Blockbusted Blogathon

In the 2014 blockbuster directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Bryan Cranston, Godzilla is about to be unleashed onto the world again. For those who are not familiar with the original 1954 tale, a giant kaiju (strange creature or monster) attacks Japan - as simple as that. The classic version is beloved by movie goers around the world, though Hollywood has continually attempted to update the story and special effects to modern standards. A similar plot is being told in the newer version, and every new teaser that is released creates more and more anticipation for one of summer's most promising flicks.

Beyond this post and into the movie blogosphere, the hype for the new Godzilla has almost always included some layer of disgust for the last version Godzilla (1998). Starring Matthew Broderick, this monstrous flick was exactly that: an enormous disappointment to critics and audiences. The box office fail had every characteristic an aspiring blockbuster of the 1990s could have: cheesy direction, the hype, cringe-worthy one liners, sub-par characterization, the list goes on and on. Unlike other big disaster or monster flicks that gain a cult following over time, more than ten years later Godzilla (1998) is still avoided like the plague.

All of this got me thinking about the love of disaster and monster movies, especially ones that are not deeply appreciated by the general movie-going population. In my family, I've been crowned the queen of cheesy B-flicks. The list of my favorites goes on and on (however, even I cannot stand the Broderick Godzilla). Movies that I proudly hail as my favorites (The Day After Tomorrow for example) don't have the best scripts or characters. They might attempt to tell a serious story of the Earth being invaded but the material ends up reveling in fluff.

Which brings me to: the Blockbusted Blogathon. It's time to spread the shameless love for B-movie awesomeness.

Here are the rules:

Choose a super cheesy blockbuster B-rated movie(s). Genres include: disaster flicks (examples: Twister, Poseidon), alien invasions (i.e. Independence Day, Mars Attacks), creature attacks (Eight Legged Freaks, Tremors), retro horror (i.e. The Crawling Eye, The Blob), and 80s and 90s action (i.e. Total Recall, Armageddon), supernatural (The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Van Helsing), and others like Battlefield Earth and the first three Star Wars. Here's a resourceful list for inspiration

In your post, include a picture(s) of your selection (etc) and reasons why you love that particular movie. Characteristics to consider may be the sense of adventure, the cast, the script, the one-liners, an nostalgic memory, the cult following. Share all the reasons why you are shamelessly in love with this particular movie; the sky's the limit!

Remember this blogathon is not about "bad movies"; it's about our unbreakable bond towards a cheesy blockbuster-esque movie with a setting, story, or character that introduces or deals with something not from this ordinary realm. (Even 90s action movies break the laws of nature and sane storytelling - so they count!)


Include one of the logos/buttons above on your sidebar or post, and link back to this post. Let me know about your post in the comment section, twitter, and e-mail. The deadline is May 24th. Wrap-up post will be May 25-26th. Good luck! Participants:

• Alex with Deep Rising
• Mariah with Reign of Fire
• Tanya with Galaxy Quest and Scott Pilgrim versus The World
• Sati with The Wicker Man
• Big Screen Small Words with The Running Man
• Mettel with The Island
• Maurice with Judge Dredd
• Anna with Independence Day
• Fisti with The Fifth Element
• David with Army of Darkness
• Jenna and Ally with Tremors and Mars Attacks