Last night in honor of Halloween (a holiday that I normally have no love for) I did manage to get in one monster film. As is expected for me, it was a Godzilla film.

Terror of Mechagodzilla or Mekagojira no Gyakush? ( ????????) is the last of the Showa or original series of Godzilla films. It's also one of the best.

The film is a direct sequel to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and generally picks up where the last movie left off. INTERPOL is searching for the remains of Mechagodzilla, apparently to study its technology. Strangely they can't find any space titanium but they do find a giant aquatic dinosaur which destroys their sub. It turns out this is Titanosaurus, a new monster, under the control of the mad scientist Dr. Mifune who has teamed up with the aliens of the Third Planet of the Black Hole. Teaming with Titanosaurus is a new upgraded version of Mechagodzilla.

The film, despite scoring the lowest ticket sales of any Godzilla film is a return to the greatness of much earlier Toho monster films without being flat out weird like Hedorah. While there are some rather silly elements to it (e. g. Godzilla saving some children from Titanosaurus) and the horrors of the dead and dying on the mass scale are kept relatively minimal, there is a dark and somewhat depressing look at the Mifunes, especially Dr. Mifune's daughter Katsura. Akira Ifukube's score is wonderful and it certainly fits the dark nature of the film.

I definitely say to watch this one but to skip the English dubbed version. There's an annoying intro tacked on with a completely innacurate narration. The Japanese version also has some scenes not included in the dubbed version.

Labels: Classics, Godzilla, Japanese, sci-fi

Classic tokusatsu fans rejoice! Iron King is here!

Iron King is a 26 episode series made in the vein of Ultraman and other such super heroes. Japan is under attack by various groups and, of course, they employ the latest monster robots. So who does Japan have to protect themselves against such treachery? Well a singing cowboy tough guy and his goofball red hat wearing sidekick who just happens to have the ability to transform into a giant robot super hero.

The show is excellent and really has a way about it that is unlike anything I've ever seen. There's tons of action and in the first two thirds of the series very interesting plot lines with bands of ancient Japanese nomads seeking revenge against the Yamato people. Later in the series the show shifts the enemies to aliens and the whole thing takes a turn downhill.

Still, despite a lackluster third story arc, I can heartily recommend Iron King to anyone who likes this sort of thing. Tokusatsu and kaiju fans will probably already own it but even if you're not a usual fan and you like weird Japanese stuff, this could be for you.

By the way, I used to be convinced that there were just some things that would never see a release here in America legally. I never thought even after the Ultraman discs were released that we'd see gems like this. What's next? Well BCI has some more series in the works including the already released Super Robot: Red Baron.

Labels: sci-fi, Tokusatsu, TV Shows

Here is a serial I've known about since I was a kid and never saw. It has one of those neat gimmick concepts of a singing cowboy fighting robots from an underground lost empire. While it should be fun as a serial, when it's crammed into a movie form it's just too spotty to follow. Plus the print is horrendous and just about unwatchable.

Skip this and try to find the serial.

Labels: Dollar DVD, sci-fi, Westerns

After watching a Japanese interpretation of an alien invasion last night with Invasion of the Astro Monster, I decided to take a look at an American interpretation tonight. For those worried, this review is, like the rest of my website, 100% Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning free.

War of the Worlds began its life as a novel by H. G. Welles. It took place in Victorian England and was a very pessimistic, satiric and depressing book. In this version the satire seems to be missing with the adaptation being more of an apocalyptic struggle somewhat akin to what people at the time would think of the Russian threat.

The film also has a distinctive religious feel to it with the aliens taking the place of the armies of Satan and the people reacting in different ways with some turning to brutality, many fleeing and some trying to solve the problems themselves while at the end we see the last of the people left just trusting in God to deliver them from the evil.

It's a great film and one of the few science fiction films that really can connect to me. It's as relevant today as it was over 50 years ago. Definitely recommended.

