A Quick Trip to Toho Cinemas Hibiya!

Godzilla merchandise available at Toho Cinemas Hibiya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday, February 18, I stopped by Toho Cinemas Hibiya and snapped a few photos. Here's what I saw. Enjoy!

Watching 'Terror Beneath the Sea' in 35mm!

Terror Beneath the Sea at the Laputa Asagaya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Tuesday, February 14), I had the privilege of attending a rare screening of Toei's Terror Beneath the Sea (1966) in 35mm at the Laputa Asagaya as part of its ongoing Science Fiction Film Festival. I hadn't seen the film in more than 20 years, and I'm not sure I'd ever seen it more than once before tonight. While several interesting scenes had been etched in my memory, in many ways it was like watching a brand-new flick.

The film print was in excellent shape, especially compared to some of the Toho prints that I've seen. The only questionable moment was when Sonny Chiba and Peggy Neal were poolside toward the beginning of the film. The screen went totally black for about 20 or so seconds while the audio from the scene could be heard. I'm not sure if that was a projection issue or what, but it was the only major problem I noticed. Otherwise, the print was extremely clear, and the images truly popped off the screen. 

Publicity material for Terror Beneath the Sea on display in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The movie itself is quite entertaining, and, if you're a fan of mid-'60s tokusatsu movies, then there is a lot for you to admire. Hajime Sato's directing is rather impressive, and a lot of his shot compositions are reminiscent of Akio Jissoji's work. Even though the tokusatsu is a bit limited here, it's still a visually fascinating film.

I was also surprised at the sheer lack of Japanese characters in the movie. Aside from Sonny Chiba, none of the main characters is Japanese. It almost comes across as a practice run for The Green Slime (1968), but who knows if any such plans were in the works by then. 

Ticket, please! Photo by Brett Homenick.

All in all, it was a fun night at the movies, and I look forward to the next screenings in the upcoming weeks!

'Shin Kamen Rider' Pulls Up in Shinjuku!

Shin Kamen Rider, coming soon to Shinjuku Wald 9. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While walking to the Godzilla Store Tokyo, I noticed this massive advertisement for the upcoming Shin Kamen Rider in front of the Shinjuku Wald 9 movie theater right next door. Here it is!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Godzilla Store Tokyo!

Happy Valentine's Day. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight, I stopped by the Godzilla Store Tokyo to see if there was anything new, and thankfully there was! I enjoyed the shop's Valentine's Day display, but I was especially pleased to see the Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) 50th anniversary goods for sale. I couldn't resist and bought a Megalon key chain, which I've already added to my key ring. Here's what I saw -- enjoy!

Seeing 'Pulp Fiction' on the Big Screen in Tokyo!

Pulp Fiction at the Shin Bungeiza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I just came back from the Shin Bungeiza theater in Ikebukuro, which has been on quite a roll with the impressive lineup of movies it's been screening of late. Tonight's screening was Pulp Fiction (1994), which I hadn't seen in its entirety since the '90s. I've been thinking about checking this particular title out again, and seeing it on the big screen was the perfect opportunity. Oh, and it was a digital projection, not 35mm.

The screening was absolutely packed. I arrived about 10 minutes before the screening, and, since I didn't buy my ticket ahead of time, I had to sit in the front row, which actually didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. 

Pulp Fiction at the Shin Bungeiza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I guess I should point out that I was never really that big a fan of the movie. In fact, I've never been over the moon about any Quentin Tarantino movie. The only flick of his I haven't seen is Reservoir Dogs (1992), and the reason for that is, well, I just don't want to.

Quick side story: I mostly gave up going to the movies from about 2001 until 2005 because I was usually bored or disappointed by the movies I saw back then. One of the few exceptions was Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), which I saw mostly due to Sonny Chiba and the other Japanese stuff in it. If I told you that I skipped seeing Vol. 2 (2004) until a year or so after it came out on home video, would that make my opinion of the first Kill Bill clear enough?

As for Pulp Fiction, I just don't see any greatness here. I don't find the humor funny, the characters are uninteresting, and the best ideas and lines are all taken from better sources. I definitely don't think it's bad, but I wouldn't call it one of the best films of '94 -- and certainly not of all time. Some good stuff is there, but I don't think any scene is 100% successful, including the final sequence, which is probably the best one in the whole movie.

