He ain't no Trogdor.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/...t/godzilla.html
Full Version: GODZIRRA!!!
Scaaaaaawy. :bluehaironend:
-s.
-s.
| QUOTE |
| He ain't no Trogdor. |
That's right... he could kick Trogdor's @$$ to Tokyo and back. :wink:
And technically, I think it's Gojira.
Jason
Oh yeah, baby!
http://www.rialtopictures.com/godzilla.html
• May 7-20 NEW YORK, NY Film Forum
• May 7-20 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Castro
• May 14-27 LOS ANGELES, CA Nuart
• May 14-20 WASHINGTON, DC AFI National Film Theater
• May 21-Jun 3 SILVER SPRING, MD AFI Silver
• Jun 25-Jul 1 SEATTLE, WA Varsity
• Jun 25-Jul 1 PORTLAND, OR Cinema 21
• Jun 25-Jul 1 SAN DIEGO, CA Ken
http://www.rialtopictures.com/godzilla.html
• May 7-20 NEW YORK, NY Film Forum
• May 7-20 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Castro
• May 14-27 LOS ANGELES, CA Nuart
• May 14-20 WASHINGTON, DC AFI National Film Theater
• May 21-Jun 3 SILVER SPRING, MD AFI Silver
• Jun 25-Jul 1 SEATTLE, WA Varsity
• Jun 25-Jul 1 PORTLAND, OR Cinema 21
• Jun 25-Jul 1 SAN DIEGO, CA Ken
It's in Philly right now!
Did anyone see that pic from the upcoming Godzilla movie that AICN posted awhile back? You can see it here, and it's pretty sweet. I'm a bit iffy about director Ryuhei Kitamura, who hit the big time with the cult fave Versus (imagine Evil Dead 2 set inside The Matrix with a yakuza/samurai/sorceror twist), but whose subsequent films (Azumi, Aragami) have all sucked big time.
The film was playing for one week here in St. Louis, and last night I caught the last showing. At one point in my childhood I went on a movie-monster binge and watched nearly every Godzilla, King Kong and Mothra movie ever made. The sheer goofiness and wild creativity of the films kept me going even when the stories were incredibly stupid. But at that age, just about the only films of the series I could not watch repeatedly were the originals. The first Godzilla (and King Kong, for that matter) was very dark and horrifying, so I just ignored it for the goofy sequels.
Seeing Godzilla again in its original Japanese form was for me an odd mixture of nostalgia and grief. The American version supposedly cut out much of what made the the film critical of our methods of warfare. (It's been so long since I've watched the Raymond Burr version I can scarcely remember any of the subtext.) Sure, the special effects budget was astoundingly small, and much of the dialogue was hackneyed, but there are times when you look at the destruction the monster has wrecked and you feel like you're watching footage of the H-Bomb aftermath.
The characters respond in such realistic horror to the overwhelming death coming their way that I wondered how many of them had family die in the atomic bomb attacks. Indeed, at one point a female character mentions how she survived the Nagasaki bombing, and wonders if she will survive the monster. A scientist stumbles across a discovery that could lead to a weapon as destructive as the H-Bomb, but it is their only hope of killing the monster. He has an attack of conscience when he realizes that the government will want to use it in warfare, and sacrifices his life so that the secret will die with him.
If there is one character that makes no sense, it is the scientist who pleads for the army not to kill Godzilla, but to study it. Even after the monster destroys large sections of Tokyo and kills hundreds, if not thousands, he persists in his irrational desire for knowledge. Oddly, he is portrayed as sympathetic.
I wonder if this film was an attempt to exorcise the demons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Do the sequels imply that they had to rehash the story because they still could not get it out of their minds? Or perhaps it was out of irony that they milked Americans out of their money with a monster intended to criticize them.
