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The poor East Coast of the United States. Not only has it been pummeled by a series of terrible storms, (including one so horrific a new meteorological term "Super Storm" had to be coined to describe it accurately) now the menacing Godzilla has been spotted just off-shore!
Observant geeks viewers of local affiliate WBZ out of Boston, Massachusetts, snapped some hilarious screen caps of what appears to be the mighty radioactive reptile Godzilla terrorizing the East Coast (and giving the long suffering residents of Tokyo a bit of a reprieve from his continuous nuisance and destruction). The anomalous image appears in the radar echoes of a winter storm skirting the coastline near Boston and Provincetown.
Of course, it is simply a coincidence that the mythical beast just happened to appear on the date of 12/12/12...
The original classic Godzilla film is getting a spectacular new release, with a digitally restored version on DVD and Blu Ray from the highbrow Criterion Collection. The company plans to release the full version of the original 1954 Japanese production, titled Gojira as well as the 1956 American edition of the movie, Godzilla: King of Monsters, which starred Perry Mason actor Raymond Burr.
Unlike the 27 subsequent sequels and remakes, the original film was a stark and disturbing parable about the dangers of atomic and nuclear powers. The film's darkness came directly from the Japanese experience, which had endured the dropping of atomic weapons on two of its cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, during the final moments of World War II. The film was seen as a way of purging the fear and heartbreak the Japanese people suffered from the atomic nightmare.
Disturbing scenes cut from the original Japanese version have been restored and added to the new version, including one of a terrified mother as she huddles in an alleyway, clutching her small child in the shadow of the fire-breathing creature. In another deleted scene, a fleeing woman sobs, "I barely survived the bombing of Nagasaki. And now this!" Both scenes were thought to be too intense for American viewers during the Cold War years of the 1950s.
The fact that the film's iconic creature would go on to play the hero in countless follow-ups is a testament to the impact the film has made on not only the Japanese people, but the entire world. The film remains even more relevant today, in light of Japan's recent nuclear meltdown at the stricken Fukushima nuclear facility, after March's devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Godzilla on his way to trample the mall's Nativity scene. (Photo Credit: BuzzFeed)
Holiday shoppers in Aqua City's Odaiba mall in Tokyo, Japan, have an extra incentive to hurry up and get their shopping done: a monstrously-sized, fire-breathing, radioactive Godzilla Christmas tree!
Not content with terrifying the local children by throwing them on the lap of a strange man dressed in a fake beard and red suit, the mall decided to place the massive topiary in the center of the fashionable retail paradise. Funny, in all the films I've seen of Godzilla, hoards of people are always running away from the giant lizard with a look of abject terror on their faces, the look that says "I just peed my pants" as they run forward screaming while looking back at the massive beast!
No word if Godzilla's winged archenemy Rodan will be making an appearance in the mall as the Baby New Year...
