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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 7, 2023     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 7, 2023
 
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Page 16 - Shelton-Mason County Journal — Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 Review: Visually immersive technical craftsmanship continued from page “Shin Godzilla” and the “Mon— sterVerse,” the latter produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures with Toho’s permission, convey the scope of these gigantic creatures’ savage combat, with the whole of civilization potentially on the table as their collateral damage. And for the absurdly low total budget of $15 million —- less than the per—episode budget for several popular Netflix streaming shows ~— “ lodzilla Minus One” has equaled “Shin Godzilla” and the “Monster- Verse” in visually immersive tech- nical craftsmanship and has done so with a narrative that even the most snobbish of critics would ac— knowledge as Oscar-caliber ~ if it didn’t also star Godzilla. The human story of “Godzilla Mi— nus One” follows a failed kamikaze pilot, from the final days of World War II to just a few years after- ward when neighborhoods in Ja— pan, demolished by air raids, saw it as significant progress that they’d been able to tidy up the rubble that surrounded their ramshackle, half- rebuilt houses. The end of the world war marks the start of personal war for our pilot, who is ridiculed for his per- ceived cowardness. Godzilla attacks “ the island aircraft landing strip where he’s touched down, wiping out his fellow Japanese military members. He freezes with fear rather than turning his aircraft’s guns on Godzilla. Over the decades of his onscreen Smallégoh‘s O l L DIST. CO. “Godzilla Minus One” injects Oscar-caliber pathos into the apocalyptic monster’s saga. Courtesy photo existence, Godzilla has become a personification for countless human traumas and misdeeds, represent- ing the consequences of everything from nuclear warfare to the envi- ronmental toll of industrial pollu- tion. But in “Godzilla Minus One,” he’s the living specter of the survi- vor’s guilt felt by far too many war veterans. As this story’s shame-faced war veteran returns to civilian life, he acquires a surrogate family, taking ' in a woman his own age, who has nowhere else to go, after she her_ self adopted an orphaned little girl. While our veteran turns to hazard— ous tasks such as minesweeping to support this woman and her girl, he never marries the woman, nor does he allow the girl to refer to him as her father. It’s not until Godzilla resurfaCes lUliRK ANTS ( UMP/\le EATING OIL COMPARE OUR LOW PRICES! We carry kerosene. lna nasallmr nu: Located at Sanderson Industrial Park at The Olympia Center Columbia St NW in Olympia Friday, Vec. 8 / 10 —~ that our veteran finally shares with the woman how he’d previously en- countered the creature, as well as how he’d failed to save his brothers- in—arms from the beast, because like too many veterans, his war never stopped inside of his head. His inability to share his painful story has built a wall between him and those who would otherwise be closest to him. Although I’m technically a war veteran (deployed as part of Opera- tion Enduring Freedom and Opera— tion Iraqi Freedom), I always hesi- tate to compare my own experiences on board ship to those who saw on- the-ground combat, but just about any veteran is bound to be haunted, however slightly, by some aspect of their service, and it can be tough to communicate what those moments meant, and still mean, to those who weren’t there. Of course, it’s not long before the rest ofJapan starts experiencing the sheer devastation that Godzilla is capable of wreaking, with one sequence, set in the upscale Tokyo district of Ginza, hammering home how profoundly destructive even the least of the big lizard’s actions would be, with his sweeping tail alone effortlessly wiping out infra— structure left and right, which we as the Viewers get to witness from the street spectator level. And yet, for as harrowing as this film is, it commits to a surprisingly humane moral message, as one Jap— anese ex-military scientist leads a civilian campaign against Godzilla by criticizing his country’s tendency to lionize the supposed honor of self—sacrifice, and other characters embrace the View that building a better future requires that people choose to live, to care for their chil— dren and improve the world that they’ll grow up in. Couple this with another war veteran expressing the sentiment that it’s a noble thing to have NOT served in war, and “Godzilla Minus One” makes a statement that argu- ably qualifies as radical, for both Japanese and American culture. While several film awards may have succeeded in overlooking “Shin Godzilla,” “Godzilla Minus One” offers the critical bait of being a post-World War II foreign-lan- guage historic period piece, which practically makes it catnip for the Oscars, so I’m not sure they’ll be able to resist finally giving the kai- ju their cinematic due. ' Kitten Rescue We have many sweet and loving cats available for adoption, ready to bring love and joy into your life! Indoor only and a warm lap to sit on are ours and the kitties’ only request. Silver is a sweet and loving Lynx Point Siamese. Once she is settled and comfortable, she‘ll fit into any family easily and lay around to be pelted. The shelter is offering discounted adoption fees until the end of the year. It’s the purrrfect time to bring home your new best feline friend (or two!) today! For more information, please go to our website at kitteflrggqmot or call us at (360) 427-3167. We have created low~slress, healthy environment with soft lighting, music, 0 regular exercise program, and frequent, individualized attention. We treat every pet wilh affection, respect, and kindness. Saturday; Rec, 9 10 fl 4 Including the ceramics of Shelton artist Linda Frizzell Come join us for cookies and cider and beautiful ceramics! (360) 426-3052 270 SE Spring Place Shelton, Washington 98584 Email: sylvarflrluhctcrom