Monday, October 31, 2011

Thor (2011) preview...

just started watching this movie.  so far it looks pretty good, even if the fight with the Frost Giants is done as dark as possibly to hide the cg effects better.

Samson vs the Vampire Women

oddly enough, "las vampiras" doesn't quite have a one word English translation, does it? "vampiresses" is a very clunky word. too many sibilants!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Comic Book: the Movie

"Always leave them wanting more." either P.T. Barnum or some guy named Disney.

trouble with most movies these days is they don't leave you wanting more, they leave you wanting less.  ten to twenty minutes less in most cases, sometimes an hour or two in a few.

Hellboy: Blood and Iron

this one was just as enjoyable as the last Hellboy movie I reviewed, except for one thing- how can they not know how to pronounce Hecate?  it's not "Heh-Kate". it's not.

it's Hekátē, pronounced /ˈhɛkətiː/, see how easy that was?


anyway, the movie is fun, well acted and directed.  it deals with a haunted house, which turns out to have a resurrected vampire in it.  so the BPRD is sent to investigate. 

one of the best things about all the Hellboy movies is they don't lack a sense of humor.  I hate that superhero stuff lacks much humor any more, since by and large they are a pretty silly lot.

DinoSquad (2007)

usually I say everything is better with dinosaurs.  and yet this cartoon makes me a liar.  it's not bad, it's just kind of stupid.

the premise is decent, teenagers turn into dinosaurs from some mutating gel.  evil velociraptor wants to take over the world.  good velociraptor tries to stop him.  oh yeah, they both can assume human form.

it's also set in Maine.  could they add any more to the mix?  oh yeah, the mutated dog...

anyway, it's only 26 episodes and I've watched four now.  one of the episodes used the transformation sequence six times.  that's just awful.  and the kids are such caricatures.  they all act exactly the same way, and they aren't always very nice to each other.

oh yeah, and there's a moral in every episode.  I don't know that I can make it through 22 more episodes. 

I was A Teenage Werewolf trailer

I've never actually seen all of this movie. which is weird, considering my fondness for werewolves. I will have to remedy this soon.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Atragon trailer

this is a movie that makes you think. it's exciting, but it's also very mature. which means if you are a kid and think you are getting a traditional Japanese monster movie you will be disappointed.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966)

after watching the first movie, I thought heck, I might as well endure the far lesser regarded sequel.

I saw this on Channel 2 KWGN back in the day, and it was in a two hour time slot.  that means, for this 81 minute movie, that there were a ton of commercial interruptions.  it seemed like the movie lasted forever.  I didn't care for it much even then.

Valley of Gwangi

yes, another redux, but this one has also disappeared from last year's post. as I said there, this is probably my second favorite Harryhausen film. both involve dinosaurs, go figure.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Godzilla Tombstone Marker

at least that's what I was told it was, though it could just be a lawn ornament.  it's pretty cool, though. 

not sure how much I would want it outside for the birds to decorate, but it could be hosed clean if it was stone.  I wonder how big it actually is.

if it is a marker, it sure would garner attention in any graveyard!

Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962)

Sid Pink just didn't wanna pay for "The Martian Chronicles" so he "adapted" it into this fine slice of early 60s sci-fi. I'm not going to pretend it's any kind of great movie, but it is a lot of fun, and has plenty of alien monsters and babes. this one did air a few times on TV in my area, and I was amazed to see them use the same kind of effects for lasers that I was able to do- scratching the film itself! anyone who ever read the first part of the Chronicles knows Pink and Ib Melchior owe Bradbury some money.

Tiga 4: Sayonara, Planet Earth

this is an episode very similar to the original Ultraman episode #23 "My Home is Earth" with Jamila.
the monster Ligatron shows up on Earth and immediately goes on a rampage.  it's a tough beast, that's for sure.  the miniatures here look so cool. in this day of all cg cityscapes and machines, it's refreshing to see actual hand crafted things.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

the Silver Surfer cartoon

the Surfer is an unusual choice for a kid's cartoon series.  he's never been one of my favorite heroes, since he comes across as a pretentious snot most of the time.  and he repeats a lot of phrases- enough you could have a drinking game made of them. and it's only a 13 episode run!