Labels: Action, Classics, sci-fi

It's no secret that I am a Godzilla fan so for those who don't want to read another one of my fanboy reviews full of praises for my favorite giant monster series, please read my reviews for Final Wars and Tokyo SOS.

Invasion of the Astro Monster (aka Monster Zero) is my absolute favorite of all the color Showa Godzilla films. While I do love Godzilla vs. the Thing, it's hard to negate the fact that Monster Zero is a very solid, albeit goofy film. It's also the only Godzilla movie I prefer dubbed over the subtitled version.

The reason I prefer the dubbed version is simple and his name is Nick Adams. Known to US audiences mostly as TV's Johnny Yuma or the blond guy who would show up on everything from Wanted: Dead or Alive to 77 Sunset Strip (and most anyone who ever appeared on that show is cool by me.) I however, will always remember him as the drunk Harvard man after Doris Day in Pillow Talk. Sadly, his acting career for some reason never took off to where it should have been. He was a top notch actor and his early death left a void in both Hollywood and Japan that was never filled. He is also, in my view, the best gajin to ever appear in a Godzilla movie. (I don't count Raymond Burr as he was edited into the first Godzilla film)

Anyway, the DVD is top notch. They have the subtitled version complete with Nick Adams being dubbed by a Japanese actor and the slightly edited American release complete with the Henry G. Saperstein titles, although they do not include the Astro Monster title card. The extras are nice although a bit scarce. I actually found myself enjoying the commentary and will have to give it a full listen as I just sampled it for the review.

My advice is to pick this up now. There isn't much left for Godzilla films. Classic Media will be releasing All Monsters Attack and, one of my favorites, Terror of Mechagodzilla later this year. That will only leave Megalon in limbo for an official release. Maybe someday ...

Labels: Classics, Godzilla, sci-fi

Anyone who has known me for a while should know my fondness for the original Japanese Godzilla films. When Godzilla 2000 hit theaters I was first in line to see it. I anxiously bought each and every film I could find. Then I somehow found myself bored. I suppose looking back it's not difficult to realize that there are only so many times you can watch the same 25 or so films. While new films were coming out, after Godzilla X Mechagodzilla, I decided to call it quits.

After watching the otaku orgasm known as Final Wars I was in no hurry to check out SOS. It's too bad as it seems to be the only semi-decent Godzilla film of the Millennium era outside of Godzilla 2000.

Tokyo SOS is a sequel to the incredibly boring Godzilla X Mechagodzilla. In this new timeline Godzilla has appeared in 1954 and was killed and later Japan decides to dig its bones up and use it as the framework for a new version of Mechagodzilla. After losing the first fight, the Japanese try again and this time Mothra's in for the ride. What we end up having is nothing more than a setup to a 45 minute long battle between the three monsters which, while exciting at times does drag on and I kind of wish they had made the characters somewhat more likable.

The real treat of the film is the first appearance of Hiroshi Koizumi since 1984. Here he reprises the roll of Dr. Chujo from the original Mothra film. It's a nice surprise and he plays the part nicely.

The biggest problems that this and the other Millenium films is that it seems to have become old hat. Godzilla, Mothra and Mechagodzilla have all been pretty much used too much. The Mothra trilogy of the 90s breathed some new life into the kaiju genre and it would be nice to see something like that. Unfortunately my guess is if they do start making Godzilla films again, they will be as stale and tired as this one.

I wonder if it's possible to go back in time and ask Toho to write a whole mess of Godzilla scripts using the sort or imagination they had then. If only ...

Labels: Godzilla, Japanese, sci-fi

No, not a sequel or a straight remake for that matter. The inappropriately named Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2 is actually a reimagining of Godzilla's foe and his duel with him.

Here Mechagodzilla is not created by aliens but is actually a machine created by a division of the UN to counter Godzilla. So instead of wasting all that money on scandals and child prostitutes like the United Nations usually does, they also created a counter-Godzilla operations department as well as selected several aces to pilot their anti-Godzilla weapons.

