I know I'm a little late with this one but I have to put this one out there, simply because it was the first movie of the summer season and the first movie I went to this summer. 2 years ago the Spider-Man movie franchise was rebooted, a legitimate from the ground up reboot throwing out the previous films altogether. It was the first major franchise to do such a thing (I can argue any others you'd like to throw at me). I thought it was a good move. I like the actors, the script, and direction. I'll go as far as to say that the Amazing Spider-Man is my favorite of the spidey films.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 unfortunately falls short of it's predecessor. The previous film retread the origin story a bit but it moved fairly quickly through the rehashed material. This film enters into familiar territory barely a decade old (now I realize that some of the audience members may not have been born when the first film came out but the movie is PG-13. Those kids shouldn't even be in the theater). I'm okay with the retread on old material but don't stay there. Move on, please. But it doesn't.
It feels like a mish-mash of the 3 original Spidey films along with thematic choices and acting choices derived straight out of the Joel Schumacher Batman films (Jamie Foxx's character is almost exactly like Jim Carrey's Riddler, at least at first). I don't know about you but modeling my choices off of Batman Forever or Batman and Robin is not something I'd do willingly.
Emma Stone delivers another great performance. Andrew Garfield and the actor playing Harry Osborn fall into some acting choices that vaguely resemble Kirsten Stewart and Robert Pattinson's Twilight romance (that acting style may accurately capture today's youth but to me it just looks like bad acting). There are few lines of dialog that are witty though. The interplay between Peter and Harry when they first meet in the movie is well done and well written. Paul Giamatti as the Rhino is a total one off joke.
And that goes into where the movie fails for me but maybe succeeds for others. While being rated PG-13 the film feels quite juvenile, moreso than any of the other spidey films. Almost like they intentionally injected judicial amounts of Adam West camp directly to its veins. Again, not a choice I'd make nor one I care to see. But for younger audience members (anyone below age 13 should not be here) it probably works for. Keep Spidey kid friendly is the approach then I guess but yet there are still dark moments in the film.
All in all I think it ties Spider-Man 3 for worst film in the franchise. It portrays a more juvenile kid friendly Spidey yet remains inconsistent at that too. But if you saw the trailers and followed the movie hype the film delivers exactly what it promises. What you saw from the previews and screenshots is exactly what you get. No surprises and no let downs unless you were let down to begin with.
I just got out of the theater, wolfed down some pizza, and am now typing away. The movie, TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION. It's been 3 years since the last Transformers film and 3 years since I last saw a Transformers film. Once again Michael Bay is directing, refusing to let anyone else touch his cash cow. And I can't blame him. Every film in this franchise has grossed over $300 million dollars domestically. That's huge. That's a powerhouse franchise on par with Spider-Man and Iron Man and Lord of the Rings.
I went to see this film because I've seen every Transformers film in the franchise and I wanted to see Dinobots. I remember the charm of the first film, the whooing of Megan Fox by Shia Labouf and Bubble Bee. I remember the incredible spectacle of seeing the Autobots and Decepticons transform and wage war. That charm seems lost now.
Back in the day I saw Michael Bay's film THE ROCK and it stands as one of my favorite actions films. Badboys and Badboys II are some quality shit too. Even when Michael Bay turned to producing, making his production company Platinum Dunes and producing horror film remakes like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hitcher, I enjoyed. Sadly for me the Transformers franchise seem less enjoyable than the aforementioned films above.
The first film in the series is definitely the best, from there take your pick as to what's the best and worst. Michael Bay seems to suffer from spectaculitus. Just too much spectacle. My eyes feel inundated by the end of these films and the shear awe of spectacle is lost. It's like eating a whole carton of awesome sauce. It tastes really good for the first 30 minutes. An hour in it doesn't taste as sweet anymore because your taste-buds are flooded with sugar. Then an hour and a half in it's taking all you've got and all your strength just to finish the bowl. By the end you can't taste anything, you don't want anymore, and you feel slightly bad about yourself.
