So, I've noticed doing these blog posts that nearly all of them fit into a style or category. I have my genre posts, my director posts, my script posts, and my sort of random things posts. Then on top of that I have the few that don't fit like my post about The Beatles, or my history post about HUAC or my movie post about Citizen Kane. Well today I'm going to do another out of category post, this one is about camera shots.
First off, let me say that I had this whole post done and it deleted it all, so I'm totally starting over from scratch... I'm pissed...
ANYWAY, if you like my blog go check this motherfucker out... http://musingsofamoviedouche.blogspot.com/
AND, after you're done reading this here, check out this crazy British film maker... http://www.cyriak.co.uk/
Alright, let's restart this piece of shit I guess...
First off we have an aerial shot, which is a far away, high shot, generally to capture landscapes. A crane or helicopter is usually used to get this kind of shot. An aerial shot can also make a character seem insignificant.
Next up is considered an "American shot" (at least in France) or a 3/4 shot. It's a medium-long shot of a group of characters, all of the characters are set up strategically so that all of them are on screen at once. It's used to allow for dialogue without a lot of camera changes. The reason it's known as an "American shot" is that French critics mistakenly thought that the shot was common in all American films when it was really only common in low-budget films.
There's the bird's-eye shot, which is an overhead shot where the camera looks directly down at the top of the subject.
A close up is a tight shot on a subject. It gets close up on a subject or part of a subject to show emotion or emphasis on something specific. They are very detailed shots that can have many purposes.
Next up is the crane shot (pretty much like the aerial shot). A crane shot is done solely with a crane in order to shot large groups or to view actors from above or move away from them.
A dolly zoom is an in-camera special effect used to cause an unsettling feeling or feeling of vertigo. It's made by having a zoom lens shift the angle of view as the camera moves toward or away from the subject in an attempt to keep the subject the same size. It was used by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie Vertigo.
Then there is the dutch angle. This is when the camera is tilted off of it's axis in order to raise the uneasiness of a scene. Dutch angles are used often by directors like Terry Gilliam, Sam Raimi and Tim Burton and a lot in the old Batman TV series.
Establishing shots set up a scene and shot the relationship between characters and settings. It shows where or when the scene will take place.
A follow shot or tracking shot is where cameras pursue a character.
Forced perspective is an optical illusion to make an object appear farther or closer or larger or smaller. It's done by having the larger thing closer to the camera making the thing farther away seem smaller.
The next shot is the freeze frame. It's a still frame that is repeated multiple times to make it appear that no movement is occurring
A hanging miniature is another in-camera special effect where there are still subjects in the foreground with the action all in the background. It's similar to a matte shot.
High-angle shot is when the camera is placed above eye-line and looks down on a character, it usually makes the character seem powerless or vulnerable.
Another is the long shot. It depicts a character's entire form and places them in relation to its surroundings. A scene setting long shot that shows location more is an extreme long shot.
A long take is an uninterrupted shot with no edits. It's very unusual in film and hard to achieve. The Alfred Hitchcock film Rope (1948) was intended to be all one long take, but due to cameras at the time, they had to switch film rolls (however, the entire film only consists of 11 takes).
A low-angle shot is, more or less, the exact opposite of a high-angle shot. This is when the camera is below eye-line looking up at a character.
A master scene is a scene, from start to finish, all of the characters are in the scene and in view. It's usually used as an establishing shot.
Mattes are in-camera special effects where two or more frames are combined into one single frame. It usually combines one frame in the foreground put over something else in the background. Traveling mattes are background mattes that move, static mattes are background mattes that stay in place.
Next is a medium shot, which is a camera shot from a medium distance. It's a bit hazy as to what constitutes a medium shot.
An over the shoulder shot is a shot of someone taken over the shoulder of another character. The character who's closest to the camera's head and shoulder are generally shown in the shot.
Panning is a technique where a camera moves or rotates horizontally, either following or moving across the subject.
Next is a point of view shot, it shows the thing that character is looking at from the perspective of the character.
Racking focus changes the attention of the viewer by shifting the focus from a subject in the foreground to one in the background, or vice versa.
Another technique is a reaction shot. The shot cuts away from the main action of a scene to show a character's reaction. It's used to show emotion.
A sequence shot involves a long takes and a intricate movement of the camera.
Another is the shot reverse shot (or a shot/countershot). It's a technique where one character is shown looking at and talking to another character and then turning the camera around to show the other character.
The SnorriCam is a bit less common in film but much more common in music videos. This film technique is when a camera is attached to the body of an actor and pointing toward the actor. It gives the affect of the character standing still and everything around it moving.
A tilt is another technique where the camera moves up or down vertically.
A tracking shot (or dolly shot) is where a dolly mounted camera follows a subject. It can be used to move toward, away from or next to the subjects.
Next is a trunk shot, this is a shot where the camera is placed in the trunk of a car pointing up at the actors, it's in the perspective of whatever's in the trunk.
Another is a two shot, which is a simple technique where two characters are displayed on screen at once, with once actor generally in the foreground and another farther off in the background.
There are a few shots used in films, I hope that helps with understanding films. However, if you're not interested in studying films you may not care, anyway, hope you've enjoyed it.
Hasta La Vista babies!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Twenty-eighth Discussion-- The Only American Python
I'm not necessarily expecting all of you to guess what this post is about by the title really, but if you can then you must either be a big fan of this film maker OR a huge fan of Monty Python...
ANYWAY... this post is about the works of one Mr. Terry Gilliam, in no way a favorite director of mine, but I DO enjoy some of his films.
I think I'm going to take this blog and opportunity to talk about Monty Python too, because, love it or hate it, the British comedy troupe was a major driving force in modern comedy. So, here we go, let's have some fun, shall we?
Terry Gilliam was born in 1940 in Minnesota, making him the only member of the Monty Python comedy troupe NOT to be born in Britain (see, my title makes sense). Gilliam began as an animator before going to Europe and joining the Monty Python group.
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy troupe from 1969 to 1983. The Pythons consisted of John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Gilliam. The group created the influential sketch comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus that ran on the BBC from 1969 to 1974, the show launched the group and set them up for larger fame and movies and stage shows, albums and musicals. The group wrote and performed their own material and popularized absurdist comedy that influenced everything from Saturday Night Live to The Mighty Boosh. The films that were created by Monty Python were And Now For Something Completely Different (1971), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982), and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983). Even after the breaking of Python, many of the members went on to work together. One major Python collaborator who was never part of the troupe was Neil Innes.
However, this post is supposed to be about the post-Python career of Terry Gilliam, so let's get back to all that business...
