Episode 178 - Superman IV: The Quest For Peace: LIVE!

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

I ask you all... did you ever wonder who attended the UK premier for this film??

 

Was Margot on her way to prom after this?

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

Maybe I'm getting the timeline of the movie mixed up but doesn't Superman interact with Lex Luthor midway through the movie? Before Luthor created Nuclear Man? Why didn't Superman just take him to the police then?

 

Perhaps he was under red kryptonite influence.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

Happy Life-Day, everyone!

 

 

Keep it classy.

 

[Chopping MAL 15]

The entire chain gang scene is ridiculous.

 

Having only two guards for a chain gang seems stupid especially when that chain gang includes a man who almost sank California into the ocean! Not to mention having successfully escaped from prison before. Honestly how is Lex not in a maximum security prison or on death row? He used missles to cause an earthquake on US soil. Then teams up with alien conquerors to take over the country! And at the end of this movie Superman drops him back off at prison and says to him "See you in twenty". TWENTY?!

 

Multiple attempts at world domination and escaping prison twice only gets you twenty?

 

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

The entire chain gang scene is ridiculous.

 

Having only two guards for a chain gang seems stupid especially when that chain gang includes a man who almost sank California into the ocean! Not to mention having successfully escaped from prison before. Honestly how is Lex not in a maximum security prison or on death row? He used missles to cause an earthquake on US soil. Then teams up with alien conquerors to take over the country! And at the end of this movie Superman drops him back off at prison and says to him "See you in twenty". TWENTY?!

 

Multiple attempts at world domination and escaping prison twice only gets you twenty?

My issue with Lex Luthor's imprisonment isn't how unguarded he is while in prison or how easily he escaped his chain gang: it's that he's in jail at all! He's a white billionaire, how many of those guys actually do hard time for anything? Hell, Donald Trump is basically Stupid Sex Criminal Luthor with a less snazzy wardrobe, and he's the God damn president!

[Chopping MAL 15]

My issue with Lex Luthor's imprisonment isn't how unguarded he is while in prison or how easily he escaped his chain gang: it's that he's in jail at all! He's a white billionaire, how many of those guys actually do hard time for anything? Hell, Donald Trump is basically Stupid Sex Criminal Luthor with a less snazzy wardrobe, and he's the God damn president!

 

Maybe that's why the police and even Superman treat him with such a slap on the wrist attitude. Like "Here goes Lex again, trying to take over the world. Ha Ha Ha oh well lets put him in a minimum security prison for a little bit. Boys will be boys."

 

I would say maybe that was a commentary the films were trying to make, but I think that would be giving them too much credit.

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

Is now the appropriate time to mention that Sidney J. Furie won a BAFTA award and was nominated for the Palme D'Or for the 1965 thriller, The Ipcress File?

 

Long way from that to being fired from the Jazz Singer and directing Superman IV.

[NaughtyByNurture 15]

In "The Quest for Peace" Superman decides to rid the world of the threat of nuclear war by collecting all the nuclear weapons and throwing them into the Sun, which would presumably detonate them. In the movie this makes Nuclear Man, but in reality the results would be much worse.

 

In the 1950s and 1960s NASA experimented with the affects of detonating nuclear weapons in space. What they found was that because there wasn't any atmosphere to slow the nuclear explosion, the radiation would travel farther and produce a higher frequency of radiation than those weapons detonated on Earth. They also found that the farther out into space they took the weapons, the more you intensify its radioactive levels and reach.

 

In 1987 when the movie came out there were 61,662 total nuclear warheads worldwide. If Superman detonated all of these bombs in the Sun that means high levels of radiation would spread across a huge expanse of outer space, having untold negative consequences on planets and other celestial bodies.

 

When the radiation of all those nukes reached Earth it would have disastrous consequences. Although the radiation would be burned up in the atmosphere, and thus wouldn't be a high enough level to kill anyone, the radiation hitting the atmosphere would release a giant Electromagnetic Pulse. This EMP would knock out power grids and communication networks, potentially on a global scale.

 

Superman may have ended mutually assured destruction, but he basically created a dystopian hell-scape where space is ruined with radiation and the world doesn't have power.

[grudlian. 4725]

In "The Quest for Peace" Superman decides to rid the world of the threat of nuclear war by collecting all the nuclear weapons and throwing them into the Sun, which would presumably detonate them. In the movie this makes Nuclear Man, but in reality the results would be much worse.

 

In the 1950s and 1960s NASA experimented with the affects of detonating nuclear weapons in space. What they found was that because there wasn't any atmosphere to slow the nuclear explosion, the radiation would travel farther and produce a higher frequency of radiation than those weapons detonated on Earth. They also found that the farther out into space they took the weapons, the more you intensify its radioactive levels and reach.