All in all the film delivers on exactly what it promises. If you liked the previous Transformers films you will definitely like this one. The Dinobots rule! Other than Dinobots it brings nothing new to the table. It is no better than the previous Transformers films and no worse. It'll probably earn another $300 million too.
So for years now I've been enjoying the summer movie season and enjoying ranking the best films among them. 2013 was a stacked year as far as movies went. There were incredible horror movies coming out, Evil Dead, The Conjuring, You're Next, and more. Super hero movies like Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, Thor: The Dark World, and others. Action movies like Fast and Furious 6, The Last Stand, and Parker. Comedies like This Is The End, Hangover Part III, and Anchorman: The Legend Continues. Sci-Fi Fantasy films like Star Trek: Into Darkness, Elysium, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. But of all the movies to have come out last year only one earns the ranking of the best... that movie is PACIFIC RIM.
I grew up watching Godzilla movies. My love for them has only grown with me as I age. Occasionally Godzilla would fight giant robots like Mechagodzilla, Mechanikong, Jet Jaguar, and Moguera. These giants mechs were always a treat to see. In high school and college I went a little heavy on the anime. MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, and other giant robot animes rocked my world! So, as you can see, I was already in the disposition to like a film like Pacific Rim. And let's face it, in America on the big screen giant monster movies had pretty much died off with the exceptions of Peter Jackson's King Kong in 2005 and 2008's Cloverfield. My mouth was parched for a new monster movie.
My friend Clint first notified me in 2011 of a proposed movie idea by Guillermo Del Toro involving giant robots and giant monsters. The project was referred to as PACIFIC RIM. Not only that but since 2010 Clint and I had been anticipating the proposed new Godzilla movie by Legendary (originally slated for 2012 but ended up being 2014). We were extremely excited and ready for colossal films like the kaiju fair of old to finally make a comeback.
Ambitious filmmaking is all you can say for the men and women who assembled the kaiju films of the 1950's, 60's, and 70's. Knowing how difficult such a project would be, how hard their job would be to make it all look convincing. You've got to hand it to them, these people set out to show us the grandest of spectacles and the greatest of adventures and they had extremely limited resources to do it with. Credit needs to be given where credit is due, because even if they may have not been the greatest of films, even if some of them did not succeed, the biggest and brightest of the bunch helped create a genre, inspire filmmakers and audiences of all ages, and left a lasting impression on the cinematic world.
Can you see why this is so exciting now? Do you realize what it means to see these kinds of movie make their triumphant return? We have the technology. We can rebuild him. Make him faster. Stronger. The filmmaking technology of today has finally caught up with the visionary scope and grandeur of the filmmakers of yesterday. I will always love the giant monster movies of old. But I am ready to see what our filmmakers can do today and our first REAL look at what's possible today emerged with a summer blockbuster film titled PACIFIC RIM.
I sat in the theater on opening night by myself (my wife wouldn't go with me then but she went the second time I saw it) and I could hardly contain my excitement. Part of that excitement was my vain hope of seeing a teaser trailer for the following year's Godzilla. The Godzilla trailer did not happen and I started off the film feeling a little bummed. Then the movie started, quickly introducing us to a world beset with menacing monsters as tall as skyscrapers. Then I see the first glimpse of Gypsy Danger and the music starts playing (as I'm writing this I'm getting goosebumps). The soundtrack to the movie is one of the best aspects of the film (Ramin Djawadi and Tom Morello compose a memorable and strikingly epic score!).
The special effects aren't simply good, they are magnificent! They are so good in fact that one could and can get easily lost in them and dazzled to the point that they miss everything else about the movie and ultimately see it as a hollow special effects film. You're cheating yourself if you do so. They story contains elements unique to the silver screen and thought provoking ideas that could be further explored after watching the film. I'm speaking of the two-pilot system of driving the Jaegers. Two people's minds connecting through a neural link, minds merging, bodies acting in unison. If you're familiar with Evangelion than you're no doubt familiar with the concept, but if you aren't it is another interesting and unique concept to the big screen. Mental compatibility as well as physical compatibility and the relationships formed as a result between the people involved.
