May Book + Film Club: Kaiju & Godzilla (1954)
Schedule
Wed May 28 2025 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
1821 2nd Ave. N. , Birmingham, AL, United States, Alabama 35203 | Birmingham, AL
Sidewalk’s Book + Film Club unites movie and book lovers for a monthly film screening and discussion about famous films and the people who make them. At the end of the month, we host a screening of a film related to the book and host a round-table discussion. Each session is $35 and the includes book, film screening, and discussion. Buy 3 or more months at once with the book included and get 10% off your registration by using code ‘3ormore' at checkout! Already have the book? Select the $15 option for access to the film screening and post film discussion.Registration Deadline to have books mailed: Friday, May 2nd. Books will be mailed within 72 hours of this date.
Registration Deadline to have books picked up: Monday, May 19th. Books can be picked up from our Box Office during our regular operating hours Thursday & Friday from 2pm til Close and on Saturday & Sunday from 10:30am until close. You will receive an email when your book is ready to be picked up.
Book: The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters by Jason Barr
The Kaiju (strange monster or strange beast) film genre has a number of themes that go well beyond the “big monsters stomping on cities” motif. Since the seminal King Kong 1933) and the archetypal Godzilla (1954), kaiju has mined the subject matter of science run amok, militarism, capitalism, colonialism, consumerism and pollution.
This critical examination of kaiju considers the entirety of the genre–the major franchises, along with less well known films like Kronos (1957), Monsters (2010) and Pacific Rim (2013). The author examines how kaiju has crossed cultures from its original folkloric inspirations in both the U.S. and Japan and how the genre continues to reflect national values to audiences.
Film: Godzilla (1954) Dir. Ishirô Honda
After a dinosaur-like beast – awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing – ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.
Private screening and discussion will take place at Sidewalk Cinema May 28th at 7:00pm.
