GO, RODIE BABY, GO! Attending a Screening of 'Rodan' at Toho Cinemas!

Signage for Rodan just outside the theater screening room. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tuesday, December 20, proved to be a rather unusual morning. Just before 9:00 a.m., I arrived at Toho Cinemas Nihinbashi to take in a 4K screening of the kaiju classic Rodan (1956), remastered from the original camera negative. 

I'm not so sure a movie from 1956 counts as "new." Photo by Brett Homenick.

The quality, of course, was top-notch. Rodan has truly never looked better, and I could spot a lot of details that I never could before. I had a lot of fun trying to read the signs and billboards during Rodan's attack, but the scene would usually cut away before I could finish reading them. Yumi Shirakawa was absolutely radiant (when is she not?), I never noticed that Haruo Nakajima was in that much of the movie as an extra, and the ending still packs one heck of a punch. I was moved all over again.

After the showing, I sat in one of the comfy leather chairs that were available to patrons (never seen these before at a Toho Cinemas) and had a blast messing around on Facebook with my buddies. It sure made the mad dash to the movie theater battling the morning rush hour worth it. I'm still kicking myself for not checking out the remastered Mothra (1961) screenings last year, but I'm glad I didn't repeat that mistake with Rodan. 

Can't wait for this one to come out on Blu-ray!

New Updates at Vantage Point Interviews!

With Kenji Sahara in June 2012.

There's more new content at Vantage Point Interviews. For the first time ever, my second interview with Kenji Sahara from July 2009 has finally been published. (The first one was published on VPI a couple of years ago.) Check it out -- you'll be among the first!

Also new at VPI are my interviews with Ultraman: Towards the Future model maker Norman Yeend and Godzilla vs. Biollante actress Beth Blatt. Content is king at Vantage Point Interviews, and these new additions to the site more than live up to that motto!

YASUHIKO SAIJO INTERVIEW NOW UP! Vantage Point Interviews Has the Scoop!

Yasuhiko Saijo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I'm pleased to announce that my interview with Ultra Q (1966) star Yasuhiko Saijo (who played Ippei Togawa on the program) is now online at Vantage Point Interviews. The interview was conducted last September, and it chronicles Saijo-san's acting career at Toho, as well.

Last night, I was able to visit Saijo-san again, and despite the cold temperatures, it was a lot of fun. Check out the interview today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAHARA-SAN! The Toho Icon Turns 82!

Kenji Sahara chats with fans at a Grissom Gang signing event in June 2012. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It's May 14 in Japan, and that means screen legend Kenji Sahara turns 82. Sahara-san is the star of such Toho classics as Rodan (1956), The Mysterians (1957), The H-Man (1958), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), and Godzilla vs. the Thing (1964). Happy birthday, Sahara-san, with many more to come!

SCREEN LEGEND KENJI SAHARA: Hanging Out with a Toho Great!

During my most recent visit to Tokyo, I had the distinct honor of reconnecting with Toho star Kenji Sahara. Mr. Sahara, who recently completed filming a Hong Kong movie, remains active in the entertainment industry to this day.

My visit was rather short (given Sahara-san's schedule), but I managed to get a couple of DVDs signed and enjoyed a nice conversation with Mr. Sahara and his son.

Hopefully I'll get to see Mr. Sahara again very soon!

GODZILLA AT 58: Ginza Celebrates the Big G's Big Day in a Big Way!

Posters at the Cine Pathos Theater in Ginza, advertising the Godzilla birthday celebration and Gunhed event.

Saturday, November 3, was a big day for kaiju fans lucky enough to be in Tokyo. The Cine Pathos Theater played host to not one but two big events for fans of tokusatsu. Appropriately enough, the first event focused on Godzilla's birthday. Thus, attendees were treated to screenings of Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994), and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004).

Let the Yuki Special shine a light on me! A toy replica of Space Godzilla's Yuki Special was offered for free to all attendees.

But movies turned out to be a small portion of what was on tap. Advertised to appear were screen (and scream!) legend Kenji Sahara, Space Godzilla star Jun Hashizume and director Kensho Yamashita, Final Wars SFX director Eiichi Asada, and longtime Toho SFX director Koichi Kawakita. Little did any of us know that these guests were just the tip of the iceberg!

Kenji Sahara reminisces about Destroy All Monsters following the screening of the film!

The first guest was none other than Kenji Sahara, who entered the theater immediately after Destroy All Monsters played to a packed house. Sahara-san clearly enjoyed sharing his memories from the set of DAM as well as other Toho features. After Mr. Sahara's talk show wrapped, he signed autographs for the fans in attendance.

