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https://nerdist.com/article/godzilla-x-kong-the-new-empire-reveals-new-monsterverse-hierarchy/
We’ve always known Godzilla is the “King of the Monsters,” owing to, well, him being absolutely royal. But with so many other Titans in the Monsterverse, it’s somewhat difficult to parse out which of them are the, pardon the term, Apex of the Monarchs. This is especially true now that the Hollow Earth has so many other creatures within it. Where do they all fit in the greater hierarchy? While not everything is set in stone, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire solidifies the roles for at least three of the biggest Titans. Somewhat ironically, that news did come from a stone.
The audience has known for a bit that Godzilla is in some fashion the defender of the Earth. However, he clearly has little interest in humans or their structures. Kong is the one who cares about people! But who else is involved in this? Is it just a two-horse race? No! Y’all didn’t realize this was a trifecta this whole time, did you?
We learn, via cave drawings in the Iwi people’s temple, that the third prong of the Hero Titan trident is Mothra. She’s not only alive, she has a very important job to do. The breakdown is thus:
- Godzilla – Guardian of Nature
- Kong – Guardian of Humanity
- Mothra – Guardian of the Hollow Earth
How this ultimately shakes out in the movie is that Godzilla’s main focus is to keep the planet and its flora and fauna safe from harm. That harm can come from people, so we need to watch it. Kong—after the fight in Godzilla vs. Kong—needs to live in the Hollow Earth, but his calling is to defend humanity against various threats. Sometimes that threat might be Godzilla; again, very complicated. The G-Man does not cotton to Kong up on the surface.
Mothra, therefore, effectively acts as the Godzilla for the Hollow Earth. She defends the creatures living down there. This also means she defends breaches between the realms of the Hollow Earth and the outside world. In the movie, she keeps the Skar King’s hordes from traversing the breach. She also breaks up the squabbling between Kong and Godzilla.
So look out, other Titans! These three are the Monsterverse’s toughest, and they’ll kick your butt if you get out of line.
Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
The post GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE Reveals the New Monsterverse Hierarchy appeared first on Nerdist.
We’ve always known Godzilla is the “King of the Monsters,” owing to, well, him being absolutely royal. But with so many other Titans in the Monsterverse, it’s somewhat difficult to parse out which of them are the, pardon the term, Apex of the Monarchs. This is especially true now that the Hollow Earth has so many other creatures within it. Where do they all fit in the greater hierarchy? While not everything is set in stone, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire solidifies the roles for at least three of the biggest Titans. Somewhat ironically, that news did come from a stone.
The audience has known for a bit that Godzilla is in some fashion the defender of the Earth. However, he clearly has little interest in humans or their structures. Kong is the one who cares about people! But who else is involved in this? Is it just a two-horse race? No! Y’all didn’t realize this was a trifecta this whole time, did you?
We learn, via cave drawings in the Iwi people’s temple, that the third prong of the Hero Titan trident is Mothra. She’s not only alive, she has a very important job to do. The breakdown is thus:
- Godzilla – Guardian of Nature
- Kong – Guardian of Humanity
- Mothra – Guardian of the Hollow Earth
How this ultimately shakes out in the movie is that Godzilla’s main focus is to keep the planet and its flora and fauna safe from harm. That harm can come from people, so we need to watch it. Kong—after the fight in Godzilla vs. Kong—needs to live in the Hollow Earth, but his calling is to defend humanity against various threats. Sometimes that threat might be Godzilla; again, very complicated. The G-Man does not cotton to Kong up on the surface.
Mothra, therefore, effectively acts as the Godzilla for the Hollow Earth. She defends the creatures living down there. This also means she defends breaches between the realms of the Hollow Earth and the outside world. In the movie, she keeps the Skar King’s hordes from traversing the breach. She also breaks up the squabbling between Kong and Godzilla.
So look out, other Titans! These three are the Monsterverse’s toughest, and they’ll kick your butt if you get out of line.
Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
The post GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE Reveals the New Monsterverse Hierarchy appeared first on Nerdist.
Courtesy Ray Mora By Anthony Bryant ·Updated March 28, 2024
New Blue Sun Live. Andre 300. No Bars, No Phones reads a dandelion-yellow shirt hanging from a merch stand just outside of Luna Luna in Downtown Los Angeles, where Andre 3000 has scheduled four performances over two nights of his melodic, introspective, and spiritual album New Blue Sun as the latest tour stop for his first solo album in nearly 17 years.
Luna Luna promises “a fantastical fairground unlike any ever witnessed,” evident once you step inside the warehouse where each of its original works has been meticulously restored to near-original state—please don’t ask to ride the attractions. Before the performance, guests are free to roam the grounds and take in the works of artists Keith Haring, Salvador Dali, David Hockney, Sonia Delaunay, Andre Heller, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose painted Ferris wheel looms just behind the stage in view throughout the show.
Andre 3000 performed two nights of his melodic, introspective, and spiritual album ‘New Blue Sun’ To fully appreciate the rarity of this experience, I should state how unlikely it is to witness the lunar-eclipse-esque crossing of the pair. Andre 3000, one of the most revered artists of the last three decades and hip-hop’s most elusive griot, returns to music nearly two decades after his last full-length solo project to deliver an entirely instrumental album. No raps, just flute. And Luna Luna, the ambitious brain-child of Andre Heller given new life after being relegated to nearly 40 years inside a Texas storage container.
