Godzilla in the Criterion Collection?!

[bananaoil]

You're acting like they stole the movie and put it out. Toho still had to approve everything

I think what mechanikong means to say is that, even though Toho gave Criterion trouble over the commentaries, Toho probably found themselves having to hold back considerably because, really, who in their right mind would snub the ultimate film distributor from releasing their film as a definitive cinematic masterpiece? Being distributed by Criterion is such a prestigious honor; you gotta give them leeway, even if they make stupid packaging decisions like preventing you from placing the liner notes where they should go because an ugly pop-up is in the way.

[Tyler]

Criterion packaging artist Bill Sienkiewicz is a Godzilla fan, but I don't think he's a hardcore Godzilla fan so he most likely went for an images that appealed to him. His cover art looks like an interpretation of the 1954 Godzilla to me and I think it works well. The pop-up is clearly the 2002-03 Godzilla, but that was probably something Bill liked rather than what Toho told him to use. If Toho demanded a certain design I'm sure they would have gone with G'54.

I see. I guess what TokyoVigilante said is the way to look at it. When I saw the Kiryu Godzilla I was puzzled while my brother didn't really care/notice.

[Tamura]

I think Criterion just has had a very long relationship with Toho and knows in advance what they will approve and disapprove. Also, Criterion is a lot bigger than a company like Media Blasters, which could explain why they did all-new, professional restorations of GODZILLA and GKOTM instead of reusing stuff that was already available.

[mechanikong]

The way I see it, it is Criterion's way of mocking Toho. Not only do they have a buttload of special features that Toho would not approve of in any normal situation, but they got away with putting the wrong Godzilla on the cover as well. Take care of that, Toho, and all of your nit pickings with ADV's Destroy All Monsters release!

You're acting like they stole the movie and put it out. Toho still had to approve everything

I was actually being sarcastic. I was trying to point to the irony of Toho allowing Criterion to let Classic Media use special features and even use a picture of the Millenium Godzilla on the Showa film, which they would never approve of for Media Blasters in 1,000 years. Someone else on here said that Toho had a long history with Criterion, but doesn't Toho have a history with Media Blasters as well? Does Toho think it is fun to attempt to bring down small American companies or something and let bigger businesses like Criterion thrive? Or did Criterion fork over a lot of money to release this? It's weird, I tell ya!!!

[omgitsgodzilla]

My DVD just came today. It's skreeonk glorious, probably the best presentation of any film I've seen. Now I can see why Criterion is so well-known.

[Sydney Aradi]

Here is what I thought about the Criterion Godzilla DVD after watching it:

Both Godzilla & G:KOTM look pretty good and this is perhaps the best I've seen the films look in quite awhile. I liked how Criterion gave this film good treatment in terms of the extras. The commentary by David Kalat on both versions. Well they're not as in depth as the audio commentaries that were done for the 2006 Godzilla DVD but I found Kalat's commentaries to be somewhat informative & highly entertaining.

[Chris55]

Or did Criterion fork over a lot of money to release this? It's weird, I tell ya!!!

It's like the 3rd time they tried I heard. First time was in 1998 or something

[Godzilla 1995]

Did anyone see the USA Today's article on this Criterion Release? If not, check it out here:http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/Features/2012-01-26-PNI0126liv-godzillaPNIBrd_ST_U.htm

I feel so proud, the Big G is back in the ink of a newspaper.

[SG-17]

The way I see it, it is Criterion's way of mocking Toho. Not only do they have a buttload of special features that Toho would not approve of in any normal situation, but they got away with putting the wrong Godzilla on the cover as well. Take care of that, Toho, and all of your nit pickings with ADV's Destroy All Monsters release!

I don't see how it is the "wrong" Godzilla. It just looks like a generic Godzilla artwork done specifically for the cover.

[Proofpoochie]

The way I see it, it is Criterion's way of mocking Toho. Not only do they have a buttload of special features that Toho would not approve of in any normal situation, but they got away with putting the wrong Godzilla on the cover as well. Take care of that, Toho, and all of your nit pickings with ADV's Destroy All Monsters release!

I don't see how it is the "wrong" Godzilla. It just looks like a generic Godzilla artwork done specifically for the cover.

He's talking about the Godzilla pop-up inside the Blu's packaging, which is from GXMG(2002).

[JVM]

For those who are still confused...

[Chris55]

For those who are still confused...

]

Fixed

Cuz I'm a dick so skreeonk you

[Legion1979]

I could take a photo that looks EXACTLY like that, so at this point what does a watermark matter?

The very idea of putting a copyright mark on a photo of a product half this forum now has is really ridiculous.

[Chris55]

I could take a photo that looks EXACTLY like that, so at this point what does a watermark matter?

The very idea of putting a copyright mark on a photo of a product half this forum now has is really ridiculous.

Meh. Don't care. My photo. You go take your own.

[bananaoil]

Chris, while you can technically copyright photography, current media standards make it difficult for you to do so (without completely marring your image) if it's a photograph of a copyrighted or trademarked image or likeness. Also, copyrights don't hold water unless they're actually registered. Legion can take your photograph and use it all he wants without you saying anything because you don't have legal protection. Learn how copyright works, people!

[tymon]

I'm a huge fan of both of David Kalat's commentaries on this disc. He shows the right amount of enthusiasm without going overboard (unlike his Ghidorah commentary), and even though he rarely relates to what's actually happening on screen, everything he refers to is relevant to the film (and a lot of his insights are downright fascinating). I definitely learned a lot...I feel like Steve and Ed's commentaries covered the smaller details in the production of the film, whereas Kalat broadened the scope and talked about Godzilla's place in the history of cinema and of course the deep social relevance.

The Ifukube interview was brilliant, I found myself aligning with him a lot in terms of music philosophy and theory, and he had some interesting things to say about the original film. I dug the other interviews too, and the photographic effects featurette was amazing. Haven't watched The Unluckiest Dragon yet.

9.5/10 release for me.

[GreenAiden555]

Chris, while you can technically copyright photography, current media standards make it difficult for you to do so (without completely marring your image) if it's a photograph of a copyrighted or trademarked image or likeness. Also, copyrights don't hold water unless they're actually registered. Legion can take your photograph and use it all he wants without you saying anything because you don't have legal protection. Learn how copyright works, people!

I don't think its so much of an actual copyright issue as it is "Hey, you didn't take it, give credit."


My DVD should arrive today!!!! SQUUUUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[G-Matt]

Seems that all the internet reviews so far have been about the Blu-ray edition. Here's a review of the 2-disc DVD release:
http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/e-h/ ... on5456.htm

[goji1986]

Got my Bluray copy yesterday and have been watching it since. Impressive stuff! The movie looks great, certainly not pristine but definitely better than I've ever seen it before.

And I'm totally blown away by the visual fx featurette. I never realized just how much compositing went into creating Odo Island!! My jaw hit the floor with that.

Also really enjoyed the interviews, especially the super long one with Ifukube. I did an essay/presentation on his life and music a few years back for a music history course in college and could have definitely used some of the information he gave in that interview. The segment where he describes the 4 types of music is superb.

[omgitsgodzilla]

And I'm totally blown away by the visual fx featurette. I never realized just how much compositing went into creating Odo Island!! My jaw hit the floor with that.

I know, I was surprised. Even more so by the fact that they had so little time and production was so hectic and yet they pulled it off flawlessly.