shin rowan All right? Let's clap on 25
kkoeser Right? And then intro in 3
shin rowan Hooray.
shin rowan Hello welcome back to total massacre the science fiction movie podcast that used to be an action movie podcast hosted by yours truly Rowan Kaiser we are joined as ever by Carly volocci.
Carli Your worship hello.
shin rowan And number one going down emergency slide Super fan cav coser.
kkoeser Yes, yeah, that's me.
Carli All bunkers need emergency super slides.
shin rowan And I co-host of the one piece podcast and our friend Alex Kazanis and and a godzilla expert for today's movie to finish off modern modern monster movie march.
Alex Hello Glad to be here.
shin rowan Ah, with Shin Godzilla from a 2016 ah reboot reimagining. Ah fun god zill life joy ride through japanese bureaucracy. Um, we were after.
Carli Everybody loves Japanese bureaucracy. It's such a fun time. Oh God yeah.
shin rowan After this movie I think we can make that case. Ah I yeah I I'm I'm quite happy. We chose this as as the last one I had not seen it or Godzilla minus one which were the 2 like main choices that we had but godzilla minus one I don't think has gotten a.
Alex Yeah Ediaka Ao especially loves it.
kkoeser This is no yeah.
shin rowan Full home release yet. So we ended up going with this one by default. But there's a lot of things to talk about here's that yeah I think we're all with the bad. Yes Carly.
Carli So I actually learned I learned that the reason Godzilla Minus one isn't on streaming is because toho and legendary have a have a have an agreement that. They like a toho production and a legendary one can't be competing with each other. Um, So basically once Godzilla X Kong Ah runs like goes to theaters leaves theaters goes to streaming then we can expect minus one to come around. Yeah.
Alex That sucks. Yeah.
shin rowan With.
kkoeser But that that's also the reason why it's godzilla minus one because the Seventieth anniversary movie but this year's the anniversary they had to to move it a year forward minus one year off 70 because of godzilla calm.
shin rowan Well that this seems.
Carli I mean it also has to do with ah other things in the movie but I get you? um.
kkoeser Well yeah, but is that that's one of the several linking reasons.
Alex Fun with titles which is which is ah you know I have a few fun facts about this particular film. We're going to talk about as well as far as like double meanings within titles goes. It's kind of interesting.
shin rowan Go for it.
Carli Yeah, we were talking about Shin earlier before you hopped on.
kkoeser Um, oh yeah.
Alex So right on and.
shin rowan It hit us with it I think we're we're just we're just doing this now. Forget any kind of intro.
Carli And.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
Alex So ah, what were you all talking about because I ah just to if you want to get the ball rolling because we might have this impact.
shin rowan Well Wikipedia said there was a triple meaning ah that it it can mean god and it can mean new and it can mean true which ah did all of those are good. Good titles for a Godzilla movie especially coming out in. Pseudo competition with ah and some american bullshit from a couple of years before you.
Alex Um, that's that's the long and short of it. Yeah, ah, the true Godzilla 1 I think is really interesting considering. Ah let's see after they stopped making Godzilla movies. Ah toa stop making godz old movies for a while and then um, the Matthew Broderick 1 came out and then they released Godzilla 2000 and then they stopped again for a while and then legendary had their first one come out in 2014 and then when this one came out. Ah you know it it sort of could be like oh well. Okay, that was the american guides all but this is the real like this is this is the real guide. Zo this is Toho's too's baby. Um.
shin rowan So that's actually sort of the way I was introduced to this movie and like I'm not a person who would like seeking out Godzilla movies at the time. So I just saw like stray tweets that were like yeah the american ones? Okay, but this is the real Godzilla shit. Like okay and then I started watching this and I was like this is not at all what I expect I don't know what I expected but the documentary about the government responding to Godzilla was definitely not ah in my list and it took a little bit to get used to. But it's it's a pretty exciting way to. Way to make the movie I think.
Carli It's such a good idea to like sit down. You're ready for a godzilla movie and then all of a sudden you get a political dark comedy about Japanese bureaucracy and you're just like what happened it's so good.
shin rowan Yeah, and then like watching it with subtitles on which I assume is how most of us here watch that like.
kkoeser Um.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
Carli Yes.
shin rowan It's got like all these characters labeled at the top of this screed with the subtitles of what they're saying along the bottom it. It's just like bombarding you with text I was very close to turning on the dub just to like be able to manage to process both these things at once. And if that slows down once the characters are all introduced Slash killed. But um, it's still. It's still of extra layer of disorientation for for American audiences or Non- Japanesee speaking audiences.
Carli M.
Alex Um I ended up watching the dub this time I I was like why not? Ah and it's it's pretty good. It's its fine. It's the funimation dub so you have you know your standards you have Yourriss Sabots and your sabbots rather your ah.
kkoeser Um, well.
Alex Chris Kason ah I think Ed blalocks and a Barry Andl a lot of lot of folks. You'd recognized if you watched anime dubs um from funimation.
shin rowan Yeah, um, this seems like a good a good time to switch back to our usual intro which is where we talk to people about their relationship with the movie and Godzilla overall Alex since you specifically requested being on here as a godzilla. Number 1 godzilla super fan. Um, with we'll start with you how many times have you seen this movie and what's your what's your overall relationship with Godzilla.
Alex I've seen. Okay, so I've seen this movie like maybe 3 times. Ah so I'm not like I wouldn't say that I'm a like I think I think calling me a Godzilla expert is ah is is very kind. But um I know so many other people who who dee more qualified to sit in this chair.
shin rowan Okay.
Alex Um, but I will say that I think yeah I've seen this movie a handful of times my relationship with Godzilla started with mystery science theater three thousand um, in the you know yeah late 90 s and um I didn't see a proper godzilla movie until maybe seven years ago um
shin rowan No, as it should.
Alex When I started doing a podcast called toho yaro which is a I mean if you can tell by the name we covered a lot of toho films as well as um, just is japanese film across the board who's me and 2 other hosts we um would watch a movie every week and then sort of discuss it like a book club. Type format and um, right? Ah and it was nice because the 3 of us would often just recommend movies to each other and then we were like well let's just make it a podcast and you know it'll force us to sort of ah you know, watch the movies that we each recommend and um.
shin rowan What a great idea for a podcast.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
Alex You know, ah more often than not we enjoyed what we watched. Ah, this was the second godzilla movie that I ever saw. Ah, the first movie I ever the first godzilla movie I think I ever saw proper was the original. Ah so I went from the original to this one and ah the um.
kkoeser Are.
Alex Yeah, the the dissonance couldn't be any greater I think um, humongous ah like just I don't know blew me away in in many aspects and when the criterion godzilla set came out I had to buy that. Ah so I've seen most of the films in that in that set as well. Ah, by and large this is probably my favorite or second favorite of all the godsil is um, just because of what they do. Ah, it's it's such a cool and interesting take on the ah on the series and.
shin rowan Okay.
kkoeser Function about us. Yeah.
Alex It sort of goes back to its roots as far as like allegory goes where you know where in the original Godzilla was largely an allegory for you know the ah invention of the atomic bomb and and you know, ah and the ah the. Catastrophic events at hiroshima and agasaki. Ah, this one sort of tackles. Ah, you know there's there's there's ways of of you know, ah connecting some dots between the events in this film and the fukushima.
kkoeser Yeah, yeah, it some alive.
Alex Ah, daicche disaster as well as the tsunami from a few years before ah so you sort of have that like parallel when it comes to the original guds low. So I really like that aspect of it.
shin rowan Yeah, um I think that that shows up pretty loud and clear here. Ah Carla you were ah extremely excited last week when we were covering. Nope um to to get into this and. You know this? this movie is a good companion piece to both the host and note I think and any kind of answer movie. So ah, yeah, like what What's your excitement level. What was your excitement level there where did that come from and what's your overall relationship with Godzilla.
Carli I had the same thought.
Carli Yeah, so um I was maybe 8 years old when the american godzilla came out with Matthew Brodrick and so I had a very ah skewed.
shin rowan You know.
Carli Ah, image of what Godzilla was for a while um as a lot of us probably did because that is not godzill that is a giant dinosaur has not Godzilla um, and it was until later that I was like oh there's like. Like actually discovering the gods the actual godzilla stuff and I've seen like the original a couple times. There's like a couple others I've seen I wouldn't call myself a godzilla. Um, super fan by any stretch. But I love I love monster movies. And these are you know the ultimate monster movies whether you want something you know very sort of deep and profound and horrifying or you want something incredibly stupid. Um, so it runs the gamut. Um wait I saw Chen Godzilla in the theater actually because. Ah, when it came out. It had a very limited ah unite ah north american theatrical run and because I was in Los Angeles at the time I was able to actually go see it. It was like the one day was playing in that theater and it was a blast It's so fun to watch. Ah, Godzilla movie with a bunch of people who don't know what to expect? Um, but also it's just great to watch godzilla blow people up and the the cheer in the crowd when godzilla blew up the americans was like yeah and it was so funny and it was so great I had such a great time.
kkoeser Um, suspicious.
Carli I haven't seen Shin Godzilla since I saw it in the movie theater. So I was very excited to just like revisit it. Um, and as you said Rowan. Ah this makes a great companion piece with nope and the host because these are all sort of subversions of. Like classic monster movies. Ah through the lens of people who grew up with monster movies right? So it's very much postmodern like Sci Fi Monster movies ah from the hose nope and now this. So.
shin rowan Yeah.
Carli Was very excited and I had seen Godzill Minus one when it was in the theater so I was excited to also go back and sort of compare these two because um godzilla minus one Chin Godzilla you know have are the 2 of the newest toho. Ah. Live action movies because to host done a bunch of like anime and other stuff that aren't that great. Um, so was also excited just sort of compare them and I think godzi and minus one my top shin godzilla for me right now. But I have. I imagine in a little while it's gonna they're going to switch again because they both offer extremely different things. Um, in regards to god a godzilla story but they're both you know talking about like japanese. Culture and history in a way. That's very interesting to an outsider of that like I know that like like this one like shin godzilla is very much about ah the fukushima disaster and the tsunami. Ah so. Sort of knew that going in but just like seeing you know a perspective on the government's response to all of that um was very interesting. So yeah I was just like generally very excited to watch this especially after we've been through covered.
shin rowan Effort.
Carli Um, with ah and a similarly very slow and terrible government response and now we're dealing with the um, the the Israeli Gaza stuff and how slow our government is responding to that and it's sort of just like it's It's always relevant.
kkoeser Um, as I.
