Elizabeth Olsen Talks Godzilla 2014

Elizabeth Olsen plays nurse Elle Brody in Godzilla 2014

"GODZILLA is just so deserving of a good American remake, and I really hope we did it and I really feel like we did" --Elizabeth Olsen, Actress

In an interview at AintItCool.com Elizabeth Olsen, who plays the character Elle Brody in Godzilla 2014. Elle Brody is the wife of Ford played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. read the part where she teases more details about the upcoming Godzilla reboot below:

Capone: I hear a lot about his rehearsal process and how so much changes and gets locked in that period. Have you ever been though a process like that in terms of rehearsal?

EO: I hadn’t, and it was an amazing two weeks. Actually, we had a little bit of that for GODZILLA. Gareth, Aaron [Taylor-Johnson, who plays Olsen's husband] and I, just for dialogue reasons, character development, and things like that, we did do that for GODZILLA. But before OLDBOY, I hadn’t had that experience where someone was like, “Hey, let's do this movie, but you're allowed to re-write anything that you don't feel comfortable with. What do you think isn’t working, and let’s figure out how to make it work. What lines do you like saying, what lines do you not like saying?" It was amazing.

Capone: Ok, you brought up GODZILLA, and I gotta ask: In my mind, I look at that cast and that’s one of the best casts of any film in recent memory. [It includes Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn and Victor Rasuk.]

EO: It’s ridiculous!

Capone: And I’m just thinking, are we just going to see these amazing actors running away and pointing at something in the sky for two hours? What is going on?

EO: Absolutely will not. [laughs]

Capone: I’m dying to know.

EO: I do that once. It’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s film, but the ensemble, we all are somehow connected to Aaron’s character. He’s the root, and I play his wife and I'm the person who holds down the San Francisco prospective of it all. I’m a nurse and I work trying take care of this chaos. GODZILLA is just so deserving of a good American remake, and I really hope we did it and I really feel like we did. 

Besides Godzilla 2014, Elizabeth Olsen also talks about her role in Spike Lee's Old Boy and her role as Scarlet Witch in the upcoming Avengers movie. Read the rest of the interview at Aint It Cool News. 

Pacific Rim from a Feminist Perspective

Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) sorting things out.

"This is what I mean when I say that Raleigh is a 'strong female character.'" -- Deborah Pless, BtchFlcks.com


Bitch Flicks is a self-described website devoted to reviewing films and television through a feminist lens. The premise of their review is Pacific Rim flips the script on traditional gender roles in a movie while allowing Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) maintain their dude-ness and femininity respectively. This is quite a refreshing review and a must-read unique perspective on Pacific Rim.

Read an excerpt from Bitch Flick's post titled ‘Pacific Rim’s Raleigh Becket Is a Strong Female Character, and That’s Great.

"In fact, the central emotional story of the film turns out not to belong to Raleigh, but rather Mako. An orphan of the Kaiju War, Mako wishes desperately to become a pilot in order to avenge her family, but is deemed too angry and emotionally volatile to make a good pilot. As it turns out, it’s Mako, not Raleigh, whose grief and rage endanger their connection, and it’s Raleigh’s job to emotionally balance her out and soothe the tempers around him.

This is what I mean when I say that Raleigh is a “strong female character.” Raleigh’s role in the film is that of friend, counselor, and emotional support–commonly the role given to a girlfriend or wife in a movie like this. He’s the Peggy to Mako’s Captain America, the Jane to her Thor, the Katara to her Aang. Raleigh is the supportive, emotionally intuitive counterpart to his impulsive, rash, and angry best friend. His journey is over in the first 20 minutes of the movie. Hers has just begun."

You can read the rest of Deborah's Pacific Rim review at BtchFlcks.com

Guillermo del Toro is Praised for Building Worlds Like Pacific Rim

Concept art for the kaiju skull city

 Ryan Lambie from DenOfGeek.us praises Guillermo del Toro's world building; from Cronos (1993), Mimic (1997), The Devil’s Backbone (2001), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) through to Pacific Rim (2013).

Below in an excerpt you can read the high praise and interesting insights Mr. Lambie  has specifically for Pacific Rim:

In terms of world-building, Pacific Rim is arguably the most expansive movie del Toro’s yet created. Set in a near future torn apart by giant beasts which have, for reasons initially unclear, emerged from our oceans to wreck havoc on our cities, it sees a dwindling defense force gather together a handful of skyscraper-sized, human-driven robots to repel the incursion.

Proudly inspired by Japanese giant monster movies and anime, Pacific Rim creates its own realm of fantasy logic. We come to accept the strange, majestic movements of these towering robots, whose limbs move in time with the pilots’ own. Like all of del Toro’s films, it communicates so much through images rather than words; Pacific Rim’s designers draw from the symbolism of World War II tanks and submarines to give the machines a rusted, battered, lived-in sense of history, while the screeching kaiju have their own unique markings and individual videogame-like killer moves.

Like Mimic, Pacific Rim isn’t at all ashamed of its own inherent goofiness, and del Toro pulls off an impressive high-wire act of giving the movie both a sense of violent impact and also a childlike, playful sense of awe.

