Undefeatable

Undefeatable (Review)

Undefeatable

aka Cui hua kuang mo

1994
Starring
Cynthia Rothrock as Kristi Jones
Don Niam as Stingray
John Miller as Nick DiMarco
Donna Jason as Jennifer Simmons
Sunny David as Karen
Emille Davazac as Anna
Hang Yip Yim as Hank
Linn Thai as Eagle Lee
Shelton Lee as Diablo
Scott Shelton as Bear
Directed by Godfrey Ho (as Godfrey Hall)

You burden me with your questions
You’d have me tell no lies
You’re always asking what it’s all about
Now listen to my replies
You say to me I don’t talk enough
But when I do I’m a fool

Baby, you’re so Undefeatable! The horror of Godfrey Ho is once again unleashed upon an unsuspecting world! Mr. Ho proves that not only can you not keep a good director down, you can’t keep the bad ones down, either! Godfrey Ho’s messes of movies involve filming lots of nonsensical scenes, splicing them into half a dozen uncompleted or cheap Asian films, and dubbing them in a futile attempt to make the stories integrated. Godfrey Ho made the occasional larger budget film, where he only filmed one film at a time and was unable to use stock movies. Undefeatable is one of those movies, but even though it was made for a larger company, he still made two films with most of the same case, though the Honor and Glory wasn’t intended to be interspliced (as far as I know.) This was near the end of the career of Godfrey Ho, as he since moved on to teaching a whole generation of Hong Kong film students how to make terrible films. And people wonder why Hong Kong cinema is in a decline… Godfrey Ho’s previous films include such winners as Ninja Commandments, Zombie vs. Ninja, Ninja Terminator, Ninja Operation: Licensed to Terminate, Catman in Lethal Track, and Thunder Ninja Kids: The Hunt for the Devil Boxer. With such a wonderful pedigree, this film can be nothing but gold!

Starring in Undefeatable is the unbeatable Cynthia Rothrock, in the role that didn’t make her famous. In fact, she was pretty much already famous, so this is the role that made her less famous! Most of the other cast went on to obscurity, though a high percentage also have roles in Honor and Glory. It looks suspiciously like Mr. Ho was up to his old tricks again, but got taken down in the final release stage. The villain of the piece is Stingray, played by Don Niam, in one of his few roles. He hams this one up perfectly, with crazy rape-eyes bugged out all the time, and a genuine creepy tone that can set the most relaxed person on Earth into unnerved fits. He goes over the top and it’s fairly entertaining. Luckily for us, as much of the rest of the picture isn’t. There is a procession of fights as Rothrock earns money for her sister’s schooling and later is trying to avenge her death, some of which are okay, and a few have gimmicky opponents. The main problem is everything between the fights and Stingray’s craziness. It’s whale barf of the slimiest order. Heck, there are people who would gladly eat that whale vomit instead of watch parts of this film. And I don’t blame them.

The final fight has made the rounds on the internet, giving this film a sort of cult buzz it never had before. It does serve as one of Rothrock’s crazier films, which is different from her trend of being in bad, boring movies with few action sequences, which seemed to plague the last ten years of her career. Thankfully, the choreography is in good use, even if it’s not the high-quality stuff we are looking forward too. The whole film is a mess, but like all messes, there is some good things hidden beneath the piles of crap. Let’s get to digging, as these piles are Mt. Everest size. Maybe even Mt. Vesuvius, as it’s gonna blow!

Valley of the Wolves: Iraq

Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (Review)

Valley of the Wolves: Iraq

aka Kurtlar vadisi – Irak

2006
Starring
Necati Sasmaz as Polat Alemdar
Billy Zane as Sam William Marshall
Ghassan Massoud as Sheikh Abdurrahman Halis Karuki
Gürkan Uygun as Memati Bas
Bergüzar Korel as Leyla
Kenan Çoban as Abdülhey Çoban
Erhan Ufak as Erhan Ufak
Diego Serrano as Dante, Sam’s assistant (aka Fauxhawk)
Gary Busey as Doctor
Directed by Serdar Akar

Now THIS is a controversial film!! It’s very existence lead to a flurry of fury on the blogosphere, which quickly sped to the TV pundits looking for things to scream about. The movie became super-hyped for three reasons: The US is portrayed as villains, a Jewish doctor steals organs, and actual American actors are involved. This quickly gained the film notoriety in the US, however it was already generating a huge buzz in Turkey. Besides being the most expensive Turkish movie ever made (though that’s kind of like being the tallest midget), it was a follow-up to one of the most popular TV programs in Turkey, Valley of the Wolves (Kurtlar vadisi), a Turkish drama about undercover cops in the mafia (which had notable American Guest Stars Sharon Stone and Andy Garcia.) It was confusing in the US press at the time what the connection actually was, but it turns out several of the main characters then make their way to Iraq to deal with insolent Americans. Make no mistake, the “Americans” in this film are a big pack of bad. Think of it as Muslim’s revenge for film after film with Muslim villains, such as True Lies and Midnight Express (which had a whole prison of Turkish horrors.)


