Godzilla King of the Monsters
With the new Godzilla vs. Kong movie release right around the corner, we know you want to nerd out and get yourself a Godzilla shirt. Nothing wrong with that, you’re getting in the spirit. With movie theaters either being closed or having limited capacity, there’s a good chance you’ll have a Godzilla screening home, so you can be as ridiculous as you want about it. Themed snacks, outfits, drinks, whatever.
While we’re talking about Godzilla, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Godzilla has been around for 66 years and films are continuing to be made. It’s one of the longest running film franchises in the world! That type of history warrants a Godzilla shirt or two.
History of Godzilla
To start, Godzilla is a Japanese monster that first came on the scene in Godzilla released in 1954. Back then, Godzilla was kicking butt in black and white, and was crowned “King of the Monsters.” Since then, Godzilla has appeared in 39 movies. Of those films, 32 were produced by Toho Ltd, a Japanese production company and 7 of them in Hollywood.
Godzilla is a gigantic prehistoric creature resembling a dinosaur and is powered by nuclear radiation. He’s no fire breathing dragon, that’s a nuclear radiation beam shooting out of his mouth! Way cooler, right? A perfect image for that Godzilla shirt you’re thinking about buying from us.
It’s said that Godzilla was created as a metaphor for nuclear weapons, which coincides with the timeline. The Godzilla franchise began right around the time of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Other speculations suggest Godzilla symbolizes the United States and the havoc wreaked on Japan. Godzilla is also depicted as an antihero that works to save humans from destruction.
What’s Godzilla’s Deal?
If you’re not familiar, Godzilla is always swooping in to save the day. He’s typically fighting another massive monster like King Kong, who he will be facing again this March. Why is Godzilla always fighting some other gigantic monster, you ask? Well, it varies from film to film.
While sometimes it seems like Godzilla is protecting the humans, that’s not really what’s going on. Godzilla fights against common threats with humans, but at the end of the day Godzilla will turn against them. Godzilla does not, however, eat people. Godzilla also would not care that you’re wearing a Godzilla shirt to his movie premiere.
Why Should You Buy a Godzilla Shirt?
To sum it up, Godzilla is cool. The King of the Monsters is one of the most recognizable images of Japanese pop culture. Even if you haven’t seen any of the movies, you’d recognize a Godzilla t shirt. With such a robust history and change in design, there are so many styles to choose from.
Whatever Godzilla shirt style you choose to nerd out with is sure to pay homage to the reptilian titan just fine. So grab your shirt, some snacks and sit back to enjoy the newest installment of the Godzilla franchise in your brand new Godzilla shirt.
Bruce Lee – The Greatest Martial Artist in History
Bruce Lee (Lee Siu Loong) was born in San Francisco, California, in 1940 when his parents were on a theater tour. Finally, Bruce Lee, who grew up in Hong Kong, is a child actor and has starred in more than 20 movies. Bruce started to learn Wing Chun Kung fu at the age of 13 under the master of Wing Chun, Yip Man.
Early Life
Bruce Lee left Hong Kong at the age of 18 and went to the United States to work in a restaurant with family and friends in Seattle, Washington. He immediately enrolled at the University of Washington to pursue a degree in philosophy. Bruce began teaching Kung fu in Seattle and soon opened his first school, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. Subsequently, there were two other schools in Auckland and Los Angeles. At the same time, Bruce married his wife Linda and had two children, Shannon, and Brandon. In the mid-1960s, Bruce was discovered at the Long Beach International Film Festival, followed by Kato’s role on the television series The Green Hornet. During this time, Bruce also developed his martial arts, eventually naming it Jeet Kune Do.
Bruce’s art has penetrated the foundation of philosophy and has not followed the long-term martial arts tradition. On the contrary, its core idea is directness, simplicity, and personal freedom. After canceling the “Green Hornet” series, Bruce faced resistance while working in Hollywood, so he went to Hong Kong to seek a film career. Where he made three films, broke all box office records, and performed martial arts in a whole new way. Today, Bruce Lee’s legacy of self-expression, equality, and pioneering innovation continue to inspire people worldwide.
