Ad for the New York Premiere of Mamoru Oshii’s THE SKY CRAWLERS. © 2008 Hiroshi Mori /NI,BWDVYHDYCH

Source: New York-Tokyo press release, The Film Society of Lincoln Center
Official Site: sky.crawlers.jp

Yesterday we reported that the award-winning anime film THE SKY CRAWLERS (Sukai Kurora, 2008) was beginning its US theatrical run with a limited engagement in Los Angeles. Today, the media company New York-Tokyo announced they were partnering with Sony Pictures, Stage 6 Films, Production I.G., and the Film Society of Lincoln Center to present the New York Premiere of THE SKY CRAWLERS. The screenings will also feature a video introduction by director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL).
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New Film from Director of GHOST IN THE SHELL Opens Today in Los Angeles
Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network), Production I.G., various
Official Site: sky.crawlers.jp

International promotional art for Mamoru Oshii’s THE
SKY CRAWLERS. The anime feature opens today in Los
Angeles. Photo courtesy of NTV. © 2008 Hiroshi Mori
/The Sky Crawlers Project

Somewhere, in a country similar to ours, there are children who do not become adults.

The world-acclaimed animation auteur Mamoru Oshii brings his latest masterpiece to light…

The story takes place in another possible ‘now’ - a world that has eradicated war and finally attained peace. However, this prolonged state of peace created demand for a new kind of war. A war happening elsewhere, that could be seen on TV or read in the papers - in order to get a feeling of reality. Private war contractors enlist fighter pilots to perform their services in an endless “war as entertainment.” They called these pilots Kildren. Innocent-looking teenagers in appearance, Kildren never age into adulthood, and live in a state of eternal adolescence until the day they drift gracefully through the endless skies.

THE SKY CRAWLERS (Sukai Kurora), the new animated film from director Mamoru Oshii, begins its North American theatrical release today with a limited engagement as the Los Feliz 3 Cinemas, 1822 Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Additional theaters and cities to be announced.
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A classic Toho daikaiju runs amuck in the dynamic photo
collage “Titanosaurus” by Bill’s Kitchen. Artwork © Bill
Gudmundson. Titanosaurus © Toho Co., Ltd.

Florida Gallery Host Exhibition of Japanese Monster Art
Source: ArtCenter/South Florida press release
Visit KAIJU MONSTER INVASION on MySpace

December 2, 2008 – January 4, 2009
ArtCenter/South Florida’s Richard Shack Gallery
800 Lincoln Road at Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach, FL
Admission is free!

ArtCenter/South Florida (“ACSF”) presents KAIJU MONSTER INVASION: MIAMI BEACH 2008, an exhibition featuring Japanese monster-inspired interpretations by renowned contemporary western and eastern artists.

The Japanese word Kaiju, which translates to “strange beast” or “monster”, first emerged in post-war Japan in the 1950s and 1960s. Now a half-century later, Lowbrow and Pop Surrealists including Coop, Ron English, Mark Nagata and Skot Olsen have been inspired by and amassed their very own collections of the famed vinyl monsters. The opening reception takes place on December 3, followed by an artists signing on December 5 and a kaiju-themed computer music concert on December 6.
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MTV and Anime Expo are looking for anime/manga fans for the TV series TRUE LIFE.
MTV logo and TRUE LIFE © 2008 MTV Networks; Anime Expo logo © 1992-2008 Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation.

Casting Call for Fanboys/Fangirls for Documentary Series
Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press release
Special Thanks to Chase Wang

Obsessed with comic books, anime, fantasy, or manga? Obsessed with cosplaying and attending anime conventions? Do your friends consider you a fanboy/fangirl? Have you ever missed work, school, or other important events to engage in role-playing or cosplay? Are you misunderstood by your family or significant other because of your loyal fandom? Anime Expo 2009 and MTV Network’s TRUE LIFE series wants to hear your story and is looking to cast three (3) individuals for an upcoming show.
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On December 3rd, DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME will be screened in theaters across Canada. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

Special One-Night-Only Presentation of Supernatural Crime Thriller to Delight Canadian Fans
Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press release
Official Movie Site: Death Note Films
Special Thanks to Manami Iiboshi and Erik Jansen

Ad for the Canadian screening of DEATH NOTE II: THE
LAST NAME. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death
Note] Film Partners

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced an exciting one-night only theatrical event – DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME – showing at select Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theatres locations across Canada on Wednesday, December 3rd.

