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Awix (3310 KP) rated Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) in Movies

Feb 14, 2018 (Updated Feb 14, 2018)  
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
1995 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
9
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Turtle Recall
Hugely confident reinvention not just of Gamera the flying turtle but also, maybe, the whole kaiju movie genre. Japan is plagued by man-eating Gyaos birds, finds unexpected assistance when floating island turns out to be giant flying turtle with plasma fireball breath. Stage is set for climactic showdown between Gamera and the last, colossal Gyaos in downtown Tokyo (of course).

Altogether much lighter on its feet than Toho's Godzilla movies from the same period; makers have clearly studied the tropes of the genre and reinvent and deploy them to great effect. Hugely enjoyable monster action sequences, solid work from the human cast as well (Steven Seagal's daughter Ayako Fujitani is clearly the one in the family with acting talent). The two sequels are possibly even better.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated King Kong (2005) in Movies

Feb 26, 2018 (Updated Feb 26, 2018)  
King Kong (2005)
King Kong (2005)
2005 | Action
6
6.8 (20 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Peter Jackson's labour of love takes itself awfully seriously for a film about a giant gorilla living on an island full of dinosaurs. Proof that even hugely successful, talented people occasionally need someone to tap them on the shoulder and say 'You need to think again about this.'

I mean, I love monster movies as much as the next person, but not when they last three hours and are stuffed with dead-wood character subplots like this one (what exactly is going on with Jamie Bell's character?). Attempting to make Kong wholly sympathetic throughout is also arguably a mistake. Movie looks great and has brilliant creature designs, but overall loses the sense of pulpy fun and excitement which the best Kong movies have; ends up feeling just a bit pompous.
  
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Ross (3284 KP) rated The Ritual (2017) in Movies

Apr 25, 2018  
The Ritual (2017)
The Ritual (2017)
2017 | Horror
8
7.4 (28 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
OK, this film isn't trying to do anything new. A bunch of friends decide to head off hiking and take a wrong turn/short cut into the woods. Luckily for us, they don't meet James Corden singing, instead they start to feel like they're being followed, have weird dreams and are eventually stalked by a strange giant monster (which is gradually revealed over time).
This does have a feel of the blair witch but benefits from not having that annoying "found footage" aspect where people running for their lives insist on filming the event.
The film builds tension brilliantly, has some particularly creepy moments and doesn't fall down for trying to explain what is happening too much. Rafe Spall is excellent and none of the characters make any stupid illogical decisions that cause you to shout at the screen.
  
Show all 6 comments.
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Ross (3284 KP) Apr 25, 2018

yes it was on amazon prime, sorry
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Sarah (7798 KP) Apr 25, 2018

Argh thanks I was hoping it'd be Netflix! Never mind
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Dean (6926 KP) rated Colossal (2016) in Movies

Nov 20, 2019  
Colossal (2016)
Colossal (2016)
2016 | Comedy, Drama
5
7.2 (32 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Original (0 more)
Sudden change in direction at the end (1 more)
Odd plot
I missed this at the cinema so gave it a watch as it's on Netflix currently. It comes across as quite a quirky odd film. A girl with a drink problem has to go back to her small town home after being kicked out by her boyfriend. She randomly discovers she has a connection to a giant monster that appears in South Korea.
The problem with this film is it doesn't feel it's going anywhere. What's the connection and why? Why does the lead character make some of her choices? It just doesn't add up. Then the last 15 minutes have a very different change in direction and tone that just didn't fit with the rest of the film. One for those who like quirky films.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Mothra (1961) in Movies

Feb 11, 2018 (Updated Feb 11, 2018)  
Mothra (1961)
Mothra (1961)
1961 | Adventure, Fantasy
8
7.3 (14 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
You're going to need some bigger mothballs
The film that sets the standard for rampaging-giant-mystic-butterfly pictures is one of the best Toho monster movies, clearly owing a debt to King Kong but adding a lovely veneer of charming Japanese weirdness to the recipe. Evil Rosilicans (i.e., Americans) gatecrash a Japanese expedition to a mysterious island and end up kidnapping the twin fairies in charge of the place and forcing them to appear in a stage musical (this film has some banging tunes, by the way). Disgruntled natives wake up Mothra, butterfly-god protector of the island, who promptly heads for Japan to express displeasure as only a 180 metre long larva can.

Much more of a fantasy movie than the rest of the Godzilla series (with which it is in continuity; Mothra and Godzilla have been fighting together and against each other for over fifty years), and also with an unambiguously sympathetic monster, this is probably a more technically adept and simply enjoyable film than any of its immediate predecessors from Toho. The story is vaultingly peculiar in some ways, but at least it has originality on its side. The attempt to disguise where Rosilica is really supposed to be falls flat as soon as we learn one of its major cities is called New Kirk, but you can't fault one of these movies for being just a little bit odd. Perhaps the lack of another monster for Mothra to fight at the end is a weakness in the story, but if so it is less obvious than is usually the case in this sort of film. An endearing and engaging piece of entertainment.