Carli I'll say that.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah, um, cav how about you.
kkoeser Yeah, absolutely um, my first godzi movie in general was actually in college taking a japanese film class. That's one and a half movies covered this month then I locked watched in college. Um, I mean this movie specifically I watched the first time for the podcast had a great time in between I I've seen the Gareth Edwards 2014 Godzilla and like that and saw godzilla versus Kong in a drive-in Theater March Twenty Twenty so both were like okay but not quite at the originals level. Um, and then I saw godz mass one in theaters recently and that was like a great time and I I think I would rank like like the not to say the only 3 Godzilla movies but the three great godzis I've seen I would go. 54 this one minus one but all 3 very close I see him I watch a couple of the sixty s ones when they first put on criterion. Okay, but everyone else was so ah that and I but yes.
shin rowan It's so it's okay to not rank them it. It's okay to not rank them. You don't have to.
Carli Um, I'm sorry.
kkoeser Um, I yeah I saw a few the six s ones that went on criterion and I've seen the 90 s one very recently and was very bored by it also just like oh this like rolling my eyes at it. But um, yeah, that's my godzilla history. Oh and I've also seen the MST 3 k episodes with Godzilla in him.
shin rowan If.
shin rowan If if everyone else was jumping off a bridge while ranking Buffy Seasons would you do that to kev.
kkoeser Well so yeah I've I've gotten my sample platter.
Carli I.
kkoeser Only because I haven't seen buffet yet. So get me get to me in like 2027 when I finally watched the only major joss weed didn't work I haven't seen.
shin rowan You I you'll do we could do a podcast where we go through each episode once a week um
Carli Oh my God can't wait.
kkoeser Ah I mean but maybe went running out of star trek in like 2040
shin rowan Yeah, so my relationship with god deal was probably kind of close to Alex' ' although I didn't like go all in at the same level. But yeah I I'm pretty sure I had seen like at least bits and pieces if not like most of the original godzilla on cable at some point and then mstthreek came along and. Got got your your camera and your godzilla and all those things and I like I saw saw several ah several Godzilla movies in that way. But I've never like latched on to to the big guy I don't think I saw either of the um. Circa 2000 ones although godzilla 2000 something about the name just strikes me as super familiar. So maybe I did see that. Um.
Alex And 1 of the biggest things that happened one of the most memorable things that happens in Godzilla 2000 that you know I think went viral is ah Toho Godzilla fights ah the Matthew Broderick ah movie Godzilla and just completely whoops its ass.
shin rowan Oh yeah I have seen like that virally. But I don't think I saw it. It's like part of the movie. Um, yeah I So then like I kind of left godsilla alone for a while I.
Alex Yeah, yeah.
shin rowan I had like a two foot high godzilla toy that I carried around the country with me when I was in my twenty s but I I eventually left that behind on yet another cross country move and I seriously regret that even though like I've done 3 or 4 cross country moves since but it's it would be nice to have a giant Godzilla I mean. Not giant compared to actual Godzilla but it would be nice to have that that godzilla in my life again. So like I do have a a certain fondness for the big guy. Um I did not see any of the modern movies until the last year or so either the japanese or the american ones. But.
kkoeser Um, whos in his.
shin rowan Um, when I was like getting in the science fiction mood. Ah for for switching this podcast over and such I did finally check out the the twenty fourteen american one and it was fine. Um I I saw there was an interview with ah Walter White um whose real name. My boy Brian K Cra said there we go Babylon Five's Brian Cranston where he was like I don't understand why my character died he should have been alive for the whole movie and I was like that. Yes, that's that's the problem with that movie is that it's missing a grumpy old man. Um, yeah, um.
Carli Brian Cranston a
kkoeser Yeah.
Carli It's missing charisma.
kkoeser Yeah.
shin rowan I did I I mean I liked it fairly well and I would watch more of the Monster Universe movies if if like they fell into my lap. Maybe I'll grab them someday next time I'm renting movies but like it's it wasn't a thing that super motivated me but I had always seen. Yeah.
kkoeser Yeah, when they fall into your lap is yeah the the perfect way.
Carli They're okay.
shin rowan I had always seen people being like hey ah this is the real shit shit god diilla is the real shit and they did it again with godzilla minus one especially after king of the monsters like really pissed off a bunch of Godzilla fans for it's like fit pro nuclear message. Ah yeah.
Carli It was weird it was weird mothra shows up and that was great. Um, and the two thousand and fourteen one like the third act is really great but like like when Godzilla like takes the mutto's mouth and just like.
kkoeser Ah, often.
shin rowan Um, yeah.
Carli Nuclear Blas into it. You're just like yeah ah yeah, like all the movies have good parts doesn't mean they're good movies but it's got some good parts.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah, there's yeah yeah I I saw like 2 thirds of the people I so knew who watched it were like this is the worst movie of the series I hate it so much.
Alex Um, that's the good part of the movie. Yeah I think I think King and the monsters is really dope Actually ah I'm I'm a I'm a defender of that movie I.
kkoeser Um.
shin rowan And then one third of the people are like this fucking rules I saw the trailer and I was like wow this looks like it fucking rules and then I saw all these reviews come out for people who were very attached to Godzilla's lore that who didn't like it. But so yeah I don't know maybe that makes it interesting in of itself we can do it for controversial monster movie month.
Carli I did think about we should do a monster movie month. That's like not subversions of monsters but just monster movies like.
kkoeser Um.
shin rowan Um.
shin rowan Oh yeah, we should definitely do a classic monster movie month and also maybe get something that Jurassic park fits into. Um yeah, and.
kkoeser Yeah.
Carli Dress at park would be great I was also thinking like dumb stuff like Anaconda or like Pla placid Piranha you know all those yes tremors is so good.
kkoeser Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah to I can bring us back to this movie watch me. Try.
shin rowan Tremors. Yeah well Gabbie this is this is where I was going is that like after you know some of these disappointments you had these japanese movieofys come out that people said oh yeah, this is the.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
shin rowan This is the good shit. This is the real shit. So I always like knew shin god dila was supposed to be really good and I saw people saying roughly the same thing but in completely different ways for Godziilla minus one so I was excited to do either of them and this was um.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
shin rowan Really like this one as like a companion piece to the host especially because both of them are very um monster movies through a particular point of view and that this is also a way that they kind of align with Clover field.
Carli The.
kkoeser Um.
shin rowan Which we've talked about not doing but I think is is one that's worth doing as a super important monster movie for how we got here but like this very narrow perspective. Yeah, um, this very narrow perspective and the host It's one particular family is dealing with the monster and they're the ones who like.
Carli Post Nine Eleven month
shin rowan Have the most to do with the monster but they're not like special in any other way and this is this movie is like how the government deals with it. So It's like a completely. It's the macro view instead of the micro view but it's a micro on the macro that I think is is a very compelling. Take on it because like it's easy to get like swept away and this is a monster that's affecting everything so we have to show everything whereas this movie doesn't actually show that much gob Dilas screen time, especially while moving is pretty pretty limited. Um, which is I think makes the middle drag a little bit but it's still it's still a really clever thing if you've ever seen any other kind of monster movie which obviously we have and most people have at this point.
kkoeser Right? Yeah I I Just to that point I Just think it's great that we did this movie and not minus one with host and the note oh with the host and note um the nope.
Carli Third nope.
shin rowan Without.
kkoeser Um, because all 3 are such like to say subversions of the giant monster were it's about something more like if the host was a family kidnapping movie where a giant monster shows up this is in the loop. Also a giant monster shows up. Yeah.
Carli I Also was thinking about in the loop. But it's like in the loop but way fewer curses.
kkoeser Yeah, so yeah, godselma one would fit better in a month with like pacific rim and clover field or tremors because that movie still has things to say but it's it's much more straightforward in how it uses Godzilla whereas. This is definitely going for something a little more high minded right.
Carli It's a post war melodrama with a monster in it like.
kkoeser Right? I but I think Godzilla is more central to that movie than he is to this movie if that makes sense.
Carli Yes I agree yes because he shows up more but it's sort of the similar similar idea where like you know because Godzilla movies have always struggled with how do you balance the human story with the monster story like it's something a lot of movies sort of like get caught up on.
kkoeser And.
Carli And like sometimes they just like well who cares you know about it and then sometimes they're like we got to like put so much people story in it and you're just like ah I don't want to see anymore at Aaron Taylor Johnson in this? Um, but both this and godzilla minus one are.
kkoeser Um.
Carli People centric like Godzilla really doesn't have you don't really go into Godzilla's motivations right? like which the the american monster verse sort of does. It's like what does Godzilla want oh he's territorial or he wants to like.
kkoeser Right.
Carli Fight all the other kaju to be king of monsters and it's just like no, he's just an animal doing what animals do and you you get that in both I would love to see Godzilla on the Discovery Channel to be more realistic than a lot of the other things they put out these days. Um.
shin rowan Like on the Discovery channel.
kkoeser Yeah.
Carli But yeah Godzilla Minus one is also just very much like if it's a postwar melodrama then it's you know it's going to be more sort of focus on Godzilla versus this which is more yeah, it's like Godzilla is a metaphor for a bunch of things.
kkoeser Right.
Carli Including like it has the fukushima and the tsunami stuff in there. But it's we're It's really more just like he's like a plot device in this one? yes.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah, he's he's the thing that makes the government fall quite literally in 1 case but also just.
Carli And.
shin rowan Like for for this story of our our hero our our multiple Heroes navigating their way up the political ranks which is a very explicitly discussed part of this film, especially when the when the like.
kkoeser Um.
shin rowan Chubby Pr guy shows up in the second half and he's like we're we're all just doing this to make sure you could become prime minister or maybe I'll become prime minister but that's that's the reason I'm here I'm just the political ankle here like whatever I don't care about this monster though we're dropping if there were a nuclear bomb on Tokyo yeah. But you'll be prime minister which is yeah, it's it's a very funny kind of ah seediness but it's seediness for the right cause and.
kkoeser Um, so citizen.
shin rowan Yeah,, that's that's sort of what this movie has a lot of is people who are just people stuck in this this situation but instead of like people just trying to survive. It's people who are trying to actually like make the political wheel turn in the way that both benefits them and it benefits the world for. Stopping the rampage in kaiju.
