Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:27:35 +0000 Guilala and Ultra Seven at World Characters Convention in Tokyo

Down goes Take-majin! Guilala gets the better of his MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G-SUMMIT foe in a mock battle held at the World Characters Convention. Photo courtesy of Daisuke Ishizuka. Guilala and Take-majin © 2008 Guilala Production Committee

Author: Daisuke Ishizuka The 23rd World Characters Convention was held at Tokyo Big Sight on July 20- 21. SciFi Japan correspondent Daisuke Ishizuka has sent a report and photos of this past weekend’s events… I rarely attend conventions because I am not much interested in purchasing expensive toys. However, I attended the World Characters Convention on July 20 even though most of the convention floor was taken up by dealers. I had two purposes; first, this was chance to see in person the Guilala suit from the new movie MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G-SUMMIT!. Another was to get Mr. Koji Moritsugu’s new CD. Continued...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:51:16 +0000 New Godzilla Documentary, MOTHRA, and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS Theatrical Screening!

On August 3, the Egyptian Theatre will premiere BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE. The all-new documentary features exclusive interviews with filmmakers behind Japan's greatest monster movies and shows. Top row: Toho President/Executive Producer Shogo Tomiyama, GODZILLA star Akira Takarada, MOTHRA star Hiroshi Koizumi, Tsuburaya Dream Factory President Akira Tsuburaya, Godzilla series FX Director Teruyoshi Nakano. Bottom row: Original Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima, Ultraman series Producer/Director Takeshi Yagi, the Toho special effects art staff (Toshio Miike, Akinori Takagi, Yasuyuki Inoue, Toshio Aoki), Millennium Godzilla suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa. © 2008 Classic Media, Inc.

BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE and Two Toho Classics at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood! Source: American Cinematheque Special Thanks to Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle Japanese giant monsters return to Hollywood with a great Toho triple feature at the Egyptian Theatre. The evening includes the premiere showing of the brand-new documentary BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE (with exclusive interviews with filmmakers, special-effects artists, monster suit actors and the stars of GOJIRA, MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA, INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER and other classic films), a rare screening of the fan favorite WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS, plus the original Japanese version of MOTHRA. Both of the feature films will be in 35mm. Continued...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:17:13 +0000 New Kaiju Short SHOWDOWN OF THE GODZ to Premiere at San Diego Comicon & Wonderfest

STAR TREK and HEROES star George Takei plays Ono, the owner of the kaiju-themed restaurant Monster Sushi in SHOWDOWN OF THE GODZ. Takei's connection to the Toho monster movies dates back to the late 1950's when he dubbed voices for RODAN and the first Godzilla sequel GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER. Photo courtesy of Robert Troch and Jim Cirile. © 2008 Showdown Of The Godz

Godzilla-themed satire featuring STAR TREK's George Takei Author: Robert Troch and Jim Cirile Official Movie Site: SHOWDOWN OF THE GODZ

SHOWDOWN OF THE GODZ is an independent family film that ANY kaiju fan can appreciate, and any non-kaiju fan can enjoy. A satire starring David Gassman (RAYMAN series, THE BOURNE IDENTITY), Alixx Schotland, Ayla Guttman and the legendary George Takei (STAR TREK, HEROES), SHOWDOWN OF THE GODZ is a 17 minute short film written by Jim Cirile and Aaron Schnore, produced by John Reefer, Jim Cirile, Robert Troch, Julien Calderbank and directed by Julien Calderbank. The story goes like this... Jesse (David Gasman) is the world's biggest Japanese monster movie fan. Trapped in a stultifying insurance job and a deteriorating marriage, the only bright spot in his life is his obsession with a certain Japanese monster, which he shares with his adorable 7-year-old daughter Cassie (Ayla Guttman). Jesse's power attorney wife Mary (Alixx Schottland) drags them into counseling, where Jesse reluctantly promises he will forgo all things monstrous for one week to focus on the family. But when Jesse sees a rare monster toy on display at NYC's Monster Sushi, he challenges proprietor Ono (George Takei) to a Japanese monster trivia contest. If Jesse wins, he gets the coveted toy. If he loses, he owes Ono $1,000. Ono accepts on one condition: Jesse must face a representative from Monster Sushi's legendary Japanese monster movie archivist Matsuhisa Jin. Jesse goes into geek overdrive preparing for the showdown. But on the eve of the event, Mary leaves him. Devastated, Jesse is a no-show. But wise Ono has one last surprise up his sleeve that may just pull the family back together. Continued...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:20:30 +0000 SON OF GODZILLA on TCM in July

Source: Turner Classic Movies Godzilla makes his first appearance on Turner Classic Movies this month when the cable channel airs SON OF GODZILLA at 2:15 pm on Thursday, July 31. SON OF GODZILLA (1967): Scientists get caught in the middle when Godzilla fights to protect his newborn son from prehistoric monsters. 86 mins, Eastmancolor, Letterbox Format Continued...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:31:35 +0000 SPEED RACER Coming to Blu-ray and DVD

Source: Warner Bros. Home Video Official Site: Speed Racer The Movie View the Theatrical Trailer Warner Bros. Home Video has announced that the Wachowski Brothers’ live-action SPEED RACER movie will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 16.

Based on the popular 1967 Japanese animated series and budgeted at $120 million, SPEED RACER has been a huge commercial failure, taking in only $43 million to date in the US box office. Studio hopes for a successful theatrical release in Japan were also dashed when the film opened on July 5 and finished in 5th place at the Japanese box office. Reviewers savaged the movie with 36 top national critics giving SPEED RACER a paltry 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com. The film fared much better with audiences, who gave it a 77% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a B- average at Yahoo Movies. The positive opinions of viewers may help SPEED RACER finally find its audience on video. The movie’s family-friendly storyline will make it a safe bet for purchases and rentals, and its extreme visuals make it a natural for high-def systems. Continued...

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