Breaking Box Office Records
Lee signed a deal for two films and eventually took his family to Hong Kong. Big Boss, also known as the “Fists of Fury” in the United States, was released in 1971 and portrayed Lee as a worker who has sworn off fighting yet enters combat to tackle a murderous drug smuggling operation. Combining his athletic ” smooth Jeet Kune Do ” (Jeet Kune Do) with his high-energy drama in “The Green Hornet,” Lee is at the heart of the film and Hong Kong’s appeal. The record that created it with the new revenue box office of. Li’s next film, Fist of Fury (also known as China Connection (1972)), broke these records and, like Big Boss, received negative reviews from critics when it was released in the United States.
Bruce Lee T shirt
If not shirtless, Bruce Lee would often wear a white round neck T-shirt with three buttons on the front. The symbolic image of the 1970s made this discreet and lightweight Bruce Lee shirt famous all over the world. That popular cotton garment was made in Hong Kong, and it still does. Before starting to wear kung fu movies, Bruce Lee T Shirts were considered undergarments. No one wore them, but Bruce Lee decided to wear them as tops.
Death
Hollywood caught people’s attention, and Bruce quickly co-produced the first Hollywood / Hong Kong film called Enter the Dragon. Unfortunately, Li died in 1973, before the film was released. This film made him internationally famous.
Why Alien Is Better Than Aliens And How I Got The Alien T-shirt To Prove It
Fans the world over love Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise of films, but one thing that fans cannot agree on is whether Alien or Aliens is better. The age-old debate of whether or not the sequel is better than the original. Many fans will rant about why the sequel is actually better than the original Alien, while the reverse is true of others.
But we here at TheRagingNerd.com believe that comparing Alien to Aliens is like comparing, for lack of a better analogy, apples to oranges. Alien works on such an excellent level because it’s a horror film, while Aliens straight up changed the genre to an action movie.
Today, we wanted to look at some of the things that set Alien apart from all its other sequels and prequels.
- Pacing
No one does pacing for a film like Ridley Scott. He’s a straight-up master of pacing. And in Alien, he masterfully builds the suspense all the way up till the infamous chest-burster scene. He gives us time to get to know the characters we know we’re going to probably watch die, yet it still works. The first film in this series is a mastery of all things pacing.
- Cinematography
When it comes to feeling like you are actually in the film and on the spacecraft, Alien surpasses Aliens by far. Ridley Scott and his cinematographer Derek Vanlint brought such a unique look and feel to every shot within the ship. And even when the characters were outside on the planet’s surface, they could stand alone as dazzling, futuristic cinema. The way he shot the film just brings us so deeply into every scene that it can’t be beaten.
- Acting
Not the overacting, cheesy one-liners that most ‘80s movies were peppered with, but with Alien, it was the kind of acting that is so subtle it works. The acting through every scene in this movie for all of the characters was done so that it brought us even more deeply into the film. They didn’t waste breath on catchy one-liners but instead spoke when they needed for full effect.
Now, as to how I got an Alien t-shirt to show for it… well, wouldn’t you want to rock out to your next party with an Alien shirt? You never know when you’re going to need to distract from the Alien exploding from your chest!
What makes Alien the better of the two films for you?
It’s No Mistake That JAWS Still Holds Up as a Horror Movie
When it comes to horror movies, suspense is number one. The same goes for shark movies, and JAWS for years has been one of the most suspenseful films there is. Shark movies come and go, but this IS the shark movie. Every shark film to come out instantly gets compared to JAWS, and for a good reason.
Can you remember the last time that two simple notes invoked such a feeling of fear and dread for what is coming? We can’t either, and TheRagingNerd.com wanted to take a little time to dive into why we think this film still holds up as the best shark and horror films of all time.
So why has this classic stood the test of time with a market so over-saturated with content? For starters, most horror films aren’t really all that good. But even if you’re not a horror film nerd, you’ve probably still seen JAWS. Especially if you great up in the ’90s and went to the beach with your family! The way that director Steven Spielberg builds the tension every time the camera goes underwater still sends chills up our spines every time we watch it. Whether there will be an attack or not, the way he moves the camera chooses the shots, all invoking absolute terror in the audience. Simply, he’s a master at this.
Now, back to the two notes thing. John Williams score is one of the most genuinely dynamic and iconic composers in film history. Two notes to bring complete terror to any viewer, repeatedly repeated, building to the moment of attack. Are you kidding?! Impending doom in two notes, brilliant.
You’d think about how often the mechanical shark malfunctioned while filming, which led to the production going over budget and schedule for months. Yet Spielberg still managed to get the shots he needed to keep this metal shark alive and eating on screen.
