Daimajin, Vol. 3: Return of Daimajin

Daimajin, Vol. 3: Return of Daimajin Review

Probably the weakest of the Daimajin trilogy, this is still pretty good. Shifting the focus to a group of children travelling through the mountain of the god to resuce their fathers could have been much more cloying and irritating than it actually is.The kids themselves are nowhere near as annoying as, say, Kenny of Gamera fame, and the fact that the film puts them in very serious peril instead of treating everything with a Speilbergian sense of hollow awe. One of the children does die actually. Clearly this is still far from kids' stuff, and the presentation in the original Japanese helps considerably (think how loathsome these kids would be with high pitched, dubbed English voices). Of course, everything in this film becomes irrelevant once Daimajin is resurrected. These scenes, as always, are excellent and nicely comparable with the other two, superior, films. Here Daimajin's revival is heralded by the death of a bird, which seems to be an extension of his spirit, and the willing self sacrifice of one of the children. From this point, the film is wonderful, as Daimajin embarks on his snow swept rampage, with little regard for anything in his path. There's a great scene in which the villain tries to stop Daimajin by cutting loose several bundles of logs. Just as he thinks he has succeeded, the smoke clears, and Daimajin stands undeafeted. He then proceeds to use the logs as weapons against those who would stop him. Amazing. Once again, evil has come to plague the peasants of Japan. As a vicious overlord brutally crushes the life from a tiny village, only one group of young warriors remain to seek salvation for their people. Stalked and hunted like animals, the youngsters make a desperate trek across a blood-stained landscape of ice and stone seeking the legendary God of Vengeance, Daimajin. The hand of vengeance is coming… and the children shall guide it.

Wwe: Legends of Wrestling 3

Wwe: Legends of Wrestling 3 Review

For those who don't already know, the "Legends Of Wrestling" program is a program on WWE 24/7 On Demand channel that's a roundtable discussion featuring Dusty Rhodes, Jim Ross, Pat Patterson, Michael Hayes, and Mike Graham speaking on various subjects. Throughout each discussion, you'll hear various personal & behind the scenes stories of each individual mentioned along with rare video highlights & pictures to showcase the point being put across. On each disc, you'll get a set of bonus matches with most of them never released on DVD before & even rare ones never seen on national television either...with Jesse Ventura's commentry not removed from the matches.

This discussion was based more about the panels personal (and most times, hysterical) stories of the wrestlers themselves than various topics. For those who didn't catch it, the Iron Sheik's famous Hall Of Fame speech is shown here before getting into the discussion with the highlights being Michael Hayes talking about the time Sheik failed a drug test & a roadtrip he took with Sheik & Jimmy Garvin & "Mary Jane" while subjects like his backstory & elements of his character was talked about. Andre The Giant's discussion was very similar with stories of being a giant, his drinking, and one about what happened when Pat Patterson roomed with Andre one time that you have to hear to believe before going into his heavy involvement with WrestleMania III and his relationship with wrestlers that he did & didn't like.

Matches Include:
WWE Champion Iron Sheik vs. Tito Santana - This was one of Sheik's rare title defences during the month he had the championship. This was a good competitive match but it got so out of control to the point where Tito Santana brought a chair in the ring while Sheik shoved the referee down.
Jan '84

Iron Sheik vs. Bob Backlund - For this match, Backlund had Hulk Hogan in his corner cheering him on. This was pretty short & sweet as it was out of control from the start with both men being heavily aggressive while Sheik kept taunting Hogan and even the referee got nailed.
Mar. '84

Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff vs. WWE Tag Team Champions U.S. Express - The first championship match at the first WrestleMania resulted in the first title change here. This had all the elements of a classic "babyface vs. heel" match even down to how important a role a manager can play.
WrestleMania
("Allied Powers: World's Greatest Tag Teams")

Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff vs. U.S. Express - This version of the U.S. Express had Dan Spivey replace Barry Windham. This was a nice tag team match between both men as they vibed off each other real well.
Aug. '86

Andre The Giant vs. Hulk Hogan - This was pretty short & was more of a "teaser" for their later matches against each other as the real highlight was Hogan doing what not alot of men were able to do & make Andre bleed.
Sept. '80
("Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology")