She Creature trailer (1956)

one of the most iconic monsters of the 50s, and one of the many brought to life by Paul Blaisdell, the She Creature is a great suit. it's also an interesting movie to be sure, though I have not seen it in several years. it got a legit DVD release a while back, so I should watch it again.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Flight That Disappeared (1961)

this is a pretty effective and thoughtful little movie.  an old propeller airliner takes a flight across the country and has a little trouble.

as in it begins to inexplicably climb in altitude.  the crew lets the tower know, but they can't do anything to stop it.  on the plane are three highly educated people, a scientist with plans for an big bomb, one with a new idea for a rocket and a mathematician. 

the first half of the movie spends time letting us get to know the characters, and that's a good idea.  this plays like a "Twilight Zone" episode, so you know the plane is headed for something.  we just don't know what yet.

Godzilla vs the Sea Monster trailer

well, it's a TV promo trailer for the US version, though it does identify the jumbo shrimp as "Ebirah" when it's not named at all in the US version. whoever made this spot obviously knew what the original "international" title was, as there is a reference to "horror of the deep" in there as well. and doesn't that sound like the man who dubbed "Captain Mura" from Ultraman as the narrator?

Monday, October 24, 2011

not quite Megaloman

remember this here post? this is what it inspired me to do.  not exactly the same, but I love this color scheme.  closer to Zone Fighter than an Ultra, but I can kind of claim this one as my own now.  I did have a hero I invented called "Megaman" back in the 70s, but  he was all purple.  I think I have a drawing somewhere in my collection.

It Came From Outer Space trailer

and it was a deadly pace (geez, how many more Rocky Horror references can I fit into one month?) indeed!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Zorro and the Scarlet Whip Revealed (2007)

as someone who has watched many many many different versions of Zorro, I had to check this cartoon movie out.  it's made from four episodes of Zorro: Generation Z, which has never been aired in the US.

it's the grandson of Diego de La Vega assuming the role of Zorro in 2015.  so we get a motorcycle called Toronado instead of a horse and he gets a hot female partner as well as loyal Bernardo.

it's not horrible.  the main downfall is the more limited animation style used.  it's closer to the 80s animation than what one might expect from a newer cartoon.  the acting isn't bad, and there's a nice chemistry between our heroes.

more Zorro cartoons to be reviewed in the future.

The Black Scorpion trailer

I had the pleasure of seeing this movie on the big screen a few years ago. it's really one I would love to have seen as a kid, though I don't recall if it ever aired in my area. if it did, I wasn't there to see it, or something else happened. the world may never know. there is another trailer to this movie, one of those ones that uses stills and not moving images.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

JLA: Paradise Lost

here we get some background on Diana, Princess of Themyscera.
we start out with a big storm.  nice to see Snapper Carr included in the cartoon, too bad they never tried to give him his jive hip patter from his early appearances.  he actually might sound cool, now.

The Mummy (1959) trailer

perhaps not quite as atmospheric as Karloff's, but this movie features one deadly mummy. it's also gorgeously shot and really good. I don't quite remember if it ever was aired when I was growing up, but it seems to me I at least saw the ending. Hammer made a couple more mummy movies, but I have not seen them.

Friday, October 21, 2011

First Class pt 2

the rest of the movie deals with Sebastian Shaw trying to start WW III via the Cuban Missile Crisis.  there's a pretty satisfactory battle on the beach of some small island between the good guys and the bad guys. Hank pretty much clobbers Azazel in the fight scene here.

Ultraman # 16: The Science Patrol to Outer Space

the "deadly" Baltan seijin return, with new powers (or at least heretofore unseen powers). they still seek the Earth as their home, and this time take over a scientist when he launches his new ship to Venus. this happened to be the first episode I ever saw the Baltan, and I think it's a better episode than their first appearance!

four Mummy trailers

Universal had a hit with Karloff in "The Mummy". oddly enough, it took them almost a decade to return to the wrapped horror, and then it was in a much lower budget. still, I saw all of these several times growing up, and it's like watching old friends. I know they are not the best monster movies, but they are very enjoyable.

X-Men: First Class (part one)

so far, I like it.  the mansion looks like it should, I think.  I like that they have actually set it in the 60s (after the beginning to show them as kids, of course).  it's established as the Xavier mansion right away, and Charles has his powers and likes them.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Teenage Caveman trailer

yes, this was a trailer I picked last year, but since it's gone, here it is again. my review of the movie is here, so if you want to read about it, that's the place to click! there's not much more I can add to that, so enjoy!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Gamera vs Zigra (1971)

growing up I wanted to see this movie so much.
wow, be careful what you wish for, huh.  there are some really cool things to like about the movie, and that's what I will be concentrating on.  here we have the opening sequence, which is a several cool miniatures on a moon set.  explosions, animated rays, it's got everything! 