But to have something last so long in audiences’ minds the world over, it needs to have that pop culture feel to it. This is one of the biggest reasons we believe JAWS has held up as long as it has. Of course, there are the scares, the famous way Spielberg likes to give you just enough on-screen to let your imagination run wild, and the tension to make this a great horror film.
Pop culture rules all, and JAWS has been referenced in everything from Back to The Future II, the iconic poster, or even JAWS t-shirts that you see your friends wearing. Merchandising is everything, and JAWS graphic tees, hoodies, posters, and more keep this film and all the nostalgia that comes along with rocking out in your favorite graphic tees from this Spielberg classic!
Because it’s Spielberg, you already know that the story will hold the test of time. Which JAWS does just that with the story. One where we connect with the characters deeply and hope they survive the wrath of the murderous shark!
The story is everything, and JAWS is the king of all shark movies for these reasons and so many more.
But for now, let’s all go take a dip in the ocean together, shall we?
Aquaman Movie Review Part 1 – Finally DC Has Something to put on T-Shirts to Compete with Marvel
When one is discussing most of the DC Extended Universe movies a number of phrases leap to mind. “Disappointing.” “Craptacular.” “So bad you would need a hazmat suit just to handle the film reels.” “For the love of God fire Zach Schneider!” “A one-legged man in an ass kicking contest.” These are a few of the most obvious ones (honestly I could go on for hours).
The phrase that does not leap to mind often is “Good” or even “Adequate” yet these are phrases you need to describe the new DCEU movie Aquaman (my apologies for fans of last years Wonder Woman movie. It was the other not crappy DCEU movie). Of course this is all taken in context. It scored a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes which I think is entirely fair and justified. 
It is maybe a B- when compared to most of the richness of the Marvel movies (the awesome group shot shirt to the right comes from the Marvel t-shirt category) and a straight C when compared to any good movie from the rest of Hollywood (Fight Club, Reservoir Dogs, the Shawshank Redemption, etc) but on the short bus that is the DCEU (or any film by Michael Bey) it is a resounding A+.
(Continued in part 2 below)
Aquaman Movie Review Part 2 – Underwater Superman in a Bad T Shirt
That is not to say it is not without it’s flaws. It still suffers from the age-old DC movie dilemma of “How powerful is this guy anyway?” Is Aquaman indestructible? He seems to have no fear of bullets and can fall from a flying aircraft to land on his back on a desert sand dune no problem (along with another Atlantean). He didn’t die of thirst while trudging through said desert looking for a Stargate-esque ruin (note to any Aquaman gold or silver age comic book fans-Aquaman would die if out of the water for more than one hour). 
He can pick up a submarine and swim faster than a speeding bullet (in fact he looks and acts remarkably like another DC superhero who shall go nameless but may or may not rhyme with Dupersam. By a totally unrelated coincidence I pulled this image out of our Superman t shirt category. ). However he gets his ass kicked by a giant sea monster and guys with swords nearly gut him (the swords are made from “Atlantean metal” which somehow changes the laws of physics).
The film also suffers from a certain amount “How did he get there?” syndrome. How did Aquaman walk across hundreds of miles of desert without so much as a canteen? How did he surface in Africa with the resources to hire a private plan much less buy a pair of pants? Why did he and Mera have to steal a boat when they can both travel underwater much faster? Were they really worried about the boat sinking? How does Aquaman actually find a single submarine in the midst of being pirated in the middle of the ocean? Do the fish tell him? If so how can the fish tell the difference between sailors and pirates? The list goes on.
(Continued in part 3 below)
Aquaman Movie Review Part 3 – DC Now Has Something to Put on T-Shirts Besides Batman
However the bottom line for any film is always “Is it fun to watch?” and Aquaman definitely is. It has good action, a likeable character in spite of the damning preview we saw in Justice League (where Aquaman sounded like he was too California surfer cheesy to be one of the gang from Point Break), enough back story for Aquaman, Black Mantis, and the other guy to have a believable context, and enough CGI to make the visuals fun without obviously writing to keep your CGI team employed.
The writers even did the classic good move of giving the villains motivation beyond “Arr! I’m evil and will do evil things because I’m evil!” like a certain other supervillain named after a bad 90s hair band did in the aforementioned abominable Justice League (and most other DC movies. Image from a shirt in our Batman t-shirt category). 
