Highlander: Movie Review #18

Princes of New York

 

“I have an eye for the underappreciated” that line from my JACKIE BROWN review applies to many of my personal favorite films including 9 (2009), PAPRIKA (2006), THE NAKED GUN (1988) and in my opinion THE greatest fantasy film from the ‘80s: HIGHLANDER (1986).

 

The setting: New York City. The event: THE GATHERING. The time when all of the remaining immortals come together, and battle to the last, to fight for THE PRIZE. Among them is a man by the name of Connor Macloud, who like many of the others has lived many secret lives waiting for this very moment. As the Gathering unfolds, this draws the attention of NYPD forensics specialist, Brenda Wyatt, who soon gets caught in-between, but does not hesitate to find out the truth. What will she find? Something spectacular or something deadly, in the end there can be only one!

 

HIGHLANDER is in a word: simple. A simple premise, simple characters, but amazing action, from beginning to end. While calling the characters simple may sound disheartening, they’re anything but that, due to the performances in this film. The real show-stealers are Sean Connery (Macloud’s mentor) and Clancy Brown (the film’s big baddie), both put in a great amount of effort into their parts and have such charisma you can’t help but enjoy every second of them. That isn’t to say Macloud himself is not horrible. Christopher Lambert, who plays the Scottish immortal, has this other-worldly presence that makes him unpredictable and gives off the impression that he has seen A LOT of stuff in his life, despite his weird accent (Fun Fact: prior to filming, Lambert didn’t speak any English).

 

So, if you’re a LORD OF THE RINGS fan (or a fantasy fan in general) and are looking for something different, then you should definitely check out HIGHLANDER. (P.S. most of the songs in the film are performed by Queen!)

 

Final Rating:

 

HIGHLANDER is available on Blu-Ray and DVD, online and at your local video store. I’d recommend buying the “director’s cut” (which is actually the European version of the movie), there’s really no other version of this film I’d rather watch, for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards another fantasy flick from the ‘80s, THE PRINCE’S BRIDE, a classic love story with amusing swordfights and hilarity abound and lastly I recommend checking out, JOHN WICK, a movie with an over-used revenge plot with action that is nothing short of astounding.

Until Next Time, Don’t Lose Your Head…

Frankenstein Versus Baragon: Movie Review #17

Review of the Week:

Japan's Finest Product

Japan has a knack for producing some of the strangest, but entertaining monster films ever to hit the big screen. Their movies are proof that stuff like that can only be made in one place and I salute them for it. Some examples of such films include The Mysterians, Varan, Mothra and the movie that will be discussed in this review: Frankenstein Versus Baragon (aka Frankenstein Conquers the World, in the U.S.).

            The heart of Frankenstein’s monster is transported from Nazi Germany to Imperial Japan, near the end of World War II. Unfortunately, the heart is lost during the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Years later, a group of scientists working at the Hiroshima Hospital, discover a feral boy who’s been feeding on small animals and causing distortions within the city. They take the boy into their care, but as time goes on they soon discover the shocking truth: the boy is actually Frankenstein’s monster! Totally didn’t see that coming. The creature escapes, but not without leaving a little bit of destruction in his wake. Frankenstein’s monster makes his retreat towards the mountains, meanwhile a mysterious creature, now known as Baragon, begins causing mayhem in neighboring villages and soon crosses paths with Frankenstein (obviously, you know where it goes from here).

             This is truly a unique monster flick. The premise is just so bizarre and original it’s just amazing. The designs of both Kaiju are very cool, this reviewer is especially fond of the monster, Baragon. While the monsters are awesome, the humans fall into the same routine as in most other monster flicks and only act as plot devices. Though the movie has mediocre characters, the action scenes more than make up for that and the set pieces are unbelievable with amazing detail put into them, just be forewarned it does take a little while for the action to get going.

            So, if you’re looking for a bizarre monster movie from Japan, this one’s for you.

Final Rating:

Frankenstein Versus Baragon is currently available on DVD, though it’s another one of those that’s hard to find. You might have some luck looking for it on the internet, that’s probably your best bet. As for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards, War of the Gargantuas, a semi-sequel to FvB, though the story is different in the English version, lastly, I suggest checking out Rodan, a Kaiju classic. That’s it for me, if you’ve seen the movie, let me know what your thoughts on it are, in the comment section below.