Seeing Godzilla again in its original Japanese form was for me an odd mixture of nostalgia and grief. The American version supposedly cut out much of what made the the film critical of our methods of warfare. (It's been so long since I've watched the Raymond Burr version I can scarcely remember any of the subtext.) Sure, the special effects budget was astoundingly small, and much of the dialogue was hackneyed, but there are times when you look at the destruction the monster has wrecked and you feel like you're watching footage of the H-Bomb aftermath.
The characters respond in such realistic horror to the overwhelming death coming their way that I wondered how many of them had family die in the atomic bomb attacks. Indeed, at one point a female character mentions how she survived the Nagasaki bombing, and wonders if she will survive the monster. A scientist stumbles across a discovery that could lead to a weapon as destructive as the H-Bomb, but it is their only hope of killing the monster. He has an attack of conscience when he realizes that the government will want to use it in warfare, and sacrifices his life so that the secret will die with him.
If there is one character that makes no sense, it is the scientist who pleads for the army not to kill Godzilla, but to study it. Even after the monster destroys large sections of Tokyo and kills hundreds, if not thousands, he persists in his irrational desire for knowledge. Oddly, he is portrayed as sympathetic.
I wonder if this film was an attempt to exorcise the demons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Do the sequels imply that they had to rehash the story because they still could not get it out of their minds? Or perhaps it was out of irony that they milked Americans out of their money with a monster intended to criticize them.
There's no doubt that the Godzilla films were, at least initially, an attempt by Japanese culture to deal with the horror of the atomic bombs. You see the same thing in anime titles such as Grave Of The Fireflies, as well as many of the more apocalyptically-minded series like Neon Genesis Evangelion, which are replete with catastrophic imagery.
However, in the later Godzilla films, such as Godzilla Vs. The Smog Monster, Godzilla becomes a hero of sorts, defending Japan against all sorts of evils. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack puts a new take on this, though.
In the movie, Godzilla is portrayed, not as a dinosaur resurrected by nuclear tests, but rather as a conglomeration of all of the souls that suffered under Japan during World War 2 (they explain that using some really cheesy, pseudo-mystical mumbo-jumbo). Hence, Godzilla's rampages are actually Japan's penance, reminding them of their past sins whenever the people grow complacent and forgetful.
Japan's guardian monsters (Mothra, Baragon, and King Ghidorah) then come to rescue, eventually combining their powers to defeat Godzilla - thereby exorcising Japan's demons. Which I suppose you could read as a metaphor for Japan feeling like it's been held accountable for past sins long enough, and is ready to move on. Of course, it doesn't help the message that the film becomes an absolute mess in the final act, full of horrible CGI, disjointed storylines, annoying characters, etc. Up until the final third or so, the movie is actually pretty enjoyable, and somewhat thought-provoking. At least, as much as a Godzilla movie can be.
If you're curious, here's my full review.
However, in the later Godzilla films, such as Godzilla Vs. The Smog Monster, Godzilla becomes a hero of sorts, defending Japan against all sorts of evils. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack puts a new take on this, though.
In the movie, Godzilla is portrayed, not as a dinosaur resurrected by nuclear tests, but rather as a conglomeration of all of the souls that suffered under Japan during World War 2 (they explain that using some really cheesy, pseudo-mystical mumbo-jumbo). Hence, Godzilla's rampages are actually Japan's penance, reminding them of their past sins whenever the people grow complacent and forgetful.
Japan's guardian monsters (Mothra, Baragon, and King Ghidorah) then come to rescue, eventually combining their powers to defeat Godzilla - thereby exorcising Japan's demons. Which I suppose you could read as a metaphor for Japan feeling like it's been held accountable for past sins long enough, and is ready to move on. Of course, it doesn't help the message that the film becomes an absolute mess in the final act, full of horrible CGI, disjointed storylines, annoying characters, etc. Up until the final third or so, the movie is actually pretty enjoyable, and somewhat thought-provoking. At least, as much as a Godzilla movie can be.
If you're curious, here's my full review.
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