Review 7: Invasion of Astro Monster – 1965
Godzilla films had already begun to move into the cultural camp mode from the second film, Godzilla Raids Again, and away from the monster-threat-to-Earth and Atomic-bomb-symbol of the first film.…
Culture
Review 6: Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster – 1964
Toho didn’t waste any time cashing in on the popularity of the latest Godzilla movie, and released two G films in quick succession that same year (the only year to…
Review 5: Mothra vs Godzilla – 1964
Toho was not about to let another seven years slip by without a sequel to a successful Godzilla film, but what to do now? The last two films had all…
Review 4: King Kong vs Godzilla – 1962
What was to prove the most successful of Toho’s Godzilla films is, to me, at times one of the hardest to watch in the edited, Americanized edition, even though it…
Review 3: Godzilla Raids Again – 1955
The unexpected success of the original Gojira film led Toho to find a quick and cheap way to cash in on the popularity. And within six months, they released the…
Review 2: Godzilla, King of the Monsters – 1956
I admit to a nostalgic affection for the American (dubbed) edit of the original Gojira — renamed Godzilla, King of the Monsters — because it was the first film in…
Wildfires and Gordon Lightfoot
“Do the best with what you’ve got.”—Gordon Lightfoot News of Gordon Lightfoot’s death, while not unexpected, still came as a shock. We didn’t think he’d live forever; truth be told…
Review 1: Gojira – 1954
Like most North Americans, my introduction to Godzilla (aka Gojira) came later than the first (original) film. For me, it was the 1956 American edit of this film (Godzilla: King…
Reviewing Godzilla Films
To pass the time doing two things I enjoy — writing and watching Godzilla films (and, yes… reading books about Godzilla films…) — I thought I would watch each Godzilla…
Gondek, Notley and Smith: An important conversation
Last week Calgary Economic Development presented its Report to the Community. The highlight of the event was Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s conversations with Rachel Notley and Danielle Smith. Gondek asked each…
How Americans came to love pot
Reading a Pew Research Center study about Americans and marijuana, I was surprised how rapidly support for legalization rose, and to what heights. From 16 percent support in 1989 edging…
Conservatives and the CBC
Pierre Poilievre has trotted out a recurrent theme in Conservative election platforms—he will “defund” the CBC. (Is “defund” a steal from woke-speak?) This is hardly surprising. The CBC is the…
England no longer a Christian nation
England is having its troubles these days. Economy in recession, a plague of strikes, living standards falling, highest inflation in 40 years, National Health Service on life support, millions can’t…
Musing on Universal Monsters
I can’t recall exactly when I watched each of the great original monster films (the classic “Universal Monster” films) — Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, The Mummy, and the rest — some…
That Fake War on Xmas
In my part of Canada the “war on Xmas” begins in September when some local box stores start putting Xmas ornaments and decorations out, sometimes just after Labour Day. By…
The Cult of Covid
I’ve been posting threads from health care professionals on here to save them as we watch whether or not Twitter will self-destruct. This one is from someone anon, @1goodtern, who…
Yesterday’s Laughs
It may be a small conceit to say I was brought up watching the Marx Brothers movies on TV, but there’s some truth in that claim. I remember seeing them…
The ‘Beyond Van Gogh Immersive Experience’: a sadness that lasts forever
he “Beyond Van Gogh” immersive exhibit has been traveling its way across North America for the past two years. Photo by Michael Brosilow/Frommer’s. Yesterday, I made the terrible decision to…
Who puts the ‘D’ in….”Dystopia”?
Okay first, right off the hop, let me just say that yes, like a twelve-year-old, I have been snickering at the question “who puts the ‘D’ in ‘Dystopia’”. Dystopian fiction…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – William Haseltine writes about the long-lasting and severe cognitive effects of long COVID, while Danny Altmann discusses the urgency of developing effective treatment…