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On Thursday July 15, 2010, the television and movie industry lost one of its truly unsung heroes. Peter Fernandez passed away after a battle with cancer at the age of 83. Although fans of international films and TV know his name and his contributions, Hollywood as a whole has passed over a little-known industry that made it possible to import many foreign efforts that we would have never otherwise seen.
The dubbing of international product was a thankless chore and an underpaid one in the 1960s and 1970s. However, Peter Fernandez was a tireless pioneer and turned out some of the most memorable and highest quality dub tracks of a generation. Continued…
Montreal Genre Movie Festival Runs July 8-28
Source: Fantasia press release
Official Site: Fantasia 2010
The organizers of Fantasia International Film Festival— North America’s largest genre film festival— have once again pulled together an amazing lineup of movies to screen in Montreal. From July 8 to 28, Fantasia 2010 will showcase 120 feature films and several hundred shorts from all over the world, including a number of North American and international premieres.
Please visit Fantasia’s official website for their complete film list and schedule, venues and directions, ticket information, and other details. SciFi Japan readers may be particularly interested in the fest’s Asian movie schedule, detailed in the following press release. Continued…
In celebration of the Ultraman series’ 45th anniversary in 2011, production has begun on Tsuburaya Productions’ latest feature film ULTRAMAN ZERO THE MOVIE: SUPER DECISIVE BATTLE! BELIAL’S GALACTIC EMPIRE (Urutoraman Zero THE MOVIE Chou Kessen! Beriaru Ginga Teikoku), due for nationwide theatrical release this December in Japan.
The latest Ultra hero Ultraman Zero, the son of Ultra Seven, takes on the role of the protagonist in this production, while Ultraman Belial, history’s first evil Ultraman who rampaged screens in last year’s ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE (Daikaiju Battoru Urutora Ginnga Densetsu THE MOVIE) has survived, returning in a powered-up form and proclaiming himself to be “the galactic emperor Kaiser Belial”. Building up an enormous galactic empire, Kaiser Belial aspires for universal conquest in revenge against the Ultra warriors. The young hero Ultraman Zero joins successive generations of Ultra warriors, as well as some new friends, to crush Kaiser Belial’s aspirations. Continued…
Director Koichi Sakamoto’s MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE) was released on home video in Japan on April 23rd. Three different editions were released; a single disc DVD, a double-disc “Memorial Box” DVD collection, and a single disc Blu-ray. All three editions include English subtitles. While playback of the DVD editions are restricted to Japan, Europe and other Region 2 DVD countries, the Blu-ray edition is compatible with all Region A Blu-ray players, including North America. Continued…
Released on April 23 on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan with import friendly English subtitles, MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu The Movie; lit. Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends- The Movie) has finally made its way into the homes of the non-Japan residing Ultra faithful. After all of the trailers, promotional stills, early reviews, and months of speculation, how does the film stack up against previous entries in the series?
Much like STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982), ULTRA GALAXY represents a bold new direction for an established series. Nearly every shot of the film features some sort of digital VFX, due in large part to filming almost exclusively against a green screen. By doing so, ULTRA GALAXY frees itself from an earthy scope taking us to spectacular locations in distant galaxies, focusing primarily on the Land of Light, home planet of the Ultramen. While the digital environments are quite gorgeous, the real advantage they’ve brought to the table is a sense of no holds barred cinematography, and truly inspired fight choreography. Thankfully these assets do not go underused; ULTRA GALAXY features unrelenting action adventure for nearly its entire 96 minute running time. Continued…
A Look Back at the Popular 2004 Film with Press Notes, Interviews, and Photos from Tsuburaya Pro
Source: Tsuburaya Productions
Official Movie Site: Ultraman The Movie
Additional Material: Brad Warner
After a trilogy of juvenile oriented films starring ULTRAMAN COSMOS (2001-2003), in 2004 Tsuburaya Productions decided the time had come for a major relaunch and revamp of their Ultra franchise. The company hoped to lure older viewers back to the fold with nostalgic and more adult-themed programming like the radio drama THE ULTRA Q CLUB (Urutora Kyuu Club), the late night TV series ULTRA Q: DARK FANTASY (Urutora Kyuu Daaku Fantajii), and the new Ultraman show ULTRAMAN NEXUS (Urutoraman Nekkusasu).
Tsuburaya Pro wrapped up the year with ULTRAMAN: THE NEXT (Urutoraman), a new movie that opened in Japanese theaters on December 18, 2004. ULTRAMAN: THE NEXT was both a “back to the basics” approach and a grittier, more mature look at Ultraman that brought the character out of the world of fantasy and into a real world setting. The film provided a great starting point for newcomers unfamiliar with the Ultraman franchise, and particularly appealed to fans of darker kaiju movies like GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS (Gamera 3: Iris Kakusei, 1999) and GODZILLA, MOTHRA & KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (Gojira Mosura Kingugidora Daikaiju Soukougeki, 2001).