The first film Gilliam directed was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which he co-directed with Python Terry Jones. I'm assuming that you've all seen this film (or at least heard the quotes from it WAY too many times), however, if you haven't, I would recommend it, it's a classic and really explains Monty Python. Gilliam even played the small role of Patsy in the film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/synopsis
Gilliam's first post-Python film was called Jabberwocky (1977). Starring Python alum Michael Palin as a boy in medieval times who has to slay the mythical dragon from the Lewis Carroll poem, who killed his father. I haven't seen the film so I have no first hand opinion of it, however, any opinion I have gathered is mixed. On one hand, the film did horrible with critics and horrible at the box office, on the other hand, it's a cult classic, so really, I'd say see it if you're a huge Gilliam fan. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076221/plotsummary
Gilliam's second film was Time Bandits (1981), and lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) for you, I HAVE seen this one! The film tells the story of a little boy who ends up getting pulled through time and space by a group of dwarves and their time and space map, eventually having to fight evil. The film is actually fairly entertaining (I remember watching it with my brother, he seemed to dig it too), they continually run into a couple named Vincent and Pansy (Michael Palin and Shelley Duvall, respectively), and a slew of famous characters from history and fiction such as Robin Hood (John Cleese), Napoleon (Ian Holm) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery, yeah, that's right, Sean Connery), and they also end up on a ship that turns out to be the hat of a giant Polynesian man. Throughout the entire movie they're running from The Supreme Being (who is pretty much God) and eventually fall into the hands of Evil (more or less the Devil). I'd say this film is worth a watch, it's not the best film in any way, or even the best Gilliam film but it's funny and has all the whimsical style of Gilliam, it's a good (and more light hearted) introduction to his style, give it a shot, it's also one of the three Gilliam films to be included in the Criterion Collection. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081633/synopsis
Brazil (1985) was Gilliam's third film, and questionably, one of his best. It tells the story of a man in a dystopian country where the world is run by a tyrannical bureaucracy and runs on out of date and broken down machines, he rebels and ends up considered a terrorist. The film has been considered one of the best cinematic versions of George Orwell's 1984, even though it was not based on the book (however, it was heavily inspired by it). Many titles were proposed, such as 1984 1/2, but ultimately the film was named Brazil after the song that repeatedly appears throughout it, "Aquarela do Brasil". This film is the second of Gilliam's three films to be included in the Criterion Collection. Even though it didn't do very well outside of Britian, it became a major cult classic. I would recommend this film also (for I have also seen it), the film is a good combination of dystopian sci-fi and fantasy (I mean, the guy flies around on Icarus wings more or less). If you want a weird film with a decent political theme then check this one out, simple as that. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/synopsis
1988 brought Gilliam's next film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Even though his three films after Jabberwocky aren't actually related, Gilliam considers them a trilogy, he calls "The Trilogy of Imagination", the reason for this is that he sees it as a telling of life through the imaginations of men of different ages. Time Bandits being a child, Brazil being a middle aged man, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen being an old man. It tells the story of an old man named Baron Munchausen who tells his story of heroism in flashbacks and eventually saves a city from the Turks. The film was nominated for four Oscars (even though it won none), but only had a limited US release. I've never seen the film so I can't say how good it is personally, but it seems as entertaining and whimsical as Gilliam's movies before it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096764/synopsis
In 1991, Gilliam directed The Fisher King, starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges. It tells the story of a shock-jock who ends up helping a homeless man whose life he inadvertently ruined. The film did very well critically and, even though I've never seen it, I'd like to. I'd say see it, it sounds like a very touching film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101889/synopsis
Next up is another Gilliam film I have never seen, 12 Monkeys (1995). The film tells the story of a criminal that is repeatedly sent to the past in an attempt to stop the outbreak of a virus that will force Earth to migrate underground. The film also received positive critical reviews and is another film I'd like to see eventually. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/synopsis
Now at this point you're probably saying, "this kid has seen like, no Gilliam films, what the fuck is he writing this for?" well, we're coming up on, probably my favorite Gilliam film (and probably the reason I'm writing this), and THAT film is...
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), the film that is based on, what is considered, possibly one of the most impossible books to make a film out of. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1971 novel by Hunter S. Thompson. It's a fictional retelling of a drug induced trip Thompson and his attorney made to Las Vegas to cover a sporting event. For the longest time, the book was thought to be one that could never be adapted into a movie (along with Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, which was eventually made into a film by David Cronenberg). After many thoughts and false starts, the film was put into the hands of Gilliam and, in my opinion, he did an excellent job with it. As I have already stated, this film is my favorite Gilliam film (at least out of the ones I have seen). The film was a box office failure but has since become a cult hit and is the third Gilliam film to be included in The Criterion Collection. Johhny Depp does a good job of portraying a spastic Raoul Duke and Benicio del Toro plays an, at times, psychotic Dr. Gonzo. The drug hallucination scenes were done well (Gilliam's odd fantasy style fits the drug imagery great), and it follows the story as perfectly as a movie CAN follow a book. The film as a classic midnight movie and a hit with a wide audience (as it should be), really if you haven't seen this film, you really should, go out and see it. Even though The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas were not actually related, Gilliam considers them his "Trilogy of Americana" since they were written by other people and take place in North America, they also focused less on fantasy. ANYWAY... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120669/synopsis
Gilliam's film after that was 2005's The Brothers Grimm, which I HAVE also seen. It tells the story of two brothers who go around and tell stories then set up supernatural creatures to rid small towns of. Eventually they get hired to solve a REAL supernatural mystery. The film was okay but very childish and I don't know if I'd really recommend it, it's not one of Gilliam's best works, not too impressive. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355295/synopsis
2005 also saw the release of Tideland. I have never seen the movie but it seems very dark and I'd like to, it actually sounds better than The Brothers Grimm was. If you see it before me, tell me how it is. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410764/plotsummary
Finally is Gilliam's most recent film (and Heath Ledger's final film), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). It tells the story of an old immortal who can let people live their wildest dreams for a short amount of time, however, he has to attempt to save their souls from The Devil (Tom Waits). For this power though, he has to save so many souls or his daughter is forfeit to The Devil. When I heard that it was Ledger's final film appearance I had to see the film, and knowing that Tom Waits was in it only raised my excitement, unfortunately, it did not deliver. The film is not bad, don't get me wrong, it's just so painfully simple, there's no depth to it like a lot of other Gilliam films and overall the film wasn't great. I would say watch it, but don't be like me and get disappointed. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054606/synopsis
Gilliam's next film will be The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, I don't know if I'll go see it, but if I DO, I'll let you know how it is.
Another fun fact was that Gilliam was supposed to direct the Harry Potter series but ultimately did not get it, fun fact! yeah... fun fact...
ANYWAY, there she is! The post on Terry Gilliam, hope you enjoyed it a bit, keep tuned in, and much like the title of the show were any Monty Python stars started, Do Not Adjust Your Set! there's more to come!
ANYWAY... this post is about the works of one Mr. Terry Gilliam, in no way a favorite director of mine, but I DO enjoy some of his films.
I think I'm going to take this blog and opportunity to talk about Monty Python too, because, love it or hate it, the British comedy troupe was a major driving force in modern comedy. So, here we go, let's have some fun, shall we?
Terry Gilliam was born in 1940 in Minnesota, making him the only member of the Monty Python comedy troupe NOT to be born in Britain (see, my title makes sense). Gilliam began as an animator before going to Europe and joining the Monty Python group.
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy troupe from 1969 to 1983. The Pythons consisted of John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Gilliam. The group created the influential sketch comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus that ran on the BBC from 1969 to 1974, the show launched the group and set them up for larger fame and movies and stage shows, albums and musicals. The group wrote and performed their own material and popularized absurdist comedy that influenced everything from Saturday Night Live to The Mighty Boosh. The films that were created by Monty Python were And Now For Something Completely Different (1971), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982), and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983). Even after the breaking of Python, many of the members went on to work together. One major Python collaborator who was never part of the troupe was Neil Innes.
However, this post is supposed to be about the post-Python career of Terry Gilliam, so let's get back to all that business...
