Monster Movie of the Week: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (1974)
Director: Ichiro Honda
Genre: Kaiju eiga
Country: Japan

THE MOVIE

By the mid-1970’s, the Godzilla series was beginning to fizzle out with increasingly silly and cheaply made entries into the franchise. Movies like Godzilla’s Revenge and Godzilla vs. Megalon represent an all time low for the series. These movies introduced us to characters like Jet Jaguar, an Ultraman wannabe who can change his size at will, an army of short shorts wearing Kennys and the most horrifying incarnation of Godzilla’s spawn, Minya, who is a spiritual forefather to both Jar Jar Binks and the Ewoks.

If his father is Godzilla, then who's his mother? Carol Channing?

While 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is a step above those entries, it is also fairly representative of this fairly miserable period in Godzilla’s history. It features the hated “Muppet” Godzilla suit with its googly eyes and throw pillow dorsal spines as well as a cheesy plot involving yet another group of aliens trying to take over the earth. What’s more telling is the movie’s plot, in which aliens attempt to frame Godzilla by building a mechanical doppelganger. Think about that for a second. At this point in Godzilla’s career he has lost so much street cred that he can actually be framed for destroying a city. When a monster is prophesied to destroy the earth, one of the characters states, “I never thought it would be Godzilla.” Um, what? At some point between 1954 and 1974 Godzilla went from nuclear hell beast to Cookie Monster.

Cooookies!

That being said, the movie does introduce us to one Godzilla’s most popular antagonists, Mechagodzilla, who was one the few monsters from the late Showa movies to actually be carried over into the later Heisei and Shinsei series of movies. Mechagodzilla is, of course, a mechanical version of Godzilla.

In these later Showa movies, Godzilla and his opponents always manage to meet up in strangely deserted rural areas.

In his original two Showa appearances he is an evil robot created by aliens to fight Godzilla. In this movie he even sports a fake skin so that he can impersonate the big guy, sort of a kaiju version of the Terminator. The Showa Mechagodzilla has remained a popular character due to his unique powers and retro design. There doesn't seem to be any part of his body that does not shoot lasers or missles and he even features finger and toes projectiles. The classic Mechagodziila is more portly and less svelte than his later versions and is made from “Space Titanium” with a boilerplate aesthetic that is almost steampunk by today’s standards.

This movie also popularized the "mecha" concept in the Godzilla series, although it was previously introduced in the Toho-verse in King Kong Escapes, which featured Mechanikong. In addition to the other two Mechagodzillas, there was also a cyborg version of King Ghidorah in 1991's Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. In the cartoon series based off of the American Godzilla movie, the mechanically resurrected version of that monster was known as Cyber Godzilla.

INFLUENCES/RIPOFFS

I love Godzilla movies but they are pretty shameless in their, um, homages to other movies. This movie features some dreadful gorilla aliens that can only have been inspired by the then popular Planet of the Apes movies and an Interpol subplot seemingly rejected from a James Bond movie.

"This is another fine mess you've gotten us into Cornelius."

MONSTERS/EFFECTS

This movie also features an appearance from Anguirus who looses a surprisingly bloody fight to Mechagodzilla that ends with a neat visual reference to King Kong. King Seesar makes his first (and until 2004, his only) appearance. Seesar is an monster visually inspired by various Asian mythological creatures, although his little statue actually looks a lot cooler than he does. He can only be described as a dragon/bunny/monkey man who has reflective eye powers and no other abilities to speak of.

King Seesar's day job consists of sitting in front of a Chinese restaurant.

DVD AVAILABILITY

Available in various versions. The movie was re-released back in the late 1990’s in time for the American Godzilla movie.

SEQUELS

Mechagodzilla, shooting his LSD ray.

Okay, this movie was directly followed by Terror of Mechagodzilla the next year marking the creature’s second appearance and the end of the Showa series of Godzilla movies.

Mechagodzilla also appeared (as a human creation based on technology recovered from Mecha King Ghidorah) in 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II which was NOT a sequel to this movie.

In the Millenium series, came a pair of movies (the only interconnected movies in that series), Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and its sequel Tokyo SOS which again featured Mechagodzilla as a human creation designed to battle Godzilla and in this case a cyborg made from the bones of the ’54 Godzilla.

Anguirus and King Seesar would both not appear again until 2004’s Godzilla Final Wars. Anguirus would become a mainstay of Atari’s Godzilla fighting games starting with 2001’s Destroy All Monsters Melee and Seesar would make his first fighting game appearance in Godzilla Unleashed for the Wii, which also features all three Mechagodzillas as playable characters.

