Tag: Godzilla

The Generations May Not Understand Godzilla 2014

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Godzilla2014

* Spoiler Alert

After ten long years, Godzilla is back! This reworking of the megalithic behemoth from the deep marks this creature’s triumphant return to the big screen and although this version is not a Japanese take, British director Gareth Edwards shows that a touch of good character drama and reinvention is all that’s needed to reinvigorate this franchise for an American audience.

Faith is restored to loving a radioactive monster that is now symbolic of Nature’s unleashed fury moreso than its origins by being birthed by the atomic bomb. The all too quick opening sequence explains that for viewers to subliminally process. In the classic film made by Toho Studios, this beast is not only a metaphor for the nuclear devastation that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan but also a symbol of terror. This looming essence represents a raw unrestrained power. The monsters it (not he, since the gender is unknown) fought often sought to subjugate humanity because of some alien race’s desire to conquer Japan, if not the planet Earth. In later films, it became an anti-hero.
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The Vintage Tempest’s List of Top 5 Gojira Films!

To those people who have not been exposed to the original films, they may well want to check out the best of what Gojira has done over the past sixty years. Yes, ten years was spent in dormancy.

gojira

Today is the day that will rekindle interest in Gojira (ゴジラ), Toho Studio‘s iconic beast to a North American audience. Nevermind the fact that it’s a reboot by Legendary Pictures so people can forget Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin’s film, this new version (better known to English-speaking audiences as Godzilla) by British director Gareth Edwards looks like it’s going to be very promising!

To those people who have not been exposed to the original films, they may well want to check out the best of what Gojira has done over the past sixty years. Yes, ten years was spent in dormancy.

Presented here is a list of personal favourites that must be picked up first for any new fan’s beginning collection. 28 films have been made, and to boil down what is the best was not too hard of a task.

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Cool Merchandise Woes for this Godzilla Fan?

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Godzilla2014If IMAX’s FanFix program does not offer a poster for this coming Godzilla film, I just may have to be highly disappointed. It’s not like a release is to be expected since last year and this has been very selective. Not every high profile film is getting this special poster program treatment. I had hoped for a continuation of The Hobbit 12:01 posters but that did not happen. Even a cool embossed Captain America shield on paper for Winter Soldier would have been awesome, but not every idea will happen. But for Godzilla, just what can be done? Can any studio working with IMAX outdo Star Trek’s glow-in-the-dark print?

For a certain radioactive monster, to repeat that formula would certainly  elevate the cool factor by several levels. The blue flames of the behemoth rising from the waters of Tokyo Bay is enough to get me salivating. In this film’s case, could that be San Francisco Bay? I’ve purposely stayed away from learning any story points, so I’m merely guessing at where the action will take place here.

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SXSW: Mondo Godzilla Poster

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

MondoGodzilla Godzilla is coming to Austin, or at least the poster is. Austin-based design studio, Mondo, was commissioned for a new poster for Godzilla’s return to North American screens this summer. The poster was designed by Phantom City Creative who also designed an exclusive Godzilla poster for the San Diego Comic-Con last year. Some people may say it shows Godzilla rising up out of the smoke but what I love about art is it means something different to each person. To me the smoke which comes from the source of the chaos and destruction within the city forms the shape of Godzilla.

If you want this exclusive poster you’ll have to attend the South By Southwest Music Conference and Festival. It will be handed out tomorrow at the screening of the 1954 original Ishiro Honda-directed film. This restored classic of Godzilla will feature an extra 40 minutes that is not available on the American edit. Gareth Edwards, the director of the new version of Godzilla, will host this classic and hold a Q & A for fans.

The screening will take place at the Ritz Alamo Theater in downtown Austin, Texas on March 11 at 9:30pm.

The new Godzilla film will be released May 16, 2014 and will star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIu85WQTPRc&w=560&h=315%5D
 
Sources: Cosmic Booknews, Yahoo!, Comingsoon.Net.

Godzilla: Unstoppable Force of Nature

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Godzilla2014Godzilla as a force of nature is the message that is being conveyed. Man’s arrogance it is said, is that we believe those forces are within our control. But Godzilla is a severe lesson in how powerless mankind is when dealing with a force of nature that is so unpredictable.

I had some concerns with the initial teaser trailer that there would be a cheese factor with this film. But after watching this latest trailer, those concerns have melted away. Gareth Edwards is letting fans know this is a serious drama and will be nothing like the debacle that was Godzilla 1998. Am I being too unkind? I suggest you watch the movie and judge for yourself.

Edwards uses a sullen atmosphere to set the tone for Godzilla’s rampage. Much like real life disasters, humans are never quite sure of what they see or what can be believed, even when it happens right in front of them. In this trailer, Godzilla is not fully revealed. Perhaps it is the director’s way of making the audience feel the confusion of the people on-screen.

My hat is off to you Mr. Edward’s for respecting the Toho source material.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIu85WQTPRc&w=560&h=315%5D
 

Long Live the King: Godzilla Official Teaser Trailer

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Godzilla Poster

After many years a teaser trailer to what purists may call a proper Godzilla film has finally arrived. But will true fans feel the bite of the beast after having dealt with TriStar’s vision of what an American Godzilla should be? With Gareth Edwards keeping a tight lid on the newest feature film in the Godzilla licence, it appears his vision is that of Toho’s. We don’t get a full look at the monster (He’s clouded in smoke) but what can be seen looks promising.

But what worries me is the casting. As much as I love pop culture, the cast reads like a who’s who of Geekdom. While Roland Emmerich’s film cast read like a TV guide, Gareth Edward’s reads like a North American version of Japanese pop idols. Let’s take a look at the list shall we:

Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch – Avengers: Age of Ultron), Bryan Cranston (animation voice actor), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick Ass – Kick Ass 1 and 2), Sally Hawkins (Mrs. Mary Brown – Paddington), Ken Watanabe (Ra’s Al Ghul – Batman Begins), David Strathairn (Arthur Spiderwick – The Spiderwick Chronicles), CJ Adams (Timothy Green – The Odd Life of Timothy Green), Richard T. Jones (Tv’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Brian Markinson (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome) and Christian Tessier (Underworld: The Awakening and TV’s Lt. Tucker ‘Duck’ Clellan of Battlestar Galactica).

You can see where I am headed with this. The geek/nerd industry is a lucrative one but only when the fans themselves are willing to support it. Suffering the wrath of such people would mean great financial loss. Am I willing to embrace the cast that make up this film? It’s obvious Gareth Edwards knew the people he was directing the film for and needed some recognizable faces to bring older fans of Godzilla into the theatres. At the same time, this director is hoping to create new fans.

Maybe this time, with Edward’s version, the only people running away will be on the silver screen when Godzilla appears.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjKO10hKtYw&w=560&h=315]