The first film Gilliam directed was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which he co-directed with Python Terry Jones. I'm assuming that you've all seen this film (or at least heard the quotes from it WAY too many times), however, if you haven't, I would recommend it, it's a classic and really explains Monty Python. Gilliam even played the small role of Patsy in the film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/synopsis
Gilliam's first post-Python film was called Jabberwocky (1977). Starring Python alum Michael Palin as a boy in medieval times who has to slay the mythical dragon from the Lewis Carroll poem, who killed his father. I haven't seen the film so I have no first hand opinion of it, however, any opinion I have gathered is mixed. On one hand, the film did horrible with critics and horrible at the box office, on the other hand, it's a cult classic, so really, I'd say see it if you're a huge Gilliam fan. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076221/plotsummary
Gilliam's second film was Time Bandits (1981), and lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) for you, I HAVE seen this one! The film tells the story of a little boy who ends up getting pulled through time and space by a group of dwarves and their time and space map, eventually having to fight evil. The film is actually fairly entertaining (I remember watching it with my brother, he seemed to dig it too), they continually run into a couple named Vincent and Pansy (Michael Palin and Shelley Duvall, respectively), and a slew of famous characters from history and fiction such as Robin Hood (John Cleese), Napoleon (Ian Holm) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery, yeah, that's right, Sean Connery), and they also end up on a ship that turns out to be the hat of a giant Polynesian man. Throughout the entire movie they're running from The Supreme Being (who is pretty much God) and eventually fall into the hands of Evil (more or less the Devil). I'd say this film is worth a watch, it's not the best film in any way, or even the best Gilliam film but it's funny and has all the whimsical style of Gilliam, it's a good (and more light hearted) introduction to his style, give it a shot, it's also one of the three Gilliam films to be included in the Criterion Collection. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081633/synopsis
Brazil (1985) was Gilliam's third film, and questionably, one of his best. It tells the story of a man in a dystopian country where the world is run by a tyrannical bureaucracy and runs on out of date and broken down machines, he rebels and ends up considered a terrorist. The film has been considered one of the best cinematic versions of George Orwell's 1984, even though it was not based on the book (however, it was heavily inspired by it). Many titles were proposed, such as 1984 1/2, but ultimately the film was named Brazil after the song that repeatedly appears throughout it, "Aquarela do Brasil". This film is the second of Gilliam's three films to be included in the Criterion Collection. Even though it didn't do very well outside of Britian, it became a major cult classic. I would recommend this film also (for I have also seen it), the film is a good combination of dystopian sci-fi and fantasy (I mean, the guy flies around on Icarus wings more or less). If you want a weird film with a decent political theme then check this one out, simple as that. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/synopsis
1988 brought Gilliam's next film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Even though his three films after Jabberwocky aren't actually related, Gilliam considers them a trilogy, he calls "The Trilogy of Imagination", the reason for this is that he sees it as a telling of life through the imaginations of men of different ages. Time Bandits being a child, Brazil being a middle aged man, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen being an old man. It tells the story of an old man named Baron Munchausen who tells his story of heroism in flashbacks and eventually saves a city from the Turks. The film was nominated for four Oscars (even though it won none), but only had a limited US release. I've never seen the film so I can't say how good it is personally, but it seems as entertaining and whimsical as Gilliam's movies before it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096764/synopsis
In 1991, Gilliam directed The Fisher King, starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges. It tells the story of a shock-jock who ends up helping a homeless man whose life he inadvertently ruined. The film did very well critically and, even though I've never seen it, I'd like to. I'd say see it, it sounds like a very touching film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101889/synopsis
Next up is another Gilliam film I have never seen, 12 Monkeys (1995). The film tells the story of a criminal that is repeatedly sent to the past in an attempt to stop the outbreak of a virus that will force Earth to migrate underground. The film also received positive critical reviews and is another film I'd like to see eventually. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/synopsis
Now at this point you're probably saying, "this kid has seen like, no Gilliam films, what the fuck is he writing this for?" well, we're coming up on, probably my favorite Gilliam film (and probably the reason I'm writing this), and THAT film is...
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), the film that is based on, what is considered, possibly one of the most impossible books to make a film out of. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1971 novel by Hunter S. Thompson. It's a fictional retelling of a drug induced trip Thompson and his attorney made to Las Vegas to cover a sporting event. For the longest time, the book was thought to be one that could never be adapted into a movie (along with Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, which was eventually made into a film by David Cronenberg). After many thoughts and false starts, the film was put into the hands of Gilliam and, in my opinion, he did an excellent job with it. As I have already stated, this film is my favorite Gilliam film (at least out of the ones I have seen). The film was a box office failure but has since become a cult hit and is the third Gilliam film to be included in The Criterion Collection. Johhny Depp does a good job of portraying a spastic Raoul Duke and Benicio del Toro plays an, at times, psychotic Dr. Gonzo. The drug hallucination scenes were done well (Gilliam's odd fantasy style fits the drug imagery great), and it follows the story as perfectly as a movie CAN follow a book. The film as a classic midnight movie and a hit with a wide audience (as it should be), really if you haven't seen this film, you really should, go out and see it. Even though The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas were not actually related, Gilliam considers them his "Trilogy of Americana" since they were written by other people and take place in North America, they also focused less on fantasy. ANYWAY... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120669/synopsis
Gilliam's film after that was 2005's The Brothers Grimm, which I HAVE also seen. It tells the story of two brothers who go around and tell stories then set up supernatural creatures to rid small towns of. Eventually they get hired to solve a REAL supernatural mystery. The film was okay but very childish and I don't know if I'd really recommend it, it's not one of Gilliam's best works, not too impressive. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355295/synopsis
2005 also saw the release of Tideland. I have never seen the movie but it seems very dark and I'd like to, it actually sounds better than The Brothers Grimm was. If you see it before me, tell me how it is. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410764/plotsummary
Finally is Gilliam's most recent film (and Heath Ledger's final film), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). It tells the story of an old immortal who can let people live their wildest dreams for a short amount of time, however, he has to attempt to save their souls from The Devil (Tom Waits). For this power though, he has to save so many souls or his daughter is forfeit to The Devil. When I heard that it was Ledger's final film appearance I had to see the film, and knowing that Tom Waits was in it only raised my excitement, unfortunately, it did not deliver. The film is not bad, don't get me wrong, it's just so painfully simple, there's no depth to it like a lot of other Gilliam films and overall the film wasn't great. I would say watch it, but don't be like me and get disappointed. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054606/synopsis
Gilliam's next film will be The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, I don't know if I'll go see it, but if I DO, I'll let you know how it is.
Another fun fact was that Gilliam was supposed to direct the Harry Potter series but ultimately did not get it, fun fact! yeah... fun fact...
ANYWAY, there she is! The post on Terry Gilliam, hope you enjoyed it a bit, keep tuned in, and much like the title of the show were any Monty Python stars started, Do Not Adjust Your Set! there's more to come!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The Twenty-seventh Wound-- Copies, Pirates, Graffiti, Music and Things
So... anyone look at the box office lately? Depending on when I finish this blog post, it may be old, but the top film at the box office was The Hangover Part II. Would I go see The Hangover Part II? the answer is no. Why wouldn't I go see The Hangover Part II? well, it's not just because The Hangover was so dull to me, it's not just because I have a personal distaste for modern big-budget comedies, AND it's not just because I think the only thing keeping the first film even semi-entertaining was Zach Galifianakis alone... No, it's a lot because, not only was The Hangover sub-par, but The Hangover Part II is just a copy of the first. "Oh how can that be??!?!" you're asking, "how could he be saying this about my beloved Hangover?!?!?!" Well look at the facts of the movie... It involves the night before a wedding, it invloves someone getting lost and/or kidnapped, it involves gangsters and shady characters, it involves asians, it involves a search for what happened the previous night, it involves Zach Galifianakis' character spiking things with drugs and having a small companion (in this one it's a monkey instead of a baby), it even ends with them looking through the pictures of the night before and deleting them. The film even goes as far as to include Mike Tyson once again in both a cameo AND thr fact that Ed Helms has the same face tatoo. I didn't really respect the first film, I thought it got WAY too much hype and didn't deliver, but to just repeat the same things in a sequel is disgraceful (the Austin Powers films are a great example of this). Anyway, if you're not going to be clever after already not being funny, then why bother?
Okay, enough of my bitching... Onto the next topic... Now, I mentioned how The Hangover Part II was #1 on in the box office, now I'll discuss the film that was #3, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Now I thought the first Pirates movie was decent, it wasn't too deep, but it was entertaining, it had a horror aspect and Geoffry Rush, I thought, did an excellent job playing his character. Now we're on the fourth film in the saga, however, and it's getting a bit old. The second two films were not nearly as fun as the first and after 4 shots at it, Johnny Depp's flamboyant, possibly drunk, possibly high, possibly mentally handicapped Captain Jack Sparrow is not as humorous as it used to be. The search for the Fountain of Youth is something I will probably not see, once again. These blockbuster film series' are getting warn out, and fast. The stories are hurting, the acting is suffering and the characters are just not as good the 100th time around. There's is one thing that always gets me about the Pirate movies, the one thing that I really enjoy about them, and that's the character design. I especially love it on the pirates that are either known in pirate lore (such as Davy Jones), or the pirates that were real and living people (such as Blackbeard in the newest film). That and the representations of their famous ships and the beauty of the locations are also nice. I used to be interested in pirate lore and I read pirate stories (from Treasure Island to One Piece), and I'm not the only one, they actually have a pirate magazine out, but the stories and big blockbuster-ness of the Pirate films is really off putting and makes me not really like them, but I'm always interested in seeing what the new big pirates will look like. So let's take a look shall we?
