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Reviews
Beyond Re-Animator (2003)
Tons of macabre fun!
Loved this third Re-animator, and wish Dr. West would shoot some re-agent into those self-important, whiny geeks(most of whom were likely in diapers when the first film was released) who are dissing it. Capturing the same fiendish spirit on display in Hammer's Frankenstein films(to which this series owes every bit as much as it does to Lovecraft's stories), BEYOND is ghoulish, gory and cartoonish, with a predictably wonderful turn by Combs and some great sequences. Sure, there wasn't much that could be called "original" in it, but the requisite elements were there in abundance, and handled with zest. BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR is a great sequel! Can't wait for more of Herbert West!
Relax, terminal movie-haters. In two weeks, you'll have the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake to satisfy your undying need to b*tch about something!
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
FANTASTIC!!!
Everything I wanted it to be and much, much more! Excellent story and better-than-one-could-hope-for performances lead to the rarest of cinematic rarities - a climactic fight that really delivers the goods. The effects are fantastic and the kills are truly inventive. No fan of either series should be disappointed, and the movie has more than enough thrills to win some new fans.
Without a doubt, my favorite movie of 2003!!
Creatures the World Forgot (1971)
Highly Underrated!
CREATURES is a blast! It eschews the stop-motion dinosaurs of ONE MILLION YEARS BC and WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH and concentrates on the struggles of primitive men in a bleak, prehistoric world. Despite the smirking ad campaign and much-ballyhooed adult rating, CREATURES spends far less time than its predecessors showcasing the anatomical blessings of its female cast members and places more emphasis on the brutality of early man's daily life. The girls are certainly an eyeful, but they are nowhere near as groomed or glamorous as Raquel Welch or Victoria Vetri.
The film stands out in many ways. There is no opening narration and no dialogue to speak of. Instead of using the gibberish language of the earlier films, the "Creatures" say very little, grunting and gesturing to communicate with one another. The solid performances make this surprisingly effective. The movie also inverts the formula established by its predecessors, moving the requisite cataclysmic volcanic eruption to the beginning and letting the human drama dominate the climax. This unusual structure lends extra weight to the finale.
I went in wondering how grunting cavemen(even the curvy kind like Julie Ege!) could hold my attention for 90 minutes without dinosaurs to fight. To my joy, the film is actually quite entertaining. The birth, life and struggle of two brothers vying for leadership of the tribe has an almost Biblical quality, and director Chaffey gives us plenty of fighting and conflict with nature to keep the film moving. Though much of the story consists of the tribe traveling from one fight to another, I found myself caught up in their journey and never once got bored. I don't know any of Don Chaffey's other work, but ONE MILLION YEARS BC and CREATURES THE WORLD FORGOT have convinced me that the man knows how to tell a story.
Bottom line? It's a caveman movie. If that ain't your bag, you probably won't like it. But if you can watch the other two Hammer prehistoric movies without fast-forwarding to the dinosaur scenes, you'll probably find CREATURES THE WORLD FORGOT a very pleasant surprise!
Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidorâ: Daikaijû sôkôgeki (2001)
Fast, fun and exciting!
GMK is a topnotch entry in the Godzilla series, with great effects and a clever plotline which is equal parts homage and social commentary. Despite all the fanboy hullabaloo about how Shusuke Kaneko would deliver a "serious, dark" Godzilla film, GMK is really just another action-packed rubber monster epic in the classic 1960s style. It moves along at a good clip, drawing you into its simple but exciting story and giving you plenty of action for your buck. Kaneko does give us a healthy dose of symbolism and "message" to lend weight to the drama, but he balances it with a greater measure of spectacle(an element largely missing from 1990s Godzilla films) and destruction. Humor is abundant here (particularly in the human characters' tendency to label everything remotely monster-like as "Godzilla"), but the director never lets that humor diminish the menace of the monsters. Performances are solid and believable all around, and the characters are given just enough depth to be sympathetic and well-rounded, without distracting from the action. Kaneko's greatest talents are his knack for writing credible characters, an understanding of(and reverence for) the spirit of the 1960s kaiju eiga, and a strong eye for detail which results in a relatively seamless finished product. All of these strengths are evident in GMK. Though I still consider the fun and frenetic GODZILLA Vs. MEGAGUIRUS the best rubber monster film since WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS, I would highly recommend GMK to anyone.
Gojira tai Megagirasu: Jî shômetsu sakusen (2000)
The Best Rubber Monster Pic Since War of The Gargantuas!
Masaaki Tezuka clearly understands the secret to making rubber monster movies - make 'em big, and make 'em fun! GXM returns the element of spectacle to the series that had been missing in the later 90s entries. The battles are epic, the monsters believably gigantic and menacing, and the destruction sweeping. When crowds of extras run away in GXM, they look genuinely terrified. The wonderful musical score and "old school" directorial style come as close to rivalling the best of Honda-Tsuburaya-Ifukube as anything Toho has done since their heyday. Perhaps most important, the monsters have personalities, without sacrificing menace. No more stiff, slow-moving suits lumbering in a straight line toward one another for a battle consisting primarily of optical effects. Both Godzilla and Megaguiras are intelligent, cunning combatants, and their climactic war is among the best of its kind ever filmed. On a whole, GXM is not as flashy or technically seamless as its followup, 2001's GMK(also an outstanding film), but I found it to be more fun. It reminded me of nothing so much as curling up on the floor on Saturday as a kid, watching an AIP rubber monster epic on Shock Theatre or Son of Svengoolie. GODZILLA VS MEGAGUIRUS is a genuine classic!