'90s Fun: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II- The Secret of the Ooze

 Is this the Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo of the Series?

This is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2- The Secret of the Ooze, the 1991 follow-up to the 1990 smash hit.

Like said Boogaloo, this one was rushed into Production and made within a year of the last one.  That's fast, considering all of the aspects of Studio Filmmaking!

Imagine if Matt Reeves was under the same pressure for The Batman 2!

This time, some things have changed.  Mainly, this is now much more of a Kids Film, so the violence is tamped down and the Action is sillier.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is notable.

We also have a new April, new mutants (as Eastman and Laird vetoed a live-action Bebop and Rocksteady) and more 'almost the guy' Characters.

Does this one hold up as well as its more serious counterpart?  To find out, read on...

Our Heroes are kicking butt still, only this time they don't use their weapons.

It's not like they ever stabbed a foot soldier in the last one or anything!

Regardless, they are staying with...new April (who isn't bad TBF) until they can find a new lair.

Meanwhile, a Scientist (David Warner) is working for the company that made the ooze that transformed our Heroes.

They got rid of all of the samples (for liability and good PR), but there's one left...and someone wants it!

He was happy to be in a Film that his kids could watch.

In the Intro, they fight robbers right in front of Keno, a Pizza Delivery Guy.  So much for being ninjas.

He goes to April's place (where his delivery that night was going to) and discovers them.

Like April, he faints at the sight of Splinter and is then given their origin in the exact same manner.

Will they make a new friend in Part 3 and keep the streak alive?

Warner is kidnapped, along with the ooze, and forced to make Mutants for Shredder, who is alive because shut up, that's why!

He transforms a snapping turtle and a wolf (both found in NYC?) into Rahzar and Tokka.

In a case of Deja Vu, Raphael goes off on his own (annoyed that they aren't looking for the Foot Clan) and recruits Keno to try and join the group.

It works...until it doesn't and Raphael is beaten up by the Foot Clan...again.

It leads to a face-off between the gang and the Mutants, who are way too strong.

They run away- with Warner- and devise a new plan.

They make an anti-mutagen that they eventually feed to them, but more work is required.

So, naturally, they hold them down and spray fire extinguishers down their throats!

Incidentally, the fight spills out of an Industrial Park and into...a Nightclub where Vanilla Ice is performing.

He immediately makes up a new rap (pause for laughter) called 'Ninja Rap' which he performs during the fight.

Our Heroes stop fighting to do a choreographed dance, as you do.

The big fight with Shredder this time is...Keno blasting him out of the building via exploding speaker.

Off-screen, he drinks the remaining ooze and becomes Super Shredder!

He starts smashing up the Pier (next to the Club?) to get to them...and crushes himself (possibly to death).

Alright then.  One more Splinter pun and we're out. 

A fun Film, even if it feels like a very different kind of one.

The Plot is silly, with just enough logic there to make it not satire.  Shredder wanting mutants to stop mutant turtles- sure, I get that.

Of course, they're also kind of dumb and voiced by Frank Welker (who famously doesn't voice animals).

I do appreciate that this one builds on the Turtles' origins too.  If this was leading somewhere for the third Film, I'd have no complaints.

The big thing is that everything here is brighter and less 'scary.'  Case in point...
The first Film opened up with Night Scenes of kids/teens committing crimes.

This one opens with shots of random people eating pizza.

Everything is toned down, sillier and just less threatening.  Even the lead Henchman who almost (but does in the Novelization) kills a Foot Clan Member is just squished by the Turtles and beaten.

Amusingly, this is basically the reverse of how Cartoons work.  They grow up with their audiences.

TMNT 2 is a fun Film, but arguably a downgrade.  Plus, it shows how much inflation we've had.
This is how much the Turtles left to pay for TWO PIZZAS!

Next up, the final Film in the TMNT Trilogy.  Will this disappoint Adult me like it did Kid me back in the day?  Stay tuned...

Tubi Thursday: Shin Ultraman (2022)

 Have things ever lined up so well that you can't ignore them?

I got a bag of Chips with Ultraman on it and a can of Ramune with him on it too.

In that case, let's check out...

Japan is under near constant siege from Kaiju (aka Giant Monsters).

