Ryuhei Kitamura’s samurai action film, AZUMI gets its American Premiere at the
Egyptian Theatre with the director in attendance. ©2003 “Azumi” Production
Committee

AZUMI Plays to an Appreciative Audience
Author: Richard Pusateri
Source: AsiaVision

The American premiere of AZUMI was almost sneaked onto the Egyptian Theatre on Tuesday night, July 25, 2006, by AsiaVision. The presentation was originally described as an advanced screening of the 2003 teen samurai adventure AZUMI. However that night, the presentation was described as the “American premiere” with surprise guest director Ryuhei Kitamura.
Continued…

The Japanese and US versions of GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN/GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER and MOTHRA VS GODZILLA/GODZILLA VS THE THING are coming to DVD in America. © 1955, 1964 Toho Co., Ltd.

Source: Classic Media
Official site: Godzilla on DVD

Classic Media follows up their 2-disc GOJIRA/GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS set with two more DVDs featuring early Godzilla films. The new DVDs will feature both the original Japanese version (with English subtitles), the US release version, audio commentaries, and other extra features.

The first sequel GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (Gojira no Gyakushu, 1955) is paired with the US edit GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER (1959). Both versions of the film are in the original 1.33:1 theatrical aspect ratio. MOTHRA VS GODZILLA (Mosura tai Gojira, 1964) and the US release GODZILLA VS THE THING (1964) are in widescreen. The GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN and MOTHRA VS GODZILLA DVDs will be available separately in November, and as part of a six movie box set (release date tba).

Please see Classic Media’s latest press release for further details.

GODZILLA and SON OF GODZILLA will be playing at the
historic Dryden Theatre this week. © 1954 Toho Co., Ltd.
© 2004 Rialto Pictures

The Dryden Theatre screens GODZILLA and SON OF GODZILLA this weekend
Source: John Yeara
Official Site: George Eastman House

FRIDAY, JULY 21 DOUBLE FEATURE: Two films for one regular admission price!
7:00 PM - GODZILLA (Gojira, 1954) It all started here… the first adventure of the screen’s biggest movie star (literally!). Director: Ishiro Honda, 98 minutes, in Japanese with English subtitles
9:00 PM – SON OF GODZILLA (Kaijuto no Kessen: Gojira no Mosuko, 1967) A United Nations scientific team discovers that the South Pacific Island they’ve chosen for an important experiment is home to giant monsters, including a Baby Godzilla. Director Jun Fukuda, 84 minutes, in Japanese with English subtitles

Following on August 11 is a double feature of GODZILLA VS DESTOROYAH (English language version) and GODZILLA, MOTHRA, AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (in Japanese with English subtitles).

The Dryden Theatre is part of the George Eastman House motion picture museum, 900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607. Ticket prices for the Godzilla double features are: Regular Admission $6.00, Students $5.00, George Eastman House Members $4.00.

Additional details available here.

Build All Monsters! Diorama coutesy of Bill Jones. www.monsterjones.com ©2006 Toho Co., ltd.

Enter CreatureScape’s Japanese monster model photo contest now until July 31!
Official Site: CreatureScape

As CreatureScape, “The Monster Model and Movie Magazine for the 21st Century,” begins its fourth year of web and hard copy publication, it is devoting August to kaiju. In conjunction with the theme, they are having a kaiju model photo contest.

CreatureScape was the first magazine printed on CD ROM in the world. It reads like a website and when you pop it in your computer, your browser takes over. As the magazine has grown, the number of articles, videos and now even music require a DVD sized disc.
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The Oavian cometh! The Japanese scifi film THE iDol
premieres this weekend at the Fantasia Film Festival.
Photo courtesy of Norman England. © 2005-2006 iD
Images

Exciting new production debuts at Fantasia, SciFi Japan chats up the director!
Author: Aaron Cooper
Official Site: The iDol
Special thanks to Keith Aiken and Bob Johnson

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

U.S. born Norman England is known by genre fans as a journalist and photographer of Japanese films and productions. His work has appeared in such magazines as Fangoria, Starlog, Japanese Giants and Hobby Japan, as well as many more Japanese publications. With the help of many of the contacts he’s made through the years, Norman has written, directed and produced the film THE iDol. Norman has graciously agreed to sit with SciFi Japan and discuss THE iDol, which premieres at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, Canada on July 16th, 2006.

