tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post1335404411371067635..comments2024-01-09T04:01:00.672+00:00Comments on Breakfast In The Ruins: Kaiju Notes: Godzilla (Ishirō Honda, 1954)Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951955227326548340noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-32228987385947137972019-12-03T15:58:00.926+00:002019-12-03T15:58:00.926+00:00No, sadly 'Incubus' doesn't get any be...No, sadly 'Incubus' doesn't get any better as it goes along -- pretty much plods along as expected really. I made it to the end, but very much skim-reading in a "why am I still bothering with this?" frame of mind. <br /><br />It *does* get more sleazy, as we get ever longer descriptions of the monster's attacks, but despite clearly trying to shock his readers with gross nastiness, Russell still writes in that weird way common to commercial horror authors, using timid euphemisms and describing the human body in the way that suggests he's never actually been very close to one and is working from pictures. It's pretty difficult to be bland and offensive at the same time, but I think he manages it.<br /><br />And yeah, the characters are *so* dull and one dimensional - I think the magic of the film comes at least partly from John Cassavetes, who seems to have created a FAR more interesting, morally ambiguous character for himself to play than anything that was in the source material.<br /><br />It helps too that the script is so wild and all over the place that you never know what's going to happen next, whereas you know exactly where the novel's heading from the first few chapters; no mystery, no surprises.<br /><br />I was really surprised actually to look into Russell's background and learn that he'd been writing & editing for decades and that some of his earlier work is quite highly acclaimed -- 'Incubus' reads so much like some Stephen King fan's "written in my lunch breaks" first novel, I even wonder whether Russell wrote it in a knowingly crap fashion, working purely for the cash or something?<br />Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951955227326548340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-29718024595658613812019-12-01T09:30:30.960+00:002019-12-01T09:30:30.960+00:00Unfortunately there's a lot of that smirking a...Unfortunately there's a lot of that smirking and wise-cracking you mention throughout the sequel. It really is just soulless and cynical, almost devoid of the awe and respect with which Godzilla was treated in the previous film. You may still want to watch it at some point for the special effects, as some of the effects shots of Ghidorah are downright demonic in their scope and intensity.<br /><br />Regarding Incubus, I too was intrigued by Ray Russell's novel. The film version brought to mind words once used to deride Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan - "An incoherent nightmare of sex." I personally don't consider that an insult, but I think it perfectly sums up the film's appeal. I had to know how much of this insanity came from Russell's pen, and how much the filmmaker's added, so I started reading the book several months ago. About 50 or 60 pages in I gave up, completely fed up with the obnoxious characters the author actually expected the reader to like. Would you say it gets better as it goes on?Cam1020https://www.blogger.com/profile/13933374843198678415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-17889342399697496992019-11-29T16:02:54.392+00:002019-11-29T16:02:54.392+00:00Aw, thanks so much! I'm really glad you've...Aw, thanks so much! I'm really glad you've been enjoying what I do here, it always makes me happy to know it has some value for someone other than myself, and great to hear too that you've checked out and enjoyed some of the films I've written about. Thanks again! : )<br /><br />(Incubus! What a crazy movie... I recently read the source novel actually, hoping it might be similarly weird, but found it disappointingly straight-forward - I think the film somehow ended up with a vibe all of its own.)<br /><br />Glad too that I wasn't the only fan of the 2014 Godzilla... my expectations for it were so low that I waited until my wife bought the DVD at the supermarket for £3 before I bothered to watch it, but came out thinking "is it just me, or was that actually pretty good?" <br /><br />I enjoyed the fact that the human cast all keep a straight face through the b-movie type drama rather than smirking and wise-cracking (it felt quite old-fashioned in that respect), and the CGI monsters actually felt quite weighty and real. I also appreciated the way that the film's big set-pieces seemed to draw on real life fears of natural disasters & terrorism for their imagery, which lent a certain amount of seriousness to things, in spite the inevitable gung-ho Hollywood blockbuster type approach...Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951955227326548340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-77980470583896884002019-11-28T08:54:58.673+00:002019-11-28T08:54:58.673+00:00I am also one of those people. I saw Godzilla (201...I am also one of those people. I saw Godzilla (2014) on the big screen and walked away very impressed. I loved that the filmmakers didn't beat us over the head with monster carnage, choosing instead to tantalize and frustrate us until we finally get to the climactic battle. Because of my admiration for the first Godzilla I was initially very excited for the sequel. I am sorry to say that I can only concur with the reviews you've read. It is a very stupid movie with stupid characters making stupid decisions. I could not be less excited for Godzilla vs. Kong.<br /><br />On an unrelated note, I've been quietly following your blog for about 3 or 4 years, and I've greatly enjoyed your writings on weird cinema and pulp paperback works. In fact I quickly sought out Incubus and Killer's Moon after reading your respective reviews of those, and had a hell of an interesting time with both. So in short, I would just like to offer my gratitude and sincerest hope that you will continue to find encouragement in your writing.Cam1020https://www.blogger.com/profile/13933374843198678415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-64712175999223815922019-11-27T13:15:48.037+00:002019-11-27T13:15:48.037+00:00Thanks so much for your comment Cam1020, it's ...Thanks so much for your comment Cam1020, it's greatly appreciated.<br /><br />I had mixed feelings about Shin Godzilla to be honest - on the one hand, it was great to see Toho doing something so different and daring with the franchise, and great that it was such a big hit in Japan, but as a Western viewer I felt a lot of the deeper social/political satire went over my head - definitely made with the domestic market in mind! - and I found the monster stuff and effects work a bit underwhelming too. <br /><br />Definitely a very interesting film that I feel will benefit from a re-watch though, so I'll reserve judgement until I've given it some more time. It's worth noting though that I seem to be one of the few people who quite liked the 2014 American 'Godzilla', so my opinions might not be too reliable... : D (terrible reviews put me off subjecting myself to the recent sequel however...)<br /><br />Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951955227326548340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-33035867170171470152019-11-26T07:51:52.770+00:002019-11-26T07:51:52.770+00:00Terrific review! I too was bowled over on my first...Terrific review! I too was bowled over on my first viewing of the original Japanese cut by how relentlessly grim it was in comparison to what followed. Have you seen Shin Godzilla? It's a real revelation, both a scathing political satire and a legitimately unsettling depiction of the Big G himself. Surprisingly moving, and the last shot of the film provides a very potent frisson of horror. I suspect Ishirō Honda would have been pleased with it.Cam1020https://www.blogger.com/profile/13933374843198678415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-37963780159216116452019-11-22T16:59:19.234+00:002019-11-22T16:59:19.234+00:00Thanks as always for your comment Maurice!
That e...Thanks as always for your comment Maurice!<br /><br />That exhibition sounds great, I wish I could have made it along... despite regularly visiting Japan for family reasons, my haul of Godzilla-related stuff has remained limited to just a few tatty postcards and cheap, decidedly non-collectible toys...Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951955227326548340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-47352495738189287222019-11-21T09:56:50.374+00:002019-11-21T09:56:50.374+00:00"FUCK YEAH, LOOK AT HIM GO; Godzilla doesn’t ..."FUCK YEAH, LOOK AT HIM GO; Godzilla doesn’t give a fuck about your stupid power lines! Look at him, swatting missiles out of the air like Mosquitos! COME ON! This is amazing! Godzilla rules!"<br /><br />Best summary of why Godzilla rocks I've read for some time!<br /><br />I was lucky enough to go to the Godzilla exhibition in Nagoya a year or two ago, and it was chock full of all the goodness one would want from a show like that. Some astonishing full sized poster artwork - inc the amazing art for Godzilla 1985 (my personal fav), with the boy standing above a ruined city in bold red flames and lightning. Was about the size of a snooker table in the real and just astonishing to be able to get up close and study it in detail. <br /><br />I get looks at work as I keep The Important Paperwork in a folder I bought with that very artwork displayed proudly on the cover.<br />Maurice Mickelwhitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05415253943533672436noreply@blogger.com