It’s this child’s eye perspective, perhaps, that is also key to the director’s world-building. Not all of his films are literally seen through a child’s eyes (though several of his best are), but they are all invested with the same childlike fascination for minute details and exotic, surreal images. Take, for example, a location somewhere in China, where an ad-hoc city has been arranged around the gargantuan bones of a fallen kaiju.

It’s a detail that is largely incidental to the plot, but it’s an idea that tells us so much about the history of this world without anyone uttering a word: the corpses of the kaiju are so utterly enormous that they’ve simply been assimilated into the landscape, and formed the part of a new and strangely beautiful place.

Things like this abound in Pacific Rim, and if you take the time to see them, they add depth to a story that is constantly thundering along like an untethered beast. Look how the little blue highlight in heroine Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) precisely matches the color of the coat she was wearing when she was almost killed by a kaiju as a child - a little bit of her traumatic past still clings to her as an adult.

Continuing with the same theme, they take the kaiju skull city a step further by not only building around it, but by turning it into a temple.

You can read Ryan Lambie's  praise for Del Toro's other works at the Den of Geek article Pacific Rim and Guillermo del Toro's world building

Gamera Screenshot Fools Media into Reporting the Discovery of an 800 lb Amazonian Giant Tortoise

The above image has been used as evidence of a giant tortoise discovery. But, it's a screenshot from a movie. (Credit: Cinemotions, screenshot)

"World’s largest tortoise found in amazon river. Its age around 529 years old / height-59 feet/ weight-800 pounds OR 362.87 kg incredible… Amazing" --News-Hound.net

Amazing indeed. A new discovery of an 800-pound tortoise in the Amazon appears to look like kaiju favorite Gamera--because it was Gamera, tusks and all.

On November 22nd 2013 both International Business Times and iMediaEthics both reported on the false story of a newly discovered giant tortoise. The biggest source for this hoax was News-Hound.net. You can see the news clipping below.

The article continues on with the initial discovery of species, eating habits and nesting habits.

iMediaEthics breaks down the media outlets that reported this viral story that began last year and includes links to those original stories that circulated about the "Giant Tortoise".

Sites that have run the tortoise story include Topekas News, News-hound, and the Tottenham News. None of the three have About Us pages explaining what the sites are.

So, who are these sites that got fooled? Here's what we found:

1. Topekas News story about the tortoise was headlined "Giant Fukushima Mutant Turtle Finally Captured By Japanese Military."

The Topekas News spun up a tall tale even saying that the tortoise had been nicknamed "The Great Demon King Koopa (Bowser)" and that the U.S. military was instrumental in catching the monster creature using drugs and explosives in its food. TopekasNews wrote that a U.S. soldier said the beast was "running a good 20 miles per hour."

Making the Topekas News article even more over-the-top, it claimed the tortoise demolished Noto, Japan and has earned legendary status:

"Some residents claimed at night its eyes would glow red as it emerged from the waters, usually hungry for small children or cattle, but its appetite knowing no true limit.  Other residents say the great demon turtle could be heard wailing in the distance, bellowing out toward the heavens and speaking ancient Japanese, the words they say were a call toward the dark gods of ancient."

The absurd Topekas News article went on to claim nuclear power was responsible for the tortoise and that the "mutant" ate a bunch of animals.  "Unfortunately, the giant mutant attacked the town of Noto, Japan," Topekas News wrote.  "It literally tore through dozens of houses, ate 3 grown tigers and several goats at the local zoo, leaving a brave injured bull elephant to die, and then tried to eat a butcher’s van that is used to haul meat. "

2. News-Hound posted a story Nov. 21 titled, "World’s Largest Tortoise found in Amazon Basin – 800lb."

Unlike Topekas News, which is a site filled with satire, News-hound apparently publishes viral news stories with clickworthy headlines. It also doesn't have an "About Us" explaining the site's purpose, but judging from headlines, the content appears to be sensationalized news stories, not satire.

3. The Tottenham News was also a victim of the turtle hoax story, according to the International Business Times. The Tottenham News story is headlined "World's Largest Tortoise Found in Amazon."

PS4 and Xbox One are Animated as Giant Mechs

Playstation 4 video game console as a Jaeger

The folks at Machinima have turned video game consoles, Xbox One and Sony Playstation 4, into giant mechs. Similar to the Jaegers from Pacific Rim. The description attached to the video is below.

"In a distant empire ruled by consoles, an apocalyptic war unfolds. The fate of the world lies in a single battle between the XB-01 and the PX-04: the ultimate technological monstrosities of the console era.... or are they?" 

The Nerdist reports there are allusions to rumors about the consoles in the video:

"This short makes allusions to various console war developments, such as the rumor of the Xbox One “not being ready” for its launch day, and we even get to see what happens when Nintendo’s Wii U sticks it’s nose into the battle."

Watch the video and enjoy the show.

