Howard Stern: trendsetter, influential, innovative, controversial, in the center of lawsuits, always fighting The Man, pushing the freedom of speech issue in our faces...his place in talk radio history has been assured. He's been on Sirius subscriber-only radio for the last few years, so it's very hard to gauge his quality now. After all, most of his listeners are fanatical loyalists who actually pay money to listen to him. However, I read some internet forums from some former subscribers, and have my own ideas.
For the record, I listened (or watched) Howard probably from 1989 to 1999 on and off. The late night TV shows I saw on WWOR were border-line legal for TV- and I shamed to admit I liked them; I even liked his E! TV show in 1990's. As far as radio goes, I tended to get burned out after a few days before putting him on again. After a while, the content became too sexist and abusive. Too unhealthy.
Since jumptheshark.com has sold out, here are some possible scenarios outlining when/why Howard Stern has lost his peak:
1) NEVER jumped; Howard is still relevant today. Become a subscriber and listen to how funny and cool he still is. 2) DAY ONE: The man is filth personified and a pervert, who should have never been able to use public radio waves or public TV. 3) 1995: Racist parody of the death of Selina 4) The King of all Media: Movie, TV, book, radio, E! 5) The Divorce. Part of Stern's on-air personae and appeal was actually being married and somehow remaining true to his wife; then came the Big D. His 2001 divorce was THE time for listeners to live through Howard's single life, but he never explored it. 6) Jumping to paid radio. $12.95 a month vs for FREE. Take your pick. The size of his market has shrunk because of it. With sooooo many free options on the internet now...why would 9-5 workers pay $12.95/month for satellite radio? 7) 2004: The multi-millionaire Howard goes political, and becomes a left-wing Rush Limbaugh. 8) 2008- Has he become the cliche rich @$$hole that he made his listeners despise all of this years? He was shocked about how much a gallon of gas was. Howard uses callers to make the show, not his own life anymore. 9) Network bans, changing stations, FCC violations, CBS lawsuits, kicked out of Canada...tiring after a while? 10) Time/era. Is there anything left in the envelope to push anymore, even on "uncensored" Sirius radio? It's 2009...what makes Howard different, unique, or entertaining anymore. Yeah, a bestiality dating show back in 1985 was fresh and innovative (if not offensive to many)...but what about now?
So Jay Leno had his last Tonight Show. That was news to me.
Welcome to the exciting season finale of the TONIGHT SHOW, ladies and gentlemen.
As you know, this is our last show after 17 years. I want to thank all the people that made it possible - Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton ...
Seventeen years! Do you realize when I started this show, my hair was black and the president was white. Did you know that? When we started this show 17 years ago, Jon and Kate were both 8! The only thing that hasn't changed in 17 years? The Clippers still suck.
Frankly I don't think I ever had a desire to stay up and sit through Jay Leno during those last 17 years. Everyone know Conan O'Brien is much more trendy and funny anyway, so I'm glad the torch has been passed to Conan.
I thought Leno and late night shows like David Letterman and Saturday Night Live were overrated. Yes, they had their uses in the pre-Internet/cable/Direct TV/TiVO era, but now they seem like dinosaurs. The big joke is that these comedians try to be "counter-culture" yet they are raking in millions and millions from Hollywood, and in many ways they are the official spokespeople of whatever trend Hollywood dictates.
Not trying to rip Leno, since he's a success story from humble beginnings, but I always thought his show was typical 1990's stand-up that just happened to survive thanks to Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" run, TV station, and time-slot. There were many funnier and more socially relevant comedians that during his 17-year run. What I'm trying to say is if he had a "Jay Leno Show" on FOX an hour later or earlier, he would not be considered the "icon" he is considered today.
I come from a single-parent household in New York and had no siblings, so my mom and grandparents would spoil me with toys even though I never demanded them. Here's a quick list of some 1980's toy lines I was obsessed with:
The Main
WWF LJN Wrestling figures- In terms of sheer fun, the oversized rubber wrestling figures takes the cake. Granted the paint would scratch off pretty quickly, but I must have had thousands of wrestling matches.
Masters of the Universe- Had every action figure, vehicle, and castle. I loved the cartoon and the mini-comics
G.I. Joe- Near complete collection...I started in 1984 and backtracked to 1981 at flea markets. It was great streak that lasted until around 1989. The most pose-able figures I ever had, with tons of accessories. 100% fueled by comics and cartoon.
Super Powers- DC made many more figures than Marvel, and I had problems getting some rare figures, but I managed quite a few. Darkseid was one of my favorites. The quality kicked Marvel's butt. But the good news is that they were virtually the same size as Secret Wars, so I did my own "Crisis", even before 1985.
Secret Wars- Had the entire set of Marvel heroes and villains.
M.U.S.C.L.E.: Mini fictional alien wrestlers...gotta admit these were the only toys I still played as a mid-teenager, and I didn't throw them out because it took me so long to track down the little guys. In the end, they outlasted every other toy listed on this page. I gave them to my nephew Jericho, but I don't think he plays with them. Different era, I guess.
Transformers- At the time I believe these to be the highest quality toy. Never had the whole set...pretty expensive, but I had a lot.
Second Tier
AWA Wrestling figures- If only they were the same size as LJN's WWF figures....grrrrr...anyway, I still had smaller scale battles with Ric Flair, The Road Warriors, Rick Martel, Abdullah the Butcher, and others.
Thundercats- Too big to play with my other toys, they were high quality. Thundercats was a fantastic cartoon.
Go-Bots- El cheapo Transformers.
Zoids- Awesome dinobots that moved with batteries.
Army guys: Heck, before G.I. Joe I loved those green little army men. Cowboys and Indians, too.
Dinosaurs: Give me a big generic rubber dinosaur made in China and I will give it army men for lunch.
Star Wars: Truthfully I came aboard a little late, but thought the quality was awesome, including the obscure characters.
Matchbox cars: Cars were cool..especially playing in the dirt and mud.
Just a few
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Got a few as a gift...never really saw what the fuss was.
Arak- Conan rip. They were made the same size as He-Man, which was great for me.
Voltron- High quality robots, but seemed too expensive for me to pester. The cartoon kept me hooked.
Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner is now up and running for free and totally legal, brought to you by AMC, who is producing the new Prisoner TV series. The Prisoner is one of the most deep TV series ever. Each episode is stand-alone except the last two. The Prisoner is the story of an English secret agent who has resigned, but was kidnapped and put on an island (The Village) with other people who know too much. He is assigned a number (6), and battles his oppressors (lead by the ever-changing Number Two) with his wits, not violence. The Village is supposed to be an Utopian society, but it really a high-tech 1984 fascist society. Recommended episodes:
2- The Chimes of Big Ben (Escape?) 4- Free For All (election parody) 5- The Schizoid Man (Number Six vs...Number SIX?) 6- The General (Man vs Computer) 7- Manny Happy Returns (Back to London!) 14- Living in Harmony (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) 16- Once Upon a Time (The Final Battle!) 17- Fall Out ('nuff said!)
Optional episodes: 1- Arrival- Truthfully, as long as you watch the opening credits for every other epside, this one is not necessary. Total set-up episode. Watch only if you are curious, the Recommended Episdodes are better. Don't make this your first episode. 3- A, B, and C- Can Number Two find out Number Six's secrets via dream manipulation? Great background history of Number Six. 8- Dance of the Dead- Deep symbolism masquerade. 9- Checkmate- Who can Number Six trust? 10- Hammer Into Anvil- Murder mystery. 11- It's Your Funeral- Number Two assassination plot. 12- A Change of Mind- Number Six gets his mind rewired.
Weird Ones 13- Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling- Patrick McGoohan couldn't film the full episode, so Number Six switched bodies. 15- The Girl Who Was Death- Storybook tale.
Had no interest in American Idol, not even a drop to post about it during the season. I'll never touch Dancing with the Stars either unless I mock it. I admit I haven't been watching or following AI, so I had to laugh when I saw the two American Idol finalists on yahoo and MSN today, two guys named KRIS and ADAM.
I was like...damn, this is so gay. Do straight single guys actually watch this show? If you are a straight single guy please let me know why you watch AI and actually care about two boy-toys like KRIS and ADAM or even listen to host Ryan Seacrest. Heck, maybe Ryan Seacrest should try out next year, he looks just like KRIS.
Harry Potter, Books of Magic, Dungeons & Dragons, Lord of the Rings, creativity
Why is Harry Potter so popular? It's not like J.K. Rowling wrote anything original. Combining different elements of the fantasy genre is nothing new; boy wizards are not new. Creating characters we care about? Uhmm..join the line of hundreds- if not thousands of characters- that we care about. She created an interesting timeless story? Again, join the line. It's all marketing. R.L. Stine is a much more productive, varied, and quality children's author. Rowling was at the right place and the right time. That's the luck of the draw. That's what makes life fun (albeit "unfair").
The DailySkew's Tony Vahl recently wrote a Books of Magic vs Harry Potter post, so I'd like to post about the fantasy genre and creativity:
Tony and I had a long phone conversation years ago about fantasy works and "borrowing".
So let me just summarize here:
Most of the fantasy elements we have come to expect and accept (magic, monsters, princess, different setting, different races, kingdoms, etc.) all stem from age old fairy tales, folk tales, and fables. Toss in religion and mythology and you have a complete backbone and inspiration for such literary or creative works as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, Conan, Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, Harry Potter, etc. It could be argued that the main fantasy prototypes began with the Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Odyssey, One Thousand and One Nights. The collected works of the Brothers Grimm were highly influential, and even the village life of Aesop's tales were influential as well in terms of creating the genre. George MacDonald (goblin kings, magic, etc.) and Lewis Carroll predated Tolkien. Suffice to say many companies and artists made a MINT in modern times from this fantasy genre after the groundwork was already set.
For me, fantasy and sci-fi were the driving force behind my love for computer games, video games, and- more importantly- reading (along with comic books). I must have devoured more fantasy novels than any other genre. I would take a text game over a graphics game any day of the week.
The birth of Dungeons and Dragons (1974) was based miniature war games, which generally had a King Arthur medieval slant, Conan the Barbarian (heavily), the Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings (magic + monsters). Even that is too simplistic a statement, but it is generally true. The creators of D&D used statistics to create a battle system (based on the aforementioned war games, which was based upon chess, obviously) and used monsters, spells, and weapons from previous fantasy stories.
Unlike previous eras in American history, where recreational activity for youngsters included athletics and TV, we now had role playing games, video arcade, and conventions of unapologetic nerds who were fanatical about Star Trek, comic books, and other niches. Youngster drive trends and eventually are the mainstream.
To say D&D was huge in the 70's and 80's in an understatement. It inspired "computer geeks" to create text RPGs and MUDs in Unix. Not only did RPG imitators crop up all the time, but Apple and Commodore text adventure computer games was big business, too. Children's fantasy books (mostly swords & sorcery) became widely available at all the bookstores, school book fairs, and libraries. D&D was the integral part to mainstream fantasy into other genres such as computers, video games, and movies.
TSR finally started pumping out their own AD&D computer games, and licensed them to Nintendo and Sega as well. Square's Final Fantasy copied the Hit Point, Experience, and Level system from D&D, including the monsters that were already borrowed from Hobbit, which had already borrowed from mythology and folk lore.
Fast forward to 2009, and World of Warcraft (a 100% D&D rip) is still #1 and is still the #1 addictive online RPG. There are dozens of "imitators" and spin-offs- but as I've shown- in this genre everything seems public domain anyway.
So this takes us to full circle: because fantasy writers, artists, and "players" are so creative AND detailed, it's very possible nothing is "new" anymore in the particular genre, and that only amalgamations can be created. What J.K Rowling did is no different than what Sega's Phantasy Star did when it ripped Final Fantasy or what Tolkien did when he borrowed from folk tales. [For the record, I give him credit for being original with The Hobbit due to it's 1930's release date, but by the time Lord of the Rings was finally completed and published in the 1950's, the market was already flooded with fantasy books, such as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser - sacrilegious I know.]
Look every writer and artist take bits and pieces, changes things, spins things, inject ideas from their own personal experiences, mixes it together and POOF! and idea is made, just like a magic spell. It is what it is.
And the bottom line is that all of this is fine; but let's not just put J.K. Rowling on a pedestal or act like her work of art is something special (i.e. unique)- it's not. And she didn't direct the movies either, folks. It's just ironic to me that she wrote the #1 book series of all time, and that millions and millions of people are fans of the Harry Potter character and his stories, when if fact, it's derivative- to put it politely.
How critics kill a movie (Wolverine X-Men Origins)
The Anatomy and Evolution of a Drive-By MEDIA Assassination I'm a comic book fan. However, I never really dug the X-Men as much as other comic book titles, although I did like a few mutants that appeared in other Marvel comics, like Professor X, Ice-Man, Beast, and Wolverine. I absolutely loved the first "X-Men" movie. In fact, it ignited the super-hero movie genre, which has been VERY successful financially and the quality of comic book adaptations has been generally good.
Yet my expectations have been VERY low on comic book movies when it comes to sequels. So comic books fans will excuse me for not getting that excited about the Wolverine movie, even though I was hoping for it years ago, because I think Hugh Jackman is awesome and Wolverine is extremely marketable. I thought the X-Men franchise kinda went in the wrong direction with its 3 movies, and I feel a Wolverine movie is a bit too late, especially since its a straight action movie on the heels of last year's "Dark Knight" and this year's genre-busting "Watchmen". But that's neither here nor there- Wolverine should be a fun movie.
Suffice to say, there has been a lot of positive buzz and free marketing for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Many entertainment magazines, newspapers, TV shows, industry trade publications, and websites have been running Wolverine movies previews ALL the time to cash in on Marvel's second most popular character (Spider-Man being the first).
So after riding Wolverine on for MONTHS, this is how they repay Hugh Jackman and company:
The Daily Variety- featured in the HBO series Entourage as being personally motivated in making or breaking actors- kinda gave it a mixed and flat review, while saying the action and acting was fine.
The New York Daily News- TABLOID TRASH- gave it one star, and went on to rip it to shreds although the details were dubious at best. Here's what the critic's readers said about his review:
"I find it ironic that you call the film a fiasco when this review is pretty much a fiasco too.
"I just saw that you gave the execrable 'Pink Panther 2" three stars. I think that nicely sums up the level of professionalism on display here..."
"This guy can't be serious...I saw the DVD download movie and it connects just like in the comics for the most part for one."
"...hack writer..."
"Mr. Movie Critic, sir. Please tell us why on earth should we listen to your opinion? Is it because you have spent years studying the finer points of film and are the closest thing to an expert there is? Why don't you share some of your top movie picks so that the rest of us can trash them? Why do movie critics even exist. In these stressful economic times, that is one thing we could definitely live without."
"I've already seen the advance film via downloads...it is great. this reviewer doesn't have a clue."
Here's the next step in killing a movie's buzz:
Have Reuters report selected negative comments from the aforementioned reviews and squak away like a parrot. Reuters is like AP- they are a worldwide newswire service that have their "reports" picked up on the wire all the major newspapers and websites:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Movie critics took sharp claws to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" on Wednesday, carving it up in several poor reviews, but box office watchers said it still should bring blockbuster ticket sales at this weekend's debut.
Reuters then used the worst quotes from the two reviews, and left out that Variety said the action was perfect. I checked Rotten Tomatoes. Although it has a low percentage of positive reviews, many reviewers liked the action movie. It seems as if the reviews are mixed. But the Reuters article makes it sound like a "Speed Racer" BOMB.
And now for the final step in how to kill a movie. Enter the DrudgeReport. Mr. "024,235,238 IN PAST 24 HOURS" Matt Drudge went ahead and linked the Reuters "report" with a bad headline.
Miss California controversy, gay marriage, Perez Hilton
I saw the MSN Yahoo headlines yesterday about a "Miss California controversy". I yawned. I passed. I never watch beauty contents, I don't know why people still watch them, and I sure don't care about the cliche of a dumb blonde trying to answer a question about society.
Then when I woke up this morning to Power96, I heard the DJ's and callers bashing Miss California (actually I think she was a contestant or something, I have no idea if she won)- Carrie Prejean- and ripping her to shreds. So I said to myself: Okay, I bet she didn't say anything bad, or maybe she's dumb and had a misquote. Then DJ Laz played the tape:
Blogger Perez Hilton: 'Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalise same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?'
Miss California : 'Well, I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.'
'And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.
'No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be - between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.'
So...led by the celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, all mainstream celebrity MEDIA outlets followed suit and attacked Prejean for "being against gay marriage".
Newspapers and websites are reporting the "controversy".
Man, we really live in a new world (Earth-O).
I mean, last time I checked, California voted against same sex unions marriage November 4, and many Americans are extremely against same sex marriage. It's only legal in 4 states.
It's not like Prejean is expressing a fringe view or politically extreme or wacky opinion. Again, whether you like it or not, according to polls, it's generally a 50-50 opinion, with other polls showing most Americans don't support same sex marriages.
But the leftist entertainment MEDIA in Hollywood and New York support gay marriage, so the news reports are skewed.
It's pretty much "How DARE she say that?" "She is setting back gay rights 20 years!" "She's from CALIFORNIA, how could she not support gay marriage?"
Gee whiz.
Why does her opinion even matter? Why does Perez Hilton's outrage matter? Why does a guy call himself Perez Hilton? To be Paris Hilton? Why does the entertainment MEDIA tell us how to feel? Why does being against gay marriage automatically make someone homophobic? It's like someone who is against illegal immigration being labeled as a racist.
Heck, I personally want gay people to be accepted and happy. If they want to get married, they should get the certificate. No sweat off my back. Maybe gay marriages will last longer than straight marriages. I don't have a problem with gay marriage. But I do have a problem with people saying Miss California somehow gave the "wrong answer" or said something "controversial" or is "against gays". I have a problem with the MEDIA backlash.
I saw the article was linked on Drudge, so once again this will be a leftwing vs rightwing issue. The culture war continues.
Terror of Mechagodzilla AKA MechaGodzilla's CounterattackAKA ,Mekagojira no Gyakushū was the last Godzilla movie of the original continuity (called the Showa Series era because of the Japanese emperor) due to Japan's gas crisis and poor economy at the time. Of course, if you've been following my reviews, the quality of the movies had been decreasing anyway. Godzilla would go on hiatus until the Godzilla 1984 reboot. This is also the last movie where Godzilla appears as a hero.
Because it is the final movie, Godzilla faces two monsters, the tone is dark and melancholy, and it features the return of original composer Akira Ifukube, this movie ranks #2 in the Showa Era to many Godzilla fans. However, I believe fans overlook the non-monster scenes and bad plot. (The script was chosen from the winner of a contest.)
Plot Well, it's a direct continuation from the last movie, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, which had a horrible plot. Interpol is looking for MechaGodzilla's body parts at the bottom of the sea, but they are attacked by a new monster named Titanosaurus. After much boring investigation, it is revealed that a mad scientist who has been excommunicated from the Japanese scientific community, is controlling Titano.
After sitting through Interpol agents investigating the (presumed dead) scientist by interviewing his gullible and protective daughter, it is revealed that the spy ape aliens from the last movie are teaming up with the mad scientist to control Titano and are rebuilding MechaGodzilla 2 to destroy Tokyo.
To make a VERY LONG STORY SHORT, the aliens turn on the scientist, his daughter dies, but she is rebuilt into a cyborg to control MechaGodzilla 2, and Godzilla and Interpol team up to defeat Titanosaurus and MechaGodzilla 2. Interpol finally defeats the aliens.
The "subplot" (the hero Interpol agent falls in love with the cyborg daughter) was actually the main plot. The Good
Great score by the returning Akira Ifukube, of course.
Special effects (explosions, miniatures, underwater scenes, Titanosaurus' costume) were excellent for 1975, and probably the best for any Godzilla movie from 1954-1975.
Titanosaurus: 1st and only appearance, and it's a shame. He has a great roar, and looks more streamlined as an aqua monster than Godzilla. By the way, Titanosaurus is a good guy monster whom we pity in the movie because he is under the control of the mad scientist and aliens.
The Bad
What can I say? The alien invasion storyline was bad the last time, and this time it is equally bad, but extended due to the old mad scientists and his cyborg daughter. I just don't think it's intellectually honest to ignore that the human parts of this movie were just as bad, if not worse, than the previous movie.
Uneven pacing...way too many human characters in Interpol...the aliens were once again James Bond rip-offs...the romance had a tragic ending but it was way too weird to take seriously.
The movie takes itself too seriously in general, and just doesn't have an interesting or engaging non-Godzilla scenes. The aliens are bbbbbbaaaad cheese that I forgot all the way in the back of the refrigerator.
The Ugly
MechaGodzilla 2 can't hold a candle to the first one. It is being controlled by a spurned cyborg woman this time, yet winds up standing around most of the time as Godzilla and Titanosaurus duke it out. After its head gets destroyed, it looks super corny (light bulb head).
Conclusion
Great monster battles, but with the screen time focused on a bad plot, this movie is overrated. I gotta say that people feel attached to this movie and always say how cool the return of MechaGodzilla was. Yet I can't see how someone can sit through such a bad storyline, unless they are paying penance like I am. I have to assume most Godzilla fans who rate this movie second only to the first one, fast forward through the movie to the good parts, or perhaps childhood nostalgia plays tricks on the memories. I could definitely envision someone making the mistake of thinking Titanosaurus and MechaGodzilla teaming up was an awesome movie back in the day, but the subplots kill this movie from being a cult classic for me.
I will be ranking the Showa Series in my next Godzilla post and see how it rates.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla AKA Gojira Tai Mekagojira AKA Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster AKA Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster is one of the well known Godzilla films, and celebrated the 20th anniversary of Big G, and is a favorite to many Godzilla fans, as it features the first appearance of a true rival to Godzilla: MechaGodzilla. However, a bad sci-fi James Bond meets Planet of the Apes plot makes any good impressions of this movie a thing of childhood memories and nostalgia, as opposed to being a fun movie to watch now.
The Plot
According to cave drawings and legends, there is some sort of prophecy about monsters attacking, if you watch the signs. Thankfully, we have an interpol agent, professor, reporter, and second string women to watch them and help save humanity. Sure enough the signs appear to be coming true when Godzilla attacks Japan and his friend Angilas. Godzilla's roar is all wrong, too, and he's walking differently- why did he turn bad? While he beats down his old friend Angilas by breaking his jaw and making him bleed (Angilas has a bad win/loss record), Godzilla's skin chips to reveal him being a robot! The REAL Godzilla fights him. It's Godzilla vs Godzilla!
The evil Godzilla is revealed to be a cyborg robot created and controlled by evil spies who are really monkeys from another planet (Third Planet from the Black Hole).
Meanwhile, MechaGodzilla defeats Godzilla and is pretty much indestructible. The good humans solve the prophecy riddle and awaken the sleeping guardian monster: King Seesar. He sounds scary and powerful. (Too bad he looks like your puppy, and doesn't stand a chance against MechaGodzilla).
Godzilla is clever, and he absorbs lightning to become even more powerful and become a walking magnet. He finally defeats his robot double, and the heroes beat the Planet of the Apes rejects in a very confusing and boring subplot. The Good
MechaGodzilla doesn't look like a rubber costume. It also is the best challenge to Godzilla in a while- he has all of Godzilla's powers plus unlimited missiles, force shield, and flight.
The monster battles were enjoyable and hard hitting.
The music was a change from the "funny" composers of recent movies.
Excellent use of pyrotechnics and miniatures.
Darker movie...more melancholy than the goofier movies that I have been reviewing.
Helped me with an afternoon nap on Saturday. I love afternoon naps, and haven't taken one in a very, very long time.
The Bad
The human elements are just boringly bad: plot, pacing, dialog, and storyline. It's a Japanese spy movie: the villains wear sunglasses, speak melodramatically, have futuristic technology, and when they die, they show their true forms: apes. The whole subplot had bad pacing, and the focus is on the humans too much.
King Seesar looks like a giant version of Rowlf from the Muppets, and doesn't change the tide of the battle. It seemed like he was being pushed as the next big thing, like Godzilla's replacement, but once he began to fight, he was pretty weak.
The Ugly
A woman sings for around 10 minutes to wake up the guardian monster King Seesar.
The "old man" is a stereotypical kung-fu hermit.
The alien invasion by James Bond villain apes should have been funny and campy; instead it was pitched as a serious storyline.
Conclusion This is an overrated Godzilla movie because it features the first (and some say best) appearance of MechaGodzilla, who really has a great presence and is a super villain for Godzilla. The actual human plot and alien invasion storyline took too much screentime and was poorly conceived and executed. Not even the great battle scenes can save this from being bad. Other Godzilla fans rate this much higher, and call it an "above average Godzilla movie", and they technically may be correct- especially when compared to the last few movies- but they are ignoring the human vs alien parts, which take up the bulk of the movie.
Godzilla vs Megalon is arguably the most watched Godzilla movie of all time (unless you count the U.S. 1998 Godzilla movie, which didn't have our Godzilla in it), due to actually being released in the U.S. theaters in 1976 after being in Japan since 1973, a healthy run in syndication, and being infamously repeated in Mystery Science Theater 3000. When most non-fans think of Godzilla they think of this movie.
Unfortunately for Godzilla fans, such as myself, it also happens to be the worst Godzilla movie of all time (at least for the ones I have reviewed so far, i.e. a lot).
I was crying for Joel and Crow T. Robot to save me from this movie, which was originally not even a Godzilla movie. A kid won a contest creating a robot, which Toho named Jet Jaguar. Then Toho got scared because they feared Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon (a new giant cockroach monster) wouldn't sell tickets, so they added Godzilla, the good guy. To protest this movie, I am only using MST3K clips in this review.
The Plot Lord in Heaven, what were they thinking? Back in the 1970's people were into Atlantis and another the hollow-earth theory, i.e. there is another earth/civilization under the crust. So in this script, the civilization is Seatopia, and they have to do with Mu, the "lost continuent" and the Easter Island heads, and date back an astonishing 3 million years.
They wake up a dung beetle giant monster called Megalon to attack Japan for its nuclear testing (uhm....I think the U.S. or U.S.S.R would have been better targets), which has been disturbing the environment with earthquake tremors.
