Godzilla and Monument Valley

Above, Monument Valley in Godzilla Final Wars. 

This evening, for the first time in years, I decided to watch the 2004 Toho feature, Godzilla Final Wars.

Unlike some in Godzilla fandom, I actually enjoyed the movie ever since I attended its premiere in Hollywood in 2004 at Grauman's Chinese Theater. To each his/her own!

Tonight, while watching it, there was a scene that I forgot about. It was of a lone trailer in Arizona at night in Monument Valley. The above screen capture shows the trailer with The Mittens and Merrick Butte in the background. It is a familiar location seen in several John Wayne westerns directed by John Ford.

After the shot of The Mittens and Merrick Butte, the trailer and the lone occupant (a white man) were attacked by the giant spider, Kumonga.

Above, The Mittens and Merrick Butte in Monument Valley in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I toured Monument Valley two years ago. It straddles the Arizona-Utah border. It is also a tribal park of the Navajo Nation. With that in mind, I find that having some white man camping in a trailer on Navajo land to be highly unlikely, especially at that location. It is sacred ground to the Navajos. I wouldn't say "impossible", since someone could probably get special permission from the tribal leaders, just highly unlikely.

It would have been interesting to see the reactions of both John Wayne and John Ford if they found out Monument Valley was used in a Japanese Godzilla movie had both been alive 14 years ago.

Monument Valley is a great place to visit. Godzilla fans have an extra reason for going there since it appeared in a Godzilla movie from Toho.

Tenth Anniversary of Godzilla In Hollywood

Above, Godzilla at the Walk of Fame star unveiling ceremony. I am at left video taping the event.

Incredible as it may seem, yesterday and Friday marked ten years since the festivities were held in Hollywood for Godzilla. (See the video below.)




First, Godzilla was sent down Hollywood Blvd. on a float sponsored by Toho Co., Ltd. in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. I was asked by Toho to write the announcer's (Rick Dees) narrative for when the float passed the main reviewing and media stands.

Above, Godzilla vaporizing the media. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The next day, Godzilla was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a morning ceremony with Hollywood's Honorary Mayor Johnny Grant serving as master of ceremonies. The ceremony featured remarks by City Councilman Tom LaBonge and producer Shogo Tomiyama. Grant read a history of Godzilla that I wrote at Toho's request (Grant had a difficult time pronouncing several monster names, to everyone's amusement). I arranged for a proclamation of "Godzilla Month" by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the office of Sup. Michael Antonovich.

Above, producer Shogo Tomiyama addresses the ceremony attendees. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Mr. Tomiyama said in his remarks that Godzilla would be resurrected by new generations of filmmakers. Well, it took ten years, but Godzilla returned to the screens this year, courtesy of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.

That evening, Godzilla Final Wars premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Following this, a private party was held at the complex at Hollywood and Highland, hosted by Toho.

Below, is a video of news coverage of the events by two local Los Angeles stations.



Ten years certainly has flown by.

Godzilla Anniversaries

Above, Godzilla and producer Shogo Tomiyama unveil Godzilla's
star on the Walk of Fame in 2004. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Godzilla reached 60 yesterday. The occasion, although noted among fans and some media outlets, was a far cry from the hoopla that took place ten years ago this month when the 50th anniversary of Godzilla was celebrated. Godzilla opened in Japanese theaters on November 3, 1954.

This is quite understandable as the 50th anniversary of anything is generally noted for being a half-century old, time-wise.

Back in 2004, Godzilla's 50th anniversary was celebrated by the premiere of the last Japanese-produced Godzilla movie, Godzilla Final Wars at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The Hollywood celebrations also included a Godzilla Final Wars float that traveled down Hollywood Boulevard at the Hollywood Christmas Parade and the unveiling of Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The unveiling was led by the then-Honorary Mayor of Hollywood, the late Johnny Grant.

Above, the Godzilla Final Wars float in Hollywood. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There was also a major exhibit in the town of Koriyama, Japan (said to be Eiji Tsuburaya's hometown) of Godzilla artifacts in 2004. The exhibit was called "Since Godzilla."

This year, Toho Studios got into the 60th anniversary spirit yesterday as a ceremony was held before the new Godzilla mural at the studio. Nearby, a man-sized Godzilla statue stands near the Toho Studios main entrance.

According to the Asahi Shimbun:

Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward honored Godzilla on Nov. 3 as one of its most globally recognized citizens during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the fictional prehistoric monster's big screen debut. 

The award ceremony took place at Toho Studios in the ward’s Seijo district, where most of the Godzilla movies were filmed. The long-running franchise is one of the world's most popular movie series. 

At the event, crowds looked on as Setagaya Mayor Nobuto Hosaka presented Minami Ichikawa, the director of the board at Toho, with a certificate. Also on hand was an actor in a Godzilla suit, no taller than the mayor, who appeared with the two in front of a 14-meter-high wall featuring a giant mural of the popular creature.