American actors Billy Zane and Gary Busey are in this film. Zane stars as the villain Sam William Marshall, who dresses like he was on the way to be a villain in an Indiana Jones film who thinks he’s a Bond villain. As the main evil character, he helps organize the Americans’ in their shenanigans in Iraq, from putting Turkish troops in hoods to pumping hot lead into wedding parties. Gary Busey plays the most over the top character (well, of those too, there’s another American who’s even crazier!), a Jewish doctor who spends the movie removing organs from healthy innocent Iraqis picked up in raiding parties, for quick delivery to New York, Israel, and other places where Jewish people are. Busey’s concern for his victims exists only because he wants them alive when he chops them open. Several scenes happen where he’s yelling at people about the mistreatment of the captives, but it turns out only so he can have better victims. One may wonder why these two Americans are playing such ridiculous roles. Well, Billy Zane is hot of BloodRayne, while Busey actually moved up from work such as Gingerdead Man. Regardless, these controversial roles could backfire on them, but neither actor is such a box office draw that their name will decline sales. Most of their films are either direct to video, or should be. Turkish actor Necati Sasmaz is Polat Alemdar, the hero of Valley of the Wolves TV show. Originally, he was planning to move to the US< but his flight on September 11th ended up being canceled for obvious reasons, so he stayed in Turkey and then became a huge star. Ghassan Massoud plays the Sheikh Abdurrahman Halis Karuki, and is probably best know for playing Saladin in Kingdom of Heaven.

The film itself presents several ideas, and is more complicated than simply a hit piece against America. In fact, the film seems to take a decidedly anti-violence tone. Several scenes attack radical Muslims just as other attack American occupiers. In the recap, we shall address such themes when they pop up, as well as trying to give an overall picture of what is going on. The film is very long, around two hours, and is full of incidents both based on reality and far from the realm of fiction. Well, we won’t get anywhere rattling on about the film, let’s experience it…

Battle Beast Files – Series 2, Part 2


Who are the Battle Beasts? Let’s get to know each and every one personally!
Series 2, Part II!