TRAILER

LOST Is Questioned.

Somehow people have put it in their heads that if you tell them you saw the LOST finale that's an open invitation for them to then tell you:

A) They loved it.
B) They hated it.
C) No Ricky I didn't dress up as Kate to watch it.


Now say what you will about the episode, dressing up as Kate ranks right up there when I dressed up as Kirstie Alley for the final episode of Cheers. And I had the outfit first Evangeline.

Looking back, I think about the finale of LOST the same way I think about sex, "It's over now. Let's move on. Why can't I stop crying?" It's no coincidence that the last thought is a question. LOST was about questions. Some were answered. Others were not. Here's a pretty solid list of questions that were not answered as asked by College Humor's Jeff Rubin.



Follow me on Twitter here!

For Us Fu@*&in' Dorks Who Love LOST

Tonight is the final episode of LOST. Here's an exclusive look with Sarah Silverman.

MONSTER MOVIE OF THE WEEK-DAMN DIRTY APE EDITION-PLANET OF THE APES (1968)

PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
Director: Franklin Schaffner
Genre: Sci-Fi

THE MOVIE

Few movies have had the legacy and made the social impact of the classic 1968 science fiction movie, Planet of the Apes. Like another 1968 science fiction movie that featured ape creatures, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes was from those heady days when science fiction films were about Big Ideas and using the trappings of the genre to make a philosophical or socio-political commentary about the world. It was produced before a time when the genre became a playground for action and special effects. Compare it to its very inferior 2001 remake, which was about nothing and had nothing to say. Many essays and papers have been written about the movie and its subtext. In fact, an entire book has been written about the movie and its sequels and how they serve as a commentary on 1960’s America: Eric Green’s very interesting, Planet of the Apes as American Myth: Race, Politics, and Popular Culture.

The movie is also a pop cultural landmark and even people who have never seen Planet of the Apes can be found referencing or quoting it. The movie starred the late Charlton Heston, who chewed out some memorable lines such as “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!” and “It’s a mad house! A mad house!” The term “Planet of the Apes” has come to be a short hand for any kind of situation in which the expected social order has been reversed. Perhaps the movie is most famous for its shocking twist ending, which has since become one of the most iconic moments in the history of cinema.

Planet of the Apes is very loosely based on the French novel of the same name and written by Pierre Boule as a sort of Swiftian satire on human society. The book was adapted by Rod Serling of the beloved TV show, The Twilight Zone. As he often did with his show, Serling infused Planet of the Apes with subtextual social commentary, profound irony, and surprising plot twists. The other writer to have worked on the script for Planet of the Apes was Michael Wilson, who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy era and who no doubt added his bitterly anti-establishment sentiments in the depiction the ape society.

Apes was also one of the first movies to spin off into a real multimedia franchise. The movie was followed by four sequels and later both an animated and a live action TV series. Because of the series’ popularity with children, Planet of the Apes was one of the first movies to feature a line of action figures and other products, paving the way for the merchandising bonanza that followed the Star Wars movies.

Planet of the Apes is the tale of a misanthropic astronaut named Taylor, who is the leader of an expedition to a distant planet. The details of the expedition and its intent are a little murky but Taylor travels with three astronaut companions. It is implied that the four astronauts were to colonize a distant planet. However, while they are in hibernation, their ship crash lands on a mysterious planet where the Taylor and the two other survivors encounter a race of primitive, mute human beings. No sooner are Taylor and the others ready to divvy up the planet for themselves, when they are attacked by a hunting party of apes who talk and ride horses. Taylor is injured in the attack and he is captured and caged like an animal.

As stated above, Charlton Heston portrays Taylor in a bit of casting that is weird but perfect. At the time, Heston was a movie star well known for his heroic roles and was almost a symbol traditional blond-haired, blue-eyed American manhood. In Apes, he plays an edgy antisocial character who is literally stripped, beaten, and humiliated. I’ve often wondered why the famously conservative actor (he was the spokesperson for the NRA) was attracted to this script with its clearly left-wing subtext.

Taylor is befriended by a pair of chimpanzee scientists (Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowell) who discover that he has the ability to speak, which no human has demonstrated on the Planet of the Apes. We also learn that the ape society is stratified into three classes: the gorillas serve as the workers and the military, the chimps are the scientists and intellectuals, and the fair-haired orangutans are the political and religious leaders. It doesn’t seem that individual apes can break out of these social roles.

