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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 20, 2014 3:17:10 GMT -5
I’m going to take a little detour to watch and speak about 2 other giant monster film débuts. First up… Rodan1956 Directed by Ishirô Honda IMDB Rating: 6.4 out of 10 Summary: Miners dig deep into the Earth and unleash a host of giant creatures onto the world. With Gojira (1954) under his belt, Honda would go on to direct this Kaiju classic in 1956, Toho's first in color. It's an important feature for Godzillaphiles as the title monster will soon become a dangerous foe for the King. It starts as a murder mystery and builds gradually from there. I thought this was fantastic. It leans on the serious side of the genre, which I prefer, and it was genuinely scary. There is a scene where we see a couple sitting quietly at home, when all of a sudden a big bug comes crawling through the back door. Man, that freaked me out! Later a mysterious flying object is zooming through the city, wreaking havoc. I like how they slowly reveal the monster in the title. At one point a jet plane is cut in half, by what we do not know. All we see afterward is a bloody helmet. That’s darn chilling and it whets our appetite for the eventual reveal. When we do see the beast(s) rampage in full, it is violent, unrelenting. The windstorm they create is brought to life effectively and the cameraman and FX department, along with Honda, all deserve a round of applause. The picture does stumble at the end, owing to the same fault as “Godzilla Raids Again” -- It's simply not that exciting to sit through 10 minutes of ‘military bombs a mountain’ footage. The Rodan’s do at least get a melodramatic finish, one that is strangely and poetically sad. And all told the films successes outweigh its faults. Despite seeing some seems and strings, the creature costumes were well done. I loved the horns on Rodan that curve back from its eyes. The Japanese edit is preferred. Though the American cut is a tighter edit, it adds excessive narration and changes a few scenes, but even in this state the movie is effective. Mothra1961 Directed by Ishirô Honda IMDB Rating: 6.6/10 The other movie I wanted to include in the marathon was Mothra (Mosura in Japan), since she too will become a staple in the Godzilla franchise. Plus the film is of interested because screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa will recycle many plot points from this one in his scripts for King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964). One constant in all 3 movies is a greedy entrepreneur who tries to cash in and exploit natures wonders. Though that idea didn't originate with Toho and can be seen in the original King Kong. Here a rather broadly rendered (oily, grinning) con man steals the twin fairies from Infant Island, cages them, and forces them to put on shows -- which raises the ire of our title character. There are some good scenes throughout the picture. Infant Island looks great, more expansive and strange than what will be seen in Mothra vs. Godzilla, but overall this popular film doesn't wow me. For one, I saw it last. So even though it's the original and not a rehash… it feels like a rehash for me. Mothra is also more steeped in fantasy, and I preferred the horror elements found in Gojira and Rodan. As a character/monster, Mothra herself is not a personal favorite. While filmmakers will try to amp up interest by ramping up her powers in future films, she doesn't really do a lot other than flap her wings and get her ass kicked in various Godzilla flicks. (the exception being the next feature) Also I found it repetitive and the scenes at the New Kirk Church overly sappy - and the while we have some good actors in comedian Frankie Sakai, Takashi Shimura and Hiroshi Koizumi as Mr. Chujo, a role he will reprise decades later – overall the film just doesn't do a lot for me. Now that doesn't mean I hate it, more 'lukewarm' to it. Most critics and fans have universally praised it.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 20, 2014 16:03:15 GMT -5
Mothra vs. Godzilla1964 Directed by Ishirô Honda Written by Shin'ichi Sekizawa IMDB Rating: 6.5 out of 10 Tomatometer: 90% - 6.8 rating Summary: A greedy developer unwittingly hatches a gigantic baby moth upon Tokyo, while Godzilla strikes once again. I first saw this at the drive-in with my parents and siblings and to my young eyes this was pure magic. Here was the King in wide screen and in living color, and while (at this young age) I thought a giant moth was lame for a monster (plus it lived on Infant Island. What kind of a wimpy name is that for monster’s home? Would Hannibal Lector reside in baby town? Would Norman Bates hang out at the zygote motel?) Once this movie got going I earned respect for the beast. This is Mothra at her best. The stakes were higher in this film than the last, and while clearly over-matched, she is relentless, self-sacrificing and resourceful (in whatever form she takes) And the costume looks and moves great. Speak of looking great – this is a sharp Godzilla suit, one that boasts a menacing scowl under hooded brow. He’d be completely scary except for the fact that he must have imbibed in too much sake at some point. He gets his tail stuck, which knocks over a tower that falls on him (he looked a bit perturbed, but it was your own fault you clumsy git). Then he trips and stumbles into a building. Later Mothra butt-checks him and he goes tumbling down a hill. While there are funny bits, it’s not a goof. The humor is quick and playful, not broad or campy. The story offers a message about greed and the devastating effect man’s irresponsibility has on the environment. There’s blood and even a murder (guy gets shot in the skull). I also like that it has mysterious undertones: When I first saw this, I had not yet seen Mothra and my young mind was intrigued - What was that crap in the water (never explained), who were those tiny twins and what was with that giant egg? The FX are sharp, though there are rough spots, Godzilla looks blurry in some long shots and at one point the twins turn transparent. But the monster fight is ultra cool, and there are other good action sequences (as when the big G is electrocuted) and I like the lighting effect when Godzilla shoots his radioactive flame. Oh and the score is another for the win column When I was a lad this was titled, “Godzilla vs. the Thing”. Of the Americanized ‘G-Zilla flicks it was much better than the previous 3 movies, because it wasn't butchered (though they did cut out the bloody gunshot to the head) and there’s even a neat extra scene with the US Navy lending its support. All told this is one of the very best of the series, it still holds up well today. And I liked the humans and their story every bit as the monster material. Though they are riffing on what was seen in Mothra (1961), I preferred the characters here, and the on screen chemistry they shared (and maybe that's because I saw this one first, but still, I think this is was a tighter told story).
