Well that's a bummer.
I suspected I would miss a day. I didn't think it would happen due to computer miscues. Yesterday, fully prepared to post, I tried to log in only to be thwarted. I couldn't even get on to the sign in page.
Was it my computer's fault? An error on this site's part? A problem with the internet connection? Martian mind probes? Who knows? Who cares?
Oh well. It's not that it's vital I post every day. I'm not getting paid less, nor will I lose my job over it. I've only been trying to post at least once a day every day in a week in the hopes of making it a habit. So far so good
I was doing this for two purposes. The first wass to improve my writing skills. The more you do something the better at it you become. I hope that my spelling and grammar is also boosted as I go back through these posts and edit my little gaffs.
The second was simply to set and meet deadlines. A way for me to get used to the idea. After all, when I finally "go pro", as it were, there are going to be deadlines and consequences for missing deadlines. Best to work out any problems I have now while it doesn't matter as much.
Having said that, I plan to take weekends off in May, starting the first week of May .
Sounds like a bit of a contradiction, doesn't it?
I'm not talking about a literal Cullen goofs off type day off. Instead, I plan on working on content for this site. Partially to create a bit of a buffer in case I have to skip a day, but mainly to ease some of the "Gotta Get A Post Up!" Hopefully a more relaxed attitude might improve the quality of my posts. And, as I'm not working with current events just yet, I think I can get away with it.
Taking the weekends off should last only through May, though I might do it again or extend it if I need to. If something occurs to me on those weekends, I'll post; I just won't feel obligated to post on those days.
Ultimately I'd like to set a certain schedule of articles, reviews, and (God willing) fiction and be able to stick to it. Perhaps having a bit of a buffer will be one step towards that goal.
(And perhaps not.)
In the near future, I remind you, I intend further discussion on my views on writing, (types of genre, the pros and cons of Outlining, the use of "How To" books, that sort of thing), authors I have read and who've inspired me, more capsule reviews covering the Godzilla series, and a little essay dealing with the writer Damon Knight.
Tomorrow, however, I hope to have a little picture and poem up for the enjoyment of all. And yes, I realize that makes 3 poems over the zero pieces of fiction I've put up. That's gotta change, too. (The particular picture I'm thinking of using sort of inspires other thoughts... It'll be nice seeing it again. Sort of.)
Be seeing you then. Assuming, of course, this modern technology doesn't bite me again.
(Keeps up, I might become a Luddite...)
08 April 2005
06 April 2005
Capsule Reviews - Showa Godzilla (3)
Here are capsule reviews for the Showa Godzilla movies that were released in the years between 1971 and 1975. Only minor spoilers are given, with only the barest of plots to preserve some of the joys of the films. Longer reviews will appear when warranted.
Part One is located here
Part Two is located here
aka Godzilla v. Hedora
aka Godzilla v. the Smog Monster
Director: Yoshimitsu Banno
A terrible monster is created from the pollution of man. Only Godzilla and a dedicated scientist can save the Earth from its devastating power.
Poor Yoshimitsu Banno. Here he was, thinking he made an excellent movie, even planning a sequel using Hedora again, only to have the producer, Tomoyuki Tanaka, tell him that he had “ruined Godzilla”.
As if Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru kaijû daishingeki hadn’t already done as much…
In comparison to the previous outing, Gojira tai Hedorâ is almost praiseworthy. There is no recycling of footage, for one thing. While it clings to the Godzilla Plot, Hedora is an actual threat to both Godzilla and Humanity. What could be better?
This movie, for one thing. It drags. It’s filled with bizarre and pointless imagery. It preaches, oh how it preaches. Godzilla suddenly becomes a scientist at the end, or psychic. His breath obtains mystic and magical properties…
Godzilla fans have been calling this the worst Godzilla movie, and it’s hard to argue.
Still, it’s almost worth recommending for just one moment: Godzilla, chasing Hedora, flies. The damnedest moment in the whole Showa series. However, as it is possible to see the scene online (for instance, here at Badmovies.org, if you happen to want to spare yourself the anguish), you might want to spare yourself.
aka Godzilla on Monster Island
aka Godzilla v. Gigan
Director: Jun Fukuda
Alien invaders plot to kill Godzilla and take over the world with the help of the Kaijû Gigan and Ghidora. Only a manga artist and his friends can save the radioactive dinosaur from certain doom.
