Author silverstar

The Retro Bin: Video Power (1990-1991)

silverstar 2 Comments

Today, The Retro Bin spotlights a popular video game themed kids’ show from the 1990’s.

No, not that one. This one featured several different video game characters from different titles.
No, that was 80’s. This show featured several video game characters together as a team of action heroes.
captain-n
Wrong again, but you’re getting warmer. In addition to the aforementioned cartoon segments, this show featured a live-action host and game show elements.
OK, I’ll turn over all the cards. The show in question is Video Power, an American television series that aired in two different formats from 1990-1992 in syndication.
Both formats of Video Power revolved around video games, and actor Stivi Paskoski presided over both series playing video game master Johnny Arcade, of the South Hampton Arcades, no doubt.
Season 1 Intro:
“DUUUUUDE! That was Funky, Funky Fresh!”
 
The first format of Video Power consisted of both live-action segments and cartoon segments from the Acclaim Entertainment-produced series, The Power Team.
The cartoon was an adventure featuring Johnny Arcade and a team of heroes from different NES games and a Game Boy game published by Acclaim: Max Force, a policeman from NARC; Kuros, the knight from Wizards and Warriors; Tyrone, a basketball player from Arch Rivals, because we all know how well pro athletes work as superheroes…
prostars-title
“LAME!”

Kwirk, a tomato from the game of the same name;

“In that opening, Kwirk jumps out of an NES, but the game Kwirk was exclusive to the Game Boy! Johnny Arcade is a big fat lair!!”

…and Bigfoot, a monster truck that had its own video game. Yes, the monster truck was a member of the team.

“What’re you sayin’, buddy? That vehicles aren’t essential to the team dynamic? Well, good luck walking to your next mission, smart guy!”
***************************************************************

The main enemy of each episode was mostly Mr. Big and his thugs, Joe and Spike, from NARC, while Malkil from Wizards and Warriors sometimes appears with the villains of NARC.

“Poseurs! If we suck so much, then why are these guys trying to rip us off?”
*****************************************************************

In the live action segments, Mr. Arcade would review and preview games that were currently out or forthcoming for consoles, as well as giving hints and tips for gamers that were having trouble achieving certain tasks in games. Sometimes he would go to an expo or a convention to show the booths of forthcoming titles. Viewers were also able to write into the show to receive hints.

For the show’s second season which began in the fall of 1991, the producers of Video Power completely overhauled its format and opening.

“DUUUUDE! the first theme was awesome, but that theme was TOTALLY BODACIOUS TO THE MAX!!!”

The Power Team were given the pink slip and the series was turned it into a game show. Johnny was joined by Terry Lee Torok, who served as his co-host and did more actual hosting that Arcade did, and Steve Treccase, the former Remote Control keyboardist who served as the leader of an in-house band that was added to the show as well. The game consisted of kids in the audience putting “Johnny on the spot” by asking him questions, a round of video game playing, a quiz, more game playing and a prize round. The winning player would….

…You know what? Who cares? This show was just 90’s cheese. That’s really all you need to know. Video Power was a very 90’s video game cash-in show. End of story. I’m out.

“HA-HA! In your face, producers!”
“Word??”
 
 
 
 
 

Nerdvana: Down on the Toon Farm

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Strap on your overalls, tune up your banjos and grab yourself a swig o’ moonshine, ’cause today Nerdvana embraces its’ inner bumpkin by celebrating some of my favorite rural themed cartoons. That’s right, we’re a-headin’…Down on the Toon Farm. Hit it, boys!

Now that we’ve so tastefully set the mood, let’s begin:

One of the locations which has been tickling my animation fancy lately is the farm/orchard home/bread-and-butter of the Apple family from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sweet Apple Acres.

Fun trivia fact: It was originally called ‘Big Apple Orchard’.
 
Not only does the property contains a farm house, a barn, and several apple orchards, but it’s also where the legendary Zap Apples are harvested.
Zap Apple
 I hear these are like Ecstasy, a rocket ship ride and ingesting Pop Rocks and soda all at the same time!
 
Next, 2 of my favorite Lalaloopsy characters, Sunny Side Up and Berry Jars ‘N’ Jam.
For one thing, these 2 are twins, so they already grabbed my attention. For another, they live in adjacent farm houses. Sunny Side Up, the more tomboyish dressing twin, is named for eggs, which her pet chick specializes in, while Berry is named after berries (duh) which she puts into her trademark pancakes. One sister was named after berries and the other after eggs. You’ve gotta love farm country.
“Eh, we both fared better than our cousin Colt 45!”
 
Next, this spot for Farm Heroes Saga. It’s long on cute, but I still like it.