The film however does have it's weaknesses too. Half the actors are amazing while half deliver a performance rife with cliche and anime hero troupes. But if you're familiar with anime you understand it. You get that it might be a conscious choice by the director to have his actors embody that head space. After all, Pacific Rim is basically a live action anime in addition to being a kaiju film. That being said I think the film's promotion worked to it's detriment. For somebody like me it worked. But there aren't enough of us to sustain a movie like this, at least not in the States. The promotion for the film wasn't as accessible to as big an audience as they hoped for.
Every now and then I'll see a movie that I'm so glad I saw in theaters. These movies have such a scope and scale far bigger than most that seeing them on a small tv screen detracts somewhat. The films are still good but seeing them on larger than life screens adds so much more. PACIFIC RIM is one of those movies. Seeing it on the theater screen transformed it from just another movie to an epic experience! An experience few films can deliver. But not many people saw it on the big screen, not in America anyway. By the end of the movie I was pumped! I felt charged! I felt like a kid again seeing something I love for the very first time. I wanted to see it again right away! I had high expectations and the movie met them in spades. It delivered.
The theater wasn't very full though. As the movie ran in theaters I kept up with it's box office totals. They were disappointing. Low box office returns means the likelihood of a franchise is low. By the end of the summer Pacific Rim was considered a flop and no chance of a sequel on the table. I was crushed. This was the kind of movie that I lived for. I shouted it from the rooftops how great this movie was and how everybody should see it. Most people told me it looked stupid (these are the same people that flock to super hero movies and transformers and star trek, the exact people who would love this film). These same people, after finally seeing the movie on cable or on dvd, told me I was right and they really liked it. The quality of the movie is there. It's just getting people to see it that's the trick.
America didn't seem to get it. But the rest of the world did. The box office returns worldwide were apparently enough. Announced this week to be released in 2017... PACIFIC RIM 2!!!!! That was some of the best news I've ever heard! Now the long wait.
In summary... I LOVE THIS FILM. And everyone should see it.
Overall ranking: 8 out of 10.
I have been looking for a good current horror comic book for a long time, one I could really sink my teeth into. I know of Walking Dead, and I've read some of it but I'm not buying it regularly. I'm trying American Vampire and a few others but so far the one that has really captured my attention is a little book by Vertigo called COFFIN HILL.
Witches. Murder. Sex. Monsters. I became intrigued with the book after a little preview of it inside another Vertigo title, The Wake (also good). The story begins with a cop in her mid-twenties named Eve Coffin solving a big murder case her first night out as detective. There is something off about Eve. She has one strange eye, the white of the eye is completely black with the iris a stark white. Death seems to follow Eve wherever she goes. Soon after she is shot by a drug addict/wife-beater putting her in the hospital.
The plot flashes back 10 years to a quaint little town in Massachusetts called Coffin Hill. An expansive gothic mansion stands on the edge of the town, a massive steel gate in front reading Coffin House above the arch. Eve's house. We meet Eve as a 15 year old girl obsessed with finding real darkness. The Coffin family is descended from a long line of witches. Her great great great grandmother was one of the original real witches from Salem, one who fled to this area during the Witch Trails. Since then Coffin House has stood here at the edge of a dark forest. Eventually a town grew around it becoming Coffin Hill.
Eve's aware of her family's history. She knows magic is real. She's just never seen it. One night her and three friends steal an old book that has been in the family for years. They hold a seance of their own, spill there own blood as sacrifice... and something comes out of the darkness. The girls wake up naked and covered in blood. Dead rats, snakes, and insects lay everywhere around them. And one of them is missing. Eve asks her friend what happened. Her friend shivers and says, "She's with them now."
