WEBVTT 1 00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:59.759 Its oil. 2 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:03.159 I'm back midnight viewers to midnight viewing. My god, here 3 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:08.159 it is. It's a superhero event. It's the Fantastic Four. No, 4 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:12.280 not that one. We're talking about the very first iteration, 5 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:17.040 the first cinematic, live action iteration of the Fantastic Four. 6 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:20.959 It's our first unreleased film here on midnight viewing, making 7 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.799 it difficult to find, or at least it was for 8 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.560 many years when we were all trying here to talk 9 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:29.359 with me about. This is my co host here at 10 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:31.680 midnight viewing. This is HBHB. How you doing. 11 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:34.840 What's going on? Man, I'm doing great. It's Clobren time. 12 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:37.840 Follow on. Let's get into this. I'm very excited. As 13 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:40.480 always I say that every week, but I'm really excited. 14 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:42.480 This was one that I wanted to do for a 15 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:43.000 long time. 16 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.560 Let's talk Fantastic Four first and foremost, off the top, 17 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:50.159 who's your favorite member of the four? 18 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:52.799 Probably Ben Grimm. Probably The thing. 19 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:56.920 Now is that for the Hybraic parallels, I. 20 00:01:56.879 --> 00:01:58.799 Knew you were gonna come up with the fact that 21 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:02.319 he's a member of the Tribe's it's probably part of it. 22 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:05.560 But he's such he is the best hearted one of 23 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:08.919 the whole bunch. He's truly the monster with the heart 24 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:13.520 of gold. He's the gentle giant, and he will go 25 00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:17.080 to any length to protect his family, to do what's right. 26 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.919 He's just he looks fucking cool. I love Ben Grim. 27 00:02:20.919 --> 00:02:22.680 Who's your favorite if we're. 28 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:27.479 Talking the Misbegotten Mess that was those two films from 29 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:31.120 the early two thousands. From those movies, my favorite is 30 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:33.919 Johnny Storm because it's Chris Evans I love naturally. 31 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:37.360 Yeah, I mean that is the right answer, by the way. 32 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:41.280 But realistically, overall, with the Fantastic War through the ages, 33 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:44.960 it's become clear to me that Sue Storm is not 34 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:47.360 much of a character, or at least was never really 35 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:51.439 presented cinematically that way, and neither was Johnny Storm. Johnny 36 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:53.840 Storm is really obnoxious to me as a character, and 37 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:57.719 worse than both of them is Read Richards, who I 38 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:01.039 find to be a straight up villain the Marvel universe. 39 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:05.319 So I'm gonna go with obviously the thing as well. 40 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:09.000 He is much cooler, having a rock guy who's funny 41 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:13.560 and who's sweet and who falls in love and wants 42 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:17.680 to be rid of this gift quote unquote. He's the 43 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.879 only one who really gets fucked by the Transformation. 44 00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:25.199 Yeah, can I put it in an honorable mention though, Herbie, 45 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:28.159 if we're talking, the thing is my favorite of the 46 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:32.400 entire like Fantastic Four, kind of continue him. But if 47 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:34.439 I'm really being honest or at least an honorable mention, 48 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:37.360 my favorite depiction of a member of Fantastic Four, I 49 00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:39.080 think you know where maybe you know where I'm going 50 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:42.680 with this it is it's got to be Bill Murray 51 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:45.759 as the Human Torch in the nineteen seventy five Fantastic 52 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:46.800 Four radio drama. 53 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:49.000 Anyone here has seen a flaming teenager. 54 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:52.759 I knew you were going to remember it. It's it 55 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:56.039 all serious. I mean, it's bizarre number one that Bill Murray, 56 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:59.639 our Bill Murray. The Bill Murray is doing is voicing 57 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:04.800 this sort of braddy superhero. But I will say, like 58 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:08.080 anyone who's listened to those that radio show, it's actually 59 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:12.199 probably the most slavishly adherent to the original comic. So 60 00:04:12.360 --> 00:04:15.000 there is that. It's got that going for it, but 61 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:18.600 it is very It's a distinctly odd experience to hear 62 00:04:19.319 --> 00:04:22.800 one of the greatest voices in comedy playing the brash 63 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.560 Johnny Storm. So I had to mention that at least 64 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:27.839 we can move on now, but I wanted to mention that. 65 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:31.000 We're only moving on, but we're actually moving backward. What's 66 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:33.079 your history with Fantastic for Were you a reader of 67 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:33.519 the comic? 