King Kong: The De Laurentiis Movies (1976–86)

King Kong (1976)

Dir. John Guillermin

The biggest difference between the original 1933 version and the 70s remake is that the latter movie is full colour. It wasn't the first Kong movie to use colour film stock, but it was the first English language one to do so.

The second major difference is that Kong is now a human actor in an ape suit, whereas previously he was a model that had been brought to life by the magic of stop motion animation. It seems as if Hollywood were taking cues from Japan, specifically Toho, who had used the King Kong character in their Godzilla franchise over a decade previously.

Likewise, the impressive scale model landscapes used in the Hollywood version seem to be inspired by Japan's movies. [1]

Motörhead: Overkill (1979)

Motörhead: Overkill (1979)

Note: post is dedicated to my cousin, for reasons that he'd understand.

Motörhead's eponymous début album came out in 1977 and established the band's sound well-enough, but two years later the classic line-up of Lemmy Kilmister on vocals and bass, Eddie Clarke on lead guitar, and Phil Taylor on drums delivered unto the world Overkill - the first truly great Motörhead album. I'm listening to it right now, for the umpteenth time.

Side One is a mini-masterpiece all by itself. It opens with a thunderous drum track that's so good it could make Apollo weep with jealousy. Lemmy's bass kicks in after a few seconds and thunders along like Odin on a pub-crawl. Then the guitars break, shredding the air like the pains of Osiris slain. When Motörhead play, even the Gods pay attention.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence: After the Long Goodbye (2007)

GitS 2: Innocence: After the Long Goodbye (2007)

Author: Masaki Yamada | Translators: Yuji Oniki + Carl Gustav Horn / Page Count: 197 

"I'm not all that popular. At the same time, I hardly ever meet someone I like. In that sense, my life is balanced out."

A prequel to the second Ghost in the Shell feature film, Innocence (2004). Unlike most TV and film tie-in novels, this one is actually good - damn good.

It creates a singular narrative that doesn't rely heavily on the film, but it remains referential and respectful to it. Knowledge of the characters is obviously necessary to fully appreciate the small intricacies, but the text also manages to stand on its own two feet, admirably.

It's told first person, from the cyborg Batou's perspective. Batou isn't the most intelligent or passionate of individuals, so it may come as a surprise to find that his sensitive side, a secretive part of himself that he reserves for mostly one person in the films, could be so well-developed without compromising the integrity of the character. It gets deep into the mind of the man, the only part of him that's still human, to explore the themes of self that René Descartes popularised. That self-analysis is the novel's greatest strength, and what Ghost in the Shell is perfectly suited to.

Death Wish: Films (1974-94)

Death Wish: Films (1974-94)

Dir. Michael Winner / J. Lee Thompson / Allan A. Goldstein

In 01. Death Wish (1974 / Dir. Michael Winner) an average New Yorker named Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) initiates a violent crusade of justice as he takes a stand against the street thugs and muggers that terrorise the good citizens of his city. It might sound lame and clichéd when written down, but in the mid-70s that kind of thing was still pushing boundaries, and Death Wish pushed more than most.

Dir. Michael Winner doesn't shy away from showing the harsh realities of the world in which a walk in the park at night-time is a very dicey activity.

It's a measured transition from law-abiding office worker to law-breaking vigilante, fuelled by a malady that eats away at the character's moral fibre, not an instant, explosive and unrealistic Arnie flick change.