New Shirts

Some new Sci-Fi/Adventure themed shirts are being released by Uniqlo Store through their "Heroes of the World" series. Along with Star Wars and Indiana Jones themed shirts, Godzilla shirts are being released. Two shirts of each franchise are being released. Pics are above and below. Each shirt is up for 1500 yen (between $15-$20 USD).

You can buy them here:

http://store.uniqlo.com/jp/store/feature/ut/heroesintheworld/

"Godzilla vs. Biollante" Letter Campaign

It seems that out of the turmoil reguarding the Miramax Company, people wondered what would become of the still-to-be-released "Godzilla vs. Biollante". Well, after some research and some talk, people figured that Disney ultimately own the rights to the film. So sprung out of Tohokingdom.com/forums came this campaign to write and send letters to Disney. Some members of TK have already written letters. You, the reader, needs to too. I mean, only a 44 cent stamp and some time out of your life to write a letter, print it, put it on the envelope, close the envelope, and put the adress information and put it in your mail box. Some people have done it already, so do it to! We could make a diffrence! Though the odds are against us. But the more people who mail a letter, the better the odds are.

The adress you should send the letter to is:

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

500 South Buena Vista Street

Burbank, CA 91521

TK Mod GVAMP has written a letter which all you have to do is print out to be used:

"To Whom it May Concern:
Hello my name is (your name here); I’m a huge fan of Godzilla movies and noticed you currently hold the rights to the film Godzilla vs. Biollante, which HBO Home Entertainment released on VHS as well as Laser Disc way back in 1992. The film has also been shown on cable TV (Cinemax). The film is currently unavailable on DVD in the United States, despite its availability in many other countries. I was wondering if you have any current plans to release the film on DVD or Blu-Ray, as it is one of my favorite Godzilla films as well as one of the most-wanted films by Godzilla fansI’d also like to point out that companies like Sony and Classic Media have released several Godzilla titles over the past few years and they seem to be selling well; in fact Classic Media’s release of Godzilla, back in September 2006, was very critically acclaimed that year and won several awards, and has recently been re-released in Blu-Ray.If a release is planned, please include some special features, such as trailers and behind the scenes footage; Toho typically has such features on their Japanese releases of Godzilla films. Also, please include both an English-dubbed audio track as well as a Japanese track with English subtitles; Godzilla fans tend to prefer the option of seeing the films both ways!Thank you for your consideration of this request; I assure you that there are thousands of American fans who would be very desirous of adding an authorized version of this film to their collections!

Thank you:
(your name here)"



This post was requested by Cody Himes and GVAMP

New Book: "ゴジラ、東宝特撮未発表資料アーカイヴ プロデューサー・田中友幸とその時代"

Quite a title, eh? I have tried translating it but it is seems to be a making of book for at least the original Gojira. The only thing at this time which I can comfirm is that it is comming out on the 26th. More information to come... hopefully.

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UPDATE: Thanks to KG member G-MATT, the title has been translated to read: "Godzilla, Unpublished Toho SFX Archives Material: Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and His Era".

MAT Issue #8: Buy Your Copy Now!

http://monsterattackteam.com/

BUY NOW! Well worth the cash.

Godzilla On Adult Swim Bump

Adult Swim and it's programming are littered with diffrent omages to Godzilla himself, especialy with "Robot Chicken". Well, the trend has continued. In light of the Olympics, Adult Swim has placed a faux bet for Japan's 2020 Olympics (assuming that Japan will host the Olympics in 2020), and evidentry Adult Swim thinks that Gigantor (Tstsujin 28) and Godzilla are going to fight via burning down a Tori Gate. Warch the add here:

http://www.bumpworthy.com/bumps/2140

Notice the use of the Kawakita Masterpiece Godzilla statue.

Cool Pic

No news, just a really cool pick of the making of the Godzilla Tower from "Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1972).

You

Well, it seems like it is one of those times which the news is going slow. Sure, little details about the Revoltech figures are being released and the existance Audio Commentaries have been revealed by August Ragone for the Shout!Factory Showa Gamera releases, but nothing to write home about. Instead, I have recieved some fan mail and it made me want to do something in which readers of this blog can participate in: an improvement plan.

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So, what can you, the reasers, want to see more of in JournalismG2KM? Do you want to see new stuff? Be specific and just send out comment (perferable via commenting below). Make your voice heard!

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-G2KM

Satomi Hakken Den (1983)

My favorite sub-genre in all of tokusatsu eiga would have to be the films dealing with Japanese mythology. In this genre, I have two supreme favorites: "Gamera 3: Incomplete Struggle" (1999) and "Satomi Hakken Den" (1983). Here is a breakdown of the film's production. As a reminder to the reader, tokusatsu eiga does not only surround kaiju, but all Japanese special effects films.