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 22, 2014 23:45:12 GMT -5
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster1964 Directed by Ishirô Honda Written by Shin'ichi Sekizawa IMDB Rating: 6.6 out of 10 Summary: A princess is possessed by the spirit of a Venusian, who tries to warn the Japanese people of the arrival of a great destructive force, Ghidorha. Can Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra set aside their difference to combat this force of evil? Toho’s greatest -Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan had all stared in solo flicks and now they were united against a new monster, the planet killer King Ghidorah! A gold hued, three headed dragon that many consider G-Zillas greatest foe. Ghidorah has always been a cool looking monster, but some of the battles are getting repetitive (Rodan repeats the wind storm thing he and Mothra often do) and Godziila spends too much time throwing rocks instead of letting loose with his radioactive breath. Mothra is in larva form (guess the skies would get too crowded with all these flying creatures) and Rodan looks absurd and seems to be cast as comedic relief. Though to be fair, he does get in his licks in, in the battle with Ghidorah. This is where things really begin to get campy in Godzilla’s world, and the creatures are imbued with human qualities. Monster scenes played for laughs include: Rodan drops Godzilla -crotch first- on an electrical tower. Godzy and Rodan playing vollyball with a rock. Rodan and Godzilla laughing when each takes Mothra spray to the face. Ghidorah shoots Godzilla in the ass. And during the interpretation scene, in the US version the twins say… “Oh Godzilla, what terrible language”. My dad howled at that when we saw this at the drive-in. All told, this G-fan favorite doesn’t resonate as strongly with me. It’s not bad - perhaps coming after the wonderful “Mothra vs.” It couldn’t help but pale by comparison. Also, this is where the juvenile, camp elements bubble to the fore - and I simply don’t enjoy this facet or this phase in the monster’s Filmography. Buffoonery during monster fights is lame-o. (I’m the same way with James Bond. I hated the camp humor elements introduced during Roger Moore’s run) Speaking of which, the film sees the return of Bond girl Akiko Wakabayashi (King Kong vs. Godzilla). She plays the prophet and is very alluring, even dressed like a man. In all truth, it was her story and the material that focused on the human's that captured my attention, more so than the monster fight. Invasion of Astro-Monster1965 Directed by Ishirô Honda Written by Shin'ichi Sekizawa IMDB Rating: 6.3 out of 10 Summary: Aliens from Planet X request the use of Godzilla and Rodan to fight off King Ghidorah, but have other, fiendish plans for the three monsters. Monsters in space! This is the first time we will see space invaders in a Godzilla film… but far from the last. The story is interesting, though the idea of aliens -who make us a great offer, only to have something more sinister in mind- is not new to sci-fi (see the Twilight Zone’s “To Serve Man”). The tale is plagued by lapses in logic when scrutinized. (I know that seems a strange criticism, but the alien’s plan required jumping through a few needless hoops). Still, while there are absurd aspects to the tale, I had a good time with it and list this among my favorites. Ghidorah looks awesome, the way he flies around, shooting off bolts of lightning. Rodan gets a few moments to shine – but in the fights we generally get more of that rock tossing, and as with the last flick, Ghidorah just flies off into the sky at the end. There is reused footage from Rodan, Mothra (note the New Kirk sign) and the previous feature. That Mobil Oil building shows up, we'll see that often over the years. The camp stuff pops up in these battles: Godzilla dances a stupid jig and boxes, but it doesn't go too overboard with that. Also his suit as changed, his face is now frog-like with bigger rounder eyes that undercut his scariness. The cast is solid and includes an American actor, Nick Adams, who I was familiar with from an Outer Limits episode. This was another I saw at the Drive In, and remember with fondness. Those weird aliens carting off our monsters in bubbles so they could combat Ghidorah in space, etc… it all filled me with awe and wonder. Titled “Godzilla vs. Monster Zero”, the American cut is generally respectful of the original, though they did switch Ifukube's score around and use the spacey alien theme on the opening credits (which actually works, makes is sound more ominous and strange… though I do like the march that opens the Japanese version). It’s nice to hear Nick Adams real voice in U.S. release, and see how it matched his performance. Unfortunately his partner in space is dubbed flatly (by Marvin Miller). He has this dry, wry vocal inflection that doesn't naturally match with the way Adam's is acting. I think the Japanese dub is done very well for Adam’s, so I usually stick with the original. Notes: * A band I used to see in Nashville clubs, the Shazam, had a song titled “City Smasher”. At the end of the track you can hear sound clips from this movie… www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb-7o0K2fCU&feature=kp* It’s difficult to rank the Godzilla movies for me. I have those I really like, and then the Mechagodzilla’s all lump together as favorites. But of the movies I saw at the Drive-In with my family, this was my favorite as a kid. I thought it was the coolest, most amazing thing ever. “Mothra vs…” was a close second. With “Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster” a distant third. But all 3 bring back warm memories.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 23, 2014 0:46:09 GMT -5
Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster1966 Directed by Jun Fukuda Written by Shin'ichi Sekizawa IMDB Rating: 5.0 out of 10 Summary: Guy steals a boat (while friends and a thief are on board) to try to find his brother who was lost at sea. He winds up on an island populated by terrorists and a giant crab! Their only hope for survival lies in waking Godzilla and Mothra up from their naps. The film goes by many names, “Ebirha – Horror of the Deep”, “Godzilla versus the Sea Monster” (with versus spelled out) and the literal translation of the Japanese title, “Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas”. But the one designation that has stuck is “Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster” and so that’s what I’ll go with here. Originally intended as a vehicle for King Kong, it was switched over to the big guy -- though a few Kong traits remain: Ala the attraction toward the woman, and that electricity gives him strength and power. This is the first of the Jun Fukuda directed films. It also starts off a string of Island adventures. We won’t see Godzilla stomping on cities in these 3 features, and often his role is smaller. In two of them he’s more of a co-star, with his son (Minilla aka Minya) taking the lead In addition to the director, we also get a different composer, the great Masaru Sato (who had worked on “Godzilla Raids Again”). He brings a modern flair, at times, employing electric guitar solos, in jazzy and up-tempo tunes reminiscent of those heard on the Batman TV series. While I prefer Ifukube, I did like much of Sato’s pieces. In particular, that swirling surf music heard during the Godzilla/Ebirah fight. Acting wise we have several familiar faces, such as Kumi Mizuno (Astro Monster) and Godzilla regular Akira Takarada, who is always good and is especially charismatic here. I thought the story was decent, though a wee dry and riddled with fluke plot contrivances. The cinematography on this one has always looked great, with a bright primary color scheme and lush jungle settings. The monster fights repeat that “volleyball with a boulder” thing we saw in Ghidorah. On the other hand, we do get to see an underwater battle. We’ve seen him underwater in Gojira, but I believe this was the first fight staged under da sea. Mothra doesn’t do a whole lot. She kicks up a sand storm in the big G’s face and then flies off with some rescued natives who were enslaved by the terrorists. I know nothing of her suit history, but she looks a little ratty in places. Or maybe that’s a result of seeing this with high def clarity (which also exposes the strings a lot more) The Peanuts, who played the twin fairies (Shobijin) in previous pictures, had moved on and their roles taken by Pair Bambi , another singing group made up of sister’s Yuko and Yoko Okada. All told, while not a barn burner, I enjoyed it well enough. Not the best, but not too bad. Oh, and then I watched the MST3K version. I laughed my butt off when we see the twins atop Mothra, and the Crow and Tom (imitating their voices) say, "How did we get up here anyway?" They're magical. I guess they just magicked there way up there. But the quip still cracked me up. Son of Godzilla1967 Directed by Jun Fukuda Written by Shin'ichi Sekizawa, Kazue Shiba IMDB Rating: 5.1 out of 10 Summary: Research scientists are trapped on an island with annoying little Minilla… which sounds like hell on Earth to me. Scientists on an island conduct a weather control experiment, which goes haywire and causes giant preying mantises to grow even more gigantic. The XXL mantises uncover a big egg, which they peck at