Anyway, the plot gets worse and worse, and harder and harder to follow, I wish the MST3K puppets were with me to explain it. It centers around a scientist, his young kiddie brother with short shorts, and another guy. There are bad guys from Seatopia. The inventor made a robot named Jet Jaguar, who the Seatopians want. Jet Jaguar rebels against his would-be controllers and fights Megalon and the summoned space monster Gigan, from the last movie. Megalon had beat up Angillus (who once again couldn't seem to fight back).
Around 40+ minutes into the film Godzilla comes in, does his Muhammad Ali shuffle, teams up with Jet Jaguar and finally have a tag team showdown vs Megalon and Gigan. The last scene fight is the most funny, and the only time I enjoyed the movie.
The Good
Cure for insomnia found.
Megalon destroying the dam was a good miniature and special effect.
The Bad
Worst plot, acting, entertainment of any Godzilla movie.
The human plot was ridiculous, mind-numbing, slow, boring, poorly paced, AND took up the bulk of the move.
If you watch clips or read plot summaries about the movie or see MST3K jokes, you'd think this movie was funny in a campy way like All Monsters Attack (1969), but the truth is the plot is supposed be a serious mystery. Only the last battle is blatenly campy (Godzilla's two drop kicks, the two evil monsters communicating with each other, Jet Jaguar and Godzilla shaking hands, etc). The rest of the movie actually tries to take itself seriously...very frustrating.
Stock footage from around 10 monster movies.
The Ugly
Megalon and Jet Jaguar's costumes. Of course, Godzilla's costume was embarrassing.
Jet Jaguar reprogramming himself to grow into a giant robot.
The misleading U.S. movie posters showing Godzilla and Megalon in the Twin Towers. All of the action occurred in Japan.
Baaaaaaad 1970's car chases- sped up and reversed film, random crashes, too LONG, etc.
The special effects and low budget costumes were worse than 1970's TV shows.
No extras (to save money). Just 9 actors plus guys in rubber suits.
That little kid...another homoerotic kiddie in a Godzilla movie...bad stuff, man.
Fun Facts
Godzilla went on to appear in a TV series called Zone Fighter after this movie. I watched a number of episodes but will not review them because I didn't have any English subtitles, and my Japanese is limited (only from Godzilla movies). I will say that Zone Fighter was 100% more fun than this...it was a funny Power Rangers on 1970's TV sets. Great stuff because it was openly campy.
It was the first Godzilla movie to sell under a million tickets in Japan. That should have been yet another sign to Toho to stop and make a new gameplan for the character, but...they didn't.
Conclusion Bomb. A great candidate for the worst Godzilla movie ever (at least bottom 3), and an excellent candidate for one of the worst movies ever put on film. Again...when you see the clips you may think the whole movie was supposed to be campy...but it wasn't. It was more like a cheap 1970's bad action movie with very few monster battles. MST3K version is better, but only if you see it at night-time (real late), and are..uh....in a good mood.
Review: All Monsters Attack (1969) [Godzilla's Revenge]
All Monsters Attack AKA Godzilla, Minilla and Gabara: All Great Monsters AttackAKA ゴジラ • ミニラ • ガバラ オール 怪獣大進撃,AKA Gojira Minira Gabara Ōru Kaijū aishingeki AKA Godzilla's Revenge is universally regarded as the worst Godzilla film ever made. I saw it numerous times as a kid, and wondered why the movie focused on a little boy with short shorts.
However, for my most recent viewing I realized something: this movie is a parody, like Blackzilla. Once I was the opening, I knew this was a spoof and a kid's movie, even more so that Son of Godzilla. In other words, although 99% of Godzilla fans would beat you up if you said anything remotely positive about this film, I have to say it: I thought it was funny and very entertaining! Well, just watch the actual opening, and you will know where I am coming from. Like I said, it's all a big joke! Why so serious, fans?
Most funny Godzilla opening ever:
Plot Ichiro is a lonely little boy in urban Tokyo, with an active imagination. Both parents are working, and Ichiro is a latchkey child, who is bullied by his classmates. When his mother has to work late, an adult toymaker babysits him. Ichiro uses a toy computer and dreams about being at Monster Island. Ichiro identifies with Baby Godzilla (Minilla). During the dream sequences, Ichiro meets all of the monsters via stock footage, with Minilla as his guide. Minilla shrinks down to the boy's side, and then grows to fight his own bully: the orange haired monster named Gabara (the same name as Ichiro's school bully).
In-between dream sequences, two unprofessional robbers kidnap Ichiro, and Ichiro uses his lessons from Godzilla and Minilla to not only defeat the burglars, but also stand up to his bullies at school.
The Good
Well, for once the human plot is actually interesting and easy-to-follow. Seeing the world from Ichiro's point of view is cool- like many kids at the time, he sees the monsters at Monster Island as celebrities. Additionally, the toymaker is a great mentor to Ichiro. The bully scenes were great. For 1969, I was surprised the Japanese would tackle the "latchkey kid" era- where parents are too busy working to pick up their kid from school and provide the proper attention the child needed.
The sheer over-the-top goofiness is upfront, so there is no mistaking that this is a 100% joke movie for kids. In fact, because all of the monster scenes occur in Ichiro's imagination, technically this movie does not affect Godzilla continuity in anyway besides showing that the monsters are well known in Japan and toys were made of them.
Laughter is a great medicine. There are many intentionally funny scenes, and some unintentionally funny scenes- especially Ichiro's short shorts.
Ichiro grows: he defeats two criminals and stands up to a gang of bullies thanks to his new confidence from his imaginary meeting with Minilla (who actually speaks Japanese in this movie).
The following monsters appear in this movie (although they are mostly stock footage from previous Godzilla films, and appear in the boy's imagination): Anguirus, Ebirah, Gabara, Godzilla, Gorosaurus, Kamacuras, Kumonga, Manda, Minilla, and the Giant Condor.
The Bad
Too much obvious stock footage. Also, they used the Giant Condor and the Giant Lobster- two of the worst scenes ever (which I pointed out when I reviewed their 1st appearances)
Bad Minilla costume- again.
Barely a Godzilla film because the monsters are all part of Ichiro's dream. If this was a comic book, it would be a short backup story.
Released just 15 years after the original iconic classic, we are now reduced to stock footage, wacky music, kids worshiping a heroic Godzilla, and an ugly duckling Son of Godzilla giving advice on how to stand up to bullies.
The Ugly
Ichiro's short shorts. Trust me.
From the eyes of a 2009 American, the mentor relationship between the toymaker and Ichiro is.....weird, i.e. unintentionally GAY.
The monster Gabara: the orange hair on a light green Godzilla wanna-be is pretty lame, but still funny.
Offensive to Godzilla purists, who call it the "black sheep of the family".
None of the titles (Godzilla's Revenge, All Monster Attack) have anything to do with this movie.
Conclusion An obviously bad movie, but still a pretty funny film, which doesn't deserve to be ranked the worst by everyone. Once you lower expectaions- which is PRETTY EASY with the opening music and montage- you can sit back and enjoy the INTENTIONAL comedy in this film. Ultimately, The Bad doesn't outweigh The Good, so the movie will still be ranked low by me when I compile my official list of Godzilla movies, but I can tell you I really enjoyed watching this, and was pleasantly suprised. Some Godzilla refuse to revisit this film because it is so bad, but it is bad in a campy way, with an easy plot to follow and has likable characters. If my fellow Godzilla afficiaindis want to excommunicate me for saying so, that's fine.
Son of Godzilla, AKA Monster Island's Decisive Battle: The Son of GodzillaAKA 怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子,AKA Kaijū-tō no Kessen Gojira no Musuko is kid's movie, and his 100% comical. I assume this was intentional. I mean, I hope.
Instead of trailer, here is a fan video using the best clips from the movie:
Plot
A bunch of nerdy male scientists are stuck on a hot island for a long time (ewwww) to test the professor's weather controlling device, while they fend off giant praying mantis monsters (Kamacuras). A nosy goofy reporter lands on the island to break the story about the weather controlling device, but gets a bigger story when they find a giant egg, which contains Baby Godzilla (Toho calls him Minilla, although I never heard them call the baby that).
Godzilla trains his baby in the ways of the world, as they fend off multiple Kamacuras and the main bad monster on the island: Kumonga, a giant spider with webs (webs, as many sci-fi lovers know, are the cheesy weapons in the world- and can stop anything.)
Oh, and the reporter finds a woman on the island, who was raised by her father years ago, and is like Jane, from Tarzan.
Unfortunately, the bulk of the movie is about the freakin' humans and their stupid weather control device and running from the giant insects.
In the end, the device finally works- the professor's life long dream achieved- and the snow stops all the monsters on the island, and Godzilla and son hibernate together in one of the most touching scenes in such a goofy movie.
The Good
The special effects for the giant spider (Kumonga) is awesome for 1967. The spider is very well done and extremely scary to see for a kid. The giant mantises are also scary and good quality, although the eyes are probably too big. I recall being frightened by them when I was a boy. Now, of course, I am not afraid; I can appreciate the work that went into making them.
Seeing Godzilla being a parent is very funny. Godzilla is a brutal parent- unforgiving and impatient. Godzilla tries to teach his son the hard way, but he does love Minilla, as he protects the boy from the monsters.
The ending- it's tough to keep a dry eye when Godzilla hugs his son and burrows with him in the blizzard, snow, and ice at the end to conserve heat and begin hibernation.
The music is very bombastic and lively. I believe they were going for a Son of Kong vibe, and it worked.
The Bad
Man, the humans were boring. And they occupy, like 85% of the screen time. Give me more Minilla!!!
The plot is pretty hokey.
Acting is extremely bad.
The Ugly
Horrible Godzilla and Son costumes. Horrible.
No one can take Godzilla teaching his son how to shoot the death breath seriously. Hard core Godzilla fans hate Minilla and hate Godzilla acting goofy. They hate this movie because of the bad Godzilla and Minilla costumes.
The Pink Elephant in the Room Question: How the F#@$#%@ can Godzilla have a $@#%$%@ baby?
My theories:
1) Minilla isn't Godzilla's baby. First of all, they don't even look alike. Second of all, in the movie Destroy All Monsters (1968) the future is shown in the year 1999, and Minilla is still small, which means that he can't be the same species as Godzilla. In fact, it's very possible that Minilla is a kind of ugly duckling...a baby monster that follows around an unwilling parent, who begrudging adopts him. Besides, that is one BIG egg. How did Godzilla lay that egg?
2) There are many Godzillas. This has already been said in Godzilla Raids Again. So obviously, if there are many Godzillas, two of them could have procreated, and laid that egg.
3) Godzilla doesn't need a mate. Some animals in real life are asexual.
(Oh, and is Godzilla a MAN OR WOMAN?- I don't know)
Conclusion
In many ways, this movie is as ridiculous and humorous as Adam West's Batman TV show, which means "serious" sci-fi and Godzilla fans don't like to talk about this movie. The truth is, the Godzilla and son scenes are so funny that I LOL'ed. I just wish we could have seen more of those scenes than the awful human plot and acting. Really, the movie is very boring except for the monster scenes (15% of the movie). I would say that this movie holds a special place in your heart if you saw it as a kid, and although everything is over-the-top and silly when you watch it now, the parent-child relationship between the monsters is great.
Godzilla vs. Gigan AKA Earth Attack Command: Godzilla vs. GiganAKA 地球攻撃命令 ゴジラ対ガイガン AKA ,Chikyū Kogeki Meirei Gojira tai Gaigan AKA Godzilla on Monster Island has bad acting, too much focus on the humans, bad costumes, stock footage, and cockroaches, but it does have a long battle scene and the 1st appearance of Gigan.
Trailer:
Plot A bunch of shady and weird businessmen want to build a Godzilla amusement park and make the world peaceful by eliminating the monsters on monster island. A comic book artist, his kung fu cute girlfriend, a female hippie, a fat male hippie, and a nerdy scientist team up to discover the deadly secret of these businessmen.
After an infinity of sitting through the crazy plot, it is revealed that these guys are really interstellar cockroaches underneath the optical illusion of having a human body that they replicated.
Meanwhile, the cockroaches have two monsters under their control: King Ghidorah and Gigan, the Space Monster. Godzilla and Angilas (now friends) are earth's last hope. Angilas is a bad tag team partner since he has no tactics. Thankfully, Godzilla talks to him and teaches him how to fight the two monsters.
Speaking of the two monsters, they are deadly and, coupled with the alien cockroaches' laser beams from a Godzilla tower in the amusement park, Godzilla bleeds and is almost killed before he gets a second wind. Suffice to say, Godzilla does a few tag team maneuver with Angilas to defeat Ghidorah and Gigan- but it was close.
The Good
The real Godzilla composer is back...the music was great. Plus there was a new theme song at the end.
Gigan may look like flying giant chicken from space, and you have to wonder how he got a circular saw in his stomach, and the laser beam eye, but he sure is a tough challenger and a unique-looking monster.
The sound effects: all four of the monster's voices were in vintage form. I laughed when a general listening to space recognized King Ghidorah's voice.
The blood: for the first times, we see monster blood and it's pretty vicious.
The Bad
Too much focus on the humans. I don't know how I stayed away, but I did. And they were typicaly goofy. I was wondering: do the Japanese have such a poor self-image of themselves, or are they trying to make fun of the viewer being goofy enough to watch this movie?
Stock footage makes a jumbled mess of trying to follow the fight scenes. We have costume changes, and day/night shifts.
Why is Angilas so weak? He gave Godzilla a decent battle back in 1955's Godzilla Raids Again.
The Ugly
Godzilla's costume actually falls apart.
You can see strings and plastic heads on Ghidorah.
Godzilla talking to Angilus...it sounded like a record scratching.
They used real cockroaches for the aliens. The last time they used octopi for a monster was King King vs Godzilla, and the crew ate the fish after the scene....You do the math.
Conclusion What can I say? New director Jun Fukuda was supposed to return the franchise to normalcy after Godzilla vs. Hedora, and in a way it is: bad acting, bad costumes, bad plot, bad villains...That being, said it wasn't as bad as some others. Some fans peg this to be bottom of the barrel, but I don't think it's totally sunk.
Godzilla vs. Hedorah AKA ゴジラ対ヘドラ,AKA Gojira tai Hedora AKA Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster is an original, unique, innovative, different movie which you either love or hate. New director Yoshimitsu Banno was fired after this movie because it feels like an acid trip, but the truth is the movie is a very stylish allegory about the perils of pollution.
Plot
A new monster is destroying ships. A scientist and his little smart boy Ken (along with his mom) discover that Hedorah, an alien life form, lands on Earth via meteorite and begins feeding on pollution, while expelling sulfuric acid and gas. The Smog Monster almost beat the hero Godzilla due to his poison body, various forms, amphibious powers, and toxic nature.
Godzilla and the military team up (!) and used electrical generators to dry out Hedorah.
Because director Banno totally created a new type of Godzilla movie, I will disregard my regular The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly format:
The Different
The message. Chronologically, the 11th Toho Godzilla film, the deeper messages have been lacking since...well, the first movie. Here, the 1971 pollution message is throughout the entire movie: mankind's disregard for the environment mutated the Hedorah alien tadpole by poisoning it with radioactive waste and garbage.
Hedorah: He has different stages and forms, a first in Godzilla films. As a kid, I was scared of "The Smog Monster" because sometime he looks like a giant piece of crap, the big brown muppet that has a person in it from the Muppet Show, and like The Blob: when Godzilla punches him his hand goes through him. Plus he breaks off in different parts and when combined he gets bigger, and he farts poison which turns people into skeletons. Godzilla was losing until he teamed up with the army.
The fight scenes. You know how I complain that the fight scenes are too short, and that Godzilla is just making a cameo? These fight scenes and skirmishes are the longest I've ever scene. Granted, the pacing is bad when Godzilla acts goofy, and they tend to be a bit drawn out, but Hedorah is the star of this movie in terms of screen time, not the humans.
The style. 1) As soon as the movie started, the music was weird (a sinking trumpet), and I noticed some wide camera shots. The boy, Ken, is playing with Godzilla and Ghidorah toys down a sliding pond (a symbol of the franchise losing its steam?). It felt like a post-modern Godzilla film due to the camera angles. Some scenes were very melodramatic- Ken is crying "Papa" several times after we see The Smog Monster attack his dad underwater. The boy is wiping his tears but won't leave the seashore, shouting "Papa!" 2) As the movie went on, I realized that there was a hippy, beatnik, psychedelic culture in Japan in 1971, from the...uh...dance night clubs and girls dancing to the lava lamp oil on the walls to the Japanese version of Woodstock to the groovy musicians. I've never been a big fan of early 70's movies like that (I always saw them as dated teenage movies, with the people speaking a weird language, with free sex and drugs), so I guess that's why most Godzilla fans HATE this movie. But to me, it was a breath of fresh air in a dying franchise. 3) Animated cartoons. These cartoons were pretty weird- they were like post-modern dark public service announcements against pollution, featuring the Smog Monster and mankind destroying nature. 4) Symbolism and camera techniques. Godzilla is spinning the Smog Monster around (fast film speed), and it fades into the next scene features a bunch of men spinning a Mahjohg board around (the camera started with the spinning board). Parts of the monster's body (crap) breaks through the window and kills them all. 5) A guy gets drunk (or stoned) at a night club and he sees everyone else as having FISH-HEADS while they dance.
The MEDIA. Whereas previous Godzilla films always portray the MEDIA as newspapers (the idealistic journalist and mean editor-in-chief), this MEDIA was in the background. That's right, we finally didn't have to care how about some complicated subplot about how the news was reported; it just was. And the director showed the MEDIA to be a bunch of TALKING HEADS and MOUTHS. It was pretty dark and gritty a la the movie Network, and wasn't cheesy. This was a new Japan. No longer was there just one news channel with one voice reading instructions for the obedient and compliant Japanese to follow. Now, the MEDIA was an animal of its own, and the psychedelic style enhanced it. For the first time, death tolls were given. That added to the "realism".
The fight scenes mostly happened at night, so it was gloomy. The water was heavily polluted with garbage.
There are horror elements: many times it felt like the original Blob. We also see death- people burned by acid and smoke and charred into skeletons.
This clip has the weird and creative animation scenes:
The Strange
The music. Without the original composer, we have Riichiro Manabe, who just used the variation of an LSD-inspired theme song throughout the entire movie. His only different song is a warped and twisted military march that is used when Godzilla flies.
I'm pretty sure the director was on acid. Weed alone cannot induce this creation. I think the director wanted the viewers to take acid too, and to see all the deeper meanings of his weird scenes.
Dated. The film is targeted to a particular taste (I assume teens and people in their early 20's in 1971), and if you don't dig a contemporary early-70s style, then you will be unable to understand or appreciate anything about this film.
The Horror, The Horror
Most fans and non-fans point to the scene at the end where Godzilla is flying by using his atomic breath. It happens to be one the most cheesiest scenes of all time, definately in the Top Five of Godzilla's Top 50 Worst Moments.
The crap. The Smog Monster is made of crap. He throws it. Godzilla throws it. It's stinky. It's slime. It's disgusting.
The Smog Monster transforming into a flying saucer in the day-time is very, very lame.
Clips of some cheese (or in this case crap- literally):
Conclusion: A truly creative unique work of art, tongue-and-cheek but heavy handed and dark all at the same time. In some ways, it's brilliant and in others it is groan-inducing. Impossible to take seriously, it is very underrated. It tried to take Godzilla away from the kid's only audience, but it wound up pissing Toho's producer off (he was in the hospital and didn't edit it). It's weird...it's strange...it's dark and light...I liked it for the originality and message. I dug the allegory, daring directing, and style. I think this is a hidden gem underneath all of the psychedelic crap and bad costumes.
Invasion of Astro-Monster; AKA Great Monster War AKA 怪獣大戦争 AKA Kaijuu Daisensou AKA Monster Zero AKA Godzilla vs. Monster Zero AKA Invasion of the Astro-Monsters is the sequel to Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. I gave that movie a pretty bad review, and this movie is only slightly better.
Monster Zero Trailer (misleading as usual...you'd think this was an action packed movie, but these scenes are actually the ONLY good parts):
Plot
Two astronauts- an American and a Japanese- explore Planet X, which is located after Jupiter. The aliens on Planet X ask for help because their planet has been ravaged by "Monster Zero" (they said they use numbers for everything)- Ghidorah. The aliens want Monster One and Monster Two (Godzilla and Rodan) to be transported from earth to Planet X to stop Ghidorah. Remember, in the last movie Godzilla became a good guy. In exchange, the aliens will give earth a cure for all disease (in the Japanese version: cancer).
The subplot features a romance between the American astronaut and an alien spy. Another subplot features the Japanese astronaut's sister's romance with a Clark Kent nerdy inventor.
Of course, the aliens turn out to be bad. After Godzilla and Rodan are on Planet X, the aliens wind up controlling all three monsters and set out to destroy earth.
Thankfully, the aforementioned nerdy inventor, the astronauts, and the alien spy team up to break the mind control.
Keep in mind, that's the long story short.
The Good
As usual, I love the sound effects and destruction Ghidorah makes.
The American actor Nick Adams is unique for Godzilla films- he's a stark contrast to the polite, reserved, and respectful Japanese actors. He is cliched, of course, but a pretty interesting character for Toho.
The Japanese actresses were pretty cool.
The actual battles between Godzilla, Rodan, and Ghidorah were okay, although it looked like stock footage was used from Rodan and Ghidorah's previous appearances.
The Bad
Planet X had bad special effects and scenery.
The aliens turning bad was pretty predictable.
Plot holes the size of...I don't know what! This movie was just MADE for Sunday morning syndicated TV. It's pretty bad sci-fi...bad Flash Gordon stuff.
The focus of the movie was on the aliens and the astronauts, not the monsters.
What's the lesson of the movie? Don't trust aliens offering a cure for all disease (Japanese: cancer)?
There's no Godzilla fear factor from the general public. Granted, he's a "good guy", but the characters aren't afraid.
The Ugly
Godzilla is a background character here. He's like a doll. This is barely a Godzilla movie...he's clearly making a cameo. It's like someone wrote the whole "aliens deceive and conquer earth" script, and then added Godzilla, Rodan, and Ghidora in it.
Godzilla does a....dance. You can see the dance at the end of the trailer.
The last movie featuring the four masters teaming up from the original Gojira: director Honda, screenplay writer Sekizawa, SFX Tsubaraya, and composer Ifukube...and ultimately they went out with a flutter.
Conclusion: This movie is overrated by Godzilla fans simply because it's better than Ghidorah. Godzilla's screen time is so short, you'd be hard pressed to realize this was a Godzilla movie. In fairness, Godzilla isn't even in the Japanese movie title, which shows how Godzilla's box office appeal was pretty bad in 1965. Heck, why isn't Ghidorah or Rodan in the movie title in Japan? Why the whole "Astro Monster" and "Monster Zero" bit?
Watchmen is a masterpiece. It is a psychological action thriller mystery that focuses on the human condition. What is good and evil? How deep are the shades of gray? What is morality? How sick and twisted is humanity? But how unique is the miracle of life? What is the absurdity of life? Do the ends justify the means?
All of these issues- and more- are explored in this movie (almost 3 hours). The movie's style, directing, acting, CGI, and soundtrack are all top notch.
It's dark (real dark), gloomy, gritty, graphic, haunting, sad, hopeless, and pretty much is mind-blowing and will leave you speechless. You will be immersed in this alternate reality (it's 1985, and Richard Nixon is still president, and the world is at the brink of World War III, none of the costumed "heroes" are simple or perfect- they are all flawed and REAL).
The drama, tension, and suspense is high, even though I have read the 12-issue comic book series countless times since I was only 9 years old. I can quote the 12 Watchmen comics, and even though I am well versed and attached to that work of art (considered The Holy Grail of comic books) I was happy that the ending changed a bit, and didn't really care about a few very small scenes that were left out. Some things were added that I really enjoyed, such as "cameo" appearances by JFK, Nixon and Kissinger in the war room, Andy Warhol, Lee Iacoca, Fidel Castro, Nikita Khrushchev, and other hidden gems.
Watchmen is one of the best movies I've ever seen, and not just in the super-hero genre. Many cliches are broken in this film (the comic itself deconstructed the whole genre), and it felt innovative although the story and dialogue itself is almost 23 years old.
I give this movie 5 stars and a 10/10 rating.
Out of fairness I will post the opinions of my fellow movie goers, I went with my mother, my wife, and CCB3. CCB3 also overheard the remarks of two teenagers in the bathroom:
They said they wanted a sequel, and RORSCHACH RULED.
My wife thought it was a great movie, and that was probably an understatement. During the movie, she got very angry and sad when Rorschach fought the police, and laughed at Night Owl's lack of woman skills with the Silk Spectre II. She also was scared/revolted by the Comedian's rape scene, the prison scenes, alley fight scene, and more. She disliked The Comedian- big time. She was into it the whole time, and had no issues following it. Post movie, she didn't say much because she out of breath and it was a breath-taking visual and engrossing story. Question she asked after the movie: Will there be a sequel?
CCB3 liked it, and he's hard to impress. He said that he's usually put off by "stylish" movies, but this was not overdone. He followed the storyline with no problems, and understood what the characters represented. Questions asked after the movie: Why does Dr. Manhattan see the world like he does? Do I believe in Dr. Manhattan's world view? Was Silk Spectre II correct in her argument on Mars? How did the comic differ from the movie?
I thought the movie really hit my mother the right way- during the movie she was reacting the way I expected her to depending on the scene. She was kind of speechless after the movie, but she usually talks a mile a minute after seeing movies with me. So I thought maybe she too was drained by how dark the movie was. She mentioned that Dr. Manhattan reminded her of Reed Richards from The Fantastic Four at the beginning, felt bad for Rorschach, and loved the soundtrack (of course). Questions asked after the movie: Did Silk Spectre I know that Silk Spectre II was a costumed hero? What type of cat was Bubastis? Why did Rorschach wear the mask?
But then she said something that got past by Yar's Revenge defense shield: "You know, people really have to read the comics to understand that movie."
[Deleted 3 paragraphs of ranting.]
ANYWAY, I read the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes today, and I see Watchmen has a 64% approval rating. The bad reviews are WAY OFF and SKEWED.
That being said, I can understand critics whining about flashbacks and backstory: they lack the mental capacity to follow a deep movie. Critics who bring up Spider-Man, X-Men, and Dark Knight just show how ignorant they are about what Watchmen is all about. Critics blasting the director (Zack Snyder, 300) for being too pretentious just offend me. Message board freaks that complain about scenes and music selection are hypocrites: they are the same people that gave a fan produced Watchmen movie on YouTube 5 stars. I probably would get a heart attack if I read all the crap that these people are typing about the MASTERPIECE.
