The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 10 (Godzilla vs. Megalon / Swamp Diamonds / Teen-Age Strangler / The Giant Spider Invasion) (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)The latest MST3K 4-disc set contains a good variety of episodes from seasons 2, 5 and 8. Two episodes feature Joel Hodgson as host and two have Mike Nelson as host. Three episodes are from the Comedy Central years while one is from the first season on the Sci-Fi Channel. Here is a synopsis of each episode:
212- GODZILLA VS. MEGALON
This extremely silly Toho picture from 1973 is a blast whether you love or loathe Godzilla movies. Its original Japanese title is Gojira tai Megaro. It is simply goofy beyond belief! The people of Seatopia, who live under the ocean, decide that it's time they controlled the surface world as well, launching an all out assault on surface dwelling humans. Their main instrument of destruction is Megalon, a large monster with big spike-like arms and a star-shaped projection on his head. Godzilla comes to the rescue, assisted by a man-made robot named Jet Jaguar that can change its size to become gigantic. Together, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar teach Megalon and the Seatopians a lesson they'll not soon forget.
This is a GREAT episode and includes some of the BEST host segments ever, including the "Rex Dart, Eskimo Spy" sketch, the `Bots get new arms sketch, the `Bots argue over whose monster is the "coolest" sketch, and the HILARIOUS translation of the Jet Jaguar fight song during the final host segment. The scene of Godzilla dropkicking as if flying through the air during the opening titles in later seasons of the show comes from this episode. This is a must-see episode!
503- SWAMP DIAMONDS (plus short: WHAT TO DO ON A DATE)
This is a 1955 Roger Corman "classic" starring Beverly Garland and Mike "Touch" Connors before his fame with Mannix. Beverly Garland leads a gang of escaped female convicts to a cache of diamonds and they kidnap the innocent Mr. Connors and his girlfriend along the way. A policewoman goes undercover inside the gang hoping to recover the stolen diamonds. Beverly Garland turns in the usual good performance and looks great doing it in spite of the mediocre film quality.
Host segments in this episode focus on the dating short as Servo tries to get up the nerve to ask Gypsy for a date. There's also a hilarious bit based on the "This Side of Paradise" episode of the original Star Trek series.
514- TEEN-AGE STRANGLER (plus short: IS THIS LOVE?)
This is the second episode of MST3K to be hosted by Mike Nelson after the departure of show creator Joel Hodgson. The main feature is a small independent film made in 1968 West Virginia about a serial killer in a small town and it looks every bit the amateur film. Highlights in this episode include Mike Nelson transforming into Mikey from the movie and the hilarious "The Janitor Song." The short is also a winner with some of the oldest looking "young people" you're likely to see on film; this is really funny stuff!
810- THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION
This movie is a 1975 monster flick from Bill Rebane, the same man who brought you Monster A-Go Go! This film is ever so slightly more competently made than Monster A-Go Go and actually features a couple of well-known actors: Barbara Hale of Perry Mason fame and Alan Hale, Jr. who was The Skipper on Gilligan's Island and also the sheriff in the film The Crawling Hand which was featured in MST3K episode # 106. The movie is really goofy fun, with large spiders everywhere, sleazy and gross yokel-type characters less appealing than the spiders, and a small car dressed up as the biggest and cheesiest looking spider of them all. The scene where Barbara Hale's character does an odd tumble down a hill is worth seeing all by itself and there's plenty of other good material here as well for the MST3K writers. This is certainly one of the more fun episodes done after the show moved to the Sci-Fi Channel. The amusing host segments are based loosely on the classic SF film Invasion of the Body Snatchers rather than on the film featured in the episode.
This DVD set also contains the following extra features:
-MST3K Video Jukebox with 15 songs from the series
-Photo Gallery
-Outtakes consisting of about 15 minutes of the best moments from "Poopie 2"
This is a great set any MST3K fan, film buff or comedy aficionado would enjoy, with a wide variety of film genres and seasons of the show represented here. Join Us! Movie Sign!

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Four never-before-released episodes of the incomparably funny TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000. Episodes include: Godzilla vs. Megalon, Swamp Diamonds, Teen-Age Strangler, and The Giant Spider Invasion.

