Change Your Image
godzillapsycho
Reviews
Gojira tai Megagirasu: Jî shômetsu sakusen (2000)
Just great!
Those disappointed by Toho's rather tepid effort of Godzilla 2000 will likely find redemption in Godzilla X Megaguirus. It corrects every flaw in G2K, and cuts some major technical ground with the series.
Masaaki Tezuka's direction is great, keeping the film moving at a frenetic pace and never letting it bog down in a single sequence. Michiru Oshima's score is great, far better than Takayuki Hattori's limp work on G2K. Kenji Suzuki creates the best special effects in the history of the franchise. The combinations of suitimation and CGI on display are sublime, rivaling Hollywood work, and the characters interact with Godzilla with greater complexity than ever before. The heroine actually rides Godzilla through the ocean in one scene!
Still, the movie has less realistic grit than Godzilla 2000 did, and the story and characters are much less engaging (with the exception of the heroine's revenge motive). The movie plays less like a sequel to the original and more like an episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. But that's not necessarily all bad.
The Tom Green Show (1999)
The Comic Genius
I live in Ottawa, so I have often seen my neighbourhood on the show. All I can think then is "inches from disaster." Tom Green is the comedian who you do not want to be on the receiving end of.
Those who ARE on the receiving end of him, however, you don't feel sympathy for. You're too busy laughing uncontrollably. Tom Green is probably the most fearless performer in TV history. There seems absolutely nothing he won't do in front of the camera. He shoves his thumb up his ass, then thumbs a lift and shakes the guy's hand with it. He pretends to be blind and makes a severe spectacle with his cane. He gets thrown out of the Hoover Dam for constantly complaining about how small the elevators are. In Las Vegas, he pretends to have a seizure in the street. He disrupts baseball games by walking onto the field in huge air bubble. Enough said.
Those who are fanatics about good taste will likely not flock to their TV's for this show, but anyone with an open mind will likely be amused.
Lord of the Flies (1963)
NOT the best possible outcome
If you want to watch this and you haven't read the book, you'll be lost. A lot of crucial points in the pages of William Golding's masterpiece novel are lost here, while others that are based on them are retained, thus the story flows very jerkily. The musical score is almost non-existent, and while it works when applied, there are some scenes that could really have benefited from good scoring that are given in complete silence. The script is, for the most part, almost verbatum from the novel, which is nice, but some new scenes are added that are totally pointless, and moments of dialogue crucial to the original story are foolishly skipped. Peter Brooks, however, does do a nice job of directing the movie. His camera angles are good and he gets genuine drama out of some scenes, and establishes the island quite well before the real story starts. The collection of still images the opening credits are projected over to a children's choir is also pleasantly eerie. The one thing that destroys this movie totally, though, is the kids' performances. The acting is so BAD it's surreal, robbing all the scenes of any energy. It doesn't totally kill the movie, but comes close. Brooks' direction alone has to carry the movie, and it staggers a bit under the burden. I don't think Golding would have been proud of this.
Malcolm in the Middle (2000)
Fox's best since The Simpsons
This is the most brilliant show with a kid cast I've ever seen. Figuring out whether Chris Masterson as Francis, Justin Berfield as Reese, Erik per Sullivan as Dewey or Frankie Muniz as Malcolm is impossible for me, since they're all so great! I like it how Malcolm constantly breaks the fourth wall and talks straight to the audience, and there's also the... interesting take on gifted class. The writers have clearly written the mother character on some bad childhood memories, and for sheer weight of acts of stupidity, this show's father engenders even less respect than Homer Simpson himself (don't believe me? I don't blame you, but it's true). Keep up the good work Fox.
Gojira (1954)
The Masterpiece
I'm a huge Godzilla fan, and in my humble opinion, this is the greatest movie ever made. The sombre, apocolyptic feel has been imitated several times, but never even half-way duplicated. The direction, music, scripting and acting is all masterful, even after 47 years. Admittedly it would spawn some pretty awful sequels, but this is still a great cinematic achievement. People who condemn Godzilla in general have obviously never seen this movie. I say this movie is required viewing for anyone who feels ready to embrace Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's abomination. Long live the King of the Monsters!
Gojira vs. Mekagojira (1993)
The Best of the Heisei Series
This is the best Godzilla movie since Destroy All Monsters. Mechagodzilla, Baby Godzilla and Rodan all look great; way better than their Showa series counterparts. Godzilla's look is a bit down from the last two movies, but he still looks great. The battle choreography and music is masterfully done, and even the human drama is well done! Kudos to Okawara and Mimura for making a truly great one.
Gojira ni-sen mireniamu (1999)
The REAL Godzilla Returns
Understand I am under no illusions about this movie. The dubbing is ridiculous and obvious. The dialogue would is laughably cheesy. The special effects are about a decade old by Western standards. All that said, this is the best theatre-going experience I've ever had! I've been a huge Godzilla fan since kindergarten, and I still say this is one his better films. The SPFX, even if sub-par over here, are a huge step forward for the Godzilla series, and the music, direction and writing are great too. I really like the GPN vs. CCI conflict about Godzilla, and the characters are better thought out than in most of the Heisei series. The monster battles are some of the best Toho has ever filmed, with far more detailed models and suits than ever before. Even if you're not a Godzilla fan, I still say you should see this movie.