Posts Tagged ‘Gyaos’


Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXI: MST3K vs. Gamera

July 26th, 2011 | article by | 1 Comment »
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includes: ep 302 Gamera, ep 304 Gamera vs. Barugon, ep 308 Gamera vs. Gaos,
ep 312 Gamera vs. Guiron, and ep 316 Gamera vs. Zigra   Year: 1991  Company: Best Brains   Runtime: 97′
Writers: Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Joel Hodgson, Kevin Murphy, Paul Chaplin,
Bridget Jones, Jim Mallon, Colleen Henjum, Lisa Sheretz, Jef Maynard   Cast: Joel Hodgson,
Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy, Frank Conniff, Jim Mallon, Michael J. Nelson, Bridget Jones, Jef Maynard
Disc company: Shout! Factory   Video: 480i 4:3    Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Subtitles: None   Disc: DVD9 (3) DVD5 (2)   Release Date: 08/02/2011   Product link: Amazon.com
Reviewed from a screener provided by Shout! Factory LLC. Thanks guys!

Across ten years and nearly two hundred episodes, it is hard for me to imagine any partnership between man and material more monumental than that between the crew of the Satellite of Love and the unstoppable syndication megalith Sandy Frank.  The masterminds of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 took aim at his package of English-dubbed import programs early and often, much to Frank’s chagrin, first discovering his handiwork in the available properties of Twin Cities area UHF station KTMA and subsequently re-discovering it during their years on Comedy Central.   From Humanoid Woman to Mighty Jack to Fugitive Alien I and II, there were few features with Frank’s name on them that weren’t square in the SOL’s sights at one time or another, and with good reason.

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Gamera: Guardian of the Universe / Attack of the Legion

October 18th, 2010 | article by | No Comments »
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Company: Mill Creek Ent.   Video: 1080p Mpeg-4 AVC   Audio: DTS-HD 5.1 Japanese, DD 5.1 English   Subtitles: English (optional)   Disc: single layer BD25   Release Date: 10/12/2010
Product link: Amazon.com

I’ve been sick for the past week and more, which has caused my already irregular posting to become even more infrequent.  I was already behind on my screener reviews before the month even began, and a sinus infection coupled with preparations for a trip to North Carolina that will have me out of town for over a week and a half (23rd of this month until the 4th of November) are only exacerbating the situation.  Still, I’ve been looking forward to this budget-priced double feature Blu-ray from Mill Creek for the better part of two months.  While I will be covering the films individually in the near future, I thought I’d at least take the time to let people know whether or not this disc is even worth buying.  The answer to that, I’m happy to say, is an unequivocal Yes!

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Gamera vs. Guiron

August 29th, 2010 | article by | 1 Comment »
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film rating:
disc rating:
a.k.a. Gamera tai Daiakuju Giron
(lit. Gamera against Giant Devil Beast Guiron)
Attack of the Monsters
company: Daiei Motion Picture Co.
year: 1969
runtime: 82′
director: Noriaki Yuasa
cast: Nobuhiro Kajima, Christopher Murphy,
Miyuki Akiyama, Kon Omura,
Reiko Kasahara, Kai Hiroko,
Yuko Hamada, Edith Hanson
writer: Nisan Takahashi
cinematography: Akira Kitazaki
music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
Reviewed from a screener provided
by Shout! Factory, LLC.
Pre-order this film from Amazon.com

The Gamera vs. Guiron / Gamera vs. Jiger double feature DVD is due out on September 21st from Shout! Factory, day and date with their double feature DVD of Gamera vs. Gyaos / Gamera vs. Viras. Both discs can currently be pre-ordered through Amazon.com and other online retailers.

Following firmly in Gamera vs. Viras’ juvenile footsteps 1969’s Gamera vs. Guiron is generally cited as a primary example of just how low Daiei’s favorite monster franchise could stoop in terms of overall quality, but while films like Gamera vs. Zigra and Gamera: Super Monster are genuinely dreadful (if endearing in their own quirky ways) I’ve always been a devoted supporter for the guardian of the universe’s final pre-’70s outing. Director Noriaki Yuasa accomplishes amazing feats given his considerable financial limitations, crafting a fantastical science fiction adventure on a budget just as compromised as that for the previous outing (just a third that of 1967’s hit Gamera vs. Gyaos).

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Gamera vs. Gyaos

August 28th, 2010 | article by | 4 Comments »
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film rating:
disc rating:
a.k.a. Daikaiju Kuchusen: Gamera tai Gyaosu
(lit. Giant Monster Dogfight: Gamera against Gyaos)
Return of the Giant Monster, Gamera vs. Gaos
company: Daiei Motion Picture Co.
year: 1967
runtime: 87′
director: Noriaki Yuasa
cast: Kojiro Hongo, Kichijiro Ueda,
Reiko Kasahara, Naoyuki Abe,
Taro Marui, Yukitaro Hotaru,
Yoshiro Kitahara, Akira Natsuki
writer: Nisan Takahashi
cinematography: Akira Uehara
music: Tadashi Yamauchi
Reviewed from a screener provided
by Shout! Factory, LLC.
Pre-order this film from Amazon.com

The Gamera vs. Gyaos / Gamera vs. Viras double feature DVD is due out on September 21st from Shout! Factory, day and date with their double feature DVD of Gamera vs. Guiron / Gamera vs. Jiger. Both discs can currently be pre-ordered through Amazon.com and other online retailers.

The end of the turbulent ‘60s was equally the best of times and the worst of times for Daiei Co.’s increasingly successful Gamera franchise, whose germinal entry had proven successful enough to warrant an A-budget color successor in 1966. 1967’s Gamera vs. Gyaos exemplifies the best of the best, an A-list product accomplished under B-budget limitations and a pitch perfect amalgamation of the adult-oriented plot of Gamera vs. Barugon and the adolescent hi-jinks that would dominate later entries. Penned by series regular Nisan Takahashi and directed by Gamera, The Giant Monster’s Noriaki Yuasa, the film offers an easily digestible moral in a manner that younger audience members were (and I’d wager still are) sure to relish – wrapped with loads of giant monster action.

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Cover art for Shout! Factory’s upcoming ‘Gamera’ double features

July 17th, 2010 | article by | 2 Comments »
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Shout! Factory is preparing two Gamera double features for release on September 21st – Gamera Vs. Gyaos / Gamera Vs. Viras and Gamera Vs. Guiron / Gamera Vs. Jiger. While there are no specific details yet for either release, the finalized cover art for each has been revealed.  Looks good to me!

Both double features have a retail price of $19.93 (less than $10 per film) and can currently be pre-ordered through Amazon.com at a slightly discounted price:

Gamera Vs. Gyaos / Gamera Vs. Viras |  Gamera Vs. Guiron / Gamera Vs. Jiger