I guess my mother was right after all- there are people out there that need the security of "knowing the backstory". My grandmother said the same thing to me after she saw Dark Knight, which explains why I did not invite her to see Watchmen. Another authority figure I know also said "knowing the comics" was required to see Dark Knight.
I mean, yeah, it's COOL that I can answer questions about Watchmen to my family and friends. It's AWESOME that I was tuned into the subtle changes and background stuff in the scenes. It was a unique experience (with Sin City) that a comic book movie could be made with such a profound respect for the source material. Yeah, it helps to assist with questions and interpretations, because this movie is DEEP, and if you never read the book it's worth seeing multiple times to catch everything (everything I read the BOOK, I get something new, and I read once a year!) But...was it NECESSARY that I have read it?
I just don't get it. I think older people are intimidated when it comes to movies based on comic books. They think they need to read hundreds of issues or something. They over think.
The irony about that statement with Watchmen is that Watchmen was not a continuing series- it just lasted 1 year, and was a self-contained 12-issue limited series, with a beginning and end. The movie WAS the "origin" and had the necessary backstory. There are no prequels, and no sequels. Watchmen was not serialized like Superman.
I'm glad CCB3 overheard the teens in the restroom saying how they really dug the movie and Rorschach in particular. I have a feeling the MESSAGE of Watchmen WILL be passed on to a new generation.
P.S.
Tony Vahl and I always wondered how Ozymandias' TV screen scene would be handled in the movie. I'm sure he was as thrilled as I was. I saw a clip from the movie 1984, and a bunch of other Easter eggs on that viewscreen. Oh, as I said last year, Obama = Ozymandias. Let's just hope for the bright future.
This is not your daddy's western. Directed by Sergio Leone (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), and starring Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson, Once Upon a Time in the West is Leone's last spaghetti western. In this epic film, he deconstructs the entire western film genre.
Heavy with extended long scenes and ripe with symbolism, this movie is a masterpiece. It's definitely the most underrated western movie, and one of the most underrated movies in terms of popular opinion and name recognition. The reason being: when this was released in the U.S., the film was cut and edited too much, thus ruining it. So critics killed the release.
When critics saw the full version years later, they hailed it as one of the best movies of all time.
The entire movie is laced with haunting and majestic music, unsettling sound effects, and a lawless world where anyone can get killed or raped- no questions asked.
The acting is top-notch, and there are at least three plots that become interwoven.
In many ways, this is the final western movie- it is the ultimate homage (there are references to almost every famous western movie) yet Leone injects his own creative and stylish brand of post-modern deconstruction. Although the tone is generally somber, melancholy, and nihilistic, there are a few dark humor scenes spread about.
Ennio Motticone's soundtrack is five stars, and contains themes for each major player. The music is so good that it could be argued it's the best musical score for any movie from any time period. One of the best tricks that Ennio and Sergio pull off his by having The Man with the Harmonica play his instrument throughout the movie. The viewer initially thinks it's background music, but the other characters interact with the music. After the second half, the harmonica signals flashbacks. It's a pretty awesome mind trip.
Clocking at around 2:30 hours, be sure to set some time to watch this artistic masterpiece.The story starts with seemingly random scenes (with twist endings) as we are introduced to this world. Everything eventually comes together. Students of film can surely analyze each scene, but watching previous cowboy movies are not necessary to enjoy this movie.
The cowboys are like samurai- they have heightened senses, and have an undisputed mastery of weapons with a code of honor while dueling. However, that code of honor doesn't apply to getting a mercenary job done- money is stronger than the gun.
The romance is shocking. Nothing is as it seems.
Leone's extended scenes truly push the envelope and throw the genre onto its face: the classic opening scene is around 8-10 minutes of three evil cowboys waiting at a train station. In other movies, the scene is compressed and we just see the action, but here we see how boring it is to wait for their intended victim to disembark.
Here is another great scene- notice how the ominous suspense builds up, and how dramatic it is. The tension is unbelievable:
Substituting for Angel Jimenez, today's guest blogger actual was unsolicited. Occasional baseball.dailyskew.com poster Stat Head (also Stats Head) took it upon himself to review the much anticipated Watchmen movie. Considering that this movie didn't even come out yet, and there are no Watchmen movie torrents, I have no idea how so many people saw this movie yet, and were able to give their reviews...Anyway, without further ado, here's Stat Head's Watchmen review:
See, the first thing that's wrong with this movie is that before you can even give your opinion you have to quantify it, i.e. you have to say "I think Alan Moore's Watchmen graphic novel is better than the Bible" or "I've never been a big fan of comic books" or "I have never ever heard of Watchmen". So right there..right there, you know it's gonna be a bad movie because it's all about expectations.
No here's the root of the problem- pretend you never even heard of Watchmen. You see the trailer, it looks like a cool dark super-hero movie with a bunch of characters that you've never heard of. I mean, you've heard of Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, and Superman, but you see these guys- WITH NO BACKSTORY- and we are supposed to care about them?
A lot of people don't know this, but Watchmen was 12 issues back in 1985/1986. It was hundreds of pages, and creative geniuses Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons said that their comic books were UNFILMABLE because of the complexity and because of the medium. Well, they were RIGHT, which is why Alan Moore's name is not on the silver screen- he knows this movie is CRAP and people will HATE it.
I mean think about it- Average Joe Movie Goer never read Watchmen- he may have saw the smiley face with blood in Borders, but's that's it. Average Joe Movie Goer already saw Sin City and Dark Knight Returns; Watchmen movie seems derivative now. And if he's expecting a funny Fantastic Four- forget about it. Maybe you've all heard how The Spirit bombed. Well, Watchmen has already bombed and it's not even out yet. Watchmen sucks. Watchmen is overrated. Watchmen is the first flop of 2009.
Why? They cut out the Black Freighter scenes, and the background articles that occured in-between issues in the graphic novel. Those background articles explained the alternate earth, the history of the Minutemen, the origins of the superheroes, and their motivations. Although the movie is still an almost scene-by-scene copy of the comic book (although the ending is different), Average Joe Movie Goer just sees these characters as powerless with guaduy costumes.
I mean the whole thing would be CAMPY like Ben Stiller's Mystery Men, except it's too violent, sexy, and dark. All the super-heroes are cliched, third-rate, and irrelevant. They are just a bunch of guys- WITH NO SUPER POWERS.
The special effects suck toad, too.
The style was overdone, too melodramatic...and very 1985'ish (and I was born in 1990). I didn't get the message, whatever it was!!
I mean the comic book geeks (I hate them) will not like this movie because details were left out. An regular people will have NO idea what's going on or CARE? So what the point? I mean after I saw it, I was like, so..that's IT? Ugh...ouch! This is supposed to be ART? This is supposed to be the greatest comic book of all TIME?
Soundtrack: Nat King Cole, Simon & Garfunkel, Hendrix, Dylan--UGH...OLD GUYS! WTF???
On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 3.
[Editor's note: Full disclosure: in our e-mail correspondence, Stat Head said that he started reading comics in 1998, and liked "old issues" of Youngblood, Spawn, and New Warriors, and that he never "got through" the Watchmen graphic novel in 2004 and "skipped to the end". I also got him to admit something good about the movie: he said the best part was Rorschach's prison scene. I *will* be seeing this movie, and give my own review.]
I popped in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock last month, and I guess I probably saw that movie 10 times or more, mostly on TV years ago. I basically wanted to know if the movie "held up", especially since many trekkies seem to bash it, and mention it as proof of odd Star Trek movies sucking (1, 3, 5). With Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 77%, I decided to see the truth.
The Good
A lot of important events happen in the Star Trek universe: Spock returns, James Kirk's son David is murdered, Bones carried Spock's soul, the Enterprise gets blown up, and Kirk and the crew break StarFleet's direct orders. All of this stuff is referred to in later movies.
Not boring at all. Whereas Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a bit slow, with a soulless villain, Star Trek III had humor, tragedy, and bonding. Klingon Commander Kruge is vicious.
Seeing Spock "grow up" on the Genesis plant was unique.
The Bad (just nitpicking here)
StarFleet's pigheadedness is frustrating. Last time I checked, StarFleet officers were volunteers and don't even get paid. For the StarFleet higher-ups to threaten Admiral Kirk with imprisonment for going to the Genesis planet is crazy. I realize from the plot standpoint, you always need some "by-the-book" authority figure to make the heroes "mavericks", but in such an enlightened society Earth is supposed to be in future, it seems out of place.
Having StarFleet totally disrespect the Enterprise's history, reputation, and crew is tough to swallow. How many times did they save the universe?
It seemed as if they were grooming Lt. Saavik to replace Spock in II and III, but actress Robin Curtis was an obvious (and generic) replacement for Kristie Alley.
The Ugly
Kirk's son David Marcus' mullet haircut.
Conclusion: I think the reason why The Search for Spock is underrated is because it comes after Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, which is generally rated #1 on Star Trek fans' list. Obviously, Christopher Lloyd* is no Ricardo Montalban, but he still has solid, if not great, performance, and is seen as a major threat to Kirk.
An alternate view: My thoughts on the Christian Bale rant
The Christian Bale rant audio (click to hear) was a very hot trend this morning, and is still prime time news on the entertainment channels. For those who don't know, Christian Bale (Batman) who is an A-list actor, was filming a new Terminator movie, when he shouted at a crew member who kept adjusting lights and was distracting him.
Bale kinda flipped out, and the tape became a global phenomenon today.
Anyone who hears this clip will instantly say that Bale is a typical Hollywood snobby actor who is abusive to a poor stage hand. It's human nature to hate someone who is ranting and raving like a lunatic. In fact, Bale was arrested in 2008 for allegedly getting into a physical confrontation with his mom and sister in England.
This audio clip certainly doesn't enhance Bale's reputation, and is in fact very damaging to his public image. I would say over 95% of the coverage is negative.
So allow me to be a Christian Bale apologist. Why? Because I think he's a great actor and want to put things in perspective (after all I can't stand when the MEDIA tell me how to think or feel).
Actors have to work 12-15 hours a day for months at a time, and awake during odd hours. I don't know about you, but I need my sleep and food otherwise I get cranky.
Bale was filming the most emotional scene of the movie, and takes a lot of pride in his work by focusing on the mood.
Shane, the crew member, could have very well been incompetent and kept messing up the scenes. After all, Bale called him a "nice guy", and we all know "nice guys" have a tendency to be unintentionally awkward over and over again.
Granted, Bale said some horrible things, such as threatening to quit if Shane isn't fired, but- and take it from me- when you become enraged and angry, you are going to say things that are out-of-character and wrong, just to express your frustration, and to let people know how they really got under your skin.
Many, many actors do this; it's old hat, nothing new, and part of movies and theater. Outsiders like us just don't get it.
I find it hard to bury a man's life and career based on two-minute clip.
Who knows how stressed out everyone was? People have bad days.
So...everyone who judged him today never cursed like that?
At the end of the day...who cares? It's non-news, but was SIZZLING HOT all day. Seriously, I like to put things in perspective by making the headline as basic as possible: it really is "Actor yells at production member", which takes away all the power of this non-story. In other news, "Boss yells at employee" and "Homeless man laughs to himself"
If you are like me, you enjoy escaping into the fantasy of movies, TV, and sports. Now you can turn your living room into a movie theater by setting it up with home theater seating. Berkline home theater chairs now have power recline, tray table, storage compartment, and cup holder. These theater chairs are fully customizable and can fit your floor plan however you'd like. They are also very comfortable, and will enhance your movie watching experience.
Super Bowl Sunday: When did football become our national pastime?
"(The Super Bowl) is the single, biggest shared common experience in American society," said Mark Dyreson, an associate professor of kinesiology and history at Penn State. "For better or worse, you can't get much bigger than that. The Super Bowl does better than Christmas, the Fourth of July, any singular event."
Today's a holiday, you know. For all practical purposes it is, don't try to deny it. People make PLANS for Super Bowl Sunday. People have parties. They make supermarket runs to stack up on the food/snacks or barbecue. People actually TRAVEL to a friend or family's house. Heck, my dog walked me at 8:00AM this morning, and the parking lots around my block are FILLED. Cars are double-parked, which means people came in last night. The streets were busy at 8:00AM, too, with people doing things the "last minute".
I'm not a football fan nor football historian. I never watched an entire football game from start to finish. But I do know that Super Bowls (in one form or another) have been around since the late 1960's, and that the Dallas Cowboys were hyped up in 1978 in an NFL film propaganda piece and called "America's Team". TV ratings have been astronomical since 1978, too.
Ironically enough, 1984 was actually a pivotal point in the commercialism of the Super Bowl, as Apple unveiled their George Orwell 1984 commercial. In many ways, this made the Super Bowl 100% commercialized. And we know what happens when advertisers run the show, right? The hype machine kicks into full gear.
The statistics are mind-blowing when it comes to how many people tune into the game every year thanks to football marketing- most of it is free publicity, too. It is a shared collective event of Americana, but rooted in commercialism, i.e. companies selling their junk and the network getting paid millions for 30-second spots. It's about extravagant half-time shows brought to you by....[insert corporation] instead of the actual game itself. Put it in perspective, the 1967 "halftime show" featured the University of Arizona & Grambling State University Bands, Al Hirt, Anaheim High School Drill Team.
Heck, people talk more about the commercials than the game. Every Monday after Super Bowl Sunday, the Internet, newspapers, and TV entertainment shows rate Super Bowl commercials. It truly is a world full of Homer Simpsons. I tip my hat to Simpsons creator Matt Groening for seeing this.
As far as the actual Super Bowl game itself: Well, most people are too drunk to remember it. Most of the time the games are blow-outs. With rare exceptions, most games never live up to the insane hype. In fact, it could be safe to say that the Super Bowl is overrated.
Super Bowl ads became so popular because the MEDIA tells the story of how expensive, outrageous and unique Super Bowl ads are (which implies the game must be out-of-this world).
In the late 1960's and early 1970's the Super Bowl was for football fans only, which was not as popular as baseball. It was the championship game, but not a national obsession. There was some talk after the games, but the hype leading up to it was virtually non-existent, and certainly there was no prolonged discussion about commercials or a new TV show being launched. I heard that no one bothered to save a video tape of Super Bowl I. The MEDIA was different back then. A handful of reporters took a bus to cover the event, and the football players were easily accessible in their hotels.
So yes, the NFL has evolved from a cult sport to a national pastime. It's fun for millions of people. There is a sense of bonding, trash-talking, and socializing..being a red-blooded American who looks at cheerleaders with all its outlandish commercialism. The Super Bowl takes men and (even) women from all walks of life and beliefs and engages them in one activity for an afternoon and evening. Friends and family gather and swap stories and memories...while Ryan Seacrest is standing on a red carpet trying to make athletic jocks prime time entertainers on the Super Bowl pre-game show.
Unfortunately, the cold reality is that NFL fever is also fueled by gamblers and odds makers, who love to fleece you of your hard earned money. Good lord, could you imagine if the hundreds of millions of Americans actually focused their time and energy on a worthy cause instead of a Super Bowl Sunday party?
Oh, one thing that is over my head every year: If you are a die-hard Miami Dolphins fan, why would you truly care (or root for a team) when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals in a neutral site (Tampa)?
So when did football become our national pastime? First it was boxing and baseball. Although boxing still makes money hand over fist, the heavyweight division hasn't been the same since Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson in 1990, and Don King ruined everything. Baseball still draws the most fans (they actually break attendance records every year) and made the jump to an international audience on MLB.com, but they suffered through a major strike in 1994-1995, and their games can't keep attention spans of the MTV generation. Basketball is the most played sport by citizens, and of course, endorsed by rappers and celebrities. Football was still an oddity at the beginning (it's been around since 1920), but has grown in popularity much more than the other sports.
MY THEORY: Although TV ratings were astronomically high even in 1978, and Joe Namath was made into a football hero by the MEDIA in 1969, I think the combination of the 1984 Apple commercial (showing companies how creative they can be in generating publicity with such a wide viewership) and the 1985 Chicago Bears beating the New England Patriots (Super Bowl XX- Jan 26, 1986) made the Super Bowl (and the NFL) and national pastime. It was the first time the Boston football team did anything of importance, and Boston's MEDIA outlet hyped the crap out of it. Of course, with all the coverage, the world experienced the charismatic Bears: Mike Ditka, Refrigerator Perry, and quarterback Jim McMahon (who graced the cover of Rolling Stone, and mooned the world from a helicopter on TV). "Da Bears" were at the right place and the right time, and the MEDIA ate them up, and hyped subsequent Super Bowls the same way.
Edit: Tony Vahl, who knows a lot more about football than I, agreed with me, and had this to add:
I'd like to add that the year after the 1985 Superbowl, the NY Giants won the 1986 Superbowl, versus Denver. And the prior year Superbowl featured Miami and San Francisco.
So, in a three year time span, the South East, West Coast, North East, Mid West, and Mountain states were all represented in the Super Bowl ... an incredible stroke of luck for the NFL.
I revisited some movies recently. Obviously watching movies multiple times create different feelings and observations.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Thanks to Hero, Kill Bill, House of the Flying Daggers, I was unfortunately desensitized with the special effects, but was emotionally moved by the two romances in the movie. Also, I was always thought there was more action, but looks like that impression was wrong- which is a good thing, since older people would like it more without the SFX martial arts scenes. Anyway, Zhang Ziyi had such a presence and charisma. I hated her and liked her at the same time. The ending sequences were very sad, especially with her being a second late with the antidote, and Chow's final breath to his love. The suicide at the end, which was too abstract the first time, was better, especially after seeing a lot of other Asian movies since then. Definitely held up.
The Cube: Due to the nature of the film, there's not any suspense the 2nd time around. 1st time around the unknown setting and traps made my imagination go crazy. However, the character interaction and personalities are still A++, E-Gram style. The bad sequels took away from it, but it holds up as a metaphoric movie on society and the machine, and nihilism. In my mind, this is the only movie in continuity, with the Cube's master being a faceless entity. Annabelle was dead scared throughout the movie.
Final Destination 1: Actually the third time I saw this. To me, horror is about surprise, so there was none this time around. Still the anticipation and scenes were very well done, although the "teen angst" aspect and far-fetched accidents took Annabelle out of the movie a few times in her first viewing.
John Carpenter's The Thing (10th time): Although the special effects get weaker every time I see it, and the suspense decreases, I still have to keep the lights on in every room, and actually a pillow in on my bed scared the living daylights out of me after watching it.
Beyond the Mat (5th time): The wrestling documentary that exposed the dangers and the business is historical. Mick Foley's kids crying as The Rock smashed his head open is still emotional, as is Terry Funk's "retirement" and Jake The Snake's crack addiction. Still holds up, with tons of info and tidbits, although the new movie "The Wrestler" is able to answer the question as to why they do it to themselves better.
Hey Tony, what do you think?
TONY VAHL: I watched Crouching Tiger fairly recently and had similar impressions. The girl was amazing, and I GOT the ending this time around.
I've yet to watch The Cube, believe it or not (either that, or I have Alzheimer's. I remember that movie was the talk of Tashman at one point on my shift). I'll have to [censored] that and the Thing (My wife loves scary movies).
Final Destination set a precedent for that genre. I think, like Star Wars, it gets a free pass even if doesn't hold up or starts to look dated. I have not watched it recently.
I would like to see Memento again.
Fight Club always seems to hold up strong when I watch it. Ed Norton, Brad Pitt, and whats-her-name must have had a blast making that movie. The buildings crashing at the end was eerie after 9-11, but that feeling has faded with time.
What The Prisoner and Patrick McGoohan mean to the DailySkew
Based on my own experiences, as a childnot having a father, I was more prone to being impressionable to things or always looking for male role models. One major influence in my life was a family friend named Warren. Skilled in chemistry, mathematics, biology, physics, logic, mortgages, and interest rates, he also loved baseball, Superboy, Dr. Strange, The Twilight Zone, The Outerlimits, Star Trek, westerns, obscure movies, and reminded me of Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four. He came over one Saturday afternoon and watched a "Prisoner Marathon" with me, my mom, and grandfather on an old New York UHF channel.
He said he watched The Prisoner (Patrick McGoohan) in the late 1960's/early 1970's. My mother had also been previously exposed to Patrick McGoohan in Secret Agent and The Prisoner back then as well. So, as a very young lad, I watched...and watched...and watched that marathon all day and night, although I didn't see every episode, and I didn't see the last episode. Warren had passed The Prisoner to a new generation.
As an enthusiastic youth, I would always look at the TV Guide for showings. Sometimes PBS would acquire the rights. Other times even more obscure channels would broadcast them at insane times. I had to wait years later before I actually viewed all 17 episodes in order on VHS tape.
One thing I learned in short order, unlike my other hobbies or interests, no one outside my family had ever heard of The Prisoner. A PBS documentary featured The Prisoner Companion, and the narrator told me about how this was a cult show. A lot of people today call shows "cult", but The Prisoner is truly a CULT show. None of my friends at school, camp, neighborhood, or their parents ever heard of it.
Thus I was amazed- and thrilled- to pick up The Prisoner Files book when Warren brought me to his friend's comic book warehouse. It featured in-depth analysis of the symbolism of the show, and tried to answer the unanswerable questions that the show asked every week: "Who is Number Six?" "Why did he resign?" "Where is the Village?" "Who is Number One?" "What does all of this mean?" etc.
In 1985, in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #2 had Batman mention The Prisoner to The Joker. Writer Marv Wolfman had been exposed to it, too. A lot of sci-fi and comic book writers have been exposed to it. The borrowed themes are obvious when reading the British comic book writers. The theme of Man vs Society, the music, location, stories, weirdness, sci-fi technology, and, of course, Patrick McGoohan's acting influenced many people over the years.
DC even came out with the official sequel mini-series to the TV show, however, I was disappointed that they chose to interpret the show literally, and although there are good scenes, it never really hit home to me. However, it did lead to dialogs between my comic book shop guy- Pat Short (half Filipino) and me about The Prisoner. It turned out he was a huge fan, too.
I eventually joined a Prisoner Appreciation Society when I was around 13. Moving to a new state, and starting high school- not to mention having no male role models in real life anymore, as my grandfather passed away and Warren remained in NY, was stressful for me. So reading newsletters about how other people interpret the show was great. Additionally, PBS in Florida would play the show around 1 or 2 AM Friday or Saturday nights. I was up, of course.
As a Freshman, I bought Number Six's shoes, and tried my best to be clever, mysterious, and quirky like he was. I was already paranoid, so that was easy. In summer camp years earlier, I had pretended to be Spock, so assuming identities was easy for me.
I got a PC with a dialup modem and went into Seflin in the early 1990's and the first thing I did was look up The Prisoner on the newsgroups. Sure enough, there were thousands of fans, sharing theories. I printed some out and sent them to Warren by mail. I taped the music on my cassette tape and played the music over and over again. Eventually, PBS lost rights.
In college, I continued to follow The Prisoner discussions on the Internet. I downloaded MIDI files of the themes, and finally got some WAVs. Still none my classmates ever heard of it. There was some empowerment knowing the secret knowledge I had.
I ordered The Prisoner video tapes every month when I got back from an aborted college career. So for 17 months, my mom and grandma watched an episode and discussed each one. At this time, the main Internet news was rumors about The Prisoner movie, which never materialized.
I always applied the messages of The Prisoner to my every day situation, along with other lessons I had learned in life. When a high quality DVD Box Set was finally made, I bought it, and watched each one in order again.
Whereas I was unsuccessful in getting any of my friends to dig The Prisoner (my grandmother was the only person whom I exposed it to successfully), I finally found a friend that did appreciate it- Tony Vahl. At that time, we had already discussed Enneagram, mental prisons, The Matrix, comic books, sci-fi TV shows, etc., so this was right up his alley. It was a bonding experience, and he, as I, learned something new with each episode. He was impressed with how different the show was, and how it was ahead of its time, in addition to how it defied all labels- it's not really sci-fi, spy, adventure, or action. Everything was debatable, since Patrick McGoohan's only "rule" of the show was: it's subject to YOUR interpretation, there is no right or wrong. It's an allegory.
That was my last "run" in terms of campaigning for someone else to watch the episodes. Tony was the last. Like the Enneagram, you either want IT or not, and I'm not selling it anymore. The thing about watching the show is that if you like to talk, get food, go the bathroom, look away, walk in and out of the room without pressing pause, you're going to be missing a clue and ask a million of questions, thus ensuring that you are not listening. ( I went through a bunch of people who weren't into it, kinda like when I expose someone to the Enneagram, and they forget their number.) If you don't like shows from the 1960's or British actors, it's not your thing. It you get hung up on continuity and contradictions, you're gonna need to pass. If you want a clear resolution- or ANY resolution, you're going to be let down. There's a reason why it's a CULT show (although it has achieved iconic status in England.)
By the way, just because some people feel the show is over their heads, and I here I am talking about allegory and symbolism, don't think this show is complex; at it's core it's pretty simple- a secret agent resigns, gets kidnapped, and wakes up on an island where people go who know too much. Period. In fact, McGoogan himself said it wasn't subtle.
In a future post, I will discuss the allegory. For now, with the recent news of Patrick McGoohan's passing, I just wanted to let everyone know what he meant to me- and thousands of other fans- even though I never met him in my life. I feel like I do know him. He kept the same high moral standard of his characters in real life. In many ways, he is The Prisoner.
Unlike other British stars, he never sought the spotlight, and just wanted his creativity to be judged on its own merits- nothing more, nothing less. He was anti-Hollywood in terms of exposure and taking roles just for paychecks. Getting him to appear in a movie was tough. He lived an honorable life. He knew inquisitive people would appreciate his work, and analyze it. He didn't care about the mainstream. A lot creative geniuses see the world through different lenses. Some songwriters and authors are like that. They create something original, never seen before, and never seen after. They offer an innovative perspective about reality and society, and offer you a chance to think about it, with no obligation. Patrick McGoohan made viewers THINK in a non-pretentious way.
With Patrick McGoohan's passing, ironically many new people are starting to ask questions about The Prisoner, and there is finally going to be a new Prisoner TV show on AMC in November, it looks like the torch will be passed once again.