Collaboration is another commonality shared between the two Andres. One of the most incredible intrigues of Luna Luna is how some of the most notorious names within the art community banded together to create the world’s first and (still) only art amusement park. This meeting of artist minds is also the driving force of New Blue Sun. Carlos Niño (who Andre 3000 describes meeting at the infamous Erewhon), Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina and Deantoni Parks all share the stage for the four performances.
“This isn’t a show; it’s happening” Andre 3000 proclaims to the 400 plus in attendance. He urges the audience to chant, shout, grunt, laugh, and bring whatever emotion forward because this night is an exchange between his ensemble and the crowd. Speaking of those in attendance, the guest list was painted with LA celebrity and creative starpower rubbing shoulders over the two nights including Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Rosalía, Alexa Demie, Usher, Gayle King, Regina King, Tobe Nwigwe and Martica “Fat” Nwigwe, Storm Reid Cedric the Entertainer, Jerry Lorenzo, Michael Ealy, Flea + Melody Ehsani, Beck, and more.
Andre 3000 performs live at Luna Luna All these ingredients create the atmosphere for Andre and his cohort to perform his free-wheeling and imaginative album. “This will be the most honest thing you’re going to hear right now” Andre 3000 shares towards the start of his set. He’s absolutely correct. His New Blue Sun album is a revelation, not just in the career arc of Andre 3000, but to popular music today. His opening track, “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time,” broke the record for longest song to debut on the Billboard Hot 100, and the only instrumental album to land on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
Throughout the evening’s happening, Andre 3000 and his ensemble perform songs from his album along with spontaneous in-the-moment movements. He confesses to the crowd he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. His band is performing this all on the fly and in real time. The vulnerability in this admission is at the core of this magical evening. It’s illuminating to witness Andre 3000 play his flutes as he wanders within the universe he imagines on the album.
“I wasn’t trying to be the flute n—a” he jokes midway through his set. This admission set off a wave of laughter as he shared his journey creating New Blue Sun. His retelling of this journey reveals the curiosity at the center of his creativity, his willingness to “just try,” after overhearing a woman playing the flute on a fateful day. “One flute turned into seventy-two” he says with his trademark charm. This anecdote is one of the many highlights of the night.
Another moment worth sharing is when Andre 3000 breaks from the flute into a monologue spoken in a foreign language. He speaks unbroken and for several minutes. I can hear introspection, joy, and deep contemplation in his voice, even if I can’t pinpoint the origin of his dialect. You can hear a few Sunday-church-sermon mmhhms and finger snaps during his speech. Affirming the message from Andre 3000. Once he switches back to English, he says, “From the bottom of my heart, I want you to know I completely made up everything I just said.” Everyone in attendance, along with Andre 3000, shares in the hilarity of the moment. Kukio is the language spoken—an amalgamation of every language he’s ever heard and is a window into the brilliant mind of Andre 3000.
Everything has meaning as long as there’s intention behind it, Andre 3000 reflects—a deep understanding that is at the heart of New Blue Sun. Andre 3000 has painted with words throughout his career. His profound ability to stretch and bend the English language to mine his musings has cemented him in Hip Hop’s pantheon—your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.
On this night, like in New Blue Sun, he paints with his flute. What is felt is what’s most important this evening. Throughout the evening, he played motifs familiar to those who have experienced his album alongside new compositions he’s manifested solely for this occasion. Elation, joy, confusion, peace, and solitude all permeated the hour-and-a-half surrealist performance. I found myself sailing across each note.
Luna Luna is open for public view through May 12th
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Once Russell T Davies was announced as taking over Doctor Who again, wheels turned about what else might be in the pipeline. During RTD’s first regime (2005-2010), fans saw two successful Doctor Who spinoffs: the adult-oriented Torchwood and the kid-focused The Sarah Jane Adventures. And with a new Doctor, and a new distribution deal with Disney+, we wondered what other shows we’d see in the Whoniverse. Now, according to a report from Deadline, we have an idea. The latest Doctor Who spinoff will be a show focused on UNIT and star Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart.
Kate first debuted on screen in 2012’s “The Power of Three,” the daughter of fan-fave classic ally Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. She has acted as head of Doctor Who‘s UNIT, the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, in all of her appearances. Kate also appeared in “The Power of the Doctor,” Jodie Whittaker’s final story.
Most recently, Kate Stewart and UNIT were seen in “The Giggle,” the last of three 60th-anniversary specials starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble, respectively. Stewart had recruited former companion Mel Bush to the UNIT team and, towards the end of the episode, offered Donna a position there, too.
A UNIT/Kate spinoff is perhaps the biggest no-brainer for a new Doctor Who show. It has the potential to do what Torchwood tried to do; that show couldn’t decide how adult it wanted to be. “The Power of the Doctor” introduced the idea that Kate had been recruiting past companions and she has two great ones under her belt. Plus, in the trailer for Doctor Who‘s upcoming season with Ncuti Gatwa, we see that Fifteen will return to UNIT. This season could be a bit of a backdoor pilot for the UNIT spinoff series.
It is highly likely that we will see Donna, Mel, Rose Noble, and others in the mix. Maybe, just maybe, Martha is done freelancing and will come to UNIT for an adventure, too. What a great way to have legacy characters pop in and out for various missions! Plus, we just love Redgrave! Yes, give her a show.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
Originally published on March 15, 2023.
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