Okay, so this film is a real piece of work. On the good side you have some pretty cool monster fights between Godzilla and his mechanical doppelganger. Rodan actually makes an appearance as well and he holds up quite well although giving him a breath weapon in my view wasn't quite the best thing. Mechagodzilla looks quite nice here and his modernized look here I prefer over the version made in 2003, although the retro version is the best.

What's not to like is the fact that the film does drag for long periods. I ate this stuff up as a teenager and yet today it just doesn't seem as fun as the originals. Toho also tried to make this film more "internationally friendly" it seems with more CGI and a more international cast. What I mean by that is that they seem to have hired any white tourist off the street who looked the part. Their lack of acting ability was somewhat masked in the English dub but since that is not available here, their wooden deliveries are here for all to see.

That said, if you are a completionist, the disc only cost $5 from Hong Kong and it does have English subtitles. The video quality isnt reference material but it's not bad either. So go ahead, you don't have much to lose.

Labels: Godzilla, Japanese, sci-fi

Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Vol. #1:

This show begins with a strange story shown in the form of a grainy student film apparantly made by our main characters. It is certainly interesting, especially after seeing many such "fan films" myself over the years and the fanservice wasn't so bad, either.

Haruhi Suzumiya should be a normal high school girl. She excels in sports, gets good grades and is quite easy on the eyes. However it seems she is determined to find aliens, time travelers, espers and other such supernatural things. She drags a poor first year student, Kyon, who sits in front of her in class into her little club. What comes next is a series of misadventures with poor Kyon caught up in a world of insanity that unfolds around him.

It's not very often that I buy new releases of anime but for some reason Haruhi seemed to catch my eye. Perhaps it was the box or maybe the massive Haruhi dance at Anime Boston.

Labels: Anime, Comedy, Japanese, sci-fi

Frankenstein Conquers the World:

The heart of the legendary beast Frankenstein is found in war ravaged Germany and smuggled to Japan for various experiments. However just as Japanese scientists start their experiments the atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima and the heart is exposed to massive amounts of radiation causing Frankenstein to regenerate and this time he grows and grows! Of course, he then has to fact the Godzilla-like monster Baragon who just happens to show up at the same time.

This is one of Toho's weirder movies but it's also one of the most fun. The Frankenstein monster isn't really the same as what we are used to and a giant monster version seems a bit ludicrous at best. Baragon isn't too inspired as a monster, but he looks cool enough on his own. On the flip side the special effects are typical for Toho and Eiji Tsuburaya in that period and finally seeing the infamous devilfish scene was quite a treat.

The biggest strength here is the cast. We have many Toho regulars including Tadao Takahima and Kumi Mizuno with many of the regular Toho actors in minor roles. Of course the notable addition to the cast is Nick Adams, whom I refer to as the most underutilized actor in history. Watching him and Kumi Mizuno together here (and in Monster Zero) it's no wonder the Japanese tabloids had a field day speculating on the two of them.

I really am glad that I can see the day that many of Toho's kaiju and tokusatsu (special effects) films can be found so freely in America. I remember back when people were buying bootlegged VHS tapes or, like me, buying raw Japanese copies on laserdisc or settling for English dubbed versions. Back then we would have killed for releases such as this. Big props to Media Blasters for giving us what we've wanted for so long.

Highly Recommended!

Labels: Japanese, Kaiju, sci-fi

Chobits - Disc 4: Love Defined: Finishing up the night is the fourth volume of a rather enjoyable anime series. Chobits seems good at being a good silly and ecchi show when it wants to be.

On the other hand, beginning with the last episode the show is starting to add a decidedly more serious side, especially when it comes to the notion of people falling in love with their persocoms and thus avoiding the real world. I wonder if this is perhaps Clamp's way of telling us that we need to get off of our computers and away from our technology lest we be engulfed by it. Or perhaps I'm looking into it too much.