Flash forward. Eve has recovered from her bullet wound, leaves the police force, and comes back home to Coffin Hill. Once there another young girl of about 15 years turns up missing. Eve soon discovers more people disappearing upon entering the woods just beyond Coffin House. Something out there in the forest is taking people, just like it took her friend 10 years ago. She has regretted that day all these years. What is it? Can Eve stop it? Does she want to stop it? Or will it claim her as it did her friend?
The first story arc wraps up after about six issues. The writing is pretty good. Feels like an episode of CSI: MASSACHUSETTS if such a show existed. Its a detective story revolving around occult style murders. Eve Coffin is a pretty cool character and the book doesn't pull any punches. I've read the first seven issues and plan on continuing reading. The books read fast and the story keeps you intrigued the whole time, never a dull moment. The character's back story unfolds with the front story in a cool way that keeps you guessing. So far it's off to a good start. I'd highly recommend it if you're interested in this sort of thing.
6 out of 10 so far.
Worth taking a look. BUY IT HERE!
Here's a comic that didn't receive a lot of promotion, one I didn't hear many people talking about, and when I tried to convince my buddies to buy it their disillusion with current Marvel comics kept them from committing. Nevertheless it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable reads I've had this year.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR focuses on the Marvel heroes from the United Kingdom. A little background before we continue- During the early 1990's Marvel Comics had a line of books from creators overseas. These books were all originals created by the men and women working at Marvel UK. Among the books were Death's Head II, Hell's Angel/Dark Angel, Motormouth, Warheads, and others. The books received A-list writers and some of the best artwork in the industry. Many of the books tied together plot-wise culminating in an epic showdown between the heroes and the villainous organization known as Mys-Tech.
Like many of the books during the 1990's, when the market fell, most were cancelled before their stories could be finished. 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the demise of the Marvel UK line of books.
Rev-War (as me and my buddy Clint call it) is a story that picks up where the others left off. We meet the Marvel UK heroes as they are now years later. We learn what happened to them and why they haven't been active since. Now the evil Mys-Tech organization has resurfaced. SHIELD begins tracking down all the heroes who last took down Mys-Tech- enter the UK heroes! The story takes place over 8 chapters and spins into an epic climax involving all of Marvel's heroes.
Lately it seems many publishers such as Marvel are afraid of giving their readers homework. Nowadays it seems to be the way to go to remake everything when the back issues become too extensive. Continuity and expecting something out of readers seems to be a bad thing. I couldn't disagree more. One of the strengths of this story is that it acknowledges what came before. These kinds of stories I prefer and wish Marvel would respect the history they themselves had created. Readers can get easily caught up on Wikipedia.
Writer Andy Lanning contributes a massive portion of this story and his chapters are definitely the best. He and fellow writer Dan Abnett were the men primarily responsible for the popularity of the 1990's Marvel UK. Anything these guys write is guaranteed to be awesome! They're the ones responsible Marvel making a Guardians of the Galaxy movie!
REVOLUTIONARY WAR receives a 7 out of 10.
Read it, even if you don't know the heroes therein, you'll love them afterwards.
Documentation: Rodan ~ The Flying Monster (1956), Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster (1964), Invasion of Astro Monster (1965), Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla II (1993), Godzilla: Final Wars (2004).
History: In 1956 a small coal-mining village near Nishi-machi in Japan came into contact with a previously sealed off volcanic cavern deep within the earth. While excavating the coal in one of the many mine shafts, miners breached the cavern wall precipitating a small cave-in and subsequent flooding in the shaft. This incident set in motion a chain of events ultimately leading to the emergence of one of the great kaiju of our time: the flying monster Rodan. Rodan is the third monster to appear during the Rise of the Kaiju era.
The cavern had been hermetically sealed by nature millions of years ago. Regulated high temperatures and high levels of humidity due to the close proximity to natural thermal vents transformed the cavern into a perfectly preserved prehistoric biosphere. Everything existing inside the cavern lay in a perfect state of suspended animation, growing at an incredibly decelerated rate. The high heat and wet environment coupled with millions of years of constant growth are attributed to the enormous size of the creatures that dwelt within. With the seal of the cavern breached everything inside began growing and awaking at accelerated rates.