68 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:36.759 I was. I can't say that it was my favorite, 69 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:40.319 but I certainly collected it and read it during my 70 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:44.399 prime comic book collecting phase, which is probably pre high 71 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.199 school around that time, so I was a pretty big 72 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:50.079 reader of it. It can't I also can't say that 73 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:53.560 I was a devoted reader of the original sixties run 74 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:56.240 because some of those I found a little bit. They're 75 00:04:56.319 --> 00:05:01.040 very dated. Let's say now. I recognize the importance and 76 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:05.399 I love the fact that they're this iconic superhero team. 77 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:07.480 But I read it quite a bit, and I was 78 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:09.360 a big fan of the what ifs that featured the 79 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:10.279 Fantastic Four. 80 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:14.120 Yeah, I myself never read Fantastic Four. I could never 81 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:17.319 get into them. I didn't. I understood the family dynamic 82 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:21.040 of it, and I knew they were Marvel's familial heart 83 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:25.639 as it were. But I only became interested in Fantastic 84 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:29.800 Four when it involved their greatest villain, Galactus, more specifically 85 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:35.879 Galactus's herald noorin Rad, the Silver Surfer, who is one 86 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:40.000 of my top ten Marvel characters. I love how existential 87 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:44.759 and just what a horrific situation that character finds himself in. 88 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.120 I never really dug too much into the comics, although 89 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:52.480 I very, very happily watched all of the cartoons from 90 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:55.279 the sixties and seventies and whatever we were getting in 91 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:58.000 the eighties, any iteration of the Fantastic Four animated I 92 00:05:58.079 --> 00:05:58.720 was down for. 93 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:04.120 I also, if we're talking about the comic or extensions 94 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:06.079 of the comic, I do want to make one recommendation 95 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:09.160 to you and the audience at large. It's a book 96 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:12.000 that came out in two thousand and three called Unstable Molecules. 97 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:13.800 Are you familiar with it? Father Malone? No? 98 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:15.600 Hippit me to it. 99 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.360 It's written by a guy named James Stern, and it 100 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:22.680 posits that the Fantastic Four were actually real normal people 101 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:26.240 that inspired the Marvel bullpen of the late fifties to 102 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:30.160 create the Fantastic Four comic. In the book, it's funny 103 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:32.160 that you talk about how Read Richards is your least 104 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:35.560 favorite member, because in this book he is the worst. 105 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:41.160 He's this stuffy, self absorbed Columbia professor who is dating Sue, 106 00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:44.160 but pays her no mind and is very self absorbed. 107 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:46.759 Like I said, I mean, Richard's in every iteration of 108 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:48.319 the Fantastic Four, but this. 109 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:51.399 Is like a real world version of read Richards no powers. 110 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:54.800 These are just real people that, like I said, inspired this. 111 00:06:55.759 --> 00:06:59.160 Johnny is a bitter aloof teenager who never got over 112 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:02.639 the death of his parents, and he is inspired to 113 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:06.519 run away eventually spoiler alert by a Beatnick Ben is 114 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.480 a friendly, go lucky boxing trainer, but he has issues 115 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:13.600 with rage and sexual addiction. In this, God Stop It 116 00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:17.439 and It's great, and Sue is torn between trying to 117 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:21.000 raise her younger brother and failing at it, and also 118 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:24.199 living under the strictures of that time period and the 119 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:28.399 things that it forced young women to adhere to. It's sad, 120 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:32.319 it's funny, it's uncomfortable, it's exceedingly creative, and it won 121 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:35.800 the Eisner Award for Best Limited Series two thousand and four. 122 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:39.319 It's You're not gonna get any there's no superpowers, there's 123 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:42.480 no super villains, there's none of that. It's just a 124 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:46.600 super creative look at what if this was the inspiration 125 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:47.639 for the Fantastic Four. 126 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:50.720 It's great, sounds like a drag man. 127 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:55.720 It's I'm maybe under selling the the humor and the 128 00:07:56.240 --> 00:07:58.759 sort of the the coolness of the concept. It's really 129 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:02.240 I'm not gonna deny that it's sad and poignant, but 130 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.079 it's great. It's what a create. It has a little 131 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:07.920 bit of that Watchman thing where at the end there's 132 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.920 a bibliography that goes through what happened to them, interviews 133 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:14.240 with the real people. It's very cool. If you like 134 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:15.639 the Watchman, you'll like this. 135 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:18.639 Father Malone, well, I do like the Watchman. Who doesn't 136 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:22.079 like Watchmen? Of course? And what about after Watchmen? Do 137 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:23.120 you like after Watchmen? 