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| Netflix One-Liners 02.10 | |
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2.26.2010
7:34 AM | Link0 comments |
 Year One: Jack Black and the cast of Superbad star in this caveman movie that turned out to be a lot like Mel Brooks' History of the World (but not nearly as funny), so I'm really glad I missed this one in the theater!Alien Nation: This is an excellent science fiction crime drama with James Caan and Mandy Patinkin (almost totally unrecognizable in make-up) that combines aliens with a hard-boiled cop plot (although getting drunk from spoiled milk is kind of dumb). The Ramen Girl: I had this movie in my queue before I had even heard of the loss of Brittany Murphy, and it's a cute (if a little silly) story about a girl kind of stranded in Japan who decides to learn to be a Ramen chef with the same feel as The Karate Kid. Louis CK / Chewed Up: My pal Chris introduced me to this absolutely hilarious comedian who does the best stand-up routine that I've seen in years, especially his jokes about overeating (which are so funny because they're true!). Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters & Marvels: This is a cool two-part interview of Stan Lee (creator of Spider-Man and just about every other Marvel superhero) by Kevin Smith, who does a great job as a true fan asking interesting questions and enjoying Stan's colorful answers. Saturday Night Live / Adam Sandler: Although it can get a little old watching the same characters over and over, I kind of like the old Adam Sandler (especially Operaman) before he started making a hundred feel-good movies a year. Saturday Night Live / Chris Farley: It was fun to spend some time "in a van down by the river" with Chris Farley, but I was kind of bummed than several of the exact same sketches from the Adam Sandler collection were included (which is cheating!). Godzilla / Final Wars: I couldn't resist watching the last Godzilla feature film again when it showed up on Watch Instantly, and while it was really fun, I was definitely reminded of its flaws (it should have been so much better!). Somewhere in Time: One of the best time travel romance stories ever with an incredibly beautiful Jane Seymour and a somewhat campy Christopher Reeve, I was so happy to see this was available on Watch Instantly since I hadn't watched it in years! Planet of the Apes: I just had to watch the best Apes movie again (I couldn't help it), and I'm not ashamed to say I loved it as usual, and it always manages to somehow stay fresh for me (this time I enjoyed noticing that costume details really match my Planet of the Apes toy collection)! |
| Essential Godzilla / Marvel Essentials : 4 of 5 | |
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1.23.2010
3:39 PM | Link0 comments |
 One of the strangest incarnations of Godzilla was the 1977 Marvel Comics series that transplanted my favorite Japanese kaiju into the Marvel Universe of characters. I remember buying several issues of this comic back in my childhood, so it's nice to have all 24 issues collected here in one book (although it's a shame not seeing them in color, but that's how the Essentials series stays so cheap). This saga is certainly unique and bizarre because of the American landmarks and superhero guest stars. Godzilla gets to stomp up famous places like the Alaskan Pipeline, Las Vegas (including the Hoover Dam), the Grand Canyon, and even comes close to knocking over the Empire State Building, and must face the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the Champions, and of course S.H.I.E.L.D., who pursues him throughout the story. Of course, there are a few Japanese scientists along for consultation, and they build a giant samurai mecha called Red Ronin, who knows that Godzilla isn't evil at heart, and helps him defeat another set of giant monsters from space. Obviously, this series is filled with every science fiction and superhero cliche you can imagine, right down to the hilariously melodramatic narration (and there's a lot of it when the main character can only roar!). But the plot sometimes crosses the line into ridiculous territory, especially when Godzilla is shrunk to lizard-size and has to fight an ordinary sewer rat, then later grows to man-size and is disguised in a coat and hat! The artwork is pretty cool, and I like the way Godzilla is drawn, as well as the 70s Jack Kirby-ish look that all of the human characters have. I had so much fun reading a new issue every morning, and now I'm going to miss enjoying these crazy adventures of the King of the Monsters!
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| Godzilla review index | |
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1.04.2010
12:25 PM | Link0 comments |
 I've had Godzilla on the brain lately, since I'm reading the old Marvel Comics Godzilla series from the 1970s, I bought six new Godzilla toys at the anime convention this weekend, and I re-watched Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster with my pal Matt last night. It was great to see it again, but I realized that the awesome animated fire effect when Ghidorah hatches from the egg swayed my whole opinion of the movie! Then I thought I should read my own review, and that made me realize that it would nice to have a complete chronological list of my Godzilla reviews on WEBmikey. Of course, you can find them with tags and searches, but I want to see them together by release date, so for my own satisfaction (and possible usefulness to other Godzilla fans), here's my review index.
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| Music Moments 8.09 | |
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8.30.2009
7:50 AM | Link0 comments |
 Morning Musume / Shouganai Yume Oibito & Nanchatte Renai: The recent singles from Morning Musume (their 39th and 40th releases) are some of their absolute best in my opinion, since the group is leaning toward a new mature sound that lines up with my preference for bittersweet lyrics (though of course I love the cute stuff, too!). Both tracks feature out of the ordinary piano and strings with truly dramatic lyrics (I was amazed when I heard "Tears fall on my hand as I iron your clothes"). Shouganai Yume Oibito hit a weekly #1 spot, and Nanchatte Renai hit a daily #1 (on my dad's birthday!), so both of these songs are really signaling a new popularity for Morning Musume! Keane / Under the Iron Sea: After listening to Keane's Hopes and Fears album about a hundred times, I decided I should move on to Under the Iron Sea, which is somewhat of a departure from their original piano pop sound. This time they use distortion pedals on piano to create almost electric guitar sounds, which are still fantastic (yet sometimes creepy). Their lyrics are beautiful and introspective as always, and I really should devote some time to truly listening and enjoying this album. The Best Of Godzilla 1984-1995 / Original Film Soundtracks: I wasn't planning on getting this CD, which is a follow-up to the 1954-1975 soundtracks album, but after completing my Godzilla movie watching quest I couldn't resist having some of these cheesy themes in my collection. There are plenty of awesome Ikufube tracks to round out the ridiculous guitar solo from Godzilla vs Biollante, and I actually like the over-dramatic fanfare from Godzilla vs Space Godzilla! Cake / B Sides & Rarities: I've been a Cake fan since I lived in Tulsa, and when my pal Jonathan and I saw them in concert here in Austin recently, they mentioned this album that I wasn't aware of, which I promptly bought from their website! It has a totally funky version of the Muppets classic Mahna, Mahna, as well as great covers of Strangers in the Night, but I mostly love the goofy country tracks, such as Buck Owens' Excuse Me, I Think I've Got a Heartache! Morning Musume / Platinum 9 Disc: It's embarrassing that I'm only now mentioning this CD, since I've had it for ages and even had it autographed! Morning Musume's 9th full-length album is a fantastic collection of five previously released singles, along with some incredible new songs. There are several unexpected solo tracks from Sayumi (cute and sexy, of course), Eri, and Aika (surprisingly bright and sweet), as well as awesome ballads and dance tunes. Of course, I've played this CD thousands of times in my car by now! Labels: cds, godzilla, jpop, morning musume |
| Three Small Things 6.22.09 | |
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6.22.2009
12:24 PM | Link0 comments |
