Out and About in Roppongi Hills!

Mori Tower. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier today, I went to Roppongi Hills, and I decided to snap a few photos of the familiar sights there, including Tokyo Tower and Mori Tower. Enjoy!

Could this be Biollante? Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tokyo Tower. Photo by Brett Homenick.

'Godzilla Minus One' Plus Blue!

Godzilla Minus One toys at Toho Cinemas Roppongi. Photo by Brett Homenick,

And I'm free to be who I choose 

To get my [blues] any old time

-- The Soup Dragons, "I'm Free"

Speaking of the Soup Dragons song "I'm Free," here's a new creation. Yesterday, when I was at Toho Cinemas Roppongi, I found some new Godzilla Minus One (2023) figures for sale. I'd never seen them before (and, being all blue, they're kind of hard to miss), so I thought they were worth sharing here. So here they are.

McDonald's Godzilla Burger Promotion at Roppongi Hills!

Roppongi Hills promotes McDonald's Godzilla Burger! Photo by Brett Homenick.

While passing through Roppongi Hills today, I happened upon a massive (and I do mean massive) promotional campaign for the Godzilla Burger in Roppongi Hills. There were signs all over the place, and it caught me completely by surprise. (But what a pleasant surprise it was!) The photos and videos I took are below, and I hope they convey just how impressive it all was. As you can see, the Hamburglar, Birdie, and even Grimace join in the fun. It doesn't get any cooler than this!

A Better Look at the 'Godzilla Minus One' Banner at Toho Cinemas Roppongi!

Hey, it's that banner again! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Just wanted to share this new photo I took today of the Godzilla Minus One (2023) banner currently on display at Toho Cinemas Roppongi. It's a bit clearer with the natural light illuminating it. Enjoy! 

'Godzilla Minus One' Banner in Roppongi!

Godzilla Minus One ballyhoo at Toho Cinemas Roppongi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I went to Toho Cinemas Roppongi to check out The Creator (2023), the latest joint from Gareth "Stone Age" Edwards. While there, I spotted the banner above promoting Godzilla Minus One (2023), which comes out on November 3.

As for The Creator, well, I guess I don't have any particularly deep thoughts. I think it's Edwards' best film, but that really isn't saying much. I've only seen each entry of his filmography once, and that was when each one was new, so it's a little hard to rank them, but I suppose I'll give it a go. From best to worst, I'd probably rank them: 1) The Creator, 2) Godzilla (2014), 3) Rogue One (2016), 4) Monsters (2010). 

I saw Monsters on the plane when I was moving to Japan and was bored silly by it. I wanted to walk out on Rogue One by about the halfway point and only stuck around because the theater was packed, I was sitting in the middle of it, and I didn't want to create a disturbance by putting on my winter coat and suddenly leaving the theater. So, out of politeness, I stayed. (I mean, this is Japan, folks.)

There were some interesting ideas in The Creator, but, not only did the movie fail to build up to an exciting climax, it became less interesting as it went on. I understood what emotions it was going for, but the movie couldn't stand still enough to let those emotions wash over the audience. One example is when Alphie realizes she isn't going to Heaven because she isn't a real person but then immediately falls asleep on John David Washington's shoulder because, oh, well, them's the breaks, I guess. Time for some shut-eye.

Honestly, my favorite part of the film were the clips of Invasion of the Neptune Men (1961) and Evil Brain from Outer Space (1964) shown on television. I've been wondering for years whether we'd see any public domain tokusatsu show up on a TV in the background of a modern Hollywood flick, and I finally have my answer. Honestly, those clips were more of a tribute to the genre than all of the 2014 Godzilla.

Speaking of, I was also a bit amused (in a mordant sort of way) at the robot named G-14. (Get it?) I won't say it was an appropriate name given that the robot was literally a walking bomb, but I will say that its explosion was enough to send all of us back to the Stone Age.  

Can You...Find...the Wolves...in This Picture?

A banner for Killers of the Flower Moon at Toho Cinemas Roppongi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight (Thursday, September 28), I went to Toho Cinemas Roppongi and saw some interesting signage. Not only was there a banner for Martin Scorsese's upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon, but there was a fun promotional photo spot for Godzilla Minus One. Here are the photos I took. Enjoy!

Getting a bird's-eye view of Tokyo!

A view of Roppongi (in the distance) from Daiakanyama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, August 12, I was invited to dinner with some work colleagues at a Mexican restaurant in Daikanyama. The restaurant was on the ninth floor of a building, so it gave us a good view of the skyline. In particular, we could see Roppongi quite well from our vantage point, including Mori Tower and Tokyo Tower. Seeing as how we were there for a few hours, I was able to take photos at several points during the evening, which you can see below. Enjoy!