We have Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbosa, Davy Jones and Blackbeard IN THAT ORDER...
and I know I'm a lame ass for posting those picture, you don't have to tell me that...
On top of that, I also liked the design of the ships they used in the films too, like The Black Pearl, The Flying Dutchman and The Queen Anne's Revenge...
Anyway, if you put together that my title is talking about what my topics are AND the order which I'm discussing them, you may be wondering what I mean by "graffiti", well, as I mentioned in my last post, I went to Lincoln to see (and now I own) the movie Exit Through The Gift Shop, now I plan on talking a bit more about the film. The film is about street art, but more specifically about a frenchman named Thierry Guetta, who filmed his obsession with street art and eventually became a street artist himself. The film features street artists Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Space Invader, Monsieur André, and Thierry himself, who eventually takes the name Mr. Brainwash. I rather enjoyed the film, I thought it was very interesting and comedic. While the film the Guetta makes is questionable, Banksy ends up taking over and making a better edited films, while he sends Guetta off to create his own art show (which is depicted in the film). According to the producers of the film, it was a long and frustrating process and they only ending up with seconds of usable film from tapes and tapes of home movies. I would recommend this film to anyone, it's a great movie, it got incredibly high reviews and was even nominated for an Academy Award (however, people are skeptical whether it's an actual documentary or a mockumentary). Either way, go watch the film, it's excellent.
I will leave you with this... the Hobbit movies have now been titled... here's the news... http://www.imdb.com/news/ni11204748/
Also, I generally dislike Tim Burton, but this is pretty sick, check it out, his short film Vincent...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASHP-vgnjAw
Have a kick ass day, all of you and I hope to see you again soon, bye bye now!
Okay, enough of my bitching... Onto the next topic... Now, I mentioned how The Hangover Part II was #1 on in the box office, now I'll discuss the film that was #3, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Now I thought the first Pirates movie was decent, it wasn't too deep, but it was entertaining, it had a horror aspect and Geoffry Rush, I thought, did an excellent job playing his character. Now we're on the fourth film in the saga, however, and it's getting a bit old. The second two films were not nearly as fun as the first and after 4 shots at it, Johnny Depp's flamboyant, possibly drunk, possibly high, possibly mentally handicapped Captain Jack Sparrow is not as humorous as it used to be. The search for the Fountain of Youth is something I will probably not see, once again. These blockbuster film series' are getting warn out, and fast. The stories are hurting, the acting is suffering and the characters are just not as good the 100th time around. There's is one thing that always gets me about the Pirate movies, the one thing that I really enjoy about them, and that's the character design. I especially love it on the pirates that are either known in pirate lore (such as Davy Jones), or the pirates that were real and living people (such as Blackbeard in the newest film). That and the representations of their famous ships and the beauty of the locations are also nice. I used to be interested in pirate lore and I read pirate stories (from Treasure Island to One Piece), and I'm not the only one, they actually have a pirate magazine out, but the stories and big blockbuster-ness of the Pirate films is really off putting and makes me not really like them, but I'm always interested in seeing what the new big pirates will look like. So let's take a look shall we?
We have Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbosa, Davy Jones and Blackbeard IN THAT ORDER...
and I know I'm a lame ass for posting those picture, you don't have to tell me that...
On top of that, I also liked the design of the ships they used in the films too, like The Black Pearl, The Flying Dutchman and The Queen Anne's Revenge...
Anyway, if you put together that my title is talking about what my topics are AND the order which I'm discussing them, you may be wondering what I mean by "graffiti", well, as I mentioned in my last post, I went to Lincoln to see (and now I own) the movie Exit Through The Gift Shop, now I plan on talking a bit more about the film. The film is about street art, but more specifically about a frenchman named Thierry Guetta, who filmed his obsession with street art and eventually became a street artist himself. The film features street artists Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Space Invader, Monsieur André, and Thierry himself, who eventually takes the name Mr. Brainwash. I rather enjoyed the film, I thought it was very interesting and comedic. While the film the Guetta makes is questionable, Banksy ends up taking over and making a better edited films, while he sends Guetta off to create his own art show (which is depicted in the film). According to the producers of the film, it was a long and frustrating process and they only ending up with seconds of usable film from tapes and tapes of home movies. I would recommend this film to anyone, it's a great movie, it got incredibly high reviews and was even nominated for an Academy Award (however, people are skeptical whether it's an actual documentary or a mockumentary). Either way, go watch the film, it's excellent.
I will leave you with this... the Hobbit movies have now been titled... here's the news... http://www.imdb.com/news/ni11204748/
Also, I generally dislike Tim Burton, but this is pretty sick, check it out, his short film Vincent...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASHP-vgnjAw
Have a kick ass day, all of you and I hope to see you again soon, bye bye now!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Twenty-sixth Chain-- Something's Missing
Howdy y'all, well this past weekend, I drove on down to Lincoln, Nebraska to check out the college/town. It actually seems like a pretty cool town (however, I dunno about the people there really). The college seems pretty sweet, their film school was funded by Johnny Carson and is located on the edge of downtown, between it and an art museum. They also have a really nice student theatre (that I had been to before to see Exit Through The Gift Shop). It seems like it would be a decent place to be (but really anywhere away from here would be a decent place to be). No matter where I end up, I'll be hopeful, excited, grateful for a change of scenery, and ready to start a life in movie making (hopefully not everyone there will be a close-minded prick, if you live or go there, tell me how it is).
Next, I must say, I'm very disappointed in myself. The short film script I was intending to write has not been happening. I've been stressed and distracted and everything else and haven't been able to write anything (yeah, writer's block). Anyway, after watching some films, I've thought of some more philosophy to write, I'll get back on track pretty soon I hope. I also hope that I will have it done to film it by the end of the summer (however, I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it). I'm hoping that once it's finished it will be worth watching for all of you, I wanna do something quality (or at least as quality as I can manage with what I have).
Anyway, I'm keeping this one short, I'm tired, bye.
Next, I must say, I'm very disappointed in myself. The short film script I was intending to write has not been happening. I've been stressed and distracted and everything else and haven't been able to write anything (yeah, writer's block). Anyway, after watching some films, I've thought of some more philosophy to write, I'll get back on track pretty soon I hope. I also hope that I will have it done to film it by the end of the summer (however, I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it). I'm hoping that once it's finished it will be worth watching for all of you, I wanna do something quality (or at least as quality as I can manage with what I have).
Anyway, I'm keeping this one short, I'm tired, bye.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Twenty-fifth Bout-- It's Gojira!!!!
So, if you have been keeping up with this blof, you know that I'm a sucker for monster flicks... So, why not honor the campy Japaneseyness of the king of monsters?
That's right boys and girls, it's Godzilla!
Now, Godzilla and the monsters he fights are all owned by the Toho company in Japan so I'll start by giving you a run down of the beast and his opponents/allies...
