©1965 Toho Co., Ltd

Double Disc Dose of FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD
Author: Bob Johnson
Source: Media Blasters
Special Thanks to Richard York, Clay Holden and Loren Portillo

In 2007, Media Blasters released their DVD of FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD and has gone the extra mile with this fine set. All the extras from the Japanese DVD are ported onto this release.

Media Blasters gives us a two-disc set which includes three full versions of the movie. The U.S. release with the original English dub, the Japanese theatrical version and the “international version” which includes the alternate ending, both of which are in Japanese with optional English subtitles.

SciFi Japan takes a look at the DVD, the film itself and details how the Frankenstein monster ended up in Japan!
Continued…

SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, It Ain’t!
Author: Michael Kure
Source: ADV Films

DVD cover art for the anime film JING, KING OF BANDITS: SEVENTH HEAVEN.
Photo courtesy of ADV Films. © 2004 Aniplex

ADV Films presents JING, KING OF BANDITS: SEVENTH HEAVEN (O Dorobou Jing:Seventh Heaven, 2004), a feature length animated movie animated by Aniplex (RUROUNI KENSHIN) and directed by Hiroshi Watanabe (MYTHICAL DETECTIVE LOKI RAGNAROK, SLAYERS)

Synopsis: They call it Seventh Heaven: an asylum of a prison roasting on the lowest ring of Hell. Run by a psychotic warden and his army of hockey-masked guards, it’s a festering pit filled with thousands of hardened criminals… plus one very unfortunate Bandit King and his loyal, feathered sidekick!

And as if THAT didn’t suck enough for our heroes, toss in a magician who uses stolen dreams to trap his victims in bizarre worlds of illusion who then sets his beady eyes on Jing and Kir! So how does the star of a hit anime series escape from the biggest bird cage ever when “the Man’s” locked the door and thrown away the key? Find out as the boys (and bird) behind bars take on the big house in JING, KING OF BANDITS: SEVENTH HEAVEN!
Continued…

ALL MONSTERS ATTACK and TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA are now available as part of Classic Media’s GODZILLA COLLECTION DVD box set.
The two movies will be sold separately in 2008. © 2007 Classic Media, Inc./© 1969, 1975 Toho Co., Ltd.

The Classic Media Godzilla Collection is Complete
Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis
Source: Classic Media, Inc.
Official site: Godzilla on DVD

So here we are, just over one year since the release of Classic Media’s GOJIRA/GODZILLA Special Edition. Since then we have seen the release of no less than four Showa Godzilla movies— all given deluxe treatment with dual versions of each film plus special features. Now with the Christmas holiday approaching, the release of Classic Media’s Godzilla Collection box-set has heralded the final two DVDs in the catalog. ALL MONSTERS ATTACK (Oru Kaijiu Daishingeki aka: Godzilla’s Revenge, 1969) and TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (Mechagojira no Gyakushu, 1975) come with the same great attention to detail as the previous discs. Although the fact that they are only available for now in the Godzilla Collection box-set may be a turn off to people that bought all the other discs already, fear not as they are expected to hit the shelves separately shortly into the new year.
Continued…

The modern wave of Ultramen are the focus of the new
Japanese DVD ULTRAMAN HISTORY: THE SILVER CHAPTER.
© 2007 Tsuburaya Productions / Bandai Visual

New Japanese DVD Featuring Heisei Ultraman Retrospective
Author: James Ballard

ULTRAMAN HISTORY: THE SILVER CHAPTER (Urutoraman Hisutorii Gin-no Shou) is a new made-for-DVD compilation of action footage from the Ultraman television series and theatrical films produced in the 10-year period from 1996 to 2006.

Along with the CLIMAX STORIES which will be released from December 2007 to February 2008, ULTRAMAN HISTORY: THE SILVER CHAPTER helps introduce new and/or very young fans to the Ultraman characters of the post-1990s, in preperation for 2008′s feature film DECISIVE BATTLE! THE SUPER 8 ULTRA BROTHERS (Daikessen! Chou Hachi Urutora Kyoudai) which will bring together the classic heroes of the 1960/70s and the modern heroes of the 1990s for the first time.
Continued…

KIKAIDA 01 DVD Box Set Review
Author: Bob Johnson
Official Website: www.generationkikaida.com
Special Thanks to JN Productions and Generation Kikaida

KIKAIDA 01 ready to burst into your home and onto your TV! © 1971 Ishimori
Production Inc. and Toei Co., Ltd.

Following the release of the original KIKAIDA series on nine individual DVDs, JN Productions now packages the follow-up series KIKAIDA 01 in a single, 6-disc set.