Labels: Anime, Japanese, sci-fi

Godzilla vs. Mothra: Continuing down the road of the Heisei films is this remake of the classic Mothra vs. Godzilla, which I reviewed earlier this week. Of course this film adds in some elements from the original Mothra movie while also adding in one of the coolest monsters ever, Battra.

While there is a lot to love in the form of the monster scenes, sadly there is a lot to dislike in the human scenes. There is a lot here taken from (or inspired by, take your pick) from Indiana Jones. Also much of the plot is ridiculous with an over-zealous environmentalist wacko theme that is quite unnecessary.

Still, I always liked this film and it's nice to have a subtitled copy. I've seen the film at least a dozen times before so it's hard not to recommend at the end.

Labels: Godzilla, Horror, Japanese, sci-fi

Mothra vs. Godzilla: Everyone has their favorite Godzilla film. Mine tends to alternate but it usually stays between the first one, Godzilla Raids Again and this film.

While on the surface this does look like just another movie with guys in rubber suits fighting one another, the human drama as well as simple themes of greed and, of course, nuclear radiation make this film a step above your average kiddy show fare.

Mothra vs. Godzilla is presented here in the finest form. Widescreen and dubbed or uncut and subtitled. Heck, they even had the original AIP prints with the "Godzilla vs. the Thing" title cards. The extras on Akira Ifukube and poster art are well appreciated. As always, I skipped the commentary track so I can't comment on that.

Highly recommended!

Labels: Godzilla, Horror, Japanese, sci-fi

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah: After buying a few of the Universe Heisei Godzilla region 3 releases, I decided it best to finish out the series. After reviewing the first two and Space Godzilla I went back and will now watch the rest in order. The Universe DVDs combine decent prints with English subtitles at a low price. The only downsides are that the English subtitles are coupled with the Chinese subtitles (ala VCD style) and some of the prints are non-anamorphic, like this one.

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is a bit of a mixed bag. Parts of the story border on creative and refreshing like the revisiting of Godzilla's origin but at other times the physics expressed in the movie are nothing like that of this world that it leaves many fans scratching their heads.

In this film some people from the future come back in time to get rid of Godzilla. For some reason, instead of dealing with him directly they make a stop in 1991 to get some help. Of course what they really intend to do is to get rid of Godzilla and have their own monster, King Ghidorah, to destroy Japan.

In the end this film holds up as a fun little romp but rather weak in the end. Still, this like the other Heisei films are in many ways "My Godzilla" as I discovered Godzilla not long before these came out to video here in the states. I thus have a fondness for these films even after seeing them each a dozen times or more.

If you're a G-fan, pick this up. Sony won't be rereleasing it subtitled anytime soon.

Labels: Godzilla, Japanese, sci-fi

Godzilla Raids Again: Directly on the heels of Classic Media's fabulous Gojira release is the second in the Showa Godzilla series Gojira no Gyakushu (known here in the states as either Gigantis the Fire Monster or more commonly now as Godzilla Raids Again.)

In this film Godzilla (or another of his species) is sighted and this time he is found fighting another prehistoric creature, Anguirus, in a battle for supremacy. Unlike subsequent Godzilla films the fighting between monsters is not the central part of the movie and, in many ways, the whole Godzilla story is a side story to the lives of those working for a small company of pilots who scout for fish schools.

This is, in my opinion, the biggest strength of the film. The human characters in Godzilla Raids Again are the most likable, in my view, over any other Godzilla film save perhaps the original. Hiroshi Koizumi makes his first appearance in what would become a long line of Toho kaiju films and he plays well but the most appealing character would be that of Kobayashi played by Kurosawa veteran Minoru Chiaki. His portrayal of Kobayashi is one that makes him one of the most interesting characters in any Godzilla movies.

The edited and dubbed version is on here but I would avoid it. The dub is too silly and it takes many liberties with the script. While it is better than the original "Volcano Monsters" idea, it still is bland and boring compared to the original.