Number: 41
Name: Run Amuk Duck
Japanese Name: Smile Duck
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Tel Es Sawan
Position: Amphibious Offensive Combatant
Weapon Name: Smilon (Golden Mace/Axe)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Duck (Yellow w/ Light Blue Armor)
Smile Duck or Run Amuk Duck? Both names are pretty keen. Duck isn’t so bad himself, with one hand replaced with a slicing blade that looks like one of the most dangerous weapons in the Beast world. Duck’s ability to fight on land, air, and water is a triple threat, without the snakes. Duck’s ability to smile in the face of danger is an added bonus that improves moral. Duck is usually the joker of the group, providing much needed breaks of hilarity that help crack the monotonous cruelty of war. Smile Duck’s psychoanalysis is troubling, and leading Beast Psychologists think that Smile Duck will one day have a mental collapse and be brought down by extreme depression. At that time, he has the name Sad Duck waiting for him. Duck’s weapon is a crazed combination of a mace and an axe, with plenty of extra parts to confuse the enemy. No one knows that one of those parts is actually a fife, which Duck plays during his solitary reflection time.
Number: 42
Name: Miner Mole
Japanese Name: Underground
Ruler of Country: King of Loze
Position: Underground Offensive Combatant
Weapon Name: Ungrinder (Golden Blunt Mech-Glaive)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Mole (Lavender w/ Purple Armor)
A mole in the hole is worth two in the bush. Wait, that’s not right… Underground is a cool name as well, we’re finally having a run of them. This Mole is available in two armor colors, thanks to an obvious paint change. In addition to this purple form, there is a form with black armor. The Black Armor is supposed to be the rare version, but it’s the version I had for the longest time until I located a Purple Mole. We can assume that these two are brothers. Twins, even. The Mole family celebrated their birth with great celebration, as mole twins are a rare occurrence. Because of their rarity, they were targeted for theft by Decepticon-allied Beasts. Both Miner Moles had to fight for their lives when but children, after their underground tunnel was raided by the evil Gopher Clan. Soon the twins turned the Gophers into Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts. They’ve since moved on to defending Planet Beast from it’s enemies. Purple Mole is noted for his love of soap carving.
Number: 42
Name: The Other Miner Mole
Japanese Name: The Other Underground
Ruler of Country: The Other King of Loze
Position: Underground Offensive Combatant
Weapon Name: Ungrinder (Golden Blunt Mech-Glaive)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Mole (Lavender w/ Black Armor)
The second mole in the bush, The Other Miner Mole is Underground wearing his new black costume. Thanks to a paint variation, we now need two copies of Mole to be completists. Black Underground isn’t a goth version of Mole, though that would have been odd. He’s need some more mascara and paler skin, maybe more leather straps. The twin of Purple Mole, Black Mole is like his brother, an enemy of the Gopher Clan and staunch defenders of Planet Beast. Mole’s clamp arm is handy in doing plumbing work back in the Castle Loze. Fast Fact: Castle Loze is located underground, because it’s all Moles! Neither of these two paint variations look like the one on the poster, which is very very odd. Black Mole is noted for his love of wood carving.
Number: 43
Name: Cutthroat Cuttlefish
Japanese Name: Cuttledeep
Ruler of Country: Emperor of North Yutoranta
Position: Deep-Sea Demolition Soldier
Weapon Name: Dream Spear (Golden Two-Headed Short Spear)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Cuttlefish (White w/ Gray Armor)
One of the baddies in the Blackthorne Comic Series, and one of my favorite Beasts! Described in the comics as “a wishy-washy whiner. His strong suit is switching sides in the middle of a fight, and changing loyalties at the drop of a hat.” This plays out when he joins Ruhin after he appears, and Ruhin then turns him into a stone statue. I guess that’s the end of Cutthroat Cuttlefish in the comics. Since Ruhin can turn Beasts to stone, why didn’t he just turn his enemies to stone? Maybe he could only turn his followers. Anyway, Cutthroat was called “Squid” growing up, because that’s what he was to us. Cutthroat also had a problem with his arms breaking, both copies I have of him have limb casualties. One of those casualties was painted green, had a shell glued to his back, and went by the name “Nautilus” until the glue wore off and the shell vanished. Still, Cutthroat was just a neat looking guy. His arm that is replaced by a spear (or an explosive tipped one if you buy the Blackthorne Bio) was also a nice touch. Cutthroat rules the country of North Yutoranta, the Yutoranta known for it’s great cuisine and tree-sized mushrooms. These mushrooms cause you to hallucinate, and tripping on the ‘shrooms is why Cutthroat cut off his own arm, as it had grown a mouth and was attempting to eat him, or so he thought.
Number: 44
Name: Eager Beaver
Japanese Name: Bebop (or Beavup)
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Aluchian
Position: Amphibious Reconnaissance Unit
Weapon Name: Saw Beat (Golden Sawtooth Sword)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Beaver (Yellow w/ Brown Armor)
Eager Beaver is one of the good ones. He’s cool looking, has a cool looking weapon, and from his Japanese names it looks like they were trying to make him into the Jazz or Blaster of the Battle Beasts. He spends all his time listening to cool tunes and breakdancing, when he’s not building dams, spying on the enemy, or splashing his tail on the water to warn of danger. Eager Beaver will not wait to fight the enemy, he makes the enemy fight him, whether they are ready or not. The first thing the enemy usually says is “A yellow beaver?” right before they get some buck teeth in their behind. Beaver then does some dance-flip moves against his opponents, including the ultra-powerful “Electric Beavaloo.” Eager Beaver is the Beast you send when you want to send a message to the enemy, that message being “You Got Served!”
Number: 45
Name: Slasher Seahorse
Japanese Name: Junior Dragon
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Agos
Position: Underwater Demolition Soldier
Weapon Name: Screw Spinner (Golden Short Bent Trident)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Seahorse (Brown w/ Light Blue Armor)
Seahorse, or Junior Dragon, lives under the sea. There’ll be no accusations, just friendly crustaceans under the sea! Well, from the list so far, most of these crustaceans aren’t that friendly. In fact, they all seem evil. Is anyone in the water a good guy? Have you noticed that the Decepticon Beasts have a Sea Mine “Explosives” Soldier, a Deep-Sea Demolition Soldier, and an Underwater Demolition Soldier? That’s a lot of underwater blowing up. Planet Beast must be full of lakes and oceans that explode constantly due to the large amount of explosive devices inside. It’s probably a rare day when bodies of water aren’t exploding. Junior Dragon is the son of Senior Dragon, a Legendary Beast who once killed 19 Beasts before breakfast. Junior Dragon has only killed three Beasts before breakfast, and it was more like brunch, and they were quite old Beasts who may have died from old age, and they might not really be dead. But he’s trying!
Number: 46
Name: Knight Owl
Japanese Name: Nightowl
Ruler of Country: King of Agos
Position: Night Warfare Commander