What followed was a series of grizzly deaths of miners and local policemen. The first creatures to emerge from the cavern were a species of prehistoric dragonfly-nymphs named Meganulon. These creatures were larger than automobiles with incredibly strong pincers, mandibles, and teeth. The Meganulons exited through the mine shaft and attacked and slaughtered those living in the mining village. These creatures were only a precursor of what was yet to come. More on the Meganulon, including the report by the Seibu Nippou reporter is forthcoming.
During the pursuit of the Meganulon, mining engineer Shigeru Kawamura was trapped in the mine shafted when it caved in. He fled into the prehistoric cavern where he discovered a hive of Meganulon along with several types of long-thought extinct plant life. Inside the cavern he witnessed the hatching of an egg larger than most buildings. What hatched from the egg was a previously undiscovered form of reptile believed to be an ancient ancestor to the Pteranodon. However, this species dwarfed all known Pteranodon fossils. Thus scientists named the beast Rodan.
Upon hatching the Meganulons served as Rodan's primary source of food and nourishment. The movements of the enormous creature resulted in a massive cave-in, collapsing the cavern, and devastating the Japanese countryside between Nishi-machi and Mount Aso. The site of the crater showed the full area of the cavern to be much larger than previously theorized. So large, in fact, that the cavern could've housed multiple Rodans.
A report surfaced of a British commercial airliner destroyed in mid flight, attacked. Soon after more reports began surfacing all over Japan and across multiple Asian countries. From Beijing to Manila and back to Japan in the skies above Okinawa. All reports sighted the flying object as moving at supersonic speeds. At first no one knew whether the object was a extra-terrestrial unidentified flying object or a new secret aircraft from a foreign power.
It wasn't until a photograph emerged revealing what was thought to be a colossal wing. Professor Kyuichiro Kashiwagi, a paleontologist working with the Minami Physics Institute near Mount Aso, along with Shigeru Kawamura deduced the creature's origin and proportions. They returned to the crater where the cavern once existed and discovered the location of the Rodan. The creature proved even larger than estimated and had made a nest within the crater.
Then disaster struck as Rodan took to the sky and descended on the city of Fukuoka in Kyushu. The Japanese Self Defense forces were dispatched. Modern weapon appeared useless. Millions of years of volcanic heat evolved Rodan's hide into a nearly impenetrable skin. The gale-force winds created by Rodan's wings were hurricane like in devastation. All the Japanese could do was endure the destruction. Just when all hope seemed lost another terror descended from the sky. A second Rodan, larger than the first, joined its mate in the destruction of Fukuoka. After the nigh total devastation of the city the two Rodans returned to their nest near Mount Aso.
The Japanese government, military, and scientific community set plans in place to cave in the surrounding cliff side in hopes of burying the twin kaiju under a mountain of rock. The attack on the Rodans commenced. The ensuing bombardment of the mountainside triggered the volcanic eruption of Mount Aso. The result was horrific. The nation's leaders watched as the creatures screamed out as they were being bathed in lava, fire rippling across their skin, their bodies thrashing in agony. The Rodans cries of death echoed across the countryside. One Rodan fell flat against the mountainside, the second laying over-top the other as molten lava washed over them. That was the end of the Rodan threat... or so it was believed.
RODAN'S RETURN: GHIDORAH RISING
Eight years later, days prior to the Ghidorah Incident, a "Prophetess" spoke of Rodan's return. Her prediction proved accurate. One of the Rodans, encased in rock at the rim base of the Mount Aso, reemerged, the mysteries of its survival is as of yet unknown. It is theorized that the Rodan which fell to earth first was the surviving creature, the other Rodan's body protecting it from the extreme heat of the lava flow and also providing it sustenance during the eight years of forced hibernation. It is believed that the extreme heat forced the creature into hibernation and the lava provided a stasis seal around it.