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Son of Kong (1933) Review

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(More customer reviews)Following hot on the heels of the classic monster love story "King Kong",whose central character is often referred to as the eight wonder of the world, this continuation story filmed and released the same year and featuring some of the same cast and settings certainly had its work cut out for it. While it could never top its famous "parent", there is much that is of interest in this effort and for sheer atmosphere alone it is miles ahead of any of the numerous King Kong followup movies that have been released over the years. "Son of Kong", continues the story of Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), from one month after King Kong's demise at the top of the Empire State Building and one of its most interesting elements is that it reveals some progression in his character in that he now can see that taking Kong out of his own environment was a mistake. This sequel is played in a far more light hearted manner but there is still enough action to satisfy those that enjoyed the classic "King Kong". Benefiting from being filmed just after "King Kong", "Son", also boasts the same general look and feel to it in particular in the scenes taking place back on Skull Island. In "Son of Kong", we encounter another kind of ape to the noble Kong, in his white haired son who seems to have an almost sentimental side to his character but who still has that strong bond towards humans just like his father possessed in the earlier film.
"Son of Kong", begins during the fallout from Carl Denham's disastrous exhibition of King Kong in New York which resulted in numerous deaths and untold damage when Kong broke loose and went on a rampage in the city. Short of money and besieged by reporters and writ servers Carl sees that his only hope is to escape New York on one of the boats sailing to the far East. Work in transporting cargo is fairly lean however and when the boat docks at a small South Seas Island there doesn't promise to be much else on the horizon. While on the island Carl encounters Hilda (Helen Mack), a singer in her father's second rate travelling tent show. After a performance Helen's father is killed in a drunken fight with Helstrom (John Marston), who held the original map that led to Skull Island. In a desperate effort to leave the island before the authorities track him down he spins a tale of a great treasure that was buried on Skull Island just behind Kong's Great Wall. With no better prospects dawning Carl and the Captain (Frank Reicher),decide to travel again to Skull Island and find this treasure. Taking the untrustworthy Helstrom along despite their misgivings about him they also find that they have an unexpected extra passenger in Hilda who has stowed away on board to be with Carl. However it's not smooth sailing on the journey to Skull Island as Helstrom stirs up trouble with the crew who mutiny and send off the Captain, Carl, Helen and Willie the Chinese cook (Victor Wong) in a life boat . However when Helstrom tries to take command the crew throw him overboard and he joins the others who land on Skull Island. Once on the island the team encounter a white haired ape trapped in quick sand. Freeing him Kong Jr. as he is dubbed immediately takes on the responsibility for looking after the group on the island. He does battle to ward off attacks by a large bear and a number of assorted other dinosaurs. The group eventually find the inner temple where in actual fact a treasure is hidden but just as they are preparing to leave a massive earthquake erupts and the island begins to collapse into the sea. Trying to leave the others behind and save himself Helstrom meets a horrible end courtesy of one of the creatures in the lagoon and while the rest of the party make it out onto the ocean Kong Jr. and Carl are trapped on what is left of the Island. As the water level rises Kong's son in one final act of sacrifice holds Carl up above the water til he is picked up by the group. With that Kong Jr. sinks below the waves to his own death. Apart from that sad note all ends happily for Carl and Helen who look forward to a new life together thanks to Kong Jr saving all of their lives.
Admittedly "Son of Kong", can't compare with its predecessor in terms of characterisation and general excitement and it does at times have the feel of a rushed sequel to it. However there is a great deal to enjoy in this effort. The idea of creating a white furred ape to succeed the dark haired Kong on Skull Island is an interesting one and the "personalities", of the two creatures are vastly different which makes watching these two films in succession a worthwhile experience. Robert Armstrong and Helen Mack (who obviously is replacing the famed Fay Wray as the romantic lead in this effort) have a good chemistry and what both might lack in real screen charisma they more than make up for in their earnest playing. The film boasts some of the great qualities from the first film, for example Wills O'Brien's exceptional dinosaur animation most obviously displayed in the battle between Kong Jr. and the cave bear and scene of the charging Styracosaurus just after the group arrive on Skull Island. Kong Jr's animation is for the most part a continuation of the previous brilliant work achieved by Wills O'Brien in "King Kong". Because Kong Jr. is played in a much more light hearted manner the creature is not perhaps as memorable a character however he has some very enjoyable moments on screen such as when he unintentionally comes across Carl and Helen in an intimate moment and backs off with an embarrassed expression on his face. Performances by the human leads as a whole are fairly exceptable. Robert Armstrong and Helen Mack deliver good performances under the often trying circumstances they find themselves in. Helen Mack as the embattled female lead naturally has to compete with the memory of Fay Wray in the original Kong movie but she has a sweet, endearing quality to her playing in particular in the scenes where her father is murdered. John Marston as the villian Helstrom, who predictably gets his just reward for his treachery also delivers an interesting performance. With its short running time (around 70 minutes), "Son of Kong", is of course not strong in deep character or story development however that in a way works in its favour as it keeps the proceedings moving along at a fast rate.
I always view "Son of Kong", as its own individual work and try not to match it up against the far more memorable "King Kong". Smaller in almost all ways than its predecessor it still is an enjoyable action film that still contains some of the best monster stop motion animation to come out of the 1930's. Kong Jr. is an endearing creation so in some ways calling him a monster seems inappropriate. What I admire the most about this little film is the great expertise on display in the stop motion sequences and the great atmosphere of Skull Island. In many respects this work was years ahead of their time long before computers were capable of working their miracles and they pay great homage to Wills O'Brien and his expert team of animators. Try and catch King Kong's comical white haired son some time soon in "Son of Kong", as a visit to Skull Island and its mysteries is always enjoyable.

