Godzilla has defeated giant spiders, giant lobsters, giant robots, giant dinosaurs, giant space dragons, giant plant monsters, giant beetles, and of course, giant monkeys. But recently, the King of the Monsters conquered a foe that many thought him incapable of taking on: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
With “Godzilla Minus One,” Toho’s iconic kaiju (or giant monster) franchise “Godzilla” earned its first Academy Award, receiving the Oscar for Best Visual Effects after wowing audiences with its impressive CGI re-creation of cinema’s most iconic movie monster. It became the first Japanese production to win the award, bookending a successful season for the film, which broke through in America in a major way. After years of the franchise’s Japanese films reaching relatively niche U.S. audiences, “Godzilla Minus One” grossed $110 million worldwide and attracted critical acclaim, bringing the franchise new fans and newfound recognition.
“Godzilla Minus One...
With “Godzilla Minus One,” Toho’s iconic kaiju (or giant monster) franchise “Godzilla” earned its first Academy Award, receiving the Oscar for Best Visual Effects after wowing audiences with its impressive CGI re-creation of cinema’s most iconic movie monster. It became the first Japanese production to win the award, bookending a successful season for the film, which broke through in America in a major way. After years of the franchise’s Japanese films reaching relatively niche U.S. audiences, “Godzilla Minus One” grossed $110 million worldwide and attracted critical acclaim, bringing the franchise new fans and newfound recognition.
“Godzilla Minus One...
- 3/28/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
When the monster was invented in 1954, Godzilla stood as a symbol of nuclear devastation. Indeed, in March of 1954, shortly before Ishiro Honda's film "Gojira" was made, a group of fishermen aboard the ship Daigo Fukuryu Maru was exposed to radiation from a nearby American nuclear bomb test in the Bikini Atoll. One of the fishermen died of radiation poisoning and their fish were irradiated, causing a public panic about the safety of their food and the effects nuclear fallout may be having on the local fauna. As all cineastes know, Godzilla was an animal mutated by nuclear tests, turning into a nuclear-powered, unstoppable force of destruction. Godzilla echoed the devastation of the nuclear bomb that Japan had suffered at the hands of America. Honda's original "Gojira" is a somber and downbeat film about how weapons of mass destruction will never be done destroying us.
In the years since...
In the years since...
- 1/26/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
When the original Godzilla movie was being developed, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka hired author Shigeru Kayama to write the treatment that was then fleshed out into a screenplay by Takeo Murata and Ishirō Honda. And when the first sequel, Godzilla Raids Again, was in the works, it was again Kayama that provided the initial story. Kayama then wrote novelizations for both Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again – but while those books were first published in 1955, they never received an English translation. Until now. On October 3rd, the University of Minnesota Press will be publishing a book that contains English translations of the Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again! Copies can be pre-ordered at This Link.
The translations of Kayama’s text were handled by Jeffrey Angles, professor of Japanese at Western Michigan University, who also wrote a new afterword for the book.
Here’s the description of the Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again...
The translations of Kayama’s text were handled by Jeffrey Angles, professor of Japanese at Western Michigan University, who also wrote a new afterword for the book.
Here’s the description of the Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again...
- 8/4/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Ten years after the success of “Godzilla”, it became more than evident that the popularity of the kaiju was nowhere near the end and had arguably only just begun. With the commercial acclaim of both “Mothra” and the ambitious “King Kong vs. Godzilla”, producer Toho would continue the franchise with now one more entry per year, staring with “Mothra vs. Godzilla”, which saw the giant reptile with the star of Ishiro Honda’s movie just a few years prior. While the feature also shows the technical advances when it came to shooting these kinds of movies, it also stayed true to the themes which Honda and co-author Takeo Murata had introduced in the first movie of the franchise, namely the battle of man vs. nature and the danger of nuclear technology, with the director’s skepticism seemingly have grown over the past decade if the story is any indicator.
Buy...
Buy...
