Saturday, December 31, 2011

Sanda vs Gaira- first battle

you try to do something nice for a relative, and then they go and eat the tourists. thus begins the well deserved beat down of the Green Gargantua by the Brown Gargantua.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Equinox DVD review (slightly updated)


This is a very influential movie, made by fans. Dennis Muren (STAR WARS, etc) wrote and directed it (along with Mark McGee) and many other soon to be legends in the effects business (the late Dave Allen, Jim Danforth to name two) worked on it. Muren completed the movie, shopped it around and Jack Harris (THE BLOB, DINOSAURUS, SON OF BLOB) bought it, hired Jack Woods to add some sequences and released it to the world. Or perhaps he released it upon the world? 

no one would ever believe that this movie would get a delux DVD release from Criterion.  and yet here it is.  gives one hope for the eventual release of other landmark monster movies.

the Luck Dragon

here's a couple scenes from "The Never Ending Story". they feature the Luck Dragon, Falkor. you don't get to see any full body shots in these clips, but it's an impressive prop. the whole movie is filled with such props. I watched most of the movie a few years ago, and I'd like to read the book now.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

The Vampire (1957)

this is far more of an accidental Jekyll and Hyde story than an accidental vampire story.  I don't even think the word "vampire" is used in the movie at all.  except to discuss the actual bats, that is.  in fact, it bears a closer resemblance to Atom Age Vampire (1963) than to anything with Dracula in the title.

Dr. Paul Beecher accidentally takes some pills that Dr. Matthew Campbell has been experimenting with.  these have been treated with vampire bat blood.  nothing good in the movies ever happens with vampire blood, so you can imagine what will happen if anyone takes the pills.

Yog, Space Amoeba

see a movie at the right age and you will love it for life. I distinctly remember seeing this trailer on TV at a young age, and seeing the poster at the local movie theater. I didn't see it for a few more years, but it sure left an impression on me. Gezora is the only monster of the three in the movie that got named. it's OK, he's really the star!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Triumvirate of Terror

I'll never remember why I had to post about Batman today.
we start off with the only thing that could make baseball interesting to watch- a game with superhero vs super villains.  you don't even need to have beer to make this fun!

a bird as big as a battleship...

The Giant Claw is one of my favorite monster movies. if the monster had been slightly more well done, it would be considered an above average movie.

as it is, it's really funny since Beaky is not the least bit scary at all.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Cleopatra Jones (1973)

just watched this movie.  I believe it's my first "blaxploitation" film ever.  nope, never seen all of Blacula, or Blackenstein or any of those.  heck, I've never even see any of Jim Kelly's myriad kung fu movies.  well, except for Enter the Dragon of course, but everyone has seen that one!

or at least they should have by now.


stop-motion Godzilla (and Biollante, sorta)

this is a cool little bit of stop-motion animation from the 1989 Godzilla movie. well, it was never used, but a stop-motion plant monster would have been really cool. there have been other stop-motion shots in Godzilla movies, I think the first three have several scattered about, but they are usually pretty quick shots. this was on a laser disc, I think.

Monday, December 26, 2011

kraken vs galligantua

I'd never thought about it, but really, this much loved tentacled beastie from "Jack the Giant Killer" (1962) is a kraken. it's from the right area of the world, is a real sea monster and has plenty of tentacles.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Jangle Bombs redux

since the first post here is having an issue, here's the clip again. such a great show with great acting. Merry Xmas!

Ultraman Ace vs. Black Satan

Ultraman Ace vs Black Satan and an alien I don't know. good scene here.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

the BUMBLE!

since it's Xmas Eve, here's something for the season, and he's a giant monster to boot! that terror of the North... the Bumble Snow Monster!

Friday, December 23, 2011

the rest of Captain America (2011)

this scene sure looks familiar.  and until recently, I would have thought it played out the same way it did in the comics.  Bucky's death was one of the few deaths in comics that meant something, as he stayed dead no matter how much Cap wanted him back.  not any more.  weak and lame.