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In this sequel to "King Kong," Kong's exhibitor takes off on a cruise, ends up back on Kong's island, and make friends with the adorable Little Kong.

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Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)So, there I was, searching the net for a new b ( or maybe z...) movie to give me entertainment for and hour and half. Then, by some stroke of luck, I found the sequel to last years unofficial movie of the year MEGA SHARK VS GIANT OCTOPUS. What better creaturer c to do battle with the mega shark next than a crocosaurus? And there we have it: MEGA SHARK VS CROCOSAURUS. I imediatly went onto amazon.com to pre-order my copy. And today was the day that it arrived!
As previously stated, our mega shark has apparently survived the fight with the giant octopus. We get a new team of people- including erkel- that plan on killing both the surviving mega shark and the new crocosaurus. Caos ensuses as each of there plans fails causing more and more destruction. So what's on the menu for our two creatures? Well, our mega shark still has a taste for battle ships and submarines, but not so much for planes or bridges anymore. Our crocosaurus on the other hand has a craving for African workers, killer whales, and variouse other morsels. So let's get the breakdown on msvc:
THE GOOD:
- one of my only problems with msvgo was the fact that we never got to see much of our mega shark and giant octopus. They also didn't look terribly realistic, but I didn't find that to be a problem. This time around, the effects are improved ( although still terrible, this adds to the entertainment!) and we get a lot more shots of our creatures and a lot more action.
- another improvement from msvgo is the actual fight scenes. We get two main fights between our Mega shark and our crocosaurus. They also don't consist of the same shot repeated over and over like msvgo!
- the production values also look pretty good for an asylum film, which are usually restricted to one interior of a ship being used for multiple ships and submarines. ( yes I'm looking at you msvgo!)
- the acting is pretty good for this type of movie, and so is the dialogue- lol moments with the dialogue are kept to a minimum. However that's both a good and a bad thing ( see the bad).
THE BAD:
- the main thing that kept MEGA SHARK VS CROCOSAURUS from getting a five like msvgo was the lack of fun. There was a sense of fun in msvgo that kept you entertained. You could tell the cast was having fun and not taking the movie seriously, were as the cast in this one have. It's just a bit serious sometimes, and you just want something really silly to break the seriousness.
-I missed the over-the-top dialogue from msvgo, this is what made it so hilarious! However, the dialogue in this one isntnso dramatic and over done ( which most people would consider good lol, but I found it to be a lot less funny to watch)
- also, there are some scenes in the movie were everyone was just talking, and nothing much was going on.
- the last thing I can remember that annoyed me was that it didn't try to top the plane-eating scene from msvgo! Compared to the destruction of the creatures in the first movies, these ones seem a bit people friendly. ( keep in mind that most of these complaints are miner and I dint mean to be nit- picking !)
Overall, if you enjoyed mega shark vs giant octopus then you will like this! It keeps you entertained most of the time, especially the last half an hour. Have fun viewing MEGA SHARK VS CROCOSAURUS, and I hope the asylum makes more mega- giant- saurus movies in the future!!!