Taylor and his chimp friends are brought before an ape council lead by the shady Dr. Zaius. Taylor’s ability to speak and his demonstrated intelligence threaten the ape society and he is sentenced to castration and lobotomy before he escapes and explores the “Forbidden Zone” where the chimpanzees have discovered proof of an advanced pre-simian civilization. At the end of the movie, the true history of the Planet of the Apes is revealed.

THE MONSTERS/EFFECTS

Sorry Mr. Heston, but the real star of Planet of the Apes is the incredibly expressive make-up created by John Chambers. Over forty years later, this make-up still holds up and manages to create the illusion of talking ape characters while still allowing the actor’s performance to be expressed naturally on camera and never once looking silly. Foam appliqués over the mouth and brow give the characteristic simian look to the face. The only drawback to this is that the ape teeth are actually built into the flexible foam mouthpiece and can move in an unnatural way during speech.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

“You maniacs! You blew it all to hell!”

DVD AVAILABILITY

The Apes movies have been fortunate to have received a lot of home video love over the years. Of course, Planet of the Apes is available on its own, but I suggest you take a look at the some of the boxed sets which are very nice. On DVD, the most recent one is the Legacy Collection. If you have a Bluray player, check out the 40th Anniversary Collection, which can frequently be bought on Amazon for fairly cheap. The video transfer is amazing considering the movie’s age and Planet of the Apes has never looked better. The set includes the great documentary Behind the Planet of the Apes, which is interactive on the Bluray. The Bluray set also includes a beautifully illustrated book about the series and the very rarely seen extended cut of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. It’s really a fantastic set and if you are a fan of these movies, you should definitely pick it up.


SEQUELS

This movie was immediately followed by the sub-par (no pun intended) Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) and the surprisingly good Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) and two others.

TRAILER



...my all time favorite Simpsons moment

Have You Talked To That New LCD Soundsystem?

Here's two reasons why you should pick up LCD Soundsystem's new album This Is Happening.

Reason #1:



Reason Numero Dos:



Simple enough right? Go talk to that. It will do you no harm.

MONSTER MOVIE OF THE WEEK: THE BLOB (1958)

The Blob (1958)
Director: Ivan Yeaworth
Genre: Teen/Sci-Fi/HorrorTHE MOVIE

It's hard to believe that there was a time when there were not movies aimed at teen audiences. While today, a huge chuck of movies and media are aimed at the free-spending teen market, it was only in the 1950's that a distinct "teen culture" emerged, with its own stars, music, and movies. The Blob is aimed directly at that audience and quite shamelessly panders to it with its group of young heroes who rally to save their town from an alien menace despite the clueless and disbelieving adults. It also introduced moviegoers to Steve McQueen who went on to become an iconic American movie star.


Among all of the schlocky 1950's monster movies, The Blob stands out as one of the more memorable ones and has a rich legacy in American pop culture. The movie also features one of the most unique movie monsters of its time. The Blob also had it's own comedic sequel in the 1970's, Beware! The Blob and a pretty cool 1988 remake. Rumor has it that a new remake is in preproduction to directed by Rob Zombie. The movie also popularized the word "blob" into the public lexicon, to the dismay of fat kids everywhere.


THE MONSTER/EFFECTS

Believe it or not, the Blob is actually based on an observed phenomenon: Star Jelly, a gelatinous substance that has been observed around meteorites (although still not scientifically verified). An incident of Star Jelly in the '50's actually inspired The Blob. Despite the technicolor 1950's presentation, the Blob seems to have its roots in Lovecraftian horror, because, if nothing else, H. P. Lovecraft sure loved him some shapeless slimy monstrosities.

While in its purest form, the Blob is nothing more than a slimy gelatinous mass but during the course of the movie, it attaches to people, consumes them and grows to a larger size, until it is able to wrap itself around a small diner. As far as movie aliens go, the Blob is actually quite credible. Instead of a big-headed tentacle monster who arrives on a flying saucer, I can totally buy a simple, voracious overgrown germ which hitches a ride on a meteor. As a monster is rife with horror, but this movie, understandably, plays it a little safe. I mean, the possibilities are certainly there: a creature than can envelope, suffocate, and consume you and is translucent so you can see it happening is pretty hardcore.

The effects, while effective for 1958, leave a lot to be desired as far as selling the creature, usually the Blob is being pretty obviously manipulated by someone off camera.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

The creature's slow consumption of the old man at the beginning of the movie is quite effective, as is the make-up application. It's a genuinely creepy element of body horror.

DVD AVAILABILITY

Available in a nice Criterion Collection set on DVD.

No Bluray as of yet.

