Comments (Page 323)

"I don't know about art"

That is abundantly clear.

I'm a simple guy, I don't know about art but I know what I like. Don't get me wrong i do like Tokusatsu movies. I just don't like when people bash on western style film making because its not Japan!

I think I actually have Kalat's book. Got it as a Christmas present a couple years ago, if I recall correctly.

The Hooded Figure,
Good quote. Straight out of his book if I recall.

This quote by David Kalat seems relevant:

”American audiences conditioned to expect realism conclude anything short of that goal must be a mistake. By contrast, Japanese art often values beauty, poetry, and fantasy above realism”

Xenotaris,
No, I don't think Japan should make Godzilla movies because of their style of special effects--Nowhere did I remotely say that. But since you decided to unpack this can of worms, your comparison between Hollywood going back to stop-motion and Japan's tokusatsu makes no sense in any form.

The difference is, tokusatsu is still produced in Japan today and on a yearly basis. Meanwhile, stop motion has been left behind in Hollywood. You continue to operate under the false pretense that tokusatsu is outdated for its techniques and assume that unless visuals looks "realistic" it's not very good. This is an extraordinarily narrow assumption.

You don't seem to understand the difference between representational art and presentational art. Representational art is meant to "represent" what something may look like in our reality. Take Jurassic Park, for instance. The entire point of that film's special effects was to look as realistic as possible because it was suppose to represent what these creatures might look like in our reality.

Presentational art does not. It presents its own reality, assuming the function of creating a look and feel that does not and can not exist in our reality. Let's use Ultraman in this case: Miniatures are supposed to look like miniatures, monsters are supposed to look unrealistic and the stories often fit the mold of the visuals, allowing for more fanciful storytelling.

However, this doesn't mean the filmmakers slop any miniature down and use that as an excuse. Within the context of tokusatsu's presentational pieces is a standard of filmmaking. Quality depends on the detail of the miniatures, the angles of the shots, the way they fill up frames and spaces, the lighting, etc.

What you get wrong is it's not about practical vs. CG. It's about style vs. style: Presentational vs. representational. CG is Hollywood's go-to, fast-food style. There's no way to escape it and just because it looks "real" doesn't mean it looks interesting. I far prefer the look and feel of tokusatsu where the visuals are more interesting because it looks and feels different. The filmmakers have to depend on physical craftsmanship, depth-of-field, lighting tricks and low angles to create a sense of scale where there is none--And that's far more fascinating than the CG blockbuster of the week we're subjected to every other day in the west.

So now if you're done helping me derail the topic, move along.

Xenotaris,
"Over-assessed fan conjecture," not over-assed.

I don't care about any of your pseudo-scientific suspicions. The fact is this is what has been officially canonized and has not been contradicted in any other movie or official source books since then. That's what Anguirus is. The end.

Christ, I can't wait for the Monsterverse to end so we can get back to proper fantasy kaiju epics that are riddled with metaphor instead of this over-obsession with "realistic" paleo-nonsense.

So what you are saying is that only Japan should make Godzilla movies because of an outdated special effects? It would be like asking for Hollywood movies to return to stop motion over CGI. I mean i'm all for practical effects that look convincing and CGI that looks convincing.

I think people like to hate on CGI because its popular; and this is coming from a guy who does like practical effects. But practical effects can only take you so far. This was realized by hollywood in the 90's with the Jurassic Park series. The Jurassic Park movies were revolutionary not because of their practical effects like the animatronics and full body puppets but because of its CGI.

@GH Man

I wasn't saying that as over-assed fan. I was saying at a scientific, zoological, and paleontological viewpoint that the creature cannot be a ankylosaurus for multiple reasons. I am very well aware that japan's dinosaur knowledge back in the 50's was severely wonky, like seriously dinosaurs dying off 4 million years ago. 

You can't tell me that a green reptilian creature that has a frog-like tongue, has five fingers, eats fruits, and wears tennis shoes a Tyrannosaurus. Because Tyrannosaurus has glaring anatomical differences from a Yoshi. T. rex has two fingers on tiny little arms, eats meat, and being a a stem-bird most definitely doesn't have a sticky tongue.

