Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
aka Gojira tai Mosura tai Mekagojira: Tokyo S.O.S.
Article 5677 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 5-19-2019
Directed by Masaaki Tezuka
Featuring Noboru Kaneko, Miho Yoshioka, Mickey Koga
Country: Japan
What it is: Kaiju

Mothra’s twin fairies show up and ask Japan to give Godzilla’s bones a rest; they were used in the infrastructure of Mechagodzilla. However, Godzilla reappears, and they man need Mechagodzilla’s power once again…

Unlike the other movies in the Millennium series that I’ve seen, this one is a direct sequel to one of the others – the previous entry GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA. It’s also a sequel to MOTHRA, and Hiroshi Koizumi reprises his role from that one. The human stories aren’t quite as engaging this time around, but that’s probably due to the fact that the main story arc here belongs to Mechagodzilla, an arc that had its roots in the previous movie. There may even be a reference to the Gamera series as well here when a giant turtle washes up on shore. Most of the movie is a battle sequence between Godzilla, Mechagodzila and three Mothras (the adult and two larva). It’s not quite as good as the previous entry, but it’s still quite entertaining and engaging.

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
aka Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaiju sokogeki
Article 5676 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 5-18-2019
Directed by Shuseke Kaneko
Featuring Chiharu Niiyama, Ryudo Izaki, Masahiro Kobayashi
Country: Japan
What it is: Japanese Monster Mash

When Godzilla reappears in Japan, a trio of guardian monsters appear to do battle with him.

One of the advantages of doing a series of separate sequels to the original is that you can safely ignore whatever the other sequels have set up, allowing events and characters a variety of interpretations without being stuck in the mud of canon. This movie gives the monsters a decidedly mystical edge, and it’s nice to see Ghidorah play a hero for a change. This was directed by Shusuke Kaneko, who was responsible for the Gamera movies from the nineties. He does an excellent job with this one; though the characters aren’t quite as interesting as the ones in GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA, and it’s a bit slow to get started, it is one of the most satisfyingly spectacular of the Millennium series. It also has a bit of a sense of humor and takes a quick potshot at the American version of Godzilla from 1998. Godzilla is particularly savage (and savage-looking) in this one. One minor complaint; it’s a shame that Baragon (one of the Guardian monsters) doesn’t get equal billing with the others; he’s no less heroic in this one.

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
aka Gojira X Mekagojira
Article 5675 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 5-15-2019
Directed by Masaaki Tezuka
Featuring Yumiko Shaku, Shin Takuma, Kana Onodera
Country: Japan
What it is: Kaiju

When a new Godzilla shows up in Japan, authorities build a mechanized version of the monster around the bones of the original Godzilla and use it to do battle with the new one.

This is not to be confused with the similarly-titled movie from the Showa series from 1974 nor the similarly-titled movie from the Heisei series from 1993; this one is from the Shinsei series, and it’s the first movie I’ve covered from that series. The odd thing about the Shinsei series is that they weren’t sequels to each other; rather, they were all individual sequels to the original 1954 GOJIRA which ignored the other sequels. This one also references MOTHRA and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS. There are several ways to evaluate Godzilla movies, and one is as to whether the movie holds the interest when the monsters aren’t on the screen. This is very much the case with this one; the human characters are well-defined and have interesting (albeit sometimes unsurprising) story arcs; I cared about them. The monster battles are also excellent, and there are a few interesting twists to the story as well. I also like the fact that since Mechagodzilla is built on the bones of the original Godzilla, he actually has something in the way of character and personality; he’s not just a machine. I found this one a thoroughly satisfying entry in the Godzilla canon.

Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973)
Article 5673 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 5-11-2019
Directed by Fredric Hobbs
Featuring Christopher Brooks, Stuart Lancaster, E. Kerrigan Prescott
Country: USA
What it is: Strange monster on the loose saga

A representative from an Eastern corporation tries to buy property in a western town under the control of a local tycoon, but the town preys on strangers and is home to a cult. Meanwhile, a nearby scientist experiments with a mutant sheep.

If I had seen this movie without any knowledge of the director, I would have assessed it as a strange variant of a certain monster movie tradition; it’s one of those movies where the monster is kept out of the action until near the end while the rest of the movie is engaged on an entirely different story, and what would have struck me the most would have been the odd ending. However, having seen it after having been familiar with other movies from director Fredric Hobbs (ALABAMA’S GHOST, ROSELAND), my main reaction is amazement at how relatively normal and disappointingly tame it is. However, my familiarity with this director’s work makes me suspect that the main story involves the representative from the corporation, and the monster is just a side issue; the movie has an alternative title of THE SECRET OF SILVERDALE, and I have a feeling the monster angle was added after most of the rest of the movie was made as a way to make it more commercial. At any rate, only the strange ending (which involves a riot on a garbage heap) really strikes me as what I’d expect from Hobbs, but it’s not enough. Sadly, this appears to be Hobbs’ last film, though there is a chance that I may someday see the only movie from his oeuvre that has escaped me, TROIKA. This one was disappointing.

Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris (1999)
aka Gamera 3: Jashin kakusei
Article 5654 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-21-2019
Directed by Shusuke Kaneko
Featuring Shinobu Nakayama, Ai Maeda, Yukijiro Hotaru
Country: Japan
What it is: Gamera movie

A young woman with a hatred for Gamera (most of her family died when a building collapsed during his appearance) befriends a newly hatched monster who she sees as the instrument of her revenge.

