A civil matter

I rarely discuss politics with anyone these days and haven't for a long time, years in fact. The reason why is probably the same reason why others are loathe to do so: because it's becoming increasingly difficult if not impossible to discuss one's political beliefs with another person who has a differing opinion without being judged, ridiculed or insulted. To watch the news or various social media platforms(e.g. YouTube) is to see an ongoing meatgrinder of ugly arguments and even fisticuffs between people over politics or other petty and ridiculous reasons. Maybe it's me but the level of civility and respect shown towards others is on the decline in America. I think it's been on the decline for a long time and to be honest I'm not sure if it will ever get any better. We live in an "entitlement" culture now where we act like we're the center of the universe and what we want we want NOW. When things don't go our way or when we encounter an aggravation in life we go ballistic and take it out on other people. I've had to work at controlling my temper for my entire life and also at being able to better deal with the daily aggravations that present themselves to me. I'd like to think I'm a better adjusted person now: a good listener, less judgmental, more open minded and more tolerant of all the things large and small that could trigger a bad reaction in me. I can still do better and efforts are absolutely ongoing. I mention "efforts" because that's what it takes. It's easy to hate, to judge, to ridicule another person for ANY reason. Not doing those things takes work but it's worth the effort to try. It is my hope that Americans can do a better job of treating each other with courtesy, respect, empathy and sympathy. I still have faith that one day we'll get there.

Second time around: GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955)

I've been a fan of Godzilla and Godzilla films since I was a kid. My first experience with the now infamous monster began in 1969 when I saw Destroy All Monsters(1968) as well as Toei's The Green Slime(1968) at the Rialto Theater in downtown Atlanta, GA. Only small fragments of memory remain of that experience as I was only seven years old. In the 1970's I would catch a Godzilla movie on occasion on television and by the 1980's I was collecting Godzilla movies on VHS and wearing out at least two VCRs a year watching them and other movies I'd record off the TV.

Now any fan of giant monsters can access Godzilla and other giant monsters in cinema through the various streaming services (e.g. Netflix, Roku or Amazon Prime Video) as well as both DVD and Blu Ray. I have long harbored a great fondness for physical media regarding films and as such my DVD and Blu Ray collection continues to grow albeit at a much slower pace. 

While I personally like every Godzilla film there are a handful in which I have continued to harbor a lingering disdain for certain aspects of them and consequently I go back on occasion and re-watch these movies. GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN, Toho's 1955 follow up to the phenomenally successful 1954 film GOJIRA, is one of these movies.

I'm not going to ramble on with a "review" of GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN, produced by Toho and directed by Motoyoshi Oda. There are plenty of reviews of "GRA" online and are easy to find on YouTube. I have always disliked the Godzilla suit design for this movie as well as some of the shaky special effects. Still, I find myself liking this movie slightly more ever time I view it. There is plenty of monster action featuring Godzilla and the armored, quadrupedal Anguirus, two creatures who play out their rivalry by demolishing a city. There are many likable and sympathetic characters in "GRA" and the film's ending includes a character's heroic sacrifice and marvelous effects as the Japanese self defense forces mass one final effort to stop Godzilla. You won't find much humor in GRA and that's also something I appreciate: this movie's dark tone and pervasive sense of dread among the human cast of characters is a carryover from GOJIRA(1954).

I have a VHS copy of the Americanized version which goes by the title GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER. I also own GRA on DVD(the original Toho version with English subtitles). I recommend the Toho version with English subtitles if you haven't seen it yet. 

A trailer:

 

Giving thanks in 2020

As the Thanksgiving holiday is nearly upon us its time for me to take a moment out of my schedule and typical routine of being stressed about work (and money) and comment on what I'm thankful for. Here goes:

• I'm thankful for Allopurinol, a prescription medicine that helps prevent debilitating gout attacks in my joints, specifically my toes, knees, elbows and feet. 
  
•  I'm thankful that my cat "Sissy" is potty trained and, about 99% of the time, answers the call of nature in her litterbox and nowhere else.
• I'm thankful for dark roast coffee, which helps me snap out of my typical morning funks upon getting out of bed to go to work.
• I'm thankful that I can work in 2020, especially given the situation in the United States(and abroad) with COVID-19 (aka the coronavirus).
• I'm thankful for naproxen, an OTC drug that helps me manage my pain from arthritis.
• I'm thankful for food delivery services like GRUBHUB, DOORDASH and UBER EATS which allow me to have food delivered to my residence when I don't feel like cooking.
• I'm thankful for Amazon, an online business in which I can order a wide range of products including many things I use for work.
•  I'm thankful that there are still some people who post at my internet message board MONSTERLAND FORUMS.
• I'm thankful for my smartphone (an iPhone 8 plus), a valuable tool in my trade (lawn maintenance).
• I'm thankful for online savings accounts (I have two) which offer much better interest rates than the typical "brick and mortar" banks(like Wells Fargo or Bank Of America)
• I'm thankful for smart TVs - on mine(a 55" Hisense ultra hi def model) I can watch any number of free channels including YouTube, a channel I especially like for its documentary content.
  