Advance tickets are now on sale. For more information, screening times, advance tickets and a complete list of participating theatres go to DeathNoteFilms.com/tickets, cineplex.com, or empiretheatres.com/deathnote2. VIZ Media’s SHONEN JUMP magazine will lend additional support with a promo ad in the December 2008 issue, which hit stores on November 4th.

Earlier this year, VIZ Pictures partnered with Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theatres to present the first DEATH NOTE live-action film theatrically in Canada. Based on the enthusiastic response, combined with the continued overall popularity of the DEATH NOTE franchise, the companies will again be showing this presentation (English dubbed) in nearly every major Canadian city.
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A small sampling of the many Japanese films promoted at this year’s American Film Market.

K-20, MONSTER X STRIKES BACK, 20Th CENTURY BOYS, IKIGAMI, GOD’S PUZZLE and more screened in California
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: AFM, Shochiku Co., Ltd., NTV, Gold View Co., Ltd., TBS, Toei Co., Ltd.

Since 1981, the Independent Film and Television Alliance has hosted an annual motion picture trade show in Santa Monica, CA called the American Film Market (AFM). The 29th American Film Market started on November 5 and concludes November 12.

The event has drawn more than 400 motion picture companies from around the globe, including the major Japanese studios Toho, Shochiku, Kadokawa, Toei, and Nikkatsu, as well as Nippon Television Network, Tokyo Broadcasting System, Gold View, Pony Canyon, Fuji Television, Gaga Communications, and Geneon. Approximately 25 different Japanese productions were screened at AFM, with dozens more advertised.
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Meet GODZILLA: FINAL WARS star Don Frye, Hugo award winning artist Bob Eggleton, and GAMERA 3 voice actor Vic Mignogna at the Anime Kaiju Experience.
GODZILLA: FINAL WARS © 2004 Toho Co., Ltd. Japanese Giants illustration © Bob Eggleton. GAMERA 3 © 1999 Kadokawa Pictures

Guest List Includes Don Frye, Bob Eggleton, Johnny Yong Bosch and More
Source: Anime Kaiju Experience press release
Official Site: animekaijuexperience.com
Special Thanks to Paul Aldred and Mary Dumas

The Anime Kaiju Experience, New England’s celebration of Japanese pop culture and the world’s adaptations of it, is proud to welcome Don Frye (UFC champion and star of GODZILLA: FINAL WARS), Bob Eggleton (kaiju expert and Hugo award winning illustrator), Vic Mignogna (voiced for the Gamera trilogy, but best remembered as the voice of Edward Elric in the mega-hit FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST) and Johnny Yong Bosch (Black Power Ranger kaiju smack-down buddy, who’s now known as the voice of Ichigo in the anime hit BLEACH). Appearing at the New England Fan Experience, November 21-23, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge (575 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139-4896), these gentlemen are the final addition to a stellar line-up of guests and programming… this is promising to be an Experience to remember.
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Don’t dissapoint this lady… listen to 2 hrs of
Godzilla music today on the Portland Radio
Authority! © 2008 PRA

Source: Portland Radio Authority, Kyle Yount

Godzilla returns to the airwaves with a 54th birthday celebration on Portland Radio Authority’s show HORROR HOLOCAUST. For two hours, hosts DJ Fulci and Damien Karras will play music, audio clips, and rarities featuring the King of the Monsters and other Japanese favorites like Rodan, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Mechagodzilla, and Gamera. Adding to the fun will be conversation and Japanese monster news from special guest monster expert (and old friend) Kyle Yount of the Shrine of Gamera.

HORROR HOLOCAUST’s Godzilla-themed show will air today, Friday, November 7 at 2:00pm PST. HORROR HOLOCAUST can be heard on the Portland Radio Authority website. Just click on one of the “128 mp3 stream” links to open the show in a web-enabled mp3 player and spend your afternoon enjoying hours of monster talk and music.