138 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:30.319 I is that an aftermash joke that you're making because 139 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:32.919 it was a before Watchman? Was there an after Watchman too? 140 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:35.480 Oh? No, I'm thinking of before Watchman. That's how little 141 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:36.399 mind I paid to it. 142 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:40.759 Before Watchman was just okay, I can't speak to you. 143 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:43.440 What do you know what? It's not just okay? Let 144 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:50.039 me tell you something. Maybe the comedy Edward Blake friends 145 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:53.879 with the Kennedys. What fuck are you talking about? That's 146 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:54.600 not what happened. 147 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:57.360 He's the guy in the Grassy Knoll for fuck's sake. 148 00:08:57.559 --> 00:08:59.639 Yeah, man, Look the grassy noll thing. I don't think 149 00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:02.200 is next necessarily in the comic, but was portrayed in 150 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:05.120 the film like it's a I think it's hinted at 151 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:08.200 maybe in the comic. But yeah, of course he was. 152 00:09:08.600 --> 00:09:10.320 He probably did that for fun. I don't think he 153 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:12.879 was even under orders anyway. 154 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:15.240 I don't remember much about before Watchman, but let's see. 155 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.519 You know what around this time period when America is 156 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:21.360 we were also hopeful and then I hope died thanks 157 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:24.080 to the comedian. Right around that time, Marvel's The First 158 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:27.960 Family was born. They wouldn't get any sort of actual 159 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:32.320 live action adaptation for many years, but they almost sooner 160 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:35.679 than the one we eventually got in the early twenty 161 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:40.759 first century, Right around nineteen ninety one ninety two, there 162 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:44.440 became an opportunity where a film comingy look, everyone at 163 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:47.039 some point or another option to Marvel property and then 164 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:50.639 found out that it was unfilmable for them, or making 165 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:53.960 a superhero movie is not as easy as they think. 166 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:58.919 And up until now, the only actual feature film released 167 00:09:59.080 --> 00:10:03.320 under the Marvel imprint was Howard the Duck by nineteen 168 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:04.360 ninety three. 169 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:06.799 What about the Captain America movie that. 170 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:10.480 Was never released? Was it the Albert is the Albertqune 171 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:14.639 movie with Matt Salinger and fucking oh my god, Scott 172 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:18.279 Pollen as the Italian Red Skull. I know what's it 173 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:21.720 going on, Captain. Hey, I don't know. 174 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:24.320 I did see a poster for it in the theater. 175 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:27.159 That doesn't mean that it was released, But because I 176 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:29.039 saw the Fantastic Four poster too. 177 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:31.519 I don't believe it was released, sir, because I saw 178 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:33.559 the same poster, and you know me, I was stoked 179 00:10:33.559 --> 00:10:36.559 for a Captain America movie. Sure did not happen, and 180 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:39.679 then O man man when it did not. When I 181 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:42.720 finally saw it, which was came out on video pretty 182 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:45.679 pretty quickly, as soon as the straight to video became 183 00:10:45.799 --> 00:10:49.399 a thing. What never came to video was the promised 184 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:51.919 Fantastic Four movie, the one that showed up on Film 185 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:55.000 Threat magazine, which was a national publication. It was a 186 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.759 periodical of note. 187 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.159 It's a very polite way of categorizing it. 188 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:03.840 Although I will say I was an avid reader of 189 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:05.360 Film Threat. I don't know if you were. 190 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:07.200 If I was, I love Film Threat. 191 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.639 They certainly covered a lot of what was actual independent, 192 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:14.679 underground cinema at the time. These were hard to find. 193 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:17.600 Features in most cases Fantastic four. 194 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:18.559 I was. 195 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:21.360 I gave pause when I saw this on the cover. 196 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:22.639 I was like, what are they doing? 197 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:22.960 Man? 198 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:25.679 Also around nineteen ninety three, then this ended up being 199 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:29.360 made at Corman Studios. I lived three blocks from Corman Studios. 200 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:31.519 Had no idea what was going on behind those doors, 201 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:33.639 and else I would have busted my way in and 202 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:37.240 worked on this movie. HB. How did we get here? 203 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:38.440 In terms? 