Nostalgic Monster Movies

[metal_bryan]

[Green Dragon]

[Destroysall]

I loved the Giant Claw, I love it where, I think it was a woman, who sees the monster outside and starts crying because she was gonna die, I was like, I wish monster movies were still like this, haha.

Any Mighty Joe Young fans?

[king_ghidorah]

Any of the Universal Monster movies....they nailed the character aspect of the monster down while the 80's nailed down the technique and fun of a horror movie....really those are the two different parts of the genre that need to be meshed together more often...something I hope that The Wolf Man will do but have my doubts...I fear there will be too much spectacle and too many flashy effects...essentially I fear an action movie featuring The Wolfman

[Destroysall]

[jellydonut25]

[metal_bryan]

[Destroysall]

Well, I found a list of monsters from several films, including daikaiju! So hey, find you know and lets talk about it!

You know, I have yet to see the remakes of The Fly. I have only seen the original, along with its sequel. I would like to see it, I have seen previews and a few clips.

[metal_bryan]

[Destroysall]

[metal_bryan]

[jellydonut25]

[Destroysall]

DOG? Explain, please?

[jellydonut25]

[Destroysall]

[metal_bryan]

[Destroysall]

I love that movie, I saw it on TCM with my brother one morning, and I thought it was absolutely awesome! I purchased the double-feature with THEM! two years ago at G-FEST. I think the monster is also one of the best as you said, it truly is unique!

Now any fans of, one of my favs, The Giant Gila Monster? I love that movie, especially the score!

[metal_bryan]

[Guardian7]

I love this movie. It is one of my all time favorites!
I have it on both VHS & DVD (with some nice extra bits on it).
I think this film's cast does a wonderful job for the genre of film.

The little Elinson girl (Sandy Descher) pulled off the catatonic lost look incredibly well. even when Sgt. Ben Peterson (actor James Whitmore) waved his hand in front of her unblinking face, Very believable. Though it is never described what exactly she witnessed. it is eluded to the fact that both her parents (her father an FBI agent on vacation) and a (un-described) sibling are missing (dead). If she saw them attacked (and lord knows how horribly). It is little wonder her character appears this way.
She also pulls a haunting scene when the sound of "THEM" echoes in the desert and she sits up unknown to the ambulance attendant or Sgt Peterson. It is such a telling subtle scene.

Her final screen appearance in this film is also incredibly well done as her stark terror after being exposed to the formic acid reveals her horror as she awakens screaming "THEM!" from her catatonic state. Ben rushes to her in a very parental compassionate manner (I thought the other characters in this scene were a little under responsive - including the Aunt who is nearly robotic in her acting).
For such a young kid I thought Sandy Descher did a grand job in portraying the victim (and kids as victims raises the hackles on most ordinary peoples necks).

MAIN CAST

My favorite character was who I felt the lead character was: Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore). I liked his gruff no-nonsense portrayal of Sgt. Peterson. His extended place in the film beyond his regular duties as a State Police Officer with the FBI Agent Bob Grahm (James Arness) was well done and very believable for the times. I thought he was understandably tenacious after the death of his partner Trooper Ed Blackburn (actor Chris Drake) at Old Man Johnson's store.
I was shocked by Ben's death near the end when he bravely saved the Lodge Boys.

I loved both Myrmecologists (the scientific study of ants) Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn) and his daughter Dr. Patricia 'Pat' Medford (Joan Weldon) - I loved the absent minded intellectual aspect of Gwenn's take of Dr. Medford. I thought it was a grand play when he wouldn't reveal anything about his suspicions because the two men he was working with probably would have thought our aging Doctor was losing his mind. I believe it made Dr. Medford (and for that fact his daughter Pat) that much more credible as scientists who didn't just jump the gun and starting a panic (which was main reason for not saying anything until it was all confirmed).
As mentioned in other postings, Dr. Medford had some great lines.

Dr. Pat Medford (Joan Weldon) was a wonderful character. The sexism of the period clearly showed as all the men gawked at her when she first arrived (Which was a bit belittling... but it was the 50s, if not somewhat hilarious - It kind of gave her an advantage as they really were unaware of the fact that behind that beautiful face was an equally sharp, if not willful mind).

