It's not "Cloverfield 2", it's "Robot-Cloverfield"

Robot Chicken has finally showed it's last new episode for the series, and what a better way to end than with a kaiju-oriented sketch? Apparently, it acts like social commentary on the film "Cloverfield" itself. We see the Statue of Liberty’s head bounce around on New York City’s streets. Not to mention we see awesome scenes with the Cloverfield monster, so good that it looks like they used Hasbro’s $100 toy for it instead of making a cheap clay model for stop motion reasons. This would be the first time that they used a kaiju toy for the actual kaiju appearance, since the kaiju models have mostly been re-casting of Bandai toys (most specifically the Bandai movie monster series Shodai-Goji figure).

As I said, it is social commentary which is brought out with this sketch. People start shouting out rejections like "C’mon man!" and "Dude, it’s only been 8 years since 9/11, not cool." This sounds to be like protest against the film itself, though I bet the animators meant that they humans were talking to the Cloverfield monster directly, because that is what happens. Cloverfield apologizes in a way for the melee he has wrought by building a metal structure out of the 9/11 memorial structure pieces and tops it with an American flag. Everyone seems happy, and right before he leaves, Clover throws a Cloverfield jersey on top of the crowd watching him.

This is a whole hell of a lot better than the faux "Cloverfield 2" trailers. A whole lot better.

Another bit of news - albeit three month old news - is that David Kalat said at G-FEST ’09 that he is editing his book "A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series". He is currently fixing errors (like the conflicting information about who originally bought the US rights to Gojira in 1955), adding information, and even doing sections on the Millennium series and may even do another supplemental part which fills in about how kaiju/tokusatsu eiga is doing and how it did between 1995-1999 (even maybe some mention of G2 and G3, like how he did with G1). I seriously think that if he does this correctly, his re-edited version of his book could be the present day "Japan’s Favorite Mon-Star". Though some may claim that Kalat’s observations are far fetched and that he is seeing too much into some of the films - like "Gigan" having commentary on how kaiju stay popular/stay a cash cow. This something which I will anxiously wait for.

Finally some news not related to Bandai Creation figures and Blu-ray DVDs. And as a note, the interview with Michael Keller and Ed Holland of the one and only "MONSTER ATTACK TEAM" fanzine is still going to be done. I currently have Matt’s answers and awaiting Ed’s. I ask readers to be patient. I hope that all who read the interview (when it will be posted) will post a comment saying thank you to these two men. Obviously, they are cutting time out of their lives to do something for the fandom and to do this interview is also a real blessing.

Finally, as a reminder, this Saturday the Atlanta based "Plaza Theater" showing the classic "Rodan". As SciFiJapan reported, it is Ed Godziszewski’s print. Under these circumstances, this screening is a historical event for kaiju/horror/sci-fi fans alike. Hope to see you there. Since the cat is mostly out of the bag, I am going to document the event under the name "OPERATION RODAN". If you would like to be on camera, please contact me via blogspot or forum.

Blu-Ray 3rd Line and HMV Tie-ins

I mentioned on the Atari 8 days ago that there was a rumor on many Japanese sites about the third wave of blu-ray releases. Thanks to GVAMP with Atari and Tohokingdom, the rumor was true. The new wave is the rest of the Heisei series plus "War of the Gargantuas". Each of the Godzilla releases are the same as the original DVD releases except for the enhanced audio and picture quality. What is a good thing though is that "War of the Gargantuas" has a more "gargantuan" sized repertoire of special features, including what could be roughly translated as "watch the snap shooting scene" (・X・i・b・v・ﾅ・ﾏ・・・B・e・ｻ・・・ﾌ・・・i) and "Synthetic Steel Collection" (a steel book perhaps? ・・・ｬ・X・`・[・・・R・・・N・V・・・・). If anyone has better translations, please post at the bottom of this blog entry.

