Christmas Comes to Roppongi Hills!

Christmas in Roppongi Hills! Photo by Brett Homenick.

While in Roppongi Hills earlier today (Wednesday, December 7), I spotted a couple of fun Christmas-themed setups in the area. One was sponsored by Amazon Prime, which urged merrymakers to have a "Happy Blue Christmas." Could this be a sly reference to the 1978 Toho sci-fi thriller directed by Kihachi Okamoto? Of course not. But Shin Ultraman (2022) was featured in their advertising. So there's that. Anyway, on to the photos. Enjoy!

An Evening with a Legendary Cinematographer!

With Daisaku Kimura.

Tonight, I attended an event with legendary Japanese cinematographer Daisaku Kimura, whose credits include several classic Akira Kurosawa movies, as well as tokusatsu greats as Submersion of Japan (1973), Blue Christmas (1978), and Virus (1980). One thing's for sure: Kimura-san certainly doesn't hold back in expressing himself!

It was certainly an enlightening experience. Kimura-san is truly one of the greats of Japanese cinema.

DAY OF RESURRECTION! An Evening with Cinematographer Daisaku Kimura!

Daisaku Kimura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, November 3, I took in a screening of the all-star, end-of-the-world epic Virus (a.k.a. Day of Resurrection, 1980) in glorious 35mm. Suffice it to say, I'd never seen it in 35mm before (and really, I don't know many others who have), and it was a joy to watch. I noticed a lot of small details, such as a hand-drawn picture of Ultraman hanging in a young boy's bedroom. I thoroughly enjoyed the picture, even if some of the situations (such as a massive earthquake hitting Washington, D.C.) seemed more than a bit contrived to move the plot along.

The guest of honor was a true legend of the Japanese film industry: cinematographer Daisaku Kimura. His credits include: Submersion of Japan (1973), Blue Christmas (1978), the aforementioned Virus, and Station (1981), among many others. In 1958, Kimura-san joined Toho Studios and worked as an assistant cameraman under Akira Kurosawa, during which time his most prominent credit was Yojimbo (1961). In 1973, he became a cinemtographer in his own right. He also once came pretty darn close to becoming the cinematographer on a Godzilla film, but that's a story for another day.

Overall, it was a great evening, and I was fascinated by all the stories from the set of Virus, particularly the ones about the Western cast. Needless to say, fun was had by all.

Japanese Actress Kaoru Yachigusa Passes Away at 88

Actress Kaoru Yachigusa died of pancreatic cancer on October 24 at 7:45 a.m. She was 88. Ms. Yachigusa began her acting career in 1947 and remained in demand as a performer the rest of her life. She married Toho director Senkichi (The Killing Bottle) Taniguchi in 1957, and the couple remained married until his death in 2007.

Ms. Yachigusa is best known among genre fans for her leading role in The Human Vapor (1960), as the object of Yoshio Tsuchiya’s affection, the ethereal dancer Fujichiyo. She would return to the science fiction genre in the late 1970s under the direction of Kihachi Okamoto in Toho’s Blue Christmas (1978) as the wife of Eiji Okada’s scientist character. This, of course, only scratches the surface of her celebrated acting career.

Rest in peace, Ms. Yachigusa.

AN EVENING WITH A CINEMATIC LEGEND! Meeting Cinematographer Daisaku Kimura!

Daisaku Kimura. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier this evening, I attended a special dinner event with cinematographer Daisaku Kimura. A good case could be made that he is the greatest cinematographer in Japanese film history. A quick look at some of his credits ought to be an indicator: Submersion of Japan (1973), Blue Christmas (1978), Virus (a.k.a. Resurrection Day, 1980), and Station (1981), among many others. 

In 1958, Kimura-san joined Toho Studios and worked as an assistant cameraman under Akira Kurosawa, during which his most prominent credit was Yojimbo (1961). In 1973, he became a cinemtographer in his own right. 

Blue Christmas and Station are two of the best-looking movies I've ever seen, and Kimura-san filmed both. Suffice it to say, it was a true honor to meet him. At the end of the event, I was saying my goodbyes when Kimura-san asked where I lived. When I mentioned my neighborhood, he told me it wasn't too far from his home, and so he invited me to ride in the car with him. (It sure beat taking the train back, that's for sure!) It was certainly a unique experience, and thankfully the driver didn't seem to mind the short detour to my neighborhood.

What a cool evening!

Kensho Yamashita (Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla Director) Passes Away

Director Kensho Yamashita poses with a poster image of his first job as assistant director. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Kensho Yamashita, director of Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994), and assistant director for Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) and Blue Christmas (1978), has recently passed away, two of the director's colleagues have confirmed. 

I'm glad I had the chance to meet Yamashita-san several times since last year. He joined me and designer Akihiko Iguchi for a small birthday dinner that Iguchi-san arranged for me in March. Yamashita-san and I rode the train after the dinner as he told me about working on Blue Christmas and Space Godzilla.

If more details become available, I will post them here.

Rest in peace, Yamashita-san.

UPDATE (9/3): Yamashita-san died of heart failure on August 16. Funeral services were held today.