Labels: Godzilla, Japanese, Kaiju, sci-fi

Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla: Godzilla moves further from his fearsome roots and adds more cutesy elements along with some mild romance in what is perhaps unfairly dubbed the worst of the Heisei (or second series) Godzilla films. It breaks away from the dark tone the previous films had (save for Godzilla vs. Mothra) and has a decidely different approach and feel in that it tries to tone down the level of violence for more of a family style film in the mold of the 70s Godzilla films.

Space Godzilla himself has to have one of the worst backstories a monster ever had. While other Heisei era monsters at least had the benefit of science that almost made sense, Space Godzilla was created by some of Godzilla's cells going into space via Biollante and going through a black hole and coming out a white hole and somehow getting back to earth before ten million years passed. He does look cool enough, though beig the sort of Godzilla's evil-twin with a more reptilian look and crystals instead of Godzilla's stegosaurus-like spines. He can also fly and use telekinesis, neither of which is ever explained. Still he is pretty nifty nonetheless and is interesting by himself.

I do think this film does get a bad rep, though. I can fondly remember the day I went to Sam Goody in Aviation Mall in Glens Falls NY and seeing this and Godzilla vs Destroyah on the VHS shelf and so wanting these so badly that as a broke 16 year old I asked my dad if he could loan me the money. I remember that he finally gave in and loaned me the money which, by the way, I insisted on paying back even at a few dollars at a time.

Once I bought this film it certainly was watched. I remember when I was back in highschool with an endless amount of free time and a very limited budget and film collection I had the ability to rewatch things to death and yes, Space Godzilla was watched a lot. So much so that watching it now is a little tedious. Still, it's a good movie and no Godzilla fan should miss this one. Also for it's cleap price (HK$35) anyone with a region free player won't have to.

Labels: Godzilla, Horror, sci-fi

As my internet has been down for the last few days, I have really not had been able to get online to update my blog with any real success. This is due to Time Warner "fixing" some lines and, of course, not warning us in advance and only letting us know in response to complaints in the newspaper. Same old shit Adelphia gave us ...

Godzilla Vs Biollante: After reviewing Gojira 1984 it makes sense to go somewhat in order to the next Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Biollante. Biollante is a direct sequel to 84 and would establish Godzilla's longest reoccurring human character in that of psychic Miki Saegusa (played by G-legend Megumi Odaka.)

Biollante would in many ways be, at least for me, the high water mark of the Heisei series. In keeping with the theme of the last film, the film attempts to be a more realistic portrayal of Godzilla and his foes than that of the space aliens, ancient civilizations and such of the Showa series. Ironically this would be the last time as the next film, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, has time travel and aliens. Biollante has science fiction in that Godzilla's DNA is used to make a hybrid with that of a rose and a human. Of course while the science is not always accurate, it does seem to work and make sense in a universe where an atomic weapon can awaken an eons old creature.

The presentation on the disc is quite nice too. The video quality is excellent as is the sound. The Chinese and English subtitles are, like the release of 84, placed together as they would be on a laser disc or VCD. I do not know the reasoning for this but I assume it might be a Toho demand. Either way, this one is definitely worth buying.

Labels: Godzilla, Horror, sci-fi

Gamera the Brave: Returning to his roots is the flying, fire-breathing turtle in his newest feature film.

The story centers around a boy named Toro. He finds a glowing red stone with an egg in it. The egg hatches into a turtle which he names Toto. Of course this is no ordinary turtle as he can fly and breath fire and grows at an alarming rate. Around this same time a giant monster, named Zedus, appears and starts to eat people. It becomes clear that Toto is in fact Gamera (or at least a spawn of Gamera) and that his destiny is to fight Zedus.

In contrast to the Heisei films, this Gamera film is much less violent in terms of human casualties. No longer do we see bodies flying in the air blown up by fireballs. What we do see is quite a bit of monster fighting, which is definitely a lot of fun. The other departure from the Heisei films is the fact that Gamera is once again motivated by, and in some ways gets his power from, the children. This is certainly bringing Gamera back to the old Showa films and is certainly a welcome change.