204 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:42.840 Constantine Films has the rights to Fantastic Four? Right, Sorry, 205 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:45.799 their copyright is going to run out. It's as tale 206 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:46.840 as old as time. 207 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:51.559 Yeah, so they needed to see It's a little murky. 208 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:53.840 I thought you had to at least have a movie 209 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:57.480 in production before that copyright ran out in order to 210 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:01.000 have it renew itself. That's a little bit murky. And 211 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:03.519 we'll get into the ins and outs of how it 212 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:06.759 pertains to finas the Fantastic Four. But he it's my 213 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:11.600 understanding that the guy was a barn what's his last name? 214 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:17.279 Barrent Constantine man, sorry, Baron Constantine. He went to Lloyd 215 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:20.559 Kaufman at Trauma to try and get a quickie film made, 216 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:22.799 and he turned him down because he figured it was 217 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:25.440 too big of a budget. For trauma to handle. He 218 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:30.240 then went to Roger Corman, and Roger Korman approved. I 219 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:33.399 believe it was the biggest budget up to that point 220 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:36.639 for any Corman film, which was a million dollars to 221 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:39.240 fast track this movie and get it into production, and 222 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:43.600 everything happened very quickly. But there was there was no 223 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:47.279 indication at least to the creatives dealing with this, the actors, 224 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:50.519 the director, the editors, any of these people that this 225 00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:54.759 was anything but a genuine theatrical release. Everybody was stoked, 226 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:57.799 like we were that, Wow, this is a fantastic four 227 00:12:57.840 --> 00:12:59.720 movie's actually going to be made, and we want to 228 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:01.440 make this the best thing that we can make it. 229 00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:04.840 Yeah. Plenty of stories of people walking around the halls 230 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:07.360 of Korman studios with that script in their hand, going 231 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:12.320 who's making this? We are? And yeah, So Corman agrees 232 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:17.679 to provide a million and a half to against constantin Films, 233 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:21.200 one million dollars. So Constant is actually putting up the 234 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:23.600 million dollars. Korman is putting up a million and a 235 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:27.679 half in production costs, which means he's using his studios 236 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.360 and his equipment and his staff and everything, and who 237 00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:33.480 knows what he's paying them whatever. So basically, this movie 238 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:36.399 is being made for one million dollars, even though we're 239 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:39.559 told it's double that budget. I'm getting I'm guessing yeah. 240 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.480 But everybody, the actors are all excited. These are some 241 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:48.039 actual actors of note, Jay Underwood, who was in The 242 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:50.519 Boy Who Could Fly and a few other things. These 243 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:51.799 aren't just Lightning. 244 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:54.039 The Day my kid went punk. 245 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:56.200 That's right, I forgot he was in. 246 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:59.679 That covered here on the cable box theater Midnight, a 247 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:02.039 division of Midnight it was. 248 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:04.679 By the way, it should be noted that a lot 249 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:07.720 of what we're describing here comes out of a movie, 250 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:11.159 a companion piece to Fantastic Four, if you will, called Doomed, 251 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:15.320 the Untold story of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four. That it 252 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:19.399 goes into exhaustive detail about everything that we're describing here, 253 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:20.600 and it's highly recommended. 254 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:24.200 For years, that's all you could see of the movie. 255 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:27.240 The documentary had footage of the film in it, and 256 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:31.000 the film remained unreleased, so if that you had to 257 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:31.679 see Doomed. 258 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:37.799 But every like the actors involved were excited because everybody, 259 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:41.000 the director, they saw this as this could be really 260 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:44.519 good for their career. They realized they were doing this 261 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:48.879 under the constraints of a Roger Corman production, and that's 262 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:52.759 that's obvious when you see the movie. But it's also 263 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:55.320 pretty clear when you watch The Fantastic four Father Malone, 264 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:57.720 that this was made with a lot of love for 265 00:14:57.799 --> 00:15:01.000 the source material, that no one folding this in. They're 266 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:01.960 doing the best they can. 267 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:06.639 Yep, they're doing the best they can. See here's the 268 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:11.039 thing terribly. Look as a young man when I heard 269 