- 8/29/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
After the huge commercial success of its predecessor, it was only a matter of months for production company Toho to come up with a follow-up to Ishiro Honda’s original “Godzilla”. However, with Honda working on several other features at the time, directing duties were handed over to Motoyoshi Oda, who had worked with Honda on other features as his assistant and who also had experience working with movies relying on special effects, as his 1954 science-fiction venture “The Invisible Avenger” had proven. With the second feature possibly signaling the beginning of a franchise, Oda and his team went on to develop the story, but also the special effects in order to show Godzilla more often on screen, as well as have him fight against another monster, something which would become even more important in the years to come, as the infamous kaiju would be challenged by several other creatures like him.
- 7/7/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
In the aftermath of World War II, Japan's Toho Co., Ltd. assembled a team of filmmakers – co-writer and director Ishirō Honda, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, co-writer Takeo Murata, and special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya – to create a new kind of movie monster. Originally conceived as a walking metaphor for nuclear annihilation, Godzilla roared onto screens in Honda's genre-defining 1954 masterpiece, Gojira. The film captured the imagination – and embodied the fears – of an entire nation. Now 65 years later, the Godzilla series is fully recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest running film franchise in history with a whopping 35 films starring the titular beast. The latest entry, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, is the next chapter in Warner Bros Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' cinematic "MonsterVerse", following in the massive footsteps of Gareth Edwards' Godzilla (2014) and Jordan Vogt-Roberts' Kong: Skull Island (2017). Co-written and directed by Mike Dougherty (of the...
- 5/31/2019
- by Adam Frazier
- firstshowing.net
**Massive spoilers for every Godzilla movie, with the exception of the 2014 reboot, and Mothra follow**
August 6th and 9th, 1945 forever changed the course of history. When the first nuclear bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, World War II ended, but a new fear was born that dominated the thoughts of all men, women, and children for decades to come. The Cold War, atomic bomb testing, a cartoon turtle telling children to “duck and cover”, and this new technology that had the actual potential to literally end the world changed the perception of what was scary. Art reflects life, so cinema began to capitalize on these fears. Gone were the days of creepy castles, cobwebs, bats, vampires, werewolves, and the other iconic images that ruled genre cinema in film’s earliest decades. Science fiction was larger than ever and giant ants, giant octopi, terror from beyond the stars, and...
August 6th and 9th, 1945 forever changed the course of history. When the first nuclear bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, World War II ended, but a new fear was born that dominated the thoughts of all men, women, and children for decades to come. The Cold War, atomic bomb testing, a cartoon turtle telling children to “duck and cover”, and this new technology that had the actual potential to literally end the world changed the perception of what was scary. Art reflects life, so cinema began to capitalize on these fears. Gone were the days of creepy castles, cobwebs, bats, vampires, werewolves, and the other iconic images that ruled genre cinema in film’s earliest decades. Science fiction was larger than ever and giant ants, giant octopi, terror from beyond the stars, and...
- 11/4/2014
- by Max Molinaro
- SoundOnSight
Legendary Pictures
Within Japanese popular culture, there are few, if any, icons as widely recognisable and enjoyed as Godzilla.
While the concept of giant monster movies was not new when Ishiro Honda, Shigeru Kayama, and Takeo Murata crafted the original film in May of 1954, there’s something about Godzilla’s ineffable charm and enduring quality (likely due to the longevity of the series) that sets him apart from any other movie monster, Kaiju, or legendary beast in fictional history.
As May comes to a close and we see the release of a new Godzilla film on the heels of the sixtieth anniversary of both the original 1954 Gojira as well as the nuclear accident that inspired it, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on this enduring Japanese figure.
Whether you are looking at the dark, brooding, deeply metaphorical 1954 original film, the campy, nationalistic, near-propagandistic flicks of the 1960s and 1970s,...
Within Japanese popular culture, there are few, if any, icons as widely recognisable and enjoyed as Godzilla.
While the concept of giant monster movies was not new when Ishiro Honda, Shigeru Kayama, and Takeo Murata crafted the original film in May of 1954, there’s something about Godzilla’s ineffable charm and enduring quality (likely due to the longevity of the series) that sets him apart from any other movie monster, Kaiju, or legendary beast in fictional history.