King Kong vs Godzilla international trailer

Toho made this to sell their movie, somewhere in the world. fans have long speculated about the possibility of an English dubbed version of their version, but in nearly 50 years it hasn't shown up yet. that makes me think there never was one, since most English speaking parts of the world got the US version.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Avengers: Ultron 5

that is some form of the Serpent Squad that our heroes are about to take on.  the middle figure is the Cobra, but I don't recognize the others.  it's a rather funny battle, at least at first.

Jack the Giant Killer (1962) trailer

you see this movie in the theater before the age of ten and you will love it. I saw it before I saw 7th Voyage, (well, that's actually not quite true, but I didn't see all of that movie) so it was all rather original for me. I didn't know the producer had pretty much aped 7th Voyage for the fights.

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Wolfman trailer (1941)

some programmer at Channel 2 really loved the Universal monster movies. I bet at least two or three were shown a month. the Mummy movies, the Draculas, the Frankensteins, the Creatures- they were all shown on a really regular basis. so I got to know them pretty well.

I've always preferred werewolves over the rest (aside from the Creature) and I vividly remember watching Lon Chaney, Jr change for the first time. by the time I saw this movie I knew how it was accomplished, but it was still really impressive and cool to see.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Battle In Outer Space (1959)

ostensibly a sequel to 1957's Mysterians, this is a cool little flick. actually, it's a pretty big movie with city destruction, spaceship battles and a moon attack. there sure wasn't anything like this made by any US studio. it was only George Pal that would attempt epic scale movies like this over here.

this never showed up in my area at all, and I didn't see it until I was intrigued by clips I saw on the wonderful Godzilla Fantasia tape. interestingly enough, Cinemax aired it several times in the early 90s, so there was an uncut version out there. now we have it on DVD, which is really cool.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

who's Bloody Terror?

when waking up at 4 in the morning to watch this "Frankenstein" movie I was a bit surprised to see the cool animated title explaining that this wasn't what I would be getting. instead, it was now the Wolfstein clan who's exploits we would be seeing. and then the movie never mentions either "stein" again.

still, we got two vampires and two werewolves and a lot of monster action. that's about all a 12 year old would want!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Beast Trailer ever?

another staple of my childhood, this one was shown several times. I never noticed how quickly these movies ended once the monster was defeated, destroyed or killed. they just stop, no wrap up or anything. sometimes I wish there had been a little more to the movie, like what happens to the body and all.

sure would like a figure of the rhedosaurus though!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)

spy capers were all the rage in the mid-60s, and spy spoofs were quickly on their heels.

American International Pictures never ones to pass up a trend, produced and imported several.  this one teamed up Dwayne Hickman and Frankie Avalon to take on Vincent Price. 

I think I saw the lesser sequel back in the day, and it seemed interminable.  this is the first time I've ever watched this one, which is better.  it's mostly just goofy more than clever.  I think had I seen it at age, oh, 12 or so, I'd like it a lot more.

Gappa, or Monster from a Prehistoric Planet trailer

man, 1967 was a monster filled year for Japan. Godzilla at least was in the islands, instead of tearing up the place. Gamera was fighting Gyaos, and Guilala had shown up as well. what a year!

Japan also got invaded by two giant monsters in this fun movie. the parent Gappa were searching for their child, kidnapped by a greedy entrepreneur, who obviously never watched Mothra (1961) or Gorgo (1961). a large chunk of Tokyo is destroyed before all ends sort of happily.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Ultraman toy, "Wonder Woman" pendant

I got this at a local Japanese shop a few years ago, it's pretty cool.  much cooler than the iphone next to the toy.  Ultraman uses his Shredding Halo sparingly, which makes it just that much cooler when he tosses it at a monster.  there were a few that had some defenses against, like Gubira who caught it on his nose. sort of.

now this was at the local Hot Topic.  now, I know how universally popular the Bat is, and that DC recently redesigned Wonder Woman's costume (how long til she triumphantly returns to the original design?) but I'm pretty sure that the bat-logo was not part of it.