What else is new, right?

Well, hope is on the way.

The Film follows the SSSP (or S-Class Species Suppression Protocol)- a group of Government Agents and Experts that try to deal with the S-Class creatures (aka the Kaiju).

An attack by an electricity-feasting beast is stopped by the arrival of a silver giant (aka Ultraman!).

It shows off some impressive skills, like absorbing dangerous blasts and being able to fire them right back!

It destroys the creature and flies off.

It returns when a second one appears!

The SSSP is still not sure who or what it is.

Regardless, it saves the day...and is actually one of their teammates (sort of- it is complicated).

The Monsters are just the tip of the iceberg.

It turns out that many Aliens are behind the Monsters and present big, humanoid threats to Ultraman.

When one menace is too big and dangerous for even Ultraman, all hope seems lost!

Can he rise to the challenge?
Can the SSSP rise to the occasion?

To find out, stream it now!

A Film that is both fun and very, very quirky.

I'm not that familiar with Ultraman, having not seen the 603 Films that they've made in the last 20 years.  I'm only exaggerating a little bit.

Despite being an Ultraman Film, the Film really does focus on the weird folks at the SSSP.  It also uses all sorts of weird, static camera angles.

It is kind of like if you mixed The Office (or The Thick of It) with an Ultraman Film.

So, you get to follow guys sitting at a Computer and then they cut to a Kaiju.  Why not?

For me, the Film hit the same beats a few too many times and was a bit too long.

I still enjoyed the overall Film and want more Shin content.

Shin Mothra in 2027?  Please!

Now I just need to get some space.  He's a bit of a Helicopter Parent...

A very Japanese Film that focuses on the people in the Kaiju Film.  It is just weird enough to work, but your mileage may vary.

'90s Fun: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

 As a kid, I loved this Movie.
I had the toys.  I had some of the Comics (I was still a Marvel guy).
I dressed up as one for Halloween at least once.

So how does this one feel as an Adult?

This is 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  In the wake of many failures (box office wise, at least) at adapting 'kids stuff' into Films (see G.I. Joe, Transformers: The Movie and Masters of the Universe), no Studio would fund this one outright.

As such, they got $13 million together, got it made and sold it for distribution.  It made over $180 million.

Good return on your investment, no?

The Plot is notably based far more on the Comics (by Mirage) than the Cartoon Show that was currently running.  As such, it was darker and more grounded (no Krang and Dimension X).

It was deemed too violent by many.

To find out how Adult me feels, read on...

You can tell you're in New York.
You can tell it is before a certain day on a certain Year.

You've got 8 days to enjoy this joke before you have to then be upset at it.

With random crime on the rise, only one man can stop it!

Jim Henson!

His Creature Company created out Leads, 4 radical turtle teens raised by a mutated rat and taught ninjitsu.

Again- this is the grounded version.

You want to know just how popular the licesnse was in 1990?

Pizza Hut paid the Studio MILLIONS to promote their food, in spite of the fact that THEIR RIVAL is actually shown and complimented in the Film.

Bow to your Laird and Master!

Raphael goes out on the Streets alone and ends up meeting two humans.

One is Casey Jones, who beats him and runs away.

The other is April O'Neil, who he rescues from a guy played by his Brother (his Suit Performer was also a Foot Clan Member).

They meet up and make friends, in spite of this terrifying shot.

I missed the chance to see this hideous monstrosity on a big screen again this year.

Following the Comics, the group retreats out to rural New York (actually North Carolina) after Raphael is beaten up badly by the Foot Clan and Splinter is rat-napped.

They go full Age of Ultron by bonding and preparing for the big, final fight!

Shredder is the man behind it all and, as luck would have it, he's also the key to Splinter's backstory.

The latter spills the beans via flashbacks as Shredder, well, keeps having the kids commit crimes.

Sorry- no master plan involving lasers, a bomb or a Technodrome here.

After the Turtles take out the Foot Clan, Splinter (and our Point of View Character Danny) convince the remaining kids to turn away from crime.

Leading the group, you have Future Scream Ghost Skeet Ulrich (far left) and Future Marvel Villain Sam Rockwell.

No, really.

Our Heroes face off with Shredder and it doesn't go well.

