Fellowship of Filming(s)

King Kong Escapes (1967)

King Kong Escapes (Japanese: キングコングの逆襲, Hepburn: Kingu Kongu no Gyakushū, lit. ’King Kong’s Counterattack’) is a 1967 kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was a Japanese–American co-production between Toho and Rankin/Bass, and stars Rhodes Reason, Linda Miller, Akira Takarada, Mie Hama, Eisei Amamoto, with Haruo Nakajima as King Kong and Hiroshi Sekita as Mechani-Kong and Gorosaurus. The film is loosely based on Rankin/Bass’ series, The King Kong Show, and was the second and final Toho-produced film featuring King Kong. King Kong Escapes was released in Japan on July 22, 1967, and released in the United States on June 19, 1968. It is the fourth entry in the King Kong franchise.
via Wikipedia

I honestly liked this movie, for several reasons, I’d like to list them for you.

The lead female is very female, but she’s also the only one who can tell Kong what to do, and after a fashion, he does it. Strong female role models. Yes.
There is are James Bond-esque villains involved. It’s very 60s and very dated, but I love it. Yes.
The ending is very good. I won’t spoil it, but lets just say our strong female actresses make the most out of their screen time.

This movie is not entirely on the same timeline as the first two movies, I review them here and here respectively and they do follow each other. (The third one is basically just a show off, but still good and has no timeline.)This one does not, which is fine, as this movie doesn’t really destroy that timeline either.

Honestly, the best King Kong movie yet.

Ranking: ★ ★ ★ ★

Atragon (1963)

Atragon (海底軍艦, Kaitei Gunkan, lit. ’The Undersea Warship’) is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu science fiction film produced and distributed by Toho. It is based on The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure by Shunrō Oshikawa and The Undersea Kingdom by Shigeru Komatsuzaki. The film is directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya and stars Jun Tazaki, Tadao Takashima, Yōko Fujiyama, Yū Fujiki, and Ken Uehara.
The film was released in Japan on December 22, 1963, and in the United States in 1965 via American International Pictures. A two-episode anime OVA titled Super Atragon, based on the same novels, was produced by Phoenix Entertainment in 1995.
via Wikipedia

A few weeks ago I watched Destroy All Monsters, which introduced a couple new monsters into the Godzilla Franchise. But they actually weren’t new, they were from other movies by Toho. New monster movies I haven’t seen?? I’m in.

This is less of a Monster Movie and more of an action adventure with sci-fi additions.

Manda, unfortunately, is in very few scenes, so I am a little disappointed. But, we do get a very Eastern rendition of Atlantis. And since this is only about 20 years post World War II we get a taste of Post-War Japan, and bit of left over bias, which is interesting.

It’s not what I was expecting, but it’s not exactly a terrible movie either.

Ranking: ★ ★

All Monsters Attack (1969)

All Monsters Attack (ゴジラ・ミニラ・ガバラオール怪獣大進撃, Gojira Minira Gabara Ōru Kaijū Daishingeki, lit. Godzilla, Minilla, and Gabara: All Monsters Attack) is a 1969 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the tenth film in the Godzilla series, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Minilla, and Gabara.
via Wikipedia

All Monsters Attack is a low budget (even moreso than any other of the films) as it’s main character is a child who dreams of going to Monster Island. Literally. So in his dreams he teams up with Minilla (Son of Godzilla) and together they explore the island (which includes footage from previous films as we watch Godzilla battle various other monsters).

I’m not saying any of this is a bad thing, as this is the tenth film in the series, it seems appropriate to have some recap at this point, and it is fitted in with the storyline fairly well, as the child himself is being bullied in real life, and his dreams are teaching him to stand up for himself.

Honestly, if I had to, this is more of a “coming of age” movie than a monster movie. The monsters are there, but they’re background characters, so as part of monster series, this really ain’t it. I still enjoyed it, as I do like coming of age films, and well monster films.

It’s just if you were expecting all out monster mayhem, this isn’t it.

Ranking: ★ ★ ★

Destroy All Monsters (1968)

Destroy All Monsters (Japanese: 怪獣総進撃, Hepburn: Kaijū Sōshingeki, lit. ’Monster Total Advancement’) is a 1968 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the ninth film in the Godzilla franchise, and features eleven monster characters, including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, Anguirus, and Minilla.
via Wikipedia

All the monsters are officially brought to a new “Monster Island”, where they are technologically kept from leaving it. They are given abundant food, but also they are being monitored from a secret base on the island, well until the island is attacked, because obviously.