Godzilla vs Ebirah

"Godzilla vs the Sea Monster" used to be one of the more underrated Godzilla movies. fans didn't like it's South Seas setting, or the monster Godzilla fights, the jumbo shrimp Ebirah. they also probably didn't like Mothra saving the day for the people as well.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

seventh planet monsters

"Journey to the Seventh Planet" is a rather interesting take on Ray Bradbury's short "Mars is Heaven! " which appeared later in "The Martian Chronicles". having said that, it's a lot of fun in it's own strange way. it has a theme song, which is always cool for a sci-fi movie.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Gamera vs Guiron

no, not the entire movie, just a quick clip of the monsters battling from the fullscreen version I first saw as a kid. it's still one of the best boy's adventure movies ever made. if you search Gamera or Guiron on this blog you will find that I've said a lot about this movie.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Martian Bat-Rat-Spider-Crab

another movie I saw after a terrifying episode of the Outer Limits. that always made the following movie much scarier. I had no idea there would be several giant monsters in "The Angry Red Planet" upon first viewing, but it's one of my favorite Martian movies.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Godzilla and Rodan vs Ghidrah

the first battle from the great movie "Monster Zero". the first and so far only time Godzilla and Rodan have been taken off planet to battle the three headed monster Ghidorah. I missed this movie the first time it aired on Channel 2, as I didn't know it was a Godzilla movie. I was a sad kid the next day at school, though none of my friends bothered to tell me exactly who Monster Zero was, though they did tell me who was in the movie.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Three Doctors (1973)

after watching Sarah Jane Smith appear with the tenth Doctor, I wanted to watch some of the original Doctors.

and here's an serial that I can see all three of the original Doctors in.  it's probably the best one of the three that have been done so far, though the stories in all of them are mostly just used to get the Doctors to meet themselves.  and with only three of them here, it is a lot easier than with five.  and the Two Doctors is fun, but not enough interaction between the Doctors.

sea monster vs two headed giant

this is the test footage from the original Jack the Giant Killer (1962). they changed the sea monster, obviously, and Galligantua somewhat. I think this is from the Japanese disc of the movie. notice all the blood in this footage.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Captain America (2011) 3/4s through

despite my dislike of the "costume" in the movie (more on that in a bit) and actually the title of the movie (Captain America: The First Avenger) I know, it's comic book geeky to be vexed, but Cap was actually the 6th Avenger.  if they are going by the fact that he was chronologically the first, well, then he's still not, as both the original Human Torch and The Sub-Mariner predate Cap and they've been Avengers as well, I have enjoyed the movie so far.

The X From Outer Space

a real song about Guilala. why have I never heard of this band "Ten Cent Rentals"? it's a nifty little song, and it's actually about the movie. awesome.

Friday, December 16, 2011

sea monster vs Hercules

this is from "Hercules and the Princess of Troy" which was a pilot for a US television series. it's pretty good, proving that this could have worked in a one hour format. several peplum actors were in this mini-movie, and they do a swell job. I wonder how it would have played out as a weekly series. the budget couldn't have handled a monster like this every week.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Megalon vs a dam

at least he wins one fight in this movie! I have written about this movie a lot. just checking it out on this blog brought up four entries with Megalon in the title alone, and that doesn't count the other posts he's mentioned in. add to that the several reviews and appreciations I've written for various magazines and it's almost embarrassing.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998)

much like The Secret of Kells, this is a traditional 2D cartoon which looks completely non-traditional.  that's a big plus in this age of CG movies that all tend to have the same images, despite subject matter.

Kirikou is born, and begins to help his village in their struggle with the "mean and evil" sorceress Karaba.  this is a rather episode movie, as it goes through several adventures during the movie's 71 minute running time.  it's very funny and very touching as well as beautiful.

I watched the English dubbed version, which is really good.  the other language is French, and the voices match up really well.

dragon vs cyclops (1958)

here's the climatic battle from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and it's one of Ray Harryhausen's best. the influence of this movie on future generations is akin to Star Wars (1977), as nothing like it had been seen on the screen since King Kong (1933). aren't we due for another awesome movie again?

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Supergirl (1984)

I have not seen this movie since I saw it in the theater in 1984.  I kind of liked it then, and I kind of like it now.  my overall reaction to it was "they spent HOW much on this?"

there's a good little movie in this mess, and some judicious editing would really help it out a lot.  and having the planned Superman cameo would really have helped as well.  Helen Slater looks amazing as Kara Zor-El, and does as good a job as she can with some of the lines she's been giving to say.

