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!

A Former Toho SFX Director Is in the House!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 Earlier today (Wednesday, April 19), I spent a fun afternoon with former Toho special effects director Yuichi Kikuchi. It was great to hear so many stories about Toho, Tsuburaya Pro, and beyond!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The meeting lasted in excess of four hours, which surprised even me. But Kikuchi-san said that, after being busy for much of the year so far, he finally has some down time, so he was able to hang out for quite a bit. Well, it certainly works for me!

I was floored by Kikuchi-san's generosity and kindness. What a day it was -- and definitely informational! I really look forward to seeing him again!

A Late Birthday Celebration for Godzilla!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Godzilla's birthday is celebrated on November 3, but, for me, the festivities really took place on Saturday, November 5, during which I was able to spend a fun evening with three legends of tokusatsu. As you can imagine, it was a lot of fun, and it was the perfect way to celebrate Godzilla's big anniversary.

The guest of honor was tokusatsu director Yuichi Kikuchi. Kikuchi-san is best known for serving as SFX director on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), as well as working as assistant SFX director on such movies as Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). He was also SFX director on Ultraman: The Next (2004), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Max (2005-06), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), as well as other works. When I arrived, I was seated right next to Kikuchi-san, with whom I had a nice chat. I asked him when his next stage production would be held, but he said it hasn't been decided yet. It will be sometime next year. We also talked about some of his favorite tokusatsu productions.

Kazuya Konaka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was Kazuya Konaka. Konaka-san helmed episodes of Ultraman Dyna (1997-98), Ultraman Cosmos (2001-02), Ultraman Nexus, Ultraman Mebius, Ultraseven X (2007), Ultraman Ginga S (2014), and Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga (2016-17). Konaka-san also directed the feature films: Ultraman Zearth 2 (1997), Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna (1998), Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace (1999), Ultraman: The Next, Mirrorman Reflex (2006), and Ultraman Mebius and Ultra Brothers (2006).

Admittedly, Konaka-san was the guest I interacted with the least, largely due to the seating arrangement, so I don't have very much to say about our discussions. Oh, well. Maybe next time! 

Kenji Suzuki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The final guest was Kenji Suzuki. Before joining Toho, Suzuki-san was a freelance SFX director who did some work at Tsuburaya Productions, most notably Ultraman 80 (1980-81). At Toho, he served as an assistant SFX director on The Imperial Navy (1981) and Sayonara Jupiter (1984). On Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Rebirth of Mothra (1996), and Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997), he served as the chief assistant SFX director under Koichi Kawakita. On Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998), Godzilla 2000 (1999), and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, he was the SFX director. In the 2000s, Suzuki-san returned to Tsuburaya Productions and lent his talents to various Ultra-projects.

Suzuki-san is a bona fide tokusatsu legend, and it's always great to see him. My discussion with him was a bit similar to one I had with Kikuchi-san. Suzuki-san is a soft-spoken gentleman and is about as nice as they come.

And that's all! This is truly my idea of celebrating Godzilla's big day. It was a wonderful evening with several wonderful people. 

Attending a Special 'Godzilla against Mechagodzilla' Event!

In between Yuichi Kikuchi and Akinori Noma.

On Sunday, July 17, I attended a screening of Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), a movie that, suffice it to say, I haven't seen very many times. The last time was more than 10 years ago when it was screened in November 2011 as part of a special "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" triple feature in Ginza. 

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The movie itself is just as I remember -- mostly bland. The tokusatsu surprisingly holds up quite well, but the CGI has aged poorly. The story isn't engaging, the lead actors are mostly forgettable, and it just feels like more of the same from this era. It's competently made, there are no glaring mistakes, but nothing stands out. It's just kind of there, which is how I feel about the majority of the Millennium-era films.

Yoshiaki Kondo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While he didn't work on this Mechagodzilla film, Heisei-era assistant SFX director Yoshiaki Kondo showed up as a surprise. Having worked on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994), Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Rebirth of Mothra (1996), and Godzilla 2000 (1999), he was a key member of Toho's SFX staff during the 1990s.

It was fun watching Kondo-san interact and laughing with the other tokusatsu staff on hand. He spent most of the evening reminiscing with his fellow tokusatsu assistant director, Akinori Noma.

Akinori Noma. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Akinori Noma is a tokusatsu assistant director who worked on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) in that capacity. His credits also touch various Ultraman projects.

He was a friendly guy and seemed surprised that I'd want to take his photo. Of course, I love meeting these unsung heroes of tokusatsu and spreading the word about their contributions.

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The guest of honor was tokusatsu director Yuichi Kikuchi. Kikuchi-san is best known for serving as SFX director on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla, as well as working as assistant SFX director on such movies as Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). He was also SFX director on Ultraman (2004), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Max (2005-06), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), as well as other works.

I was pleasantly surprised that he recognized me from attending his stage dramas from a few years ago. It was very enjoyable to see him again.

I had a great time at the event. Seeing a Godzilla movie in 35mm is always fun, and hanging out with top-notch tokusatsu guests doesn't hurt, either. Bring on the next one!

A Former Toho SFX Director Brings a New Hero to the Stage!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

After work on Friday, June 28, I headed out to catch the latest stage play directed by Yuichi Kikuchi. I blogged about him a few months ago, but to recap, Kikuchi-san is best known for serving as SFX director on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), as well as working as assistant SFX director on such movies as Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). He was also SFX director on Ultraman (2004), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Max (2005-06), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), as well as other works.

The stage play was quite interesting, as it centered around the making of a superhero movie. The "movie within a play" sequences were a lot of fun to watch, as a suit actor battled several baddies onstage in scenes reminiscent of most Toei TV programs.

After the show, the inevitable photo ops took place. Kikuchi-san signed my mini poster of the show, and I took a photo of the play's superhero in all his glory, Not too shabby, eh?

Meeting Godzilla's Millennium SFX Director!

Yuichi Kikuchi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As soon as I finished work, I made a beeline to Suginami to attend a stage play directed by Yuichi Kikuchi. Kikuchi-san is best known for serving as SFX director on Godzilla against Mechagodzilla (2002), as well as working as assistant SFX director on such movies as Gamera 3 (1999) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). 

The Tokusatsu DNA staff sent its congratulations to Kikuchi-san. Photo by Brett Homenick

Following his work on the kaiju genre, Kikuchi-san returned to the Ultra-series, working as SFX director on Ultraman (2004), Ultraman Nexus (2004-05), Ultraman Max (2005-06), Ultraman Mebius (2006-07), among others.

Following the performance, Kikuchi-san greeted attendees in the lobby. Kikuchi-san knew who I was based on the message I wrote him, and I guess I'm pretty easy to spot in a Japanese crowd, anyway. We had a nice chat and talked a bit tokusatsu.