KAIJU UNLEASHED: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Strange Beasts, ideal #Booksgiving gift for your otaku lover of kaiju

KAIJU UNLEASHED: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Strange Beasts
SHAWN PRYOR (foreword by Jason Barr)
Epic Ink/Quarto
$29.99 hardcover, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Kaiju Unleashed offers a general introduction to the exciting film genre, serves as a guidebook to its film highlights, and celebrates its practitioners, trends, and stories.

Celebrate the world of movie monsters and beasts with Kaiju Unleashed, a complete reference guide to strange creatures in film and how they came to be.

Kaiju (Japanese for “strange creature”) is a film genre that emerged in Japan in the early ’50s. The movies center on giant monsters battling humans, machines, or other beasts. First popular in the ’50s and ’60s, this film category has stomped its way back into mainstream culture.

This comprehensive guide features:

A foreword by Jason Barr, author of The Kaiju Film and The Kaiju Connection

A thorough discussion of monster movies (Gamera; Rodan; Destroy All Monsters)

Insight into how kaiju has impacted international films (Ant-Man; Attack of the 50-Foot Woman; Jurassic Park)

Stunning movie posters and film stills, plus fan-made tributes to some of the kaiju classics (Godzilla; King Kong; Mothra; Pacific Rim)

If you are a kaiju fan or are interested in kaiju’s cultural influence worldwide, this display-worthy volume provides the perfect general introduction to the genre, reference to its film highlights, and celebration of its practitioners, trends, and stories.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Whatever you think of this film genre, you should at least admit it's got serious cultural staying power...seventy years and counting...and think of the millions of fans it's spawned who've gone on to make very successful careers out of this born-of-anxiety monster-laden universe in many fields. The author goes into manga, anime, and of course film, practitioners of all sorts of kaiju storytelling.

This heavy-on-the-graphics volume goes into the highlights of how, when, and to a limited extent, why the genre got its hooks into pop culture. The text is not the whole point; the illustrations and graphics are not the whole point; the gestalt is superior to any of its constituent elements.

It's never going to be obvious to non-fans (to which group I belong) why this genre appeals enough to be an organizing principle for one's life. It also doesn't matter a whit. Even if you can't reliably tell the difference between Godzilla and Rodan, you probably have someone close who can, does, and has dreams in kaiju-ese. Nibling, grand, or sibling...perish forbid, spouse...they'll love this celebratory festival of behind-the-scenes stories and images, faces to put with names the fan's heard before, and technical effects illustrations.

Never forget all the King Kong-verse films! They're kaiju, too.

You'll get really big points from your otaku giftee with this celebratory recounting of the development and impact of their doted-on genre. I predict a quiet hour or two as the flipping and dipping and kvelling start when the wrappings fall. Exactly the spirit of Jólabókaflóð/Booksgiving.

SPIKE by SPIKE LEE himself...monograph celebration of a film icon's life and legacy to date

SPIKE
SPIKE LEE
Chronicle Chroma
$50.00 hardcover, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: A career-spanning monograph, SPIKE is a visual celebration of acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee's life and work to date.

Spike Lee is a world-renowned, Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a cultural icon, and one of the most prominent voices on race and racism for more than three decades. His prolific career has included over 35 films, including his directorial debut She's Gotta Have It (1986), his seminal masterpiece Do the Right Thing (1989), and his Oscar-winning film BlacKkKlansman (2018). Spike Lee's provocative feature films, documentaries, commercials, and music videos have shone the spotlight on significant stories and have made an indelible mark in both cinematic history and in contemporary society.

Featuring hundreds of never-before-seen photographs by David Lee, Spike's brother and long-time still photographer, this comprehensive monograph includes behind-the-scenes, insider images that underscore his creative process and his significant impact on the culture at large. Also included here are his beloved commercials with Michael Jordan for Nike, which helped launch the billion-dollar Jordan brand product empire, as well as his music videos with Prince and Michael Jackson. From earlier films like the critically acclaimed Malcolm X (1992) starring Denzel Washington, to more recent films such as Da 5 Bloods (2020) featuring the late Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee's work continues to resonate now more than ever.

STRIKING DESIGN: Featuring gold foil deboss on a vibrant fuchsia front cover, SPIKE boasts a bold and beautiful, eye-catching design. The custom blocky, typographic design is inspired by the LOVE/HATE brass rings that Radio Raheem wore in Do the Right Thing and that Spike wore at the 2019 Academy Awards.

GIFT FOR CINEMA LOVERS: This is a must-have collector's item and ideal gift for any cinephile and fan of one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers in history.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: You know and I know that one friend who loves movies, do pardon me films, is the right one to receive this as a #Booksgiving gift.

It is very much worth the price of admission. I happen not to be the biggest fan of Auteur Lee's work, but his impact and his great gift for telling stories are inarguable. The importance of his career, and the strength it took to make that career, make for good reading.

Given to someone whose appreciation is more vivid and intense than my own respectful admiration of the man, this is a Yule-maker. The gift that will be treasured and gloated over and fondled and enjoyed on every aesthetic level for ages.

The beginning was outstandingly fresh. The voice we hadn't heard; the perspective no one like me, an old white guy even then, could look away from or fail to believe was speaking truth.

The reward came in 2019...no one doesn't love to be told how wonderful you are at the career you love doing in front of a global audience. Applause from all corners. The actual success of your life's output validated. I hope that's the moment he relives when his internal highlight reel is unspooling.

The man himself.