Toho Kingdom

KaijuCanuck wrote:
I'd agree, and I'd also say it is the inferior to Invasion of Astro-Monster. But still notable in the history of the series for introducing Ghidorah, and also being the first to have a fight with more than two kaiju - which in 1964, probably seemed a very exciting upping of the ante to fans.

While I could put Ghidrah at the top of my list with a reasonable degree of comfort, I do have to correct you here: there were three kaiju involved in the final battle of Mothra vs. Godzilla.

JAGzilla wrote:

KaijuCanuck wrote:
I'd agree, and I'd also say it is the inferior to Invasion of Astro-Monster. But still notable in the history of the series for introducing Ghidorah, and also being the first to have a fight with more than two kaiju - which in 1964, probably seemed a very exciting upping of the ante to fans.

While I could put Ghidrah at the top of my list with a reasonable degree of comfort, I do have to correct you here: there were three kaiju involved in the final battle of Mothra vs. Godzilla.

You know, on a literal level I know you’re right - on a visceral, emotional level, I somehow still have to disagree.

I much more looking forward to John Wick 3 than King of the Monsters. Then again it's got two proven predecessors and mostly the same creative team so I have a good idea what I'm walking into. For Godzilla I'm trying to keep myself as "in the dark" and un-encumbered by preconceived expectations as possible. The few things I do know I have absolutely no idea how they fit into the overall plot. G14 is also one of my absolute least favorite Godzilla movies and KSI I found fairly decent so I already have a fairly rocky relationship with the universe so far.

I realize this is a super first world problem - but isn't it annoying sometimes how we have to choose between two versions of many Godzilla films? Like, I'd love to get BOTH Nick Adams saying in English, "you dirty stinkin' rats!" AND the Xiliens speaking their alien language in the same film. I'd love to have BOTH the Soviet missile getting launched by mistake, and Raymond Burr's excellent ending monologue.

KaijuCanuck wrote:I realize this is a super first world problem - but isn't it annoying sometimes how we have to choose between two versions of many Godzilla films? Like, I'd love to get BOTH Nick Adams saying in English, "you dirty stinkin' rats!" AND the Xiliens speaking their alien language in the same film. I'd love to have BOTH the Soviet missile getting launched by mistake, and Raymond Burr's excellent ending monologue.

Not to mention the missile sequence in Mothra vs Godzilla.

KaijuCanuck wrote:I realize this is a super first world problem - but isn't it annoying sometimes how we have to choose between two versions of many Godzilla films? Like, I'd love to get BOTH Nick Adams saying in English, "you dirty stinkin' rats!" AND the Xiliens speaking their alien language in the same film. I'd love to have BOTH the Soviet missile getting launched by mistake, and Raymond Burr's excellent ending monologue.

But this way, it's like we have nearly twice as many movies!

KaijuCanuck wrote:I realize this is a super first world problem - but isn't it annoying sometimes how we have to choose between two versions of many Godzilla films? Like, I'd love to get BOTH Nick Adams saying in English, "you dirty stinkin' rats!" AND the Xiliens speaking their alien language in the same film. I'd love to have BOTH the Soviet missile getting launched by mistake, and Raymond Burr's excellent ending monologue.

I kind of know what you mean.

An on again, off again dream of mine is to edit the Gojira and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! cuts together to incorporate Burr into the original Japanese version. I'd do it one of these days if I ever get some good editing software and (this is the critical part) any editing skills. I kind of want to do it too, but less passionately, with the '84/'85 films. I can see doing it with a number of others, Invasion of Astro-Monster being one of the top.

I think someone already did it with the 84/85 film.

That said I wouldn't mind seeing Monster Zero get the treatment

I admit I have a hard time getting emotionally invested in foreign language films. For me the language barrier is too much for me to overcome. That's why I don't think I'll ever be able to fully appreciate Gojira to the extent most fans do. Admittedly that's my shortcoming not the film's.

Tyrant_Lizard_King wrote:I admit I have a hard time getting emotionally invested in foreign language films. For me the language barrier is too much for me to overcome. That's why I don't think I'll ever be able to fully appreciate Gojira to the extent most fans do. Admittedly that's my shortcoming not the film's.

Fair enough.

I'm able to appreciate stories and characters, but acting in foreign films is really difficult for me to appreciate, because while I can always read the subtitles and get intellectual and emotional investment from there, hearing the actor's performance in a language I don't speak makes it difficult for me to *really* get it.

That said, I also have aspergers. In truth a lot of acting goes right over my head, whether it be foreign or not. Even in an English speaking film, it has to be really, really good (or really, really terrible) to get my attention.

