GO, RODIE BABY, GO! Attending a 4K Screening of 'Rodan' in Chofu!

A poster for the Chofu Cinema Festival in Chofu Station. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Sunday, February 11), I went to the Chofu Cinema Festival to catch a screening of the 4K version of Rodan (1956). The venue was the Chofu City Cultural Hall Tazukuri, which I've visited several times in the past few years. 

I was a bit surprised at how small the screen was. I was also seated a bit farther back than I usually prefer, so it would be more than fair to say that my first screening of Rodan at Toho Cinemas a while back was superior to this one. The 4K restoration looked amazing, of course, though I wish I could have seen it on a bigger screen.

After the screening, there was a Q&A with Toshio Miike, who talked about tokusatsu production designer Yasuyuki Inoue and his contributions to the film, alongside Toshifumi Shimizu, who discussed the process of the 4K restoration. The interview session lasted a little more than 30 minutes.

When I was leaving the theater, I spotted Godzilla series tokusatsu director Yuichi Kikuchi in the audience. I greeted him and informed him of my plans for late March. After chatting for a short while, we took the selfie that you can see at the bottom of the blog post.

When I was heading back down to the lobby area, I noticed Ultraman (1966-67) actress Hiroko Sakurai's leaving the theater. Suffice it to say, it's quite rare to see such a high-profile figure attend a screening of an old kaiju movie that he or she wasn't even involved in.

In the lobby of the building was a special exhibit honoring Yasuyuki Inoue, the centerpiece of which was a recreation of the Iwataya Department Store as seen in the film. Also on display were various blueprints, location-scouting photos (including pictures of the Yawata Steel Works, which Rodan was supposed to attack in the script, even though it's not in the finished movie), and even a tape measure that Inoue used when location-scouting in Fukuoka for Rodan. There was also a cool reproduction of Nishitetsu train cars that you can see in the film. 

Shin Kamen Rider (2023) will also be screened as part of the film festival, and on display in another section were the henshin belt and mask of the titular character.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon, to which the photos in this blog post will attest. Enjoy!

Yasuyuki Inoue's 100th Anniversary at the Museum of Contemporary Art!

Poster art for the Yasuyuki Inoue gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, March 26, I took in the Yasuyuki Inoue gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. Mr. Inoue was Toho's legendary tokusatsu production designer of the Showa era, and numerous blueprints, sketches, designs, scripts, and other items from his collection were on display. There was a lot of material -- almost too much to digest fully. It truly was amazing just how much of his work dating back to the 1950s and '60s survived. 

I picked up a few things at the gift shop at the end. All in all, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon. I just wish we were allowed to take more pictures of the exhibit itself. But here's what I was able to photograph. Enjoy!

Yasuyuki Inoue Exhibit in Odaiba

Today, I finally attended the special Yasuyuki Inoue exhibition held at Gallery21 in Odaiba. The exhibit, scheduled to end tomorrow, features a bevy of Inoue's various production and monster designs and sketches. 

I'd already seen most of the items on display two years ago at a similar event, but more than a few seemed new, particularly the designs and sketches related to Submersion of Japan and Deathquake. But perhaps I just missed them the first time.

While there, illustrator Shinji Nishikawa was taking requests and drawing monsters for attendees. It was quite amazing to watch him sketch Spiga from Son of Godzilla. All in all, it was an enjoyable way to spend this Golden Week afternoon.

CELEBRATING YASUYUKI INOUE! A Special Exhibit Salutes the Life of the Famed Toho Production Designer!

The Ebina Civic Art Gallery in Ebina, Kanagawa, is hosting an exhibition of Toho SFX production designer Yasuyuki Inoue's design work from March 25 through April 2. The event is completely free to attend, although if you're interested in spending some money, a souvenir book of the exhibit (along with other books and even DVDs) are available for purchase.

Due to my work schedule, I wasn't able to attend the opening ceremony yesterday. Godzilla series producer Shogo Tomiyama attended the opening, along with other SFX luminaries. Luckily, though, I was still able to meet a couple of them.

SFX production designer Toshio Miike. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On hand at the gallery was veteran SFX art director and production designer Toshio Miike, who has worked on: Gunhed (1989), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Zeiram (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995), Gamera 2 (1996), Gamera 3 (1999), GMK (2001), Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003), Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), and Shin Godzilla (2016). Yesterday, Miike-san hosted a special screening of Godzilla 1985 (1984) at the nearby Ebina Culture Center.

Shortly after I arrived at the gallery, former Toho model maker Akinori Takagi entered the building. I was quite surprised. I met Takagi-san (along with Yasuyuki Inoue) back in 2004 at a movie screening in Hollywood. I hadn't seen Takagi-san since. Suffice it to say, I was glad to see him again, and it was long overdue.

After viewing the exhibit, which included scripts, design sketches, and behind-the-scenes photos, I added my sketch of Godzilla to one of the gallery's sign boards, where it stands among the signatures of other fans and SFX pros alike,

Toho model maker Akinori Takagi (left) and Toshio Miike (right). Photo by Brett Homenick. 

During this time, I struck up a conversation with Miike-san. We talked about a variety of subjects, and it was nice to get a chance to have a detailed conversation with him. (When we last met, it was very brief!) When Takagi-san and his family finished viewing the exhibition, he joined our conversation. Through his granddaughter (who recently studied abroad in Australia), he talked about his tokusatsu work, particularly the details of creating Mothra's elaborate eyes.

All in all, it was a great celebration of the life of Yasuyuki Inoue. I couldn't imagine it being celebrated in any other way. I'm very glad I was able to attend, and I must thank Miike-san for his help and hospitality.