First of (of course) is Godzilla, or Gojira in Japan. The first movie to include the monster was the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla. He has been in 28 films and numerous video games and comic books and has become a world wide pop culture icon. Godzilla began as a horrible destructive monster that was the outcome of huge amounts of radiation and began as a metaphor for nuclear weapons and radiation. However, later on he became a hero, fighting other radiated and space creatures. In the later incarnations he went back into being the destructive monster he began as. When he went to become a hero, his face structure changed away from the feral structure it began as. He also went from being the grey he began as to green, however, his most recent style made him grey again. He's a prehistoric creature that gained his size and powers due to atomic weapons. His primary power is atomic breath, which is a super powerful heat ray, he also is resistant to pain and has advanced healing along with super strength and the ability to use martial arts. He can also stay underwater for indefinite periods of time and can also fight underwater. There were three eras of the Godzilla films, the Showa, Heisei and Millennium eras, this photo shows all three...
In 1998, an American film version of the movie was made that followed nearly none of the trends of looks of the Japanese versions... the creature was taken and put into one of the Toho films, however, he was named simply Zilla and was a completely separate character. The American Zilla doesn't have atomic breath, but instead "power breath" which consists of strong bursts of wind when he roars. Zilla also isn't as strong as Godzilla but is much faster, he is also much more animal like and will not intentionally attack or damage anything unless provoked. It also can reproduce asexually.
My next creature in the long long list of Godzilla kaiju is Anguirus. He first appeared in 1955 in the film Godzilla Raids Again. Anguirus is four-legged and resembles an Ankylosaurus and has five brains, one in his head and one above each limb. Anguirus doesn't have many powers but does have claws and teeth and spikes all used as weapons. Later in the series he can roll himself into a ball and attack opponents like that, he is also incredibly fast and can jump tremendous distances. Even though he started as an opponent to Godzilla, he later became one of his allies. He has appeared in many of the films, they include Godzilla Raids Again, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla's Revenge, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla Final Wars. He is one of Godzilla fan's favorite monsters.
Next up is King Kong, ironically. Now we know King Kong is an American movie monster but he DID go up against Godzilla in a few films. Unlike the American King Kong, kaiju King Kong was taller, incredibly strong and intelligent and grew stronger when injected with electricity, he could then release the electricity in a shock attack.
Mothra is the next kaiju in line. Mothra is generally always a hero, she's a protector of the Earth and generally also an enemy of Godzilla (due to his hatred of people), but is sometimes an ally. Mothra's first film was the 1961 film Mothra and has since appeared in many Godzilla films. Mothra generally dies when her larvae hatch from their egg state and she can fertilize her own eggs. Mothra is generally kind and hardly causes destruction unless it's on accident or necessary. Monthra has a silk spray in some of her forms, otherwise her fighting style involves bitting and scratching, beam weapons and poison gas, he is also psychic and can communicate with humans or attack enemies psychically. Mothra is also generally always accompanied by fairies that many times talk for her. Mothra has appeared in many many Godzilla and non-Godzilla films including Mothra, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster, Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth, Monster Planet of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, Rebirth of Mothra, Godzilla Island, Rebirth of Mothra II, Rebirth of Mothra III, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., and Godzilla: Final Wars.
Next up is King Ghidorah, Godzilla's arch-nemesis and the most powerful kaiju in the series. He has been in the most films and Godzilla usually requires an ally before facing Ghidorah. He first appeared in Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster in 1964 and required two allies for Godzilla to finally defeat him. Ghidorah has three heads, two tails, giant bat wings and is golden. Ghidorah can shoot gravity beams from his mouth that resemble lightning and he can shoot lightning from his wings. He's able to use his gravity beams to draw and repel opponents, and can also shoot fire blasts, he also has golden armor. He can create hurricane winds with his wings and absorb life forces from enemies and can at times create magnetic fields.
One of the two allies Godzilla needed in order to defeat the monstrous Ghidorah was Rodan. Rodan started out as Godzilla's enemy, however, is mostly one of his best allies, along with Anguirus. Rodan has chest spikes that he can use as weapons, he started as one of the fastest kaiju but is now one of the slowest, he can, however, emit sonic blasts from his body. Rodan can also put his life force into others by dying. Rodan's first appearance was in the 1956 film Rodan, however, he went onto appear in many other Godzilla films such as, Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-monster, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, and Godzilla Final Wars.
The next kaiju to be included in a Godzilla feature was Ebirah. Ebirah is a sea monster used by the terrorist group Red Bamboo to protect their island.
Here is where I take a break and really examine how much of a nerd I am... I'm actually doing an entire post on Godzilla and will probably just go through and list all of the kaiju. I'm okay with this, one of the main reasons I wanted to do this is so I could get a good definitive list of the kaiju with decent photos. I hope you actually appreciate it and comment on the blog, I wanna hear some Godzilla fans. ANYWAY...
Back to business... another kaiju is the Giant Condor, however, I'm going to skip him and go onto Kamacuras, who is a giant mantis. Kamacuras attempted to eat a baby Godzilla before Godzilla stopped them. They only appear in Son of Godzilla, Godzilla's Revenge, Godzilla vs. Gigan, and Godzilla: Final Wars.
Another kaiju introduced in Son of Godzilla was Kumonga. Kumonga is a giant spider who can shoot webbing from his mouth. The webbing can expand into a net also. He is very resilient, being able to withstand multiple atomic blasts from Godzilla. He is a wonderful jumper and has sharp, sword-like legs that can slash up enemies. He has appeared in every Godzilla film that Kamacuras has.
Minilla is commonly known as the son of Godzilla, and was born when Kamacuras cracked open his egg prematurely. It's not known whether or not Minilla is Godzilla's actual, biological son, however, Godzilla generally trains and takes care of him like his own son. Minilla is very friendly with humans and is small, pudgy and human-like himself. Minilla is generally afraid of other monsters, however, is courageous when protecting someone. He can breath atomic smoke rings, and eventually learns an actual atomic ray from Godzilla, he can communicate with Godzilla over long distances using brainwaves over radio signals and can shrink down to human size. He appears in the films Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, All Monsters Attack, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla: Final Wars.
Baragon is the next monster to appear in the Godzilla series. He first appeared in the film Frankenstein Conquers the World (1964). He is a giant dinosaur monster that burrows underground and can shoot a flame blast from his mouth. He has a horn in the center of his head and giant ears. The suit used for Baragon was eventually used to create many other monsters in other Japanese TV shows, so a lot of the time, other monsters replaced Baragon but kept his traits and confused viewers.
One of the monsters used in replacement of Baragon was Gorosaurus. He doesn't have any specially abilities or powers and is just a generic dinosaur. In one film he was given Baragon's burrowing ability, however he generally just kicks and bites. He appeared in King Kong Escapes, Destroy All Monsters, All Monsters Attack, Godzilla vs. Gigan, and Ike! Godman.
Next is Varan, he has skin flaps between his arms and legs that allow him to fly much like a flying squirrel, he doesn't really have any special abilities other than flying at Mach 1.5 and his protective spikes.
Hedorah is another opponent of Godzilla and is generally known as the smog monster. Hedorah is an alien smog cloud that fell to Earth as spores and started to feed on Earth's pollution, and eventually took to form of Hedorah. Hedorah was capable of reducing the Earth to a wasteland, when fighting Godzilla, Godzilla was frequently injured. Hedorah is considered one of Godzilla's most challenging opponents. He can change his shape and form to fit a situation, with this he can move from water to land and even fly. Attacks can pass right through Hedorah, an atomic blast did very little to him and if any bit of him was still intact he could repair himself by consuming pollution. He can shoot lazer beams from his eyes and lob acidic bits of himself at his enemies to eat away at them, in his flying form he can release a sulphuric gas that can dissolve organisms. Hedorah was also used on the Frank Zappa album cover for the album Sleep Dirt.
Gigan is another kaiju first appearing in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). Gigan is generally very violent, destructive and brutal. He has two hooks for arms and a buzz-saw in his abdomen. Gigan was sent to Earth many times by alien races, and generally abandons whatever ally he has. Gigan can grab and stab enemies with his hook arms and they can sometimes release an explosion on impact. Gigan has retractable wings that allow him to fly up to Mach 3, he can sometimes teleport, he can use his buzz-saw to attack and can shoot grappling hooks from under his arm hooks to pull enemies into his buzz-saw. He also has a scatter eye beam.
