Turkey day thanks

On yet another Thanksgiving Day I always like to stop, take a moment out of my busy schedule and reflect on the things I'm thankful for. Without further ado, what I'm thankful for at present:

• "Aleve", which helps take the edge off arthritis in my joints while I work
• Hammer horror films: when I don't feel like watching anything on TV, I can always turn to a Hammer horror movie for entertainment
•  Coffee and tea: I probably drink too much caffeine but it helps me navigate my days, especially coffee in the AM
• Monsterland Forums: my nearly ten year old internet message board is hanging in there. Posting activity has greatly declined but there remain a small core group of active members who continue to participate in the various forums at this board...and I'm very thankful for that!
• "Allopurinol": this uric acid lowering prescription med, which I take daily(300mg) to prevent gout flare ups in my toes, knees, elbows and feet, allows me to continue to consume meat, albeit in smaller quanitities. 
• The friendship of several men I have known for nearly twenty years. I don't have many friends but the ones I do have I wouldn't trade for anyone!
• I'm still able, despite being older, to perform my work as a lawn maintenance laborer at a reasonably good level.
• My truck, a 1997 Ford F150 has run well in the seven months that I have owned it. It was well taken care of by the gent who owned it before me and in the seven months I've owned this truck my maintenance expenses have been limited. Hopefully I can get another full year out of my truck before looking at buying a new(er) one. 

Godzilla . . . 61 years old and still going strong!

Godzilla, the legendary cinematic giant monster, recently celebrated a "birthday". On November 3rd, 1954 Toho Studios released a black and white film to theaters in Japan called GOJIRA. In this film a 50 meter tall, radioactive fire breathing mutant dinosaur arises from the Pacific Ocean depths to terrorize Japan. The movie was a great success at the box office and the legendary monster hasn't looked back since!

I have been a Godzilla fan most of my life. My first Godzilla movie was 1968's Destroy All Monsters, which I saw at the Rialto Theater in downtown Atlanta(GA) back in 1969, the film double billed with the '68 Toei sci-fi movie The Green Slime. 

My top ten favorite Godzilla films haven't changed much over the years. They are:

1. Gojira(1954)
2. Ghidrah The Three Headed Monster(1964)
3. Mothra Vs Godzilla(1964) 
4. Godzilla 2000(1999)
5. Destroy All Monsters(1968)
6. The Return Of Godzilla(1984)
7. Godzilla(2014) (Legendary Pictures)
8. King Kong Vs Godzilla(1962)
9. Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla(1974)
10. Godzilla Vs Biollante(1989) 

Getting Hammered: X THE UNKNOWN(1956)

Among the numerous horror movies I watched this past October this one is a favorite of mine: X The Unknown, an early Hammer produced sci-fi/horror film from 1956. In this movie a menacing, highly radioactive and seemingly intelligent blob of surging mud oozes out of a crack in the ground and begins killing locals as it searches for "food", in this case energy sources. The malevolent muddy ooze has a decided preference for radiation and it enlarges as the movie progresses. There's a final showdown between the monstrous ooze and a group of scientists and military who have united to stop it. (no other spoilers).

The DVD for this early Hammer horror movie can be purchased online at Amazon.

A trailer:



Here's the DVD for sale at Amazon, a double feature which also includes the sci-fi film The Four Sided Triangle: X THE UNKNOWN/THE FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE DVD