While this movie isn’t nearly as good as Fukuda’s earlier work, it is still a step up from Gojira tai Hedorâ. Just not a big step. Gigan is one of the most unusual of Godzilla’s foes, with his hook hands and saw blade belly (!). Ghidorah, when not presented via scenes from previous Godzilla movies, looks awfully stiff.
Notable for the only Godzilla movie where the viewer can understand a portion of Godzilla’s speech. (It was revealed that Godzilla was capable of communication way back in San daikaijû: Chikyu saidai no kessen, remember.)
aka Godzilla vs. Megalon
Director: Jun Fukuda
The underground dwelling Seatopians, furious at Humanity’s mistreatment of the Earth, steal the robot Jet Jaguar from its creators. It is immediately set to diabolical use, acting as a guide to the Kaijû Gigan and Megalon in the destruction of the surface.
This marks the last of the REALLY BAD Showa Godzilla movies. It’s mainly about Jet Jaguar, that Ultraman/Spectreman wannabe, and his creators struggle to regain control of him. Dull as dirt.
Except, to be perfectly honest, there is some small degree of charm towards the end as Godzilla finally enters the picture. It might be worth fastfowarding through the other parts to see. Beyond that…
aka Godzilla v. Bionic Monster
aka Godzilla v. Cosmic Monster
aka Godzilla v. Mechagodzilla
Director: Jun Fukuda
The heroic Godzilla has gone rouge, returning to his city stomping ways and even brutally attacking his friend Anguirus. The only hope of stopping the rampage can be found in an ancient prophecy and, perhaps, the God King Shisa.
That synopsis keeps the mystery of what’s going on far better than the movie does; one roar from Godzilla and viewers know something is up. (Well, that and the title). On top of this is yet another alien threat and the Godzilla Plot unadorned and unloved.
Still, this is an entertaining entry in the series and a decent farewell from Fukuda to the series. Shisa is distinctive looking in amongst the dinosaurs and giant animals Godzilla usually encounters, though his powers are a bit of a dud. Well worth a watching.
(1975)
aka Terror of Mechagodzilla
Director: Ishirô Honda
Once more the world is threatened by the terror of Mechagodzilla. But this time he has help from the mammoth Titanosaurus. Can Godzilla alone stop them both?
The final Godzilla of the Showa era, this isn’t a bad way to go out. Titanosaurus is a bit of a drip, however, and we have yet again another alien invasion to deal with (same ones as last time, by all appearances.) But, all in all, not a bad little film.
Part Two is located here
05 April 2005
Capsule Reviews - Showa Godzilla (2)
Here are capsule reviews for the Showa Godzilla movies that were released in the years between 1966 and 1969. Only minor spoilers are given, with only the barest of plots to preserve some of the joys of the films. Longer reviews will appear when warranted.
Part One is located here
Part Three is located here
aka Godzilla v. the Sea Monster
Director: Jun Fukuda
The four castaways wake on an island that is, unfortunately, far from deserted. It is the base of the military group known as the Red Bamboo as well as the home of the Kaijû Ebirah, a massive man eating lobster. On top of all of this, the four find Godzilla sleeping in an underground cave. With discovery by the Red Bamboo's search parties only a matter of time, they form a desperate plan: wake Godzilla and hope to find a way off the island in the resulting confusion.
From this point on, Jun Fukuda is the regular series director. Unlike the majority of Honda's films, Fukuda's Godzilla films are decidedly absurd and do nothing for the radioactive dinosaur's fearsome image.
Nevertheless, they are entertaining films and Nankai no daiketto is one of the best of the bunch, with one incident following the next so quick that one has little time to wonder at how daft it all is. (But afterwards... oh, afterwards...)
Originally, this film was to star King Kong and it shows. Godzilla uses physical attacks far more often than usual, and at one point shows a decided interest in a beautiful woman, something far more suited for his erstwhile ape opponent. Ebirah is, while somewhat impressive visually, a poor choice of monster to pit against the aquatic fire breathing dinosaur.