Andre The Giant & Rocky Johnson vs. Magnificent Muraco & Big John Studd - This was a good match as Studd & Muraco worked very well together with their double teaming along with wearing down both Andre & Rocky various times. Look out for the ending with the special guest referee Swede Hanson getting involved.
Apr. '83

Andre The Giant vs. King Kong Bundy - It should be noted that during this time, Andre had Capt. Lou Albano as his manager while King Kong Bundy was managed by Jimmy Hart. This was interesting as for a man Bundy's size, Andre used a different type of offense than you normally see from him such as an armbar/body sissors combination at one point. This was your typical "battle of the big men" match.
Sept. '85

Andre The Giant vs. WWE Champion Randy Savage - Jake Roberts talked about how Andre used to "chew Savage up & spit him out" which was the case early in the match until Savage was able to recover & get some offense in but this match was heavily centered around Elizabeth as she played a heavy factor in the beginning & end of the match.
"MSG" Sept. '88

This is one of the disc in the collection that had just the right mix of funny stories that had me pause the DVD at one point because I was laughing so hard along with a good discussion that was the highlight of this disc with the bonus matches just being icing on the cake. This is one to check out. In one of the most popular shows on WWE's on demand channel, panels that include WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes discuss the life and times of the legendary Andre The Giant and The Iron Sheik. These shows have never been available on DVD - until now! Fans can now enjoy these panel discussions along with bonus matches featuring the best of the highlighted superstars: - Roundtable Discussion - Iron Sheik vs. Tito Santana 1/21/84 - Iron Sheik vs. Bob Backlund - 3/31/84 - Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff vs. US Express - Wrestlemania - Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff vs. US Express - 8/25/86 - Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan - 9/30/1980 - Andre The Giant and Rocky Johnson vs. Don Muraco and Big John Studd - 4/30/83 - Andre The Giant vs. King Kong Bundy - 9/23/85 - Andre vs. Macho Man Randy Savage - 9/29/88, Saturday Night's Main Event

GOLIATH AGAINST THE GIANTS

GOLIATH AGAINST THE GIANTS Review

(1961) Brad Harris, Gloria Milland, Fernando Rey, Barbara Carroll. Goliath is headed toward home to take the place of his dead king. The kingdoms regent wants him dead! He faces assassins, Amazons, a killer gorilla, sea monsters, gladiators, giants, and cavemen. Great fun! Great color, scope, 16mm.

