Turkey Day thanks

On this and yet another Thanksgiving Day I always like to stop and interrupt my critical nature and curmudgeonly demeanor to express my thanks for things and people that, well I'm thankful for. Without further ado, what I am thankful for:

1. that I have enough common sense NOT to participate in the "Black Friday" shopping insanity that takes place annually in the U.S. the day after every Thanksgiving day
2.  that I can still, despite arthritis in my feet and knees and the periodic gout flare in my toes, ply my trade as a gardener/landscaper/lawn maintenance contractor with competence and consistency
3. college football and the NFL: I have held a lifelong passion for football(collegiate and profesional)
4. high definition televisions: they're lighter and provide a terrific picture which negates any need to put on my bifocals in order to watch television
5. the core group of loyal and active members of my internet message board called MONSTERLAND FORUMS, all of who make running my message board fun and well worth doing
6. sci-fi and horror movies, especially older films from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's: these movies are for me not just entertaining but provide a welcome and fun glimpse back in time when films relied so much more on actors, acting and practical special effects
7. coffee: I remain a daily coffee drinker and still rely on this beverage to help get me through work days, especially during the cold winter months
8. my elderly landlord, a kind and great hearted woman who is like a grandmother to me
9. the friendship of two men here in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia-I've known both of these guys for eighteen years and they're like brothers to me
10. Facebook: this social media website permits me to keep in touch with people I would otherwise not be able to connect(and re-connect with)
11. my foster parents(deceased since 1983 and 1999, respectively): I think about both every day and will always be thankful that they took me in and raised me as one of their own. 
12. my dentist, who works at Buckhead Esthetic Dentistry here in Atlanta, GA. She has performed quite a bit of dental work on me(much needed work) since 2012 at a substantial discount and continues to help me keep my choppers clean and in good working order

Behind closed doors: THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD(1971)

Every October my DVR gets a workout as I record horror movies off Turner Classic Movies. Most I've seen before(on DVD or on TV) but every year I watch a few for the first time. My October horror movie binge included numerous "haunted house" movies including House On Haunted Hill(1959), The Haunting(1963) and Burnt Offerings(1976). I also managed to watch THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD(1971), an "Amicus" horror film which is an anthology of four stories. The cast is terrific and includes Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Joss Ackland and Ingrid Pitt. This film is available on official DVD and can be purchased online at Amazon.


To see the Lions Gate R1 DVD release(in 2003) of this film for sale at Amazon click the link: THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD DVD

Happy Birthday Godzilla!

Godzilla celebrates his 60th birthday today! Back on November 3rd, 1954 the Toho Motion Picture Company released a film in Japanese theaters called GOJIRA. This film, a major financial success, introduced the monster "Godzilla" to the world. The monster was realized on screen through a man in a heavy, vulcanized rubber suit. The Godzilla suit actor for the 1954 movie was Haruo Nakajima who would also "suit" many other giant monsters in subsequent Toho kaiju movies. The film GOJIRA was also a great showcase for the talents of the studios' special effects department lead by (the late) Eiji Tsuburaya. Much of this work can be seen in the detailed, intricate miniatures and the frequently spectacular pyrotechnic effects featured in the 1954 film and subsequent Toho films featuring giant monsters like Rodan, Mothra and Ghidrah(a three headed space dragon).

Godzilla is now arguably the world's most recognized movie monster and has appeared in films from 1954 through 2014, most recently the Legendary Pictures film entitled GODZILLA which arrived in theaters back in May of this year. GODZILLA(2014 - Legendary Pictures) was a financial success due to $520 million in worldwide box office receipts.

Godzilla is sixty years young today and as a lifelong fan of Godzilla here's wishing this legendary monster another sixty years of fame and prosperity!

Here's a Toho trailer for GOJIRA(1954), the very first Godzilla film and still in my opinion one of the greatest giant monster movies ever produced!


Gojira (1954) Trailer by mytrailerdose_com

Getting misty: THE FOG(1980)

I watched a lot of movies as a teenager at the Omni Theater in downtown Atlanta(GA) while in high school. One of them was THE FOG(1980), directed by John Carpenter. I had to watch this movie a second time in the theater to fully appreciate it. Without posting a lot of plot spoilers the film is about a mysterious fog that rolls in off the ocean and across the coastal town of Antonio Bay. There's a menacing, supernatural force that accompanies the fog...and it definitely isn't friendly.