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:12.960 that they were doing fantastic for it and it was 270 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:14.960 Corman and they were doing for a million dollars, I 271 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:17.399 was like, this is going to be the greatest train 272 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:20.759 wreck of all time. I cannot wait to see what 273 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:25.000 a fucking nightmare this is, right, and that, of course 274 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:27.879 film Threat at the time their coverage was we're doing 275 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:30.559 our best here, folks, But I would not hear that. Then, 276 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:34.200 Oh no, I don't care doing your best. Get out 277 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:37.919 of the way. Let somebody else make the fantastic for it. 278 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:40.679 Don't hold onto this copyright if you're willing. My thought 279 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:43.440 then now too is if the only thing you can 280 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:45.919 get going with the movie is this, maybe you shouldn't 281 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:47.519 have the rights to the film anyway. 282 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:51.840 This is true, and it also bears repeating that this 283 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:56.279 was obviously a very different time for Marvel movies. Nowadays, 284 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:59.639 a Marvel movie like Fantastic Four First Steps, that's a 285 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:03.240 big budget, highly anticipated movie. This was a time when 286 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:06.039 Marvel couldn't really they couldn't get movies made under their 287 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:09.200 own banner. They didn't have the resources or the infrastructure 288 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:12.039 any of that, or there wasn't much public interest. Comic 289 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:13.559 book movies weren't really a thing. 290 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:16.120 But you're right then we did have Captain America and 291 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:19.399 we had The Punisher now, which is more disappointing by 292 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:20.919 the time that they're making this film. 293 00:16:21.399 --> 00:16:23.320 I never saw The Punisher, so I can't speak to 294 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:25.919 the Punisher. I can't speak to Captain America. And it 295 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:29.440 was pretty damn disappointing. It wasn't as bad as that 296 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:33.240 TV show from the seventies with Red Brown is that 297 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:35.559 his name? The football player who played He's. 298 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:38.320 Just wearing a fucking motorcycle helmet for his regular helmet. 299 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:41.960 It's insanity, right, But Scott Pollard was pretty good as 300 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:43.559 the Italian Red Skull, though. 301 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:46.000 I have to say, yeah, that's because Scott Polland's awesome, 302 00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:50.200 But it makes no sense he could still be German 303 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:52.600 Red Skull in Italy? What are they doing? He could 304 00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:53.960 be visiting anyway. 305 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:57.480 But you're right. The expectations I think for the average 306 00:16:58.279 --> 00:17:01.799 moviegoer fan of the Fantastic Four were probably pretty low 307 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:05.480 when they heard that Roger Korman was making this picture. 308 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:10.400 But despite that, there's excitement anyway, because again, there weren't 309 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:13.599 many comic book movies, let alone one featuring your favorite 310 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:16.559 superhero team, so there had I don't remember at the 311 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.599 time being super excited for it, but there had to 312 00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:22.759 be some excitement of we're getting something like this could 313 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:25.599 be this could be pretty cool. I'm gonna be cautiously optimistic. 314 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:29.039 Yeah, I say this a lot, but I always feel 315 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:32.720 like sometimes science fiction fans and comic book fans, all 316 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:36.480 the genre fans up until recently, because now obviously nerd 317 00:17:36.519 --> 00:17:39.680 culture has exploded in all directions, but we were starved 318 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:43.000 at a certain point, like any scrap that could fall 319 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:45.839 off the table that had a cape on it that 320 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:49.079 we were pretty stoked about it. It always reminds me 321 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:52.039 of you look at racks and racts of romance novels. 322 00:17:52.079 --> 00:17:54.640 It's like people reading them know they're shit, but they'll 323 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.119 just do for now. And that's what we were getting, 324 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:02.240 like we were, oh, this little bit. We'd even take 325 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:04.799 Howard the dock. That's the insent, just. 326 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:07.319 A little like a starving person you give a crust 327 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:09.960 of bread, they're going to leap upon that crust of 328 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:13.720 food with like hunger is the best sauce. That's the saying, right, 329 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:17.440 So anything is better than nothing in this case, Oh, 330 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:18.480 we believed HB. 331 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:20.839 I actually aligned to you because that documentary didn't come 332 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:22.079 out until twenty fifteen. 