"Godzilla Minus One" Becomes First Godzilla Film Ever Nominated For An Oscar

Finally, after decades of derision of Japanese special effects, Toho Co., Ltd.'s special effects department is getting some respect from Hollywood.

Godzilla Minus One has been nominated for Best Special Effects by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences.

Paste Magazine reported:

Chalk up another city destroyed, and another major accomplishment for the King of the Monsters: For the first time in his 70-year history, Godzilla can claim to be an Academy Award nominee. As part of the newly announced nominations for the 2024 Oscars ceremony, the critically acclaimed Godzilla Minus One has been given a nod that no other Godzilla film has ever received, with a nomination in the Best Visual Effects category. The listed nominees for the film are Takashi Yamakazi, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima. It will be up against some difficult competition in the category, in the form of The Creator, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Napoleon and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

Regardless, this is a pretty big moment for the Godzilla fandom, accustomed as they are to the series receiving popular adulation over the decades but little critical evaluation, other than belated admiration for the 1954 original from director Ishirō Honda. It is perhaps fitting that Godzilla Minus One take up the torch for the series’ prestige going forward, considering that of all the many Gojira sequels, it feels the most like a direct continuation of Honda’s film, taking place in a devastated postwar Japan where the appearance of Godzilla forces the population to come together in the spirit of neighborly camaraderie. The film has been universally acclaimed, and places extremely highly in our own ranking of the entire Godzilla film series to date.

To read more, go here. 

Win or lose, Congratulations, Toho!

7 Things You Have to Do in Oahu

Above, the view before sunset at Waikiki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since none of us can go to Japan as the government has closed the borders to foreign tourists, we can at least go about half way and visit Hawaii.

The most populous island is Oahu, which is home to the capital city, Honolulu. If one has limited time and just have enough for Oahu, there's seven things they can do while there.

Paste Magazine has posted an article on 7 things one has to do while in Oahu. Of the seven, I did three of them.

They begin it with:

If you’re looking for an amazing vacation destination, look no further than Oahu. Hawaii’s most populated island is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, while also offering all the luxury and splendor you can expect from a major city like Honolulu. Whether you’re interested in nature, history, or nightlife, Oahu has something to offer. Let’s take a look at seven things that you don’t want to miss when visiting Oahu.

To see what they are, go here. 

Lawsuit Filed In Legendary Pictures Godzilla Dispute

Looks like the Legendary Pictures Godzilla production is hitting some "speed bumps" as a lawsuit has been filed against three producers who were removed from the project.

According to Paste Magazine.com:

Early this week, reports streamed in that Legendary Pictures, the production company behind the proposed reboot, were in dispute with the film’s Warner Bros.-based producers Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Doug Davison.  

According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, this dispute appears to now have escalated into a full-out legal battle. Legendary looks to have fired the first bullet, filing an official complaint yesterday in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The complaint alleges that Lin, Lee and Davison threatened to sue Legendary for their impending firing, despite the fact that this option was within the company’s rights.

To read the full story, go here.