Jet Jaguar is a robot that appears in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), and was created destroy, however, eventually gains sentience and helps Godzilla face both Gigan and Megalon.
Now Megalon. Megalon is the god of an undersea race. He first appears in the 1973 film Godzilla vs. Megalon, the film is generally seen as horrible and is considered one of the worse films in the kaiju genre. The film was used a lot on Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
King Caesar is another kaiju to appear in the Godzilla series. He looks like a mixture of a lion, a dog and a reptile and has a row of gems on his head that are probably used to absorb sunlight. The creature looks entirely organic, however, he's nearly all mechanical. He has an organic brain, however, he's nearly all mechanical, in order to awaken King Caesar, a member of a royal family must sing an activation song. He is incredibly fast and agile, and can redirect energy attacks that are shot at him. King Caesar only appears in the films Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla and Godzilla Final Wars.
Mechagodzilla is the robotic version of Godzilla and is also one of his most challenging opponents. Mechagodzilla is made of a nearly indestructible metal and is packed with huge amounts of firepower. He has flame-throwers, beam attacks, and missiles. He can absorb attacks and shoot in multiple directions at once. Mechagodzilla's appearance and weaponry frequently change throughout the three eras of Godzilla films. He also has sentience and is not controlled by anyone. He is perhaps one of Godzilla's most popular opponents.
Titanosaurus is an ally of Mechagodzilla, even though he doesn't have more than biting and punching, he can cause massive wind attacks and whirlpools with his powerful fan tail.
Next up is Biollante. Biollante is a mutated rose that was infused with Godzilla's DNA. She can grapple with vines and inject a corrosive acid in her enemies. She has thorn spears on the end of her vines and can spit massive amounts of acid from her mouth and can fly into space to regenerate. She appeared in Godzilla vs Biollante in 1989 and never again in the Godzilla franchise.
Battra is another kaiju that appeared in the 1992 film Godzilla vs Mothra. Battra is basically an evil Mothra, he has the ability to fly in his adult form and the ability to swim and burrow in his larval form. In larval form he could use his horn as a battering ram and shoot electricity from it. In adult form his horn morphs into three smaller horns and he gains optic beams.
SpaceGodzilla was a modified clone of Godzilla. He has only appeared in the film Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla from 1994. SpaceGodzilla has more or less every ability that Godzilla has but he can control gravity, he can use gravity beams and gets his power from cosmic energy. He can encase himself in crystals that give him flight, his tail is incredibly strong and he can track Godzilla.
Another kaiju that is seen as one of Godzilla's most powerful opponents is Destoroyah. Destoroyah was able to withstand Godzilla's attacks and force the king of monsters to fight to his peak power, many times winning. Destoroyah is made up of many microscopic organisms and can adapt and regenerate. He can shoot a ray from his mouth that can vaporize anything in it's way, the horn on it's head can also shoot a beam blade that can cut through anything.
Then comes Orga, who is an imperfect clone of Godzilla, and Megaguirus who is the queen of a species of primordial giant insects, and Kamoebas, which is a giant turtle mutated by a space amoeba.
Well, there it is, there were some I forgot and feel free to call me out on them if you want to (I encourage you to), but I hope this post was fun and interesting (even if you don't like Godzilla). Sorry if I didn't get in depth enough, but like I said, I wanted to make a good list of the Godzilla kaiju and I feel like this one is fairly solid.
Anyway, be good, have fun and I'll see you on the next one...
Hasta la vista!
That's right boys and girls, it's Godzilla!
Now, Godzilla and the monsters he fights are all owned by the Toho company in Japan so I'll start by giving you a run down of the beast and his opponents/allies...
First of (of course) is Godzilla, or Gojira in Japan. The first movie to include the monster was the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla. He has been in 28 films and numerous video games and comic books and has become a world wide pop culture icon. Godzilla began as a horrible destructive monster that was the outcome of huge amounts of radiation and began as a metaphor for nuclear weapons and radiation. However, later on he became a hero, fighting other radiated and space creatures. In the later incarnations he went back into being the destructive monster he began as. When he went to become a hero, his face structure changed away from the feral structure it began as. He also went from being the grey he began as to green, however, his most recent style made him grey again. He's a prehistoric creature that gained his size and powers due to atomic weapons. His primary power is atomic breath, which is a super powerful heat ray, he also is resistant to pain and has advanced healing along with super strength and the ability to use martial arts. He can also stay underwater for indefinite periods of time and can also fight underwater. There were three eras of the Godzilla films, the Showa, Heisei and Millennium eras, this photo shows all three...
In 1998, an American film version of the movie was made that followed nearly none of the trends of looks of the Japanese versions... the creature was taken and put into one of the Toho films, however, he was named simply Zilla and was a completely separate character. The American Zilla doesn't have atomic breath, but instead "power breath" which consists of strong bursts of wind when he roars. Zilla also isn't as strong as Godzilla but is much faster, he is also much more animal like and will not intentionally attack or damage anything unless provoked. It also can reproduce asexually.
My next creature in the long long list of Godzilla kaiju is Anguirus. He first appeared in 1955 in the film Godzilla Raids Again. Anguirus is four-legged and resembles an Ankylosaurus and has five brains, one in his head and one above each limb. Anguirus doesn't have many powers but does have claws and teeth and spikes all used as weapons. Later in the series he can roll himself into a ball and attack opponents like that, he is also incredibly fast and can jump tremendous distances. Even though he started as an opponent to Godzilla, he later became one of his allies. He has appeared in many of the films, they include Godzilla Raids Again, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla's Revenge, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla Final Wars. He is one of Godzilla fan's favorite monsters.Next up is King Kong, ironically. Now we know King Kong is an American movie monster but he DID go up against Godzilla in a few films. Unlike the American King Kong, kaiju King Kong was taller, incredibly strong and intelligent and grew stronger when injected with electricity, he could then release the electricity in a shock attack.
Mothra is the next kaiju in line. Mothra is generally always a hero, she's a protector of the Earth and generally also an enemy of Godzilla (due to his hatred of people), but is sometimes an ally. Mothra's first film was the 1961 film Mothra and has since appeared in many Godzilla films. Mothra generally dies when her larvae hatch from their egg state and she can fertilize her own eggs. Mothra is generally kind and hardly causes destruction unless it's on accident or necessary. Monthra has a silk spray in some of her forms, otherwise her fighting style involves bitting and scratching, beam weapons and poison gas, he is also psychic and can communicate with humans or attack enemies psychically. Mothra is also generally always accompanied by fairies that many times talk for her. Mothra has appeared in many many Godzilla and non-Godzilla films including Mothra, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster, Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth, Monster Planet of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, Rebirth of Mothra, Godzilla Island, Rebirth of Mothra II, Rebirth of Mothra III, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., and Godzilla: Final Wars.
Next up is King Ghidorah, Godzilla's arch-nemesis and the most powerful kaiju in the series. He has been in the most films and Godzilla usually requires an ally before facing Ghidorah. He first appeared in Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster in 1964 and required two allies for Godzilla to finally defeat him. Ghidorah has three heads, two tails, giant bat wings and is golden. Ghidorah can shoot gravity beams from his mouth that resemble lightning and he can shoot lightning from his wings. He's able to use his gravity beams to draw and repel opponents, and can also shoot fire blasts, he also has golden armor. He can create hurricane winds with his wings and absorb life forces from enemies and can at times create magnetic fields.
One of the two allies Godzilla needed in order to defeat the monstrous Ghidorah was Rodan. Rodan started out as Godzilla's enemy, however, is mostly one of his best allies, along with Anguirus. Rodan has chest spikes that he can use as weapons, he started as one of the fastest kaiju but is now one of the slowest, he can, however, emit sonic blasts from his body. Rodan can also put his life force into others by dying. Rodan's first appearance was in the 1956 film Rodan, however, he went onto appear in many other Godzilla films such as, Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-monster, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, and Godzilla Final Wars.