Carli Yet, it's a very interesting view of politics. Um in general because it's like sort of 1 of those things where you know you see um you know Joe Biden say something about you know, like gay people. For example. And you're just sort of like well I'm glad he said it. But I know he's just doing it because it's going to get him elected next time and it's one of those things where you're sort of just like well this does benefit me in the end. So regardless of this politician's motivations for doing good things. I going to take it and it feels like that's sort of what's going on here even though our main character if you can yeah he he's the main character you gucchi is sort of like the good guy politician he's the guy who just like.
shin rowan Yeah.
Carli Wants to help people and he he doesn't care at all about rank even though there are like multiple people buzzing in his ear about you know you could be prime minister if you keep this up and he's just like I just want to get through the next couple weeks guy is like please just like leave me alone.
shin rowan Rando Yaguchi is just I read I obviously ah perhaps obviously that Dave is not like funny in japanese but it's extremely funny to us. Um I just.
Carli Yeah, Randos pretty funny.
Alex This movie is pretty funny I'm going to say. Ah.
Carli Oh it's so funny like this the scene where the prime minister's on Tv and he's just like there's no way its legs can support its weight on land and then immediately it's gotten on land what Cut Godzilla just like crawling on the streets and you're just like this.
kkoeser Oh yeah.
shin rowan Yeah.
Alex Aha a.
Alex Yeah.
shin rowan Okay.
kkoeser Um, 9
Carli Ah, that was just such a beautiful. There's so much editing like good editing jokes in this.
Alex Yeah, it's ah and it's and it's shot really dynamically too I Think that's a credit to anno and his ah and his um guyax Ah Oaku mentality. Um, ah I don't know if you all clocked this. But.
kkoeser Um.
Alex Aside from all the subtitles that we get from. You know all the different characters and their various ah positions all of the ah all the vehicles and stuff have subtitles too which is a total like I'm a nerd and everything has to be labeled so you know exactly what it is. Um, yeah.
shin rowan Yeah.
kkoeser Um.
kkoeser Right.
Alex Like I can imagine like if if somebody did ah if like a star wars fan did ah a star wars ah movie and all the all the ships in the space battle had like ah you know this is the y d ah y t 1000 the freighter you know and I don't know it's it's such a.
shin rowan Ah.
kkoeser Are.
Alex It's such a a taku thing to ah to do that and um I i't I love the pieces carly really quick when you saw it in theaters did ah and have like the giant Kanji um ons screen when ah like a character would show up.
kkoeser Yes.
Carli I was I was trying to remember and I believe so.
Alex Ah, yeah, that was so that's so hide aiano ah for listeners who don't know is the creator of avon geian and ah when that would happen to Avon Gallen characters would show up and still like that you would have these gigantic kanji. Um, that kind of filled the screen in a very cool graphic design way. Ah, and um it it was brought forth again in this movie when when it hit theaters. But I I think either due to complaints because you need that and the english subtitles. It was a little. Hard to read I think home. Ah, the funimation home release doesn't have that. Ah, unfortunately, but to its credit I've I've seen both and it's a lot easier to read ah the subtitles without giant kanji on on screen. Um, but.
shin rowan Pray.
kkoeser Um.
Carli Yeah, after a while I just started ah ignored the the top level subtitle when they were like hey it's this person and I'm just like you know I get what you're doing here and it worked really well when I was watching this in the theater. But.
Alex Um, oh.
Carli I know also that like most of these people don't really matter I don't need to know their names I just sort of need to know like where there's their position which I guess is sort of the point where they like introduce the person with their title and it's some crazy like Chief Assistant Deputy to the Deputy chief.
kkoeser Right.
Alex It's so funny like that's that's the funniest part I think one of the things that was really that you kind of lose. Um I think it's when the acting prime minister shows up I don't quite remember who is hilarious by the way he's got the soggy ah soggy ramen. Um, ah.
Carli And yours. Yeah.
kkoeser Oh yeah.
shin rowan I Guess that's probably go the joke guy laughed at the most I think.
Carli I Love soggy ramen. He was just like all man. It's soggy.
Alex Ah, yeah, yeah, he has yeah he has he has ah yeah, no, no cares to give about ah about these meetings but ah the the giant Kanji I think is is the absolute most in his case. Like it's like ah you know former chief of agriculture current prime minister ah in interim or something like that and it's it's I think that's like the biggest payoff for these you know, big position subtitled jokes right.
shin rowan That there's also when when Rando Yaguchi shows up at that point and he's got like 16 titles. Um, that that one's also good. Yeah, okay yeah.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
Alex Yes, or maybe no, that's sorry that's what I'm thinking of ah but in particular the kanji takes up the whole damn screen like it's very, ah, it's kind of funny in that way as well. Yeah, we look we like Rando also so.
kkoeser Oh yeah, he's He's a good egg.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah.
Carli And it's very um, honor in the sense that like I watched um Ivanngelian semi recently after like a decade of not watching it and it does this a lot as well where it's just like. This is this thing's name and it's short for this thing and it does this thing and there's like there's so much explanation of just the way things are supposed to work and what their purposes are and if you think of the government here as sort of like a machine that's supposed to be working and is not Work. Maybe.
kkoeser Um, ah.
Carli It's working as it should, but maybe but it's not for this particular problem that they're facing because like yeah like everybody's doing what they're supposed to be doing in this movie like nobody's really like going off script. The problem is the script is really bad for what's happening. So.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah.
Carli Maybe that's also something that he's bringing into this also worth noting that um hide yaiano was one of the directors of this movie. The other one was shinji haguchi who has worked with Ono A Number Of Times ah specifically on like the ivanngelian like. Movie like series that has that has come out over the past like decade or so um and they're continue. They continue to be like collaborators on like a bunch of different projects and he was like he's like an animmate guy as well. So. The anime influences here are coming in from all sides. They're very strong.
shin rowan Yeah I think that um there are a couple different ways we could go from here but the one that I wanted to go with is like how does this movie actually depict Godzilla because you go to a Godzilla movie to see Godzilla right. And like we've talked about how the host deploys its monster immediately in like full form. Um, which is weird. That's that's a standout scene in a lot of ways. But also it's a standout scene because it's so strange that the first time you actually see the monster. You see the whole damn monster doing like the most it will do in the entire movie. Um, whereas nope is more traditional and how it the monster like slowly appears we see glimpses of it. But then it changes form. This movie is a little of both where every time godzilla shows up. You see all of Godzilla but Godzilla is different each time. Um.
kkoeser Yeah.
shin rowan Also it does take a little while to get to like what is going on is this actually godzilla in the ocean. Um, and I think the the initial scenes of this movie are are I don't know if I want to say it's most interesting but they're definitely interesting enough that like they they latch on because. This movie is largely shot kind of documentary style of um how the government works but as the movie progresses It becomes a little less of a documentary and becomes a little more of just like a movie that takes place within a government. Um, you're seeing scenes that like a documentary filmmaker wouldn't have access to right? You're seeing like the private meetings of of characters as opposed to like the yeah exactly yeah.
Carli And they be and the scenes become more cinematic to like more dynamic more music things like that.
kkoeser Yeah, it it transitions from this sideways look at a Godzilla movie to a proper Godzilla movie in the third act for sure.
shin rowan Yeah, um, but especially in the first act we're not just getting the government response to it. That's part of it certainly but it's not the whole of it. But we're also getting all this like man on the street stuff that i.
kkoeser Um.
shin rowan Thought was really cool, especially like it was all these people's like phone cameras trying to take pictures of Godzilla and like if you were getting some social media. We're getting you know vines or whatever. Ah and like all these like self-shot camera things of people like trying to survive the collapse of the tunnel and like. Having fun going down the slides like cavwood. Um, and this this part of the movie is just so it's disorienting because it's all super quick cuts. It's also like I know Godzilla is coming but is this actually Godzilla or is this like another monster that godzilla has to come fight or.
Carli A.
shin rowan Or or what's going on here and then like it's not even Godzilla Godzilla when you do start seeing it and all the government responses are wrong, but they're like well-meaning wrong I think it's it's just an ah incredibly compelling way to start it and I kind of wish the whole movie had. Kept that up but also I see why it didn't.
Carli I'm curious how everybody here reacted to seeing um so the second form has been dubbed by the fandom as kaatakun um, that's like his cutesy little name. All all of the forms have like names like that. Um. But I'm curious like what your reaction was to seeing the second form which is the one where he he doesn't really he has nubs and he's crawling around on his belly. Um and the and the big googly eyes exactly because like when I was watching this in the theater like I was like oh sweet Godzilla like you see the tail and you're like that's.
kkoeser Um, and and Google eyes right? yeah.
shin rowan The.
Carli Interesting looking tale. It doesn't really quite look like I got Zill a tale but I'll allow it and then you see come on to ko and you're like what is that why is that so I'm curious what everyone's reaction was to seeing the for that form for the first time.
shin rowan I have.
shin rowan I definitely thought it was cute I did not think it was Godzilla um I thought that that was like maybe what Godzilla was going to have to fight but it's like the googly eyes and the like the big neck. Ah the neck skin folds or whatever that are flopping around.
Carli The gills. Yeah.
shin rowan Yeah, the gills like that's just um, hilarious, but also like it's not.. It's not so hilarious that it's like pulling me out of this is a cool monster movie like the eyes are getting close. They're on that borderline but like. I Think there is an element of this is supposed to be cute and I kind of run one root for it. But also I see why this is a complete disaster and it needs to be stopped. So yeah, there's a lot of a lot of interesting things going on that do feel kind of intentional.
Alex Yeah, ah when I first saw the movie I definitely thought it was the monster that Godzilla was eventually going to have to fight yeah looks goofy looks cute. Um the eyes I um I actually think they they're the quality of ah.
Alex Come out to k that makes it look more realistic actually um because they're sort of empty and vacant like a more eel and ah that like that actually kind of pulled me in um, by the way I buy this whole movie like I completely I like there. There's like 1 or 2 things that are a little sweaty but like if.
shin rowan Move.
Alex I I totally buy that this is how um, the world would handle a situation like this. But yeah, but but but ah back on Kamanto Kun I think it's really funny that um and funny and cool that ah like the gills also just sort of like splrting blood everywhere.
Carli A hundred percent
Alex Ah, just because it's sort of like a sign that like okay, it's it can't really, it's it's trying to adjust to life on land. Ah, there's some slight evolution happening. It's I don't know it from a like biological standpoint I think it's I think it's really, ah, really cool the way that was handled. Ah.
