I managed to get my eyeballs on a screening of Shin Ultraman and the first half was pretty much what I’ve always wanted in a giant monster movie. Honestly, I don’t really care about Ultraman himself. I’m here for the beastly boys.

The integration of the human characters worked so much better here than just about any other kaiju movie besides Shin Godzilla (which I also loved). When the extraterrestrials started showing up in the second half, I was much less interested, but boy was the first half excellent. More giant rubber suit monsters in my life, please.

One of my earliest memories that I still retain (or perhaps at this point it’s just a memory of a memory) is sitting and watching Toho pictures with my Dad. On Saturdays, we’d watch Star Trek, do yard chores, and watch 60s and 70s Godzilla pics. In those very early days (I had to be 4 at the oldest), my Dad spent a lot more time with me than I remember him spending later. I hope I spend a lot more time with my son–I like to think that I do, thanks to having a non-traditional work situation. I wonder what he will remember fondly about the time we spent together?