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Behind The Groundbreaking Special Effects In "Godzilla"

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For Gareth Edwards, the director of the new Godzilla movie, creating awe means subverting expectations.

Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros.

When it comes to visual effects, Godzilla director Gareth Edwards has a saying of sorts. "My bad joke is that it's like being a gynecologist," the British filmmaker told BuzzFeed. "It just stops turning you on after a while."

In bringing the legendary atomic creation back to cinemas this Friday, Edwards didn't skimp on the kaiju battles. But in an age in which we take incredible special effects for granted, what's most interesting to him is restraint and subverting expectations. "I get strangely more excited about, What if we didn't do this? That would be rebellious, that would be different," he said.

Thanks to CGI, just about anything's possible on screen these days. And so many summer movies have taken advantage of that, with denouements of effects-laden orgies of mass destruction that see buildings demolished by an invading alien warrior races, Decepticons, Kryptonian generals, or crashing warships.

But Godzilla, which features Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ken Watanabe, is clearly a reaction to the epics that have crowded the multiplex — an attempt to battle what Edwards called "CGI fatigue." "If this was the first-ever Godzilla movie or monster movie or blockbuster set in a city that might be destroyed using CGI, we would have probably just gone for it in the way that everything else does," he admits. "But you've seen that so many times over the last few years. It's the default third act of all these movies, and that worked against us."

Edwards' Godzilla teases its scenes of awe and destruction as often as it indulges them. And the result is a movie in which the creatures feel unnervingly startling and solid, and that defies many of the usual blockbusters' beats.

Ken Watanabe with Gareth Edwards on the set of Godzilla

Kimberley French, Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros.

With only one other movie under his belt, Edwards is the latest example of a recent Hollywood trend in which up-and-coming directors have been handed the reins to some giant-sized franchises (think Marc Webb and Spider-Man). He is unusual in that he worked for years in digital effects on television series like Perfect Disaster and Space Race before making his directorial debut with the 2010 indie Monsters, for which he did all the effects himself.

The resulting sci-fi film, which stars Scoot McNairy and now wife Whitney Able as a pair of Americans trying to make their way through an area of Mexico that's been invaded by extraterrestrials, had a reported budget of less than a million dollars and earned Edwards his place as the man in charge of reimagining Godzilla 60 years after the lizard first appeared on screens.

But Edwards' biggest fear in rebooting the monster franchise wasn't leaving something out; it was boring jaded viewers with too many of the same sort of scenes of skyscrapers getting knocked down. "You get battle fatigue quite quickly when you have these fight sequences at the end of the movie," he said. "And you can easily peak and then hit a plateau and then there's nowhere else to go."


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37 People Whose Lives Have Been Literally DESTROYED By Hay Fever

You Need To Watch This Epic Mother-Son Wedding Dance

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Shorty get down.

You right, you right.

NBC

32 Problems All Tall Girls Will Understand

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“Wow, you’re tall!” Shutup.

People telling you that you're tall.

No.Freaking.Way?!?!?!

instagram.com

People asking how tall you are.

People asking how tall you are.

Do I even know you?

Michael Buckner / Getty Images Entertainment

People asking you if you play basketball or volleyball.

Just because I'm tall doesn't mean I'm athletic, OK?

instagram.com

People asking how the weather is "up there."

HAHAHA. CLEVER! Oh wait.

instagram.com


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U.S. Diplomat Becoming Something Of A Celebrity In Pakistan

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After he appeared on Pakistan Idol .

WASHINGTON — In a first for American diplomacy, a U.S. diplomat performed on the inaugural season of Pakistan Idol in April.

Phillip Assis, the Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. consulate in Karachi, sang on stage on national television during the Pakistan Idol semifinals last month, performing alongside the semifinalists.

"They had never had a foreigner on," Assis, who goes by the stage name Phillip Nelson when he's performing, said in a phone interview from Pakistan. "It was exciting to be on an authentic Idol show."

Pakistan had its first official version of the Idol franchise this year. The embassy reached out and said, "We have a real live singer here if you're interested in having an American on the show," Assis said. A few months after the initial contact, Assis was booked to perform.

Assis, 48, a native of Portland, Oregon, has been singing and playing the piano all his life and "always had a passion for bringing people together culturally and forming bridges between cultures," he said. He was diagnosed with cancer after graduating from Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies in 1996, an experience he credits with making him realize that "tomorrow's never guaranteed, and I always dreamed of doing more with my music, and that spurred me on."

Assis previously did tours in Guyana and in the Vatican before coming to Karachi. His next tour will be back in Washington, where he has been invited to perform at a celebration for Pakistan's independence day.

In Pakistan, Assis has been involved in other musical projects, including recording a song in Pashto, the video for which became a hit locally. Though he doesn't speak the local languages, Assis has learned to sing in them phonetically.

"I'm lucky that I have Pakistani colleagues plugged into the cultural field here, so that's how the connections were made," Assis said.

