Monsters vs Pumpkins

Next month on NBC, the characters from Monsters vs Aliens will return in a Halloween-themed television special, Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space. I suspect that this might be an exercise in “testing the waters” to see if a TV series (which has been considered) or theatrical sequel would be worth the trouble, as Dreamworks’ faith in the property was shaken when the film fell short of expectation in terms of its overseas box office performance (particularly in parts of Europe). The title alone for the special makes me wonder if the plot will be a parody of Invasion of the Body Snatchers or a lighter take on The Day of the Triffids. Something akin to the unused, original ending of the 1986 version of Little Shop of Horrors would be pretty awesome:

More Monstrous Music

A little while back, I was contacted by composer T. Reed with some information about one of his music projects, “Kaijusonic”; electronic soundscapes designed to evoke the spirit of classic giant monster films. You can check out an example of one of his works, “Mecha vs. Monster IV” inserted into a sequence from The Terror of Mechagodzilla over here on this YouTube video (it’s embedding-disabled, otherwise I’d post it here). For something that wasn’t composed specifically to the footage, the music inadvertently synchs up pretty well to imagery onscreen.

This particular song comes across as a more atmospheric version of the Daisuke Yano pieces from the Godzilla: Final Wars soundtrack (which, coincidentally, were also the tracks that liked the most). You can check out some further examples of Reed’s daikaiju-inspired works on his MySpace page: Kaijusonic

Since we’re on the topic of music, I also wanted to post this cool video that I came across called “Kaiju Beach Party”, which features clips from Son of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster set to the surfabilly song “Black Sand Beach” by The Royal Fingers:

A Pic From “The Host 2: Hit The Road!”

Well, it’s not the actual title but I couldn’t help it, what with the shot of the creature barreling down what appears to be a highway. Little is really known about the film at this point other than the following bits:

1. The film is apparently a prequel to the original.

2. All the CGI special effects work will be exclusively kept in Korea (unlike the first, which was a co-produced effort).

3. The Korean government will be throwing some considerable dough at the production as funding assistance.

4. The original’s director will not be involved.

5. The script will be helmed by Kang Full, a popular Korean comic artist/writer.

While I really loved The Host and the idea of a cinematic follow-up, I’m a little torn about it being a prequel. If you’ve seen the first movie, you know how the “Gwoemul” isn’t exactly a subtle predator whenever it takes hunting excursions onto dry land. So we’re going to have a story that takes takes place before the first with the same giant creature (possibly more than one, according to some rumors floating around) going on a brazen killing rampage that is completely forgotten about by the time the events in the first movie come around. Hmmm.

I suppose that I really shouldn’t cast any dispersions before I see the final, finished film- I guess that it just comes down to nervous jitters over the continuation of a movie that I greatly enjoyed.

Source: Twitch