Carli Yeah, it's like terrifying in like you look at this thing you're like that's kind of cute and then it just Spurts blood everywhere and you're just like oh no and then yeah and I always sort of like viewed that as Godzilla being in pain like.
Alex Um.
kkoeser Um.
Alex Yeah, and it's still wreaking Havoc right? like it's just destroying everything in its path.
kkoeser Then.
Alex You.
Carli Something is happening to this creature that it cannot control and it's in a lot of pain and that always felt really tragic to me and like through the view of that like the rest of Godzilla's forms feel also very tragic and like there's all this stuff going on to it that it doesn't.
Alex Ah, yeah.
kkoeser Um.
Carli Like the the nuke when it spurts nuclear beams out of its back like it that never feels intentional on godzillas it just like something that happens because he was attacked like so it you know like Godzilla feels very passive.
Alex E.
kkoeser Right.
Carli In this movie not necessarily in a like bad way but in a like like sort of like making you feel for the monster in a in a certain way.
shin rowan Well this is.
kkoeser Right? Like I think that's another great similarity. All 3 movies we cover this month have whereas the traditional giant monster movie gives a lot of personel a giant monster I mean that goes back to King Kong but like host and note um this. Feels much more animalistic than any other godzilla depiction and just feels like it like like a wounded animal just like doing anything whatever it wants because it's just more mindless than we traditionally the personality filled godzilla bear used to.
shin rowan Yeah I think that it creates this interesting dynamic where we're not necessarily rooting against Godzilla even though Godzilla is a major problem and this movie like. Handles it as a major problem right? We're seeing this problem through the lens of the government primarily and how they are attempting to solve the problem and some of the like the first the first responses we need to destroy this like there's this. They they say quite clearly like here is our choice. We need to exterminate capture or chase off. Ah, this beast and it is a beast like that we don't we. Don't get any other any other motivation for it and I think that actually comes through when we get to like the the science team the the godzilla response for us or whatever they're called I forget exactly but they are. They initially kind of talk about what it might be wanting um and like in a lot of movies like you would have a team like that figure out what does this monster want can we give it give that to it. Can we set a trap up for that. What how are we going to deal with that this movie like. It has maybe like half a scene that involves that discussion and then it moves on to like okay here's this other way that we can deal with this monster that does not. It has nothing to do with the monster's motivation. The monster's just doing stuff and that stuff is horribly destructive. So here is a scientific way that we can actually like.
shin rowan Stop it and that ends up you know, saving the day or does it at the end of the movie and um, it's just fascinating that like I don't know like 95 out of a hundred times you would get something involving like getting into the brain of the monster in this movie's just like nah. Forget that where we're just we're just dealing with what what is here.
Carli Yeah, and all the motivation stuff involves just sort of like how it like the backstory of the monster right? like sort of how it came to be which is always sort of like sometimes I don't know sometimes I don't mind not having an explanation for a monster. Um, but it works here because you know the nuclear waste um aspect like just nuclear stuff in general is very ah traumatic for the Japanese for very obvious reasons. Um, and then it taught that that then ties into the Goramaki Plot. Um.
shin rowan Yeah, it will set to.
kkoeser Um.
shin rowan Yeah.
Alex Yes.
Carli The the scientist plot which I think is on second watch probably 1 of the more fascinating things that I wasn't really like to into the second the first time because it's like like you you I totally forgot like it's just starts with like they found a weird boat that didn't have anybody on it like and that's sort of just like how it starts.
Alex Oh.
Carli And there's a lot of cool fan theories out there about what happened to him this scientist who was trying to warn everybody about Godzilla and nobody listened and then he just vanished. Um I think that's so cool I love like mystery stuff like that.
Alex I mean so something to think about in that regard and you've probably read this if you've been reading the theories ah is that Godzilla is guromaki or at the very least fused with Guramachi in in some sort of way hence the humanoid ah. Humanoid figures on on the tail sort of at the end of the movie. Um, and when we talk about the motivation of godzilla yes, being you know, being a creation of ah radiation and sort of being forced to evolve.
Carli A.
Alex Painfully into this giant um looming beast. You know that you know going off of its feral tendencies alone is is enough motivation. But when you take the ah the pain and anguish that guramaki felt about the death of his wife. That being the sole motivation about being angry at the rest of the world and how Godzilla could be a manifestation of his grief. Um that that I think that's also a a a good I think it's a good um I think that's a good running theory. Especially.
kkoeser Ah.
Alex Given ah given the avon gellon of it all. Ah what? what? the units actually are I'm not going to spoil it for anybody who actually wants to watch Evon this podcast. Yeah, but I mean people are end of even gilling just came out people are watching it for the first time so I'm I'm gonna err on the on the side of you know.
Carli Spoilers for like a 30 year old show.
kkoeser Um.
Alex Watch Evan Gallian if you really want to and you know be shocked and awed um and confused. Yeah, um, but you know I think that it's cool that there's several different ways that you can take this and they can be correct. Um.
shin rowan I've never seen it. So.
Alex As for like the end of it like you know or is it I I think that rather than setting up for like oh are we actually safe I think it's more of a like so this is a you know I think it's interesting that the. The giant statuesque remains of Godzilla serve as a reminder as to what the human race is capable of ah and the humanoid figures at the end of the tale ah that it's still kind of up in the air because it's not really explicitly like stated.
Alex What they could be but I think the the general the general running idea is that ah you know Godzziilla was stopped just in time from propagating and I think they mentioned it in the movie too like godzill. Ah you know? yeah he could grow it wings and and you know spread you like like Cloverfield I guess is or ah.
Carli They do? yeah.
Alex Or I think even the 98 got so it did this too with this little raptor raptor babies. Yeah.
Carli Yet all the eggs. But yeah, the um one of the things I wanted to talk about was that the art the official art book for this movie has a lot of cool stuff in it like a lot of concept art.
kkoeser Nap.
Carli See see see like a drawing of like godzillas like quote unquote first form like the original and he's just like a sweet little lizard. Um, but you also see sort of like the fifth form a k what these humanoids were going to turn into and they're very like.
Alex I Yeah yeah.
Carli The most aingelian stuff like they're they're basically like 8 angels like they're that's what they're sort of like drawn off of not not biblically accurate ones. But like you know, actual angels and the fact that they're reaching towards the sky sort of like plays into that a lot. Like you can find the drawings online if you want to. They're really interesting. Um, but yeah, like they mentioned in the movie briefly that like oh like it can get smaller and it reproduces asexually and this was sort of what it was got what would have happened was like Godzilla was going to prop it like reproduce. These human sized Godzilla creatures and they were going to just destroy the world ah like an absolute like complete destruction and that was that's sort of the quote unquote official. Um.
Alex I make sense to me. Yeah I think Ano's in the midst of making you know shin other properties that he loves so much like common writer. Yeah.
Carli Explanation for that. But you know like if they ever decide to make a sequel like that could change. But.
Carli Yeah I love that he's sort of like well now I Just like reboot all these like classic Japanese properties and I put shin in the front and I'm having a great time.
kkoeser Um, yeah, back to sort of godzza's evolution I do find it like such a neat trick that we have such like a goofy like the first attack is with such a goofy version of Godzilla. But then it evolves seems like 1 of the most terrifying looking godzillas like ever like the beady eyes like it are so small in the head and the destructiveness of like the breath like the the first scene where it uses an atomic breath is like such an overly dramatic to its better sequence. Like it's so horrifying and like really evokes like the imagery that's like of like destruction in leveling cities. That's like hits really hard like it gets closest like how that original does the same thing without it just feeling like cgi monster fighting like. You know how we see cities get destroy in movies blockers movies every time one comes out now. But this manages to make get hit really hard with just the way. it's framed and the dramatized and all that it's such a effective sequence. Um, and yeah I I think it's kind of the high point of the movie. But also sort of signals the shift from like satire to like a more traditional godzilla movie. Um, which is grounded found I think Anna's a little shakier in like I think he's more comfortable doing this aversion than doing the actual thing but of that said I love that sequence.
kkoeser And about the halfway point.
Alex Dude, it's so awesome I love that it happens at night. Ah, um, that whole thing is is a total like it's a total homagege to godzilla 54 um it's it's about the same skill destruction but just in a much much more different way. Um.
kkoeser Um.
kkoeser Um, right.
Alex I Love the sort of well this particular iteration of a Godzilla has such a great ah ah has such great body horror to it. Um, like the final form with his little tiny dangly arms is really? ah.
kkoeser Um.
Alex Terrifyingly weird tail the toothpick teeth the buggy eyes ah the radiation burns like you can like Carly you mentioned this and I totally agree the gods will is in pain like the the entire way through ah and when like that jaw just sort of like opens up three ways and ah first he's sort of just.
kkoeser Um, oh yeah.
kkoeser Um.
Alex Like spewing out far and it sort of concentrates into this anime beam. Ah and and so ah I have to give a shout out to my my friend Joey who coined this term. Um, when his back lights up and starts shoottting lazers everywhere he calls it party mode. Ah and and.
Carli Before visit.
shin rowan Yeah.
Carli Hey yeah, it looks like a disco ball.
kkoeser Ah, yeah.
Alex Yeah, it's it's such a. It's such a like I think it's the the dopeest scene the entire movie. Um, it's just a yes sure Godzala doesn't you know do a whole lot in the movie. But when when when he does it's ah it's nothing short of spectacular.
shin rowan Um.
kkoeser Oh yeah.
kkoeser Yeah I forgot to mention the teeth. Yeah, those are like very pointy jagged like they look so painful. It can even closes mouth kind of just terrifying teeth like the every close wee of those I was like cringing.
Carli Yeah, and how the skin because I was trying to figure out why the skin really bothered me because I agree this is like 1 of the most terrifying looking Godzillas I've seen and because there's so much detail. It's not just like he he's got scales. It's like his.
kkoeser A.
Carli Outside has been charred so much that it's now just like impenetrable like tough like Charcoal So which is why it's so dark and you can sort of see the nuclear stuff happening underneath the skin like when you go close up and it's just like.. It's such a beautiful detail that you don't see too often in a movie. That's just like he's big Lizard. He got Scales. He looked like a lizard and it's like no this like this is not just like a scaly guy. This is.
kkoeser Um, the is is it.