In other news, HMV is doing what they do best: capitalizing on new releases. Kind of in the way they gave us accouple more variations of the 8" Kiryu-Goji 2004 version, they are giving us some more. Order now and you will receive a replica dorsal fin off of the Heisei suit, a film canister with some kaiju related goodies, and I think a book filled with text and images with the cover being the same of a G2K booklet released some 10 years ago. And if you order later, you get a free wallpaper for your computer. Not many details could be made out. Here are some links for your considering.

HVM Link:

http://www.hmv.co.jp/news/article/909040117/#item1

Toho's Site:
http://www.toho-a-park.com/tokusatsu-bd/


Again, special thanks goes to GVAMP.

Fanzine Ressurection: MONSTER ATTACK TEAM

http://www.kellerwerks.com/MAT.html

Before the internet, we had a phenomenom in which we did not only have one kaiju/tokusatsu fanzine to subscribe to (I am mentioning "G-Fan", though you could also count "Japanese Giants" if you count their occasional every 3-5 year new issue), but many. One could be with "G-Fan", "Markelite", and others at the same time. But there is one name which comes to my mind: "Monster Attack Team". While they died out at the end of the 20th century, they are back! They have a new site (see link above) and a new issue comming out this December. There is alot more than kaiju and tokusatusu eiga in there. Here is a full rundown of the new issue:

-The History of Kamen Rider
-Working for Ultraman
-An exclusive interview with Tak Sakaguchi (VERSUS!)
-The Last Dinosaur
-Partying Godzilla-style
-The Fantastic cinema of Kinji Fukasaku (SATOMI HAKKEN DEN!)
-Japanese monster toy mayhem
-Fantastic tokusatsu poster retrospective
-Monsters!
-Super Heros!
-Japanese rock and roll!
-So much more!

Stay tuned for more (hopefully)!

More News on TOHO VISUAL EFFECTS DVD COLLECTION

Less than 24 hours ago, August Ragone posted on his blog (link to it is to the right of the blog) news on a new magazine publication which has to do with Toho Kaiju Eiga - "Toho Visual Effects DVD Collection". Here are some pictures taken from the issue reguarding the classic "Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster". There accouple of more photos at the official site - which August has a link to on his blog. But as you can see, this is awesome. Good luck trying to find a person who is going to import this stuff to you though.

Updates 9/10/09

I am happy to announce that in just 16 days, two weeks two days, the Plaza Atlanta will be making kaiju theatre history by showing RODAN. As reported by SciFiJapan, the print is on loan from kaiju film historian Ed Godziszewski, in which Sean Linkenback is the middle man between. In case people didn’t know, Sean Linkenback is one of the more prominent kaiju fans from the south. He used to run Showcase Collectibles - a walk in kaiju store which you could also order via internet from - in Atlanta, Georgia till it went out of business. He is most known for writing the book "An Unauthorized Guide to Godzilla Collectibles", which for the time was an awesome book which consisted mainly of a list of merchandise with pictures and pricing. He now runs a memorabilia shop which sells kaiju memorabilia from the Showa series, but also has a lot of posters and lobby cards from the golden age of American cinema - including Universal horror.

As a developing journalist, be expecting a written report on the event. But also there is going to be a video on it. I shall be shooting footage from the event and such. A fellow youtube friend - who is going unnamed - is going to be contributing. Sometime after the showing, be expecting a video (estimated duration of 40 minutes) and a written report. Hope to see you there! This is a once in a lifetime chance to see this film! This is not a digital projection but actual film! Come see a golden age kaiju film the way it was meant to be seen: in film format in a grindhouse theatre! Once in a lifetime opportunity! For a prieview at what the experiance may be like, see my memoir of the Plaza Atlanta's previous kaiju outting from six months ago, GMK.

Toho's Blu-Ray DVD Promotion and Other Stuff...

I wonder about how many of you actually check the official site for Toho’s blu-rays. If so, the news part of the site (accessible at the toolbar at the top right corner of the screen) has been bustling with all sorts of information. The newest piece of news would be on the advertising of the discs, which blows what Kadokawa is doing (by having a good looking Finaro-Goji suit in the store display instead of re-using a promotional suit from 1995). A picture from Toho’s official site is below. Notice the display shows DVD cases for both announced lines of the blu-ray releases.