Weapon Name: Night Saber (Golden Fleur-de-lis Shortsword)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Owl (Brown w/ Blue Armor)
Knight Owl is famous for being one of the Good Guys in the Blackthrone comic. He’s a wild and crazy guy, as they wanted to go total opposite from the “wise old owl” stereotype. It looks like Japan was feeling that as well, but they made him a villain who lead night assaults upon the forces of good. Using his cybernetic eye, Owl sweeps over the battle field and strikes where he can. Knight Owl got his eye in a fight with the Borg, both him and Blitzkrieg Bat we captured and there was assimilation attempts, Borg components attached, some battling, and escape, and lasting cybernetic eyes. Both Owl and Bat were taken because they were the only ones up that night flying in the air. Knight Owl forged his sword out of the melted down Borg components he took off of his body as he was healing. Renamed the Night Saber, it adapts to his opponents’ attacks and has become one of the deadliest weapons on Planet Beast. Knight Owl is now a hero, but his dark Borg past still haunts him, unlike Bat who has wiped his mind from the memories. Knight Owl thinks that he might one day turn back to the path of evil, and has prepared plans for a suicide attack to go down in a blaze of glory were that to happen. Let’s hope the sun always shines on Nightowl.
Number: 47
Name: Hunchback Camel
Japanese Name: Yellow Camelus
Ruler of Country: King of Tel Es Sawan
Position: Transportation Staff Officer
Weapon Name: Airnizer (Golden Cactus-Leaf-Shaped Club)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Camel (Tan w/ Orange Armor)
Let’s hear it for Camel! Camel! He’s Yellow! He’s a camel! Give him a hand! Someone? Anyone? No one likes Camel. So sad. Camel didn’t do anything wrong, except be a camel. That’s not really a crime, but compared to the many awesome Beasts out there, being a camel isn’t the cream of the crop. It isn’t even close to cream. There is no cream. Camels spit, so maybe Hunchback should have spitting powers. Sadly, his job is Transportation Staff Officer, which means that people ride on his back. How demeaning is that? Camel gets no respect. I say, Camel should be respected! Look at his weapon! It’s a cactus leaf on a stick! How cool is that? Very cool. Camel also has the best defense against the horde of evil water Beast, he can live in the desert!
Number: 48
Name: Pillaging Polar Bear
Japanese Name: Polar Battle Bear
Ruler of Country: King of North Yutoranta
Position: Ice Field Combat Unit
Weapon Name: Polar Freezer (Golden Crescent Axe)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Bear (White Polar w/ Baby Blue Armor)
Oh, come on! The Heck this guy looks like a freaking Polar Bear! He’s a Llama, and you know it! No one thinks this goon is a Polar Bear! Polar Bears aren’t that streamlined! Where’s the black parts that make him look like an actual bear? This is a lie. A dirty, dirty Battle Beast LIE! Not only that, “Polar Bear” doesn’t even have a number on his body, only his weapon is numbered. “Polar Bear” is the only Beast without a number on his body. Because he’s not a real polar bear! He’s a Llama who got lost, then lied to the military recruiters when they came by so he could get into the army. Was life under the Aztecs that cruel? I guess it was. He’s rather live in the arctic than be ritually sacrificed. well, me too. Good thing I don’t suck as much as “Polar Bear” does. You are a Llama. Llama llama llama.
Number: 49
Name: Flying Attacker
Japanese Name: Squire Squirrel
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Hariso
Position: Land and Air Offensive Unit
Weapon Name: Musasa Beamer (Golden Scimitar)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Flying Squirrel (Yellow w/ Blue Armor)
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a Plane! It’s…a squirrel? Oh, that’s right, some squirrels fly. Like this one, Squire Squirrel. Suire Squirrel likes to fly around and drop bombs on the enemy, which doesn’t mean what you think it does, you dirty minded pervert! Get out of the gutter and get into Battle Beasts! Flying Attacker is not a name, but a description. What a lame name. That would be like if my name was “Internet Writer”. Totally lame. At least he has the Musasa Beamer, which has the cool “Musasa” name. Musasa is like Mufasa, so it’s cool. Mufasa! I mean, Musasa! Take that, Hyenas! This is all well and good, until Squire Squirrel was killed by his brother Scar Squirrel, who took over the Squirrel Pride. Luckily, Swiny Boar, Marauding MeerKat, and Simba Squirrel returned to defeat him. Disney made a movie out of it, but changed a few details. Namely, Swiny Boar doesn’t eat bugs, he eats mud.
Number: 50
Name: Saber Sword Tiger
Japanese Name: Platinum Tiger
Ruler of Country: King of Hariso
Position: Honor Combatant
Weapon Name: Saber Sword (Golden Fencing Sword)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Saber-toothed Tiger (Yellow w/ Light Blue Armor)
Saber Sword Tiger is the first of a kind, the Beast who is an extinct animal. In Battle Beast Lore, the Saber Sword Tigers were the Royal Guards for the Lion Royal Family, and Platinum Tiger was imprisoned in a Holography Mirror as he tried to call for help from the Autobots. He even has a special holographic card, that came packaged with Triple Threat Snake (in Japan only.) Armed with a fencing sword, he looks like a danger. You can see why he was a guard in the Royal Family. After finally being freed, Saber Sword Tiger joined the Autobot Beasts and helped save Planet Beast. Currently, Saber Sword Tiger is leading an expedition into the jungles of Hogland to search for the legendary Stoned Pig. He likes strawberries.
Number: 51
Name: Bludgeoning Bulldog
Japanese Name: Bullorn
Ruler of Country: King of Madora
Position: Sergeant
Weapon Name: Bullstick (Golden Cane)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Bulldog (Brown w/ Black Armor)
Bulldog has a cane, so he got a lot of “Old Bulldog” jokes and took on a persona like Ironhide from the Transformers, and eventually Kup. According to his position, he’s a Sergeant, which means he whips the troops into shape. Imagine him like R. Lee Ermey, yelling at his troops “We keep Beast Heaven packed with fresh souls!” and “I’m going to rip your balls off, so you cannot contaminate the rest of the world.” On captured Beasts “What is your major malfunction, numbnuts?” That’s what any good Battle Beast cartoon needs.
Number: 52
Name: Pew-trid Skunk
Japanese Name: Ultragas
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Loze
Position: Construction Soldier
Weapon Name: Air-Changer (Golden Curved Scimitar)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Skunk (Purple w/ Black Armor)
The Battle Beasts answer to Stinkor, Skunk is unfortunately not made with special smelly plastic, so he doesn’t have a bad smell. Skunk himself is armed with a gasmask and some weird tubs sticking out of the tops of his arms. He looks like some sort of psychotic Goth all clubbed up. His Japanese name is the terrible Ultragas, which makes you think of things besides Skunk shooting poison gas from his rear. Wait, yes it does, just not in that way. Skunk is a messed up individual, living a solitary life as he mixes poison gases together to dispense on his enemies. His enemies despise him. His allies avoid him. He has no family, no friends, no nothing, except his gas. Precious, precious gas. What the heck is a “Construction Soldier” anyway? Does he attack buildings under construction? Does he build stuff on the battlefield, an odd job for a poison gas specialist? This is heading to a disturbing area, so let’s move on to Series Three…
Series 2, Part ISeries 3, Part I