The cast includes Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Holbrook, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Atkins. I just ordered this film on Blu Ray( released by Shout! Factory in 2013) from Amazon. Horror movie fans who haven't seen this film should absolutely check it out! This movie is also available on DVD.

A trailer:

Click the link to see the Blu Ray for this film for sale at Amazon: THE FOG(1980) Blu Ray

Long in the tooth: BLACULA (1972)

I had some free time last Tuesday after getting rained out from work and sat down to watch both BLACULA(1972) and its sequel, SCREAM, BLACULA, SCREAM(1973). While I like both of these horror themed blaxploitation films I have a decided preference for the '72 movie. William Marshall is effective as the African prince "Mamuwalde" who, bitten by Count Dracula while visiting the infamous vampire, becomes a vampire himself, taking a bite out of numerous citizens of Los Angeles(CA). Marshall is a tall, broad shouldered and imposing man whose deep voice and physical features make him an intimidating presence...and that's not even including the two fangs he bares when his thirst for blood kicks in - and it kicks in a lot in these two movies. BLACULA(1972) is directed by William Crain. This movie isn't my favorite vampire film but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. It's definitely worth a look for horror movie fans who haven't seen it(or it's sequel). I will be buying the DVDs of these two films later this year. A trailer:

It's Hammer time: THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB(1964)

As someone who has been a fan of horror movies for over forty years(yes...I'm that old) I have concluded that mummies in these films have been forgotten amidst all the slasher, zombie, mutant creature, vampire and werewolf movies that have been released by the major(and smaller) film studios over the past thirty years. The one exception to this is undoubtedly 1999's The Mummy, a movie I like(and own on Blu Ray) but that plays out more like a bigger budget action film.

For creepy, unsettling mummy movies there's nothing better than a classic Universal or Hammer Films feature. Hammer's The Mummy(1959) is my favorite with Christopher Lee. Coming in at a very close second: THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB(1964), produced and directed by Michael Carreras and released by Hammer Films.


This marvelous horror movie can be bought online at Amazon and is part of a four film DVD set called Icons Of Horror Collection-Hammer Films, released back in 2008. To buy this release click the link: ICONS OF HORROR COLLECTION - HAMMER FILMS

Cold day in hell: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD(1951)

I'm not a wine drinker but I do know that wine generally gets better with age. I think the same thing could be said about a lot of old(er) films. In the genre of science fiction films few movies have in my opinion "aged" better than THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD(1951), directed by Christian Nyby and an uncredited Howard Hawks.

In the film an antarctic research team of scientists, after briefly tracking a descending object in the Earth's atmosphere, venture out into the harsh, wintry antarctic tundra where they discover a large object buried under the ice. The scientists, along with a group of military personnel, use thermite to melt the ice covering what they now suspect is a saucer shaped alien spaceship. The spaceship is damaged in the thermite explosion but not its alien occupant, also discovered buried in ice.

The team of scientists and military dig out the frozen alien and bring it back to their research facility. Of course the alien thaws out and escapes into the night outside the research station. From this point on a deadly game of "cat and mouse" ensues between the research station group and the hostile, malevolent alien. The scientists discover that the alien, while humanoid, also exhibits distinct plant like characteristics as well. The conclusion of this movie features one final showdown between the scientists/military officers and the alien creature. (no other spoilers)

Actor James Arness, who would later play legendary lawman Marshal Matt Dillon in the CBS TV series "Gunsmoke", plays the green skinned, humanoid, hulking alien creature. It's a non speaking role for Mr. Arness but he's terrific as the hostile alien. An audio effect is added, giving the alien antagonist a weird and creepy sounding roar. There are numerous shocks and violence between the human cast and their non-human adversary to keep anyone watching very interested. I've always liked veteran '50's sci-fi actor Kenneth Tobey best in this movie as the ranking military officer who must contend with not only the alien creature but also scientists who would rather study the alien than protect themselves from it.

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD(1951) makes the occasional(though not frequent) appearance on Turner Classic Movies. Sci-fi movie fans who haven't seen this film should absolutely check out this classic! Better yet buy the DVD which is sold online at Amazon.