Reguarding the display itself, it is in Akihabara and a rough translation of the site seems to say that the suit is the actual shooting suit from "Godzilla: Final Wars". And notice in the background the Gamera display).

Toho’s official site also seems to be showing stills of their "Gojira" release’s menus and a look at some of their special features. Take a look! (images in form of links due to their large size).

Scene Selection:
http://www.toho-a-park.com/tokusatsu-bd/img/news/chapter.jpg

Special Features
http://www.toho-a-park.com/tokusatsu-bd/img/news/tokuten.jpg

Special Feature: Story Board Comparison
http://www.toho-a-park.com/tokusatsu-bd/img/news/ekonte.jpg

Blu-Ray Exclusive Feature
http://www.toho-a-park.com/tokusatsu-bd/img/news/mybookmark.jpg

Just a reminder, here is the rundown of Toho's Special Features for their "Gojira" BD release (translation by James Ballard):

1. Theatrical Trailer (HD quality)

2. Akira Ifukube Interview (SD quality)

3. View Storyboards with Picture-In-Picture [NEW FEATURE!]

4. New Version of Godzilla's Theme (HD quality) [NEW FEATURE!]

5. See Original Filming Locations With Snapshots (tentative) (HD quality) [NEW FEATURE!]

6. Oxygen Destroyer (HD quality) [NEW FEATURE!]

7. Audio Commentary (Akira Takarada)

Wondering who is in charge of the people who are graciously making the blu-ray variations of our beloved Toho-owned kaiju eiga? Their names are…

Production Manager Haruyasu Yamazaki

Masaaki Murai

Taono (rest of name does not translate)

Blu-Ray Disc Advisor Enami Masanori

Blu-Ray Disc Advisor Kazuki Yokota

For the past two months, they have been doing "Roundtables" (as of date, there are only two), in which they post comments concerning their work on the official Toho concerning the blu-ray discs. Sadly, the translated version of the two pages is so unruly that it cannot be deciphered. If you want to take a gander, highlight the text from this link: http://www.toho-a-park.com/tokusatsu-bd/news.html and drag it to WordPad. Copy and past the text from word pad onto translate.google.com and then go for it.

Classic Media... More Classic Mistakes

Remember the original "Classic Media... Classic Mistakes" article from Henshin Online? Well, the title of this article is a throwback to that.

Though no real surprise, Classic Media really does disapoint with their newest Blu-Ray release. Sure, we were expecting it but they could have pulled off a surprise for the fans. Honestly. I know that Toho charges for all of the diffrent images and videos the companese use for their discs but I do not think that the payment for the usage of the new remastered and RESTORED version of GOJIRA would be that more costly. Major letdown Classic Media. For future refrence, please get the new prints. Though you guys most probrobly don't care about fan responce at this juncture.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews20/godzilla_dvd_review.htm

New Photos of Kadokawa's Blu-Ray Set for the Gamera Trilogy

Yep, it has happened. The Gamera trilogy blu-ray set is out. It is out in three different variations. First, we got a cover with Gamera showing off his blown off stub of a right arm. Then there is a purple colored still of Gamera after he has landed in Kyoto for the final battle with Iris. Then we got one which showings a still of Gamera and Iris battling. Well, the good part about this is that we can now show the back of the blu-ray box and all three variations of the Blu-Ray box. Here are the stats. And don’t forget: IT IS IN STORES NOW! BUY THEM NOW!

Statistics (all prices switched to US currency)

Price (Box): $90-$120 price range

Price (Individual): $51.70

Street Date: 8-28-2009

Subtitles: Japanese

First Press: 3D Lenticular Cover

Packing: Black Armary for Blu-Ray

Sounds: PCM 5.1 Surround

Label: Jesnet1050p HD

And do not forget that this set has a new 3-part documentry on the making of the Gamera trilogy, including interviews with SHUSUKE KANEKO and Tomoo Hariguchi.

