Tag: Criterion Collection

I think I first discovered the Criterion Collection sometime in high school. I consistently went to Bull Moose (which I still claim as my second home) and perused their endless selection of DVDs. Every once in a while, I would see the bold white “C” of the Criterion logo on the spine of a film case. I was curious as to what that meant and why certain films would be embossed with this sigil of “Great Filmitude”. After scouring the internet, I felt educated enough to make some conscious choices about which Criterion-distributed films I would seek out for myself. Some films received their Will Lane Stamp of Approval and ended up somewhere in my collection for one reason or another. Some films received their Will Lane Stamp of Approval and ended up somewhere in my collection for one reason or another. Godzilla (1954) My childhood was full of b-movie grade monster films that I’d see with my dad. Most of the endless sequels that spawned from Honda‘s original film were butchered Americanized versions of the King of Monsters itself. I enjoyed watching the giant sort-of-lizard terrorize cities and fight other enormous kaiju (not unlike the film that’s coming out soon). If you’re only really familiar with the Raymond Burr Godzilla films, this film is the real starting point in the Godzilla canon. Having been written and filmed just after World War II, it paints a grim picture of Japan dealing with an immense superpower that they cannot contain or