After a week of various tunings, I finally settled on “standard” (so much wasted time), came up with riffs for both verses and chorus and a rhythm bridge. The lyrics are done-ish as well. Sigh. I may have a new song tomorrow. Maybe next week.
Shin Godzilla wasn’t at all what I thought it would be when it was first recommended to me nearly a decade ago. A Japanese production, it focused less on the titular character and more on the human spirit through government procedure, logistics, and generational honor. Set in the time in which the film was released (2016), it far exceeded my expectations.
I strongly believe that, without Shin Godzilla, there would be no masterpiece titled Godzilla Minus One. Quote me, lol.
Today, I saw this film in 4k in a theater and, minus the IT tech who ducked in and out from time to time to calibrate the audio, I was the only person in the whole place. Thank you, Alamo Drafthouse Cedars for the opportunity!
Let’s see what the fine folks at Wikipedia have to say about this film:
In December 2014, Toho announced plans for a new domestic Godzilla film. Anno and Higuchi were announced as the directors in March 2015. Principal photography began in September 2015 and ended in October 2015. Inspiration for the film was drawn from the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Japan.[14] Production had a budget of ¥1.3 billion, with advertising bringing the film’s total budget to ¥2.19 billion.[4]
Shin Godzilla was released in Japan on July 29, receiving critical acclaim from Japanese critics[15] and mixed reviews from Western critics.[e] The film grossed $79 million worldwide in its initial theatrical run, and $82.6 million with re-releases, becoming the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film of 2016.[21] It was also the highest-earning Japanese-produced Godzilla film until surpassed by Godzilla Minus One in 2023.[22] At the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize, it received 11 Japan Academy Prize nominations, winning seven including Picture of the Year and Director of the Year. A sequel is in development.[23]
The Rev-iew…
My love of Godzilla was mostly mainstream until Shin Godzilla (other than the original Japanese and American versions). A coworker talked me into watching an import copy she’d snagged shortly after the Japanese release. It was worth the trouble.
Until this film, Godzilla was either a guy in an obvious suit or a CGI blur of Michael Bay proportions. The premise (in simple terms; even simpler than Wikipedia): Imagine for a moment that you’ve never heard of Godzilla and he suddenly comes ashore in modern Tokyo. Some of the film is even shot in first person/found footage style, but not like Cloverfield. This film makes you “feel” the damage done in the simplest way.
How? Traditional special effects. Imagine the models, sets, and monster suits from the early days of the Godzilla franchise. Now; all of that, but run it through some modern cinematic wizardry. Bam; Shin Godzilla.
The character “Godzilla” is actually inconsequential to this film. It could be ANY monster, or no monster at all. It could’ve been a nuclear bomb, or a terrorist attack, or a train derailment. The cause of the destruction matters not because there’s no consequential mythos. Some will only loosely call this a Godzilla film; it’s more of a disaster piece or political drama that just so happens to have everyone’s favorite Kaiju in the starring role.
If you’re one of those Godzilla fans who gets super excited about the Hollywood produced “Vs.” series or even the 1998 film from the ID4 people, you will likely hate ever second of this film. There are dubbed versions available, but I believe the theatrical release is subtitled only. If you can’t read and watch tv at the same time, this won’t be your cup of tea. Finally, if you’re a Godzilla fan who’s never watched this film in the ten years it’s been available for home viewing, you’re probably wasting your time.
I’ll wait while you guys click on something else…
Are they gone?
This film is a tense nightmare the likes of which I’d never seen in the Godzilla franchise until the release of Godzilla Minus One. Our guy is very stiff, evolving through multiple forms, and giving off more of a horror vibe as he carelessly squashes the unfortunates without even taking notice to their existence. Think about it: Asian C-SPAN interrupted from time to time with a monster attack. This is a near perfect film, in my opinion. Watching it all by myself in a HUGE theater while chomping on a “Royale w/Cheese” was the icing on the cake.
If Godzilla Minus One is a 5 Star film, this is easily a 4. Maybe 4.5 if I spoke better Japanese.
The “comments” section is at the very bottom of the page. That way, if you’re going to be a poon, I can try to sell you a book on the way down.
The Reverend’s Reads
To most, 1865 was an eye-opening year. The American Civil War was officially over and the soldiers fortunate enough to survive the bloody conflict returned home to collect the pieces of their former lives. To young Arizonan, Robert Jack, the fateful desert homecoming marked the end to all he once knew. Forgiveness is overrated. Death is final. Revenge, however, dances between the fine lines of mortality and eternity. Love always finds a way.
“Reading Jim Walker and the Redemption Hymn is equal parts quirky fun and riveting action. Cloud’s confident, entertaining voice draws the reader in like an old radio western: the perfect bite-sized story with a main character you’re ready to follow through every adventure he finds himself on. So, tune in next time…”
– Megan Stockton, author of Lovely, Dark & Deep
The history books would read that Jim Walker was brutally executed after the Battle of Goliad, but a few promises in the right ear blurred the contrast between blood and ink. Now an aging bounty hunter on the verge of retirement, his services are requested in the Northern Arizona Territory to solve the terrifying mystery of the Verde River Massacre. With guns from a local Deputy, courage from a saloon proprietor, and a deathbed confession from an all-too-familiar Medicine Woman, Jim sets off on what could be his final adventure. Will he lay the ghosts of his past to rest once and for all, or is he simply whistling his Redemption Hymn?