The embassy's press secretary Andrew Armstrong said that Pakistan Idol faced "all kinds of skepticism that they could even pull it off," since auditions were held all over the country, even in remote or dangerous areas.

"It was a cool thing for us to have Phillip be a part of because it builds a different narrative," Armstrong said.

Assis said he does encounter Pakistanis who recognize him from the performance and the song he did previously.

"People have seen the clip, they've seen the song, and people are very excited about it," he said. "They mostly are very excited to — happy to see that I'm here and mostly astonished."

"People do want their picture taken with me all the time but they want that with all foreigners," Assis said with a laugh.

A former U.S. diplomat in Pakistan, Shayna Cram, also had some musical success in Pakistan before Assis' arrival. She recorded a song in Pashto about Malala Yousafzai, the schoolgirl who was shot by the Taliban and who has become an advocate for girls' education.

12 Legendary Last Words

Friday Night In Your Twenties Vs. Friday Night In Your Thirties

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Your expensive bedsheets are getting TURNT down.

In your twenties: When it's Friday night, and you have no plans.

In your twenties: When it's Friday night, and you have no plans.

New Line Cinema / Via giphy.com

In your thirties:

In your thirties:

Via giphy.com

In your twenties: When one of your newly single friends wants to have a ladies night/guys night.

In your twenties: When one of your newly single friends wants to have a ladies night/guys night.

Via wifflegif.com

In your thirties:

In your thirties:

Via giphy.com


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65 Feelings Kids Today Will Never Understand

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*Plays ” Mesmerize ” on repeat*

1. The extreme joy of successfully burning a new CD with no errors.
2. The pain of buying the wrong CDs to burn. (CD-R vs. CD-RW... I WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN.)
3. The feeling of playing that new CD for the first time in your car or CD player.
4. Realizing half of your burned CD was just fillers and you only made the CD for like two songs.
5. The annoyance of finally getting sick of that burned CD.
6. The joy of finding that burned CD two years later and jamming out to the memories of it.

Via teleread.com

7. The frustration of having someone write a passive-aggressive away message about you.
8. The rage of being blocked by one of your friends on AIM after an ~ online ~ fight.
9. The disappointment of downloading something on Kazaa and it being a fake song.
10. The disappointment of downloading a song period. HOURS.
11. The pure bliss that followed when that song was finally completed.


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If "Bridget Jones's Diary" Used Suggested Hashtags

17 Things That Make Kanye West Really Happy

This Guy Tried To Throw A Birthday Party At The Chili's-To-Go In The Airport And It Didn't Go As Planned

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Borderline genius.

Moses Storm was hoping to have the most exclusive, high security birthday party in Hollywood. So he decided to throw it at LAX. He sent out a Facebook invite with all the info, hoping his friends could attend the soiree.

Moses Storm was hoping to have the most exclusive, high security birthday party in Hollywood. So he decided to throw it at LAX. He sent out a Facebook invite with all the info, hoping his friends could attend the soiree.

Facebook: events

Guests were advised not to bring weapons, as they would have to go through security. They were also told that they would have to purchase seats on a flight just to get access to the terminal.

Guests were advised not to bring weapons, as they would have to go through security. They were also told that they would have to purchase seats on a flight just to get access to the terminal.

Facebook: events

Moses decided to document the big day. He got to the airport, went through security and changed into his party clothes.

Moses decided to document the big day. He got to the airport, went through security and changed into his party clothes.

youtube.com

He started to worry his party was maybe TOO exclusive, but 167 guests had confirmed on FB so they had to show up, right?!

He started to worry his party was maybe TOO exclusive, but 167 guests had confirmed on FB so they had to show up, right?!

youtube.com


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How To Sport A Kangol Hat According To Seth Rogen

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But what do I wear this with??

You can wear one with your dog and a pair of frayed jeans.

You can wear one with your dog and a pair of frayed jeans.

Coqueran/Fame Pictures

You can wear one to run errands in or to pick up styrofoam.

You can wear one to run errands in or to pick up styrofoam.

SC

You can wear one with sunglasses and then regular glasses. Or both.

You can wear one with sunglasses and then regular glasses. Or both.

GG/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES

You can wear one while signing autographs and/or legal documents.

You can wear one while signing autographs and/or legal documents.

Cosmo/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES


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60 Facts You'll Want To Share With Your Friends Right Now

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Who knew babies grew mustaches… let alone ate them!

Tap the screen to pause. No sound needed.

BuzzFeed Video / Via vine.co

12 Songs That Are Probably Not For "Kidz"

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Dear KidzBop, These songs never were and never will be made for kids, no matter how much you change the lyrics…..or don’t change them.

"California Gurls" by Katy Perry

A big portion of this list is dedicated to the fact that so many popular songs nowadays are about sex in some way or another. Obviously, "California Gurls" is not as blatantly obvious as some (but trust me, we'll get to those), but a lot of the song is not necessarily "kid friendly". But never fear!!! KidzBop's got that covered!