Red King is stupid

I've never been a huge fan of the skull monster, Red King. he always seemed like a bully and overrated, and defeated rather easily.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

any idea what's going on?
see that picture?  that's the main problem with this movie.  it's all the same damn color, and half the time it's hard to make out what the heck is going on in the movie.  it does make the parts that actually have color in them stand out a lot, but those are far and in between.

Varan flies!

one of Toho's lesser efforts is Varan the Unbelievable. I've seen the US version many times, starting as a kid with the 8mm compilation. it's not a great movie. some fans seem to think that Toho's version is somehow superior, and yet's even more boring. but to each his own, right?

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Mouse and His Child (1977)

hearing people talk about The Nutcracker Suite made me think of this movie, which I haven't seen since oh, early 1978.  I enjoyed it, but it definitely wasn't quite a disney movie.  it's rather existential.

so I googled it, and found out all sorts of things about the movie.  since I was only 12 when I saw it in the theater.  I certainly didn't get all the subtext going on in it.  I still don't, but then I haven't seen it since then.  it's hard to turn a novel full of ideas into a kid's movie.

Reptilicus!

I unashamedly love this movie. I'm not blind to it's various faults, but it is really a movie made by an entire country, and how many monster movies can actually make that claim? not many, I'll warrant.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Gorgo appears

this is baby Gorgo as he appears from the Irish Sea and battles some of the fishermen. it's a good scene, full of suspense- what would be the worst thing to see coming out of the water on a foggy night? yep, a real live sea monster. this is the first Western monster movie where the creature gets to survive at the end of the movie, returning with it's small offspring to live peacefully under the sea. of course, the comic books that continued the story had the family get in all sorts of adventures, but sadly the movie isn't as exciting as that.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008)

 this was my introduction to Harlan Ellison.  since I was seven at the time, I certainly didn't know it.  all I know is that it had the Avengers in it.

I didn't understand the story itself for many years, but it is pretty interesting.  it probably also set the stage for me wanting to learn chess, but that's another story as well.

anyway, back to Mr. Ellison.  he is definitely one of the most polarizing people on the planet, but I've always found him very entertaining.  the one time I met him and got his autograph he pronounced my last name properly and was really nice to all the fans in the line.

Kong vs T Rex

our giant monster scene is possibly the best fight scene ever animated- King Kong vs the tyrannosaurus rex from the original movie. it's amazing, full of personality and life.  adding more dinos to it just didn't make it a bit more exciting. in fact, it just made it longer and duller.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Three Stooges (2012) trailer

I have been completely and thoroughly ambivalent about this movie since it was announced the Farrelly were doing it. never been a fan of their "humor" since it was mostly gross out stuff. while the Stooges were violent they were never gross. I also figured there would be, uh, salty language and a ton of sexual innuendo, far out of character for the Three Stooges. I really never want to hear Moe call Curly a "fat ****".

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Captain America #1 (1940)

Chris Elam strikes again!  thanks again for the first issue of Captain America!

another cool reprint for Cap's 70th Anniversary.  again recolored to try to appeal to fans who probably won't like it anyway (Cap smiles way too much for one thing) that's just their loss.

the art is dynamic.  well, sure, of course it is, you know who did it.  this book is almost all Cap stories, and Bucky is introduced right away.  it's that willing suspension of disbelief that no one would see someone Cap calls "Bucky" who is the same age as the camp mascot wouldn't put two and two together, but that's also part of the charm of comics.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Godzilla flies

one of the most outrageous and perhaps infamous scenes in any Godzilla movie. ever. it tends to make serious Godzilla fans cringe, but then that's usually a good thing. go ahead, look up fan reaction to it and see. it's quite hilarious. how slow was Hedorah flying if Godzilla could catch up to it?

Post the 1000th

it looks like giant monsters will be the theme of the month.  well, the next three weeks, anyway.

and since that covers such a broad range of categories, I'll be able to pick some cool stuff, I hope.

and who would have guessed this is the thousandth post of this blog?  that's a lot of writing.  I think it's been good for me to do every day, since it lets me be more creative than I would be if I was sitting around on facebook playing games all day.

