Super Capers
Encyclopedia
Super Capers is a 2009 action
comedy film
and a parody
of superhero
movies, written and directed by Ray Griggs who also starred as one of the misfit superheros.
) in a red outfit being followed through a dark alleyway by a mysterious man who clearly has criminal intent. As she corners herself in a dead end, Ed Gruberman (Justin Whalin
) arrives to save the day. The woman, calling herself simply "Red" reveals to both of the men that she has super powers, disabling the robber whom Ed strikes with a 2x4, sending him through the window of a law office. Red kisses Gruberman passionately before disappearing into the night, and he is left standing as the police come to arrest him.
In court, Gruberman is standing trial for viciously attacking an "innocent bystander" the mugger being defended by Roger Cheatem (Tom Sizemore
) is flattened by the judge (Michael Rooker
) who takes sympathy to Gruberman's story of how his parents were killed after an accident at their circus wound up with them being killed by a short bus. In particular his fascination and respect for the television superhero the Dark Winged Vesper, with whom Ed shares his orphaning (and lack of powers unbeknownst to the court). Ed is fined $1 for the payment to the law firm's window and sentenced to a halfway house
to super heroes whose powers still have not yet been developed. Ed is taken there by a cab driver (Adam West
) who proclaims he too was a superhero once, named the Manbat. When he arrives, he meets Sarge (Tommy Lister
) who is the Capers' human liaison and other superheroes; Puffer Boy (Ray Griggs) who, when he gets frightened puffs up like a puffer fish, Herman Brainard (Sam Lloyd
) who has the power to move objects with his over-sized mind, Will Powers (Ryan McPartlin
) the vain and most super powered member of the group, and Felicia Freeze (Danielle Harris
) an ice powered girl with whom Ed develops an immediate attraction to. Along with the unimaginative "Q" also known as Herbert who has a robot similar to a tiny version of Arnold Schwarzenegger
as the Terminator
whose primary invention was an RV fashioned after the DeLorean DMC-12 time machine from the Back to the Future
films, complete with a flux capacitor, which they cannot tell actually works because the RV cannot get up to 88 miles per hour.
The group is called out on a mission to stop Captain Sludge (Jon Polito
) a diminutive super villain with powers of super speed and his minotaur
minion, and in a show of panic, Gruberman proclaims he has the power of "Prayer" and supposedly forces a lamppost to fall onto the minotaur, allowing the heroes to be victorious and earning Felicia's eye. However, Gruberman's world begins to fall apart, when he and Brainard attempt to follow the suspicious judge incognito, and Ed is set up for stealing millions in Gold Bullion and sending them to a Swiss Bank account, which the number was found conveniently in his pocket. He is sent to visit the Judge, who reveals himself to both be Gruberman's father AND the Dark Winged Vesper, and that the stunt that killed his parents was orchestrated by him, (but not intended to be fatal). Red, his accomplice makes an appearance and the pair attempt to lure Gruberman to the dark side (a'la Star Wars
). Gruberman manages to escape, and in an ensuing chase, he drives the RV off the Mount Rushmore
national monument, and when telling God that he will soon be with him, the vehicle reaches 88 miles per hour, sending him back to the date of his first mission 1 week prior (as Will Powers had put the date into the time circuits to mark the event). He travels to the bridge, and learns that should he encounter his past self (before that he saw the judge and imitates the voice of Vito Corleone
and the catchphrase "it was not personal, it was only business"), one of them would spontaneously combust. He manages to meet the Super Capers, and in the process of revealing the Judge's plans encounters his younger self. After giving away the events to follow in the week ahead, the Judge is arrested and Sludge and his minotaur surrender while Red is defeated and Freeze admits her attraction to Gruberman. The confusion of two Grubermans is resolved, however when the past version combusts, leaving only the one from the future and the day appears to be saved.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
and a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
movies, written and directed by Ray Griggs who also starred as one of the misfit superheros.
Premise
Would-be superhero, Ed Gruberman, who possesses no super powers must join a team of misfit heroes-in-training known as The Super Capers. Having only faith, Gruberman must travel through time to uncover an begins with a woman (Christine LakinChristine Lakin
Christine Helen Lakin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/CBS situation comedy Step by Step and as Joan of Arc in Showtime's Reefer Madness...
) in a red outfit being followed through a dark alleyway by a mysterious man who clearly has criminal intent. As she corners herself in a dead end, Ed Gruberman (Justin Whalin
Justin Whalin
Justin Garrett Whalin is an American actor best known for his role as Jimmy Olsen in the American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
) arrives to save the day. The woman, calling herself simply "Red" reveals to both of the men that she has super powers, disabling the robber whom Ed strikes with a 2x4, sending him through the window of a law office. Red kisses Gruberman passionately before disappearing into the night, and he is left standing as the police come to arrest him.
