MOVIE: Godzilla (1954)

by benmweilertNo Comments
GodzillaYear: 1954Rating: Not RatedLength: 96 minutes / 1.60 hours While the Godzilla franchise often gets flack for its goofier sequels and early American adaptations, there’s a reason it was one of the most influential movies to come out of Japan in the 1950s. For its time, Godzilla (1954) had amazing special effects that actually looked good in context (again, even if later Godzilla movies did not look as good). And as for its message of post-war Japan being afraid of technologies that could be harnessed for war, Godzilla provides a perspective that feels deeply personal to everyone who made this film. Much like how Jaws (1975) succeeded by showing very little of the titular monster, Godzilla only makes a few appearances in its own film. There were a few camera tricks used in this movie that helped sell the scale of the enormous lizard. Sure, some of them were through miniatures and a person in a rubber suit—but they worked well. They...
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MOVIE: Jaws (1975)

by benmweilert2 Comments
Jaws Year: 1975 Rating: PG Length: 124 minutes / 2.07 hours Back when I first saw this film as a child, it scared me quite a bit. Later, when I watched it again for the first time in a while, it didn’t scare me as much, but it certainly was thrilling. Now, having read the book it was based on, I have a fuller and more in-depth understanding and appreciation of all sides of this classic story. With the knowledge of what was missing in the movie from the book, I thought it would detract from the viewing experience. Instead, I found that the book and the film covered two very different aspects of the story, each expertly done for the utilized medium. In the book (which was released a year before the film), we find that the shark hunt is not only a matter of public safety but also infused with the politics of the island of Amity and the personal drama of a cuckolded...
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