Kaiju Comic Enormous to be a Web Series

 "Films like Trollhunter, Cloverfield, The Host, Monsters, and The Mist had a huge influence on Enormous..." --Tim Daniel, Author of Enormous

Last month we announced the Director of Troll Hunter is Involved in Adapting Enormous Comic. Mark Julian from ComicBookMovie.com announced the project is moving forward.

Last year, it was announced that director Andre Ovredal (Troll Hunter) and producer Adrian Askarieh were gearing up to make a franchise out of the Enormous, the comic book from Tim Daniel and Mehdi Cheggour. Those plans included a web series, tv show and feature film. A year later, it appears that the first leg of those ambitious plans is kicking off as Variety reports that Machinima is moving forward with plans to make a web series from the comic. Enormous follows a futuristic setting where humanity is poised on the brink of extinction in the wake of gigantic monsters produced from a vast ecological cataclysm. That premise brings to mind another Image comic book series, The Walking Dead but this time, it's giant monsters instead of zombies. BenDavid Grabinski (Cost of Living) will direct the pilot from a script he wrote with Ovredal. Casting is underway and December is the target date for cameras to begin rolling.

An excerpt from the Variety article Mark Julian references is below.

 After scoring with live action web series based on the “Halo” and “Mortal Kombat” video game franchises, Machinima is turning to comicbooks for new programming.

The online entertainment player, whose audience is made up mostly of young males age 18-35, has paired  with producer Adrian Askarieh to produce a 10-minute pilot based on “Enormous,” a graphic novel that revolves around a cataclysmic ecological event that creates massive beasts that overrun human civilization and puts mankind at the bottom of the food chain.

Askarieh’s Prime Universe Productions will produce the pilot for Machinima before turning it into a full-fledged series that can play on various digital platforms the company appears on, including the new Xbox One.

Below is a cool ad for the Enormous Comic Book 

And if you are unfamiliar with the Trollhunter reference enjoy the clip below. The entire movie is worth the watch and there is an great example of a Kaiju-sized troll.



You can go to the official Enormous Comic Website.

Mechagodzilla Concept Art by Guy Edwards

Quick sketch during down time

One of the reasons I created Everything Kaiju is to get into concept art. Most concept artist are technically proficient, but the best ones live up to the "concept" part. You can see them work out ideas in an illustration. That's what this quick sketch is, just me exploring a few ideas.

This is a Mechagodzilla based on Legendary Pictures' 2014 Godzilla concept.

The illustration with the pens I used.  What color blue is that pen? (click to enlarge)

Below are some detail pics of the illustration along with my thought process.

Mechagodzilla 2014 Head detail: Wanted to keep the top teeth in the back so he looked like he had a permanent sneer. Included the "fins" on the neck. In retropect I would go a different route with the plating on top of the head, it looks a little too organic.

Arm Detail: The arm is done in a more modern anime mech style, this style is also seen in many video game exosuits. 

Dorsal detail: Again the fins may be too organic, but I do like how the side plates lay on top of each other like samurai armor. I also like the texture the rounded square with rivets looks. I only have four starting at the top, should have continued them all the way down.

Leg/Thigh detail: Although rougher than the top half, this is where I feel like I am really getting a feel on how to embellish the empty spaces. I tried out some Ralph McQuarrie (Star Wars) geometries and I think they worked out well on the thigh.

Now that I have the initial brainstorming sketch done I think I'll make some adjustments. Stay tuned for a more polished version.

Will Smith to Play Ultraman

Will Smith interviewed in Japan, nostalgic for Ultraman as a kid 

"And when I was growin' up, I used to always watch Ultraman" --Will Smith

The rumor that Will Smith will play Ultraman in an American version of the Japanese series is highly speculative, but not out of the question. The case for Will Smith playing the role as Ultraman would be stronger if there was a second source that could confirm it. Currently, every website that is posting this information is referencing a single source; NukeTheFridge.com. including Nuke The Fridge them self. There is no second source for this rumor.

"A source inside Sompote’s entourage indicated that the action/sci-fi feature film would be done in the style of Guillermo del Toro’s international monsters vs. giant robots’ hit “Pacific Rim.”  Word has it that “I Am Legend” alum Will Smith is being sought for the role..."

The Sompote being referenced in the blurb above is Sompote Saengduenchai, a Thai director who was embroiled with a licensing dispute with Tsuburaya Productions. Sompote claimed the rights to Ultraman were given to him by Noboru Tsuburaya, the son of Ultraman's creator, Eiji Tsuburaya.

What we do know is Will Smith is on record, more than once, declaring his love for Ultraman. Once in June 6th 2008, while promoting his super-hero movie Hancock, he mentioned Ultraman on The Tomight Show with Jay Leno. Again in Japan, as you can see in the video below he professes his child-hood love of Ultraman. He even gives a pose at the end of the interview. Watch it below.

Will Smith likes Ultraman by booska4

New Godzilla 2014 Preview Sculpture from Chan Takashi

Chan Takashi's next Godzilla Sculpture in production

"This is the new Godzilla 2014 sculpture in production, it's based on comments from Godzilla fans across the world" -- Chan Takashi, Japan

Fans, our most popular post is still Chan Takashi's first Godzilla 2014 sculpture presented here 7 days ago at EverythingKaiju.com. You can see the sculpture below.