The cast and crew will be on hand for screenings of the cult favorite THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA and the new sequel THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN.
THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA © 2003 TriStar Pictures, Inc. THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN © 2008 Bantam Street

THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA and the All-New Sequel THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN Play the Egyptian Theatre
Official Movie Website: THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN
Event Website: American Cinematheque
Special Thanks to Michael Schlesinger

A new monster prowls the Amazon Jungle in THE
LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN. Photo courtesy
of Bantam Street. © 2008 Bantam Street

Sunday, November 9 - 5:00
THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA. 2004, Sony Repertory, 89 min. Dir. Larry Blamire. If you missed it before or just need a refresher, here’s the original cult favorite! A gleefully deadpan recreation of those ultra-cheap ’50s sci-fi horror movies, as a host of stereotypes descend upon Bronson Canyon in search of a meteorite containing a mysterious radioactive element. A rare chance to see one of the most quotable movies of recent years on the big screen. Plus Ub Iwerks’ 1937 cartoon classic, SKELETON FROLICS. Writer/Director/Star Larry Blamire will introduce the screening.

Sunday, November 9 - 7:30 - Los Angeles Premiere!
THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN. 2008, Bantam Street, 91 min. Dir. Larry Blamire. It’s two years later, and the action shifts to the Amazon Jungle, as old friends and new enemies schlep into the dreaded Valley of the Monsters in search of yet another rare element. This bigger, better, bonier sequel moves up the budgetary scale from Ed Wood to Sam Katzman, containing some nifty special effects and a dynamic musical score–along with the expected hilarious performances and Blamire’s trademark loopy dialogue. But you can still see the wires! Discussion following with the cast and crew.

Tickets are available in advance at the Egyptian box office or through Fandango. The Egyptian is at 6712 Hollywood Blvd., 2 blocks east of Highland.
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Creatures and Zombies Invade Santa Cruz in an Exclusive South Bay Premier!
Source: Bay Area Film Events

Event poster from Bay Area Film Events.

Santa Cruz, CA - October 23, 2008 – Bay Area Film Events proudly presents the exclusive South Bay premier of a new feature-length documentary on one of the most popular local shows in Bay Area television history, CREATURE FEATURES! Taking its title from the show’s famous catch-phrase, WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG! A JOURNEY INTO CREATURE FEATURES looks back at the showcase of classic horror, science fiction, and monster movies.

Included in the evening’s events will also be the 40th anniversary screening of cult classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, a Zombie Fashion Show, special guests, displays, and more.
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Joe Odagiri stars in MUSHISHI, director Katsuhiro Otomo’s adaptation of the manga and anime series. © 2006 Tohokushinsha Film

Live Action Film Directed by AKIRA’s Katsuhiro Otomo
Source: Barbican Centre
Special Thanks to Laura Bushell, Sarah Harvey Publicity

The third season of Japanimation returns with the latest live action movie by Katsuhiro Otomo of AKIRA fame. MUSHISHI is based on the manga that inspired Revelation Films’ current hit anime series of the same name. On Tuesday 28 October, Barbican Film presents two episodes from the series before the feature in this Mushi-fest introduced by anime expert and author Helen McCarthy (The Anime! Movie Guide, Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, and founder of the magazine AnimeFX).
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Misa Amane (Erika Toda) is guarded by the shinigami Rem in DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

Hit Japanese Film to Play in 400 US Theaters
Source: VIZ Media
Official Movie Site (Japan): Death-Note-Movie
Official Movie Site (US): Death Note Films

US poster art for DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME. Photo
courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

VIZ Pictures and NCM FATHOM present a special two-night, multi-city event — DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME at nearly 400 theatres across the United States on October 15 and 16 at 7:30pm local time. The theatre event will also feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes look about the creation of this breakthrough live-action event, an in-depth interview with director Shusuke Kaneko, who also directed DEATH NOTE, and a unique profile of the cast. For complete details on the DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME U.S. Theatrical Event, please see the earlier report on SciFi Japan.

DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME are based on the best-selling supernatural action mystery manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. With 26 million copies sold in worldwide, the hit manga has finally been adapted into the live-action feature films DEATH NOTE part 1 & 2!