Monday, December 5, 2011

19. Demons Rise Again (悪魔はふたたび)

this is one of my favorite episodes.  someone, perhaps people from Mu, left a time capsule buried in the middle of Japan.  it causes a work delay when it's discovered and the Science Patrol is called in to investigate.  I'd never noticed the huge hole in the capsule before.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Return of Ultraman

or Ultraman Jack, if you prefer. some do, some don't. I don't mind the name, since it's easy to remember. it's not quite as good as the first two series, but the first part of the show is terrific. it also features the first appearance of Ultraman and Ultra Seven together, which is very cool.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Sword of the Atom

we start out with an episode of "The Currys" which means Aquaman/Arthur is singing to the audience.  it's Tuesday, the night he teams up with Batman to go out and fight crime.  but this being a sitcom, things never go as planned...

Friday, December 2, 2011

Bat-Manga theme

since it is actually in the song, I so wanted to title this "biff pow zap", but that had whiskers when I was a kid (and yet, articles about comics still start out that way to this day). this is from the Batman episode "Batmite Presents Batman's Strangest Adventures".

Marvel Comics #1

this reprint was published two years ago to celebrate Marvel Comics 70th anniversary.  only fitting since it's called Marvel Comics (issue two was turned into Marvel Mystery Comics, and I don't know why, it's a mystery).  I'm  sure it's probably been explained somewhere, but I have no idea where that would be.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Godzilla week part 2

here are the weekly promos for Godzilla Week.  there wasn't one for "Terror of MechaGodzilla", since that was the Monday movie.

why they aired the sequel first is beyond me, but perhaps they didn't know it was a sequel.  the vagaries of television broadcasting always surprise me, but probably shouldn't.  I wonder if the TV Guide in Colorado had ads like this.  I don't remember though.

now, of course, Gamera does not appear in "Smog Monster" either, and if I'm not mistaken the picture for "King of the Monsters!" is actually from "Godzilla vs the Thing".  the first one is just weird, since they had materials for a Gamera week (we will see that at some point,  as soon as I can find the ads).  I can just hear some nerd (darn that one in the mirror) saying "I hope someone got fired for that mistake!".

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

poll- the December theme

since October was monster movie trailer month, and November was spies, take a gander at the poll and decide what December should be.

there's one week to decide what it will be.  in the case of a tie, I'll cast the deciding vote.

hey kids, comics!

got these goodies (plus a reprint of Captain America #1) in the mail today.  thanks go to Mr. Owari himself for such a generous donation of gifts.

I've read a lot of the early stories from Marvel/Timely, but I've never read the comics themselves.  I have other reprints from various Timely books here and there, but never these two.

In Like Flint (1967)

started the month with Derek Flint, and now we end it with him and the fun sequel. these have all been enjoyable trailers this month, and it's made me want to see more spy movies than I have in the past. as I've said before, I tend to gravitate toward the spoofs and ripoffs more than the actual "real" ones, like James Bond or whoever is actually a serious spy.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Blithe Spirit (1945)

this movie is based on Noel Coward's play of the same name.  it's veddy veddy British, which means rather witty and yet rather tame.

a man accidentally summons the spirit of his dead wife back, who then tries to kill him.  well, not at first, she tries to get his current wife to leave him, and then it kind of spirals out of control from there, leading to an ending which is rather predictable.

Happy Birthday, Jerry Lawler

he's one of my favorite performers in the ring. he turns 62 today. here's a clip of him in his prime, fending off five- count 'em, five- attackers at once, even after taking some punishment. pretty good, when even Road Warrior Hawk can't defeat three Horsemen by himself. this picture is of him as the "Unified" Champion, where he won the AWA and WCCW title belts.  that's something that will never happen again.

Spy Shadow intro

this is a slight departure from the standard spy movies, but variety is the spice of life, right? I never saw this cartoon growing up. it was paired with Super President, which is silly and yet very enjoyable. as is this one. Richard Vance, agent of Interspy, is able to have his shadow separate from himself to help out on special cases.

Monday, November 28, 2011

MOTW- allosaurus

I love dinosaurs.  almost all of them.  there are a few that I don't care for, but most of those have "raptor" in the name.

having said that, allosaurus has never been a favorite of mine, at least as a kid.  it always appeared to me to be the pretender to the throne of Tyrannosaurus Rex.  since it was an ancestor to the rex, they would never meet or battle, but it was fun to dream.