Since Batman died this week, and a lot of new fans are looking for info about DC's CRISIS event, I figured that a quick FINAL CRISIS Checklist and Review is in order:
DC Universe #0: This $0.50 comic book was more of a preview comic of writer Grant Morrision's major players for FINAL CRISIS. Each preview was 3 pages, and ended with an advertisement of a major theme of the upcoming series.
One of the major problems with this "comic" (besides being an advertisement) is that it had nothing to do with COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS or DEATH OF THE NEW GODS, the two major CRISIS-related storylines. Many fanboys didn't like COUNTDOWN, but after reading 52 issues, plus spin-offs, I was immediately confused that DC Universe had NOTHING to do with it.
By Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, George Perez, Doug Mahnke, Tony Daniel, Ivan Reis, Aaron Lopresti, Philip Tan, Ed Benes, Carlos Pacheco, JG Jones
GRADE: N/A
Final Crisis #1: Confusing, awkward, non-sequential artwork, a set-up issue, obscure characters, nothing recognizable from previous CRISIS series or COUNTDOWN. Didn't get it. Let down. Martian Manhunter gets killed by Libra, a mysterious villain who works for Darkseid, the God of Evil.
By Morrison and Jones
Grade: D+
Final Crisis #2: Felt like things were picking up with the return of Barry Allen Flash at the last page, but the bait and switch cover, devotion to pages and pages of a Japanese team, and seemingly random panels with no captions made this issue over my head.
By Morrison and Jones
Grade: C-
Final Crisis #3: Finally picked up a bit, some plot points came together, although the art was still hard to follow, and the general problems of this series were still there. Too many minor characters grabbed the spotlight, and everything was still unsatisfying. Seems like the end of the world at the end, which made me believe things were finally going to get exciting.
By Morrison and Jones
Grade: C
Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #1: The Flash's old Rogue Gallery: Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Heat Wave and Weather Wizard are on the run from superheroes for the death of Kid Flash (Impulse) and face off with the new Rogues. The Old Rogues are the protagonists and sympathetic. It's a dark comic, but clearly a sub-title, as I have no idea when this is supposed to take place. I also don't get any "end of the world" vibes or CRISIS-themes.
By Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins
Grade: C+
Final Crisis: Requiem #1 (One shot): Since Martian Manhunter's death was pretty much whimsical, disrespectful, quick, and had no real explanation, this comic is the official tribute to the character, and finally explained the events leading up to Libra killing him. Anyone who read John Ostander's MARTIAN MANHUNTER would appreciate the touching treatment Jonn Jonz gets. It truly is a superb and emotionally stirred tribute. A top notch super-hero requiem, respectful of the character's history in the post-CRISIS DCU.
By Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke
Grade: A
Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #1: Featuring Superboy-Prime going on another rampage (this time in the future), this comic focused on the different Legion of the Superheroes continuities, and tied in with some recent ACTION COMICS and SUPERMAN timelines. This was the first FINAL CRISIS comic to feel like a CRISIS. I originally thought I needed to re-read my old LEGION comics, but this was much more accessible than Morrison's FINAL CRISIS. It felt more like a continuation of INFINITE CRISIS.
By Geoff Johns and George Perez
Grade: A-
Final Crisis: Revelations #1: Pretty much is needed to explain why The Spectre doesn't stop all the bad things in FINAL CRISIS from happening. The only problem for me: this isn't my Spectre (Jim Corrigan): it's some new dead guy named Crispus Allen. The art is too modern, and the title "Revelations" is misleading, no FINAL CRISIS secrets are revealed here. However, the Dr. Light = rapist storyline gets resolved.
By Greg Rucka and Philip Tan
Grade: C-
Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #2: Great battles and info featuring Zoom, Inertia, New Rogues, Old Rogues, plus Libra makes an appearance. Pretty hot stuff. One problem: what does any of this have to do with FINAL CRISIS? Answer: nothing. They definitely just slapped FINAL CRISIS on the cover of this mini-series. Art seems sketchy.
By Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins
Grade: C+
Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 (3-D One shot): I was pumped after reading this. Now this was CRISIS. I felt the multiverse, ANIMAL MAN, CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, EARTH-2, and other continuity related comics. The various Superman teaming up felt like Morrison's highly successful ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. There's even a new origin of the universe. Too bad nothing in this comic is mentioned in the FINAL CRISIS mini-series! The only problem is that the 3-D is a gimmick, and a distraction at times.
By Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke
Rating: A
Final Crisis #4: I waited...and waited...and waited. I probably should mention that there was a delay here, and some comics shipped out of order. There was also no guidance for me if I should read #4 or SUBMIT first. So I read #4 first. My reaction was: Did I miss an issue? Then I read SUBMIT, and my reaction was: Yeah, I did. Fast forward one month in comic book time, and we see how the earth has been taken over by Darkseid's Anti-Life Equation (ALE). Yes, evil has won. The heroes are crushed. However, thankfully The Ray and Black Lightning and countless other C-Listers keep on fighting. This issue also marks the first appearance of Darkseid in FC..what took so long. By now, I realized it was too late for this series to turn it around, and had zero expectations.
By Morrison with art byCarlos Pacheco and J.G. Jones
Rating: D-
Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #2: Superboy Prime (actually, he is called Superman Prime now), Modru, and the Legion of Super-Villains declare war on REALITY. Rond, the last of the Green Lanterns (in the 31st century) makes the ultimate sacrifice. Great stuff once again, with superb artwork by Perez. He showed no sign of health issues or age. One problem: at this point, it doesn't time into the FINAL CRISIS main series. It might as well be a Legion relaunch by Johns.
Rating: A-
By Geoff Johns and George Perez
Final Crisis: Revelations #2: Not looking forward to this again. Features the new Spectre, lesbian Batgirl, Rene Montaya the Question, and requires you to read 52, Crime Bible, and Five Books of Blood. There's still some good parts, such as Vandal Savage becoming Cain, and some origins of Heaven/Hell/Old Testament/Spirit of Vengeance/Mercy, etc. IN other words, this series is about religious mythology in the DCU, but Ostander handled this MUCH better in the 1990's SPECTRE series, and Niel Gaiman handled in MUCH better in SANDMAN. Oh, and none of this stuff is mentioned in FINAL CRISIS.
Rating: C
By Greg Rucka and Philip Tan
Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #3: Wrapping up this series, the Rogues have been reestablished, Captain Cold is one badass, Kid Zoom goes crazy and is taken out by the Rogues. The Rogues confront Libra, and don't want to team up with him. All of this leads into a new Flash series coming up in 2009. Pretty solid, but sloppy artwork and not having direct connections to the main FINAL CRISIS story are major detractors. Overall, a decent mini-series.
By Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins
RATING: B-
Final Crisis: Submit: Okay, I submit. I do. This comic shipped late, most people read it out of order. It features an up close and personal view of the New Earth submitting to Darkseid's ALE by using a battle between Black Lightning and the Tattooed Man. I'm not feeling generous with my rating after saying that. Art is bad. The good: it is the only tie-in that TIED-IN! Yet it was not marketed as such. Should really have been called FINAL CRISIS # 3.5. Too bad I read it after #4.
By Morrison and Mathew Clark. Rating: D- (sorry)
Final Crisis #5: All about Darkseid and the New God's avatars. Too bad it's full of heroes with unrecognizable costumes, bad pacing, confusion galore, no emotion, plot loose ends move towards getting resolved but doesn't progress in a normal way. After 5 issues, we're stills stuck. No patience left. Fans who were upset at FC#1 are all gone. Only the Morrison loyalists remain. Reviews are actually good so Morrision will interview with those sites and blogs. Really.
By Morrison with art byCarlos Pacheco and J.G. Jones
Rating: D-
Final Crisis: Resist#1 (One-Shot): Featuring Checkmate, Mr. Terrific and the C-Team. OMACs. Ties right in the main FC series, although the reading order is questionable due to the dealys. Forgettable, but better than SUBMIT...I think. I kinda lost interest.
By Rucka with art by Ryan Sook and Marco Rudy
Rating: D+
Final Crisis: Revelations #3: "God has abandoned us"
So did I...I'm tired of typing.
I will say this: FINAL CRISIS SECRET FILES #1 "revealed" that Libra is a 3rd string super-villain, who was hand picked by Darkseid to be his messenger. Lex Luthor winds up blasting his stomach/chest in FINAL CRISIS #6. So much for the new age major villain.
MAGNEXT VIRTUAL is a very addictive MMORG for all ages. MagNext allows you to control a sphere with your mouse to collect XP points to power up and get accessories. You can get special moves and abilities by winning challenges, visiting shops, and playing games, and hanging out. This game is 100% real time, and allows you to interact with your online buddies.
I played the game this morning, and was impressed with the user-friendly controls, easy instructions, and simple interface. The help menus are quite valuable in answering any questions you may have. Additionally, the other players are willing to chat with you and clear up any issues or goal you might encounter.
There are many rooms and stations to explore, and you can theoretically spend on unlimited amount of time exploring, meeting new friends, and leveling up. Unlike other MMORPG or online gaming arenas, the other players are willing to assist you, as opposed to just trash talk the whole time.
You can play as a guest just to get a feel for it, but I would recommend registering for free so you can play the full game, and create your character. As much as I would like to say this game is just for kids, I'm not embarrassed to say adults would like it to...LOL.
It's amazing to me how the Gong Show + Star Search = Highest Rated TV show of all time.
I think since American Idol "revolutionized" the whole "send in your text messages to vote" most of America gets involved in the show. Average Joe and Jill like to fantasize about being on the show, and enjoy making fun of the bad contestants. Makes them feel superior. It also helps that the show did make successful pop singers, who get a CRAPLOAD of radio, iTunes, and Yahoo! LaunchCast coverage.
However, I do feel that the show jumped the shark. I don't think it's fair to say the show jumped since Day 1 due to the amount of money made and culture impact (for better of for worse).
I can see the argument that Sanjaya ruined it; basically he was a very bad Indian singer that made it very far into the competition due to the Internet Mutants and Howard Stern wanting to have the biggest loser win American Idol, and to get a recording contract. Sanjaya showed how fragile the entire show was.
Having the TV on downstairs I can hear the judges walking on eggshells in making fun of the contestants, perhaps due to the suicide and stalkers of the rejected singers. Last year, they eased up on the insults, too. It amazes me how more people don't sue or try to kill the judges.
Ultimately, I think the #1 complaint fans of the show have is Paula Abdul. Paula is too nice, too drunk, and just not professional enough to judge talent. Simon...well, I generally hate Simon. Randy Jackson...whatever. They made the right call to inject new blood by getting another judge- Kara DioGuardi, an objective songwriter. Host Ryan Seacrest? He's always great, of course, although I'm tired of him playing the good guy all the time.
Reading this post, I feel gay. But the fact is that tens of millions of homes watch this CRAPFEST, and I want the hits.
Bottom line: It's weird to me that this show is not a fad. I would have never guessed how long it would last, especially since FOX usually has shows that last 2 episodes. Then again, The Simpsons lasting 20 seasons is also mind-boggling.
I got hit with Taken's trailer a lot of times last week, so my wife and I decided to give it a try. So we took a plane to France to see it. For me, I wanted to see Liam Neeson again. Before I saw it, I went on Rotten Tomatoes, and saw a big fat 50% bad rating by the critics. My next step is always to click on RT Community, and I saw an 89% approval rating, so I immediately noticed a disconnect between critics and fans. I also remembered how I liked Neeson in The Haunting, another movie that critics killed.
The plot is simple: Liam Neeson plays a retired government agent (a la Jack Bauer from 24) whose daughter gets kidnapped by Albanians during a trip to Paris, and is sold in the sex slave market. Liam uses his skills to track her down.
The Good It's a suspenseful thriller, and turns into an action movie. The seedy underworld of Paris was entertaining. The message: listen to your dad, and don't follow U2 on tour in Europe, because you WILL get kidnapped or killed. It kept my interest the whole time, and I liked it- the goal of any movie.
The Bad Just nitpicking here: The acting- Liam's ex-wife (Jean Grey from X-Men) is a very frustrating character. Liam's daughter- definitely lives in a bubble. I would say both characters are one-dimensional, but I do know white bread like that in real life. Liam is pretty much invulnerable for the whole movie, and has flawless skills.
The Ugly: Just nitpicking here: The female slavery/prostitution and drug scenes were disturbing. Seeing the serious Liam Neeson as an over-the-top action star was funny. There were some early 90's cheese present when he kills an infinite # of bodyguards and hired security. Funny cheese, though.
In other words, I think the critics were expecting Slumdog Millionaire because it was made and directed in France, and had Neeson in it. Of course, the plot and trailer should have been a giveaway that it was an action/thriller- I mean a ex-agent's daughter is kidnapped, and he single-handedly looks for her, and kills everyone that stands in his way- WHAT WERE THE CRITICS EXPECTING?
Amazing how award shows get fixated on a movie I never heard of. Don't worry, America, I assure you, you weren't the only person who never heard of this movie or anyone in it.
Anyway, congratulations for Heath Ledger and Mickey Rourke (two actors I actually blogged about) for walking away with People's Choice and Golden Globe Awards (even though they are not prestigious awards). Too bad their movies (was Robert Downey, Jr. even nominated for Iron Man??) were unable to defeat Slumdog Millionaire, the Movie of the Year.
Slumdog has a 94/93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so I guess that's what the award shows use now.
I think it would be pretty funny if the movie was actually a fake post on that site.
Seriously, I don't know many people (read: zero) that actually came to me in real life and said, "Man, did you see Slumdog Millionaire?"
The Spirit's tag-line is "My city screams." After watching this movie, I SCREAMED.
You may not know who The Spirit is. I don't expect you to. After all, I'm in my 50's and my dad used to read The Spirit in the 1940's newspaper strips. Only "mature" and "high brow" comic book readers have a taste for vintage crime pulp noir have been exposed to the various reboots and reprints from the 1960's to today.
In fact, there was a 1970's resurgence of comic book icon and innovator Will Eisner's The Spirit when Kitchen Sink Press had rights to it. During the 70's there was a lot of nostalgia considering the fact that comic book conventions and fanzines were popular, and Stan Lee was screwing Jack Kirby over at Marvel, and DC was so corporate. (I was one of the fanzine geeks back then, and I recall the liberal mentality of supporting Eisner and analyzing his technical skill, and my cohorts proclaimed him the best creator of all time. Eisner had no character flaws, like Lee and Kirby did.)
But I digress.
Frank Miller (Sin City, 300) tried to do a stylized film-noir Sin City-like tribute to The Spirit, wanted to pay respects to the late Will Eisner, and perhaps create a franchise. Instead, he put the final nail in the coffin of a character that never had any star quality to it anyway (let's face it, he can't hold a candle to Batman, and is more of the lines of The Shadow). Making a movie of The Spirit had to be a pet project, similar to the ill-fated Phantom movie years ago.
This movie is so bad, that you will long forWarren Beaty's 1990 DICK TRACY. I'd rather read Full Disclosure 15 times a day than see this movie again (well...on second thought...). My first reaction to the movie was that it was made up of senseless, violent, and unfunny scenes. But it wasn't supposed to be like that. It takes itself too seriously. It is dark, lame, confusing, sexist, racist, and the biggest bomb of 2008, worse than Speed Racer.
The black and white Frank Miller-style is now officially old hat. It no longer has any affect on me or audiences. There are movies like Pineapple Express, where one must smoke weed to enjoy the dumbness and stupidity of the film, and then there's The Spirit, where one must probably lick acid tabs to follow this incoherent mess.
Everyone knows Frank Miller jumped the shark from the creative standpoint when he wrote and drew the comic book DK2 (Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again). Then it was revealed he no longer writes anything NEW. Miller had become fixated on fetishes, swastikas, Converse sneakers, dinosaurs, and dominatrix girls. His jump the shark over-the-top style doesn't fit Will Eisner's vision or meaning of The Spirit. Miller shows that he is IN OVER HIS HEAD when it comes to directing something new. This "homage movie" comes off as a hostile spoof of the great legacy of Will Eisner, who is turning in his grave, that his creation be reduced to...this, a bizarre, offensive, poorly acted, horribly narrated, parody of crime comic books.
There's no fire, passion, or innovation here, the acting is worse than the new Star Wars trilogy, the extended scenes and running gags are boring, and it is the most disappointing (thus, worst) movie of the year. George Lucas would love it.
Samuel L. Jackson- remember he used to be a top actor? I almost pitied him, but then I realized that he's been taking any half-baked idea for years now (see Unbreakable, Changing Lanes, Star Wars, etc.) God, Samuel, I used to think you had potential to be a serious actor like Morgan Freeman, but now thanks to your crazed attempt to take roles based on "cool scripts", you have lost your star power.
Scarlett Johansson- throughout the whole movie she seems like she's reading a script in front of a blue screen- oh, wait, she is. This up-and-coming starlet is worshiped by Frank Miller on visuals alone, and is too stiff here.
Eva Mendes- Looks like she signed up for another bomb. You know when your best movie is a character actor in Training Day, it may be time for posting your resume on Monster.
Jaime King- Another Miller obsession, and she's signed up for Sin City II (bomb). Fanboys love this blonde chick, just because she doesn't talk down to them.
Gabriel Macht- Who? You'd think they find a well-known actor to play the lead role of The Spirit!
Eric Balfour- You'd think a good-looking guy who had great runs on 24 and Six Feet Under would star in a movie one of these days.
Dan Lauria- From Wonder Years (the dad) fame and ESPN's The Bronx is Burning- the only entertaining actor in the entire movie.
Perhaps-perhaps- if you are a 17-year old goth/punk teen who was never exposed to the first 10 minutes of Hellboy 1, and never saw or read Frank Miller's work or Batman or any other super-hero movie, you'd love the absurd chaos in this movie. Perhaps-perhaps- you would say, "It wasn't that bad." That would be less than 1% of the population.
Frank Miller has succeeded in destroying The Spirit from having any mainstream significance.
It's UNWATCHABLE. It is SOULLESS. It is a WRECK. It is UTTER CRAP. I just PUKED in my mouth a little bit.
The Wrestler is an authentic compelling emotional drama. It's no wonder that the Associated Press awarded this the 2008 Movie of the Year even in limited theater release. (As a Golden Globe nominee, it will be released in more theaters this month).
This movie may be fictional, but the life story and internal struggle that an older wrestler deals with after the spotlight moves away from him is real. I've read too many autobiographies and inside wrestling newsletters, and seen too many DVD shoot interviews to know that this movie was 100% authentic-down to the most tiny details.
Plot: A has-been, physically broken-down wrestler named Randy "The Ram" Robinson who was at the top of the pro wrestling industry in the 1980's, is now working independent matches in the Northeast to pay rent for his trailer, where he lives alone. He's forced to work at a deli, and moonlight as a wrestler on the weekends. He finds comfort at a strip club, where he finds a "romance" in the subplot.
As his body further breaks down, due to steroids, drugs, alcohol, and hardcore matches, he seeks out to reestablish a relationship with his grown-up daughter. Randy had left his family due to the price of fame, but his daughter is not forgiving. Randy makes no excuses for his fatherhood negligence, but ultimately he only feels at home inside the wrestling ring.
The background plot is Randy getting signed to have a rematch with his arch-nemesis from 1986- The Ayatollah. Unlike Rocky or other boxing movies, the match itself is not important in the grand scheme of things (after all Randy works for small time indy leagues, in front of at most 200 people). The point is how addictive and lonely it is, and how a wrestler is willing to put his body, mind, soul, and life on the line for a few bucks to please the fans and fulfill his unconscious desires to be somebody.
It truly is a touching movie that appeals to adult men and women. Randy is "done", and he knows it. Heck, his daughter even says it! Like many older wrestlers who work way past their primes in high school gyms, and like many active wrestlers in their primes, they sacrifice themselves to make a living and to have a sense of identity.
There is no cheese in this movie. There's nothing "fake" or juvenile about it. Unlike previous attempts at fictionalized wrestling movies, this movie is dead serious and genuine. In fact, it plays like the critically acclaimed wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat, which had cameras follow around has-beens Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Koko B. Ware, in addition to filming hardcore icon Mick Foley getting bloodied in the WWF.
The Wrestler finally shows the world what actually goes on in the locker room at these shows- although the matches are predetermined and there is male bonding and comradeship in the locker room, the blood and hardcore damage (chairs, tables, thumb tacks, staples, etc.) are real, as are the bloodthirsty fans who encourage it.
As someone who has attended many small-time wrestling events in my life, I was amazed at the 100% genuine fans and backstage workers in this movie- from the midgets to handicapped fans to fast talking Italian bookers- everyone was there.
The actual matches and arenas were legit- they were from CZW (Combat Zone Wrestling) and ROH (Ring of Honor)- two independent promotions. The wrestling magazines and newsletters shown at the beginning of the movie all looked from the 1980's, creating the most realistic fictional universe for a "sports movie".
Actor Mickey Rourke is magnificent in his poignant portrayal of the broken down Randy The Ram. The sense of loneliness, addiction, and being a man out of time is deep. As I said, man and woman alike can sympathize with his emotional turmoil, and although you would think you couldn't care about a man who is so self-destructive---you will. And that's why this movie is so powerful.
That's the key to The Wrestler being a timeless movie: Director Darren Aronofsky and lead actor Mickey Rourke both understood and conveyed why wrestlers are addicted to fame. Although to Average Joe it doesn't make sense to wrestle in front of 40 people in a backwoods town, Average Joe would now understand and accept that by watching this movie. Viewers will have sympathy and empathy for The Ram's internal and external struggles and self-inflicted predicaments. The bottom line is that Randy's poor choices were not made out of intentional malice or true selfishness, but rather because any type of fame is addicting. Wrestling becomes the "real world" to Randy, and while our "real world" is too cold and hurtful to him. It is very similar to Bret Hart's autobiography- in terms of quality and the struggles. Those fans who like to ask "Why doesn't [insert name] retire" and "Why can't he move on with life" will finally find out the answer to those questions.
The Wrestler is being praised by wrestlers, and a couple are envious to see their story on the silver screen. Others are grateful that "the truth can be told". Actual wrestling fans on the message boards forums universally give this movie two thumbs up. The person who had the potential to be the most threatened would be the most powerful man in the history of wrestling- Vince McMahon of the WWE, the last major promotion, and which is on the stock market.
Here's the WWE kingpin's official statement:
"While 'The Wrestler' is a very engaging movie, it portrays how wrestling was conducted in some independent wrestling circuits, unlike WWE, which is a global brand with millions of fans."
And that statement should tell you that this is the best and an accurate portrayal of the business!
I cried around two-thirds of the movie to the end of it. And I don't mean holding back tears, I mean I was out and out moaning and sobbing, that's how much it touched me. Anyone who has ever loved a dog or who has had a connection with an animal would have the same emotional experience.
The kids in the theater laughed at the funny dog scenes, and got real quiet after halfway through it.
The last phrase of the movie is very touching as well. Anyone who sees this movie will appreciate their treaured pet and it helps you realize that they are not going to be here forever.
I had read the book previously, and although the movie is true to the overall theme, the focus on the movie is about the marriage strains between Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, who by the way, won't be winning any Oscars for their roles. The book version was more focused on Marley.
Pineapple Express is this generation's "cool drug" movie. Since surfing the net and smoking weed seem to go hand in hand nowadays, you've probably already saw it. It's loaded with pot references, habits, the awkwardness of socializing with your drug dealer, and other scenes that are extremely funny until you realize how this "subculture" is really the hidden majority in the U.S.
Although The Express is already a cult movie, with Obama rumored to legalize marijuana smoking- thus making it socially and legally acceptable- P.E. has potential to be an all-time classic.
Of course, it's a movie that only people who smoke recreational (or daily) could truly appreciate the goofiness of. Others would be 100% offended by this stoner comedy romanticizing the drug culture.
Kinda tough for me to truly give it a rating...but I do know that the characters are VERY realistic.
Hellboy 2 is the most underrated superhero movie of the year, and may be the most overlooked 2008 movie- period. The reason is simple: it got lost in the shuffle with the other superheroes: Iron Man, Batman, The Hulk, and-uhh, that Will Smith superhero movie [Will needs to take a break- I'm sick of seeing him.] I guess we only had enough money in our wallets at the time, and we said, "We'll wait for the DVD". We underestimated Hellboy even though his first movie was A+++ because he's not a big name, and is from an independent comic book (Dark Horse), not Marvel or DC. Well, if you missed it the first time and liked the first Hellboy movie, you will LOVE Hellboy 2.
No spoilers here: The movie picks off without us having to know or remember anything from the first movie- it's very user friendly, and although I'm sure movie watchers have a tendency to ask questions about the first movie if there's a sequel, it's not necessary to watch.
Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is as funny, tough, cocky, yet sensitive as usual. Thankfully his girlfriend (Selma Blair) is back as is the rest of the main cast (Abe Sapien- the fishman and the director of the paranormal organization).
Film Director Guillermo del Toro really created a masterpiece- from visual style, special effects, mood, and themes. It really balances out horror, fantasy, and humor all at once. The actual antagonist- the Dark Elf Prince, and the actual Golden Army itself are truly indestructible. The human race is 100% in jeopardy of getting wiped out.
There are many scary demons, huge threats, and the pacing is like an action video game or fast-paced comic book- in other words- there are no boring parts. Soundtrack is A+.
General consensus from critics puts Hellboy II in the B to B+ range (88%), but the box office is much more telling ($152,133,319 worldwide, much more than the first movie). Character creator Mike Mignola is hopefully very proud of his creation!
I'm not even going to dignify any Hellboy haters because the movie was a flawless superhero movie. As erokdarksteelsays, "...there are people in this world who think that belittling others tastes in various artforms somehow makes [him] a superior person."
Whereas The Dark Knight was for adults only, Hellboy II was rated PG-13, because of the CGI violence. At two hours, there is much more to explore in Hellboy's universe, especially since there's no time wasted on his origins. It is really packed with a great story and action sequences.
Some parts of the movie feel like a dark side of Lords of the Rings, with some Frankenstein and X-Files thrown in. It truly is- excuse the pun- the dark horse movie of the year. It is actually better than the first one, which I hold in high regard and must have seen a dozen times.
Toho made some budget cuts (!) in 1966. That's bad news for me in 2008 as I had to suffer through this horrible movie to review it. After Godzilla became a good guy in the last movie Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Toho didn't use original director Honda or composer Ifukube for this one to save money. This movie was so bad, that it was released directly to syndication in the U.S. and eventually made it to a low-budget home video distribution company.
