Do you love Ultraman? Do you love giant Japanese monster movies? Do you love really weird obscure movies?
Well odds are if you are reading Monster Island News the answer is pretty obvious isn't it!
Let me tell you about a a very cool little film that you probably have never heard of called "Space Warriors 2000" which is a mish-mash of clips from old "Ultraman" episodes, and from the looks of it other Japanese monster movies, combined with new footage to create a stand alone movie.
Think of it like "Power Rangers", "Gamera Super Monster" or how Turkish sci fi films are made.
Anyway the film was produced in the mid 1980s and released to TV here in the United States. After the movie aired it disappeared into obscurity never to be seen again.
That is, until now. It seems that a distributor called Spectrum Ventures has gotten a hold of a print of "Space Warriors 2000" and has plans to possibly release it to DVD. Only one problem, the print has deteriorated to a point where it is no longer of any quality for such a release. Being that there would be both time and money issues in restoring SW2000 Spectrum is wavering on their plans.
This is where you come in.
Richard Gladman of the Cyberschizoid blog has engineered a campaign via email and Facebook to let Spectrum see just how much fan support there is for a "Space Warriors 2000" DVD release.
Apparently cobbled together in the mid-eighties from footage taken from two Ultraman movies (one in fact a TV special called Ultraman Zoffy:The Ultra Warriors vs The Great Monster Army!!!) and released to American television, this is an immensely entertaining giant monster fest which is perfect for lovers of bad movies and trash cinema!
Here is a clip:
As Ultraman fans we all have a duty to persuade Spectrum Ventures to release "Space Warriors 2000" on DVD! Remember .... you have the power!
The mighty monster Godzilla is on the march on this black t-shirt! This is a 100% pre-shrunk cotton, short sleeve men's black t-shirt. Machine washable. Order yours today!
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For anyone following the progress of the upcoming Legendary Pictures American made "Godzilla" film, one name should stand out above the rest in regards to the films list of producers, Yoshimitsu Banno, a man who was responsible for helming one of the most controversial G films of all-time, "Godzilla vs Hedorah."
For you see, Godzilla, and Banno, were way ahead of the curve when it came to ecology. A full two decades before Al Gore was causing politicians, and the general public, to loose sleep over pollution, 'the king of monsters' was already on the case.
Though many critics have looked unfavorably at Banno, and "Godzilla vs Hedorah", his film would follow a natural progression that began in 1954 with the release of the original "Gojira", though this time around the film maker would change the message of Japan's most famous movie series from anti-bomb to anti-pollution.
Granted, in the early 70s, Banno and Godzilla were not alone, recycling, conservation and other anti-pollution buzz words were on the lips of the younger generation who saw that man's folly and wastefulness would eventually lead to his demise.
A message that seemed to fit in perfectly with the times.
Banno's vision of a Godzilla film was very much different from any of the films that either proceeded, or followed it. The film maker added several elements to "Godzilla vs Hedorah", such as animation, abstract images and actual letters from Japanese school children, that seemed a bit out of place in a movie of this type.
The film maker would also include scenes that were obviously inspired by Toho's previous sci fi film "The H-Man" and the American 1958 cult horror, "The Blob."
Risky move s to say the least, and moves that would ultimately lead to Banno never getting a chance to direct a Godzilla movie again.
During the filming of "Godzilla vs Hedorah" producer Tomoyuki Tanaka was very ill in the hospital, so Banno was allowed to direct, 'without a net', so to speak. After his release, Tanaka became furious after viewing the finished film and told Banno that, "...he ruined the Godzilla series and that he would never direct at Toho again."
Tanaka's reaction came much to the surprise of the film maker, who believed that his film could have been the starting point for a new and different series of Godzilla films. In fact while filming "Godzilla vs Hedorah", Banno had began to develop two other G films, one a direct sequel and another where Godzilla would fight a giant mutant starfish. Again, the underlying message of both films would be anti-pollution.
