New Toho Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Ryo Tamura in November 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick.

My new vintage account with Showa-era Toho actor Ryo Tamura has just been published. In his debut film, Rise Against the Sword (1966), Mr. Tamura played the younger brother of Toshiro Mifune and Makoto Sato in an epic directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. No pressure!

The interview covers a lot of ground, and it contains plenty of fascinating anecdotes about some of Japan's best-known actors and directors. Don't miss out!

New Hong Kong Dubbing Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Photo courtesy of Martin Pachy.

More Hong Kong dubbing insights revealed in my brand-new vintage account with Omni Productions alum Martin Pachy. The interview goes into great depth about the writing of a dubbing script, especially in the pre-digital era. Give it a read today!

New Q&A with 'Gigan's' Machiko Shima!

Tomoko Umeda. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Check out my new vintage account with actress Tomoko Umeda, who plays Machiko Shima in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). The Q&A is less a formal interview and more of a conversational chat with her and her family.

As cool as it would have been to get all kinds of details about the production of Gigan, not everyone has total recall of events from more than 50 years ago. Still, I was still able to glean a fun detail about one of Umeda-san's first scene in the film, which is exactly why I do what I do.

The participation of her husband and daughter make the Q&A a family affair that's quite endearing, so don't miss it!

Vantage Point Interviews Strikes Again with a New Hong Kong Dubbing Q&A!

Michael Ross as seen in a dubbing documentary in the early 1970s.

Did you know that Mugar from Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) was married to Night Court actress Markie Post? It's true, and Vantage Point Interviews has the proof right here! Check out my new vintage account with a prolific Hong Kong voice actor who got his start in dubbing when he was a teenager!

'Godzilla' (1998) Interview Now Live on Vantage Point Interviews!

Arabella Field. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On November 5, 2025, I had the privilege of sitting down with actress Arabella Field to discuss her role as Lucy Palotti in Godzilla (1998) for Vantage Point Interviews. The Q&A has just been published, so I encourage everyone to check it out!

It was a fascinating discussion about Godzilla's most misunderstood movie. I learned a lot, and so will you!

An Ultra-Good Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Photo © Todd Gilbert.

Screenwriter Bud Robertson gives us a rare look at Americanizing Ultraman in the 1990s for Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero (1995) in this brand-new interview with many never-before-seen images -- only on Vantage Point Interviews!

Vantage Point Interviews x Yahoo Entertainment!

With Robert Axelrod in 2004.

Well, this was unexpected. After more than 20 years, my interview with Lord Zedd voice actor Robert Axelrod finally got picked up by a mainstream news organization! (Though it sort of makes you wonder what's so newsworthy about an interview that old.)

You could imagine my surprise when quotes from the interview ended up in an article on Yahoo Entertainment ... as well as Yahoo Life UK! (Technically, I suppose, the original article was written for Slash Film, and then Yahoo Entertainment picked it up.)

I guess I should note that I originally pitched this interview to a tokusatsu-oriented fanzine editor circa 2003, who immediately rejected the idea. I then took my pitch to John Rocco Roberto, who was editing Kaiju-Fan Online (also cited in the article), who loved the idea and encouraged me to do it. So John got the interview while the aforementioned fanzine editor probably published some article written by a "Monster Boomer" who reminisced about what it was like to watch Destroy All Planets (1968) on a UHF channel back in the '70s.

At any rate, this is all pretty random, but it's a lot of fun seeing some of my old stuff get attention like this so many years after the fact. Hopefully, the next time won't take another 20 years!

New 'Bushido Blade' Q&A at Vantage Point Interviews!

Mike Starr in April 2025. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Remember when Professor Nishiyama from The Last Days of Planet Earth (1974) and Pooter the Clown from Uncle Buck (1989) made a movie together? Actor Mike Starr certainly remembers, as The Bushido Blade (1981) was his first film! Long before Mike Starr appeared in GoodFellas (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), or even battled Russ Tamblyn in Cabin Boy (1994), he co-starred in Rankin/Bass' most obscure made-in-Japan film. Read all about it at Vantage Point Interviews!

ONE 'BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE' AFTER ANOTHER! Visiting a Veteran of One of Toho's Best Sci-Fi Films!