As May comes to a close and we see the release of a new Godzilla film on the heels of the sixtieth anniversary of both the original 1954 Gojira as well as the nuclear accident that inspired it, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on this enduring Japanese figure.
Whether you are looking at the dark, brooding, deeply metaphorical 1954 original film, the campy, nationalistic, near-propagandistic flicks of the 1960s and 1970s,...
- 6/1/2014
- by Michael Greene
- Obsessed with Film
Sundance just ended, and we are already preparing for the next big film festival, South By Southwest. Not too long ago, the festival announced a few of the films premiering this year, but now they’ve announced the main slate. The midnight selections and some inevitable late-breaking additions are still to be announced, but this should be more than enough to get you excited. Along with many World Premieres, and Sundance favorites like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Gareth Evans’ The Raid 2, the line up also includes an anniversary screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and an extended Q&A screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel with Wes Anderson. SXSW 2014 runs March 7 through 15 in Austin, Texas. Check out the line up after the jump.
****
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative...
****
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative...
- 1/31/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The 2014 SXSW "Film Features Program" includes 115 titles, and along with the previously announced zombie culture documentary Doc of the Dead, there's a lot for the horror crowd...
...including special screenings of the original Godzilla and Texas Chain Saw Massacre, early looks at upcoming TV shows "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series" and "Penny Dreadful," the U.S. premiere of Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Dance of Reality, and new films from the Spierig brothers, Nacho Vigalondo, and Jim Jarmusch.
The genre-heavy "Midnighter" lineup will be announced next week along with the list of short films, but in the meantime here are the horror highlights (or what we assume will be of interest given their descriptions) to be on the lookout for during the fest.
Note that new for 2014, they've introduced the "Episodic" category, created to highlight innovative new work hitting the small screen.
The 2014 SXSW Film Festival runs March 7-15 in awesome Austin,...
...including special screenings of the original Godzilla and Texas Chain Saw Massacre, early looks at upcoming TV shows "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series" and "Penny Dreadful," the U.S. premiere of Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Dance of Reality, and new films from the Spierig brothers, Nacho Vigalondo, and Jim Jarmusch.
The genre-heavy "Midnighter" lineup will be announced next week along with the list of short films, but in the meantime here are the horror highlights (or what we assume will be of interest given their descriptions) to be on the lookout for during the fest.
Note that new for 2014, they've introduced the "Episodic" category, created to highlight innovative new work hitting the small screen.
The 2014 SXSW Film Festival runs March 7-15 in awesome Austin,...
- 1/31/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Today the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced a diverse features lineup for this year’s Festival, the 21st edition and running March 7 – 15, 2014 in Austin, Texas. The 2014 program expands on SXSW tradition of embracing a range of genres and span of budgets, featuring a wealth of vision from experienced and developing filmmakers alike.
For more information visit http://sxsw.com/film.
Listed in the announcement are 115 of the features that will screen over the course of nine days at SXSW 2014. The lineup below includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, and consists of 76 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres and 7 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from a record 2,215 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,540 U.S. and 675 international feature-length films. With a record number of 6,482 submissions total, the overall increase was 14% over 2013. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 5, with the complete...
For more information visit http://sxsw.com/film.
Listed in the announcement are 115 of the features that will screen over the course of nine days at SXSW 2014. The lineup below includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, and consists of 76 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres and 7 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from a record 2,215 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,540 U.S. and 675 international feature-length films. With a record number of 6,482 submissions total, the overall increase was 14% over 2013. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 5, with the complete...
- 1/31/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After announcing earlier this month that Jon Favreau’s Chef and the Veronica Mars movie will be making their world debuts at SXSW this year, the festival has revealed its full line-up, including further very promising world premieres, alongside appearances from some of the year’s most high-profile films.
The Midnight programme will be announced early next month, along with the Shorts line-up, and the complete Conference slate a little later as well.
Led by Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, Nicholas Stoller’s anticipated R-rated comedy, Neighbors, will be making its world debut at the festival, notably marked out as a ‘work-in-progress’ ahead of its theatrical release in May.
