May 01, 2008 : 01:12 PM CST - ATTACK OF THE SUPER THUNDEROUS GIGANTIC SERPENT!
There are two new film reviews for you here today - both are reviewed from copies of the films downloaded from CINEMAGEDDON.org (a torrent site I highly recommend joining that, in spite of a number of DVD rips of entirely available offerings, has a large collection of largely unreleased material).
FILM REVIEW: THUNDER OF THE GIGANTIC SERPENT [1988] Godfrey Ho
FILM REVIEW: ATTACK OF THE SUPER MONSTERS, THE [1982] Tom Weiner
Viewing THE ATTACK OF THE SUPER MONSTERS has begun a new obssession with me - I have found myself trying desperately trying to track down copies of the bizarre Tsuburaya Productions show KYORYU DAISENSO AIZENBOGU (GREAT DINOSAUR WAR IZENBORG). While I've been able to locate some Italian TV rips (and a copy of the unbelievably awesome theme song thereof, sourced from an EP), I would literally kill to have these episodes in decent quality. I hear there are Arabic language copies floating around, and would definitely be willing to trade anything listed for sale in the Media section of this site for DVD-R's of them. The theme song is available, free, at the link below:
That's all for now - enjoy the reviews!
April 27, 2008 : 01:26 PM CST - LEGEND OF THE DINOSAURS: THE SOUNDTRACK!
WTFFILM is making available the original score for one of its favorite films, as sourced in stereo from the Toei laserdisc and encoded in VBR 192kbps mp3. The link below leads to the torrent for the file (roughly 30 MB - considering the small size, please seed this for as long as you can). You may have to register (quick, free, and painless) with Cinemageddon to access it.
LEGEND OF THE DINOSAURS AND MONSTER BIRDS [1977] OST
A DVD review for the Boying release of Kaneto Shindo's exceptional CHILDREN OF HIROSHIMA [GEMBAKU NO KO; 1952] has also been posted HERE.
Tonight marks the world premiere of the restorations of Abel Gance's films J'ACCUSE [1919] and LA ROUE [1923] - they will be airing on Turner Classic Movies starting at 08:00 PM eastern standard time. WTFFILM highly recommends catching both, as that is exactly what he'll be doing come that time.
April 23, 2008 : 06:11 PM CST - EARTH DAY REVIEW IS LIVE
I was informed a couple of months ago that a review roundtable in honor of Earth Day was in the works. Seeing it as a perfect chance to review a movie I've been meaning to quite literally for years, I wasted no time in joining. Behold!
PROPHECIES OF NOSTRADAMUS: CATASTROPHE 1999 [ 1974 ] Toshio Masuda
This entirely too unavailable entry into the bloated Toho ouvre can be purchased on DVD-R in a variety of versions (from the uncut to the International to the German to the French to the US) in the MEDIA section of this site.
In other news, WTFFILM has received the Severin Films DVD release of the X-rated cut of THE BEAST IN SPACE and will be reviewing it here shortly. It's hard to say which cut of the film I prefer at this point, but seeing the "beast" of the title complete with a huge and remarkably fake rubber phallus definitely adds to the cheese factor. Look forward to reviews of Alfonso Brescia's four other space epics to appear over the coming months as well.
It turns out I had time to review the disc before heading to bed tonight. Be aware that, though hidden with javascript image swaps (and noted beforehand in the review), there are two screenshots that present sexually explicit imagery. Otherwise, enjoy!
THE BEAST IN SPACE: XXX VERSION [ 2008 ] Severin Films
April 17, 2008 : 01:44 PM CST - NOTES ON THE COMMUNAL REARING OF POECILOTHERIA PEDERSENI UPDATED.
Among those who know me, my fascination with tarantulas is well established (and, depending on who you ask, infamous). My latest project involving tarantula husbandry is a small communal setup of Poecilotheria pederseni spiderlings begun in January of this year. The accompanying article, NOTES ON THE COMMUNAL REARING OF POECILOTHERIA PEDERSENI has now been formatted to fit the new site layout and updated with new observations for the first time in two months.
NOTES ON THE COMMUNAL REARING OF POECILOTHERIA PEDERSENI
I know that the above is of limited appeal to regular visitors - fear not, for an article regarding a certain 3D showing of a certain 3D film at a certain local theater this Saturday has been posted as well . . .
FILM REVIEW: THE DISCO DOLLS IN "HOT SKIN" IN 3D (1975)
In other news, I got in touch with Severin's publicist and should be receiving a screener of the X-rated version of Alfonso Brescia's odd little number THE BEAST IN SPACE at some point in the near future. Severin's release of the film has rekindled WTFFILM's interest in both the film that inspired it, 1975's LA BETE, and its director, Walerian Borowczyk. Expect a few articles to appear regarding his films as well.