Best "Substitution": The fact that they couldn't find any substitution for the second verse.

Via youtube.com

"Thrift Shop" by Mackelmore

On one hand, at least KidzBop actually seemed to try on this one (well, as best as they could). On the other hand.....it's kinda ridiculous......

Best "Substitution": "Probably shoulda washed this, smells like my baseball cleats. Eeewwww!"

Via youtube.com

"Royals" by Lorde

Ok, so this one's not that bad overall, it's mainly just the hook that leads up to the chorus. And of course, that is what makes the KidzBop-ified version so hilarious.

Best "Substitution": "But every song is like gold teeth, gold goose, singin' in the bathroom." (Because I can name at least 20 songs about magical golden geese and singing in the bathroom.)

Via youtube.com

"Tik Tok" by Ke$ha

"Yeah, I'm not really sure we can do a remake of 'Tik Tok'..."
"Excuse me?! We're KidzBop, dammit! We sing songs for kids, by kids! And if I say we're covering 'Tik Tok', THEN WE ARE GONNA COVER 'TIK TOK'!!!!!"

Best "Substitution": "Before I leave, brush my teeth, then I go and pack." (Aww, look at you being all responsible and worrying about your dental hygiene!)

Via youtube.com


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The Most Honest Wedding Invitation You'll Ever See

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“Will attend and will bring a date, even though the invite offered no indication that I could bring a date.”

Are you a planning a wedding? Cancel it. Because nothing will ever top this wedding invite.

The invite was posted on Reddit, and it's unclear what the user's responses will be.

Are you a planning a wedding? Cancel it. Because nothing will ever top this wedding invite.

reddit.com

ATTENDANCE: "Will Say I Plan To Attend, Then I Won't Show Without Any Explanation"

ATTENDANCE: "Will Say I Plan To Attend, Then I Won't Show Without Any Explanation"

imgur.com

BEHAVIOR: "Will Make An Unsolicited Toast That Makes Ample Use Of The 'F-Word' And A Few Choice Uses Of The 'C-Word'"

BEHAVIOR: "Will Make An Unsolicited Toast That Makes Ample Use Of The 'F-Word' And A Few Choice Uses Of The 'C-Word'"

imgur.com


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Meet The Most Sophisticated Cat On The Internet Right Meow

19 Words You Never Knew Existed Until You Had Kids

South Korean Ferry Captain, Three Crew Members Indicted On Manslaughter Charges

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The ferry capsized last month off the coast of South Korea, killing more than 280 passengers, many of them teenagers on a high school field trip.

Lee Joon-seok (center) the captain of the ferry boat Sewol, arrives at the headquarters of a joint investigation team of prosecutors and police in Mokpo, South Korea on April 19.

AP Photo/Yonhap, File

Prosecutors in South Korea indicted Thursday the captain and three crew members of the ferry that sank off the country's coast in April, killing more than 280 people. The prosecution also indicted all 11 other surviving crew members for negligence.

The 15 members of the crew have been under criminal investigation after they escaped the sinking ferry while hundreds of passengers drowned. The captain of the ship, Sewol, was even videotaped leaving the vessel before his passengers.

At least 281 passengers died on the ship, and the death toll could still rise with 23 people still missing. About 80% of the bodies recovered so far were high school students who were on a trip to southern Jeju island. Officials said there were 172 survivors.

In April, South Korea's Prime Minister resigned over the ferry disaster, and apologized for the government's response.


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9 Life Lessons The World's Highest-Earning Hedge Fund Manager Knows To Be True

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Speaking at the SALT 2014 Conference in Las Vegas, Appaloosa Management’s David Tepper served up more than a few opinions, platitudes, and general lessons on life.

Getty Images

It takes hard work to climb atop the the hedge fund world's highest earners list, but that's just what David Tepper, through his $20 billion Appaloosa Management fund, has done in the last 20 years. Last year alone Tepper brought home $3.5 billion, making him the highest paid hedge fund manager for the second year in a row. Along the way, Tepper picked up more than a few life lessons, which he imparted to a packed ballroom at the Bellagio in Las Vegas on Wednesday for the 2014 SALT Conference. Here are some words to live by from the man widely regarded to have the best performance in the hedge fund industry.

On leaving Goldman Sachs in 1992 to start his own fund.

Or maybe not so classic.


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What's Your Earliest Internet Memory?

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We asked the folks at Nerdist.com to share theirs. How do yours compare?

We sat down with Chris Hardwick, Jessica Chobot, Malik Forté, Dan Casey, and Chloe Dykstra from the new Nerdist.com and asked the to share their earliest internet memories.

Their answers are delightful. Especially Jessica Chobot, who had a realization about her childhood:

Their answers are delightful. Especially Jessica Chobot, who had a realization about her childhood:

Via youtu.be

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