Guilala with director Kawasaki (right, in black) and the actors
representing former Japanese Prime Ministers in the new film
©2008 SHOCHIKU Co.,Ltd.

The X From Outer Space Returns in 2008!
Author: James M. Ballard
Sources: Eiga.com, Bunkatsushin.com

The monster Guilala from Shochiku’s bizarre 1967 kaiju feature THE X FROM OUTER SPACE (Uchuu Daikaijuu Girara) will return more than 40 years later in the new feature film GUILALA’S COUNTERATTACK: THE TOUYAKO SUMMIT ONE-SHOT CRISIS (Girara-no Gyakushuu Touyako Samitto Kiki Ippatsu, 2008), Shochiku announced at their head office in Tsukiji, Tokyo on January 29th.

In this new disaster movie, the world’s greatest minds gather at the G8 summit in Toyako, Hokkaido, while a Chinese space craft crashes in the outskirts of Sapporo carrying the spores of the space monster Guilala.
Continued…

Author: Kim Song-ho (Loomis)
Official Website: Cloverfield Movie

(Left to right) Rob (Michael Stahl-David), Marlena (Lizzy Caplan) and Lily (Jessica
Lucas) are on the run from a terrorizing monster in CLOVERFIELD. Photo
courtesy of Paramount Pictures. © 2008 Paramount Pictures.

SPOILER WARNING: The following review contains plot details for CLOVERFIELD.

CLOVERFIELD may not be the greatest giant monster film of all time, but it is the most realistic one. As with other genres, giant monster films have long been made from a simple premise without much drastic change - a giant creature which possesses overwhelming might causes unprecedented disaster. CLOVERFIELD overcomes it with style. This film even blows the audience out of their seats sometimes.
Continued…

Advertising art for CLOVERFIELD, the highly-anticipated
giant monster movie opening this Friday. Photo courtesy of
Paramount Pictures. © 2008 Paramount Pictures.

“In the same way that GODZILLA was about the anxiety of the nuclear age, and the atomic bomb and Hiroshima, the monster in CLOVERFIELD is a metaphor for our times and being able to find a way to approach those feelings without diminishing or exploiting them.” – Matt Reeves, Director, CLOVERFIELD

For months, moviegoers have been buzzing about CLOVERFIELD, the mysterious new giant monster movie coming from Paramount Pictures. The studio and production company Bad Robot have have been extremely secretive about the film, leading to all manner of outlandish speculation about the movie’s story and monster. Now Paramount finally breaks the silence with extensive production notes featuring quotes from the cast and crew, complimented with behind the scenes photos. Ignore the rumors and find out the facts direct from the filmmakers.

CLOVERFIELD opens in the United States this Friday, January 18.
Continued…

(From left to right) The outer case of the Standard Edition D-WAR DVD; contents for the Standard Edition; and cover art for the rental and major retailer version.
© 2008 Younggu Art Entertainment Co., Ltd.

The Korean monster film on DVD in its native country
Author: Kim Song-ho (Loomis)
Source: KD Media

On February 1, a South Korean company called KD Media will release DRAGON WARS in two separate Region 3 DVD versions – the Limited Editon Special Pack, limited to 5,000 sets, and a Standard Edition. The difference between the two versions are not that remarkable. The former will have two storyboard books and five postcards with never-before-seen poster artworks in the package. The latter will have only a booklet.
Continued…

A gallery of monsters from ULTRA Q and ULTRAMAN greet attendees of “Ultraman Exhibition–Operation Roppongi Sky” in Tokyo.
Photo courtesy of Ed Godziszewski. © 2007 Tsuburaya Productions/ Mori Building Co., Ltd.

Japanese Exhibit Devoted to ULTRA Q, ULTRAMAN and ULTRA SEVEN
Author: Ed Godziszewski

Ticket for the exhibition. © 2007 Tsuburaya Productions/ Mori Building Co., Ltd.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the classic science fiction Ultraman series, a series of special Ultraman-themed exhibitions have taken place throughout Japan since early 2006. As a finale for this series of events, “Ultraman Exhibition–Operation Roppongi Sky” (Urutoraman Dai Hakurankai: Roppongi Tenku Daisakusen) opened on December 6, 2007 at the Mori Arts Center Gallery located on the 52nd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in the center of Tokyo. An exhibition of original props, artwork, and memorabilia from the first three Ultra series, many of which have are being shown to the public for the very first time, this display runs through January 20 of 2008.
Continued…

Dutch and Kevin Frederick with John Roberto (Center) from the June 2006
Chiller Theater Show, months before he was diagnosed with cancer. Photo
courtesy of John DeSentis.

