resonated for so many, but the adventure, romance, and excitement is as captivating today as it was when it came out. We won't see anything like this again.
NewsRadio (1995-1998)
If I could I would list this whole entry as "Late 80s/Early 90s Comedy" then it might be more accurate. I say this, as SNL, Mad TV, Kids in the Hall, SCTV, and Married with Children, at the time all emphasized a sort of freewheeling madness in their comedy that is like nothing we'll ever see again. However, the final one of these types of shows I would put as the peak would be NewsRadio, specifically the first four seasons before the final one dropped the ball, though for unavoidable reasons. Comedy after this was never the same, and it can't be again.
This is a typical office-life sitcom except with an emphasis on nutty gags and situations with some of the best comedic actors from the period, such as Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall), Stephen Root (King of the Hill, Office Space), Joe Rogan, Maura Tierney, and Andy Dick at his least annoying. But leading them all was one of my favorites: Phil Hartman. NewsRadio was the last sitcom of its style before nu-comedy took over from Friends-style shallow city life worship to the PC factory of awkward speeches and single cameras we are stuck with now.
About the only thing missing in the show were cameos from Chris Farley and John Candy, though it is obvious why that was impossible. The death of Phil Hartman (he was killed after season 4 wrapped up) puts a damper on the proceedings and signaled the end of this era, but that doesn't change how strong this is or the fact that it as good as it gets. When I think of comedy, this is the sort of thing I go to. And that will always be the case.
The Secret of NIMH (1982)
One of the few adaptions I have enjoyed more than the original, The Secret of NIMH was Don Bluth's first feature and his attempt to show Disney what they were missing out on by continuing on with the same formula forever. He adapted this children's book and added a fantasy and mystical vibe to it that went well with the gritty and fantastic animation only hand-painted cells can give. About the only regret is the lack of Brutus getting more screen-time when he was one of the best characters in the book, but everything else is better, especially since there is a final confrontation with the villain here.
It is hard to imagine a time when western animation wasn't the barren desert it is today, but in a pre-Shrek world people like Don Bluth were willing to do new things, and this was easily his peak. Unfortunately, its influence no longer appears to be around in the animated world but those like me who saw it as a kid still think highly of it today, and it inspires just as much.
Outside of anime I don't think I've seen an earnest attempt to make a serious theatrical adventure story without attaching some gimmick. NIMH does it easily with some of the best and most imaginative animation ever seen. And that's what still makes it work. As a writer you would be remiss passing this one over.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
I'm not sure is possible to explain this one aside from an episode on a certain podcast I've done, so just let me sum it up. John Carpenter was unstoppable in the '80s with new ideas seemingly bursting at the seams, and really putting himself out there in a post-Star Wars world. You can probably name a few of your favorites. This one is mine.
A supernatural tour-de-force of action, adventure, romance, wonder, and comedy, John Carpenter took inspiration from Chinese martial arts movies to construct his own vision of sinister forces and the brave men who battle them. At the same time it is also a comedy of a man the universe deems to be a sidekick who refuses to be one. As strange as John Carpenter could be at the time, this was him at his weirdest, and most inventive. This is one of the best Weird Tales ever filmed.
This is the sort of thing I aspire to write today. Just ignore artificial genre boundaries and do what the story needs to succeed. Fiction can be anything and go anywhere, so why limit yourself? Art is meant to be explored and shared with others. And few people understood it better than Carpenter did in the '80s.
And that would be it for movies and television. There are others I could mention, but they are pretty obvious. Despite being of the generation where we were supposed to have been left unattended in front of the idiot box it didn't carry quite as much inspiration as I would have thought it did. But does the medium matter that much when it comes to art? I'm not so sure.
That said, this is what has inspired me the most and helped shape what I wish to accomplish with what I do. It's a strange list, but then again I also grew up in a strange time.
Next we'll go a bit into the weeb-ier side and wonder just how someone like this could like something like that. Who would have thought?
Until next time.
The best Matrix movie is Dark City.
ReplyDeleteThe best Star Trek movie is Galaxy Quest.
The best Batman movie is The Shadow.
Bonus: The best Shadow movie is Darkman.
Darkman really is great. Haven't seen it in ages.
DeleteI would argue seasons 1 through 3 of Spongebob are some of the greatest seasons of any show ever. The consistent excellence is unbelievable - even the "bad" episodes have insanely quotable lines.
ReplyDeleteAnd they genuinely contain some of the best comedy shorts ever made. Pizza Delivery, Band Geeks, and Chocolate With Nuts are masterpieces. I honestly wish it got CRITICAL attention instead of the circle jerk of love it currently receives. The writing deserves real analysis.
It's no coincidence that after season 3, all the good writers went to...Phineas and Ferb. Which was also very good.
Yes, the creators of Phineas & Ferb worked on Rocko, Family Guy, and Spongebob. They surely knew what they were doing.
DeleteThe Princess Bride, for sll its subversion, is (rightfully) most famous for the scenes it plays 100% straight.
ReplyDeleteThe scene where Inigo finally manages to kill the six-fingered man is the best scene in the film and there isn't a himt of irony to it.
As you said, it was just too awesome in its own right to ruin.
That's more or less why it's so beloved. You just can't take away from scenes like that.
DeleteDark City? Well I am not the only one who thinks it's more interesting than Matrix. Latter sure has better action-stuff but former is better as fantasy. Need to revisit it some day, seen it only once.
ReplyDeleteIt has definitely aged the better of the two.
DeleteI need to check Princess Bride and Cobra, never seen those.
ReplyDeleteThe Secret of NIMH and Gargoyles are fascinating cases, since I saw them as a adult and still was captivated; speaks volumes about their quality. Don Bluth put some serious work into his animations, NIMH is breathtakingly beautiful. Gargoyles on the other hand is an intriguing combination of fantasy and scifi, just the way I like it. I remember seeing one episode with a friend somewhere in the 90s but it wasn't until 2012 that I watched the whole series and sure was satisfied.
Speaking of 90s, I have to mention this: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. I remeber watching episodes with my friend on summer afternoons, he had some on VHS. Those were such good times, go out an play and then come back in to watch cool cartoons. And cool was the word. The scifi-adventure, the main characters name and of course the freaking intro. Very 90s and very, very cool.
I'm not sure if I ever saw that Jonny Quest series. There were no shortage of adventure series in the '90s. As rare as they are now they were once king.
DeleteTwo of the last ones I remember were Spectacular Spiderman and W.I.T.C.H. before they sort of drifted away.
SCTV was mid-1970s to mid-1980s. It came on from 1976 to 1984 (where it ended on Cinemax)...unless you live somewhere where SCTV aired in reruns in the 1990s (I know TVLand once aired SCTV episodes in the mid-to-late 2000s. That's how I first heard about it).
ReplyDelete