 Even though it's a giant multi-month task, I'm really enjoying reorganizing my entire photo library into iPhoto. What I like about it is that I'm forced to take at least a quick glance at every single shot I've taken since 1999, and often I find things I never knew I had! For example, during my first trip to Japan, Barron took a picture of me with a Godzilla poster. I was only a casual Godzilla fan then, but now it's so cool to know that the movie is Godzilla vs Megaguirus, which was current in the theaters at that time!I have had tremendous success with PaperBack Swap, and now I have so much to read that I don't know where to begin! I've been really lucky with posting books that people want (they are usually snatched up the moment I make them available), so it's been no problem getting credits to use. I have received about 10 books (some manga, graphic novels, and even a hardback book), and all of them were in great condition! I'm always tempted to keep browsing around the site, but I need to catch up with some reading first! I'm suffering from double vacation excitement right now, since I have two incredible trips coming up! In less than two weeks, I'm going to Anime Expo in Los Angeles for the Morning Musume concert (as well as some good times with my pals Dae and Ernesto), and just this weekend I booked a September vacation to Walt Disney World with my pal Melinda. My brain is simultaneously dreaming about the concert and thinking about all the Disney fun in store. Now I'm using every spare moment to scour the web for inside information about Morning Musume autograph sessions, as well as planning which Disney restaurants to book for reservations! Labels: disney, godzilla, morning musume, photos, small things |
| Godzilla / Final Wars : 3 of 5 | |
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6.15.2009
11:59 AM | Link0 comments |
 Even though I watched Final Wars, the last Godzilla movie made so far, a few years ago, I decided I had to check it out again so I could totally say I've watched all 28 Godzilla films in order (which makes this a re-review)! Now that I've seen them all and my brain is filled with Godzilla history, knowledge, and appreciation, I have to say that Final Wars didn't impress me near as much as it did when I was a novice Godzilla fan. There are certainly some fantastic aspects, like seeing so many monsters in one movie (and actually knowing who they are now!), as well as lots of classic actor cameos, but the balance between the "human story" and the "monster story" is way off, especially for a grand finale film. For example, there are plenty of long sequences like motorcycle chases and hand-to-hand battles between the Earth Defense Force humans and the humanoid aliens, but no one watches a kaiju film to see martial arts! Instead, the monster battles are sometimes ridiculously short, making it seem much too easy to defeat these huge beasts. Even so, it's great to see classic kaiju that haven't shown up in ages (I loved seeing Ebirah again!) rendered with modern special effects. Although I'm not so much into CG in monster movies, I have to admit that Rodan's flight through New York City, bursting apart buildings by sheer wind force, was definitely spectacular! I also liked Godzilla's moves against King Ghidorah, especially when he uses one of Ghidorah's heads to blow off the other two. The characters aren't too bad (Miyuki the biologist was super cute!), but as I said, they just got too much screen time in comparison with Godzilla. Overall, Final Wars isn't a terrible film, but it's barely half as good as the previous two or three Millennium movies, so it's a bummer to think of it as the last Godzilla film ever. I hope someday Toho decides to bring Godzilla back, but until then it's been a complete blast to watch all 28 movies, and I wouldn't mind doing it again!
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| Godzilla / Tokyo S.O.S. : 4 of 5 | |
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6.11.2009
12:25 PM | Link0 comments |
 Unlike the other Godzilla movies in the Millennium series which all stand alone (and keep rebooting the timeline), this 2003 film is a direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, finishing up the Kiryu (Mechagodzilla's name) saga. It also has direct ties to the original Mothra, since the main characters are Shinichi Chujo (played by the same actor from the 1961 film!) and his family. I'm so glad I had just watched Mothra, since these details would have meant nothing to me before! In this movie, Mechagodzilla is being repaired from the last film, but the Small Beauties from Infant Island (who look cuter than ever) show up to tell Chujo that Godzilla's bones (which make up Mechagodzilla's "skeleton") must be returned to the sea, or Godzilla will keep attacking! Of course, Mothra is there to help, and looks better than ever with lots of insect fur, tiny legs, and beautiful color. The CG work of Mothra's flight is fantastic, though I still prefer to see the real-life creature on wires. On the subject of special effects, there are some incredible compositing shots (such as soldiers standing in front of a giant iconic Maser cannon), and the kaiju battles are great (though it hurts to see Godzilla bite off one of Mothra's legs!). Not only do the fights feature Godzilla, Mechagodzilla and Mothra, but two newborn Mothra larva twins are born and swim to Japan to help out. I really enjoyed the characters this time around, especially because of the ties to Mothra, and I thought Shun (Mechagodzilla's mechanic who saves the day) was much more interesting than Akane in the last film. The DVD includes some cool behind-the-scenes material, showing how a particular shot was done followed by the finished scene in the film. Other reviewers may not agree, but Tokyo S.O.S. is definitely one of my favorite Millennium series films! Now I've actually watched all 28 Godzilla movies, but I still have to view Final Wars again to complete my project!
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| Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters / August Ragone : 5 of 5 | |
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6.01.2009
11:58 AM | Link0 comments |
 Although I'm pretty close to finishing all my Christmas DVDs, it takes me longer to get through my Christmas books! I've been reading this incredible biography sporadically for several weeks, and I finally finished it since I've been so fascinated by Godzilla movies lately. Eiji Tsuburaya is the father of Japanese special effects, who pioneered all of the filming techniques that we associate with kaiju movies today. His life was really interesting, and made me think of Walt Disney in many ways, since he always took risks (financial and otherwise) to continually improve his methods. Not only was he technically brilliant, but his studio was also responsible for creating many Japanese hero icons, such as Ultraman! After covering his childhood and early interest in miniatures and film, the book quickly starts covering each of Tsuburaya's movies with interesting anecdotes about their development and shooting - there are so many incredible films mentioned that I want to watch them all! I enjoyed learning more about the philosophy of Japanese special effects, embodied by a great quote that mentions how many shots would have been cheaper to film with actual tanks, cars, and so on, but miniatures were used to convey a sense of wonder. The quality of this hardcover book is simply amazing - its graphic design is bold and artistic, right down to the quality of the paper. I could go on and on about the photos, which are truly a delight for any kaiju fan. There's just something awesome about seeing Eiji standing in the middle of a miniature city, smoking a cigarette and talking to Godzilla! I can't imagine a better book on this subject ever being produced, so I definitely recommend this fantastic work to any fan of Japanese film (Godzilla or otherwise).
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| Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla : 3 of 5 | |
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5.30.2009
5:45 AM | Link0 comments |
 I can't believe I'm already up to the 26th Godzilla movie, released in 2002. This is the fourth Godzilla film to feature Mechagodzilla (hence the somewhat awkward title), so I was really curious to see how he would be re-imagined this time around. It turns out he's just a massive weapon developed by the Anti-Megalosaurus Force (AMF) to fight Godzilla, and he even gets a name this time, Kiryu. The twist is that he's controlled by advanced "DNA computers", and they use bits of Godzilla's own DNA (obtained from his actual bones after his destruction in 1954 - yes, this is yet another reboot!). This one little fact sets up the best scene in the movie - when Kiryu hears Godzilla's roar, his DNA goes berserk and Mechagodzilla goes on a rampage (definitely a little embarrassing for the AMF)! The characters are a little sappy this time, since Akane (an AMF soldier looking for a reason to live) has some moments with the scientist's daughter that seem pulled right out of a Japanese TV drama, but the kaiju fighting is fantastic (I've become a connoisseur by now!). I loved the fierce contact and the rotating camera moves, which must have been really difficult to pull off, but unfortunately it seemed all of the aircraft were completely computer-generated. Kiryu's ultimate weapon is the Absolute Zero Gun, and there's an incredible shot where a misfire takes out three buildings instantly! There are also a few special scenes for Godzilla fans of all types, including flashbacks from Mothra and War of the Gargantuas, a cameo by Kumi Mizuno (my favorite Godzilla actress), and even baseball great Hideki Matsui knocking one out of the park (of course, his nickname is Godzilla!). Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla is a fast-paced, action-packed film, and although I prefer a slower, more menacing pace, I could definitely watch it again anytime. Two more Godzilla movies to go!
