Collectible Time: King Kong vs Godzilla: When Worlds Collide (a360media) Magazine

King Kong vs Godzilla: When Worlds Collide is the latest, a360media, special-edition release. 

The magazine covers Godzilla x Kong: The Lost Empire, as well as Godzilla vs Kong, but also King Kong's prior movies and variants (e.g. Mighty Joe Young) and Toho's extensive, Gojira queues, which include the one that sealed the deal for these powerhouse titans, the 1962, crossover classic, King Kong vs Godzilla. 

Writer Gabriella Messina supplies the humongous content, backed by a360media's thorough crew, which in addition to the Kong/Godzilla movies, spotlights their savage rivals and the many human characters who've accompanied them, either in combat or camaraderie, not to mention the filmmakers and effects geniuses who've made every submission a relevant success.   

Without question, this 99-page volume will thrill all kaiju fans, as each sleek page delivers a volatile, cinematic punch in both elocution and visual flair.  

King Kong vs Godzilla: When Worlds Collide is available at select drugstores, bookshops and supermarkets, while supplies last. 

TRENTON PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET (SPRING FLING), APRIL 6-7/CURE INSURANCE ARENA, 81 HAMILTON AV, TRENTON NJ

 

Collectible Time: Kong, Skar & Godzilla 11" Playmates Action Figures

As fans figured, Godzilla x Kong: the New Empire sprung some swell, Playmates action figures. The "giant" 11" ones are by far the standouts and consist of the following entries.  

There's Kong, of course, adorned by a mechanical, "B.E.A.S.T." glove and a growling, ready-to-rumble scowl. The mighty, great ape can be posed for any number of scenarios due to the figure's multiple articulation.

Kong's orangutan-ish foe, Skar, is also a wonder in articulation. He's even adorned with his skeletal "whipslash" and an overall ferocious sculpt that exudes nothing less than utter contempt.

Then we have Godzilla, standing strong and sturdy, designed for any major melee. His red fins accentuate his green exterior, making this representation of the goliath a savage competitor within the Titans' sensational sphere. 

This Godzilla x Kong trio is a collectible feast for the senses, emblemizing the latest MonsterVerse epic to the honorable extreme. 

These Playmates Kong, Skar and Godzilla figures are available at Amazon, Walmart and Go! Calendars, plus other reliable retail sources nationwide. 

R.I.P. LOU GOSSETT, JR.

You commenced humbly, but when you hit it big, your success was on a level that most could at best envy. 

Your entire, cinematic landscape is, in fact, impressive: J.D.'s Revenge; An Officer and a Gentleman; Iron Eagle I, II & III; Iron Eagle on the Attack; Bram Stoker's (Legend of) the Mummy; The Punisher 1989; The Deep; Jaws 3D; The Lazarus Syndrome; Solar Attack; Momentum; Firewalker; The Fuzz Brothers; It Rained All Night the Day I Left; Jasper, Texas; Dangerous Relations; The Guardian 1984; The River Niger; The Laughing Policeman; The Choirboys; The White Dawn; The Landlord; The Skin Game; A Raisin in the Sun; The Bushbaby; Finders Keepers; Toy Soldiers; The Principal; A Good Man in Africa; The Wall That Heals; The Highwayman; The Fighting Man; Managua; Curse of the Starving Class; The Color Purple 2023; Terminal Countdown; The Lamp; Dog Jack; The Grace Card; Cover; The Perfect Game; Delgo; Why Did I Get Married Too?; Shannon's Rainbow; Undercover Grandpa; Three Months; Supervised; Double Play; The Undershepherd; Boiling Point; The Cuban; Little Ladies of the Night and The Dependables. 

On television, you were every bit as dynamic, starring on Resurrection Blvd; Boardwalk Empire; Bonanza; Little House on the Prairie; The Invaders; Extant; The Six Million Dollar Man; Stargate SG-1; The Dead Zone; Roots; Longstreet; Own Marshall; Daktari; Psych; The Partridge Family; Love, American Style; The New Land; The Mod Squad; The Rockford Files; Police Story; The Rookies; McCloud; Petrocelli; Harry O; Lucas Tanner; Saturday Night Life; The Family Guy; The Batman; The Jeffersons; Good Times; the almost unseen Black Bart; and as the mentoring regular, Walt Shepherd on The Powers of Matthew Star. 

Of all your fine performances, my favorite is that of Jerry the Drac in the Robinson Crusoe on Mars variant, Wolfgang Petersen's Enemy Mine. Your nuanced, reptilian performance played well, as you rejoined your Jaws 3D costar, Dennis Quaid, in what clinched the movie as one of science fiction's most compelling. 

Of course, your hard work and perseverance is what most will remember you for, Mr. Gossett, for the evidence thrives in your impressive queue, one designed and destined to stand the test of time.   

HAPPY, HOLY EASTER 2024

 

LOVE IN REVERSE'S KEEP UPRIGHT 2ND SINGLE: SUMMER OF HORROR

I really sunk my audio teeth into Love in Reverse's "This Heavy Feeling," the first single from the band's upcoming album, Keep Upright (see February 2024 post). 

The second single has sprung, and it's just as emotional. However, I believe that "Summer of Horror" works on two, perceptible levels, while achieving a similar, rage-ridden result. 

On one level, it's a companion piece to "This Heavy Feeling," drenched in lament as it questions a rueful status quo. Thanks to Ferentino's honest lyrics, "Summer of Horror" essays a love that's crashed and burned, or perhaps never existed. The pain, in all its glaring glory, presses through: identifiable to all who've yearned for a significant other, only to be ignored. 

On another level, "Summer of Horror" would be ideal as a musical backdrop for a new Friday the 13th or Texas Chain Saw chapter (if only through a peripheral graze of its lyrics), or it could just as well act as a clever insert for The Burning or Twitch of the Death Nerve, where the warm tides break to welcome sprees of carnal slashing. 

No matter the interpretation, "Summer of Horror" holds a hard, swirling vibe that's emblematic of Love in Reverse. The track also shoves, reels and provokes its way toward its defining agitation, doing what the band does best: turning discomfort into positivity through melodious irony.

There's no doubt that Ferentino, Andres Karu and Dave Halpern have once more hit it outta the park. If Keep Upright's inducing singles are any indication, the forthcoming Love in Reverse album could well be the band's greatest success yet!

BTW: For those itchin' to experience "Summer of Horror," it's available for a listen at the below link, accompanied by a landscape-shifting video-collage by the ultra-artistic Michael Mooser. I've watched the contrasting footage more than a dozen times and still can't get enough. Like the song, the imagery is open for interpretation and all the more contagious for it. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcoufSHfcmE

PIN-UP TIME: ALICE EVE IS CAROL MARCUS