G-FEST Movies Announced

It's the announcement G-FEST attendees like me (more than slightly obssessive) look forward to with great excitement: the movie line-up has been announced. The films are arranged around a cool "old school" theme that is very thoughtful--and I think it will likely lead to increased attendance at the theater.

The first two movies on Thursday represent Godzilla's cinematic origins. First up is 1933's "King Kong," a movie that needs no description, yet in the context of kaiju filmography is well known to have been an inspiration to none other than Eiji Tsuburaya. That will be followed by "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms," the Harryhausen stop-motion tour de force that clearly gave some shape to what would become "Godzilla." Incidentally, this is the first monster movie my dad remembers seeing, so it would be pretty special to see it with him in this setting.

The evening will feature a first look at Godzilla's rivals, a non-obvious but interesting choice in "Gorgo," which blends elements of "Godzilla," "King Kong," and "Gappa: the Triphibian Monster." Thursday is capped off by "Gammera," the only kaiju that come close to challenging Godzilla's popularity, in his first on-screen incarnation.

Friday night will see a screening of "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," a great choice given the fact of Mr. Takarada's anticipated presence, yet not a total repeat of the festitivities from two years ago. Saturday night's movie has yet to be announced.

The key word with all these films is "accessibility." They should have broad appeal and bring lots of folks out to the Pickwick. This is shaping up to be a classic G-FEST!