SciFi Japan takes a look back at ULTRAMAN: THE NEXT with Tsuburaya Productions’ 2005 English language press kit for the film as well as quotes from unpublished interviews with Ultraman designer Hiroshi Maruyama and special effects director Yuichi Kikuchi. Continued…
Final Showa Ultraman TV Series To Be Released On DVD
Author: Jim M. Ballard
Source: Bandai Visual
ULTRAMAN 80 (Urutoraman Eitii, 1980), the last live action Ultraman TV series of the Showa era, will be released on DVD for the first time in Japan this year. It is the last of all the primary Ultraman TV series to be released on DVD in Japan.
The series will be split into two “Memorial Box” collection sets. Memorial Box I is due for release on June 25th, and will contain the first twenty-eight episodes on seven discs. Memorial Box II will be released three months later on September 24th, containing the final twenty-two episodes on six discs, plus a bonus disc containing special features. Both sets come in deluxe art boxes and will retail for 24,150 yen (approx. US$260). The discs are region coded, and will only function in Japanese, European and other Region 2 encoded DVD players. Continued…
Tsuburaya Productions’ popular 1996 series ULTRAMAN TIGA (Uritoraman Taiga) has returned to television in Southern California. The show is currently airing on the independent Japanese language TV station UTB (United Television Broadcasting Systems, Inc.) Channel 18 in Hollywood. UTB is showing the episodes uncut and in their original Japanese language with English subtitles. Continued…
After far too long an absence, the popular fanzine Monster Attack Team returns!
Edward Holland and the late Joe Riley began Monster Attack Team (the name taken from the anti-monster team in RETURN OF ULTRAMAN) began in the early 1990s as a fan club for aficionados of Japanese science fiction and fantasy. It soon evolved into a Dallas, Texas cable access television show and a small newsletter that grew to become a fan favorite mag. The print version of Monster Attack Team ran for seven issues, edited by Ed Holland with the assistance of David May and Michael G Keller, and featured articles and contributions by authors such as Ed Godziszewski, Kip Doto, Bob Johnson, Kevin Grays, August Ragone, Daisuke Ishizuka, Norman England, and Damon Foster.
Nearly 15 years after the last issue, Ed Holland and Michael Keller have brought back Monster Attack Team with Issue 8. The editors have rounded up an “all star” group of tokusatsu writers and historians and produced a massive, 132 page edition that matches the quality of those truly great English language genre publications The Japanese Fantasy Film Journal, Markalite, and Japanese Giants. Continued…
A Look at the Winter Model and Toy Collectors Show Held in Tokyo on February 7, 2010
Author: Ed Godziszewski
Official Site: Wonder Festival
Owing to an accident in 2008 which occurred at the Tokyo Big Sight, former home of Wonder Festival, this biannual mega collectors event was canceled for the year 2009. But after securing a new venue at Makuhari Messe, WonderFest is back and bigger than ever.
Ed Godziszewski presents a look Winter WonderFest with nearly three dozen photos of the latest Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman collectibles coming from Japan. Continued…
Tsuburaya Productions is touting their latest special effects extravanganza, MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Battoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu The Movie, 2009), as a rebirth for both the company and it’s long-running Ultraman franchise. The producers of the movie wanted a dramatic, Hollywood-style score to complement the updated visuals so they turned to an American composer, Mike Verta.
Mike Verta knew he wanted to make movie music after seeing the original STAR WARS at age five. He moved to Los Angeles in 1990 to become a film composer, but soon expanded into visual effects work as well. He established his own post-production company and has provided music, FX, sound design, and editorial work on a wide range of productions.
MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY is Mike’s first soundtrack for a Japanese theatrical feature film. He recently spoke with SciFi Japan’s Steve Ryfle about his work on the film, his approach to movie music, and his crash course introduction to 40+ years of Ultraman history. Continued…
43 years from it’s creation, Ultraman has consistently remained a beloved character for three generations. This staple series is now reborn with the aim at an all new stage. After Tsuburaya Productions joined TYO Group, Japan’s leading film relations enterprise, their first new theatrical film MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY combines the top staff of the film world from Hollywood and Japan. Abolishing the miniature SFX used until now, all the SFX cuts are presented with digital composites of CG and live action characters, with the images of the Ultraman home world the “Land of Light” and other worlds at the end of the universe being fully realized. And with the images of this world and the speedy activity of the Ultra heroes who move around freely within it having been totally reformed, it’s not wrong for the generations who have witnessed the former ULTRA series to be amazed at this evolution. Continued…
Exclusive Photos From The Premiere Of The New Ultraman Movie
Author: Jim M. Ballard
Official Movie Site: Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy
The official premiere of the latest Ultraman movie MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Battoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu The Movie) was held today in Kawasaki.
Prior to the screening, a special Ultra hero stage show was held in an event space at the centre of the Lazona Plaza shopping mall, where up to 500 Ultraman masks were freely distributed to members of the audience.
The show started at 2.00pm with an introduction by Ultraman Dyna, star of the 1997 TV series of the same name, who also features prominently in the new movie. Continued…
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie.