Deadlier than the Male (1967)

I watched this Bulldog Drummond adaption a while ago, see this post here, but really didn't review the movie at all. the DVD looked great, even if it wasn't an anamorphic print. still, who knew you would find a copy of this movie at all?

Sunday, November 27, 2011

War of the Monsters Week

this is not quite a Godzilla week, but it's definitely a Giant Monster week.  it's mostly a Toho movie of the week, except for the Gamera movie (they almost had to air that one, didn't they?).  I wish I could have opened the TV Guide to see this line up of movies when I was a kid.  I also hope I would have saved it as well.

Karate Killers (1967)

never saw The Man From U.N.C.L.E. growing up, but heard and read a lot about it as a kid. watched the first few episodes on DVD and thought they were fun, but really didn't do much for me. I know people that love the show and swear it's awesome, but it's all about when you see it.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Time Out for Vengeance!

one of the 12 surviving parts of Equinox is eliminating all the Batmen of the past, present and future.  it's up to the JLI and Rip Hunter, Time Master, to foil his evil plans.

Spy in Your Eye (1965)

another spy spoof from Italy, this time it's Brett Halsey as Bert Morris, secret agent Z.3 (which is kind of a cool nom de guerre). this difference is he's got a spy camera in his eye, making him the first bionic spy out there.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Godzilla Week!

what a line up of movies for a week!  every afternoon at four PM.  I would have been in front of the TV every day this week, I can assure you of that.  one of the really interesting things here is the "Bionic Monster" title.  I wonder what actually came up for the title when it was shown.

this is from San Diego, as the call letters are for a local channel.  in Colorado they did these movies on Channel 4, which was the local NBC affiliate at the time.  I have the actual pages for these movies, and another week's worth, which I will post in due time, you'll just have to keep looking!

Secret Agent Fireball (1965)

another one from Italy. they must have cranked out more of these than any other genre. our hero is Robert Fleming, and this is the first of three movies featuring him, and the first two star Richard Harrison (of  The Four Assassins fame).

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Scorn of the Star Sapphire!

our adventure starts with Wonder Woman, Batman and Steve Trevor battling Baroness Paula Von Gunther in the teaser.  Batman rightfully wonders what Diana sees in the goober.  you can watch the entire teaser here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

this is the best Thanksgiving promotion ever.  you just can't go wrong with it.















Operation Kid Brother (1967)

thanks to Mr. Owari for pointing this gem out to me. I mean, where would a month of spy movie trailers be without Mr. Sean Connery

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

it's the 48th anniversary of Doctor Who!

today the first Doctor Who story aired, titled "An Unearthly Child". we are introduced to the Doctor and his granddaughter Susan, along with their human companions, teachers Barbara and Ian. of course during the course of the episode the T.A.R.D.I.S. is launched, and even then the old girl was a crotchety thing and didn't go exactly where the Doctor wanted her to.

RIP Anne McCaffrey

yesterday one of my favorite authors passed away.  Anne McCaffrey has been someone I've read for many years, since possibly the sixth grade.

this post says more about her than I can.  all I know is I love the books and read them every few years.  I've not read any of the newer ones, but I do hope the final one will be released now, it's only fitting.

RIP.

THE SECRET CODE (1942)

now this is a great serial. wish I had seen it as a kid, it would have been right up my alley. it's action packed and has a cool hero in it. the plot is good and all the cliffhangers make sense. it's worth all the praise it gets. The Secret Code has little lectures at the end of each chapter talking about how to break codes. this was apparently patterned after "Spy Smasher".

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Harry Potter/Deathly Hallows pt 2

Hogwarts has changed a bit since the last time we were here.  anyway, the movie starts right about where it should.  it's a long book, and of course they took several liberties with it. some work well, some not so much. there are going to be spoilers, but everyone has read the books so nothing should be much of a surprise here.

Man on The Spying Trapeze (1967)

looks like this one would be action packed. the reviews on IMdB agree. our hero is Jerry Land, perhaps a descendant of Ned Land, and he's stopping enemy agents out to steal valuable microfilm. this one was a product of Spain, Italy and West Germany.

Monday, November 21, 2011

The Incredible Hulk (1996)

I watched the first episode of this series on netflix, and it was so melodramatic and overdone that I didn't want to watch any more of it.  that would have been a mistake though.