 To read the full article on yesterday's event at Toho Studios, go here.

"Godzilla Final Wars" Hollywood Premiere and Walk of Fame Ceremony

This video is from the Toho Godzilla Final Wars DVD, but I recently discovered it on YouTube.

It is incredible that in four months, it will be ten years since these events happened.

"Godzilla" Unveiled In His IMAX Glory In Hollywood

Above, the IMAX Godzilla poster.

Some lucky people were able to experience Godzilla by Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. last night in all of his IMAX glory at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

ABC News reported:

Sixty years after his introduction and a decade after his last cinematic appearance, the massive monster filled an IMAX screen at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre on Thursday. 

The new film, titled simply "Godzilla," brings the aquatic creature out of Japan and into the United States, with Honolulu, Las Vegas and San Francisco among his destinations. And he's not the only monster in the mix. Two other Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms — MUTOs — threaten the planet. 

Starring Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the film was helmed by two lifelong Godzilla fans: Legendary Pictures producer Thomas Tull and director Gareth Edwards. They aimed for realistic take on how the world and its military might respond to an invasion by larger-than-life creatures.

It was appropriate that the screening was held at the Chinese Theatre as that's where Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located.

To read more, go here. 

Nuart's 2004 "Godzilla" Marquee

Above, the front of the Nuart Theater in West Los Angeles.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of Godzilla, the character and the release of the 1954 original movie.

Above, another view of the Nuart marquee.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Rather than making their own Godzilla movie to celebrate, Toho Co., Ltd. instead handed the reigns to Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. to do the honor with the now-in-production Godzilla. The movie will be released on May 16, 2014 in 2D, 3D and Imax.

Next year will also mark ten years since the 50th anniversary of Godzilla was celebrated in the United States, most notably with the premiere of Godzilla Final Wars at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Godzilla's induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Godzilla Final Wars Float at the 2004 Hollywood Christmas Parade.

One item that gets somewhat obscured in the 50th anniversary celebration was the limited release by Rialto Pictures of the original Japanese version of Godzilla (1954) to theaters.

According to Wikipedia:

To coincide with Godzilla's 50th anniversary, art-house distributor Rialto Pictures gave the film a traveling tour style limited release coast to coast across the United States. Uncut and featuring English-language subtitles, the film's release began on May 7, 2004, and ran until December 19, 2004. Starting in just two theaters, the film would gross $38,030 USD ($19,015 per screen) in its opening weekend. It never played on more than six North American screens at any given point. By the end of its run, it grossed $412,520 USD. The film played in roughly 60 theaters and cities across the United States during its seven and a half month run.

I went through my archives and found some photos of the marquee of the Nuart Theater in West Los Angeles where several of us went to go see it on the big screen on May 27, 2004. I am posting a couple for your visual enjoyment.

NECA To Create "Godzilla" Movie Tie-In Figures

Above, Godzilla at the 2004 Hollywood Walk of Fame.  This year's Comic Con 
marked Godzilla's biggest media splash in the U.S. since this event almost 
nine years ago. Armand can be seen at the far left in this photo.

The hoopla over Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla during this year's Comic Con International was the biggest splash our favorite radioactive monster has made in the U.S. since his induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame (and the premiere of Godzilla Final Wars at Grauman's Chinese Theater, along with the Godzilla float in the 2004 Hollywood Christmas Parade) a few short months shy of nine years ago.

As intended, the Godzilla panel and the Godzilla Encounter (set up at a warehouse in San Diego) generated a lot of publicity for the movie, set for release a year from now.

One additional bit of news has come out of the Comic Con, it has been revealed that NECA has been granted a license to create movie tie-in figures next summer. This has been reported by Bloody Disgusting and Dread Central. NECA will be creating small scale and large scale Godzilla figures.

Looks like 2014 will be a great year for Godzilla fans!

"The Black Cat" At Grauman's Chinese Theater

Above, Sara Karloff at Monsterpalooza.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hollywood was my destination last night for "Kirk Hammett and Mad Monster Party Present The Black Cat" at Grauman's Chinese Theater.  It featured Hammett, Sara Karloff and Bela Lugosi Jr.

It was an enjoyable event as this marked the first time I set foot into the main auditorium of the theater since I attended the world premiere of Godzilla Final Wars in 2004.

The program began with a screening of a film of Metallica's Kirk Hammett's monster collection hobby.  When I saw the huge painting of a young and dapper Bela Lugosi (the portrait was once owned by Lugosi) in Hammett's collection, I wondered what might have been going though Bela Lugosi Jr.'s mind.  The portrait ended up with Hope Lugosi after Bela Sr. died and Bela Jr. wanted it.  After he had allegedly hounded her to help pay for litigation over his father's image over a span of several years, she was determined that he never got the portrait.  At least, that's how the story goes.