until it hatches and a baby Godzilla emerges. The bugs harass and poke at the infant until big daddy shows up to kick their tails. The rest of the movie we watch Godzy and son bond and fight a spider, while romance blooms between a reporter and an island girl. This movie was a goof. Godzilla is not a very good parent: at one point he smacks the kid in the head with his tail and stomps off. I guess he felt guilty, because he stomps back and gives the wee one a ride on the offending appendage. Minilla (a mashup of “Mini-Zilla” Though he wont be given that name officially in this flick) looks pretty sorrowful, as does Godzilla (The pin head and big eyes, goiter neck are not a good look for the King) I have discovered with this current slate of Godzilla flicks, that the success of these films rests mostly with the human story. I lose interest with the silly stuff, Minilla jumping rope over his pops tail, or the father/son training session. My interest returns during the straight foreword monster fights (there’s one cool scene where the flaming corpse of a giant bug flies through the air and nearly crashes into the fleeing humans) and when the reporter and island girl are together -- I liked those two, they were a cute couple who made me chuckle several times, and Riko/Saeko is one of the stronger and personable female characters in the Showa era. In closing: While I’d rather eat poo than suffer through Minilla, and I’m not real fond of the kid-centered Godzilla pics, this was all in good fun and an amusing nights entertainment. And I have to admit; the ending with the two Kaiju in the snow was rather sweet. Production Note: There are few differences between the Japanese and American releases in regards to edits (I believe there was more to the opening, with the pilots foreshadowing Minilla calling to Godzilla). Translations are pretty close.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 23, 2014 1:21:45 GMT -5
Destroy All Monsters1968 Directed by Ishirô Honda Written by Ishirô Honda, Takeshi Kimura IMDB Rating: 6.6 out of 10 Summary: Female aliens take control of Earth's monsters and begin using them to destroy the human race. This was supposed to be the last Godzilla film, thankfully it wasn't. The production sees the return of Honda in the directors chair and Ifukube as composer. There's not much to say about this one because there's not much of a story. It lacks the strong human material that was the backbone of better (or even lesser) offerings, and the alien scheme has no weight or reason for being. I mean, why were they there? They have climate limitations, a small population (so no overcrowding on the moon). They don't really do much but release the monsters, so that they can proclaim that they are going to live under Mount Fuji. The appeal of this picture is that we have a whole bunch of classic Kaiju causing destruction, and that they eventually band together like the Avengers to take down the alien invaders and their monster (Ghidorah of course). While many Godzilla fans rate it highly, it is far from my favorite. Still it is cool to see Godzilla, Minilla, Anguirus, King Ghidorah, Rodan, a Mothra Larva, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Manda (and in cameos) Baragon and Varan, all in the same movie. Wiki quotes several critics who summed it up nicely... Steve Biodrowski of Cinefantastique wrote, "In the end, Destroy All Monsters is too slim in its storyline, too thin in its characterizations, to be considered a truly great film. It is not as impressive as the original Godzilla, and it is not as hip as Monster Zero. But for the ten-year-old living inside us all, it is entertainment of the most awesome sort." Matt Paprocki of Blogcritics said the film is "far from perfect" and "can be downright boring at times" but felt that "the destruction scenes make up for everything else" and "the final battle is an epic that simply can't be matched"Yup, that's Destroy All Monster's in a nutshell. All Monsters Attack 1969 Directed by Ishirō Honda Written by Shinichi Sekizawa IMDB Rating: 4.0 out of 10 Summary: Thieves who are on the run from the police kidnap a bullied latchkey kid, who escapes his tormentors by disappearing into his imagination and entering a world where he hangs out with Godzilla’s son on Monster Island. Ah crap, this one! Okay, I agree with defenders who argue that this movie has been unfairly maligned. Critics who call it simple and stupid seem to be missing the point that the movie’s target audience were 6-years-old, and its message was tailor made especially for them. Those who call it a cinematic train wreck are not acknowledging several interesting scene transitions and some decent performances. So not a train-wreck: I get, and can see that. Regardless, I side with those who number the film as their least favorite. For one, I’m not 6 years old. For another, while the Godzilla series can boast of top-notch directors and composers, and Gojira was a seriously good film with a serious, somber message… lets be honest. These aren’t art films, this isn’t Ozu or Mizoguchi. What I look for, and what I judge a Godzilla flick on is its entertainment value. And in that, All Monsters Attack fails to satisfy. In truth, even when I was a kid I disliked this thing. Even then it was too cutesy. Back in the day I thought it was a rip because of the clips from other G-Zilla flicks ( Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla etc), and that the story wasn’t real, but part of the kid’s imagination (I know, none of its real…. but you know what I mean). And I didn’t like Minilla at all. (As I watched the film today I thought. “He sounds like a rusty spring and looks like former NFL star Cris Carter.”) When I was a lad, Astro Monster was the kind of Godzilla movie I desired, I didn’t want so see some shrill kid in short pants fight off thieves and punks. I didn’t want to be force-fed a message. Plus it didn’t give me enough Godzilla and other cool Kaiju (Gabara, with his Troll Doll haircut was not cool.) Gabba Gabba Hey! GaberaWhile some kiddie fair can be fun for adults, others are a chore. All Monsters Attack is a chore. No, not a train wreck, but neither is it something I enjoy watching. Oddly, the one widely hated thing that I love about this movie? My weird -New Wave Devo music brain actually enjoys the screechy, irritating song in the Japanese cut. I bet that woman could shatter eardrums with that voice. Notes: *2 women voiced Minilla in the Japanese version, but he’s given a cartoon ‘dumb guy’ voice in the American dub. * While credited with the special effects work, Eiji Tsuburaya was not directly involved with the production of this film. The "Special Effects Supervised by" credit was given out of respect, since he was still the head of the Visual Effects Department. The effects were handled by Ishirō Honda himself, with assistance from Teruyoshi Nakano. -wiki Godzilla vs. Hedorah1971 Directed by Yoshimitsu Banno Written by Yoshimitsu Banno, Takeshi Kimura IMDB Rating: 5.8 out of 10 Summary: A microscopic alien life form feeds on Earth's pollution and grows into a poisonous, acid-secreting sea monster. Or as we knew it in America, “Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster.” I’ll say this for it, the film has a unique voice, unlike anything seen in the annals of Godzilla. And Hedorah is one of the freakier creatures in the franchise. Fans either love or loathe this thing. As for myself -- Considering that I adore strangeness (like the Monkees feature “Head”), it’s no surprise that I fall more into the “love” category. Oh, I agree with detractors who say that it’s riddled with too much talk. Exposition plagues the film. There’s so much environmental preaching that I sometimes felt like I was in school, watching one of those informational shorts. It also drags at the end and in those scenes, loses the psychedelic stuff that made it a delight. Watching Hedorah stare at blinking lights for minutes on end is yawn inducing. When Godzilla shows up and dries out the smog monster... he then stops and stares at the motionless form, while people stare at Godzilla staring. Not only that, but we have to go through the whole process AGAIN because Hedorah flies off and Godzilla has to drag him back and dry him out again. I found these bits dull, dull and dull. And it doesn’t help that Godzilla flies, yes he actually flies in this sequence. Urgh, I hate crap like that. Despite this there’s so much it does right. I actually enjoy the chaotic mix of tone. It’s part 50s creature feature, part proto-Jaws. It’s 60s psychedelic, an odd Devo video (fish heads?) and a badly animated PSA. And it can also be very creepy. As when a kid waits on a rock by the sea and Hedorah swims up behind him. Later the thing stalks the boy’s father who is underwater, Close-up on pops horrified eyes, then cut to boy, standing isolated and alone, looking over the calm, vast waters – that’s pretty eerie. I also thought the bit with the dead men in the mud was chilling, as were scenes where people drop and die as the noxious monster flies overhead. I like that this unique Kaiju allows for something new in the battles. I liked the way the scientist tries to unravel the mystery of the strange Hedorah (the scene with the tadpoles merging). And I like the groovy teens. My favorite is singer Keiko Mari as Miki, who is very stylish. We see her in aquatic themed bodysuit, a Scottish Golfer outfit, and dressed like she’s going Yachting (fashion from the Thurston Howell the Third collection?) I like how the kids have a keen “rock-out” in a field (with what appears to be the ghostly cast of “Carnival of Souls” staring at them from off in the distance. What was the deal with them? They just showed up out of the blue) So while it has its flaws, I dig this psychedelic freak-out. And as one forum member pointed out, Godzilla’s final walk off into the sea was memorable. The way he looked: Not triumphant, but exhausted, battle scarred and rather peeved at us humans for creating another monster mess for him to clean up. (but what, no tears for the dead teens?) Production Notes: It's too bad the BD release is bare bones, because there are some great stories associated with this one. The end of the feature indicates that there will be a sequel, but the story goes that producer Tomoyuki Tanaka was so unhappy when he saw the final product that he made sure that Bano would never direct a Toho film again. (Though he would still find work as an assistant, and as a Producer)
