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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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 ****".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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!".