David Gordon Green’s acclaimed Joe will make its Us premiere, having bowed at Venice and then Toronto last year. Early reviews have Nicolas Cage giving one of the finest performances of his career, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) excellent alongside him.
The Midnight programme will be announced early next month, along with the Shorts line-up, and the complete Conference slate a little later as well.
Led by Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, Nicholas Stoller’s anticipated R-rated comedy, Neighbors, will be making its world debut at the festival, notably marked out as a ‘work-in-progress’ ahead of its theatrical release in May.
David Gordon Green’s acclaimed Joe will make its Us premiere, having bowed at Venice and then Toronto last year. Early reviews have Nicolas Cage giving one of the finest performances of his career, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) excellent alongside him.
- 1/30/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Not sure if there is a Short Term 12 equivalent in this year’s Narrative Feature Comp, but on paper SXSW programmers are serving up a mean (and the usual lean group of 8 out of a whopping 1,324 film entries) for the upcoming competitiuon of eight which includes notable entries (that we’ve been tracking for a good time now) such as Zachary Wigon’s The Heart Machine, John Magary’s The Mend, Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns and Lawrence Michael Levine’s Wild Canaries. Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated docs of the year, on the non-fiction side we find Margaret Brown’s The Great Invisible. Below you’ll find a breakdown of the other sections (notable world preems in We’ll Never Have Paris and Faults (see Mary Elizabeth Winstead above), some Sundance items with Texan connections and other nuggets.
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight...
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight...
- 1/30/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Whether you measure your movies by box office, reviews, or popular appeal, Sony’s $125 million remake of the 1990 Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger interplanetary action fest Total Recall looks like a strike-out. The movie opened with a lethal softness; a $25.7 million first weekend meaning Recall won’t even come close to making back its budget during its domestic theatrical run. In fact, despite 22 years of ticket price increases, it’s doubtful the movie will even match the original’s $119.3 million haul.
And for those of you who think maybe the problem is Total Recall was outgunned opening while The Dark Knight Rises was still sucking up box office coin, entertain, at least for a moment if you will, the possibility the movie just plain sucks. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ canvas, almost 70% of reviewers – and over three-quarters of “top critics” – gave Total Recall a thumbs-down. Those who went to see the movie didn’t...
And for those of you who think maybe the problem is Total Recall was outgunned opening while The Dark Knight Rises was still sucking up box office coin, entertain, at least for a moment if you will, the possibility the movie just plain sucks. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ canvas, almost 70% of reviewers – and over three-quarters of “top critics” – gave Total Recall a thumbs-down. Those who went to see the movie didn’t...
- 8/15/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
We know the greats; movies like Metropolis (1927), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Star Wars (1977).
And there are those films which maybe didn’t achieve cinematic greatness, but through their inexhaustible watchability became genre touchstones, lesser classics but classics nonetheless, like The War of the Worlds (1953), Godzilla (1954), Them! (1954), The Time Machine (1960).
In the realm of science fiction cinema, those are the cream (and below that, maybe the half and half). But sci fi is one of those genres which has often too readily leant itself to – not to torture an analogy — producing nonfat dairy substitute.
During the first, great wave of sci fi movies in the 1950s, the target audience was kids and teens. There wasn’t a lot in the way of “serious” sci fi. Most of it was churned out quick and cheap; drive-in fodder, grist for the Saturday matinee mill.
By the early 1960s,...
And there are those films which maybe didn’t achieve cinematic greatness, but through their inexhaustible watchability became genre touchstones, lesser classics but classics nonetheless, like The War of the Worlds (1953), Godzilla (1954), Them! (1954), The Time Machine (1960).
In the realm of science fiction cinema, those are the cream (and below that, maybe the half and half). But sci fi is one of those genres which has often too readily leant itself to – not to torture an analogy — producing nonfat dairy substitute.
During the first, great wave of sci fi movies in the 1950s, the target audience was kids and teens. There wasn’t a lot in the way of “serious” sci fi. Most of it was churned out quick and cheap; drive-in fodder, grist for the Saturday matinee mill.
By the early 1960s,...
- 3/17/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
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