The first Godzilla 2014 Sculpture by Chan Takashi

After receiving multiple comments from around the world, Mr. Takashi is taking another crack at the Godzilla 2014 figure and was kind enough to give us the exclusive in-progress photo. He says it will be complete in December, but as you can see he has already made some progress. It even looks like he is using the same methodology of disposable chopsticks as scaffolding to prop up Godzilla during the production process. 

The new Godzilla 2014 sculpture currently in production

We had only one question for Chan Takashi.

Will he have gills? He assured us, "Yes, I will be adding the gills."

The four "gills" seen in the promotional poster

Stay tuned as we share sketches and hopefully more work from Chan Takashi. What do you think? Leave your comments below. 

Astute G-Fan IDs Train from Comic Con Godzila 2014 Trailer

Green Screen Shooting of Train Scene from Godzilla 2014

"I was looking back at the image [above] of the 2014 Godzilla train scene with lots of green screen, pondering a few things about it." -- TRUE AMERICAN GODZILLA, Scified member

Fans are hungry for any hint or clue for the upcoming Godzilla 2014 movie. From toy leaks to trailer leaks, every detail is consumed and potentially analyzed. Scified member, True American Godzilla (TAG), is no different and has done some great investigating on details of a train that is in the Godzilla 2014 trailer.

Based on the green screen shoot above TAG was able to identify it as a N Judah train. we went a step further and found this information on Wikipedia. 

The N Judah is a Muni Metro light rail line in San Francisco, California, so named as it runs along Judah Street for much of its length, named after railroad engineer Theodore Judah. It links downtown San Francisco to the Cole Valley and Sunset neighborhoods. It is the busiest line in the Muni Metro system.

TAG posted the following photos of the interior, floorplan and exterior at Godzilla-movies.com.

Interior and Floorplan of an N Judah light rail train

Exterior of an N Judah train

You can read some of True Americans Godzilla's own speculations at 2014 GODZILLA, TRAIN SCENE POSSIBILITIES AND IDENTITY

Gipsy Danger and Otachi get Illustrated and Stuffed!

Inspired By Scott Campbell, Anna TheRed creates plush toys 

Larger Scott Cambbell Illustration of Gipsy Danger and Otachi

More details of Anna TheRed's stuffed toys, Gipsy Danger and Otachi

Unfortunately these plush Pacific rim inspirations are not for sale. They will be auctioned off  at the donation site Desert Bus. Auctions starts at 7:30 PM PST tonight (November 16th 2013).

Desert Bus is actually a mini-game from the never-released Sega CD game Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors. Challenging the player to drive a listing, unreliable, virtual bus on an endless, eight-hour-long strip of highway between Tucson, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, it is widely regarded to be the worst video game ever made.

We play it for as long as donations come in. In order to keep things interesting for our viewers we have live and silent auctions, giveaways and contests, celebrity guests and a lot of silliness.

You can get all the creative details at Anna The Red's Website where she descripbes how she cam up with the idea and why she donated it to desert Bus.

She has a lot more photos with incredible details. The giant boat actually attaches to Gipsy Danger's hand with a snap! 

KaijuCast Visits Kaiju Toymaker X-Plus

KaijuCast's Kyle visits X-plus

KaijuCast is one of the best things to happen to Kaiju Fandom. They have their pulse on what appeals to Kaiju fans just by being huge fans themselves. Kyle Yount is the founder and his passion is clear as he describes his love for all things Godzilla:

"I love Godzilla. Not just the king, either… I take pride in being able to enjoy all of Japan’s giant monster films. Am I an expert? Not by a long shot, but that’s kind of the point with this podcast – I want an excuse to learn more about Godzilla, his friends, his foes and the men and women who have created this fantastic genre!" --Kyle Yount, KaijuCast Founder

A great part of the podcast is the the attention to the different Godzilla soundtracks. Kyle notes, "I am opening another door to Godzilla fanaticism that I have yet to really dive into, soundtrack collection. My goal will be to involve myself not only with collecting, but learning to appreciate the subtle changes between composers and themes in the soundtracks."

Kyle Yount standing in front of an X-Plus display case

Recently on the KaijuCast Video Transmission YouTube channel, Kyle visits X-Plus a company known for making some of the best Godzilla figures. Kyle does a great interview showcasing how X-plus started and how they have grown. Watch the video below.



Be sure and check out KaijuCast.com. Visit the KaijuCast Facebook Page. And definitely subscribe to the KaijuCast podcast on itunes.

NECA's 7" Pacific Rim Leatherback Kaiju Reviewed

7" Pacific Rim Kaiju Leatherback figure from NECA

The guy's at Toy News International (toynewsi.com) do great toy reviews. The recently reviewed NECA's 7" Leatherback Kaiju from Pacific Rim. They do size comparisons to NECA's other Pacific Rim offerings, Gipsy Danger and Knifehead, and give a complete joint-by-joint articulation and range of motion overview.