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| Godzilla, Mothra & King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack : 5 of 5 | |
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5.17.2009
6:17 AM | Link0 comments |
 It's interesting how the Millennium series Godzilla films are either hit or miss, but I'm happy to say that this 2001 movie is definitely a major hit - maybe one of the best Godzilla movies ever (which is a big complement since I prefer the Showa series)! Just like the previous film, the entire timeline is thrown away yet again, leaving the past with only the original 1954 Godzilla (plus a brief mention of the US fiasco), but it's worth it because it allows other classic kaiju to be re-imagined as mystical "guardian monsters" who have been sleeping, waiting to protect the Earth from Godzilla. This movie features the meanest, most destructive Godzilla ever (he even has creepy white eyes), and there are several scenes that focus on his victims just long enough to establish how evil he is, which is necessary since you have to root for Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah (yes, he's a good guy now!) during the climactic battle! The main character is a cute reporter named Yuri, the daughter of the military commander who remembers the 1954 attack (as shown in a nice flashback), and it's incredible how easy it is to get attached to them and their coworkers during the course of the film. After a fantastic build-up, the huge battle is simply fantastic, featuring some of the best effects I've seen in a kaiju movie! The use of CG and digital compositing that wasn't possible in previous movies is pretty incredible, making for some truly awesome and realistic shots (although at times the effects are so crystal clear that it doesn't have that Godzilla film look!). Mothra is truly beautiful as she hatches from her cocoon, and King Ghidorah is almost majestic! Because of the great characters, the wonderful pace of the plot, and the awesome effects, watching this movie was an engaging experience, and I can't recommend it enough. If you're someone who has blown off Godzilla movies as being silly, it's time for you to watch Giant Monsters All-Out Attack!
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| Godzilla vs Megaguirus : 3 of 5 | |
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5.02.2009
6:58 AM | Link0 comments |
 It's been way too long since I continued with my quest to watch every Godzilla movie, so it's time to step up the pace since I only have five more to go! I actually stumbled upon this 2000 film on TV and watched it several months ago, but it was cool to see it again in Japanese on wide-screen DVD and pay more attention this time. Just when it seemed like the Millennium timeline was coming together, this movie decides to change it all again with a long recap of flashbacks, including retrofitting the modern spiky Godzilla suit into 1954 black & white footage, and continuing with some crazy history that ends up with Osaka as the current capital of Japan! After that's in place, we learn about G-Grasper (anti-Godzilla force) and their new weapon called Dimension Tide that actually fires miniature black holes, which they hope to use to swallow up Godzilla. Of course, the testing of that weapon releases some prehistoric dragonflies that start out as eggs, hatch into big bugs that kill people (with some of the most disgusting deaths in any Godzilla movie), change into their flying form, and later bring forth Megaguirus, a giant insect that looks way too much like Battra from Godzilla vs Mothra. The story is pretty interesting, and includes some unique situations like Godzilla battling a swarm of thousands of flying dragonflies, plus the complete (and fairly convincing) flooding of Shibuya (I love it when Megaguirus lands on top of the well-known 109 building)! Some of the effect shots are pretty magnificent, including some incredible compositing of the monsters into helicopter shots of actual locations, and the amazing scene where Kiriko (the female soldier main character) actually rides on Godzilla's back as he swims in the ocean (a truly impressive effect). Kirkio and Kudo (the hot-shot cocky scientist hired by G-Grasper) aren't particularly great characters, but at least they keep the plot moving well. Godzilla vs Megaguirus isn't super popular among Godzilla fans, but I really enjoyed it since I had seen my kaiju friends in quite a while!
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| Godzilla 2000 : 3 of 5 | |
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3.12.2009
11:00 AM | Link0 comments |
 My goal of watching every Godzilla movie in order is starting to come to an end, since this is the first film in the Millennium series (which was released in 1999 in Japan). It's also the only Godzilla movie that I actually saw at the theater, and according to my super-short review, I thought it was pretty cool even without the sprawling Godzilla history that I'm aware of now! Godzilla 2000 is full of good things and bad things, but overall it's not one of those Godzilla movies that you immediately want to watch over again. The special effects are really good for the most part, although I'm not a big fan of Godzilla's redesign, which is much too spiky and toothy for my taste (though he does look awesome when lit by search lights!). The enemy this time is an alien force looking for Godzilla's regenerative DNA, which means Godzilla gets to fight a flying silver CG spaceship most of the time, until it finally transforms into the kaiju called Orga for the big final battle, which is definitely the highlight of the film. Regardless of how I feel about the suit, the Godzilla suit acting is fantastic, especially when he stops to "power up" to let a huge beam fly by flinging his head. The end of the fight is one of the weirdest kaiju scenes on film, since Orga attempts to swallow Godzilla whole! As far as the human characters go, I really liked the father and daughter who run the Godzilla Prediction Network, except for the hilarious final line of the film, "Godzilla is inside each one of us" (I remember dying laughing in the theater, too). Although this DVD only includes the dubbed version, it actually has a surprisingly fascinating commentary track with the US producer and editing team. I'm looking forward to the next film of the Millennium series!
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| Godzilla vs Destoroyah : 5 of 5 | |
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2.08.2009
7:35 AM | Link0 comments |
 It's incredible that Godzilla vs Space Godzilla was combined with Godzilla vs Destoroyah on the same DVD, since the former is one of the worst Heisei era movies and the later is certainly one of the best! This 1995 film has so much to enjoy, including awesome battles with one of Godzilla's most fearsome foes, classic Ikufube music, and a fantastic story tie-in with the original 1954 Godzilla. The plot is really fascinating, since it reveals that the use of the Oxygen Destroyer (which killed the original Godzilla) has caused the creation a new species of creature which happens to have the same oxygen destroying properties that can get rid of Godzilla. The timing couldn't be better, since Godzilla's nuclear cells have begun to meltdown - his skin literally smokes for the entire film, as his new lava-like body burns with atomic energy! Godzilla Junior (who is much more grown now and looks a thousand times better than he did in the last film) is reluctantly lured by ESP-wielding Miki as bait to get Godzilla and Destoroyah to fight each other, and the battle is truly brutal (lots of contact and oozing fluids!). Along with this amazing storyline, the special effects are pretty incredible (excluding the scene with the man-sized creatures who are totally ripped off from Alien, right down to the second inner set of jaws!) and the characterization of Godzilla himself is better than any other Heisei film. Although Godzilla is normally a raging beast during the Heisei era, his failed attempt to protect Junior is really heart-wrenching. Now I'm ready to move into the home stretch of Godzilla films (the Millennium era), and I'm still a kaiju fanatic!