Equinox trailer

this is one amazing trailer. I haven't seen it more than once, and haven't watched the movie for a few years. it's enjoyable, but if you see it when you are about nine years old in the middle of the night it's pretty darn scary! the trailer is actually more impressive than the movie is, in a strange way, but then it was made by professionals whereas the bulk of the movie was made by kids, which is impressive no matter how you slice it. wonder whatever happened to them?

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

I like Hammer movies, and I love a few of them, but usually I don't care for the ones after 1968 or so (yes, there are exceptions, of course).  I've never seen any of the Karnstein trilogy of movies, so this one is a first for me.

it was the final Hammer movie co-financed by a US company though.  I kind of liked it, but on the whole it's just kind of... there.  it's a great looking movie, and moves along pretty well, but how people couldn't glom onto the fact Mircalla wasn't responsible for all the killings is just beyond me.

I think it's more popular for the blood, nudity and lesbian overtones than actually being any kind of groundbreaking vampire movie.  and I'm sorry, but as beautiful as Ingrid Pitt is, she's not much of an actress, at least not here.  she's not asked to do too much, which is a good thing.

I'm not in any hurry to see the others in the series, though I am sure they are all acceptable entertainment.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Gamera vs Monster X (1970)

this is probably the best Gamera movie, with no monster stock footage at all.  we get an opening montage of previous fights, but that doesn't have any effect on the movie.  this is the first Gamera movie since the original to actually bear his name again, at least in the US AIP-TV version. 
early on we are introduced to Expo 70 and then the name "Wester Island" comes up, and all the stone statues dotting the small islands in the pacific ocean.  here's the speculation as to where they came from...

and when worlds collide...

we get to see a terrific movie! not quite as good as Pal's earlier War of the Worlds, but still pretty awesome. as I have mentioned before, I saw these two movies on a great double feature in about 1978, thanks to the success of some movie called Star Wars. hard to believe both of those movies were only about 25 years old then, and now Star Wars is even older.

I always wondered what the sequel would have been like. I'm also kind of surprised there hasn't been a new adaption made. but for a 13 year old in 1978 this was just one great movie watching experience, in a big old theater.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Superman vs Spider-man

in 1976 I was innocently reading some unremembered comic book issue (out of the hundreds I had been reading), probably enjoying the story when an ad for this comic book caught my eye.

to say nothing else mattered at that point, and is probably the reason I don't have any recollection of which book I read this in, is an understatement.  I was blown away that this would happen.

I was so excited I pre-ordered the book, by cutting out the coupon in whatever comic book I was reading.  so much for that collector's edition!  I just couldn't wait to read this book and speculation ran rampant in my superhero brain.

stuff like "what Earth will it take place on? will there be extra heroes? will there be villains? who will the villains be?" and all sorts of stuff.

when the mail finally delivered my long awaited treasure, I was not disappointed.  they didn't even bother with the whole continuity thing, which didn't bother me at all (though with the mention of the Injustice Gang there had to be other heroes around).  I don't know how many times I read it, but it was a lot.  it sure lived up to the hype on the cover!

the follow ups to this were OK, but none were as great as the first one- I only ever bought the X-Men/Teen Titans one, and can't remember anything about the others.

I still own this, and it's in decent shape.

The Creeping Unknown trailer

I only ever saw Five Million Years To Earth in the Quatermass trilogy, so seeing the first two on video was pretty cool. this movie is really good. none of the stories are connected as far as I remember, just having Quatermass as the main character. of course, since none of the movies bore the name Quatermass over on this side of the pond you would never know they were connected.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

more Ultraman Powered

I stand by everything I wrote here, but finally finished the entire series (all 13 episodes) and have a few more thoughts.
the first thought it they actually improved the Pestar episode.  that's pretty impressive in and of itself.  of course, they completely ruined the Gomora episode, in  which nothing much happens. obviously they wanted the viewers to feel sorry for old Gomora, but it goes too far.

Varan The Unbelievable (trailer)

actually owned the 200' 8mm comp of this movie for several years before it ever aired on Channel 2. it wasn't shown too much, but after watching all 11 minutes of it as many times as I had, it was like seeing old friends with sound! it seems like I remember thinking "yeah, that's how they sounded in my head as well."