Following Kenji Sahara's appearance, Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla was screened. Not having seen the film for a number of years, I was particularly interested in seeing it again. I found it enjoyable for the most part, but the "climactic" battle at the end was badly paced and bored me to distraction.

Director Kensho Yamashita and actor Jun Hashizume talk Space Godzilla.

Once Space Godzilla ended, two new guests took the stage: Kensho Yamashita and Jun Hashizume. The pair (naturally) recalled their work on Space Godzilla. At one point, Hashizume-san mentioned that he's a fan of Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, which I found quite interesting. (Hashizume-san went on to work with Sea Monster star Akira Takarada in Godzilla: Final Wars).

Jun Hashizume and Kensho Yamashita sign autographs.

Even before the Space Godzilla interview ended, more special guests joined the lineup! SFX director Eiichi Asada appeared along with Godzilla suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa and kaiju suit maker Shinichi Wakasa. They signed autographs for fans with the Space Godzilla guests.

Godzilla himself signs his name for his adoring public!

In preparation for the screening of Godzilla: Final Wars, Messrs. Asada, Kitagawa, and Wakasa held a Q&A session about the making of the film. After that, the film screened. Unfortunately, Don Frye (and the other English-speaking actors) were dubbed into Japanese. Noticeably, the crowd had practically no reaction to any of Don Frye's lines. Something must definitely be lost in translation!

Eiichi Asada listens to his fellow interviewees recount their Final Wars memories.

Overall, I still enjoy the movie immensely, but it would benefit greatly from a bit of editing. The movie really bogs down once the principal characters are taken aboard the spaceship. Aside from that, I had a blast watching it, but I missed hearing Don Frye's line readings!

Shinichi Wakasa, Tsutomu Kitagawa, and Eiichi Asada tell you all you need to know about monster fights!

After the Final Wars credits rolled, Koichi Kawakita was introduced to the audience. His appearance was no surprise, as he was an advertised guest. But it was the night's final surprise guest who really surprised me!

Yukiko Kobayashi and Koichi Kawakita talk Godzilla on the Big G's big day.

Destroy All Monsters leading lady Yukiko Kobayashi made her way into the theater after being introduced by the emcee. This came as a complete surprise to me, especially since her movie was screened at the very beginning of the event! But I'm not complaining; it was great to meet her at long last!

What an event it was. Last year's Mechagodzilla event was great fun, too, but I'd have to give the edge to this year's shindig. The guests were more accessible, which in my book is always a big plus. Full marks!

Kenji Sahara and Hiroshi Koizumi: The Movie(s)!

Hangin' out with legendary SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano at the dinner hosted by the Grissom Gang.

Now that I've written the report, you can watch the videos! They're self-explanatory, so I'll spare you any explanations. Please watch and enjoy!

MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA: Celebrating a Toho Classic in Style!

Screen legend Kenji Sahara signs autographs at the Grissom Gang's movie pub in Tokyo. 

The kaiju eiga classic Mothra vs. Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. the Thing, 1964) is one of the most popular Godzilla films among Western G-fans. But leave it to the Japanese fans to honor the film in a big way! Over the weekend, the Grissom Gang hosted a two-day event that celebrated one of the best monster movies from Toho's golden age. 

Kenji Sahara (Rodan, The Mysterians, The H-Man) was the focal point of Saturday's activities. After a film print of  Mothra vs. Godzilla played to the small, exclusive audience in attendance (not much more than 20 people -- it's a small theater and can't hold any more than that!), Mr. Sahara took the stage for his talk show. The Toho legend brought some slides with him, detailing his early life up until the present. One such photo was from his college days, during which Mr. Sahara was into bodybuilding. In this photo, Sahara-san was shirtless and was -- to my surprise -- totally ripped! I had no idea he was in such great shape. Mr. Sahara brought his copy of the None But the Brave shooting script and passed it around the audience. Also, a golfing trophy that famed director Akira Kurosawa won but gave to Mr. Sahara after Sahara-san was unavailable to be cast in Sanjuro was also passed around the audience. I felt particularly honored to hold such wonderful pieces of film history!

Kenji Sahara meets me but not for the first time. I was happy to catch up with Sahara-san, whom I hadn't seen since G-FEST in 2009.

After signing autographs, it was off to dinner. Mr. Sahara joined us and sat down next to me. He happily answered every question posed to him. I was also able to speak with his son, who was able to speak quite a bit of English.

