An Evening with the Director of 'Godzilla 1985's' American Version!

R. J. Kizer poses with a photo of an old friend. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After spending the afternoon with Adryan Russ, I headed over to the Tallyrand restaurant to meet up with director and film editor R. J. Kizer, whom I've interviewed more than once. This was also our first face-to-face meeting. 

When I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted R. J. entering the restaurant. He saw me, as well, and waited for me to park my car. When I walked up to him, he commented that I was taller than he expected. That made me feel like I was back in Japan!

While we ate, R. J. shared quite a few stories about his time at New World Pictures, most of which I'd never heard before. But, because I'd never really spoke to him about anything other than his work on Godzilla '85, that was to be expected. 

The stories were just as often hilarious as they were fascinating. I felt someone could make quite an entertaining movie based on some of R. J.'s experiences. It certainly would be a lot more fun than the recent Jason Reitman flick Saturday Night.

I'm amazed it took us this long to meet in person, given how Godzilla 1985 is one of my favorite films. But I'm overjoyed it was finally happened. After dinner, R. J. gave me directions back to the freeway, which turned out to be spot-on. Many thanks to R. J. for a wonderful evening!

Vantage Point Interviews Featured on YouTube's Toy Galaxy Channel!

Vantage Point Interviews as seen on the Toy Galaxy YouTube channel.

Well, that's a cool, unexpected shoutout! The YouTube channel Toy Galaxy, which features videos on nostalgic pop culture icons of the '80s and '90s, has just uploaded a video on the history of New World Pictures' Godzilla 1985. I was pleasantly surprised that my interview with director R. J. Kizer from last year was quoted in the video, with host Dan Larson even citing the URL of Vantage Point Interviews in the video as the source. There's also a direct link to the interview in the description.

I've watched several Toy Galaxy videos in the past and always admired how well made they are. I especially enjoyed their video on the Mutant League cartoon show, as that program just doesn't get the love it deserves.

Many thanks to the fine folks at Toy Galaxy for the shoutout! 

Vantage Point Interviews Returns with a New Look at 'Godzilla 1985'!

Photo courtesy of James Melkonian.

Vantage Point Interviews presents a new interview with James Melkonian, who worked on the post-production side of Godzilla 1985's Americanization. You might recognize Mr. Melkonian as the writer-director of the mid-'90s comedies The Stoned Age (1994) and The Jerky Boys (1995), but he got his start about 10 years before that working at New World Pictures.

Content is king once again at Vantage Point Interviews!

Secrets of Americanizations Revealed on Vantage Point Interviews!

A recent photo of Richard Krown. Photo © Richard Krown.

First up is a brand-new interview with Richard Krown, UPA's post-production supervisor on the company's various Japanese releases, including Monster Zero (1965), The War of the Gargantuas (1966), Godzilla's Revenge (1969), and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). He was also heavily involved in the American releases of Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) and the Toho war epic Retreat from Kiska (1965), about whose Americanization he goes into great detail.

Also on deck is a brand-new interview with director R. J. Kizer, who Americanized Godzilla 1985 (1984) for American release. This is the most in-depth director Kizer has ever gotten about the making of the film, and he reveals many new details for the first time. Who was the Roger Corman regular up for the role of General Goodhue? Read the interview to find out!

If you didn't already know that content is king on Vantage Point Interviews, you do now!

Danny Goldman, Godzilla 1985's Casting Director, Passes Away at 80

Actor Danny Goldman in the famous opening scene from the Mel Brooks comedy Young Frankenstein (1974).

Actor Danny Goldman passed away on April 12 due to stroke-related complications at his L.A. home. He was 80. Goldman was an actor known for his roles in the hit films MASH (1970) and Young Frankenstein (1974), but folks of my generation would probably know him best as the voice of Brainy Smurf on the long-running cartoon series The Smurfs (1981-89).

The news of Goldman's passing was widely reported last month, but what I didn't realize at the time (until director R. J. Kizer pointed it out to me yesterday) was that he also worked as the casting director for the American scenes of Godzilla 1985. 

Suffice it to say, I was floored to learn that the voice of Brainy Smurf had worked in any capacity on Godzilla 1985. I can't begin to explain how I missed that intriguing bit of information in all my research of the film, but it just goes to show that you can always dig deeper. 

RIP, Danny Goldman.