Plot
Hey, it's 1966, so it's grooooooovy man. Neat-O. We have Japanese teenage dance contests and stuff. The teens and a robber accidentally sail away to look for one teen's brother who is stranded on Infant Island (of Mothra fame). A giant shrimp lobster monster (Ebirah) wrecks them, and they wash ashore to another island. It's run by terrorists (Red Bamboo) straight out of a low-budget James Bond rip-off movie. They have been enslaving natives from Infant Island while Mothra has been sleeping. Red Bamboo uses the free labor to build nuclear weapons. Red Bamboo also uses Ebirah to guard the waters. The teens and the robber meet an escaped Infant Island native (the female star of the movie). They team up and stuff. Godzilla also happens to be sleeping on this island. They decide to wake him up (at around the 50 minute mark) with electricity. Godzilla fights Ebirah and wins. While resting, Godzilla is attacked by a mutated condor Ookondoru and defeats him in the shortest Godzilla monster fight at that time. The Twin Fairies wake up Mothra after one of the teens parachutes on Infant Island (I guess it's close) to rescue the natives on the terrorists' island. Godzilla destroys the terrorists' plant, but they rig the island to explode. Godzilla also defeats the giant lobster again. Mothra saves the natives, and the heroes warn Godzilla to jump off the island before it explodes. He does.
The Good
Well, this is the first Godzilla movie with no military, reporters, photographers, or scientists. So it's different.
The lobster costume wasn't that bad.
The Bad
Everything.
The music is dated, and sounds like "Wipe Out" or when Adam West starts to dance in the old Batman TV shows.
To save money, the battle scenes were short, so the Godzilla wait time was the worst. The movie relied to heavily on the actors and plot...which were mindbogglingly terrible.
Godzilla's costume was bad. The giant condor which lasted a under a minute with the big G was the worst puppet you'd ever seen before.
Godzilla on a tropical island. A cheesy James Bond plot, and a terrorist with an eye-patch. Godzilla playing volleyball with a giant shrimp. No wonder Mystery Science Theater 3000 ripped this movie to shreds.
Booooooooooorrrring. You would be hard-pressed to even realize this was a Godzilla movie if you just saw bits and pieces of the first 50 minutes.
I was shocked to find some hardcore Godzilla fans saying how this movie "isn't that bad" because "it's lighthearted and a change". This was the worst Godzilla movie to date! There are no redeeming qualities of this movie. Run away from this movie!!!
Fun Facts
The script was originally supposed to star Toho's King Kong. That's why Godzilla acts like King Kong in this movie and his opponents are weak.
Godzilla looks like the cookie monster in this movie.
The Japanese title is Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Sea
This continues the dark era of the Godzilla Showa Era. I find it ridiculous that some fans have fond memories and overate this movie, while nitpicking the vastly superior Mothra vs Godzilla. No wonder all of these movies were erased when Godzilla Returns (1984) rebooted everything.
Here it is: after 1 hour we finally get some action:
In 1961, Toho combined fantasy, comedy, and a heroic monster as an alternative to the raging beast known as Godzilla. (Besides Godzilla's sequel bombed.) Mothra features the first appearance of Mothra, the Twin Fairies, Infant Island, and the Egg. Japan's favorite giant moth went on to be in many more Toho movies, second only to Godzilla. This is a solid movie, so it's no surprise.
An expedition to an irradiated island brings civilization in contact with a primitive native culture. When one sensationalist entrepreneur tries to exploit the islanders, their ancient deity arises in retaliation.
In waters off Infant Island, a presumably uninhabited site for Rolisican atomic tests, the Daini-Gen'you-Maru is caught and run aground in the turbulence of a typhoon. A rescue party following the storm finds four sailors alive and strangely unafflicted with radiation sickness, which they attribute to the juice provided them by island natives. The story is broken by tenacious reporter Zenichiro Fukuda and photographer Michi Hanamura, who infiltrate the hospital examining the survivors.
The Rolisican Embassy responds by co-sponsoring a joint Japanese–Rolisican scientific expediction to Infant Island, led by capitalist Clark Nelson. Also on the expedition are radiation specialist Dr. Harada, linguist/anthropologist Shin'ichi Chūjō, and stowaway reporter Fukuda. Chūjō has studied the cultures of islands in the area and ascertained that one of the key hieroglyphs in their written language, a radiant cross-shaped star, translates as Mothra. There the team discover a vast jungle of mutated flora, a fleeting native tribe, and two minuscule girls. These "small beauties", as Fukuda calls them, wish their island to be spared further atomic testing. Acknowledging this message, the team returns and conceals these events from the public.
Nelson, however, returns to the island with a crew of henchmen and abducts the girls, gunning down several natives who try to save them. While Nelson profits off a "Secret Fairies Show" in Tokyo featuring the girls singing, both they and the island natives beseech their god Mothra, a giant egg, for help. Fukuda, Hanamura, and Chūjō communicate with the girls via telepathy; they express conviction that Mothra will come to their aid and warn that "good people are sure to be hurt". Meanwhile, Fukuda's newspaper has accused Nelson of holding the girls against their will; Nelson denies the charge and files a libel suit against the paper. Meanwhile, the island egg hatches to reveal a gigantic caterpillar, which begins swimming the Pacific Ocean toward Japan. The caterpillar destroys a cruise ship and survives a napalm attack on a beeline path for Tokyo. The Rolisican Embassy, however, defends Nelson's property rights over the girls, ignoring any connection to the monster.
Mothra finally arrives on the Japanese mainland, impervious to the barrage of weaponry directed at it, ultimately building a cocoon in the ruins of Tokyo Tower. Public feeling turns against Nelson, and he is ordered to release the girls. He flees incognito to Rolisica, where Mothra, newly hatched in an imago form, immediately resumes her search. Police scour New Kirk City for Nelson as Mothra lays waste to the metropolis. Ultimately Nelson is killed in a shootout with police, and the girls are assigned to Chūjō's care. Church bells begin to ring, and sunlight illuminates the cross atop the steeple with radiant beams, reminding Chūjō and Hanamura of Mothra's unique symbol and of the girls' voices. Chūjō hits upon a novel way to attract Mothra to an airport runway. The girls are returned amid salutations of "sayōnara", and Mothra flies back to Infant Island.
The Good
Special effects- specifically the city design, action scenes, and Mothra's larvae form are excellent, and better than 1956's Rodan, which had great scenes.
Deep message: Filmed during Japan's postwar economic boom, the bad guy of the movie was a Western corrupt capitalist. It's all his fault Mothra attacks because he is exploitating the Twin Fairies. However, the cross and the church bells at the end symbolized that not everything from the West is bad.
Mothra: She is a loyal and caring monster, who is a "justice bringer". Buildings, cities, and the army just get in the way of her path.
The reporters actually try to help Mothra, and understand her concerns, rare for a 1960's monster movie. That's why this is not a typical B-movie, even though it was released as such in the U.S. [double-billed with The Three Stooges in Orbit].
Mothra's theme, sang by the Fairy Twins (actually Peanuts) is great, as was the rest of the soundtrack.
A monster finally won!
The Bad
Too many human scenes...it feels like 90% of the screen time are reporters, photographers, evil capitalists, the military, natives, or the group of heroes. Oh, and goofy humor is now inserted into Toho movies.
The whole multi-colored giant moth visual may not sit well with most Americans.
The non-action scenes have poor pacing, and the movie probably could have been cut by 15 minutes.
No monster enemies for Mothra means that there wasn't a whole lot of suspense when she fought the military.
Fun Facts
This Mothra would make her next appearance in Mothra vs Godzilla, and would die, as she sacrificed herself so her egg would hatch.
The Fairy Twins don't speak Japanese at first in this movie.
The fictional country of Rolisica = the U.S., with a little U.S.S.R. aspects.
Conclusion A solid effort by Toho to create a different type of monster movie. The plot formula in this movie has been copied in other movies. However, a bit too much focus is on the humans for this to be better than the original King Kong or Gojira, but is still a monster movie classic and heavily underrated by United States Godzilla fans.
Because you demanded it! Toho gives you the long awaited (a year!) sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World... War of the Gargantuas!
Plot/Synopsis
Well, Frankenstein['s monster] was swallowed up by the earth and lava in the last movie, yet the movie opens up with a green-furred Frankenstein-looking beast fighting the giant octopus from King Kong vs Godzilla (Oodako, which is never mentioned onscreen, so you have to be a geek like me to know its name). The octopus was killing the crew of a ship, and it looked that our misunderstood monster from the last movie would save them from this sea monster. Instead, it destroyed the ship and killed the seamen.
The military and press questions Dr. Paul Stewart (who is clearly supposed to be Dr. James Bowen from the last movie, but it looks like Toho couldn't get the same actor back) and his assistant Akemi (who is clearly supposed to be Sueko Togami from the last movie, but it looks like Toho couldn't get the same actress back) about it since they raised a child gargantuan in the past (obviously Frankenstein in the last movie, but the flashback scenes are all different). The doc and his main squeeze assure everyone that their monster was peaceful (he was???) and had escaped into the mountains, not the sea.
The green monster goes on a violent rampage, and the military uses its Masers (electric microwave lasers or something..oh, it's their first appearance, too) to disable the monster. Then he is saved by....a brown Frankenstein- the one that the doctor raised, who saves his green version.
Remember, Frankenstein can't die...apparently his cells still lived and went into the sea and grew into two monsters: Sanda (the mountain monster that was raised in captivity, and may have been the lead monster in Frankenstein Conquers the World) and Gaira (the evil green version that lives in the sea, and hunts on land, too). So these monsters pretty much spawned off Frankenstein's DNA, maybe his hand that was seen in the last movie, or maybe from skin droppings. [It's not 100% clear, because I really think the brown monster is supposed to be Frankenstein, but they maybe legally can't say it in the U.S., so they call him Sanda now.]
ANYWAY, to make a long story short (yeah, right), Gaira doesn't want to save humans- he wants to eat them and destroy, while Sanda is clearly a good guy. He gets frustrated with his evil "brother", and they wreak Tokyo and the shipping yards while fighting. The fight is taken to Tokyo Bay, while the military fires at both gargantuans (the woman Akemi loves the Sanda, and doesn't want to see him get hurt) and they both apparently die during a volcanic eruption at sea.
The Good
Action. From start to finish, this is a rare Toho movie in which the monsters are truly the stars, and the humans don't get a ridiculous amount of boring screen time.
Akira Ifukube's musical score sounds like a rearranged Godzilla military theme, which was pretty cool to hear.
Kids from that era (and their adult versions that they grow into) love a mindless rampage like this, and the special effects are better this time. For example the trees are much better and rooted into the ground.
Having furry costumes actually helped. In the last movie, Frankenstein's monster was bare-skinned. At least fur made these gargantuans look more like traditional kaijū (fictional Japanese monsters).
Gore. Gaira ATE an airport employee.
The Bad
Well, uhm....there's truthfully not a whole lot of bad if you like monster movies (if you don't, or if you are a snobby movie critic, you'd give it one star). It's a classic Toho monster movie without worrying about ruining Godzilla's character. I guess its only weak spot (within the genre) is characterization.
I guess the U.S. title is a but misleading- I was expecting more monsters!
Fun Facts
The English version does its best to eliminate all references to "Frankenstein". (In fact the Japanese title is actually Frankenstein's Monsters: Sanda Versus Gaira).
My intuition says that Toho wanted to do future movies with Sanda and Gaira, so made them clones of Frankenstein's monster and gave them new names and fur to make them fully Toho-ized, and to prevent any future litigation for using "Frankenstein" in movies.
The fight scene at the end is considered a classic among kaijū fans.
Is this movie part of the Godzilla universe? Again, no mention of Godzilla in this movie (just like he wasn't mentioned in Rodan, Mothra, or Frankenstein Conquers the World) but it is implied and feels like the same earth. These Gargantuas were actually seen in a clip in a modern Godzilla movie, so it seems as if everything is in cannon. I will cover all the Toho movie continuity next year, and attempt to make everything fit and also make separate timelines.
Conclusion
This movie stands out in terms of Toho's production and direction, and was a great effort for all the crew to put this together. Of course, the acting and very nature of monster movies places this movie for Saturday afternoon romps for kids. However, Japanese sci-fi monster fans rate this much higher, and I believe the movie accomplishes what it set out to do. It's also equal to or better than the some Godzilla movies that came out around that time.
The 1960's truly is the Silver Age of sci-fi movies and TV shows. And then there's Frankenstein Conquers the World, produced by Toho, the makers of Godzilla. Okay, it wasn't that bad...or was it? I don't know, I was watching this pretty late at night. Why don't you find out with me during this review. First...
The prologue is set in World War II, circa 1945. Nazis break into the laboratory of Dr. Reisendorf and confiscate the heart of the Frankenstein Monster, on which he is busy experimenting. The Nazis travel by submarine to the Pacific. The Allied Forces then bomb their submarine, but not before the Nazis pass the heart (contained in a locked chest) to the Imperial Japanese Navy, who take it back to Hiroshima to be experimented on. But just as they are about to begin, Hiroshima is bombed by the Allied Forces, and the heart is lost.
Fifteen years later (1960), a savage boy runs rampant in the streets of Hiroshima, catching and devouring small animals such as dogs and rabbits. This comes to the attention of American scientist Dr. James Bowen and his assistants Sueko Togami and Ken'ichiro Kawaji. A year later (1961), they investigate and find the boy hiding in a cave on a beach, where a mob of outraged villagers has almost caught him. While the strange boy catches media attention and is taken care of by the scientists, another astounding event evades the public's eye. Once the boy is taken to the hospital, it is discovered that he is caucasian and his body is building a strong resistance to radiation rather than getting sick from it.
The Former Naval Captain Kawai, who brought the Frankenstein heart to Japan in WWII, is working in an oil factory in Akita Prefecture, when a sudden earthquake shakes the factory and collapses a tower, beneath which he saw the ghastly face of a giant floppy-eared reptile with a glowing horn.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bowen and the scientists find that the strange boy is growing due to intake of protein. Afraid of his strength, the scientists lock and chain the boy in a jail cell, and Sueko, who really cares for him, feeds him some protein food to sustain him. Meanwhile, Dr. Bowen is visited by Kawai, who tells him that the boy could have been mutated from the heart of the Frankenstein Monster, as the boy was seen in Hiroshima more than once before. At Bowen's advice, Dr. Kawaji confers with the aging Dr. Reisendorf in Frankfurt. Reisendorf tells Kawaji of the story of the Frankenstein Monster and its noted virtual immortality, due to the intake of protein. Reisendorf recommends cutting off the monster's arm or leg, speculating that a new one will grow back. When relating this to his fellow scientists upon his return to Japan, Sueko strongly objects to this method, fearing that nothing may grow back. Even when Bowen suggests that they wait a little longer to think it over, Kawaji tenaciously attempts to sever one of the now-gigantic monster's limbs. He is interrupted by a TV crew, whom Kawaji allows to film the monster, though they it enrage by shining bright studio lights at its face. The monster, heretofore known as "Frankenstein," breaks loose and is on the run from the Japanese police. He even has a tender encounter with Sueko on the balcony of her apartment before he has to run away.
While Frankenstein is on the run, he travels to many places, from Okayama (where he eats more animals) to Mount Ibuki, where his primitive childlike activities (throwing trees at birds and trying to trap a wild boar) end in disaster.
But unbeknownst to Bowen and the scientists, Baragon, the monster Kawai saw earlier, goes on a rampage. Tunneling under the earth, he pops out and ravages villages, eating people and animals and leaving destruction in his wake. People believe this is Frankenstein's doing, and the misunderstood monster is wrongly hunted down by the military, though narrowly escaping. Before Bowen and his assistants have no choice but to dismiss Frankenstein, Kawai returns to tell them that Frankenstein may not be responsible for the disasters; it could be the monster (Baragon) he saw in Akita! He tries to convince the authorities, but to no avail. Kawaji still wishes the scientists luck in finding Frankenstein.
Bowen, Sueko, and Kawaji then form a search party and venture into the forest in which they believe Frankenstein is hiding. But Kawaji, to the shock of Bowen and Sueko, then proceeds to attempt to kill him, believing that Frankenstein could be dangerous by his very nature, and not even Sueko could possibly tame him! He intends to blind him with chemical grenades and capture him to recover his heart and brain. Kawaji presses on to find Frankenstein, and instead finds Baragon! Kawaji and Bowen try in vain to stop the monster with the grenades, but it is about to eat Sueko, until Frankenstein comes to the rescue! The cataclysmic battle between the two giant monsters then begins.
Ending of course, with Frankenstein killing Baragon before being swallowed up by lava. However, since Frankenstein was revealed to be immortal, we know he'll be back.
The Good
I give credit for Toho thinking up a way to get Frankenstein's monster to become Toho-sized, and linking up the monster to the perils of the atomic bomb.
Toho actually tried something a bit different here (a giant monster without the rubber suit) and had a much deeper plot than the Godzilla movies of the same era. Toho's production standards are a bit higher in this movie, also (not saying much, but it plays more like an American movie).
There are many creepy and gory scenes (we finally find out what Toho monsters eat: farm animals and people!)
The acting is good for a monster movie- the famous American Japanese actor Nick Adams and Kumi Mizuno.
The Hiroshima angle at the beginning was great- it was a place where the Godzilla movies did not officially go to. In fact, there were great (fictional) Hiroshima hospital scenes 15 years after the bombing.
Whereas Toho was making Godzilla a funny cheesy monster at the time, this movie is dark and serious (although it may not look like it from watching clips, it was very dark).
Pretty wicked and long fight scenes.
Composer Akira Ifukube is great at monster themes!
The Bad
Like Toho's King Kong, Toho's Frankenstein just is similar in name to the version you're most familiar with. Yes, of course they reference Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", but this clearly is not the same character.
There's a reason why Toho and other studios use rubber costumes for "giant" monsters. I didn't see the illusion most of the time in this movie; I saw an actor running around ripping plants out of the ground that were supposed to be trees.
I just didn't feel an emotional attachment to Frankenstein. I actually wanted Baragon to win at the end.
Speaking of Baragon, its body costume is great, but the face and eyes look cheesy.
Fun Facts
Obviously the correct name is "Frankenstein's monster", but...well, it's the movies.
This is a "cult" movie for many monster fans outside the Godzilla fan club. It is consistently rated higher by monster fans than by movie critics.
Was originally supposed to be Frankenstein vs Godzilla, but Toho became concerned about how goofy that would look. [ha]
Of course, there were some legal issues with using Frankenstein's monster.
Baragon went on to appear in Godzilla movies...so...was this the same earth as Godzilla's? Just like Rodan, Toho doesn't come out and say it, and no character mentions Godzilla. Baragon's subsequent appearances seem to show that he comes from a race of creatures, since this one died.
Baragon's origin is similar to other Toho monsters- he was a prehistoric dinosaur that was hibernating underground before being awakened (usually by atomic testing).
This movie has an alternate ending featuring an octopus monster (maybe the same one from King King vs Godzilla), and different titles (Frankenstein vs Baragon, Japanese translations).
This was an American and Japanese production crew.
Conclusion
Not as bad as you'd think, given the title and premise, but the theme and acting is all in earnest. At the end of the day, though, it's just too weird to be taken seriously like the original Gojira or King Kong movies. I would only recommend this to freaky old-time monster fans or if you saw this movie when you were 6 years old and want a dose of nostalgia.
Trailer (English-dub, I saw the movie in sub-titles):
Along with Mothra vs Godzilla, this movie was Toho's 10th anniversary celebration of Godzilla on the silver screen. Although this movie is known for its famous firsts in Godzilla's continuity, it also happens to be one of its silliest.
Plot
This is a mind-numbing plot...
A princess from Selgina, becomes possessed by the spirit of a Venusian and escapes a plane just as it explodes in an assassination attempt. A meteorite falls from the sky containing the space beast King Ghidorah (first appearance), who destroyed Venus ages ago. Godzilla (5th appearance) and Rodan (2nd appearance) emerge from "hibernation" and attack Japan and each other. [Rodan had been buried in Mount Aso since the 1956 Toho movie. The Venusian says that the volcanic gases resurrected him. Godzilla was last seen falling over a cliff after Mothras beat him.]
Mothra larvae (3rd appearance), along with her twin mini fairies (3rd appearance) [the faries said on nationwide TV that the 2nd larvae from the last movie passed away, thus there is only one Mothra larvae now], convince Godzilla and Rodan to stop fighting each other and to team up to fight Ghidiroh who has awakened and is destroying Japan. [Mothra actually TALKS to Godzilla and Rodan during one of the most ridiculous and cheesy fight scenes ever. Godzilla and Rodan TALK back and initially refuse to help defend humanity. Godzilla gives his reason: Humans BULLY him, and attack him for no reason! That's what The Hulk says, too!]
The princess, who has been acting as a doomsday prophet after being taken over by a spirit from Venus, is being hunted by a group of assassins for the whole movie. When the only living assassin is about to kill the princess (she is helped by a policeman and his reporter sister (nice)- the stars of the movie), King Ghidorah crushes him. Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra drive King Ghidorah off thanks to the Mothra larvae's SILK WEBS!! Yes, the Mothra larvae beat Godzilla with it in the last movie, AND she beat King Ghidorah with it in this one! Spider-Man would be proud!!! The princess goes back to her country (she no longer is a Venusian) and Godzilla and Rodan watch Mothra swim back to Infant Island with the twin faeries.
The Good
Well, King Ghidorah is awesome- the ultimate Godzilla villain, and it seems as if all of the budget went into his suit. He is hyper-active and destructive- three breath attacks and flight!!
The Mothra larvae (a puppet) really showed emotion by charging King Ghidorah by herself to motivate Rodan and Godzilla, who were arguing.
The movie wasn't a total loss. Anytime I see my little faeries again and see King Ghidorah decimate cities, I'm happy.
The Bad
Well it starts off as a sci-fi serious 1960's movie, albeit strange (UFO's and paranormal talk), but then becomes a joke. Godzilla and Rodan's special effects are laughable. Godzilla and Rodan actually dance and play catch with boulders during their fight (which based on Rodan's 1st appearance should have been a main event). One again, Godzilla's tail is grabbed. His breath attack looks like and was a spray can. (Damn.)
The sub-plot of the princess who was taken over by someone from Venus was distracting, and her assassins were bumbling. Total time killer.
In one of the most anti-climatic battles at the end, after the "good monsters" beat up on King Ghidorah, he just.... kinda flies away.
Truly a dark age for Godzilla in this era (called Showa Era). I never knew how lame the idea to turn him good was, and how poorly executed it was.
The music- cool theme as always, but it was totally repetitive, and the rearranging did nothing to help give some variety to the score.
Godzilla's worst performance to date- was this a kid's movie?...and Rodan- who was seemingly fast and invincible in 1956- is........a rubber chicken.
If 4 monsters are tearing up the world, don't you think the assassins would fear that more than their master? Well, if they don't fear Godzilla, than neither should we.
Fun Facts
This movie is often sited for having some famous firsts in the Godzilla universe: it's the first appearance of King Ghidorah, Godzilla's nemesis; the first movie where Godzilla turns good; the first appearance of 4 monsters in one movie; the first time an outer space plot device was used; and it featured the 1st dream fight and team-up of Godzilla and Rodan.
So...Rodan's back, huh? After I spent all that time in my Rodan review showing that there was no evidence that Godzilla existed on Rodan's earth...here he is...or she...because there were TWO Rodans buried in Mount Aso, remember? And they both fell into lava and died. Why would gas bring one back to life and not the other one? What happened to his super-sonic flight? What earth is this?
Conclusion
Overrated by many because it is a turning point in for the 1960's Godzilla, and gets referenced so much, it drops the ball at so many levels. The first half, Mothra, and entrances of the monsters are enjoyable, but the cheese and comedy once the action gets going is insane. Godzilla turns good, but is totally weak in this movie.
An actual trailer which shows most of the boring subplot!!! (Another famous first?)
Review: Godzilla GMK 2001 (Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack)
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is as close to perfect as a Godzilla movie can get. If not for some character changes, history revisions, and having spiritual explanations instead of strict sci-fi, this may have been better than 1954's Gojira.
Plot: On this alternate 2002 earth, Godzilla was defeated and killed by an unknown weapon as seen in 1954. However, in 1998 a monster attacked New York (an in-joke to the U.S. version). After a submarine disappears, with a giant animal attacking it, it looks like the past is coming back to haunt Japan. Admiral Taizo Tachibana (who lost his parents in the 1954 attack) is in charge of operations. His daughter Yuri Tachibana is filming a paranormal (X-Files-ish) documentary near Mt. Myoko, where a tremor struck. She spotted an old man in robes, who disappeares.
With a tunnel collapsing and rowdy teenagers getting killed, it seems as if monsters are here. Yuri chats with the old man-Professor Isayama- at a police station, who claims to be a prophet. He explains Godzilla's return, and his TRUE ORGIN: although Godzilla was the product of nuclear weapons, he was also the collection of tormented souls from World War II. He also said that Japan has three guardian beasts, who have been resting after being defeated ages ago.
Eventually, Baragon, one of the guardians, and Godzilla fight fiercely. Godzilla kills him with his atomic breath, and rampages Japan.
To make a long story short and going from memory (sorry), Godzilla kills the newly awakened King Ghidorah and Mothra. Mothra's spirit goes into Ghidorah, and creates a super version of each other. Godzilla defeats it, and then all three spirits (Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah) go into Godzilla. Weakened by this attack, Admiral Taizo Tachibana takes advantage and flies his D-03 down Godzilla's throat. Boom! But Taizo lives and celebrates with his daughter at the end.
The last scene is ominous: Godzilla' heart is still beating (no body) at the bottom of the sea.
The Good
Technically, the best special effects and graphics of any Godzilla film.
The admiral is a great character, and so is his daughter.
Godzilla is vicious, not silly, and this is a dead serious movie. Godzilla has no mercy- he took down a hospital after it appeared he would spare an injured woman who was in a bed.
Godzilla is in his most powerful form.
The movie seems fresh and new because this is only Godzilla's 2nd appearance on this earth.
The movie has deep parts- Japan's youth of today has tried to forget or never know about the 1954 Godzilla attack (a symbol of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). Godzilla is forgotten and not talked about by civilians. So, through analogy, some social problems of modern day Japan are expressed.