A trailer:

Hell freezes over: THE THING(1982)

I haven't seen all of John Carpenter's films. I admit it. Still, John Carpenter remains in my top five all time favorite movie directors. Films like The Fog(1980), Halloween(1978) & Escape From New York(1981) all captured my interest in horror and sci-fi when I was a teenager and I still enjoy watching his work today on DVD/Blu Ray. My favorite movie directed by John Carpenter is also a top five favorite of mine including all film genres: The Thing(1982), a sci fi film theatrically released in 1982 by Universal which actually didn't fare too well at the box office but has definitely gained a large fan following since it hit theaters over thirty years ago. Carpenter's The Thing(1982) is often compared to another, much older sci-fi movie produced by Winchester Pictures Corporation called The Thing From Another World(1951). In the '51 film, directed by Christian Nyby and an uncredited Howard Hawks, a humanoid, hostile alien played by actor James Arness menaces a group of military and scientists at a remote Antarctic research station. The older "Thing" film employed a man in makeup, like most of the '50's sci-fi movies, to produce audience scares and shocks. John Carpenter went in another direction in order to scare movie audiences in The Thing(1982), deciding to create a shape shifting alien creature come to life through the effects work of Rob Bottin, then and up and coming makeup effects specialist who went on to become one of the best at it over the decades.

 The film's story: In a remote region of the Antarctic, a dog flees into the camp of a U.S. research station. The dog is pursued by an airborne, Norwegian helicopter whose passenger shoots at the dog with a high powered rifle. The helicopter lands, the passenger emerges and continues firing at the dog. A member of the American research station returns fire with his revolver and kills the rifle toting Norseman. The American research team dispatches their pilot and a scientist to the nearby Norwegian research facility where the Norse helo came from. There the pilot and scientist discover a burned out Norse station and charred human corpses that look disfigured. The burned corpse is brought back to the American research station for further inspection and investigation. What happened at the Norwegian facility? Why were the Norwegians in the helo shooting at the dog? The American research team also discovers a long buried and enormous, saucer shaped spacehip which was uncovered by the Norwegians who used thermite to melt the ice on top of it. In the meantime and back at the U.S. research station, the rescued dog from the Norse station has now been placed in a pen with service dogs belonging to the American research facility...and this sets in motion a terrifying and catastrophic series of events in which a shape shifting alien creature begins to "absorb" and mimic members of the American facility. The group of scientists begin to turn on each other as they race against time to isolate and destroy the hostile, shape shifting alien creature. (no other spoilers)

Thumbs up:
 > The practical effects created and employed by Rob Bottin are marvelous. Numerous scenes feature the alien creature erupting out of "hiding" as it imitates the service dog and then various research team members. Even with today's green screen technology and CGI I still think the practical effects used in The Thing are more effective at delivering shocks and "gross out" moments for those watching this movie.

> The human cast in this movie, a collection of interesting and often conflicting personalities. My favorites are the pilot "MacCready"(played by Kurt Russell), a likable character despite his obvious boredom and disdain at being stationed at the isolated Antarctic facility who, in frustation at losing a game of "Chess Wizard" to his computer responds by pouring a glass of whiskey into the device.  I also liked the mercurial, no nonsense "Childs"(played by Keith David) and the pot smoking "Palmer" who in one scene begins toking from a Cuban cigar sized joint.

> The overall pacing of the film is excellent -the tension and hostility that develops between the American research team members erupts after the "alien dog" incident and these human cast conflicts perfectly compliment the menace of the shape shifting alien creature in their midst. In particular "MacCready" and "Childs", both "alpha" male personalities who clash as they both try to lead the group against the alien

> The audio effects used to render the alien are terrific. The alien creature frequently emits a blood curdling sound that is half wail and half roar with a human element to the sound which sounds unique and creepy as hell all at once. loco2 -the ending of the film is ambiguous...but this IMO works best here given the events that transpired throughout

 Thumbs down:
> I would have liked seeing the director explore the origins of the alien's spaceship a little more in this movie.

 THE THING(1982) is available on both DVD and Blu Ray: either can be purchased online at Amazon. Anyone who hasn't seen The Thing(1982), whether they are a sci-fi/horror fan or not, should absolutely check out this film!

A trailer:

God complex: GODZILLA(2014)

I can remember when I first saw the news that Legendary Pictures was going to produce a "Godzilla" film: my first thought was concern that their movie would end up being like the 1998 Centropolis film Godzilla, a movie directed by Roland Emmerich that makes for a solid giant monster flick but also features a rendering of Godzilla that makes the monster look like an oversized iguana. I was fairly enthusiastic after watching the intial trailer for the Legendary Pictures Godzilla film and I finally watched it last on Blu Ray. I enjoyed this movie a lot, feeling relief and satisfaction that we Godzilla fans FINALLY have a terrific AND American made Godzilla film!