Note that this an inversion of the previous film, Kaijû daisenso, in which not only the Guardian Kaijû defeated by the Invader, he is defeated twice.
(One could make a case for Godzilla being a Guardian Kaijû as well, as he does show an interest in the beautiful woman, to the point of rescuing her. However, that particular moment goes nowhere. He never returns her phone calls and later pretends not to know her.)
Director: Jun Fukuda
A scientific research team, located on a jungle island plagued by giant mantises known as the Kamacuras, learns that they also share the island with a lost egg belong to Godzilla. Unfortunately, the egg has been emitting a distress signal and Godzilla arrives to rescue his newfound son, destroying the team's camp in process. Now the scientists have to deal with the savage Kamacuras, a sudden illness, and a radioactive dinosaur teaching his son the tricks of the trade. If that isn't bad enough, the island's true threat, Kumonga, wakes and begins to scuttle about the island for food.
This movie is notable for several reasons, primarily the introduction of the mildly disturbing son of Godzilla, Minya. The second is that, while the Kamacuras and Kumonga are both inclined to eat the Humans, they also lean towards dinosaur meat, making them a markedly different threat than Godzilla's previous foes. Finally, this is one of the rare Godzilla films that end with Humanity triumphant over Godzilla.
After a wee slow patch at the start, the movie takes off and, like the previous Nankai no daiketto, does not let up. Most entertaining, so long as you like goofy movies.
(Small note: the English version refers to the Kamacuras as Gimantis and Kumonga as Spiga.)
aka Destroy All Monsters
Director: Ishirô Honda
In the far flung future of 1999, all of Earth's Kaijû have been contained on a single island known as Monster Island. This proves to be a less than sound an idea as aliens invade the island and take possession of the titans, sending them out to beat Humanity into submission.
The return of Honda to the series brings with him a mild return of form to the series. The movie spends entirely too much time on the search for the alien invaders, but as nearly every one of Toho's monster roster is on display within its running time, it's hard to complain.
At one point intended to be the end of the Godzilla series.
A troubled young boy imagines himself to be Minya's best friend and learns a little bit about courage in the process.
The Showa Godzilla series drops straight to the bottom with this film. That's not to say there aren't good moments in this movie; there are. Unfortunately, they've all been stolen from previous Godzilla movies. This film is little more than a rehash episode with a few new sequences added in.
It's tempting to label this not only the worst Godzilla movie of all time, but also the worse Kaiju movie ever released. Sadly, this is not the case. Three other future Showa Godzilla movies would rivaling it for the spot.
On this is the existence Uchu kaijû Gamera (Super Gamera) which redefines pain. It uses the same cost cutting measures as Oru kaijû daishingeki, using footage from earlier Gamera movies. Only, unlike Oru kaijû daishingeki, it is without the wit, humor, and intelligence a kick to the head provides. Avoid. At all cost.
This ends Part Two of this look at the Showa Godzilla.
Part One is located here.
Part Three is located here
04 April 2005
Site Report - Closed on Account of ZZZs
Today will be a bit of a dud, as I've gotten next to zero sleep due to personal stupidity and roofers working on my roof. Tomorrow I hope to finish up the Showa Godzilla reviews. Later in the week, more essays on writing, including genres and divisions in fiction, favorite writers, and Damon Knight.
03 April 2005
Capsule Reviews - Showa Godzilla (1)
Here, for your consideration, are capsule reviews for the Godzilla movies in the Showa series, made between the years 1954 to 1965. Only minor spoilers are given, with only the barest of plots to preserve some of the joys of the films. Longer reviews will appear when warranted.
Part Two to this series is located here.
Part Three is located here
Director: Ishirô Honda
A giant dinosaur, disturbed by atomic testing, begins destroying fishing boats. When the military steps into end this threat, the beast leaves its hunting grounds to wreck havoc on Japan. Its downbeat nature really sets it apart from the other monster movies of the period.