SciFi Japan: Before we get into the production details, let’s learn more about Norman England, the person. Tell us a little about yourself and how it was you ended up with a career in the Japanese film industry.

Norman England: My life in Japan began when I moved to Osaka in 1992. Before this I was a guitarist with a rock group and worked in a studio in New York City. I became interested in Japan during the Japanese economic bubble period of the mid ‘80s. At this time there was a wave of nouveau riche Japanese entering the city. It was an exciting time of learning because, more then than today, there was a huge cultural gap. I liked the Japanese I met and, following the unexpected and sudden break up of my band, I decided to move to Japan. To be honest, I didn’t have any clear vision as to why I did so. I guess I did it because it seemed extreme.
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The Mars Terraforming Project spaceship Izanami delivers a deadly cargo to earth in NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS. Photo courtesy of Central Park Media.
© 2005 Jun Awazu/CoMix Wave

The award-winning GC kaiju film comes to the Alamo Mason Park Cinema
Source: Central Park Media, CoMix Wave
Official US Site: Negadon Attacks
Official Japanese Site (in English): Wakusei Daikaiju Negadon

Central Park Media continues their US theatrical release of NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS (Wakusei Daikaiju Negadon) with a limited run at the Alamo Mason Park Cinema in Houston, Texas starting this Wednesday, July 12, 2006. The popular computer-generated monster movie will be shown with CPM’s animated short CAT SOUP and the CG horror short KAKURENBO: HIDE AND SEEK.

For complete details, please see Central Park Media’s press release.

NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS will also be released nationwide on DVD tomorrow.

The next war of the monsters to take place in Brooklyn this August
Source: Studio Kaiju LLC
Official Site: Kaiju.com

Dr. Cube and his monster forces will menace
New York next month.©2006 Studio Kaiju LLC

While most monster fights are relegated to the theater or television screen, kaiju fans in New York will have a chance to see some live city-crushing monster mayhem, up close and in person as KAIJU BIG BATTEL returns to Brooklyn next month. A hybrid of Japanese monster movies, pro wrestling, music, and lowbrow pop culture, the next KAIJU BIG BATTEL will feature more than 20 kaiju fighting for control of the earth as the Kaiju Commissioner tries to finally put a stop to the villainous Dr. Cube. Opening the show will be the Japanese action comic punks called Peelander-Z.

KAIJU BIG BATTEL’s popularity continues to grow, and the event has been enjoying a great deal of exposure lately from G4TV’s daily “Action Blast” reports as well as the recently released OTAKU UNITE! DVD. Last month saw the special “Someone Must Die!” BATTEL at the Anime Boston convention, which went over big with an audience weaned on seizure-inducing “pocket monsters” and tentacle-bound schoolgirls.

The next KAIJU BIG BATTEL will take place at the Warsaw in Greenpoint, which is located at 261 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222. The all-ages event opens at 8pm on Friday, August 4. Tickets are now available through Ticketmaster. For more information on KAIJU BIG BATTEL check out the official press release from Studio Kaiju.

GOJIRA/GODZILLA ©1954 Toho Co., Ltd. Photo ©2006 Classic Media.

Source: Classic Media
Official site: Godzilla on DVD

The 60-second promotional trailer for Classic Media’s GOJIRA/GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS 2-disc Collector’s Edition DVD will premiere online on Friday, July 7 at IGN.com. The trailer is the final feature on “IGN Weekly Episode 16″, the website’s 14 minute long video magazine that covers current video game, movie, and DVD news.

For more information on the Classic Media Godzilla DVDs, check the official website and the earlier reports here on SciFi Japan.