This is Antibishonen Speaks discussing current events and relationships. In honor of The Winter Soldier, I’m going to discuss Captain America; the first movie adaptation. But first, a prologue about superhero movies.
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Superhero movies weren’t really kind to the 80s and the 90s since they are usually produced by low-budget producers including the Golan-Globus team. Though some franchises survived mediocrity, many superheroes were never taken seriously until the turnaround came after the year 2000.
And wouldn’t you know: Captain America was one of those heroes that suffered this fate. Not only Captain America suffered from the dragged on TV pilot, the movie suffered when it produced by one of the Golan-Globus producers.
And one of the most unfortunate actors who got the big role was Matt Salinger, aka the son of the late J. D. Salinger (who authored ‘Catcher in the Rye’). As what many actors have feared, a big role like this usually make or break any other potential acting work.
(Self)
And boy did Matt Salinger hit a brick wall when he premiered in the ‘90s Captain America’. It also didn’t help that ‘90s Captain America’ acted more like an irresponsible jerk.
However, that’s not the reason why I didn’t like Captain America. There’s one critical flaw about this movie that had nothing to do with the superhero himself.
I might be a snob about saying this, but I’m critical when there are movies that aren’t filmed at their proper location, especially when it comes to historical drama or contemporary fiction.
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For instance, in the movie ‘Miracle’, it made me wanna cry when I found out Disney filmed the famous Lake Placid Olympic scene in Canada, even though Herb Brooks Arena is still intact. Adding more insults to injury, the extras that chanted ‘USA’ at the end are Canadians.
However, I do give leeway to some movies when producers tried to find suitable locations. Dirty Dancing was filmed in North Carolina because they weren’t able to find a suitable resort in the Catskills.
(self)
What does this have to do with Captain America? Well, producers knew that filming in Eastern Europe is a cost-saving, tax-incentive strategy. Unfortunately, if not done correctly, critics would see through the ruse and declare this movie a cheaply made production, ironically enough. But this unintentionally make ‘90s Captain America’ infamous.
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Why? Because ‘90s Captain America’, a movie based on an American Superhero, was partially produced in former Yugoslavia.
Golan, you made ‘Captain America’ in a country that used to practice Communism!
I’m speechless how this project was greenlit in the first place. Yes, I know then Eastern Europe aren’t usually up to date on American Culture, but how Yugoslavia overlooked ‘Captain America’ is beyond explanation. The word ‘America’ is right there in front of the title and this was still at the height of the Cold War! Though, Yugoslavia had issues with Stalin.
As expected, Captain America didn’t do well with the critics and the fans. Matt Salinger is only a footnote in the movie industry, Captain America franchise went into a standstill, and Marvel was hit hard due to bad business deals including the comic book speculative market. It barely survived bankruptcy from two corporate raiders.
Thankfully, Captain America is back into theaters, along with the other Marvel franchises that survived the turmoil. Just don’t let any low-class producer make a movie like that again! It’s the patriotic way to support the red, the white, and the blue for Captain America.
This is Antibishonen Speaks reminding you to protect the environment! Be sure to recycle….
Oh forget it, nobody gives a hoot!
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