Kinji Fukasaku. His name is one of the most popular in all of Nippon Eiga. He is almost up there with Akira Kurosawa. After going through the 1970’s doing mostly Yakuza films, Fukasaku turned his attention to tokusatsu eiga. This included films like "The Green Slime" and "Message In Space". The mentioning of the latter film is important for it is one of the things that is part of the Kinji Fukasaku image people have. It is that "Message In Space" is actually based on the same story that "Satomi Hakken Den" was based on: "The Hakken Den". Technically, while "Message From Space" is influenced from the real "Hakkenden" by Balkin, this film is actually a film adaptation of a modern adaptation, called "New Satomi Hakken Den" written by Toshiro Kamata. Fukasaku, who was given a rough copy of the book that was to be published by Kadokawa, used it as a scapegoat from having to adapt the gargantuan epic which is the original "Satomi Hakken Den". The novel was hastily finished for the film's released, so says Fukasaku. "I was really impressed that they had the novel ready to be turned into a movie that fast." This would be the second cinematic adaptation of "The Hakkenden" tale, and would be a continuation of Fukasaku's "New Jidai Geki" ("New Period Piece Film").

Producing the film would be mega producer (in the same vein as America's Harvey Weinstein) Haruki Kadokawa, who worked with Fukasaku on "Makai Tensho" and owned the Kadokawa film company until being caught with possession of cocaine in 1993. The use of Kadokawa would be something of a necessity, since "Satomi Hakken Den" is a film on similar scale to one of Haruki’s own films, "Heaven and Earth" (mentioned in the Chapter 1), therefore needed a large publicity stunt. The film was budgeted over a million US dollars, a rare feat at the time. The screenplay was written by both Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Kamata.

The actors in the film included people Fukasaku already worked with. From the Japan Action Club came the famous Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill, Vol. 1; Street Fighter) and his partner, a young Hiroyuki Sanada (Onmyoji, Rush Hour 3, The Last Samurai). Both worked on Fukasaku’s 1981 film "Makai Tensho" (Samurai Reincarnation) and Chiba starred in an earlier Fukasaku film playing the same character of Jubei in "Shogun’s Samurai". However, unlike the previous films, Sonny Chiba would be more of a supporting actor with Haryuki Sanada being the lead actor and potential love interest in the film and top actor. Opposite of Sanada is Hiroko Yakushimaru, a film star and pop idol at the time of the film’s production and future actress in Toho’s first "ALWAYS" film. Her stardom came from not only this film but also another film released also in 1981, "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun" (which Kadokawa was behind). "She was 19 years old when we were filming Eight Samurai. She was studying for her college exam the whole time." Together, they had great on screen chemistry. "I knew if we put these two idols in a strange time period and setting, we'd end up with a really special kind of film."

The score of the film, though composed mainly by the band "Nobody" was produced in conjunction with American soft rock singer John O’Banion. O’Banion recorded accouple of songs for the film, including "White Light" and "I Don’t Want This Night To End" (which two different but very similar mixed appear in the film). His appeal came from the fact that O’Banion’s previous song, "I Don’t Want to Loose Your Love" was awarded at the Tokyo Music Festival. The usage of such scores became a regular thing in Japan, even effecting Toho's Godzilla reboot, "The Return of Godzilla". Two separate soundtracks to the film were released for the film, one with the film’s score and the other with O’Banion’s contributions to the film. The difference between the two was that O’Banion’s had at the bottom a painting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus overlapping the theatrical poster art for the film.

The film would be released in roadshow (this means that it played in sections of Japan, for example, it would play in the Kyoto region for some time before moving on to Osaka and then Tokyo) December 10, 1983. It’s publicity - with some snuck in claims of the film taking 10 years to make - was something of genius for it was one of the biggest box office hits of that year. Something done to increase sales was that after a section of Japan had the film played, the VHS was available for public consumption. These tapes had cost well over $100, but it wasn't a problem and over 50,000 people bought the tape.

However, English speaking territories like America were out of luck with the film receiving little to no attention, especially with the international trailer using two different names for the film, "Legend of the Eight Samurai" and "Legend of the Eight Ninjas". Like some films, the international version of the film fell into public domain and though now officially released in America is still largely bootlegged.

New Revoltech Figure

As if Gamera, Gyaos, and Baragon were enough, Revoltech has decided to also release an Angruirus figure. Take a look at the prototype/hard copy:

Thanks to KaijuCollector forums for mentioning this.

EXCLUSIVE: G2 - The Return of G

In 2008, Kiyotaka Taguchi made his first of so far two kaiju film. That film was "G". Now, young adult fan Logan is attempting to make his own sequel to the film entitled "Return of G" which a new Garemon mutation comes up and a new kaiju comes to defeat him. Here is an interview with "Godzilla 2000":

The beginings of a suit for the new Garemon mutation.

Photo Courtesy of Logan

1. How did you become a kaiju fan?

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My love of kaiju began at a very early age. My father, who passed on when I was 4, was a massive influence on my life in general. He bought me Godzilla films, mainly Showa, and a few Heisei. I was mesmerized by the concept of Godzilla ravaging cities, and fighting opposing kaiju. Like many youth, I took to the late Showa films the most, since they were targeted at a young age group. For a while, the only tokusatsu films I watched were Godzilla, but that changed with age, as I am now interested in all kaiju.