Good times with Sahara-san.

Sunday saw another screening of Mothra vs. Godzilla but with a twist. Hiroshi Koizumi showed up early to watch the film! And, as luck would have it, I ended up sitting next to him during the film. Once again, I truly felt honored.

A powerful trio: Masaaki Tezuka, Hiroshi Koizumi, and Teruyoshi Nakano answer questions from the audience.

Following the movie, Koizumi-san was joined by Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. director Masaaki Tezuka and longtime SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano. This talk show was long and informative, with Nakano-san providing the lengthiest and most detailed answers. In one interesting tidbit, he mentioned that he intentionally ended all his Godzilla movies with the Big G's back facing the camera, to symbolize the drift from the original intent of the character that director Ishiro Honda felt was taking place. Later in the evening, Mr. Nakano mentioned that he was slated to have an acting role in Conflagration (a.k.a. Tokyo Bay Burns, 1975) but was so busy he didn't have time to act!

My friend totorom poses with Hiroshi Koizumi.

After the interview was completed, it was autograph time all over again. Not much to say here, so let's check out the highlights:

Yours truly with Hiroshi Koizumi.

 Meeting Teruyoshi Nakano again. I first met (and interviewed) him eight years ago!

Meeting Tezuka-san for the second time. He had great stories to tell, especially about one of my favorite films, Fukkatsu no hi (a.k.a. Virus, 1980).

 Between two legends: Certainly one of many highlights of the weekend.

What else can I say? It was a spectacular event! Big thanks to the Grissom Gang and tororom for all their help. I should mention that I made several new friends (Yasushi, Akiko, and Jiro) whom I hope to meet again very soon. Everyone was open, warm, and friendly. If only everyone in Godzilla fandom were as nice!

'Ultra Q's' triumphant return to Japanese TV

Kenji Sahara, the star of the smash TV series Ultra Q (Tsuburaya Productions, 1966) answers questions posed to him by yours truly at G-FEST XVI in 2009. Photo by Mark Williamson.

Kaiju fans in the Land of the Rising Sun, rejoice! While fanciers on both sides of the Pacific of Japanese SFX movies and TV programs are aware of the impending July release of Ultra Q to DVD and Blu-ray (in both original black and white and a new colorized version!), WOWOW, the popular satellite channel in Japan, will broadcast all 28 episodes in June and July!

Ultra Q's 45th anniversary just got even more special!

Kaiju suit actor Haruo Nakajima, who played Gomess in episode #1 of Ultra Q, shares a tender moment with your humble blogmeister at G-FEST XV in 2008. Photo by Stan Hyde.

Episode #1 "Defeat Gomess!" (featuring previous G-FEST guests Kenji Sahara and Haruo Nakajima) broadcasts on June 26 at 10:00 am, with an encore showing on June 27th at 4:45 pm. A complete listing of broadcast dates and times for all Ultra Q episodes can be found here.

More information about WOWOW's broadcast of episode #1 can be found by following this link.

WOWOW certainly earned its name this time!

Happy birthday, Kenji Sahara!

Kenji Sahara poses with Martin Arlt and Brett inside the Hancock Building during G-FEST 2009. Photo by totorom.

Thanks to this blog post at Monsterland Ohio, I was reminded that today, May 14, is Mr. Kenji Sahara's birthday! The famed Toho actor, who was born in 1932, turns 78 today. Mr. Sahara immensely enjoyed his stay in Chicago, which I can tell you first-hand, as totorom and I accompanied Mr. Sahara throughout his time in the Windy City.

Several months after G-FEST, Mr. Sahara contributed to G-FAN's 35th anniversary tribute to Terror of Mechagodzilla in issue #90.

Happy birthday, Mr. Sahara! I hope to see you in Chicago again very soon!

Rondo Awards announced

The Classic Horror Film Board's annual Rondo Awards have been announced, and there are many great nominees. G-FAN and other Godzilla-related nominees are in abundance this year. Below are my, er, "suggestions" on how you should vote. I will cast my ballot for the following nominees, so I hope you'll do the same, too!

Best Book of 2009
-- MUSHROOM CLOUDS AND MUSHROOM MEN, The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda, by Peter H. Brothers. Examining the visionary behind 80 films and the origins of Japan's greatest monsters.

Best Magazine of 2009
-- G-FAN

Best Article of 2009 (PLEASE PICK TWO)
-- 'Cult Classic Commander,' by Brett Homenick, G-FAN #86. Interview with Robert Horton about his career and The Green Slime.

