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Arac Attack
The Patriot
The 13th Floor
Godzilla
Independence Day
Stargate
Universal Soldier
Event DVD's
Expanded
Universe
Devlin &
Emmerich
---
Guestbook
Express your
opinions and see
what others
have said about
Event Movies
About Dean Devlin
& Roland
Emmerich
Please e-mail me
if you have any
comments about
this web site:
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Emmerich
scoops? Please
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think should be
posted here:
scoops@
eventmovies.com
"Quotes"
"We make
pop-
corn movies. We
love popcorn
movies. When
you have that
kind of passion
for the films you
make, there's a
chance that that
passion may
become
infectious."
-- Dean Devlin
"...Emmerich
and
producing partner
Dean Devlin --
two guys who
know how to
crank out an
event movie..."
-- Entertainment
Weekly magazine
"Very
difficult.
Very difficult.
Never comes out
of his trailer.
Also, like, where
do you park his
trailer? I love
that problem."
-- Roland
Emmerich on the
problems with
accomodating a
giant lizard on
a movie set.
"He does
have
the biggest
trailer. I was
pretty upset by
that. But, you
know, who's
gonna go tell
him?"
-- Hank Azaria on
the jealousy of
the other actors
towards Godzilla
on the movie set.
event
DVD's
Check out cool
screen shots of
animated menus
from event movie
DVD's like the
above shots from
the Godzilla DVD.
You'll also find
reviews about
all of the extra
features that
can be found on
these discs.
Visit the Event
DVD's section
for more...
expanded
universe
Check out the
Event Movies
expanded
universe section.
You'll find info
and reviews about
the original-story
ID4 and Stargate
novels that
expand upon the
movies that
inspired them
to be written.
Currently, ID4:
War In The Desert
by Stephen
Molstad and
Stargate:
Rebellion by Bill
McCay have been
reviewed.
VOTE!
Vote for your
favourite Devlin/
Emmerich event
movie and see
which of these
flicks is the most
popular with the
fans. You'll find
the voting booth
just below the
Recent News &
Rumors area on
the Event Movies
home page...
LINKS
Devlin & Emmerich's
production company
Sci-fi movie news
Sci-fi movie news
from Cinescape
magazine
Ain't It Cool News
The official site
The official site
The official site
A DVD message
forum for
Canadians
Film Force
Cool movie news
FAN
LINKS
Annie's Patriot
website
Sharon's Patriot
website
Sue's Patriot
website
Bob's Patriot
website
Outpost 247
(a Centropolis
fan website)
What's Next?
July, 2000:
Dean Devlin will be
making his debut as a
director for a movie
called "Cellular". The
plot centers around a
man who receives a
call on his cell phone
from a strange woman
who is being held
hostage. He has until
her phone battery runs
out to find her and
save her life. It's a
unique concept that
could translate into a
big box-office hit with
a relatively low budget.
April,
2000:
Cinescape Online
described this
"different" project that
Centropolis is going to
be involved in:
Centropolis
Entertainment is teaming
up with Village
Roadshow and Warner
Bros. for a giant
monster movie called
Arac Attack. The film,
which Centropolis had
been developing, will
have a budget of $30M.
According to Variety,
the eventual pic will tell
the story of a toxic waste spill that results
in the creation and
rampage of giant
spiders. Described as a
comedy thriller, the film
will be directed by Ellory
Elkayem (They Nest)
and will shoot on
location in Australia.
Production is scheduled
to start in September.
Dean Devlin and Roland
Emmerich will produce
the project. Centropolis
Effects will handle the
film's effects.
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the plot
Nuclear testing in French
Polynesia in the 1960's has lead to the mutation of lizards, giving birth to the mammoth
creature known as Godzilla. Since the relatively tiny trees of the Polynesian islands are
inadequate cover for the creature to hide not only itself, but the hundreds of eggs that
it is about to lay, Godzilla's instincts lead it to New York City. There, the towering
skyscrapers and intricate underground system would be perfect for the monster's needs. But
Matthew Broderick, Hank Azaria, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo and the American military do
their best to make sure that the giant lizard doesn't accomplish its task and
unleash hundreds of its offspring upon the city. In the tradition of Devlin/Emmerich
movies, spectacular mayhem ensues as the two sides collide. And when the dust settles, the
moviegoer is left wanting more as the door to a possible sequel is left wide open at the
film's conclusion.
the good
First and foremost, the special
effects for this movie were phenomenal with the exception of the babyzillas. The colossal
size of Godzilla was nicely portrayed by the effects crew. As usual, attention is
paid to detail during the effects scenes. Specifically, the camera shakes with each
footstep that Godzilla takes and minor destruction is wreaked by the beast's tail as it
rakes against the sides of buildings. The constant rain also adds a great dark mood to the
film. The most exciting scene was the initial battle sequence where the military opens
fire upon the lizard as it is eating the pile of fish and subsequently chases Godzilla
through the streets of New York City with three helicopters. Typical Devlin and Emmerich
chaos with accompanying destruction on a massive scale. This is the type of high quality
effects that have become a trademark of the filmmaking duo. On the acting front, Hank
Azaria, Jean Reno and Harry Shearer did wonderful jobs with their characters. One of
the best things about this movie was the teasers that promoted it. Read on below for more
on this and click on the links below to download the teasers.