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 23, 2014 17:06:07 GMT -5
Godzilla vs. Gigan1972 Directed by Jun Fukuda Written by Takeshi Kimura and Shin'ichi Sekizawa IMDB Rating: 5.6 out of 10 Summary: A Godzilla based theme park acts as a front for an alien invasion. Gigan and Ghidorah work for the invaders. And it’s up to Godzilla, Angurius and some kooky teens (including a hippy and a girl who looks like she’s always on the verge of tears) to thwart them Space invaders manipulating Kaiju to help them conquer the Earth has been seen before (Astro Monster, Destroy All Monsters) but it will become an overused staple in the 70s - starting with Gigan, one of the goofiest movies in the franchise. It’s a picture that features Godzilla and Angurius having a conversation (in the American version it’s garbled vocalizations, in the Japanese original it’s portrayed with word balloons) and an alien plan that requires the building of a children’s theme park centered on Godzilla. The film is broken in two halves; in the first part we have these Scooby-Doo like action teens unraveling a mystery. In the second it’s primarily a long drawn out monster throw down, which mixes old footage with the new. And displays a Godzilla suit in such a state of disrepair that you can see strands of rubber hanging from the arms and legs. The picture introduces one of Toho’s wildest looking monsters… the vicious Gigan: a psycho cyborg Kaiju with hooks for hands and feet and a saw in his belly. This dude is over the top and draws blood when he attacks. I have read complaints about the hammy acting - and that the aliens (cockroaches as body snatchers) don’t live up to their creepy potential. And its true, talking roaches wind up very laughable. But after watching this again, I’m convinced that was on purpose. This is purposely broad and stupid. We’re not expected to take that hippy dude seriously. And the guy playing the artist: he mugs and clowns around intentionally – that’s part of his character. And when weepy girl recites what she read in her brother’s diary, she delivers the line like a straight man, but a touch melodramatically as she stares into space… and I think she was directed to play the part that way. And again… talking monsters? We’re supposed to chuckle over all of this. The script also has a bit of a satirical bite and is taking a shot at crass commercialism (Cockroaches marketing a plastic and fiberglass Godzilla to children? I wonder if Toho executives found that a little too on the nose?) Regardless, I can’t go overboard in the role of apologist. The monster material can get monotonous; even with Gigan, there’s not enough fresh and new in this battle (or the premise for that matter). As a comedy, it’s not as funny as King Kong vs. Godzilla. And Mothra vs. Godzilla was a smarter dig at cash grabbers. While the human characters are amusing, neither they nor their story are as engaging as what was had in Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (to name one). So while Gigan has certain silly and satirical charms, I wouldn’t rank it among the greats. The picture on the Kraken blu-ray is the worst of their 3 releases. While the colors pop and you get more detail, it’s soft and grainy. You might as well save your money and buy the cheaper DVD. (Also: My Japanese edition, while not a brightly colored, is not so grainy and soft.) Notes: After a Hedorah sequel fell through; there were plans for a large-scale feature that would include 6 Kaiju, 3 of whom would be brand new (Gigan and Megalon among them). That script was abandoned for being too costly, and elements from it were folded into this and the next movie. Gigan reuses a LOT of old footage, it even squeezes in a pollution message and inserts scenes from the previous picture. The music is also mostly older material pulled from the Ikufube library, from Godzilla and other Toho features. The opening theme song has these laser sounds, which pop up when the credits zip on the screen. The U.S. credits are just standard names, and because of that the laser sounds come off random and kind of irritating. Godzilla vs. MegalonDirected by Jun Fukuda Written by Jun Fukuda, Takeshi Kimura and Shin'ichi Sekizawa IMDB Rating: 4.2 out of 10 Summary: The undersea nation of Seatopia sends the gigantic Megalon to destroy the world above - and it's up to Godzilla and a size-shifting robot, Jet Jaguar, to defeat him. When is a Godzilla movie not a Godzilla movie, when it’s a Jet Jaguar movie. This character was born via a contest (you can see the entry drawing on the wall of the scientist’s lab/home) and the character -influenced by the tokusatsu superhero TV shows of the time- was supposed to star in his own feature…. But Toho was worried that he wouldn’t sell, and brought in the big G… who only makes what amounts to a cameo appearance. This is Godzilla at his lowest point. While not unwatchable, there’s not a lot here to get excited about. The picture was made on a shoestring budget, and it shows. There’s a lot of recycled footage, even stuff we just saw in Gigan (and that blown up Mobil Oil building that laughably keep showing up film after film, shows up here). Friends and foes? Jet Jaguar is a giant robot, and those are always cool -- though he looks like the father of Raimi’s Green Goblin. Megalon is an example of how progressively outrageous the creatures had become… he’s a giant beetle with drills for hands and a fork on his head that shoots electricity. He also spits bombs. Gigan shows up because apparently the Seatopians are allied with the cockroach aliens from the previous feature. And the mega fight can get pretty silly: Kaiju laugh, Godzilla does a flying jump kick… twice! All told, Megalon is a slog. There’s too much stock footage, too much padding on a paper-thin story. The best way to watch this is the funny MST3K version. Shôwa Series Godzilla is on his last legs but he will rise and go out on top.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 24, 2014 1:16:20 GMT -5
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla1974 Directed by Jun Fukuda Written by Jun Fukuda, Masami Kukushima, Shin'ichi Sekizawa & Hiroyasu Yamamura IMDB Rating: 6.3 out of 10 Summary: Simians from Space build a better, faster, stronger Godzilla and plan to use him to rule the world. Buwa-ha-ha-ha-ha… evil. Aliens and ancient prophesies pop up once again, only this time it’s not the coming of Ghidorah that’s behind all the rigmarole, but the début of a new Godzilla foe, the ever shiny and wonderful Mechagodzilla! The movie gets to the monsters pretty quick. Godzilla emerges in a fury, destroying buildings and stomping the hell out of Anguirus. But there’s something off about this G-Zilla, and when another Godzy turns up, we soon discover that a band of infernal space monkeys have created a mechanical version of Godzilla in order to do something to the Earth (why don’t these “superior” aliens just stay home and worry about their own planet?) The prophecy part of the story centers on a lion statue and a new Godzilla ally, King Seesaw (Hu?) Okay, the thing is, when I was a lad I got a hold of a monster mag that was filled with (false) information about this movie. I loved it, poured over every word and image. Mecha (or the Bionic Monster as they called him) was hella cool. But there was also this cat named King Seesaw. “WTH?” My friends and I wondered, “What kind of stupid ass name is Seesaw?” (And could 2 monsters ride him, back and forth?) Later we learned that the magazine got it wrong and it was actually spelled “Caesar”. Anyway, Seesaw (yeah I’m still going to call him that because it amuses me) is like Mothra, in that he’s a God who is awoken with a song. And like Mothra he gets his tail kicked. He is a faster, more agile creature and that gives the battles a fresh coat of paint. Another infusion of fresh in the action is the inclusion of the walking Swiss army knife that is Mechagodzilla – he’s just a mass of lasers and rockets and force fields. He seems unstoppable until Godzilla develops a magnetic personality (seriously, the big G gains the power of Magneto) and with minimal help from Seesaw and some quick work from an Interpol agent - Mechagodzilla and the schemes of the space monkeys lie in ruins. What a fantastic flick, director Fukuda’s