See ShartimusPrime's complete 7" Leatherback review below.

You can see a gallery of 19 photos of the toy from different angles at Toy News International's NECA's 7" Leatherback Photo Gallery

Screenwriter Hints at Final Rough Cut for Godzilla 2014

Max Borenstein Screenwriter for Godzilla 2014

Someone with the username Jorzilla on the monsterzero forums shared a tweet from Max Borenstein.

Just saw my favorite movie of next year. #godzilla
— Max Borenstein (@MAXBORENSTEIN) November 13, 2013

Borenstein is, of course, the screenwriter for Godzilla 2014. He was introduced to us as the writer for Godzilla 2014 exactly two years ago when The Hollywood Reporter announced

Max Borenstein has been tapped to write the planned remake of Godzilla.

Borenstein, who just turned in his script for Art of the Steal for Warner Bros and producers Kevin McCormick and Zac Efron, is well acquainted with Legendary. He worked on the company’s in-development Jimi Hendrix biopic, Jimi, and rewrote the outfit’s supernatural fantasy The Seventh Son. The latter, based on the Joseph Delaney YA book, is due to go into production with Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore and Ben Barnes attached to star.

If he has seen the movie it is most likely a rough cut--not the final cut, or the special DVD/blu ray cut, or the director's cut, or the 15th anniversary additional never-before-seen scenes cut. You get the idea., and for what it's worth, assuming this movie is as good as I hope, I am standing in line at midnight somewhere to get all those different cuts when they come out.

GMAN2887 on Godzilla-Movies.com breaks down the the significance of a final rough cut.

What does this mean? Well not too much exciting. But it does mean that a workprint version of the movie is probably completed and that Max Borenstein probably saw an early cut with unfinished special effects, sound and music.

The good news is a complete, early cut makes it easier to pick shots for trailers...

All TFAW's Godzilla 2014 Toy Offerings

Things From Another World (TFAW) already has descriptions of their Godzilla 2014 offerings

TFAW's toy offerings is the primary source for revealing Mutos. Although there is still lots of speculation on what Mutos are and what they look like, the description of eight legs and wings has people guessing.

Below we have the descriptions for TFAW's 5 different Godzilla 2014 toy offerings. We start with the two Muto combo packs, then the two godzilla figures and the adorable  Chibi/anime-style pack that seems to support there are only two Mutos in the Godzilla 2014 movie. 

1. Godzilla 2014 Destruction Pack Assortment

Bring the excitement of the all-new Godzilla movie home and fight for humanity as Godzilla, or be the Winged Muto and try to destroy the world!

Your epic kaiju battles are sure to crumble cities and bring in the Air Force! Each pack features one figure, one destructible building, and one military aircraft.

Exclusive Winged 3.5" Muto Is only available in this assortment. Blister card packaging.

SRC: TFAW.com 

2. Godzilla 2014 Deluxe Destruction Pack Cs

Bring the excitement of Legendary Pictures' Godzilla home with this deluxe 'Destruction Pack' featuring figures of Godzilla and the exclusive 8-legged Muto measuring 3.5".

Set includes two kaiju, plus three destructible buildings & bridge, and five military vehicles. Widnow box packaging.

SRC: TFAW.com

3. Godzilla 2014 Deluxe Attack & Roar Action Figure Assortment

With collector-level detailing, this large scale figure brings the new Godzilla to life as he blasts his powerful atomic breath and lets out his iconic roar!

Figure measures approximately 10" tall, and features authentic sounds and 'atomic breath' action. Open box packaging.

SRC: TFAW.com

4. Godzilla 2014 Fighting Action Figure Assortment

Bring the fight home as you control Godzilla in his fight against the Mutos!

Choose from 'Tail-Strike' Godzilla with swinging tail manipulated via a chest control, or ' Thrash' Godzilla, whose devastating upper body attacks are activated through an upper-tail control lever! Open box packaging.

SRC: TFAW.com

5. Godzilla 2014 Chibi Figure 2-pk Assortment

Godzilla and the Mutos take on an anime-style look as these highly collectible chibi-style figures!

Two different 2-Packs available, each with Godzilla in a different pose, and both Mutos. Window box packaging.

SRC: TFAW.com

Meet the Woman Who Negotiated Godzilla 2014 Cast Picks

Jessica Kantor negotiated Gareth Edwards top cast picks for Godzilla 2014

The Hollywood Reporter reports on the up and coming Next Gen Hollywood movers and shakers. One of them happen to have negotiated the contracts for the upcoming Godzilla 2014 movie.

Read a partial bio below:

Jessica Kantor

Legendary Entertainment, vp business and legal affairs
Want to star in a Legendary movie? You'll have to talk to Kantor.

Since transitioning from the Sheppard Mullin law firm to Thomas Tull's ministudio in June 2012, the L.A. native and UCLA and Loyola Law School alum is the primary negotiator for Legendary's film projects. She handled all the talent deals for the upcoming Godzilla reboot and its new Michael Mann movie, and she managed the studio's relationship with Jackie Robinson's widow during the 42 shoot.