Special Thanks:
White Leo’s Site
Beastformers.com
Master List (Aratak’s Plastic Warriors)

Brazilian Star Wars

Brazilian Star Wars

aka Os Trapalhões na Guerra dos Planetas aka The Tramps in the War of the Planets

1978
Starring
Renato Aragão as Didi (Hat Guy)
Dedé Santana as Dedé (Dirty Guy)
Zacarias as Zacarias (Black Guy)
Mussum as Mussum (Moe Guy)
Carlos Kurt as Zucco (Vader)
Pedro Aguinaga as Prince Flick (Luke)
Emil Rached as Bonzo (Chewie)

It’s Brazilian Star Wars! Yes, just like Turkish Star Wars, only much much worse. In fact, as Turkish Star Wars becomes a fun film after a spell, Brazilian Star Wars just becomes more and more painful. Noticeably, Brazil does not have a Cunyet Arkin. They don’t have a Harrison Ford, or even a Jabba the Hutt puppeteer. Not even the Wookiee Soft-core Porn and Bea Arthur of The Star Wars Holiday Special. They do have four annoying losers known as Os Trapalhões (aka The Tramps.) The problem with Os Trapalhões is Os Trapalhões. Os Trapalhões just plain sucks. The Tramps are like the Three Stooges, if the Three Stooges never made a funny film, did worse slapstick than a Fatty Arbuckle trial, and used “funny” video editing techniques to speed up or slow down their performance. The Tramps entertained a generation of young people in Brazil, and if you want to know how they turned out, just watch City of God. TarsTarkas.NET takes a brave stand by entering into this world of hopelessness, because we feel it’s our duty to guide you to the promised land on the other side. Our one true hope is this site doesn’t denigrate into a gang-ridden slum.

This film follows in the tradition of Turkish Wizard of Oz and Turkish Star Trek by inserting characters into a popular story. In this case, four characters are dropped into the middle of a “Star Wars”. The Tramps did several films like this, including versions of The Planet of the Apes and The Wizard of Oz. Sadly, we are dragged along for the ride. Os Trapalhões are four members: The one that has Moe’s haircut (Moe Guy), the one that’s a black guy (Black Guy), the one that’s dirty-looking (Dirty Guy), and the one that’s wearing a biker hat (Hat Guy, the main character). Hat Guy is the leader in this film. What are their real names? I could look that information up, but these guys are terrible and after finishing this recap I will be huffing several gallons of gasoline in order to damage my brain enough to forget this experience. I no longer trust repressed memories after Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life. Okay, I lied, I looked up some of it. Hat Guy is really Didi, played by Renato Aragão, who’s second wife grew up watching him on TV. Dirty Guy is played by Dedé Santana (and is known as Dedé.) Black Guy is played by the actor Mussum. Moe Guy is Zacarias. The one good thing about this film is it’s lack of dialogue, which keeps you from having to try to decipher a complicated plot. The version I watched was subtitle-free, but the story is easy to figure out, even though most of the rest of the film is confusing beyond all means of describing. Brazil compensated by adding a revolting disco soundtrack, so the same few beats will repeat over and over again, increasing the torture. We won’t get anywhere by complaining, so let’s get cracking and enter the world of Os Trapalhões na Guerra dos Planetas. Break out your lightsabers, it’s a wretched hive of scum and villainy ahead…

Battle Beast Files – Series 2, Part 1


Who are the Battle Beasts? Let’s get to know each and every one personally!
Series 2, Part I!

