January 26

G.I. Joe : “Arise, Serpentor, Arise!”, -1986

Welcome back to another brand new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! Dion Baia and J. Blake are taking a trip down memory lane, covering an epic story from a monumental television series from our collective youth. The boys are revisiting the animated classic G.I. Joe, and the 5-parter storyline that premiered Season 2 and reset the series, called “Arise, Serpentor, Arise! “, from 1986.

 

Arise, Serpentor, Arise! VHS cover

Blake and Dion analyze the origins and history of G.I. Joe as a toyline from Hasbro, and how with its reinvention in 1982 (with the help of Marvel Comics), became one of the biggest and most popular toy lines in history. In typical SNMS fashion, they discuss the Serpentor storyline and utilize as a cross reference, the differences in the comic book‘s story arc, to unpack how ahead of its time this and other core stories were in G.I. Joe, and how the Season 2 reset launched an entire new line of toys for us to buy. So come on and have a listen as the boys revisit a classic, on an all new edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

*The 1945 Robert Mitchum/Burgess Meredith film is titled The Story of G.I. Joe, not just G.I. Joe.

*Dion misspoke and said Lifeline when he meant Lift-Ticket, who piloted the Tomahawk helicopter.

Extras!

As discussed in the podcast, Blake & Dion attended Hascon in September of 2017. Here are some photos they took of the G.I. Joe display (We apologize for the reflections in some of the pictures- we just couldn’t eliminate those pesky things; and for the framing of other pics- we were moving as quickly as we could to see all the displays! ):

For more extras, click more!

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Category: Action, Adventure, Animation, Childrens, Classic, Comic Books, Marvel, toys | 4 Comments on G.I. Joe : “Arise, Serpentor, Arise!”, -1986
March 27

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, 1971

The boys are back, kicking in the door with a beloved classic for this week’s all new edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers, and it is a trip to a world of Pure Imagination, with 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

wonka poster

Dion and Blake dig deep into the dark side and undertones of this film which, to be fair, has some pretty surprising things going on in a 1971 child’s film. Based on renowned author Roald Dahl‘s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, what evidently led to Dahl practically disowning the movie, even though he was signed on to write the screenplay? How important was the casting of Mr. Wonka in this film, and more to the point, how awesome is Gene Wilder? What about the 2005 Tim Burton remake? How does that fair to this version, and what does Wilder himself thing of the ’05 version? Dion and Blake also reminisce about their own experiences in meeting the cast of this classic film.  So come on down for an all-across-the-board audience favorite, in this all new installment of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

(Don’t believe us? Check out this 2013 interview with the legend Gene Wilder, as he talks about his film career, and the 2005 reboot.)

(Here’s a complete video courtesy of LuckPennyShop, demoing the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Candy Maker Kit!)

(Do you think this 2014 50th Anniversary edition cover for Roald Dahl‘s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory warranted the controversy?)

(Have a look at the 2013 musical production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… and decide for yourself…)

(Take a gander at Dion‘s once-in-a-lifetime chance of meeting Mr. Wilder in 2008!)

 

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January 30

G.I.Joe the Movie, 1987

Straight out of Hasbro, toy’s with attitude, Dion Baia and J.Blake are back for a spontaneous Part 2 of their momentous Podcast to ring in the 2015 New Year, deciding to take on the supremely unrated G.I.Joe the Movie, from 1987.

G_I_-Joe-The-Movie-Poster-1987

Following up Part 1 where they went head to head with the super-iconic 1986 favorite Transformers the Movie, J. Blake and Dion flip the record over and check out side B of that Marvel/Hasbro late-80’s film mash-up, screening yet another childhood classic. They dissect and analyze, while peppering historical context and lightly salt with some personal reflections regarding the film and the era it was released. Had Joe been released prior to Transformers, would Optimus Prime still have died? What would that have said then about Duke’s fate? While bringing up a third and largely unknown venture that was released and hence sealed the fate for the now defunct Sunbow Animation Studios, Dion learns for the first time on tape exactly what “Bronies” are and how the heck they relate to Autobots or Cobra. And how did this new film along with Transformers the Movie ultimately nix a theatrical release for G.I.Joe a year later? Well grab your notebooks, VCRs, and your hats because the boys are chatting up another fun one for this new edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

Here’s an ultra rare VHS promo for G.I.Joe the Movie!

Check out a chance to win your very own Sgt. Slaughter figure! (Full disclosure, offer expires January 31st, 1987)

And do you remember all your friends having the ‘The Refrigator’ Perry toy except you?!

Finally, here is the complete, super-rare vintage 1980’s G.I.Joe commercials for the Marvel Comic books, complete with original animation done for selling the books!

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Category: Action, Adventure, Animation, Childrens, Comic Books, Martial Arts, Marvel, Television, toys, Uncategorized | Comments Off on G.I.Joe the Movie, 1987