Carli He's been burned Beyond all recognition and he's probably continuously being burned by what's going on inside him and it's just such a hoof. So yeah, just great.
shin rowan Know that this is this is sort of like what what this movie is kind of about it's like like what if godyla was real is sort of ah a simplified way to have it but like what. What would the consequences of having a godzilla be I think might be a way to way to understand it and some of that is that like Godzilla is not a creature that would stand to live in the world. So what? what does that mean like how would that make him work and that's why you know. Um, getting the getting the weird biologist lady in the in the start of the movie I think works so well, she's she's maybe my favorite part of it. Ah mikaco ichikawa um, she is ah. She's just like the one who's like willing to roll with okay here's the actual evidence that I see so here's what that must mean where everyone else is like no there are rules and she's like bow fuck that um, the rules are broken now and um, she's got a very.
kkoeser Um, as is it.
shin rowan Ah, very weird hasn't slept in three weeks her all her theories are correct kind of vibe tour that really makes her stand out but also kind of why you won't understand that other people are loathe to take her seriously immediately. Um, so that's 1 aspect of it and the other aspect of it is like of course the plot at the movie which is like. Ok, what if Godzilla showed up and there were actual consequences to the decision makers out in the world like how does this change the american japaneseese relationship. Um, how would the entire rest of the world be dealing with this like would Russia and China join together to oppose the Us all these things um like at the international level and then like at the general political level. Um in a sense. It's kind of like this is the move that like Prestige Tv made right? when they started going to serialization in the 90 s and early 2000 it's okay, what if actions had consequences then what? Um, and so this movie is kind of like ok what are the political consequences of gozila existing. How do we How do we deal with that. That's drama. That's like the prime minister of Japan fucking up repeatedly because no one has any idea how to deal with that. That's good. Drama. Let's make that movie and I think that that comes across amazingly well in part because like we have this background knowledge all right? This is godzilla.
Alex Yeah.
shin rowan And he's going to be weird and freaky and destroy a bunch of shit. But how we react is also going to change like how he reacts. So yeah, it's ah it's It's sort of a fascinating um underpinning to the movie I think.
Carli Yeah, and it's it's so interesting. How like it's not necessarily that godzilla ah really messes things up on a government level. It's just that it's an unprecedented event that happens and messes with. Ah, like the rules of bureaucracy in Japan at this time and quite frankly would probably mess with the rules in any government in any nation. Um, but it's like it's it's more about inflexibility and how you can have.
Carli And event that's so wildly unprecedented that nobody adapts to it. Um properly and you know that's what happened with the tsunami. It's what happened you know what's happening in the Us right now with the insurrection and Trump and everything. Um, it's you know any sort of like major disaster. It's like okay like what do we do? We've never seen something like this before and godzill is just sort of like the version. Ah that that works in this movie but it could happen in any.
kkoeser Are.
Carli Situation.
Alex I appreciate that. Ah, it gets really in the weeds with ah how many meetings are involved with even the creature showing up like ah the fact that they have to yes.
Carli So funny.
shin rowan I Like oh shit we have to shut down this meeting. It started another beat e.
kkoeser Yeah.
Carli Let's go to the other conference room on the 4 floor.
Alex I It's It's so comical and I also do love how like they're going to commence attack on on the creature and ah, well turns out they're civilians and we can't do that So we have to put us a stop to that which I think is yeah I.
Carli just 2 just 2 civilians
kkoeser Yes.
Alex Whereas when you when the americans show up, they just want to nuke the damn thing and which is totally what we would do ah because America um, but I you know then you know Japan proposes this this this fantastically cockamamy plan to ah send.
kkoeser Yes.
Carli Wolf.
Alex Bullet trains to the god ah, ah and you know set off a rubb goldberg machine to freeze him to death. Um, but then America's like all right? Well if that doesn't work. We're nu at him because nukes and Bald Eagles and patriotism.
kkoeser Um, this is.
shin rowan So.
Carli We love nuking Japan.
kkoeser Yeah I get another tie into the host earlier where it's like American trying to Intervene in a way that just like causes more destruction. Yeah, um.
Alex Yeah.
Carli My favorite genre. shin rowan Yeah, well I think I think it's a lot more I don't know mitigated in this one because we also find out that it's the un resolution and like America or certain parts of american.
kkoeser Um, right.
shin rowan Ah, the american apparatus are willing to adapt with the japanese offer a play on. That's not the nukes whereas it's Russian China who really want the nukes but France does like ah these are all things that like feel like they make a certain level of sense. Although um, the movie does in another parallel to the host likes.
kkoeser Um, right.
Alex Yeah.
shin rowan Indicate that it's american nuclear material that has ah created Godzilla and it doesn't like go all in on that but it just has a character be like well at least it's the americans and not us at like that's yeah, that's us we're just constantly dumping our trash everywhere.
kkoeser
Yeah, ah yeah.
shin rowan Um.
Carli We love dumping our nuclear waste. Um, but yeah, they mentioned that um it was specifically like a japanese US coverup so the us are definitely involved there but je Japan itself isn't blameless either.
shin rowan Yeah I I think I get the oppression that it's one of the islands that like the US built a military base on like outside of Japan that would have dumped the waste I think it's also worth talking about ah said tell me Ishihara's character
kkoeser Yeah.
Carli Yeah.
Carli Oh boy Very American with her amazing english.
shin rowan Kayoko and patterson the supposed american um, she's she she's she's sort of implied to be the second main character here but she just sort of sweeps in and out of scenes like she's Godzilla. Um, which I guess is also a very american fag but she's like um I think she's portrayed by an actual model slash actress and she's like utterly gorgeous for 1 thing and like supposedly this light cut through all the red tape kind of american deputy to the deputy chief of deputies.
kkoeser Um, so.
Carli Fifth infant.
shin rowan But she's also like got plans to be president by the time she's 40 in her 40 s and it's all it's it's a very funny thing at so many levels but this is also like a movie that's made in the obama era. So why not i.
Carli Which is wild.
shin rowan But like she represents this kind of I don't know a different sort of pressure pressure isn't quite the white word. She she represents this sort of mechanism for moving the story forward. Um, So she's the one who like introduces the idea that there was a scientist who knew that this was coming and she's the one who says oh yeah, the Americans have a name for this creature. Well why? why?? How long have they known about what's going ah but like whenever the the movie seems to be getting Stalled. She's always there to like give it a little nudge. And it's a very strange character where like I don't know it never seemed like she was an actual person but she was always somehow interesting.
Carli Yeah I don't know how I agree with you I don't know how they manage that and I know that one of the big criticisms of this movie are how bad the um, the English accents are from the Japanese Act actors. Um because they are quite terrible.
shin rowan Yeah, like.
Carli Um, and they do take you a bit out of the movie. It's like I don't think Americans would ah elect some? Yeah um, but yeah, she's an interesting character if you could get past the bad English accent which is tough I will say but.
shin rowan Vouch for so much. Yeah.
shin rowan Yeah.
kkoeser But yeah, but and the actors had said that she really struggled with it. So I feel bad for her. But.
Carli Oh yeah.
shin rowan But also she got cast to play someone who could do an American accent and she clearly cannot but that it's a signifier that this movie is made specifically for Japanese audiences right? That's the that's the thing that's happening here and if.
kkoeser Um, bright.
shin rowan You know the rest of the world happens to like it. Whatever but the rest of the world has Godzilla 2014 um, they have they have we have we have got to let home. It's fine. Ah. And it's not like this is a significantly more interesting movie I think in part because it is made specifically for this kind of cultural audience. It has all these references to Fukushima. It has all these references to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It has just. The the dynamics of Japan as a pseudo colony to the americans I think they actually say like we're the permanent colony or whatever. Um like how long or how long is it going to be until we've actually rebuilt enough to be our own country is like. Literally said by 1 of the characters I think even rando himself. Um our good and dear friend Rando who has never been wrong about anything. Um, so yeah, there's there's all these interesting things going on that like as an american who is not japanese and I'm not like.
kkoeser This.
Carli Is.
shin rowan A total webe or anything like that like I just have a cursory knowledge of some aspects of japanese pop culture and history and stuff like this is a fascinating glimpse and do like how they think how they think their own government works or how 1 particular set of directors thinks their own government works and how. Ah, how they think the world views them and they view the world and she's a huge part of that. So I I like that aspect of it even though like yeah as a character I think she's a weak part of the movie. But as like a representative of what this movie is about. Which is more important in a movie like this that like none of these characters are really 3 dimensional like that's fine. Um that they're just sort of representatives of what's going on and this yeah, go ahead. Alex.
Alex I um oh sorry yeah I also wanted to yeah I wanted to I think we brought her up before beaku mikackco each college character in Roman hear me. Um, so I I think she is so ah we we taught we.
shin rowan Yes.
Alex Touch on her a little bit I think earlier but I think it's really cool that she is sort of like um the the entire experience is so harrowing that I clock this the first time I watch that she doesn't smile throughout the entire movie except for at the very end when she finds out that. Godzall's radiation half-life is like extremely low and and she's sort of the barometer I think for like how much we should be freaking out about godzilla like as soon as as soon as we see her relieved then it's like oh now now I think the threat is over. Um. But the way she sort of acts is is very um, if anybody's watched Davan Gu Very Ray Ayonami um sort of like might be like slightly ah on the spectrum and I think ah, a really cool um like representative of that type of character in in the film.
shin rowan Yeah, um, she she definitely seems to be a person who at the very least struggles socially and that's why she's like not in a place where her brilliance would be but like.
Alex As well.
Alex Um, yeah.
shin rowan A crisis is a time for those people to to shine through and she does and that's like a good um part of like having these crises like this is one of the things that I found interesting when reading the Wikipedia was that there were several like critical descriptions of this of. This is like a movie about how japanese bureaucracy fails to respond to to crises and I'm not sure that's the case like if if a giant monster appeared in the San Francisco bay one day like.
Alex Here.
shin rowan America would not know what to do with that if it was like bursting down bart tunnels like we would be freaked out and not know and like we'd have a bunch of people with phone cameras trying to take pictures of something weird going on but an actual marine life.
Carli Fish.
shin rowan Ah, marine monster that whatever it what is that Rando calls. It initially like this is this is something that feels this feels like it's an accurate representation of like and maybe not accurate, but it understandably comprehensible.
Alex Yeah.
shin rowan Way that a government would respond to a completely unprecedented event and like it would not be to immediately diagnose the problem and have the right solution right? having to work through a bunch of different solutions including hit it with the biggest hammer you can is like. It doesn't feel like the Japanese government inherently gets this one wrong I think is the the way that I would phrase it. Um, it's not necessarily right? It's not necessarily right? But it's just like this is weird and fucked up but like the guy who.
