The_Dinosaur Reviews

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)

Mothra's return to Godzilla films and Battra's debut.

[7/10 · 9 November 2008]

As I have said with a previous review of a Godzilla film, you really can't rate this with the same standards of other films, why? Because it's Godzilla, it's not normal. Intention of the film, and did it accomplish it is how I grade these films.

Having said that, this film wasn't the worst entry into the Godzilla franchise. It wasn't the best either.

While, the special effects were had slightly improved on the last film, they are still far from revolutionary. They're not bad enough to spoil the film though. or the time, the special effects were not half bad.

While this film improves in terms of plot holes (time travelers, with inconsistencies in the physics of time travel) it also goes a completely different direction. As I said, the last film was about time travel. This one was about fairies and other super natural phenomena. A fairly different direction. There is also a clear influence from the Indiana Jones films. Except, this isn't really as good as Indiana Jones vs Godzilla would be.

The plot itself, while better, was very slow. Godzilla is already a established character, so you think it would be easy to have him show up and smash the place up. No. They had to introduce Mothra AND Battra first. Then have them hatch out of their eggs. Then have them go from larva to actual moths. I don't understand why Battra is called Battra. Looks more like a moth to me.

So anyway, Mothra has to protect the earth, Battra has to do the same, but is more aggressive towards humans, because as we all know, we messed things up. Anyway, somewhere in- between, Godzilla, not wanting to disappoint to film goer by having his name on the film and not be in it (which I thought was the case when he took forever to show up) shows up and smashes the place up. With style, too. Godzilla isn't the good guy in this film, Mothra is, and Battra ends up being one. It still doesn't help the fact that I want to see Godzilla kill everything, including the good guys.

Honestly though, this is one of the more touching Godzilla films. It's very slow, but worth checking out if you are a Godzilla fan.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Good action, big plot holes.

[7/10 · 17 October 2008]

First off, I should point out the 7/10 rating I am giving this movie is not by the same standards I would any other film. It is a 7 out of 10 for a Godzilla movie. I look at is as "what was the film maker trying to do, and did they accomplish that?", now that I have made that clear, I will get into the review.

The story of this film revolves highly around time traveling, but this is where the plot of the film has the biggest set back. The time travelers came back from the 23rd century to stop Godzilla from destroying Japan, or so they tell the people in 1992 Japan. The problem is, when they find Godzilla and remove him from history they go back to 1992, and Godzilla has never existed, yet people remember him. Not to mention it actually creates a paradox. It would take me forever to explain the flaws in this film based solely of the time travel aspect.

Once you get past that, it is a well put together movie. Higher production values then most other Godzilla films. Good characters, some funny scenes and very good action sequences. King Ghidorah looks good in both normal and mecha forms and creates a believable(for a Godzilla film) opponent.

The film has been critiqued for being anti-American and pro-Japanese, but the only person who would see it that way would be a jingoistic individual to say the least. The reason it was critiqued for being anti-American is because you see Godzilla(as a dinosaur, not yet mutated) attack American troops during WW2. Funny, because Godzilla had only been attacking Japanese troops in the past movies and in future movies. The attacking American troops is even worked into the plot, as Gdzilla later destroys a ex Japanese soldier who thought Godzilla had saved them from the US troops. The other part of the criticism of it being anti-American is that the people from the 23rd century say that Japan becomes the dominant global power of the world. Pro-Japanese, yes. Anti-American is stretching it. The reason of Japan becoming the dominant global power works in the context of the story they are telling.

As a Godzilla movie, this is one of the more memorable ones, if you can get past the time travel plot holes.

Full Frontal (1993–1997)

Best Australian Sketch comedy ever.

[10/10 · 1 November 2006]

This was the greatest sketch comedy show in Australian history. I have the DVD's (the ones that have been released anyway) and I can watch them many times over and still find them funny.

The key to the success of this show was it's great characters like the unforgettable Milo Kerrigan, a former boxer, who became the World heavyweight champion by default and is a Australian icon (played by the excellent Shaun Micaliff!) but is impossible to understand for us because of damaged vocal chords, but for the other characters on the show can understand him. Another great character was Peter (pronounced Poiter) a stereotypical Australian bogan who was a presenter on channel 31 community television (Played by a young Eric Bana).

But this show had excellent sketches as well as running jokes which made the classic characters which people watched to see, but unlike it's successor 'Totally Full Frontal' it didn't need to rely on it's running jokes.