• Finally, I'm thankful that I still have my sanity and overall health, both in enough quantity in order to work and make a living while staying out of discussions with others regarding religion and politics.
  

Dead reckoning: THE OBLONG BOX (1969)

To get my "Hammer Film" horror movie "fix" every Halloween isn't enough for me: I also indulge in watching numerous horror films starring the incomparable Vincent Price. I managed to watch THE OBLONG BOX, produced by AIP and released theatrically in 1969.

Set in 1865 England, aristocrat Edward Markham, while on a trip to Africa, is tortured by a local African tribe, Markham's face left horribly mutilated. Julian Markham, Edward's brother (played by Vincent Price), rescues his brother from his tribal captors and returns to England with his disfigured brother. Julian locks away Edward in an upstairs room but eventually Edward escapes his captivity with revenge on his mind . . . (no other spoilers)

You'll find murder, voodoo rituals and skullduggery in THE OBLONG BOX. It's also the only film in which Vincent Price and Christopher Lee, who stars in many "Hammer" film horror movies, appear together in the same movie. Christopher Lee plays town doctor "Newhartt" in THE OBLONG BOX. 

I own the DVD but will upgrading to the Blu Ray in early 2021.

A trailer:

The witching hour: THE CONQUEROR WORM (1968)

As part of my Comcast cable television package I have, besides Turner Classic Movies, numerous decent alternative movie channels which show films without commercial interruption. Among these is Screenpix and I happened upon a movie I hadn't seen in many years: THE CONQUEROR WORM. This is the AIP title and which was originally released as "WITCHFINDER GENERAL", a 1968 British & American production between Tigon Films and AIP(American International Pictures). 

The Conqueror Worm takes place in 1645 England during the English civil war. A lawyer named "Matthew Hopkins" has anointed himself witch hunter and prowls the English countryside with his brutish assistant interrogating, torturing and eventually murdering anyone and everyone who is suspected of witchcraft and/or Satanic possession. Vincent Price brings to life "Matthew Hopkins" in all his cruel, sadistic glory but also makes a sworn enemy in a young English soldier named "Richard Marshall"(played by Ian Ogilvy). Hopkins has tortured the young soldier's lovely fiancee and murdered her father and English "Roundhead" soldier Richard Marshall, understandably enraged, sets out to track down Matthew Hopkins and kill him. (no other spoilers). 

Any horror movie fan who hasn't seen THE CONQUEROR WORM (1968) should do so if for no other reason than to watch Vincent Price at work. There are some scenes of gore and torture violence in this film that, while they pale in comparison to present day horror gore meat grinder movies, are still disturbing to watch. This movie is available on both DVD and Blu Ray.

A trailer:

Back from the dead and a post Halloween hangover

I've been mostly inactive on the internet except for Facebook for the past eleven months. A lot of that is due to my busy schedule as a self employed lawn maintenance contractor and gardener...and also because I got a bad case of "internet fatigue" and online burnout. I am absolutely going to continue to abstain from discussing politics and/or religion on the internet and that includes this blog as well as my internet message board Monsterland Forums. Monsterland Forums, aka "Monsterland Asylum", is still active albeit with only a half dozen members (including myself) posting there. This message board, formerly formatted in Zetaboards, was transformed to a Tapatalks message board. I don't like Tapatalks but I am thankful Monsterland Forums wasn't deleted. I started it way back on January 29, 2006 and while it isn't nearly as active as it used to be(up until 20009 when Facebook took over) I still like the fact it's still here and has a following of sorts.

I dread November as it signals the start of my "leaf seasons" which are mostly large scale leaf clean ups on my properties. I also dislike November because I always suffer from a kind of post Halloween "hangover". Halloween is one of the few times during each year when I take time to slow down a little and use "All Hallows Eve" as an excuse to watch horror movies, consume pumpkin spice flavored coffee and also pumpkin flavored pop tarts. This year was no different in that regard and movies I ALWAYS watch in October were viewed again including: THE BEAST WITHIN(1982), PIT AND THE PENDULUM(1961), DIE MONSTER! DIE!(1965), HORROR OF DRACULA(1958) and HOUSE OF WAX(1953).