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Gamera: The Giant Monster

Gamera: The Giant Monster Review

THIS REVIEW IS ABOUT THE 2010 VERSION OF GAMERA
Here is a brief history of Gamera before we get on to the DVD release...
In 1965 Gamera was created by Daiei to compete with Toho's Godzilla. The first film was a more serious effort. The plot is very simple. Gamera arises from the Arctic to destroy Japan, & he does . Is there nothing to stop the giant turtle from destroying Japan and the entire universe ?
The special effects in this are good for the most part, save for some obvious toys used but the miniatures used and the Gamera suit were well done. I feel this movie is a little underrated and gets a bad rap at times but overall it is entertaining and a lot better than later releases..
Before getting to the 2010 DVD releases here are some notes about previous releases to home video of Gamera
Sinister Cinema carried a USA version of Gamera called Gammera the Invincible - this version had extra scenes with Albert Dekker (Dr. Cyclops) and Brian Donlevy (he was Professor Quatermass & was in some excellent film noir movies such as Impact, the Glass Key,etc). This version also contained the Gammera song. A few years ago this same version appeared was released by Alpha DVD and other low budget DVD companies..
Another USA version of Gamera came out, simply called Gamera minus the USA Gammera footage, minus the original credits , replaced by what I call the "water credits scenes" where this movie and 4 others all had credits on water. These are called the Sandy Frank versions and were released on VHS from Celebrity Video (and a laserdisc distributed by Image entertainment) These also contain a different English dubbing.
These versions were used for Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes for Season 3 as well as the KTMA Season - the earliest MST3K season.
Several years later (the early to mid 1990s) Gamera again came out on VHS via Neptune Video - in 2 versions - English dubbed and English subtitled and called Giant Monster Gamera. The English dubbing was yet another different dubbing the other 2 Gamera releases...
Now here we are in 2010 and Shout Factory has gotten the rights to not only release the original Gamera on DVD in its uncut *authentic* original language,but they have the rights to ALL the Showa Series Gamera which goes all the way to Gamera vs. Zigra. That's right - ALL of them..
This NEW DVD from Shout Factory - will be anamorphic widescreen from an HD Transfer - expect a great transfer basically :)
As of this moment the bonus features are being worked on - what I do know is there will be a 12 page booklet with an essay by director Noriaki Yuasa, a photo gallery, trailers & the big news is an audio commentary by one of the most knowledgeable persons of not just Kaiju like Godzilla, Gamera, etc, but of Japanese pop culture. That man is the one and only August Ragone. I expect a truly fantastic insight to the history and making of Gamera & overall a fantastic commentary. For those that know August - he is the author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters & has written many articles for G-Fan, his own magazine called Markalite Magazine. And he had big role with the Neptune Video VHS releases of Gamera many years ago.
With his vast knowledge of Gamera on audio commentary - plus the anamorphic HD transfer & the bonus features , this will easily be the best Gamera DVD release & should not be missed by any monster movie lover & fan , die hard or otherwise. During the height of the Cold War, East-West tensions lead to a nuclear disaster when a Soviet bomber is shot down over U.S. airspace in the Arctic! Massive radiation from the atomic explosion awakens an ancient, gargantuan creature, a long-forgotten legend of the lost continent of Atlantis: Gamera! Unleashed from its glacial tomb and proving impervious to all man-made weapons, the colossal chelonian smashes a cataclysmic swath across the globe! Can the scientists of the world, led by Dr. Hidaka (Eiji Funakoshi), find a way to stop this invincible supermonster . . . or is mankind doomed?

Directed by Noriaki Yuasa (who would oversee all eight of the original Gamera entries of the 1960s and 1970s) and created by the same studio that brought Zatoichi to the screen, Daieis titanic terrapin became the only true rival to Tohos King Of The Monsters. Gamera was able to hold its own at the box office and secured a place in the hearts of kaiju eiga (Japanese Monster Movie) fans around the world.

Now, for the first time on DVD, Shout! Factory presents the original Japanese version of Gamera with new English subtitles and anamorphic widescreen from an all-new HD master created from vault elements!

Bonus Features

* A Retrospective Look at the Gamera Franchise

* Audio Commentary

* Publicity Gallery

Monster Madness Collection (Lost Continent / The Giant Gila Monster / She Demons / Monster From Green Hell)

Monster Madness Collection (Lost Continent / The Giant Gila Monster / She Demons / Monster From Green Hell) Review

These titles are the same masters and DVD that the single Image Intertainment disks are. The quality is fair to good. They are probly the best that are available. The
Giant Gila Monster is the original theatrical aspect ratio 1:85.1, the rest are 1.33.1, Not the Originals. Monster from Green Hell in its theatrical relase was in color for the Finale of the Film, this copy is not.However, for the price this set is worth it over the prices of the single movies. But these are not new masters
but the same as the original singles from the original Image entertainment release. My only gripe is they all should be in the original aspect ratio of 1.85.1. Now
that Widscreen TV's are becoming the norm what's the sense of cropping the movies to full screen. Also the Giant Gila Monster is available from Legend Films in a
supposedly restored version in Color and the original Monochrome, but it is Full Screen Only. It is a sharper clearer copy but the dirt, splices and defects are still
there. It’s an Atomic Age attack when modern science breeds rampaging beasts bent on wiping out mankind! First, a military expedition goes searching for a missing rocket and stumbles onto the LOST CONTINENT, a strange world filled with towering dinosaurs! Then the teens in Lover’s Lane better watch out when THE GIANT GILA MONSTER decides to snack on rock ‘n’ rolling, hot-rodding high school students in a small, sleepy town. Then an island populated by SHE DEMONS is just the start of a wild adventure packed with hurricanes, dancing native girls, Nazis, mad scientists, weird surgical experiments and an erupting volcano! Finally, a crashed rocket unleashes hordes of radioactive wasps who breed the MONSTER FROM GREEN HELLl a hulking mutation as big as a house.

