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Oh God, that remake was dreadful, and so unnecessary!
Well, some people seem to enjoy it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the remake.
Dir. Ishirō Honda
Staring Russ Tamblyn (!), Kumi Mizuno, Kenji Sahara
and as the “Gargantuas”: Haruo Nakajima (Green/ “Gaira” ) and Yū Sekida (Brown/”Sanda”)
Even though I’ve had this in my DVD collection for some years (and I first saw the film when I was about fifteen years old or so), it was a recent TV showing that finally convinced me to post something about it here.
First and foremost, I had forgotten just how much fun this movie is. It’s a hoot!! Made during the “golden age” Japanese Tokusatsu and Kaiju films, THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS is a rough sequel (very, very rough) to 1965’s FRANKENSTEIN vs. BARAGON (aka. FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD).
THE PLOT
At the start of the film, we see a fishing boat being attacked by a giant octopus, which is then attacked by a giant green-haired humanoid monster – a gargantua. After defeating the giant octopus, the green monster then attacks the boat and kills all but one of the crew. The survivor is eventually recovered and reveals to doctors and police that a monster attacked his boat and ate the crew.
It is eventually learned that this monster is the “brother” of another creature, a brown-haired gargantua called “Sanda” that escaped from a laboratory several years ago when it was small. Well mannered, the brown gargantua is everything that the green gargantua (“Gaira”) is not.
So, the green gargantua (“Gaira”) is EVIL, while the brown gargantua (“Sanda”) is GOOD.
OK. Got It.
At first, Sanda defends his long-lost brother against an army attack (“toy trucks” actually!!!), but their differing temperaments soon causes conflict. Let the battle commence.
Yū Sekida (“Sanda”, on the left) and Haruo Nakajima (“Gaira”) taking a break between shots
I could “attempt” to explain the rest of the plot, but this music video does it far better than me.
“And a ONE and a TWO…… “ ♫ ♫
As for the conclusion; this being a monster film, in the mist of their final battle, the gargantuas disappear due to a under sea volcanic eruption. However, since their death was unconfirmed, they could come back some day.
THE END.
What is amazing about THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS is just how many times this film has been referenced in popular culture.
The film inspired parts of Quentin Tarantino's 2004 film Kill Bill: Volume 2, such as a miniature shot of Tokyo made specifically for the film and the fight scene between Uma Thurman and Daryl Hannah which Tarantino dubbed the "War of the Blonde Gargantuas".
And one can – apparently – count Guillermo del Toro, actor Brad Pitt and Tim Burton as also being fans of this particular film.
And there is one additional reason that this film is remembered so fondly: a song so awful that you’ll never quite forget it - "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat."
Kipp Hamilton (1934-1981) was an actress/singer during the 1950s and 1950s. Unfortunately, despite being the sister-in-law of Carol Burnett she never really hit it big and this was her last on-screen credit. Believe it or not, this song was actually covered by DEVO in the late 1970s, and when Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (“Battle of the Humungonauts”) riffed on this film in season 1 , they “had” to include it.
Final Note: If Russ Tamblyn voice seems a bit at odds with what’s on the screen, it's because the original dialogue soundtrack was lost during production and he was called back to re-dub his lines. Tamblyn – who adlibbed much of time on set – couldn’t remember his original lines! Somehow that fact only adds to the charm of this film.
=))
There was a lot in this film that seemed to intentionally remind one of Bond. The Roger Ebert site has an interesting take on this.
The prison sequence was a bit too long and I do hate it when the villain has the opportunity to kill the good guy and gets distracted, not that I wanted Luther to die. IE is a compelling actor. But the scene that stood out to me most was the quiet moment with the mother of one of the victims. The empathy on Luther's face is mesmerizing.
Not a great film, but certainly entertaining. Apparently, and I hope this true, the beginning of a film series. As the Ebert site says, IE doesn't need Bond.
Warning Shot (1967)
I first became aware of Warning Shot years ago, after having seen Harper (1966), starring Paul Newman. The murder mystery wrapped in a vibrant, mid to late 1960's colour scheme, set in sunny California was something I would like to see more of, and this David Janssen crime thriller felt like a must-watch. But the film wasn't easy to get hold of, and it wasn't until I received this brand new Kino Lorber Blu-ray release, and after having some initial trouble due to the region settings (as described on the Why ??!!...The whinging,moaning,complaining,ranting,letting off steam thread !!) that I could finally sit down and watch the film.
