Godzilla

[ZIM]

'Bout time, I say. (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=6947661)

Accepting the honor on behalf of the self-proclaimed "King of the Monsters" was the 5-foot-4-inch-tall Japanese actor who plays Godzilla on screen, Tsutomo Kitagawa. The actor donned the fearsome rubber suit he wears in his latest picture, "Godzilla Final Wars," which opens on Dec. 4 in Japan.

[Shaolinlueb]

yes it is about time.

[tug]

Agreed.

[red5angel]

awesome, that dude totally deserves. Stopping around in Tokyo can' be easy, and beating all those super monsters into a pulp for a movie has to wear on you.
makes me want to go pick this up!

http://www.toysnjoys.com/usps2/godzillasavetheearth.jpg

[Jimbo]

I hadn't even heard about this 'til a few days ago. At first, I was averse to the idea of another American version of Godzilla, but this trailer has got me interested. It looks like they're actually getting back to the concept behind the 1954 original. At the very least, it appears it'll be 100 times better than the abysmal 1998 Matthew Broderick movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIu85WQTPRc&sns=em

[mickey]

Greetings Jimbo,

It does look like it is going back to the source.

When you look at what is going on in Fukishima, it would have been better if they had sat on this movie until that matter is fully addressed. Because of the hush on what is really going on, there is the possibility of a backlash in the form of a active boycott or in the form of a generalized lack of interest.

The following clip is less than 18 minutes. The person who made this has a really good feel for this genre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxO3k7kBlxk


mickey

[GeneChing]

There's a little icon at the right end of the fourth box on the second row that looks like two cells of a film strip (I know, right? What's a film strip? :rolleyes:). Click that and you can insert a YouTube clip into your post. You can go back now and edit your previous posts using that function. ;)

As for the new Godzilla, I miss a guy in a rubber suit. That is the heart and soul of true tokusatsu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?53001-Tokusatsu). It's all in the miniature models and smashing them in a rubber monster suit. When I was a kid, I dreamed of being the guy in the rubber suit.

That being said, this does look very promising, and I might just have to go IMAX 3D for it. :D

Didn't Godzilla say he was going to quit making action films? (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?30464-nooooo-this-cant-be-true)

[Jimbo]

@ mickey:

Hi! I don't know if the Fukushima disaster will affect the movie or not, and I had not thought of that. OTOH, the original 1954 movie was an allegory for the atomic bomb/nuclear testing. I'm just not sure that Japanese audiences will watch another American kaiju movie. Last year, Pacific Rim bombed in Japan. As far as the U.S. and other countries, I doubt that Fukushima will affect the movie either way. IMO, the movie will most likely succeed or fail on its own.

@ Gene:

I've tried to embed, but I haven't been able to yet with my ipad. I'd have to go back to the Apple store for a tutorial...and that alone wouldn't be worth the trip. So for now, y'all will have to click twice on my links! :p:D

BTW, one of the BIG reasons I loved the Godzilla and other kaiju films as a kid were the film scores of Akira Ifukube. They just don't make 'em like these anymore.

Godzilla (1954, Main Title)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxyWsK1tK3w&sns=em


Godzilla (1954, Godzilla Under the Sea)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl54mC8xdNI&sns=em


Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965, Main Title)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smnWKHVNw-g&sns=em


Destroy All Monsters (1968, Main Title Theme)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nrb1RkenWk&sns=em


Destroy All Monsters (1968, Four Monsters Attack Tokyo)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_A9Q2yz2Dk&sns=em


These are only a few examples.

[mickey]

Greetings,

Take a look (and I did try to embed-- she didn't have the look I wanted to know better) :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyV7VuG3XCw



mickey

[Jimbo]

I saw it yesterday, and IMO, the trailer (which is awesome, BTW) makes the movie appear much better than it actually is. It's still better than the Matthew Broderick version by far, though.



