Cygnus Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...movies_eo/15418 Godzilla's Farewell at 50? Wed Nov 24, 6:35 PM ET By Joal Ryan It's taken 50 years, 29 movies and, owing to one monster-sized tail, who-knows-how-many accidentally knocked over craft-service tables, but Godzilla is finally getting his Hollywood coming-out party. In the coming days, the made-in-Japan leading lizard will ride in a parade, get starred on Hollywood Boulevard and storm the red carpet for a Grauman's Chinese Theatre movie premiere. He'll also say goodbye. Or so it's been said. "It's the latest last movie," says Ed Godziszewski, publisher of Japanese Giants magazine. "It" is Godzilla Final Wars, billed as "the last Godzilla film." Well-versed in kaiju eiga (that's Japanese for "monster movie"), Godziszewski is skeptical that audiences have seen the last of the big guy. "Even when Godzilla is killed in a movie he's never really dead," Godziszewski says. There is no indication that Godzilla breathes his last atomic breath at the end of Final Wars. But there are pledges from his bosses at Japan's Toho Studios that their star is headed for retirement. The move comes as fandom wraps a year spent commemorating Godzilla's golden anniversary. It was 50 years ago this month--on Nov. 3, 1954--that Gojira, a serious-minded, black-and-white horror film about a giant creature who doesn't mind where he steps in Tokyo, opened in Japan. In 1956, the movie was redubbed, recut, recast (see: Raymond Burr) and exported to the United States under its new title: Godzilla, King of the Monsters!. Toho has gone on to produce 28 cult-inspiring films, including Final Wars. In all, Godzilla has starred in 29 films if you count 1998's U.S.-made Godzilla, which most fans frankly don't. As Godziszewski points out, Godzilla has taken breaks before--he's even been killed before--only to return to make life heck for puny humans and assorted atomic freaks of nature. "No matter what happens in the end to conclude the movie, Godzilla will never actually die," Godziszewski says. Tsutomu Kitagawa, however, is emphatic that Godzilla is going away for good this time. Kitagawa is the ultimate Godzilla insider, in that he's been inside the Godzilla suit for five of the last six Japanese-produced films. "[shogo] Tomiyama, the producer, and the staff of the movie are doing their best to make this the best movie because it's the final movie," Kitagawa said this week of Final Wars, through a translator. "They put everything in this movie." Indeed, few parts of the world are safe in Final Wars, with New York, Paris, Shanghai and Sydney all taking hits. Kitagawa will be on hand, and in character, for Monday night's Grauman's Chinese invite-only screening, the first time a Japanese-made Godzilla movie has premiered outside of Japan. (The movie opens for paying customers in Japan on Dec. 4.) Other Godzilla firsts: Monday morning's unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Sunday night's scheduled appearance (in float form) at the 73rd annual Hollywood Christmas Parade; Thursday's Thanksgiving at Peggy Aiken's house in Sacramento, California. Technically, that last one's a first for Kitagawa, not Godzilla--although how many holiday dinners can a skulking monster possibly have been asked to attend? Stateside for the last week attending a Godzilla film festival in San Francisco, Kitagawa will be at Casa Aiken at the invitation of Keith Aiken, of the Japanese fantasy film and TV site, Henshin!Online (www.henshinonline.com). Peggy Aiken is Keith Aiken's understanding maternal unit. "She said, 'Well, you've been a fan since you were a kid, so I guess it's come to this,' " Aiken said of his mother's reaction to having Godzilla over for dinner. Aiken said the traditional turkey and fixings will be served. After 50 years, and another looming retirement, Godzilla deserves the drumstick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilPeartFan2112 Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 Godzilla movies are hilarious!!! I always watch them to get a good laugh. I don't know why, but they always struck me as corny... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus Posted November 26, 2004 Author Share Posted November 26, 2004 One day when I was young, I was watching Godzilla vs the smog monster at my elderly aunts house. She came in and asked what was going on,, I told her we were watching the news and tokio was being attacked, She was probably 85 at the time and believed me. Today I feel sad I did that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumnut Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 QUOTE (Cygnus @ Nov 25 2004, 04:11 PM) One day when I was young, I was watching Godzilla vs the smog monster at my elderly aunts house. She came in and asked what was going on,, I told her we were watching the news and tokio was being attacked, She was probably 85 at the time and believed me. Today I feel sad I did that Cygnus that's rotten! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test4VitalSigns Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 That 1998 version with Mathew Broderick was downright HORRIBLE! It's 3rd on my worst movies all time list...behind Master of Disguise and the Day After Tomorrow....Gee what a surprise..the above mentioned Godzilla and day after tomorrow were made by same people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilPeartFan2112 Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 QUOTE (Drumnut @ Nov 25 2004, 07:29 PM) QUOTE (Cygnus @ Nov 25 2004, 04:11 PM) One day when I was young, I was watching Godzilla vs the smog monster at my elderly aunts house. She came in and asked what was going on,, I told her we were watching the news and tokio was being attacked, She was probably 85 at the time and believed me. Today I feel sad I did that Cygnus that's rotten! That's hilarious!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus Posted November 30, 2004 Author Share Posted November 30, 2004 http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/...0/mdf779846.jpg Godzilla Gets Walk of Fame Star... LOS ANGELES (AP) - Godzilla received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, 50 years after he stomped onto movie screens and hours before the premiere of his latest film, "Godzilla: Final Wars." Producer Shogo Tomiyama appeared at a ceremony outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre, where the 2,271st star is located. "I'm here representing Godzilla. Unfortunately, he cannot speak English," he said. "We're very excited he is being honored in America." On screen, the fire-breathing sea creature was spawned by nuclear weapons testing. He made his appearance in Japanese theaters in November 1954 - while the United States was conducting nuclear tests in the South Pacific. A version starring Raymond Burr made it to theaters in the United States two years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pags Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 QUOTE (Cygnus @ Nov 25 2004, 07:11 PM) One day when I was young, I was watching Godzilla vs the smog monster at my elderly aunts house. She came in and asked what was going on,, I told her we were watching the news and tokio was being attacked, She was probably 85 at the time and believed me. Today I feel sad I did that That's too f'ing funny!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madra sneachta Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 As a musical backing, I wonder did they use Lostprophets' "We are Godzilla, you are Japan", which always struck me as a killer song title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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