Number: 29
Name: Icky Iguana
Japanese Name: Iguanamons
Ruler of Country: King of Onomis
Position: Special Demolition Soldier
Weapon Name: Monsaberer (Brass Lightning-shaped Sword)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Iguana (Lime Green w/ Orange Armor)
A big freaking lime neon green lizard. Icky daringly wears orange with his lime body, knowing full well the fashion faux pas he’s creating. That’s why they call him Icky! For some reason Japan has given him a plural name with Iguanamons, but the “mons” is included in his Monssaberer weapon name. I guess they are referring to Olympus Mons, the highest point on the planet Mars. Hopefully, because “mons” also means “a mound of fatty tissue covering the pubic area in women”! That would make Iguanamons one of the dirtiest Beast names out there. (But not the dirtiest, he’s in Series 3!) Icky wasn’t that fascinating, sadly for him, and never did much. I managed to get two of him for some reason, and the one that lost an arm I painted dark blue, but this was while I was 12 or so, so it’s sloppily done. Still, for a one-armed messy blue Iguana, he still looks more like a winner than Icky himself. Take that, Icky! Icky is the King of Onions. Huh? Oh, Onomis. There, too!
Number: 30
Name: Armored Armadillo
Japanese Name: Brown Gyro
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Eras
Position: Land Armored Soldier
Weapon Name: Gyroder (Brass Double-Bladed Scythe)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Armadillo (Brown w/ Purple Armor)
Armored Armadillo is sort of an oxymoron. He was a manly man, wearing Purple Armor that bordered on pink. I’m guessing his double-sided weapon had some sort of gyroscope-related attack where it spun around or something, thus giving him the “Gyro” theme he had in Japan. Brown Gyro is not a cool name, either. You’d think he’d have a neat name, but instead Armadillo just balls himself up and hides from the world. His armored skin was a protection most Beasts couldn’t best, so Armadillo made it near the top tier numerous times, but the fact that he’s just an armadillo kept him out of the winners’ circle. I had two of him as well, one of which got a nice black paintjob, I guess he’d be Black Gyro! Armadillo is the Emperor of all Eras of Battle Beast history, or just a country named after a unit of time in plurals.
Number: 31
Name: Jaded Jag
Japanese Name: Power Jaguar
Ruler of Country: King of Aluchian
Position: Land Offensive Adjutant
Weapon Name: Jag Spear (Brass Spear)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Jaguar (Yellow w/ Blue Armor)
Jaded Jag is so jaded he can no longer fight for his country. Jaded was burnt out by all the propaganda, all the cries of “For Fire, For Wood, For Water, and For Beast Star!” Jaded got sick of standing for the national anthem and posing for propaganda posters. Jaded got tired of the endless wars in impossibly small countries like Rabihos and Petora. Jaded felt betrayed by all the talk of loyalty and patriotism, but when he returned home, he was abandoned by the government. Jaded ended up living in the streets, unemployable due to post-traumatic stress disorder. Luckily, Jaded was helped out by a friend. A friend in need is a friend indeed, and Jaded Jag’s friend was his longtime brother-in-arms, Jaded Leopard. Jaded Leopard may just look like Jaded Jag in red armor, but he’s a whole different cat. A cat who looks out for his fellow felines. Jaded Leopard helped Jaded Jag get the therapy he needed, and now Jaded Jag ain’t so jaded, but he keeps the name, to remember.
Number: 31
Name: Jaded Leopard
Japanese Name: Power Leopard
Ruler of Country: The Other King of Aluchian
Position: Land Offensive Adjutant
Weapon Name: Leopard Spear (Brass Spear)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Leopard (Yellow w/ Red Armor)
Jaded Leopard is just a red repaint of Jaded Jag. I renamed him Leopard because I wanted both armor colors, and he could easily be a different Beast. For some reason, the Red version is considered the common version, but when I was growing up, the blue one was everywhere, and the red took me forever to find. The Jaded paint variations and the Mole paint variations were the most commonly known variations, since they are the most obvious. So Leopard is Jaded Jag’s closest friend, and is the only reason Jaded Jag hasn’t gone down the dark road of despair to the big emptyness beyond.
Number: 32
Name: Humungous Hippo
Japanese Name: Strong Hippo
Ruler of Country: King of Ganborujia
Position: Amphibious Transportation Unit
Weapon Name: Aqua Hippo (Brass Crested Axe)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Hippo (Gray w/ Blue Armor)
Hippos are one of the most feared animals in Africa. Humungous Hippo, unfortunately, is just an average Beast on the fear factor, possibly leaning toward “cute” status. The problem is he looks too much like a Hungry Hungry Hippo. That should have been his real name, anyway. Hippo was packaged with the Shocking Shark base in Japan, thus justifying his Amphibious Transportation Unit title. When not transporting units, he’s the King of Ganborujia, known for it’s delicious mangoes and it’s ridiculously long name.
Number: 33
Name: Major Moose
Japanese Name: Wave-Moose
Ruler of Country: King of Eras
Position: Supersonic Mountain Combatant
Weapon Name: Wave-Mooser (Brass Antler Sword)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Moose (Brown w/ Light Blue Armor)
Major Moose and Colonel Bird are the military ranked Beasts. They sit in their war room and come up with strategies to send hundreds of young Beasts to their deaths. Thanks to kickbacks from the Military Industrial Complex, Major Moose can retire a millionare. Too bad for him Pirate Lion won’t let him retire, and is forcing him to personally lead a land assult on a heavily fortified base. Alone. At twelve noon. Dressed like a clown. Armed with three tomatoes and a carrot. Who’s making money now, Major? Seriously, this guy is the Supersonic Mountain Combatant, which sounds ridiculous, and even his weapon is called a “Wave-Mooser” meaning it might shoot sonic waves or something. Just ignore that it looks like a menorah.
Number: 34
Name: Delta Chameleon
Japanese Name: Green Chameles
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Onomis
Position: Camouflaged Offensive Soldier
Weapon Name: Magna-Leon (Brass Two-Tined Battleaxe)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Chameleon (Green w/ Blue Armor)
Here he is. The main villain from the Blackthorne Battle Beasts comic. Delta Chameleon. Just called Chameleon by Blackthorne, probably because his real first name is the delta character, not delta spelled out, and they thought he was just called “Chameleon”. In the comics, Chameleon could change his symbol to either Fire, Wood, or Water at will; and masterminded the villain characters, basically plunging the world into a land of chaos and destruction. With his camouflage ability, Delta would be a formidable opponent. Usually set up as a hidden warrior who was hard to see during playtime, he was easily exposed by throwing mud or flour on him, allowing the main character Beasts to defeat him easily. Delta was usually one of the bad Beasts, on the playground, in the comics, and in Japan (being a Decepticon) making him a universally recognized Evil Mastermind of Evil Evilness. He’s so bad, he probably uses the Powerglove to play Super Mario Brothers 3. Delta plays by his own rules, and even defies the Beasts on his side, working against them if it’s in his own interest. He is a rival of Puzzelcolor, and craves stealing his Shield Battler for himself. One day he will succeed, but how many Beasts will be hurt in his attempt?
