Stuck in The Golden Age With Dr. Fate

 

I was really excited when Pierce Brosnan was cast as Kent Nelson, also known as Dr. Fate. Defender of Order versus Chaos. Fate previously made an appearance on Smallville. Clark got to see glimpses of the Justice Society. It would be exciting to see one of the original, founding members of the Justice Society on the big screen. He was going to be working with Carter Hall, Hawkman; Atom Smasher and Cyclone!

I never really got past The Rock as Black Adam. Sure, he was portrayed as a wronged individual, looking for justice and vengeance and retribution and revenge. Which was why he crossed paths and swords with the JSA. It was just incredibly confusing that the character was split from Zachary Levi's Captain (SHAZAM!) Marvel. I'm still confused. I'm not sure I really want to know.

I didn't watch Remington Steele for Brosnan. I watched Remington Steele for Stephanie Zimablist. She was my excuse for bad grades in high school.

Brosnan's Bond was fairly enjoyable. Mom and Dad were Sean Connery fans. Mom and my sister were Roger Moore fans. Cathy, my wife, is a George Lazenby fan. Gotta respect the man that connected with Diana Rigg! I'm not sure I know any Timothy Dalton fans (He was pretty good as Prince Baron in Flash Gordon; as well as an appearance on Doctor Who, and as The Chief in Doom Patrol!)

Brosnan was my era or generation Bond. I'm not sure the material was up to his performance. Wherever the bar is set, the next mission or adventure usually has to up the ante. By Die Another Day the ante had been upped to the extreme. The hotel made entirely of ice (ICE!) was extreme... extremely redonkulous!

As an aside, one of the reasons Daniel Craig ditched a lot of the paraphernalia was due to Mike Meyers' Austin Powers parodies. Craig was quoted in some interview somewhere that Austin Powers poked so much fun at the Bond tropes - not to mention the Mel Brooks-Buck Henry Get Smart parody - that Bond had sort of become self-parody. Look closely at some of the scenes with Q, there's a bit of self-deprecating humor and parody in those scenes. Connery's Bond didn't seem to take Q seriously. neither did Brosnan. Q gave Brosnan's Bond two specialized cars. The second one had a stealth, cloaking ability, like Harry Potter's blanket.

Off and on Brosnan has made some impressive solo films. Some, hit or miss. Seraphim Falls with Liam Neeson and The Matador with Greg Kineer stand out. After The Sunset is somewhat shaky. Remember Me with Robert Pattinson is engaging. We don't have to talk about the Mama Mia! films... 

Celebrating his 73rd birthday today, Brosnan has most recently been in The Thursday Murder Club with Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie... along with David Tenant and Jonathan Pryce.

Might be a good day to give that a spin... it just might be better... Fate.

   

"Once I was the learner, now I am the master."

One of the things that Cathy and I both enjoy is reading. She's a romantic. Nora Roberts. Jude Devereaux. A few moons ago, we went on a cruise and she discovered The Twilight Saga through the first film with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. She discovered that there was a book series and just devoured it. From Twilight, she moved on to other Young Adult series like City of Bones. She read If I Should Stay. I don't think she's seen the movie. She's working on a YA series by James Patterson. Neither one of us knows what it's called. She's a huge fan of The Hunger Games films and the Divergent series. She's tried reading the novels, but enjoys watching the films more.

One of my best memories is my older brother Tim taking me to see the first Star Wars film. It was at the River Oaks Theater in Calumet City. Holla! This was before theaters became cineplexes. I'd never seen a theater as crowded as this one was. I couldn't figure out why. This was the first film I'd seen without either of my parents; or, even my Auntie Ei. Just a couple 'a' bros hanging out. This was the first movie I'd seen that wasn't Disney.

Mind = blown. 

I found George Lucas' paperback novel for Star Wars and I devoured it. I got the giant size two issue Marvel Comics adaptation. I started reading the monthly Marvel series. I read the Star Trek adaptations; both the comic books and the novels. I read the original Battletsar Galactica. There was a novelization of the premiere episode; then, Marvel had a monthly series. For awhile there Marvel had the Monopoly. Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. 

When Superman: The Movie came out, I read the companion novel. The Blues Brothers came out, I read the novelization.

One of my favorite things is an cassette - I said a CASSETTE - of Roddy McDowell reading the novelization of the 1989 Batman film starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger.

I'm not sure how, but I "discovered" the late Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series. I love mysteries, too. From time to time I make my way through the Sherlock Holmes series. I still enjoy A Study in Scarlet.

I've read all six of the Ninth Doctor novels. Novels featuring the Tenth Doctor are on my bucket list.

Right now, I'm somewhere in the middle of You Only Live Twice.

When Cathy started reading YA novels, I dusted off my Encyclopedia Brown. I started The 39 Clues. I gave The Vampire's Assistant a try. 

In September of 2011, when we brought Justin home from Ukraine, I came across Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl. Fir me, it is better than The Lightning Thief. From 2011 to 2014, over the trips to Ukraine to bring our three kids home, I read the Artemis Fowl series.

The reason I mention this, is that our son, Justin, has developed a rule. He will not read any book that has been adapted to a movie. He won't read the Harry Potter books for that reason. He's been reading Darren Shan, James Patterson and some other books. He's sticking hard and fast to The Rule. Except when it comes to Star Wars. He wants to read read them... All in order... From I through VI... The Phantom Menace... Through Return of the Jedi...

I say that slowly, because he vehemently denies that Parts IV, V and VI came before I, II and III. Which would seem logical. But no. 

I am learning just how different my son at his age from when I was his age. I had to read the book before I saw the movie. Now, I'd rather do what he's doing. Read a book that hasn't or won't be made into a movie.

Comic books, novels, television series and movies are all separate, singular experiences. What my son is teaching me is that Batman may work as a comic book character, or as Adam West or Kevin Conroy, but not so much as a movie. Very few novels survive the Adaptation. Just look at Stephen King fer instance.

It's interesting learning from my kids.