Heinz Bodmer with a Blu-ray of Battle in Outer Space (1959). Photo by Brett Homenick.

From Monday, October 13, through Wednesday, October 15, I visited the home of former Toho actor Heinz Bodmer, whose biggest role for the studio was appearing in Battle in Outer Space (1959) as a SPIP crew member who goes to the Moon to fight the evil creatures from the planet Natal. 

I've been in touch with Heinz for more than 10 years, mostly over the phone. We stayed in touch after our interview that covered his time in Japan and the movies in which he appeared, but this was the first time we met in person.

Heinz Bodmer at Everglades Holiday Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While I can't remember when exactly he offered it to me, I remember speaking to Heinz a couple of year ago, during which he invited me to stay at his house should I ever find myself in Florida. That, of course, was an offer I couldn't refuse, so I made plans to visit the Sunshine State for the first time ever.

I stayed at Heinz's house during my entire stay, so I enjoyed plenty of opportunities to speak with Heinz and hear about his memories of Japan. One of the highlights was watching Battle in Outer Space in the evening on October 14 at his house while Heinz offered occasional comments about the proceedings.

One fascinating tidbit that didn't come out during our original interview was that Heinz did about three German-language dubbing jobs in Tokyo, though he doesn't remember who was involved or what the movies were. Heinz suggested that this dubbing work may have come through Osman Yusuf because he was Heinz's usual go-between for acting jobs.   

Heinz Bodmer and Brett touring the everglades on an airboat.

When I asked him, Heinz confirmed he never did English-language dubbing in Tokyo, just German. He just remembers doing about three separate dubbing jobs, though he has no memory of what the content might have been. Watching your old movies is certainly a great way to jog your memory!

Prior to watching Battle, however, we watched The Last Voyage (1960), starring Robert Stack, the same night. The Last Voyage is a disaster movie that feels like it would have been made in the early 1970s by Irwin Allen. Heinz has a background role early on in the film as a ship crew member who tries to stop the flooding in the boiler room.

Holding a baby gator at the Everglades Holiday Park!

Apparently, the filming conditions on the ship were about as unpleasant as they looked onscreen, and, since Heinz only acted for the bucks and wasn't looking to get discovered by Hollywood, he elected not to stand in the muck all day just to get on camera. After all, you got paid the same! 

The last movie we watched was Who Are You, Mr. Sorge? (1961), a fascinating World War II espionage thriller based on true events. Unfortunately, the picture quality of this particular version left a lot to be desired (it looked like it was taken from an old VHS tape), so I couldn't spot Heinz in the film. According to Heinz, he appears in a scene with several soldiers or military personnel, but I just wasn't able to pick him out. 

Heinz at home. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Not everything was about movies, though. We stopped by Everglades Holiday Park for an airboat tour of the swamp. It was actually a lot of fun, even if one of the spots we passed was a place the park calls "vulture island." Not only did we get to see those vultures, we also saw an honest-to-goodness alligator in the wild, who swam near our airboat. After taking in an alligator show, we also posed for a photo with a baby alligator. Fun stuff!

Later on, we also ate pizza at a nearby restaurant. It was a great time, during which we talked about world events. Suffice it to say, October 14 was a busy day!

 

Of course, I also did some sightseeing in Florida, but that's for a separate blog post. I really want to thank Heinz for his hospitality. It was a wonderful few days, and I have him to thank for it!

Hong Kong Dubbing Secrets Revealed in New Q&A!

Simon Broad.

Vantage Point Interviews returns with one of Omni Productions' most notable alumni, Simon Broad. In the interview, Mr. Broad talks about working with everyone from Godfrey Ho to Godzilla. It's a wide-ranging Q&A and well worth a look!

A Whirlwind Trip Across the Country to Meet the Star of an Obscure Sci-Fi Film!

Atsuko Rome on September 23. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Two days ago, I did something pretty rare for me. I hopped on a plane and flew across the country. But I had a very good reason for doing so. I wanted to meet Atsuko Rome in person, whom I interviewed in 2018 about her role in the cult classic Body of the Prey (a.k.a. The Revenge of Dr. X), a film shot in Japan in the 1960s, about which there are still many unanswered questions. 