Alex Yeah, well.
Carli Eventually, but.
shin rowan The guy who initially says like what if this is a godz ah like he gets put in charge of the Godzilla task force. Um.
Alex Yeah I think it's interesting that they came up with like okay well now you know we need. We need to assemble a task force of ah people who need to touch grass in order to figure out how to defeat Godzilla because you know there's this really great like.
shin rowan Is.
kkoeser Um, so.
Alex I Forget what the line is but like we need like misfits. Ah you know nearerdowells. Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah I thought I was a I Really love that. Um, that assembling. Yeah basically and ah and they end up coming coming up with the most sweaty. Ah.
Carli The outsiders. Yeah.
shin rowan We need an R B of posters.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
Alex But the orgammi thing which ah, that's the sweatiest thing in the movie to me. But I think if you get a think tank of like of like mindded ah like ah nerds together like just a heap of nerd divergence like something will will eventually like connect.
shin rowan Epic. So yeah.
kkoeser For suggestion finishes.
Alex And ah, you know and then something will be solved in that regard and when we ah there is in Maki's both there's an orgami crane which could be a hint as to you know as to that particular piece of it right. Um, so I don't know there's I don't know I don't I didn't have a I don't have a finish for that thought.
kkoeser Um, yeah, yeah I.
shin rowan Now I think I think this is this is sort of a thing with movies in general is that they're like they. How do you convey a scientific breakthrough.
kkoeser Um, right.
shin rowan And this movie like comes up with a couple different visualizations that are both kind of this 3 dimensional here's how everything is connected like at another point we see um makaco each cowa is like holding a laptop but we're like seeing the screen of the laptop in front of her face. And it's got this like 3 dimensional representation of like a bunch of dots that like she's seeing a pattern in and maybe we're seeing some of that pattern but like we both actually see her face and we see the dots moving around. And like I think similarly the kind of 3 dimensional origami like here's how Godzilla all connects stuff is like an attempt at that. But yes, it's a kind of sweaty attempt.
kkoeser Yeah I I think this is where Ana struggles the most um is with like conveying things in a conventional way like that is such a trophy scene of like we the solution was in the origami all along and it just that in the movie. Kind of loses me with that because it just feels very like hollywood screenwriter and it just doesn't like the heart isn't in it like you can make it seem like that feel really impactful and grounded in character and like really emotional where they come to the breakthrough but I think the movie is so. Satirical and horrifying alternating in that first hour like to do that a much more conventional scene just I just kind of glazed over at that point because there's so many bigger emotions are happening before then and I don't I like like It's not like he can't be sincere because evanelian is such a raw sincere work but evenelian really sores underneath all of like the bullshit of like so much going on and there's so much refraction and like like rebuild is such a weird work and how it reimagines what came before it.
shin rowan It's.
kkoeser And but that is how you get to like the heart of ato whereas the much more straightforward third act of this movie. It just feels like he's struggling with the limitation of having to tell it a straight a to b story instead of the much more convoluted first 2 thirds.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah I think that's go ahead.
Carli Yeah, and like ven I was just going to say that eventually like you sort of like get to a point where like all they're talking about like what the lines mean what the dots mean in this really convoluted map that they found on the boat. It doesn't really matter all that much. Like you just it's just a way to explain how they're able to build the coagulant to put inside Godzilla so that he freezes um, but you didn't need to have so much so much time dedicated to figuring that out especially because they were like yeah if we make a coagulant we can freeze.
kkoeser Right.
Carli Um, and then they're like okay but what's the specific element. We need to do it. It's just like it feels kind of unnecessary um sort of really getting in the weeds a bit there, especially when like it ultimately doesn't matter too much to understand the final confrontation.
kkoeser Right.
shin rowan Yeah, so I think this is this is a decision that this movie has had to make like you could like if you're doing a sort of point of view documentary man on the street slash political type of thing. Um. You could like keep going forever. You could show every meeting you could show every man on the street you wanted like this movie could be 20 hours um and like it would still fit it probably wouldn't be as good but who knows maybe you there. There is a wonderful Tv season of Shin Godzilla out there. Um.
kkoeser Um, this is if.
shin rowan But the you're having to make these choices and these choices show up in the editing like in a lot of the middle. Probably the second half of the movie I would say there's a lot of scenes where it's like a character has an idea and then immediately the next scene is.
Carli I'd watch it.
shin rowan 1 of the political minded characters trying to convince someone else to implement this idea. It's not we don't get the process of like everyone talking about this idea doesn't make sense. Can we do this the coagulant solution I think is discussed fairly early on like even before the. The the real military strike which is maybe halfway through the movie. Maybe a little bit before like they ask like is the yaguchi solution ready and he's like nope it's not ready at all but they have already decided like trying to get that coagulant is the way that they're going. Um, and so we get these scenes where they're deciding like how do we build this coagulant. How do we like bring in all these companies and so on can we get the french to delay things. Ah, we don't get the scenes of like. Here are our 16 different options for stopping godzilla why do we choose the coagulant but which one of these is the best I think I would prefer having like that brainstorming scene that would rule to me does that mean that they made the wrong choice in deciding to show the other scenes. The political scenes. The. Um, scenes of Godzilla blowing shit up like all these all these things are like there's ah, an opportunity cost to showing ah to depicting these that comes through in the editing room and I think that this boofy has had to make these hard choices and some of them I disagree with but the fact that it's like.
shin rowan Got the choices to make is the exciting thing about it. But yeah, it does mean that like we get a lot of scenes where someone has an idea and then the idea is ready to be implemented and people are talking about that and. It feels like it gets a little bit too jumpy sometimes but I'm not Sure. There's a way to avoid that.
Carli Especially because like the beginning of the movie is so invested in showing all the details of the government sort of discussing what to do? um that like when it cuts when it gets to like sort of the back half of the movie and you're watching people like you said just like.
kkoeser Um.
Carli Here's an idea and then just going on that idea without like doing the bureaucracy thing and discussing it in a billion different conference rooms that it's it feels a little jarring because there's like 2 different versions of that government happening here. But like you said it was it sort of makes sense from a story telling perspective.
shin rowan Down right.
kkoeser Right.
Carli To sort of simplify it by the time you get to the second half, especially when like all the the old guard get killed in the Godzilla taxi have all these younger guys. Ah and a couple of gals who are like oh let's just do this? um.
kkoeser Dry it.
Carli And that was like another thing that was interesting was sort of like the generational conflict between like the newer Junior politicians and the older ones and sort of how they approach things. Um because you know that that is a very real.
shin rowan Have.
Carli Thing that I think a lot of governments and people feel about their governments regardless of if they're having huge generational issues like Japan is right now. Um, so that was like another thing but it's not really, it's not I don't think it's hammered home as much in the second half.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah.
kkoeser Um.
Carli Um, so I agree that it's sort of like feels a little bit like a cop out but I don't know it doesn't it didn't bug me too much. But.
shin rowan I there's there's an element of that theme that I just feel is oversimplified from the beginning because like especially Rando Yuguchi and also Mikao Acawa's character like they're always right and people don't believe them and like the. Movie is basically about like ok if we had listened to these people from the beginning things might have gone better but all these other people had to be heard and I don't know if that's as interesting as kind of a government flailing with good ideas bad ideas not knowing how to determine which. And a lot of that does come through but we do also have these 2 characters maybe 3 if you include Patterson's character but you have you have these characters who like yes we are the ones who have the good ideas and this movie is about us being stopped and. I don't think that's quite as interesting as like a somewhat more complex like maybe Rando Yuguchi is occasionally actually wrong. But I I can also see why they chose to make it in this simplified way because ah, you're doing this very like. Informationally complex form of filmmaking having a guy for characters or for audiences to latch onto and say okay I know this guy this guy is right? People are not letting him be right? and I'm going to follow him through the movie while there's like 16 other characters being introduced. That's.
shin rowan That's very useful.
Carli Absolutely Um, so anything else I feel like we've talked about kind of everything. But.
shin rowan I I think the spectacle um, there are a couple different aspects of the spectacle that I think are really fascinating because as we've mentioned this is a movie that doesn't um, doesn't actually show Godzilla all that much. It's.
kkoeser Yeah.
shin rowan Maybe a half or a third of like what I would expect for a godzilla movie to show um like in the middle with the like full on japanese then american attack in the center of Tokyo we get a lot of Godzilla but at the beginning and end. We're only getting Godzilla these little little bits and pieces. Um, the first thing that I wanted to talk about is like the scene of Godzilla going down the river and just kind of everything bouncing off of him and then like going down the streets and the same thing is happening. Um that is just like. I remember those videos from the night the tsunami happened like that is just like I mean that's that's sort of to Japan what clover field was to americans at Nine Eleven right they're deliberately bringing in this this very specific aesthetic at least in my view that didn't.
Carli Her.
kkoeser Are.
Carli No, that's definitely there I immediately thought of tsunami and then the like the the aftermath of the tsunami with just like everything on the street like all the all the wood like all the stuff all the boats you know, just like that that was very much like.
shin rowan You know other critics seem to have noticed that um and I think that's.
shin rowan Yeah.
Carli What those pictures looked like.
shin rowan Yeah.
kkoeser It's a movie that's even more so than like a lot of Godsil or other time monster movies focused on the aftermath and wreckage than it is on just the destruction itself.
shin rowan Yeah, like scrap and build. Um Alex did you have something to say oh yeah, um Carrie.
Carli And.
Alex Yeah, um I kind of want to talk about the music. Um, yeah, oh no, absolutely well Well well spectacle wise I think that ah you know again, seeing people have to deal with the situation.
kkoeser Um, yes.
shin rowan Finish the spectacle and then the music because yeah, oh that's.
Alex In Boardrooms um is a I want to see it done more in in other other movies because I Well not that not not that you know our fair share of disaster movies aren't you know, typically done in boardrooms. But I think that I.
kkoeser Um.
Alex You know I think that it goes to show you also like how people are reacting to all this visceral damage being done. Um that like sort of adds to how horrific everything is ah in and like in regards to just. How is this handled. How are people who are handling this um dealing with it and 1 of the things that that I one of the moments that I think about and it's kind of a funny moment but it's also like yeah ah the dude running on freaking out like with the laptop um like just flailing his arms. Because I do feel like there's got to be 1 or 2 people. Um in the behind the scenes of of a giant you know disaster like this who who you know can't remain composed about it.
shin rowan For hate.
shin rowan Yeah, says theyre gonna be breakdowns cav.