I like the movie, but it's not a great film. and the original Japanese version isn't much better either. it's longer, but definitely more boring than the US version. we all wanted to see Varan fly though, and that is kind of a fun little scene.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Gatchaman #4- Revenge on the Iron Beast Mechadegon

Galactor sends a new robot in the shape of a giant centipede to start taking the Earth's interior treasures and fuels.  this means oil and coal, I think.  no one uses the word "Oriental" anymore, Ken.  it's now "Eastern" (since that's what it means anyway).
 here's his "henshin".  definitely one of the cooler ones around, even to this day.

Plan 9 From Outer Space trailer

I was in my teens before I ever saw this movie all the way through. I don't remember exactly, but at the time I was more inclined to believe it was a "bad" movie, due in no small part to a certain moronic book by some moronic brothers named Medved.

now that I am older, I love this movie. it's by no means a well made movie, but it's got an energy and a charm that many "good" movie lack. I think it's the love of movies that Ed Wood exhibits, despite his lack of movie making ability. when his craft improved, the surrealness of something like this was diminished. and he did become a better filmmaker, as experience will do that to a person.

Friday, October 7, 2011

JL: Injustice For All

the Justice League puts Lex Luthor behind bars for his crimes.  they also discover he has a rare blood disease brought about by years of carrying a chunk of kryptonite around (something that happened in the comics as well).  Lex wants revenge, of course, since it's all Superman's fault. what a loser.
he enlists the Ultra-Humanite in his cause, and they escape.  I love this Ultra-Humanite.  he's witty and urbane.  Batman saves a small girl from the fire they cause as a decoy.  Batman continues his loner facade with Hawkgirl.  at least they do away with that sort of attitude later on.

Kikaida! Comin' atcha!

 here's a quick selection of cool shots from the 3-D Kikaida movie.  it makes  for a good short movie, but it would be just an adequate television episode.  it has the traditional reincarnated throw around monsters.
the 3-D is pretty cool, it's fun to see the movie talk to the audience and tell them when to wear the glasses. 
Hanpei "Hanpen" Hattori is played by Shun Ueda and is marvelous, pretty much the heart of the show.  this movie is available on the last DVD released by Generation Kikaida. they are well worth it!

The Deadly Mantis trailer

this movie was shown a few times when I was growing up, usually on a Sunday afternoon. someone at good ol KWGN was definitely a fan of Universal monster movies. so while it's not the best giant bug on the loose movie, it's kind of a sentimental favorite. I mean, a giant mantis can be scary, but this one really doesn't do too much at all. the scariest is bit is actually at the end of the movie, and that was done just to startle the audience.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

BLB 22- Moon Mission (Major Matt Mason)

"MOON WORMS! 
UNDERGROUND CAVERNS! 
MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSIONS! 
Major Matt Mason's rescue mission becomes a horrifying nightmare."

this is the copy on the back of the book.  it fails to mention the giant moon rabbits, though.  probably to save them for a surprise.

this is the book that made me want a Major Matt Mason figure in the worst way.  I had seen them at various friends' houses, but never owned one of my own.  lots of characters in here, as well as several of the vehicles including the Cat Trac and the Space Crawler, all of which could be purchased to play with as well.

no sign of any aliens from the series- Callisto, Lazer, Scorpio or Or, which would have made for a more exciting story. spoilers!

derby tattoo

in roller derby. long time readers (well, ones that have been with me two years or so) remember this post where I talked about my first roller derby bout. in it you can see I mention "L.A. Ink" and the clip that I saw about roller derby.
for the life of me, I thought it was an LA Derby Doll that came in for the tattoo, but it's not, it's a Rose City Roller, Domesticated Violence, from way up in Oregon. so perhaps I just figured she was from much closer to LA.
so here's the clip. that's who you can blame now, Kat von D.


Ultraman 15: Terrifying Cosmic Rays

children get attached to the things they create.
they also make fun of their friends who's monster drawing ability is not quite up to everyone elses.  here we have the monster Gabadon, who is pretty cute in this stage.

Gigantis trailers (again)

I put these up last year, and they are now gone as well. someone had nicely added two different trailers together, but now they are on youtube separately. so this is how we will get them, the short one first and then the longer one.

this was one of the last Godzilla movies I ever got to see on TV, and yet ironically one of the first I ever bought on VHS. and it had the original title then, not the Toho demanded Godzilla Raids Again one. It's not the best Godzilla movie, but I like it a lot. and I'm sorry, all the whiners complaining about the change of the name really entertain me. I can't quite tell if they are serious about saying "It's GODZILLA!" or just being funny, so I opt for serious turning into funny.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

movies of Dark Shadows (the trailers, anyway)

since I've been re-watching the original soap opera, I thought today's trailer should be one of the two theatrical movies. lo and behold there are both of them together here. I like both movies, but it's been several years since I've seen either of them. once you look at them as alternate realities then they are pretty good. and violent, far more than the soap ever was!