Number: 35
Name: Kickback Kangaroo
Japanese Name: Jungaroo
Ruler of Country: King of Chibara
Position: Jumping Combatant
Weapon Name: Garoorang (Brass Boomerang Sword)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Kangaroo (Gray w/ Aqua Armor)
“Jumping Combatant”? Way to stereotype. The wonder from down under, the king of the ring, Kickback Kangaroo will hop his way into your heart! Like all kangaroos, Kickback enjoys boxing, hopping, boomerang throwing, and kicking it with his homies. Kickback is not to be confused with Laser Beast Kickback (a grasshopper) or the Insecticon Kickback (an Insecticon). Perhaps Kickback should get a less common name. Like Kickbutt! Kangaroo has a boxing glove over his left hand, allowing him to punch his way to victory. Kangaroo was a cool Beast, and was always near the top of the heap fightwise. His boomerang sword allowed dramatic moments like him throwing the sword, getting cut down by a foe, and then the sword spinning back and impaling the foe in the back. This made good imaginary cinema for 9 year olds.
Number: 36
Name: Octillion Octopus
Japanese Name: Red Octo
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Tamalaham
Position: Sea Mine “Explosives” Soldier
Weapon Name: Octo-Anchor (Brass Double-Headed Arrow Spear)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Octopus (Red w/ Blue Armor)
Red Octo manages to have another unimaginative name from Japan. Far more interesting is that Octillion Octopus was bought by my sister, and she subsequently made Octopus into a girl. So whenever I see Octopus, I think of her as a her. So she is the Emperess of Tamalaham. She is an Explosives Soldier. She is a Decepticon. What is with the name Tamalaham? It’s like Lama-rama-ding-dong! Maybe it’s named after the President Tamalaham Lincoln. Octopus’s got 8 arms, thus being an octopus. Exciting, but Octopus was outclassed by Cutthroat Cuttlefish as far as the tentacle-brigade goes.
Number: 37
Name: Wolfgang Walrus
Japanese Name: Sea-Iron
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Chibara
Position: Underwater Maneuvers Unit
Weapon Name: Sea Saber (Brass Harpoon Axe Weapon)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Walrus (Gray w/ Yellow Armor)
The child prodigy who became the greatest composer of the Classical age. The apparent simplicity and clarity of his music belies its enormous difficulties, and he is especially famous for his piano concertos, operas, string quartets and wild sense of humor. Oh, wait, that was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Wolfgang Walrus is a Battle Beast who isn’t full of blubber, despite being full of blubber! Wait, that doesn’t work….but we’ll go with it anyway! Ruling Chibara with Kangaroo (that is an odd pairing) Walrus is a tusk above the rest. Wolfgang Walrus has brilliant white tusks, unlike his brother, Ludwig. Wolfgang further shows off his pearly whites by added white highlights to his armor, thus bringing out his brightness more. Wolfgang earns $51,500 a year from Crest doing advertising.
Number: 37
Name: Ludwig von Walrus
Japanese Name: Sea-Iron
Ruler of Country: The Other Emperor of Chibara
Position: Underwater Maneuvers Unit
Weapon Name: Ludwig von Sea Saber (Brass Harpoon Axe Weapon)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Walrus (Gray w/ Yellow Armor)
This is the Grey-tusked version of Wolfgang Walrus, his brother, Ludwig. Ludwig is not a big believer in Oral Hygiene, thus he has never cleaned his tusks. Ludwig vows to only clean them when “the enemies of my people are vanquished forever!” As new enemies keep popping up, Ludwig’s tusks have taken the same dirty-grey color as he is. Ludwig’s main distinction from his brother is his green eyes, which he gets from their father, Johann Sebastian Walrus. Ludwig has, in turn, added green highlights to his armor, where his brother uses white. They weild identical weapons.
Number: 38
Name: Powerhouse Mouse
Japanese Name: Scout Mouse
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Ganborujia
Position: Special Reconnaissance Soldier
Weapon Name: Scousaber (Brass Sword)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Mouse (Gray w/ Red Armor)
Mickey’s little brother Powerhouse fell into a timewarp and emerged on Plant Beastia. He was at first shunned, but soon learned the Way of the Warrior and became a great fighter. Soon, he developed Beast Symbol powers, and designed his weapon, the Scousaber. Powerhouse was always greedy and looked out for himself, despite Mickey’s teachings. He turned to the dark side, and joined the Decepticons. Powerhouse’s skill of sneaking around came in handy during many important battles, such as the Battle of Bison Hill, and the Battle of Bodonia. Powerhouse took over leadership of Ganborujia, but it cost him his left hand, which has been replaced by a shovelhead. This new hand aides Powerhouse in digging tunnels beneath enemy bases, furthering his sneaky ways.
Number: 39
Name: Dragoon Raccoon
Japanese Name: Dark Raccoon
Ruler of Country: Emperor of Madora
Position: Explosives Staff Officer
Weapon Name: Dark Fire (Brass Pinetree-Shaped Glaive)
Affiliation: Autobot
Series: 2
Species: Raccoon (Tan w/ Green Armor)
Dark Raccoon is an actual good Japanese name. Amazing. Too bad it doesn’t make much sense, as Dark Raccoon is an Autobot, aka a good guy! Maybe Dark means something different in Japan. Dark Raccoon likes to blow stuff up, just like real raccoons. Dark Raccoon would blow more stuff up, but he’s too busy washing his food before he eats it. He washes his food all the time, constantly. He misses fights, important events, epic battles, the birth of his firstborn son, everything, because he must wash his food. He even forgets to defuse bombs because he has to wash his food, the resulting explosion killed Slasher Seahorse’s father, turning him evil.
Number: 40
Name: Antic Anteater
Japanese Name: Power Nozzle
Ruler of Country: King of Tamalaham
Position: Vacuum Offensive soldier
Weapon Name: Nozzle Arm (Brass Three-Pincered Club)
Affiliation: Decepticon
Series: 2
Species: Anteater (Red w/ Aqua-green Armor)
Power Nozzle? Now that’s two cool Japanese names in a row! Japan seems fixated on Anteater’s oral ability, christening him a Vacuum Offensive soldier. This is because he sucks! Wait, not that kind of suck. He does the non-sucking sucking. Anteater shares rulership over Tamalaham with Octopus, as that country like rulers who are red. Anteater’s greatest nemesis was Attacking Ant, and they fought a duel for three weeks at the top of Mount Madora, until Anteater plunged his club into the skull of Attacking Ant, slaying him. Anteater performed the Ritual of the Twelve Nights, fasting over his defeated foe except for the pieces of Attacking Ant that he ritually ate. This gave Anteater added powers, which aide him in battle. Attacking Ant’s brother, Avenging Ant, vows that he will bring the killer of his kin to justice. For the time being, Antic Anteater is still large and in charge.
Series 1, Part IISeries 2, Part II