In fact to date, the only actor's performance I've was ever truly able to appreciate in a Godzilla film was Bryan Cranston's Joe Brody. And that's not because every other actor was bad or unmemorable, my brain just isn't really hardwired to recognize the subtleties that separate good acting from bad. And foreign language films, like the majority of the Godzilla series, make something already difficult for me to understand even harder.

I guess that's my weird confession. Funny enough when I was a teenager I wanted to be a director, but as I went into film school I set my eyes on editing instead, because no matter how badly I'd love to be able to tell my stories through a visual medium and be able to direct that vision, one of the jobs of the director is to direct actors. And I know that's something I'll never be able to do.

Kaiju-King42 wrote:Fair enough.

I'm able to appreciate stories and characters, but acting in foreign films is really difficult for me to appreciate, because while I can always read the subtitles and get intellectual and emotional investment from there, hearing the actor's performance in a language I don't speak makes it difficult for me to *really* get it.

That said, I also have aspergers. In truth a lot of acting goes right over my head, whether it be foreign or not. Even in an English speaking film, it has to be really, really good (or really, really terrible) to get my attention.

In fact to date, the only actor's performance I've was ever truly able to appreciate in a Godzilla film was Bryan Cranston's Joe Brody. And that's not because every other actor was bad or unmemorable, my brain just isn't really hardwired to recognize the subtleties that separate good acting from bad. And foreign language films, like the majority of the Godzilla series, make something already difficult for me to understand even harder.

I guess that's my weird confession. Funny enough when I was a teenager I wanted to be a director, but as I went into film school I set my eyes on editing instead, because no matter how badly I'd love to be able to tell my stories through a visual medium and be able to direct that vision, one of the jobs of the director is to direct actors. And I know that's something I'll never be able to do.

This was a really interesting post. Thank you for sharing this aspect of your experience.

Kong: Skull Island is what Godzilla (2014) should had been tons of fun monster romp and action-adventure to boot.

Hopefully King of the Monsters will be like that. Considering the attacks by the Titans and King Ghidorah my wish may come true.

Kong Skull Island was a roller coaster of random action for the sake of action without any sense of real gravity or emotional weight, and by no means should be what the MonsterVerse should strive for

Hope one day people realize this.

PitchBlackProgress wrote:Kong Skull Island was a roller coaster of random action for the sake of action without any sense of real gravity or emotional weight, and by no means what the MonsterVerse should strive for

I don't know...

I though John C. Reilly gave the film some heart.

I'm glad he made it home.

PitchBlackProgress wrote:Kong Skull Island was a roller coaster of random action for the sake of action without any sense of real gravity or emotional weight, and by no means what the MonsterVerse should strive for

Hope one day people realize this.

THIS.

For real, I enjoy KSI for what it is, but I definitely disagree that the approach it took should be the norm for the Monsterverse. The massive focus on action as opposed to actual emotional gravity and atmosphere honestly comes accross as too shallow tbh.
It seems that KOTM is NOT going the SI route, and that's what makes me excited and happy

I do agree though that John C. Reily was one of the movie's highlights. Marlow's arc culminating with him returning home was legit emotional.

PitchBlackProgress wrote:Kong Skull Island was a roller coaster of random action for the sake of action without any sense of real gravity or emotional weight, and by no means should be what the MonsterVerse should strive for

Hope one day people realize this.

Bravo.

PitchBlackProgress wrote:Kong Skull Island was a roller coaster of random action for the sake of action without any sense of real gravity or emotional weight, and by no means should be what the MonsterVerse should strive for

Hope one day people realize this.

Yeah, some great imagery, some really cool individual moments, but not nearly enough character focus to make for really strong storytelling.

Man, I found Skull Island to be a superior film in every single way to Godzilla 2014. Far more enjoyable with way more memorable characters and way quicker pacing.

Maritonic wrote:Man, I found Skull Island to be a superior film in every single way to Godzilla 2014. Far more enjoyable with way more memorable characters and way quicker pacing.

I think they each get characterization half right. KSI does have more interesting characters for the most part, but it rarely manages to actually anchor a scene in an individual character's perspective, so we're never fully connected to anyone's emotional journey. G14 has a pretty bland selection of characters, but in both Ford and Serizawa we have anchor points for the experience.

eabaker wrote:

Maritonic wrote:Man, I found Skull Island to be a superior film in every single way to Godzilla 2014. Far more enjoyable with way more memorable characters and way quicker pacing.

I think they each get characterization half right. KSI does have more interesting characters for the most part, but it rarely manages to actually anchor a scene in an individual character's perspective, so we're never fully connected to anyone's emotional journey. G14 has a pretty bland selection of characters, but in both Ford and Serizawa we have anchor points for the experience.

That's a very good way of putting it.