Plot:
Hedorah, an alien lifeform, lands on Earth and begins feeding on pollution. Thanks to his toxic nature, as well as his acidic, poisonous body, Hedorah very nearly puts an end to Godzilla in their struggle. Godzilla finally destroys Hedorah by dehydrating him using electrical generators set up by the military and his own atomic ray. The film contains several strange impressionistic animated scenes portraying the smog monster at his evil work.
On a side note, this was the first (and only) time we see Godzilla fly under his own power. He uses his atomic ray as jet propulsion. Director Banno reportedly added the scene to provide a light moment in what is otherwise a fairly dark film compared to many of those which preceded it.
As a Godzilla film, "Godzilla vs Hedorah" is a bit boring a times. The monster action seems to drag and in the end, Godzilla needs a lot of help from the military to defeat Hedorah, constantly having to force the monster between two giant electrodes to shock it to death.
As is the case with almost all the Toho sci fi films, post Eji Tsuburaya (the father of Japanese special effects, who had passed away a year prior), the effects in "Godzilla vs Hedorah" are inconsistent, and not of prior quality. Though it should be noted that Teruyoshi Nakano (a top member of Tsuburaya's staff who took over for the master) didn't use either over-the-top pyrotechnics or stock footage, both of which became standard in the Godzilla movies of the 1970s, in this film.
On the plus side, the film is a little more hip, and artsy, than any other Godzilla film. Two points that are somewhat refreshing, though most monster movie fans would agree that better monster action would be preffered over the films more artistic qualities.
Though I do want to give props to Banno for his excellent use of visuals. If he wanted to convey just how ugly pollution can be, he did a perfect job.
However, the ecology issue really kinda gets old after it's been driven home over and over again.
After all is said and done, is "Godzilla vs Hedorah" a bad film? No, it's just different. It's enjoyable, entertaining and thought provoking, which depending on your mood, could be good or bad.
There are obviously other Godzilla films that I would pull out of my video library to watch before "Godzilla vs Hedorah", but as a change-up, it's definitely worth a the time.
As we all know, Yoshimitsu Banno tried in vein to continue on the legacy of his one and only Godzilla film with the never produced "Godzilla 3D to the Max." In that film, Godzilla would have fought against a more modern version of Hedorah, called "Deathla", in South America and here in North America.
Now that the film maker is attached to "Godzilla 2012" it is unknown just how much input he will have on the film, or if any of his unused film ideas will be included in the films story.
A Godzilla film that has an environmental message? In 2012? Seems to fit right in with current events doesn't it? We'll just have to wait and see.
Gojira tai Hedorâ Aka: "Godzilla vs. Hedora" & "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster"
Akira Yamauchi as Dr. Yano Toshie Kimura as Toshie Yano Hiroyuki Kawase as Ken Yano Keiko Mari as Miki Fujiyama Toshio Shiba as Yukio Keuchi Yukihiko Gondô as Mean general Eisaburo Komatsu as Fisherman Tadashi Okabe as Scientist Wataru Ômae as Helpless police officer Susumu Okabe as Interviewer Haruo Nakajima as Gojira Kenpachiro Satsuma as Hedorah
Eric Powell & Tracy Marsh (w) • Phil Hester (a) • Eric Powell, Jeff Zornow (c)
France is in danger when the mysterious egg that washes ashore begins to hatch, but should the military be worried about what's inside the egg or those creepy kids who found it? Also, a community of monks has a religious experience of the 3-headed variety. And all the while, Godzilla seems hell-bent on coming to America...but hasn't Anguirus already claimed it as his turf? Fight! Fight! Fight!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 *2 regular covers will be shipped in a 4-to-1 ratio (4 Eric Powell, 1 Jeff Zornow cover)
You really have to give these (unknown) Japanese Godzilla fans alot of credit. Not only have they built an exact replica of the Godzilla suit from "Mothra vs Godzilla" (Godzilla vs The Thing) but they also run a very cool G site called "Godzilla Gao" and ink a very cool G themed manga (comic) called "Monster's Territory".