In court, Gruberman is standing trial for viciously attacking an "innocent bystander" the mugger being defended by Roger Cheatem (Tom Sizemore
Tom Sizemore
Thomas Edward "Tom" Sizemore, Jr. is an American film and television actor and producer. He is known for his roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Strange Days, Pearl Harbor, Heat and Black Hawk Down....
) is flattened by the judge (Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
) who takes sympathy to Gruberman's story of how his parents were killed after an accident at their circus wound up with them being killed by a short bus. In particular his fascination and respect for the television superhero the Dark Winged Vesper, with whom Ed shares his orphaning (and lack of powers unbeknownst to the court). Ed is fined $1 for the payment to the law firm's window and sentenced to a halfway house
Halfway house
The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
to super heroes whose powers still have not yet been developed. Ed is taken there by a cab driver (Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
) who proclaims he too was a superhero once, named the Manbat. When he arrives, he meets Sarge (Tommy Lister
Tom Lister, Jr.
-World Wrestling Federation :Lister appeared in the 1989 wrestling movie No Holds Barred, which was financed by the World Wrestling Federation and starred Hulk Hogan. Lister's role was Zeus, a brutal monster heel....
) who is the Capers' human liaison and other superheroes; Puffer Boy (Ray Griggs) who, when he gets frightened puffs up like a puffer fish, Herman Brainard (Sam Lloyd
Sam Lloyd
Sam Lloyd may refer to:*Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of Washington National Cathedral*Sam Lloyd, recurring guest character on several television shows including Scrubs and Desperate Housewives-See also:...
) who has the power to move objects with his over-sized mind, Will Powers (Ryan McPartlin
Ryan McPartlin
Ryan McPartlin is an American actor, best known for his role as Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb on NBC's Chuck.-Early life:...
) the vain and most super powered member of the group, and Felicia Freeze (Danielle Harris
Danielle Harris
Danielle Andrea Harris is an American film and television actress, best known as a scream queen for her roles in several horror films, four of them in the Halloween series: in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Jamie Lloyd and in Halloween and...
) an ice powered girl with whom Ed develops an immediate attraction to. Along with the unimaginative "Q" also known as Herbert who has a robot similar to a tiny version of Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
as the Terminator
Terminator
-Science:*Terminator , the line between the day and night sides of a planetary body*Terminator , the end of a gene for transcription-Technology:*Terminator , a resistor at the end of a transmission line to prevent signal reflection...
whose primary invention was an RV fashioned after the DeLorean DMC-12 time machine from the Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
films, complete with a flux capacitor, which they cannot tell actually works because the RV cannot get up to 88 miles per hour.
The group is called out on a mission to stop Captain Sludge (Jon Polito
Jon Polito
Jon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
) a diminutive super villain with powers of super speed and his minotaur
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
minion, and in a show of panic, Gruberman proclaims he has the power of "Prayer" and supposedly forces a lamppost to fall onto the minotaur, allowing the heroes to be victorious and earning Felicia's eye. However, Gruberman's world begins to fall apart, when he and Brainard attempt to follow the suspicious judge incognito, and Ed is set up for stealing millions in Gold Bullion and sending them to a Swiss Bank account, which the number was found conveniently in his pocket. He is sent to visit the Judge, who reveals himself to both be Gruberman's father AND the Dark Winged Vesper, and that the stunt that killed his parents was orchestrated by him, (but not intended to be fatal). Red, his accomplice makes an appearance and the pair attempt to lure Gruberman to the dark side (a'la Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
). Gruberman manages to escape, and in an ensuing chase, he drives the RV off the Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
national monument, and when telling God that he will soon be with him, the vehicle reaches 88 miles per hour, sending him back to the date of his first mission 1 week prior (as Will Powers had put the date into the time circuits to mark the event). He travels to the bridge, and learns that should he encounter his past self (before that he saw the judge and imitates the voice of Vito Corleone
Vito Corleone
Vito Andolini Corleone is a fictional character and the main character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy, where he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II. Premiere Magazine listed Vito...
and the catchphrase "it was not personal, it was only business"), one of them would spontaneously combust. He manages to meet the Super Capers, and in the process of revealing the Judge's plans encounters his younger self. After giving away the events to follow in the week ahead, the Judge is arrested and Sludge and his minotaur surrender while Red is defeated and Freeze admits her attraction to Gruberman. The confusion of two Grubermans is resolved, however when the past version combusts, leaving only the one from the future and the day appears to be saved.