Special Thanks:
White Leo’s Site
Beastformers.com
Master List (Aratak’s Plastic Warriors)

The Seniors

The Seniors (Review)

The Seniors


1978
Starring
DENNIS QUAID!!! as Alan Darby
Lou Richards as Steven Elliot
Gary Imhoff as Ben Adler
Jeffrey Byron as Larry Bronson
Rocky Flintermann as Arnold
Priscilla Barnes as Sylvia
Alan Reed as Professor Heigner

Ever wonder what 1970’s college sex comedies look like? You have? That’s odd, because really no one cares. Not one bit. This is the 21st Century, we are saturated with good sex films, mediocre sex films, terrible sex films, Skinimax, Showtime, HBO, the Internet, The Lion King, and Girls Gone Wild. Going down memory lane is a waste of time for our instant gratification society. Once you head down that path, you encounter junk like this that makes you wonder how people in the Seventies could watch such trash, until you remember everyone was on drugs. That also explains disco. The drugs. Seriously, just look at Staying Alive. They’re all high on cocaine. Cocaine would help with this film immensely. If you enjoy long drawn out plot filler (but little actual plot), sex scenes with little nudity (and not much sex), and long montages to terrible 70’s folk rock, then this movie is your holy shrine! This movie managed to be a beginning point for Dennis Quaid, while several other stars give swan songs or almost swan songs. Let’s not forget the nobodies who went no where. Most of them died undignified deaths such as being stabbed in a clamdigger bar or trampled by emus or by swallowing a Slinky. Just kidding, none of them ever swallowed a Slinky.