CPB Writes

Nicola Coughlan got shafted by the marketing, let's make that clear. All the promos sold this as a spotlight piece for one of the beloved stars of Derry Girls,  a Doctor Who Christmas Special in the vein of The Runaway Bride , The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe , or The Return of Dr. Mysterio , where the Doctor crashed into a guest actor's story. Instead, we have a special in the vein of The Waters of Mars or The Time of the Doctor , which are ultimately character pieces with the Doctor at the center. With Coughlan's Joy only present for around half the episode, she remains largely an unknown quantity until late in the game. She nails all of her big moments, especially her building rage and grief as the Doctor attempts to free her from the happy bubble of her mind control, and she and Ncuti Gatwa have great energy in their interactions. But there's still a sense of missed opportunity to the casting. Part of the problem is the ending, which is mis-pitched. Joy's...

I'm pleased to announce that the Patreon for this site is live! $5 patrons have access to essays as they're completed as well as the occasional exclusive essay, while $2 patrons get to read everything that posts to the site a week early as well as a few bonus goodies. (Naturally, $5-tier subscribers also get access to everything at the $2 tier.) I'm hopeful that my work here can be a viable source of at least partial income for the forseeable future, so any support you can throw my way is greatly appreciated!

Here's an article I wrote for Left Voice on the classic Godzilla series at 70, including a recap of my analysis of the first film. Expect some clues in regards to what approaches I'll be taking in later We Call It Godzilla entries, as well. Enjoy!

Info Also Known As: Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956 US Edit); Japan Under the Terror of the Monster (Spain); Godzilla - the Monster from the Sea (Sweden); The Monster of the Pacific Ocean (Portugal); Doom Awakened (North Macedonia/Czechoslovakia); Godzilla, the Monster of the Century (Greece); Tokyo 1960 (Philippines) Director: Honda Ishiro. Screenplay: Murata Takeo and Honda Ishiro, from a story by Shigeru Kayama*. Director of Special Effects: Tsuburaya Eiji. Composer: Ifukube Akira.  Runtime: 96 minutes (Japan), 80 minutes (US edit) Release Date: November 3, 1954 (wide release) *Kayama’s estate prefers that his name be rendered in western order, from personal name to surname, so I have done so. What’s it About? This is the one that started it all, in vivid black-and-white. A series of disasters at sea leads to the discovery of a prehistoric, dinosaur-like marine creature that has been awakened, irradiated, and enraged by American hydrogen bomb tests off the coast of Jap...