Carli Oh absolutely.
kkoeser Yeah, and yeah, and like what my favorite visual metaphors of the boardroom scene which Taz what were saying earlier about the old gar versus new guard and how they get sort of swept out half the old gray swept out sort of halfway through the movie is like. Shot of like the very empty boardroom and they're just gathering to desk at the top and there's like sheets over the chairs because there's no one using those chairs anymore like that's such a great visual clue of that like how things have changed with so many people are gone now. Yeah I.
shin rowan Yeah.
shin rowan Um, I also I also liked just being like oh I recognize that guy at the start of the movie like and most of the government seems like oh yeah, what? what Tv show was he in or what where do I know her from there's yeah, there's just like.
kkoeser Um, yes.
shin rowan These are these are Japanese that guys like we're getting lots of lots of character actors through this which is nice and fun.
kkoeser Oh yeah.
Alex I mean I'd like to shout out. ah the chief deputy so ah chief deputies ah deputy secretary played by Ken Gocora who is ah 1 of the main actors in one of my favorite movies of all time fish story. Um, which is a shout out to this this lovely movie about.
kkoeser Are.
Alex Ah, not really about time travel. But how ah a punk song can save the world. Ah yeah, he's got a face like he's at 1 of those faces and.
shin rowan Oh yeah, that guy that guy was very striking in this movie. Um, yeah, so the the go ahead.
kkoeser Yeah, um, there's there's another oh sorry I was there's another prominent old guard actor who was in like kill Bill and god there's another thing I recognized him in that was like oh wow, it's that guy. And looking through some argument trying to find it. But yeah at least kill Bill June Kuni Mora ah he was really good.
shin rowan Yeah, that's that that guy's like the main military guy through the movie. Um, yeah, ah so another aspect of the spectacle that I was really impressed by was ah just like okay I know this as like a traditional Godzilla guy in a suit right.
kkoeser Um, yes, yes.
shin rowan But like when when Godz is doing a lot of the destruction especially when it's like the buildings and stuff bouncing off of him like I'm super impressed by just like how real this all looked like this did not seem like. This did not seem like it was tiny buildings and it didn't seem like it was cgi. So what are we? What are we doing here and just yeah I'm super impressed with like the the interactions between the suit and the world were just it. Like this I mean this is sort of dumb to say. But yeah, it seems like you know a company had been doing this for 70 years and they knew how knew how to do it really fucking. Well.
Carli Well, he's not a suit necessarily he's mostly cgi with like mocap which I guess you can say is the modern equivalent of the guy in the suit. Um, in a way.
shin rowan Okay. Yeah I I mean in that case like the cgi buildings interacting with that are are super impressive like.
Carli Oh yeah, like there's a couple of parts where I saw the cgi um specifically on like some of the earlier forms of the monster. But yeah, like when it what it what it matters it works very well.
shin rowan Yeah.
kkoeser Um.
shin rowan Um, and finally the last big spectacle thing that I have to say is like the moment with the second the second wave of trains when they're like okay this is the thing that's really got a knock godzilla over. We've tried. We've tried our initial thing. So let's send just 8 trains into him at once. That was just really fucking rad. All the trains are twisting around him and exploding a godzilla is falling over like that was just the good shit.
kkoeser Are.
Carli I like I like to think that there is there was like just 1 guy whose responsibility it was to figure out the physics of the train because they only had one shot so you know there was some guy like doing calculations. Okay, if the train goes this fast.
Alex It's so cool.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah.
Carli And hits this incline. Will it hit Godzilla exactly where we needed to.
shin rowan Ah, is this This is the bath problem that I've been working on all by life.
Carli It's like this is what I was made for.
kkoeser Um.
shin rowan Ah, yeah, so Alex talk to us about the music.
Alex It? Okay, so ah, the soundtrack to this movie is really cool because it's not only like ah or it's not only scored by Shiros Saysu who um, scored the Evan Geian soundtrack and the tympans sort of give it away. Um, but a lot of the. Ah, score is repurposed from several different Godzilla movies. Ah you know we we recognize ehufube's ah you know classic theme. But ah, it's almost like a weird best of ah compilation. Um I don't have the list in front of me. But. Ah, it uses tracks from invasion of astro monster I ah, let's see ah King Kong versus Godzilla ah Gedora the 3 headed monster. Um and a few others off the top of my head. Yeah.
kkoeser Um, you know.
kkoeser So I was like the 6070 s ones. Yeah.
shin rowan Yeah, and yeah and it uses the like famous Godzilla theme really? Well, it only shows up like 2 or 3 times in the movie and it's like just a it's like almost just a sample but it's like man I'm just instantly paying attention I'm like oh is mf doom here.
kkoeser Um, oh yeah.
Alex If a.
kkoeser Yeah, but yeah, that's one of the best movie themes period is the Godzilla theme and whenever a godzilla movie knows how to correctly like needle drop that it's.
shin rowan Ah, but that's me. But yeah.
kkoeser It's always so good and.
Alex Yeah.
shin rowan It's it's funny because Wikipedia also said that evanngelian music was used in this which is that's just such a weird little remix thing in my mind is like okay we have like a super famous anime series from 20 years earlier that yes, it does share the director but like this is actually considered enough of a thing that you can drop this remix in there. That's cool I think it's cool. Yeah.
Carli They're actually very thematically similar like Evanngelian and Chick Godzilla so it works but it is sort of like a weird sort of like meta wink to the audience who knows who's in the know.
Alex Yeah.
kkoeser Yeah.
kkoeser Right.
Carli Like you said the Japanese audience who definitely probably knows versus an American one which might not.
kkoeser Yeah, was it the Evangoian remix or is it an original piece during the first like big Atomic breath scene because it yeah.
shin rowan Um.
Alex So I am trying to remember exactly I do remember for a fact that there's something that sounds like it's probably from Evan yelling because the 10 but has this weird like rock guitar lick and that is original to this movie I believe. Um, but yeah, ah.
kkoeser Um, and.
shin rowan Um, another another thing about the the movie's score is that I noticed that was very funny is the way that i. There's like this cool rock guitar theme that happens when it gets back to like the Godzilla committee about to make a big decision and so we're like getting hyped for for their. Ah.
kkoeser And.
shin rowan Um, non-hierarchical decision making process to actually function and I'm I'm down with that as a not bureaucracy game.
Carli I Love getting hype about bureaucracy.
kkoeser Um, right I I love. Ah yeah I Love a soundtrack gag like that where it's the the composer having fun with like using music to tell a joke and that's that's a great one.
Alex Yeah.
shin rowan Yeah, I'm not even sure that's a joke. It's like we are supposed to be hyped about the good good. The good guys making good decisions.
kkoeser Is it This is.
Carli Yeah, it is a bit of a joke only because like at this point in the movie. You're sort of expected to see this as a heroic moment like a heroic sort of Montage but then like if you think about it like even a little bits like these are just like guys in suits.
Alex Um, yeah.
shin rowan Yeah, exact line.
kkoeser Right? But yeah and it's it's a just like good contrast to like to go back to that first song breath scene like how biblical that sound feels which is why it feels so Evan Goinglling is that really taps in that same sort of like almost like hymnal.
shin rowan Yeah, um.
kkoeser Musical zone. Um, and that also just feels of a piece with this classic scheduledul a track set's using because the akira e efu kube hope I pronounce that right? ah soundtracks for those classic godzelo movies are likepiel so classical music inspired and so epic in their sweep. Um, yeah I I think he was like like a classical chamber musician composer like composed balets and orchestra pieces before and during composing Godzilla Movies Kira Kafubi Kubi yeah
Carli That explains a lot of that's the case.
shin rowan All right I think that should cover it for shin godzilla. Do we have any final thoughts Carly.
Carli I No I would just like recommend looking up stuff from the artbook. Um I think it's really cool to see the concept art but also just you'll learn a bit about like sort of the some plans and like things that didn't make it into the movie. Um, so I think it's worth looking up. Ah, there's.
kkoeser Um, and then.
Carli People have posted screens and photos from it all over the place. So It's easy to find Um, but yeah, no, that's it I'm very glad that people liked it because I always worry when I like something that I'm wrong. So it's It's good that I'm like yes I'm validated in my love of this. Monster movie.
kkoeser Um, Christmas is ah yeah.
shin rowan Ah, now this is this is an extremely total massacre ass film. Thank you for? Thank you for promoting it for us Alex how about you.
Carli Yes.
kkoeser Um, and says that.
Alex I yeah um I think that you know almost a decade later. Ah this movie still holds up like so well I think it's ah the best modern guidezilla film I I happen to like minus one a lot. But um, it didn't like knock me out of the water like it did this one.
kkoeser Shooting the century That's not even on the other team.
Alex Ah, just the scale of Godzilla like I think this is the biggest this might be the biggest he's ever been I'm not sure because he's pretty big and in the ah legendary and legendary pictures one. Yeah.
Carli So the funny thing is that when this movie was coming out toho. The marketing campaign was like this is like twenty feet taller than the legendary Godzilla I think he's like I think he's like three hundred and ninety four feet in this one versus.
kkoeser Hey.
Alex Um, ah.
Carli Three eighty like it. It's such a minute number but the people are so into just like how big is Godzilla in this movie sort of stuff I don't know if that's changed in the seek in the monster verse sequels but when the original.
kkoeser Right.
Carli Movie was out and then this movie came out. They were like well our guts still is a little bigger. It's just so funny. Yeah.
shin rowan That that explains the scene where they're like is he twice as big now which like is sort of like yeah, he's evolving but that also that that that's of a nod to the people who care about that I think um.
Alex That's so funny.
Alex Yeah.
Carli They actually do something similar in minus one um because the first time you see Godzilla in minus one. He's like he looks like Godzilla but he's much smaller. Um, and then you see him later. You're just like they're like did he get bigger. And I feel like that's just like something you have to do in your Godzilla movie.
Alex Yeah, naturally yeah I love the scale of Godzilla I love how gnarly he looks it really sets this movie apart from every other godsilla movie. Um, apart from obviously the the bureaucratic setting. Um more people need to see this movie. I think it's you know I I think if I think that if godzillilla minus one was the first godzilla movie you saw then that's really awesome. Um, but go back and watch like the original go back and watch this one because I think that like. Go back and watch some of the sixty s and 70 ones too. they're they're fun but like I think that there's a lot of weight to this one that we can really latch onto and as much as you know godzailla minus one is a total like like it. It really has a lot to say about you know postwar Japan. This one has a lot to say about what you know is happening in our current climate even now. Ah I think it's an important movie.
shin rowan Governments will always be in crisis. So that's a that's a major point of recommendation for this film.