**WARNING!! spoiler alert!**





Here are some opinions/observations:

Cons:

1. Bryan Cranston looks like the star in the trailer, but in reality, his part ends early in the movie.

2. The monsters have very little screen time compared to the human storylines. Which might be okay if the main characters and their stories were interesting. Except for Bryan Cranston, none of the people are particularly interesting. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who plays Cranston's character's son) just doesn't fit the role of the lead in a Godzilla film, and Elizabeth Olsen, who plays his young wife, is annoying. She never seems invested in what's happening and is thus unconvincing in her role. In fact, very few of the humans seem to occupy the same reality as the monsters, again, except for Bryan Cranston. At one point, Godzilla unleashes a tremendous, prolonged, ear-splitting roar right in the direction of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who seems strangely unaffected by it; in reality, he probably would have been knocked flat and lost a good deal of his hearing. Ken Watanabe does what he can with the role he's given, but he does little more than to state the painfully obvious.

3. The soundtrack music is mind-numbingly generic and can't even approach the uniqueness and quality of Akira Ifukube's memorable film scores. No one is expected to recreate that, but at least create something that adds to the movie. The only effective/memorable music in the movie is the slightly eerie part when the paratroopers do their jump (which is also heard in the trailer).

4. The movie can't seem to decide what kind of movie it wants to be.


Pros:

1. Bryan Cranston. He brings an intensity and urgency to his character and the situation that is missing when he's gone.

2. Whatever monster action there is is well-done, IMO.

3. Some of the CGI, especially of a Hawaiian tsunami, are nicely-done.

[GeneChing]

It's still better than the Matthew Broderick version by far, though. That tells me nothing.

[Jimbo]

That tells me nothing.

I didn't want anyone blaming me for ruining it for them if I said more than that at the top.

Most of the reviews I've read online have been way more positive than mine. In fact, many I've read (not from paid movie reviewers but from regular viewers) seem to think it's great. And I didn't read any reviews about it until I already saw it. Mind you, I don't think it's a horible movie at all; it's just not as good as I was expecting from the trailer.

[GeneChing]

There was a comic book convention happening at the same time as our tournament last weekend (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?66730-2014-Tiger-Claw-Elite-%285-17%29-amp-KUNG-FU-TAI-CHI-DAY-%285-18%29-in-San-Jose-CA&p=1268062#post1268062), so the reviews I got were from comic snobs and you know how picky they can be with iconic stuff like this.

Do you think it has to be seen on the big screen? On IMAX 3D? Because that was a major sell point for me. I love good 3D.

[mickey]

Greetings,

Thank you for the fair review, Jimbo. I ask one question: Did you get the feeling that the movie was built around the CGI; i.e, that all the CGI was done before they figured out how they were going to proceed with it?

mickey

[Jimbo]

Gene:

I can't tell you about 3D because I saw it in 2D. I don't feel comfortable watching 3D. I do feel it's one of those movies that's a lot more effective on the big screen than it will be on the small screen.


Hi, mickey.

I didn't really get that impression. But the movie's pacing is sometimes slow. There are ways to not over-expose the monster(s) that still keep a movie flowing smoothly. I suspect the director was trying to do that, but it resulted in an over-emphasis on lots of dull people scenes and some frustrating cuts AWAY from the action just as it starts to get going.

[GeneChing]

It would sit nicely next to the present Godzilla on my desk.



Shochu Brand Choujugura Releases Godzilla-Shaped Bottle (http://yattarjapan.com/en/3004963/)
2014/06/22 FOOD
Choujugura Godzilla 破懐王 SAKEゴジラ

http://yattarjapan.com/admin/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/140622-01-01.jpg
Choujugura Godzilla 720ml Porcelain Bottle and Box
TM & © 1989 TOHO CO. LTD

Japan’s Konishi Brewing Company has released a special collector’s edition of their Choujugura shochu in a bottle shaped like Godzilla from the recent American film.