They can't quite best him, even working together.

Thankfully, Splinter is here to instantly flip Shredder off of a building and into a garbage truck.
He got better.

The End.

Honestly...it is still really good.

I watched it alone (again- not in Theaters), so I was ready to cringe in private.

Some jokes aside, it still holds up.

The Film is an interesting mish mash of the Comics and the Cartoon Show.  You get the personalities from the Show, the tone of the Comics and, as a bonus, Jim Henson.

It's a win-win-win.

The Mirage Comics, for contrast, are just angry and kind of angsty Action Comics at this point.
It hadn't yet reached the point where they were published by Archie Comics and one storyline involved them traveling around the World via Cosmic Cow.

(Seriously, that is a thing that really happened)

The Film gives you the Action you want, the Characters you like, a more serious tone and a good Story.

Of course, this is still an excuse to sell toys, so the Films won't be left out...

Next up, is this truly the radical, tonal departure that I remember it being?  Let's crack open the Ooze and find out!  Stay tuned...

Streaming Standard: Wednesday- Season 2 (Part 1)

 A day away from the mysterious and ooky return of the Show that the Internet loves.

Netflix surely by coincidence split the Show's 2nd Season into 2 Parts- one in August and the other in September.

Two billing cycles, you say?  What a coincidence!

To get this on before Part 2 drops, let's talk about...

I'll spare you the overall recap of Season 1.

If you wanted to know and didn't, you can just watch the actual Intro.

Wednesday returns to Nevermore Academy for a new Year.

She's got new faces to grimace at and a new stalker (or two).

She's very comfortable with her powers, so what happens when they start to fail her?

You never see her outwardly worry, but you know that she is.

Her and Thing have to solve a mystery that hits close to home.

She has to deal with a mysterious stalker, the constant appearance of Ravens and the worst thing of all....

Her Parents are hanging around!

Yes, the full Addams Family is here, including her now-much-taller Brother Pugsley, who is now a Student too.

With new friends, old enemies and all sorts of Subplots going on, can Wednesday stay ahead of things, let alone figure out who wants her dead?

To find out, stream it now.

A very fun, freaky and strange Show.

What does it do differently?  Wednesday is thankfully not in a love triangle (although Enid is).  The family is also a bigger part of things here.

New Cast Members like Steve Buscemi, Thandiwe Newton and Billie Piper really stand out here.  Christopher Lloyd is great too.

The new Plots are really enjoyable too.  They build up nicely and come to a crescendo (for the 1st part, of course).

This is still Jenna Ortega's Show, however, and she doesn't disappoint.  Like with Lisbeth Salander, there's a balance of making them cool, calm and collected...but also in danger.

She also has to be seem cool and dispassionate, but also able to react to new threats.

This 4-Episode section really delivers more of what you want...and also inspires more and more confusing AI 'Art.'

Seriously, WTF is this supposed to be?

A fun Show that feels like a natural expansion of the last Season.  It is bigger, flashier and...I can't wait for it to come back (in like 3 hours).

Shudder Day: Urban Legends- Final Cut (aka Urban Legend 2)

 Let's end the Month with a Sequel that somehow did better and worse than the Original.

Before it went Direct to DVD, we got...

In a Film School (a year after the last Film), we follow a young lady played by Jennifer Morrison.

She's the Daughter of a Documentarian (who is sadly not Werner Herzog), but doesn't want to follow in his footsteps.

Instead, she's inspired to make a Horror Film after talking to the Security Guard- the same one from the last Film, who says that she got fired during the coverup.

So now she's going to make a Horror Film about Urban Legends...in a Sequel to a Horror Film about Urban Legends...called Urban Legends.

Clean up that nosebleed- we have some dead meats to deal with!

This random lady is friends with Morrison's would-be-boyfriend, so she's abducted and killed after being subject to the 'Waking up in the tub with your kidney stolen' UL.

The majority of the kills take place during the production of Morrison's Film.

After a day of shooting with a terrible Actress (who is also going to Film School?), the lady is killed by the murderer going full Peeping Tom.

Ironic, considering that the Film is a love letter to Hitchcock and many people claim Michael Powell's Peeping Tom is *better* than Psycho.