A bit slow moving, this is nonetheless an excellent example of the giant movie genre in general and Kaijû (Japanese Giant Monsters) in general. The film comes in two varieties: regular version and Raymond Burr enhanced.
aka Godzilla Raids Again
Director: Motoyoshi Oda
A second Godzilla appears, battling a new monster (Anguirus). After defeating its opponent, the massive monster continues the destruction his predecessor started.
This is one of the lesser known Godzilla movies, and for good cause: it’s very dull. It’s notable for the introduction of Anguirus (who is notable for the wide variety of indignities put upon him), and being one of two Showa Godzilla movies directed by someone other than Ishirô Honda or Jun Fukuda.
Director: Ishirô Honda
As Godzilla escapes his icy prison, an expedition to a distant island captures the Ape God Kong. As the expedition bringing Kong nears Japan, he detects the presence of Godzilla and frees himself in order to hunt down the monster.
A rather silly movie with a sad looking Kong, this is nonetheless one of the highlights of the Showa series. It is also the first Godzilla movie to follow the Godzilla Plot.
aka Godzilla v. Mothra
Director: Ishirô Honda
A giant egg washes up on a Japanese beach and claimed by a land developer. As Godzilla wakes from his slumber to once more thunder across the countryside, a pair of reporters and a scientist struggle to convince the developer to return the egg to its rightful owner, the Moth Goddess Mothra.
A more serious sequel than Kingukongu tai Gojira, this is another entertaining installment in the series and a step up in quality. (Not a large step, mind you…)
Director: Ishirô Honda
A foreign princess, injured in an assassination attempt, reveals herself to be a Prophetess from Outer Space. She predicts the return of the monsters Godzilla and Rodan, but these monsters pale besides the coming world destroyer, Space Monster Ghidorah. Mothra is summoned to convince Godzilla and Rodan to fight against the newcomer, but neither monster is willing assist humanity
A bit of a dip after Mosura tai Gojira, this is Toho’s first monster mash, featuring all of its major monsters and introducing Godzilla’s greatest enemy. From this point on, Godzilla would be portrayed as less of a monster and more of a hero.
Note the hypocrisy going on as Mothra talks with Godzilla and Rodan. Both monsters object to saving the Earth based on Humanity always attacking them. The nerve! They started it!
(This marks Rodan's second appearance. His first, in the movie Sora no daikaijû Radon/Rodan, is reviewed here)
Director: Ishirô Honda
Ghidorah has left Earth and is now plaguing the hidden Planet X. The inhabitants there ask for the assistance of the monsters Godzilla and Rodan, but their motives are less than benevolent...
Another dip in the Godzilla series, though not out and out terrible. This movie stars Nick Adams and varies the standard formula by having the Guardian Monsters beat the Invader twice instead of just once.
This ends Part One of this look at the Showa Godzilla.
02 April 2005
Godzilla - General Thoughts
Godzilla has always been a favorite character of mine, and ahead, as my first reviews for the site, are quick little capsule reviews covering every Godzilla movie ever made, with the exception of the most recent, Gojira: Fainaru uôzu (one will be added whenever I finally get a chance to see it.) I plan to do fuller reviews for the films, but as I don’t own the entire series, it’ll have to wait until another day.
Before all of that, I thought I’d share a few brief thoughts on the monster, to give a tiny bit of context to what follows.
My preferred Godzilla is that of the Showa era (the Godzilla films made between 1954 and 1974). I especially like the later ones where Godzilla is more of a hero, but I think the good stories back then were better. Perhaps not in craft, but in heart. There was less concern about delivering morals (though there were morals) and more effort to make an engaging, if in some cases silly, tale.
The Showa Godzilla also always strikes me as having more soul. The fights seem more personal to me, and less about the colored beams being spouted hither and yond. The Heisei Godzilla (the Godzilla featured in the films made between 1984 and 1995) was, to me, too stiff, as if the special effects department was afraid he’d break.
I don’t want to give the impression I don’t like the Heisei Godzilla movies, or the Millennium movies that followed, for that matter. It’s just that I grew up with the Showa Godzilla. When I think of towering dinosaurs crushing landscapes, it’s of a rubbery suit with eyes, more often than not, pointed in a direction other than where he’s supposed to be looking. The love I have for him and his movies is hard to beat, even with the most advance special effects, even with the heights of animatronics.
