G-FEST Movie Update

After weeks of speculation (at least in this household), the final two G-FEST movies have been announced. Thursday night's last film will be "Gamera 2: Advent of Legion," and Friday night's stand-alone will be "Ultraman Gaia: the Battle for Hyperspace." In light of this year's guests, these are perfect choices. It will be too cool to finally see an Ultraman movie at G-FEST!

G-FAN Magazine # 95: Surprises Inside

It has been too long since a G-FAN review appeared here. Time to correct that.

What one notices immediately upon opening the distinctive Daikaiju Enterprises envelope is the cover; another remarkable work of art by Rudy Gardea. Two details I really enjoy: Godzilla is about to unleash a blast and "Gardea" appears on the plane in the foreground.

The G-Force news and notes section is highlighted by a number of stills of Tom Tvrdik's next American Greetings Godzilla ornament, and Matt Frank's Mothra artwork for the IDW comic book.

Fabien Mauro, who we met briefly at G-Fest last year, checks in with two offerings, one an interview with the one-and-only Akira Takarada, and the other a meditation on Ishiro Honda's work, focusing on Matango (Attack of the Mushroom People).

Mark Justice's "Save the Earth' continues his consideration of the ecological messages embedded in Toho's monster movies, persuasively demonstrating that these films have been ahead of their time when it comes to sending a "green" message to viewers.

Brett Homenick contributes an interview with West Side Story's George Chakiris, who traveled to Japan for the filming of Flight from Ashiya in 1964. Brett once again manages to glean interesting tidbits about Japanese culture, especially the Japanese film industry, from his famous conversation partner.

G-FAN Junior returns in this issue, always a welcome addition (my eight-year-old son says). An article about monster appearances and locomotion, kid-generated artwork, a discussion of all the alternate movie titles, and a "Spot the Difference" photo game comprise this section of the mag.

Then, just when one thinks that there's not much more to be said about kaiju, G-FAN cracks open a whole new realm. Jolyon Yates files a report about giant monsters in Thai cinema--a subject about which I knew absolutely nothing before reading this article. What an excellent surprise!

Stalwart G-FAN contributors Lyle Huckins and Skip Peel each provide the type of writing for which they are known; thoughful analysis and inventive fiction, respectively.

Stan Hyde gives readers the details on the Revoltech line of extremely posable figures that feature Baragon and Gamera. The toy love continues with James Bond's "Godzilla Vinyl Market Update," a cogent description of what creature figures are going for these days and--most insightfully--why they are fetching those prices. As if that didn't set one's collector's blood a'boilin', Steve Agin throws gas on the fire with his enthusiastic toy reviews (accompanied by copious full color photographs), all of which is more than enough inspiration to pinch those last few pennies before hitting the G-FEST Dealers Room.

G-FAN continues to honor the creativity of kaiju fans, which seems to spring from an endless source. An impressive variety of fan reaction is the calling card of this publication, and articles like "Thai-ju: Giant Monsters in Thai Monsters in Thai Films" keep taking us to new places and unpacking new worlds of imagination!

Cuyahoga Kaiju Club Anniversary T

As revealed on Facebook, this is the awesome Tom Tvrdik-designed T-shirt that marks the 15th anniversary of the CKC. If you think this front design is cool, wait until you see the back! Shirts should be available at this year's G-FEST. (See www.g-fan.com for info and registration.)

Turner Classic Movies Toho Marathon TONIGHT

Beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern tonight, Turner Classic Movies will show "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," "Rodan," "Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster," and "Monster Zero" followed by "Dinosaurus" and "Valley of the Gwangi." This is old-school appointment viewing at its best! For more info go to www.tcm.com

Akira Takarada's Autograph

This is the page of G-FAN #87 that Mr. Takarada was kind enough to sign for us. It was great to watch him leaf through the magazine, finding himself in old stills, and marvelling at the fact that there even was such a magazine to leaf through.

Return to G-FEST XVII: The Final Chapter

A story so great it took ten months to tell...

The Awards Luncheon is a fun event. Among other things, it means 'sit down' food as opposed to fast food, which is a welcome change come Sunday afternoon. But it meant far more than that to us this past year.