That kind of reminds me of a cutesier version of U.S. Acres (known as Orson’s Farm outside of the US), Jim Davis’ not-Garfield comic strip which served as the added attraction on Garfield & Friends. If this were a series, then I picture Richard Horvitz voicing Rancid Raccoon, but that’s just me. One question, though: what the heck are those fruit thingies with the faces? I know some farms genetically modify their crops, but that’s just plain freaky! Speaking of mutants, the bird in that spot looks like a mutant Tweety Bird.

Next, one of the recently retired Ferris’ Funky Farm spots for the McDonald’s Happy Meal, before they axed this campaign in favor of a cringe-inducing red box with a manic grin.

“I like watching you sleep!”

-It’s best not to stare directly at it.

Anyway, opinions on the Ferris spots were mixed to say the least, but I kind of enjoyed them; they had a certain cheesy oddball appeal. I can usually take or leave Klasky-Csupo’s brightly colored sketchy art style, but I thought it worked here.

You know, it occurs to me: these spots were sort of like a bucolic version of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. (Today’s secret word is ‘hayseed’.) The surreal setting, the odd characters, the presence of such incongruous extinct creatures like a dodo and a dinosaur on a farm setting, all that’s missing is the King of Cartoons. Hey, a dino and a dodo on a farm make more sense than a male cow with an udder.

“OK, I’m a chick! ‘Sat what you wanna hear?! I just feel like a bull on the inside, AWRIGHT?!?”

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the first things that attracted me to rural toons, Daisy Mae from Al Capp’s Li’l Abner.

She’s gonna git her a man!

And honorable mention goes to her funhouse mirror knockoff, Daisy Mayhem from Hanna-Barbera’s Laff-A-Lympics.

I can only add one thing to that…..

Y’all come back now, y’hear?

DC Apparently Stands for "Don’t Chuckle"

silverstar 1 Comment

Ever wondered why Man of Steel and the Dark Knight trilogy were so grim and joyless? Well, it would seem that, according to Drew McWeeny of Hit Fix, that that Warner Bros. has applied an interesting policy when it comes to their upcoming slate of DC comic book movies. This policy can be summed up in just 2 words:

NO JOKES!
 
If this is to believed, then it would seem that the culprit to this current mode of thinking lies with the cinematic bomb that was the Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds, which was filled with cheesy one-liners and Reynolds’ non-stop quips, and this is also a way for DC to distinguish its’ movie franchise from arch-rival Marvel, who has made it a point to stuff as many jokes as they can in their films. However, as Drew points out, humor can be a great way to alleviate the tension of a scene as well as allowing for the suspension of disbelief, which is usually required to some degree in a comic book movie.
How do we feel about this alleged “No Jokes” policy, if true? Glad we pretended that you asked.
Damon (Silverstar):

If this is true, then it in a nutshell explains why I’m generally not that into a lot of action properties: so many of them just take themselves way too seriously. I guess DC is really trying to distinguish themselves from Marvel’s movies, but going all grim and serious really isn’t the way to go. They’ve forgotten a very basic premise: that when people go to the movies, particularly action movies, they want to go out together with their friends and family and have FUN. Just pure, escapist fun. Yeah, it’s great when the characters are badass and the story is deep and compelling and all that good stuff, but all that means nothing if the films are boring or a bummer to watch. That has little to no replay value. People are more apt to come back to a movie they had fun watching. People like to laugh, what’s wrong with laughing occasionally between explosions?

The idea that superhero stories have to be all grim and grown-up, I just can’t take that pretentious crap seriously. When your stories involve crazy do-good freaks in funky tights beating up bad guys armed with a Weather Dominator, how dark and serious is it supposed to be? The genre is already kind of silly to start with, so I don’t see the harm in having a little levity thrown in. I actually think Squirrel Girl said it best: “Things were better when the comic book world was a place you wanted to escape to, not from.”

Jason (Goldstar):

Everybody likes to laugh. What’s wrong with laughter? Man of Steel was desperately lacking in fun.

Seriously, though. I wouldn’t take a statement like that too seriously. It’s most likely just DC trying to differentiate their movie universe from Marvel’s. I mean, how can you make a movie about SHAZAM!, a story about a 12-year-old boy who is turned into a muscle bound Adonis by a wizard and who’s rogues’ gallery includes an intelligent ape and not have any jokes in it? I think that a dark, serious take on SHAZAM! would end up being more hilarious than it ever would be as a light hearted comedy.

This mentality has seemed to have seeped its’ way into the comics continuity as well;check out the murky and generally joyless New 52 titles, which are chock full of this “Look at how dark and grim and graphic and not funny and totally not for kids we are!!” attitude. It would seem that the DCAU/Brave and the Bold way of thinking is, for now, a thing of the past. The current mode of thinking at DC seems to be, “Can’t make these movies fun, lest we end up like Marvel”. And we think………

blue-beetle-and-booster-gold-100437

….That’s a laugh.