Following Hammett's film, a talk on The Black Cat and the careers of Karloff and Lugosi began, featuring their children and Hammett.  Unfortunately, we couldn't hear too much of Lugosi Jr. and Ms. Karloff as they either spoke too softly or the sound system was off-kilter.  This was finished off with a video of Sara Karloff's home movies which featured the only known color footage of Boris Karloff as the Monster in Son of Frankenstein.

After this, The Black Cat was shown.  It was interesting seeing this movie on the big screen.  I never noticed tears on Bela Lugosi's face as he gazed at the embalmed body of his wife before.

Mad Monster Party magazine and Kirk Hammett did a great job in putting the event together.  My grade: A.

Horror and Monster Weekend

Above, actress Caroline Munro and Armand at last year's Monsterpalooza.

This weekend will be a busy one.

Monsterpalooza opens tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM at the Burbank Marriott Hotel & Convention Center (across the street from Bob Hope Airport).  The show runs through Sunday.  For info, go here.

Then, on Saturday night, a special screening of The Black Cat, starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi will be held at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood.  I've already purchased my tickets for that.

My best bet for Monsterpalooza will be Friday night as I have the screening Saturday night and a heavy work schedule the rest of the weekend.

"The Black Cat" At The Chinese Theater

Above, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and David Manners in "The Black Cat."

Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi will haunt the Chinese Theater in Hollywood on April 13:

On Saturday April 13th, Kirk Hammett and Mad Monster Magazine will proudly present a special screening of 1934's macabre masterpiece "The Black Cat" at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA. One of Kirk’s favorite films of all time, and the first to pair his favorite actors Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi together, "The Black Cat" weaves a tale of mounting terror and tension as a pair of innocent newlyweds find themselves in the center of an unfolding nightmare revolving around Lugosi and Karloff's characters. A ground-breaking piece of cinema, we proudly invite you to join us for an audience-interactive Q&A with Kirk Hammett and friends before the screening. There will also be contests, prizes and exclusive merchandise, as well as monster goodies from KVH Toys and copies of Kirk's critically-acclaimed 2012 book “Too Much Horror Business”.

8:00 PM Doors/Monster Mingle Grab merchandise, view original props from the movie "The Black Cat", and other monster activities!

9:00 PM Q&A with Kirk Hammett and Friends

9:45 PM Screening Universal Pictures “The Black Cat" directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
 

Eight Years Since Hollywood

Above, Godzilla "sanitizing" his Hollywood Walk of Fame star with his atomic breath.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Jay Grymyr, who posts his "Today In G-History" goodies here and there, noted today's highlight:

2004: Godzilla receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and "Godzilla: Final Wars" has its world premiere at Mann's Chinese Theater.

Actually, the name of the theater was reverted back to Grauman's Chinese Theater some time before.  But that's just a minor quibble.

It is hard to believe how fast eight years has passed since the events of that weekend in Hollywood.  They were set up to celebrate Godzilla's 50th anniversary and to promote Godzilla Final Wars.

The night before, the Hollywood Christmas Parade was held and Toho Co., Ltd. entered the Godzilla Final Wars float.  They asked me to write up the announcer's commentary as it passed by the reviewing stand.  The announcer: D.J. Rick Dees and it was broadcast worldwide.

Above, the late Johnny Grant officiates the Walk of Fame ceremony.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Toho had also asked me to pen the History of Godzilla for the Walk of Fame ceremony for the late Johnny Grant.  I threw in several names of various kaiju that Godzilla fought over his then-fifty-year history.  Grant botched the pronunciation of most of them, much to the amusement of the crowd of Godzilla fans in attendance (the numbers of fans there appeared to have been matched by the number of the Japanese media present).

Fan esteem of Godzilla Final Wars is still mixed.  Either they like the movie or detest it.  There doesn't seem to be much of a middle ground and the debate over the movie persists to this day.  (I happen to enjoy the movie.  It is flawed and a bit wacky, but I still was entertained by it.)

Above, Godzilla blasts the press at the Walk of Fame ceremony.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The premiere of Godzilla Final Wars was capped by an after-party hosted by Toho at the Hollywood Blvd. & Highland Ave. complex that housed the Kodak Theater.

At that time, I must point out, Toho announced that Godzilla would be put on a ten-year hiatus as box office receipts plummeted.  We're nearing ten years and the only Godzilla project in progress is the Legendary Pictures/Warner Brothers Godzilla, due to be released in 2014, Godzilla's 60th anniversary.

Thus far, Toho has not announced any plans to produce a Godzilla project of their own.

Godzilla Christmas In Hollywood

Since we're now in the Christmas season, here's a couple of shots I took in Hollywood when Godzilla appeared on a float at the Hollywood Christmas Parade in 2004.

Toho Co., Ltd. pulled all the stops to launch Godzilla Final Wars in November 2004. Besides Godzilla's appearance on the Godzilla Final Wars float, he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Godzilla Final Wars had a gala premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Above, the "Godzilla Final Wars" float during the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Hollywood Blvd.

Above, the "Godzilla Final Wars" float before the parade began.