When doors opened, we took a seat near the front podium, and to cut right to the chase, we ended up sitting with Akira Takarada, R. Scott Field, Brett Homenick, Tom Tvrdik, and a couple other lucky G-FANS. I sat next to Brett, and enjoyed getting to know him a little bit better. In fact, while we were eating, he asked me to help him come up with a line for his introduction of Mr. Takarada, and I happily obliged. Brett actually did use it later on, and it got a nice reaction, which was a very cool moment. I also ran Brett's video camera for him while he read some letters of appreciation from colleagues and friends, and participated in the Mangled Skyscraper presentation.

Brett also facilitated Mr. Takarada's signing of our copy of G-FAN # 87. It was fascinating to see Mr. Takarada pore over our issue before signing. Brett's thoughtfulness also meant that we had the rest of the afternoon free, and wouldn't have to wait in a long line to get an autograph. Mr. Takarada also graciously posed for pictures with everyone at our table, and made sure everyone got the shots they wanted before moving on.

It was fun, if more than little surreal, to chat with Mr. Takarada over lunch. He asked about Andy and how he was doing in school. I got the impression that he was surprised by the reception he received from his North American fans, and I am glad to have had the opportunity to convey that same goodwill to him.

What a memory! Ten months on, I am truly amazed that my son and I had lunch with the human face of the Godzilla franchise, who just so happens to be a warm and classy individual (not to mention Android M-11, and our friend Tom, Godzilla artist extraordinaire). I'm grateful to Brett for making sure we had an unforgettable time. It was great day to be a Godzilla fan, among fans and friends.

Two Months from the Fest

With two months to go before the next G-FEST, anticipation here is beginning to build. Moving has certainly had an impact on our fan activity, as the infrequency of posts here suggests. But the information coming in is beginning to light the old fires of interest, starting with the movie lineup.

It has been announced that Thursday's first film will be the original Mothra, a movie that took me an absurdly long time to see. It is an exciting choice, and I am really looking forward to seeing it on the movie screen. Mothra is considered by many to be a classic of the genre; even so, I believe that it is somewhat underrated. Mothra is thought-provoking, humorous, and amazing to behold! Can't wait!

Following on Mothra's heels will be Gamera: Super Monster, which I have never seen. It is sort of universally panned for basically being a Gamera clip show, but I think G-FEST will be the perfect place to screen it. According to the G-FAN website, this will be its North American theater debut. I find nothing to dislike about any Gamera movie, really, so this should be fun.

Things get rolling Thursday evening with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2. This is a movie that I've always wanted to like more than I do; I can't really put my finger on it...it just never has held my attention like some others. It'll get another chance to make a good impression soon.

The other film announced as of this writing is the classic Gamera: Guardian of the Universe. Lots of ink has been spilled about the excellence of this one. It was a creative reboot of the Gamera franchise, and it proved that, at least in the 1990s, a straightforward kaiju flick was a viable entertainment option. "Guardian" deserves all the props it has received, and it will be introduced by its special effects director, Shinji Higuchi.

On a related note, new Cuyahoga Kaiju Club t-shirts will likely be available at G-FEST. The Tom Tvrdik design can be seen on Facebook--just search for the CKC page.

Time to count the days until G-FEST! It's a great feeling!

Moments with Mothman

The Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, stands as a tribute to a series of extremely strange events that took place there in the late 1960s. More on this fun little side trip to come...

Blast from the Past

Godzilla fandom has not only introduced us to some great people, but it has also been a link to renew old friendships.

Just today I received the t-shirt pictured here from my best boyhood friend, who ran across it in a second-hand store and picked it up for me. What's especially great is that in a bit of synchronicity, Andy and I had just been watching this commercial on You Tube and enjoying it tremendously. Thank you, DCV, for your generosity and thoughtfulness!

Tonight Andy and I watched the first hour of GMK, and I just enjoy the heck out of that film. As a one-shot, sort of "alternative history" Godzilla movie, it works for me, and most importantly the visuals are stunning. I've stated this many times already, but that G-suit is in my top three, and the musical score is remarkable too. If you haven't seen a Godzilla movie in a long time, this (Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack) is the one to watch!

P.S. Andy recognized G-FEST guest-to-be Hiroyuki Watanabe in this movie. Good eyes, Buddy!