Rodan's return was only the beginning of what was to be one of the greatest calamities the Earth has ever known, what is now referred to as the Ghidorah Incident. During this incident Rodan engaged Godzilla in mortal combat. The two kaiju fought across the Japanese countryside unrelentingly, hellbent on destroying one another. Their battle would've continued if not for the intervention of a young Mothra larva. This infant Mothra faced down the golden space dragon Ghidorah alone. Upon seeing Mothra beaten and nearly ravaged by Ghidorah, Rodan and Godzilla joined Mothra to defeat the space monster. The three kaiju succeeded in repelling Ghidorah, the three-headed monster retreating into outer space. Afterwards Rodan nestled in a cavern in Washigasawa, Japan.
INVASION "X"
Not long after the advent of King Ghidorah Rodan was taken from his nest in Washigasawa along with Godzilla by spacemen from the planet X, a celestial body residing within the dark side of Jupiter. The Xileins came to Earth under the guise of peace, wishing to use Godzilla and Rodan to defeat a kaiju plaguing their own world, a kaiju they called Monster Zero. The Xileins took Godzilla and Rodan into space and revived them on the surface of Planet X. There the two kaiju once again battled Ghidorah, the kaiju the Xileins named Monster Zero.
This all was revealed to be a plot by the Xileins to acquire Rodan and Godzilla, to use them along with Ghidorah to conquer Earth. Using magnetic waves, the Xileins manipulated Rodan, Godzilla, and Ghidorah to do the aliens' bidding. The assault on Earth began with the three kaiju leading the charge. Thankfully Earth's scientists were able to disrupt the Xileins control over the kaiju, and through the means of a new invention by Tetsuo Teri were able to destroy the spacemen. Now, free from Xilein control, Rodan and Godzilla joined forces again and repelled Ghidorah once more.
ATTACK ON KILAAK
In the year 1999 Rodan was subdued by Earth's scientists and moved to the Ogasawara Islands for containment and study. Rodan, along with many other of Earth's kaiju, lived peacefully and comfortably within the small island chain. Through the use of sophisticated technology, an invisible magnetic barrier was erected to keep Rodan limited to the skies above the islands. There Rodan made its nest near the peak of the tallest mountain on the central island of Ogasawara. Also nesting near the same peak was the monster Varan. The two kaiju coexisted peaceably.
The tranquility of the island was interrupted when the alien invaders known as the Kilaaks laid siege to the Ogasawara observatory, taking control of the monsters, and loosing them upon the world. Rodan flew halfway across the world to Moscow and reduced the great Russian city to rubble. The Kilaaks then employed Rodan as their sky-guard protecting the airspace surrounding their secret Earth base.
Eventually the Japanese Self Defense Forces along with the crew of the Moonlight SY3 spaceship succeeded in freeing Rodan and the other kaiju from the Kilaak's control. Rodan and the other kaiju descended upon the Kilaak's base encountering the invaders' final weapon: King Ghidorah. Rodan, Godzilla, Minya, Kumonga, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Mothra, Manda, Baragon, and Varan all fought King Ghidorah together and soundly defeated the evil kaiju. Then they destroyed the Kilaaks and ended the Kilaak alien threat to Earth. Afterward the kaiju returned to Ogasawara.
Since then Rodan has reappeared several times wreaking devastation and occasionally defending its territory from other alpha predators and mega-fauna.
RODAN'S BIOLOGY
The creature scientists have referred to as Rodan (Radon in Japanese) is
a prehistoric ultra-saur belonging to the Pteranodon family of
dinosaur. Rodan's incredible wingspan make it one of the largest kaiju on record. It has a thick, nigh impenetrable hide able to resist punishing supersonic wind speeds, extreme temperatures both hot and cold, and subsequently all forms of conventional military weaponry. Rodan's hide can even stand up against Godzilla's radioactive breath and Ghidorah's energy beams. In addition to its tough hide Rodan has an even stronger shell-like plating on its chest and belly. Dozens of pointed bone-like extrusions line the shell enabling Rodan to do fly-by attacks overhead knocking other flying kaiju out of the sky.
