You can't really separate the titular beast from his origins as a uniquely Japanese metaphor, and some unofficial images from the set of next year's Godzilla indicate that the remake won't try to completely remove Gojira from his native country.

As of today, the second crack at an Americanized Godzilla remake is now one year away from its May 16, 2014 release date.

Rather than dropping a teaser trailer or some such hype-building, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have instead brought us a tiny new glimpse behind the scenes of this new Godzilla.

How can you tell Godzilla has been to town?  Because most of the town will be a smoldering heap of rubble.

A new official image from the set of the new Godzilla remake has stomped online, and though the enormous lizard is nowhere to be seen, the signs of him are everywhere, in smoke, an overturned car, and general devastation.

Principal photography on Godzilla is now under way.

A week from now, it is most likely that director Ben Affleck’s Argo, which will be available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning February 19th, will have won Best Picture at the 2013 Academy Awards. 

While the filmmaker was shockingly snubbed of a Best Director Oscar nomination, he and the film have gone on to win almost every award imaginable including Best Picture and Best Director at the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards, as well as Outstanding Cast Performance at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Outstanding Directorial Achievement at the DGA Awards. Affleck previously won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay along with Matt Damon for co-writing Good Will Hunting, and Argo marks his third directorial effort following the critically acclaimed Gone Baby Gone, and The Town. 

While Argo continues gobbling up awards in the buildup to this year's Academy Awards, most of the conversation surrounding the film concerns Ben Affleck's omission in the Best Director category and the seeming inevitability of a Best Picture win.  With awards season talk peaking, how about watching a 28-minute documentary focused on the actual events on which Argo is based?

Hey, want to watch the first ten minutes of the Total Recall remake, totally free of charge?  Well, Sony Pictures is obliging, as the opening from the new Total Recall is now available to view in anticipation of this month's Blu-ray and DVD release.  The best part: It don't cost nothin'.

Argo, arriving in theaters nationwide this Friday, October 12th, is the sort of genre-hopping film that could only be based on a thoroughly unbelievable true story.  In 1979, in the midst of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, six Americans found refuge secretly found refuge in the Canadian embassy in Tehran.  THe impossible task of covertly rescuing them fell to the CIA, specifically Tony Mendez, an exfiltration expert whose audacious, elaborate plan involved creating "Argo," an fictitious Hollywood sci-fi movie that would allow his team to enter and exit Tehran on a "location scout."

Written by Chris Terrio based on an article by Joshua Bearman, Argo is produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov.  It boasts a formidable ensemble cast of veteran actors such as Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Rory Cochrane, Kyle Chandler, Taylor Schilling, Victor Garber, Clea DuVall, Titus Welliver, Zeljko Ivanek, and Tate Donovan.

Starring as Mendez, though, is Ben Affleck.  More importantly, Argo is Affleck's third feature as a director.  The actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter has become one of the most respected directors today in only three films, having earned accolades on his first two directorial endeavors, Gone Baby Gone and The Town.  With Argo, Affleck movies away from the familiar Boston setting of those beloved films, but is once again enjoying phenomenal reviews and audience enthusiasm.

At the press conference for Argo, the ever-ingratiating director, producer, and star fielded questions from an assembly of entertainment journalists from all over the world.  The topics of discussion covered working with producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov, playing a real-life CIA agent, multi-tasking on the set, shooting a sequence with thousands of extras in Turkey, and sidestepping the awards season hype that has accompanied Argo.

Synopsis: Based on true events, the film chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis—the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades.  On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist named Tony Mendez comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.

A week ago, Warner Bros. unveiled a theatrical one-sheet for Argo.  It's possible that said one-sheet failed to properly highlight Ben Affleck's groovy Seventies hair, and as a direct result, one of three new character posters gives a better look at the star and director's shagginess.