Cast
- Justin WhalinJustin WhalinJustin Garrett Whalin is an American actor best known for his role as Jimmy Olsen in the American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
as Ed Gruberman - Samuel LloydSam LloydSam Lloyd may refer to:*Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of Washington National Cathedral*Sam Lloyd, recurring guest character on several television shows including Scrubs and Desperate Housewives-See also:...
as Herman Brainard - Ryan McPartlinRyan McPartlinRyan McPartlin is an American actor, best known for his role as Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb on NBC's Chuck.-Early life:...
as Will Powers - Danielle HarrisDanielle HarrisDanielle Andrea Harris is an American film and television actress, best known as a scream queen for her roles in several horror films, four of them in the Halloween series: in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Jamie Lloyd and in Halloween and...
as Felicia Freeze - Ray Griggs as Puffer Boy
- Tommy "Tiny" ListerTom Lister, Jr.-World Wrestling Federation :Lister appeared in the 1989 wrestling movie No Holds Barred, which was financed by the World Wrestling Federation and starred Hulk Hogan. Lister's role was Zeus, a brutal monster heel....
as Sarge - Chris OwenChris Owen (actor)Chris Owen is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the American Pie movies as Chuck Sherman . He reprised this role in American Pie 2, American Pie: Band Camp and American Reunion...
as Igniter Boy - Oliver MuirheadOliver MuirheadOliver Muirhead is an English character actor known for often portraying pompous country gentlemen. In 1986, he also directed the musical pantomime A Christmas Held Captive. In addition to acting, Muirhead has also lent his voice to various animated series such as P.J...
as Herbert Q - Michael RookerMichael RookerMichael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
as Judge / Dark Winged Vesper - Christine LakinChristine LakinChristine Helen Lakin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/CBS situation comedy Step by Step and as Joan of Arc in Showtime's Reefer Madness...
as Red - Jon PolitoJon PolitoJon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
as Captain Sludge - Clint HowardClint HowardClinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
as Mugger - Tom SizemoreTom SizemoreThomas Edward "Tom" Sizemore, Jr. is an American film and television actor and producer. He is known for his roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Strange Days, Pearl Harbor, Heat and Black Hawk Down....
as Roger Cheatem - Adam WestAdam WestWilliam West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
as Manbat / Cab Driver - Doug JonesDoug Jones (actor)Doug Jones is an American film and television actor best known to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans for his various roles playing non-human characters, often in heavy makeup, in films and television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and Fantastic Four: Rise...
as Special Agent Smith #1 - Isaac C. Singleton Jr.Isaac C. Singleton Jr.Isaac Charles Singleton Jr., sometimes credited as Isaac Singleton Jr., Isaac C. Singleton, Isaac Singleton or Isac Singleton, is an American film and television actor...
as Special Agent Smith #2 - Taylor NegronTaylor NegronBrad Taylor Negron is an American writer, actor, and stand-up comedian.-Personal life:Negron was born in Glendale, California to Conrad Negron, Sr., former mayor of Indian Wells, California. He grew up in Pasadena, California. His cousin is singer Chuck Negron...
as Chauffer - June LockhartJune LockhartJune Lockhart is an American actress, primarily in 1950s and 1960s television, but with memorable performances on stage and in film too. She is remembered as the mother in two TV series, Lassie and Lost in Space. She also portrayed Dr...
as Mother - Pat Crawford BrownPat Crawford Brown-Personal life:Brown was born in New York City, the daughter of Charlotte and Thomas J. Brown. She is the aunt of folk singer Christine Lavin.She was married to Calvin B...
as Gertrude - Eva MarcilleEva MarcilleEva Marcille is an American actress, TV host and fashion model, who most recently played the role of Tyra Hamilton on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. She started her career by winning the third cycle of America's Next Top Model.She was previously credited by her birth name, Eva Pigford....
as News Reporter - George StultsGeorge StultsGeorge Sheehy Stults is an American actor and former fashion model. Stults grew up in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado but was born in Detroit, Michigan...
as Police Officer #2 - Steve BraunSteve BraunSteve Braun is a Canadian television and movie actor from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Braun's credits include The Immortal, a TV show in which he and co-star Lorenzo Lamas hunted demons; The Trip, a independent film about coming of age in the HIV era; and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle , a major motion...
as Agent Guard - Brian CummingsBrian CummingsBrian Cummings is an American voice actor.-Biography:He is known for his work in radio and television commercials, television and motion picture promos, cartoons and as the announcer on The All-New Let's Make a Deal from 1984 to 1985...
as Robot (voice)