There has been some fan criticism of GODZILLA(2014) because the legendary monster doesn't appear in the movie until about halfway through it. Was I annoyed by this? Perhaps somewhat but in no way does this detract from my overall enjoyment of the movie itself. Godzilla(2014) is an "origin" story if you will and it takes some time during this movie to introduce and move forward events(past and present) that gradually lead up to the first full reveal of Godzilla in this movie. I think it works fairly well, a credit to director Gareth Edwards, himself a self described Godzilla fan.

Godzilla(2014) fared quite well in worldwide box office receipts, particularly in the United States and China. The movie had a budget of $160 million and generated over $500 million in worldwide box office receipts. Hopefully Blu Ray, DVD and general merchandise sales associated with this film will increase that number. A sequel has already been announced by Legendary Pictures, tentatively scheduled for a 2018 theatrical release...and with the inclusion of other classic Toho monsters King Ghidorah, Rodan and Mothra!

More than anything Godzilla(2014) brings the legendary monster back to his roots and is, like most of the Toho Godzilla films, a movie that presents Godzilla as a force of nature.

Without further ado some observations about this film, directed by Gareth Edwards, mostly positive:

Thumbs up:

-Godzilla is well rendered in this film. There were some gripes from G fans about the monster looking "fat". I would use the word "bulky" which is still an understatement. The monster is a lumbering, 350 foot tall juggernaut, even larger than any of the 100 meter Toho variations of the creature. Godzilla's length is even greater and the monster is longer than many of the U.S. Navy frigates(about 450 feet long) he swims underneath as he approaches San Francisco.
I liked the attention made by those tasked with rendering the monster to make Godzilla look old. The creature's face looks weathered and old but that coincides with Dr. Serizawa's description of the monster in the movie as being a creature that's been around, well a long time.

-Bryan Cranston's performance as nuclear engineer "Joe Brody" is terrific. The actor brings emotion and distress to the film as events occur that build the suspense in this film. Cranston is one the human cast member of Godzilla(2014) who I thought actually contributed to the overall quality of this film.

-the M.U.T.O's - I went into this movie unsure as to whether I would like the designs of these monsters or not. I found the MUTOs to be creepy and a worthy adversary for Godzilla. The male MUTO is winged and smaller than the larger female(the male is around 60 meters tall and the female is 300 feet tall). Both MUTOs are mutations and I found it hard to find anything in nature to compare them with. They possess both insectoid and bat like qualities...if that makes any sense.
Both creatures give Godzilla a hard fight as the creatures all converge in San Francisco and battle it out, demolishing the city.

-the choreography of the final monster battle: Godzilla and the two MUTOs engage in a brutal battle in SF. The fight is mostly physical battling. Godzilla also employs his trademark oral beam to lethal effect.

-the overall special effects are stellar. CGI has come a long way since movies like The Lawnmower Man(1992) and the CGI in Godzilla(2014) is totally top notch!

Thumbs down

-the performance of Aaron Taylor Johnson as "LT Ford Brody". First off I admired this character in the movie, a brave young man who is clearly a good guy with heroic tendencies. I did have a problem with how Aaron Johnson portrayed the character. He was, for me half comatose from a personality perspective throughout the movie.

In summary, I'd say Godzilla(2014) is easily a terrific Godzilla movie and should satisfy die hard G fans with bad memories of the '98 Centropolis G movie.

Highly recommend G fans and more casual fans of Godzilla buy this movie on Blu Ray and/or DVD!

Anchors aweigh : JUGGERNAUT(1974)

Seems like the older I get the more often I come across a movie I've seen before...and completely forgotten all about. This is most definitely the case with the 1974 British suspense thriller JUGGERNAUT. The title of this film is also what the villain in this movie calls himself, a madman who has planted seven bombs on the luxury cruise ocean liner "Britannica". The owner of the company that owns the liner, in conjunction with the British government, dispatches a team of bomb experts to the ship to try and disarm the bombs.

I actually saw this movie in a theater as a kid. Not sure what drew me to this film as a youngster but it was probably due to my fascination with ships and because I was still suffering from a personal "Poseidon Adventure" hangover. Highly recommend JUGGERNAUT(1974) to anyone who hasn't seen it!



I'll be buying the Blu Ray of this film and it gets released on September 9th. Click the link to purchase JUGGERNAUT on Blu Ray at Amazon: JUGGERNAUT(1974) Blu Ray

JUGGERNAUT(1974) is also available on DVD(MGM) and can be purchased online at Amazon as well: JUGGERNAUT DVD(MGM release)