The 720ml bottle is a detailed model of the modern-day Godzilla. The bottle was originally an online-only release in 2011, and is being revived for general sales. Godzilla is currently experiencing a boom in popularity in Japan due to the recent digital remasters of older Godzilla films and the upcoming July 25th release of this year’s American-made Godzilla movie in Japanese theaters.

The shochu, a type of Japanese grain alcohol, is distilled from 100 percent barley and made with carefully selected water. After drinking, the porcelain bottle can be displayed as a collector’s item, just like any other figure.

Plans for the bottle started in 2009, during the 55th anniversary celebration of the first Godzilla movie, originally released on November 3rd, 1954. The bottle was created by sculptor Shigeaki Ito, under the supervision of Koichi Kawakita, the director of the series of six “Heisei Godzilla” films that started with “Godzilla vs. Biollante”.

The bottle retails for 10,000 yen, plus tax. Ordering details are available on the official Choujugura site.
Choujugura Godzilla 破懐王 SAKEゴジラ

http://yattarjapan.com/admin/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/140622-01-02.jpg
The detailed bottle is based on the Godzilla that appeared in “Godzilla vs. Biollante”.
TM & © 1989 TOHO CO. LTD
Choujugura Godzilla 破懐王 SAKEゴジラ

http://yattarjapan.com/admin/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/140622-01-03.jpg
Side view
TM & © 1989 TOHO CO. LTD
Choujugura Godzilla 破懐王 SAKEゴジラ

http://yattarjapan.com/admin/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/140622-01-04.jpg
The bottle is an impressive replica.
TM & © 1989 TOHO CO. LTD
Choujugura Godzilla 破懐王 SAKEゴジラ

http://yattarjapan.com/admin/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/140622-01-05.jpg
Reverse view
TM & © 1989 TOHO CO. LTD

[GeneChing]

New, Japanese-made Godzilla movie to start filming next summer (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/12/09/new-japanese-made-godzilla-movie-to-start-filming-next-summer/)
Casey Baseel about an hour ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/gm-x.png?w=580&h=560

Terrible as it was, there was one good thing that came out of the 1998 American Godzilla movie. It was apparently so bad that franchise creator Toho Co. couldn’t bear to let it be the final on-screen appearance for the King of the Monsters, so the company made six more of its own Godzilla movies, culminating with 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars.

Now, after a 10-year break, Toho is going back to its deepest kaiju well, announcing that a new, Japanese-produced Godzilla film will start filming next year.

This time, though, the reason for waking up Godzilla isn’t the embarrassing disappointment of an American-made offshoot. Just the opposite, as the impetus is the impressive box office performance of Legendary Picture’s 2014 Godzilla. Legendary’s reboot has earned some US$525 million worldwide, including 32 billion yen ($267 million) at theatres in Godzilla’s birthplace of Japan.

Filming is expected to start next summer and finish sometime in the fall, with the domestic theatrical release scheduled for 2016. The new Japanese film has no story connection to the 2014 version, so Legendary’s MUTOs won’t be making any appearances.

▼ The lower-calorie Japanese diet, though, means moviegoers probably stand a better chance of seeing Godzilla’s neck this time around.
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/gm-21.png?w=580&h=281

Toho is yet to announce the new movie’s cast and ostensible villain monster, not has the company made any comment about whether or not the upcoming film is a standalone project or the jumping-off point for a new series of Japanese-made Godzilla movies. But while Godzilla, the character, is birthed by radiation, Godzilla movies come from ticket and merchandise sales, so provided that the big guy does as well at the box office in 2016 as he did in 2014, we might be seeing a lot of him over the next decade.

Here's my very belated review of Godzilla 2014:
I was excited to see one of my fav actresses, Juliette Binoche, in the opening credits. I thought, 'cool, maybe it's not as bad as they say.' Well, that didn't last long. Having lived there, it's always kinda fun to see SF destroyed, even if its an alternate universe SF where the Golden Gate leads to Oakland and you can make from Chinatown's Confucius Gate to a harbor on foot in 15 minutes hand-carrying a missile. NOT. It wasn't even a dragon missile. Man in rubber suit Gojira was better IMHO. Hollywood sux. Back to Shaw Brothers and Bollywood.