Carli Yeah, it it like I said like in 2016 you know I was watching this movie the theater and I was like like viewing the government bureaucracy stuff in one way and now it's 2024 and we've been through like 10000 historical events since this movie came out originally so it feels. More relevant than ever. But yeah I think it's always going to be relevant in a lot of ways.
shin rowan Yeah, calf.
kkoeser Um, yeah I just now went down a mini rabbit hole about Godzilla's height and you're right Carly that they did make shin godzilla taller than 20141 and this arc I'm reading says who is 118 meters tall in shin godzilla. And then there's a line in Godzilla versus Kong that says he's now 120 meters he's grown so there's a godzll's arm race. It doesn't include minus one but I think that one is smaller than this schn godzziilla were just thinking comparison wise memory. But yes, that's ah, a legendary had to have their final coup de gra on that. Um.
Carli So good.
kkoeser And that's my final thought as well. That's yeah I be great movie. Loved watching love discussing it.
shin rowan I I like the idea that there's a playful rivalry like that's that's a thing that I don't know I don't know if it's playful from the American side but the idea that the Japanese are like yank in our chains like that's that.
kkoeser Is it.
Carli I feel like toho at this point is just sort of like we're toho there. There's no way they're going to match us in terms of our Godzilla legacy so we can just like like let them have their little fun.
shin rowan That feels right to me? Um, but.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
shin rowan Yeah, yeah, yeah.
kkoeser I get that there's no way Godzilla X-conng is better reviewed or liked than Godzilla minus one So it's like yeah they still know like they're on top. Yeah.
shin rowan Given to.
Carli Godzilla minus one is an Oscar winning film and godzilla x kong I'm going into with what if the big monkey and the lizard Kiss so it's not not even the same wavelength here.
kkoeser Um, right? yeah.
Alex Ah I I hate to be that person as I push my glasses up but I think it's just pronounced godzilla Kong.
Carli No, it's X Kong because there it's a fan fiction and they're gonna smooch.
kkoeser Um, that's true. Yeah, this is that.
Alex Slash godzilla slash kong yeah, go go go kong I guess would be the ship name. Yeah King Jira yeah
shin rowan What should yeah that that would be a slash then right? ah G Slash K um.
Carli True You didn't.
kkoeser Oh yeah.
Carli King Zilla do you think there's people in the monster verse who are debating this right now.
shin rowan I think it'd be Kongzilla Kongzilla I think or maybe Kingilla. Um.
kkoeser Are. Oh Absolutely I.
Alex Well maybe not maybe not ah like legendary bros but maybe ah, maybe on the oh.
Carli Oh I'm talking like in the universe of the monster verse because like they they do make a point at the end of King of monsters that like this is just culture now is this kaju stuff like this. Yeah, he's he's got a conspiracy podcast.
kkoeser Um, yeah, if.
Alex Oh yeah, because paper boy has a podcast I forgot about that. Yeah.
shin rowan Now.
kkoeser Um, yeah I yes yeah Brian Terry Henry
Carli And um, at the end of King of monsters. There's like ah ah, um, ah the credit sequence which I actually really love like it's better than the rest of the movies as credit sequence at the end but like it shows like. Like oh there's like tours that you can hop on of like this is where Godzilla is like whale watching but for Godzilla and like it's like it's become so ingrained in the culture there that I'm sure there is fan fiction.
Alex Yeah, oh yeah.
kkoeser Yeah, that that was the best part of the monarch show on Apple was like the Godzilla alarm sirens and um, like looking at like how daily life was affected by it. A solid to mediocre show that still had some fun stuff it? yeah.
Carli I hated it I hated it So it.
kkoeser it's yeah it's there's not a lot to recommend there besides Kurt Russell being in it.
Carli At the end the just the general stunt casting of why Russell and Kurt Russell as the same character but in different time periods. It's so funny. Yeah, truly.
Alex So that's really funny. So.
kkoeser Um, this is pretty fun. But yeah, it's That's the best part about it.
Alex Um I will I I will say and this is going to be my final word on the legendary series is I Love the Guidezilla design I Love how chaunky it is um, just ah, ah one of my favorite guides little designs i'mm going to say I think it's just a really lovely looking ah chubby crocodile.
kkoeser Um, and.
Carli He's a big boy.
shin rowan Ah, oh yeah.
Carli Yeah, they took the note from the 9098 one where everyone was like why is it so weird and skinny and then they're like okay fine. He's gonna be really big and thick and was like thank you.
shin rowan I.
Alex Of.
shin rowan I Like this one because you have this moment that are like his legs are not going to be able to support him on land and then when he actually like stands up on his leg Godzilla has these Thunder thighs throughout the rest of the movie like yeah.
kkoeser Yeah, yeah.
Carli Yeah, and it is like a close up shot of the Thunder thighs and you're just like just so you know he think.
Alex Yeah, yeah. Yeah, got Godzilla cake. Yeah.
kkoeser Um, yeah.
shin rowan Um, so yeah, the last thing I wanted to say is that I clicked on June Knaurra after Kev said it and he actually has a prominent cameo in hardboiled thus making him an official total massacre guy.
kkoeser Um, oh yeah.
Carli Yay.
shin rowan Congratulations he goes along with Jennifer Connolly and Michael Iside and various others. We never actually got to kill bill in our previous incarnation but he's he's pretty prominent in that one as well. Um.
shin rowan And that would definitely be a movie that I would not hate getting to at some point but we're where're science fiction now. Um, until we decide. Okay, it's Tarantino mind why the fuck not, but um, yeah, there are just too many movies.
kkoeser Sufficient.
Alex I I speaking of ah movies I do have ah like a little fun bit of trivia. Um, the ah photo of Goramaki is actually a photo of um, the late ah film director Kiachi okcommodo who directed. Um.
kkoeser Um, this is it.
Alex So many so many movies including ah one of the Zatoicchi Movies Za Teach meets yojimbo sort of doom. Um East East what east meets west a blueprint of murder ah and many others um samurai assassin I guess aka.
kkoeser Um, ah.
kkoeser Um, that's fine.
Carli On another. Yeah.
Alex Aka Um, ah, lom Wolfen Cub So yeah, pretty cool.
Carli I also wanted to add that like this this movie is not in any continuity currently, um, it's sort of like was the start of a new era. But um, toho has sort of gone off. Script there. So it's sort of the only one in its like current universe right now? Um, but interestingly enough, there's like a couple of things in here that like are very classic godzilla like they mentioned that um the name that the people of Otto Island call it is Gojira and that's the island that like. That's the that is the island like that shows up in the Godzilla movies as like the origin place of him so that was like another fun little thing.
shin rowan All right I think that should do it. Thank you to Kev and Carly and Alex Total Massacre is brought to you by listeners like you at our Patreon total massacre or patreon.com/totalmassacre ah, you can join our discord and you can recommend movies if you pay at a high enough tier. We had dark city a couple months ago and Brazil is coming up soon. We have shifted things around because Carly's getting married. Um.
Carli E.
shin rowan So we've we've decided to move our like origin story movie month to may and we're going to be doing science fiction comedies in April including back to the future galaxy quest and asteroid city all of which I'm pretty excited for. So yeah, look for that in the next week or two I think it's two weeks until we're doing back to the future. But that's where that's where we're going so that's what's up with total massacre I am Rowan Kaiser I am a video game consultant. You can find my website rowin monster that is mostly finished and at some point soon. It will be almost all the way finished except for art and hopefully after soon after that I'll get the art but yet if you would like to hire me to help you with your video game I can do that? um.
shin rowan Camp What's up with you.
kkoeser I also cohost the podcast talking trek to you which Alex has been on. Thank you so much Alex ah watch yeah watching star trek episode by episode ah for the me for the first time. Um, and.
shin rowan So have I.
kkoeser Then you can find them on blue sky at max rebos roadie and um, yeah, our theme music is by Jack Mcdonald and our art is by David Bednar
shin rowan Alex what's up with you.
Alex I ah you can find me on the one piece podcast every week are most weeks. Um, we are we have a live show coming up. Um in New York city at the AhCity winery ah Sunday April sixteen that 4 3 PM.Ah
kkoeser Um.
kkoeser Oh yeah.
Alex Check onepepod.com for details. Um on that or you can follow us on ah Twitter and blue sky at 1 piecepod follow me on Twitter and blue sky at dude exclamation. All 1 word and I have a shit post account on both of those platforms at Weeb Simpsons the blue sky account currently is. Um, and it's getting migrated over from Twitter so ah, please be patient as I only kind of care about ah updating these days and I'll finish migrating when I'm good and ready.
kkoeser Specific.
shin rowan And Carly would tell us about total massacre and yourself.
Carli Yes, so total massacre is on the internet as you probably guessed. But also we're on social media. We are on Twitter um, it is ah at total underscore mass underscore pod. But what you should really do is follow us on blue sky at total massacre blue sky social. And on Instagram a total massacre pod. Um, as for me I'm still currently at polygon you can read some work of my work there but you can also follow me on blue sky at carliviloci.com which is also my website and then you can also. Follow me on Instagram at Vocia Raptor 64 um, and also I want to give a shout out right now to um the qt library. It is a up and coming ah brick and mortar lgbt q plus library. Ah, that's going to be opening in the Boston area.
kkoeser Um, two of them.
Carli Um, and I've been volunteering with them and we're looking to up our donations. Ah currently, um, so if you are interested in checking it out or donating ah books or money or whatever. Um. If I can actually remember what the Instagram name is um I will do that. Ah, but my Instagram is not loading right now but it is um it is a thing um be if you it's I think it's at qtdotlibrary. Um, but I you can also just like. Go to my Instagram and you'll see stuff.
shin rowan So all right I think that should cover it for total masscar we will be back with back to the future probably in a couple weeks and I hope you enjoyed modern monster movie March this was actually one of my favorites that we have done all these movies were great to talk about and.
Carli Agree.
kkoeser Are.
shin rowan Good fun to watch. So yeah I think we'll we'll probably be doing more monster movies in the future because this worked well for for all of us I think have a good night.
Carli By e.
kk