finest (and final) hour. It was fast, frenzied and fun. And as an added bonus, the material was mostly original. The one odd stock footage piece was when the car blows up and turns into the car from Gigan (which was a different make, model and color). It’s funny how that plot point has been rehashed over the years: People escape aliens; aliens blow up car (or boat, as was the case in Astro Monster) and believe their former captives dead I don’t believe this motion picture is currently available in the States. I own the Japanese version and have not heard the American dub in ages. And it wasn’t over yet. My favorite Godzilla foe would return! But if it seemed Mechagodzilla was all that was needed to give new life to the series -- that proved a false hope. Terror of Mechagodzilla1975 Directed by Ishirô Honda Written by Yukiko Takayama IMDB Rating: 6.1 out of 10 Summary: Those aliens are back, with a scheme to take away our planet… again. Not only do they have Mechagodzilla, but also a traitorous scientist, his cyborg daughter and his creature Titanosaurus are willing to aid them in their cause. This is the first Godzilla film scripted by a female writer, who earned the job after winning a contest. And though she rehashes many moments from the previous picture, one distinct element stands out – that being the tragic love story, the most complex and heartfelt in the series (a kin to the one seen in Astro Monster) Terror sees the franchise continuing to indulge in the space-folk angle. We get another kidnapped male lead for what, the 3rd movie in a row? And for good measure it throws in the clichéd ‘cackling mad scientist (played by the usually reserved Akihiko Hirata in gray wig with mustache) who will have his revenge on those who wronged him’ plot line – still, I was entertained and liked the cyborg angle and actress Tomoko Ai, who was rough around the edges, but brought a certain sadness to her character. In addition to aliens (who are no longer monkeys, but radiation scared mutants) and Robo-zillas, King G has to contend with a new creature, Titanosaurus! Titan doesn’t have any strange powers, other than a fanning tail that can whip up a windstorm (though we’ve been there, done that, with Mothra and Rodan). I actually felt a little bad for the creature. He was a benevolent dino, manipulated into doing wrong by humans. While there were some silly scenes with the humans/aliens (villain whips his minions while they are on their knees. And I chuckled over the line… “Even if you are a cyborg, I love you.”), and some monsters goofs (Titan’s cackle and a scene where he lifts Godzilla by the mouth), this one was thankfully played a little straighter, with an eye towards appealing to adults in addition to kids. Perhaps this explains the inclusion of cyborg breasts (which didn’t make the US cut)? Now, before you fast forward to that scene, they aren’t Tomoko Ai’s real boobs, but are made up of plastic or fiberglass or something --- sorry guys. Lol. Honda’s back in the director’s chair after a few years away from the series and while production costs were low and it shows in several instances, he and his cameraman Mototaka Tomioka managed to film some interesting angles and dolly shots which help to keep the action fresh and exciting. It also features one of Godzilla best first appearances. When he blasts Titansaurus off screen, and then appears from out of the smoke: You see his silhouette as light flashes behind, the camera closes in and the light reveals his face (with a meaner look this time out). It’s a scene that would do Batman proud. This was the end of the Showa era. Despite Mecha giving the series a shot in the arm in the previous film, the sequel had the worst box-office receipts of any Godzilla feature. In the final scene the King of the Monsters walks off in the sea, victorious, as somber music plays – a very classy way to go out.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 25, 2014 1:30:58 GMT -5
The Return of Godzilla1984 Directed by Koji Hashimoto (Godzilla 1985 additions by R.J. Kizer) Written by Suichi Nagahara and Tomoyuki Tanaka (Godzilla 1985 additions by Lisa Tomei) IMDB Rating: 6.1 out of 10 Summary: Thirty years after the original monster's rampage, a new Godzilla emerges and attacks Japan. Straightforward and dour, the return of the King after a nearly 10 year layoff is not all that exciting nor are its subplots -with the Russians and American’s wanting to launch a bomb on Japan- compelling. The humans lack charisma and their side of the tale is not of much interest. In the end, the grand solution, that Godzilla is like a migrant bird so lets lead him to a volcano, is a snore. There’s a surfeit of information imparted via meetings and press conferences and newspaper reports… and while this is the easiest way to explain a situation, it’s not the most thrilling and as a result, can make your movie dry as old toast. The Return of Godzilla has scenes that echo Gojira, but it rarely has that films emotional resonance. Gojira made me feel the cost on a human level, it hit my heart. I felt the fear and loss. TROG, with a few exceptions, merely talks me through the story. It speaks to my brain and doesn’t hit on a more profound, personal level. It is competently made, there’s some good camera work and effects. The opening sequences are nicely staged, and Godzilla comes off a powerhouse, not only in his size, but also in the booming sound of his steps. I like the scene where Godzilla “eats his meal”, with back fins glowing and gray, smog filled skies behind him. But mostly, I found this dull. And it doesn’t help when in the middle of his city attack; he gets hit, falls over and lays about for a length of time. The U.S. version, titled Godzilla 1985, adds scenes with the American military and slots Raymond Burr into the story as reporter Steve Martin, just as the original did. Burr’s a talented actor with a strong on-screen charisma. But while he makes some grave pronouncements, they really don’t lead anywhere (Martin notes that Godzilla is searching for something… what, were never told, so his observation don’t amount to much in regards to the story). The U.S. filmmakers attempt to tighten up the film with edits; they also add footage of a crowd of people running from the monster as he runs amok in the city (originally the streets were pretty empty). This makes the scene more frightening. Unfortunately changes to the dialog and the dubbing are poorly done and detract from the whole. (For example: The scene with the homeless man in the restaurant, talking back to Godzy, is cheesy and stupid by comparison). So there are problems in whatever form this movie takes. Godzilla vs. Biolante1989 Directed by Kazuki Ohmori Written by Shinichirô Kobayashi (story), Kazuki Ohmori IMDB Rating: 6.6 out of 10 Summary: After rising from his volcanic grave, Godzilla is threatened by a mutated rosebush. I’ll give the filmmakers credit for trying to freshen up the franchise by throwing in an espionage sub-plot, and giving us a different kind of monster (a rose, infused with Godzilla cells and the spirit of a scientists dead daughter (Hu?) But none of that translates into any great excitement. Biolante is pretty dull and suffers same problem that plagued the previous picture. It’s exposition heavy: People sit in chairs, stand around offices or labs explaining things -- news reporters, a computer screen filling us with info. In these scenes it’s more like an instruction manual than a movie. They try to pep it up with the arms race angle, but even the weakest Bond flick… hell, even a B-movie knockoff like “Operation 007” offered a more thrilling spy story than this one. And while the second manifestation of Biolante is frightening and strange, in the end it/she simply gets its licks in and then fizzles away into space. Yawn. Aside from the introduction of the psychic, played by Megumi Odaka, the actors and characters didn't shine. And that Colonel with the bushy eyebrows looks like he’s about 12 years old. That undercut his scenes. I couldn't take him seriously as he barks orders to more seasoned members of the cast. (BTW, as with TROG, there’s a flying fortress in this film that Col. Pre-Teen commands) The score is atrocious and steals from a variety of sources. Sometimes it sounds like it comes from a cheesy 80s TV action series. At others we hear a poor John Williams knock-off, and in one unintentionally hilarious sequence -when a spy steals the bio-formula during an exchange- the music sounds like it came from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. LMAO. When it brings back music ques from Ifukube, it sings…. Nothing beats the classics in this case. Now, the picture had its moments (little psychic gal vs. Godzilla was a quietly cool scene), there are some decent ideas, and I love the Godzilla suit, his menacing appearance is my favorite since Mothra vs. Godzilla. But the lack of sizzle in the espionage/arms race stuff, the rather anti-climactic monster fights and stiff human characters, make this a blah entry in the series for me. I know this is a favorite for many, but I rate it near the bottom. The Heisei era is off to a rocky start. Note: The Blu-Ray is already out of print but it highlights another problem: the English-speaking actors are terrible… and at times are so difficult to understand that their lines were actually dubbed with easier to understand voice actors for the American release. Also, there are Japanese subtitles for these performers that are ingrained in the film; you can’t get rid of them. The subs are so large they sometimes cover up the actors on screen.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 26, 2014 0:59:38 GMT -5