-- 'Godzilla, My Old Friend: Akira Takarada Talks about His Career, His Co-Stars', by Yutaka Ichimura (totorom), G-FAN #87. Interview with star of the original Gojira.

Best Magazine Cover
-- G-FAN #89 by Lee Munday

Best Horror Blog
-- The Good, the Bad, and Godzilla (August Ragone's G-blog)

Best Convention or Film Festival of 2009
-- G-FEST (Chicago)

Best Fan Event
-- Godzilla actor Kenji Sahara appears at G-FEST XVI, Rosemont, Ill.

For the entire ballot, please visit the Rondo Awards' official site: Rondo Hatton Awards. The instructions on how to vote are on the site, but here's the skinny:

HOW TO VOTE: All voting is by e-mail only. Simply copy this ballot and send an e-mail with your picks to me (David Colton), at taraco@aol.com by midnight, April 3, 2010.

THE RULES: One vote for person, please. Every e-mail must include your name to be counted. All votes are kept strictly confidential. No e-mail addresses or any personal information will ever be shared with anyone.

IMPORTANT: Organized voting campaigns (duplicated ballots, mass mailing efforts), are prohibited and can result in disqualification. Let's keep this a fun vote of monster fans. You do not have to vote in every category.

AGAIN HERE'S HOW TO VOTE: E-mail your selections from the ballot (cut-and-pasting the whole thing works fine), or you can type them into a separate e-mail, below to David Colton at taraco@aol.com. And please remember to include your name so your vote can be counted.

Remember, one Monster Kid, one vote.

The Mysterians U.S. trailer

One of my favorite U.S. trailers for a Toho movie would be this one for The Mysterians.

Not much else to say about it, except that I've always thought that the voice-over between 0:12 and 0:15 sounded like a bad Shatner impression.

G-FEST, Kenji Sahara coverage in The Chicago Shimpo

Chicago's leading bilingual newspaper, The Chicago Shimpo, recently covered G-FEST XVI and interviewed the convention's guest of honor, Kenji Sahara, within its pages. Below you'll find The Shimpo's G-FEST report (reproduced with permission from Ms. Urayama of The Chicago Shimpo).

Click on the images for a larger view:

A week later, the newspaper ran an interview with Kenji Sahara, ably translated by totorom, which was conducted at the convention. The interview appears below, and it is reproduced with permission.

Mr. Sahara meets The H-Man

August Ragone, Kenji Sahara, Brett, and Danny Tokarz enjoy a happy moment in Mr. Sahara's hotel room at G-FEST. Photo by totorom.

One of the most interesting aspects of G-FEST for me was that, not only did we American fans learn a lot about Mr. Sahara's career, but that Mr. Sahara himself learned a few things about it! For instance, Mr. Sahara never realized, until G-FEST, that he appears in the Japanese trailer for Mothra (1961).

Much more amusing, however, was Mr. Sahara's reaction to learning the American title to his 1958 SFX film Bijo to Ekitai Ningen, which as many of you know is The H-Man. Well, it turns out that the letter "H" has a much different connotation in Japan, a -- shall we say -- fairly risque connotation. Thus, the idea of an H-Man to Mr. Sahara brings to mind something entirely different from what Columbia Pictures, the American distributor of The H-Man, originally intended!

I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Sahara Sunday night in his hotel room with totorom. When the time came to ask him about the 1958 film in question, I began, "My next question would be about Bijo to Ekitai Ningen, otherwise known as ... H-Man!"

We all laughed.

Sharing a mini pizza with Kenji Sahara

Kenji Sahara at Wrigley Field. Photo by Brett Homenick.

During G-FEST this past July, my friend totorom and I took care of Mr. Sahara during his stay in Chicago. One of the most memorable events for me was when we took Mr. Sahara to a Chicago Cubs game at legendary Wrigley Field. Martin and Pam Arlt drove us to the stadium and also took in the game.

At one point, totorom brought back a mini pizza from the concession stands for me and Mr. Sahara to share. We each took two slices and enjoyed it immensely. I also joined the crowd in singing parts of "YMCA" and "Livin' on a Prayer" during breaks in the game, which was quite fun.

We left before the end of the game, but it didn't matter. A fun time was had by all, and Mr. Sahara was especially impressed. He had been to Chicago previously for G-CON '97, but he never left the hotel, and he returned to Japan thinking that Chicago was a small town. But, after seeing the city in all its glory in 2009, he told us that he now realizes just how big Chicago is!

More Kenji Sahara memories to come...