Poor editing and uneven pacing dampen the impact of the monster scenes but the creatures themselves look great. The poster for The Lake, a 2022 creature feature from Thailand, features the tagline “A Monster Will Rise.” And, indeed, a monster does rise. Two of them, in fact. Unfortunately, no oneContinue Reading
It feels half-hearted and lacks the energy of earlier Toho kaiju movies. Since I was a little kid, I’ve been a fan of Japanese giant monster movies. When I’d watch them on TV during Saturday afternoons, I’d always be disappointed if the movie didn’t feature Godzilla or Gamera. There weren’tContinue Reading
Michael Pare shows that, when given the proper role, he can still turn in an engaging, enthusiastic effort. If you were asked,”What’s your favorite werewolf movie?” would you even think of 1996’s Bad Moon? Probably not. Before this year, I’d never heard of it. That’s a shame because it’s anContinue Reading
The real draw here is the stop-motion octopus by Ray Harryhausen. In this simplistic atomic-age monster thriller, a giant octopus rises from the depths of the Pacific Ocean and attacks San Francisco. But not before it sinks a fishing boat and tangles with a nuclear-powered submarine. Since that isn’t enoughContinue Reading
The 1958 original remains superior but the 1988 version is an unappreciated classic in its own right. Whenever a studio remakes a classic film to “update” it for a new generation of viewers, the result is usually a pale imitation of the original. 1988’s The Blob, an update of theContinue Reading
This “world of fantastic adventure” resembles my backyard. All things must have a beginning. 1955’s King Dinosaur marked the start of producer/director Bert I. Gordon’s career. Eventually known as “Mr. BIG,” Gordon constructed a résumé chock full of B-grade creature features, most of which center around abnormally large animals orContinue Reading
Rick Baker’s makeup effects are the standout achievement in this otherwise shoddy production. Sometime in 1977, I remember watching a special on TV about the movies coming out later in the year. I don’t remember any mention of a movie called Star Wars, but I do remember a preview forContinue Reading