Wew! That's some real devotion to the "King of Monsters" there.
Now their website is all in Japanese so I really couldn't find out very much about them, but from what English text the group posted along with their latest video, which is great by the way, I gather that they have been working on their Godzilla suit for 11 years.
11 years!
Well from the video it looks like it's completed and it looks really spot on to the one worn by Haruo Nakajima in the film. The group has also created a really cool King Ghidorah puppet for Big G to interact with.
My advice. Legendary Pictures outta give these guys a look up.
I'm just saying.
Here is the video, plus some older ones of the Godzilla suit being worked on:
Here are a couple of pages from "Monster's Territory":
I just wanted to quickly share these quotes from director Dean Devlin about Legendary's new "Godzilla 3D" film and why his G film failed. These come in response to questions posed by Bloody Disgusting's Chris Eggersten:
First on "Godzilla 3D":
"I'm happy. First of all, one of the people at Legendary involved with it is Bill Fay, who was one of the producers with me on the last version. You know, to get another shot at getting that one right, I understand why they want to do it, and I really hope...the best [for them]. I hope they get it right."
Then on why "Godzilla 98" failed:
"Listen, I think there's a lot of wonderful stuff in that movie, I really do," ( in the film's defense) "[But] I think the problem with that movie was the script I wrote. I think Roland did an amazing job directing it, I think the actors are great, I think when people look back now on the Blu-ray and see the visual effects, it's a lot better than what people said at the time. The problem was the script! I made some big errors in that script. I wish I hadn't, I wish I had a chance to fix it. But in another way, it's allowed me to be a better writer since, because I made the mistakes on one, and I realized I'm never gonna make those mistakes again!"
"If you're gonna fail, fail big!"
Hmmmmm ...... maybe a big part of it was the fact that Godzilla wasn't in it! Maybe you should have made up your mind whether we were supposed to fear the monster or feel sympathy for it? Maybe Godzilla should have been the one tearing up NYC instead of the military?
This August, you will be able to own all 100 covers from IDW’s unprecedented promotion. All proceeds will be donated to the International Medical Corps for tsunami relief in Japan.
Pre-order your copy today! Diamond order code: JUN11 0450.
Godzilla Charity Book
Godzilla: 100 Cover Charity Spectacular
Alex Ross, Eric Powell, Various (a) • Matt Frank (c)
This March, IDW unleashed an unprecedented promotion in the direct comics market. A chance for retailers to have their stores smashed by Godzilla! When count was done, there 100 covers of this landmark issue. Now, it’s a chance to own all the covers, and for a good cause! IDW will be donating all proceeds from this one-of-a-kind one-shot to the International Medical Corps for tsunami relief in Japan.
*Retailers: See your order form for incentive information.
Godzilla Gangsters and Goliaths #1 SDCC 2011 Exclusive:
Godzilla should have gotten his 4-day passes earlier before they sold out! Godzilla crashes the SDCC party! Limited edition!
Exclusive original cover with Godzilla attacking the San Diego Convention Center! Join Detective Makoto Sato as he travels to Monster Island and faces extinction from both gangsters and goliaths. His survival depends on his wit and the help of some unusual friends. Limited edition of only 5,000 copies.
I just got tipped off to a great Godzilla movie festival at Washburn University (Kansas) this weekend. It's actually a Godzilla film festival with a touch of Frankenstein thrown in for good measure. Now I don't expect all of you to start packing for Topeka immediately after reading this, but if you are close by you should check it out.
Here is the press release:
The big green guy is stomping back to Washburn University for the sixth annual Godzilla and Friends Festival on May 6 and 7. No admission is charged and the public is invited to this event that celebrates the cultural history behind the giant creature in all of its bizarre diversity.
Events are planned 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 6, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 7, with film and trailer screenings, various commentaries, contests and giveaways in room 112 of the Henderson Learning Resources Center.