[Jimbo]

Man in rubber suit Gojira was better IMHO. Hollywood sux. Back to Shaw Brothers and Bollywood.

Agreed 100%.

Although I thought that the CGI monsters in Godzilla 2014 were well-done, they lack the soul of the old rubber-suited Godzilla and other monsters. Americans in particular like to make fun of the 'man in a rubber suit stomping on a miniature Tokyo', but those old movies/old effects were MUCH harder to set up and pull off than modern CGI. My fave are still the original Godzilla/Gojira and War of the Gargantuas, but even into the late 1960s, when the kaiju films catered more to children, the effects would be **** difficult to recreate today...like the final monster battle in Destroy All Monsters. Not to mention the extreme difficulties for the men wearing those suits.

To this day, I still feel that some of the best and most effective uses of CGI were in Terminator 2 and the first Jurassic Park. In JP, the combining of full-scale robotics, models, stop-action animation, and CGI were near-perfect. Going back even further to 1981, the dragon in Dragonslayer was probably an example of *very* early CGI, and IMO is still the best 'live-action' movie dragon. CGI, used in moderation, is great. But most effects-driven movies today over-rely on it to the point of laziness, and everything comes across looking the same and cartoonish.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oBNEG8kLfQ

[GeneChing]

It looks like Godzilla: King of the Monsters (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70303-Godzilla-King-of-the-Monsters) is the sequel to the last Hollywood Godzilla (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67348-Godzilla), not the Toho Godzilla: Resurgence (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69434-Godzilla-Resurgence)


JUNE 08, 2017 5:20pm PT by Borys Kit
Zhang Ziyi Joins Kyle Chandler in 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/zhang-ziyi-joins-kyle-chandler-godzilla-king-monsters-1011754)

http://cdn3.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/NFE_portrait/2017/06/zhang_ziyi.jpg
Courtesy of Legendary
Zhang Ziyi

The actress will also play a role in Legendary and Warner Bros.' burgeoning Monsterverse.

Zhang Ziyi, the international star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has joined Legendary and Warner Bros.’ creature feature Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

But wait — that’s not all. The deal calls for the actress to join not just that movie but to figure prominently in their Monsterverse, what the studios are calling their monster-based cinematic universe.

Zhang will first appear in the sequel to 2014's Godzilla, joining Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown in the follow-up that is set several years after the events of the original pic.

Michael Dougherty is directing from a script by Dougherty and Zach Shields.

The actress will then appear in other monster installments, including Godzilla vs Kong, as her character is a key figure in the covert, creature-cataloging Monarch organization established in those films.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is set to be released March 22, 2019. Godzilla vs Kong is slated to bow in 2020.

Zhang, who also appeared in Chinese-language hits Hero and House of Flying Daggers, recently wrapped production on a sci-fi thriller produced by J.J. Abrams that is connected to his Cloverfield movies.

She is repped by ICM Partners and Mosaic.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dF83zsTIMQ

[GeneChing]

...but we'd be remiss if we didn't include this here.


Haruo Nakajima, the First Actor to Play Godzilla, Dies at 88 (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/world/asia/godzilla-actor-haruo-nakajima-japan.html)
By RUSSELL GOLDMAN AUG. 8, 2017

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/10/world/09nakajima-obit-1/09nakajima-1-master768.jpg
Haruo Nakajima, who played Godzilla, at his home in Sagamihara, Japan, in 2014. To perfect the monster’s notoriously destructive gait, he spent hours at the zoo, studying how elephants and bears walked. Credit Junji Kurokawa/Associated Press

Haruo Nakajima, the Japanese actor who played the movie monster Godzilla in a dozen films and whose booming steps in a 200-pound rubber suit sent the denizens of Tokyo running into cinematic history, died on Monday. He was 88.

