{"id":6908,"date":"2014-01-11T14:30:52","date_gmt":"2014-01-11T20:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/?p=6908"},"modified":"2017-01-08T00:38:28","modified_gmt":"2017-01-08T06:38:28","slug":"iow-saturday-mash-up-matinee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/?p=6908","title":{"rendered":"IOW: Saturday mash-up matinee"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yikes! Had a chance to thaw out, dearest readers? Clearer roads and above-freezing temperatures are helping the denizens of MICRO-FILM Country<\/strong> return to their normal routines, so we will do the same at C-U Blogfidential<\/strong> by giving you something of interest to peruse! We kick our \u201cImages of the Week<\/strong>\u201d segment back in gear with two recent videos referencing the wild and wooly Saturday viewing of your humble editor\u2019s youth! Each comes from a series produced by Neon Harbor Entertainment<\/strong><\/a> of Champaign<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In the first, from their excellent DEJA VIEW<\/strong> program<\/a> that covers international genre films with more than a passing resemblance to better-known American movies, creator and host Ed Glaser<\/strong> goes mind-blowing meta on us with an unique subject \u2013 the ahead-of-its-time \u201cremix\u201d of the original GODZILLA<\/strong>, itself borne from the box office wreckage laid by American hits such as KING KONG<\/strong> and THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS<\/strong>. First released in Japan<\/strong> in 1954, the somber 98-minute war allegory was turned into a streamlined 80-minute creature feature by American producers in 1956, losing nearly a half hour of footage from director Ishiro Honda<\/strong>\u2019s epic to improve the pace and accommodate new material anchored by PERRY MASON<\/strong> star Raymond Burr<\/strong>. Two decades later, genre producer Luigi Cozzi<\/strong> (STARCRASH<\/strong>) prepared GODZILLA<\/strong> for an Italian re-release, stripping away even more footage from the American version and then bolstering his run time with destruction shots pulled from numerous other movies. His team would also add tie-dye color tinting to the black-and-white m\u00e9lange as well as a new electronic score and sound effects in the hopes their \u201cCOZILLA<\/strong>\u201d would appeal to then-modern audiences. Dig:<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Far removed from the typical culprits targeted by DEJA VIEW<\/strong>, Cozzi\u2019s made-over GODZILLA<\/strong> instead parallels the conceit behind Neon Harbor\u2019s other<\/em> series, NINJA THE MISSION FORCE<\/strong>, covered several times previously on CUBlog<\/strong>. Each segment stitches copious amounts of public domain B-material, with plots altered and dialogue rerecorded, to original comedic nonsense involving the efforts of AWOL Interpol<\/strong> ninja agent Gordon (Glaser) and capable replacement Cheetah Lee (Allison Pregler<\/strong>) to squash evil ninja mastermind Bruce (Brad Jones<\/strong>). In this second-to-last episode of the second series, \u201cTreasure of Bruce<\/strong>,\u201d bendy Lilliputians from the Fleischer Brothers<\/strong>\u2019 landmark animated feature GULLIVER\u2019S TRAVELS<\/strong> (1939) interact with Cheetah Lee and company in cartoon form, cleverly rendered in the style of Japanese children\u2019s shows from the Sixties! (The purposeful mismatch of aesthetics and era in the material remains true to their emulation of resourceful low-rent action film producer Godfrey Ho<\/strong>.) As a bonus, a lesser Asian giant movie monster makes a surprise appearance! (Hint: He also<\/em> appears in the above DEJA VIEW<\/strong>.) You\u2019ll have to watch the finale, \u201cBruce the Invincible<\/strong>,\u201d<\/a> to understand why.<\/p>\n