Godzilla vs. King Gidorah1991 Directed by Kazuki Ohmori Written by Kazuki Ohmori IMDB Rating: 6.5 out of 10 Summary: Time travelers remove Godzilla from history and replace him with their own Kaiju, King Gidorah, in a scheme to destroy Japan and prevent the country's future economic reign. After going more somber and serious the past 2 films, the franchise returns to the comic booky stuff. Godzilla has done aliens and gods and undersea races, now they do time travel -- which turns silly as hell. As I was jotting down my notes for this write up, I found it became a list of absurdities: There’s no denying that the picture is full of dumb. The time traveler’s scheme -for one- makes no sense. They remove the dinosaur that became Godzilla away from the atomic fallout that mutated it… and put it somewhere nearby…. Where it still manages to be radiated (why not take it out of time completely, put it on the moon even). And the future folk are laughably trusting. They suspect one of their own will betray them, but take her word at face value (No, the Japanese have no plans to resurrect Godzilla… okay, we believe you) and allow her access to their Terminator type robot (which she reprograms) The English-speaking actors are hilariously bad. The Terminator guy is a big lug with a soft, non-threatening voice (Schwarzenegger weeps). It also paints the U.S military in a bad light (we leave our wounded behind and run like cowards when things go bad) Saying that, if you go with it this winds up a gas. It’s action packed, has some likable characters and several killer monster fights. There are also several old School Godzilla actors in the cast: Katsuhiko Sasaki and Kenji Sahara. Ghidorah gets the Mecha treatment. And that’s hella cool. (In addition, we get to see what Ghidorah looked like as an infant (the lovably cute Dorats) So yeah, absurd but a blast. Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth1992 Directed by Takao Okawara Written by Kazuki Ohmori IMDB Rating: 6.0 out of 10 Summary: Godzilla wakes up, Battra and Mothra fight… then team up to tackle the Big G! This was rushed into production, and it shows in some of the plotting. Though decent enough, it’s pretty much a rehash of the original Mothra movies: Egg and twins show up, greedy folk try to exploit them, Mothra hatches and wreaks havoc in an effort to rescue the tiny duo. Only in this version we add another ingredient…. Battra: who is set up as Mothra’s evil counterpart. This would be a decent plot point, except that screenwriters do a flip-a-roo on us and reveal that Battra actually had a job. He was supposed to protect the Earth by destroying an approaching meteor. Why he farted around and attacked Japan and fought Mothra instead of getting to his task is beyond me. I guess fights and destruction keep the masses happy… even when they run counter to the plot. Mothra (who gets a little power upgrade in this one, as she’s able to shoot rays from her antennae) and Battra set aside their squabble and team up to fight Godzilla -- who is out and about doing that thing he does. And all of this fighting is apparently our fault for ruining the planet. While environmentalism has ever been a theme in these pictures, they hit the “Earth is angry” button in this feature so often it got tiresome. I hate lectures. In the previous film they riffed on the Terminator; in this one they do an Indiana Jones routine at the start. The human story is fine; it has some humor, though it too lays on its message a bit thick. I did enjoy seeing classic Godzy regular Akira Takarada in the cast. While the picture does repeat the –drop Godzilla in the Ocean to end the fight- bit, and it doesn’t really say or do anything new… this is still a good nights entertainment: A fair mid-range G-film. Notes: Composer Akira Ifukube won a Japanese Academy Award for his score. This was the second highest grossing film in Japan in 1993, second only to Jurassic Park.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 26, 2014 5:47:30 GMT -5
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II1993 Directed by Takao Okawara Written by Wataaru Mimura IMDB Rating: 6.6 out of 10 Summary: Godzilla and Rodan are in a custody battle for Baby Godzilla. Mecha is brought in to mediate… violently! Confusing title, it’s actually the third Mecha feature, though it could be referring to this being the 2nd version of the giant robot. After all, they are using the head of Mecha-Ghidorah to create their Bionic Monster. So it starts with another egg (where do all these eggs come from? Are monsters just sexing it up all over Japan?) And both Godzilla and Rodan want what’s inside… which turns out to be a peaceful Godzillasaur the humans call “Baby”. Baby Godzilla is an improvement over Minilla, but brings in an element of sentimentality that I’m not thrilled with. He’s cute, but this isn’t “Warm Kitty, Soft Kitty: The Motion Picture”, this is Godzilla…. I don’t want cutesy in my Godzilla flicks. It also got tiresome hearing the human’s fussing over (and repeating the word) “baby”. Also: Lil G is afraid of his parents (?/brothers) but keeps calling to them, which causes all kinds of trouble. Dumb kid! Plus what’s this hippy nonsense about not wanting to kill Godzilla? I know he’s often saved us, but he’s also caused untold property damage, and who can number the loss in human life? I don’t want G dead, but I understand those in the movie who do. Mechagodzilla earns points for one inspired plot point… where the military figures out that the way to defeat Godzilla is to give him a lobotomy in his ass. Apparently he has a second brain near his back, leg, tail…somewhere around that vicinity. Wherever that brain is, it made me laugh when they’d target the area. And that’s key to the success of this movie. It’s just plain fun and funny. The human interactions are sweet, amusing (especially in the budding romance between a Pteranodon fanboy and a female scientist) and the Kaiju fights are wild and furious: From Godzilla vs. Rodan at the start, to the big showdown with Mechagodzilla at the end. Though it is a pisser that the robot keeps malfunctioning, it does, actually succeed in its task (temporarily). The Heisei era finally hits one out of the park. Mecha always brings out the best in this franchise. Interestingly -though it’s never explained and it doesn’t seem the other people recognize them- the Mothra Twins are there, full size, working at the ESP School. Curious. Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla1994 Directed by Kensho Yamashita Written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara IMDB Rating: 5.7 out of 10 Summary: Godzilla cells distributed through space in battles with Biolante and Mothra, help create a new crystal based super kaiju who is coming to Earth to ruin everyone’s day. This is one of the weakest of the G-flicks. Where to begin with the list of fails that plague this picture? The story is packed so lets get to that first. There are 2 things going on with the humans. There’s Project T. “T for telepathy” as a group plans to use Miki the psychic to control Godzilla. Only hitch with that is that the Yakuza plan to steal the tech to cause mayhem and whatnot. The other scheme concerns G-Force, who for some reason ditches the cool Mechagodzilla model to fight Godzy using a really dumb Mechagodzilla knock-off that looks like a giant penguin (named Mageura). Also: There’s a crazy man on an isle (a friend of a soldier killed in an earlier Godzilla movie) that wants to shoot G in the armpit with a blood coagulant bullet. Apparently this is G’s new vulnerable spot (guess we’re just going to ignore that whole ‘second brain in the butt’ thing from the previous film). Oh, and the Mothra twins pop up with a warning that Godzilla should not be killed because something worse is arriving from space. And in the middle of all this mess is little Godzilla, who is even more sickeningly adorable and who now whinnies like a horse. GAH! Miki is still defending Godzilla, yelling at the G-Force guys that they can’t understand why she likes Godzy because all they want to do is fight (Uh, and Godzilla squishes us like bugs?) And when she went on about Godzilla “feelings” I rolled my eyes. Still, in Miki’s defense, the Mothra twins do tell her that the big G is needed to protect the Earth, so she’s not a complete airhead in this argument. (I just wish she showed as much compassion for the families of the dead humans as she does for the giant monster) Anywhoo -- I think they blew the budget on the costumes because the rest of the FX were pedestrian. The final battle is limited to a single set, which contributes to the fights feeling static, hemmed in. They lack the excitement and dramatic punch found in the Mechagodzilla II film (for example) Also, what happened to the score? No Zilla themes, and how did they get away with stealing music from “You Only Live Twice", or maybe it’s just a knock-off that sound very, very similar? So nuts to this flick, best to wash the memory of it from my brainpan and get to the final Heisei feature. Which happily, is one of Godzilla’s finest!