The best Gamera movie? Granted, there’s not a whole lot of real competition out there; only this movie’s immediate two predecessors are in the same league. Yet, even they pale a little in comparison to this one; whereas the previous two movies remained fairly conventional kaijus in spirit (albeit very well made ones), this one takes things in a different direction by really working the human characters into the mix. There’s not quite as much monster action in this one, but that’s because the movie is working the characters and the plot. Even the finale is something different; by restricting most of the final battle to the interior of a building, it gives a more intimate feeling to the movie, which is certainly unusual for a kaiju. It also addresses some issues that other kaijus ignore; even with Gamera being the “good guy”, he’s so huge that collateral damage of all sorts (both to buildings and people) is inevitable, and he’s seen as a threat anyway. So, yes, I would say this is easily the best Gamera movie, and it puts most of the Godzilla movies to shame as well.

Genevieve de Brabant (1907)
Article 5649 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-13-2019
Director unknown
Cast unknown
Country: France
What it is: Dramatic fable

When a king leaves for the war, his steward makes advances on the queen; when he is rebuffed, he leaves her and her young son abandoned in the forest. How will she survive, and what will happen when the king returns?

This fable was apparently turned into an opera, and I’m assuming that this is an adaptation of that opera, much shortened so that it mostly consists of highlights of the story. As an example of this sort of thing, it’s passable, but nothing special. Zeroing in on the fantastic content is a problem, though. IMDB classifies it as a fantasy, and the title of a user review hints that the deer that figures in the story may be magical. Perhaps that is so, but within the context of this version of the story, it exhibits no magical properties that I can tell, though its presence proves pivotal in advancing the plot. At any rate, on its own terms, I can’t really classify this one as anything but marginalia in that regard.

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)
aka Gamera 2: Region shurai
Article 5645 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-8-2019
Directed by Shusuke Kaneko
Featuring Toshiyuki Nagashima, Miki Mizuno, Tamotsu Ishibashi
Country: Japan
What it is: Big Turtle vs. Ugly Bug

A meteor shower brings a group of giant insects to Earth that could bring about the destruction of the planet… unless Gamera can come to the planet’s rescue.

This is the second of the three movies from the nineties that revived the monster Gamera, and I always marvel how they not only leave the original series in the dust, but are even better than the Godzilla movies from the nineties. The special effects are a vast improvement, the stories are less silly, and the monsters are quite scary. Whereas the Godzilla movies of the eighties and nineties were often overelaborate and confusing, the Gamera movies were fairly straightforward. However, the addition of a character who has a psychic link to Gamera is no more effective than a similar character in the Godzilla movies; she does little more than assure people that Gamera will come to the rescue when the time is right. Still, that’s a minor quibble, and this is a very entertaining kaiju for fans of the form.

The Ghost Train (1901)
Article 5642 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 2-28-2019
Director unknown
Cast unknown
Country: USA
What it is: A special effect

A ghostly train is seen rolling down the tracks.

In essence, all we’re seeing here is a train passing by on the tracks, but like CATCHING AN EARLY TRAIN, this silent short becomes fantastically themed by the application of a single cinematic trick; the previous movie ran its footage in reverse, and this one runs its footage in negative photography. This renders the train a ghostly white color against a dark background. It’s tempting to dismiss the film, but in truth I have to say that it does make the thing look rather eerie; I’ve seen some horror movies that don’t have a single image as effective as the one here. So I’m going to give it credit; it may be a one-trick film, but the trick is effective.

Geisha Girl (1952)
Article 5571 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 9-22-2018
Directed by George P. Breakston and C. Ray Stahl
Featuring Steve Forrest, Martha Hyer, Archer MacDonald
Country: USA
What it is: Comedy

A pair of American G.I.s on leave in occupied Japan disguise themselves as civilians so they can enjoy the pleasures of Tokyo to which they would otherwise be denied. One of them accidentally ends up in possession of a bottle of super-explosive pills, so they find themselves targeted by both Japanese gangsters and military police.

If the super-explosive pills in the plot description above make you suspect they primarily serve the plot in a Gizmo Maguffin capacity… you’d be right. It is true that they get used at one point, but you never actually see them in use and the only evidence you see of it is a newspaper headline. However, that doesn’t entirely consign this movie to the realm of fantastic marginalia; there’s another plot element involving what amounts to the character of a super-hypnotist appearing in the story. He’s so powerful, he can actually put himself to sleep if he looks in the mirror without sunglasses on, so this amounts to a super-power. This character not only substantially increases the fantastic content of the movie, but the humorous content as well; he’s certainly funnier than the somewhat smarmy Archer MacDonald who plays the primary comic character of this rather tepid comedy. For me, the most interesting thing about it is that it was shot on location in Tokyo during the American occupation of the country, and parts of the movie feel like a travelogue.

The Golden Bat (1966)
aka Ogon batto
Article 5565 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 8-8-2018
Directed by Hajime Sato
Featuring Shin’ichi Chiba, Osamu Kobayashi, Wataru Yamagawa
Country: Japan
What it is: Japanese superhero vs bad guys

A warrior known as the Golden Bat is resurrected and helps a group of scientists battle the evil Nazo, who had directed a planet to collide with the Earth.

I initially thought this one was going to be weirder than it was, but it fits rather neatly into the Starman/Prince of Space Japanese superhero mold. This is not to say that the Golden Bat isn’t rather bizarre; as a skull-masked baton-wielding cackling superhero, he seems more cut out for the villain role than the hero role. He’s certainly more charismatic than Nazo, who looks like a claw-armed four-eyed pantomime pooh bear and lives in a palace that drills up from the ground. The Golden Bat spends most of the movie batting around evil space ninjas with his baton and cackling maniacally. Yes, it’s silly, but it is on the fun side, and I rather enjoyed this one.