The obvious solution is to call the astronauts back from the moon base to deal with it. Because, obviously. Oh, and the astronauts decided to chase a UFO before coming back to Earth. Because, obviously.

Well, as it happens, aliens are involved. They want to build a new scientific community on Earth, but they have to, you know, kill a few people first, and brainwash the scientists, because obviously.

Godzilla movies are entirely predictable, but that’s part of what makes them addictive.

My Ranking: ★ ★ ★ ★

Why you’re now seeing “Buy Me a Coffee” buttons on my blog

I love blogging. I’ve been doing it for almost 20 years now (with varying results). However, (with the help of WordPress) I’ve consistently been blogging since 2015 (I did have a hiccup 2019-2020, but didn’t everyone hiccup then?). I’ve even branched out to other blogs, and now have been able to (mostly) keep up with them too. I’m even getting back into writing books again (I’ve got plans, watch this space). It’s been great.

I’ve long had a dream of being a full-time writer. Right now, that is definitely not possible, but with your help I might be able to taste just a tiny morsel of that dream. By donating using the “Buy Me a Coffee” buttons, you can be a part of that dream. It’s not mandatory, nothing I ever do is mandatory, you don’t even have to read this paragraph or blog post if you don’t want to!

I’m using “Buy Me A Coffee” because 1) I’ve seen it on other blogs, so if others are using it, that’s generally a good sign that it works; 2) it was incredibly easy to set up, and very user friendly; I had no trouble setting up an account and adding buttons (well, obviously), 3) it allows me to add perks to those who want to donate. Extra blog posts (maybe more personal?), merchandise (if you’re interested?), videos(!), and possibly even some custom PDFs(?!). If you’d like to see any of those things (or something else? podcasts will eventually be available.) go ahead and let me know in the comments, or however you want to (I’m pretty sure I have other contact options somewhere).

Anyway, I just wanted you to know what’s going on and why, so if you’ve made it this far I want to give you a very heartfelt thank you and I also want you to know that my blog will not change because of this, you’ll keep on getting the same posts as before.

Thanks again!

Stargate (1994)

Stargate is a 1994 science fiction adventure film directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich. The film is the first entry in the Stargate media franchise and stars Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, and Viveca Lindfors. The plot centers on the premise of a “Stargate”, an ancient ring-shaped device that creates a wormhole, enabling travel to a similar device elsewhere in the universe. The film’s central plot explores the theory of extraterrestrial beings having an influence upon human civilization.
via Wikipedia

Stargate is a movie that spawned a fan following and then sprouted TV series and a couple more films (maybe I’ll have to watch those too). I am also one of those fans, but my fandom is limited to the original movie. I have a friend who watched the TV series and loved it.

Anyway, this movie, like Gothika, is one I have watched several times, over and over, and don’t get bored of it. I love the mythology aspect of it, and the sci-fi aspect, it’s just so good. Oh! I forgot about all the astronomy! Another favorite topic of mine!

There’s just so much that appeals to me about the movie, even the character development, especially the two main characters! All I can say is if you haven’t watched it by now, you probably should.

My Ranking: ★ ★ ★ ★★

Gothika (2003)

Gothika is a 2003 American supernatural horror film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, written by Sebastian Gutierrez, and starring Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Penélope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, and Bernard Hill. The film follows a psychiatrist who finds herself incarcerated in the penitentiary in which she works, accused of brutally murdering her own husband.
via Wikipedia

For me, Gothika is one of those movies I can watch over and over and not get bored with. And I have done that, I’ve watched it several times over the years. It’s to the point where I should either buy a digital version or get the DVD, or both.

I would also put this movie in the genre of psychological thriller, or even crime. There is a lot going on here, and the characters are even clueless. Who’s crazy? Who’s not? Who’s actually telling the truth?

Everyone does a great job in this movie, though after watching a bunch of Marvel movies it’s still a little jarring to watch RDJ play a down to earth psychiatrist.

It’s safe to say that for me, this is an all-time favorite movie that never gets old.