She also is fluent (and able to argue in) Italian, French, Farsi and Hebrew.

FIRST JOB: Apprenticeship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art specializing in African art.

CAREER MILESTONE: Successfully negotiating all of director Gareth Edwards' No. 1 picks for Godzilla. The deals were closed simultaneously and include Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston.

SRC: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/jessica-kantor-653554

MoviePilot Interviews Director and Cast of Godzilla 2014

Speculation continues to heat up for Godzilla 2014

"You want to see Godzilla, and you want to see him fight something else." --Gareth Edwards, Director of Godzilla 2014

Melissa Molina of MoviePilot.com has just posted a terrific interview with the director and a few cast members from Godzilla 2014. Not many spoilers, the interview mostly covers their creative approach to the movie. Read an excerpt of a few of the best responses below:

How did you approach the effects for Godzilla?

Gareth Edwards: I tried not to view them as effects and go “Ok. This really happened. There really are giant monsters. What would be the best story to tell, that we can think of?”, and it always involves humans. So you come up with those characters, and try to create that story. I don’t separate the two in my mind. You just picture the movie. What was so refreshing was that we would shoot scenes that sometimes had a creature in them, sometimes didn’t, and we’d desperately try to make it work from an emotional point of view, on its own. You guys had the advantage of this, but we’d go in the evening, and kind of review scenes with the digital effects company, and they’d start putting the special effects in, and I’d go “Oh my god. I totally forgot that this whole other layer was going on with this.” We were painstakingly worried about the characters, and their journey, and suddenly, on top of that, there’s this spectacle that’s going to be invented in the whole film. It makes you feel really good, because we wanted to get it right from the character side of things.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: The thing that I found really interesting around a film that’s a special effects movie - my idea was that you’re going to be in a studio filming these green screen monsters. There was, maybe, a couple of days of that, but the majority of time we would go film on location. It gave it just a whole other depth, and you forget about it. We’d be on location with destruction everywhere, people were injured, and it came to life. It felt natural and realistic. The way we shot it, it’s just kind of with you on this journey, from our perspective point of view. When you do get a glimpse of Godzilla, you’re looking up from a car window, or from a military helicopter, so you really feel, as an audience, that you’re totally involved in it. That you’re on this mad roller coaster journey with us.

Elizabeth Olsen: It’s kind of funny to go “Ok. So in that corner up there is this thing. Is it like a unicorn, or like a spider?” It’s like you’re playing hot lava as a kid, or something. You’re trying to go deep into your imagination, like “Yeah, that’s a monster! It’s going to kill me unless I run fast!” So it’s fun.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: There were times as well that it’s hard to get the imagination of something, but it is a frightening prospect. We would have a scene where we’d see something happen from one of the creatures and Gareth would play something on the microphone so we’d get the sound of Godzilla, or somebody playing around with the special effects. That was really great, to kind of hear something. You’re envisioning it through your consciousness, and then you’re hearing something through the giant speakers around you. Sometimes he would do it without you knowing it, and it would give a totally different layer.

Gareth Edwards: It was on my iPhone. I would desperately try to get to “this clip” with “this sound” and go “That’s not it. That’s not it. That’s not it. “ and they’d go “You’re wasting camera time” and I’d go “I gotta find that noise!”.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: There was one time where it was, like, a walrus meets a tiger, meets a hippo farting. [Laughs] It was so bizarre…

Elizabeth Olsen teases a small detail about her character and Bryan Cranston gives us a good laugh.

Elizabeth, can you tell us about the character you play, and whether she is suited or unsuited to face what she is facing?

Elizabeth Olsen: I feel like my character’s role serves a purpose in the hands on interaction of chaos in the city, and how you deal with that, as well as having a child who needs to not be part of the chaos. I think that’s the perspective you get, and what ends up happening after these things occur, and there’s an overflowing hospital, and people have to get from point A to point B, so that’s the practical part of it. It references any time some sort of natural disaster happens in a city. There’s a real truth to it, as opposed to a fantastical thing.

Because Godzilla is such a legendary creature, and on top of that, this film is highly action driven, what were some of the biggest challenges on the set of this film?

Bryan Cranston: Getting Godzilla to come out of his trailer. He was an ass. He was a real a--hole. [Laughs] He’d come out, he would eat all of the food on craft services, he would wreck everything, but boy, when the cameras rolled… boy he was good! That’s why they keep making Godzilla movies. [Laughs]

For the whole interview go to Moviepilot Exclusive: Gareth Edwards And The Cast Reveal More Information About The Godzilla Remake

Kudzilla, A 40 ft Ambition for a Roadside Attraction

Can an invasive species be repurposed as an invasive species?

It's an ambitious goal, and we love it because it honors the king of Kaijus. Imagine building a 40 foot scaffold for an invasive plant species can take over. I'm thinking it would be the greatest time-lapse video ever!!

Well if it is gonna happen it will have to be funded first. Chris Lindland and team Kudzilla are quarter of the way there. Read an excerpt from a local artoicle below and watch the Kick Starter promotional video.