“Someone call DC and tell them this is how you write a female hero character!” – Lisa Lee Tone, Bibliophelia Templum
Angel Burns is a young firefighter with a shrouded history. During a routine night at work, she stumbles upon a demonic ceremony that brings her memories out of hiding – as well as her repressed supernatural powers. Angel soon learns her life was intended for things greater than extinguishing fires for mortals. Now on the payroll of the Vatican, Angel embarks upon an epic quest to protect the Gutenberg Bibles from evil. If successful, she will secure peace for generations. If she fails, the power of the ancient books will bestow an eternity of darkness upon all humanity!
Toby Liberman is nearing the end of his rope. After a fateful confrontation with his wife’s lover, he is chased into the woods only to be discovered by an unidentifiable creature. He is attacked and rendered unconscious. Upon waking at the scene of a gruesome triple homicide, Toby is arrested as the sole suspect and thrown into a jail cell with a strange man that knows way too much about his predicament. The stranger reveals to Toby that he now possesses the curse of the werewolf. Using his new-found strength to flee his captors, Toby begins to discover that things are not what they seem in the sleepy town of Twin Oaks, TX. Now hunted by law enforcement, as well as the town’s gun toting civilians, Toby seeks vengeance against his false accusers and embarks upon a quest to clear his name once and for all.
A Curse Beyond Comprehension. A Power Beyond Belief. A Girl Far From Home. Katie Liberman is your typical eighteen-year-old college student…or at least that’s what her family thinks. Picking up five years after the events of A Taste of Home, Katie has dropped out of school and embarked upon a dangerous quest to find Kurt Jimmerson, the New York City attorney responsible for her family’s werewolf curse. Unknown to her, the attorney’s grip on the ‘City That Never Sleeps’ is tighter than imagined and she’ll need any and all help available to be victorious. But… where do you find friends when you’re Far From Home?
Twin Oaks, Texas is at war! Taking place immediately after the Far From Home events in New York City, Katie Liberman has returned to rescue her birthplace from the clutches of her nemesis. As the paranormal battle of North vs. South rages in the shadows, the tiny town must decide to fight against the odds or become one with the darkness. Blood will be shed and only one will survive as the final battle of the Home Series concludes.
I know this is the part where I’m supposed to talk about the book, but I feel as though the synopsis needs its own preface to truly understand. 2023 was quite an eye-opening year! I began it by living my dream as a vintage steam locomotive fireman, but that dream was soon squashed thanks to my writing career. It won’t matter that you wrote your extreme horror offerings years ago and under a pen name. Also, it won’t matter that your publisher and author friends from days gone by express pleasantries and kind, nurturing words to your face, because they’ll clique-up and talk trash the minute you turn your back. F**k the biz, create. Create for art, not clicks. Click for love, not hate. Those are words true artists should have no issues living by, yet most seem to hide behind their keyboard shields, flinging ill-thought words of destruction toward once-trusted ears. Don’t pour something into everything; pour everything into something. Do it all by yourself if necessary. With any luck, 2024 will be the year of The Reverend. I’m not exactly sure what that means yet, but we’ll find out together. Anyway, here are a few short stories and poems I wrote as C. Derick Miller in 2023. I stole them from myself. Fair and square. Enjoy.
Poetry has always come naturally to me. Whether it is an expression of emotion toward someone I care about, or a display of humor pointed in the direction of those I loathe, it is my true outlet. Several of these works were written in a passenger seat while exploring the highways of the United States and somehow managed to survive “The Great Ex-Wife/Ex-Girlfriend Poetry Purge” of 2019. Others were penned during COVID-19 quarantine. Although it may not be the most epic poetry collection you’ve ever read, it all contains bits of blood and soul. You will feel something. Guaranteed.
“This profound collection of horror brings classic monsters into new light in the modern day” – B.L. Blankenship, God Walks The Dark Hills series.
The modern world is a crazy place. Worrying about childish politicians, empty grocery store shelves, and our pending membership to the “global disease of the week” club, it leaves very little time for the average reader to finish an entire novel. This is where Six from Five Seven: Short Stories from a Short Man comes in clutch! A story per day to keep the impending apocalypse away, with a single day left over to contemplate why you purchased this book in the first place. That sounds like an entertaining week when compared to the one you were destined to have regardless. What do a cursed husband, a privileged brat, a curious prostitute, a repressed savior, a vengeful son, and two hell-bound soldiers have in common? Their stories lie within the pages of this collection and invite you to tag along on their journeys of fate, redemption, and demise. When finished, you, dear reader, can hide this book inside your basement with the rest of those important documents you wished you’d never taken home. The FBI won’t be happy, but at least they’ll know you’re a cool person for owning a copy while conducting the raid. That must count for something, right? Let’s hope the judge thinks so!
Also, there’s a few other things not listed here that are floating around out there. Best of luck with the hunt.
Current Projects
Rev. Dare Cloud
Reverend · adjective. worthy of adoration or reverence. synonyms: sublime · sacred.
is a Dallas author, musician, and gonzo journalist. Some of his works include the controversial splatter-western Starving Zoe (written as C. Derick Miller), the Taste of Home trilogy, and the ongoing Jim Walker series. He is also the co-host of the American Justice Podcast and Senior Writer/Junior Producer for AtuA Productions LLC. His literary crushes are (of course) Hunter S. Thompson, J.D. Salinger, and Kevin Smith. Preach truths, toke jokes, and shoplift Amazon.
“You’ve got to press it on you You’ve just been thinking That’s what you do, baby Hold it down, Dare!” – Gorillaz
The Gonzo Wolf 
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