Author: Robert Biondi and John “Dutch” DeSentis

On December 6, 2007, John Rocco Roberto died following a long battle with cancer. In the 1990s, John organized the first Godzilla conventions in the United States and headed Daikaiju Enterprises & Productions, which published the fanzine Kaiju-Fan and the late Guy Mariner Tucker’s book Age of the Gods: A History of the Japanese Fantasy Film. More recently, he maintained the Kaiju-Fan website.

In memory of his passing, his good friends John DeSentis and Robert Biondi have written about John’s life both inside and outside of fandom.
Continued…

Cover for the new book Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters.
© 2007 Tsuburaya Productions/ Chronicle Books LLC

Author: Richard Pusateri
Source: Chronicle Books
Special thanks to Brad Warner and Ed Godziszewski

North American fans of Japanese science fiction, horror and fantasy movies received a wonderful gift in late 2007. The first English language book detailing the life and work of Eiji Tsuburaya has arrived. Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters, produced with the cooperation of Tsuburaya Productions and Toho Company Ltd., has photographs from the best sources and text by August Ragone, perhaps the most knowledgeable American on the subject of Japanese fantasy movies and television. Brad Warner, of Tsuburaya Productions Los Angeles office, is the “hidden hand” that shaped, edited and guided this book to completion. Other contributors are John Paul Cassidy, Norman England, Ed Godziszewski, Mark Nagata, Shogo Tomiyama, Akira Tsuburaya and the late Guy Mariner Tucker.
Continued…

Hungry underground monsters attack Seoul in THE HOST 2, the sequel to the 2006 international hit. THE HOST © 2006 Chungeorahm Film

Korean studio reveals more details for the sequel
Author: Kim Song-ho (Loomis)
Source: Chungeorahm Film official press release, various

Chungeorahm, the production company of THE HOST (Gwoemul, 2006), has provided more plot details and an early conceptual sketch from the upcoming sequel.

According to the official press release and reports from various Korean news sites, THE HOST 2 will take place in Cheonggyecheon (or Cheonggye Stream), a creek running through the downtown of Seoul that leads to the Han River. Cheonggyecheon was covered with concrete between the 1950s and 70s to build a road, but restored in 2005.
Continued…

Official Site: Silent Movie Theatre

GOZU is one of ten Takashi Miike movies being shown
at the Silent Movie Theatre. © 2003 Klock Worx/ Toei
Co., Ltd.

Beginning this weekend, the Silent Movie Theatre in West Hollywood is hosting seven consecutive Sundays of movies by director Takashi Miike. Ticket prices are $10.00 per film. The Silent Movie Theatre is located at 611 North Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. The theater phone number is (323) 655-2520.

TAKASHI MIIKE: AUTEUR FOR HIRE
Sundays in January/February at 9:30pm

Takashi Miike is one of the most insanely prolific directors ever to pick up a camera. With almost 70 films to his credit, in just 15 years, this chameleonic filmmaker— a movie world rockstar— has worked in numerous genres, making everything from art house faves to low budget exploitation fare. Miike got his start as an assistant director to Shohei Imamura, working on the Palm d’Or winning film BLACK RAIN and later honed his skill in the Japanese straight-to-video boom of the early ‘90s. There he learned to shoot quickly and economically, and adapt himself to any project. He brags that he rarely turns down a gig. But no matter what the assignment, each film bears his stamp. Miike is most notorious for pushing the boundaries of taste with extreme violence and sexual deviancy, while simultaneously experimenting with both narrative and filmic style. His films, while made at an astonishing pace, are rarely slapdash, and usually carry his trademark gestures of absurd comedy and transgressive imagery.
Continued…

DVD cover art for Takashi Miike’s ZEBRAMAN. Photo
courtesy of Media Blasters. © 2004 Zebraman Partners.

New Info, Cover Art, and Release Dates for Asian DVDs on the ‘Tokyo Shock’ and ‘Exploitation Digital’ Labels
Source: Media Blasters, Inc.
Special Thanks to Richard York

SciFi Japan kicks off 2008 with a look at Asian DVDs coming from Media Blasters in the first quarter of the New Year.

For cover art and specs on ‘Tokyo Shock’ and ‘Exploitation Digital’ titles such as the Takashi Miike superhero movie ZEBRAMAN, the Korean horror film RED EYE, Toei’s exploitation classics DELINQUENT GIRL BOSS: BLOSSOMING NIGHT DREAMS and GIRL BOSS REVENGE, TAKASHI MIIKE COLLECTION 1- BODYGUARD KIBA, and TAKASHI MIIKE COLLECTION 2- FAMILY — plus early word on future releases — please see our coverage here.