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| Godzilla vs Space Godzilla : 2 of 5 | |
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1.23.2009
7:50 AM | Link0 comments |
I took a long break from working my way through the entire Godzilla movie series, so I was pretty excited to get back into the Heisei era with Godzilla vs Space Godzilla, originally released in 1994. Unfortunately, this movie is semi-famous for being one of the worst of the series, and I have to say I agree for the most part, although I still had a great time watching Godzilla do his thing again (even though I had to endure it in English on this DVD)! The big enemy this time around was created by Godzilla's cells that somehow got into space (as speculated by scientists with clips from other Godzilla movies) and possibly went through a black hole, creating a Godzilla-ish creature with giant crystals on his back. The characters (including the now regular ESP girl Miki) all work for G-Force, the government-run Godzilla task force, and while at first they are trying to kill Godzilla with a huge mecha called Mogera (or at least control him via an ESP amplifier), eventually they realize (with the help of Mothra's small ladies) they need Godzilla to have any chance of getting rid of Space Godzilla and saving the earth. While most of the special effects are nice, a lot of the scenes that should have been shot with miniatures have been cheated with matte work. The animation effects of Mogera's various weapons and Space Godzilla's mighty beam are really well done, but unfortunately 90% of the kaiju battles involve only beam firing, when I would much rather see some tooth and claw action! But while this movie definitely has its faults, I still really enjoyed getting back into the series, and I'm looking forward to watching the next movie (which I'll review separately) included on this double-feature DVD!
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| Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 2 : 4 of 5 | |
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11.03.2008
7:39 AM | Link0 comments |
 The title of this movie is pretty confusing, since in the new retroactive Heisei continuity, this is the first appearance of Mechagodzilla! I guess they decided to stick the "2" on there just in case anyone was keeping track. Putting the title aside, I really enjoyed this movie, which features a totally new idea for Mechagodzilla (now created and piloted by Japan's Godzilla Force as a weapon to combat Godzilla, using future technology from the remains of Mecha King Ghidorah), plus an appearance by Rodan and even a new baby Godzilla! The scenes of Mechagodzilla being worked on and launching are really incredible, enhanced by the awesome return of Ikufube on the soundtrack (thankfully wiping away my memories of the truly awful music in the last few movies), but the pacing of the film doesn't build the way I like. There's a huge battle between Godzilla and Rodan at only 15 minutes into the movie! Then at 30 minutes in, we already get to see Mechagodzilla face Godzilla! So this particular film is practically filled with kaiju fighting, but there's also a little characterization, too - Miki the ESP girl returns (I suppose she'll be around forever), and I really enjoyed the girl scientist who takes care of the Godzilla baby (found in an egg on an island with Rodan). The city to take a beating this time around is Kyoto, and it was a blast to see landmarks like Kyoto Tower and several famous temples get destroyed, since I've visited those actual locations. There's even an overhead shot of Rodan flying over Tokyo Disneyland - unbelievable! Godzilla nearly dies at the hands of Mechagodzilla, but then the baby Godzilla calls Rodan to give him his energy force to bring Godzilla to life. It's a pretty weird concept, but the almost cosmic nature of kaiju seems to be a theme in the Heisei series. I'll be watching the next Godzilla movie soon!
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| Godzilla vs Biollante : 3 of 5 | |
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10.23.2008
8:02 AM | Link0 comments |
 I've read that some Godzilla fans consider Godzilla vs Biollante the best film of the Heisei series, but even though I had a great time watching it, it was kind of a mixed bag for me. There's a lot of good things going for this movie, though, including a pretty interesting plot that begins with the clean-up of Tokyo, fresh from its destruction in The Return of Godzilla. During the operation, soldiers collect some Godzilla "cells" (more like scales) which become the focus of the story, since they can be used to genetically engineer bacteria that can eat nuclear energy! Unfortunately, these same cells are used by a scientist to create one of the most bizarre kaiju ever, Biollante, who begins as a giant rose (seriously) and later turns into Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors! Godzilla is awaked from his slumber in the volcano by terrorists who really want that nuclear-eating bacteria, and of course everything progresses to some great destruction scenes (Osaka takes a beating this time!). The acting is pretty good (except for the horrendous English lines at the beginning), and a few characters are introduced (such as Miki the psychic girl) who will appear in future Heisei films. The Super X is redesigned as the Super X-2 (all remote control this time), which can actually deflect Godzilla's atomic breath with a fancy mirror! But there are some bad points, too, such as the horrible soundtrack. I like how they used a few original themes, but when they transition to crappy 80s action themes it's just so uneven that it made me cringe! I also thought the battles with Biollante weren't too spectacular, either - the effects are great, but it's too easy for Godzilla to just cook that big broccoli. Now I'm completely caught-up with the holes in my Godzilla watching, so it's time to move onward!
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| The Return of Godzilla : 4 of 5 | |
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10.19.2008
7:04 AM | Link0 comments |
 This is the dramatic beginning of the Heisei era of Godzilla movies, which completely ignores all the Showa films that were made before, becoming a new "second film" in the series! Although this was a fairly big US release (I remember when Godzilla 1985 was in the theater), this is another film surprisingly unavailable to rent on Region 1 DVD, but thanks again to Showa Video, I was able to enjoy this cool movie. With all of Godzilla's heroic history swept away, The Return of Godzilla is a return to terror and sheer destruction, much like the original 1954 Godzilla, although with much-updated special effects and a new global storyline that involves the US and Russia as they struggle with the decision to use nuclear weapons on Godzilla himself. This is one of the longer Godzilla films, so there's lots of room for good pacing - we never really see Godzilla for the first 30 minutes, which gives the characters time to figure out this is the same monster from 1954, and also allows for a really spooky destruction of a Russian sub (all in Russian language dialogue). There are plenty of gaijin actors in this movie, both Americans and Russians, and unfortunately they are pretty terrible (and even worse in the US release, which also splices in Raymond Burr to reprise his role from the original movie), but I thought the Japanese acting was fine (especially the sudden romance between the reporter and the scientist's cute assistant). But why am I mentioning people when I should be talking about Godzilla himself? Godzilla looks downright evil this time around, and was filmed not only as a suit actor, but as a sophisticated (for the time) animatronic (which is shown in the interesting documentary on the DVD). I thought his arms were a little stiff and his thighs look too thick to me, but on the whole this is a great looking Godzilla, with some of the best atomic breath scenes in any movie I've seen! I also enjoyed the cool Super X attack craft that fires missiles right into Godzilla's mouth (yuck!), almost finishing him off (don't worry, when Godzilla recovers he shows the Super X who's boss!). Even though I've already seen a few other Heisei movies, after watching The Return of Godzilla I feel like I've officially entered the new continuity!
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| Godzilla vs Megalon : 2 of 5 | |
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10.12.2008
8:30 AM | Link0 comments |
 As I was making my way through the Showa era Godzilla movies, I was shocked to find that Godzilla vs Megalon was not currently available on Region 1 DVD! Eventually I did some digging and found a source called Showa Video that had this missing movie available, and the quality of the Japanese version (including some impressive subtitles) was excellent. This movie gets trashed often, and I can understand why, but it was still a fun Godzilla experience for me. I enjoyed the slow build-up and pacing of the plot, which focuses on a scientist who builds Jet Jaguar, an Ultraman-ish robot who even gets his own theme song at the end of the film! The enemy this time is Seatopia, a kingdom under the sea (linked to Easter Island) who gets pissed off at all the nuclear testing, so they release Megalon (Megaro in the original Japanese), but they need Jet Jaguar to control the beast. Later Jet Jaguar (back under control of the good guys), goes off to get the help of Godzilla (who is the big hero in true Showa style), and eventually grows to kaiju size and helps in the battle. To even the odds for Seatopia, they decide to call in Gigan, but his appearance seems almost like an afterthought. The big final battle is fun because of all the teamwork, but Godzilla's flying feet-first kicks are just too hilarious for words! This film seems to have a lower budget, too, with almost no city destruction scenes (except reused ones from other movies), and Megalon's suit is really lacking (although I like his creepy mouth design with the sideways mandibles). Godzilla vs Megalon isn't particularly memorable, but I'm thrilled that I've officially filled the gap in the Godzilla Showa timeline!