 

In 1987 when the movie came out there were 61,662 total nuclear warheads worldwide. If Superman detonated all of these bombs in the Sun that means high levels of radiation would spread across a huge expanse of outer space, having untold negative consequences on planets and other celestial bodies.

 

When the radiation of all those nukes reached Earth it would have disastrous consequences. Although the radiation would be burned up in the atmosphere, and thus wouldn't be a high enough level to kill anyone, the radiation hitting the atmosphere would release a giant Electromagnetic Pulse. This EMP would knock out power grids and communication networks, potentially on a global scale.

 

Superman may have ended mutually assured destruction, but he basically created a dystopian hell-scape where space is ruined with radiation and the world doesn't have power.

but if we all saved our work first we'd be good to pick up where we left off though right???

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

In "The Quest for Peace" Superman decides to rid the world of the threat of nuclear war by collecting all the nuclear weapons and throwing them into the Sun, which would presumably detonate them. In the movie this makes Nuclear Man, but in reality the results would be much worse.

Not exactly sure? Most (if not all) present day nuclear weapons are thermonuclear (e.g. hydrogen bombs). While they have a fission (uranium) component, the vast majority of the power generated derives from the fusion of hydrogen. The relatively minor difference in mass between four hydrogen atoms and one helium atom yields a massive amount of energy (per E=mc²) and so these bombs are quite powerful!

 

But the entire core of the sun is hydrogen gas, and the sun generates energy through fusion reactions. Detonating mankind's entire nuclear arsenal on its surface would hardly make a blip in the sun's regular output. After all, the earth (and all its fissile material) probably came from the sun to begin with. And while radiation, like all particles, will expand to fill a greater volume in the vastness of space, it will also be more dilute. I don't think it would matter particularly much. It's also worth pointing out that almost none of those particles would be able to escape the Sun's massive gravitational field in the first place.

 

In other words, the Superman disposal plan is totally solid.... I think?

[SeaSkunk 212]

Is anyone else watching Jean Claude van Johnson with the one and only JCVD? It's amazing.

[RyanSz 3140]

Is anyone else watching Jean Claude van Johnson with the one and only JCVD? It's amazing.

It's on my watchlist as I'm currently finishing up American Gods, and I think I'll only be able to get through a few episodes of JCVJ since the new season of Black Mirror comes out this Friday.

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

The entire chain gang scene is ridiculous.

 

Having only two guards for a chain gang seems stupid especially when that chain gang includes a man who almost sank California into the ocean! Not to mention having successfully escaped from prison before. Honestly how is Lex not in a maximum security prison or on death row? He used missles to cause an earthquake on US soil. Then teams up with alien conquerors to take over the country! And at the end of this movie Superman drops him back off at prison and says to him "See you in twenty". TWENTY?!

 

Multiple attempts at world domination and escaping prison twice only gets you twenty?

My issue with Lex Luthor's imprisonment isn't how unguarded he is while in prison or how easily he escaped his chain gang: it's that he's in jail at all! He's a white billionaire, how many of those guys actually do hard time for anything? Hell, Donald Trump is basically Stupid Sex Criminal Luthor with a less snazzy wardrobe, and he's the God damn president!

Considering that Lex Luther is a Wile E. Coyote-level supergenius, it's odd that his best plan for escaping such a rinky-dink chain gang is to have his idiot nephew trap them in a car and drive them non-fatally off the cliff. I'm surprised it never occurred to him how easily two cops could been overpowered by a half dozen guys with pick-axes. Or how about just throw a rock? That would seem to be enough.

 

This comes back to what I said earlier about Lex Luthor being 1950s "Batman" villain-level incompetent. Either we're supposed to take him seriously when he says he's a genius and therefore take him seriously, in general, or we're supposed to see, based on available evidence, that he's a fool when he says this and thus never take him seriously again.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Considering that Lex Luther is a Wile E. Coyote-level supergenius, it's odd that his best plan for escaping such a rinky-dink chain gang is to have his idiot nephew trap them in a car and drive them non-fatally off the cliff. I'm surprised it never occurred to him how easily two cops could been overpowered by a half dozen guys with pick-axes. Or how about just throw a rock? That would seem to be enough.

 

This comes back to what I said earlier about Lex Luthor being 1950s "Batman" villain-level incompetent. Either we're supposed to take him seriously when he says he's a genius and therefore take him seriously, in general, or we're supposed to see, based on available evidence, that he's a fool when he says this and thus never take him seriously again.

I agree, and that's part of the fundamental flaw in this movie. It presents this very real, very present, and intractable problem of nuclear proliferation and the resulting annihilation via WWIII, but the main antagonist is a cartoon character that Adam West could dispose of with a quick catchphrase and a spray of his patented Dipshit Repellent pulled from his Bat-Belt.

