Godzilla the Art by Parco Vol. 2!

Photo by Brett Homenick.

Godzilla the Art by Parco Vol. 2 runs from December 28 through January 9, and today (Thursday, January 4) I had the opportunity to stop by. A friend of mine in the U.S. told me about it, especially due to the blue 1991 Godzilla for sale at the event. (See photos below.) I wasn't too interested in that, but what really caught my attention was the Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) filming suit on display.

Yes, you read that correctly; the signage there said so! (Again, see below.) Apparently, this was in fact the Burning Godzilla suit sculpted by Godzilla suitmaker Tomoki Kobayashi and repainted "black" (their description, not mine) sometime after filming. Naturally, I had to photograph it from just about every angle. Check out the photos below. Enjoy! 

Takehiro Murata Q&A Now Live on Vantage Point Interviews!

Takehiro Murata in July 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Is there still a little Godzilla in all of us? Only one man has the answer, and Vantage Point Interviews has the scoop! Check out my interview with Godzilla 2000 (1999) star Takehiro Murata!

But that's not all. Mr. Murata's first appearance was in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) as Kenji Ando, which he followed up with cameos in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) as Soichiro Hayami, GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) as an F-7J pilot who does battle with Godzilla, and Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002) as a convenience store clerk who gets an unexpected surprise. All these roles and much more are covered in the interview.

 Even in 2024, content is king at Vantage Point Interviews. Don't miss it, be there!

Spending an Afternoon with an Ultraman Movie Director!

Hideki Oka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Wednesday, October 25), I spent a fun afternoon with screenwriter and director Hideki Oka. Oka-san directed the feature film Ultraman Saga (2012) and was an assistant director of special effects on Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). He also wrote the story for the unmade project "Godzilla vs. Barubaroi," which was a film proposal before Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) was ultimately put into production.

Hideki Oka. Phto by Brett Homenick.

We had a lengthy conversation about his tokusatsu work, but, after all the toku talk, the discussion veered into pro wrestling. I mentioned that '90s wrestling was my era, which I'm always happy to talk about. Oka-san is also a big fan of the business, and he has some familiarity with American wrestling, too.

One funny moment was when I asked him what he thought about Jet Jaguar. Oka-san said, in his youth, he didn't like the character and didn't like Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), as it seemed like a huge step down for the series. (He's cool with Jet Jaguar these days, though.) The following year's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) would become Oka-san's favorite Godzilla movie. 

All in all, it was a great time, and I hope we have a chance to meet up again. Oka-san is certainly one cool dude!

An Afternoon with the Creator of Kaiju!

Hideo Okamoto. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier today, I spent the afternoon with kaiju designer Hideo Okamoto. His credits are legendary, but his best-known projects are Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Rebirth of Mothra (1996), Rebirth of Mothra II (1997), and Godzilla 2000 (1999).

Suffice it to say, it was a fun and informative time. Okamoto-san had many wonderful stories to tell about his career. I hope to meet him again soon!

Heisei Godzilla Series Director Kazuki Omori Passes Away at Age 70

Kazuki Omori in July 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The Japan News has just reported the shocking news that film director Kazuki Omori has passed away:

Film director Kazuki Omori, who worked on several Godzilla movies, died of acute myeloid leukemia at a hospital in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Saturday at age 70.

Mr. Omori was scheduled to appear at a special event in the Tokyo area on Sunday, November 27, making the news of his passing all the more surprising. 

Kazuki Omori poses for a photo with SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano in October 2017. We lost both directors within months of each other. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was privileged to have met Mr. Omori on several occasions, including being able to interview him on two occasions. He was always approachable and open-minded when it came to such things, which I couldn't always say about others in his profession.

Kazuki Omori with actress Megumi Odaka, who played Miki Saegusa in six Godzilla films, in October 2020. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mr. Omori, of course, became a part of the Godzilla series when he wrote and directed Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), which he followed up by performing the same duties on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). He also turned in the screenplays for Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). The Heisei Godzilla series was largely written in his voice, and it's no exaggeration to say that the Heisei series was largely driven by Mr. Omori's creative decisions.

Rest in peace, Omori-san. Thank you very much for your kindness.

AN EVENING WITH COLONEL ASO! Reflecting on That Time I Met Akira Nakao in 2018!

The movie screen at the Ikebukuro Humax Cinemas just before the kickoff of the November 2018 Godzilla all-nighter. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On November 2, 2018, an all-night Godzilla film festival was held at the Ikebukuro Humax Cinemas, the special guest of which was actor Akira Nakao, best known among Godzilla fans for portraying Colonel (later Commander) Aso in some of the '90s Godzilla films, as well as Prime Minister Igarashi in a couple of the Masaaki Tezuka-directed Millennium-era movies. This was a rare public appearance for Mr. Nakao, so I was rather excited for it. 

The poster for Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), one of the films screened that evening. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I really shouldn't have been, as his appearance was mostly a disappointment for me. Don't get me wrong -- Mr. Nakao was full of energy at the event and clearly enjoyed himself. But the bromide card set given out during the event didn't even have his actual autograph on any of the cards (aside from a couple with his signature obviously printed on them), not to mention that (as expected) attendees' face time with him was minimal, to put it mildly.

The poster for Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), which was also screened that evening. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I remember telling him in the moment I had to speak with him that I enjoyed his work in The Vampire Doll (1970), in which he starred as Hiroshi Takagi. As I recall, he just laughed and was generally surprised that I even knew about that film. So, while I enjoyed meeting Mr. Nakao (as fleeting as it was), there wasn't much else I enjoyed about it. 

The poster for Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), another movie screened that evening. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It was an all-night event, which I'm usually never enthused about in the first place, but I believe I had to work the next day, so I couldn't stay through the whole thing even if I wanted to. I'm pretty sure I stayed for Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), and then left after the film and meeting Mr. Nakao. 

I apparently was so underwhelmed by my experience at this event that I never even bothered to post about it here! In retrospect, I can see why I felt that way, but, given that some irresponsible fake news was recently shared about the actor by some self-professed tokusatsu "expert" (let's just say that reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated), now is as good an opportunity as any to record my recollections of that evening, as few as they are.

Another Look at Tokusatsu DNA, Part II!

Here's part two for your viewing enjoyment!