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| Godzilla vs Mothra / The Battle for Earth : 4 of 5 | |
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10.05.2008
11:01 AM | Link0 comments |
 The DVD for Godzilla vs King Ghidorah was actually a double-feature, so I was able to watch this next Heisei era film from 1992 right away. Mothra is back this time around (in both larvae and winged forms), along with an evil "Black Mothra" named Battra, who is one bad-ass kaiju! The main character this time is an Indiana Jones type adventurer (who is introduced with a total Raiders of the Lost Ark rip-off scene) who travels to Infant Island and learns about Battra from the Cosmos (which is the name of the "small beauties" who sing to Mothra this time). There's a huge theme about the Earth taking revenge for environmental problems, and apparently Battra was created for that reason. The first major battle occurs at sea, with larvae Mothra and Battra plus Godzilla (who kind of has funny looking ears now), and the swimming effects are really cool! Eventually they end up on land, of course, where Mothra spins her cocoon and finally transforms into all her orange-winged beauty. Battra, on the other hand, transforms in the blink of an eye, and looks totally evil and creepy (I have to say Battra is awesome)! After a really interesting "dogfight" in the sky between Mothra and Battra, they make their way to Yokohama to take on Godzilla himself, teaming up to battle the greater evil. The Yokohama miniature set is spectacular - there are some wide shots showing all of the familiar buildings and ferris wheel including the three monsters that totally blew me away! The fight is kind of slow-paced, but it's fun to see them bury Godzilla under the ferris wheel and carry him out to sea. I really didn't get into the characters very much (partially thanks to the horrendous dubbing), but I was so impressed with the large-scale battles that I really enjoyed myself!
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| Godzilla vs King Ghidorah : 3 of 5 | |
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9.25.2008
12:43 PM | Link0 comments |
It's time to get started with the Heisei era of Godzilla movies! Unfortunately, the first two films in this second series aren't even available on Region 1 DVD, so I can't rent them (looks like I will have to buy some cheap Hong Kong versions), so I had to begin with the third movie in this set from 1991. Godzilla vs King Ghidorah has one of the most bizarre plots every conceived, filled with time travel craziness! People from the year 2204 return to present day Japan to tell people they need to stop Godzilla from being created, so they go back to World War II when Godzilla was just a regular dinosaur who happened to be living on an island during nuclear testing. So, they transport him away, but leave three little creatures behind, which end up turning into King Ghidorah from the same nuclear power! Yes, we've been double-crossed by these future dudes, who really just want to prevent Japan from becoming too powerful in the future! There's too much more to go into, but it's enough to say that Godzilla still gets created, and he's so mean that they have to travel into the future to resurrect Ghidorah this time, who returns as a half-machine, mecha-Ghidorah, complete with pilot! It was fun recognizing some actors, including some from the original Ultraman and more recent Japanese dramas. This DVD is pretty lousy, though - no full widescreen and one of the worst English dubs ever (but totally hilarious!). This new Godzilla is definitely not cute - he's all teeth and rage with blinking eyes, and the costume is pretty stiff. The rest of the effects are cool, though, especially Godzilla's atomic breath and Ghidorah's rays. The Heisei era has a much different feel - I think I'm going to miss those heroic walks into the sunset of the Showa era!
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| Music Moments 9.08 | |
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9.20.2008
8:43 AM | Link0 comments |
 Eisley / Room Noises: A long time ago I downloaded a free iTunes track of Telescope Eyes, a truly fantastic song that I've listened to a million times, so I finally bought the complete CD. Eisley has a really unique sound featuring three female voices that blend incredibly well, and the harmonies are so much fun to sing with. The instrumentation is cool, too, although I wish the guitars were a little heavier at times. Most of their songs have a bit of a melancholy to them, but sometimes that fits my mood exactly!Nami Tamaki / Don't Stay: I really didn't like Nami's last single Gokigendaze, but I decided I had to be a loyal fan and buy her latest album, and I'm glad I did - every other track is better than that goofy song! This CD also came with a great DVD with lots of cool videos, though I still like Nami's dance moves from when she was younger better (and has anyone noticed her adult face isn't as cute anymore?). Brightdown is such a cool track - high emotion and high energy! High King / Cinderella Complex: Of course I'm still buying CDs featuring members of Morning Musume, and Cinderella Complex is definitely a cool song with the voices of Ai-chan and Reina. I really like the pseudo-latin feel to this song - it definitely gets my drummer reflexes going! High School Musical Soundtrack: Being the Disney fan that I am, I eventually had to succumb and buy this CD. I was in the mood for some positive, upbeat music, and High School Musical definitely delivers. The production values are great on this CD, and I love the harmonies - Zac is really a pretty awesome singer (and I can say that even as a guy)! The Best Of Godzilla 1954-1975 Original Film Soundtracks: After watching so many Godzilla movies, I had to urge to hear some theme songs in my iTunes mix, so I discovered this amazing collection of all of the best music on one CD! Along with the Akira Ifukube's fantastic theme, there are plenty of sound effect tracks, and of course the awesome original Mothra song! |
| Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla : 4 of 5 | |
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9.05.2008
8:03 AM | Link0 comments |
 I've been looking forward to watching Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla for a couple reasons. First, I really enjoyed the sequel (which I watched quite some time ago since I bought the Classic Media release), and second, because after watching this I've finished all of the original Showa era Godzilla films! This 1974 film is full of different areas of Japan, opening in Okinawa, with scenes in Hokkaido and even Mt. Fuji. Mechagodzilla first appears wrapped in a Godzilla skin, so everyone is fooled for a little while (except for me, since I kept wondering why all the sound effects were wrong). When Anguirus (who also seems like Godzilla's little pet by now) comes along and starts fighting him, the truth is slowly revealed as his skin is torn to reveal Space Titanium underneath! Finally, the real Godzilla faces Mechagodzilla, and the secret is out - Mechagodzilla has been built by aliens (who turn into apes when they're killed!) so they can take over Earth, of course. Mechagodzilla's introduction is kind of funny, with lots of quick cuts to show all of his different weapons and his big "MG" logo, but the battle in the middle of the film is excellent! During all of this action, the various characters (such as a scientist and a pretty girl archeologist who wears a cute cap) try to return an ancient statue to Okinawa in order to awaken King Caesar, another cool hairy kaiju who joins in the final battle. Unfortunately, the big finale doesn't begin until the last 12 minutes of the movie, but it's a great fight (including some gross blood spurting for Godzilla!) that ends with poor Mechagodzilla's head being ripped off. Although there are some weird aspects to the film (like long sections with no musical score), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was still lots of fun to watch, and it had all the elements that make Godzilla movies strangely comforting to me.
