Episode 189 - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow: LIVE!

[Cam Bert 8145]

I want to expand of something Cameron mentioned earlier. This movie touts the "World of Tomorrow" but are they actually living in the world of tomorrow? I mean we do see some fantastical things like birdy planes, Iron Giants, Sub-planes, androids, dinosaurs, mini animals, etc. but most of these are the works of a mad scientist and most of it secret until the events of the movie. The other bits are used by this mercenary group and their British equivalent. We see none of this "world of tomorrow" in the actual everyday world. They're still using period type writers, they are still using period accurate cameras, they still have blimps, etc. The only real benefit of the everyday person living in the "world of tomorrow" seems to be they were able to make Wizard of Oz about half a year faster but everything else about it is the exact same. Don't you think somebody would have heard about Sky Captain and his exploits and asked "Gee, why is they have heat ray guns and yet it still takes me hours to cook my food!" For that matter Polly is Sky Captain's true love and yet he never got Dex to whip her up a better camera or something?

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

 

Maybe both?

 

Probably both

[tomspanks 9039]

I want to expand of something Cameron mentioned earlier. This movie touts the "World of Tomorrow" but are they actually living in the world of tomorrow? I mean we do see some fantastical things like birdy planes, Iron Giants, Sub-planes, androids, dinosaurs, mini animals, etc. but most of these are the works of a mad scientist and most of it secret until the events of the movie. The other bits are used by this mercenary group and their British equivalent. We see none of this "world of tomorrow" in the actual everyday world. They're still using period type writers, they are still using period accurate cameras, they still have blimps, etc. The only real benefit of the everyday person living in the "world of tomorrow" seems to be they were able to make Wizard of Oz about half a year faster but everything else about it is the exact same. Don't you think somebody would have heard about Sky Captain and his exploits and asked "Gee, why is they have heat ray guns and yet it still takes me hours to cook my food!" For that matter Polly is Sky Captain's true love and yet he never got Dex to whip her up a better camera or something?

 

And when they found out that Bai Ling was an android, they seemed unfazed.

[Dr_Revelator 17]

OH MY GAWD GUYS.

 

First of all let me say I THOUGHT this was The Rocketeer. It was a full 25 minutes in before I thinking, "I though Jennifer Connolly was in this?"

 

This one was the worst. I know that may sound hyperbolic, bus as I have to speak subjectively here, the movie has had the WORST effects on my life since watching it just to listen to this podcast.

 

My wife started getting angry within the first 10 minutes of me putting it on, and I have since come to learn all the ways that this movie may have permanently damaged our relationship.

 

Even trying to joke about how bad it was in the ensuing days post-viewing has elicited increasingly bitter, hostile glares.

 

You guys, she was so pissed about me making her watch that movie, even hearing people joke about how awful it was on the podcast pissed her off because, as she says, it makes her think about that movie again.

 

I've been with this woman for almost 20 years and our love for each other has endured through a lot and even though I've spent over a decade softening her up to the idea of watching 'bad' movie for their 'entertainment value', this movie has undone years of MST3K and LaffTrax conditioning. I think our relationship will survive, but I think I'm going have to give up on getting her to watch the four original Planet of the Apes sequels.

 

HDTGM has now been relegated to a 'headphones' only zone in my house for the time being.

[DeathToMikeyBay 130]

Surprised there was no talk about the people who made this.

 

The director, Kerry Conran, had never done anything before, but really wanted to make a movie. Like a 5 year old making a movie, he wanted to throw in everything he thought was awesome: Godzilla, robots, planes, kung fu, and Angelina Jolie as a mom. And like a 5 year old, it was a cargo cult mess.

 

Predictably, everyone turned down Conran's awful script. So how did this get made? Producer Jon Avnett thought the script was totally awesome bro, and funded it in addition to getting financing. It's like if Tommy Wiseau had a greater amount of funding and a lesser amount of glue huffing addiction.

 

The name "Jon Avnett" should sound familiar, because he's the guy who directed 88 Minutes (in addition to the other Pacino turd, Righteous Kill). I can't believe the HDTGM crew overlooked that overlap with their old reviews!

 

Conran went on to do absolutely nothing else, save one short called "Gumdrop" eight years later in 2012. The one other thing he did? Writing the novelization of Sky Captain the same year it was released.

 

Jon Avnett by himself is a particular black hole of awful. His one claim to fame is directing Fried Green Tomatoes. Other than that, it's a string of stuff NOBODY has ever heard of. The most baffling is he directed like half a dozen TV series all titled with a woman's first name: "Jan", "Vanessa and Jan", "Kendra", "Lauren", "Susanna".