I'm going to "restart" this blog and see about about maintaining at least some sort of regular activity here.

Yongary(1999) amateur documentary

Evan "G2KMaster" Brehany has finally released an amateur documentary he's been working on for many years about the 1999 Korean kaiju film Yonggary 2000, aka "Reptilian". I always use this blog to promote the work of others whenever I can. Click on the video below to watch Evan's work:

Giving thanks in 2019

As another Thanksgiving holiday is upon us it's time for me to ramble about things and/or people I'm thankful for so without further ado:

• I'm thankful for online savings accounts...which give my money the ability to earn at least some kind of interest since my regular bank savings account does not.
• I'm thankful for smart TVs, specifically mine which enables me to watch YouTube and other streaming channels when I'm bored and/or disgusted with my cable TV viewing options...which is sadly quite often now. 
• I'm thankful for budget reading glasses that I can buy at a grocery store or pharmacy as it saves me from having to spend hundreds of dollars at an eye-wear retailer.
• I'm thankful that I can still work, even if I find myself taking "Aleve" a little more often than I like to take the edge off the pain in my joints.
• I'm thankful for "zero turn" riding mowers of which I own two now, which allow me to mow large properties without the wear and tear on my knees that using a walk behind mower would create.
• I'm thankful for allopurinol, a drug which helps prevent gout flare ups and gout attacks in my joints.
• I'm thankful for the small group of people (including myself) who participate in the forums at my 13 year old internet message board, Monsterland Forums (aka Monsterland Asylum).
• I'm thankful for my smart phone, an iPhone 8 plus which helps me stay organized and serves as a reliable communication tool between me and my (lawn maintenance) customers
•  I'm thankful for Amazon Prime as the majority of merchandise I order from Amazon is delivered much more quickly.
• I'm thankful for eBay where I can find kaiju and superhero(and super villain) toys at reasonable prices to help broaden my growing collection of toys and action figures.
• I'm thankful for scented, all natural bar soap (which I order off Amazon) which leaves me feeling clean out of the shower and not like I just bathed with laundry detergent.
• I'm thankful for classic "Hammer" horror movies which I watch regularly.
• I'm finally thankful that I've never gotten caught up in the materialism of Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays overall.

Bite me: THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960)

As I do every year the last week of October and including Halloween (October 31st), I binge watch horror movies. There is a variation some years as to what I watch and this year is no exception. I watched a Hammer Films produced horror movie that I hadn't seen in many years: THE BRIDES OF DRACULA, originally released in January, 1960. The film's cast includes Peter Cushing, Freda Jackson, David Peel and gorgeous Yvonne Monlaur.

Dracula is nowhere to be found in THE BRIDES OF DRACULA...but a young baron who has inherited the vampire affliction, after escaping home confinement (his mother has him chained inside a room inside a huge castle), sets about doing what Dracula and vampires in general typically do: terrorize folks and bite them in order to spread their "disease". If vampirism is in fact a disease then Dr. Gabriel Van Helsing is the cure and Peter Cushing reprises his role as the vampire hunter-killer "Van Helsing" (he began the role in 1958's Horror Of Dracula).

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960) can be found for sale on both DVD and Blu Ray as part of respective box sets that feature other classic Hammer horror films. I have both sets and they're fantastic. Here's a link to the Blu Ray set: Hammer 8-film collection

A trailer:

When the lights go out: THE DARK(1979)

Every now and then while I'm browsing Amazon Prime Video, I'll randomly pick a movie I've never seen before and watch it. Since we're in October I figured I'd check out a horror film and the one I decided on was THE DARK, originally released to theaters in 1979. Tobe Hooper, who directed horror meat-grinders The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) and Eaten Alive(1976), was the original director for THE DARK but John Cardos later stepped in and took over directorial duties.

This film's plot is fairly straight forward: someone or something (and not surprisingly it turns out to be non human) begins a bloody rampage on the streets of Los Angeles at night, killing in grisly and gruesome fashion, many of the victims getting their heads ripped off. The police, including a hard bitten and world weary detective, are clueless as to who (or what) is doing the killings. As pressure from the mayor, a local female reporter joins local law enforcement in the search for the killer. How would I describe the killer? Definitely extraterrestrial but walks like a grown man, has the face of the Frankenstein monster and a hostile, angry growl that is part human with irritable bowel syndrome and part something else altogether. The creature killer also has glowing eyes that can emit lethal, laser like energy beams which annihilate anyone unfortunate to be hit by them.