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| Godzilla vs Gigan : 3 of 5 | |
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8.21.2008
7:12 AM | Link0 comments |
 This 12th Godzilla movie was so much better than some of the recent ones I've watched, because not only does it introduce Gigan, a cool space monster with a wicked buzz saw in his belly, but it also includes King Ghidorah and Anguirus (Godzilla's first opponent from Godzilla Raids Again, but now he's just Godzilla's buddy on Monster Island)! Besides having four cool monsters going for it, this movie also has some fun characters, starting with a struggling manga artist and his martial artist girlfriend, who get involved with a weird organization building an amusement park with a huge Godzilla tower. The tower turns out to be a secret base (which is a great set filled with awesome detailed control panels) for a race of alien cockroaches, who control Ghidorah and Gigan so they can kill Godzilla (presumably the only force stopping them from taking over Earth!). This movie has great pacing and lots of anticipation. Anguirus (which is really tough to pronounce in Japanese!) shows up for a quick battle at the half-hour mark, but Godzilla doesn't really get into action until an hour into the plot! The miniature effects are really nice, although the recycled city destruction scenes are obviously better than the lower budget amusement park, but there's an extended sequence set in a refinery where the explosions are fire are really impressive! The battles are quite vicious as well, with more kaiju blood than I've seen in a long time - Gigan is all about sharp talons and blades, and he definitely uses them well (until Godzilla and Anguirus team up and kick his rubber butt). Even though the series is getting sillier and less dramatic, I still appreciate each Godzilla movie for its own merits, and Godzilla vs Gigan was an exciting evening of monster battle fun!
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| Godzilla vs Hedorah : 2 of 5 | |
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8.07.2008
6:45 AM | Link0 comments |
 My Godzilla watching habit has brought me to the 11th movie of the series made in 1971, Godzilla vs Hedorah (which I always knew as Godzilla vs the Smog Monster). This Godzilla movie is pretty unique for several reasons, including the huge anti-pollution message, spaced-out hippie teenage characters, off the wall animated segments, a groovy go-go nightclub music number, and an appalling lack of any character development! At least it has some great monster battles with Hedorah, probably the most disgusting Godzilla enemy of them all. Hedorah starts as a weird tadpole spawned by polluted waters, then evolves to a walking form. After he comes on land, he sucks on factory smokestacks like giant cigarettes, which gives him the power to transform into a flying manta ray, and eventually an even larger walking version, who can dissolve people down to their bones with his poisonous smog! By this point in the series Godzilla has become a full-time hero, and even appears for the first time with a new fanfare against a setting sun background. When the scientists discover that Hedorah can be "dried out" by a huge electric shock, Godzilla helps lure Hedorah into the right spot, then even powers the electrical device with his atomic breath! Unfortunately, he then uses his breath to levitate himself and fly, which has to be the dumbest Godzilla move ever. Thankfully, this DVD is another Sony release with the original Japanese soundtrack and good quality widescreen presentation, but of course there are no bonus features on the disc. It's hard to describe just how weird this movie is, since it doesn't feel anything like the previous Godzilla movies, but I enjoyed it anyway, and of course I'm ready to take on the next feature!
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| Son of Godzilla : 3 of 5 | |
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7.08.2008
7:56 AM | Link0 comments |
 I have to admit I wasn't really looking forward to this particular Godzilla movie, but since it's the 8th film in the series (made in 1967), I had to watch it. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised! First, this DVD is another Sony release, meaning it includes the original Japanese voice track and fantastic widescreen that looks great upscaled - I'm starting to think I should collect these Sony releases now. Second, the monsters that Godzilla fights are incredibly cool, since they are giant insects created with realistic marionette techniques! The first is Kamacuras, which is a trio of huge mantis creatures, and they are really creepy looking with their giant eyes and moving mandibles. They can also fly, and burn particularly well when Godzilla uses his atomic breath (something they certainly couldn't do if there was a suit actor inside). The main enemy is Kumonga, a giant spider that uses even more complex special effects (of course, you can see the strings sometimes, but that's part of the fun!). Unfortunately, we also have to deal with Minilla, Godzilla's wimpy little "son", who hatches from an egg (which is discovered by Kamacuras). The classic scenes of Godzilla teaching Minilla how to roar and use his atomic breath are kind of funny, but the major battles with the insects are much more exciting. The characters (most played by well-known actors from other Godzilla movies) are interesting, too, such as Professor Kusumi trying to control weather for the benefit of mankind (and ultimately freezing the island with Godzilla and Minilla left hibernating), and Saeko, the daughter of another scientist who has grown up on the island, is cute and spunky, even when she's throwing fruit into Minilla's mouth. I'm glad that Son of Godzilla was much better than I expected, and the next movie is just around the corner!
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| Godzilla vs the Sea Monster : 4 of 5 | |
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6.23.2008
7:09 AM | Link1 comments |
 I'm still enjoying my new Godzilla movie obsession, and I thought this 7th movie in the series (made in 1966) was incredible! This particular DVD version was released by Sony, so it's a little higher quality than some of the other movies, and thankfully included the original Japanese language version, which was a big surprise. It was also a blast to watch on my HDTV, since this movie was filmed in Tohoscope - I love seeing my wide TV screen put to good use! In this movie, all of the action takes place on a remote island, so unfortunately there's no cool city destruction to see, but the monster battles are still fantastic, featuring Ebirah, a giant shrimp monster with huge claws that actually looks pretty frightening. Ebirah wanders the ocean around a small island that's being used by Red Bamboo, an evil organization making atomic bombs, and capturing natives from Infant Island (the home of Mothra, of course) to force into slavery. Three young guys and a thief on the run steal a yacht and wind up shipwrecked on the island (thanks to Ebirah), where they discover Godzilla sleeping inside a mountain! They wake him to shake up the bad guys, and the fight with Ebirah is really cool, with lots of rock throwing and thrashing around in the ocean. When it's discovered the island is set to explode, the natives call Mothra to save them (the tiny twins are played by a different set of girls this time), and even though Mothra doesn't really fight, she looks fantastic as she carries everyone away in a giant net. Godzilla makes it off the island in the nick of time before the destruction, thanks to everyone screaming at him to run away to safety. Even without the city destruction, the special effects in this movie are particularly good, and the action scenes are exciting (although they are sometimes accompanied by goofy surf music that shatters the mood). I'm starting to recognize all the recycled actors in the Godzilla series, and it was nice to see Kumi Mizuno as one of the natives, looking beautiful as usual. Godzilla vs the Sea Monster was so much fun to watch - Godzilla movies are such a fantastic escape for me, so I'm looking forward to my next rental!
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| King Kong vs Godzilla : 3 of 5 | |
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5.31.2008
8:20 AM | Link0 comments |
 After becoming a Godzilla fan all over again by watching Classic Media's incredible DVD releases, I decided I should take the challenge of watching all of the Godzilla movies in order, even though I'll have to suffer through he US releases with their edits and terrible dubs. After the original Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again, the third movie in the series (and the first in color) is King Kong vs Godzilla from 1962, which was made mainly to capitalize on the huge popularity of King Kong at the time (which is why he gets top billing and even wins the battle!). Unfortunately, this film is completely butchered in the US version - almost all Japanese character development has been removed and replaced with United Nations news reports that explain the action (often as a voice over for scenes that were intact in the Japanese version) and attempt to make the story more dramatic. Godzilla gets some cool action sequences, including breaking out of an iceberg, melting some tanks in Hokkaido (which is pronounced hilariously by the voice actors!), and of course kicking King Kong's butt at first! Speaking of Kong, his island introduction is quite similar to the usual story, with the addition of a giant octopus attack (created by filming a live octopus moving over the miniatures). For some reason, Kong also draws power from electricity - I guess they added that since Godzilla is repulsed by it. We get to see Kong stand on top of the famous Diet building in Tokyo (not as huge as the Empire State, but what the heck), and the final battle between these two monsters is actually pretty vicious! I definitely missed listening to a detailed commentary and enjoying the original Japanese film, but I'll take what I can get. I still had a great time watching King Kong vs Godzilla, and I'm looking forward to the next movie!
