In the 1990’s, director Shusuke Kaneko re-imagined and re-energized the giant Japanese monster known as Gamera. Made in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, the original Gamera films were generally regarded as Z-grade trash. (No less than five Gamera movies were featured on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”.) Gamera, the creature, was a giantContinue Reading
Originally titled Sora no daikaiju Radon (Giant Monster of the Sky Radon) in its native Japan, Rodan tells the tale of Kitamatsu, a coal mining town that is reeling from the apparent murder of a miner and the disappearance of the likely culprit. The missing perpetrator, Goro (Rinsaku Ogata), isContinue Reading
“What are you talking about?” says young Ethan (Cody Arens) as Jack (Robert Forster) attempts to tell him the Korean legend that is the backstory of Dragon Wars: D-War (aka D-War in its native Korea,) an absolutely absurd fantasy movie that tries to combine elements of The Lord of theContinue Reading
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a requiem is “a musical composition in honor of the dead.” Let us all hope that Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is titled as such because it marks the death of this series. The movie takes place immediately after the events of Alien vs. Predator. AContinue Reading
Cloverfield opens with a military time code and color bars, which inform us that the footage we’re about to see is from a camera recovered in what was formerly Central Park. The footage reveals the following scenario: Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is about to leave for Japan on a new job.Continue Reading
Following the massive success of 1954’s Gojira, the first Godzilla film, Toho Studios ordered another film quickly be made. Godzilla Raids Again, the first of what would eventually be a series of many Godzilla movies, was rushed into production. Made and released only six months after the original film, the movie exhibitsContinue Reading
Giant monster movies — especially those made in Japan during the 1960s — are usually viewed as campy, kitschy, or children’s entertainment. How seriously can a viewer take a movie that’s essentially comprised of a man in a rubber suit destroying a model of Tokyo as toy planes and tanksContinue Reading