Kaiju Movie Review No. 4

To start off the month of September, we got another one of Kuroneko-Sama’s Kaiju Reference listings!

Reference(s) No. 4:

TV Reference(s):Godzilla vs. Gigan – Nebula Space Hunter M Aliens

Gamera vs. Guiron – Alien women

Show: Red Dwarf

Season: VI

Episode No.: 1

Episode: Psirens

Plot Summary: After being awoken from a 200-year period in stasis, Lister, Rimmer, the Cat, and Kryten are faced with the seemingly impossible task of relocating Red Dwarf and Holly. Flying in Star Bug, Kryten announced that they have located the Dwarf’s vapor trail. Their pursuit, however, takes them into an asteroid belt in which they discover reside cockroach-like extraterrestrials that want to eat their brains!

Reference(s): I have found several references within this episode. Whether they were in their on purpose or merely coincidental, I cannot say. However, owing to the fact that Red Dwarf continuously riffs a vast majority of science fiction icons, such as Star Trek, it is likely that the following were inspired in some way by daikaiju eiga:The first reference that can be found is the nature of the extraterrestrials – called Psirens – in the fact that they are, put simply, overgrown cockroaches. This models the Nebula Space Hunter M aliens in the respect that they, too, are overgrown cockroaches.I call this episode a reference to the Gamera vs. Guiron female aliens in respect to the method in which the Psirens utilize to lure their victims. Such as the Sirens of mythology, Psirens lure their victims by way of hypnotic attraction and making their victims believe they are facing either an awesome object of love and affection or, in the case with Lister at one point, a friend or companion that can be trusted. The female aliens of the Guiron film use this similar method by making the boys believe that they are merely beautiful, benevolent women from another planet. As with the Psirens, their true intentions are sinister and, to say the least, rather distasteful, as in both incidents, these extraterrestrials seek to consume the brains of their victims, though their rationalizations to this practice may differ.

Credit for Reference(s): Kuroneko-sama

Film Reference(s):Godzilla

Film: Toy Story 2

Year: 1999

Plot synopsis: While rescuing a toy from Mom’s garage sale, Woody is stolen by the man in the chicken suit from Al’s Toy Barn! Buzz and the gang set off to rescue the cowboy, but not just from the Chicken Man, but also from another toy!

Reference(s): As with the first Toy Story film, Hamm pokes at Rex with Godzilla references several times, even calling Rex Godzilla on one occasion in the film.Credit for Reference(s): Kuroneko-sama

Other reference(s):Rodan

Media type: novel

Title: It

Author: Stephen King

Plot Synopsis: An evil exists in the town of Derry – several years ago, a group of kids thought that they had rid themselves of it. Now, as adults, they must fight it again.

Reference(s): There is a point in the novel in which one of the boys in the main cast is watching the film Rodan with his father.Credit for Reference(s): Kuroneko-sama

Legendary Pictures Godzilla... by Who?

Something which has apparently set the world on fire for kaiju fans was the news of Legendary Pictures going into negotiations with Toho for the rights of a Godzilla film. But what is fact and what is not? This is what I am going to write about. Well, that and a look at possibly directors.


Legendary Pictures is in negotiations with Toho. True. Toho said "no comment", though how they said it proved that they are doing something which is top secret. True. Did Legendary Pictures ask Toho or was it the other way around? It was Legendary Pictures which approached Toho (this is based on the wording of a certain Twitch article). Legendary Pictures would like to make for the film an updated version of the Shodai-Goji suit? I do not know. This is where stuff starts to get tricky. That, and accouple of more rumors (that Legendary Pictures will have Weta do the CGI and that they want a Toho villain to oppose the King of the Monsters) came from an ananymous. When I asked about his source for validity, he said that his source was someone high in the industry. So make of it as you will. Is what Avery Guerra keeping secret the same facts? I do not know and event though I am a friend I do not know either nor do I have the audacity to do so.