Kikaida 01 was the older brother of the original Kikaida and for the first half of the series battled the Hakaida Force, lead by the original Hakaida. Three other Hakaidas, each with a different weapon and each housing the brain of Professor Gill’s most brilliant scientists, made up this deadly team.

Kikaida 01 is joined in episode three by the original Kikaida and the two of them combine forces in various episodes throughout the series. Kikaida 01 is also joined by a female cyborg, Bijinda. Check out all the action in this review of the KIKAIDA 01 DVD set.
Continued…

Packaging art for GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER and INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER. The DVDs go on sale tomorrow.
Photo courtesy of Classic Media. © 1964, 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.

Author: Sean Kotz
Source: Classic Media, Inc.
Official site: Godzilla on DVD

Godzilla fans have had a lot to be happy about over the last year. Short of a new film in the series, the next best thing is a quality DVD release and since September of 2006, beginning with an award-winning two disc set of GOJIRA, Classic Media has been delivering quality DVD releases. As a follow-up, in April of 2007, Classic Media unleashed GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (Gojira no gyakushû, 1955) and MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (Mosura tai Gojira, 1964) for an appreciative fan base in attractively packaged and well-designed editions. On June 5th, two more highly anticipated DVDs will arrive— GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (1964) and INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965)—and they continue Classic Media’s recent trend of giving fans what they want.

These films, while released separately, are produced with a unified vision and should be seen as part of a set ultimately. Below is a more detailed discussion of each film and its DVD, but for those simply interested in whether these DVDs are worth the money, the quick answer is, “Absolutely.” There are imperfections here and there, the available film stock for reproduction of the movies was limited, there could be more chapter selections and there are fewer special features than the GOJIRA release. However, in many ways these discs match Criterion Collection quality and they belong on the shelves of sci-fi fans of all sorts. Godzilla fans should be especially happy to see this pair.
Continued…

GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN DVD cover. Photo courtesy of
Classic Media. © 1955 Toho Co., Ltd.

Classic Media Continues to Score with the Release of a Previously Lost Godzilla Film and One of the Greatest Godzilla Sequels
Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis
Source: Classic Media, Inc.
Official site: Godzilla on DVD
Special Thanks to Bob Johnson and Keith Aiken

Before last September, Classic Media was a company whose efforts at releasing Godzilla films on DVD had fallen far short of expectations. All that changed, however, when the company took to heart what the fans wanted and released the superior GOJIRA/GODZILLA TWO DISC SPECIAL EDITION DVD. Now, in 2007, the company continues its incredible line of Godzilla DVDs which put everything behind them to shame.
Continued…

Cover art for the Criterion Collection’s new DVD of THE
BURMESE HARP. © 1956 Nikkatsu Corp./2007 Criterion

The Criterion Collection Presents a Post-War Masterpiece by Director Kon Ichikawa
Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis
Source: The Criterion Collection

“The soil of Burma is red, and so are its rocks…”

THE BURMESE HARP is a very powerful and moving film. Its prime message is that music is a universal and uniting language of peace. It became director Kon Ichikawa’s breakthrough movie as it gained international recognition and won the San Giorgio prize at the 1956 Venice Film Festival (although in the recorded interview that accompanies the DVD Ichikawa says he wasn’t even aware the movie was entered in the festival until after it won!).

The film, along with another Kon Ichikawa movie called FIRES ON THE PLAIN (Nobi, 1959), was released on March 13th and given a stunning presentation by the Criterion Collection.
Continued…

Contents of the special Memorial Box edition of ULTRAMAN MEBIUS & ULTRAMAN BROTHERS. © 2006 Tsuburaya Productions

New DVD Collectors Set With A Few Surprises
Author: James Ballard
Official Website: Ultraman-Movie.com

Last summer’s hit movie ULTRAMAN MEBIUS & ULTRAMAN BROTHERS (Urutoraman Mebiusu & Urutora Kyoudai, 2006) from Tsuburaya Productions was released on DVD in Japan on January 26th. Available alongside the regular one-disc issue of the film is this rather special two-disc Memorial Box.
Continued…

KING KONG DELUXE EXTENDED EDITION DVD cover art.
Photo courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
© 2005 Universal Studios.

More Dinosaurs, More Kong in a Spectacular New 3-Disc Set
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Official Site: King Kong Movie

In 1969, a young New Zealander named Peter Jackson saw the original KING KONG for the first time, an event that set the course of his life. “No film has captivated my imagination more than KING KONG,” Jackson said. “I’m making movies today because I saw this film when I was 9 years old. It has been my sustained dream to reinterpret this classic for a new age.” Twenty seven years later, Jackson was approached by Universal with an offer to remake KING KONG. The filmmaker leapt at the chance to realize his life’s dream, and immediately put his production team to work on the story and concept designs for a new KING KONG. The project was cancelled, then restarted, and eventually made it to theaters on December 14, 2005.