My favorite scene with her is when she insists on going into THEM's (Giant Ant) Mound. How she basically put FBI Agent Robert 'Bob' Grahm (James Arness) in his place for pulling the macho card on her and she stood on her credentials as a scientist (who was justifiably correct in needing to have an expert eye examine the mound - likely THEM would have gotten fully out of control had she not and other nests of THEM had flourished).
I have to say I am sorry to see her character's romantic interest be Agent Bob rather than Officer Ben.

FBI Agent Robert 'Bob' Grahm (actor James Arness) - I really didn't care for this character. I just thought he was incredibly full of himself and I actually thought he would be the one to die (instead of James Whitmore's character of Ben). I thought he basically played second fiddle to Ben in nearly every scene (even when Whitmore was in the background).
I especially disliked how scoffing he could be towards Pat's father, Dr. Medford. Understandable I guess in a way. Just seemed he sometimes was an ass.
Though I will give him credit for the scene he played with Mrs. Lodge (who’s husband Tom was mutilated by THEM - and who’s children Jerry and Mike were missing at that point in the film). He came off as very caring and less as a stiff piece of wood.

I liked all the military characters in it. But I won't go into them. They were more bit players than anything (IMO). Though I thought everyone pulled the whole military angle of this film off beautifully.
Possibly an unknown fact about this film is that it had a young Leonard Nimoy in it as an unaccredited Air Force Sergeant. I know! Silly fact… but for those Star Trek Fans out there might find it neat - NO… I am not a Star Trek Fan).
Here he is


THEM or giANTS!!!
I love these creatures. Okay… so there were aspects about them that look fake compared to today’s standards. But I remember my father telling me that this film was pretty scary when he was a kid. I think for the time it probably was very terrifying for that period as unlike a lot of giant creatures, the cast could actually interact with replicas of the giANT species.

We were also blessed with no stock footage of superimposed ants made to look like giants. The look of the giANTS remained the same throughout the film.
Just a great monster in my opinion.
I also loved their ATOMIC AGE spawned origin (as I do with most of these films - I have often wondered if there was anyone out there that may have believed or feared these sort of mutations were possible and ever going to actually happen - as an imaginative kid… I probably would have loved the idea… until one was chasing me down the street! LOL).

Obviously I am a huge fan of this film.
This is American Giant Monsters done right in my opinion.

I don’t know if anyone out there ever noticed this in the giANTS mound scene… but if you look…

Funny huh!?!

Monolith Monsters is another film I would love to see again. I think I saw it late night on [b]“the Ghoulâ€

[Legion]

My top four films (aside from the Toho's giant monster films of course) were the original 1933 King Kong, Planet of the Dinosaurs (crappy as hell but I loved it), The Last Dinosaur and Inframan, even though I'm not sure if it counts.

[king_ghidorah]

Great list Legion...and since I havent seen Inframan and I really dig the other 3 I think it's a given that I'll be checking that one out

[Guardian7]

I really want to see the Land that Time Forgot again.
I LOVED that movie as a kid. There was something awesomely surreal about it.
Same applies for the Last Dinosaur. Which I loved because it reminded me of Godzilla films (and because it was fun).
I think I have Planet of the Dinosaurs somewhere in my collection. I will have to look.
I have the 1960s (I think) version of Journey to the Center of the Earth on Beta (I just discovered my Beta player still works) I was going to watch that tonight since I haven't seen it in like... well too long. LOL

G7

[Destroysall]

The Land That Time Forgot was a really good movie. I loved how the story was stitched together. It made for a somewhat sad but good ending.

I have yet to see the original Journey To The Center of The Earth, the new one was not that great, I'm glad I waited for it to come on television.

A movie I remember I saw a while back is The Time Machine, the 1960 version with Rod Taylor. That movie was amazing!

[Guardian7]

I have that on Beta too!
Time Machine that is... along with
KK33
THEM
G85
The Mummy
Journey to the Center of the Earth
and a bunch of others.
Grandmother's friend owned a video rental place... so I got all that stuff when Beta went belly up.

[H-Man]

The original Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959, by the way) is great. Even the use of lizards as dinosaurs is passable this time. It's been one of my favorites since I was little.

I've also been a big fan of Planet of Dinosaurs. Love the stop motion, but the rest of the movie is pretty sub-par. I think that just adds to the charm though.

Oh, and AMC showed War of the Colossal Beast the other day (sequel to 1957's Amazing Colossal Man). Certainly not a great film by any means, but definitely an enjoyable film from Bert I. Gordon.