The Vile and The Villainous

the Joker takes over the show, but no fourth wall is broken.  they save that for Bat-mite alone, apparently.  a good thing.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tiga 3. Prophecy of Evil

"there is no Dana, only Zuul..."
 this is the cool GUTS base rising from the ocean.  love the waves, a nice touch for what looks to be a real miniature.  it probably has a name, but I don't recall it at the moment. the talk show host was possessed by the Kilie who let everyone know that the days of humans on Earth are now numbered.

Mad Monster Party? (1967)

now this is a movie I don't think I ever saw until the 1990s on TNT, back when it played good stuff. it's so much fun and even with Phyllis Diller it's got awesome voice talent. the musical score is pretty wonderful as well.

I did see the pseudo-sequel on the ABC Saturday Morning Movie "Mad Mad Mad Monsters" and I have fond memories of that. it's not quite as good, but still a lot of fun.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Ultraman 13: Operation Pearl Oyster

this is not a boring episode, as it's directed by Akio Jissoji, but there's not a lot that happens in it at all.  Fuji loves pearls, but the prices have gone through the roof.  turns out Kamakujira is eating them, and then the laws of supply and demand take over.
 this creature is pretty silly looking.  here's a nice shot of Fuji looking at it, probably a forced perspective. very cool.
 the poor thing gets treated shamefully for just doing what it does naturally- yes, that's a rocket enema it's receiving.
there's no Ultra fight in this one, Ultraman just lowers his head and runs smack into the beast, the end.  but luckily for Fuji, pearls are plentiful again!

Frankenstein Conquers the World

now this movie was the first one I did last year, but it's been removed since then, so I can do it again! it's my favorite Frankenstein movie, I mean, giant monsters added to the legend? how much better could that be?

thanks to Famous Monsters, we all saw pictures of the giant octopus that was supposed to have ended the movie. it's a cool scene, but ultimately makes the movie needlessly longer. and why on Earth would an octopus that size be wandering around the Japanese countryside? I'm glad it's on the R1 DVD of the movie, but I'm also glad we got the version we saw growing up.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Gokai 15: A Privateer Appears

 this is the episode where we learn more about Marvelous backstory.  he was originally in the Red Pirate Gang with Vasco and Aka Red.  he doesn't quite look like the same Aka Red I know, and he wears the "35" on his chest?  Vasco has betrayed them and takes some of the Ranger Keys.
 here are the five our heroes have to fight.  and since Vasco is a cheater, one should be prepared for more surprises.  the actor does a good job of making you want to see Marvelous kick his butt, so I applaud him for that.
it's at least a two parter, and Gokai Red is left alone in defeat...

King Kong

I saw this for the first time on Channel 2, it ran the full 100 minutes. I had already seen both Toho Kong movies (and loved them) and I believe I had endured the first needless remake of the movie as well. so I knew I was in for a treat.
it's still an awesome movie. the t rex vs Kong fight just can't be topped, not even by adding more dinosaurs and gravity defying stunts.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

The Secret Of Kells (2009)

this is a beautiful cartoon from France and Ireland that I feel like I should like more than I actually do. 

it's not bad, but lacks a real villain.  unnamed Viking hordes and Crom Cruach don't quite cut it for the conflict department.  there's a lot of talking heads.

but it looks wonderful and is well acted and the music is good.  it just didn't reach out and grab me like I thought it might.  but if you are looking for something different than the usual disney/pixar looking movies, this is well worth a look.

The Raven (1963)

so this movie I woke up early one Saturday morning (think 5 AM or so) and caught the last battle between the sorcerers. it's a really cool and funny battle between Vincent Price and Boris Karloff. one of the great things about TV back then is you didn't always know what you would see- schedules sometimes altered without any warning, especially monster movies in the middle of the night.

I loved the movie, at least the part I saw. I didn't see the entire thing for many years, but it didn't let me down when I finally did. I've always thought Doctor Strange was based on Vincent Price, though the character and the movie debuted the same year. it's ostensibly adapted from the Poe Poem, but highly elaborated upon.

Monsterpiece Theatre

this is a test.