His daughter, Sonoe Nakajima, said the cause was pneumonia. She did not say where he died.

Mr. Nakajima was a 25-year-old stunt actor with just four movies to his credit when he was cast in what are perhaps Japan’s two most famous films of that era, both released in 1954: Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece “Seven Samurai,” in which he had a bit part, and “Godzilla.”

In “Godzilla” he played the title character: a gigantic, irradiated lizard whose mutated form and destructive power wreak havoc on Tokyo. The first movie in a long-running franchise, it was released nine years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a not-so-thinly veiled fable about the dangers of nuclear weapons.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKrj1ymJzmo
Video by TheSerenityEnd

“One might remotely regard him as a symbol of Japanese hate for the destruction that came out of nowhere and descended upon Hiroshima one pleasant August morn,” Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote of the monster in a 1956 review of “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” the English-dubbed version of the film released in North America. “But we assure you that the quality of the picture and the childishness of the whole idea do not indicate such a calculation. Godzilla was simply meant to scare people.”

Mr. Nakajima would eventually put on the heavy rubber monster costume 12 times from 1954 to 1972 in a series of movies that became an international phenomenon.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/09/world/09nakajima-3/09nakajima-3-master180.jpg
Mr. Nakajima in 1966. He donned the Godzilla rubber monster costume 12 times from 1954 to 1972. Credit Kyodo, via Reuters

The success of Godzilla kicked off Japan’s golden age of tokusatsu, or “special filming” movies, in which rubber-costumed actors portraying colossal, terrifying creatures typically destroyed scale-model sets, creating illusions of reality that would one day be generated even more spectacularly by computers.

“We had to improvise, and make it all look real on screen,” Mr. Nakajima told The Times in 2013.

He recalled Godzilla’s creator, Eiji Tsuburaya, struggling amid Japan’s postwar shortages and rationing to find enough rubber and latex to construct the costume.

“You don’t learn this from a textbook but by doing,” Mr. Nakajima said of those early days. “There is no chance to learn now.”

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/10/arts/10nakajima-obit-3/08nakajima-obit-3-master675.jpg
Godzilla destroys a train in a scene from the film. Credit Toho Co. Ltd.

Wearing a hot, heavy suit beneath the soundstage’s bright lights had him sweating so much, he said, that at the end of a day’s shooting he could wring enough perspiration from his undershirt to fill half a bucket.

To perfect the monster’s destructive gait, Mr. Nakajima spent hours at the zoo studying how elephants and bears walked. He wanted the monster to be believable, he said in interviews.

Mr. Nakajima was born on Jan. 1, 1929, in Yamagata, Japan. He was 16 when Japan surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II. His first credited acting role was in “Sword for Hire,” in 1952, when he was 23.

As a contract actor for the Japanese studio Toho, Mr. Nakajima starred in dozens of other monster movies, including “King Kong Returns,” a 1967 Japanese production in which he again played the title character, this time in an ape costume.

He retired from acting in 1973. Beginning in the 1990s, he made frequent appearances at conventions of comic-book and movie fans. He lived in a suburb of Tokyo. There was no immediate information on survivors, besides his daughter.

Mr. Nakajima was the first iteration of Godzilla but not the last. Toho produced 27 more Godzilla films after Mr. Nakajima hung up his rubber suit in 1972. Since then, Hollywood has produced three “Godzilla” movies. The next will star Ken Watanabe and is scheduled for release in 2019.

Follow Russell Goldman on Twitter @GoldmanRussell.

[Jimbo]

RIP, Haruo Nakajima.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oBNEG8kLfQ&sns=em

I finally got to see Shin Godzilla, and it's a good one. Though, IMO, the original 1954 Gojira (WITHOUT Raymond Burr edited in) remains the all-time best Godzilla movie.