Spy Smasher (1942)

well, it's not really a trailer, but a bit from a the end of a chapter of one of the best superhero serials ever made. of course, it's a Republic serial, which usually means it's pretty darn good. full confession- when I was in 5th or 6th grade I was Spy Smasher for Hallowe'en. I have a picture of me in costume somewhere, it's a pretty good looking one, I must say.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The New Adventures of Zorro (1981 TV series)

I watched all 13 episodes of this series when it was originally broadcast in 1981.  I remembered almost nothing about it, other than no one ever got stabbed in a sword fight.

however, it's a pretty good series, easily as good as Tarzan or the Lone Ranger (Tarzan is tops, I don't remember enough about the Ranger to say for sure).

Austin Powers International Man Of Mystery (1997)

I know I said I wouldn't do many mainstream movies, but I do love this one, and it's actually 15 years old now. how did that happen? I saw this twice in the theater in 1997. it made some money back then, but most people saw it when it hit cable.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

The Liquidator (1965)

here's a spy spoof that gets good reviews and is from England. I would like to see this one, and it's apparently been aired widescreen on TCM in the past. here's hoping I can track it down some time soon.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Southern Knights #9

"Critical Mass"

Mark Dagon gets a sci-fi novel published.  David gets his cast off from his accident, and has some rehab to do do.  that's a nice touch, for sure. Connie also duels Mark and loses, since he has over 1,000 years experience.  we learn Mark was a Musketeer in the past.

Viper guys Jim and Flint are worried about Serpent and plan to do something about Dragon after their Savannah job.

7 Golden Women Against Two 07 (1966)

wow, who knew just how many spy spoofs there were made in Italy? I'll tell you what, I'm not doing a "spaghetti westerns" month. maybe just westerns. I just haven't seen enough of those or these.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Gigantor/Tetsujin 28 episode #84

fansubbers are awesome.  who would ever believe we would get subtitled Gigantor episodes?  this is the one with the Space Pussies- now called Space Cats,  for some odd reason.

Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang (1966)

this is some trailer! they are desperate to sell "Kirk Warren" as the ultimate spy. I don't think I've ever heard a character's name mentioned so often in one three minute trailer.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Get Smart, Again! (1989)

now this is a lot more like it, though not quite as good as the series.  most of the regular cast has been brought back, including Shtarker and Siegfried (Bernie Kopell) which really helps matters.

and thankfully it kept 99 (Barbara Feldon).  not having her in the Nude Bomb was quite the mistake.

The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World (1965)

this movie has quite a history. I wonder how it did overall, with being reedited by this Joseph E. Levine guy... hmm, should I know that name? sounds familiar. he did some editing and hired Sammy Davis Jr to sing the title song. I'm not quite sure if it's a spoof or not. it was originally titled "Licensed to Kill".

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

after I started watching this movie on netflix, I realized I had watched it when it originally aired.  and hadn't remembered it at all.  ever notice how any movie with "zany" or "crazy" or "goofy" or even  "quirky" in the title is usually none of the above?

it's intermittently funny, with a good cast.  but it runs rather thin it it's 95 minute time, it would have been better at 70 or so.

the mysterious 800!

the last two days I've had over 800 views of this blog.  sure, some of those have been mine, but not that many.  and I haven't even mentioned Batman, Superman or Naomi Morinaga naked to do so (sorry Chris, couldn't resist)!

Argoman, the Fantastic Superman

I'm not quite sure it's a spy movie per se, but it's a lot of fun. I hope that Dorado Films does release this on a proper disc, as I've only ever seen it in it's fullscreen form. our hero isn't working for an agency though. he's a knight of England... Sir Reginald Hoover.

Monday, November 14, 2011

The Bad Seed (1956)

I saw this movie first as a play, which was how it was adapted from William March's 1954 novel The Bad Seed originally.

this was in 1982 or so.  unfortunately for the cast, the play was probably a little over their heads, and it turned into something like a black comedy, without them meaning to make it that way.

Scorpions and Mini Skirts (1967)

now there's a title for you that almost NO movie could possibly live up to. it's on IMDb as a far more normal title- "Death on a Rainy Day". how boring is that?

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Night of the Batmen!

there's a showdown in Gotham, and the Vigilante is gonna let Batman take on the varmits all on his lonesome.  he respects a man for protecting his ground.