But who will be the director? Many famous directors love Godzilla. John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York) has been in two different documentaries on the Big "G". But due to his age and his current projects, I doubt it. Tim Burton (Batman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) has given Godzilla a cameo in his film "Pee Wee’s Big Adventure" and even mentions him, "Destroy All Monsters", and had a picture of the Big G in his autobiography, "Burton on Burton". Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Apocalypse Now) did what August Ragone said: "In 1956, Scorsese ended up seeing GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS several times as a young teenager. Decades later, when he worked on Akira Kurosawa's DREAMS (in which he played Vincent van Gogh), Scorsese was elated to discover that Honda was working on the film and asked to have a sit down with him. He told Honda about how much he loved GODZILLA and how he used to do chores so he could see the movie as many times as he could when it first came to NYC. Scorsese also, according to an interview with Honda, talked to Toho and managed to get several of Honda's films into the New York Museum of Modern Art's film library." But there is another guy who I want the most to do this project. And I got two words for you: QUENTIN TARANTINO.


Tarantino is already known to be a Godzilla fan. For "Kill Bill Vol. 1", he used one of the Yokohama sets from "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack". For the epic fight between Beatrix Kiddo and Elle Driver in "Kill Bill Vol. 2", he made both Daryl Hannah and Uma Thurman watch his print of "War of the Gargantuas" before filming the scene - which also copies some publicity stills from "War of the Gargantuas". Some even say that Quentin owns a print of "Destroy All Monsters". Well, some news has surfaced that has seemingly not hit most kaiju forums.


Originally around the time "Death Proof" was released, Tarantino mentioned something about wanting to make a Godzilla film but claimed that he was not at liberty to say anything about it. Very recently, Tarantino was interviewed and said this: "I have an idea for a Godzilla movie that I've always wanted to do. The whole idea of Godzilla's role in Tokyo, where he's always battling these other monsters, saving humanity time and again- wouldn't Godzilla become God? It would be called "Living Under the Rule of Godzilla". This is what society is like when a big fucking green lizard rules your world."


Some unique narrative, eh? Godzilla as a religious symbol is an interesting concept. This is something which effects the original, "Gojira" in which somewhat getting influenced from the original "King Kong", Godzilla is a God to the natives of Odo Island. 30 years later, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka would call Godzilla, "…a nightmare created out of the darkness of the human soul. He is the sacred beast of the apocalypse." Then in 2001, Godzilla became the embodiment of the dead souls of the Pacific Conflict theatre of the Second World War which were angry for the Japanese to try to forget about the war. However, "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack" also proves that Japanese mythology is in the GMK universe real, with the description of King Ghidorah’s mature form being eight headed - a call to Yamato No Orochi. Then there is the fact that the international name for Godzilla has the word "God" in it. Tarantino’s take on the religious angle to Godzilla himself sound different from what I have listed above and seems to be a breath of fresh air not smelled since Kaneko’s "GMK".



Overall, Tarantino has revealed something which he has kept secret for two years. We do not know when Legendary Pictures started negotiating for the rights to "Godzilla", with some people (including Chris55) saying that at least it has been going on for the past 2 months, so is it possible at Tarantino may be the new director since right after the revealing of the negotiations he can how talk about his Godzilla concept? Time will tell. I can say one thing, though it may be off topic: Michael Schlesinger is no longer available for interviews for publishing on the internet. Please comment on what you think Tarantino’s Godzilla may be like with this new information and how Legendary Pictures may use this if the negotiations lead to a green lighting which would lead to the hiring of Tarantino in a rare project which does not include the Weinstein Company.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IN NO WAY SAYS THAT TARANTINO IS THE DIRECTOR FOR A FILM THAT IS ONLY IN NEGOTIATIONS. THIS IS JUST TO GET OUT SOME DETAILS ABOUT THE LEGENDARY PICTURES GODZILLA AND SOME INFORMATION QUENTIN TARANTINO LET OUT IN AN INTERVIEW ABOUT NINE DAYS AGO. TARANTINO IS OF RIGHT NOW NOT THE DIRECTOR OF THE LEGENDARY PICTURES GODZILLA.