The Amazing Kaylee Hottle on ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’

It’s been a terrific time for representation for the Deaf community in entertainment. With CODA winning Best Picture in 2021, and the addition of characters like Lauren Ridloff’s Makkari from Eternals, and Alaqua Cox’s Echo to big franchises like the MCU, strong, empowered characters representing Deaf individuals have never been more compelling and more prominent in pop culture. And now we can add Kaylee Hottle’s Jia to that list in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire!

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‘Godzilla x Kong’ Director Adam Wingard Takes Us Inside ‘The New Empire’

The New Empire is upon us! Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! And to celebrate the release of the latest installment in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, Warner Bros. and Legendary invited us to a very special genre event, with director Adam Wingard!

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Listen to BigXthaPlug and Ro$ama’s New Track from ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’

There’s no greater way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Legendary’s MonsterVerse than with a new movie as big as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! And there’s no better way to celebrate Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire than with a new song by rising hip hop stars BigXthaPlug and Ro$ama! Get ready for “Beast Mode!”

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New Trailer for ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ Stomps its Way Online

It is a big day for big movies! And movies don’t get any bigger than ones featuring the biggest titans on the planet. After the first trailer debuted to huge numbers online, Warner Bros. and Legendary have released the latest trailer for their next MonsterVerse titan team up: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire!

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Discovering the Truth with ‘Monarch’ Stars Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, and Kiersey Clemons

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is proving to be a series commanded by two sets of trios. Earlier this week we had interviews with the first, with our discussions with Kurt and Wyatt Russell, as well as conversations with Mari Yamamoto and Anders Holm. But anchoring the present day events of the series are Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, and Kiersey Clemons, who play Cate and Kentaro Randa and May Olowe-Hewitt. And five episodes in, as a group, they’ve proven to be the scrappy heart and spunk of this terrific series. So it was a true honor to get to speak with the three of them.

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Discussing ‘Monarch’ with Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, & Elisa Lasowski

The legacy of monsters begins with the creation of an organization: Monarch. Dedicated to studying and monitoring titan activity on the planet, the fictional Monarch has been a staple of Legendary’s MonsterVerse since its first installment, Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla back in 2014.

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Uncovering the Secrets of ‘Monarch’ with Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell

Legends don’t get any bigger than Godzilla… Unless their names are Kurt and Wyatt Russell! Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is stomping to the top of the charts on Apple TV+ right now. After five epic episodes, the latest installment in Legendary’s MonsterVerse is currently Certified Fresh sitting at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and quite beloved by kaiju fans everywhere. And an exceptional part of that is due to the electric charm of The Russells. We were recently given the chance to talk to both of them about the series and their wonderful work on it.

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First Trailer for ‘Godzilla x Kong’ Announces a New Empire!

It has been one hell of a monster year for the King of the Monsters! First we got Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Then we got Godzilla: Minus One! And now, everyone, we finally have the first trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire!

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Meeting the Masterminds Behind ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’

For decades, the legend and sounds of Godzilla have remained iconic. But less known about the mythology (at least in the latest iteration of Legendary’s MonsterVerse) are the shadowy figures that monitor Godzilla and other titans across the planet: the organization Monarch! Now, with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters debuting on Apple TV+ this Friday, November 17, the world of monsters will finally be brought into the light. And to celebrate, we were able to sit down with the showrunners and creators Matt Fraction and Chris Black, as well as director Matt Shakman, and producer Sean Konrad, to discuss the journey of bringing the MonsterVerse to streaming.

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NOC Exclusive Clip: Meet ‘Monarch’ Scientist Dr. Miura

The MonsterVerse is back! Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is almost here! The spin off of the epic Godzilla/Kong franchise is officially hitting Apple TV+ this Friday, November 17. And to celebrate, we have an exclusive first look clip for all of you to check out!

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NOC Interview: ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ Director Adam Wingard

Godzilla Vs. Kong is stomping into theaters and HBO Max today! And despite a lot of POC issues, the movie is admittedly a good time, and I’d be remiss if I said you shouldn’t see it. The spectacle and action is well worth the price of admission.

We were fortunate enough to be given the chance to interview director Adam Wingard recently, and though a lot of Adam’s work in the past has been problematic (this film included), he was still gracious enough to lend us four minutes of his time to discuss his film. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t more I would have loved to ask, particularly when it comes to the subject of Asian representation in his films — something I plan to do so should I ever be afforded the same opportunity to sit down with him for future installments or movies. But alas, four minutes is all we were given for now.

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NOC Review: ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ is Giant Fun but Has Giant POC Problems

As you, our loyal readers know, The NOC was created to provide input on the pop culture stories and trends we all love, but with a perspective that assess them from the greater lens of representation for people of color; fans like you. Sometimes in my reviews, I’ll assess a movie purely from an entertainment standpoint. But sometimes, a movie will come along that honestly needs to be looked at closer with both lenses. And Godzilla Vs. Kong, of all things, is actually one of those movies. To be frank, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like this movie. From an entertainment standpoint it’s actually a huge blast! But for a film in a franchise so heavily tied to Japanese roots, and prior to this installment, honored those roots proudly, it honestly gets me a bit angry whenever I think about it. So, with your permission, and because it’s cheaper than therapy, I’d like to use this review to talk about the things I loved about the film from an entertainment standpoint, the things I disliked from an entertainment standpoint, and the things I hated from a cultural standpoint as a fellow Nerd of Color.

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NOC Greetings from the Cast of ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’

What’s up nerds! In t-minus one week, we’re about to have our faces melted by the absolute blast that is Godzilla Vs. Kong. While you’ll have to wait a bit longer to see the movie, we’re excited to share with you a fun shout out from fellow NOCs — the stars of the film — Brian Tyree Henry and Shun Oguri!

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A Clash of Kings: The ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ Trailer has Arrived!

Here we go! After months of fans begging Warner Bros. in the comments section of every social media post they publish online to release it, we finally have a trailer for literally the biggest movie event of the spring: Godzilla Vs. Kong! And it. Kicks. Ass!

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NOC Review: ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ Review: King Me!

I’d like to start the review by posing an analogy: Why do we go to and love John Wick movies? Is it because of the story or character? Hell no! We go because we want to see Keanu capping people left and right with well-choreographed action sequences of hardcore violence and badassery. And when we get that, we appreciate and shower praise on a film like that because our expectations are met (89% on RT). The filmmakers know consciously what kind of movie we want, and that’s what they give us.

Therefore, if we are going to shower praise over John Wick for delivering what we expect and what it promises, we must do the same for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. For me, this is a perfect summer blockbuster through and through, and the first time an American-made, big-budget Godzilla movie genuinely felt like a real Godzilla movie! In other words, this movie delivers what it promises — on what it’s supposed to be — and more!

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