April 10, 2008 : 06:04 AM CST - NEW FILM AND DVD REVIEWS POSTED!
Film Review: DINOSAURUS! (Universal International; 1960)
DVD Review: THE SISTER OF URSULA (Severin Films; 2008)
DVD Review: THE BEAST IN SPACE (Severin Films; 2008)
That's all for now. WTFFILM will be busy working for the next few days but hopes to get another few good updates in as the next week goes by. Enjoy the above in the meantime.
April 08, 2008 : 10:08 AM CST
There's no substantive update for today - sorry. I'm working up a DVD review of Severin's SISTER OF URSULA that should see posting here on Wednesday or Thursday, amongst other things.
This update is simply to announce that Flicker Alley, fresh off their fantastic 5 disc Georges Melies boxed set of 170 restored short films, has put up the restored 2 disc DVD release of Abel Gance's epic LA ROUE (1923) for presale for just $31.95, including shipping:
ABEL GANCE'S LA ROUE 2 DISC DVD SET (FLICKER ALLEY; 2008)
This easily ranks among the most important of silent films ever produced, along with the likes of BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN and METROPOLIS. WTFFILM will be taking full advantage of this presale offer and will provide a full review of the disc after it is received (release date is May 6 of this year).
Flicker Alley is also producing a 2 disc DVD set of Gance's 1919 J'ACCUSE!. Both restorations, made in conjunction with Lobster Films in Paris and featuring footage culled from archives around the world, will have their US premiere on Turner Classic Movies on the 27th of this month. The schedule runs as such:
07:00 PM EST: ABEL GANCE: THE CHARM OF DYNAMITE (Documentary, 1960, Kevin Brownlow)
08:00 PM EST: J'ACCUSE! (1919, ABEL GANCE)
11:00 PM EST: LA ROUE (1923, ABEL GANCE)
03:00 AM EST: J'ACCUSE! (1919. ABEL GANCE)
WTFFILM highly recommends catching these screenings and the DVD releases that will follow.
Also be on the lookout out for a WTFFILM DVD release of an extended version of Gance's unfinished disaster epic LA FIN DU MONDE (the version originally shown here ran 89 minutes - this new cut, comprised of footage culled from a number of sources, runs for 94 minutes and is the most complete version available to date).
Included on the disc(s) will be the extended version of the film, with removable English subtitles, the American cut of the film (54' under the title THE END OF THE WORLD), the 1930 French documentary AUTOUR LA FIN DU MONDE (17' directed by Eugene Deslaw), and (hopefully) a featurette that's in the works that will cover the film's production, it's meaning, and how it relates to films that came before and since.
That's all for now.
March 30, 2008 : 10:17 PM CST
A comparitively brief new review has been posted on site:
In other news, WTFFILM has scored the American theatrical release of Abel Gance's LA FIN DU MONDE under its original title of THE END OF THE WORLD (the print was re-released as exploitation fare under the moniker PARIS AFTER DARK). The differences in the versions are astonishing - the American cut is largely comprised of narrative intertitles and stock shots from who knows where (including a particularly out-of-place bit featuring a zepplin caught in a lightning storm), while the narrative structure has been butchered beyond any sensible understanding. Those confused by the plot in the lengthier French release version will find no help in this American cut.
What the American cut does have on the French version I've seen is a few lengthened sequences, including an enormous amount of special effects footage from the film that I'd never seen. I'll try to make this version available somehow and do a full write up for it in the near future.
That's all for now.
March 25, 2008 : 06:43 PM CST
The new WTFFILM is live with a few minor exceptions:
All of the DVD reviews undertaken after the wordpress switch needed considerably more work than I had time to give them in order to bring them in line with the new layout. I hope to have them updated by the end of the week.
Other than that, everything should be good to go. Please email me with any issues you have with the site so that I can get them resolved. For the moment, the WORDPRESS powered version of WTFFILM is still entirely accessible:
http://www.wtf-film.com/wtffilm/March 14, 2008 : 10:21 PM CST
Some of you may have noticed some image issues with the pages here - this is because my secondary domain name (http://www.wtffilm.com) expired. I'm not going to bother fixing the wordpress pages, since they'll be gone soon enough, but should have every thing else updated to fix the issue by the end of the weekend.
And this layout's first new review has been posted:
DVD REVIEW: GAPPA FRANKENSTEINS FLIEGENDE MONSTER [2006] CMV LASERVISION
March 10, 2008 : 11:41 PM CST
As a preface to the actual review of the DVD - this disc freakin' rocks! WTFFILM's initial reaction confirms his original suspicions - this is undoubtedly the best way to see GAPPA short of picking up the R2 Japanese release (given the presence of additional language options and English subtitles on this disc, I'd venture to say that it may be the best way for English speaking audiences, all together). A minor caveat is that the version of the film that serves as the main feature has a trimmed ending (my guess is that this was done to accomodate the German dub track, which leaves the rest of the film untouched) - this is only minor because the full-length Japanese ending is to be found in the Extras section. WTFFILM hasn't clocked just how much a difference this makes in the running time, but estimates that no more than three minutes of footage could possibly be missing.