Shin Godzilla returns to the general spirit of the original, but takes it much further, in terms of the creature's mutation, size and destructive capabilities. Particularly interesting (and in all likelihood boring and frustrating for fans who were expecting another Godzilla tag team smackdown) are the endless logistics and bureaucracy that occur before, during and after a monster's attack on a city, and in planning and launching a counterstrike against it. It gives the movie a much more realistic feel than any other kaiju movie, whether Japanese or an American adaptation. Much more complex than the 1950s and 60s-era monster movies, where only a couple of scientists, and the military, were utilized to deal with the monster. This new Godzilla is a juggernaut of such massive proportions that he seems to not even be aware of the tiny humans on the ground. It's quite obvious that much of the inspiration for this was the Fukushima nuclear disaster, although that is not mentioned.

I watched the Japanese language w/English subs option, and IMO, they probably could've used better American actors. When the Americans spoke (English, of course), most of them sounded as if they were reading off of a teleprompter.

I enjoyed the fact that the makers of the new movie paid tribute to Akira Ifukube's classic soundtracks by using two or three from the original Gojira, as well as at least one from Invasion of Astro-Monster (a.k.a., Monster Zero).

[GeneChing]

I was a huge Tokusatsu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?53001-Tokusatsu) fan growing up. Still am actually so these new anime versions of Ultraman (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71094-Ultraman) don't quite do it for me. Although I must confess that I really enjoyed the new Godzilla animes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67348-Godzilla&p=1303772#post1303772) (I should review those on the forum some day).

Being Asian, the only role models on TV that were my race were Mr. Sulu, tokusatsu characters like Ultraman and of course, Kung Fu movies. Much of my family is in Hawaii so when growing up, I visited often. There was a whole expanded world of tokusatsu there because Hawaii imported a lot of Japanese TV. So I was more of a fan of Ultra-Seven and the extended Ultra family because it was cooler. But truly, it was all about Kikaider for me. There was a live-action reboot of that a few years ago, but I still have yet to see that.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjHnaahVo8I

[GeneChing]

Feb 14, 2022 9:18pm PT
Godzilla, Ultraman and Kamen Rider Join Forces in Shin Japan Heroes Universe From Rival Studios and Anno Hideaki (https://variety.com/2022/global/global/shin-japan-heroes-universe-anno-hideaki-1235181935/)

By Mark Schilling
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Japan-Heroes-Universe-res.jpeg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
Studio Khara
Leading Japanese entertainment firms Toho, Toei, Studio Khara and Tsuburaya Productions are joining forces to launch the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, a project modeled on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Shin Japan Heroes brings together such iconic characters as Godzilla, Ultraman and Kamen Rider, as well as the world of anime maestro Anno Hideaki’s Evangelion sci-fi franchise.

Details in Monday’s announcement were scanty, but the project team has revealed an emblem and visual showing all four “heroes” together, as well as a website.

A starting point for the project was “Shin Godzilla” (translation: “New Godzilla”), the 2016 smash hit live-action film that Anno scripted and co-directed. It was followed by last year’s hit anime “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time,” which was also directed by Anno for his Studio Khara anime house as the fourth and final film in the “Rebuild of Evangelion” film franchise. Released in March of last year by Toho and Toei, it became the highest-earning film of 2021 in Japan, with total box office of $92 million.

Also, slated for release on May 13, 2022 is “Shin Ultraman,” a live-action film based on the iconic Ultraman sci-fi TV show with Anno scripting and producing and his “Shin Godzilla” co-director Higuchi Shinji directing. Toho will distribute. Finally, set for release in March of 2023 is “Shin Kamen Rider,” which Anno is scripting and directing. Toei is the distributor.

A core company behind the project is Tsuburaya, the effects production house that has worked with both Toho (“Godzilla”) and Toei (“Ultraman,” “Kamen Rider”), which are ordinarily fierce rivals at the Japanese box office.