One last thing, Zedus reminded me a bit of Barugon due to the tongue. Too bad they didn't bring him back as he was my favorite monster.

Labels: Gamera, Horror, Kaiju, sci-fi

Drive In Double Feature: Prince of Space + Invasion of the Neptune Men: Did you ever have a DVD release you anticipated so much and when you finally got it, you were immensely disappointed? That was, I'm afraid, the case with this. It had great promise and yet failed due to a mishandling of the source material.

The films are familiar to MST3K fans everywhere. They are basically two of the many films that popped up in Japan as a response to the Starman films. While they are indeed watchable if you like that sort of campy action, the films were presented in a fake widescreen format they were never intended to be shown in. In the case of both films, they chopped the top and bottom off to make a fake widescreen print. The saddest to come out of this was Neptune Men which was shot as a 2.35:1 "scope" film and was reduced to pan & scan and then chopped. Oh well, at least I have my Japanese laserdisc for that one, but Prince of Space is not available anywhere.

Labels: Bad Movies, Japanese, sci-fi

The Return of Godzilla: Returning from his slumber for his 30th anniversary, Godzilla attacks Japan once again in the first of the second series of Godzilla starting what would come to be called the Heisei Godzilla films. Godzilla stripped away the more juvenile aspects of his later films like Godzilla vs Megalon and Terror of Mechagodzilla and went back to his roots with a rather dark, moody and, at times, topical film.

The Return of Godzilla was released in America as Godzilla 1985 with some of the Japanese footage edited out and new scenes featuring Raymond Burr, reprising his inserted role from the original, were added. While that version is perhaps best left forgotten, the VHS tape was the only way that the English speaking world could watch the film until now as all US releases are caught up in a rather muddy rights issue. For Godzilla fans, this release is certainly a Godsend.

Somewhat surprisingly, Universe Laser didn't do a terrible job with this release. While it is region coded 3 and fans have to use a region free player to watch it, they kept the price down (I paid less than $5) and the audio and video quality are excellent.

If you are a Godzilla fan and you have a region free player, which you should have, pick this DVD up today.

Labels: Godzilla, Horror, Japanese, sci-fi

Gojira: It has finally come to Region 1 DVD and monster movie fans can rejoice. Gojira is arguably the best of the Japanese monster movies ever made and it's a shame that it has taken so long for it to arrive here. While I will concede that the film alone is worth the purchase, the DVD did not live up to my expectations.

Gojira, or Godzilla as he is better known, made his debut in this film. While it is somewhat of a Japanese retelling of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, he is instead of just being a prehistoric beast but one who has been mutated thanks to radiation from the H-Bomb tests. He then wreaks havoc on Tokyo and is only brought down by the oxygen destroyer. Of course he would be back for many more sequels but it is this one, and its 1955 sequel Godzilla Raids Again, that stand in my mind as the best and most watchable films.

The DVD is about as good as one can expect, I'm afraid. I was hoping for the moon but sadly the print hasn't aged well and if my memory serves me correctly, the Toho R2 release looked a lot better. On the bright side, this one has subtitles where the R2 does not.

The American version is also included but quite frankly I didn't bother to watch it as I have seen it a few times and while it's good, it is just not as good as the original uncut version.

So, my verdict is that if you are a fan, most likely you've already bought this. If not, you should.

Labels: Godzilla, Horror, Japanese, sci-fi

The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: While I wouldn't exactly call it an "Ultimate Collection," I would say that it is a fairly decent set as far as a collection of lesser Universal horror movies can go. For this release, I will start the review and add entries as each movie is reviewed.