For many homeowners and gardeners in the Southeastern United States, a difficult-to-eradicate kudzu infestation is terrifying enough without the involvement of a toweringkaiju.

But thanks to a new Kickstarter campaign from Chris Lindland of San Francisco-based online clothier Betabrand, such a creature — a 40-foot-tall beast that not even gallons of glyphosate solution or a herd of ravenous goats can destroy — could potentially rise from a vacant, kudzu-infested lot somewhere in the greater Atlanta area. And depending on how well said Kickstarter campaign goes, this edible invasive speciesabomination known as Kudzilla may also be capable of shooting flames from its mouth and waving its elephantine limbs at any pulaski-wielding citizen who dares to cross its path.

Now you may be thinking: Why would I want to financially support the creation of an oversized sculptural monster that incorporates a rapidly growing plant associated economic and environmental devastation? Isn't the "vine that ate the South" status good enough?



The line of thought here is that kudzu, a climbing vine first introduced to the Southeast in the late 1800s as an ornamental plant and form of erosion control that now holds the dubious distinction of being a federally recognized noxious weed, isn’t going anywhere any time soon, so might as well have some fun with it in a cheeky, roadside attraction kind of way. Because really, when it comes to drawing attention to one of the botanical world’s most destructive troublemakers, nothing quite does the trick like a flame-breathing topiary creature. So why not, in the words of Lindland, "turn kudzu into a bigger monster?"

SRC: http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/blogs/beware-kudzilla-the-kickstarter-funded-invasive-plant

Kicstarter Page : http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2048863414/kudzilla-a-monumental-monster-made-of-kudzu

WATCH: Guillermo Del Toro Compares Transformers vs. Jaegers

How do Transformers and Jaegers compare?

AskMen.com asked Guillermo Del Toro who would win between a Transformer and a Jaeger. The question is easy to answer. Jaegers are almost 10 times bigger. Even Devastator, the giant transformer that is a combination of six Decepticons is only 120 ft tall. 

Now for you nerds, there is Metroplex, in robot mode he is 698 ft. When transformed into city mode the Autobots use him as a fortress. But for the most part as Guillermo Del Toro explains, the scale is totally different.

Japanese Man Sculpts a Preview of Godzilla 2014

A Godzilla 2014 Sculpture by Chan Takashi

"(１998年作）のハリウッドゴジラは、世界中のゴジラファンからブーイングが あり失敗作といえます" --Chan Takashi

Japanese resident Chan Takashi has sculpted the closest thing to a preview of Godzilla 2014. The quote above is from his Facebook page and when translated expresses how fans had a poor reaction to the 1998 TriStar version of Godzilla.

This disappointment was shared by Shogo Tomiyama, the man in charge of the Godzilla franchise, and Ryuhei Kitamura, the director of Godzilla: Final Wars. The 1998 Godzilla was given a completely new identity and renamed to just "Zilla", based on the feeling that TriStar "took the 'God' out of 'Godzilla'"

Changes to Godzilla's design from movie to movie is not uncommon. Godzilla has changed size, number of toes, eye color and even some versions are without ears. This new design looks promising if it is close to Chan Takashi's interpretation. The best part is the face. Chan has really captured what is essential to a Godzilla design; the low brow, the short dog-like muzzle. 

A Godzilla 2014 Sculpture by Chan Takashi

Another great part of the design is it still could be a man in a suit, the stance he chose for the pose is perfect. I always thought when Godzilla was standing still he reminded me of a boxer waiting for an opponent. 

Chan Takashi built this on a base of chopsticks. and we hope he shares more. Great job Chan Takashi!

The base of Chan Takashi's sculpture.

Xeno Kaiju, An independant Kaiju Comic

Xeno Kaiju is a 16 page comic by Pat Aulisio

Dre Grigoropol of ComicsBeat.com has a great review of Xeno Kaiju. read an excerpt of his review below.

This very fun and playful comic takes the reader back to a childlike wonder state of mind. The name Xeno Kaiju means “strange outlandish creature”, which fits well with the overall style. You won’t find any words spread upon the pages, opting to allow the drawings create a dialogue of their own. Aulisio’s lack of text, not only dares the reader to delve into his imagination, but gives the comic accessibility to all ages, as well as, speakers of various languages. Aulisio finds success in this bold style of story telling, through his unique illustrations that focus heavily on line work, and sharp creativity.

The comic features a tortured futuristic urban landscape, depicted through fiery squiggles, scribbles, crosshatches, patterns, and textures. The city that Aulisio has brought to life has a Futurama feel, complete with cluttering skyscrapers, skyway, and futuristic transportation tubes.

A little baby lizard is sent to Earth in a capsule by aliens who exists in an orbiting city in the sky outside of Earth. On Earth, the lizard incubates in its egg, hatches, and ascends to adulthood, eventually reaching Godzilla-like proportions. The giant monster instinctively begins to terrorize and attack the city, guiding the reader through a story similar to Godzilla, but with the unique perspective of the aliens themselves. The comic has an eye in the sky viewpoint both in the story and in the imagery itself.