SEQUELS

Beware! The Blob 1972

THE TRAILER

MONSTER MOVIE OF THE WEEK: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010)

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010)

Genre: Family/Animation/Comedy
Directors: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

THE MOVIE

When it comes to quality animated features, Dreamworks doesn't have the track record of Pixar, and for every Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, there are a bunch of snarky kiddie movies filled with smirking, pop-culture referencing characters. How to Train Your Dragon is a big step above the usual Dreamworks fare and better than some of the lesser Pixar movies. It was released as part of the post-Avatar 3D boom and actually takes advantage of format very well for some very thrilling sequences.

How to Train Your Dragon is the story of a Viking tween named Hiccup (who seems to be physically modeled on Jon Krasinski, although voiced by Jay Baruschel), who is the son of the chieftain of a remote village which is at war with bands of dragons which frequently attack. The whole culture of the village is based on fighting with dragons, and it is considered a coming-of-age ritual to kill one. Hiccup is smarter than he is tough, and spends most of his time sketching and inventing contraptions. As the son of the leader, he is at once sheltered and under pressure to prove himself. During a particular nasty dragon attack on the village, Hiccup sneaks off with his new invention, a kind of net catapult which manages to actually down a dragon somewhere outside the village.

The next day, Hiccup ventures off to find the beast to finish it off and discovers a rare black dragon, the Night Fury, bound and injured by his net. As much as he wants to prove himself to his father and his peers, Hiccup cannot bring himself to kill the wounded animal , and releases it into the large sinkhole in which it has crashed but from which it cannot escape due to its injured tail fin. Hiccup and the the dragon, Toothless, gradually build up trust and a touching friendship a la Elliot and E.T, Hogar and the Iron Giant, etc. Meanwhile, Hiccup is being forced by his father into training to be a dragon slayer. Of course, things come to a head, and Hiccup must make a choice about what he is to be and he discovers the secret behind the source of the dragon attacks on the island.

I really like this movie a lot. Hiccup actually becomes a very appealing character by the end of the movie. It is always interesting to watch a character forced to choose between the fate that has been assigned to him and the fate that he knows is right. Over the course of the movie, Hiccup follows his instincts and becomes a kind of naturalist and he has a transformational effect on the other villagers his age. For kids, it teaches a great lesson about the value of patience and observation over knee-jerk violence.



THE MONSTER/EFFECTS

How To Train Your Dragon features quite a few dragon designs and most of them are very whimsical. All of the different dragon species have their own distinctive abilities which have all been compiled by the movie's resident dragon expert into a book which is reminiscent of the Dragonology books that have become popular with kids. How To Train Your Dragon itself is very loosely based on a series of kids books.

The only two non-cartoony creatures are Toothless and the giant Godzilla-sized alpha dragon at the end of the movie. Toothless is wonderfully designed and animated and is probably the best and most original dragon character ever put to film. With his big yellow eyes and pointy "ears, " and slinky feline movements he manages to evoke a giant cranky black cat. I'd be shocked if he wasn't directly based off of one of the animator's pet cat. Toothless is the epitome of the giant powerful creature that all little boys fantasize about befriending. As his species distinctive "power," Toothless is able to produce a kind of weird purple plasma shockwave bolt from his mouth. The directing team for How To Train Your Dragon was also in charge of Disney's Lilo & Stitch and there is a lot in common in how they handle both central creatures. They have a great way of bringing out personality and character in these animated creatures.


DVD AVAILABILITY

Still in theaters as of this writing.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

The first scene between Hiccup and Toothless really clues you in to the fact that you are into something special. You can see a bit of it in the trailer, as Hiccup approaches the bound dragon and you can see the look of suspicion and then resignation on Toothless' face. This is a really well-animated, silent scene which is a rare thing in the very high energy world of Dreamworks animated movies where characters are always working non-stop to entertain you. This scene really gets me.

SEQUELS

This movie has been doing quite well at the box office and Dreamworks has just greenlit a sequel, setting this up to be their new animated franchise with the retirement of Shrek.

SEE ALSO
E.T. 1982 The Iron Giant 1999 The Water Horse 2007 King Kong 2005 Gamera The Brave 2004

THE TRAILER

Happy Birthday James Brown Good GodZammaBammaZeeerreeeeeYouuuuu!

It's James Brown's Birthday Today! HEH!

Let's remember the funny times. HAAAAAAIH!



Let's remember the funky good times AAAAAAINNNH!



Let's not forget the not so good times SHO' YA' RIGHT!



And then there's the Holy Goddamn What Is This shit times ZIIIIIIREEEEYOUUUUUUU!!!!