The cast includes William Devane, Richard Jaeckel, Cathy Lee Crosby and Keenan Wynn. Code Red released 1000 copies of this film on Blu Ray(Region 0/widescreen) and I've found Blu Rays of this movie on eBay BUT they are pricey since the Blu Ray release of THE DARK was limited. DVDs can be bought on Amazon of this film but they're in full frame(1:33.1) aspect ratio and look about as good as the full frame version I watched on Amazon Video which wasn't really that good. Any horror and/or sci-fi fan who hasn't seen THE DARK(1979) should check it out. It's not great but it is much better than I expected.

An HD trailer:

A howling good time: short werewolf film based on the 'Morbach monster"

Brad's Battle Maps

I'd like to give a "shout out" to Brad Barrett and his website Brad's Battle Maps. Brad, a native of New Zealand, enjoys drawing maps of historical battles and is quite good at it. His website includes a catalog of all the maps he's drawn and which are also for sale. To check out Brad's website, click this link: Brad's Battle Maps

Winging it -MOTHRA(1961) Steelbook Edition Blu Ray

Mill Creek Entertainment has been absolutely killing it lately with all the great titles they've released to Blu Ray. Just recently it was announced that MC has secured the North American rights to release ALL the various Ultraman TV series to Blu Ray!

For now, I want to give major props to Mill Creek Entertainment for releasing the Toho sci-fi-fantasy classic Mothra(1961) to (Region A) Blu Ray and in a steel-book format no less.

Mothra(1961) has been available on DVD for some time now but this is the first time this movie has been released to Blu Ray in North America.

Before buying this Blu Ray I asked myself: will the transfer (picture image) look noticeably better? The answer: it does.

If you're a fan of giant monster movies, especially Toho's older "kaiju" films, I highly recommend investing in the Mill Creek Entertainment Steelbook Edition Blu Ray of Mothra(1961).

Click on the link to see this Blu Ray for sale at Mill Creek Entertainment's website: MOTHRA(1961) Steelbook Edition Blu Ray

 

All hail to The King: GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS(2019)

For only the second time in the past five years, I went to an actual movie theater to watch a movie. I have developed, over the course of many years, a strong disdain for venturing into a movie theater, the reasons including: the cost of counter condiments, the cost of a ticket, managing to always be seated behind extremely tall individuals, those with overactive bladders and/or those who like to chat on their cell phones while the movie is playing.

Still, having seen Legendary Pictures' Godzilla(2014) in a theater five years ago, my great lifelong fondness for Godzilla compelled me back inside a theater to watch Godzilla King Of The Monsters(2019). I went on a Sunday morning two weeks ago. There were not many inside the theater besides me, I suspect because it was before noon on a Sunday.

I own a terrific television, an ultra hi-def (4K capable), 49" "TCL" brand flat screen TV with great features and a stereo headphone jack which I often use. I marvel at the Blu Rays I watch (of movies) on my TV but nothing, in my opinion, compares to the giant screen spectacle and amplified bass audio that a movie theater can provide.

I wasn't disappointed with Godzilla King Of The Monsters(2019). This movie was everything I hoped it would be: loud, action packed with lots of giant monsters and giant monster battles. Any fan of Godzilla or giant monster movies in general should absolutely love GKOTM. The various monsters in this movie are all rendered in stellar fashion - Godzilla is a lumbering juggernaut with his powerful atomic breath. Rodan and Mothra are majestic flying behemoths with colossal wingspans(both over 800 feet) and King Ghidorah is the one monster capable of challenging Godzilla in battle. King Ghidorah and its gravity beams have never looked more awesome and powerful in a film than in GKOTM.

I've seen the criticism of this film from various and official "movie critics" around the internet. Obviously they have a right to their opinion but I found much of the criticism to be, well asinine.

Thus far the domestic box office receipts for GKOTM(2019) have been disappointing and the projected worldwide box office take for this movie is projected to plateau at $400 million. Due to its high production cost (anywhere from $170-200 million depending on who you believe), a $400 million box office take may not even allow Legendary Pictures to break even on GKOTM.

A final film in Legendary Pictures' "monsterverse" called Godzilla Vs Kong, with an announced theatrical release date of March 13, 2020 (next year), may be undergoing some re-shoots as the studio reacts to the box office results of GKOTM. As the title of this film implies, a 393 foot tall Godzilla will square off against a presumably larger King Kong-recall that this Kong is only 105 feet in 2017's Kong-Skull Island. I'm guessing Kong will be ramped up to 300-325 feet in height so as to be physically able to fight Godzilla.

As for me, and assuming Godzilla Vs Kong  is released in theaters next March, I'll be back in that same nearby theater, coke and popcorn in hand, sitting in one of the back rows, ready for more giant monster action!