A contest to see who can put forth the best imitation of the monster Japanese film star will be Saturday afternoon. All films will be shown in English. The new edition of the festival includes the theme of “Monster Mash,” in which numerous giant monsters compete for screen time and challenge one another.
The schedule is:
May 6 (Friday)
7 p.m.: “Destroy All Monsters,” (1969), features monsters from the earlier series plus creatures who warranted their own feature films, such as “Varan, the Unbelieveable.” Previews of other monster films will be shown.
May 7 (Saturday)
“Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster,” (1964). Created by Toho Studios, this giant creature is an unusual adversary who was resurrected many times to Battle Godzilla. Here he meets Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra in what would be the fifth entry in the initial Godzilla (Gojira) series.
“Monster Mash” entry I: “House of Frankenstein,” (1944), starring Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. and includes the Wolf Man, Count Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, the mad doctor and the hunchback.
“Monster Mash” entry II: “How to Make a Monster,” (1958). Teenage Frankenstein and Werewolf are at the mercy of a studio make-up artist gone mad. A cheapie black and white movie that ends in a firey color climax.
Bill Tsutsui, author and University of Kansas professor, will share his experiences during the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
A surprise feature film will conclude event.
The Godzilla and Friends Film Festival VI is hosted by KTWU TV and is made possible with support from the Washburn University office of international programs, office of multicultural affairs and Center for Diversity Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Kansas and donations from audience members.
In conjunction with the festival, KTWU will show their own giant monster movie, “The Giant Gila Monster,” at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7. This oddball offering from 1959 is a “Godzilla” knock-off in which a giant gila monster roams the desert and attacks trains and people before finally being stopped by a band of industrious teenagers. The special effects are of the low-tech variety with miniature trains being burned with match-size flames.
For information, call Bill Shaffer at 785-670-1111.
Godzilla, Frankenstein and The Giant Gila Monster? Kansas is the hip place to be this weekend monster maniacs!
"Godzilla, Frankenstein and Gila Monsters! Oh, My! Now I... I know we're not in Kansas!"
Toho's iconic monster Godzilla unleashes one of his earth-shattering screams on this t-shirt. The T-shirt has Godzilla raging with "Kreeeaung!" in giant letters! Fear the legendary monster! This 100% cotton, high-quality silver t-shirt is pre-shrunk and machine washable. Order yours today!
Written By: Ken Hulsey Sources: Avery Guerra / Robert Hood
Ohio based Mitch Teemley and the folks over at Moriah Media are about to lampoon one of the largest movie franchises ever, a iconic movie series that the great Mel Brooks never had the stones to take on himself. I am, of course, talking about the "King of Monsters" ...... Godzilla.
Okay, I know what your thinking. "Wow! Hold on lawyer alert! Legal team ready......ATTACK!!!!
Over the past several years Toho has shown that they are more than happy, and willing, to sue anyone that produces anything that remotely resembles their beloved monster. This time, surprisingly, the famed Japanese movie company has given their blessing at having "Big G" parodied by an American film company ..... more on that in a moment.
Teemly has a script at the ready for "Notzilla: Duke of the Monsters" a script that has already gained a lot of attention when it made it into the final round of the Worldfest Contest, one of the largest screenplay competitions in the world.
After the screenplay was so widely praised Teemly actually stuck it under the nose of Toho to see if they had any interest in developing it into a film.
The film maker explains, "Actually I offered the project to Toho not long after I wrote it. They weren’t interested in spoofing their own films, but wished us well. Parodies are not plagiarism; if they were, Saturday Night Live would have been shut down 35 years ago! Notzilla will not feature any footage from Toho films, nor will the monster be a visual copy of Godzilla."
Understanding why Toho may not want to lampoon their own monster Teemly then set his sights on making the film here in America with a big budget and with any luck a major studio behind him.
He adds, "Notzilla is intended for mainstream release (we have serious interest from both the majors and large indie distributors), and Moriah Media is for-profit company, by the way. A Fox Searchlight analyst estimated a $40 million North American box office gross; international box office is expected to exceed that. We are actively seeking completion funding!"