The fight scenes are well-choreographed and not cheesy.
Mothra really looks great, and she sacrificed herself twice!
Ko Otani’s musical score.
Pre-Cloverfield, we see the affects of monster's rampages on the civilian populace. Very Astro City like.
The Bad
King Ghidorah being a good guy and earth's defender is offensive and insulting to me, even though this was an alternative earth. I can't root for that dragon against Godzilla!
Baragon looks like a giant dog. All of the other monsters look intimidating, but he looks like Clifford stomping around Tokyo.
There was never a sequel to this (the other movies were set on different earths), and it seems unlikely Kaneko will try to fully bring Godzilla to its full potential in the future.
Fun Facts
The spiritualism. In my opinion it has no place in a sci-fi movie like Godzilla. I realize this movie is an Elseworlds tale (out-of-continuity, giving the director freedom, and a new take on the character) but having Mothra's spirit used for resurrection, power-ups, and as an attack was outside the bounds. I mean, here is Godzilla destroying the military and killing his 3 greatest enemies with relative ease, but they use magic allow the Admiral to blow him up.
I still don't get the "WWII souls" fueling Godzilla aspect. It felt like Akira or Legend of the Overmind- my Western mind doesn't get it logically. I mean, my first reaction was they went the innocent civilians who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were powering and fueling Gozilla's rage, but they didn't quite say that in the movie. They said it was about anyone who died due to Japanese aggression during the war (both sides, I guess). So shouldn't I be sympathizing with Godzilla if he's a spirit of vengeance? Godzilla's eyes are white, and he's pretty mindless, and a killer. He breathes his atomic breath everywhere, just like 1954. So we weren't supposed to root for him, and we pretty much wanted him to die...but I couldn't.
Although an in-joke claims that the 1998 U.S. Godzilla is in continuity with the 1954 movie, they are, in fact, incompatible. You'd think Mathew Broderick in 1998 would have mentioned that Godzilla brought Tokyo down previously, right? Perhaps when I review the 1998 TriStar movie, I can see if it can fit with the 1954 movie, but I don't think so based on my memory.
The director didn't want to use those monsters as the guardians, but Toho insisted on using them for the box office names.
Conclusion
If not for the changed premises, which make this Godzilla too different than the original, this could be the perfect Godzilla movie. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, because I know many people aren't interested in seeing the original 1954 black and white movie. This makes a great sequel to it, and for not having an outrageous budget, Toho and Kaneko make a smooth and technically great movie. Many people online peg this to be the best Godzilla movie ever, and I can see why.
I watched 24's two hour movie tonight. It was very timely- African warlords, a weak U.N. representative, government corruption, and a presidential inauguration (Earth-24 now has a female president- President Taylor).
Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) was paying penance by exiling himself and helping out kids in Africa, but gets in-between a civil war (sponsored by the U.S.). There's lots of thrilling moments, deaths, intense scenes, and behind-the-scenes Washington politics.
This was filmed in South Africa, and I gotta say I thought it was awesome. I'm looking forward to the start of 24: Season 7 in January.
I saw this movie several times in my life from ages 5 to 18, and had found memories of Mothra's Twin Fairies. When I was younger many "grown-up" Godzilla fanatics told me it was their favorite movie, and I saw the Mothra models in many comic books stores. However, many newer fans rip this movie to shreds because of Godzilla's portrayal, and call it overrated. So let's get to the bottom of this, DailySkew style. Plot: A reporter (Sakai), female reporter (Junko), and professor (Miura) investigate a giant egg that washes onto shore after a typhoon. The entrepreneur of Happy Enterprises named Kumayama (kinda reminded me of J. Jonah Jameson from Spider-Man) claims jurisdiction of the egg because he (kinda) bought it from the fisherman on the beach. He chases the three away, and says he wants to create an amusement park around the egg.
Mr. Torahata is the financier behind this project, and is even more corrupt than Kumayama. The three good people try to spy on them talking in the hotel. The Shojobin (two tiny fairy twins) explain to Torahata and Kumayama that they must return the egg to Infant Island, because it belongs to the natives' god Mothra. The two evil guys try to capture these mini-girls but are unsuccessful. The Shojobin eventually find the three good people and explain their story, including the fact that if the egg hatches much destruction would occur, because the larvae will look for food.
Unfortunately, a reporter, photographer, and professor aren't the law, and all they can do is sway public opinion. The fairies leave with Mothra, disappointed.
Meanwhile, Godzilla suddenly pops out of Kurada Beach, where (it is assumed) that he had been blown ashore by the typhoon and buried under mud for a while. Godzilla attacks Nagoya.
The editor of Sakai's newspaper sends Sakai, Junko, and Miura to Infant Island to plead humanity's case to get Mothra to fight Godzilla by defending her egg. Although the natives (the island is a wasteland due to atomic bomb testing) and fairies refused, Junko makes a passionate plea to change their mind, and Mothra agrees. However, the Shojobin explain that Mothra is on her deathbed and only has enough energy for a one-way trip.
The next day the two villains get into a fistfight over the money (since the amusement park is obviously a losing venture with Godzilla heading toward the egg) , and Torahata shoots Kumayama while Godzilla eventually destroys the hotel they were in, killing the evil Torahata as well.
Godzilla tries to destroy the egg, but Mothra comes to defend it. Mothra actually defeats Godzilla until Godzilla shoots his atomic breath ray directly at Mothra's face. She had already poisoned Godzilla, and it seemed as if Mothra would still able to hold on to victory, but already run out of energy, she rests by the egg and dies. The twin fairies sing.
The military hit Godzilla with 300 million volts of artificial lightning, and bombarded him with missiles...and failed to stop him! The Shojobin continue singing and the monster egg finally hatches with two Mothra larvae! Both larvae follow Godzilla to Iwa Island (which had been evacuated except for schoolgirls and their teacher).
The larvae use their cocoon spray on Godzilla to wrap and blind him in a cocoon. The three heroes rescue the schoolgirls and their teacher. Godzilla manages to use his breath ray, but he struggles as he becomes fully wrapped up and plunges into the ocean, defeated. The Mothra larvae celebrate, and swim back to Infant Island with the fairies. The three heroes wave goodbye, and everyone celebrates Godzilla's defeat.
The Good
Pretty much everything. It's all about expectations: at this time in 1964, Godzilla was in two straight movies that had bad reviews, and lost in both of them (Godzilla Raids Again and King Kong vs Godzilla).
The pacing is great: the plot advanced within each scene and the characterization was funny.
Akira Ifukube's score is one of his finest. Many future movies reuse the themes in this movie. A++++
The Bad
The reason why younger Godzilla fanatics hate the movie (or downgrade it) is because Godzilla seems drunk and is defeated by two worms shooting webs at him. Godzilla also doesn't seem to have any motivation as he falls into buildings. Fanboys hate Godzilla being portrayed in such a poor manner. Of course, taken in historical context it makes sense: this was Mothra's movie, so how could it be Godzilla's best movie?
Anytime another monster pulls Godzilla's tail, I smell Swiss cheese after I left the plastic bag open in the fridge. Godzilla's eyebrows were also corny.
At this point the citizens in Godzilla's universe are used to monsters and there's not a whole lot of true fear of Godzilla anymore. Case in point: One of the villain's lackeys says he's more afraid of his boss than Godzilla.
Fun Facts
This is Mothra's 2nd movie (the first was her own feature film in 1961).
When released in U.S. theaters, the advertisements kept Mothra's identity a secret and it was retitled Godzilla vs The Thing, which created unrealistic expectations.
In a future post I will go into Godzilla movie continuity more, but let's see if it makes sense: 1) Godzilla 1954 dies; 2) A 2nd one fights Angilas and is buried under snow on an island.; 3) Godzilla breaks free from an iceberg and is weak against electricity; he falls into the sea with King Kong victorious; 4) Godzilla pops out of a beach after a typhoon. It could be argued there are 2-4 Godzillas in the first 4 movies.
The 1960's was a very creative and experimental era, and so I deduct no points for special effects ( a lot of hard work went into them) or the two little fairies.
Conclusion: There's no shame to have this be your favorite older Godzilla movie; it's fun and enjoyable. Remember folks, it's MOTHRA vs Godzilla in the Japanese title, not the other way around. As long as you go into the movie with the right expectations (this was a movie with Mothra as the lead star, Godzilla is an evil monster who will take the dive, it takes 45 minutes or more before Godzilla pops out) you can sit back and enjoy the plot and fight scenes.
After the success of 1954 Gojira Toho cranked out Gojira no Gyakushū with a different director, composer, and actors. It was so bad that Toho would not have Godzilla star in another movie until 1962 (no wonder he lost to King Kong), and when the U.S. released Godzilla Raids Again in 1959 they renamed it and recut it to Gigantis the Fire Monster. So...was it that bad (some people online say it is underated)? Yes.
Like a porn movie, monster movies tend to have too much dialog and non-action human scenes, and in GRA it seems as if Godzilla and his opponent Angilas get only 10% of the screen time.
Plot:
Set months after the original movie, a Japanese pilot named Kobayashi lands his damaged plane on the remote Iwato Island. He and his friend Tsukioka, who arrived to rescue him, witness a battle between Godzilla and another monster who looks like a giant Anklyosaurus.
The returning Dr. Yamane has one scene where he verifies that dinosaurs could exist, and that there is another Godzilla. The plan is to blackout Osaka, and set up light bombs (flares) to lure the Godilla away. It was working, but criminals break out of a police truck and accidentally start a fire, getting Godzilla's attention.
Godzilla and Angilas wrestle each other and tear apart Osaka in the process, including Osaka Castle. Angilas is a tough fighter, but ultimately Godzilla rips his throat out and burns his body with his atomic blast.
After Osaka’s recovery is shown, Kobayashi and Tsukioka join the search for Godzilla and locate it on a frozen island. Kobayashi manages to start a huge avalanche- kamakazi style- and a squad of military planes help bury Godzilla completely under the ice. Kobayishi's lady and the rest of the people at the office are very sad.
The Good:
If nothing else at all, created the tradition of Godzilla fighting another monster (thus establishing kaiju battles in every other movie except Godzilla 1984).
I love Angilas's roar and look.
Osaka looked great.
The Bad:
There's no sense of terror, fear, or uniqueness in this movie; the human subplots are about romance, joke making, celebrations, weddings, office gossip, tuna canneries, and flirting.
The plot, acting, and pacing are too inconsistent. The pace is especially slow, and after Godzilla kills Angilas, the pacing just totally bottoms out.
The seemingly unrelated (and long) scene featuring the escaped criminals was not shocking.
Pretty boring- every scene is too long- and unable to compete with the original, kinda like Son of Kong.
The actual battle scenes between the two monsters was sped-up, so it looks awkward. Also, they truly are wrestling- 1955 pro wrestling style (takedowns, headlocks, etc.)
I had no emotional attachment to anyone in the movie, not even Godzilla.
Fun facts:
Yes, folks, it's official. The original 1954 Godzilla was destroyed, but there are more of them. The second Godzilla makes his debut in this movie.
As I said in my King Kong vs. Godzilla review, I think they got Godzilla's snow burial location wrong in the next movie. In KK vs G, he's in an iceberg, not on a remote island under snow.
Conclusion: This is not underrated at all. There's a reason why it bombed in Japan and had to be redone in the U.S.- it is a shadow of the original movie. It seems rushed, and there is no fear. It's a horrible sequel, more of a historical curiosity (how did they follow up the original?) Too bad the franchise jumped the shark with movie #2. I wonder how things would have been differently if they had a quality sequel.
Rodan was Toho's attempt to create another monster movie after Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again, and it was successful in both the Japanese and United States box office due to its scary parts, special effects, and destruction scenes. In many ways, Rodan has become a cult film (especially since there has been no remake), and recognized by many as being one of the best monster movies ever. It made more money in the U.S. than Godzilla King of the Monsters, and is considered a classic. But is it justified?
Plot: The first half of the movie is about Japanese miners in Kitamatsu, specifically Safety Inspector Shigeru and Goro, who happens to be the brother of Shigeru's fiancee, Kiyo. Goro is accused of murder when Shigeru finds the mutilated body of Goro's rival.
Of course, in a scene reminiscent of the U.S.'s giant ant movie Them!, a caterpillar monster (Meganuron) it is shown to be living in the mines and it raids the village. Other Meganurons live in these caves and are unstoppable by the panicked miners and their families. Authorities bring machine guns inside the dark and watery mines, but they have no affect, and after a freak earthquake Shigeru is separated from the rest of the group.
A UFO is wreaking havoc on the Pacific rim: Japan, China, and the Philippines. After Shigeru is rescued (with amnesia) he eventually remembers that he saw an enormous egg hatch, and a bird monster easily ate multiple Meganurons like worms.
Rodan's origin: nuclear tests caused earthquakes that awakened the eggs. There is no evidence in this movie that the egg was bombarded with radiation, it is implied Rodan was a prehistoric flying dinosaur.
From then on, Rodan swoops and eats innocent people and destroys jets,while the military and scientists try to figure how to deal with this unstoppable menace. Of course, it is revealed that there are two unstoppable menaces: Rodan has a mate. They are immune to missiles and gunfire, and utterly lay waste to Sasebo in one of the greatest city destruction scenes captured on film. A flap of Rodan's wings is equal to the force of a hurricane.
Eventually, the plan the humans come up with is to bombard their nest in Mount Aso with tons of TNT and rockets to erupt the volcano. One Rodan falls into the lava, and the other grief-stricken Rodan flies into the volcano to join the first and they burn together.
The Good
I can imagine being scared of this movie as a kid or someone in the 1950's seeing this for the first time.
The miniature models of the city are fantastic.
Rodan is a legit menace.
The jet battles and super sonic powers of Rodan are awesome.
Doomsday alarms are the best.
The Bad
Too much human talk kills the movie. The Rodans really only get one major scene together.
The movie starts off focused on the worm monsters and then abruptly shifts after Rodan eats them.
Nothing deep here; Toho simply wanted to cash in on the monster phenomena started by Godzilla in Japan.
Acting is fine, it's just that the human plot drags way too much.
Fun Facts:
Rodan was the first color Toho monster movie.
Many of the great scenes were used as stock footage in later Godzilla movies.
There were two Rodans, and they both died. So how could Rodan appear in Godzilla movies? The easiest explanation is that other Rodans may have hatched elsewhere.
Does Rodan happen on the same earth as Gojira and Gojira Raids Again? There is no evidence in the movie that shows Godzilla and Rodan exist in the same world. They would cross over in later movies, so it assumed that Rodan happens on the same earth, but there's no evidence of that in this movie.
Conclusion: A classic B-monster movie (probably ranked high in the monster movie genre), nothing more, nothing less. It's crying to be updated in our era.
King Brothers U.S. Trailer (of course the human parts are left out, even though they made up 85% of the film):
The original Japanese version of Godzilla is not only light years ahead of the quality 1956 U.S. edited version with Raymond Burr (called Godzilla: King of the Monsters), but it is actually one of the best movies of all time.
Thankfully, this version was finally released in the United States with sub-titles, and I finally saw it. I have to say, I was blown away at director and co-writer Ishirô Honda and co-writer Shigeru Kayama's legendary masterpiece.
Before I get into why, here's the plot:
Japanese fishing and rescue boats are attacked by a flash of light from the water near Odo Island and sink. The natives of Odo Island are unable to catch any fish. According to a village elder, a sea creature Gojira "gorilla whale" [Godzilla] is responsible for the ship attacks. He says that Godzilla is an ancient sea monster god that comes from the ocean to feed, and natives had used to sacrifice girls to prevent Godzilla from attacking their village. Later, a helicopter carrying investigative skeptical reporters arrives on Odo Island. A typhoon arrives (which may have been caused by the monster) and Godzilla attacks the village.
The next day, villagers are brought to the Diet Building in Tokyo to testify. The highly respected Dr. Kyohei Yamane requests that an investigative party be sent to Odo Island to gather evidence. He finds giant radioactive footprints along with an extinct creature: a trilobite.
Godzilla pops its head over the hill and roars. Mass panic ensues.
Research shows that Godzilla is a dinosaur who has been awakened and mutated by atomic tests. The public wants it killed, and use depth charges to find and kill it. Dr. Yamane wants to study it, not to kill it.
Yamane's daughter, Emiko, is engaged to Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, but Emiko is in love with Lieutenant Hideto Ogata. Serizawa created the ultimate weapon: an Oxygen Destroyer bomb, but he keeps it a secret so it doesn't fall into the hands of politicians or military.
Godzilla appears again out of Tokyo Bay and causes destruction and death. He returns again at night and literally destroys Tokyo's infrastructure and the army in one of the most devastating scenes ever. A squadron of jets fire rockets at Godzilla, and he dives down to the floor of the ocean to rest.
In the morning, Tokyo is in ruins and hospitals are overrun with victims, many exposed to heavy doses of radiation. As Emiko sees the many victims, she takes Ogata aside and tells him about Serizawa's secret.
Ogata and Emiko visit Serizawa to ask that they use the weapon against Godzilla. He refuses angrily on moral grounds, there is a fight, but a sorrowful television program appears on TV, showing the carnage caused by Godzilla, along with prayers for hope and peace from school children. This feels just like Hirsohima and Nagasaki. Emotionally torn by what he's witnessing, Serizawa decides to use the Oxygen Destroyer, and then burns his research.
The next day, Ogata and Serizawa dive into the water, and find Godzilla resting underwater like a cat or dog. Seemingly unaware of the divers, Godzilla slowly wanders around. Serizawa signals Ogata to surface while he activates the Oxygen Destroyer. As Serizawa watches Godzilla dying from the weapon, he cuts his own cord and dies with Godzilla, sacrificing himself so that his knowledge of the horrible weapon will not be known to the world. He also wished Emiko and Ogata the best of luck. A dying Godzilla surfaces, lets out a final scream, and sinks to the bottom, disintegrating into a skeleton, and then into nothingness. The professor gives a tribute to Serizawa's sacrifice, and Ogata and Emiko embrace.
Why this is a classic:
The acting is outstanding; the fear and horror of the fishermen and Tokyo civilians looks and feels just as livid as a bombing. In fact, at under 10 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the terror and fear probably is memory to them. One one end, you sympathize with the personal tragedy and destruction that Godzilla caused the people, just like WWII, but on the other end you can't help but feel sorry for Godzilla at the end.
The social commentary about the destructive power of the atomic bomb used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is strong and deep, as is the plot of Serizawa's ethical dilemma and love triangle is very deep.
Since it is in black and white, you can't tell if Godzilla is stop-motion, a costume, or a model. Since most of the time he is shadowy, you can use your imagination. His footsteps sound like bombs and his roar sounds like the earth is crying out.
The music by Akira Ifukube is beyond anything one would expect from a movie score. The themes range from scary to nautical to military to tragic sadness. It's been known to bring some people to tears when watched in context.
Using Godzilla as a metaphor for the atomic bombs used on innocent civilians at the end of World War II separates this movie from other monster movies. This is no B-movie.
This sci-fi movie is not just a message movie about the recklessness of nuclear weapons; it is also about Japan's post-war culture and society. For example, women are beginning to have more of a status as shown by Emiko going against her father's wishes to marry Serizawa, and the women in the Diet yell at the male politicians.
Humor is kept to a minimum (if at all), and there is no cheese or goofiness in the movie.
Many scenes were cut in the U.S. version, and narration and other stuff was added for American audiences. But make no mistake- this was supposed to be a Japanese movie. No American can truly understand two atomic bombs being dropped from the sky on civilians.
The only flaw would be the pacing and special effects are not for today's audiences, so the younger crowd might not dig this movie. That's where era adjustment and film appreciation comes in.
Fun facts:
Japan's economy was fishing and agriculture- no tall skyscrapers or designer business suits.
Godzilla's atomic breath weapon is pure radiation. He actually uses it directly on civilians, too.
Godzilla clearly dies, which means subsequent appearances in other movies are not this Golden Age monster. (The professor says that there might be more.)
Tanks, missiles, air force, and electricity don't damage Godzilla.
Godzilla's motivation is not really known: It could be hunger, it could be anger at being awakened from hibernation; Godzilla is neither good nor evil, but he does enjoy destroying things.
Godzilla's size is smaller than later versions, and is charcoal grey, not green.
Godzilla is revealed to have been a prehistoric amphibious dinosaur that was hit with radiation from nuclear bombs. The implication is that the Godzilla species was in hibernation and mutation by radiation.
Review: The Return of Godzilla (Gojira) Godzilla 1984- Japanese version)
This movie marks the return of Godzilla to the silver screen after 10 years, with an increased budget. It also marks the beginning of a new movie continuity, as all the earlier movies besides the first one in 1954 were erased.
The plot: Volcanic activity has awakened Godzilla, and ships are being attacked. After destroying a Soviet nuclear submarine, the world goes on a brink of World War III, as the Russians think the Americans did it.
The Japanese admit it was Godzilla (they were covering it up to avoid a stock market crash), but the U.S. and U.S.S.R. want to nuke Godzilla. The Japanese Prime Minister doesn't want nukes to be used anywhere near Japan.
Godzilla's hungry- he eats nuclear power plant reactors. A scientist figures out that Godzilla has a honing radar mechanism in his brain like birds do, and creates a machine to lure Godzilla back into a volcano, which has been rigged to erupt.
However, the military must get involved, because Godzilla hits mainland and really destroys a lot of real estate, so they send a flying tank fortress called Super X to stop him- they do, Godzilla is defeated.
But the Russians accidentally launch a nuke, and the U.S. intercepts.
Godzilla gets hit with nuclear fallout, and gets recharged. He takes out Super X, and rampages even more. The scientist lures Godzilla to the volcano. In one of the most emotional scenes, the Prime Minister watches (and tears up) as Godzilla is consumed by the eruption and defeated.
Godzilla 1984 does some things right, and some things wrong.
The Good
It's 1984 and the Cold War is hot; real geopolitics is used, not the generic "U.N."
The practical aspects and methods of stopping Godzilla were explored better than other movies. In fact, I feel the writers were going for a "realistic" take on it, and it worked for the most part.
This is a dark, serious world (a lot like Frank Miller's The Dark KnightReturns), with little humor.
The cast does a pretty good acting job, with no stereotypical Japanese goofiness.
The costume looks mean and special effects are much better (but not perfect) than the 1950's to 1970's versions.
Pays homage to the original movie, and the themes of the destructiveness of atomic power.
The violence and destruction was cool.
Godzilla truly was an animal beast, as opposed to a super-hero or Japan's protector.
Reijiro Koroku's music is haunting and fits the atmosphere.
The Bad
Unfortunately, Godzilla's actual screen time is just around 10% of the movie. This is probably the biggest flaw of the movie- too much time is devoted to a sailor, his sister, a reporter, a romance, government officials, and military. It's enough to cure insomnia because although the action scenes are directed well, too much of the movie takes place in a submarine, naval ship, press conference, collapsed building, hospital bed, or government office.
Godzilla doesn't fight any monsters.
The animatronic head shots (Cybot) are inconsistent. Toho spent a lot of money on that creating lifeflike robot face shots, but it's too obvious that it doesn't match the costume actor shots.
The cities are empty, deserted, and quiet.
Plot-wise, no explanation was given as to how Godzilla could have survived the oxygen bomb in 1954, where we saw his skeleton, or if it was the same monster or not.
Ultimately, there was too much hype in Japan and the U.S. with a "Return of Godzilla" fad, and the movie could not live up to it.
Trivia
This movie was released in the U.S. and called Godzilla 1985. You may have seen that version with Raymond Burr. I did when I was a kid. I dragged my mom to take me. The U.S. studios actually made the English version much, much worse.
This movie did put put Godzilla back on the map in Japan, as new movies were created afterward (it turns out Godzilla did not die in the volcano at the end) but since it bombed in the U.S., we had to wait until the controversial 1998 TriStar Godzilla and 2000 for Toho's Godzilla to return to the U.S.
There was an awesome touching song played at the end of the movie, Goodbye now Godzilla by the Star Sisters, which was cut from the U.S. version. This song should have been played while Godzilla was dying in the volcano for maximum emotional effect.
Interesting thing never to be mentioned again in any other movie: Godzilla's parasites also mutated into giant killer bugs.
As I mentioned earlier, this movie is not on the same earth as the "funny" Godzilla movies, it marks the first movie in the "VS Series" of Godzilla films, usually called the "Heisei Series".
Conclusion
There are really great aspects of this movie that could have made it a 1980's classic, but the focus on the humans instead of Godzilla prevented that. This was a reboot movie, to get the franchise back to basics, and it did work in those respects.
The ending is always sad to me when I watch it, because this version of Godzilla was not evil or good- it was just a hungry animal out of place, and for the Prime Minister (who hunted him) to cry at the end showed how much of a legendary beast Godzilla was.
When everything was said and done, I enjoyed it. Of course, I'm a fanatic.
This film marks the first colorized versions of Godzilla and King Kong. Unfortunately, Toho's special effects and costumes were so bad, that it should have stayed in black and white. In another unfortunate famous first, it's the first comical Godzilla movie (his first two were serious). I watched the U.S. English dubbed version, and they inserted U.N. news reports to describe all history and plots. I prefer to view this movie as a one-shot, out-of-continuity tale, unrelated to any other movie starring these two monsters.
The plot is simple, yet drawn out:
Mr. Tako, head of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, sends two men, Sakurai and Kinsaburo, to find and bring back a rumored monster from Faro Island for publicity. (On this earth, the original King Kong movie never happened, so this is his debut on this planet.)
Meanwhile, an American submarine gets caught in an iceberg, which I guess is supposed to be same iceberg that Godzilla was trapped in back in 1955 (although the location is different, which makes me believe this is not the same earth as the first two Godzilla movies).
Kong beats up an octopus monster named Oodako (four real live octopi were used for these shots- and one was eaten by the crew boss afterward- gee, thanks), and gets drugged.
Eventually, Kong and Godzilla fight in Tokyo and Mt. Fuji. In the first battle, Godzilla wins because of his atomic breath. The military is able to damage Godzilla and lure him to another rematch, since Kong is on a rampage destroying Tokyo. The second battle is what the title of the movie is all about: it's an intense battle, and Godzilla would have won if not for Kong's special power of getting stronger due to electricity (!). Kong gets a second wind after a convenient electrical storm hits him, and lays the smack down on Godzilla. They both tumble into the ocean, causing an earthquake, and Kong swims back home victorious. King Kong beat Godzilla in Japan.
