Midnight Ramblings

ELECTION!!

Yes, Canada is having an election right now! But, in honor of Roger Abbot's impression of Jean Chretien on Royal Canadian Air Farce, I will refer to the election as an "erection" for the rest of this post:

- The day of the erection is January 23rd. This will make it one of the longest erections in Canadian history.

- This is Canada's first Christmas erection in 25 years.

No doubt it's going to be a hard erection for the Liberals, as they try to convince the people that they're still fit to govern in the shadow of Gomery. It's going to be an even harder erection for the Conservatives, as they try to show that Stephen Harper is da man!

OK, I've worn out that joke.

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There's a couple of big DVD releases today, as everyone tries to cash in on the biggest movie release of the holiday season, King Kong.

First up is a brand new DVD release of The Frighteners. This is Peter Jackson's 1996 film where Michael J. Fox played a ghostbuster who could actually talk to ghosts, and was thus using this to con people. It's a brand new "unrated director's cut" with a Peter Jackson running commentary and a slew of featurettes about making the film.

Next up are two classic giant monster movies from Japan. King Kong vs. Godzilla is re-released on DVD today, in a brand new digitally remastered version. King Kong vs. Godzilla was written and directed by Ishiro Honda, who wrote and directed the first Godzilla film and is pretty much acredited with being the inventor of the giant monster genre. I shouldn't need to explain the plot, as the title is pretty self-explanatory. I should note that this DVD release boasts the American edit of the film, meaning you have scenes of American actors randomly spliced in going, "Wow! Look at King Kong and Godzilla fight!"

But, did you know there was a second Japanese giant monster movie starring King Kong? That's also out today! King Kong Escapes features King Kong fighting MechaKong, a sea serpent, and another beastie known as a "Gorgosaurus." It came out in 1967, and was also written and directed by Ishiro Honda. This is the first time it's ever been released in a home video format!

It should be noted that King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes are available serperatly or bundled together in a 2-pack.

And, while not Kong-related, I feel I have to mention this film. Also out today is a little movie called Gorgo. Gorgo was England's attempt at doing a Japanese-style giant monster/man in a rubber suit movie. The plot itself is pretty much a flat-out rip-off of Godzilla, as Gorgo lays waste to London. But still, it's worth checking out.