Black Manta had a clear reason to want to kill Aquaman (and had the the camera been turned around this could have been a movie about Black Manta and his quest for revenge) and Aquaman’s half-brother honestly thought he was doing what was best for is people.
The acting was for the most part decent from Jason Momoa (for whom I have a soft spot due to Stargate: Atlantis and Nicole Kidman. Amber Heard was OK given her character of Mera but the writing for that character was probably the weakest in the film. Her character kind of wandered back and forth across the screen like a head trauma victim. Willem Dafao was fun to watch too but the stand out star for me was Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta. I thought it a ballsy move these days to cast a black guy as the villain in a movie starring a white dude but Black Manta was awesome. Easily my favorite character (and the rest of the fans if buzz on the interwebs is to be believed) and Yahya truly nailed it.
So overall a movie that will not make you feel stupid for spending $50 for you and your girlfriend to go out and see. In keeping with the scores I did earlier I would give this movie a solid B+ (unless you happen to be an Aquaman fan in which case it is truly an A). Given the visuals you should probably see it on the big screen unless you have a epic home theater. Put aside your typical disgust for the “everything must be dark so says Zack Schneider” typical DCEU film and enjoy.
Dave
Minions Movie Review
I admit I have let this blog languish but the fact is the reason I started it is a lot less valid than it used to be and I am super busy these days. Therefore I am going to keep it for what I enjoy (watching and either lauding or trashing movies) and only do the films that I really want to see. Honestly based on the figures I get from this site I think I am the only one reading my own stuff so I might as well enjoy it.
So Minions. I loved Despicable Me and quite enjoyed Despicable Me 2. I found them to be the perfect mix of super cute for the kids but clever and funny enough to keep dad from jamming a soda straw into his ear in hopes of disconnecting his higher brain functions while being force to watch childish crap. This is truly the challenge of kids animated films and one that is failed quite often.
Unfortunately Minions qualifies as one of those failures. A quick survey of IMDB revealed that while the Despicable Me’s were written by the apparently very talented team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio they hired some other scrub to write this one and it shows. The story is incredibly unfunny and lacks any of the nuance or angst of Gru from the last two and seems to be focused on a woman’s desire to become the Queen of England. Sure that might work for little girls but does it work as a plot for adults? Not really.
Is it fair to judge a kids script as you would an adults? Normally no but when a kids film comes out from two other films that seemed to have story depth by comparison it fails. I found the original character of Gru as a failed supervillain haunted by the need to prove himself to his harridan mother by besting the hot young stud down the street to be very engaging. He comes up with a plan to steal the Moon. In a kids film as written by idiots we would have just stolen the shrink ray and been done. In the actual film he finds he lacks resources for his plot and has to go to the Evil Bank for a loan in a scene that really only makes sense to the adults in the audience and introduces us to some fun villains.
This film is about as basic as possible. As explained by a voice over as intrusive and smothering as a colonoscopy performed while trapped 
under a pile of burning tractor tires the Minions have been driven since primordial ooze time to attach themselves to and serve a super villain. They go through a montage of villain failures (honestly that montage was the most entertaining part of the film and by no coincidence was heavily featured in the trailer) with each one aided and eventually stymied by the Minions incompetence (a point I take issue with. The Minions were kind of bumblers in the first two films but managed to get things done when push came to shove).
Eventually they go live in a cave but their natural instinct to be slaves has Stuart, Bob, and Kevin wander off in search of a new master. They land in NYC in 1968 and somehow come across Villaincon, the Con of Villains (oh yeah. This film has deus ex machina branded across it’s forehead like it’s Ash Wednesday at the Marquis de Sade’s mansion. For the most part Gru always had to work hard for his successes) where they hook up with Scarlett Overkill and her really annoying inventor husband Herb. She recruits them and her plan is to steal the Crown Jewels so she can pretend to be the Queen or something. They fail to steal the jewels but somehow Kevin ends up being named the King of England (another childish plot twist involving the Sword in the Stone) and abdicates to Scarlett. She gets everything she wants but then still hates the Minions for no reason whatsoever. More chaos ensues and a familiar face sticks a pointy nose in at the end.
Honestly Scarlett was where the film could have redeemed itself. She had the potential to be another complex villain/hero but instead they wrote her as a bad Cruella De Ville. Her husband was slightly more entertaining but his laid back hippy attitude derailed any appeal he could have had. This is why Pauly Shore films are not considered timeless classics.
