Tag: Legendary Pictures

ゴジラ RULES! in this Rare Print

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

gojira

ゴジラ purists will no doubt only recognize the iconic beast by either its kanji or romanized name of Gojira. For purists, that’s the only name it goes by and thanks have to be given to Japanese manga artist Naoki Urasawa (Monster, Yawara) for creating an exclusive print that respects his true nature. Hopefully this print will see some form of distribution for fans to purchase this brilliant piece of work.

With the Legendary Pictures, Toho Films, Warner Bros logo, and copyright stamped below the poster, that must mean some company holds the rights to this print/artwork. The red stamp is Urasawa’s signature. Unlike in Western Culture, where an artists signs his name, in most Oriental societies, this stamp is unique to the artist and it is quite literally his ‘seal of approval.’

Should this print become available, fans of Urasawa’s art style can marvel as his technique. The brush strokes speaks of a determination — like that of a Fury flying through the night — and the light and dark ink tones reconigze the beast for what it is: a symbol of destruction in a war-ravaged city than something smashed up by beasts.

 

 

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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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.

Pacific Rim’s Big Monster Action

Pacific Rim stars Charlie Hunnman, Rinko Kukuchi, Idris Elba, Ron Perlman and Charlie Day.

With what could be the biggest summer blockbuster of 2013, Warner Brothers is making sure the viewers of this clip are given sugar high with 1 minute and 11 seconds of big robot action.

In this video we see Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kukuchi) co-piloting a Jaeger as they wage an all-out brawl with a Kaiju. The punches sound hard and heavy and every connecting blow is visually impressive.

I know. There are others who’ve complained about the slow action movement of the titans but in all honestly I’m hypothesizing this was a deliberate in order to give each of the two characters on-screen a larger-than-life feel.

I’m keeping my options open this summer. I’m looking for a movie that doesn’t make one think deep thoughts and at the same time it will give me my action flick fix. Think Starship Troopers but a little more highbrow. And until the Gareth Edward’s directed Godzilla film comes stomping into theatres next year Pacific Rim will just have to keep this nerd happy.

Pacific Rim stars Charlie Hunnman, Rinko Kukuchi, Idris Elba, Ron Perlman and Charlie Day. Directed by Guillermo del Toro with screenplay by Travis Beacham and Guillermo del Toro. In theatres July 12, 2013.

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