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Post by Jesse on Aug 8, 2017 12:20:12 GMT -5
Gorgo (1961)  One of the best Godzilla ripoffs if not the best. The monster scenes are quite good despite the campy special effects. The tone and acting are taken pretty seriously. The story is similar to King Kong with people capturing a giant monster and exploiting it for public spectacle. The difference being that Gorgo isn't fully grown and the adult version comes to free it going on a terrible rampage through London.
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Post by Jesse on Aug 8, 2017 13:41:28 GMT -5
Top 10 Favorite Kaiju- Gojira
- King Kong
- King Ghidorah
- Mechagodzilla
- Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
- Gamera
- The Iron Giant
- Daimajin
- Gorgo
- Mothra
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Post by Jesse on Aug 12, 2017 11:56:39 GMT -5
Yongary, Monster from the Deep (1967)  I liked the design of the monster it combines features of both Gamera and Godzilla. The campy low budget special effects were done better by Ishirō Honda over a decade earlier but they work well enough here. I was impressed with the use of a real flamethrower for Yongary's fire breath. There's an annoying kid and the monster is defeated in a goofy way but most of the action scenes were still pretty fun. People are probably better off checking out the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version though.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2017 12:05:45 GMT -5
JesseI didn't know that they used a flamethrower for the monster's breath. Interesting way to put it. That's one of my favorites Monster (Yongary, Monster from the Deep) movies.
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Post by Jesse on Aug 12, 2017 12:18:21 GMT -5
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Post by Jesse on Aug 15, 2017 11:53:37 GMT -5
Pulgasari (1985)  The circumstances involved in the making of this film are probably more interesting then the actual movie itself. The director Shin Sang-ok was kidnapped and forced to make films for the previous dictator of North Korea. He would go on to make seven films during the 8 years period which he was their prisoner. It's actually pretty well written with a clever use of allegory for the North Korean regime and some of their horrific acts are displayed here including torturing and starving prisoners. Although arguably the film was meant as a propaganda piece a metaphor for unchecked capitalism. There's lots of epic battle scenes and the special effects aren't bad considering. The story is about an elderly blacksmith who is imprisoned after he refuses to make weapons for a tyrannical army. He sculpts the small figure of a monster and with his dying wish prays that the gods bring it to life to protect his daughter and free the village. It's brought to life by a drop of blood after the blacksmith's daughter Ami, pricks her finger while sowing. Now alive it starts to voraciously eat any metal it can get it's hands on. The more metal it eats the larger it grows. Meanwhile the villagers have started a rebellion against the corrupt King. Eventually Pulgasari grows large enough to help the villagers defeat the emperor however it still cannot stop eating. The film ends with an incredibly noble act of sacrifice to stop Pulgasari's insatiable appetite.
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Post by Jesse on Aug 19, 2017 11:03:13 GMT -5
Return of Daimajin (1966)
The second film in the trilogy is similar to the first but different enough to still be interesting. In this the Majin statue is located on an island instead of the mountains as in the previous film. The villagers are once again oppressed by their feudal lord and those who resist are being hunted, imprisoned or killed. The Majin statue is blown up and a huge explosion can be seen from the island. The climax of the film is full of powerful imagery and is nothing short of epic. A woman is being burned alive on a cross and as she's dying prays that the villagers are saved as tears run down her face. A terrible rumble is heard as a sudden storm puts out the fire. The reassembled Daimajin statue reveals itself emerging from the lake by biblically parting the water and going on a terrible rampage. An incredibly moving ending I highly recommend this sequel.