Opening to cinemas nationwide in Japan on December 12th, MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu The Movie) is the latest installment in the Ultraman feature film series.
ULTRA GALAXY is the first Ultraman movie since Tsuburaya Productions was acquired by TYO Group at the end of 2007 (although released in September 2008, SUPERIOR ULTRAMAN 8 BROTHERS entered production under the studio’s original management).
Shifting away from the traditional Earth-bound setting, ULTRA GALAXY opens up the palette and moves the action into outer space and several different planets, primarily the home world of the Ultramen, the Land of Light, located in the nebula M-78.
The main antagonist of the movie is a former Ultra warrior named Ultraman Belial, who thousands of years ago revolted against his own people after attaining the power of the Reionyx, enabling him to control an army of 100 monsters through the use of a device called the Giga Battle Nizer. Only due to the arrival of the legendary Ultraman King was Belial finally imprisoned in a cell orbiting the Land of Light. Continued…
Cult Favorite Rankin/Bass-Tsuburaya Co-production Now Available
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Warner Archive Collection
Special Thanks to Gabriel Vicuna, Garo Setian, and James Ballard
What secret lurks 20,000 feet below the waves in the paranormal realm called The Bermuda Triangle? That’s the question a scientist (Burl Ives), his student (Carl Weathers) and a young man (Leigh McCloskey) haunted by nightmarish memories of his Bermuda childhood ask themselves. The answer involves a beauty (Connie Sellecca) who has sold her soul for eternal youth, and a giant sea turtle that leaves death in its wake. Eerie and hypnotic, THE BERMUDA DEPTHS was produced by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, who meld their imaginative fantasy style with the live-action horror genre. -synopsis courtesy of Warner Bros.
The 1978 cult classic THE BERMUDA DEPTHS— one of three movies produced by the American studio Rankin/Bass in association with Tsuburaya Productions in Japan— is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive Collection. Continued…
The popular TV series ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE will hit the big screen in Japan this year with MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY LEGENDS – THE MOVIE (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE).
For the new movie, Tsuburaya Productions have joined with world-famous distributor Warner Bros., with their eye on the global market. For its domestic Japanese release, the film is planned to open in December for the New Year movie season. Continued…
Following the success of ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE (Urutora Gyarakushii Daikaiju Batoru, 2007) and it’s sequel series ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE – NEVER ENDING ODYSSEY (Urutora Garakushii Daikaiju Batoru Nebaa Endingu Odessei, 2008), Tsuburaya Productions have drafted the Ultra Monsters to help keep the children of Japan in shape in a new series entitled MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: EXERCISE (Daikaiju Battoru Taisou)!
The new “fun, healthy exercise” TV series, due to air on Japan’s popular Family Gekijo channel next month, was announced in Tokyo on May 21. Actor Shouta Minami, who will be reprising his role as ZAP Spacy member Rei in the new series, appeared for the press with popular monsters Gomora and Miclas. Continued…
Variety and other news sources have reported that audiences in China are tuning out the popular superhero ULTRAMAN and other Japanese television series. The boycott follows complaints from Communist Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that his grandson spends too much time watching Japanese shows rather than domestic TV programming.
The controversy began with comments made by Wen during a visit to the south China studio Jiangtong Animation. “There are times when I watch TV anime with my grandchild,” he said “but all he ever watches are foreign works like ULTRAMAN and the like. He should watch more Chinese cartoons. We should be cultivating a domestic anime industry.” Continued…
The latest Ultraman feature arrives on DVD and Blu-ray
Author: James Ballard
Official Website: http://ultra2008.jp
Released to theatres on September 13th last year, director Takeshi Yagi’s motion picture debut SUPERIOR ULTRAMAN 8 BROTHERS (Daikessen! Chou Urutora Hachi Kyoudai, lit. Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers) has gone on to become the most successful entry in the Ultraman movie series, with a box office take of over 800 million yen.
Now, the hit film also has the distinction of being the first Japanese kaiju production to be released on the new Blu-ray Disc format. Three different editions were released on home video on January 23rd; a single disc DVD edition, a limited edition 2-disc “Memorial Box” DVD collection, and a single disc Blu-ray edition. Continued…
Published by Uncooked Media Ltd., NEO is the UK’s only magazine dedicated to Japanese and Asian pop culture— specifically, anime, manga, Asian cult cinema and Japanese pop music (J-Pop). Although anime is covered in depth within every issue, NEO’s remit is to cover a wider range of material than you would find in an anime-only magazine.
The latest issue, NEO #55, went on sale this past Thursday, January 29th. Among the many featured articles is a look at Ultraman written by SciFi Japan’s own James Ballard. In 2007, James had a cameo in the series ULTRASEVEN X, and the NEO report details his experiences on the set of an Ultraman show.
NEO is available through traditional UK newsagents, larger stores like WHSmith, Martins, Borders and Spar, as well as the bigger branches of Virgin and HMV. Continued…
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