Terry West had a good idea w\ this movie. He just didn't flesh it thru. There are endless shots of the creepy looking school's exteriors that go on forever and probably to pad the film's running time. Also at this school there are only 2 students. Misty Mundae is good as usual but this film will always belong to Ruby LaRocca (which is the only reason to watch the film in the beginning). If the script centered on her interesting character we'd have a movie to watch. She is so GORGEOUS!! Good news for DVD buyers, Terry West's earlier (and better) film "Blood For The Muse" is a special feature. One thing I'd like to say is that this movie feels like someone who's not good at delivering the punch line at the end of a long joke for the ending feels that very same way. Then again, just watch this for Ruby LaRocca.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Tôkyô-wan enjô
(1975)
Also known as High Seas Hijack
6 April 2004
High Seas Hijack is the american bastardization of this average toho explosion bonanza. As a film, its entertaining. The special effects (namely pyrotechnics)by Teruyoshi Nakano are first rate and some footage of exploding buildings would be used again as of 2002 in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (before that in 1991's Godzilla vs King Ghidora). My main complaint was the big oil tanker explosion scene. It's all a big "what if" as officials discuss the outcome of what if the terrorists detonate a bomb on board an oil tanker. Sure the footage is amazing, but its also a cop out, this big "What if" scene is 30 minutes into the movie. So as you can imagine, there is no big explosive climax. Another thing that puzzled me, was lead star Hiroshi Fujioka's flashbacks of his love interest. All they do is have sex and argue and none of it figures into the story even if you dont speak Japanese (this version I have has no subs and isn't dubbed). But the film is violent and the Terrorists motivation for doing this is spoken in english.
Prophecies of Nostradamus
(1974)
the most underrated toho film of all time
6 April 2004
The largely inferior American bastardization is a genuine travesty. I recently saw the original 114 minute Japanese language version on glorious widescreen. I must say this film packs a serious wallop. Unlike the US version which goes for the throat in the first ten minutes, this version takes time to properly develop it's characters and set up the mood. The film opens up in feudal Japan with a descendent of Nishiyama (Tetsuro Tamba)being persecuted for bringing the writings of Nostradamus into the country. His father was also persecuted during WWII as he predicts the rise of Hitler. The opening credits are chilling, one of the best intros I have ever seen in a movie. The music by Isao Tomita is one of the best film scores ever produced. I hope Toho ends the studio ban. This year marks its 30th anniversary and it's been banned for over 20 years. What are they so afraid of? Their are plenty of films over there more offensive to sensitivities than this film. This is a very different kind of Toho film and the US version obscures it. There's graphic violence, brief nudity and the handling of its subject matter is unflinching. Many of the scenes presented in the US version that appear nonsensical, pointless and mediocre are all explained here. The actors do a fine acting job (Seven Samurai and Godzilla's Takashi Shimura makes an appearance as a doctor) and Kaoru Yumi is a real hottie. The director Toshio Masuda and screenwriter Yoshimistu Banno (the Godzilla vs Hedora director) do a splendid job balancing beauty and the grotesque. this film is SUPERIOR to all other disaster films because it has heart, spirit and a brutal go-for-the-throat approach. The filmmakers were fearless making this. Lastly, Teruyoshi Nakano's special effects are superb to say the least, but admittingly some scenes dont work (the giant bats and the little girl jumping incredible heights). The traffic jam explosion scene is amazing. There's some stock Footage from The Submersion of Japan and The Last War, though. A subtitled print has to exist somewhere. I really hope classic media does a wonderful job on the DVD release.
Horror of the Wolf
(1973)
A real Toho rarity.
6 April 2004
Okami no monsho is a based off the manga "Wolf Jack" by Kazumasa Hirai (8man). I wish the print I have was subbed or dubbed. I could tell what was going on but then again not really so sure. What we can make out without translation makes me want to track down a subbed copy badly! Akira Inugami's family is gunned down in Alaska as he watches in horror. Wonderful cinematography of snowing mountains and german shepherds pretending to be wolves. Excellent beginning song about Wolf Guy. Years pass and Akira enters Highschool. It's a manga or anime come to life! The classmates are violent and apear to be in some cult headed by one very tall and deep voices student who carries a kitana. Akira fights these guys a lot, but gets his butt kicked alot. It seems Akira doesn't know how to fight. Akira transforms into both a wolf man and an actual wolf, ripping people's throats out as blood spurts forth everywhere. Yes, this film is pretty bloody. Akira's love interest is his shapely teacher who herself gets her clothes ripped off and chained to a post and gets beaten, but this is typical violent Japanese storytelling. Finding info on this movie is quite hard and finding info about Wolf Guy's also hard. Even without subs or dubs, this movie's worth checking out to complete your Toho collection or live action anime collection. Either way this movie's worth a look.
vastly underrated kaiju eiga
13 November 2001
This is regarded as the worst kaiju eiga ever made. I believe people always have a right to their opinions but this is vastly underrated. This film, about an obsessed paleontologist(dubbed by Robotech's Greg Snegoff) who comes back to his home town in search of a plesiosaur living in the lake. A pteranodon also makes an appearance as they duke it out at the end of the movie. There is graphic violence in this film but it's used quite effectively in quick cuts sending a jolt to the viewer. Most notably is when we catch a glimpse of a girl's bloody thrown-up arm and a headless horse. The music by Masao Yagi is of the times but is often effective and very original. It's unheard of for any monster movie to have a stylish jazzy film score. The pre-credit sequence is eerie. The cinematography is atmospheric, showing the misty forests of the lake and MT.Fuji. I admit this is a bad movie, but one that should looked closer on artistic terms. However, the movie has some obvious logic missing. Why would the reappearnce of dinosaurs cause massive earthquakes? Why would the ever so dormant MT. Fuji erupt after such a long time? How could anything hatch from a petrified egg?Also, plesiosaurs and pteranodons ARE NOT dinosaurs. The best scene in the movie is when the ptreanodon attacks some villagers. The editing is top notch and the disco-esque music that plays over it adds to the fun. The most disturbing part of the scene is when the winged reptile picks up a victim, flies high into the air and sadistically drops him. The dubbing is also very good. If you're a fan of Kaiju Eiga or b-films, pick this up.
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