While it's unlikely we'll ever know all the details behind the making of this fascinating film, it's available for free to watch on YouTube or any number of public-domain DVD releases, and, if you're interested in Japanese sci-fi ephemera, it's well worth a watch.

As much as I enjoy speaking with Atsuko on the phone, I'm a firm believer that there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. It's long been my goal to meet Atsuko in person, but it's proven frustratingly difficult. Naturally, when I was in Japan, there was a built-in obstacle to any potential meeting, but, even after I returned to the States, those roadblocks remained.

Atsuko was thinking about visiting Japan this fall for her brother's 100th birthday, but she ultimately decided against going, due to some health concerns. A few months ago, I was toying with the idea of traveling to Japan myself during that time and visiting Atsuko there, but that no longer became an option after she decided against the trip.

I remember looking up plane ticket costs around November of last year on one of those alleged "discount" websites that have been around for years, and a plane ticket to Atsuko's nearest airport on the site was in excess of $800. (So much for the promised discount!) I essentially gave up hope for finding reasonable plane fare after that experience and more or less put the idea of visiting Atsuko on ice indefinitely.

Luckily, I was able to find affordable plane fare thanks to a well-timed tip, so I ended up spending less than $300 on roundtrip airfare. (A big savings compared to what I might have spent almost a year ago!) All that was left was to coordinate my visit with Atsuko directly, and I'd be on my way.

As I wrote a few paragraphs back, Atsuko and I have stayed in touch since we did our interview seven years ago. (Yikes! Has it really been that long?!) One of my most memorable conversations with her happened when I was still living in Tokyo, and I took the opportunity to vent to her about my downstairs neighbor who would often play pop music on a loop or talk loudly at, like, 6:00 in the morning. She gave me advice about how to handle the situation, which, despite all the headaches it caused me at the time, is at least something I can now look back on in amusement.

Atsuko Rome at a nearby restaurant. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Tuesday, September 24, I got up at 2:30 a.m. (after pretty much not even sleeping a wink) to board the plane from my home to Atsuko's. I arrived at her house in the afternoon, and we spent hours in her kitchen, chatting about various topics. Interestingly, the topic of Body of the Prey didn't come up very much, but, seeing as how I brought some DVDs of the movie for her to sign, I was hoping we'd be able to watch it. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a DVD player, so that got ruled out pretty quickly. 

Atsuko is a big fan of Jme TV, a streaming service for Japanese programs that serves North America. She had Jme TV on in the background for much of my stay, as we watched some Australian "model" try out sumo wrestling. (I always forget how random Japanese TV can get.)

During this time, I asked Atsuko to sign my DVDs for her movie, as well as to pose for pictures holding them. I bought the standalone DVDs seen in this blog post last year specifically for her to sign, so I was very pleased to get her autograph on them. 

After hanging out for a while, I drove Atsuko to a nearby restaurant for dinner. I had a hamburger (of course!), while Atsuko had a creamy crab concoction (that I was told was very hot!). Atsuko graciously paid for dinner, and, when we had our fill, I drove us back to the house. 

Atsuko Rome on September 23. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Atsuko wanted to give me a shiatsu massage (!), so I agreed to it. When she worked on my shoulders, it was weirdly ticklish (I mean, not exactly, but that's the best way I can describe it), but it was much more comfortable when she worked on my head. I didn't think the female star of Body of the Prey would ever give me a massage!

By this time, the lack of sleep was really starting to catch up with me, so I turned in for the night. I browsed my phone for a while before turning in for the night, but what I didn't expect was to sleep in so late. If I recall correctly, it was almost noon (!) when I woke up. (I guess that's what missing an entire night's sleep will do to your body.) 

That meant I'd have to go leave for the airport in about two hours. So there wasn't much we could do on the second day. Thankfully, I'm not much of a sightseer and had no interest in going here and there. I just wanted the opportunity to speak with Atsuko in person. We chatted a bit more before my Uber arrived to take me back to the airport. We took a few more photos before I left, and then we hugged. We talked about the possibility of meeting again, and I hope we can do it. I know I'm up for it!