Neos 1. Neos Nativity

Ultraman Neos was a 12 episode direct to video series.  it was originally slated to be a TV series, but for some reason we got this instead.

it's reasonably fun, and pretty standard, though I am not sure about how Neos and his human host have combined.

Secret Agent Super Dragon (1966)

once again, the trailer promises all sorts of thrills and chills. I'd be surprised if it actually lived up to it's hype, but it looks like it would be pretty fun. of course, I say that about all of these movies, and probably most aren't that much fun.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

The Ninth Doctor

this is the ninth incarnation of the Doctor, as played by Christopher Eccleston.  I've watched the first five episodes of his Doctor and...

The Nude Bomb promo

watching more Get Smart makes me wish I did have the DVD sets. the two movies are fun, with the "real" second movie, "Get Smart, Again" being lots better than this, though I like this just fine. this is a tv promo for the Nude Bomb, as all I could find for a theatrical trailer was the German one.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Gentle Giant (1967)

watching this pilot movie for the series "Gentle Ben".  the cast pretty much is the same from movie to series, except for Vera Miles.  which is OK.

Agent 077: From the Orient with Fury (1965)

here's one I just happened across. no idea about it, but the trailer has a completely different title. go figure. our hero's name is Ken Clark and he apparently works for the CIA. nothing too out there for this "parody". I wish there was more I could offer, but that's all I got.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Ultraman 18: Brother from Another Planet

a strange radioactive mist drops on Tokyo.  the Science Patrol springs into action!  except for Fuji, of course.  shortly after, the Alien Zarab shows up and makes it disperse.  this makes him a hero in the eyes of many. 

Dimension Five (1966)

now this is one I may have to track down. time traveling spies? it looks pretty awesome, that's for sure. it stars Jeffrey Hunter (the former Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise (and Jesus, for that matter) as Justin Power.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Howling (1981)

I am a big fan of werewolves.  and I prefer The Wolf Man style more than I like the more traditional wolf style.  this comes from Werewolf By Night, I am sure. I mean, Marvel Comics and werewolves? yeah, that's it.  I did see An American Werewolf in London though, at the drive in.  I liked that they were more sympathetic than vampires, and that they had a rivalry with the bloodsuckers.

Megalo-ON!

you know, what works for Oriental Cinema in 1999 doesn't quite work now.  so my whole introduction to the Megaloman episode guide is going to be reworked.  the episodes themselves shouldn't have too much changing to do, but the first part...

Avengers: The Ultron Imperitive

Ultron 6 has now taken over the various computers systems of the world.  he wants the SHIELD codes so he can launch nuclear warheads to eradicate all human life on Earth.  I am not sure if this was done in the comics or not, but I am pretty sure Ultron will return no matter what happens.  especially since the Vision is rumored to be showing up in the next season...

Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966)

here's one I actually have seen. and sadly, the trailer is the best thing about the movie. probably would have liked it as a younger kid, but it meanders about between the good stuff. this hero's name is Adam Chance.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

JLA: War World

Superman and Jonn get caught in a large explosion in space, and then disappear.  they have been captured by Mongul's men to provide sport on the titular War World.

Danger Girls (1969)

here's a spy treat from Mexico, directed by René Cardona Jr. this one got dubbed into English, and is a sequel to "SOS Conspiracion Bikini" (1967). that one I can't figure out if it's in English or not. this one looks pretty cool. and it's an international picture, shot in Mexico, Ecuador and Miami.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Dark Shadows (40 episodes in)

I have watched the entire run of Dark Shadows, when it first aired on Sci-fi.  they even aired the first part before the ghosts and stuff became prevalent.  who knew the channel would turn to crap like it has?  I watched it about 15 years ago.

Danger!! Death Ray (1967)

the trailer for this movie is action packed. I wonder if it's as good as it looks? I'm glad to see former Tarzan and Maciste actor Gordon Scott got more movie roles after the peplum fad ended though.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Fishtales (2007)

avid readers (all 3 of you) know I have long enjoyed stories and movies about mermaids.

Shadow of the Bat!

this episode starts with Batman and Robin in the jungle battling Catwoman and her black leopard Hecate (pronounced correctly here).  I am actually sparing you the overt silliness of of seeing our heroes in their jungle costumes.   you will just have to trust me on this one.