![]() |
Simon Broad. |
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Hong Kong Dubbing Secrets Revealed in New Q&A!
Thursday, September 25, 2025
A Whirlwind Trip Across the Country to Meet the Star of an Obscure Sci-Fi Film!
![]() |
Atsuko Rome on September 23. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
Two days ago, I did something pretty rare for me. I hopped on a plane and flew across the country. But I had a very good reason for doing so. I wanted to meet Atsuko Rome in person, whom I interviewed in 2018 about her role in the cult classic Body of the Prey (a.k.a. The Revenge of Dr. X), a film shot in Japan in the 1960s, about which there are still many unanswered questions.
While it's unlikely we'll ever know all the details behind the making of this fascinating film, it's available for free to watch on YouTube or any number of public-domain DVD releases, and, if you're interested in Japanese sci-fi ephemera, it's well worth a watch.
As much as I enjoy speaking with Atsuko on the phone, I'm a firm believer that there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. It's long been my goal to meet Atsuko in person, but it's proven frustratingly difficult. Naturally, when I was in Japan, there was a built-in obstacle to any potential meeting, but, even after I returned to the States, those roadblocks remained.
Atsuko was thinking about visiting Japan this fall for her brother's 100th birthday, but she ultimately decided against going, due to some health concerns. A few months ago, I was toying with the idea of traveling to Japan myself during that time and visiting Atsuko there, but that no longer became an option after she decided against the trip.
I remember looking up plane ticket costs around November of last year on one of those alleged "discount" websites that have been around for years, and a plane ticket to Atsuko's nearest airport on the site was in excess pf $800. (So much for the promised discount!) I essentially gave up hope for finding reasonable plane fare after that experience and more or less put the idea of visiting Atsuko on ice indefinitely.
Luckily, I was able to find affordable plane fare thanks to a well-timed tip, so I ended up spending less than $300 on roundtrip airfare. (A big savings compared to what I might have spent almost a year ago!) All that was left was to coordinate my visit with Atsuko directly, and I'd be on my way.
As I wrote a few paragraphs back, Atsuko and I have stayed in touch since we did our interview seven years ago. (Yikes! Has it really been that long?!) One of my most memorable conversations with her happened when I was still living in Tokyo, and I took the opportunity to vent to her about my downstairs neighbor who would often play pop music on a loop or talk loudly at, like, 6:00 in the morning. She gave me advice about how to handle the situation, which, despite all the headaches it caused me at the time, at least I can now look back on it in amusement.
![]() |
Atsuko Rome at a nearby restaurant. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
On Tuesday, September 24, I got up at 2:30 a.m. (after pretty much not even sleeping a wink) to board the plane from my home to Atsuko's. I arrived at her house in the afternoon, and we spent hours in her kitchen, chatting about various topics. Interestingly, the topic of Body of the Prey didn't come up very much, but, seeing as how I brought some DVDs of the movie for her to sign, I was hoping we'd be able to watch it. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a DVD player, so that got ruled out pretty quickly.
Atsuko is a big fan of Jme TV, a streaming service for Japanese programs that serves North America. She had Jme TV on in the background for much of my stay, as we watched some Australian "model" try out sumo wrestling. (I always forget how random Japanese TV can get.)
During this time, I asked Atsuko to sign my DVDs for her movie, as well as to pose for pictures holding them. I bought the standalone DVDs seen in this blog post last year specifically for her to sign, so I was very pleased to get her autograph on them.
After hanging out for a while, I drove Atsuko to a nearby restaurant for dinner. I had a hamburger (of course!), while Atsuko had a creamy crab concoction (that I was told was very hot!). Atsuko graciously paid for dinner, and, when we had our fill, I drove us back to the house.
![]() |
Atsuko Rome on September 23. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
Atsuko wanted to give me a shiatsu massage (!), so I agreed to it. When she worked on my shoulders, it was weirdly ticklish (I mean, not exactly, but that's the best way I can describe it), but it was much more comfortable when she worked on my head. I didn't think the female star of Body of the Prey would ever give me a massage!
By this time, the lack of sleep was really starting to catch up with me, so I turned in for the night. I browsed my phone for a while before turning in for the night, but what I didn't expect was to sleep in so late. If I recall correctly, it was almost noon (!) when I woke up. (I guess that's what missing an entire night's sleep will do to your body.)
That meant I'd have to go leave for the airport in about two hours. So there wasn't much we could do on the second day. Thankfully, I'm not much of a sightseer and had no interest in going here and there. I just wanted the opportunity to speak with Atsuko in person. We chatted a bit more before my Uber arrived to take me back to the airport. We took a few more photos before I left, and then we hugged. We talked about the possibility of meeting again, and I hope we can do it. I know I'm up for it!
I really want to thank Atsuko for her hospitality. I enjoyed spending some quality time with her, as well as spending the night at her house. It was an unexpected delight that can be traced back directly to my discovering Body of the Prey on the Chilling Classics Mill Creek 50-DVD set in the fall of 2005. Who would have guessed it would eventually lead to these lovely two days?
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
New Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews with a Showa-Era Superstar!
![]() |
Kaoru Yumi in March 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
![]() |
Kaoru Yumi in November 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
DEEP DIVE: What's in a Name When You're Daimajin?
Riki Hashimoto in November 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
Chikara Hashimoto . . . also erroneously called Riki Hashimoto . . . was a Japanese professional baseball player and actor.
