8.09.2009

Interview with Dan of Kaiju Movie Review

http://www.youtube.com/user/Roehm21

How long have you been a fan of kaiju?

I believe it was since I was 5 years old. You can blame my father and uncle for this actually. They both got me into all sort of sci-fi movies back then. I used to borrow movies from my uncle all the time. I'm pretty sure I ruined his copy of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, in fact I actually have that exactcopy in a box some where.
The thing is once they got me started on kaiju I never stopped. Been watching these movies ever since. The biggest reason I think was because of how impressionable I was and how big I was into dinosaurs and such.

What inspired you to do KMR (Kaiju Movie Review)?

James Rolfe was the big inspiration behind me doing videos, particularly his movie reviews. Also because I had a hard time finding a really good monster movie review series. So after a bit of consideration and the purchase of Yongary from a local store I decided to go for it. While my reviews in general might not be the most original. I have yet to find a review series like mine on the net so far.

Have you ever critiqued films via text?

No, though I have considered it at a few times. The big reason I haven't done it is because the English language and me are not the best of friends.

Have you ever wanted to do something with the videos which you couldn't, and could you list them?

There are a few things that I have wanted to do. I would like to have more freedom with the way to videos are put together. Like better transitions and possible effects. A dedicated area to film which can be tough with the size of our current home. Better filming and lighting equipment would be nice but with the way money is I don't think I will be getting anything like that for a while.

You have reviewed a mix of American, Korean, and Japanese Gamera kaiju films instead of going to Godzilla. I personally think this is a good decision. What influenced this decision?

Well at first the idea was to get some experience with the videos under my belt before I jumped onto Goji films. Then I decided to wait a year before reviewing any because that is what most people would expect from a kaiju review show, just to jump right into Godzilla. In hindsight it was kind of a double edged sword. Since I didn't do Goji first, I started with lesser known movies that really needed reviews but less people know about so fewer people watched my series to begin with. Where if I did start with Goji I would have gotten more viewers right off but I'm confident the quality would have suffered.

What is the history of your blogspot site?

Not really much of a history there. Just wanted a dedicated website for updates and since you can't do that so well on youtube, I started looking around. I remembered that there were a few blogs at blogger.com that I have read so it seemed as good a place as any. That’s pretty much all there is too it.

How did you meet Gojigirl and how long have you two been working together?

I was browsing around the Tohokingdom forum and clicked on a random topic by chance that just started. It was her topic and she was offering to do avatars, signature pics and what not. So I figured I would trouble her for a new title card to make the reviews look a little nicer. After we talked a bit I got the title card I needed, a new background for my youtube page, a logo and a partner. We haven't been working together too long only a matter of weeks at this point. But she is the first person outside my wife to join KMR and I must say its nice to have someone else around, that’s for sure.

Let's talk about your collection, how big is it?

At this time not too large. A decent amount of kaiju DVD's probably around 40+ and growing quickly. Probably about 20+ figures mostly small things but I got a ton of 6" and larger figures coming to my house. Other than that there are about 6 poster floating around the house. Again it doesn't seem like much but the collection is growing in all areas at this point.

I see you found S.V. Can you tell our readers how good they are?

They are absolutely fantastic. There prices are amazing along with the shipping fees. Not to mention the owner Keith is a really nice guy. The quality of their products are top notch. If you need to see for yourself check out my review of Gamera vs. Zigra. The video quality floored me when compared to what is available for those movies in the US market. Everyone reading this should do themselves a favor and look up Showa Video.

Any last words or tips you can give?

I would personally like to thank my wife first of all. She's been a great support and a big help with everything. I would also like to thank all the fans of my show. You guys and your comments keep me going and without you this show would not nothing. So thanks again, I hope ya'll will stick around and I will keep making videos. Also if anyone is thinking of starting your own video series. I don't think I could give much advice other than just to go for it. That’s what I did, just took a shot and I'm pretty satisfied with were I am at. Not to mention KMR is slowly growing larger. With the addition of Kaiju Quickie you never know what the future might hold. Maybe another show in the distant future, only time will tell.