Shin Godzilla: Review
Shin Godzilla? More like Shin Mortal-zilla. Directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, the Japanese reboot of the beloved giant monster movie does not live up to all the hype. When one thinks of Godzilla or giant monster movies, one assumes an intimidating Godzilla and frightening destruction driven by human emotion. What we get instead is a rather underwhelming Godzilla with too many subplots from the human side of the story.
The film follows the structure of “this event is impossible, but if it happened, this is what would occur.” From the get-go, even when seemingly natural catastrophes occur, everyone tries to rationally explain what is happening, ruling out the improbable -- or rather the “impossible” -- except for Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Rando Yaguchi (played by Hiroki Hasegawa). He points out evidence of a possible giant monster, but everyone around him seems to be in denial before Godzilla actually appears and starts destroying the city. What ensues after are countless meetings between Japanese politicians, foreign officials, and military officers discussing the Godzilla crisis and how to resolve it.
Good films are driven by its characters and Shin Godzilla manages to partially capture the human aspect of the film. Tension and drama builds really well amongst characters and overall the actors perform very well. The main spotlight would definitely be on Hiroki Hasegawa’s character, Rando Yaguchi; he always has great chemistry with whichever actor he’s with in any scene showing great versatility. What came as a surprise while watching this film was the amount of humor. Through the chaotic meetings between government and military officials, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi sneak in quirky, yet funny moments that seem to show that no matter how serious the situation, there’s always time to add in a joke.
The upside to the meetings is its humor, but they also include unwanted or unnecessary subplots that clutter the film’s plot. While I understand the purpose of Kayoko Ann Paterson (played by Satomi Ishihara), she never seems relevant or as important as she should’ve been. The key problem in this movie is Godzilla itself. Godzilla may have been destructive, but it sure wasn’t terrifying which it should be since it is a giant monster that towers over buildings. Its very first appearance is rather underwhelming because of how it looks and though I understand why it looks the way it does at the beginning and at the end of the movie, the damage it had on my impressions were too negative. Buildings got destroyed, people died, and everyone was in mass panic, but I never felt a real sense of danger or fright from Godzilla itself.
Shin Godzilla is a sci-fi monster film featuring the legendary Godzilla. Even though this film has a strong lead, surprising humor, and good acting all around, this new incarnation does not quite live up to the legend because it completely misses the mark on the Godzilla side of the film. With a personal rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, I’d wish I didn’t get invited to see Shin Godzilla.
Photos courtesy of Rogers & Cowan for Funimation Films
Operation Avalanche: Review
One small step for man, one medium leap for Director Matt Johnson in his found footage conspiracy thriller Operation Avalanche. As director, star, and producer, Johnson shows he is able to accomplish both a lot and very little at the same time. The found footage medium has seen a lot of ups and downs over the years, but Operation Avalanche can be recognized as one of the better ones. Strong performances, technical achievement and stylistic sense manage to make this film a more likable one than not.
Photo: Lionsgate Premeire
The CIA sends Ivy League recruits Matt Johnson and Owen Williams(playing themselves) on a mission to infiltrate NASA and expose a Russian mole. To do so, they use the cover of a documentary film crew that’s attempting to document the behind the scenes efforts leading up to man’s landing on the moon. In a turn of events, Matt and Owen realize the U.S. cannot actually land on the moon by the expected date and are forced to take on a new mission to fake the moon landing to “beat the Russians.”
While the premise may sound ridiculous and Argo-esque, Johnson and his team deliver something that has more comical moments than one would expect. Because the plot involves creating a fake documentary, the style feels like a mockumentary. Great acting is key in any film, but the found footage, mockumentary medium emphasizes capturing facial expression, small ticks and changes to the face that make a performance not only believable, but feel real.
During the Q&A after my screening of the film, Johnson revealed his difficulty in playing his character because of his inability to relate to him. He is, however, able to show us a passionate CIA agent with a restlessness to accomplish his mission. His determination shows not only through his character, but through his technological achievement. In one scene, Johnson and his crew visit Stanley Kubrick’s film set of 2001: A Space Odyssey to find the necessary technique to replicate the moon setting. Since this never actually happened, VFX specialist Tristan Zerafa had to animate old photographs of Kubrick on set and combine it with the footage of Johnson and company. This alone lends even more credit to this film as an ambitious one.
Matt Johnson, director and star of "Operation Avalanche," Photo: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times
Operation Avalanche is supposed to be a thriller, but sometimes doesn’t feel like one. Tension doesn’t always build the way it’s supposed to and the climax doesn’t feel as thrilling as one would hope. While the narrative is easy to follow and technical parts of the film are explained well, pacing led the film to feel longer and dragged out during certain parts. For something as large as the moon landing, the film doesn’t quite deliver on the ambitious and impactful journey it sets out to be.
The film’s likable, comical nature combined with its stylistic approaches easily outweigh its lackluster climax. Operation Avalanche may not have reached its potential, but for its small crew and budget, Johnson manages to deliver something that stuck the landing with a great, fun, crazy film to watch. With a personal rating of 4 out of 5 stars, I’d invite you to watch Operation Avalanche.
"The Intern" NY Premiere
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures
The Intern World Premiere
The Premiere took place at Ziegfried Theater with a steep price of $1,500 (luckily I was invited) and included an invitation to the after party at Tavern on the Green. Being a world premiere, all of the heavy hitter stars of came out to show support, Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway included.
There was free popcorn and sodas for everyone, but for $1,500 they should been serving caviar.
Regis Philbin
While walking around waiting for the screening to start, I noticed someone familiar from the corner of my eye As I got closer, I realized it was Regis Philbin. I had no idea he was 84 years old; he looked really good for that age. Regis was sagacious and very kind, even offering me some of his popcorn.
The stars finally arrived, even Mariah Carey showed up with her billionaire boyfriend.
After all the stars, arrived it was finally time for the screening. This was my first movie premiere so I did not know what to expect. I sat four rows (Yes, I counted...) in front of Robert De Niro. When everyone was seated in the movie theater, someone came out and introduced all the stars. They stood up while everyone cheered on. It was a surreal moment, to be watching a movie with some of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
End of the movie
After the movie, everyone including the stars went into lobby and greeted each other for such a wonderfully done movie.
This was definitely the funniest guy in the movie. You might recognize Zack from the substitute teacher skit from Key and Peele where he played A-a-ron.
Christina Scherer
Christina played assistant to Anne Hathaway and she was just adorable. I see big things in her future, and I am wishing her the best. I actually sent her this picture on Facebook, and she responded!
My Movie Review: I thought the movie was great, charming, and lots of fun. I really did not expect anything less from Robert and Anne. The pacing and comedic bits between the two of them were well developed for a lighthearted film such as this one. The whole time I was watching the movie, I could not help but think about The Devils Wear Prada. The movie was like a sequel to TDWP with Anne being the boss this time, and Robert changing her perspective on life. Although the movie was not Oscar worthy or anything, it is a fun weekend escape.