One peculiar thing to note is that this was a Best Buy exclusive. It seems strange to make a set like this exclusive but then, I suppose that these films are not what you'd call the greatest films ever made. They were made with a budget and use a hefty dose of stock footage and Henry Mancini composed stock music. Of course In my opinion one of the best features of these films was the use of Universal's talent in such B-stars as John Agar and Leo G. Carroll as well as others who would make their memorable marks on television like Hugh Beaumont, Hank Patterson and Raymond Baily. The plots are usually simple and most often feature a cool scientist or doctor, a cute girl, some old men and a monster. You can't really ask for much more in a film, can you?

Now, on to the movies!

Tarantula: Universal's forays into the giant bug genre may not have been the first, but they did produce some of the better ones. Tarantula is a story of a bug who got a hefty dose of a radioactive serum that was somehow meant to help the world's food supply. Of course it makes a big problem in the form of a giant spider which attacks the locals.

All in all, a decent B monster film.

By the way, if the leader of the jet squadron looks and sounds familiar, it's because it's a young Clint Eastwood before Rawhide made him a star.

The Mole People: Not Yet Reviewed

The Incredible Shrinking Man: Not Yet Reviewed

The Monolith Monsters: Not Yet Reviewed

Monster on the Campus: Wow! An ancient fish is found whose blood can somehow make man reverse the evolution process and become a monster. With all the phony science (evolution et. all) we get a guy in a rubber mask who kills, a giant puppet dragonfly and Troy Donahue! Total cheese that deserves to be forgotten.

Originally posted: 10/25. Updated: 10/29

Labels: Classics, sci-fi

Attack of the Giant Leeches: A pretty bland and stupid horror movie from executive producer Roger Corman. It's bland, dull and not at all interesting. Yet it is rather disturbing at times and I can't reccomend it to anyone but those who like crap. However, if you must see this film, I would advise you instead to check out The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 6. At least Joel and the bots are enough to keep you awake.

Labels: Cheap DVDs, sci-fi

Forbidden Planet: There were a lot of science fiction films made in 1956 but I can pretty much guarantee that Forbidden Planet out shines them all, at least as far as special effects are concerned. From the now famous Robby the Robot to the excellent use of matte paintings and set design, Forbidden Planet holds up very well some fifty years after its initial release. Even in an age of CGI and advanced robotics and puppetry a modern movie would be hard pressed to make a more believable setting than this film.

The plot, on the other hand, was nothing particularly special. It was a good movie but nothing was particularly more complex than your standard B sci-fi movie. However unlike most science fiction films of the time, there were no real hammy performances to speak of and Leslie Neilson was especially good as the Captain. If only they could do something like this today, I might be back to the movies.

Labels: sci-fi

Assignment: Outer Space: Back in the 50s until about the 70s, cheap foreign sci-fi films somehow made their way to the US in the form of dubbed features that were released either to theaters for the drive-in or rundown theater circuit. According to the imdb, this film was released as a triple bill to theaters with First Spaceship on Venus and The Mysterians. This one is closer to the crap of First Spaceship as opposed to the watchable film of The Mysterians.

This film has a rather infamous scene in it where a spaceship crashes and stock footage of an explosion is inserted rather clumsily in that it plainly shows a car blowing up on a street. Apparently the cheesy special effects department ran out of models to explode. Of course, I wouldn't expect much from a director who has such credits as "Cannibal Apocalypse" under his belt.

By the way, I think Paul Frees was doing some of the voices but I was falling asleep (dare I say, 'spacing out') during most of the movie.

To end this otherwise dull and depressing blog post on a high note, I will give a sort of fond memoir for Alpha Video. I remember when my brother and I first found them at DVDEmpire for $3.60 and we bought a ton of them. It was as if they couldn't get any cheaper. Yet the dollar DVDs came and they have all but disappeared from store shelves. Ironically when I got this one at the dollar store, it was a "cut out" as if it was a real DVD release. They are still around and all and even have some exclusive titles, you just don't see them in the bins at FYE and such anymore. Honestly though, the only thing Alpha ever had going for them was their covers. They at least tried where others do not.

Labels: Bad Movies, Cheap DVDs, sci-fi