Criticisms:
Toho sold out Godzilla to use King Kong in their movie, so they made Godzilla have a weakness to electricity, made King Kong taller and more powerful than usual, and allowed Kong to have electricity power-ups. And, of course, Godzilla apparently dies at the end. Pretty lame finish.
Unfortunately, King Kong fans couldn't be pleased because the monster costume looks horrible, he had to be powered up and Godzilla's powers had to be weakened to even make it a fair fight, and this Kong isn't technically the same character as the one in 1933 New York. (Trivia: This same creature-Toho's King Kong- allegedly stars in King Kong Escapes in 1967, but has no electricity powers and is smaller).
The humor in the movie takes away from the main event.
The Japanese character actors are too goofy.
Some shots are puppets, and they look reaaaaaaal bad.
Conclusion: Whereas the original movies- 1933 King Kong and 1954 Godzilla- were both serious classic monster movies with social messages, King Kong vs. Godzilla is monster-sized CHEESE. It is campy, and the bad costumes are distracting. It's more of a curiosity because of the two main event names squaring off. But Toho and Universal dropped the ball on something that had great potential.
All of that being said, it wasn't the worst Godzilla movie ever. For a Godzilla freak like me, it wasn't boring, but it was lame. I guess it was enjoyable since I didn't have to think. I hear it's a great movie to watch when you're stoned, because you'll be laughing at the cheese the whole time.
This movie takes place in the far future: the year is 1999, and all of earth's Toho Studio monsters live peacefully (yet are secured by the U.N. for study) in Monsterland, an island the Ogasawara chain.
The monsters escape after a mysterious gas engulfs the island, and they attack the major world cities (except Tokyo- which gets attacked later on).
It is revealed that the U.N. team in charge of the monsters were being mind-controlled by the alien race (whose planet is in-between Mars and Jupiter) Kilaaks. The monsters were also being radio-controlled by these aliens who set up base under Mt. Fuji.
These aliens want to control the earth, and use its resources.
Japanese astronaut heroes, led by Captain Yamabe under orders from Dr. Yoshida, get to the bottom of the mystery. They stop the aliens under Mt. Fuji, by destroying the mind-control device, but the aliens had already summoned their secret weapon to "destroy all monsters" (who got their senses back): King Ghidorah, the three-headed dragon from outer space, and arch-nemesis of Godzilla. The battle royal takes place at Mt. Fuji.
All the monsters gang up and finally kill Ghidorah! The monsters and astronauts also stop a fire monster to end the movie.
This is the last in-story chronological appearance of the old Godzilla continuity time-line (Showa Era- 1954 to 1975).
The cinematography is cool for 1968- the monsters always seem big, and the illusion is kept, even when toy cars and model buildings are destroyed.
The music, of course, is outstanding: Akira Ifukube is an icon.
It's obviously a 0-star B-Movie, and although some of the human plot and aliens is drawn out, it's still entertaining. Overall, it is a great monster-fest from Toho Studious. Probably a little too much focus on the humans (as usual) but the fights and rampages were great, and the "human stuff" isn't as bad as other Godzilla movies.
The following monsters appear (all are "good guys" except Gihdra):
Godzilla - He shares time with the other monsters, but it still the true King, as he delivers the death blow to Ghidrah.
Anguirus - Had the distinction of being Godzilla's first opponent, and now teams with him in his final adventure.
Rodan - Had a weird scene where this the bird-like dinosaur was fishing for porpoises or dolphins!
Ghidorah - Got whipped!
Manda - Giant snake makes some cool scenes.
Mothra - In caterpillar form, he (or she) teams up with the giant spider to put webbing on Ghidorah!
Gorosaurus - Made a famous lethal jump kick to KO Ghidorah.
Minya- The Son of Godzilla still hadn't aged in 25 years! Had a few fantastic comic relief scenes.
Baragon-The famous burrowing creature has a few cameos.
Kumonga- The giant spider loves to web.
Varan- He flies around.
- Along for the ride, though I believe Baragon did assist in the destruction of Paris. Either that or whoever did the American dub just did not care.
Future technology: In 1999, we see TV telephones, super-fast rocket ships, planet-rovers, mind-control devices, moon-bases, UFO's, magnetic fields, and laser pistols. Oh, and with all the futuristic army missiles, they didn't "destroy all monsters" (thankfully).
I wanted to give the new Phil Hendrie a spin, especially since RAW had hooked me up with some old Phil tapes. I know RAW doesn't think Phil is relevant anymore, and since I've been listening to the radio recently, I wanted to see how bad Phil's show really was.
How the mighty have fallen.
Don't get me wrong: it's an OK show. It's just that it can't compare to his old shows, and it simply is not FUNNY. He's too calm, too balanced, and lacks innovation. In short, it was a boring show.
Phil spent most of the show talking about Obama, and for voters to be smart and not to listen to the talking heads. A large section of the show was devoted to an unemployed worker who called in. Phil also talked about the definition of socialism for a long time, and even had a caller who lived in Sweden promote socialism. There was some focus on how the MEDIA likes to focus on Sarah Palin's expensive wardrobe, as opposed to the other players in this political game.
I laughed twice, but my laughter was a quick giggle: He used his veteran voice and called himself to complain about Obama saying he was a better dancer than McCain. Secondly, he played the now infamous Obama robocall, where the person on the recording is named something that sounds like Jerry Watermelon.
In terms of satire, parody, comedy, and the passive-aggressive social commentary that made Phil Hendrie the most creative voice on the radio waves? None of that was here.
He pretty much had a show by giving his take on linked DrudgeReport articles.
Phil has passed his prime.
I'll be passing on any new Phil Hendrie shows.
Maybe one day, we shall see the return of the real Phil, with all of his sock puppet voices.
Review: Hulk Hogan's CCW Wrestling Reality TV Show
I had heard rumblings that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff (promoter of WCW and nWo fame in the 1990's) were forming their own wrestling alliance (implied to compete with Vince McMahon's WWE).
To my dismay, I had stumbled upon Celebrity Championship Wrestling's website and saw that this was Hogan's "promotion", airing on CMT.
CCW- not be be confused with the Coral Springs wrestling league, is a reality TV show where F-List celebrities train and "compete".
Here's the cast:
-Danny Bonaduce - television and radio host, reality star and actor The Partridge Family
- Todd Bridges - television personality, actor Different Strokes
- ButterBean - super-heavyweight boxer
- Trishelle Cannatella - television personality, reality star Real World: Las Vegas
- Dustin Diamond - television personality, actor Saved by the Bell
- Erin Murphy - television personality, actress Bewitched (Tabitha Stephens)
- Dennis Rodman - five-time NBA champion
- Frank Stallone - actor, singer, Sylvester Stallone's brother
- Tiffany - chart-topping '80s pop singer
- Nikki Ziering - actress, Playboy playmate
Sick yet?
Dennis Rodman needs money? Damn.
The judges are Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Jimmy Hart. The trainers are Brutus Beefcake and Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs. Tampa DJ Bubba The Love Sponge did play-by-play. Another show where Hogan gets his friends to play along with his power fantasies.
Did you vomit yet?
The goal? Survive and win the CCW title.
So..I watched it.
Beefcake and Knobbs train and coach these has-beens and never-weres on the basics. (Although I suspect other more professional trainers were involved and not shown.) The actors then had to work tag team matches against each other in front of a live audience (who were not true fans- they were prompted to cheer or boo, and probably had free tickets...kinda like the Chinese Olympics.)
There were some interesting parts- for example, I enjoyed the inside scoop on how to take a clothesline and kick to the stomach. [For those of who who don't know, I wanted to be a baseball player or pro wrestler when I was a young boy.]
However, with so many reality shows on TV, there is nothing here to make this show unique, besides it being a show that exposes that wrestling is choreographed, and how the wrestlers pull off the moves.
In many ways, the show mocks pro wrestling- after all a bunch of losers with no athletic skill were able to work a (basic) match together after some training (because the show was heavily edited, I had no idea how long the training was- possibly weeks).
Anyway, inside wrestling fans such as myself know that Beefcake, Hart, and Knobbs are Hogan lackeys and kiss ups. Bischoff burned so many bridges that this is all he has left. They all deserve each other. Inside fans also know that Beefcake and Knobbs never had any skills and have no business training anyone.
The three judges graded the contestants on technical ability and showmanship, and at the end of the show voted off Tiffany, although Todd Bridges (Enneagram Type 9) was in danger, too.
If there was anything positive about the contestants, I was impressed with Bonaduce's intensity in the ring. But like most reality shows featuring "celebrities", it was painful to watch these people. But a job is a job, right?
Boston Red Sox fan Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso are celebrating the birth of their second daughter, Gia Zavala Damon.
The DailySkew has uncovered the exclusive photo of this healthy and beautiful baby girl:
In other news, Russia is still fighting Georgia, no matter what the MEDIA talking heads are saying, Chinese police are making pro-Tibet protesters disappear, The Great Firewall of China is now blocking iTunes, and a devastating plane crash at Madrid's Barajas airport has left 153 people dead.
Oh yeah, John McCain and Obama are arguing over how many houses McCain owns.
Angel Jimenez reviews Star Wars The Clone Wars Movie
Guest Blogger: Angel Jimenez rips Star Wars
If George Lucas had any respectability left as a creative genius, it was all lost this week as critics have seen the stink-fest called The Clone Wars. I am ashamed to say that all of Lucas's previous bad movies were somewhat enjoyable to me- especially after a 6-pack and a [Edited] on a Friday night.
But this movie? A clone a clone of a clone? This rehash (didn't we see this on the Cartoon Network) is trying to fill a story gap when there simply was no opening. The "movie" flows like a PlayStation 3 video game- lightsaber battles, generic dialog, and kid-funny moments. This is not an epic story. In fact, this story did not have to be told at all.
Can you say straight to DVD? Actually-can you say: it should have been put on StarWars.com for FREE? They hired a John Williams clone. They hired clones of the original voice actors. Pale imitations. Made in Singapore.
Yes folks this is the new George Lucas, although the old one was overrated. too. Post-Jedi, all of his films have been all style with no substance. The script is loaded with baby-talk that would offend and disgust even his most loyal 35-year old GEEKS.
Look, nobody cares anymore. We've seen the Storm Troopers miss thousands of times now. There's nothing new here. The new Soul Calibur video game probably has more depth than this movie. The fight scenes take up the bulk of the running time.
Yes, nostalgia is a big seller. It worked for the 2nd trilogy from the sales end (NOT the quality end). Yet this CGI monster never feels like a Star Warsmovie (not that they were any good, but still...) The opening crawl is replaced by a voice over, and no one says "I have a bad feeling about this." Thetheme song has been forgotten, replaced by a new electric guitar beat that feels from a 1998 toy commercial.
The landscapes are straight out of a developer's PC game application. The characters are stiff, like 1990's video game home systems. They look like wooden puppets. In other words, the CGI is overrated.
Crap. Crap. Crap. Batman & Robin class. At least the "Star Wars Holiday Special"- previously regarded as the worst spin-off in the Star Wars universe- had some... charm. You will long for the ill-fated Ewok series.
Yeah, I know the routine- I bash a movie and DailySkew people like Vahl and Dark Truths are going to see it with their kids, and come back and tell Damian "It wasn't that bad".
"It wasn't that bad."
Yeah, right.
Yeah, for a 5-year old. A 5-year old that can't distinguish quality when he or she smells it. It's more of a marketing scheme than anything else.
True Star Wars fans will realize that Lucas is marketing the new franchise and TV series to KIDS. These 30+ men will feel old, and that all that data and trivia that they stored in their memory banks is...useless.
Go ahead..see it. We're in a recession, but you just HAVE to pay to see this train wreck of a movie, which currently has a 22% rating on RT. Feed your addiction. Maybe, you just may move BEYOND Star Wars and file it away like a childhood toy, which is all it really was.
I got caught on Dateline for being a sexual predator, and no one knows
GUEST BLOGGER
Hi, my name is Mannbay2004. I was caught on Dateline NBC by Chris Hansen. I thought my life would be over. But the truth is I only served a few months in prison, and got my old job back as a computer programmer. No one knew. I would have thought being on Dateline would have ruined my chances to make something for myself, but my father called my job as said I had to go back to India for six months. Now I'm back, and working at my old place. None of my co-workers have any idea. I thought it was very ironic and interesting that Americans just don't watch that show or can even remember what I look like or my name. It also shows you how overrated it is to be on national television.
This stuff has been getting a large amount of press. I guess you can say it's a good distraction for all the problems in the world. Yup, let's mix politics and entertainment. That's the ticket.
You know what's a hot trend? Animated GIFS. Everyone on MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook uses them, AND people copy and paste them into forum comments and make them avatars. I've seen the same ones over and over when I surf the net.
Here are some examples...sometimes seeing the animated ones all together feel like an LSD trip:
Dark Knight Review (No spoilers) Batman Box Office
The Dark Knight had the most buzz and hype of any 2008 movie due to the (maybe) suicide/drug overdose of Heath Ledger. This hype broke box office records: $314,000,000 + so far, and not since the 1989 version has Bat-Mania engulfed the world. To view the 1989 version now (Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson) after watching 2008 version would be laughable and silly.
So...Heath Ledger hype aside, was this movie awesome or what?
Yes, it was.
For decades DC Comics' most consistent and mature superhero comic book line has been Batman, Detective Comics, and the various other Batman related series. The Joker has been a major and complex player in Batman's life, and his portrayal in this movie was superb.
This Joker is no mere comedian...he's an anarchist, manic, psycho, serial killer, sadistic clown, yet for some reason, we sympathize with him!
And...without ruining too much, The Joker actually beats Batman in this movie...yes, folks, The Joker won. Whereas in other super-hero films, the villain is expected to "do the job" and take the fall, let's just say that doesn't happen in TDK.
In many ways, TDK breaks the super-hero movie genre- we have death...a lot of deaths. We have some hardcore violence. Things are dark. It's a crime drama with detective elements, in addition to the action. The full cast gets screen time- Ledger and Christian Bale don't carry the movie by themselves. Aaron Echart (District Attorney Harvey Dent) really added a lot to it. Michael Cain (Alfred the Butler), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), and Gary Oldman (James Gordon) were fantastic.
I hate to say it, but I really thought The Joker was right about so many things wrong with society. I felt guilty about looking up to such a perverted and twisted monster like him.
TDK had great emotional and intense scenes. I was at the edge of my seat. There were many twists and curves, and the plot was very deep, which assured multiple viewing by many fans. Since most reviews have been positive, and most of you have already seen it, I won't spend too much time on this as I usually do.
The Good: Acting, special effects, JoKeR, drama, subplots, HaRvEy DeNt, deep story
The Bad: The plot may be a bit too much for some. I found myself answering a couple of questions from my grandmother about it, and when I checked the message boards, I see that people had tons of questions, like: What was the deal with the fingerprint? Where did Joker get the giant pile of money? Who knew what about the plan? Why does Maroni tell Gordon where to find the Joker? What happened to the Hong Kong guy? What was up with the timer and the windshade? Who did Two-face kill? How and when did Joker kidnap Rachel? etc etc. My reaction: all the answers are there, you need to watch and listen.
The Ugly: Not for kids. If you're expecting Iron Man, move on. Senior citizens should pass on this, too.
Final Conclusion: As impossible as it seems, it lived up to its hype. Of course, I'm a comic book fan, and I'm sure many "civilians" may be a bit turned off at all the sick stuff that happens in the movie, but I loved it.
Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Down is a reality movie about his 15,000 mile motorcycle journey with Charley Boorman from Scotland to South Africa. They face many different challenges, such as terrain, endurance, and driving skills, which pushes their friendship to the limit.
I actually shared a somewhat similar experience here in the United States. My friend and I went through a couple of states (Nevada and California) a few years ago on motorcycle, and you would be surprised how quickly the arguments started to begin- from debating when the best time to fuel should be, making repairs to the bikes, agreeing on when we should rest and eat, and when to sleep.
The original 2004 Long Way Round trip, which documented the motorcycle journey from London to New York via Russia, Kazakstan, Mongolia and North America, helped bring the BMW R 1150 GS Adventure travel to the masses.
Fast forward to today, and the television series is currently airing in many countries all over the world on the National Geographic channel, and it will finally be revealed to U.S. audiences with the high-def movie premiere at 7:30 on Thursday, July 31. Fox Reality TV will have the series.
Keep in mind, this is a one-night only affair and in select theaters, so check out listings near you. It should be a cool event!
Christian Bale (Batman and Bruce Wayne) may be in trouble with the law.
"The Dark Knight" star was allegedly arrested in London for assault. His mother and sister pressed charges. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY and nothing has been confirmed. The source was the BRITISH MEDIA.
In what has been a trend, and what is sure to continue to be the wave of the future, old episodes of an old TV shows are now online and being repacked as something new, when in reality, they are not original at all.
At least the Muppets online have new skits with those two old critics.
Just in time for 2008 and FINAL CRISIS, it is the triumphant "return" of....
It's amazing how much positive buzz Fat Albert is getting again. I mean, his live "action" movie bombed. The DVDs have been around since 2005, and we've seen as many reruns as we possibly could take. Now there is buzz that Fat Albert is officially on the youtube, brought to you by Sony.
It's official, before it even opened, The Dark Knight defeated The Incredible Hulk. The sheer amount of buzz from the mainstream MEDIA and great reviews had assured victory a week before the movie was released. It's ironic because Batman defeated The Hulk in an old inter-company crossover issue. Batman threw gas pellets on the floor, and when the Hulk went to hold his breath Batman gave a judo kick to the stomach. so the Hulk was forced to breath in the sleeping gas.
Of course, thanks to Heath Ledger's death, the Joker is more popular than Batman right now. And everyone who reads comics knows that you can't really beat the Joker.
Ultimately, the new Hulk movie was disappointing to critics and box office alike.
Wall-E's social and environment messages kind of make the movie a modern age Soylent Green or a kid's version of 2001. There is no arguing that the graphics and likability of the main robot (Wall-E) were top-notch. It was surprising to me that Disney would allow Pixar to insult their paying customers by portraying the human characters as obese, lazy, fickle, and dumb Americans. Wall-E is a unique and different movie in the Disney and Pixar universe (although Wall-E visually looks like Short Circuit and sounds like E.T.) , in that there is hardly any dialogue, and the grim future earth rivals the earth in I am Legend when it comes to feeling depressed, soulless, and dark (the only animal left is a cockroach). (Speaking of that cockroach, only Disney can make us feel empathy for a cockroach! lol)
There were a lot of Easter eggs in the movie that I observed, which showed me that the Pixar folks wrote a very high-brow script and managed to keep the movie marketable and mainstream without sacrificing intelligence.
I had some emotional moments with Wall-E and even the roach.
But...
(Here it comes)
That being said...
As much as I should be happy that Pixar treated me to a socially relevant animated movie, written for kids and adults alike...
I love the character Wall-E, but let's just say I'd like to see him in a more lighthearted and faster paced movie, and with some real dialogue! Yeah, I know I'm a party-pooper; I'm sorry.
Movies from the 1980's, like WarGames, are severely underrated today. Part of the fact is that today's viewers focus on special effects and haircuts. Since I was raised in the 1980's I pretty much enjoyed every movie from that era, such as Amadeus, the two Star Wars movies, Back to the Future, E.T., Platoon, The Princess Bride (most memorable scene occurs when the swordsman confronts his father's killer), the Indiana Jones movies, RoboCop, Terminator, Batman, Tootsie, and a whole lot more I'm probably forgetting.
Speaking of WarGames, a 25th Anniversary release will be played at select theaters on Thursday, July 24th. It's a one night only event and will include interviews with the creators and actors Mathew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, who will discuss the movie's relevance today. Additionally, there will be a sneak peek feature about WarGames' sequel – WarGames: The Dead Code.
Yahoo news, using some Hollywood quotes on "perception" and box office numbers, has written off a Hulk movie sequel.
Ultimately, the article says, when everything was said and done, the new Hulk movie will struggle to make as much national and worldwide profit as the Ang Lee version from 5 years ago.
I don't think this had anything to do with the quality of the movie. This had to do with Hulk being a "remake" (reboot) of a movie that for all practical terms "just came out". Fans dug Iron Man. Fans will dig Iron Man 2. Fans won't dig an Iron Man reboot in 5 years.
Although both directors have different styles and interpretations of the Marvel super-hero, the bottom line is that both versions were action orientated and starred the Savage Hulk (as opposed to the other Hulk incarnations, such as the "Mr. Fixit" grey Hulk or the "Dr. Banner" Hulk, which has Banner's mind controlling the Hulk's body).
One can assume that a 3rd Hulk movie would make less money.
It's seems that all the negative talk about the "disappointing" numbers from the MEDIA (the studio is OK with the numbers) have reduced the "franchise" to Marvel's B-List. With all the comic book movies out, not having a 3rd Hulk movie should be the least of anyone's concern.
Finally, the Hulk as a character just doesn't have the blockbuster appeal of Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, Superman, or Iron Man because...well...he's portrayed as a savage misunderstood beast, like Godzilla or King Kong; he's not really a hero that kids look up to.
Check out the Hulk's various comic books for different takes. The savage version is towards the bottom of the list in terms of enjoyable and popular stories.
Angelina Jolie is the lead actress in Wanted, an R-Rated assassin thriller based on Mike Millar and J.G. Jones' independent comic book limited series, and raked in $51.1 million.
I guess the irony about the whole thing is:
Most people don't know Wanted is based on a COMIC BOOK.
Those that do know that it is an adaptation realize that Hollywood took many liberties with the source material.
I only hope that Millar and Jones made money by selling the rights to it. Somehow I doubt they made $1 million....
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHA!!!! It's official! I'm going to win an OSCAR! And I'm dead! Or am I? hehehehehehe I WON! I did it...I beat SUPES. I melted the iron man... I gassed the green giant... I blew a red-headed child's head off... No one can stop me! Did The Joker kill Heath Ledger? Yes. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA But no oneeeee can kill me! Not old Bats...not Marvel...not DC..no one! I am an ICON. Super-Villain of the Year. I may have been carried off on a stretcher...but I am still alive! Like I told Alexander...NEVER underestimate me! You should have let me play. Should have let me had a world to mold in my own image. A HAPPY earth. Now you're dead. BAM! **** And now a SPOILER-FREE word from MIKE, who saw an-ahem- advanced screening of The Joker...I mean, Batman: The Dark Knight:
Heath Ledger gives the blockbuster performance of the year! The Joker will 100% absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, and is the hands-down favorite to win it posthumously. The Joker has the perfect pitch, perfect tone, his Joker hits all the right notes. 'The Dark Knight' is THE best super-hero movie of all time (better than Iron Man, Superman, Nicholson's Batman, Spider-Man 2, and X-Men) and Joker Ledger is THE BEST villain in a super hero movie of all time. Really. Did the Joker kill Heath Ledger? YES, he did- and the proof is in the movie! So GO SEE IT, and look for the hints!
The original, by Bobby Vinton. #1 in 1964 song charts. The song is about a soldier alone in a war without anyone to talk with, with no word from back home.
Victor Wood popularized "Mr. Lonely" in the Philippines. Every Filipino knows it, young or old, and they can sing it on request on their karaoke machines.
Akon created a renewed interest in the song with his modern remix. It actually features remixed voice samples from the original. Akon's version has nothing to do with being away from at war.
Actually, I'm not going to review it, you will. I linked this post in the Marvel Comic Book Message Boards so I expect a lot of comments.
I would just like to say that I really liked the acting, and all the easter eggs that Marvel put in the movie. The easter eggs referenced various aspects from different Hulk continuities- the 70's/80's TV show, the Bruce Jones Hulk comic book run, and the other Marvel movies.
As an owner of every HULK comic book every made, and watcher of every TV show episode, I can confidentially say that I'm a Hulk expert.
So...go ahead, chime in, give me your thoughts, and I may respond in the comments section.
Well, in other news R. Kelly was found NOT guilty of having sex with a preteen or making video tapes of an underage girl. R Kelly's alleged preteen porn video was pretty big news back in the day, but it turns out it wasn't R Kelly in that video. All of the other young girls were unable to prove their rape allegations, either.
R Kelly is a famous R&B music superstar. Kelly was married to his protege Aaliyah in 1994 when she was just 15. However, the marriage was annulled by her parents. Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001.
DAILYSKEW: Dr. Phil, this is the DailySkew. Are the rumors about your divorce true?
DR. PHIL: The DailySkew? Go to hell! I read your Dr. Phil blog post when you called me a fraud! I already sued you, now you want to be sued again for making up rumors about my divorce?
DAILYSKEW: Hey, I'm just reported the news. GLOBE reported that you and Robin McGraw are splitting up, which is ironic since you give "advice"-
DR. PHIL: Why don't you shut the %@$% up? Okay? We've been married 31 years, have two wonderful children-
DAILYSKEW: Who cares?
DR. PHIL: How can you even be running an article with GLOBE as a source?
DAILYSKEW: Well, Globe may be a rag, and my blog may be too, but we both have our fingers on the pulse of the masses, and the masses want to see you FALL, Dr. Phil.
The Hogan clan continues to sink in the general public's eye. (Inside pro wrestling fans have already known all about Hulk Hogan behind the scenes.) Even Linda Hogan was wearing a indecent outfit to jail.
Here are some highlights from the latest jail phone call recordings:
Linda Hogan tells her son Nick that she's suffering more than victim John Graziano's mother:
"I knew him more than his own mother knew him. She has no other recourse than to be nasty and vindictive now... She's not sad. She's just acting angry like she wants the money. John never meant anything to her or Ed... I miss John and I miss you two. She's not suffering, I am. She didn't give two shits."
Nick spoke to Hulk about meeting with an evaluator regarding a transfer:
"I'm not going to put on my court clothes, I'm going to come in my jumpsuit for the sympathetic factor."
Hulk Hogan speaks about John the victim:
"Well, I don't know what type of person John was or what he did to get himself in this situation," I know he was pretty aggressive and used to yell at people and used to do stuff. For some reason, God laid some heavy shit on that kid, man. I don't know what he was into."
Nick responded:
"John was a negative person."
Hulk and Nick discussed their plans for a reality show that would feature Nick attempting to bounce back following a stay in jail. Hulk proposes the name "The New Nick" and told that his son work on names. Nick says:
"I want to do it where I'll make the most money."