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Studio: Asylum Home EntertainmentRelease Date: 12/21/2010Run time: 90 minutesRating: Nr

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Godzilla DVD Collection 7-Pack (Godzilla (1998) / Godzilla 2000 / vs. King Ghidora / and Mothra The Battle for Earth / vs. Destoroyah / vs. Space Godzilla / vs. Mechagodzilla / Giant Monsters All Out Attack / vs. Megaguirus) (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, these are all good to excellent Godzilla
flicks - lots of fun and worth owning. I give 2 stars
because if you don't happen to already own any of these,
you can at least get an instant collection for a fairly
good deal (low price).
The bad news is for those who are not new to Godzilla and
who have a collection already: all Sony did, from the looks
of it, is bundle up the back stock of previously released dvds.
There are no decent extras to speak of. This collection
features 9 movies on 7 disks as follows (two disks are double
features).
The Good:
Yes, there is some good here! The following are how ALL the
movies should have been handled and would have made this a more
solid effort on Sony's part:

Godzilla x Megaguirus, GMK and Godzilla x Mechagodzilla are
all in High Definition, offer English and Japanese soundtracks
and english subtiltles, which is the way ALL Godzilla flicks
should be presented in this day and age of DVDs. The Bad:
Godzilla x Mothra Battle for Earth and Godzilla x Ghidorah.
A travesty because these are STILL not presented in their
original aspect ration; they have NO JAPANESE soundtrack and don't
even have close captioning/English Subs. These are the exact
same Full Screen-No Frills copies that have been floating around
for years - whats up with Columbia Tristar!?
Godzilla x Space Godzilla and Godzilla x Destroyah. Great
flicks which are at least in widescreen. Columbia Tristar
still held off from including a Japanese soundtrack!
Godzilla 2000 - still just an English dub here folks, sorry.
At least its in widescreen; there is also a comentary track and
a few other nice extras which lift this disk up a bit.
The Ugly:
Godzilla 1998 - including this movie was weak. It isn't
all that bad if you can forget it bears the title of a
Godzilla movie because that's where any similarities end. It
doesn't need further comment except to say its a dinosaur
movie with lots of CGI effects and no heart. Its worth
seeing for the general viewer of hollywood style flicks.
In conclusion, Sony didn't do anything to make this a more
interesting collection for the long-time, long-term fan. I'm
not as sour on Sony/Columbia Tristar as I may sound here, but
this release just doesn't have anything extra.
Sony will have little to say to those who seek out bootlegs
or versions released from other countries in order to view
the movies as they were originally released.
50th Anniversary Editions:
Better news is that the other earlier 70s Godzilla flicks
(GxMegalon, GxGigan, GxMechaGodzilla etc.) were released
with English and Japanese dubs. Hoo-Ray for Columbia Tristar!

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GODZILLA COLLECTOR'S BOX SET 7PK - DVD Movie

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Spread (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Spread" is basically a grifter movie with Ashton Kutcher playing (rather credibly I might add) Nikki, an over-confident hustler who lacks both a home and a car, and thus resorts to preying on older, successful (yet attractive) women. One of these is Anne Heche, who plays a successful attorney, Samantha, and finding Nikki's brash overtures rather charming, takes him home to her posh pad in the Hollywood Hills. Both Samantha and Nikki have hot sex all over Sam's luxurious property, and the sex scenes are pretty explicit and creative. Nikki should be happy in this arrangement, yet the viewer senses Nikki's restlessness. Instead of cementing the 'deal', Nikki inexplicably resorts to reckless acts, like having sex with another woman in Sam's bed whilst he thinks she's out of town...well, the Nikki-Samantha coupling continues, even as Nikki finds himself increasingly attracted to a waitress, Heather (Margarita Levieva) who is also hustling for money and stuff.
This is where the movie sort of veers off tangent and weakens - I found Anne Heche to be an interesting character. She is outwardly confident and controlling in the relationship with Nikki, but then she reveals her own set of insecurities by some of her actions. Unfortunately, when Heather comes into the picture, Heche's Samantha recedes into the background. The Nikki-Heather relationship doesn't altogether add up - Heather reveals certain character deficits which makes one wonder why Nikki is so smitten with her (empathy perhaps?). There are other facets of their relationship that is presented as is with no credible explanation. Ultimately, it's this lack on character development and in-depth exploration that lets this movie down, though it still makes for an interesting and engaging viewing experience.