My Ranking: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Son of Godzilla (1967)

Son of Godzilla (怪獣島の決戦ゴジラの息子, Kaijū Shima no Kessen: Gojira no Musuko, lit. Monster Island’s Decisive Battle: Godzilla’s Son) is a 1967 Japanese kaiju film directed by Jun Fukuda, with special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa, under the supervision of Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the eighth film in the Godzilla franchise. It stars Tadao Takashima, Akira Kubo, Akihiko Hirata, and Beverly Maeda, with Hiroshi Sekita, Seiji Onaka, and Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla, and Marchan the Dwarf as Minilla.
via Wikipedia

On another remote island (have we found them all yet??) a team of scientists are performing weather experiments when a random reporter arrives. The island is already inhabited by giant bugs, but soon enough a new Godzilla is hatched and big Godzilla arrives to… rescue? parent? watch? it.

Godzilla fighting off the giant bugs causes some problems for the scientists, and even more things go wrong when the scientists start feeling ill. The daughter of an archaeologist is found living in a cave and tells them about a cure from the red water, and how she’s made friends with baby Godzilla.

Then Spiga wakes up.

Spiga is a giant spider. So if you have arachnophobia now is a great time to stop reading this post and never watch this movie.

Spiga chases the scientists, wraps up baby Godzilla and starts fighting the giant bugs. The scientists manage to rig up their weather experiment which causes the island to freeze. The Godzillas win by setting Spiga on fire and the scientists escape the island to be picked up by a rescue boat.

I take offense to another remote island trope, but the movie has some cute, comedic interludes with baby Godzilla, and there are some reasons as to why the giant bugs are a problem. So it actually balances out a bit to be an enjoyable movie.

My Ranking: ★ ★ ★

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (ゴジラ・エビラ・モスラ　南海の大決闘, Gojira, Ebira, Mosura Nankai no Daikettō, lit. Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas) is a 1966 Japanese kaiju film directed by Jun Fukuda and produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. The film stars Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata and Eisei Amamoto, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Mothra, and Ebirah. It is the seventh film in the Godzilla franchise, and features special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa, under the supervision of Eiji Tsuburaya. In the film, Godzilla and Ebirah are portrayed by Haruo Nakajima and Hiroshi Sekita, respectively.
During its development, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep was intended to feature King Kong, but the character was replaced by Godzilla. The film was released to theaters in Japan on December 17, 1966, and was released directly to television in the United States in 1968 under the title Godzilla versus the Sea Monster.
via Wikipedia

With the seventh film, we’re finally back on Earth again, deep in the ocean again, and back to the old formula of Godzilla versus a new monster (without aliens).

Ebirah’s origins aren’t exactly explained very well, or at all, but apparently it’s a giant lobster that circles an isolated island where a terrorist organization has its base. Another lost boat passenger prompts “discovery” of this island, where Mothra’s subjects are held captive, where the lost passenger is also held captive, and where Godzilla is also sleeping,

Well, I’m sure you can see where this is going.

Fighting between the humans to rescue the captives from the terrorists.

Fighting between the monsters when Godzilla is woken up.

Mothra arrives to rescue her people.

Honestly, I like the introduction of new giant sea monsters. I mean, that’s how we found Godzilla, right? This movie is so much better than the previous one, as it’s not completely rehashed but with aliens. I promise I’m not bitter!

Watch this movie!

My Ranking: ★ ★ ★

Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)

Invasion of Astro-Monster (怪獣大戦争, Kaijū Daisensō, lit. ’The Giant Monster War‘) is a 1965 kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the sixth film in the Godzilla franchise and Shōwa period. The film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the second collaboration between Toho Co., Ltd and UPA. The film stars Akira Takarada, Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno, Akira Kubo, and Yoshio Tsuchiya, with Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla, Masaki Shinohara as Rodan, and Shoichi Hirose as King Ghidorah. In the film, aliens plead with humanity to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to defeat King Ghidorah, only to betray the humans and unleash the monsters on the Earth.
via Wikipedia

I honestly think that the entirety of this movie was an excuse to bring back King Ghidorah.

Also aliens.

Eventually Earthlings figure out what’s going on, as the aliens have a method to control the giant monsters, and severe their control. This forces the aliens to flee the Earth, the monsters to fight amongst themselves a bit, and general chaos ensues.

All three fall into the ocean leaving an open ending into the next monster movie.

This feels a lot like just a remake of King Ghidorah but with aliens. It’s not very creative (unless aliens), and really, just go watch the first one.

My Ranking: ★ ★