tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post5054199314554324154..comments2015-01-19T07:44:04.414-08:00Comments on The Nostalgic Attic: The Nostalgic Attic's guide to... GODZILLAJP Mulvanettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381363705787780363noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-37238116315118813542014-07-14T20:41:13.220-07:002014-07-14T20:41:13.220-07:00You have inspired me - let me see what I can get t...You have inspired me - let me see what I can get together in the not too distant future.Craig Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06037542638067599437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-19181392883519661512014-07-14T02:04:09.224-07:002014-07-14T02:04:09.224-07:00Thanks Craig, would love to see your top ten!Thanks Craig, would love to see your top ten!JP Mulvanettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05381363705787780363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-48770985147668809232014-07-13T20:05:41.592-07:002014-07-13T20:05:41.592-07:00This is a great post - a wonderful primer for thos...This is a great post - a wonderful primer for those who missed out on the great Saturday and Sunday afternoon TV screenings back in the day. Well thought out Ten to See as well. Craig Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06037542638067599437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-79624771132711603562014-05-16T04:59:19.935-07:002014-05-16T04:59:19.935-07:00Wes, that's all very reasonable, I went throug...Wes, that's all very reasonable, I went through a point in my early twenties where I was quite dismissive on many genre films (I think we've discussed that before) and in fairness, if a film was going to push you over the edge, Diary of the Dead is the one that could do it. The film annoyed me no end, and I attempted to re-watch it recently, and found it the exact same. I wouldn't dare even put Prometheus near my Blu Ray player, as idiotic and entertaining as it was, I think it would just really wind me up on a second viewing. Still, sometimes you need to just put the emotions you experience over the rationality of what you are watching, especially in the horror genre.<br /><br />Excellent, the Daimajin set is great, and if you are good for Mill Creek, do yourself a favour and pick up their trilogy of Gamera films from the 90's if you haven't already gotten them. They actually surpass the Godzilla series in many ways, and the final installment blew my socks off. <br /><br />Sounds like you have some great stuff lined up for the weekend, can you believe I haven't seen The Mysterians or Atragon? Both are on my list, so I really need to get to it, being a die-hard 50's sci-fi kinda guy. Love to hear your thoughts on them when you get finished.<br /><br />JP Mulvanettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05381363705787780363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-31670575528550482042014-05-16T03:04:56.821-07:002014-05-16T03:04:56.821-07:00John, I have an explanation for Cloverfield. When ...John, I have an explanation for <b><i>Cloverfield</i></b>. When I first saw the film (on DVD) I was a little underwhelmed – I liked it but at that point I really had my fill of the found footage film. That ancient argument of why would you continue to film under such extreme circumstances, really reached its tipping point with a screening of <b><i>Diary of the Dead</i></b> – there’s a scene early on it that film where the cameraman strays in front of a mirror to reveal him lugging around a huge heavy camera while zombies are flying out of the woodwork – with that scene I thought the found footage film has crossed the rubicon and I though <i>oh fuck it, I’ve had enough of this</i>. Even the epistolary format of something like Bram Stoker’s <i>Dracula</i> was bothering me – the idea that a band of people battling vampires would gather their thoughts and take the time to write it all up in their journals, was prosperous. Thinking about it now, the problem wasn’t <i>Dracula</i> or George Romero, but <i>me</i> – for a time I seem to have gotten stuck rationalizing the films I was watching, which is a bad business to be in for someone who loves Phantasmagoria. Thankfully, it didn’t last, I think a few weeks of Lovecraft-reading put paid to all that and since then I’ve gone back to <b><i>Cloverfield</i></b> with fresh eyes and have really come 'round to it, as a smart, stylish, expertly judged, modern classic. I’m even starting to like <b><i>Prometheus</i></b> as well these days... ANYWAY ! I’ll slip off the psychiatrist’s chair and try steer this comment back on to the business as hand – all this Godzilla stuff has me pretty excited – I’ve got Mill Creek’s Blu of the <b><i>Daimajin</i></b> trilogy winging its way from the US and after that I’m gonna grab the Section 23 Godzilla films. In the meantime, if I can grab some time at the weekend (I’ve already got some Masters of Cinema and Flipside titles lined up), I’d like to revisit <b><i>The Mysterians</i></b> and <b><i>Atragon</i></b>. Both films didn’t quite grab me like <b><i>Matango</i></b> (which is one of the great Sci-fi Horrors of the 60’s), so the time is just right to re-acquaint myself with them…Weshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10502948357255970132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-28535580969223815292014-05-16T01:22:44.599-07:002014-05-16T01:22:44.599-07:00Wes, no problem at all, and thanks for the suggest...Wes, no problem at all, and thanks for the suggestion! I'm the same as you; start from the start, but that could actually put people off, I think. As the tone of the films differ wildly from each generation, so do our tastes when growing up. And there is no continuity that you REALLY need to worry about, just pick a few titles, sit back and have a blast. Saying that, there is still no guarantee you will even enjoy my choices - many of these lists are dogged with nostalgia - but it's a good place to start, and will help determine which stuff you like and don't like.