Rodan can fly at supersonic speeds, breaking the sound barrier. Its jet-stream wake shreds all forms of manmade aircraft. Flying low to the ground creates a devastating shock wave capable of leveling buildings and sending vehicles flying through the air like dust particles. On land Rodan can generate hurricane force winds capable of toppling Godzilla. And lastly, during the attack on Fukuoka Rodan demonstrated a seldom used ability expelling a sonic scream from its mouth. This sonic scream appears invisible and is capable of shattering concrete and blowing tanks away with its force. Rodan can also use its wings to batter other kaiju and can carry kaiju through the air with the talons on its feet. Rodan was strong enough to carry Godzilla through the air this way.
Review: Rodan has been one of my favorite film kaiju since I first saw him as a kid. He has proven to be one of the more popular monsters in TOHO's stable and has made an appearance in each of the three Godzilla series. Rodan is often seen as Godzilla's right hand kaiju and the two have teamed up to stop Ghidorah three times! It is always great to see him in a movie and always a welcomed sight. His best appearances are definitely his first two. His original movie is a true monster movie classic!
In the Heisei series they reduced his size and turned him into a puppet/marionette completely. Personally I find the effect less convincing. His Heisei rendition is my least favorite version of him. His redesign for Godzilla: Final Wars is fantastic. It's just a shame that he wasn't in the movie more. Still, in my opinion nothing will ever match the power and terror of the original 1956 film.
I'd call Rodan one of the big three of Earth's Defenders along with Godzilla and Mothra. I've said this many times before that I have a personal fondness for the more natural looking kaiju designs. Rodan is a wonderful re-imagining of a Pteranodon, enhancing it to kaiju proportions and making it a unique looking creature as well.
Threat Level: 7 out of 10
World Wide Devastation
Rodan's sonic scream attack
For more studies in Kaijuology check out the pages below
I just got out of the theater. We were a little late getting to it but it proved to be worth the wait. Disney's MALEFICENT was not what I expected. It was better. Whatever you're thinking about this film, whether you're a Disney fanatic or not, you're doing yourself an injustice by not seeing this movie.
The first time I saw the trailer for this film I was stunned at how striking Angelina Jolie was. Then I thought, "They're making a movie about the greatest villain in Disney history? Cool." Angelina Jolie's acting might be worth it alone. Then I saw a longer trailer and the film looked like a Lord of the Rings epic complete with trolls, goblins, walking trees, and dragons.
May 30th came and something came up where we couldn't see it. It got put off and put off until today. See this movie while you still can! It is great! I find that many of my favorite movies of the summer line-ups are the ones I didn't anticipate (Cowboys and Aliens being one of them). This movie so far is my favorite film of the summer. It expands on a character that until this movie was so very two dimensional but also very legendary in cinema. What the Star Wars prequels were trying to do (make Darth Vader a whole three dimensional character) this film did masterfully.
Maleficent is fully explored in this film from childhood to the moment where she becomes the legendary villain from 1959. We see her moment of darkness, the defining moment that transforms her into the figure of nightmares, the dark shadow of fairy tales. Seeing her complete arc, especially the fall from grace, was pretty awesome. Very few films can take such a well known character, expand on their mythos, and pull it off.
The special effects are amazing but that's nothing "special" anymore. All the summer movies have great special effects. Although this one's was strangely evocative of the video game series FINAL FANTASY. The world created in this movie and the creatures and characters are the same components of a great Final Fantasy game. At the end of the movie I found I wanted to spend more time in that world with those characters, just like Final Fantasy X. All the while retaining the classic fairy tale atmosphere from our childhood meaning it still feels like a Disney classic.
Where this movie really stands out is in Angelina Jolie's performance. Wow is she good. I've never raved about her before but damn! She is incredible!. She captures the character better than I ever could have imagined.
