An Evening with Two Screenwriters!

 Shoichi Maruyama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, November 9, I immediately left work to attend another special event. This time, the guests on hand were a couple of screenwriters: Shoichi Maruyama and Hiroshi Kashiwabara.

Among Maruyama-san's scriptwriting credits are The Beast to Die (1980), The Last Hero (a.k.a. Dirty Hero, 1982), Kinji Fukasaku's The Triple Cross (1992), Rex: A Dinosaur's Story (1993), and Quill (2004). I was pleasantly surprised that Maruyama-san recognized me from our first meeting, which was about a year and a half ago.

Hiroshi Kashiwabara. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also in attendance was Godzilla series scribe Hiroshi Kashiwabara, whose screenwriting credits include Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994), Godzilla 2000 (1999), and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). 

I spent the majority of the evening with Kashiwabara-san, and it was great talking American movies with him. And that's a wrap!

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.

Remembering George Kennedy

I woke up this morning and found out that George Kennedy, an Academy Award-winning actor whose presence in a movie always took it to the next level, has passed away at age 91. For many years, I was fascinated by Mr. Kennedy's appearance in the Japanese end-of-the-world tale Virus (1980), and for a long time I tried to arrange an interview with him. My persistence eventually paid off, and in late 2011, we finally began communication.

I had just woken up early in the morning in Nakatsugawa, Gifu, to prepare a long trip to Tokyo to take part in a special Mechagodzilla event at the long-gone Cine Pathos Theater in Ginza in November 2011. Before leaving, I checked my e-mail and was floored to find one from Mr. George Kennedy himself, accepting my request for an interview.

We set up the date not long after that, and I called him up to ask my questions. Unfortunately, Mr. Kennedy was rather hard of hearing at this point, and his wife had to assist us with the questions. Just before Mr. Kennedy asked his wife to help, he said in passing that this interview was important to him, so he wanted to make sure he understood my questions. Suffice it to say, I was amazed that a man I grew up watching in countless films would say that about an interview with me, but Mr. Kennedy was truly an amazing man.

Japan was very special to him, and I think my interview gave him a chance to talk about it. He was interested in my life and experiences there, so we ended up swapping stories. After the interview, we stayed in contact, and I was very honored that he accepted my Facebook friend request.

I have posted my interview with George Kennedy on Vantage Point Interviews, so I'd encourage anyone interested in his life and career to read it. I'd also strongly recommend picking up a copy of his autobiography Trust Me, which is a great read.

Rest in peace, Mr. Kennedy. I'll always remember and appreciate the kindness you showed me.