The show also did excellent parodies on Australian celebrities and politicians, one of which was John Walker's parody of Australian Prime minister John Howard (played by John Walker). Shaun Micaliff also did a parody on Fabio 'The most beautiful man in the cosmos'.

This show was actually the successor to 'Fast Forward' but it kept the same format but the cast was nearly entirely new. Fast Forward was a excellent series but Full Frontal was far better.

This show was great and most Australians would love it.

Nacho Libre (2006)

Jack plays a good face!

[7/10 · 30 October 2006]

If you didn't know a face is the good guy in wrestling.

I'm a big fan of wrestling and I was afraid this movie might do wrestling a injustice but I was surprised by how good this movie was. It can be a bit slow and awkward at times but this is a excellent film.

It is hilarious at times but as I have said at other times it can be a bit slow. It comes from the same people who made Napolean Dynamite and School of Rock, both two of my favorite movies and so I thought this should be similar, and it was but there were differences from those two films in terms of humour.

Jack Black is, like in many of his other films, excellent in this. The rest of the cast is good and most of them were unknowns.

It is laugh out loud funny and even if you don't like wrestling you will probably like this if you liked Napolean Dynamite.

Sling Blade (1996)

Wow...... Intense.

[10/10 · 24 October 2006]

This is a intense movie but at times can be funny. I did not really want to watch this but ended up doing so and I loved it. Billy-Bob Thorton does a great job playing a mentally handicapped person. In my view He does a much better job then Sean Penn did in 'I am Sam'.

This is a sometimes disturbing, sometimes heartwarming movie which can really show you what life can be like for some people. It takes us into all sorts of topics like, religion, homosexuality, sexism etc.

As the movie approaches it's conclusion the music becomes more and more intense and right at the conclusion it just goes silent. This just grabbed my attention and I could not stop watching it. Every part of this movie is perfect and everybody should see this. It is just great.

Brainscan (1994)

Must kill.......

[6/10 · 24 October 2006]

I had heard of this film and when it came on as a midday movie I didn't really want to watch it, but I did watch it and I actually liked it. I thought that the film was better in the beginning then the end.

The story goes like this: A kid (Edward Furlong) gets a video game which is like virtual reality and it makes him kill people. after he kill the first person he has to complete the 3 other stages which consist of killing witnesses and covering up evidence. The end of the film though is one of those endings which try to be unpredictable (might of been when it was made) but I could see what was going to happen in the end, which is really my only problem with the film.

I had only heard bad things about this movie but it is actually very underrated. I enjoyed this. If you just want to watch something and haven't seen this and don't want to work hard to watch a film, watch this.

The Frighteners (1996)

Don't fear the reaper

[8/10 · 24 October 2006]

Well maybe you should fear him. I just watched this film for the first time in a long time. I think it is a great mix of horror and comedy.

The story is about a man who can interact with the spirits of the dead, but people start dying and he sees these deaths and soon gets blamed for them, when actually it appears to be the grim reaper.

This film has a lot of strong characters like 'The Judge' who is the ghost of a judge from the old west, who is probably one of my favorite characters in this film. All the actors did a great job portraying the characters. It is just a really good film.

The story flows well, it can keep your attention even after the first time you have watched it. That is one of the reasons I liked it because I can watch it more than once and still enjoy it.

Tekkaman Blade (1992– )

Great series.

[10/10 · 23 September 2006]

When I was a kid I used to love this series and I Got some old tapes of it and watched them and I realised how good it actually was.

This is a excellent series and is worth a watch for all anime fans. The story is more deep than most people who have seen it will give it credit. It is about earth in the year 2084 and how it is being invaded by aliens.

The only person who can stop them is Blade who was given the ability to change into a teknoman by the same aliens who are invading earth. He was going to be a part of their army but his father saved him before he was brainwashed by them and now he is the only person who can stop the aliens.

This is a truly emotional series, because the main character Blade is put through so many trials in his life like having to kill his own brothers and watching his father and sisters die and losing his memory, and his body deteriorating. A must watch for anime fans.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996)

Quite possibly the best anime...

[10/10 · 23 September 2006]

This is probably the best anime and is a must see for any fans. It is such a good series because of it's drama. Most anime fans will say think that this is just another giant robot story, but it is so much deeper than that.

