Supermoan: Movie Moan's Ultimate Superman Retrospective Episode 4 - 'Supergirl' (1984)
Fri, May 17, 2013 You can watch this week's show on Blip:
Or on Youtube:
"Squirt!"
We tried folks; we try very hard to treat the forgotten, unloved child in the Superman film series with respect and serious analysis. But it just keeps throwing fucked up shit at us every time we try. So join your host Phil Gee, with Jamie Williams, Justin Korthof, and Randall Maynard as we try to make sense of it all.
Why is Argo City made from garbage bags? Why is Supergirl's first encounter with human life a pair of redneck rapists? Why is our main villain a trainee witch who doesn't know what the hell she's doing? Why won't the filmmakers actually reference the Superman movies in any way? Why won't anyone help Ethan in the street? Why is that monster INVISIBLE?
On top of trying to make sense of these issues, we also take an ever so slightly serious look at the character of Supergirl in DC mythology and whether she has a place on the silver screen again, let alone in the comics.
This may well be our funniest episode.
Download the audio only MP3 version right here:
Supermoan Movie Moan's Ultimate Superman Retrospective Episode 4 - Supergirl (1984) - audio version
Reader Comments (9)
Phil, before I can comment, can I ask you for a massive, massive favor? Would there be any way you could put each MM podcast on Youtube from now on? It's just so much easier to deal with than the platform you're using now which takes forever to load and is much more cumbersome to rewind/fast forward than YT.
I...love Supergirl. It was one of my favorite guilty pleasures growing up, along w/the Masters of the Universe movie w/Dolph Lundgren (feel free to do a scathing retrospective of that). And Helen Slater was so gorgeous but I could never understand why Linda Lee's hair had to look so different from Supergirl's but whatever. And what Faye Dunaway doing in this movie? I would've thought she had more starpower and better representation than to take something like this.
By the way I'm pretty certain Clark Kent's name is signed on the fake reference letter Linda Lee types in the office so no, her cousin isn't Bob El (and I think she mentions Clark's name to Lucy, too at some point). But I do love the idea of Bob as the long lost El. Pitch the idea, Phil, you'll make millions! ;)
@Shelly
I will certainly try. Youtube is a lot more picky about copywright and what qualifies than Blip is. I'm amazed we managed to get these Superman videos up there. But you took the time to watch our work so we will give you what you want.
And yes, Kara knows who her cousin is. She just never clues the audience in. And again, how does she know his alter ego name?
Thank you! I feel a little bad for asking now - didn't realize there's copyright issues involved and I certainly don't want you folks to get into trouble over that so feel free not to do it if it's not possible. I don't find Blip impossible, just mostly annoying but I can live with it.
Lol, well really how does Kara know anything in this movie is a mystery, period. The way she struts around and all, it's like she's been to Earth before! And it's funny because she's supposed to be a teenager on Argo (which I've come to accept was some sort of secret suburb of Krypton no one, even Kryptonians, knew about or much cared when Krypton blew up) but she feels more like a full-grown woman on earth (her Supergirl persona, not her Linda Lee persona). Face it, not an iota about this movie makes sense and that's why it's so much fun to grill this cheesefest.
Looking forward to your Superman 4 retro, though I HATED the movie as a kid, not because of how dumb it was, but because Clark/Superman was eyeing some woman besides Lois, grr!
Superman IV is actually my first VHS i bought. In my defence i was a teenager and i never seen it in cinemas and at that point i never heard about how bad it was. But it's behind Superman I and II as most watched Superman film. And despite the cheesiness of it all i kinda like it.
You made excellent points with the Supergirl review. Things i've never realised and things referenced but man oh man was i a little dissapointed (just kidding :-) ) that when you guys go into great lenghts about the flying and the superfamily side of things not one made the connection with the movie "No way back" where future Jor-el and Supergirl go all "Commando". Oh, and Lady Deathstrike is there too but we're not talking Marvel now...okay forget i mention it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5_0IvsJOmc
Is it by the way too much to ask if you can slip a little of Paul Fishmans mostly axed superman IV soundtrack in your Superman IV review.
For me it's a great slice of '80s pop as great as anything as soundtrack goes from that era.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6xCSzFN4PI
Another great installment. Supergirl was always a disapointment to me. When I was younger, it was mostly about how different it was from the Superman films and even back then I realized that they explained absolutely nothing about the Argo or the character's origins.
The Super Best Friends Forever cartoon I believe still airs as a short on Cartoon Network's DC Nation block. It's actually pretty enjoyable. I defintely see a future for Supergirl in movies and TV. I think that Jamie's right in that TV is likely a better place for her. I think the comments made about a cartoon are spot on, but I also think she can work in live-action and WB seems to really be pursuing that right now.
In terms of the movies, Kara does appear in the Man of Steel prequel comic. Since that was co-written by David Goyer, I think we can accept it as cannon, meaning she does exist in the new cinematic universe, at least in some form.
Thanks again for working on these and I look forward to Superman IV and beyond!
The Chicken theory. I think Lex Luthor's had some chicken on his dinner table in the first Superman, but I might be wrong. (And if it was me editing the video, I would have put in a Tapeheads (1988) reference (Roscoe's Chicken rap) because I love that film so much...
Anyway, I think the choice of Selene had to do with Superman/Supergirl's vulnerability to magic.
I don't think the awful stench of the film was Helen Slater's fault. I think it was everything else (I know they didn't have a budget, but why "guide" a tractor as opposed to picking it up?) BUT this film along with 'Legend Of Billie Jean' made Slater box office poison. Her best big screen work would come in a supporting role in 'Ruthless People'. I started to warm up to Slater after that even though her brother Chris started getting more work than she did,
I'm almost surprised you didn't edit some of Billie Jean in with the attempted rape scene in Supergirl - in Billie Jean, she kicked a couple guys in the nuts. I remember Billie Jean more than I do Supergirl anyway. This retrospective...I kind of remember...memory's very fuzzy...
I didn't know future Max Headroom Matt Frewer was in the film. I'm also surprised you guys didn't put in a Watchmen reference. Not to mention that Watchmen was directed by Zach Snyder.
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I was driving home today and noticed a landscaper truck and thought of Justin's one-liner about them both "fighting over a landscape artist" and started laughing like a lunatic, thank God no one else was in the car with me, they might've thought I'd lost my mind. Thanks a bunch, guys. XD
Is it possible Kentucky Fried Chicken was a secret financier of the Superman/Supergirl movies?
@Springrose
Oh yes indeedy. I am a huge fan of the 'Superman IV' soundtrack and we have a section in our video which is really just an excuse to play his songs. You'll love it.
@Shelly
That made my day. Our words are staying with you in your regular life.
Oh, your words definitely stay with me. I love the Violating Our Secret Holes podcast so much, I must've listened to it at least 10 times by now. Gabe was the funniest, but Justin came close with his line "It's a fucking bridge, just cross it!" hahahahaha. I think your reviews of The Hobbit are far more entertaining than the movie itself probably is.