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Fresh, funny and racy, Spread is a look at the trials and tribulations of sleeping your way to a life of privilege in Los Angeles.Nikki (Ashton Kutcher) is a fun-loving, freeloading hipster who understands his greatestassets are his looks and sexual prowess. His latest conquest, Samantha (Anne Heche), a stunning middle-aged lawyer, gives Nikki more than he’s ever had before. But when Heather (Margarita Levieva), a gorgeous waitress playing the same game, catches his eye, their lifestyles force a choice between love and money.Nikki has to decide whether he can live on his own once and for all in the hopes of finding something real.

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Ultraman: The Complete Series Review

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(More customer reviews)First things first...I've seen some of the audio comments (English dubbing intercut with Japanese subtitles) made for this release and the one back in 2006. Think of your favorite syndicated show. You know having watched the original that some scenes get cut in syndication. Now, think of Ultraman in that same vein, only it was already in "syndication" when it reached our shores way back. So, when the complete, original episodes are released on DVD, they include original, Japanese-only scenes which WERE NEVER DUBBED IN ENGLISH. However, to be a complete episode, they are still inlcuded.
Now, on with the review. After occasionally catching a Power Ranger show a few years back, I knew that I would need to steer my young son clear of this influence (the kids are always fighting and sarcastic with each other.) Anyway, my comment in seeing the "power" rangers would be, "Ultraman could defeat these guys." My boy became curious as to who I was talking about, and when the Ultraman DVDs were released back in 2006, I was able to show him.
Talk about the memories that this show rekindles. The first time the show's theme song began to play, I got chills. I was immediately taken back to my grandmother's house in rural Pennsylvania (we didn't get Ultraman in Texas in the '70s.) I watched a few episodes with my son and I could still recall some of the details in the story line that I hadn't seen for thirty years. Over time, I have managed to find Ultraman action figures that my son loves, and even a beta capsule that makes the familiar sound.
I bought this latest release because over the three years, nephews have managed to scratch the older DVDs. Now, each one will have their own set for Christmas (hard to beat at this price.)
If you remember Ultraman as he was, your memory will probably be stirred by this set. If you are new to the original Ultraman, you'll have to dial back your current expectation level of special effects and sound quality, but hopefully you will still be able to appreciate the presentation of how things were in the almost forty years ago.
I used this series to springboard my son's exposure to the Godzilla movies of the '60s and '70s. Enjoy.

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Created by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya (Godzilla, Mothra), the 1960's television series Ultraman remains one of Japan's most beloved science-fiction exports.Airing between 1966 and 1967 with a total of 39 episodes, the live-action series followed a high-tech police force and their alien superhero Ultraman as they battled to save the Earth from invading aliens and monsters. This collection presents the complete series in original un-cut and re-mastered editions.When the world is threatened by alien invaders and giant prehistoric monsters, there is only one agency equipped to handle the situation, The Science Patrol, an ultra-sophisticated police force equipped with high-tech weaponry and spacecrafts. Led by Captain Muramatsu, the team defends the planet from the unknown. Unbeknownst to the team, one of their members, Hayata, has the ability to transform himself into the giant superhero from Nebula M7B, Ultraman, when all their weaponry and skills can't stop their foes!Special features include English Subtitles, U.S. Opening Credits and interviews with the English dub team of Peter Fernandez, Corrine Orr and the late Earl Hammond (the team that also voiced the English version of Speed Racer).

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