Until Next Time, Never Mess with Nature…

 

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms: Movie Review #16

Review of the Week:

The Birth of a Sub-Genre

Everything has a beginning, it must start from somewhere. Most days, a trend can appear out of nowhere and no one usually knows how it came to be. That isn’t always the case, especially when it comes the giant-monster craze of the ‘1950s. While most people credit King Kong (1933) as the first gargantuan beast to start this whole trend, the idea of a monster being spawned by nuclear radiation was created by ‘1953s: The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.

            The film starts out in Antarctica, where a group of scientists and military personal test an atomic bomb which awakens a dinosaur called the Rhedosaurus (red-o-soar-us). The creature makes its way out of Antarctica and arrives in New York City causing mayhem and destruction in its wake. The plot is VERY basic, but considering a lot of other monster movies of the time followed the exact same structure, it’s very original by comparison. This film also served as the inspiration for the king of the monsters himself: Godzilla.

            To save time, the human characters in the film will not be discussed, mainly because they’re only there to move the plot forward, the real star of the film is the monster itself. Ray Harryhausen, the man behind the special effects, did a great job of both, designing the creature and giving it enough personality to make it stand out above the rest. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, represented Ray’s first solo venture as a stop-motion artist. Prior to this film, he was a co-animator with Willis O’Brien on Mighty Joe Young in 1949.

            So, if you’re wondering where giant monsters truly got their start on the big screen, then you should definitely check out The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.

Final Rating:

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is available on Blu-Ray & DVD, possibly at your local video-store, but you’re more than likely able to find a copy online. As for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards the original Gojira (Godzilla), another important piece of monster movie history, lastly, I suggest checking out Tremors, a giant monster flick on a smaller scale. That’s it for me, let me what your thoughts on the movie are and if you have any other movies I should review, down in the comments.

Until Next Time, Never Detonate a Bomb Next to a Giant Monster…



20 Million Miles to Earth: Movie Review #15

Review of the Week:

Space Kong Invades Italy!

 

There are many people who claim to be the best at what they do. Some mean it, some use as a sales pitch, but not in the case of Hollywood’s most influential figure, the visionary that is: Ray Harryhausen. The man inspired an entire generation of filmmakers from James Cameron, to Guillermo Del Toro and even esteemed actors such as Tom Hanks, he certainly inspired me to go into the business as well. Harryhausen was living proof that you could have so much fun with your work and he showed it through his movies. This will be the first of two of Ray’s flicks that I’m going to be covering this month and this film easily makes it on my top five favorite Harryhausen movies.

            A group of American astronauts and their spaceship, crash land back on earth, off the coast of Italy, with a special capsule that contains a creature from the planet Venus. The creature is soon released from its capsule and goes on a rampage through Rome. The plot does have some similarities to King Kong, from 1933, though it has more differences to makes it stand out. Also, while the creature in this movie does cause destruction to property and attacks people, it’s only acting on instinct and does have a couple of sympathetic moments which are very noticeable. The creature in this film (called the Ymir, by Ray himself) definitely has a unique design when it comes to extra-terrestrial monsters, with its humanoid shape, dino-like feet, scaly skin and its head, love the head.

            Ray’s effects and stop-motion are top-notch. The way he animates his creatures were what set him apart from other stop-motion animators at the time, the same goes for the Ymir. The way the creature moves and acts gives off this feeling that it’s actually alive. The only down side I can think of for this movie is that the human characters are more or less plot devices for the film and don’t exactly have a natural vibe to them. Other than that, there isn’t whole lot you can go wrong with in regards to this film. So, if you’re interested in checking out Ray Harryhausen’s work and are into ‘50s sci-fi films, then you should check out 20 Million Miles to Earth.

Final Rating:

Twenty Million Miles to Earth is available on Blu-Ray and DVD for reasonable prices, though mostly available to purchase online. You might be able to find a copy at your local video store, if you do try that route, I can only say good luck to you. As for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards another one of Harryhausen’s movies, The Valley of Gwangi, cowboys, and dinosaurs, enough said and lastly, I recommend checking out John Carpenter’s: The Thing, if you’re a big fan practical effects, you should check this one out. That’s it for me, please do check out my other reviews and let me know what your thoughts are on this film.

Until Next Time, Remember That Even Aliens Need Love Too…

Varan The Unbelievable: Movie Review #14

Review of the Week:

Beware the Flying-Squirrel Lizard!