Why the Fencing Mask though?

The killer goes after Morrison next when she gets too close to the truth.

She gets a video tape of them killing her Director of Photography, so he scares her dressed as...Mac Tonight?

Without the evidence, he can keep up the killing.

The arrival of her would-be-boyfriend's twin (another Hitchcock homage) doesn't do much to save her Special Effects Guys and Eva Mendes.

Mendes- like Reid in the last Film- is killed off-camera, which feels like a twist setup...but isn't.  At all.

Can she unmask the killer?
Will this one also deliver some failed Sequel Bait?

Stream it now to find out.

A Sequel that is both more fun and definitely dumber in many ways.

The obvious thing- this Film isn't really about Urban Legends all that much.
It is actually about someone MAKING A FILM about Urban Legends...which is just the last Film.

In this case, the Film turns much into Film Tropes and is all about Filmmaking.

I'm a Film Nerd, so it worked for me.
I can't speak to whether or not this works for you.

As a Slasher Film goes, it checks all of the boxes.
It has the kills.
The dead meats.
The tension.
The Set Pieces.

Honestly, from a purely aesthetic point of view, this one is better.  It has a variety of Sets, as opposed to just different locations on a real College.

(It uses a different College and Sets)

That said, the overall quality and commitment to Theme is a bit weaker than the first Film.  So this one is possibly more fun (if you like the Film stuff), but not as good.

That said, it was Directed by John Ottman, who has won an Oscar (for Editing a Bryan Singer Film, mind you), so I can't look down on it too much.

A Sequel that thankfully does some things quite differently.  That said, the whole 'Urban Legend' thing takes a backseat to Film Homages.

Tubi Thursday: Famous Ghost Stories (1961)

 Are you a fan of Ghost Stories?
What about Vincent Price?
Bert I. Gordon Films?

Well, I'm into all of that, so I streamed...

This was an unsold TV Pilot made in 1961.

We first see this House, which I assume is about to be stomped by Godzilla.

Price appears twice here, which is weird.

First as himself and then he appears as a Poltergeist (not that one) who wants to tell us some Ghost Stories- Famous ones at that!

See you at the End and never before, Mr. Price.

The Story follows a man (The Creature from The Black Lagoon's Richard Carlson) who is haunted by guilt, as he didn't try to save his Girlfriend Vi from falling, since she wouldn't let him leave her and get married.

He'd start to see weird things in the coming days, as his Fiancee and her Sister (played by Bert's Daughter).

Nobody else does.

As he learns that Vi, now a Ghost, will not leave him be, another wrinkle appears.

This guy- who took Vi to the Island- now wants to blackmail.

Why can't you trust this guy?

He's also a Ghost!

Well, not here.

He's Lloyd the Bartender from The Shining!

He's killed in this one, so is this canon to the King Tale?

Carlson can't seem to make his troubles go away.

Vi grows in power and vows to stop his happiness!

Now here's the real twist.

You ready?

This is just 1960's Tormented (also by Bert I. Gordon).
He just got Price to shoot the Intro and tried to resell this as a TV Show.

As a Film Buff, I should have seen through this.

Somehow, I have never seen Tormented, either as its own thing, on MST3K or on Rifftrax.
IMDB isn't much help, as the page for this says, 'You Might Also Like Tormented.'

Well, yeah, I'm watching it, aren't I?!?

The actual content is pretty good, if reliant on many of the same tricks over and over again.  After the 15th time something happens that only you can see, would you really still mention it to someone?

Price's part here does help, but he's only here for the Intro and Outro.  Would it have killed you to pick a Film that he was also in, Bert?!?

There are some good, silly effects on hand here.  It is still a Bert I. Gordon Film.

Do you pick this or Tormented?
This is the same, just with Price in the Intro and Outro, but also with the illusion of being a Show.  Having Price tease next week's Episode was genius.

Speaking of teases, the same Producer wanted to make a Show where famous Voice Actor Paul Frees interviews...Adolf Hitler?!?

Too soon?  Yes.

A Film so nice that Bert I. Gordon tried to sell it twice!  Honestly, it is pretty decent, but just know that this failed piece of TV History is a Copy-Paste job.