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| Terror of Mechagodzilla : 5 of 5 | |
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5.19.2008
12:09 PM | Link0 comments |
 Watching this awesome DVD was a bittersweet experience, because not only is it the last Godzilla movie directed by the original filmmaker Ishiro Honda, but it's also the final Godzilla movie that Classic Media has the rights to publish! I just can't imagine watching a cheapo DVD release of the other films after seeing these incredibly polished and insightful versions (though I can at least look forward to a release of Rodan from them in the future!). This 1975 movie features the second appearance of Mechagodzilla, who is rebuilt by aliens and controlled by mad scientist Dr. Mafune and his daughter Katsura, a cyborg who sacrifices herself for mankind and for the hero she loves. Titanosaurus is also in the movie, so the huge battle becomes a three kaiju extravaganza! I really enjoyed seeing all of Mechagodzilla's weapons, and the city destruction scenes in this film are particularly spectacular. The pacing of this movie is also interesting, since Godzilla doesn't appear until 50 minutes into the plot. Of course, the commentary track is incredible, which explains the long additional prologue on the US version of the film, as well as interesting facts about Toho history, actor filmographies (many classic actors from as far back as the original Godzilla appear in this movie), and shooting locations in Japan. There's also explanations of special angles that had to be shot outdoors and new circular dolly moves used in this production. I think I could watch a Godzilla movie every week and enjoy them all, so I guess I'm going to rent the older movies now, even though I know I've been spoiled by these wonderful Classic Media versions, which I highly recommend to any Godzilla or kaiju fan!
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| All Monsters Attack : 3 of 5 | |
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5.06.2008
7:56 AM | Link0 comments |
 After a long pause in their release schedule, Classic Media is back with more definitive Godzilla DVD releases, which I bought as soon as they were available! I decided to watch All Monsters Attack first, even though it has a bad reputation as the worst Godzilla movie ever made, and I can see why. This particular film was actually targeted at kids, so it has a young boy as the main character Ichiro, who lives his life as a latchkey kid who has a scuffle with some bank robbers. All of the monster action takes place in Ichiro's fantasy world (on Monster Island), where he dreams of watching huge battles with his pal Minilla (the goofy son of Godzilla), and then uses various fighting techniques he observes to outwit the robbers (and a bully who has been giving him trouble) in a kind of Home Alone style! To top it off, most of the monster battle footage was lifted from previous Godzilla films, so there are crazy inconsistencies like three different Godzilla costumes (the changes are subtle, but you can definitely tell!). Thankfully, Classic Media can make even a so-so movie like this one into a fantastic experience, since it's always fun to see these movies in the original Japanese, and their commentary tracks simply cannot be topped. This time the commentary discusses where all of the reused footage comes from, and talks directly about each scene as we watch it, mentioning lighting, sets, and so on. There's also a brief documentary on director Ishiro Honda included. Actually, I still had a blast watching this film - the child acting is pretty amazing to me, and I certainly don't mind a silly movie from time to time. I'm just glad there are new DVDs for a Godzilla fan like me to devour!
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| Invasion of Astro Monster : 4 of 5 | |
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7.10.2007
8:58 PM | Link0 comments |
 With the first King Ghidorah movie fresh in mind, I couldn't wait to check out this next Godzilla masterpiece from 1965, better known in the US as Monster Zero. This is the first of many plots to involve aliens from space controlling the monsters, starting with the race of people from Planet X (actually a moon of Jupiter). It turns out Ghidorah is attacking their planet, so the X-ians ask to "borrow" Godzilla and Rodan to fight him off. Eventually this turns into a plan to take over the Earth, of course! There are some great flying saucer effects (with excellent tractor beam animation), and the three monster battle on Planet X is short but cool (even though it includes the first controversial Godzilla "victory dance"). Later when the monsters battle on Earth the excitement is even greater, although some of the footage is borrowed from previous Toho movies. This film features a mix of Japanese and American actors, who were filmed speaking in their native language (so the English lines are dubbed in the Japanese version and vice versa), which is pretty fascinating. The commentary track is much better than last time, since it actually comments on the movie, but it still gets a little bogged down in lengthy biographies of some of the actors, even ones with small roles. I really enjoyed Invasion of Astro Monster, and the time just flew by while watching it - I'm really looking forward to Classic Media's next DVD releases! I need more Godzilla!
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| Ghidorah / The Three-Headed Monster : 4 of 5 | |
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7.05.2007
5:11 PM | Link0 comments |
 I just can't get enough Godzilla lately, and Classic Media has definitely come through again with this wonderful DVD release of another essential monster spectacular, including both the original Japanese version as well as the American dub and re-cut. This movie represents an important turning point for the Godzilla genre, since this is the first film where he becomes a kind of "hero" that helps save the Earth by fighting off another giant creature, in this case, the huge flying dragon from space, Ghidorah. He's joined by both Rodan and Mothra (still in caterpillar form), after Mothra convinces Godzilla and Rodan they should join forces in a famous scene that really humanizes these characters. Mothra's tiny princesses sing another cool song, Ghidorah's lightning mouth effects are really cool, and the huge battle at the base of Mt. Fuji has such an amazing set (reported to have took nearly a year to build, and even containing real bonsai trees!). On the other recent Classic Media releases, the informative commentary track has been my favorite feature, but this time I can't say the same, since they used a different Godzilla scholar with a much different style. While he does provide some interesting information, he almost never directly comments on what is happening on-screen! Instead he presents a kind of documentary, and even includes stories about his kids that get a little annoying. It's still a pretty good commentary, though, and it definitely doesn't overshadow the enjoyment of this monster classic!
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| Mothra vs Godzilla : 4 of 5 | |
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6.07.2007
7:02 AM | Link0 comments |
 I absolutely love these new Classic Media releases of the original Godzilla films! It's so cool to watch both the Japanese and US versions and compare their differences, and the commentary track is by far the most scholarly discussion of this genre that you will ever hear. This time I enjoyed the 1964 release of Mothra vs Godzilla (released in the US as Godzilla vs the Thing, since they wanted to sell more tickets by keeping the other monster a secret!), which is considered by many to be one of the best Godzilla movies (and one of the last where Godzilla is a destructive force, rather than a kind of hero for Japan). I'm sure I saw this ages ago, but I completely forgot the story of Mothra's egg washing ashore, the death of the current Mothra, and then the birth of the caterpillar twins! The scenes with the "small beauties" (played by an old pop group called The Peanuts) speaking in unison are always great, and it's fun to hear them sing to Mothra. Godzilla does some great damage (using his tail much more in this movie), including destroying Himeji Castle, and there are some dramatic electrocution scenes before his eventual fate in Mothra's sticky webs. The visual effects are so cool for the 60s (thanks to one of only two optical printers in existence at the time!), and the music is fantastically dramatic, which is discussed in a short biography of the composer Ikufube. Besides the dubbed voices (some done by the Speed Racer crew), the US version includes an additional missile attack scene, which is really interesting. I totally cannot wait for the next round of DVD releases - seeing these movies in their original form is making me a huge Godzilla fan!
