New Oriental Cinema now available!

The newest issue of Damon Foster's Oriental Cinema is now available for purchase! Supplies are limited, so be sure to buy this puppy while it's in stock!

Here's Damon's synopsis:

The many movies of martial arts choreographer Yuen Wo Ping! His career, and his prolific family! Also inside: Many fans add their two cents worth about GODZILLA: FINAL WARS! Plus: NINJASCOPE, THE MAGIC WORLD OF NINJAS! Anime, large-breasted Japanese girls, superheroes and much more!

Destroy All Planets special edition now available!

Retromedia's Destroy All Planets (a.k.a. Gamera vs. Viras) special edition, featuring a commentary track by Carl Craig (who played Jim Morgan in the film), is now available through Amazon.com. Joined by Oriental Cinema's Damon Foster and G-FAN's Brett Homenick, Carl Craig's commentary was recorded at G-FEST 2007 and proved to be highly entertaining.

Order your copy today!

UPDATE: Fred Olen Ray, the owner of Retromedia, responds to a nasty (in more ways than one) Amazon.com reviewer who hasn't even seen the DVD yet! Remember, kids, sometimes it's healthy to get out of the basement once in a while!

Since this program only became available yesterday it's physically impossible for "Ryan" to have seen it or even have received a copy of the DVD. Your "review" is a lie and obviously fueled by a personal agenda. Retromedia was the first company to ever present the AIP-TV Gamera films to the public on DVD and quickly became the source of material for all the cheap DVD labels that flooded the market afterwards. Retromedia also successfully initiated and won a copyright case based on their release of DESTROY ALL PLANETS, so your claim of illegality is BS as well. This DVD doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. It's simply the best edition of the AIP-TV version of the film ever released on DVD and it has an actors commentary track with star Carl Craig. That's all it advertises as being and that's what it is. Next time try watching the film first before rendering your "opinion", and if you happen to work for a rival DVD company, I'd have to say I'm disappointed... these kind of smear tactics are nothing less than juvenile.

G-FEST to take place at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

As an update to a previous blog entry, all G-FEST events (sessions, dealers room, etc.) will take place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, which is right across the street from the Rosemont Hotel. The only exception is that the awards luncheon on Sunday (at which the Mangled Skyscraper Award will be presented to Akira Takarada) will take place at the Rosemont Hotel. Otherwise, for all practical purposes, G-FEST will be hosted at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

The hotels (Rosemont and Doubletree) will essentially be used for sleeping and hanging out. Only the awards luncheon will occur at the Rosemont. Everything else takes place at the Stephens Center.

According to J.D.:

All G-FEST functions and the dealers room are in the same area. There is one entrance for the whole convention. So that means only people with badges will be allowed in. This is different from a hotel set-up, as other hotel guests (or anyone) can walk around the hotel, but in the convention center, only G-FESTers will be allowed into our area.

This year's show promises to be the biggest G-FEST of all time. G-FEST takes place from July 9 to 11 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Don't miss out!

Meeting James Hong

James Hong composes a congratulatory message for Akira Takarada, whose voice he dubbed in Godzilla King of the Monsters! Mr. Hong's message will be read during Mr. Takarada's Mangled Skyscraper Award ceremony.

Before I attended the Ib Melchior book signing, I met with veteran actor James Hong for lunch. I interviewed Mr. Hong for G-FAN magazine several years ago, but this was the first time we got to meet face-to-face. (When I asked him if he'd like to meet for lunch, he readily accepted the invitation.

A happy moment. Brett meets James Hong for the first time.

We talked about several subjects, but one in particular I wanted to discuss was the upcoming G-FEST convention, during which Akira Takarada would be awarded the Mangled Skyscraper Award. Having dubbed Mr. Takarada's voice for the original Godzilla's release in the U.S., Mr. Hong jumped at the chance to compose a congratulatory message, which he wrote on the spot. I will be proud to read this message at G-FEST.

A self-portrait to cap off the lunch. I love this shot, even if it looks less-than-professional!

All in all, it was fun to meet Mr. Hong, who has appeared in countless movies and TV shows over the years. He's always busy with convention appearances, movie/TV roles, and other projects. I was happy to share a meal with him.

Ib Melchior signing event at the Larry Edmunds Bookshop

An impromptu Robinson Crusoe on Mars reunion was one of the highlights of the evening. Ib Melchior, Victor Lundin, and Paul Mantee are joined by Ib's biographer (and Oscar winner) Robert Skotak.

On June 12, The Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood, CA, hosted a signing event for writer-director Ib Melchior, who recently authored his autobiographical Six Cult Films from the Sixties, which is available through BearManor Media. Joe Dante and Mick Garris from the Trailers from Hell Web site were also scheduled to attend, in part to screen trailers from several of Ib's science fiction films.

The event hit a bit of a snag when the Trailers from Hell crew arrived, apparently having left their trailers for Ib's movies in the underworld, but the Larry Edmunds employees were able to fix the situation without much of a hitch, screening the trailers for The Angry Red Planet, The Time Travelers (on a computer screen, as no other copy was available at the moment), and Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I have to say that they certainly worked their tails off to ensure a fun evening for all involved.

"TGIF," says Ib, as Victor "Friday" Lundin stops by his autograph table.

Robert Skotak and Ib Melchior enjoyed the chance to catch up during the event.

I was surprised that the lead actors of Robinson Crusoe on Mars attended the event. I was excited to meet Victor Lundin...

... and Paul Mantee!

Hanging with Ib Melchior as the event winds down.

The signing went very well. Attendance was strong, and book sales were impressive. Earlier this afternoon, Ib phoned to thank me for coming and helping out. Other signings are in the works. Be sure to attend; you'll be glad you did!

Gamera 3 article: uncut, uncensored, and uncooked!

Per Evan Brehany, his Gamera 3 article that appeared in G-FAN #91, in a somewhat edited form, has been published on his blog. This version is totally uncut and includes even more facts than what you read in G-FAN. Check it out!

G-FEST sessions to take place at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

G-FEST keeps getting bigger and bigger!

With a month left before convention festivities kick off, there's an important update G-FEST attendees must know.

From G-FAN.com:

Due to unprecedented demand, sessions for this year’s G-FEST have been relocated to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It is located across the street from the convention hotels (the Rosemont and the Doubletree), and connected to both hotels by an enclosed skywalk. Individual hotel reservations and parking arrangements are not affected by the move. 

Because of the freeing up of meeting space at the Rosemont, tickets for the Awards Luncheon (which had sold out) are once again available. If you had wanted to purchase luncheon tickets, please send payment ($22.00 for adult, $15.00 for youth) via PayPal to gfest@mb.sympatico.ca. Please include a message stating for whom the tickets are being purchased.