Would you mistaken a Chihuahua for a German Shepard? Of coarse not because we all know that Chihuahua and German Shepards have difference that separate these two dog breeds.

Also canon in Godzilla seems to be dependent on either Era or movie to movie basis. Godzilla can't seem to make up its mind what kind of creature it wants to be: a Hypothetical prehistoric aquatic reptile, a mutated dinosaur, a mutated marine iguana, a collection of angry WWII spirits, a dinosauromorph, a mutated modern-day deep sea creature, or a giant reptilian tree.

Honk honk

Sorta hard to do this since the 20s predate the nuclear age, but an interesting setting nonetheless.

he looks like a muto

Some things to know about this period: prohibition, alcoholism, gangsters, sex, loose morals, decadence, bunch of snobby rich people, parties, and strong class divide. 

The years are a bit off, but I can imagine Godzilla bringing destruction while a jazz band keeps playing as the city gets crumbled around them ala Titanic.

It just has to be in the roaring 20s.

Does jazz have to be a thematic part of the storyline? Or just the mid-to-late 20s and 30s?

ChrisRemix  As it stands now, it sounds like Godzilla will be drawn to Skull Island by whatever seismic disturbances are going on, and Kong is unhappy with him intruding on his territory, and the outside world interfering with his in general.

Are these epic?

@JurassicKaiju14 An actual motive would definitely make for a stronger story on both their ends.

@Monster_Zero 2112 It seems more like a prophecy than anything. Then again, the Godzilla v Ghidorah painting depicted an actual event so I'm not too sure. I feel like that reveal was a bit lazy since we already had a fight depicted by cave painting.

On the MonsterVerse size chart of the time, and the question wich titan hwos appeared two.

Anguirus as an ice-elemental-ish creature? Interesting. I can get behind that. It'd make an interesting contrast to MonsterVerse!Rodan...

Actually, I'm working on a personal rewrite of KOTM, and I plan on giving Anguirus a few cameos amongst the awakened Titans. Do you mind if I do something similar to this?

 This works really well for us, thank you! talktosonic.com

I don't care about over-assessed fan conjecture of a fantasy series because it doesn't fit with what you think it should be. Like it or not, that's officially and canonically what it is.

Deal with it.

I don't care about the Toho's insane justifications, it just doesn't look like an ankylosaurus at all. The head is too crocodilian, even if it were mutated, it wouldn't look like that. It would be like saying Dogs are mutated cows

I don’t really care if there is a lot of human interactions or just a little bit. I just want to see each Titan interact with one another. And I want to know what the cave painting was depicting.

November 20th rightfully belongs to GvK! Disney/Pixar/Marvel and Universal should pick different dates or put their movies on digital platforms like Disney+ and/or Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. This movie is a rematch of the two most iconic monsters of all time and I will not stand for this. I REFUSE!

NICE! That’s the first Godzilla poem I’ ever heard.

I just want to know if the cave painting was a prophecy or just depicting an event that had happened thousands of years ago.

Sounds like we see eye-to-eye pretty much.

As for my more specific wants, I kind of want to see both Godzilla and Kong have a "point" in the reason for their conflict. Like you can understand both of their positions and motives.

According to the characters in Godzilla Raids Again and the "Godzilla Monsters All Overall Encyclopedia", Anguirus was a giant Ankylosaurus that was awoken and irradiated by atomic tests like Godzilla. Furthermore, the first Anguirus was from Siberia, according to the "Common Knowledge of Godzilla" book. It's unknown where the second came from.

Anguirus's name is even derived from the Japanese spelling of the name anklyosaurus.

I love that shot of Godzilla on Alcatraz.

Oh, sorry. Confused the two when typing this.

wait Angurius looks nothing like an ankylosaurus, he more resembles a kaiju-fied Kaprosuchus than any ankylosaurus

This works really well for us, thank you!

The final nail in the coffin of the Monsterverse.

Unless the movie gets delayed.

Just what the world needs... another goofy Pixar movie. Not everyone of Pixar's efforts made good money. Shitzney makes crap films anyway in my opinion. I hope a giant kaiju foot comes down hard on the "competition".

See ya at the theaters.

Battra is next up

XluvniazX13579 Not likely.