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 26, 2014 5:53:28 GMT -5
Godzilla vs. Destroyah1994 Directed by Takao Okawara Written by Kazuki Omori IMDB Rating: 6.8 out of 10 Summary: Godzilla is dying: turning into a living bomb that can obliterate all life on the planet… and on top of that he has to face a killer kaiju who only gets stronger and stronger with each battle. Ach, Mondays! It all comes full circle. Any complaints and doubts I had about Miki’s sentimentality or Baby Godzilla are addressed and tidied up beautifully. And when you look at the Heisei series in total, you see how it was all leading to this moment. While it does start off exposition heavy -with conferences and new reports- once it gets done laying the groundwork, it gains a full head of (awesome) steam. Destroyah stands head and shoulders above the rest of the films in the Heisei era, and is one of my favorites of the entire Godzilla series. It’s a little more serious and is connected by plot threads to Gojira (the grandchildren of Yamada are characters, and an actress from Gojira make a return appearance). While there were some minor FX missteps, it had much better production values than Space Godzilla, and for the most part, looked great on all phases: sets, costumes, and fights. Originally Toho was going to film Godzilla vs. the ghost of the original Gojira. But they had just done Mechagodzilla and Space Godzilla, so Ghost Godzilla felt redundant and they wanted to change it up some. And change it up they did. The plot is inherently packed with intense drama: Godzilla’s heart is overheating, ready to explode like every nuclear bomb every made, all at once. The G-Force is trying to cool him down, or kill him, before that happens. And boy does this G-suit look cool. His body is riddled with glowing red cracks, his radiated breath explodes like fire. He’s surrounded by steam. But if that wasn’t enough, there comes a new monster. Destroyah was an ancient life form that was reborn due the Oxygen Destroyer weapon that killed the original Godzilla. He adapts to his environment, as a sea, land and air creature. He refuses to die, and keeps coming back bigger and stronger – and stranger. He looks pretty good (though the crab legs in one of his incarnations don’t move very realistically, mostly it works.) And I thought it looked very creepy when the crab versions return to crawl all over Godzy. All told It’s a powerful story, and very heartfelt. It actually got me choked up and manages to use Godzilla Jr. to good effect. (Setting him up to be a new – probably improved Godzilla- since he’s a peaceful creature and would probably not stomp on Tokyo for the hell of it. He’d fight to defend, rather for destruction’s sake. But alas, those stories were never told) So the Heisei series (which, BTW, translates to “Vs.” series) comes to a rousing end. While not every film was a win, I did like that they were all connected, and you had some cast members who were seen throughout - primarily that psychic girl with the big ears (Miki). I like that the series had a beginning, middle and end. Note: Toho couldn’t trademark the name Destroyer, so they modified it a bit so that they could own the rights and make money off the name as well as the likeness. Though throughout the movie, they just call him Destroyer, emphasis on the “er” sound on the end, rather than an “ah”.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 26, 2014 23:42:16 GMT -5
Welcome to hell... Godzilla1998 Directed by Roland Emmerich Written by Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich and Ted Elliott IMDB Rating: 5.3 out of 10 Summary: Someone takes a flaming dump on the screen and calls it a movie.... a Godzilla movie. I remember the hype before the release of the film: Trailers where a giant foot stomps down on T-Rex bones at a museum -- the Taco Bell commercials. And I remember the great disappointment after. In particular I remember a news report where a Japanese man -having just left the theater- is seen angry and in tears over the way stupid America ruined their Godzilla. The creature has since been renamed “Zilla” by Toho, while others accurately refer to the movie as “GINO” – Godzilla In Name Only Emmerich has said he was a Godzilla fan… so how is it possible for a fan to have thought this vandalism of a beloved character was in any, way, shape or form… a good idea? What was the thought process? “Hey, I know, instead of an unstoppable force of nature, lets make our Godzilla, small and fast and unable to take heavy missile fire. Lets make him a burrowing creature that hides and avoids detection and lays hundred of eggs. Lets change his physical appearance, lets get rid of the glowing back fins and the radioactive breath. Lets make a Godzilla film in which we change everything that made the classic… a classic.”Yeah that was a good idea. About as good as the one where you make a Catwoman film divorced from Gotham and the Bat universe, and Selina Kyle! I’m almost ashamed to include this one in the marathon. Had the movie just been a good movie, I could have at least enjoyed it as a “Giant pregnant iguana invades New York” type of thing. But GINO fails even in that. Direction, performances and script are huge duds. The human side of the story –which has boosted many a Japanese production- is a bore here. And the acting a real let down. I loved Matthew Broderick in the “Freshman”, and he was memorable as Ferris Beuller, but he looks lost here, and phones in his performance. It doesn’t help that the script fails him and the remaining cast (3 of whom lend their voices on TVs “The Simpsons” - Note Hank Azaria, slipping in and out of his Moe voice) and wastes the talented Jean Reno. Jokes land with an audible thud – things like the Siskle & Ebert potshots could have been fun, but here it just comes off forced and vindictive (the look-a-like characters were included because the duo had panned Emmrich’s previous 2 films) Is there anything I liked? Yes, the sound was nice: deep and full and resonant. Some of the CGI effects were well done: the jet chase through the city was tense and offered some cool moments. And there’s was one funny line where a woman gets upset when a reporter mispronounces Gojira as Godzilla. Other than that, GINO is a horror.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 27, 2014 16:14:51 GMT -5
Godzilla 2000: Millenium1999 Directed by Takao Okawara Written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura IMDB Rating: 5.9 out of 10 Summary: What appears to be a meteorite, turns out to be an ancient alien craft that absorbs Godzilla’s DNA to create the monstrous Ogra! In between this action are two organizations: The GPN (Godzilla Prediction Network) who wants to study Godzy, and the CGI (Crisis Control Institute) who wants to destroy him. Godzilla returns in the first release in the final (at this point) Toho series (called "Millennium"). And boy does it do a lot to wash the bad taste of the American production from my mouth. What I like about this movie is how it creates this sense of awe in regards to the big G. For example: It opens with an impressive sequence with a lighthouse keeper seeing a flying boat, which turns into something else entirely. From this scene we continue on with the King of the Monsters crashing across the landscape, as father and daughter Kaiju trackers and a reporter are hot on his trail. It’s a thrilling and visually cool and gets the Millennium era off on the right foot. The story is old hat; we’ve seen alien invasions and Godzilla’s cells used to create a new life form before. And this creature is way over the top. It’s Godzy on steroids: with an oversize head and massive clawed hands. Still cool though. In short: The human cast is personable; the film has a good sense of humor and we get some decent monster moments (as when Ogra attempts to eat the King). I like this motion picture quite a bit. The SFX are an improvement over what we saw in the Heisei series, and Godzilla looks bad ass, absolutely imposing, scary. Saying that, the CGI is not up to snuff and some of the miniature shots are weak in places (Godzilla kicking a toy car, for example). The film has finally been released on Blu Ray, and it includes both Japanese and American cuts -- Which made me happy because I’ve never seen the original. The U.S cut makes for tighter pacing, they smooth out some script oddities, and the sound is fuller. However, they lose a few scenes I enjoyed (like where they offer an explanation for why this film is called “Millennium”). There are pros and cons for each version. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus2000 Directed by Masaaki Tezuka Written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura IMDB Rating: 6.4 out of 10 Summary: Scientists have created a man made black hole, which they plan to use to dispatch Godzilla. But an insect caught in the beam during a test, mutates, and brings a plague of creatures into the city. I’m surprised to see the high rating from IMDB members, as I’d read several negative reviews across the net that considered this the worst of the millennium series. While I wouldn’t put it above the likes of Astro Monster (as they did at IMDB), I too, enjoyed this one… with a caveat (to come later in the review). I felt the first hour in this stand-alone story set in an alternate universe, was very strong. While the G-films in the past have indulged in sci-fi and fantasy and even comedy, they rarely entered into the realm of pure horror. This one however started off extremely terrifying, and I found that refreshing. The swarming insect creatures are creepy and at first are violently scary. Especially in the scene when one of them stalks, attacks and kill’s a couple. Stuff like that put a shiver down my spine and had me on the edge of my seat. Tonally the film is different from what we got previously: as hurt and anger supplants the sentimentalism of the Heisei series. Our female protagonist –a soldier who lost someone she respected in a fight against the giant lizard- is yet another person with a grudge against Godzilla, but her story keeps the story centered. I liked her. I liked seeing an uncompromising, driven, strong female hero in the lead. Hell, even the score was ominous, and at times had a touch of what sounded like the “Goblin theme” from Raimi’s Spider-Man. Unfortunately as it’s reaches its end, horror gives way to straightforward adventure and monster fights… Which even get a little “Showa series” goofy. With G conked on the noggin like one of the 3 Stooges, followed by Godzilla executing a flying belly flop. That was an unfortunate turn. Most of the practical effects are very good as are the Monster designs, though Mega is similar to Battra (the creatures in total draw a lot from Destroyah). On the other hand, the CGI work looks gawd awful. While mostly new faces are seen in the capable cast. Yuriko Hoshi, who played photographer Junko in Mothra vs. Godzilla and reporter Naoko in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, appears as Professor Yoshizawa, director of the Dimension Tide project.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 27, 2014 23:31:16 GMT -5
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack2001 Directed by Shûsuke Kaneko Writen by Kei'ichi Hasegawa, Shûsuke Kaneko, Masahiro Yokotani IMDB Rating: 7.3 out of 10 Summary: Three ancient guardian beasts awaken to protect Japan against Godzilla. Unlike the Heisei series that came before, the Millennium films were not all interconnected. You often got a completely new cast and new story lines. Here all previous Godzilla films (except the first) are ignored. But from out of that comes one of the best flicks in the franchise. The story drifts away from the aliens and weird science of the previous 2, and enters into myth and brings back some legendary foes. It builds tension by gradually introducing monsters that are popping up all across Japan. Most are not seen in full; with some we just see the after effects of people gone mad with fear. It’s a pretty effective set-up. It turns out these are guardian monsters, filled with the spirits of suffering dead, who are here to protect the homeland from Godzilla, who is making his return. The movie is an effective drama, with older characters haunted by the memory of Godzilla’s attack 50 years before. It’s also a rockn’ terrifically violent, tension filled giant monster battle. Taking on the King is Mothra, Ghidorah and the dog-like Baragon, who is enormous, but quite cute… according to one character. lol (I gather they had too many flying creatures, and that’s why Rodan was not used) Shûsuke Kaneko’s (Gamera Trilogy, Death Note) direction is tight as a drum. The FX are some of the best in the series (CGI has improved greatly), I liked the ominous score (which sometimes displays splashes of John Barry). The performances are solid: I especially like the gal playing Yuri and her relationship with her father. There are surprises, and scares and humor that is pitch black and self-aware. There’s also a touch of sociopolitical subtext you find in many of these features, but its delivered without the heavy hand. All told its just damn fine Godzilla! Additional positives: * American Zilla is mentioned; the Japanese doubt U.S. claims that this was the real Godzilla. Funny. * I like that Godzilla is the bad guy here, and that sentimentalism is reserved for the humans who suffer. * While the suit isn’t my favorite (it looks a bit loose and lumpy), I do like how smart and quick this version of the monster is. He sees and counters attacks; you can’t sneak up on this kaiju! * While not named, two girls dressed in white watch as Mothra flies over. A nod to the famous twins?
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Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 28, 2014 15:59:29 GMT -5
Note: For those not familiar with the terminology, a definition…. Kaiju (怪獣, kaijū ?) is a Japanese word that literally translates to "strange creature," and is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment. Kaiju films usually showcase monsters of any form, usually attacking a major Japanese city or engaging another (or multiple) monster(s) in battle. Onward then: In this positing we get a double feature… Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla2002 Directed by Masaaki Tezuka Written by Wataru Mimura IMDB Rating: 6.8 out of 10 Summary: A new Godzilla is on the scene and the only way to stop him is with a mechanized version of the original. This is yet another Millennium series movie that starts from scratch, it is however, tied in with past Toho features. In this version of the G-Universe: Godzilla hasn’t been seen since 1954, though other monsters like Mothra have bedeviled Japan, and a squad has been set-up to combat them. When a “new” Godzilla shows up, a team of scientists use the skeleton of the first Godzilla to build Mechagodzilla… who is piloted by a female solder looking for redemption after members of her platoon are killed by this new Big G. While you get serious scenes with the humans, and the question of nature suffering for our folly. Mecha (named Kiryu) has always been a pure comic book type opponent and this is what you get here… pure sci-fi action fun. There are a lot of explosions and buildings falling to ruin and neat Mech gadgets to deploy. There’s also a side trip when the bones of Godzilla get a mind of their own. (D-Oh!) I thought the human drama was note worthy. The action was very exciting and featured some remarkable monster fights. All told this is my second favorite feature from the Millennium series, the best Mechagodzilla, and one of the best Godzilla movies overall. Production Notes: * Kiryu translates to "Machine Dragon". The name was given to differentiate the character from previous versions of Mechagodzilla. * Japanese Baseball star Hideki Matsui has a cameo as himself in the film, due to his nickname "Godzilla". Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.2003 Directed by Masaaki Tezuka Written by Masaaki Tezuka, Masahiro Yokotani IMDB Rating: 6.7 out of 10 Summary: One year after the fight between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, the two monsters along with Mothra face off in a conclusive battle royale. The first direct sequel of the millennium series, though we get several different characters, including a new Mecha-pilot. In this movie the Mothra twins show up wanting Mechagodzilla destroyed and the bones laid to rest. There were a few fun Easter Eggs here (a giant turtle washes up on shore, the victim of an attack. It’s not Daiei’s Gamera, but it’s close). And it was cool to see actor Hiroshi Koizumi return as Mr. Chujo from the original Mothra movie. Though the flick doesn’t really stand on it’s own. It’s an entertaining compliment to the previous film, and a fitting end to the story. The Godzilla suit in this double feature was an improvement over the one seen in GMK. I like the way they did the neck, with cords running on each side, and eliminating the seam ring seen in other suits (ala G2K) The human side of the story puts the spotlight on the mechanics, rather than pilots, which was refreshing. Also: I wonder if the younger Churo (the mechanic) was supposed to be gay? He shows no romantic interest in a woman who shows interest in him. He does however show much interest in a hotshot male pilot. And in one scene when this woman accuses him of not being interested in girls, he flashes a look of surprise and concern. They don’t say he’s gay, I could be wrong, but these exchanges make me wonder if Toho was taking a first step towards diversifying its universe? Both of these movies are included on double release Blu Rays…. But not with each other? Hu – you think they’d package the two as one. Anyway, the S.O.S. disc includes a raw footage FX featurette and the original trailer. Also – stay to the end of the credits, as there is a scene set in a bio lab.
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