After grossing nearly $700 million worldwide, Peter Jackson’s KING KONG has been revised and expanded in a new 3-Disc DELUXE EXTENDED EDITION DVD set that includes a wealth of new, informative, and entertaining extra features. For a review of the set and an overview of King Kong Region 1 DVDs, please go here.

And check out the KING KONG PRODUCTION NOTES from Universal Studios for dozens of photos and a detailed look at the making of the film.

© 2005 “Yokai Daisenso” Film Partners

A look at the incredible fantasy adventure YOKAI DAISENSO from Takashi Miike and Kadokawa Pictures
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Media Blasters, Inc., Horizon Entertainment Ltd

Cover art for THE GREAT YOKAI WAR Double-Disc
Special Edition. Photo courtesy of Media Blasters.
© 2005 “Yokai Daisenso” Film Partners

The mythical adventure THE GREAT YOKAI WAR (Yokai Daisenso, 2005) was a box office hit in Japan, an official selection for international film festivals in Venice, Toronto, Athens, Chicago, Sitges, and Brussels, and recently completed a limited theatrical run in the United States to glowing reviews from Variety and The New York Times.

Now that THE GREAT YOKAI WAR is available on DVD from Media Blasters, SciFi Japan takes a detailed look at one of the best fantasy films in many years. For information about the cast and crew, profiles for 40 different characters from the movie, a review of the new DVD , and photos and art from Kadokawa Pictures, Media Blasters, and Horizon Entertainment, please go here.

Nobuo Nakagawa’s HELL on DVD from the Criterion Collection
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Criterion Collection

The classic Shintoho horror film JIGOKU is now available on DVD in
America. © 1960 Kokusai Hoei

“Shocking, outrageous, and poetic, JIGOKU (HELL, a.k.a. THE SINNERS OF HELL) is the most innovative creation from Nobuo Nakagawa, the father of the Japanese horror film. After a young theology student flees a hit-and-run accident, he is plagued by both his own guilt-ridden conscience and a mysterious, diabolical doppelganger. But all possible escape routes lead straight to hell— literally. In the gloriously gory final third of the film, Nakagawa offers up his vision of the underworld in a tour de force of torture and degradation. A striking departure from traditional Japanese ghost stories, JIGOKU, with its truly eye-popping (and -gouging) imagery, created aftershocks that are still reverberating in contemporary world horror cinema.” – from Criterion publicity materials

The award-winning Criterion Collection continues their tradition of top-quality DVDs with JIGOKU, the 1960 Japanese horror classic. The film has never before been available on home video in North America.
Continued…

Rare Toho publicity material from 1954/55 featuring Toshiro
Mifune as the samurai Kikuchiyo. © 1954 Toho Co., Ltd.

Could this be the best presentation of the best movie ever made?
Author: Richard Pusateri
Official Site: Criterion Collection

While SEVEN SAMURAI is not sci fi, it is from Japan and linked to GODZILLA. Both colossal movies were produced by Toho Co Ltd. and must have been in some stages of pre-production nearly simultaneously. They shared many crew and cast members, like Takeshi Shimura who starred in both films. SEVEN SAMURAI’s director Akira Kurosawa and Ishiro Honda, GODZILLA’s director, were colleagues and close friends. Although Godzilla might be the most famous Japanese movie star, SEVEN SAMURAI is widely accepted as the most internationally famous and critically acclaimed Japanese film.

…I think this Criterion Collection release of SEVEN SAMURAI is as good as movies get, and a lot of people agree with me. You need this set. It is indispensable.

The complete review, DVD specs, and an exclusive look at rare Toho English language sales material for SEVEN SAMURAI can be found here.

Classic Media’s latest DVD pairs the original Japanese GOJIRA with the US cut
GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS. © 1954, 1956 Toho Co., Ltd.

Classic Media Releases the Original GODZILLA in a Deluxe Edition on DVD
Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis
Source: Classic Media
Official site: Godzilla on DVD
Special Thanks to Aaron Cooper and James Ballard

September 5th, 2006 is a date that should forever be important to Godzilla fans as the day that the original, unaltered, post-war masterpiece GOJIRA was finally and officially released on DVD in North America. After years of hoping and clamoring, fans finally get their wish and much to our satisfaction the film is given an incredibly packaged and dignified release.