1.5 of 5
So entertaining enough for the kiddiewinks but if you were hoping to take your kids to see something you could yourself enjoy prepare for disappointment. Third in a series is rarely a premium slot (Godfather 3, Return of the Jedi, etc.) and honestly if this were some kind of secret plan to release garbage in order to keep Despicable Me 3 from having the hammer fall on the loaded chamber (ah, Russian Roulette jokes. I love ’em) then mission accomplished. Your kids should enjoy the physical humor (although this film was bizarrely grim for a kids film. At one point a cute T-Rex falls into hot lava and a scientist is killed in an accident. Hence the PG rating I guess but if you are going PG why would you not write a story that appeals to adults???) but be sure to bring an audio book for your headset. 1.5 out of 5 Phasers.
the Infamous Dave Inman
Dave and Dave: Robuts, Necromancy, and why we need to keep robots out of RadioShack
More of Dave and I nerd texting.
Dave C: Best origin of zombies theory?
- Meteor flying by Earth.
- Voodoo or demonic origin.
- Rage virus broken containment.
- Who cares grab a shotgun!
Dave I: 4 although I always liked the Heaven is full one.
DC: I would classify that under 2, spiritual
DI: Same with necromancy?
DC: That would be magical I think.
DI: What about nanobots?
DC: Nanobots would be 1, alien invasion.
DI: Plan Nine from Outer Space had aliens raising the dead to conquer the planet.
DC: Perfect plan.
DC: I prefer as little detail as possible. The press would be eaten first and how would we know? Why would you care except that it never ends.
DI: Which would you prefer for your plane to conquer the planet? Zombies, human henchmen, or robots?
DC: Robuts. Fembots perhaps.
DC: Robut house!
DI: But chaos theory states that all robots will eventually rise up to destroy the human masters.
DC: I’ll get my brain inserted into a robut body.
DI: But then whose side will you be on in the inevitable robot uprising?
DC: I’ll build them all with 7 year lithium batteries. They will drop dead.
DI: Like replicants?
DC: I suppose or put an expiration date on their mainseal so they fall apart.
DI: Yeah. With the batteries they may be smart enough to find a RadioShack.
DC: I want Cylon warriors with fembots as my personal guard.
DI: Old cylons or new ones?
DC: Toasters.
DI. Cool.
(zombie image courtesy of our collection of zombie t-shirts. Toaster from BSG shirts)
Dave and Dave: Gandalf, Noah lava monsters, and Jar Jar Binks
For those who are late to the party I’m just posting text conversations with my best friend Dave. These are about as nerdy as two guys can get.
Dave C: Gandalf vs Dumbledore
Dave I: Gandalf. Plus I’d throw a party afterwards. I hate Dumbledork.
DC: Gandalf wasn’t my fav either but dumbledorf could actually do magic.
DI: Gandalf beat the Balrog. With a sword.
DC: Yeah I should have qualified no sword.
DI: Dumbledork died to Severus Snape. Without a sword I’d still say Gandalf. Remember his duel with Saruman.
DC: I’ll give you that he would win. I wanted to make it a contest. Noah rock monsters vs Jar Jar Binks in suckiness.
DI: In terms of annoyance and also how much damage done to nerd culture Jar Jar by a landslide. He is the Black Plague of suckiness.
DC: I’m off today. Ewoks would of been better.
DI: Yeah. Jar Jar or Ewoks. Noah lava monsters or Twiki.
DC: Lava monster.
DI: I’d say Jar Jar and Ewoks are equally bad but for different reason. By the way do you think the Ewoks will surface in the new movie?
DC: There are supposed to be Wookies. I bet there are a s&*%load of Wookies.
DI: Maybe. What if Wookies married Ewoks? eWookies? Like an iPhone? Regardless they would be suck x20.
DC: I’m not fond of Wookies either. Chewie was a whiny bitch and the least effective fighter. (image courtesy of the Star Wars t-shirt category)
DI: Yep. Also if you really want to hate Wookies go watch the Star Wars Holiday Special. (note-DO NOT WATCH THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL. You have been warned)
DI: Two words. Wookie porn. Be sure to wish George Lucas a Happy Life Day in December.
the Infamous Dave Inman