Both live-action films were directed by Shusuke Kaneko, known from the popular “Gamera” monster film series, and were released in 2006, becoming smash hits in Japan. DEATH NOTE knocked off THE DA VINCI CODE as the #1 hit movie in Japan, grossing over $28 million with 2.3 million tickets sold. DEATH NOTE had a huge success at US nationwide two-night theatrical screenings at 302 theatres in May 2008.
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The animated feature film BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF
NOBODY will be screened across Canada for one night only.
Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV
Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot, BMP

Special One-Night-Only Event of Mega-Hit Anime Series
Source: VIZ Media press release
Official Site (Japan): j-bleach.com
Official Site (North America): bleach.viz.com
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq

Publishing, animation and licensing company VIZ Media, LLC has announced that BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY will make its Canadian debut in a special one-night only event at theatres across Canada. The film will screen at select Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theatres locations on Monday, October 20, 2008. For more information, advance tickets and a complete list of participating theatres, go to cineplex.com or empiretheatres.com/bleach.

“We are extremely excited to bring the first BLEACH theatrical movie to enthusiastic fans across Canada,” says Liza Coppola, Sr. Vice President, Corporate Relations & Partnerships, VIZ Media. “Anticipation has been steadily building for BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY and this theatrical showing with its non-stop action and exciting plot twists is sure to delight and surprise audiences. This will be a unique opportunity to see one of the hottest animated titles on the big screen and we look forward to new and old fans coming out in force to enjoy this special one night only event.”
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RSVP for Free Tickets to East Coast Premiere
Source: New York-Tokyo press release

Japanese poster art for the remake of SANJURO. © 2007
Kadokawa Haruki Corporation/ Toho Co., Ltd./ Avex
Entertainment Inc./ TV Asahi /Asahi Broadcasting
Corporation/ Nagoya Broadcasting Network Co., Ltd./
I.N.P. Inc./ Fields Corporation/ Tokyo FM/ Quaras Inc.

On October 15th, the media company New York-Tokyo is hosting a free screening of the 2007 remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic SANJURO (Tsubaki Sanjuro). The film will be shown at the ImaginAsian Theater in New York City.

For complete details, please see the following press release from New York-Tokyo…

SANJURO

EAST COAST PREMIERE * FREE SCREENING
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
Doors Open 6:15pm, Screening starts 7:00pm
The ImaginAsian: 239 East 59th Street, NYC
RSVP to newyork-tokyo.com/wp/sanjuro

Japan | 2007 | 119 min. | Japanese with English subtitles

This is a remake of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune’s SANJURO (1962). Originally, SANJURO was the first title ever in the motion picture history of Japan. This remake was planned and realized from the masterworks of director Kurosawa.
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Music And Pop Culture Retailer To Offer Tickets To Attend Big Screen Premiere
Source: VIZ Media press release
Official Movie Site: Death Note Films

Hot Topic stores are offering free tickets to DEATH
NOTE II: THE LAST NAME with the purchase of
DEATH NOTE products. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media.
© 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced that it will again partner with music and pop culture retailer Hot Topic Inc. to promote the North American premiere of the live-action film DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME.

VIZ Pictures has partnered with NCM FATHOM, the entertainment division of National CineMedia, to present DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME for a special two-night, multi-city event at approximately 400 theatres across the United States on October 15th and 16th. Tickets, prices and participating theatre locations are available at presenting theatre box offices and at FathomEvents.com (theatres are subject to change). As part of a special promotion, customers who purchase a DEATH NOTE t-shirt or DVD in select Hot Topic stores starting on October 1, 2008 will receive a free ticket to attend the film event, while supplies last.

Hot Topic will support the event in nearly 400 stores with in-store signage and special areas in each location offering a variety of DEATH NOTE apparel and related merchandise, including the DEATH NOTE live action DVD from VIZ Pictures released on September 16. VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump magazine will lend additional support with a promo ad in the November issue, which hit stores on October 7th, while Hot Topic will also highlight the DEATH NOTE film in an article set to appear on its web site at hottopic.com/buzz.
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