 

 

Ever since I was kid, I’ve always had a fascination for Japanese culture, from the technology they produce, to their lifestyle and most importantly their version of media entertainment. Like most people, I was introduced by watching monster movies, or Kaiju flicks (Kaiju is the Japanese word for giant beast). I grew up with unusual creatures such as Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus and of course the King of the Monsters himself: Godzilla. Despite Japan’s wide variety of radioactive miscreants, there’s one Kaiju that hasn’t received the same amount of attention as the rest and I’m going to talk about his film today.

            Varan is as straight-forward of a monster movie as you can get. The plot of the film is that the monster is awakened in the northern mountains while a group of scientists attempt to conduct research on a rare butterfly, who ignore the warnings of the natives from a neighboring village. They warn the scientists that their intrusion will cause the wrath of their god Baradagi, or as researchers soon discover turn out to be a prehistoric creature known as Varan (who can also glide like a flying-squirrel, apparently). From there you can probably what happens next, so I won’t say any more.

            Now calling this movie straight-forward may discourage some of you, but don’t be a fool, as basic as it is, it’s a fun piece of Kaiju history that’s worth checking out. It has everything that you can expect from a monster flick, a big man in a rubber suit flailing his arms around like a baby (Varan’s design is still one of my favorites), miniature planes and jets shooting fireworks everywhere like a bunch of Stormtroopers and a lot of stock footage implanted in the film. If you are going to check this one out, it’s highly recommended that you either watch it with friends or wait until you’re in the right mindset (trust me you don’t want to miss a minute of it).

            So, if you’re interested in watching an old monster movie, look no further.

Final Rating:

Varan is available on DVD, though unfortunately it is one of those movies that you are going to have a hard time finding. You might have better luck finding a copy if you look online, in my case I managed to grab one just before it became a rare item, especially the one released by Tokyo Shock, which includes the original version of the film. As for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards The Mysterians, one of the cheesiest sci-fi movies I have ever seen and lastly, I suggest checking out Planet of Dinosaurs, an amazing stop-motion film from the ‘70s that’ll have you laughing your ass off (pardon my French). That’s it for me, let me know what your thoughts on the film are down below and if there are any other kaiju flicks I should review.

Until Next Time, “Fear the Unknown” …

Kingsman The Secret Service: Movie Review #13

Review of the Week:

Even Spies can Learn from Sting



Everyone loves surprises, I certainly do, especially when it comes to movies. It’s refreshing to watch something you never expected to enjoy. A few years back, I discovered a trailer for a film which had an interesting cast and story. When I saw it for the first time, I quickly realized just how awesome the experience was going to be. Kingsman was that movie (but you already knew that since that’s what this review is about).

            The film centers around a young man from south London (played by Taron Edgerton) who is recruited by a member of a secret organization dedicated to protecting the world from various threats. The young man is sent on a current mission, to stop a psychotic billionaire who’s taking extreme measures to “save the planet”. What follows are a bunch of shenanigans that are both hilarious and action-packed (there’s a particular scene that’s my personal favorite).

            Kingsman represents Colin Firth's first performance in an action-orientated film. While that may create some concern for people who are familiar with him, and have not seen this film, all fears are thrown right out the window almost immediately. He does his action scenes brilliantly and adds this sense of style to his character, I don’t see in a lot of spy flicks and action movies in general (Fun Fact: Firth did 80% of his own stunts in the film). A big bonus, Harry Hart, his character, likes to quote the famous singer Sing (though it’s just one).  

            If you want to see a more recent film filled with espionage, comedy, balls-to-the-wall action and bad-ass gentlemen, then Kingsman: The Secret Service is the movie for you (warning: do not watch this with toddlers, parents, or grandparents).

Final Rating:

 

Kingsman: The Secret Service is available at your local video-store, and online, on Blu-Ray and DVD for a reasonable price. Definitely get it on Blu-Ray to have the full experience (trust me), as for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards Starship Troopers, it’s a fun satire on military and sci-fi films with grand action that exceeds even Kingsman, lastly, I recommend checking out Desperado, it’s my favorite action film from ‘90s and has an amazing sense of style also similar to Kingsman. That’s it for me, if you agree with my thoughts on the flick, feel free to let me know in the comments below and give me other movie recommendations for me to review.

Until Next Time, Oxfords Not Brogues…