Was the film worth the trouble? Well, yes and no. The few negatives first: It's a very standard crime thriller affair really. Better looking than a TV movie, but the plot doesn't offer much more than this short plot description from IMDb: It lacks that certain extra that Harper from the year before had, and there are some great names and familiar faces from that era among the cast too, but they get way to little screen time.
The positives: Visually and stylistically it's just what I hoped it would be. It's very much in the same style as Harper, Marlowe (1969), and the two Sinatra films Tony Rome (1967) and Lady in Cement (1968) – as well as The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1969), starring Adam West and Nancy Kwan. A running time of 100 minutes can also be counted as a negative given the screen time some of the cast are reduced to, but at least it's not a film that feels too long, rather the other way around, where you wouldn't mind an extra few minutes and scenes here and there.
Overall a decent film, and a decent + movie experience. 7.5/10 stars from me.
_________
Now, I would really like to see more films like Warning Shot and the other titles named above. If anyone would like to recommend films similar to these, I'd really appreciate that!
Kino Lorber usually does a great job with their releases, so I'm glad that you were able to overcome the region-code issues. I have THE DROWNING POOL - the sequel to HARPER on my watch list for this week and will report back if I can.
While our Film Noir thread is mainly focused on the 1950s/1950s at the moment, feel free to browse for other titles (if you haven't already).
https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/21261/the-film-noir-thread/p1
Lots of fun, well worth watching . Cage and Pascal are fantastic together.
I recommend Madigan, Charley Varrick, The Mackintosh Man, The Long Goodbye, Cape Fear, Seconds, Seven Days in May, Point Blank, The Black Windmill, The Detective, Black Sunday, Busting, Hickey and Boggs, The Outfit, The Last Run, The Squeeze, Villain to name a few!
I won't lie, I laughed numerous times throughout. It tries a bit too hard to be a "cult classic" but for the most part, it's hugely enjoyable nonsense that happens to have good actors in it.
Glad you liked it, @Dwayne! I don't do write-ups that often, but felt I had to do one for this film, as I had been looking for it for quite some time.
Kino Lorber have many interesting releases in their catalogue, but I need to find a permanent solution to the region restrictions rather than the workaround I used this time around if I'm going to buy more KL releases. as for The Drowning Pool, I have a digital copy of that film. It's quite good – not up there with Harper IMO, but a solid mid 70's thriller which is definitely worth checking out. Night Moves with Gene Hackman is quite similar in tone, I feel. Haven't watched The Drowning Pool and Night Moves in some years, so they're both due a rewatch.
Thanks for the thread link! I'll have a look through that one.
Dir. Stanley Donen
Staring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coborn and George Kennedy.
It’s been years since I watched Stanley Donen's “Hitchcock-esque” film, but given that I’ve been on a mini kick recently concerning the movie themes of the 1960s (The Sandpiper – 1966, Doctor Zhivago – 1965, etc..), I was eager to watch this one. And for the most part I enjoyed it.
While the 25-year age difference between Cary Grant (58) and Audrey Hepburn (33) is a bit off-putting they do have good chemistry and the film itself is a fine (if not great) mystery/ romantic comedy. And of course, the film’s theme and soundtrack by Henry Mancini are top-notch, as are Maurice Binder’s title sequence.
My Sunday Lineup (thanks TCM):
7:00 AM THE WINDOW (1949)
8:30 AM THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
10:15 AM THE THIN MAN (1934)
12:00 AM THE THIRD MAN (1949)
2:00 PM CHARDE (1963)
4:00 PM LAURA (1944)
5:45 PM VERTIGO (1958)
8:00 PM REAR WINDOW (1954)
Me about now: :D
The first of the Corman cycle of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations. And that's a great beginning. No glass coffin in the movie, though.
Only just added this to my collection, on bluray. Clint Eastwood stars and directs ( after Phil Kaufman was ousted, who also co wrote the screenplay) , a Western of course, takes place after the civil war, Eastwoods farmer Josey Wales character joins the rebels after his family are murdered by the notorious 'Red Legs'. He becomes an outlaw after refusing the amnesty, and the film depicts his journey as he picks up a rag tag bunch of people on the way!