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| Godzilla Raids Again : 4 of 5 | |
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4.19.2007
6:20 AM | Link0 comments |
 I'm pretty excited about these new Toho Master Collection DVDs, so I really hope the series continues for a long time! I completely enjoyed their excellent treatment of the original Godzilla, and now they've done it again with the very first Godzilla sequel from 1955, Godzilla Raids Again (which was released in the US as Gigantis the Fire Monster!). The original Japanese version does a great job of explaining that this is a second Godzilla in this movie, since the original was definitely disintegrated by the Oxygen Destroyer (I had always wondered about that). Godzilla's first monster opponent Anguirus is introduced, and there is some fantastic fighting footage. Godzilla finally kicks his butt by throwing him right into Osaka Castle (which was cool to see since I've been there!) and then violently biting his neck. Even though this is only a single DVD, the complete American release is included, which is great to compare. It contains nearly non-stop narration, additional stock footage, and even stock musical score, giving the film an entirely different feel. The audio commentary is simply fantastic, combining tons of interesting facts with a great dose of humor. My favorite fact was that one of the monster fighting scenes looks speeded up because of a camera operator error, but they had to use the footage anyway! I love the drama of these original Godzilla movies, and I'm looking forward to watching the next one soon.
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| Gojira / Godzilla / Special Edition : 5 of 5 | |
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2.13.2007
12:53 PM | Link0 comments |
 This fantastic DVD set, containing both the original 1954 Japanese version and the 1956 American version, has really increased my appreciation for Godzilla! Watching the original version (which I enjoyed at the theater a couple years ago) was incredible, especially with the fantastic audio commentary (one of the best I've ever heard), which discusses the story, effects, music, and even cultural background, answering questions such as "What would a Japanese audience be thinking when they saw this scene?" I discovered many new effects that I hadn't noticed before, including flawless matte paintings that were used to show Godzilla's footprints and other destruction. Seeing the American version, which was completely re-edited to include Raymond Burr playing a reporter named Steve Martin (oddly enough), was also really interesting. Even though they only used less than an hour of the original film, they really made some creative choices (such as starting the film in the middle of the story) that helped bring this movie to the US, and without this version, I'm sure Godzilla would have remained unknown and this DVD set wouldn't have been made. There are also some short documentaries about the making of the film, including the fact that this was the first Japanese movie ever to use storyboards, and of course, lots of anecdotes about the creation of the Godzilla suit, with originally weighed over 200 pounds! This DVD really respects Godzilla as one of the greatest monster movies ever made, and I'm thrilled it's finally been released in its original form.
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| Destroy All Monsters : 3 of 5 | |
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9.16.2006
10:36 PM | Link0 comments |
 I've always liked giant monster movies, and when saw Godzilla: Final Wars recently I thought it would be cool to start watching more of the classics! So when I saw that ADV Films had Destroy All Monsters for super-cheap during their Labor Day sale, I decided to order it. Granted, this is definitely a low-tech DVD - there are zero special features, no chapter stops, and not even a menu! This is pretty much a DVD pretending to be a VHS tape, but for five bucks, I'm not complaining. The movie itself is really fun - only the English dub is available on this DVD, but it's so funny that it's worth it (especially the terrible voice of an old British scientist), and that's part of the charm of these movies anyway! The story starts in the amazing future (year 1999!) when all of the earth's monsters have been rounded up on an island. Of course, that's convenient for the Kilaaks, an alien race (with good ol' flying saucers) who controls the monsters using transmitters so they attack all over the world! All of the best monsters are here (although Mothra is only a larva), plus a bunch of obscure ones that are from movies I haven't seen. Eventually the good guys get the monsters to switch sides and attack the alien base (set up near Mt. Fuji), so the aliens bring in King Ghidorah for a big battle, and they beat the snot out of him (it's actually kind of sad watching everyone gang up on poor Ghidorah and stomp on his body). Overall, it's a totally fun movie that I really enjoyed seeing again - I still want to rent more monster movies like this!
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| Godzilla / Final Wars : 4 of 5 | |
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3.06.2006
7:13 PM | Link0 comments |
 It's been a long time since I've watched a Godzilla movie (besides seeing the 1954 original lately), but I've been interested in seeing Final Wars after seeing the cool Godzilla PS2 game at A-Kon last year, so I rented it from Netflix. I had a fantastic time watching this two hour kaiju masterpiece, and now I'm itching to rent more Godzilla movies! This movie manages to put Godzilla up against nearly every monster from all of the other movies, including the most famous, Rodan, Mothra, and King Gidorah (and plenty more that I hadn't heard of)! He even fights the crappy Godzilla from the US remake (which looks hilarious since they did it in CG, just like the movie, while all the other monsters are in rubber suits, of course), and he takes him out in two seconds flat. The plot involves an alien race called the Xilians who need humans to be their cattle, and they control all the other monsters to destroy civilization. Our heroes awaken Godzilla to do their fighting for them, but thanks to a fun appearance from Son of Godzilla, he goes away peacefully when the battle's over. I totally had a blast watching this movie! The effects are fantastic and "modern" (but still keep that kaiju charm), the actors are totally into their roles (there's a funny American captain who speaks English), and the battle action is incredible. Gojira wa kakkoii desu!
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| Godzilla : 3 of 5 | |
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6.10.2005
12:24 PM | Link0 comments |
 Sometimes there's just nothing better than a rubber-suit monster movie, so when I saw that the newly-restored original Japanese version of Godzilla was playing at the Paramount, I had to go! Most people know that when Godzilla was released in the US, several scenes were cut and replaced with new scenes of a young Raymond Burr as a reporter narrating things. I had never seen the true original, and it's definitely much better without the editing! I liked the stark opening credits (all kanji!) that roll over nothing but several minutes of Godzilla roars, and then the cool music kicks in (definitely a good score). I think Godzilla looks a little funny here, because sometimes his head seems a little squashed, but overall the effects are pretty cool considering it was made in 1954. Of course the miniatures look silly, but they are still super-detailed, and I also like the way Godzilla glistens in the moonlight. Some of my favorites scenes are when hundreds of high school girls sing a song for peace, and another when some guy says "Kuso!" ("Damn!", or worse) about seven times in a row while he's watching Godzilla trash things. This movie actually shows Godzilla die, since he's turned to a skeleton by the amazing Oxygen Destroyer (whose creator kills himself so it can never be used for evil), but then the main scientist gives the moral - if we keep testing H-bombs, another Godzilla will appear!
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| Godzilla 2000 : 3 of 5 | |
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5.28.2000
7:15 PM | Link0 comments |
 There's nothing like the real thing - a guy in a rubber suit stomping cardboard buildings, lots of terribly great dubbed voices, and some weird philosophy as a bonus. Thankfully Toho is still cranking out these movies so we don't have to settle for Ferris Bueller fighting a boring pregnant lizard! Godzilla looks way meaner in this movie, more scaly with a tougher nucleo-breath, and he fights a space alien who morphs into something that looks like a cross between our American yuck Godzilla and the Rancor from The Empire Strikes Back. The final scene is the best in the movie!
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