The new project will also encompass merchandize, events and other tie-ins derived from the Shin Japan Heroes Universe concept.

threads
Godzilla (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67348-Godzilla)
Kamen-Rider (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70755-Kamen-Rider)
Ultraman (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71094-Ultraman)
Shin Japan Heroes Universe (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72266-Shin-Japan-Heroes-Universe)

[GeneChing]

GODZILLA X NISSIN CUP NOODLES® LANYARD AND PIN SET (2022 CON EXCLUSIVE) (https://www.kidrobot.com/collections/godzilla/products/godzilla-nissin-cup-noodles-lanyard-pin-set-nycc-2022-con-exclusive?variant=40339720536161)
$ 30.00
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0584/3841/products/NYCC-Godzilla-x-Cup-Noodles-Lanyard-and-Pin-Set_0000_NYCC-Godzilla-Pin-4_288x288.jpg?v=1662048812Limited to 800 pieces worldwide!

Take the world’s most famous kaiju with you anywhere! The Godzilla x Nissin Cup Noodles® Lanyard and 4pc Pin Set features Godzilla and the incredibly delicious Cup Noodles® for a tasty mashup that will help you keep track of badges, keys, and more. It includes a colorful printed lanyard and a 4-pack of 1.5” enamel pins to enjoy!

Noodles (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69740-Noodles)
Godzilla (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67348-Godzilla)

[GeneChing]

Taiwan restaurant launches 'Godzilla' crocodile ramen (https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4928732)
Customer says steamed crocodile resembles chicken, braised version tastes like pork feet
By Lyla Liu, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2023/06/26 16:08
https://tnimage.s3.hicloud.net.tw/photos/2023/06/26/1687766635-6499466b4ed7e.jpg
A restaurant in Douliu City introduces "Godzilla" ramen featuring crocodile meat as its main ingredient. (Facebook, Nu Wu Mao Kuei photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A restaurant in Douliu City, Yunlin County debuted its "Godzilla" ramen featuring crocodile meat as its main ingredient.

Nu Wu Mao Kuei (女巫貓葵) announced on Facebook the launch of its "Godzilla" ramen, which is prepared by steaming or braising the front leg of a crocodile. In a clip, a young female customer samples both flavors and describes the dish as surprisingly delicious.

She says the steamed version of the dish resembles chicken, while the braised meat has a taste similar to pork feet. The soup contains over 40 spices, and the owner reportedly learned how to make the spicy "witch soup" during a trip to Thailand, SETN reported

The crocodiles used for this dish are sourced from a farm in Taitung. The owner was inspired by the giant isopods ramen, which went viral at another restaurant.

The owner has reportedly received private messages from those expressing interest in the dish, but so far, only several bloggers have tried it. Taiwanese actress Ning Chang (張鈞甯) visited the store and complimented their beef noodle, according to the Facebook page.

The dish is priced at NT$1,500 (US$48) per bowl and is exclusively available for dining inside. The restaurant requires online bookings, as the farm provides only about two portions per day.

"Godzilla" ramen features crocodile meat in spicy soup. (Facebook, Nu Wu Mao Kuei video)

Chinese-food (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?16444-Chinese-food)
Godzilla (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67348-Godzilla)

[GeneChing]

24-Hour Godzilla Channel Coming to Pluto TV With Exclusive Films (https://comicbook.com/anime/news/godzilla-channel-pluto-tv-24-hours-exclusive-movies/)
By NICK VALDEZ - June 27, 2023 10:00 am EDT

Godzilla is coming to Pluto TV with a huge new channel dedicated to showing off tons of Godzilla movies and shows 24 hours a day with some exclusive films to boot! TOHO's famous Kaiju has been stomping through many eras since the giant monster was first introduced back in the 1950s, and has since amassed a massive library of TV shows and movies that fans still enjoy to this day. Now Pluto TV has made checking out your favorite Godzilla projects easier than ever before with a new streaming channel with the platform highlighting all of the biggest and best Godzilla outings over the years!