For more of this review, links to recent GODZILLA news coverage, and a list of colleges holding free screenings of Classic Media’s GOJIRA, please go here.

Author: Robert Saint John
Source: Kadokawa Entertainment
DVD Region 2 (Japan)
Release date: April 21, 2006
Price: 1575 Yen (approx $13.50 US)
Official Japanese Site: Gamera.jp

Papa Gamera gets all fired up when dealing with a flock of Gyaos. © 2006
Chiisaki Yusha-tachi Gamera/Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

In the wake of the popularity of “Making of” DVDs such as 2001’s THE MATRIX REVISITED and promotional items such as 2004’s GODZILLA BATTLE HISTORY, the Japanese market for such releases seems to have taken off in the past year.

Kadokawa Entertainment released the DVD GAMERA THE BRAVE: THE DAY TOTO BECAME GAMERA (Chiisaki Yusha Tachi: Gamera – Toto Ga Gamera Ni Natta Hi) on April 21, a week in advance of the release of the film. The disc features glimpses both forward and back at 40 years of the giant monster, but is primarily focused on GAMERA THE BRAVE. The DVD is a Region 2 NTSC disc, 4:3 aspect ratio, with no subtitles, and comes in a standard Amaray case with no significant inserts.
Continued…

The American Godzilla Is Featured On Three New DVDs
Author: Keith Aiken

Cover art for the three new Godzilla DVDs that will be hitting store shelves this Tuesday. Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Ent.
Godzilla © 1998 Toho Co., Ltd. GODZILLA: MONSTER EDITION © 1998 TriStar Pictures, Inc. GODZILLA: THE SERIES © 1998 Adelaide Productions, Inc.

On Tuesday, March 28, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases a new Special Edition DVD for their 1998 film GODZILLA and two more volumes of the popular animated program GODZILLA: THE SERIES. SciFi Japan presents an early review, and a look at the cartoon episodes included on the DVDs.
Continued…

And be sure to check back here next week for the ultimate guide to GODZILLA: THE SERIES… a detailed report covering the production of the show, complete with descriptions of all 40 episodes and more than 100 images of Godzilla, the main characters, all of the monsters, merchandising, publicity materials, and production art.

Author: Aaron Cooper

The British Film Institute has asserted itself in the United Kingdom as a force to be reckoned with in terms of film preservation and appreciation, much like Criterion or the American Film Institute. Now with the BFI Video imprint, Japanese science fiction and fantasy fans can appreciate two classic films on DVD with lots of special edition bells and whistles.
Continued…

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GODZILLA

The original version of the 1954 GODZILLA (Gojira) finally gets the DVD treatment it deserves for an English speaking audience from the British Film Institute on Region 2 PAL DVD.

This forum will not be used for a story synopsis of this fine film. Chances are if you are visiting this site, you are a fan of such films and have already seen this one in some form. If not, then you really need to and you may as well make this edition the one as it just might possibly be the new standard by which to judge the film’s presentation. The British Film Institute acknowledges the import of this film in Japanese film history and has released this DVD accordingly in special edition box style packaging with nice artwork reprinting the UK re-release poster art by illustrator and fashion designer Phil Ashcroft.

The film print used for the transfer is the cleanest seen to date. Presented in its correct aspect ratio of 1:33:1, the black, white and grey shades are sharp in this digital transfer with minimal scratches and imperfections, looking even better then the Rialto print many US theatergoers saw in 2004. The sound is in a crisp Japanese language Dolby Digital 2.0 mix.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THE MYSTERIANS

When alien invaders in colored capes and helmeted voice translators come to Earth looking for a spot of land and a few women to procreate with, it doesn’t sit well with the citizens of Japan. It comes to arms when they realize they keep getting attacked by the invader’s giant burrowing robot and forceful attitude! Thus, the story in a nutshell for THE MYSTERIANS (Chikyu Boeigun, 1957), another first for Toho Studios that the British Film Institute acknowledges with a decent DVD release.

THE MYSTERIANS was Toho’s first widescreen color science fiction film in their fantastic Tohoscope process that began a foray into a whole new genre. They had dabbled with science fantasy in GODZILLA (Gojira, 1954) and RODAN (Sora no Daikaiju Radon, 1956), now they were set to launch an onslaught of such films over the following two decades. The film is slightly weaker in some aspects then subsequent films such as BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (Uchu Daisenso, 1959), GORATH (Yosei Gorasu, 1961) or the giant monster boom of the 1960’s in which the Toho formula becomes more finely honed; yet all the elements of what makes Toho films a notch above B-movie fare are presented here.