This looks wonderful on bluray, gorgeously shot by Eastwoods regular cameraman,Bruce Surtees, and it has an excellent cast, with one of my favourite character actors, John Vernon, in there too! This was a time when Westerns were going out of fashion, but no one knows Westerns as well as Eastwood, he would defy expectations and go to direct more, culminating in the Oscar winning 'Unforgiven'
Last night I watched Fast Times at Ridgemont High, actually trying to find some kind of nostalgic connections to my own U.S. exchange year about eight years before the movie was made. Didn't find them, really... but then my high school was very small and in rural Illinois, unlike "Ridgemont High". Still, it is a fun movie, with some now-famous actors having their first movie role worth mentioning, like Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold and Forest Whitaker - all playing high school students (although they actually were rather college-age during filming). And I must have missed recognizing Nicolas Cage somewhere as well. Then of course there are the charming leading ladies Phoebe Cates and Jennifer Jason Leigh who both add something special to the film. Overall, a bit shallow but quite enjoyable.
I really love this one. Best of the Cormans for me!
It is, of course, Muriel's Wedding (1994), and while it probably is what they now call a dramedy (not a tragicomedy) over all, it is just f...ing funny almost all the time. At times absolutely hilarious, and in the end a totally feel-good movie. Probably one of my top ten in that category.
Toni Collette, who played Muriel, gained 40 pounds for this (her first major) role. The last role I saw her in before tonight was as the mother of Little Miss Sunshine, see somewhere above, IIRC. She's an amazing actor (formerly also called actress...).
Absolutely love this film. It is so twisted. The more you watch the more you find to appreciate.
Operation Mincemeat on Netflix
That's Ian Fleming on the left portrayed by Johnny Flynn. This was a super interesting movie and I was glad to learn about this great story. Really strong cast all around, loved to see Jason Isaacs as M. Simon Russel Beale as Churchill was a bit of a weak point IMO, but I think that's in the context of a lot of really brilliant Churchills of late (Gary Oldman, and, shockingly, John Lithgow spring to mind).
I'm sure much of the story was dramatized but I'm finding myself wanting to visit the gravestone of the fictitious Major Bill in Spain.
It's a really funny Ealing Studios movie directed by Alexander Mackendrick, who went on to do the original The Lady Killers. This movie, made in 1948, takes place in 1943 (based on a real incident in 1941) when a freighter carrying 50,000 cases of Scotch whisky runs aground on the coast of a Scottish island (one of the Hebrides), after the island had suffered from the absence of booze due to the war restrictions for quite a while. The story is mainly about the quarrel between the islanders (who retrieved a lot of the loot) and the authorities, with a few personal relationships and character exhibitions thrown in. Overall, as I said, a very funny movie, though for non-native speakers the activation of subtitles (even the English HOH) may be advisable...when the characters don't speak Gaelic (very rarely), they speak with what I suppose is a relatively heavy Scottish accent. But very enjoyable and highly recommended.
One of my favourite Ealing Films. The scene where they finally get the whiskey from the stricken ship and sit around drinking and singing is wonderful. Have a number of the Ealing films on dvd, my favourite has always been 'The Lavender Hill Mob', but theres a little seen one called 'Barnacle Bill' which is a gem and also stars the much versatile Alec Guiness! Great films, with great stories and characters. They really dont make them like this anymore!
Best of luck to all those involved, but this just seems wrong IMO.
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/robert-downey-jr-vertigo-remake-paramount-1235563018/
Paramount Pictures has preemptively acquired a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic psychological thriller “Vertigo,” as a possible starring vehicle for Robert Downey Jr. The actor is producing the project with his wife Susan Downey through their Team Downey production company, along with John Davis and John Fox via Davis Entertainment.
It should be noted that several films over the years have "referenced" VERTIGO (Obsession (1976), being one), but doing a straight remake is a tall order.
That said, I never quite loved VERTIGO as everyone else. I think it’s interesting on an intellectual and technical level, but emotionally empty. Kim Novak isn’t very endearing (and her eyebrows even more distracting).
REAR WINDOW is still tops for me.
REAR WINDOW is indeed much better, but not just that one, but at least six or seven others of the bunch. My eternal Hitchcock favourite is and will always remain NORTH BY NORTHWEST.