Zoboomafoo - Baby Critters and Animal Giants

Zoboomafoo - Baby Critters and Animal Giants Review

Chris and Martin Kratt meet their friend Zoboomafoo (a talking Sifaka Lemur from Madagascar) at the Animal Junction, a place where various other animals like to come and hang out. Together they introduce young viewers to the animal world through songs, video clips, and several forms of animation. 'Zoboo' also tells stories about his imaginary world of 'Zobooland', and a little girl named Jackie and the "Animal Helpers" provide short reports on ways people interact with animals. Through education, this upbeat show encourages kids to "Make an animal friend today!"

Science Fiction Monster Classics Triple Feature (Gammera the Invincible / Night of the Blood Beast / Attack of the Giant Leeches)

Science Fiction Monster Classics Triple Feature (Gammera the Invincible / Night of the Blood Beast / Attack of the Giant Leeches) Review

Anytime you see 3 classic monster classics of this quality in one bright blood red amaray case, you know you're in for a treat! My favorite Japanese turtle; no, not the nijas, but Gammera, flys into the picture after shades of WWIII, and only plan Z can stop him... or can it? After all with Gamera on the rampage it just may be humanity's last desparate chance. No girl was safe as long as this head hunting thing roamed the land! That's the tag line from Night of the Blood Beast; actually an extraterrestrial stowaway with a plan to use it's victims as a breeding ground for alien embryos. A bit like Alien, but 30 years earlier, and a lot more fun to watch! Lastly the horror classic Attack of the Giant Leeches; in which a depraved sinister force threatend the back woods. The leeches are on a kidnapping spree, and it's up to the locals to battle the mammoth leeches in an explosive climax which should take you up to about midnight! Three classic Monster Sci-Fi features on one DVD.

Christian Entertainment package, Find me, Gifted Hands, Ace of hearts, Believe in me, Facing the Giants, Set Of 5 DVDs

Christian Entertainment package, Find me, Gifted Hands, Ace of hearts, Believe in me, Facing the Giants, Set Of 5 DVDs Review

Christian Entertainment package, Find me, Gifted Hands, Ace of hearts, Believe in me, Facing the Giants, Set Of 5 DVDs Feature

• Region: Region 1 (USA, Canada)
• Format: Widescreen
• Languages: French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai

Ace of Hearts: Officer Dan Harding and his trusty canine partner, Ace, are the best duo on the police force. But unfortunately, all of that hard police work leaves little time for Dans family, including his 13-year-old daughter, Julia. When Ace is accused of a crime he didt commit, its Julia who sets out to prove Aces innocence. Soon Julias keen sleuthing kills combined with her unending faith and will to save Ace

Believe In Me: After his dreams of coaching a high school boys' basketball team are dashed, coach Clay Driscoll learns he has been assigned to the girls' basketball team instead. When the girls and coach eventually earn each other's trust and respect, they learn how to play to win and ultimately become champions.

Finde me: On what was supposed to be a day of celebration, Senator Robert McIntosh is faced with the kidnapping of his son. Given only one alternative he must decide between the life of his son and his faith. Meanwhile, two college students stumble onto a clue while out geocaching that may lead them to the Senator's son. Will they be able to figure it out in time or will they become the kidnapper's next victims

Gifted Hands Stars in the compelling true story of Ben Carson, a man who dreamed of becoming a physician but had to overcome poverty, anger problems and poor grades to achieve his goal. Thanks to his single mother, who instilled in both her children faith in God and taught them to strive for excellence in the face of adversity, Carson made breakthroughs in his field and went on to become one of the most respected pediatric neurosurgeons in the world,

Facing the Giants: comes an action-packed drama about a Christian high school football coach who uses his undying faith to battle the giants of fear and failure. In six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never led his Shiloh Eagles to a winning season. After learning that he and his wife Brooke face infertility