With that being said, I'm glad I got to revisit the film on the big screen, which is undoubtedly the best way to experience movies, but I'm afraid it only reconfirmed my original opinion. 

Ted Thomas, Hong Kong-Based Voice Actor for Godzilla and Bruce Lee Films, Passes Away at Age 93

Ted Thomas during his younger days. Photo courtesy of Ted Thomas.

Word has come from Hong Kong voice actor Peter Boczar that Ted Thomas, the legendary dubber who lent his voice to a variety of tokusatsu productions of the 1960s and '70s, passed away in Thailand on November 26 at the age of 93. 

According to Peter:

His family spread his ashes in Hong Kong harbor a couple of weeks ago, Sunday, Jan 29 then held a small gathering of old friends and family at the Foreign Correspondents' Club where I gave a short tribute[.]

Born in England on July 11, 1929, Ted Thomas would become a cult movie icon when he started his dubbing company Axis International in Hong Kong, which provided English dubbing for a variety of Asian films, including the Godzilla series.

Among his various dubbing credits, Ted Thomas voiced such characters as Dr. Munakata in Dogora the Space Monster (1964), Kawajiri in Gamera vs. Barugon (1966), Kubota in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Emperor Antonio (played by Robert Dunham) in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), and the narrator of Gamera Super Monster (1980). He can be seen onscreen in Mighty Peking Man (1977) as the commissioner who leads the effort to stop the titular creature's rampage. 

Not only that, but he also voiced Godzilla himself in Godzilla vs. Gigan when Godzilla is on and swimming away from Monster Island.

In June 2011, I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Thomas over the phone, which can be found here. The day before we were scheduled to do the interview, I got sick and had to postpone the interview for a week, but fortunately Mr. Thomas was very accommodating. He gave me a great interview the following week and even did quite a bit of editing on the transcript I made. We stayed in touch for a few years after that -- both via email and telephone.

I would occasionally call him at The Hong Kong Club where he was a frequent guest. One time in particular, when he picked up the phone, he couldn't hear what I was saying due to all the noise in the background. He excused himself from our conversation for a moment and then shouted, "SHUT UP!" at the top of his voice, which shushed the folks in the background. Then he proceeded to speak with me as if that hadn't just happened. Suffice it to say, he was a unique individual.

The last time I seem to have received any correspondence from Mr. Thomas was in July 2015, after I sent him an email wishing him a happy birthday. Following that, he never answered any further emails I sent, and I couldn't get a hold of him on the phone. I found out later that he retired to Thailand, but that's all I knew. I would never again communicate with him. 

I'm saddened to hear the news of his passing, but I'll always remember his witty banter in our personal conversations, as well as his iconic voice -- probably the most distinctive voice of any voice actor from any Japanese tokusatsu production. 

Rest in peace, Ted Thomas.

MUSHROOM CLOUDS AND MUSHROOM MOVIES! Attending a Screening of 'Matango' in 35mm!

Matango at the Laputa Asagaya! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another week, another evening at the Laputa Asagaya. Tonight's screening (Monday, February 6) was a 35mm print of Matango (1963), one of Toho's most celebrated genre pictures. To be honest, I'm not sure I would have chosen Matango to screen as part of a sci-fi film festival (it's much more of a horror flick), but I'm sure it was selected due to its popularity. In fact, the theater was pretty close to sold out, despite the fact that it was a Monday evening.

Publicity material for Matango in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

If I'm being completely honest, I almost decided to skip this movie. It's not that I dislike the film -- that certainly isn't true! -- but there was a point a while back when it felt like Matango was getting screened every other week somewhere in Tokyo, and I guess I just got burned out on it. Of course, the period of time I'm talking about was quite a few years ago, but I suppose a bit of the burnout remains. I largely decided to attend the screening because February is likely to be a much quieter month than January, so I ought to seize any opportunity that comes my way.

The 35mm film print looked quite good, although it came with the usual flaws. The movie is a bit of a slow burn, but, once it reaches its climax, it really packs a hefty punch. With that being said, I'm sure you've figured out that I probably don't love this one as much as some others do. But I'd still give it a high ranking, despite the fact that I still wish the filmmakers had come up with a better way to end the scene during which the first mushroom man menaces the main characters by simply having him disappear into thin air.

Overall, it was an enjoyable evening, but I have to admit that I'm looking forward to seeing the remaining films in the program a lot more.