Well, That Was Disappointing..."Shin Godzilla"

Shin Godzilla (2016)

Not Rated

Starring Godzilla, Thousands of Screaming Japanese People

Directed by Hideaki Anno & Sean Whitley

The Story:

Some great disturbance under the ocean floor unleashes a worm unlike the world has ever seen. At least it seems like a worm. Eventually it makes landfall, and in short order begins to evolve, stand tall, and begin to destroy Japan!  How will the Japanese government stop...

Godzilla!

Hey look kids, it's a film about Emergency Management planning!

Sound fun?

Well, it's not. 

It's basically 2 hours of governments attempting to figure out how to stop Godzilla, and which arm of the government should take the lead on it. 

Yeah, not very exciting. 

Then you've got Godzilla, who looks really ridiculous at first, until he finally evolves into something that mostly resembles the Godzilla we've come to love over the last 50+ years from Toho. 

But, it still doesn't really feel right. The face is off, enough... perhaps too big of a mouth opening.

And then I kept laughing at the ridiculous length of the tail as it flailed around in the movie.

However, keep a close eye on it, as it apparently holds the key to the sequel...

that I will probably watch, but don't look forward to seeing. 

:)

Unlike Kong: Skull Island, this one was very much a disappointment for me. 

While they've allowed different takes with each movie, it doesn't seem like they can decide what direction they're going with for Godzilla at this point. 

Instead, they freeze him like a statue and wait for the next film to probably start all over again. 

Godzilla is getting more origin stories than Spider-Man at this point! 

I'm hearing rumblings of another cinematic meet-up with Kong in the future. 

We'll see how that goes...

Final Grade:  D

It's A Super Weekend...Part Two..."The Wolverine"

The Wolverine (2013)
Rated PG-13 for Violence and Language

Starring Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen

Directed by James Mangold


The best there is at what he does...mostly.

The Story:

Wolverine/Logan (Jackman) has been in seclusion since last we saw him.  He is haunted by dreams of Jean Grey (Janssen) and longs to join her in death.  Lucky for him, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) has the resources to give Wolverine that peace, and repay a debt of gratitude from long ago.  Accompanied by Yukio (Rila Fukushima), they return to Japan where he meets Yashida's granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto).  However, when Yashida dies and the Yakuza come gunning for Mariko, it's up to Wolverine to keep her safe.  However, there's one problem... his healing factor appears to be gone, so he's going to get hurt...badly... and may not survive what's coming next.

Ah, much better.

To be honest, I have seen the first 3 X-Men movies, and they get a collective "meh" from me.  Amazingly, I think Last Stand, the most reviled of the three, is my favorite.  It's the one that most approached the appeal of the comics.

Then there was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

So much potential...  so poorly executed.

"Seriously?"

My biggest beef, you don't cast Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, then sew his mouth shut. 

Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.

Of course, Fox knows they have a cash cow, they just have to keep cranking out these films to avoid having the rights going back to Disney where a proper X-Men film can be made.

"Do I Want To Be In Your Movie?  Let Me Think About That..."

Thankfully, they hit the reset button with X-Men: First Class, easily the best of the entire X-Franchise, and it seems like Fox was at least willing to try and treat the franchise with the respect and care that it deserves to at least try and compete with Marvel Studios for quality superhero movies.

Then the focus turns back to the star of the franchise, Wolverine.

How do they fare this time?

Better.

"That Plane Can't Be A Good Thing..."

Much, much better.

I absolutely loved the flashback to Logan's tenure in a prison camp during WWII, and how he creates his bond with Yashida.  It's very well done, and makes the comic and movie fan wish that the entire Marvel Universe was under one umbrella, because how cool would a WWII movie with Cap and Wolverine be?

Yeah... Pretty cool!













Then we have Wolverine's Japanese adventures, and aside from a few scenes that just seem slightly jarring in the manner in which they were filmed, overall, everything works.

What I wasn't a fan of...

Silver Samurai as a giant robotic suit.  I understand the why, it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Wolverine's claws.  Never a fan of the bone claws, and hopefully he'll have those things fixed by the next movie.  However, I understand that due to his age, he's had the adamantium claws for much less time than he's had them as bones.  Fair enough.

Which leads me to the closing credits...

Come on people, why do you keep getting out of your seats when a Marvel film from any studio is over?

"Even the God of Thunder and a World War II Super-Soldier Have Figured This Out"

 Would it kill you to sit still for an extra 3-5 minutes?

At worst, you acknowledge the hundreds of people that devoted hours to bringing you entertainment for 2 hours.

At best, you might see something pretty cool.

Looking forward to the next film.


Final Grade: Complaints aside, I'll give Wolverine a solid B.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd happily give this one another viewing, and I'm sure it will find a spot in my library sooner, rather than later.

10 Days That Shaped the Future of the World... "Emperor"

What is the price for peace?

The Story:

It's 1945 and the Japanese have surrendered.  General MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) has 10 days to report back to Washington whether Emperor Hirohito was responsible for starting the war and should be tried (and executed) as a war criminal or is he should be spared.  MacArthur turns to General Fellers (Matthew Fox), an expert on Japanese culture to do the research.  What follows is Fellers race against time to find out if the Emperor was involved or was forced, but Fellers has a secret of his own that will also occupy his time and efforts.

This was better than I thought it would be.

Based on the true story, I have no idea how much of course is fact or how far the truth is stretched, but it's not bad.

Fellers secret: there was a girl he loved in Japan, and he wanted to find out if she was alive.  It turns out, he may have also done some behind the scenes planning attempting to ensure her survival in Japan.

The flashbacks to his life pre-war in Japan, and his quest to find her were the slow parts for me in this movie.

It was much more fascinating to see what kind of timetable the Generals were working on to wrap up everything for the President.

In the end, the decisions are based on sound logic and evidence that will never be known.

It's hard to say if those choices were right or wrong, but the importance of the occupation and rebuilding were hinging on that very thing, so the decision to let the Emperor live was the correct one to make.

Regardless of the Emperor's starting of the war, he was directly responsible for ending it before anymore blood was shed, and should be recognized for that.


Tommy Lee Jones carries his MacArthur with much swagger and bravado, sadly he is hardly in the movie.  The bulk of the movie is Fox attempting to find out what happened to the girl, and questioning officials on what the Emperor did and did not know.

Director Peter Webber balances out the two interweaving tales rather well.  When I felt the story was dragging under the search for the girl, he would bring it back with a shot of Tommy Lee Jones to recharge the movie. :)  I'm not familiar with his other 2 feature films, but so far I'd say he's a solid, if not spectacular, director.

The movie is definitely worth a look when you get the chance.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I would have no problem watching it again, but I won't be out actively trying to purchase it.