That's a lot of greenbacks!
Teemly knew that if he wanted to get a studio to take him seriously he would have to produce something visual to go along with his beloved screenplay. A teaser trailer was in order!
Check out the great clip that Moriah Media produced!
But wait .... that's not all!
Teemly then set out to get some "star power" for his "Notzilla" film and landed Patrick Warburton, who you may remember from the spoof superhero series, "The Tick". Just like when Franklin J. Schaffner landed Charlton Heston for a "talking monkey movie" no one was interested in called "Planet of the Apes"Teemly hopes the presence of Warburton will add credibility to his production and ultimately aide in getting the backing he needs.
The film maker notes, "Patrick Warburton is attached to star. I wrote the lead role of the “brilliant young American scientist”, Dr Dick Harvard (who’s actually not very brilliant nor very young) for him. All of the other leads are Japanese.
"Notzilla" has not yet been filmed. We are in the midst of capitalization and are using the teaser to generate investor interest. I appeared as a guest at G-Fest in Chicago last year and read segments of the screenplay to a very enthusiastic crowd. We’ve lined up some crack crew heads: Production Designer Robert Harbour designed sets for Heroes and X-Files; multi-Emmy winning Director of Photography Jeff Barklage shot the teaser; Oscar-nominated producer Melissa Godoy is also attached to oversee production."
Here is the story:
In the future (1975), “brilliant young American scientist” Dr Dick Harvard (played by not-so-brilliant and not-so-young Raymond L. Suave) leads a team of crack scientists in atomic testing (no one knows why) near Yomama Bay. The unexpected result (these scientists don’t watch enough B-pictures): a prehistoric egg is shaken loose, after being exposed to massive amounts of radiation. Of course.
Dick’s mentor, “brilliant old Japanese scientist”, Dr Nissan Toyota, succeeds in hatching a dinosaur! But then it escapes, and begins growing at an alarming rate. Of course.
Dr Toyota wants to save the creature. But Dick is certain it will attack Tokyo. “Because that’s what always happens”. The two split up. Dick goes off to build his atomic molecule blaster, which he admits will leave a radioactive cloud over Tokyo for fifty years (“but after that you’ll never even know it was there”), while Toyota seeks a gentler alternative that will keep the monster alive.
Notzilla attacks Tokyo. Sort of. Actually he’s on a lark, playing with the miniature city, reversing toy trains, eating plastic soldiers, running a touchdown with a blimp under his arm. He parties hard while thousands of people run screaming in the streets (actually a couple dozen of the same people run screaming over and over again).
The army, led by General Buzz Kurosawa (George Takei—Star Trek, Heroes), is powerless to stop the monster (though Kurosawa, an amateur filmmaker, does get some great footage). Dick completes his controversial molecule blaster. He’s about to use it when Dr. Toyota shows up with his alternative device. In a rage, Dick accidentally turns the blaster on himself, resulting in his own over-the-top death scene—which schlock actor Raymond L. Suave had hoped would result in an Oscar nomination. It didn’t.
Toyota’s device stops Notzilla, but does not kill him, leaving the creature free to defend Tokyo from other latex monsters in the future!
- also -
"Notzilla" purports to be a restored print of a 1966 Japanese film, a long-lost classic of the genre. It begins with a special “anniversary release” prologue in which Rudy McBernstein, president of Great Big Impressive Pictures International, introduces viewers to the 1966 masterpiece, "Notzilla, the Duke of Monsters", the last film ever to feature American TV star Raymond L. Suave (Patrick Warburton).
How can you not love that?!
Teemly adds, "Notzilla is a classic monster movie spoof with heart—it makes a gently teasing statement about cultural arrogance. Also … reversing the trend toward raunchy, R-rated parodies, Notzilla is a family-friendly PG film with positive values. It’s clean enough for grandparents to take their grandkids to … and hip enough for college guys to drag their girlfriends to. Everyone will love Notzilla!"