Time for a fun Daimajin tidbit. In April 2015, I met Mr. Hashimoto for the first time with a small group of others at a restaurant. Mr. Hashimoto asked the gathered crowd if they knew which famous international figure was the inspiration for Daimajin's distinguished chin.
No one in our group had any idea, but, if we're talking about an international figure with a notable chin, I reasoned it must be Kirk Douglas. Mr. Hashimoto was surprised by my answer and confirmed that Daimajin's chin was indeed based on that of Kirk Douglas. He then proceeded to give me a round of applause, which naturally was pretty incredible.
Sunday, September 7, 2025
DEEP DIVE: What Japanese Godzilla Movie Did Yoshimitsu Banno Work on After 'Smog Monster'?
Yoshimitsu Banno in April 2013. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
With Yoshimitsu Banno in April 2013. |
An Evening in L.A. with a Distinguished Gentleman!
![]() |
Derek Partridge. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
![]() |
With Derek Partridge. |
Fall Comes to the Hollywood Show!
![]() |
With Barbara Wilson. |
![]() |
With Cathy Moriarty. |
![]() |
With Mary Badham. |
She went on to describe how leaving Japan caused quite a few headaches, as she couldn't simply take her furniture to a secondhand store or have a garage sale. Instead, she literally had to take a sledgehammer to an armoire (!) and leave the pieces out on the street for the garbage collectors to pick up. She also recalled having to get rid of an expensive kimono because there was nothing else she could do with it. She also reflected on visiting temples in Japan and what a spiritual experience it was for her.
She opened up so much about Japan that I started to feel a bit bad for the person who was waiting behind me, but I wasn't about to stop Scout from talking to me about the Land of the Rising Sun! On a much sadder note, she discussed the recent death of her friend, a Japanese artist named Toshio, who passed away earlier this year. The details of the case are rather shocking, and it's clear to me there's a lot more that needs to come out about it.
To Kill a Mockingbird was a movie I first saw in class in either December 1995 or January '96 after we finished reading the novel in my freshman-year English class. It was a story (and a movie) that just about everybody enjoyed, including myself, even though I was almost exclusively watching Japanese monster movies in those days. By the end of '96, we moved, and I ended up at a different high school, so I repeated the process of reading the book and seeing the movie in class by the end of '96 during my sophomore year. All I can say is, those are great memories from probably the best years of my life.
That's why I made it a point to meet Ms. Badham, and I'm very glad I did. When it was time for me to move on (during which I said my goodbyes in Japanese), she shook both my hands at the same time and gave me and a big, warm smile. Not going to lie, given my history of watching her in Mockingbird during a pivotal time in my life, it was a bit overwhelming. Experiences like that are exactly why I do this sort of thing.
![]() |
With Luciana Paluzzi. |
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
'Shin Godzilla' in 4K
I'm sure just looking at an advertisement for Toho Cinemas' Mega Popcorn would still give Hirona Yamazaki indigestion. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
TIRED: What is a king to a god?
WIRED: What is a god to a mid-level bureaucrat?
With the recent re-release of Shin Godzilla (2016) in 4K in the U.S., I thought I might as well revisit the movie I once considered the worst of the entire series (that is, until even worse ones came along). Prior to this screening, I'd only seen the flick once, and that was on opening day in July 2016. Nine years later, would my opinion change?
I'm afraid not. During my initial viewing, I found the movie mostly aggravating and annoying. This time, I found it boring. The movie held my attention for the first 30 minutes or so, and then the endless chatting finally started to wear me out. Just before becoming bored to distraction around the one-hour mark, my mind, for reasons I cannot explain, suddenly wandered to this quote from Heat (1995):
![]() |
What seems to be GKIDS' poster for the Shin Godzilla 4K re-release, focusing on Kamata-kun's attack on Shinagawa. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
Teruyoshi Nakano with Shin Godzilla in December 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
With Teruyoshi Nakano in December 2016. |
But the other one was interested, and I was called in to get some promo shots done and fill out some paperwork. I put on a dress shirt and tie, went into the agency, got my pictures taken, completed the forms, and talked with the gentleman who, as I recall, was in charge of the business. I made it clear I was mostly interested in Shin Godzilla, though I would be happy to consider other work, too. I remember he said I might be a good candidate for a scientist role in the movie (not sure which -- he never specified), but that's about it.
Shigeo Kato in June 2016, standing near the location where Shin Godzilla comes ashore in Kamakura. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
Back then, I worked six days a week at my real job, so, realistically, I knew getting cast was essentially a pipe dream, but you're not going to get anywhere if you don't try. Besides, I like to think that Hideaki Anno personally rejected my head shot.
I still could have been in Shin Godzilla, though. If I recall correctly, the crowd scene in Kamata (where we first see Kamata-kun) was filmed in early September, and, since they needed lots and lots of extras, anyone was welcome to show up. As mentioned above, I was working six days a week, and 2015 was an incredibly busy year for me -- in the best way possible. It was my favorite year in Japan because of all the cool stuff I was doing. If I'm not mistaken, filming took place on a Sunday morning, which was my one day off for the week. I also happened not to have anything scheduled that day -- a rarity for 2015. I mean, it's a lock I'd head over to Kamata and appear in a Godzilla movie, right?
Wrong. I missed sleeping in and wanted to do just that. Besides, I figured, if it was meant to be, I'd get cast in a proper role in the movie. As slim as it was, there was still a chance of that, I thought, so I chose sleep over Shin Godzilla.