[Cameron H. 23786]

I agree, and that's part of the fundamental flaw in this movie. It presents this very real, very present, and intractable problem of nuclear proliferation and the resulting annihilation via WWIII, but the main antagonist is a cartoon character that Adam West could dispose of with a quick catchphrase and a spray of his patented Dipshit Repellent pulled from his Bat-Belt.

 

World's Finest

 

[PollyDarton 1807]

Since things are quieting down for this board I just want to add how oddly relevant I found this movie to be. The threat of Nuclear war, a distrust of Russia, tabloid journalism wreaking havoc over newspapers that can no longer make any money selling their brand, nepotism of the wealthy and their unqualified children, and of course Billionaire's that should be in prison hanging out in tacky rooms of gold...

 

It's all just very current.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

 

World's Finest

 

Come to think of Super-Friends, and when picking super-genius villains, this movie would be at least twice as good if Lex teamed up with a certain other distinguished actor portraying an... EGGO-maniacal baddie...

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Come to think of Super-Friends, and when picking super-genius villains, this movie would be at least twice as good if Lex teamed up with a certain other distinguished actor portraying an... EGGO-maniacal baddie...

 

Because Vincent Price makes everything infinitely better with his mere presence

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

 

World's Finest

 

 

Pure. West.

 

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

 

Because Vincent Price makes everything infinitely better with his mere presence

 

Hell. Yes. I couldn't have said it better myself.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Hell. Yes. I couldn't have said it better myself.

My mom is a big Vincent Price fan, so I grew up watching a lot of his old movies.

is one of the best things that has ever happened, and I've seen it what is probably an unreasonable amount of times.

 

So I was quite surprised when I got to college and we watched the version of The Fall of the House of Usher starring Price (and directed by Roger Corman!), people in my class straight up hated it. They were like, "Why are we watching this shitty, ham-fisted, over-dramatic garbage?" And I was just going, "BUT VINCENT PRICE IS IN IT!!!"

 

Not for the first time...I failed to win any others over to my side with that argument.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

My mom is a big Vincent Price fan, so I grew up watching a lot of his old movies.

is one of the best things that has ever happened, and I've seen it what is probably an unreasonable amount of times.

 

So I was quite surprised when I got to college and we watched the version of The Fall of the House of Usher starring Price (and directed by Roger Corman!), people in my class straight up hated it. They were like, "Why are we watching this shitty, ham-fisted, over-dramatic garbage?" And I was just going, "BUT VINCENT PRICE IS IN IT!!!"

 

Not for the first time...I failed to win any others over to my side with that argument.

Say WHAT?!?!

Anyone who doesn't take absolute delight in the Corman/Price Edgar Allen Poe films... I just can't comprhened. I love all of them! Mayhaps not equally, but if you love movies enough to take film classes, I can't understand not being able to get some joy out of them.

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

Vincent Price factoid;

 

The rapper Antonio Hardy took his stage name "Big Daddy Kane" from Vincent Price's role in Beach Party.

Although judging by their wardrobes, it looks like his inspiration was more Dr. Goldfoot:

 

 

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Say WHAT?!?!

Anyone who doesn't take absolute delight in the Corman/Price Edgar Allen Poe films... I just can't comprhened. I love all of them! Mayhaps not equally, but if you love movies enough to take film classes, I can't understand not being able to get some joy out of them.

Well, to maybe give a bit more perspective: it was an English class at a community college (no shade against community colleges because mine was great to me, but man, the freshman level classes there are rough if you actually like learning).

[foxa 8]

Longtime listener, first-time poster...and coming in very late on this topic.

 

I had a tiny part in the film, so can add to a couple of the points made on the podcast.

1. Christopher Reeve was very pleasant on the set.

2. There were some signs of money problems/lack of special effects. I played a newlywed who was trying to get into a hip nightclub. At one point, Christopher Reeve was told to blow on me and that would suggest that my husband and I were blown into the nightclub. He said, 'Won't it just look like I'm spitting on this perfectly nice girl?' There was also some ridiculous product placement - for no reason my character had to suddenly drink some yogurt drink (making sure the product's name was on view) like you do when you're a newlywed who can't get into a nightclub.

3. I was invited to the premiere and discovered.....my scene (along with about 40 minutes of the film) were cut. I was mortified - I'd been in for some post-syncing and had seen it (it was the Metro Club scene) and thought it had a goofy charm.

4. The Metro Club scene is one of the those mysterious deleted scenes no one seems to have got their hands on - my memory was that it was supposed to look like a Studio 54 club with (and now I'm wondering if I hallucinated this) a bunch of people dressed like the Statue of Liberty.

5. My husband who came to the audition with me and was spotted by the casting director played....Man on the Great Wall of China. Yeah, one of the non-Chinese people up on the wall.

 

Love the podcast (hope you do a live show in London sometime) - I was in (or been cut out of) some other bad films, so they'll probably pop up some time.