Everyone should .... and if they don't they should be taken out in the desert and ...... wait ..... I got a little worked up there .... sorry.
Here are some bullet points that Teemly wants everyone to know:
The expected budget is $1.5 million. There’s a complete package (Investors Memorandum and Business Plan) available for any potential investors out there. It’s a great opportunity; they expect return on investment in the 1,000 to 2,000% range.
They’re looking at a 2012 shoot and a 2013 release.
No, there are no other daikaiju, aliens, or creatures. Notzilla is basically a spoof of the original one-monster flicks (Godzilla/Gojira, Mothra, Rodan, Gamera, etc.), rather than the “versus” films. It’s in colour, of course, widescreen, and utilizes a single Anglo-American actor in a lead role as did a number of the Toho films.
All f/x will be suitmation and miniatures, since Notzilla purports to be a film made in the pre-CGI era. Other vintage f/x will include rear-screen projection, robotics, and cheezy practicals—shaking the camera, for example, to indicate an explosion.
Here some stills from the promo trailer and a couple of sketches of the monster:
IDW has just released the cover art and information about their July issues. Included in that was the low-down on "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" #4 and "Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths" #2 which should be of extreme interest to anyone who reads MIN ....... and loves Godzilla.
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #5
Eric Powell & Tracy Marsh (w) • Victor Dos Santos (a) • Eric Powell, Jeff Zornow (c)
After last issue's momentous tussle of giants, it's now painfully clear that Armageddon has descended on the human race. The government's bungled attempts to thwart the giant monsters have left an infrastructure in ruin and a nomad society desperately struggling to survive. And also... GIANT MONSTER
FIGHTS! Destruction abounds in this issue of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters, featuring new artist Victor Dos Santos!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 *2 regular covers will be shipped in a 4-to-1 ratio (4 Eric Powell, 1 Jeff Zornow cover) *Variants: Matt Frank Ghidorah cover
Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #2 (of 5)
John Layman (w) • Alberto Ponticelli (a) • James Stokoe, Ponticelli, (c)
Detective MakotoSato returns from Monster Island and he's brought some unusual new friends. Heading straight to the corrupt Chief of Police, Sato makes it clear he'll bring justice to the streets of Tokyo no matter what. To prove his point, Sato decides to show off his new partner... MOTHRA! But Sato might be biting off more than he can chew... after all, there's more than one monster in town! FC • 32 pages • $3.99
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio *Variants: B&W Stokoe cover
We, of course, published the "A" cover for "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" in an article a mouth ago. Anguirus of King Ghidorah? Can't go wrong with either of those!
Other titles to get all geeked up about:
Rocketeer Adventures #3 (of 4)
Joe R. Lansdale, Jonathan Ross, Ryan Sook (w) • Tommy Lee Edwards, Ryan Sook, Bruce Timm (a) • Alex Ross, Dave Stevens (c)
The third rollicking issue of Rocketeer Adventures goes from high-spirited pulp adventures from a decidedly unexpected source, to the too-cool junior Rocketeer brigade—plus another rollicking tale, and a couple of beautiful pin-ups—it just doesn't get any better than this! *2 regular covers will be shipped in a 4-to-1 ratio (4 Alex Ross, 1 Dave Stevens sketch cover)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 *Variants: Alex Ross variant sketch cover Rocketeer #3 Black & White Edition (The entire comic in b&w!)
- And -
Doctor Who #7
Tony Lee (w) • Matthew Dow Smith (a) • Tommy Lee Edwards, photo (c)
When Worlds Collide: Part 2 of 3—Separated into three worlds, the Doctor battles dinosaurs on a flying carpet, Rory pulls the sword in the stone to fight Wild West gunfighters, and Amy joins the French Resistance to fight the Sontarans. Only the TARDIS can join the worlds together, but where is it?
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. FC • 32 pages • $3.99 *Variants: Matthew Dow Smith cover
Written By: Ken Hulsey