Pluto TV has announced a new Godzilla channel filled with not only classics such as the original 1954 Godzilla debut film, Godzilla vs. Megalon, and more but even left-field additions such as the animated Godzilla: The Series from the late '90s and early '00s. But the biggest surprise is that this new Godzilla channel will also offer up seven Godzilla films that are exclusive to Pluto TV as fans won't be able to find them streaming anywhere else. Read on to see the massive list of movies and TV shows coming to Pluto TV's new Godzilla channel launching on July 1st.

https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2023/06/27/9aaa3136-fccf-41fc-a902-3ba4e235642c/pluto-tv-godzilla-channel-logo.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200&height=675&crop=1.778:1,smart
(Photo: Pluto TV)
Godzilla Movies and Shows Coming to Pluto TV

All Monsters Attack (Godzilla's Revenge)
Godzilla 1999
Godzilla 2000
Godzilla (1954)
Godzilla Raids Again
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956)
Mothra
Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Invasion of the Astro-Monster
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster)
Son of Godzilla
Destroy All Monsters
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
Godzilla vs. Gigan
Godzilla vs. Megalon
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Terror of Mechagodzilla
The Return of Godzilla / Godzilla 1985 (Pluto TV Exclusive)
Godzilla vs. Biollante (Pluto TV Exclusive)
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (Pluto TV Exclusive)
Godzilla vs. Mothra (Pluto TV Exclusive)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2 (Pluto TV Exclusive)
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (Pluto TV Exclusive)
Godzilla vs. Destroyah (Pluto TV Exclusive)
Rebirth of Mothra
Rebirth of Mothra 2
Rebirth of Mothra 3
Godzilla: The Series
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monster All-Out Attack
Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Godzilla: Final Wars
Pluto TV teases the new 24-Hour Godzilla channel as such, "The King of the Monsters has made landfall on Pluto TV! Emerging in 1954, Godzilla has become a global icon and symbol that has transcended time and pop culture. After debuting as a terror that descended upon Tokyo, Godzilla has fought numerous foes and gained new allies over several distinct eras. While each film stands alone in its own moment in time, the evolution of Godzilla followed advancements and film and technology along with cultural trends, yet always staying rooted in the origins from 1954. Today, fans can celebrate one of the world's most renowned entertainment characters with Godzilla channel collection and experience their favorite movie moments from the never-ending clash between kaiju and humankind."
I know friends who will totally get into this...

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlceGpbGgvE

[GeneChing]

https://godzilla.com/cdn/shop/articles/Godzilla-day_preview.jpg?v=1697055633


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Md3hnqD-Dw

[GeneChing]

Best Godzilla film I’ve seen in decades. Might be the best Godzilla film of all.

It’s a period piece, harkening back to Godzilla’s post-WWII roots. It reclaims the atomic nightmare metaphor with a vengeance, coupled with a more profound sense of PTSD. It’s paced like the original, thoughtful slower scenes in between wanton destruction. The human story is astonishingly poignant, and there’s some war wise gems dropped like A-bombs. An authentic rebirth of the essential of Godzilla. When that classic Godzilla theme sounded, it was like how the Bond theme came in the end of Craig’s Casino Royale claiming the crown for a new generation.

And when Godzilla attacks, it’s awesome. This is the Godzilla I remember, only updated its modern day special effects. I want to see this again in IMAX in the front row.

Such a powerful statement, beautifully told. I got misty at the end.

Top KFM4M recommendations. Treat yourself to this on the big screen.

Godzilla (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67348-Godzilla)
Godzilla Minus One (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72647-Godzilla-Minus-One)

Note - it's incredibly annoying that WB is trying to steal Toho's thunder by dropping a teaser for Godzilla x Kong : The New Empire (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71975-Godzilla-vs-Kong&p=1325738#post1325738) now...