Read the entire review --> http://comicsbeat.com/xeno-kaiju-a-tabloid-comic-by-pat-aulisio/
You can buy Xeno Kaiju for only $3 bucks! at http://hicandhoc.storenvy.com/products/2899302-xeno-kaiju-pat-aulisio

Pacific Rim Redefines How Movies Make Money

Pacific Rim was able to become profitable due mostly to foreign box office revenue

In an article about domestic markets vs international markets, Brent DiCrescenzo uses the movie Pacific Rim to illustrate a change in the entertainment industry. The change? America's market is an afterthought and Pacific Rim proved it could be. Read the excerpt below:

Pacific Rim underlined an important message for Hollywood: The American market is an afterthought. The movie grossed $407 million worldwide, and only a quarter of that came from the United States. It's no great mystery why. It was the first big-budget spectacle to depict on film the battle between kaiju and mecha so common in Japanese manga and anime, and it was the vision of a Mexican director, with Black, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Australian, Spanish and American actors. You know, what people in the world actually look like. It might have been the first blockbuster blatantly titled after its target demographic.

SRC: TimeOutofChicago.com

As a Kaiju enthusiasts, it's obviously great to hear how a favorite movie can also change an industry. This also bodes well for the possibility of a sequel. At ComicBook.Com, Scott Johnson writes about a similar sentiment.

Looking at Pacific Rim’s worldwide box office reveals an even better story for the film. Pacific Rim is now in the top ten highest grossing movies worldwide for the year. At $397.4 million, Pacific Rim is also very close to becoming only the tenth movie of the year to cross the $400 million mark at the worldwide box office.

The $400 million worldwide number is a very significant number. Because Pacific Rim cost around $190 million to produce, $400 million worldwide has been the number widely reported that the film needed to do in order to break even.

Now, here’s another interesting, but very important trivia fact about Pacific Rim. Of the nine films ranked ahead of Pacific Rim worldwide, eight of them were either sequels or based on pre-existing books or comic book characters. The Croods was the only brand new intellectual property, and it was an animated film. Pacific Rim was the highest grossing live action movie worldwide based on a brand new intellectual property.

It’s a pretty powerful accomplishment for a film that was branded a failure by many in the media right after it was released. If Pacific Rim doesn’t get a sequel, then Hollywood should probably re-assess whether they even want to continue to do big budget live action movies based on new IP, because it doesn’t get any more successful than Pacific Rim (at least this year so far).

So, financially there seems to be a good argument for Pacific Rim too. Del Toro has announced that a script for Pacific Rim 2 is in the works. You can watch Guillermo del Toro talk about Pacific Rim 2 in our earlier post.

Before Star Trek, George Takei Worked on Godzilla

"My father noticed an ad in a local paper for voice actors while I was back in L.A. during summer break from the University of California at Berkeley. I auditioned and got the job." --George Takei on how he got the voice acting gig for Rodan and Gigantis (Godzilla Raids Again) 

Marc Mancini reports at Mental Floss George Takei's Contribution to familiar Kaiju movies before he became Star Trek's Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu. Read an excerpt below:

Long before reaching stardom as Mr. Sulu of the U.S.S. Enterprise and again as a pun-loving facebook celebrity, Takei got his start working on the English dubs of Japanese creature features. It all began when Takei’s father, Takekuma (to whom he dedicated a moving tribute you can read here), spotted an ad for Japanese voice-actors and encouraged his then college-age son to try out, saying “You’re a real ham. You could do this.”

Takei was cast in Rodan (1957), a film about two colossal prehistoric pterosaurs which wreak havoc upon the city of Fukuoka. Lending his distinctive baritone to its American voice-over, Rodan became the young actor’s first paid acting job and it wasn’t long before he found himself working with a more infamous giant.

Gigantis the Fire Monster (1959), an American edit of Godzilla Raids Again, marked the radioactive reptile’s second film appearance (the name was changed because U.S. producers wanted their audiences to think they were seeing an entirely new beast as opposed to a sequel).Takei served as the movie’s narrator and human protagonist.

You can watch George Takei Talk about his worn in the video below.




Read the full text from Mental Floss here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/53467/time-george-takei-worked-godzilla#ixzz2k0ES2GZP

Anchorman 2 Stars Pose as Kaiju in New Promotional Posters

Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) ready with the Kaiju Karate Chop.

"These latest posters see the protagonists as giant kaiju-like monsters, smashing up New York City Godzilla-style." -- Christopher Hooton,  Metro.Co.UK

Click on any of the pictures below to see full size. If you are unfamiliar with the original anchorman, it is a story about a 1970's news team lead by Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell). In the upcoming sequel, set for release this Christmas. The team hits rock bottom until the crew is recruited to help start a new 24/7 news channel.

Each character is at a different scale, but it looks like Champ Kind (David Koechner) and Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) are closest to Kaiju size.

Brick Tamland (Steve Carell)

Champ Kind (David Koechner)

Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell)

Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd)

You can see the page these were originally posted at the following link: Metro.Co.UK