Cyber-Kaiju Roundup

Most of the monster action going on around here has been of the internet variety as of late. Facebook has provided two cool items. First, as pictured here, is a great site called www.ultrabestiary.blogspot.com by Ben Mackey. Kaiju artist Matt Frank brought it to light. It looks like Ben is going to be posting his interpretations of Ultra monsters in chronological order based on the original Ultraman series.

Next, August Ragone has been posting on Facebook about a Japanese release of Ultra Q on Blu ray. The twist is that it will be released in both black and white and colorized versions! We are fortunate to have the series on DVD in glorious black and white. If you are interested enough to actually be reading this, then you must get your hands on Ultra Q, even though I don't know of any versions that have English subtitles (the new releases included). G-FEST guest of honor Kenji Sahara is great in this, and in the series you can see not only the seeds of what would become Ultraman, but I see connections between Ultra Q and series like The Twilight Zone and even The X-Files.

Finally, one of the best elements of having an iPhone is the fact that I can carry Godzilla films with me anywhere I go! The iTunes store even offers some of them for $4.99 a pop. At this point, I haven't been able to bring myself to spend $9.99, which means no Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla or War of the Gargantuas yet, but it does mean that with a few finger taps, I can watch Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Rodan, Godzilla vs. Mothra, or Godzilla 2000. As someone who used to live for "Godzilla Week" on local TV, this represents a quantum leap into the future!

Pray for Japan

G-FEST XVIII Guests Announced

G-FEST XVIII is coming into focus! This year's special guests were announced today on G-FAN's website. The guest of honor is Shinji Higuchi, the special effects mastermind behind the Gamera revival of the 1990s. Here's hoping that one or more of the films from the trilogy will be screened at the Pickwick! For more info go to www.g-fan.com

Now Playing: Saturday Grab Bag

Life has begun to settle down to the point that we can begin to report on some recent screenings. First, as pictured above, Andy and I have been getting into "The Secret Saturdays," formerly of Cartoon Network. Yes, I know we missed the party, but thanks to iTunes we are getting caught up fast. While there is only one daikaiju (that I know of) in the series, "The Secret Saturdays" dovetails perfectly with my son's burgeoning interest in real cryptids, and features a pretty cool story arc that we are only about a third of the way into. Strangely, we totally backed into this show, happening upon the Wii game for $5 at a local used video game shop and a SS toy at a thrift store. It is sort of old school, sort of new school, with the real draw for me being its reliance on "real" cryptozoological reports, such as Owlman and the Honey Island Swamp Monster.



We also just watched MST3K's skewering of "Mighty Jack." If I'm not mistaken, I spotted both Jerry Ito and Masanari Nihei who played another Ito on Ultraman. Although it was a reaction to what was popular at the time, Mighty Jack was crying out for a superhero who never arrived.



Finally, having joined the iPhone clone ranks, I am downloading podcasts like crazy. One that I am really excited about (and this should come as a surprise to no one) is "kaijucast." I was hooked from the opening bumper music, which combines snippets of Godzilla dialogue and sound effects with the music from "Godzilla Unleashed." It focuses on the fun elements of the fandom and is really worth a listen. Check it out at http://www.kaijucast.com/.

I Heart Godzilla

To make a long story short, we received G-FAN # 94 on Valentine's Day, strangely appropriate for Godzilla lovers like us. We were pleasantly surprised to be mentioned in J.D. Lees' editorial in reference to Andy's library displays! That was a special moment for us, especially since we've had to put some aspects of G-fandom on hold for a time during our recent move. It served as a reminder of the really great people with whom we've become acquainted thanks to Godzilla, G-FAN and G-FEST.

Scroll all the way to the bottom for a look at Andy's first library display, or explore the previous posts here at Monsterland Ohio.

Going Mad

I am happy to report two things: (1) we are moved in and getting settled; and (2) I received an early Christmas present this year: publication in Mad Scientist #22. My article on The Legend of Boggy Creek appears in this issue with great supplemental illustrations added by editor Martin Arlt. I also contributed a pointillistically rendered Varan illustration that appears near the end of the main article.

I'm very appreciative that my article was included--thanks, Martin! To order issues of Mad Scientist, click the link on the right and follow the instructions.