Hook, line and sinker: UP FROM THE DEPTHS (1979)

Just when I think I've watched every horror/sci-fi film about a lake and/or ocean borne monster, I encounter UP FROM THE DEPTHS, a 1979 film directed by Charles Griffith. I discovered this one while browsing Amazon (Prime) Video, my first "go to" alternative when I fail to find anything I want to watch on Netflix. In UP FROM THE DEPTHS(1979), a seaside Hawaiian resort comes under attack from an oversized and ravenous prehistoric fish. I didn't think much of the special effects but Susanne Reed was gorgeous in this movie and there's just enough action to keep me moderately interested while watching this movie. It's available for sale on both DVD and Blu Ray. A trailer:

Gone to the dogs: HOWLING III - THE MARSUPIALS (1987)

Seems like I haven't reviewed a movie in ages in this blog and I'm not really motivated to do one right now. I still watch movies as it's a hobby of mine. Recently I have been watching a lot of horror movies featuring werewolves, some good and some real stinkers. I suppose Howling III-The Marsupials, another entry in "The Howling" series of horror films, classifies as a "stinker" but I believe it's still worth a watch for horror fans who haven't seen it.

In this film, an Australian scientist discovers a group of dog like werewolves (marsupials) living in the "outback" and naturally wants to study them. The marsupials would prefer to be left alone save for one young female who develops a romantic relationship with an affable but nonetheless clueless young fellow. (no other spoilers)

There are many instances of humor in this movie if you watch it closely and some limited gore from the werewolf "kills". The special effects look cheap and nothing like the stellar practical makeup effects in the first film in the series, 1981's THE HOWLING directed by Joe Dante.

HOWLING III-THE MARSUPIALS, directed by Philippe Mora is available on DVD and has been released to Blu Ray by Shout!Factory.

I've always been a softie when it comes to horror movies featuring werewolves and I'm probably guilty of that in regards to this film. You can find this movie on Amazon (Prime) Video or Tubi TV for streaming if you don't want to buy it on DVD or BD.

A trailer:

Practically speaking: great makeup effects blog for the "Friday The 13th" films

The slasher horror Friday The 13th films are one of my all time favorite film franchises and recently I came across a fantastic blog that delves into the behind-the-scenes and makeup effects used to bring "Jason Voorhees", the burlap bag and later hockey masked killer to life.

The blog is called JasonLivesSinceThe1980s. The content of this blog is very detailed and exceptionally informative. For any fans of the Friday The 13th horror films I highly recommend you check out this blog! Click this link to access it: JasonLivesSinceThe1980s

KAIJU GALAXY - new Jcink message board

Kaiju Galaxy, a long time internet message board founded by Donny Winter back in 2004, has an alternate site now. Kaiju Galaxy, like my own message board Monsterland Forums (aka Monsterland Asylum), was migrated to "Tapatalks" last year. I am enamored with Tapatalks but put way too much work into my message board to simply walk away from it and it continues to plod along generating about 30-35 posts a week from a half dozen members.

Here's the link for the alternate Kaiju Galaxy site:  KAIJU GALAXY (Jcink)

Films I want to like...but don't

I'm sure everyone who is a fan of movies like myself has seen films they wanted to like but didn't after viewing them for the first time.

For the record here are some films I really wanted to like but didn't after watching them...and still don't. This includes movies of all genres:

• Arrival (2016)
• Life (2017)
• Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (2017)
• Tron (1982)
• Q The Winged Serpent (1982)
• Planet Of The Apes (2001 - dir. by Tim Burton)
• Dune (1984)
• The Being (1983)
• Bog (1983)
• Creature From Black Lake (1976)
• The Fifth Element (1997)
• I, Robot (2004)
• Caligula (1979)
• Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
• Firestarter (1984)
• Graveyard Shift (1990)
• Howling II-Your Sister Is A Werewolf (1985)
• Jaws-The Revenge (1987)
• The Beast Must Die (1974)
• Curse Of The Swamp Creature (1966)
• Tron Legacy (2010)
• Spider-Man 3 (2007)
• Daredevil (2003)

Favorite martial arts films

I was recently asked by someone I know if there is a movie genre I like besides horror and science fiction. There absolutely is: martial arts! I've always been a huge fan of the "Shaw Brothers" produced martial arts movies.

In no particular order, here are my top ten favorite martial arts (and action films heavy with martial arts combat) films:

• Enter The Dragon (1973)
• Sister Street Fighter (1974)
• Thong Dee Fun Khao (2017) (aka Broken Sword Hero)
• The Protector 2 (2013)
• Kickboxer (1989)
• The Protector (2006)
• Ong Bak (2005)
• The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin (1978)
• The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1983)
• Ip Man (2008)