This trailer is a lot wackier than one we saw earlier this year (also in Korean):

And here's an inexplicably long English-language explanation of the film.

Yes, it's your classic researcher-vs-giant-pig movie.

Pretty cool, but but this pig will never be as scary as the wormy megapig spirit from Princess Mononoke!

via Undead Backbrain (Thanks, Avery "Mondo Kaiju" Guerra!)

In honor of the upcoming Ultraman movie, Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend The Movie, several monsters from the Ultraman franchise appeared on a Japanese variety show to "audition" for parts in the movie. They showed off their most menacing dance skills for the assembled Ultramen, an impressive feat given those unwieldy-looking rubber suits.

Ultra Monsters dance to ‘Thriller' [Pink Tentacle]

Over at Undead Backbrain, Robert Hood and Avery Guerra have the full story. But in a nutshell, it's a giant crocodile. Fighting a spiny supergator. Gnashing of teeth!

Meet Dinocroc.

Rrrooowrrrr! I am Dinocroc! I rule the jungle!

I am Supergator! I am on my way to major man noms!

Nom nom nom! RRRrrrowowworrrr!

Just to remind us that the Old Testament is scary too, Jewish culture magazine Tablet commissioned this series of Jewish giant monsters from Dubisch. Enjoy their frightful visages, and learn about their Yid cred via Tablet.

You can see more of Dubisch's amazing creatures on his blog.

Leviathan
All the monsters hanging out together in a kaijew "Destroy All Monsters" moment.
Melchiresa
Nephilim, apparently designed to look a little like Bernie Madoff.
A Rahab gives us the full Cthulhu.
Samael, the badass angel who fought a bunch of good guys and scared the crap out of everybody.

It looks like we've got the Science Patrol here, and possibly a journey to Ultraman's home planet. Plus, get a load of all those monsters. Screw Avatar - this is going to be the best alien movie in December hands-down. I am so excited that I'm doing Godzilla's version of the Highland Fling.

Mega Monster Battle via IMDB

Thanks, Avery Battles!

So Debbie goes to bed after hearing from the incongruously polytailed military guy that nukes are the next step in stopping the airplane-chomping shark and helicopter-smashing 'pus. She must save the ocean from nukes! And get another roll in the sack with her hot scientist boyfriend in Japan! How can she solve these pressing problems?

By taking a nap, of course. And dreaming of sunsets, and kissyface, and long long sharks, and giant tentacles in the sea, and bloody teeth penetrating soft wet sea creatures, and . . . um . . . yeah. Luckily she wakes up and conveys her brilliant idea to her old professor in this burst of amazing dialogue:

Professor guy: Wha?!
Debbie: Thrilla in Manilla!
Professor Guy: Come again?!
Debbie: We'll get them to kill each other!

This is a great movie, which will air like every weekend on SyFy for the next millennium. Catch it while it's still hot!

Mega-Shark vs. Giant Octopus via IMDB

Twitch posted this image yesterday, of Hostie running through the streets outside Seoul. Looks like he'll be straying away from the water, at least for a little while, though the giant mutant carp originally emerged from toxin-laced water near Seoul. None of the original team who made The Host will be back for this sequel, sadly - even the special effects company The Orphanage who made such great effects in the first flick have been dumped for a local Korean CG house.

This doesn't mean The Host 2 will be bad, however: This CG shot looks great, and sometimes a new director can inject extra life into a monster flick (just look at what Guillermo Del Toro did with Blade II).

via Twitch

This is just a sampling of the great collection of screenshots over at SciFi Japan, where there's also a lengthy and interesting review of the collection. It brings together The H-Man, Battle In Outer Space (never available in the US before), and Mothra.

You'll probably recognize Mothra the mega-caterpillar (later, mega-moth) and the two teensie twins who can control him with their tiny songs. But H-Man, a glowing guy who can melt people and cause go-go dancers to pose in sultry ways, may be less familiar. What's particularly interesting about this collection is that it has both the US and Japanese version of H-Man, which (like Godzilla) had a significantly different US version. There are also a lot of commentary tracks from experts on the movies, as well as the people who worked on restoring these prints and adding lost footage to them.

via SciFi Japan

We're here to save the day in "Battle In Outer Space"!




On the left are subtitles for the Japanese version of the movie, and on the right are the subtitles for the American version. As you can see, there are a few, um, differences in the translation.

Salarymen will always save you in "The H-Man"!


Oh no, Mothra! Don't burn up!

From the official website of the film, now out on DVD:

Every 30 years, in the summer there is a mysterious unidentified creature claimed to inhabit Astaire's freshwater lake in Minnesota.

Along with Loch Ness monster Nessie and Lake Champlain's Champ, this monster is one of the best-known mysteries of crypto zoology. Most scientists and other experts find current evidence supporting the creature's existence unpersuasive and regard the occasional sightings as hoaxes or misidentification of known creatures or natural phenomena. Minnesotans believe in this legend, even though their theories may vary. The creature thought to be a plesiosaur being the most popular of these theories. But unlike Loch Ness or Lake Champlain, there is no canal linking Serpent Lake to the sea raising the question," Where does this creature come from? And during this time some people in or around the lake come up missing.

Who doesn't love a monster that haunts Minnesota? I hope it likes mashed potato pizza and pickled herring, because that's what it's going to taste when it chomps on our heroes.

I utterly adore the unapologetic Z-grade production values here. Such brio! And the characters are hilarious. The whole thing gives me a warm, Godmonster of Indian Flats kind of feeling.

You can gobble up the DVD via the Serpent Lake site and (dum dum dum!) thanks to Avery Guerra!