The widescreen anamorphic progressive transfer puts Media Blasters' release to shame, as do the extras (three trailers for the film, an image gallery, behind the scenes footage and photos, as well as alternate credits and extended monster sequences, and even a bonus trailer for YONGARY under the German title of GODZILLA'S TODESPRANKE!). The disc comes packed in a book-style case (an unexpected surprise!) featuring the film's awesome German poster art on the front. One major downer is that the release is limited to only 399 copies all told.
If you're a fan of the film and have R2 PAL playback for your home theater then WTFFILM highly recommends picking this disc up.
As a side note, WTFFILM's respect for GAPPA has grown considerably over the past month or so. I originally thought it asinine at best with sub-par effects work and aggravating characters. I've come to realize, with the aid of viewing a version not horribly dubbed into English, that the film is actual quite sweet (unexpected in a monster film) and not terribly kind to much of Japanese society at large. Reviews of both the film and DVD are forthcoming.
And what of BFI's R2 PAL release of GOJIRA? Let's just say that I've finally let go of my tried and tired VHS dupe from the Japanese laserdisc . . . That Classic Media isn't utterly ashamed of itself after the phenomenal job done by the BFI is somewhat disconcerting. That their disc continues to get the praise that should be heaped at BFI's feet is even more so.
March 09, 2008 : 06:13 PM CST
A few reviews have been updated and are viewable now. More to follow.
March 09, 2008 : 12:48 AM CST
March 08, 2008 : 11:56 PM CST
It will come as no surprise to those of you who have been visiting WTFFILM in its incarnations over the past four and a half years that I like to redesign. It should also come as no surprise, then, that I've set about redesigning - again.
To back track a bit, I updated every ounce of WTFFILM to a new layout - powered by Wordpress blogging software - over a period of a couple of months starting last November. At the time the Wordpress software seemed a sensible choice - my time to work on the site had been shrinking steadily since I was forced to find typical human employment and I was in need of a solution that would allow me to both present the site attractively and update it in a quick and hassle-free fashion.
Cut to today - I've grown ever so tired of the Wordpress software. The user interface, at once easy to use and attractive, has proven to be not nearly so fitting for my needs as I previously thought. The auto-formatting that all of my posts undergo after pressing the "publish" key results in pages that rarely do precisely what I want them to do. While I'm sure Wordpress is an ideal candidate for many a blogger and web master, I have taken to the high road, once more, in search of that ever-elusive perfect design.
For years I've been working with tables and framesets, both of which are becoming more and more obsolete by the day, with little or no attention paid to advancing web technologies. With this layout that has finally changed. Armed with a veritable library of bookmarked tutorial pages, I've taken to writing CSS for the first time. Results have been variable over the past few days, but I'm learning quickly and the new layout is taking form just as much so.
Work will be an on-going process for the next week or so - unlike with previous moves, I plan on formatting absolutely everything to fit the finalized layout prior to going live. It was a never-ending nightmare of re-directed pages and so forth after my last move - a nightmare I'd just as soon not repeat, for the sake of my readers as much as myself. The menu bar to the top and side panel to the left are inactive, as you can no doubt tell, and pending a final decision for features to include on each.
At any rate, I'll be working on this page considerably over the next short while - the eventual goal is to create an external stylesheet for the site that can be applied to all the pages at once, making any future layout updates a boatload easier. I'm also looking into databases and PHP but will more than likely leave that upgrade for another day. Feel free to send me any comments or suggestions as to how you think this looks and what you think should be included in the final rundown.
In other news, I've finally upgraded my meager home theater system so that it is compatible with DVDs from around the world. My PC has been region-free for the past several years, leaving me to wonder (in hindsight) why it took me so long to rig up the home theater as well. At any rate, it's done now, and I'm all the happier for it.
Severin Films has also been back to work, lately - I received in the mail yesterday a screener of the odd-ball giallo sex-romp THE SISTER OF URSULA and was pleasantly surprised with it. That release will be getting a thorough working over (the good kind!) in an upcoming review. More excitingly, perhaps, are the press flyers I received, one of them announcing that THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS will be getting a deluxe DVD release (2 DVDs + CD) this May. I can't wait for that one!
In sadder news, I missed the delivery of my R2 BFI disc of GODZILLA and CMV LASERVISION's GAPPA today - I'll be picking them up from the post office on monday and will review them once I've had time for them to digest.
That's all for now - good night and good luck!