The next kaiju to be included in a Godzilla feature was Ebirah. Ebirah is a sea monster used by the terrorist group Red Bamboo to protect their island.
Here is where I take a break and really examine how much of a nerd I am... I'm actually doing an entire post on Godzilla and will probably just go through and list all of the kaiju. I'm okay with this, one of the main reasons I wanted to do this is so I could get a good definitive list of the kaiju with decent photos. I hope you actually appreciate it and comment on the blog, I wanna hear some Godzilla fans. ANYWAY...
Back to business... another kaiju is the Giant Condor, however, I'm going to skip him and go onto Kamacuras, who is a giant mantis. Kamacuras attempted to eat a baby Godzilla before Godzilla stopped them. They only appear in Son of Godzilla, Godzilla's Revenge, Godzilla vs. Gigan, and Godzilla: Final Wars.
Another kaiju introduced in Son of Godzilla was Kumonga. Kumonga is a giant spider who can shoot webbing from his mouth. The webbing can expand into a net also. He is very resilient, being able to withstand multiple atomic blasts from Godzilla. He is a wonderful jumper and has sharp, sword-like legs that can slash up enemies. He has appeared in every Godzilla film that Kamacuras has.
Minilla is commonly known as the son of Godzilla, and was born when Kamacuras cracked open his egg prematurely. It's not known whether or not Minilla is Godzilla's actual, biological son, however, Godzilla generally trains and takes care of him like his own son. Minilla is very friendly with humans and is small, pudgy and human-like himself. Minilla is generally afraid of other monsters, however, is courageous when protecting someone. He can breath atomic smoke rings, and eventually learns an actual atomic ray from Godzilla, he can communicate with Godzilla over long distances using brainwaves over radio signals and can shrink down to human size. He appears in the films Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, All Monsters Attack, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla: Final Wars.
Baragon is the next monster to appear in the Godzilla series. He first appeared in the film Frankenstein Conquers the World (1964). He is a giant dinosaur monster that burrows underground and can shoot a flame blast from his mouth. He has a horn in the center of his head and giant ears. The suit used for Baragon was eventually used to create many other monsters in other Japanese TV shows, so a lot of the time, other monsters replaced Baragon but kept his traits and confused viewers. 
One of the monsters used in replacement of Baragon was Gorosaurus. He doesn't have any specially abilities or powers and is just a generic dinosaur. In one film he was given Baragon's burrowing ability, however he generally just kicks and bites. He appeared in King Kong Escapes, Destroy All Monsters, All Monsters Attack, Godzilla vs. Gigan, and Ike! Godman.
Next is Varan, he has skin flaps between his arms and legs that allow him to fly much like a flying squirrel, he doesn't really have any special abilities other than flying at Mach 1.5 and his protective spikes.
Hedorah is another opponent of Godzilla and is generally known as the smog monster. Hedorah is an alien smog cloud that fell to Earth as spores and started to feed on Earth's pollution, and eventually took to form of Hedorah. Hedorah was capable of reducing the Earth to a wasteland, when fighting Godzilla, Godzilla was frequently injured. Hedorah is considered one of Godzilla's most challenging opponents. He can change his shape and form to fit a situation, with this he can move from water to land and even fly. Attacks can pass right through Hedorah, an atomic blast did very little to him and if any bit of him was still intact he could repair himself by consuming pollution. He can shoot lazer beams from his eyes and lob acidic bits of himself at his enemies to eat away at them, in his flying form he can release a sulphuric gas that can dissolve organisms. Hedorah was also used on the Frank Zappa album cover for the album Sleep Dirt.
Gigan is another kaiju first appearing in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). Gigan is generally very violent, destructive and brutal. He has two hooks for arms and a buzz-saw in his abdomen. Gigan was sent to Earth many times by alien races, and generally abandons whatever ally he has. Gigan can grab and stab enemies with his hook arms and they can sometimes release an explosion on impact. Gigan has retractable wings that allow him to fly up to Mach 3, he can sometimes teleport, he can use his buzz-saw to attack and can shoot grappling hooks from under his arm hooks to pull enemies into his buzz-saw. He also has a scatter eye beam.
Jet Jaguar is a robot that appears in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), and was created destroy, however, eventually gains sentience and helps Godzilla face both Gigan and Megalon.
Now Megalon. Megalon is the god of an undersea race. He first appears in the 1973 film Godzilla vs. Megalon, the film is generally seen as horrible and is considered one of the worse films in the kaiju genre. The film was used a lot on Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
King Caesar is another kaiju to appear in the Godzilla series. He looks like a mixture of a lion, a dog and a reptile and has a row of gems on his head that are probably used to absorb sunlight. The creature looks entirely organic, however, he's nearly all mechanical. He has an organic brain, however, he's nearly all mechanical, in order to awaken King Caesar, a member of a royal family must sing an activation song. He is incredibly fast and agile, and can redirect energy attacks that are shot at him. King Caesar only appears in the films Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla and Godzilla Final Wars.
Mechagodzilla is the robotic version of Godzilla and is also one of his most challenging opponents. Mechagodzilla is made of a nearly indestructible metal and is packed with huge amounts of firepower. He has flame-throwers, beam attacks, and missiles. He can absorb attacks and shoot in multiple directions at once. Mechagodzilla's appearance and weaponry frequently change throughout the three eras of Godzilla films. He also has sentience and is not controlled by anyone. He is perhaps one of Godzilla's most popular opponents. Titanosaurus is an ally of Mechagodzilla, even though he doesn't have more than biting and punching, he can cause massive wind attacks and whirlpools with his powerful fan tail.
Next up is Biollante. Biollante is a mutated rose that was infused with Godzilla's DNA. She can grapple with vines and inject a corrosive acid in her enemies. She has thorn spears on the end of her vines and can spit massive amounts of acid from her mouth and can fly into space to regenerate. She appeared in Godzilla vs Biollante in 1989 and never again in the Godzilla franchise.
Battra is another kaiju that appeared in the 1992 film Godzilla vs Mothra. Battra is basically an evil Mothra, he has the ability to fly in his adult form and the ability to swim and burrow in his larval form. In larval form he could use his horn as a battering ram and shoot electricity from it. In adult form his horn morphs into three smaller horns and he gains optic beams.
SpaceGodzilla was a modified clone of Godzilla. He has only appeared in the film Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla from 1994. SpaceGodzilla has more or less every ability that Godzilla has but he can control gravity, he can use gravity beams and gets his power from cosmic energy. He can encase himself in crystals that give him flight, his tail is incredibly strong and he can track Godzilla.
Another kaiju that is seen as one of Godzilla's most powerful opponents is Destoroyah. Destoroyah was able to withstand Godzilla's attacks and force the king of monsters to fight to his peak power, many times winning. Destoroyah is made up of many microscopic organisms and can adapt and regenerate. He can shoot a ray from his mouth that can vaporize anything in it's way, the horn on it's head can also shoot a beam blade that can cut through anything.
Then comes Orga, who is an imperfect clone of Godzilla, and Megaguirus who is the queen of a species of primordial giant insects, and Kamoebas, which is a giant turtle mutated by a space amoeba. 
Well, there it is, there were some I forgot and feel free to call me out on them if you want to (I encourage you to), but I hope this post was fun and interesting (even if you don't like Godzilla). Sorry if I didn't get in depth enough, but like I said, I wanted to make a good list of the Godzilla kaiju and I feel like this one is fairly solid.
Anyway, be good, have fun and I'll see you on the next one...
Hasta la vista!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The Twenty-fourth Mistake-- A Fond Farewell
Happy end of the world today, live it up, at 6PM we'll all be gone!