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2. How has your love for kaiju changed over the years?
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As I said, I loved Godzilla, and Godzilla alone (as far as kaiju films go) for a very long time. As I grew, so did my knowledge and love for tokusatsu, particularly kaiju. I have taken especially to independent films recently, although I am still an avid Goji viewer. I pop in 70's Goji and Showa Gamera for nostalgia, but I prefer early Showa (GvH being the exception) by far today. Independent films really have been great recently, works like G and Reigo are some of my favorite millennium films, beating out a couple of the Godzilla films in my opinion.

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3. Do you have a collection? If so, what is your most cherished possesion?
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Yes, I do have a collection. I have a few theatrical posters, tons of TM figures, and all of my VHSs and DVDs are on display, chronologically by year. My Godzilla films have their own rack, and the other films are on a shelf. I have somewhere around 50 kaiju films, getting more whenever I can. I couldn't honestly say I have one prized possession, but there are a few. One being my Cozzilla poster, for it's sheer rarity. The other being my 10" TM Godzilla, mainly for it's past.

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4. What did you think of Kiyotaka Taguchi’s film, "G"?
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I loved G so much, it just clicked with me. I like how it wasn't afraid to be violent, and the Cloverfield-esque filming gave me an intense vibe as I watched it. Garaemon is a great kaiju, unique, and not overly durable, like Heisei Gamera. Robo is such a classic design, and many of his scenes are absolutely epic. For instance, when Robo spins as he lands, it just gives you that "whoa" feeling. That very feeling returns when he launches his rocket fist, and once again later on in the film. I think Goro did a great job conveying emotion, and the other actors were a mixed bunch, some sub-par, others fantastic. The film is diverse, yet sticks to it's plot. Unlike most, I prefer G to Gehara. People who haven't seen this masterpiece (and are of appropriate age) must. -
5. How did pre-production on your film, "The Return of G" start?

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Well, I've had the internalized desire to create a kaiju film for a very long time, and tried many times with stop motion, needless to say I failed miserably each time. G was the film that pushed me over the edge and made me say "I need to make a sequel." I wrote up a script, which I am constantly editing (as of 2/6/10). We have 2 cameras, for different shots, and of course, we are working on the suits. I'm not going to lie, we're rookies, so don't be expecting G3.
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6. I understand that you contacted Kiyotaka Taguchi himself. What did he think of you making a sequel to his first kaiju film?

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Honestly, the conversation was short. I simply announced my love for his film, and explained my reasoning for the sequel, and apparently, the translating program did a good job. I was replied to in a very straight forward and short thanks, and I was overjoyed, so production is in overdrive as of now.

A gun which shall soon try to slay Garemon!

Photo Courtesy of Logan

7. Who is part of the production team and who is doing what?

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A good friend of mine, Jake, is helping me a lot. He is providing our major camera, and is helping me with plot points, aiding me in many ways. Some local TK members are being a huge help, Fairy Mothra is doing concept art, Godzilla 2000 is doing greenscreen effects, and you, Evan, are helping me get the word out. I am going to be doing some suit acting as well as directing. Actors are no one famous, just local friends, just like in G, where the actors were college students.
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8. I understand that you are making your own suit for this film. What is it being made of and how good will it look?

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Well, we are basing the top off of underarmor, plating it with cardboard, Styrofoam, and latex, depending on the segment we are working on. Remember, we are first timers, so this isn't going to be gold. It should look good, but it isn't going to hold up to Toho and Daiei suits. Our opposing kaiju is still being decided. I have King Joe as a major hopeful, but it will be hard to make him, so not much information on major kaiju except Garaemon returns, in a further mutated form.
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9. What has been some highlights of production so far?

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Well, finishing the script was a hell of a milestone. I'm not going to give away too much, except the Garaenizer Injection is perfected and main-streamed. The beginning of suit creation was another high point of production. It was also great when I first became aware of all of the TK members that are aiding in the project, that was a huge morale boost.
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1o. When was the script written?

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Mid to late January. The project is in early development, but the script hasn't changed too much. The plot remains the same. Really, the major changes are to accommodate for the budget. There are some scenes where it's like "Well, we can't do that, no matter how great it would be."
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11. What previous films will be major influences on you and this film? I understand there is going to be a little nod to G3 in the film…

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Obviously, we are going to be following the nature of the first film. Although, throwbacks to some of our personal favorite Godzilla films will be spliced throughout. As you mentioned, there is definitely going to be a homage to G3 in the film, which will be subtle, yet in your face the entire time you watch.
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13. Anything else you want people to know about this production?

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Yes, you can go to http://gojirakingdom.wordpress.com for more information on the film. The announcement will be on the site soon. Until then, there is some content about G, to get people to understand what this film will be about, all updates will be on that site, and will also be announced to you, Evan. I also want to thank Gokan, and Mr. Taguchi for being such an inspiration, they made one hell of a film. Thanks to everybody who is involved in this film as well.

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Remember to visit the official site for more details! http://gojirakingdom.wordpress.com/. And be expecting this film to get a DVD release!