Twitch has this teaser, including some commentary from director Tomoo Haraguchi, who has previously worked on effects for Gamera flicks and created the fine 2004 movie, Werewolf Warrior. I like that he has a healthy respect for the idea of putting on a monster suit and crushing miniature cities. That kind of film craft should never die.

I will never look at kappa maki the same way again.

via Undead Backbrain (and Avery Guerra of course)

I don't speak Japanese, so I had some questions about whether this was intentionally or non-intentionally silly. Cross-cultural expert Lisa Katayama came to my aid. After checking out the preview, she emailed me to say that it is definitely a parody:

The intro text says, roughly: if there are only two kinds of movies in the world, monster movies and non-monster movies, then director Hayashi likes monster movies much much better. And then each character is introduced by their stereotype: the heroine who wants to become a teen idol, the reliable mom-like older sister, the naughty little sister... and so on.

Good to know that Hayashi realizes that there are only two kinds of movies in the world. And that he understands giant monsters always beat non-giant monsters in any cinematic smackdown.

Quiet Earth, the post-apocalyptic funhouse that first brought this movie to my attention, gives a more straightforward summary:

Set 60 years after the original (Deep Sea Monster Reigo), in modern-day Tokyo. Global warming causes the southern polar ice cap to gradually melt, disrupting the ecosystem and luring ancient sea monsters to Japan. Eventually an enormous sea beast called Raiga enters Asakusa via the Sumida River and begins wreaking havoc on the buildings there.

via Quiet Earth and Avery Guerra

This giant monster B-movie is another thing of beauty from The Asylum, the same production company that brought you The Transmorphers and The Terminators, as well as dozens of other brilliant ripoffs and subgenre sensations.

As giant monster afficionado Avery Battles writes on Undead Brainspasm:

Clearly this film embraces several key elements of the Japanese monster-film tradition: descriptive title, really big beasties and monster punch-ups.

Hell yes. Here's the money shot, kids:

Must. Have. Megashark. With laser eyes, pls?

Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus via The Asylum

One immediate result is that everybody has to immigrate to Japan. So the country has to throw its doors wide to a multicultural crowd of refugees, who live in shantytowns all over the island. At first the Japanese are enchanted by all the American movie stars and politicians who flock to their country, but (as you can see in the clip above) the honeymoon is quickly over when overcrowding and xenophobia kick in.

Foreigners are forced to become maids and thieves, famous actors are reduced to selling underwear with their lipstick stains in them, and a Tom Cruise-like actor (who keeps waving his Oscar around) is deported to a watery grave for stealing a piece of candy.

Released in Japan in 2006, and distributed in the US with English subtitles by Synapse Films last year, The World Sinks, Except Japan is a weird and pleasingly bitter satire of Japanese politics and pop culture. It was especially interesting to me as a Westerner, since the stereotypes of whiteys are so clueless (a Texan girl speaks English with a French accent, for example). And yet the movie is self-aware enough to make fun of the Japanese tendency to use pop culture as a way to work out frustrations with foreigners.

This movie really has everything: Global apocalypse, panty-chasing scientists, tragic interracial love, giant monsters, Japanese men being waited on by Western maids, and a scene where a washed-up Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis (played by Japanese actors) are ordered to "act out a scene" from their movies for a drunken Japanese salaryman with a few yen. Must be seen to be believed!

Check out The World Sinks, Except Japan at Synapse Films.

One of the main characteristics of Clovie was his dangly leg action, with those giant freaky backwards joints propelling him everywhere. Star Trek monster, known familiarly as Trekmon, has bizarre legs that appear to have joints over its head. Trekmon's mouth is also remarkably similar to Clovie's. It has both the vertical shape and spike-shaped teeth that made Clovie's chompers so dorky-dangerous.

Not only do we find legular and mouthular similarities between the two kaiju, but they also share a pallor. Both have hairless skin that looks sort of pale and pinkish. I think Trekmon is pretty much Clovie's galactic relative. Of course, when Trekmon opens its mega-mouth, it looks a bit more like Hostie from The Host.

Thanks, Avery "Master Kaiju Wrangler" Guerra!

This scene is from early in the film, when toxic dumping off the Korean coast has led to the sudden appearance of this giant, fishy . . . thing. One of our heroes, who sells junk food and trinkets by the water, is the first to see it. As he fights the monster, aided by a weird American guy, his moves are simultaneously action and slapstick (he grabs a wacky "no horns" sign to whap it). Same goes for the monster itself, who fumbles and bumbles around on the silliest feet you've ever seen. And then opens its double-jaw to chew people up.

The whole movie has this scary-slapsticky air, with our protagonists acting like heroic goofballs. This interesting tone, the perfect blend of sharp satire and monstery goodness, is what puts The Host a cut above the rest. [The Host via IMDB]

Berg is a prolific designer, who has won many awards. His Godzilla game is in the early stages of development: They're still running play-test sessions (and posting the results in the forums at boardgamegeek.com) and adjusting the rules for balance. There aren't any art assets or photos of the game yet, but we do know it'll be non-collectable (that is, you get the entire game and all available pieces in one box). Confirmed monsters include Godzilla, Rodan, King Ghidorah (aka Annalee's avatar), and Gigan. There will likely be miniatures representing the monsters, but no word on the scale or design of the pieces. A 2009 release is anticipated.

The mechanics are intended to be relatively simple and fast moving. Players split a set number of action points per turn between their monsters and military units. Monsters collect victory points by trashing buildings, stomping tanks and beating each other up with fists, nuclear breath, claws and other attacks. Monster-on-monster combat involves playing a series of attack cards that define how many dice you roll. Everyone rolls a pile of dice and figures out how many hits they've scored.

Just give me King Caesar and Mechagodzilla and I'm yours, Mr. Berg.

Initial Playtest Report. [boardgamegeek]