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Post by Jesse on Aug 21, 2017 15:57:47 GMT -5
The Giant Claw (1957)  The tone and acting are taken seriously but the giant monster is kind of laughable. The marionette they used is a bit cheap looking and its face is goofy and cartoonish. It's still a pretty fun B-movie in an awesomely bad sort of way and I'm surprised MST3K and RiffTrax haven't done this one yet.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2017 17:23:22 GMT -5
The Giant Claw (1957) The tone and acting are taken seriously but the giant monster is kind of laughable. The marionette they used is a bit cheap looking and its face is goofy and cartoonish. It's still a pretty fun B-movie in an awesomely bad sort of way and I'm surprised MST3K and RiffTrax haven't done this one yet. I've watched this movie about 2 months (or so) on TCM late night programming and what you said it's right on the nose. I also saw it on Svengoolie three years ago and I'm surprised that he hasn't used it again. This scene below with it's wings spread out is considered one of the most impressive shots in that B-Movie. I watch it for that scene below.  I have seen this movie about 3 times in my life and wanting for more this cartoonish and goofy face of his. |
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Post by Jesse on Aug 21, 2017 17:34:33 GMT -5
I also saw it on Svengoolie three years ago and I'm surprised that he hasn't used it again. I'll look out for that on MeTV sounds like a fun way to rewatch it. This scene below with it's wings spread out is considered one of the most impressive shots in that B-Movie. I watch it for that scene below. Yeah that shot pretty much makes the movie. That and the pilot in the parachute being eaten in mid air.  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2017 21:19:50 GMT -5
Jesse ... I just watch The Giant Claw on YouTube earlier today and it's prompts me to make an animated avatar out of it and that's will be up sometimes tomorrow. I've totally forgot that Superman's Robert Shayne is in this movie.
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Post by Jesse on Aug 31, 2017 16:25:54 GMT -5
Daimajin Strikes Again (1966)
The third and final film in the trilogy begins with Majin unleashing its wrath by creating a torrential snowstorm and violent earthquake. Some time later the villagers are being used as slave labor by a warlord in a place called Hell's Valley mining sulfur for gunpowder. Those who try to escape or rebel are thrown to their deaths into the sulfur pits. One of them escapes back to his village and warns the others after traveling through Majin's mountain but dies shortly after. Four children decide to make the perilous journey traversing steep cliffs, avoiding enemy samurai and crossing a turbulent river in order to help free the other villagers. After a very touching and noble sacrifice Majin awakens and once again goes on a terrible rampage killing the brutal warlord and his men freeing the villagers.
There's also a TV series Daimajin Kanon that ran 26 episodes and aired in 2010 that brings Majin into the present but I was unable to find it online to check it out.
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Post by Jesse on Nov 26, 2017 0:25:54 GMT -5
Kong: Skull Island (2017)  This may be my favorite Kong movie since the RKO original despite its flaws and honestly I think I prefer it to most other modern kaiju films. Still I think it falls victim to the trappings of modern action movies. I also felt some of the humor didn't work and probably should have been cut. The two-legged design of the skull lizards didn't really make sense to me anatomically and it felt like a mistake not to use dinosaurs like in the original. I did like the nod to Ray Harryhausen's giant octopus in It Came from Beneath the Sea. The story itself is mostly entertaining and the casting is pretty good. It's also fast paced and the CGI monster scenes are action packed. The after the credits scene gave me hope for the upcoming Godzilla sequel.
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Post by Jeddak on Nov 27, 2017 11:07:36 GMT -5
Here's a Big G comic I'd love to see  |
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Post by Jeddak on Nov 27, 2017 11:16:28 GMT -5
 This was a surprisingly fun, and surprisingly serious, little movie. Gloria lives in NYC w/her boyfriend, but he gets tired of her constant partying and drinking and kicks her out. She goes back to her home town, where she reconnects with an old friend. Meanwhile, a giant monster begins terrorizing Seoul, and is later confronted by a giant robot. As Gloria discovers the link between herself and the monster, she has to confront her drinking problem and the abusive/controlling relationship she's slipped into. It's a funny movie, but also dark and intense. And it's very cool the way they use the monsters as literal metaphors. Not your typical giant monster flick, but it's a clever use of the genre, and worth checking out. |
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