While I do love Godzilla movies, and Kaijû (Japanese Giant Monster) movies in general, it’s hard to ignore the fact that many of them are built on the same basic plot, with the occasional variations. They tend to go something like this:
- Invader Kaijû attacks the given Locality - Usually, but not always, that Locality is Japan.
- Guardian Kaijû fights Invader and loses - On rare occasions this means the death of Guardian. When that happens, kin of the Guardian comes to finish the score
- Guardian fights Invader again and defeats Invader - Again, in rare cases this means the death of the Invader.
- Guardian leaves Locality in peace - Or, more often than not, pieces. Kaijû are not the most careful of beasts
Invader is any Kaijû that is more interested in destruction than anything else. Guardian is any Kaijû that is specifically guarding a place, or shows an interest in something other than rearranging landscape.
One further thing before I wrap this essay up. I like the 1998 Godzilla. It’s a terrible movie, and it’s probably more than a little bit disrespectful of it’s source, but I can’t help it. I find the monster parts vastly entertaining.
To differentiate between mammoth lizards, I’m going to follow the lead of Gojira Fainaru uôzu and refer to the American Godzilla as Jira, which, for whatever reasons, strikes me as a far classier and clever name than “GINO” or “Deanzilla”
01 April 2005
Endings
No endings were spoiled in the making of this essay on endings
When I was but a wee lad, I knew good endings from bad. The good ending had the Heroes beating up the Bad Guys and living Happily Ever After. The bad endings had the good guys dying and the villains winning. Nothing could be simpler.
As I've grown to adulthood, this position hasn't changed, exactly. While I now have a tendency to refer to the good guys as the more neutral protagonist and the bad guys by the equally neutral Antagonist, I still prefer watching movies and reading books where Good triumphs.
However, I've come to realize that there are better definitions for a good ending and a bad ending. The following are some of my thoughts on what composes the two.
Clean Arrival
A good ending fits the story like a glove. When looking back on the course of the plot, it should be clear how the characters reached this outcome. Whether you like the outcome or not is another ending.
Cheating can be forgiven here and there during the course of the tale, but never ever at the end. A minor cheat brings the roll of the eyes, a lessening of regard for what has come before. A major one means the story shouldn't have been made in the first place.
Using this line of thought, stories where the protagonist dies, or where Evil does triumph over Good, can qualify as good endings. It helps, however, if the protagonists succeed in some way. It could be a major victory, such as with the protagonists trapping themselves in a parallel dimension in order to stem off an alien invasion, or a minor one, such as a protagonist sacrificing his or her life to defeat an monstrous creature.
Crafting the right ending is a vital part of the story. It is the creator's final word on the matter. It should match what has come before and not be something completely and totally different. After spending an hour or so worth of comedic adventurers with a group of protagonist, one really doesn't need to see each and every one of them brutally murdered. On the flipside, switching to dumb comedy at the end of a horror movie is equally disastrous.
The Saturation Effect
The Saturation Effect is where everything goes right for the protagonists through the course of the movie. Or, on the other hand, where everything goes wrong. It is an overdose of the positive or the negative and it leads to a less that enjoyable experience, depending how the work ends.
In the first case, a happy ending is less than satisfying. What was the point? Where was the challenge? The majority of cartoons suffer from the Saturation Effect. If the story are silly enough or diverting enough, one might not notice it happening. But why risk it?
With the second case, a downbeat ending is uncalled for, even if the rest of the movie is moving to that point. This varies, of course, with how bad things go wrong, but the darker the work, the less cause for such an outcome. Might as well go out into the world and do something rather than partake in such entertainment.
The Point of No Redemption
A companion to the Saturation Effect is the Point of No Redemption. Sometimes an audience will watch a film or read a story and reach a point in the narrative where they say, "Things have to turn out this way. Otherwise I'm due a portion of my life back."
This is something the creator has little control over, as audiences vary. However, avoiding the Saturation Effect helps here. It helps a lot.
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, all of these thoughts are merely guidelines at best, personal opinion at worst. The talented creator can ignore this point or that point and get away with doing so. It is a risk to do so and always will be. But if the story demands it...
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