Phil sees GODZILLA at the Camera 7 Pruneyard Campbell-May 16, 2014

An actor in a rubber monster suit. Decal buildings and toy cars. Flying creatures on strings. Firecracker explosions decorating the scenery. These images from my childhood conjure some many nostalgic emotions for me. For you see, I use to watch the old GODZILLA movies, and they captured my imaginations like no other! To see Godzilla battle Mothera, or team up with Ultraman, or go head to head with King Kong, these movies were incredible! Sure the budgets of these films were about $35 but who cares! They were entertaining as hell! And I loved them!!

Then came the 1998 remake film with Matthew Brodrick. My childhood died that night.

Now here we are, several years later and Warner Brothers unleashes its newest interpretation of the famed King of Monsters. And after watching it, GODZILLA is a phenomenal cinematic adventure that will appeal to diehard fans worldwide!

The film's official synopsis: A contemporary re-telling of the origin of Godzilla, based on the legendary Toho film series. In this powerful story of human courage and reconciliation in the face of titanic forces of nature, the giant radioactive monster Godzilla rises from the ocean depths to restore the balance, wreaking destruction as humanity stands defenseless and ponders the error of its way.

The movie get the Godzilla legend back on track, thanks to several people. First congratulations to its director Gareth Edward, who made a big splash with his 2010 directing debut MONSTERS. With this, his second feature film, Edwards knocks it out of the park! His style of directing fits perfectly with this legendary icon. His combinations of smooth pans, attention to details, intimate moments, simple shots, and big action sequences make the film all that much more fun to watch. And this is only his second film! As I write this review, Gareth Edwards has been hired to direct one of the STAR WARS spinoff films so congrats to Mr. Edwards and I'm definitely looking forward to his next film!

Also helping to put this legendary icon back in the spotlight are writers Max Borenstein and Dave Callaham. By combining the social commentary from the original film and with today's hot topics, along with a romantic subplot, they successfully craft a screenplay that is thoughtful, topical, as well as damn entertaining!

Another factor that makes the movie incredible is the cast. Ken Watanabe grounds the film in reality and also acts as the link to the original.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson is believable as our hero and protagonist Ford Brady, who must help save not humanity, but also his beloved wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and son Sam (Carson Bolde). Also making a memorable appearance in the film is the one and only Bryan Lee Cranston, who portrays Ford's father Joe Brody. Cranton is most famous for portraying Walter White on the AMC series Breaking Bad and the father Hal on the Fox comedy Malcolm in the Middle.

The special effects are out of this world and look so damn real! Long gone are the days of men in ribber suits. Now some people that I know are refusing to see this film, based on their old and fond memories of watching some actor in a rubber suit destroy a HO scale modle of Japan. But here's a movie that not only pays homage to the original film, but also takes it into the 21st century. Not only is it Japan that gets wrecked, but also Hawaii and none other than San Francisco! Yes sir, no longer is Los Angeles the mecca of destruction. Now NorCal is getting its time in the spotlight!

Overall GODZILLA is a engaging, insightful, and entertaining summer blockbuster that is sure to chase those summer blues away! Now the film is available to see in both 2D and 3D, so either way you need to see the movie on the big screen! it's the only way to see the King Of the Monsters as he was meant to be seen! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

GODZILLA is currently playing in both 2-D and 3-D in theaters nationwide, including at the Camera Cinemas here in the Bay Area. To view showtimes, visit their website at www.cameracinemas.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil reviews THE ROCK: ED WOOD OF THE 21st CENTURY 2-DISC DVD from November Fire Recordings-Agugust 8, 2012

THE ROCK: ED WOOD OF THE 21st CENTURY
Starring David "The Rock" Nelson with Michael Flores and Janet Lynn
Directed by Jace Whitman & Chuck Jarmin
Produced by Strephon Taylor
A Nightgod/Bump in the Night FX Production
Released by November Fire Recordings

As you may remember a couple of weekends ago, I attended a very special encore screening of the local indie documentary SUTRO'S: THE PALACE AT LAND'S END at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. It was there that I met local hero Strephon Taylor, founder and president of November Fire Recordings and distributor of the SUTRO'S documentary. While talking to him and his wife Heather, I mentioned that I was a film buff, an avid horror film fanatic, and do movie reviews. So out of the kindness of his heart, Strephon gave me a DVD copy of the 2010 film he produced to review. The documentary THE ROCK: ED WOOD OF THE 21st CENTURY chronicles the life and films of David "The Rock" Nelson. Now I have never heard of this guy before, and now after watching the documentary, I cannot wait to meet this guy!

Unlike other pretentious documentaries, directors Jace Whitman & Chuck Jarmin jettison the standard and traditional narrative form and does a complete 180 degrees. Basically, they just pointed the camera in front of The Rock and let's him say whatever the hell he felt like saying. And this makes the film so much more interesting! Hearing Dave speak idiosyncratic ramblings about his beliefs on life, God, and monster movies are just gold! Never have in my life have I heard ramblings like this! But his ramblings tell one hell of a story, to which Dave does like no other! From his Marine days, his body building training tips, his films and meeting his muse Janet Lyn, David tells it like it is, without any filter.

David "The Rock" Nelson was a former Golden Gloves boxer and was going to become a preacher if not for the intervention of  Michael Flores, the creator of the Psychotronic Film Society (to which in the film he takes full credit for making him become a filmmaker). So in the early 1990s, he dropped out of Bible college and started churning out a series of backyard made, no-budget monster movies that, literally, brought him acclaim and recognition. According to the Psychotronic website, Dave "makes the cheapest, most poorly acted and ineptly directed monster movies ever made, shooting them on videotape and editing them on an editing bay that consists of two VCRs, his camera, and a Radio Shack f/x box." He has made more than 30 short films and over 20 feature length films! Believe it or not, because of his films he has been on the front cover of the Chicago Reader, held sold out shows, and was even on the old John Stewart Show! All this from making cheapo monster flicks!

The man lives, breathes, and eats monster movies, and it is this passion that compels you to watch his films from beginning to end, no matter how bad they are. And they are pretty bad, not gonna lie to you about this. But as I stated, David LOVES monster movies, loves making them as well. And it's because of this love and dedication that earned him the title, "Ed Wood of the 90s and beyond." Case in point, this special edition DVD set came with a copy of one of his films WEREWOLF AND THE WITCH. The film's about....well... a werewolf and a witch. Conrad Brooks appears in the film, along with himself and Janet Lyn and it's bad folks. But beneath the bad acting, terrible dialogue, and the non-existent sets, there is an innocence and a child-like quality that just makes you laugh and smile. David's films reminds us of our childhood; making these kinds of films with our friends was all the rage back in my day. If your folks had a video camera, the first thing you and all your friends did was make a monster movie. David's films capture that youthful spirit and idea of going out and making a movie and having fun doing it.

THE ROCK: ED WOOD OF THE 21st CENTURY is a fantastic, hysterical, and informative documentary as well as a loving tribute to one of the most original filmmakers I have ever seen! Not since Edward D. Wood Jr. has there been a filmmaker making cheapo monster flicks and having the greatest time making them. For this, I salute you David "The Rock" Nelson. Thanks for making me feel like a kid again. 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!!

THE ROCK: ED WOOD OF THE 21st CENTURY 2-Disc DVD Set is currently available at the November Fire Recording website. To purchase a copy, please visit www.novemberfire.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!