Hulk suggests that he, Eric Bischoff, and Jason Hervey will team up.
Recently, Hogan and Nick spoke in "carny" a secret pig-Latin language to fool the MEDIA.
Although Iron Man exceeded expectations and made $223 million in the U.S. so far (include world wide for over $436,131,318 ), Speed Racer (bomb) and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (an entertaining family adventure worthy of the standard set by its predecessor) both fell short of studio projections.
Consensus:Though the plot elements are certainly familiar, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull still delivers the thrills and Harrison Ford's return in the title role is more than welcome.
With reviews being mixed, and so many people traveling with weekend, it should be interesting to see how much Indy grosses. My guess: it will NOT break Spidey's record.
The Pinellas County Sheriff who runs the jail where Nick Hogan was being held on May 9 (before he was transfered to prison) decided to released a taped conversation between Nick and his divorcing parents- Hulk Hogan and Linda Bollea. (Personally, I think jails should NOT release taped conversations to the MEDIA.)
"I have to get out of here. I can't deal with this for eight months. They put me in a crazy ward. If I knew I was going to be in a windowless cell by myself, I would rather have gone to trial. It's so much worse than you could ever imagine. This is like a state prison. I'm all by myself"
But it's still the highest rated show in the United States of America.
Your water cooler morons and your Internet forums may complain about the judges, contestants, or how this show jumped the shark last year, but the bottom line is that it is still the #1 rated TV show.
Do I watch it anymore?
No...the highlights are on Youtube or Yahoo almost instantly..if I was interested.
Tony Vahl and Damian Hospital have always wondered: was society always like this (complaining and criticizing entertainment and current events)?
Instead of asking when American Idol jumped the shark, people need to be concerned about when did American society jump the shark?
I mean Spider-Man 3 made how much money, yet people continue to say that it wasn't as good as the first two???
Rapper Remy Ma was sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting a woman outside a New York nightclub. She had plans to marry rapper Papoose at New York's Rikers Island jail yesterday, but the ceremony was canceled after a handcuff key was discovered on Papoose.
RM: Hell, nah. Remy Ma is not even close to who I really am. I'm not a thug. I'm not a threat or a menace to society, and I still have so much to offer.
DS: What were the circumstances that night?
RM: That $@@% stole my $3,000 and that $@ @#%@ said she ain't holdin' in, so I was checkin' her @%@ purse, and her- HER- gun went off. She went and got her %@@# @$$ shot, and I'm the one who gets in trouble!
DS: What time was this?
RM: They said it was like early in the morn', many 4 o' 5, some %@% like that.
DS: If it was an accident, why did you get sentenced to eight years?
RM: Ah don't know! Eight years too much, that fo' sure.
DS: And they wouldn't even let you marry Papoose?
RM: Nah, thems be sayin' that Papoose be carryin' a-a-a- handcuff key, like he gonna break me out of Ryker's or some $@#@ like that. Damn...he just wanted me to hug him, is all.
DS: Any final words to your fans?
RM: Yeah, ah don't deserve this $@%@ bull%@#. OK? I don't @$@% deserve to be locked away for eight mutha-$@%@# years because some little $@@$ wants to sue me, and try and be wit' Papoose.
DS: Are you a gangsta?
RM: Hell na! That's just an-an image I portray. I love my cats and I love my dogs. I'm down-to-earth. I ain't no gansta %@#.
The DailySkew caught with with Papoose after he was released from questioning:
DS: Do you love her?
P: Damn straight, I do. I love her more than anything.
DS: Do you love your music?
P: At the end of the day, my material, my music speaks for itself. I never came into this with no gimmick. I never had to diss nobody to get no attention. I always came with pure talent, pure material. I ain't gon let ya'll down with my new album 'bout how Ma is getting screwed here, straight up and down. She needs to be FREED. My album gon' make history.
I'm going to keep this nice and simple: I was in a very diverse movie theater- men and women of all ages, cultures, and intelligence, and everyone walked out of the theater happy, impressed, and excited.
As evidenced by the positive feedback of comic book geeks who originally saw the preview last year, Robert Downey, Jr. was PERFECT CASTING for the arrogant, cocky, party-guy, billionaire playboy Tony Stark, who reforms and becomes a super-hero.
The special effects was top notch, and looked like LucasArts' ILM A-Team did this.
But special effects can only go so far- the story, drama, and acting was just as good as the excellent special effects. The licensed songs and sound track paid off as well. Gwyneth Paltrow was a great female sidekick.
This is one of the best super-hero movies (I consider super-hero movies a separate genre from action movies or sci-fi, something other critics do not).
If you liked Spider-Man or Transformers, you will enjoy this movie.
If you didn't like Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, or Ghost Rider, you will be very pleased to see a mainstream blockbuster super-hero movie done correctly.
Unlike X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, or Superman, Iron Man is not an A-List superhero. In fact, many casual comic or action fans don't know a whole lot about him except that he has cool armor and is a good guy. So if the screenwriters took any liberties about his origin from the 1960's comic book, it was a NON-ISSUE for fans.
So how can a B-List Marvel superhero have a blockbuster movie?
1) Great cast 2) Great script 3) Superior marketing and hype 4) Great character- Tony Stark, who was invented in the 1960's is actually more relevant today. Tony connects with audiences because he is exactly what they wish to be (as we are introduced to him at the beginning): have billions, be a celebrity, answer to no one, be irresponsible, be cocky, and have any chick you want. After he gets captured by terrorists, the audience becomes sympathetic with him, and he never loses his edge. 5) For all audiences 6) Great graphics 7) Great trailer 8) Not a whole lot of competition at the box office 9) Modern feel to the movie, from Afghanistan to cutting edge technology 10) Like Batman (the most famous non-super powered crime fighter), Stark has no super-powers- just loads of money, intelligence, ingenuity, and determination, so audiences can pretend they are Tony. 11) Keeping to original source material (old Iron Man comics) was not an issue or concern, since let's face it, not a lot of people know or care about old Iron Man comics.
Using this list, compare Iron Man to Marvel movies that were disappointments.
For actual fans of comic books and Iron Man, this movie is a dream come true. Fans of Iron Man always like the engineering technology (like those who memorize starship Enterprise specs). Iron Man is a hero for millions of geeks worldwide.
If there are flaws (since this is the DailySkew, all flaws must be revealed) it's that the super-hero genre is NOT for anyone. Part of the super-hero genre is to have explosions, a betrayal, generic stereotypical disposable enemies, and Also, the techno-babble may make some people who were not exposed to Star Trek to feel dumb.
Otherwise, this a must-see movie for comic book fans. For non-fans, it still is the must-see action movie of the year, simply because Robert Downey, Jr. steals the show.
By the way, there is a great easter egg after the credits. Quite possibly the best easter egg of any movie.
WARNING: Mike saw the movie, so if you don't want to read FULL INDIANA JONES SPOILERS, don't read this post.
Hey guys, this is Mike. Well I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull today (ShogunMaster uploaded it via BitTorrent), and I gotta say I was kinda disappointed.
I seriously don't think that Indiana Jones (now called Colonel Jones, WTF?) should be involved with aliens. This whole movie is about Roswell and Area 51. There was not a lot of homage at all. They did show the ark, and revealed that the warehouse is Area 51, but other than that, it didn't feel like an Indy movie.
Part of the problem was how Harrison Ford kinda mailed it in the whole movie. I mean, he only had a couple of really funny lines, but the rest of his dialog showed that he was bored, and never once did we think he was in peril. No tension whatsoever. It's like we were watching Ford instead of Indy.
Indy's son is pathetic. There is NO chance he will be taking over for Harrison Ford anytime soon. The franchise is officially dead now, even though everyone survived. How lame is that?
And what was up with Indy giving villains clues for the whole movie? Seriously, the movie was like a parody. The actors were just having fun, and were in not in character.
Special effects- oy vey. They should have used CGI. Man, I can't believe how fake the snake looked and most scenes looked like a sound stage or the Orlando Raiders stunt show.
Stunts- again, it seems like no one took this movie seriously. The stunts were so unrealistic and improbable. It was total satire.
Anyway, if you want a good laugh, see the movie. Don't take it seriously. It's OK, but it's doesn't hold up to the original trilogy. Sorry if I'm coming off ripping it, but I'm just trying to lower your expectations- this movie should NOT be in continuity.
How old is Harrison Ford? His stunt man is getting more screen time in this trailer than he is. What utter rubbish. Is Ford mailing it in? What a clichéd plot. There is nothing new in this movie. His delivery sounds so tired. Ah...he has a young sidekick whom he will pass his mantle too. How ingenious. Can we get CCB3 a Hollywood screenwriter's job? Even he can come up with a better preview. Damian, you may have predicted I will give this movie a bad review in the future, but it looks like you are wrong- I am going to pass on this pathetic movie. Action movie of the year? Puh-lease. Iron Man and Batman are the sure-fire winners this year. This "new" Indiana Jones movie needs to be filed in the new Rocky and Rambo folder. I sure hope you movie goers enjoy giving George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford your hard earned money.
Therefore, I am going to hop into my time machine and ask people how they liked it:
J. Mathewson: "Harrison Ford looked old, dude. How old is he now, like 75? I mean, in the last one, Sean Connery was the Grumpy Old Guy, but now Indy is. He should NOT be doing action movies anymore. Otherwise, I thought there were some great scenes. But they need to STOP." V: "Whoooooooo! I thought Iron Man was the best action movie of the year, but now, just a few weeks later I have to proclaim that Indiana Jones is the best action movie of the year, if not of ALL TIME! The plot was great, they paid homage to the old movies, and Harrison Ford was fantastic. I already saw it twice already!"
CCB3: "it was alright.better than the new rocky and the new rambo but not as good as raiders of the lost ark.id give it 3 solid stars.there were some funny scenes."
Annabelle: "I LOVE this Indiana Jones movie! I want to see the first 3 movies again!"
Charlie Brown: "Actually, I'm here at the mall shopping for a blender. I can't see this movie. The original trilogy was the best. They just focus on special effects now."
R.A.W.: "Yeah, I'm probably going to wait for the DVD to come out. I'm here shopping at the mall, too."
Jamie: "Great movie: 5 stars! Harrison Ford was great!"
Mike: "Actually, I already had downloaded the extended version last week. I really liked that movie, although Temple of Doom was the best.
Dark-Truths: "Totally awesome! Great movie! Not as good as Last Crusade, but still fun. One question though- at the beginning it said that it was 1957- how does this fit with the Young India Jones Chronicles TV show?"
Angel Jimenez: "A lame attempt to cash in on nostalgia. Hollywood will continue to make sequels and/or remakes with no imagination- Die Harder anyone? Star Trek? Rocky? Rambo? A Terminator TV show? The HULK, which just came out? Batman...Superman...I Am Legend...X-Files...it never ends...what's next National Treasure 3? Pirates of the Caribbean 4? Reno 911 : Down under? Another Night at the Museum? James Bond XXIII? Scary Movie 5? The Grudge 3? The Fast and the Furious 4? Saw V? The Bourne Killer IV? Harry Potter and the Death Claw? Ice Age 3? Spiderman 4? Underworld 3? Ughhh...I feel sick now. Resident Evil X? AWK..I just barfed a little in my mouth. BWWWWAHHHHHHHOOOUGHHHHHHH"
Let's take a look at AFI's 100 Years Top 10 List, and see if the so-called greatest movies of all time could hold up to today's generation of movie fans, and if the rankings are justified.
Firstly, AFI rated the movies based on the following:
Feature-length: Narrative format typically over 60 minutes in length.
American film: English language, with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.
Critical Recognition: Formal commendation in print, television, and digital media.
Major Award Winner: Recognition from competitive events including awards from peer groups, critics, guilds and major film festivals.
Popularity Over Time: This includes success at the box office, television and cable airings, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals.
Historical Significance: A film's mark on the history of the moving image through visionary narrative devices, technical innovation or other groundbreaking achievements.
Cultural Impact: A film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance.
Here's the list, followed by my comments:
1. Citizen Kane (1941) : Probably overrated by film critics and pretentious 1st year film students at college universities. It should be noted it was a box office failure, and was forgotten about until the its revival in the late 1950's (thanks to William Randolph Hurst burying it when it was released). I watched it, and marveled at the directing techniques and the metaphysical detective story. I was blown away at this grand and melodramatic movie. However, the appreciation for this movie to be ranked #1 is truly a great example of academia versus the general public. Considering that so many people I know have not even SEEN this movie, it's hard to believe how much of a cultural impact it has.
2. The Godfather (1972): This drama is gritty, realistic, and has superior acting. There is no doubt the the story, themes, quality of acting, dialog, and overall presentation and entertainment and rewatch value is better than Citizen Kane. It's not for kids, and there are many adult and violent themes, a sign of the times. It probably makes any true movie goer's Top 5 List. Spawned a new genre of gangster films and TV shows.
3. Casablanca (1942): Old timers and scholars love this film, and it's more beloved than Citizen Kane, as it's much more light-hearted. It won a lot of awards and was a box office success. Casablanca is studied by universities, as film critics analyze the directing and deeper meanings. The actors are legendary. Is it dated? Yeah. Could it be marketed today? Glad you asked. In a 1982 issue of American Film, Chuck Ross retyped the screenplay to Casablanca, only changing the title back to Everybody Comes to Rick's and the name of the piano player to Dooley Wilson, and submitted it to agencies. Thirty-eight rejected it, thirty-three generally recognized it (but only eight specifically as Casablanca), three declared it commercially viable, and one suggested turning it into a novel.
4. Raging Bull (1980): This boxing film by Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro is a dark, realistic, and gritty tale, with a very stylish directing method. De Niro is an unusual protagonist, because he is hard to relate to, and many scenes are violent. Whereas Rocky has a happy ending, this does not. Audiences were left speechless. Overrated? Probably. Sometimes uber-directors are too stylish, and it's distracting. Today's audiences would still find this movie entertaining though, but how many times can you watch it? Is it that different than other dark dramas?
5. Singin' in the Rain (1952): There is no doubt that this movie had the actors, and is culturally significant, and innovative. However, if this musical comedy came out today, the few people who would see it would regard it as 1) A spoof and 2) gay- not that there's anything wrong with being gay. But 5th all time? Come on...
6. Gone With the Wind (1939): It's a huge American epic and box office king that endures to today, except for the racist subtext of having a white romance during slavery, which is now seen as being politically incorrect. Revisionist history indeed. The actors, music, and production are top-notch. It has won many awards and accolades, and is a symbol of Hollywood's Golden Age, so I wonder how it's ranked only #6.
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962): Considering that this is a British film, it shouldn't even be on this list. That aside, I doubt today's audiences care about Lawrence's experiences in Arabia during World War I, in particular his attacks on Aqaba and Damascus and his involvement in the Arab National Council, do you? There's a lot of SAND in this movie, and long shots, and extended musical scores, enough for Mr. Sandman to cure your insomnia. That being said, audiences of the day loved it, the acting and directing is great, it won a bunch of awards, and it quickly latched on as "the best movie ever" by scholars and critics. I'll stick to Ben Hur or Braveheart if I want epic today, however.
8. Schindler's List (1993): Steven Spielberg. Holocaust. World War II. Stylish. Drama. Depressing. Emotional. This movie was a MUST see for any movie goer, and instantly became part of American culture. I actually waited for the DVD. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but have seen better "war movies". That being said, this ranks as a popular modern drama and historical era piece. It's a movie favorite for millions of people today. Yes, of course it holds up.
9. Vertigo (1958): Alfred Hitchcock's romantic thriller originally had mixed reviews because it was too long and slow. Whereas Hitchock's Psycho is still watched today, Vertigo appeals more for Hitchcock fans as opposed to mainstream audiences. In the 1960's it was re-evaluated and regarded as one of the most detailed and rich films, and was re-leased a few times. There was also some mystique because Hitchcock's estate didn't want it in circulation. Ninth-best ever? I would say Psycho and The Birds have held up more into the modern day, although there is no doubt that Vertigo is a technical masterpiece.
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939): Everything about this musical fantasy is timeless and superior (besides the fact that musicals aren't as popular as they once were, and that the cast was not racially diverse). It's for all ages, and can be enjoyed by children and adults. The soundtrack, acting, directing, and even special effects are amazing. It is beloved, memorable, quotable, won dozens of awards, and is part of Americana. It's fun, and it made millions in the box office, on television, and in VCR and DVD sales. It should be ranked much higher than #10. Does it hold up? Yes.
It's easier to rate movies than songs, because we have all of the financial stats and awards for movies, and we know if a movie is still "significant" or "influential" and enjoyable to the majority of people. I mean, Raiders of the Lost Ark is more entertaining than a lot of movies on that Top 10 list. It's kind of ridiculous to see Raging Bull (great movie, but it had mixed reviews and wasn't a box office hit) ranked as the 4th greatest American movie of all time, while The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur are not in the Top 10. Also to put a 1941 movie, which was a commercial failure and fell out of public consciousness for years before being "rediscovered" at the top of the list because of directing techniques is absurd.
Out of curiosity, I checked out Rotten Tomatoes (T-Meter critics-with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and comparisons- and modern fans) and got this feedback:
Citizen Kane: Percentage of Critics Giving Thumbs Up: 100%, Average Rating: 9.3 Fans: 92%, 8.6
The Godfather Critics: 100%, Rating: 9.1 Fans: 96%, 9.2
Dwight Schrute is arrogant, geeky, socially inept, lacks common sense, a brownoser, jealous, nerdy, dorky, rude, creepy, an animal killer, ambitious, cold, got beat up by kids in karate, calculating, obnoxious, a tattle-tale, can't work well with others, looks smarter than he really is, gullible, and anti-social.
He loves sci-fi and fantasy, and is prone to blur reality and fantasy.
He is Michael Scott's whipping boy, and enjoys it. He hates his co-workers, and loves to excercise his petty authority over them. He and Jim have had wars.
THAT BEING SAID...THAT BEING SAID:
He's The Office's most productive salesperson. He has experience being responsible and independent. He is a survivalist and can maintain a farm. His character has grown. He's never absent or late to work. He stays away from drugs, and is extremely law abiding. He does community service.
Dwight has become a cult fan favorite, and although Michael Scott gets all the press, and Jim is the good guy, it's Dwight that is the show stealer, and who has become a symbol of The Office.
Although originally portrayed as an evil character and enemy of Jim, fans eventually couldn't help but appreciate and sympathize with him. Even Jim eased up on him.
Dwight's scenes generally are side-splitting.
He even began a "secret" office romance with Angela, and fell in love with her. Unfortunately for hum, she was colder than he was.
Dwight's butt-kissing of Michael is legendary, as is his harassment of his co-workers. He lives a severely skewed existence.
His funny comments and scenes are too numerous to list.
The sad part is that he's in a lot better shape than some former co-workers of mine.
If Michael Scott is the star (or antagonist) of The Office, then Jim Halpert is the hero.
Jim is a relatively young paper salesman, is efficient, and has one of the best senses of humor. He is creative, intelligent, and romantic. Unlike most of his co-workers, Jim has clarity and realizes he is in a dead-end office, with an insane boss and lazy and/or dumb co-workers. Jim has a lot of potential, but lacks the motivation to find another job or better himself financially. In truth, his main goal has always been to be with Pam, the receptionist, who has engaged for years. Jim has loved Pam for all 7 seasons, and finally became romantically involved with her. Some say his relationship with Pam is one of the most realistic portrayals of a romance on television.
There is no doubt that Jim is the "coolest" office worker, and everyone knows it. Women find him attractive, and his boss Michael Scott always tries to go out with him. Some of the veteran disgruntled workers don't take him seriously because he is a notorious pranker. Some are envious. Jim's pranks are infamous, and he and Pam team up to really cause mischief to obnoxious co-workers who deserve it, such as Jim's arch-nemesis Dwight Schrute and Andy, who is very obnoxious.
Jim is famous for looking at the camera wide-eyed or raising his eyebrows in amazement when his boss or co-workers say something REALLY STUPID. Jim also can humor the most insane people. In many ways, the viewer can't help but relate to and like Jim, since he is the sanest worker there is, who is surrounded by Lazy Man Ethics and office absurdity.
Jim has his flaws, though, and The Office shows them as well. Most of his negative traits are seen when he is bored, disgruntled, when his motivation is shot, when he runs away from problems, or if there is an obstacle in expressing his love for Pam.
Michael Scott's Dunder-Mifflin's Rejected Commercial, as introduced by Jim
People have studied what gives music value for thousand of years. Even going back to its roots (ancient folk instruments), music has always been an art form to be appreciated and critiqued.
With the birth of pop music and mass media, however, standards have changed with commercialism and treating music as a business. One can argue that even classical composers "sold out" by performing for high-paying patrons, and that music was always an "industry" in relatively modern times.
That being said, what makes a song relevant or long lasting to humanity today? How are we even exposed to the thousands of songs to even make such a determination? Most people today don't even consider the classical songs of Mozart or Beethoven to be "good". It seems as the classical composers have been reduced to movie soundtracks or dance remixes.
Music critics and educators like to label songs and have them fit in certain genres, over-analyze the components of what makes a song great, and give scholarly analysis. But the bottom line is that songs are very subjective, just like an art. Songs are about emotions. They stir memories for you. If you've never heard Glen Miller back in 1933, his music would fall upon your deaf ears today. John Williams, one of the most well-known composers of today, has created the most recognizable classical songs, but since his pieces are forever tied to theme songs from movies, it's kind of hard to listen to him in your car without people laughing at you, right? Mozart kicks John Williams' butt, but the general public likes John Williams better now. And that's a fact.
Music is a social experience. When I blast 8-bit Nintendo songs on my CD player with the windows down, I get looks from people. Are Nintendo songs crap? To 99.99% of music listeners, YES, because they have been conditioned to hate it or not take it seriously. Besides, they have no words. But I still like it even though it IS crap. Music is music. It's a totally subjective experience.
I guess when people lecture about the "social relevance" of a song, they refer to a song connecting to a mass audience or showing an accurate portrayal of "The Truth" about a social problem or a natural human feeling. In that case, Bob Dylan should be recognized as the best, but his voice is odd, to say the least. Conversely, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is well-known and "relevant", but...why?
How about the "socially relevant" songs that YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD yet, because of your age, or because the song wasn't on the radio or never had a music video or wasn't used in Titanic? Have you heard all the millions of songs that ever existed? No. Is it fair to rank the Top 100 Most Influential Songs or Top 100 Best Quality Songs when the only reason the general public ever HEARD of those mainstream songs is because they were marketed?
Let's use "The Power" as an example of the anatomy of a pop song, and to show what I'm talking about. "The Power" came out in 1990, it was the first mainstream electronic pop songs that I was exposed to (although they probably had existed decades before, like the soundtrack from Midnight Express, but never got radio air time), and I LOVED IT. It used rap, too. I had no idea it was a hit in Germany or the U.K. Without the Internet, none of my teenage friends knew anything about the song, except that it was COOL.
Many other artists used samples from "The Power" and did remixes, so the song stayed in our consciousness for a while. In fact the voice samples which are so popular and synonymous with the song are not even from the original song. Over time, it became "mainstream". Relevant? I don't know. However, it seems important enough to put in commercials and movies, i.e. the song has no been forgotten.
Here's a listing of the appearances "The Power" has made since it's 1990 release:
Coyote Ugly (film)
Underdog Movie DVD Commercial
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie soundtrack.
Bruce Almighty soundtrack
The Fisher King as DJ Jack Lucas' show's theme music
Sung in the second episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and used later in a scene when Will goes to a pool hall.
The Perfect Weapon (1991) soundtrack.
Pampers training pants commercial
Hotels.com commercial
Energizer batteries commercial
Toyota power steering commercial ('90s)
I Love The 90s
A scene in Hudson Hawk
A striptease scene in Brigada.
During the floor exercise scene in the film Old School.
T-Mobile commercial
Neuf Telecom commercial (France, 2006)
Jet's Theme in UK Gladiators
Phil Taylor's Entrance Theme
Three Kings (film)
Marock (film)
Turkcell commercial (Turkey, 2007)
Terri Powers's entrance theme in Ladies Professional Wrestling Association.
Le Sancy commercial (India, 1992).
Tons of CD compilations, like "Best of the 1990's" or "Sports Themes"
Of course, you can hear the song during hockey and basketball games.
The song itself would fail any quantitative measures of excellence, but it's catchy and used in different media, so it has survived 18 years of being in our minds (although older people have no idea what it is). "The Power" truly has no deeper meanings and it is not a reflection of anything- it's just a good electronic song with a nice repeating vocal sample. It's OK when you hear it now, but so many better electronic songs have come after it. It's tempting to feel nostalgic and attached yourself to a song, and hard to apply objective measures of analyzing it.
So...coming back full circle here, what makes a song relevant? What is "relevance"? Does any of this really matter? I don't think so. I think a song's value should be based on personal taste, and attempts to rank or hold songs to a high standard are futile efforts. If you have an emotional attachment to a Billy Joel or U2 song, or if you believe "Freebird" is the best rock song of all time, more power to you. Your favorite song is your favorite song; I can't prove it any differently, and neither can some VH-1 Top 20 List, Rolling Stone magazine, or a history professor. Using sale figures, number of downloads, or great reviews simply doesn't cut it, since we are force-fed certain songs via radio, Yahoo, MTV, VH-1, TV Theme songs, video games, youtube, and movie soundtracks.
The irony is that, yes, you can find cool independent songs on the Net now that have cult followings, and your hard drive can store 50,000 songs, but there's only a few hundred that are allegedly "socially relevant" or "recognized" as being "good".
The conclusion is obvious: enjoy what you want to enjoy. Don't let society tell you what's good or bad. If you like an obscure song from the Netherlands, and feel it relates to you more than Simon & Garfunkel's entire work, by all means, enjoy it. Defy labels. We live in a world where only certain songs get mainstream airtime and music videos, but we also have the Internet where you can listen to independent musicians, world-wide stations streaming to your speakers, and have access to hundr
Howard Stern: trendsetter, influential, innovative, controversial, in the center of lawsuits, always fighting The Man, pushing the freedom of speech issue in our faces...his place in talk radio history has been assured. He's been on Sirius subscriber-only radio for the last few years, so it's very hard to gauge his quality now. After all, most of his listeners are fanatical loyalists who actually pay money to listen to him. However, I read some internet forums from some former subscribers, and have my own ideas.