<br /><br />The art work has always been incredible, I've been campaigning for Godzilla posters in our house for years! We just don't have any more wall space at the moment, sadly. Cloverfield was one I caught in the cinema knowing nothing about it or the producers, and I was blown away. It was stuck in my head for days, and I still love it. It did some really smart things, like keeping the action from eye level - seems simple and obvious, but it was something that rarely happened in 'giant monster' films - and the same goes for focusing on the real, everyday people, and not the military or scientists. <br /><br />That Beastie Boys video is definitely a classic. We were definitely too old for the whole Power Rangers thing too, in the mid 90's, but I wonder how kids who grew up with it would feel about the old Godzilla films. There is probably a part of their reptile brain still yearning for guys in rubber suits trashing cities...<br /><br />Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla sounds like the heaviest heavy metal band ever! I have a soft spot for Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack! just due to the sheer madness of naming a film that. You should see the title sequence...JP Mulvanettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05381363705787780363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-20458388149680984512014-05-16T01:10:07.991-07:002014-05-16T01:10:07.991-07:00I’m the guy in the first sentence of this excellen...I’m the guy in the first sentence of this excellent primer so this is exactly the kind of <i>Rough Guide to Godzilla</i> I was looking for, and with 28 films deep, (wow!) picking out 10 big hitters is much appreciated – as is my habit with these kind of things, my instinct is to go from the beginning but it’s not always the best approach... Great posters as well John, the artwork is consistently brilliant throughout, <b><i>Godzilla Vs King Ghidorah</i></b> is especially fantastic... I’ve only seen a few Godzilla films over the years but I’m definitely a Godzilla for President kind of a guy - I just like the idea of a man in a rubber suit stomping his way through a toy-town metropolis. Most definitely agree about <b><i>Cloverfield</i></b>, and <b><i>The Host</i></b> (the two I’ve seen) – <b><i>Cloverfield</i></b> is a film I’m warming up to more and more with every screening, and I also love Adam Yauch’s video for The Beastie Boys’ <i>Intergalactic</i> with the Robot squaring off against the Octopus Monster – a great homage.... Yes, <b><i>Destroy All Monsters</i></b> really is one of <i>the</i> great movie tiles, and if a proto-Detroit no wave band hadn’t lifted the name, somebody else would have. <b><i>Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla</i></b> has a nice ring to it as well, it rolls off the tongue with a pleasing symmetry ! Wonderful stuff John !Weshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10502948357255970132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-3957155774537982652014-05-15T11:42:24.364-07:002014-05-15T11:42:24.364-07:00That isn't even the worst offence against scie...That isn't even the worst offence against science in Godzilla films. I'm pretty sure they rip the spacetime continuum a new asshole a few times, too.JP Mulvanettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05381363705787780363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-50919416958599731922014-05-15T11:11:14.878-07:002014-05-15T11:11:14.878-07:00'DNA inside the skeleton recognises Godzilla&#...'DNA inside the skeleton recognises Godzilla's roar, sending the Mech haywire'... What I love is that they try to keep it as grounded and realistic as they can. SCIENCE!!! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13144852600918770962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-76621007607751641862014-05-15T10:45:16.446-07:002014-05-15T10:45:16.446-07:00It's really great fun; but hey, I will root fo...It's really great fun; but hey, I will root for Godzilla no matter what he's doing!JP Mulvanettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05381363705787780363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8738025286483185751.post-84806360976257705912014-05-15T10:11:08.079-07:002014-05-15T10:11:08.079-07:00Quite enjoyed number 9 the other night! Even with ...Quite enjoyed number 9 the other night! Even with Godzilla as the villain I was still rooting for him!The Low Fat Foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14815056712293361030noreply@blogger.com