I really want to thank Atsuko for her hospitality. I enjoyed spending some quality time with her, as well as spending the night at her house. It was an unexpected delight that can be traced back directly to my discovering Body of the Prey on the Chilling Classics Mill Creek 50-DVD set in the fall of 2005. Who would have guessed it would eventually lead to these lovely two days?

New Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews with a Showa-Era Superstar!

Kaoru Yumi in March 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Vantage Point Interviews is proud to present my interview with the legendary actress Kaoru Yumi, star of such Toho tokusatsu epics as The Last Days of Planet Earth (a.k.a. Prophecies of Nostradamus, 1974) and Espy (1974), as well as the Submersion of Japan (1974-75) TV show. The interview was conducted during two separate sessions in March 2023 and November 2023, and it covers a variety of topics regarding Ms. Yumi's career. Some photos from those sessions, which have never been published until now, are also contained within this blog post. Enjoy!

Kaoru Yumi in November 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Secrets of Hong Kong Dubbing Revealed on Vantage Point Interviews!

Darren Pleavin. Photo © Darren Pleavin.

New content is now available on Vantage Point Interviews -- namely, my interview with Omni Productions voice actor Darren Pleavin, who discusses dubbing in Hong Kong during the 1990s and beyond, especially on Godzilla movies. Give it a click today!

A Lovely Afternoon in the Company of an Even Lovelier Actress!

Faith Clift with a DVD of The Nightmare Never Ends (1980). Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

On Friday, July 18, I was finally able to meet Faith Clift, an actress who appears in a couple of my favorite genre movies. I interviewed Ms. Clift for Vantage Point Interviews back in 2020 and got to hear her memories of working with several notable film personalities over the years, and it was quite fascinating. 

Ms. Clift stars as Claire Hansen in the feature film The Nightmare Never Ends (1980), which got severely edited down and appears in a truncated form in the anthology horror flick Night Train to Terror (1985). She also appears in a small role in the cult classic Horror Express (1972).

Faith Clift with a Blu-ray of Night Train to Terror (1985). Photo by Brett Homenick.

I first saw The Nightmare Never Ends in the fall of 2008 on one of the Mill Creek sets of 50 public domain movies. I went into it completely blind but was intrigued by the film, as it was more about ideas than horror. I later saw Night Train to Terror in August 2009 right after moving into a new apartment and was surprised to see the former flick recycled into the new one, with loads of new claymation effects thrown in for good measure. Both movies are enjoyable but for completely different reasons.

I picked Ms. Clift up at her home and, since she almost literally now lives in the neighborhood in which I grew up, I drove her by my childhood home to show her my old house. After that, we had a nice lunch and then went walking around a local street fair. We sat down after walking around for a while and talked about just about every imaginable topic. It was a great afternoon!

Afterward, I asked her to sign my Nightmare Never Ends DVD and Night Train to Terror Blu-ray, which are pictured above. Since she'd never seen either of these releases, she took some extra time looking at the covers she was signing. Then we took our obligatory photos.

And that's a wrap! I really look forward to visiting Faith Clift again in the future!

New Dubbing Q&A Now Available on Vantage Point Interviews!

Photo © Sharon Szmidt.

If you ever wondered what the Tom Hanks dramedy A League of Their Own (1992) has in common with Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), my latest vintage account has the answer you're looking for! Omni Productions voice actress Sharon Szmidt, who dubbed several Heisei-era Godzilla films in the late 1990s, shares her story in my latest interview. Check it out today at the one place on the Internet where content is still king.

Godzilla's Online History Revealed on Vantage Point Interviews!

Photo © Mark Meloon.

The webmaster of the Net's very first Godzilla site, the one and only Mark Meloon, stops by Vantage Point Interviews for a new vintage account! Check it out and learn the history of this Godzilla fandom pioneer!

A New Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Takeshi Miyanishi in May 2022. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

Check out the latest vintage account on Vantage Point Interviews with compositor and optical-effects technician Takeshi Miyanishi. Mr. Miyanishi began working at Toho with Gorath (1962) on the tokusatsu side. 

While his memories of the early days are no longer as strong as they once were, he has vivid memories of working with Akira Kurosawa on Kagemusha (1980) and working on Pulgasari (1985) in North Korea. 

It's all right there on Vantage Point Interviews. Don't miss it -- be there!