The start of the series is quite misleading compared to the rest of the series because it seems like, as I've said, another giant robot story, but as the series progresses things become deeper and deeper. The more you watch of the series the more you will want of it. By the end of the series you will be dying because you don't want it to end.

The story follows a 14 year old boy who has been abandoned by his father only to be invited to see him. When he does see him all his father wants is for him to pilot the evangelion. Evangelions are not actually giant robots rather giant creature that have been created to protect earth against the Angels which are also giant organisms.

I won't give too much away but this is a series which you must see. It has to be watched more than once to be underdtood because it is so deep.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files (1992–1995)

Excellent anime

[9/10 · 23 September 2006]

This is a excellent anime series. It would make any anime fans happy. It is a lot like other anime series' like Dragon Ball and Guyver, except darker than Dragon Ball but not as dark as Guyver. the animation is not always crystal clear but it doesn't really matter because the action is always good.

It follows a 14 year old boy called Yuskae Yurameshi who is a school rebel, and the anti-hero, who is killed when saving a young boy's life. He is givin a second chance at life but he has to work as what is called a spirit detective. This involves him getting into battles with demons and monsters.

The series is never dull and is good at having cliffhanger episodes, so if you are going to buy this on DVD you should probably get a few at a time. It is also great because unlike some other anime's this is one where the main character is a anti-hero and you can't help but like him.

Billy Connolly: Live in New York (2005 Video)

Billy.....

[9/10 · 23 September 2006]

Billy Connoly is one of my favorite stand-up comedians for a few reasons, one of which is he doesn't tell jokes he tells stories. In this DVD you will get Billy doing what he does best and that is making people laugh.

Some of the material on this DVD is old and some of it is new. It is not his best performance but it is a very good one. He never fails to keep the attention of this New York audience even though they are quite loud compared to his other filmed performances, but Billy doesn't hesitate to tell them to "Shut the f*ck up".

At times in this DVD you think some of the audience would become offended and there is a bit where a few people walk out, but I'm not sure if they just moved to other seats, or what.

This is a very worthwhile DVD for Billy's fans, even though it doesn't have any DVD extras.

The Smashing Pumpkins: 1991-2000 Greatest Hits Video Collection (2001 Video)

Great music DVD.

[9/10 · 23 September 2006]

I became a fan of this band in about 2002 at a age where nobody my age like this kind of music. I initial bought the greatest hits CD and then all the rest of their releases. This was one of the best buys though because I had never really seen many of the videos but I had heard of how the video for 'Tonight, Tonight' won the best video award at the 1996 MTV video awards so I thought this would be worth a look.

When you watch this DVD you will be amazed by how good all of the videos are. They are all interesting to watch and listen to. As you watch though you can actually see a evolution of the band itself, which being a fan is a great thing to see. My favorite video is probably 'the everlasting gaze' because it is such a great performance video. There are tons of great videos in this and they are all worth a watch even if you are not a fan.

It has great bonus feature such as unreleased videos, live videos and commentary by the band members. The commentary is also very another interesting feature.

Resident Evil 4 (2005 Video Game)

Best survival horror ever.

[10/10 · 23 September 2006]

It is a bold statement to call something the best best ever, but with this I have trouble seeing how it can be topped.

Everything in this game from the story to the graphics to the controls is just perfect. It restored my faith in video games. I bought it being a fan of the series and I must have played it for 6 months without getting bored once. This, unlike the others in the series, is more action based than puzzle based. There are puzzles but it is more focused on the action which brought a fresh approach to the series.

It is also the first that does not actually have zombies in it. You play the game as Leon Kennedy from the 2 game in the series. You have been sent to a remote Spanish village to find the presidents daughter. The plot in this story is great and I don't want to give mush away.

There is a wide variety of weapons at your disposal and you can even upgrade the weapons that you already have, or sell them if you want to by a better one. The controls and camera angles in this game are smooth and make the game a lot better than it's predecessors. The camera instead of being in a changing position, it is fixed behind you.

The soundtrack for this game is amazing in the way that it can scare the hell out of you by building tension.

This is just a fun experience and any gamer would like it. Horror movie fans that don't like video games would probably like this because it makes you feel like you are there.

Mick Foley's Greatest Hits & Misses: A Life in Wrestling (2004 Video)

A Great life in wrestling!!!!!

[9/10 · 23 September 2006]

This is probably the best wrestling DVD I own and to Mick's credit he chose a good bunch of matches. Here are the reviews of some of the matches.