the bad
Although "Godzilla"
was, overall, a thoroughly enjoyable movie, it wasn't without its flaws. And what movie
isn't? Most notable was the poor effects job that was done for the entire babyzillas
sequence. Not only did they 'look' computer generated, but they 'acted' computer generated
as well with slow and lumbering mechanical movements. Even if the effects had been done
top- notch, the entire scene reeked of the Jurassic Park raptors which had
previously set an FX standard which the Godzilla FX team failed to surpass. Another major
flaw was the lacklustre acting performance of Matthew Broderick. Although he was perfect
for some movies such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", he actually took away from
the intensity of "Godzilla". His attempts at looking awestruck and frightened
whenever he confronted the giant beast were simply lame and unconvincing, thus reducing
the movie's tension. If Matthew Broderick wasn't afraid of Godzilla, then why would the
audience? As well, Maria Pitillo's ditzy interpretation of her character was simply
annoying. Somewhat of a disappointment was the relatively unspectacular death of Godzilla
which saw the giant lizard quickly put down by a measly four missiles. And amid all of the
nitpicking that people subjected this movie to, I have never heard one person complain
about the blatant rip off from "King Kong" in which we hear Godzilla's heartbeat
gradually slow down before fading completely. How did that one get by?
memorable
moments
As with any Devlin/Emmerich
movie, there were a number of memorable moments in "Godzilla". The one that
stuck out in my mind the most was, as previously mentioned, the helicopter chase through
New York City which was fast-paced and furious. The film duo also has a knack of creating
anticipation in order to keep the viewer glued to their seat. Not only did they do this in
the movie itself with Matthew Broderick standing in the giant footprint and the cars
bouncing on the road as the Mayor was giving a speech, but the trailers for the movie were
truly incredible. They were exciting to watch, but at the same time did not reveal too
much about the movie so as to spoil it. They were teasers in every sense of the
word. Unfortunately, these trailers worked too well. No movie could possibly live up to
the hype that they generated, ultimately resulting in a letdown for most moviegoers. Click
on the links below to download the teasers and see for yourself what a good movie trailer
should be. Other memorable moments included Jean Reno doing a hilarious Elvis
impersonation when trying to get past the military guards and Hank Azaria on the brink of
insanity and laughing hysterically after nearly being stepped on by the big lizard. It was
also especially cool to see Madison Square Garden blown to bits.
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Matthew Broderick supervises the construction of a new pool.
No, wait! That's no pool...
Something smells
fishy...
The Chrysler building blows
its top...
They need bigger guns...
A candid Matthew Broderick...
Godzilla is about to put his foot down... right on Hank
Azaria...
Harry Shearer putting the moves
on a wary Maria Pitillo...
Godzilla flees from the
cafeteria food...
Godzilla pounds the pavement...
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godzilla  trailers
  
Museum
Teaser
Fisherman Teaser
New
Year's Teaser
godzilla  sounds
gzroar.wav
(101k) - the official Godzilla roar!
gzherelizard.wav (59k) - "Here, lizard, lizard, lizard" - Dinky the chihuahua
from the Taco Bell commercial.
gzbiggerbox.wav
(38k) - "I think I need a bigger box" -
Dinky again.
The total worldwide box-office
receipts for "Godzilla" were approximately $357 million.
commentary
Public reaction to
"Godzilla" can be summed up in one word -- backlash. This will be known as the
Devlin/Emmerich movie that moviegoers decided to turn on the duo. It's a phenomenon that
eventually happens to everyone and everything in Hollywood. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger was
not immune to it -- remember "Last Action Hero"? This has always been a
frustrating thing for me to watch, especially in this case because of the incredible
potential that the Godzilla concept has. Despite this film's faults, the potential is
there. And if poor box- office results cause the cancellation of any possible sequels,
then that potential will never be realized. Granted, there is reason for public backlash
against this movie, but I feel that it was greatly exaggerated. Sure, the plot was thin,
the acting was poor, and some of the effects were not up to par. But you know what? Who
cares!?!? The bottom line is that this movie was enjoyable to watch. If you were expecting
a thought-provoking and complex plot along with Academy award-winning acting from a movie
entitled "Godzilla", then frankly, you had no right being in the theatre in the
first place. If you were expecting to be dazzled by special effects and rollicking action,
then you would have enjoyed the movie. But ultimately, people went to the theatres
expecting too much. Perhaps these expectations were as a result of the success of
"Independence Day" and possibly due to the inevitable comparisons that any
post-"Titanic" films will be subjected to. Whatever the causes, the vast
majority of the blame can be placed on the laps of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich
themselves. Why? Too much hype. Not only did those spectacular movie trailers raise
expectations to unattainable heights, but we were blitzed by an enormous (no pun intended)
advertising campaign and corporate tie-ins to no end. But despite all the negatives that
were going against "Godzilla", it still managed to rake in a very respectable
amount of money both domestically and internationally. In response to critics calling it
one of the biggest flops ever, Devlin and Emmerich called it one of the most successful
flops ever. Dean Devlin himself recently described their movies as "popcorn
movies", ones in which you just sit down in your seat with a big bucket of popcorn
and enjoy the spectacle. A word to all of those moviegoers who expect to see the perfect
film every time. Don't analyze it, just enjoy it for what it is. It was encouraging to
hear some recent news that, due to a fair response internationally, a "Godzilla"
sequel is a good possibility. Thank goodness. Without the prospect of a regular Godzilla
fix, I wasn't looking forward to walking aimlessly around the house chanting,
"Heeeeeere, leezard leezard leezard."
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