333 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:23.880 I was going to I was gonna mention that I 334 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:25.559 didn't want you. You're on a roll, so I didn't 335 00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:26.319 want to get in your way. 336 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:30.079 I had seen fantastic, I've seen. I saw Fantastic for 337 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:33.279 ninety seven, the Rocher Carbin one, like the bootlegs were 338 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:36.319 pretty quick, they were. 339 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:39.440 I remember being at a few conventions, even I think 340 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:41.319 the Weekend of Horror that you and I went to 341 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:44.759 in high school. I remember seeing those like clamshell boxes 342 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:48.200 at some exhibitors and going like, oh, this fantastic might 343 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:50.480 have been the first time I even was really aware 344 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:55.000 of the Fantastic four Corman movie. But little did I 345 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:57.799 know that really was it. It was never going to 346 00:18:57.839 --> 00:19:00.160 be released either, as a bonus feature for the two 347 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:03.279 thousand Movies or anything. And as far as I know, 348 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:06.559 it's still there's no plan to ever release it, is there? 349 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:07.240 Oh? 350 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:10.200 Is it not on Blu ray? 351 00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:10.920 I don't think. 352 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:13.599 I think it's on a steel book. Didn't I see, 353 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:17.680 like Adam Scott in the Criterion closet taking it down? Oh, 354 00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:21.000 fantastic for Roger kum. Interestingly, this is not actually directed 355 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:23.200 by Roger Korman even we called them, even than we 356 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:25.279 call it a Roger car film. 357 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:29.519 It's got a special limited edition cover by Mondo, like 358 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:31.839 a special edition could be, but. 359 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:34.000 No, I draft TSK cover. 360 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:37.559 I can still see it that that cheap o case 361 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:44.599 with the like digitally printed cover poorly, like the color 362 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:47.519 is all faded and bad looking. And you just knew 363 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:50.519 that somebody dubbed this off of their own VCR. And 364 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:53.519 that was the other thing. This we're talking video cassettes. 365 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:56.799 This wasn't like you're getting a DVD or even like 366 00:19:56.839 --> 00:20:00.160 a CD ROM. This was a video cassette. 367 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:10.599 Boot from the pages of the world's greatest comic book. 368 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:16.920 Adventure for heroes on a daring mission in space, but 369 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:24.799 something went wrong, genetically transformed, they become the most powerful 370 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:44.400 superheroes of all time, but the forces of evil about 371 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:46.920 to destroy their cosmic power. 372 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:51.079 Find them, and. 373 00:20:51.119 --> 00:21:01.519 To survive, they must utilize all their strength to put 374 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:22.200 an end to their arch nemesis. Dude claubretime The Fantastic Four. 375 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.640 Okay, here we go, Fantastic four. This was made to 376 00:21:33.799 --> 00:21:36.799 be released on May the thirty first, nineteen ninety four. 377 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:39.880 It was never released. It is ninety minutes. It was 378 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:43.240 written by Craig Nevius and then rewritten by guy named 379 00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:49.319 Kevin Rock, directed by oly Sassone or Sassoan Oly Sassoni 380 00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:54.200 who Knows. Starring Alex Hyde, White, Jay Underwood, Rebecca Stob, 381 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:59.880 Michael Bailey, Smith, Carl Scharfalio, Ian Trigger, Kat Green, George 382 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:06.160 gains for two seconds, and he's very very very good. 383 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:08.880 He's got he's like fifth or sixth billing, and he's 384 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:11.000 only in it for literally those two minutes. 385 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:13.880 He just gets a blowjob from a prostitute and a 386 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:18.960 podium and he's on his way. Also starring and starring 387 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:24.839 Joseph Kulp as Victor von Doom, Doctor Doom. Okay, ninety 388 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:28.200 minutes that I mentioned, it's ninety minutes, that's all right, 389 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:32.880 here's the thing. I agree with yours and Film Threats 390 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:37.000 and the Doomed documentaries appraisal that this is a very 391 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:42.000 earnest film made by serious people. They are not winking 392 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:47.160 at the product, which was always comic book fans greatest 393 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:51.200 fear that we were getting Adam West Batman sixty six again. 394 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:54.039 By now Batman had come out, and Batman was a 395 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:56.599 serious dude because now it's Michael Keaton, which sounds funny 396 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:00.440 that he was anyway. So Batman is a serious dude now. 397 00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:03.519 So we're expecting at least our filmmakers to take the 398 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:08.000 product seriously, to take our characters and the world they're 399 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:10.559 in seriously, and this one definitely does that. 400 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:16.359 It does. It's not the greatest story. There are clearly 401 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:20.680