Every Friday night (if possible) is something I like to refer to as FEAR FRIDAY. I subject my significant other to something gruesome and horrific on TV. She at least tolerates it by staying in the room with me, not always watching, in fact looking away at gory moments. Sometimes she's even left the room when the movie was REALLY scary. This has become a weekly event running the gamut from silent horror films of the 1920's, atomic monster movies of the 1950's, to brand new horror movies fresh from the theaters.
Last night we watched a documentary, NEVER SLEEP AGAIN, an in-depth look at the entire A Nightmare on Elm Street series sans remake. Like any good retrospective they got just about all the actors and directors back for interviews with the exception of Johnny Depp and Breckin Meyer (I guess they're too full of themselves to acknowledge the films that GAVE them careers. Oh well). Wes Craven, Robert Englund, and even Alice Cooper give extensive anecdotes, all very interesting, all good. They even had an interview with an actress whose only role in the film was to take her clothes off! Another reason why I like horror movies :)
Now, I own all the Nightmare films and have watched them numerous times. I have watched the featurettes and special features on the dvds. I'd like to think I know quite a bit about the series. This documentary contained information I had no idea about, like the fact that Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson) wrote the original script for Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. If you recall, the Nightmare films were owned by New Line Cinema. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is owned by New Line Cinema. If Peter Jackson hadn't of been hired to write a script for Freddy Krueger we might never have received the Lord of the Rings! I also had no idea that Brad Pitt originally auditioned for the part of Jesse in Nightmare 2 and ended up in an episode of Freddy's Nightmares (hell yes, the documentary even has a portion dedicated to the short lived tv show Freddy's Nightmares).
Each film in the series receives a lengthy portion of time dedicated specifically to that one film. It averages out to about a half hour for each film. If you're keeping track and know your Nightmare chronology that would make the documentary 4 hours long... IT IS 4 HOURS LONG! How awesome is that?! It covers every film from the first film in 1984 to 2003's FREDDY VS JASON. The greatest thing about this documentary is that when you're watching it, it does such a good job of capturing the films that by the end you'll want to watch one or more of the movies yourself. That's high praise. By the way, the documentary is directed by Daniel Farrands, the original script writer for Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (my personal favorite sequel in the Halloween franchise.) The coolest nugget of info it provides is the original ending for Freddy Vs Jason... you'll have to see it to believe it. Check out the image below for a taste...
As far as documentaries go, it's not for everybody. It appeals to a specific audience, the horror film aficionado. In that, it is brilliant. I loved it and I thought it did a thorough job. Worth the investment. It is available to buy on dvd and blu ray and also streamable on netflix. This is an essential documentary for any fan of the series. Check it out!
Breakdown: The anti-christ. Born of the devil and a human woman. Daimon Hellstrom was born to be his father's envoy onto Earth and lead Hell's armies to the ruin of all. Instead of following the devil's plans he rebels. Using his inherited demonic powers, Daimon travels the globe in search of the possessed and exercises his father's minions.
Daimon Hellstrom is a Marvel Comics characters that first appeared in Ghost Rider #1 in 1973. He came about during a darker movement in Marvel Comics. The horror resurgence in comic books in the 1970's saw the introduction of many classic horror characters in comics, Blade, Morbius, Werewolf By Night, Ghost Rider, Satana, Simon Garth, Man-Thing, Swamp Thing, and more. The DC Comics character most thematically similar would be John Constantine: Hellblazer. Time has shown that Constantine has definitely been treated better than Daimon Hellstrom has.
In the early to mid 90's Daimon received another chance to prove himself. The comic book was titled HELLSTORM: PRINCE OF LIES and ran for 21 issues, the longest running title the character has ever had and my favorite section of his saga. In this chapter of his story he takes on his father face to face, defeating him, and ultimately claiming the throne of Hell for himself. Halfway through the series writer Warren Ellis and artist Leonardo Manco take the reigns and turn out something horribly fantastic!
He's become a favorite of mine albeit being poorly treated in his most recent appearances. He's definitely an anti-hero and a very intriguing character with a lot potential. If Marvel would give him another chance with a decent writer familiar with the subject matter.