First, I have no hope for the Captain America movie... BUT Hugo Weaving makes a bad ass looking Red Skull
Next, they're remaking the 1985 horror film Fright Night, it looks like it'll be a good one, it'll be on my list of upcoming films to see (hope I don't end up disappointed like A LOT of movies I really wanna see) http://www.imdb.com/features/summermovieguide/2011/movies/frightnight
This horror film remake looks like it could be decent too (and I love Guillermo del Toro)... it's Don't Be Afraid of The Dark... http://www.imdb.com/features/summermovieguide/2011/movies/dontbeafraid (do I rely too much on imdb? maybe)...
They're also making a Tintin film which COULD be interesting (of course it's being done by Steven Spielberg, so who knows)
Have a good last day y'all, I'll be at work!
Also... on this fine fine apocalypse morning, you should listen to The King of Limbs by Radiohead if you have not, great feel good music to die to...
AND, if you're feeling it, watch Donnie Darko by Richard Kelley (yeah, probably cliched), but what goes better with the world ending than a six foot tall anthropomorphic rabbit trying to get a kid to stop the world ending? I mean c'mon!
I wasn't going write an actual post today, because what would be the point right? but FUCK IT, I'll do it anyway, I keep finding cool things I wanna share!
ANYWAY... enjoy this...
First, I have no hope for the Captain America movie... BUT Hugo Weaving makes a bad ass looking Red Skull
Next, they're remaking the 1985 horror film Fright Night, it looks like it'll be a good one, it'll be on my list of upcoming films to see (hope I don't end up disappointed like A LOT of movies I really wanna see) http://www.imdb.com/features/summermovieguide/2011/movies/frightnight
This horror film remake looks like it could be decent too (and I love Guillermo del Toro)... it's Don't Be Afraid of The Dark... http://www.imdb.com/features/summermovieguide/2011/movies/dontbeafraid (do I rely too much on imdb? maybe)...
They're also making a Tintin film which COULD be interesting (of course it's being done by Steven Spielberg, so who knows)
Have a good last day y'all, I'll be at work!
Also... on this fine fine apocalypse morning, you should listen to The King of Limbs by Radiohead if you have not, great feel good music to die to...
AND, if you're feeling it, watch Donnie Darko by Richard Kelley (yeah, probably cliched), but what goes better with the world ending than a six foot tall anthropomorphic rabbit trying to get a kid to stop the world ending? I mean c'mon!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Twenty-third Problem-- Like Jazz
So, I dunno what I'm going to talk about in this post so I think I'm just going to "riff" a bit and see what comes of it... take it if you will (and you probably won't), but here we go, some possibly quality shit coming at you (or a short pointless post that will make you wonder why your life is so horrible).
First off, this is pretty cool, if you're interested in attending film school and want to know what film schools are available to you in your state or area, check it out... http://www.aboutfilmschools.com/
if it's helpful, that's awesome, if not then I'm sorry you clicked on the link, feel free to let me know...
This is an interesting story about an interesting sounding film with an interesting plot... apparently the film is about a mad plastic surgeon that turns his victim into a woman, it's called The Skin I Live In... http://www.imdb.com/news/ni10794268/ apparently it did really well at Cannes too.
Here's another little thing about Cannes (and one that Chris may like), Lars Von Trier was kicked out of the festival for remarks he had made about being a Nazi and sympathizing with Adolf Hitler, he also stated that the next film he does will be a three hour long porn (most likely a joke), but there you go... http://www.imdb.com/news/ni10794266/, http://www.imdb.com/news/ni10788149/
Well, now it would just make sense if I talked a bit about the Cannes Film Festival. It's the most prestigious film festival in the world and takes place in the Southern French town of Cannes (in case you were unsure). It's held every year and usually in May, with a jury of film makers, actors and critics reviewing the films that are entered in the competition part of the festival. There are various programs at the festival and it's broken down into sections. The first of the sections is the Official Section, the films in this section are either put in competition, where they compete for the Palme d'Or, in Un Certain Regard which presents a lot of films with different styles to introduce them into the international spotlight. There are out of competition films, which are not put up for a prize, there are special screenings, which are films that are matched to an specific environment. There's cinéfondation, which are a selection of art school shorts and mid-length films. Finally there are the short films competing for the Palme d'Or.
On top of the Official Section, there are also parallel sections that are not up for any rewards. The sub-sections of this are, The Cannes Classics, which are older films celebrating the heritage of film, Tous les Cinémas du Monde, which showcases films from a specific country each day, Caméra d'Or, which celebrates first films and then Cinéma de la Plage, which are public showcasing of non-competition films and classics.
Finally are the awards at Cannes, the most prestigious being the Palme d'Or, which is awarded to the best film of the festival, there's also the Grand Prix, which is the grand prize of the festival, the Prix du Jury which is a Jury prize, the Palme d'Or du court métrage which goes to the best short film, the Prix d'interprétation féminine which goes to the best actress, the Prix d'interprétation masculine which goes to the best actor, the Prix de la mise en scene, which goes to the best director and the Prix du scénario going to the best screenplay.
Cannes was supposed to first take place in 1939, however, with the outbreak of WWII, it didn't actually begin until the war was over in 1946. Cannes is currently being held this year and goes until the 22 of May.
Earlier I mentioned Chris, if you haven't checked his blog out do it... http://musingsofamoviedouche.blogspot.com/
Well, I think that's about it for tonight, I feel pretty sick and like I could pass out so I'll bid you adieu...
First off, this is pretty cool, if you're interested in attending film school and want to know what film schools are available to you in your state or area, check it out... http://www.aboutfilmschools.com/
if it's helpful, that's awesome, if not then I'm sorry you clicked on the link, feel free to let me know...
This is an interesting story about an interesting sounding film with an interesting plot... apparently the film is about a mad plastic surgeon that turns his victim into a woman, it's called The Skin I Live In... http://www.imdb.com/news/ni10794268/ apparently it did really well at Cannes too.
Here's another little thing about Cannes (and one that Chris may like), Lars Von Trier was kicked out of the festival for remarks he had made about being a Nazi and sympathizing with Adolf Hitler, he also stated that the next film he does will be a three hour long porn (most likely a joke), but there you go... http://www.imdb.com/news/ni10794266/, http://www.imdb.com/news/ni10788149/
Well, now it would just make sense if I talked a bit about the Cannes Film Festival. It's the most prestigious film festival in the world and takes place in the Southern French town of Cannes (in case you were unsure). It's held every year and usually in May, with a jury of film makers, actors and critics reviewing the films that are entered in the competition part of the festival. There are various programs at the festival and it's broken down into sections. The first of the sections is the Official Section, the films in this section are either put in competition, where they compete for the Palme d'Or, in Un Certain Regard which presents a lot of films with different styles to introduce them into the international spotlight. There are out of competition films, which are not put up for a prize, there are special screenings, which are films that are matched to an specific environment. There's cinéfondation, which are a selection of art school shorts and mid-length films. Finally there are the short films competing for the Palme d'Or.
On top of the Official Section, there are also parallel sections that are not up for any rewards. The sub-sections of this are, The Cannes Classics, which are older films celebrating the heritage of film, Tous les Cinémas du Monde, which showcases films from a specific country each day, Caméra d'Or, which celebrates first films and then Cinéma de la Plage, which are public showcasing of non-competition films and classics.
Finally are the awards at Cannes, the most prestigious being the Palme d'Or, which is awarded to the best film of the festival, there's also the Grand Prix, which is the grand prize of the festival, the Prix du Jury which is a Jury prize, the Palme d'Or du court métrage which goes to the best short film, the Prix d'interprétation féminine which goes to the best actress, the Prix d'interprétation masculine which goes to the best actor, the Prix de la mise en scene, which goes to the best director and the Prix du scénario going to the best screenplay.
Cannes was supposed to first take place in 1939, however, with the outbreak of WWII, it didn't actually begin until the war was over in 1946. Cannes is currently being held this year and goes until the 22 of May.
Earlier I mentioned Chris, if you haven't checked his blog out do it... http://musingsofamoviedouche.blogspot.com/
Well, I think that's about it for tonight, I feel pretty sick and like I could pass out so I'll bid you adieu...
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