Godzilla vs. Full Metal Jacket

If you've been into Godzilla or Japanese monster movies for any length of time, you've probably heard all kinds of rumors about how major Hollywood blockbusters have ripped off various obscure kaiju flicks. Of course, many (if not most) supposed instances of "inspiration" from Japanese tokusatsu turn out to be completely false. But every now and then, some of these turn out to have a basis in reality.

On a 2017 episode of Kevin Pollak's Chat Show (link above), actor Vincent D'Onofrio, who memorably plays Leonard Lawrence (Pvt. Pyle) in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987), reveals that he prepared for the pivotal scene in which he snaps and suddenly kills R. Lee Ermey's Sgt. Hartman by watching several monster movies, including those with Lon Chaney, King Kong, and Godzilla. D'Onofrio interpreted his character as becoming a monster in that scene and so decided to prep for it by studying other movie monsters.

The clip begins around the 1:09:48 mark. Now we just need to find out which Godzilla movies Vincent D'Onofrio watched!

CARLA LAEMMLE, 1909-2014: The Universal Studios Actress Passes Away But Leaves Behind a Tremendous Legacy

An autograph I obtained from Ms. Laemmle in 2009. 

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the passing of actress Carla Laemmle, whose career dates back to the silent era. She was 104. Having appeared in Lon Chaney's The Phantom of the Opera (1925) and Bela Lugosi's Dracula (1931), her status as a horror film icon has been cemented for many decades. As if that weren't enough, her uncle was Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Studios.

Despite the fact that she was more than a century old, she still regularly appeared at autograph signings, happy to meet and mingle with her fans. Over the years, I had the honor of meeting her twice.

Yours truly with Carla Laemmle at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, July 2010.

Rest in peace, Ms. Laemmle.