On Memorial Day weekend we'll find out if the new
release of "Godzilla" lives up to the trailers
we've been seeing for a year now.
Until then, there is a new book out that I'd
recommend for fans of the original film. If
you want to bone up on everything about Godzilla,
check out "The Official Godzilla Compendium," by
J.D. Lees and Marc Cerasini.
Lees is creator of G-Fan, a magazine devoted to
the "King Of The Monsters," and Cerasini has
written a few books in the "Godzilla" series of
YA Books as well as many other titles. Other
contributors include illustrator and comic
artist Art Adams.
There is even a chapter written by Randall E. Osborne,
an associate professor of Psychology at Indiana
University, entitled, "Godzilla as a parenting
tool" which uses scenes from the movies featuring
Godzilla with his son Minnila.
The best parts of the book were the behind-the-scenes
info and the filmography, which also includes a
synopsis of all 22 "Godzilla" flicks and how each
was adapted for American audiences.
Other interesting tidbits from "The Official
Godzilla Compendium": The Big G isn't actually
green, and you're probably wrong if you think
you know how tall he stands.
Whether or not the new "Godzilla" turns out
to be the "summer event" movie, we'll always
have the original rubber-suited classics -
and that's just fine with me.