Cactus Jack vs. Big Van Vader. -This is a excellent match. Mick calls it the most blatantly brutal of his career, and I would have to agree. If you watch and listen to it you will see (and hear) how brutal it actually is. Mick actually points out the bit where his nose is broken in the match. 8/10

Cactus Jack + Maxx Panye vs. the Nasty boys -This is a good match, not a great match. It is at times a bit confusing to follow because it is a tag team street fight. 6/10

Cactus Jack vs. Sabu -This is a long match that is not very fast paced at the start, but by the end of it you will be wanting more. 9/10

Cactus Jack vs. Chris Candido - this is quite a good match, one that I enjoyed, but if I have one judgement it is that it is too short. 8/10

Cactus Jack vs. the Sandman - This match is so bad at times that it is like a car accident and you can't help but look away. The DVD is called Mick Foley's greatest hits and misses. 6/10

Cactus Jack + Raven vs. Terry Funk + Tommy Dreamer -Ok match but a bit repetitive and once again lacks good structure. 6/10

Cactus Jack vs. Mickey Whipwreck -A very good match and one that should have been on 'the Rise and Fall of ECW' but was not included. 9.5/10

Mankind vs. Shaun Micheals -A very fast paced, action packed match. One of Micks best matches. 9.5/10

Cactus Jack vs. Hunter Hurst Helmsly -A very good street fight and rivals those of his done in ECW. 9/10

Mick Foley vs. Terry Funk -A good match with a aging Terry Funk. It is made a whole lot better by the matches commentary. 8/10

Dude Love vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin -A excellent match and probably the best on the DVD. Steve Austin is a machine in this match which does good work in the ring as well as outside of it. I enjoyed this match because there is not a dull moment in it. 10/10

Mankind vs. The Undertaker -This is the infamous Hell in the cell match where Mick is thrown of the top and through the cage. It is a short but great match and at times difficult to watch if you put yourself in the shoes of Mick. 10/10

Mankind vs. the Rock -This is a good match. It is the match that Mick wins the title for the first time in. It has also been called the match that killed WCW because on WCW nitro the commentator said 'that match should put butts in seats' very sarcastically. That night 300 thousand or so changed channel from WCW to WWE to see this match. 8/10

Cactus Jack vs. HHH - this is probably second or third best on this DVD and is extremely entertaining to watch and has a good fade out at the end of it which really touched me. 10/10

There are also tons of extra features including matches with Sting, Sabu and the British Bulldogs. There is also some good skits and vignettes.

RoboCop (1987)

Sci-fi/action with messages.

[10/10 · 23 September 2006]

This was a film that I enjoyed watching when I was a kid and it was my favorite film. Now, years later I just watched it and I was hesitant because I thought it would be cheesy, but it was amazing. It is ultra violent even by today's standards. It is a great mix of action and sci-fi and it has a message. You would not have to look hard into this film to see some deeper meaning in it, though it appears to just be a action film it is also a testament to human life. One of the most prominent messages in this film is that you can put a human in a robotic shell but he is still a human. It also has messages about corporations running our lives. There is a scene where the main character has been killed and the company that owns the police is about to turn him into Robocop and someone says is this OK and the corporate rep says "we own him, we can do whatever we like with him." It is a classic film and one that has to be watched by everybody. It disappoints me that in every top 100 movies list or somethings like that you will never see this film, I think it is a classic and is one of the most underrated films of all time.

Transporter 2 (2005)

yeah....

[8/10 · 23 August 2006]

This film is not a thriller or crime as it says in the summery. It is a pure action movie. The acting is not great but lets face it it is a action film and they did not want to waste the budget on 40 takes of the lead face telling billy it is okay. The action is done incredibly well. It is not overdone most of the time. It is over three quarters action. I myself am not a fan of action films and so watching it to begin with was more of a chore. When it was over though i was entertained, it took an hour and a half out of my life but i don't mind. Friends who like action movies loved it and they were the films target audience. Most action movies these days are just stupid but this was less stupid. Not stupid enough to draw attention to its own stupidity at least. The characters are easily identified as good or bad characters. There is not anything wrong with this film for what it is, which is a action film and that is all. For a action film it was made perfectly and did not make a attempt to cross genres which many action films do these days, ie; films try to put in mystery or crime and just make a bad film. this is what it is and cannot be criticized by somebody who doesn't know about action films.